| Wednesday, August 21, 2019 |
| Collinsville resident's research project recognized at Mississippi State's summer undergraduate research symposium | |
 | Collinsville resident Baleigh A. Hull was a top winner at Mississippi State University's Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium. Hull, a senior architecture major, won first place for her submission in the Arts and Humanities category. She is advised by Silvina Lopez Barrera, assistant professor in the School of Architecture. Hosted by MSU's Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College, the annual summer competition received 97 submissions from undergraduate students conducting faculty-guided research. MSU Interim Vice President for Research and Economic Development Julie Jordan said pursuit of research opportunities is a critical part of academic life. MSU students are recognized for their commitment to discovery, creation and exploration in labs, studios, libraries, research farms and beyond, she added. |
| Mississippi prevented-planting acreage for 2019 sets record | |
 | Mississippi has set a record this year for crop acreage that was not planted because of natural causes. Six hundred and 22 thousand acres were not planted, primarily because of heavy rains and flooding. The previous record was 450,898 in 2016, according to Dr. Josh Maples, assistant professor of agricultural economics at Mississippi State University who has been tracking prevented-planting since 2007. Corn was the largest contributor to the total this year, with 350,569 acres. Corn planting in Mississippi this year is 623,686 acres, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That means that about 56 percent of the corn crop was not planted. While flooding is not necessarily the major cause of the loss of production, 250,000 crop acres were inundated in the south Delta. With 115,479 acres planned but not planted, soybeans were distant second behind corn, according to Maples' figures. |
| AMVAC Selects Winners of the 2019 Cotton Industry Advancement Scholarship | |
 | AMVAC has announced announce the winners of its 2019 Cotton Industry Advancement Scholarship. Seven students were selected from 26 qualified applicants. Each scholarship recipient was awarded $2,000, including: Stephen LaMastus Jr., Cleveland, MS -- A freshman attending Mississippi Delta Community College in Moorehead, MS, majoring in agriculture. Nominated by Trent LaMastus, Ed Whatley, Pete Baughman, Billy Bryant and Tucker Miller. Hunter Lipsey, Monterey, LA -- A freshman attending Mississippi State University, majoring in agronomy and integrated crop management. Nominated by Richard Griffing. All applicants were nominated by a practicing cotton consultant and worked for a cotton consultant between 2017 and 2019. |
| Over 90 positions still open at Head Start program in Harrison County | |
 | MSU Extension Service is moving forward in its takeover of Head Start programs on the coast. However, before children can begin classes, the childcare programs need workers. A job fair was held Tuesday evening, with two more scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday. In all, there are 92 positions that still need filled, from bus drivers to custodians to teachers and administrative assistants. "We have everything from center directors to the teachers, cooks, transportation," said Dr. Louise Davis, the executive director of the MSU Head Start program. The program's directors say they are considering all applications. While they would prefer people with a background in early education, anyone with any level of expertise is being advised to apply and will be considered for various positions. "We want a good fit for our program," Davis said. Interested applicants can also explore available positions online at MSU's career website at www.msujobs.msstate.edu. |
| UnDisciplined: The Microbiologist And The Marine Fisheries Ecologist | |
| Listen: This week on UnDisiplined, we're joined for the second time by Karen Lloyd, whose work is helping us understand the relationship between microbes, carbon, and the deep Earth. We'll also be joined by Marcus Drymon of Mississippi State University, a marine fisheries ecologist whose recent work has been getting a lot of attention. |
| Start-up boat manufacturer bringing 75 jobs to Amory | |
| Avid Boats, a start-up boat manufacturer, has chosen to locate its operations in Monroe County. The company will open a new production facility in Amory, and the project is a $1.6-million corporate investment that will create 75 jobs. "Manufacturing is a strong economic driver in North Mississippi," Gov. Phil Bryant said. "Avid Boats' decision to locate in Amory and create 75 new manufacturing jobs further strengthens the state's foothold in this important sector while helping create a stronger, more vibrant community for the residents of Monroe County." Avid Boats' leadership was previously involved with two other successful boat manufacturing companies. The company is locating in the 80,000-square-foot facility formerly occupied by CPI Packaging, Inc., where employees will produce 17- to 23-foot aluminum bass and center console bay boats. The Mississippi Development Authority is providing assistance for building improvements and workforce training. |
| Former Gov. Haley Barbour backs Tate Reeves in Mississippi GOP runoff | |
 | Former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour said Tuesday that he is supporting Tate Reeves for the Republican nomination for governor. Barbour said that "two good people" are in the Aug. 27 party primary runoff. Reeves is in his second term as lieutenant governor after serving two terms as state treasurer, and Bill Waller Jr. is a retired chief justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court. "This is not about who's a good person, who's a bad person," said Barbour, who led the Republican National Committee in the mid-1990s and was governor from 2004 to 2012. "Bill Waller's a nice guy. I worked with him as governor. I thought he was a great chief justice." Barbour said there are significant policy differences between Reeves and Waller. "Tate understands that government doesn't have any money except what it takes from the public," Barbour said as he stood with Reeves, current Republican Gov. Phil Bryant and several other elected officials. |
| Waller and Reeves set for final debate | |
 | Tate Reeves and Bill Waller will share the debate stage for a final time tonight in advance of a primary runoff next week to determine which man will win the Republican gubernatorial nomination. Jackson-area television station WJTV will host and broadcast the debate beginning at 7 p.m. The station will also livestream the debate on its website. The debate will last 30 minutes, with WJTV anchor Byron Brown serving as moderator. The debate will also air on Supertalk Mississippi and Mississippi Public Radio. WJTV previously hosted a televised debate between Republican gubernatorial candidates Reeves, Waller and Robert Foster. In Aug. 6 primary voting, Reeves and Waller received the most votes out of the three, but no single candidate captured more than 50 percent of the ballots. The primary runoff will take place Aug. 27, less than a week after the final gubernatorial debate of the primary season. |
| Tate Reeves spends big in final days before Republican governor's runoff against Bill Waller | |
| Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, since the Aug. 6 Republican primary for governor, has spent at least $729,000 on advertising ahead of the runoff against Bill Waller Jr., the former chief justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court. Between July 28 and Aug. 17, Reeves spent $1.9 million in total, including $1.2 million with Maryland-based On Message Inc., the media consulting group Reeves has used since 2003. At least $729,000 of those payments to On Message Inc. was spent after the Aug. 6 primary, according to campaign finance reports filed Tuesday with the Secretary of State's office. Reeves also spent $445,595 with his media consultant on the single day of July 29, presumably for television advertising buys just before the Aug. 6 primary. In the primary, Reeves garnered almost 49 percent of the vote compared to 33 percent for Waller. State Rep. Robert Foster of DeSoto County --- who has since endorsed Waller --- received 18 percent. Because no candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote, Reeves and Waller, the top two vote-getters, square off in an Aug. 27 runoff. |
| After Rep. McLeod found not guilty of domestic violence, Speaker Gunn presses for House ethics investigation | |
| Speaker Philip Gunn said he still will ask the House Ethics Committee to look into the circumstances that led to police charging state Rep. Douglas McLeod with domestic violence despite a George County justice court finding McLeod not guilty Tuesday. In a statement, Gunn said, "This whole situation is still very concerning not only to me, but to other members of the House of Representatives. The court may have found Rep. McLeod not guilty, but as a member of the Mississippi Legislature to find yourself in this situation -- it is still an issue. As we have done with other matters, we will refer this to the House Ethics Committee for further consideration." After McLeod was charged with domestic violence, a misdemeanor, in May, Gunn said at the time he had asked his staff to research methods to remove him from office if the allegations were proven true. McLeod, 58, a Republican from Lucedale, is completing his second term in the House and is unopposed for re-election this November. |
| Top Mississippi Republicans speak out after lawmaker found not guilty of domestic violence | |
 | Top Republicans in the Mississippi are "concerned" after state Rep. Douglas McLeod was found not guilty of domestic violence Tuesday in the assault of his wife. Philip Gunn, speaker of the House of Representatives, released a statement after a George County Justice Court judge found McLeod not guilty after being accused of punching Michele McLeod in the face at their home in May. "The whole situation is still very concerning, not only to me, but to many other members of the House of Representatives," Gunn said. Mississippi Republican Chairman Lucien Smith sided with Gunn. "The Mississippi Republican Party continues to condemn domestic violence in the strongest possible terms," Smith said in an email. "I share Speaker Gunn's concerns about Rep. McLeod's actions and applaud him for referring this matter to the ethics committee." Michele McLeod testified he was under the influence of alcohol and ibuprofen and was in a "state of delirium" when she tripped over her yoga pants and collided with one of McLeod's limb, causing her nose to swell and bleed. |
| Congressman Steven Palazzo announces $1.4 million grant for Hattiesburg's Timberton Park | |
 | Congressman Steven Palazzo announced Monday a $1.4 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for the City of Hattiesburg to repair Timberton Park. The park was damaged during storms in 2017. "I am glad to see that the Hattiesburg community will finally be able to rebuild and repair the Timberton Park," Palazzo said. "It is important that members of the community and their families have a place to play and exercise." President Donald Trump declared a major disaster occurred in Mississippi, making Individual Assistance possible for people in Forrest, Lamar, Lauderdale and Perry counties. |
| Mississippi prisons may be worse than Alabama's. Will DOJ step in? | |
 | Mississippi has saved a lot of money on its prisons over the past several years. But as the experiences of next-door neighbor Alabama show, rampant violence and understaffing can eventually draw scrutiny from the U.S. Justice Department, with potentially costly consequences. In April, the Justice Department concluded that "there is reasonable cause to believe that the men's prisons [in Alabama] fail to protect prisoners from prisoner-on-prisoner violence and prisoner-on-prisoner sexual abuse, and fail to provide prisoners with safe conditions." It demanded that the state fix the problems or face possible litigation. Alabama's prisons are so bad, they violate the U.S. Constitution's guarantees against cruel and unusual punishment, the Justice Department has said. Mississippi's prisons may be as bad, or even worse, the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting and ProPublica reported. |
| As cancer kills another Biloxi Air Force reservist, his unit demands answers | |
 | Current and former Air Reserve Technicians at Keesler Air Force Base, in Biloxi, Mississippi, are raising the alarm that chemicals they were exposed to may be tied to a number of deaths and illnesses among their fellow airmen. "One thing I told my dad ... I have never seen so many people in one squadron pass away from cancer," said retired Air Force Reserve Master Sgt. Tamla McGhee, 45, who served with the 403rd Fabrication Flight from 2001 to 2012. The unit is comprised of about 15 or more reservists at a time who work on C-130J "hurricane hunters" and other aircraft removing corrosion, welding and drilling new parts, blasting off old paint and repainting the aircraft. McGhee and two other members of the unit talked to McClatchy after the loss two weeks ago of Air Force Reserve Tech Sgt. Sean Delcambre, who died Aug. 5 at age 34 from advanced-stage Hodgkin's disease and Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, which are blood cancers. Delcambre and members of Sean's unit are speaking out to try to raise awareness about what they suspect has threatened the health of members of the 403rd: exposure to hexavalent chromium, a chemical linked to cancer that was highlighted by the movie "Erin Brockovich." |
| Meat processing companies targeted in ICE immigration raids awarded millions in state grants | |
| Since 2009, Mississippi taxpayers paid nearly $4 million to help Peco Foods Inc. and Koch Foods, both food processing companies targeted in immigration enforcement raids in early August. Mississippi offers a variety of economic development programs to businesses, including tax incentives, grants and loans to encourage companies to locate or expand in the state, with the ultimate goal of bringing jobs to Mississippians. Mississippi Development Authority spokesperson Melissa Scallan said that none of the food processing companies raided in the recent immigration enforcement operation -- the nation's largest in a decade -- received traditional tax incentives from the state. The companies benefited from other incentives awarded to local governments for help with infrastructure improvements, including road construction and water and sewer systems. In some cases, the awards went unspent and returned to the state because either the company or local government could not meet certain requirements. |
| Federal scientists warned of coming opioid crisis in 2006 | |
 | Two of the government's top scientists detected the first signs of the emerging opioid crisis back in 2006 and tried to warn health officials and the public of the coming catastrophe, according to a confidential document obtained by POLITICO. The effort didn't lead to any real action, and the toll of death and addiction climbed. More than 133,000 people have died from prescription opioids since then -- and hundreds of thousands more from street drugs including heroin and illicit fentanyl. The scientists' March 15, 2006 memo, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, shows that the directors from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institutes of Health flagged "disturbing" data showing a dramatic uptick in opioid addiction -- including among teenagers -- and requested urgent action. The agency directors wanted then-U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona to alert the public to the dangers of prescription drug abuse. |
| To Honor John McCain, His Wife Says, Americans Could Be Nicer To One Another | |
 | To some, Republican Sen. John McCain embodied principles of a bygone Washington: He sought common ground; he reached across the political divide; he had close friendships with Democrats. His wife, Cindy McCain, would like to try to get back to those days. So to mark a year since her husband died of brain cancer, she is encouraging Americans to be more civil. "We're missing John's voice of reason right now in so many ways," McCain tells NPR's David Greene. In politics and in life, the climate has grown especially nasty since John McCain died. And so, his wife says, to honor his legacy, "it felt to me that the right thing to do was to encourage people to perform acts of civility" during the last week of August and then post about them on social media. "Agree to disagree, but just be civil about it," she says. |
| Let the good Tides roll: Tidechella welcomes Alabama students | |
 | Incoming University of Alabama students enjoyed an evening of entertainment Monday as part of the "Yea, Alabama! Weeks of Welcome," designed to welcome freshmen and transfer students to the Capstone. Coleman Coliseum hosted the Monday festivities, which included live music, a fashion show, free food and beverages, games and interactive activities. Monday's four-hour event was called Tidechella, after the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival held annually in California. "Yea, Alabama! Weeks of Welcome" continues Tuesday night with a convocation at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Classes for the fall semester are scheduled to begin Wednesday. |
| False alarm of armed intruder on LSU campus was likely off-duty law enforcement officer | |
 | Orientation activities were placed on hold and some incoming LSU freshmen found themselves barricaded inside classrooms Tuesday while authorities spent hours investigating reports of an armed intruder on LSU's campus before ultimately issuing the all clear. Alarm spread among some students and faculty during a time of heightened anxiety about gun violence nationally following the mass shootings in Texas and Ohio earlier this month. But LSU police ultimately determined there was no threat and officials said the initial call probably stemmed from an off-duty law enforcement officer who was on campus for a programming event in Coates Hall, the building that was evacuated while police did a full sweep of all rooms. LSU spokesman Ernie Ballard III said officials followed national standards for possible armed intruders or active shooters -- including the "run, hide or fight" language that was distributed in the initial alert. Ballard said some people questioned whether such language was necessary, but he said officials acted out of an abundance of caution and followed normal protocols. |
| U. of Tennessee prof sexually harassed students for years, report says | |
 | Henri Grissino-Mayer, the longtime University of Tennessee-Knoxville professor and tree ring expert who resigned last year amid a sexual misconduct investigation, repeatedly and frequently violated UT's sexual harassment policy over many years, according to a yearlong internal probe. In response, Chancellor Donde Plowman is calling for an external review of UT's sexual misconduct investigation process. In a report from the Office of Equity and Diversity obtained by Knox News, the office "has found multiple, frequent and repeated instances of touchings, comments, statements, jokes, stories, descriptions and references to topics of a sexual nature that do not relate to the courses, labs or other academic activity" that "occurred over a period of many years." Grissino-Mayer has denied the allegations against him and said he was being targeted because of his status in the field of dendrochronology, the science of dating tree rings. |
| Handshake, popular career-services platform, now open to all students | |
 | Since its launch in 2014, career-services platform Handshake has dominated the higher ed market. Despite revelations that fraudsters have been able to create faux internships on Handshake, and students raising privacy concerns, the online service has spread to more than 800 institutions, where college career centers mainly use it to connect students to potential employers -- including every Fortune 500 company. Handshake has been moving for years toward a business model more akin to networking websites such as LinkedIn or Facebook. The platform's most recent shift, announced Tuesday, seems to continue this trend, though Handshake's co-founder, Garrett Lord, said it is not a media company. Now any student with an email address ending in .edu can sign up on Handshake for free without being required to be enrolled at one of the colleges or universities with which the company has partnered. |
| U. of Chicago student who bit her would-be attacker acted in keeping with new studies on sex assault | |
| When a University of Chicago student fought off a would-be sexual assault by biting her attacker earlier this week, it was an encouraging example of female empowerment. It was also, in some ways, a sign of the times. Discouraged by police in the 1980s and dismissed as victim-blaming in the 1990s, self-defense against sexual assault has gotten a big boost in the past five years, thanks to new studies showing a reduction in sexual assault among women who take courses on how to fend off unwanted advances. "It's very exciting to us," said Martha Thompson, a senior instructor at the self-defense nonprofit IMPACT Chicago, which serves women and girls. "There's still research to be done, but these studies have really demonstrated using scientific methodology that women and girls who go through self-defense programming are much less likely to experience sexual violence." Thompson said IMPACT's approach includes both prevention and self-defense, with many graduates saying the techniques they used the most involved setting boundaries and asserting themselves verbally. "We teach that kicking and striking are tools of last resort," said Thompson. |
| College rankings might as well be student rankings | |
| Each year various magazines and newspapers publish college rankings in an attempt to inform parents and prospective students which colleges are supposedly the best. U.S. News & World Report's "Best Colleges" -- perhaps the most influential of these rankings -- first appeared in 1983. Since then, many other rankings have emerged, assessing colleges and universities on cost, the salaries of graduates and other factors. For example, in releasing its new college rankings in August 2019, Forbes said it "eschews common metrics like acceptance rate, endowment and freshmen SAT scores" and focuses instead on outputs like "student debt, alumni salary, graduation rate and student satisfaction." In 2018 The Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education released their new rankings, which judge colleges on things that range from how much graduates earn to the campus environment to how much students engaged with instructors. But what, if anything, do all these college rankings really reveal about the quality and value of a particular college? |
| The Marist list reveals what the freshmen know | |
| It seems like it's always been here, but this is only the 22nd edition. The Marist Mindset List (formerly the Beloit list) after the college that founded it, is the list that tells you what freshmen know -- and what they don't (traditional age freshman). Marist College took over the list this year. A few observations: The Tech Big Four -- Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Google -- are to them what the Big Three automakers were to their grandparents. Snapchat has become their social media app of choice, thus relieving them of the dilemma of whether or not to friend Mom. YouTube has become the video version of Wikipedia. With flyovers, honor guards, and "God Bless America," sporting events have always been marked by emphatic patriotism. |
| Wayne Weidie cast meaningful shadow over modern political evolution | |
| Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: One of the state's best known and most influential political journalists of the 1970s and 1980s died last week after a courageous battle with cancer. I will sorely miss him. Wayne Weidie died Aug. 15 at his home in Venice, Florida. He was 78. He was one of the great friends and professional associates of my life -- a man with whom I shared a lot of laughter and front-row seats to some of the most intriguing political dramas in Mississippi's last half-century. We were members of a relatively small tribe of Mississippi opinion/editorial writers plying our trade in Mississippi newspapers in the days in which newspapers were in the apex of their strength, influence, and circulation. It was before the Internet and social media and before people sought their news on websites and in tweets. |
SPORTS
| State excited about TE Geor'quarius Spivey skill set | |
| Despite a logjam at the tight end position last year, Mississippi State was able to get its promising freshman Geor'quarius Spivey onto the field for three games while still maintaining his redshirt status. Spivey saw the field against Stephen F. Austin, Louisiana and Louisiana Tech and now feels ready to take on an expanded role within the Bulldogs' offense. "Those helped me learn how the games are going to be when I actually start playing a lot," Spivey said. "Since I played in those three games, this year I feel like I'll be more comfortable and know how to react to certain situations." Spivey spent most of last season on the scout team going against MSU's No. 1 ranked defense. He drew the unenviable task of trying to block eventual NFL first round pick Montez Sweat each day at practice. "Going against Montez Sweat made me a better player because he's one of the best players in the nation," Spivey said. "I knew if I could block him that I'd be able to block anybody like that." |
| Mississippi State guard Jordan Danberry granted another year of eligibility | |
| When Jordan Danberry walked off the court at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon, after Mississippi State lost to Oregon in the Elite Eight in March, she headed to the Bulldogs' locker room to take off her maroon and white jersey for what she presumed would be the final time. It wasn't. Tuesday night, the NCAA granted Danberry another year of eligibility. Danberry transferred to Mississippi State in January 2017 after playing just six games as a sophomore at Arkansas. She was not able to redshirt during the 2017-18 season. She made her MSU debut as a junior on Dec. 10, 2017. After two full seasons in Starkville, Danberry gets a third. She graduated from the university last December and will now pursue a master's degree. She was on the SEC Academic Honor Roll last season. "I'm grateful for the opportunity to play another year at Mississippi State while I work towards finishing my MBA," Danberry said. |
| Mississippi State's Jordan Danberry awarded more eligibility | |
| Mississippi State's women's basketball team received a huge boost on Tuesday. Jordan Danberry's waiver for a final year of eligibility was approved by the NCAA and the 5-foot-8 guard will be back with the Bulldogs this season. "This team means a lot to me, and I'm honored and excited to get back on the court," Danberry said. "I'd like to thank the coaches and the compliance department for helping me, as well as the NCAA for granting me another year of eligibility." "I think it's fair," said MSU coach Vic Schaefer. "Jordan has really only played two full seasons in her career." The Conway, Arkansas native earned her bachelor's degree last December in business economics and is currently pursuing an MBA. |
| Jordan Danberry receives extra year eligibility for Mississippi State women's basketball | |
 | Jordan Danberry is back. The senior guard will rejoin Mississippi State for the upcoming season after being granted an extra year of eligbility by the NCAA. Danberry, a one-time Arkansas transfer, played just six games of her sophomore year for the Razorbacks before enrolling at MSU in January 2017. Per NCAA rules, she was forced to sit out a year and debuted Dec. 10, 2017 against Little Rock. "I'm grateful for the opportunity to play another year at Mississippi State while I work towards finishing my MBA," Danberry said in a news release. "This team means a lot to me, and I'm honored and excited to get back on the court." A Conway, Arkansas native, Danberry averaged 13.1 points per game and doled out 125 assists last year. Her 1.47 assist/turnover ration also ranked eighth in the SEC. "What she adds to this program, team and university is something really special," coach Vic Schaefer said of Danberry. |
| USM will become state's first major university to sell beer, wine at football games | |
 | The University of Southern Mississippi will become the state's first major university to offer alcoholic beverages at football games when it begins selling beer and light wine later this season. Starting Sept. 28, fans 21 and older with valid government-issued identification will be able to buy beer and light wine at eight locations in M.M. Roberts Stadium, according to a news release. If successful during the football season, selling beer and wine at the university's other athletic venues may be considered. Bill Martin, senior associate athletic director of football communications for Mississippi State University, said the Bulldogs will not be selling beer or wine this football season. "It's certainly something that there could be future discussions about, but there will be no changes to our alcohol policy this year," he said. A call to Kyle Campbell, associate athletic director of football and athletics communications at the University of Mississippi, was not immediately returned. |
| Cajuns coach Billy Napier encouraged by improvement through camp | |
| As the calendar moves closer to Aug. 31 and UL's season opener against Mississippi State draws near, Cajuns coach Billy Napier continues to see improvement from his ball club. The Cajuns completed their second and final major scrimmage of fall camp over the weekend and Napier walked away having seen something he hadn't seen before in his short stint as UL's head football coach. "Lots of players played better, improved, in their execution. It was very physical, very fast, very competitive, probably the best scrimmage since we've been here." Napier told reporters Monday afternoon. Having front line talent, which the Cajuns have plenty of, is one thing, but Napier knows in order to compete for a Sun Belt Conference title and make it through a 12-game regular season, it's going to take more than 11 players on each side of the ball. Depth is critical to the team's success in 2019, a point he's driven home to his club. |
| As U. of Tennessee preps for alcohol sales at Neyland, scooters will be removed on game days | |
| As football season quickly approaches for Tennessee, the University of Tennessee wants to make sure fans are prepared for the season. One major change this year: alcohol will be served at games starting on Sept. 7. In another change for Knoxville, scooters will be removed from the city on each game day to cut down on traffic. The University of Tennessee Police Department, as well as stadium staff, has undergone a series of trainings to prepare for the addition of alcohol in the stadium. UTPD is "very cognizant" of the drinking that will now occur at events, UTPD Chief Troy Lane said at a news conference on Tuesday. However, this is something they've been aware of for several years. "As you can imagine, working on a college campus, we're not averse to dealing with alcohol issues, so I don't see any reason to think we will have much problem in that regard," Lane said. |
| Like portable meat lockers, body recovery zones keep Memphis football team fresh at practice | |
| The two storage bins stood tall behind the south end zone at Memphis' practice facility Tuesday. The rumbling noise offset the usual sounds of hip-hop and coaches barking orders. Inside the units? A gateway to relief from the summer heat. During two water breaks, players ran over to the bins where they felt the temperature drop 70 degrees. The official name for them are body recovery zones. But ask the players and they'd call it a cooling chamber. "It's really helpful. It help cools you down. It shakes you back so you can come back out to practice and you can get full speed," defensive lineman O'Bryan Goodson said. "That chamber there? It's really helpful." LSU was the first to receive two cooling units in 2017, and it added two more last season during preseason practice. It quickly expanded to Clemson, Alabama and South Carolina and Louisiana-Lafayette. The NFL's New Orleans Saints also used it last season. |
| Dan Mullen, Manny Diaz set aside friendship ahead of Gators, 'Canes season opener | |
| A mostly forgettable game during a challenging first season as a head coach also was the start of a fruitful and deep-rooted relationship for Dan Mullen. While his Mississippi State Bulldogs coasted to a 27-6 win at Middle Tennessee during the 2009 season, Mullen discovered a kindred spirit in Manny Diaz, who was the Blue Raiders' defensive coordinator. Little did either coach realize on that October night before an announced crowd of 23,882 fans in Murfreesboro, each would be working side by side a season later in the SEC cauldron -- and again in 2015. On Saturday night, Mullen and Diaz will stand on opposite sidelines for the first time as head coaches, when the Florida Gators and Miami Hurricanes square off in Orlando's Camping World Stadium. The matchup between one of college football's top play-callers (Mullen) and best defensive minds (Diaz) also is a reunion of two men who helped each other reach this point in their careers. |
| Liberty coach Hugh Freeze had potentially life-threatening infection | |
| Liberty coach Hugh Freeze is recovering from surgery he underwent Friday at the University of Virginia Medical Center after a potentially life-threatening strand of staph infection entered his bloodstream and complicated what was already severe pain he was experiencing from a herniated disk in his back. Freeze, in his first season as the Flames' coach, will remain in the hospital through at least sometime next week while doctors continue to run tests. He said the outpouring of support from Liberty president Jerry Falwell Jr. and others at the school and the lengths so many people have gone to in order to make sure Freeze received the best care has been humbling. Freeze was out of coaching for the past two years. He resigned at Ole Miss in July 2017 after school officials discovered that he had made a series of calls to a number associated with a female escort service. |
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