| Wednesday, April 18, 2018 |
| Young women recognized for computer science achievements | |
 | Several young women with an interest in computer science were honored this past weekend by a Mississippi State University program seeking to encourage women in STEM fields. The National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT) recognized 58 students at The Mill Saturday. The students are winners of the center's Award for Aspirations in Computing, which recognizes high school women for computing-related interests and achievements. The award also comes with a stackable $500 scholarship should they choose to study computer science at MSU after graduating high school. Three students from Starkville High School were recognized: Rachel Adair, Cassie Javorsky and Kari Oppendal. "It's a program that Mississippi State started in 2013 in collaboration with the National Center for Women and Information Technology," said MSU computer science professor Sarah Lee. "It's an awards program that NCWIT hosts at the national level, and Mississippi State is hosting at the regional level. It's to recognize young women who are interested in and have aspirations for using technology and computing in whatever their career path is." |
| Rotarians honored during Annual Rotary Awards Celebration | |
| Multiple Starkville Rotarians were awarded for their service to the community Monday during the Annual Rotary Awards Celebration. Awards Committee Chair John Forde presented the awards, which were selected by the members of the club. Sid Salter was the recipient of the Service Above Self award. "This year's recipient was diagnosed with cancer, and he continued to come to Rotary and make us laugh when he was able," Forde said. "Once his cancer went into remission, he came back to Rotary full time." Forde said Salter is also a Rotary presidential nominee, and he exemplifies service above self to the rest of the club. The Distinguished Service award was presented to Zach Rowland. "This year's recipient has certainly demonstrated his commitment to enhancing Rotary over many years," Forde said. Also during the program, Rotary President Marc McGee honored the past district governors and past club presidents. |
| Rezoning lawsuit likely to stretch into fall for Oktibbeha industrial park | |
 | Work on Oktibbeha County's industrial park is progressing smoothly, according to Golden Triangle LINK CEO Joe Max Higgins, but a lawsuit over the project's zoning may linger on longer than initially expected. Higgins updated the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors at its regular meeting Monday. He said work on the site itself, which is expected to be completed next summer, is moving along, with a $434,000 bid for power substation preparation recently awarded to Columbus-based Weather's Construction. He said the Oktibbeha County Economic Development Association (OCEDA) recently authorized advertising for water, sewer and road improvements for the park, and bids should be awarded by June. "By mid to late summer you should start seeing some work out there," he said. |
| Joe Max Higgins provides update on industrial park | |
| The Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors were briefed on the current status of the LINK-backed Industrial Park during its meeting on Monday. Golden Triangle Development LINK CEO Joe Max Higgins provided each supervisor with a sheet indicating line items, checks written and the remaining money left in the budget. As for the current status of the park, Higgins elaborated on some of the moves that have already been made and what is to be expected. "Since I was last here, we have advertised for the substation preparation that was a part of our contract," Higgins said. The budgeted amount for the substation was $450,000 and the lowest bidder went to Weathers Construction Inc. at $430,000. Higgins said OCEDA advertised and awarded the contract on April 9, and should start work soon, if they haven't mobilized to begin already. |
| AG Jim Hood talks challenges facing Mississippi | |
| Mississippi faces an array of challenges as it continues to grow, and Attorney General Jim Hood says some of the solutions should be easy. Hood, a Democrat who has yet to formally announce a gubernatorial bid but is widely expected to run for the office next year, spoke at a Monday evening Oktibbeha County Democratic Party fundraiser dinner at the Sportsplex in Starkville. Mississippi has grown since the 2008 recession, Hood said, but its economic growth has lagged behind neighboring states, and the rest of the South in general. "The growth rate of Tennessee has been, I think, about 19 percent," Hood said. "Guess what our growth rate has been since the Great Recession? About 1 percent. The Southeastern average is 16 percent growth since the Great Recession. It's because we haven't invested in our roads and our schools and our people." Hood drew comparisons to Kansas and Louisiana, where tax cuts placed heavy burdens on those states' economies and said it was "sad" to see Mississippi heading down the same path. |
| MS03 fundraising: Perry Parker leads Guest, Hughes, Doty | |
 | Perry Parker made a splash -- albeit with a caveat -- by reporting more money raised and more cash-on-hand than any candidate vying to replace U.S. Rep. Gregg Harper. But perhaps the most important information gleaned from the first round of campaign finance reports was that Harper has made clear his choice to succeed him. Harper's campaign committee and a separate federal PAC controlled by him contributed more than $10,000 to Madison/Rankin District Attorney Michael Guest. This should come as no real surprise given that key Harper supporters and former staffers -- not to mention his daughter -- joined the Guest campaign. However, Harper had previously indicated he would remain neutral during the primary. |
| Third Congressional GOP candidates support Trump initiatives | |
| The field for the Republican nomination for Third District U.S. House of Representatives is a crowded one for the seat that will be vacated in January by Rep. Gregg Harper, who is retiring. Six Republicans and two Democrats will meet in June 5 primaries for their respective party nominations. Those primaries winners will join a Reform Party candidate in the Nov. 6 general election. Monday evening at the chancery courthouse, a group of about 75 citizens had a chance to hear from the six GOP candidates at a forum hosted by the Oktibbeha County Republican Party. Among the group were two health care professionals (Whit Hughes of Madison and Morgan Dunn of Magee), a state legislator (Sen. Sally Doty of Brookhaven), a businessman (Perry Parker of Seminary), a district attorney (Michael Guest of Brandon) and an educational consultant (Katherine Tate of Jackson). |
| GOP congressional candidates square off in Oktibbeha County | |
| Republican candidates gunning to be the next representative from Mississippi's Third Congressional District gathered at the Oktibbeha County Courthouse on Monday for a candidate forum hosted by the Oktibbeha County Republican Party. The forum featured all six candidates running on the Republican ticket to replace U.S. Rep Gregg Harper, who announced in January he would not seek a sixth term on Capitol Hill. The slate of Republican candidates includes: Sally Doty, Morgan Dunn, Michael Guest, Whit Hughes, Perry Parker and Katherine Tate. "I was very impressed with the candidates, we covered a host of issues and they were all well-versed on it and it was impressive," said moderator Keith Heard, former chief of staff for U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran and president of the lobbying firm Key Impact Strategies. |
| Poll: Hyde-Smith, Espy lead, Shelton trails | |
 | A poll commissioned by a conservative commentary and news outlet found that Cindy Hyde-Smith and Mike Espy lead a field of candidates vying to replace Thad Cochran in the U.S. Senate, while Jason Shelton currently has single-digit support. On behalf of Y'all Politics, Triumph Campaigns polled 1,000 registered voters in the state about a pair of senate races set to go on November's ballot. In a special election race that won't be winnowed by party primaries, poll results indicate Hyde-Smith, a Republican, and Espy, a Democrat, are nearly tied, with each candidate drawing about 33 percent of support among poll respondents. Chris McDaniel's support registered in poll findings at only 12 percent and Shelton's at about 6 percent. |
| Chris McDaniel calls Y'all Politics poll showing him third 'fake,' 'dirty trick' | |
| U.S. Senate candidate Chris McDaniel said a Y'all Politics poll showing him running third in a pack of four to replace Thad Cochran is "fake" and a "dirty trick." The poll was conducted for Y'all Politics by Triumph Campaigns, a company owned by U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker campaign manager Justin Brasell. Prior to withdrawing and entering a special election for the Cochran seat, McDaniel had briefly run against Wicker for that seat. "Justin Brasell and Triumph Campaigns have established themselves as best-in-class for running fake polls to create fake narratives," said a McDaniel campaign spokesman. Alan Lange of Y'all Politics and Brasell defended the Triumph polling and challenged McDaniel to disprove the data of the poll released Monday. He said Y'all Politics has used Triumph before, along with other polling firms. "Folks can argue with the data if they want, but we couldn't have been more transparent about the results or how we got there," Lange said. |
| Outside money pouring in to Mississippi special Senate race | |
| Candidate campaign finance reports for Mississippi's special U.S. Senate race to replace Thad Cochran are not yet due, but outside money is already pouring into the race for the two Republican candidates, $1.3 million and counting. Federal Election Commission reports show the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is sinking $750,000 on ads to help newly appointed Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith. Gov. Phil Bryant recently appointed Hyde-Smith to Cochran's seat temporarily, and he is backing her in the Nov. 6 special election. State Sen. Chris McDaniel, R-Ellisville, has benefited from $580,800 in spending from the Remember Mississippi PAC, which was created to back him. Remember Mississippi's report for the first quarter of this year shows it had one main contributor, billionaire conservative campaign contributor Richard Uihlein of Illinois. Uihlein is contributing to numerous conservative candidates across the country. |
| Democratic candidate for senator donates to Republican Roger Wicker | |
| Incumbent U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker raised more than $1 million since January and has a sizeable war chest of nearly $3.5 million. And, in a curious twist, one of the Democratic candidates vying to challenge Wicker in the general election actually made two contributions totaling $5,000 to the incumbent Republican last summer. Howard Sherman is the husband of Meridian native Sela Ward, and he claims residency in her hometown. However, a Beverly Hills address is listed on the Federal Election Commission report detailing the 2017 donations to Wicker. In addition to Wicker, Sherman has donated to other Republicans, like former Mississippi U.S. Senator Trent Lott in 2006 and U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions in 2003. Despite this political activity, records show Sherman has not voted in Mississippi, though he's been registered to vote in the state since 2009. |
| Legislative oversight group says MDOT is focused on maintaining existing roads | |
| The Mississippi Department of Transportation's primary focus has become "system preservation, rather than new construction," according to a report released Tuesday by an oversight agency of the state Legislature. The report by the Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review Committee of the Mississippi Legislature reiterates what Transportation officials have been saying for sometime -- that because of lack of funds they have essentially postponed the construction of new four-lane highways as they work to maintain existing roadways. During the recently completed 2018 legislative session, there were efforts to pass bills that would curtail efforts by MDOT to build new highways. MDOT officials said at the time they were focused on maintaining the existing transportation system and were not building many new roadways. |
| Rep. Steve Holland honored by Regional Rehab | |
| As he has for decades of public service, Steve Holland delivered a night of laughs and passionate advocacy. The Regional Rehabilitation Center honored the state representative from Plantersville at its annual Red Rasberry Humanitarian Award Dinner at the Summit in Tupelo Tuesday. "Everybody wants to hear what Steve Holland has to say," said his fellow legislator Rep. David Baria, during a video salute. "He never disappoints." Holland has represented Lee County in the state Legislature for 35 years. He has served on the board of Regional Rehab for 41 years and currently serves as board chairman. Holland is known as one of the Legislature's most colorful characters. Legislators, lobbyists and state officials shared heartfelt tributes and humorous stories via video. |
| CIA Director Pompeo met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un over Easter weekend | |
 | CIA Director Mike Pompeo made a top-secret visit to North Korea as an envoy for President Trump to meet with Kim Jong Un, and plans for a possible summit between the two leaders are underway, Trump confirmed Wednesday. The extraordinary meeting between one of Trump's most trusted emissaries and the authoritarian head of a rogue state was part of an effort to lay the groundwork for direct talks between Trump and Kim about North Korea's nuclear weapons program. The clandestine mission came late last month, soon after Pompeo was nominated to be secretary of state. The Pompeo mission was first reported Tuesday by The Washington Post, citing two people with direct knowledge of the trip. |
| Campus alert issued for domestic violence suspect at MUW | |
 | The Mississippi University for Women issued an alert Tuesday evening for a suspect in a domestic assault on campus. The WAlert says the assault happened at 5:20 p.m. and the suspect was seen leaving campus in a gold Mercury Marquis. It also says the suspect could have a gun. Anyone who knows where this person is is asked to call MUW police at 662-241-7777. |
| MUW provost stepping down, replacement named | |
| MUW has named its interim provost and vice president for academic affairs. The university announced Monday it has named Dr. Scott Tollison to fill the role. He's currently the school's senior academic dean. He will begin the position on July 1, pending approval by the state Board of Trustees, Institutions of Higher Learning. He will fill the role currently held by Dr. Thomas Richardson, who is returning to scholarship and research. |
| Ole Miss denies receiving or analyzing data provided by Brexit campaign leaders | |
 | Cambridge Analytica's ex-CEO, Alexander Nix, has refused to testify before the U.K. Parliament's media committee, citing British authorities' investigation into his former company's alleged misuse of data from millions of Facebook accounts in political campaigns. Former Cambridge Analytica business development director Brittany Kaiser told lawmakers that in an atmosphere where data abuse was rife, she believed the leadership of the Leave.EU campaign combined data from members of the U.K. Independence Party and from the customers of two insurance companies. "Arron Banks and Andy Wigmore have told multiple individuals that they took my proposal and copied it and they created their own Cambridge Analytica, which they called Big Data Dolphins in partnership with the data science department at the University of Mississippi," Kaiser said. "The assertion that the University of Mississippi has received or analyzed any data from these companies is not true," Alice Clark, vice chancellor for university relations, said in a statement emailed Tuesday to The Associated Press. |
| New UPD chief Ray Hawkins hopes to make a difference on campus as a department veteran | |
 | Ray Hawkins has worked closely with students at Ole Miss as a member of the University Police Department for more than two decades and has now transitioned to his new position as UPD chief. After a hiring search spanning nearly two months, the university announced April 1 that Hawkins had been selected for the job. He began his career with UPD as a patrolman in December 1996 and several years later graduated from Ole Miss in 2001 with a bachelor's degree in public administration with an emphasis in criminal justice. "I started here years ago. I left school, had a family and got into law enforcement and decided it was a good time to go back to school," Hawkins said. "The opportunity presented itself to come here, so I came here. Of course, the university has some educational benefits that were really helpful, so I was able to utilize those benefits to finish my degree." |
| USM has two new science centers on the Mississippi Coast | |
 | Beach Boulevard drivers may have noticed a new, modern building going up near the Port of Gulfport, but it's not related to the nearby casino construction. It's just one of two multi-million dollar projects being completed by the University of Southern Mississippi. Two facilities and the reason USM is building them couldn't be much different -- one is specifically for science and research while the other was built for the community. The bright white Marine Research Center in Gulfport will open soon, and "That is strictly for the scientists," said James Skrmetta, spokesman for the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory. Much less visible to the public but designed for them is USM's new $10 million Marine Education Center in Ocean Springs. It's where children and adults can go to learn more about the coastal environment and the Gulf Coast Research Lab's work. |
| Auburn Board of Trustees to discuss proposed parking deck at university hotel | |
 | The Auburn University board of trustees is expected to tackle the issue of parking on campus during its regularly-scheduled meeting Friday morning. The board could grant both project initiation and final project approval this week for the construction of a parking deck in the south parking lot of the Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center. "The proposed South College Street parking deck project would significantly enhance the university parking situation in the northeast portion of the campus core -- Auburn's most problematic area for parking," states a memorandum to president Steven Leath from Dan King, associate vice president for facilities. Should the board approve the project, construction on the 575-space deck could begin early this summer, with a target completion date of March 2019. It would add about 395 spaces to what is currently available in the hotel's south parking lot. |
| U. of Tennessee talks with donors on renaming agriculture college | |
 | The University of Tennessee's college of agriculture could be getting a new name -- and a donation on a "transformational" level along with it. The Executive and Compensation Committee for the Board of Trustees met Tuesday morning with a single item on the agenda: the potential renaming of the college. The committee voted unanimously to proceed with talks. "This would be such a transformational gift," UT President Joe DiPietro said. "Something like this doesn't happen very often." Officials didn't specify the amount of the potential gift and aren't required to by state law. The prospective donors -- Jim Herbert, a 1962 UT graduate and founder of the Neogen Corp., which makes and markets food safety products, and wife Judi, a 1963 UT graduate -- have made various donations to UT over the decades and received the university's Philanthropists of the Year award in 2017. UT policy restricts the naming of colleges, schools, departments and programs after donors to those who give "a significant endowment that will provide a permanent income stream ... between 10 and 40 percent of the operating budget at the current spending level." |
| Of state's law schools, U. of Florida fails bar most | |
 | The University of Florida's Levin College of Law has the lowest pass rate of Florida law schools in the most recent bar exam, according to a Florida Bar of Examiners report. According to bar data released Monday, 32 percent of Levin students passed the bar exam in February. The Florida International University College for Law and Ave Maria School of Law had the highest pass rate with about 85 percent each. The pass rate applies to students who took both parts of the two-part test in Florida for the first time. Lawyers must pass the bar to practice law in Florida. According to the data, students from law schools outside of Florida passed at 36 percent. Of all students taking both parts of the bar exam for the first time in February, 58 percent passed. In a statement, Dean Laura Rosenbury said Levin College of Law officials were disappointed in the results, calling them a "clear wake-up call." |
| Barbara Bush's legacy lives on in Bryan-College Station, at Texas A&M | |
 | Barbara Bush died Tuesday night at the age of 92, leaving behind a legacy of family literacy in Bryan-College Station. The former First Lady spent parts of the past 20 years on the Texas A&M campus working with the presidential library of her husband, former President George H.W. Bush. "The entire Aggie family sends our prayers and condolences to the Bush family tonight," Texas A&M President Michael K. Young said in a Facebook post Tuesday. "Marti and I were blessed to know Barbara Bush, a remarkable public servant, and we are grateful for the impact that she and President Bush have had and continue to have on Texas A&M University." Former President Bush was by his wife's side when she died Tuesday and held her hand throughout the day, according to a report from his office. The couple had been married for 73 years. |
| U. of Missouri System economic impact pegged at $5.4 billion | |
 | The University of Missouri adds a $5.4 billion annually to the state's economy through direct spending on employment and services and because most of that money remains in the state, supporting other jobs and businesses, according to an economic impact study delivered Tuesday. University leaders took the release of the report by Tripp Umbach consulting firm to the state Capitol to bolster support for maintaining or increasing state funding, which has been fluctuating at about $400 million annually. The state Senate Appropriations Committee will vote Wednesday on a budget plan that that includes an appropriation of $417.8 million for the year that begins July 1. The study shows the UM System has an economic return of $13.50 for every $1 the state invests. |
| Missouri faculty debates keeping academic freedom wording in defunct irresponsibility rule | |
 | When the UM System Board of Curators fired University of Missouri assistant professor Melissa Click in February 2016, some faculty members thought campus bylaws about "faculty irresponsibility" were ignored. "We had a major breakdown of our discipline procedures in part because the curators simply chose not to use them in a sensational case, and that's on the curators," MU Faculty Council member Ben Trachtenberg said during a faculty forum Tuesday. "You can think two things at once: One is that the curators should've followed the rules," he said. "And the other is that the rules were imperfect and should've been improved." In April 2017, a new rule took effect across the University of Missouri System to address that. Because the three other system campuses didn't have any procedure for faculty irresponsibility and MU was considering amending its bylaws, the four campuses decided to enact one rule that encompassed everyone. |
| Federal experiment in nontraditional providers stumbles out of the gate | |
 | In October 2015, the Obama administration announced a radical experiment to give low-income students access to boot camps, massive open online courses and other nondegree credentials, mostly from for-profit alternative providers. The experiment, called Educational Quality through Innovative Partnerships (EQUIP), planned to give unaccredited providers access to federal financial aid in a controlled setting. The idea was to see whether these nontraditional providers could deliver "high standards of quality and positive student outcomes" -- conceivably opening the door for them to receive federal funds. The program's goals were beyond ambitious -- and so far it has achieved few if any of them, leading even strong supporters to say that it has "floundered." |
| High court review of South Dakota case may provide bridge to new revenue in Mississippi | |
| Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: "As state officials scramble for resources to address infrastructure concerns in the wake of the closure of over 100 Mississippi bridges deemed unsafe by federal authorities, the stance of some of those same state officials on collecting Internet sales taxes seems particularly relevant. ...After more than 25 years kicking the can down the road on the issue, the U.S. Supreme Court is now poised to bring some clarity to the issue this summer. South Dakota and 35 other states have asked the high court to in the current South Dakota v. Wayfair to declare that the "nexus" or "physical presence" rule established in 1992 in Quill is outdated and punitive to bricks-and-mortar retailers at a time when Americans are increasingly doing their shopping online." |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State takes on Memphis at AutoZone Park | |
| Mississippi State is back on the road tonight taking on Memphis at AutoZone Park. First pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m. from the home of the Cardinals' Triple-A affiliate, the Memphis Redbirds. The Bulldogs (19-15) are 5-3 against the Tigers in that venue and 54-26 all-time. MSU won 8-3 at AutoZone Park last season. Sophomore right-hander and Houston native Denver McQuary (1-1, 4.71 ERA) will take the mound for the Diamond Dogs tonight while Memphis is slated to start senior righty Connor Alexander (1-2, 5.85). |
| Pitching carries Mississippi State softball past Memphis | |
| The Mississippi State softball team has made the final three weekends of the season meaningful. The No. 19 Bulldogs finished the non-conference home portion of their schedule with a 3-1 win over Memphis Tuesday night at Nusz Park. Ranked No. 21 in this week's Ratings Percentage Index, MSU improved to 33-12 overall, 23-5 at home and 27-3 in non-conference play. "We talk all the time about the importance of the non-conference midweek games," MSU head coach Vann Stuedeman said. "In some ways, they are more important than the conference games. As strong as the (Southeastern Conference) is, you just have to battle on the weekends. You can't lose the midweeks. That sets up the importance of the conference games." |
| Bulldogs avoid softball letdown against Tigers at home | |
| Tuesday night's matchup with Memphis in softball action presented a perfect opportunity for the No. 19 Mississippi State Bulldogs to have a letdown. Fresh off of a series win on the road at rival Ole Miss, MSU is set to host No. 5 Florida starting Friday for Super Bulldog Weekend. Memphis (30-15) was just the team to try and spoil things, but State didn't let it happen. Some timely hits and a combination of three pitchers tossing a gem led to a 3-1 victory that kept the Bulldogs in the hunt for big things in 2018. MSU (33-12) is now set for a top-25 battle with Florida this weekend in a three-game series at Nusz Park. Game time on Friday is 6 p.m. with a 1 p.m. first pitch on Saturday and 2 p.m. start on Sunday. |
| Dak Prescott will be guest coach at Mississippi State spring game | |
| Mississippi State first-year head football coach Joe Moorhead and the Bulldogs will try to shatter a school spring game attendance record for the Maroon and White Game at 3 p.m. Saturday (SEC Network) in Davis Wade Stadium. The annual event is part of Super Bulldog Weekend presented by Stand Up Mississippi. Admission is free. The Junction will open to tailgating at 8 a.m. Saturday. Gates to Davis Wade Stadium open at 1:30 p.m., and there will a special spring Dawg Walk in the Junction at 1:30 p.m. MSU's clear bag and golf cart policies will be in effect. Concessions will be available. Dallas Cowboys starter and All-American quarterback Dak Prescott, 2012 Thorpe Award winner and All-American cornerback Johnthan Banks, and Oakland Raiders starter and 2013 All-American Gabe Jackson will return to Davis Wade Stadium as guest captains. The game will feature four 12-minute running quarters. Standard game timing will be utilized under the two-minute mark in the second and fourth quarters. |
| Nick Fitzgerald back on the field this spring for Bulldogs | |
| On Nov. 24, Nick Fitzgerald underwent surgery for a gruesome injury to his right ankle suffered in the Egg Bowl just hours before. When the Mississippi State quarterback came to in the recovery room, there was only one thing on his mind. "The second I got done with surgery and the second I could start rehabbing, I promised our trainers I would come back faster than anyone else would," Fitzgerald said in a recent interview. "That was the mindset I went into it with, coming back faster and stronger. I set myself to be able to do as much as I possibly could this spring." When the Bulldogs started spring practice, Fitzgerald was side-by-side with his teammates clad in a yellow practice jersey. Although the rising senior does not participate in contact portions of practice, he is still working in all individual drills as well as 7-on-7. |
| Bulldogs working to keep Johnathan Abram on the field this fall | |
| On this November third down against UMass, Johnathan Abram was doing what he does best. Mississippi State's hard-hitting safety was flying down the left side of the offensive formation, barreling into the blind spot of quarterback Ross Comis. The ensuing sack was violent and the celebration was jubilant -- for Abram. Every other Bulldog on the field saw the flag fly to the scene of the crime. Once again, Abram would find himself in the middle of a targeting review, and one that would be confirmed. Abram is well aware he found himself involved in the targeting rule noticeably more than any other Bulldog last season -- even in last year's spring game, as his violent hit caused then-MSU coach Dan Mullen to end the game a few plays early. Now that MSU has few proven commodities at safety, Abram knows that's a place for improvement for him as MSU concludes spring practice this week. Through it all, Abram was still one of MSU's most productive defenders. |
| Bulldogs finish fourth at Old Waverly | |
| Once again, Dusty Smith happened to be there for the biggest moment of Garrett Johnson's round. Mississippi State's men's golf coach, in making his rounds around Old Waverly Golf Club, was there when Johnson looked over his second shot on the par 5 15th. Smith gave Johnson a yardage to the front of the green, 240 yards, which just so happens to be a perfect 3 wood. Johnson hit it to 30 feet away and made the putt for eagle. That eagle was the highlight of Johnson's back nine surge to a 4-under par 68 in Tuesday's final round of the Old Waverly Collegiate Championship, his best performance of the tournament as he finished tied for fifth as an individual at 2-under par. He was the only Bulldog in the top 10, but three more in the top 25 helped the Bulldogs finish fourth as a team in their home event. "He obviously did a great job, he's really bought into what we're trying to do here the whole year. From where he was in the fall to where he is now is night and day," Smith said. "He's not worrying about results, he's just going about his business and seeing what happens." |
| Mississippi State men finish fourth at Old Waverly golf event | |
| Going into the final round of the Old Waverly Collegiate championship, the Mississippi State men's golf team found itself at 10 over par and three shots from third place. The Bulldogs started the day with an 8:50 a.m. tee time and head coach Dusty Smith said his message to the team Monday night about what he wanted to see from them was a simple one. Smith wanted a certain character show up for the final round. "Honestly I told the guys (Monday) night that the only thing I wanted to see was I wanted us to be the toughest team out there," Smith said. "(I wanted them to be) the most disciplined, and the grittiest team out there. That is really all I was looking for." The front nine holes were a tough one as the team shot a total of four over, and MSU had to meet the expectations that Smith had set out for them to finish strong. |
| Mississippi State women say goodbyes, look ahead | |
| Mississippi State said one final goodbye to its most successful senior class in the history of the women's basketball program Monday night at The Mill. While the goodbyes were heartfelt and a lot of tears flowed, MSU coach Vic Schaefer was quick to point out the time is now for this junior class to keep the program's tradition alive. "The seniors finished 126-22," Schaefer said. "The junior class is now 99-15. If they can win 27 games, it's a match. That is where this program at. We want to get back and win one more game." There were few dry eyes when the annual postseason banquet ended with a 20-minute video, which featured clips from all 37 victories earned this past season. There also were outtakes of the members of the senior class dating back to their freshman year when an incredible run was just taking shape. |
| Dak Prescott, Keep Mississippi Beautiful promote anti-litter campaign | |
| As a professional athlete, Dak Prescott understands that small things can make a big difference. So it came as no surprise to those who know Prescott when, during a nationally televised football game, he was seen automatically placing his own trash into a receptacle. That small gesture spoke volumes to thousands of fans about Prescott's character and his sense of personal responsibility, both on and off the field. That's why Keep Mississippi Beautiful, the state's leading community improvement nonprofit organization, selected Prescott as the Honorary Champion for their upcoming anti-litter campaign. The campaign will focus on keeping the highways and roadways litter-free, advancing the fight to End Littering in Mississippi. |
| Major changes coming for transfer rules in NCAA? | |
| The transfer situation in college athletics may soon be facing significant changes. A step toward the likely end of schools and coaches being able to put conditions on a player's transfer was taken Tuesday. The Division I Transfer Working Group met this week in Indianapolis, where the group "affirmed its strong support" for the proposal. The group, as announced on the NCAA's website, wants student-athletes to transfer and be recruited without losing scholarships and asked the Division I Council to move forward with a vote in June. In other words, this is still all talk surrounding the major topic, but action may finally be imminent. So how would this work? |
| Nick Saban has 'a tremendous amount of respect for Hugh Freeze as a coach' | |
 | Alabama, and at least four other SEC football programs, contacted former Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze this offseason about joining its staff in an on-the-field capacity, AL.com reported on Monday. The AL.com report indicated Alabama coach Nick Saban sought to hire Freeze as the Crimson Tide's co-offensive coordinator and a position coach in January. But SEC commissioner Greg Sankey thought it would reflect badly on the conference if Freeze secured another coaching position in the league so soon after leaving Ole Miss with the Rebels in trouble with the NCAA, the report said. Freeze remains unemployed. At an appearance in Mobile on Tuesday night, Saban was asked to comment on the validity of the report. |
| Now showing at Jackson State: Hal Mumme's Air Raid | |
 | Mississippi sports columnist Rick Cleveland writes: "Hal Mumme, bespectacled and with his long, grayish blond locks blowing every which way in the wind, looked as much the part of mad professor as football coach at Jackson State's spring football game Sunday. He was more professorial than coach-like along the sidelines, too, rarely raising his voice, just calmly signaling in plays, which were, of course, mostly passes. Jackson State is Mumme's 14th stop in a 42-year coaching career that has taken him from such outposts as Copperas Cove (Texas) High School, to Iowa Wesleyan, to Valdosta State, to Kentucky, to New Mexico State, to Belhaven and now Jackson State, with several other stops along the way. Most of that time has been spent as a head coach. Now, at Jackson State, he is back to being an offensive coordinator, which, he said, is his comfort zone." |
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