Monday, January 11, 2021   
 
MSU-Meridian welcomes first physician assistant students
When Pam Vayda was teaching science at Meridian Community College, she decided it was time to do something she'd always wanted to do: work in the medical field. "It's exciting to see a change in course, deciding to move into a different realm and to pursue a long time dream," said the Collinsville resident, one of 20 students in the inaugural cohort of Mississippi State University's new Master of Physician Assistant Studies program. The students have been in orientation for the past week at MSU-Meridian's Riley Campus and will begin their classes next week. They are among over 250 applicants and 50 finalists who vied for limited slots in the state's only publicly-funded PA program, according to a media release. Meridian High School graduate Katie Bruister always wanted to work in the medical field, because she grew up in a home with a mother who is diabetic. After earning a degree in biomedical engineering, Bruister worked as an emergency room scribe and in retail before applying for the program at MSU-Meridian. "I was already interested in the PA profession and I was already into helping people," she said. "I thought that this would be a good opportunity to build up our community and be able to stay here and make it a better place."
 
MSU-Meridian's Jumpstart Literacy Project
MSU-Meridian kicks off the Jumpstart Literacy project funded through Phil Hardin Foundation. A three-year grant through the local philanthropic organization, Phil Hardin Foundation, is enabling MSU-Meridian to partner with Meridian Public School District to provide Jumpstart leaders in identified schools within the district to work with pre-K students. Jumpstart is a national early education organization that recruits and trains college students to serve pre-school children. They help them develop the language and reading skills they need to be ready for kindergarten.
 
MSU Extension Service launches new 4-H center
The Mississippi State University Extension Service is launching a new Extension Center for 4-H Youth Development to grow the next generation of leaders. This name change leverages current funding and restructuring of existing positions to allow for greater support and service to Mississippi's young people. 4-H provides nonformal youth development education across the state for 8- to 18-year-olds through programs delivered locally by Extension agents and registered 4-H adult volunteers. "Renaming the office and program furthers our strategic goal of expanding outreach and engagement while adhering to Extension's core values," said Extension Director Gary Jackson. "The center will allow for greater synergy between state and county level faculty and staff and raise 4-H's visibility as a potential partner with other organizations."
 
Focus group sessions pinpoint farming stressors
Researchers from the Mississippi State University Extension Service are looking to collect row-crop farmers' feedback on stress related to farming. The focus group sessions are part of the MSU Extension opioid prevention campaign PReventing Opioid Misuse In the SouthEast, or the PROMISE Initiative. Participation involves answering a series of questions about farming, stress related to farming and the opioid epidemic. If a row-crop farmer agrees to participate in a focus group, the total time commitment will be two hours. The focus group meetings will be held Jan. 28 at the MSU Extension Coahoma County office in Clarksdale and the MSU Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville, and Feb. 2 at the MSU North Mississippi Research and Extension Center in Verona. The sessions in Clarksdale and Verona will begin at 8:30 a.m. The Stoneville session starts at 12:30 p.m. This project is supported by the Rural Health and Safety Education Competitive Grants Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Rural Opioids Technical Assistance Grants.
 
SPD charges 5 with attempted murder for Dec. 30 shooting
Starkville police arrested five suspects Friday and a sixth turned himself in Saturday for a Dec. 30 shooting that resulted in attempted murder charges. Dominique Beasley, who is 30 years old and also goes by Dominique Roberts, turned himself in Saturday morning around 9 a.m., Starkville Police Department Public Information Officer Brandon Lovelady said. SPD arrested Quanterrius Dotson, 17; Marquavious Guido, 20; Austin Hudson, 18; and Joshua Reed-Sims, 24, on Friday, according to an SPD press release. All five are charged with attempted murder in the shooting on North Montgomery Street near the Garrard Road intersection, and each is being held in Oktibbeha County Jail with bond set at $750,000. Lovelady said the shooting happened outside a residence. SPD also arrested Johnetta Campbell, 22, on a felony charge of hindering prosecution, and she posted her $25,000 bond Friday shortly after her arrest, Lovelady said.
 
MSDH reports 1,227 new COVID-19 cases, 19 deaths
The Mississippi State Department of Health on Monday reported 1,227 additional cases of COVID-19 and 19 deaths related to the virus as of 6 p.m. Jan 10. Monroe County in Northeast Mississippi reported two additional deaths. The statewide total number of cases since March 11, 2020, is now 240,309, with a death toll of 5,186. Around 182,103 people are estimated to have recovered from the virus as of Jan. 3. There are currently 221 outbreaks in long-term care facilities across the state. All counties in the Daily Journal's coverage area reported new cases: Alcorn (9), Benton (4), Calhoun (7), Chickasaw (8), Clay (11), Itawamba (7), Lafayette (29), Lee (24), Marshall (23), Monroe (14), Oktibbeha (9), Pontotoc (41), Prentiss (4), Tippah (4), Tishomingo (9) and Union (10).
 
Reeves: Mississippi will double number of vaccination sites
Gov. Tate Reeves said Friday that the coronavirus vaccine rollout is not going fast enough in Mississippi. He said officials are working behind the scenes to "eliminate roadblocks" so more people can get vaccinated quickly. The Republican governor said the state is planning to double the number of sites where people can be vaccinated in the coming days and double the appointment capacity of those sites, as well as the number of days they are open. "If you want a vaccine, you should have quick, simple access," Reeves said. "Government logistics should not stand in your way." Mississippi set up 18 drive-through sites for vaccinations, which opened for healthcare workers on Monday and individuals 75 and over on Wednesday. Around 7,600 coronavirus vaccinations were administered at drive-thru vaccination sites in the state this week, said State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs. However, residents said the process has not been as smooth as they would like. Online appointments were filling up quickly; calls to the hotline to make appointments were backed up; some said they were not able to make appointments after waiting or they had to make appointments in counties far from where they live.
 
State will double COVID vaccine sites after distribution mess, Gov. Reeves vows
Gov. Tate Reeves acknowledged the slow vaccine rollout in Mississippi on Friday and said the state will speed up delivery as elderly residents clamor for shots. Reeves wrote in a series of tweets Friday afternoon: "When we have a problem in Mississippi, my goal is always the same: be honest about it. Try to fix it, not hide it. Keep you up to date." The state is receiving $171.3 million in COVID-19 support from the federal government, with $26.8 million earmarked for shots now being offered to those 75 and older, with 65+ residents next in line. In an afternoon discussion with Mississippi State Medical Association members online, State Health Officer Thomas Dobbs and epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers of the Mississippi State Department of Health continued to talk in terms of vaccinating by priority group. Dobbs said that he and Byers met Friday with Reeves. The MSDH drive-thru sites, opened this week, had administered 7,600 doses of vaccine by Friday, following CDC guidelines on inoculating health-care workers and residents 75 or older, Dobbs said. "We're looking to about triple that for next week," he said. Also, pharmacies and clinics are signing on to administer vaccines. They are being listed on the MSDH website as they come aboard.
 
Lawmakers mull teacher pay raise, pre-kindergarten funding boost
After a failed attempt last year, Mississippi lawmakers again plan to push ahead with a teacher pay raise in the coming days. Senate Bill 2001 would give all teachers a $1,000 raise and set starting pay at $37,000 -- up more than $1,100. It would also provide assistant teachers' a minimum salary of $15,000, up $1,000. The teacher pay bill fell apart last year because of coronavirus-induced budget problems. But Senate Education Chairman Dennis DeBar, R-Leakesville, said Wednesday his committee plans to discuss the legislation in short order, and Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann ranks it among his top priorities. A teacher salary bump isn't all state education leaders hope to get from lawmakers this year, however. State Superintendent of Education Carey Wright told senators this week she hopes they fund several other priorities, especially early childhood education. Children who attend a good preschool are more likely to be reading at the correct level by third grade, she said. They are also more likely to graduate from high school on time, more likely to be employed, and less likely to be in trouble with the law.
 
Analysis: Health care, education, incentives on 2021 agendas
With the Mississippi legislative session just beginning, officials are starting to reveal their public policy wish lists, including proposals to increase teacher pay and improve the availability of health care services. The Senate Democratic Caucus chairman, Derrick Simmons of Greenville, repeated last week what he and many other Democrats have said for years --- that Mississippi should expand Medicaid to cover tens of thousands of people who earn modest salaries and don't receive health insurance through their jobs. Expansion is optional under the 2010 health care overhaul signed by then-President Barack Obama, and Mississippi is one of 12 states that have not chosen the option. Expansion is a longshot, though, because Republican Gov. Tate Reeves and Republicans who control the state House and Senate have long said that they believe it could become a budget buster, and they don't want to put more people on a government program. Republican Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann has released more details about his legislative agenda than many others in the Capitol, and a teacher pay raise tops his list.
 
Mississippi congressman and his predecessor share experience from inside U.S. Capitol riot
Congressman Michael Guest was on the House floor when the announcement was made about the Capitol breach. "You could hear the crowd continuing to come down," explained Guest. "As I saw the back window of the House chamber being broken out by people trying to gain access to the chamber, I decided at that time it was best for me to leave. Returned with the other members to the Longworth Ways and Means Committee Room. We were sheltering at that point. And at that point, I met up with former Congressman Gregg Harper." Harper had been observing the proceedings from the gallery. "I left my Wednesday afternoon open," said Harper who was in Washington for business. "Four years ago I was one of the tally clerks in the House of Representatives." Harper, though, was still in the gallery when the guns were drawn as the rioters continued to try to get in. "You heard glass breaking as they were doing that and then those in the gallery, they also escorted," Harper said. "Get everybody down to the tunnel. Really had no idea what was going on... you can see some live footage and it's still hard to believe."
 
Rep. Bennie Thompson talks about Wednesday's riot at US Capitol
On Wednesday, congressmen were in House chambers conducting a review of Electoral Colleges votes before they were certified. Some challenged the legitimacy of election results from several states. At the same time, thousands of President Donald Trump's supporters gathered outside the U.S. Capitol to protest the election's outcome, which clearly favored the sitting president's opponent. A riot ensued as protesters pushed against the barriers between them and the Capitol, overwhelming Capitol police and gaining entry to the building. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D- Mississippi, had a spot in the upper level of the House chamber watching below as the debate was underway. The Mississippi congressman isn't quite sure when he heard banging on doors nearby. He first heard the slamming and locking of doors below in the chamber. He saw security officials move furniture in front of a door. Then came instructions to get the gas masks from underneath the seats. He wasn't sure what was going on. But then he saw Democratic leaders Reps. Steny Hoyer of Maryland and James Clyburn of South Carolina rushed out. He and others became more anxious. "There were tense moments because you really didn't know what was happening," he said.
 
Congressmen Kelly, Guest met with Mississippi 'patriot' group before Capitol riot
A group called the "Patriot Party of Mississippi" traveled to Washington to participate in a Wednesday rally that later grew into a violent mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol -- an effort to protest and overturn Democrat Joe Biden's election over Republican President Donald Trump. Before the pro-Trump violence broke out, the small Mississippi group was greeted by two of Mississippi's most powerful politicians: Republican U.S. Reps. Trent Kelly, the highest ranking military officer in Congress, and Michael Guest, who represents the state's 3rd congressional district. A photo of the group with the congressmen was published in the Greenwood Commonwealth newspaper and is circulating on social media. Mississippi Today reached out to staffers for Kelly and Guest to ask about the meeting. Kelly's staff organized the Wednesday morning meeting and invited Guest to meet with the group at a park adjacent to the Cannon congressional office building, a staffer for Guest told Mississippi Today. "It wasn't anywhere close to where the president was speaking or where any active protest was going on," said Rob Pillow, Guest's communications director who attended the meeting. "(The congressmen) weren't out at a protest participating in any of the rallying cries that were going on. It was pretty early morning and was still what appeared to be a normal day."
 
D.C.'s Acting U.S. Attorney Calls Scope Of Capitol Investigation 'Unprecedented'
The acting U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, Michael Sherwin, says "hundreds" of people may ultimately face charges related to the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, which interrupted a session of Congress and left five people dead. Sherwin spoke with NPR's Martin Kaste in an exclusive interview Saturday evening about the multiagency investigation, the challenges officials face and what they'll be looking for. Sherwin says he doesn't want to "Monday morning quarterback" the U.S. Capitol Police, but the fact that they allowed hundreds of potential suspects to leave the scene has made his job more difficult. Now he says staffers are putting in "24-hour shifts" to identify suspects, searching for evidence online and saving it before it can be deleted. He says there's likely to be a wide array of criminal charges, ranging from destruction of federal property to murder. He also expects to find evidence of coordination among at least some of the rioters. And, he says, if the evidence points to crimes by elected officials -- such as incitement of violence -- he's prepared to bring the appropriate charges.
 
Capitol assault a more sinister attack than first appeared
Under battle flags bearing Donald Trump's name, the Capitol's attackers pinned a bloodied police officer in a doorway, his twisted face and screams captured on video. They mortally wounded another officer with a blunt weapon and body-slammed a third over a railing into the crowd. "Hang Mike Pence!" the insurrectionists chanted as they pressed inside, beating police with pipes. They demanded House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's whereabouts, too. They hunted any and all lawmakers: "Where are they?" Outside, makeshift gallows stood, complete with sturdy wooden steps and the noose. Guns and pipe bombs had been stashed in the vicinity. Only days later is the extent of the danger from one of the darkest episodes in American democracy coming into focus. The sinister nature of the assault has become evident, betraying the crowd as a force determined to occupy the inner sanctums of Congress and run down leaders -- Trump's vice president and the Democratic House speaker among them. Pelosi said Sunday "the evidence is that it was a well-planned, organized group with leadership and guidance and direction. And the direction was to go get people." She did not elaborate on that point in a "60 Minutes" interview on CBS.
 
Most of 120 arrested or identified at Capitol riot were longtime Trump supporters: AP analysis
Most of the 120 people who have been arrested in connection to or identified as being at the Capitol riot through photos and videos are longtime supporters of President Trump, an Associated Press analysis determined. The Associated Press reviewed the social media posts, voter registrations, court files and other public records of 120 individuals suspected of being involved with the riots at the Capitol building and concluded that most backed the president. The AP analysis comes after several conservatives, including lawmakers, have promoted without evidence the theory that groups like antifa and Black Lives Matter infiltrated the pro-Trump protests and were responsible for the riot in the Capitol. The 120 people included Republican Party officials, GOP political donors, far-right militants, white supremacists and those who believe in QAnon, a conspiracy theory that Satan-worshipping pedophiles control the government, the AP found. Many of the rioters were found to have posted unfounded claims promoted by Trump that the election had been stolen or that widespread voter fraud contributed to President-elect Joe Biden's victory. Several of the posts involved threats of violence against Democrats or Republicans considered not on the president's side. Many posted either during or after Wednesday's events, with several expressing pride in their actions, according to the AP.
 
Confederate Battle Flag an Unnerving Sight in Capitol
Amid the images and videos that emerged from Wednesday's rampage, the sight of a man casually carrying the Confederate battle flag outside the Senate floor was a piercing reminder of the persistence of white supremacism more than 150 years after the end of the Civil War. Months after statues of Confederate leaders and racist figures were removed or torn down around the world, an unidentified man in bluejeans and a black sweatshirt carried the emblem of racism through the Ohio Clock corridor, past a portrait of Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts, an abolitionist. The emblem has appeared in the Capitol before. The Mississippi flag, which once featured the Confederate symbol prominently, hung in the Capitol until June 2020, when it was replaced after a vote by the State Legislature to remove the emblem. But Wednesday was the first time that someone had managed to bring the flag into the building as an act of insurrection, according to historians.
 
Mississippi governor to sign law Monday for new state flag
Mississippi will officially have a new state flag next week, featuring a magnolia and the phrase, "In God We Trust." Republican Gov. Tate Reeves will sign a bill Monday to update state law with a description of the flag, his spokeswoman said Friday. Immediately after the signing, officials are scheduled to have a ceremony to raise the new flag at the state Capitol. It has been just over six months since legislators retired the last state flag in the U.S. that included the Confederate battle emblem -- a red field topped by a blue X with 13 white stars. Critics had long said the flag adopted in 1894 was a racist symbol that failed to represent a state with the largest percentage of Black residents in the nation.
 
Trump allies reelected to lead RNC as party faces reckoning
Donald Trump will have two staunch allies atop the Republican National Committee as he enters his post-presidency, an illustration of the hold he retains over the party even as some GOP leaders desert him in the wake of Wednesday's riot at the Capitol. RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and co-chairman Tommy Hicks easily won reelection on Friday at the party's annual winter meeting on Florida's Amelia Island. With Trump eager to retain influence over the GOP and quash dissent as he leaves office, their victories ensure that two party officials who've been close with the president will oversee the Republican Party infrastructure for the next two years. But it was questions about what happens next for the party that dominated the meeting. Henry Barbour, an influential Mississippi committeeman and the nephew of ex-RNC Chairman Haley Barbour, stood before the group at the closing session to say that the party needed to take a clear-eyed look at itself if it wanted to get back into power. "These are tough times," Barbour told fellow members. "It hurts because there are no medals in politics for second place."
 
The W recognized for affordable online business degree
Mississippi University for Women's College of Business and Professional Studies was recently highlighted for offering an online and affordable business degree. Bestvalueschools.org ranked The W No. 33 in the 40 Most Affordable Online Business Degree ranking. "As online learning enrollments continue to rise, programs such as the business programs at The W give students a flexible and high-quality option for earning their degree. We are proud to be recognized as one of the most affordable online programs," said Dee Larson, chair of the Department of Business and Professional Studies. The W's College of Business and Professional Studies is home to 10 different business administration concentrations, including new added sports management and nonprofit management. The college is also home to the state's only culinary program to offer a bachelor's degree and one of the only two legal studies programs to be approved by the American Bar Association.
 
Longtime researcher named director of university's coast lab
A longtime marine researcher at the University of Southern Mississippi will become the new director of the university's Gulf Coast Research Laboratory. Dr. Joseph R. Hendon has been a research scientist at the university for 22 years. He most recently served as Gulf Coast Research Laboratory's associate director. The Gulf Coast Research Laboratory is a marine and coastal research and education center dedicated to studying the Gulf Coast's ecosystem. It has operated for more than 70 years and spans 275 acres at two locations in Ocean Springs.
 
Mississippi award honors book on Jackson State shooting
The Mississippi Historical Society is giving its annual award for the best state history book to an author who wrote about the shooting deaths of two Black man 50 years ago at Jackson State University. Nancy Bristow will receive the award for her book "Steeped in the Blood of Racism: Black Power, Law and Order, and the 1970 Shootings at Jackson State College," about the deaths of James Earl Green and Phillip Gibbs. Police opened fire on students in May 1970 on the campus, which had been the scene of civil rights and Vietnam War protests. Green and Gibbs were killed in the gunfire. "Placing the Jackson State University shootings in a proper national and local context, Bristow is able to highlight the role of local politics and law enforcement in the perpetration of the murders," Chuck Westmoreland, Delta State University history professor and chair of the book prize committee, said in a statement.
 
Auburn University student dies after falling from 6th story balcony of downtown student apartments
A 20-year-old man died after falling from the sixth story balcony of The Standard apartment building in downtown Auburn Saturday, police said. After receiving a call at 3:55 p.m., officers with the Auburn Police Division arrived at the apartment complex and found the unresponsive victim with severe injuries and took him by ambulance to the East Alabama Medical Center, police said. Despite the efforts of first responders and medical staff, the young man succumbed to his injuries from the fall and died, police said. The victim was a student at Auburn University, according to a report from Lee County Coroner Bill Harris. Police are investigating the reasons behind his fall and working with the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences, the State Medical Examiner's Office and the Lee County Coroner's Office, but there is no indication of foul play at this time, police said.
 
Kentucky political science professors join hundreds of others calling for Trump's removal
Multiple Kentucky political science professors have publicly criticized and called for the removal of President Donald Trump after a mob of the president's supporters overwhelmed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. At least three University of Kentucky professors have joined a swath of political scientists who have signed onto an open letter calling on Vice President Mike Pence and the president's cabinet members to invoke the 25th amendment or work to remove the president via impeachment. "Yesterday put on display, in the most cruel and gut-wrenching way, the power of rhetoric," Annelise Russell, a professor of public policy at UK, wrote via email on Thursday on why she signed the letter. "The President's words contributed to a violent mob that put our nation's political institutions and policymakers in jeopardy." Knowing her research spoke to the violence and political fallout brought on by the breach of the Capitol, Emily Beaulieu Bacchus, another UK political science professor who signed the letter, said it felt "irresponsible" to keep that knowledge to herself. "When you see a moment in time, where things are manifestly not good, and potentially getting worse, and you know your work can speak to that you got to do it," Beaulieu Bacchus said.
 
Health professions schools see surge in applications
In the aftermath of Sept. 11, higher education saw a burst of interest in Middle Eastern studies, Arabic and homeland security. Today, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, data and anecdotal evidence now suggest we may be seeing a similar rise in demand for health and medical education. "It's unprecedented," said Geoffrey Young, senior director for student affairs and programs at the Association of American Medical Colleges. In the past two decades, the average yearly increase for total applications to medical schools has been about 2.5 percent, he said. This year, applications are up 18 percent over all. The increase, Young said, appears to have impacted a majority of medical institutions. However, some colleges and universities have seen their numbers overshoot that national increase. Some observers have dubbed the jump "the Fauci effect," after Dr. Anthony Fauci, a member of the White House coronavirus task force, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and frequent television news guest. But others say that explanation, that a prominent doctor has encouraged students to pursue health professions, is a little too simplistic -- very few people apply to medical school without years of preparation and thought. "It's kind of fun to say [the Fauci effect], but it really does a disservice to the years of work applicants have to put into being prepared to apply," said Dr. Dori Marshall, associate dean and director of admissions at Buffalo's medical school.
 
The admissions cycle favors institutions with prestige and money
First off, it's important to say that this year is hard to predict for admissions cycles. Many colleges have delayed deadlines for applying. Many students have been unable to visit colleges they hope to enroll in. Standardized testing is no longer required for almost all colleges. But in January, two things are clear. Most of the colleges that had been doing well before the coronavirus are still doing well -- many of them exceptionally so. The other thing that is clear is that colleges that serve primarily low-income students are not doing well. A few campuses with deadlines that come earlier in the year, like the University of California system, have released application totals, and they are up. Elite private colleges with early-decision and early-action programs (the former require admitted applications to enroll) have announced how many students they have admitted -- and their numbers are way up. Many have admitted more students early than they have in the past. But there is another story. "Many institutions are down in applications and worried about meeting enrollment and revenue goals," said Angel B. Perez, CEO of the National Association for College Admission Counseling. "I worry that students and parents will read about the most selective institutions and defer applying to college this year -- even though the reality is, most institutions in this country are more than happy to accept their applications and admit them."
 
Biden administration to extend student loan payment pause on Day 1, transition officials say
Once in office, President-elect Joe Biden will extend the coronavirus-era payment pause on student loans, a member of his transition team told reporters Friday. "On Day 1, the president-elect will direct the Department of Education to extend the existing pause on student-loan payments and interest for millions of Americans with federal student loans," David Kamin, a Biden transition adviser, told reporters. The pause on student-loan payments and collections was set to expire on Jan. 31, just 11 days after Biden takes office. Congress didn't address the student loan payment pause in the $900 billion COVID relief package lawmakers passed in December. And the uncertainty surrounding whether the new administration would extend the pause had some advocates and student-loan companies worried that officials would face too brief a window to set in motion the operationally complex task of extending the freeze without ensnaring some borrowers in administrative or financial headaches. Despite the assurance offered to both borrowers and student-loan companies Friday, some uncertainty remains.
 
DeVos Finally Found Something to Protest. It Wasn't Trump's Higher-Ed Policy.
Betsy DeVos probably never had much of a chance with higher ed's in-crowd. A billionaire philanthropist with no professional education experience, her passions resided outside the realms of colleges and universities. Her most cherished cause seemed to be school-choice programs, including those that allow taxpayer dollars to go toward private schools through tuition vouchers. Like many conservatives, she was skeptical of professors, whom she described as "ominously" telling students what to think. DeVos's resignation on Thursday night, coming a day after President Trump riled up a mob that overran the U.S. Capitol, was a remarkable act of protest from an official who, up to that point, had voiced nary a public objection to a president routinely at odds with educators. The president's hardline positions on immigration, his public skepticism of science, and his derision of diversity training -- all of which amounted to attacks on core higher-education values -- had not provoked (publicly at least) any crises of conscience or dissent from the secretary. The education secretary's resignation, emblematic of a moment of deep national fracture, bookends a tenure that from its inception attracted criticism and generated outrage.
 
The Betsy DeVos legacy: not much in higher education
What's perhaps most telling about Betsy DeVos's contentious tenure as education secretary, before her resignation last week, is the legacy she'll leave behind for colleges. There likely won't be one, in a matter of months or at most a couple of years. For DeVos, a longtime champion of the rights of parents to send students to the K-12 school of their choosing, higher education hasn't been a focus during her time in office. Secretary DeVos had no interest in higher education and it was never a priority with her," said Terry Hartle, the American Council on Education's senior vice president for government relations. "They never dealt with higher education unless they had to, or when they wanted to score political points." Her deeply ideological stances on what higher education issues she did deal with, including increasing the rights of people accused of sexual assault and harassment on campuses, garnered no bipartisan support. The animus they created from her critics were apparent in the reaction to her resignation. Ultimately, much of what DeVos has done will be wiped away as soon as the incoming Biden administration, and the new Democratic majority in Congress, can do so.
 
Thousands of law school alumni, students push for disbarment of Sens. Hawley, Cruz
More than 3,000 law school alumni and students have signed a petition calling for the disbarment of Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) over what it says were their "efforts to undermine the peaceful transition of power after a free and fair election." Hawley and Cruz led efforts in the U.S. Senate on Wednesday to stop the counting of electoral votes certifying the victory of Democrat Joe Biden over President Trump in the November election. Critics are accusing the senators of using rhetoric that helped inflame a pro-Trump mob that engaged in acts of insurrection at the U.S. Capitol as the vote-counting was underway. Both have rejected the accusations. But alumni and students of the law schools that the men attended -- Cruz is a graduate of Harvard Law School and Hawley of Yale Law School -- and others have signed a petition in recent days urging the Texas, Missouri and Washington bars to "immediately begin disbarment proceedings" against the two senators.
 
Colleges weigh taking action against incendiary comments in aftermath of Capitol attack
In the aftermath of the attacks on the United States Capitol by supporters of President Trump, college leaders are being asked to confront dangerous and offensive speech by students and faculty and staff members that promote false claims about the 2020 election and support the violence that occurred last week as a result of the spread of such claims. The calls for administrators to rid their colleges of those who hold such views, and to examine how their institutions combat misinformation, is often complicated by First Amendment protections. Colleges and universities, after all, are meant to be forums for students to voice, debate and defend arguments founded in truth, experts on political expression said. Some of the comments supporting the rioting in the nation's capital were founded in falsehoods, however. They often echoed the sentiments that led to the violence -- such as claims that the election was "stolen" from Trump -- and justified the actions of the people who stormed the Capitol building. Such comments, most of them posted on social media, are protected speech, yet, students, alumni and faculty members fear the potential that they have to stoke further lawlessness.
 
Money hungry PERS just another debt-busting socialistic program
Syndicated columnist Bill Crawford writes: Surprise! The state's Public Employee Retirement System (PERS) needs more money. Well, it's not a surprise, but a continuing calamity. Based on 2020 underperformance, PERS' financial consultants called for another increase in employer contributions to 19.6% of salaries. Just two years ago PERS upped employer contributions 17.4%, promising, as it has time after time, that the new money would fix PERS finances. It didn't. You hear that huge sucking sound? That's the hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars being sucked annually into PERS because it cannot keep its promises. Employer contributions in 2020 were $448 million more than they were in 2011, but even more is needed. ... Gov. Haley Barbour predicted in 2011, when the employer contribution rate was 12%, that PERS would overburden taxpayers unless the system made significant changes. He formed a blue ribbon panel to recommend changes. PERS and the Legislature ignored those recommendations. One key recommendation was to change PERS' governance structure. Employees and retirees dominate the PERS board. Now, these board members are not bad people, but they get elected by employees and retirees who want, no, demand continuation of their taxpayer funded benefits. Legislators face the same voters.
 
Four Mississippi congressional delegates say they know better than judges, state officials
Bobby Harrison writes for Mississippi Today: Four of the six members of Mississippi's congressional delegation, by their votes this past week, were trying to usurp the authority of state and local officials and the courts to conduct and oversee elections. The four -- U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Reps. Trent Kelly, Michael Guest and Steven Palazzo -- said they know better than the state and local officials and better than the judiciary, including better than the U.S. Supreme Court, how elections for president should be conducted. Their disregard for the U.S. court system is notable since Hyde-Smith and others campaigned for re-election last year on how great it was that the judiciary had been populated by appointees of President Donald Trump, including three of his appointees to the Supreme Court. Now that it comes to the issue of the presidential election, they are ignoring the rulings of those judges.


SPORTS
 
No. 14 Mississippi St. women hold off Ole Miss charge, 60-56
Jessika Carter scored 19 points and Myah Taylor scored the last four as No. 14 Mississippi State fended off an upset bid from in-state rival Ole Miss, 60-56 Sunday night. Coming into the 100th meeting in the series, the Rebels hadn't won a game in Starkville since 2007, nor defeated the Bulldogs in the last 14 tries. But Sunday, Donnetta Johnson and Valerie Nesbitt each reached career highs in scoring, Johnson with 25 and Nesbitt 18. The pair did some heavy lifting late, scoring 16 of Ole Miss' 18 points in the fourth quarter. A Nesbitt drive sliced what had been a 12-point Mississippi State lead down to 58-56 with a minute left. Nesbitt stole the ball from Taylor with 29 seconds left, but Johnson's jumper was just short at five seconds and Ole Miss never got the ball again. Taylor stamped the win with two free throws with 0.4 seconds on the clock. She added 10 points, eight assists and four steals for Mississippi State (8-2, 3-1 Southeastern Conference). Aliyah Matharu added 16 points off the bench for the Bulldogs, who shot 38% (21 of 55) and scored 18 points of 15 Ole Miss turnovers. The Bulldogs had 14 assists.
 
Aliyah Matharu, Mississippi State outlast Ole Miss in Starkville
The woman in black stepped to the top right corner of the 3-point arc at Humphrey Coliseum and banged home a 21-foot jumper as the shot clock buzzer echoed throughout the empty arena. Just a stone's throw down Highway 12 from where Johnny Cash was held in the Starkville City Jail following a performance at Mississippi State 56 years ago, it was sophomore guard Aliyah Matharu, donning MSU's annual all-black, Cash-esque uniform, that cut down an inspired effort from in-state rival Ole Miss in Sunday's 60-56 Bulldog victory. Pacing an MSU offense that looked out of tune as it mustered a meager 25 percent shooting effort in the first quarter, Matharu was decisive, definite and dominant in the Bulldogs' 14th-straight win over a Rebels team that hasn't bested its neighbors to the South since 2014. "Coach (Nikki McCray-Penson) always says 'Start off with an easy shot, get your feel,'" she explained. "I came in and got fouled, got an easy and-1, and then from there I just found rhythm, found my feel."
 
No. 14 Bulldogs survive late Ole Miss scare
The Mississippi State women's basketball team survived a late scare on Sunday to keep its win streak alive over Ole Miss. No. 14-ranked Mississippi State beat Ole Miss, 60-56, at the Humphrey Coliseum. That's the 14th- consecutive win for MSU over Ole Miss dating back to 2014. The Rebels (7-2, 1-2 SEC) trailed by 14 points in the second half, but had a chance to tie the game on their last possession. Donnetta Johnson's jumper came up just short of the basket and Mississippi State (8-2, 3-1) shot two free throws to go up by four points with 0.4 seconds left in the game. "I told our team that was an ugly win," Mississippi State head coach Nikki McCray-Penson said. "We felt that we didn't do some things in this second half where we basically just fell apart. You can't do that against a very talented Ole Miss team." Neither team could get much offense going in the first half, but Mississippi State (8-2, 3-1) used a 6-0 run to gather a seven-point lead late in the second quarter and led 31-27 at halftime. Aliyah Matharu had 11 points in the first half and hit three 3-pointers.
 
Mississippi State women's basketball beats Ole Miss for 14th straight time
There was a different feeling in Humphrey Coliseum on Sunday. Mississippi State athletic director John Cohen stood nervously behind one of the baskets, balancing his weight back and forth from his right foot to his left. He hadn't seen what was taking place on the court before him in quite some time. Nobody had. Ole Miss had a chance to beat Mississippi State in women's basketball for the first time since 2014. The No. 15 Bulldogs held tightly to a two-point lead over the Rebels with just one minute to play. Ultimately, the moment might have been too much for Ole Miss. The Rebels missed six of their last seven shots including a potential game-tying mid-range jumper with less than 30 seconds left. The Bulldogs missed eight of their last nine shot attempts too, but they made enough plays in the waning seconds of the game to survive a strong upset effort from their rival, who they beat for the 14th straight time in a row with 60-56 victory.
 
How Nikki McCray-Penson, Yolett McPhee-McCuin bring new look to Mississippi State-Ole Miss
They say the SEC "just means more." What "more" means is open to interpretation. More passion? More wins? More championships? Some of it is subjective. Some of it is factual. Place the number of women's basketball programs led by Black head coaches in the latter category. There are seven Black women's basketball coaches in the SEC. There are six in the rest of the Power 5 conferences. Two of the SEC's Black coaches will face off at 5 p.m. Sunday at Humphrey Coliseum, and they represent the Magnolia State. Say hello to Yolett McPhee-McCuin of Ole Miss (7-1, 1-1 SEC) and first-year coach Nikki McCray-Penson of Mississippi State (7-2, 2-1). Their ability to relate to their players does not go unnoticed. Twelve of Ole Miss' 15 players are Black. Eleven of Mississippi State's 12 are Black. "I think it means a lot," redshirt junior point guard Myah Taylor said. "And I really think we can feel that throughout our team. Having coach McCray alongside the other African American women (in the SEC) and the first African American woman head coach here at Mississippi State just means a lot in itself." Taylor and McCray-Penson were at the forefront of representing Mississippi State when social strife struck America over the summer. Taylor marched with her teammates during the Starkville Justice March in June and again during a Mississippi State Athletics-organized march in September.
 
Molinar leads Bulldogs to another road win
Iverson Molinar led the way with 24 points and Mississippi State made just enough free throws in the closing seconds to hold off Vanderbilt 84-81 on Saturday afternoon. D.J. Stewart Jr. added 16 points for the Bulldogs, who have won both of their SEC road games this season. "It says a lot about our guys," said MSU coach Ben Howland. "They're fighting through adversity. That's something we can continue to build on." Scotty Pippen Jr. scored 18 points, dished 12 assists and Vanderbilt hit three 3-pointers on its last four shots, coming as close as 82-81 with eight seconds left. Pippen found Trey Thomas for 3 with 18 seconds to go and again to Dylan Disu for 3 at eight seconds. But Pippen had the ball with three seconds left before losing it in the backcourt and committing a foul. Mississippi State is on a two-game roll after bumping off No. 13 Mizzou earlier in the week and hosts Texas A&M on Wednesday.
 
Molinar, MSU's post offensive overpower Vanderbilt's 3-point barrage
Mississippi State had perhaps its best inside effort all season Saturday but still had to hold on for dear life against Vanderbilt on the road. The Bulldogs destroyed the Commodores 42-18 in points in the paint and shot 60 percent from the floor, but Vanderbilt countered by having a higher 3-point shooting percentage than its clip from the floor, converting 15 of 33 3-pointers. Because of the barrage of long-range shots, the Commodores (4-5, 0-3 SEC) stayed in the game and had a chance to tie or take the lead with 6 seconds remaining, but a key steal from freshman defensive specialist Cameron Matthews sealed a 84-81 victory for MSU (8-4, 3-1). "I'm happy he got the steal," MSU coach Ben Howland said. "That was a huge play." This is the second straight road game MSU has won against Vanderbilt dating back to the 2018-2019 season, which is significant considering the historical context: With Saturday's victory, the Bulldogs improved their record against Vanderbilt to 11-48 all time when playing on the road. MSU has now won eight of its last 10 games and is 7-2 with Iverson Molinar in the starting lineup.
 
3 takeaways as hot-shooting Mississippi State basketball gets close win over Vanderbilt
Mississippi State basketball might be finding its stride. The Bulldogs beat Vanderbilt on the road 84-81 on Saturday. Mississippi State (8-4, 3-1 SEC) is a double-overtime loss to Kentucky away from being undefeated in SEC play through its first four games. Mississippi State shot the lights out. The Bulldogs went 31-of-51 from the field (60.8%) to record their best shooting game of the season. Their previous season-high was 57.4 in a loss to Liberty. Sophomore guard Iverson Molinar and redshirt sophomore forward Tolu Smith were the catalysts. Molinar went 9-of-11 from the field and scored 24. Smith went 7-of-8 and finished with 18 points. Molinar eclipsed 20 points for the second straight game and for the fifth time this season, and that's with missing the first three games because of a positive COVID-19 test.
 
Vanderbilt basketball drops third straight SEC matchup, falls to Mississippi State
Vanderbilt basketball was initially successful in its game plan against Mississippi State: eliminate forward Tolu Smith and force the ball out of the hands of guards Iverson Molinar and D.J. Stewart Jr. Smith was shut down in the first half at Memorial Gym, but Molinar and Stewart Jr. were too much for Vanderbilt, which lost 84-81 to the Bulldogs on Saturday. The loss gave Vanderbilt (4-5) its third straight 0-3 start in SEC play and its first 0-3 stint against the Bulldogs since 2004. Commodores coach Jerry Stackhouse knew standout performances from Mississippi State's top two guards would be trouble despite the Commodores' well-rounded offensive performance. "We can't allow those two guys to come in and have 18 points apiece, the way they've averaged this year," Stackhouse said Friday. "(If) they do that, I don't think that bodes well for us." The Bulldogs (8-4) only took four shots from 3-point range in the first half. Instead, Mississippi State's damage was done in the paint, getting to the basket at will. It scored 20 of its 36 first-half points in the paint and shot 63% from the field. Molinar's 10 points in the first half came from inside the arc.
 
Mississippi State defensive end, former Starkville standout Kobe Jones to enter NFL draft
Mississippi State is down a second defensive end. Senior captain and former Starkville High School standout Kobe Jones released a video Friday afternoon announcing he will forgo his extra year of eligibility afforded by the NCAA amid to the COVID-19 pandemic and enter the 2021 NFL draft. "God I can't thank you enough!" Jones wrote in conjunction with his video on Twitter. "Through my experiences at Mississippi State University I confirmed who I am as a player, and ultimately a man. I'm beyond Grateful for the good times, but especially for the trials and tribulations." While Jones played more of a complementary role during his first four years in Starkville, the former Yellow Jacket proved a force during the 2020 campaign. He finished the season with 29 tackles -- including four for a loss -- and two sacks opposite running mate Marquiss Spencer at the other defensive end slot. Jones was also outspoken regarding racial injustice issues throughout the summer, including speaking at the MSU football team's walk-out of practice in protest of racial injustice in the United States in August. A Mississippi native, he was also the first player to carry the new state flag onto the field at Davis Wade Stadium ahead of the Bulldogs' win over Vanderbilt on Nov. 7.
 
Mississippi State football DE Kobe Jones declares for 2021 NFL Draft
A Starkville resident his entire life, Kobe Jones is on the move. The Mississippi State senior linebacker has chosen to forego the extra year of eligibility granted to all seniors playing in a season heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic to enter the 2021 NFL Draft. Jones announced his decision via a Twitter video. "From being a Cowboy, then a Yellow Jacket and ultimately a Bulldog, Starkville is my home and Mississippi State is an extended family that I will forever cherish," Jones said in his video. "Whether I was a wide-eyed freshman or walking across the stage as a college graduate, my journey has been a testament to the incredible people and experiences provided by this great institution." Jones had a career-high 32 tackles in 2020, including four for a loss and two sacks. He started all 11 games. He started 13 games and played in 50 during his career.
 
Southern Miss women's basketball coach Joye Lee-McNelis announces she has Stage 4 lung cancer
Southern Miss women's basketball coach Joye Lee-McNelis announced Saturday in a pregame show that she has Stage 4 lung cancer. Lee-McNelis, who was first diagnosed with lung cancer in 2017, said "when you're faced with the storm, you have to rise above" after the game. She confirmed that had been diagnosed with lung cancer again. "I have Adenocarcinoma cancer again," she said. "It's back, and it's in the fluid. And what's scares you in the fluid is that fluid goes throughout your body." The Golden Eagles (2-4, 0-4 C-USA) fell 84-65 to UAB (7-3, 2-2) on Saturday, one day after losing 85-63 to the Blazers. Lee-McNelis said that she announced the news to her team on Thursday at practice. "We were just a wreck, emotionally, and it was hard," she said. Mixed with players being out because of COVID-19 and contact tracing, Lee-McNelis acknowledged that her team might not have been in the game mentally.
 
SEC baseball coaches approve plan for regular schedule; decision heads to athletic directors
Southeastern Conference baseball coaches spent months debating options for the 2021 schedule. They thought about only playing conference teams, making weekend series four games and facing fewer non-conference opponents. Eventually, the coaches decided to maintain the league's typical format, voting Thursday to play 10 conference series with three games per weekend, plus 26 non-conference games, as first reported by Baseball America. The plan heads to SEC athletic directors for approval. "It's their decision what would need to be best," LSU coach Paul Mainieri said, "but the baseball coaches were pretty unified in saying that we would like to keep the schedule as is." The coaches also asked athletic directors to expand roster sizes from 27 to 30 players for road trips and conference games to account for the possibility players might miss time because of positive coronavirus tests or contact tracing, Mainieri said. He added the measure would give teams enough players to compete at their proper positions in the event of quarantines. LSU's players return to campus Sunday and will receive a coronavirus test. If every player tests negative, the team will begin individual workouts Monday. Practice starts Jan. 29, three weeks before LSU plays Notre Dame, Army and Air Force opening weekend.
 
Will Kentucky men's basketball team continue to kneel during national anthem?
Kentucky men's basketball players' decision to kneel during the national anthem before Saturday's game at Florida came after a series of in-depth conversations. "We meet as a team, we talk," graduate student guard Davion Mintz said. "That's really special for us because everyone comes in, everyone shares their opinion. It's not like we just have one or two guys or just the coaches. We meet as a team, we talk, we share our stories, we relate to each other and we have guys who really listen. Then we make a decision from there, and our coaches just support us." Kentucky coach John Calipari did not learn his players wanted to kneel during the anthem until the trip to the arena in Gainesville. After a conversation with Mintz, sophomore forward Keion Brooks and senior forward Olivier Sarr, Calipari and the other Kentucky coaches decided to kneel with the players at the players' request. Whether the team continues to kneel the anthem will depend on the outcome of further conversations among players, Mintz said, but a repeat of the demonstration in Gainesville is unlikely to happen at Rupp Arena because the team has not been on the court for the anthem there this season. Regardless of whether Kentucky players kneel during the anthem again, the conversations among Kentucky players are not ending.
 
DOJ critical of NCAA's view of antitrust compliance; Mark Emmert wants voting delay on rules proposals
NCAA President Mark Emmert on Saturday said in a letter to the Justice Department's antitrust division leader that he has "strongly recommended" to association governing groups that they delay votes scheduled for this week on proposed changes to rules regarding athletes' ability to transfer and to make money from the use of their names, images and likenesses. Emmert said in the letter the association believes its rules are "fully compliant" with antitrust law, but that when it considers changes, it takes input from many sources and that it will now seek to get the Justice Department's before moving forward. On Saturday evening, Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim offered a sharply worded reply in which he not only appeared to take issue with Emmert's assessment of the association's antitrust compliance, but also raised the issue of how that situation impacts athletes of color and from challenging socio-economic circumstances. He seemed to criticize the NCAA not for delaying a vote on the current transfer and name, image and likeness rules proposals, but for not developing proposals that would allow the NCAA to comply with antitrust law.
 
N.C.A.A. President Seeks Delay on Vote to Let Students Profit From Fame
The N.C.A.A., confronted with new scrutiny from the Justice Department, on Saturday all but abandoned plans for votes in the coming days that could have allowed student-athletes to profit off their fame, assuredly inflaming a debate that has drawn in governments across the country and convulsed the college sports industry. One of the N.C.A.A.'s most powerful panels had been scheduled to consider new standards on Monday afternoon. But in a letter to the Justice Department on Saturday, the N.C.A.A.'s president, Mark Emmert, said he had "strongly recommended" that the association's governing bodies wait, effectively stepping back from pledges to lawmakers and others that college sports leaders would act this winter on the issue known as name, image and likeness. Even before the Justice Department aired its misgivings, some of the most influential figures in college sports, including Greg Sankey, the commissioner of the Southeastern Conference, had suggested that N.C.A.A. officials consider delaying votes on the subject. Recent and imminent machinations in Washington, they reasoned, could reshuffle the debate once more.
 
NCAA Set to Delay NIL Vote Under Pressure From Trump Justice Department
With the NCAA's Division I Council and the Division I Board of Directors days away from a historic decision to allow college athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness, the New York Times reported on Saturday that NCAA president Mark Emmert recommends postponing it. Such review was expected to be completed by Thursday, Jan. 14, with rule changes set to go into effect in the 2021-22 academic year. Emmert's position reflects a warning by U.S. Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim, who leads the Justice Department's antitrust division, that NCAA NIL rules must comply with federal antitrust law. Whether the NCAA is punting on NIL due to a sternly worded letter authored by a Justice Department official who works for an administration that is a week-and-a-half away from leaving office invites some skepticism. President-elect Joe Biden will take office on Jan. 20. With him will come a new Justice Department leadership team and a new set of priorities and viewpoints for enforcement of federal law. Another source of skepticism is that outgoing Justice Department officials' letters do not constitute legal action. They are, in effect, warnings, in this case issued by someone who will soon lose authority. They are not prosecutions or lawsuits, nor are they necessarily precursors to them.
 
Their Uniforms Say Ohio State and Alabama. The Players Are From Everywhere.
The engine of the 2020 Alabama team that will play for the national championship on Monday night is the recruiting class of 2017, an embarrassment of riches that came to Alabama from sea to shining sea. The Heisman Trophy winner, receiver DeVonta Smith, is from Louisiana. Quarterback Mac Jones, a Heisman runner up, is from Florida. Running back Najee Harris hails from California. Other key players call Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama, Texas and Kentucky home. And that doesn't include Tua Tagovailoa of Hawaii and other 2017 class members who are already in the NFL. The group is emblematic of Nick Saban's strategy to dominate recruiting not just in Alabama, or the South, but everywhere. Now No. 3 Ohio State has made it to the title game by adopting its opponent's recruiting formula. The Buckeyes have jumped from great to elite in the last decade through an aggressive geographic shift in recruiting that was ushered in by former coach Urban Meyer beginning with his first class in 2013 and has been perpetuated under current coach Ryan Day.
 
His name is Carson, he lives in Raymond, and he will officiate the national championship
Mississippi sports columnist Rick Cleveland writes: When Hinds County resident Fulton Carson takes the field Monday night for college football's national championship game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, it is quite possible that no participant will have come further. We're not talking miles here. Carson, born in Vicksburg and raised on a farm in Utica, will serve as the side judge on the Big 12 Conference crew that will officiate the Alabama-Ohio State game that will be watched by millions. Nervous, Carson was asked? "Well, I've got nervous energy," he replied from his home in Raymond. "Anybody who tells you they aren't nervous for something like this is probably in the wrong business -- that or they aren't telling the truth. Obviously, it is an intense moment. But nervous energy is good. Once the game gets underway and you start focusing on the rules and the game, the nerves go away." Carson, a 55-year-old computer scientist for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, will fly to Miami Saturday morning. That's a relatively short trip, but the road to the national championship game has been a long and curvy one.



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