Monday, March 8, 2021   
 
Northeast Mississippi universities, colleges anticipate return to pre-COVID operations this fall
For months, students and faculty at colleges across the country have adjusted to a new normal. Starting next semester, they'll be returning to the old normal ... mostly. Institutions of higher learning across Northeast Mississippi anticipate a return to pre-COVID operations for the upcoming fall 2021 semester. In some cases, this will represent a drastic shift in the day-to-day life of the people who teach and study there. Mississippi State University is also planning for a return to normalcy this fall, according to Dr. David Shaw, MSU Provost and Executive Vice President. "In our planning process, we are looking to very closely mirror what we did in fall of 2019," Shaw said. "That's been the basis in terms of expectations, in terms of the number of face-to-face classes, classroom density, those kinds of things. We're working off the baseline assumption that we will be back to at least that type of normal." MSU has a COVID Task Force made up of students, faculty, staff and medical representatives that meets weekly. The group has worked alongside President Mark E. Keenum to develop plans to fully reopen the school. MSU has increased its enrollment for the past six years, managing to grow even during the pandemic. Shaw expects that trend to continue in fall 2021.
 
Gov. Tate Reeves awards another $23M of emergency education stimulus funds
Gov. Tate Reeves distributed $23.4 million of discretionary federal money in the second round of applications for the Governor's Emergency Education Relief (GEER) funds. The funds went to schools, universities and education organizations providing support to Mississippi students in the areas of social and emotional learning, online learning, device access and returning to in-person learning. In the latest round of funding, Mississippi State University received $4.3 million for 15 different projects to address several pandemic-related needs. These include improving online learning for K-12 and higher education students and providing mental health services and supporting at-risk students such as those with dyslexia and autism through an Autism and Developmental Disabilities Clinic. The university is also using funding to expand a program that provides support to Mississippi State students nearing graduation who are in need of financial assistance to complete their degree. "The proposals funded will not only support MSU students, but provide meaningful resources for our state's K-12 students and teachers," said Julie Jordan, vice president for research and economic development at Mississippi State. "We pride ourselves on leveraging our expertise to work with partners across Mississippi to make an impact."
 
MSU Extension, College of Veterinary Medicine collaborate on 4-H course
Problem-solving and critical thinking are two prerequisites for competent animal care, and a new curriculum will help 4-H'ers learn those skills. The Mississippi State University Extension Center for 4-H Youth Development and the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine collaborated on the Caring for Animals 4-H project. It is targeted toward 12- to 15-year-olds and designed to develop knowledge of the relationship between people, animals and the environment. More specifically, students will learn how animals contribute to society as companions, service providers and sources of food and fiber. They will also learn about invasive species, adequate living conditions and nutritional needs for domesticated animals, and the diversity of careers related to animals. Brainstorming for the curriculum began when David Smith, now the CVM interim associate dean, was a faculty member at the University of Nebraska. The U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture Competitive Grants Program awarded funds to the program after his arrival at MSU with an objective that included providing education to 4-H'ers about how to care for animals. Cobie Rutherford, Extension instructor with the Center for 4-H Youth Development, said the center will incorporate the new curriculum into a planned MSU Extension program and use it to support the state's current and future 4-H activities.
 
Mississippi State students donate thousands of bottles of drinking water to Jackson State
Students at Jackson State University were greeted with a welcome site Friday -- truckloads of bottled water brought in by Mississippi State University. Students on the West Jackson campus have been without water for weeks, as the city works to restore service following the February winter storms. As of Friday, about 1,200 student residents were still without water, according to a news release. To help out, MSU's Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life hosted a bottled water drive on campus and then delivered that water to JSU on March 5. "We were happy to assist one of our Mississippi schools during this time of need," said Dell Ivy, an MSU communication major and president of the National Pan-Hellenic Council. Other students also participated in the delivery efforts, including Tatiana Walker and Shawnessi Watson, both of Sigma Gamma Rho, Nikkia Brown and Cathy Sims of Delta Sigma Theta, and Justin Applin, a member of Alpha Phi Alpha.
 
Master Gardener course to go virtual this year
Registration opens March 1 for the newest class of Master Gardeners, who will receive their training online this year. Master Gardeners are expert volunteers trained and certified in consumer horticulture and related areas by the Mississippi State University Extension Service. In exchange for 40 hours of educational training, participants are required to return 40 hours of volunteer service within one year of their training. This year, all Master Gardener instruction is online and self-paced. The class begins May 1 and closes June 30. The volunteer work of Master Gardeners helps local Extension offices reach a broader audience than is possible with existing Extension agents. Volunteers help extend the educational arm of the university to the public by providing horticultural information based on university research and recommendations. Master Gardener volunteers experience the personal satisfaction of serving their community, gaining horticultural expertise and connecting with their local gardening community.
 
U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith announces $6.9 million Army contract for UAS work in Starkville
U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, on Friday announced a $6.99 million U.S. Army contract for the Starkville-based Camgian Microsystems Corp. to develop technologies to stop unwanted unmanned aircraft system (UAS) incursions. “Unmanned aircraft system advances have had important and positive implications for our national security and other sectors of our lives. Those positives also come with new risks and dangers. This contract gives Camgian an important mission to improve how the Army can detect, track, and stop UAS threats,” Hyde-Smith said. “It’s great that this technology was developed in Mississippi and could be applied to our national security capabilities.” "We are grateful for the continued support of Senator Hyde-Smith and our congressional delegation," says Dr. Gary Butler, Chairman and CEO of Camgian. "We are committed as a company to solving this critical problem for our warfighters and are leveraging advanced technologies in artificial intelligence and software to combat adversarial drone threats on the battlefield." The Army's Combat Capabilities Development Command Center approved the two-year, $6,996,286 contract to advance development of its counter-UAS solution. All work will be performed in Mississippi.
 
Recycling program restarts Monday
Starkville residents can begin Monday dropping off certain recyclable materials in a designated bin outside the Sanitation Department offices. The city's new "Think Green" program will accept cardboard, office and mixed paper and scrap metal such as tin and aluminum cans as recyclable materials. The program will not accept plastics or glass at this time. The drop-off site, located at 506 Dr. Douglas L. Conner Drive, will be open 7 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. the first Saturday of each month. There is no fee for dropping off items, but items placed in bins should not be bagged. "Know what you can and can't recycle, get your things in there without being bagged and make sure you aren't littering around the containers," Ward 2 Alderman Sandra Sistrunk said. Sistrunk said the city will change out the bins when they are nearly full, and there will always be a bin available for residents. The city eliminated its curbside recycling program in September, citing high costs and low participation. "This is an opportunity for us to reboot and have a program that is financially sustainable and gain community interest," Sistrunk said. "The program will evolve and grow based on community experience."
 
OCH board member sues administrator, rest of board over financial records
A member of the OCH Regional Medical Center Board of Trustees has filed a civil suit against hospital administrator Jim Jackson and her fellow board members, alleging the hospital, with the board's approval, has withheld public information she needs to perform her duties. Columbus attorney Wilbur Colom filed the suit in Oktibbeha County Circuit Court Thursday on behalf of Peggy Rogers, who was appointed to the hospital's board of trustees in June 2020. The suit claims that since her appointment to the board, Rogers has not been allowed to access information needed to perform her fiduciary responsibilities at the county-owned hospital, including information on salaries, bonuses, travel reimbursements, contracts and other financial records. The suit alleges Rogers believes "that (hospital) management is unaccountable to anyone and operates the medical center not as a public entity but as an unaccountable private enterprise." The suit claims that the other trustees "have taken the position that Dr. Rogers should be restricted in what she may see based upon their whims."
 
Solar farm nearly doubles plans, bringing millions in tax revenue
Thirteen months after awarding a contract for a 200-megawatt solar facility in west Lowndes County to a Florida-based company, TVA has awarded another contract to the same company for another 150-megawatt solar plant. TVA announced Wednesday it will again partner with Origis Energy to develop the 150-megawatt solar and 50-megawatt battery storage facility adjacent to the Origis solar plant approved by TVA in February 2020. Although neither TVA or Origis officials announced the total investment, Golden Triangle Development LINK CEO Joe Max Higgins said the investment in the two solar facilities would be about $350 million. "The rule of thumb is a million dollars per megawatt," Higgins said. "So roughly speaking, between the two, it would be a $350 million capital investment. To put that in perspective, PACCAR was $400 million and Yokohama was $350 million. So this project is a pretty big deal." In announcing the second facility, TVA said it had reached an agreement to sell the power generated by the second plant to support Facebook's two data centers in the Tennessee Valley. Origis will own and operate the Lowndes County plant. Higgins said TVA had already signed contracts for all of the solar power produced by the first Origis solar plant, which is under contract to begin producing power in fall 2022.
 
Local leaders question bill to change how MDAH board members are appointed
If it's not broke, don't fix it. That's the stance many state and local leaders, and history buffs alike, are taking in response to the Senate's passage of S.B. 2727. The bill mandates that new members of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History Board of Trustees be appointed by the governor or lieutenant governor. Right now, members are appointed by fellow trustees, making the board the only self-perpetuating board in the state. Opponents, though, say the Thompson's bill would unnecessarily politicize a relatively apolitical body, and therefore politicize the state's efforts to preserve, promote and interpret history. "It doesn't seem like a good idea," said District 26 Sen. John Horhn. Horhn, along with former MDAH Board President Kane Ditto, questioned why the appointment process needed to be changed more than a century after the archives board was put in place. The board includes nine members. Currently, one member each is from Jackson, Columbus, Ridgeland, New Albany, Hattiesburg, Ocean Springs, Starkville, Cleveland, and Natchez. Its roster includes a Reuben Anderson, an attorney and first African-American supreme court justices in Mississippi, as well as Mark Keenum, president of Mississippi State University. "I think it's a very apolitical board. It has Republicans, Democrats, independents," Ditto said. "Its decisions don't revolve around politics, but what's best for the state."
 
Analysis: Advocates split over Mississippi tax cut proposals
Policy groups are deeply divided over a proposal to phase out Mississippi's personal income tax, with some saying the change could spur economic growth and others saying it could curtail funding for schools and other essential services. House Bill 1439 plowed through the Republican-controlled state House on Feb. 23, a day after it was introduced. The 85-34 vote was largely along party lines, with only a few Democrats joining Republicans to support it and only one Republican joining Democrats in opposition. Speaker Philip Gunn said the proposal would create a fairer system by putting larger taxes on consumption and smaller ones on productivity. The bill would phase out the income tax, cut the 7% grocery tax in half, increase the sales tax on most items from 7% to 9.5% and increase taxes on other items, including tobacco, alcohol, farm implements and manufacturing equipment. The state economist, Corey Miller, and a senior economist for the state universities research center, Sondra Collins, recently published a report that said eliminating the personal income tax could mean that Mississippi's economic output, personal income and population would "all decline slightly each year from 2022 to 2035," with the most job losses in local government and slightly fewer job losses in the private sector.
 
Mississippi's marijuana program might be overturned, but dozens of companies are starting anyway
Dozens of medical marijuana businesses and nonprofits are popping up around Mississippi even though the state's regulatory system won't be ready for months, and despite the fact that the Mississippi Supreme Court might strike down the voter-approved program. Companies can't legally grow, process or dispense medical pot until they obtain state licenses, which likely won't be issued until August. But already more than 90 businesses and nonprofits have registered with the state or reserved a name, according to a recent review of Mississippi Secretary of State records. The large number of early registrants underscores the potential economic boost from marijuana legalization after Mississippi voters overwhelmingly approved Initiative 65 in November. Other states witnessed rapid business growth after medical marijuana passed and state oversight programs began. In Oklahoma, for instance, medical marijuana sales cleared $1 billion within about two years of legalization with more than 9,000 marijuana businesses registered as of late 2020. In New Mexico, medical marijuana grew to a $200-million industry last year.
 
Talks begin at Capitol to secure state funding for Jackson water crisis
House Speaker Philip Gunn met with Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba on Friday to discuss several legislative proposals that would send the city of Jackson state funding to repair its aged and failing water and sewage system. Meanwhile, a feud between the mayor and Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann came to light this week, raising questions about whether Hosemann, a Jackson resident who has heavy influence over the state's purse strings, is willing to provide state support to the city. Hosemann did not meet with city officials this week. A historic winter storm in mid-February froze water plant equipment and burst many pipes, and at least 40,000 Jackson residents -- mostly Black -- were without water for nearly three weeks. Today, about 5,000 Jackson residents are still without water. City leaders say they need major investment from state leaders to replace its entire water and sewage system, which is estimated to cost about $2 billion. Gunn met with Lumumba and Charles Williams, the city's public works director, in the speaker's office on Friday morning to discuss the crisis. The city of Jackson's entire House delegation -- seven state representatives -- also sat in the meeting.
 
'Dignity for Incarcerated Women Act' Heads to Mississippi Governor
Incarcerated pregnant women and mothers of minor children will gain new protections under Mississippi law after the state senators, like their House colleagues, unanimously passed House Bill 196, "The Dignity for Incarcerated Women Act," on Thursday. The bill requires the Department of Corrections to "place inmates who are parents of minor children within two hundred fifty (250) miles of their permanent address of record" and eliminates restrictions on the number of dependent children under age 18 who can have visitation privileges. If Gov. Tate Reeves signs the legislation, MDOC would have to allow minor children to visit an incarcerated mother "at least twice per week" except in cases where there is "reasonable belief" they "may be harmed during a visitation" or pose "a security risk due to a gang affiliation, prior conviction or past violation of facility contraband policy." "The incarceration rate of women in Mississippi prisons has been on the rise with over 1,500 females in the Mississippi Department of Corrections system. National research shows that almost 80 percent of incarcerated women are mothers. ... Allowing mothers to be in close proximity to their young children and access to visitation can promote good behavior, better post-release outcomes, and reduce recidivism rates," Empower Mississippi, a libertarian-leaning organization that promotes criminal-justice reform legislation, says in a statement on its website supporting the legislation.
 
Senate passes massive COVID-19 relief bill, sending changes back to House
The Senate approved a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package Saturday, sending it back to the House where Democratic leaders will need to convince their members to back changes to unemployment insurance and tax rebate checks. The 50-49 party-line vote capped off the more than 24 hours of continuous voting, courtesy of the fast-track process Democrats are using to advance the pandemic aid package. Under budget reconciliation, senators could offer as many amendments as they wanted. In order to garner the support of all 50 Democrats needed to advance the package, Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer brokered deals to reduce federal unemployment insurance payments from the $400 included in the House-passed package to $300 per week through Sep. 6. He also agreed to reduce the number of people who would receive direct payments by lowering the phaseout for individuals from $100,000 to $80,000 and for joint filers from $200,000 to $160,000. President Joe Biden backs both of the changes, according to White House statements, but some House Democrats are frustrated with the compromises.
 
Mid-South senators oppose $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package
The U.S. Senate passed President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief plan this weekend. While polls show many Americans support the measure, in particular the $1,400 stimulus checks, Mid-South senators do not. All six mid-south senators came out strongly against it, calling it "reckless" and "radical." "Tennesseans deserve better than this partisan wish list. Only nine percent of this bill is COVID-related. The rest is allocated to liberal pet projects and blue state bailouts," said Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee. "President Biden and Congressional Democrats have billed this reckless spending spree as COVID-19 relief, but in reality, it has little to do with ending the pandemic," said Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Mississippi. "The bill is full of unnecessary spending that will overheat the economy at a time when infections are dropping nationwide. It is no surprise that this bill has not earned a single Republican vote. This is no way to govern, and I strongly oppose this legislation." Whether they support the bill or not, politicians on both sides will try to take advantage of certain provisions, like money for infrastructure. "While I think it's ridiculous that they spent 1.9 trillion dollars on something other than what was needed for the virus, if that's an option we're going to certainly do everything we can to utilize it," said Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves.
 
Mississippi governor defends ending mask mandate
Mississippi's Republican governor, Tate Reeves, on Sunday defended his decision to roll back restrictions on businesses and end Mississippi's mask mandate, saying the levels of COVID-19 in his state did not warrant such measures remaining in place. Speaking with CNN's Jake Tapper on "State of the Union," the governor pushed back against criticism of states that have relaxed COVID-19 restrictions from top health experts including Anthony Fauci. "The numbers don't justify government intervention at the levels we are seeing in other states," Reeves said. "Unlike President Biden, who wants to insult Americans and insult Mississippians, I actually trust Mississippians to make good decisions," he added, referring to Biden's quip last week that Reeves and other governors were guilty of "Neanderthal thinking." Reeves went on to say that he did not believe it was feasible to completely prevent the virus from spreading. "Our objective in Mississippi has never been to get rid of the virus," he said. "Our approach has been not only to protect lives, but to protect livelihoods." "We have to get our economy rolling so that individuals can get back to work," the governor added.
 
Republican Governors Diverge Over Covid Restrictions as Experts Urge Caution
The nation's top infectious-diseases expert reiterated warnings against dropping Covid-19 restrictions too soon, while Republican governors voiced split views about how quickly to lift state rules. "We're going in the right direction. We just need to hang in there a bit longer," Anthony Fauci, President Biden's chief medical adviser on the pandemic, said Sunday on CBS's "Face the Nation." His comments came on the heels of announcements by the states of Texas and Mississippi that they were lifting state mask mandates and business-capacity restrictions. Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, speaking on CNN's "State of the Union," said it was never a realistic goal to completely get rid of the virus, and that the state has focused instead on making sure the state health's system had the capacity to provide people with quality care. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a neighboring Republican, said a more gradual approach was best for his state, which has a mask mandate in place through March. West Virginia Republican Gov. Jim Justice offered direct criticism of states dropping mask requirements, saying more caution is needed.
 
Without mask requirements, essential workers in Texas and Mississippi say they feel more vulnerable than ever
After nearly a year on the front lines of the pandemic, retail and restaurant workers in Texas and Mississippi -- where governors said this week that they would ease a number of coronavirus-related restrictions, including mask requirements -- say they feel especially vulnerable now. They've worked through shutdowns and watched colleagues fall ill and die of the virus. "It freaks me out being around people, even if they've got their masks on," said Cassandra Walker, 35, who works in the deli of a local grocery store in Columbus, Miss., where the lunchtime crowd often numbers in the dozens. "I'm facing the public all day, just terrified of getting sick. And now it's on a whole other level. How can I go home and hold my kids knowing I could give them the virus?" Walker recently had to quarantine and get tested for the virus after a colleague got sick. Another co-worker, with diabetes, died earlier this year of covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. And though she wears a mask on the job, Walker and other workers in Mississippi and Texas said they feel even more fearful as customers -- and managers -- have become particularly lax about mask-wearing and enforcement in recent weeks.
 
Workers worry about safety, stress as states ease mask rules
Leo Carney worries that bigger crowds and mask-less diners could endanger workers at the Biloxi, Mississippi, seafood restaurant where he manages the kitchen. Maribel Cornejo, who earns $9.85 an hour as a McDonald's cook in Houston, can't afford to get sick and frets co-workers will become more lax about wearing masks, even though the fast food company requires them. As more jurisdictions join Texas, Mississippi and other states in lifting mask mandates and easing restrictions on businesses, many essential workers -- including bartenders, restaurant servers and retail workers -- are relieved by changes that might help the economy but also concerned they could make them less safe amid a pandemic that health experts warn is far from over. Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi, home of the University of Mississippi, will require masks and allow only eight customers at a time. Although General Manager Lyn Roberts believes the rules will make many customers feel safe, bookstore employee Paul Fyke said he observed a change in Oxford almost as soon as the Board of Aldermen chose to follow the governor's lead and did away with the college town's mask mandate. "I mean, really, even on the drive home, you can kind of already see there were places where, for a lot of people, it was triumph," he said on Thursday, the day after Oxford's mask requirement ended. "They were happy to be removing them."
 
Russian Disinformation Campaign Aims to Undermine Confidence in Pfizer, Other Covid-19 Vaccines, U.S. Officials Say
Russian intelligence agencies have mounted a campaign to undermine confidence in Pfizer Inc.'s and other Western vaccines, using online publications that in recent months have questioned the vaccines' development and safety, U.S. officials said. An official with the State Department's Global Engagement Center, which monitors foreign disinformation efforts, identified four publications that he said have served as fronts for Russian intelligence. The websites played up the vaccines' risk of side effects, questioned their efficacy, and said the U.S. had rushed the Pfizer vaccine through the approval process, among other false or misleading claims. Though the outlets' readership is small, U.S. officials say they inject false narratives that can be amplified by other Russian and international media. The foreign efforts to sow doubts about the vaccine exploit deep-seated anxieties about the efficacy and side effects of vaccines that were already prevalent in some communities in the U.S. and internationally. Concern about side effects is a major reason for vaccine hesitancy, according to U.S. Census Bureau data made public last month.
 
The Rise of the Biden Republicans
There are unwritten rules that dictate how American politics works. Former presidents shouldn't weigh in on quotidian partisan squabbles. An incumbent senator shouldn't support a primary challenger running against a fellow incumbent. If you're an elected official, avoid directly comparing yourself to Abraham Lincoln -- show some humility and instruct surrogates to do that on your behalf. Never try to correct a middle-schooler spelling the word "potato." And if you want to take the pulse of white middle America, go to its de facto national capital -- Macomb County, Michigan. Every four years, as if driven by mainspring, presidents, those aspiring to be presidents and the reporters who cover them, return to the blue-collar Detroit suburbs to try out their messages and make sense of what's happening in middle America. It's been this way since the mid-1980s, when a Yale-based academic and pollster named Stanley Greenberg turned his attention from studying the interplay of class and race in apartheid South Africa to try and explain what was happening in Macomb. In 1960, it was the most heavily Democratic suburban county in the United States. By 1984, it was landslide territory for Ronald Reagan. The population was overwhelmingly white and thoroughly middle class, largely living in tract homes and driving their cars to industrial jobs throughout metro Detroit. They were, by all appearances, Democrats. But they weren't voting like it. Why not?
 
President Biden Will Establish A Gender Policy Council Within The White House
President Biden will mark International Women's Day on Monday by signing two executive orders geared toward promoting gender equity, both in the United States and around the world. According to an administration official speaking on background, the goal of the orders is "restoring America as a champion for gender equity and equality." The first executive order will establish a Gender Policy Council within the White House, reformulating an office from the Obama administration that was later disbanded by former President Donald Trump, and giving it more clout. Under former President Barack Obama, the office was called the White House Council on Women and Girls. The name change to the Gender Policy Council is intentional, the administration official said, "to reflect the fact that gender discrimination can happen to people of all genders." But, the official said, "there will be a focus on women and girls, particularly women and girls of color, given the historical and disproportionate barriers that they face." The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted those inequities, with women bearing the brunt of most job losses and caregiving responsibilities.
 
The W celebrates Women's History Month
March is Women's History Month, and there's no place better to celebrate than Mississippi University for Women. "Women's History Month is designed to encourage and to shine a light on women's previously uncelebrated history," said Chanley Rainey, director of the Center for Women's Research & Public Policy (CWRPP). Activities will include both virtual and face-to-face events, from virtual concerts and Zoom Watch parties to a Women's History Walk and a Women in Politics panel discussion. In line with the UN's theme for International Women's Day 2021 -- Women in leadership -- campus events are focused on promoting women's professional and political empowerment. Rainey worked with offices across campus to plan events and says reflecting on this goal is especially important at the country's first publicly-funded institution for the advanced education of women. Despite the challenges of programming during a pandemic, she said people across campus contributed to produce a diverse calendar of events. Professors submitted photographs and biographies for the #WomenAtWork social media initiative, which will highlight women who have made significant contributions to their professions as well as women's labor at all levels, in and out of the home.
 
Auburn University professors suing Bill Hardgrave, Steven Leath, others over management of Econ department
Two Auburn University Economics professors are suing current and former administrators over years-long disputes about how their department should be run. The filings in the lawsuits lay out the long-standing tensions between members of the Economics faculty and senior university administrators over how much autonomy the economics faculty should have, as well as complaints about a Political Science degree program. The professors, Alan Seals and Mike Stern, have also been sharp critics of Provost Bill Hardgrave and the university's COVID-19 management. Stern has insisted that classrooms and class sizes haven't been adequate to properly safeguard faculty or students from exposure. Stern also led an effort late last year to get a faculty vote of no confidence in Hardgrave. Faculty members voted in mid-January not to proceed with the no-confidence measure. Seals is suing over a 2018 move to remove him as his department's Graduate Program Officer. His lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court, Middle District of Alabama Eastern District, targets Hardgrave, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts Joseph Aistrup, former AU President Steven Leath, retired Provost Timothy Boosinger, and Economics Professor Hyeongwoo Kim. The university itself is not a defendant.
 
Camgian Microsystems to move into old Regions building
Camgian Microsystems is relocating its Tuscaloosa operations from the Edge business incubator to a space in downtown. The Mississippi-based technology company will be moving its Center for AI and Machine Learning into the second floor of the old Regions bank building on Ninth Street because of its growth. The new space is larger than what was previously used by the company and will be renovated to support the type of work done by the company's engineers. "We're really focused on building a very advanced facility to support the type of AI machine learning work that we're doing there in Tuscaloosa," said Camgian's CEO Gary Butler. The technology company first came to Tuscaloosa in February 2019, when it opened its AI and Machine Learning Center at the Edge. The expansion into Tuscaloosa was done to take advantage of the growing number of college graduates produced in the city each year. Butler said the type of work done in Tuscaloosa focuses on developing advanced artificial intelligence technology for the U.S. military. The Edge is an $11.6 million, 26,300-square-foot business incubator facility that was created as a collaborative project between the University of Alabama, the city of Tuscaloosa, and the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama. Camgian's learning center was chosen as the Edge's anchor tenant.
 
Hundreds of rowdy revelers throw out-of-control street party near U. of Colorado, Boulder, campus
An out-of-control street party near the campus of the University of Colorado, Boulder, on Saturday drew up to 800 people, most appearing to be college-aged, prompting violent clashes with SWAT police who deployed at least one armored vehicle to disperse the crowd, according to authorities. The bedlam ensued in the University Hill neighborhood as hundreds of people took to the streets just blocks from the university campus, most dispensing with COVID-19 social distancing rules and mask wearing, according to a social media post authenticated by ABC News shows. During the several hours of chaos, rowdy revelers shooting off fireworks are alleged to have thrown bricks and rocks at police, flipped over a private car and caused heavy damaged to a police armored vehicle and a fire truck, according to a spokesperson for the Boulder Police Department. Three Boulder SWAT team members suffered minor injuries, the spokesperson said. University of Colorado, Boulder, officials condemned the conduct and threatened to permanently expel any student found to have attacked police and other first responders during the mayhem. "It is unacceptable and irresponsible, particularly in light of the volume of training, communication and enforcement the campus and city have dedicated to ensuring compliance with COVID-19 public health orders. CU Boulder will not tolerate any of our students engaging in acts of violence or damaging property," the university's statement said.
 
Bowling Green student dies after alleged hazing incident left him on life support
A Bowling Green State University student has died after an alleged hazing incident left him on life support. his family's attorney said. Stone Foltz, 20, from Delaware County, Ohio, was hospitalized early Friday after an incident at the BGSU chapter of the Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity. BGSU officials have since stripped the fraternity of its status as a student organization this weekend following reports of the incident. Sean Alto, an attorney representing the Foltz family, said Foltz was at an off-campus event organized by the fraternity where he was given "a copious amount of alcohol." Foltz was dropped off that night at his apartment by members of the fraternity, where he was later found by his roommates, Alto said, adding that the roommates called 911 and Foltz was transported to a hospital where he was in "dire" condition. Alto confirmed Sunday night that Foltz had died and in a written statement called the young man a "beloved son, brother, and grandson." Workers removed the Greek letters from the fraternity's off-campus house Sunday morning, and Bowling Green police are investigating the events that led to Foltz's death.
 
Federal Student Aid COO resigns; FAFSA has technical difficulties
The chief operating officer of Federal Student Aid, retired Air Force general Mark Brown, resigned Friday. Brown was responsible for overseeing the agency's trillion-dollar loan portfolio, a job that will be held in the interim by Robin Minor. Minor is currently the COO for partner participation and oversight. Last week also saw technical problems with federal student aid application sites. "I accepted the resignation of Federal Student Aid Chief Operating Officer Gen. Mark Brown and thanked him for his service to the U.S. Department of Education. As the nation continues grappling with economic disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the need to deliver relief and fortify pathways to the middle class is more urgent than ever," said Education Secretary Miguel Cardona in a written statement. "In service to our nation's students, the department's Federal Student Aid division will renew its focus on streamlining access to and management of federal financial aid, easing the burden of student debt, and carefully stewarding taxpayer dollars." Brown was appointed to the position by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos in 2019. After the inauguration of President Biden, he had faced pressure by Senator Elizabeth Warren and consumer groups to vacate the position.
 
President Biden's college sexual misconduct order: What it would do
President Joe Biden is set to sign an executive order on Monday directing the Department of Education to review policies implemented by Donald Trump's administration, including changes to Title IX regulations that prohibit sex discrimination in federally funded institutions, according to administration officials. Biden focused on gender equity during his campaign and promised to strengthen Title IX if he won the White House. He also will sign a second executive order formally establishing the White House Gender Policy Council, according to two administration officials who briefed reporters on the plan. Biden's transition team announced his plans to create the council before he took office. The order directing the review of Title IX could pave the way to a major shift in how colleges handle allegations of sexual misconduct moving forward. Trump's education secretary, Betsy DeVos, in 2018 rescinded an Obama-era administration standard in cases of reported sexual assault from requiring a "preponderance of evidence" -- meaning it is more likely than not that sexual harassment or violence occurred -- to "clear and convincing evidence."
 
Senate approves $40 billion for colleges
Congress is poised to send another $40 billion in aid to the nation's colleges and universities after the Senate approved a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill Saturday. The House is expected to pass the measure -- which contains the largest infusion of help to higher education approved by Congress during the pandemic -- as soon as Tuesday, sending it to President Biden for his signature. Biden called the Senate's passage of the bill "historic" and a "giant step forward" in providing help to Americans during the pandemic. The money will be distributed to public and private institutions. Colleges and universities are required to spend at least half of the money on emergency grants to students. Whether undocumented and international students can get the help, however, still hasn't been decided by the Education Department. The Senate's approval of the relief package was also a victory for those who have long called for closing a loophole in federal law that they say gives for-profit institutions an incentive to recruit veterans and military service members.
 
Gov. Tate Reeves' hasty move risks Mississippi lives
Syndicated columnist Bill Crawford writes: Confused or concerned by Gov. Tate Reeves hasty move to lift COVID mask mandates? "Starting tomorrow, we are lifting all of our county mask mandates and businesses will be able to operate at full capacity without any state-imposed rules," he tweeted last week. "Our hospitalizations and case numbers have plummeted, and the vaccine is being rapidly distributed. It is time!" He told news reporters, "We are getting out of the business of telling people what they can and cannot do." Hoorah! Business as usual. The pandemic must be all but over. Huh? It's not? But the Governor said... Well, his official statements were different. "I am replacing our current orders with recommendations," his press release said. "Everyone should continue to listen to Dr. Dobbs and other health advisors for the best possible wisdom regarding how you can personally stem any risk of catching COVID."
 
If Senate gets its way, ballyhooed special session plan will be erased
Bobby Harrison writes for Mississippi Today: Revenue to fund the Mississippi Department of Transportation from the 18.4-cent per gallon motor fuel tax grew nearly 40% between 1989 and 2019. During a similar time, sales tax revenue grew by about 156% and personal income tax revenue increased a whopping 365%. Revenue from the sales tax and personal income tax provide about 70% of the state's share of funding for education, public health and many other areas of state government. But that revenue does not go for state transportation needs. The gas/diesel tax provides more than half of state funding for the Department of Transportation. The fact that gas tax revenue is growing at a relatively slow rate compared to the income tax and sales tax is an example of why various groups -- ranging from the Mississippi Economic Council to the Legislature's own oversight committee -- have argued that additional funds are needed to aid with the maintenance and construction on state highways. The motor fuel tax simply is not growing fast enough to keep up with inflation. ... Earlier this session on a bizarre night when the Senate was in session past midnight, members by a 40-10 margin rejected the bill that transferred the lottery funds from the state system to local roads and bridges. But, as is often the case in the Mississippi Legislature, seldom is an issue actually dead. Senate leaders that night took up a more comprehensive transportation bill that included the same language to transfer the funds.


SPORTS
 
No. 3 Mississippi State tosses first no-hitter since 1985 in Sunday win over Kent State
Jackson Fristoe patrolled the mound with ease. Batter after batter, inning after inning, Fristoe's path around the bump followed a familiar tune. Stepping off the front, turning to his left, he circled his perch at the center of the Dudy Noble Field infield before receiving a soft toss from third baseman Kamren James. Eight times Fristoe took the familiar route. Eight times he struck out a Kent State batter en route to a perfect six-inning start -- the longest outing for any MSU starter this year. Partnering with the bullpen trio of Landon Sims, Mikey Tepper and Cameron Tullar, it was Fristoe who shouldered the bulk of the second combined no-hitter in program history and the Bulldogs' first since 1985 as No. 3 Mississippi State rolled to a 13-0 win and series-clinching victory over Kent State. "I feel really good about my game right now," Fristoe said through a postgame grin, "I think each start I kind of learn something new about what I'm doing out there." "The fun part for me is I feel like every week we see him, he's getting better," MSU head coach Chris Lemonis said. "He's improving. He's really one of those guys that takes a lot of pride in his daily work and you can see it coming out in his game work all the time."
 
Four Mississippi State baseball pitchers combine for first no-hitter since 1985
Sunday afternoon was one for the Mississippi State record books. Mississippi State pitchers Jackson Fristoe (1-1), Landon Sims, Mikey Tepper and Cam Tullar combined to throw a no hitter in the Bulldogs' 13-0 win over Kent State on Sunday. It was Mississippi State's first no-hitter since Gene Morgan in 1985 against Hawaii-Hilo. It is the second combined no-hitter in Mississippi State history and the seventh overall. "About the fifth or sixth inning you start to realize it because you start having some pitching decisions," Mississippi State coach Chris Lemonis said. "In our situation right now it's really hard because in some years you'd play for the no-hitter because it's exciting for the fans and everything but in our world we only have so many situations to play guys in a big roster." Fristoe pitched Mississippi State's best game of the season. He retired all 18 of the batters he faced across the first six innings, striking out eight batters in 87 pitches. He exited the game with a perfect game in tact after Mississippi State (8-3) built its lead to 9-0. Mississippi State returns to action on Tuesday against Grambling.
 
Four Mississippi State pitchers combine on no-hitter
Four Mississippi State pitchers combined on a no-hitter Sunday afternoon, in a series-clinching 13-0 victory against Kent State at Dudy Noble Field. It's the first no-hitter for the third-ranked Bulldogs since 1985. MSU's bats were up to the task, too, piling up 16 hits as the team improved to 3-0 in Sunday games this season. Freshman Jackson Fristoe (1-1) tossed six perfect innings in his third career start, striking out eight. Second-year freshman Landon Sims worked the seventh, freshman Mike Tepper struck out three of the five batters he faced and sophomore Cam Tullar walked a better before coaxing a popup to end it. The four Bulldogs pitchers combined for 13 strikeouts and just two walks. One runner reached on an error. The Bulldogs will return to action with a pair of mid-week games at home -- Tuesday against Grambling and Wednesday against Louisiana-Lafayette. Eastern Michigan will visit for a Friday-Sunday series -- the last before SEC play begins for the Bulldogs with their March 19-21 visit to LSU.
 
No doubt: Fa Leilua blasts walk-off home run as Mississippi State softball rallies to beat Western Kentucky
Fa Leilua knew what was coming. When the Mississippi State first baseman stepped to the plate in the seventh inning of Sunday's game against Western Kentucky at Nusz Park, she was 0 for 3 on the day. The Hilltoppers had just walked senior catcher Mia Davidson with one out and a 5-4 lead, opting to deal with Leilua instead. "I was hyped," she said. "I just love being doubted. My whole life, I've been doubted." Leilua worked a full count against WKU starter Kelsey Aikey, still in the circle with hopes of finishing a complete game. She waited on an offspeed delivery and crushed it to left field. Then, there was no doubt. Leilua's two-run walk-off home run -- her second game-ending homer in as many days -- gave Mississippi State (13-5) a 5-4 comeback win over Western Kentucky (9-3) in Sunday's Bulldog Invitational championship game in Starkville. The graduate student tossed her bat end over end, directed her screams of excitement into a silent visitors' dugout on her way to first base and jogged slowly around the diamond. Mobbed by throngs of teammates as soon as she touched home plate, Leilua had come through again to deliver the Bulldogs a dramatic victory.
 
Comeback, walk-off win preserve 4-0 start to Bulldog Invitational for Mississippi State softball
The Mississippi State softball team cruised through its first three games Friday and Saturday in the Bulldog Invitational in Starkville. Then the Bulldogs made the home fans at Nusz Park nervous in a 6-5, extra-inning win in their fourth contest. When Fa Leilua's walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the eighth landed well beyond the left-field fence, it capped a stellar comeback by a Mississippi State team that probably shouldn't have needed it. The Bulldogs (12-5) fell behind 5-0 early against an Alcorn State team they had just beaten 16-0 on the run rule Friday night. With one out in the bottom of the seventh, Mississippi State finally scratched across the tying run on an RBI groundout by Christian Quinn. It was the final play of a slow but steady comeback effort as MSU scored in five of the last six innings to get the win. Leilua singled and came around to score on an error in the third, Carter Spexarth hit a solo shot in the fifth, and Chloe Malau'ulu drove in two-runs with a sixth-inning double before Quinn's grounder to second scored Paige Cook to tie the game.
 
Fa Leilua glad for chance to be 'unapologetically' herself while starring for Mississippi State softball
Fa Leilua is coming home, but she's already there. Rounding third base after her two-run walk-off home run against Western Kentucky on Sunday, Mississippi State's first baseman leaps to bump arms with assistant coach Tyler Bratton. She tilts her head back and roars into the blue sky above, then marches into the pile of Bulldog teammates who have formed a slapdash semicircle just behind home plate. There, Leilua basks in a moment happier than the homer, better than the bat flip she delivered with emphasis as her game-ending round-tripper sailed beyond the left-field fence. "The best part is just coming home and seeing the excitement, seeing my sisters who are surrounding home plate," Leilua said. "My heart just melts. That reminds me that this is why I do this." "This," she added, "is why I came back." Now in her sixth season of college softball and her third year at Mississippi State, Leilua chose to exercise her waiver for an extra season of competitive eligibility after the 2020 season was cut short because of the COVID-19 pandemic. And with each of the 18 games the Bulldogs have played so far in 2021, Leilua's impact on her team has grown greater.
 
SEC Tournament's return reminds us we were wrong about COVID-19: 'Isn't going to last that long'
A small group of Kentucky basketball fans threw up their collective hands, yelled in anger at the huge videoboard hanging from the Bridgestone Arena roof and then walked out. They didn't return. And they weren't allowed to, which was the source of their ire. It was 9:14 p.m. on March 11, 2020. During halftime of the Arkansas-Vanderbilt game in the first round of the SEC Basketball Tournament, the public address announcer told the crowd that fans would not be allowed to attend the remainder of the event. The message flashed across the videoboard, and fans booed. How serious was COVID-19? And how on earth could it impact an American sporting event like that? "I remember those massive boos," said Nashville Sports Council President/CEO Scott Ramsey, who knew of the announcement before almost anybody in the arena. "People were thinking, 'Come on, you're overreacting. This isn't going to last that long.'" Those Kentucky fans, still frustrated by the sudden change of their basketball vacation, spilled onto Lower Broadway, where bright lights and lively music guided thousands toward restaurants, sports bars, shops and hotels. Nashville still had the feel of a big event on the first day that COVID-19 impacted sports in Tennessee. By the next morning, it was all over.
 
SEC men's tournament bracket set
Both Ole Miss and Mississippi State will be in action on Thursday at the SEC men's basketball tournament in Nashville. MSU will take on Kentucky in an 11 a.m. game, while Ole Miss plays South Carolina in the nightcap of the four-game schedule, sometime after 8 p.m. Both games will be seen on the SEC Network. Action begins on Wednesday with one game, as Texas A&M faces Vanderbilt at 6 p.m. Ole Miss (15-10, 10-8 SEC) travels to Nashville having won seven of its last nine games, including an 81-74 win at South Carolina on Feb. 13. MSU (14-13, 8-10) is 2-3 in its last five games. The Bulldogs lost 78-73 to Kentucky in double overtime on Jan. 2. The four top seeds have byes into Friday's quarterfinals -- league champion Alabama, runner-up Arkansas, LSU and Tennessee. The MSU-Kentucky winner advances to play Bama, while third-seeded LSU faces the Ole Miss-South Carolina winner. Defending SEC tourney champ Auburn -- their victory over Tennessee was in 2019 -- has opted out of all postseason games as a self-imposed punishment related to a long-running NCAA investigation.
 
No. 5 Alabama will face Kentucky-Mississippi State winner in SEC Tournament
The SEC Tournament bracket was completed Sunday as Tennessee defeated Florida 65-54, making UT the No. 4 seed and putting both the Volunteers and Gators on top-seeded Alabama's side of the bracket. Alabama will open the tournament in Nashville at 11 a.m. Friday against the winner of Thursday's game between No. 8 seed Kentucky and No. 9 seed Mississippi State in the quarterfinals. Alabama has a 4-0 record against its potential SEC Tournament first-round opponents this season. The Crimson Tide blew out Kentucky 85-65 at Rupp Arena Jan. 12 and took a hard-fought 70-59 win over the Wildcats two weeks later in Tuscaloosa. Jaden Shackelford led Alabama offensively, averaging 19.5 points in the two games. Against Mississippi State, Alabama took an 81-73 win in Tuscaloosa Jan. 23, then clinched the SEC regular season title with a 64-59 win over MSU in Starkville Feb. 27. Nate Oats will be coaching his first SEC Tournament game Friday. The Crimson Tide was at Bridgestone Arena preparing to face Tennessee on March 12, 2020, when the tournament was cancelled due to the initial wave of COVID-19 through the sports world.
 
LSU report sheds new light on 10 football players accused of rape, domestic violence
Husch Blackwell probed cases involving 10 different LSU football players accused of sexual misconduct in recent years as part of the law firm's investigation into how the university has handled allegations of rape and dating violence. Scott Schneider, the Husch Blackwell attorney who led the investigation, said the types of errors that LSU made in cases involving athletes marred cases involving non-athletes as well. But he noted that athletes are "beneficiaries of being very powerful on campus," which can make victims even less likely to come forward. The cases examined included four allegations of sexual misconduct involving Derrius Guice, two allegations of rape involving Tae Provens and one allegation of dating violence by Ray Parker. Four of the 10 players were arrested, while six others only faced allegations internally at LSU. "We have to get it right going forward," said LSU athletic director Scott Woodward in a news conference Friday. "As an alum and as an athletic director, I'm embarrassed about what's happened in the past." In many cases, Husch Blackwell questioned LSU's decision-making when faced with complaints from students who accused football players of rape and other misdeeds.
 
After Les Miles placed on administrative leave, his attorney blasts LSU probe and Kansas' reaction
The attorney for Kansas coach Les Miles signaled Saturday they are prepared to fight Kansas placing him on administrative leave after a pair of reports were released publicly detailing allegations of inappropriate behavior with female students and football staffers while he was the coach at LSU. Peter Ginsberg, Miles' New York-based attorney, blasted Kansas' decision as "bending to the winds of media blowback" and maintained that the allegations against Miles are untrue. The report by Husch Blackwell, an outside law firm that reviewed LSU's handling of sexual misconduct cases, found "significant alleged misconduct" by Miles to the point that former athletics director Joe Alleva recommended firing Miles in 2013. That followed the public release Thursday of a 2013 investigation from the Taylor Porter law firm, which found several allegations of misconduct including texting female students from a secret phone, attempting to kiss one and allegedly suggesting to one that they go to a hotel together after saying he could help her career. Ginsberg's statement Saturday characterized the Taylor Porter report as clearing Miles from "any conduct that constituted sexual harassment" and that the Husch Blackwell report "revealed no new evidence" and did not include interviews with Miles or other key witnesses.
 
Auburn contractor wins bid for AU football center
An Auburn-based contractor will build Auburn University's new $64.6 million football performance center. Rabren General Contractors won the contract over three other bidders, university officials announced Friday. The 233,400-square-foot facility will include 138,100-square feet for football operations, a 95,300-square-foot indoor practice facility and two full-sized, natural turf football practice fields. The Auburn University Board of Trustees approved a $91.9 million plan for the site. located on the old Hutsell Track on the corner of West Samford Avenue and Wire Road. "The site is prepped and ready for construction," said David Bess, campus architect and design lead for the Football Performance Center, in a press release. "The building contract with Rabren is being finalized, and we should be starting construction the first weeks of March. The project's design team and site work contractors have worked hard to meet our deadlines to date. We had an aggressive schedule that was met, and we will maintain this momentum as we start work with Rabren." The project also includes a $3.9 million site works package, which prepared the land and installed infrastructure to support the new facility; a $2.1 million tennis courts relocation package (they move to Hemlock Drive and West Thach Avenue) and 11 tennis and eight pickleball courts to be completed this summer.
 
Here's where Dallas Cowboys, Dak Prescott stand before franchise tag deadline
Perhaps Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb said it best. "It's no secret we want Dak back," Lamb told USA TODAY Sports in February. The Cowboys have insisted they want Dak Prescott to be their quarterback as well. Prescott has insisted he wants to be a Cowboy for life. And yet, a long-term deal remains unsettled. "I trust that the guys in the front office are definitely going to make the right decisions," Lamb continued. "I hope he's coming back in 2021 and for the long haul." It's that detail -- not whether Prescott will be the Cowboys' quarterback in 2021, but whether he will maintain the gig after 2021 -- that elicits much more uncertainty. How did negotiations reach this point, and why have they seeped into a third offseason? The Cowboys and Prescott were eligible to begin renegotiating a long-term deal after Dallas' Jan. 3 season finale. Now, 4 p.m. ET Tuesday marks the deadline for NFL teams to designate franchise or transition tags. Placing a tag on Prescott guarantees the Cowboys hold Prescott's contractual rights for the 2021 season. The two sides would have until July 15 to negotiate a long-term deal.



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