| Wednesday, December 4, 2019 |
| Mississippi State president urges Northeast seniors to think about life beyond high school | |
 | Honesty, hard work and respect are the key to success, the president of Mississippi State University told high school seniors on Tuesday. "My main message for students of this generation...is to think about their life and their future, because they will do some amazing things in their life with technology and science," Mark Keenum said to Northeast Lauderdale High School students. "There are going to be some amazing advances that we don't know about that will create jobs and careers and tomorrow that don't exist today," he added. Keenum was at the school to discuss the importance of higher education and how technology affects the job outlook for young people. "There's probably never been a time more important than right now to have a college education," he said. |
| Mississippi State president visits Northeast Lauderdale High School | |
 | Students at Northeast Lauderdale high school got a visit from Mississippi State University President Dr. Mark Keenum Tuesday morning. "I honored to be here today and visit with the students at Northeast Lauderdale High School," said Dr. Keenum. "I enjoying visiting high schools and with young people to talk about their future and how important it is to get a good education to prepare themselves for life and for their future here in this 21st century." Dr. Keenum also announced a new program at MSU that allows junior college graduates to now to be able to transfer hours from a technical field and apply it toward a bachelor's degree. |
| SHS students show off tech skills at C Spire's 'Hour of Code' | |
 | Tuesday night, a dozen juniors and seniors from Starkville High School showed off their computer technology skills at the C Spire store in Starkville. Collectively, they are the first class of a C Spire pilot program called The C Spire Software Development Pathway. But the students could also be called Gap Closers. The SHS students were among a group of six schools that took part in Tuesday's "Hour of Code" event across the state, allowing the students to show off what they have learned from the program. C Spire launched the pilot program in 2017, but this is its first year at Starkville High School. With the support of C Spire, the program is a collaboration among Starkville's Millsaps Career and Technology Center, Mississippi State University -- which developed the curriculum -- and East Mississippi Community College, which provides one of the two instructors for the classes. |
| C Spire event inspires future coders in Mississippi where 1,000 computing jobs lay vacant | |
 | There's now an exciting new option out there for high school graduates. C Spire is working with Mississippi State University to launch a student pilot program to help educators, businesses and students thrive in a career that they say is struggling. A coding event was held all across Mississippi Tuesday night for students hungry to put their software development skills to good use. "I have always been into computers. That's what first got me into this," said junior Destiny Hill. And Brandon High School Junior MaKayla Wallace says it's something she has always had a love for. "I want to be a computer science engineer. I am thinking about majoring in computer science in college," said Wallace. It's an industry C Spire Marketing Manager Taylor Tidwell says is in the midst of a shortage. |
| Laurel students showcase skills learned in software development program | |
 | This year, C SPIRE and Mississippi State University's Center for Cyber Education teamed up to launch a pilot program called the C Spire Software Development Pathway program. "It's a one-year program that kids can take at their local community college after high school," said C Spire Public Relations manager Tanya Rankin. "When they are in high school, they'll earn duel credits for computer science classes. When they graduate, they can transfer those to their local community college, like Jones County Junior College. They'll have a program for one year that they complete." This program prepares students through education and training for jobs involving software development and computer programming. "To be able to offer this is really rewarding for all of our students," said Jeannine Agee, director of Career and Technology at Laurel High School. |
| Children Artists Take Up Cause Dear to Chappaqua Girl's Heart | |
| Robin Chwatko and her family have been regular volunteers at the SPCA of Westchester in Briarcliff Manor. So it wasn't particularly surprising that last year her daughter, Scarlett, devised a way to raise money for the no-kill shelter. Scarlett launched a program called Draw for Paws, where a donation of a least $20 would get the donor a portrait of their pet by one member of a group of artists, most of them local children in Chappaqua and neighboring communities. In March, Scarlett lost her fight with brain cancer, but Chwatko and her family, along with her daughter's friends, community supporters and the SPCA, have been hard at work to make sure that her effort lives on. Lisa Bonanno, the SPCA's director of events and communication, said the money raised through the portraits goes to help Scarlett's Rainbow Rescue Fund. The shelter works with the Homeward Bound Project of Mississippi. The money that is raised by the SPCA for the effort is used to have volunteers drive down in a van to Mississippi to pick up the animals. Homeward Bound is run entirely by volunteers, many of whom are veterinary students or are affiliated with the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine. |
| Aldermen table short-term rental ordinances after months of public input | |
 | After an unexpected motion from Ward 1 Alderman Ben Carver, the Starkville Board of Aldermen voted 5-2 Tuesday to table the Dec. 17 vote on proposed short-term rental ordinances. Only Ward 5 Aldermen Hamp Beatty and Sandra Sistrunk of Ward 2 voted to keep the scheduled vote. The ordinances, aimed at regulating the increasing amount of short-term rental properties in Starkville, have been the source of conflict in the city for months. Supporters of the regulatory ordinances argue short-term rentals arrangements where neighborhood homes are rented out by transient visitors deteriorate the traditional nature of residential areas by introducing commercial aspects. The issue came to the attention of Aldermen after Starkville resident Julie Baca complained about a short-term rental property next door to her home earlier this year. Baca said 52 strangers had been in and out of the house in six weeks. |
| Oktibbeha County still seeking funding to replace levee at lake | |
| County officials are considering applying for five grants to fund the replacement of the levee at Oktibbeha County Lake, Emergency Management Agency director Kristen Campanella told the board of supervisors at its Monday meeting. Campanella said she met last week with the grant writers who recently helped Starkville secure a $12.66 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to revamp a mile of Highway 182. The group can write and send applications for five grants, two of which are federal and highly competitive, she said. Both grants are due Jan. 31, so the county would have to act quickly to submit letters of support to the grant writers from everyone who has a stake in County Lake Road, Campanella said. "I think we've got the support for it (with) as many people as we've reached out to, so I don't think the letters will be a problem to get," she said. |
| Turtles released from Coast could provide answers if Bonnet Carre is opened in 2020 | |
 | Two young sea turtles rehabilitated, tagged and released into the Mississippi Sound have wasted no time heading for warmer waters, logging a combined 113 miles in less than nine days. The loggerhead and endangered Kemp's ridley turtles headed south in a hurry to the Breton Sound off the southeastern shores of Louisiana. Their trek shows the connection between the estuaries of Mississippi and Louisiana and how projects in one state affect the other, said Moby Solangi, executive director of the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Gulfport. IMMS nursed the ailing turtles back to health. The turtles' progress is being tracked by satellite in the wake of the Bonnet Carre Spillway's longest opening in history -- 143 days that created fisheries disasters in both south Louisiana and Mississippi. Trillions of gallons of Mississippi River water poured through the spillway into Lake Ponchartrain and the salty estuaries beyond, killing oysters, turtles and dolphins and displacing other aquatic life. |
| Youth a plus for Nissan's Canton plant with high-tech transformation looming | |
 | The relatively young age of Nissan's 16-year-old Canton assembly plant could help insulate it from company plans to cut global manufacturing capacity by 10 percent by spring 2022. The planned capacity reductions coincide with a collapse in operating profits halfway through Nissan's fiscal year. Some of the blame for the fall in profits rests with "an aged car portfolio" that must be replaced, Nissan CFO Mark Ma told the media in early November. The Canton plant could be a strong candidate for assembling the vehicles that replace those whose time has passed, says Carla Bailo, a former 25-year Nissan executive and current CEO of the Center for Automobile Research in Ann Arbor, Mich. Its youthfulness gives it more flexibility, Bailo added. "You've got more smart components to work with. It is easier, then, to change production." |
| Gov.-elect Tate Reeves warns legislative Republicans on gas tax, Medicaid expansion | |
| Republican Gov.-elect Tate Reeves fired a warning shot to legislative Republicans on Tuesday morning who have expressed interest in increasing the state's fuel tax and expanding Medicaid. The battle lines drawn this week by Reeves, whose principal campaign strategy involved resisting a gas tax increase and Medicaid expansion, could put him at odds with prominent Republicans in the Legislature, including House and Senate leaders. Incoming Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann campaigned on giving local governments the option to increase the gasoline tax on a county-by-county basis -- a proposal similar to one championed in recent years by Speaker Philip Gunn, R-Clinton, that Reeves worked to kill. "I think the people of Mississippi were overwhelming (in the 2019 election) in their viewpoint that we shouldn't raise the gas tax," Reeves said in a radio interview Tuesday morning. "And honestly, any Republican in the Legislature that's out advocating for the gas tax, I think they are definitely at odds with their constituents." |
| Governor-elect Tate Reeves talks first 90 days | |
 | Governor-elect Tate Reeves is hitting the ground running as he transitions into becoming the state's next governor. And says, after a competitive campaign he wants to bring Mississippians together. "We want to create an environment which helps every Mississippian prosper regardless of their political affiliation and regardless of who they voted for in the election," says Tate Reeves/Governor-elect, "and that's something we're very focused on is making sure that we create an environment that creates private sector job growth, creating opportunities for every Mississippian." When it comes to the key issues of teacher pay, infrastructure and Medicaid expansion, Reeves is standing firm on not expanding Medicaid. "We don't believe that's the right path, we need to understand that we have rural hospitals in Mississippi that are under financial duress who have very challenging situations. We need to do everything we can to find very innovate solutions to help in that regard, we want to insure accessibility, and affordability to all Mississippians and we're going to work hard to make that become a reality, but we don't believe that more government intervention in either the insurance markets or health care is the right way to go." |
| Sen. Roger Wicker asks U.S. Air Force to prioritize Keesler housing issues | |
 | Keesler Air Force Base says it will continue to be transparent as it takes steps to resolve its military housing issues. Keesler released a statement Tuesday after it was brought up by Sen. Roger Wicker in Washington, D.C. Wicker joined other members of the Senate Armed Services Committee to highlight housing issues on military bases nationwide. "We have an unusual situation at Keesler in that Katrina hit and almost all of our 1,188 housing units had to be replaced in one fell swoop," said Wicker. "Of the 1,188 residences there, 1,084 actually have experienced moisture and mold." Wicker says the new homes have since been plagued by mold and moisture damage due to air conditioning systems and ductwork that were poorly installed by private contractors. Efforts to fix these issues have displaced families for weeks at a time. |
| Presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg makes campaign stop in Mississippi | |
| The field of Democratic presidential candidates keeps changing and just more than a week after his announcement, former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg makes a stop in Jackson. Four Southern mayors have an open letter to the presidential candidates that they penned back in September. Jackson's Mayor Chokwe Lumumba was among them. "Mississippi has often been forgotten in that conversation," said Lumumba. Criminal justice reform was the focus of Tuesday's roundtable in Jackson. Mike Bloomberg tried to address what's sparked controversy for years right off the bat, referencing it in his opening remarks to the group and again to reporters later. "On the practice of stop and frisk, I certainly got it wrong and I regret that and I'm sorry," said Bloomberg. He also used the opportunity to unveil his criminal justice reform policy proposal. "Places like Jackson have different challenges, different opportunities and different perspectives than other parts of our country," noted Bloomberg. "But the challenges facing the people of this city are challenges our party has to confront head on." |
| Trump admin tightens SNAP work requirements, which could cut hundreds of thousands | |
 | The Trump administration said Wednesday it had finalized a new rule tightening work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which could cut hundreds of thousands from food stamps. The rule would tighten work requirements for able-bodied adults with no dependents, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced in a call with reporters. It arrives as part of a broader effort to limit access to the federal safety net. The USDA estimated earlier this year that up to 750,000 individuals would be dropped from SNAP if the proposal took effect. Under current law, able-bodied adults without dependents can't receive SNAP benefits for more than three months during a three-year period, unless they're working or enrolled in an education or training program for 80 hours a month. But states can waive this time limit to ensure broader access to food stamps during an uneven economic recovery. The new rule, which will take effect on April 1, 2020, will tighten the criteria for states applying for such waivers. |
| In 300 pages, House lays out evidence for Trump impeachment | |
 | The House released a sweeping impeachment report Tuesday outlining evidence of what it calls President Donald Trump's wrongdoing toward Ukraine, findings that will serve as the foundation for debate over whether the 45th president should be removed from office. The 300-page report from Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee makes the case that Trump misused the power of his office and, in the course of their investigation, obstructed Congress by stonewalling the proceedings. Based on two months of investigation, the report contains evidence and testimony from current and former U.S. officials. The report will lay the foundation for the House Judiciary Committee to assess potential articles of impeachment starting Wednesday, presenting a history-making test of political judgment with a case that is dividing Congress and the country. |
| Impeachment hearing more about Judiciary panel than witnesses | |
 | The House Judiciary Committee's first hearing Wednesday in a push to impeach President Donald Trump will be more about the members of the committee than the witnesses, and what it reveals about where the process is headed in the next two weeks. Four constitutional law experts will appear to discuss the meaning of the Constitution's impeachment standard of "high crimes and misdemeanors." But members from both sides are poised to use the testimony to highlight their concerns with the president's behavior or their concerns with the impeachment process. The Judiciary Committee retakes center stage in the impeachment inquiry with looming choices to make about how to proceed: which witnesses to hear from, which hearings to hold, the way Trump and his lawyers can participate, and drafting and possibly voting on articles of impeachment before the end of the year. |
| Trump calls Trudeau 'two-faced' after video surfaces of world leaders appearing to mock him | |
 | President Donald Trump on Wednesday blasted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as "two-faced" after video surfaced of various foreign leaders appearing to mock their American counterpart during a private exchange at the NATO meeting in London. Sitting alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a bilateral meeting in Watford, England, Trump responded to a reporter's question regarding Trudeau's comments in the roughly half-minute clip, which has gone viral on social media. The president's remarks --- as well as a subsequent announcement that he would cancel a planned news conference --- came after the release of footage showing Trudeau, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte apparently joking about Trump during a reception at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday evening. |
| Confederate monument at UM up for MDAH review this week | |
 | The relocation of the Confederate monument is slated to go before the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) Board of Trustees at their meeting on Friday. Provost Noel Wilkin said that he was committed to transparency regarding the movement of the monument at the Provost forum in September. He said that the university's Facilities Planning Department contacted him in October and informed him that the MDAH would add their review of the university's plans to their December agenda. Wilkin said that the MDAH originally planned for the relocation to be on its October agenda, but because of the complexity of the move, its review has taken longer than expected. If the MDAH approves the university's plans in their December meeting, the decision to relocate the monument will rest in the hands of the Institutions of Higher Learning. The IHL Board of Trustees will make the final decision whether or not the monument will be relocated if the MDAH approves the move. |
| UM student Rohan Agrawal speaks at the UN | |
| When Rohan Agrawal received news that he was one of four U.S. students selected to attend the Committee on World Food Security conference at the United Nations headquarters in Italy, he called his parents -- even though it was 2 a.m. back home in India. "Dad," he said. "I'm going to Rome!" Agrawal received a Planet Forward scholarship in June to attend the conference. Planet Forward is an initiative of the Center for Innovative Media at the George Washington University School of Media and Public Affairs that rewards college students involved in environmental storytelling. Agrawal said he was anxious about applying for the scholarship, but after attending the World Food Security Summit in October, he was even more passionate about his future. Besides getting to speak with people like Maria Juliana Ruiz Sandoval, the first lady of Colombia, and the directors of the food and climate divisions of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, he learned that people are hopeful about the role technology will play in helping the environment. |
| Proposed resolution aims to keep USM's growth in Long Beach | |
| Some Long Beach leaders would like to see continued growth at the University of Southern Mississippi's Gulf Park Campus but they don't want that growth to expand beyond the current boundaries. Long Beach City Alderman-at-large Donald Frazar is putting together a resolution that would oppose USM building and purchasing additional buildings in Gulfport. He says the action is necessary because the Gulf Park campus needs to be protected from future growth happening in other areas of the Coast. "We want to make sure we're protecting the Gulf Park campus, and the investment that the state and school has made here in Long Beach," Frazar said. "We're excited about USM's growth. We want to make sure it's growth here in Long Beach outwards. We don't want to lose anything that is already here." |
| Millsaps College's Else School of Management adds data analytics certificate program | |
| The Else School of Management at Millsaps College in Jackson has developed a Certificate in Data Analytics program that will begin in the spring. "This program will provide the training and tools to develop skills with big data that help organizations make informed decisions," Dr. Kim Burke, dean of the Else School, said in a news release. The certificate provides foundational knowledge in data analytics, including data management, statistics, visualization, as well as collecting, storing and retrieving data. The four 3-credit courses are intended for students currently enrolled in the graduate programs at Millsaps College, students enrolled in graduate programs elsewhere, and working professionals seeking to advance their knowledge. Course credits earned in the certificate program are transferable to master's degree programs offered by the Else School of Management. The certificate is offered in online format only. |
| Belhaven to launch degree in multibillion-dollar hospitality industry | |
| Belhaven University is now helping students advance into the multibillion-dollar industry of hospitality and is introducing its new Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management. Dr. Chip Mason, Belhaven's School of Business Dean, said, "A Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management prepares students for success in a variety of roles across the national and global hospitality industry. Service is at the forefront of everything we do at Belhaven. In fact, our motto is 'to serve, not to be served.' Therefore, it's only natural that we offer this degree. We are completely aligned with providing service excellence and leadership, which is the heart of the hospitality industry." The hospitality management degree will be available through Belhaven Online and will launch during the spring semester in January 2020. |
| Pearl River Community College breaks ground on Aviation and Aerospace Academy in Hancock County | |
| Pearl River Community College will break ground Tuesday morning on the Phil Bryant Aviation and Aerospace Technology Academy in Hancock County. The facility is being built at Stennis International Airport and is possible thanks to a $2 million grant from the Department of Economic Development Administration. That grant will be matched with more than $3.9 million in state and local investments and is expected to help create 469 jobs, retain 550 jobs, and generate $5 million in private investments. Leaders of the community college say this program will help provide more skilled employees for the workforce which, in turn, will hopefully bring new companies to the area. Students will be able to study things like welding, precision manufacturing, instrumentation, industrial electronics, and more. Hancock County Port & Harbor Commission CEO Bill Cork says that Tuesday's groundbreaking is a big step in the right direction for Mississippi's space industry. |
| Auburn faculty expresses uncertainty on change of Jay Gogue's 'interim' title | |
| Former University President Steven Leath's resignation in June was a departure that continues to be cloudy in its rationale to this day. Now it's up in the air whether his replacement, Jay Gogue, is "interim" president or a former president who happens to be "interim" -- a talking point that has faculty scratching their heads. An Auburn University Senate open forum was hosted on Dec. 3 to address Gogue's status following a proposal raised at a Nov. 22 Board of Trustees meeting to drop the word "interim" from his title. Charles McCrary, chair of the trustees executive committee, suggested the removal of the designation, which would lead to Gogue becoming both 18th and 20th president of the University. According to an email by the University Senate Executive Committee, Gogue was "amenable" to the idea but wanted faculty support before the decision to revise the title was made. Approval from those in attendance at the forum was mixed, with many uncertain as to what the change would mean for determining a future president. |
| Vanderbilt taps University of Chicago Provost Daniel Diermeier as new chancellor | |
 | Vanderbilt University has selected Daniel Diermeier as its new chancellor, taking over leadership of one of Nashville's most prominent institutions. Diermeier is the University of Chicago's provost and his appointment will make him the ninth chancellor of Vanderbilt University. Diermeier was named chancellor after a national search launched in April and following Chancellor Emeritus Nicholas S. Zeppos' decision to step down. Diermeier will begin as chancellor on July 1. Before becoming provost, he served as the University of Chicago's Harris School of Public Policy dean. A native of Berlin, Germany, Diermeier earned his doctorate. in political science from the University of Rochester in 1995. He also holds master's degrees in philosophy and political science from the University of Southern California, the University of Munich and the University of Rochester. Before joining the Chicago university, Diermeier taught at Northwestern University. |
| UGA horticulture students offering locally grown Christmas cheer | |
 | It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at UGA's Riverbend Greenhouse Complex. From icy white to traditional deep red, the latest crop of poinsettias grown by the Tau chapter of Pi Alpha Xi horticultural honor society is ready to help spread holiday cheer. The students grew more than 1,000 poinsettias this year and will distribute them to university organizations, local churches and individuals. There will be 12 varieties available this year, from reds and pinks to whites and variegated varieties. The assortment gives Athens consumers the chance to buy poinsettia cultivars that they may not have ever seen before, but the breadth of cultivars makes poinsettias a tricky crop. "The most difficult part of growing the poinsettias is the variety of cultivars we have," said Eleanor Ranger, a third-year horticulture major from Douglasville, Georgia. "Each one needs different amounts of water and fertilizer and different treatments." The poinsettia crop is the keystone project for the students' advanced greenhouse management course. |
| 'Specialists in all things young': U. of Missouri students present youth data report | |
 | Approximately 50 people watched MOJO Ad, the University of Missouri's student-run advertising agency, present its semester-long research project, the 2020 State of the YAYA, on Tuesday in Fred Smith Forum in the MU School of Journalism. MOJO Ad is made up of 33 strategic communication students who specialize in the "youth and young adult" market, or YAYA's, people ages 18 to 24. MOJO Ad began in 2005 to help bridge the gap between America's youth and advertisers. Team members conduct research on all aspects of young adult behavior, including political beliefs, preferred news consumption and mental health, and then deliver the information to the advertising market. "We're the specialists in all things young," Aaron Carter, an account executive of MOJO Ad, said. "We believe we really understand the demographic well." |
| Senate Compromise on HBCU Funding, FAFSA | |
 | Leaders of the education committee of the U.S. Senate on Tuesday released a bipartisan proposed amendment that would make permanent $255 million in annual funding for historically black colleges and universities and other minority-serving institutions, simplify the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, and eliminate paperwork for income-driven student loan repayment plans. The compromise amends an HBCU funding bill the U.S. House passed in September. It follows months of wrangling over a package of bills proposed by Senator Lamar Alexander, the Tennessee Republican who chairs the education committee. Those bills would have served as a stripped-down version of a reauthorized Higher Education Act and included proposals for extending Pell Grant eligibility to short-term programs and incarcerated students. FAFSA simplification was also part of that package, which was tied to the HBCU funding extension. In an apparent nod to Democrats, last month Alexander backed a bill aimed at for-profit colleges and their recruiting of veterans and active-duty service members. |
| Education Secretary Betsy DeVos wants to spin off federal student aid office into new agency | |
| Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said Tuesday the Federal Student Aid office --- an arm of the Education Department she called an "untamed beast" in "distress" --- should operate as a stand-alone entity. The proposal follows a series of missteps involving the office that intensified scrutiny of DeVos's leadership, including the release of $11 million in loans to unaccredited for-profit colleges and the violation of a court order to halt collections on former Corinthian Colleges students. The student aid office has an expansive mission with a portfolio of $1.5 trillion in total student debt, rising loan defaults and mounting consumer complaints of poor loan servicing and abusive debt collection practices. It provides more than $150 billion a year in federal grants, loans and work-study funds to college students, and has become one of the nation's largest lenders. |
| Wealthy students borrowing more for college over last two decades, report finds | |
| College students from high-income families are responsible for some of the most drastic borrowing increases seen in recent decades, according to a new report that raises questions about exactly whose concerns are fueling talk of a student debt crisis. In 1995-96, just 16.4 percent of first-year undergraduates from families making an inflation-adjusted income of more than $114,000 took out student loans. That compares to 24.3 percent of those from families making $22,000 or less who borrowed, according to the report. But by 2015-16, borrowing rates were nearly identical across all income groups -- right around 30 percent. Amounts borrowed climbed faster for students from high-income families as well, said the report, from the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank. |
| Why Student Loan Borrowers With Disabilities Aren't Getting The Help They Deserve | |
 | Denise had no idea her student loans could be erased. In 2007, a truck rear-ended her car. The accident ravaged her legs and back, and the pain made it impossible for her to work. "I have basically been in pain -- chronic pain -- every day," says Denise, who asked that NPR not use her full name to protect her privacy. "I live a life of going to doctors constantly." For over half a century, student loan borrowers like Denise -- with a significant, permanent disability -- have been protected by federal law. If they can no longer work enough to support themselves, they can ask the U.S. Department of Education to erase their debts. But an NPR investigation has found that hundreds of thousands of potentially eligible borrowers -- more than enough to fill a city the size of Pittsburgh -- have yet to receive the relief they're entitled to. |
| College bookstores group opposes Cengage-McGraw merger | |
| College bookstores have joined the growing list of opponents to the planned merger of two major academic publishers: Cengage and McGraw-Hill Education. The National Association of College Stores, which represents more than 3,000 institutionally owned and operated stores, on Tuesday declared its opposition to the merger in an emailed letter to Cengage. The letter was first obtained by subscription news service The Capitol Forum, which reports on antitrust issues. Ed Schlichenmayer, CEO of NACS, said his organization had previously taken a neutral stance on the merger. But proposed changes to Cengage's pricing structure for certain digital products prompted the association's leaders to reconsider their position. In early November, Cengage sales reps began reaching out to bookstore managers to inform them of pending pricing changes that Schlichenmayer believes will limit the ability of bookstores to offer competitive prices to students. |
| Why colleges are looking online for mental health care | |
| More college students are seeking mental health counseling, stressing institutions' already-strapped services. Visits to campus counseling centers climbed 30% to 40% between the fall of 2009 and the spring of 2015, according to the Center for Collegiate Mental Health. Enrollment, meanwhile, grew just 5% during that time. That has helped push the ratio of counselors to students to around 740:1 at the smallest schools and 2,000:1 at larger colleges, according to a survey of more than 570 institutions by the Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors. And it has contributed to a bottleneck in access to critical mental health care that has campus health officials scrambling for ways to keep waitlists in check. For help, some are turning to telehealth services, which provide care through digital mediums such as text messages, phone calls and video chats. |
| How big a factor is race in state politics? | |
 | Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: The Great Assumption in Mississippi politics has long been that race is the lowest common denominator. For good or ill, it is undeniable that this assumption is the basis for how political campaigns are operated, for the crafting of political messaging, and for the evolution of the two-party system in the state since Reconstruction. The century between the American Civil War in 1862 and the American civil rights struggle in 1962 saw a startling transformation of how the Democratic and Republican parties were defined. Over that century, Democrats moved from monolithic control of Mississippi to the current state of marginal influence. The same century saw the Republican Party that once caused Mississippi whites to vow to "vote for a yellow dog" before they'd vote Republican embrace the GOP at the local, state and national level. But is race still Mississippi's lowest common political denominator? Clearly, it is an uncomfortable assumption on any number of levels and one that countless Mississippians have worked for decades to debunk, disprove or discredit. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State's Kylin Hill caps midseason renaissance with C Spire Conerly Award | |
| Junior running back Kylin Hill peered into the camera. Cracking a half smile, Hill's maroon suit and white shirt glimmered under the luminescent glow of a flashing camera. With the white plastic of a football garnering the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame's logo facing toward the shot, the Columbus native was showered with praise as he collected the 2019 C Spire Conerly Trophy -- honoring the best collegiate football player in the Magnolia State. Beating out a pair of quarterbacks in Ole Miss' John Rhys Plumlee and Southern Mississippi's Jack Abraham, Hill became the ninth player in MSU history to garner the award since its inception in 1996. "It's really special," Hill said in a news release. "Growing up as a kid, this is an award every Mississippi athlete should want to win. I'm honored and thankful. I know [the other finalists] are all great athletes. For me to win it, it's a compliment." |
| Mississippi State's Kylin Hill awarded 2019 Conerly Trophy | |
| Mississippi State running back Kylin Hill is this year's recipient of the Conerly Trophy, which is presented annually to the top college football player in the state. Hill leads the Southeastern Conference with 1,347 yards rushing yards and totaled 11 touchdowns during the regular season. The 5-foot-11, 215-pound junior from Columbus is the second straight Bulldog to receive the honor and the program's ninth overall, the most by any school. Finalists for the Conerly Trophy were quarterbacks John Rhys Plumlee (Ole Miss), Jack Abraham (Southern Miss) and Felix Harper (Alcorn State). Drake Dorbeck of Southern Miss took home the Kent Hull Trophy, which goes to the state's top offensive lineman. |
| Mississippi State football: Kylin Hill named best player in state | |
 | Kylin Hill is the best college football player in the Magnolia State. The Mississippi State junior running back earned that distinction by taking home the 2019 C Spire Conerly Trophy at an awards ceremony at the Country Club of Jackson on Tuesday night. The Conerly Trophy has been awarded to the top player in the state of Mississippi for 24 years now. This is the ninth time an MSU Bulldog has won it. Hill's triumph marks the second year in a row a Dawg has outdone his competitors; defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons won it last year. Hill joins Simmons, Dak Prescott (2014, 2015), Gabe Jackson (2013), Chris White (2010), Anthony Dixon (2009), Jerious Norwood (2005) and J.J. Johnson (1998) as the other Mississippi State players to claim the Conerly. "It's really special," Hill said. |
| Egg Bowl trophy in Natchez today | |
 | Mississippi State fans will want to be at the Sports Center in Natchez starting at 10:30 a.m. today. The Mississippi State Bulldogs will bring the Egg Bowl trophy to the Sports Center as part of a statewide celebration tour from 10:30 a.m. until noon today. The Bulldogs beat Ole Miss 21-20 in the rivalry game between the Mississippi State Bulldogs and Ole Miss Rebels on Thanksgiving Day in Starkville. This is the second straight year the Bulldogs have won the annual Egg Bowl game. |
| Buyout for Matt Luke, Ole Miss coaching staff would be about $17M | |
| Ole Miss will have to pay a hefty bill for its decision to fire football coach Matt Luke. Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter told the Clarion Ledger that the total cost of buying out the entire football coaching staff would be approximately $17 million. This does not mean Carter believes the entire football staff will be bought out; the decision to retain and hire assistants will belong to whichever person Carter hires to replace Luke. Carter didn't give details about Luke's individual buyout, but he said the university and athletics foundation will be able to pay it out over four years to mitigate the initial costs. Carter said Monday that he made the decision to fire Luke without talking to boosters about monetary support. "There was a lot of noise yesterday that said there was a booster group that said they would pay the buyout," Carter said. "I haven't spoken to a single booster about a buyout. That's not to say that I won't, or that I won't talk to them about helping us with a new coach. But we'll handle that internally and we'll work with our department CFO and our foundation CFO to make that happen." |
| Steven McRoberts out as Ole Miss volleyball coach | |
| After one of the program's most successful runs, the man responsible for leading them is stepping away. On Tuesday, Ole Miss volleyball coach Steven McRoberts and the school mutually agreed to part ways, per an announcement by athletics director Keith Carter. "Coach McRoberts represented Ole Miss with class and integrity over the past six years," said Carter. "He made tremendous contributions to our program and to the lives of our student-athletes, and we wish him the best as he moves forward." McRoberts was hired on Jan. 16, 2014. The program enjoyed four consecutive winning seasons from 2014-17 and 12 regular-season tournament titles. |
| Plane's path stops near Arkansas interests in football coach search | |
| The search for the next University of Arkansas football coach is stretching further into the week. Some of the candidates for the vacancy are coaching in conference championship games this weekend, including Florida Atlantic's Lane Kiffin and Appalachian State's Eliah Drinkwitz. Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek and deputy athletic director Jon Fagg have spent the past few days interviewing candidates across the nation, sources have said. They talked to Kiffin on Sunday, spoke to Tulane Coach Willie Fritz on Sunday or Monday, according to CBSSports.com, and met with Washington State Coach Mike Leach on Monday night. A lot of discussion in Arkansas on Tuesday revolved around the movements of a jet, which is owned by a Rogers-based LLC that lists an Edward Fryar Jr. as an officer. Edward Fryar Jr. of Rogers was appointed to the UA board of trustees earlier this year. The jet's movements have corresponded with the chronology of the interview schedule conducted by the UA officials. |
| LSU fan honors her dad by planting Tiger Stadium sod at his grave: 'He was everything LSU' | |
 | When the announcement was made that LSU would be giving away sections of Tiger Stadium turf, fans took to Facebook to brainstorm what they would do with the hallowed sod. "Ship it to Nick Saban," one user wrote. "Make a Les Miles salad," wrote another, in reference to former football coach Les Miles' grass-eating habit. "Build a wooden box, place a strip of sod in it, paint a mini tiger field with logo on the strip and use it as a coaster during game days," described one fan. The difference between those folks and Catherine Glueck, 28, is that she actually followed through on her promise. After receiving her sod from Tiger Stadium, Glueck used it to blanket the Resthaven grave of her father, Gregory, a die-hard Tiger fan. "Now you can rest under Tiger Stadium until the end of time," she wrote on Facebook. |
| Clemson coach Dabo Swinney responds to Paul Finebaum calling him 'the most annoying winner' | |
 | Clemson coach Dabo Swinney responded to critical comments made by SEC Network host Paul Finebaum on Tuesday. Earlier in the day, Finebaum called Swinney "the most annoying winner in all of sports" during ESPN's "Get Up" program. "The guy just can't keep his trap shut," Finebaum said of Swinney. "Somebody just give the man a pacifier, send him to timeout and we'll check in with him on Dec. 28 when he finally plays a legitimate team during this entire college football season." Swinney was unaware of Finebaum's comments. "I hate I missed it -- I'm sure it was riveting," Swinney said. "I'd like some timeout, I'd like to take a nap. We should have adult timeout time. Let's just all bring a mat and take a nap. It would be good. Never had a pacifier, though." |
| Bipartisan task force to 'save minor league baseball' unveiled in House | |
| Rep. John Moolenaar has fond memories of the opening of Dow Diamond, the ballpark that is home to the Class A Great Lakes Loons. "I can still remember when the field was built, and they had the opening day. I asked the general manager, you know, are any of these players that are on the team going to make it to the big leagues," the Republican from Michigan said Tuesday. "I remember him saying, well, watch this pitcher. He's only going to be with us for a little while." The pitcher? It was three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw. The Loons, which play in the Midwest League, are an affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Loons were not among the 42 teams targeted to lose their major league affiliations under a proposal from Major League Baseball that has drawn considerable ire on Capitol Hill. But Moolenaar was among the bipartisan contingent of House members joining Democratic Rep. Lori Trahan of Massachusetts and Republican Rep. David B. McKinley for the inaugural meeting of the Save Minor League Baseball Task Force. Members also met with Minor League Baseball President Pat O'Conner and a number of team owners. |
The Office of Public Affairs provides the Daily News Digest as a general information resource for Mississippi State University stakeholders.
Web links are subject to change. Submit news, questions or comments to Jim Laird.
