| Thursday, May 22, 2025 |
| MSU airport shuttle departure schedule adjusted to meet airline baggage check changes | |
 | A 45-minute cutoff for checking baggage with Delta and American airlines has changed the express shuttle times offered by Mississippi State Transportation to Golden Triangle Regional Airport. The GTRA express shuttle now departs The Mill at MSU two hours before flight time and arrives at the airport one and a half hours before flight time. This is 30 minutes earlier than the previous schedule. Shuttle pickups from the Starkville campus and hotels along Highway 12 also can be scheduled with MSU if reservations are made at least 24 hours prior to the requested departure time from these locations. This service is available by emailing GTRShuttle@transportation.msstate.edu or calling 662-325-5204. Post-flight return trips from GTRA to Starkville remain the same. The shuttle departs after the terminal has cleared of passengers and arrives at The Mill at MSU approximately 30 minutes afterward. Return service to the Starkville campus and hotels along Highway 12 takes place after the stop at The Mill. |
| Hyde-Smith Seeks Animal Disease Quick-Response Pledges from USDA Assistant Secretary Nominees | |
 | U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss), with an eye on various animal diseases threatening the livestock and poultry industry, today encouraged the nominees to lead U.S. Department of Agriculture regulatory and research programs to endorse early preparation and rapid response policies to combat outbreaks. The Senate Agriculture Committee on Wednesday conducted a confirmation hearing for Dudley Hoskins to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Marketing and Regulatory Programs and Dr. Scott Hutchins, a Mississippi State University alumnus, to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Research, Education, and Economics. "Our livestock and poultry industries rely heavily on how the USDA acts to protect our nation from foreign animal diseases," Hyde-Smith said. Hyde-Smith asked Hutchins how he intended to strengthen USDA partnerships with land-grant universities, like Mississippi State, to advance new scientific breakthroughs in American agriculture. "These research initiatives support American farmers and ranchers in so many ways, including developing and improving crop genetics, advancing animal health capabilities, and creating new tools to fight diseases and pests that adversely affect production agriculture," Hyde-Smith said. "In my lifetime, I have seen yields increase up to 400 percent at times because of these advancements, which must continue if we're going to provide a safe, abundant, affordable food supply." Hutchins, who would oversee the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (ARS), and other research agencies, said pledged to continue the strong partnership with land-grant institutions. |
| Trump nominee for Asst. Secretary of the Army for Civil Works has Mississippi ties | |
| A former member of U.S. Senator Thad Cochran's staff could soon be heading up the Army Corps of Engineers. Adam Telle has been nominated by President Donald Trump to be Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works. If confirmed by the Senate, Telle would play a key role in carrying out the administration's priorities as it relates to the ports, waterways, and flood control infrastructure maintained by the Corps across our nation. Telle would likely also be pivotal in how the Corps continues to work with Mississippi on the Yazoo Backwater Area Water Management Project. Just last week, Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith announced that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was directing $136.5 million in Fiscal Year 2025 appropriations to Mississippi for work on 30 projects, including $32 million for mitigation requirements and pre-construction project planning for the Yazoo Backwater Area Water Management Project. Telle is a graduate of Mississippi State University. |
| Benton native Spencer Lile named 2025 Astronaut Scholar | |
| Benton native Spencer Lile is among Mississippi State University's newest recipients of the prestigious 2025 Astronaut Scholarship, one of the nation's top academic honors for students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Lile, a physics and biomedical engineering major at MSU, joins Brittin Perdue of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, as one of two university students selected for the national honor. Both are part of the Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College and previously were named Barry Goldwater Scholars. The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation awarded scholarships to 74 students nationwide this year. Recipients receive up to $15,000 and gain access to a lifelong network of mentors and peer researchers. Lile, who is concentrating in pre-med, plans to pursue M.D. and Ph.D. programs to study computational modeling of the heart. He hopes to work in a lab designing patient-specific treatments for rare disorders. MSU's nominations for the scholarship are coordinated by the Office of Prestigious External Scholarships and Director David Hoffman. |
| Mary Means Business: Outdoor store in Starkville closes shop | |
 | Owens Outfitters, a sporting goods store in Starkville, closed last month. The store opened in Starkville at Middleton Court in 2019 before transitioning to Highway 182 a couple of years later. The company served the archery, ammo and sporting goods needs of Starkville for about five years before it officially closed permanently. Heading over to 395 College View, Mississippi Ice should finish all construction by the end of this week. Owner Mark Leblanc first opened Mississippi Ice in Brookhaven more than a year ago, and after seeing the daiquiri shop's popularity, he decided to open a second location in Starkville. Since Mississippi Ice is opening at College View, Leblanc said the bar will be in the "leisure and recreation district," meaning you can enjoy a drink to-go and peruse the Cotton District. Once open, folks can check out live music on weekdays, daiquiris to-go, Cajun poboys, seafood and more 3-11 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m.-8 p.m. on Sundays. |
| Schools gearing up for summer meal programs | |
| With the end of the school year just around the corner, area school districts are preparing to keep cafeteria doors open next month with the goal of ensuring students stay fed through the summer holiday. For many students, free summer meal programs may be the difference between eating a hot meal for lunch and going hungry for the day. "We have a pretty significant percentage -- over 75% -- of our students (who) qualify for free and reduced lunch, and that number is based on income," Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District Communications Director Haley Montgomery said. "Just speaking in realistic terms, we have students who rely on our school meals during the school year for (nutrition) and the assurance of meal security. So it's really important for us to be able to meet those needs some during the summer." Montgomery said the program has a large impact each year, especially because being a student within the district is not a requirement to receive a meal. "We typically will serve just individual families, and then we have a few summer programs, childcare programs who come in and eat on certain days too," she said. "So it's a good environment for families." |
| Woman arrested after gunshot at McKee Park | |
| A woman was arrested on Wednesday afternoon following a reported fight and gunshot at McKee Park. Cortina Sanders, 52, of Fayetteville, Georgia was charged with possession of a weapon by a felon, discharging a firearm within city limits and simple assault, according to a Starkville Police Department press release. No injuries were reported, the release said. SPD officers responded to the call at about 4:29 p.m., securing the park's entrances and exits and making contact with the individuals involved in the reported fight. The disturbance occurred at the park's pavilion, the release said. Anyone with information about this incident or other criminal activity is encouraged to contact the Starkville Police Department at (662) 323-4131, Golden Triangle Crime Stoppers at (800) 530-7151, or submit an anonymous tip through the SPD website. Crime Stoppers may offer a cash reward. |
| This Kentucky plant has a link to keeping Mississippi Nissan plant alive | |
 | In yet another indication that the Canton Nissan facility may be safe from closure, the Japanese automotive company has come to terms for a location to produce batteries for electric vehicles. Nissan previously announced an agreement with a South Korean company, SK On, that will supply batteries for the EVs to be produced at its Canton assembly plant. The batteries will be made in Kentucky. That will be made possible because it appears Ford Motor is scaling back its electric vehicle ambitions by allowing Nissan to use part of one of its Kentucky battery plants. According to an exclusive Wall Street Journal report, the decision affects one of two battery plants Ford launched in 2021 as part of a $7 billion EV investment with South Korea's SK On. Today, one of the Kentucky factories sits idle, while the other is only partially operational, and it is now expected to produce batteries for both Ford and Nissan. The plant that Nissan will share with Ford is in Glendale, Kentucky, about 50 miles south of Louisville and just outside of Elizabethtown along Interstate 65. A spokesperson for Nissan told the Clarion Ledger on Wednesday, May 21, that an announcement about where the batteries will be made will come at a later time. According to Nissan, however, SK On will supply nearly 100GWh of high-performance, high-nickel batteries to Nissan from 2028 to 2033. Those U.S.-manufactured batteries will power Nissan's next-generation EVs to be produced at its Canton assembly plant. |
| MALTB recovers stolen agricultural equipment in multiple investigations | |
| The Mississippi Agriculture and Livestock Theft Bureau (MALTB) assisted in the recovery of stolen agricultural equipment and goods valued at over $145,000 across multiple counties. On April 30, the Brandon Police Department received a report of a 2022 4WD Kubota M6060 tractor stolen, allegedly using a fraudulent check. The MALTB was called to assist in the investigation the same day. MALTB investigators, along with officers from the Brandon Police Department and Claiborne County Sheriff's Department, recovered the stolen Kubota tractor in Claiborne County on Saturday, May 3. An arrest was made in connection with this case with the help of the Grenada Police Department and the Madison Parish Sheriff's Office in Louisiana. On May 6, MALTB investigators recovered a KBH fertilizer tender originally stolen from Humphreys County. The fertilizer tender, valued at $80,000, contained $15,000 worth of fertilizer at the time of the theft. The tender was recovered in Madison County, where the investigation is ongoing. In a separate case, the MALTB located and recovered two dump trailers and one enclosed trailer on Wednesday, May 14. The trailers are estimated to have a combined value of $50,000. All three investigations remain active and ongoing. |
| RFK Jr.'s 'Make America Healthy Again' report worries farmers, Republicans ahead of release | |
 | A highly-anticipated White House report about childhood diseases has provoked a tug-of-war pitting farmers and some prominent Republican lawmakers against health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his "Make America Healthy Again" movement ahead of its release. President Donald Trump promised a review within 100 days that would analyze the ramifications that U.S. lifestyle -- from the medications prescribed for children to the food served on their school lunch trays -- has on childhood diseases like obesity, depression or attention deficit disorder. The report, led by a so-called "MAHA Commission," is expected to be released on Thursday. Farmers and Republicans are nervous about what the report might say about glyphosate, the ingredient commonly used in pesticides sprayed on crops. Kennedy has denied the report will be unfavorable to farmers. During a senate hearing on Wednesday, Kennedy rebutted concerns from Mississippi Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith that the report would "unfairly" target farmers. "There's not a single word in them that should worry the American farmer," Kennedy said of his report. "We are not going to do anything to jeopardize that business model." Kennedy was appearing before the Senate Appropriations Committee to discuss the White House's proposed budget, which would give a $500 million boost for Kennedy's "Make America Healthy Again" initiative. That same proposal also makes deep cuts, including to infectious disease prevention, maternal health and medical research programs. |
| Mississippi senator questions accuracy, bias of RFK Jr. committee's MAHA food safety report | |
 | Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will release a Make America Healthy Again commission report on May 22. Kennedy addressed a Senate subcommittee hearing on May 20. U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Mississippi, had questions about the speed and accuracy with which the report was compiled, asking if it would unfairly target American farmers and farming practices determined to be safe by other government agencies. Kennedy said that wasn't the case and the MAHA movement would have to work with farmers to ensure safe, healthy food for the country. Hyde-Smith said she "could not be more supportive" of the Trump administration's health goals during the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee hearing. However, she has qualms the MAHA report "may unfairly target American agriculture, modern farming practices, and the crop protection tools that roughly 2% of our population relies on to help feed the remaining 98 percent." The executive order demands that the MAHA committee "avoid or eliminate conflicts of interest that skew outcomes and perpetuate distrust" and make sure "agencies shall work with farmers to ensure that United States food is the healthiest, most abundant, and most affordable in the world." "Mr. Secretary, with respect to the subsection that I just mentioned regarding conflicts of interest, skewing outcomes, and perpetuating distrust, do you think America's farmers and ranchers will believe you are living up to this principle when they read your initial assessment later this week?" Hyde-Smith asked. |
| RFK Jr.'s big report is coming. The GOP's farm and food allies are sweating. | |
 | An expected report Thursday from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. assessing the causes of chronic disease in children could test whether Republicans in Congress can get along with a health secretary keen on regulating farm and food companies. Republican lawmakers representing agriculture and food manufacturing districts have warned Kennedy to lay off, but they and the industries they represent are still fretting the report. They worry it will point to pesticides and food dyes as potential causes for kids' diseases and propose regulation that could cut profits and cost jobs. Even if Kennedy steers clear of regulatory proposals, they fear his report could dampen demand for the products their constituents make. President Donald Trump's embrace of an environmental activist long on the far left of the Democratic Party worked out great in last year's election and most Republicans in Congress endorsed Trump's decision to let Kennedy "go wild" on health care. But lately, they've asked him pointed questions about what's coming in his Make America Healthy Again Commission's report. Kennedy has said repeatedly he believes food companies make people sick for profit. Farm and food lobbyists are blowing up lawmakers' phones and ratcheting up spending as they seek to counter accusations from Kennedy and push back on the charges they fear his report will level. Farm groups are especially peeved the administration has essentially brushed off their concerns about how the report will treat pesticides. |
| House Passes Trump's Domestic Policy Bill, Overcoming Last-Minute Resistance | |
 | The House early Thursday narrowly passed a wide-ranging bill to deliver President Trump's domestic agenda, after Speaker Mike Johnson put down several mini-rebellions in Republican ranks to muscle the legislation to its first major victory over unified Democratic opposition. The early morning vote was 215 to 214, mostly along party lines. The legislation would slash taxes, steer more money to the military and border security, and pay for some of this with cuts to Medicaid, food assistance, education and clean energy programs, adding significantly to federal deficits and to the ranks of the uninsured. Its passage was a crucial victory for what Mr. Trump and Republicans are calling the "big, beautiful bill," and the first step in their plan to push it through Congress over unified Democratic opposition using special rules that shield it from a Senate filibuster. That process has been fraught with problems given the G.O.P.'s tiny margins of control in both chambers and rampant divisions within its ranks. And the measure is likely to face substantial obstacles in the Senate, where Republicans have far different ideas about what should be in the legislation and a more complicated set of rules for considering such bills. |
| Tax bill would cut availability of med school loans amid doctor shortage | |
| A little-discussed provision on student loan policies in President Trump's massive budget bill would restrict borrowing for medical school and possibly exacerbate the country's physician shortage. The U.S. is already projected to face a deficit of 187,130 physicians by 2037, with shortages particularly acute in specialties like vascular and thoracic surgery. "We've got a tsunami of challenges already to deal with," said David Bergman, a senior vice president at the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM). "It just will be exacerbated by a lack of access to reasonably priced student loans." The GOP-led reconciliation bill moving through Congress would eliminate a federal loan program for graduate students called Grad PLUS. Loans would become unavailable for new borrowers starting in the 2026-2027 school year and for existing borrowers in the 2029-2030 term. The bill would also stop loan repayments during medical residencies from counting toward a loan forgiveness program; cap professional school federal loans at $150,000; and require universities to pay a portion of unpaid student loans back to the federal government. The legislative changes are aimed at pushing medical schools to lower tuition, said Sara Robertson, press secretary for Republicans on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. Medical schools dispute the suggestion that these policy changes will drive down tuition and the overall cost of attending medical school. |
| Senate panel wary of states managing National Park sites | |
 | Interior Secretary Doug Burgum defended proposed cuts to his department's fiscal 2026 budget before a Senate panel on Wednesday as lawmakers questioned an administration suggestion that some parts of the National Park Service could be managed by the states. Senate Interior-Environment Appropriations Chair Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and panel Democrats also questioned Burgum about the effect of reduced staffing since the beginning of the Trump administration. Burgum defended the White House's request to cut his department's budget by roughly 30 percent from fiscal 2025, to $11.7 billion, with significant cuts at agencies including the National Park Service and Bureau of Indian Affairs. The request would cut $900 million from NPS park operations, $158 million from the NPS Historic Preservation Fund, $77 million from national recreation and preservation grants and $73 million from construction. In one document outlining cuts and consolidations, the White House suggested that the NPS included a number of parks that "are better categorized and managed as State-level parks." "It's like me putting my kids in charge of the upkeep for the house that I own," said Murkowski. "In some instances it might make good sense, but as a wholesale best practice, I worry about how that might impact the parks for our people." |
| Supreme Court blocks nation's first religious charter school in major loss for religious rights advocates | |
 | A divided Supreme Court on Thursday blocked the creation of the nation's first religious charter school, a major loss for religious rights advocates after a string of victories from the high court. The court split 4-4 over whether to allow the school, leaving in place the Oklahoma Supreme Court's decision that a religious charter school would violate the Constitution. Justice Amy Coney Barrett did not participate in the decision. Although she didn't give a reason, Barrett is close friends with the Notre Dame Law School professor who was an early legal adviser to the Catholic Church in Oklahoma, which wanted to open a virtual charter school in the state. The court issued its one sentence decision three weeks after hearing oral arguments. During those arguments, the court's conservative majority seemed sympathetic to the Catholic Church's bid to create a religious charter school, which would have been a major expansion of the use of taxpayer money for religious education. The case put in conflict the Constitution's prohibition of the establishment of religion against its protections for the free exercise of religion. |
| ICE Arrests Mississippi Father at His Citizenship Hearing, Threatening Deportation | |
| One morning, sitting in an immigration office in Memphis, Kasper Eriksen found himself transformed. Only a day before, he was a welding foreman, a husband and father of four who lived on a family farm in Sturgis, Mississippi. Now, he was a detainee, bound and shackled to the sterile white seats of a detention shuttle in Tennessee, headed southwest, barely able to wriggle. It was here, late on April 15, with chains around his belly, hands and ankles, that the Denmark-born man fully realized that what he was experiencing was not a brief disruption from his many years in America---some clerical error that could be unmade in an afternoon's discussion, or with the swift intervention of a judge. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement transported Kasper to the Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center, also known as the LaSalle Detention Center, in Jena, Louisiana, with a dozen other detainees. Kasper has never been charged with or convicted of any crime. He has not been accused of being a member of MS-13 or Tren de Aragua. What led the government to rip Kasper out of the arms of his family was, to the best of his knowledge, a single document. Form I-751, appropriately clinical, a "Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence," was just one of the endless documents he needed on his decade-plus journey to American citizenship. Eriksen spoke to the Mississippi Free Press from the LaSalle Detention Center on the morning of May 20, confirming first that he was safe and not experiencing any of the abuse reported in some ICE facilities elsewhere in Louisiana. |
| Two Israeli Embassy staffers killed in shooting near Jewish Museum in D.C. | |
 | A young couple who worked for the Israeli Embassy were shot dead near the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington late Wednesday by a gunman who chanted "free, free Palestine" after the shooting, according to authorities. A suspect was in custody, D.C. police said. The victims were exiting the museum in Northwest Washington after attending an event hosted by the American Jewish Committee when the gunman opened fire, authorities said. Israel's X account identified the victims as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim. Israeli government officials said Thursday that Lischinsky was a research assistant in the Israeli Embassy's political department and Milgrim organized missions and visits to Israel. Lischinsky and Milgrim were "in the prime of their lives" and planning to get married, said the Israeli Embassy and its spokeswoman Tal Naim. The shooting will be investigated as a possible hate crime, Steven J. Jensen, the assistant director in charge of the FBI's Washington field office, said during a news conference hours after the shooting. Israeli officials on Thursday referred to the killings as a "terrorist" attack motivated by antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiments. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar on Thursday said the shooting was a direct consequence of antisemitism and anti-Israel incitement, including from some world leaders. |
| The Fortress That China Built for Its Battle with America | |
 | The storm clouds for China were gathering when leader Xi Jinping convened the country's top scientists at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in May 2018. The U.S. was beginning to clamp down on selling technology to China, with more restrictions on the way. China must not be forced to beg others for technology, Xi said. Only through self-reliance "can we fundamentally safeguard national economic security," he said. Since then, China has raced ahead in many strategic sectors -- and in some cases is catching up with the U.S. Its electric-car companies are among the world's best. Chinese AI startups rival OpenAI and Google. The country's biologists are pushing the boundaries of pharmaceutical research, and its factories are being filled with advanced robotics. At sea, Chinese-made cargo vessels dominate global shipping. In space, the country has been launching hundreds of satellites to monitor every corner of the Earth. Beyond frontier technology, Beijing is pursuing greater self-reliance in food and energy, and has bulked up its military. These successes and many others are helping to fortify China and its economy as Xi prepares the nation for an era of sustained hostilities with the U.S., including the continuing trade war. Last year, China invested $500 billion on research and development, triple from when Xi took office in 2012. China spends nearly as much on R&D as the U.S. |
| Trump Has Cut Science Funding to Its Lowest Level in Decades | |
| The National Science Foundation, which funds much of the fundamental scientific research at American universities, is awarding new grants at the slowest pace in at least 35 years. The funding decreases touch virtually every area of science -- extending far beyond the diversity programs and other "woke" targets that the Trump administration says it wants to cut. That means less support for early-stage research that underpins future technological advancements -- and American competitiveness -- in areas like computer science and engineering; physics and chemistry; climate science and weather forecasting; and materials and manufacturing innovations. It also means less money for undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and early-career professors -- potentially disrupting the nation's future scientific work force. Economists have warned that cutting federal funding for scientific research could, in the long run, damage the U.S. economy by an amount equivalent to a major recession. "These cuts are the height of self-inflicted harm," said Robert Atkinson, the president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a nonpartisan science and technology policy research institute. The foundation has argued that China probably already conducts more research and development than the United States. |
| Trump Adviser Blames 'Scientific Slowdown' on DEI, Red Tape | |
 | President Donald Trump's science adviser and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy believes the recent, seismic cuts to federal research funding offer "a moment of clarity" for the scientific community to rethink its priorities, including the government's role in supporting research. Michael Kratsios, who is pushing for increased private sector support of research, said that federal investment in scientific research -- much of which happens at universities -- has yielded "diminishing returns" over the past 45 years. "As in scientific inquiry, when we uncover evidence that conflicts with our existing theories, we revise our theories and conduct further experiments to better understand the truth," Kratsios, a former tech executive with ties to tech titan and conservative activist Peter Thiel, said at a meeting of the National Academy of Sciences on Monday. "This evidence of a scientific slowdown should spur us to experiment with new systems, new models, new ways of funding, conducting and using science." But some experts believe Kratsios's comments mischaracterized trends in the nation's academic research enterprise, which has been faced with decades of declining federal funding. "Kratsios may have things exactly backward. Our growth has slowed down over decades -- the same decades where we have been funding science less and less as a share of GDP," Benjamin Jones, an economics professor at Northwestern University and former senior economist for macroeconomics for the White House Council of Economic Advisers, said in an email to Inside Higher Ed. "Federally supported research is near its lowest level in the last 70 years. If the U.S. really wants to be 'first' in the world, the key will be how fast we advance. Cutting science is just a huge brake on our engine." |
| Need for nurses continues in Mississippi | |
| Enrollment in Mississippi undergraduate nursing programs showed a slight decline year over year but graduate programs saw an increase, Dr. Melissa Temple, Director of Nursing Education for the State Institutions of Higher Learning told the IHL Board last week. Mississippi currently has 41 total degree programs offered through 25 schools of nursing. Total enrollment saw a slight drop from the 2022-2023 year, from 3,865 to 3,847 for the 2023-2024 school year. However, Temple noted that enrollment in graduate programs increased while associate and baccalaureate program enrollment declined. She also told the IHL Board a need for registered nurses in the state continues, with vacancies occurring statewide and the turnover rate reaching 21.2 percent in 2023. "We are still facing a shortage," Temple explained. "There were 1,500 vacancies reported in 2023, with a report of 406 needed over the next two years." Temple went on to ask the IHL Board to approve the initial, full and continuing accreditation for all nursing degree programs in the state, except those at four institutions. The four programs in question are the BSN and MSN programs at Alcorn State University, the ADN program at Copiah-Lincoln Community College, the ADN program at Jones County Junior College, and the DNP program at the University of Southern Mississippi. For those programs, Temple asked the IHL Board to grant them continuing accreditation with conditions, which will require those programs to develop a plan for improvement on noted deficiencies by June 30 and/or issue a follow-up report. |
| DOJ shakeup may put civil rights probe of 1970 Jackson State University killings at risk | |
 | Dale Gibbs awoke to banging on the door of her parents' home in Ripley, Mississippi, in the early hours of May 15, 1970, just three days before her 19th birthday. Her husband, Phillip, a 21-year-old senior at Jackson State College, was expected to return that night after making the nearly four-hour drive from campus. But he wasn't banging on the door. It was Phillip's sister, Nerene, and a neighbor. Nerene was screaming. Phillip Gibbs had been shot and killed by police on Jackson State's campus in a 28-second barrage of more than 400 bullets. The officers had arrived after someone set fire to a dump truck during mounting tensions between students at the Black college and White motorists who drove through it. Firefighters extinguished the fire, but the officers inexplicably turned and marched a couple of blocks deeper into the campus, stopped in front of Alexander Hall, a women's dormitory, and opened fire. They shot students in front of the dorm and others through the dorm's glass windows. Phillip Gibbs was one of the onlookers. James Earl Green, a high school senior, was also shot and killed on the other side of the street while walking home from his job at the Wag-a-Bag corner store. Unbeknownst to Dale Gibbs, the Department of Justice opened an investigation into the killings under the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act, during the first Trump Administration, according to department documents. But now, the future of that federal investigation is unclear. |
| U. of Alabama drops tuition for Early College high school student program | |
 | High school students who want to earn college credit now will pay a lot less at the University of Alabama. UA's Early College program for fall 2025 is now $33 per credit hour, a 90% decrease from its previous price. "This move makes Early College accessible to even more students to experience our support-driven dual enrollment program," said Lynette Campos, director of UA Early College in a news release. "The reduction reduces financial barriers and opens doors for more students to experience college-level coursework from a prominent, nationally ranked university." High school students can choose from more than 100 courses, allowing them "to get a head start on their college education" while "reducing the overall cost." Courses are offered online and in-person. Options can include Japanese, physics and computer science principles. Students also get a college adviser and can talk about which other courses they want to pursue if they pick UA for college. Other universities around the state, including Troy University, the University of North Alabama and Auburn University, offer similar options for high school students. |
| LSU professor's lawsuit will not be heard by Louisiana Supreme Court, justices rule | |
 | The Louisiana Supreme Court declined to hear a lawsuit from LSU law professor Ken Levy, who was suspended from the classroom after making comments about President Donald Trump and Gov. Jeff Landry in front of students. The tenured law professor filed a lawsuit in January against the LSU Board of Supervisors, claiming his suspension violated his free speech and due process rights and asked to be returned to the classroom. Previously, an East Baton Rouge Parish district judge ruled for a preliminary injunction allowing Levy to return to the classroom and barred LSU from infringing on his constitutionally protected due process and free speech rights. However, then an appeals court threw out the portion of the order that would have allowed him to teach again. Levy then asked the Louisiana Supreme Court to review the appellate court's decision. The top court in the state formally denied his request in a decision Tuesday. This means that the Levy will remain out of the classroom pending LSU's investigation, and the appellate court's decision still stands. Levy told The Advocate that the Supreme Court's decision "was very disappointing." |
| $38.69M: Federal grants cut by Trump across University of Tennessee | |
 | Research into vaccines, school shootings, Alzheimer's and mental health have been hobbled by wide-ranging cuts at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville ordered by President Donald Trump. In addition to these cuts, the University of Tennessee System reported an additional 17 grants have been canceled across its campuses for a total of 45. The UT System provided Knox News with a list of those grants, in addition to 16 grants that are active or pending. Prior to most of the cuts, the universities awarded grants had already started spending money on their various federally funded research projects. The lost value across the 45 canceled grants (originally valued at $54.11 million) is $38.69 million. In some cases, a state institution such as the Tennessee Historical Commission received a federal grant and subcontracted UT to help on the project. The grants also are for projects regarding marginalized communities including Black people, folks in the LGBTQ+ community and residents of Appalachia. |
| Critters caused two large power outages this week in Athens and on UGA campus | |
 | When people arrived for work at the University of Georgia in Athens on the morning of May 19, the power was gone along with the internet. The following day almost 2,000 customers in the lower end of Clarke County awoke to the same problem. What or who caused these massive power outages on days of fair weather? Blame it on a snake and a squirrel. Georgia Power Company officials identified them as the culprits on Tuesday. A squirrel -- known as a wily creature -- somehow managed to evade animal protection devices and enter a substation on the UGA campus and damage a circuit breaker. UGA issued a statement to alert residents that more than 20 buildings were affected along with traffic lights at numerous intersections. Then the next morning, a snake -- the variety not released -- slithered into a substation and did something (actual problem not released) that caused another massive power outage in areas along the Barnett Shoals Road corridor headed toward Oconee County and adjacent areas. Squirrels were in the news recently on the UGA campus. The university in recent weeks sponsored "Name a Squirrel" asking folks in a fundraiser for the alumni association to name campus squirrels, the toy variety, described as "charming." The cost was $10. The substation squirrel was apparently the rodent with no name. |
| U. of Florida scientists confirm hybrid termites established in state | |
 | Scientists have confirmed that two of the world's most destructive invasive termite species are not only spreading in the United States but also hybridizing -- the process of two different species crossbreeding to produce a hybrid. This raises concerns about their potential to spread farther and cause even greater structural and environmental damage. A new study from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) confirms that hybrid termite colonies have now been established in South Florida. Just published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the study documents how the invasive Formosan subterranean termites and Asian subterranean termites are not only coexisting in urban environments but also breeding with each other. "About 10 years ago, we first observed males and females from the two species interact through interspecies courtship behaviors during spring termite dispersal flights," said Thomas Chouvenc, associate professor of urban entomology at the UF/IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center and lead author of the study. "This was unexpected, and it raised red flags about the possibility of hybrid populations forming in the field." |
| How Alums Put DEI at U. of Virginia in the Justice Dept.'s Crosshairs | |
 | In June 2020, as millions took to the streets to protest anti-Black racism, the president of the University of Virginia, James E. Ryan, created a small team with an ambitious agenda. The university needed bold ideas, he told the new Racial Equity Task Force, and it needed them quickly. Two months later, the three-person task force delivered a 12-point plan. Drawing on input from hundreds of students, faculty and staff members, and town-hall participants, it included working to dramatically increase the number of students of color. The plan also called for doubling the number of faculty members from underrepresented racial backgrounds, removing tributes to the Confederacy and eugenicists, and dedicating up to $950 million toward these and other racial-equity efforts. The Board of Visitors signed off on most of the recommendations, and the university set about putting aspirations into action. Now, five years later, the university has been ordered to scrap two key diversity goals. Ryan is under intensifying pressure from board members and others to see that DEI is completely abolished at UVa, a purple-state flagship founded by Thomas Jefferson and built by enslaved laborers. The Justice Department became involved through a web of connections among its lawyers, members of the university board, and a conservative alumni group that has set its sights not just on UVa's DEI programs, but on the president they hold responsible for implementing them. |
| College Enrollment Continues to Climb, Nearing Recovery | |
| Undergraduate enrollment remains slightly below 2020 levels, but college enrollment as a whole is making a steady recovery, driven in part by growth in certificate programs and at two-year public institutions, according to new data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. The clearinghouse's latest report, published Wednesday, shows 18.4 million students were enrolled in higher education this spring, a 3.2 percent year-over-year increase. Undergraduate enrollment jumped 3.5 percent from spring 2024 but remains down 2.4 percent from 2020. Similarly, graduate enrollment grew 1.5 percent -- to 3.1 million students -- compared to spring 2024, and 7.2 percent from 2020. For years, researchers have forecast that a decline in the number of college-aged students will negatively impact college enrollment levels, but the data has yet to show that drop. "We are not yet seeing here declines that have been projected for the number of high school graduates in the coming years," said Doug Shapiro, executive director of the NSCRC, during a press briefing on Wednesday. Nontraditional programs continue to see gains, including certificate programs and vocationally focused programs at two-year institutions, while enrollment at four-year institutions hovers below pre-pandemic levels. |
| Colleges report widespread problems with financial aid since Education Department layoffs | |
| When the U.S. Department of Education abruptly dismissed half its workforce earlier this year, college officials worried the layoffs and buyouts would create a bottleneck that would hamper their ability to help students. A few months later, that scenario is no longer hypothetical. A survey published May 21 of roughly 900 colleges offers some of the first official indications that the federal financial aid system has started to buckle. The results revealed that many of the millions of students who rely on federal assistance to pay for college each year are having issues getting the support they need. In their correspondence with the Education Department, hundreds of schools reported widespread communication breakdowns, processing delays and an erosion of federal support services. The online survey was conducted in early May by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. Six in 10 colleges described noticeable changes or slowdowns in responsiveness from the Federal Student Aid office, the arm of the Education Department responsible for overseeing financial aid, including the nearly $2 trillion federal student loan portfolio. More than 350 colleges said delays in the federal government's communications have left students confused or misinformed. |
| McMahon Plays Defense on the Hill | |
| U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon defended sweeping layoffs at the Education Department and the Trump administration's proposed 15 percent cut to the department's budget at a House appropriations committee hearing Wednesday, maintaining that the department needs a major overhaul and that education is best managed by local governments. In exchanges that often grew tense, Democrats pressed McMahon on the consequences of the administration's decision to lay off nearly half of her department's staff, the feasibility of her proposal to hand much of its responsibilities to state and local governments, massive cuts to universities' federal research grants and contracts, and cuts to federal student aid eligibility and work-study funding. In an opening salvo, ranking Democratic representative Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut accused McMahon of "recklessly incapacitating the department you lead" and of violating the Constitution by doing so. "You are usurping Congress's authority and infringing on Congress's power of the purse," DeLauro said. "Your actions are lawless, they reek of disdain for public education and they are hurting the most vulnerable in our nation." McMahon largely rebuffed calls to walk back proposed education cuts, including some from her own party, and reiterated that her role was to facilitate the department's "final mission" to make itself irrelevant. |
| At Senate Hearing, College Presidents Warn Against Pell Cuts | |
| When Sen. Bill Cassidy, chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, kicked off his broadly titled hearing Wednesday on "The State of Higher Education," he mixed a critique of how much higher education costs students with a denunciation -- now familiar from conservatives -- of diversity, equity and inclusion. "This increased cost often is not going to improve education," said Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican. "Often, those dollars are being funneled to promote a DEI ideology, dividing students based on race and ethnicity." "Instead of promoting academic excellence, many campuses have been ideologically captured, becoming hotbeds of hate and division," Cassidy continued. "Students leave college woefully unprepared for the workforce while being saddled with insurmountable debt that they cannot pay back. Comprehensive reform of higher education is needed." But, as the two-hour hearing on Capitol Hill went on, there was little further discussion of DEI or antisemitism (the latter was the focus of a hearing Cassidy held in March). Instead, witnesses' testimony and senators' statements and questions focused on how to address the cost of college. The Democrats on the committee used the forum to denounce proposed cuts to the Pell program that House Republicans have included in their reconciliation package -- which may soon come before the Senate -- and to criticize the Trump administration for gutting the Education Department. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State exits SEC Tournament with loss to Texas A&M | |
| Mississippi State fell flat out of the starting gate in Hoover with an early exit at the SEC Tournament. The Bulldogs (34-21) were shut out in a 9-0 loss to Texas A&M at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium on Wednesday. The Aggies went with their ace, Ryan Prager, and didn't put a foot or glove wrong defensively. "We're just disappointed," MSU interim head coach Justin Parker said after the loss. "It feels like we've played playoff baseball now for about a month, and to come out early and not make enough pitches and plays in the second and third inning put ourselves in that deficit. It felt like it took those two innings to get (Prager) settled, and I don't know if he missed a spot after the second inning." Prager allowed just two hits through the first five innings, recording six strikeouts and allowing just two walks before he was relieved in the sixth inning with the Aggies up big. It wasn't the start or end that the Bulldogs wanted in Hoover, but there is still a sense of confidence with the rest of the postseason left to play. "We still have our best ball ahead of us," Sullivan said confidently. "It's frustrating because we played really good the past three weeks to a month, but we'll get back to it once we get back." |
| Why Justin Parker isn't concerned with Mississippi State's loss in SEC tournament | |
| Two consecutive plays kickstarted Mississippi State baseball's unraveling in the 9-0 first-round loss to Texas A&M in the SEC tournament. Bear Harrison, Texas A&M's leadoff batter in the second inning, shot a high fly ball into right field. MSU outfielder Reed Stallman lost his footing, and the ball landed for a double. Then on the next batter, second baseman Gatlin Sanders committed an error to put runners at first and third base with no outs. There were two runners instead of two outs. Shortly after, the Aggies took a 6-0 lead, and then an 8-0 lead in the third inning to make quick work of the Bulldogs. No. 11 seed MSU (34-21) didn't threaten No. 14 Texas A&M (29-25) much at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium on May 21. Mississippi State, which had won nine of the last 10 games, didn't have as much to play for in the SEC tournament as Texas A&M. The Bulldogs aren't in contention to host an NCAA tournament regional. They're expected to make the tournament, so they could only make improvements in their seeding. MSU had its worst performance in the 11 games since coach Chris Lemonis was fired on April 28. "I'm not concerned," interim coach Justin Parker said. "It's the game of baseball. We've played great for a month. We've been unbelievable early in games. Offensively, we've scored in the first inning for what seems like two to three weeks straight." |
| Men's Basketball: 'Glad To Be Back': Hubbard Announces Return | |
| After sticking his toes in the NBA Draft waters for a few weeks, star Mississippi State guard Josh Hubbard has made it official: he's heading back to Starkville. Hubbard announced Wednesday he's removing his name from the draft process and now has his sights fully set on a big junior year with the Bulldogs. "This is nothing but exciting," Hubbard said. "I was born and raised in Mississippi, so just to come back and wear the Maroon and White again means the world. I can't explain enough how much Mississippi State means to me. I'm so excited and ready to get back to it already." As pumped up as Hubbard is to once again make Humphrey Coliseum rock, the MSU family might be even more thrilled. The last two years have seen Hubbard rise to become arguably the most recognizable student-athlete on campus. After Wednesday's announcement, Hubbard can't wait to add to his legacy and keep bringing Bulldog fans to their feet. "A lot of fans have been hitting me up and asking me what I was going to do," Hubbard said. "I know they're excited like me. To come back and keep getting that excitement and support from the fans -- for the entire team -- it's definitely going to be great." |
| Josh Hubbard withdraws from NBA Draft, returns to MSU for junior season | |
| "Bulldog Nation, I'm back." The message was straight and to the point from Mississippi State guard Josh Hubbard on Wednesday. The Bulldogs' leading scorer in back-to-back seasons withdrew his name from the NBA Draft process and announced his return to Starkville via social media. "This is nothing but exciting," Hubbard said. "I was born and raised in Mississippi, so just to come back and wear the Maroon and White again means the world. I can't explain enough how much Mississippi State means to me. I'm so excited and ready to get back to it already." Hubbard announced after the season that he would enter the NBA Draft, but was not one of the 75 players invited to the draft combine in early May. His return is a significant boost for Chris Jans after the graduation of Cameron Matthews and the departure of KeShawn Murphy through the transfer portal. "I've learned there are levels to everything," Hubbard said of the draft process. "Obviously the NBA is every collegiate player's goal, and it takes a lot of hard work to get there. Just to get the experience I had and go through that journey definitely built my game even more for college, so I'm just grateful for the opportunity I had to put my name in the draft and learn a little more about myself that I can bring back with me to Mississippi State and help myself grow." |
| Josh Hubbard withdraws from NBA draft, returns to Mississippi State basketball | |
| Josh Hubbard will return to Mississippi State basketball. The star guard is withdrawing from the NBA draft and returning to the Bulldogs, he announced with a post on X, formerly Twitter, on May 21. He declared for the draft on April 1 while maintaining his college eligibility. Hubbard was not one of the 75 players invited to the NBA draft combine in early May. "I'm back," Hubbard said at the end of a 30-second highlight reel. Hubbard returning to Mississippi State is a massive boost for next season's team. He has been the Bulldogs' leading scorer in each of the past two seasons, improving to 18.9 points per game as a sophomore. That's especially true with the roster getting hit hard by graduation and the transfer portal. As it is, the Bulldogs have lost seven of their top scorers from last season. Forward KeShawn Murphy, who was second on the team in scoring, transferred to Auburn. Guard Claudell Harris Jr. is out of eligibility after averaging 9.6 points per game. Guard Riley Kugel, who averaged 9.3 points per game, transferred to UCF. The Bulldogs have added five transfers so far. They also have the 12th-ranked recruiting class for 2025 with three four-stars, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. |
| Ole Miss sees record alcohol concession sales during athletics season | |
| Ole Miss fans headed to the concessions for alcohol in record numbers this past football season. Revenue streams are needed in all forms during this era of college sports, and the Rebels sold nearly $3.75 million worth of beer, seltzer and wine during games in the recently completed athletic calendar year. That number was up from approximately $3 million in sales during the 2023-2024 sports season. High Noon, Coors Light and Miller Lite were the top three, in order, choices at Ole Miss athletics facilities. "We sell a lot of beer," Ole Miss athletics director Keith Carter said. "It's a number that matters, and I ask for the details after every football game. It's a real number." The margins for Ole Miss are better on alcohol versus other concession items. The Rebels were among seven SEC schools to begin sales in 2019. Then-interim chancellor Larry Sparks led the change, as Ole Miss used its resort status to circumvent Mississippi law that prohibited alcohol sales on college campuses. In addition to another positive line item, Ole Miss believes the sales decrease alcohol-related incidents during games. "You have less reports of arrests, you have less fights, you have all those things," Carter said. "Folks know that they can buy it, so they don't have to sneak as much in or binge in the Grove." |
| Why College Football Playoff expansion talks are trending toward 16-team bracket | |
| As the conference commissioners overseeing the postseason debate what's next for the College Football Playoff, an expansion of the 2026 bracket has practically been a foregone conclusion for months. The initial focus of the discussions was a move from 12 to 14 teams, with a 16-team field a fringe possibility, mostly because of one vexing issue: When would four more early-round Playoff games happen? Now, 16 seems to be the sweet spot because access trumps everything else when it comes to the Playoff. Just like when CFP architects jumped from four to 12 teams during the initial expansion discussions, going bigger is usually an idea everyone can support. With Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti seemingly dug in on getting four automatic qualifiers (AQs) for his conference -- and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey not forcefully pushing back -- the group's other members appear to be building a format around those bids as best they can. "Everyone else in the room feels like multiple AQs for conferences make it an invitational," said one person involved in the discussions. The Athletic spoke to seven people involved in or briefed on the CFP management committee's talks over the last five months. They spoke on condition of anonymity because no one has been authorized to speak publicly about what has turned into another drawn-out and increasingly complicated CFP negotiation. |
| She's Softball's First $1 Million Pitcher -- and She Could Be the Last | |
| The Texas Tech softball team is just two wins away from the Women's College World Series for one spectacular reason. It has a pitcher worth $1 million. That's not hyperbole. Texas Tech's booster collective actually paid NiJaree Canady a cool million to transfer from Stanford, where she was already a star, and suit up for the Red Raiders this season. And it looks like money well spent. Canady is responsible for 58% of Texas Tech's wins. She has posted 28 wins against just five losses and struck out 272 batters over 191 innings pitched through Tuesday. "She's one of the top women athletes, so in my mind she deserved what some of those male athletes are getting," said Tracy Sellers, who funded an endorsement from the school's donor collective with her husband, John, a former Red Raiders defensive lineman. "I hope it's setting the stage for the next girl." But athletes like Canady are suddenly an endangered species. That's because a new set of rules that would severely restrict how much boosters can pay college athletes is likely to be enacted in the coming days. The ripple effect could mean fewer softball players, golfers, sprinters and other athletes from lower-profile sports earning big paydays. For the moment, before the settlement is approved, athletes and booster collectives are scrambling to cut deals under the old regulations. |
| Some Schools Concerned About Memo Binding Them to House Settlement | |
| Over the past few months, the power conferences have been working on a memo for member schools to sign that would bind them to the terms of the proposed House v. NCAA settlement. Specifically, the memo would attempt to prevent the schools from suing the conferences challenging new restrictions on NIL (name, image, and likeness) booster and collective deals, as well as the cap on revenue-sharing. But officials at multiple schools, including coaches, have expressed concerns about signing the memo, sources tell Front Office Sports. "I would say more [schools] are in the camp of, 'We do want to get a level playing field. We do want to know what the rules are, and have an understanding that our peers are going to abide by the same rules that we plan to abide by,'" says president of Altius Sports Partners College, Andrew Donovan, who has had conversations with multiple school officials about the memo. "But then, there are others that are in this boat of uncertainty." The memo's goal is to ensure that there's competitive balance in a world where the House v. NCAA settlement passes. The proposed solution: get schools to sign this memo promising they won't sue to challenge the terms of the settlement or the punishments they incur by violating it. |
| Conference expulsion? No penalty structure? Questions mount as college sports enforcement comes into focus | |
| As the college sports world eagerly awaits a final approval for the historic House v. NCAA settlement, the focus has centered on how this new revenue-sharing world will be policed. The key, according to those directly involved in shaping this new era of college athletics, is a collective buy-in on following the rules and not looking to break a system before given time to stabilize. The penalties for disobeying could be severe. In a yet-to-be-finalized and evolving discussion around potential penalties, universities could face anywhere from fines to suspension to even conference expulsion if they do not follow the rules of the new enforcement system, including agreeing not to sue the new entity, according to those directly involved in that conversation. Yahoo Sports first reported on expulsion as a possible enforcement penalty to schools that don't obey the rules. "We're trying to structure in a way that there is significant incentive to follow the rules and significant disincentive if you don't," says one source directly involved in the process. The language was included in the newest draft of a membership agreement for the newly formed College Sports Commission, which will be tasked to police and enforce NIL and revenue-sharing rules tied to the House settlement terms. |
| Trump and coach Saban have the right game plan to save college sports | |
 | U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) writes for Fox News: As a former college football coach for 40 years, I've witnessed firsthand the transformative power of college sports in shaping young lives. From the locker room to the classroom, athletics instill discipline, teamwork and resilience -- values that extend far beyond the field. But ever since the Supreme Court ruled that college athletes can be compensated for the use of their Name, Image and Likeness (NIL), college sports have been in a tailspin. While I'm all for players making money, we need to create national standards to protect the integrity of college sports. Because there are no national rules for NIL contracts, every state has passed its own laws. This patchwork of laws has created an uneven playing field and given some universities advantages over their competitors. ... Thankfully, President Donald Trump -- a notorious sports fan -- is looking to get involved. |
| Trump hosts NCAA basketball champion Florida Gators at the White House | |
| President Donald Trump honored the 2025 NCAA basketball champion Florida Gators at the White House on Wednesday, proclaiming that "lesser teams would have crumbled" during its nail-biting title game victory. "It was looking bad," Trump said, noting that Houston led by as many as 12 points in a game Florida rallied to win 65-63 in San Antonio in April. "Did you think you were going to win?" Florida (36-4) delivered four come-from-behind victories in six March Madness wins. The Gators led the finale for a total of 64 seconds, including the last 46 ticks of a contest that was in limbo until the final sequence. Florida secured the program's third title in basketball, and Trump noted that it is the only school to have a trio of NCAA titles in that sport and in football. When the Gators basketball team won back-to-back NCAA titles in 2006 and 2007, they visited President George W. Bush at the White House. Wednesday's East Room ceremony featured top Trump administration leaders from Florida, including Attorney General Pam Bondi and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Mentioning Rubio, Trump said there's "no bigger Florida fan." Also on hand were Florida Sens. Rick Scott and Ashley Moody, as well as assorted House members from the state and former Florida football standout Tim Tebow. |
| Popular Fitness App Strava Clinches Valuation of More Than $2 Billion | |
| Strava, the popular running and exercise app, has completed a fresh round of fundraising valuing the business at $2.2 billion including debt, Chief Executive Mike Martin said. The company is also announcing its second acquisition in two months. The app surged in popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic, when people were going outdoors more for exercise, and has continued to ride health trends. Strava lets users, whom it calls "athletes," record and share activities with friends across dozens of sports. It is especially popular among runners and lets users see how their statistics stack up against those of pro athletes. In addition to the fresh cash, the company said it has acquired a training app for cyclists called The Breakaway for an undisclosed amount. The cycling-app deal follows a period of accelerating growth, Martin said. Strava saw over 50% growth in new users last year, he said, and is poised to reach $500 million in annual recurring revenue in the near future. Strava last month announced the acquisition of Runna for an undisclosed amount. The app gives users personalized training plans for such races as 5Ks and marathons. Running has boomed, with participation and interest in marathons jumping and Gen Z embracing running clubs. |
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