| Thursday, May 24, 2018 |
| Mississippi: Up to 7,000 bodies from asylum may be in field | |
 | Some of the boxes stacked inside anthropologist Molly Zuckerman's laboratory contain full bones -- a skull, a jaw, or a leg. Others contain only plastic bags of bone fragments that Zuckerman describes as "grit." These humble remains are among as many as 7,000 bodies that were buried at Mississippi's former insane asylum, a site that's now on the grounds of the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson. Researchers are planning to exhume the bodies, create a memorial and study them for insight on how the mentally ill and other marginalized populations should be treated today. "The individuals present this amazing snapshot of life and health and human biology in Mississippi during a really tumultuous time spanning from before the Civil War into Reconstruction and into Jim Crow," said Zuckerman, who operates her lab at Mississippi State University in Starkville. |
| Are Nightmares Bad for You? | |
 | You're freaked out. A strange person or animal -- or thing -- is pursuing you. It draws nearer, but you wake up just before it has the chance to get you. It may sound like a cliche. But experts who study nightmares say this is a pretty typical bad-dream scenario. "When you have a lot of nightmares," -- roughly one every night -- "that can lead to stress and insomnia," says Michael Nadorff, an assistant professor of psychology at Mississippi State University and director of that school's Sleep, Suicide and Aging Laboratory. Startled wake-ups are another common feature of a clinical nightmare disorder, he says. This lost sleep has "massive" implications for a person's health, he says. Chronic poor sleep can cause a whole range of mental and physical health issues, including depression and heart disease. Nadorff has also published research linking nightmares to suicidal thoughts and attempts. |
| Scientists tag and release sharks off Dauphin Island | |
| The summer weather is here, which means more and more people are going to the beach. At the same time, scientists say they are seeing more and more sharks right off the coast. Dr. Marcus Drymon, a shark expert with Mississippi State University, says shark populations that were previously overfished are now increasing in a "healthy way." Drymon also teaches a class at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab. Almost 100 students from several universities across Alabama will travel for the Sea Lab's summer program. On Tuesday, Drymon took about twenty of those students on a trip to tag and release sharks that live close to shore. It's a critical part of the team's research into local shark populations. |
| Area unemployment rates remain steady | |
 | Unemployment rates continued near historic lows in the month of April based on monthly data released Tuesday by the Mississippi Department of Employment Security. While the national, seasonally-adjusted jobless rated dropped by 0.2 percent to 3.9 percent, unemployment on the state and regional level ranged from 0.1 percent drop in Lowndes and Clay counties to a 0.1 uptick in Oktibbeha County. In April, the state's civilian labor force, which is made up of everyone who has a job or is looking for a job, increased 1,400 over the month to 1,275,200. The number of Mississippians working rose in April by 500 to 1,217,000. More Mississippians were employed than at any time since July 2008. |
| Starkville could settle Pride lawsuit this week | |
| A preliminary settlement agreement has been reached in Starkville Pride's federal lawsuit against the city of Starkville and is now awaiting board approval, much to one alderman's alarm. Details of the settlement agreement have not yet been disclosed. City and Starkville Pride representatives met May 16 for a six-hour settlement conference, according to federal court documents. However, Ward 6 Alderman Roy A. Perkins expressed concern to The Dispatch on Tuesday that the city may have to pay "several thousands of dollars" in the settlement for Starkville Pride's attorney fees. He also pointed to a motion to dismiss the case City Attorney Chris Latimer filed in late April. Perkins said the city should press ahead with it. |
| Immigration, gun violence, tariffs are issues for GOP candidates in 3rd Congressional District race | |
 | Gun violence, DACA, tariffs and jobs were among the hot topics discussed at the Republican candidate forum Wednesday night at Meridian Community College's McCain Theater. Sally Doty, Morgan Dunn, Michael Guest, Whit Hughes, Perry Parker and Katherine "Bitzi" Tate, all vying for a June 5 primary win in the Mississippi's 3rd Congressional District race, participated in the forum, which was sponsored by the Lauderdale County Republican Party and presented by WTOK-TV and The Meridian Star. While all six candidates agreed that gun violence is a scourge on the nation, the consensus was continued support for the Second Amendment and more training for law enforcement and "local security teams." |
| Cities see no benefit from rising Internet sales tax | |
| While Mississippi's sales tax collections have remained static for the current fiscal year, use-tax revenue has skyrocketed. The increase in the use-tax revenue has provided much needed funds for the state to offset the sluggish collections of other sources of revenue, such as the corporate tax and the income tax, as well as the sales tax. But the increase in collections of the use tax -- a 7 percent tax on items purchased from out of state, such as automobiles or on the internet and catalog sales -- is doing nothing to help municipal governments with their budget needs. The bottom line is that the municipalities receive a portion of the sales tax revenue -- a flat revenue source for many cities and a declining source for others -- but do not receive a share of the use tax revenue, a growing source of funds. |
| How competitive is U.S. Senate candidate Omeria Scott? She's already beaten cancer | |
 | Longtime state lawmaker Omeria Scott was nearing remission from breast cancer last Thanksgiving when she told her family her plan. "I told these people that I was running for the United States Senate," she said. They laughed. Scott, 61, had found a lump on her breast the previous April and underwent chemotherapy for six months in Texas, where her sister owns a home health agency. After weeks of additional elective radiation, she traveled home Feb. 23. Less than a week later, she announced her candidacy. "Generally, the entire family thought that this was something that I should not undertake," Scott said. "But I have been healed. The Lord had healed me with the help of these great clinicians at these two hospitals (Baptist Medical Center in Jackson and MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston). And I was not going to take that blessing, that talent, and dig a hole and bury it. Because if the Lord had wanted me buried, he would have buried me." |
| Embattled former Southaven Mayor Greg Davis hired for tourism role in Sardis | |
| Former Southaven Mayor Greg Davis has a new role in municipal government as tourism director and community project manager for Sardis, Miss. Aldermen in Sardis, about 50 miles south of Memphis in Panola County, voted to hire Davis after meeting with him Wednesday morning. Despite his problems as Southaven mayor, Davis oversaw the Memphis suburb's emergence as a thriving economic engine for DeSoto County and its growth into one of Mississippi's largest cities. Legal problems ultimately led to his defeat by current Mayor Darren Musselwhite.Davis was found not guilty of embezzlement and fraud last June by a Lafayette County circuit court jury in Oxford, reversing a 2014 conviction of the same charges in DeSoto County. The former mayor brushed off lingering criticism by many of his past problems, invoking the words if not the name of former Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton. "They're are gonna be haters out there," Davis said. "They're never gonna go away." |
| Opioid court fights risk repeating tobacco's failures | |
 | The litigation stemming from the opioid crisis is staggering in its scope: hundreds of cities, counties, states, Native American tribes and hospitals seeking damages from drugmakers and distributors. It's arguably the most complex, potentially lucrative litigation since the $240 billion tobacco settlements 20 years ago. And this time around, public health experts want to ensure that resources to combat the opioid epidemic aren't squandered. Only a pittance of the billions in tobacco company payouts has been spent on combating tobacco use. Instead, much of the money, which the industry continues to pay out, is plowed into state slush funds and used to patch budget shortfalls. "We cannot fail in making sure whatever dollars we get in a resolution go to treatment and emergency response and education," said former Mississippi Attorney General Mike Moore, who helped lead the nationwide effort against Big Tobacco, and is now representing several states in opioid lawsuits. |
| Delta State couple involved in tragic accident | |
| A Leland wreck on Saturday night has left one beloved Delta State University faculty member dead and two others involved in critical condition. According to Leland Assistant Police Chief Marcus Davis, at 8:02 p.m., "Mark Cummins, 56, and his wife Cheryl Cummins, 51, both of Cleveland, were traveling east in a black Nissan Sentra on U.S. Highway 82 west when their vehicle collided with a maroon Chevy Tahoe driven by Samuel Ford, 54, of Greenville. "Mrs. Cheryl Cummins, the passenger in the Nissan Sentra was pronounced dead on the scene by the Washington County Coroner's Office." According to Davis, Ford was driving in the wrong lane when he crashed into the Cummins' vehicle. Davis said he did not have information as to whether or not alcohol was involved in the incident. Both Cheryl and Mark Cummins were employed by Delta State University. Both of their daughters attend Delta State as well and DSU President Bill LaForge said the flag would fly at half staff on the day of the funeral in their honor and memory. |
| LSU to allow students' names of choice on ID cards to help foster 'inclusive atmosphere' | |
 | Beginning in the fall, LSU students can have their name of choice on their student identification card, known as a Tiger Card. The change was requested by the Office of Multicultural Affairs and the LGBTQ+ Project, LSU said in a news release Tuesday announcing the change. "Students having the ability to use their chosen name on their Tiger Card contributes to an inclusive atmosphere for all members of the student body," said Dereck Rovaris, vice provost for diversity. The move is also expected to benefit international students who would like to use a chosen name that is not their legal name on their ID card, LSU said. |
| U. of Arkansas System president urges fees at schools target projects | |
| Increases in mandatory student fees at schools within the University of Arkansas System would be "mostly for targeted projects," UA System President Donald Bobbitt told trustees Wednesday. The five four-year universities within the UA System will not raise tuition for the coming 2018-19 academic year after Gov. Asa Hutchinson in January asked public universities to hold the line on any increases with state funding increasing to higher education. Bobbitt said fee increases at UA System schools relate to implementation of new Enterprise Resource Project information technology. The project "has the potential to save the System between $60-90 million once fully implemented," Bobbitt said, but investments have to be made "at the front end." |
| New shows announced for UGA Performing Arts Center | |
 | University of Georgia Performing Arts Center Director Jeffrey Martin recently announced the roster of artists for the 2018-19 season. "The 2018-19 season marks my first as curator of the center's world-class performing arts series, now called UGA Presents, and it is an honor for me to serve as its steward," Martin said. "My great desire is for all people to enjoy something wonderful at the Performing Arts Center." UGA Presents will offer six different series showcasing some of the finest performers from around the globe. The 2018-19 season opens Sept. 7 with a concert by Renée Elise Goldsberry, the Tony Award-winning star of the Broadway hit musical, Hamilton. |
| A Limit on Paying for Controversial Speakers | |
 | The University of California, Los Angeles, will cover only $100,000 in total security costs each academic year for speakers who are not invited by a student group, a spending cap on certain events that appears to be the first of its kind among high-profile colleges and universities. This policy -- which legal experts say was carefully crafted to balance the First Amendment obligations of a public institution with the potentially high costs of hosting controversial speakers -- took effect on an interim basis this month. It comes after nearly two years of hot-button individuals testing the boundaries of college free speech practices. Most notably, the white supremacist Richard Spencer toured universities nationwide last year in a deliberate attempt to rattle the campuses, but institutions have also faced protests inspired by others. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State continues to shine in NCAA Academic Progress Rates | |
 | Following a record-setting year in the classroom, Mississippi State's varsity sports have once again turned in excellent numbers in the NCAA's annual report of Academic Progress Rates, the association announced on Wednesday. In the latest multi-year rate, the Bulldogs' women's tennis team once again posted a perfect 1000 to lead all of State's varsity sports. Men's tennis, which advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals after winning the SEC Tournament title, paced MSU's men's sports with a 983. Six State programs -- women's cross country, women's golf, women's softball, women's tennis, women's track and field and women's volleyball -- each earned a perfect 1000 APR for the 2016-17 year. "Our NCAA Academic Progress Rates continue to excel, and that is a credit to our student-athletes, coaches and support staff," MSU Director of Athletics John Cohen said. |
| Facility upgrades continue for Mississippi State athletics | |
 | The 2017-18 sports year is drawing to a close, but there is plenty of work ongoing at various venues on Mississippi State's campus. Aside from the $3.6 million locker room project at Davis Wade Stadium that was announced earlier this month, there are several other sports receiving an upgrade as well over the summer. Construction continues on the $55 million remodel of Dudy Noble Field. As part of that project, the erection of the Left Field Lofts is currently under way. The Left Field Lofts are a three-story, 30,000 square foot structure that will be located behind the famed Left Field Lounge. There will be a total of 12 luxury two bedroom suites that each have a kitchen, living space and two bathrooms totaling 1,100 square-foot each. "The Left Field Lofts will become the first structure of its kind in a college baseball stadium," said MSU athletic director John Cohen. "We are excited that construction is under way on this unique endeavor." |
| Wildlife department to allow hog trapping on WMAs | |
| In an effort to combat wild hog populations, the Commission on Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks approved a rule change in its May meeting that will allow trapping of wild hogs on some wildlife management areas. "This statement will allow hog trapping as needed by permit," said Russ Walsh, Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks wildlife executive staff officer. "The new language will be in the basic regs. "Each WMA will have specific regs. Wildlife management areas will not automatically be open for hog trapping. We will allow hog trapping based on need. And the need is widespread and growing. According to the Mississippi State University Extension Service, wild hogs cause roughly $1.5 billion in damage in the United States annually. They also outcompete native wildlife such as white-tailed deer for food resources. |
| Ready to start betting on UK sports? Mitch Barnhart says 'new era' should be entered cautiously | |
 | Mitch Barnhart knows it's being billed as potentially "the next great landscape of revenue" for states looking for ways to balance budgets. But to Kentucky's athletics director, "it's the next landscape of concern." The "it" Barnhart is discussing is a U.S. Supreme Court ruling so new -- with results that could reach so wide -- that he has yet to wrap his head around it. Just a week ago the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the 1992 federal law, the Professional and Amateur Sports Gambling Protection Act, which banned commercial sports betting in most states. "It's a new era, a new conversation," Barnhart said in a wide-ranging interview with the Herald-Leader on Monday. "Clearly that is something we're going to have to monitor pretty closely." |
| Alabama earns high Academic Progress Rate scores | |
 | Alabama's latest APR scores reflected well among their Division I peers, according to NCAA data released on Wednesday. Eight of the 19 Alabama sports with APR scores improved from their score a year ago while seven more remained steady. Four programs saw their averages decline in the last year. Of the 19 programs, 14 posted higher scores than the average for that sport among their Division I peers. The football program set a school record with a 984 APR score. Only Vanderbilt's 994 was better among SEC teams. The football program's APR score has improved every year since 2012-13. Its APR score was also well above the FBS average of 968. Four programs had perfect APR scores of 1000 for the four-year period: men's cross country, softball, women's golf and gymnastics. |
| LSU in clear on academic goals for all 19 sports; single-year football APR earns bonus for Ed Orgeron | |
| The NCAA released its Academic Progress Rate scores Wednesday for the 2016-17 academic year, and LSU's athletic programs are in the clear. All 19 of LSU's teams posted four-year APR averages well above the 930 threshold established by the NCAA to avoid penalties and postseason bans. LSU's scores were above the national average in 13 sports, though not in the big three: football, men's basketball and baseball. LSU was at 956 in football, down slightly from 2015-16 (959) but still up significantly from where the program was in 2014-15 (941). The national average in football is 964. Among the 14 Southeastern Conference football programs, LSU ranked last in APR. South Carolina was second lowest at 961, while Vanderbilt was highest at 993. |
| Texas A&M has its strong showing in APR scores | |
 | Texas A&M had its highest single-year and multi-year scores in the NCAA's Academic Progress Rate (APR) because a school-record 11 teams in NCAA-sanctioned sports had perfect 1,000 scores for the 2016-17 school year. The efforts in those sports -- men's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, soccer, softball, men's and women's swimming and diving, women's tennis and women's track and field -- gave A&M a school-record single-year APR of 990. That's six points higher than A&M's previous best in 2015-16. A&M's multi-year score of 983 that covers 2013-17 is also the best for the Aggies in APR's 14-year history. That happened as a result of 10 programs having their highest multi-year scores during the four-year span. |
| 6 Auburn athletic teams post perfect multi-year APR scores; 14 perfect in 2016-17 | |
 | Six Auburn athletic teams posted perfect multi-year APR scores and 14 were perfect during the 2016-17 academic year, according to data released by the NCAA on Wednesday. Women's cross country, women's golf, women's gymnastics, women's soccer, women's tennis and equestrian all earned multi-year scores of 1,000, meaning that in all four academic years from 2013 through 2017, all of the student-athletes on those teams remained academically eligible and either returned for the following season, graduated or left in good standing to graduate. Men's basketball, men's cross country, men's golf, men's tennis, men's track & field, women's swimming and diving, women's track & field and women's volleyball joined those five teams in posting perfect APR scores in 2016-17. The 14 total teams this year are seven more than Auburn had in the 2015-16 academic year. |
| Missouri men's basketball narrowly avoids APR sanctions | |
 | The NCAA released its national Academic Progress Rates for its member schools Wednesday, and for the third year in a row, the Missouri men's basketball program has the lowest multi-year APR in the Southeastern Conference. Missouri dropped from last year's multi-year rating of 934 to 932, just avoiding the 930 sanction cutoff. The APR is used by the NCAA as an effort to improve graduation rates of college athletes while also holding schools accountable for academic failures. While Missouri's four-year score ranked as the 12th lowest in the country, its 2016-17 score of 955 was an improvement over the 2015-16 score of 930. It's also a vast improvement from the 851 the program scored in 2013-14. That score, which came in Frank Haith's final year as coach, continues to hurt the program's four-year score. |
| Cox Media Group to shut down SEC Country, Land of 10, Diehards, according to writers | |
 | Cox Media Group will shut down some of its college football sites this summer. SEC Country, The Land of 10 and Diehards will continue operating until June 30. According to Twitter, those employed by the sites learned of the news Wednesday. The news, as you would expect, came as a shock. No reason has been given, but questions have been asked. Cox Media Group, before the news, had 16 different digital brands, according to its web site, and 14 TV stations and two daily newspapers to go with its 60 radio stations. Earlier this month, Cox Media Group announced it had reached an agreement to sell the building that previously housed print operations for CMG Ohio publications. |
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