| Friday, November 1, 2019 |
| MSU Head Start program opens in Gulfport | |
 | The Mississippi State University's Extension Service has opened its Head Start program in Gulfport. With the new pre-school service comes a new beginning for students, teachers and parents. The first day of class is always special. Until the Isiah Fredericks Center is renovated, the Gulfport headquarters will be at Gaston Point, thanks to Gulfport School District Superintendent Glen East. "It's a very wonderful partnership, a true collaboration because he sees these children as his children, which they are," said Louise Davis, director of the MSU Head Start program. This is a first-time experience for many of the parents since MSU was awarded the Head Start contract in August, and to have the program is a relief. For a while, Markiel Bradford was left wondering. "Will I ever get a call? Will my child ever go to Head Start this year?" she said. "My child was already in daycare. It was a challenge, but we made it through with that phone call that I got Thursday." She was excited about what's to come. |
| MSU Commemorates New Walking and Cycling Path | |
 | Mississippi State University President Mark E. Keenum joined Starkville Mayor Lynn Spruill and representatives from the city of Starkville and Oktibbeha County to commemorate a new multi-use path on Locksley Way on Tuesday, Oct. 29. The walking and bike path links the south end of the MSU campus to the south side of Starkville, a release from MSU says. It runs from the intersection of South Montgomery and Locksley Way to the intersection of Blackjack Road and Stone Boulevard and connects to the Lynn Lane multi-use path, which runs from South Montgomery to McKee Park. Combined, the paths provide more than 2.5 miles of pedestrian pathways through high-traffic areas of Starkville, the release says. Locksley Way also features the first two-way cycle track in Mississippi and a stop for the Starkville-MSU Area Rapid Transit system. |
| MSMS Science Carnival shows elementary students science experiments | |
 | Students from Joe Cook Elementary School lined up around the table in the Pohl Gymnasium on Mississippi University for Women's campus Wednesday, watching a machine that resembled a Ferris wheel rotate to conduct electricity. William Sutton, a Monticello native and a senior at the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, put one hand on the machine, and one of the children agreed to do the same. The static electricity station was one of eight science-related stations at the annual MSMS Science Carnival. Unsurprisingly, the children were most excited to visit the veterinary station, where fourth-year Mississippi State University vet student Anne Elise Hertl had brought her two dogs, a black terrier mix named Ginger and a golden labrador mix named Bjorn. The children were taught how to safely approach an animal and gauge its demeanor, Hertl said. The MSU vet station became part of the Science Carnival a few years ago, clinical instructor Cooper Brookshire said. "We're really interested in mentoring at the vet school, and right now vet students teach MSMS students about veterinary medicine, and MSMS students teach the elementary students," he said. |
| Daylight saving time ending Sunday | |
 | Daylight saving time is almost over. On Sunday, clocks will need to fall back an hour, putting them in line with the standard time. Every time the time changes, there are grumbles over whether the time actually needs to be changed in the first place, but the question of daylight saving time isn't actually a priority to constituents, according to District 92 Rep. Becky Currie, R-Brookhaven. "I have not had one constituent call me about it, so I am assuming it is not big on their priority list," Currie said. Currie said the reasons don't matter much anymore, but there hasn't been enough support to make a change. Two bills in the legislature -- one to choose daylight saving time as a year-long standard, and the other to choose standard time -- died in committee in the 2019 legislative session. As for Currie, her feelings on daylight saving time are mixed. "I look forward to the time change, and then when it gets dark at 5 p.m. I begin to hate it," she said. "Like everyone else, I would get more done at home after work if it didn't get dark early." |
| Dog-friendly restaurants now a thing in Mississippi | |
| Dog owners can now dine with their canine friends on restaurant patios -- but under certain conditions, Mississippi health officials said. The Mississippi State Department of Health announced the policy, which went into effect Friday. "MSDH wants to support local businesses in their efforts to best accommodate their clientele. We've looked at other southern states -- including Georgia, Tennessee and South Carolina -- and have modeled our policy after theirs," said Jim Craig, MSDH senior deputy and director of health protection. "We assessed the health risks and identified the types of outdoor dining settings that would present low, minimal or no risk to the public." Under the new policy, the restaurant must have a separate outside entrance into a designated outdoor dog-friendly area that includes proper signage defining the area, MSDH officials said. Pet dogs are not permitted to travel through indoor or non-designated outdoor portions of the restaurant. |
| Economy added solid 128,000 jobs in October despite GM strike and loss of census workers | |
 | U.S. hiring was surprisingly solid last month as employers added 128,000 jobs despite a General Motors strike that held down overall payrolls and the loss of 20,000 temporary census workers. The showing highlights a healthy economy that eases recession concerns. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg expected 85,000 job gains. The unemployment rate, which is calculated from a different survey, rose from a 50-year low of 3.5% to 3.6%, the Labor Department said Friday. That's because a strong increase in employment was offset by an even bigger rise in the labor force, which includes Americans working and looking for jobs. Even more encouraging: Job gains for August and September were revised up by 95,000. August's additions were bumped from 168,000 to 219,000 and September's from 136,000 180,000. The six-week GM strike reduced employment by 42,000, Labor said. That's a blip that's likely to boost November payrolls since striking workers will be back on the job, Morgan Stanley said before the report was released. And the number of workers preparing for the 2020 census fell by 20,000. |
| US judge not blocking multistep Mississippi election system | |
 | A federal judge ruled Friday that he will not immediately block Mississippi's unique, multistep process for electing a governor and other statewide officials. U.S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan III said he would not issue a preliminary injunction to prevent the system from being used in Tuesday's elections. Mississippi's 1890 constitution requires a statewide candidate to win a majority of the popular vote and a majority of the 122 state House districts. If nobody wins both, the election is decided by the House, and representatives are not obligated to vote as their districts did. The process was written when white politicians across the South were enacting Jim Crow laws to erase black political power gained during Reconstruction, and the separate House vote was promoted as a way for the white ruling class have the final say in who holds office. |
| Judge won't block Mississippi election law: Lawmakers could still choose next governor | |
 | Mississippi lawmakers could still pick the state's next governor if Tuesday voting results in a tight race, after a federal judge ruled Friday he will not immediately block Mississippi's Jim-Crow era two-step process for electing statewide office holders. A Jim Crow-era law that was being challenged in federal court requires a two-step process for a statewide candidate to be elected, similar to the federal Electoral College system. The law includes a provision where the Mississippi House -- which convenes in early January -- could ultimately choose the winner. No other state has this system for selecting a governor. U.S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan III said he would not issue a preliminary injunction to prevent the system from being used in Tuesday's elections. Jordan wrote Friday that he would issue a separate order on state officials' request that he dismiss the lawsuit. |
| Tupelo prepares for President Trump's visit | |
 | Wherever President Donald Trump has appeared across the country, whether for one of his own rallies or for a Republican candidate's campaign, vendors selling merchandise have been following behind. Among them is Jesse Williamson, who has set up one of three tents in and around Tupelo. With the president coming to rally for gubernatorial candidate Tate Reeves Friday, Williamson set up almost a week early to prepare for the hordes of Trump supporters. The president is scheduled to speak at the BancorpSouth Arena around 7 p.m. Friday. It is his second visit to the All-American City, having had a rally in November for then-U.S. Senatorial candidate Cindy Hyde-Smith at the Tupelo Regional Airport. On Friday, Trump will again land at the airport but will ride in a motorcade to the 10,000-seat BancorpSouth Arena in downtown Tupelo. "I've been doing this the last two years," Williamson said. "Business is hit-or-miss. It just depends on the day, but for the most part, it's pretty good." |
| Trump stumping in Mississippi ahead of tough governor's race | |
| President Donald Trump is traveling to Mississippi on Friday to try to shore up Republican support ahead of the state's toughest governor's race in nearly a generation, with two established politicians competing for the open seat. Four years ago, Mississippi's Democratic nominee governor was a little-known trucker who did not vote for himself in the primary and went on to lose the general election by more than 34 percentage points. Republicans have held the Mississippi governorship for 24 of the past 28 years. This year, though, Democrats in this conservative Deep South state think they have a much better shot in Tuesday's election with Jim Hood as their nominee. |
| Hood's performance in 2015, especially in House districts, helped dictate Trump's visit to Tupelo | |
| The reason the decision was made for President Donald Trump to come to Tupelo instead of other areas of the state -- some more populous -- to campaign for Republican Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves in his bid to win the governor's election this year can be ascertained by looking at the House districts won in 2015 by the Democrat in the race -- Attorney General Jim Hood. In winning his fourth term as attorney general in 2015 against Republican Mike Hurst, Hood won nine Republican-controlled districts located less than an hour from the BancorpSouth Arena where Trump will give his full-throated support for Reeves in a speech that will be carried live on television in northeast Mississippi. If Hood repeats that feat on Tuesday against Reeves, there is a good chance he will win the most votes in the election for governor. Of course to be elected governor under the state Constitution, candidates for statewide office must win not only a majority of the vote, but also win the most votes in a majority of the 122 House districts. |
| USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue supporting Tate Reeves; declines question about China tariffs | |
| US Department of Agriculture secretary Sonny Perdue announced his support for gubernatorial candidate Tate Reeves, Thursday. "I'm here supporting Tate Reeves as a former governor, knowing what it requires as a job, not a beauty contest," said Perdue. Dozens gathering at Rickhouse in Jackson as the Republican candidate tells the crowd about his platform; "because what's best in the agriculture community in the Mississippi Delta, may or may not be best for the Mississippi Gulf Coast," said Reeves. On the topic of agriculture, the Secretary Purdue would not provide an answer when asked what Mississippi farmers can expect as the trade war with China continues. "I'm here in my capacity as former governor of Georgia and we have to be very careful about political activity. I'm not here as my official position in the federal government tonight. I would certainly love to answer your question some other time, but tonight is not the night to answer that," said Perdue. |
| Mississippi fiscal officer Laura Jackson to retire, join Mississippi College as CFO | |
| Mississippi's top fiscal officer is stepping down to become the chief financial officer at a college. Laura Jackson has led the state's Department of Finance and Administration since 2016. She announced Thursday that she will leave state government for Mississippi College in Clinton. Jackson will retire after more than 30 years as a state employee on Jan. 15. She was previously deputy state treasurer and an audit manager for the state auditor's office. She leaves as Gov. Phil Bryant's administration ends. That gives a new governor the ability to appoint a new executive director of the 500-employee department, which manages state money and property. |
| Chaney seeks fourth term; Amos hopes to make changes as insurance commissioner | |
| Republican Mike Chaney, a veteran of Mississippi politics, is seeking his fourth term as the state's insurance commissioner. He will be challenged in the Nov. 5 general election by Jackson small business owner Robert Amos, a Democrat, who in 2015 ran unsuccessfully for Central District Transportation commissioner. While Chaney is viewed as the favorite, Amos said his campaign "is going better than expected." He said he has been to between 40 and 45 of the state's 82 counties to campaign. Amos, age 46, a former educator at both the high school and higher education levels, also has served as an administrator in the insurance industry. He taught science classes and in career technical school taught classes related to the insurance industry. The Insurance commissioner oversees the Mississippi Insurance Department that has regulatory authority over the insurance companies. The office also provides some oversight of mobile home manufacturers. In addition, the insurance commissioner serves as chair of the state Fire Academy and as fire marshal. |
| Agriculture commissioner's race centers on local food | |
| The Democratic challenger for Mississippi agriculture commissioner is pitching a local food revolution, while the Republican incumbent seeks more incremental change. That's one big divide between Democrat Rickey Cole and Republican Andy Gipson. It's not that Gipson opposes local food, touting an online effort to connect producers and consumers. Cole, though, wants to exempt local food from the 7% state sales tax and use department employees to market local food to stores. He also wants to ease rules and promote in-state food processing. "It turns out that 90% of the food we eat in Mississippi is produced outside of Mississippi," said Cole. The 53-year-old ran unsuccessfully for agriculture commissioner in 2007 and is the former chairman of the state Democratic Party. He divides his time between Jackson and Ovett. |
| Hobnob: Statewide candidates make final pitch to Mississippi business leaders | |
| Mississippi candidates for statewide office made a final pitch to state business leaders at the Mississippi Economic Council's annual Hobnob event on Thursday. Hundreds of business leaders from around the state attended the gathering put on by the state's chamber of commerce at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson. Here are some of the highlights from the political speeches. |
| Marlow, McCaughn talk infrastructure, education in race for Senate District 31 | |
 | As a volunteer firefighter and Scott County's emergency management agency director, Mike Marlow has seen the problems that come from closed bridges and roads in disrepair, he said. If elected to Senate District 31, the Democrat said one of his priorities would be working to address those infrastructure issues, which include about 400 bridges and 4,000 miles of road in need of work. The district encompasses Newton County, Scott County and Northwest Lauderdale County. The District 31 seat has been held by Sen. Terry C. Burton of Newton since 1992. Burton is not seeking re-election. Marlow faces Republican Tyler McCaughn in the general election on Nov. 5. "We don't need a gas tax," Marlow said. "There's enough money if it's spent right. The money is there. We've just got to be better stewards of it." McCaughn, who has been practicing law in Newton since 2007, agreed infrastructure should be a focus for lawmakers. |
| High voter turnout by N'siders expected in Tuesday's election | |
| If primary voter turnout is any indication, thousands or more Northsiders are likely to vote in this year's statewide elections than in 2015. Residents are expected to head to the polls on Tuesday, November 5, to cast ballots for statewide offices and a slew of local races. Both Hinds and Madison counties reported significantly higher voter participation in the primary elections this year than in the races four years ago, with some 53,000 people casting ballots in Hinds County and 28,000 doing the same in Madison. Driving turnout this year is likely the hard-fought race for governor, as well as numerous open seats at the state level, including lieutenant governor, treasurer, attorney general and secretary of state. Northsiders are also eyeing local legislative races, including the District 64 race for state House of Representatives. That race pits longtime Republican incumbent Bill Denny against Democrat Shanda Yates. Republicans are hoping to hold onto the seat, in part, to aid in 2020 census redistricting. |
| Comment Period Ends For Proposal That Would Cut SNAP Benefits For Millions | |
 | Friday is the last day for the public to comment on a proposed rule change by the Trump administration that would eliminate Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, or food stamps, for more than 3 million people. The U.S. Department of Agriculture also recently admitted that the plan would mean that almost a million children would no longer automatically qualify for free school lunches. In a new analysis released two weeks ago, the USDA says that almost half of those children would likely get free lunches, but only if they reapply to the school lunch program. The agency estimates that another half would likely qualify for reduced-price meals, instead of free ones, and that about 40,000 children would lose free lunches altogether because their family incomes exceed eligibility limits. Opposition to the proposal has been strong, with almost 170,000 comments from the public so far, most of them negative. |
| Donald Trump, Lifelong New Yorker, Declares Himself a Resident of Florida | |
 | He came of age in Queens, built Trump Tower, starred in "The Apprentice," bankrupted his businesses six times, and drew cheering crowds and angry protesters to Fifth Avenue after his election. Through it all, President Trump -- rich, bombastic and to many Americans the epitome of a New Yorker -- was intertwined with the city he called his lifelong home. No longer. In late September, Mr. Trump changed his primary residence from Manhattan to Palm Beach, Fla., according to documents filed with the Palm Beach County Circuit Court. Melania Trump, the first lady, also changed her residence to Palm Beach in an identical document. Each of the Trumps filed a "declaration of domicile" saying that the Mar-a-Lago Club, Mr. Trump's resort in Palm Beach, will be their permanent residence. The president confirmed the decision on Twitter after The New York Times reported on the move, saying that he would "be making Palm Beach, Florida, our Permanent Residence." Since he became president, Mar-a-Lago remains Mr. Trump's favored retreat. |
| Katie Hill delivers fiery farewell speech on 'double standard' facing women in power | |
 | Rep. Katie Hill delivered a defiant and forceful farewell speech Thursday afternoon, declaring she was resigning because of a "double standard" imposed on women in power and vowing that she will not be "silenced" as she steps away from public life. Once a freshman rising star, Hill announced her resignation earlier this week after allegations surfaced of an improper sexual relationship with a staffer, a sudden downfall for a promising young lawmaker who had been ascending quickly within House Democratic leadership ranks. Hill's resignation is effective Friday. "I'm stepping down, but I refuse to let this experience scare off other women who dare to take risks, who dare to step into this light, who dare to be powerful," Hill, who has denied the allegations, said in the nearly eight-minute speech. |
| UKirk student ministry offers food for body and spirit | |
| Every Tuesday night, a group of students from the University of Mississippi gathers in a converted bar in downtown Oxford as UKirk -- the student ministry of the Presbyterian Church (USA) -- gets underway. The vibe is relaxed and low-key. Students share a meal, then make themselves cozy on the mismatched couches as the Rev. Allison Wehrung convenes the gathering with a call to worship. The 31-year-old Wehrung said everyone is welcome at UKirk, to feed both the body and the spirit. "It's right there on our website," she said. We're 'by Presbyterians but not just for Presbyterians.' If you're hungry in any way, come here and eat." Wehrung grew up in North Carolina and moved to Oxford just over two years ago. A graduate of Columbia Theological Seminary in Georgia, she said her background and spiritual curiosity led her into her current role. "I grew up Presbyterian. I went to church on Sundays and handbell choir on Wednesdays; the whole shebang," she said." I majored in world religions in college. But I didn't want to go to seminary and I sure didn't want to be a pastor. I put it off for as long as I could." Wehrung said while she still doesn't feel drawn to traditional parish ministry, campus ministry feels like a good fit. |
| Oxford University Transit to offer free rides to voting precincts | |
| Much like they did during the primary elections, Oxford University Transit is once again offering free rides to voting precincts on Election Day next week. The OUT buses will be giving free rides to four of the five polling stations within the Oxford city limits. There is not a bus route that can take voters to the District 4 Lafayette Civic Center precinct off of Highway 6. Those who vote at the Lafayette County Extension office in Oxford District 1 can take the Blue East line. The Gray line will take voters to the Oxford Conference Center precinct in Oxford District 2 and the Red North line will go to the Stone Recreation Center precinct in Oxford District 3. The Red South line will take people to the Lafayette County Health Department precinct in Oxford District 5. Voting for the general election will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 5. |
| Cato Institute scholar to discuss Trump's foreign policy at the Overby Center | |
 | Christopher Preble agrees with both Democrats and Republicans. He believes Donald Trump, as a candidate, made strong points about America's inconclusive, open-ended wars but thinks that President Trump's policy proposals after he was elected president have been inadequate. Preble is the vice president for defense and foreign policy at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank based in Washington, D.C. He's also the author of "Fuel to the Fire: How Trump Made America's Broken Foreign Policy Even Worse (and How We Can Recover)." Next Tuesday, Preble will speak at the Overby Center about his new book and how scholars at the Cato Institute are offering foreign policy alternatives that are neither a rejection of Trump nor a modification of policies prior. This is Preble's first time speaking on a college campus. He said the message of his book and subsequent conversation should resonate with all Americans. |
| FORGE Foundation exposes teens to construction jobs | |
| Down the hall toward the back of East Mississippi Community College's Communiversity, a group of young teens rushed toward a man holding a big bowl filled with small orange objects. "Is that candy?" shouted one of the kids, among the more than 1,000 Golden Triangle eighth-graders who descended on the new vocational skills center as part of the first FORGE Foundation Career Expo. It wasn't candy, but earplugs. Even so, Wednesday's event, featuring booths and activities from 10 construction-related companies and a half-dozen technical schools and support organizations, was a treat on Halloween Eve. Students filed through the halls of the Community Center, stopping at tables where they were exposed to a wide range of jobs. Waters Truck and Trailer brought a tow truck, and Burns Dirt a road grader -- a piece of equipment used to level roads before paving them. |
| U. of Alabama fundraising total tops $200 million | |
 | The University of Alabama raised $202.7 million from 63,277 donors as part of its fundraising campaigns during the fiscal year that ended in September. "Our alumni and donors continue to steadfastly support and advance UA's growth and impact as a national leader in higher education," UA President Stuart R. Bell said in a statement. The university reported more than $200 million in gifts and pledges from 62,300 donors last year. It reported $120 million from 58,000 donors in 2017. The success of the fundraising year was also bolstered by giving to the athletic department's Crimson Standard Capital Initiative, the 2019 Bama Blitz online giving campaign and We Are UA, the university's new faculty and staff giving campaign. The new campaign grew employee giving from 19% to 29%, and generated more than $1.75 million. |
| Michael O'Neill selected to deliver Auburn University's December Commencement address | |
 | Renowned actor and Auburn alumnus Michael O'Neill will be the keynote speaker for Auburn University's fall commencement exercises on Dec. 14. O'Neill will deliver his commencement address before a graduating class of nearly 2,000 students and their families. "Commencement is a time when we celebrate our students' achievements and empower them to continue living the Auburn Creed as they pursue their dreams," said Jay Gogue, Auburn's interim president. A native of Montgomery, O'Neill launched his acclaimed film and television career after graduating from Auburn in 1974 with a degree in economics. With a career spanning nearly four decades, O'Neill holds more than 120 acting credits to his name and is known to audiences for his roles in award-winning films including Dallas Buyers Club, J. Edgar, Seabiscuit, Transformers and Traffic. Delivering an address titled The Unexpected, O'Neill will discuss the challenges and rewards that come with life's unexpected journeys. |
| South Carolina's unusual way of picking college boards draws scrutiny, senators told | |
 | South Carolina politicians picking university trustees and having governor-led college boards invites scrutiny from accrediting agencies worried about outside influences on university decisions, experts told a state Senate panel Thursday. South Carolina is one of four states that elects college trustees, consultants from the Association of Governing Boards of College and Universities testified. No other state is like South Carolina in having the governor as the ex officio chairman of college boards. Because state politicians play a role in college board governance "much more directly in South Carolina than in any other state," trustees feel beholden to the lawmakers who elect and back them, former association president Richard Legon testified. The University of South Carolina is facing sanctions from accreditors in December following Gov. Henry McMaster's involvement in the school's presidential search that ended with the controversial hiring of Bob Caslen. The former West Point superintendent was elected by an 11-8 vote in July after McMaster called trustees. |
| LSU student found dead in residential hall last month died of acute viral meningitis | |
 | An LSU freshman who was discovered dead in her campus residential hall last month died from acute viral meningitis. The East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner's Office released the cause of death in a report about 18-year-old Marakah Dennis, of Washington, D.C., who died in September. The LSU Reveille first reported the results of the autopsy Wednesday. Dennis' roommate in Cypress Hall told investigators Dennis had been sick with an upset stomach for the two days prior to her death, according to the report. Emergency Medical Services responded to Dennis' room on Sept. 17 to find her unresponsive. Ernie Ballard, LSU's director of media relations, said the university received the results from the coroner on Oct. 18 once the toxicology screen was complete. "When we talk about meningitis, we talk about an infection of the covering of the brain, the meninges, which get inflamed and that's what led to this young lady's death," said East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner Dr. William "Beau" Clark. "She contracted it as a virus." |
| For third time this fall, U. of Kentucky has reported a sexual assault in a residence hall | |
 | A female student reported she was raped in a University of Kentucky residence hall Friday, according to a campus news release. The alleged incident occurred just after midnight Friday and is being investigated by the University of Kentucky Police Department. The male suspect, who is also a student at the university, is known to the victim, she told police. It's the third time this semester the university has issued a crime bulletin after a reported rape. In both the Oct. 18 and Sept. 29 instances, female students reported being sexually assaulted inside a campus dorm by a person they knew, according to the university. The alleged crimes involve three different suspects, a university spokesperson said. UK advised students, staff and faculty of several safety precautions, including parking in well-lit areas when possible, not traveling alone after dark and carrying a cell phone in case of emergencies. |
| Board signs off on U. of Florida president's contract extension | |
| The state university system's Board of Governors on Wednesday approved a plan to extend Kent Fuchs' term as president of the University of Florida. Fuchs, whose contract was scheduled to expire on June 30, has served as the university's president since 2015. The university trustees voted unanimously to extend Fuchs' term, but the decision also required a sign-off from the Board of Governors. Under terms of the extension, Fuchs will serve on "at-will basis," rather than for a certain length of time. "During his first five years of service to UF, President Fuchs has represented our university at the state and national levels and has led UF to many remarkable accomplishments," Mori Hosseini, chairman of the university's trustees, wrote to the Board of Governors. "The UF Board of Trustees believes that President Fuchs' continued leadership is critical to the overall success of UF, with a focus on our students' success, as we work toward becoming a top five public university." |
| Path to healing: Last survivor pulled from Bonfire collapse reflects on therapeutic journey | |
 | Holding the attention of hundreds of children and teenagers is no easy task for many adults. On a cool October weekday, John Comstock had scores of Allen Academy students and staff members captivated as he told the story of being trapped for seven hours on the morning of Nov. 18, 1999, after the Texas A&M Bonfire collapsed. Twelve Aggies were killed. Comstock was among the 27 injured and was the last survivor pulled from the wreckage. Now nearing 40, Comstock works for the Texas A&M University System as a financial specialist. He said he appreciates the chances he's received, especially lately, to speak to groups about the injuries and his journey from despair to normalcy. "I've felt like if my story can help somebody else -- if it can help just one person at a school or in a crowd -- then it's worth it," he said. |
| House Democrats advance federal student aid overhaul | |
 | The House Education and Labor Committee on Thursday voted 28-22 to approve a massive overhaul of federal student loans and other higher education programs that they touted as an overdue move to address the costs of higher education. The 1,165-page measure earned no Republican support at the end of a markup that began Tuesday. Among numerous other provisions, it would expand Pell Grants, tweak the Federal Work-Study Program, direct more aid to minority-serving institutions, emphasize campus safety and set several new requirements designed to impose tougher standards on for-profit colleges. It would also use federal aid to encourage states to offer tuition-free community college educations. The measure represents the increasing importance of addressing student debt as a plank of the Democratic agenda. Republicans expressed near-uniform opposition to the bill and offered dozens of amendments, most of which were rejected. |
| Ed Department issues new regulations on accreditation and state authorization of online providers | |
 | The U.S. Department of Education on Thursday released the final version of federal regulations covering accreditation and the state authorization of online education providers. The 519-page rule will take effect in July 2020. It hews closely to the recommendations a group of 15 department-chosen federal negotiators agreed to in April. The process, while often contentious, led to the first consensus in a negotiated rule-making session on federal education policy in nearly a decade. The department said it would soon publish proposed rules on related consensus agreements on issues related to distance education and innovation, federal grants for teachers, and religious colleges' eligibility for federal financial aid. Consumer groups, think tanks and congressional Democrats criticized the final rules for accreditors. The regulations roll back key protections for students and taxpayers, they said, and will result in the "unraveling of federal oversight of college quality," according to the left-leaning Center for American Progress. |
| Dozens flood Iowa State president's office demanding response to racist messages on campus | |
| Finding neo-Nazi writings on Iowa State University's campus was the last straw Wednesday for local protest organizers. Citing a string of racist incidents, between 100 and 200 people gathered at President Wendy Wintersteen's Beardshear Hall office in the afternoon. Wintersteen was at a meeting elsewhere but paused to join a phone conversation with the protesters, according to ISU sophomore Alexa Rodriguez. ISU senior Javier Miranda and Rodriguez said they decided something needed to be done after messages such as "Heil Hitler," "no trans rights," and anti-Semitic slogans were scrawled in chalk throughout campus last week. Wintersteen initially spoke only to a couple of organizers, who urged her to speak to the room of students waiting for her. She said she had guests waiting for her at the meeting, to which Rodriguez countered, "Yeah, so are your students." |
| Realizing the 'American Dream' | |
| Angela Farmer, an assistant clinical professor in Mississippi State University's Shackouls Honors College, writes: When talking with high school students about their aspirations for college, it's important to realize that there is no one-size-fits-all program. Students today face complex economic realities as they try to formulate not only what they would like to study, but how they can afford to enter a certain program. It is perhaps even more critical that they also prepare for how they can pay back the costs of the program after graduation. It is to this end that the composition of today's student body has evolved. According to the Lumina Foundation, 64% of college students work and 40% work full time while attending college. This may sound unreasonable given the difficulty of higher learning expectations; however, with 49% of college students operating financially independent of their parents, clearly they have to have some operating capital to survive. The fact that ninth–graders from high-income families are more than one and one-half times more likely to pursue post high school education aligns with this data. Ironically, the students living in poverty for which college is perceived to be the most out-of-reach, are the exact students who most desperately need to access this lifeline. |
SPORTS
| With win at Missouri, Mississippi State soccer makes SEC Tournament for first time in 15 years | |
| Four different players scored for Mississippi State soccer in Thursday's 4-2 win at Missouri, and the Bulldogs earned a berth in the Southeastern Conference Tournament for the first time since 2004. MaKayla Waldner opened the scoring with a header off a corner kick in the eighth minute. Onyi Echegini tapped in her own rebound in the 21st minute to give MSU a 2-0 lead. After Julissa Cisneros scored the first of her two goals for the host Tigers in the 23rd minute, Monigo Karnley scored for MSU off an assist from Olivia Hernandez in the 30th minute. Hailey Farrington-Bentil had the Bulldogs' fourth and final goal off her own rebound in the 49th minute, and Cisneros had a late goal in the 82nd. The victory earns MSU (8-7-3, 3-4-3 SEC) the No. 9 seed, and the Bulldogs will play No. 8 Ole Miss at 3:30 p.m. Sunday in Orange Beach, Alabama. Whichever team wins that matchup will face top-seeded Arkansas on Monday. "I couldn't be happier for the girls," head coach James Armstrong said in a news release from MSU. |
| Bulldogs clinch first SEC soccer tournament bid since 2004 | |
 | Mississippi State made the SEC Soccer Tournament for the first time in 15 years with a 4-2 victory at Missouri on Thursday night. Four different Bulldogs scored, and MSU never trailed in the match. The Bulldogs will be the No. 9 seed with 12 points, passing Tennessee and No. 10-seed Auburn which both lost on Thursday. MSU will play No. 8-seed Ole Miss at 3:30 p.m. CT on Sunday in Orange Beach, Ala. The winner of that matchup will meet face No. 1-seed Arkansas on Tuesday. "I couldn't be happier for the girls," head coach James Armstrong said. "I couldn't be more proud. All the hard work that they've put in this season all came to fruition tonight. Obviously, it was a massive game for everyone and a must-win game. Really proud of the girls." With the victory, the Bulldogs have won multiple road games in conference play for the first time since 2015, and their four road wins on the year rank third in school history. State posted its third-best winning percentage in conference play and has now recorded eight or more wins in three consecutive seasons for the first time. |
| Kickoff time set for Mississippi State's homecoming | |
| Mississippi State's homecoming game against Abilene Christian on Nov. 23 has been scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. kickoff on SEC Alternate Channel. It will be the first ever meeting between the Bulldogs and Abilene Christian. State will wear special black uniforms for that contest. It marks two straight evening kickoffs for MSU to close the season joining the Egg Bowl against Ole Miss on Nov. 28, which is slated for a 6:30 p.m. start on ESPN. The start time and TV affiliate for the Bulldogs home game with Alabama on Nov. 16 has not been set yet. |
| Offensive potency: Bulldogs' Garrett Shrader, Kylin Hill highlight unit | |
| Mississippi State lost its fourth game in a row last week at Texas A&M, but it wasn't due to a lack of production from its offense. Garrett Shrader, a 6-4 freshman, fired a career-best three touchdown passes in his third career start while accounting for 258 total yards in Mississippi State's 49-30 loss to the Aggies. Shrader and SEC rushing leader Kylin Hill are the Bulldogs' dynamic duo as they head into Northwest Arkansas for a 3 p.m. game Saturday against the similarly struggling University of Arkansas (2-6, 0-5 SEC) which has lost five games in a row. Shrader surged past returning quarterback Keytaon Thompson and graduate transfer Tommy Stevens to win the starting job midway through October. Stevens went 6 of 11 for 67 yards with 2 interceptions in the first half of a 20-10 loss at Tennessee on Oct. 12, and Shrader has thrown all 68 Mississippi State passes since. |
| Three matchups to watch as Mississippi State takes on Arkansas | |
| Saturday's contest against Arkansas (2-6, 0-5 SEC) has proved to be do-or-die for Mississippi State as it heads into the matchup at 3-5 and 1-4 in SEC play with four games remaining. While Joe Moorhead skeptics have grown louder by the loss this year, the reality is MSU still has a legitimate chance to finish this season with six wins to become bowl eligible for the 10th straight season. That starts in Fayetteville. Taking on a Razorback team that has one FBS win this season, the Bulldogs opened as seven-point favorites despite having lost four straight games. Here are three matchups to watch Saturday: Mississippi State vs. the first quarter. Ben Hicks/Nick Starkel/John Stephen Jones vs. Mississippi State secondary. MSU pass rush vs. Arkansas O-line. |
| Chad Morris believes Arkansas will win this week | |
| Things haven't gone well during Chad Morris' tenure as Arkansas' head coach over the last two seasons. The Razorbacks are just 4-16 overall and 0-13 in Southeastern Conference play during that span, and the program has lost 16-straight SEC games overall. But Morris feels that Saturday's homecoming game against Mississippi State will finally be the game his team breaks through. "We're going to win this football game this week," Morris said in his press conference on Monday. Arkansas (2-6) is on a five-game losing streak. The Hogs' only victories came at home against Portland State (20-13) in the season opener and Colorado State (55-34) on Sept. 14. "This week is an opportunity to come back home, entering the month of November with an opportunity to change the dynamics of this program one week at a time and just us focusing on getting better," Morris said. "And that is truly our concern and our focus right now is getting this football team better for Mississippi State." |
| She made history at USC, but her son is AD at Vanderbilt. Who will she cheer for? | |
 | Henrie Monteith Treadwell is torn. On one hand, she is cheering for the University of South Carolina against Vanderbilt in this weekend's football game. She was among the first three African American students to integrate USC in 1963 and remembers being welcomed onto campus. On the other hand, she can't cheer against her son, Malcolm Turner, who was named Vanderbilt's athletic director earlier this year. "Of course I'd like to see Carolina win, but I also have to support my son," said Treadwell, 74, who will be attending Saturday's 7:30 p.m. game at Williams-Brice Stadium. "I really don't know how to cheer," she said. Treadwell remembers her first day on USC's campus, Sept. 11, 1963, as a positive experience. "I was very pleased to see that whether people wanted the university integrated or not, they accepted it," Treadwell said. "In no sense was I confronted in any way." Treadwell graduated USC with a degree in biology. She spent her career researching health care in underserved populations and now teaches at the school of medicine at Morehouse College. |
| Beer, Here. The Merchandising of College Sports Leads to Team-Branded Ales | |
| Matthew Tarver, then the trademark licensing manager at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, was kicking around marketing possibilities with a colleague one day when a light bulb clicked on. One of them said: beer! The other replied: why not? Now, more than four years after stumbling on an idea that now seems so obvious, Ragin' Cajuns Genuine Louisiana Ale and its younger sibling, Ragin' Cajuns Genuine Louisiana Lager, have put the school at the forefront of a burgeoning movement, with more than 20 universities marketing their own brand of beer. They also come a time when universities, as eager as ever to chase even modest new revenues, have relaxed restrictions on selling alcohol at sporting events as a way to combat declining college football attendance. For schools like Louisiana-Lafayette -- whose $32 million in athletics revenue last year was about one-fifth the total of Louisiana State, the state's flagship university -- trying to keep up means having to get creative finding new income and ways of promoting itself, particularly in a state that has endured severe cuts to public education funding during the last decade. |
| The NCAA Will Let Athletes Profit From Their Fame. State Lawmakers Will Keep Up the Fight. | |
 | Mere hours after the National Collegiate Athletic Association distributed a news release saying it would allow athletes to benefit from their celebrity, Megan Hunt, a state legislator in Nebraska, announced her intention to propose legislation along those lines. That made Nebraska the 15th state to take the leap. By issuing its statement, the NCAA seemed to hope that it could quell the growing state-by-state movement for change, which various NCAA officials have spoken out against over the past month. The organization says it will allow college athletes to receive "benefits" from their name, image, and likeness as long as the regulations around those benefits fit within the "collegiate model." Despite the NCAA's best efforts, lawmakers are undeterred. The collegiate model arose around the turn of the millennium, and was described by the former NCAA president Myles Brand as "a term of art." It was meant to supplement the age-old idea of amateurism. |
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