| Tuesday, August 26, 2025 |
| First-generation college students gear up for new academic year | |
 | Students are getting down to business as the first full week of classes gets underway. But one group has an added motivation to study hard. They are striving to make family history. First-generation college students said they do not take the opportunity to pursue higher education for granted. "It's really rewarding starting my senior year as a first-gen, knowing that nobody in my immediate family went to school, so it is very rewarding," Chaniyah Martin, a first-gen student, said. Nearly 36% of the undergraduates at Mississippi State University are first-generation college students. A number of organizations on campus are providing resources and support to help these students succeed. "When I first got here, first in the family and didn't really know much of anyone here," Tonka Davis, a first-gen student, said. "They really took me in, and they provided a sense of community there and introduced me to other first-gen students, knowing that I am not alone. So I did not know how to study correctly or use my time-management skills, and so the Holmes Center for Student Success has provided me with workshops and stuff of that nature to help me become a better student." Those organizations include the Holmes Center for Student Success, Trio, and Thrive. |
| Nation's first public cyber high school is preparing Alabama's next generation of workforce innovators | |
 | When Buddy Watson was in eighth grade in rural Slapout, Alabama, a coding instructor overheard him talking about his passion for engineering and mentioned something that would change his life: a new cyber and engineering school opening in Huntsville. That school, the Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering (ASCTE), is the nation's first public high school devoted entirely to cyber technology and engineering, and Watson was part of its inaugural freshman class. "I didn't sleep for probably 72 hours -- do I follow my dream and take a risk, or do I stay comfortable in what I know?" Watson recalled about his decision to attend the residential school during the uncertainty of COVID-19. Three years later, Watson's gamble appears to have paid off. Now an incoming sophomore at Mississippi State University studying mechanical engineering with a minor in Russian, he's already working in an internship related to his field, a trajectory that mirrors many of his ASCTE classmates. |
| Starkville police chief aims to make 'guardians,' not just officers | |
 | Jiu-Jitsu, using a taser and safely pursuing in a police car are just a few of the skills Starkville police officers learn when joining the force. At the Starkville Rotary Club meeting Monday, Police Chief Mark Ballard spoke with members about the mission and goals of the department, the training that goes into being an officer and ways the department attempts to go beyond just responding to crimes in the community. "We're not looking just to be a police department in our community," Ballard said. "We concentrate continually on a mindset of being guardians ... a mindset of, 'Hey, do what you can to make it better.' And in doing so, you will further community trust. It's very important for us and what we do." Last year Starkville Police Department's 75 police officers and 10 reserve officers made 1,700 arrests and responded to 13,000 calls for service, Ballard said. Ballard showcased footage of officers on the job, depicting them engaging in car pursuits, de-escalating fights through the use of non-lethal weapons like tasers and training in Jiu-Jitsu. Ballard told Rotarians the department voluntarily meets roughly 217 standards set by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies to be recognized as a nationally accredited department. "Would you go to a hospital that's not accredited? Would you go to a university that is not accredited?" Ballard said. "Then why in the world, in this nation, do we expect law enforcement services from agencies that are not accredited?" |
| Spruill calls for LINK to reconsider Higgins ouster | |
| An area elected official is calling on the Golden Triangle Development LINK to reinstate former CEO Joe Max Higgins. A press release issued Sunday evening announced Higgins' ouster, saying the LINK's Executive Committee determined "a leadership transition is in the best long-term interest of the organization and the region we serve." Speaking to The Dispatch on Monday, Starkville Mayor Lynn Spruill called the move a "hastily made decision without understanding the long-term repercussions and implications for our overall community." "I would love for this LINK board to reconsider its decision and provide Mr. Higgins an opportunity to be a part of the community he has served so admirably for the last 20 years," Spruill said. During Higgins' time at the helm, The LINK helped land more than $10 billion in capital investment to the region, including plants like Steel Dynamics, PACCAR and Airbus in Lowndes County and Yokohama Tire in West Point. Most recently, the LINK led efforts to bring a $2.5 billion development to Lowndes County, anchored by Aluminum Dynamics. To date, it's the second largest industrial development investment in state history. |
| Threefoot Brewing celebrates four years in Downtown Meridian | |
 | Threefoot Brewing celebrated 4 years in downtown Meridian Saturday. The brewery held a cornhole tournament, had live music, and debuted three new drinks, made right here in the Queen City. The new drinks are called Cosmic Clouds, Cosmic Query, and Purple Rain. Threefoot Brewing brewer Jonathan Crabtree says it's great to be part of the continued growth and excellence happening right here in downtown. "As a company, we've been here four years. Many of us have been here from the beginning, I personally have only been here for just a year and a few months, so it doesn't matter what time we came into the four years, we've all been part of this building, the commerce, the process of building a community. We're really honored and proud to be down here in downtown Meridian, just representing all of the great things happening here in Meridian and Lauderdale County and what's going on. We're just really proud to be part of what's going on, so we look forward to many more years here," said Crabtree. Threefoot Brewing is open Tuesday through Saturday, from 11am until 1am. |
| Mississippi Oyster Reef Leasing Plan Blocked in Court | |
| Mississippi's plan to lease 80% of its public oyster reefs to private companies is on pause after a Harrison County judge temporarily blocked the program Monday. Chancery Court Judge Jim Persons granted a preliminary injunction, halting the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources from issuing new leases while a lawsuit plays out. The order is temporary, meant to keep the program from moving forward until the court makes a decision. MDMR Executive Director Joe Spraggins said that the judge said the program, under the Fourth Amendment, unconstitutionally restricts leases to Mississippi residents and attempts to regulate activity beyond state waters. Mississippi Commercial Fisheries United, the nonprofit that filed the lawsuit along with nearly two dozen oyster fishermen, celebrated the decision on social media. The ruling is the latest chapter in a months-long debate over how to rebuild reefs devastated by natural and man-made disasters. Fishermen consider the injunction a win for the public---and support is growing among state and local leaders. U.S. Rep. Mike Ezell, R-Miss., issued a statement backing Judge Persons' decision. |
| Trump administration officials promote expanded education freedom in Mississippi | |
| Members of the Mississippi House Select Committee on Education Freedom heard testimony from two Trump administration officials on Monday on how school choice could help students and parents in the Magnolia State. While the two officials praised the state's rise in national education rankings, they told a packed hearing room that school choice could increase Mississippi's standing even further. Dr. Laurie Todd-Smith, a Deputy Assistant Secretary for Early Childhood Development at the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said, "I think Mississippi could really learn from how other states have implemented it. You have an opportunity to expand. The research shows that public schools actually get better as a result of having more school choice options." Dr. Lindsey Burke, Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Programs at the U.S. Department of Education, told the committee that school choice, be it vouchers or education savings accounts, allows parents and students to find the right schools for their needs. |
| Federal education officials encourage school choice expansion in Mississippi | |
| A panel of lawmakers on Monday heard from national education officials who whole-heartedly encouraged them to expand school choice in Mississippi, signaling the Trump administration's support of passing such legislation. There was standing room only at the first meeting of the "Education Freedom" select committee, formed by House Speaker Jason White to weigh the pros and cons of implementing a robust school choice program in Mississippi, ahead of the upcoming legislative session. Advocates, lobbyists and top education officials, including State Superintendent Lance Evans, were in attendance. Those skeptical of the policy, though, say that the state's hard-fought academic wins hang in the balance. Rep. Rob Roberson of Starkville, who chairs the House Education Committee and the Education Freedom committee, opened the meeting by asking attendees not to get too "emotional" and stressed that "this isn't about politics." |
| Bluesky blocks access in Mississippi, citing free speech and privacy concerns over age verification law | |
| Mississippians can no longer access the Bluesky app after the social media platform blocked access to users in the state. Bluesky said on Friday that it made the decision after the U.S. Supreme Court declined for now to block a Mississippi state law that the platform said limits free expression, invades people's privacy and unfairly targets smaller social media companies. The state law, passed in 2024, requires users of websites and other digital services to verify their age. Bluesky grew after the 2024 presidential election. Many users of X, which is owned by Elon Musk, retreated from the platform in response to the billionaire's strong support of Donald Trump. In Bluesky's statement explaining its decision to block access in Mississippi, the company said age verification systems "require substantial infrastructure and developer time investments, complex privacy protections, and ongoing compliance monitoring -- costs that can easily overwhelm smaller providers." |
| Trump's federal stake in Intel prompts GOP complaints | |
 | President Trump's announcement that the federal government would take a 10 percent stake in Intel, once the nation's most successful chip manufacturer, has raised alarm bells with conservative Republicans, who see it as part of a bigger trend under Trump of the federal government asserting itself in corporate decisionmaking. Trump announced his agreement with Intel after he reached a separate deal earlier this month with two other U.S.-based chipmakers, Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), that will see them pay the U.S. government 15 percent of their revenue from AI-chip sales to China. Trump rankled members of his party in June when his administration agreed to Japan's Nippon Steel acquisition of U.S. Steel in exchange for the U.S. government getting a "golden share" giving it broad authority over U.S. Steel's governance. Conservative Republican critics of the Intel deal warn it's another step toward "socialism" that undermines the free market and sets a precedent that Democrats could exploit when they return to power. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) called it a "terrible idea." "If socialism is government owning the means of production, wouldn't the government owning part of Intel be step toward socialism?" he posted on social media. |
| Trump moves to fire Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook | |
 | Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook disputed President Donald Trump's authority to fire her and said she wouldn't resign after Trump moved to oust her over unproven allegations of mortgage fraud, as he ratcheted up efforts to bend the central bank to his will. In a letter to Cook he posted on social media late Monday, Trump said he would seek to fire her immediately, citing his authority to remove Fed governors for cause, meaning malfeasance or some form of dereliction of duty. The Trump administration has accused Cook of committing fraud in 2021 while seeking mortgages on two properties -- on a home in Michigan and a condominium in Atlanta -- by describing both of them as her primary residence. Through a spokeswoman, Cook said in a statement late Monday: "President Trump purported to fire me 'for cause' when no cause exists under the law, and he has no authority to do so." A spokeswoman confirmed that Cook had hired an outside attorney. She is the first Black woman to serve on the seven-member Fed board. The central bank is set up to operate independently of the White House. The firing, if successful, could give Trump a majority of allies on the Fed board and allow him to fulfill his goal of lowering interest rates, even as the Supreme Court has pushed back on his attempts to exert direct control over the independent and powerful body. |
| Don't defy our decisions, Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch tells judges | |
 | As lower court judges apply Supreme Court decisions to Trump administration disputes, some justices don't think they're getting it right − and potentially deliberately so. "Lower court judges may sometimes disagree with this Court's decisions, but they are never free to defy them," Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch recently admonished in a particularly pointed statement joined by Justice Brett Kavanaugh. His comments came as part of a fractious Aug. 21 court decision allowing the administration to cancel for now health research grants it says promote diversity, equity and inclusion. Gorsuch wrote that the federal judge who blocked the DEI grant cancellations while the case is being litigated should have known he couldn't do that. That's because the Supreme Court in April said these challenges belong in a different court that handles government contract disputes. Gorsuch called the teacher training grants at issue in that case "materially identical" to the research grants awarded by the National Institutes for Health. But Chief Justice John Roberts -- along with the court's three liberal justices -- said the two cases were different and the district judge's order was valid. |
| There Is Now Clearer Evidence AI Is Wrecking Young Americans' Job Prospects | |
 | Artificial intelligence is profoundly limiting some young Americans' employment prospects, new research shows. Young workers are getting hit in fields where generative-AI tools such as ChatGPT can most easily automate tasks done by humans, such as software development, according to a paper released Tuesday by three Stanford University economists. They crunched anonymized data on millions of employees at tens of thousands of firms, including detailed information on workers' ages and jobs, making this one of clearest indicators yet of AI's disruptive impact. "There's a clear, evident change when you specifically look at young workers who are highly exposed to AI," said Stanford economist Erik Brynjolfsson, who conducted the research with Bharat Chandar and Ruyu Chen. At the same time, the economists found evidence that in fields where AI can help people in their work, rather than replace them, employment among young people is improving. The work -- which hasn't been peer reviewed, meaning it isn't yet accepted for publication in a journal -- helps answer a question that has been burning since OpenAI introduced ChatGPT in November 2022. Subsequent versions, and similar generative-AI tools from competitors such as Google-parent Alphabet, have only heightened worries the technology will make some jobs obsolete. |
| Reports Of CNN Camera Crew On Campus Spark Unease During Panhellenic Recruitment | |
 | A CNN camera crew was allegedly spotted filming during Panhellenic Formal Recruitment on the University of Mississippi campus last week. Panhellenic sororities wrapped up recruitment with bid day on Saturday, Aug. 23 at the Sandy and John Black Pavilion. The Daily Mississippian attempted to obtain comments from new members before, during and after they opened their bid day cards, but none provided comment. Several new members said they were instructed not to talk to any media outlets, as a result of speculation about CNN's presence during recruitment. The Daily Mississippian also requested comments from active members of Panhellenic sororities; however, several said they were instructed not to speak. The Daily Mississippian also reached out to the Interfraternity Council and the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life but did not receive a response from either group. UM Director of News and Media Relations Jacob Batte said there were many media outlets on campus this last week. Batte said the university does not have the authority to halt news organizations from covering stories in public spaces -- like sidewalks and roadways. "Students are free to speak with reporters; however, sorority chapters and their national organizations may have their own news media guidelines," Batte said. |
| Southern Miss education pioneer Frances Karnes dies at age 87 | |
 | To many families in Mississippi with children in gifted education, Frances Karnes was a beacon of light, guiding the way for students and parents as they navigated unique challenges in public education. Karnes, founder of the Frances A. Karnes Center for Gifted Studies at the University of Southern Mississippi, died Friday, Aug 22. She was 87. "Dr. Karnes was a true pioneer whose vision transformed gifted education in Mississippi and beyond," said Southern Miss President Joe Paul. "She was a force for good, a tireless leader, and her unwavering commitment to students, educators and families reflects the very best of our institution." "My grandmother, Dr. Frances A. Karnes, was a champion and advocate in the world of gifted education," her granddaughter Mary Ryan Brown wrote in an Instagram post. "She had grit. She never quit." For more than 40 years, the Frances A. Karnes Center for Gifted Studies at Southern Miss has been an internationally recognized leader in gifted education research, outreach, advocacy, and curriculum and policy development. |
| Jackson, JSU organization partner to combat gun violence | |
 | An initiative in Jackson will focus on addressing gun violence. The social action involving student leaders with the Jackson State University (JSU) Votes group birthed the Girls Against Gun Violence coalition two years ago. Today, those members met at Jackson City Hall with a plan of action. The mission of Girls Against Gun Violence is to assist law enforcement in developing innovative ways to combat gun violence while improving societal relationships within stricken communities. "Originally, this group of students began fighting voter apathy and voter antipathy until a socio-political issue plagued them. And that was my opportunity to explain. This is why I'm teaching you why voting is important. Because the people that are on the ballot to vote for serve civilly can help you devise solutions to this problem," said Jacobi Grant, an adjunct professor at JSU. The organization has developed partnerships that expand throughout the capital city. |
| Some Programs for Black Students Become 'Illegal D.E.I.' Under Trump | |
 | Chicago is a testing ground for some of the left's biggest ideas about race and education. School systems in the city and nearby suburbs are pushing to hire more Black male teachers, add more Black history and train teachers in concepts like white privilege. Some of those policies have a strong record of improving student learning, while others lack much track record. But for the Trump administration, all of it could be against the law. Now, school districts with programs aimed at lifting up Black students, and others, are finding themselves legally vulnerable. The White House is pursuing a reversal of the federal government's traditional role on race and schools, going after what it calls "illegal D.E.I.," or diversity, equity and inclusion. The administration is using the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights, which was established to protect racial and ethnic minority groups, to try to end programs meant to help some of those same students. Through executive orders, investigations and threats to cut funding, the government has put what was once a bipartisan movement to address the legacy of slavery and racism on the defensive. Even Republican-leaning states like Florida and Mississippi have teacher recruitment programs intended, in part, to diversify the work force -- an idea the administration has called illegal affirmative action. |
| U. of Florida picks an interim president after last choice was rejected | |
 | The University of Florida has selected an interim president after their last choice was rejected by the state Board of Governors that oversees the university system. The school announced Monday that Dr. Donald W. Landry, a physician and chair emeritus of the Columbia University Department of Medicine, will take over the University of Florida helm on Sept. 1. His appointment also must be approved by the state Board of Governors, which is meeting Sept. 10-11. Landry's selection comes after Santa Ono was first approved by the Florida trustees but turned down in June by the governors amid criticism from political conservatives about his past support for diversity, equity and inclusion programs and other initiatives they view as unacceptable liberal ideology. Ono had been president of the University of Michigan before that. Of the Landry choice, University of Florida trustees chair Mori Hosseini called him "a highly accomplished scientist whose work is recognized around the world." |
| Future of UA's McMillon Innovation Studio secured with $10 million commitment | |
| Following a recent renovation that doubled the size of the McMillon Innovation Studio at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, the innovation hub has received a $10 million commitment to establish the McMillon Innovation Studio Endowed Fund and the McMillon Innovation Studio Construction Fund, the university announced Monday. The McMillon Innovation Studio Endowed Fund will permanently support the studio's operations, while the McMillon Innovation Studio Construction Fund will provide funding for a new home for the studio -- currently located on North Harmon Avenue -- that will create engagement opportunities for more students in the future, according to the university. The gift from Doug McMillon, president and CEO of Walmart, and his wife, Shelley, continues their long support of the studio. The studio is an innovation hub for students of all majors that works to develop future leaders, entrepreneurs and innovators by cultivating their creative mindset and connecting them to opportunities to make real-world impact. |
| University System of Georgia to launch need-based scholarships funded through private sector | |
 | The University System of Georgia (USG) is launching a need-based scholarship program financed through the private sector. The USG Foundation raised more than $4.5 million in startup funds for the new DREAMS Scholarship to help students bridge financial gaps, System Chancellor Sonny Perdue recently announced during the annual Regents' Scholarship Gala. The first scholarship will go to Giuli Capparelli Sanabria, a junior majoring in biology at Georgia Tech. "The Board of Regents is focused on affordability, but unmet needs for students can still arise," Perdue said. "By helping to close the gap between the cost of college and what families can afford, this program helps us expand access to higher education for those who need it most." Funded in part with $2 million in seed money from Truist Charitable Fund, DREAMS will provide up to $3,000 per year to eligible students. The program encourages student responsibility by expecting part-time employment or volunteer service from participants. |
| U. of Kentucky begins fall semester with historic enrollment, changes in higher education | |
 | The University of Kentucky welcomed a historic group of students to campus on Monday, with what is expected to be the largest enrollment in the university's history. UK is predicting its largest-ever class of freshmen, estimating 6,850 first-year students enrolled this fall and a total enrollment of 36,700, according to data from earlier this year. But the fall semester also begins with many changes to higher education, including federal funding and Kentucky's ban on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. For senior Kennedy Alexander, the changes are noticeable on campus. "Things being renamed, finances being reallocated to different departments is definitely something that you can see and feel," Alexander said. "We try to make the most of any situation that we're in, and obviously we all still want to be here. We want to fight for equity and making sure that everyone has access to all the resources they need to be successful. I think, at least the Black community, tries to do their best in that." House Bill 4 was passed by the Kentucky legislature earlier this year, which bans DEI at state universities and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. |
| U. of Oklahoma welcomes its fifth-consecutive record-breaking class | |
| The University of Oklahoma's incoming class of 2029 is the largest first-year class in state history with 6,251 students, breaking the university's enrollment record for the fifth-consecutive year. According to a Monday press release, of the 6,251, 26% are first-generation and 117 are Oklahoma State Regents' Scholars. Compared to the 5,615 first-year students in the class of 2028, enrollment has increased by 11%, rising more than 30% in three years. According to the release, the incoming class has an average 3.64 GPA, with 711 students earning a 4.0 high school GPA of 4.0 and 330 students ranking first in their high school graduating class. There was also a 1.5% increase in Oklahoma's Promise recipients, with 770 first-year students qualifying in the program. "The Class of 2029 symbolizes the unmatched value of an OU education that is rapidly drawing students and families from across Oklahoma and beyond," OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. wrote in the release. "We are excited to champion another outstanding freshman class as they begin the life-changing journey that comes with earning an OU education." |
| Chris Smith named U. of Missouri vice chancellor for advancement | |
 | Chris Smith was appointed vice chancellor for advancement Monday, set to lead the University of Missouri's financial donation efforts. She has been in that role since last July, according to a Mizzou news release. "Chris will create exciting new initiatives, streamline operations and eliminate ineffective approaches in order for Mizzou to achieve excellence," UM System President Mun Choi said in the release. Smith previously served as assistant vice chancellor for advancement overseeing Mizzou's academic colleges, schools and divisions. The release credited her with guiding the Mizzou Advancement team toward a new fundraising campaign that will be revealed on Sept. 5. "This campaign is an invitation to our greater community to help grow our impact," Smith said in an email. "The true impact takes the form of Mizzou graduates equipped to be leaders, life-changing medical discoveries, strong communities all across the state." Smith's first role at the university was in 2018 as director of advancement for the Thompson Center for Autism. She served as chief development officer for the College of Education and Human Development from 2019 to 2023. |
| As Financial Unpredictability Looms, Higher-Ed Bond Borrowing Rebounds | |
 | America's colleges are rushing to finance their campus projects and long-term aspirations. The sector secured an estimated $29.2 billion in bond volume across 237 issuances during the first half of 2025, according to Bond Buyer's biannual analysis of municipal financing released on Monday -- a $7-billion, 31-percent increase from a year ago ($22.2 billion in bond volume across 198 issuances). Those 2024 and 2025 midyear appraisals follow a lethargic first half of 2023, when colleges issued just over $11 billion in municipal bonds. Such sluggish numbers coincided with the U.S. Federal Reserve adopting higher interest rates relative to the average for the prior decade -- rates that peaked and held at 5.33 percent between August 2023 and August 2024 as the central bank worked to combat high inflation. The federal-funds interest rate for the first half of 2025 has held steady at 4.33 percent. Generally, bond borrowing declines when interest rates rise, as investors find greater incentive to sock money away in historically less risky U.S. Treasury notes, and issuers like colleges attempt to not only wait for the return of lower interest rates but also avoid incurring much larger debt-service bills that can compound over the multidecade lifespan of a bond issuance. |
| Colleges across the country deal with shooting hoaxes as classes resume | |
 | At least a half-dozen universities across the country welcomed students to first-day-of-fall classes Monday with run-and-hide warnings about possible gunmen on campus. In almost all the cases, police and administrators said the reports were hoaxes or swatting calls, which is when someone uses temporary cellphone numbers and voice-cloaking apps to create havoc. A few campuses said simply that no evidence of a gunman or violence was found. The reports were sent to students at the University of Arkansas, University of Colorado Boulder, Iowa State University, Kansas State University, the University of New Hampshire and Northern Arizona University, according to student alerts and school statements. In addition, according to campus officials, the University of South Carolina received two reports of an active shooter at Thomas Cooper Library in Columbia on Sunday night, the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga received a hoax active shooter call on Aug. 21, and Villanova University near Philadelphia received two false active shooter reports during freshman orientation last week. |
| Police say no evidence of shooter at U. of Arkansas in Fayetteville | |
| Police say they found no evidence of any shooting after reports of an active shooter on the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville around 12:30 p.m. Monday. "Since the original call, multiple calls at multiple locations around the university have come in," the Fayetteville Police Department posted on its Facebook page shortly after 2 p.m. "As of now, there are no confirmed gunshots, no confirmed injuries, no known suspects, and no arrests have been made." The first alert came on the University of Arkansas' official social media account: "RazALERT Emergency Notification: Avoid the area of Mullins Library due to an active shooter reported. Avoid. Deny. Defend." University police guided students away from the library and into the nearby student union, one student told KNWA News in an on-air interview. Other buildings went into lockdown with students and faculty barricading themselves in place, one professor told the television station. Attorney General Tim Griffin said he was "relieved" to hear that the incident appeared to be a "false alarm," but vowed to that any individuals making false reports would be "met with the full force of the law." "This incident will be investigated, and when caught, the perpetrator(s) will face justice. This is not a harmless crime," he wrote on X. The reports come after multiple false reports of active shooters at other university campuses around the U.S. in recent days. |
| U. of South Carolina police received 2 active shooter calls. It was a hoax, officials say | |
 | The University of South Carolina Police Department received two calls around 6:30 p.m. Sunday evening reporting gunfire at Thomas Cooper Library in the heart of the Columbia campus. Minutes later at 6:34 p.m., students, parents and community members were notified via Carolina Alert, a campus-wide alert system. "An active shooter has been reported on the University of South Carolina's Columbia campus. Avoid the area. Evacuate the area or seek safe shelter and barricade yourself in a safe area as necessary until further notice. Defend yourself if you encounter the suspect. Obey public safety officials' commands." It was a swatting hoax -- a false call to emergency services. USC is one of several universities that received false active shooter reports in the last week. On Sunday, USC's dispatch line received two separate calls, with what sounded like gunfire in the background, USC spokesman Jeff Stensland said. One around 6:30 p.m., the next around 6:32 p.m. This prompted the safety alert. According to a news release, calls were initiated by an unknown male. Officials say there is currently no evidence that the calls originated on campus. |
| State by State, Republicans Rein in Faculty Senates | |
| Come September 1, many public universities in Texas won't have faculty senates. That's because a new Texas law grants university boards the authority to approve or abolish faculty-governance bodies. During meetings this month, the boards overseeing the Texas State University and University of Texas systems granted campus presidents the ability to create faculty advisory groups, but it did not authorize any current faculty senates, effectively eliminating them. Indiana and Utah, meanwhile, have passed bills that declare faculty senates and councils "advisory only" and limit the scope of that role to academic matters. The flurry of legislation signals how Republican politicians have sought to clamp down on faculty senates' power, arguing that they're full of progressive ideologues spreading "woke agendas" that exert too much control over a university's operations. The effort's roots go back to 2015, when Wisconsin Republicans approved a bill that relegated faculty senates to an advisory-only position. (A bill introduced in December 2023 to repeal that provision failed to pass.) In 2024, Arizona Republicans passed similar legislation, but it was vetoed by the Democratic governor. Faculty senates have never had the power to make unilateral decisions. But many faculty leaders fear that these laws carve a path for administrators to sidestep faculty advice altogether and narrowly interpret the circumstances in which professors are even allowed to weigh in. |
| Trump administration pushes ahead with NOAA climate and weather cuts | |
| President Donald Trump's administration is set to spend nearly $100 million, or 14% less, on the research arm of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) than the level mandated by Congress for this year, according to a budget document seen by Science. These cuts, which would hit basic science on the weather, oceans, and -- especially -- climate, represent a "down payment" on the White House's proposal to eliminate NOAA's research arm in the 2026 fiscal year that begins on 1 October, agency officials have told employees. NOAA, which is part of the Department of Commerce, has also begun to make other down payments on the proposed 2026 cuts, including sweeping reductions to its next-generation geostationary weather satellites, according to documents seen by Science and first reported by CNN. The administration is pushing ahead with the cuts despite a wholesale rejection of the White House's 2026 budget request for NOAA by key spending panels in Congress. "This shows not to underestimate the malice that this administration has toward NOAA," a former agency official told Science. |
SPORTS
| Football: New Season, New Looks And New Opportunities | |
| Jeff Lebby has been coaching football in some form or fashion for more than two decades. That's more than 20 years' worth of season openers for the Mississippi State football leader. But like pretty much every head coach that'll lead a team into action for a first game this weekend, experience won't allow Lebby to be satisfied. Those opening-contest jitters are real for everyone. "I can't imagine what that would feel like [to think you're completely ready]," Lebby said on Monday in his first weekly press conference of the season. "There's still plenty of work to be done. "But our guys are really excited about the opportunity at hand. We've got a great challenge in front of us...We're excited about the opportunity." Opportunity is certainly an appropriate word for Lebby and his Bulldogs to use headed into Saturday's 11 a.m. CT game at Southern Miss. It's an opportunity to get the new season started off on the right foot. It's an opportunity to quickly put last year in the past. It's an opportunity to make an instate statement. And it's an opportunity for the Bulldogs' new-look roster to shine. |
| 'The way that we're going to play': How Mississippi State took down No. 10 Wake Forest | |
| Mississippi State took just two games to earn a signature win for the 2025 season, taking down No. 10 Wake Forest 2-1 on Sunday. The win is a great resume builder for future tournament seeding, but that's a thought for further down the line. For now, the most important aspect of the win was that the Bulldogs put their new approach to the test against one of the strongest programs in the country and came away with confidence. That gauge of where the team is at is invaluable for the coaches and players as they prepare for a road trip into Big 12 territory this week, and getting a win will reinforce the confidence and belief in the setup as well. "We know it's an unbelievable program, very well-coached, and they have some really good players," head coach Nick Zimmerman said. "For us, it was a great opportunity for us to see where we were at. We know we have been putting in the work, and it's a credit to the group. Like I said, it's young, it's new, and to find a way to get a result like this and compete in the second half, it's the first time this season we have had to do that, so this was really, really positive for us." |
| Comradery between USM's QB, wide receivers could play big role against Mississippi St. | |
 | One of the most anticipated seasons in recent University of Southern Miss football history begins on Saturday at 11 a.m. at M.M. Roberts Stadium. The Golden Eagles take on the Mississippi State University Bulldogs in a game where multiple sportsbooks has the hosts as 11.5 point underdogs. As Southern Miss looks for an upset, familiarity could be vital. between quarterback Braylon Braxton and a trio of wide receivers who transferred with him to Southern Miss from the Marshall University Thundering Herd. Receivers Charles Montgomery, Carl Chester and Tychaun Chapman were three of the top four wideouts for Marshall last season. Chester led the team with an average of 17.1 yards per reception, while Montgomery finished second with 32 receptions and 393 yards. As they continue to adjust to a new offense and place to play, USM head coach Charles Huff said he believes their chemistry could be valuable to lean on in the season opener. "I think anytime you have continuity, it's a positive," Huff said. "It's just understanding the timing, who likes to win how and who you can put the ball on and who you can put it out in front. I think it also helps with communication in terms of seeing the same thing, seeing the same coverage." |
| As College Football Season Kicks Off, NIL Deal Approval Process Still Lags | |
| The College Sports Commission, the new enforcement entity established as part of the House v. NCAA settlement, began scrutinizing NIL deals in mid-June. Almost three months later -- and as football season kicks off -- the process continues to lag. Players are waiting weeks or longer for deals to be approved, sources tell Front Office Sports. Athletes are losing opportunities to do certain deals with tight turnarounds as a result -- potentially setting up more litigation opportunities. "The CSC has provided great guidance," Blueprint Sports co-founder and CEO Rob Sine tells FOS. "But the practical application of it is a different story. There are a lot of deals across the country that are in limbo. ... I'm talking big-time Power 4 schools. And I'm talking mid-majors, women's sports, men's sports, Olympic sports that are getting no response or are getting spun around in a circle." The Commission, created by the power conferences, is in charge of running the software created by Deloitte called NIL Go, which allows players to submit the terms of their deals for approval. The goal is to determine whether deals provide fair-market value for the exchange of goods and services, or whether they're "pay-for-play" in disguise. |
| Money matters: How Dave Aranda, Baylor learned to adapt and embrace new era of college football | |
| It's after 6 p.m. on a Wednesday in August and Dave Aranda is moments away from having himself a ninth cup of coffee. Such is life during preseason camp for a man who not only serves as the head coach of Baylor but also coordinates its defense and calls defensive plays. "It takes a lot of coffee," he says with a smile. "Texas pecan roast." Aranda explains that he has installed more defensive play-calls this offseason than he has in any other year of his coaching career. Last season, his first calling a defense in five years, he learned a hard truth: His defense -- for years heralded as one of the most innovative in football -- failed to evolve with its offensive counterpart. It has grown stale. Now is the time, Aranda says, to change, add new wrinkles and create complexities. It's a weird place for a coach who many describe as a "mad scientist" of defensive football, operating a scheme for years that felt so far ahead of everyone else. Well, look out, he's back in the lab. |
| Is central governance of college football even feasible? | |
| Greg Sankey narrowed in on the semantics. Sitting in the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta recently, the SEC commissioner was asked broadly about the structure of college sports and what it ought to look like amid a shifting landscape. "Who should be in charge of this?" a reporter asked, gesturing his hands in a wide circle. "Who should be governing college sports?" Naturally, it's more complicated than that. "I think there's a question behind your question," Sankey posed. "You've described that there are different entities that have different responsibilities. You're seeing the change with the NCAA and its rule-making role and oversight role shift because of court settlements. That's a reality. Should it stay that way? That's a much different question, because that assumes that you just jump through impediments and come to some central authority. "I don't see that happening right now." While Sankey's sentiment centers on college sports at large, there's something to be said about the behemoth shaping all of those changes -- football -- and whether shifts in the way it operates might better the sport and the broader ecosystem it bankrolls. |
| Sen. Cantwell Lobbies School Leaders Against GOP-Led SCORE Act | |
| For the past five years, university leaders have repeatedly urged Congress to intervene in the increasingly chaotic college sports landscape -- specifically by establishing a national framework for NIL compensation and limiting additional labor rights for college athletes. But on Monday, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) -- the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation -- reversed the ball. In a letter sent to presidents, chancellors and regents at 350 Division I schools, she voiced strong opposition to what is widely seen as the most viable piece of college sports reform legislation to date: the SCORE Act. In her letter, Cantwell criticized the Republican-backed bill, which aims to codify the House v. NCAA settlement into federal law while granting antitrust immunity to governing bodies and conferences in college sports. She argued that the legislation would exacerbate existing inequalities among NCAA member institutions by consolidating power within the SEC and Big Ten. Cantwell also warned that it would entrench the ongoing "arms race" in college football, jeopardize funding for women's and Olympic sports, and roll back recent legal advancements that have strengthened the rights of all college athletes. |
| EA Sports college basketball video game 'in the process' of development | |
| EA Sports is "working through a strategy" to bring college basketball back into the video game world. The video game company teased college sports fans in June when it teased the development of a college basketball game. A college basketball video game hasn't been made since NCAA Basketball 10, released in 2009. The series was shelved, but the success of reviving the College Football video game series led a renewed interest in bringing back one centered around March Madness. Now, EA Sports confirmed to USA TODAY Sports it's in the early stages of hopefully putting a game together. "We're up for the challenge, and we're in the process of trying to figure out how that could come together," said EA Sports vice president of business development Sean O'Brien. The EA Sports executive confirmed the plan for the game would be to include all Division I men's and women's basketball teams, which he called "a daunting task." But he noted the success of the company reviving the college football video game, and the overwhelming response it got from it paved way for another college sports franchise. |
| Startup women's leagues on the rise, fueled by popularity of women's sports. But will they last? | |
| When Justine Siegal and Keith Stein envisioned the United States' first professional women's baseball league in 70 years, they wanted to do it right. So they examined the blueprints of successful women's leagues and studied the pitfalls that caused promising ventures to fail. Their research helped shape the Women's Professional Baseball League, launching next year, the latest in a wave of ventures looking to capitalize on the unprecedented rise in popularity of women's sports. For such a startup to be sustainable and profitable, mainstream recognition is key. Good salaries and financial incentives may attract star players who could draw crowds and all-important TV deals. But analysts warn that exposure on television doesn't guarantee success, and that a solid social media presence, strong branding and community development are imperative -- along with a dose of good luck. At least eight women's pro leagues have launched in the past three years, including the WPBL, Unrivaled -- a fast-paced 3-on-3 women's basketball league that debuted this year -- and the Professional Women's Hockey League, seizing on rising viewership, bigger sponsorship deals and a fan base more eager than ever to support female athletes. Basketball is leading the surge, with college standouts like Caitlin Clark becoming household names and drawing record audiences for the WNBA. |
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