| Thursday, January 15, 2026 |
| More than just a game: MSU event examines how sports build community, connection | |
 | Join a Mississippi State sociologist and local sports experts next week for "More Than Just a Game: A Conversation about Sports and Community," hosted by MSU's College of Arts and Sciences' Institute for the Humanities. Free and open to the public, the Tuesday [Jan. 20] event at 6:30 p.m. takes place at Taylormade Fitness, 306 University Drive in Starkville. Conversation will explore how sports -- from recreational leagues and fitness spaces to fandom and community pride -- foster connection, belonging and shared experiences. The event will feature Rachel Allison, MSU associate professor of sociology and celebrated author of "Kicking Center: Gender and the Selling of Women's Professional Soccer," a 2018 Rutgers University Press publication; Starkville resident Chase Taylor, Taylormade Fitness CEO and owner; and Victoria Woodberry, Starkville Parks and Recreation athletic coordinator. "Sports offer a powerful lens for thinking about how people come together and what it means to belong," said Morgan Robinson, director of the Institute for the Humanities. "Whether through competition, collaboration or shared routines, movement and play create social bonds that extend far beyond the game itself." |
| Who's buying farmland in Mississippi? | |
 | Agricultural and forestland are essential components of the rural economy throughout the South. These lands support crop and livestock production, timber, recreational uses, and long-term investment opportunities. As regional demand for agricultural land continues to evolve, understanding who is buying land and how land-use patterns are shifting is increasingly important for producers, lenders, Extension agents and policymakers. Individuals and general partnerships remain the most active participants in the farmland market in terms of transaction frequency. However, there was an increase in the number of non-individual and non-GP buyers, particularly financial and real estate developers. The majority of land transactions involve timber and recreational land, which accounted for 77% of all agricultural land purchases between 2019 and early 2023. Timberland dominates the rural landscape in many parts of the South, and its large share of transactions reflects its availability and investment appeal. In contrast, cropland represented only 11% of agricultural land transactions, while pasture made up the remaining portion in terms of transactions. This difference highlights a key challenge in many Southern markets: Cropland and pasture turnover is relatively low, while timber and mixed timber-recreational tracts are far more commonly available. The most significant trend is the growing presence of financial and real estate businesses, particularly in cropland, and recreation and timberland. A closer look shows distinct differences in buyer behavior across these sectors. |
| Mary Means Business: Local wine bar expands non-alcoholic offerings | |
 | I know a lot of folks kick off the new year with resolutions -- upgrades, resets and lifestyle changes meant to set the tone for the months ahead. One shift I've noticed more and more among my peers is a move toward cleaner, sober lifestyles, even if just temporarily. A local wine bar in Starkville is hoping to meet that need with a new menu offer. L'uva Wine Bar, 509 University Drive, rang in the new year with an expanded menu of non-alcoholic wines and mocktails, giving Dry January participants and other sober folks more options at the table. Managing Partner Robbie Coblentz wanted to create a space for everyone. L'uva's non-alcoholic offerings are organized into nine sections, including options like non-alcoholic riesling, cabernet sauvignon and more. "(Non-Alcoholic) wines are actually made as traditional wines then they undergo a de-alcoholization process," Coblentz said. "... They do taste different from their alcohol counterparts but carry a full-bodied taste." The timing tracks with national trends. According to global analytics firm Gallup, fewer adults are consuming alcohol, and those who do are drinking less at a time. A 2025 report found that just 54% of U.S. adults consume alcohol -- a record low. |
| For the World's Food Supply, Federal Funding Cuts Have Long-Term Impacts | |
 | Crops and livestock that are essential for feeding the world's population are constantly threatened by depleted soil, evolving pathogens and erratic weather spurred by a changing climate. So in laboratories and farms around the world, scientists labor to protect them, breeding more resilient varieties and developing farming practices to stabilize harvests against the swings and shocks of the environment. But lately, the United States, not nature, has created the biggest uncertainty for global agriculture. Until last year, when the Trump administration dismantled it, the U.S. Agency for International Development had been a major supporter of global agricultural science, disbursing about $150 million a year to universities, companies and international research centers. That funding was part of the Feed the Future initiative, which was most recently reauthorized in 2023, with broad bipartisan support. Now, around the world, scientists are scuttling or scaling back studies meant to defend the world's food supply against plant disease outbreaks, and to develop crops and farming practices that will help ensure adequate food in the decades to come. Whether the United States will revive its funding for international agricultural research remains unclear. |
| 'I am terrified.' Federal government unexpectedly cuts over $9M in grants for Mississippi mental health | |
| Mississippi mental health organizations say they lost at least $9.2 million when the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration terminated grants across the country Tuesday, a loss they say could be devastating for Mississippians. The federal agency cut hundreds of mental health and addiction grants that are estimated to be worth roughly $2 billion, according to NPR. The news organization reported many of these grants went directly to private nonprofit organizations. Mississippi Department of Mental Health spokesperson Adam Moore said the federal government terminated an additional roughly $440,000 from the agency that had been intended to help law enforcement respond to mental health emergencies. The department is aware of the community mental health center grant cancellations and is "still assessing the total impact of the cuts to the state," he said. Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee Chairman Hob Bryan, a Democrat from Amory, said it's been difficult to keep up with what the federal government does on a day-to-day basis. He said he and other lawmakers would have to see how the federal mental health cuts play out. "Obviously, it's not good news," he said after his committee met Wednesday. "But in order to know exactly what to do about it or what we might do about it, just have to wait until we get the details." |
| 24 hours of chaos as mental health grants are slashed then restored | |
 | After a tense day of confusion and backroom negotiations, the Trump administration moved Wednesday night to restore roughly $2 billion in federal grant money for mental health and addiction programs nationwide. The money had been cut off late Tuesday without warning, sending shockwaves through a segment of the country's patchwork system of public health that relies on grant funding. "After a day of panic across the country, non-profits and people with mental health conditions are deeply alarmed, but also hopeful that this money is being restored," said Hannah Wesolowski with the National Alliance on Mental Illness. An administration official confirmed to NPR that the cuts, first announced by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), were being reversed. They asked not to be identified because they didn't have permission to speak publicly about the decision. They said all of the roughly 2,000 organizations affected by the whiplash series of events were being notified that full funding would be restored. The sudden defunding and lack of communication triggered a backlash from local officials and care providers, who said the American public would see a rapid dismantling of essential safety net programs. |
| Attorney General's Office losing attorneys to higher-paying jobs, lawmakers told | |
| For the second consecutive year, the Mississippi Attorney General's Office has requested less funding than the prior year, asking lawmakers only for an increase in salaries given the loss of attorneys to higher-paying jobs. During testimony Tuesday before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee, Deputy Attorney General Doug Miracle requested nearly $48.5 million in funding for Fiscal Year 2027, which includes $35.3 million in General Funds. This represents a decrease of more than $915,000 from FY 2026. The salary line of the budget showed an increase of approximately $1.6 million for merit-based salary increases. Miracle told the subcommittee. At present, only 31 of the scores of attorneys on staff are paid at or above the Mississippi State Personnel Board's recommended market rates, and they are primarily entry-level, not experienced or supervisory, attorneys, he said. Miracle added that last year the office lost 18 lawyers to other employers. An attorney with up to five years of experience is salary capped at $120,080. "We're losing very skilled attorneys at the Attorney General's Office to other state agencies. The competition we are primarily worried about is not losing them to private practice," Miracle said. Miracle said the increase in criminal caseload is largely due to new responsibilities in the Capitol Complex Improvement District as well as the steady influx of officer-involved shootings at a statewide level and a marked increase in cyber-facilitated crimes. |
| House passes Mississippi Education Freedom Act out of committee | |
| The Mississippi Education Freedom Act passed out of the House Education Committee on Wednesday by a roll call vote of 14-11 down party lines. While the Republican-backed bill does include a universal school choice component, it addresses a number of aspects within Mississippi's education system, from student transfers and state employee retirement to standardized testing and the establishment of charter schools. A committee substitute to the original bill was approved to correct language pertaining to Pre-K funding introduced as part of the passage of the new Mississippi Student Funding Formula as well as changes to charter school requirements. The new student funding formula did not include a definition for funding for children in Pre-K programs. "So, when we passed the funding formula two years ago the definition between the old MAEP formula and the new formula as it pertains to what is a qualifying student changed," House Education Committee Vice Chair Jansen Owen (R) explained. "It is the contention of the House that was an unintentional error." The committee substitute as adopted would provide the definition for all students, not just those in K-12. |
| School Choice: Voucher bill sparks accountability, autonomy fears | |
| A school choice bill heading to the House floor would allow families to use public education dollars to send their children to private school, a proposal both private and public school leaders in the Golden Triangle largely oppose. Among other education-based initiatives, House Bill 2 would create state-funded Magnolia Savings Accounts that families could use for a range of educational costs outside of public schools, including to cover private school tuition. The goal is to give parents more control of their child's education, said District 43 Rep. Rob Roberson, R-Starkville, who also chairs the House Education Committee, which passed a committee substitute for the bill Wednesday morning. "Bottom line is, parents are the ones that are supposed to care, and we should be giving them as much ability to make decisions for their children as we possibly can within some reason," Roberson told The Dispatch on Tuesday. But with the potential for more parental control comes questions from area school leaders about low accountability for state funds, inequitable access for students and risks to private schools' independence. Roberson said, if the bill passes, he doesn't expect to see many students transfer out of public Starkville schools to attend private schools, noting he's discussed the proposal with Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District leaders. |
| Senate looks to repeal nearly two dozen 'obsolete" state boards and commissions | |
| The Mississippi Senate is fast-tracking a top priority of Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann (R) early in the session, that being the streamlining of state government. SB 2017, authored by State Senator Tyler McCaughn (R), chair of the Senate Government Restructuring Committee, calls for the elimination of nearly two dozen "obsolete" state boards, commissions, and councils. It was passed out of committee and now awaits action by the full Senate. At the end of the 2025 session, Lt. Governor Hosemann said restructuring state government is a key goal of his in 2026. Senator McCaughn said many of the boards and commissions in the bill have not met for years. "The intent of this bill is not to get rid of those that are actually meeting. The intent is not to get rid of those that are actually out there doing the work that they were charged with doing," McCaughn explained to the committee. Many of the boards, commissions, and councils are no longer relevant, and some were created decades ago, he said. |
| Grenada, Montgomery counties partner to create regional economic development alliance | |
| Another economic development alliance has been formed in Mississippi. On Wednesday, the Greater Grenada Foundation for Economic Development, Grenada County, Montgomery County, and the Montgomery County Economic Development District announced a new three-year regional partnership aimed at fostering growth in the area. According to a press release, the partnership is structured as a temporary collaborative effort, allowing both counties to align long-term planning, evaluate outcomes, and adjust strategies as regional needs evolve. The groups have expressed a shared recognition that workforce availability, housing supply, and site readiness increasingly require regional coordination to remain competitive in the modern economic environment. "This partnership represents a forward-looking approach to economic development," Greater Grenada Partnership President and CEO Matthew Harrison said. "Grenada County and Montgomery County share workforce, infrastructure, and opportunity. By working together over the next three years, we can better align housing development, industrial recruitment, and long-term planning in a way that benefits both communities." Wednesday's announcement follows one reached by officials in Carroll County joining the Greenwood-Leflore Economic Development Foundation, along with Lafayette, Tate, Panola, and Yalobusha counties establishing the Northwest Regional Alliance. |
| Progress continues at the Eagle One Mega Site | |
 | The Eagle One Mega Site project is entering 2026 with the same big goal, preparing the 2,100-acre area near U.S. 11 for a major manufacturing opportunity. "In the last year, we have undergone roughly north of $10 million worth of earthwork out here on the site, which is why it looks so amazing now," Area Development Partnership Vice President Todd Jackson said. Jackson said what's exists on-site now is just a small fraction of what's to come. "I mean, obviously, we're just standing out here in a real big green field at the moment, right?" said Jackson. "But one day, this will be an industrial hub of South Mississippi." The Forrest-Lamar Alliance purchased the property in 2022. Jackson said that move helped push the project forward. "They were brave enough to go make that financial investment, and then the state, of course, came right alongside them and invested," said Jackson. Today, more than $30 million has been invested into the site, including federal, state and local funding, with the hope of creating thousands of jobs. Developers said the next phase will focus on infrastructure, making it easier for companies to get in, get operating and start creating jobs. |
| The Real AI Talent War Is for Plumbers and Electricians | |
 | AI companies like Meta and OpenAI have been offering multimillion-dollar pay packages to top talent, hoping to lure the best researchers and engineers away from their competitors. But there's another dimension of the AI talent wars that has garnered far less attention: the massive shortage of electricians, plumbers, and heating and cooling technicians in the US who can build the physical data centers that power AI. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that between 2024 and 2034, there will be a shortage of roughly 81,000 electricians on average each year in the US, measured in terms of unfilled jobs. The BLS projects the number of employed electricians to grow 9 percent over the next decade, "much faster than the average for all occupations." One McKinsey study came to a more dire conclusion: Between 2023 and 2030, it estimates that an additional 130,000 trained electricians -- as well as 240,000 construction laborers and 150,000 construction supervisors -- would be needed in the US. The rapid construction of AI data centers across the country is likely a major driver of demand for skilled tradespeople. Some tech companies are already sounding the alarm about the dwindling pool of skilled tradespeople and taking steps to address it. |
| Republicans vow to block Trump from seizing Greenland by force | |
 | Senate Republicans are vowing to block any effort by President Trump to seize Greenland by military force, as Trump officials on Wednesday refused to back off their demands to control the island during a meeting with top diplomats at the White House. Republican senators are flummoxed by Trump's insistence that he's willing to use military force to seize control of Greenland from Denmark, something they fear will destroy the NATO alliance and give Russia a bigger advantage in its war against Ukraine. Two Republican senators -- Sens. Thom Tillis (N.C.) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) -- plan to travel to Copenhagen on Friday to assure the Danish prime minister that there would be strong Republican opposition to any effort by Trump to use military force to seize Greenland. "I'm going to remind them that we have coequal branches of government and I believe that there [is a] sufficient number of members, whether they speak up or not, that are concerned with this," Tillis said of Trump's threats. "The actual execution of anything that would involve a taking of a sovereign territory that is part of a sovereign nation, I think would be met with pretty substantial opposition in Congress," he said. |
| GOP hawks show contrast with Trump on European allies | |
 | The Republican chairmen of the Senate's defense oversight panels, in back-to-back floor speeches Wednesday, made the case for supporting America's European allies, contrasting with the Trump administration's approach on key issues. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, sharply criticized the Trump administration for its desire to make Greenland part of America and for the White House's broader antagonism toward European allies. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, addressing Russia's war on Ukraine, supported the proposition that Russia should not gain at the negotiating table Ukrainian territory that Russia has not overtaken on the battlefield. Both senators urged additional U.S. funding to support Ukraine's war efforts, in direct opposition to the president's view. Neither McConnell nor Wicker criticized Trump by name, as is the wont of congressional Republicans who disagree with the president's policies. Taken together, the two senators' remarks form the latest rebuttal from mainstream GOP hawks to Trump's distancing of America from its traditional NATO allies. |
| Wicker advised Trump to 'drop the idea' of owning Greenland before White House meeting | |
| As President Donald Trump has once again zeroed in on acquiring Greenland, a powerful senator from Mississippi says he has advised Trump to "drop the idea." Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker said Wednesday morning before Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Danish and Greenlandic officials in Washington that he recently welcomed representatives from Denmark and Greenland to his office to discuss expanded partnerships with the United States. The Republican senator said it was a productive conversation, but one thing was clear: Denmark doesn't want to sell Greenland. "Last week, the ambassador from Denmark came to my office and brought in foreign policy leadership from Greenland," Wicker said on Mornings with Richard Cross. "They made it clear they want to be as helpful as they possibly can to our national defense. But I have publicly advised the president that I think he should drop the idea of actually owning Greenland. I don't think it's for sale and these folks are our allies." Wicker, who believes Greenland should remain under Danish control, said he expects an expanded agreement will eventually be reached allowing the U.S. access to some of Greenland's critical minerals, along with opportunities to increase its military presence on the island. |
| What Americans think about Trump's first year back in office, according to AP-NORC polling | |
 | President Donald Trump's second term has been eventful. You wouldn't know it from his approval numbers. An AP-NORC poll from January found that about 4 in 10 U.S. adults approve of Trump's performance as president. That's virtually unchanged from March 2025, shortly after he took office for the second time. The new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research does show subtle signs of vulnerability for the Republican president. Trump hasn't convinced Americans that the economy is in good shape, and many question whether he has the right priorities when he's increasingly focused on foreign intervention. His approval rating on immigration, one of his signature issues, has also slipped since he took office. The economy has haunted Trump in his first year back in the White House, despite his insistence that "the Trump economic boom has officially begun." Just 37% of U.S. adults approve of how Trump is handling the economy. That's up slightly from 31% in December -- which marked a low point for Trump -- but Trump started out with low approval on this issue, which doesn't give him a lot of room for error. |
| Trump's promised manufacturing boom is a bust so far | |
 | Introducing the highest U.S. tariffs since the Great Depression, President Donald Trump made a clear promise in the spring: "Jobs and factories will come roaring back into our country." They haven't. Manufacturing employment has declined every month since what Trump dubbed "Liberation Day" in April, saying his widespread tariffs would begin to rebalance global trade in favor of American workers. U.S. factories employ 12.7 million people today, 72,000 fewer than when Trump made his Rose Garden announcement. The trade measures that the president said would spur manufacturing have instead hampered it, according to most mainstream economists. That's because roughly half of U.S. imports are "intermediate" goods that American companies use to make finished products, like aluminum that is shaped into soup cans or circuit boards that are inserted into computers. So while tariffs have protected American manufacturers like steel mills from foreign competition, they have raised costs for many others. Auto and auto parts employment, for example, has dipped by about 20,000 jobs since April. "2025 should have been a good year for manufacturing employment, and that didn't happen. I think you really have to indict tariffs for that," said economist Michael Hicks, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at Ball State in Muncie, Indiana. Small- and midsize businesses have found Trump's on-again, off-again tariffs especially vexing. |
| Trump's judicial blitz loses steam | |
 | President Donald Trump is getting judges confirmed at an even faster clip than he did at the beginning of his first term -- but he's making less of an impact on the judiciary. Trump's ability to reshape the federal judiciary was one of the crowning achievements of his first term. Aided by the GOP Senate and years of vetting by the conservative legal movement, he appointed more than 200 judges, including three Supreme Court justices. By the numbers alone, Trump 2.0 is off to an even stronger start. The Senate confirmed 26 judges in 2025, compared to 19 in the first year of Trump's first term. But the overwhelming majority of those judges sit on district courts. There simply aren't as many of the more coveted and more powerful appeals court spots to fill as there were in 2017. That reality, along with more steadfast resistance from Democrats, suggests Trump won't be able to make as big of an impact on the courts this time around. "This is not going to be the same kind of earth shaking four years ... we saw in his first four years, when he really did turn the judiciary around in terms of the percentage of judges appointed by Republicans as opposed to Democratic presidents," said Russell Wheeler, a senior fellow in the Brookings Institution's Governance Studies program. |
| Judge skeptical on ICE agents wearing masks in case that could have national implications | |
 | A top Trump administration lawyer pressed a federal judge Wednesday to block a newly enacted California law that bans most law enforcement officers in the state from wearing masks, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Tiberius Davis, representing the U.S. Department of Justice, argued at a hearing in Los Angeles that the first-of-its-kind ban on police face coverings could unleash chaos across the country, and potentially land many ICE agents on the wrong side of the law it were allowed to take effect. "Why couldn't California say every immigration officer needs to wear pink, so it's super obvious who they are?" Davis told U.S. District Judge Christina A. Snyder. "The idea that all 50 states can regulate the conduct and uniforms of officers ... flips the Constitution on its head." The judge appeared skeptical. "Why can't they perform their duties without a mask? They did that until 2025, did they not?" Snyder said. "How in the world do those who don't mask manage to operate?" The hearing comes at a moment of acute public anger at the agency following the fatal shooting of American protester Renee Good by ICE agent Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis -- rage that has latched on to masks as a symbol of perceived lawlessness and impunity. A ruling is expected as soon as this week. |
| Trump threatens Insurrection Act in Minnesota | |
 | President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act, which would give him authority to deploy U.S. armed forces domestically, as tensions rise in Minnesota following a second shooting involving a federal agent in Minneapolis. The threat comes after a night of clashes between protesters and federal agents in Minneapolis. The demonstrations intensified after a federal officer shot a Venezuelan man accused of fleeing a traffic stop and attacking an agent, federal officials said. Since an immigration officer shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, last week, demonstrations against the Trump administration and ongoing immigration enforcement operations have erupted nationwide. State and local officials in Minnesota, who filed a lawsuit to halt the federal intervention, described ICE's actions as "intolerable" and called on protesters to remain peaceful. Gov. Tim Walz on Wednesday also encouraged civilians to record ICE agents' conduct for "future prosecutions." After Trump floated the use of the Insurrection Act, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey renewed calls on Thursday for federal authorities to leave the city. Walz, in a statement on Thursday, asked the president to "stop this campaign of retribution" and urged residents to remain calm. The tactics of federal immigration agents have come under intense scrutiny after the shooting of Good and growing skirmishes between federal officers and protesters. Videos have shown agents firing pepper spray from vehicles, pulling people out of cars and asking U.S. citizens for their IDs. |
| Former Vice President Harris brings book tour to Mississippi | |
| Former Vice President Kamala Harris (D) made a stop in Jackson Wednesday night promoting her book, 107 Days, about the highs and lows of her 2024 presidential campaign. Walking on stage at the renovated Thalia Mara Hall, Harris was greeted with roaring applause from the several hundred people in attendance. Harris told the audience early in the question-and-answer forum that it was "very important" to her to include a stop in Jackson during the book tour. "America's history was made in Jackson," she said. Before the forum began, Jackson Mayor John Horhn (D) presented Harris with a key to the city along with a proclamation declaring January 14, 2026, Kamala Harris Day in the Mississippi Capital City. Looking at the proclamation, Harris said, it was a "great way to start." Over the next hour, Harris and moderator Rita Brent discussed her 107-day run for President in 2024, from the campaign's impact on her personally to the importance of youth voting and the temperature of the current political mood in the U.S. Her book has spent 15 straight weeks on the New York Times Bestsellers list, with more than 600,000 copies sold, her publishing company, Simon & Schuster noted. |
| Black lawmakers warn constituents that proposed funding formula changes could hurt Mississippi's HBCUs | |
| Proposed changes to how the state funds its eight public universities could harm historically Black institutions, some lawmakers said. The funding formula updates, which legislators discussed with higher education officials in December, would tie state money to post-graduation student success such as the number of Mississippians attaining jobs and completing some form of education beyond high school. A delegation of Black lawmakers said that factoring graduation rates, post-graduation employment and degrees awarded by universities into their allotted funding would unfairly penalize historically Black colleges and universities for challenges tied to decades of underfunding. Black lawmakers spoke about the funding formula to a standing-room-only crowd of more than 160 alumni and supporters at Mt. Nebo Baptist Church in Jackson on Monday. The goal of the event, organized by Jackson Democrats Sen. Sollie Norwood and Rep. Grace Butler Washington was to educate and warn HBCU stakeholders about proposals the state Legislature is considering this session. At the end of the event, Rep. Zakiya Summers, a Democrat from Jackson, encouraged HBCU alumni to send emails, call and pressure lawmakers to pay attention to their concerns. Summers also led a call and response chant, and participating lawmakers and audience members locked arms. "When we fight," Summers shouted into the microphone. The audience shouted back, "We win!" |
| Ole Miss honors MLK Day through service, celebration | |
| Many Mississippians may enjoy a family gathering, trip to the National Civil Rights Museum or, possibly, sleeping-in on Jan. 19. But this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, more than 150 University of Mississippi community members have scheduled different plans: serving their community. Hosted by the Division of Student Affairs, the university's annual MLK Day of Service and dinner celebration both aim to honor the civil rights leader's legacy of improving and empowering communities. Registration remains open for both events. "The MLK Day of Service is one of the ways we can live out Dr. King's call to action," said Castel Sweet, director of community engagement. This year's service projects include working with the local Salvation Army, Oxford Animal Resource Center, Faith Planter and North Mississippi Exchange Family Center. Members of the community and university are also invited to join a memorial dinner celebrating King and the continued work of fostering unity nationwide on Friday (Jan. 16) at the Gertrude C. Ford Ole Miss Student Union Ballroom. The Rev. Neddie Winters, a community advocate and executive leader, will deliver the keynote address. The director of development for Mission Mississippi, Winters has spent more than 30 years working in communities across the state, said Cade Smith, assistant vice chancellor for access and community engagement. |
| USM Professor Earns $60,000 Award for Sustainable Materials Research | |
| Dr. Zhe Qiang, an associate professor in the School of Polymer Science and Engineering at The University of Southern Mississippi, has earned a $60,000 Scialog Fellowship award to develop more sustainable multilayer film materials. Qiang is partnering with a research group led by Dr. Josh Worch, an assistant professor of chemistry at Virginia Tech, on the project "Layered by Design, Ordered by Process: Single Material Solution for Sustainable Multilayer Films." The research will address major recycling challenges in multilayer film materials by combining complementary expertise in polymer chemistry and polymer physics to create a new generation of inherently sustainable polymers. "As Scialog is a highly competitive program that funds only high-risk, high-reward projects, we are very excited about this opportunity to pursue transformative advances," Qiang said. "Equally important, this award will strengthen partnerships between research groups at two institutions with strong track records in polymer research." Qiang is one of 17 scientists from universities nationwide to receive funding in the second year of "Scialog: Sustainable Minerals, Metals and Materials" (SM3), a three-year initiative catalyzing innovative basic science to address how critical materials sustaining modern society are acquired, used and recycled. Support comes through the Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RCSA), the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the Kavli Foundation. |
| Federal proposal could limit loans for nursing grad students. Experts say that could worsen health care staffing shortages in Mississippi | |
| Tomekia Luckett's journey to becoming a mental health nurse practitioner --- pursuing a bachelor's, master's and doctorate degree while raising triplets --- was made possible by federal student loans and scholarships. But she fears proposed new caps on those loans could make the path she took more treacherous for the next generation of nurses. Beginning in July, graduate students across all disciplines will face stricter limits on federal loans under a provision in last summer's One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The law directed the U.S. Department of Education to identify "professional degree" programs, which will be eligible for higher loan caps. A draft rule released by the agency excludes graduate nursing programs from the designation, a decision that could subject such students to tighter borrowing limits. These programs train nurse practitioners and certified nurse anesthetists, professionals who help fill critical gaps in Mississippi's physician workforce. "I am very concerned as a person who was a first-generation college student," said Luckett, who treats patients across rural southwest Mississippi and has taught nursing for more than a decade. "If those caps had been in place, there would very likely not be a Dr. Luckett today." Luckett, who spoke to Mississippi Today in a personal capacity, serves as the associate dean for nursing continuing professional development at Walden University and as director of the Mississippi Nurses' Association's Council on Nursing Education. |
| Inside Mori Hosseini's Inner-Party Feud at the U. of Florida | |
 | Morteza (Mori) Hosseini saw the ambush coming. But the hard-charging chairman of University of Florida's Board of Trustees believed he could muscle through it. This past summer, culture warriors were sharpening their knives for Hosseini's handpicked new president, Santa Ono. Prominent conservatives excoriated the former University of Michigan leader as a Manchurian candidate for the left, poised to smuggle diversity, equity, and inclusion back onto Florida's flagship campus. Hosseini had worked the phones, lobbying the State University System's Board of Governors to give Ono the green light. Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican and one of Hosseini's closest allies, assured him that Ono had just enough votes to squeak by. The 70-year-old chairman and real-estate magnate was used to getting what he wanted. As Florida Republicans sought to advance a conservative agenda at the state's universities, Hosseini had accumulated power -- becoming, in the words of five people who spoke to The Chronicle, "The Godfather" of Gator Nation. He did so through a combination of blunt force, horse-trading, and old-fashioned political patronage, forging conservative alliances with millions of dollars in donations to the Republican Party and its candidates. While Hosseini has largely moved in lockstep with the GOP, his vision for UF has been less about culture-war issues than prestige. For nearly a decade, Hosseini has profoundly influenced if not micromanaged almost every aspect of Florida's flagship. |
| Texas A&M Cancels Graduate Ethics Class in Ongoing Course Review | |
 | Administrators at Texas A&M University in College Station canceled a graduate ethics course as part of an ongoing course review that seeks to censor instruction on topics related to race, gender and sexuality. The review process made national news last week when a department chair asked a professor to remove Plato readings from his philosophy course syllabus. Late last year, faculty at all Texas A&M system institutions were asked to submit their spring semester syllabi for review and indicate whether any of the material might violate System Policy 8.01, which states that no class may "advocate race or gender ideology, or topics related to sexual orientation or gender identity." Non–core curriculum and graduate courses can be exempted from the policy "in limited circumstances upon demonstration of a necessary educational purpose," according to the policy. Public policy professor Leonard Bright's graduate class Ethics in Public Policy did not get such an exemption. It also wasn't submitted for one, according to an email from Dean John Sherman to all Bush School of Government and Public Service faculty Wednesday. Sherman wrote that he asked Bright to share when and how his class would address race, gender or sexuality, and that Bright "declined" to say. |
| New U. of Michigan President's Pay May Set a Record | |
| The University of Michigan's incoming president, Kent Syverud, could make up to $3 million a year, per his contract. At $2 million, his base pay would have set a new record last year, according to Chronicle data. The figure was first reported by Bridge Michigan. In addition to the $2 million, Syverud, who has been president of Syracuse University since 2014, can earn an annual performance award that is worth up to 30 percent of his base pay, or $600,000. The university will also contribute up to $360,000 a year to his retirement plan after one year of service. At the end of his time as Michigan's president, unless he is fired for cause or leaves for another institution, Syverud will be able to take a one-year leave while earning his base pay. He can then join the faculty as a tenured professor and continue to earn his base pay for three years. Last year, The Chronicle reported that Jay C. Hartzell, former president of the University of Texas at Austin, earned the highest base pay among public-college presidents in 2024 at $1.41 million. Syverud's new contract puts him easily above that number. Including bonuses and benefits, the highest total pay in 2024 went to Renu Khator, president of the University of Houston, who earned $3.17 million. Colleges' presidential contracts are starting to feel more like those afforded to their football coaches, who get enormous pay packages but can be fired at a moment's notice. |
| Indiana University Cancels MLK Celebration Dinner | |
| Indiana University in Indianapolis canceled a dinner in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. hosted annually in January by the Black Student Union, Mirror Indy reported. This year's would have been the 57th consecutive annual MLK dinner, which was first convened in 1969. Officials in the Division of Student Affairs told the Black Student Union the event was canceled at the end of the fall semester, citing "budget constraints," according to a letter the Black Student Union executive council posted on Instagram. "For months prior, we had been diligently seeking guidance and confirmation on whether the dinner would be approved, funded and supported," the executive council wrote. "This is not just about a dinner. This is about the erosion of Black traditions under vague justifications. This is about institutional decisions being made without Black voices at the table." In a letter to campus Tuesday, IU Indianapolis chancellor Latha Ramchand said, "The MLK Dinner is not going away -- rather we are in a moment of transition," and described a new task force that will "help us reimagine our affinity dinners and related events." The task force will complete its work by April 10, she said. In their response letter to the Division of Student Affairs, the Black Student Union's executive council questioned whether the current political climate may have influenced administrators' decision to cancel the dinner. |
| Enrollment Ticked Up 1% Last Fall, With Most of the Growth at Community Colleges | |
| Public colleges drove higher education's 1-percent increase in enrollment for the fall of 2025 over the previous year, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Most of the increase was attributable to gains at community colleges, where the growth chiefly came from dual-enrollment and certificate programs. Of the nearly 173,000 additional community-college students this fall, about 66,000 were 17 or younger -- the measure the center used to identify dual-enrollment students. About 42,000 of the new students at community colleges were pursuing undergraduate certificate programs. But the sector's 1-percent growth this year was "uneven," said Matthew Holsapple, senior research director for the center, with public institutions faring well while private colleges, both for-profit and nonprofit, saw losses. Typically, he said, trajectories for four-your colleges tend to move in the same direction, but this year marked a clear departure. Freshman enrollment, which edged downward by 0.2 percent, presented an amplified version of these trends. Public institutions experienced growth this fall, while private colleges, particularly for-profit ones, saw losses. |
| More students are going to college. Affordability and workforce training are factors | |
| College enrollment in the U.S. continued to rise last fall, surpassing prepandemic levels, new figures out on Thursday show. Across undergraduate and graduate programs, total enrollment reached 19.4 million students, growing 1.0% compared with the fall of 2024, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. The numbers provide welcome news and some clear insights to college leaders worried about reports showing many Americans questioning the value of a college degree. "Confidence in college is coming back, but it is conditional," says Courtney Brown, who studies public opinion on colleges for the Lumina Foundation, an Indianapolis-based nonprofit aimed at improving higher education. "The public's been telling us that cost, flexibility and career relevance shape their view of college's worth," Brown says. "So people aren't turning away from education -- they're just getting more precise about what kind of education they want." That could reflect uncertainty in the economy and news about hiring slowdowns, says Jeff Strohl, director of the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. He says when job prospects feel shaky and the economy is struggling, people return to college, especially community college. Another key finding from the latest enrollment data was a big decline in students studying computer and information sciences. The drop in both graduate and undergraduate programs came after years of steady expansion. |
| Biomedical student enrollment rose in 2025 but warning signs loom | |
| The first year of President Trump's second term rattled academic science, raising fears would-be biomedical researchers would avoid the field. New data on student enrollment, however, paint a more complicated picture. Graduate student enrollment in U.S. biomedical programs rose 1.5% in the fall of 2025 compared to that same period in 2024, reaching nearly 112,000 students according to a report released Thursday by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, which acts as a hub for more than 3,000 institutions. That year-over-year change, which includes both master's and doctoral students, is more modest than the 4% bump in 2024 and previous enrollment increases since 2021. Undergraduate enrollment in biomedical majors rose to nearly 642,500, increasing 3.7% in 2025 compared to 3.1% in 2024. And biomedical enrollment growth outpaced the 1.2% increase seen across all fields among undergraduates, and the 0.3% decrease for all graduate students. Experts said that the data present a mixed picture, with reduced growth in graduate enrollment in life science programs that was notable but not as dramatic as they had expected. But they cautioned that the full effects of federal policy on the scientific workforce likely won't be apparent for years. |
| The Northside rallies behind Beth Israel | |
| Mississippi newspaper publisher and columnist Wyatt Emmerich writes: In yet another sign of the times, a deranged teenager torched the Beth Israel Synagogue in the heart of northeast Jackson. I have been to the beautiful synagogue many times for seminars and funerals. I am heartbroken by this. I am confident my sentiment is shared by almost every Northsider. ... This is not only a tragedy for Beth Israel, it is a tragedy for the young man who did this foul deed and his entire family and network of friends. ... This is all so sad and heartbreaking but a sign of the times when our media is now dominated by Big Tech algorithms which lead impressionable young minds down rabbit holes of conspiracy and rage. ... The rampant algorithm-fueled tribalism is causing the disintegration of our institutions and social structures. It's harder to deny it when it happens in your neighborhood. Teenage mental illness is 50 percent higher today than 20 years ago, including suicide, depression, anxiety and psychosis. Just as the rest of the nation is becoming outraged by skyrocketing power bills caused by electricity-sucking data centers, Mississippi is running headlong into the data center storm. ... Given the huge impact of these data centers and brewing problems elsewhere in the country, it behooves our state officials to slow down the pace. |
SPORTS
| Women's Basketball: State Begins Homestand Against #5 Vanderbilt | |
| Mississippi State women's basketball will tip off the first of two home games this week when they take on the undefeated, fifth-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores on Thursday. Tipoff for the contest is set for 5:30 p.m. on SEC Network. Mississippi State dropped their last contest to the 18th-ranked Ole Miss Rebels. Madison Francis and Chandler Prater both led the Bulldog offense with 15 points a piece. Francis also added seven rebounds, three blocks and two steals. Four Bulldogs are currently averaging 10+ points per game: Nwaedozi (13.1), Francis (13.1), McPhaul (12.1) and Prater (10.1). Jaylah Lampley is just shy of 10 points, as she averages 9.8. Vanderbilt enters Thursday's contest as one of three undefeated programs in the nation, joining UConn and Texas Tech. Sophomore Mikayla Blakes leads the SEC with 24.9 points per game, the third-best mark across the nation. Justine Pissott is the SEC's leader in made three pointers (51) and three point percentage (44.3). Vandy hits 10.0 threes per game, leading the SEC and ranking fifth nationally. The Bulldogs won the last contest between the two programs, taking home a double-overtime 85-7 victory in Nashville last season. |
| Purcell urges focus on 'detail' as team preps for No. 5 Vanderbilt | |
| A difficult week for Mississippi State women's basketball came to an end on Sunday with a disappointing loss in Oxford. In-state rivals Ole Miss handed MSU its third loss in seven days, with each opponent posting 90 or more points and winning by double digits. Though there was a brief respite this week, the schedule is only just heating up. The Bulldogs (14-4, 1-3 SEC) aren't just looking to shake a bad stretch, they're looking to evolve. The group has very little time to lick its wounds with No. 5 Vanderbilt coming to Starkville on Thursday, followed by a visit from No. 7 Kentucky three days later. "Obviously, we want a '1-0' mentality. You can't look at it whole," Purcell said. "We're all aware of it, but we've got to focus on one game at a time and also educating my team. Again, this is a team that doesn't return a lot of talent. You've got to paint a picture helping them, and first that's my job. I've got to help my team right now with these three games lost straight. My message today in film was, 'There's layers to this.'" Purcell broke down facing a Top 25 opponent into percentages for competitiveness, detail and readiness for a fight. His focus at the moment is on the latter two. |
| Soccer: Perry Signs Professionally With Supercoppa Champion Juventus | |
| Ally Perry, Mississippi State's All-American and the 2025 SEC Midfielder of the year, signed with Juventus FC on Wednesday in Turin, Italy. Perry is the 15th Bulldog player to sign with a professional team in program history and will become the 11th professional player currently active. Juventus plays in Italy's top-division Serie A, and the club has won six league titles since the women's team was established in 2017. Most recently, the team claimed its fifth Supercoppa Italiana, defeating AS Roma, 2-1, on Jan. 11. Perry earned State's second First Team All-American honor from United Soccer Coaches this fall. She was also named First Team All-Region and was a Hermann Trophy semifinalist. For the second consecutive year, she was tabbed First Team All-SEC. The Frisco, Texas, native wrapped up her time in the Maroon and White by tying the program record for both career (11) and single-season (5) game-winning goals. In fact, she's scored the game-winner in four of State's six top-10 wins in program history. The main reason I signed for Juventus was to test myself in this new environment. I see a lot of growth in this opportunity for me," Perry said in the club's release. "I'm extremely uncomfortable, but that's how I know that I will grow. This is a really big challenge and next step for me that I'm excited to try and navigate." |
| Meridian Blues baseball team to join Mid-America League | |
 | A new independent league baseball team is coming to Meridian Mississippi. A press conference was held on Wednesday morning at the MAXX to reveal the Meridian Blues, Meridian's entry into the Mid-America league. Jersey and logo designs were also revealed at the conference. The Mid-America League is an independent league, with players from all over the United States from all backgrounds and levels of experience. Mayor Bland says this team will be a major boon to Meridian's economy, bringing America's favorite pastime to the Queen City, and a new team to root for. The players will spend their first season at Meridian Community College, playing on MCC's very own Scaggs Field. MCC President Tom Huebner said he's proud his college will host Mississippi's first delve into the Mid-America League, with logistics already planned and ready for the Blues' inaugural season. "We're able to provide a lease agreement to use our field, and to that agreement covers everything from marketing, advertising, use of specific facilities, as any kind of agreement would," said Huebner. "We're also going to be providing some dormitory rooms or some student housing for some of the visiting athletes, and so we were able to work that out." |
| 'Time to stick out your neck,' college CEO tells schools on contract that regulates paying players | |
| The head of the new regulatory body for college sports said "if there was a time to stick out your neck, it's now," in urging schools to sign an agreement sent out nearly two months ago pledging to abide by new rules that govern how to pay players. Bryan Seeley, the CEO of the 7-month-old College Sports Commission, used his presentation at the NCAA convention Wednesday to thank leaders from four schools who put out a statement backing the agreement, while urging others to sign on. "My sense is that the vast majority of schools want to sign this. but I suspect if a school wants this, you're thinking, 'Why am I going to stick my neck out?'" if other schools won't also sign, Seeley said. "If there was a time to stick out your neck, it's now." In late November, the CSC sent Division I schools its "University Participation Agreement," an 11-page document that all 68 schools from the four largest conferences need to sign for it to go into effect. It outlines the CSC's role in monitoring how schools pay out the $20.5 million they're allowed to spend on players' name, image and likeness and also looks at how the CSC regulates third-party payments to players. But the most contentious part of the agreement was language that forbid schools from suing the agency. |
| After Demond Willams Jr. saga, UW Huskies president wants rules respected | |
| In the wake of University of Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr.'s tumultuous transfer saga, the school's president has reiterated calls for a proper governing body and enforcement arm for college athletics. Robert J. Jones, who began his term Aug. 1 at UW after replacing Ana Mari Cauce, on Tuesday was one of four college presidents to make a joint statement pleading with other schools to sign the university participant agreement drafted by the College Sports Commission (CSC). Georgia's Jere Morehead, Virginia Tech's Timothy Sands and Arizona's Suresh Garimella were also part of the joint statement. "We encourage our fellow presidents to sign the Participant Agreement," the statement said. "It allows us to move forward together, rather than facing continued drift, escalating risk, and a system that asks student-athletes to navigate unnecessary ambiguity while institutions hesitate. We owe our students better. We owe the public better. And we owe our universities a governance framework that reflects the seriousness of this enterprise." Jones and his fellow presidents acknowledged that the participant agreement isn't a perfect solution but said it's a step forward in turning the House settlement from principle to practical implementation. Their statement said the agreement adds a layer of accountability while establishing "a more level playing field grounded in shared expectations rather than individual interpretation." |
| Schools Ask NCAA to Withhold Data From College Sports Commission | |
| Some FBS schools are instructing the NCAA not to share their annual athletic financial information with the College Sports Commission (CSC), the embattled enforcement entity established in the wake of the House v. NCAA settlement to regulate money paid to players. By Jan. 15 each year, Division I athletic departments are required to provide their revenue and expense data from the previous fiscal cycle to the NCAA's membership financial reporting system (MFRS), yielding documents that are typically about 80 pages long. For the latest batch covering the fiscal year 2025, schools are now required to state whether they will allow the NCAA to share revenue data from the report with the CSC. The seemingly benign question, however, has already revealed itself as a flashpoint and the latest sign of the commission having its authority challenged. It's unclear exactly why some schools are choosing to take this route -- spokespeople for Miami, Bowling Green and Iowa State athletics did not immediately respond to email inquiries -- or why it confers any sort of privacy. All three of those institutions are public, which means the documents can be obtained via open records requests. The decision for private schools, such as Notre Dame or Vanderbilt, may therefore carry a different calculus. While the move may not ultimately pose a practical obstacle for the commission, it, at the very least, reinforces the perception that the CSC lacks buy-in from universities that helped set it up and help finance it, and whose actions it is supposed to referee. |
| 'We are money laundering' -- With schools bending (or breaking) new rules, SEC and others mull new governance model | |
| About 12 miles south of Washington, D.C., the Gaylord National Resort looms over the Potomac River, its 19-story indoor garden atrium delivering a perpetual oasis as thousands of tourists meander underneath its glass ceiling. This week, university and conference executives participate in the annual NCAA convention here. As it turns out, the scene -- thousands of convention-goers under a single roof -- is indicative of the NCAA as a whole. The Gaylord is quite literally a "big tent," the term often used to describe the NCAA's scope of member schools with drastically differing missions, standards and financial prowess, yet they are all governed under a single national association. Perhaps, it's time for a change. "Big problems are not solved in big rooms filled with people. That is a principle," SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said in a recent interview with Yahoo Sports. In the midst of the association's annual gathering, leaders from the NCAA's aristocracy -- the Football Bowl Subdivision, including most notably the four power conferences -- are charting a course for more change to the governance and enforcement of college athletics, in particular football. Unbeknownst to many, college leaders have created a new committee with the expressed mission to study the future of FBS governance and determine if the subdivision should operate outside of the NCAA structure --- a long-discussed move gaining more momentum than ever. But there is, perhaps, something even more serious brewing: a frustration from those in many power leagues at the lack of enforcement from the NCAA -- and College Sports Commission too -- over allegations of tampering of college athletes, eligibility rulings and the circumvention of the industry's new roster spending cap. |
| NCAA pushes for pause on college sports prediction markets until regulation increases | |
| The NCAA on Wednesday petitioned the federal agency that regulates prediction markets, asking it to pause college athletics-related offerings until "a more robust system with appropriate safeguards is in place." President Charlie Baker aimed at companies such as Kalshi, which allow users to invest and trade based on many outcomes inside and outside of sports -- from hiring coaches to election results -- in his state of college sports address at the NCAA convention. "So-called prediction markets are offering what anyone can see is unregulated betting on college games," Baker said during his speech. "One operator, Kalshi, made plans to start taking bets -- and I kid you not, this is true -- on transfer portal decisions until we called them out and they backed down." In a letter to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Baker said the NCAA is willing to work with the agency to develop a "system that protects student-athletes and consumers from harm." Prediction markets are regulated by the CFTC but do not have to meet the same oversight standards as online sportsbooks, which are set by state gaming commissions and legislatures. |
| Many college players among 20 charged in point-shaving scheme | |
| Twenty men have been charged in a point-shaving scheme involving more than 39 college basketball players on more than 17 NCAA Division I teams, leading to more than 29 games being fixed, according to a federal indictment unsealed Thursday in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Fifteen of the defendants played college basketball during the 2023-24 and/or 2024-25 seasons, according to the indictment. Some have played this season. Two of the players named in the indictment, Cedquavious Hunter and Dyquavian Short, were sanctioned in November by the NCAA for fixing New Orleans games. At least two of the defendants, Shane Hennen and Marves Fairley, were also charged in a federal indictment in the Eastern District of New York centered on gambling schemes in the NBA. The scheme, according to the indictment, began around September 2022 and initially was focused on fixing games in the Chinese Basketball Association. The group later targeted college basketball games, offering bribes to college players ranging from $10,000 to $30,000 to compromise games for betting purposes, according to the indictment. |
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