| Tuesday, August 31, 2021 |
| MSU resumes normal operations Tuesday morning, urges students to make wise travel choices | |
 | Mississippi State University (Starkville and Meridian campuses) will resume all in-person classes and activities on Tuesday, August 31. All MSU dining will return to normal operations on Tuesday morning as well. MSU is supporting students from areas impacted by Hurricane Ida and urging them to make safety their top priority -- especially regarding travel decisions. MSU Dean of Students Thomas Bourgeois emphasized that the university works with students facing a sudden crisis and helps impacted students through difficult times. "When a natural disaster like Hurricane Ida strikes, there will be a number of MSU students who have family members and homes impacted, which can lead to a variety of difficulties. Some of these students will need an extra helping hand, and we are here to help them," Bourgeois added. While MSU classes resume on Tuesday, faculty and instructors have been asked to provide academic accommodation to those students that live along the Gulf Coast and neighboring states who request it. |
| Ida blows through Golden Triangle, does minimal damage | |
 | The remnants of Hurricane Ida passed through the Golden Triangle Monday but produced only minimal damage, local officials said this morning. Oktibbeha County Emergency Management Director Kristin Campanella said several roadways were blocked Monday from fallen trees, but all of them have been cleared. Multiple other roads flooded, including Poorhouse, Cedar Grove and Sturgis-West Point roads. One house in the Green Oaks neighborhood of Starkville had a tree fall on it. No one was injured. The Starkville street department removed a tree at the 300 block of West Main Street late Monday night. Campanella said three weather-related accidents occurred on Highways 12 and 182 and Sun Creek Road in Oktibbeha County, but no injuries were reported. Starkville Utilities General Manager Terry Kemp said his department only received a few calls regarding power outages during the storm. "We really didn't have any trouble at all on either electric, water or sewer systems," Kemp said. Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District Public Information Officer Nicole Thomas said there were portions of six bus routes that were impassable this morning, including portions of Blocker, Hickory Grove, Magee and Rockhill roads. She said if a road is impassable, the district attempts to take an alternative route. If the district is unable to transport students to school because buses are unable to pick them up due to a flooded road, their absence from school is excused. |
| Cotton growers seek hot, dry September after rainfall from Ida | |
 | When the calendar turns to September, many who call Mississippi home long for cooler temperatures to relieve the summer's heat, but the state's cotton growers want high temperatures and dry weather to drag into October. The state's 475,000-acre crop is depending on high temperatures to hang around for another month to produce high yields. The crop is mostly a few weeks behind schedule because a wet, cool spring forced late plantings, and cloudy days slowed its growth in its first stage, said Brian Pieralisi, cotton specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. Major flooding from a week of heavy rainfall in June and from Hurricane Ida also had a say in the crop's delayed progress. A hot, dry September would help the crop catch up, he said. "The first few weeks of September are going to play a huge part in the quality of our harvest this year," Pieralisi said. "I think the vast majority of our cotton will be picked in October, and a big rain when plants are setting bolls would cause us to run out of time before cooler weather comes. Likewise, the prospect of heavy rain or a cold snap at the wrong time would force growers to scramble and get what they can out of the ground or risk crop loss," he said. Extension row crop economist Will Maples said cotton prices have been on an upward trend all growing season long. |
| Columbus native to retire from Army Corps of Engineers | |
| As a boy, Dennis Newell grew up not far from the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway in Mississippi and watched it develop and grow. During his freshman year at Mississippi State University, he applied for a Co-Op position with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He was selected for a position the following term at the Locks A/B Resident Office in Amory, Mississippi, in 1978. Now Newell will complete the journey he began 43 years ago as he retires Sept. 3 as the area engineer, Florida Area Office in the Construction Division of the Mobile District. "Growing up in Columbus, Mississippi, I was very familiar with the development of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway," Newell said. "I was able to Co-Op my way through school while still continuing to work on the Tennessee-Tombigbee project. When I graduated in August of 1982, USACE offered me an intern engineer position. After investing four years with USACE, and seeing the vast opportunities available to me, I considered it to be the best opportunity for my future." Newell said he encourages those who have just started a career with USACE or are considering one, to not miss out on all of the great opportunities available with USACE. |
| Dr. Thomas Dobbs addresses vaccine myths, encourages booster | |
| Two-thirds of COVID patients on life support, such as ventilators, do not survive. That was one of several messages Dr. Thomas Dobbs delivered to Starkville Rotary on Monday. Mississippi's Health Officer addressed the civic group via a virtual video connection. Dobbs encouraged Rotarians to take all preventative measures to stop the spread of the virus and described the resource shortage which has resulted from a strained healthcare system. "These folks, once they get into the hospital, unless they pass away, they're going to be there for many weeks," Dobbs said. "It's going to continue to sort of make it difficult to have access to health care resources." Dobbs said the vast majority of hospital cases are unvaccinated individuals. "If all of the unvaccinated folks in the hospital had been vaccinated, we really would be looking at a 10th or less in the number of cases that we're seeing that are currently in our health care system," he said. Dobbs said the vaccine is the best way to prevent someone from contracting the virus. Anti-vaccinators have "poisoned the conversation," he said, and fed the public misinformation about the vaccine, such as it alters DNA or places a microchip in bodies, both of which are not true. People who have had COVID-19 once before have a moderate amount of immunity, Dobbs said, but people who receive the vaccine after already having the virus have the most immunity. |
| City leaders discuss a vaccination mandate for Starkville city employees | |
 | A vaccination policy will soon come before the board of aldermen in Starkville. "It is important for us to be available to the public and do our job," Mayor Lynn Spruill said. City leaders said they are listening to both sides as they consider a vaccination policy for city workers. Mayor Spruill said she believes requiring the vaccine could keep both employees and citizens safe. "One of the things that I had been waiting for before proposing some response by the city was the FDA approval. And so, once, last Monday I believe, the Pfizer vaccine was approved by the FDA, I felt it was time for us to look seriously at how we address our vaccination rate in our employees. We interact with the public. We have a sacred trust and that is to keep the public safe, to keep our employees safe," Mayor Spruill said. But there is some push-back. District 1 Alderman Ben Carver said he knows firsthand that city employees have some reservations about a mandate. "I think it's going to be detrimental to the city and some of our long-term city employees. I've already gotten a lot of calls from employees that have either already had COVID or have an extremely healthy lifestyle. You know, if they've already had COVID they feel like they have the antibody. So we are going to lose several employees that just want to have that choice," Alderman Carver said. Carver said if the policy passes and first responders leave their jobs, there could be consequences. |
| Entergy Says 2,000 Miles of High-Voltage Lines Knocked Out by Hurricane Ida | |
 | Entergy Corp.'s challenge in restoring power after Hurricane Ida extends well beyond New Orleans as it repairs widespread wind damage to much of its transmission system. Rod West, Entergy's group president of utility operations, said Monday that 207 transmission lines traversing more than 2,000 miles are out of service in Louisiana and Mississippi. About 900,000 customers are without power, and the company expects the number to increase as the storm moves through Mississippi. Mr. West said that the company started assessing damage Monday with drones, helicopters and workers on the ground as the storm moved away from the coast. It initially gave customers a three-week estimate for how long power restoration might take, but Mr. West said repairs could go faster -- or slower -- depending on location. "The hard part is that the geography is a rather wide swath," Mr. West said. "That three weeks is not going to apply to everybody the same way." Mr. West said the damage to the transmission system is, in some cases, more severe than what the company experienced after Hurricane Katrina because Ida, as a Category 4 hurricane, brought winds as fast as 150 miles an hour. The New Orleans-based company, which delivers electricity to 3 million customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, had spent much of the week preparing for a Category 3 storm. |
| Sanderson Farms reports no 'significant bird loss' and little damage following Hurricane Ida | |
 | Sanderson Farms has reported no significant bird loss and little damage from Hurricane Ida, and only two of its facilities are operating on generator power. Even so, due to inclement weather and concern for the safety of the firm's employees, the company's processing plants will not be open Tuesday, August 31. "All of our facilities have power except for Hammond, Louisiana, and the feed mill and hatchery in McComb, Mississippi. Those facilities will operate on generator power until utilities are restored," said Joe Sanderson, chairman and chief executive officer. "Fortunately, none of our facilities have experienced any significant structural damage." Operations in Hammond and Mississippi ceased Monday in anticipation of the storm. However, production is expected to resume Tuesday in Laurel, Collins, Hazlehurst, and Jackson. Normal operations are expected to resume at the McComb and Hammond, La., locations in a matter of days. "The widespread power outages are creating challenges for our employees... but we hope these locations will be back in operation later this week," Sanderson said in a release. He said he's received no reports of employees being injured as a result of the storm. |
| Mississippi largely spared from Ida's devastation, state officials send help to Louisiana | |
| As the remnants of Hurricane Ida crawled through and out of Mississippi late Monday through Tuesday morning, officials said the Magnolia State mostly dodged a bullet and made plans to help devastated south Louisiana. "We will do what Mississippians do, and step up and help," Gov. Tate Reeves said in a press conference late Monday. But he warned that Ida, still a tropical depression, would still dump heavy rain and have gusting winds until it exits the state on Wednesday morning. One Mississippi fatality -- from an auto accident in Harrison County on I-110 -- was credited to the storm, but it happened before landfall. Overall, state damage assessments have not been calculated, but the strong hurricane's impact here was not nearly as bad as once predicted. Mississippi Department of Transportation crews late Monday were focused on clearing roadways in southwest Mississippi, which saw some of the worst wind damage from the storm, Reeves said. The next focus of MDOT, the governor said, would turn to the Coast. Mississippi Emergency Management Director Stephen McRaney said damage reports had come in from eight of Mississippi's 82 counties and so far were "relatively light, considering the magnitude of the storm." |
| Hurricane Ida leaves gaping hole in South Mississippi highway: 2 dead, 10 hurt | |
 | Heavy rains from Hurricane Ida have caused the collapse late Monday night of Mississippi Highway 26 near Crossroads Road in George County, killing two people and injuring 10 others, three of them critically, the Mississippi Highway Patrol said Tuesday morning. Seven vehicles were retrieved from the gaping hole in the collapsed road in the Benndale community, a George County official said. Mississippi 26 is a major route that runs between George and Pearl River counties. "It must have been a terrifying ordeal for the drivers," Ken Flanagan, a George County spokesperson, told McClatchy News. "They were traveling on Highway 26. It was raining at the time. This is a particularly dark stretch of state highway, and they unbeknowing to them in the dark just drove right into a huge ditch." An estimated 75-foot span of the roadway collapsed, sending cars plunging into the hole that was 20- to 30-feet deep. Cranes, ladders and ropes were used to help rescue workers get down to the seven cars that slid in, Flanagan said. Mississippi 26 is a major thoroughfare for residents in George County, and having to take alternate routes will add lengthy time to commutes. The manager at Keith's gas station No. 81 in George County uses Highway 26 to get to work. She had to take U.S. 49 and go through Wiggins to get to work, adding an hour to her commute, clerk Emily Rouse said. |
| Mississippi governor: Christians are 'less scared' of COVID | |
 | Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves said Monday that he stands by remarks he made at a political fundraising event last week -- that he believes Christians are "a little less scared" of COVID-19 because of their belief in eternal life. "In our state and in our nation right now, there are certainly necessary precautions that we can take with respect to COVID. But I believe very strongly in my faith," Reeves said in response to a question from The Associated Press during a news conference Monday. "I believe very strongly in what the Bible says, and the Bible's very clear that 'Whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life,'" Reeves said. "And, that is my worldview, it's how I believe, it's what drives me every single day, and I think it's what drives a large number of Mississippians. We should take necessary precautions with respect to COVID, but we also understand that we do have everlasting life if we believe in Jesus, if we believe in God the father, and I certainly do." Mississippi has the highest per-capita rate of new coronavirus cases and deaths in the United States, followed by Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina and Louisiana. Reeves, who is up for reelection in 2023, spoke about the pandemic Thursday during a fundraising event at a home in Eads, Tennessee, just outside Memphis, the Daily Memphian reported. |
| 'We are in crisis': Mississippi hospitals dodge bullet with Ida, but COVID remains worse than ever | |
| Hospitals across Mississippi said they were still in crisis Monday -- not from fallout of Hurricane Ida, but because of the continued surge of COVID-19 patients. Despite massive power outages across the state as the historic storm ripped through, several Mississippi hospitals reported having little to no disruption of care because of the severe weather. One hospital in Pike County lost power for several hours, but generators kept the storm from affecting patients. Still, intensive care units across Mississippi remain at or near capacity as hospitals manage staff shortages and high numbers of COVID-19 patients. Doctors, nurses and hospital staff continue to pull long shifts to manage the ongoing stress of a health care system that doesn't have enough workers. "In south Mississippi and throughout the state, we are in crisis," said April LaFontaine, Gulfport Memorial Hospital's chief administrative officer. "Our hospital was full before the hurricane, and we're still full now." In Jackson, neither University of Mississippi Medical Center or Baptist Memorial Hospital weathered damages, power outages or patient care disruptions related to Hurricane Ida. |
| Percentage of Americans who say they won't get vaccinated drops to record low in new poll | |
 | The percentage of Americans who say they will never get vaccinated against the coronavirus has dropped to a new low, according to a new poll. The Axios-Ipsos poll published on Tuesday found 20 percent of Americans said they either are not very likely or not likely at all to receive a vaccine. That represents a new low in the survey and is down from a combined 34 percent in March and 23 percent two weeks ago, Axios noted. The factors driving down vaccine hesitancy, the survey found, were a surge in delta variant cases, the return of children to schools in recent days and the Food and Drug Administration's granting of full approval for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine earlier this month. "Schools, organizations, companies, governments implementing mandates are forcing people to deal with them," Cliff Young of Ipsos said in an analysis published with the survey's results. "That's what going on." Overall, 68 percent of Americans with K-12 children said they have either already vaccinated their children or are likely to do so as soon as it's approved for their age group. That represents a new high in the poll, up double digits from 56 percent from the middle of July. A total of 19 percent also indicated their employers are mandating vaccines, a slight increase from 16 percent two weeks ago. |
| G.O.P. Governors Fight Mandates as the Party's Covid Politics Harden | |
 | As a new coronavirus wave accelerated by the Delta variant spreads across the United States, many Republican governors have taken sweeping action to combat what they see as an even more urgent danger posed by the pandemic: the threat to personal freedom. In Florida, Ron DeSantis has prevented local governments and school districts from enacting mask mandates and battled in court over compliance. In Texas, Greg Abbott has followed a similar playbook, renewing an order last week to ban vaccine mandates. And in South Dakota, Kristi Noem, who like Mr. DeSantis and Mr. Abbott is a potential 2024 candidate for president, has made her blanket opposition to lockdowns and mandates a key selling point. The actions of Republican governors, some of the leading stewards of the country's response to the virus, reveal how the politics of the party's base have hardened when it comes to curbing Covid. As some Republican-led states, including Florida, confront their most serious outbreaks yet, even rising death totals are being treated as less politically damaging than imposing coronavirus mandates of almost any stripe. Most top Republicans, including every Republican governor, have been vaccinated and have encouraged others to do so. But most have also stopped short of supporting inoculation requirements and have opposed masking requirements. In many ways, Republican leaders are simply following Republican voters. |
| Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker says he has recovered from COVID-19 | |
| Republican Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi said Tuesday that he is feeling well, less than two weeks after being diagnosed with COVID-19. "To everyone who has asked, I have recovered fully from my bout with COVID-19, and I have a clean bill of health," Wicker posted Tuesday on Twitter. "I am looking forward to resuming my travel in the state this week." Wicker, 70, is one of three senators who announced Aug. 19 that they had tested positive for COVID-19. Wicker, independent Sen. Angus King, 77, of Maine and Democratic Sen. John Hickenlooper, 69, of Colorado had all been fully vaccinated. All three have recommended that people get vaccinated. "Thanks to all who've sent me warm wishes after my COVID diagnosis; happy to say that I'm back to 100%," King posted Tuesday on Twitter. "I didn't feel great during the worst of my illness, but I'm confident that I would have felt a whole lot worse if I hadn't received the vaccine." Wicker wrote Tuesday: "Being fully vaccinated greatly reduced my risk of developing severe complications from the virus. Getting the shot is safe, easy, and free, and it could save your life." |
| Hurricane Ida highlights infrastructure priorities | |
 | The infrastructure failures caused by Hurricane Ida are already putting a focus on efforts to bolster resiliency even as the response and recovery continues along the Gulf Coast. Sen. Bill Cassidy, who advocated for including coastal resiliency funding in the bipartisan infrastructure bill that passed the Senate by a 69-30 margin on Aug. 10, said Monday that he was among the more than 1 million Louisianan utility customers without power. Entergy, which provides electricity to New Orleans, reported a catastrophic transmission failure. New Orleans Councilmember Joe Giarrusso told The Gambit of a "cascading effect" with all eight transmission lines down. "It's really a million homes and businesses that are out," Gov. John Bel Edwards said during a virtual briefing Monday led by President Joe Biden. He estimated as many as 2 million people could be affected by these outages. Cassidy said earlier Monday that he hoped fellow Republicans would get on board with the sweeping infrastructure package, which would provide funding for a variety of hard infrastructure, including sewer systems. Though the package had support from 19 Senate Republicans, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said on Fox News on Aug. 18 he opposed it because of the way Democrats were trying to tie it to a larger package of spending and tax increases. |
| Last troops exit Afghanistan, ending America's longest war | |
| The United States has completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan, ending America's longest war and closing a chapter in military history likely to be remembered for colossal failures, unfulfilled promises and a frantic final exit that cost the lives of more than 180 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members, some barely older than the war. Hours before President Joe Biden's Tuesday deadline for shutting down a final airlift, and thus ending the U.S. war, Air Force transport planes carried a remaining contingent of troops from Kabul airport late Monday. Thousands of troops had spent a harrowing two weeks protecting the airlift of tens of thousands of Afghans, Americans and others seeking to escape a country once again ruled by Taliban militants. In announcing the completion of the evacuation and war effort. Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, said the last planes took off from Kabul airport at 3:29 p.m. Washington time, or one minute before midnight in Kabul. He said some American citizens, likely numbering in "the very low hundreds," were left behind, and that he believes they will still be able to leave the country. Secretary of State Antony Blinken put the number of Americans left behind at under 200, “likely closer to 100,” and said the State Department would keep working to get them out. He praised the military-led evacuation as heroic and said the U.S. diplomatic presence would shift to Doha, Qatar. |
| Trump acolytes poised to push out Senate dealmakers | |
 | If Senate Republicans seem conservative now, just wait until next year. The 2022 midterms could usher in a wave of full-spectrum MAGA supporters who would turn the GOP conference an even deeper shade of red -- and make the Senate a lot more like the fractious House. In the five states where Republican senators are retiring, the primary election fields to succeed them are crowded with Donald Trump supporters who have made loyalty to the former president a cornerstone of their campaigns. The three top candidates to succeed Sen. Richard Burr in North Carolina have all denounced his vote to convict Trump in his last impeachment trial. In Pennsylvania, the four leading candidates to succeed Sen. Pat Toomey -- who, like Burr, was formally rebuked by the state party for his impeachment vote -- have embraced Trump's calls for an "audit" of the state's presidential election results, to varying degrees. The absolute fealty to Trump is only part of the change this class of candidates would herald. There are institutional implications for the Senate as well. The bipartisan infrastructure deal Ohio's Sen. Rob Portman helped broker? Six of the top GOP candidates vying to replace him have rejected it. Most of the newcomers would accelerate the GOP's transition from tea party to Trump party, complicating the job of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who broke with Trump after the Jan. 6 riots that led to the president's second impeachment. |
| Why The South Is Decades Ahead Of The West In Wildfire Prevention | |
 | In early May, flames began to spread through a pine forest, consuming a dense carpet of leaves and underbrush. The burn was the definition of a "good fire," intentionally ignited to clear vegetation that could fuel future infernos. It happened in the state leading the nation in controlled burns: Florida. As Western states contend with increasingly catastrophic wildfires, some are looking to the Southeastern U.S., where prescribed fire is widespread thanks to policies put in place decades ago. From 1998 to 2018, 70% of all controlled burning in the country was in the Southeast. While a continent apart, both regions have a similar need for fire. For thousands of years, forests and woodlands experienced regular burning, both sparked by lightning and used by Native American tribes, which prevented the build up of flammable growth. Without fire, the landscape is prone to intense, potentially devastating wildfires. Despite that risk, Western states have struggled to expand the use of controlled burns. This month, the U.S. Forest Service suspended them because of the extensive fires burning in record-dry conditions. Now, several Western states are moving to adopt the fire policies pioneered by Florida and other Southern states as a hedge against the future. |
| Many colleges in Ida's path remain closed | |
 | Many campuses in the Gulf region were shuttered as Tropical Storm Ida moved northward Monday, creating dangerous conditions for parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The storm made landfall in Louisiana Sunday as a powerful Category 4 hurricane before being downgraded to a tropical storm. Colleges in the storm's path reported they were still assessing the damage Monday. Some institutions were dealing with power outages. In New Orleans, where the entire city lost power due to "catastrophic" transmission damage, Tulane University president Michael A. Fitts said the university would close campus and cancel classes through Sunday, Sept. 12, with classes to remain online only from then until after the conclusion of fall break, on Oct. 11. Fitts also said Tulane would evacuate all remaining students to Houston via bus beginning today. Pearl River Community College in Mississippi said it would remain closed today "due to extensive cleanup efforts as a result of Hurricane Ida's impact," but it planned to resume normal operations Wednesday. Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Mississippi said its classes would remain virtual today, and residential students would be notified when they could return to campus. Mississippi College said its main campus in Clinton and its law school in Jackson would resume normal operations today and that students who experience difficulties returning to campus due to Ida should communicate with their professors. |
| COVID-19 cases rise on UM campus | |
 | A week after classes began at the University of Mississippi, there has been an uptick of COVID-19 cases. Classes began Monday Aug. 23, and the university returned to full operations with a temporary mask mandate. As of this week there are 103 active COVID-19 cases with 93 cases being students and the remaining cases faculty and staff. On-campus events and activities were held such as sorority recruitment, welcome week and involvement fairs. These events were held in outdoor spaces and masks were not required. The Board of Alderman issued a new mask mandate that went into effect on Aug. 25 at 4 p.m. The new mandate requires all vaccinated and unvaccinated people to wear masks in all indoor facilities. The Institutions of Higher Learning voted last week to not issue a vaccination mandate for all faculty and students in Mississippi public universities. Professors at the university have noticed an uptick in cases as well. "I'm getting a lot of emails from students saying they have tested positive," Associate Professor for the School of Journalism Mark Dolan said. |
| East Central Community College hosts second free COVID-19 vaccination clinic Sept. 8 | |
| East Central Community College is hosting its second free COVID-19 vaccination clinic of the fall semester on Sept. 8, on the campus in Decatur. Rush Health Systems is sponsoring the clinic with the college. Rush personnel, with the assistance of ECCC nursing students, administered the Pfizer vaccine to 139 people during the first clinic held on campus on Aug. 18. The Sept. 8 clinic will be from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Huff Auditorium parking lot in front of Founders Gym just off Broad Street on the front of campus. The clinic will be walk-up and drive-thru. Those who received the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine at the clinic held on campus Aug. 18 should return for the second dose on Sept. 8. Rush will also offer the first dose for those who have not yet received it. |
| Georgia State faculty latest to protest for stronger COVID-19 safety protocols | |
| About two dozen Georgia State University educators and students held a rare demonstration on its Atlanta campus Monday to demand a mask mandate to limit the spread of COVID-19. The protest came just days after a staffer was fired after refusing to teach in person unless students are required to wear masks. Chanting "Stop the spread!," the demonstrators asked Georgia State officials to break with the University System of Georgia and the state's Board of Regents, which have strongly recommended, but have not required students wear masks or face coverings. The demonstration was held outside the university's Student Center East as the school's new president, M. Brian Blake, held a listening session inside with several dozen students and employees. Blake, addressing an audience question about safety protocols, said the University System's policy is clear and stressed efforts by the school to encourage students to wear masks. At the same time Monday, Gov. Brian Kemp reiterated his position that he does not believe in a mask or vaccine mandate on college campuses. "I personally believe that mandates like that are only going to cause division ... It's just causing division. It's causing people's blood pressure to go up," Kemp told reporters at the state Capitol. "We need to continue to educate and advocate for people to get the vaccine." |
| Texas A&M students, faculty look ahead at upcoming school year | |
 | Full classrooms, traffic and long lines for COVID-19 tests marked the first day back to fully in-person courses since spring 2020 at Texas A&M University. Students and faculty said they were excited to be on campus Monday, but many said they remain concerned about what another semester in the pandemic will bring. Texas A&M encourages the campus community to get a COVID-19 vaccine and to wear masks, but does not require either. A message from Interim Provost Mark Weichold to the faculty and staff last week said that nobody can be asked about their vaccination status or be required to wear a mask. The university does have a mandatory COVID-19 testing program that everyone, regardless of vaccination status, must participate in. The first testing period ends Sept. 10; students who don't comply risk expulsion while employees could put their eligibility for merit increases at risk. Ali Foran, lecturer in the mathematics department, said she is pleased to have in-person classes this year so she can get to know students personally and see their faces when she is teaching so she knows if she needs to slow down. She said that she is glad students are back and that they "give some life to the community." "I respect that they're giving people options," Foran said of the university's approach to the school year. "They've obviously put a ton of thought and research into their decisions, and I can't fault them for doing what they see as best." |
| Complaints of Muzzled Conservatives Are Behind New Laws. But Liberals Feel Stifled, Too. | |
 | Republican lawmakers have in recent months enacted measures that require state colleges to keep a close eye on student expression. Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida signed a law in June requiring all of the state's public colleges to survey students, faculty, and staff members on intellectual freedom and viewpoint diversity. One of the arguments implicit in this effort is a long-held one of many Republicans: that conservative speech is not tolerated on college campuses. But experts say political tensions -- like those that have bubbled to the surface in Masket's class -- have served to suppress all sorts of speech. "It is a tense time on campuses," said Amy Binder, a professor and chair of the department of sociology at the University of California at San Diego. "So I'm seeing it as more of a larger scale phenomenon than just the conservative students." A survey of nearly 20,000 college students conducted last year captured just how widespread that phenomenon is. Among all respondents, 60 percent said they felt they had to keep some opinions to themselves for fear of how they would be received. That includes 75 percent of students who identified themselves as "strong Republicans," and also 63 percent of Black students. The survey was conducted by three groups, including the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education. In Indiana, the sponsor of a law similar to Florida's cited the survey in his call for such a law, saying the problem of free speech at colleges existed "across the board." |
| FIRE launches new database for tracking attacks on speech | |
| The number of scholars targeted for their speech has risen dramatically since 2015, and undergraduates increasingly are to blame, according to a database of these incidents released today by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education. Undergraduates aren't the only ones seeking to censor graduate students, instructors, professors and other researchers, FIRE's database and an accompanying report make clear. But undergraduates' prevalence within FIRE's new database concerns the pro-speech group nonetheless. Komi German, a research fellow at FIRE, said Monday that it's unclear whether there are more students than ever seeking to "punish" scholars for their speech, or if there are an "emboldened" but relative few. Either way, German said, "it's a huge red flag for those concerned about students' tolerance of dissenting views." Other would-be censors include politicians and the general public. But threats to scholars' free speech increasingly originate from within the campus community, not limited to but especially students, according to the report. This is far from the first time that FIRE has warned that students represent an increasing threat to free speech on campus. The pedagogical climate is changing and some scholars no longer believe it's acceptable to require students to read or view triggering content, especially without a warning. But FIRE takes the view that targeting scholars for what they say or do in the classroom or in their research has "the effect of undermining the primary function of academic freedom: to ensure the furtherance of knowledge in American institutions of higher education." |
| Education Department to Investigate Five States That Ban Mask Mandates in Schools | |
| The Education Department said Monday it has opened civil rights investigations into five states that banned school mask mandates to examine whether such policies place students with disabilities at heightened risk of severe illness through contracting Covid-19. The agency's Office of Civil Rights sent letters to top education officials in Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Iowa and Utah, saying it has heard from parents nationwide -- particularly of students with disabilities and medical conditions -- raising concerns. "The Department will fight to protect every student's right to access in-person learning safely and the rights of local educators to put in place policies that allow all students to return to the classroom full-time in-person safely this fall," said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, in a statement. The Education Department said that if it finds a violation, it may work with the specific state agency to try to resolve the problem. But if the state refuses to correct the violation, it "may put its funding from the Department of Education at risk," the agency said. Legislators and governors in several states have defended bans on mask requirements by saying decisions to wear masks should be made by parents, not school districts. |
SPORTS
| 'It takes time': Wes Welker, Carlos Francis reflect on learning Air Raid offense | |
 | Wes Welker remembers the stories, like many who have played for Mike Leach before. Welker is a former NFL receiver who reeled in nearly 10,000 yards in 12 seasons and holds the record for receptions (903) by an undrafted player. But before he was catching passes from Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, he was walking into meetings with Leach when the two overlapped at Texas Tech (2000-03) with an open schedule because he knew Leach might ramble with one of his famed off-topic rants. "He goes into a lot of those meetings with a plan," Welker says, "and then he just does his own freestyle type deal up there, and it's pretty entertaining." Even in his first college head coaching role -- Leach coached Texas Tech in 2000-09 -- he was the same guy whose ramblings remain the thing his players talk about most. But the numbers showed his personality didn't get in the way of success. Leach's Texas Tech offense featuring Welker improved significantly from Year 1 to Year 2. His Washington State team did the same in the early 2010s. Success came with time in Leach's repetition-based Air Raid offense. "It takes time to really dial in the players on how you want everything done," Welker said. |
| Tailgaters cautiously optimistic but wary as season starts | |
| Schools across the country remain cautiously optimistic that pregame atmospheres around campus will remain close to normal as they monitor the delta variant. Some, such as LSU, Oregon and Oregon State, require proof of vaccination or a negative test to get into the stadiums, but tailgating is another matter altogether. About three dozen Power Five schools responded to questions from The Associated Press regarding their tailgating policies, and a clear consensus emerged. Nearly all the schools that responded are tentatively planning to restore the tailgating policies they had in 2019, though many of them noted that's subject to change based on the status of COVID-19 cases in their area. That's a major shift from last year, when even the schools that allowed spectators at games either prohibited or strongly discouraged tailgating. The return of tailgating is great news for tens of thousands of fans who consider that a vital part of the college football experience. Peter West, a 1984 Ole Miss alum who's been tailgating for 25-plus years, wonders if there might not be as many people as usual. West is considering whether to recommend the use of masks at his tailgates and having them available. He also wonders if he should move away from a buffet-type food distribution setup. "I think a lot of people are going to be leery about crowds," said West, a dentist from Tupelo, Mississippi. |
| SEC teams that cannot play due to COVID will forfeit, league announces | |
 | SEC teams that cannot play games in 2021 due to COVID outbreaks or widespread injuries (or a combination of both) on their rosters will be forced to forfeit, with a loss being entered in the standings, the league office announced Monday. If neither team can play, both teams will forfeit and both will be given a loss. If one team forfeits a game, the opposing team will be awarded a win in the standings. The SEC commissioner's office reserves the right to declare a game "no contest" in the event of "extraordinary circumstances." A "no contest" goes as neither a win nor a loss in the standings. It was not immediately clear what the "unable to play" threshold in football would be for 2021. In 2020, teams that had fewer than 53 available scholarship players -- and no quarterbacks, fewer than seven offensive linemen and fewer than four defensive linemen -- could ask that games be re-scheduled or declared "no contest." The forfeiture policy is in effect for all sports, including football. |
| Quick check of LSU sports facilities reveals no obvious damage | |
 | LSU's athletic facilities appeared to have escaped without significant damage as Hurricane Ida stormed through southeast Louisiana from Sunday afternoon through Monday morning. WAFB reported a peak wind gust of 63 mph in Baton Rouge from the storm which came ashore with 150 mph winds and a peak recorded wind gust of 172 mph at Port Fourchon. The LSU football team evacuated to Houston and may remain there until it leaves Thursday for Saturday's UCLA game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California (7:30 p.m. CDT, Fox). LSU's home opener is scheduled for Sept. 11 in Tiger Stadium against McNeese State. |
| UGA football fans will have more concourse space in Sanford Stadium | |
 | Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks is set to unveil the Athletic Association's plans for facilities for the next three to four years at the fall board of directors' meeting on Sept. 10. Brooks provided some more details Monday morning to the board's facilities and development committee for projects including those coming up at Sanford Stadium. The renovation of the 100 level south concourse will begin construction starting after the 2022 season. The concourse would go from 10 feet wide to 23 feet in width and new restrooms and concessions would be built in the Gate 6 and 9 areas. "Moving those outward but opening up that concourse," Brooks told the committee. "At that same time, we would increase the restroom count, increase the point of sales to our concessions and make improvement to our ADA wheelchair seating. ... That's going to be a massive improvement for our fans that sit there." That, he said, will improve the flow of people in that concourse which he said "has been a problem for quite a while." New premium seating -- suites or loge areas -- will be built where the current press box is located at a prime location including the 50-yard line, something he announced in May. Those seats and the new press box at the corner above section 137 on the southwest corner likely won't be up and running until the 2024 season, according to Brooks. |
| Houston Nutt reflects on former player Bryan Harsin, offers advice for life as an SEC coach | |
 | Before Houston Nutt made his name as an SEC coach with stops at Arkansas and Ole Miss, he spent the 1997 season at Boise State, where he coached then-backup quarterback Bryan Harsin. Fast-forward 24 years, and Harsin is preparing to roam some of the same sidelines his former head coach once did. Nutt spoke about Harsin earlier this month in the lead-up to Harsin's debut as Auburn's head coach. Nutt, who is now a college football analyst for CBS Sports, said it was clear early on that Harsin was a student of the game, which has benefitted him since he entered the coaching realm. Now that Harsin is coaching in the SEC, Nutt had a few words of wisdom to share. Nutt said his biggest piece of advice for Harsin was to continue being himself despite the change of scenery and the difficulty that comes with coaching in the SEC. Nutt acknowledged the hardest part of being in the SEC is the constant grind during conference play, where week after week your team has to take on some of the nation's toughest competition. Nutt also acknowledged how much harder Harsin's job is given Alabama's continued dominance in the sport. "The toughest thing he has is he's in the same state with the GOAT, with Alabama's Nick Saban." |
| Vanderbilt outfielder Isaiah Thomas steps away from baseball program | |
 | Vanderbilt baseball outfielder Isaiah Thomas has stepped away from the program, a team spokesperson confirmed Wednesday. After going undrafted in the MLB Draft, Thomas announced in July that he would return to the Commodores for his senior year. A month later, he announced his decision to step away. In an Instagram post, Thomas said that, "After years of relationships, they chose their beliefs over the well being of mental health and took advantage of that sensitive aspect in my life. ... My teammates, this is not about you, it's for me." Thomas said in the post that he would not be commenting further "at the moment." Thomas was the Commodores' starting right fielder in 2021, when he hit .305/.361/.583. Without him, Vanderbilt loses an experienced bat, but there are still plenty of outfield options. In addition to returning center fielder Enrique Bradfield, senior Javier Vaz, sophomore Jack Bulger, junior Spencer Jones and junior Troy LaNeve all saw time in the outfield in 2021, either during the season or in summer ball. |
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