| Thursday, April 23, 2026 |
| Mary Means Business: 7 Brew opens May 4 | |
 | For all my friends who have been blowing up my phone daily, I finally have the answer you've been waiting for. 7 Brew in Starkville is officially opening its doors on May 4. I caught up with Hailey Nicley, the new stand operations lead, who confirmed the date. In the meantime, you might see some 7 Brew folks delivering samples around town. Mark your calendars for May 9, which is the official grand opening. If you order a large drink that day, you'll snag a free T-shirt. 7 Brew first opened in Rogers, Arkansas, in 2017 with a simple concept: seven original coffees, hence the name. Fast forward to today, and the brand has expanded to more than 530 stands nationwide with a menu that includes energy chillers, teas, lemonades, lattes, mochas, chai, smoothies and shakes. |
| World's largest wiener dog race returns to Starkville this weekend | |
 | One of Starkville's most exciting events -- the world's largest wiener dog race -- is returning to town this weekend. The fourth annual Starkville Derby, which coincides with the Boardtown Pizza Arts Fest, will be held throughout the day on Saturday with the gates opening at 9 a.m. Live music begins and food and art vendors open by 10 a.m. Then, as with any major sporting event, the national anthem will be sung and a flyover will take place before hundreds of dachshunds line up for roughly 80 races. Races are scheduled to begin around 11:30 a.m. The Starkville Derby is held along University Drive and in the surrounding areas. Parking will be available at The Mill and Barnes & Noble on Mississippi State University's campus and then at Fresh Food Company, Regions Bank, and First Baptist Starkville. A "weenie bus shuttle" will run from each location. |
| Dachshunds dash for glory as Starkville Derby returns Saturday | |
| In Savannah Johnston's first Starkville Derby race in 2023, two of her dogs barely made it past the starting line. But Chex, her 8-year-old dappled dachshund, quickly secured his spot in the top five. They've competed in every race since and have yet to win, but this year, the Johnstons' are going for the gold. "I want to win a Golden (Weenie)," Johnston told The Dispatch on Wednesday. "That is my goal. ... I need to win that. ... But it's exciting regardless of if they win it or not. It's always fun." Johnston's three dogs -- Chex, June, 5, and Moosie, 3 -- will race against more than 300 dachshunds on Saturday during the fourth annual Starkville Derby, with each dog owner hoping to take home the coveted Golden Weenie award. The one-day derby will take over much of the Cotton District, shutting down portions of University Drive, Maxwell Street, Page Avenue and Adkerson Way. Admission is free, but funds raised during the derby will go to the Oktibbeha County Humane Society's general fund. |
| Corderill investing $100 million at Meridian data center campus | |
| The Mississippi Development Authority announced Wednesday that Corderill LLC will be a tenant at Compass Datacenters campus in Meridian and is making a corporate investment of at least $100 million in data center equipment. The move will reportedly create at least 20 direct jobs. Governor Tate Reeves said Corderill's investment is another win for the citizens of Lauderdale County. "By building the foundation modern companies require, we are attracting projects that create good‑paying jobs and long‑term opportunities for families in our state," Reeves said. "This project reinforces our role in powering the digital systems that are shaping our future, and I am excited to welcome Corderill as the latest partner to Mississippi's growing tech community." |
| Compass Datacenters lands first tenant with $100 million investment | |
| Compass Datacenters in Meridian has its first publicly announced tenant. Technology company Corderill LLC announced a $100 million investment on Wednesday. The investment is expected to create 20 new jobs, per the Mississippi Development Authority. "Companies looking for a location to build or expand will find that Mississippi executes at a higher level. Corderill's investment at the Compass Datacenters campus in Meridian is a perfect example," Mississippi Development Authority Executive Director Bill Cork said. Compass Datacenters announced plans in January 2025 to develop a $10 billion campus in Lauderdale County featuring eight data centers occupied by individual tenants -- one of them now being Corderill. |
| Ridgeland data center faces Mississippi energy giants' opposition | |
| A Mississippi company owned by one of the state's most prominent developers wants to generate its own electricity for data center and semiconductor facilities in Ridgeland. However, it faces opposition as the state's two largest power companies filed opposing briefs in what could be an important decision for the future of data center development in the state. Wednesday morning, Prado AI Industrial announced it requested confirmation from the Mississippi Public Service Commission that on-site power generation for private use, including by tenants, is not considered a "public utility" and would not fall under the PSC's jurisdiction. Gabriel Prado, a developer behind recent projects such as luxury apartments in Fondren and a Topgolf in Ridgeland, said he's looking to "disrupt" the industry and bring more investment to the state. |
| Will rain in weather forecast help drought in Mississippi? | |
 | Mississippi has experienced lower than average rainfall this spring which has led to drought conditions, but an expected weather front could bring inches of rain over coming days as well as the potential for severe storms in parts of the state. "Basically, we've got a pattern change that's going to allow the heat and humidity to come back," Nicholas Fenner, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Jackson, said Wednesday morning, April 22. "With that, this time of year, we're going to get storm development." The system is expected to move into the state from the northwest on Friday, April 24 and continue southeast overnight and into Saturday morning. Severe storms are possible along and north of the Interstate 20 corridor. Chances of rain continue through the weekend and become more widespread on Monday. Fenner said total rainfall during the event could be as high as 1-3 inches with the heaviest amounts in the northern half of the state. |
| Authorities say they arrested a man planning a mass shooting at a large New Orleans festival | |
 | Authorities say a man suspected of planning a mass shooting at a large New Orleans festival was arrested at a Florida hotel with a handgun and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. The event was not named, but the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, commonly known as JazzFest, runs from Thursday through May 3. The gathering celebrates Louisiana's music, food and culture, and attracted about 460,000 people last year, organizers said. The man from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, was wanted "by the Department of Public Safety for terroristic threats," the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office posted online Thursday. It said federal authorities had identified the alleged threat, without naming which agency. The FBI office in New Orleans did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Okaloosa sheriff's office said the man was arrested without incident Wednesday night at a hotel in Destin, in the Florida Panhandle. Deputies recovered a handgun and about 200 rounds of ammunition from the hotel room, the statement said. |
| Illegal immigration costs Mississippi over $100 million, auditor says | |
| When some lawmakers in the Mississippi Legislature took their immigration bills to the floor this session, a question emerged among opponents. Are these measures really necessary? Mississippi has a smaller population of immigrants than its other southeastern counterparts, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, and the state has mainly remained in the background as its neighbors have been targeted by task force raids. The lack of federal attention to the Magnolia State hasn't stopped many Republican lawmakers and state officials, including State Auditor Shad White, from maintaining that immigration without legal permission presents a major threat to Mississippi. At the crux of White's argument for stronger local and national enforcement is money. One hundred million dollars, to be specific. He explained the math behind the total and its significance to residents in an April 22 interview with the Clarion Ledger. |
| Hyde-Smith, Kennedy discuss need for Medicare fix to aid rural hospitals | |
| Mississippi U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert Kennedy, Jr., agreed this week that it will take both Congress and the administration to fix a Medicare reimbursement formula that is destabilizing hospitals and rural healthcare in low-wage states like Mississippi. Hyde-Smith questioned Kennedy about the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service (CMS) Area Wage Index (AWI) during a Senate Labor, HHS, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee hearing to review the HHS FY2027 budget request. "AWI disadvantages rural hospitals, because they are locking them into a system that suppresses reimbursement and limits their ability to recruit and retain medical staff and specialists," Hyde-Smith said. "Hospitals like Forrest General, a Level 2 trauma center in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, are expected to deliver complex, specialist-driven care but are reimbursed as if costs are low – absorbing an $8 million annual loss due to this disparity. Obviously, that gap is just unsustainable. If this continues, it won't just affect one hospital. It will weaken the entire 19-county rural network serving roughly 700,000 Mississippians." |
| House lawmakers get a chilling demo of 'jailbroken' AI | |
 | Department of Homeland Security researchers showed lawmakers just how easy it is for bad actors to weaponize artificial intelligence models to build a bomb, plan a terror attack or launch a cyberattack. DHS's National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology and Education Center and the House Homeland Security Committee hosted a closed-door briefing for all House lawmakers Wednesday afternoon, allowing members of Congress to interact with jailbroken AI models, which have been stripped of their built-in safety guardrails. "What we saw in there with the jailbroken AI is what happens when you take those guardrails off of AI, and ask, 'How do I make a nuclear bomb?'" Rep. Gabe Evans (R-Colo.) told POLITICO after the session. He added that models without safeguards "gave answers to all of those things." A variety of models developed in the U.S. and abroad were used for the demonstration, though their names were concealed. |
| Budget resolution to unlock immigration funds adopted in Senate | |
 | The Senate adopted a GOP-written budget resolution early Thursday morning that marks a critical first step toward providing roughly $70 billion for immigration enforcement for the remainder of President Donald Trump's term. After a marathon "vote-a-rama" on amendments that stretched through the night, the Senate voted 50-48 for a budget blueprint laying the groundwork to pass a filibuster-proof budget reconciliation bill for immigration enforcement funding. That bill could bypass Democratic opposition and help end a record-breaking partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security. Republican Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voted against the budget plan, as did all Democrats who were present. Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, was absent, recovering from surgery to remove gallstones. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., whose daughter recently died, was also away from the Capitol. The final vote came a little after 3:30 a.m. Thursday after a slew of attempts, mostly by Democrats, to broaden the scope of a reconciliation package in the run-up to the November midterm elections. |
| Trump reclassifies state-licensed medical marijuana as a less-dangerous drug in a historic shift | |
| President Donald Trump's acting attorney general on Thursday signed an order reclassifying state-licensed medical marijuana as a less-dangerous drug, a major policy shift long sought by advocates who said cannabis should never have been treated like heroin by the federal government. The order signed by Todd Blanche does not legalize marijuana for medical or recreational use under U.S. law. But it does change the way it's regulated, shifting licensed medical marijuana from Schedule I -- reserved for drugs without medical use and with high potential for abuse -- to the less strictly regulated Schedule III. It also gives licensed medical marijuana operators a major tax break and eases some barriers to researching cannabis. The order represents a major policy shift for the U.S. government, which has continued its longstanding marijuana prohibition -- dating to the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 -- even as nearly all the states have approved cannabis use in some form. |
| Air War in Iran Gives Way to Crippling Stalemate in Hormuz | |
 | The conflict with Iran has entered a damaging new phase -- a crippling limbo between war and peace that leaves the Strait of Hormuz closed and the prospect of escalation looming. The missiles and bombs that the U.S. and Israel rained down on Iran and Tehran's retaliatory salvos might have stopped with President Trump's indefinite extension of a cease-fire. But the battle for control of the strait, one of the most important conduits of global commerce, is raging, leaving commodity traders on edge and helping push international oil prices above $100 a barrel on Wednesday. Iranian forces attacked three cargo ships on Wednesday, said people familiar with the fighting. Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy sought to keep Iran from exporting oil -- the country's main revenue source -- or receiving supplies. Arab mediators working to restart talks between the two sides said they feared the situation would deteriorate. Soaring costs are already forcing industries to scale down their energy consumption, a process known as demand destruction, where businesses and consumers are forced to cut back to balance the massive supply shortfall. |
| Vance, eyeing 2028, navigates a diplomatic minefield with Iran | |
 | Reporters assigned to travel aboard Air Force Two were told to prepare for an early morning departure on Tuesday for Islamabad until an unexplained delay -- followed by a detour by Vice President JD Vance to the White House -- revealed clues that something was wrong. Iranian diplomats had not yet responded to U.S. proposals intended to form the basis of a new round of talks. Some were questioning whether they would attend at all. Had he departed as planned, Vance risked a humiliation, spending hours flying to Pakistan only to be stood up on arrival. A crisis meeting at the White House led President Trump to announce an indefinite extension to a ceasefire deadline that had been set as a pressure tactic. Now, unable to bring the Iranians to heel, that pressure was suddenly off. It was an early lesson for Vance in the many ways high-stakes diplomacy can veer off-course. "There are obvious risks for Vance," said Chester Crocker, who served as an assistant secretary of State in the Reagan administration, "being associated with failure or with a dubious deal." |
| AI policies in the works for academic departments | |
 | The University of Mississippi is working to establish artificial intelligence policies by tasking individual academic departments, instead of professors, with creating their own standards for AI usage in coursework. Currently, each professor sets the standard regarding AI for his or her own courses, with little uniformity throughout departments. Work creating these policies will continue into the fall semester. The request for department-wide standards came after the University of Mississippi's AI Task Force teaching and learning subcommittee sent a recommendation for AI use to the university administration. Joshua Eyler, senior director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning and assistant professor of teacher education, serves as chair of the teaching and learning subcommittee. Eyler said the university dictated that individual departments create AI policies instead of a standardized, university-mandated policy because of each department's unique needs. |
| UMMC honors anatomical donors and their families | |
| The University of Mississippi Medical Center hosted its annual Ceremony of Thanksgiving on Wednesday, honoring anatomical donors and the impact they've had on students. Family members, friends, students and staff gathered at the UMMC cemetery as students from various programs shared how those donors have shaped their education and futures. UMMC Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs and Dean of the School of Medicine Dr. LouAnn Woodward said these donors teach students more than textbooks and images ever could. Woodward said it's impossible to explain the impact these donors have on students, but she wanted families to take away one important message. "Whatever they had in mind about their loved one, they need to also add teacher. When they say what did your momma do or what did your father do, whatever they say, they can also add to that 'teacher,'" Woodward said. |
| Months after UMMC cyberattack, questions persist about patient data and systems improvements | |
| The University of Mississippi Medical Center is conducting a detailed forensic analysis with support from the FBI and cybersecurity experts to determine what data was accessed or exfiltrated during the February cyberattack that struck the hospital system and forced it to cancel appointments and elective surgeries for nine days. The medical center will meet all regulatory and reporting requirements after it concludes its investigation, UMMC spokesperson Patrice Guilfoyle said in a statement to Mississippi Today. Ransomware group Medusa claimed credit for the cyberattack in March, nearly a month after the initial attack that shut down UMMC's network, and demanded payment to prevent the publication of stolen data, cybersecurity news outlet The Record reported. Ransomware organizations use malicious software to hold computer systems or data hostage in demand for payment. These groups have increasingly targeted health care organizations in pursuit of large payouts. |
| Jackson State University implements campus safety upgrades | |
 | Jackson State University (JSU) announced enhancements will be made to improve campus safety. According to the university, the changes will affect the Energy Management Plan (EMP) and Campus Safety Project (CSP) with the goals to modernize facilities, conserve energy, improve lighting and enhance safety for students, faculty, staff and visitors across campus. Led by the Division of Campus Operations, the project contains six major components consisting of emergency towers, outdoor lighting, cameras, access control (locks), safety equipment and campus enclosures. "Campus safety and a welcoming environment for learning are top priorities," said JSU President Dr. Denise Jones Gregory. "These upgrades protect our community while supporting sustainable practices. Improved lighting and technology give students and employees confidence to move about campus any time of day, and that is invaluable." |
| The For-Profit Education Company Scooping Up Millions of Welfare Dollars | |
| John Alvendia's for-profit education company seemed to have flopped in West Virginia. The four public school districts that were testing his Star Academy program, which promises to turn around the performance of struggling middle-school students, had stopped using it. One school reported worsening behavior and less improvement in English and math for Star Academy students than for other kids. That didn't stop West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey from sending more business to Alvendia, who earlier had donated nearly $42,000 to his campaign and affiliated political committees. In January, the Republican governor announced plans to tap the state's unspent funds from the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families welfare program, called TANF, to expand Star Academy. The deal would pay Alvendia's New Orleans-based company, NOLA Education, as much as $16 million to put the program in 16 other schools. Elected officials from both parties have steered millions of taxpayer dollars to no-bid contracts for the Star Academy program in several states, records show. Some school districts and state officials have expressed misgivings about the program's cost and effectiveness. |
| Lawmakers weigh overhauling or possibly ending Louisiana's higher education oversight board | |
| The Louisiana Legislature is deciding whether to reduce, redefine or abolish the state's higher education oversight board as multiple state universities struggle through budget crises and the federal government probes minority student completion goals. Three bills have been filed that seek to take on the Board of Regents, the coordinating body for the LSU, University of Louisiana, Southern and Louisiana Community and Technical College systems. Most states with multiple university or college systems also have an overarching board covering all higher education. The Board of Regents hires the state commissioner of higher education, currently Kim Hunter Reed, who oversees a professional staff that does the day-to-day work of the agency. That includes creating the state's higher education master plan, making funding recommendations, approving academic programs for public and private institutions and overseeing a slew of statewide programs. The most visible program it administers is the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Aid. |
| DeSantis signs Florida law banning local DEI funding, says white men are 'disfavored' | |
| White men have been discriminated against through diversity, equity and inclusion programs, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday after signing legislation which prohibits counties and cities from funding or promoting DEI initiatives. The Republican governor defined DEI at a news conference as "an ideological construct that is designed to promote a particular political agenda, particularly to the detriment of disfavored groups." "The disfavored groups, No. 1, obviously, would be white males, and I think they've been discriminated against," DeSantis said in Jacksonville. "And it's it's like a lot of people are, 'Oh that's fine. That's fine.' No, it's not fine. It's wrong." Supporters say the purpose of DEI is to remedy the effects of long-term discrimination against certain groups. During his two terms in office, DeSantis' administration has championed legislation which prohibits public colleges and universities from spending money on DEI programs and promoted the "Stop WOKE Act," which restricts how race and sex are taught in schools. |
| Is Kentucky's Governor Trying to Push Out a Flagship President? | |
 | Some institutions have had a hard time keeping their presidents for more than a couple years. That's not an issue at the University of Kentucky, where Eli Capilouto has been president since 2011. But a recent spate of controversies has led to questions about Capilouto's future at the state's flagship. On Tuesday, Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, posted a lengthy statement saying he was "losing confidence and growing increasingly concerned with the management and decision-making" at the university. Beshear pointed to two particular events that sparked his concerns: the hiring of a law school dean over the objections of faculty, and the creation of a nearly $1 million job for the university's athletic director, who was set to retire. Jennifer Cramer, president of the University of Kentucky's chapter of the American Association of University Professors, said Beshear's concerns are the same as many faculty who question the university's spending priorities and fear the complete loss of any role in academic decisions. |
| 'Sidelined No Longer': Mizzou alumna traces rise of women's sports | |
 | Karen Rudolph, a University of Missouri alumna and former student athlete, is telling the story of women's college sports through her book "Sidelined No Longer: The Untold Story of Women's College Sports," highlighting the athletes and advocates who helped shape the rise of female athletics. "When many of the women in my book were playing or organizing college sports, the crowds were usually so small that if someone sneezed in the stands, everyone turned to them and said 'bless you,'" Rudolph said. Stephens College Chief of Staff Shannon Walls invited Rudolph to speak this week in Columbia. Walls previously heard Rudolph speak at a Mizzou softball fundraiser about the early years of Mizzou softball and women's sports. Rudolph said that the purpose of her book is to understand the rapid rise of women's sports. "Today, women's sports are experiencing something remarkable, a moment of visibility, excitement and momentum that many people never imagined. How did we get here? That question is really what led me to write," Rudolph said. |
| Police seek 17-year-old for attempted murder in shooting near U. of Iowa, authorities say | |
| Police are seeking a 17-year-old on attempted murder charges following a shooting early Sunday in a nightlife district near the University of Iowa campus, authorities said Wednesday. Five people were treated for gunshot wounds, including three University of Iowa students. One woman remained in critical condition Wednesday after sustaining a life-threatening injury to her head, Iowa City Police Chief Dustin Liston said. Officials said an arrest warrant was issued for the 17-year-old who was allegedly engaged in the fight, adding that reports indicate as many as 40 people may have been involved. Officers had been dispatched to the fight and arrived within 45 seconds, Liston said. The minor from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, will initially be charged as an adult, as is required by Iowa law for forcible felony charges against an individual aged 16 or older, said Rachel Zimmermann Smith, Johnson County attorney. Liston said the investigation is ongoing and additional charges are expected. |
| Virginia Tech's Growing Pains | |
 | Facing opposition from students, faculty and staff, the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors last week punted on a plan to dismantle the university's popular and celebrated living-learning communities. Often touted as a selling point in Virginia Tech's recruiting efforts, the living-learning programs group students together around common interests. Current examples include living-learning communities (or LLCs for short) for first-generation and transfer students, while others are built around areas of study such as arts or engineering. But the board is now questioning the efficacy of the overall program. The board resolution to shut the program down argued that metrics "do not support a measurable difference" between students in LLCs and the overall student population. Further, it noted many of the support services in the living-learning program are duplicative and shutting it down will generate "significant cost savings." Beyond efficacy, the proposal also aims to address a problem most college leaders would envy: Virginia Tech is growing and needs more beds for its burgeoning freshman population. |
| College sustainability directors drive eco-friendly campuses | |
 | Campus sustainability directors' duties are varied, explains Julian Dautremont, Director of Programs at the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). They are involved with "Earth Day celebrations, outreach programs, competitions between residence halls to reduce students' energy use, service-learning projects, education and training for students and staff and more." AASHE's membership is arranged collectively, "We have around 800 organizations as members," says Dautremont. He says that sustainability directors share some common challenges: "Not enough time and money -- limited resources to tackle all they want to tackle, so having to prioritize." Coming up with alternative solutions to overcome budgetary or other limitations is often required. |
| What's Driving the Student Mental Health Crisis? | |
| Student mental health remains one of the most pressing -- and complex -- challenges facing higher education today. Katie Hurley, vice president of community initiatives at The Jed Foundation (JED), joins Inside Higher Ed student success reporter Joshua Bay in his inaugural episode of Voices of Student Success to discuss the state of student mental health -- what's changed, what campuses are facing and where institutions may be falling short. This episode is the first of a four-part series on mental health; the following three episodes will explore student loneliness, institutional responsibility and how AI is reshaping conversations around student support. Hurley delves into the state of student mental health on college campuses, including what's driving increased demand for support, how counseling centers are adapting under strain and why student experiences vary so widely across different contexts and identities. She also examines where institutions continue to face challenges -- and what a more comprehensive approach to campus mental health could look like. |
| Trump administration giving unclear graduate student loan guidance: Financial aid group | |
 | The Department of Education (DoE) is issuing unclear guidance on whether graduate school loans are included in the new borrowing limit that will take effect this summer, according to the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA). In a Tuesday release, the financial aid group said that the DoE on Monday reversed course and said that Graduate PLUS loans will be included in the new $257,500 lifetime borrowing limit, which was established under the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) Act and goes into effects on July 1. Melanie Storey, the president and CEO of the financial aid group, said Tuesday that the reversal "only adds to an already confusing and rapidly shifting policy landscape" for student loan borrowers. "With many schools preparing to issue financial aid offers in the coming weeks -- and some doing so this month -- this approach is both irresponsible and unfair to students and financial aid professionals who are working in good faith to make informed decisions amid inconsistent and incomplete information," Storey added. |
| Survey: Americans Skeptical but View AI Use on Campus as Important | |
| Americans generally believe that it is important for colleges to incorporate artificial intelligence into their curriculum, yet they remain skeptical about whether it's possible to do so without threatening the overall quality of students' education, a new survey from Quinnipiac University shows. Although nearly 75 percent of Americans think it is important that college and university students be taught how to use AI, only 42 percent think students are likely to use AI to help them learn. Meanwhile, 47 percent think college students are more likely to use AI to help them avoid learning. And while one could assume that older generations, or those less familiar with AI, are more cynical about the new technology, the survey found the opposite. "Who is most skeptical about the merits of having AI provide a learning assist? By age, the generation most likely to be familiar with the workings of AI in the classroom," said Quinnipiac University polling analyst Tim Malloy. |
| ABC warehouse woes an artifact of Prohibition | |
| Mississippi newspaper publisher and columnist Wyatt Emmerich writes: For the 50 percent of Mississippians who enjoy a glass of wine with their meal, the last few months have been educational as the state-run Alcohol Beverage Control warehouse has been in disarray. Mississippi has the fifth lowest alcohol consumption in the nation at 2.17 gallons per year. Utah is the lowest at 1.34 followed by West Virginia, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Georgia. ... Partly because of our state's historical skepticism about alcohol, Mississippi has kept a tight control over its distribution. Mississippi is one of 17 "control" states with the state Department of Revenue acting as the sole wholesaler. Not only is the state the sole wholesaler but it only has one 211,000 square foot wholesale warehouse for the entire state. This creates a big bottleneck and over the last few months this bottleneck has clogged. |
SPORTS
| MSU Baseball To Be Featured On 'SEC Inside' | |
| Mississippi State Baseball will be featured on "SEC Inside" which debuts on Thursday at 6 p.m. on SEC Network. Camera crews followed the Diamond Dawgs around for six days spanning their clinching win at Ole Miss on March 29, their run-rule victory over Grambling as well as the opening game of the Georgia series on April 2. The SEC Network had exclusive behind the scenes access which provides a 30-minute glimpse into Brian O'Connor's program. Players and coaches were mic'd up throughout the week for meetings, practices, games and more. The episode will re-air on Friday at 10 a.m., Saturday at 2 a.m. and 10 a.m. as well as Monday at 10:30 a.m. It will also be available on demand on the ESPN app. |
| Mississippi State baseball vs LSU could break NCAA attendance record | |
| The last two Mississippi State baseball home series have come with great anticipation but ended with disappointment. First, the Bulldogs hosted Georgia April 2-4 at Dudy Noble Field for a matchup between two top five teams. Georgia swept the series. Then, MSU got swept again by Tennessee April 10-12. It was the first time in program history MSU was swept in back-to-back three-game home series. No. 11 Mississippi State (31-10, 10-8 SEC) has won five straight games since then, highlighted by a sweep at South Carolina. The next series against LSU (24-18, 6-12) at Dudy Noble Field starting April 24 (6 p.m., SEC Network+) is an opportunity for MSU to win its first SEC home games in over a month. And with the series against the defending national champions on Super Bulldog Weekend, there's a chance Mississippi State breaks its own NCAA on-campus single-game attendance record. Mississippi State needs a crowd over 16,423 to beat its own record set against Ole Miss on April 15, 2023. That series also set the NCAA attendance record for a three-game series at 43,986. |
| Men's Golf: Bulldogs Record Program's Best SEC Championship Round In Day One | |
| Mississippi State played some of its best golf of the season in round one of the SEC Championship, sitting in sixth overall with a score of 9-under 271. Today's round of 271 is Mississippi State's lowest score ever at the SEC Championship, breaking the previous record of 274 from the 2022 edition's second round. Dain Richie continued his hot play, carding a round of 5-under 65 to lead the Bulldogs in a tie for 10th. Starting on the back nine, Richie strung together four birdies in his first seven holes and went out in 31. He played his final nine holes in 1-under to conclude his best round of the season. Ugo Malcor carded a bogey-free round of 2-under 68 in round two to sit in a tie for 23rd. Malcor played steady golf, carding two birdies to complement 16 pars for his 15th round of par or better this season. Garrett Endicott finished his first round with a 1-under 69, his 20th par-or-better round this season. True freshman Jackson Skinner played his first SEC Championship round at 1-under, concluding his day with a birdie to finish in red figures. Fellow freshman Jackson Cook rounded out the State lineup with a 5-over 75. |
| MSU Athletics to Host Surplus Equipment Sale at Davis Wade Stadium on May 9 | |
| Mississippi State fans looking to upgrade their gear collection can head to Davis Wade Stadium on Saturday, May 9, for a Surplus Sale. The event offers a rare opportunity for the public to purchase authentic Bulldog equipment and sideline gear. The inventory features a massive selection of items, including official team uniforms, athletic footwear, and various apparel issued to State student-athletes and staff. More information on the event such as the start time, location of the sale inside DWS, and payment options will be released later. Also happening on campus after the Surplus Sale is game three of the Diamond Dawgs' series against Auburn with first pitch set for 3 p.m. |
| College Football Playoff leaders resume talks on 16 vs. 24 and other postseason particulars | |
 | Discussions about College Football Playoff expansion resumed this week, as the CFP's annual meeting of commissioners, selection committee members and other dignitaries reignited a yearslong conversation that will likely continue throughout the spring and the summer. A 16-team field or a 24-team field remain the two expansion options to grow beyond the current 12-team field, which just wrapped up its second season. Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti, as he typically does, left the meeting without speaking to reporters about his 24-team proposal, while SEC commissioner Greg Sankey did speak, citing his past comments about his league's preference for a 16-team field. The SEC and Big Ten have the power to drive any change to the format. Sankey acknowledged that upholding the value of the regular season is a factor in his preference for the 16-team model. "I understand why some of my members are frustrated because of the stress around losses, the desire for clarity on selection, no matter what the number is," Sankey said Wednesday. "But week after week, in the regular season especially, we don't have quarterbacks that start a game to continue their starting streak and sit out of the rest of the game (with a Playoff spot locked up)." |
| With push for 24-team CFP field ramping up, Greg Sankey and SEC holding fast against it | |
| After a 90-minute session over the future of the College Football Playoff format here at the Ritz-Carlton, one power conference commissioner exited a meeting room followed closely by one of the organization's media consultants. The two held a quiet but spirited discussion, presumably about what was just discussed within the room: Should the playoff expand to 16 teams or 24? The conversation between the two lasted a few more seconds before they disappeared down a hallway with no real resolution to the argument -- much like these meetings. The CFP's annual two-day spring meetings here this week produced, as expected, no decision on a future format. But, perhaps for the first time, the gathering paved the way for a more intense holistic examination and financial evaluation of a 24-team postseason -- support for which emerged last week during a presidential committee call that involved several high-profile CFP decision-makers. |
| NCAA Pushes Sweeping Eligibility Overhaul With New 'Five-in-Five' Proposal | |
| For years under NCAA president Charlie Baker's predecessor, Mark Emmert, administrators across the country begged for some semblance of leadership out of the organization's national office. Some direction amid trying times, some rallying cry amid legal losses or some newfound approach to get behind. Such wishes appear to have been granted as Baker is now firmly advocating for what portends to be the biggest foundational change to how the NCAA operates since freshmen were fully allowed to participate in college athletics back in 1972. Crucially too, he wants it done in the next few months -- akin to the speed of light in comparison to how the slow-moving bureaucracy in Indianapolis usually operates. Baker threw his full-throated support behind a move to the so-called "five-in-five" standard for student-athlete eligibility to eliminate the current restriction in Division I of playing four seasons within a five-year span that features numerous waivers and redshirts. Under the concept, athletes both domestically and internationally would fall under an age-based window of five years to compete beginning upon high-school graduation or when they turn 19 years old. |
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