| Monday, November 2, 2026 |
| Mississippi State holding memorial service to honor first Black student, Dr. Richard Holmes |
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| Mississippi State University will honor the late Dr. Richard Holmes with a memorial service. Holmes, who integrated the university when he enrolled on July 15, 1965, passed away on Oct. 16 at age 82. To honor his life and legacy, Mississippi State is holding a memorial service in the Cleveland Gallery at The Mill on Tuesday, Nov. 3, at 10 a.m. Speakers will include Mississippi State President Dr. Mark Keenum, Rev. Guy Thompson, senior pastor of Second Baptist Church in Starkville, and Mississippi State vice presidents Rasheeda Forbes and Sid Salter. Holmes' fraternity, Kappa Alpha Psi, will deliver a tribute. The university's Black Voices gospel choir will also perform. In August of this year, Keenum led Mississippi State's dedication and ribbon-cutting for the Dr. Richard E. Holmes Plaza, which he described as "a place where everyone can find opportunity and belonging" and a space for "community, conversation, connection, and friendship." | |
| MSU plans Nov. 3 memorial for Richard E. Holmes |
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| Mississippi State University will hold a memorial service Nov. 3 for Dr. Richard E. Holmes, the university's first Black student, who died Oct. 16 at age 82. The service is scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday in the Cleveland Gallery at The Mill at MSU, the university said. Speakers will include MSU President Mark E. Keenum; the Rev. Guy Thompson, senior pastor of Second Baptist Church in Starkville; and university vice presidents Rasheeda Forbes and Sid Salter. Holmes enrolled at Mississippi State on July 19, 1965. Raised in Starkville, he earned a bachelor's degree from MSU in 1969 and a master's degree in microbiology in 1973. He received a medical degree from Michigan State University in 1977. He served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam era and Operation Desert Storm and practiced emergency and trauma medicine in Birmingham, Alabama, for more than two decades, according to MSU. He returned to Starkville in 2003 as a physician at the university's John C. Longest Student Health Center. | |
| Egg Bowl Food Fight kicks off Nov. 1 at MSU, Ole Miss |
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| Bully's Pantry at Mississippi State and the University of Mississippi's Grove Grocery will take part in the Egg Bowl Food Fight, which will run November 1-20, 2026. The student pantries help support students who are facing food insecurity. The Egg Bowl Food Fight challenges the two universities to see which campus food pantry can collect the most donations. Each food or personal care item donated, and every dollar contributed, counts as one point. The items that can be donated include meals in a can, single-serving meals, canned protein, peanut or other seed butters, canned foods with pop-top lids, cereal, rice, pasta, granola bars and frozen foods; plus toothpaste, soap, deodorant, feminine hygiene products, paper products and laundry detergent pods. At Mississippi State, donations can be dropped off at Bully's Pantry, 120 Morgan Ave., Monday-Friday from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Those who need to arrange a different drop-off time may email Bully's Pantry or call 662-325-7683. | |
| Keb' Mo' brings soulful blues to MSU-Meridian Nov. 13 |
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| Five-time Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter Keb' Mo' is bringing his signature red guitars and soulful blues songs to Meridian for a Nov. 13 show at Mississippi State's Riley Center for Education and Performing Arts. Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. concert are available for purchase online and range from $35-$85. An active musician since the 1970s, Keb' Mo' has appeared in various bands, co-written songs with numerous artists and released his own albums throughout his career. The California native's take on the blues is known for its diverse influences, including folk, rock, jazz, pop and country. Keb' Mo' received his first gold record in 1975 for "Git Fiddler," a collaboration with Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship's Papa John Creach, and released his debut album in 1980 under his birthname, Kevin Moore. He received the moniker "Keb' Mo'" from a drummer and continues performing under it, releasing an eponymous album in 1994 and others throughout the 2000s. He won the Best Contemporary Blues Album Grammy Awards in 1997, 1999, 2005 and 2017, while 2019's "Oklahoma" received the Grammy for Best Americana Album. | |
| A field full of secrets |
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| Photo: Mississippi State English Professor Becky Hagenston has earned a place in The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2026: The Year's Best Crime Fiction for her short story "The Field." The mysterious tale follows an 11-year-old girl whose mother disappeared years earlier and whose father's new American partner also vanishes. Hagenston began developing the story in 2010 while visiting an art school in France, where a field full of student artists sparked questions about the people living nearby and the secrets they might hold. The anthology, edited by Megan Abbott and Steph Cha, arrives just in time for Halloween. | |
| Roses and Thorns: A rose to Mississippi State University Behavioral Health |
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| A rose to Mississippi State University Behavioral Health for securing more than $14 million in seven new grants to expand the services it provides. This record-setting wave of funding significantly improves access to desperately needed mental health services by removing financial and geographic barriers for families, students, and emergency responders. The awarded funds support crucial community initiatives, including Project Bridge, which screens youth for substance abuse and provides stepped interventions at no cost. Additional grants bring a specialized psychiatric nurse practitioner to campus for medication-assisted treatment, support free trauma-informed care for more than 600 families, and enable new off-campus clinical facilities. A $3.2 million grant will equip rural first responders across 20 counties with lifesaving naloxone training and expand mental health awareness initiatives statewide. | |
| Standing 'on the backs of giants': Honoring the legacy of Oktibbeha's first Black legislators |
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| Willie Williams remembers visiting relatives' homes when he was younger and hearing stories of his great-grandfather, Anderson Boyd, and his work as one of the first Black men elected to represent Oktibbeha County in the Mississippi House of Representatives during the Reconstruction Era. Williams said he often questioned why there was not some kind of statue or historical marker in the city or county commemorating his great-grandfather and the other Black men who represented the area during that time. "This history here has been buried for so long, and not only here in Oktibbeha County, all over the state of Mississippi, there were great men that did things," Williams said. Williams said he and other relatives of Boyd were overjoyed to finally see that oversight corrected Thursday night during a historic marker unveiling for his relative as well as four other men who represented Oktibbeha and Clay counties at the state legislature as their first Black legislators. The project is the culmination of roughly six years of research by DeeDee Baldwin, engagement librarian at Mississippi State University and co-director for the project. | |
| One mile at a time, Starkville Cycling Club keeps building trails |
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| When Winter Storm Fern swept through the Golden Triangle in January, Landon Voller was on an excavator on the side of a hill in J.L. King Park in Starkville. Voller, with a deadline looming for the excavator's use, was trying to finish digging out the last section of a mountain bike trail he designed. As the rain turned to ice, the rubber treads began to slip and Voller had to use the arm of the machine to pull the excavator out of the woods. Even though he was scared, he would do it all again to give residents a wooded area to ride their bikes. "So I was trying to get that last little bit, get as much done as I could before I knew we wouldn't be able to use the excavator anymore," Voller said. "And I'm glad I did because that turned out to be the case." The Starkville Cycling Club, for which Voller is the president, has been working to build out trails at J.L. King Park since 2019. The group has built three miles of trails through volunteer labor and roughly $5,000 from its own fundraising efforts. Voller hopes to add another mile this winter, but the group still needs to raise funds to again rent an excavator. Amy Dapper, a club member who regularly rides the trails, has enjoyed lending a hand in the development of the trails. "It's always really wonderful to enjoy things that you put effort into," Dapper said. | |
| Brush Arbor Cemetery ribbon cutting set for Thursday |
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| A formal ribbon cutting for the new entrance of Brush Arbor Cemetery, a historically Black cemetery, will take place at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, at 519 University Drive in Starkville. Starkville Town and Country Garden Club members met with Lyle MeCaskey, assistant city planner for the City of Starkville, and Sydney Pullen, a cultural and historical anthropologist at Mississippi State University, to plan the ribbon cutting. Cathy Kemp, historical preservation committee co-chair, collaborated with the City of Starkville and MSU to secure grants from the Mississippi Hills National Heritage Area ($20,000) and the America250 Legacy Grant through Mississippi Humanities ($15,000), in addition to the $135,000 in funding from the City of Starkville to begin cleanup and stabilization of the historically Black cemetery, repair and preserve gravesites, create pathways or improve access, and add signage and historical interpretation. | |
| 'We're ready to go': Toyota Mississippi positioned for the future |
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| Almost 15 years to the day that the first Corolla rolled off the assembly line at Toyota Mississippi, the automaker played host to more than a dozen automotive journalists and social media influencers for a look inside the plant. What most of them saw for the first time was an automotive plant hitting its stride, using a combination of human ingenuity and hard work combined with automated precision. Every 71 seconds, some 2,400 team members ensure a Corolla comes off the final inspection line, nearly 850 vehicles a day. And for the past three years, the Corolla has been rated the most dependable compact vehicle by data analytics provider JD Power. The Corolla, now in its 60th year, is the world's bestselling car of all time with more than 54 million sold. Even though it is an older model, the current Corolla sold more than 248,000 last year. In two years, a new Corolla -- the 13th generation -- will launch. Added to the mix for the first time in Blue Springs will be a second model, the Corolla hybrid. | |
| Companies Have a Solution for the Skilled Trade Shortage: More Women |
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| Sammy Cossairt has tried call center work, waiting tables and hoisting concrete. She prefers hoisting concrete. The 36-year-old tower crane operator in Nashville, Tenn., who works 12-hour shifts, helps lift and move rebar and buckets of concrete from a perch often hundreds of feet in the air. This isn't what she envisioned when she received a liberal arts associate degree more than a decade ago, but after nearly a decade on the job, she feels at home in her crane. "I'm out in the sun, making my mark on the world," said Cossairt, who makes $120,000 a year. "I think more women would love to get in and make men's money doing this work, if they only knew." The skilled trades have long been a boy's club. But more women are breaking in, drawn by well-paying jobs that are in high demand. To keep them coming, many companies are courting women like Cossairt through new benefits and perks, including paid maternity leave and more flexibility. They are also trying to create a more welcoming work environment while cracking down on off-color jokes and catcalls on male-dominated jobsites. | |
| Mississippi's 1st District race puts incumbent Trent Kelly against challenger Cliff Johnson |
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| With Election Day approaching, Mississippi's 1st Congressional District race is offering voters a choice between an incumbent pointing to his record in Washington and a challenger arguing that the district needs a different voice. While on the campaign trial, Democratic candidate Cliff Johnson, made a stop in Oxford at the Circle and Square Brewery. His Supporters, gathered around as he talked about the campaign and addressed a number of issues. The civil rights attorney and University of Mississippi law professor focuses on affordability, health care, corporate influence and what he describes as a need for greater accountability in Congress. Johnson said his decision to run came after conversations with students and his own children about the country's political direction. He said he felt compelled to enter the race rather than remain on the sidelines. Republican Rep. Trent Kelly has represented the district for 11 years. He's emphasizing job growth, business development, military strength and his experience securing federal resources for Mississippi. Kelly said his decision to seek another term is rooted in the work he believes he has accomplished for the district, including assistance for veterans, infrastructure projects and rural communities. | |
| Bill Clinton tells Tupelo crowd Scott Colom will put Mississippi, not MAGA, first |
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| Former President Bill Clinton campaigned for Democratic Senate candidate Scott Colom on Friday, casting Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith as out of touch with Mississippians struggling with surging consumer prices and lack of healthcare. Clinton, joined by longtime adviser James Carville, argued that Colom, a district attorney in northern Mississippi, would work across party lines and put "Mississippi first," while accusing Hyde-Smith of putting President Donald Trump first and rubber-stamping his agenda. "I'm supporting Scott because he will honestly give you his opinion, and if you disagree, he'll have a conversation with you. And if you can change his mind, he'll change his mind," Clinton said. "You can't put MAGA first. You have to put Mississippi first." The crowd of roughly 400 people broke out with chants of "We want Scott" and "If we vote, we win," mirroring other Colom rallies in Columbus and Biloxi. | |
| El-Sayed's primary opponent stuns Democrats by endorsing Republican opponent in Michigan Senate race |
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| Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed's former opponent in the U.S. Senate primary, Haley Stevens, stunned party officials Sunday by endorsing Republican Mike Rogers as Democratic tensions boiled over days before the election that could determine the balance of power on Capitol Hill. Stevens endorsed Rogers after attending a Detroit church service with him. The remarkable show of support for the President Donald Trump-backed candidate in the tightly contested race comes after she was uninvited to a joint event the same day with El-Sayed, who defeated the congresswoman by a slim margin in the August primary. "Our Democratic nominee for Senate said I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away," Stevens said in a video announcing the endorsement, which led her top aide to quit. "And he's right. And that's why I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today." Tensions between the two Democrats have festered since the primary. Stevens is a staunch supporter of Israel, while El-Sayed is a fierce critic of the U.S. ally | |
| Democratic Infighting Flares as Election Accelerates Battle for Party's Future |
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| Democrats have a chance to retake the Senate---a proposition that seemed far-fetched earlier this year. But instead of unifying ahead of Election Day, the party is already engaged in infighting and finger-pointing. Allies of the party's leaders privately say that an insurgent left-wing has unnecessarily sucked time and money into races that should have been easier for Democrats, to the detriment of other candidates. Progressives say the party's establishment isn't doing everything possible to help them win, according to people familiar with the conversations. Tensions spilled out publicly Sunday when a Democratic congresswoman in Michigan, who lost this year's Senate primary to Abdul El-Sayed, endorsed the Republican nominee in the close-fought race. Michigan Rep. Haley Stevens, who had been the party leadership's pick in the primary against the more progressive El-Sayed, announced Sunday she was backing former GOP Rep. Mike Rogers after previously endorsing El-Sayed. But the spat, just days before the election, is the latest example of Democratic division. Both factions want a Democratic Senate, and winning might soothe the acrimony. But whatever the outcome, Tuesday's results are poised to accelerate an internecine battle for the future of the party. If the Democrats fall short in the Senate, each side will blame the other. If they are victorious, each side will claim the credit and declare its vision vindicated. | |
| Democrats squabbling over how to contain Trump after Election Day |
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| Democrats are expecting to win big on Election Day, but disagreements are already erupting among them over how aggressively to target President Trump for what they say are abuses of power and corruption. Democratic lawmakers and strategists are divided over whether to push another impeachment against Trump. Senators and leaders in the House are generally opposed to advancing a third impeachment of Trump that has virtually no chance of picking up 67 votes in the Senate -- the number of votes needed to convict. A senior Senate Democratic aide warned there is little "appetite" for holding a third Trump impeachment trial in the Senate, after previous impeachment efforts in 2020 and 2021 failed to impact Trump politically. Democrats agree there need to be investigations of Trump and his allies next year to hold them to account, but there is little consensus over what to prioritize, according to Democratic strategists and aides. But some senior lawmakers are warning that the party can't get so wrapped up in tracking down the misdeeds of the president and the administration that they get pulled into too many directions or lose sight of addressing high prices and ending the war in Iran -- two of the top issues of this year's election. | |
| Abortion Opponents Warn Republicans That Ignoring the Issue Will Cost Them the Election |
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| Anti-abortion activists are lamenting a top-down campaign strategy that has largely ignored a motivating issue for much of the Republican base. Should the party have a bad showing on Election Day, a prominent group says President Donald Trump and other party leaders will be to blame for ignoring how an anti-abortion message could have aided Republicans. "The power of the issue has not been prevailed upon by the party in general," Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, told The Washington Sun, saying it was a failure at the top of the party. "It could prove deadly for our prospects." Activists have been raising concerns for months about the administration's inaction on abortion restrictions -- and those calls increased after The Sun reported that the White House was directing the Justice Department not to act on abortion -- including not to act on abortion-related cases -- until after the midterms. Republicans' campaign season has instead been defined by attempts to minimize political fallout from the Iran war, high gas prices and dissatisfaction with how the first two years of Trump's second term have unfolded. In outside ads and in Trump's many red-state rallies, Republican candidates' anti-abortion credentials have been left out of national messaging. Abortion opponents say the avoidance has sidelined a faction of single-issue voters. | |
| JSU classes canceled Monday and Tuesday after deadly nightclub shooting |
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| Jackson State University undergraduate classes are canceled Monday and Tuesday (Nov. 2-3) after a deadly shooting at a Jackson nightclub Saturday night. Two people were killed and six others were injured following the shooting at the Hideaway nightclub in the 5100 block of I-55 North Frontage Road. On Sunday, the Jackson Police Department identified the deceased victims as 20-year-old Lovdai Poindexter and 18-year-old Jada Henderson. "Our deepest prayers, love, and strength go out to our impacted students, their families, and everyone carrying the weight of this heartbreaking news. When tragedy hits our students, it hits all of us. I share in the profound sorrow, concern, and pain that so many of you are feeling right now," Jackson State University President Dr. Denise Jones Gregory said in an email sent to all JSU students Sunday. University administrative and academic offices as well as the Lottie W. Thornton Early Childhood Center will remain open. | |
| Jackson mayor calls for nightclub to be shut down following deadly shooting |
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| Jackson Mayor John Horhn is calling for a local nightclub to be shut down following a shooting that left two people dead and six injured over the weekend. In a Sunday night press release, the mayor said he has directed city attorney Drew Martin to explore all available legal options to have The Hideaway declared a public nuisance and pursue its closure. The move comes after 20-year-old Lovdia Poindexter and 18-year-old Jada Henderson were killed, and four females, ages 18, 18, 19, and 20, and two males, ages 19 and 20, were injured at the club. According to preliminary findings shared by law enforcement, two unidentified men wearing ski masks entered the club shortly before 1 a.m. on Sunday. At least one of the suspects then pulled out a firearm and opened fire on a crowd gathered on the dance floor, police said. Jackson State University President Dr. Denise Jones Gregory acknowledged that students were among the shooting victims. She expressed support for the impacted students and their families. In response to the tragedy, the university canceled all undergraduate classes on Monday and Tuesday. Horhn added that he's grateful Jackson will soon receive millions of dollars from the federal government to help prevent crimes like the one that occurred at the nightclub from taking place in the future. He said his team will work to hold the establishment where the shooting occurred accountable, as well. | |
| Students discover research opportunities at the Faculty Research Showcase |
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| The University of Alabama Faculty Research Showcase was hosted by the Office for Undergraduate Research in the Student Center Ballroom Tuesday. Ranging from biological and life sciences to fine arts and humanities, the showcase featured 34 different faculty labs and organizations in search of undergraduate researchers. Darby Pepper, a master's student focusing on metallurgical engineering, works alongside Nilesh Kumar, an assistant professor in the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering. The pair worked together during Pepper's undergraduate years and now work in the same lab as graduate students. "I designed my own tinsel frame, what the sample will be tested in, so it was cool to learn, as an undergrad, all of the equations that you need to build something like that," Pepper said. "It's really cool to see everything I'd been working on with other grad students, when I was working under them, turn into something that's my own." Organizations like "On Track to Wellness" and the UA Lactation Lab offered opportunities for students who are interested in public health and life science. | |
| Students for Human Intelligence platforms AI concerns for Mizzou |
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| With the recent growth of artificial intelligence use on the University of Missouri campus through the introduction of the AI Use Scale and Show-Me AI, students and professors have started to express their concerns. Nicole Monnier, teaching professor of Russian, is on the Academic Affairs Committee and the General Education Task Force. She has heard cynicism from fellow faculty and students alike regarding the rise of AI. One issue that Monnier said worries her is the increase of suspicion that faculty and students are using AI to bypass the "authentic learning and teaching environment." "(The suspicion) that faculty are using AI to generate assignments, students are using it to complete assignments and faculty are using it again to assess the assignments," Monnier said. "It hurts my heart." In response to these apprehensions across campus, Drew Bufalo -- a biology undergraduate student and tutor at Mizzou -- helped found Students for Human Intelligence at the start of the 2026 spring semester. | |
| Penn State's Attempted Frat Crackdown Is a Warning for Cornell |
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| After a 19-year-old sophomore died in an alcohol-fueled fraternity hazing ritual, Pennsylvania State University embarked on one of the most ambitious efforts to reform Greek life in recent memory. The flagship drastically expanded monitoring of fraternities and sororities. It wrested disciplinary authority from student-led Greek councils, transferring responsibility for investigating potential hazing and alcohol violations to its own Office of Student Conduct. It imposed new restrictions on recruitment and social events, and beefed up its compliance and oversight staff. The raft of changes in 2017 was intended to make Penn State's sprawling Greek-life system safer without driving its organizations out of the university's fold. Cornell University is poised to take similar steps. President Michael I. Kotlikoff has pledged to take a "serious look" at the role of fraternities and sororities amid international outrage over the university's handling of a former student's allegations that she was sexually assaulted in a fraternity house. But attempts to rein in Greek life can resemble a never-ending game of Whack-a-Mole, in which efforts to stamp out one dangerous practice create incentives for others to emerge elsewhere. | |
| With students scarce, college admissions offices get friendlier, less intimidating |
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| Overwhelming. That's how 17-year-old high school senior Alex Zaret described the college admissions process, during a tour of the Skidmore College campus -- the fourth school Zaret had visited, with another half-dozen to go. "It is kind of a full-time job," Zaret's father, Owen, said. He wasn't joking. With research to do, visits to make and applications and financial forms to fill out, "it's a lot, and it's a lot on top of two full-time-employed parents and a very engaged high school student," Owen Zaret said. But even in the year or so that the family has been doing this, the Zarets have detected a subtle shift. At first, the process seemed to be what Owen Zaret called an ivory tower approach. It signaled: "'You're lucky if you come here.' And now, I think, for a variety of reasons, that's changed. It's more like, 'We want you to be here.'" Hurting for students, colleges are striving to transform an admissions process that has often been intimidating, secretive and stressful into an experience that's open, easier and downright friendly. | |
| The Best College Bargain Is a Super-Pricey Elite Liberal Arts School |
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| Students at Williams College pay less to attend on average than the in-state cost at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Those at Grinnell College pay less than Iowans going to the University of Iowa. And at Swarthmore College, the average student pays roughly half of what peers fork out at Penn State. A growing group of elite liberal-arts colleges long known for eye-watering price tags is turning out to be quite the bargain for many students -- and the schools want you to know it. They have been rolling out expansive financial-aid policies for families of all income levels in a bid to stand out to a shrinking pool of college applicants. In North Carolina, Davidson College said earlier this year that families earning $175,000 or less will pay no tuition. Those making under $85,000 receive full scholarships covering tuition, fees, room and board. Families earning above $175,000 remain eligible based on calculated need. There is a shrinking pool of high-school graduates and overall inflation is outpacing wage growth. That has pushed colleges to rethink who qualifies for relief, said Christopher Gruber, Davidson's vice president and dean of admission. "The competition has never been greater," he said. | |
| Colleges Prepare for Credit Transfer Regulations |
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| hen Stephen Pruitt, president of one of the nation's largest accreditors, started to develop a voluntary program designed to improve the portability of institutions' general education credits, he hoped that just 50 of his member institutions would express interest. But now, as the agency's Transfer Credit Consortium prepares to convene for its first meeting, more than 230 of the agency's roughly 800 institutions are on board. "I think we had 100 institutions within six days of announcing the consortium," said Pruitt who leads the Commission on Colleges and Universities, formerly known as the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. "It was gangbusters. And so much so that my assistant and I had a hard time keeping up with the number of emails that were coming in saying, 'Count us in. We want to be a part of this.'" In November, a panel of faculty members representing the interested institutions will decide what it takes to be a member of the consortium. For example, it's undecided whether colleges will have to accept 100 percent of one another's gen ed credits, or if they can make exceptions for specific courses like introductory math in an engineering major. But once that framework is decided, there will be a standard set of course equivalencies applied universally across the institutions that opt in. That way, students who transfer among those institutions have clear, common pathways they can rely on, without losing copious credits, time and money. | |
| College students in swing states rally against off-campus voting sites, student ID bans |
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| Led by members of the marching band and Aggie and Aggietha, the North Carolina A&T State University mascots, hundreds of students at the nation's largest historically Black university walked 40 minutes from campus to the nearest early polling site on a recent afternoon. They started the journey with a pep rally, watched over by 15-foot bronze statues of the four students who led sit-ins at the Woolworth's Counter in downtown Greensboro to protest segregation during the civil rights movement. "There's a legacy that's set out before us, with the A&T Four, with Jesse Jackson, and all of them being Aggies. When a fight comes, it's a matter of how, and not if, we're going to take up the fights," said Shia Rozier, a 22-year-old senior who has led efforts to get a polling site on campus. Rozier and other student leaders around the country are pushing to make voting more accessible to college students. Students have protested against laws and decisions from local election officials that they say could make casting ballots harder, including off-campus polling sites and bans on student IDs when voting. Stateline spoke with college students from three swing states -- New Hampshire, North Carolina and Texas -- who are rallying against barriers to voting during the midterm elections. | |
| Congressional Control, State Bonds, Trans Sports Bans: Higher Ed in the Midterms |
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| As state and federal politicians have increasingly decided on curricula, diversity programs and other matters that university leaders and faculty previously controlled, Tuesday's midterm elections could mean more for colleges and universities than many past races. Some states, including California, have ballot initiatives asking voters to directly decide on higher ed issues. And nationally, if Democrats win control of one or both chambers of Congress, they will likely throw a wrench in the Trump administration's campaign to overhaul higher ed. "Higher education has a great deal at stake in the November elections -- gubernatorial elections in 36 states and thousands of legislative seats on the ballot," said Tom Harnisch, vice president for government relations at the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association. "The results of the elections will shape funding levels, student aid, workforce priorities and governing board appointments for years to come." | |
| If Republicans stay home Tuesday, Mississippi's Senate race could get interesting |
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| The Magnolia Tribune's Russ Latino writes: History and conventional wisdom suggest sitting U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith will dispatch Democratic challenger Scott Colom in Tuesday's midterm elections. But look a little deeper, and there are reasons Republicans shouldn't take anything for granted. Colom, whose nomination to the federal bench was blocked by Hyde-Smith in 2023, has turned that history into something of a political subplot. Hyde-Smith's objections included financial support Colom previously received from groups backed by billionaire Democratic donor George Soros. Now, Soros and other national Democratic funders are helping finance Colom's effort to unseat her. Colom has run a disciplined campaign focused on affordability, agriculture and the economic anxieties facing Mississippi families. He's also benefiting from a difficult national environment for Republicans, with frustration over the cost of living, tariffs and the war with Iran creating political headwinds. And then there are the Democrats' closing acts. Former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, along with former Vice President Kamala Harris, have all become involved in the race. That's an awful lot of Democratic star power for a state that conventional wisdom says isn't competitive. | |
| Trump authoritarian methods echo Xi, Putin, and Erdogan |
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| Columnist Bill Crawford writes: As I write this, November 3rd elections are just days away. The results may be far more important than most realize. Democracies rarely collapse in a single dramatic moment. More often they erode, one norm at a time. As one scholar who fled Recep Tayyip Erdogan's power in Turkey said, "We didn't just wake up one morning in an authoritarian system, it happened very gradually." Political scientists call this a slide into "competitive authoritarianism," a hybrid political regime in which elections are held but incumbents abuse state power to tilt the results. Is the U.S. under President Donald Trump sliding in that direction? His governing methods that echo those utilized by Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Erdogan and other autocrats suggest "yes." Xi and Putin began their autocratic reigns and control of elections in 2012, Erdogan in 2014. Compared to them, Trump is still a wannabe, but what a wannabe he is, following their playbooks to consolidate power. | |
| Some Republicans try to make transgender issues the focus of this midterm election |
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| Mississippi Today's Bobby Harrison writes: Both major party candidates for Mississippi's U.S. Senate seat in Tuesday's midterm election have tagged their opponent with snappy, derisive nicknames. Democratic challenger Scott Colom refers to Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith as Cindy High Prices. It is not clear whether High Prices should be hyphenated. Hyde-Smith has labeled Colom a "Transgender Defender." Colom said he calls the incumbent Cindy High Prices because she has been unwilling to oppose President Donald Trump on his tariffs, his war with Iran and other issues that Colom argues have resulted in higher prices on gasoline, diesel and most retail items. During a Trump rally last week in Corinth in northeast Mississippi, Hyde-Smith referred to Trump as "the best president of our lifetime." On the flip side, why does Hyde-Smith refer to her challenger as a "Transgender Defender?" Colom, a district attorney for four counties in the Golden Triangle area, did sign a letter in 2021 stating opposition to "the criminalization of transgender people." But he has said he opposes gender-affirming surgeries for minors, which have not occurred in Mississippi and are rarely performed nationally and then only with parental consent. Colom told MPB in a recent interview, "Listen, I have two daughters. I believe in fairness in girls' sports, and I don't believe in gender-affirming surgery for children." | |
| The 'Blacklash' Is Here: Anger at Trump is driving a surge in Black turnout across the South |
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| POLITICO's Jonathan Martin writes: The "Blacklash" has arrived. The first hint appeared in the 2025 elections, when Democrats won larger-than-expected margins in Virginia and New Jersey. Then, beginning early this year, the turnout numbers in primaries were unmistakable. And now, the story is blaring in neon as early and absentee votes soar. Black voters are fired up, ready to go and poised to turn a good night on Tuesday for Democrats into a Blue Tsunami. Their motivation can be traced to President Donald Trump's return to power and then back-to-back events: the White House-led effort to dilute minority-heavy districts to elect more Republicans and the Supreme Court's gutting of the Voting Rights Act. "Trump has tried to neuter them," former President Bill Clinton told me about Black voters. "You know, he did all that reapportionment, which really infuriated them. And everybody knows that he's turned the Justice Department into a political operation, not a justice operation." As Clinton explained, there's something else at play -- an unmistakable and all-too-familiar whiff in the air. ... I spoke to the former president -- who has been working on or running in Southern campaigns for about 60 of his 80 years -- Friday night. He had just addressed the capacity crowd of a Tupelo church-turned-event-center that still bears the stained glass of its old tenant but, unlike most churches, was nearly evenly split between Black and white supporters for Clinton's appearance. | |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State's Brian O'Connor to be honored for contributions to Scouting America |
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| Mississippi State head baseball coach Brian O'Connor is being recognized with an award given to individuals who exemplify civic service to communities through the Scouting program. The Scouts, an organization best known for their Cub Scout program aims at instilling values in young people that will shape them into leaders and successful individuals, will recognize O'Connor with the John Robert Arnold Champion for Scouting Award during a luncheon on Nov. 25 at Mississippi State. The John Robert Arnold Champion for Scouting Award recognizes leaders who guide Mississippi youth through communities that offer the Scouting program. "Coach Brian O'Connor is an outstanding individual who has invested his life in leadership development for young people at the very highest level. Mississippi and MSU benefit daily from his commitment to building a baseball program that reflects discipline, service, and character, and we are grateful to him for taking time to lead this fundraising effort for the Scouting program in northeast Mississippi," Natchez Trace Council president Sid Salter of Starkville said. "We are particularly proud that this event is being held here in the Golden Triangle to benefit local Scouts and Cubs." | |
| Scouts to honor MSU coach Brian O'Connor at Nov. 25 luncheon |
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| Mississippi State University baseball coach Brian O'Connor will receive the John Robert Arnold Champion for Scouting Award during a Nov. 25 fundraiser at The Mill at Mississippi State University, the Natchez Trace Council of Scouting America announced. The reception and "Thankful for Scouting" luncheon begin at 11:30 a.m. Sponsors can meet O'Connor and take a souvenir photo before the luncheon and program, according to the council. The event benefits Scouting programs in northeast Mississippi. Premium sponsorships range from $1,500 to $20,000. Individual tickets start at $250 per couple for two tickets. The award recognizes community leaders for civic service and dedication to the principles of Scouting. It is named for the late John Robert Arnold, a longtime Scout, leader and advocate who founded Arnold Industries. "Mississippi and MSU benefit daily from his commitment to building a baseball program that reflects discipline, service, and character, and we are grateful to him for taking time to lead this fundraising effort for the Scouting program in northeast Mississippi," council President Sid Salter said. For tickets or information, contact Salter at 662-325-3442 or 601-507-8004 or sidsalter@sidsalter.com; Scout Executive Zac Lollar at 662-842-2871 or 205-275-6454 or zac.lollar@scouting.org; or visit natcheztracecouncil.org. | |
| Men's Hoops Opens 2026-27 Campaign Versus Tennessee Tech |
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| Mississippi State men's basketball begins its 2026-27 season against Tennessee Tech on Monday evening at Humphrey Coliseum. State is looking for its 4th NCAA Tournament bid over a 5-year span for the 3rd time in program history during the 2026-27 season under Coach Chris Jans. Josh Hubbard enters 2026-27 with 1947 career points which ranks 4th on State's all-time list, ranks 4th for SEC players after their junior season and ranks 34th overall in SEC history. He has already shattered State's program mark by knocking down 311 career three-pointers. The 311 treys also are tied for 9th on the SEC's all-time list. The Bulldogs (0-0) will open the season with three consecutive home games. | |
| Soccer: Bulldogs Take Down Top-10 Tide To Close Regular Season |
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| Mississippi State set the tone early and battled late to hold onto a crucial top-10 win over No. 6 Alabama in Sunday's regular-season finale. Chiara Tappe's header in the 25th minute stood as the only scoring in the game. State (9-2-6, 3-1-6 SEC) came out firing as Kyli Switalski fired the match's first shot just 15 seconds into the game while earning MSU the first of its seven corners on the day. The Bulldogs had four shots in the first 15 minutes alone. "It would've been great if she had scored it and put them on their backfoot a little bit," head coach Kevin O'Brien said. "We told them, 'We're going to win this. We tied a lot of games in the league. We've already secured our spot in Pensacola, so let's play to win. Throw everything at it. Let's go for it.' The girls did a great job." MSU will play No. 9-seed Texas on Sunday, Nov. 8 in the first round of the SEC Tournament. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. CT on the SEC Network. | |
| Volleyball: Bulldogs Reverse-Sweep The Tide |
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| The Mississippi State Bulldogs pull off their first reverse sweep in three years against the Alabama Crimson Tide Sunday. The Bulldogs had a slow start as fell in the first two sets, 25-15 and 25-22. They answered back in Set 3 as they hit .417 and won 25-14. They kept the momentum going into Set 4 picking up a clean win, 25-14, and forcing Set 5. State fought back hard in the final set hitting .588 and completing the reverse sweep, 15-8. Lindsey Mangelson led the team with 16 kills. Bernardita Aguilar picked up a double-double with 13 kills and 10 digs in the match. Gha'Naye Whitfield-Moss had another season-high tying night with 12 kills and hit .300. Anderson had six kills, and Mary Neal earned a career-high 4 kills. State continues its road stent in Knoxville, Tennessee next Friday. First serve is 5:30 p.m. CT, and it will be broadcast live on SEC Network+. | |
| Jeff Landry sounds off on his role in LSU sports, hiring Lane Kiffin: 'I do not like to lose' |
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| The story of Gov. Jeff Landry's involvement in LSU football, as he tells it, begins with a tiger. The St. Martinville native was awed by the school's live mascot growing up, and he believed tens of thousands of LSU fans would also enjoy seeing Mike roll out onto the field in his cage before the game. That's why Landry pushed to revive the tradition, dismissing concerns from LSU's veterinary school and animal rights groups about the feline's well-being. "Why is it OK for Colorado to have a bison? Why is it OK for Texas to have a longhorn? Why is it OK for Georgia to have a bulldog?" Landry said recently. "It's a bunch of loudmouth people that believe that they know what an animal feels." Ever since that move in his first year as governor, Landry has become a recurring, prominent character in the story of LSU athletics, especially over the past several months. Too prominent in the eyes of the Southeastern Conference, which accused the Louisiana governor and attorney general of overly involving themselves in the affairs of the Tigers' football program when Lane Kiffin sought to add athletes who previously signed with NFL teams. | |
| Florida State fires Mike Norvell after 6-plus seasons and takes on his nearly $50M buyout |
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| Florida State fired coach Mike Norvell on Sunday, a move will cost the school a buyout of roughly $50 million that is among the largest in college football history. The firing came a day after a home loss to Clemson. Norvell won 19 straight games from the middle of the 2022 season through an ACC title in December 2023. But the Seminoles went 10-22 since the start of the 2024 season, and Norvell's hand-picked quarterbacks -- DJ Uiagalelei, Tommy Castellanos and Ashton Daniels -- all struggled with accuracy. Florida State is 1-5 vs. Power 4 programs this fall, including a 36-24 loss to Clemson on Saturday in which the Seminoles were a five-point favorite. The Seminoles have not defeated one of their main three rivals (Miami, Florida or Clemson) since the 2023 season. "Today is about a new beginning for Florida State and doing everything we can to support student athletes that we have here and taking the next step forward in what we're doing," Florida State President Richard McCullough said at an evening news conference. | |
| One killed, 8 wounded in shooting after Magic City Classic rivalry game in Birmingham |
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| One person was killed, and eight others were wounded Saturday in a shooting after the Magic City Classic football game in Birmingham, Ala. One of the wounded is in critical condition, and the other seven are in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries, Birmingham Police Department officials told local reporters at a news conference. Police detained one person for questioning. Police chief Michael Pickett did not provide many details but said there were "two senseless acts of violence." The shooting took place after Alabama A&M's 31-28 win over Alabama State. Although it did not occur at Legion Field, the shots were fired in a nearby area where vendors were set up. Postgame tailgating was suspended. No police officers or other first responders were injured, Pickett said. The Magic City Classic is a fixture of HBCU football, complete with a parade and multiple big-name corporate sponsors. Saturday's matchup marked the 85th game between the programs and drew an announced crowd of 69,384. | |
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