| Thursday, April 8, 2021 |
| Old Main Music Festival prompts Friday road, parking lot closures on MSU's Starkville campus | |
 | Road and parking lot closures will be implemented Friday [April 9] on the Starkville campus due to Mississippi State's Old Main Music Festival, and the university is encouraging motorists and pedestrians to be patient and exercise caution. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual festival will be a drive-in concert experience held in the Starkville campus's "Swamp Parking Lot." The lot is directly behind the Steam Plant parking lot, which is located between the McKee and Herbert Hall lots. See the accompanying map for details. The "Swamp Lot" will close at noon Friday for event set-up, and Herbert Street will be closed from 3 p.m. until the festival's 9 p.m. conclusion. Lot access begins at 5:15 p.m. Friday and is available only to those who have reserved free car passes, which are sold out. "Hello Forever," an art-pop, alternative indie band based in Topanga, California, will open the festival at 7 p.m., followed at 8 p.m. by headliner "Mt. Joy," an alternative indie-rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. |
| U.S. Senate panel to hold hearing on tech bill to combat China | |
 | The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee will hold a hearing on April 14 on a bipartisan measure to bolster U.S. technology research and development efforts in a bid to address Chinese competition. Senate Commerce committee chair Maria Cantwell said in a statement the hearing "will address potential actions to strengthen the U.S. innovation ecosystem, including increasing National Science Foundation research funding; growing and diversifying the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) pipeline; improving technology transfer; and investing in regional innovation centers." The hearing will include Kelvin Droegemeier, who headed the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy under President Donald Trump, University of Notre Dame Provost Marie Lynn Miranda and others including educators from Mississippi State University and the MIT Office of Open Learning. |
| Legislative Hearing on the Endless Frontier Act | |
| U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, will convene a hearing titled, "Legislative Hearing on the Endless Frontier Act," at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, April 14, 2021. The hearing will address potential actions to strengthen the U.S. innovation ecosystem, including increasing National Science Foundation research funding; growing and diversifying the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) pipeline; improving technology transfer; and investing in regional innovation centers. Witnesses will also have the opportunity to discuss other opportunities to strengthen U.S. innovation policy. Witnesses include Dr. David Shaw, Provost, Mississippi State University and Dr. Gary Butler, CEO, Camgian Microsystems. This hearing will take place in the Russell Senate Office Building 253. Witness testimony, opening statements, and a live video of the hearing will be available on www.commerce.senate.gov. |
| Starkville's Ward 4 Republican primary remains tied after election night | |
 | It will be at least another week before voters in Ward 4 know who the Republican nominee is for their alderman seat. Austin Check and Kevin Daniels are deadlocked at 92 votes each after in-person and absentee votes in that primary were tallied Tuesday. City Clerk Lesa Hardin said four affidavit ballots need to be processed in that race, and by law the city must wait five days after the election on mail-in absentees that might still come in. Hardin said the affidavits and any remaining absentees for Ward 4 would be counted starting at 4:30 p.m. April 13 at City Hall. "The funny thing about a tie is you kind of feel the same as the day you started the campaign," Check told The Dispatch Tuesday night. "I don't have any regrets or don't know anything else I could have done differently. I just wish we had a more immediate result, but I guess we'll have to wait and see." Daniels, speaking to The Dispatch, credited Check with a strong campaign but remains hopeful he will prevail next week. "The result was kind of surprising, and we're staying positive and moving forward, and we're excited about the process ahead," Daniels said. "We're excited about the city's response and I have total faith in the process. I'm just looking forward to the result." |
| 10-digit phone dialing coming to northern Mississippi | |
 | Ten-digit dialing is coming to northern Mississippi this year. Customers in the 662 area code will have to start dialing that code along with the seven-digit phone number to complete local calls. The change will enable a new suicide prevention hotline. Beginning April 24, customers can begin dialing 10 digits in the 662 code. That includes people in Southaven, Oxford, Tupelo, Columbus, Starkville, Greenwood and Greenville. If a customer only dials seven digits, a call will still go through. Starting Oct. 24, 10 digits will be mandatory and a call won't be completed without the area code. The north Mississippi region is among 82 area codes nationwide making room for the 988 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which begins operation in July 2022. Customers around Jackson have long dialed 10 digits for local calls. Many phones in Jackson are in the 601 area code, but some use 769. |
| Business owners unsure of home delivery option | |
| The Mississippi Legislature was unable to reach a compromise on fixing issues on distribution of wine and spirits, but the biggest piece of legislation they passed concerning alcohol policy has some retailers leery about taking the plunge. Lawmakers passed House Bill 1135 that was authored by state Rep. Trey Lamar, R-Senatobia that allows licensed retailers to deliver alcohol to customers in their homes. The bill requires delivery drivers to obtain proof of age for customers and retailers seeking a delivery permit to pay $500 annually to obtain a permit. Delivery could only be performed in a 30-mile radius from the retailer. The bill is now on Gov. Tate Reeves' desk after the two chambers reached a compromise. The big news from the session is that lawmakers couldn't make a deal that would've either privatized the wholesale distribution of wine and spirits (something that most retailers don't support) or outsourced the operation of the state's warehouse in Gluckstadt to an outside vendor like in New Hampshire or Ohio. A proposal to spin off the ABC into a state-chartered corporation like the Mississippi Lottery Corporation was never put into legislation. |
| South Mississippi sheriff set to run for US House in 2022 | |
| A sheriff in south Mississippi says he will challenge U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo in the 2022 Republican primary. Jackson County Sheriff Mike Ezell announced his campaign Wednesday. He said in a statement that he believes his experience as a law enforcement officer "has prepared me to go to Washington and fight back against those who seek to radically change this great country." Palazzo is a military veteran and former state lawmaker who was first elected to the U.S. House in 2010 when he unseated Democratic Rep. Gene Taylor. He allied himself with Donald Trump during Trump's presidency from January 2017 until early this year. Palazzo is expected to seek another two-year term in 2022. Another Republican, Carl Boyanton, has already said he will challenge Palazzo next year. Mississippi's 4th Congressional District includes Hattiesburg, Pascagoula, Biloxi, Gulfport and Bay St. Louis. |
| Jackson County sheriff running for Congress seat held by Rep. Steven Palazzo | |
| Republican Mike Ezell, who has been sheriff of Jackson County since 2014, is running for Congress in Mississippi's 4th congressional district -- a seat currently held by Rep. Steven Palazzo. Ezell will formally kick off his campaign in a four-stop tour on Wednesday in Jackson, Harrison, Forrest and Jones counties. The election will be held in 2022. Palazzo has been the subject of a House ethics investigation for allegedly misspending campaign funds. A congressional ethics report made public in March alleged that Palazzo misspent campaign and congressional funds, and said it found evidence he used his office to help his brother and used staff for personal errands and services. What's next for Palazzo remains unclear as the House Ethics Committee could dismiss the allegations, offer its own rebuke of Palazzo, or pass the matter off for criminal investigation to the Department of Justice. The congressman, who has denied wrongdoing, has not yet filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to run for reelection in 2022. |
| Arkansas's conservative governor is quietly bucking the GOP's dive into culture wars | |
 | Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) made headlines this week when he vetoed an anti-transgender health care bill, the latest example of the conservative governor of a red state bucking his party as it wades further into culture wars. Hutchinson on Monday vetoed a bill passed by the state legislature that blocks doctors from providing transgender youth with medical care such as puberty blockers, hormone therapies and transition-related surgeries. While the legislature overrode the veto on Tuesday, Hutchinson has been clear about his problems with the bill at a time when Republicans in dozens of statehouses are pushing measures that target transgender rights. Arkansas political observers and insiders say this has become typical for Hutchinson, who is something of a throwback to a more traditionally conservative GOP lawmaker at a time when large swaths of the party have dived into fighting culture wars and tying themselves closely to the Trump wing of the party. Hutchinson has a well-established track record of pushing back against certain laws he feels overstep the government's role, and he has generally avoided wading into the cultural fights that have come to consume the GOP. |
| 1 in 4 Americans Don't Want A Vaccine, Putting Herd Immunity At Risk | |
 | Joyce Ann Kraner is eager for the pandemic to end and for life to get back to normal. Kraner, 49, wants to be able to hug her mother, who lives in a nursing home. But she says she has no plans to get the vaccine, even though it's widely available in her community of Murfreesboro, Tenn. "I feel like I'm healthy," she says. Despite the fact that millions of people have been vaccinated safely, Kraner worries about complications. She believes some people are having "life-threatening reactions" to the vaccine that the media aren't reporting. (Many such reports shared on social media are false or misleading.) And she's worried because it's so new: "We don't know the long-term effects. We don't know what it's going to do." A recent NPR/Marist poll found that one in four Americans said they would refuse a coronavirus vaccine outright if offered. Another 5% are "undecided" about whether they would get the shot. Although the numbers were highest for Republican men and residents of rural areas, there were still a significant number of people across all ages and demographic groups who claim they will say "no." Now some researchers are increasingly worried that this reticence will be enough to prevent the nation from reaching what's known as herd immunity, the point at which the coronavirus can no longer spread easily through the population and transmission peters out. |
| Rise of coronavirus variants will define next phase of pandemic in U.S. | |
 | Variants of the coronavirus are increasingly defining the next phase of the pandemic in the United States, taking hold in ever-greater numbers and eliciting pleas for a change in strategy against the outbreak, according to government officials and experts tracking developments. The highly transmissible B.1.1.7 variant that originated in the United Kingdom now accounts for 27 percent of all cases in this country. It is the most common variant in the United States, Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Wednesday -- a development that officials predicted months ago. Two other variants, which took root in South Africa and Brazil and also are more transmissible, are cropping up with increasing frequency in parts of the United States. The bottom line on all three remains positive. In laboratory tests, vaccines are just as effective against the variant identified in the United Kingdom as they are against the original strain of the virus. And there is only a modest drop-off in their effectiveness against two others. But the overall picture hides problems in some places. One or more of the variants -- which also cause more severe disease than the original version of the virus -- are racing through the Northeast and the Midwest. That has prompted officials in some communities to ask for more vaccine than they would receive under the government's population-based formula. Officials in the Northwest are watching a major outbreak of the P. 1 variant in British Columbia. |
| UMMC doctors dispel coronavirus vaccine myths among people of color | |
 | Some doctors at the University of Mississippi Medical Center are working to dispel myths among people of color about the coronavirus vaccines. Several doctors gathered for a virtual session to explain the benefits of the coronavirus vaccines and what they don't know. Dr. Ardarian Pierre teaches family medicine. She says there's concern the vaccines were developed so quickly they can't be safe. "You know we heard the terms 'warp speed, warp speed.' It was faster than normal but all steps, all the research, all the clinical trials were thorough and complete for the vaccinations to be used for emergencies," said Pierre. Pierre says the two dose vaccines are 95 percent effective at reducing transmission of COVID 19, two weeks after receiving the second shot. She says the vaccine doesn't infect people with the virus, but they may have symptoms. Family physician Dr. Sonya Shipley says the benefits outweigh the risk. Shipley added the myth the vaccines change the body at the cellular level is false. She says they aren't sure how long the vaccines are effective-studies suggest about six months. Shipley adds it's still important to wear a mask. |
| Ole Miss student charged in frat hazing that injured pledge | |
| A University of Mississippi student faces aggravated assault charges after police said he sprayed cleaner into the mouth of a fraternity pledge during a hazing ritual, causing serious internal injuries. Adam Peavy, a lawyer for the injured student, said the hazing took place at an Oct. 11 ceremony where pledges were supposed to receive fraternity pins at the Pi Kappa Alpha house in Oxford. "He was blindfolded and poisoned," Peavy said. "That's what happened." University police charged James Bowes Higgins with aggravated assault on Nov. 17. A student who witnessed the incident told a university police officer that pledges were blindfolded with their neckties and made to sit in a hallway. Active members then "yelled, screamed, threw liquids and things" on the pledges, and made them squat against the wall while reciting phrases, a police report states. Peavy said the family intends to sue the fraternity and possibly others. He said there is evidence that injuries were not "just an isolated incident" and said the fraternity and its members have done little to express support. |
| Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity faces hazing allegations, lawsuit | |
 | Adam Peavy, an attorney representing a university student, is planning to file a civil lawsuit in connection to an alleged Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity hazing incident that occurred last fall. James Bowes Higgins was charged with aggravated assault by the University Police Department on Nov. 17 in connection with the incident. During the incident, bleach or cleaning fluid was allegedly sprayed onto blindfolded pledge members who were squatting against a wall, according to the Associated Press. Charlotte Fant Pegues, interim chancellor for student affairs, said in a statement that the university has "supported" the victim and his family in various capacities over the past few months and will continue to offer support. However, Peavy said only Chancellor Glenn Boyce reached out to Jackson via phone call recently, but Jackson did not respond to the chancellor's messages. They hope to set up a meeting soon with the university to talk about the incident, and Peavy said acknowledgement was what the family has wanted from the beginning. "I do believe one of the individuals who was responsible for poisoning Jackson has been suspended or expelled. That's a good start," Peavy said. |
| The Big Event at USM | |
| The University of Southern Mississippi hosted its premier community volunteer project, The Big Event, from March 22-26. The event, a partnership between the student government and the Center for Community Engagement, placed student volunteers in service projects at sites in and around the Hattiesburg area. The Big Event was carefully modified for the COVID-19 pandemic, but students were able to serve at locations like Christian Services, Habitat for Humanity of the Pine Belt, Edwards Street Fellowship Center and R3SM. |
| Parents of special needs students worry about New Summit School's future after owner's arrest | |
| Parents of New Summit students -- nine of whom spoke with Mississippi Today -- rave about their children's educational successes and emotional growth, the result of opportunities that the state's public school system typically cannot provide. But behind the scenes, school owners and operators Nancy New and her son Zach New were allegedly lying about the teachers they employed and the students they served, defrauding the state out of more than $2 million in public school dollars. The recent federal indictment, to which they've pleaded not guilty, came more than a year after the two were arrested on separate state charges alleging they also embezzled more than $4 million in welfare dollars through their nonprofit Mississippi Community Education Center. Now, several parents of students with special needs -- who found a safe haven at New Summit in Jackson -- are caught in the fray, uncertain about whether the school will remain open and if the 185 students will continue to have access to the specialized instruction they've come to cherish. |
| Amid sexual misconduct scandal, some LSU board members want to fire a law firm after 80 years | |
 | The Baton Rouge law firm that has represented LSU since the 1930s advised a small group of university leaders not to tell most of the Board of Supervisors about former football coach Les Miles' alleged improper behavior with female students -- advice that several current board members say is at the root of the university's culture of covering up allegations of sexual harassment. As legislators are looking for LSU leaders to fire over the scandal -- not to mention threatened lawsuits; two federal probes; and the likelihood of sexual misconduct allegations spreading well beyond the athletic department -- three LSU board members said the first fired should be the Baton Rouge law firm that has given advice to the top LSU leaders for generations: Taylor Porter LLP. "Taylor Porter should be let go and never hired again," said Lee Mallett, the longest serving of the 16 members on the Board of Supervisors and the first to break the panel's omerta to speak publicly. "I am tired of being blamed for a situation over which I had no control and wasn't even told about," said Mallett, a Lake Charles businessman who was first named to the board by then-Gov. Bobby Jindal in 2012 and to a second term by Gov. John Bel Edwards. |
| Florida legislators pass bill that would mandate surveys to identify political bias on campuses | |
 | Florida lawmakers Wednesday passed a controversial bill to require Florida's public universities to ask students and faculty to complete yearly surveys to identify political bias in college classrooms. It passed the Senate in a 23-15 vote and awaits the governor's signature. The bill also would allow students to record their professors during lectures to show evidence of political bias. The sponsor of the House version of the legislation, Rep. Spencer Roach, R-North Fort Myers, said he has not spoken with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis but expects his support. The Republican-backed bill passed in both houses mostly along party lines. The House passed it 77-42 last month. The bill would measure whether "competing ideas and perspectives" are fairly presented and encouraged during class lectures. It is intended to help increase the Republican party's appeal to young voters, who traditionally lean Democrat. If it becomes law, the Florida Board of Governors, which oversees the state university system, will be required to survey whether students, faculty and staff feel comfortable expressing their political beliefs on campus. The surveys' responses would be anonymous and taking the survey would be optional. Results would be published each year on Sept. 1. |
| Atlanta Black college leaders speak out against new Georgia voting law | |
| The leaders of Atlanta's historically Black colleges and universities are voicing their opposition to Georgia's new voting law. The presidents of Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Morehouse School of Medicine and Spelman College released a joint statement Wednesday saying the controversial law will negatively impact access to voting for many Georgians, particularly African Americans. "Despite the argument that the law expands voter access, for many in our communities, the 'Election Integrity Act of 2021′ will have a negative and tangible impact," the statement, in part, said. "The restrictions now in place will curtail voter participation in marginalized populations across Georgia." "The right to free and unfettered elections is the very core of our democracy," the statement continued. "As historically Black institutions of higher learning, we are committed to a community engagement effort to educate the citizens of Georgia and every community we touch about the impact of this legislation on their right to vote. We see this as our obligation, and we understand that this is how we strengthen our democracy and illuminate the path to justice, equality and a civil society where opportunities to exercise the right to vote are expanded." The four private schools, combined, have about 8,000 students. |
| Darla Moore blasts U. of South Carolina after it allegedly failed to reach out after her mother died | |
 | The University of South Carolina's largest donor said she regrets donating more than $70 million to the university after the administration and board of trustees allegedly failed to reach out to her after her mother died, according to a letter obtained by The State. "The deepest regret of my life is the effort and resources I have expended on your behalf," Moore said. Moore's donations to USC founded the Darla Moore School of Business, which U.S. News & World Report ranks as No. 55 best business school in the country and the No. 1 best international business school. Moore's mother, Lorraine Moore, 89, died April 1 in a Florence, S.C. hospice house, according to her online obituary. Lorraine Moore was buried Saturday in the family cemetery, according to Moore's letter. "We express our deepest condolences to Ms. Moore, who has done much for the university through her generous philanthropy and selfless service," USC spokesman Jeff Stensland said in a statement. "President (Robert) Caslen and the entire university community are grateful for her lasting contributions and our thoughts are with her and her family during this difficult time." In contrast to USC, Clemson University -- who has also received millions of dollars in donations from Moore -- reached out to the Moore family, the letter said. In the last decade, USC and Moore have occasionally been at odds publicly. |
| Texas A&M's annual Family Weekend returns this Friday | |
 | Texas A&M is welcoming students' loved ones to campus with its annual Family Weekend celebration that runs Friday through Sunday. This year, there will be a mixture of in-person and virtual events due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All of last year's in-person events were canceled and some were transitioned into a virtual format, A&M Coordinator of Family Programs Libby Daggers said. She added that to her knowledge, Family Weekend, formerly Parents' Weekend, has never been canceled since its inception in 1919. Daggers said that the lineup for this year's weekend is close to the years past. However, since some hosts are unable to do their events this year, several new ones were added instead including a drive-in style showing of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse at Fan Field on Friday, a dueling pianos show on Saturday and community events such as the Saturday morning Brazos Valley Farmer's Market and the Homegrown at Northgate Farmers + Artisan Market on Sunday. Registration is required for events, and so far Daggers said there has been "significant interest" in all activities. She said event sizes currently range from 200 at a Saturday tailgate to 3,500 at Friday's Yell Practice. |
| Faculty: Gatekeepers of student mental health? | |
 | Maybe more than ever, faculty members are talking to students about mental health. Professors feel a responsibility toward students who are suffering and would welcome better -- even mandatory -- training on the topic, according to a COVID-19-era report from Boston University's School of Public Health, the Mary Christie Foundation and the Healthy Minds Network. At the same time, many faculty members report suffering from some of the same health challenges their students do: nearly 30 percent of surveyed professors report having two or more symptoms of depression. Two in 10 professors agree that supporting students in mental or emotional distress has taken a toll on their own mental health. About half believe that their institutions should do more to support the psychological well-being of the faculty. All of this "warrants a strong response by institutional leadership to better support faculty as they communicate with students about their mental health," the report says. Suggestions include providing faculty members with more training and straightforward resources on student mental health issues, such as mental health statements to include in their syllabi. This information should speak to student substance abuse issues, as well, according to the report, as professors say they're even less prepared to help students with this topic. The campus climate for students of color also requires urgent attention. |
| Low-income students lagging higher-income peers in filing FAFSAs: survey | |
| Four in five high school seniors have completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, according to a new survey by consultancy EAB. It polled 15,291 students, 40% of whom were seniors. However, the share of low-income students who planned to file a FAFSA but had not yet done so was double that of higher-income students who said the same. The findings follow earlier data suggesting enrollment this coming fall could lag for low-income and first-generation students, along with those from underrepresented minority groups. Applying for financial aid is considered to be a strong indicator that a student will enroll in college. Additionally, higher ed experts worry the pandemic's outsized impact on low-income and Black and Latino communities, in particular, could impact college-going among those students. Its findings aren't the only sign enrollment could lag this fall among students from these groups. FAFSA completions were down 7.6% year over year as of March 26, according to the National College Attainment Network. However, they lagged more among students from low-income high schools (-10.5%) and students from high schools with large shares of Black and Hispanic students (-12.4%). |
| Some colleges confront political headwinds in adopting COVID vaccine mandates | |
| As a small but growing number of colleges announce plans to require students to be vaccinated against COVID-19 for the fall semester, college administrators who are deciding whether to follow suit face a politically fraught landscape. At least 10 colleges have announced plans to require all students to be vaccinated against COVID, with the University of Notre Dame joining the list Wednesday. Many legal experts agree that student vaccine requirements will likely stand up in court. But there will likely be court battles. "I think we're going to see legal challenges, because my sense is that this issue is very quickly becoming far less a legal issue or even a science and data and facts issue and it's becoming a political issue," said Peter McDonough, vice president and general counsel for the American Council on Education. "Colleges and universities embrace science and data and facts, and there seems little doubt at this stage with [more than] 150 million shots in arms in the United States that the science and the data overwhelmingly support the fact that COVID vaccines are the best and quickest way out of the pandemic and the best promise of bringing students and their campuses back to something approaching normal." |
SPORTS
| Paige Cook drives in winning run as Mississippi State softball walks off Central Arkansas | |
| Paige Cook was ready to make amends. After she flied out to left field with the bases loaded in the third inning, the Mississippi State sophomore infielder stood in the batter's box with a plan when she came back up in a tie game in the bottom of the seventh. Cook chased the first pitch from Central Arkansas reliever Kayla Beaver and watched the second offering sail in for a strike, but even down 0-2, she wasn't deterred. "I was just looking at hitting the ball hard on the ground, especially on the right side," Cook said. She slapped the softball off the infield dirt, where first baseman Kaylyn Shepherd snagged it on a hop. Shepherd's throw home was offline, and pinch-runner Allison Florian slid in hard for the winning run. This time, Cook had done her job. She capped a seventh-inning comeback for Mississippi State (19-15) in a 4-3 walk-off win over UCA (22-12) at Nusz Park. "It's really good to see her kind of regather herself and know exactly what we're looking to do, which is to have a team at-bat and knowing that a ground ball to the right side gives us a chance to score," Mississippi State coach Samantha Ricketts said. |
| Louisiana lawmakers 'looking into subpoena' for LSU football coach Ed Orgeron | |
 | Louisiana lawmakers are not happy that LSU football coach Ed Orgeron has chosen not to appear Thursday before the Senate Select Committee on Women and Children to answer questions related to its probe of sexual misconduct over the years by LSU football players. Orgeron instead testified in a letter to the committee, which was one of the options he was afforded by the committee when it requested his testimony last week. "So we are looking into a subpoena for Coach Orgeron," state representative Aimee Freeman of New Orleans said Wednesday. "All options are on the table. As far as I'm concerned, part of Coach Orgeron's salary comes from state taxpayers, so the fact that he cannot sit in front of a committee investigating his program is wrong." Orgeron is the highest paid state employee in Louisiana at $6 million a year since early 2020 after winning the 2019-20 national championship. The Tiger Athletic Foundation, the fund raising arm of the LSU athletic department, contributes to that salary with $400,000 a year. Freeman was also critical of LSU deputy athletic director Verge Ausberry, who has told the committee he is out of town and has not yet sent a letter of testimony. "I can't understand why these public employees of the state are choosing not to testify," said Freeman, who is not on the select committee but has attended its previous hearings. |
| Seven-ton elephant statue coming to Bryant-Denny Stadium | |
 | It's 21 years old, has four legs, two tusks, a trunk and could soon reside outside Bryant-Denny Stadium. The wait for a live elephant mascot will continue so a bronze version will have to suffice. The relocation of a seven-ton, 19- foot statue named Tuska from a local club to the land outside Alabama's football stadium is on the agenda for the UA System trustees when they meet Friday after Thursday's committee meetings. A brief item in the schedule mentions a proposal for "architectural design for the Tuska's Corner at Bryant-Denny Stadium." The formal resolution obtained by AL.com lists a price tag of $415,000 for the project that includes moving the statue from its current home, North River Yacht Club. It would go on the northwest side of the stadium in the vicinity of the corner of University Boulevard and Wallace Wade Avenue. UA will construct a 6-foot, 4-inch precast pedestal for Tuska with a paver apron surrounding it. The architectural drawings show the plaza nestled into the corner of the open lot once occupied by a fraternity house. A sign welcoming visitors to the campus currently occupies the location. The resolution states the project will be paid from the Crimson Standard fundraising initiative and thanks former athletics director Bill Battle and wife Mary for their ongoing support. |
| Razorbacks will require reserved seats at spring game | |
| The cost of admission is free, but reserved tickets will be required to attend Arkansas' spring football game. Reserved seats can be claimed on ArkansasRazorbacks.com. Once seats are selected, users will be prompted to download tickets to their mobile device for contactless entry. Seating is being offered in the lower level on the west, south and east sides of Reynolds Razorback Stadium, according to a diagram of available seats. The Razorbacks' spring game is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. on April 17. It will be streamed on SEC Network-Plus. The first spring game under second-year Arkansas coach Sam Pittman will consist of four 15-minute quarters and will include traditional scoring. Fans who attend the scrimmage will be required to wear face coverings while in the stadium. Reserved tickets will be spaced to achieve distancing between parties. Tailgating will not be permitted in university parking lots. No outside food or drink will be permitted inside the stadium. Concession stands will be open and will accept only electronic payments. |
| U. of Florida scientists help golf courses grow wildflowers. Here's how to DIY. | |
| As millions of golf fans tune in this week to watch the Masters Tournament, one of the four major championships for professional golfers held annually in Augusta, Georgia, University of Florida scientists offer a different consideration for viewers to think about. Beyond the familiar sight of impeccably manicured turf grass, gorgeous pink azaleas and the perfect putt, they say, imagine wildflower fields framing courses and the buzzing of hungry, helpful insects. Golf courses are some of the largest green spaces in urban environments, and roughly half their acreage isn't used for the game, said Adam Dale, assistant professor in entomology and nematology at UF. Accordingly, they provide a prime opportunity for conservation efforts to help save dying, but critical, pollinators like Florida's native bees. "Biodiversity loss is a major problem around the world, which includes pollinator declines. A large driver of that loss is urbanization and replacement of natural, native habitats with urbanization," he said. "Golf courses represent one of the biggest actively managed urban green spaces, and they therefore are a good opportunity to leverage ... We're taking advantage of that out-of-play space that isn't being used for the game." Dale has studied the potential of wildflowers on golf courses since 2016 at UF. |
| Olympic gold: Colleges, Team USA search for new ways to win | |
| It's a point of pride that stretches across dozens of universities, many of them rivals, and all the college sports leagues, many of which compete for the same dollars and the same talent. As one banner on the Pac-12 conference's website puts it: "Olympians made here." The coronavirus pandemic, along with the substantial changes in the college-sports business model that will come into play as soon as this year, have led many leaders in both the college and Olympic worlds to wonder if that will still be true a decade from now. In one question from a survey sent by The Associated Press to Division I college athletic directors across the country, nearly 65% of those who responded said "Yes" when asked if the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee should pay part of the bill to the universities that run sports programs that, in turn, feed the U.S. Olympic pipeline. "The fact that we're one of the few countries that competes at the level we do on the Olympic stage without having government fund the program is because of college athletics and what it does to develop Olympic athletes," said Florida AD Scott Stricklin. Stricklin is chairing a task force that includes about two dozen leaders of major programs and conferences who are looking for ways to keep the pipeline running. |
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