| Monday, January 4, 2021 |
| Colleges adjust calendars, again | |
 | Rising COVID-19 infection and death rates are prompting colleges and universities that are hoping for in-person instruction in 2021 to again shift their calendars and push back the start of the spring semester. After adjusting their calendars last year -- including eliminating spring and fall breaks to reduce student travel and spread of the coronavirus, and delaying the start of the spring semester to make it safer to have in-person instruction -- many institutions are now scrambling again to respond to the changing picture on the ground. Some colleges are having the first month of instruction online and will then switch to in-person instruction. Other colleges are moving back the start of the spring semester. Many institutions have not changed their plans for the spring but have said they are watching the situation. Mississippi State University has delayed the start of classes only five days -- from Jan. 6 to Jan. 11. "At this juncture, as COVID-19 is now a growing threat in Mississippi, this course of action is prudent and provides us the best opportunity to make the transitions necessary to most effectively balance our educational responsibilities as well," Provost David R. Shaw said in a statement. "We know that with New Year's Eve celebrations there is the possibility of additional exposures and infections; this delay will allow time for infections to run their course prior to students' return to campus." |
| Despite challenges throughout 2020, agriculture increased in value in state | |
 | Mississippi farmers generated an estimated agricultural value of $7.35 billion in 2020, a 5% increase from 2019 saw soybeans top forestry for the No. 2 spot behind poultry. The predicted total ag value exceeds 2019's production value of $7.01 billion, marking the ninth consecutive year that agriculture topped $7 billion in the state. Keith Coble, head of the Mississippi State University Department of Agricultural Economics, said the year did not start out looking good. "We did some midyear analysis on June 1, and the economic picture for farm products looked pretty bleak," Coble said. "We went through unprecedented losses early to midyear, but markets have generally improved in the latter portion of the year." Josh Maples, an agricultural economist with the MSU Extension Service, said poultry took a hit from COVID-19-related issues and dropped 16% in value. But row crops were strong, posting a combined $2.6 billion estimated value. "This was a turbulent year for all agricultural producers due to the market upheaval caused by the pandemic," Maples said. |
| Mississippi agriculture remains strong in 2020 | |
 | Andy Gipson, Mississippi's Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce, writes: The year 2020 will certainly be a year that will not be forgotten. Our usual way of life became any anything but normal due to the COVID-19 pandemic; however, one thing remained the same -- our farmers never stopped farming. They continued working to provide the food, fiber and fuel that we need to survive. Despite the challenges felt by many in 2020, including our farmers and ranchers, Mississippi agriculture remains strong overall. According to Mississippi State University, the value of agriculture production in Mississippi was estimated to be at $7.35 billion. This is up from $7.01 billion in 2019 and marks nine consecutive years of production over $7 billion. Agriculture, the largest industry in our state, is a vital part of Mississippi's economy. The COVID-19 shutdowns reminded all Americans how important and essential agriculture is to our daily lives in providing food, fiber and shelter. During the onset of the pandemic, consumers demonstrated a renewed interest in purchasing and eating local products. Many consumers even began gardening for the first time. |
| How to recycle Christmas trees | |
 | Christmas trees are the centerpiece of our Christmas decorations. But if you celebrate with a real tree, you'll have to decide how to dispose of it once the holiday is over. You have some good options for recycling the tree instead of sending it to the landfill. Consider one of these suggestions from our Extension specialists: Use municipal recycling services. Some large cities collect trees and shred them into mulch. To find out if the city offers curb-side pick-up or drop-off, call the city's public works department. Sink the tree in a pond or lake to provide habitat for fish. Keep in mind tree species commonly used as Christmas trees decompose quickly. Cedar trees last a little longer but will need to be anchored. If the lake or pond does not belong to you, always get permission. Use them as wildlife habitat in the home landscape. Prop them up or place them on the ground away from high-activity areas, such as walkways and driveways. Backyard bird species and small mammals, including Eastern chipmunks and native mice, will use them as cover and to forage under for food. |
| Golden Triangle cities see minimal blows to tax revenue during pandemic | |
 | When the COVID-19 pandemic forced businesses to close or restrict their services in March and April 2020, all three cities in the Golden Triangle braced for a potentially crippling financial blow. "We thought we'd have to hunker down for probably a good six months, if not more," Starkville Mayor Lynn Spruill said. Non-essential businesses statewide closed in April via an executive order from Gov. Tate Reeves, which also required Mississippians to "shelter in place." But after Reeves allowed businesses to gradually reopen in May, overall sales tax collections in Columbus, Starkville and West Point returned to numbers comparable with previous years and even exceeded 2019 revenue at some points in 2020, according to data from the state Department of Revenue and from the cities of West Point and Starkville. Officials in all three cities attribute the rebound to a variety of behaviors -- people staying in town instead of traveling, a widespread push for people to support locally-owned businesses and restaurants successfully shifting their business from sit-down dining to carry-out and delivery service. Spruill said she also thinks people's decisions not to travel or to dine in at restaurants led to an increase in grocery sales that contributed to Starkville's overall tax collections. |
| Starkville Year in Review: Pandemic changes school, business, life; debate arises on replacing lake dam after near breach | |
| The COVID-19 pandemic was the biggest, but far from the only, change to shake Starkville and Oktibbeha County in 2020. Since March, business and social activities have been limited and citizens have worn face masks, hoping to curb the spread of the virus. However, the city and county also witnessed the conclusion of a five-year legal battle between the congregation and leaders of a Starkville church, the county lake dam in danger of breaching and flooding the surrounding neighborhood, and a racial justice protest in which thousands marched through downtown Starkville. The public school district opened a new building, and the western and southern parts of the county sent a new state senator from Starkville to Jackson. Here are some of the top headlines from Oktibbeha County in 2020. |
| Call for submissions out for Starkville Area Arts Council arts and culture cookbook | |
| Development for the Starkville Area Arts Council (SAAC) 25th Anniversary Arts & Culture Cookbook is underway. SAAC is looking for submissions of title and cover art for the cookbook. The theme is simple: what represents Starkville's arts and culture? The submission deadline is Jan. 30, 2021. Submissions do not have to be a finished product and can be photographs, art, murals, architecture, etc. as long as it represents Starkville or Oktibbeha County. SAAC is still accepting submissions for stories, history, and recipes. The submission deadline for stories, recipes, and photos is Jan. 15, 2021. Funds from the sale of this book will support art and art education outreach in Oktibbeha County, including grants to other arts organizations and projects here in Starkville. Help memorialize and celebrate our artistic heritage. Volunteers are needed, and the community at large is invited to participate through submissions and recipe testing. |
| Local legislators anticipate COVID-19 relief, criminal justice reform in 2021 | |
| The 2021 session of the Mississippi Legislature is scheduled to start next week amid an ongoing pandemic that sidelined several issues and sickened dozens of members last year. Reps. Kabir Karriem (D-Columbus) and Rob Roberson (R-Starkville) were among the 49 state legislators to contract COVID-19 last summer during a special session in Jackson. Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann told reporters throughout the state in a virtual press conference Tuesday that he would prefer to postpone the session in order to prevent another outbreak. The Legislature would meet briefly next week to deal with some pressing matters, such as formally putting the new state flag into law, and then reconvene in March. Some Golden Triangle legislators agree with the suggestion, while others said they would prefer the Legislature meet as planned. Roberson anticipates the state budget process being more difficult than usual this year, with state sales tax collections still uncertain due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "I think the budget itself will be taxing, to say the least, because of the question marks we have out there," he said. Sen. Bart Williams doesn't plan on filing any bills this year, he said, but will acclimate himself to the legislative process so he can do so next year. He has been assigned to a number of committees, including Universities and Colleges because Mississippi State University is partially in his district. |
| House resistant to Hosemann's calls for legislative delay | |
| With the Mississippi Legislature scheduled to begin its 2021 session next week amid elevated COVID-19 transmission across the state, Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann wants to postpone much of the session for several months, but there may not be support for the plan from the state House of Representatives. The first-term Republican lieutenant governor has repeatedly referred to the Legislature in recent weeks as a potential "super spreader" event. He repeated his concerns during a press briefing on Tuesday. "If we're in the middle of an increased pandemic, I think we would be foolish not to consider an alternative," Hosemann said. Hosemann told reporters he wants to see the Legislature convene next week as required, formally adopt a new state flag, deal with a few other "perfunctory things" and then gavel out until early March before working in earnest through May. The current schedule calls for the 2021 session to end in April. Rep. Jerry Turner, R-Baldwyn, chairs the Rules committee in the House. He doubts there is much interest in the larger chamber for any delay. "The thought right now is, we go in in January, we finish our business," Turner said. |
| Hosemann wants to delay 2021 session as COVID-19 spikes. House leaders remain hesitant. | |
| Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said he plans to talk with House Speaker Philip Gunn on Tuesday afternoon about postponing the 2021 legislative session from January to March as COVID-19 numbers continue to spike in Mississippi. Hosemann, who leads the Senate, told reporters he thinks lawmakers should return to Jackson on Jan. 5 as scheduled, complete pressing work in a week or so, and recess the session until the first week of March. "I'm concerned about my legislators going back to different parts of the state and spreading it to places that didn't previously have it," Hosemann said. "And I'm worried about the people who work here (at the Capitol). We have several hundred people who work here every day." But House leaders in recent days and weeks have expressed hesitation about that idea. Hosemann himself acknowledged on Tuesday that his idea has met resistance from the House. "I just don't see us doing that, not while schools are open and teachers and others are working," House Education Chair Richard Bennett, R-Long Beach, told Mississippi Today earlier this month. "I think the Legislature needs to be working, too." |
| Lawmakers want to help meet Mississippians' needs during the pandemic | |
 | The Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi, Delbert Hosemann, said one of the plans on the agenda is increasing teacher pay. Hosemann said senators want to start the pay raise at 1,000 dollars like they did in 2020. "We just need and hope we will have a good first quarter and that will stick," he said. "So once we do that, then we can start the process of looking at future compensation packages that are respectful of the work those people do." Although Hosemann applauds teachers for their work during distance learning, he said students throughout the state need to fully return to classrooms as soon as possible after the coronavirus vaccination is complete. Until then, the lieutenant governor said lawmakers want to continue expanding broadband in Mississippi to help students, businesses, and rural communities. "Allowing for dark fiber that may be underutilized by some of our public utilities to be utilized to further expand out to unserved areas in Mississippi to give them access to broadband coverage, " he said. |
| Lt. Gov. Hosemann proposes postponing legislative session due to rising COVID-19 cases | |
 | Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said he wants lawmakers to return to the Capitol only briefly next week for the 2021 legislative session, then postpone until March due to rising COVID-19 cases in Mississippi. Hosemann acknowledged, however, that House members have "been less receptive" to his idea. Legislation that postpones the session would need to originate in the House, he said. Hosemann outlined several priorities for the 2021 session, as lawmakers continue to grapple with budget and employment issues related to the pandemic. Hosemann wants to simplify the benefits a company could receive for relocating to or expanding in Mississippi. That will involve eliminating several tax credits that were overly costly to the state. A key focus will be on attracting more small- and medium-sized businesses to the Magnolia State. A state rebranding effort is also being discussed, Hosemann said, to show Mississippi in a positive light to prospective companies. Among the biggest changes Hosemann proposes on this issue is making tourism into its own agency. It is now under the Mississippi Development Authority. Tourism brings significant funding into the state, and should be its own entity, he said. |
| Lawmakers consider privatizing Mississippi's dilapidated, underfunded state parks | |
| Lawmakers are trying to figure out how to revive Mississippi's state parks, which have suffered from years of budget cuts and neglected maintenance. But the price tag to bring the state's 25 parks (three of which are run by local governments) up to snuff is an estimated $147 million. Plus, millions more a year would be needed to keep them up -- prompting discussion of privatization and a search for other options, with a tax to fund parks likely a nonstarter in the Legislature. State parks spending has been cut by nearly 60% since 2000, and staffing by 70%. The Mississippi Department of Wildlife Fisheries and Parks lacks manpower and money for even routine maintenance. The initial legislative budget recommendation for the coming year would cut MDWFP another $900,000, or by about 15%. "We are at a crossroads," said Robert Taylor, chairman of the Mississippi Commission of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. "We've got to fund them to fix the crumbling infrastructure -- have parks we can be proud of -- or look at different things. But something has got to change." |
| Sen. Daniel Sparks to work on criminal justice reform during legislative session | |
| Despite a move last year by Gov. Tate Reeves to veto a pair of bipartisan criminal justice reform bills, efforts are underway to once again address parole eligibility and improve the state's beleaguered prison system, with a Northeast Mississippi legislator playing a role. State Sen. Daniel Sparks, a Republican from Belmont, said he and others writing criminal justice legislation are holding talks with law enforcement and advocacy groups in an effort to build a broad coalition and clarify the intent behind a revived package of reforms. "What we'll try to do is take what we had last year and sit down with attorneys, law enforcement officials, and ask what their concerns are," Sparks said. The first-term Republican, who represents portions of Itawamba, Prentiss and Tishomingo counties, is the vice chairman of the Senate Corrections Committee. He said the main hurdle the committee will attempt to cross is clarifying that a proposed bill would not automatically release inmates from prisons but would instead make them eligible for parole. |
| Analysis: No clear path to erasing Mississippi income tax | |
 | Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves says he will ask legislators during the 2021 session to phase out the state personal income tax. The Republican should not count on it happening quickly -- and even with his party controlling the House and Senate, it might not happen at all. Reeves' predecessor as governor, Republican Phil Bryant, signed a 2016 law that phases out the 3% income tax bracket, starting in calendar year 2018 and ending in 2022. Reeves was lieutenant governor then, and he helped push the plan to reality. Reeves now says Mississippi could be more competitive if it also erases the 4% and 5% brackets. Republican House Speaker Philip Gunn said he's open to this discussion. But, Republican Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said during a news conference last week he won't rush into anything. Hosemann said because of uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic, legislators should see how the state economy fares in early 2021. He also said government needs to fund services that make the state stronger, and he wants to increase teacher pay. |
| Nolan Mettetal, former Mississippi Legislator, dies of COVID-19 | |
| Retired Mississippi legislator Nolan Mettetal died Monday, Dec. 28, 2020 at the age of 75. Condolences and tributes circulated throughout Lafayette County, and further, when the family of the retired lawmaker and Sardis businessman announced his death. Mettetal served in the Mississippi Senate from 1996 to 2011 and in the state House of Representatives from 2012 until his retirement in 2019. As well known in Jackson as the former lawmaker is his wife, affectionately called "Mrs. Kay" by governors and custodians alike. She and the couple's children were at his bedside when he died early Monday at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Oxford of COVID-19 complications. Speaker of the House Phillip Gunn said the following via his Twitter account: "My thoughts & prayers are with the family of Nolan Mettetal. He served MS with distinction during his many years in the #msleg Nolan will be remembered for his kindness & calm, considerate manner in all circumstances. An esteemed colleague, it was an honor to call him my friend." |
| Nolan Mettetal, longtime former Mississippi senator and representative, dies of COVID-19 | |
| Nolan Mettetal, a longtime former state senator and representative and higher education leader at the Capitol, died Monday due to COVID-19. He was 75. Mettetal, a Republican from Sardis, "provided leadership for over 2 decades not only on policy, but also on personal character/statesmanship," Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said in a statement. A pharmacist, Mettetal started serving in the Senate in 1996 before being elected to the House in 2011. In 2008, he swapped parties, from Democrat to Republican. For a number of years, he led the House Universities and Colleges Committee. The University of Mississippi Medical Center's Dr. LouAnn Woodward tweeted: "Chairman Nolan Mettetal, former state senator and representative, died due to COVID-19. He was a gentleman- gracious, respectful, fair, thoughtful -- and a tireless champion for higher ed in Mississippi. He will be missed." |
| Paper company plans $57.4 million Marshall County expansion, 300 jobs | |
| Specialty paper products company IG Design Group Americas Inc. is expanding operations in Marshall County. The expansion is part of a project that represents a $57.41 million corporate investment and will create 300 jobs by May of 2022. IG Design Group specializes in celebrations and craft products, including stationery, gift wrapping paper and gift bags, and serves retailers worldwide, from design to distribution. The facility will house the production, warehousing and distribution of IG Design Group's gift-wrapping products. The Mississippi Development Authority provided a $2 million grant for assistance in equipment relocation. IG Design Group also qualifies for the Advantage Jobs Rebate Program, which provides a rebate to eligible businesses that create new jobs that exceed the average annual wage of the state or county in which the company locates or expands. Marshall County and the TVA also are assisting with the project. |
| End of smoking ban in Mississippi prisons: Step in right direction or a step backward? | |
| Mississippi officials are hoping that lifting the ban on smoking inside prison will help curb the huge contraband trade that some inmates estimate may run in the millions. "By selling the same cigarettes that are allowed to free people, we are breaking the contraband tobacco trade, designating smoking areas outside, clearing the air inside for the majority of inmates who don't smoke, reducing inmate contraband violations, and recouping for taxpayers some of the dollars it takes to run prisons," Corrections Commissioner Burl Cain said. The Mississippi Department of Corrections' decision runs counter to the national trend. Currently, 49 states have banned tobacco use indoors in their prisons. Mississippi banned smoking a decade ago. "We have fought so long and so hard to protect the health of everyone whether they are prison workers, casino workers, kids working in convenience stores, as well as all Mississippians," said Sandra Shelson, executive director of The Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi. "It's troubling that we would take a step backwards." Inmates interviewed by the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting have long cited the smoking ban as something that has fueled increased contraband and gang activity. |
| The Southern state where Black voters are gaining in numbers, but not power | |
 | Georgia's fast-changing demographics -- its multiracial contingent of newcomers, as well as college-educated and working class urbanites and suburbanites -- are a big reason why Joe Biden won the state and why Democrats think they can pull off an upset in the Senate runoffs on Tuesday. But a couple states over, in Mississippi, is a stark reminder of how far out of reach most of the South remains for Democrats. If Georgia is the epitome of the "New South," Mississippi remains very much still the old South: a conservative stronghold where the GOP is composed almost exclusively of white voters, and the Democratic Party of Black voters. To notch statewide Democratic wins in the near future, two things will need to happen in Mississippi: More white voters will need to cross over, and there will need to be explosive turnout from Black voters, who have become increasingly disillusioned with Democrats. "We're not a one-party state, but it isn't easy for Democrats to win statewide or in large sections of the state," said former Republican Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour. "Our state is a good deal harder than Georgia for Democrats." |
| Congress Swearing-In: A Look At The Incoming Freshman Class | |
 | With 2020 in the rearview mirror, the 117th Congress is now getting under way as members take their oaths of office on Capitol Hill Sunday. For many, the process will be familiar territory. But for most of the incoming lawmakers, it's the beginning of a brand new chapter. Here's a look at that group of lawmakers and what their first few days will look like: The first day brings with it considerably less pomp and celebration than typical opening day proceedings, where Capitol Hill is flooded with newly elected lawmakers and their families. Instead, the atmosphere will likely be quite somber, especially in light of the death of Congressman-elect Luke Letlow, who died from complications of COVID-19 just five days before he was scheduled to be sworn in. A record number of women, racial minorities and members of the LGBTQ community make the 117th Congress the most diverse in history. Just two years after Democrats had a record-setting year electing women, it's now Republicans that are heralding inroads as a slate of Republican women will be sworn in. |
| Georgia offers first test of both parties' post-Trump future | |
 | Republicans and Democrats will both get their first glimpse of the new political era on Tuesday. Just two months after a historic presidential election that saw record turnout, the two parties are squaring off again in the battleground state of Georgia over a pair of closely watched Senate runoff races. At stake is majority control of the U.S. Senate, which would shift to Democrats if they sweep both races. But in the first federal election since President Donald Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden, it's also the initial test of whether either party can maintain or even grow the remarkable levels of support they received from voters in November. For Republican candidates Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, that would mean matching Trump's massive turnout surge among white working class voters in rural parts of the state. For Democratic candidates Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, that means replicating Biden's seismic increase in support among college-educated voters concentrated in the suburbs. Political operatives say the implications of both results extend well beyond Georgia. At the heart of both challenges is navigating an uncertain future after Trump leaves office, following a tumultuous four years of politics in which the president reshaped each party's voter base of support. |
| Trump, on tape, presses Georgia official to 'find' him votes | |
| President Donald Trump pressured Georgia's Republican secretary of state to "find" enough votes to overturn Joe Biden's win in the state's presidential election, repeatedly citing disproven claims of fraud and raising the prospect of a "criminal offense" if officials did not change the vote count, according to a recording of the conversation. The phone call with Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Saturday was the latest step in an unprecedented effort by a sitting president to press a state official to reverse the outcome of a free and fair election that he lost. The president, who has refused to accept his loss to Democratic president-elect Biden, repeatedly argued that Raffensperger could change the certified results. "All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have," Trump said. "Because we won the state." Georgia counted its votes three times before certifying Biden's win by a 11,779 margin, Raffensperger noted. "President Trump, we've had several lawsuits, and we've had to respond in court to the lawsuits and the contentions," he said on the call. We don't agree that you have won." |
| Pence 'welcomes' efforts of lawmakers to 'raise objections' to Electoral College results | |
 | Vice President Pence's chief of staff said in a statement on Saturday that the vice president "welcomes" an effort by some lawmakers to "raise objections" on Jan. 6, when Congress meets to certify the Electoral College vote. "Vice President Pence shares the concerns of millions of Americans about voter fraud and irregularities in the last election," Marc Short, Pence's chief of staff said in a statement to The Hill. "The Vice President welcomes the efforts of members of the House and Senate to use the authority they have under the law to raise objections and bring forward evidence before the Congress and the American people on January 6th," the statement continued. The comment is the most extensive remark Pence's office has made on the Jan. 6 proceedings following a highly contentious election between President Trump and President-elect Joe Biden. His statement comes a day after a GOP lawsuit seeking to give him the authority to overturn the election results on Jan. 6 was dismissed for lack of standing. Pence will preside over the Jan. 6 meeting, but his role is largely ceremonial. |
| Republicans condemn 'scheme' to undo election for Trump | |
| The unprecedented Republican effort to overturn the presidential election has been condemned by an outpouring of current and former GOP officials warning the effort to sow doubt in Joe Biden's win and keep President Donald Trump in office is undermining Americans' faith in democracy. Trump has enlisted support from a dozen Republican senators and up to 100 House Republicans to challenge the Electoral College vote when Congress convenes in a joint session to confirm President-elect Joe Biden's 306-232 win. With Biden set to be inaugurated Jan. 20, Trump is intensifying efforts to prevent the traditional transfer of power, ripping the party apart. Despite Trump's claims of voter fraud, state officials have insisted the elections ran smoothly and there was no evidence of fraud or other problems that would change the outcome. The states have certified their results as fair and valid. Of the more than 50 lawsuits the president and his allies have filed challenging election results, nearly all have been dismissed or dropped. He's also lost twice at the U.S. Supreme Court. |
| End of Trump era won't halt extremism's rise, experts say | |
| Watchdogs and the U.S. intelligence community observed with growing concern as domestic extremist groups rose in prominence in recent years, escalating into a crescendo of chaos and violent outbursts around the presidential election. They are not going away in 2021, experts told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Things indeed are escalating," said Eric Ward, executive director of the Western States Center, a progressive nonprofit that promotes democratic engagement. "We have elected officials who are now being escorted into legislative session by law enforcement because of the level of threats they are experiencing. ... Political violence is going to be part of our reality in 2021." Mark Pitcavage, senior research fellow at the Anti-Defamation League's Center on Extremism, said radical extremist groups may actually grow in 2021 and "find new energy." That's particularly true for movements with an anti-government ideology, like the far-right paramilitary militia movement. Pitcavage said the militia movement has an "odd relationship" with President Trump, admiring him for his outsider demeanor while mistrusting the government he leads. |
| New federal dietary guidelines dish out familiar rules | |
 | The latest version of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, unveiled Tuesday by two federal agencies, leaves in place many prior recommendations, including the long-standing advice that adult men moderate their drinking. Overall, the secretaries of Agriculture and Health and Human Services said the 2020 to 2025 guidelines are designed to aid people in making healthy choices, although studies show much of the public doesn't follow current recommendations for eating vegetables and fruits. The guidelines are updated every five years. The guidelines will shape billions of dollars in purchases to feed the military and to supply federal food programs such as the Women, Infants and Children supplemental nutrition program, Meals on Wheels for the elderly and the school lunch program. Public health and nutrition experts also refer to the guidelines, which in turn influence food choices and consumer trends. Two industry groups, the International Dairy Foods Association and the American Egg Board, touted the inclusion of their products among the foods especially recommended for young children's development. |
| Legislators face decisions on lottery, casinos after Alabama gambling report | |
 | The COVID-19 pandemic stopped any chance for legislation to propose a lottery in Alabama in 2020, but decisions about that and other forms of gambling await lawmakers in the new year. Gov. Kay Ivey's Study Group on Gambling Policy issued a report Dec. 18 estimating the state would net up to $300 million a year from a lottery, up to $400 million from casinos, and $10 million or more from sports betting. The report said gambling could create up to 19,000 jobs. The study group said the current patchwork of gambling in Alabama wastes time and money on political fights, court cases, and law enforcement with little, if any, benefit for the state. The group recommended a single regulatory authority over all gambling. Alabama's Constitution prohibits lotteries and most forms of gambling, so the Legislature has to approve a constitutional amendment to make major changes, such as allowing a lottery or casinos. Voters have the last word. |
| Sports betting front and center in renewed legalized gambling debate in Georgia | |
 | Advocates for bringing legalized gambling to Georgia will be back under the Gold Dome next month, pitching the financial benefits of casinos, horse racing and sports betting together and separately. But a betting man might give legislation authorizing online sports betting in the Peach State the best odds to advance. "It's the easiest one to pass," said Georgia Rep. Ron Stephens, R-Savannah, chairman of the House Economic Development & Tourism Committee. "It clearly does not require a constitutional amendment. ... It's just a matter of us giving the (Georgia) Lottery Commission direction and authority they already have." Efforts going back the better part of a decade to legalize casino gambling and pari-mutuel betting on horse racing in Georgia have been unable to muster the two-thirds majorities in the state House and Senate required to approve constitutional amendments and put them on the statewide ballot. Supporters say sports betting, on the other hand, would only require simple majorities to get through the two legislative chambers because it could be accomplished simply by amending the law that created the Georgia Lottery during the 1990s. |
| Aboard Amtrak's Crescent, surprising comfort and welcome seclusion on a slow train to Mississippi | |
 | With bell ringing and diesel engine chugging to a halt for its daily stop in Tuscaloosa, Ala., the Amtrak Crescent created quite an impression on its audience: a boy in a lime green T-shirt who was waving mightily to herald the arrival, and his dad, who held a video camera to his eye to capture the moment. Fifty years after this passenger-train service debuted to connect New York and New Orleans, the arrival of the Crescent can still stoke a sense of excitement at its 31 stops, including Tuscaloosa. But the show may be winding down. This fall, Amtrak halved the Crescent's daily service and that of its other long-distance routes to three trips a week, citing "the long-term impact of covid-19 on ridership." While the railroad suggests it could resume daily service as soon as next summer, Amtrak leaders have been outspoken for more than a year about their desire to remove long-distance trains such as the Crescent from the schedule. Ironically, despite Amtrak's reasoning, I had chosen to ride the Crescent from Washington to Hattiesburg, Miss., in September because of the coronavirus. Train travel, after all, offered what a plane or a bus could not: the ability to separate myself from other passengers -- to create an extreme form of social distancing -- as we traveled south. |
| MUW's Jumpstart breaks record with Read for the Record event | |
| Mississippi University for Women's Jumpstart Program recently joined more than 2.24 million readers across the United States to promote early childhood development, education and literacy as part of the Jumpstart's 15th annual Read for the Record. The annual program engaged 2.24 million readers, distributed 116, 715 books to children and gathered 12.4 million social media impressions. As part of the event, W President Nora Miller read "Evelyn Del Rey is Moving Away" by Meg Medina to students of The W's Child & Parent Development Center and recorded a virtual reading. "The W's Jumpstart program makes high-quality children's books accessible for the children by making sure every child has a storybook to take home. We provide support, resources and materials that foster language and social-emotional development. Jumpstart's Read for the Record is a powerful way to come together for the power of reading. It is truly an opportunity to rally The W and our Columbus community around the importance of high-quality early learning experiences," said Rose Ford, Jumpstart program site manager. |
| Mississippi to vaccinate more health care workers | |
| Mississippi confirmed more than 1,800 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, along with 24 more deaths. It comes as the state prepares to vaccinate more health care workers starting Monday. The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Mississippi reached an all-time high this past week, more than 1,300. Dr. LouAnn Woodward, with the University of Mississippi Medical Center, says hospitals fear things will get worse because of cases developed between Christmas and New Year's. "What we're all sort of bracing ourselves for and what we're very concerned about we do not think that from the standpoint of deaths or hospitalizations, or even new daily cases that we've hit our peak yet," said Woodward. "I think we're still a couple of weeks out from that." It comes as the state continues vaccinating thousands of healthcare workers, the first group to get the vaccine. Starting Monday, health care workers who haven't been vaccinated yet can visit 18 drive-thru clinics. State epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers says more than 2,500 health care workers have already scheduled an appointment. |
| Auditor says a professor broke state law. The professor is now suing the auditor for defamation. | |
| After state auditor Shad White publicly said University of Mississippi professor James Thomas violated the state's no-strike law, a group representing Thomas is suing White for defamation. An organization representing Thomas, an outspoken sociology professor who has regularly drawn the public scorn of top statewide Republican elected officials, filed a defamation suit on Wednesday related to White's "repeated contention" that Thomas violated Mississippi's no-strike law. Thomas participated in a national walkout on Sept. 8-9 called the "Scholar Strike," in which hundreds of faculty at universities across the nation protested police brutality and other racial inequities. Thomas called it a "work stoppage" on Twitter. After state investigators subpoenaed Thomas' emails and classroom materials, White, in an early December letter, demanded that Thomas repay more than $2,000 in taxpayers dollars for the two days he didn't work and wrote that "concerted work stoppages" and strikes are illegal under Mississippi law. The Mississippi Center for Justice, which filed the lawsuit on behalf of Thomas on Wednesday, is also seeking a declaratory judgment from the court that Thomas did not violate the law. |
| Ole Miss professor sues Mississippi state auditor in ongoing 'Scholar Strike' issue | |
| A University of Mississippi professor responded to Shad White's "demand" to repay money by filing a lawsuit against the Mississippi state auditor on Wednesday. Ole Miss sociology professor James Thomas filed the lawsuit, claiming White defamed him by saying the professor should be fired for participating in a two-day "Scholar Strike" in September. The national strike, which occurred on Sept. 8 and 9, was part of an effort to draw attention to racism and social injustice. The Mississippi Center for Justice filed a lawsuit on Thomas' behalf. Rob McDuff, who is representing Thomas in the matter, and Paloma Wu filed the suit in Hinds County Circuit Court. The lawsuit is brought against White in his individual capacity, meaning if a jury decides White must pay any damages, it will come from him and not from the state of Mississippi. A specific monetary value was not included in the suit. "This lawsuit is brought on behalf of Dr. Thomas. It seeks to hold Mr. White accountable under the law of defamation for this false statement," the complaint reads. "However, Dr. Thomas does not seek the payment of taxpayer money. ... If the jury says he should pay one dollar, that is fine. If the jury orders payment of more money, that is fine too. But no taxpayer money will be paid to Dr. Thomas as a result of this lawsuit." |
| Ole Miss prof says Auditor Shad White defamed him during strike probe | |
| University of Mississippi professor James Thomas has filed a lawsuit against State Auditor Shad White claiming White defamed him during an investigation into whether the professor violated Mississippi's no-strike law. The suit filed Wednesday in Hinds County Circuit Court centers on several public comments White made alleging that Thomas violated the state's anti-strike law. Those statements were untrue and "were made with actual malice and constitute defamation per se," attorneys for Thomas wrote. White, a Republican who took office in 2018, responded with a brief statement Wednesday afternoon: "The lawsuit is not worth the paper it's written on." Hundreds of professors across the country joined Scholar Strike, which was inspired by similar actions to highlight racial injustices by professional sports leagues and athletes. White said his investigation into Thomas' work stoppage found the professor ignored emails for the two days and that Thomas did not teach three classes he had scheduled over the two days of Scholar Strike. The auditor has pointed to statements Thomas made on social media admitting he planned to stop work. |
| Ole Miss professor defamation lawsuit against Shad White likely to blow up in his face | |
 | Alan Lange writes for Y'all Politics: Ole Miss professor James Thomas has sued State Auditor Shad White over comments he made regarding the professor's work status at the University and the subsequent demands for what White determined was a violation of state law. Thomas notably has attracted attention to the University after a series of highly pitched political comments on social media over the last two years. There are several very curious aspects to how the suit was brought and what it hopes to accomplish. The lawsuit is ostensibly made against Shad White personally (and not in his official capacity). However, the suit is brought in Hinds County is "where the office of State Auditor is located and is the seat of Mississippi government." White is a resident of Rankin County. And Thomas is being represented by the Mississippi Center for Justice. And there's no doubt that the Attorney General's office will be representing White, which means taxpayers will be picking up the tab. Regardless, White’s interactions with Thomas were clearly made in his capacity as State Auditor performing law enforcement duties. The legal bar for defamation in that scenario is incredibly high. Incredibly high. Just think if everyone accused of breaking a law sued the local DA for defamation. That’s about how long the odds are here. |
| U. of Mississippi professors research the legacy of slavery at state's flagship university | |
| Five University of Mississippi professors, along with local community organizations and other campus partners, are exploring the history and impact of slavery at the university and in the Oxford community. The University of Mississippi Slavery Research Group (UMSRG) started as a 2013 book club consisting of several faculty and administrators where they read and discussed historian Craig Steven Wilder's book, "Ebony and Ivy: Race, Slavery, and the Troubled History of America's Universities," in efforts to "develop a set of preliminary initiatives that faculty and students on the campus might be able to tackle with regard to the history of slavery at the University of Mississippi," according to the group's website. So far, the group has been able to name and identify 11 enslaved people who labored on the campus, has led campus slavery tours and has completed many other stories and projects in order to bring to life the connection between slavery, the University of Mississippi and the greater Oxford and Lafayette County community. |
| Spring semester plans amid COVID-19: Here's what Pine Belt universities, colleges are doing | |
 | With the spring semester just around the corner, colleges and universities in and around Hattiesburg are working to ensure that students can resume classes safely, if in person. Virtual formats will also continue. Here's what the University of Southern Mississippi, William Carey University, Pearl River Community College and Jones College are doing. The University of Southern Mississippi announced updated plans which include expanded opportunities for in-person courses and student activities, which will be in accordance with COVID-19 health and safety protocols. Spring classes are set to begin Jan. 20. "We've identified certain classes where we know students perform better face-to-face and we've targeted those classes for transitioning a section or two online into a face-to-face environment," said Amy Chasteen, executive vice provost for academic affairs. "Not all students want a face-to-face environment though. Some students are communicating to us that they prefer online." "The one big difference for us in spring will be our isolation policy," said Dee Dee Anderson, vice president of Student Affairs. "The CDC changed the number of days, so we're able to reduce our isolation days from 14 to 10 or seven depending on an individual circumstance." |
| For These Colleges, MacKenzie Scott's Hundreds of Millions in Gifts Mean 'the Space to Dream' | |
 | Unexpected emails and phone calls brought the news. The unbelievable news. The can-you-repeat-that-figure news. The billionaire MacKenzie Scott was donating seven- and eight-figure sums to community colleges, tribal institutions, and minority-serving campuses -- a rarity in higher-education philanthropy, which so often sees highly selective institutions receiving the eye-popping gifts. Now, in the weeks after the announcement by Scott -- a philanthropist and author who used to be married to the Amazon founder Jeff Bezos -- administrators and professors on these campuses are deciding how to best deploy the money. Scott's donations came to higher education in an unprecedented moment for public colleges, as threats of state-revenue cuts loom and enrollment managers are unsure of future student interest. The pandemic brought with it increased costs, too. Alcorn State, a historically Black university in Mississippi, took a 2.6-percent appropriations cut attributed to the pandemic, said Felecia M. Nave, the president. Campus leaders feared having to reduce funding for scholarships, professional development, athletics, choir, and band. Scott's $25-million gift, more than doubling the endowment, now allows the college to think more independently, she said. Nave also expects the gift to energize faculty and staff members around ideas for the university's future. Already, she said, donations have increased from alumni and corporate donors, reflecting that excitement. |
| Harvard's first black male student body president has Natchez ties | |
 | Watching Fourth of July fireworks exploding over the Mississippi River from the bluffs with family is Noah Harris's favorite memory of Natchez. Harris was elected Harvard University's first black male student body president in November 2020 by the student body. While Harris's hometown is Hattiesburg, Harris has close family ties to Natchez. History, food and the people of Natchez is what Noah enjoys most about the city and Mississippi in general, he said. Noah said his parents were a key to his academic success. Noah's father went to Tougaloo University and Georgia Tech University, and his mother went to Alcorn State University and the University of Southern Mississippi. Noah's time as a defense intern with Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker taught him how to serve Mississippi on the federal level. A junior at Harvard, Noah said he is already thinking about the next step of going to law school. Noah said he would like to be an attorney in Mississippi as another way to serve. Putting others first through community service is one of the lessons Noah said he has learned from his time in Mississippi. |
| Mississippi launches telehealth, teletherapy pilot in schools as 'a way to keep kids learning' | |
| For children in some areas of Mississippi, a visit to the pediatrician can mean an hour-long drive and missed class time. Some parents miss work or lack access to transportation, and in the worst cases, the child never makes the appointment at all. But thanks to a new effort on the part of the Mississippi Department of Education and the Mississippi State Medical Association, students could have access to physicians and mental health professionals through telehealth -- from within the walls of their school. With an influx of federal money flowing into the state from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Carey Wright, state superintendent of education, began laying the foundation in late spring for a pilot telehealth program in a small number of schools. The telehealth and teletherapy efforts are part of a larger program called Mississippi Connects. The program was developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and aims to provide every public school student in the state with the technology needed to learn at home. Components of the program include the provision of devices, professional development for teachers, students and parents, and connectivity resources. The final piece of the puzzle is virtual medical and behavioral services. |
| Alabama universities continue test-optional applications for fall 2021 | |
 | Through fall of 2021, several four-year universities in Alabama have waived standardized test scores for applicants. Nationally, university scholarships are tied to test scores and Alabama universities have made individual plans for awarding merit-based scholarships. Students who forgo submitting a test score are eligible for scholarships, several institutions confirm. Submission of a test score does not create a disadvantage to those who do not submit one. The University of Alabama's admission website states, "The presence of a score will not create an unfair advantage or disadvantage to students applying for admission." |
| Feds investigate link between U. of Alabama, China's Wuhan Institute of Virology | |
| The U.S. Department of Education is investigating a link between the University of Alabama and the lab that the U.S. Government says is closely linked to the origins and spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. UA, however, says it has found "no ties or connection" between the two entities. At issue is the Partnerships page of the Wuhan Institute of Virology's website, which lists the University of Alabama, along with six other American entities, including Harvard University. In a seven-page Dec. 22 letter from Reed Rubinstein, principal deputy general counsel, to UA President Stuart Bell, the department's Office of the General Counsel says that the school could be in violation of the Higher Education Act of 1965, which requires institutions of higher education to fully report gifts and contracts "from or with a foreign source" to federal authorities. The letter gives the university 30 days to produce any records related to the partnership or with any affiliated universities or groups, including the Communist Party of China, going back as far as Jan. 1, 2015. |
| Auburn University gives face-to-face faculty leeway to start semester online | |
| In an effort to gradually increase campus density, faculty with in-person classes can choose to begin the semester remotely for a maximum of two weeks, per Tuesday's weekly "This Week at Auburn" email. Auburn University will reopen on Monday, Jan. 4, 2021, as scheduled. The decision to allow faculty offering face-to-face classes to choose to begin the semester remotely for up to two weeks is in alignment with the latest information from the medical community, senior vice president of student affairs Bobby Woodward wrote to students in an email Tuesday afternoon. Faculty will communicate any such changes to students as soon as possible, the email says. Woodward also says students will be informed of any other operational changes by email, should any be made. Other plans remain such as university housing and campus dining reopening on Friday, Jan. 8. The Harrison School of Pharmacy's Pharmaceutical Care Clinic will facilitate a new sentinel testing program beginning on Jan. 11. |
| PETA labeled an LSU researcher a bird-killer. She's pushing back against the 'lies' | |
 | The emails first began arriving in Christine Lattin's inbox in May 2017. They haven't stopped since, and they've grown in intensity. Lattin, an assistant professor at LSU and the principal investigator of the Lattin Lab, first landed on the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals' radar while she was a postdoctoral fellow at Yale University studying stress hormones, or glucocorticoids, in house sparrows. Glucocorticoids are found in all vertebrates, from fish to humans, so studying the hormone and how it's used to combat stress can provide a better understanding of how animals and humans react to stress, Lattin said. Studying the hormone in an animal can sometimes require euthanization, so Lattin said she chose to work with sparrows because they're an invasive species not native to North America, minimizing the negative impact of their removal on the environment. "Understanding the physiology of stress is really essential," Lattin said. "It's a matter of life or death for wild animals. It determines whether a species is going to be able to survive or whether it's going to go extinct. As humans, we have an extra responsibility to try to understand this question because we are constantly exposing wild animals to stressors that we are responsible for." |
| How an LSU energy contract has spurred licensing complaints, political pressure and more | |
| After a tumultuous year on LSU's campus, an effort to modernize the energy systems that the university pays $32 million a year to power has become mired in controversy, with the LSU Board of Supervisors repeatedly postponing votes over which company should land the lucrative contract. It's been a rocky process from the start, one that has grown increasingly tense as the board has punted on two votes over the deal that it had planned to schedule before the end of the year. Neither ever became firm enough to be listed on a public meeting agenda. An early irregularity that helped to sow the current turmoil happened months ago, when the Board of Supervisors voted against the recommendation of its staff, which had proposed a wide-open public bid process to get the best deal to heat and cool LSU's campus. Instead, the board chose to negotiate directly with two companies with ties to LSU: one, a joint venture involving the wealthy Baton Rouge businessman Jim Bernhard; the other, a Canadian company that already provides energy services for the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans. |
| Judge: U. of Kentucky students' suit on fee refunds from COVID semester can proceed, but not tuition | |
 | A lawsuit seeking tuition and fee refunds for University of Kentucky students enrolled during the spring 2020 semester was allowed by a judge to partially go forward on Wednesday. University attorneys previously asked the Franklin County Circuit Court to dismiss the lawsuit and its demands for partial tuition and fee refunds for students who had to quickly vacate campus in March at the local onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a Wednesday order, Judge Philip Shepherd sided in part with UK -- by dismissing the suit's demand for tuition refunds -- and partially with the suing students -- stating that the suit can continue to seek refunds for close to $20 million in mandatory fees. Jay Blanton, UK's spokesperson, said the university had no comment at this time, as it was taking time to review the order. In a previous statement on the suit from June, Blanton said that mandatory fees "support critical facilities and services that students have asked to support over the years and that remained available to them, such as mental health and wellness counseling. UK will vigorously defend its position in this matter." |
| Foundation funds to U. of Arkansas, Fayetteville on par | |
| The Razorback Foundation's support for University of Arkansas, Fayetteville athletic department operations ticked upward less than 4% in fiscal 2020, despite pandemic-related upheaval in athletics, financial statements show. Gifts to the nonprofit foundation -- either in the form of tax-deductible giving or submitted to secure tickets -- play a major role in funding UA athletics. UA's athletic department has avoided cutting any sports programs, unlike some other universities during the pandemic, though cost-saving measures including salary reductions and unfilled positions. No student fees support athletics at UA, with athletic officials often describing the program as self-sustaining or self-supporting. But the University of Arkansas board of trustees in September approved a loan agreement of up to $19.1 million to help the Razorback athletic department pay down debt this year and next year from facilities bond issues. |
| ACHA recommends twice-weekly testing as study find twin social distancing and mask policies are (cost) effective | |
| Colleges should test students and employees for COVID-19 at least twice a week, with results available within 48 hours, says a new report from the American College Health Association. The report was released at the same time a new study in Annals of Internal Medicine found that the combination of extensive social distancing and mandatory mask wearing prevents 87 percent of campus COVID-19 cases, and does so cost-effectively. Layering routine testing with a one-day lag in results onto these twin policies is even better, preventing 96 percent of infections, the study says. But doing so would require low-cost tests to be economically attractive to most institutions. The ACHA report noted that "students with COVID-19 are frequently asymptomatic. Preventing transmission by asymptomatic and presymptomatic individuals requires universal masking, physical distancing, swift identification through testing and contact tracing; and isolation and quarantine. |
| Their Stories Helped Lift a 26-Year Ban on Pell Grants for Prisoners | |
| Every time Vivian D. Nixon has publicly testified about the power of a college education to transform the lives of those behind bars, she's drawn attention to one of the darkest and most shameful periods of her life. It was during the three years she was confined to a medium-security prison in upstate New York, tutoring peers who could barely read, that she started a decades-long fight to expand educational opportunities for people serving time. Nixon, who went on to earn a bachelor's and a master's degree, the latter in fine arts from Columbia University, became an ordained associate minister and leads a nonprofit that helps eliminate barriers to college. She would prefer to be known for those accomplishments. In December, Nixon thanked other prison activists whose stories helped persuade Congress to lift a 26-year ban on federal Pell Grants for prisoners. That move, part of a year-end Covid relief and omnibus package, could make nearly half a million inmates in federal and state prisons eligible for the need-based grants. The Pell victory, she said, made the painful retelling of their stories worthwhile. Expanding such opportunities has enjoyed growing bipartisan support as a way to reduce recidivism, save taxpayers money, and mitigate the discriminatory effects of mass incarceration and unequal schooling. But some fear that inmates might end up exhausting Pell eligibility on poor-quality programs that are rolled out too quickly, without the wraparound supports and face-to-face contact they say incarcerated students especially need. |
| Bond Boom Comes to America's Colleges and Universities | |
 | Faced with a rapid deterioration in their finances in 2020, America's colleges and universities issued a record amount of bonds this year. It is a stressful time for higher education. The coronavirus pandemic worsened existing pressures on tuition and auxiliary revenue, with international students opting to study outside the U.S. and money from room and board drying up as schools keep classes online. At the same time, demand for financial aid and costs related to providing protective gear and Covid-19 testing have jumped. Hoping to address possible shortfalls and take advantage of ultralow rates, universities have flooded the market with debt. With few places to get a return in the bond market, investors have scooped up the issues, which in some cases offer yields of 2% or 3% for debt that matures in 15 to 30 years. The higher-education sector "becomes attractive because it's under pressure," said Daniel Solender, who oversees tax-free fixed-income investments at asset manager Lord Abbett & Co., referring to rising yields on higher-education bonds as schools' ability to navigate the pandemic came into question. The firm added more than $300 million to its holdings of such bonds this year. "There are a lot of high-quality institutions with great reputations, great balance sheets, that will find a way to make it through this environment," he said. |
| 'A Slap in the Face': The Pandemic Disrupts Young Oil Careers | |
 | Sabrina Burns, a senior at the University of Texas at Austin, had thought she would be launching a lucrative career in the oil and gas industry when she graduated in a few months. But the collapse in the demand for oil and gas during the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted her well-laid plans and is forcing her to consider a new path. "We got a slap in the face, an entirely unforeseen situation that rocked our entire mind-set," said Ms. Burns, who is studying petroleum engineering. "I have applied for every oil and gas position I've seen, like all my classmates, and nothing really has turned up. I'm discouraged." With fewer people commuting and traveling, the oil and gas industry has taken a punishing blow. Oil companies have laid off more than 100,000 workers. Many businesses have closed refineries, and some have sought bankruptcy protection. The industry has attracted thousands of young people in recent years with the promise of secure careers as shale drilling took off and made the United States the world's largest producer of oil. But many students and recent graduates say they are no longer sure that there is a place for them in the industry. Even after the pandemic ends, some of them fear that growing concerns about climate change will lead to the inevitable decline of oil and gas. |
| Biden selects Miguel Cardona as education secretary | |
| President-elect Joe Biden has selected Connecticut education commissioner Miguel Cardona as his education secretary. "Dr. Cardona has a proven track record as an innovative leader who will fight for all students, and for a better, fairer, more successful education system," Biden said in a pre-Christmas announcement. "He will also strive to eliminate long-standing inequities and close racial and socioeconomic opportunity gaps -- and expand access to community colleges, training, and public four-year colleges and universities to improve student success and grow a stronger, more prosperous, and more inclusive middle class." Biden also the same day repeated on Twitter his past commitment to free college. Washington higher education advocates say they know little about Cardona's higher education stances. Robert Shireman, deputy under secretary of education during the Obama administration, said Cardona will need strong advisers on higher education issues. "If Cardona is the pick, it underscores the need for a deputy role that will focus on higher education and especially financial aid and student loans," said Shireman, director of higher education excellence at the Century Foundation. |
| Court keeping lawmakers from suing the governor could have 'real world' problems | |
| Bobby Harrison writes for Mississippi Today: The Mississippi Supreme Court's recent decision proclaiming that legislators do not have standing to challenge the constitutionality of a governor's partial veto could have "real world" consequences, said state Sen. Hob Bryan, D-Amory. Bryan has a unique historical perspective on the issue. He was one of three legislators in the 1990s to file a lawsuit challenging whether then-Gov. Kirk Fordice had the constitutional authority to veto parts of multiple appropriations and revenue bills. In that case, the Supreme Court said individual legislators did have standing to bring such lawsuits. In a December ruling, the Supreme Court said the court got it wrong in the Fordice case. "The holding in Fordice granted any individual legislator the right to challenge vetoes...This finding was erroneous," Chief Justice Michael Randolph wrote for the majority in December. During oral arguments on the case in November, Randolph seemed to suggest it should be "the aggrieved party," not individual legislators, filing a lawsuit. By aggrieved party, he was referencing entities that would not receive funding because of a partial veto. |
| A Look Ahead to 2021 Mississippi Politics | |
| Frank Corder writes for Y'all Politics: We made it... 2021. This New Year promises to be just as full of political intrigue and storylines as the last. Here are the Top 5 stories Y'all Politics will be watching as 2021 gets underway: 1. Palazzo's Congressional Ethics Inquiry 2. Phase Out of State Income Tax 3. Municipal Elections 4. New President and New Congress 5. Dynamics in the Mississippi Legislature Honorable Mention -- Medical Marijuana state Supreme Court case |
| Winter's political career was complex, but he inarguably moved Mississippi forward | |
| Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: It is certainly no stretch of the truth to suggest that at the time of his death last week at the age of 97, former Mississippi Gov. William Winter was by and large beloved by the people of Mississippi. Through his actions and his manner, Winter earned that status. The state's Democrats lionized him, emulated him, and invoked his name in their own political affairs. Despite their steadfast disagreements over public policy, the state's Republicans respected him, wisely realizing that well into Winter's ninth decade, his fingers on the political scales still had significant weight. Winter's great gift was his ability to disagree agreeably. To friend or foe, Winter was courtly, respectful, and as kind as people would allow him to be. Even when angered or provoked, Winter was always measured and in control when he responded. His signature accomplishment as governor was the passage of the Education Reform Act of 1982. Getting that legislation passed by a Mississippi Legislature that had no initial intention of passing it spoke to Winter's ability to forge strong coalitions and not get hung up on who took credit for the outcome. |
SPORTS
| Howard leads No. 13 Kentucky women past No. 12 MSU in OT | |
| Rhyne Howard scored 10 points in overtime, after scoring 15 points in the fourth quarter, and finished with 33 points, 10 rebounds and six assists to lead No. 13 Kentucky to a 92-86 win over No. 12 Mississippi State on Sunday. The Wildcats were scoreless and down 82-78 midway through overtime when Howard knocked down a 3-pointer from the right wing. The game was tied at 84 when Howard made a three-point play at the 1:20 mark. The Bulldogs got a quick bucket but in the final minute Dre'Una Edwards and Howard combined to make 5 of 6 free throws. Rickea Jackson scored 23 points for the Bulldogs (6-2, 1-1) and Aliyah Matharu added a season-high 19 points off the bench. Jessika Carter had 14 points and 13 rebounds, including a putback and three-point play with 27.4 seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 78. JaMya Mingo-Young scored 12 points. MSU was 7 of 17 from distance, shooting 49% overall but only had 10 free throws, making nine. Mississippi State is at Florida on Thursday. |
| Ole Miss football, Lane Kiffin agree on new contract | |
| Ole Miss football announced on Saturday that it has agreed on a new contract for coach Lane Kiffin after his first season. "I appreciate Keith's leadership and his commitment to building a winning football program," Kiffin said in a school release. "While I'm proud of what our team accomplished this season, we have higher aspirations for Ole Miss Football. This is just the start, and I look forward to continuing to build a championship program." The school's announcement does not provide details on whether Kiffin will be receiving a raise in pay. Mississippi laws do not allow university employees to be on contracts longer than four years, so Kiffin's extension can only be a one-year extension rolling over his four-year contract to 2024. Kiffin's initial deal signed in 2019 began with a base salary of $3.9 million for 2020 that increased by $100,000 every season, meaning he will be paid $4.2 million in 2023. In total, Kiffin's four-year contract as signed in 2019 was worth $16.2 million. |
| How Texas football pulled off a quick coaching search to land Alabama's Steve Sarkisian | |
 | The University of Texas, not necessarily famous for smooth coaching transitions, executed one of the most efficient searches in recent college history on Saturday, firing football coach Tom Herman and announcing Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian as his replacement in barely more time than it took for Alabama to beat Notre Dame the night before. While Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte had not had direct contact with Sarkisian in the weeks leading up to the hire, sources close to the UA program confirmed Saturday that individuals associated with the Texas program had reached out to representatives of Sarkisian within the last two weeks to gauge his interest in the job. The possibility of an opening at Texas precluded participation in other postseason coaching searches to which Sarkisian's name had been connected. Sarkisian's stock as a potential head coach rose throughout the 2020 season as the Alabama offense scored points in record numbers. He also served one game as interim head coach, leading Alabama to a victory over Auburn while Nick Saban was sidelined by a COVID-19 related quarantine. |
| UGA coach searches, fundraising and the future: Greg McGarity reflects on AD tenure, talks successor | |
 | In the last six months, Greg McGarity figures he's traveled down to Florida some 10 times. "I got a little tired of that 382-mile drive," he said before making it for the final time as Georgia athletic director the week before Christmas. "The way I find out to go is go to Macon and go down I-75 and hit 10. I had some traditional stops that I would make whether it was Zaxby's, Wendy's or Chick-fil-A. You learn where to stop and where not to." McGarity had lived in an apartment in Five Points since he and his wife Sheryl moved out of the home they sold on Athens' East side on June 30. She moved to Ponte Vedra, Fla., where he's joined her for the next stage of their lives. McGarity has spent four decades in athletic administration at Georgia, Florida and Georgia again so he said he saw just about everything that could come up crisis-wise. "Then something crops up like COVID that you haven't seen and you have to deal with it," he said of moving to zoom meetings and working from home through the summer. |
| Mizzou football receives $10M gift for indoor facility | |
 | Christmas just got merrier for the Missouri football program. After the University of Missouri System Board of Curators gave preliminary approval in early December for the athletic department to explore plans for a new indoor football practice facility, an anonymous donor has contributed $10 million toward the project. Missouri athletic director Jim Sterk announced the gift Tuesday afternoon, with the university calling it the fifth-ever eight-figure donation given to the department. Three of those donations have come in the past five years. Missouri is the only Southeastern Conference school without a 120-yard indoor football facility, Sterk said in a news release. The field at Devine Pavilion, the program's current indoor practice site constructed in 1998, is only 70 yards long, which "makes it difficult from both a logistical and safety standpoint," he said. Missouri athletics is working with St. Louis-based architectural firm HOK and its Kansas City-based sports division, HOK-Sport, on pre-design programming and planning for the new facility, the school announced. |
| Texas A&M downs North Carolina in Orange Bowl to extend ACC's bowl season misery | |
| Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher pulled a hamstring as he tried to avoid the players who wanted to give him a celebratory Gatorade bath. Luckily, Fisher didn't have to run in the Orange Bowl. Devon Achane did more than enough of that for the Aggies. Achane had two touchdowns in the final 3:44, including a 76-yarder that put Texas A&M ahead to stay, and the fifth-ranked Aggies beat No. 14 North Carolina 41-27 on Saturday night -- capping a winless bowl season for the Atlantic Coast Conference. The ACC sent two teams to the playoff but went 0-6 in bowls, four of those losses by two touchdowns or more. Of the 25 bowl games played so far, the ACC and Conference USA have had the losing team in 48% of them. Like the ACC, C-USA also went 0-6 this bowl season. |
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