| Thursday, November 14, 2019 |
| Mississippi State's Thad Cochran Research, Technology and Economic Development Park aims to keep expanding | |
 | Marc McGee, director of the Mississippi State University Research and Technology Corporation, presented a summary of the Thad Cochran Research, Technology and Economic Development Park, the first and largest research park in Mississippi, to the Columbus Rotary Club during its Tuesday meeting at Lion Hills Golf Club. One field the university is exploring is driverless vehicles, which McGee said can be sent into war zones and other places unsafe for people. MSU is developing an off-road testing site at the research park through the Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems. The park is also home to the fourth-fastest supercomputer at an academic university in the country, capable of more than 5 quadrillion calculations per second. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has one of its three data centers at MSU for this reason, McGee said. Collaboration is key to producing research of this magnitude, said Jim Martin, MSU associate vice president for economic development and corporate engagement. |
| Elementary schoolers learn 'agricultural literacy' as part of Mississippi State research | |
| About 40 fourth-graders at Henderson Ward Stewart Elementary School got to make ice cream as part of an agriculture lesson about dairy and beef cattle earlier this school year. Later, they collected different types of soil from all over the school grounds and were taught how to tell them apart and what can grow in each one. The children threw themselves into both lessons, fourth-grade assistant principal Paige Phillips said. The group was one of three participating in a research project conducted by Mississippi State University graduate student Alyssa Hutcheson throughout the semester. Hutcheson revised the state's current K-12 agriculture lesson plans, Ag In The Classroom, so they could adhere to the state's new College-and-Career Readiness standards at the request of the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation. The goal of "agricultural literacy" is for students to learn early in their school careers just how much of a role Mississippi's primary industry plays in their daily lives. |
| Local tea added to Brookhaven Farmers Market market lineup | |
 | The Brookhaven Farmers Market will make its last appearance for the year just in time for Thanksgiving preparations. The market will be Nov. 26 from 7:30 a.m. to noon in Railroad Park unless it's too cold or rainy that day, said Rebecca Bates with the Lincoln County Extension Service. Vendors will have local honey and farm fresh eggs available for bakers who want to make their own dishes, but there will be plenty of homebaked goods to choose from as well, Bates said. She'll have vendors with sourdough bread, artisan bread, cakes, pies, cinnamon rolls and cookies as well as jars of jellies, jams and pickles that are good for serving on the Thanksgiving table or giving as gifts. The Great Mississippi Tea Co., a Lincoln County business that sells internationally, plans to make its first appearance at the market and will have tea to sample that will also be available to purchase. |
| Gov. Phil Bryant announces $53 million in restoration projects for Gulf Coast communities | |
 | Building marshes, tracing water pollution, reviving the oyster population, and workforce training were just some of the many projects Gov. Phil Bryant announced at this week's Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality Restoration Summit in Biloxi. In all, the state will spend over $53 million across 15 projects, all aimed towards helping Mississippi's coastal communities recover from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill nearly 10 years ago. "This latest round of projects furthers our efforts to improve our natural resources for wildlife, for marine life, for sportsmen, for recreation and for beach visitors," Bryant said. "These projects are essential steps in our ongoing efforts to improve South Mississippi's natural resources and economy," said MDEQ Executive Director Gary Rikard on Tuesday at the summit in Biloxi. |
| The economic gap in rural America | |
 | Rural communities are facing population declines, slow employment growth and higher poverty rates than urban areas, according to a new report from USDA's Economic Research Service. Personal income has declined in recent years in part because farm and mining income has dropped, the research found. When comparing urban and rural areas, from 2010 to 2018, metro counties saw a 7 percent increase in rates of population change in contrast to a nearly 2 percent decrease in completely rural, non-adjacent counties. The highest rates of population loss were in isolated, completely rural areas. Since the Great Recession, employment has grown more rapidly in metro than non-metro areas. Labor force participation rates have been slower to recover in rural areas, which can be explained by the tendency of rural regions to have older residents who are more likely to be retired, lower levels of education and higher rates of disability. |
| Why aren't wages rising faster even with low unemployment? Trade war, weaker economy among reasons | |
 | By all rights, U.S. wage growth should be kicking into a higher gear amid falling unemployment and intensifying worker shortages. Instead, annual pay increases have slowed this year. Salary gains, which generally had been modest since the economic expansion began in 2009, finally edged over 3% in August 2018 and peaked at 3.4% in February before dropping to a still-solid 3% the past couple of months. The earlier increases coincided with a fairly steady decline in the jobless rate as employers paid more to attract a smaller pool of candidates. And the pullback in pay gains comes despite unemployment hitting a 50-year low of 3.5% in September. Economists blame myriad factors, including President Trump's trade war with China and a slowing U.S. economy, weak productivity growth and meager inflation. |
| Flags lowered after death of former Mississippi House Speaker Billy McCoy | |
 | Gov. Phil Bryant has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff to honor former Mississippi House Speaker Billy McCoy. The Democrat from Prentiss County died Tuesday at age 77. McCoy served in the House from January 1980 to January 2012. He was instrumental in passing a 1987 highway construction program and in overhauling Mississippi's school funding formula a decade later. As chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, he helped with incentives that persuaded Nissan to build Mississippi's first automotive manufacturing plant. McCoy presided over the House as speaker during his final eight years in office. Flags are being lowered Thursday and Friday. |
| Madison's Brad White to lead transition for Gov. Tate Reeves | |
 | Madison's Brad White, an experienced politico going back to his close relationship with Kirk Fordice, will lead Gov.-Elect Tate Reeves' transition team. Reeves said selecting White, a former Chairman of the Mississippi GOP and chief of staff to late U.S. Senator Thad Cochran, was an easy decision because of the close personal friendship he has developed with him over the years and his experience. White, who hails from Simpson County but has made his home in Madison for the past five years, said Tuesday he plans to use his experience in both state and national politics to get the Reeves administration started off on the right foot. The rollout of Reeves' transition plan has been broken down in to several parts, starting with staffing and policy-making for the different state agencies. White said there will almost certainly be some changes atop various departments, but that transitioning from one conservative administration to another should ease the process. |
| Weaponizing Trump? Chris McDaniel strikes dour tone in decision to sit out 2020 U.S. Senate election | |
| Republican State Sen. Chris McDaniel, who has twice sought a U.S. Senate seat since 2014, told Mississippi Today that he will not seek the office again in 2020. "As long as the GOP establishment is able to weaponize Donald Trump's endorsement, it makes little sense to challenge Republican incumbents in a primary," McDaniel said. "President Trump will endorse the sitting officeholder, and the challenger will lose. Period." McDaniel, a conservative who has long toyed with establishment Republicans, came in a distant third place in a November 2018 special Senate election for the seat left vacant after longtime U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran retired. McDaniel was unopposed earlier this month in a reelection bid to the state Senate. Candidates for Mississippi's U.S. Senate and congressional races in the 2020 cycle have until Jan. 10, 2020, to qualify for the race. The Republican and Democratic primaries will be held on March 10, 2020. The general election will be held on Nov. 3, 2020. |
| God Save the Governor: Phil Bryant, Brexit Soldier | |
| Prince Charles spotted a stranger in Buckingham Palace. He walked over to the man, whose well-groomed silvery-white coif, blue eyes, pink nose and dark navy pin-striped suit matched the tiny American flag on his lapel. "Your royal highness, I'm the governor of Mississippi," the then-62-year-old Republican, Phil Bryant, said in his fast-spoken country accent. "You are? What on earth are you doing here?" the posh prince replied, raising his eyebrows as he echoed a question Bryant's constituents have puzzled over, or at least the ones who know about their governor 's increasing forays into British politics. "Is America back in the Commonwealth?" the royal replied. "Well, part of it is, and I'm in charge of it," Bryant said. "Well, carry on," the heir to the 
British throne said. Bryant shared the story of that November 2017 meeting in London this past July at the launch of his latest United Kingdom-related initiative named World4Brexit. Bryant's office did not return requests for comment for this story. |
| U.S. Navy to name ship after the late Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi | |
| The Navy will name a ship after the late Republican U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi, who was a Navy veteran. Cochran's successor, Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, says Wednesday that Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer has decided a future guided-missile destroyer will be called the USS Thad Cochran. Spencer said in a statement that Cochran was a strong advocate for national defense and "a courtly voice for cooperation and civility in American politics." Cochran served six years in the House before winning a Senate seat in 1978. As longtime chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, he oversaw federal spending. |
| In Memphis, AG William Barr says he does not recall Trump request to defend Ukraine call | |
| Attorney General William Barr said in Memphis Wednesday that he did not recall a request from the White House to defend President Donald Trump in regard to Trump's call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The president is facing an impeachment inquiry after it was revealed the White House withheld military aid to Ukraine as the administration pushed the Ukrainian government to investigate the business ties of Hunter Biden, son of former vice president and leading Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. Barr said he reached out to the White House to say the Department of Justice would issue a statement about the call and received no pushback from the administration. Barr made the comments about the call Wednesday during a news conference in Memphis where he announced Project Guardian, a gun-violence reduction initiative that could result in the broader application and prosecution of federal gun laws. Barr said he chose Memphis for the announcement due to the city's homicide and violent crime rates. |
| Enrollment at Mississippi's public universities drops 1.6 percent | |
 | Overall enrollment at Mississippi's public universities dropped by 1.6% this year, according to data released by the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning on Wednesday. Statewide enrollment for fall 2019 is 77,896 compared to 79,193 in fall 2018. Delta State University, Mississippi State University and Mississippi University for Women (The W) are the only three public universities to see an increase this year. Delta State enrollment increased by 1.2%, Mississippi State by 1.1% and The W by 3.8%. Meanwhile, the University of Mississippi had the most significant drop in the number of students enrolled. "We recognize that it is a challenging environment to recruit students because of declining numbers of college and university students nationally, and we are addressing this challenge through additional investments in technology, marketing and recruiting," UM Chancellor Glenn Boyce said in a statement. |
| U. of Mississippi enrollment down 3.5 percent since last year | |
 | Enrollment at the University of Mississippi has decreased 3.5% over the past year, according to a Thursday afternoon press release from the Institutions of Higher Learning. Total enrollment across all University of Mississippi regional campuses and the medical center is 22,273 students, 817 fewer students than last year. In addition to the decline in enrollment at the university, enrollment at all Mississippi public universities experienced a 1.6% decrease from last fall. While total enrollment across University of Mississippi campuses has decreased, enrollment at the medical center is higher than fall 2018 figures. This fall, the IHL reported that there are 2,852 students enrolled at the medical school, representing a 1.1% increase. |
| Elisha Krauss addresses free speech in wake of venue change | |
| Elisha Krauss, conservative speaker and Daily Wire contributor, spoke about the importance of free speech on college campuses on Wednesday night. The event where she spoke, sponsored by the Ole Miss chapter of the Young Americans for Freedom, sparked a controversy last week, as the request to use the initial venue for her speech -- The Overby Center auditorium -- was rescinded just days before the lecture. Following an interaction between Krauss and the university via the school's official Twitter account, the lecture was rescheduled in the student union. Krauss addressed the controversy in her speech. "You never know what will happen on university campuses, and we are glad we could still have an event like this," Krauss said. "It's comforting to see that Ole Miss is still a place where free speech is welcome." Because of the increased attention surrounding the event and subsequent anticipation of protestors, several UPD officers were present. However, there were no protests. |
| USM Ocean Science team to get state of the art research vessel | |
 | Pretty soon the University of Southern Mississippi's Ocean Science and Engineering team will have a new state of the art research ship at its disposal. A few months ago, Southern Miss was chosen to use one of three Regional Class Research Vessels (RCRV) to be built down the road in Houma, La. "Research vessels are like trucks, and this will be a very nice truck that will take people out on the water," said Dr. Monty Graham, Southern Miss associate vice president for research coastal operations. "When you go out on the water, you usually take entire laboratories with you. They can be brought in containers, or they can be brought on the ship." Graham also said once the new ship is built it will have lots of technological advancements, so those going out on research trips will have state of the art equipment to use out on the water. |
| U. of South Carolina investigating alleged fraternity members' harassment of TV reporter | |
 | The University of South Carolina is investigating members of a now-suspended fraternity after a local television reporter was harassed, officials said Wednesday. Shortly after WACH FOX reporter Brittany Breeding set up her equipment in front of the Lambda Chi Alpha house in USC's Greek Village to report on the fraternity's suspension, several people shouted at her, calling her sexist names and telling her to "go home," she told The State. She posted a video online of the incident. A USC staff member who witnessed people heckling Breeding reported the incident, and the school has opened a harassment investigation into members of the fraternity, USC spokesman Jeff Stensland said. Asked for comment, Lambda Chi Alpha's national organization echoed a prior USC statement that said it expects ethical behavior from all students and takes seriously all harassment claims, fraternity spokesman Tad Lichtenauer said. On Tuesday, USC's Interfraternity Council, which oversees fraternities on USC's campus, issued a statement condemning those who harassed Breeding. |
| Arkansas Scholarship Lottery's October revenue shows drop from 2018 | |
| The Arkansas Scholarship Lottery's revenue and amount raised for college scholarships fell sharply in October from the same month a year ago, when the lottery's finances were bolstered by a $1.5 billion Mega Millions jackpot and $700 million Powerball jackpot. For a variety of reasons, those jackpots haven't been nearly that big in the past four months. The lottery's total revenue fell from $57.5 million a year ago to $38.9 million in October, while net proceeds for college scholarships slipped from $11.2 million a year ago to $6.3 million, the lottery reported this week in its monthly report to Gov. Asa Hutchinson and the Legislative Council's lottery oversight subcommittee. October is the fourth month of fiscal 2020, which started July 1. Lottery Director Bishop Woosley said Wednesday that the large jackpots in October 2018 led to "one of our best months ever," and "it would be impossible to compete with those numbers." |
| Tattoo app wins UGA's Idea Accelerator competition | |
 | A company pairing tattoo-seeking customers with customized designs and professional artists to match their style this week won the $5,000 top prize at UGA's Idea Accelerator Demo Day pitch competition at Studio 225. Eye Drool Designs, founded by College of Engineering student Kendra Garcia and Franklin College of Arts and Sciences student Darien Smith, is like a "Tattoo Tinder," said Garcia. She discovered through research that six out of 10 people don't know exactly what kind of tattoo they want when they go to the parlor, and her app helps customers make better-informed decisions and allows tattoo artists to spend less time on consultations and more time on tattooing. "Designers who hold free consultations have to create various designs, which means they are losing money," Garcia said. "Imagine if someone came in and said 'I want this design' and they can get that tattoo, which lets artists make more revenue." The judges saw great promise in Eye Drool's startup idea. |
| Former Texas A&M president Robert Gates shares laughs, serious insight | |
 | Robert M. Gates, who formerly served as Texas A&M University president and U.S. Secretary of Defense, called for an engaged and communicative U.S. foreign policy and warned that the ongoing impeachment inquiry likely will lead to increased political polarization during remarks Wednesday inside Rudder Theatre on the A&M campus. More than 500 people listened, and frequently laughed, as Gates -- who served as the 22nd president of A&M from August 2002 to December 2006 -- spoke for about 45 minutes on a host of topics, from China to cybersecurity. Bush School of Government and Public Service Dean Mark A. Welsh, who joined Gates on stage and asked him a number of questions, said it was Gates' first appearance on the A&M campus since the death of former president George H.W. Bush nearly a year ago. Gates said he is worried about Congress becoming further polarized due to the impeachment process. |
| Tiger Pantry at U. of Missouri experiencing food shortages amid seven years of service | |
 | Tiger Pantry is celebrating its seventh year anniversary Thursday --- but it's running on a food shortage. The pantry is hosting a food drive with the Missouri Students Association, Resident Halls Association and Greek Life this week. Tiger Pantry will also host an open forum for community input Sunday. Dedicated to fighting hunger at the University of Missouri, Tiger Pantry is committed to providing fresh produce, nonperishable food items and personal hygiene care items to MU students, staff, faculty and their families. Tiger Pantry has provided more than 230,000 pounds of food. More than 250 people pick up items each month. "There's that main service aspect of our impact but then also helping educate the community, raise awareness about food insecurity and trying to break the stigma by increasing the dialogue on campus," Director Mathew Swan said. |
| News or 'Trauma Porn'? Student Journalists Face Blowback on Campus | |
 | Jeff Sessions, President Trump's former attorney general, was speaking to a packed lecture hall on Northwestern University's campus last week, but the real action was unfolding offstage. Student protesters were pushing through a back door of the building. The police confronted them and tried, unsuccessfully, to block their entrance. Colin Boyle, a student photographer for The Daily Northwestern, the campus newspaper, captured it all. After the event, Ying Dai, one of the students, saw a photo of herself on his Twitter feed -- sprawled painfully on the floor -- and addressed him directly. "Colin please can we stop this trauma porn," she wrote on Twitter. By the end of the night, Mr. Boyle had deleted the picture, and not long after, editors at The Daily Northwestern published a statement apologizing for their journalists having posted photographs of protesters on social media, and for using the school directory to attempt to contact students. The newspaper's response set off a national firestorm this week. |
| Differences in college ROI vary by institution, type and time frame measured, report says | |
 | What kind of a return on investment can a student expect to get on his or her college education? The answer depends on any number of factors. Cost of attendance, choice of college and type of degree attained are just a few of the major ones. A new report released today by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce examines several of those factors and how they affect returns on students' investment. The report uses data made available on the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard -- net price and median earnings -- in order to calculate the net present value of degrees and credentials from different colleges over short and long time frames. It ranks more than 4,500 public, private nonprofit and private for-profit colleges awarding bachelor's degrees, associate degrees and certificates. It ranks the institutions as a whole but not their individual programs, although its authors hope to be able to analyze program-level return on investment in the near future. |
| Ph.D. student poll finds mental health, bullying and career uncertainty are top concerns | |
| More than a third of Ph.D. students have sought help for anxiety or depression caused by Ph.D. study, according to results of a global survey of 6,300 students from Nature. Thirty-six percent is a very large share, considering that many students who suffer don't reach out for help. Still, the figure parallels those found by other studies on the topic. A 2018 study of mostly Ph.D. students, for instance, found that 39 percent of respondents scored in the moderate-to-severe depression range. That's compared to 6 percent of the general population measured with the same scale. Nature's survey of graduate students of different backgrounds and fields is its fifth in a decade. It asked about a range of issues, from planned career paths to work hours to overall program satisfaction. But the data on mental health, including a question asked of all respondents for the first time this year, are particularly alarming -- even as they add to our vital understanding of a serious problem. |
| U. of Southern California student deaths: Possible drug overdoses, tainted narcotics probed | |
 | University of Southern California President Carol L. Folt confirmed Wednesday that police investigators are looking into drug overdoses as a potential cause of death among some of the nine students who have died this semester. While Folt would not elaborate on the scope of the inquiries or circumstances of the individual deaths, citing federal student privacy laws, she said USC is working with the Los Angeles Police Department on the cases and "doubling down" on education and outreach over drug abuse. Three of the nine deaths have been ruled suicides, but the cause or causes in the remaining cases have not been officially determined. In a letter sent to staff and students just after 10 p.m. Tuesday, top USC officials warned against the dangers of drug use -- specifically opioids -- and the sometimes lethal mixture of drugs and alcohol. The statement further warns about the increase of contaminated drugs. "We all know that people that get drugs on the street have no idea what is in those drugs," Folt said. |
| Why Colleges Are Betting Big on Video Games | |
| E-sports scholarships are still rare, but the idea is quickly becoming normalized in American higher education. Major universities with considerable overhead have started devoting a corner of their scholastic budget to competitive gaming, as a way to both juice scholastic recruitment and future-proof their sports programs for a world where more people are watching Twitch than CNN or MSNBC. But schools like Harrisburg University in Pennsylvania are playing an entirely different game: They're willing to treat college e-sports like Alabama treats college football. The hope is that the scholarship money the institution invests will elevate the campus as a dominant force in a still-nascent community. To the school's brass, that's a better use of resources than any advertising blitz. "We're a tiny school. Nobody knew who we were as of a year ago," Smeltz explains. "The fact that we've been able to do all this in e-sports -- we've been on ESPN's main channel, for example. How many marketing dollars would that cost?" |
| Advocating the arts | |
| Angela Farmer, an assistant clinical professor in Mississippi State University's Shackouls Honors College, writes: While few would likely argue with the necessity for schools to emphasize reading and mathematics, there has been a marked decline over recent decades with respect to advancing the arts. Arts education refers to classes in art using any variety of media from paint to pottery to photography. It encompasses theatre production, costume design, set creation, and actor training. Arts education also provides for vocal and instrumental instruction and enrichment. ... In a time when many districts face funding constraints, it's not surprising that what's measured is the primary focus of funding. However, according to a study authored by professors from the University of Missouri and Texas A&M University and published by the Brookings Institute, they reported that significant increases in the arts resulted in tremendous impacts upon the "students' academic, social, and emotional outcomes." |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State seeks to stay perfect against Warhawks | |
| Mississippi State will try to start off the season 3-0 when it hosts Louisiana-Monroe at 6 p.m. tonight on SEC Network. The Bulldogs have averaged 72 points per game and shot 52.4 percent from the field in their wins over Florida International and Sam Houston State to open the year. Senior guard Tyson Carter has been MSU's most prolific scorer at 25.5 points per game. Louisiana-Monroe is 2-1 and coming off a 63-57 setback at Texas A&M on Monday. Senior guard JD Williams paces the Warhawks averaging 19 points with junior guard Michael Ertel following closely behind at 18.7 points. "They have two very good guards that are both all-league players returning, Williams and Ertel," said MSU coach Ben Howland. "Ertel is a kid out of Indiana where you learn how to shoot a basketball before you learn how to walk. You can see that in this kid, he's got a stroke that's unbelievable. Williams is really a good slasher that can also shoot the 3. We'll have our hands full." |
| Mississippi State offense gearing up for major challenge | |
| Mississippi State's offense wants to change its recent history of frustration against Alabama. The Bulldogs have lost 11 straight games to Alabama and have failed to score more than seven points in eight of those matchups, including a 24-0 defeat last year. Mississippi State had two weeks to prepare for the fourth-ranked Crimson Tide (8-1, 5-1, No. 5 College Football Playoff ) after racking up 640 yards in a 54-24 blowout of Arkansas. And while Alabama's defense doesn't seem quite as strong as usual, the Bulldogs (4-5, 2-4) will need a huge effort to have a chance of breaking through. "Obviously, it is a huge challenge against a defense of this caliber," Mississippi State coach Joe Moorhead said. "Every week we continue to gain confidence and you see those growth things show up on game day." |
| Will Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa play vs. Mississippi State? | |
 | The last time Alabama played at Davis Wade Stadium, Mississippi State almost sent the Crimson Tide home a loser. But almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, right? The scoreboard above Scott Field said Alabama 31, Mississippi State 24. Still, it's a game maroon and white fans remember as the one that got away. Those same fans would be thrilled if their Bulldogs sniffed a seven-point differential when the Tide comes rolling in this week. Alabama (8-1, 5-1 SEC), ranked No. 4 in the Amway Coaches poll, is a three-touchdown favorite. The Clarion Ledger asked Alex Byington of the Montgomery Advertiser some questions to see how he expects the game to play out. |
| Erroll Thompson had to be talked into playing linebacker | |
| Erroll Thompson has established himself as one of the top linebackers in the Southeastern Conference. The All-SEC junior for Mississippi State has racked up 196 tackles over his career along with 16 stops for loss, six sacks and two interceptions. He's also forced and recovered a fumble. However, none of it may have been possible if not for an injury Thompson suffered early in his high school career. He had been a star running back for Florence (Ala.) High School, but tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee entering his sophomore year which kept him out for the entire season. It was during that time that Thompson was coaxed into trying his talents out on defense by his coach, JB Wallace. |
| Officials dedicate Phil Bryant Wildlife Management Area | |
| Wednesday morning, 18,000 acres of land -- a mixture of bayous, sloughs and stands of hardwoods -- came under the protection of the state of Mississippi. The newly dedicated Phil Bryant Wildlife Management Area is expected to provide state residents an area for hunting, fishing, hiking and the experience of going back through time by entering an area that has been untouched by development. Recalling the story of President Theodore Roosevelt's famous refusal to shoot a disabled bear during a hunt in Mississippi, and his own experiences of hunting with his father and brothers, Bryant told the crowd of officials and guests, "We found our way back home today. "The love of the great outdoors is something that can never be taken from you -- the memory of a father and his son, and my uncles, grandfathers, all joining around that campfire on a beautiful evening in the Delta," he said. A coalition of the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, the Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service through Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration, purchased the 18,000-acre tract in Issaquena and Warren counties. |
| Remembering Alcorn State coach Willie E. 'Rat' McGowan | |
 | The life and legacy of Willie E. "Rat" McGowan will be remembered and celebrated during his home going services later this week. The Celebration of Life for Coach McGowan, longtime Alcorn State University baseball coach will be held Thursday, Nov. 14 at 11 a.m., at New Jerusalem Church, located on 5708 Old Canton Road in Jackson. Long-time friend and colleague Willie Moses, director for the James L. Bolden Student Union described McGowan as one of a kind in Alcorn's history. He remembers McGowan for being a selfless and dedicated leader who dedicated himself to pushing the university forward. "He was original," said Moses. "He was a hard worker who devoted himself to uplifting Alcorn and being committed to his profession. He was always willing to give his time and energy by staying involved with students and student-athletes. He had a listening ear, and he always looked out more for others than he did for himself." |
| Ole Miss athletics director search: What do supporters want in next AD? | |
| Ole Miss supporters and alumni have been vocal about what they're looking for in the school's next athletics director. They have many opinions about the qualities they want to see in the next hire, ranging from experience and qualifications to goals and priorities. Here's a collection of opinions from Ole Miss supporters about what they'd like to see out of the next athletics director. Neither Chancellor Glenn Boyce nor members of the search committee have responded to interview requests for this story. By far, the most popular opinion is that Ole Miss supporters want to see a fresh face at the top of the athletics department. A large segment of the fan base seems frustrated with the insider-focus that has percolated through Ole Miss' recent hires. Namely, fans don't want to see repeats of the choices to promote Matt Luke from interim football coach to head football coach and the IHL to hire Boyce after he was paid to consult on the chancellor search process. |
| VCU fans dress as FBI agents, jeer former coach Will Wade as LSU basketball falls on road | |
 | On Monday, two days before returning to face the team he coached until leaving for LSU in 2017, Will Wade told reporters about the passion VCU fans have for their basketball team. "The atmosphere there is incredible on any night, but it'll be turned up even more, I'm sure, for us," Wade said. "It's a great place, VCU is a great place. They've got tremendous fans." Wednesday night, those fans brought it for No. 23 LSU and Wade, the fourth former VCU coach to face his former team in the Siegel Center in the past 10 seasons. A clause in coach's contracts at VCU since Jeff Capel was hired in 2002 calls for one of two things to happen if that coach leaves for another job: his new school has to play a home-and-home with the Rams, or buy its way out of the series. As expected, the reception for Wade was anything but warm as the temperature outside the arena dipped below freezing. |
| From Greeting Fans to Recruiting, Alabama AD Greg Byrne May Be the Busiest Man on Game Day | |
| Some recognize him in time for a photo or handshake, maybe for a "you're doing a great job" or a "Roll Tide, GB!" Others recognize him too late, and as he whisks by, they'll whisper to a companion, "I think that was the athletic director," and the other replies, "What's he doing up here with us?" Up here is Section LL and KK in the upper reaches of Bryant-Denny Stadium. On this chilly Saturday afternoon, there you will find Greg Byrne, glad-handing and picture-taking with befuddled Alabama ticket holders wondering why the leader of their athletic department is interacting with the commoners in the nosebleeds and not the dignitaries on the field. Before he climbs steps and crosses ramps to get way up here, Byrne marched the one-third of a mile from his office to the stadium. He sidled up to fans at crosswalks, high-fived students and directed game-goers to their appropriate gates. He fist bumped stadium entry workers, encouraged game security officers and even greeted visiting fans with a hearty "Welcome to Alabama!" All of this came after he met in his office with millionaire boosters and before he socializes on the field with some of the nation's best high school football players. Amid this all, he's making time to spend with family members, occasionally checking Twitter and feverishly texting as part of daylong conversations with operations officials. |
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