Monday, June 7, 2021   
 
Fans returning to Dudy Noble reminisce about Bulldogs baseball history
Mississippi State played the early game Friday in the NCAA Starkville Regional, which gave Bulldog fans more than 24 hours to kill before Saturday's winners' bracket meeting with Virginia Commonwealth on Saturday night. The Ince family -- Jeff and Lisa and their teenage son, Jeffrey -- idled away the morning hours downtown, the boys waiting around until 2 p.m. for the losers bracket game between Samford and Campbell while Lisa went shopping for Bulldog gear. At The Lodge on Highway 12, Larry Buckley bided his time perusing the aisles of clothing before heading to Dudy Noble Field to catch the early game as well. The Inces have only been attending MSU baseball games for four years. Buckley, meanwhile, will be sitting in the season-ticket seats his father first bought 50 years ago. Both the Inces and Buckley were among the 8,794 fans who gathered at "The Dude" for the Bulldogs' 8-4 win over Samford on Friday. The COVID-19 pandemic ended the 2020 season, delaying MSU's bid for a third straight trip to the College World Series. So Friday was a long-anticipated day for Bulldog baseball fans.
 
MSU engineering alum writes children's book on financial literacy, presents to local Boys and Girls Club
The cover art shows the face of a dark-skinned man. He is turned to the side so that only his profile shows. His mouth is open, the one visible cheek stuffed with food. His fingertips grasp what appears to be half of planet Earth. His eyes are closed as he savors his food. He is enjoying this bite he is taking, this bite of the world. The man in the image is Warn Wilson Jr. He is the artist who painted the image, too. The writer of the book? Well, that's also Wilson. Wilson wrote the book and painted the image to get across one important message to all people, and specifically to children of color. "You have power. You have options. You have control over your life," Wilson said. That message is central to the children's book "Brown Money," which Wilson wrote, illustrated and self-published. In it, he tells the story of a boy named Jay talking to his father. The father advises his son always to have a Plan B. Plan B, the father explains, "is a plan that you can rely on just in case your Plan A doesn't hold up." In the book, the son hopes his Plan A will be to make it as a professional football or basketball player. That's a plan Wilson himself understands well. "I wanted to be the next Michael Jackson or Lebron James," Wilson said. "But I'm 5-11, and I had to get realistic." But Wilson's "realistic" would exceed many people's wildest expectations. The Jackson native attended Mississippi State University and earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering.
 
Monday Profile: Sam McLemore enjoys decade of success, expansion in farming
Sam McLemore enthusiastically stood behind his booth Saturday morning at the Starkville Community Farmers Market selling his homegrown plants and produce and chatting with every customer that passed by. McLemore's business, Bountiful Harvest Farms, produces organically grown fresh vegetables, herbs, flowers and thousands of strawberries every year. During the week, he grows and harvests his crops, so he can bring them to the Community Market at Fire Station Park on Saturdays. While McLemore's harvest originally began for him and his wife, he said over the years, he has loved bringing plants to the Starkville community and inspiring others to create their own gardens. "Everybody needs to grow something," McLemore said. "I think it helps your mood. It helps you in all sorts of ways, and they just taste delicious, like basil." What started as a desire to grow a few products expanded to a new career for McLemore and a love for giving back to his community. Originally from Port Gibson, McLemore first came to Starkville to attend Mississippi State University for landscape contracting. There he met his wife, Isabel, and the two married soon after graduating, calling Starkville their home ever since.
 
Breakup leads to shootout in Cotton District
An argument between a man and woman breaking off their romantic relationship led to a Sunday morning shootout in the Cotton District, according to police. Four were hospitalized and two arrested in the incident, which occurred just before 1 a.m. at 601 University Drive in the parking lot behind the Marathon "Coconuts in the Grove" gas station. Multiple gunmen were involved and shooting at each other, police said. When officers responded, they found two individuals shot at the scene and quickly apprehended two others involved near McDonald's on Highway 12 East. Eric Jefferson, 20, and Zahied Logan, 20, both from Macon, were treated at OCH Regional Medical Center from gunfire wounds but were released and are currently in Oktibbeha County Jail each on two counts of aggravated assault. A third unnamed suspect is still being treated at OCH and will be charged upon discharge, SPD Public Information Officer Brandon Lovelady said. Police are seeking a fourth suspect, Jallel Jones, 24, of Mathiston. An unnamed female victim, the girlfriend of the dispute, was also treated at OCH and has been released. Ballard said starting this weekend, SPD will begin new procedures for loitering control in the area surrounding the Cotton District, which will include more supervision not just for the Cotton District but also in areas such as the Coconuts parking lot. "Our no loitering approach on the weekends moving forward from here to the foreseeable future, we're going to do a lot more focus on enforcement of the loitering and blocking the traffic from the District," Ballard said.
 
Woman charged with death of pedestrian in Starkville
A 41-year-old Oktibbeha County woman has been charged with the hit and run death of a man Friday night in Starkville. The Starkville Police Department arrested Valerie Coleman, 41, on Saturday June 5 for the Friday evening death of 49-year-old Floyd Logan. She was initially charged with hit and run, a felony that carries up to 5 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine. Charges will likely be upgraded in the grand jury process to deal with the death of the victim. Coleman remains incarcerated in the Oktibbeha County Jail. According to police, Logan was walking Friday near the intersection of Highway 25 and Abernathy Street. He was struck by a gray Toyota Corolla that fled the scene.
 
Mississippi National Guard soldiers train in California
Through the month of June, soldiers from National Guard units across the State of Mississippi will be going through their annual training exercises at Fort Irwin, Ca. Mississippi units are joined by soldiers from other states, including Kansas and Texas, for the training at the National Guard National Training Center. The goal of the readiness training it to keep soldiers sharp and prepared to deploy for missions, at home or abroad, at a moment's notice. "The Mississippi National Guard's training at the National Training Center offers a total force training opportunity focused on testing our systems and skills so that we can communicate, move down range and order equipment and supplies in an austere environment," said Mississippi National Guard adjutant general Maj. Gen. Janson D. Boyles. Mississippi National Guard units will complete their training rotation by the end of June.
 
Fully-vaccinated guests will not be required to wear masks at Pearl River Resort 
In compliance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Choctaw Health Center COVID-19 guidelines, Pearl River Resort has updated its mask policy. Effective on Friday, Pearl River Resort properties and its sister casino, Bok Homa Casino in Sandersville will no longer require "fully vaccinated" guests to wear face coverings. Guests will be asked to provide proof of vaccination when entering the Silver Star, Golden Moon or Bok Homa Casino. That proof may be their vaccination card, a copy of their card, or a photo of their card on their smartphone. If a guest is unable to show proof of vaccination, they will be required to wear a mask on the property. Pearl River Resort and Bok Homa Casino will continue their in-house safety protocols, including temperature screening and property cleaning procedures. The Resort invested over half a million dollars for safety equipment and technology that will remain in place. Masks are also optional for fully vaccinated individuals visiting the Resort's non-gaming properties: Dancing Rabbit Golf Course, Dancing Rabbit Inn and Geyer Falls Water Theme Park.
 
Southwest Airlines makes its big return to the Jackson Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport
There is a new but familiar aircraft on the runways at the Jackson Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport. Sunday marked the return of Southwest Airlines. Several passengers were flying in and out of the Capital city using the popular airline. Passengers from near and far were hustling and bustling through the airport, eager to hop on board, including Richard Harvey, who was heading to Phoenix, Arizona. "I was really excited," said Harvey. "I lived here for four years after college, and now I live in Arizona. It's a big Southwest hub, so it's going to make it a lot easier for me to go back in forth." "I've been waiting seven years for this to happen," said Libby Davis, who flew on Southwest Sunday. "The first day they were coming back, I made the flight to come here. I told my sister I'm on my way." Hundreds are now flying in and out of Capital City through Southwest, with nonstop flights to Atlanta, Georgia, Orlando, Florida, Houston, Texas, Baltimore, Maryland, and Washington D.C.
 
Work on SpaceX launch pad being done in Mississippi
Elon Musk is converting two oil rigs into floating launch pads for his SpaceX program --- and work on one is being done in Mississippi. The Sun Herald reports that ST Engineering Halter Marine & Offshore Inc. in Pascagoula is involved in a six-month project to remove drilling equipment from the semi-submersible rig, Phobus. Phobus will be used as a launching and landing pad for Starship, a SpaceX vehicle that Musk plans to send to Mars. Jeffrey Gehrmann, ST Engineering's vice president of operations, said the rig was towed in from Galveston. A nondisclosure agreement with SpaceX prevents Gehrmann from disclosing details about the project. SpaceX is working on reusable spacecraft that have potential to take people to Mars and other destinations in outer space.
 
Mississippi's municipal elections are tomorrow. Will voters turnout?
On Tuesday, 191 municipal general elections are happening statewide and some local leaders are concerned. Although Mississippi voted in record numbers during the 2020 election, the state ranked 48 in voter turnout. It's a trend experts say is seen in the state's odd-year elections as well. "We're seeing fewer and fewer people participate in the voting process. And, you have decisions on the leadership made by a small number of people," said Billy Hewes, mayor of Gulfport and president of the Mississippi Municipal League. "And, some might argue it comes out in the wash and the numbers will bare out... it's just law of average and numbers but it doesn't change the fact that we've got to find ways to get our citizens engaged and involved." In addition to even-year elections when we select our president and members of congress, Mississippi is one of 5 states with odd-year elections as well. Some experts believe that contributes to voter confusion and fatigue resulting in low turnout.
 
Tuesday is Municipal General Election Day
Mississippi's Municipal General Election Day is Tuesday, June 8th. Polls will open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. Any voter in line at 7 p.m. is entitled to cast a ballot. The Mississippi Secretary of State's office will have observers in precincts across the state. Problems at the polls observed by state observers or otherwise reported to the Elections Division will be referred to the proper authorities, including the Attorney General's Office or appropriate District Attorney's Office. As a reminder, the Secretary of State's Office has no enforcement authority to resolve problems. Voters are required to show photo identification at the polls. A voter without an acceptable form of photo identification is entitled to cast an affidavit ballot. An affidavit ballot may be counted if the voter provides an acceptable form of photo identification to the Municipal Clerk's Office within five business days after the election. Voters are prohibited from taking pictures of their marked ballot.
 
City Hall Races to Watch in Mississippi's Municipal General Elections
Voters in cities and towns across Mississippi will head to the polls tomorrow to elect Mayors, Councilmen or Alderman, and other municipal positions, depending on their local form of government. Democrats, once the party of choice for most of the state's municipal leaders, are playing defense in a number of races and hoping for upsets in others. Over the past decade, a significant number of local elected officials have either switched to the Republican Party or are now running as Independents, separating themselves from the Democratic Party. Two of Mississippi's largest college towns -- Hattiesburg and Oxford -- have incumbent mayors who have chosen to run as Independents. Toby Barker, a former Republican state representative, is seeking re-election in the Hub City. He ran as an Independent in 2017 when he unseated longtime former Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny DuPree. In Oxford, Robyn Tannehill made the switch to Independent from Democrat when she announced her re-election bid. Starkville, the other large university city, will continue to be ran by Democrat Lynn Spruill who was unopposed in her re-election bid this cycle. In Meridian, incumbent Mayor Percy Bland lost to fellow Democrat Jimmie Smith in the primary. Bland has since endorsed Smith for the seat. Current Meridian city councilman Weston Lindemann shed his Democrat affiliation to run for mayor as an Independent. Robert Ray is running as a Republican but the local Republican Party in Lauderdale County is not supporting his run, and has distanced themselves from Ray following questionable comments made during the campaign.
 
Mississippi was investigating drug middlemen at state's health insurance plan
Mississippi's Division of Medicaid is not the only state agency where authorities suspect drug middlemen may have overcharged taxpayers to pad their profits in recent years. These middlemen, known as pharmacy benefit managers, are also suspected by officials of wrongdoing at the Mississippi State and School Employees' Life and Health Insurance Plan, which covers nearly 200,000 state employees, retirees and their families. The plan is overseen by the Department of Finance and Administration, but benefits are administered by Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi, which works with another company to deliver drugs to enrollees. Documents from 2019 show both State Auditor Shad White and former Attorney General Jim Hood launched an investigation into Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi and its then-pharmacy benefit manager, Prime Therapeutics, regarding "wrongful retention of rebates and recoupments." After taking office last year, Attorney General Lynn Fitch terminated a contract with the outside law firm working on the investigation, though a Fitch spokeswoman said this week the case remains open.
 
Analysis: Watchdog group examines Mississippi school funding
Mississippi policymakers have known for decades that the state drags behind most others in public education spending. A new report by a legislative watchdog group bears that out, with research showing that Mississippi spends less per pupil than each of its surrounding states --- Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee and Alabama. Mississippi's Joint Legislative Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review, better known as PEER, released its findings June 1 in a report that is dated May 11. The report uses information from state fiscal years that begin July 1 and end June 30 -- so, FY 2019 ended on June 30, 2019. "Based on enrollment for FY 2019, Mississippi funding per student from state, local and federal sources was $10,240, which was the lowest funding level per student when compared to contiguous states," PEER said. During FY 2019, Mississippi state government spent $5,135 per pupil for elementary and secondary schools. PEER said that was the lower than in the four neighboring states. Alabama had the highest per-pupil state spending in the group, at $6,484 during FY 2019.
 
Madison's Ronnie Agnew discusses new projects at Mississippi Public Broadcasting
Madison's Ronnie Agnew, executive director of Mississippi Public Broadcasting, shares two deep passions in his life: journalism and family. Agnew, 58, has done it all in the journalism world. Two of Agnew's important projects at Mississippi Public Broadcasting, are the "At-Home Learning" TV channel, which helps assist parents with their children's educations during the COVID-19 pandemic, and co-operative plans with other states' journalists to assist in broadening investigative journalism. In response to Mississippi's broadband challenge, Agnew's At-Home Learning TV channel has recorded more than 200 classes during the last six months, enabling students K-12 to learn from home. Teachers have been and continue to film many classes on topics ranging from basic phonics to various sciences and math. "This has been probably the most difficult project to put together," yet it has gained admiration in the legislature as well as from the Mississippi Department of Education. In a word, this project is simply invaluable, Agnew said. The most recent project is funded by a $1.3 million grant from National Public Radio (NPR). MPB hired 10 staff members, including a healthcare reporter in Birmingham, Alabama; a criminal justice reporter in Jackson; and a wealth and poverty reporter in New Orleans. Their stories are broadcast on MPB radio and submitted to NPR.
 
Ag Commissioner Andy Gipson Elected President of the Southern U.S. Trade Association
Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson was elected to serve as President of the Southern U.S. Trade Association. SUSTA works cooperatively with the United States Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service to facilitate trade between local U.S. food companies and international buyers. "I am honored that my colleagues have invested their trust in me to serve in this leadership role to promote and expand international marketing opportunities for southern food and agricultural companies. SUSTA provides small- and medium-sized food and agriculture businesses unique opportunities, including financial assistance, to explore new markets and meet foreign buyers," said Commissioner Gipson. SUSTA, headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana, is one of four non-profit State Regional Trade Groups that promote U.S. food and agricultural exports. SUSTA is comprised of 14 southern State Departments of Agriculture, as well as the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Spanning over four decades, SUSTA offers programs and services to assist small to medium-sized companies in the region with exporting high value food and agricultural products.
 
U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith optimistic about pumping station
U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith is optimistic that the momentum behind a massive pumping station to relieve chronic flooding in the South Delta is unstoppable. Still, the Republican lawmaker told a crowd of about 1,000 gathered Friday for her keynote address to the 86th annual meeting of Delta Council that the region's leaders will need to be vigilant. "We still have radical environmental groups filing lawsuits and spreading false information about the project," she said. The meeting was held at Delta State University. Hyde-Smith and other members of Mississippi's congressional delegation, including Democratic 2nd District Rep. Bennie Thompson, were instrumental in persuading the Trump administration late last year to reverse the Environmental Protection Agency's opposition to the Yazoo Backwater pumps. Although much of the attention in recent years has been in the South Delta, dredging and other flood-control work in the North Delta is also important to the region, said Paul Hollis, a Rolling Fork farmer who on Friday wound up his yearlong tenure as president of Delta Council, the 18-county economic development organization. The North Delta work along the Tallahatchie and Coldwater rivers is creeping toward Quitman County, which has been plagued by regular flooding as well.
 
Mississippi governor: President Biden's goal of 70 percent of US vaccinated by July 4 is 'arbitrary'
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) said on Sunday that President Biden's goal of having 70 percent of Americans at least partially vaccinated by July 4 is "arbitrary, to say the least." CNN's Jake Tapper asked Reeves on "State of the Union" whether the governor was concerned about the fact that only 30 percent of Mississippi residents are fully vaccinated. Fewer than 50 percent of adults in the state have had at least one dose of a vaccine. "The fact is, for over a year, we tried to focus our goals on reducing hospitalizations, reducing the number of individuals in ICU beds, because we think the most important thing is that if you get the virus, it's if you can get better with good, quality care, that you receive that quality care," Reeves said. Tapper then asked the Republican governor if he's worried that residents of his state are "sitting ducks," pointing to public health experts who say states with low vaccination rates could see a resurgence of the virus. "Well, those same public health experts are the exact same individuals that have been advising President Biden, who said in March that we were all Neanderthals because we were willing to open our state up and open our economy up. They were wrong then and they're wrong now," Reeves told Tapper.
 
Mississippi has the country's lowest vaccination rates. The governor says that's not a problem.
Gov. Tate Reeves of Mississippi on Sunday said that despite his state's relatively low vaccination rates, case numbers showed there was no longer a high risk of contracting or being hospitalized with Covid-19. "I took my first dose in January, as did my wife, on TV, live," Mr. Reeves said of the shot on the CNN program "State of the Union" on Sunday. "President Biden's goals for July 4 are otherwise arbitrary, to say the least." The state is among the country's slowest in vaccinations, with 34 percent of the population having received at least one shot, according to a Times database. While the state was far from the 70 percent vaccination goal for that date set forth by the White House, Mr. Reeves said that Mississippi would continue focusing on keeping its case and hospitalization numbers stable. The state's case load is improving. He attributed the change to the vaccinations, as well as the number of people who had recovered from the virus -- about 320,000, a number that he said he believes may be up to five times higher. " And so we've got somewhere between one million or so Mississippians that have natural immunity."
 
'No excuse': State health officer says of Mississippi last in nation for percent fully vaccinated
For months, State Health Officer Thomas Dobbs has been pleading with Mississippians to get vaccinated against COVID-19. During a Friday afternoon discussion, he was firm: It's unacceptable Mississippi is last in the nation for fully vaccinated people. As of Friday afternoon, over 911,000 people were fully vaccinated in Mississippi, or 29% of the population. But it lags behind the nation's average of 41%. "There's no excuse for that," Dobbs said during the livestreamed talk with the Mississippi State Medical Association. "I will personally drive up to your house to give you one." The Mississippi State Department of Health has given numerous options to people wanting to get vaccinated, he noted. Drive-thru clinics are gradually becoming walk-in clinics. There's the community vaccination program that targets underserved communities. Then there's an option for people who are homebound. And physicians can sign up on the department's website to give the vaccine in small increments. Mark Horne, Mississippi State Medical Association president, always asks his patients why they haven't gotten the shot yet. Recently, he said patients are telling him they just haven't gotten around to it. But Mississippi has made it so easy, Dobbs responded, adding that even grocery shoppers short on time can get vaccinated at their local Kroger. For multiple weeks, Dobbs has reiterated it: Mississippians will either get vaccinated against the virus or they will suffer its effects.
 
Senate Poised to Pass Huge Industrial Policy Bill to Counter China
Faced with an urgent competitive threat from China, the Senate is poised to pass the most expansive industrial policy legislation in U.S. history, blowing past partisan divisions over government support for private industry to embrace a nearly quarter-trillion-dollar investment in building up America's manufacturing and technological edge. The legislation, which could be voted on as early as Tuesday, is expected to pass by a large margin. That alone is a testament to how commercial and military competition with Beijing has become one of the few issues that can unite both political parties. It is an especially striking shift for Republicans, who are following the lead of former President Donald J. Trump and casting aside what was once their party's staunch opposition to government intervention in the economy. Now, both parties are embracing an enormous investment in semiconductor manufacturing, artificial intelligence research, robotics, quantum computing and a range of other technologies. And while the bill's sponsors are selling it in part as a jobs plan, the debate over its passage has been laced with Cold War references and warnings that a failure to act would leave the United States perilously dependent on its biggest geopolitical adversary.
 
States rebound from bleak forecasts to pass record budgets
Just a year ago, the financial future looked bleak for state governments as governors and lawmakers scrambled to cut spending amid the coronavirus recession that was projected to pummel revenue. They laid off state workers, threatened big cuts to schools and warned about canceling or scaling back building projects, among other steps. Today, many of those same states are flush with cash, and lawmakers are passing budgets with record spending. Money is pouring into schools, social programs and infrastructure. At the same time, many states are socking away billions of dollars in savings. "It's definitely safe to say that states are in a much better fiscal situation than they anticipated," said Erica MacKellar, a fiscal analyst with the National Conference of State Legislatures. State finances also fared better than feared. Consumer spending rebounded to shore up sales tax revenue, and state income taxes were bolstered by a strong stock market and high-wage earners who kept working remotely while others were laid off. The result is that states now face "a very promising fiscal and economic outlook over the next couple of years," said Justin Theal, a state fiscal research officer at The Pew Charitable Trusts.
 
Supreme Court rules against immigrants with temporary status
A unanimous Supreme Court ruled Monday that thousands of people living in the U.S. for humanitarian reasons are ineligible to apply to become permanent residents. Justice Elena Kagan wrote for the court that federal immigration law prohibits people who entered the country illegally and now have Temporary Protected Status from seeking "green cards" to remain in the country permanently. The designation applies to people who come from countries ravaged by war or disaster. It protects them from deportation and allows them to work legally. There are 400,000 people from 12 countries with TPS status. The outcome in a case involving a couple from El Salvador who have been in the U.S. since the early 1990s turned on whether people who entered the country illegally and were given humanitarian protections were ever "admitted" into the United States under immigration law. Kagan wrote that they were not. "The TPS program gives foreign nationals nonimmigrant status, but it does not admit them. So the conferral of TPS does not make an unlawful entrant...eligible" for a green card, she wrote. The House of Representatives already has passed legislation that would make it possible for TPS recipients to become permanent residents, Kagan noted. The bill faces uncertain prospects in the Senate.
 
Thomas Huebner selected for Mississippi Business Journal's 2021 Top CEO Award
Meridian Community College President Thomas Huebner has been recognized by the Mississippi Business Journal as one of Mississippi's Top CEOs for 2021. This selection honors the most powerful and influential business leaders in Mississippi who are senior decision-makers and are making a significant impact in their business. The Mississippi Business Journal recognizes leaders from across the state who demonstrate excellence among top executives in their fields. These CEOs have helped their companies achieve strong growth and success and have profoundly impacted their company and community. Honorees are selected in categories of Nonprofit CEOs, Rising Stars, Large Companies, Medium Companies and Small Companies. Described throughout his career as an energetic instructor, an inspiring professor, a trusted mentor and a visionary leader, Huebner became the third president of Meridian Community College on July 1, 2018. Huebner and other recipients were honored during a special reception on Thursday, May 27, in Jackson. A special edition of the Mississippi Business Journal will spotlight Dr. Huebner and other 2021 honorees. Earlier this year, Huebner was named in the first class of the Top 10 Over 50 for Meridian and Lauderdale County by The Meridian Star in its Timeless Meridian magazine.
 
U. of Alabama's tree farm to help with campus sustainability
The University of Alabama is developing a tree farm to propagate heritage and native trees on campus to help with campus sustainability. Bonner Lee, a university campus landscape architect, said the tree farm project will grow trees that will be planted in areas across campus, such as to replace a tree that dies or to place into spots where trees are needed. Cultivating seedlings and cuttings within the University's greenhouse will be cost-effective for the institution, Col. Duane Lamb, associate vice president of UA's Facilities and Grounds Department said in an article published on the University's website in late April. Guy Reynolds, an assistant university campus landscape architect, believes growing the trees on campus and from trees on campus will result in healthier trees versus a tree that was grown in north Florida where the environmental conditions are different. He also thinks this process adds a sentimental layer to the project. "It's nice to be able to replicate the trees with their offspring," Reynolds told The Tuscaloosa News. "You know, these are trees that were that are kind of special to the UA campus and it's nice to be able to go back with trees that are, that have been special." Similarly, Lee told The Tuscaloosa News the project is special because "it will be something that'll still be left on campus long after we're gone."
 
LSU Kappa Sigma chapter can remain on campus; see the terms of new settlement agreement
LSU's Kappa Sigma chapter will be allowed to remain on campus after the university and fraternity worked out a settlement agreement in light of the fraternity being found responsible for endangerment, coercive behavior, failure to comply and alcohol violations. LSU and Kappa Sigma have been sparring for several months, while the fraternity's disciplinary record has been checkered for the past few years. In the latest go-round, the fraternity received an interim suspension in January after LSU found Kappa Sigma had an "alcohol medical transport for a student" from a chapter party during rush week, and that the fraternity threw a party for 300 people at a member's house last fall, during the pandemic. The pressure ramped up in late March, when LSU suspended the fraternity amid additional allegations that the fraternity violated coronavirus protocols during a Houston event, violated hazing policies and threw an unapproved party with alcohol available to underage students. Kappa Sigma was originally expected to face a disciplinary hearing before a panel of LSU faculty, staff and students. But the fraternity mounted a full-throated defense over how LSU had handled the allegations against them. They hired an attorney to represent them, while the fraternity's alumni base -- who ponied up $6 million in recent years for a new fraternity house -- rushed to Kappa Sigma's defense.
 
U. of Florida Gator Dining aims to expand use of local foods, farms
From burgers to brussels sprouts and many things between, you can find a variety of locally grown foods served through Gator Dining on the University of Florida campus. Not only are they more tasty and fresh than older foods transported long distances, university officials and farmers say, they also help boost local economies and sustainability. And UF is aiming to keep increasing their use. As of Thursday, 33% of Gator Dining products are purchased from local providers, said Tim Bucolo, resident district manager of Gator Dining Services. That includes over 40 farms and suppliers either from around the state, within 250 miles of the university campus or, at most, in the Southeastern U.S. "Local sourcing is our top priority at Gator Dining," Bucolo said. "We want our dining halls to reflect UF's roots as a land-grant agriculture university, and we do this by forming relationships directly with local vendors and growers. These relationships are the foundation of what we do at Gator Dining, and through them we can provide fresh and nutritious food for students while supporting a resilient local food economy." UF has received mounting pressure in the last year from students and food justice advocates as the current Armark contract comes to a close. A new food service contract is up for grabs June 30, 2022, according to university spokeswoman Hessy Fernandez.
 
U. of Florida plans to create an auto-free zone on campus
In its effort to make a safer and more sustainable campus, the University of Florida will begin its first steps this summer to transform the academic core of campus into an auto-free zone. To accomplish the long-term goal of increasing traffic safety, the university will implement an 86-acre bicycle and pedestrian zone in the heart of campus. This project includes the construction of the Newell and Northeast Gateway projects, which will incorporate more pedestrian access into campus and a connection from UF to the city, respectively. The changes are expected to make campus easier to navigate as the university works toward becoming more pedestrian-friendly by 2024, Director of Planning Linda Dixon said. Along with 13 other projects planned to take place over the next three to four years, construction of the two gateways will begin in August, as proposed in UF's Landscape Master Plan. As a result of the deadly accidents of the last year, the bicycle and pedestrian zone will limit vehicles in the northeastern corner of campus access along Buckman Drive. To maintain transit and auto access, the former one-way Inner Road will now become a two-way road, according to the Transportation and Parking Strategic Plan.
 
Tennessee Scientist Is First to Go on Trial on Charges He Hid Work in China
Until last year at the University of Tennessee, Anming Hu studied, among other things, how to join certain metals together using materials that are more than 1,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair. He also ran a group developing similar nanoscale technologies at an institute in Beijing. Mr. Hu's research has a range of potential applications including fixing turbines and printing sophisticated electronic sensors. On Monday, prosecutors are set to present their case that Mr. Hu hid his China collaborations from the U.S. government while also receiving National Aeronautics and Space Administration grants for his work in Tennessee. The trial in Knoxville is the first after a slew of arrests of researchers and years of rising concerns among U.S. authorities that American taxpayers are unwittingly funding Chinese scientific development and boosting China's drive for global pre-eminence. The Senate this week is expected to approve legislation that would provide for $190 billion for research in advanced technologies and other programs to try to better compete with China. In its current form, the bill toughens restrictions on recipients of government research funds from also accepting money from government programs from China, Russia, North Korea and Iran. Mr. Hu faces charges of wire fraud and making false statements related to his work in China. A native of China and a naturalized Canadian citizen, Mr. Hu has pleaded not guilty.
 
Education Department Releases COVID-19 Handbook for Higher Ed
The Department of Education has released a COVID-19 resource guide to provide information for higher education institutions about how to safely reopen for in-person instruction. The 54-page handbook is meant to address priority areas specific to higher education, including strategies for implementing guidance from the Centers for Disease Control on campuses, ways they can support their communities' response and recovery from the pandemic, and how institutions can use funding from the American Rescue Plan to best support students. It addresses the most pressing questions the Education Department heard from colleges, students, families and educators during 15 listening sessions held by the department. Recommendations range from "leverage federal broadband funding to connect students and campuses" to "establish appropriate forums to listen to and address community concerns" and "refund room and board costs" if students move home.
 
More Colleges Are Going Mask-Optional -- Some by Choice, Others by Law
Campuses full of maskless people have begun to dot the country. In an early sign of an anticipated "return to normal" this fall, at least 58 colleges have announced they're ending or loosening their mask mandates. A wave of colleges made their decisions following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's announcement on May 13 that fully vaccinated people no longer needed to wear masks in most situations. And the list could grow as more colleges require students and employees to be vaccinated. On Friday, the CDC said that colleges "where everyone is fully vaccinated" could return to full, in-person learning without wearing masks. In some cases, the campus policy change has been dictated by state legislation that bans mask mandates, as can be seen in Oklahoma, Utah, and Texas. On many campuses, high vaccination rates and a lower population density during the summer contributed to the decision. Still, a number of colleges aren't lifting masking requirements wholesale, choosing instead to allow only fully vaccinated people to take off their masks, for example, or to require masks to be worn indoors but not outside.
 
Infographic: What students really think about the COVID vaccine
Heads were turning on campuses across the country this spring, as students and community members spotted the hot new thing launching seemingly overnight. It was the kind of place to be seen, but not in the traditional collegiate sense. To many, signs for COVID-19 vaccination clinics represented a light at the end of the long, dark pandemic tunnel. "We're finally making some headway," thought Autumn Spyhalsky, a student at the University at Buffalo, as she passed the busy campus clinic parking lot. About to enter her third year in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, she had already been vaccinated at the pharmacy where she worked, as had many of her program peers. And when New York governor Andrew Cuomo announced that SUNY campuses, including UB, would mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for any student to attend in-person classes this fall, Spyhalsky felt encouraged. "In the circle of people I surround myself with, it's very exciting," she says. That is a popular sentiment. In a new Student Voice survey, conducted by Inside Higher Ed and College Pulse and presented by Kaplan, 69 percent of college students expressed that they support (somewhat or strongly) COVID vaccine requirements for in-person learners this fall. And 85 percent of respondents had either gotten at least one dose of the COVID vaccine or planned to when the five-day survey of 2,002 students closed on May 2.
 
For some former college students, the pandemic opened a door to finish their degrees
When Kelly Martin Broderick, 40, left the University of Maryland Baltimore County in 2014, she was just five classes short of graduating. Her initial entry at the university in 2012 marked her second time enrolling at a four-year university and third time at any postsecondary institution. But as is the case for more than 36 million adults who started college but do not finish, life got in the way. "I left because I needed to work full time," Broderick said. Finances became an issue, and her father was having health problems. School stayed on the back burner until the pandemic hit and Broderick lost her job at a Baltimore theater. Then she got a letter from UMBC inviting her back to finish her degree in gender, women's and sexuality studies. Broderick's return to UMBC came as some universities began turning more attention to students who left school before earning a degree, in part, as a way to turn around enrollment declines during the pandemic. For some former students, the push came at the right time. "A college degree is more valuable than it even was before the pandemic," said Jamie Merisotis, president and chief executive of the Lumina Foundation, which focuses on expanding access to postsecondary education. For example, just 7,000 of the 916,000 jobs added back by the economy in March went to adults with high school diplomas but no college degree.
 
Predictions for Fall 2021 International Student Enrollment
As colleges and universities conclude their spring semesters, uncertainties remain around fall enrollment numbers -- especially among international students. On May 27, the United States Department of State announced that individuals in China, Iran, India, Brazil, South Africa, the Schengen area, the United Kingdom and Ireland now qualify for a National Interest Exception -- which allows travel to the U.S. for those "whose entry is of national interest." Students are among those who qualify. But ongoing restrictions, visa delays and embassy closures continue to make it difficult for international students to attend school within the U.S. Last fall, the total number of international students studying at U.S. higher education institutions decreased by 16%. There was also a 43% decline in new international students, with almost 40,000 choosing to defer, according to an Institute of International Education (IIE) report. Historically, after previous epidemics and pandemics such as SARS, swine flu and Ebola, short-term drops in international enrollment were noted. However, within a year or two, enrollment numbers recovered. Jonah Kokodyniak, senior vice president of the program development and partner services at IIE, anticipates similar outcomes for the COVID-19 pandemic as many campuses announce plans to fully reopen to international students for the fall semester. But challenges remain in certain areas of the world, including high infection rates in India.
 
Once Banned, For-Profit Medical Schools Are On The Rise Again In The U.S.
Two universities are eyeing the chance to be the first to build a medical school in one of the few states without one. The jockeying of the two schools to open campuses in Montana -- one a nonprofit, the other for-profit -- highlights the rapid spread of for-profit medical learning centers despite their once-blemished reputation. What's happening in this Western state triggers questions about how future doctors will be trained in the U.S., how that training will be paid for and whether a rural, sparsely populated state can sustain either a nonprofit or for-profit medical school, let alone both. For more than 100 years, for-profit medical schools were banned across the United States because of the early 20th-century schools' low educational standards and a reputation of accepting anyone who could pay tuition. Then, a 1996 court ruling forced accrediting agencies to take another look at for-profit medical schools, prompting a resurgence over the past dozen years. Their advocates argue that these institutions meet the same standards and requirements as every other medical school and often are established in communities that otherwise couldn't fund such institutions. But those assurances don't quiet the concerns of skeptics, who warn that the problems of the past will inevitably return.
 
Washington and Lee to maintain name in face of opposition
After much conversation, pushback and debate, the Board of Trustees at Washington and Lee University has voted not to change the institution's name. The latter part of the name honors Robert E. Lee, commander of the Confederate States Army and former president of the institution. The board voted 22 to 6. The name had been the topic of serious conversation at Washington and Lee for the past few years, and advocacy for a change was redoubled after the murder of George Floyd. In the wake of national protests, many colleges and universities re-evaluated their institutions and made changes to symbols and traditions. The board took up the issue last July and said it would consider and vote on the decision this month. While the name will remain, other changes will be made, the board announced. The university seeks to raise $160 million to achieve need-blind admissions. Lee Chapel, where the former president is buried, will be renamed University Chapel and altered to separate the auditorium from the crypt and a memorial sculpture of Lee. University diplomas will be changed to remove images of Lee and George Washington, the university's other namesake. The institution will also discontinue Founders' Day, a holiday celebrated on Lee's birthday. It will establish an academic center for the study of Southern race relations.
 
Funding Analysis: States Too Quick to Use Higher Ed as 'Budgetary Release Valve'
If you think the federal government has bailed out colleges and universities with its massive amounts of relief funding, you'd be wrong. Add up state and local allocations of about $108 billion in fiscal year 2020, generated through taxes, lottery receipts, mineral and resource extraction revenue and state-funded endowments, and you'd get a more accurate idea about the primary sources of funding for public higher education, as laid out in a new analysis by the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association. According to "State Higher Education Finance" (SHEF), which primarily examines state and local investments for higher ed, states contributed a total of $97 billion in funding for fiscal year 2020; local governments in 31 states provided another $12 billion. Over the same period, the federal government's stimulus funding, $428 million, made up just 0.4 percent of the total support. As the report noted, "While federal stimulus and relief funds are helpful, they are not a replacement for long-term state investments as stimulus funds are time limited and often restricted in their use." The report asserted that the downward slide in public funding was expected to continue, noting that public institutions could face "a more precarious financial situation than at any other time in recent history."
 
Will eliminating the income tax grow Mississippi? DeSoto trends suggest no.
Bobby Harrison writes for Mississippi Today: Gov. Tate Reeves, House Speaker Philip Gunn and others who tout eliminating Mississippi's personal income tax as a way to reverse the state's population loss must explain DeSoto County. They cite growing states with no income tax like Texas, Florida and even Tennessee as what can happen if Mississippi would only eliminate its income tax. "Mississippi needs to make a bold move to attract new business and residents," Reeves said late last year in proposing the phase out of the income tax. But the question of DeSoto County remains. DeSoto County is unique in that it has gone head-to-head against an area with no income tax on wages and has won in terms of population growth. DeSoto has been one of the fastest growing counties in the state for decades. At one point, it was the state's fastest growing county and for a sizable portion of time earlier this century was one of the fastest growing counties in the nation. Yet, DeSoto County in the extreme northwest section of Mississippi borders Tennessee where there is no income tax. To be precise, during much of DeSoto's growth, Tennessee did tax some dividends and interest, but did not levy a tax on wages. And that tax on dividends and interest has been phased out recently. DeSoto's growth has far outpaced its neighbor across the border to the north in Tennessee.


SPORTS
 
10 Notes to Know: vs. Campbell
The No. 3 Mississippi State baseball program will enter its Monday (June 7) matchup with Campbell with a fifth straight trip to an NCAA Super Regional in sight. The Diamond Dawgs are on a nine-game NCAA Regional winning streak and have won a program-record seven straight NCAA postseason games at home. Below are 10 quick notes to look at before the Diamond Dawgs take on the Camelss in the regional final game at 11 a.m. on Dudy Noble Field.
 
Campbell rallies to beat VCU 19-10, avoids elimination
Connor Denning hit a go-ahead two-run double in the bottom of the sixth inning and Campbell rallied to beat VCU 19-10 on Sunday in an elimination game at the Starkville Regional. Third-seeded Campbell, which lost 19-4 to VCU on Friday, will have to beat No. 7 overall seed Mississippi State twice on Monday to keep its season alive. The Rams (38-16) jumped to a 4-0 lead in the first inning and scored five runs in the top of the sixth inning to take 10-7 lead but, with runners on first and third with two out Grant Harris was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Three straight Campbell batter walked on full counts before Denning doubled to left field to score Marcus Skundrich and Mason De La Cruz and give the Camels a 12-10 lead. Denning, Skundrich and De La Cruz had three RBIs apiece and Bryce Arnold, Zach Neto, Matthew Christian and Harris added two each for Campbell, which drew a total of 14 walks. Ty Cummings (2-2) allowed two hits over 3 1/3 scoreless innings to finish the game.
 
Central Michigan baseball blasted out of NCAA tournament with 14-2 loss to Notre Dame
Notre Dame, the host of the weekend's NCAA baseball tournament regional in South Bend, Indiana, scored 36 runs combined in its first two games. Central Michigan, which lost to the Irish by 10 on Friday, scored 22 runs combined in its first two elimination games. So Sunday night's regional final between the Irish and the Chips was a slugfest, right? Not quite. National 10-seed Notre Dame put together a monster fifth inning, culminating in a grand slam by Carter Putz that was all starter Aidan Tyrell needed, as the Irish won 14-2 to make their first super regional since 2002. Notre Dame will face the winner of the Starkville, Mississippi, Regional, where national No. 7-seed Mississippi State will face either VCU or Campbell at noon Monday. The best-of-three series will be played in South Bend or Starkville, depending on the higher seed. In South Bend on Sunday, neither team pushed a run across until the top of the fourth inning, when CMU's Griffin Lockwood-Powell launched a homer to left field with two outs. In the bottom of the inning, Niko Kavadas tied it up with his fifth home run of the regional, a solo blast that gave him a Notre Dame-record 21 on the season.
 
How do you spell relief? If you are USM, it's O-c-h and H-a-l-l
Mississippi sports columnist Rick Cleveland writes: Trailing Florida State 4-1 Sunday afternoon in the third inning of an elimination game, their season on the brink, the Southern Miss Golden Eagles needed some relief -- and, man oh man, did they get it. Then, trailing Ole Miss 4-0 in the first inning and facing elimination again, the Golden Eagles needed still more relief. They got it -- in spades -- again. The bullpen delivered for the Golden Eagles in a 7-4 victory over Florida State and then a 10-7 victory over Ole Miss. Thus, the Golden Eagles and Rebels will play again Monday at noon with the Oxford Regional Championship and an NCAA Super Regional berth at stake. Last weekend, in the Conference USA Tournament, the bullpen failed Southern Miss. Otherwise, they would have hosted a regional this weekend instead of playing on the road. But first Ryan Och and then true freshman Tanner Hall provided two of the best long relief performances you will ever see Sunday. This is no exaggeration. ... The momentum would appear to be with Southern Miss, which has scored 38 runs in three straight victories. The home field advantage, of course, goes to the Rebels.
 
Southern Mississippi defeats Ole Miss to force deciding game in Oxford Regional
Despite cruising through the first two games of the Oxford Regional, Ole Miss finds its season on the brink. After defeating Florida State earlier in the day on Sunday in an elimination game, Southern Mississippi defeated the Rebels 10-7 in the first game of the regional final at Oxford-University Stadium. A do-or-die Oxford Regional championship will take place on Monday, weather permitting. The Golden Eagles (40-20) were the team coming in with a depleted pitching staff, having already played three games, but it was the Rebels pitching that struggled. After earning a four-run lead in the top of the first inning before even taking the mound, Drew McDaniel did not make it out of the bottom of the first. The Ole Miss starter lasted two outs, giving up seven runs off six hits and only striking out one Golden Eagle batter. "A tough start to the game for us," said Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco. "We get a four-run and stadium's rocking and feeling good. Man, were (Southern Mississippi) on fire today, offensively. Especially the first couple of innings. It just seemed that whatever we threw they were on. ... At the end of the day it's just one of those where we ran into a buzzsaw early."
 
Nebraska forces Monday game in Fayetteville Regional
Nebraska won twice Sunday to force a winner-take-all game at the NCAA Fayetteville Regional. The teams are scheduled to play again Monday at 6 p.m. Nebraska relief pitcher Spencer Schwellenbach shut down Arkansas for 4 2/3 innings to lead the Cornhuskers to a 5-3 win over the top-ranked Razorbacks on Sunday night. Schwellenbach allowed one hit during his 65-pitch outing and worked around two walks in the ninth inning. Christian Franklin drew a leadoff walk and Cullen Smith walked with one out, but Casey Opitz struck out and Jalen Battles popped up to the first baseman with the tying run on base. Schwellenbach, the Big Ten player of the year who is also Nebraska's starting shortstop, had a game-tying single during a three-run fifth inning that gave the Huskers (34-13) the lead. Nebraska went ahead 5-3 on Griffin Everitt's two-out single. All five Nebraska runs came against Arkansas starter Lael Lockhart, who was taken out of the game after 4 1/3 innings. Lockhart (3-3) allowed 8 hits, 4 earned runs and struck out 5. The Huskers defeated NJIT 18-4 in an elimination game Sunday afternoon. Nebraska was sent to the loser's bracket with a 5-1 loss to Arkansas on Saturday.
 
Behind freshman Javen Coleman, LSU pushes Oregon to winner-take-all regional final
There stood Javen Coleman, the skinny freshman who barely appeared until the final month of the regular season, releasing pitch after pitch Sunday night, more than he had ever thrown during his brief college career. LSU had to beat Oregon to extend its season, force a winner-take-all rematch and have any chance of reaching an NCAA super regional. It needed a brilliant pitching performance against a potent lineup. Coleman delivered exactly that. Behind Coleman, the Tigers beat Oregon 4-1 at the NCAA Eugene regional for their second win of the day after AJ Labas delivered a similar performance to eliminate Gonzaga. They will play a deciding finale at 9 p.m. CT Monday night. Coleman recorded career-highs in innings (six) and pitches (95) while allowing three hits. He struck out six. When the left-hander finally walked off the field, the LSU fans in PK Park gave him a standing ovation. "He's not a freshman anymore," coach Paul Mainieri said, "that's for sure." LSU (37-23) had already played three games this weekend, straining its pitching staff as it avoided elimination. All the regular starters were unavailable. Mainieri, his career set to end after the season, had to rely on the bullpen. He used senior Trent Vietmeier for an inning after Vietmeier closed LSU's win over Gonzaga. Then he turned to Coleman.
 
Florida Gators' baseball season ends with 19-1 loss to South Alabama
South Alabama used a 10-run inning and a dominant performance Saturday from pitcher Miles Smith to eliminate top-seeded Florida from the Gainesville Regional. With the 19-1 beatdown by the three seed Jaguars, UF suffered its worst loss in NCAA Baseball Tournament history and went 0-2 in the postseason for just the sixth time in school history (first since 2014). It also marked the program's worst loss at home since Clemson's 24-2 win in Gainesville in 1974. "It's pretty simple, we got beat," UF coach Kevin O'Sullivan said. "There's not much to say, it was just one of those days. Unfortunately, it was the last game of the year for us. It's something we gotta live with." To make matters worse for the Gators, they had to go sit in their locker room --- down 18 runs in the seventh -- and come back out to finish the game following a one-hour, 50-minute weather delay at Florida Ballpark. UF (38-22), the No. 15 overall national seed, fell apart on the mound with starter Hunter Barco (10-3) and Franco Aleman, a usual starter who was called in relief. The Jaguars handed the Gators their second largest margin of defeat in program history. Mississippi State beat UF, 20-2 on May 5, 2000 in Starkville, Mississippi.
 
Tennessee baseball wins first regional title since 2005 with win against Liberty
Tennessee baseball didn't hit a bevy of home runs Sunday in its regional final clash with Liberty. It didn't need them either. The Vols got a stellar start from pitcher Will Heflin, a single swing from Drew Gilbert and a shutdown showing from Sean Hunley to sweep the Knoxville Regional. Tennessee (48-16) is onto its first super regional since 2005 after topping Liberty 3-1 at Lindsey Nelson Stadium. UT will face the winner of LSU and Oregon in the super regional. Gilbert hadn't homered since March 28 entering the NCAA Tournament. The Vols outfielder homered in all three games, including two game-winners. He started the weekend with the moment of the tournament, slugging a walk-off grand slam to lift Tennessee to a 9-8 win against Wright State. He hit a solo homer off the battery's eye Saturday against Liberty. Gilbert provided the winning runs again Sunday with a two-run shot in the fifth. He was named the Knoxville Regional most outstanding player.
 
Vanderbilt advances to super regionals with marathon win over Georgia Tech
Even the Vandy Whistler was silent. His typically ever-present shrill was gone, replaced with a simple utterance: "Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow." It was the top of the 11th inning in a game that had gone nearly four-and-a-half hours to that point and bled into Monday morning, with six lead changes and eight home runs, and Vanderbilt's Isaiah Thomas had just blasted a towering grand slam to left field to but the Commodores up four. Perhaps it was the only appropriate ending for Sunday's game, a wild ride that finally ended at 1:10 a.m., with Vanderbilt prevailing, 14-11, in 11 innings to advance to super regionals. The Commodores (43-15) will face East Carolina (44-15) in a best-of-three series next weekend, likely at Hawkins Field. With star pitchers Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter both done for regionals, Vanderbilt faced a decision on who would start Sunday. The Commodores went with freshman Patrick Reilly. In the first inning, Reilly struggled to find the plate, walking three straight batters then allowing two singles to spot the Yellow Jackets three runs. He settled down somewhat after that but was pulled after an infield single and error on what should've been an inning-ending fly ball in the fifth. Ultimately, he went 4 2/3 innings and allowed six runs, four of which were earned. He also walked three and struck out six.
 
Auburn plans for full capacity at Jordan-Hare for fall 2021 football season
The Auburn Family is coming back to Jordan-Hare. On Friday, Auburn Athletics Director Allen Greene announced that Auburn Athletics plans to have 100 percent capacity at Jordan-Hare Stadium as well as full on-campus tailgating for the 2021 football season. "There is nothing like a fall weekend in the Loveliest Village on the Plains," Green said. "From the pregame pageantry and eagle flight, to the postgame celebration at Toomer's Corner and all of the shared experiences with friends and family. We are so excited to welcome back the Auburn Family to Jordan-Hare Stadium this fall and reintroduce our fans to the best game day experience in the nation." Tigers Unlimited members will gain access to renew their seats and choose seat locations in 2022 before tickets go on sale to the general public, as well as the ability to purchase away game and bowl tickets, based on priority and availability. A TUF Gray zone season ticket will guarantee fans access to lower-level seats for all seven home games this fall and TUF Bronze zone season tickets will be placed in upper level sections. If fans are looking for upper-level season tickets, mini packs or single game tickets, those will go on sale later this summer. In the announcement, Auburn Athletics stated that they will continue to use full digital ticketing for the 2021 season.
 
How will NIL affect Auburn? Former player and business owner lays out opportunities
Sage Ledbetter figures three little letters are going to change the college football landscape starting July 1 -- but maybe not just in the way most people expect. Having been on both sides of the market as a former Auburn football player and now a business owner in the area, Ledbetter this week offered a unique perspective on changes coming to name, image and likeness usage for college athletes across the country -- which he thinks will be 'huge' not only for the high-profile names in college sports, but for small businesses and local heroes as well. It's still unclear exactly how college athletes will use their name, image and likeness -- often shortened to NIL -- but Ledbetter paints a realistic picture for how the changes to come should affect athletes in towns like Auburn. Ledbetter plans to offer marketing deals to Auburn athletes as soon as he's able to on July 1. "It's going to be big for the communities that hold these universities," Ledbetter said. Ledbetter kicked and held for Auburn from 2016-19 and now owns Led.Co Landscape Lighting Inc. in the city. He plans to sign Auburn players to social media endorsements and make use of their online following. He also sees the world of sports training changing, with college athletes being allowed to work with younger players at camps and to be paid for their work.



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