Tuesday, December 3, 2019   
 
Supervisors approve letter of agreement with Mississippi State for airport use
Unmanned aircraft could soon be flying from the Monroe County Airport through a partnership with Mississippi State University's Raspet Flight Research Laboratory. The board of supervisors authorizing Monroe County Airport Manager Wes Kirkpatrick Nov. 22 to sign a letter of agreement, pending board attorney David Houston's blessing after further review. Raspet has worked with the military and other entities such as NOAA, NASA the FAA for research, which has included floodplain mapping. One its engineers, Caden Teer, said there are existing partnerships with airports in Starkville and Ackerman, and the agreement will expand its airspace. "This could be next month, it could be months from now, or it may not happen. It depends on what funding we have and what mission we're trying to complete," he said. "We always try to be guests on the field and play well with everybody." He said there would always be ample notice ahead of unmanned aircraft flights, and it would not tie up airspace at the airport.
 
Grant to Gulf Coast group will boost study of elusive marsh bird under threat from rising seas
A research effort that has revealed a trove of new information about one of the Gulf Coast's least understood birds is getting a big boost from the federal government. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded a $3.9 million grant to a Mississippi State University-led group of researchers studying black rails, a rare and poorly understood marsh bird under consideration for protection under the Endangered Species Act. The grant will also support research into how the black rail's preferred habitat -- high coastal marshlands -- also supports yellow rails and mottled ducks.
 
Experts' Insights: Poa no more-a
"There's no easy question concerning Poa annua," says Jay McCurdy, turfgrass Extension specialist at Mississippi State University. Poa annua, also known as annual bluegrass, is a grassy weed that's sometimes used as a putting or playing surface in certain parts of the United States. Poa is widespread throughout the world, but it grows best in temperate climates. It stands out as having boat shaped leaf tips and a white inflorescence. According to McCurdy, it's probably the most prolific and adaptable grassy weed that turfgrass specialists combat. Typically, control options are more limited in cool-season turf, he says, because there's no chemistry to control it. Many of the cultural practices that could get rid of the weed lend themselves to the culture of Poa, so it becomes a big problem, he adds. There are some herbicides available to treat Poa in the Southeast; however, they are fairly limited because of herbicide resistance. Poa adapts quickly, and according to McCurdy, if there is a model species for studying herbicide resistance, it's Poa.
 
Sen. Dean Kirby confirms near unanimous support in bid for Senate pro-tem
Sen. Dean Kirby, R-Pearl, is poised to be elected during the opening day of the 2020 legislative session on Jan. 7 as president pro tempore of the Mississippi Senate for the next four-year term. "All things point in that direction," Kirby told Mississippi Today. "I do not have an opponent (for the post) and I have the votes as of right now. Of course, the senators still have to vote." The pro-tem, elected by the 52 members of the state Senate, is a constitutionally created position and presides in the absence of the lieutenant governor. The pro-tem also chairs the Rules Committee and oversees the management of the Senate and is third in line in gubernatorial succession. Traditionally, the pro-tem and lieutenant governor work closely together. Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann, who is the lieutenant governor-elect, praised Kirby.
 
U.S. Rep. Trent Kelly initiatives win House approval
Within the last month, two policy initiatives spearheaded by U.S. Rep. Trent Kelly have made progress in Congress. A resolution Kelly introduced would fund a one-year fellowship in congressional offices for the family members of service members killed in the line of duty. Also, a bill authored by the north Mississippi Republican is intended to streamline the process for small businesses owned by veterans seeking to work for the federal government. In mid-November, the House also approved a bill authored by Kelly, the VA-SBA Act. Small businesses owned by veterans are eligible for special consideration when seeking federal contracts. Right now, the Department of Veterans Affairs maintains a list of businesses eligible for these special considerations. Kelly's bill would move responsibility for maintaining that list to the Small Business Administration.
 
Former PSC commissioner Nielsen Cochran dies at 78
Nielsen Cochran, longtime public officeholder, has passed away at age 78. He was elected Jackson City Commissioner in 1977 and re-elected in 1981. He was elected Central District Public Service Commissioner in 1983, serving until 2007. Cochran's brother, U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran, passed away in May after 40 years in the upper chamber preceded by six years in the House of Representatives. Nielsen Cochran was married to Connie Cochran and they had two sons, Scot and Jason. He was born in Pontotoc in 1941. His family moved to Byram in 1946, where he graduated from high school. A former professional baseball player in the Baltimore Orioles organization, he attended Mississippi College and Northern State College in South Dakota.
 
Presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg coming to Mississippi
Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire businessman and former mayor of New York City, is coming to Jackson on Tuesday for a round-table discussion of criminal justice reform. According to his campaign, Bloomberg will be meeting with Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and other officials at the Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center at 10 a.m. Criminal justice advocates have criticized the stop-and-frisk tactic used by police officers during his tenure as NYC mayor, and Bloomberg recently apologized for the practice at a predominantly black church in Brooklyn, according to The New York Times. Bloomberg made a late entry into the Democratic primary for president, officially announcing his candidacy last month. He's positioned himself as a centrist and has already poured $30 million into TV advertisements. This will not be Bloomberg's first time in Jackson. He came in November 2018 to announce a $1 million award to raise awareness of access to healthy food options through art
 
Trump signals trade deal with China could be delayed until after 2020 election
President Donald Trump signaled Tuesday that the White House's trade war with China could drag on for some time after he said it might be better to wait to sign an agreement with Beijing until after the 2020 presidential election. "In some ways, I like the idea of waiting until after the election for the China deal, but they want to make a deal now and we will see whether or not the deal is going to be right," Trump told reporters in London, where he is taking part in two days of NATO meetings that coincide with the military alliance's 70th anniversary. The U.S. election will take place in November next year. "I have no deadline, no ... In some ways I think it is better to wait until after the election, if you want to know the truth," Trump added, when pressed about whether he had a deadline for the deal that, while it is being worked out, has seen the U.S. and China impose billions of dollars of tariffs on each other's goods since 2018.
 
Biloxi Fire tests MGCCC's workforce development training program
The Biloxi fire department has been testing out a new program through MGCCC that helps pay for vital fire and EMS training. Nick Geiser, the fire department's deputy chief of training, says he is very pleased with the program so far. "We're getting reimbursed for any training we do here at the Biloxi Fire Department. Whether it be EMS services like you see behind us or it could be firefighting tactics, professional development- or anything along those lines," said Geiser. "It really encompasses almost everything that we train on throughout the week, the month, the year. So, the sky's the limit we, we can pretty much come up with anything as long as we have the minimum requirement students and we fill out all the paperwork we're good to go." The reimbursement is made possible by a workforce enforcement program through the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.
 
William Carey University to offer tuition-free master's level class to K-12 teachers
William Carey University is offering a tuition-free, master's level class to K-12th grade teachers. The online class is called Teacher Performances and Professional Growth and seeks to foster "professional growth and development through performance self-study." The five-week class will be tuition-free and can be used to assist the renewal of the Mississippi Education License. "This is not the first time we've offered scholarships and tuition assistance to people who want to be part of the solution," said Dr. Ben Burnett, dean of the WCU School of Education. "It is our prayer that our Mississippi teachers know we support them and want to help ease the burden of the costs to renew their license," he continued.
 
University plans to partner with Auburn High for dual enrollment program
Auburn City Schools is considering partnership with Auburn University to provide online dual enrollment classes for its students. The partnership will allow students to take college-level courses for $550 a course. Information about the partnership was presented to the Auburn City Schools Board of Education at its Nov. 12 meeting. The agreement was tabled until its Dec. 10 meeting, allowing the board to examine it and the community to give feedback. Daniel Chesser, public relations coordinator for Auburn City Schools, said the program, if approved by the Board of Education, would not start until the next academic year with online courses. "There's quite a few of our students that graduate and go on to attend Auburn," Chesser said. "So, it's helpful to have that partnership moving forward." Auburn High students who participate in this program will take contained, online classes proctored by Auburn faculty.
 
California university system looking at LSU's leader F. King Alexander, he's leaving options 'open'
LSU President F. King Alexander told The Los Angeles Times that he is leaving his options "open" -- though his wife is fond of the weather in Southern California -- when asked about his name being included among potential candidates to fill presidencies at one of the two university systems in California. "Very flattering and both very important positions. But that was news to me as well," Alexander texted The Advocate Monday afternoon. Alexander, 56, came to LSU in July 2013 after heading Cal State Long Beach for seven years. He shepherded the LSU System through tough budgetary times when the Louisiana Legislature and former Gov. Bobby Jindal slashed state appropriations for higher education by roughly half. Gov. John Bel Edwards stopped cutting university budgets in 2016. “It’s a great place,” Alexander told The Los Angeles Times. “California public higher education is kind of like the Rose Bowl -- the granddaddy of them all.”
 
Remote U. of South Carolina student parking aims to reduce traffic near $460 million dorm project
The University of South Carolina will turn prime game-day parking spots into offsite parking for its growing student body. The remote parking plan is part of a massive overhaul of USC's southern campus. The first phase of the $460 million new student housing project called Campus Village is expected to open in 2022. With the initial $210 million buildout, the area will go from 1,213 students in three existing dorms to 2,758 students in four new dorms and two existing dorms. That doubling of beds meant USC had to overcome concerns by neighbors about increased traffic and unruly student behavior, university officials have said. "Remote parking is one of the options currently being explored," USC spokesman Jeff Stensland said, which also will aid in the school's goal to make the campus core more pedestrian and bike friendly.
 
Utility groups testing Aggie engineers' anti-wildfire tech
Technology developed by Texas A&M University engineers is being tested at two of California's largest utility companies in an effort to reduce the number of wildfires caused by power lines. The Distribution Fault Anticipation tool uses algorithms to detect the earliest stages of a problem so companies can fix lines before fires or power outages occur. Pacific Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison have started to use the DFA in recent months. Implementing the new technology comes after both utilities were found responsible for some of the deadliest California wildfires in the past few years, according to the Associated Press. Pacific Gas & Electric filed for bankruptcy in January due to potential liabilities of more than $30 billion stemming from wildfires, according to an A&M press release.
 
U.S. students continue to lag behind peers in East Asia and Europe in reading, math and science, exams show
Teenagers in the United States continue to lag behind their peers in East Asia and Europe in reading, math and science, according to results of an international exam that suggest U.S. schools are not doing enough to prepare young people for the competitive global economy. The results of the Program for International Student Assessment -- widely known as PISA -- were released Tuesday and show widening disparities between high- and low-performing students in the United States, adding to a growing body of evidence showing worsening inequity in public schools. "We need to interpret these scores with caution," University of California at San Diego economist Sally Sadoff said. "People wring their hands when they see these scores and say the U.S. is falling behind, and that may be true, but we want to caution that these test scores are not a pure measure of students' ability, knowledge and learning."
 
Lessons From Vermont's Demographic Crisis
If you typed "Bennington College" into Google last month, an ominous question would pop up in the "People also ask" section, just beneath a link to the college's website: "Is Bennington College closing?" It's not. Either the algorithms underlying Google or the humans using the search engine were confused. Bennington College was merely caught up in an association with Southern Vermont College, a nearby institution that closed at the end of May after struggling for years to stay afloat. Bennington, which has a national reputation and famous alumni, would seem to be the sort of place that has little to worry about. And yet in Vermont -- at the leading edge of a decline in students that is looming in other parts of the Northeast, the Midwest, and parts of the South -- no institution can be too comfortable.
 
Black student loan borrowers default at higher rates
A set of federal programs created more than a decade ago to help struggling student loan borrowers appears not to have made a significant dent in the default rates of one particularly vulnerable group: black borrowers. An analysis of federal data released by the Center for American Progress Monday shows that African Americans who entered college in 2011 and took out federal student loans defaulted on those loans at sharply higher rates than did their peers of other races. The author of the center's new report, Ben Miller, notes in the report that policy makers might have hoped that the cohort of students who entered college in 2011-12 would fare better because they enrolled after the creation of new federal programs that link borrowers' repayment to their income. Those programs were specifically designed, Miller wrote, "to help individuals struggling with debt." But the new data suggest little to no improvement in the fate of black borrowers despite the new repayment options.
 
Broken Pledge: The fraternity hazing and death of Ohio University freshman Collin Wiant
Collin Wiant, of Dublin, Ohio, is one of at least 80 college students who died in incidents connected to Greek life in the past 15 years. In the span of a few weeks this fall, four people died in circumstances related to fraternities at the campuses of San Diego State, Washington State, Penn State and Cornell. Others have suffered mental or emotional scars from hazing while those who abused them probably will never face significant consequences. The Wiant case caught national attention last month when nine people were charged with felony crimes in connection with Collin's hazing and death. The case is one of the largest criminal cases connected to hazing, experts said. Wiant's case was highlighted in a yearlong investigation into hazing on college campuses by The Columbus Dispatch. It included a six-part podcast, "Broken Pledge," that explored Wiant's life and death and detailed how fraternity members blamed him for his death in an attempt to save their fraternity.
 
Hunger on campus: The fight against student food insecurity
While most Americans will be grateful for second and third helpings this Thanksgiving, there's one surprising group who struggle to find a first helping every day: students at some of the nation's top universities. "I can't go to the grocery store to buy breakfast because if I use this money I'm not going to be able to use it for something else like dinner or lunch," said Damian Hernandez, 24, who graduated from Columbia University earlier this year. Hernandez, who is from Chicago, was one of thousands of students who are considered food insecure, meaning they don't always know where their next meal is coming from, or if it's coming at all. With the high cost of tuition, living and meal plans, food insecurity on college campuses poses a real threat to student livelihood, especially those who are low income and lack access to government assistance programs.
 
U. of North Texas opens 'Big 8' allergen-free dining hall
Students at the University of North Texas are about to be able to eat a lot safer. UNT has opened a new all-you-can-eat dining hall free of the "Big 8" food allergens, the second in the nation. The Big 8 of allergens includes eggs, fish, milk, peanuts, shellfish, soy, tree nuts and wheat. Ninety percent of food allergy reactions occur to one of these foods. In allergen-free dining halls like these, food is prepared with equipment and ingredients that never come into contact with the common allergens. "There is an identified need for people to have access to food that is free of the Big 8 allergens," said Peter Balabuch, executive director of UNT Dining Services, which serves between 9,000 and 11,000 meals a day in resident dining alone. Between 1997 and 2007, the number of young people with food allergies jumped 50 percent. Many of those young people are college age now.


SPORTS
 
Analysis: What Joe Moorhead's return means for Mississippi State
Joe Moorhead didn't mince words. Wandering into the press conference room in the underbelly of Davis Wade Stadium following Mississippi State's 21-20 win over Ole Miss Thursday, he entered the room as a gaggle of family members watched on. With the Egg Bowl trophy slung under his arm, the second year head coach plopped down behind the podium and began his fiery address. In the 12 minutes and 38 seconds that followed, Moorhead spoke on his place in the MSU program, his desire to drive the team forward and, most startling, his indifference toward his own doubters. With a relatively soft schedule next season, MSU should be favored in eight of its 12 games in 2020. Freshman quarterback Garrett Shrader and another top-25 recruiting class should also help stabilize the roster. And while doubters will continue to stir, Moorhead remains confident heading into bowl season and beyond.
 
Hattiesburg prepares for economic impact from MHSAA championships
Hotels and businesses are gearing up for upwards of 40,000 people to visit Hattiesburg this weekend. The high school football state championships are being held on Friday and Saturday at M.M. Roberts Stadium on the campus of the University of Southern Mississippi. "We anticipate about $2.3 million in visitor spending here in Hattiesburg as a direct result of these six high school championship games," said Marlo Dorsey, executive director for Visit Hattiesburg. This number is based off of last years' revenue results and a slight increase to account for the local Pine Belt teams. Restaurants are also looking forward to having more people in town. Visit Hattiesburg said they should see a $1.6 million over the two-day period. There is an expected 890 players and coaches combined coming into town. To account for meals for the team, on an average of $30 per day, that equals a little over $26,000. Adding the expected 40,000 fans and family watching, that gives an increase of $1.6 million.
 
I Want Your Job: Southern Miss' Jeremy McClain
Podcast: Southern Miss AD Jeremy McClain joins INFLCR Founder & CEO Jim Cavale on the latest episode of "I Want Your Job." McClain discusses how his small town roots and baseball background shaped who he has become as a leader and Athletic Director. He then takes Cavale through his career moving from a corporate job to development at his alma mater, Delta State, and his jump from Delta State to Southern Miss and back to Hattiesburg.
 
Ole Miss AD Keith Carter: 'Totality' of Luke's tenure led to firing
Keith Carter stood in the Burns Team Meeting Room on the University of Mississippi campus on Nov. 22, and said Matt Luke was the future of Ole Miss' football program. The newly-named leader of the school's athletics programs stood in the same spot 11 days later and formally announced Luke's firing as the Rebels' head coach. News broke on Sunday evening of Luke's ousting, ending a three-year run as head coach. In the summer of 2017, Luke was named the interim head coach following the departure of Hugh Freeze. At the conclusion of the 2017 season Luke was hired as the permanent coach. Following the Rebels' loss to Mississippi State in Starkville on Thanksgiving night, Carter said he spent the weekend mulling over the state of the football program and Luke's time as its leader. "With the support and consultation with Chancellor (Glenn) Boyce, and after meeting with Coach Luke, we felt that we needed to move forward and inject new energy into the program," Carter said during a press conference on Monday. "Following Thursday's game, I spent a couple of days taking a hard look at the totality of Matt's tenure as head coach. While you can see progress in some areas, we're not seeing enough success on the field."
 
Ole Miss seeks charismatic coach to galvanize fan base
Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter wants to find a football coach who can bring new energy to the program and excite a fan base that has grown apathetic. Carter is seeking a replacement for Matt Luke, who was fired Sunday after going 15-21 in three seasons. Luke posted a 6-18 record in Southeastern Conference competition. "We've got to find a head coach who can walk into a room, and absolutely take over that room and galvanize people, bring them back," Carter said. Ï think people want to support, they want to come back, they want to come to Ole Miss football games, but we just lost some of that luster. I think bringing someone in who has energy, who can walk in and kind of own a room and be charismatic and make sure they're talking about the future and vision of Ole Miss football, I think we can get people back quickly." Carter cited a lack of fan support and declining ticket sales as a reason for the change.
 
Analysis: Ranking the 3 open SEC jobs and best fits for each
The three SEC openings might as well be the battle for Mike Norvell. All three schools are expected to be highly interested in the 38-year old Memphis coach who could have his pick of openings this cycle. Other Group of Five coaches like Florida Atlantic's Lane Kiffin, Louisiana's Billy Napier, UAB's Bill Clark, Tulane's Willie Fritz and Appalachian State's Eliah Drinkwitz could be in the mix for at least one of the vacant SEC jobs. Which opening of the three is the best? It depends on who you ask as there isn't a clear industry consensus. Each school has clear advantages and disadvantages when compared to the others though all are in the same general tier in the SEC pecking order. If you ranked all of the SEC jobs, none of these openings would be ranked better than No. 7.
 
Auburn dean tweets students get extra second for exams in honor of Iron Bowl, goes viral
No, Auburn students don't actually get an extra second during finals week. Though, Joe Aistrup, the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Auburn University, really would give his students the extra time if he could. On Monday, Aistrup took to Twitter to have a little fun and celebrate Auburn's 48-45 win over Alabama in Saturday's Iron Bowl at Jordan-Hare Stadium. "It is undeniable that when every second counts, Auburn men and women make great things happen," Aistrup tweeted. "Under coach (Gus) Malzahn's leadership, student-athletes have twice proven the difference that :01 can make. In the spirit of continued success, I hereby authorize professors and instructors to add one second to the allotted times for next week's final exam." "The genesis of the whole idea is I have a couple of people who work for me, and we started talking about a way to have some fun with this," Aistrup told AL.com on Monday night.
 
A Welcome Funding Source for College Athletics: Women
As the 50th anniversary of Title IX approaches, the pioneering athletes who first benefited from the 1972 federal gender-equity law are now in their 50s or 60s, and some of them have gained sizable wealth as more women have entered the executive suite. They have created a subset of university giving, donating millions back to their alma maters as primary donors to build facilities and endow scholarships and coaching positions. It is difficult to quantify the breadth of athletic philanthropy by women because many gifts are listed as made by couples. But anecdotally, athletic administrators and development experts say they have noticed the emergence of several trends in the past decade: First, given the insatiable hunger of universities for academic and athletic philanthropy, women are increasingly being targeted as donors. At the same time, women are more often initiating contact with athletic departments than in the past.



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