| Monday, April 8, 2019 |
| International Fiesta at Mississippi State Celebrates Over 100 Countries | |
 | As spring comes in, more festivals are starting to happen. Starkville World Neighbors Association and MSU's Holmes Cultural Diversity Center host the International Fiesta. Walking into the International Fiesta, you are greeted by the unity of countries and the flavorful smells that come with them. Food is the main reason students, vendors, and community members come to this event each spring. It's an opportunity for the community to learn about other cultures. "You know food, language, dress... all that just is fascinating and makes it a great place for us to have our residents participate in be apart of the community," said Mayor of Starkville Lynn Spruill. Each year, the crowd grows larger with those interested in trying new food and learn more about the world. This year marks the 29th year of the International Fiesta at MSU. |
| Theatre MSU ends season with twist on Shakespeare classic | |
 | Theatre MSU will offer a tale of spirits and sorcery during three presentations of William Shakespeare's "The Tempest" April 11-13 at 7:30 p.m. in Mississippi State's McComas Hall main stage theater. General admission tickets for the Thursday, Friday and Saturday night shows are $12 for adults or $7 for students and can be purchased in advance at events.msstate.edu or at the door prior to each performance. Under the direction of Tim Matheny, assistant professor of theatre in MSU's Department of Communication, Theatre MSU will portray Shakespeare's original plot with a new direction. In a setting reminiscent of the 1930s Dust Bowl, the duke Prospero instead will be depicted as the duchess Prospera. "It's been over two decades since Shakespeare has been produced at Theatre MSU," Matheny said. "I am particularly proud that 'The Tempest' has a majority student-lead design team." |
| Webb selected as Orrin H. Swayze Scholar | |
 | Photo: Jimmie Bouchillon Webb (center), a senior at Mississippi State University, has been selected as the 2019 Orrin H. Swayze Scholar by the Mississippi Bankers Association Education Foundation and the Mississippi Young Bankers section of the MBA. Webb was chosen from applicants across Mississippi to receive the $5,000 scholarship, which is given annually to Mississippi's most outstanding banking and finance student. Other Swayze finalists were, from left, Aidan Woods Caesar, University of Mississippi; Alexander Lee Robison, University of Mississippi; Webb; Sabrina Marie Turner, Mississippi State University; and John Paul Haire III, University of Southern Mississippi. |
| Starkville Futbol Jamboree | |
| Over at MSU, the Department of Kinesiology and the university's Access Program teamed up to host a Starkville Futbol Jamboree. The competitors include students with disabilities who have been participating in a physical activity course. Graduate and undergraduate majors, coached and partnered with the students at the Joe Frank Sanderson Center. All ages and skill levels were welcome, and there was a winner in each division. This event was held to promote teamwork, inclusion, and empowerment for those at MSU. "It's more like a festival that invites the community. We have an inclusive soccer event which involves the ACCESS Students, Special Needs students, and all disabled students come together," said Youghan Lee. |
| Arts, music, food: Cotton District Arts Festival set for Saturday | |
| Starkville Area Arts Council's annual Cotton District Arts Festival hits the historic Cotton District on Super Bulldog Saturday, April 13, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. CDAF is an award-winning Starkville classic that allows artisans to compete, showcase and sell their work. With more than 175 artisans competing for entry, admission to this year's festival is more competitive than ever. Several "villages" and "stages" give festival-goers a wide range of opportunities. This year's Juried Arts Exhibit is juried by Kate Cherry, executive director of the Meridian Museum of Art. The exhibit returns to its traditional venue in the MSU Visual Arts Center on University Drive near campus. Once again this year, Mississippi State graphic design students proposed designs for the CDAF poster. The winning poster was designed by Parker Webb from Madison, who graduated in December 2018 from MSU. |
| LED strip lights up University Drive bridge | |
| Hagan Walker can remember walking the bridge along University Drive near downtown many times as a Mississippi State University student. The bridge, until recently, has been one of the darkest spots along the route. Now, thanks to a collaborative effort from Walker and the city, that's changed. A strip of LED lights, about 200 feet long, now lines the side of the bridge. Walker, who is a co-founder of Glo in Starkville, reached out to Mayor Lynn Spruill about the idea, who gave it her blessing and the project moved from there. "I had no idea what she was going to say but I didn't expect she'd embrace it as quickly as she did," he said. "She just told me to run with it." Spruill said the LED light bridge is, in the grand scheme, a small project. However, she said small projects add up and, especially as the city works to enhance the corridor from Main Street to the university, help to create a sense of place. |
| Making do: State parks tackle infrastructure needs as spring approaches | |
 | As the weather warms up, both trees and lawns turn more and more green, and minds turn to spending time in the great outdoors. It's a great time to go out to one of the Mississippi's 25 state parks. They offer camping, fishing, skiing, disc golf and plenty of trails winding their way through the Mississippi countryside. Even though the parks compete with electronic and technological advances for people's attention, visitation numbers have remained steady. Over the last five years, officials say around 1 million people have visited the state parks. They are considered hidden gems, but cutbacks in both funding and staffing have put the parks in a bad situation. Without the money and manpower to handle routine maintenance, buildings and infrastructure are suffering. Head and officials with the state Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks were hopeful that the Legislature this year would reverse a trend that over the last decade has nearly cut the state park budget in half. |
| Revenue estimates are up for the year, but down for the month of March | |
 | Total revenue collections for the month of March FY 2019 are $9,227,380 or 2.22% below the sine die revenue estimate. Fiscal YTD revenue collections through March are $119,916,576 or 3.24% above the sine die estimate. Fiscal YTD total revenue collections through March 2019 are $114,279,933 or 3.08% above the prior year's collections. On March 25, 2019, the Joint Legislative Budget Committee revised the revenue estimate upward by $125.3M. FY 2019 year-to-date actual collections are $92,437,576 above the year-to-date FY 2019 revised revenue estimate. |
| Analysis: Some issues unsolved by lawmakers will be back | |
 | It's hard to hear the sound of the dog that didn't bark. In the same way, it's hard to detect the impact of issues that lawmakers didn't deal with. But as in any session, there were important issues on which the Mississippi Legislature didn't make laws, or even really consider. This, for example, could have been the year for lawmakers to create a state public defender system. Right now, each county decides how to pay lawyers for people accused of crimes who can't afford their own attorneys. Some issues vanished this year because they were politically unpopular and could have threatened lawmakers' chances of re-election. For example, many Republican leaders still dislike the Mississippi Adequate Education Program, the funding formula that determines how money is apportioned among school districts and is supposed to tell lawmakers how much money to put in. |
| Andy Taggart says family tragedy helped fuel his race for attorney general | |
 | Hours before the deadline on March 1 to qualify to run for political office, Andy Taggart sat in his truck in the parking lot of the state Republican Party headquarters for about one hour discussing with his wife of 36 years, Karen, whether he should enter the campaign for attorney general. Taggart, age 61, said he "was comfortable" in his life, practicing law out of his Ridgeland office, duck hunting, riding his motorcycle and traveling with his wife, especially to Houston to see their new granddaughter. By the same token, since 2003 he had thought about running for the office of attorney general and now the tragic death of their son, Brad, who took his own life in 2012 during the midst of a battle with drugs, only fueled his desire to enter the campaign. Sitting at a table in a common area of Banner Hall, a Jackson shopping/restaurant area, Taggart said he wants to make battling drugs, punishing the "predators" and providing help to the "victim," a priority. |
| Andy Taggert's personal tragedy fueling bid for state's next Attorney General | |
| Seven years ago, Andy Taggert and his family suffered a terrible loss when Taggert's youngest son lost his battle with drug addiction and committed suicide. In the years since, it has been a rallying cry for Taggert in his crusade to educate and help drug abusers turn their life around. That crusade is now the cornerstone of Taggert's campaign for Mississippi's attorney general position. On Thursday, he made stops in Tupelo and Oxford, spending time speaking with EAGLE about his campaign. Addiction is prevalent everywhere, but especially in college towns. Ole Miss is finishing construction of the William Magee Center for Wellness Education as part of the new South Campus Recreation Center. The center will help students who are dealing with alcohol and substance abuse. |
| Mississippi Attorney General: Who's running and why | |
 | After November's election, Mississippi will have a new top law enforcement official for the first time in 16 years. Attorney General Jim Hood, first elected in 2003, is running instead for governor this year. Four candidates -- three Republicans and one Democrat -- have stepped up to run for attorney general. Attorneys general do much more than prosecute alleged crimes. Across the nation they have fought both for and against the federal government, gone after big corporations, and shaped policy within their state. |
| GOP candidate says truck burglarized while at party event | |
| A Republican candidate for Mississippi governor says someone broke into his truck and stole campaign files while he was at an event. State Rep. Robert Foster of Hernando, who's seeking the GOP nomination against Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves and former state Supreme Court Justice Bill Waller Jr., says the break-in happened Saturday. Foster says he was attending a College Republican event at the state party's downtown Jackson headquarters and had parked his Chevrolet Silverado on the street near the entrance. He says he emerged to find a window shattered and a laptop computer, computer memory sticks and other items gone. Foster says he reported the break-in to Jackson police. |
| Statewide survey reveals voters' thoughts on policy issues | |
| Mississippians will be going back to the polls in four months for statewide elections. With statewide candidates' campaigns kicking into high gear, there will be more talk of the issues that impact the Magnolia State. The latest Millsaps College/Chism Strategies State of the State Survey reveals some patterns about voters views. Part of the survey that's remained the same is a ranking of priorities by issue. "We've asked now seven consecutive quarters what should be the top priority facing Mississippi's elected officials in Jackson," explained Millsaps political science professor Dr. Nathan Shrader. "And seven straight quarters, the most popular response is fixing roads and bridges." Consistent second and third priorities have been more funding for public schools and accessibility and affordability of healthcare. "A pattern here that I think has emerged, voters pay more attention to politics than we give them credit for at times," Shrader said. "They know more about the issues, and I think sometimes we think that they're not paying attention and that they're aloof from politics." |
| Proposed pump project in Mississippi has bipartisan support | |
| A Democratic congressman who represents the Mississippi Delta reiterated his support Friday for a flood control and drainage project that the Trump administration says it might revive more than a decade after another Republican administration killed it. Rep. Bennie Thompson told The Associated Press that a massive pump project could be part of a long-term plan to help people in the rural flatlands, where floodwaters have been standing for weeks. "I don't want to say the pump is the only solution," Thompson said before meeting with local and state officials who were touring flooded areas. "Even if we had the money for the pumps, it would take about four years to get installed." Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler confirmed Wednesday that his agency is reconsidering a 2008 EPA decision to kill the pump project, which proposes to drain water from the confluence of the Yazoo and Mississippi Rivers in Mississippi. |
| Kirstjen Nielsen out at Homeland Security | |
 | President Trump announced Sunday that Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen will leave her post, ending a rocky run as the top official in charge of implementing the president's hard-line immigration policies. The decision, which Trump announced on Twitter, comes just two days after the president abruptly pulled back his nominee to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement because he said he wants "to go in a tougher direction." The moves signal that Trump is seeking to shake up his team amid frustration over the spike in migrant families crossing the southern border. Trump tweeted that Kevin McAleenan, the commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, will lead the Department of Homeland Security on an acting basis until a permanent replacement for Nielsen is chosen. |
| Road ahead: Barr testifying on DOJ budget, likely to get grilled about Mueller report | |
 | All eyes will be on the House and Senate Appropriations committees this week -- but not necessarily because of President Donald Trump's fiscal 2020 budget blueprint. Attorney General William P. Barr is scheduled to testify Tuesday in the House and Wednesday in the Senate about the Justice Department's budget, but the conversation is sure to turn to his handling of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III's report. Barr has come under criticism over reports that Mueller's findings showed more evidence against the president, particularly regarding possible obstruction of justice, than the attorney general suggested in his four-page letter summarizing the report's key conclusions. Both the Senate and the House are planning somewhat truncated weeks. Senators will not be back voting until Tuesday, and the House will be finishing up legislative business on the floor Wednesday. |
| 'Hand that's feeding the world is getting bit:' Farmers cope with floods, trade war | |
 | The two grain bins on Bruce Biermann's farm near Corning, Missouri, could not withstand the strong currents of the Missouri River. With four feet of water pressing from the outside and grain swelling from moisture inside, the bins burst. At 71, Biermann is looking at more than a $100,000 loss. And he's not "in this boat alone" -- a bit of humor that helps keep him afloat in a very troubling time. Like many farmers in the Missouri River basin, Biermann had been holding on to crops for better prices after years of depressed markets. In his case, 8,200 bushels of soybeans and 12,000 bushels of corn. Farmers were already grappling with the financial strain from low prices, a consequence of President Donald Trump's decision to escalate a trade fight with China and other major trading partners. Then, the flood happened. |
| 'Journey for Two' piano performance free to public Monday at MUW | |
| Mississippi University for Women's Department of Music presents "Journey for Two" Monday, April 8 at 7:30 p.m., in Kossen Auditorium, Poindexter Hall. The concert is free and open to the public. The duo piano recital will feature Julia Mortyakova, associate professor and chair of the Department of Music, and Valentin Bogdan, associate professor of music. "We titled the concert 'Journey for Two' because it literally takes the public on a voyage throughout multiple musical eras and countries, from the U.S. across Europe. There is no doubt that our audiences will be able to relate to these works, the music will speak to them. Whether it's a work they might have heard in the past, or some new music they might have not yet found, they will discover something to love," described Bogdan about the concert. The program will consist of an eclectic mix of works written for the two piano medium, including the famous "Rhapsody in Blue" by George Gershwin, featuring a unique combination of classical music and jazz; the "Concerto for Two Pianos" by Francis Poulenc, a blend of charming French melodies and musical humor; and the virtuosic "Concertstuck" by Cecile Chaminade. |
| Conservative speakers at UM address the Confederate monument, racism on campus | |
 | Charlie Kirk and Candace Owens, the national leaders of the conservative student organization Turning Point USA, spoke against the relocation of the Confederate monument from the Circle to the Confederate cemetery when they visited Ole Miss for an event called Campus Clash. "It deeply troubles me to hear about the statue situation," Owens said. "It deeply bothers me that the idea of a Confederate soldier now is someone who owned slaves when it wasn't the case. It was a rich man's war and a poor man's fight. It's become a perversion of history." While several students in the audience argued for moving the statue, Owens and Kirk said that doing so would hide history and "the soldiers' sacrifice," and they argued that the Civil War was complex and not only about slavery. Sophomore general business major Grant Hemsley said he thinks Turning Point uses rhetoric and generalizations that do not do justice to both sides. |
| Hidden hunger on campus: Ole Miss Food Bank is trying to help | |
| The U.S. Government Accountability Office recently released its first report on hunger on college campuses near the end of last year, revealing the expansive problem of food insecurity among college students across the country. University of Mississippi students are no exception, Shane Ferrero, co-director of the Ole Miss Food Bank, said. The food bank is a student-run organization created to fight hunger in the Ole Miss community, and it serves around 50 people per month. The report suggests far more students need assistance, though. The food bank serves students, faculty and staff, as well as their immediate families, by providing free, non-perishable food for a few hours every day except Saturday. The main concern of those who run the food bank, though, is reaching students in need. "I think that there's a real problem because of the stigmas attached to it," Kate Reinhardt, fundraising and event chair of the Ole Miss Food Bank, said. "We want them to feel like they're welcome here." |
| U. of Alabama students combine computer science, the brain to fly drones | |
 | Logan Elkins was up. Elkins, a freshman at the University of Alabama majoring in computer science, stood several feet away from a drone inside the East Campus Storm Shelter on Thursday morning as he put a plastic headband across his forehead. With his hands in his pockets, Elkins stared at the lifeless piece of plastic. After a few seconds, the drone's four propellers began to spin, slowly lifting it above the ground with the power of Elkins' mind. "You just need to focus and get as many of those brain signals going," Elkins said. "It doesn't really matter how they go as long as they do go, or else they do nothing." And what makes Elkins' brain work? "I just do the factorials in my head," he laughed. |
| Parking, partnership on Auburn trustees' agenda this week | |
 | The Auburn University board of trustees is expected to address student parking, and a partnership with Southern Union State Community College during its meeting Friday. Phase one of the campus parking expansion includes adding 300 paved surface parking spaces at the West Campus Parking Lot for resident students and 300 gravel surface parking spaces at the Hayfield Parking Lots for commuter students. Additional lighting and landscaping in these areas also are part of the project, according to a memorandum from Dan King, associate vice president for facilities. "The Campus Parking Expansion Phase I: West Campus and Hayfield Surface Parking Lots Project is part of the multi-year, multi-project plan to increase parking on campus to meet the demand of faculty, staff, students and visitors," the memo reads. The first phase of the project is up for a final approval vote and bears a $3.50 million price tag, which will be paid for with a combination of parking fees and University General Fund money. |
| UGA producing products, wants more startups | |
 | The University of Georgia topped its so-called "comparator peers" in the number of new products, about 48 per year, based on UGA research that reached the marketplace in recent years. UGA actually was No. 1 in the nation among all universities in 2017 with 52 products, according to Derek Eberhart, UGA associate vice president for research and executive director of the university's Innovation Gateway. Innovation Gateway is the office responsible for commercializing UGA research discoveries. Comparator peers are universities designated by the University System of Georgia as similar enough to UGA to provide valid comparisons. UGA also ranks high in licensing income, Eberhart told members of the University of Georgia Research Foundation board of directors on Thursday. UGA averaged about $7.6 million from licensing UGA scientists' discoveries and inventions during the years 2015 to 2017, according to the Association of University Technology Managers, placing UGA at No. 2 among its comparators in 2017 and No. 12 in the nation overall. |
| FBI unlocks defendant's cellphone in fatal LSU hazing case | |
 | A cellphone seized from a former LSU student accused in the 2017 hazing death of fraternity pledge Max Gruver has finally been unlocked after months of unsuccessful attempts, East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore III said Friday. An attorney for Matthew Naquin, the ex-student charged with negligent homicide, called the development a "big blow" to privacy rights. "Everyone needs to know that no matter what Apple or Samsung or anyone says, the Government can get into your phone," John McLindon, who represents Naquin, said in an email response to a request for comment. Moore said the FBI Crime Lab in Quantico, Virginia, unlocked the passcode-protected phone belonging to Naquin, who has refused to turn over the code to prosecutors. Naquin, 21, of Fair Oaks Ranch, Texas, is scheduled to stand trial July 8 in the September 2017 alcohol-related death of Gruver, 18, of Roswell, Georgia. |
| After U. of South Carolina student's death, patrons may not be heeding warnings, but ride shares are | |
 | Five Points patrons piled out of Harden Street bars to a waiting line of Ubers and Lyfts, stumbling after a raucous Thursday night at the entertainment district popular with University of South Carolina students. Whether Five Points patrons have changed their approach to ride shares after the death of Samantha Josephson is a mixed bag. Josephson was a USC student whom police say was killed after getting in the car with a man she thought was her Uber driver. Three students walked in front of Bird Dog around 1:10 a.m. Friday, around the exact time just a week earlier when Josephson was kidnapped. One of them motioned to the sidewalk in front of the bar. "It was right here?" he asked his friends. This was the spot where surveillance footage showed Josephson's last moments in Five Points. When Josephson is brought up, the mood shifts. But otherwise, it looks like a regular Thursday night. Yet one group that seems to have responded immediately is the drivers themselves. |
| U. of Missouri System sets up task force to look at journal costs | |
 | University of Missouri System President Mun Choi on Friday formed a system-wide task force to examine the rising costs of journal subscriptions and review open-access opportunities. The chairwoman of the Open Access Publishing Task Force is Ann Campion Riley, vice provost for libraries at MU. Task force members include faculty from each campus. The UM System spends more than $5 million a year on journal subscriptions and the costs have risen substantially, Choi said in the news release. "As a former researcher, I know how important it is for our scholars and students to have access to this information," Choi said in the news release. "However, we believe we have significant resources in our four universities and transformations in the publishing industry provide us an opportunity to revisit how we have been accessing these journals for decades." |
| High enrollment could require additional housing at U. of Missouri | |
 | An uptick in freshman enrollment could require more campus housing, according to a measure presented Thursday to a University of Missouri System Board of Curators committee. The Finance Committee approved recommending the measure to allow for leased property to be used as additional housing for MU. MU spokesperson Christian Basi said enrollment looked "extremely strong" for fall 2019 and that the numbers would be well over 5,000. The committee also will recommend going ahead with a five-year capital plan that includes a projected $84 million in new construction and $21 million in renovations at MU next year. Also approved was a proposal to dedicate $30 million to a replacement building at MU's Sinclair School of Nursing that would have more hands-on classrooms. Basi said this could expand the number of students in the school and give them more "experiential" learning. |
| Colleges recruiting 2020 presidential candidates as commencement speakers | |
 | In December, Senator Elizabeth Warren, the Massachusetts Democrat who at the time had not yet declared she would run for president, spoke at the winter commencement of Morgan State University, a historically black institution in Baltimore. She touched on familiar themes for a progressive lawmaker: Wall Street greed and the need to dismantle systemic racism. But her words swerved into the political realm even further, taking a swipe at President Trump, whom she said "kisses up to autocrats and undermines voting and basic democratic institutions." For Warren, Morgan State was an ideal setting to talk and be seen. She's not the only presidential candidate with that view. Administrators who court politicians for commencements said they simply do not censor their speeches or police them to make sure they don't veer into political territory -- they rely on them to be appropriate for the venue. And in many cases, the colleges are the first to contact these candidates because they believe that hearing from (potentially) the next president of the United States, or another office holder, will only benefit students -- even if it comes with pushback on occasions. |
| High school counselors brief admissions leaders on what potential students want | |
| Remember how at one point it was kind of cool when a guide on a college tour walked backward? That day is gone, said four counselors last week at a session at the annual meeting of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers. The problem is that everyone does it, so it doesn't stand out to any student (or parent) anymore, at least after visiting a second college with such guides. The counselors were gathered to provide insights into what high school students (in this case from California high schools with high college-going rates) want when they are interacting with college admissions officers. The counselors acknowledged that students are fickle. "Our business is designed around the predictability of 18-year-olds," said Jeff Morrow of Oaks Christian School, who added that 18-year-olds are anything but predictable. But that said, they shared what they are hearing about student reactions. While students are over being impressed by guides walking backward, they pay a lot of attention to the guides themselves, and college officials were urged to pay close attention to the quality of tours. |
| Digital Distraction Is a Problem Far Beyond the Classroom. But Professors Can Still Help. | |
 | Digital distraction is a major source of frustration for professors. They're split, however, on whether to do anything about it. Some believe the onus is on students to change their habits, while others see an overreliance on lecturing as at least part of the problem. Those are among the findings of a new paper, co-written by Abraham E. Flanigan, a postdoctoral research associate in Ohio University's school of communication, set to be presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association on Sunday. In a different study, also scheduled to be presented at AERA, Flanigan and a co-author quantify the scope of the problem. Students in their sample at a large public university reported spending about a quarter of a typical class period in their least-favorite course using their devices for off-task purposes. But the problem didn't stop there. Students were digitally distracted in their favorite course for 12 percent of the class period. That finding, Flanigan said, was a sobering one. |
| MIT and Harvard fail to get out of video captioning court case | |
| Two high-profile civil rights lawsuits filed by the National Association of the Deaf against Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are set to continue after requests to dismiss the cases were recently denied for the second time. The two universities were accused by the NAD in 2015 of failing to make their massive open online courses, guest lectures and other video content accessible to people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Some of the videos, many of which were hosted on the universities' YouTube channels, did have captions -- but the NAD complained that these captions were sometimes so bad that the content was still inaccessible. This is not the first time a university has faced legal consequences for failing to adequately caption videos. The University of California, Berkeley, decided to remove thousands of educational videos from public view in 2017 after the U.S. Justice Department ordered the university to provide captions. The decision drew criticism from disability rights advocates but highlighted the financial and administrative burden placed on universities by web-accessibility requirements. |
| Incoming College Students Are Re-creating Facebook on Instagram | |
| By the time many college freshmen arrive on campus this fall, they'll have already met their roommate, their core friends, and many of their classmates on Instagram. They're connecting through class accounts, Instagram pages set up by one or several incoming members of a college's freshman class to help everyone meet before the school year officially starts. These accounts have names such as @penn2023_and @AUclassof2023, and they typically feature user-submitted photos and paragraph-long biographies of incoming students, often including their intended major, whether they're looking for a roommate, and their personal Instagram handle. Account administrators also act as unofficial liaisons between the incoming class and the school, using Instagram Stories to post announcements, answer questions about transportation and orientation dates, troubleshoot problems before anyone arrives on campus, and promote school spirit. |
| Can lesser knowns keep favored candidates from saving us? | |
| Syndicated columnist Bill Crawford of Meridian writes: First a correction. Last week I wrote there are 13 candidates for governor; instead there are 14. I left out Constitution Party candidate Bob Hickingbottom. My apologies. The Associated Press labeled most of these as "lesser known candidates." While it is unlikely a lesser known candidate will win a party nomination, this is Mississippi where lesser knowns surprise us. Remember Thomas Carey? Carey was the Hernando retired realtor and volunteer prison minister at Parchman who put his name on the 2014 primary ballot as a Republican candidate for U.S. Senator. This lesser known candidate got only 4,854 votes out of 319,000, but his presence forced a runoff between Thad Cochran and Chris McDaniel, to McDaniel's dismay. Could that happen again? Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves is the favorite, retired Supreme Court Chief Justice Bill Waller, Jr., is the challenger, and Hernando state Rep. Robert Foster is the lesser known candidate. |
| Lieutenant governor's power derives from senators; lawmaker says chamber must take back its authority | |
| Bobby Harrison writes for Mississippi Today: Minutes before the 2019 legislative session recently ended, Sen. Hob Bryan, D-Amory, went to the presiding officer's podium in the Senate chamber to whisper to Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves that he wanted to take a point of personal privilege. Speaking to the full chamber, Reeves told Bryan he was going to recognize him but warned that the reason for taking a point of personal privilege is narrowly defined in the Senate rules. It essentially is reserved for members who believe they had been personally attacked in their official capacity or the rights, integrity or dignity of the chamber had been brought into question. The implication was clear that Reeves would cut him off if he veered from that narrow focus. Bryan used the point of personal privilege to urge his fellow senators, both Democrats and Republicans, to regain control of the Senate chamber. He said the 52 senators had essentially ceded all of their authority to the presiding officer -- the lieutenant governor. |
| Governor's testimony spotlights blue economy | |
| U.S. Senator Roger Wicker writes: Mississippians have inherited, harvested, and benefited from our oceans. That is why our state is a leader when it comes to the Blue Economy -- the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods and jobs, and ocean ecosystem health. Late last month, Gov. Phil Bryant joined the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, which I chair, and provided testimony at the committee hearing, "Our Blue Economy: Successes and Opportunities." ... Conservation and economic development also require better data collection. Our oceans are woefully under observed. CENOTE encourages the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association to improve its data collection efforts through the use of Unmanned Maritime Systems. ... As the hearing with Governor Bryant made clear, continuing our progress on the Blue Economy is one of my top priorities. |
SPORTS
| No. 8 Mississippi State takes series at Tennessee | |
| The No. 8 Mississippi State baseball program saw its bullpen shoulder the load in the series finale at Tennessee, as the Bulldogs got eight innings of work out of three relievers to earn a 7-5 victory over the Vols on Sunday to claim the Southeastern Conference series at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. Tennessee (23-10, 4-8 SEC) took a 2-0 lead in the first inning against MSU (27-6, 7-5 SEC) freshman starting pitcher JT Ginn, before each team scored one run in the third. State scored two in the fourth to tie the game, before it plated one in the fifth and two in the sixth to grab a 6-3 lead. Tennessee plated two runs in the sixth inning, but MSU added one in the eighth to cap the scoring at 7-5. The State bullpen tossed eight innings in the series-clinching win, with redshirt junior Keegan James (3-1) picking up the win and senior Jared Liebelt collecting his third save of the year. |
| Bulldog bats come to life in Mississippi State's SEC series win over Tennessee | |
| It was a nightmarish start for Mississippi State against Tennessee on Sunday. Freshman sensation J.T. Ginn, MSU's usual Saturday starter, took to the mound in Knoxville for the rubber match between the No. 8 Bulldogs and unranked Volunteers. Ginn was a late scratch Saturday due to soreness. Tennessee took that game 2-1, putting extra pressure on Mississippi State to win Sunday. Despite an unusual start from Ginn, who clearly did not look like himself, Mississippi State gutted out a 7-5 victory as the Bulldogs avoided a second-straight SEC series loss. The Dogs improved their overall record to 27-6 and their SEC record to 7-5. The Bulldogs host South Alabama on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. before welcoming Alabama (22-11, 4-8 SEC) to Dudy Noble Field for a three-game series during Super Bulldog Weekend. The series starts Friday at 6:30 p.m. "We think we have a chance to set the (attendance) record at The New Dude," Lemonis said. |
| Jake Mangum becomes Mississippi State baseball's all-time leading hitter | |
| A Mississippi State baseball record that has stood for over a decade stands no more. MSU senior center fielder Jake Mangum is now the program's all-time leading hitter. Mangum has 337 hits and counting in his career. On Friday against Tennessee, he passed former Bulldog second baseman Jeffrey Rea, who had 335 hits from 2004-07. "It's really hard for me to believe," Mangum told Steve Robertson of GenesPage.com after the game. Mangum said he went to Starkville as an eighth grader to attend a baseball camp. Rea was the one front-tossing to him in the batting cage. Mangum switched from the left to the right side of the plate in the middle of the session. "Oh, we got a switch hitter, man!" Rea said. "Keep doing that and you could be something special one day!" |
| Jake Mangum breaks Mississippi State's hits record in victory over Vols | |
| After collecting just one run over the first seven innings, the No. 8 Mississippi State baseball program got a single run in the eighth to knot the and tallied four runs in the 11th inning to claim a 6-3 series-opening victory over Tennessee at Lindsey Nelson Field on Friday evening. The Diamond Dogs (26-5, 6-4 SEC) got a single run in the first inning, before the Volunteers (22-9, 3-7 SEC) tallied two in the bottom of the first. State got a run in the eighth on a bases loaded walk to senior Elijah MacNamee, before the Maroon and White tallied four runs in the top of the 11th inning. Senior Jake Mangum posted his fourth-straight multi-hit game and moved his name atop the Mississippi State all-time hits chart, passing Jeffrey Rea (335; 2004-07) with his third hit of the game. His four-hit game moved his total to 337 hits and jump him into the top five in Southeastern Conference history, passing Taylor Dugas (334; 2009-12) of Alabama and Rea to push his name into the No. 4 spot on the conference's all-time ledger. |
| Dawgs defense rises in scrimmage | |
| It's all coming together. For a defense that lost as many key components as Mississippi State did this offseason, head coach Joe Moorhead and his staff were tasked with quite the rebuild. But in Saturday's scrimmage at the Leo Seal Jr. Football Complex, the unit was staunch and sturdy. "We taking over!" shouted junior cornerback Cameron Dantzler after breaking up a pass in the corner of the end zone during goal line defense simulations. While the offense focused primarily on the passing game throughout the session, the defensive line was stout. Running backs senior Nick Gibson and juniors Kylin Hill and Alec Murphy combined for 36 yards on nine carries -- 15 of which came from a Murphy touchdown run. In the secondary, senior Brian Cole flashed his versatility as a blitzer. The one-time Michigan man finished the day with a sack, two tackles for a loss, and two quarterback hurries. |
| Bulldogs hold second situational spring scrimmage | |
| Mississippi State's second scrimmage of the spring was more situational than an actual game-like simulation. The numbers the Bulldogs have at particular positions this spring have caused the coaches to get creative in some instances. Despite some of the limitations, however, coach Joe Moorhead "felt like we took another positive step" on Saturday. "Obviously we're still limited in certain positions because of injuries and depth so we kind of crafted the scrimmage today to best utilize our time and our resources," Moorhead said. "The one's went more of a thud protocol like we did last week and we got a lot out of that. Then we allowed the two's and three's to go live but it was base calls on offense and base calls on defense." |
| Where Mississippi State stands entering final week of spring practices | |
| Mississippi State held its second 'scrimmage' of the spring football season on Saturday morning, but a casual observer probably would not have labeled it as such. Sure, there were official referees and down and distance markers. And the Bulldogs did line up 11-on-11 for much of the morning, but the focus was way more broad than just going at each other possession after possession. Head coach Joe Moorhead said it's still too early to have game-like scrimmages at this point in the year. Instead of allowing traditional drives to dictate the flow of the session, Moorhead made sure each unit -- from the starters to the third-teamers -- had equal opportunities to get repetitions in different scenarios, from being backed up on the one-yard line to in-goal situations. |
| Mississippi State's Cameron Dantzler stacking up as one of best in nation | |
| If you ask Mississippi State cornerbacks coach Terrell Buckley where redshirt junior Cameron Dantzler stands nationally, he won't mince words. "Based on now, with everything he's doing, I would say he's the best corner in the country," Buckley said. The statement is undoubtedly bold, but if anyone has standing in the argument it's Buckley. After a three-year career at Florida State, he left Tallahassee with school records in interceptions and interception return yards. In 1991 -- his final year at FSU -- Buckley was a consensus All-American and won the Jim Thorpe Award honoring the country's top defensive back. He finished seventh in the Heisman Trophy voting that year and will be a part of the College Football Hall of Fame's 2019 class. Buckley also has the coaching experience to back up his claim. Before coming to Starkville in 2016, he spent five years at FSU and another two years at Louisville with a two-year stop at Akron sandwiched in between. |
| Redshirt year rewarding for Mississippi State's Jett Johnson | |
| The two tackles Jett Johnson made at Mississippi State last season were a far cry from the 421 stops he accumulated during a storied prep career at Tupelo High School. However, the experience Johnson gained in his games against Stephen F. Austin and Louisiana Tech during his redshirt year will prove invaluable towards his future success with the Bulldogs. "It was surreal to get my feet wet and play in front of a bunch of people," Johnson said. "It helped a lot. I'm glad and thankful for the redshirt rule because it helps you get your feet wet and get a little game experience." In high school, Johnson was the first defensive player ever to be named Mr. Football for Class 6A and was a two-time Daily Journal defensive player of the year. He tallied 147 tackles (90 solo), 15 tackles for loss and one sack during his senior season, but spent most of his first year at college adapting to the expanded playbook. |
| Sisters Mia and Montana Davidson are having a high-five time with Mississippi State | |
| Mississippi State sophomore softball sisters Mia and Montana Davidson start each game the same way. First is a high-five at chest level. Another with the opposite hands follows. The last stage of their pregame hand dance entails folding four fingers downward toward their palm. With their thumbs pointing outward, each girl's pinkies touch to create a silhouetted bull -- an ode to their hometown of Hillsborough, North Carolina, which sits roughly 15 miles from Durham and its Triple-A baseball team, the Durham Bulls. "We just take it back to home," Mia said. "You've got to remember where you come from." Nearly 700 miles from Hillsborough, Mia and Montana have helped anchor the Mississippi State softball team to what should be its third straight NCAA Tournament appearance. And while the distance from home is vast, the family, both literal and figurative, they've found in Starkville has provided comfort. |
| Lessons learned at Delta State should pay dividends for Jeremy McClain at Southern Miss | |
| Mississippi sports columnist Rick Cleveland writes: The late, especially great Boo Ferriss was the man who introduced me to Jeremy McClain, just hired Thursday as athletic director at Southern Miss. McClain was an All American pitcher for Delta State and getting batters out as few have before or since. This was in the late '90s, long after Ferriss had retired from coaching and become DSU's No. 1 fan. "You need to see this Jeremy McClain pitch," Ferriss told me. "He doesn't overpower you. He moves the ball around, in and out, up and down. Changes speeds. Little of this, little of that. Throws strikes. He pitches smart. Got a lot of Greg Maddux in him." McClain laughed Friday morning when I repeated Ferriss' description of him. Said McClain, "Well, if you don't have any talent you have to figure out something." McClain figured out a lot. |
| Tommy Tuberville running for U.S. Senate | |
 | Former Auburn University head football coach Tommy Tuberville is running for the U.S. Senate. Tuberville made the announcement on Twitter Saturday. Tuberville will seek the Republican nomination for the seat held by Sen. Doug Jones, who is running for reelection. "After more than a year of listening to Alabama's citizens, I have heard your concerns and hopes for a better tomorrow. I am humbled to announce the next step -- I will be a GOP candidate for US Senate," Tuberville tweeted. Tuberville becomes the second Republican to announce his candidacy. U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne, R-Fairhope, is also running. Tuberville, an Arkansas native, was Auburn's head coach from 1999-2008. He also served as head coach at Ole Miss, Texas Tech and Cincinnati. Tuberville considered a run for governor in 2017 and started a campaign fundraising committee, but decided not to run. |
| U. of Arkansas basketball lands new coach; Nevada's Eric Musselman signs $12.5M deal | |
| Eric Musselman was 23 years old when he got his first head coaching job with the Rapid City, S.D., Thrillers of the Continental Basketball Association during the 1989-90 season. Thirty years later -- and with lots of stops in between, from West Palm Beach, Fla., to Sacramento, Calif. -- Musselman is the new coach of the University of Arkansas Razorbacks. Musselman, 54, will be introduced at a 3 p.m. news conference today in Walton Arena after Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek announced his hiring Sunday. Over the previous four seasons, Musselman coached the University of Nevada in Reno to a 110-34 record. The Arkansas job will be Musselman's second college head coaching position, but he has extensive experience in the professional ranks, including a combined three seasons as an NBA head coach with Golden State and Sacramento. His father, Bill Musselman, was a longtime NBA and college coach. |
| Rick Barnes: Tennessee basketball coach reportedly a candidate for UCLA job | |
 | Rick Barnes netted his second national coach of the year award on Sunday. And later Sunday, the fourth-year Vols coach was reported as a "serious candidate" for the UCLA job, according to 247Sports' Evan Daniels. The LA Times' Ben Bolch reported that Barnes has interviewed for the UCLA job and is "considered the frontrunner." Bolch added that Barnes "would definitely accept" the UCLA job if formally offered the gig. Barnes, who was named the Naismith coach of the year Sunday, led Tennessee to the second 31-win season in program history in 2018-19. He also won the USBWA coach of the year award after another successful season in Knoxville, where Barnes has rebuilt the Vols program. The 64-year-old Barnes signed a contract extension in September 2018 that carries through the 2023-24 season. The deal paid Barnes $3.25 million in 2018-19, putting him No. 14 nationally in salary and No. 2 in the SEC behind Kentucky's John Calipari, according to the USA TODAY coaches' database. |
| An analysis of nearly 4 million pitches shows just how many mistakes umpires make | |
| Baseball is back, and fans can anticipate another season of amazing catches, overpowering pitching, tape-measure home runs -- and, yes, controversial calls that lead to blow-ups between umpires and players. Home plate umpires are at the heart of baseball; every single pitch can require a judgment call. Yet ask any fan or player, and they'll tell you that many of these calls are incorrect -- errors that can affect strategy, statistics and even game outcomes. Just how many mistakes are made? Comprehensive umpire performance statistics are not readily known, tracked or made available. Major League Baseball doesn't seem interested in sharing the historical data. Could it be because the numbers aren't flattering? Luckily, every MLB pitch is tracked and made available -- numbers then have to be accessed, downloaded, sorted and evaluated. This takes time and computing power. In a new study with support from a team of Boston University graduate students, we closely analyzed how many balls get called strikes and vice versa. While the human element of the game certainly adds color, our results show that it comes at a high cost: far too many mistakes. |
| Masters atmosphere keeps everyone on best behavior | |
| Practice rounds for the Masters start Monday in Augusta with the tournament getting underway on Thursday. Augusta National has rules, just like most private clubs, and its members expect them to be followed. Unlike other clubs, however, Augusta doesn't just host a major. It runs the major. The heritage created by co-founders Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts and built up over eight decades has created an aura that permeates everything and everybody. Fans are on their best behavior. For the most part, so are the players. There is a respect for the tradition, sure, but there is an atmosphere at Augusta that starts with how it expects the fans to behave. No running. No screaming. No phones for talking, texting, tweeting. It's rare to see fans in blue jeans, even though that's not part of any dress code. And it carries over to the players. |
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