Wednesday, January 30, 2019   
 
Registration open for MSU Spring Preview Days Feb. 18 and March 25
Prospective Mississippi State students and their families are invited to learn more about the campus experience and Bulldog family during the university's 2019 Spring Preview Days. Space is limited for the Feb. 18 and March 25 events, so those planning to attend are encouraged to enroll as soon as possible at www.springpreview.msstate.edu. Cost is $10 per person. Upon arrival, guests will receive an information packet and T-shirt to commemorate their participation. Lunch will be provided, and as well as MSU Ice Cream. Spring Preview Days are geared toward high school juniors, but all prospective students are welcome. "This event is designed to highlight all aspects of student life on campus from academic colleges and residence halls to student organizations and resources," said Kylie Forrester. "Visiting our beautiful campus during the spring semester is a great time to experience what being part of the Bulldog family is all about."
 
Students use STEM concepts in space garden prototype
Growing food on Earth is challenging enough, but two Armstrong Middle School robotics teams are exploring the cultivation of leafy greens in space. The Gardeners of the Galaxy, an all-girl group of 10 sixth- and seventh-graders at Armstrong, recently won a First Lego League championship and Global Innovation Award at a qualifying tournament in Jackson after developing a spacecraft growth chamber system that yields romaine lettuce. With the win, the team advanced to a statewide competition. The system involves an inflatable greenhouse with a small rooting packet called a "plant pillow," an irrigation unit that recycles water, a reflective film covering, and LED lamps that serve as a substitute for sunlight. One more notable detail on their road to the title is who the students enlisted for guidance in constructing their space garden: plant specialists with the Mississippi State University Extension Service.
 
Grand jury indicts fatal wreck suspect for manslaughter
A Starkville man has been indicted for manslaughter in connection to a 2018 wreck near downtown Starkville that left a Clay County woman dead. Jimmy Andrew Sims was initially charged with manslaughter-culpable negligence and aggravated assault after the wreck in March on Starkville's Lampkin Street, on the stretch of road between Russell Street and South Montgomery Street. Oktibbeha County Circuit Court records show Sims was indicted by the grand jury on only the single count of manslaughter as the January term begins. According to court documents, Sims knew the vehicle he was operating had been faulty. The indictment claims Sims was driving the vehicle "at speeds up to and over 93 miles per hour on East Lampkin Street before causing the three-vehicle wreck. Eyewitnesses at the Starkville Daily News office confirmed that the vehicle driven by Sims traveled by the newspaper's office at a high rate of speed moments before crashing.
 
Suspect indicted for capital murder, sexual battery in Labor Day case
An Oktibbeha County grand jury has indicted a Rienzi man for capital murder and sexual battery in connection with the 1990 Labor Day murder case that has gained widespread attention. Michael Wayne Devaughn, who was 51 at the time of his arrest last October, was served an indictment on Tuesday, after being named the lone murder suspect in the Sept. 3, 1990 death and sexual assault of Betty Jones at a residence in the 300 block of Lee Street, now Dr. Martin Luther King Drive. After he was in the home, which was owned and occupied by Kathryn Crigler, Devaughn is accused of also sexually assaulting Crigler. Crigler died shortly after the attack, but was able to provide some details about the single suspect to investigators. District Attorney Scott Colom, whose office is prosecuting the case, told the Starkville Daily News on Tuesday that the death penalty was on the table in regards to the state's case against Devaughn, but his office has not yet made a final decision.
 
Refuge employees back at work
Now that the government has reopened and employees are back at work, many are trying to get back on their feet. That includes the people who keep the Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge running. "It's so hard," said project manager Steve Reagan. "It was such a roller coaster you know you have your good days and then you have your bad days." Reagan was one employee who continued to work at the Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee National Wildlife refuge despite the government shutdown. Although he wasn't getting paid, his motivation to keep the refuge stable kept him going. "You want to come to work and get good work done," said Reagan. "You know we really believe in what we do you know national wildlife refuge is more about managing it for wildlife and when the government shuts down it's like we watch it happen and you just kind of hope that nothing bad happens."
 
New Mississippi law lets electric co-ops offer internet
Mississippi's 25 electric cooperatives now have legal authority to offer high-speed internet service. Gov. Phil Bryant on Wednesday signed House Bill 366 , and it became law immediately. Cooperatives provide electricity to nearly 800,000 Mississippi customers. The law allows the co-ops to enter the internet business. Officials with Electric Cooperatives of Mississippi, a statewide trade association, say 20 of 25 members have conducted feasibility studies. They're racing to apply for a share of $600 million in loans and grants the U.S. Department of Agriculture will award this year to expand service.
 
Fate of bill calling for deer feeding ban appears sealed
A bill in the House calling for a statewide ban of supplemental feeding of deer in Mississippi appears to have drawn its last breath. House Bill 768 authored by Rep. Becky Currie, R-Brookhaven, would have made sweeping changes for deer hunters in Mississippi in an effort to slow the spread of chronic wasting disease. It has too many changes and comes too soon for House Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks Committee Chairman Scott Bounds, R-Philadelphia. "Right now, I would say I will probably not bring it up," Bounds said. "I totally understand her intent and it's good." Despite his thoughts on the intent of the bill, Bounds said it would be difficult to sell to fellow Representatives. "I don't know if I could get a supplemental feeding ban passed on the House floor," Bounds said. "I don't. You've got a lot of Legislators who have constituents who do this."
 
Bill could push more Mississippi government records online
Some Mississippi lawmakers say they are pushing for greater transparency by government boards and agencies. A bill that advanced Tuesday would require some city and county governments and state government boards and agencies to post minutes of their meetings online. House Bill 1296 passed the Accountability, Efficiency and Transparency Committee. It will go to the full House for more debate.
 
Special-needs scholarships could be expanded to all students
Backers of a program that allows Mississippi families to use public funds to send their children with special needs to private schools hope to expand the program. In 2015, the Legislature passed a law that created the Mississippi Education Scholarship Account (ESA) program. Students with special needs who apply to the program can receive $6,500 per year from the state to attend private schools. Lawmakers have filed a pair of bills in the House and Senate to expand the program. Republican leaders have praised the program since it launched, arguing that parents know what is best for their children and should be able to enroll them where they please. Not everyone agrees expanding the program is a good policy move. "We think this is a terrible idea," said Nancy Loome, executive director of public school advocacy group The Parents' Campaign. "We believe that public funds should be used for the public good."
 
Despite questions, bill could again allow contract autopsies
Some Mississippi lawmakers want to start allowing coroners to hire private pathologists to perform autopsies again, even though counties' previous use of private autopsies attracted scrutiny. The Senate Judiciary A Committee on Tuesday approved Senate Bill 2400 , sending it to the full Senate for further debate. The measure would set up a three-year pilot program allowing coroners in Harrison, Itawamba, Lee and Warren counties to hire private pathologists from a list designated by the state medical examiner. Sen. Chad McMahan, a Guntown Republican sponsoring the measure, told committee members it's needed because the state medical examiner's office is running far behind on completing autopsies. State officials have struggled to hire pathologists, citing a crushing workload and relatively low salaries. Right now, the state has only two medical examiners. "We're looking for a vehicle to help the coroners in the state and help people receive a timely autopsy," McMahan said.
 
Public safety chief criticizes civil service protections, but data show state workers rarely win appeals
Public Safety Commissioner Marshall Fisher has said law enforcement officers under his supervision have used their civil service protections guaranteed in state law to escape termination even when committing such offenses as reporting to work under the influence or threatening to kill a spouse. Still, statistics obtained by Mississippi Today reveal that seldom do state employees succeed through the civil service process in overturning the discipline meted out by agency administrators. Earlier this legislative session, Fisher alleged that in many instances the Employee Appeals Board, which is a key component in providing the civil service protection, is a "kangaroo court." But according to information compiled by state officials at the request of Mississippi Today, during the past three fiscal years there have been 121 instances where state employees have challenged to the Employee Appeals Board actions taken against them by their employer and in 14 of those cases the action of the agency was reversed or the employee prevailed.
 
Mitch McConnell says Democrats' bid to boost voting rights law is a 'power grab'
The battle over voting rights ahead of the 2020 election is officially on in Congress, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell insisting Democratic-led efforts to strengthen voting rights laws are no more than a partisan "power grab." Democrats are pushing a bill that among other things would repair the landmark voting rights law that the Supreme Court fractured in 2013 and that the previous Republican-controlled Congress appeared in no hurry to fix. In the Senate, where Republicans still control the agenda, McConnell was adamant Tuesday that no fix is needed. Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-New York, said the changes are needed after the Supreme Court struck down key provisions in the 1965 Voting Rights Act that required some or all of 15 states, including Mississippi, and jurisdictions with a history of racial discrimination at the polls to get federal approval, or pre-clearance, before changing their rules regarding voting.
 
President Trump insists he's right on foreign policy after his intelligence officials break with him
President Donald Trump insisted Wednesday that his administration had made significant progress toward wrapping up the U.S. military's longstanding engagements in the Middle East, contradicting his top intelligence officials by proclaiming that the Islamic State in Syria "will soon be destroyed." Trump's tweets seemed to be a rebuttal of the public testimony his top intelligence chiefs gave Tuesday morning before Congress while discussing the gravest threats to the U.S. worldwide. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and CIA Director Gina Haspel both indicated that there is significant daylight between the president and the intelligence community on three significant issues: that the Islamic State remains a forceful presence in Iraq and Syria, North Korea is not likely to give up its nuclear weapons and that Iran is not yet seeking a nuclear weapon. The president addressed some of those contradictions in a series of tweets Wednesday morning.
 
The Threat That the US Can't Ignore: Itself
At its annual worldwide threat assessment hearing on Tuesday, top national security officials gave the Senate Intelligence Committee a rundown from top intelligence officials of the dangers the United States will face in 2019 and beyond. The adversaries were familiar, with China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran mentioned alongside evolving situations like Brexit and the power struggle in Venezuela. But if any common theme emerged, it's the number of assessments the officials shared that seem to directly contradict positions touted by the Trump administration. That tension hinted at another threat, one that didn't come up directly in Tuesday's hearing but appeared prominently in a report last week from director of national intelligence Dan Coats: That various recent actions by the United States may be undermining its own security.
 
Guess who's back? Delta Kappa Epsilon pushes for return to UM campus
Delta Kappa Epsilon has returned to the University of Mississippi as of January 2019, pending approval from national headquarters. The new DKE colony was established after a group of friends, unsatisfied with their experiences during recruitment and pledgeship, decided to reinstate the fraternity. "Some of us ended up with fraternities. Some of us just dropped (out of) rush because (we) were not interested in the other ones," current DKE colony president Levi Sumrall said. DKE has been a chapter on the University of Mississippi campus several times. The chapter was suspended from the campus in the mid-1980s following a hazing incident but returned to Ole Miss in 2000 after a long absence. They most recently left campus in 2007 after being investigated and subsequently suspended by the University Judicial Council. This suspension was a result of some members of the fraternity using racial slurs against and assaulting African-American freshman Jeremiah Taylor when he attended one of the organization's events in August 2007.
 
How USM's artificial intelligence research on sidewalks could save thousands of lives
Bet you never imagined that sidewalk you strolled on or crosswalk you traversed could be used to impart important data about keeping people who travel on foot out of jeopardy. Now a University of Southern Mississippi professor will use a new way to collect details about sidewalks and crosswalks to give states information that could help them improve pedestrian safety in a way they never could before. "Pedestrian deaths are at the highest in two decades," said YuanYuan Zhang, Southern Miss research professor. "We really need the data to estimate pedestrian safety. "There's an urgent need to get it. The agencies are blind. They don't know how many pedestrians are going to die in their (state), and they don't know how to ask for funding to add crosswalks or sidewalks."
 
Jo Baldwin named MVSU's 2018 Humanities Teacher of the Year
Professor Dr. Jo A. Baldwin has been selected by Mississippi Valley State University's Office of Academic Affairs as the 2018 Humanities Teacher of the Year. Each year, the Mississippi Humanities Council recognizes October's designation of Arts and Humanities Month by bestowing Humanities Teacher Awards to outstanding faculty in traditional humanities fields at colleges and universities across the state. Affectionately known by the campus community as "Dr. Jo", Baldwin is an English professor and director of the writing center at MVSU, where she teaches composition, literature, and creative writing and serves as Associate Editor of Fiction for "Valley Voices: A Literary Review." She is a published writer of mainly short stories and book reviews. As part of the nomination, Baldwin will give a presentation at 11 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 21, in the Cliff E. Williams Auditorium of MVSU's Business Education Building. The topic of Baldwin's presentation will be "Student Introductions and My Social Trinity."
 
Belhaven appoints new director of alumni relations
Belhaven University has selected Frank Laws '91 to lead alumni relations. After a 16-year career of raising capital for leading real estate investment companies, he will join the Belhaven University Advancement team. As Belhaven's Director of Advancement and Alumni Relations, Laws will continue to develop and maintain communication with Belhaven graduates and expand the University's network of friends and supporters. Laws and his family are in the process of moving to Jackson from Toledo, Ohio where they have been active members of Westgate Chapel, a church of the Christian and Missionary Alliance. Laws was an elder for the last seven years, and both he and Pam led various groups and classes. Laws is a Belhaven graduate as is his wife of 28 years, Pamela. They have three children; Shelby, a current Belhaven student, Benjamin, and John.
 
U. of Arkansas sets 'signature research areas'
Three broadly defined avenues of research tied to health, sustainability and data analysis have been announced by the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville in an effort to forge a standout identity and prioritize collaboration. Described by UA as "signature research areas," they are: Harnessing the Data Revolution; Enriching Human Health and Community Vibrancy; and Promoting a Resilient and Sustainable Future. Together they will "highlight the role of research and discoveries at the U of A in a way that distinguishes us from other institutions at the national and international level," Jim Coleman, UA's provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs, said in a statement Tuesday. Nationally, UA ranked 128th in research expenditures, up for the third consecutive year but lagging reported expenditures by some similar public universities such as the University of Kansas, Louisiana State University, the University of Missouri, Mississippi State University and the University of Tennessee.
 
U. of Kentucky cancels classes for Wednesday in anticipation of frigid temperatures
In anticipation of temperatures near 0 degrees, the University of Kentucky has canceled classes for Wednesday. Employees will be operating on Plan B, meaning that only designated employees will report to work, the university said in a tweet. Hospitals and clinics will be open. More information about operating hours for specific university dining locations and other student services is available at uky.edu/alerts. UK said in a news release that the university is expected to return to normal operations on Thursday, as wind chills are not expected to remain as low. "We will communicate as quickly as possible the status of UK operations on Thursday," Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration Eric Monday said in a letter to the campus community. "Because of tomorrow's expected weather conditions, we urge those of you who can to stay inside."
 
Phi Delta Theta fraternity returns to U. of South Carolina's campus after 19-year hiatus
The University of South Carolina has a new fraternity on campus. Phi Delta Theta's South Carolina Beta chapter, after not being on USC's campus for 19 years, has officially returned, the fraternity said in a release. The fraternity has been active on campus since March 2018, but was only a "colony," meaning the 86 members weren't technically a part of the fraternity until their Jan. 25 initiation. "This is kind of like a restart," said Tyler Wilson, from Phi Delta Theta's national organization. "All 86 members were initiated this weekend." The chapter was originally installed at USC's campus in 1882 and closed most recently in 2000 for failing to recruit enough members, Wilson said.
 
UGA program helps turn ideas into businesses
At the University of Georgia, there is much a student can learn inside the classroom. But the UGA Idea Accelerator encourages students to step outside the classroom and their comfort zones to develop business ideas. During both the fall and spring semesters, the UGA Idea Accelerator, sponsored by UGA's Entrepreneurship Program and Four Athens, is an eight-week, fast-paced and intensive program. It allows participants to grow their entrepreneurial ideas to hopefully become a real business. The program is open and free to any UGA students of any major and anyone in the Athens community who wants to take a shot at bringing their business ideas to life. Winners receive $5,000 to start their businesses. Kaitlin Lutz, a UGA senior marketing major from Smyrna, recently became the first solo woman winner of the UGA Idea Accelerator award.
 
Texas A&M breaks ground on intergenerational Collaborative Learning Center
With a few ceremonial shovels of dirt Tuesday morning, Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp and representatives of the A&M System and the main College Station campus marked the start of the new Collaborative Learning Center. Construction will begin on the first phase of the center -- a daycare and preschool -- with plans to have it open in August. Then, the second phase -- a retirement facility -- will begin construction in the summer with plans to be completed in 18 months. Once the project is completed, the entire facility will be intergenerational, with retirees and young children together. "It will allow people that want to retire here, that want to go to football games and want to be back in Aggieland, an opportunity to do that and have medical care. ... Those things are going to be provided by Texas A&M [Health Science Center]," Sharp said.
 
U. of Missouri ethics hotline gets name change
University of Missouri System President Mun Choi on Tuesday emailed a notice to system personnel that the former Ethics and Compliance Hotline is now the Integrity and Accountability Hotline. "Part of the reason they changed the name of the hotline was to reach out to a broader audience," said Christian Basi, system spokesman. "Ethics and compliance did not convey the many other ways we use it. The new name provides some folks with a different type of perspective." He said the website has been made more user-friendly with additional general information and additional information about the hotline. "It also provides additional information on university expectations and the values we stand by," Basi said.
 
U. of Memphis wants to take over an apartment complex recently plagued by crime
The University of Memphis is working to gain operational control, and eventually ownership, of an independent student apartment complex that has seen a recent rash of violent crime. A deal to make the Gather on Southern apartments at 3655 Southern Ave. part of the school's on-campus housing options has been in the works for about four months, university President M. David Rudd said. That's prior to several criminal incidents over the last month or so, including an aggravated assault. But Rudd said making the complex part of the campus would extend university security to the facility, providing a safer environment for students. "The top priority for us is safety and well-being of our students," Rudd said. Rudd acknowledged U of M has struggled to offer quality housing, and this would be a chance to do so without taking on additional debt.
 
Shutdown deal doesn't mean end of uncertainty for research universities
The longest-ever federal shutdown may be over, putting a stop to financial bleeding for many research universities covering the costs of ongoing research, but colleges across the country aren't declaring victory. The deal reached between congressional Democrats and the White House last week means at least a three-week reprieve from the shutdown. But it's not yet clear whether lawmakers will reach a new spending deal for agencies like the National Science Foundation or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or pass another continuing resolution. And the impact of the standoff will likely linger for institutions that rely on federal support for their research enterprises. "We're going to feel the effects of this shutdown for many months," said David Conover, vice president for research and innovation at the University of Oregon, at a meeting Monday of research vice presidents at the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. Officials from more than a dozen institutions visited Capitol Hill for meetings with lawmakers and their staffs. And the uncertainty over federal funding promised to be a top issue in those discussions.
 
New research: relatively simple interventions effective in addressing faculty workload disparities
Faculty work is not one-size-fits-all. Even within departments and among professors of the same rank, some faculty members tend to do more work than others -- or at least more of certain kinds of work. Women tend to do more service work than men, and underrepresented minorities tend to do more mentoring of the students of color who look to them as role models, for example. Ideally, it all balances out. But many times it doesn't, especially because mentoring, service and other tasks are typically underrewarded within academe. And that can cause major problems, such as lost morale and lost research time -- and the professional consequences that come with them, up to faculty attrition. If the consequences of faculty workload inequity are grave, there have been few to no widespread interventions to address it. But a promising new study suggests that change is possible.
 
Congressman Bennie Thompson a serious player in border security battle
Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: Mississippi Second District U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson has been an unapologetic liberal on social issues for the whole of his long congressional career, and that stance has certainly applied to issues surrounding immigration. The election of President Donald Trump has done little to change that narrative. To be sure, Thompson has battled Trump over a number of his immigration initiatives, including the controversial Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and the so-called "Dreamers" or young undocumented immigrants with no legal status that DACA protects in the absence of the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act or DREAM. But on Jan. 20 on the ABC News Sunday talking head show "This Week with George Stephanopoulos," Thompson remarkably talked in terms that offered Trump a significant opening in solving what Trump has claimed was the major obstacle to bringing the federal government shutdown to a more permanent close than the present three-week truce.


SPORTS
 
Bulldogs looking to build off of last year
Last year, Mississippi State made a magical run through the postseason that saw the Diamond Dogs reach the semifinals of the College World Series. MSU was able to overcome the resignation of head coach Andy Cannizaro three games into the season and bounce back to make the program's 10th trip to Omaha under interim head coach Gary Henderson. But that was last year. Two days after the Bulldogs were eliminated by eventual national champion Oregon State, Chris Lemonis was hired to lead the program. "We kind of have put last year to bed in some ways," Lemonis said. "The kids will always have that memory, always have that experience, but it's a new group. Hopefully we pull from those experiences and those tough times they went through but it's been about coaching this year's team."
 
Where Mississippi State's pitching staff stands in baseball preseason
Mississippi State starts its quest for another trip Omaha in just over two weeks. New head coach Chris Lemonis has had half a year to work with the roster and figure out what the lineup will look like when Youngstown State comes to Starkville for a three-game series at Dudy Noble Field starting Friday, Feb. 15. To get to the College World Series, it all starts on the mound. Here is an early look at the Diamond Dawg pitching staff as the season rapidly approaches.
 
Mississippi State freshman JT Ginn receives All-America honor
The first honor of JT Ginn's collegiate baseball career arrived Monday in the form of a nod to Baseball America's Preseason All-America Team. The freshman from Brandon, who was a first-round pick in the 2018 Major League Baseball First-Year Player draft, earned a second-team nod. He was the only freshman selected to the publication's All-America squad. Baseball America's preseason All-America team was based on major league organizations' scouting departments voting on the team. The organization is asked to make their selections based on performance, talent, and professional potential. Ginn, who is in position to contribute on the mound and at the plate, was one of five underclassmen (freshman or sophomore) named to Baseball America's preseason All-America list. He was selected as a utility player. The rookie also received the nod as having the best fastball among the preseason selections. MSU will take on Youngstown State at 4 p.m. Friday, Feb. 15, in its season opener at Dudy Noble Field.
 
Notebook: Ethan Small to serve as State's ace
Mississippi State may only have one of its weekend starting pitchers back, but he sure is a good one. Southpaw Ethan Small returns after a stellar sophomore campaign and is now two years removed from Tommy John surgery. Small is expected to headline the Bulldogs' pitching rotation as the Friday night starter. "He's done it, he's been there and he's been one of our best all year," said MSU coach Chris Lemonis. "He is the leader of our pitching staff so I feel confident about him there." The rest of the weekend rotation remains up for grabs a little over two weeks away from opening day, although Lemonis stated he has a good idea of which direction he will go.
 
Mississippi State softball team comes in at No. 24 in preseason poll
When Mississippi State's best postseason run in softball history came to an end a year ago, coach Vann Stuedeman was ready to flip the calendar to the next year. That new year is here and the Bulldogs already are gaining accolades. In the preseason National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA)/USA Today Top 25, MSU checked in at No. 24 Tuesday. It is the program's second preseason ranking, and first since 2001. "We have a chance to be a very good offensive team," said Stuedeman, who begins her eighth season. "Offensively, we should be able to put pressure on the other team. We will score enough runs to give ourselves a chance most nights."
 
Play in paint sends Tide past Bulldogs
Alabama found a weakness in No. 22 Mississippi State's defense down low and went to work early and often to exploit it. The Crimson Tide scored 54 points in the paint in an 83-79 upset in front of 11,632 at Coleman Coliseum on Tuesday night. "I thought Alabama really took it to us inside obviously with 54 points in the paint," said MSU coach Ben Howland. "They really hurt us in the paint all night long, both in the first half and in the second half. They had a lot of drives to the basket, a lot of dump offs and posting up. They took advantage of some mismatches and we did not double the post well." The Bulldogs are back in action Saturday at Ole Miss at 2:30 p.m. on the SEC Network and will have a rematch with Alabama in Starkville on Feb. 12.
 
Kira Lewis' late block lifts Alabama past No. 22 Mississippi State
Alabama freshman guard Kira Lewis has made clutch shots for his team. He has made important passes. What no one expected on Tuesday night was for Lewis to show off his shot-blocking prowess with the game in the balance. Lewis blocked a potential game-tying 3-point try by Mississippi State's Tyson Carter with 29 seconds remaining and Alabama made enough free throws in the last minute to hold off No. 22 Mississippi State 83-79 at Coleman Coliseum. "Yes, we had some malfunctions but give them credit," Alabama coach Avery Johnson said. "Then give us some credit for keeping our poise. The play by Kira was big. It's a screen action that Carter has hurt us on before. We actually showed that play to them in our shootaround, where we had gotten hung up on the screen. So credit to Kira for not giving up on the play."
 
Mississippi State women's soccer team will play four games in spring
James Armstrong will lead the Mississippi State women's soccer program onto the field for the first time on March 3 when it plays host to Arkansas to open its spring schedule. MSU will kick off against Arkansas at noon at the MSU Soccer Field. Arkansas advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament last year before losing in double-overtime to Virginia Tech. Arkansas lost the Southeastern Conference tournament championship game on penalty kicks and finished with the No. 29 RPI in the nation. Three of MSU's four spring opponents made the NCAA Tournament and were inside the Top 35 in the final RPI rankings. "This schedule will bring us some very competitive teams with diversity of playing styles," Armstrong said. "I'm excited for us to get back on the field and compete against somebody other than ourselves."
 
U. of Arkansas trustees to vote on name change for Baum Stadium
The University of Arkansas Board of Trustees will vote this week on whether to modify the name of the Razorbacks' baseball stadium. UA chancellor Joseph Steinmetz and UA System president Donald Bobbitt have recommended changing the name of Baum Stadium to Baum-Walker Stadium, according to an agenda for the two-day meeting that will begin Wednesday at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences campus in Little Rock. Trustees are expected to vote on the proposal Thursday. The request comes eight weeks after the Willard & Pat Walker Charitable Foundation pledged a $5 million lead gift toward the construction of a 40,000-square-foot operations center on the stadium grounds that is projected to cost as much as $25 million. UA athletics director Hunter Yurachek said the Walker Foundation's $5 million donation was understood to be for naming rights to the stadium, pending approval of the trustees.
 
Ellen Calipari has a secret. UK coach's wife is really fun on Instagram
In the 10 years John Calipari has been University of Kentucky men's basketball head coach, UK fans have heard plenty from him, but not so much out of his better half, Ellen. That is, until this past December. That's when Ellen Calipari opened an Instagram account @cal_mrs and offered a peek into her life and wit that has become must-see browsing for the more than 8,350 followers she's acquired. The first inkling this might not be typical public relations came in one of her early posts, a video of her on her hands and knees cleaning cat vomit off her tree skirt. "Just living the dream," Ellen Calipari says turning the camera on herself, dispelling any notion the Caliparis don't do the same kind of mundane things everyone else does. But it's clear she seems to do more than her husband. Among her favorite topics are family chores, especially taking garbage cans to the curb.



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