| Thursday, June 13, 2019 |
| How to handle raccoons, snakes and other critters in your yard (hint: not with a thermos) | |
 | Leslie Burger, an assistant Extension professor of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture at Mississippi State University, writes for The Conversation: I heard a local story of a man who, in his excitement to kill a rattlesnake, used the only thing he had available -- his thermos bottle. The next scene in this drama has the man in the hospital receiving anti-venom to treat a snake bite. Encounters with wildlife are becoming more common in towns and neighborhoods as urbanization increases, and people often do not know what to do in these situations. As a wildlife biologist and extension educator, my job is to help people more fully understand wildlife for the betterment of both people and animals. People generally enjoy wildlife. Renowned ecologist E. O. Wilson coined the term "Biophilia" (meaning "life fondness") to describe this seemingly inherent affinity humans have for natural life. Rather than being too friendly or overly fearful, people should be aware and respectful of wildlife that may be in their neighborhood. |
| City Bagel to close after 23 years | |
 | After serving bagels, sandwiches and wraps for 23 years, City Bagel, 511 University Dr., is set to close. Owner Ty Thames, of Eat Local Starkville, confirmed the local restaurant will serve its last dish June 23. "Closing is very heartbreaking on many levels," Thames said in a message to The Dispatch. "... We sincerely thank those in the community who have supported us, despite the changes, construction, and challenges, and we look forward to continuing to be a part of this community we love." City Bagel was first opened in 1996 by the Tkach family. Thames purchased the business in 2016. City Bagel will continue serving Starkville seven days a week from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. through its last day. |
| SOCSD board member Lee Brand will step down in July | |
| After nearly a decade, Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District board member Lee Brand is stepping down from his post. SOCSD Superintendent Eddie Peasant confirmed during Tuesday's regular scheduled board meeting Brand is moving out of state. Brand did not attend the meeting. Brand, who has previously served as board president, told The Dispatch in a phone interview after the meeting he accepted a job in Cordova, Tennessee, as the vice president of academics and dean of the seminary school at Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary. For Brand, leaving Starkville for a new opportunity was a hard decision. "The best word for me is bittersweet," Brand said. "I've been in Starkville over 20 years, so that part was hard. I love the people. I love being in Starkville. The Lord just directed me and it's a great opportunity. It will be a challenge but I'm looking forward to it." The Starkville Board of Aldermen will appoint Brand's replacement. |
| Delta Council looks at issues affecting residents | |
| Flooding and flood protection was the major topic at the 84th annual meeting of Delta Council Friday. Delta Council is an economic development organization that analyzes, troubleshoots, and fundraises efforts to maintain and improve the economy of the Mississippi Delta, with special attention paid to the Delta's agricultural economy. Woods Eastland, president of the council, spoke about the current flooding disaster in the south Delta which is at the forefront of the council's concerns. "The south Delta has experienced flooding for 155 days and Vicksburg has remained above flood stage for over 120 days," Eastland said. "Over half a million acres have been under water during this event, and the south Delta has experienced the largest and longest backwater flood ever." Eastland thanked Gov. Phil Bryant and others for supporting the development of a pumping plant in the Yazoo River that can potentially relieve flooding issues in that area. |
| South Delta residents, enduring longest flood since 1927, hope EPA reverses course on Yazoo Pumps | |
| The chest-deep water currently surrounding Stormy Deere's house is expected to remain there until at least July. The home she lives in with her husband is safely elevated on a mound of dirt and brick, but she has had to take a boat to reach it since early March. Nothing has changed for months. Deere, 44, loads her dogs on the boat twice a day when she must take them for walks, though she leaves the smallest one at home for fear of the alligators that live in these waters. This way of life, she said, is untenable. The river has now laid waste to 550,000 acres of the Mississippi Delta, including 225,000 acres of farmland, and affected more than 500 homes. But it is expected to rise again this week, entering a major flood stage, according to the National Weather Service, and those waters won't recede until at least July. Dubbed "the forgotten flood" by locals, it comes amid natural disasters that have caused billions of dollars of damage across the Midwest in the past several months and in turn claimed the national spotlight. |
| Hyde-Smith asks President Trump to approve temporary pumps to ease backwater flooding disaster | |
| According to the National Weather Service in Jackson, over 500,000 acres of land in the Mississippi Delta is currently flooded, including nearly 225,000 acres of cropland. The Mississippi River at Vicksburg is expected to crest Friday into Saturday. Mississippi Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith has asked President Trump to approve the use of temporary pumps in the Yazoo Backwater Area to begin removing floodwaters that have contaminated the region for months on end. In a letter sent Wednesday to the President, Hyde-Smith summarizes the statutes, presidential disaster declaration, and emergency funding available to support the installation of temporary pumps to begin draining flooded areas of the South Mississippi Delta. Hyde-Smith said recently enacted FY2019 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act provides sufficient funding to deploy temporary pumps in the near future, as efforts continue to force a reconsideration of the Environmental Protection Agency 2008 veto that stopped development of the Yazoo Backwater Pump project. |
| Holden: Current flood reaching historic levels | |
| Thomas Holden Jr.'s credentials are lengthy and impressive, and when it comes to understanding the management and workings of the Mississippi River and its tributaries, he is an expert. That is what made his observations and statements during the Vicksburg-Warren County Chamber of Commerce's monthly luncheon Wednesday hit hard with those in attendance. Holden, director of the Regional Business Directorate for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, shared statistics, charts and imaging showing the ongoing flood season, which began last September, is setting records throughout the Mississippi River system -- and it's not over yet. High water in the upper portions of the country has caused navigation issues for barges and tows, which simply cannot safely clear bridges. Agriculture, which has been severely damaged along the Mississippi Delta, has also been dramatically affected throughout the system. As for investment in the system, Holden did say the flood control plan that includes pumping stations needs to be completed. |
| Mississippi elections: Why do top governor, AG candidates dodge debates? | |
 | The Republican front-runner in the governor's race, Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, ducked the first two debates of this campaign season. And Treasurer Lynn Fitch, perhaps the best-known name in the attorney general race, also skipped the first two debates of that contest last week. The no-shows have frustrated Fitch's and Reeves' opponents, and led to questions of why they couldn't attend not once, but twice. Representatives for Reeves and Fitch insist it's about scheduling conflicts. The three Republican gubernatorial candidates, including Reeves, did recently agree to a single televised debate before the August primary, hosted by WJTV-TV next month. And Fitch and Reeves have attended many candidate forums, their spokespeople point out. But some argue forums -- where candidates often make a general pitch about their candidacy -- are vastly different than debates, where they are asked pointed questions by a moderator and each other. |
| Gubernatorial candidate Robert Foster speaks to Jones GOP Women | |
 | Republican candidate for governor, Robert Foster, made his second visit to a Jones County GOP meeting Wednesday. Foster spoke to Jones County Republican Women during a luncheon at the Gables. Foster, who's a first-term state representative from DeSoto County, first spoke to that organization six months ago, just after he announced he was running for governor. "We've got some of the hardest working, most God-fearing people in the nation living in our state, but we don't have the opportunity economically that we should," said Foster. "A lot of it has to do with policies that are in place in Jackson that are being protected by career politicians and we need somebody to go in and shake things up a little bit," he said. Foster will face Bill Waller, Jr. and Lt. Governor Tate Reeves in that August primary. |
| Activists hear frustration from educators | |
 | Leaders of two organizations leading a town hall meeting in Hernando Monday night believe the treatment of public education by the Mississippi legislature in the waning days of the 2019 session was deplorable. Nancy Loome of the Parents' Campaign and Oleta Fitzgerald of the Children's Defense Fund discussed the issue and answered questions from about 40 people who came to the Gale Center. Loome is the executive director of the effort to serve as watchdog on legislative issues affecting Mississippi public education. Fitzgerald is the Southern Regional Director of the national organization that seeks to be a voice for all the children of America and educates about the needs of children. A wide-ranging cross section of people heard from Loome and Fitzgerald, ranging from a recent high school graduate set to pursue a teaching career, to educators, school administrators, activists and legislative candidates. The consensus of those who spoke out was that a certain few run the dealings both in the House and Senate chambers and most local lawmakers, and thus their citizens, don't have a voice. |
| What Abortion Access Looks Like in Mississippi: One Person at a Time | |
 | When Brandy found out she was pregnant for the fifth time, she was 25 and single and had given birth to her third child two months earlier. Soon after that, she lost her retail management job of six years. It was midwinter 2013, and she could barely pay her heating bill. "I knew I wasn't going to keep it if I could do anything about it," she says now of the pregnancy. A month later, once she could afford the cab fare, she called a taxi to drive her 20 minutes to Jackson Women's Health Organization, the only abortion clinic in Mississippi. According to Izzy Pellegrine, a Mississippi State University Ph.D. candidate who has studied abortion access in the state, Mississippi once had four abortion clinics open concurrently; now there is only JWHO. |
| Trump Administration Seeking To Overhaul Forest Management Rules | |
 | Federal land managers on Wednesday proposed sweeping rule changes to a landmark environmental law that would allow them to fast-track certain forest management projects, including logging and prescribed burning. The U.S. Forest Service, under Chief Vicki Christiansen, is proposing revisions to its National Environmental Policy Act regulations that could limit environmental review and public input on projects ranging from forest health and wildfire mitigation to infrastructure upgrades to commercial logging on federal land. "We do more analysis than we need, we take more time than we need and we slow down important work to protect communities," Christiansen told NPR. The proposed rule changes are subject to a 60-day public comment period. Barring litigation or other holdups, the Forest Service hopes to finalize them by summer of next year. |
| 'We want access to every part of the moon, at any time' | |
 | Fifty years after the Apollo moon landing, should America focus its space efforts on returning humans to the moon? Or should it concentrate on exploring new worlds, like Mars? NASA chief Jim Bridenstine says we don't have to choose. President Donald Trump is asking the American space agency to land humans back on the moon by 2024, four years earlier than previously planned. The job of selling that mission to the American public -- and persuading Congress to fund it -- belongs to Bridenstine, a former Republican congressman from Oklahoma with little prior space experience who took over as head of the agency in April 2018. In some ways, Bridenstine was an unusual pick for the job. Prior to leading NASA and serving three terms in Congress, Bridenstine was a Navy fighter pilot who flew combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan and served as executive director of the Tulsa Air and Space Museum. He is the first person to lead the agency who isn't considered a space professional. Amid deep discord in the aerospace world about the value of returning to the moon versus pushing on to Mars, Bridenstine is charting a middle course, making the argument that the two goals don't need to be in conflict. |
| Southern Baptist leader says politics can be an 'obstacle' to the gospel | |
 | A year ago, Southern Baptists gathered in Dallas grappled with whether to allow Vice President Mike Pence to address their annual meeting. At issue: Whether the Southern Baptist Convention was too closely aligned with the Republican Party and whether that hurt the church's mission to tell others about Christ. This year, politics weren't the main focus of the 2019 Southern Baptist Convention, which brought 8,000 Southern Baptists to Birmingham. But it still came up. "When we tie our message too closely to a political platform, we put an unnecessary obstacle in the way of the gospel for half of our mission field," Southern Baptist Convention President J.D. Greear said during his presidential address. Now, as the nation gears up for the 2020 elections, the role of evangelical voters will likely once again emerge into the spotlight -- and Greear urged Southern Baptists to focus on a higher calling. |
| 'Deaths of despair' from drugs, alcohol and suicide hit young adults hardest | |
 | Young adults were more likely than any other age group to die from drugs, alcohol and suicide over the past decade, underscoring the despair Millennials face and the pressure on the health care system to respond to a crisis that shows little sign of abating. Drug-related deaths among people 18 to 34 soared 108% between 2007 and 2017, while alcohol deaths were up 69% and suicides increased 35%, according to an analysis out Thursday of the latest federal data by the non-profit Trust for America's Health and Well Being Trust. The analysis of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data found the increases for these three "deaths of despair" combined were higher than for Baby Boomers and senior citizens. The Millennial generation is typically defined as people born between 1981 and 1996 -- so are 23 to 38 years old today -- although some definitions include young people born through 2000. They make up about a third of the workforce and the military. |
| New Grisham Writer in Residence at UM wants Oxford to shape her work | |
 | The newest Grisham Writer in Residence, January O'Neil, has never been to the Deep South, but she said that she is a southerner at heart. She plans to move to Oxford in the coming months to teach classes and write for the 2019-2020 academic year. "I'm excited for the challenge, and I want to be influenced by the place," she said. "I think looking at things anew is huge. As a writer and an artist, I'm not interested in walking down the same path that I always have." Originally from Norfolk, Virginia, O'Neil is now a tenured professor at Salem State in Beverly, Massachusetts. "I'm excited to get to know the students of Ole Miss," she said. "I'm excited because I'm coming from an area that is not as diverse. I look forward to exploring Mississippi's literary past, its artistic past, its landscape. We're excited for the contrast, we're excited to really become of the local fiber and get to know the people." |
| USM's 'Curious George' collection returns from Japanese exhibition | |
| A collection of illustrations and manuscripts featuring a beloved character from children's literature has returned home to The University of Southern Mississippi after a two-year tour of Japan. More than 200 pieces depicting "Curious George" are being inventoried this week by USM staff and representatives of Japanese NHK Television. The collection was part of an exhibition that toured six-cities across that country. 150,000 people visited the exhibit. University Libraries' de Grummond Collection houses the literary estate of "Curious George" creators H.A. and Margret Rey. As a special gift, Southern Miss is receiving dozens of items, such as stuffed animals and plates that were manufactured and sold to the Japanese public during the tour. "(The exhibit) was amazing," said Ellen Ruffin, curator of the de Grummond Children's Literature Collection. "The parents brought their children, the children were thrilled. The merchandise was absolutely original and incredible." |
| Rotary scholarships help solve state's 'Brain Drain' | |
 | "Brain drain" is a phrase often used to describe a problem Mississippi has. The state has had the same problem for years: too many of the state's best and brightest are leaving their home to make their mark on the world. The Pascagoula Rotary International Club is trying to slow the brain drain in Jackson County by providing scholarships to graduates of Pascagoula and Resurrection high schools. This year they awarded $42,000 of scholarships to 44 high school seniors and college students. Their hope is that after graduating, the students will stay in Jackson County or at least in Mississippi to make their home state better. "It's Mississippi's image that is holding it back", said Hunter Blades, one of the scholarship recipients. He said he knows dozens of people who said they will not stay in Mississippi because they have a false impression of the state they live in. Blades will attend Mississippi State University and hopes to return to Pascagoula to work at Chevron after graduating. |
| Stamp memorializing former President Bush unveiled at his library at Texas A&M | |
 | Hundreds of people of all ages from the Brazos Valley and beyond gathered inside the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center midday Wednesday for the unveiling and first-day-of-issue ceremony of the United States Postal Service's Forever stamp honoring former President George H.W. Bush. Bush, who died Nov. 30, would have turned 95 Wednesday. Most of the speakers at the ceremony centered their remarks about Bush's love of writing notes and letters. Robert "Mike" Duncan, the chairman of the board of governors for the USPS, asked attendees who had received a note from the 41st president to raise their hands. A few dozen hands went up. "It is especially fitting to honor President Bush with his own stamp, because he truly understood the power of a handwritten letter or note," Duncan said. The stamp is based on a 1997 photograph by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders in which President Bush and first lady Barbara Bush appeared on the cover of Texas Monthly magazine at the time of the official opening of the presidential library. |
| New degrees at U. of Missouri would focus on constitutional democracy, Atlantic history | |
 | Two new degrees will be offered through the Kinder Institute at the University of Missouri, pending approval next week by the full UM System Board of Curators. The board's Committee on Academic, Student Affairs and Research and Economic Development approved the Kinder Institute's request for the program's first bachelor's and master's degrees Wednesday. The Kinder Institute, an MU academic center established in 2015, promotes the teaching and scholarship of American constitutional and democratic traditions. Justin Dyer, director of the Kinder Institute, presented the proposal for the Bachelor of Arts in constitutional democracy at the meeting. If the board gives its final approval, Dyer said the program will be the only one of its kind in the country and has the potential to attract students to MU specifically for the degree. Jay Sexton, chair of the institute and a history professor at MU, presented the master's degree proposal to the committee and said it would educate students on America's past and current relationship with countries along the Atlantic. |
| Federal grants may fund researchers with histories of sexual harassment, report finds | |
 | There's a real risk that universities and federal agencies "are unknowingly funding researchers with a history of past sexual harassment findings," Congress' watchdog reported Wednesday. Some federal agencies will have to develop new internal policies to be sure that they don't continue to give grants to researchers who may have had a history of sexual harassment, John Neumann, the managing director in the Government Accountability Office's branch focused on science and technology, told the House Science, Space and Technology Committee. Lawmakers from both parties said they were committed to passing a bill that would require federal agencies to have clear policies for stripping researchers of grants. "No taxpayer dollars should be awarded to a researcher who engages in harassment and inappropriate behavior toward a colleague or a student," said Rep. Frank Lucas, of Oklahoma, the top Republican on the committee. Without change, many scientific fields will remain relatively closed off to the women who are often the targets of sexual harassment, Lucas said. |
| When White Scholars Pick White Scholars | |
 | Communication scholars debate how the field's distinguished scholars should be picked going forward, in the interest of diversity, equity and inclusion.All but one of the National Communication Association's 70 distinguished scholars are white. Most if not all members of the organization agree that's a problem. But the association's new plan for selecting its distinguished scholars -- in which a special committee, not the existing group of scholars, chooses new honorees -- has proven controversial. And one of the association's distinguished scholars in particular just fanned the flames with an editorial that critics say pits merit against diversity. "The change is being pursued under the banner of 'diversity,' which is, of course a god-term of our age, and rightly so," Martin J. Medhurst, distinguished professor of rhetoric and communication and professor of political science at Baylor University, and editor of Rhetoric and Public Affairs, wrote recently therein about the association's procedural shift. "But there is a difference in trying to promote diversity within a scholarly consensus about intellectual merit and prioritizing diversity in place of intellectual merit." |
SPORTS
| College World Series: Five things to know about Mississippi State baseball | |
| The Mississippi State Bulldogs are back in the College World Series for the second straight season after defeating Stanford in the Starkville Super Regional. Head coach Chris Lemonis' team is 51-13 and has not lost a game in the NCAA Tournament yet. The Bulldogs begin play in Omaha at 6:30 p.m. Sunday against Auburn (38-26). Here are five things you need to know about Mississippi State before the Dogs and Tigers take the field at TD Ameritrade Park. |
| Elijah MacNamee overcame tragedy to get Mississippi State baseball to College World Series | |
| Elijah MacNamee stepped into the batter's box at Dudy Noble Field and scribbled two letters into the turf with the barreled end of his bat. GB. He thumped his chest twice with his fist as he heard the soothing sound of a saxophone. His iconic walk-out song, 'Ookay' by Thief, blared through the speakers one last time. He also heard the echo of his name chanted by more than 11,000 people who were about to witness the final at-bat at Dudy Noble of his storied Mississippi State career. "Let's go Mac! Let's go Mac!" Above all, he heard a voice from above. "Enjoy this moment," said his late grandpa, Bruce Worley. Then MacNamee looked up at the sky. The music stopped playing. The crowd stopped chanting. He pointed to the Heavens. To observers throughout the stadium, it was just him and Stanford pitcher Will Matthiessen at that point. To MacNamee, there was one other being involved: Grandpa Bruce. GB. "This is for you, grandpa," MacNamee thought. And then it happened. |
| Mississippi State reliever Cole Gordon relishes last chance to get a ring at CWS | |
| As the bottom half of the ninth inning in Sunday's Super Regional between Mississippi State and Stanford commenced, the deep melodic voice of Johnny Cash's "God's Gonna Cut You Down" blared over the speakers at Dudy Noble Field. The tune has earned a cult following among MSU fans to a degree. It was previously the walkout song for Bulldog legend and current New York Yankee Jonathan Holder. This past weekend Cash's ballad greeted a different name. Just before the recording jumped into the first verse, senior reliever Cole Gordon walked out of the bullpen. Sunday, Gordon got things going in the ninth inning in as on-brand a way possible -- a strikeout -- fanning Stanford first baseman Andrew Daschbach on four pitches. Cardinal second baseman Duke Kinamon earned the second out of the frame with a first-pitch lineout to senior center fielder Jake Mangum. One out away from a return trip the CWS, Gordon began his delivery. |
| Houston's Luke Hancock making an impact for Mississippi State | |
 | Luke Hancock committed to Mississippi State during the fall of his freshman year at Houston High School. At the time, Hancock didn't think it was that big of a deal. But fast-forward nearly five years and the now-freshman catcher for the Bulldogs can truly appreciate the opportunity he was given at such an early age. "I didn't know how blessed I was at that time," Hancock said. "But now looking back on it, I realize I was extremely blessed to even have Mississippi State talk to me. It means a lot to me now." While a young Hancock may not have understood the magnitude of his early commitment to MSU, it was the only school he ever dreamed of attending. "I grew up a huge Mississippi State fan and this is pretty much home for me," Hancock said. "It's only 35 or 40 minutes from my house and I've always wanted to come here and try to help the Bulldogs win." |
| SEC dominates with 4 teams in College World Series | |
 | The College World Series has an even stronger Southeastern Conference flavor than usual. SEC members Arkansas, Auburn, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt comprise half the eight-team College World Series field. The CWS begins Saturday when Texas Tech faces Michigan and Arkansas meets Florida State at Omaha, Neb. This marks the 11th time in the last 12 seasons that the CWS includes multiple SEC teams. At least one SEC team has reached the CWS' best-of-3 championship round 10 of the last 11 years. Mississippi State was a game away from meeting Arkansas in last year's championship round before losing two straight times to Oregon State. Mississippi State is the No. 6 national seed this year under new coach Chris Lemonis. "We definitely wanted to get back," Mississippi State pitcher and Milwaukee Brewers first-round pick Ethan Small said. "I think the experience of losing in Omaha last year helped us do that." |
| 'Wouldn't have it any other way': Auburn baseball sees symmetry in wild ride to CWS | |
 | Maybe it's just a sense of serendipity. Someone might call it destiny. Another could call it fate. Maybe it's simply that certain events in the past have helped shape this new future for the Auburn baseball team. One way or the other, Butch Thompson's seen it. He just calls it "script stuff." Auburn's made it to Omaha for the College World Series, landing there Wednesday to complete a long journey to college baseball's mountaintop for Tigers coaches, players and supporters alike. For all of them, the ride's been about so much more than the final destination. When Thompson thinks back to how it's gone, he just smiles and says, "Of course." Today, the team will visit the MLB game between the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals at T.D. Ameritrade Park Omaha before the team's own practice there Friday. College World Series games open Saturday with Auburn's meeting with Mississippi State rounding out the first round at 6 p.m. CT on Sunday night. "Of course we're going to play those guys -- a place that's dear to me, a place that's prepared me for the job, the opportunity of a lifetime that I have now," Thompson said. |
| Butch Thompson set tone for Auburn's long-awaited return to College World Series | |
| Butch Thompson was quick to point out Monday that he has, in fact, been to a college world series as a head coach. Just not this College World Series. It was 1997, Thompson's lone season as the head coach at Jefferson State Community College in between three- and four-year stints as an assistant at Birmingham-Southern. The Pioneers went 39-21 and reached the NJCAA Division II Baseball World Series, where they finished third. And as Auburn made its own run through the NCAA tournament over the past two weeks, Thompson said some of those players on that Jefferson State team were "texting him like crazy," telling him, "Come on Coach" -- lead another team the sport's biggest stage. "It just lets you know what it means to (reach) a world series," Thompson said. Twenty-two years later, Thompson is going back to a world series. And not just a world series -- the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. He's been there before, as an assistant coach with Mississippi State (who Auburn will open against on Sunday at 6:30 p.m.) in 2013, but never as a head coach. |
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