| Wednesday, January 13, 2021 |
| Appointments filling up at area COVID vaccination sites | |
 | As the COVID-19 vaccines become available to elderly citizens, more vaccination sites are opening in Lowndes and Oktibbeha counties, including at area hospitals and the Mississippi Horse Park. Oktibbeha County Emergency Management Agency Director Kristen Campanella previously told The Dispatch she had been working with officials at MSDH and the horse park to use the park as a larger vaccination site. On Tuesday, Mississippi State University President Mark Keenum announced in a press release the horse park would be open as a drive-through vaccination site starting today. Campanella said there are 400 appointments today, adding that number will probably increase to closer to 600 per day in coming weeks. "This is the best drive-through facility that we have that is accessible to city and county residents without putting them in the middle of a populated campus, so it's accessible and it's safe," MSU Chief Communications Officer Sid Salter told The Dispatch. "We want to be as always good neighbors and good partners with the government entities here, and obviously, while these tests are not exclusive to Mississippi State's faculty, staff and students, it will benefit some of them as well." Salter stressed the site is manned by MSDH and OCEMA officials who will distribute the vaccines. "With the numbers and the direction that they're going, anything the university can do to slow and ultimately stop the spread of COVID is something we want to be doing," Salter said. |
| Bridging the Gap: MSU steps up to solve Mississippi's teacher crisis | |
 | Mississippi State University's College of Education is serious about helping find people to "answer the call" at a time when a statewide teacher shortage is at a critical juncture. Before the 2020-21 academic year even started, the Mississippi Department of Education reported critical teacher shortages in 89 of the 151 school districts in the state. In addition to several innovative ideas developed on the Starkville campus, two programs administered through MSU-Meridian open degree possibilities for teacher assistants -- the new Mississippi Teacher Residency program and the Professional Advancement Network for Teacher Assistants initiative. A first of its kind in the United States, the residency program is designed to help classroom assistant teachers complete a bachelor's degree. The program will graduate approximately 100 new elementary teachers for four underserved central Mississippi school districts over the course of the four-year grant. "The Mississippi Teacher Residency program provides students with the best of both worlds," explained Brandi Sumrall, co-director of the program. "Students complete the program with a degree in elementary education and an endorsement in special education. As a special educator and as a teacher educator, I know the importance of having qualified teachers working with students with exceptional abilities." |
| 'Jumpstart' program coming to Meridian | |
 | The Jumpstart literacy program is a national initiative that has been in a few places in Mississippi, but is now coming to the Meridian-area. "It basically connects college volunteers to local pre-k programs, to put some extra people in those classrooms to provide an evidence-based literacy intervention for pre-k students to get them ready for kindergarten," said Jeffrey Leffler, an assistant professor of elementary education at MSU-Meridian. A grant through the Phil Hardin Foundation and a partnership between MSU-Meridian and the Meridian Public School District is making the Jumpstart program possible. "The students get an opportunity to give back to their community. They're actually considered an AmeriCorps volunteer for this process," Leffler said. "The other benefit they get is a $1,300 award at the end of the project that they can apply for their tuition either at a local community college or here at MSU-Meridian." |
| Higgins: Renewed TVA interest in area beefing up industrial recruitment | |
| Four years went by without a single contract from the Tennessee Valley Authority bringing new industry to Lowndes, Oktibbeha or Clay counties. The Mississippi Development Authority also wasn't pointing many clients in the region's direction for a while, Golden Triangle Development LINK CEO Joe Max Higgins said. "In the last several years, if we weren't making (a deal), it wasn't getting made," Higgins told the Columbus Rotary Club at its Tuesday meeting at Lion Hills Center. Now the Golden Triangle is seeing interest from a range of industries, from food and solar power to product distribution companies, even with the COVID-19 pandemic still ongoing, Higgins said. TVA has also renewed its interest in the area. "That's our niche, that's what we do: big land, big power, big water, big sewer. We're your first stop," Higgins said. The new North Star Industrial Park in Starkville is open, and "three or four real deals (are) looking there," Higgins said. |
| Authentic Tex-Mex hits Hattiesburg: El Rayo, Robert St. John's newest restaurant, now open | |
 | El Rayo -- Robert St. John's newest restaurant -- is open at the former Purple Parrot Cafe location with a vibrant new look and authentic dishes and drinks. El Rayo, 3810 Hardy St., will be open from 5-9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday for dinner for the first few weeks of operation. Gradually, St. John said he will open the restaurant for seven nights, then add lunch and Saturday and Sunday brunch. The restaurant hosted a soft opening as opposed to a grand opening Jan. 5. "This is the 22nd restaurant opening I've been a part of and 19th as an owner, and I've only done one other soft opening and that was the very first one, the Purple Parrot Cafe in this same space in 1987," St. John said. St. John drew much of his inspiration from Atlanta chef Ford Fry, who wrote "Tex-Mex: Traditions, Innovations and Comfort Foods From Both Sides of the Border." He shadowed his kitchens and learned from staff to cultivate his concept, St. John said. The next phase of the restaurant will be building the outdoor patio and seating area. St. John plans to host a grand opening for the restaurant in the near future. |
| Mississippi Economic Council's Virtual Capital Day 2021 Draws Over 500 Leaders on Livestream | |
 | Over 500 leaders participated in MEC's first-ever Virtual Capital Day on Thursday, January 7, 2021. Capital Day is MEC's LARGEST legislative event. State leaders shared their priorities for the upcoming legislative session and how they will address issues that impact Mississippi's economic competitiveness. Topics included continued recovery from COVID-19, the new state flag, and ongoing workforce development efforts. In addition to those topics, our "Retiring the Flag" panel, made up of leaders from across Mississippi, came together to discuss the process of how the flag got changed, and what it means for our state. |
| Reeves: COVID-19 vaccinations now open to residents 65 and older, people with underlying conditions | |
 | Gov. Tate Reeves announced Tuesday that residents between the ages of 65-74 and those between ages 18-64 with underlying conditions are now able to receive COVID-19 vaccinations statewide. Reeves said the expansion is in response to both the current vaccination rollout across the state being too slow as well as a massive surge in interest among those eligible to receive it. Increasing the rate of vaccinations in the state has been the governor's primary focus over the past two weeks. Several expansions he said would be implemented over the following weeks have instead been activated within days. Reeves said opening vaccinations to more residents presents a lot of potential to make headway in the state's efforts to protect those most vulnerable. "We're working ahead of schedule, but we're still not working quickly enough," he said. "We've got to get shots in arms." Reeves criticized some hospitals across the state for not doing good enough with administering immunizations. |
| Vaccinations expand to those over 65, with health conditions | |
 | Mississippi residents who are 65 and older and those with preexisting conditions will now be eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccine, Gov. Tate Reeves announced Tuesday. The announcement comes less than a week after the state made vaccinations available for Mississippians 75 and older. Mississippi set up drive-thru sites for vaccinations across the state. The vaccine is also available at some private clinics. The rollout of the long term care vaccinations is being run by Walgreens and CVS pharmacies, companies that have contracts with the federal government. Reeves said last week that the vaccinations process throughout the state was not moving quickly enough, especially within long-term care facilities. As of last week, only about 2% of vaccinations in long-term care facilities had been completed. State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs agreed Tuesday that the pace of vaccinations within long-term care facilities had been "disappointing." He said the state is working with CVS, Walgreens and the federal government to find a way to increase staffing to speed up the process. |
| Gov. Tate Reeves says he plans to extend mask mandate that covers most of Mississippi | |
 | Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said Tuesday that he plans to extend his COVID-19 executive order that mandates the wearing of masks in most of the state. Reeves' most recent order is set to expire on Friday, Jan. 15. All but four of the 82 counties are currently under the mask mandate -- Claiborne, Issaquena, Sharkey and Tunica. "I anticipate that we will extend the order substantially in the form that it exists," Reeves said. "We'll do as we have been doing and adjust the counties based on the data." Reeves pointed to a decline this week in new numbers of the coronavirus as potential evidence that the post-Christmas surge is beginning to wane. After five consecutive days of the state reporting over 2,000 new cases of COVID-19, the state health department reported 1,227 cases on Monday and 1,648 on Tuesday. "The last two days we've seen a decline in the number of cases reported," he said. "That's good news, but I also want to make clear that two days does not mean it's a trend. We still don't expect to see a decline in hospitalizations in the short run given that hospitalizations are a lagging indicator." |
| State could help address drag racing on highways | |
| At an OurFondren neighborhood meeting Tuesday night, Jackson Ward Seven Councilwoman Virgi Lindsay said the legislature is considering a bill that could provide additional resources to curb drag racing and other reckless driving along the interstate. Lindsay discussed the matter less than two weeks after drag racers tied up a portion of I-55 for over an hour on New Year's night. "I understand from Sen. (David) Blount and Sen. (Walter) Michel that we will more than likely have a bill that will provide some additional resources to the I-55 corridor through the capital city to help us," she said. "Right now, there aren't those resources dedicated." Blount represents District 29, which includes the Fondren area, and Michel represents District 25, which includes Northeast Jackson. The incident occurred right near the boundary of the Fondren and Northeast Jackson communities. Lindsay said she wasn't exactly sure what those resources would look like, but said she is "grateful" that the legislature is considering providing the additional help. "The same kind of problems are happening on I-10 on the coast, so this is not just a Jackson issue, which should help get the legislation passed," she said. On New Year's night, teens and young adults gathered on the interstate in North Jackson, where they tied up traffic for about an hour before Jackson police responded. |
| Mississippians saddled with $507M in criminal justice debts, preventing future opportunity | |
| In 2019, people who had touched the criminal justice system in Mississippi held $507 million in debt as a result -- more than double the $243 million they owed in 2009, according to a new report by the Hope Policy Institute. While court-ordered financial burdens grow, the minimum wage hasn't budged and overall inflation-adjusted wages in Mississippi actually dropped in that same timeframe, according to a Mississippi Today analysis. Even many who finish their sentences -- often coined their "debt to society" -- are saddled with very literal debts that prevent them from the opportunities they need to thrive outside of prison. The consequences are highly concentrated in the Deep South, the report found, where people are both incarcerated and living in poverty at higher rates. "In fact, in Mississippi, there are four restitution centers across the state serving as debtor's prisons as formerly incarcerated individuals work to earn money to pay off court-ordered debts," the report reads, referencing a Mississippi Today and The Marshall Project investigation. The setbacks caused by the criminal justice system also overlap with other areas of government and social services, such as the child support system. |
| Sen. McDaniel says new state flag 'pushed down' Mississippians' throats, decries process | |
| State senator Chris McDaniel says that Mississippi's new state flag, which was officially signed into law Monday, was "pushed down" Mississippians' throats. In a post on Facebook, McDaniel railed against the process taken to install the In God We Trust flag, saying, "Mississippi has changed its flag, but it cannot be said we moved forward together." The senator was a primary advocate against the resolution to retire the old state flag, which bore the Confederate battle emblem, and aided a referendum against the change. The post continued, reading, "Indeed, it's impossible to move forward 'together' when Mississippians were not allowed to choose a flag from multiple options, including the 1894 design." McDaniel then said that the flag was "pushed down our throats" by legislators who "didn't trust people to decide." He also claimed the flag's success showcased "backroom deals" and denounced it as "another flawed process." The In God We Trust flag won majority approval by voters at the ballot box, receiving nearly 73 percent of the "yes" vote. Twenty-seven percent of voters voted "no" on the new flag. |
| Biden nominates Samantha Power to lead USAID | |
 | President-elect Joe Biden announced Wednesday that he is nominating Samantha Power, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, as administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The transition team also said that Biden plans to elevate the position of USAID administrator to become a member of the National Security Council in his administration. Power's nomination is the latest example of Biden leaning on officials who served in the Obama administration to fill key roles. Power served as U.S. ambassador to the U.N. from 2013 to 2017. If confirmed, Power would lead the government agency responsible for distributing civilian foreign aid around the world. USAID has seen its standing diminished in recent years, as President Trump has sought enormous cuts to foreign aid programs. Power started her career as a war correspondent, and later was the founding executive director of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School before beginning a career in government. She is currently a professor at the Harvard Kennedy School. |
| White House readying last-minute $27B spending cuts plan | |
 | The Trump administration was preparing a $27.4 billion package of spending rescissions to send to Capitol Hill, likely on Wednesday, which once sent will place a temporary hold on the funds at least until President-elect Joe Biden's budget team gets situated. The rescissions request, which allows the executive branch to try to cancel previously appropriated funds if Congress agrees, is almost twice as large as the $15.2 billion rescissions request he sent to Congress in 2018. At the time that package, which ultimately was blocked in the Senate, was the largest in history. The new cuts package, described by sources familiar with it on condition of anonymity, is also orders of magnitude bigger than the nearly $4 billion in spending items President Donald Trump critiqued in the $1.4 trillion fiscal 2021 omnibus appropriations package. Trump's proposed spending cuts largely target foreign aid, with $16 billion to $17 billion in rescissions to State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development programs. That's far larger than the roughly $2 billion in fiscal 2021 foreign aid spending Trump called out in his Dec. 22 video remarks, suggesting the cuts will target prior-year spending as well. |
| Biden team briefs Congress on emerging stimulus plan, aims for bipartisan deal | |
 | President-elect Joe Biden is finalizing his coronavirus relief plan, with aides briefing congressional staffers Tuesday and indicating that the measure will be tailored to get bipartisan support. The proposal, which Biden intends to unveil on Thursday, is expected to include $2,000 stimulus payments, an extension of enhanced unemployment insurance, money for vaccine distribution and delivery, funding for cities, states, schools, child care and more. Transition officials indicated in meetings with Democratic staffers that Biden will try to get bipartisan support for the measure, instead of using a special budgetary tool that could allow him to push legislation through Congress with only Democratic votes, according to several people with knowledge of the discussions who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deliberations were private. That's led to speculation that the price tag of the package could be below $2 trillion -- although Biden said last week that it could cost in the multiple trillions of dollars. Republicans are likely to balk at spending too much more after Congress has already devoted around $4 trillion to fighting the ravaging coronavirus pandemic and economic fallout. |
| Trump on verge of 2nd impeachment after Capitol siege | |
| President Donald Trump is on the verge of being impeached for a second time in an unprecedented House vote Wednesday, a week after he encouraged a mob of loyalists to "fight like hell" against election results just before they stormed the U.S. Capitol in a deadly siege. While Trump's first impeachment in 2019 brought no Republican votes in the House, a small but significant number of leaders and lawmakers are breaking with the party to join Democrats, saying Trump violated his oath to protect and defend U.S. democracy. The stunning collapse of Trump's final days in office, against alarming warnings of more violence ahead by his followers, leaves the nation at an uneasy and unfamiliar juncture before Democrat Joe Biden is inaugurated Jan. 20. At least five Republican lawmakers, including third-ranking House GOP leader Liz Cheney of Wyoming, were unswayed by the president's logic. The Republicans announced they would vote to impeach Trump, cleaving the Republican leadership, and the party itself. "The President of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack," said Cheney in a statement. "There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution." |
| Should Trump be removed? Mississippi's delegation split by party line. | |
| Mississippi's congressional delegation is split -- currently by party line -- on whether to remove President Donald Trump from office, with the state's lone Democrat supporting impeachment and two Republicans saying the focus should be on national "healing." At least 213 House Democrats say they support an article of impeachment charging Trump with "incitement of insurrection" after hundreds of his supporters overtook the Capitol last Wednesday in an effort to stop the process of certifying Democrat Joe Biden as the winner of the November presidential election. Democrats have privately and publicly urged Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment, which would force Trump to step down with a majority vote of the president's cabinet. Pence's reported refusal to take that step means the impeachment process could begin as early as Wednesday and move quickly. Wicker, who was the only Republican member of the state's congressional delegation to not challenge Biden's overwhelming victory over Trump, said he opposes efforts to impeach Trump or to remove him through the 25th Amendment. "In accordance with our Constitution, the orderly transfer of power will occur at noon on Jan. 20. The best way for our country to heal and move past the events of last week would be for this process to continue," Wicker said in a statement. |
| State's GOP House delegation opposes urging vice president to remove Trump from office | |
 | A majority of Mississippi's delegation in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday night voted against a resolution calling on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th amendment and strip President Donald Trump of his power. Splitting along partisan lines, all three GOP officials -- U.S. Reps. Trent Kelly, Michael Guest and Steven Palazzo -- voted against the resolution, while U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, the state's only Democrat in Congress, voted in favor of the resolution. Despite a majority of Mississippi's delegation resisting the measure, the resolution was adopted by the House, where the Democratic Party holds a majority, by 223 to 205. The resolution is non-binding and does not require the vice president to take any action. Pence, in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, rejected the call to invoke the amendment to remove Trump from office, almost guaranteeing that the House will take up articles of impeachment against Trump later this week. Guest, who represents the state's central district, in a statement said that he voted against the resolution because it would be counterproductive and "and divide our country even further." |
| Riot at Capitol was an act of 'sedition' military's top leadership says in rare memo | |
 | For a third time during Donald Trump's presidency, his top defense chiefs have spoken out during a moment of upheaval, issuing a memo to troops describing the violence at the U.S. Capitol as "sedition" and "insurrection" and affirming that Joe Biden is the incoming president. In an internal memo that was unusual for military leaders who traditionally try to avoid commenting on anything related to politics, the top uniformed officers of each military branch reminded troops of their sworn duty to protect the constitutional process and transition of power. It was signed by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Mark Milley and all of the members of the Joint Staff. Former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, who led the Pentagon under President Barack Obama, said having the Joint Staff come out so forcefully was unprecedented. "We are living through something this country has never, ever lived through before," Hagel told McClatchy in a phone interview. In the memo on Tuesday, the Joint Chiefs also told the military to hold fast to their oath. "As service members we must embody the values and ideals of the nation," the chiefs wrote. "We support and defend the Constitution. Any act to disrupt the Constitutional process is not only against our traditions, values and oath, it is against the law." |
| 'We will be prepared': Mississippi officials discuss Capitol security ahead of possible armed protests | |
| Mississippi officials said they're aware of FBI warnings of possible armed protests at state capitols across the country and that security here is ready -- although they won't go into many details. "Whether you see us or not, we are there and we are going to protect the integrity of our public buildings here in Mississippi," Gov. Tate Reeves said Tuesday. "... In Mississippi we are prepared and we will be prepared." Reeves said he has been meeting with law enforcement, military and emergency management leaders, and state security is prepared, but, "I will not go into operational details." Capitol Police Director Don Byington, a veteran Mississippi law officer, called last week's attack of the U.S. Capitol "appalling." On Tuesday, he deferred all questions about Mississippi Capitol security to DFA. The FBI has warned of plans for armed protests at all 50 state capitols and Washington, D.C., in the days leading up to President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration on Jan. 20. Before the 2021 legislative session began, cameras were placed in strategic locations in the Mississippi State Capitol, and machines were recently installed to scan bags at the two main entrances to the Capitol. Currently, Capitol Police officers screen and check people as they enter the building. |
| Mississippi governor: State prepared for Capitol threats, riots | |
| Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said the state is prepared to thwart any attempt at a armed uprising at the state Capitol following calls to action from some extremist groups on social media. Reeves at a Tuesday press conference said he doesn't expect any protest in the state to become violent, but added he has been in contact with state agencies regarding possible safety precautions. He cited the National Guard and the Department of Public Safety, but declined to give details on those communications and possible preparations. "I strongly support anyone's right to peacefully protest," Reeves said, "but I want everyone to understand, in Mississippi we are prepared and we will be prepared. I won't be going into measures we are or might be taking ... but we are going to protect the integrity of our buildings." Reeves said his belief demonstrations will remain peaceful stems from the fact past protests in the capital city last year didn't result in violence. Reeves on Tuesday sidestepped a question over whether he supported having President Donald Trump removed from office. Instead, he deflected the blame across the political spectrum. |
| Black farmers face a slew of systemic challenges | |
| The $900 billion COVID-19 relief package includes $13 billion for agriculture programs. But for Black farmers, there is a long history of discrimination in federal funds distribution and structural barriers that make it more difficult for them to access aid than their white counterparts. The Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund is a cooperative association of Black farmers, landowners and cooperatives in the South. Cornelius Blanding is the executive director of the organization. Blanding spoke to "Marketplace" host Kai Ryssdal about the ways in which systemic racism manifests in Black agriculture. The following is an edited transcript of the conversation. |
| University's MLK Celebration to Feature Colorado College President | |
| The University of Mississippi's Division of Diversity and Community Engagement is revisiting Martin Luther King's 1967 book, "Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?" as part of the Community-Wide MLK Celebration 2021. This year's celebration, which will take place virtually at 6 p.m. Friday (Jan. 15), is headlined by Mike Edmonds, UM alumnus and acting co-president of Colorado College, who will reflect on the theme of community in a time of crisis, drawing on his experiences as a leader in higher education and a member of the UM community. Chaos is a constant in our world, "...whether it's the pandemic or an economic depression or global unrest," and that is the responsibility of everyone, especially those in higher education, to build and enrich communities despite it," Edmonds said. "We can never lull ourselves into thinking there won't be chaos," he continued. "We have to expect we have a responsibility and opportunity for community. The celebration is open to everyone. Cade Smith, assistant vice chancellor for community engagement, said that because this year's event is virtual, he hopes to see participants outside Oxford and the university attend. |
| Tom and Louise Gresham give $301k gift to Delta State University | |
| For Tom and Louise Gresham, an investment in Delta State University is an investment in the Mississippi Delta; it's this philosophy that led the couple to establish an endowed scholarship at DSU. Recently, the Greshams provided a major boost to their scholarship fund with the addition of a groundbreaking $301,000 gift. Named in their honor, the endowment was established to assist Mississippi students in DSU's College of Business and Aviation that display financial need. A well-established businessman as the longtime president of Double Quick, Inc. and member of Gresham Petroleum Company, Tom and his wife both feel strongly about the importance of education. Delta State President William N. LaForge said the Greshams' continued support will have positive, long-term effects for DSU students and, in turn, the community at large. "Delta State is so fortunate to have the generous financial support of the Greshams," he said. "We are very appreciative to Louise and Tom for believing in the university and for embracing our students' success with their scholarship dollars. Their gift of education and investment in our students will have a terrific, positive impact for years to come." |
| Meredith Anding Jr., member of the 'Tougaloo Nine,' dies | |
| Meredith C. Anding Jr., a member of the "Tougaloo Nine," who famously participated in a library "read-in" in segregated Mississippi 60 years ago, has died. He was 79. Anding was diagnosed with leukemia and had been sick since March, his son Armaan Anding said. He died Friday in Brandon, Mississippi. The Tougaloo Nine were students at the historically Black institution Tougaloo College who staged a peaceful sit-in at Jackson's white-only library on March, 27, 1961. It is widely considered the first student protest of segregation at a public institution in Mississippi. The undergraduates spent the night in jail. The next day, Jackson college students picketed the Tougaloo Nine's arrest and were met by police with clubs and dogs. When the students were released, they were greeted by applauding Black community members outside the courthouse. Again, policemen with nightsticks descended on the crowd. Two men -- including a Black pastor -- were bitten by police dogs. |
| U. of Alabama to allow remote learning after title celebration; union raises COVID concerns | |
 | Amid concern of COVID-19 spreading on the University of Alabama campus following Monday night's mass celebration of the school's 18th national football championship, the university on Tuesday said it would give faculty the option to hold classes online for the next two weeks. But the move from UA falls short of the request from the United Campus Workers of Alabama, a labor union representing 100 UA employees. The union sent a letter to UA President Stuart Bell and Provost James Dalton demanding mandatory virtual classes for 14 days, COVID-19 testing that ensures the campus is safe and hazard pay for facilities, dining, housing and student life workers who come in contact with students. Despite pleas from the university and the city of Tuscaloosa not to celebrate the triumph in the streets, thousands flocked to the Strip, including many who did not wear masks to stop the spread of COVID-19. |
| Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox: 'Time will tell' if Alabama football celebration causes COVID spike | |
 | As coronavirus-positive inpatients at DCH Health System dipped below 170 this week, data shows a slight downward trend in the number needing treatment in Tuscaloosa. But Monday night's mass gathering on The Strip in celebration of the University of Alabama's 18th football national championship may send those numbers back upward, city officials said. Right now, it's just too soon to know. "Certainly," said Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox, "only time will tell." On Monday, a total of 165 inpatients with COVID-19 were listed across the DCH Health System's three local hospitals. Of those, 44 were in need of intensive care unit treatment, with 20 requiring ventilators. He praised the efforts of local police, the University of Alabama and Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board in responding to the crowds that took over The Strip for less than two hours Monday night. According to a timeline presented by Maddox, the streets began to clog with students and revelers about 10:40 p.m. By 11:30 p.m., Tuscaloosa Police Chief Brent Blankley and the police began using pepper spray in moderate amounts to begin the dispersal of the crowds as fights and property damage began to break out and occur. By 12:02 a.m., University Boulevard within this area of Tuscaloosa was cleared, Maddox said. |
| Auburn University faculty punt on no confidence vote for Hardgrave | |
 | Tuesday's Auburn University faculty vote spun out of control quickly Tuesday afternoon. The vote of no confidence in Provost Bill Hardgrave was ultimately scrapped after more than an hour of confusion and sniping back and forth between Mike Stern, the economics professor who sought and was declined such a vote in November, and University Senate Chairman Don Mulvaney, who appeared confused at times over what exactly was being voted on. The running chat that accompanied the online meeting was also rife with confusion over what exactly was transpiring. The 3:30 p.m. start was pushed back to 3:55 p.m. after Senate officers determined the previously announced Zoom meeting couldn't handle the 1,200 faculty members who wanted to log in; therefore, they moved it to a webinar with a chat log to allow participants to weigh in and submit questions, along with using their computer microphones to speak up. |
| Auburn SGA Senate addresses provost vote, campus dining issues | |
| Members of Auburn's Student Government Association discussed both a potential vote of no confidence for Provost Bill Hardgrave and student dissatisfaction with campus dining on the first day of classes during its Jan. 11 senate meeting, the first of the spring semester. The Auburn University Senate has proposed voting no confidence in Hardgrave since November because of faculty concerns about how the provost's office has navigated the University through the COVID-19 pandemic, but this week will see a decision made through a remote vote. Executive Vice President Sarah Jane Levine, senior in apparel merchandising, design and production management, addressed complaints from students on the limited availability for on-campus dining options during the first day of the spring semester. Aramark, the vendor for the University's on-campus dining locations, sent SGA a statement that Levine read from. "It rained, so [Aramark was] not able to have food trucks out," Levine said. "The Chick-fil-A had a new point-of-sale system that malfunctioned, and they had more students on campus than anticipated. In addition, they kept some locations closed thinking that student traffic would be light this week." |
| Vaccine OK'd for Arkansas college staffs | |
| Teachers and staff at the state's colleges and universities will be eligible for the covid-19 vaccine starting Monday, Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced. The news brought cheers from among those working in higher education while questions remained after Hutchinson's remarks Tuesday about how much vaccine will be available, whether any workers might be excluded from eligibility and what role large campuses will have in distributing it. "I want to get the vaccine, and I want it as soon as possible," said Carolyn Rodeffer, 60, an instructor in the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville's Sam M. Walton College of Business. She called Hutchinson's announcement "great news." Rodeffer said she feels comfortable teaching four in-person classes this semester -- including one large class with more than 120 students -- because of the physical spacing in place during class and how she's seen students following health protocols such as wearing face coverings. About the vaccine, "the sooner we all get it, the sooner we can get back to something that reasonably approximates normal life," Rodeffer said. College students as a group are not among those eligible for the vaccine starting next week. |
| U.S. Chamber calls for governments to fund rapid training programs | |
 | U.S. Chamber of Commerce CEO Tom Donohue said Tuesday that a broad-based economic recovery in 2021 depends on reskilling and supporting workers. The usually conservative Chamber is embracing a radical shift on skills policy. "Our lawmakers should fund rapid training programs to connect the unemployed with jobs in new sectors," Donohue said in a State of American Business address. Employers should take a lead in designing these programs, Donohue said, but said the benefits to workers would be clear-cut: "If we do this right and do it quickly, we will improve the living standard for millions of Americans." Ravi Kumar, President of Infosys, the Indian company that became famous for encouraging the tech outsourcing boom, told POLITICO that Infosys now runs "the largest corporate training university in the world," in Bangalore, India. Each market has to be treated differently, according to the local skills base, Kumar said. In the U.S. he said he hires based on a student's capacity to learn, rather than the brand name of their degree. "We're moving from degrees to skills with our digital apprenticeship program" -- which includes "a finishing school infrastructure," of eight to 10 weeks of tailored training, at a cost of around $20,000 per student. |
| Most people know her as Jill Biden. But to some she is Dr. B, the compassionate and challenging educator who went the extra mile. | |
| Mikaela Stack knew her English professor as the "petite, blond lady" who "dressed up to the T." The professor was a strict, but fair, grader. She assigned an essay every week and shared stories about her trips through Africa. Stack had left Sweden in 2014 to pursue a degree in political science, and she had been living in D.C. for only a few months when she started taking English at the Alexandria campus of Northern Virginia Community College, or NOVA. One night, her roommates -- two Capitol Hill staffers -- turned on the TV to watch President Barack Obama deliver the State of the Union address. "They show the balcony [and] Michelle Obama," said Stack, now a stay-at-home mother. "And I thought, 'Why . . . is my English professor sitting next to Michelle Obama?' " Stack said she ran to find her English Composition 111 syllabus. "My English teacher is the second lady of the United States!" Jill Biden had two major roles during her eight years as second lady. One was being the vice president's wife, performed, for instance, on diplomatic trips abroad. The other was teaching English. And she'll do it all again as first lady. When she returns to NOVA this spring, she will become the first woman in the position to continue her professional career. |
| Forgiving Student Debt by Executive Action Is Illegal, Trump Lawyers Say | |
 | Trump administration lawyers have concluded that it would be illegal to forgive all or some of Americans' student debt through an executive action -- as congressional Democrats have urged the incoming Biden administration to do -- arguing that such a move would require Congress to pass a law. Education Department lawyers lay out their reasoning in a memo dated Tuesday to Betsy DeVos, who resigned last week as education secretary. The internal agency memo, reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, was signed by a political appointee and isn't binding. Congressional Democrats and progressive groups have urged President-elect Joe Biden to forgive most or all of the $1.6 trillion in federal student debt unilaterally in his first 100 days in office. They argue that existing law authorizes the executive branch to forgive student debt without any action from Congress. "We believe the Secretary does not have the statutory authority to cancel, compromise, discharge, or forgive, on a blanket or mass basis, principal balances of student loans, and/or to materially modify the repayment amounts or terms thereof," Reed Rubinstein, the Education Department's principal deputy general counsel, wrote in the memo to Mrs. DeVos. Mr. Rubinstein's tenure will end along with those of other appointees when the new administration takes office Jan. 20. |
| Supreme Court wrestles with Georgia college free speech case | |
| The Supreme Court on Tuesday wrestled with whether to revive a lawsuit brought by a Georgia college student who sued school officials after being prevented from distributing Christian literature on campus. The school, Georgia Gwinnett College, has since changed its policies and the student has graduated. A lower court dismissed the case as moot and an appeals court agreed, but the student, Chike Uzuegbunam, is urging the justices to allow the case to move forward. He's seeking just $1 and says he wants the Lawrenceville, Georgia, school to be held accountable for its past policies. Groups across the political spectrum including the ACLU say the case is important to ensuring that people whose constitutional rights were violated can continue their cases even when governments repeal the policies they were challenging. During arguments the justices heard by phone because of the coronavirus pandemic, both conservative and liberal justices expressed some concerns with Uzuegbunam's argument. Uzuegbunam has the support of the Trump administration as well as a host of religious groups. |
| College openings led to increase in community cases, research says | |
 | Since colleges and universities announced last summer that they would be opening their doors to students, critics have argued that doing so was irresponsible and would lead to infections and deaths in nearby communities. New peer-reviewed analysis released today in Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering suggests that, for some colleges, the link was indeed present. The analysis of 30 large U.S. universities indicated that in 18 of them, a peak in campus infections preceded a peak in the surrounding county by less than 14 days, suggesting infections were translated from the campus to the nearby community. In some cases, the home counties of these large colleges had infection rates much greater than the rest of their state. The research follows a study along similar themes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That research found when large universities opened for in-person instruction, their home counties saw a 56 percent increase in COVID-19 infections in the next three weeks, compared to the three weeks before the start of classes. |
| First faculty and staff outside health-care fields become eligible for COVID vaccines, but prioritization plans vary by state | |
| Public colleges in West Virginia and Florida are among the first in the country to begin administering the coveted COVID-19 vaccines to certain faculty and staff who do not work in health care. The University System of West Virginia began administering COVID-19 vaccines to faculty and staff age 50 or over late last month. In Florida, where individuals age 65 or older are eligible for the vaccine, the University of Florida has been administering them to faculty and staff aged 65 or over since last week. Florida State University is expected to begin vaccinations for faculty and staff age 65 or over as early as this week. States are setting their own priorities for distributing the limited quantities of vaccine currently available, although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has provided recommendations to assist with state-level decision making. As vaccine distribution ramps up, colleges will be functioning as hubs for broader vaccine distribution in their communities. Meanwhile, the American College Health Association is urging members to advocate for their local and state public health departments to include college health providers in the first phase of distribution, Phase 1A. |
| Teaching in the Age of Disinformation | |
 | If ever we needed proof that many Americans are living in an alternate reality, the storming of the U.S. Capitol last week was it. How thousands of people fell prey to the idea that a vast conspiracy reversed what they believed was a landslide victory by President Trump is a question that will hang over the country for decades. For higher education, that question is especially urgent. While most Americans don't hew to the paranoid theories that prompted the insurgency, the world that spawned them is deeply affecting students. Disinformation and propaganda are flourishing, traditional sources of authority are under siege, and people increasingly live in politically polarized media ecosystems. Colleges have traditionally been places where professors and their students use the tools of reason and inquiry to get to the truth. But such work has become monumentally harder because of these changes. Is higher education prepared to teach students how to navigate this terrain? While many professors say they're able to handle difficult topics in the classroom, two recent surveys suggest that's not always the case. |
| Wicker's certification vote showed character, courage and loyalty to the Constitution | |
| Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: No real surprise that Mississippi Second District U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Bolton, voted to certify the nation's electoral vote. By that act of Congress, the Democratic lawmaker's party returned to power in the executive branch of the U.S. government in the form of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. Mississippi's senior U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Tupelo, likewise voted to certify the electoral vote, although his party lost the 2020 presidential election in both the popular vote and the electoral vote. The certification vote, coupled with the results of the U.S. Senate runoff elections in Georgia, signaled a shift from Republican control of the Senate to the Democrats. Wicker worked as hard to support Trump in that election as Thompson worked to support Biden. The election cycle saw Thompson retain his chairmanship of the House Homeland Security Committee while Wicker will lose his Senate Commerce Committee chairmanship and will be the ranking minority party member in the 117th Congress. ... The rest of Mississippi's congressional delegation chose another path. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State men's basketball notebook: Bulldogs kick off three-game homestand by hosting Texas A&M on Wednesday | |
| Many fans in College Station expected Buzz Williams' Texas A&M Aggies to take a step forward in their coach's second year at the helm. With only Wendell Mitchell and Josh Nebo departing from last year's roster, steady improvement from a 16-14 overall record seemed feasible. Four games into Southeastern Conference play, things haven't gone as planned for the Aggies. Texas A&M has stumbled to a 1-3 start in league play, with all three losses coming by double digits. Meanwhile, Mississippi State enters Wednesday's matchup at Humphrey Coliseum with A&M red hot, winning eight of its last 10 games and getting off to its best start in SEC play since the 2016-2017 season (3-1). Of course, MSU coach Ben Howland isn't taking the slumping Aggies lightly. To be fair, it would be out of character for the sixth-year head coach to make any kind of slight toward an opponent, regardless of record. "I think they have very good talent," Howland said. "They've got good pieces, and they are a hard team to score against in that they are so help conscious. They are very much in the gaps. When you drive the basketball, you are going to have three guys on you. So you're going to have to have good spacing and get the ball moving to be able penetrate and create help and give it up. They are trying to be more aggressive with their press to create steals and create offense out of some of their defense." |
| What Abdul Ado is doing besides blocking shots in Mississippi State basketball's 3-1 SEC start | |
| 6-foot-11, 255-pound center probably isn't the first player on the roster a basketball coach would want to be back when the opposition is barreling down the court on a 4-on-1 fast break, but that's the position Abdul Ado found himself in last week against Vanderbilt. The Mississippi State senior got the stop with a block, just like the Bulldogs drew it up. The block was one of 205 in Ado's career. Only Jarvis Varnado (564) and Erick Dampier (249) have had more in their Mississippi State careers. Ado does not show up on the scoring sheet too often. He scored eight points in the win over Vanderbilt, has only reached double digits once this season and averages 6.1 in his career. But coach Ben Howland doesn't mind. He'll take Ado as his starting center any day of the week for what he does outside of the scoreboard. "He's so good defensively for us," Howland said. "He's such a huge factor. ... He does so many things that don't show up on a stat sheet." Wednesday's 8 p.m. game against Texas A&M (6-4, 1-3) at Humphrey Coliseum is another opportunity for Mississippi State to stay near the top of the standings. Ado would like nothing more than for that to happen. |
| Texas A&M men's basketball team hoping to improve endurance before timeouts | |
 | Timeouts have become a form of triage for the Texas A&M men's basketball team this season. It is especially evident when head coach Buzz Williams has to burn one of his timeouts that become one of the four elongated media timeouts in each half. "When you have to use your timeouts and that counts as the media, not always, but stereotypically speaking, it means we're wounded and we're bleeding and we have to somehow stop the wound," Williams said Monday on his weekly radio show. The problem that has plagued the Aggies through a 1-3 start to Southeastern Conference play, Williams surmised, is a lack of endurance, whether it be physical, mental or emotional. Fixing it has been a main focus as the Aggies (6-4) as they prepare for their 8 p.m. Wednesday game at Mississippi State (8-4, 3-1). Showing more endurance against Mississippi State will be a challenge. The Bulldogs already have beaten Georgia, Vanderbilt and No. 13 Missouri this season. They also have the SEC's third and fourth best scorers in Iverson Molinar (19.2 points per game) and D.J. Stewart Jr (18.6). Post Tolu Smith leads the conference in double doubles, free-throw attempts and rebounding. |
| Sanderson championship donates record $1.45 million to Friends of Children | |
| The Sanderson Farms Championship presented on Tuesday a record $1.45 million donation to Friends of Children's Hospital, the fundraising arm for Batson Children's Hospital, part of Children's of Mississippi. The record was set despite the championship being played under the handicap of the coronavirus pandemic. From 2013, when Sanderson Farms became the title sponsor, through 2019, more than $7.6 million, or less than $1.09 million per year had been donated to Friends. "We are truly grateful for the way our community, state leaders, sports icons, and celebrities came together like never before to support the 2020 Sanderson Farms Championship, and the Mississippi children who benefit from its proceeds," Joe F. Sanderson, Jr., CEO and Chairman of the Board, said in a release. "While we weren't able to gather in person for this year's event, I look forward to the day when we can stand side-by-side again in celebration of this hospital and the amazing work done here." This year's donation to Friends of Children's Hospital will go toward completing the funding of the seven-story Kathy and Joe Sanderson Tower at Children's of Mississippi, the state's only children's hospital. |
| U. of Kentucky President Supports Players' Right to Kneel | |
| University of Kentucky president Eli Capilouto voiced his support Monday for the university's men's basketball team and coach, who knelt during the national anthem during a game over the weekend to protest racial injustice and the storming of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Trump last week. The team's decision to kneel was harshly criticized by fans on social media and by public officials, media reports said. The Louisville Courier-Journal reported that a Kentucky state senator with family members in the military cried as he spoke on the Senate floor about how he was "hurt" by the demonstration and said people "have died to allow young men to ... have the opportunity to play sports and speak their mind." Two Kentucky law enforcement officials were taped burning a Wildcats basketball shirt on Sunday and one said the team "disrespected the American flag," the Courier-Journal reported. Capilouto said in a joint statement with Mitch Barnhart, UK's director of athletics, that they support the players' and head coach John Calipari's right to kneel, which they called an act of free speech and expression. "We won't always agree on every issue. However, we hope to agree about the right of self-expression, which is so fundamental to who we are as an institution of higher learning," the statement said. "We live in a polarized and deeply divided country. Our hope -- and that of our players and our coaches -- is to find ways to bridge divides and unify." |
| Steve Sarkisian says Texas players will sing controversial school song | |
 | One day after helping Alabama capture the national title once again, Steve Sarkisian was formally introduced as the head coach of the Texas Longhorns. In his introductory press conference, the issue of the relationship between the football team and the school song, "The Eyes of Texas," was brought up. But as Sarkisian sees it, it isn't an issue at all. "I know this much, 'The Eyes of Texas' is our school song," Sarkisian said. "We're going to sing that song. We're going to sing that proudly." Some players' lack of participation in the postgame playing of "The Eyes of Texas" this past season under former coach Tom Herman became a rolling controversy of sorts around the Longhorns. Several players protested the song due to its racist origins. (The song was performed at minstrel shows.) Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte, who did not hire Herman, said in October it was his expectations "that our teams show appreciation for our university, fans and supporters by standing together as a unified group for 'The Eyes.'" Later in October, the University of Texas System Board of Regents issued a statement unequivocally saying, "'The Eyes of Texas' is, and will remain, the official school song." On Tuesday, Sarkisian said discussion about the school song and other issues are welcome, but that "'The Eyes of Texas' is our school song. We support that song." |
| Emmert Addresses Federal Pushback and Critics in Remarks to NCAA | |
| During his "State of College Sports" remarks Tuesday, Mark Emmert, president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, said he is "extremely frustrated and even disappointed" with the United States Department of Justice's suggestion that the association's pending rules for allowing athletes to profit from their personal celebrity may violate antitrust law. A DOJ letter sent by a department official on Jan. 8 delayed a scheduled vote by the NCAA Division I Council on name, image and likeness, or NIL, legislation, which was set to take place Monday. The association was "ready to take a big step" to support students' NIL rights, but moving forward with the plans is now "ill-advised," Emmert said during his remarks, which were part of the NCAA's annual convention that will span the next two weeks. "Because of an enormous amount of issues surrounding all of this, issues that, frankly, are beyond our control, it is now a very ill-advised thing for us to do at this stage," Emmert said. "So we have to pause on this progress. And I'm very disappointed in that. More importantly, all of our college athletes are profoundly disappointed and I suspect even angry." Emmert said the NCAA is still committed to move forward with NIL "modernizations" and with changing Division I rules for athletes who transfer to different colleges, which were also at issue in the DOJ's letter. |
| Mark Emmert opposes idea to separate FBS football from NCAA - 'Couldn't disagree more' | |
| NCAA president Mark Emmert said he "couldn't disagree more" with a proposal that the association should part ways with the most lucrative sports under its purview in an effort to preserve the education-based model of sports it espouses. Emmert delivered his annual state-of-the-union style address Tuesday afternoon at the NCAA convention, which is being held virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic. The 10-minute speech outlined his prescribed approach to some of the most pressing challenges the NCAA faces in what he deemed a "seminal year" for the century-old association. He said that while it would be naïve to ignore the "enormous amount of revenue" generated by sports such as FBS football and basketball, his hope is that the member schools that make up the NCAA will focus on spending that money in a way that prioritizes the needs of college athletes. The NCAA has come under increased pressure from lawmakers and others who believe it's unfair for coaches and administrators to grow rich in a multibillion-dollar industry while athletes are not allowed to share in those profits due to amateurism rules. Emmert's comments come at the end of a year in which the salaries of coaches and administrators continued to increase despite athletic departments facing massive budget shortfalls due to the pandemic. |
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