| Monday, October 5, 2026 |
| My Mississippi Lab Is Changing Cancer Surgery. This Law Made It Possible | |
 | Mississippi State University's Dr. Colleen Scott writes: More than 18,000 Mississippians will be diagnosed with cancer this year. Roughly eight in 10 will likely undergo surgery as part of their treatment. Yet while surgery is one of the most powerful interventions in cancer treatment, it has limits. Often, surgeons cannot tell exactly where cancer ends and healthy tissue begins. At Mississippi State University, my research team is working to solve that problem. We've developed a new type of surgical dye to help surgeons see cancerous tissue more clearly in real time. If successful, it could help doctors remove tumors more accurately, improve treatment, and save lives for patients in Mississippi and across the country. But our success is not guaranteed. It depends on a policy framework that combines public investment with private-sector incentives to move scientific breakthroughs from the lab to the marketplace. ... Fortunately, America's technology transfer system provided a path forward -- thanks in large part to a little-known law called the Bayh-Dole Act. |
| MSU's Department of Kinesiology seeks participants for cardiovascular and fitness health research study | |
 | Mississippi State's Department of Kinesiology is seeking individuals with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities to participate in a cardiovascular and fitness health research study. Researchers in the department's Clinical Exercise and Cardiovascular Lab are examining how levels of physical activity impact the function and structure of the cardiorespiratory and vascular systems in individuals with and without disabilities. Participant criteria include Mississippi residents ages 18 to 65 with mild to severe intellectual disabilities or without disabilities who have the ability to walk on a treadmill and walk independently. Participants are required to complete a two-hour assessment at MSU's Jim and Thomas Duff Center, 695 Bully Blvd. The research team will assess glucose levels, cholesterol, blood pressure, cardiovascular health, physical strength, flexibility and cardiorespiratory fitness. |
| Magnolia Moves back this fall | |
| Mississippians will soon be moving once again as the Magnolia Moves Activity Challenge returns this fall. The Mississippi State University Extension Service-led fitness challenge that encourages youth and adults to be more physically active and adopt healthier nutritional lifestyles kicks off Oct. 12 and ends Nov. 22. The program uses the MoveSpring app to track exercise; whether it is in the form of walking, running, playing sports or a range of other fitness activities, the app converts each activity to miles and steps. Online registration is open at https://extension.msstate.edu/magnolia-moves. MSU Extension Director Angus Catchot encourages Mississippians of all ages to join the challenge, whether they want to walk individually or form teams with their families, friends or co-workers. For more information, email magnoliamoves@ext.msstate.edu. |
| Gulf South farmers, loggers call on Mississippi to issue fuel relief measures amid increasing prices | |
 | Farmers and loggers throughout the Gulf South are calling on Mississippi to issue fuel relief measures, saying delays in doing so are impacting industry across the region. "Compared to the same time last year, we're up over two dollars more expensive in terms of diesel fuel," said Will Maples, a professor agricultural economics at Mississippi State University. The high costs are hitting everyone, but farmers and loggers face additional challenges. "It's a major impact on producers, especially our row crop producers," said Maples. "[It] takes diesel to run all the big machinery, especially this time of year with harvest coming up." The diesel prices hit transportation for producers as well in getting crops to market and in moving timber. David Livingston, executive director of the Mississippi Loggers Association, says crews are seeing an extra $11,000 to $16,000 every week in expenses. |
| The Future Success of Delta Towns | |
| Small towns in the Mississippi Delta, as well as those in other rural areas of the country, have been losing population for decades because of people leaving for jobs and amenities like entertainment and shopping that are more abundant in large towns. But small Delta towns have grit and determination to turn the tide by making their towns more attractive to residents and visitors. It is a complex problem, said Leah Kemp, Director of the Fred Carl Jr. Small Town Center at Mississippi State University. Yet positive actions can make a difference. First, it is important to have leadership, which means elected officials, but also other leaders within the community, who understand it takes more than chasing new industries to be successful. "We worked in Marks for a number of years and saw the importance of people who understand revitalization of the community is a complex issue that involves a different way of looking at economic development," said Kemp. "It can be done through the arts and culture, with small scale projects or larger projects. When you make your community a place people want to go to, that is economic development." |
| Lettuce is safe to eat, says Mississippi epidemiologist, and food safety questions answered | |
| The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has posted a steady stream of food recalls, following a summer with historic rates of cyclospora-induced illnesses and several products with potential salmonella contamination. Mississippi Today talked to food safety experts to learn about top concerns, how food safety is addressed in Mississippi and how food systems are linked. Several active food recalls in Mississippi include some of Prime Line Distributor's ready-to-eat pork products potentially contaminated with Listeria, Graziers raw milk cheeses from Sierra Nevada Cheese Company potentially contaminated with E. coli and raw meat products that were produced without federal inspection. Mississippians should know that recalls are very specific to certain brands, product names, use or freeze by dates and lot numbers, said Courtney Crist, a food safety specialist at the Mississippi State University. All information must match for a product to be considered part of the recall, she said, and one product being recalled does not mean every food of that category is unsafe. "Do not try to make a recalled food item safe," she cautioned, recommending that consumers properly dispose of their purchases or return them for a refund. |
| Starkville skate park planned to open in spring 2027 | |
| During the COVID-19 pandemic, Laura and George Dunn noticed their gardening tools routinely going missing only to discover that their young two sons had been taking them to build bike ramps in a nearby abandoned property. So the Dunn family began collecting money to help fund construction of a skate park that would serve bikers, skateboarders and scooter riders, eventually raising about $2,000 they donated to the city. Even though their sons are in high school now and neither Laura nor George skate, Laura said the family is excited to see their dreams finally come to fruition as the city looks to nail down design plans for a new skate park at the Sportsplex. "You want your community to have different benefits to be able to be attractive to all different kinds of people," Laura told The Dispatch. Plans for the skate park have been underway since February, when the city received a federal grant that will cover 30% of the $400,000 project, which City Engineer Chris Williams expects to be complete by spring 2027. |
| Artist Bonnie Renfroe spends two weeks painting, listening and looking closely at Noxubee Wildlife Refuge's artist-in-residence program | |
| Bonnie Renfroe stands on the back deck of the Noxubee Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, gazing out at the view. Hat on, she leans against the rail as she studies the way the light bounces across the water. In front of her is her sketchbook and her watercolors. "I'm observing the light in the sky and the reflections in the water, the clouds," she says. "And then on top of that are these wonderful lotus leaves and water lilies. Not real sure of the scientific name, but there seems to be several different kinds, and some are blooming. See the white flowers?" She points at a cluster of lily pads close to the bank where flowers are rising from the muddy bottom. "I'll wait till later to add those, and I'll use a different kind of paint, a gouache, to go over my watercolor." Bonnie, a painter, potter and percussionist, is the latest artist-in-residence at the Sam D. Hamilton Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge. The two-week program offers visual artists, writers and composers a short-term immersive stay inspired by the natural environment and the wildlife of Northeast Mississippi. |
| Toyota Corolla celebrates 60 years as a global brand | |
 | About every 71 seconds, a new Toyota Corolla rolls off the assembly line at the Toyota Mississippi plant. There, some 2,400 team members work to add to the total of more than 54 million that have been sold since the compact car's debut in 1966. And this month, Toyota is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the world's best-selling car. Toyota Mississippi is marking the occasion with several events. "Throughout the month of October, we'll be hosting special night tours from 6:30 to 7:30 every Thursday," said Tiffannie Hedin, TMS corporate communications manager. "We invite the public to come and see how the Corolla is made and also the evolution of the Corolla and our exclusive 'Lifetime of Legacy' exhibit." Visitors on the evening tours also will receive exclusive 60th anniversary merchandise. The exhibit includes a representation of 10 of the 13 generations of the Corolla. Included in that are two special anniversary editions, the 50th anniversary Corolla painted in Black Cherry Pearl and the 60th edition painted Supersonic Red. |
| Japan's impact on Mississippi takes center stage with 18,000 jobs | |
 | The relationship between the United States, in particular Mississippi, and Japan remains one of the world's most important international partnerships. That was the message as more than 100 business leaders, educators, economic developers, students and community members gathered at Millsaps College on Sept. 29 for a roundtable discussion examining the future of U.S.-Japan relations and the role those ties continue to play in Mississippi's economy. The event, "Partners in Progress: The Present & Future of Japan-U.S. Relations," was hosted by Millsaps in partnership with the Consulate General of Japan in Nashville and the Japan-America Society of Mississippi. The discussion was held in McMullan Lecture Hall and was followed by a cultural performance. Panelists included Shinji Watanabe, consul general of Japan in Nashville; Regina Todd, assistant director of the Rankin First Economic Development Authority; Satoshi Matsumoto, senior director at Nissan North America; Tomoki Sato, production project vice president at Toyota Mississippi; Skip Skaggs, president of the Mississippi Automotive Manufacturers Association; and Millsaps College President Frank Neville. |
| The Mighty American Consumer Is Crashing Through Inflation and Driving Growth | |
 | Happy hour at Chicago's Bar Roma was buzzing this past week as locals poured in for $10 cocktails and $11 bruschetta. Kathleen Harper and her husband would normally share a few appetizers, but tonight they were splurging on the $50 tasting menu. "After a long day -- I work from home -- I like to just get out of the house," said Harper, who sells fraud-protection services. "Business has been good," she added, "because fraud, unfortunately, is up." Harper said she worries about the health of the economy and rising prices for gas and groceries, but feels secure enough to enjoy a good happy-hour deal. Decisions like that across the economy show America's appetite for consumption is expanding. Americans are spending more on food, travel, couches, Halloween decor and most anything else they want or need -- pushing through inflation and their own gloomy feelings about the economy. The dollar amount spent by U.S. households rose by 6.1% in the 12 months through August, up from annual growth of 4.3% at the end of last year, the Commerce Department reported. Economic growth for the second quarter of 2026, the most recent data available, was revised upward this past week, fueled by consumer spending and business investment. |
| Mississippi agencies ask for more money as lawmakers begin work on $7B budget | |
| A panel of state lawmakers heard from 11 state agency leaders on Thursday and Friday about their proposed spending for fiscal year 2028. Nearly every agency asked for more money as legislators begin the work of setting a more than $7 billion state budget. The Joint Legislative Budget Committee will issue its recommendations and revenue estimate later this year, but the final budget will be set during the regular legislative session that begins in January. With state revenue expected to remain more or less flat over the next few years due to tax cuts and the economy, legislators are carefully watching spending and as Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said multiple times in the hearings, lawmakers do not like running deficits. IHL's hearing was perhaps the most contentious hearing. Legislators pressed its leaders for over an hour and a half. The questions were primarily over the move toward a performance based funding model and whether the universities would fund to metrics such as graduation rates, student income after graduation and cost per student. |
| Mississippi Medicaid seeks $179M budget increase, less than in 2025 | |
| The Mississippi Division of Medicaid asked lawmakers for a roughly $179 million increase in state spending for the coming fiscal year after receiving a steep increase last year that squeezed other parts of the state's budget. The proposed increase for the fiscal year beginning in July 2027 represents a 15% increase over last year. The agency is also anticipating a $34 million budget shortfall for the current fiscal year. But Mississippi Medicaid's $1.3 billion state funding request is expected to change again, Cindy Bradshaw, the state's executive director for Medicaid, told the Joint Legislative Budget Committee at a Friday hearing. "The one thing I can guarantee you is that will not be the amount that we need," she said. "This is a fluid process, and it changes quickly." Medicaid is one of the state's largest budget items, accounting for roughly a 10th of the state's spending. The agency's total projected budget for the upcoming fiscal year is $9.4 billion, including federal funds. |
| Hours remain to register to vote in Mississippi's midterm elections | |
| Just hours remain to register to vote in the Nov. 3 federal midterm elections in Mississippi. Monday, Oct. 5, is the final day to register or update registration information before all four of the state's U.S. House seats and one of its two U.S. Senate seats will be decided. Voters will also decide a number of judicial races, along with several special local elections. There are a couple ways to register to vote or update voter registration information: by mail or in person. Polls statewide will be open on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voters must bring an acceptable form of photo identification, such as a driver's license or passport, to their polling location. |
| Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell's big college sports win won't make an AI breakthrough easier | |
 | Sens. Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell typically find themselves at odds, but in the past week each expressed optimism that their major bipartisan breakthrough on college sports could set them up to tackle other big things -- like artificial intelligence. Evidence suggests that confidence ought to be tempered. Cruz, a Texas Republican, and Cantwell, a Washington Democrat, have served together atop the Senate Commerce Committee for nearly four years -- with Cantwell first serving as chair before turning the gavel over to Cruz in 2025. They have occasionally found common ground, such as trying to eliminate hidden ticket fees for concerts and sporting events, and enacting safety measures after the deadly plane crash near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Their bill to overhaul the multibillion-dollar college sports industry, which overwhelmingly passed the Senate last week, has been their highest-profile achievement to date, requiring months of brass-tacks negotiations, painful compromises and uncomfortable divisions with colleagues and key constituencies. Asked if her partnership with Cruz on college sports could translate into an agreement on AI, Cantwell did not exactly embrace the idea. |
| GOP senators, blindsided by Hegseth, demand notice, transparency | |
 | Key Republican senators say they were blindsided by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's announced 20 percent reduction of the U.S. military's general and admirals, and they're voicing concerns about the lack of consultation with Congress and the possibility that qualified senior officers were sacked for political or ideological reasons. Senior Republicans on Capitol Hill are questioning whether too many experienced and highly qualified generals and admirals are being pushed out because of politics and what impact it might have on military readiness in the future. "I wouldn't have made that a priority if I had been asked," said Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), who said he was only informed of the 20 percent reduction shortly before it was announced. "I didn't get a long lead," he said when asked if he got a heads up before Hegseth's announcement Wednesday. Wicker didn't have many details about the significant reduction in senior ranks. "I think he's probably interested in cutting out bureaucracy at the top level," he speculated. |
| Sen. Kennedy Teases Potential 2028 Presidential Run | |
| Sen. John Kennedy said he would consider jumping in the 2028 presidential race if he does not like his party's options for the Republican nominee. "On my side of the aisle, if a bunch of goobers run, and I think they're goobers, and one of the goobers might win, and I think I could do a better job, I would consider running," Kennedy said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press." The Louisiana Republican said his focus is squarely on his Senate race in 2028, but he would consider a bid for president if he doesn't think he "can be effective in the Senate anymore." Kennedy, who is not up for reelection this year, has made several out-of-state appearances on the campaign trail this cycle to stump for his fellow Republicans -- traveling to Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska in September and New Hampshire in June. Kennedy, known for his frequent folksy and viral one-liners, has broken with President Donald Trump on several key issues. The Louisiana Republican publicly disagreed with Trump's assertion that Ukraine started the war with Russia and also pushed back on the Trump administration's deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, labeling it a "screw up." Most recently, Kennedy criticized Trump for giving out Sen. Tom Cotton's (R-Arkansas) cellphone number Saturday on Truth Social over the senator's opposition to a bill that would make Daylight Saving Time permanent. |
| Father and son arrested in Ole Miss kratom-suspected deaths | |
| A father and son have been arrested for selling packages of kratom tied to the overdose deaths of two University of Mississippi students, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District announced Friday. Store clerk Yahya Mohamed Mosleh, 51, and Islam Yahya Mosleh, 18, each face federal charges of possession of controlled substances with intent to distribute. On Sept. 21, an Ole Miss student was found dead in his dorm room. An hour later in a separate location, another student was found dead. At both scenes, law enforcement found packages of suspected kratom derivatives, and some tablets were missing. Investigators used bank records to trace purchase of some of the kratom derivatives to an Oxford vape, tobacco and beer store, according to court records. An informant spoke to the elder Mosleh, the store clerk, who sold them kratom pills and warned them to be careful with them, according to the criminal complaint. |
| LSU awarded $20 million to build X-ray facility that closes a critical research gap | |
| LSU has been awarded a Mid-scale Research Infrastructure award for $20 million from the National Science Foundation. The funds will go toward building an X-ray facility located on Jefferson Highway called the Laboratory for Next-Generation X-ray Science and Technology, or LaNeXT. According to an LSU press release, the X-ray will "allow researchers to watch some of nature's fastest processes as they happen." Regardless of concentration, students of all science backgrounds will benefit from the facility. For example, biologists and life scientists can use the machine to freeze cells or proteins at a molecular level before they have a chance to change, allowing biologists to follow the process. At the other end of the spectrum, the machine can refine, identify and test different mechanical parts before engineers use them in production. "If I were a student now, let me say it like this: I am so jealous of LSU students because I would like to work as an LSU student right now," Gerald Schneider, chemistry professor and leader of the LaNeXT team, said. |
| Colleges Want More Rural Students. This University Leader Traveled to Them. | |
 | Few students at Polk County High School, one of two high schools in the rural county near Tennessee's border with Georgia, imagine themselves going to a four-year college. The school's leadership has led a multiyear campaign to help them understand their postsecondary options, according to Principal Rachel Lowe -- including educating students about Tennessee Promise, the state's free community college program. Most see four-year college as unaffordable, Lowe said -- especially at the state's flagship institution, the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Even she used to believe that the university was not the most "financially responsible choice," she said. That changed this week, when the UT system's president, Randy Boyd, visited the 400-student high school. Boyd has toured high schools in the state at the start of every academic year since he came to UT eight years ago, he said in an interview with Inside Higher Ed. But this year's tour, which took place over the final two weeks of September, was the first to comprise just rural schools. |
| Student-made digital organizer grows at U. of Tennessee, other schools | |
| When the subject of school comes up, planning often comes to mind. Of the hundreds of digital assistants out there, one with origins at the University of Tennessee is gaining ground. Freshman electrical engineering major Noah Raduns spent the last year or two creating CourseLink to track life and campus events as well as class. Raduns said signups from UT alone have passed 100 since the start of the fall semester. In total, Raduns said more than 4,000 people in several states have downloaded the app since August. "I'm a person that likes solving problems, and the problem that I started to solve turned into a startup," Raduns said. As a member of a computer club at his South Carolina high school, Raduns made a program to replace time spent using a paper planner. He believed there was room to improve school learning management systems like Blackboard or Canvas. "I felt that there should be something that's built for students," Raduns said. "So I decided to build it." |
| Institute launches in East Texas to address the region and state's largest water challenges | |
| East Texas leaders are building a water institute to improve water research, bolster the labor force supporting water infrastructure and coordinate regional water goals. The East Texas Water Institute will reside within Stephen F. Austin State University Center for Applied Research and Rural Innovation in Nacogdoches. It is the product of a partnership between Angelina College in Lufkin, Stephen F. Austin State University and the T.L.L. Temple Foundation. Drew Gholson, a former professor at Mississippi State University, was named executive director of the Institute. Gholson has focused on water conservation, applied research and practical solutions for agriculture and communities throughout his career. Gholson hopes to have staff hired, classes outlined and students enrolled in time for the 2027 spring semester. The partnership between the foundation and two schools is secured and the technology is on its way. But there are still some logistics, such as building out the curriculum and hiring staff, to work through before the institute is up and running. |
| Bullfrogs have a gift that could help protect human brains, Mizzou researchers find | |
 | New research has found that bullfrogs have a generator in their brain that may protect humans from certain neurological disorders. A University of Missouri research team discovered that bullfrogs have the ability to recharge their brain through unconventional methods, which could be applied to treating Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, ALS and schizophrenia. Because bullfrogs hibernate for five to six months every year, their brains must overcome low oxygen and glucose supplies during the long period of stagnation. The study found that when these supplies start to decline, bullfrogs use a ketone body that acts like an energy generator in the brain. "The brain needs glucose, and so we found that the frogs, after they get out of hibernation, don't need oxygen or glucose to the brain anymore to keep working, which was shocking," said Joseph Santin, MU associate professor of biological sciences and lead researcher on the study. |
| At Cornell, a Rape Case Defines an Era | |
 | For generations of college students, explosive charges of campus rape have been galvanizing events, uniting disparate groups of young people against a stubborn menace that can shatter individuals and erode faith in institutions. These watersheds are at once eerily familiar and singularly of their moments -- both timelessly toxic and tragically new. Cornell University is having such a moment. An anonymous former student has alleged in a lawsuit that, in October 2024, she was pressured to take drugs, then raped for hours by multiple men at the Chi Phi fraternity house. Cornell, she says, did not do enough to prevent the incident from happening, or to protect her in its aftermath. The Cornell Daily Sun tracked the story with nearly two years of investigative reporting and a front-page editorial naming the alleged perpetrators, propelling the case to national prominence. As reporters, lawmakers, and lawyers on both sides try to unravel the narrative, activists have questioned whether Cornell was complicit -- and whether its senior leaders appropriately disciplined the accused men. Meanwhile, commentators have traced a dizzying array of policy changes across the Obama, Trump, and Biden White Houses to ask: Why does this keep happening? Over the past two decades, higher education and the nation at large have been confronted with a series of vivid images illustrating sexual violence on its campuses. |
| Cornell Rape Case Collides With Colleges' Growing Embrace of Fraternities | |
| At Shenandoah University, administrators a few years ago began asking students about ways to improve recruitment and retention at the 150-year-old private school in northern Virginia. One idea: bring in fraternities. Some faculty worried Greek life would fuel a party culture and cliques. But a campuswide survey revealed strong support, so the school began interviewing Greek organizations. Last year, the first sorority and fraternity opened on campus, and more are expected, said Yolanda Barbier Gibson, vice president for student affairs, enrollment management, and athletics. "Some people felt they were missing out because their friends or siblings went to schools that had" fraternities, Gibson said. Students who transferred to other schools had cited a lack of Greek life as a reason for leaving. After years of campus backlash and administrative crackdowns, fraternity membership has swelled this decade, as students have flocked to schools with big sports and robust social scenes. Following a decline for several years to a low in 2020, the percentage of men who join fraternities has climbed, hitting 6.38% in 2024, the most recent year available, according to an interfraternity association. Preliminary data indicates that growth has accelerated in the last two years, the association said. Now, however, that rebound is colliding with allegations of sexual assault at a Cornell University fraternity that have horrified people across the country. |
| Technology Officers Navigating 'Age of Perpetual Change' | |
| Navigating the age of artificial intelligence was top of mind for the 7,000-plus educators, information technology professionals and vendors who convened last week for Educause 2026, the ed-tech sector's largest annual conference. Demonstrations of new AI-powered learning products, towering vendor booths and posters about institutional approaches to incorporating AI into campus operations filled the exhibit hall at the Colorado Convention Center. Meanwhile, speakers from higher learning institutions across the country dished out advice on combating rising cybersecurity threats, teaching AI literacy and keeping humans at the center of conversations about AI. All of it underscored just how much AI has disrupted higher education. "There's so much change happening around us, and we need to be honest about the challenges," Mark McCormack, senior director of research and insights at Educause, said to a packed ballroom Thursday morning. "But we're also discovering new ways to educate and build community. We can and are adapting, and we're figuring out how to do that with a sense of purpose and with a connection to the people we serve." |
| Budget gurus fear U.S. is entering a 'debt spiral' | |
| Columnist Bill Crawford writes: The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget conducts research and provides information to the public on major fiscal issues facing the United States. These include the rising national debt, the budget reconciliation process, health care policy, and the future of trust funds like Social Security, Medicare, Federal Highway, and others. Its latest missive entitled "Deficit Reduction Is Key to Improving Affordability" lists a number of interesting tidbits. With long-term interest rates now exceeding projected nomination economic growth, "the U.S. is entering a debt spiral." The Committee suggests this could cause a fiscal crisis with "exploding unemployment rates, crashing asset values, surging inflation, falling incomes, sharp and unexpected increases in taxes and cuts in government support, or some combination." |
SPORTS
| Despite deflating loss, Kamario Taylor remains Mississippi State's hometown hero | |
| To much of America, he seemed to materialize at once, thrilling in the propulsive way the football left his hand, statuesque in that 6-foot-4 frame and those 230 pounds at age 19, endearing in the way he said, "Yes ma'am," in that postgame interview. In day-to-day reality, his origins seem maybe even more enchanting: a hometown of about 2,500 in a county of about 10,000 with a high school of about 400, just 14 miles inside a consequential border, a place where a young mayor with a bustling bio won a runoff last year by 432 votes to 376, a place where a throwback loyalty to a nearby university congealed. Kamario Taylor, the quarterback whose stardom just started visiting in a hurry, went half an hour up the road to Mississippi State and vows to remain there even through the transfer turbulence of the era. |
| Women's Golf Set To Host The Ally | |
| Mississippi State women's golf returns to Mississippi to host their annual home tournament, The Ally, named after former Mississippi State golfer Ally Ewing. The tournament, which is hosted at Old Waverly Golf Club in West Point, will kick off on Monday. State will replicate the lineup that won the team title in their last event at the Mason Rudolph Championship. All five Bulldogs in the lineup finished inside the top 20 individually, marking the first time State had done such since 2024. Avery Weed will sit at the top of the Bulldog lineup. Weed was the individual champion in the 2024 edition of The Ally, where she tied an NCAA record with an 11-under 61 in the opening round of the event before winning it at 9-under. |
| MDWFP, Mississippi State to host wildlife management Q&A in Cleveland | |
| The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks will join Mississippi State University Extension and the MSU Deer Lab for an upcoming question-and-answer event focused on wildlife management. The "Ask a Biologist" event is scheduled for Oct. 15 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the MSU Extension Office in Cleveland. Check-in begins at 5:30 p.m. Participants will have the opportunity to ask biologists questions about deer, waterfowl, turkey, quail and small game, along with habitat management, pollinators, nuisance species and other wildlife topics. Registration is $10 and includes a catered meal. Organizers are asking participants to register by Oct. 12 to secure a meal ticket. Registration is available through Mississippi State University Extension. |
| The College Football Stars Who Banked Millions -- and Completely Flopped | |
| It was the most crucial snap of the season, and time for Michigan's $3 million investment to deliver. The Wolverines were fighting to keep their hopes in the Big Ten alive, trailing Minnesota 20-14 on Saturday afternoon, when sophomore quarterback Bryce Underwood faced a fourth-and-5. Underwood dropped back, surveyed the field, and chucked a panicked throw straight out of bounds. The game was over. Michigan's season almost certainly was, too. Two years ago, the Wolverines had thrown NIL money at Underwood, the country's No. 1 high school recruit. It was a $3 million-per-year effort bankrolled in part by Larry Ellison and his wife, Jolin. But now, one of college sports' most high-profile investments was amounting to nothing. "We might have to make some tough decisions here," Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham said Saturday night, after the Wolverines dropped to 0-2 in the Big Ten. "The results are unacceptable right now." Less than two disappointing seasons into Underwood's career, Michigan is grappling with buyer's remorse -- and the Wolverines aren't alone. From coast to coast, the country's richest programs are wrestling with a strange problem in college football's NIL era. What do you do when the splashiest investments in the history of the sport don't pan out? |
| What challenges lie ahead for the Protect College Sports Act? | |
| The list of concerns that could potentially derail the Protect College Sports Act is growing longer this week as House members begin to evaluate the bill aimed at reshaping the college sports industry. The bill passed the U.S. Senate with an overwhelming 77-22 vote last Monday, but as written would not have the support needed to get to a full House vote, according to multiple sources on Capitol Hill. The members of Congress who are currently opposed come from both sides of the political aisle and have a varied list of issues, including the future employee status of college athletes, conference realignment rules and general concerns about a sprawling, overly prescriptive approach to fixing the NCAA's problems. The most daunting challenge the bill faces might be the short window remaining to reach a finish line. |
| NCAA's Ohio Court Win Boosts Eligibility Rules With PCSA in Doubt | |
| With the fate of the Protect College Sports Act in limbo in Congress, the NCAA will need to continue litigating lawsuits over player eligibility. On Friday, the NCAA scored a win on that front when an Ohio appellate court reversed a preliminary injunction that allowed Xavier basketball player Filip Borovicanin and nearly two dozen other college basketball players to play this fall after exhausting their NCAA eligibility. The Ohio ruling is consistent with the one issued in August by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, which vacated a nationwide injunction in Wisne v. NCAA under which high school class of 2022 players could have used to restart their college careers. However, these and other rulings are not national in effect. They govern specific jurisdictions, and courts outside of those jurisdictions can reach conflicting decisions in essentially the same case involving different athletes and schools. |
| Florida State, other ACC realignment targets push to expand conference cap in college sports bill | |
 | The Protect College Sports Act passed the Senate on Monday and now awaits the House of Representatives, but the schools most likely to leave the ACC for the Big Ten or SEC don't like the bill as written. And there's one item in particular they'd like to see changed: They want to make such moves easier and more likely. Florida State, Miami, Clemson and North Carolina sent a letter, dated Tuesday and obtained by The Athletic, requesting changes to Section 205, which caps conference size at 20 teams and forces schools changing leagues to spend three years as an independent. Tomahawk Nation first reported the story. "The three-year independence requirement would impose a significant additional consequence on an institution seeking to change conferences, particularly when conferences and their members have already negotiated the financial terms surrounding an exit," stated a portion of the letter, which was addressed to House Speaker Mike Johnson, majority whip Tom Emmer and majority leader Steve Scalise. "Similarly, a conference membership cap of 20 could unnecessarily constrain future conference configurations and limit important market considerations in potential national media level negotiations." |
| Employee question could stall Senate college sports bill at midfield in House | |
 | A key player in crafting and pushing bipartisan legislation aimed at building guardrails around college sports through the Senate said last week outreach to House members had begun. But it is unclear whether President Donald Trump will help reconcile differences as he focuses on the midterms and other priorities. The Senate on Sept. 28 passed the measure 77-22, running up the score with a bipartisan final tally for the "Protect College Sports Act." The legislation would establish the nation's first federal regulatory structure for college athletics, creating national rules governing name, image and likeness (NIL) deal-making and compensation. Among its major provisions, the bill proposes nationwide standards for NIL agreements, establishes guidelines for schools making direct payments to athletes and grants targeted antitrust protections to certain college sports-governing organizations. A product of the Senate Commerce Committee, the sweeping measure will be waiting on House lawmakers when they return to the Capitol following a lengthy midterm election cycle recess. Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell, the panel's top Democrat, said last week that the "Protect" bill's advocates had begun an effort to explain the legislation to members of the other chamber. |
| Ticket prices are making sports fans surly this midterm season | |
| The sports world is getting hit by the affordability crisis, as fans find it increasingly costly to attend games or to even watch them on television. A confluence of factors is pricing many Americans out of the market, economists and sports business experts say. Inflation has made it harder to afford nonessential items and services, even as ticket prices across the sports landscape have risen. That's to say nothing of the costs for concessions or getting to a game. The at-home sports viewing experience is becoming more expensive, too, with subscriptions to paywalled streaming services increasingly becoming the only way to see every game a favorite team plays. And none of this has stopped billionaire sports ownership groups from asking the public at large to foot the bill for their stadiums with the threat of leaving town. The trend line threatens to erode sports fandom's place in American culture, a growing number of observers say. It's also another reason why voters in general are in a surly mood this midterm season. "There were already tensions around big time sports and affordability before we got to this point in the country, but now everything that's going on with Congress and geopolitical tensions just sort of amplifies it," said Loretta Lepore, a Republican communications strategist. "And lawmakers in both parties see this. There's a recognition that we have a growing disparity of wealth in our nation, and it's creeping into every segment of our society, including sports." |
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