| Friday, January 26, 2024 |
| Mississippi AI Network kicks off with meeting at MSU | |
 | Representatives from educational institutions across the state gathered at Mississippi State University this week to launch the Mississippi Artificial Intelligence Network, or MAIN. Monday's kickoff meeting included presentations from community college representatives on how AI is being used both in the classroom and to support key business functions, how MSU and is using AI to grow its research and teaching mission, and how partners Intel and Dell are both using AI, building new technology and supporting efforts like MAIN. Julie Jordan, MSU vice president for Research and Economic Development, emphasized that people are still at the center of AI development and usage and are ultimately the decision-makers in the loop. "AI represents a paradigm shift that is accelerating changes in how we do business and how we teach and learn," Jordan said. "Companies need us to graduate students equipped to use AI in almost every career." The creation of MAIN is driven by the continued impacts of AI in everyday life, education, health care, and nearly every economic sector, including key Mississippi industries such as manufacturing and agriculture. MAIN aims to develop a statewide collaboration for AI education, technical support, and workforce training that is enhanced with industry partnerships and expertise. |
| A Teacher's Inspiring Journey - Meet Dr. Liza Bondurant of Mississippi State University | |
 | Dive into a tale of inspiration as Wiley unveils its latest video, spotlighting individuals making a profound impact in their communities. Meet Mississippi State University's Dr. Liza Bondurant, an extraordinary teacher whose unique methods have transformed her students' lives. The video captures the magic of her vibrant classroom, emphasizing her commitment to fostering individuality and critical thinking. Through heartfelt testimonials, we witness the lasting impressions Dr. Liza leaves on her students. Former students thriving in various fields attribute their success to her guidance, illustrating the ripple effect of her teachings. This video serves as the inaugural chapter in a collection, offering a glimpse into diverse stories of positive change from Wiley's customers. |
| Will Mississippi be inundated by cicadas in 2024? | |
 | Some of the United States will see a historic hatch of cicadas this spring unlike any seen in more than 200 years, but will Mississippi be included as billions of the insects emerge from the ground? The short answer is yes, but some areas of Mississippi will experience far more of the singing bugs than others. "Within periodic cicadas we have 17-year up north and 13-year down here; 'down here' meaning in the South," said Blake Layton, Mississippi State University Extension Entomology Specialist. "Within those 13-years, there are three different broods. Mississippi is the only place all three occur." Of those three, Brood XIX is the one that will emerge this year. Because they only emerge every 13 years, that's enough to cause excitement among cicada-lovers, but that's not what all the hoopla is about. A 17-year brood will also emerge this year; Brood XIII. According to Cicada Safari, this is an unusual event. The last time these broods hatched in the same year was 1803 when Thomas Jefferson was president and Lewis and Clark were in the beginnings of their exploration of the Louisiana Purchase. It was also 14 years before Mississippi became a state. According to MSU, 17 counties in Mississippi should see 13-year cicadas this year. |
| 2024 market outlook: corn, soybean and cotton | |
| In 2023, the U.S. planted 94.6 million acres of corn and 83.6 million acres of soybean. Looking ahead at the corn to soybean ratio, those acres will likely shift in 2024. There is much to consider, from supply and demand to historical trends in futures prices. For a breakdown on the details, Will Maples, assistant professor of agricultural economics at Mississippi State University shared a market update with attendees at the Mississippi Row Crops Short Course on Dec. 6 in Starkville, Miss. As part of his presentation, Maples also looked at the increased basis risk caused by lower Mississippi River levels and offered a few proactive marketing solutions for the coming years. The U.S. planted a lot of corn last year, creating a more bearish market with an estimated 2 billion bushels in ending stocks pulled over into 2024 with a 15% stocks-to-use ratio. Soybeans, on the other hand, are seeing tighter stocks with only 240 million bushels carried over from 2023. With the November average corn to soybean ratio at 2.8, Maples said this heavily suggests lowered corn acres to be replaced by soybean acres this coming season. "We are projecting 88 million acres of soybeans in 2024. We are still early in the game, but expect soybeans to go up, because stocks are low and we need the beans," he said. When it comes to demand, Maples noted corn exports have been sluggish. While Mexico is still buying U.S. corn, some of this sluggishness is related to issues caused by Mexico's ban on genetically modified corn. |
| Mississippi legislators approve incentives for 2 large data centers by Amazon Web Services | |
 | Mississippi lawmakers met in special session Thursday and quickly approved job training money and other state incentives to support a plan by Amazon Web Services to spend $10 billion to build two data centers in the central part of the state. Republican Gov. Tate Reeves had announced Wednesday that a tech company would build the centers at two sites north of the capital city of Jackson, but he withheld the company's name until after legislators approved a $44 million incentive package. Most of the state money, $32 million, will go toward job training programs. "Mississippi is building a business climate that is ripe for further growth, especially in the technology sector," Reeves said Thursday. "On top of that, we're doing what it takes to prepare our workforce to take on these high-paying, technologically advanced jobs of the future." "This is going to have a tremendous impact on generations to come," Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Angela Cockerham, an independent from Magnolia, told her House colleagues. AWS already has data centers in California, Ohio, Oregon and Virginia. Senate Finance Committee Chair Josh Harkins, a Republican from Flowood, said Thursday that the data centers would be linked with another energy production project that would drive investment in several parts of the state including areas represented by Democrats. |
| It's official: Amazon behind record $10 billion investment in Mississippi | |
| During the second special session of 2024 called by Governor Tate Reeves, Mississippi lawmakers approved incentives for a $10 billion capital investment project in Madison County. The company bringing the two data centers to the area is Amazon Web Services (AWS). The Magnolia State project represents the second largest announcement the company has made in North America. The project is expected to bring 1,000 jobs to the state with an average salary at or above $66,000. The facilities will take up 1,700 acres of land in two separate areas of Madison County. Governor Reeves has said he believes if implemented successfully, the investment will be much larger than $10 billion. Bill Cork, Director of the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA), said there is a $2 million line item with the Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) to create positions that will engage with the community and help motivate individuals to pursue careers in the associated industry. Cork said training will focus on STEM education curriculum, certification programs, and internationally renowned programs within the company's own operations. The process will consist of building the team and working with communities and the company to embed curriculum within in K-12 schools, community colleges, and universities "How this will play out, we are all going to learn together. This is going to be so transformational," said Cork. He added that this deal might be the best one in the state's history for the long-term impact it could make. |
| Expert: Data center announcement could spur more technology development in Mississippi | |
| Amazon Web Services will occupy two Madison County locations for the historic buildout for hyperscale development centers, and a leader in the industry said Mississippi is on the right path for economic development. Mississippi lawmakers met Thursday for a special session to potentially finalize $294 million in financial incentives for the Amazon Web Services $10 billion project in Canton and Madison County. During a press conference at the Walter Sillers Building on Wednesday morning, Gov. Tate Reeves called for the session and said the project represents the single largest corporate capital investment in state history. Amazon Web Services will build two sites, one a 927-acre site and the other a 786-acre site for two hyperscale data centers. Josh Levi said the news for Mississippi is "terrific." Levi is president of the Data Center Coalition, a membership association of leading data center owners and operators serving as the voice of the data center industry. From a jobs perspective, Levi said that thousands of people will likely be employed in some form during the building of the facilities. As for permanent jobs at the facilities, engineering jobs will most likely be the majority related to the systems and processes of the data centers. More importantly, according to Levi, the announcement of the hyperscale data centers coming to Madison County, could mean more data centers for Mississippi in the future. |
| Amazon coming to Mississippi with plans to create jobs ... and electricity | |
| A key component in Amazon Web Services' commitment to spend $10 billion to construct two "hyperscale data centers" in Madison County is an agreement with Entergy to provide the large volume of electricity that such an endeavor will require. Officials said the project -- which will include building solar power fields -- will not increase rates for other Entergy customers, and could possibly lower them. Lawmakers on Thursday agreed to put up $44 million in taxpayer dollars for the project, make a loan of $215 million, and provide numerous tax breaks. Senate Finance Committee Chair Josh Harkins, R-Flowood, said the plan is for Entergy to locate multi-million dollar facilities in neighboring Hinds County and in Washington and Tallahatchie counties in the Delta to generate that power. Power-generating facilities also could be located in other counties. Bill Cork, executive director of the Mississippi Development Authority, confirmed that part of that power generation will be made through solar panel fields. "I would argue this company's desire is to have a different mix of power generated so they are going to bear the costs of the solar plants that are going in and are going to bear most of the costs of the gas generating facility that will be constructed," Harkins told senators during Thursday's special session where legislators passed the incentive package used to lure the Amazon data operations to Mississippi. The "cherry on top," Harkins said, is that the power-generating facilities will provide economic boosts in the areas where they are located. |
| New legislative leadership: Nothing off table in tackling Mississippi health issues | |
| Last year, committee chairs in the House and Senate killed every Medicaid expansion bill without a debate or vote. Now, for the first time in a decade, a policy that has been politically forbidden in Mississippi will at least get a full hearing. That's because of pivotal changes in House leadership. Newly elected Speaker Jason White appointed Missy McGee, R-Hattiesburg, to chair the Medicaid Committee, and Sam Creekmore IV, R-New Albany, to chair the Public Health and Human Services Committee. McGee has been a vocal proponent of postpartum coverage, which passed last year, and presumptive eligibility for pregnant women -- which did not. Creekmore, along with Rep. Kevin Felsher, R-Biloxi, successfully passed legislation last year to improve mental health services in the state. Both say that this year, nothing is off the table. And while leadership on the Senate side of Public Health and Medicaid remains the same, committee chairs there have voiced support of increasing health care coverage and reform. "I do think it could definitely be a historic year for the state of Mississippi," McGee said, "in that we have talked a lot about providing health care to low-income workers." |
| 'Depriving people of their liberty.' Lawmakers question jail without criminal charges | |
| Restricting the use of jail to detain people who haven't been charged with a crime -- a practice that is extremely rare in the vast majority of the country but common in Mississippi -- is a top priority of the Department of Mental Health this session, director Wendy Bailey told lawmakers at a Senate Public Health Committee meeting on Wednesday. Sen. Brice Wiggins, R-Pascagoula, said that having a mental illness is not a crime, and he suggested jailing people while they wait for treatment is against the law (though Mississippi commitment statutes permits it when there is "no reasonable alternative"). "Do the counties not understand that's what this is and arguably could be opening the state up to litigation even further?" he asked Bailey, adding that the practice is "depriving people of their liberty." Bailey said she agreed. "If you are sick and need a court commitment, that is not a reason to place an individual in jail," she said. Yet it happens hundreds of times a year at least. Mississippi Today and ProPublica found last year that people may spend days or weeks locked in a cell with minimal medical care as they wait for evaluations, a hearing, and then treatment through the civil commitment process. |
| The 6 states facing the most serious groundwater crises | |
 | A heating planet and expanding commercial agriculture are putting increasing pressure on America's vital aquifers -- underground reservoirs that supply water to an estimated 145 million Americans, as well as supporting much of the nation's food supply. New research published Tuesday in Nature uncovered rapid and accelerating declines in underground water sources across the world, with some of the fastest and most significant collapses impacting aquifers that supply the American West. Based on the data gathered by the scientists behind the Nature study, here are six states where the collapse of groundwater supplies poses the biggest challenge. Despite Mississippi's position beside the enormous river that gives the state its name, groundwater provides its residents with 82 percent of their fresh water. That level of dependence on underground water is unparalleled in the eastern U.S. And it's exacerbated by the fact that farmers and cities in neighboring states -- from the rice farmers of Arkansas to the city of Memphis, Tenn. -- depend on many of the same subterranean reservoirs. According to the Nature researchers' data, 57 percent of the state's aquifers are in decline. The part of the Middle Claiborne that lies just outside Jackson, Miss., is dropping by 0.72 meters (28 inches, or a little more than two feet) per year. That decline is sufficient to make the Jackson region's artesian wells -- those that bubble forth on their own from water pressure beneath -- stop flowing entirely, according to 2023 research by one of the Nature study's co-authors. |
| Inflation slowed further in December as an economic 'soft landing' moves into sharper focus | |
| The Federal Reserve's preferred inflation gauge cooled further last month even as the economy kept growing briskly, a trend sure to be welcomed at the White House as President Joe Biden seeks re-election in a race that could pivot on his economic stewardship. Friday's government report showed that prices rose just 0.2% from November to December, a pace broadly consistent with pre-pandemic levels and barely above the Fed's 2% annual target. Compared with a year ago, prices increased 2.6%, the same as in the previous month. Excluding volatile food and energy costs, prices also rose just 0.2% from month to month. And compared with a year earlier, so-called "core" prices climbed 2.9% in December -- the smallest such increase since March 2021. Economists consider core prices a better gauge of the likely path of inflation. Friday's mild inflation data arrived a day after government figures showed that the economy expanded at a surprisingly strong 3.3% annual pace in the final three months of last year. Solid consumer spending propelled the growth, capping a year that had begun with widespread expectations of a recession. Instead, the economy grew 2.5% in 2023, up from 1.9% in 2022. The latest data suggests that the economy is achieving a difficult "soft landing," in which inflation falls back to the Fed's 2% target without a recession. |
| Union membership rate hits record low in 2023, but unions pick up more workers | |
 | The share of American workers in unions fell to a record low, even as unions picked up more workers in 2023, a year marked by high-profile strikes, including by autoworkers, Hollywood writers and actors, and Kaiser health-care workers. The union membership rate dropped by one-tenth of a percentage point to a new low of 10 percent last year, the Labor Department said Tuesday, while the total number of union members in the United States grew by 139,000 last year, with gains in the private sector offsetting losses in government jobs. The decrease in the union membership rate happened because the labor market added a whopping 2.7 million jobs in 2023, with nonunion positions growing at a faster pace than union ones. The new data also complicates President Biden's self-proclaimed record as the country's "most pro-union" president and emphasis on creating union jobs. His biggest accomplishments for the labor movement include approving trillions of dollars in spending on infrastructure and semiconductor and climate packages that incentivize companies to hire union workers. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has said declining union membership numbers suggest that unions are not as popular as the Biden administration has made them out to be, criticizing the White House for "put[ting] its thumb firmly on the scale for unions above all others." |
| 'Honored to have your back, and you have mine': Biden endorsed by United Auto Workers in election | |
| President Joe Biden picked up an endorsement from the United Auto Workers union Wednesday, an important boost to the Democratic president's reelection bid as he pushes to sway blue-collar workers his way in critical auto-making swing states such as Michigan and Wisconsin. "I'm honored to have your back and you have mine," Biden said to the cheering crowd. "That's the deal." Biden spoke as the union closed out a three-day gathering in Washington to chart its political priorities. The event follows Tuesday's primary vote in New Hampshire, where Republican front-runner Donald Trump cemented his hold on core Republican voters with a victory and Biden scored a write-in win. Biden has long billed himself as the most labor-friendly leader in American history, and went so far as to turn up on a picket line with union workers at a GM parts warehouse in the Detroit area during a strike last fall. The president is hoping to cut into the advantage that Trump has enjoyed with white voters who don't have a college degree. Labor experts said that the UAW usually endorses candidates later as it has a mix of Democratic, Republican and unaffiliated voters. |
| Hunter Biden Snagged a Cushy Bank Job After Law School. He's Been Trading on His Name Ever Since. | |
 | In the winter of 1995, Hunter Biden was broke but happy. He was 25, recently married and living in a run-down garden apartment in New Haven, Connecticut, with his wife, Kathleen, and their baby girl, Naomi. Hunter was deep in debt but on the cusp of graduating from Yale Law School, which would open him up to a world of lucrative opportunities. All he needed to do was pick the right next step. In her 2022 book, If We Break: A Memoir of Marriage, Addiction, and Healing, Kathleen writes that Hunter promised to eschew his East Coast roots and take a job in her hometown: Chicago. He'd secured well-paying internships at a couple firms in the Windy City, and a news report from the time suggests that one of them had made him an "attractive" full-time offer. Everything seemed to be going to plan -- until Hunter visited his hometown, Wilmington, Delaware, on a frigid day and, according to Kathleen's book, "met with someone to get career advice." After the meeting, the plan suddenly changed. The book doesn't say who counseled Hunter. But someone with knowledge of the meeting said Hunter met with Charles Cawley, the CEO and founder of MBNA bank and a close political ally of his father, Joe Biden. Hunter ultimately took the job with MBNA. In doing so, he settled into a pattern that would last the rest of his life, taking opportunities and putting himself in positions marked by good money and terrible political optics. |
| Researchers Say the Deepfake Biden Robocall Was Likely Made With Tools From AI Startup ElevenLabs | |
 | Last week, some voters in New Hampshire received an AI-generated robocall impersonating President Joe Biden, telling them not to vote in the state's primary election. It's not clear who was responsible for the call, but two separate teams of audio experts tell WIRED it was likely created using technology from voice-cloning startup ElevenLabs. ElevenLabs markets its AI tools for uses like audiobooks and video games; it recently achieved "unicorn" status by raising $80 million at a $1.1 billion valuation in a new funding round co-led by venture firm Andreessen Horowitz. Anyone can sign up for the company's paid service and clone a voice from an audio sample. Pindrop, a security company that develops tools to identify synthetic audio, claimed in a blog post on Thursday that its analysis of audio from the call pointed to ElevenLabs' technology or a "system using similar components." Hany Farid, a digital forensics specialist at the UC Berkeley School of Information, was initially skeptical of claims that the Biden robocall came from ElevenLabs. "When you hear the audio from a cloned voice from ElevenLabs, it's really good," he says. "The version of the Biden call that I heard was not particularly good, but the cadence was really funky. It just didn't sound of the quality that I would have expected from ElevenLabs." But when Farid had his team at Berkeley conduct its own independent analysis of the audio sample obtained by Pindrop, it too reached the same conclusion. While the Pindrop and Berkeley analyses suggest it could be possible to unmask the source of AI-generated robocalls, the incident also underlines how underprepared authorities, the tech industry, and the public are as the 2024 election season ramps up. |
| No place like home for Haley as she pins her presidential hopes on South Carolina | |
 | Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley's failure to win Tuesday's New Hampshire primary is not deterring her from continuing her presidential campaign against Donald Trump. One month out from the South Carolina GOP contest, Haley is seeking to prove to voters and donors that she can be a better option for the party -- and in the general election. In a packed hotel ballroom near the Charleston airport Wednesday night, Haley painted the picture of a Biden-Trump rematch she said most of the country does not want and pledged to provide another choice. "We could have that, but it's gonna take a lot of courage, courage from every person in this room," she said in her first campaign appearance post-New Hampshire. As the last remaining major challenger to Trump, Haley's speech Wednesday hammered the former president as "chaos" for the country -- chaos Republicans can't afford to surround themselves with. "I voted for Donald Trump twice, I was proud to serve America and his administration, I agree with a lot of his policies," she said. "But rightly or wrongly, chaos follows him." You don't defeat Democrat chaos with Republican chaos, Haley added, noting another "hard truth" for Republicans is that making the changes they want to see can only happen if they win in November. |
| Dobbs named endowed chair for the study of health disparities at UMMC | |
| Dr. Thomas Dobbs has established himself as a leader in public health: as state health officer during the COVID-19 pandemic, as dean of the John D. Bower School of Population Health at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, and now, as an endowed chair. During a ceremony on Jan. 18, Dr. LouAnn Woodward, vice chancellor for health affairs, presented Dobbs with a medal that represents his new role as endowed chair for the study of health disparities. Created in 2005 by the Jackson Medical Mall Foundation and under the leadership of Dr. Aaron Shirley, who served as JMM chairman, the endowment has reached $1.77 million, which includes investment income. It was an idea born from the vision and passion of Dr. Dan Jones, vice chancellor emeritus for health affairs, along with Shirley and the Shirley family, Woodward said. Dobbs added that the priority is hiring additional staff to address mission areas that include food insecurity, housing insecurity, transportation and factors that perpetuate poverty: "If we can lead people to critical support services, it can make a phenomenal difference in a person's life. The needs are really incalculable." |
| Hattiesburg High, Southern Miss partner to provide Career and Technical Education program | |
| The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) has awarded the University of Southern Mississippi $1.5 million to launch a new Going Beyond Apprenticeship Program for Career and Technical Education (CTE) students in Hattiesburg Public Schools. The funds, which will be divided evenly over four years, are being provided through the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) Program. The partnership between Southern Miss and Hattiesburg High will deliver a service-learning integrated apprenticeship for up to 30 students, including immersive educational opportunities in areas such as STEM/robotics, construction careers and early childhood education. According to a release on the grant award, participants at Hattiesburg High School will gain academic and technical skills in addition to work experience as they undergo 150 hours of professional development training, 40 hours of service-learning, and 450 hours as apprentices with approved community partners during their junior and senior years. Students in the program will design and implement service-learning projects under the mentorship of career coaches in addition to gaining access to workshops and applications to assist with ACT preparation and leadership qualities. |
| USM political science professor says ages of Trump, Biden won't have much impact on election | |
 | The November presidential election could feature the two oldest candidates to ever run for the nation's highest office. Does age matter to voters, or is it all just about the policies a candidate supports? University of Southern Mississippi associate professor of political science Joe Weinberg has weighed in on the possible rematch between Democrat President Joe Biden and Republican former president Donald Trump. Weinberg said he doesn't think the candidates' ages will matter much to most voters. And, he said, the candidates themselves definitely won't be talking about age as an issue. "It's the oldest presidential election we've ever had by quite a bit, if you add up the ages of the two candidates, what are we around, 160 or so?" Weinberg said. "So, in some ways that's concerning. In some ways, it sort of offsets, because one side can't use the age factors against another. "So, you don't want to pull that card out too much, if it can be used against you as well." Weinberg also believes the 2024 presidential could mark a changing of the guard in national politics. "I see this as sort of the breaking wave of that last generation and, hopefully, there are some people getting ready to take over and take the reins, whether it's four years or eight years from now," Weinberg said. |
| Itawamba Community College to launch new program focused on retirees | |
| Itawamba Community College will launch a Senior College program focused on retirees. While its kickoff was scheduled to take place on Jan. 16, the recent winter storm pushed the kickoff date back to Feb. 6. Dale Rushing will host the College's first class on the Belden campus and give a talk on the influence Mississippi musicians have had on the music industry; there will be bingo and door prizes, ICC marketing specialist Maggie Caldwell said. The Senior College will have one class a month, each from 9 to 11 a.m. That first class is free; the rest of the spring session will cost $30 per person. Couples can attend for a discount of $50 total. There are currently 20 people signed up for the first class, said Rena Chism, ICC's continuing-education specialist and the Senior College's creator. "I was praying for 15 (attendees), but my goal is I would like to see at least 25 people there," Chism said. "That would just make my day." Chism assumed her position at ICC nearly a year ago, and she was inspired to create the ICC Senior College by the senior college program at the University of North Alabama, as well as by an elderly aunt who was living with her at the time. Chism saw a need among the retirees in her community. "I want them to come in and make new friends, stay socially active, and keep their minds active," Chism said. She said she wants to create a program "where they'll come in and feel loved on and feel a sense of community." |
| Aspiring writer wins full-ride Angie Thomas scholarship to Belhaven | |
| The fifth person to win a full ride to Belhaven University, courtesy of a scholarship named after bestselling author Angie Thomas, is 19-year-old aspiring writer Maya McFadden. McFadden, of Jackson, Mississippi, will start at Belhaven in August after she transfers from Hinds Community College, university officials said. "When I first found out that I had won the Angie Thomas scholarship, I was amazed," McFadden said in a news release Thursday. "I've always wanted to be a writer, so, I submitted my works just to try, not really expecting much. Now that I've won, I really hope that I can work more on what I'm passionate about while earning my degree." The Angie Thomas Writers Scholarship was created to help young aspiring writers who need extra support, the university said in a news release. Submissions for this year's award, which covers tuition, room and board for four years, were reviewed by both Thomas herself and Dr. Randall Smith, chair of Belhaven's Creative Writing Department. Thomas is a 2011 Belhaven graduate and author of The New York Times best-selling young adult novels "Concrete Rose," "On The Come Up," "The Hate U Give" and "Nic Blake and the Remarkables: the Manifestor Prophecy." "The Hate U Give" and "On The Come Up" were both developed into major motion pictures. |
| Jones College names design school after Napier family | |
| Jones College is in the planning process of renovating its maintenance building into the Erin and Ben Napier School of Design and Building Arts. The HGTV stars announced on an episode of "Home Town" that President Dr. Jesse Smith surprised them by letting them know Jones College planned to name the school after the couple. The school will feature training for craftsmen and artisans and those programs already are open for enrollment. Smith said they chose to name it after the Napiers because of the couple's passion for rebuilding homes across America. "We've learned a lot from watching them on their show," Smith said. "They're exceptional people, as you know, but watching them and seeing the growth that happens in the towns where their show actually does the projects, it's impressive to see." |
| The Tea opens third location on Thach Concourse | |
| A new loaded tea truck has opened on Auburn's campus. Located on the West Thach Concourse, The Tea has been booming since its opening on the first day of the spring semester. This new tea truck is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and sells a variety of loaded teas. Loaded teas are exactly what they sound like -- teas loaded with caffeine, many different flavors and supplements. Each tea is $8 and contains 225 mg of caffeine, 15 calories, zero grams of sugar and three grams of carbohydrates. Drinks can be made with half or no caffeine. Customers can also add boosters to their teas for an additional charge. The Tea offers beauty, hydration and immunity boosters. "The most popular flavors are Sweet Tart, Miami Vice and The Rebel," said employee Bennett Harris, junior in marketing. "We also have boosters. You can add electrolytes, collagen, Vitamin C – stuff like that. They're very customizable." The Tea is based out of Oxford, Mississippi and had its first location at Ole Miss. It then expanded to LSU and now Auburn. It is entirely student run. "We're all students here at Auburn and it's a ton of fun," Harris said. |
| UK's Eli Capilouto on 'responsibility to advance Kentucky,' DEI, health care, more | |
 | For University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto, bringing together a diverse student and faculty body is important to the UK experience. In a recent interview with the Herald-Leader, Capilouto said he is grateful to legislators for their support of UK, which "translates into infrastructure and talent." When asked about the recent diversity, equity and inclusion bills that have been filed, Capilouto said he hopes to speak with legislators to learn more about the goals of the proposed legislation. "When you bring together individuals who've had different experiences with different perspectives, different histories, different stories, and you share those on a personal level, in or outside of a classroom, it enriches our democracy," Capilouto said. "There are not too many places where you can assemble this diversity of story, experience, perspective and thought than a residential campus." Capilouto, 74, touched on a variety of higher education topics at an interview in his office in mid-January. "We have an outstanding leader in President Capilouto," said Britt Brockman, board of trustees chair, at the December meeting. "I know he would quickly point to his team, which does so much to support these efforts and, like him, is dedicated with a sense of purpose and deep pride to the work we do to advance Kentucky." For Capilouto, that means UK has to find a way to balance free speech, academics and mutual respect. |
| As sobriety becomes popular for college students, U. of Tennessee programs provide support | |
| On weekends, bars surrounding college campuses are overwhelmed with crowds. For many college students, socializing is synonymous with drinking, and college is a space where consuming alcohol can be seen as a normal part of social life. College itself is an environment adverse to sobriety and recovery, students and experts alike say. Still, while drinking culture is a glaring narrative within college, another quieter culture is popping up around college campuses -- one without drinking or drugs. When Grace Hardin, a junior studying public policy and how development affects society, came to the University of Tennessee, she was surprised at the amount of drinking that took place. "I feel like I came into college knowing more about drinking culture than the average student ... but it was still kind of a shock when I got to college just how many people drink regularly," Hardin said. Hardin helped to create a mental health awareness club at her Nashville high school. The work she did with the club helped her see how drinking and drugs affect people and led her to Rocky Top Recovery, a student organization for which she is now an ambassador. Vanessa Betancourt worked to create Rocky Top Recovery with the help of the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services and the mentorship of Dr. Jennifer Tourville, an expert in substance use disorders. |
| Civil rights activist Joyce Ladner speaks at U. of Missouri | |
 | After she helped organize the 1963 March on Washington from an office in Harlem, Joyce Ladner had better than a front-row seat to Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" Speech. She was onstage with him. Ladner was the keynote speaker Wednesday to the University of Missouri's Martin Luther King Jr. celebration, with the theme "Women and the Civil Rights Movement." The event was in the Reynolds Alumni Building. Ladner later became a sociology professor, provost and interim president at Howard University. Ladner, who was a field officer for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, said the 1963 march came together quickly. "We organized that march in three weeks," said Ladner, 80. A small group of people led by Bayard Rustin worked six days a week, for 12 and sometimes 18 hours a day. Rustin gave as much importance to her opinions as he did to King's, she said. "He was an extraordinary leader because he listened," Ladner said. She profiled three Black women activists in her talk: Fannie Lou Hamer, Ella Baker and Ruby Doris Smith-Robinson. |
| U. of Missouri, other colleges could see a 3% increase in state funding | |
 | The University of Missouri and other state universities and community colleges could receive a 3% core funding increase if the legislature approves Gov. Mike Parson's state budget proposal. Parson unveiled the proposed increase Wednesday in his final State of the State address. His budget included an overall 1.46% increase in higher education spending for the 2025 fiscal year, bringing spending to just under $1.46 billion. Under his proposal, the University of Missouri System would receive $503 million for its core budget. "We are grateful for Gov. Parson's strong commitment to MU and for the recommended increases to our core budget in support of teaching, research and meaningful engagement," said Mun Choi, president of the UM system. "We are also thankful for his commitment to provide record capital support for investments in our research infrastructure. Because of Parson's leadership, these facilities will bring new opportunities to our state and help save lives in Missouri and around the world." |
| Citing risks, UC won't hire its immigrant students without legal status, work permits | |
 | University of California regents declined Thursday to move forward on a bold plan to hire immigrant students who lack legal work authorization, crushing the hopes of thousands of young people seeking to escape precarious futures without adequate access to jobs and research opportunities. UC President Michael V. Drake told regents he would not recommend a proposed plan to challenge federal law barring employment of those without legal status because the potential consequences were too risky to UC students, families and staff. UC students could be subject to deportation, employees could risk civil and criminal prosecution if they knowingly participate in hiring practices deemed impermissible under federal law, and the university could lose federal contracts and grants, he said. A novel theory developed by UCLA legal scholars asserted that the 1986 federal law in question does not apply to states -- or state entities such as UC -- because the statute's language does not explicitly mention them. Drake said UC would not test that theory at this time, although regents voted to reconsider the policy in one year. "We have concluded that the proposed legal pathway is not viable at this time, and in fact carries significant risk for the institution and for those we serve," Drake said. |
| A new partnership paves the way for greater use of AI in higher ed | |
| When ChatGPT burst into the world at the end of 2022, the prevailing feelings in higher education circles were fear of students cheating and concern about how the technology might diminish learning. Then -- still amid a dizzying flurry of question marks -- came hope that maybe educators could find a way to use the technology in their favor and enhance students' learning. Now comes the first partnership between a higher education institution and OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, and a new flurry of question marks. Arizona State University will begin to offer an unlimited version of ChatGPT Enterprise to its community on an ASU-only server, to ensure that nothing users type into the program will leave the ASU community. ChatGPT Enterprise differs from the free version of the product in what it can process (it has greater data analysis capabilities and doesn't limit the number of requests), how quickly it can process requests and how secure the information is (with this type of account, OpenAI won't use the data for its training models). At least at first, the ChatGPT Enterprise accounts will be available only to faculty, staff and researchers who submit proposals for how it could be used to further student success, generate new research and streamline organizational processes. Students will not have access to it unless they are working with faculty, staff or researchers who get accounts. Leo S. Lo, the dean of the college of university library and learning sciences at the University of New Mexico and an advocate for AI literacy in higher education, called the partnership a forward-thinking move. |
| College Counseling Centers Need to Be Aware of Mental-Health Concerns Due to Discrimination, Report Says | |
 | Students of color, LGBT students, and students from other underrepresented groups who say they've experienced discrimination have more severe mental-health symptoms than their peers, according to a new report. The finding comes as states direct many public colleges to dismantle identity-based centers and programs that were designed to support those students. The report, published Friday by the Center for Collegiate Mental Health at Pennsylvania State University, includes data from over 78,000 students who sought treatment at 85 college counseling centers nationwide. Students were asked by counselors if they have faced identity-based discrimination related to a disability, gender, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation. "There's a profound relationship between discrimination and increased distress, social isolation, and suicidal thoughts," said Brett Scofield, executive director of the Center for Collegiate Mental Health. The report's goal, Scofield said, is to raise awareness of that connection. Nearly 20 percent of students said they had faced discrimination based on at least one of the listed characteristics in the previous six months. Nearly 8 percent said they had faced discrimination based on two or more identities, the report found. This report should connect dots for counselors on how a student's identity could relate to mental-health symptoms, said Scofield. |
| Should Departments Make Political Statements? | |
 | University of California professors and board members are divided over a controversial proposal to ban departments and campus centers from making statements containing their "personal or collective opinions" via "official channels of communication." Those include "the main landing pages" of individual schools, departments, centers and other campus entities. The policy would not prevent the system president, chancellors or regents from using university websites to make statements on political or social issues. The proposal, discussed during a long and heated Board of Regents meeting Wednesday, was tabled Thursday until the next meeting in March. It comes amid impassioned debates about the Israel-Hamas war on campuses in the UC system and across the country. Arguments about when, where and what members of the university community can say about the war have convulsed institutions from Harvard to Indiana University at Bloomington. But departmental websites have proven a particularly contentious forum for addressing the conflict. While some faculty members say that preventing them from using such sites to discuss global events violates academic freedom, supporters of such bans argue that it's easy to misconstrue a statement on a department website as representing the entire institution -- or all the members of the department. |
| Biden's student debt relief plan still needs more work, congressional Dems say | |
 | Dozens of congressional Democrats are pressing the Education Department to extend government negotiations aimed at bringing student loan relief to more Americans, after the Supreme Court's rebuke of President Joe Biden's first plan. In a letter shared exclusively with USA TODAY, the lawmakers are urging Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to add a fourth session to federal policy negotiations, which ended in December following a trio of sessions last fall. If the administration moves forward with a new plan without taking the time to hear from more people, the lawmakers are concerned that some borrowers could be excluded from much-needed help. They said they appreciated the department's efforts but without fully considering categories of borrowers facing a broader range of financial struggles, "the rule will not provide adequate debt relief for the most vulnerable borrowers." The letter's signatories include Biden's chief ally in the Senate, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., as well as Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. Democrats in both chambers of Congress tacked their names to the request, which the authors planned to send to Cardona on Thursday. Last week, a group of 67 borrower advocacy groups made similar demands. In their letter to Cardona, the groups told the department it shouldn't "allow bureaucratic processes and timelines to serve as a barrier to desperately needed relief for the American people." |
SPORTS
| Making A Lasting Impact: Humphrey Coliseum donors among latest to invest in State's present and future. | |
| A whole host of Bulldog fans packed the Boyce Adams Family Grand Entry at Humphrey Coliseum prior to one of Mississippi State's sold-out basketball games earlier this month. Inside the beautiful, newly-renovated Hump, these members of the MSU family gathered together for a brief celebration as key contributors to the $50 million project that has ensured the Dawgs' home arena remains one of the premier college hoops facilities in the country. It was a bit of a party, and at the same time, it was a massive thank you. It was all a reminder of what's possible when everyone in Maroon and White moves forward, hand in hand. "If you want to go far, you go together," State Director of Athletics Zac Selmon told those in attendance. "That's what all this is about -- what Bulldogs can do when we come together." "This university is on the move, and we have a tremendous amount of momentum," MSU President Dr. Mark Keenum said. "But athletics helps set the trajectory of any school in such a huge way. So, we're so blessed and so thankful that we have the support of so many in the Bulldog Club to help keep us on an upward trajectory." But giving back isn't just about brick and mortar. It's about so much more than concrete and steel. Giving back at Mississippi State impacts people. |
| What to watch, keys to victory for Mississippi State against Auburn | |
 | Following a disjointed loss at Florida on Wednesday night, Mississippi State will be back at Humphrey Coliseum on Saturday for another big opportunity as No. 8 Auburn visits Starkville. The Tigers were the last remaining undefeated team in Southeastern Conference play before suffering a four-point defeat Wednesday night on the road against Alabama, which moved the in-state rivals into a tie atop the standings. The loss snapped an 11-game winning streak for Auburn (16-3, 4-1 SEC), whose two previous defeats came against a ranked Baylor team in Sioux Falls, S.D. and on the road to Appalachian State. Still, the Tigers are the only team in the top 25 of the NET rankings without a Quadrant 1 win. The Bulldogs are currently at No. 42, so beating them at The Hump would give Auburn that elusive first Quadrant 1 victory. Head coach Bruce Pearl's team has one of the SEC's top offenses, scoring 83.3 points per game and making 47 percent of its field goal attempts. The Tigers share the ball effectively and are second in the conference in assists per game, trailing only Kentucky. They also do a good job taking care of the ball, turning it over less frequently than only the Wildcats and Texas A&M among SEC teams. Auburn's defense has been an even greater strength, allowing the second-fewest points per game in the conference. The Tigers have held their opponents to 37.8 percent shooting and 29.6 percent on 3-pointers, both of which are also second in the SEC. The 14.1 turnovers Auburn forces per game are second as well. |
| Mississippi State basketball vs. Auburn: Score prediction as Bulldogs seek crucial SEC win | |
| Mississippi State basketball knows the value of playing Quadrant 1 games. Despite losses against Florida, Alabama, South Carolina and Kentucky in SEC play, MSU's NET ranking (42) hasn't dropped much. It was actually a win against Vanderbilt on Saturday that hurt Mississippi State (13-6, 2-4 SEC) the most because of the Commodores' woeful play. However, MSU has also put itself in a spot where quality losses aren't securing its spot off the bubble. At some point, Mississippi State needs to improve its 2-4 Quad 1 record. Saturday (2:30 p.m., SEC Network) against Auburn is an opportunity to do so. The Tigers (16-3, 5-1) sit at No. 8 in the NET. They're coming off a 79-75 loss at rival Alabama on Wednesday, and they're looking to avoid losing back-to-back games for the first time this season. MSU's ability to slow down Auburn will rely on its forwards playing clean. If Tolu Smith, Cameron Matthews and Jimmy Bell Jr. can avoid foul trouble, Mississippi State could have a chance at a crucial win. If their aggression is undisciplined, as Jans says, MSU's depth will be tested. |
| Fan Information for Weekend Baseball Scrimmages | |
| Mississippi State baseball will hold a pair of weekend scrimmages at Dudy Noble Field that are open to the public. Due to ongoing enhancements at various locations in the stadium, fans planning to attend the scrimmages are advised of the following guidelines. The Diamond Dawgs will scrimmage at 3:05 p.m. on Friday (Jan. 26), Saturday (Jan. 28) at 1 p.m. and 11:55 a.m. on Sunday (Jan. 28). Gates will be open one hour prior to first pitch. The Home Plate Gate and Right Field Plaza Gate will be OPEN for stadium entry. Grandstand Seating from Section 101 to Section 115 will be OPEN. The Concourse Restrooms behind home plate will be OPEN. Due to preseason stadium preparations, the Second Level, Standing Drinking Rails and the Outfield Concourse will be CLOSED. The Outfield Concourse Restrooms will be CLOSED. The 2024 season gets underway on Feb. 16 when the Diamond Dawgs host Air Force in a three-game series at Dudy Noble Field. Mississippi State's 56-game schedule features 35 home games, 17 road contests, and four neutral-site matchups. The schedule features a 12-game homestand to open the campaign (Feb. 16-March 2). And a five-game homestand from April 2-9. |
| Ole Miss lost $8 million after upping football investment. AD Keith Carter has a plan | |
 | Ole Miss athletics operated at a deficit exceeding $8 million during the 2023 fiscal year (July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023), according to documents obtained by The Clarion Ledger. This comes after the athletic department reported a deficit of $5.2 million in the 2022 fiscal year. Athletic director Keith Carter and senior associate AD for finance Angela Robinson told The Clarion Ledger this week that the losses were planned for and are covered by the athletic department's operational reserves. Ole Miss had reported a profit of roughly $17 million in 2021, thanks in part to an advance on projected SEC TV revenue. "We feel like we have a plan in obviously growing revenues, but finding a way to slow down those expenses as we go forward," Carter said. The athletic department's spending increased from $109.7 million in the 2021 fiscal year -- still heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic -- to $138.8 million in 2022 and $150.2 million in 2023. Inflation impacts those numbers, and Carter said that he doesn't think spending will continue to increase at the same rate in the years to come. "I feel like we have had to make up some ground, and we've had to kind of do that quickly," Carter said. "Most of it is in football, honestly. When you think about that, and us saying. 'Hey, we're going to go all in on football. We're going to commit to a coach. We're going to commit to a winning structure.' I think we've seen the results of that." |
| Coach Yo asks for more support for Ole Miss women's sports: 'We're behind' | |
| After Ole Miss women's basketball secured a victory over Florida, Rebels coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin arrived at her press conference with something to say. The message didn't revolve around the game, which Ole Miss won 81-70 on Thursday night. Instead, it focused on what she saw -- or, more accurately, didn't see -- in the stands. "It should have been packed up in here," McPhee-McCuin said in her opening statement. "How does a team that goes to the Sweet 16, that only has two (SEC) losses, not have an average of 5,000 people in the stands? How? You know what it is? It's the lack of value. And it needs to change. And I don't care who's upset about me saying this, because I'm going to speak the truth." McPhee-McCuin asked the Oxford community to "catch up," citing increased enthusiasm for women's sports in other places. She pointed toward the Rebels' recent road loss to Mississippi State. Over 7,000 fans filed into Humphrey Coliseum for that game. "It's disappointing when my team runs out here and (we) have won a whole lot and we don't get the crowd support that we deserve," McPhee-McCuin said. "And some people will say, 'Oh, she's just complaining, she needs to shut up.' Well, I'm not shutting up. I'm not shutting up. You know why? Because when I turn on the TV, when I look around, when we go to other places, women's sports is a real thing. And so I'm going to be the voice for that here. Because our community needs to be better, man." |
| Texas A&M forms 7-member committee to conduct national AD search | |
 | Texas A&M has formed a seven-member committee to conduct a national search for the university's athletic director position, A&M President Mark Welsh announced Thursday. The committee's work will begin immediately and the hope is to identify the school's next athletic director within four to six weeks, A&M officials said. The committee includes: Jim Schlossnagle, A&M head baseball coach; Joni Taylor, A&M head women's basketball coach; Susan Ballabina, Welsh's chief of staff; Joe Fields, A&M's deputy athletic director for administration and student-athlete experience; Paul Batista, A&M associate professor of kinesiology and sport management and faculty athletic representative; and Chris Cooper, A&M Class of 1989 and former chair of the 12th Man Foundation's Board of Trustees. Schlossnagle said he volunteered for the role after a meeting with Welsh and the A&M head coaches last week. The Aggie baseball coach said he's already sought input from men's basketball coach Buzz Williams, new football coach Mike Elko, women's golf coach Garrod Chadwell and women's soccer coach G Guerrieri. Turnkey, an executive search firm in the sports and entertainment industry, will help A&M officials in their initial recruitment and screening process. A&M's new athletic director will, most likely, usher the department into a new college athletics landscape in the next several years, one that could include revenue-sharing with athletes. |
| Candice Storey Lee: Bleeding black and gold | |
| I just said yes and I feel like I've been saying yes ever since," Candice Storey Lee said in an interview with The Hustler. On a sunny November afternoon, Lee reflected on her time at Vanderbilt with a grin and a deep sense of gratitude. At the age of 16, Lee committed to play basketball for the Vanderbilt Commodores. Lee's time on West End began in August 1996 and she hasn't left since. On May 21, 2020, Lee officially became the first Black woman athletic director in the SEC. Reflecting back on the moment she was hired, Lee remains thankful to Virginia athletic director Carla Williams for helping pave the way to the position she's in today. "I probably didn't start to truly think about becoming an athletic director until right after Carla [Williams] got her job, probably in 2017," Lee said. "She became the first Black woman to be a Power Five athletic director." Less than one year into being athletic director at Vanderbilt -- in May of 2021 -- Lee helped spearhead the launch of the Vandy United campaign, a $300 million investment initiative for athletics. The plan features several projects from enhancing Hawkins Field to building a brand-new locker room for the Football team. "This [the launch of the plan] was during COVID-19. So at a time when a lot of places were sort of scaling back, it was very clear that the chancellor felt that it was important for us as an institution to lean into the areas that we thought were important, and athletics was one of them," Lee said. "$300 million is a lot of money, but also that the first 100 million dollars came from the university and that set quite the signal that this university is invested in athletics." |
| Prime Video greenlights docuseries inside LSU athletics' NIL success | |
| LSU athletics has become an epicenter of name, image and likeness success in college sports. Now the Tigers have been green-lit for a docuseries that will focus on the athletic department's success on and off the field. According to a release sent by Prime Video on Thursday, The Money Game is an exclusive, all-access pass to the 2023-24 athletic season inside LSU athletics. The series will go beyond the coaches, though. NIL star and All-American Angel Reese and SEC Women's Basketball Freshman of the Year and Roc Nation-signed rapper Flau'jae Johnson will star next to gymnast Livvy Dunne, arguably the queen of the NIL Era. LSU quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels will also be featured. LSU has quickly become NILSU in the last 30 months. The Money Game will be directed by Drea Cooper and produced by Campfire Studios, Axios Entertainment and Shaquille O'Neal's Jersey Legends, a division of Authentic Studios. "Our motto around here: One state, two colors, three letters – forever LSU," LSU athletics' chief brand officer Cody Worsham previously told On3. "And what that essentially means is the one state piece is we are the brand of Louisiana. Like we're not competing with another Power Five school. It's not Auburn, Alabama, Mississippi State or Ole Miss. "This is LSU. It's Louisiana. You're going to come here, you're going to be a star across the state." |
| Nick Dunlap turns pro after becoming first amateur to win PGA Tour event in 33 years | |
| University of Alabama golfer Nick Dunlap, after winning the American Express Tournament on Sunday to become the youngest amateur to win a PGA Tour event since 1910, announced he will turn pro at a news conference Thursday, and said he will make his pro debut at the AT&T Pro-Am. The sophomore became the first amateur to win a PGA Tour tournament since Phil Mickelson in 1991. With a sponsorship exemption, he finished an incredible 29-under par to win by one stroke. He shot a 2-under par 70 in his final round Sunday. "If you had told me that I had the opportunity to live out my dream as a 20-year-old, it's pretty surreal," Dunlap said. "But it's also scary. There's a lot of changes and (Alabama) coach (Jay) Seawell has been gracious enough and I'm gonna continue to live here and hang out with the guys and, and at least live out some of my college life the rest of this year. It's an incredible opportunity and you know, very grateful for it." At 20, he's also the youngest amateur to win a PGA Tour event since 1910. However, as an amateur, he wasn't able to take the tournament's cash prize of $1.5 million. With the victory, the Huntsville, Alabama, native and former U.S. Amateur champion made the biggest jump in the history of the Official World Golf Rankings, soaring from 4,129th to 68th. When Mickelson won the Northern Telecom Open in 1991 as an amateur, he opted to remain at Arizona State until graduating in 1992. |
| Auburn Board of Trustees to vote on Jordan-Hare Stadium north endzone videobard project | |
 | Auburn's Board of Trustees are set to vote to approve a project to put a new videoboard in the north endzone of Jordan-Hare Stadium at its Feb. 2 meeting, according to documents posted Thursday to the Board of Trustees website. The documents currently suggest the vote is only to add a new video board to replace the antiquated scoreboard currently present but does not include the full-scale renovation to add more premium seating to the north endzone as athletic director John Cohen suggested in an interview with AL.com. but does not include the full-scale renovation to add more premium seating to the north endzone as athletic director John Cohen suggested in an interview with AL.com. It is not clear from the Board of Trustees documents currently posted whether the vote will encapsulate the full renovation Cohen is hoping to lead. The larger-scale project approval will likely come at a future meeting. According to the Board of Trustees meeting materials posted online, Auburn plans to use the firm LBYD Engineers of Birmingham, Alabama, to facilitate an "accelerated design process." |
| Sanford Stadium's iconic hedges to be 'revitalized' ahead of 2024 Georgia football season | |
 | In 2024, the Bulldogs will be playing between the revitalized hedges, according to a University of Georgia Athletics press release. The current hedges were propagated four years before they were installed in Sanford Stadium during the 1996 Olympics, making them 31 years old with the typical lifespan of the hedges being 20-40 years. Work will begin in February to evaluate the hedges and see which plants needs replacing and which plants can be replanted on the sidelines after a full soil replacement, irrigation and drainage work, according to UGA. The work will be completed by the 2024 G-Day Game. The Bulldogs' 2024 home opener is scheduled for Sept. 7 against Tennessee Tech. Georgia's current hedges have a 144-28 home record and enter the 2024 season with an FBS-leading 25-game home win streak, according to the UGA release. |
| Nascar Targets Diverse Audiences to Expand Viewership, Despite Anti-DEI Backlash | |
 | Nascar for years has been trying to recapture the pop-culture pull of its heyday in the 1990s and early 2000s, when drivers like Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. became celebrities even beyond fans of the sport. Average viewership for live Nascar Cup races across networks declined to nearly 2.9 million last year from 3.2 million in 2018, continuing a long-term erosion in TV ratings for the sport, according to measurement firm Nielsen. Still, Nascar remains attractive to television advertisers, because few other properties aside from National Football League games can draw live audiences of nearly three million people on a Sunday afternoon, said Austin Karp, managing editor at trade publication Sports Business Journal. Nascar late last year signed new television and streaming rights contracts with companies including Fox, Amazon and Warner Bros. Discovery that are worth $7.7 billion over seven years, a 40% increase over its previous deals. Additionally, Nascar will continue marketing directly to more diverse audiences as part of an effort to boost its fortunes, according to Chief Marketing Officer Peter Jung. Many companies have slowed or reversed their diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, efforts because of legal and political backlash. There are signs of progress. More than 80% of in-person ticket sales for Nascar's first Chicago Street Race last July went to consumers who had never attended a Nascar event before, a league spokesman said. |
| College sports giants struggle to get a bailout from Congress as athletes push for employee status | |
| Colleges and universities are begging Congress to shield them from efforts to turn student-athletes into school employees who can demand salaries, union protections and other benefits. But the bid is hitting a wall on Capitol Hill as lawmakers focus on other priorities, leaving universities' control over a multibillion-dollar athletics industry at the mercy of the labor-friendly Biden administration and the courts. The push to recognize athletes as workers is the latest effort exploiting a crack in the NCAA's decadeslong governance over college sports that widened dramatically when states started letting athletes profit off endorsement deals, product pitches, or their social media following. Now, a National Labor Relations Board judge is poised to conclude an extensive hearing process in February as part of a case that could set a precedent for whether student-athletes ought to be classified as employees and if certain team rules violate federal labor law. A ruling is expected in the next few months -- well before Congress is likely to step in. Schools, college athletics conferences and the NCAA say a massive swath of athletic programs could face financial collapse without congressional intervention. |
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