| Thursday, October 16, 2025 |
| Mississippi State aquatic food research recognized at United Nations event | |
 | Mississippi State University's efforts to alleviate world hunger through sustainable aquatic food systems are being recognized globally. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is highlighting Mississippi State's Global Center for Aquatic Health and Food Security for its technical leadership, collaboration, and innovation in sustainable agrifood systems transformation. The recognition comes as part of the organization's 80th anniversary celebrations during the 2025 World Food Forum. "[The Global Center for Aquatic Health] is very pleased to represent MSU in receiving this recognition," Director Mark Lawrence said. "Since 2013, we have partnered with FAO to support aquatic food security globally, including teaching farmers about rice-fish farming in Nigeria and implementing aquaculture biosecurity in Bangladesh." Established in 2013, the Mississippi State center aims to reduce world hunger through research supporting sustainable aquaculture and the ecological health of aquatic resources, while also protecting and managing the health of aquatic animals, through a variety of domestic and international projects in a wide range of natural and social science areas. |
| 'From Seeds to Foods' in North America: a rich agricultural heritage and innovation-driven future | |
| To kick off its 80th anniversary celebrations, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) hosted its first global exhibition, "From Seeds to Foods", October 10 to 13. For four days, the Park of Porta Capena in Rome was transformed into a dynamic outdoor experience where visitors were taken through a journey that traced the evolution of agrifood systems from the beginning of agriculture to the latest technologies and innovations. All roads led to Rome for FAO's "From Seeds to Foods" for the six FAO regions (Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Near East and North Africa, and North America). Each region exhibited the rich heritage of their agrifood systems and the diversity of their products and the roots of their food cultures. In the North America pavilion, the theme of Innovation, Heritage and Sustainability in Action came to life with the help of partners from leading universities, civil society and private sector actors from Canada and the United States of America. In the North America pavilion thousands of visitors experienced American and Canadian agricultural heritage with exhibits that showcased how science, technology, innovation, and partnerships contribute to the region's leadership in global agriculture. From advancements in seed varieties and crop production to data-driven decision-making, virtual reality tools, and integrated food system solutions, the attendees got a close-up look at how the United States and Canada help to feed the world and support farmers globally. Participating partners included Bayer, Colorado State University, Corteva, McGill University, Mississippi State University, SOCODEVI, Second Harvest, University of Alberta, University of British Columbia, University of Saskatchewan, Virginia Tech, Western University, World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH). |
| Mississippi sweet potato yields drop amid challenges | |
 | This year's sweet potato crop in Mississippi is expected to be below average. "Just like any farmers out there, they're feeling the pressure from the banks, the crops and the low prices," said Caleb Englert, president of both the Mississippi and U.S. sweet potato councils. "Some growers are throwing Hail Marys hoping to live to fight another year. Everybody's heart and soul go into putting the crop in, and when all odds are against you with labor and inputs, you just have to take the wins when you can." According to Lorin Harvey, the sweet potato specialist with the Mississippi State University (MSU) Extension Service, the state's sweet potato crop was about 70% harvested by mid-October, but sizes were small, leading to fewer pounds harvested per acre. "We definitely had a bumper crop last year, and this year will end up being below average. Several operations have reported a 20% to 30% drop in yield compared to last year's crop," Harvey said. "It's a combination of things." Officials with the MSU Extension Service said challenges began at planting, when rainy weather delayed planting by a few weeks. But the bigger problem was areas that went 70 or more days without a drop of rain and no irrigation. |
| MSU Head Start extension holds open interviews at Hancock Performing Arts Center | |
 | The Hancock Performing Arts Center was busy Wednesday as the MSU Extension Head Start Program held open interviews for those interested in working in child care. The program is preparing to open a new location in Bay St. Louis, creating new opportunities for those interested in early childhood education. Applicants are encouraged to bring their resume, transcript, or certifications. Head Start employees receive full benefits through the MSU Extension Service. Head Start Assistant Director of Education, Stacia Johnson said the program is looking for candidates for many different jobs. "There's always a need, head start is the foundation of a child's development so we are laying that foundation to set them up for success," Johnson said. "We are looking for teachers, teacher assistants, cooks, assistant cooks, office associates, as well as disability coordinators, just all the people that come to bring up a child development." |
| Severe weather expected in Mississippi this weekend | |
 | A cold front is expected to move into Mississippi this weekend and bring a change in the weather. While much of the state is at risk of damaging winds and severe storms, the entire state may experience rain. According to the National Weather Service in Jackson, the storms are expected to move in Saturday afternoon into Saturday night. The area at greatest risk of severe weather, according to the agency's Thursday morning forecast, is in Northwest Mississippi along the the Mississippi River from Greenville to Memphis and west. That area is at Slight Risk, which is a Level 2 risk with Level 5 being the highest risk. In that part of the state, severe storms are possible along with damaging wind gusts up to 60 mph. From the northeast corner of the state down to the McComb area and west, the threat is a Level 1 which could bring isolated severe storms and damaging wind gusts. Although no severe weather warnings have been issued for the remainder of the state, rain is possible. In Biloxi and surrounding areas there's a 30% chance of showers Saturday night and a 40% chance Sunday morning. |
| Mary Means Business: Lighting Unlimited celebrates 40 years | |
 | In 1985, Scott Pridmore's parents started an electrical supply store in Columbus. That small shop eventually became Lighting Unlimited and Uncommon Living, the lighting and interior design location tucked along Gardner Boulevard that Scott ran alongside his wife, Helen. Now, nearly 40 years later, that light is being passed to a new generation. Their daughter, Chase Hazard, is officially taking the reins and leading the business into its next chapter as Uncommon Living. The name change comes just in time for the store's 40th anniversary celebration next month. Hazard is excited to celebrate her new ownership and the family business's big 4-0, but she's taking over sooner than expected due to her father's unexpected passing about a year ago. "This is going to all be new to me, but it's something my dad prepared me for," she said. "We just didn't think it would be happening so soon. ... I'm very excited, and I've been doing this for the last 10 years. I know this business." Although Helen is handing leadership over to her daughter, she will still be a part of the business she and Scott built over the years. ... Moving to Starkville, we're getting another restaurant on Highway 12. Since Starkvegas Bar and Grill closed earlier this year, the old Pizza Hut building at 211 Hwy. 12 has been sitting empty, but a new spot is taking its place. According to city planner Daniel Havalin, Fei Huang has filed a permit to open Osaka Steakhouse. |
| Ground broken on $90 million aluminum processing facility in Columbus | |
| Kloekner Metals has broken ground on its $90 million aluminum processing facility in Columbus. The more than 220,000-square-foot center is located on the campus of Aluminum Dynamics, which was once the largest economic development project in state history at $2.5 billion, and is expected to create 40 new jobs. Kloeckner is one of the world's largest distributors of steel and metal products. "$90 million in new private sector investment. 40 high-paying jobs. The most sophisticated facility within an industry -- in the heart of the Golden Triangle. Proud to help Kloeckner Metals Break New Ground in Columbus," Gov. Tate Reeves wrote on X. Officials say Kloeckner's operations, including cutting and slicing metals, will work hand-in-hand with the work Aluminum Dynamics is doing in the region. The Kloeckner facility is anticipated to be heavily automated. The investment in Mississippi's Golden Triangle is part of the company's strategy to expand its product and service range along the value chain for customers. The Columbus facility is expected to be operating by the end of 2026, with its full range of production anticipated to be achieved in early 2027. |
| State, local lawmakers tour Meridian | |
 | It was a busy afternoon at the MAX as state and local lawmakers stopped by as part of a two-day tour of the area. The Joint Mississippi Tourism Committees FAM Tour gives legislators a chance to familiarize themselves with the popular attractions that make each area of the state unique. After a lunch at the Harvest Grill, the group met Mayor Percy Bland for a tour of the MAX and got to check out the in-house studio, as well as the museum's other attractions. "So we've had a great time. These people will be here today and tomorrow, legislators, leaders within the Senate and within the House," said Rep. Jeff Tate. "The only thing I hate is we have so many attractions here in Meridian to show them that we just can't fit it all in in two days. That's the only thing I hate about it." "Coming here, seeing the MAX, the Children's Museum, the Riley Center is a beautiful theatre. If you haven't been, you need to go. It's beautiful," said Rep. Greg Haney. "And we're going, I think, to the Jimmie Rogers Museum later. There are so many other things here that we're not aware of so I'm excited to go back." |
| Pine Belt harvest season nearing end, yields good for peanuts, cotton | |
 | The harvest season is nearing an end for peanut and cotton growers in South Mississippi. About 75 percent of the peanut and cotton crop in the Pine Belt has already been harvested. Most local growers said the yields for both peanuts and cotton were average to above average this year. However, with cotton, high yields don't necessarily translate into high profits. "Everybody is pretty much happy with the cotton yields, what they're unhappy with is the price of cotton," said Malcolm Broome, Mississippi Peanut Growers Association executive director. "This past few days, it's been like 58 cents a pound and we need at least 80 (cents) or ideally a dollar pound for cotton. "So, if they're not making 1,200 pounds to the acres, then, hopefully, at best, they're covering all their expenses." Most local peanut growers use cotton as a rotation crop, planting two years of cotton for every one year of peanuts. |
| AI Data Centers, Desperate for Electricity, Are Building Their Own Power Plants | |
 | Tech companies in the AI race need power, and lots of it. They aren't waiting around for the archaic U.S. power grid to catch up. In West Texas, natural-gas-fired power generation is under construction as part of the $500 billion Stargate project from OpenAI and Oracle. Gas turbines are in use at Colossus 1 and 2, the massive data centers Elon Musk's xAI is building in Memphis, Tenn. More than a dozen Equinix data centers across the country are using fuel cells for power. With the push for AI dominance at warp speed, the "Bring Your Own Power" boom is a quick fix for the gridlock of trying to get on the grid. It's driving an energy Wild West that is reshaping American power. Most tech titans would be happy to trade their DIY sourcing for the ability to plug into the electric grid. But supply-chain snarls and permitting challenges are complicating everything, and the U.S. isn't building transmission infrastructure or power plants fast enough to meet the sudden surge in demand for electricity. Data centers consumed less than 2% of U.S. electricity before about 2020, but by 2028 could use as much as 12% of U.S. electricity, according to the Energy Department and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. Utility executives compare the skyrocketing demand with rural electrification efforts or the advent of air conditioning, though much of that work happened in the years after World War II when American industry was roaring. |
| 'A game changer': New virtual learning program addresses Mississippi's teacher shortage | |
| Thanks to a new partnership between the Mississippi Department of Education and Mississippi Public Broadcasting, students across the state will be getting new teachers this year. But those teachers won't be in classrooms, sitting behind desks. They'll be on the screen. The REACH MS program, also called the Mississippi Virtual Synchronous Learning Initiative, funded by a $2.2 million appropriation from the Legislature, is a response to the teacher shortage afflicting swaths of Mississippi schools. There are thousands of vacant teaching posts in Mississippi, according to a recent MDE survey. While the virtual-teacher program doesn't replace recruitment efforts, said associate state superintendent Bryan Marshall, it's one of the state's latest attempts to address the teacher shortage. Those include a revamped teacher recruitment website and increased funding to pay tuition and licensure expenses for college students who commit to teaching in "critical shortage areas." That's a category that 56% of Mississippi school districts fall into. Five districts -- Hinds County, Yazoo County, Yazoo City, Claiborne and West Point -- are part of the pilot program, as well as three certified teachers and three teacher assistants who are college students on the cusp of finishing their teaching degrees. |
| Mississippi executes a man who raped and killed a college student | |
 | A Mississippi man convicted of kidnapping, raping and killing a 20-year-old community college student in 1993 was executed Wednesday. Charles Crawford, 59, was pronounced dead at 6:15 p.m. following a lethal injection at the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman. Crawford had spent more than 30 years on death row. His execution comes several months after the execution of Mississippi's longest-serving death row inmate in a year of increasing executions nationwide. Given the chance to make a final statement, Crawford said, "To my family, I love you. I'm at peace. I've got God's peace," and added, "I'll be in heaven." He also addressed Ray's family, saying, "To the victim's family, true closure and true peace, you cannot reach that without God." The execution got underway at 6:01 p.m. and Crawford could be seen taking deep breaths. Five minutes later, he was declared unconscious. At 6:08 p.m., his breathing became slower and shallower and his mouth quivered. A minute later, he took a deep breath and then his chest appeared to stop moving. Crawford was convicted of abducting Kristy Ray from her parents' home in northern Mississippi's Tippah County on Jan. 29, 1993. During a press conference after the execution, Marc McClure, the chief superintendent of operations for the Mississippi Department of Corrections, said the execution went "as well as could be expected" and asked people to keep the victim's family in their prayers. |
| Colom raises Mississippi Democrat record of nearly $600K since launching U.S. Senate bid | |
| Democrat Scott Colom, who is trying to win Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith's seat in the 2026 midterms, announced a historic milestone in fundraising on Wednesday. A press release from Colom's camp said he's raised nearly $600,000 -- with over $580,000 cash on hand -- in the 27 days since launching his campaign. It's the most any Democratic Senate candidate in Mississippi has raised in their first quarter, with the previous best being Mike Espy's $414,000 in his bid against Hyde-Smith in 2020. While post-launch figures for Hyde-Smith have not yet been made available after Tuesday's campaign fundraising reporting deadline, her campaign reported around $1.4 million in cash on hand as of June 30. Colom, a former judge and prosecutor, is currently the district attorney in a district that includes Lowndes, Oktibbeha, Clay, and Noxubee counties. He's held the position for over a decade and has received bipartisan support on the way to being reelected twice. |
| Hyde-Smith comes out swinging in re-election bid, reports over $2.3 million cash on hand | |
| Candidates running for U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives were to file their third quarter campaign finance reports with the Federal Election Commission by October 15. As of early Thursday morning, not all of the announced candidates' filings are showing on the FEC website. However, of those candidates who have announced a run for office in Mississippi in the 2026 midterm election, U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, a Republican, leads the pack in terms of cash on hand so far this cycle, reporting $2.34 million. She is being challenged by at least two GOP candidates in the Republican Primary. Only one of those candidate's campaign finance reports is currently showing, that being Sarah Adlakha, who reported $122,000 cash on hand after previously reporting a loan to her campaign of over $200,000. Hyde-Smith, who has already been endorsed by President Donald Trump (R) for re-election, has served in the U.S. Senate since 2018 after being appointed by former Governor Phil Bryant (R) to fill the unexpired term of retiring Senator Thad Cochran. She is the first woman to represent the Magnolia State at the federal level. On the Democrat side of the Senate race, the party's chosen candidate Scott Colom called his campaign fundraising effort in the first month "an extraordinary and historic milestone" for a Democrat in Mississippi. |
| Trump promised farmers a bailout. Time is running out. | |
 | President Donald Trump promised a bailout for farmers reeling from the effects of his tariffs and the high costs for fertilizer and other equipment. But the money hasn't come, and time is running out before farmers have to make crucial decisions about next year's planting season. The White House blames Democrats and the government shutdown for the delay of its multi-billion-dollar bailout, but that's just one of many problems the administration faces. Even if there were a quick end to the shutdown, it would likely take months to get money to the farmers who need it most, according to industry insiders and farm-state senators. "Farmers are hurting financially," Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) told POLITICO. "They're very troubled, there's some expectation for help. Emotionally, it would be great for something to happen soon. But financially, they need to be able to go to their bankers and say that help is on the way." Administration officials have not finalized how much money to include in the first tranche of aid, how to pay for it and how to deploy it. The rollout is also complicated by an escalating trade war with China, from which the administration is loath to back down. And hovering over it all is a rapidly shrinking timeline: Agriculture industry experts and lawmakers say farmers need the White House's commitment in the next few weeks as they look to supplement depressed harvest revenue and plan for how to pay for next year's planting season. |
| OMB head says layoffs will be 'north of 10K' as judge blocks cuts | |
 | The Trump administration plans to fire more than 10,000 civilian federal workers during the partial government shutdown, White House budget director Russ Vought said Wednesday, just before a federal judge temporarily blocked the government from so-called reductions in force. That estimate, which came in an interview on the Charlie Kirk radio show broadcast from the White House, would more than double the number of planned layoffs the administration outlined in a court filing Friday. That document said more than 4,100 layoffs were planned at seven departments, though it also said more could be on the way as agencies finalized their plans. "I think it'll get much higher," Vought said of the reductions-in-force, known as RIFs. "And we're going to keep these RIFs rolling throughout this shutdown because we think it's important to stay on offense for the American taxpayer and the American people." That interview came just before a federal judge temporarily blocked the administration from firing workers during the shutdown. Judge Susan Illston of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issued the temporary restraining order in response to a lawsuit by federal employee unions claiming the firings are illegal. |
| The Impossible Politics That Mean the Shutdown Is Set to Drag On | |
| Republicans and Democrats both see a likely path to ending the government shutdown, involving extending enhanced Affordable Care Act healthcare subsidies for a year or longer. But there are a series of reasons why no deal has emerged, even with costs set to surge for more than 20 million Americans. The shutdown is now entering its third full week, with no serious talks under way. The House passed its short-term bill to fund the government through Nov. 21, and has been out of town since. Democrats have repeatedly blocked the measure in the Senate, where Republicans have a 53-47 majority, but 60 votes are required to advance the legislation. "Not a good day on Capitol Hill, not a good day across America," House Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) told reporters Wednesday. Democrats and Republicans think that they are on the stronger side of the argument and see little reason to budge. Both point to polling they say shows public opinion is on their side. "I think right now the problem is that both sides think they're winning," said Sen. Angus King, a Maine independent who caucuses with Democrats. |
| Trump Names More Foes He Wants Prosecuted as Bondi and Patel Look On | |
 | The nation's three most powerful law enforcement officials -- Attorney General Pam Bondi and her top deputy, Todd Blanche, along with Kash Patel, the F.B.I. director -- padded into the Oval Office on Wednesday for a public show of unity and to herald some recent successes. They left about an hour later, after President Trump tossed out, offhandedly, three names of people he wanted prosecuted: Jack Smith, the special counsel who brought two criminal indictments against him; Andrew Weissmann, a former F.B.I. official who was a lead prosecutor for the team investigating the Trump campaign's possible ties to Russia in the 2016 election; and Lisa Monaco, the deputy attorney general under President Joseph R. Biden Jr. They smiled, nodded and shuffled in place as he spoke. It was a common enough example of second-term Trump theater-in-the-Oval. But it was also a diorama of the administration's lopsided power dynamic between a president bent on controlling federal law enforcement and appointees unwilling or unable to fight for the historic independence of their institutions. The president, who vowed to go after the "scum" who once investigated him, often calls for investigations of people he hates, including Beyoncé and Bruce Springsteen. But those threats appear to be gaining legal force. |
| Vice President JD Vance, Erika Kirk Announced For UM TPUSA Event | |
 | Turning Point USA announced via Instagram Wednesday that Vice President JD Vance and Charlie Kirk's wife, Erika Kirk, will speak at the University of Mississippi on Wednesday, Oct. 29 as part of the "This is the Turning Point Tour." Before TPUSA Founder and CEO Charlie Kirk was killed at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, he was scheduled to appear on the UM campus for "The American Comeback Tour" on Oct. 29. "It is an honor for the university to welcome the nation's Vice President and Mrs. Kirk to our campus," UM News and Media Relations Director Jacob Batte said in a statement to The Daily Mississippian. "As a public institution with a dynamic learning environment, the university is pleased for our students to have the opportunity to engage with Vice President Vance and Mrs. Kirk on issues of the day." Batte provided details about security protocol for the event in his statement. "The safety of our campus community is always our top priority," Batte said. "While we cannot share specific security measures for safety reasons, University Police are working closely with event organizers and public safety officials to uphold a secure campus environment." |
| Vice President J.D. Vance, Erika Kirk bringing Turning Point USA campus tour to Ole Miss | |
| Vice President J.D. Vance and new Turning Point CEO Erika Kirk are coming to Ole Miss as part of the organization's college campus tours on October 29. The announcement was made Wednesday by Andrew Kolvet, executive producer of the Charlie Kirk Show, while interviewing Vance. Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, was assassinated last month while speaking on the campus of Utah Valley University. The organization named his widow, Erika, as its CEO in the days following her husband's death. "You guys are going to be at Ole Miss together," Kolvet said to Vance, adding, "And it's going to be Erika's only appearance on the tour. I mean, we really, you know, we thought about suggesting to her to do more, and it's just, she needs time. She needs time. But she wanted to make it a priority to be at this one, and you're making it a priority to be at this one." Kolvet estimated that the event would draw between 9,000 and 10,000 people to Ole Miss. Organizers say the event will being hosted by the TPUSA chapter at the University of Mississippi and The Declaration of Independence Center for the Study of American Freedom. |
| Vice President JD Vance and Erika Kirk to speak at Ole Miss for Turning Point event | |
| Vice President JD Vance and Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk will speak at the University of Mississippi in Oxford on Oct. 29, according to a social media post from the university's Turning Point USA chapter. The event is part of "The Turning Point Tour," where the conservative grassroots organization is visiting college campuses across the nation. Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point and a conservative activist, was scheduled to speak at the event before he was assassinated last month in Utah. After Kirk's death, his widow and other conservative leaders have banded together and promised to continue with the tour to honor Kirk's memory. Tickets are free but require registration, and attendance will be first-come, first-served. The event begins at 5 p.m. on Oct. 29, according to the event details on Turning Point's website. |
| JD Vance, Erika Kirk to headline Turning Point USA event at Ole Miss | |
| Vice President JD Vance and Erika Kirk, the widow of the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk, will be the headliners at a Turning Point USA event scheduled to take place at Ole Miss in two weeks. The Charlie Kirk-founded organization announced Wednesday that the nation's second-in-command, just under President Donald Trump, and Erika Kirk, whose husband was killed at a speaking event on Sept. 10, will take the main stage at the SJB Pavilion on the University of Mississippi's campus. The event will be part of the organization's "This is the Turning Point" tour and will occur on Oct. 29 at 6:30 p.m. CT. Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at age 31 while speaking at Utah Valley University. His alleged killer, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, has since been charged with aggravated murder. During a celebration of life service for Charlie, Erika publicly forgave her husband's accused killer. |
| Ole Miss offering new program for intellectually and developmentally disabled students | |
| The University of Mississippi is offering individuals with intellectual and developmental disorders the opportunity to enjoy the typical life of a college student while preparing for the workforce. The four-week residential program, called READY, allows participants to enroll in classes, engage in campus activities, and eventually pursue certificates that prepare them for employment. The goal of READY is to promote greater independence and inclusion for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and prepare them to be active, thriving members of their communities. "READY will embody the spirit of Ole Miss at its best -- joy-filled, caring and passionate," said Cade Smith, assistant vice chancellor for access and community engagement and the program's co-lead. "Inclusive higher education creates new pathways for independence while enriching student life, teaching, and research across the university. READY is not just a program; it's a promising path to a brighter, more prosperous future." To make READY affordable and accessible to all interested students, Ole Miss is working to secure $125,000 in private gifts. So far, more than $30,000 has been pledged. These funds will directly support programming and personnel that will make the program a transformational experience for its participants. |
| UMMC researches pregnancy issues | |
| The first long-term study in Mississippi of potential links between preeclampsia in pregnant women and serious health issues for their babies later in life begins in earnest in 2026. Researchers at the University of Mississippi Medical Center were awarded a $7.4 million Specialized Centers of Research Excellence grant from the National Institutes of Health's Office of Research on Women's Health to study the condition in women in metro Jackson and, eventually, across the state. "The grant will study how inflammatory factors in women who have preeclampsia lead to hypertension for the mothers during pregnancy and then contribute to the long-term cardiovascular and neurovascular dysfunction these women seem to have earlier in life compared to those that had uncomplicated pregnancy," said Dr. Babette LaMarca, chair of pharmacology and toxicology at UMMC and director of the study. "The study will compare those pregnancies with women who have normal pregnancies." The study establishes the Mississippi Preeclampsia Collaborative Center to formalize the researchers work, which LaMarca points out will use similar studies abroad as a guide for looking at Mississippi moms. |
| JSU Girls Against Gun Violence Coalition visits Forest Hill High School | |
| The JSU Girls Against Gun Violence Coalition continued a conversation with a stop at Forest Hill High School, where students gathered in the auditorium to discuss community issues. The coalition is touring all high schools and six middle schools in the Jackson Public School District, aiming to connect with the youth to curb gun violence. The Jackson Police Department is partnering with the coalition to bridge the gap between young people and law enforcement. "Rome wasn't built in a day. Some problems will not be solved overnight," said Capt. Christian Vance, JPD director of training. "But with understanding, with awareness, with education, we can find ways to enrich our kids and keep them from going down that path." Vance also encourages the youth to reach out to JPD's training academy for events on conflict resolution. The next stop will be at Cordozo Middle School. |
| Arrest made in fatal shooting at Alcorn State | |
| The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation has arrested Taevion Doss, 26, in connection with the Oct. 11 shooting at Alcorn State University that left one woman dead and two others wounded, authorities announced Wednesday. Doss faces charges of murder, two counts of aggravated assault and possession of a weapon on school property, according to MBI. The agency said the case remains open, and no additional comments would be released at this time. Claiborne County Coroner Kieon Neal has identified the deceased as 29-year-old Brekyra Fisher of Vicksburg. The shooting occurred near the Industrial Technology Building on campus at roughly 6:30 p.m., according to local media accounts. In a statement, MBI Commissioner Sean Tindell praised law enforcement collaboration, saying, "I'm proud of the hard work and collaboration between the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation and our local partners. Together, we're sending a clear message that senseless crime has no place in Mississippi." The shooting unfolded during Alcorn State's homecoming activities, a weekend that also saw violent incidents at other Mississippi campuses. |
| Enrollment and number of students graduating continue to rise at Georgia universities | |
 | The number of students who earn a degree at a public college or university in Georgia keeps rising. Enrollment has been rising, too, but that is not the only reason for the increasing graduation rates at the University System of Georgia. Enrollment has gone up 12.8% since 2011, but the number of degrees awarded has far outpaced that, shooting up 50.6% over the same period, according to the Board of Regents. The graduation gains coincide with USG's decision to join the Complete College America program in 2011. USG cited several initiatives, including the creation of a website (Georgia Degrees Pay) that informs families about college costs and value, with data about success rates, borrowing, debt, and average earnings by degree for all 26 of the system's colleges and universities. The system also pointed to the Georgia Momentum Approach, which uses predictive analytics and targeted advising for students who are transitioning to college. Remediation and teaching practices were also updated. Four-year graduation rates were not evenly distributed last year. Of the freshmen who enrolled in the system in 2020, 35.6% earned a degree within four years, according to a USG graduation report available online. The rate at Georgia Tech was 69.3% and at the University of Georgia, it was 77.4%. However, the rate at Fort Valley State University was 15.9% and at Georgia Gwinnett College it was 10.2%. |
| U. of Tennessee launches new Center for Precision Health, pioneering opportunities of the future | |
| On Sept. 3, the University of Tennessee and the UT Medical Center announced the grand opening of the Center for Precision Health. The new health center at Cherokee Park is set to combine the efforts of researchers, entrepreneurs and physicians to achieve better health outcomes for the Knoxville community. Development on the center began in November 2022 with few obstacles. According to Brad Day, associate vice chancellor of research and innovation initiatives, construction for the space took 15 months to complete. It ended up being finished ahead of schedule and under budget. "Students occupy about 60-75% of the space," Day said. "Students are the ones putting innovation into practice." Current and future students will have the opportunity to access state of the art equipment not present anywhere else in Tennessee. Students will be able to collect different types of measurements in their research that were previously unable to be measured. As the center grows, more opportunities for students to join the facility's staff -- likely including students in work-study programs -- will become available. |
| UT's McCombs Business dean talks legacy, Mulva Hall as she prepares to step down | |
| On an early morning in October, yellow tractors crawled across a cavernous hole on University Avenue, transforming a former parking lot into the bones of a new University of Texas undergraduate business building: James J. and Miriam B. Mulva Hall. The $425 million building to-come is a crowning achievement in McCombs School of Business Dean Lillian Mills' legacy at the university. By the time construction rises above ground next fall, a new dean will be in her shoes. Gazing at the construction from the fifth floor balcony at Rowling Hall, Mills told the American-Statesman that ahead of her planned retirement at the end of this academic year -- much like the building infrastructure before her -- she is most proud of creating a foundation of unity and drive at McCombs around a shared mission and unique culture -- one she hopes will continue long beyond her term. During her five years as dean and nearly two decades at UT, Mills helped propel McCombs forward in rankings, innovation and prestige. Her home department, Accounting, is ranked number one nationally and is the top-ranked department in the business school. Mills announced in August plans to retire as dean in May 2026 and return as faculty after a year-long sabbatical. She is the second dean at UT to announce a departure this fall, just as the university welcomes new leadership at the provost, president and chancellor level. |
| From bare walls to boutique style: The rise of the glamorous dorm room | |
 | University of Missouri freshman Keelie Kendrick's dorm room is more than just 150 square feet of space. Floral bedding, chiffon curtains, bow-shaped pillows and decorative lamps all help turn standard residence hall housing into a statement of Kendrick's personality. The carefully curated room reflects a growing trend among college students aiming for a distinctive place to live away from home. Even in the recent past, college dorm rooms were furnished with hand-me-down bedding, posters tacked on walls and a basic rug to cover the tile floor. Today, these rooms may have a coordinating theme, contemporary bedroom furniture, glass-top coffee tables and abstract art. This year, the National Retail Federation predicts that American families will spend $12.8 billion on high-end college-residence furnishings, up from $6.7 billion in 2019. There is no doubt that the push for high-end dorm rooms has been propelled by the envy created on social media platforms. But the trend has also been accelerated by big box stores with expanded sections devoted to college furnishings and parents who are more invested than ever in the success of their children. Kendrick's mother, Jessica McNear, was a freshman at Mizzou in 2002, when she said little if any attention was paid to decorating a room. "You would just throw some posters up," she said. "The fact that my roommate and I had matching yellow bedspreads was like the coolest thing." |
| College Presidents Guarded Under Fire | |
 | Nine months into Donald Trump's second term, in a year marked by unprecedented federal intervention in higher education, college presidents are treading carefully, with few exceptions. At an annual press dinner in New York City on Tuesday night, presidents from a mix of public and private institutions fielded questions on topics including college costs, artificial intelligence and public perception of higher ed. But those questions served largely as appetizers; Trump and his administration's federal actions featured as the main course. While the dinner, hosted annually by Arizona State University president Michael Crow, was dominated last year by postelection uncertainty about Trump, his agenda has since become clear. And with higher ed squarely in the president's sights, the college leaders in attendance Tuesday night appeared guarded, cautiously navigating a minefield of questions, with silence sometimes serving as the answer. The first question probed why higher education as an industry had not mounted a more robust defense against external forces, including Trump and other critics -- particularly after years of attacks by lawmakers that paved the way for the current moment. Cornell University president Michael Kotlikoff responded that higher ed was spending too much time playing defense. He argued that most Americans believe "universities represent an opportunity for citizens to transform their lives," but that the sector has failed to communicate that point and the myriad ways in which research done in higher education advances society. |
| Is college worth the cost? Universities work to show the return on investment of a degree | |
| For a generation of young Americans, choosing where to go to college -- or whether to go at all -- has become a complex calculation of costs and benefits that often revolves around a single question: Is the degree worth its price? Public confidence in higher education has plummeted in recent years amid high tuition prices, skyrocketing student loans and a dismal job market -- plus ideological concerns from conservatives. Now, colleges are scrambling to prove their value to students. Borrowed from the business world, the term "return on investment" has been plastered on college advertisements across the U.S. A battery of new rankings grade campuses on the financial benefits they deliver. States such as Colorado have started publishing yearly reports on the monetary payoff of college, and Texas now factors it into calculations for how much taxpayer money goes to community colleges. "Students are becoming more aware of the times when college doesn't pay off," said Preston Cooper, who has studied college ROI at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank. "It's front of mind for universities today in a way that it was not necessarily 15, 20 years ago." A wide body of research indicates a bachelor's degree still pays off, at least on average and in the long run. Yet there's growing recognition that not all degrees lead to a good salary, and even some that seem like a good bet are becoming riskier as graduates face one of the toughest job markets in years. |
| Americans' Faith in Higher Ed Has Declined Even Further | |
 | Mistrust in America's colleges has grown in the last five years, according to survey results released by the Pew Research Center on Wednesday. Seven in ten Americans said that the United States' higher-education system is generally heading in the wrong direction -- an increase from 56 percent of respondents who answered the same in 2020. That rising disapproval is coming from both sides of the aisle. More than three-quarters of Republicans and those who lean to the right said that colleges are going astray, compared to 65 percent of their Democratic counterparts. For both groups, that share has risen by at least 10 percentage points since 2020. In addition to a question about higher ed's direction, the survey, which is nationally representative, asked 3,445 adults to rate how well colleges were performing certain functions. For each role, they could select "excellent," "very good," "good," "fair," or "poor," along with "not sure." Overall, the responses were lackluster. When asked how well colleges were preparing students for well-paying jobs, 55 percent said the institutions were doing fair or poor, the two lowest ratings. Forty-nine percent answered the same when asked to judge higher ed's ability to develop students' critical thinking and problem-solving skills. And around 45 percent said colleges do a fair or poor job exposing students to a wide range of viewpoints and opinions. |
| Colleges Push Back Against Trump's Effort to Collect More Admissions Data | |
| Institutions of higher education and their advocates are sounding the alarm about the Trump administration's plan to require colleges to submit new data about their admissions decisions. They argued in public comments that the new requirements for admissions data collection are too vague, request data institutions do not collect and could violate students' privacy. Several institutions said they broadly support transparency and the federal data collection but that the department needs to rethink the proposal to lessen the administrative burden on colleges and universities -- especially smaller institutions with limited institutional research capacity. Under the Department of Education's proposed Admissions and Consumer Transparency Supplement, institutions would have to submit applied, admitted and enrolled student data broken down by test score quintiles, grade point average quintiles, income ranges, Pell Grant eligibility and parental education levels, as well as data regarding aid and student outcomes. Institutions would also be required to send historical data going back to 2020. President Donald Trump first called for this data to be collected in an executive order, part of an ongoing crusade to stamp out racial preference in admissions that experts say is going well beyond Supreme Court's 2023 ban on affirmative action. The announcement prompted outcry from admissions professionals, who worried about whether their institutions had the capacity to collect the required data and about how the government planned to use the data. |
| McMahon: Shutdown confirms 'Department of Education is unnecessary' | |
 | Education Secretary Linda McMahon said Wednesday the federal shutdown is proof that her department should be eliminated, as the Trump administration is trying to do. "The Democrat government shutdown has forced agencies to evaluate what federal responsibilities are truly critical for the American people. Two weeks in, millions of American students are still going to school, teachers are getting paid, and schools are operating as normal. It confirms what the President has said: the federal Department of Education is unnecessary, and we should return education to the states," McMahon posted on the social platform X. While schools have said they are fine in the short term in the shutdown, a longer-term government closure raises concerns for administrators about where funding will come from and whom to contact for certain issues or questions. Schools on tax-exempt land such as military bases or Native American reservations had their Impact Aid immediately affected. While many of these institutions have some reserves, it won't last forever. And the 95 percent of furloughed staff at the department is delaying certain programs such as investigations at the Office for Civil Rights. |
| Survey: Americans Overwhelmingly Oppose Trump Higher Ed Cuts | |
| A majority of Americans oppose the Trump administration's sweeping cuts to higher ed funding, according to summer poll results released Wednesday. And several of the president's other moves -- including targeting diversity, equity and inclusion programs -- aren't popular, either. The results suggest the White House's ongoing targeting of colleges and universities isn't winning points for President Trump, of whom more Americans disapprove than approve, according to major polling averages. That's despite the fact that Americans say higher ed is far from perfect. "There are a variety of very significant concerns that Americans have with higher education that are not unrelated to the topics the Trump administration cites or references as justifications for their crackdown," said Matt Baum, the Marvin Kalb Chair of Global Communications at the Harvard Kennedy School, a public policy professor and one of the survey researchers. Still, "the fact that Americans have these concerns doesn't necessarily translate to agreeing with the corrective measures the Trump administration is advocating and implementing." The new survey adds to others that show public confidence in higher ed remains high compared to other U.S. institutions. A quarter of Americans in this survey said they have "a lot" of trust in colleges and universities to do what's right, and another 50 percent expressed "some" trust, leaving just 25 percent who said they trust postsecondary institutions "not too much" or "not at all." The only groups that performed better were the military and two groups that are often connected to colleges and universities: hospitals and doctors, and scientists and researchers. |
| Local Voices: Indoctrination or unindoctrination? | |
| Raymond Barranco, a professor in the Department of Sociology at Mississippi State University, writes in The Dispatch: Since 2015, both Gallup and the Pew Research Center have documented a significant decline in Americans' confidence in higher education. The most commonly cited reason for this decline is the perceived rise of liberal or political indoctrination in college classrooms. As someone who has taught more than 2,000 college students over the last 18 years, I know how difficult -- if not impossible -- it is to indoctrinate students. How can we expect to fundamentally reshape a student's worldview when we often can't even get them to read the syllabus? The unfortunate reality is that many students engage with course material only to the extent that it affects their grade. For them, higher education has become a means to an end, not an end in itself. To illustrate this point to my students, I often ask them a simple question: "Would you read the required textbook for this course if there were no quizzes or exams on it?" In nearly 20 years of teaching, I have yet to see a single hand go up. If the purpose of college is to pursue knowledge, why wouldn't students want to absorb as much information as possible? Does this mean that students graduate without learning anything or changing any of their views? Absolutely not. Whether they intend to or not, students do learn -- and one of the most important things they learn is how to think critically. College isn't about telling students what to think; it's about teaching them how to think. |
| Will Senate Republicans have a voting record in favor of Obamacare expansion and against President Trump's education agenda when session ends? | |
| The Magnolia Tribune's Russ Latino writes: In a poignant scene in Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather, Vito Corleone stands before the bosses of the other New York crime families and offers forgiveness for past offenses -- offenses that included the killing of his eldest son and his own attempted murder. He explains his willingness to let the past go is selfish. He wants to bring his son Michael home from Sicily without harm coming to him: "But I'm a superstitious man and if some unlucky accident should befall him, if he should get shot in the head by a police officer or if he should hang himself in his jail cell, or if he's struck by a bolt of lightning then, I'm going to blame some of the people in this room. And that, I will not forgive." Two years ago, both the Mississippi House and Mississippi Senate proposed different plans to implement Obamacare expansion. Governor Tate Reeves stood stalwartly against it and ultimately the chambers were unable to agree to a proposal. The effort fizzled and has not been revived. It seems there is little appetite for it, and perhaps even recognition, in certain corners, that the policy climate makes it even less attractive today. For conservatives, like myself, swallowing full Medicaid expansion was a hard pill. The conservative movement had spent more than a decade pushing back on President Obama's signature legislation, and there is substantial data about its excessive costs and lackluster efficacy at this point. Still, most of us were willing to be like Vito. We'd overlook that attempt if we could get back to core conservative principles guiding the Legislature. |
SPORTS
| MSU must show resolve on the road | |
 | The Mississippi State Bulldogs' next goal is simple. "We're trying to get postseason eligible as fast as we possibly can. That's the next step," coach Jeff Lebby said. "So that means finding a way to go 1-0 on Saturday to give us the ability to take that next step. Our guys understand that. It is as soon as possible. That, for us, is huge." If it's to get done "as soon as possible", it will require winning some games on the road. Three of Mississippi State's next five games will be away from the Magnolia State: at Florida this Saturday, at Arkansas on Nov. 1 and at No. 16 Missouri on Nov. 15. The games will be part of five games played in five weeks. Although the Bulldogs are 1-1 away from Davis Wade Stadium this season, the one win was in-state against Southern Miss. The confines of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium are hardly friendly to visitors. In the eyes of receiver Brenen Thompson, being able to sustain that will take complementary football, being good on first and second down offensively, and being able to handle when things go wrong. "Everything's not going to go our way. Adversity is going to hit at some point. It always does on the road," he said. "How do we get past that? How do we keep our heads down and keep working?" |
| Football: Pulliam Named To The Sporting News 2025 Midseason All-America Team | |
| Mississippi State punter Ethan Pulliam has been selected to The Sporting News Midseason All-America Team, the publication announced Wednesday. Pulliam, a redshirt sophomore from Starkville, has been a key piece for the Bulldogs' special teams through the first half of the 2025 season, standing out among the nation's best in punting efficiency and ability to flip the field. In six games, Pulliam has punted 19 times for 885 yards, averaging 46.6 yards per punt. Of his 19 punts, eight have been over 50 yards. His longest punt has traveled 67 yards. Pulliam has placed seven punts inside the 20-yard line. His game-by-game log includes performances of 50.5 and 50.6 yards per punt in games vs. Northern Illinois and Tennessee, respectively. He is averaging approximately 3.2 punts per game, totaling about 147.5 punt yards per contest. |
| Why Jeff Lebby not firing Mississippi State's defensive staff could be best decision so far | |
| Jeff Lebby made a decision after his first season as the Mississippi State football coach that could have backfired. The defense struggled as the Bulldogs slumped to a 2-10 record. It was the worst in the SEC by far, and ranked near the bottom of the FBS in many metrics. Lebby didn't fire any of the defensive assistant coaches, including coordinator Coleman Hutzler. He banked on flipping the roster with coaching continuity, while also expanding the defensive staff with an additional assistant coach and two senior defensive analysts. The return for Lebby and MSU (4-2, 0-2 SEC) halfway through the season has been positive. And the Bulldogs' defense could needed even more next against Florida (2-4, 1-2) at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Oct. 18 (3:15 p.m. CT, SEC Network). MSU's defense hasn't been elite, but it's no longer the same liability it was in 2024. In fact, the defense has kept the Bulldogs in games when the offense has stalled, like most recently in the 31-9 loss at Texas A&M. "I think the first thing, obviously from a roster standpoint, we are in a completely different place from where we were a year ago today with some of the guys we were able to go sign," Lebby said. "Then I think the guys who are playing at a high level for us that are returners from last year, they're in Year 2 in the system. I don't think people don't understand how big of a deal that is." |
| As Florida football losses mount, so does frustration among players | |
| Florida football players and coaches didn't envision a sub-.500 start six games into the 2025 season. Yet that is where the Florida Gators (2-4, 1-2 SEC) find themselves heading into their homecoming showdown on Oct. 18 against Mississippi State (4:15 p.m., SEC Network). There was visible frustration shown by Florida players during their 34-17 loss at Texas A&M on Oct. 18. That included an incident involving defensive back Sharif Denson, who was caught on the national broadcast throwing water from his bottle on the sidelines at TAMU fans that were taunting him following a touchdown that put the Aggies up 31-17. According to sources, Denson was dealing with profanity-laced taunts from Texas A&M fans throughout the game. Asked about the incident this week, Napier sidestepped the question, saying: "We're excited about this opportunity this week. Look, Mississippi State's a good football team. We're at home, in front of our fans. And I think it's important we turn our attention towards how we prepare for this next opportunity." There also were shots of Florida quarterback DJ Lagway animated on the sidelines as the fourth quarter was winding down. The loss dropped Lagway to 8-5 as a starter during his UF tenure as Florida's offense struggled in his homecoming game after a promising start. |
| Soccer: State Hosts No. 21 Vanderbilt Thursday | |
| Mississippi State soccer returns home for the first time in two weeks on Thursday night when the Bulldogs host No. 21 Vanderbilt at 6 p.m. CT. The match will air on SEC Network+. The Bulldogs bring a 19-match regular-season, home unbeaten streak into the game after winning their sixth consecutive Magnolia Cup against Ole Miss in their last action at the MSU Soccer Field. Large crowds have been a theme of the season, with three all-time top-10 attendance marks already this year, and a fourth that cracked the top 10 before being pushed out by the Ole Miss crowd. Thursday night is State's annual breast cancer awareness match, and the first 250 fans can claim a free pink MSU soccer flag. Those fighting breast cancer and survivors of the disease will be recognized at halftime. State and Vanderbilt enter the game with identical records in conference play, but MSU currently holds the tiebreaker over the Commodores in the standings. Both teams are fighting for one of the top four spots in the conference and the first-round bye in the SEC Tournament that comes with such a finish. |
| Chris Jans reveals Mississippi State recruiting 'hidden trick' that didn't fool Josh Hubbard | |
| The highlight of Chris Jans' summer came on the golf course. The Mississippi State basketball fourth-year coach was on Hole 3 at Old Waverly Golf Club in West Point when he grabbed his 8-iron. From 134 yards out and the wind blowing in, the golf ball bounced once, then dropped into the hole. It was the second hole-in-one of his life and the first in 15 years. "The cool thing is the people that are my playing partners had a full foursome," Jans said. "They celebrated well. We were chest bumping and we were excited." It was a talking point of MSU's appearance at SEC media days on Oct. 15 in Birmingham, Alabama, where Jans also revealed that he uses golf as part of recruiting. And it appears to be one that's working as the Bulldogs aim for their fourth consecutive NCAA tournament for the second time in program history. "When I talk to recruits on the phone, one of the first questions I ask them to try to make it come up, do they play golf?" Jans said. "And if they say yes, they're avid golfers, then usually the phone conversation gets over pretty quickly. You got to spend a lot of time to be any good at golf. At their age, they better be hooping, so that's my hidden trick." Mississippi State has recruited well under Jans. The Bulldogs' 2025 recruiting class included three four-stars and was ranked No. 19 nationally by the 247Sports Composite, the program's best since 2018 and third top 20 class since 2011. |
| Men's Basketball: SEC Spotlight The Latest Surreal Stop On Shawn Jones Jr.'s Journey | |
| About the only thing brighter than the lights all over the place at the Southeastern Conference's Basketball Tipoff event on Wednesday was the smile across the face of Shawn Jones Jr. The Mississippi State senior guard was beaming. "I'm shocked just looking around," Jones shared. "I'm having the time of my life right now." Jones was the proverbial kid in a candy store as he zigged and zagged his way back and forth from room to room taking pictures, speaking with the league's media partners and rubbing shoulders with some of the very best players on SEC rosters. "I never even thought about having the chance to experience all this," Jones said. Few, if any, could've possibly foreseen this moment for Jones four years ago. It was just the latest surreal stop on Jones' inspirational, sensational journey. Jones' path Wednesday's SEC interview stages certainly wasn't a typical one. |
| Bulldog backcourt central to Year 4 evolution under Jans | |
| Mississippi State head coach Chris Jans hit a hole-in-one at Old Waverly this summer, only the second in his golfing life. He described it as "the highlight of the offseason" in his introduction at SEC Media Days on Wednesday, marking the start of a season in which his Bulldog team may make similar strides offensively on the basketball court. Fearsomely nicknamed "The Dentist," Jans' and his Bulldog teams built a reputation as a hellish team to play against, boasting a hard-nosed defense and a blue-collar mentality. That reputation evolved with the addition of Josh Hubbard in 2023, a prolific shooting guard who is on pace to shatter MSU's scoring record should he stay for his senior year. Hubbard is already the program's most accomplished three-point shooter. Now, after exploring the NBA Draft process, Hubbard is back with the Bulldogs and looking to expand his game as a leader. He stepped into the role as a sophomore, but the torch was passed from Cameron Matthews in the offseason to give him a level of seniority he wasn't used to in Starkville "Everybody views me as big bro," Hubbard said. "So just having that voice, leading these guys to wins and to the (NCAA) tournament, that's always been the goal. "I'm excited for it, excited to see the improvements in my game this season, and everyone's just excited all around." |
| Women's Basketball: State Looks Ahead To New Year At SEC Tipoff | |
| The season is just around the corner for Mississippi State women's basketball. It's a group full of new faces, but high expectations remain for the Bulldogs. Head coach Sam Purcell and a few of his players were in Birmingham, Ala., for the Southeastern Conference Basketball Tipoff event on Wednesday to discuss the upcoming campaign. After two NCAA Tournament trips over the last three seasons, Purcell emphasized what he believes has been key the last three years and what he believes will be critical in the season to come. "It's simple. In our profession it's about relationships," Purcell said. "No matter what the [roster] turnover may be, you have to connect to the players that you have. When you can connect, you can make special moments. That's what I'm most proud of going into my fourth year here at Mississippi State is those moments we were able to connect, but also at the same time make history." While State has made that history, the Bulldogs have brought in a ton of support from the fans through it all, boasting 10 straight years of top-25 finishes in attendance. State is one of only 11 programs in the nation to be in the top 25 in that category for 10 straight years. "When you put on that uniform at Mississippi State, it means something," Purcell said. "We have a fan base who spends their hard-working money to watch us play, and we don't take that lightly. Our fans drive from all over to watch us play. We can't thank you enough." |
| Homecoming tailgates cut, security boosted following weekend shootings | |
| From football games to parades to tailgates, high school homecoming weeks are a time of celebration for local high schoolers, college students and alumni. But after four homecoming celebrations across the state last week turned deadly from acts of gun violence, the Mississippi High School Activities Association is encouraging schools to increase safety efforts and eliminate tailgating. "All these events seem to stem from tailgates so we recommend, from advice from our attorney, that we stop having tailgates," MHSAA Executive Director Rickey Neaves said on the MHSAA podcast Monday. "That's just a ... recommendation. If you have tailgates, know that these must be supervised by school personnel or by security, and (be aware of) what's going into those areas." Superintendent Washington Cole IV said in a Tuesday press release Noxubee County School District is cancelling tailgating activities for the Noxubee High School homecoming game Oct. 17 following an order from the Mississippi Department of Education to comply with the MHSAA recommendation. NCSD is under a state conservatorship as a "district of transformation," meaning MDE acts as the district's school board. Starkville High School will still be hosting a tailgating event before the school's homecoming game on Oct. 24 in the north end zone of the school's football field, Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District Communications Director Haley Montgomery told The Dispatch. The tailgate will be limited to faculty and their families as it typically is, she said. "Most of the time our older students, in particular, high school students like to be in the stands in the student section, and so there's not a lot of students (in the tailgate area)," Montgomery said. The district will have additional law enforcement officers present at other homecoming festivities throughout the week to curb loitering outside the events. The school is also continuing its typical security screenings and clear bag policies, Montgomery said. |
| 'It all turned so bad so fast:' Inside James Franklin's Penn State departure | |
| Two nights before James Franklin's final game at Penn State, an unranked Clarkson University men's hockey team scored on the fourth-ranked Nittany Lions a minute after puck drop. Behind the net, students erupted into chants of "Fire Franklin" -- and resumed the chant after every goal in a 6-4 Clarkson win. On Saturday, during Penn State's stunning 22-21 loss to Northwestern, the "Fire Franklin" chants echoed through Beaver Stadium -- and never let up. After a third straight loss, Franklin looked defeated. As if saying goodbye, he stood on the 10-yard line and hugged every remaining player on the field before heading through the south tunnel for the last time as head coach. There, his wife and daughter waited. He sent them ahead -- perhaps so they wouldn't hear the vitriol that awaited him -- as he passed fans lined up on either side of the underpass to the locker room. "How it all turned so bad so fast," one Penn State athletic department source said, "I don't know." Coming off a CFP semifinal appearance, Penn State seemed poised to chase its first national title in 39 years. Yet with those expectations came unprecedented pressure on the Nittany Lions, who under Franklin had repeatedly wilted in big games. As one former Penn State staff member put it, "They were either gonna win it all -- or they were gonna implode." Six games into Franklin's 12th season, the Nittany Lions imploded. |
| Nike renames corporate campus after co-founder Phil Knight | |
| Nike CEO Elliott Hill on Tuesday announced the company has renamed its corporate headquarters in honor of co-founder Phil Knight. The 400-acre headquarters in Beaverton will now be known as the Philip H. Knight Campus. The move comes as Hill continues to refocus the company on sports -- one of Knight's founding principles -- and encourages employees to think more like entrepreneurs, one of Knight's greatest strengths. "This is more than a name change," Hill said in an email to Nike employees. "It's a tribute to the man whose vision created a global movement. And it's a reminder -- to every one of us who will walk these paths and run these fields -- of what can happen when belief meets action." Knight, 87, co-founded what became Nike in 1964 and served as its driving force for decades before stepping down as president in 2004. He played a key role in the design of the campus, which resembles a college's grounds more than a traditional corporate headquarters. In "Shoe Dog," his 2016 memoir, Knight wrote about the "thrill" and "shot of adrenaline" he gets whenever he visits the campus, which is dotted with Nike history. Knight is credited with the college-like design of the campus, which has more than 40 buildings connected by tree-shaded paths, mulched walkways, athletic fields, fitness centers, coffee shops, a cafeteria and a six-acre lake ringed by 65 cherry trees. |
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