| Monday, April 9, 2018 |
| Mississippi State debuts Summer Advantage initiative | |
 | Mississippi State University will look to provide students a new reason to spend their summer break on campus. This summer, MSU will launch its comprehensive Summer Advantage initiative, offering scholars at every level the opportunity to choose from an updated, expanded selection of learning programs in a more-relaxed setting, according to a MSU news release. MSU says students will have the chance to earn credits, take a refresher course, acquire new skills or study abroad. MSU President Mark E. Keenum said summer is a season for learning and growth at Mississippi State. "MSU Summer Advantage considers the needs of all students by offering a wide variety of courses and study options that make a high-quality college education more accessible and convenient," Keenum said. |
| Mississippi State physics major wins national scholarship | |
 | A Mississippi State University senior will receive a Barry Goldwater Scholarship. The university says physics major Nicholas A. Ezzell of Laurel will be the only Mississippian to get the award this year. Ezell has conducted research at the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and will return there this summer to develop quantum computing software. He hopes to attend graduate school and ultimately work as a computational physicist. Mississippi State says 17 of its students have received the scholarship since they began. Ezell is the fourth student named in seven years. |
| Mississippi State hosts groundbreaking for new facility | |
| The Mississippi State University Extension hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for its new Termite Technician Training Facility at the Mississippi Horse Park on Friday. The facility will be 5,000 square feet, hosting about 11 training stations. The goal of the new facility is to educate applicators to help understand what they're treating and how they're going about treating it. The Termite Technician Training Facility is projected for completion in early 2019. Director of the Mississippi State University Extension Service Gary Jackson said MSU Extension takes its role seriously in this state as a land grant institution. He said it's their job to teach the non-formal, non-credit educational programs to the people of Mississippi. "To take the classroom beyond the campus and to educate our citizens on various programs that will solve their problems and help them with their needs that they have," Jackson said. "Which includes working and partnering and supporting industry." |
| Proposed Chinese soybean tariff could harm local growers | |
 | In the farming business, there is always something to worry about, much of it beyond the farmer's control. So when the Chinese government threatened Tuesday to levy a 25-percent tariff of American products -- including soybeans and corn -- in retaliation to President Trump's call for a tariff on Chinese steel, local farmers responded with predictable stoicism. "Right now, it seems to be mostly talk," said Dale Weaver, who farms 1,400 acres of soybeans, cotton and corn in Noxubee County. "It hasn't done much real damage yet, but if it turns out to be more than just talk, it could be a different story. I guess we'll have to wait and see." Of particular concern, said Brian Williams, an agricultural economist and professor at the Mississippi State University Extension Service, is the tariff's effect on soybeans. "Roughly 50 percent of soybeans grown in the U.S. is exported and 60 percent of those exports go to China," Williams said. "China is, by far, our biggest customer for soybeans." |
| Farmers in Mississippi could suffer from proposed tariffs | |
 | Billie Tabb is a Mississippi farmer. The Eupora resident grows cotton, peanuts, soybeans, and corn in 5 counties across the state. He says the tariffs proposed by the Chinese government on U.S. exports such as soybeans and cotton will impact Mississippi farmers, and fast. "It is a very scary time. Only because we are producing so much more than we need in our nation. In the United States, we produce so much more than we need. So we have to rely on world trade for us to stay in business," said Tabb. At least half of the soybeans and cotton produced in Mississippi are exported, according to the Mississippi State University Department of Agricultural Economics. MSU's Brian Williams says, talks about tariffs can risk the nation's relationship with China. "Because we've got some other countries around the world that would be more than happy to step in and take the U.S. place in exporting soybeans to China: two of them being Brazil and Argentina," said Williams. |
| New Narrative Festival debuts Friday at Mississippi State | |
 | From corporate communication, journalism and social media to visual arts, literature and music, storytelling is at the heart of the many ways the human experience is documented and conveyed. During Mississippi State University's inaugural New Narrative Festival Friday and Saturday, students, faculty, community members and business leaders will share storytelling ideas and best practices while discussing the Magnolia State's influence on the American narrative. UPS is presenting sponsor for the event. John E. Forde, professor and head of MSU's Department of Communication, said the festival is a time to explore and celebrate the contributions of business leaders, artists, authors, entrepreneurs, sports figures and researchers who have impacted and continue to shape the way stories are shown, told and shared. |
| Mississippi authors to be honored with writer's trail | |
 | Margaret Walker Alexander, William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, Tennessee Williams and Richard Wright. These names should sound familiar to most Mississippians since they belong to some of the state's most notable literary figures. Now, with the assistance of a $30,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, these literary heroes will be celebrated for their works with the Mississippi Writer's Trail. Mississippi is the first state to receive the grant. The trail is set to feature historical markers at significant sites throughout the Magnolia State that chronicle the stories of its greatest authors. The project is an undertaking of the Mississippi Humanities Council, the Mississippi Arts Commission and Visit Mississippi. They aren't the only ones responsible for making this trail possible, though. According to MagnoliaStateLive, the Community Foundation for Mississippi, Mississippi Humanities Council, Mississippi Book Festival, Mississippi Development Authority, Mississippi Department of Archives and History and the Mississippi Library Commission are also aiding in the project. |
| Moscow Festival Ballet to bring 'Swan Lake' to MSU Riley Center | |
| The grandest classical ballet of all, "Swan Lake," will grace the MSU Riley Center on Thursday, April 19, at 7:30 p.m., danced by the all-star Moscow Festival Ballet. Tickets are $30 and $24. Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's stirring, romantic music invigorates the tragic love story of a beautiful princess turned into a swan and the handsome prince who comes to her rescue. The production uses the iconic 1895 choreography by the Russian Imperial Ballet's Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov. Sergei Radchenko, longtime dancer with the famed Bolshoi Ballet, founded the Moscow Festival Ballet in 1989. He brought together top dancers from across his country to present Old World masterpieces for audiences around the world. |
| Moscow Festival Ballet brings 'Swan Lake' to MSU Riley Center April 19 | |
| The grandest classical ballet of all, "Swan Lake," will grace the MSU Riley Center April 19 at 7:30 p.m., danced by the all-star Moscow Festival Ballet. Tickets are $30 and $24. This production of "Swan Lake" amounts to a collaboration of more than a century's worth of Russian masters at the height of their powers. "Tchaikovsky's music can bring out every emotion for the listener," said principal dancer Alexander Daev. "When you add the dance, it is an unbeatable combination to enjoy." "Build your own" mini-season ticket packages are still available. The package allows the purchaser to select three or more shows in the series. |
| Partnership announces Restaurant Week charities | |
| The Partnership revealed the three charities that can win up to $5,000 from Cadence Bank during the sixth annual Restaurant Week later this month. Partnership Director of Tourism Jennifer Prather said The Partnership selected Christian World Missions, the Oktibbeha County Humane Society and the United Way of North Central Mississippi. She said the charities, and many others, were nominated during Restaurant Week's two-week nomination period, which closed at the end of March. Restaurant week is set for April 22-29. Last year, the T.K. Martin Center for Technology and Disability at Mississippi State University won the $5,000 first-place award. |
| Starkville mayoral election trial set to begin Monday | |
| Johnny Moore's challenge of the 2017 Democratic mayoral primary election is going to trial this week. Moore is contesting his six-vote loss to Lynn Spruill in a May Democratic party runoff. Moore is contending that there were several irregularities with the elections--particularly issues with accepted and rejected ballots. Spruill, according to results with the Mississippi Secretary of State's Office, won the runoff election with 1,872 votes to Moore's 1,866. She's served as Starkville's mayor since July. The trial is set to begin Monday before former First District Circuit Judge Barry Ford in Oktibbeha County Circuit Court. It's unclear how long it will take, but much of the week has been set aside. |
| State revenue collections take March downturn | |
 | State revenue collections, after multiple months of strong growth, took a nosedive in March. For the month, revenue collections were $46.7 million, or 10.4 percent below the estimate. For the fiscal year, which ends June 30, collections are $12.3 million or 0.33 percent below official projections, according to the report compiled recently by the staff of the Legislative Budget Committee. The official estimate is important because it represents the amount of money appropriated by the Legislature during the 2017 session for the current fiscal year. If collections fall too far below the estimate, either cuts would have to be made or Gov. Phil Bryant would have to dip into reserve funds. At this point, neither scenario seems likely. |
| Revenue collections drop entering final quarter of fiscal year | |
 | The state of Mississippi collected $47 million less than expected in March, offsetting several positive months of collections in the current fiscal year. Corporate income tax collections made up the biggest shortfall in the month, falling $22 million, or 22 percent, below projections. Sales tax collections and individual income tax collections also fell short of projections, according to the Legislative Budget Office's monthly revenue report. After the low collections in March, the state now faces the final three months of the fiscal year slightly below total projections. To date, the state has collected $73 million less than at this point last year. Historically, April produces more individual income tax revenue than projected, as Mississippians submit tax returns to meet the April 15 tax deadline. |
| Forum scheduled for Third Congressional District candidates | |
| Six Republican candidates vying for Mississippi Third Congressional District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives are set to take part in a forum at the Oktibbeha County Courthouse next week. The forum, hosted by the Oktibbeha County Republican Party, is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. on April 16 in the chancery courtroom. Keith Herd, president of the Key Impact Strategies lobbying firm and former chief of staff to U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Mississippi) will moderate the forum. Each of the candidates are running to succeed Rep. Gregg Harper (R-Mississippi), who announced in January that he will not seek another term in office. The Third Congressional District stretches from east Mississippi along the Alabama border, with a section that includes Starkville and most of Oktibbeha County, to south Mississippi along the Mississippi River and Louisiana border. |
| District 38 Rep. Gary Chism hospitalized after stroke | |
| State representative Gary Chism is in the hospital after suffering a "mild stroke," his colleagues have confirmed. District 39 Rep. Jeff Smith (R-Columbus) confirmed to The Dispatch that Chism suffered a stroke on Saturday and has been hospitalized. Smith said Chism, as far as he was aware as of early Sunday afternoon, had responded fairly well to treatment. He said Chism may be released from hospital Sunday afternoon or early Monday. Chism, a Republican from Columbus, represents District 38 in the Mississippi House of Representatives. The district includes portions of Clay, Lowndes and Oktibbeha counties. District 43 Rep. Rob Roberson (R-Starkville) said on Sunday he was aware of the stroke and that Chism had been hospitalized at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle in Columbus. Roberson said Chism's family took him to the hospital when they noticed stroke symptoms. |
| Sen. Roger Wicker, Lincoln County supervisors discuss roads | |
 | U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker's SUV rolled over a lot of paved miles Thursday traveling through Lincoln County. Supervisors and aldermen asked him to find money to pay for them. The senior senator spent Wednesday in McComb and Natchez and Thursday in Brookhaven. While in town to speak at a Republican fundraising function Thursday night, he took the time to tour McLane Southern, a grocery and foodservice supply company that employs about 400 people, speak to civic clubs, visit the Brookhaven Police Department and speak to the Lincoln County Board of Supervisors and the Brookhaven Board of Aldermen. Roads and bridges were a hot topic. Wicker said he expects Gov. Phil Bryant to call a special session in the next week or two to make some decisions that will bring more money to counties who need bridge repair. |
| Suit dismissed against Cindy Hyde-Smith: Case thrown out, can't be retried | |
| A lawsuit against U.S. Senate appointee Cindy Hyde-Smith has been permanently dismissed. Circuit Judge David Strong dismissed the case with prejudice on Tuesday, April 3. A dismissal with prejudice means the lawsuit can be appealed to a higher judge, but can't be refiled. Hyde-Smith was headed toward a Dec. 4 court case in a suit brought by State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. that claimed one of her horses caused an accident on a state highway on March 27, 2015. The suit alleged negligence on the part of the Smith family and was seeking to recover $3,928.40 paid to Vicksburg's Connie Ricketts, who struck the horse while traveling on Interstate 55. Hyde-Smith's response to the lawsuit denied all allegations and sought dismissal. The lawsuit against her was filed March 8, 2016. |
| Democrat Mike Espy announces bid for Senate seat in Mississippi | |
 | Democrat Mike Espy, Mississippi's first black member of Congress since Reconstruction, announced Friday that he will run for the U.S. Senate, joining a crowded field in a closely watched special election this fall. In a statement, Espy made a centrist pitch, praising Republican Thad Cochran, who recently stepped down from the Senate due to failing health. He called Cochran a "calming voice." "It is in this same spirit that I offer my candidacy -- to rise above party and partisan wrangling in an effort to appeal to all Mississippians -- as we unite to show the nation, at the end of this second decade of the 21st century -- just how far we have come," Espy said. Veteran Democratic strategist Joe Trippi is working for Espy's campaign. Trippi worked for the campaign of Democratic Sen. Doug Jones, who defied long odds to claim a Senate seat in last year's special election in Alabama, another Republican-leaning state. |
| Mike Espy makes his case for Senate seat via his web page | |
| Mike Espy, the first person to announce intentions to run for the United States Senate seat left vacant by Thad Cochran's retirement, has unveiled his campaign website. Since Espy announced his intentions to run for the seat in early March on the same day Cochran announced his pending retirement, he has said very little publicly about his plans. But Friday, Espy, a former U.S. House member and secretary of agriculture in the Bill Clinton administration, unveiled the campaign webpage with a lengthy statement outlining his qualifications, his background and his reasons for pursuing the seat. In the statement, Espy praised Cochran, who served in the Senate from late 1978 until his retirement on April 1, for his ability to rise above "the chaos, acrimony and bitterness that characterizes so much of Washington today." |
| Senate race offers obstacles, opportunities | |
| His eyes set on the U.S. Senate, but a statewide slog yet ahead, Jason Shelton looks poised to take a hometown message and offer it much farther afield. The Tupelo mayor's special election campaign to replace the now-retired Thad Cochran has been mostly quiet since he announced his intentions on morning television last week. A launch event has not occurred. No significant online presence exists. In his most extended interview on his candidacy, with the Daily Journal, the candidate avoided policy talk. Campaign emails and the candidate's Twitter account have, however, previewed a campaign slogan Tupelo voters will find familiar: "Traditional spirit, new energy for Mississippi." That's a near verbatim echo of the campaign theme that Shelton used in his 2013 and 2017 mayoral campaigns: "Traditional spirit, new energy for Tupelo." |
| Attorney advised City Council on Jason Shelton senate campaign issues | |
| The Tupelo City Council received a memo last week from an attorney discussing legal issues raised by Mayor Jason Shelton's entry into a special election for the U.S. Senate. The memo, written by Tupelo's in-house attorney Ben Logan, was distributed to council members last week after Shelton announced his candidacy. Logan said he drafted the document in response to inquiries by Ward 1 Councilman Markel Whittington and Ward 2 Councilman Lynn Bryan. Multiple council members expressed concern to the Daily Journal about the time Shelton's campaign will force him to spend away from the city. Shelton told the Daily Journal last week he remains committed to fulfilling his job duties. Logan advised the City Council that campaigns by incumbent elected leaders are common and there is no legal requirement that such a candidate take a leave of absence or resign from office in order to campaign. |
| Gov. Phil Bryant backs sending National Guard to border | |
| Mississippi Republican Gov. Phil Bryant says he "fully supports" President Donald Trump's decision to deploy the National Guard to patrol the U.S.-Mexican border. Bryant said Friday in a statement that Mississippi's National Guard "will stand ready to receive the president's orders." Mississippi National Guard spokesman Lt. Col. Christian Patterson says approximately 3,500 Mississippi soldiers are now training in Texas for deployment later this year to the Middle East. Patterson says he can't immediately say, of remaining members of the 12,500-member force, how many might be suited to border deployment. |
| Farmers who propelled Donald Trump to presidency fear becoming pawns in trade war | |
| Many of the farmers who helped propel Donald Trump to the presidency fear becoming pawns in his escalating trade war with China, which threatens markets for soybeans, corn and other lifeblood crops in the Upper Midwest. But Jim Hagedorn, a former GOP congressional aide and Treasury official running for an open House seat, says they should keep their faith in Trump. "He understands just how important it is to these rural areas that we have these markets," Hagedorn said in an interview at his campaign office. Trump's aggressive, lurching attacks on China over trade are putting Republicans like Hagedorn in a difficult spot -- torn between siding with Trump while acknowledging the economic peril to many of their constituents. When China threatened a 25 percent tariff on soybeans, Mike Petefish, who grows the crop over 2,000 acres, feared the worst. Soybeans are a $2 billion business in Minnesota. |
| How Trump thrives in 'news deserts' | |
 | President Donald Trump's attacks on the mainstream media may be rooted in statistical reality: An extensive review of subscription data and election results shows that Trump outperformed the previous Republican nominee, Mitt Romney, in counties with the lowest numbers of news subscribers, but didn't do nearly as well in areas with heavier circulation. POLITICO's findings -- which put Trump's escalating attacks on the media in a new context -- were drawn from a comparison of election results and subscription information from the Alliance for Audited Media, an industry group that verifies print and digital circulation for advertisers. The findings cover more than 1,000 mainstream news publications in more than 2,900 counties out of 3,100 nationwide from every state except Alaska, which does not hold elections at the county level. The results show a clear correlation between low subscription rates and Trump's success in the 2016 election, both against Hillary Clinton and when compared to Romney in 2012. |
| Can Facebook fix itself? Sen. John Kennedy has doubts ahead of Mark Zuckerberg testimony | |
 | One of the senators slated to question Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg this week said Sunday he worries that the social media company will not be able to stop the spread of phony news or adequately protect users' privacy on its own. "I don't want to hurt Facebook. I don't want to regulate them half to death. But we have a problem," Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said on CBS' Face the Nation. "My biggest worry with all this is that the privacy issue and what I call, called the propagandist issue are both too big for Facebook to fix, and that's the frightening part." Kennedy is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is scheduled to hear testimony from Zuckerberg Tuesday following revelations that personal information from more than 85 million Facebook users was shared without their permission. |
| Yoga class tailored for performers offered at Ole Miss | |
| Performing live on a stage can be stressful for even the most accomplished musician, actor or public speaker. Students at the University of Mississippi now have the option to use yoga as a means to combat that stress by taking Yoga for Performers, an actual credited elective class that meets Tuesdays and Thursdays on the stage of Nutt Auditorium. The class was first introduced three years ago by Ole Miss voice instructor Jennifer Robinson who saw firsthand how yoga could help performers at the University of Michigan. She took the classes there and then put together a proposal to present the idea of bringing the class to Ole Miss when she started working at the university. "It was hard seeing some of these kids come out on stage and getting stuck or caught up in themselves and not being able to express themselves as they want," she said. "We use yoga as a tool to help find that freedom." |
| Dee Dee Anderson named USM vice president for student affairs | |
 | University of Southern Mississippi Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Steven R. Moser, has announced the selection of Dr. Dee Dee Anderson has been named the University of Southern Mississippi's new Vice President for Student Affairs, pending approval from the Board of Trustees of the State Institutions of Higher Learning. Anderson will succeed Dr. Thomas H. Burke, who is retiring in June. Anderson will hold supervisory responsibility for a wide range of activities, programs and services that enhance the quality of life for the University community, including all programs that support student welfare and development. Anderson has worked in higher education for more than 20 years and recently was Interim Vice Chancellor for Student Development at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. |
| Southern Miss' Step Up to Leadership Council celebrates 10 years | |
 | Graduation, first job, first college class, first pageant win, first state and national award -- these are just a few of the significant life accomplishments made by members of the STEP UP to Leadership Council during the last 10 years. Last month, the Starting Today Empowering Peers through Uniting and Participating to Leadership Council celebrated its 10th anniversary with cake, a reception and members sharing their favorite STEP UP memories and stories. The council held its first meeting at the Institute for Disability Studies at The University of Southern Mississippi in January 2008. The council originated from an IDS grant that focused on promoting post-secondary education for high school students with disabilities. |
| Off-campus student housing on the way for USM in Long Beach | |
 | Students attending the University of Southern Mississippi's Gulf Park campus will soon have the chance to enhance their college experience -- at least when it comes to dorm life. A Kentucky-based company announced March 30 that it will building off-campus housing for the Long Beach branch of Southern Miss. Currently, there are no dorms on the Coast campus of Southern Miss. Friendship Oak Village will break ground Monday on a $4.6 million housing unit that will be "strictly for USM" students according to John Stewart of Encompass Housing LLC. The investment is private and it's not affiliated with Southern Miss. But that doesn't mean the college is not excited about the project. "We are enthusiastic about the developer's efforts to bring housing for USM students to Long Beach. It is important to note this is a private housing development located outside of the University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Park campus," said Jenny Tate of USM Gulf Park. |
| U. of Alabama growth, healthy economy leads to Tuscaloosa condo resurgence | |
 | A decade ago, the Tuscaloosa luxury condominium market was stalling out. A number of development projects that received high-profile announcements had yet to break ground. Very few, it seemed, were ready to pay $500,000 or more for a game-day party pad or housing for their college student. It now appears things have changed. Driven primarily by enrollment growth at the University of Alabama, the condo market's resurgence serves as a leading indicator of Tuscaloosa's economic health. Those condo buyers, increasingly made up of out-of-state students, bring spending power that boosts Tuscaloosa's bottom line. And driving this, of course, is the University of Alabama. With UA's student enrollment jumping from about 33,000 in 2015 to almost 40,000 in 2017, construction of student housing and apartment projects hasn't slowed down. |
| Auburn University's fundraising campaign closes with record-breaking success | |
 | Auburn University recently completed the most successful fundraising campaign in its history, raising more than $1.2 billion. The university announced this milestone during Saturday's A-Day game at Jordan-Hare Stadium. In addition to breaking university records, "Because This is Auburn --- A Campaign for Auburn University," which concluded Dec. 31, 2017, surpassed previous state efforts, making Auburn the first university in Alabama to raise more than $1 billion in a fundraising campaign. "'Because This is Auburn' was an extraordinary success on every level," said Jane DiFolco Parker, vice president for development and president of the Auburn University Foundation. "We reached our goal of $1 billion more than sixteen months early, and the Auburn Family continued their tremendous generosity through the end of the campaign. In addition to the tremendous philanthropic support we received, we were fortunate to have invaluable leadership from campaign co-chairs who shared a passionate belief in Auburn and in the importance of this campaign." |
| Auburn to host SEC cyber security conference | |
| Some of the nation's leading experts in cyber security are on the Auburn University campus this week for the SEC Academic Conference 2018. The conference theme is "Cyber Security: A Shared Responsibility," and it brings together military and industry leaders, as well as representatives from all 14 schools in the Southeastern Conference. "This year's SEC Academic Conference is a great opportunity for us to help enrich collaboration among SEC students, faculty and administrators in a critical area of national importance," SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey stated in a news release issued by the university. "Auburn leaders have worked tirelessly to develop a program that will challenge and encourage those in this field, and I commend them for their efforts." |
| U. of Arkansas Receives $10M Grant to Clean Up Reactor Site | |
 | The University of Arkansas in Fayetteville has received a $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to complete cleanup of the Southwest Experimental Fast Oxide Reactor -- known as SEFOR -- near the Strickler community in southern Washington County. U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., and U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., announced the grant on Wednesday. The funding is part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, which Congress passed on March 23. SEFOR was built in 1968 and decommissioned in 1972, according to a news release. Its nuclear fuel and coolant were removed and the plant was given to the UA to use for research purposes. That research ended in 1986, and the university has served as a caretaker for the unused facility ever since, while working to get federal funding to dismantle it. |
| In U. of Arkansas talk, activist and filmmaker describes why she climbed flagpole to remove Confederate battle flag | |
| Bree Newsome read all nine names of the dead, taking her time between each one. "They were only doing what Christians are called to do when anyone knocks on the doors of a church, which is to invite them in for fellowship and worship," said Newsome, a civil-rights activist and filmmaker who spoke Friday at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. The nine black men and women she named were all slain inside a Charleston, S.C., church by a white-supremacist gunman, Dylann Roof, who earlier had posed in photographs holding the Confederate battle flag. Newsome spoke about the importance of activism and described her motivation when, days after the 2015 shooting, she climbed a flagpole to remove the Confederate battle flag from the grounds of the South Carolina Statehouse. Police arrested her when she climbed down. |
| James Beard Award-winning chef and farmer Dan Barber to speak at UGA | |
 | Dan Barber, chef and sustainable food systems advocate, will speak at the University of Georgia this week. He will deliver a lecture titled "What Kind of Menu will Meet the Challenges of the Future? Exploring a New Recipe for Good Food from the Ground Up" at UGA's Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries on April 10 from 2-3 p.m. Barber has received multiple James Beard Foundation awards and built a reputation as a chef and farmer. "Athens has been known for decades as a place where great bands are born and music thrives. Today, Athens has a growing reputation for innovative chefs and good food," said Sam Pardue, UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences dean and director. "Americans are now intently interested not just in fine food, but how their food is grown, processed and cooked. We are fortunate to have Dan Barber join us on campus to share his perspective on the future of our food system." |
| Former government officials talk US relations with North Korea, China at Texas A&M | |
 | A panel of experts gathered Friday evening as part of the Memorial Student Center Wiley Lecture Series at Texas A&M University to discuss what the speakers said will likely be the defining topic of Donald Trump's presidency -- confrontation with North Korea. Moderated by CNN presidential historian and Rice University professor of history Douglas Brinkley, the hour and a half-long event Friday featured three former government officials -- each of whom had their own insights into the situation unfolding between the U.S. and North Korea. The speakers were former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns, former Ambassador to South Korea Christopher Hill and former Commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe Gen. Robert "Doc" Foglesong. |
| Texas A&M cuts ties with Confucius Institutes in response to congressmen's concerns | |
 | The chancellor of the Texas A&M system said the university would terminate its agreement to host Confucius Institutes -- centers for Chinese language teaching and cultural programming funded by the Chinese government -- in response to the urging of two congressmen who described the institutes as threats to national security. An increasing number of politicians have in recent months urged American colleges to sever their ties with the Chinese government-backed institutes, but this appears to be the first time a university has explicitly cited a recommendation from elected officials as its reason for terminating a Confucius Institute agreement. Critics and supporters of the Confucius Institutes alike said they are concerned about external political influence over university decision making. |
| U. of Missouri develops sweeping plan focused on better serving state | |
 | In five years, the University of Missouri will have 6,000 new undergraduates, increase the four-year graduation rate by 20 percent and ensure that 95 percent of students have a job or are in graduate school within six months of earning their diploma. At least that's the goal, according to the first draft of a wide-ranging plan "to tackle the challenges of the state" that the MU Office of the Chancellor sent via email Friday to the campus community. The plan also addresses broader initiatives to increase diversity within MU's student body, faculty and staff; improve collaboration between the UM System campuses; and expand access to MU's knowledge and research. The document includes more than 100 metrics the university wants to accomplish in the next 10 years. "(MU) will better serve Missourians in ways we've never served before," according to the document. |
| 5 Takeaways From Turning Point's Plan to 'Commandeer' Campus Elections | |
 | The 28-page Turning Point USA brochure is titled "The Foundational Structure For Winning Back Our Universities," and it is clearly written with the organization's donors in mind. Its pages offer a glimpse into the funding and strategy that the controversial conservative nonprofit group has used to try to influence student-government elections at colleges and universities nationwide. A year ago, The Chronicle investigated Turning Point's student-election activity, which in some cases appeared to be in violation of university campaign-finance rules limiting how much money students can spend on these races. The Turning Point brochure is essentially a playbook for making sure that conservative students seize control of student-government president positions, along with assuming other positions of influence on campus, such as fraternity-chapter presidents. |
| Justice Department starts investigation of early-decision admissions | |
| The Justice Department has started an investigation into whether some colleges' early-decision admissions programs violate federal antitrust laws through agreements among institutions or through the sharing of information about accepted applicants. Colleges reported receiving letters from the department Thursday and Friday in which the agency told the institutions of the investigation and demanded that certain documents, if they exist, be maintained. The letter, a copy of which was obtained by Inside Higher Ed, says the investigation pertains to "a potential agreement between colleges relating to their early decision practices." In early-decision programs, applicants pledge to enroll at colleges that admit them. The programs have become quite popular with applicants and colleges. Many colleges that are competitive in admissions admit large shares of their classes this way. |
| Neeli Bendapudi won't get as many perks as U. of Louisville's last president | |
 | The University of Louisville's board of trustees is putting a clamp on perks offered to its president in the aftermath of the James Ramsey era. A review of an offer letter signed by newly minted president Neeli Bendapudi shows that the school is limiting what will be included in her five-year contract. A university spokesman said the move was intentionally less than what was received by Ramsey, whose perks included raises and bonuses for high-ranking members of his staff and excess compensation through the school's foundation. "This board of trustees is very conscious of its responsibility to protect the financial resources of the university," spokesman John Karman said when asked why the perks were less than that of Ramsey, who was forced to resign in July 2016 after he came under attack because of his lucrative compensation, secretive operating style and a series of scandals. |
| Jason Shelton's Senate bid illustrates lack of Democratic organization | |
| The Dispatch's Slim Smith writes: "American humorist, essayist and entertainer Will Rogers is long dead, but his words, in some cases, remain as relevant today as they were when he first uttered them more than 80 years ago. This week, Jason Shelton, Tupelo's Democrat mayor, announced he will run to fill the unexpired term of Thad Cochran in the U.S. Senate special election on Nov. 6. His announcement came at a time when the state's Democratic Party seemed to be ready to unite behind a single candidate, former U.S. Representative and Secretary of Agriculture Mike Espy. ... Shelton has little name recognition outside of Lee County, where he has served as mayor of Tupelo for the past five years. He has no money, either, and that isn't likely to change. In short, he has zero chance to win, but plenty of chances to pull enough votes from Espy to make the inevitable run-off election a Hyde-Smith vs. McDaniel showdown." |
| Cindy Hyde-Smith as senator serendipitous as trade war looms | |
| Syndicated columnist Bill Crawford of Meridian writes: "Serendipity is a word with an unusual history. ...It appears Mississippi's prince, Gov. Phil Bryant, stumbled upon some serendipity himself when he selected Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Cindy Hyde-Smith as Thad Cochran's replacement in the U.S. Senate. Who knew President Donald Trump was about to start a trade war that could disrupt Mississippi's number one industry: agriculture? ...Whatever happens in the November special election, it sure looks like Hyde-Smith's appointment as U.S. Senator for the next eight months is serendipity at work for Mississippi." |
SPORTS
| Luke Alexander walk-off sends Bulldogs past Rebels in 11 innings | |
| Luke Alexander craned his neck toward the overcast sky and watched as what will almost certainly be the biggest moment of his Mississippi State baseball career soar away. Even he didn't think it would come in this fashion. Alexander doesn't see himself as a hitter. It may be the tool he worked the most to hone over his summers, but he has come to embrace his reputation as a defensive player, an ace shortstop that does what he can with his routine trips to the plate. Sunday had the makings of a day where he would do little. Five trips produced no hits and little excitement more than a sacrifice bunt attempt turning into an error. His final plate appearance may never be forgotten. With his two-run walk-off home run to left field, Alexander sent 6,059 fans at Dudy Noble Field and his teammates into a frenzy with a 7-5 win in 11 innings and a series win over No. 3 Ole Miss (27-6, 7-5 Southeastern Conference). |
| Luke Alexander's walk-off blast gives Bulldogs series win | |
| Luke Alexander has had some big hits during his baseball career at Belmont High School and at Mississippi State. But none were bigger than his walk-off two-run homer in the bottom of the 11th inning on Sunday that gave his Bulldogs a 7-5 win over No. 3 Ole Miss and clinched the weekend series against their rivals. "Growing up a Mississippi kid, you're always choosing between Mississippi State and Ole Miss," Alexander said. "I chose Mississippi State and to hit a walk-off against Ole Miss is a surreal moment." With one out and one on, Alexander belted a 2-0 fastball from Rebel reliever Will Stokes into the Left Field Lounge to give MSU its first SEC series win of the year. "I knew it as soon as it came off the bat," Alexander said. "It felt really good. I was looking for a fastball and he left it out over the plate and I took advantage of it." |
| Luke Alexander's walk-off homer lifts Mississippi State to series win over Ole Miss | |
| Mississippi State's players put their postgame huddle with interim coach Gary Henderson on pause and instead headed toward the warning track to celebrate the Bulldogs' 7-5 walk-off win over Ole Miss on Sunday. Everyone, except Luke Alexander, that is. He stayed behind on the field for a few moments and embraced his father, Nick, who was in the stands, before joining his teammates. The moments were worth savoring for Alexander, who hit a 2-run homer in the 11th to lift Mississippi State to a series win over No. 3 Ole Miss, its first SEC series win of the season. "The biggest hit of my career," Alexander said. In a season defined by challenge, struggle and defeat for both Mississippi State (17-16, 4-8 SEC) and Alexander, who is hitting .231 as the team's starting shortstop, this scene on this day was a welcomed change. |
| Force with Luke: Blast from Belmont native Alexander helps Bulldogs beat Rebels | |
| Mississippi State junior Luke Alexander hit a fastball from Ole Miss relief pitcher Will Stokes for a two-run home run that ended Sunday's 7-5 victory by the Bulldogs in 11 innings against the rival Rebels at Dudy Noble Field. As a native of Belmont, the walk-off shot was very satisfying for Alexander. "Growing up as a Mississippi kid, you are always choosing between Mississippi State and Ole Miss," Alexander said. "I chose Mississippi State, so to hit a walk off against Ole Miss is a surreal moment." Alexander's homer gave MSU the 2-1 Southeastern Conference series win over No. 3 Ole Miss and improved its records to 17-16 overall and 4-8 in the league. It was the fourth home run of the season and 11th of his Bulldog career, but none were any bigger. After a midweek game at Alabama State on Wednesday, the Bulldogs remain on the road for their next SEC series against Auburn Friday, Saturday and Sunday. |
| Missed opportunities doom No. 3 Ole Miss as Mississippi State walks off with series | |
| Ole Miss and Mississippi State spent all of Sunday afternoon trading baserunners. The Bulldogs eventually got the ones home that mattered. The rubber game between the rivals went back and forth for 11 innings until Luke Alexander delivered the decisive blow with a walk-off home run to send Mississippi State to a 7-5 win, ending a four-hour, 17-minute game at Dudy Noble Field and one full of missed opportunities for Ole Miss. Alexander's two-out, two-run shot into the Left-Field Lounge off Will Stokes resulted in the first series loss of the season for the third-ranked Rebels, who've lost three straight series to Mississippi State and seven of the teams' last eight games dating back to 2016. |
| Notebook: Catching position comes through for Bulldogs | |
| In the Mississippi State baseball team's well-documented offensive struggles through March, the catcher position was offering little relief. Marshall Gilbert entered this weekend's series against No. 3 Ole Miss (27-6, 7-5 Southeastern Conference) with a .238 batting average and Dustin Skelton was getting more starts with his .193. The same position rose to the occasion when MSU (17-16, 4-8 SEC) needed it most. Catchers proved pivotal throughout the weekend, but particularly on Sunday in MSU's series-clinching 7-5 win in 11 innings. Gilbert saved a run with his sweeping tag in the fourth inning on a throw from junior center fielder Jake Mangum. "That was awesome. Gilbert had a great day (Saturday), he's been great behind the plate," Mangum said, referencing Gilbert's three hits in the first game of the series. "We have two catchers that alternate behind the plate and both have done an awesome job." |
| Joe Moorhead finding balance with coaching responsibilities | |
| Joe Moorhead's days of having a vested interest in the offense over the defense in practice are over. In all his years as an offensive coordinator, he had the same demeanor he presumed every other offensive coordinator has: he wants his offense to do well at all costs, even if the defense suffers with an embarrassing day. Now, as Mississippi State's head football coach, he wants to see some back and forth. He got just that Saturday. The offensive and defensive lines put on an entertaining battle in MSU's first intrasquad scrimmage of the spring on Saturday and took turns getting the best of the other. "I think it's a great battle and it's a microcosm of what we see everyday in practice," Moorhead said. |
| Joe Moorhead pleased, but not satisfied, with Mississippi State's first scrimmage | |
| The weather was miserable at the Leo Seal Jr. Football Complex at Mississippi State on Saturday. It was cold, windy and light precipitation was falling. For MSU head football coach Joe Moorhead, it might as well had been sunny and 70 degrees because, for the first time, his Bulldogs took to the practice field for scrimmage action. On the whole, Moorhead liked what he saw. "I was, as I always say, pleased but not satisfied," Moorhead said. "A couple of our goals, you talk about dominating situational football and competing, and I thought we did those two things, then we're improving every practice. Ultimately, the offensive coordinator wants the offense to do well. The defensive coordinator wants the defense to do well. Special teams coordinator wants the special teams to do well. As a head coach, you want to see a good give and take throughout the course of practice and the offense making plays and the defense making pays. I think we did that." |
| Yolett McPhee-McCuin embracing 'challenge' of rejuvenating Ole Miss women's basketball | |
| There was enthusiasm, determination and optimism in Yolett McPhee-McCuin's voice. She also sounded like a coach who fully understood what she was inheriting as Ole Miss' new women's basketball coach. "You spend any time with me, you're going to realize I don't have any problem rolling up my sleeves," McPhee-McCuin said. "There's no job that's too big or too small. I'm a fierce competitor." McPhee-McCuin was formally introduced as the program's ninth head coach Friday after a month-long search that concluded with her hire two days earlier. Athletic director Ross Bjork said McPhee-McCuin's name was often mentioned to him by people in the industry as someone he should consider to replace Matt Insell, particularly for the work the 34-year-old did the past five seasons in her first head coaching job at Jacksonville University in turning around a middling program. |
| Bullpen, bats betray Auburn as Arkansas completes series sweep | |
| Having the bullpen back to full strength was supposed to be a boost for Auburn. Andrew Mitchell and Cody Greenhill returning from extended absences to join Calvin Coker was supposed to give the Tigers a stout trio to close out ballgames. Instead, that trio blew the lead and took the loss Sunday at Baum Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark. No. 9 Arkansas climbed back from two runs down against No. 15 Auburn to claim a walk-off, 5-4 victory and hand the Tigers their first three-game series sweep since May 11-13 at LSU last season. The Tigers return to action Tuesday on the road at Samford before returning home to start a three-game series against Mississippi State. |
| Plans to Exempt Arkansas Stadiums From Gun Law OK'd | |
| Concealed handguns won't be allowed at dozens of Arkansas college sports facilities, including the football stadiums for the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Arkansas State Red Wolves, after state police approved plans to exempt them from a law expanding where guns can be carried. Eight schools have had plans approved by Arkansas State Police that allow their sports facilities to be exempted from the law enacted last year allowing concealed handgun licensees to carry at college campuses and other locations if they undergo additional training. Prompted by complaints from the Southeastern Conference and other groups, Arkansas lawmakers voted to exempt college sporting events if the schools have a security plan approved by state police. |
| Calipari, Krzyzewski might admire Villanova formula, but can they follow it? | |
| Villanova winning a second national championship in three years made some precincts of the Big Blue Nation turn green with envy. Kentucky fans who long for a return to the days when college players matured into champions over multiple seasons saw the Philadelphia-based Wildcats make this back-to-the-future dream come true. If the wistful thinking actually played out, UK Coach John Calipari would stop relying on one-and-done players and follow the Villanova model of success. ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla believes his friend Calipari and another one-and-done devotee, Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski, might secretly want to follow Villanova's example. So why don't they make it happen? Because they are conditioned to recruit the prospects with the greatest potential. Long before the current one-and-done era, to not recruit the best gettable players was coaching heresy. |
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