| Wednesday, September 2, 2015 |
| Mississippi State announces plans to enhance campus security | |
 | Mississippi State University officials say safety enhancements have started around campus following last week's active shooter scare. Following the incident, university leaders gathered to discuss a "new initiative designed to enhance the safety and security of the institution" which was announced Tuesday in a university press release. Mississippi State President Mark E. Keenum said he asked all groups involved in discussions for input on three primary initiatives -- training, locks and communications -- what he called "TLC." "The highest priority I have as president of this university is the safety of our students, faculty and staff," Keenum said. "We are always, always going to err on the side of caution in protecting our most precious resource -- our people." |
| Former student who sparked Mississippi State campus lockdown won't face charges | |
 | Authorities won't seek criminal charges against a former Mississippi State University student who sparked a campus lockdown last Thursday. Mississippi State University officials previously said they'd file misdemeanor disorderly conduct charges against Phu-Qui Cong "Bill" Nguyen of Madison. Army recruiters speaking to Nguyen by phone called the school, reporting he was suicidal. The Mississippi Highway Patrol was also called and told the university that Nguyen was threatening to shoot others. The university announced Tuesday that it has been reviewing its policies and meeting with other police agencies after the alert. University spokesman Sid Salter said the school wants to improve its ability to put out text messaging alerts more quickly, find ways to further train students and employees how to respond and make it easier to lock classrooms and offices. |
| Meridian City Council approves comprehensive compensation study by Mississippi State | |
 | The Meridian City Council approved Tuesday to have Mississippi State University conduct a comprehensive compensation study and employee handbook review. The study will help the city get a better idea on the compensation needs of its priority employees and how it relates to other comparable cities in the state and region. "Mississippi State University does the research and it can show how our salaries rank with other cities," Meridian Mayor Percy Bland said. "It's done by the Stennis Institute over six months at a cost of $30,000. We will be able to put half the cost at the end of this year's budget and the other half on next year's budget." Ward 4 City Councilwoman Kim Houston had suggested at a work session back in July that the city should look at this option. She was pleased that the Bland Administration and the council will move forward. |
| Rice harvest underway, yields, acreage in question | |
 | Rice harvest has begun in Mississippi, but only time will tell how many acres were actually planted and how good yields will be. "There's not a lot of yield reports yet, but I think we're going to have a good crop," said Bobby Golden, rice agronomist with the MSU Extension Service and researcher with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station. "It probably won't be as good as last year, but we set records the last two years running." Brian Williams, agricultural economist with the MSU Extension Service, said rice prices have been trending up since early summer from under $10 per hundredweight to $11.65 per hundredweight on Aug. 21. These prices are still below the $13 per hundredweight paid during the last week of August 2014. |
| Chief Nichols: Manpower remains Starkville Police Department's focus | |
 | Staffing levels will remain Starkville Police Chief Frank Nichols' top priority as the city prepares its upcoming fiscal year budget. Starkville Police Department is understaffed compared to its contemporaries, Nichols told the Starkville Rotary Club on Monday, but the police chief said he is working on plans to secure additional funding for new hires and institute a part-time program for football game weekend traffic details. "We're bigger than Oxford and we have more students than Ole Miss, yet we have fewer officers (than Oxford Police Department)," he said. "Last year with the great season we had in football, I made it mandatory that three-fourths of the police department had to be at work because I don't have the manpower (to give time off during game day weekends). Out of all Southeastern Conference towns, we have the fewest officers. In the Golden Triangle, we have the lowest crime rate. The people I do have work their butts off." |
| Mississippi couple indicted for trying to join ISIS | |
 | A federal grand jury has indicted a Mississippi couple accused of trying to join the so-called Islamic State or ISIS. Jaelyn Young, 19, of Vicksburg and Muhammad Dakhlalla, 22, of Starkville were arrested at Golden Triangle Airport on August 8th. Investigators said they were bound for Atlanta, but eventually for Syria, where they hoped to join ISIS. They were both charged with allegedly conspiring and attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, a designated foreign terrorist organization. |
| Alderman Wynn calls for Starkville-Oktibbeha school board head to resign | |
| Ward 2 Alderman Lisa Wynn called for Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District Board of Trustees President Eddie Myles to resign his post Tuesday in the wake of the board's handling of a legal situation involving Superintendent Lewis Holloway. Wynn, who was traveling on city business, phoned in her comments after Vice Mayor Roy A. Perkins also criticized the school board for failing to "make decisions that will promote a unified" community and district. Myles declined to comment on Wynn's call. |
| Starkville board fires Gordon; CAO Adams leaving for new job | |
| Two Starkville employees are leaving their respective posts for different reasons. Aldermen voted unanimously voted to fire Starkville Parks and Recreation Maintenance Supervisor Kenneth Gordon and accepted CAO Taylor Adams' letter of resignation Tuesday. Gordon's firing occurred after aldermen discussed the personnel move behind closed doors. No comments were made about the move. Adams' move, however, came about after he accepted a new job in Virginia Beach, Virginia. There, he will lead the city's procurement efforts. He will remain with Starkville until Sept. 15 and is expected to start his new job a week later. |
| Obama Secures 34 Senate Democrats' Support for Iran Nuclear Deal | |
 | President Barack Obama locked in enough support in Congress Wednesday to ensure he can overcome bipartisan opposition and implement a landmark nuclear accord with Iran. More than a month after global diplomats struck an agreement limiting Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for international sanctions relief, the White House secured the backing of 34 Senate Democrats -- the minimum needed to guarantee the deal can advance despite deep and divisive reservations in Congress, especially among Republicans. Even if Congress passes a resolution disapproving the deal when it votes later this month, Mr. Obama is expected to veto the resolution. |
| Disaster drill at Mississippi University for Women on Thursday | |
| At 7 a.m. Thursday, Lowndes County will conduct its Annual Disaster Preparedness Drill. Officials with Columbus Lowndes County Emergency Management say this year's drill should demonstrate the county's ability to respond to a train or car wreck involving hazardous materials and mass casualties on the Mississippi University for Women's campus. It is designed to test the response, communications and unified command of the county's emergency response agencies, including local agencies, state and volunteer agencies and the university. |
| Student protection serious work for Delta State police | |
 | With the recent school shootings taking center stage in the media, learning institutions are staying as up-to-date on policies as possible and Delta State University is no different. Delta State Campus Chief of Police Lynn Buford said, "We've had and hosted several active shooter trainings on campus. All of our officers go through an active training certification. We try to do that at least annually or every 16 to 18 months to keep everyone's minds fresh. The training has evolved over a period of time, which it should. We've also got some good resources in Cleveland and the sheriff's department and we work with them quite well." |
| William Carey University marks 50 years of integration | |
 | Myron Noonkester well remembers when the Ku Klux Klan burned a cross on his family's lawn. He was 8 years old. "It was right out at the corner of the yard," said the current dean of the Noonkester School of Arts and Letters at William Carey University. "We were all gathered in a central room upstairs and (my parents) were concerned about the possibility of a physical attack." Noonkester's father, J. Ralph Noonkester, was president of the university 50 years ago, when William Carey admitted its first two black students: Vermester Jackson Bester and Linda Williams Cross. "My father had been very idealistic about civil rights issues," Noonkester, 58, said. "My parents always took an enlightened view of racial issues." Noonkester's father was also pragmatic. William Carey University has spent the past several months celebrating the 50th anniversary of campus integration. |
| William Carey University sees record enrollment in Biloxi | |
 | The William Carey University Tradition campus has a record enrollment this year, officials announced. The 1,154 students at the Biloxi campus represent a 22 percent increase from the fall of 2014 and the highest number of students since the school began serving the Gulf Coast more than 40 years ago. Total enrollment at both William Carey University campuses is at 4,330 students, an increase of 4.5 percent since the fall of 2014. |
| Hinds Community College to receive $250K gift from Walmart Foundation | |
| Hinds Community College in Raymond and KLLM Transport Services are boosting their training capabilities, thanks to a $250,000 gift from the Walmart Foundation that will help diversify the ranks of the trucking industry. The money, part of a larger $100 million commitment by the retailer to bolster workforce training, education and career pathways for retail workers nationwide, will support training women and underserved populations who enroll in the driver's academy at KLLM Transport Services. The money comes to Hinds via the Foundation for the Mid South. |
| U. of West Alabama sees 20 percent increase in freshmen class size | |
 | The University of West Alabama, located about 40 miles from Meridian, Mississippi, saw a roughly 20 percent increase in the size of its incoming class of first-time freshman students this fall, a boost the regional institution's president called its largest in two decades. "It is pretty significant. It is the largest incoming freshman class we have had in 20 years," UWA President Ken Tucker said. The incoming class of first-time freshman was roughly 420 this fall. Tucker and Vice President for Student Affairs Danny Buckalew cited the example of targeted marketing efforts in Mississippi, the Florida Panhandle, and metropolitan areas in Alabama. |
| Arrest made in sexual assault of U. of Alabama student on Sorority Row | |
 | Tuscaloosa investigators arrested a man Tuesday on rape and kidnapping charges after he allegedly sexually assaulted a University of Alabama student on Sorority Row. Joseph Christopher Spota, 29, has been charged with first-degree rape and first-degree kidnapping after he turned himself in to the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office around 4 p.m. Authorities released surveillance photos Monday, including one that showed a female at the passenger door of a white Toyota FJ Cruiser on University Boulevard just west of Queen City Boulevard. "We believe the suspect in this case attempted to lure this female into his vehicle prior to attacking the original victim," Tuscaloosa County Homicide Unit Lt. Kip Hart said in a prepared statement. |
| Robbery reported on U. of Alabama campus | |
| University of Alabama Police are investigating an on-campus robbery reported Monday night. The victim told officers that two armed men wearing ski masks approached him from behind in a parking lot on Jackson Avenue, on the east side of campus near Paul W. Bryant Drive. The victim reported that the men pointed a weapon at his back and demanded money, according to an alert issued by UAPD. The victim gave the men his money before they ran south. The robbery follows an off-campus assault that was reported Saturday. Two victims told police that they were walking on Eighth Street when three men approached and demanded their property. |
| Top lawmakers promise action over U. of Tennessee pronouns post | |
 | Top state and federal lawmakers are reacting with outrage, and promises of action, after a post on the University of Tennessee Knoxville website got national attention for encouraging students to use gender-neutral pronouns. Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey said on Facebook that the post, written by the director of UT's Pride Center, was "the clearest example of political correctness run amok that I have seen in quite some time." Ramsey, R-Blountville, said he expected the General Assembly to "weigh in on the issue" in January if UT doesn't "take quick action" first. After the post went viral last week, the university issued a statement saying there is no official policy that mandates the use of gender-neutral pronouns. In an interview on Tuesday, Margie Nichols, UT's vice chancellor for communications, reiterated that point. |
| AAUP alleges violations of academic freedom, due process in new report on prof's termination by LSU | |
 | After 18 years of service, 24 peer-reviewed articles and the creation of a new-teacher education program, Teresa Buchanan was sailing toward promotion to full professor of education at Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge. Did a few swear words and sex jokes really derail her career? That's what the American Association of University Professors alleges in a report out today. The report makes it unlikely that the university, which earlier this year was close to moving off AAUP's censure list for past concerns about its commitment to academic freedom, will do so anytime soon. But the university accuses AAUP of misinterpreting the principles at play in Buchanan's case, ignoring the way she allegedly treated some students, and of betraying its own values. |
| Arkansas Governor: Change Higher Education Funding Formula | |
| Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Tuesday proposed overhauling the funding formula for higher education institutions and scholarships, part of an effort to boost the number of college graduates in the state. The Republican governor called on a group of college presidents to work with the state's director of higher education to come up with recommendations to the Legislature. "We have an outdated funding formula for higher education. It needs to be re-evaluated," Hutchinson said. Currently, 90 percent of a state college or university's funding is based on enrollment while the remaining 10 percent is based on performance measures such as the number of degrees awarded. |
| Innovation Hub to double with federal grant and U. of Florida match | |
 | The University of Florida will double the size of the Florida Innovation Hub with another $8 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration, providing more space for technology companies to start and grow. The EDA and UF announced the grant Tuesday, which includes a $9 million match from the university. Hub Director Jane Muir said UF has three years to build the addition, according to the grant terms. The three-story, 48,000-square-foot building opened in October 2011, built by an $8.2 million EDA grant and a $5 million match from UF, with funding from licensing royalties from research inventions. |
| New director named for U. of Florida Performing Arts | |
| Call waiting changed the career trajectory of Brian Jose forever. "Brian was an athlete and didn't actually have a background in music," said Elizabeth Auer, the interim director of University of Florida Performing Arts. "He heard Mozart for the first time while on hold for a call at 25 years of age and was forever changed." It was some serendipity, making that phone call. He used his marketing background to work for orchestras and that led to nearly three decades as an arts program administrator. Beginning Nov. 1, Jose (pronounced "Joe's") will step onto the stage as UF Performing Arts' new director, replacing longtime director Michael Blachly, whose last day was Tuesday. |
| Texas A&M locates missing package containing radioactive material in storage site | |
 | Texas A&M located a missing box containing radioactive material in one of the university's secure hazardous material storage facilities Tuesday after the Federal Express package did not arrive at its intended destination last month. A statement released Tuesday by the university said the package was unopened, undamaged and in its original shipping condition. The package is safe for transportation and storage, and the community was never in any danger, according to the release. Shane Hinckley, interim vice president of marketing and communications, said the package was delivered to the wrong location, where it was then picked up by Environmental Health and Safety personnel and taken to the hazardous storage facility. All packages containing radioactive materials should be delivered to the Radiation Safety Office, Hinckley said, and the university is working to determine where that breakdown occurred. |
| Documentary journalism program starts classes at U. of Missouri | |
 | Steve Gieseke, a junior at the University of Missouri, grew up with movies. Gieseke said his family frequently watched films together, which led him to pursue a career in the industry. When he starts his film career, Gieseke said, he wants to create documentaries. That pursuit became tricky when it came time to pick a major his freshman year. "They didn't have anything like that when I came here as a freshman, so I was in photojournalism," he said. Gieseke had planned to combine photojournalism and film studies, but this fall he was able to become one of the first students to enroll in MU's new documentary journalism program. The Jonathan B. Murray Center for Documentary Journalism at MU's School of Journalism held its first classes last week. |
| Anti-GMO movement, ag research funding strike nerve with Sen. McCaskill | |
 | Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Missouri, turned up the Midwestern charm Tuesday morning at Bay Farm Research Center, slamming the movement against genetically modified organisms and assuring MU researchers she wouldn't abide any bias against agricultural research from the National Science Foundation. "It's ironic to me that the same group that's pounding the table about climate change wants to ignore the science with GMOs," she said. "If you believe in science, you believe in science. You can't just pick and choose depending on the issue." McCaskill was alarmed when Tom McFadden, director of MU's division of animal sciences, told her the National Science Foundation seems to avoid funding the application-based research agriculture embraces, and agricultural researchers have learned to frame their projects as more academic research to receive money. |
| More College Students Use Marijuana Daily, Study Finds | |
| College students in the U.S. are now more likely to smoke marijuana on a daily basis than cigarettes, as pot-smoking rates continue to climb, according to the results of a nationwide survey released Tuesday. The University of Michigan researchers also found that more students reported using e-cigarettes and other types of tobacco such as water pipes called hookahs. But they said student use of these alternatives to traditional smoking are relatively new and had yet to be fully tracked. "There's no question that marijuana use has risen considerably," said Lloyd Johnston, principal investigator for the Monitoring the Future study. "In December, we released results on secondary-school students, and we're seeing a rise in daily marijuana use there as well." |
| CHARLIE MITCHELL (OPINION): Every 'line of duty' death should make us pause | |
| Longtime Mississippi journalist Charlie Mitchell writes: "Average age: 40. Average time in law enforcement: 12 years, 10 months. Those stats describe the 82 law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty so far this year. Each one is tragic, but there's more we need to know. ...Law enforcement has been and continues to be an essential public service. It has not suddenly become more perilous than ever, though. Every 'line of duty' death should make us pause, if nothing more, and be grateful there are those willing to do it." |
| BRIAN PERRY (OPINION): Political e-mails and education funding initiatives | |
| Jackson-based consultant and columnist Brian Perry writes: "The organization 42 For Better Schools recently sought all communications regarding Initiative 42 and Initiative 42-A from Speaker of the House Philip Gunn and Lieutenant Governor Tate Reeves. Gunn and Reeves referred the request to the appropriate legislative committees. The House committee has not met but the Senate committee denied the request under Senate rules. The Lieutenant Governor's duties include both legislative and executive functions; his role relating to Initiative 42-A would have been legislative. The request for information from Reeves and Gunn was filed by Michael Rejebian, who according to a story from The Hechlinger Report, 'leads much of the effort' at the headquarters of 42 For Better Schools. ...I doubt he was surprised the request was denied. I suspect the purpose of the request was not to actually get any correspondence (which would have been a bonus), but to use the denial as a press hit to build a broader message." |
| SID SALTER (OPINION): 3rd party bid threat to GOP's 2016 chances | |
| Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: "Presidential politics in America have become strange in ways that defy conventional political wisdom -- perhaps suggesting the conventional wisdom is forever suspect. ...Iowa has produced a real challenge for Republicans. Should that pattern hold through the primaries, the prospects of a third-party candidate emerging on the ultra-conservative side of the GOP becomes more real and more of an assurance that the GOP split ultimately underwrites a Democratic victory in November." |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State's Dan Mullen embraces in-state rivalry | |
| Mississippi State has not shied away from scheduling in-state opponents during Dan Mullen's tenure. The Bulldogs will open the season with Southern Miss for the second straight year. "It is a huge game in the state of Mississippi and to the people here," Mullen said. "This is a game that can have a lot of tradition to it and a lot of people in the state of Mississippi that take a lot of pride. I know that everybody has so much pride in their schools, so the opportunity when the schools get to play each other is huge." The Bulldogs got the best of last year's meeting, blanking the Golden Eagles 49-0 in Starkville. |
| Mississippi State has formula from last year's blowout win vs. USM | |
| A year ago, Mississippi State handed Southern Miss a 49-0 loss. The scoreboard didn't tell the entire story of the Bulldogs' dominance. Each MSU offensive snap gained an average of 7.1 yards. In addition to seven touchdowns, Mississippi State gained 550 yards. It was the only game of the season that MSU passed for 300 yards and rushed for 200. "I thought last year against Southern Miss, we executed fairly well on offense," Mullen said. Mullen said during Monday's press conference the Bulldogs would play as many as they could. "We just gotta go in fast. Being a leader, being on the road, in an in-state rival, we've gotta go in and start off fast and slow the crowd down," Prescott said. |
| Experience dominates Mississippi State's depth chart | |
| Much has been made about Mississippi State's lack of experience returning this fall. The Bulldogs only have eight returning starters back on offense and defense but all 22 positions on both sides of the ball will be manned by an upperclassmen according to the depth chart that was released on Monday. "I don't think this team really pays attention to how many starters we have coming back," said MSU quarterback Dak Prescott. "I've heard coach (Dan) Mullen say it's a misleading stat. We have some new faces starting but all of them have played valuable reps in big-time games." MSU is expected to start eight seniors and 14 juniors on offense and defense against Southern Miss on Saturday. |
| Mississippi State practicing for late kickoff against USM | |
| No detail is too small in Mississippi State's preparation for the season opener against Southern Miss on Saturday. That includes the time of the game. The Bulldogs and Golden Eagles are set to kickoff at 9 p.m. on Fox Sports 1. Mississippi State has scheduled practice from 7:30-9:30 p.m. this week. "It changes your eating habits, your whole routine in a game week. So, you know, we've got to go ready to play," MSU coach Dan Mullen said. "I don't particularly care for starting a game that late with young athletes." Mullen expressed his displeasure with the late start time earlier in August. He pointed to the NCAA's hypocrisy of not allowing teams to conduct workouts later than midnight, yet they force teams to play in late night games. |
| Mississippi State's Ashton Shumpert takes over at running back | |
| Mississippi State must find a way to replace more than 1,200 yards rushing now that former starting running back Josh Robinson is in the NFL. That might scare some programs. The Bulldogs aren't one of them. The reason for that confidence is simple: Mississippi State has consistently had fantastic running backs during coach Dan Mullen's seven-year tenure. From Anthony Dixon to Vick Ballard to LaDarius Perkins and finally Robinson, the Bulldogs have always been able to move the ball on the ground. |
| Mississippi State's Ashton Shumpert embracing starting role but not satisfied | |
| Ashton Shumpert is next in line. Many point to the legacy at linebacker for Mississippi State, from Jamar Chaney to K.J. Wright to Cam Lawrence and Bendrick McKinney. A similar family tree exists at running back: Boobie Dixon handed off to Vick Ballard, then to LaDarius Perkins and Josh Robinson. Mississippi State released its depth chart on Monday. Shumpert was listed as the starting running back, set to carry those expectations laid by the backs before him. "They've all been good, so I have no choice but to be great," Shumpert said. |
| Mississippi State defense ready to face opponent | |
| Manny Diaz is ready to see his defensive players tackle other guys than their own teammates. The first-year Mississippi State defensive coordinator has been preparing his squad for the upcoming season since spring drills and that includes the last four weeks spent in training camp. During that time, the Bulldog defense has gone up against the Bulldog offense numerous times. "I think we're kind of at that spot where we're ready to go play," Diaz said. "We've gone against our offense enough times. "You can only just run into somebody so many times before you prefer to run into somebody else." Diaz and the Bulldogs open the season Saturday night with a 9 p.m. kickoff against in-state foe Southern Mississippi on Fox Sports 1. |
| Mississippi State's Devon Bell resumes placekicking duties | |
| When Evan Sobiesk announced in January that he was leaving Mississippi State to attend dental school, Devon Bell knew immediately that he would be rejoining the placekicking ranks. Bell had served the Bulldogs in that capacity before but did not attempt a field goal or extra point at all last season. "It's a role I'm eager to take on because I feel like the team is going to need somebody this year," Bell said. "I'm very comfortable with it." |
| USM to tailor game plan to its strengths against Mississippi State | |
| Some college football teams seek out and try to seize areas it believes their opponent is most vulnerable. Others choose instead to figure out what they do best and tailor a gameplan around that. Mississippi State, 10-3 last season, displayed very few weaknesses its opponents were adept at exploiting in 2014. The Bulldogs were among the very best in the country in rushing offense (233.1 yards per game) and tops in the nation in red zone defense (63.6 percent). To that end, Southern Miss is expected to accentuate the best part of its game when it welcomes the Bulldogs to M.M. Roberts Stadium Saturday. Kickoff is set at 9 p.m. |
| Downtown, zoo offer tailgating alternatives for Mississippi State game at USM | |
| Thousands upon thousands of gridiron fans are expected to descend upon the Hub City this weekend for Saturday's game between Southern Miss and Mississippi State. And Hattiesburg-area attractions are working to make the most of this opportunity. In addition to trying to find a place to tailgate on the Southern Miss campus, which is sure to be packed, why not also do it in downtown Hattiesburg? "We are closing down Front Street at noon so people are welcome to come out here with tents and spend the afternoon downtown before the game," said Andrea Saffle, executive director of the Historic Hattiesburg Downtown Association. "There will be kids' activities and food and music and plenty to do before the game." For any young families or nature enthusiasts looking to do something that day before the game, the Hattiesburg Zoo will have its own tailgating celebration. |
| HUGH KELLENBERGER (OPINION): USM improved, but Mississippi State will win | |
| The Clarion-Ledger's Hugh Kellenberger writes: "Mississippi State is going to win on Saturday. You know it. I know it. That jewelry store in Petal promising to give everybody refunds if Southern Miss wins knows it, because you don't get to own a business for nearly 30 years by giving the stuff away. And Vegas knows it, making Mississippi State a 21-point favorite. ...But there is still reason to watch this game, and not just because it's real, live college football. ...For Mississippi State there has to be a sense of urgency, even more so than there was in 2014, because of the game against No. 14 LSU in Week 2." |
| Buck Showalter still a proud Mississippi State Bulldog | |
| Buck Showalter spent one season at Mississippi State, but hearing him reflect on his time in Starkville, it's clear how much he enjoyed being a Bulldog. Now 59, Showalter, an All-American at State in 1977, is in his 16th season as a big-league manager and sixth guiding the Baltimore Orioles. His fond memories of Starkville are related both to his time on and off the diamond, especially from his time there later to complete his degree. "I signed two contracts, one with the Yankees, one with my parents so I'd go back and finish up," Showalter said. "Going back to school and not playing a sport was one of the biggest challenges. (Orioles rookie outfielder Paul) Janish and I were talking about it because he's trying to finish up at Rice." |
| Renovated Commonwealth opens Saturday providing fans stadium that 'feels like Kentucky' | |
 | When Blake McClain made his recruiting visit to the University of Kentucky a few years ago, he felt good about the direction of the program. He was hopeful that he could be part of a football renewal. But he didn't get such a positive vibe from Commonwealth Stadium, where the team played its home games. "It just didn't feel like an SEC stadium," he said. And now, after a $120 million renovation that has changed every corner and cranny of the home of UK football? "When I walk in here every time, it's like, 'Dang,'" McClain proclaimed. "It gets me every time." From top to bottom, Commonwealth Stadium will have a different look -- a different feel -- which was the goal when Mitch Barnhart embarked on the renovation more than two years ago. |
| UK takes athletics training to the kitchen, the grocery store and possibly the garden | |
| It takes more than sit-ups and strength training to keep high-performance college athletes healthy. Enter University of Kentucky athletics dietitian Monica Fowler who, for seven weeks this summer, ran a cooking school at the Nutter Training Center for members of the volleyball, women's basketball, softball, swimming and diving, gymnastics and football teams, and a few men's basketball players. "By the end, we'd be exhausted," said Fowler who ran the program along with her graduate assistant Emily Ludwig and a cadre of dietetic student volunteers. But the results were well worth it: student athletes who came in as kitchen novices are now preparing their own healthy meals from scratch. |
| UGA's Richt responds to Freedom From Religion's charges: 'I don't tell them what to believe' | |
 | Georgia football coach Mark Richt spoke publicly for the first time on Tuesday about accusations from the Freedom From Religion Foundation that Richt and chaplain Kevin "Chappy" Hynes are imposing "their personal religion on players" in a coercive way. "We're at a secular university," said Richt, a devout Christian. "I understand that. We don't try to make anybody believe a certain way at all. Anything that has to do with the spirit is strictly voluntary and never has any bearing on somebody's ability to play at Georgia. It's always been that way." Richt said he encourages his players to grow spiritually. |
| About 20,000 empty seats expected for U. of South Carolina game against UNC | |
 | Old ACC rivals South Carolina and North Carolina will be playing in front of an expected 20,000 empty seats on Thursday night in the Belk College Kickoff at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. Despite the game opening the college football season and being a close drive for fans of both schools, the executive director of the Charlotte Sports Foundation, Will Webb, expects 50,000 to 55,000 tickets will be sold in the Carolina Panthers' 73,298-seat stadium. High ticket prices -- which range from $70 for upper deck tickets to $258 for club level seats -- have been blamed for the crowd size. USC coach Steve Spurrier said on his call-in show last week that the ticket he was issued for his wife was priced at $257. "That's Super Bowl prices," Spurrier said. "I think that's a little too steep or else we could fill the ballpark." |
| New MLB draft date now means college players will be taken during super regionals | |
 | Major League Baseball announced Tuesday that it's moving up its First Year Player Draft to June 9 -- a date that will conflict with college baseball's super regionals. The draft will last three days. So Day 2 of the 2016 draft will overlap with Day 1 of super regionals (Friday, June 10). And Day 3 of the draft will overlap with Day 2 of super regionals (Saturday, June 11). That means players will almost certainly be on the field playing in a pivotal super regional game when they're drafted. The timing of MLB's draft and college baseball's postseason continues to be a pain point for coaches and players. |
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