| Wednesday, March 13, 2019 |
| 'Zombie deer' disease keeps spreading across country, hunters fear it could impact industry | |
 | At least 16 states have come up with new regulations to prevent hunters from transporting deer from areas where deer have tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease. Steve Demarais, a professor in the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture at Mississippi State University, said most states now have some form of regulation that forbids hunters from transporting deer carcasses across state lines. "If someone illegally moves a deer to a new area thinking they're going to improve the genetics of the local deer population by bringing deer from a breeding facility, for example, that's the easiest way to transmit it," Demarais said. Demarais said more hunting could help decrease the prevalence of CWD-positive deer Russ Walsh, executive director of Mississippi's Wildlife Bureau, said hunters should continue hunting. "We encourage hunters to continue to do what you've always done and go out there and hunt and harvest deer," Walsh said. |
| Initial fears about drones starting to wane | |
 | During his presentation at the Starkville Rotary Club on Monday, Mike Hainsey, executive director at Golden Triangle Regional Airport, recalled the angst created when the first drone using Wi-Fi technology hit the market. Drone fear and loathing subsided more quickly at GTRA than at most airports, Hainsey said, because of what else was happening in the area. For starters, two local companies, Stark Aerospace and Aurora Flight Sciences, were pioneering work in the field of unmanned aviation. Then, in 2015, Mississippi State University was selected by the FAA to be the lead research institution for its new ASSURE program with 23 other universities providing research to enhance safety of unmanned aircraft. "I think because of all that, we developed a better understanding of the impact of drones," Hainsey said. "The work (by) David Shaw (MSU's vice president of research) and his group at Mississippi State is outstanding and, as a result, drones are not the scary things they used to be. There's still work to be done. What to do about the bad actors -- a drone can carry several pounds of explosives -- hasn't been answered yet. But overall, the research continues to move in that direction." "I think the focus has shifted more to the potential of drones," he added. |
| Mike Hainsey talks GTRA growth, expansion with drones | |
 | Golden Triangle Regional Airport Executive Director Mike Hainsey spoke to the Starkville Rotary Club Monday about the rapid growth and expansion of the Golden Triangle Regional Airport and unmanned aerial systems, better known as drones. The GTRA has twice the number of international travelers than other airports of the same size, and Hainsey said Mississippi State University and other industries are the reason behind that. As far as drones, Hainsey said drone experts in this area aren't at the GTRA. They're with the Mississippi State-led Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence (ASSURE). "ASSURE is officially the lead agent for the Center of Excellence for the FAA. The FAA wanted a research program and kudos to Dr. Shaw and his team that put together the ASSURE team," Hainsey said. |
| Escalator etiquette: Should I stand or walk for an efficient ride? | |
 | Lesley Strawderman, a professor in the Bagley College of Engineering's Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Mississippi State University, writes for The Conversation: Love them or hate them, traffic laws exist to keep people safe and to help vehicles flow smoothly. And while they aren't legally enforceable, pedestrian traffic also tends to follow its own set of unwritten rules. Most pedestrians use walking etiquette as a way to minimize discomfort -- "Oops! Sorry to bump you!" -- and to improve efficiency -- "I want to get there faster!" Without even thinking about it, you probably abide by the common pedestrian traffic rule that faster walkers should move to the inside of a path while slower walkers gravitate to the outside. In the United States, this aligns with street traffic rules, where vehicles pass on the left, while slower vehicles stay in the right lane of the road. This approach to passing leads to the formation of pedestrian lanes of traffic. While they're not painted on sidewalks like they are on roadways, these functional lanes can help pedestrians move more comfortably and quickly. Human systems engineers like me know that pedestrian lanes emerge naturally in crowded environments. |
| An odd winter has impacted pasture growth | |
| More cloudy days, cooler temperatures, and above normal precipitation has characterized winter conditions in much of the South this year. Such conditions not only impact livestock, but they also affect how plants grow, according to Mississippi State University Extension Forage Specialist Rocky Lemus. In looking at this winter's weather data, Lemus notes that his state has seen significantly more cloudy days, rainfall, cooler temperatures, and ultimately fewer grazing days compared to the past four-year average. "Weather affects plants in many ways that we may not realize," Lemus says. He explains that the frequent occurrence of cloudy weather may have a significant influence on photosynthesis and transpiration in cool-season annual forages. This is due to the effects of variation in sunlight quantity and quality on photosynthetic activity and leaf temperature. "Under cloudy conditions, winter-annual crops might try to produce bigger leaves in response to low radiation," Lemus explains. "If wet conditions persist, this can limit root development and nutrient uptake, as roots might not seek nutrients deep in the soil profile." |
| Farmers, rural areas feel the pain as backwater flood rises | |
 | For decades, Peggy Sellars and her husband George have warily watched periodic floodwaters inundate the land around their home in the Mississippi Delta, but the dwelling always remained dry -- until this year. After weeks of fearful waiting, rising water finally got their house on Monday. Two weeks ago, they had moved out of their residence east of Rolling Fork, correctly concluding the worst flooding since 1973 would overtop a small levee around their neighborhood. They returned twice a day to check things, worried about potential looters and the watery peril to their uninsured house. Finally, a Monday afternoon boat ride showed the fate Peggy Sellars had feared. "I'm devastated," she said. "The water is in my house." The Sellars and the farmers who plant crops in the nearby Delta flatland are the latest victims of an unusual flood that involves flood-control structures. |
| Nissan lays off 381, down from 700 originally projected | |
| Nissan Motor Co. says fewer contract workers than previously announced were laid off from its Mississippi plant. The company tells Mississippi officials that it cut 381 contractors on Friday, after reducing production of vans and trucks at the Canton plant. No direct Nissan employees were laid off. While Nissan projected as many as 700 layoffs, spokeswoman Lloryn Love-Carter says fewer were necessary. Some workers quit on their own and others took buyouts. About 6,000 employees and contractors now work at Nissan, down from 6,400 in January. |
| Kohler Engines adding 250 new jobs in Hattiesburg expansion | |
 | Kohler Engines said Tuesday that it expects to create 250 new jobs over the next few years as it expands in Hattiesburg. Gov. Phil Bryant announced the expansion during a news conference at Lake Terrace Convention Center. "We're the only place in America where these engines will now be manufactured," Bryant said. "If you're going to get a Kohler engine, made in America, it's going to come from Hattiesburg and Forrest (County), Mississippi." The company is consolidating its North American engine manufacturing operations from a facility in Wisconsin to Hattiesburg, Kohler Engines President Brian Melka said. "Hattiesburg has been a great partner for us for more than 20 years now and as we looked at where we wanted to consolidate our operations, we looked all over the world," he said. "But at the end of the day, Hattiesburg just made a lot of sense. This is close to our customer(s) and 95 percent of the products we produce out of here are going stay in the United States." |
| With Confederate statue debate brewing, one group wants to build more statues | |
 | While the effort to take down Confederate statues continues, most recently at Ole Miss, one group is working to put more statues up. The Sons of Confederate Veterans met Tuesday at Beauvoir in Biloxi. Leaders of the group say the Confederate monuments are meant to pay tribute to thousands of Confederate veterans who died during the Civil War, many buried in unmarked graves. "It's just like any other war memorial, World War I and World War II. To me, those are equal monuments because they're both American veteran monuments," said Sons of Confederate Veterans member Conor Bond. Larry McCluney was a guest speaker at the meeting. He said building new monuments is a way of preserving history and insuring those veterans will be remembered. "What the goal here is to create monuments and put them on private land, so they will be protected that way," McCluney said. "Our organization has a charge to protect those markers and monuments for future generations to learn from it." |
| Bill Waller Jr. talks policy views during Tupelo stop | |
 | William Waller Jr. is hitting the ground to push his campaign message as he seeks to become the next governor of Mississippi. "I'm the Republican that can win in November," Waller said during a recent interview with the Daily Journal. The candidate was in Tupelo last week as part of a swing through the northern part of the state. Waller's father was Mississippi's governor from 1872 to 1976. The younger Waller served as a Mississippi Supreme Court justice for 21 years, nine of them as chief justice. He resigned within recent months and then announced a bid for the Republican gubernatorial nomination. Those aspirations set up a heated Republican primary, with Waller running against incumbent Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves and state Rep. Robert Foster. A gubernatorial campaign by Reeves has been anticipated for years, and his campaign has significant cash reserves. Foster is little known state wide. |
| Senate balks at $4,000 teacher pay raise passed by House, cite 'other competing needs' | |
| The Mississippi House of Representatives has taken a bold stance on teacher pay raises, but the final amount of extra money teachers see on their paychecks will likely be worked out behind closed doors. On Monday the House voted 111-2 to pass Senate Bill 2770, a teacher pay bill. The version that passed out of the Senate would have paid teachers an additional $500 a year over two years for a $1,000 total raise. The Senate version also included an amendment that would have disbursed the payments in one check in December. The House changed all of that Monday by inserting their own language into the bill and increasing the amount of the raise with an amendment by Democrat Rep. Steve Holland, D-Plantersville. "In my humble opinion, there is no group of people in this state more important than the professional educators that teach our children and our grandchildren," Holland said on the House floor. "So bah humbug on $500 dollars a year. Y'all ought to be ashamed if you vote for it." |
| Columbus 1-percent sales tax request for amphitheater in legislative limbo | |
| A new bill that would create an additional 1-percent sales tax at restaurants in Columbus seems to be in limbo in legislative committees. House Bill 1682, which specifically delegates the tax to be used for operations and maintenance at the Sen. Terry Brown Amphitheater, was introduced to Local and Private committees in both the Mississippi Senate and House of Representatives, but legislators are uncertain whether it will pass either of them. "We're taking it up in committee (Wednesday) morning," said Sen. Gary Jackson (R-French Camp), who chairs the Senate's Local and Private Committee. "That's all I can tell you." But Rep. Gary Chism (R-Columbus), a member of the House Local and Private Committee, said chairmen of both committees said they would not bring the bill out of committee, which would mean the bill is dead. "It's not coming out," Chism said. |
| Expedited evictions process: Bill to eliminate 10-day grace period for delinquent tenants awaits governor's signature | |
| The Mississippi House passed a bill Tuesday that will eliminate the grace period tenants previously had to vacate their homes once evicted. The new legislation will amend the state's Landlord-Tenant Act to remove the 10-day waiting period between an eviction judgement and a warrant of removal. The 10-day grace period was a longstanding policy to give tenants who were behind on rent and had been formally "evicted" by a judge, but not yet locked out of their house, time to either catch up on rent or pack their things and move. The bill is set to go to Gov. Phil Bryant to be signed into law. The grace period allowed tenants and landlords time to either agree on a payment schedule, or give the renter time to pack and move. If after 10-days the tenant was still not caught up and had not yet moved, the landlord could request a warrant that triggers law enforcement to lockout the tenant and physically remove them. |
| Lawmakers pass bill making 'visual examinations' legal in Mississippi | |
| While critics of Senate Bill 2161 say it's dangerous and could lead to more unsolved homicides, one supporter believes it will relieve the massive backlog of cases at the state crime lab by redefining the word "autopsy." "We know when we open that black bag, whether there's been an autopsy done or not," said State Rep. Steve Holland (D-Plantersville). Holland speaks from experience, since he also works as an undertaker in Tupelo. "They're doing these things they call 'visuals' now, where they just look at the body. Well, there's no way you can professionally in my opinion make a true sound judgment of what killed a person that way." That procedure will soon be perfectly legal in Mississippi, even though a 3 On Your Side investigation revealed last year that visual, or external, examinations have already been performed for more than four years in some cases, against many coroners' wishes. SB 2161, once signed into law, will allow for minimally invasive autopsy procedures at the discretion of the state medical examiner or pathologist. |
| 2 millennials in runoff for Lamar County's House 101 seat | |
| Voters in Lamar County will decide between two millennnials in an April 2 runoff for Mississippi House of Representatives District 101. After the ballots from the 10 precincts in the district were counted, none of the five candidates was able to reach more than 50 percent of the votes needed for the win. Kent McCarty, 26, led with 1,238 votes,followed by Steven Utroska, 31, who had 751 votes. Andrew Waites received 716 votes, Daniel Waide, 248, and Gary Crist, 242. The unofficial totals do not include 17 affidavit ballots which will be certified over the next five days. The five men qualified to run for the House 101 seat, recently vacated by Brad Touchstone, who was elected Lamar County and Youth Court Judge. The candidates, all Republicans, ran as independents for the special election. |
| This HIV pill saves lives. So why is it so hard to get in the Deep South? | |
 | In 2017, the last year for which figures are available, the South had about 20,000 new HIV diagnoses -- more than the rest of the United States combined. A big reason: In most of the Deep South, it is difficult for people at risk of contracting HIV to find the medication critical to protecting themselves from the virus that causes AIDS and ending the 38-year-old epidemic. On Monday, President Trump unveiled a budget request that would deliver a first installment of cash for his plan to end the spread of HIV, focused in part on rural areas such as Mississippi, where a tangle of stigma, poverty, inadequate access to health care and lingering racial bias results in a disproportionately large share of HIV infections. But the proposal faces an uncertain fate in Congress -- and comes as part of a budget request that, if enacted, would also make deep cuts to Medicaid, the country's major health-care program for the poor, on which many people with HIV depend. The virus is now concentrated in a very small number of places in the United States, including Mississippi. |
| Republicans want Kaspersky, Huawei banned from sensitive university research projects | |
| If Kaspersky, Huawei and ZTE are suspected of helping Russia and China spy on U.S. government computer systems, they shouldn't be allowed near sensitive academic research projects. That's the argument made by three Republican lawmakers who introduced a bill Tuesday that would bar researchers who work on many federally funded projects from using any technology from those companies -- or from any other companies with close ties to the Russian or Chinese governments. The goal is to ensure it's just as hard for Russian and Chinese government-linked hackers to steal important U.S. academic research as it is for them to steal government secrets, the bill's sponsor, Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), told me. "Huawei and ZTE are snakes in the grass, tools of the Chinese government," Banks said. "If we restrict their use for federal government purposes, we should restrict their use on college campuses as well for anything related to sensitive research." |
| Celebrities, wealthy parents charged by FBI in college admissions scheme | |
 | The FBI on Tuesday charged dozens of wealthy parents, including celebrities Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman, in a major cheating and bribery scheme to get their children admitted into some of the nation's most elite colleges. The scheme involved bribing coaches and college administrators --- with about $25 million in payments over seven years --- and paying off college entrance exam administrators to allow students to cheat on their tests, according to charging documents. Among those charged are "Desperate Housewives" star Huffman and Loughlin of "Full House" fame. Loughlin's husband, clothing designer Mossimo Giannulli, was also charged. They and several others are accused of scheming to get their children into schools including Georgetown; Yale; Stanford; the University of Texas; the University of Southern California; the University of California, Los Angeles; and others. Coaches at Georgetown, USC, UCLA and other schools face racketeering charges. The founder of The Key, William Rick Singer, who later cooperated with the FBI in the investigation, sold his clients on a “side door” to college admissions, which involved paying off coaches and administrators, according to charging documents. |
| Dozens indicted in alleged massive case of admissions fraud | |
 | What many are calling the worst admissions scandal in higher education emerged Tuesday, with federal authorities announcing 50 indictments in a scheme that allegedly involved faux athletes, coaches who could be bribed, cheating on the SAT and ACT, million-dollar bribes and "guarantees" that certain applicants would be admitted to highly competitive colleges. By the end of Tuesday, several coaches had lost their jobs (oddly, not for helping athletes, but for helping nonathletes) and some politicians were calling for investigations of college admissions. Meanwhile a broader debate has been renewed about the many advantages that wealthy families have -- advantages that are legal. And advocates for black and Latino students were quick to note that just as a lawsuit against Harvard University could endanger many colleges' affirmative action plans, fresh evidence has arrived that college admissions is far from a meritocracy. The investigation was dubbed "Operation Varsity Blues" by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. |
| How the largest college admissions fraud ever let wealthy parents cheat the system | |
 | When it came to getting their daughters into college, actress Lori Loughlin and fashion designer J. Mossimo Giannulli were taking no chances. The wealthy, glamorous couple were determined their girls would attend USC, a highly competitive school that offers seats only to a fraction of the thousands of students who apply each year. So they turned to William Singer and the "side door" the Newport Beach businessman said he had built into USC and other highly sought after universities. Half a million dollars later -- $400,000 of it sent to Singer and $100,000 to an administrator in USC's vaunted athletic program -- the girls were enrolled at the school. Despite having never competed in crew, both had been given coveted slots reserved for rowers who were expected to join the school's team. "This is wonderful news!" Loughlin emailed Singer after receiving word that a spot for her second daughter had been secured. She added a high-five emoji. According to a sweeping criminal investigation into fraudulent college admissions unveiled Tuesday, Loughlin and Giannulli are one of at least dozens of families who paid huge sums to take advantage of Singer's audacious scheme to gain access to exclusive schools through bribes and lies. |
| Major gift to benefit efforts of Magee Center at UM | |
| The alcohol and drug education programs at the University of Mississippi received a boost last week. The Triplett Foundation awarded $750,000 to the William Magee Center for Wellness Education Endowment, which will expedite those programs. The money will help with the hiring of a health-education specialist; fund the planning of a national symposium at Ole Miss and cover expenses associated with the startup of the center. "We believe there are a lot of students affected by substance abuse, whether that is personal use or suffering with family members' or friends' addictions," said Chip Triplett of the Dr. and Mrs. Faser Triplett Foundation. "We must help them and their families obtain current information on the effects and consequences of alcohol and drug abuse." The Magee Center, which is expected to open this year, is a tribute to former Ole Miss student William Magee who lost his life due to an overdose in 2013. |
| Ever thought of being a 'weed scientist'? It's a real job that impacts Louisiana | |
| Eric Webster has a PhD in weed science from Mississippi State University. Now he uses that to impact Louisiana agriculture through testing herbicides, experimenting with conversation tillage and training future weed scientists to continue the work. Webster is one of at least five with that title across Louisiana, focusing their research on weeds that affect specific crops. Some are on the LSU campus like Webster; others are located at AgCenter stations across the state. Webster works with rice, a dominant crop in Louisiana. The state planted about 410,000 acres of rice in 2018, up 10,000 acres, or 3 percent, from last year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service. For the last 22 years he's been at LSU, which offers a slew of graduate and undergrad degrees in its College of Agriculture. |
| Bill allowing alcohol for concerts at UT's Neyland Stadium, Thompson-Boling Arena advances to floor votes | |
 | A bill that could allow alcohol sales at University of Tennessee venues for concerts is headed to the floors of the House of Representatives and the state Senate. The legislation, aimed at attracting big-name acts to Thompson-Boling Arena and Neyland Stadium, was approved by the finance committees of both chambers on Tuesday. In the House Finance Committee, Knox County Mayor Glen Jacobs testified in favor of the measure, saying the area lost out out on at least six major acts in the last two years because of the current prohibition of alcohol sales in those venues. Alcohol sales are allowed at the Knoxville Civic Auditorium and Coliseum but capacity is limited to 6,000 people. Thompson-Boling Arena can fit 22,000 while Neyland Stadium, which is the sixth largest stadium in the world, has a capacity in excess of 100,000. In the Senate finance meeting, Sen. Becky Massey, R-Knoxville, said the venues "really cannot compete for the major concerts." Massey reminded committee members the bill would not explicitly allow alcohol sales at the school's football games. She said the Southeastern Conference currently prohibits the sale of alcohol in general admission areas. |
| UGA programs move up in US News rankings | |
 | Six University of Georgia schools and colleges rose in U.S. News & World Report's latest rankings of the nation's best graduate schools. The latest list is one of the strongest showings by UGA in the history of these rankings. The rise of these six schools and colleges -- the School of Law, the School of Public and International Affairs, the Terry College of Business, the School of Social Work, the College of Education and the College of Engineering -- reflects the university's growing national and international reputation for academic excellence, said UGA President Jere Morehead. "Outstanding graduate and professional education is a hallmark of a world-class public research university," said Morehead. "Congratulations to the faculty, staff and students whose dedicated efforts continue to elevate the reputation of the University of Georgia." A seventh UGA college, Veterinary Medicine, remained in the top 10. |
| Kentucky legislators propose pension fix for regional universities, some state agencies | |
 | Kentucky lawmakers believe they've found a way for regional universities and quasi-governmental agencies like health departments to ease some of the financial burdens posed by an overwhelmed state pension system, but they acknowledge it will still cause pain. House Bill 358 would allow regional universities to opt out of the Kentucky Employees Retirement System. New legislative developments would add quasi-governmental agencies because both groups are facing crushing financial costs as lawmakers try to steady the overburdened state pension system. But the requirements for quasi-governmental agencies are much tougher: those employees would have their benefits frozen. It's possible the agencies could opt back into the state system, but more likely, they would be moved to a defined contribution plan instead. Jason Bailey of the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy said he thinks this portion of the new legislation would be challenged in court because it breaks the "inviolable contract" of the state pension system. |
| Final Kemper award winners named at U. of Missouri | |
 | A health educator, a marketing professor and a soil scientist received the final three 2019 William T. Kemper Fellowships for Teaching Excellence on Tuesday at the University of Missouri. Chancellor Alexander Cartwright, Provost Latha Ramchand and Commerce Bank central and eastern Missouri CEO and president Steve Sowers presented the awards, surprising each recipient while they were in their classrooms. Botswana Blackburn, associate teaching professor and Health Sciences Program director, teaches many of the core courses within the health sciences program, the release stated. Blackburn has been a faculty member since 2008. Donald Meyer, assistant teaching professor of marketing in the Trulaske College of Business, was director of international marketing at Anheuser-Busch before joining the MU faculty in 2011. In 2016, he was recognized by his college with the Shelter Insurance Company Teaching Excellence Award. Peter Motavalli, professor of soil nutrition management in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, joined the faculty in 1999. He won the Maxine Christopher Shutz Award for Distinguished Teaching in 2009. |
| Nobel Laureate George P. Smith donates prize money to U. of Missouri for A&S scholarships | |
 | George P. Smith, who made history Oct. 3 when he won the University of Missouri's first Nobel Prize, further cemented his legacy Tuesday with the announcement that he'll donate his $243,000 prize money to MU. His donation will support needs-based scholarships for future College of Arts and Science students, the home college of his groundbreaking research. The announcement came at a lecture Smith gave Tuesday evening to a full Jesse Auditorium. The University of Missouri System and MU will also contribute $200,000 to scholarships. MU Chancellor Alexander Cartwright set aside an additional $100,000 for scholarships, which he wants to do every time an MU faculty member wins a Nobel. MU will also match any donations made to the Nobel Scholarship during Mizzou Giving Day on Wednesday and Thursday. "It has put Missouri on the map," Cartwright said. "It's the first in a long line of Nobel prizes that we'll have here at Mizzou." |
| College Completion Rates Are Up, But The Numbers Will Still Surprise You | |
 | Go to college, we tell students. It's a ticket out of poverty; a place to grow and expand; a gateway to a good job. Or perhaps a better job. But just going to college doesn't mean you'll finish. To unlock those benefits -- you'll need a degree. And yet for millions of Americans, that's not happening. On average, just 58 percent of students who started college in the fall of 2012 had earned any degree six years later, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. While the numbers are up overall, experts say they're far too low and can vary widely depending on what type of school you attend. On average, four-year private schools graduate more students than their public counterparts. Two-year community colleges and for-profit four-year schools have average completion rates below 40 percent. Surprisingly, the use of completion rates as a measure of success in higher education is a fairly recent development. The availability of good national numbers started as recently as the early 2000s. |
| College officials believe in value of campus jobs and want funds to add more | |
| Working for a college or university can often be considered a plum job for a student -- with generally flexible hours, minimal to no commute and a relatively easy first professional opportunity. But according to a new analysis by NASPA: Student Affairs Professionals in Higher Education, institutions of all sorts -- two-year and four-year, public and private -- want and need more money to invest in student employment and to add more positions on campus. These jobs also compete with those outside the university that might pay better, the report shows. NASPA researchers surveyed student affairs professionals and other employees at 244 institutions, most of them four-year public (47 percent) and private nonprofit institutions (37 percent). On-campus jobs benefit students in ways their off-campus counterparts don't, said Amelia Parnell, NASPA's vice president for research and policy. For example, she said, staff members recognize that a worker "is a student first," and they can be more flexible about scheduling. |
| The Commercial Appeal donates print, photo archives to U. of Memphis | |
| The Commercial Appeal's archives, including hundreds of thousands of photographs documenting some of the most consequential moments in the region's history, have a new home at The University of Memphis. The 178-year-old newspaper, which is leaving its building on Union Avenue next month for a Downtown Memphis office, donated its entire archive of photo negatives, prints and newspaper clippings to the university. The two organizations announced the donation during a ceremony at the university on Tuesday. The archives will be part of a special collection in the Ned R. McWherter Library on the main campus. University of Memphis President M. David Rudd said the donation was a chance to make the city's history accessible to the public. "It is great for this university, and specifically for the library, to be a part of the chronicling and honoring of that history," Rudd said. "And it is a fascinating history for this great city. So we're thrilled to be a part of it." |
| Will Baker, Fitch or Taggart become state's first GOP attorney general since 1878? | |
| Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: The 2019 Mississippi Republican primary for attorney general will pit three veteran GOP politicians against each other for the right to become Mississippi's first GOP attorney general since George Emrick Harris in 1878. The Republican winner will face Democrat candidate U.S. Army Col. Jennifer Riley Collins (Ret.), a decorated military intelligence officer and civil rights attorney. Collins is the only African American candidate in the race. She is a highly credible candidate. The three Republican candidates come to the GOP primary from varied personal and political paths. Incumbent State Treasurer Lynn Fitch, a Holly Springs native who has held the treasurer's post since 2011, has won two contested statewide GOP primaries and two contested statewide general elections. None of her opponents can say that. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State baseball announces midweek schedule change | |
 | With the threat of inclement weather in the evening on Wednesday [March 13], the Mississippi State baseball program and head coach Chris Lemonis have announced a change in the game time versus Grambling. The Diamond Dawgs and Tigers will now throw the first pitch at 5 p.m. at Dudy Noble Field. State enters the week with a 15-1 overall record, riding an 11-game winning streak. The streak has propelled the Diamond Dawgs into the top 10 of all six major polls, including a top-5 ranking from Collegiate Baseball, the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, Perfect Game and USA Today Coaches Poll. D1Baseball has the Diamond Dawgs ranked No. 6, while Baseball America has tabbed MSU No. 7 entering the opening week of SEC play. |
| No. 6 Mississippi State hosts Grambling before SEC play | |
| Mississippi State will have one final tune-up today before SEC play starts at Florida this weekend. The sixth-ranked Diamond Dogs host Grambling today at 5 p.m., a game that was previously scheduled for 6:30 p.m. MSU (15-1) will send Peyton Plumlee (1-0, 4.02 ERA) to the mound today and will be opposed by fellow senior right-hander Andy Escano (0-1, 3.21) of the Tigers. Grambling is 7-8 on the season after taking two of three at SWAC rival Prairie View A&M over the weekend. Today marks just the second meeting between Mississippi State and Grambling. The Bulldogs won the previous contest 2-0 in Starkville in 2013. |
| Mississippi State freshmen are physically, mentally ready for SEC Tournament | |
 | Mississippi State head coach Ben Howland has a luxury on his team most coaches across America ardently crave. Heading into this week's SEC Tournament in Nashville, where the Bulldogs (22-9, 10-8 SEC) play their first game of the tournament against either Vanderbilt or Texas A&M at approximately 8:30 p.m. CT Thursday on SEC Network, Howland has two freshmen at his disposal who will be counted on to make big impacts if MSU wishes to advance into the weekend. Mississippi State held a standard media availability with Howland and a pair of players Tuesday afternoon to preview the conference tournament. It's not a coincidence that the media relations team brought Reggie Perry and Robert Woodard to the podium, two forwards who have never gotten a taste of SEC Tournament action but will be key factors in MSU's run this year. The duo sounded like seasoned veterans as they answered questions about this week's tournament. They mentioned taking care of their bodies with treatment because they've been a part of a basketball season that has lasted this long. |
| Mississippi State's Aric Holman tabbed to 2019 SEC Community Service Team | |
| Not only a name on the court, but also a name in the community, senior forward Aric Holman has always striven to put others before himself, and his desire to give back to others has led him to be named to the 2019 SEC Community Service Team. Giving back to the community means a lot to Holman, as he strives to make a difference with everyone he meets. One of the ways that he has been able to do that is with the T.K. Martin Circus Fun Run, which is part of the Mississippi State community. Volunteers help to ensure that persons with disabilities are able to continually benefit from technological solutions and advances in the field of assistive technology. He has also volunteered with vacation bible school and is an active member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. |
| Vic Schaefer named Women's Coach of the Year semifinalist | |
| Three-time Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year Vic Schaefer has been named a semifinalist for the 2019 Werner Ladder Naismith Women's Coach of the Year Award, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced on Tuesday. Schaefer is one of four semifinalists to have previously won the award after receiving it last season. He is the only SEC coach to make the list. The list will be narrowed to four finalists on March 21, and fans will be able to support Schaefer by voting at NaismithTrophy.com/vote between March 22-April 3. Fan votes will account for five percent of the overall total. The winner will be announced on April 6. After winning the SEC regular-season title outright, No. 4 Mississippi State cruised through Greenville last week to claim the program's first SEC Tournament championship. The Bulldogs won their first two tournament games by 15 points each, then exploded for a 101-70 victory in the title game against Arkansas. |
| Vic Schaefer seeking repeat as Naismith Coach of the Year | |
| Mississippi State coach Vic Schaefer is one step closer to claiming the Naismith Women's Coach of the Year Award for the second straight season. Schaefer was selected as one of 10 semifinalists for the honor. Of that group, four have previously been named the Naismith Women's Coach of the Year – Baylor's Kim Mulkey, Notre Dame's Muffet McGraw and UConn's Geno Auriemma. Schaefer guided the Bulldogs to their second straight SEC regular season championship and also claimed the program's first SEC Tournament title. MSU is currently ranked fourth in the country and 30-2 overall entering the NCAA Tournament. |
| Mississippi State coaches' long hours pay dividends | |
| Johnnie Harris and the Mississippi State women's basketball team expected to find themselves lost in a sea of confetti Sunday afternoon. After three years of frustration, Harris believed the timing was right for MSU to win the program's first Southeastern Conference tournament title. That's why Harris, head coach Vic Schaefer, and the rest of the coaching staff stayed up all night to ensure No. 1 seed MSU had every part of the game plan was covered for No. 10 seed Arkansas. The effort that followed in MSU's 101-70 victory at Bon Secours Wellness Arena validated that preparation. In ending a string of three-straight losses to South Carolina in the SEC tournament championship game, MSU (30-2) scored the most points in a SEC tournament title game, posted the largest margin of victory in that game, and was part of the highest scoring SEC championship game in league history. All of those elements made it sweeter for Harris, who has been Schaefer's associate head coach since he took over the program in 2012. |
| What does the future hold for NCAA Baseball at MGM Park? | |
| The interest is there. Just ask Ole Miss athletic director Ross Bjork. "I don't know what the future holds for scheduling, but I think if (Coach Bianco) feels like it makes sense, then absolutely. We want to come here as much as possible," Bjork said. Or, ask Picayune native Matt Riser, head coach of Southeastern Louisiana. "I think it's the right size, the right venue, the right location for the Coast (and) for me personally," Riser said. "Any game we can get over that way, we definitely enjoy." Both the Rebels and the Lions have enjoyed previous midweek stops at MGM Park, as well as a number of other Division I baseball teams over the last few years, ranging from Mississippi State to Nicholls State. So then, why aren't such games on the schedule in 2019? For Overtime Sports owner Tim Bennett, it's about prioritizing. "(The Conference USA Tournament) is going to take priority for me over everything else we do, just because of the economic impact that it has on the city, and the national television coverage," Bennett said. |
| SEC Tournament finds a home in Nashville | |
 | The SEC Men's Basketball Tournament had bounced around. From 2009-12, it moved from Tampa, Florida, to Atlanta to New Orleans to Nashville. The league wanted an anchor city. Somewhere fans could look forward to and plan around. "We didn't have a buzz or a feel around our tournament," said Greg Sankey, the league's commissioner. It found a home on Lower Broad. Last fall, the SEC announced it will keep the men's tournament at Bridgestone Arena, for the most part, through 2035. Nashville gives the SEC Tournament a hub and an identity. The league benefits from a central location in its geographic footprint and the arena's proximity to downtown attractions. The city benefits from tourist dollars and the publicity the event brings. Both sides agree it's a winning combination. Said Sankey, "Nashville had the great downtown setting, an ideal arena location and size, so we went with this primary site idea. Since then, we've seen Nashville blossom as a city, and for us a basketball destination." |
| Will Wade, LSU and 'uncharted territory': Answers to commonly asked questions about the case | |
 | We've never seen anything like this. At least, that's according to Tulane sports law professor Gabe Feldman, who broke down the complex Will Wade/LSU basketball recruiting saga in an interview Tuesday. Wade, in his second season as the Tigers head coach, was indefinitely suspended from the team Friday. The suspension was handed down after Wade declined to meet with university officials about comments he reportedly made in a wiretapped phone call with a federally convicted college hoops middleman about an offer made to a recruit, believed to be freshman Javonte Smart. The comments Wade made were reported on by various media outlets, including Yahoo! Sports and ESPN. |
| Report: Texas A&M's Billy Kennedy won't return | |
 | Texas A&M men's basketball coach Billy Kennedy will not return after this season, according to the Houston Chronicle. Kennedy will end his eighth season when A&M loses its next game, reported the paper according to a person with knowledge of the situation. A&M will open Southeastern Conference tournament play Wednesday in Nashville against Vanderbilt at 8:30 p.m. Kennedy, 150-115 at A&M, made the NCAA tourney's Sweet 16 in 2016 and last season, but those were his lone two trips to the tournament. The Aggies are 13-17 this season and were 6-12 in the SEC, finishing 11th . Kennedy, before leaving for Nashville on Tuesday, sounded confident he would return. "I've got a good contract, I'm thankful for being here, I think we've done a lot of good things in this program when you talk about winning a [SEC regular season] championship [in 2016]," Kennedy said. |
| The Coaches Connected to the College Admissions Fraud Case | |
 | The coaches led soccer teams and sailing teams, guided water polo champions and budding volleyball stars. At least two had won N.C.A.A. championships. A third gave Michelle Obama and her daughters tennis lessons from his post at Georgetown. The coaches charged Tuesday in a massive federal college admissions fraud scandal were some of the most prominent in their fields. But it was their apparent willingness to exploit their access to the admissions process at several exclusive universities that has them facing federal charges. Who are they? Several had deep associations with the University of Southern California, where Donna Heinel, a senior athletic department administrator, is accused of playing a central role in the scandal. For nearly a decade, Heinel had overseen the admissions of athletes into U.S.C., working closely with several of the current and former Trojans coaches who have been indicted. She was fired Tuesday. |
| NCAA violations: Where college admissions scandal proceeds next | |
| The latest scandal to rock the world of college sports doesn't concern elite athletes. In fact, the athletes at issue may not even be athletic, let alone worthy of playing college sports. That point is integral to a new legal controversy involving a wide range of figures, from Hollywood celebrities to college coaches. They are all accused of illegally manipulating the admissions process for student-athletes at prestigious universities. In response to the scandal, universities will need to review how their coaches and academic administrators are monitored and evaluated. It appears that the scam went on for eight years. This means that multiple iterations of university president, provosts, deans and athletic directors failed to detect wrongdoing or missed warning signs. To that point they may demand reform by SAT and ACT test centers to ensure that standardized exams are not gamed by cheaters. |
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