| Thursday, November 21, 2019 |
| County, city unemployment improves from September, rises over year | |
 | Despite gains for many from September to October this year, the Golden Triangle saw unemployment rise by more than a percentage point from this time last year. According to preliminary data from the Mississippi Department of Employment Security, the Golden Triangle metro area saw unemployment rise from 4.6% in October 2018 to 5.8% last month. The region did, however, improve slightly from September when it posted unemployment at 5.9%. Clay County saw the biggest spike in unemployment, rising more than 2 percentage points over the previous year to 7.7% in October. The county also saw unemployment rise from September's 7.5%. Oktibbeha County ranked in the top half of Mississippi counties for the lowest unemployment, coming in tied at 33rd with Choctaw and Tate counties. |
| East Oktibbeha Wastewater District nets more than $5M in funding for sewer expansion | |
| A federal grant and loan will soon see sewer service improved and expanded for many in eastern Oktibbeha County. U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker announced on Wednesday that the East Oktibbeha Wastewater District would be awarded a $3,240,000 loan and $2,128,000 grant to expand its existing wastewater collection and treatment system to serve an additional 337 households. The funding is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Water and Waste Disposal Loans and Grants Program, which supports infrastructure improvement projects for water districts and communities with fewer than 10,000 residents. District manager Dwight Prisock, who manages the district for the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors, said the county has been working on securing the funding for the last three years and finally saw the process finished in September. |
| Oktibbeha County project to install, expand sewer system | |
 | A project is underway in Oktibbeha County to install and expand new wastewater systems. The United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development granted the East Oktibbeha Wastewater District a $5 million loan-grant combination. Manager of the East Oktibbeha Wastewater District, Dwight Prisock, said the USDA gave a $3.2 million loan and $2.1 million grant. The project will install a new treatment plant and run the water to the pump stations at the North and South farms at Mississippi State University then run the water to Starkville. Prisock said the project will install or expand a new sewer system in the areas of University Estates subdivision to College Vista to Sheely Hills. The sewer system will extend the already existing system from the 16th Section Road to the East Oktibbeha Elementary School. This will have a pump station to connect the Steel Plantation to the system. |
| Thanksgiving weather forecast: Big storm could disrupt travel | |
 | A sprawling storm in the central U.S. could wreak travel havoc in the days before Thanksgiving: Snow, rain and even thunderstorms are possible across the region. On Tuesday and into Wednesday, there is the potential for heavy snow and winterlike travel conditions with substantial delays to spread from eastern Colorado and northeastern New Mexico to parts of Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan as Thanksgiving travel surges, AccuWeather said. This coincides with the worst time to hit the road, which is Wednesday afternoon, according to INRIX, a global transportation analytics company that partners with AAA to compile holiday travel data. The same storm could also bring heavy rain and potentially severe thunderstorms across portions of the South. |
| Threefoot Brewing Company unveils plans for brewery in downtown Meridian | |
 | As the transformation of the historic Threefoot Building continues in downtown Meridian, beer lovers may be able to sip in its shadow at a brewery named after the 16-story icon. The owners of Threefoot Brewing Company hope to open in their own historic space on 23rd Avenue near city hall next summer. "I looked at probably 30 properties and it just worked out that this was the best and it was the last place we looked at," said John Purdy, co-owner of Threefoot Brewing Company. "It's just kind of romantic to me that we are actually in the shadow of the Threefoot Building." The company began in 2017 and its brews are available in 65 Mississippi counties, Purdy said. Although they have been working with distributors, Purdy and his wife and co-owner Bridget plan to brew on-site and offer food and an outdoor beer garden. The 10,000 square-foot building was constructed in 1924. |
| Gulf Coast leaders form coalition to protect Mississippi Sound after devastating spillway openings | |
 | How can Mississippi restore its coastal waters to their health and stability of a hundred years ago? Albeit a lofty goal, state officials, Gulf Coast mayors and supervisors gathered Wednesday morning at the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Gulfport to organize and discuss checkpoints towards accomplishing that mission. The meeting marked the first full gathering of the newly formed Mississippi Sound Coalition. "We have the Mississippi Sound doing now what it's never done before in the last 15 years, and we're losing production because of it," said Paul Mickle, Chief Scientific Officer at the Department of Marine Resources, at the meeting. "I don't need to tell everybody of the horrendous consequences, especially to Hancock County, in the Western Sound," said organizer and former Biloxi Mayor Gerald Blessey, referring to both the ecological and economic damages. He emphasized the need to prepare for future Spillway openings: "Going forward, those kinds of things, if allowed unchecked, are going to continue." |
| Symposium brings future economic growth ideas to the table | |
 | There are lots of ideas and proposals for where nearly $2 billion in BP settlement funding and other monies should go during the next 15 years. Many of those possibilities and a look at South Mississippi's future economy were explored at the Third Annual State of the Coast Economy Symposium. "We will have nearly $2 billion flowing into the Coast," said Anthony Wilson, Mississippi Power CEO and Gulf Coast Business Council chair. "It is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity." That's why the council and other Coast leaders reached out to TIPS Strategies for guidance on not only how to spend the money, but also on how to invest it. In this case, the story told about South Mississippi's future job force is a cautionary tale about how the Coast needs to attract a younger and more tech-savvy workforce instead of watching that demographic leave for greener economic pastures. |
| Task force finalizes recommendations for hemp cultivation in state | |
 | Members of the Hemp Cultivation Task Force are approving their 35 page report and sending it to the Legislature next week. Their final meeting was Wednesday in Jackson. The report, which will be considered by legislators, points out the positive potential and significant risks of growing hemp in Mississippi. Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson chairs the task force. "I think the Legislature's going to hear four committee reports that pertain to the opportunities, the economic potential of this crop, potential for job creation, potential for processing facilities and they're going to hear some proposed recommendations as to how this could be regulated and monitored if the Legislature decides to legalize this crop," said Gipson. Gipson says there are some law enforcement concerns to consider as well. |
| Lt. Gov.-Elect Delbert Hosemann names two former staffers to transition team | |
 | Lieutenant Governor-elect Delbert Hosemann named two former Secretary of State staffers to his transition team. Nathan Upchurch, who most recently served as the Agency's Chief of Staff, will serve as Transition Director. Leah Rupp Smith, former Director of Communications, will serve as Deputy Transition Director. Hosemann, currently serving as Secretary of State, garnered more than 60 percent of the vote in the November 5 General Election. A native of Kosciusko, Mississippi, Upchurch is one of Hosemann's longest serving employees. He earned a bachelor's degree in Political Science from Mississippi State University. In May 2018, Hosemann named Upchurch as Chief of Staff of the Secretary of State's Office, overseeing eight divisions and more than 90 employees. Smith, originally of Louisville, Kentucky, moved to Mississippi after earning a bachelor's degree in English/journalism from Miami University of Ohio. She reported on state and local politics at The Clarion-Ledger, later serving as Director of Communications for the State Institutions of Higher Learning under Commissioner of Higher Education Dr. Hank Bounds. Smith received her Juris Doctor from the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law in 2013. |
| Mississippi households carry heavy health insurance burden | |
 | Mississippi workers carry the heaviest burden in the country to protect their families' health. Premiums for employer-based health insurance come in below the national average, but the combined average of employee contributions to health insurance premiums and deductibles was $7,863 -- 16.5 percent of median household income in the state, based on an analysis officially published today by the Commonwealth Fund, a nonpartisan foundation that advocates for high-performing health system. It means Mississippians as a group are putting a greater percentage of household income toward health insurance than anyone else in the country. "What some people are required to contribute, especially for family plans, may be more than a third of overall household income," said Sara Collins, vice president of the Commonwealth Fund and co-author of the report that drew from the federal Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. |
| Trump's NOAA pick withdraws, cites health | |
 | President Trump's much-scrutinized pick to lead the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Barry Myers, has withdrawn from consideration, citing health concerns. Myers's nomination was first announced in November 2017 but has remained in limbo partly due to concerns over conflict of interest. Until Jan. 1, Myers was the CEO of AccuWeather, a company that was founded by his brother. Myers had agreed to divest his ownership stock in a pledge to the Office of Government Ethics. Concerns had also been raised by Democratic lawmakers over sexual harassment allegations made against AccuWeather while Myers served as the company's CEO. In 2017, the company paid $290,000 to settle the complaint. The Washington Times was the first to report that Myers had asked Trump to withdraw his nomination to head the NOAA. |
| Impeachment hearings play lead role on Democratic debate stage | |
| The blockbuster impeachment hearings Wednesday in Washington served as a somber backdrop to the Democratic debate in Atlanta, forcing the 10 candidates who shared the stage at Tyler Perry Studios to balance their searing criticism of President Donald Trump with mounting pressure to stand out. Several of the contenders called for a sense of unity as the nation's divide plays out in the impeachment proceedings. Others challenged their rivals to move beyond an anti-Trump message, even as the moderators peppered them with questions about his policies. With the explosive testimony of Ambassador Gordon Sondland still in mind -- he said Trump engaged in a "quid pro quo" by trading political favors with Ukraine's president -- each of the candidates navigated the fight over impeachment by presenting his or her own campaign agenda. Aside from occasional clashes, the debate was largely civil. |
| Louisiana governor becomes topic of Democratic presidential debate | |
 | Gov. John Bel Edwards, and his position against abortion, became a topic of discussion late during the democratic presidential debate on Wednesday. MSNBC's Rachel Maddow asked candidates whether there is room in the party for an anti-abortion Democrat, citing Edwards' narrow win for reelection this weekend. Edwards, who has signed multiple restrictive anti-abortion laws including a much-debated fetal "heartbeat" bill this year, is the only Democratic governor in the Deep South. The candidates on the stage in Atlanta at the debate hosted by MSNBC and the Washington Post, largely avoided directly discussing Edwards. Edwards, who was first elected in 2015 and won a second term with 51% of the vote on Saturday, is a devout Catholic and has been open about his anti-abortion position. |
| New in town: Meet the new dean of students at UM | |
 | To go from one place to another on campus, some administrators walk. Others would opt for a golf cart. Brent Marsh, however, chooses to longboard around campus. "At a prior university, the policy where students were allowed to ride skateboards had been prohibited for a while," Marsh said. "Once that policy changed through the student government's leadership, I thought it'd be fun to join in with the students who were also enjoying their newfound opportunity to ride skateboards on campus." Marsh became the university's new assistant vice chancellor of student affairs and dean of students after Melinda Sutton Noss resigned last semester to take a similar position at her alma mater. Something Marsh said students could improve the way they represent the university. Marsh referenced game days and students' rowdy behavior while tailgating in the Grove. "I've gotten information where there (are) some times where maybe we haven't always been the best ambassadors for our university," Marsh said. "I would love to see people have so much pride in their institution that they always want to reflect well." |
| Eagle's Nest Pantry at USM gets $8K donation from Venture Church | |
 | The Eagle's Nest Food Pantry at the University of Southern Mississippi received its largest single cash donation on Wednesday. It was a check for $8,250 from Venture Church. The money was collected last month during a regional night of worship at USM's Reed Green Coliseum. The event was hosted by the church. "It's a huge blessing to receive this," said Tamara Hurst, faculty advisor for the Eagle's Nest Food Pantry. "It supplements what we receive from our other food drives, things we don't normally get through a food donation." The pantry opened in 2016. |
| ECCC president announces retirement plans after serving community college for 7 years | |
| East Central Community College President Dr. Billy Stewart has announced his plans to retire, effective July 1, 2020. Stewart made the announcement at the monthly Board of Trustees meeting on the Decatur campus last week. Stewart has served as the college's eighth president since March of 2012. A native of Pearl, Stewart earned his bachelor's degree in history and his master's degree in curriculum and instruction, both from the University of Southern Mississippi, and his doctorate in higher education administration from Mississippi State University. Prior to assuming the presidency at ECCC, he served as vice president for finance and administration at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. Stewart has also worked as dean of community services and dean of the Simpson County Center for Copiah-Lincoln Community College. |
| Noose found in Auburn campus residence hall, investigation underway | |
| An extension cord tied as a noose -- which is often seen as a racist symbol in the U.S. -- was found Wednesday in the common area of a campus residence hall, according to Campus Safety and Security. It was quickly removed and an investigation is underway, Campus Safety and Security said in a tweet. "Intolerance, intimidation and threatening behavior have no place on Auburn's campus," the tweet said. "We condemn this action as antithetical to the values of the Auburn Family." Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Auburn Police. |
| U. of South Carolina trustees who voted for Bob Caslen facing rare opposition for reelection | |
 | All four University of South Carolina trustees who voted for former West Point superintendent Bob Caslen as president and are seeking reelection next year face opposition, a rare occurrence that was expected after the controversial hire. One trustee who voted against Caslen also has challengers in the election by state lawmakers, according to a list released Wednesday by the joint legislative panel that screens state college board candidates. Opposition for college board incumbents is rare. Only one challenger has filed against an incumbent USC trustee over three elections since 2014. Three other USC trustees, including the board's only two elected female trustees, are running unopposed in 2020. All three trustees voted against Caslen, who drew the ire of some on campus because of his lack of academic experience and statements on diversity and sexual assault deemed insensitive. He has received generally good reviews, though he stirred controversy over the past week for comments that appeared to question whether USC would keep head football coach Will Muschamp in 2020. |
| UGA shooting victim starts foundation to raise awareness | |
 | Tate Prezzano, a University of Georgia lacrosse player, was waiting at a Milledge Avenue bus stop on an April morning when an attempted robber shot him three times. Prezzano was recovering remarkably well at Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center soon after the incident, but it would be a while before he could return to school and the sport he loves. His father, Dobbin Prezzano, worried about how the drastic change in schedule would affect the young athlete. He wanted to find something to keep his son occupied. "We wanted him to have some direction and some focus," said Dobbin Prezzano. "All of [the therapies he underwent] would take up a lot of his week and his days, but we didn't want his face in his phone and him wearing out the batteries on the remote. We had a conversation, trying to figure out what is a good way to have this horrible situation turned into something good." That conversation lead Tate Prezzano to found the TateTough Foundation, which launched on Wednesday. |
| Forums seek views on U. of Missouri's next diversity vice chancellor | |
 | Someone with a law degree and a background in civil rights. An academic with published papers on race. Someone who is relatable to faculty, staff, administrators and students. Someone who is future-oriented. Those were a few of the ideas put forward for qualities people who attended a forum Tuesday want in the next University of Missouri vice chancellor for diversity, equity and inclusion. The event in Memorial Union, and a follow-up forum for students that drew just one student, is part of a national search to replace Kevin McDonald, the previous vice chancellor, who announced in April he had been appointed to a position at the University of Virginia. He had served three years in the post. McDonald was hired as the first system vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion in response to the 2015 student protests, by Concerned Student 1950 and then given the campus job as well. |
| U. of Missouri student 'angels' celebrate 10 years of investing | |
 | In 2008, Ryan Wenk and Kyle Cleeton, two University of Missouri business students, came back to campus from a trip to Wall Street in New York City. Excited about what they had learned, Wenk came up with an idea of starting an angel investment club. One year later, after interning in the investment business, Wenk and Cleeton brought their idea to one of their professors, William Allen, an adjunct at MU's Trulaske College of Business. At first, Allen hesitated to take the project on. He was afraid that advising the club would take too much of his time. Wenk and Cleeton persuaded him by telling him that he didn't need to do anything but sign a paper. Two weeks after the Allen Angel Capital Education Club officially launched, Allen was putting 25 hours a week into the fund. "Their enthusiasm was contagious to me," Allen said. Allen now oversees the fund attached to the Allen Angel Capital Education Program as the coordinator and faculty adviser. |
| Federal government releases earnings data for thousands of college programs | |
 | The U.S. Department of Education on Wednesday released data on first-year earnings of college graduates, for the first time broken down by program level. The information, collected from federal tax data, is the most comprehensive and likely accurate information on different college programs currently available. Combined with the program-level debt information the department released in May, prospective students, researchers and administrators can now -- as some have already done -- slice and dice the information to identify what majors are "worth it" (in at least one simplistic way) and which college graduates earn the most. But the data are likely to continue, rather than end, debate over whether vocationally oriented data like earnings and debt are the right way to judge higher education programs. |
| Senate Panel Considers Strategies to Combat Chinese Research Theft | |
 | A U.S. Senate panel is weighing whether comprehensive new policies might be needed to mitigate the risk of intellectual-property theft from China. During a hearing before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, lawmakers considered whether participants in talented-recruitment programs -- that is, visiting appointments of American academics in China -- should be prohibited from receiving federal-research contracts. They also questioned whether the State Department needed to examine foreign researchers' visa applications more deeply for signs of potential academic espionage. Some changes are already in the works. Federal agencies, including the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Energy, are working to create common forms for collecting biographical and financial information from applicants for government grants, officials testified Tuesday. |
| To slow turnover, FedEx Express partnered with U. of Memphis to front cost of bachelor's degree | |
| Retention rates are low at the 12 FedEx Express hubs around the country where employees sort through and track packages. The company considers it a success if its employees stay past the 90-day mark, according to Robbin Page, vice president of human resources at the operating company. To that end, FedEx Express offered a tuition reimbursement program for employees as a benefit to entice them to stay. But when evaluating the program, Page realized that no one working in the hubs was taking advantage. Page partnered with the University of Memphis to brainstorm ways to get better employee participation. The largest FedEx Express hub is in Memphis, Tenn., where the FedEx Corporation is also headquartered. So far, it seems to be working. |
| 4 Reasons Why Students Don't Receive the Degrees They've Earned | |
| Millions of Americans have earned some college credit but no degree. Some experts think institutions of higher education---not former students---are partly to blame. Through Degrees When Due, a project of the Institute for Higher Education Policy, nearly 200 two- and four-year colleges are digging through data and auditing administrative policies to figure out how many such students they've lost, and why. Barriers such as outdated course requirements, and the practice of putting holds on transcripts for unpaid fees, can be especially onerous to students who are less able or less likely to advocate for themselves, like students of color, low-income students and first-generation students, says Kate Mahar, dean of institutional effectiveness at Shasta College. "Every time you talk about it, it's kind of like a gut punch. I can't believe we were doing that to students, adding that extra barrier," she says. "What are the lessons here? What have we learned that can make a difference for the next folks coming through?" |
| Arrests made as hundreds protest Ann Coulter speech at UC Berkeley | |
 | Hundreds of protesters converged on UC Berkeley on Wednesday night as conservative author Ann Coulter delivered a speech on campus. UC Berkeley police said on Twitter that "multiple masked protesters" were arrested at the event but did not provide details about why they were taken into custody. Videos and photos show large groups of protesters outside the venue where Coulter was speaking, with some signs calling her a fascist and saying she should go home. The Berkeley College Republicans invited Coulter for a talk entitled, "Adios, America!" Advertising said the writer would discuss the "current United States immigration system and the dangers of mass immigration." But protesters said she had no place at the university. Coulter had intended to speak on the campus in 2017, but her event was canceled due to security concerns. |
| Across Mister Rogers' actual neighborhoods, his faith echoes | |
 | His TV neighborhood, was, of course, a realm of make believe -- a child's-eye view of community summoned into being by an oddly understanding adult, cobbled together from a patchwork of stage sets, model houses and pure, unsullied love. Visiting it each day, with Mister Rogers as guide, you'd learn certain lessons: Believe you're special. Regulate your emotions. Have a sense of yourself. Be kind. And one more. It was always there, always implied: Respect and understand the people and places around you so you can become a contributing, productive member of YOUR neighborhood. Fred Rogers' ministry of neighboring is global now, and the Tom Hanks movie premiering this week only amplifies his ideals. But at home, in Pittsburgh, Mister Rogers moved through real neighborhoods -- the landscape of his life, the places he visited to show children what daily life meant. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State men's, women's hoops hit the road | |
| Mississippi State's men's basketball team is out of the gate with a 4-0 start at home and have held the last three opponents to under 60 points. Now the Bulldogs will test their mettle away from Humphrey Coliseum for the first time as they participate in the Myrtle Beach Invitational in Conway, South Carolina. MSU meets Tulane at 1 p.m. today on ESPNU in the first of three games at the event. "We're looking forward to playing in this tournament," said MSU coach Ben Howland. "Obviously it's a great tournament with a great field with teams from all over. "It's a great opportunity to continue to improve, grow and test ourselves against really good competition." MSU's 10th-ranked women's basketball team is also off to a 4-0 and traveling for the first time tonight. The Bulldogs play at Jackson State at 7, their first trip to the Lee E. Williams Athletic and Assembly Center since 1992. "We're excited to have the chance to go down there," said MSU coach Vic Schaefer. |
| 'A lifeblood': Inside Myah Taylor's connection to basketball in Mississippi | |
 | Of the nearly 7,000 people inside Humphrey Coliseum on Monday night, four seemed more spirited than the rest when Myah Taylor took her fifth charge of the game. Andra Ezpinoza-Hunter was one. The junior guard is always the first to zestfully rush to pick up her teammates after they draw a foul. She wasn't on the court this time, but she jumped off the bench and made sure Taylor saw her animatedly applauding. Vic Schaefer was another. If there's one thing that cracks the Mississippi State head coach's stern, straight face and makes him smile during a game, it's seeing one of his players put her body on the line for the betterment of the team. Taylor -- with those five charges, 20 points and seven assists -- was the star of the show in a 122-82 victory over Troy. Two people watching from section 114 would agree. John and Cynthia Taylor, Myah's mother and father, made up the other half of the quartet that was giddy after the fifth charge. |
| Farrod Green attains his goal of starting again | |
| Farrod Green entered his senior season with a mission in mind -- to reclaim his starting position. Green started 21 games at tight end during his redshirt freshman and sophomore years at Mississippi State, but did not start a single game in 2018. The 6-foot-4, 240-pounder accomplished his goal and has started all 10 games this fall and rewarded the Bulldogs with his best season yet. He has hauled in a 14 catches for 181 yards and one touchdown thus far. "It's been ups and downs with the coaching changes but I just had to stay focused," Green said. "I knew if I just took care of my stuff and control the things that I can control then this time would come and the opportunity would be there for me. I'm just happy to be here." Green's final season at MSU also reunited him with the man who helped bring him to Starkville in the first place, Tony Hughes. |
| Tommy Stevens, Darryl Williams headed to the Shrine Bowl | |
| Mississippi State will be well represented at the East-West Shrine Bowl this year. Quarterback Tommy Stevens and center Darryl Williams have both accepted invitations to participate in the game on Jan. 18 in St. Petersburg, Florida on the NFL Network. Stevens has started seven games this season completing 67 of 108 passes for 769 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions. He has also rushed 59 times for 222 yards and two more scores. Williams has started 35 of the last 36 games for the Bulldogs and surrendered just two sacks since the start of the 2017 season. |
| JSU football players reinstated to the university, team, after robbery accusation | |
| Two Jackson State University football players reportedly have been reinstated to the team and campus after being suspended last week, though criminal charges have not been dropped. Linebackers Jakaiszer Glass, a junior, and Carl Jones, a sophomore, were reinstated to the team Wednesday night, one week after being arrested and charged with robbery, according to Glass' attorney, Carlos Moore. A spokesperson for JSU did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday morning. According to Moore, the students appeared at a student conduct hearing Wednesday. Glass "has had his academic suspension lifted, he is back in school and reinstated to the football team," Moore said. Jones' attorney, Aafram Sellers, was not immediately available for comment Thursday morning but confirmed to WLBT-TV Wednesday night that his client was also reinstated. |
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