| Thursday, July 2, 2026 |
| MSU Riley Center receives endowment gift from Meridian's Davidson family | |
 | A new endowment from Marty and Linda Davidson of Meridian will support the continued operation and mission of Mississippi State University's Riley Center, MSU announced. The couple made their gift through the Community Foundation of East Mississippi. The endowment supports the Riley Center's operations and ongoing mission. The MSU Riley Center is located on the MSU-Meridian campus in downtown Meridian. The facility includes a theater with seating for nearly 1,000 and draws more than 80,000 visitors and 100 events per year to the city. It hosts nationally known artists and entertainers, educational conferences, and middle school and high school student events. The center also engages with a network of restaurant, retail and hotel enterprises. "Their generosity strengthens our ability to create memorable experiences for everyone who walks through our doors," said Morgan Dudley, MSU Riley Center executive director. "They are helping ensure we can continue to be a place where community, education and the arts thrive together, and we are profoundly thankful for their support and their belief in the Riley Center's impact." |
| Marty, Linda Davidson gift aids MSU Riley Center operation, mission | |
 | According to an MSU press release, a new endowment from Marty and Linda Davidson of Meridian will ensure the continued growth of art, education, and community engagement at Mississippi State University's Riley Center. MSU's Riley Center is a multifaceted and historic facility, hub of the MSU-Meridian campus, and a centerpiece of downtown Meridian. Serving as a cornerstone and cultural anchor of the community's economy, it includes a grand operatic theater with seating for nearly 1,000 and brings more than 80,000 visitors and 100 events per year to the city. "Marty and Linda Davidson are helping ensure the continued growth and sustainability of one of East Mississippi's most treasured cultural institutions," said Christin Waters, CEO of the Community Foundation of East Mississippi. The couple made their gift through the foundation, and their endowment supports the Riley Center's operation and ongoing mission. |
| Mississippi State partners with Uwill for free mental health support | |
 | Mississippi State University (MSU) will partner with Uwill, a leading mental health and wellness solution for colleges and students, to provide students with free, confidential, 24-7 telehealth access to licensed mental health support and on-demand wellness resources. This service started on July 1, 2026. "At Mississippi State, we are committed to making sure students have the support they need to thrive academically, personally and emotionally," MSU Vice President for Student Affairs Regina Hyatt said. "This partnership with Uwill will be a great addition to our amazing Student Counseling Services staff to ensure our students have resources available whenever and wherever they need them. By adding another layer of support, we are helping students build resilience, navigate challenges and succeed both inside and outside the classroom." |
| Watermelons, blueberries devastated by summer rain | |
| Sources from an MSU press release say that, while some areas of Mississippi are still experiencing drought, recent double-digit rainfall in southern portions of the state devastated fruit and vegetable crops. Watermelons and blueberries are primarily grown in the southern half of the state, and growers there have seen high yield losses. "Some watermelon growers say they lost as much as 90% of their crop," said Heath Steede, Mississippi State University Extension Service agent in George County. "Others say their losses fall somewhere between 60% and 90%." Both Steede and Eric Stafne, Extension fruit and nut specialist based in Poplarville at the South Mississippi Branch Experiment Station, said they have received at least 30 inches of rain during mid-May to mid-June. Some areas have gotten even more. Farmers are losing even the remaining percentage of melons that were harvested. Vegetable crops in the area were also affected. Row crops, on the other hand, are faring much better. |
| Rain affects Mississippi watermelon, blueberry crops | |
| While some areas of Mississippi are still experiencing drought, officials with the Mississippi State University (MSU) Extension Service said the recent double-digit rainfall in southern portions of the state devastated fruit and vegetable crops. Watermelons and blueberries are primarily grown in the southern half of the state, and officials said growers there have seen high yield losses. "Some watermelon growers say they lost as much as 90% of their crop," said Heath Steede, MSU Extension Service agent in George County. "Others say their losses fall somewhere between 60% and 90%." "During the harvest period, we have had 30 inches of rain, and some areas had more than that," Steede said. "Some growers have lost their entire crop or most of it. This year has been extremely bad for blueberries. We had two unusually cold events in January and February. Then, we had a late freeze in March and now excessive rainfall." Overall, the rain has not had a negative effect on soybeans, cotton or rice. |
| Veteran TV broadcaster Marcus Hunter joins WTVA 9 News team | |
 | WTVA is excited to announce the addition of veteran news broadcaster Marcus Hunter. Hunter will serve as WTVA's weekday evening anchor, alongside anchor Daniella Oropeza and Chief Meteorologist Chelsea Simmons. His official first day on the anchor desk is Thursday, July 2. However, WTVA will formally introduce him on-air on Wednesday evening. The Columbus native is a veteran in the broadcast TV industry. Hunter spent 10 years in Memphis, Tennessee, eight years in Jackson and most recently anchored and reported at WCBI in Columbus. He's also a professor of practice at Mississippi State University, where he teaches broadcast journalism classes. |
| US hiring slows sharply as employers add just 57,000 jobs, Labor Department says | |
 | U.S. employers pulled back on hiring last month and added only 57,000 jobs, less than half the previous month's total and a sign companies still have a cautious economic outlook. The Labor Department said Thursday that the unemployment rate declined to a low 4.2% from 4.3% in May, though the decline mostly occurred because many people out of work gave up looking and were no longer counted as unemployed. The figures suggest businesses remain wary of the economy's health, with inflation at a three-year high and consumer confidence near post-pandemic lows. The solid job gains that were initially reported in April and May were also revised lower. Hiring in May was marked down to 129,000 from 172,000, while April's job gains are now 148,000, down from an initial estimate of 179,000. Restaurants, bars, and hotels cut 61,000 jobs, a sharp disappointment for those who expected the World Cup tournament that is taking place in multiple U.S. cities would lead to at least temporary job gains. Retailers also shed 7,500 jobs. Many businesses may be wary of hiring as they navigate the implementation of artificial intelligence, but last month professional and business services, a category that includes architecture, engineering, and software developers -- occupations expected to be vulnerable to AI -- added 36,000 jobs. Healthcare, the economy's most consistent job creator, added nearly 47,000 positions. |
| A group of farmers walked into the Oval Office. A policy fight broke out. | |
 | A group of farmers walked into the Oval Office last week expecting to smile as the president signed an executive order supporting the popular farming practice called regenerative agriculture, a method cheered by the Make America Healthy Again movement as an alternative to pesticides. Instead they were greeted by a virtual buzzsaw as President Donald Trump also brought in a top advocate who opposed the policy, prompting a live debate between top advisers, Cabinet secretaries and farmers. The roughly hour-long meeting, which ended with the president signing the executive order, provided a vivid illustration of the president's freewheeling governing style in action. The scramble showed that policy, even when it's the product of months of work and widely supported among top brass, can face an uncertain fate up until the moment the president puts his thick black marker to the page. "I thought the farmers ... were going in there just for a photo opportunity," said Jonathan Lundgren, a former scientist for the Department of Agriculture who runs a regenerative farm in South Dakota. "I didn't think that it was actually important that we had to convince the president to sign the executive order -- and we did." They were up against Zippy Duvall, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, which represents over 5 million farmers -- a prized constituency for Trump -- and who often has the president's ear. |
| Trump honors Theodore Roosevelt at new library site | |
 | President Donald Trump compared Theodore Roosevelt's tenacity and grit to America at the dedication of the former president's presidential library July 1 in Medora, North Dakota. "As America turns 250 years old, we look at this remarkable man and we recall that with effort, determination and drive there is nothing that Americans of competence can't do," he said. In a more than hour-long speech in 80-degree weather, Trump told stories of Roosevelt's strength and masculinity, despite a childhood plagued with asthma. The privately-run library focusing on Roosevelt's presidency is holding events for donors starting July 2 and will open to the public July 4. Trump announced that the library will receive $750,000 from the National Endowment for the Humanities to support its first year. The library also received a $5 million grant this year from the Interior Department, now run by former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum. Trump was accompanied on the tour by Burgum and Robbie Lauf, the library's executive director. He told reporters he was getting ideas for his own presidential library. "It's been really very inspiring. They've done a fantastic job with the museum," he said. |
| A grim job outlook meets a scrappy workforce as administrative assistants harness AI | |
| With their numbers already in decline, secretaries and administrative assistants face another growing threat: artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT and Claude that can accomplish aspects of their workload with a tap. Employment projection data offers a grim outlook for the women-dominated profession that may be particularly vulnerable to AI-induced job displacement compared to the broader workforce. But some admins are embracing the technology -- and even using it as a tool to get ahead. Deanna Danger, 43, has worked in an administrative role since 2003. She says adapting and staying ahead of the curve is a key part of her constantly-changing role, and AI is no exception. "All you do is have to evolve," she says. Danger started using AI professionally in 2022, learning through experimentation and collaboration with fellow admins. Today, she no longer takes notes during meetings -- she's set up Copilot and ChatGPT to do it for her. That has freed her to "actually participate in the meetings, and not just worry about making sure I typed everything out that was said," says Danger, executive assistant to the chief information officer at Vanderbilt University. "Honestly, what used to take me hours I'm now done with in under five minutes." |
| Justice Barrett faces conservative ire, sexist attacks after birthright citizenship ruling | |
 | Justice Amy Coney Barrett is facing fierce backlash from conservative lawmakers and pundits after voting to uphold birthright citizenship, serving a severe blow to a core pillar of President Trump's immigration agenda. Barrett joined Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Brett Kavanaugh and the court's three liberal justices in striking down Trump's Day 1 executive order restricting birthright citizenship -- but she's taken the brunt of the conservative outrage in the ruling's aftermath. Much of that criticism has been overtly sexist, while other attacks have carried more subtle gendered undertones. The College Republicans chapter of Barrett's law school also laid blame for the ruling at her feet. "Barrett is an absolute disgrace to the Notre Dame name. We apologize on her behalf to all who will suffer the devastating consequences of infinity third-world migration," Notre Dame College Republicans wrote on X. Elsewhere in conservative circles online, the sexism has been more explicit. |
| Workforce Pell Grant program ramping up in Mississippi | |
 | Mississippians looking to seek a degree or training in a high-skill, high-wage job will soon be able to apply for Workforce Pell Grant funds. Expanded access to the federal aid within Mississippi follows approval of a policy by the State Workforce Investment Board that will be used for recommendations for approval of those Workforce Pell Grant programs, Gov. Tate Reeves (R) announced. After the Workforce Pell program was approved by Congress in 2025 to expand access to the federal aid, Reeves asked AccelerateMS to work with the Mississippi Office of Workforce Development to coordinate in the program's implementation. Implementation of the new program begins today, July 1, and opens the door for Mississippians to use federal aid to get training through certain workforce education programs as short as eight weeks. Requirements state the short-term programs must be approved on the state and federal level. Those programs are expected to train people for in-demand jobs that offer high wages and require a high amount of skill. According to information posted on the Accelerate MS website, specific job titles eligible for the program could include EMTs, welders, machinists, pipefitters, plumbers, commercial truck drivers, heavy equipment operators and power line technicians. |
| Mississippi Facing Financial Aid Shortfall | |
 | Mississippi is facing a $7.3 million financial aid deficit, which could result in as many as 27,000 students receiving less aid than anticipated in spring 2027, Mississippi Today reported. State aid officials attributed the gap to a 2025 change in how the funds were distributed, expanding eligibility from students taking at least 15 credits to those taking 12 or more. State lawmakers also raised the income threshold for the state's Higher Education Legislative Plan, a need-based grant. As a result of those changes, as well as the simplification of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, more students are now applying and qualifying for state aid. Without additional funding, the state may have to limit the number of students who can access a scholarship for former foster youth and could have to decrease award amounts for other grants. Mississippi is just one of several states that have faced student aid deficits in recent years. |
| State gives K–12 teachers earlier access to money for classroom supplies | |
| As the first day of school inches closer, Mississippi education officials are making it easier for K-12 teachers to access the money the state gives teachers to set up their classrooms. The Education Enhancement Fund, or EEF, procurement card program, which was established in 2012, gives every teacher $748 -- around $25 million in total -- to buy supplies for their classrooms. However, a report released last year by State Auditor Shad White's office concluded that $17.8 million of that money is locked when "teachers need it most" because the cards weren't activated for districts until Aug. 1, as required by state law. That meant teachers, in some cases, had to dip into their own pockets to purchase the supplies or start the year without things they needed. This year, the education agency is making the money available to districts on July 15 and shifting to a digital wallet platform instead of dispersing physical cards for payments. |
| U. of Alabama fraternity brothers killed in hunting camp fire | |
 | Two University of Alabama students were killed when fire swept through a hunting camp early Wednesday in south Alabama. The Conecuh County Coroner's Office identified the victims as Mark "McNeil" Mostellar, 21, and James "Walter" Hensley, 19. According to their LinkedIn profiles, both young men were business majors, and members of Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. Hensley was a graduate of St. Paul's Episcopal School. Mostellar was a graduate UMS-Wright Preparatory School. "In the wake of great loss, we are reminded just how fragile life truly is," St. Paul's school wrote in a Facebook post. "When words fall short, we gather." A vigil for Hensley was held at 6 p.m. at the school Wednesday. "May we carry one another with grace, hope, and love," the school wrote. Mostellar and Hensley were among four friends spending the night at the property when the fire erupted. Two of the friends were able to escape the blaze and were taken to the hospital. |
| Alabama colleges are attracting fewer international students: 'Ignore at our own peril' | |
| International student enrollment at Alabama public colleges is at its lowest rate since COVID, according to statewide data. Alabama four-year public colleges' international student enrollment dropped by 1,024 students last year, according to Alabama Commission on Higher Education data. There were 7,397 students who are not U.S. residents at Alabama colleges in 2025. "There are alarming declines that we ignore at our own peril," said Fanta Aw, executive director of NAFSA: Association of International Educators, in a fall 2025 report. "Other countries are creating effective incentives to capitalize on our mistakes." Some specific colleges, including the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Auburn University at Montgomery, saw significant drops, with implications for jobs and economic development. The University of Alabama had a 6% increase in international student enrollment last year, while Auburn University dropped by 5.8%. The University of Alabama at Birmingham's international student enrollment decreased by 14.7%. |
| Stuart Bell is the new U. of Florida president, concluding a two-year search | |
| The University of Florida has a permanent president again. The Florida Board of Governors approved former University of Alabama President Stuart Bell as president of the university Wednesday, ending two years of interim leadership. During a two-hour special meeting in Tampa, Bell laid out his vision for the university while facing questions from governors about his experience responding to COVID, allowing free speech on campus, and about diversity, equity, and inclusion, the topic that tanked the last presidential finalist. One of the first comments Bell made during the meeting reaffirmed his commitment to not endorse policies aligned with diversity, equity, and inclusion. "I am not coming to Florida to bring DEI or woke back to the state of Florida," Bell said. A couple of questions from governors revolved around American exceptionalism and America's 250th anniversary. Bell responded by touting the Hamilton School, UF's classical and civic education arm. "Students will know I love this country. If you ask my kids, they know how much I love this country," Bell said. |
| Glenn Hegar celebrates one year as chancellor of Texas A&M University System | |
 | On July 1, 2025, Glenn Hegar walked into the Texas A&M University System headquarters at the Moore/Connally Building on Tarrow Street for his first official day as the university's 15th chancellor. That day he told the gathered media that it felt like he was a kid again on his first day of school. "I'm back in class all over again; it's like the first day of class," Hegar said. "Today is really nice to be officially in the role. I'm extremely excited about what's on the horizon for the Texas A&M University System." It was quite a first year for Hegar. Just three days after he began his tenure, the Guadalupe River flood hit the Hill Country and half of the state agencies under the Texas A&M University System went to work. The Texas Division of Emergency Management deployed the State of Texas Incident Management Team. Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service sent Texas A&M Task Force 1 and Task Force 2 to assist in flood rescues and evacuations. Texas A&M Forest Service helped clear roadways and the AgriLife Extension sent disaster assessment and recovery agents. The system also sent the Texas A&M Veterinary Emergency Team and the Public Works Response Team. |
| Columbia University Has a New President. Again. This One Plans to Stay. | |
 | In May 2024, a pro-Palestinian encampment formed on a campus lawn at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. When the students refused to leave, Jennifer Mnookin, who was then the chancellor of the flagship state university, called in the police to remove their tents. Thirty-four people were arrested. But after the students set up their tents again, Dr. Mnookin pivoted. She decided "there were limits to the extent of policing that I was prepared to authorize," she said, and spent the next nine days negotiating with the students. The resulting agreement ended the encampment peacefully, in exchange for little more than a chance for the students to present their case for divestment from Israel to university decision makers. The student activists were later critical of the deal, but the crisis was averted. Her confidence in handling that potential tinderbox, and others like it, impressed the trustees of Columbia University, who appointed Dr. Mnookin to be the 21st president, a role she starts on Wednesday. It is also emblematic of the deliberative leadership style she will seek to pursue at Columbia, she said in a wide-ranging interview last week. "I am a principled pragmatist," she said, "and I care about both parts of that sentence." Dr. Mnookin, 58, is arriving from the chancellorship of the University of Wisconsin-Madison with the belief that the tools of dialogue and negotiation -- tools she honed as a lifelong academic and lawyer -- will be integral to succeeding in her new role. |
| Colleges Have Paid Nearly $3 Million to Employees Fired for Comments About Charlie Kirk | |
 | Nine months after the assassination of Charlie Kirk, colleges have paid nearly $3 million to settle three legal challenges brought by former employees disciplined for remarks they made about the conservative activist. The biggest settlement came this week, when an anthropology professor at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville who was fired after she made a private Facebook post about Kirk agreed to a $1.9-million settlement to end her wrongful-termination suit against the institution. Another public Tennessee university, Austin Peay State University, this week agreed to pay an associate professor of acting and directing half a million dollars as part of a settlement, and a fired health administrator's lawsuit, backed by the American Civil Liberties Union, against Ball State University was settled in May for $225,000. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting free speech, has been keeping track of 17 lawsuits against public institutions in the aftermath of Kirk's murder. Jacob Gaba, a legal fellow at FIRE, said it's too early to draw conclusions, as the majority of suits haven't been settled, but the costs of these settlements are notable. "It's becoming very expensive for these public institutions to retaliate against their employees for speaking on matters of public concern outside of their jobs." |
| New AI Agents Pose 'Existential Threat' to How Grants Are Awarded | |
| The rise of more sophisticated artificial intelligence agents poses an "existential threat" to the way research funding is awarded, experts have warned, saying autonomous AI systems could further flood grant competitions with applications, making it harder to identify the best ideas. Speaking during a webinar organized by the League of European Research Universities, Geraint Rees, vice provost for research, innovation and global engagement at UCL, said a new wave of AI tools represents a fundamental shift from today's widely used generative AI. Unlike large language models such as ChatGPT and Claude, AI agents can autonomously gather information, make decisions and produce work with minimal human oversight. "In the context of grants, generative AI may help you polish or write a better application," Rees said. "But agentic AI will go off and write the application and submit it for you." Such systems can be trained on a researcher's published work, funding criteria and previously successful grant applications to generate, review and improve proposals. "The marginal cost of producing an application falls to zero," Rees said. |
| Colleges Reflect on 250 Years of American History, Warts and All | |
| Colleges and universities are seizing the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence as an opportunity to facilitate community reflection about the complexities of the nation's history -- and what it means for the future of democracy. That reflection has taken on many forms, including essay contests, art installations, lectures, quilting bees, civic dialogue events and film screenings. And much of the semiquincentennial programming happening on college campuses this year shares a similar goal: foster respectful conversation about the people, policies and events that have shaped American history -- warts and all. For example, Ohio State University's America 250 web page says it's tapping university experts and community voices to "encourage honest exploration of American history." In Maryland, Towson University is putting on its monthlong America 250: Voices of a Nation celebration focused on honoring "the struggles and triumphs of those who have fought -- and continue to fight -- for freedom, equality, and self-expression." And earlier this week, Arizona State University President Michael Crow implored colleges and universities to embrace their role as "instrument[s] of democracy and equality" and "celebrate the sacred messiness of democracy." |
SPORTS
| Football: Kamario Taylor Welcoming High Expectations | |
| Did you open up any social media channels last weekend? If you did, you couldn't miss it. Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor was down at the Manning Passing Academy turning heads and getting the college football world talking. "He's impressive in every way," one reporter posted of Taylor. "I'm buying as much stock as I possibly can," wrote another. Praise for Taylor was abundant and coming from all corners of the football-covering universe. Taylor is of course getting ready for his first full season as the starting signal caller for the Bulldogs. As the top-rated quarterback recruit in MSU history, he needed no help amplifying the expectations for him in Starkville. |
| Men's Hoops In Battle 4 Atlantis Field | |
| The Mississippi State men's basketball program had another piece of its 2026-27 non-conference schedule come into focus announced on Wednesday. The Bulldogs will be joined by Memphis, Penn State and Wake Forest at the Battle 4 Atlantis on November 25 and November 27 at the Imperial Arena in Paradise Island, The Bahamas. Game matchups, game times and television network assignments will be announced at a later date. State has already announced a SEC/ACC Challenge home matchup with Georgia Tech on December 2 in addition to a road trip to Marquette on December 12 to start a home-and-home series that has a return game at Humphrey Coliseum in 2027-28. Mississippi State is now accepting season ticket deposits for the 2026-27 season at www.HailState.com/tickets. |
| Reps. Steube, Boyle Introduce HUSTLE Act to Help College Athletes Invest NIL Earnings and Build Long-Term Financial Security | |
| U.S. Representatives Greg Steube (R-Fla.) and Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.) today introduced the Helping Undergraduate Students Thrive with Long-Term Earnings (HUSTLE) Act, bipartisan legislation that would create first-of-its-kind tax-advantaged investment accounts allowing college athletes to grow their name, image, and likeness (NIL) earnings without federal income tax liability and build lasting financial security. This bill is led in the Senate by Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.). "The Southeastern Conference is grateful for the continued engagement of lawmakers in addressing the evolving needs of student-athletes," said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. "The HUSTLE Act represents a constructive approach by establishing tax-advantaged NIL investment accounts that encourage financial education, long-term savings, and responsible management of earnings. We appreciate Congress's sustained bipartisan commitment to developing national, consistent standards that support student-athletes and enhance their opportunities in this rapidly changing environment." |
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