Tuesday, March 19, 2019   
 
Triplets coming to Mississippi State together after brother's acceptance to ACCESS program
Denise Newton believes a February acceptance letter from Mississippi State University will completely change her son Rees' life. Rees, a senior at Frisco High School in Texas, is one of six students to be selected for MSU's ACCESS (Academics, Campus Life, Community Involvement, Employment Opportunities, Socialization and Self-Awareness) program -- a highly-selective program that integrates students with special needs into the university's student body and campus life. Even better for the Newtons, Rees' acceptance will allow their triplet children -- including Rees' brother, Davis, and his sister, Brantley-Kate -- to take another step in life together as all three will enroll at MSU this fall. "ACCESS, I think, will truly change the complete trajectory of his life," Denise said. "I think it's one of those things we'll look back on and say it's a gamechanger, absolutely." Julie Capella, assistant dean and director of student support services, said that, while it's good the Newton triplets will continue to stick together, Rees made it into the program on his own merits.
 
Jupiter's Great Red Spot: A 300-year-old cyclone persists but is shrinking
Donna Pierce, an associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Mississippi State University, writes for The Conversation: The Great Red Spot, a storm larger than the Earth and powerful enough to tear apart smaller storms that get drawn into it, is one of the most recognizable features in Jupiter's atmosphere and the entire solar system. The counterclockwise-moving storm, an anticyclone, boasts wind speeds as high as 300 miles per hour. This prominent feature, observed since 1830, and possibly as far back as the 1660s, has long been a source of great fascination and scientific study. ... As a planetary astronomer who studies the atmospheres of comets, I'm normally not investigating massive storms. But I still want to know about the features seen in the atmosphere of other bodies in the solar system, including Jupiter. Studying atmospheres of all kinds deepens our understanding of how they form and work.
 
Archaeologist to speak on campus Tuesday
On Tuesday, a noted archaeologist will speak at Mississippi State University. Robert L. Kelly will discuss how the study of cultural past can predict the future of humanity at 4 p.m. in McComas Hall. The talk will focus on discoveries from Kelly's book "The Fifth Beginning: What Six Million Years of Human History Can Tell Us About Our Future." The book won the 2018 Felicia A. Horton Book Award from the Archaeological Institute of America. Kelly's Career as an archaeologist began in 1973, when he was involved in an excavation of the Gatecliff Rockshelter in Nevada, where indigenous people camped over a 7,000-year period. His lecture is presented as part of the MSU Institute for the Humanities Distinguished Lecture Series, and is co-sponsored by the MSU Cobb Institute of Archaeology. The lecture is free and open to the public.
 
Locksley, Blackjack multi-use path projects underway
Work has started on a $1 million project to build multi-use pathways from Montgomery Street to Mississippi State University's campus. Oktibbeha County is leading a joint project with the City of Starkville and Mississippi State University on the extension of the multi-use path. The new path will extend from Locksley Way's intersection with Montgomery Street to Blackjack Street. It will turn south on Blackjack Street and continue to Stone Boulevard at the southern entrance to MSU's campus. Saunders Ramsey, of Neel-Schaffer and the engineer for the project, said work started on the new path at the beginning of the month and is currently expected to be finished in August. Work started on the north side of the intersection with Locksley Way and Lincoln Green, where a new space for a new Starkville-MSU Area Rapid Transit system bus stop and a connecting sidewalk are under construction.
 
Mississippi State hometown opens Chicken Salad Chick next week
Chicken Salad Chick will open a Starkville, Mississippi store on Highway on March 26, a news release said. It is the seventh Mississippi location. On its opening day, the brand will award the very first guest one large chicken salad per week for an year, while the next 99 customers will get a free large Quick Chick of chicken salad per month. Likewise, anyone who is not part of that first 100 receiving prizes can buy something in the store that day and enter for a chance to win free chicken salad for a year. The Starkville restaurant is owned and operated by first-time Chicken Salad Chick franchisee Eric Hallberg of HP Restaurant, Llc. "As an alumnus of Mississippi State University, opening a restaurant in the city of Starkville (where the school is located) was important to me. I knew I wanted to introduce students to a unique concept that catered to their active lifestyles and Chicken Salad Chick fit the bill," Hallberg said in the release. "With takeout offerings, a drive-thru and a convenient location, Chicken Salad Chick is the perfect addition to this growing college town."
 
Greater than ever: Toyota has high expectations for next-generation Corolla
When Toyota Mississippi rolled out a "Blueprint"-colored Corolla amid smoke and flashing lights onto a stage Monday, the hundreds of guests and team members gathered to watch cheered heartily. The newest Corolla, the 12th-generation compact car that's the entry level vehicle in the Toyota family, will be on dealership showrooms and lots in a few weeks. The nearly 2,000 team members at the Blue Springs plant have been working feverishly the past few weeks to perfect building a vehicle that essentially has changed 98 percent from the last generation. And, as officials emphasized, the car is "greater than ever." "We can get it done here," Toyota Mississippi President Sean Suggs said. "We can build a highly advanced, highly technical vehicle here in Mississippi that will satisfy the customers. We've done it more than a million times in a town of a population of 400. It's pretty impressive." Gov. Phil Bryant agreed. "It's the team makers that make it happen," he said.
 
Backwater reaches record level; electricity will be interrupted
The Yazoo backwater reached a level of 96.6 feet Sunday, breaking a record set in 1979 and raising concerns about future problems as the water inches up to a projected 97-97.5 feet with water crossing Eagle Lake Shore Road in the Eagle Lake community. According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers River Gauges website, the landside of Steele Bayou control structure is 96.69, and the water, or riverside, is 99.57 feet. The Mississippi River was at 51.02 feet Monday. "It's (the water) going under and over (Eagle Lake Shore Road)," Warren County Emergency Management director John Elfer said. Elfer said Eagle Lake Shore Road has not yet been closed, "But if this water continues to rise, it could have a huge impact on travel. It already has," Elfer said, adding the rising water could cut off Mississippi 465 and Mississippi 1 to vehicles. "That's where we're at," he said. "We're trying to see when and where and just how high this water's going. I think we all know at this point that this water's not going anywhere and until Steele Bayou is opened, this potentially is going to get worse."
 
Bishop in Mississippi: 'deeply sorry' for clergy sex abuse
A Catholic diocese in Mississippi is releasing names of clergy members it says have been credibly accused of sexual abuse. Bishop Joseph Kopacz said the Diocese of Jackson is publishing the list Tuesday on its website. It's part of the international reckoning of clergy abuse allegations that have shaken the Catholic church. The Jackson bishop said in a letter released Monday that he is "truly, deeply sorry" for pain that be caused by the list. "The crime of abuse of any kind is a sin, but the abuse of children and vulnerable adults is especially egregious," Kopacz wrote. "First and foremost, it is a sin against the innocent victims, but also a sin against the Church and our communities. It is a sin that cries out for justice."
 
Mississippi lottery could start selling tickets in late 2019
The new Mississippi Lottery could start selling tickets sometime during the final half of this year, a board member for the Mississippi Lottery Corporation said Monday. Gerard Gibert told The Associated Press that the board in recent weeks has hired the Balch & Bingham law firm, which has offices in Mississippi and other states. He said the board will soon start the process of choosing banking services and hiring a president to run the day-to-day business of the corporation. Gibert said the Mississippi Lottery will have to apply to become part of multistate games that offer big-dollar prizes, including Powerball. He said he hopes the application process can be completed and Mississippi can be accepted by early next year.
 
Is GOP candidate Perry Parker a Mississippi resident? Opponent says no
He does now. Perry Parker said he's always been a Mississippi resident --- though he has frequently lived and voted elsewhere. The candidate for Public Service Commissioner in the state's southern district is facing a residency challenge from a fellow Republican candidate. Parker is a retired businessman who unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. House in 2018. His Republican PSC opponent, Pascagoula Mayor Dane Maxwell, has formally challenged Parker's residency to the state GOP. According to Maxwell's challenge, Parker does not meet the qualifications for elected office because he has not been a Mississippi resident for the past five years. Parker said the state Republican Party will hold a hearing Thursday to resolve the complaint. "It is true I have worked in other states," Parker said. "I've worked around the world."
 
Robert Foster, Bill Waller Jr. to debate at Mississippi State
Republicans at Mississippi State University have invited three of the major candidates from their party to discuss issues in early April on the Starkville campus. That invitation has been accepted by two of the three candidates invited, but the third candidate will not attend. A news release from the College Republicans at Mississippi State University Friday announced plans for a primary debate on Tuesday, April 2, beginning at 6:30 p.m. The debate is to be held at Bettersworth Auditorium inside Lee Hall on the Starkville campus. Group president Adam Sabes said in the release that state Rep. Robert Foster (R-Hernando) and former Mississippi Supreme Court Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr. both had agreed to participate. Sabes added that Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves had declined to participate due to a scheduling conflict, adding the College Republicans had reached out to the Tate campaign on a date that would work with his schedule, but could not come to an agreement on a date. "We understand that Lt. Gov. Reeves has a very busy schedule," Sabes said in the release.
 
Tate Reeves to skip first GOP governor's race debate, drawing criticism from opponents
Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, long considered the frontrunner for the Republican nomination for governor this year, will skip the first gubernatorial debate of the year. The April 2 debate, sponsored by the Mississippi State University College Republicans and Department of Political Science, will instead feature both of Reeves' GOP primary opponents, Rep. Robert Foster and former Supreme Court Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr. "Any debate around the legislative session was never going to work for the lieutenant governor given how much he has to do there," said Parker Briden, spokesman for the Reeves campaign. "We're looking forward to debating the issues in this race and we expect that we will get the chance to do that many times across the state. This one just didn't work." The legislative session -- where the lieutenant governor presides over the Senate -- is scheduled to end April 7, with the day of the debate a scheduled working day for the Legislature. Legislative leaders said last week that they are trying to finish work about two weeks early, with the goal of leaving Jackson sometime during the last week of March.
 
First governor's primary debate announced
Republican gubernatorial hopefuls Robert Foster and Bill Waller Jr. will meet in a debate on April 2, but high-profile candidate Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves won't participate. Mississippi State University College Republicans have announced plans to host a gubernatorial debate on April 2 at MSU, along with the university's political science and public administration department. According to a statement released by MSU College Republicans, Reeves says he cannot join the debate due to scheduling conflicts. Foster is a first-term state representative. DeSoto County is a key Republican stronghold, but Foster is little known statewide. Waller is a former state Supreme Court justice and the son of a former governor, but has never run a statewide campaign. Both candidates will be eager for the media attention a debate will bring. Reeves is an incumbent lieutenant governor who has won multiple statewide races.
 
College Republicans plan GOP gubernatorial debate at MSU
The College Republicans at Mississippi State University have scheduled a Republican primary debate at 6:30 p.m. April 2 in Starkville in conjunction with the MSU Department of Political Science and Public Administration. The debate will be held in Lee Hall's Bettersworth Auditorium on the MSU campus. Gubernatorial candidates Bill Waller Jr, former Chief Justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court, and State Representative Robert Foster have agreed to participate in the debate, according to a news release from the College Repbulicans. Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves declined to participate due to a scheduling conflict, according to the news release. "We want to thank Justice Waller and Representative Foster, as well as their campaigns, for working with us to bring a well-needed discussion of issues and policy to our state," Sabes said in a statement. "We hope that all of the candidates, including Lt. Governor Reeves, will seek to find opportunities to have serious conversations about improving our great state."
 
Elizabeth Warren Tests 2020 Message With Black Voters in U.S. South
U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren was walking down a street in the town of Cleveland in the rural Mississippi Delta on Monday when she stopped to examine a small home's sagging roof. "You can be sure there's a lot of love in these homes. They just can't afford (to fix) it," state Senator Willie Simmons told Warren during the Democratic presidential candidate's three-day campaign swing through Mississippi, Tennessee and Alabama. Affordable housing is a chief concern for the senator from Massachusetts, who recently reintroduced a $500 billion housing plan she says will create millions of housing units and reduce rental costs by 10 percent. But the trip to the deep South, the first extended tour of the region by any of the more than dozen Democrats vying for the party's 2020 White House nomination, also gave Warren an opportunity to try to set herself apart from the crowded and diverse field.
 
Elizabeth Warren backs Congressional plan for reparations study at Jackson town hall event
Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren on Monday embraced a congressional proposal to study a framework for reparations to African-Americans hurt by the legacy of slavery as the best way to begin a "national, full-blown conversation" on the issue. Warren first voiced support for reparations last month, becoming one of three 2020 Democratic candidates to do so. But her comments about a study on reparations, made during a CNN town hall broadcast from Mississippi, mark a keener focus from the Massachusetts senator on her preferred route to tackle the thorny question of how best to deal with systemic racial inequality. The Democratic field's ongoing debate over reparations comes as African-American voters are poised to exert significant influence over the selection of the party's nominee to take on President Donald Trump.
 
Elizabeth Warren: 'White supremacists pose a threat to the United States like any other terrorist group'
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) pledged Monday to combat white supremacy if elected president, saying that white supremacists "pose a threat to the United States like any other terrorist group." An audience member at a CNN town hall in Mississippi noted that hate crimes have increased during President Trump's time in office "and white supremacists have become more emboldened." The audience member then asked Warren what she planned to do "to unite the country." Warren, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for president, responded that it "starts with the fact that we've got to recognize the threat posed by white nationalism." "White supremacists cause a threat to the United States like any other terrorist group, like ISIS, like al Qaeda and leadership starts at the top. And that means you've got to call it out," she said.
 
Elizabeth Warren calls for eliminating the Electoral College
Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Monday called for abolishing the Electoral College as part of an effort to expand voting rights, making her one of the first Democrats running for president in 2020 to propose such a radical shift in how U.S. presidents are elected. In a CNN town hall in Jackson, Mississippi, Warren (D-Mass.) noted that deep red states like Mississippi and deep blue states like California or Massachusetts are rarely campaign stops for presidential candidates during the general election because of an overwhelming focus on swing states with the most Electoral College votes. "We need to make sure that every vote counts. And you know, I want to push that right here in Mississippi. Because I think this is an important point," she said. "My view is that every vote matters. And the way we can make that happen is that we can have national voting and that means get rid of the Electoral College."
 
'It's Probably Over for Us': Record Flooding Pummels Midwest When Farmers Can Least Afford It
Ice chunks the size of small cars ripped through barns and farmhouses. Baby calves were swept into freezing floodwaters, washing up dead along the banks of swollen rivers. Farm fields were now lakes. The record floods that have pummeled the Midwest are inflicting a devastating toll on farmers and ranchers at a moment when they can least afford it, raising fears that this natural disaster will become a breaking point for farms weighed down by falling incomes, rising bankruptcies and the fallout from President Trump's trade policies. Farms filing for Chapter 12 bankruptcy protection rose by 19 percent last year across the Midwest, the highest level in a decade, according to data compiled by the American Farm Bureau. Now, many of those farmers have lost their livestock and livelihoods. Farm experts said it was too early to quantify the full economic toll of the floods, but Steve Wellman, director of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, said the disaster could cost the state's livestock sector $400 million.
 
Former Ole Miss Chancellor Jeff Vitter selected as finalist for U. of South Florida president
Former Ole Miss Chancellor Jeffrey Vitter could be the next president of the University of South Florida following his abrupt resignation from the Lyceum earlier this academic year. Vitter has been selected as one of four finalists to be president of South Florida, according to a press release from the school. The press release indicates that the South Florida Board of Trutees hopes to select a president from the field of four by Friday afternoon. Vitter will interview with the South Florida search committee this Wednesday and other relevant campus groups throughout the week. "At the conclusion of the interviews, the (Board of Trustees) hopes to choose a new president during a meeting that will begin at approximately 3:00 p.m. on Friday, March 22 in Traditions Hall," the press release reads. "The president-elect must then be confirmed by the Florida Board of Governors (BOG), which oversees the 12-member State University System. The confirmation is scheduled for Thursday, March 28 during the BOG meeting in Tallahassee."
 
Jackson State's Margaret Walker Center Taking Submissions for Creative Arts Festival
The Margaret Walker Center at Jackson State University will hold its 13th annual Creative Arts Festival on Friday, April 12, and Saturday, April 13. The center recently announced that it is now accepting proposals for papers, presentations and panels for the festival. Participants must submit their proposals by Friday, March 22. The theme of the conference is "Arts as Activism / Activism as Art." A release from JSU states that the festival's organizers will accept proposals from high school, undergraduate and graduate students on any topic, and that submissions do not have to relate to the theme. Categories for submissions include poetry and spoken word presentations, visual arts in any medium, written essays and performing arts such as dance or music. The proposal for a submission should be between 250 and 500 words. JSU will also consider submissions in the written and poetry categories for publication, and the best essay from a JSU student on the "black experience in the American South," the release says, will receive the $1,000 Margaret Walker Alexander Annual Award.
 
Second Woman to Lead Tougaloo College After First Retires After 17 Years
Tougaloo College's Woodworth Chapel began filling up as Beverly Wade Hogan walked up the stage to take her final seat as president on Monday, March 18. During the event, Tougaloo College Board of Trustees Chairman Wesley F. Prater named Carmen J. Walters as the 14th president of the institution. Walters is the second woman president to serve the historic institution beginning June 30, with Hogan the first. Walters worked for more than 24 years in community-college education. She was executive vice president of enrollment management, student success and institutional relations for the past six years at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in Perkinston. She previously worked for 18 years at Delgado Community College in New Orleans. The new Tougaloo president received a bachelor's in accounting and business administration from Southern (La.) University in 1984, a master's in postsecondary counseling from Xavier College in New Orleans in 1990 and her PhD in community college leadership from Mississippi State University.
 
LSU faculty member was paid over $400K over 3 years without working, according to state audit
A member of the faculty for the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine knowingly accepted over $400,000 in salary and benefits without doing the work over 38 months, Legislative Auditor Daryl Purpera said Monday. Management of the school also failed to take sufficient action to address the lack of work, Purpera said. School leaders did not dispute the gist of the report. "We agree with the finding that the faculty member knowingly failed to perform his duties for LSU for a significant period of time," Joel D. Baines, dean of the School of Veterinary Medicine, said in a written response. The faculty member is not identified in the state review. The comments were part of a 30-page report on LSU and its related campuses. In a statement, LSU spokesman Ernie Ballard said "these actions do not represent our mission and values."
 
Bill to allow alcohol sales at Tennessee's Neyland Stadium gets broad approval from Senate
A bill that could allow alcohol sales at University of Tennessee venues for concerts got overwhelming approval from the state Senate and could be headed to Gov. Bill Lee's desk in days. The Senate passed the bill Monday with a 28-3 vote -- there was no debate. The House is scheduled to consider the bill Thursday. The legislation is aimed at attracting big-ticket concerts to Thompson-Boling Arena and Neyland Stadium. Officials estimate the Knoxville area has lost more than $2 million in economic impact because alcohol wasn't allowed in the facilities. 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 an earlier Senate panel meeting, sponsor Sen. Becky Massey, R-Knoxville, said the UT venues "really cannot compete for the major concerts."
 
U. of Florida hires three neuroscientists for Fixel Institute
The University of Florida has hired three renowned neuroscientists to join UF Health's newly established Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases. The three new researchers will focus on the institute's mission to pursue new therapies to treat some of the most complex neurological diseases. They include: Dr. Malu G. Tansey, a professor of physiology and director of the Center for Neurodysfunction and Inflammation at the Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. Matthew LaVoie, an associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and an associate scientist at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Dr. Stefan Prokop, a neuropathology fellow and research fellow at the Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. The Fixel Institute, set to open this summer, will attempt to advance research, technological innovation and clinical care for Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Lewy body dementia and ALS, as well as dystonia and concussions.
 
Poland representatives place wreath at Bush gravesite during visit to Texas A&M
Representatives from the largest oil refinery in Poland paid tribute to George H.W. Bush on Monday during a visit to Texas A&M University. Three officials from Grupa LOTOS placed a wreath at the gravesite of Bush and former first lady Barbara Bush while visiting with administrators at the Bush School of Government and Public Service. Patryk Demski, Robert Sobkow and Grzegorz Pytel were on campus to establish a pair of scholarships in the former president's name. The scholarships will allow Polish students to study international policy at the Bush School. Jim Mazurkiewicz, a professor at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and president of the Polish American Council of Texas, facilitated the meeting. "They wanted to pay tribute to Bush because he is highly revered. He and [former President Ronald] Reagan both made a major contribution, and certainly they were responsible for bringing a new republic to Poland a second time after the fall of the [Berlin] Wall," Mazurkiewicz said.
 
Title IX legislation finds support from U. of Missouri curator, NAACP chapter
Proposed Title IX legislation is dividing some in the university community, while the St. Louis chapter of the NAACP has called for the bill's passage. University of Missouri System Board of Curators member David Steelman wrote a letter last month -- addressed to the bill's sponsors, state Sen. Gary Romine, R-Farmington, and state Rep. Dean Dohrman, R-LaMonte, and copying some university officials -- proposing changes to the legislation and urging the administration to work with lawmakers. In the letter, Steelman said he agreed "with the sentiment behind SB 259," the Senate version of the Title IX proposal. If the accused party is at risk of suspension or dismissal from the university, Steelman wrote he or she "should have a right to counsel and direct cross-examination of the complaining witness." In these cases, an Administrative Hearing Commission should consider "clear and convincing" as the standard of evidence. He also proposed some ideas, suggesting cases dealing with "less egregious" actions could be handled without a cross-examination option.
 
Here's What the Trump Administration Wants to Change in Higher Ed's Landmark Law
The White House on Monday released its first stand-alone proposal for higher-education reform, urging the U.S. Congress to enact laws affecting accreditation, Pell Grants, and student-loan repayment. The plan repeats themes raised in President Trump's 2020 federal budget proposal and reflects division between Democrats and Republicans over the federal government's role in regulating the forces that shape colleges and the for-profit sector. Trump's budget proposal for 2020, released last week, includes a $7-billion cut in the U.S. Department of Education, a changed student-loan repayment process, and the elimination of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. The White House needs congressional action to enact its proposals.
 
Trump proposes axing National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities
White House budget documents released Monday included troubling, if familiar, proposals for supporters of humanities and the arts. President Trump for the third year called on Congress to wind down the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, the two biggest backers of humanities research on college campuses as well as education programs across the country. While the humanities endowment budget is small compared to other agencies, it has played a major role in supporting research, the growth of the digital humanities and efforts to preserve historic documents. The proposal fits a broader theme in White House budgets to curtail federal support for research more broadly. At the same time, no other research agencies have been targeted for elimination like NEA and NEH, which are relatively small but have significant impact on the work of academics in humanities departments when that support is limited. Congress has ignored previous proposals from the Trump administration, however, and two letters are currently circulating among lawmakers that would call on appropriators to significantly increase the funding for those agencies.
 
Campus collision course: 2020 Democrats battle for the youth vote
The 2020 campaign has arrived on college campuses -- and at a few high schools -- as Democratic presidential candidates scramble to establish relationships with young people, aiming to cultivate volunteers and stoke enthusiasm before school lets out for the summer. Cory Booker personally phones local leaders of the College Democrats in New Hampshire, and his team has started recruiting college and high school volunteers in Iowa. Kamala Harris huddled with the University of South Carolina's student body president during a recent visit to this early primary state, and she lamented student loan debt on a radio station serving South Carolina State University. And Elizabeth Warren's campaign hosted an "organizing brainstorm" at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, last week, and she appeared at a CNN town hall on Monday held at Jackson State University in Mississippi. Democratic White House hopefuls are keenly aware of the power of the youth vote, which played a critical role in powering Bernie Sanders's competitive 2016 bid and Barack Obama's victorious 2008 campaign. Now the 2020 candidates are looking to make early inroads with this important voting bloc in a wide-open race.
 
A political awakening: How Howard University shaped Kamala Harris' identity
The war on drugs had erupted, apartheid was raging, Jesse Jackson would soon make the campus a staging ground for his inaugural presidential bid. Running for student office in 1982 at Howard University -- the school that nurtured Thurgood Marshall, Toni Morrison and Stokely Carmichael -- was no joke. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) has been known to break the ice with voters by proclaiming the freshman-year campaign in which she won a seat on the Liberal Arts Student Council her toughest political race. Those who were at the university with her are not so sure she is kidding. It was at Howard that the senator's political identity began to take shape. Thirty-three years after she graduated in 1986, the university in the nation's capital, one of the country's most prominent historically black institutions, also serves as a touchstone in a campaign in which political opponents have questioned the authenticity of her black identity. "I reference often my days at Howard to help people understand they should not make assumptions about who black people are," Harris said in a recent interview.
 
Templeton Prize Awarded To Marcelo Gleiser, Who Tackles 'Mystery Of Who We Are'
Like much of the known universe -- not to mention all that rests beyond it -- Marcelo Gleiser eludes straightforward classification. He is a theoretical physicist, a cosmologist, an Ivy League professor, an ultramarathon runner, an author, a blogger and book reviewer for NPR, a starry-eyed seeker of truth and a gimlet-eyed realist about just how much (or how little) of it he'll find in his lifetime. Now, on his 60th birthday, he can add a new title to that long list of labels that so valiantly attempt to describe him: Templeton Prize winner. The John Templeton Foundation announced Tuesday that Gleiser has won its prestigious award, given out annually to an individual "who has made an exceptional contribution to affirming life's spiritual dimension, whether through insight, discovery, or practical works." Since its establishment in 1972, the prize has recognized Nobel Peace Prize laureates, spiritual leaders, dissident intellectuals and most recently, the Jordanian king.


SPORTS
 
State earns another No. 1 national seed
Even with the NCAA Tournament field inadvertently leaked by ESPN hours early, hundreds of Mississippi State fans filled the stands at Humphrey Coliseum on Monday night to celebrate their Bulldogs being selected as a No. 1 seed for the second-straight season. The fourth-ranked Bulldogs are the top seed in the Portland Region and will host the opening two rounds in Starkville. MSU will meet 16th-seeded Southern University on Friday at approximately 8:30 p.m. on ESPN2. "This team has excited me all year," said MSU coach Vic Schaefer. "The reason is they possess the potential to be the best ever. Now, they've already done some things that would relate to being the best ever -- an outright (SEC) championship and winning the SEC Tournament championship. But this is about one more."
 
Mississippi State women's basketball earns No. 1 seed in NCAA Tournament
For the second-straight season, the Mississippi State Bulldogs have earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Mississippi State is the top seed in the Portland Region. Before heading out west, the Bulldogs have to take care of business at home in Starkville. Humphrey Coliseum will be the site of this weekend's first and second round games. The Dogs (30-2) begin their journey toward a third-consecutive Final Four appearance against No. 16 seed Southern University, winner of the Southwestern Atlantic Conference Tournament, on Friday at The Hump. If Mississippi State wins, the Bulldogs will play the winner of No. 8 seed South Dakota State (28-5) and No. 9 seed Clemson on Sunday. For much of the last couple months, it seemed likely Mississippi State would only get a No. 2 seed. That changed when Oregon lost in the Pac 12 Championship Game to Stanford. Meanwhile, Mississippi State cruised to an SEC Tournament title, moving off the two-line and into a top spot.
 
Notre Dame, Mississippi State, Louisville and Baylor earn top seeds in NCAA women's tournament
An "unfortunate technical error" by ESPN resulted in the 2019 NCAA women's tournament bracket being shown on air Monday afternoon hours before it was to have been revealed, scuttling watch parties and forcing the network to move up its selection show by two hours. The show, originally scheduled for 7 p.m., instead began on ESPN2 at 5 p.m., at which point the leaked bracket had already been circulating online. ESPN confirmed that the bracket was accurate. Defending champion Notre Dame was awarded one of the top four seeds. The other No. 1 seeds were given to Louisville, Mississippi State and Baylor, which received a No. 1 seed for the third time in four seasons. The Bears' only loss this season came at Stanford. Connecticut was given a No. 2 seed, the first time the Huskies were not given a No. 1 seed since 2006.
 
No. 2 Bulldogs begin midweek with Little Rock
Mississippi State returns to the diamond today fresh off its newly minted No. 2 ranking by D1Baseball.com. The Bulldogs will play the first of five games this week by hosting Little Rock tonight at 6:30 and will travel to Samford on Wednesday at 6 p.m. MSU will wrap-up the week welcoming No. 12 Auburn for a three-game series starting on Friday. Tonight's game features a familiar face in Little Rock coach Chris Curry. Curry was an All-SEC catcher for the Diamond Dogs in 1999 and has his Trojans off to a 6-14 start this season. Little Rock dropped a series at home to Louisiana-Lafayette over the weekend.
 
Peyton Plumlee pitches Bulldogs to success
Photo: Former Lewisburg High School pitcher Peyton Plumlee has a 3-0 record on the mound for the Mississippi State University Bulldogs, winning all three starts he has had this season. Plumlee carried into the week a 3.38 earned run average and has 21 strikeouts, include a nine-strikeout performance in February against Southeastern Louisiana.
 
Elijah MacNamee named SEC Player of the Week
Mississippi State's Elijah MacNamee earned SEC Player of the Week after going 9 for 17 at the plate with two doubles, two home runs, eight RBIs and five runs scored last week. The senior right fielder from Cypress, Texas, is now hitting a team-high .380 on the season with seven doubles, three homers and 22 RBIs and is currently on an 11-game hitting streak. MacNamee is the first Diamond Dog to be named SEC Player of the Week since Brent Rooker did so three times during the 2017 season. JT Ginn has been selected SEC Co-Freshman of the Week twice this year.
 
Mississippi State climbs to No. 2, Rebs slide to 18th
Mississippi State vaulted four spots to No. 2 in D1Baseball.com's top 25 rankings on Monday while Ole Miss plummeted to 18th, down nine spots from a week ago. The Diamond Dogs (18-2) went 3-1 last week and won their SEC opening series at then No. 5 Florida. MSU beat Grambling 18-1 on Wednesday and took the first two games against the Gators 6-5 and 10-5 before losing the finale, 4-2. The Rebels (14-6) posted a 2-3 mark last week and were swept in a midweek series at then No. 7 Louisville, losing 4-3 and 10-8. Ole Miss bounced back to claim a home series with Alabama, winning 1-0 and 12-2 but lost Game 2, 8-6.
 
Ed Orgeron's 2-year contract extension on agenda for LSU Board of Supervisors meeting Wednesday
A contract extension for LSU head football coach Ed Orgeron is on the agenda for the LSU Board of Supervisors meeting Wednesday. The proposed contract would pay Orgeron $4 million a year -- a $500,000 increase -- with $400,000 in added incentives. Orgeron's buyout would increase to $10 million, with the amount decreasing $250,000 each month through March 2021. After March 2021, the buyout would remain $4 million for the rest of the contract. Orgeron's buyout is currently $5.3 million. Passing game coordinator Joe Brady and safeties coach Bill Busch are also slated for new contracts. Orgeron's current contract runs through the end of 2021, which leaves three more football seasons, but having a head coach on contract for less than four years is considered a liability in recruiting. The recruits aren't confident the coach will be there their entire career.
 
More than seven years after the move, the Missourian examines the SEC effect on MU
Mike Slive looked, but he couldn't find the white Southeastern Conference helmet. Slive, then the SEC's commissioner, meant to give the helmet to then-MU chancellor Brady Deaton as a ceremonial token to welcome the Tigers to the SEC. Unable to locate it, Slive asked the crowd to pretend that he was holding it. Then he completed the phantom exchange in front of cameras as white confetti fluttered from the ceiling and MU's band played the school's fight song. Slive's helmet was imaginary, but the welcome was real. Missouri had officially joined the SEC. It was an opportunity created in part by the Big 12's dysfunction and the most dramatic period of conference realignment in the NCAA's history. The SEC was a conference that Deaton said in the statement announcing the move would provide student-athletes with top-flight competition and unparalleled visibility. And the benefits would not stop there. MU's new conference affiliation held ramifications for students, fans and the Columbia economy as a whole. "The Southeastern Conference is a highly successful, stable, premier athletic conference that offers exciting opportunities for the University of Missouri," Deaton said.
 
Which women's team would win the NCAA tournament if academics mattered most?
As the world gears up for the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I men's basketball tournament and relationships are shattered in bloody bracket battles, we at Inside Higher Ed are upholding a now heavily imitated annual tradition. Every March since 2006, we have introduced our annual Academic Performance Tournament to judge who would win the NCAA tournaments -- men's and women's alike -- if classroom, and not on-court, performance was the ruling metric. Check out the men's version here. It works like this: we look at the NCAA's (admittedly flawed) measure of a team's academic prowess called the academic progress rate -- we're using the 2016-17 figures, though it's a multiyear metric. In the event of a tie between two teams, we turn to the NCAA graduation success rate, the association's own determination of the portion of a team's athletes who graduate within six years. The graduation success rates excludes athletes who leave an institution in good academic standing and credits those who transfer in and graduate. Generally, the NCAA's rate is higher than the federal government's, but we use that metric as a last-ditch resort in the case of another tie of the previous two metrics. And now, drum roll, the winner ... is the same as last year's!
 
NCAA Tournament bracket action blows away bets at sportsbooks
Betting on brackets with family and friends will far exceed the amount of money wagered on the NCAA Tournament at sportsbooks, online, with a bookie or with a friend, according to a new survey released Monday by the American Gaming Association. A total of $4.6 billion will be wagered on 149 million brackets by more than 40 million people, according to the national sample of 11,002 adults conducted by Morning Consult. The average person fills out four brackets. Overall, 47 million American adults plan to wager $8.5 billion on the tournament, with one in five adults placing a bet. Nearly 18 million people will wager $3.9 billion through other channels and AGA president and CEO Bill Miller said less than 25 percent of that figure will be bet at legal books. An estimated $305.5 million was wagered at Nevada books on the 2018 NCAA Tournament. That figure more than doubles the Super Bowl LIII betting handle of $145.9 million in February.



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