| Thursday, March 28, 2019 |
| Beekeeping continues to gain hobbyists in Mississippi | |
 | The number of people in Mississippi taking up beekeeping as a hobby is growing, and commercial-scale production is holding steady -- for now. "Resident beekeepers in Mississippi are holding their own, despite facing several short- and long-term challenges," said Jeff Harris, bee specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. "What is sobering is that we're struggling to recruit young people into the industry. If that keeps up, there will be no one to replace our current producers when they retire." While it is considered a small commodity, honey maintains a strong interest among consumers, some of whom become hobbyists. Harris estimates around 900 enthusiasts fall under this category in Mississippi. |
| Metro's 'Stand right, walk left' is all wrong, professor says | |
 | It's that time of the year when tourists flock to the nation's capital so that Washingtonians can inform them -- courteously, kindly, patiently, forbearingly -- to "Stand right, walk left" on Metro escalators. So with spring and cherry blossoms in the air, perhaps it's time to renew the perennial question about whether that etiquette actually makes sense. Lesley Strawderman, a professor of industrial and systems engineering at Mississippi State University, says it does not. In an article, she says people who walk on escalators slow things down. Strawderman said her stand-only proposal has received mixed reactions, too. "Some people are excited to learn there's some science to explain how to get more people on the escalator and get more people through the transportation system," she said. "But there are others who think the idea of everyone standing on the escalator is lazy and slow, and they would rather everybody walk." |
| Amy Moe recognized for her work at Mississippi State | |
 | Amy Moe, a 1994 graduate of Cook County High School, is now a professor at Mississippi State University. She not only teaches but oversees the Dunn-Seiler Geology Museum. She recently received the University's Arts and Sciences Teaching Excellence Award. WTIP Community Radio caught up with Amy between classes to learn more about her work. |
| MSU-Meridian to host screening of 'Suicide: The Ripple Effect' | |
 | "Suicide: The Ripple Effect" tells the story of Kevin Hines, a man suffering from bipolar disorder, who at 19 tried to take his own life. The free screening of the documentary will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Kahlmus Auditorium on the MSU-Meridian College Park campus. "It chronicles how he eventually ends up on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and attempts death by suicide but lives," says Dr. Rod Wilson, an assistant professor of psychology at MSU-Meridian. "And [it's also about] ultimately the pain that he suffered but then this incredible story of hope that is told throughout and is connecting pain and hope." A panel discussion with mental health professionals will follow the movie where people can learn more and also ask any questions they may have. |
| Chicken Salad Chick opens newest location in Starkville | |
| Chicken Salad Chick has opened another store in Northeast Mississippi. The nation's only southern inspired, fast casual chicken salad restaurant concept opened in Starkville. It is located at 602 Highway 12, and features a variety of dining options including a drive-thru, takeout and catering. It is the seventh location in Mississippi. The Starkville restaurant is owned and operated by first-time Chicken Salad Chick franchisee Eric Hallberg of HP Restaurant LLC. Said Hallberg, "As an alumnus of Mississippi State University, opening a restaurant in the city of Starkville 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. With takeout offerings, a drive-thru and a convenient location, Chicken Salad Chick is the perfect addition to this growing college town. I'm proud to be joining Chicken Salad Chick's family of franchisees and look forward to serving the residents of Starkville for years to come." |
| Dangerous bridges: Mississippi orders more county bridges closed | |
 | State transportation leaders say they will close at least 34 dangerous county bridges across the state to protect motorists and prevent the loss of hundreds of millions of federal dollars. Mississippi Department of Transportation Director Melinda McGrath said Wednesday that local counties had failed to close the bridges, or keep them closed, after federal and state officials deemed them unsafe. The bridges should have been shut months ago, McGrath said. In some instances, county officials said they made repairs to bridges and reopened them, but never received approval from state inspectors to do so. In other situations, the bridges were closed but residents moved the barricades and continued to use them. "Imminent failure will occur," McGrath said at a Wednesday news conference. "This isn't something that is just based off, 'The bridge looks old.' These bridges have been inspected by professional bridge inspection teams, and deemed they are dangerous to the public." |
| Top Mississippi lawmakers agree on $1,500 teacher raise | |
 | Leaders in the Mississippi Legislature answered the biggest question of their election-year session Wednesday night, agreeing to give public school teachers a $1,500-a-year raise beginning July 1. House and Senate negotiators filed a conference report late Wednesday to Senate Bill 2770 agreeing to the raise, ending days of negotiations that hit bumps over Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves' effort to also push more money into a program to subsidize private school tuition for special education students. The raise is higher than the pair of $500 increases over two years that Republican leaders had initially proposed, but less than the pair of $2,000 raises over two years that Democrats and teacher groups were still pushing for on Wednesday. |
| State bond bill won't cover full cost of amphitheater in Columbus | |
 | When the Mississippi Legislature completes its estimated $400-million bond package this week, there will be money provided for construction of the Sen. Terry Brown Amphitheater on The Island. That's the good news. Rep. Jeff Smith of Columbus -- chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee which crafts the bond package -- said Tuesday the bill would provide anywhere from $500,000 to $750,000 for the facility. That's the bad news. "For Phase 2, we needed $2.5 million, so this just moves the ball further," said Kevin Stafford, the city's engineer. "After that, the city would have to piece together the balance. I haven't been told by anyone what happens from here." The funding issue comes at a bad time for the city, which faces a $338,000 operating fund debt by the end of the fiscal year, based on projections. Given that grim prognosis, issuing bonds to cover remaining cost for completing the facility could be a non-starter. |
| How a college student exposed racial gerrymandering, prompted a lawsuit and forced Mississippi to redraw a voting district | |
| Late one night in May 2017, John Chappell, then a sophomore at the University of Mississippi, pulled out his laptop to research a hypothesis. Chappell, an Albuquerque native, had just finished reading several books on voting rights and found a map of the legislative districts in his adopted home state. One district in particular stood out to him: Senate District 22, a section of the state zigzagging 120 miles southward from the Delta fields to the affluent Jackson suburbs. He began writing down the individual voting precincts in the district and noting their racial demographics. He looked at similar demographics of precincts in neighboring districts. When he read the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which required states like Mississippi with a history of race-based voting discrimination to get approval to change voting laws, he knew he was onto something. |
| Wicker Leads Hearing on 'Blue Economy' | |
 | U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today chaired a hearing to discuss the "Blue Economy," which is the sustainable use of our nation's ocean resources for economic development and growth. Wicker invited Governor Phil Bryant to share Mississippi's recent successes in the Blue Economy with the committee. "The impact of the oceans on our economy is everywhere," Wicker said in his opening statement. "In Mississippi, we move 25 million tons of goods through the Port of Gulfport every year, and those goods end up throughout our nation and the world. A hurricane that hits the Gulf Coast can have a crippling effect on energy prices, delayed freight, and economic damage throughout the country." In the last Congress, Wicker led efforts to improve the use of our nation's ocean resources, including the Modern Fish Act and the Commercial Engagement Through Ocean Technology Act (CENOTE), both of which were signed into law. The laws improve data collection in our oceans and make federal policies towards fishing more responsive to the needs of recreational fishermen. |
| Why Pedestrian Deaths Are At A 30-Year High | |
 | Across the U.S., 6,227 pedestrians died in traffic accidents in 2018, the highest number in nearly 30 years. The findings from a Governors Highway Safety Association report show that many of these deaths occurred in big cities like Houston and Miami. The signs are all over most cities -- stretches of road without crosswalks and people needing to walk on roads built for rush-hour traffic. But the real increase, experts say, comes from larger trends: drivers and pedestrians distracted by their phones and a growth of larger vehicles on the road. Achilleas Kourtellis, assistant program director at the University of South Florida's Center for Urban Transportation Research, said another approach to the problem is dealing with bad driving. "No matter what you put out either on the road or in the car, you still have people involved," he said. "We know that the human is the cause of most crashes -- actually 94 percent of most crashes -- meaning there is room for improvement in behavior." |
| New EMCC President Is On A Mission To Continue Moving The College Forward | |
 | The New Year brought in a new leader to East Mississippi Community College. Dr. Scott Alsobrooks is the school's newest president and is a community college graduate himself. He expressed that it's a personal goal for him to not only continue moving the college forward, but to also help lead students along the right path. However, while he's eager to take on the position, the new president acknowledges there are a few challenges ahead, including a decline in student enrollment. Along with lower student enrollment, Alsobrooks said the school is facing a lack of state funding, which is causing his administration to make budget cuts and layoff some workers. However, despite the hurdles that lie ahead, the EMCC president said he's optimistic that the college will overcome each one of them and continue to grow. |
| Hinds CC Vicksburg-Warren campus programs on display in expo | |
| Rodtresse Vaughn is in the 11th grade and already drawing up quite the plan for what he'll pursue after high school. "I'm studying animation simulation here," said Vaughn, among about 500 students from Vicksburg, Warren Central, Porters Chapel and St. Aloysius high schools in attendance for the College Carnival recruiting event March 22 at Hinds Community College Vicksburg-Warren Campus. Vaughn was among several high school students at the event who is dually enrolled in college credit courses at Hinds, giving him a leg up on earning his college credentials on the way to building a career. "I've always loved drawing cartoons." Held each spring, the event gives prospective students a chance to find out about admissions, majors, financial aid, registration and more from faculty and staff during the come-and-go event. |
| Pearl River Community College opens The Wildcat Wishes Food Pantry | |
 | A new food pantry for students in need will soon open its doors at Pearl River Community College's Forrest County Center. "The Wildcat Wishes Food Pantry" will open two days a week during the first and third weeks of the month from 2 to 4 p.m. All that is needed to access the pantry is a current PRCC ID. "I just noticed some students that needed assistance in certain areas with food and things and I just thought it was a need here on this campus," said administrative assistant Cabrini Smith. "I know how hard it was to come to school. I had four kids. You're trying to get an education, take care of your kids, and so it's a struggle. So, this is something that can really help to take one less thing off their plate to worry about if they need food." Students will be allowed five items per visit twice per month. |
| U. of Kentucky debate team brings home national championship | |
 | For University of Kentucky fans who are nervously awaiting the next round of the NCAA basketball championships, no need to worry. UK already has a national championship in the bag. On Monday, the UK debate team of Dan Bannister and Anthony Trufanov were named the 2019 National Debate Tournament champions. Although UK is consistently in the top national rankings for debate, the team hasn't won the actual championship since a UK student named Ouita Michel brought home the trophy with teammate David Brownell in 1986. "I'm so excited, so proud of them," said Michel, who's better known today as the owner of a local restaurant empire that includes Holly Hill Inn, Honeywood and Windy Corner Market. She and her former coach and business partner, Roger Solt, followed the online results with bated breath Monday night. "People have no idea. UK is the most successful public university debate team in the country." In a statement, Coach Dave Arnett said UK defeated teams from Cornell, Berkeley, and University of Michigan on their way to first place. |
| U. of Missouri journalism professor wins SEC award | |
 | Shelly Rodgers, a professor of strategic communication in the School of Journalism and a former winner of the William T. Kemper Fellowship for Teaching Excellence is this year's Southeastern Conference Faculty Achievement Award winner at the University of Missouri. The award makes Rodgers eligible for the SEC Professor of the Year award, who will be named in April. Rodgers, who has received more than $30 million in grants to support her work, researches ways to use technology and information to improve people's health behavior, according to a biography provided by the SEC. She is ranked as the 17th most productive advertising scholar in the country. Rodgers joined the MU faculty in 2003. The achievement awards are given annually to full professors at each of the 14 SEC schools. Each award winner must have a strong teaching and research that is widely recognized. The award comes with a $5,000 honorarium. |
| What Is the Future of Town-Gown Relations? These Researchers Think They Know | |
 | Many colleges have boards and initiatives that focus on town-gown relations and research -- say, a public-service graduation requirement or a commitment to purchase and hire from neighborhoods around the campus. But few community members actually play roles in leading or shaping those projects, according to a new report analyzing 100 urban college and university partnerships with their cities. That needs to change, argues the "Field Guide for Urban University-Community Partnerships," published on Wednesday by the University of Virginia's Thriving Cities Lab. "Despite progress on other fronts, questions of sustaining true community partnership built upon equity, inclusion, and even, in some cases, reparations remain pressing at most institutions and within most communities," the report says. "It takes more than rhetorical commitments, no matter how well-intended or passionately made." |
| Foster, Waller have something to prove in debate | |
| The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal's Caleb Bedillion writes: He likely won't be in the room, but the presence of Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves will be felt all the same. Next week, Robert Foster and Bill Waller are scheduled to meet in the first gubernatorial debate of the year. Foster, a state representative, and Waller, a former state Supreme Court justice, are each hoping to win the Republican nomination, but face strong headwinds. Reeves remains by far the most well-known, well-funded and battle-tested candidate in the three-way race. The debate will take place at Mississippi State University, with the College Republicans and the political science department hosting. Reeves has declined to attend, citing his duties as head of the state Senate, which is not officially scheduled to gavel out until April 7. |
SPORTS
| No. 2 Bulldogs renew rivalry with LSU | |
| Mississippi State's rivalry with LSU on the diamond dates back decades. Although the Bulldogs hold a 30-game lead in the all-time series, it has been the Tigers who have held the momentum of late winning 12 of the last 13 regular-season series. Second-ranked MSU renews its rivalry with No. 17 LSU tonight at 6 on ESPNU. Friday's game will also be at 6 p.m., on the SEC Network, and the series concludes Saturday at 2 p.m. "LSU is a really, really talented team," said MSU shortstop Jordan Westburg. "They've got some talented arms, some big arms and they've had our number the past couple of years so it'll be a dog fight this weekend." MSU (23-3) is 4-2 in the league after winning its first two SEC series against top 25 opponents Florida and Auburn. |
| Out with arm soreness, two LSU freshman pitchers didn't travel to Mississippi State | |
 | As they manage arm soreness, freshman pitchers Landon Marceaux and Chase Costello didn't make the trip to Mississippi State. Though they were unavailable to throw, both players travelled last weekend to Georgia. But when LSU opens a three-game series Thursday night against the No. 4 Bulldogs, Marceaux and Costello will be in Baton Rouge. "They're not even making the trip," coach Paul Mainieri said. Marceaux began the season as LSU's Saturday starter. Mainieri moved him out of the weekend rotation after he collapsed at Texas. He last pitched a week ago against Nicholls, giving up two runs over two innings. |
| Inside LSU baseball's lengthy players-only meeting before crucial series at Mississippi State | |
 | Paul Mainieri had nothing to say to his LSU baseball team. Not after being shut out 2-0 by McNeese State, not after seeing this talented group lack any fight for a second-straight midweek game. But the players, they had something to say. After Mainieri left them alone in right field, they went around one-by-one, the leaders of the team speaking to the huddled group for nearly 20 minutes. There was Josh Smith and Antoine Duplantis and Clay Moffitt and Zack Hess, the guys who've been around LSU baseball and got it, that understood this couldn't keep happening. Moffitt could be seen punching himself in the head, and the 6-foot-6 Hess was hovering above all, letting his teammates hear the frustrations of a season slowly getting away from the Tigers. The consensus of the meeting was clear: There comes a point when you can't just brush off a loss as part of a long baseball season. There comes a point when there's an underlying issue. |
| Meridian native Deke Adams now coaching DL for Mississippi State | |
 | For the first time in nearly a decade, Queen City native Deke Adams will again occupy a spot on the sideline in his home state this fall. Mississippi State University hired Adams as its defensive line coach in January, giving the Bulldogs a defensive mind with more than 20 years worth of coaching experience, and bringing Adams back to the state in a coaching capacity for the first time since 2011, when he departed the University of Southern Mississippi for the University of North Carolina. "It's really great -- it is," Adams said of his return. "I had the opportunity to be in the state about almost 10 years ago back at my alma mater, and that was really good, and I moved up from there. To have the opportunity to come back and be here at Mississippi State with this staff, and to get back and see a lot of familiar faces in the state, I mean it's really a great feeling." Adams graduated from Meridian High School in 1990 before heading to Southern Mississippi, where he excelled as a linebacker and in the classroom as a four-time dean's list selection. |
| Not satisfied: How Mississippi State's Montez Sweat keeps improving ahead of NFL Draft | |
| Montez Sweat barreled around tackling dummies and shifted his way through obstacles at the Palmeiro Center on Mississippi State's campus Wednesday morning. He grunted each time he dug his cleats into the turf. The NFL Scouting Combine concluded a month ago, and Sweat staggered professional football personnel there with his stout showing. He set the combine record for fastest 40-yard dash time by a defensive lineman: 4.41 seconds. Sweat surged up NFL Draft boards across the country with his record-setting performance in Indianapolis. Some analysts think Sweat could hear his name called in the top-five when NFL commissioner Roger Goodell steps to the podium in Nashville on April 25. Mel Kiper Jr., ESPN's draft expert, has Sweat going No. 8 overall to the Detroit Lions. Sweat could've decided to take it easy after the combine. He's a surefire first-round pick at this point, and giving scouts more glimpses at MSU's Pro Day could have done more harm than good. Scouts from all 32 NFL teams were in attendance Wednesday, watching his every move. |
| Erroll Thompson evolving into leader for Dawgs | |
| For the Mississippi State football team, Tuesday's open practice session was technical. Running backs ran through bags, linebackers practiced pursuit and quarterbacks threw skeleton routes. Yet even with the rather nondescript session, there was plenty of barking and bantering among the linebacking corps. New defensive run game coordinator and linebackers coach Chris Marve was noticeably vocal. He quickly filled each momentary silence with new commands or instructions for his position group. Of those looking on, junior linebacker Erroll Thompson listened intently. "I've just been trying to focus on being more of a leader," Thompson said. "I always took that from (former MSU player) Dez Harris and I'm just trying to come out every day and make my teammates better and myself." Despite having been on the job for a little less than a month, Marve has been thoroughly impressed with Thompson during his short time in Starkville. |
| Banner Day: The W achieves NCAA D-III provisional status | |
| The coveted letter from the National Collegiate Athletic Association arrived one day in February. It was early and it was good news. On Tuesday morning inside the W room at the Mississippi University for Women's student union, athletics director Jason Trufant delivered the official news that this campus has really awaited since an F3 tornado ripped apart its gymnasium and athletics program in November 2002. The W has been accepted as a provisional member into NCAA Division III, beginning with the 2019-20 school year. "It truly is humbling and honoring," Trufant said, proudly delivering the news at a podium strategically situated between two blue NCAA D-III logos placed on easels. "We feel we are perfectly aligned." A provisional status means that a school enters a four-year period in which it transitions to full membership in the NCAA. "We'll do it in three," Trufant said. |
| Aaron Pelch named Athletic Director at Millsaps College | |
 | Aaron Pelch, interim athletic director and head football coach at Millsaps College, has been formally named as athletic director. Pelch assumed the role of interim athletic director in December 2018. He will continue to serve as head football coach. Pelch joined Millsaps as head football coach prior to the 2010 season. Under his guidance, the Majors swept both the offensive and defensive player of the year awards during the first two seasons of the Southern Athletic Association. Pelch himself was named SAA Coach of the Year in both 2012 and 2013 as he guided the Majors to a pair of conference championships. He had previously served as an assistant coach at Millsaps from 2006-08, and as an assistant special teams coach with the Oakland Raiders during the 2009 season. |
| 'I unreservedly apologize,' ESPN's Keith Olbermann tweets to turkey hunter | |
| Just before 7 p.m. Wednesday, ESPN broadcaster Keith Olbermann, who started a social media firestorm Tuesday when he attacked a Mississippi turkey hunter for killing a rare white gobbler, tweeted an apology to the young man. "I am an opponent of trophy hunting and remain so, but nobody should feel threatened. This was anything but my intent, so I unreservedly apologize to Mr. Waltman for this tweet," Olbermann wrote. The tweet Olbermann, a former MSNBC political commentator, originally sent was taken down by Twitter. The tweet attacked 22-year-old Kiln hunter, Hunter Waltman, as well as Clarion Ledger outdoors writer Brian Broom. Broom was not mentioned in Olbermann's apology. In reaction to Olbermann's attack, Waltman told Broom Wednesday he received verbal attacks as a result of Olbermann's tweet. While no one directly threatened him, some said they hope harm comes his way. |
| Alabama hires Nate Oats as men's basketball coach | |
 | Alabama has named Nate Oats as its next men's basketball coach. The school announced the hiring in a news release on Wednesday afternoon. Oats arrives at Alabama after spending the last four seasons as head coach at Buffalo, where he made the NCAA tournament three times. The Bulls advanced to the round of 32 in both the 2018 and 2019 tournaments. "We are thrilled to welcome Nate and Crystal Oats and their three daughters to The University of Alabama," said athletics director Greg Byrne in the release. Oats, who is 44 years old, had been an assistant at Buffalo for two years before being named head coach. He was head coach at Romulus High School in Michigan for more than a decade before that. "Coach Oats has an impressive background," said University of Alabama President Dr. Stuart Bell. "He is exactly what we were looking for in this search. I'm excited about the future of Alabama basketball, and I know our fans are as well." |
| Holly Warlick out as Lady Vols coach after seven seasons coaching Tennessee basketball | |
 | Holly Warlick is out as Tennessee's women's basketball coach. Athletic director Phillip Fulmer announced the coaching change on Wednesday, four days after Warlick completed her seventh season as the Lady Vols' coach. "Holly and I met this afternoon, and I informed her of the decision to change leadership within the program," Fulmer said in a news release. "Holly has dedicated most of her adult life to the University of Tennessee and the Lady Vols program. She loves Tennessee, and Tennessee needs to always love her back. She was front and center as this program developed into the model for women's intercollegiate excellence. While it certainly stings to make this decision, I am charged with doing what I believe is best for this storied program. It's important to all of us that Lady Vols basketball maintains its status among the elite." Warlick, a Knoxville native and former Lady Vols All-America guard, is entrenched in the history of the program she departs. |
| AAC, ESPN deal gives Memphis Tigers reported $5 million more per year | |
| The AAC and ESPN officially reached agreement on a 12-year media rights extension beginning in 2020-21 on Wednesday, according to a news release. Financial terms of the contract through 2031-32 were not disclosed, however, a report by Sports Business Daily last week states the conference will receive $1 billion. The AAC is in the sixth year of a seven-year, $126-million media rights deal that it agreed to with ESPN when the league was founded ahead of the 2013-14 school year. The new deal will reportedly increase the per-school average annual payout to around $6.94 million, up from about $2 million currently. The University of Memphis athletic department generated more than $55.4 million in revenue during fiscal year 2018, according to documents submitted to the NCAA. Wednesday's announcement states that as a result of the new contract the AAC will have "a stronger and more extensive presence on ESPN's primary TV networks -- ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU." |
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