| Monday, February 20, 2023 |
| MSU-Meridian physician assistant program receives digital cadavers | |
 | For students enrolled in Mississippi State University's Physician Assistant Studies program, learning to dissect human anatomy is a lot simpler now with the addition of 10 new technologically advanced 3D digital cadavers. "We are very, very lucky to have the latest technologically advanced anatomy lab equipment," said Dr. Hatem Mourad, who teaches human anatomy and physiology for the PA program. "It really exceeds the expectations of any program around us." MSU's physician assistant program is the state's only publicly funded master's degree program of its kind. With a current enrollment of 74 students in its three cohorts, the program is located in the Rosenbaum building on MSU-Meridian's Riley campus. The 10 new Anatomage tables were funded through a grant totaling nearly $1 million from the Health Resources & Services Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. In addition to the digital cadavers, grant funding was used to purchase additional examination tables and instrument panels for the patient assessment lab. Funding also will be used to hire an architect to design a simulation lab on the third floor of the Rosenbaum building for interprofessional clinical healthcare programs, said Dr. Terry Dale Cruse, associate vice president and head of campus at MSU-Meridian. |
| Chick-fil-A announces renovation projects for next month | |
 | This past week, Chick-fil-A Starkville announced that its building will be undergoing renovations next month. Beginning on Thursday, March 2, Chick-fil-A will begin a major drive-through renovation project where the restaurant will be installing two doors into the drive-through. In a video posted by Chick-fil-A Starkville on Facebook, restaurant owner and operator Jonathan Rogers detailed the project. "This project is so expansive that we're actually going to have to close our restaurant for about two weeks during this time period," Rogers said. |
| OCSO deputy dragged by vehicle, injured during Saturday morning traffic stop | |
 | Shortly after midnight on Saturday, a deputy with the Oktibbeha County Sheriff's Office stopped a small gray Honda driven by Laquinton Brim, 28, in the area of Greensboro Street in Starkville. The deputy stopped Brim for driving without headlights. When the officer made contact with Brim, he fled the scene at a "high rate of speed." The officer was caught in the car door and dragged a short distance before freeing himself. He received minor injuries and was treated and released from OCH Regional Medical Center. OCSO Captain Brett Watson said the department is not releasing the officer's name at this time. Brim is being sought by law enforcement and is facing charges of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer. Anyone with information on Brim is urged to contact OCSO at (662) 323-2421, the OCSO Investigations Unit at (662) 324-8484 or the nearest law enforcement agency. |
| Sheriff: Gunman kills 6, including ex-wife, in Mississippi | |
 | A lone gunman killed six people including his ex-wife and stepfather Friday at multiple locations in a tiny rural community in northern Mississippi, the sheriff said, leaving investigators searching for clues to what motivated the rampage. Armed with a shotgun and two handguns, 52-year-old Richard Dale Crum, who a family friend said had a history of mental illness, opened fire at about 11 a.m. and killed a man in the driver's seat of a pickup truck parked outside a convenience store in Arkabutla, near the Tennessee state line, Tate County Sheriff Brad Lance said. Deputies were working the crime scene when a second 911 call alerted authorities to another shooting a few miles away. After arriving at a home, they found a woman, whom the sheriff identified as Crum's ex-wife, shot dead and her current husband wounded. Lance said deputies caught up with Crum outside his own home and arrested him. Behind the residence they found two handymen slain by gunfire -- one in the road, another in an SUV. Inside a neighboring home, they discovered the bodies of Crum's stepfather and his stepfather's sister. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said its agents were providing assistance to the sheriff's department and state investigators. Lance said one of their top priorities was to determine a motive. |
| Bird flu costs pile up as outbreak enters second year | |
| The ongoing bird flu outbreak has cost the government roughly $661 million and added to consumers' pain at the grocery store after more than 58 million birds were slaughtered to limit the spread of the virus. In addition to the cost of the government response that the USDA tallied up and rising prices for eggs, chicken and turkey, farmers who raise those animals have easily lost more than $1 billion, said an agricultural economist, though no one has calculated the total cost to the industry yet. The bad news is that with the outbreak entering its second year and the spring migratory season looming, there is no end in sight. And there is little farmers can do beyond the steps they have already taken to try to keep the virus out. Unlike past years, the virus that causes highly pathogenic avian influenza found a way to survive through the heat of last summer, leading to a rise in cases reported in the fall. The number of birds slaughtered peaked last spring at almost 21 million in March, leaving farmers leery of what they must face in the months ahead. University of Georgia virus researcher David Stallknecht said there is some hope that this spring might not be quite as bad because turkeys and chickens may have developed some immunity to the virus. Officials say bird flu doesn't represent a significant threat to human health. |
| The Bird Flu Outbreak Has Taken an Ominous Turn | |
 | The poultry industry is enormous. Just the US portion comprises more than 9 billion meat chickens and 216 million turkeys grown each year, plus 325 million laying hens; chicken is the most-consumed meat worldwide. That scale makes it difficult to put the losses from bird flu into context. But the ongoing epidemic has become the worst animal-disease outbreak in US history, as well as the largest poultry outbreak ever recorded in the UK, Europe, and Japan. And though surveillance is difficult, wildlife biologists say the damage to wild birds has been disastrous. There may be little that can be done to protect wild birds; avian flu is spread by seasonally migrating waterfowl, which carry the virus without being harmed by it. But the poultry industry relies on a complex set of behaviors and building features, broadly called biosecurity, that it developed or reinforced after a catastrophic outbreak killed more than 50 million birds in 2015. Given the virus's relentless advance, people who study the industry are beginning to ask whether biosecurity can ever be hardened enough to exclude avian flu -- and if not, what has to change to keep birds and humans safe. |
| Two Mississippi Museums offering free admission Tuesday in honor of the late Gov. William Winter | |
 | The Two Mississippi Museums in downtown Jackson is set to offer free admission on Tuesday, February 21 in honor of former Governor William F. Winter's legacy. Winter, who passed away at the age of 97 in December 2020, served as Mississippi's 58th governor from 1980-1984. He was later appointed to President Bill Clinton's National Advisory Board on Race. The Grenada native's greatest legacy, according to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH), was convincing state leaders of the need to open the Two Mississippi Museums in 2017. He was also instrumental in attaining the necessary funds to go on with the project. Winter served on the MDAH Board of Trustees for more than 50 years and held the position of president for nearly his entire time on the board. "All Mississippians should have the opportunity to experience the Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum," MDAH Director Katie Blount said. "We are grateful to the Winter family and to Jones Walker for this wonderful tribute to Governor and Mrs. Winter at the Two Mississippi Museums." |
| 10-year tourism tax renewal passes House, heads to Senate | |
| A 10-year renewal for the Columbus tourism tax easily passed the House this week and will now be considered by the state Senate. The House approved the local and private bill by a 105-8 margin on Thursday. The current tax, passed in 2019, is set to expire this year if not renewed. District 41 Rep. Kabir Karriem (D-Columbus), who authored the bill, said most local and private legislation has four year terms, but the city and county provided enough justification for a longer renewal term for the House, at least, to approve. "It wasn't unprecedented, but it's also not a normal ask," Karriem said. "I'm just glad the leadership saw the need. There are certain financial responsibilities that the entities involved have and the 10-year term makes it a lot better." The bill now goes to the Senate's Local and Private Committee for consideration. The Senate also has its own version of the bill, Senate Bill 3058, authored by Sen. Chuck Younger (R-Lowndes County). "We'll pass theirs and they'll pass ours," Younger said. "There shouldn't be any hiccups over it. It ought to pass relatively easily." Disputes between the city and county led to the tax being lost for a year in 2018. With both agreeing to work together this time around, legislators wanted to make sure there wasn't a repeat. The deadline for renewal is in March. |
| Want to be a state legislator? See where you should go to school and what you should study | |
 | So, you want to be a member of the Mississippi Legislature one day? Or perhaps you just want to know where your alma mater or profession ranks among the state's lawmakers? The Clarion-Ledger looked at each legislator, the schools they attended and the jobs they hold when not in session, and found some potentially surprising results. Keep in mind, legislators may hold more than one job, and many attended multiple schools while pursuing both graduate and undergraduate degrees. Some legislators, for example, sought undergraduate degrees and law degrees from the same institutions, meaning that legislator would count twice in our data. You may be tempted to think that in order to reach the legislature you must attend an elite Ivy League university, but the data does not back that up. Only one legislator attended an Ivy League school, a post-graduate program at Harvard University. It may come as no surprise that lawmakers attended the state's two largest universities, the University of Mississippi and Mississippi State University, in equal number, with 28 degrees sought. |
| Hwy 80 widening included in Reeves $1.3 billion plan | |
| A $1.3 billion infrastructure plan unveiled Thursday by Gov. Tate Reeves includes a widening project along Highway 80 in Lauderdale County. The proposed project, which is estimated to cost $10 million, would widen Highway 80 from Jimmy Rodgers Parkway to Russell. Reeves said in a prepared statement the projects selected would include both infrastructure improvements and site development to attract new industries and businesses to the Magnolia State. In addition to infrastructure and site development, Reeves said he wants to set aside an additional $100 million for the Emergency Road and Bridge Repair Program, which provides funding to counties and municipalities for road and bridge projects, along with $57 million in grants for site development projects throughout the state. While Reeves' can recommend projects for funding, it will be up to the state legislature to decide whether or not to appropriate the $1.3 billion needed to see it through. |
| I-55 widening project would get $65 million | |
| A stretch of I-55 would get $65 million for widening from Highway 463 to Gluckstadt as well as a $5 million investment for an access road at the Madison County MegaSite, according to a proposal Gov. Tate Reeves announced Thursday with the intent to drive further economic development and growth in Mississippi. Madison County Executive Director Joey Deason said his office welcomes the rouhgly $70 million investment this plan represents in Madison County. "Madison County is very thankful to Governor Tate Reeves and the Mississippi Development Authority concerning today's announcement totaling over $70 million dollars for road infrastructure improvements here in Madison County," reeves said. "These funds will greatly enhance the quality of life and provide additional economic opportunities for our citizens today and our citizens of the future. We look forward to the continued growth of our Community." Reeves announced his plan that includes proposed infrastructure investments throughout the state coupled with site development efforts to entice more high-paying jobs from businesses that may locate in Mississippi. The proposed infrastructure investments represent approximately $1.3 billion in transportation capacity project funding. |
| Highway 19 4-laning would get $65 million. | |
| The Highway 19 four-landing project would get $65 million for widening from House to Tucker, Gov. Tate Reeves announced Thursday in a plan to drive further economic development and growth in Mississippi. Reeves announced his plan that includes proposed infrastructure investments throughout the state coupled with site development efforts to entice more high-paying jobs from businesses that may locate in Mississippi. These projects are ready to begin construction upon receiving the necessary funds. Included in the $1.3 billion is an additional investment of $100 million into the Emergency Road and Bridge Repair Program, which all 300 municipalities and 82 counties across Mississippi are eligible to apply for. The plan also includes $57 million in grants to develop project-ready sites across Mississippi. These sites are critical to attracting large businesses to the state. Once finished, these sites will allow companies to relocate to Mississippi immediately. |
| Bill to charge parents with crime for enrolling out-of-district students dies in Senate | |
 | A bill that would have made it a misdemeanor for parents to enroll their kids in school in DeSoto County without living in the district died in the Mississippi Senate. Senator Michael McLendon of Hernando filed the bill but said that it died in the Mississippi Senate Judiciary Division B committee. "Unfortunately, it did not come out of committee," McLendon said. "I'm not exactly sure why. I'm on the Education Committee and I know I could have gotten it out of the Education Committee." Adding criminal penalties to the statute for parents or their legal guardians who purposely enroll their children in school without living in DeSoto County was one of the top items on Olive Branch Mayor Ken Adams's wish list for this legislative session. McLendon's bill would have amended the current law tho require students be a legal resident of Mississippi and live in the district. Parents who fail to do so could be charged with a misdemeanor punishable by a $500 fine or up to 30 days in jail. A guilty conviction would automatically result in the child's expulsion. Adams has said that enrolling a student from out of the district puts an unfair burden on local taxpayers. He gets complaints from parents all the time who are tired of seeing license plates from Shebly County and other out of county tags dropping off children. Adams said he is hopeful that the legislature will be able to bring it back as a local private bill which are filed and debated at the end of the legislative session. |
| Congressman Thompson shares Black History Month message with Natchez church members | |
 | Attendees at New Beginnings Missionary Baptist Church's special Black History Month service on Sunday morning were moved not just by traditional gospel music, which brought the congregation to their feet and some to dance, but also by a moving message from U.S. Congressman Bennie Thompson. Thompson, a Bolton native, has served Mississippi's 2nd Congressional District since 1993, which Adams County recently joined after redistricting. He is both the first Democrat and the first African American to serve as the chair of the Committee on Homeland Security. Attendees saw elected leaders from local, state and federal levels, with State Rep. Robert Johnson III and several Natchez Aldermen, the mayor, sheriff and county supervisors present. Thompson spoke about the importance of electing leaders who understand "both where they are and whose they are," referring to God as their creator. He also spoke passionately about how Mississippi's historically Black colleges and universities have been underfunded and should therefore receive more in state funding to catch up. |
| Food Stamp Program in Political Crosshairs as Pandemic-Era Changes End | |
 | The ending of the Covid-19 public-health emergency means a reset for the country's food stamps program, which aids more than 41 million Americans, as lawmakers weigh whether to make more far-reaching changes as part of the next farm bill. An extra boost in the food assistance for low-income households that Congress authorized at the start of the pandemic will wind down this month, and additional leeway afforded to states around some of the program's rules will end in May. "As that temporary help and flexibility now ends, we will return to a new normal," Stacy Dean, deputy undersecretary for food and nutrition at the Agriculture Department, told lawmakers last week. But even as the program returns to its prepandemic operations in some ways, Republicans are sounding alarms over its eligibility guidelines and price tag. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated this month that the program will cost $1.2 trillion over 10 years. Officially known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, food stamps are funded through the farm bill, typically a five-year bill that yokes together support for farmers with the food stamp program. The current farm bill expires in October. Sen. John Boozman of Arkansas, the top Republican on the Senate Agriculture Committee, said he worried that the increasing cost of the food stamps program would cut into lawmakers' ability to expand the safety net for farmers. "That's going to really limit, I think, our ability to help the other programs," he said. |
| Fond remembrances for Jimmy Carter after entering hospice | |
| Dozens of well-wishers made the pilgrimage Sunday to The Carter Center in Atlanta, as prayers and memories of former President Jimmy Carter's legacy were offered up at his small Baptist church in Plains, Georgia, a day after he entered hospice care. Among those paying homage was his niece, who noted the 39th president's years of service in an emotional address at Maranatha Baptist Church, where Carter taught Sunday school for decades. "I just want to read one of Uncle Jimmy's quotes," Kim Fuller said during the Sunday school morning service, adding: "Oh, this is going to be really hard." She referenced this quote from Carter: "I have one life and one chance to make it count for something. I'm free to choose that something. ... My faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I can, whenever I can, for as long as I can." "Maybe if we think about it, maybe it's time to pass the baton," Fuller said before leading those gathered in prayer. "Who picks it up, I have no clue. I don't know. Because this baton's going to be a really big one." Carter, at age 98 the longest-lived American president, had a recent series of short hospital stays. The Carter Center said in a statement Saturday that the 39th president has now "decided to spend his remaining time at home with his family and receive hospice care instead of additional medical intervention." |
| Carter's hometown prepares to say goodbye to 'Mr. Jimmy' | |
| To folks outside of Jimmy Carter's beloved hometown, he's the famed peanut farmer-turned politician who is the longest living president in U.S. history. But the people of Plains know him as something else: the neighbor and friend they simply call "Mr. Jimmy." About everyone in this town of hardly 500 people has a story about Carter, who was born and raised in this southwest Georgia community, and is preparing to spend his final days in hospice at the humble home he has shared here with his wife Rosalynn since 1961. "To me, he's a friend. To a lot of us here, he's just a churchgoer that sits on the same pews," said Zac Steele, one of the lay leaders of Maranatha Baptist Church, the congregation where Carter long taught Sunday school lessons until his health declined. For the last half-century, the people here love to tell visitors they have a pair of famous exports: peanuts and a peanut farmer-turned-president. At Maranatha on Sunday, congregants tried to come to terms with the impending farewell. Jan Williams once helped coordinate the hundreds of visitors who flocked to the small church each weekend that Carter planned a lesson. Now, she's readying to say an inevitable goodbye to a friend who also happens to be a former president. "If you were his friend, you were so blessed. And if he were your friend, it was a greater blessing. There's nothing bad about the man that I could ever say. He cared about the people of Plains tremendously." |
| Trump absent as Iowa 2024 GOP caucus train begins to roll | |
| Nikki Haley is swinging through Iowa this week fresh off announcing her presidential campaign. Her fellow South Carolinian Republican, Sen. Tim Scott, will also be here as he decides his political future. And former Vice President Mike Pence was just in the state courting influential evangelical Christian activists. After a slow start, Republican presidential prospects are streaming into the leadoff presidential caucus state. Notably absent from the lineup, at least for now, is former President Donald Trump. Few of the White House hopefuls face the lofty expectations in Iowa that Trump does. He finished a competitive second to devout social conservative Ted Cruz in 2016, and went on to carry the state twice, by healthy margins, as the Republican presidential nominee in the 2016 and 2020 elections. "It is genuinely impossible for this guy to try to manage these expectations. They are enormous. They are self-made," said Luke Martz, a veteran Iowa Republican strategist who helped lead Mitt Romney's 2012 Iowa caucus campaign. "I don't see how anyone who is saying 'I'm the guy' can come in and even get even a second-place finish." Yet, in the three months since he announced his bid for a comeback, Trump has not set foot in Iowa, the first place his claim of party dominance will be tested early next year. |
| On surprise trip to Kyiv, Biden vows enduring support for Ukraine | |
 | President Biden made a dramatic, unannounced visit to Kyiv on Monday, in a display of robust American support for Ukraine just four days before the anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion. The high-risk visit to the historic Ukrainian capital -- where air raid sirens blared as Biden walked the streets with President Volodymyr Zelensky -- signals continued commitment from the United States, the largest financial and military backer of Ukraine's effort to repel Russian invaders from its territory. Biden was spotted with the Ukrainian leader outside St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery shortly before noon local time, his appearance capping hours of speculation during an intense security lockdown that had blocked car traffic and even pedestrians from certain streets. Following talks with Zelensky and a visit to the U.S. Embassy, Biden departed Kyiv several hours later, according to a reporter traveling with him. Though brief, Biden's visit represented one of the most remarkable presidential trips in modern history, sending him into a country at war and a city under regular bombardment without the heavy U.S. military presence that provided a protective shield during visits to Iraq or Afghanistan. In his remarks alongside Zelensky, Biden said the U.S. would provide another half-billion dollars of assistance to Ukraine. Biden has insisted the United States will continue to back Ukraine against Russia for "as long as it takes" despite flagging support among the American public and no near-term prospect of peace talks. |
| F-16s, longer-range missiles could help Ukraine beat Russia, U.S. general privately tells lawmakers | |
 | The top U.S. general in Europe is quietly telling American lawmakers that giving Ukraine advanced Western equipment -- such as F-16 fighter jets, drones, and long-range missiles -- could help Kyiv rule the skies and bolster its own offensives against Russia. In a Friday morning closed-door briefing with more than 10 senators and House members, Gen. Christopher Cavoli was asked if F-16 fighter jets would help Ukraine win the war against Russia. He responded: "Yes," according to five people in the room who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a private session. The F-16 question was part of a larger discussion over the conduct of the war and what Kyiv needs to succeed in its plans to go on the offensive, and blunt Russian offensives across hundreds of miles of front lines. Cavoli said Ukraine needs longer-range missiles to allow its forces to strike Russian positions from farther away, putting headquarters and rear supply lines at risk, which would help disrupt the Russian war machine inside Ukraine. The general's answer goes further than previous public comments by top national security officials, who have said they haven't ruled out sending fighter jets in the future, but also note that air defenses are the most urgent current need. The general, who serves as both the supreme allied commander for Europe and as head of U.S. European Command, argued that Ukraine needs more advanced weapons and equipment to "enhance the deep fight," per one of five people. A second person said Cavoli believes the West should equip Ukraine to "reach further" into Russian positions within Ukraine's border. |
| US has spent billions on Ukraine war aid. But is that money landing in corrupt pockets? | |
 | With more than $100 billion in U.S. weaponry and financial aid flowing to Ukraine in less than a year -- and more on the way to counter Russia's invasion -- concerns about arms falling into terrorists' hands and dollars into corrupt officials' pockets are mounting. The special inspector general who has overseen aid to Afghanistan since 2012, and some House Republicans, warn of the need for closer oversight of the military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine. The scale of the effort is massive. The $113 billion appropriated by Congress in 2022 approaches the $146 billion spent in 20 years for military and humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, though the cost of sending U.S. troops there was far higher. "When you spend so much money so quickly, with so little oversight, you're going to have fraud, waste and abuse," John Sopko, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, said in an interview. "Massive amounts." The Pentagon rejects that narrative, saying safeguards have been put in place to ensure that U.S. weapons are accounted for by the Ukrainian forces after they are transferred. "The department takes our commitment to Ukraine seriously, which is why we implemented strong measures to track the capabilities we are providing to equip Ukraine," said Sabrina Singh, the Pentagon's deputy press secretary. Among the American public and on Capitol Hill,support for Ukraine's resistance to Russia's unprovoked invasion remains strong. But it is softening. |
| U.S. Warns China Against Supplying Arms to Russia in Ukraine War | |
| U.S. officials are warning China against supplying Russia with arms and ammunition, as Moscow struggles to gain ground in Ukraine despite deploying almost the entirety of its ground forces in its smaller neighbor. Concerns that China was considering providing lethal assistance to Russia first surfaced in meetings between officials late last year and early this year, officials said. U.S. officials put their Chinese counterparts on notice in videoconferences and at in-person meetings that China is "nearing a red line" in assisting Russia's war, the officials said. With the war approaching the one-year mark, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said publicly this weekend that Washington had information that Beijing was weighing providing lethal support to Moscow, primarily in the form of weapons. "We've made very clear to them that that would cause a serious problem for us and in our relationship," Mr. Blinken told CBS News in an interview after meeting Saturday with China's top foreign-policy official, Wang Yi, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. The new concerns are being aired as President Biden travels to Poland this week to rally European allies, while Mr. Wang is scheduled to arrive in Moscow on Monday for talks. Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to deliver a major address to Russia's Federal Council on Tuesday. |
| Threat training: How colleges prepare for the worst case scenario | |
 | Just six weeks into the year and there have been more than 70 mass shootings. Just recently, three students were killed and five others were injured during a mass shooting on the Michigan State campus. It is something that no family member, friend, or school ever wants to go through. Campus law enforcement and emergency management teams at The W talk about the reality of preparing for this type of event. An active shooter would be considered one of the most severe events a college campus could face. The reality is, it's something that campuses across the nation have to prepare for. MUW police Chief Randy Vibrock said his department should always be prepared for the worst possible event. "What it does really instills in me that we can't become complacent as a department or university in our response. I know that active shooter incidents like this don't happen often but the reality is they can so we need to prepare in the event that they do," said Vibrock. Vibrock said his department is trained to respond to an active shooter by immediately taking out the threat. Emergency Management and Chief Information Officer, Carla Lowery said staff and students do several drills throughout the year to prepare. |
| FedEx announces second year of HBCU program to help build diverse workforce pipeline | |
| FedEx Corp. on Tuesday announced its second cohort for the FedEx and Historically Black Colleges and Universities Student Ambassador Program. The program helps prepare HBCU students with opportunities to learn about FedEx from executives and build leadership and career-ready skills with the goal of expanding the company's pipeline for diverse talent, according to a news release. "Through the second cohort of the FedEx-HBCU Student Ambassador Program, we're preparing future leaders and the next generation for the workforce through tailored, hands-on programming," said Jenny Robertson, FedEx senior vice president of integrated marketing and communications, in a statement. Students were selected from eight HBCUs, which are regionally located within a short distance of a FedEx operating or distribution facility. FedEx said the proximity allows students from within the community better opportunities to engage with team members and learn more about the company. The program is part of FedEx's five-year commitment to HBCUs announced in 2021. FedEx in 2021 pledged to commit $5 million to four HBCUs: LeMoyne-Owen, Tennessee State, Jackson State and Mississippi Valley State toward an initiative focusing on preparing students at each school for the workforce. Each school would receive $1 million of the commitment with the remaining funds used for more support services and potentially adding other HBCUs. |
| Cadence Bank continues support of ICC Career Pathways program | |
 | Cadence Bank has continued its support of Itawamba Community College with a $15,000 donation to the school's Career Pathways program. The program connects low-income individuals and adult education students with workforce training to enable them to gain the skills and knowledge necessary for finding employment in a high-demand career field, according to Josh Gammill, director of continuing education at ICC. "As the need for skilled workers becomes more abundant in our community, graduates of Itawamba Community College's workforce training programs will increase the number of available workers within the community, positively impacting economic development efforts in the region," Gammill said. Cadence Bank's donation will be used to pay for the tuition of one of Itawamba Community College's workforce training pathways, which includes programs such as Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and EMT-Basic. "ICC staff members communicate with students in this demographic, and while there is interest in the programs, they often do not have the funds necessary to be able to pay for training courses," Gammill said. |
| Hinds Community College in Utica Addresses School Closing Rumors | |
| "We have to work hard at not allowing history to repeat itself because things have a way of creeping back," said Congressman Bennie Thompson. "So I'm here to make sure history doesn't repeat itself." Locals, as well as state officials and even Congressman Thompson, voiced concerns over rumors that Hinds Community College Utica Campus was closing. "You have to talk to the parents who send their children here," the Congressman said. "You have to talk to the patrons who support this institution to give them the confidence that all is well." The meeting comes after weeks of speculation, confusion, and concern. "It was a deep concern for the community about this campus being open," said Adana Burks, who attended the campus meeting. "This is the pillar of our community, and we need those kids to come down here and go to school to keep this college going." With a packed-out auditorium, they came to hear from Hinds Community College President Dr. Stephen Vacik about the future of the Utica campus. "The Hinds Community college slash Stephen Vacik is closing and selling the Utica Campus. That is NOT true," President Vacik said. He also says if the school was closing, the decision would not be left up to him but the board of trustees. |
| Samford campus revival, inspired by Asbury University, reaches third day | |
 | Students at Samford University gathered at the school's Reid Chapel Wednesday to pray and sing. Then, as the school canceled Thursday classes due to weather, students continued to meet, until, by Friday, students and supporters were calling the event a revival, inspired by a similar outbreak at a Christian college in Kentucky. Asbury University's revival in Wilmore, Kentucky, has been going on for a week and has drawn travelers from around the country, according to news reports. #AsburyRevival is also trending on social media platforms. Asbury was famously the site of a long revival in 1970, too. "For over seven hours students gathered in Reid [Wednesday] and well into the morning worshipping, praying, sharing testimonies and reading Scripture," Kevin Blackwell, executive director of Samford's Ministry Training Institute, told the Alabama Baptist. "It was totally organic and student led. At 2 a.m. there were 150–200 students in the chapel seeking God's face and praying for revival on our campus. God is up so something!" Sofia Paglioni, a senior at Samford, said she stopped by Friday morning. "It was just a bunch of students listening and praying. There wasn't singing when I was there. It was pretty calming," she said Friday afternoon, as other students and visitors continued to head toward the chapel. |
| NASA administrator, former US Sen. Bill Nelson gives UF talk on leadership, ethics | |
| NASA administrator and former U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson reinforced the importance of humility and integrity within leadership during a presentation at UF Friday. Nelson, who has served in the Florida House of Representatives and in both chambers of U.S. Congress, gave his sixth presentation of the Nelson Initiative on Ethics and Leadership series, which aims to educate the public about how to build strong leadership skills. Nelson spoke to about 50 students and community members in the George A. Smathers Library Grand Reading Room. The forum was free and open to the public for those who registered. The Levin College of Law Center for Governmental Responsibility partnered with the library to host the event, which began at 2 p.m. Nelson sat on stage with retired NASA astronauts Charles Bolden and Robert "Hoot" Gibson as they discussed what it means to be an ethical leader. "I have a responsibility to speak out on what I know and my experiences," Nelson said. The forum also addressed the key aspects of integrity and humility, which build the foundation for strong leadership. "Recognize that you do not know everything," Bolden said, "It's incumbent upon you as the leader to ask the right questions." |
| Friday marks one year since Russia invaded Ukraine; U. of Missouri students and professor reflect | |
 | As Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago on Friday, Alina Rohulia huddled in the basement of her building with her parents in Kharkiv, Ukraine, where they would spend the next week as rockets and missiles exploded nearby. "On Feb. 23, I went to bed as usual," Rohulia said. "My father said we need to food and medicine in case Russia invades. He had this unexplained hunch that something was going to happen." Her sleep was disturbed, she said. "I texted Vlad at 2 a.m. that I had a nightmare about Russia invading," Rohulia said. Vlad is Vlad Sazhen, her boyfriend from Kharkiv, attending the University of Missouri as an exchange student. "At 5 a.m., my father ran to my room and said 'get up, the war started,'" she said. Her brother was in the Army and not with them when the invasion began, she said. The explosions were constant for days, she said. "It was very nerve-wracking, very overwhelming," she said. "I barely slept. I was very scared." As the war progressed, Sazhen was at MU as an exchange student, a situation that would last just one year. He began to furiously seek opportunities to stay at MU or go to another university in the U.S. or Canada. His efforts paid off with MU International Student and Scholar Services stepping in to help. Veterans United Foundation also donated $103,000 for Sazhen, Rohulia and Ukrainian student Danill Rakov to attend MU. |
| Senior leadership scores low on U. of Missouri satisfaction survey | |
 | University of Missouri faculty reported dissatisfaction with senior university leadership and shared governance, according to a committee report on the 2022 Collaborative on Academic Careers in Education survey. The Collaborative on Academic Careers in Education (COACHE) survey involved a variety of open-ended and Likert scale multiple choice questions, which were then divided into 25 broader benchmark categories seen in the report. Benchmarks from the survey were rated on a scale of 1.0 to 5.0. Scores of the lowest-ranked categories ranged from 2.36 to 2.54, all of which decreased from scores on MU's last report in 2019. The COACHE survey defines senior leadership as the provost and president/chancellor, said Shelly Rodgers, strategic communications professor and co-chair of the COACHE committee. She further explained that shared governance is measured in terms of adaptability, shared sense of purpose, productivity and understanding the issue at hand. These four categories, along with senior leadership, made up the five lowest-scoring benchmarks in the report. The overall response rate to this survey was 51%, higher than MU's 2019 response rate of 41% and the average response rate of other universities that completed the survey in 2022, which was 42%. |
| Michigan State University to resume classes Monday, cover victims' costs | |
| Michigan State University students and faculty will return to classes Monday, university officials reaffirmed Sunday afternoon. Classes have been canceled on campus since the mass shooting last week. "No one thinks we are coming back to a normal week," MSU interim Provost Thomas Jeitschko said at an afternoon news conference. "One of things that is important for us to recognize is that coming back together will help us. We know that everyone heals at their own pace and in their own manner." MSU has spring break starting March 6. Officials said they didn't want to keep students out until after that week. Experts told university officials that "coming back together as a community is important for healing as a community," Jeitschko said. Many on campus, including the editorial board of the student newspaper, have said they aren't ready to return to class Monday, one week after a shooting that left Arielle Anderson, 19, of Harper Woods, Alexandria Verner, 20, of Clawson, and Brian Fraser, 20, of Grosse Pointe, dead and five classmates hospitalized. MSU also announced Sunday it will cover the funeral costs for those killed and the hospital bills for those injured. Interim Deputy Police chief Chris Rozman said there will be an increased police presence on campus in the next week. He also noted the shooting was an isolated incident and the alleged shooter, Anthony McRae, 43, is no longer a threat. Police say McRae died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound when approached by police several hours after the shooting. |
| Rebecca Blank, who led U. of Wisconsin, dies at 67 | |
| Rebecca Blank, an economist who served as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has died, less than a year after announcing that she had an aggressive form of cancer. She was 67. Blank's illness forced her to step aside last July from a new job as president of Northwestern University. "Becky was a transformational leader for UW–Madison, serving during challenging times," said Provost Karl Scholz, the school's chief academic officer. "Early in her tenure, she helped navigate difficult budget cuts; late in her tenure, the COVID pandemic. She was wise and decisive." Blank died Friday, the university said. She was chancellor in Madison from 2013 to 2022. Blank was credited with creating Bucky's Tuition Promise -- named after the school's Badger mascot -- which guarantees scholarships and grants for students whose household income is $65,000 or less. She announced her cancer diagnosis last July, just weeks after leaving Wisconsin. She had been an economics professor at Northwestern earlier in her career. |
| 40 years of debt: Student loan borrowers' struggles expose flaws in system | |
| When C.W. Hamilton took out his first student loan in 1977, the Education Department wasn't even a federal agency. The $5,250 he borrowed to complete an associate's degree at Cochise College in Arizona was supposed to be an investment in his future, not a lifelong burden. Yet after more than 40 years of payments and bouts of default, Hamilton still owes almost as much as he first borrowed. "It's like an anchor around my neck," said Hamilton, a 72-year-old Army veteran in Reno, Nev. "I live on peanuts. ... I can never get from underneath this debt." There are nearly 47,000 people like Hamilton who have been in repayment on their federal student loans for at least 40 years, according to data obtained from the Education Department through a Freedom of Information Act request. About 82 percent of them are in default on their loans, meaning they haven't made a voluntary payment in at least 270 days. While these borrowers represent a sliver of the 43.5 million people with federal student debt, their existence is an indictment of policies meant to help people manage their loans. Years of administrative failures and poorly designed programs have denied many borrowers an off-ramp from a perpetual cycle of debt. Even as the Biden administration tries to remedy these problems -- including fighting legal challenges to its plan to cancel up to $20,000 in debt for many -- the fixes could still leave vulnerable borrowers like Hamilton on the sidelines. |
| Gov. Tate Reeves' negatives are sky high. His strategy is to make Presley's higher. | |
| Bobby Harrison writes for Mississippi Today: The story goes something like this. Two guys on a hike see an angry bear and turn tail to run in the opposite direction. One guy proclaims helplessly, "We can't outrun a bear," to which the other replies, "I don't have to outrun the bear, I just have to outrun you." Republican incumbent Gov. Tate Reeves hopes to make the 2023 general election, where he is likely to face Democrat Brandon Presley, like that hike in the woods. Reeves hopes to make the race one where he does not have to convince the electorate to like him -- he just has to convince voters to dislike him less than they dislike Presley. No matter how often Reeves and his supporters want to shout "fake news" or "rigged polling," the evidence is clear that the incumbent governor is not well-liked by Mississippi voters. A recent Tulchin Research poll revealed that 54% of respondents had an unfavorable view of Reeves compared to 42% who viewed the incumbent governor favorably. ... The key is that most Mississippians do not know Presley, who has served as Northern District Public Service Commissioner since 2008. Reeves, on the other hand, is about as known a commodity as there is in Mississippi. He has run and won five statewide elections and is completing his 20th year in statewide elected office. Reeves will strive to ensure that by the time he completes his sixth statewide campaign that Mississippi voters view Presley more negatively than they view him. |
| Mississippi should extend Medicaid for new mothers to a full year | |
| Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch writes for The Clarion-Ledger: During pregnancy, a woman's body reorders itself to build a new life. Following pregnancy, a woman reorders her life to nurture the young child who depends on her for sustenance, protection, health, guidance and love. Even in the best of circumstances, with a family that supports them, a roof over their heads, food on their table and a steady income, the first year of motherhood is challenging. But for those women who are living on the margins, we must come together to help her and her young family thrive. Extending postpartum Medicaid access for women to a full year is one way we can do that in Mississippi. Under current laws and regulations, pregnant women who might not otherwise qualify for Medicaid are eligible for coverage. Nationally, about four in 10 births are financed through Medicaid. In Mississippi, that number is six in 10. Federal Medicaid law requires states provide pregnancy-related Medicaid coverage for these women for 60 days postpartum. That is what is currently available to a new Mississippi mother. ... Mississippi should join the majority of states in supporting these women in their transition to motherhood by providing essential health coverage for them as they work to build a strong family. Strong families make for a strong Mississippi. Supporting them is not only the right thing to do; it is the smart thing to do. |
| Mississippi House is trying to help, not hurt, Jackson | |
| Trey Lamar, who represents House District 8 in the Mississippi House of Representatives and is currently the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, writes for the Magnolia Tribune: Expanding Mississippi's investment in the judicial resources of Jackson through HB 1020 is a good faith effort at helping the people who live in Jackson and those who visit our Capital City. The seventy-six men and women in your Mississippi House who voted to advance the legislation did so out of concern and compassion, with a sense of duty to help Mississippi's Capital. To be maligned, and to see my colleagues maligned, by a radical mayor and an activist media that are far more interested in sowing discord than solving problems is disappointing, but not unexpected. At times, sensationalism sells better than the truth, unfortunately. But for those who don't mind thinking and questioning false narratives, here's why we voted to provide new law enforcement and judicial resources to Jackson, some of the history behind the Capitol Complex Improvement District, and the truth about what HB 1020 does and does not do. It is a worthy piece of legislation carefully tailored to improve public safety and the climate for economic activity in Jackson. Residents of Jackson have been through a lot in recent years. Much ink could be devoted here to crumbling infrastructure, a failing water system, or internal political feuds between the mayor and his city council over something as simple as garbage collection. But the genesis of HB 1020 was the need for public safety. Spikes in both violent and property crime have made it so that families don't feel safe in their own communities. Many who live outside of Jackson literally fear traveling to their Capital City. For two years in a row, Jackson has been saddled with the highest per capita murder rate in the nation. This tragic distinction not only impacts the people who live in Jackson, but also those who run businesses or work there. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi St. seizes control in OT to sink Ole Miss 69-61 | |
| Tolu Smith scored 17 points and grabbed 12 rebounds and Cameron Matthews also scored 17 points and Mississippi State beat Mississippi 69-61 in an offensive scrum in overtime on Saturday. Dashawn Davis scored 12 points and D.J. Jeffries scored 10 for Mississippi State (18-9, 6-8 SEC) which overcame 19 turnovers shooting 18 for 21 from the foul line. Jaemyn Brakefield scored 20 points for Ole Miss (10-17, 2-12), Matthew Murrell scored 15 points though struggled shooting 4 for 17 and Myles Burns scored 10 with a career-high seven steals. Burns' defensive effort was the second-highest steals total in program history. Five other former players equaled the feat. Gerald Glass (1988) and Eric Laird (1983) share the record with eight. The Bulldogs shot 16.7% (3 for 18) from 3-point range while Ole Miss shot 13.6% (3 for 22) from deep. The long ball was so hard to come by that Jeffries inadvertently ricocheted one in off the corner of the backboard with the shot clock expiring with 3:25 left in overtime for a 61-56 Bulldogs lead. Mississippi State made all four shot attempts and all four foul shots in the extra session and never trailed in overtime. |
| Mississippi State survives scare at Ole Miss with overtime win in Oxford | |
| D.J. Jeffries' 3-pointer from near the left corner of the SJB Pavilion court wasn't quite in line with the basket. Then again, the Mississippi State senior forward didn't need it to be. Jeffries' shot glanced off the glass and cut through the hoop, giving the Bulldogs a crucial five-point cushion early in overtime Saturday against Ole Miss. The triple was emblematic of how MSU played all afternoon: far from perfect, but ultimately enough. The Bulldogs (18-9, 6-8 Southeastern Conference) finished with five strong minutes after 40 shaky ones, holding off the Rebels (10-17, 2-12 SEC) by a 69-61 score in overtime in Oxford. MSU scored the first five points of the extra period on a runner by Dashawn Davis and Jeffries' 3-ball, and it was enough to hang on for a crucial road win late in the regular season. MSU held Ole Miss to just five points on 1-of-7 shooting in overtime. The Rebels shot just 32.3 percent from the field and 13.6 percent from 3 in the game. Mississippi State recovered from trailing for much of the second half to send the game to OT in the first place. |
| Mississippi State basketball takes down rival Ole Miss in overtime | |
| A week which started with NCAA Tournament aspirations for Mississippi State basketball nearly ended in disaster Saturday in a matchup against woeful Ole Miss. The veterans for the Bulldogs had different plans. It started in the final minute when junior guard Shakeel Moore hit a pair of free throws to tie the game. It extended to the next possession when senior forward Tolu Smith caught the ball outside the paint and made a determined drive to tie the game again. Graduate transfer Eric Reed Jr. kept the momentum rolling with a stout defensive possession to force overtime. In overtime, it was senior guard Dashawn Davis who opened the scoring with a jumper and senior forward D.J. Jeffries who followed it up with a wild 3-pointer as the shot clock expired. It took a cumulative effort from MSU's most experienced players, but it was enough to secure an ugly 69-61 overtime win. Mississippi State stays on the road to face Missouri on Tuesday (6 p.m., SEC Network). The Bulldogs beat the Tigers in Starkville two weeks ago. |
| How Chris Jans has taken control of Mississippi State basketball rivalry vs. Ole Miss | |
| A strange sound came from the crowd at the SJB Pavilion on Saturday as Mississippi State basketball took the court 30 minutes prior to tipoff against Ole Miss. MSU forward Cameron Matthews looked around. Surely the Rebels had to be taking the court at the same time, because cheers erupted from the stands, but no Ole Miss players were to be seen. Then it clicked. Those were Mississippi State fans filling their rival's arena with cheers. Freshman Shawn Jones Jr. followed closely behind Matthews out of the tunnel. He looked around and noticed the same presence of maroon and white. "We got more people than them," Jones said to himself. As the game started and fans made their way from Ole Miss baseball's opening series at Swayze Field, the crowd leveled a bit. The home fans started to retake control as time passed and Mississippi State's turnovers piled up to allow Ole Miss (10-17, 2-12 SEC) a chance at a back-breaking blow to its rival's NCAA Tournament hopes. But it didn't last long. Ole Miss coach Kermit Davis is losing the fan base, and first-year Mississippi State coach Chris Jans is building his. It was evident as the Bulldogs regained control in overtime en route to a 69-61 win. Chants of, "Let's go State," echoed throughout the arena. "To hear our fan base, to enjoy that," Jans said postgame, "that makes us feel so good." |
| Kellum Clark homers twice as Mississippi State baseball takes opening series from VMI | |
| Kellum Clark wasn't letting the Mississippi State baseball team lose its season-opening series. Again. Clark smashed two solo home runs, including a shot to right that left Dudy Noble Field, to lead MSU (2-1) to a 9-3 comeback win over VMI (1-2) in Sunday's rubber match in Starkville. Behind Clark's clutch hitting and much-improved pitching, the Bulldogs rebounded from Saturday's ugly 14-13 loss to the Keydets and clinched a series victory. Mississippi State came back from an early 3-0 deficit on the strength of the long ball, with second baseman Amani Larry delivering a two-run homer in the third inning and Clark going deep in the fourth and again in the sixth to break a 3-3 tie. A five-run bottom of the eighth resulted in a scoreline belying a close game for much of the afternoon. Memphis transfer Landon Gartman provided the longest start of the opening weekend for the Bulldogs, striking out eight hitters over five innings before turning things over to the bullpen. Freshmen Jurrangelo Cijntje and Bradley Loftin pitched scoreless frames in their Mississippi State debuts, and transfers Tyson Hardin and Aaron Nixon closed out the game in the same fashion. |
| Unpacking Mississippi State baseball's opening series win against VMI | |
| If the opening weekend at Dudy Noble Field was indicative of the year ahead for Mississippi State baseball, preseason expectations could be spot-on. The MSU offense is built for explosive outings, but pitching could create some agonizing afternoons. Mississippi State took two of three against Virginia Military Institute, capped by a 9-3 win Sunday -- though a tightly-contested series against a team with an all-time winning percentage below .400 isn't the sign of a program less than two years removed from a national title. The season opener on Friday saw Mississippi State (2-1) secure an 11-2 win behind big nights from second baseman Amani Larry and designated hitter Bryce Chance in their debuts. It appeared MSU was on its way toward another easy victory Saturday with a 10-1 lead, but VMI (1-2) pulled off a stunning 14-13 comeback win behind 12 walks and seven hits. The Bulldogs took the finale behind a pair of home runs from outfielder Kellum Clark and a productive outing from starter Landon Gartman. Mississippi State's pitching will be put to the test with five games this week. It starts with a pair of midweek games against University of Louisiana Monroe before a weekend series against Arizona State. |
| Mississippi State Victorious on Senior Day | |
| Mississippi State rolls over the Tide with a 60-45 win over Alabama on senior day, improving its record to 19-7 overall and 8-6 in the SEC. The Bulldogs were in control all game, holding the Tide to just seven points in the second quarter, just the second time all season that Alabama has only scored seven points in the second quarter. Mississippi State's defense came to play, holding Alabama to 45 points, their lowest-scoring game all season. Their previous season low was 51 against LSU on Jan. 23. Threes were the name of the game in the first half. The Bulldogs hit five triples, tying their season-high for most three-pointers scored in the first half in SEC play. State ended the game with eight while shooting 53% from deep (8-for-15). JerKaila Jordan continues to be a dominant force for State tying a career-high in scoring with 24 points while adding six rebounds and four steals. Jordan was dominant in the first half, scoring 14 of her 24 points. Jordan has scored 20-plus points in four games this season, three in SEC play. Following Sunday's senior day, Mississippi State is back home on Thursday, Feb. 23, when they host Arkansas in the final regular season home game of the year. Tip-off against the Hogs is set for 8 p.m. |
| Jordan spearheads Bulldogs' win over Crimson Tide | |
| It's put up or shut up time in college basketball, and Mississippi State put up on Sunday night. With their bubble status in the latest bracketology and a tough loss against Missouri hanging over their heads, Sam Purcell's Bulldogs put in a statement performance on senior night, going hard from start to finish against Alabama at the Hump and winning 60-45. It's another all important Quadrant 1 win and more importantly one that gives MSU confidence going into its next Quad 1 game Thursday. The Bulldogs (19-8) put in one of their strongest performances so far in Southeastern Conference play this season, and probably their best against a Quad 1 opponent in defeating the Tide (20-7). They went wire to wire over Bama, shooting 52 percent from the field while holding the Tide to just 29 percent, and they posted 10 blocks and eight steals as a defensive unit. "Well, Missouri definitely didn't leave a good taste in our mouth," Ahlana Smith said after the win. "We knew that we couldn't let Missouri beat us twice, and the only way we could've did that was to practice hard all week and come out today and execute and put everything we did in practice into play." |
| Mississippi State softball falls to No. 20 UCF to close Clearwater Invitational | |
| For the second straight day, the Mississippi State softball team suffered a last at-bat loss to a ranked team at the Clearwater Invitational. After losing 5-4 to No. 25 Michigan on Saturday, the Bulldogs (6-4) fell 6-5 to No. 20 UCF to wrap up play at the Eddie C. Moore Complex in Clearwater, Florida. Earlier Sunday, MSU had beaten South Florida 8-0 on the run rule in five innings. Shannon Doherty lined the go-ahead single into left field, just past the glove of Bulldogs shortstop Nadia Barbary, in the bottom of the sixth for UCF. The hit gave the Knights the win after Mississippi State rallied from a 5-2 deficit. Barbary hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning, and Florida native Jackie McKenna tied the game with a single through the right side in the sixth. But it was Doherty -- also a Florida native and a good friend of McKenna's -- who won it for UCF. Mississippi State went 3-2 in Clearwater and will next compete in the South Alabama Invitational. The Bulldogs open play against Tulsa at 12:30 p.m. Friday in Mobile, Alabama. |
| SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey Discusses CFB Landscape With OutKick | |
| The landscape around college athletics has taken a drastic turn over the last number of years, with SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey at the forefront. What started in 2019 as a research project into schedule changes in football, has now turned into one of the biggest topics around the sport with playoff expansion on the horizon. OutKick's Trey Wallace recently sat down with Sankey to discuss a variety of topics, including former Mississippi State coach Mike Leach. One of Wallace's key observations is that the SEC is ready for change, whether it be through television networks or scheduling arguments that are coming from member institutions. |
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