| Friday, August 27, 2021 |
| How public health partnerships are encouraging COVID-19 vaccination in Mississippi, Michigan, Indiana and South Carolina | |
 | About 18 months into the coronavirus pandemic, roughly 61% of all Americans have gotten at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. In some states, however, the share of vaccinated people is as low as 43.6%. There are many counties where numbers are even lower than that, leaving them especially vulnerable to surges in coronavirus infections, hospitalizations and deaths. Here, four public health and communications experts from Michigan, Indiana, Mississippi and South Carolina explain how they are teaming up with nonprofits and other partners to encourage more people in their states and local communities to get these potentially lifesaving shots. Mississippi State University's David Buys writes: By Aug. 24, 2021, 44.8% of Mississippi residents had gotten at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine. With one of the country's lowest vaccination rates, my state's latest outbreak is filling up hospitals. Mississippi State University is trying to increase the vaccination rate by partnering with the Delta Health Alliance, a public health nonprofit that serves communities in Mississippi and western Tennessee. Together, we are spreading awareness about the importance and safety of getting vaccinated on campus and in all 82 of the state's counties, especially 32 counties in eastern Mississippi. |
| One of the first African Americans admitted to Mississippi State dies at age 69 | |
 | A Columbus native who enrolled at Mississippi State University at age 15 and was among the first group of African Americans admitted to the university died Aug. 17 in Arlington, Virginia. Kenneth Miller, 69, became the second African American to graduate from MSU's aerospace engineering program. He later received a master's degree in systems management from the University of Southern California. Miller gave 30 years of civilian service to the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Air Force and retired from the Department of Defense as one of the agency's highest-ranking civilians. He founded KEM and Associates and became a recognized strategist and trusted advisor to a broad range of national and international defense, security, and aerospace firms. Miller died at his home in Arlington, Virginia. He is survived by his wife Victoria Miller and two sons, Kenneth Miller Jr. and Kevin Miller. His family will receive friends from 10 a.m. to noon and 6-8 p.m. on Monday Aug. 30 at National Funeral Home, 7482 Lee Highway, Falls Church, Virginia. Memorial donations may be made to the MSU Kenneth E. Miller Excellence Endowment. |
| 1,090 new COVID cases reported in the Golden Triangle | |
 | The Mississippi State Department of Health reported 1,090 new cases of COVID-19 in the four-county Golden Triangle area over the past week. The Delta variant continues to be the prominent strain of the virus throughout the state of Mississippi. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the best way to prevent COVID-19 and its variants is to be vaccinated. The CDC announced Monday that the Pfizer vaccine is now approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Mississippi saw 22,398 new cases over the past week, bringing the case total to 423,599 since the pandemic began, according to the MSDH website. There were 277 COVID deaths across the state over the past week, bringing Mississippi's overall death toll to 8,214. Since last week, 25 new patients were admitted to intensive care units across the state due to COVID-19, with a total of 472 patients now in Mississippi ICUs. In Oktibbeha County, 282 residents reported contracting the virus, bringing the case total to 6,079. Seven new deaths were reported with a total of 109 deaths in Oktibbeha County since the pandemic began. There have been a total of 43,852 doses of the vaccine administered with 20,823 fully vaccinated -- 42 percent. Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District saw 109 to 113 positive cases in students and 10 to 26 in staff reported. Over the last two weeks, 117 cases were reported at Mississippi State University -- 103 students and 14 staff or faculty members -- as of Thursday, according to the university's website. |
| Ida could be devastating Cat 3 hurricane near New Orleans | |
 | Tropical Storm Ida swirled toward a strike on Cuba on Friday showing hallmarks of a rare, rapidly intensifying storm that could speed across warm Gulf waters and slam into Louisiana as a Category 3 hurricane on Sunday, the National Hurricane Center warned. "The forecast track has it headed straight towards New Orleans. Not good," said Jim Kossin, a senior scientist with The Climate Service. Ida posed a relatively low threat to tobacco-rich western Cuba, where forecasters predicted a glancing blow on Friday. The real danger begins over the Gulf, where forecasts were aligned in predicting Ida will strengthen very quickly into a major hurricane, reaching 115 mph (185 kph) before landfall in the Mississippi River delta late Sunday or early Monday, experts said. "Ida certainly has the potential to be very bad," said Brian McNoldy, a hurricane researcher at the University of Miami. "It will be moving quickly, so the trek across the Gulf from Cuba to Louisiana will only take 1.5 days." By the time it reaches the central Gulf Coast Sunday afternoon, it could dump 8 to 16 inches (15 to 30 centimeters) of rain, with 20 inches in isolated areas, from southeast Louisiana to coastal Mississippi and Alabama through Monday morning. More heavy rains are likely across Mississippi when Ida moves inland, causing "considerable flash, urban, small stream, and riverine flooding," the hurricane center said. |
| Tropical Storm Ida likely to become Cat 3 hurricane; watches issued for Mississippi Coast | |
 | A hurricane watch now stretches across the Mississippi Coast, from the Louisiana line to the Florida-Alabama border, as Tropical Storm Ida is expected to make landfall as a possible Category 3 hurricane. Forecasters say conditions are favorable for Tropical Storm Ida to continue strengthening as it barrels through the Gulf of Mexico. They predict landfall sometime late Sunday or early Monday. A state of emergency is in effect in Mississippi and Louisiana. The storm is expected to become a hurricane once it's near western Cuba and will likely continue to intensify as it enters the warn waters of the Gulf within the next 24 to 48 hours, the National Hurricane Center said in an 11 a.m. update. Landfall is expected in Louisiana, but storm-force winds will extend as far as 80 miles from the center and will directly impact the Mississippi Coast. "There is an increasing risk of life-threatening storm surge inundation along the coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama..," the NHC said Friday, and heavy rains across the Louisiana and Mississippi Coast from Sunday into Monday is expected to lead to "considerable flash, urban, small, stream and river flooding." |
| Legislature concludes tax hearings with mixed reviews on eliminating income tax | |
 | During a second day of legislative testimony, competing voices wrangled over the possibilities and pitfalls posed by the elimination of Mississippi's income tax. State lawmakers on Thursday convened a final hearing of the summer to examine the state's tax structure and determine if Mississippi can afford to eliminate its individual income tax. Legislators received mixed reviews from witnesses whose testimony ranged from concerns that eliminating the income tax would lead to inequities to claims that the elimination would result in an annual increase in the state's gross domestic product. Kyra Roby, a policy analyst for the nonprofit One Voice, said that efforts to eliminate the individual income tax and raise the sales tax would result in lower income citizens would be paying more of the cost. "Studies show that the elimination of the individual income tax doesn't stimulate small business growth," Roby said. Democratic state Sen. Hob Bryan of Amory is one of the most outspoken critics of eliminating the individual income tax. The longtime legislator said he agrees with several of his colleagues that the state needs to explore ways to attract younger people to the state to live, but he doesn't believe that anything connected with tax policy has "pea turkey" to do with bringing them to the state. |
| Lawmakers hear from tax experts as Republicans look to repeal Mississippi's income tax | |
 | After two days of hearings at the state Capitol, it no longer appears to be a question of if Mississippi lawmakers will make major changes to the state's tax codes, but a question of how. Legislators from both chambers heard from tax expert after tax expert about what repealing the state's income tax would mean for Mississippi's economy, and how a coinciding raise in the state's sales tax could help offset the revenue loss. On average, personal income taxes account for roughly $2 billion of revenue for the state's general fund, according to data from the Mississippi Department of Revenue. Nearly every expert who testified was either a conservative or is conservative leaning. Only Kyra Roby, a policy analyst at OneVoice, which works to advance policies for marginalized communities, testified against the plan. Republican lawmakers and many of the experts called to testify believe states without income taxes experience more economic and population growth. They cited Texas, Florida and Tennessee's population growth as evidence. None has a personal income tax. Wednesday, State Economist Corey Miller told lawmakers Mississippi's biggest hurdle in creating economic opportunity is the lack of human capital in the state. Miller said that means making better investments in healthcare and improving the educational attainment levels for people already living here. Miller also said his analysis of the income-tax repeal plan would only produce marginal improvements in the state's gross domestic product and population growth. |
| Business leaders oppose Gunn's income tax elimination-sales tax increase | |
| As lawmakers study eliminating Mississippi's personal income tax and raising sales taxes in an effort to spur economic growth and jobs, state business leaders told them they either oppose or have trepidation about the plan. The penultimate moment came late Thursday, in the second day of hearings for a joint House and Senate Tax Study Committee. Scott Waller, president of the state's chamber of commerce, told lawmakers that no business leaders have voiced eliminating income taxes as a priority, but some fear it could have unintended consequences. Waller addressed House Speaker Philip Gunn -- who's leading the charge to eliminate the personal income tax -- and members of the tax study panel. "Where is this in the priorities we have?" Waller said. "We've been on the road, holding 39 meetings with members all across the state. I know you don't want to hear this, Mr. Speaker, but this issue (personal income taxes) has not come up a single time as a priority, something we want to do." Waller said the state's business community is more focused on workforce development and education, improving infrastructure, marketing the state and "keeping people here" -- stopping the loss of population and "brain drain" in Mississippi, one of only three states to have lost population over the last decade. |
| After two days of hearings, lawmakers could be aiming to scrap state's income tax | |
| The Legislature's Joint Tax Study Committee wrapped up two days of hearings Thursday as lawmakers ponder massive changes to the state's tax code, including the elimination of the state's personal income tax. Mississippi would become the 10th state without an income tax. Florida, Tennessee and Texas are the only states in the region that lack a income tax. Gov. Tate Reeves said in a post on Facebook that he hoped that lawmakers would realize that eliminating the state's income tax is needed and that the tax burden on Mississippians across the board needed to be reduced. He also said that he doesn't support eliminating the income tax by commensurate increases in sales, agriculture or any other taxes. Grover Norquist, the founder of Americans for Tax Reform, addressed the committee Thursday about the advantages of scrapping the state's income tax. He said the state was on the forefront of a wave of 12 red (Republican-majority) states that have cut income tax rates. Arizona is phasing its income tax down to 2.5 percent and later zero, while North Carolina is in the process of phasing out both its personal and corporate income taxes. North Dakota and West Virginia have, like Mississippi, had income tax phaseout bills pass one chamber of their legislatures. |
| Powell Says Fed Could Start Scaling Back Stimulus This Year | |
 | Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell reaffirmed the central bank's emerging plan to begin reversing its easy-money policies later this year while explaining in greater detail why he expects a recent surge in inflation to fade over time. At the Fed's meeting late last month, "I was of the view, as were most participants, that if the economy evolved broadly as anticipated, it could be appropriate to start reducing the pace" of the Fed's $120 billion in monthly asset purchases this year, Mr. Powell said Friday. Since that meeting, the economy has seen "more progress in the form of a strong employment report for July, but also the further spread of the Delta variant" of the Covid-19 virus, Mr. Powell said in remarks prepared for delivery Friday morning at a virtual symposium hosted by the Kansas City Fed. The central bank slashed its short-term benchmark interest rate to near zero when the coronavirus pandemic hit the U.S. economy in March 2020, and it has been buying $120 billion monthly in Treasury and mortgage securities to provide additional stimulus. The rise of Covid-19 infections due to the Delta variant has complicated the economic outlook by creating renewed risk of a sharper economic slowdown at the very moment some officials were ready to reduce, or taper, the pace of monthly bond purchases. |
| Governor Reeves touts county's economic growth, talks on state's COVID efforts | |
 | Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves made his first visit today to Material Bank in Olive Branch. Reeves highlighted economics and innovation by the material sampling company as he toured with heads of the distribution hub. It was announced in October of last year that Material Bank, a material marketplace in the architecture, design and construction industry, would invest $14.5 million to locate a distribution center in Olive Branch. The 369,470-square-foot facility is leased by the company on Frontage Road at the I-22 Logistics Park. Reeves was greeted by Chief Logistics Officer Steve Smith and was guided by Smith through the facility. Smith, along with Senior Director of On Demand Services Ben Shaw, showcased technology used at the company. While touring, Reeves highlighted the economic development success that has occurred in DeSoto County during his term as governor. Since taking office, DeSoto County reportedly has secured more than $450 million in new corporate investment and announced over 1,000 new jobs, all according to Reeves' office. Reeves was also asked about COVID efforts by the state government. He said an additional 974 hospital beds will become available statewide with the approved additional hospital staffing. |
| Gov. Reeves: Worst of Mississippi's COVID surge may be over | |
 | Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said there are signs that the recent COVID surge may be stabilizing in the state. Reeves was in Olive Branch Thursday afternoon touring the Material Bank distribution center while touting the state's economic growth. In the past 10 days, Reeves said COVID hospitalizations have plateaued. Figures from the Mississippi State Department of Health show around 1,600 hospitalizations -- the same as last week. Tuesday, the state began dispatching for more than 1,000 medical personnel to 61 hospitals. All are expected to be in place by Friday. Reeves said the move would free up 974 hospital beds statewide. "Because we'll have those staffing needs met by tomorrow, those additional beds should be open which should alleviate a significant portion, if not eliminate, the staffing requirements that are needed at our hospitals," said Reeves. |
| Biden stands by withdrawal deadline despite terrorist attack | |
 | President Joe Biden, addressing the nation Thursday just hours after a lethal terrorist attack in Afghanistan, held fast to his insistence on extracting all U.S. troops from that country by Tuesday. Biden has faced withering criticism, mostly from Republicans, for setting a fixed date for a U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Those voices grew louder in the wake of Thursday's attack at Kabul's airport in which two bomb explosions and gunfire took the lives of at least 60 Afghans and 13 U.S. military personnel. An additional 18 U.S. servicemembers were injured in the attack. Thursday was the deadliest day for the U.S. military in Afghanistan in a decade and marked the first American military deaths there in more than a year. An Afghanistan offshoot of the Islamic State terrorist organization claimed responsibility. But Biden told reporters in the East Room and a TV audience that U.S. intelligence agencies had predicted incidents like the one that happened Thursday, and he suggested more such attacks may be in the offing and might only proliferate if U.S. troops stayed beyond Aug. 31. "This is why, from the outset, I've repeatedly said this mission was extraordinary and really dangerous, and why I've been so determined to limit the duration of this mission," Biden said. Biden also said he has instructed U.S. commanders to find those who launched the attacks. |
| Biden struggles to address the most volatile crisis of his presidency | |
 | President Biden on Thursday confronted the most volatile crisis of his young presidency, the deaths of at least 13 Americans in Afghanistan that threatened to undermine his credentials as a seasoned global leader and a steady hand. Biden promised to track down the killers responsible for the massacre, who he suggested were members of the terrorist group ISIS-K. "To those who carried out this attack: We will not forgive," he said. "We will not forget. We will hunt you down and make you pay." Still, the mass killing immediately opened Biden up to criticism, especially from Republicans, that he was responsible for the deaths of the young Americans, either because of the hurried pace of the evacuation or, more fundamentally, because his decision to pull out of Afghanistan was a mistake in the first place. Critics also seized on the tragedy to challenge one of the central messages of Biden's presidency -- that he is a competent, seasoned leader who, unlike his predecessor, knows how to protect Americans. At least two Republican senators quickly called for Biden's resignation or impeachment. "It's time for accountability, starting with those whose failed planning allowed these attacks to occur," Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) said in a statement. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) added, "It is now painfully clear he has neither the will nor capacity to lead. He must resign." The killings clearly marked a pivotal moment in Biden's presidency and an episode that is likely to be part of his legacy. |
| Stephen Breyer says he's still mulling retirement | |
 | Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer remains undecided about his future on the United States' highest court, the longtime jurist said in an interview published Friday. Breyer, who at 83 years old is the oldest member sitting on the court, has been cagey about any potential retirement plans in the face of a political pressure campaign to get him to step down while Democrats control the White House and the Senate. In an interview with the New York Times timed to the release of his forthcoming book, Breyer indicated he is still weighing his decision. "There are a lot of blurred things there, and there are many considerations," he told the Times' Adam Liptak. "They form a whole. I'll make a decision." Still, Breyer, who was nominated to the high court by President Bill Clinton in 1994, gave some indications that he is mindful of the dynamics looming over his potential retirement. He cited the late Justice Antonin Scalia, whom he served on the court with, as saying he didn't want his legacy on the court washed away by an ideologically opposed successor. "He said, 'I don't want somebody appointed who will just reverse everything I've done for the last 25 years,'" Breyer said in the interview, which was conducted Thursday. |
| Supreme Court blocks President Biden's COVID-19 eviction moratorium | |
 | The Supreme Court on Thursday blocked President Joe Biden's eviction moratorium, allowing property owners to begin the process of evicting millions of Americans who are behind on rent because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over a dissent from the court's three liberal justices, the court ruled that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did not have authority to impose the freeze. "It would be one thing if Congress had specifically authorized the action that the CDC has taken," the court's majority wrote in an unsigned opinion. "But that has not happened. Instead, the CDC has imposed a nationwide moratorium on evictions in reliance on a decades-old statute that authorizes it to implement measures like fumigation and pest extermination. It strains credulity to believe that this statute grants the CDC the sweeping authority that it asserts." Associate Justice Stephen Breyer asserted that the court should not have set aside the moratorium on an expedited basis. "Applicants raise contested legal questions about an important federal statute on which the lower courts are split and on which this court has never actually spoken," Breyer wrote. "These questions call for considered decision making, informed by full briefing and argument. Their answers impact the health of millions." |
| Why governors and Congress members want a drought disaster declaration | |
| Two members of Congress have joined the governors of 10 states in asking President Joe Biden to issue a major disaster declaration over drought conditions. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, 98% of the West is experiencing drought, with 60% in extreme drought conditions. In 30 years of ranching in the Sierra foothills in California, Dan Macon said he's never seen it this dry. "As a consequence, we have a lot higher expenses in terms of feed purchases and hauling water to livestock and those types of things," Macon said. Many of the ranchers Macon works with through the University of California Cooperative Extension are selling cattle and sheep, because it didn't rain or snow much this winter and now there's not enough grass for them to eat or water for them to drink. This is happening all across the West and as far east as North Dakota. "It's certainly an agricultural disaster," said Daniel Sumner, a professor of agricultural economics at the University of California, Davis. A federal disaster declaration, he said, could free up funds to help ranchers ship cattle further east, where there is grass for them to graze on. |
| Mississippi College Board to discuss COVID-19 issues on Friday | |
| On Friday, the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) will hold a special emergency called meeting beginning at 12:00 p.m. to discuss issues related to COVID-19. The meeting will be shown on www.mississippi.edu. |
| Co-Lin partners with MUW to help business students | |
 | A new partnership will provide opportunities for Copiah-Lincoln Community College graduates to earn their bachelor's degrees in business at Mississippi University for Women. MUW made the announcement on Thursday. This is a 2+2 agreement, meaning two years of course work at Co-Lin and two years of course work at MUW. Both schools will work together to enroll Co-Lin students in MUW's Bachelor of Business Administration degree programs after they graduate from Co-Lin. The two schools already have existing 2+2 agreements, one for culinary arts and a second for elementary education. Co-Lin is in Wesson. |
| Transformer ignites fire at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium | |
 | The west side of the Vaught-Hemingway Stadium caught fire at the University of Mississippi on Thursday, Aug. 26. Students and faculty navigating the stress of the university's first week back were greeted with a cloud of black smoke around 3:45 p.m. while returning to their cars after class. A university police officer completing their routine afternoon patrol discovered the blaze rising from a transformer inside of Gate 32. The Oxford Fire Department rushed to the scene, responding to the chaos promptly by cutting off the power to the ignited transformer and containing the blaze within the hour. Although the Vaught endured no structural damage, significant smoke damage stained the exterior of the stadium walls. "There were no injuries reported. Engineers will inspect the site to ensure that no further damage was sustained," Lisa G. Stone, the strategic communications director for university marketing and communications, said. |
| Brandon Theesfeld pleads guilty to murder of Ole Miss student, avoids death penalty | |
| Brandon Theesfeld, the man charged with killing an Ole Miss student in 2019 pleaded guilty to first-degree murder Friday morning. Theesfeld was a sophomore at Ole Miss when investigators say he kidnapped and murdered a fellow student, 21-year-old Ally Kostial. Prosecutors never publicly discussed a motive, but friends said the two knew each other and said their relationship was complicated. A patrolling deputy found Kostial's body in July 2019 near Sardis Lake. She'd been shot eight times. Surveillance video from a store in Harmontown, Mississippi showed the two students together just hours before Kostial was found dead. Theesfeld was arrested at a gas station in south Memphis and later indicted on a capital murder charge, which he initially pled not guilty to. Though the death penalty is off the table with Friday's plea, Theesfeld will spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole. |
| Officials at two community colleges discuss preventing COVID-19 spread | |
 | On the Ridgeland campus of Holmes Community College staff and students are required to wear masks inside the buildings. Don Burnham is Vice President of the campus. He says masks aren't required outside but that presents a different challenge. "The biggest thing is don't let them congregate in big groups, tight groups particularly with their mask off and be in each other's faces talking. They need to keep spacing and keep those masks on," said Burnham. Burnham says all entrances have hand sanitizing stations, ionizers have been installed in air conditioning units, and an outside contractor disinfects classrooms rooms twice a week. He says they also provide COVID-19 vaccinations for students, employees and their families. At East Mississippi Community College in Scooba a COVID nurse just joined the staff and can administer shots. Tony Montgomery is Dean of Students. "Which is wonderful because with all the hospitals and everything, trying to get people to come and give the vaccinations has become kinda tough," said Montgomery. Montgomery says they too require masks be worn inside buildings, which he says are readily available around campus. He adds all student activities must be done outside, and there are no visitors allowed in their residential halls. |
| 424 COVID cases reported on campus during first week of fall classes | |
| During the first week of fall classes, 424 Auburn University students and employees reported testing positive for COVID-19. Over 21% of all people who received a COVID-19 test from the Auburn University Medical Clinic tested positive during that week. That did not come as a surprise to Dr. Fred Kam, director of the Medical Clinic. Two weeks ago, Kam said he was expecting the increase once students return to campus for the fall semester. "We are dealing with what's going to be an expected increase in cases at the start of the semester for a number of reasons: We're bringing 30,000 people plus employees and staff all back onto campus," Kam said in an Aug. 13 Auburn University COVID-19 Resource Center video update. The return to campus, increased testing capacity and the spread of the highly transmissible delta variant are all reasons for the spike in reported cases, Kam said. He expects the number of cases to continue to rise for the next three weeks. |
| In Gator Nation, a President Who Won't Bite | |
 | One by one last week, medical experts from the University of Florida appeared before the local school board, pleading with officials to extend for two months a politically controversial mask mandate in the Alachua County Public Schools. In recent weeks, two school custodians here have died of Covid-19; the pandemic has claimed the life of a child in a nearby county; intensive-care units are brimming with patients; and the worst is probably yet to come. In a moment of crisis, this city has tapped for guidance its most valued natural resource: the doctors, scientists, and public-health experts who have settled in a college town of some 135,000 people, earning the trust of its leaders. The university's experts are all telling school officials the same thing: Mandate masks now. By a vote of 4 to 0, the School Board of Alachua County on August 17 approved the mask-mandate extension. In so doing, the board members put themselves at odds with Ron DeSantis, the state's Republican governor, who, through executive order and law, has sought to block any public school or college from requiring students or employees to wear masks or to be vaccinated. As some public-school officials see it, they're engaged in the kind of "good trouble" that the late John Lewis, a United States congressman and civil-rights activist, said that people of conviction ought to get into now and then. Up to this point, however, one man has been conspicuously absent from the fight: W. Kent Fuchs, the University of Florida's president. |
| UF agrees to cover health and transportation fees for graduate assistants | |
| UF graduate assistants will be reimbursed for health and transportation costs as part of fee relief for Summer and Fall 2021. The decision to provide relief to the assistants for the two semesters was made on Aug. 4 in a bargaining session between UF's Graduate Assistants United and the university. GAU bargains the entire contract every third year and then in between those years they negotiate specific articles, mainly with stipends. However, UF did not agree to cover the health and transportation fees for graduate assistants beyond Summer and Fall 2021, so this financial fight is far from over. "It's a constant struggle to just keep things where they are at and then hopefully pull the rope a little bit to our side," GAU Communications Chair Bryn Taylor said. "So I would not be surprised if we had to renegotiate this again." Taylor said the fee relief is a huge accomplishment toward graduate assistants' rights. "It's a slow process but when you get wins like this it's very rewarding and very satisfying," she said. |
| Reports Of Cheating At Colleges Soar During The Pandemic | |
 | As college moved online in the COVID-19 crisis, many universities are reporting increases, sometimes dramatic ones, in academic misconduct. At Virginia Commonwealth University, reports of academic misconduct soared during the 2020-21 school year, to 1,077 -- more than three times the previous year's number. At the University of Georgia, cases more than doubled; from 228 in the fall of 2019 to more than 600 last fall. And, at The Ohio State University, reported incidents of cheating were up more than 50% over the year before. But while students may have had new and different opportunities for cutting corners in the online learning environment, it's unclear how much cheating actually increased. Some educators note that there are other factors at play, such as an increased ability to identify misconduct. "There was probably increased cheating because there were more temptations and opportunities and stress and pressure. And, faculty were probably detecting it more," says Tricia Bertram Gallant, who researches academic integrity at the University of California, San Diego. "It's easier to catch in the virtual world, in many ways, than it is in the in-person world." |
| Civic groups seek to carry youth voting momentum into 2021 | |
 | Student voting organizations are gearing up to capitalize on the high youth voter turnout for the 2020 elections and spur students to participate in this year's local and state elections. Among the highest-profile races for 2021: gubernatorial contests in Virginia and New Jersey, special House elections such as Ohio's 11th District, and the recall vote of California governor Gavin Newsom in September. But will students participate? Kelly Beadle, the impact and outreach manager of the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University, said that youth turnout for upcoming elections "remains an open question." "We have always seen that turnout of all people, including youth, is lower in state elections," Beadle said. Her organization, which focuses on youth civic engagement in the U.S., saw historic voter participation of 18- to 29-year-olds in the 2020 election. New Jersey had the highest youth turnout in the country, with 67 percent of those between 18 and 29 casting ballots. The state's turnout rate for 18- to 19-year-olds, who were mostly voting for the first time, was 65 percent. Beadle credits the state's "proactive" tactics -- which included implementing automatic voter registration at motor vehicle agencies and sending ballots to every registered voter -- for boosting youth turnout. |
SPORTS
| Will Rogers, through eyes of high school coaches he burned | |
| Kristopher Thigpen remembers his team cutting into the two-touchdown lead. Thigpen -- Terry High School's head football coach -- saw his team regaining momentum in September 2019 with Will Rogers and his Brandon High School offense returning to the field. Another stop and Thigpen's team had a chance to steal this one. Momentum soon swung back to Brandon as Rogers reached back to throw, turned to his left and unleashed on a backside post route and hit his guy on a sprint. That's when it struck Thigpen. "Yeah, that's next level," Thigpen said to himself. Thigpen was in a spot all-too familiar to many of his Mississippi high school football counterparts having to go up against Rogers. Starkville High School's Chris Jones saw how difficult it was to gameplan for a quarterback who got rid of the ball as quickly as Rogers did. Oak Grove High School's Drew Causey still thinks about the three or four perfect verticals Rogers burned him on. Rogers was one of Mississippi's best at the high school level, following in the footsteps of his Brandon predecessors such as Gardner Minshew. Two years removed from when Rogers last played a high school game, his opposing coaches watch from afar as his triumphs build in Starkville. |
| 4 bold predictions for Mississippi State football in 2021: Will Rogers sets passing record | |
| The first year under coach Mike Leach had its moments, such as a season-opening win over LSU and a victory in the Armed Forces Bowl to conclude the season. Now, as Mississippi State enters the second season with Leach at the helm, expectations are heightened for a young team with all its major offensive contributors returning -- quarterback Will Rogers, running backs Jo'quavious Marks and Dillon Johnson and wide receiver Jaden Walley. So, what could Year 2 of the Leach experience bring to Starkville? Here are four bold predictions for what could arrive, beginning with the season opener Sept. 4 at Davis Wade Stadium against Louisiana Tech: Will Rogers breaks Mississippi State's single-season passing record. De'Monte Russell's time has come. Jo'quavious Marks exceeds 500 yards rushing. Emmanuel Forbes leads FBS in interceptions. |
| Nick Jones Anxious For Gridiron Return | |
| When Mississippi State's season opener finally rolls around next Saturday it will have been 672 days since Nick Jones last suited up to play in a football game. Jones' previous school, East Mississippi Community College, canceled its 2020 season due to the pandemic forcing the now redshirt sophomore offensive lineman to be away from the sport that he cherishes. "It was a hard pill to swallow," Jones said. "But everything happens for a reason." Instead of moping around last fall with no football practice or games, Jones began preparing for the next phase of his career. The 6-foot-3, 300-pounder flipped his commitment from Southern Miss to MSU in September and was "working out, running, doing drills and perfecting my craft" on his own time. Jones was also focused in on his schoolwork. His grades prevented him from qualifying out of Byhalia (Miss.) High School and his time in Scooba taught him the value of his education. "It made me start taking school seriously," Jones said. With his newfound appreciation for academics, Jones was able to reach NCAA requirements in only a year and a half and enrolled at Mississippi State in January. Jones went through spring drills with the Bulldogs and is learning several positions along the line. He has been a left tackle throughout most of his career but is also now working some at guard. |
| Women's soccer: Goal in closing minutes sinks Bulldogs | |
| Juliet Moore didn't have much time to get her feet beneath her. In the 73rd minute of Thursday's soccer match between Mississippi State and Arizona State, the freshman from Dallas was subbed in to make her regular-season debut for the Bulldogs. Less than three minutes later, Moore was knocked hard to the ground by the Sun Devils' Kiki Stewart, drawing a whistle that resulted in a free kick outside the box. "I think it was a welcome to college soccer," Mississippi State coach James Armstrong said, "and she just dusted it down and got herself up." Perhaps the foul foreshadowed the hit the Bulldogs were about to take. Junior Onyi Echegini rang her free kick off the right post and out of bounds, missing out on Mississippi State's best scoring chance of the night. And in the 89th minute, little more than 90 seconds away from overtime, Arizona State's Nicole Douglas cashed in on her own opportunity. It was the lone goal in a 1-0 loss for the Bulldogs (1-2-0) to the Sun Devils (3-0-0) in a closely contested nonconference match. |
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