| Wednesday, May 22, 2019 |
| Giant tiger sharks eat backyard birds, surprising study reveals | |
 | Tiger sharks are among the most imposing predators of tropical seas. Reaching lengths of 15 feet or more, the beastly fish also have voracious appetites, devouring everything from sea turtles to rubber tires. Now, new research suggests that baby tiger sharks have an even weirder item on their menu: common backyard birds. Study leader Marcus Drymon stumbled upon the discovery in 2010, when he caught a small tiger shark as part of an ongoing research project in the Gulf of Mexico. "We brought it onto the boat to get ready to measure it, weigh it, tag it, and release it, and it barfed up this big [mass] of feathers," says Drymon, a marine fisheries researcher at Mississippi State University. "Being a scientist, of course, I scooped them all up and took them back to the lab to analyze." After that initial discovery, Drymon and colleagues decided to investigate tiger shark diets as part of their project. |
| Why So Many Sharks Have Bird Feathers in Their Bellies | |
| Marcus Drymon wasn't expecting a baby shark to barf up a ball of feathers onto his boat. The shark's presence wasn't the weird bit: Drymon and his team of fisheries ecologists regularly assess fish populations along the coasts of Mississippi and Alabama, and every year, they'll catch, weigh, tag, and release thousands of sharks. In 2010, they were doing just that for the meter-long tiger shark when it coughed up the feathers. "Being an ecologist, I scooped them up and took them back to the lab," Drymon says. He passed the feathers to Kevin Feldheim, a molecular biologist at the Field Museum, who analyzed the DNA within them to work out what species they belonged to. The answer: a brown thrasher, a thrush-like songbird that lives in forests. What on Earth was it doing in the belly of an oceanic apex predator? |
| Baby tiger sharks eat songbirds like sparrows, doves, study finds | |
 | Baby tiger sharks aren't only eating seafood -- they're also chowing down on songbirds, scientists have found. In a paper published Tuesday in the journal Ecology, scientists revealed that even though tiger sharks are known for a wide variety of cuisine including fish, sea snakes and sea turtles, juvenile tiger sharks also somewhat regularly eat typical "backyard" birds such as sparrows, woodpeckers and doves. "Tiger sharks will see an easy meal and snatch it up, but I was surprised to learn that the sharks were eating songbirds -- I assumed that they'd be seabirds," Kevin Feldheim, a researcher at Chicago's Field Museum and a co-author of the study, said. To conduct the study from 2010 to 2018, lead author Marcus Drymon of Mississippi State University and his colleagues caught the 3-foot sharks, pumped their stomachs and analyzed the contents. The sharks were released unharmed after their stomachs were pumped, according to the release. |
| County continues seeking easements for Blackjack Road project | |
 | Oktibbeha County is moving along in discussions with several property owners to acquire needed easements to begin a road improvement project along Blackjack Road. Supervisors discussed the matter in executive session for about a half-hour at Monday's evening meeting. The discussion involved Chris Latimer, who regularly serves as the city of Starkville's board of aldermen attorney. The county enlisted Latimer to help board of supervisors' attorney Rob Roberson in obtaining the easements earlier this year. While the supervisors took no action upon returning to open session, Roberson told The Dispatch after Monday's meeting the board asked Latimer to continue discussions with owners of three apartment complexes owners who have not yet granted the county easements so the work on the road project can begin. |
| Area YTD sales tax collections up across Golden Triangle | |
| Starkville's sales tax collections were up for the month, continuing a trend of growth that's held since Fiscal Year 2019 began in October. The city received $651,691 for March's sales tax collections, compared to $623,938 for March 2018. The current fiscal year's sales tax collections, so far, represent a 5.13 percent increase over last year's collections. Mayor Lynn Spruill said the city budgeted for 2-percent growth in its sales taxes for the current fiscal year. Starkville's revenue from its 2-percent restaurant and hotel/motel sales tax is also up, both for the month and year-over-year, according to figures released with its sales tax numbers. Spruill said it's hard to know what's driving the increases -- the Department of Revenue doesn't give cities detailed reports about where the sales tax collections come from. However, she said she thinks it is partly due to the work the city has done through the years to establish events that draw people to town, in conjunction with continued success in Mississippi State's women's basketball and baseball programs. |
| Termite swarming season arrives on the Coast | |
 | It can be a shocking site this time of year to see termites by the thousands swarming. Although they're not native to South Mississippi, professionals told WLOX the Formosan termites are now expanding their territory further north and growing in numbers on the Coast. Mississippi State entomology specialist Dr. Blake Layton is on the Coast this week studying the pesky unwanted guests. "In the past, I have walked through a big swarm, and they are a nuisance just crawling in your clothes and in your hair," said Layton. The peak of the Formosan termite swarming season is happening a little later than normal. Redd Pest Solutions operations manager Ken Davis said people usually expect them around Mother's Day, but cooler nights in recent weeks kept them at bay until now when the temperatures have started to warm up. |
| 'Perfect storm' highlights need to prepare workforce now and for the future | |
 | Even though Jay Moon is president and CEO of the Mississippi Manufacturers Association, workforce issues go beyond manufacturing, he said. Finding, training and keeping qualified workers in all fields and industries is the greatest challenge of today -- and tomorrow. "There are a lot of issues that affect workforce availability, including globalization and technology, not only across the nation but certainly the state and this region," Moon said. "When we talk about the workforce, we have to talk about what's going on in the work place. Manufacturing may be ground zero for technology and innovation, but it also impacts retail and the services industry. So when we talk about our communities and how vibrant they are, their GDP and how that makes it go in the community, there are a lot of challenges we face." Moon was one of the speakers Tuesday at the CREATE Foundation's annual "State of the Region" meeting, whose theme was "Expanding our Workforce." |
| Mississippi Forestry Commission names new Director of Information and Outreach | |
 | Effective May 16, Jason Scott has joined the Mississippi Forestry Commission as the new Director of Information and Outreach. "Jason's 10 years of experience in public relations makes him a strong addition to the Mississippi Forestry Commission's communication efforts," said Russell Bozeman, State Forester. Scott is a 2004 graduate of Mississippi State University with a bachelor's degree in communication. Formerly the public information manager for the Mississippi Department of Transportation, Scott's career includes work with the Mississippi State University Foundation and the Mississippi State University Extension Service. Originally from Raymond, he and his wife AliceClaire reside in Jackson with their three-year-old twin sons. |
| 'Lives are at stake': Judge to rule soon on Mississippi's controversial six-week abortion ban | |
| "Doesn't it boil down to six is less than 15?" That was the question U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves asked during a hearing this morning on Mississippi's controversial six-week abortion ban, which the Legislature passed and Gov. Phil Bryant signed in March. The measure bans abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, which often occurs as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. Abortion-rights groups sued to block the law from taking effect, but the roots of Tuesday's hearing in Jackson go back to last fall when Reeves, an Obama appointee, permanently blocked the state's 15-week abortion ban passed during the 2018 legislative session. At that time he called it one of the most restrictive bans in the nation. During the proceedings Reeves asked multiple questions of both sides, but his main conclusion was simple. "I can't see how a six week limitation on a woman's right to decide...how that survives in the face of the court that already struck (down) a 15 week ban," Reeves said. Reeves did not rule from the bench but told both parties he was aware of the law's July 1 start date and that he expects to rule soon. |
| One day, two very different rallies. Here's what Mississippians are saying about the abortion ban | |
 | Abortion rights took center stage in Mississippi on Tuesday. In the morning, a federal judge heard arguments about the state's fetal heartbeat abortion ban, set to go into effect July 1. In the afternoon, pro-choice supporters held a rally for abortion rights at the State Capitol, while anti-abortion advocates held a news conference in Byram backing Republican Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves' gubernatorial run. Mississippi wasn't alone in rallying over abortion issues Tuesday. Events around the country -- including one outside the U.S. Supreme Court -- protested a series of laws passed by states in recent months meant to severely restrict abortion access. Many are similar to Mississippi's new law, designed to halt abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, or about six weeks into pregnancy. |
| Jim Hood, a self-styled pro-life Democrat, draws rebuke from the right and the left on abortion | |
| Jim Hood is in a tough spot. On one hand, the four-term attorney general is running for governor this year in a conservative Deep South state as a Democrat. He's a member of a national party which has fought against conservatives in recent years to uphold a woman's right to choose whether to have abortion. At the same time, he needs moderate conservative votes in November to stand any chance of winning. On the other hand, he's personally pro-life and is currently defending Mississippi's "heartbeat bill," one of the nation's strictest abortion bans, in federal court through his role as the state's attorney general. Oral arguments in that case were heard by U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves on Tuesday. As his attorneys mount and implement a defense of the state law in court, anything Hood says publicly about the issue while the federal case is pending could jeopardize the state's case. |
| Speaker: Mississippi lawmaker should resign if he punched his wife | |
| House Speaker Philip Gunn on Tuesday said he wants a state representative accused of domestic violence to resign if allegations are true that he punched his wife in the face for not undressing quickly enough when he wanted to have sex. The state Republican Party echoed Gunn's sentiment, saying he should "resign immediately" if the allegations are true. Gunn in a statement called the alleged actions of Rep. Doug McLeod, R-Lucedale, "unacceptable." McLeod was arrested Saturday at his home. A George County Sheriff's Department investigative report obtained by the Sun Herald says McLeod, 58, was visibly drunk when deputies arrived and had assaulted his wife. George County Sheriff Keith Harvard told the paper the investigation is still open. |
| Speaker Philip Gunn calls on Doug McLeod to resign if domestic abuse allegations true | |
| State Rep. Doug McLeod, R-Lucedale, facing charges of misdemeanor domestic violence in connection with an alleged incident involving his wife, has been asked to resign by House Speaker Philip Gunn. "I have attempted to contact Rep. McLeod to request his resignation, if in fact, these allegations are true," Gunn said. "These actions are unacceptable for anyone." The details of the arrest, reported by the Biloxi Sun Herald, say McLeod punched his wife in the face, bloodying her nose, after he thought she was undressing for sex too slowly. Deputies with the George County Sheriff's Department who arrived at McLeod's home report the lawmaker was visibly drunk, slurring his words and unable to stand without leaning on a guardrail. |
| Experts speak about consolidation at public forum Tuesday | |
 | Some 200 people turned out Tuesday night at the Natchez Convention Center for a forum on options for consolidation of governmental services. The forum was the second installment of a series of two public forums on efficiency in government conducted by the Stennis Institute of Government at Mississippi State University. Tuesday's forum featured David Parrish and Joe Fratesi, and Assistant Research Professor Joseph "Dallas" Breen, Ph.D. of the Stennis Institute. Harry Hayes and Ted Baggett, both experts from the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia, both joined the Stennis Institute Tuesday to discuss consolidation of public services between cities and counties. "We were addressed by the city and the community and asked to provide experts on consolidation of services," Breen said. "Obviously, the state of Mississippi doesn't have any because there are no set procedures for consolidation of services and consolidation of governments in the state, so we reached out to a group of like-minded organizations." |
| Doctor Shortages Leave Some Rural Americans Without Access To Health Care | |
 | There's a changing of the guard going on in the health care industry, and its effects may be most apparent in rural America. As baby boomer doctors retire, independent family practices are closing, especially in small towns. Only 1% of doctors in their final year of medical school say they want to live in communities under 10,000; only 2% were wanted to live in towns of 25,000 or fewer. Taking over a small-town practice is too expensive, or in some cases, too time-consuming for younger, millennial physicians. And a lot of the newly minted doctors out of medical training are opting to work at hospitals, rather than opening their own practices. Christopher Wong, 36, is one of just two family practice obstetricians at Ogallala Community Hospital. Wong first got interested in rural health care during med school, doing volunteer work in rural Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina. Still, working full time in a small town in rural Nebraska has been an adjustment. |
| With Dissent: James Thomas granted tenure at U. of Mississippi | |
| James Thomas, the University of Mississippi associate professor who became the subject of national scrutiny following an October 2018 tweet, was granted tenure by the IHL board last week -- with dissent. "With dissent" is important to note for Thomas; his recently changed email signature even includes it, following his title. It's a nod toward the "dangerous" precedent Thomas believes was set by the IHL last Thursday, when the committee singled his name out from a list of 76 tenure approvals and spent at least part of a two-hour closed session discussing him. Thomas first drew national attention when Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC's Morning Joe, took to Twitter to encourage Americans to vote instead of confronting their elected officials in public places. "Around this time cable news was showing multiple instances of people confronting their elected officials in public places," Thomas said. "I responded (to Scarborough's tweet) that people should absolutely confront their elected officials in public, especially when those officials are enabling injustice." The actual text of the tweet read in a way that many deemed combative. |
| Ole Miss professor, student explore forensics of 3D-printed guns | |
| In the summer of 2016, Transportation Security Administration screeners at Reno-Tahoe International Airport in Nevada confiscated an oddity: a 3D-printed handgun in a man's carry-on baggage. The plastic gun was inoperable but accompanied by five .22-caliber bullets. The passenger said he had forgotten about the gun and willingly left it at the airport and boarded his flight without being arrested. The TSA later said the plastic gun was believed to be the first of its kind seized at a U.S. airport. Proponents of the firearms -- 3D-printed with polymers from digital files -- maintain that sharing blueprints and printing the guns are protected activities under the First and Second Amendments. Opponents argue the guns are concerning because they are undetectable and also untraceable since they have no serial numbers. Tackling some of those forensic unknowns are a University of Mississippi chemistry professor and a graduate student. Their research is developing analytical methods to explore how the firearms might be traced. |
| What's happening at Millsaps? Declining enrollment forces cuts, frustrating alumni and students | |
| When Millsaps College recently announced it would slash three majors and downsize others, many in and around the small Jackson liberal arts school were stunned. Students plastered signs around campus questioning the decision. Alumni voiced their displeasure on social media. "By cutting programs, it affirms this idea that we've been hearing about, that Millsaps is failing, that Millsaps is not doing enough to stay afloat," said Lauren Ladner, a music major, one of the programs eliminated. "That's really depressing." The announcement came in a May 3 letter from college President Rob Pearigen. It has since prompted questions over whether Millsaps is facing normal financial turbulence -- as many other liberal arts colleges have in recent years -- or if the consolidation is a sign of deeper money problems at the private Methodist campus founded in 1890. Pearigen cited low enrollment as a central reason for the moves, as Millsaps deals with increased competition for students from public universities. Current enrollment is 850 students, down from a high of 1,200 in the 1990s. |
| Meridian High School student makes history on auto exams | |
 | If there's one Meridian High School senior excited about graduating Friday morning, it's Sam McDonald. He's the first student at Ross Collins Career and Technical Center to pass all 10 tests to become an auto mechanic. "I have always been interested in cars, but I never got to understand them until I took this class," McDonald said. The tests weren't easy, and McDonald kept a busy schedule playing on the MHS soccer team and working a job after school. But he made time to study when he could. After graduation, McDonald plans to attend Meridian Community College, then transfer to Mississippi State University to study mechanical engineering. Down the road, he hopes to work for a major auto manufacturing company. |
| Porters Chapel Academy valedictorian sets sights on Mississippi State | |
| Achieving the title of valedictorian is no easy feat. Constant dedication and focus are required to even get halfway to the top, which means absolute dedication is necessary reach the top of the list. As the city of Vicksburg hosts graduation ceremonies, the valedictorians of each high school admit that although the title is an honor, it also took a lot of hard work. At Porters Chapel Academy, Hannah Ashley earned the title of 2019 valedictorian after attending the school for only two years. "It's a relief to be named valedictorian, because I was competing with another student and we were really close," Ashley said. "It was just a big relief to know that I'd gotten it, and I'm ecstatic." During her senior year at PCA, Ashley made the decision to attend Mississippi State University, where she plans to major in business administration. |
| Former LSU DKE fraternity members' graduation might impact the school's punishments | |
 | Two members of LSU's now-closed Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity who were arrested earlier this year on hazing counts graduated this month from the university, despite criminal cases that remain unresolved, potentially making irrelevant any disciplinary action the university could take against them. Charles "Chase" Brakenridge II and Alexander Rozas both graduated this spring. The two were booked earlier this year on identical counts of principal to criminal hazing and representative duty to report criminal hazing, and East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore III said Tuesday that he is still screening the criminal cases against them. When LSU students are arrested, they generally go through a disciplinary hearing process led by LSU's Office of Student Advocacy and Accountability. Those investigations can result in a variety of outcomes, from warning letters to expulsion. But LSU did not punish Brakenridge or Rozas in a way that prevented them from graduating. |
| Tuition, fee rises sought in UA System; combined increase of 2.8% proposed at Fayetteville | |
| Tuition and mandatory fees in the upcoming academic year are proposed to increase by less than $300 for students with a typical workload attending colleges and universities in the University of Arkansas System. The University of Arkansas board of trustees is to meet beginning today in Little Rock and review all proposed tuition and fee changes. Tuition and mandatory fees in the upcoming academic year are proposed to increase by less than $300 for students with a typical workload attending colleges and universities in the University of Arkansas System. Trustees also will approve rates set for student housing. This fall, UA-Fayetteville is set to open its new Stadium Drive residence halls, built using cross-laminated timber construction at a cost greater than that of more typical building methods, UA-Fayetteville officials have said. The university has described the project as a new, 708-bed residence with built-in features such as an art gallery, a recording studio, 3-D printers and a yoga studio. |
| UGA study finds government contracting decreases employee diversity | |
 | A new study by researchers at the University of Georgia revealed that when governments contract work out to private companies, fewer African American, Hispanic and female employees are hired. Over the past 20 years, private contracting has become a popular way to improve efficiency in the public sector. "Increasingly, services that were once performed by public employees are provided under contract by private firms," said study author J. Edward Kellough, a UGA professor of public administration and policy in the School of Public and International Affairs. "The question is whether this growth in contracting has been detrimental to minority and female employment." Kellough and research assistant Lawrence Brown's study reveals that it has. If opportunities for minorities and women are diminishing because government contracting is growing, there could be fewer avenues to economic security for a demographically diverse middle class, Kellough concluded. |
| U. of Tennessee economist: Distrust after Tuskegee study had long-term effect on black men | |
 | The Tuskegee syphilis study has long been cited as a reason black men are less likely to seek medical care. Now a University of Tennessee professor has used data to confirm that the U.S. government study -- which ran from 1932 to 1972 and withheld treatment to black men with syphilis -- decreased the overall life expectancy of black men, especially those in the South. Marianne Wanamaker, an associate professor of economics in the Haslam College of Business, published "Tuskegee and the Health of Black Men" with co-author Marcella Alsan, associate professor of medicine at Stanford University, earlier this year in the Quarterly Journal of Economics. "People would do surveys of African Americans in the present day, almost 50 years after the (study ended), and they would say, 'What does Tuskegee mean to you?'" Wanamaker said. "They'd say, 'It's important, and it's why I don't trust the medical profession.'" But all the studies focused simply on surveying black men. Wanamaker wondered if data would back it up. |
| Texas A&M could see $71.5 million funding bump in next cycle | |
 | Texas A&M University is poised to receive $71.5 million more in funding for the next two-year budget cycle compared to what it received in 2017, according to preliminary estimates of actions taken Friday by members of the Texas Legislature, who are negotiating the state's budget. According to a press release from the Texas A&M University System, Texas House and Senate conferees approved about $91.5 million in new money for Texas A&M University's flagship campus for the next two-year budget cycle, as compared to about $20 million in the 2017 legislative session. The conferees' final report must be approved with floor votes by both chambers of the Texas Legislature before going to Gov. Greg Abbott for his consideration. The session ends May 27. The additional money can be attributed to Texas A&M's growth (a $24.5 million increase in the funding formula), an estimated $12 million more in a special research fund, plus $55 million to help correct an imbalance in funding between the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M, the press release states. |
| Trump administration releases new program-level loan data | |
 | The Education Department on Monday announced progress on delivering more comprehensive data for the College Scorecard, a consumer tool originally launched by the Obama administration. The department added new information for 2,100 non-degree-granting institutions to the consumer-facing website. And, more significantly for the Trump administration's priorities, it released new preliminary data on student debt for individual programs of study. That's a first step toward giving students access to a fuller picture on outcomes for individual higher ed programs, instead of just colleges over all. Potential students could see, for example, how liberal arts majors fare versus engineering students at nearby institutions, instead of just getting results for the college over all. |
| Sentences reduced for former Penn State fraternity brothers in Piazza hazing case | |
| Two years ago, a local district attorney started aggressively pursuing charges against the fraternity brothers who contributed to the death of a Pennsylvania State University freshman, Timothy Piazza. Piazza, a Beta Theta Pi pledge, died after rounds of heavy drinking at a party in February 2017, at one point in the night tumbling down 15 steps. The university sanctioned the fraternity and Greek life broadly, and combined with the authorities' push, antihazing activists heralded the response as a new era of hazing crackdowns. Most of the former fraternity members -- who pleaded guilty to misdemeanors ranging from hazing to furnishing alcohol to a minor -- still await sentencing. But a judge has allowed three former brothers he initially sentenced to jail to instead serve their time on house arrest. Experts in fraternity life and hazing said the decision showed that despite more college administrative attention around these issues, the courts are still likely to be more lenient. |
| Call it reform or expansion, but embattled state hospitals seek Medicaid safety net | |
| Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: As noted more often than this writer cares to remember, the fact is that public health care for Mississippi's poor, working poor, uninsured or underinsured is in the poorest state in the union an expense that will ultimately be borne by the taxpayers. When it comes to the provision of health care for the poor, the elderly, the disabled, and children, taxpayers will continue to pick up most of the tab. The only real mystery is whether the lion's share of those costs is borne by federal, state or local taxpayers or -- and this is the more likely outcome -- a combination of all three with varying percentages of responsibility. Currently, Mississippi "pays" for that health care through Medicaid dollars and through the delivery of uncompensated care. Nationally, uncompensated care in the U.S. is estimated to comprise 55 percent of all emergency care delivered. In Mississippi's state-owned rural hospitals, that percentage is believed to be significantly higher. So why are Mississippi's hospitals struggling? Two federal laws virtually dictate that financial stress in poor states. |
SPORTS
| Bulldogs taking SEC Tournament seriously | |
| There is not much left for No. 3 Mississippi State to prove this week at the SEC Baseball Tournament. The Co-Western Division champions currently have the fourth-best RPI in the country and D1Baseball.com believes the Bulldogs have essentially locked up a national seed in next week's NCAA Tournament. However, just because the postseason outlook appears great does not mean MSU is headed to Hoover Metropolitan Stadium waving a white flag this week. "We want to play good baseball," said MSU coach Chris Lemonis. "You don't want to not play well and then go into a regional not feeling good about yourself. We feel pretty good where we're at but we're not going to mismanage pitching or anything like that to win it. But we're going to go in and try to play our best." The Diamond Dogs (45-11) are the No. 4 seed in the SEC Tournament and play the late game tonight at approximately 8 p.m. on SEC Network. |
| Josh Hatcher steps up for Mississippi State baseball in wake of Elijah MacNamee injury | |
| Josh Hatcher had his moment last week at Dudy Noble Field. He'll likely have another one this weekend at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium during the SEC Tournament, and maybe even some more during the NCAA Tournament. The sophomore's insertion into the Mississippi State lineup in right field has to do with much more than just senior right fielder Elijah MacNamee's foot injury. It has to do with Hatcher's dedication to the Bulldog program. Without it, he probably wouldn't be wearing maroon and white. Hatcher started 25 games at first base during his freshman season. Then a certain player by the name of Tanner Allen essentially won the job from him. Allen has been the Bulldogs' starter at first base ever since. Some might've packed up and left. Not Hatcher. "In today's society, everyone is wanting to kind of jump out if they're not playing right away," MSU head coach Chris Lemonis said. "But these are his boys. He likes it here. He knows he's a good baseball player, and he just kept working." |
| Winning: Love of baseball drives success for Mississippi State head coach Chris Lemonis | |
| Mississippi State head coach Chris Lemonis is quietly competitive. Never one to get too high or too low, he almost gives off an aloof vibe at times. Lemonis presented an anomaly to his generally mild-mannered disposition in a May 8 midweek win over Memphis. As Tiger runners stole second and third base, Bulldogs freshman catcher Luke Hancock attempted to throw around the batter to no avail. Disgruntled with the lack of a batter's interference call, Lemonis barged toward home plate. Huffing and puffing, guffawing and arguing -- he made his displeasure with home plate umpire Lance Weems known. With a subtle nod to the event postgame, Lemonis said through a frown he and the umpire disagreed on whether Hancock was trying to throw out the runner at second or third. It's not often his feistiness boils over. Yet at his core, Lemonis is a fierce competitor -- a passion that is deeply rooted in his college days at The Citadel. |
| Mississippi State gives Joe Moorhead a contract extension | |
 | Mississippi State football coach Joe Moorhead has a little more job security now. The school announced Tuesday that he has signed a contract extension through the 2022 season that will pay an average base salary of $3.2 million. Moorhead originally signed a four-year deal worth an average of $2.75 million when he was hired following the 2017 season. Moorhead's new deal is also four years, which is the longest allowed by state law. He will earn a base salary of $3.05 million next season and that number will increase by $100,000 in 2020, 2021 and 2022. Mississippi State athletic director John Cohen said he's been pleased with Moorhead's leadership. "He is driven by elevating our program to a championship standard on and off the field," Cohen said. "We look forward to watching the continued growth of our football program under his watch." |
| Joe Moorhead signs contract extension at Mississippi State | |
| Joe Moorhead signed a contract extension with Mississippi State on Tuesday to coach the Bulldogs through the 2022 season. The original contract Moorhead's signed with MSU when he was hired in November 2017 was set to expire on Dec. 31, 2021. "We are excited about the leadership of Mississippi State football under coach Moorhead," said MSU director of athletics John Cohen. Moorhead guided the Bulldogs to an 8-5 record during his first season in Starkville. "It's a privilege to be the head football coach at Mississippi State," Moorhead said. "I want to thank John, president (Mark) Keenum and this wonderful university for believing in me. My family and I love Starkville. For me, it's about building a championship program our Bulldog fans can be proud of and helping our players maximize their potential on and off the field, while walking away with a meaningful degree from Mississippi State University." |
| Mississippi State extends football coach Joe Moorhead's contract | |
| Joe Moorhead has a new contract to go with his new physique. The Mississippi State football head coach has been out across the south on his Road Dawgs Tour flaunting a slimmer body. Now he can flaunt a four-year contract extension that keeps him in Starkville through the 2022 season. Moorhead's new contract should not come as a surprise. He became just the second Bulldog head coach to win eight games in his first season in Mississippi State program history with last year's 8-5 record. Moorhead was in the news late last week for securing graduate transfer Tommy Stevens from Penn State. Moorhead was Stevens' offensive coordinator at State College for two years. Now the two have reunited down south. |
| 'We've never seen this before': Flooding in Mississippi Delta to impact deer, number, size of fawns | |
| The south Delta has been flooded for months and stress from that flooding is expected to impact this summer's fawn crop, both in number and size, a state wildlife expert says. "We know it's going to have a negative impact," said William McKinley, Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks Deer Program coordinator. "Let's just say that up front. We know it's bad. We know it's going to have an impact. A reduced fawn crop is what I expect to see. How much? We have to wait and see." Bronson Strickland, co-director of the Mississippi State University Deer Lab, said a recent study pointed out the effects of floods on deer populations. "We just wrapped up a 25-year study specifically looking at flooding in the Delta, primarily centered around the batture," Strickland said. "We were surprised it wasn't that bad." Strickland said winter floods had either no effect or a positive effect by enriching the soil. Spring flood effects were similar. However, summer floods are another animal. "Where we started seeing negative effects were the summer floods like we see now," Strickland said. "There was a clear decline in lactation rates and body weights. What we did find, which was surprising, was we didn't see a decline in antler sizes." |
| LSU baseball erases early deficit vs. South Carolina, advances in SEC tournament | |
| LSU overcame a four-run, second-inning deficit to beat South Carolina 8-6 in the single elimination round of the Southeastern Conference tournament on Tuesday night. The Tigers stumbled through the beginning of the game: a ball stuck in a glove on a routine ground ball, a catcher's interference, five runs against the starting pitcher. LSU, seeded No. 5 in the tournament, fell behind the Gamecocks at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. But Devin Fontenot rescued the pitching staff, and LSU chipped away. "I just felt like we needed to stop them," coach Paul Mainieri said. "I didn't have any doubt we could score some runs." The Tigers took the lead in the fourth inning to beat South Carolina, the No. 12 seed. They will play No. 4 seed Mississippi State on Wednesday night. |
| Ole Miss tops Mizzou, sets up game with Arkansas in Hoover | |
| Arkansas will play Ole Miss on Wednesday on the first day of double-elimination play at the SEC Baseball Tournament. The game is scheduled to begin at approximately 1 p.m. It will follow the completion of a game between Georgia and Texas A&M at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Ala. The No. 23 Rebels defeated Missouri 2-1 on Tuesday in a single-elimination game. Ole Miss (34-23) scored both of its runs in the fifth inning on Thomas Dillard's RBI double to tie the game and Cole Zabowski's RBI single to take the lead. Ole Miss starter Will Ethridge pitched seven innings to earn the win. Ethridge allowed the Tigers' only run in the second inning, and the Rebels' recently-struggling bullpen pitched two scoreless innings. Ole Miss entered the game having lost six of its previous seven games against Mississippi State, Arkansas State and Tennessee. |
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