| Tuesday, October 8, 2019 |
| Mississippi State opens new media center in Mitchell Memorial Library | |
 | Students at Mississippi State University have a new media center with all the latest tech gadgets. A ribbon-cutting at the MaxxSouth Digital Media Center was held Monday. It's located in the Mitchell Memorial Library. The center will give students access to high-end professional software and other equipment, giving students hands-on learning with digital media. There's a multi-media lab, virtual reality stations, even a fully operational television studio. |
| Growing the big one: 6 tips for your own prize-winning tomatoes | |
 | Richard Snyder, a professor of horticulture and Extension vegetable specialist at Mississippi State University, writes for The Conversation: When I answer my office phone as an extension vegetable specialist, from time to time it's someone asking how they can get recognition for growing a huge tomato, possibly the biggest one ever. When I ask how big a tomato we're talking about, and the caller says 2 or 2.5 pounds, I have to hold back my laughter and gently explain that that is nowhere even close to a record. So just how big is big? Growers in various states have set various records -- New Jersey was home to a 6-pound, 2.5-ounce tomato, Oklahoma has boasted a 7-pound, 12-ounce one and Minnesota weighed in at 8 pounds, 6 ounces. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Dan Sutherland of Walla Walla, Washington is the current tomato king, having produced a tomato tipping the scale at 8 pounds, 9 ounces in 2016. If you take that as a challenge to your own tomato-growing prowess, read on for tips on how to nurture a massive tomato. |
| 30 women in robotics you need to know about - 2019 | |
| From Mexican immigrant to MIT, from Girl Power in Latin America to robotics entrepreneurs in Africa and India, the 2019 annual "women in robotics you need to know about" list is here! We've featured 150 women so far, from 2013 to 2018, and this time we're not stopping at 25. We're featuring 30 inspiring #womeninrobotics because robotics is growing and there are many new stories to be told, including Cindy Bethel, Professor and Billie J. Ball Endowed Professorship in Engineering -- Mississippi State University. Prof. Cindy Bethel's research at MSU ranges from designing social robots for trauma victims to mobile robots for law enforcement and first responders. She focuses on human-robot interaction, human-computer interaction and interface design, robotics, affective computing, and cognitive science. Bethel was a NSF Computing Innovation Postdoctoral Research Fellow (CIFellow) at Yale University, the Director of the Social, Therapeutic, and Robotic Systems (STaRS) Lab, and is the 2019 U.S.-Australian Fulbright Senior Scholar at the University of Technology, Sydney. |
| 3-D printers can work while you sleep | |
 | For a long time, there seemed to be more hype around 3-D printers than there were practical applications. But now exciting things are being done by 3-D printers in Mississippi, including plans by Relativity Space at the Stennis Space Center to build an autonomous rocket factory. Duane McLemore, an assistant professor at the Mississippi State University College of Art, Architecture and Design, said Relativity Space is famous for its use of 3-D printing in parts for aerospace. "At one point they had the largest metal 3-D printer in the country to build a fuel tank for one of their rockets," McLemore said. "That is not architecture, but we are trying to interface with that kind of technology. One of the imperatives for me in architectural education is that it is simply the future of fabrication inside and outside of architecture." For architecture students, 3-D printers allow students to develop prototypes of test out a physical sample of a complex form or idea. |
| PSC Commissioner Brandon Presley talks rural internet at Rotary | |
 | Mississippi Northern District Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley preached his ongoing gospel of rural high speed bipartisan internet at the Starkville Rotary Club Monday. Presley has served three terms as public service commissioner, and is running unopposed for a fourth. He is a native of Nettleton. In his address, Presley discussed his plans for high speed internet in rural areas of the state. He compared the importance of high speed internet in the present day to the importance of electricity in the development of rural Mississippi in the 1930s. "Alcorn County Electric Power Association was the first rural electric cooperative created in America, quickly followed by Pontotoc County, the second in America, the third being Prentiss County Electric," Presley said. He said he hoped the trend would continue, saying the service was a necessity in the current day and age. |
| Oktibbeha County supervisors focus on infrastructure needs | |
| The Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors met on a rainy Monday morning and approved several road and bridge projects around the county. Most notably, after a brief executive session with Starkville City Attorney Chris Latimer, supervisors approved two instances of property acquisition along Blackjack Road as part of the county's ongoing effort to expand and improve that road. One section of land was donated to the county, and another was obtained for a negotiated price of $5,000. While some property must still be acquired before work can begin, Board President Orland Trainer of District 2 said Monday's gains were an important step."We're excited," Trainer said. "It's getting us closer to the goal line. We're still not ready to start construction, but we're getting close." Trainer said two other cases of land acquisition were being sorted out and would not likely cost the county anything to obtain. He also said supervisors recognized the dire state of the road. |
| Historic preservation of buildings provides numerous economic benefits | |
| The components of a city are as multifaceted as the elements of a successful business. "One undeniable factor for attracting visitors, new residents, and high-quality professionals to any town is character," said Belinda Stewart, FAIA, principal, Belinda Stewart Architects, PA, Eupora. "With all the choices available in this highly connected world, Mississippi's got character covered, if we can keep it." Stewart said they see historic preservation as one of the most visible and supportive character retaining elements to Mississippi's economy. Think of cities like Greenwood, Laurel and Cleveland which have celebrated their unique architecture, and are on the way to restoring their historic town cores to support not only the coffee and dress shops, but multi-family housing, hospitality and education facilities. |
| Two candidates for governor agree to second debate | |
 | The two major-party nominees for Mississippi governor have agreed to a second debate. Democratic Attorney General Jim Hood said Monday that he has accepted an invitation for Oct. 14 at WCBI in Columbus. Republican Tate Reeves accepted the invitation last month. That debate in Columbus happens four days after their first one, which is set for Thursday on the University of Southern Mississippi campus in Hattiesburg. It's being produced by WJTV/WHLT-TV and will air locally at 7 pm on WTVA. Constitution Party candidate Bob Hickingbottom and independent candidate David Singletary are running low-budget campaigns for governor. The general election is Nov. 5. |
| Second gubernatorial debate now scheduled | |
 | A second gubernatorial debate between Jim Hood and Tate Reeves has now been scheduled to occur in Columbus next week, only a few days after the men will share a debate stage in Hattiesburg. Hood -- a Democrat -- announced on Twitter Monday that he'll accept an invitation offered by the Columbus television station WCBI. Republican candidate Reeves had previously accepted that debate invite. If both those debates hold, then there will be two gubernatorial debates in the state within a period of less than a week, with no more debates likely to occur in the last two weeks before the Nov. 5 general election. Any chance that a third debate occurs appears unlikely now. "We wanted three, but I bet we end up with two," Hood told the Daily Journal. WLBT had offered to host a debate in late October. The Hood campaign accepted the invite, but in a recent interview Reeves declined to say whether he would consider that debate. |
| Teacher activism is making Red State governor's races competitive | |
| Paula Howard teaches in a Republican stronghold in north Mississippi, along the Tennessee border. She usually votes Republican and is closely following the campaign of Jerry Darnell, a Republican educator running to represent Howard's home district in the state Legislature. But -- while energized about the possibility of sending a conservative colleague to the state Capital -- for governor she's backing the Democrat, Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood. She likes his calls to dramatically increase funding for education, including raising teacher pay, directing an additional $300 million to school districts, and expanding the state's public pre-K program. And, like other teachers around the state, she hasn't forgiven the GOP's gubernatorial candidate, Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, for opposing a 2015 school funding initiative that would have increased money for education. "It's not about a ticket," Howard said. "It's about what they can do for our children." Mississippians last sent a Democrat to the governor's mansion in 1999. But November's gubernatorial match up will be competitive, political experts say. |
| Mississippi defends 15-week abortion ban in appeals court | |
| A federal court that rejected Mississippi's 15-week abortion ban should have let the state present evidence about whether a fetus experiences pain, an attorney for the state argued Monday. But a lawyer for Mississippi's only abortion clinic said the Supreme Court has been clear that a woman has a right to have an abortion before the fetus is viable. The arguments came during a hearing at the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on a Mississippi law that would ban most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. It's one of many laws pushed by conservative states in recent years, aimed at trying to persuade the increasingly conservative Supreme Court to further restrict the amount of time when abortion is legally available, or even to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. That decision said women have the right to terminate pregnancies until viability, when a fetus can survive outside the womb. |
| Congress pressures Trump to back down on Syria 'betrayal' | |
 | President Donald Trump changed the conversation from impeachment -- at least for a day -- with his move to abruptly withdraw U.S. forces from Syria. But he also opened a front with Congress that may prove unsustainable. From steadfast GOP allies and liberal Democrats backing an impeachment inquiry, the blowback to Trump is coming from all angles, suggesting a real bipartisan pressure campaign that could force the president to reverse himself. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is reminding Trump of supermajorities supporting a U.S. presence in Syria. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is threatening sanctions against Turkey in partnership with Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.). And a bipartisan pair of Senate Foreign Relations Committee members are demanding administration officials testify before Congress. The Republican Senate has already shown a willingness to confront Trump on Syria and other foreign policy matters, and the gears are quickly turning in Congress to force Trump to back down. |
| Trump Administration Blocks Ambassador's Testimony, A Key Witness in Ukraine Scandal | |
 | The Trump administration has blocked Gordon Sondland, President Trump's ambassador to the European Union, from testifying before Congress Tuesday. Sondland has been a key figure in the widening Ukraine scandal involving the president, members of his Cabinet and high-ranking diplomats. "Early this morning, the U.S. Department of State directed Ambassador Gordon Sondland not to appear today for his scheduled transcribed interview before the U.S. House of Representatives Joint Committee," the law firm representing Sondland said in a statement. "Ambassador Sondland had previously agreed to appear voluntarily today, without the need for a subpoena, in order to answer the Committee's questions on an expedited basis. As the sitting U.S. Ambassador to the EU and employee of the State Department, Ambassador Sondland is required to follow the Department's direction." Shortly after the announcement that Sondland would not testify President Trump himself weighed in. He noted that he would "love" for Sondland to testify, it would be "before a totally compromised kangaroo court." |
| As Rural Groceries Fade Away, Lawmakers Wonder Whether to Act | |
| Nancy McCloud did not have any food industry bona fides. She had never worked in a grocery store; not even a restaurant. And yet three years ago, when her local grocery in central New Mexico closed, she wanted to offer the community (population: 863) the fresh foods they otherwise would have to travel 47 miles to get. Mountainair, New Mexico, is a popular tourist stop because of its proximity to 17th century ruins that harken to the earliest contact between Pueblo Indians and Spanish colonials. It's known as the "gateway to ancient cities." But without a grocery store, McCloud feared Mountainair might become another relic of the past. Some states are trying to tackle their rural grocery gaps. But every town and every store is different, making statewide solutions elusive. Some legislators say they are reluctant to intervene too heavily because the market should close the gaps. In rural areas, the poor tend to live farther from supermarkets than residents with more resources. The median distance to the nearest food store for rural populations in 2015 was 3.11 miles, and a shade farther for rural households enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, according to a May USDA report. |
| Georgia man brings gay rights case to U.S. Supreme Court | |
| Over the past two decades, gays and lesbians have won enormous U.S. Supreme Court victories that pulled the LGBTQ community ever closer to legal equality. The court overturned criminal sodomy laws in 2003, required the government to extend benefits to gay couples in 2013 and, in its landmark ruling four years ago, legalized same-sex marriage. Now a Georgia man finds himself at the center of what is expected to be the next big ruling on gay rights, the high court's first with a new, solidly conservative majority of justices. Gerald Bostock claims he was fired from his job with Clayton County because he's gay. His case, to be argued Tuesday, asks the high court to find that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects millions of gays and lesbians across the country from discrimination in the workplace. Bostock, 55, says that same law should have protected him. Bostock's case, significant because of its potential ramifications, is also notable because it presents the high court with its first major LGBTQ case since Justice Anthony Kennedy left the bench. |
| GM strike ripple effect: Auto parts shortages and layoffs hit Tennessee | |
| With the UAW strike now in week four, car dealers report parts shortages and some independent suppliers have resorted to layoffs until General Motors ramps up vehicle production again. Independent factories that make parts for strike-bound GM plants have laid off employees across Tennessee, UAW officials said Output also has been slowed for replacement parts for GM vehicles. Dealers handling GM's brands -- Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC -- report they are scrambling to find auto parts for their vehicle service departments. After the GM-UAW labor contract expired, more than 46,000 UAW members walked out at GM plants on Sept. 16, including the GMC and Cadillac assembly line at Spring Hill. Many independent factories that are not on strike tried to keep their workers busy on maintenance tasks once GM stopped producing vehicles. As the strike wore on, these independent factories sent some workers home. It is not clear yet how many total people in Tennessee have been idled. |
| Magic Johnson to appear at Jackson State's First Lady's Scholarship Luncheon | |
| NBA legend and successful entrepreneur Earvin "Magic" Johnson will make a special appearance at Jackson State University for the 2019 First Lady's Scholarship Luncheon. The luncheon will be hosted by Deborah E. Bynum, wife of JSU president William B. Bynum Jr., at 11 a.m. on Thursday, October 10th in the Jackson Convention Complex. The event will help well-deserving students and feature keynote speaker and Tennessee State University President, Dr. Glenda Baskin Glover. Proceeds from the luncheon will help students "tackle the financial obstacle that they face," said Deborah Bynum. Johnson is chairman and CEO of Magic Johnson Enterprises, which provides products and services that focus primarily on ethnically diverse and underserved urban communities. In 2006, MJE partnered with Sodexo. Collaboratively, Johnson formed a food service and facilities management company called SodexoMAGIC. It provides dining and catering services throughout JSU's campuses. |
| Accrediting body to conduct formal review of U. of South Carolina's presidential search process | |
 | The University of South Carolina's accrediting body will conduct a full, formal review of the school's presidential search. The issue at hand is USC's compliance with Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) requirements that there is no "undue influence" in university matters, according a letter sent from the accrediting body's president, Belle Wheelan, to President Robert Caslen and the chairman of USC's board of trustees. "After reviewing the material submitted, we have determined there is evidence of a significant accreditation-related issue," Wheelan wrote. The threat to USC's accreditation has been the most severe fallout from the controversial presidential search earlier this year. USC has said it will bring in a third-party group, the Association of Governing Board of Universities and Colleges, to review "our board's policies and practices," USC spokesman Jeff Stensland said in an email. |
| Special SC State House committee to review controversial hiring of USC President Robert Caslen | |
| S.C. Senate President Harvey Peeler created a special committee Monday to look into the controversial hiring of new University of South Carolina President Robert Caslen this summer. But Peeler, a Cherokee Republican who called the search process "embarrassing," appointed one of Caslen's most vocal supporters in the State House as the committee's chairman. Peeler created the panel at the request of state Sen. Darrell Jackson, a Richland Democrat who was critical of Republican Gov. Henry McMaster's involvement in Caslen's hiring. Jackson said he wants to interview USC trustees and some governor's office staffers to publicly reveal the extent of McMaster's influence. The committee's findings could be useful in a future Senate debate on a proposal by Peeler to restructure USC's board, Jackson said. "It appeared to those of us looking from the outside to be very chaotic, not organized and -- some folks may think -- heavy handed with political influence," Jackson said of the presidential search process. "It looked embarrassing to the university and embarrassing to the state of South Carolina." |
| Just 350 books? U. of Florida professor chafes at library limit | |
 | Richard Burt owns more than 3,000 books. Filling his shelves at home and spilling over into his office at the University of Florida, he routinely increases that number by checking hundreds out from the university libraries. Burt loves books so much that it gets him in trouble. Until October, Burt had 728 books checked out from UF. He said he was given permission by Library West employee Jana Ronan to exceed the university's usual faculty limit of 350. But this semester, Burt was made to return all 378 extra or pay a fine of 25 cents per book per day. "The weird thing for me is not that a professor would want to check out over 350 books but that a library, of all places, would stop him," Burt said. "It just seems unjust." Burt, 65, who has a doctorate in Shakespeare's comedies from the University of California at Berkeley, is a tenured English professor and researcher at UF. He moved to Gainesville from California in 2003 for the job. |
| U. of Missouri professor to act as expert consultant for Supreme Court case | |
 | A landmark Supreme Court hearing on civil rights Tuesday comes close to home for a University of Missouri associate professor serving as an expert consultant. Francisco Sanchez, an MU associate professor of counseling psychology in the College of Education, along with two others, was chosen as an expert for plaintiffs in the hearing on cases that involve workplace discrimination against LGBTQ+ employees. The employees were terminated from their jobs because their employers believed that they failed to conform with expected sexual stereotypes based on their birth sex versus their gender identity, according to the American Psychologic Association amicus brief on the cases. In April, the Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments for the cases of Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, Altitude Express Inc. v. Zarda and R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes Inc. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. |
| New first-time graduate school enrollments are way up for ethnic minorities | |
 | Graduate school applications were up 2.2 percent year over year in 2018, and first-time enrollments increased 2.1 percent across institution types, according to a new report by the Council of Graduate Schools and the Educational Testing Service. The groups were especially pleased to see higher increases in first-time enrollments among people of color, including Latinx (6.8 percent), black (3.5 percent), Asian (6.2 percent) and Native American students (8.3 percent). Over all, 24.1 percent of all first-time enrollees who were U.S. citizens and permanent residents in fall 2018 were underrepresented minorities. Hironao Okahana, associate vice president, research and policy analysis, at the council, attributed those gains to increased attention to diversity on many campuses. "Graduate schools are prioritizing recruitment of traditionally underrepresented students and are eager to diversify their programs," he said Monday. And while the increases "are a good start," he added, "we must work to further support [underrepresented] students in their path to graduate school and beyond." |
| Trump's Education Chief in Hot Seat Over Student-Debt Collection | |
| U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos faces potential sanctions or a finding she's in contempt of court for continuing to collect on the debt of former students at bankrupt Corinthian Colleges Inc., going so far as seizing their tax refunds and wages. "I'm not sure if this is contempt or sanctions," U.S. Magistrate Judge Sallie Kim told lawyers for the Education Department at a hearing Monday in San Francisco. "I'm not sending anyone to jail yet but it's good to know I have that ability." The judge said she was "astounded" that the department violated her June order to stop collecting the debts from students, who had been promised refunds of their tuition. "At best it is gross negligence, at worst it's an intentional flouting of my order," Kim warned lawyers for the department. |
| Joe Biden pitches free community college, expanded loans in higher education plan | |
 | Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is proposing two years of free community college and expanded loans in an effort to make higher education more affordable. The former vice president's plan, announced Tuesday, would cost $750 billion over 10 years and be paid for by tax reform measures on the wealthiest Americans, according to the Biden campaign. The plan proposes providing two years of free community college or high-quality training for Americans. It falls short of proposing four free years of college, as his top progressive rivals in the 2020 primary, Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), have each proposed. Biden's plan would be a federal-state partnership, with the federal government covering up 75 percent of the costs and states contributing the remainder. The Biden plan also proposes a $50 billion investment in workforce training, including community-college business partnerships and apprenticeships. |
| New Report Explores How State Policy Impacts Access to Higher Education | |
| Higher education leaders often cite state disinvestment as one of the main problems plaguing their institutions. And it's true, state governments have allocated less resources to colleges and universities after the Great Recession in 2008. But state investment alone, while crucial, isn't enough to make higher education accessible, according to a new report by Ithaka S+R, a higher education consulting company. The brief advocates for states to create strategic plans for three financial factors -- appropriations, tuition and financial aid -- to better support underrepresented students. Each one is a facet of affordability, it argues, so when the three aren't aligned and considered together in a state-specific context, that leads to inefficient funding. "States really need to think about aligning all of their various funding policies in order to maximize the impact of this funding and maximize the state dollars that are going into higher education to really improve outcomes for students," said Ithaka S+R researcher Dr. James Dean Ward, an author of the report. |
| Students will be able to retake sections of ACT next year -- without repeating entire exam | |
 | Next September, students dissatisfied with their ACT scores will be able for the first time to retake a selected portion of the college admission test without having to repeat the entire exam. The policy change, announced Tuesday, is a major development for a high-stakes testing ritual that has stirred angst among generations of college-bound students. It means that a student who aced three of the ACT's four sections could choose to focus solely on raising the score of that troublesome fourth section without fear of getting lower results on the other three. Never in the 60-year history of the ACT has there been an option for a partial retake. The risk of a lower score on the second or third try has long posed a trade-off for students, parents and counselors who are pondering strategy on retests. |
| Oprah Winfrey donates $13 million to Morehouse College | |
| Oprah Winfrey donated $13 million to Morehouse College on Monday further contributing to her scholarship program at the institution that was founded more than 150 years ago to educate African American men. Winfrey topped her own $12 million donation she made to the Atlanta college 30 years ago. The $25 million donation is the largest endowment in the history of the school. "I was really surprised to learn that it's been 30 years since I made that $12 million donation to Morehouse, so today I would like to add $13 million to that," Winfrey said to cheers in an announcement at the school. Winfrey's gift comes less than two weeks after the college announced several budget cuts to help with the school's cash flow problems. For the next nine months most professional staff and faculty will receive a monthly furlough day and the school will cease matching contributions to retirement funds for all employees. |
| American research university association proposes, then abandons, plan to expel Canadian members | |
| The Association of American Universities has, like most of Washington's other lobbying groups, taken great umbrage at Trump administration policies and rhetoric suggesting that the United States would be better off if its borders were tighter and the world was less flat. The research university group has opposed the administration's travel ban, fretted over visa restrictions on Chinese students and sought to protect the children of undocumented immigrants, among other things. But the association -- without meaning to, its leaders insist -- appeared last week to send its own signals about turning inward and excluding the rest of the world when its leaders told AAU's two Canadian members, McGill University and the University of Toronto, that its board had approved a new policy that would restrict membership to U.S.-based universities, pending a vote of the 60 U.S. members at a meeting this month. The decision sent a dismaying message, suggested Suzanne Fortier, principal and vice chancellor of McGill, and Meric S. Gertler, president of Toronto. "There is no doubt that many may see this action as a parochial retreat from global engagement by America's leading research universities. That is certainly how it struck us." |
| Nobel Prize in physics goes to three scientists for their work in understanding the cosmos | |
| A Canadian American cosmologist and two Swiss scientists won this year's Nobel Prize in physics on Tuesday for their work in understanding how the universe has evolved from the Big Bang and the blockbuster discovery of the first known planet outside our solar system. Canadian-born James Peebles, 84, of Princeton University, was credited for "theoretical discoveries in physical cosmology" and Switzerland's Michel Mayor, 77, and Didier Queloz, 53, both from the University of Geneva, were honored for discovering "an exoplanet orbiting a solar-type star," said Prof. Goran Hansson, secretary general of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. The Nobel committee said Peebles' theoretical framework about the cosmos -- and its billions of galaxies and galaxy clusters -- amounted to "the foundation of our modern understanding of the universe's history, from the Big Bang to the present day." |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State's Joe Moorhead unconcerned with outside opinions | |
| Mississippi State didn't put its best foot forward in its last performance. The Bulldogs fell behind by three touchdowns 6:01 into a ballgame that turned into a 56-23 beatdown at Auburn on Sept. 28. "You can either dwell on it and allow the same game to beat you twice or you can correct it, put it to bed and move on," said MSU coach Joe Moorhead. "We chose the latter." Such a lopsided loss ignited its share of angst among MSU's fan base – most of which was directed at Moorhead himself with the Bulldogs sitting a 3-2 overall and 1-1 in conference play entering October. "When you take this job, praise and criticism are something that you need to be prepared for when something happens good or something happens bad," Moorhead said. "I'm sure there was some criticism for our performance in the Auburn game. It was warranted. I accept that and point the finger at myself. We needed to perform better against a quality opponent." Moorhead tried to keep a positive approach during last week's open date and not let outside opinions dictate the direction his team heads as they start preparations to play at Tennessee on Saturday. |
| Joe Moorhead addresses 'warranted' criticism of Mississippi State after loss to Auburn | |
 | Hey Bob from Bogue Chitto: Mississippi State head coach Joe Moorhead doesn't concern himself with your opinions about his football program. He said so himself. "I'm not going to focus my time, attention and efforts on Bob from Bogue Chitto's opinions of the team," Moorhead said when the Clarion Ledger asked him if he has heard criticism since the Auburn game and how that affects him. Don't get Moorhead wrong. He didn't say Bob -- a fictional character Moorhead made up during his Monday press conference -- can't be displeased with the way Mississippi State played in a 56-23 loss to Auburn two weeks ago. Actually, he said Bob had every reason to voice disappointment after that drubbing. "The criticism for our performance in the Auburn game is warranted," Moorhead said. "I accept that and point the finger at myself. We had to play better against a quality opponent." It's been 10 days since that loss. Moorhead said he and his staff have hit 101 high schools and have attended 20 games on the recruiting trail since then. Moorhead personally went to 14 schools and three games to scout future Bulldogs. Moorhead believes the majority of people who matter -- Mississippi State's administration, assistant coaches and players -- "are excited about the direction [MSU] is going." |
| MSU NOTEBOOK: Which QB will start on Saturday? | |
| Joe Moorhead has a big decision to make this week. The Mississippi State coach must decide if senior Tommy Stevens will continue on as the Bulldogs' starting quarterback for Saturday's game at Tennessee or if true freshman Garrett Shrader will take over those duties. "We have a starter in mind right now," Moorhead said. "That doesn't preclude both from playing either in a separate series or both at the same time. We have a plan for one to start, one to play and possibly for two to play at the same time." Health could be a huge determining factor in which signal caller gets the start. Both Stevens and Shrader are both "nicked up" with lower body injuries according to Moorhead but participated fully during Sunday's practice. "We kind of have a plan with what we expect to do with both of them healthy," Moorhead said. "We'll continue to grind through the week, work that plan and see where we're at on Friday." |
| Nicknames, card games and grilled pineapple: How the Mississippi State men's golf team built a 'family atmosphere' | |
 | Last fall, during his freshman season on the Mississippi State golf team, Austin Vukovits wanted to make an impression. He joined his teammates for a Thursday Night Football watch party at assistant coach Charlie Ewing's house. For the weekly event, it's "bring your own meat" for Ewing's grill, but Vukovits said he "wanted to do something weird." "I brought this big old pineapple," Vukovits said. "Everybody was like, 'What is this?'" Vukovits sliced up the fruit and grilled it -- something he'd only tried once before at home -- but his teammates were skeptical. "First time, nobody really ate it," Vukovits said. "But the third time, it was the most requested thing there." The Bulldogs warmed to the grilled pineapple just like they warmed to Vukovits, the Indiana native and the lone Northerner on the team. It's just one of many examples of the close relationships the team's 11 players have formed on and off the golf course. "Mississippi State is all about having a family atmosphere, and that's what we are," redshirt sophomore Ben Nelson said. |
| If a U. of Tennessee student-athlete is investigated, are coaches told about it? | |
 | If a student-athlete at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville is investigated by the university, there is no guarantee the coach will be told. The decision is made on a case-by-case basis, UT spokesman Owen Driskill said. Certain university officials can be notified if a student is investigated by the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards. "Federal student privacy laws allow school officials with a legitimate educational interest to receive information about a student," Driskill said. On Friday, Vols football coach Jeremy Pruitt dismissed linebacker Jeremy Banks, a sophomore from Cordova, saying his decision was due to "information I recently received." Pruitt didn't specify what information led to his decision, but dispatcher audio captured on police video of Banks' arrest on Sept. 15 during an unrelated traffic stop revealed he had been ordered by the university's student judiciary system to have no contact with a woman. The incident that resulted in the no-contact order happened in August. |
| Ole Miss announces list of beers, prices for Texas A&M game | |
| Ole Miss will be the second Mississippi university to offer beer during football games come Oct. 19. The Rebels' home game against Texas A&M will be the first game in which beers will be served inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Beer will continue to be sold the remaining home games against New Mexico State (Nov. 9) and LSU (Nov. 16). On Monday, the list of beers and how much they will cost was released by the athletic department. There will be six beers, as well as Henry's Hard Sparkling Water, available for fans over age 21 to purchase. There will be one Mississippi-made beer available out of the six. Suzy B is an American blond ale made by Hattiesburg's Southern Prohibition Brewery. Ole Miss and Texas A&M will kick off at 6:30 p.m. |
| Gardner Minshew's Throwback Mustache Inspires NFL Fans -- to the Horror of Their Spouses | |
 | T.J. Daufenbach remembers the first time he laid eyes on it. It was during the National Football League's preseason, and he was watching his beloved Baltimore Ravens play the Jacksonville Jaguars when a Ravens defender tackled the Jaguars' quarterback so hard that his helmet popped off. That's when Mr. Daufenbach saw Gardner Minshew II's mustache and became part of a growing problem in America: people trying to grow mustaches like Gardner Minshew's. Since taking over as Jacksonville's quarterback early this season, Mr. Minshew has emerged as a national sensation. This is in part because of his play on the field. It's also because of his aesthetic---specifically, his mustache. It is thick. It curves downward like a Fu Manchu. And it's changing the faces of football fans everywhere. Droves are trying to emulate the Fu Minshew, to the horror of another group: their loved ones. One person in particular agrees with naysayers like Ms. Billings. His name is Gardner Minshew. "There's a lot of bad mustaches out there right now," he says. "But hopefully we'll get them right." |
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