| Wednesday, June 16, 2021 |
| Starkville aldermen ban Bird scooters | |
 | City officials have ordered Bird Scooters to pack up its inventory and leave town. Aldermen voted 4-3 Tuesday to prohibit the use of the scooters in the city limits. As his final act as alderman, Ward 3's David Little proposed the ban, claiming these electric scooters are a danger to the health, safety and wellness of riders and the general public. "I think they're an accident waiting to happen," Little said at the board's work session Friday. "I think they impede pedestrian flow. ... I think it's just a matter of time before someone is injured on these things." Bird, an electric scooter ride-sharing service, delivered its scooters to Starkville in March after communicating with Mayor Lynn Spruill and obtaining a privilege license to conduct business in the city. What followed were multiple complaints from citizens that riders have been misusing the scooters throughout the city -- from riding them down highways and sidewalks to users operating them under the influence. Ward 5 Alderman Hamp Beatty said he believes the devices are dangerous, and before long, someone will get hurt. He said the responsibility of citizen safekeeping falls on the board. "Sometimes as city government, we have to do things that aren't popular but are necessary to do," Beatty said. Beatty, along with Little, Ward 1 Alderman Ben Carver and Ward 6 Alderman and Vice Mayor Roy A. Perkins, voted for the ban. |
| Ben Carver wins Ward 1 alderman race | |
| Incumbent Republican Ben Carver has officially been re-elected to his alderman seat for Ward 1. Tuesday was the last day the city could receive postmarked absentee ballots, securing only one absentee vote for Ward 1 for Democratic candidate Christine Williams and bringing the final margin to 319-315 in Carver's favor. Carver said he is thankful to win a tight race and thrilled to represent Ward 1 for his fourth term as alderman. "One of the reasons I think I keep getting re-elected is I am a voice of the people," Carver said. "They know that I will try to be a voice of reason and a voice of transparency, and I want to be able to relate whatever my constituents want me to do up here in City Hall." Williams said she had been keeping up with the city clerk's office over the past week and had anticipated only one absentee vote coming in. She told The Dispatch she hasn't decided if she will challenge the results of the election. "I've got to see what the next step is," Williams said. "I've got to look at all of my options and see." This is the second straight election Williams has fallen just short to Carver. The incumbent beat her by only six votes in 2017. |
| Potential storm in the Gulf could soon impact Mississippi | |
 | The National Hurricane Center is monitoring an area of low pressure in the Gulf of Mexico that could bring plenty of rain to Mississippi later in the week. The center's website Tuesday showed there were some disorganized showers and thunderstorms over the Bay of Campeche and southern Mexico connected to a broad low pressure area. While the area isn't expected to move over the next couple days, it will begin to move north through the Gulf of Mexico as early as Thursday. The area has a 70% chance of developing into a tropical depression over the next five days, the National Hurricane Center predicts. If the tropical depression does form, it will become Claudette, said Meteorologist Alan Campbell with the National Weather Service's Jackson office. Campbell said it's too early to know just how the system will impact Mississippi, but most of the state can expect rain beginning Friday and through the weekend. "As far as its effect on the state of Mississippi, right now it's still a little questionable given that its landfall is still a good five to six days out right now," Campbell said of the system. For anyone planning a weekend trip down to the coast, Campbell suggests keeping an eye on weather reports closer to the weekend and paying attention to flags posted along the beaches warning about rip currents, which could increase. |
| Lumber Prices Are Falling Fast, Turning Hoarders Into Sellers | |
 | Lumber prices are falling back to Earth. Futures for July delivery ended Tuesday at $1,009.90 per thousand board feet, down 41% from the record of $1,711.20 reached in early May. Futures have declined 14 of the past 16 trading days. Cash lumber prices are also crashing. Pricing service Random Lengths said Friday that its framing composite index, which tracks on-the-spot sales, dropped $122 to $1,324, its biggest ever weekly decline. The pullback came just six weeks after the index rose $124 during the first week of May, its most on record. Random Lengths described a chaotic rout in which sawmill managers struggled to provide customers with price quotes. It said late Tuesday that its index had dropped another $114, to $1,210. Economists and investors have wondered if sky-high prices for wood products would doom the booming housing market. Builders raised home prices and many stopped selling houses before the studs were installed, lest they misjudge costs and sell too cheaply. Lumber became central to the inflation debate: whether a period of runaway inflation was afoot or high prices were temporary shocks that would ease as the economy moved further from lockdown. The rapid decline suggests a bubble that has burst and the question is how low lumber prices will fall. |
| USDA launching program to create jobs in rural communities | |
 | The U.S. Department of Agriculture is starting the Rural Innovation Stronger Economy (RISE) program in an attempt to bring high paying jobs to rural communities. "This is an opportunity for a lot of the people here to get higher paying, long term, sustainable growth jobs, and to turn some places around to become highly marketable, highly competitive and bringing in some of the top leaders around the country," said USDA's acting Mississippi state director Douglas Simons. Thanks to federal grants of up to $2 million, many different industries can see new jobs throughout the Pine Belt and other rural communities. A trickle-down causes the program to continue to make more jobs as time goes on. "If trades come in, we're gonna need trucks," Simons said. "If we're going to need trucks, we're going to need factories. If we need factories, we are going to need warehouses. It all builds upon each other, but we have to start with someone stepping up." Applications will start being accepted electronically June 16 at grants.gov. Applications must be submitted by Aug. 2. |
| California auto parts company Edelbrock is moving to Mississippi | |
 | Auto parts manufacturer Edelbrock announced today it will move its headquarters from California to DeSoto County, saying it will bring 200 new jobs to Mississippi. The Mississippi Development Authority says it has committed up to $1 million in grant funding to help the company with building costs for the Olive Branch facility. The project totals $14.4 million in corporate investment, according to MDA. "Along with the great popularity of the automotive performance industry in the Mid-South, Mississippi's fantastic business climate, highly skilled workforce and strategic logistical competitiveness make our state the perfect home for Edelbrock, perhaps the most legendary name in the world of automotive performance," MDA Executive Director John Rounsaville said in a statement. Edelbrock recently merged with Olive Branch company COMP Performance Group, which already had locations in DeSoto County and the greater Memphis area. The newly formed Edelbrock Group will have 80 headquarter jobs and 120 manufacturing positions. The company will also maintain 90 existing Olive Branch warehouse jobs. Edelbrock says it will fill the 200 new positions over the next three years. |
| Gov. Tate Reeves supports special session for medical marijuana | |
 | Gov. Tate Reeves on Tuesday said he supports calling state lawmakers back to the Capitol for a special session to address a medical marijuana program as long as state lawmakers can agree on the specifics beforehand. Before touring an Ashley Furniture manufacturing plant in Lee County, Reeves, the only person who can call legislators back into session before January 2022, told members of the media that even though he was against the proposed medical marijuana initiative, he supports honoring the will of the vast majority of Mississippians who voted in favor of it. "I have been in conversation with various leaders within the Mississippi Legislature, and there are conversations ongoing about what a medical marijuana program should look like," Reeves said. The first-term Republican governor said he won't call lawmakers back into session until most of the specifics can be worked out prior to a special session. "I can call them into a special session, and for $30,000 a day, they can sit around and talk and negotiate and determine what a medical marijuana plan can look like," Reeves said. "Or I can not call them in yet, and for $0 a day, they can talk and negotiate and develop a plan." |
| Gov. Tate Reeves got $50 million in CARES Act money. Here's how he spent it. | |
| Gov. Tate Reeves and legislative leaders battled last year over who had the authority to spend $1.25 billion in federal coronavirus relief funds. The Legislature ultimately prevailed in the spending control of the CARES Act funding, but part of the political compromise was granting the governor sole spending authority of $50 million. One year later, Reeves has been allocated the $50 million but has spent only $20.7 million of that amount. Reeves' office, when contacted by Mississippi Today, would not provide any details of how the public money has been allocated and spent. But we obtained a breakdown from the Department of Finance and Administration, an agency that falls under the governor's control. Reeves allocated those funds to eight agencies -- most of which fall under his direct control, according to information provided by DFA. Agencies contacted by Mississippi Today say they have used the funds to deal with issues related to combatting COVID-19. For instance, DFA spent $692,482 for such items as mailing out the checks to businesses that received grants through the CARES Act, to offset losses during the coronavirus lockdown and for other issues related to helping agencies that received CARES Act funding. |
| Parts of Jackson considered 'high risk' for insurance coverage due to crime | |
| Some insurance companies won't issue policies to business owners in parts of Jackson because they've been designated "high risk" due to the city's high crime rate, according to the state's insurance commissioner. At the same time, recent burglaries in the Capital City also have some business owners on edge because they fear they may lose what insurance coverage they have. "Many carriers are refusing to write what we call casualty insurance for the small businesses that are constantly broken into or robbed at gunpoint, because you just can't, there's no way to cover all the losses," Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney said. Chaney said the risk assessment from these companies changed over the last few years, with insurance providers using their own claims database and other crime statistics to make that call. The information those companies use also paints a different picture of the Capital City than the administration and police department have in recent years. "Especially with the recent elections, some of the companies have said, 'Well, are we looking at continuation of crime? Because it's all happened under one administration.' I don't mean that as a criticism, that's just a fact," Chaney said. "That's what the companies say. And it's their prerogative to say we're not gonna write any more insurance in Jackson." Chaney said he's hopeful the administration and legislators can work together to reduce crime in the Capital City. |
| Ascend Fund offers grants to recruit women to run for Mississippi legislative seats | |
 | A project spearheaded by the non-profit Ascend Fund is offering grants to Mississippi organizations to recruit women to run for the state Legislature. Abbie Hodgson, the fund's director, believes critical policy decisions are being made and women govern differently than men. "You see that in their willingness and ability to reach across the aisle, their more likely to seek compromise and find bi-partisan solutions. Additionally they're more likely to advocate for policies that benefit women, children and families," said Hodgson. Hodgson says they'll provide grants that total $180,000 to five non-partisan, non-profit organizations. They're seeking applications from groups that work with women, offer leadership development or have an interest. Christy Wheeler with the League of Women Voters of Mississippi says grants will help because some women have shied away from politics. "I think in Mississippi, that a lot of it has to do with tradition and that a woman's place is not in the political arena. That conservative viewpoint is changing so that more women are thinking about the legislature," said Wheeler. |
| 'Potential crisis for democracy': Threats to election workers could spur mass retirements | |
 | State and local election offices fear they are set to face a wave of retirements and resignations after confronting the dual burdens of a pandemic and a rise in conspiracy-fueled threats. A new survey of over 200 local election officials -- the people responsible for running polling places, maintaining voter rolls and counting and certifying the results of elections -- found that roughly one-third were either very or somewhat concerned about "being harassed on the job" or "feeling unsafe" at work during the 2020 election cycle. Nearly 4-in-10 respondents in the survey, which was conducted by the Brennan Center for Justice and Bipartisan Policy Center, reported the same level of concern about "facing pressure to certify election results." Election workers and watchdogs say that after these officials preserved the integrity of the 2020 election despite enormous pressure from former President Donald Trump and allies, the climate could kick off a "brain drain" in their field that would pose a threat to the administration of future elections if longtime election workers are replaced by those with less experience -- or by believers in the conspiracy theories about the 2020 results Trump and his allies promote. "What is normally a fairly obscure administrative job is now one where lunatics are threatening to murder your children," said Al Schmidt, one of the three members of Philadelphia's city board of elections. Schmidt, a Republican, announced in January that he will not seek reelection to his post in 2023. "That is not something anyone anticipates or signs up for." |
| Big Tech critic Lina Khan confirmed to join Federal Trade Commission | |
 | The Senate on Tuesday confirmed President Joe Biden's nomination of antitrust scholar and Big Tech critic Lina Khan to serve on the Federal Trade Commission. Khan, who most recently was an associate professor of law at Columbia University, was confirmed for the FTC post on a vote of 69-28, with 21 Republicans voting in her favor. "This is a big win for consumers and the public interest," Charlotte Slaiman, competition policy director at consumer advocacy group Public Knowledge, said in a statement. "The strong bipartisan vote in her favor is both confirmation of her impeccable credentials and of the bipartisan interest in holding Big Tech accountable." Republican opponents such as Sens. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Mike Lee of Utah previously raised concerns about Khan's level of experience -- she is 32 years old -- and whether this should preclude her from a spot on the commission, which is responsible for enforcing consumer protection and competition laws. Besides Lee and Blackburn, Republicans who opposed the nomination included Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, as well as Ted Cruz of Texas, Richard C. Shelby of Alabama and James Lankford of Oklahoma. Sens. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Rob Portman of Ohio and Deb Fischer of Nebraska were among the 21 Republicans who joined Democrats in clearing the nomination. Sens. Cory Booker, D-N.J., Gary Peters, D-Mich., and Marco Rubio, R-Fla., didn't vote. |
| Bishops to debate banning communion for president | |
 | U.S. bishops are set Wednesday to open a controversial and divisive debate over whether President Biden, just the second Catholic president in U.S. history, and other politicians should be denied communion based on their stance on abortion. There will not be a formal vote on whether to deny Biden and other pro-abortion rights Catholic politicians communion on Wednesday, but the actions at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishop's (USCCB) three-day June General Assembly could lead to such a vote. The bishops will debate and vote on Thursday about whether to task a committee on doctrine to start a teaching document on the Holy Eucharist, which would include if it should be denied for high-profile politicians who support abortion rights. The document would then be up for debate, subject to amendments and voted on at the group's next meeting in November. It promises to be a testy discussion on a sensitive issue that is dividing people from the top of the Vatican, with some bishops eager to make an example of Biden and others warning this would weaponize the Holy Communion. Pope Francis this week cautioned American bishops against denying communion to politicians and warned that communion can't be used as a political weapon. The group is moving ahead with their debate, despite the pope's warning. |
| Southern Baptists elect new convention president, bucking effort to push conservative denomination to the right | |
 | Thousands of Southern Baptists elected Alabama pastor Ed Litton -- the only candidate some say can prevent an exodus of minority members from the denomination -- to serve as the next president of their network of conservative evangelical churches. Litton won the top Southern Baptist Convention role in a runoff vote on Tuesday in Nashville. He defeated Georgia pastor Mike Stone. The convention, which is divided over its future direction, needs a uniter, said Louisiana pastor Fred Luter Jr., who nominated the pastor of Redemption Church in Saraland, Alabama. "Ed is uniquely qualified to do that," said Luter, a former convention president and the first Black leader to serve in the role. "At a time when conservative Southern Baptist African American leaders are questioning their connection to the convention, Ed has uniquely shown his commitment to racial reconciliation." Luter said Litton brings a compassionate and shepherding heart to the sexual abuse crisis in the church and is the pastor the convention needs now. "We're no longer shoulder to shoulder, but face to face, and since we're so used to fighting, we're no longer fighting an enemy on the battlefield; we're now fighting our brothers in the barracks," Luter said. "Southern Baptists, it is time to get out of the barracks." Theological conservatives control the convention today. |
| Study: No amount of alcohol is safe for your brain | |
| Before you head to that newly re-opened bar to have a drink with your friends, consider the latest study on how alcohol affects the human brain. According to researchers at the University of Oxford, there is no amount of alcohol that is safe for your brain. The observational study analyzed the link between alcohol intake of nearly 25,000 United Kingdom residents and their brain's health, using brain scans. "The more people drank, the less the volume of their gray matter," the study's lead author, Anya Topiwala. told CNN. "Brain volume reduces with age and more severely with dementia. Smaller brain volume also predicts worse performance on memory testing." Gray matter is the region in the brain that makes up "important bits where information is processed," Topiwala said. The study concluded that consuming any type of alcohol was worse than not drinking at all. The researchers also determined it didn't matter what kind of drink -- wine, spirits or beer -- the participants consumed. All alcohol caused damage to the brain. |
| People hospitalized with COVID-19 now have one overwhelming thing in common. They're not vaccinated. | |
 | In Minnesota, the HealthPartners system has seen a "precipitous decline" in COVID-19 hospitalizations, says Dr. Mark Sannes, an infectious disease physician and senior medical director for the system, which operates nine hospitals and more than 55 clinics. Butnow, nearly every admitted patient he does see is unvaccinated. "Less than 1% of our hospitalized COVID patients are vaccinated,"he said. In Ohio, at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, only 2% of the COVID-19 patients admitted in the last month were vaccinated, said Dr. Robert Salata, the hospital's physician-in-chief. And at Sanford Health, which runs 44 medical centers and more than 200 clinics across the Dakotas, Minnesota and Iowa, less than 5% of the 1,456 patients admitted with COVID-19 so far this year were fully vaccinated, said spokesperson Angela Dejene. Falling rates of COVID-19 across the United States mask a harsh reality – the overwhelming majority of those getting sick and being hospitalized today are unvaccinated, while vaccinated people are becoming rare. Medical centers say there's also an obvious change in the age of their sickest patients, as older people are much more likely to be vaccinated than younger. |
| Covid-19 Is Fading in U.S., but Officials Will Still Have to Manage It | |
| The U.S. is entering a new phase of the Covid-19 pandemic as people settle back into normal life thanks to vaccines, but public-health authorities are preparing for Americans to live with the disease lurking in the background for the long run. Many believe that reaching herd immunity is a distant goal, due both to highly varied vaccination rates in the U.S. and uncertainty about just how much Covid-19 must be suppressed to effectively stop its spread. Instead, they are focused on how to make it a manageable disease, with steps like close surveillance and rapid response to outbreaks in a partially vaccinated population. Calls for masks and social distancing could return, too, in efforts to control future flare-ups, health authorities say. "I think our experience historically is we will find a new normal living with this disease," said John Brooks, chief medical officer of the Covid-19 response at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "The question is, what is that new normal going to look like?" Low-vaccination areas in the U.S. could create pockets with elevated Covid-19 infection rates for months or years, while highly vaccinated areas may achieve a sort of local herd immunity, said Anthony Fauci, President Biden's chief medical adviser for the pandemic. Vaccination rates are starkly different around the U.S., from Vermont, where nearly 63% of the population is fully vaccinated, to Mississippi, where the rate is about 28.5%, recent federal data show. |
| MUW kicks off public face of $25M fundraising campaign | |
| Imagine having a three-touchdown lead before the opening kickoff and you can understand the excitement that permeated the boardroom at Mississippi University for Women's Welty Hall on Tuesday afternoon. About a dozen people gathered as MUW President Nora Miller announced the kickoff for the university's first-ever major gift campaign, an effort that hopes to raise $25 million by its end in 2024. Although Tuesday marked The W's introduction of the fundraising project, it has been ongoing since 2016 under the direction of Miller's predecessor Jim Borsig. Miller officially became MUW's 15th president in February 2019 with the campaign already underway. "During the silent phase of this campaign we have raised over $18 million of the goal," Miller said Tuesday. "Today, we are kicking off the public phase of the campaign, which we are calling 'Be the Light.'" Miller said the headstart on fundraising is established practice in higher education giving campaigns. "The rule of thumb is that you raise at least half of the money before going public," Miller said. "So with $18 million in gifts, we are well on our way to meeting that goal. We aren't there yet, so over the next three years, we're going to be promoting the campaign through events and other things. We have three years to reach our goal, so there's work left to do." |
| UMMC gets funding to begin exhumation of thousands of bodies under hospital soil | |
| Millions of dollars in state funding may finally aid the removal of bodies found on the grounds of University of Mississippi Medical Center. The thousands of bodies were discovered in 2012 when UMMC looked to expand their campus to include a parking garage. It's believed there may be as many as 7,000 buried on the campus. The bodies are patients of the Mississippi Asylum for the Insane, which stood from 1855 until 1935 at the location where UMMC now stands. The unmarked graves left many Mississippians unaware of where their loved ones lie. The Mississippi Department of Archives and History now has a database of more than 4,000 patients that died between 1912 and 1935 at the asylum. It's been estimated that exhuming the bodies and relocating them would cost $21 million. Now, there is finally a portion of that funding in place. Mississippi State Legislature approved $3.7 million to support the exhumation of the graves in an effort to relocate the bodies and give them a proper burial. |
| Coast seafood industry focus of USM professor's new book | |
| Dr. Deanne Stephens, University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Park history professor, reels in the story of Mississippi's world famous seafood in her recent publication, "The Mississippi Gulf Coast Seafood Industry: A People's History" -- based on nearly 20 years of research that includes her discussions with local people about their love for the water and their way of life. Inspired by the seafood culture of the Biloxi Point, Pass Christian harbor and other locales along the Coast, where she learned firsthand about the experiences of those working in the industry, Stephens' book features "the contributions of all people who worked to build the seafood industry along coastal Mississippi," which includes waves of immigrants and others who helped make it into the vibrant economic force that continues to help power the entire coastal region. "That point is important because everyone who worked in the industry -- from the pickers and shuckers to the fishers to the processing plant owners -- all contributed and sustained it through hardships and good times," she continued. "Their efforts created a dynamic industry that supported generations and still lures people to the Mississippi Gulf Coast." |
| Billionaire MacKenzie Scott donates $20 million to Mississippi community college | |
 | Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College was among the 286 "high-impact organizations" recently donated to by billionaire MacKenzie Scott. The $20 million donation is the largest gift in the college's history. "This generous gift from MacKenzie Scott will have a transformational impact on our college and community," said Dr. Mary S. Graham, MGCCC president. "[...] It makes me proud that Ms. Scott and other generous Gulf Coast donors and supporters recognize the good work we do, and they trust us to continue that work." Last year, Scott, the wealthiest woman in the world, gifted both Alcorn State University and Tougaloo College with multi-million dollar donations. She also gave $9 million to the Mississippi Food Network. Scott announced the news in a Medium post on Tuesday. In the post, the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos revealed that over the first quarter of 2021, her team donated "$2,739,000,000 in gifts to 286 high-impact organizations in categories and communities that have been historically underfunded and overlooked." |
| Auburn University's SGA moves to adopt bill to to fight racial inequity | |
| Auburn University's Student Senate is the latest of several groups to push the University to be more open in its efforts for improving minority enrollment and making campus more equitable. Monday, June 14, Auburn University Student Government Association held its normal senate meeting to discuss several bills, one of which was a bill proposed at the previous meeting on May 10, 2021, by Brandan Belser from the College of Liberal Arts, called a "Resolution on Auburn University Administration's Duty to Fight Racial Inequity." The bill, which was unanimously passed, asked for more open and public communication between administration and faculty and students regarding the ongoing progress of diversification, such as the University's retention efforts, recruiting diverse faculty, scholarships and the renaming of buildings. Belser read the bill, which began by mentioning the events of the past couple of years that have shed light on racial injustices in America and how Black students have brought this movement to Auburn's campus. Additionally, Belser's bill pointed out the steady decline of the enrollment of Black students at Auburn over the past 10 years. Belser also displayed data on enrollment statistics at nearby colleges and universities, comparing the percentage of Black students that make up the schools' populations. |
| Collin's Law: Anti-hazing bill one step closer to becoming Ohio law | |
| A bill that would make hazing a felony in Ohio is one step closer to becoming law after the Ohio Senate Workforce and Higher Education Committee on Tuesday afternoon approved what is known as "Collin's Law." Senate Bill 126 is now expected to be voted on in the full Ohio Senate as early as Wednesday. Lawmakers said the goal is too quickly move the bill out of the Senate and Ohio House and have it on the desk of Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine by the end of this month. If DeWine, who has publicly endorsed the bill several times, signs the bill into law then it would go into effect 90 days later. University officials and lawmakers said that would hopefully pass in time to act as a deterrent in the next collegiate school year if hazing is used in the pledging process by fraternities and sororities. "We want kids to understand there will be serious consequences for hazing and engaging in that culture," said State. Sen. Stephanie Kunze, a Republican from Hilliard and the bill's sponsor. "Hazing is so damaging to young adults and many have suffered from its effects." The bill would expand the definition of hazing in Ohio to include the forced consumption of drugs and alcohol, and would make the punishments more severe for those who haze. Currently in Ohio, hazing is a fourth-degree misdemeanor, which is comparable to not paying a speeding ticket. |
| U.S. judge dismisses antitrust lawsuits over college textbooks | |
| A U.S. judge on Monday dismissed antitrust lawsuits accusing the dominant on-campus bookstore chains and college textbook publishers of conspiring to eliminate competition and raise prices by using agreements to sell course materials online, known as "Inclusive Access." U.S. District Judge Denise Cote in Manhattan rejected claims by undergraduate and graduate students, independent bookstores and online textbook sellers against Barnes & Noble Education (BNED.N), Follett Higher Education Group, and the publishers Cengage Learning, McGraw Hill and Pearson Education (PSON.L). Inclusive Access requires students to buy one-time access codes for purchases of online textbooks, which typically cost less than new hardcopy textbooks but more than used textbooks. The defendants were accused of using the program to monopolize the more than $3 billion annual market for new textbooks, boosting prices for hundreds of thousands of students while suppressing demand for used textbooks. Lawyers for the students did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Bruce Steckler, a lawyer for the independent bookstores and online sellers, declined to comment. |
| Black colleges were denied state funding for decades. Now they're fighting back. | |
 | Historically Black colleges and universities in the U.S. have been underfunded for decades, with billions of dollars in state funding that should have gone to those schools diverted by lawmakers for other purposes, according to higher education experts. Now HBCU leaders are pushing to get the money these institutions say they are owed. College presidents and local lawmakers in states like Tennessee and Maryland have spent months poring over previous years' state budgets to calculate the funding gap, as well as discuss how to put that money to use on campus. Some education leaders call it a form of reparations, the old "40 acres and a mule" but for the ivy covered campuses of some of the nation's oldest colleges. Others prefer the softer term "arrears" to describe the push for more money from state coffers. Either way, billions of dollars -- at least $1.1 billion so far -- is at stake for up to 50 colleges that educate hundreds of thousands of Black students annually. HBCU leaders say the denial of state funding to their colleges largely comes down to old-school racism. State legislators, who largely control funding for higher education, have long viewed such institutions as inferior, multiple HBCU officials told CBS MoneyWatch. That has constrained HBCUs from offering more competitive salaries for faculty or scholarships for top students. |
| MacKenzie Scott gifts millions to community colleges, regional colleges and nonprofits | |
 | Just six months after making headlines for giving away $4.1 billion in donations to nonprofits and higher education institutions, philanthropist and writer MacKenzie Scott announced Tuesday that she had gifted more than $2.73 billion to dozens of colleges that are broadening access to higher education for underrepresented students, as well as advocacy organizations focused on helping those students succeed. This time around, the list of recipients for the unsolicited and unrestricted gifts included community colleges, regional colleges and higher education nonprofits. Experts say the donations will likely catalyze fundraising efforts and lend legitimacy to these institutions -- many of which don't have endowments and have never received lump-sum gifts of this size. "Higher education is a proven pathway to opportunity, so we looked for 2- and 4-year institutions successfully educating students who come from communities that have been chronically underserved," Scott wrote in a short blog post on Medium about how she chose the 286 gift recipients. The money could spur other donors to give to community colleges, which have historically been overlooked in charitable giving, said Karen Stout, president and CEO of Achieving the Dream, a nonprofit dedicated to community college reform. |
| Loan relief granted to defrauded for-profit college students | |
 | The U.S. Education Department said Wednesday it's erasing student debt for thousands of borrowers who attended a for-profit college chain that made exaggerated claims about its graduates' success in finding jobs. The Biden administration said it is approving 18,000 loan forgiveness claims from former students of ITT Technical Institute, a chain that closed in 2016 after being dealt a series of sanctions by the Obama administration. The new loan discharges will clear more than $500 million in debt. The move marks a step forward in the Biden administration's effort to clear a backlog of claims in the borrower defense program, which provides loan forgiveness to students who were defrauded by their colleges. Claims piled up during the Trump administration, which stalled the program and only started processing claims after a federal court demanded it. There are now more than 100,000 pending claims. In announcing the new action, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona vowed to continue standing up for students who are deceived by their schools. Borrowers will be notified about their claim approvals in the coming weeks, the agency said. |
| House science panel firms up its plan to expand NSF | |
| The U.S. Congress Tuesday took another step toward doubling the budget of the National Science Foundation (NSF) over 5 years, with the science committee of the House of Representatives unanimously approving legislation to reauthorize the agency's programs. The House committee's work overlaps in part with a bill passed last week by the Senate that gives NSF a primary role in strengthening the U.S. research enterprise so the United States can better compete against China and the rest of the world. Both the House and Senate bills would rapidly grow the $8.5 billion agency, as well as give it a new technology directorate aimed at accelerating the commercial application of academic research. Both bills also call for tightening oversight of NSF-funded research to block adversaries from gaining improper access to the results. However, the House bill (H.R. 2225) takes a much more targeted approach to bolstering federal research than does the Senate bill (S. 1260). It's a svelte 141 pages compared with the 2376-page Senate behemoth. It also confines itself to NSF; the Senate bill covers several additional federal research agencies and tweaks U.S. trade and foreign policy to address the economic and military challenges posed by China and other nations. |
| Internet driven conspiracism undermines civil society | |
 | Syndicated columnist Bill Crawford writes: Real conservatives know who Peggy Noonan is. Read her latest column "What Drives Conspiracism" where she laments that irrational conspiracies "fueled and powered" by the Internet are "helping break up America." Rational people know that civil society cannot work when leadership embraces conspiracism. Rather civil society requires civil leadership. Flashback: Ronald Reagan defined civil society as order with virtue. Reagan was also the epitome of civil leadership -- strong but conciliatory, demanding but willing to compromise, conservative but willing to work across party lines. Reagan said, "Our first President, George Washington, Father of our Country, shaper of the Constitution and truly a wise man, believed that religion, morality, and brotherhood were the essential pillars of society." Reagan also affirmed the prayer embodied in America the Beautiful -- "America! America! God shed his grace on thee and crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea!" For him, brotherhood transcended politics, as demonstrated by his legendary relationship with Tip O'Neil, the Democrat Speaker of the House. O'Neill's son Thomas described their relationship, their commitment to "find common ground" this way: "What both men deplored more than the other's political philosophy was stalemate, and a country that was so polarized by ideology and party politics that it could not move forward." (Sound familiar?) |
| Brad White smart choice for new Mississippi Department of Transportation chief | |
| Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: The decision of Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves to tap his own chief of staff as the new leader of the Mississippi Department of Transportation bodes well for an organization that has seen more than its share of discord over the last two decades. Simpson County native Brad White, who hails from the small Jupiter community there, comes to the helm of MDOT after logging stints as the chief of staff for Reeves, for Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, for the late Republican U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran, and former Republican State Auditor Stacy Pickering. White held the staff position with the State Auditor's Office and the state Public Service Commission. In local affairs, White served as executive director of the Simpson Country Economic Development Foundation. He is also a former chairman and executive director of the Mississippi Republican Party. White faces state Senate confirmation, but lawmakers would be hard-pressed to entertain a nominee with more or better relevant experience or political credibility in Mississippi government and on Capitol Hill. Perhaps White's most vital attribute is his knowledge of how highway construction is actually financed in Mississippi – which is no small feat given the rather Byzantine system utilized. The answer is a complicated combination of federal and state fuel excise taxes and the Federal Highway Trust Fund. |
SPORTS
| The Mississippi State Standard | |
| At Mississippi State, there's a standard. And for the last couple of weeks, Bulldogs head coach Chris Lemonis has emphasized and reemphasized it to his team. Then on Monday night at Dudy Noble Field, MSU went out and lived up to it...for the third straight time. State defeated Notre Dame 11-7 to advance to the College World Series for the third consecutive completed season. Only one school in the country can now claim an active streak of three trips to Omaha in a row and it's the boys in Mississippi State maroon and white. But how did this latest opportunity to journey to America's heartland come together? Well it was a collaborative effort between those that have made the trek before and a bunch of soon-to-be Nebraska newbies. If you needed a crash course on the season-long ride, Monday night's game provided a quick glimpse of how MSU met its standard and how it plans to continue it. There was a conversation inside the Mississippi State baseball offices on Monday, long before a pitch was ever thrown next door at Dudy Noble Field. The topic at hand were two men that can now claim College World Series appearances in every single full season of their careers. The Bulldogs' 2021 campaign was down to nine innings headed into Monday night. Yet State's coaching staff was feeling good about their chances with the ability to lean on junior outfielders Tanner Allen and Rowdey Jordan. |
| Brandon father says it will be emotional watching son play in College World Series | |
| Mississippi State fans have a long journey ahead as some will take the trip to Omaha to see the Bulldogs play in their third straight College World Series. This trip is significant for the parents of a local player on the team. Brandon's own Kellum Clark will be making an impact on the Bulldogs in Omaha. The freshman has been getting more at-bats as the season has gone on, despite this being his first year in Starkville. He hit his fifth double of the year and had an RBI in MSU's 11-7 win over Notre Dame in the Super Regional Final. The lefty will be playing on the biggest stage in all of college baseball, the College World Series. Clark's family will be making the trip and his father said walking into the stadium and seeing his son play will be a very emotional moment. "That is gonna top everything," David Clark said. "He has played at a lot of the big league parks and has had so many blessings, but walking into that stadium will take my breath away. I'll make sure to get my Kleenex on the way out of town." |
| Omaha prepares for hoopla surrounding the College World Series | |
| With the College World Series being canceled last year, fans not only missed out on games but also missed out on the fun events. Thankfully, tailgating will be in full effect this year. "We know that tailgating is an important part of the College World Series so we're excited that, along with all the other great things that come with the series, tailgating will be back as well. Especially in a year that inch by inch we're trying to get back to normalcy," said Kristyna Engdahl, Director of Communications for MECA. Lots B and D will be open for permit parking. Tailgating will be allowed in those along with all other MECA lots, except for garages. Lot A will be opened for College World Series once the Olympic Swim Trials are complete. Bars and restaurants in the downtown area, specifically in Baseball Village, will also have their own fun. The Old Mattress Factory hosts daily events during College World Series each year -- many call the festivities the biggest party in Omaha. "I think our location has a lot to do with it we try to accommodate as many different teams as possible and we just want to be an Omaha tradition," said Peter Violi, manager at The Old Mattress Factory. Some events hosted by NCAA during past CWS won't be happening this year due to NCAA's Covid regulations. The CWS opening ceremony, autographs, and concerts at the stadium will not happen this year. Fans will be able to shop at the merchandise tent on Fahey Street and take a photo with a replica of the trophy. |
| Douglas County plans mobile vaccine clinic at College World Series | |
| The stage is being set, Baseball Village is getting assembled. The merchandise is moving around, preparing for the tens of thousands of visitors who come to Omaha for the College World Series. Without a series last year, some are hoping to make up for the lost year. "It was weird not having it last year. We made it through and hoping to have a good year," said Amber Crom. With the beginning of the College World Series and the ending of the Olympic Swim Trials overlapping for Saturday and Sunday, Douglas County Health will be set up outside the CHI Health Center with a mobile vaccination clinic. Nationally 44% of the population is fully vaccinated, Nebraska is at 45%. "Right by Lot D, where they do a lot of tailgating. We're hoping to capture folks there," said Leah Casanave with Douglas County Health Department. Not much is free at an event like CWS, but the vaccines will be. Think of it as two dose Team Pfizer and one dose Team Johnson & Johnson. "We're hoping to get the word out and a lot of education and inform folks of what's available," said Casanave. With TD Ameritrade Park at full capacity for the series and with so many out-of-towners joining the rest of us, Douglas County Health officials know there will be some fans who just haven't had the chance to get a vaccine in their state. "I've done some research on how to follow-up like we did with the zoo. Say you get a Pfizer and we give them a list of locations to call for the second dose. Like Missouri or Kansas, so you can follow up there," said Casanave. |
| Mike Leach talks quarterbacks, meets with fans during Tupelo Road Dawgs Tour stop | |
| While Mississippi State's quarterback position remains open, there's a lot that Mike Leach likes about Jack Abraham. The former Oxford standout and Southern Miss graduate transfer is part of a crowded QB room in Starkville. Rising sophomore Will Rogers is the only one with game experience in Leach's Air Raid offense, but Abraham brings a lot to the table. "He's the most experienced one we have, so I think he has a lot of composure out there that guys that have played more do," Leach said Tuesday during his Road Dawgs Tour stop at St. James Catholic Church. Abraham passed for 7,067 yards and 41 touchdowns in 27 games at USM. Rogers passed for 1,976 yards and 11 TDs in nine games last season, making six starts. Leach likes Abraham's accuracy and decision making. "I think he's used to running the unit," Leach said. "I think they're all pretty good generally speaking, but they're at different points in their careers, and we need to develop them and see how good we can get them." MSU went 4-7 in Leach's first season and defeated Tulsa in the Armed Forces Bowl. After an impressive debut against LSU, the Bulldogs struggled offensively. They finished 12th in the SEC in yards per game (340.2) and 13th in scoring (21.4 points per game). The big thing Leach wants to see offensively is more consistency. |
| Former All-American DJ Sanders Joins Softball Staff | |
| Former First Team All-American DJ Sanders will join the Mississippi State softball coaching staff as a volunteer assistant, head coach Samantha Ricketts announced on Monday. Sanders spent her collegiate career at Louisiana and Oregon where she earned All-American honors in 2017 and All-Pac-12 honors in 2018. She was drafted No. 21 overall by the Chicago Bandits in the 2018 NPF Draft and played the summer of 2020 with Athletes Unlimited. Most recently, Sanders was a graduate assistant at Missouri, helping the Tigers to a 61-24 record in her two seasons. "We are thrilled to add DJ to our staff as she brings a wealth of knowledge with her from her professional and collegiate playing experience," Ricketts said. "She has learned from some of the best coaches in our game, playing for Mike Lotief at Louisiana and Mike White at Oregon and serving on staff with Larissa Anderson and Chris Malveaux at Missouri." Joining the Bulldogs is a homecoming for Sanders who grew up less than an hour outside of Starkville in Columbus. |
| Nikki McCray-Penson Hires Eddie Benton As Assistant Coach | |
| Mississippi State women's basketball head coach Nikki McCray-Penson announced Tuesday the addition of Eddie Benton, who boasts more than 20 years of coaching experience, as an assistant coach on her staff. "Once you meet Coach Benton, the first thing you notice is his energy," said McCray-Penson. "He checks all the boxes when it comes to energy, recruiting and competing. He has worked with some really good coaches in this business, and his ability to mentor young people is exceptional. I'm excited about him joining our program, and I know that he will elevate our program." Benton comes to Starkville after spending the last three years as an assistant coach with the Brown University women's basketball program, having joined the team in June 2018. Benton boasts coaching stints at the University of Cincinnati, Duquesne University and Saint Francis University (Pa.), helping lead all three of those programs to postseason appearances. A standout student-athlete, Benton played at the University of Vermont from 1992-96, concluding his career as the Catamounts all-time leading scorer with 2,474 points. |
| Is Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco in the mix at LSU? Here's what the Rebels' AD has to say | |
 | Multiple reports indicate that Ole Miss baseball coach Mike Bianco is a top candidate to take over LSU's powerhouse program, but the Rebels' athletic director, Keith Carter, indicated Tuesday that he wasn't aware of any discussions going on between Bianco and LSU leadership. Carter was asked if there was any update he could give on the situation during a stop on the Rebels Road Trip at the Mississippi Aquarium in downtown Gulfport. "There's a lot of information out there. I just texted with Mike today," Carter said. "We're going to meet in the morning, so that's what I know. I know he was in Oxford today." Carter said the Wednesday morning meeting with Bianco is nothing beyond the usual gathering with a coach once a season comes to a close. "It's just a season wrap-up," he said. "We'll talk about the season, talk about the future and all those things. We'll see where it goes." When asked if Bianco had informed him that he had interviewed with LSU, Carter said, "No." Bianco, an LSU graduate, was a starting catcher for two campaigns with the Tigers in 1988-89, serving as the team captain in his last season. The 54-year-old served as an assistant coach at LSU under legendary coach Skip Bertman from 1993-97. |
| Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin supports expanding College Football Playoff to 12 teams | |
| Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin is a fan of expanding the College Football Playoff. A sub-group of the College Football Playoff committee made a recommendation to expand the number of teams in the playoff from four to 12 last week. This potentially sets into motion the expansion of opportunities for teams to play their way into a championship. Kiffin, entering his second season at Ole Miss, supports that type of expansion. "I mean, it's great. It's more opportunities," Kiffin said. "Like everything there are other issues with timeframes and stuff like that. But I do think it's good. Like basketball, what if you only had the one seeds in basketball? There'd be a lot of people that never won the championship that would've won the championship and vice versa." The committee's recommendation would expand the playoff to include the six highest-ranked conference champions and six at-large bids for the next six highest-ranked programs by the College Football Playoff committee, regardless of conference affiliation. The four highest-ranked conference champions would get automatic byes into the second round while seeds 5-8 would host seeds 9-12 on their campuses for the first round of the playoff. |
| No bonus for Tennessee baseball's Tony Vitello unless Vols win it all | |
| Tony Vitello will not receive a bonus for the best Tennessee baseball season since the 1990s unless the Vols win the College World Series for the first time in program history. Vitello accepted a voluntary pay cut in November as part of UT's cost-saving measures amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The contract amendment Vitello signed included a clause under which he forfeited any incentive pay with one exception. Vitello is "entitled to receive Incentive Compensation for winning a conference and/or national championship in the amount specified in my contract," the contract amendment states. Vitello's contract includes a bonus of 32% of his base pay if Tennessee wins the national title. He would net a bonus of $96,000. Vitello's scheduled base pay for the fiscal year running from July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021, is $300,000 based on the contract extension and raise he received in June 2019. His total scheduled pay was $600,000 before the voluntary reduction. Tennessee is preparing to make a sizable financial commitment to its coaching staff and facilities to sustain the program's success, multiple sources with direct knowledge of the Tennessee baseball program told Knox News in early June. One of the sources indicated the investment could place Tennessee among the nation's biggest spenders on college baseball and make Vitello one of the highest-paid coaches in the nation. |
| Tennessee AD Danny White: Modernizing fan experience in Neyland a priority | |
| First-year Tennessee athletic director Danny White last week revealed the details of a couple of major renovations coming to Neyland Stadium ahead of the 2022 football season. However, some more subtle changes aimed at improving the fan experience could be in place by the time the Vols open the 2021 season against Bowling Green on a Thursday night. That game on Sept. 2 will be White's first time experiencing a home football game, but he and his administration know the importance of modernizing Tennessee's venerable football home and making it a better experience for their passionate fan base. During his Zoom press conference last week, White discussed several pertinent athletic department topics, among them the upcoming renovations to the West and North ends of Neyland Stadium, which first opened 100 years ago. The big changes are chair-back seating and access to a field-level lounge in the lower section of seats right behind Tennessee's bench and the addition of a video board, a sports bar-type setup and party-deck seating in the upper deck above the North End Zone. Construction is slated to start on both after the final home game this season. White was asked if Tennessee planned on addressing in-stadium wifi and cell reception, and he said those aspects of coming to a Tennessee football game "absolutely" are a main priority for him and his leadership group because of how importance connectivity is for fans. |
| Alabama student accused of LSU Tiger Stadium bomb threat trying to resolve case | |
 | An attorney for a former University of Alabama student accused of phoning in a bomb threat to a packed Tiger Stadium during the 2019 LSU-Florida football game said Tuesday he's still trying to resolve the case. Connor Bruce Croll, 21, who is charged with communicating false information of a planned bombing on school property, a felony, appeared before state District Judge Tiffany Foxworth for a status hearing. The judge scheduled another hearing for Sept. 2 after Croll's lawyer, James Rothkamm, told the judge he's still in discussions with LSU and others in hopes of reaching a resolution. "We're working with the LSU Police Department and all the involved parties to try and resolve this matter," Rothkamm said later outside the courtroom. Rothkamm declined to elaborate on what the resolution might be. Croll, who now lives in Virginia, pleaded not guilty a week and a half after the Oct. 12, 2019, game and faces up to 20 years in prison. A call to the Baton Rouge Police Department's nonemergency line during the high-profile game warned of a bomb in Tiger Stadium and was traced to Croll's phone, authorities have said. He was a freshman at Alabama at the time. Police say he confessed to making the threat in an effort to halt the game because "his friend was on the verge of losing a large bet," booking records state. |
| Men's apparel brand Onward Reserve eyes name, image and likeness deals with UGA athletes | |
 | College athletes won't be able to cash in under the new era of profiting from their name, image and likeness before July 1, but deals are already being envisioned. Onward Reserve, the men's apparel company that started with a downtown Athens store in 2012 and now has grown to 12 stores in the Southeast, has interest in having players from UGA teams make endorsements. Former Prince Avenue Christian quarterback Brock Vandagriff and former Oconee County High baseball player Connor Tate were among names the Atlanta Business Chronicle reported Wednesday the company is eyeing. TJ Callaway, the founder and CEO of Onward Reserve, stressed to the Athens Banner-Herald that contracts have not been written yet but he did confirm interest in working with Vandagriff, Tate, star track sprinter Matthew Boling, kicker Jack Podlesny and first-team All-SEC golfer Trent Phillips. "Right now, there's a ton of people scrambling to figure out what they can do," said Greg Vandagriff, Brock's father and Prince Avenue's coach. "It's uncharted territory and sort of the blind leading the blind at the moment because nobody knows how the NCAA is going to legislate this and nobody wants to lose eligibility because they thought they did something right that was wrong." |
| Ohio NIL bill passes committee as Ohio State's Ryan Day testifies | |
| On May 24, Ohio state Senator Niraj Antani Republican of Miamisburg introduced a bill to allow college athletes to earn compensation for their name, image and likeness. Less than a month later, that bill came a step closer to being a reality. The Senate Workforce and Higher Education Committee unanimously approved Antani's SB 187 on Tuesday. After Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith joined Antani when he announced his bill last month, Buckeye head coach Ryan Day attended the meeting on Tuesday afternoon, leaving the Scarlet and Gray's recruiting camp early, to testify in favor of the change to state law. "I suggest federal legislation will need to be adopted on the NIL issue to allow for fair and uniform name, image and likeness opportunities for America's student-athletes," Day said, per Sports Illustrated's Andrew Lind. "Until that occurs, Ohio student-athletes cannot be left behind. We were hopeful that federal law and NCAA actions would make legislation in Ohio unnecessary, but it is now clear that enactment of state legislation will be necessary to keep our state and our student-athletes on a level playing field. As referenced by Day, 16 states have already passed legislation in regards to NIL. |
| What to know about name, image and likeness and how it will affect the NCAA | |
 | The NCAA has long believed college athletes should be amateurs, and that core principle has barred those who compete in this multibillion-dollar industry from profiting off their fame. But after years of discussion and debate, the college sports landscape will soon be rocked by seismic change that allows athletes to receive compensation while competing for their schools. Six states have laws going into effect July 1 that will allow athletes to make money off their name, image and likeness (NIL). Under pressure from lawmakers, the NCAA abandoned its long-standing belief that athletes should not receive payments, and the governing body plans to vote on a national NIL framework in late June. NCAA-wide legislation would help keep college sports from becoming a patchwork system in which athletes in some states can earn money while athletes in others cannot. College sports leaders still hope for a federal law that will create a uniform standard for college athletes' ability to receive compensation. Gonzaga men's basketball coach Mark Few said at the recent Senate hearing that granting athletes the ability to profit off their fame "absolutely needs to happen right now." Few added: "But we do need some parameters to preserve the collegiate model and protect the recruiting environment. Without these parameters, the unintended consequences could be disastrous." |
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