| Wednesday, October 22, 2025 |
| $45M hotel, student housing project proposed for old city lagoon | |
 | A pair of Mississippi developers is eyeing a $45 million redevelopment project to transform an old stormwater detention area off Highway 12 behind Walk-On's into a mixed-use complex with a hotel and student housing facility. Ridgeland-based Desai Companies and Hattiesburg-based York Developments are partnering on the Sandcreek Redevelopment Project, which would include a 100-room Home2Suites hotel and a 504-bed student housing development on the roughly 21.6-acre site off Highway 12 and Pat Station Road, behind Walk-On's and La Quinta Inn. To complete the project, developers are seeking support from both the city and county through a tax increment financing agreement. If approved, the TIF would issue up to $3.35 million in bonds, split evenly between the city and county, to fund infrastructure improvements, including construction of a 1,367-foot road to the site and upgrades to Pat Station Road. During their Monday meeting, Oktibbeha County supervisors set a public hearing on the TIF proposal for their regular meeting Nov. 3. "It's nothing we haven't done in the past," Board President and District 3 Supervisor Marvell Howard told The Dispatch on Monday. "I think we'll be OK with this." The Starkville Board of Aldermen is expected to set its own public hearing date during its Nov. 4 meeting. Mayor Lynn Spruill expressed support for the plan during the board's work session Friday. Spruill said the old city lagoon site offers little value to the community. |
| Residents split on proposed towing ordinance | |
| Nearly a dozen residents packed into City Hall on Tuesday evening to voice their opinions for and against Starkville's proposed towing ordinance during the board of aldermen's regular monthly meeting. Tuesday's session marked the second public hearing on the proposal, and a third public hearing has been scheduled for the next board meeting Nov. 4. The measure, aimed at curbing "predatory" towing practices within city limits, would set new regulations for all towing companies operating in Starkville. Under the proposal, towing fees would be capped at $250 with storage fees limited to $45 per day. Companies would be required to maintain standard hours for vehicle release seven days a week and must be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends and holidays. The ordinance would also require visible signage in private parking lots where towing is enforced. Six residents and business representatives spoke against the ordinance, citing cost concerns and overreach on private property rights. Five residents spoke in favor of the ordinance. |
| Budget cuts to Medicaid, ACA leave Mississippi hospitals at risk | |
| When H.R. 1 or "The One Big Beautiful Bill" was proposed in Congress during the last legislative session, it outlined budgetary cuts to a number of programs including Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. Concerned about how the projected cuts may impact Mississippi hospitals, the Mississippi Hospital Association lobbied for changes to steer the budget cuts toward something more manageable, CEO and President Richard Roberson told the Rotary Club of Columbus on Tuesday. "The bill initially started off with some pretty bulky things that would have been really, really, really bad for Mississippi health care," Roberson said during the club's weekly meeting at Lion Hills Center. "To our delegation's credit, they were able to get some of that stuff walked back. ... And we were able to walk back some of the things that would have been incredibly detrimental to hospitals and other health care interests across the country but (that were) particularly bad for Mississippi." Roberson spoke with Rotarians about the current state of Mississippi's health care and about ways the state is looking to curb some of these potential issues from federal budget cuts to programs like Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. |
| A historic power move: $1.2B Entergy investment breaks all records in Warren County | |
 | The Vicksburg Warren Economic Development Partnership announced today that Entergy Mississippi will construct a new $1.2 billion Advanced Power Station (Power Plant) on the grounds of the former Baxter Wilson Steam Electric Station. The new power plant will be a 754-megawatt combined-cycle combustion turbine facility that will be built over the next several years. It is expected to generate a significant economic impact to the region including 581 jobs -- 560 construction and 21 operations related jobs. The new plant is part of "Superpower Mississippi," the largest grid update in Entergy's history, which makes distribution improvements, adds new generation, and prioritizes keeping customers' rates affordable while building an all-of-the-above generation mix that makes the electric grid more reliable and efficient. "Vicksburg is one of the four original cities we began serving in 1923, and we're proud to continue our legacy here with the Vicksburg Advanced Power Station," said Haley Fisackerly, president and CEO of Entergy Mississippi. "We're building new natural gas plants in our service area for the first time in more than 50 years. The upgrades are not only important to keeping bills affordable for our customers, but also to making sure we have the capacity to promote economic development, recruit new and higher-paying jobs, and power residential, commercial, industrial, and technology growth for Mississippi's future." |
| Amid tariff costs, a 'speed dating' event helps connect Southern auto suppliers, makers | |
 | The ballrooms in the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama, aren't exactly romantic. Think fluorescent lights, gray conference room dividers and loud, with more than 180 salespeople making their pitches. But for 13 years, the Southern Automotive Conference has held this matchmaking event to help kindle sparks between manufacturers and suppliers in the South's booming auto industry with a speed dating spin. U.S. companies get the full attention of household names like Hyundai and Mazda to pitch them on a partnership -- at least until the buzzer signals them to move on to the next "date." It's three hours of handshakes, business card swaps and industry jargon you'd expect at a conference networking night, packed into five-minute chunks. "The traditional trade show model, you spend a lot of time talking to the wrong people," Jack Grace, director of sales at Landrum Workforce Solutions, said. "Having this environment where it's very distilled, albeit a little chaotic, is really interesting." Foreign car makers, like Mercedes-Benz from Germany and Honda from Japan, dominate the American South's auto industry. And more jobs could come due to President Donald Trump's 25% tariffs on cars and auto parts, along with even higher tariffs on some materials, which have carmakers reconsidering their supply chains. "I have a ton of customers that are moving tools back from overseas," Courtney Bowling, an account manager with Stratosphere Quality, said while waiting to sign up for a meeting with Volkswagen. "It's more jobs for American workers, and I love that." |
| Mississippi lawmakers revisit tourism agency bill after governor's veto | |
 | A proposal to make tourism its own department in Mississippi is likely to return to the Legislature next year after falling short in 2025, supporters say. The plan would separate Visit Mississippi -- the state's tourism division -- from the Mississippi Development Authority, which handles economic and community development. It would create a standalone tourism agency with its own director -- a move advocates say would give the multibillion-dollar industry more viability and flexibility. State Sen. Mike Thompson, R-48th District, said he and other legislators plan to reintroduce a version of the "Mississippi Tourism Reorganization Act" during the 2026 session. The original bill, SB 2573, passed both chambers earlier this year but was vetoed by Gov. Tate Reeves over budget concerns. "Because Senate Bill 2573 is unaccompanied by its companion appropriations bills, I am compelled to veto it at this time," Reeves wrote in his veto message. "It would be irresponsible to either cripple the efforts of MDA at a time when the Mississippi economy is booming or to set up the newly created Mississippi Department of Tourism to fail." Danielle Morgan, executive director of the Mississippi Tourism Association -- an industry advocacy group that provides training, networking and legislative outreach for tourism professionals -- said the bill would give tourism a stronger role in state government. |
| From fighting crime to addressing blight, Jackson mayor sees opportunities for unity, better coordination | |
| Jackson Mayor John Horhn has focused on several areas during his first 100 days in office, but the one garnering the most of his time is fighting crime, from placing more police officers on the street to finding outlets for the city's youth. During his first State of the City address Tuesday afternoon, Horhn listed many of his administration's accomplishments since taking office, from much-needed road paving and gutter clearing to fostering a better working relationship with other local, state, and national officials while also working to erase blight. "We're riding into a bold new future for our city," Horhn told the crowd gathered at the Mississippi Museum of Art. When the mayor began his half-hour address, he spoke of strides the city is making in combating crime. He said on October 21, 2024, Jackson recorded 89 killings. Today, Horhn said that number has dropped to 51 a year later. "While that is a 41 percent decrease, even one death is one death too many," he said. Mayor Horhn emphasized that the narrative for Jackson's young people must be changed or they will be a lost generation. There must be alternatives for the city's young people, he said, because it is impossible to police Jackson's way out of youth crime. Alternatives can include counseling and workforce training. |
| What's the condition of Jackson? Mayor Horhn delivers his first State of the City address | |
| In a city with historic, persisting challenges -- from infrastructure woes to a dwindling tax base -- how do you measure the success of a new mayor's first 100 days in office? "Whether we get things done," Jackson Mayor John Horhn said after his State of the City address Tuesday. " I think there's a visible difference in how the city is starting to look. Things are cleaner. They're not totally where we want to be by far, but we're starting to see signs that the city is pushing itself up. Our homicide rate is down. It's not down to where we want it to be, but it's 40% down from this time last year. We have investors that are looking at Jackson in ways that they haven't looked at it before." In his speech at the downtown Mississippi Museum of Art garden, Horhn praised his "crackerjack staff" and the work of his appointments to several task forces formed at the start of his administration. He touted the $125 million secured for road resurfacing and the work that began Monday to fix water leaks at the Jackson Zoo. Horhn, who previously served in the state Senate, has made inroads with state leaders. In both legislative chambers, lawmakers are convening to study policy proposals to improve Jackson. In Republican Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann's recent announcement of a new Senate committee focused on economic development in Jackson, he described the city as "entering a new chapter" after having battled with the previous administration. |
| 'This is just the start': Horhn talks initial achievements, goals in first address as Jackson mayor | |
| Jackson Mayor John Horhn took the podium Tuesday at the Mississippi Museum of Art for his first State of the City speech, using the opportunity to tout achievements during his first three and a half months in office and giving residents a glimpse into his plans for the future. The Democrat, who previously served as a state senator and won the mayor's office in his fourth bid, spoke for over 30 minutes on an array of topics such as public safety, infrastructure, blight, resident care, economic development, and entertainment opportunities. At the crux of every topic was one word Horhn repeated on the campaign trail and continues to vouch as a key to success: relationships. The relationships built by Horhn over his three-decade-plus career in government have already begun to bear fruit for the capital, he said. He provided several examples, including an agreement with the Hinds County Board of Supervisors to repair potholes, securing at least $125 million through local and federal sources for further infrastructure improvements, and working with congressional members to reallocate money to Jackson's water system for operations and maintenance costs. Two new announcements Horhn made pertained to attracting economic development and helping single mothers battling poverty. For the first time, the Mississippi Development Authority has assigned a dedicated private officer to specifically focus on Jackson. A continued partnership with a local nonprofit, Magnolia Mother's Trust, is resulting in a new pledge of $1 million going to support single mothers living in public housing. |
| 'Medicaid Cut Me Off': A Rural Health Center Faces New Pressures | |
 | When Dr. Marketta Blue bursts into an examination room, she greets her patients as long-lost friends, a whirl of energy in leopard-print Crocs: "Tell me what's up!" Dr. Blue is a family physician at Delta Health Center, the oldest federally funded rural community health center in the United States. The center sits in the Mississippi Delta, at the entrance to Mound Bayou, which was founded in 1887 as an all-Black town. Today, more than half of the town's children live below the federal poverty line. Last year, the health center saw just over 14,000 patients, 36 percent of whom had Medicaid. Insurance was on the mind of one patient, Johnie Williams, 64, who shifted uncomfortably in his wheelchair as Dr. Blue entered his exam room in early September. His wife, Carolyn Williams, sat nearby, cradling their granddaughter. He was having trouble sleeping at night, he told Dr. Blue. When he lay down in bed, his lungs felt like cement, like no air could pass through. He felt nauseated all the time, which made it hard to eat. Also, he said, "Medicaid cut me off." He had received a letter about the change in his coverage in July, although he noted that he still had health care coverage through Medicare. (He'd previously had both). Their conversation could well be a precursor to many similar ones to come. |
| Anti-science bills hit statehouses, stripping away public health protections built over a century | |
 | More than 420 anti-science bills attacking longstanding public health protections -- vaccines, milk safety and fluoride -- have been introduced in statehouses across the U.S. this year, part of an organized, politically savvy campaign to enshrine a conspiracy theory-driven agenda into law. An Associated Press investigation found that the wave of legislation has cropped up in most states, pushed by people with close ties to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The effort would strip away protections that have been built over a century and are integral to American lives and society. Around 30 bills have been enacted or adopted in 12 states. Trump administration officials are directing activists to push anti-science legislation in the states – where public health authority rests -- with the ultimate goal of changing laws and minds nationally. The effort normalizes ideas fueled by the anti-vaccine movement that Kennedy has helped lead for years. His Make America Healthy Again agenda masks anti-science ideas while promoting goals such as making food more natural or reducing chemicals. Kennedy's allies dispute that their agenda is anti-science or driven by conspiracy theories, but many experts disagree. "The march of conspiracy thinking from the margins to the mainstream now guiding public policy should be a wake-up call for all Americans," said Devin Burghart, president and executive director of the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights, who has tracked the anti-vaccine movement for decades. "People are literally going to die from it as a result." |
| US ranchers oppose Trump's plan to import more Argentine beef and experts doubt it will lower prices | |
| President Donald Trump 's plan to cut record beef prices by importing more meat from Argentina is running into heated opposition from U.S. ranchers who are enjoying some rare profitable years and skepticism from experts who say the president's move probably wouldn't lead to cheaper prices at grocery stores. The National Cattlemen's Beef Association along with the Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund United Stockgrowers of America and other farming groups -- who are normally some of the president's biggest supporters -- all criticized Trump's idea because of what it could do to American ranchers and feedlot operators. And agricultural economists say Argentine beef accounts for such a small slice of beef imports -- only about 2% -- that even doubling that wouldn't change prices much. South Dakota rancher Brett Kenzy said he wants American consumers to determine whether beef is too expensive, not the government. And so far there is little sign that consumers are substituting chicken or other proteins for beef on their shopping lists even though the average price of a pound of ground beef hit its highest point ever at $6.32 in the latest report before the government shutdown began. "I love 'Make America Great Again' rhetoric. I love 'America First' rhetoric," he said. "But to me this feels a lot like the failed policies of the past -- the free trade sourcing cheap global goods." |
| Trump Administration to Release Farm Aid Frozen by Shutdown | |
 | The Trump administration is planning to release more than $3 billion in aid to U.S. farmers that had been frozen as a result of the government shutdown, as the agriculture sector grapples with the fallout from President Trump's tariffs. Trump directed the Agriculture Department to distribute the money from a fund that was used to bail out distressed farmers during Trump's first term, according to administration officials. Because of furloughs and closed USDA offices, farmers have been unable to access some of the department's safety-net programs. Farmers around the country are struggling to make a profit. They are in the midst of harvesting one of the largest corn and soybean crops in history, fueling a glut that is driving down prices. Rising costs for fertilizer and farm equipment are also squeezing their balance sheets On Thursday, the USDA plans to resume Farm Service Agency core operations, which have been closed for three weeks during the government shutdown. This will allow farmers to access aid, including some safety-net programs. The administration is discussing a bailout of more than $10 billion for farmers struggling because of Trump's trade war, but that new relief is on hold while the government is shut down, administration officials said. The reopening of programs and offices would allow farmers to access available funding in the meantime. |
| Rollins touts 'big announcement' as USDA readies to unfreeze $3B for farmers | |
 | The Trump administration is expected to release $3 billion in aid to help struggling farmers, money that has been frozen during the shutdown. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins discussed the upcoming development Tuesday on "The Hill" on NewsNation. "We've got a big announcement coming tomorrow," she told host Blake Burman, who replied "Make it here." "I would love to, but I may be at the White House doing it, but I've this first time I've said that, there is a really big announcement coming tomorrow, and what we're going to do to restore and revitalize our beef herd in America, which ultimately will bring the prices down," Rollins said. White House officials have directed the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to use funds from the Commodity Credit Corporation to help farmers manage to break even amid the largest corn and soybean crops. The release of the aid, expected to be announced on Wednesday at the White House, comes as farmers have been hard hit by the trade war, which led foreign countries such as China to cut their purchases of soybeans, for example, as other tariffs raise the price of supplies and cut off markets. |
| Trump suggests no need for another 'big, beautiful bill' | |
 | President Donald Trump potentially closed the door to another reconciliation bill Tuesday, telling Republican senators at the White House that this summer's "big beautiful bill" contained "everything" he desired and that no additional legislation is necessary. Soon after the reconciliation package became law in July, Speaker Mike Johnson touted plans for passing two more such measures to expand on the Republican agenda without the risk of a Senate filibuster. But Trump appeared to dismiss the need for that effort in televised remarks at a Rose Garden lunch that was designed partly to show GOP unity as the partial government shutdown enters its fourth week. "We don't need to pass any more bills," he told the gathering. "We got everything in that bill," including "the largest tax cuts in history. We got the extension of the Trump tax cuts. We got all of these things." Any chance of a second reconciliation bill would depend on how much Trump wants it, since his pressure would likely be necessary to round up enough Republican votes. And the cards were already stacked against the effort, given the amount of time and energy that completing fiscal 2026 appropriations was going to take -- a task that has only grown larger as a result of the partial shutdown. |
| Trump has claimed millions from the government. He could order payment. | |
 | Ever since his inauguration in January, President Donald Trump has sat uncharacteristically silent in the face of a potential windfall of more than $100 million from U.S. taxpayers. As a private citizen, he claimed he was entitled to money to compensate him for what he calls politicized investigations he underwent. As president, he could now, in effect, order that government to pay him. If the payment came in the form of a settlement, the White House might be under no immediate legal obligation to disclose it to the public. On Tuesday, when the subject was spotlighted in a news report, the president responded to questions with equivocation. "All I know is they would owe me a lot of money, but I'm not looking for money," Trump told reporters, adding that if he did get a payment, "any money that I would get, I would give to charity." "It's interesting because I'm the one that makes a decision. And, you know, that decision would have to go across my desk," he said. "It's awfully strange to make a decision where I'm paying myself." Thousands of such claims are filed each year. Trump's claims, however, are the only ones filed by the person who appoints the Justice Department's leaders. |
| Ingrassia withdraws nomination after racist texts | |
 | Paul Ingrassia withdrew his nomination to lead the Office of Special Counsel, a day after POLITICO reported a slew of inflammatory texts he made to fellow Republicans in a group chat, according to the messages. Ingrassia was set to testify before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Thursday. But several Republican senators came out against the 30-year-old lawyer, dooming his bid. "He's no longer being nominated," a White House official said. On Monday, POLITICO reported that Ingrassia made a number of offensive remarks in a text message chain and said he had a "Nazi streak," according to the messages. His lawyer did not confirm the texts were authentic and said they "could be manipulated or are being provided with material context omitted." Ingrassia, who continues to serve as White House liaison to the Department of Homeland Security, has also faced a sexual harassment investigation into his conduct, allegations which an Ingrassia lawyer denied. The report led Senate Majority Leader John Thune to tell reporters on Monday that he hoped the White House would withdraw the nomination and that "he's not gonna pass." At least three other Republicans also signaled they would oppose Ingrassia's confirmation: Sens. Rick Scott of Florida, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and James Lankford of Oklahoma. "I'm not supporting him," Scott said before his appearance at the hearing was pulled. "I can't imagine how anybody can be antisemitic in this country. It's wrong." |
| Trump's looming DEI investigations have corporations on edge | |
 | While testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee in July, Harmeet Dhillon, the assistant attorney general for civil rights, issued a warning about the Trump administration's crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. "Either DEI will end on its own," Dhillon told senators, "or we will kill it." Just hours after he took the oath of office, President Donald Trump issued executive orders to dismantle diversity programs and directed federal contractors to end "illegal DEI discrimination." Fearing lawsuits and the loss of government contracts, dozens of the nation's largest companies from McDonald's to Facebook owner Meta rolled back or eliminated DEI programs. Worried the Trump administration will target them next, executives are doing everything they can to comply with the president's directives and stay out of his crosshairs, said one lawyer on the condition of anonymity so he could discuss private client matters. "What you see are companies bending themselves to the will of the president," he said. "The White House is in charge." Government scrutiny has only intensified as the Trump administration moves aggressively to pressure employers into overhauling hiring practices to align with the president's political agenda. In recent months, the Justice Department has signaled its intention to investigate federal contractors and grant recipients who "knowingly" violate civil rights laws. |
| Vance Says He's Not in Israel to Babysit Gaza Truce and Emphasizes Partnership | |
| Vice President JD Vance said on Wednesday that a flurry of recent visits to Israel by top American officials was intended to oversee the fragile cease-fire deal in Gaza and not to "monitor a toddler," as he and the Israeli prime minister insisted they were allies collaborating closely. "We don't want a vassal state, and that's not what Israel is," Mr. Vance said. "We don't want a client state, and that's not what Israel is. We want a partnership." Mr. Vance made the comments after meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, during a trip that was taking place just over a week after President Trump visited Israel. A spokeswoman for Mr. Netanyahu's office said that Secretary of State Marco Rubio was set to arrive in the country on Thursday, and would meet with the prime minister a day later. Steve Witkoff, Mr. Trump's Middle East envoy, and Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law, have also been in Israel this week. The vice president said the high-level visits were part of U.S. efforts to protect the cease-fire. But Mr. Vance cautioned that implementing the next steps in the cease-fire deal was "not going to be easy." Based on parts of a proposal put forward in September by Mr. Trump, Israel and Hamas agreed this month to a truce in their two-year war. But the cease-fire has come under increasing strain in recent days amid repeated flare-ups of violence in Gaza. |
| The AWS Outage Was a Nightmare for College Students | |
 | When Abby Fagerlin tried logging into Canvas, a popular educational technology platform, to check on her assignments Monday morning, she couldn't get in. That meant the 19-year-old college sophomore, who is studying physics at Pasadena City College, was unable to access materials she needed for her three classes, which were hosted on or linked through the learning management system. After searching online, she realized the Amazon Web Services outage that crippled much of the internet Monday had also temporarily taken down Canvas. Fagerlin also couldn't be sure if she'd missed a message from her professors -- some of whom she said communicated exclusively with their students through a messaging system hosted on Canvas. Going to talk to one of her professors to ask for physical materials from his class, meanwhile, posed a separate challenge. "His office hours are [posted] on Canvas," she said. It wasn't just Fagerlin having problems. More than a dozen students at colleges and universities across the country told WIRED the Canvas outage threw off their schedules, preventing them from not just submitting and viewing assignments but also from participating in class activities, contacting professors, and accessing the textbooks and other materials they need to study. The outage stemmed from AWS's northern Virginia hub, called US-EAST-1. By Monday evening Eastern time, Amazon said all AWS services had been restored. But the disruptions to students are a testament to just how popular Canvas is on college campuses -- and how much of modern educational life is increasingly centered on a handful of educational technology platforms. Many of the students who spoke to WIRED were feeling the same panic -- especially given how crucial the Canvas platform is to their college experience. |
| Former Ole Miss employee sues Ole Miss chancellor, Claims firing violated First Amendment | |
| A former University of Mississippi employee has filed a federal lawsuit against Chancellor Glenn Boyce, alleging she was wrongfully fired over a private social media post and that the university violated her First Amendment rights. Lauren Stokes filed the suit Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi. The complaint names Boyce as a defendant in both his official and personal capacities, accusing him of retaliating against her for constitutionally protected speech. According to the filing, Stokes was terminated from her position as executive assistant to the vice chancellor of university development on Sept. 11, one day after she reposted a statement on her private Instagram account reacting to the killing of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk. The repost criticized Kirk's past rhetoric, including statements about race and sexuality. Stokes removed the repost and issued an apology later that evening, writing that she did not support violence "of any sort" and regretted offending anyone. The next day she was placed on paid administrative leave before being asked to resign and then fired by noon, the complaint states. The lawsuit contends that as a public university, Ole Miss cannot terminate employees for expressing personal opinions on matters of public concern. Citing a series of Supreme Court rulings, Stokes's attorney, Alysson Mills of New Orleans, argues that "the state does not get to pick winners and losers among various points of view." |
| Ole Miss program builds teacher pipeline in rural schools | |
| A partnership launched in 1997 between Marshall County Schools and the Mississippi Teacher Corps at the University of Mississippi has transformed into a pipeline for educators reshaping classrooms and leadership across the district. Sixty-one Mississippi Teacher Corps educators began their teaching careers in Marshall County since the first placements there in 1997, including eight alumni who stayed and eight teachers enrolled in the program. "The partnership with Marshall County is one of the strongest we have," said Joe Sweeney, the program's director and an alumnus of the program. "We know the district is going to support our MTC teachers, and that is really important to us. "The efforts of everyone in the district have led to historic gains in the district's rating, and we are glad our teachers have been a part of that." The alternate-route teacher preparation program is based in the UM School of Education, recruits Mississippi and out-of-state students and places them in high-need Mississippi public schools. MTC provides a full scholarship for a master's degree in teaching. Participants commit to teach for at least two years, and many choose to remain in the classroom long after. In Marshall County, that consistency is paying off. |
| USM students host candidate forum ahead of Nov. 4 Special Election | |
 | With a special election just two weeks away, students at the University of Southern Mississippi are helping connect voters with candidates through a student-led forum. The event brought together local and state candidates ahead of the Nov. 4 special election. "The purpose of this is to engage young people in being active in the political process," said Keenon Walker, South Regional Coordinator of the Mississippi Votes Action Fund. The forum was organized by students from the MVAF and USM's NAACP student chapter, with help from local high schoolers. "I think when students get engaged at an early age, they want to learn more," Walker said. "And, an educated voter is a powerful voter." Candidates for State Senate District 44 and District 45, as well as Forrest County Circuit Court judge, shared their platforms and answered questions from the audience. District 44 Republican candidate Chris Johnson was not in attendance, but Democratic candidate Shakita Taylor spoke on the importance of events like this. "It gives us an opportunity to hear from our constituents what they want, what is bothering them, what are their concerns," Taylor said. "And, it gives us an opportunity to answer those questions." District 45 candidates Anna Rush and Johnny DuPree also took the stage to speak directly with students and community members. |
| Southwest Mississippi Community College stage band to perform at White House | |
| Six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan famously said, "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." While the former Chicago Bull said that over 40 years ago, it's a motto that's still used today not only in sports but also across other avenues of life -- including inside the band offices at Southwest Mississippi Community College. Joe Raymond, the band director at the community college in Summit, said that's the quote that popped into his head when he saw an Instagram post from the White House's official account looking for holiday entertainers. The post was sent to Raymond by SMCC stage band director Lorin Lewis, who he immediately responded to and told her they should apply. "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take," he said, repeating Jordan's famous quote. "The White House posted on Instagram that they were looking for entertainers for the Christmas season, and when Lorin saw that post and sent me a message, I told her we need to push that button and submit." So, Raymond and Lewis compiled four videos of SMCC's stage band -- a 22-member subsection of the school's larger Big Bear Band -- and filled out the application. |
| Mobile Center Helps Mississippi Students With College and Career Planning Services | |
| Clarksdale High School Graduation Coach Tre'Shawn Malone exited the front doors of the high school and escorted two senior students to a 17-foot truck parked in the bus loop. As they approached the Get2College Mobile Unit, an outside TV monitor played YouTube videos about college. Malone verified that the team was ready and then sent one student into the back of the unit. The second stepped on the custom mat and climbed the stairs into the front of the vehicle. Inside, Daniela Griffin had closed the wall that creates two private offices and sat down on a stool in the walkway while the student took a seat on the other side of a foldout table. Within minutes, she had pulled up the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and was mirroring it on the screen above the desk. "I don't think they realize until after they step out that, 'Oh, I was in an appointment in there,' because it really is a homey space, a very comfortable space for individuals to get on and be serviced," Griffin told the Mississippi Free Press on Oct. 2. The Get2College Mobile Center brings free college and career planning services directly to students and families across the state, with a particular focus on the Mississippi Delta. The unit began operations on Oct. 1 and will initially serve students in Carroll, Coahoma, Holmes, Tallahatchie, Tunica and Quitman counties -- rural and underserved areas that have traditionally faced barriers to college admission. |
| Airbus announces historic partnership with U. of South Alabama | |
 | The University of South Alabama announced a partnership with Airbus North America on Tuesday in what is likely the largest corporate partnership the Mobile-based university has made in its 62-year history. The agreement will provide educational opportunities and a training ground for future employees of Airbus -- the world's largest commercial plane maker -- which operates its largest assembly plant in North America at the Mobile Aerosplex at Brookley south of downtown Mobile. "We want to work to build a pathway from the classroom to the factory and into our engineering teams," said Airbus North America Chairman & CEO Robin Hayes during the partnership announcement at the university's MacQueen Alumni Center. "We want to harness the power of partnership here to conduct industry benchmarking, support curriculum development, and create internships providing Airbus amazing talent." USA President Jo Bonner said the institution is working closely with Airbus with the intention of making announcements soon. He said more details will be released in the "next few months." "They will need space," Bonner said. "We've got some space. They will probably need even more space. They need tens of thousands of engineers, accountants, supply chain logistics people. They are looking to expand their footprint beyond Brookley, and we are certainly a great place to do so." |
| Tennessee's Faculty Senate cuts 'Diversity and Inclusion' language, addresses social media and immigration concerns | |
| The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Faculty Senate met Monday afternoon to discuss a range of current issues and concerns facing faculty. This included the removal of DEI language in Faculty Senate bylaws, creating potential guidelines for faculty on social media and updates surrounding the status of international faculty and students. Sen. Jason Brown and Sen. Matthew Pamental of the senate's Diversity and Inclusion Committee proposed a name change to the committee, renaming it the Access and Engagement Committee. The change comes as a response to Tennessee's new House Bill 923, the "Dismantling DEI Departments Act," which prohibits certain public entities from maintaining or authorizing departments that are perceived to promote DEI. The senate approved the name change, bringing the committee to align with the university's Division of Access and Engagement, Student Government Association's Undergraduate Senate and other university organizations that have undergone the same name change. ... Charles Noble, president of the senate, notified senators that the Faculty Affairs Committee and senate leadership were drafting faculty social media guidelines, prompting backlash from some senators at the meeting. UT Provost John Zomchick also commented on the guidelines during his update to the senate. "We've been talking about academic freedom and talking about freedom of speech," Zomchick said. "I would love to see a discussion about faculty responsibility in terms of how we engage with the public." |
| UT Austin refuses to say if it will make a deal with Trump to get more funding | |
| Officials at the University of Texas refuse to say whether they will accept a deal with the president's administration in exchange for federal funding opportunities despite a key deadline passing -- becoming the only institution that was offered the deal to not publicly indicate its decision or feedback. Seven of the nine schools -- offered money in exchange for promises to protect conservative voices, cap international student enrollment and teach that there are only two genders -- rejected the terms. Vanderbilt University said publicly it was open to more discussion but has not accepted or rejected the deal. A spokesman for UT did not respond to questions asking about the school's response, though the deadline to provide feedback to the presidential administration was Monday. The declining schools -- and the critics who urged the rejection -- said the compact would allow financial awards to be determined for allegiance to political priorities, not just merit of scientific research. Many acknowledged that they agreed with some of the Trump administration's priorities but feared signing the compact is not the way to achieve excellence. UT also already adheres to some principles in the compact, such as institutional neutrality; international student enrollment below 15%; and no diversity statements in hiring. |
| U. of Oklahoma's Southwest Prevention Center receives $50 million grant to lead Suicide Prevention Resource Center | |
| The Southwest Prevention Center at OU Outreach received a five-year, $50 million grant from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to lead the national Suicide Prevention Resource Center. The grant will also be used to renew the University of Oklahoma's management of the Southwest Prevention Center, a department of OU Outreach that advocates for the prevention of drug abuse and related high-risk behaviors, according to a Tuesday press release. According to the release, the resource center trains more than 14,000 people annually and has garnered about 1.7 million website views over the past five years. Belinda Biscoe, OU senior associate vice president for Outreach, wrote in the release that the grant represents a commitment to strengthening communities across the nation. "We are humbled and honored to lead this effort, bringing together science, compassion and innovation to advance suicide prevention," Biscoe wrote. "The significance of this award is national in scope, but deeply personal in its impact -- it is about offering hope, reducing suffering, and ensuring that every life is valued and protected." The release states that Shelby Rowe, Suicide Prevention Resource Center executive director, led staff on OU's Norman campus and Health campus in working with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to revise the national strategy for suicide prevention |
| An increasingly high-tech career: farming | |
 | Just above and to the right of farmer Thad Becker's steering wheel in his John Deere combine is a screen about the size of an iPad. "I've got readouts on yield, current yield and current moisture of the crop ... how many acres I've done, how many total bushels I've harvested in the field," Becker said. "And I've got a lot of other options too." Becker is harvesting this year's soybean crop in a farm field near Mexico, Missouri. After turning the massive machine around at the end of each row, he selects an option from the screen beside him and the combine takes over, steering itself. This high-tech type of farming is called precision agriculture. Put simply, it's about inputs and outputs -- using data to assess exactly what farmers add to the soil to produce a successful crop. "When you take a look at weeds across a field, they're not uniformly spaced across the field, you'll have clumps here and clumps there," said Jason Norsworthy, a distinguished professor and Elms Farming Chair of Weed Science at the University of Arkansas. He grew up on a small vegetable farm in south-central Arkansas. "It was intense labor. Weed control was a major component of what we fought on a daily basis," he said. Norsworthy has now made a career of suppressing weeds. He's been a professor of weed science for more than 26 years, studying herbicide resistance, chemical alternatives and agriculture techniques that aim to save growers money and reduce environmental damage. |
| Interest in American M.B.A. Programs Shrinks, but Schools Across Asia Are Booming | |
| Applications to U.S. business schools slumped this year as many international students, worried about tighter visa restrictions, opted for schools closer to home. Interest in M.B.A. programs in the U.S. dropped 1% in 2025, while applications to business-school programs worldwide increased 7%, according to a new survey of schools by the Graduate Management Admission Council, a nonprofit that tracks application trends. That is a significant about-face from last year, when applications to many U.S. business schools surged as American professionals who were frustrated by the white-collar job market tried to wait out sluggish hiring by going back to school. This year, many young American professionals appear to be hanging on to the jobs they have. Worldwide, applications to business-school programs increased 7% this year, GMAC reported, thanks to sizable jumps in international applications across Asia, India and Europe. In East Asia, including China, international applications were up 42%. In India, they were 26% higher. And Europe registered a 9% increase. Several renowned U.S. business schools, including the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago and NYU's Stern School of Business, continued to see increases in applications for their full-time M.B.A. programs. Most of the drop in interest occurred at schools outside the top 30 to 50 ranked programs, said Joy Jones, chief executive of GMAC. |
| Colleges Face a Reckoning: Is a Degree Really Necessary? | |
| On the outskirts of Wyoming's capital, two advertisements about a minute apart offered starkly different paths. A nonprofit group's billboard promoted a way to earn money for college. The other, from Walmart, dangled pay exceeding $30 an hour. The dueling choices underscored a fundamental tension for the nation's teenagers and adults alike, one that has become vivid in the Trump era: Is college something all Americans need? For decades, it was close to an article of faith among education leaders, scholars and politicians, regardless of political ideology, that most people should go to college. But in many places, most jobs do not require college degrees, and doubts over the value of higher education have metastasized as student debt has soared and the ranks of dropouts have grown. College has become a sharp dividing line in American life, and the disconnect between higher education's promises and its sometimes-frustrating reality has helped fuel a conservative movement to upend academia. Over the last decade, though, nearly every state tried to get more people to earn a certificate or a degree after high school. Wyoming, which has just one public university, was among the states that bought into the campaign to push more of its residents toward higher education. Like most others, it made headway, but far less than it had hoped. And an uncomfortable question still lurks after seven years of trying to entice more students, even for people like Joe Schaffer, the Laramie County Community College president who both championed the state's ambition and warned of the siren song of Walmart's wages. "How do we make education much more relevant to the student?" |
| 'Because I Said So': Universities Double Down on Unwritten Policies | |
 | In front of a few dozen faculty members at a town hall–style meeting on Oct. 10, Angelo State University president Ronnie Hawkins said, repeatedly, that new university policies prohibiting discussion of transgender identity in class would not be written down. "We have not put out any written guidance on that, but it's tied to that executive order that the president put out, and then also the directive of the governor, and so that's what makes it law for us to have to follow here at Angelo State University," Hawkins said, referencing orders by President Donald Trump and Gov. Greg Abbott that recognize only two genders -- male and female. "But there's no other written types of documentation that we plan to be putting out that's tied to that." Angelo State, one of five institutions in the Texas Tech University system, has been in the news for weeks over murky new directives, passed down telephone-style from university leaders to deans to faculty members, that prohibit faculty from acknowledging more than two gender identities. The rules have confusing and widespread implications; for example, faculty are unsure whether they can display a pride flag in their own office, field student questions about transgender identity or teach health-care students how to care for someone who has had gender-confirmation surgery. The Oct. 10 town hall didn't clear anything up. |
| Many Colleges Have Turned Down Trump's Compact. Now Some Are Willing to Talk. | |
 | Most of the nine high-profile institutions that initially received the Trump administration's "compact" have rejected its proposed new terms of engagement with higher education. But the more-nuanced responses that came on Monday -- the administration's stated deadline for institutions to offer feedback -- signaled a willingness to talk with the White House, and point to a continued division in the sector about how to interact with the Trump administration. Such responses suggest what may be an emerging desire among higher-ed leaders to enter into a dialogue and perhaps even shape the sector's relationship with the White House as it tries to exert influence over admissions and hiring practices, "viewpoint diversity," and enrollment in exchange for preference in federal funding. The range of responses to the compact reflects the realities of a decentralized and highly distributed higher-ed sector. "Each of these schools is doing what they think is in the best interest of their school," said H. Holden Thorp, a former chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a former provost of WashU. That, he added, "frustrates a lot of people who want to see some kind of movement, but the university presidents don't get paid to save the whole country. They get paid to protect their school and the people who work at their school, and I think all of them came to different conclusions about how to do that. There certainly wasn't a collective response, and I didn't expect one." |
| After a social media post justifying the murder of Charlie Kirk led to her dismissal, Lauren Stokes has sued Ole Miss Chancellor Glenn Boyce | |
| The Magnolia Tribune's Russ Latino writes: Following the assassination of Charlie Kirk on September 10th, University of Mississippi employee Lauren Stokes shared a social media post that labeled the slain conservative a white supremacist and "reimagined" Klan member, and expressed the absence of remorse over his murder. The post sparked a firestorm that spread nationally, with millions of views on social media, across multiple platforms, and outrage directed both at Stokes and the University of Mississippi. Stokes employment, at the time of posting, was in the office of the Vice Chancellor for Development -- the division of the university responsible for raising money from alumni. The original post that outed Stokes on September 10th received over 2.6 million views alone. By early afternoon on September 11th, the University released a statement which acknowledged the social media post of Stokes, while not naming her, and indicating that she was no longer employed. On Tuesday, Stokes fired back, filing a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Northern District alleging a violation of her First Amendment rights and viewpoint discrimination. The lawsuit was filed against Chancellor Glenn Boyce, in both his official and personal capacity, but does not name the University of Mississippi as a defendant. |
| After 60 years, Supreme Court reconsiders Voting Rights Act amid partisan controversy | |
| Columnist Sid Salter writes: Six decades ago, it was evident that the promises of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 would be difficult if not impossible to deliver without passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The VRA put some teeth in the CRA. The VRA was particularly strident in the old Confederacy states in which resistance to civil rights and hence voting rights were strongest. In the VRA's Section 5, it was mandated that any change in election laws and procedures must be subject to "preclearance" by the U.S. Justice Department in advance of implementation. In 1965, "preclearance" was said to be a temporary requirement that would expire in five years. ... In 2013, the Supreme Court ruled in Shelby County v. Holder that it was "unconstitutional to use the coverage formula in Section 4(b) of the VRA to determine which jurisdictions are subject to the preclearance requirement of Section 5 of the VRA." The high court did not rule on the constitutionality of Section 5 itself. The high court said, in essence, that times and circumstances have changed in the U.S. In the wake of the 5-4 decision of the Supreme Court in Holder that held that Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act was unconstitutional unless Congress retooled it as a national safeguard against the denial of voting rights rather than as a regional safeguard applied primarily in the South. Congress never rose to address that judicial challenge. The question remains: Was the VRA a vehicle to equal access to the right to vote and the ability to have fair legislative districts drawn, or was it a vehicle designed to guarantee partisan or racial outcomes at the ballot box? |
SPORTS
| Jans talks upcoming season, new players at Starkville Rotary | |
| If there's one thing Chris Jans wants to stop talking about, it's his hole-in-one. News of Mississippi State's head men's basketball coach sinking an ace while golfing trickled out online in the last few weeks and was a significant talking point at SEC's men's hoops media days last week. The outburst of news made it seem as if it was a recent accomplishment, but he actually did it in July. "I'm not sure why it's becoming public now, but yeah it was awesome," Jans said. Chatting about golf was a light way to begin his talk Monday at the Starkville Rotary Club about the challenges of the upcoming basketball season and his new and returning players as the Bulldogs get ready to embark on their fourth season under Jans. He's led State to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances, all first-round exits, including last season's 75-72 loss to Baylor. But before he delved into what's new for MSU hoops, he touched on the football program's recent 23-21 loss at Florida and urged fans to keep supporting the team. While the football program is focused on taking on Texas this week, MSU's basketball program with Jans at the helm has been working on getting ready for an exhibition game against Houston, the national runners-up, in Rosenberg, Texas, on Sunday. |
| Goalkeeper gamble pays off as MSU gets back to winning ways at Alabama | |
| Mississippi State soccer returned to winning ways on Sunday in Tuscaloosa, blanking a prolific Alabama squad in hostile territory to win 1-0. The return of Ally Perry was important, and she combined with co-captain Zoe Main in the first half to create the only goal of the game. Main controlled the pinpoint pass and beat her defender before firing past the goalkeeper, showcasing her skill in front of goal to equal her scoring tally from last season. There was another change in personnel from the 5-1 defeat to Vanderbilt last week, and a somewhat surprising one. Freshman goalkeeper Jenny Harrison made her first start between the sticks for MSU, recording eight saves against a flurry of chances from the Crimson Tide's attacking line. "To be honest, I was ready for this game," Harrison said in her post-game SEC Network interview. "It's a long way to come here and perform with my team, and my team did an amazing job today. I'm proud of them." Alabama's record of 37 goals in 16 games spelled a potentially long night across the state border for MSU, especially after conceding five goals to Vanderbilt at home last week. Making a change at goalkeeper, and bringing in a freshman at that, was a bold decision but it paid off for head coach Nick Zimmerman. The Bulldogs host No. 19 Georgia at the MSU Soccer Field at 2 p.m. Sunday for the regular-season finale. |
| Texas A&M draws SEC's first $50K fine for faking an injury | |
| Texas A&M became the first SEC football program to receive a $50,000 fine from the conference Tuesday for violating its policy on players faking injuries in games. Texas A&M was found in violation of the NCAA playing rules governing feigning injuries for a play in the fourth quarter of the Aggies' 45-42 win at Arkansas on Saturday, in which defensive back Tyreek Chappell sat down on the field to stop play after the ball had already been spotted. Steve Shaw, the national coordinator of football officials, reviewed video submitted by the SEC of the situation, which occurred with 12:36 remaining and Texas A&M leading 38-27. Before Chappell went down, a Texas A&M staff member can be seen on video standing near the 25-yard line signaling to Chappell and pointing to the ground. Chappell had no contact during the previous play and showed no signs of injury until he sat down and pointed to his right leg. Texas A&M was flagged and charged a timeout because Chappell presented as injured after the ball was spotted. The senior cornerback returned to the game on the second play of Arkansas' next offensive drive. |
| How a Tight End from Sweden Explains Texas A&M's Perfect Start | |
| Back in 2022, Texas A&M's football team pulled off the impossible. With a nationwide sweep and aggressive pitch, the Aggies assembled the No. 1 recruiting class in the country for the first time in school history. They even beat Nick Saban's Alabama, which had owned the top spot in nine of the previous 11 seasons. Three years later, little evidence of that group remains in College Station, Texas. Twenty-four of those 30 recruits are now gone, with many transferring in the wake of coach Jimbo Fisher's firing. The six who stuck around, however, are finally delivering on the promise that got them to A&M in the first place. None more so than the guy who traveled the furthest to be there. Theo Melin Öhrström grew up closer to the Northern Lights than the Friday night lights of Texas high-school football. But the senior tight end from Stockholm is playing a major role in the No. 3 Aggies' unbeaten start to the 2025 season. Öhrström has caught 11 passes for 73 yards this fall, though his numbers only begin to describe his value to the program. As one of the handful of players who stayed through Texas A&M's tumultuous coaching transition -- and the only one nicknamed "Thor" -- he has helped coach Mike Elko execute a full-scale culture overhaul that has the Aggies at 7-0 for the first time since 1994. "He saw the vision," said Texas A&M recruiting general manager Derek Miller. "The guys who chose to stay through the transition, they're thriving now." |
| Trump honors LSU's championship baseball team in White House ceremony: 'A special state' | |
 | President Donald Trump on Monday applauded LSU's 2025 national championship baseball team in a ceremony in the East Room of the White House. Trump said Louisiana is "a special state," noting how extraordinary it was to have national champions for both the NCAA and the NAIA -- LSU Shreveport, whose team also was on hand -- hail from the same state. As the NCAA oversees sports at major colleges, the NAIA, or National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, governs sports at smaller institutions. "Two amazing seasons," Trump said. "You might have them, but not from the same state, amazing." Both LSU head coach Jay Johnson and LSU Shreveport coach Brad Neffendorf awarded Trump with team jerseys with the number 47, signifying the Trump presidency. Johnson nodded toward House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, and said that Louisiana had the top two leaders in the U.S. House -- both of whom graduated from LSU. But most of his accolades went toward the players, who he said kept their heads when times were hard and practiced togetherness throughout the championship season. |
| Jimbo Fisher wants another college football coaching job. Is there a place for him in the modern game? | |
| Tucked inside a private room at one of his favorite eateries, the Red Elephant Pizza and Grill, Jimbo Fisher is talking a mile a minute about play calls from yesteryear. He remembers every detail. The season, the game, the down-and-distance, the formation, the play terminology, the result. "We had trips left," he says, gnashing on a quesadilla and washing it down with a mug of soda before launching into more 'ball. "They were in two-high safety." Fisher and his wife, Courtney, have agreed to meet with a reporter to talk about his desire to return to coaching. It quickly turned into a two-hour clinic on football from a man known as one of the game's greatest offensive savants. Fisher speaks quick enough -- 250 words a minute -- that if you don't pay attention, you'll miss something important. Like, for instance, the fact that, even at 60 years old and the benefactor of the biggest buyout in college sports history, "this ole boy," as he might say in his country twang, wants to coach again. "I never got into coaching for money," he says. "Well, I'm not going to get out of it because I've got money." A handful of coaches are in Fisher's situation -- out and wanting back in. Former Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald is a shoo-in for a gig somewhere. Ed Orgeron, with a national title at LSU to his résumé, has openly expressed a desire to land a job. James Franklin, recently fired at Penn State, wants to coach again, too. |
| Ole Miss fans can now buy whiskey to support Rebel student-athletes | |
| While Ole Miss fans may not be toasting after the football team's first loss of the season against Georgia on Saturday, Rebel fans will be able to celebrate future wins with a pair of whiskeys that will pay players with every purchase. The Grove Collective, the name, image, and likeness (NIL) organization for Ole Miss, recently announced a partnership with Bespoken Spirits for what they're calling "Grove Bourbon." As part of the deal, two whiskeys have been created to support Rebel student-athletes with bottles already available in Oxford, the state capital of Jackson, and other parts of the state, according to a release. The Kickoff Bottle is described by the Kentucky-based distillery as a high-rye aged bourbon finished with twice-toasted oak staves for extra richness. It brings flavors of cherry vanilla, white truffle, kettle corn, mocha, and spice with every bottle. It's bottled at 94 proof, or 47% ABV. The Victory Bottle is described as a straight bourbon finished with heavy-toast American oak for added depth. Flavors of black walnut, fig syrup, almond fudge, vanilla, and brown sugar are complemented by a smooth, oak-driven finish. It's bottled at 108 proof, or 54% ABV. |
| Big 12's Yormark praises NIL GO, is OK with tourney expansion | |
| If agents, players or coaches are getting frustrated with how long NIL deals can take to get approved these days, Brett Yormark is OK with that. "It's not a glitch," the Big 12 commissioner said. "It's a feature." During his annual basketball preseason media address at T-Mobile Center on Tuesday, Yormark said the College Sports Commission and its "NIL GO" clearinghouse have made progress since they were born out of the House settlement last summer. While NIL deals were essentially uncapped before the House settlement was approved, leading to a spring transfer portal season in which top players routinely pulled down seven-figure deals, now anything more than $600 must go through NIL GO -- at least until any potential legal challenges change that. "The CSC is doing the critical work to ensure there's no pay for play in our industry," Yormark said. "Deals that aren't above board are getting the scrutiny they deserve, this is a new year of enforcement. Complying with these new rules is not optional." Yormark addressed NIL and other key issues in college sports, starting by underlining his support of the SCORE Act. "This is something my fellow 31 Division I commissioners and I are in support of at its core," Yormark said. "The SCORE Act is about protecting the future of college sports for every athlete, every school and every fan. It creates one national NIL standard, replacing the confusing patchwork of state laws and ensuring a level playing field for all of our programs." |
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