| Friday, January 16, 2026 |
| MSU-Meridian announces new leadership structure | |
 | Mississippi State University Provost and Executive Vice President David R. Shaw Thursday announced changes at MSU-Meridian that reflect more than two years of planning and implementation to streamline operations and sharpen the university's focus on its nursing and health-related academic programs. Effective Feb. 1, Morgan Dudley, whose administrative oversight responsibilities have included successful management of the Riley Center, will become Executive Director for MSU-Meridian Operations. In her new role, she will oversee all non-academic functions in Meridian, manage facility operations and marketing and communication efforts, as well as serve as community liaison for MSU in Meridian. She also will continue her supervision of the Riley Center. David Buys has served as the interim Head of the MSU-Meridian campus for the past year and, in that capacity, has been instrumental as the institution worked to determine the optimal administrative organization including the new position's function and role. Buys will continue to serve as the Associate Vice Provost for Health Science Partnerships. Based in Starkville, he will be taking a statewide approach as MSU expands its comprehensive focus on health throughout Mississippi, coordinating with university units and external entities to expand MSU's health science-related programming. He also will work to form and foster collaborative alliances with community colleges, other universities, healthcare providers, state and federal agencies, foundations and others. |
| Wicker Applauds Mississippi Wins in the Appropriations Package | |
 | U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss,. highlighted the Mississippi initiatives included in a fiscal year 2026 appropriations package that passed the Senate Thursday. The package includes funding for the Commerce, Justice, and Interior Departments, as well as for agencies handling science, energy, and water issues. "This is how Congress should operate, passing federal spending bills through the appropriations process. I am pleased that the Senate has embraced regular order. I look forward to the ways this legislation will help Mississippi's needs and will support job creators and local governments." Below is a section-by-section of Mississippi projects funded in this appropriations package, including: $2.5 million for Forensic Science Institute and Digital Forensics Lab at Mississippi State University; $2.5 million for Composite Manufacturing for Blended Wing Body Airframe at Mississippi State University; $1.1 million for Agriculture Autonomy Technology Incubator at Mississippi State University; $1 million for Secured Research Computing Infrastructure at Mississippi State University; $1.5 million for City of Starkville for Wastewater Infrastructure; and $14 million for Sea Grant Aquaculture Research. |
| Hyde-Smith Puts Public Safety Focus on Commerce, Justice and Science Funding Bill | |
| U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) Thursday highlighted benefits for Mississippi included in the FY2026 Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) Appropriations Bill, which was passed by the Senate on Thursday. Hyde-Smith, who serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said the CJS funding bill will support law enforcement, economic development, scientific research, and other national priorities. The bill, passed 82-15 as part of a three-bill funding package (HR.6938), now heads to President Trump for his consideration. "As part of this Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Bill, I've worked with my colleagues to support public safety on national and local levels. At the same time, we've funded critical scientific and technological fields which involve NASA's presence in Mississippi and our research universities," Hyde-Smith said. "I'm pleased it is set to be signed into law." It includes: Mississippi State University Agriculture Autonomy Technology – $1.1 million. Hyde-Smith also worked to secure funding for other projects led by Mississippi State University, Ole Miss, the University of Southern Mississippi, and other schools with appropriations for the National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and other agencies. |
| Feds restore over $14M in Mississippi mental health grants, two days after terminating them | |
| Less than 48 hours after terminating over $14 million of Mississippi mental health grants, the federal government informed organizations that their funding will be fully restored. The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration cancelled nearly $2 billion of grants across the country Tuesday, according to NPR. In Mississippi, government health centers, private nonprofits and universities were told to stop all work funded by those grants -- mainly related to addiction and children's services. By Tuesday evening, Mississippi Today had learned about roughly $9.2 million of cancelled Mississippi grants. Later that night, the state Department of Mental Health accounted for an additional $4.9 million that had been terminated to Mississippi State University, University of Southern Mississippi and the Mississippi Public Health Institute. A Tuesday letter the federal mental health department sent to grantees said the cancellations were final because "no corrective action could align the award with current agency priorities." But by Thursday morning, the agency sent the same organizations a short message to "disregard the prior termination notice and continue program activities as outlined in your award agreement." |
| New Year Brings Focused Marketing Discipline for Farms | |
| A new calendar year offers producers a natural opportunity to reassess how grain and livestock are marketed, not just how they are produced. Will Maples, assistant professor and economist with Mississippi State University Extension, says effective marketing plans help farms manage risk year-round rather than relying on a single sales decision. Maples stresses that a marketing plan is not designed to capture the top of the market every year. Prices are shaped by supply, demand, and unexpected shocks, including weather, trade disputes, and geopolitical events. Instead, a sound plan creates discipline, helping producers make consistent decisions aligned with business goals rather than reacting emotionally to price swings. Those goals should drive the plan. Risk tolerance, cash-flow needs, and time horizon vary widely across operations, so marketing strategies should support the broader business plan. Cost of production is the foundation, as knowing break-even levels allows producers to set realistic price targets that protect margins. |
| Mississippi Ag Posts a $9.51B Year in 2025 | |
| Despite some sharp decreases in row crop agriculture, cattle and poultry had a good year, bringing Mississippi's 2025 estimated value of ag production to $9.51 billion. Poultry continues three decades as the state's top agricultural commodity, posting an anticipated year-end value of $3.73 billion and continuing its upward trend. Forestry is in second place with a 2025 estimated value of $1.47 billion. Row crops declined 9% overall, with corn seeing a huge increase but cotton, peanuts, rice and soybeans facing significant declines in value. The poultry industry got a bump in value as eggs rose to an estimated $351 million. Broilers account for the bulk of the poultry industry's value at $3.38 billion. Eric McConnell, associate professor of forest business in the MSU Department of Forestry and Forest and Wildlife Research Center, said forestry's estimated 2025 value dipped 1%. "We experienced a sizable increase in the small pine sawtimber -- or chip-n-saw -- harvest at the expense of larger sized pine timber," McConnell said. "Hardwood sawtimber saw a 14% increase in total value on a 10% increase in harvest for the year, but hardwood products overall comprised only 16% of the total timber harvest." |
| AI meets turf care in weed control management | |
| Ecorobotix, a manufacturer of AI-powered precision spraying equipment, has introduced the ALBA Ultra-High Precision (UHP) Sprayer, designed specifically for professional turf and grassland weed management. ALBA is making its official debut at the BIGGA Turf Management Exhibition (BTME) 2026 and then again at the GCSAA Conference and Trade Show. The ALBA UHP Sprayer leverages the company's Plant-by-Plant Care philosophy, treating only what's needed, exactly where it's needed. Powered by Ecorobotix's Plant-by-Plant AI (Artificial Intelligence), the ALBA can identify and spray individual weeds or unwanted grasses with a three-by-three-centimetre (1.2-by-1.2-inch) footprint, allowing users to "spray the size of a golf ball." Designed first for golf courses, the ALBA also brings precision to sod farms, sports turf, tennis courts, and municipal grass fields. According to James D. McCurdy, Ph.D., professor and turfgrass extension specialist at Mississippi State University, ALBA marks a meaningful shift in how weed management in turf can be approached, particularly when it comes to balancing performance with environmental responsibility. "ALBA represents a genuine change in how we think about weed management in turf," he said. "The ability to precisely target weeds while dramatically reducing non-target exposure opens new doors for both efficacy and stewardship." |
| Golden Triangle residents honor MLK with marches, service projects | |
 | Communities across the Golden Triangle will honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., beginning Saturday and lasting until Wednesday with marches, worship services and service projects focused on unity, justice and community engagement. The Oktibbeha County Branch of the NAACP will host its annual Unity March at 1:30 p.m. Monday. Prior to the march, there will be a worship service beginning at 10 a.m. at New Zion United Methodist Church. Those who would like to march should line up in front of Unity Park before 1:30 p.m. The route will travel north Douglas L. Conner Drive to Jefferson Street, then south on North Lafayette Street, before turning on East Main Street to conclude in front of Unity Park. Observances will continue at 5 p.m. with a chapel service in the Chapel of Memories at Mississippi State University. The event will feature a performance by student-group Black Voices, followed by a reception in the YMCA Building lobby, according to an MSU press release. Events will continue Tuesday and Wednesday with MLK Days of Service, where students will make emergency winter kits for the homeless in the Colvard Student Union Ballroom at MSU. |
| Starkville resident wins $100K in lottery drawing | |
| For the second time in the last four months, a losing lottery ticket received a second chance and won a Starkville resident $100,000. The owner of the winning ticket, purchased at the Down the Hatch Deli and Marathon convenience store located at 405 Russell St., entered the ticket into the Mississippi Lottery Corporation's 2nd Chance website to be entered to receive the game's top prize, MLC President of Communications Savannah Tirey said. "Everyone's excited when they (win) the lottery, obviously, but our second chance winners just seem to have that extra excitement factor because they submitted a non-winning ticket," Tirey told The Dispatch. "And so it really is just a thrill for them to receive that letter. And it's some of our favorite winter interactions." The Starkville resident was among 12 winners across the state named in MLC's Tuesday 2nd Chance drawing, which totaled $945,000 awarded through lottery ticket games that were ending, Tirey said. The winners will be notified by certified mail, Tirey said. After receiving those letters, they will have 10 days to notify MLC they received the letter and another 30 days to send in the claiming paperwork. |
| Federal funding earmarked for Meridian in appropriations bill | |
| A federal appropriations bill passed by the U.S. Senate on Thursday will channel hundreds of millions in science, energy and water spending to the Magnolia State and more than $10 million to Meridian. The 2026 fiscal year bill was passed by the House earlier this month and now heads to President Donald Trump for his signature. The legislation consists of a funding package for the Commerce, Justice and Interior departments. "This is how Congress should operate, passing federal spending bills through the appropriations process," said Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker. "I am pleased that the Senate has embraced regular order. I look forward to the ways this legislation will help Mississippi's needs and will support job creators and local governments." Included in the bill is $22.4 million for projects throughout Mississippi including a $750,000 earmark for Meridian Police Department's Real Time Crime Center. The Center, which is nearing completion, will provide round-the-clock monitoring for hundreds of video cameras installed throughout the city, license plate reading technology and the ability to send live video to responding officers to prepare them for what they'll find responding to calls. |
| Fossil park awarded $536K grant for kayak, canoe launch | |
| The Dr. John "Jack" Kaye Cretaceous Fossil Park is now mostly funded thanks to a grant from the Mississippi Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund. The city was awarded a $536,950 grant on Monday, which will be used to fund most of the park's most expensive feature, a kayak and canoe launch, said Susan Wilder, city grant administrator. "Now we've got some meat behind it to say this is happening," Wilder told The Dispatch on Thursday. "Up until now, a lot of people have been just really unsure if we were going to get this done. Now this proves it. So this is going to put us on a forward trajectory." The grant requires a $95,000 match. Of that, Burns Dirt will provide $80,000 in in-kind labor, parks and recreation will provide $5,000 in-kind and the city will pony up $10,000 in funding. The grant gets the city about two-thirds of the way to the $750,000 mark to finish the park, planned to sit in the southeast corner of Propst Park along the Luxapalila Creek, where Ornithomimosaur toe bones and other land-dwelling dinosaur and marine reptile fossils have been discovered. Needs that remain include funds for brochures, signage, a dinosaur-themed playground in the area, a Cretaceous walking trail featuring a geological timeline, dinosaur statues and an educational pavilion. Ricky Flynt, executive director for the Mississippi Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund, said the board selected the fossil park as one of 20 projects to receive funding because of its unique benefit to the Columbus community and in the state more broadly. |
| Newly appointed NASA administrator visits Stennis Space Center ahead of Artemis II launch | |
 | For over 50 years, the moon has remained untouched by human hands. President Donald Trump is looking to change that and establish "American space superiority" with a new man leading NASA. New NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has been on the job for 28 days. In that time, he's been going from space center to space center, including Stennis Space Center, to find out about the projects that are sending the next generation to the moon. He steps into the role with high expectations and lofty goals. "You know, you come and work at NASA and you know what you're here for," explained Isaacman. "You're here to change the world in air and space." President Trump signed an executive order the same day Isaacman was confirmed as NASA's new administrator. It sets a timeline for major milestones not only for the country, but for all mankind: a crew on the moon by 2028 and beginning work on a lunar base by 2030. "Stennis has always played an important part in America's accomplishments in human space exploration, but I'll tell you, Stennis doesn't stand still in time," Isaacman added. "They are constantly looking at, 'What is the future in space exploration and discovery ten years from now, and how do we start making preparations for today?'" Stennis Space Center serves as the test site for the RS-25 engines that power the rockets that will send a crew to the moon. |
| Tears, Trump and student transfers: House barely passes school-choice bill. Will it survive? | |
| The Mississippi House narrowly passed a major public-education overhaul Thursday after four hours of debate that centered on school choice -- but also invoked President Trump, rifles and shotguns, the Psalm of David, pimps and meth addicts and even sexual innuendo. The bill, authored by Republican Speaker Jason White, passed 61-59. Seventeen Republicans broke with White and voted no, and two Republicans did not vote. The razor-thin margin is likely not the homerun that White wanted to see in his chamber, after his months-long campaign to expand school choice in Mississippi. The slim passage puts the bill's future in doubt, with the Republican Senate leadership vowing to kill it, or at least the parts that would spend tax dollars on private schooling. While the House debated the lengthy House bill, Senate Education Chairman Dennis DeBar, a Republican from Leakesville, told Mississippi Today the Senate Republican majority does not support the House bill. Senate leaders have already passed a public-school transfer bill, filed legislation that mirrors portions of the House bill and made clear they don't plan to entertain an education savings account program to spend tax dollars on private schools. He also alluded to moves by House Republican leaders to finagle votes in a Wednesday committee meeting, such as asking some members to skip the meeting instead of voting no. |
| House narrowly passes education package as some GOP lawmakers vote against it | |
| Debate over a Republican-led omnibus education package lasted for more than four hours in the Mississippi House on Thursday. But Republicans, who hold a supermajority in the chamber and had wiggle room to lose some votes, managed to advance the bill in a narrow 61-59 vote. All Democrats opposed House Bill 2, authored by Republican Speaker Jason White and dubbed the "Mississippi Education Freedom Act." Those within White's party who voted against the measure were Reps. Richard Bennett, Andy Boyd, Billy Calvert, Carolyn Crawford, Becky Currie, Jill Ford, Greg Haney, Stacey Hobgood-Wilkes, Timmy Ladner, Clay Mansell, Kent McCarty, Missy McGee, Dana McLean, Gene Newman, Fred Shanks, Troy Smith, and Lance Verner. Republicans who did not vote were Reps. Clay Deweese and Price Wallace. Even with ringing endorsements from Republicans nationally, including U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon, some GOP representatives voted against the measure with constituent concerns in mind. Republicans like Ford and Shanks, who represent portions of Madison and Rankin counties, voted against the measure. A-rated school systems and citizens within each of their districts have raised concerns over school choice. "I want to commend the House on a very civil debate over a very divisive topic, but after many talks with parents, teachers, and administrators, I chose to vote with the people of Rankin County," Shanks said. |
| DeSoto County legislators author bill to ban cell phones in Mississippi schools | |
| DeSoto County state representatives introduced a bill this week that would require Mississippi school boards to adopt policies prohibiting student cell phone use during academic hours. HB570 aims to address classroom disruptions and prevent cheating. The bill's principal author, Rep. Kimberly Remák, said the measure also focuses on improving students' mental well-being. Dr. Marissa Gray, a clinical assistant professor at the University of Memphis Loewenberg College of Nursing, said new research supports claims about cell phone impacts on student mental health. "Our children's brains are being rewired by the amount, the frequency, of use of cell phones," Gray said. Gray cited Jonathan Haidt's book The Anxious Generation, saying cell phone addiction affects developing minds. "In-person, face-to-face communication and interaction between human beings is serotonin-building, another neurotransmitter that we need for growth and development and building community, and that is blocked when we are using technology instead," Gray said. |
| Public defender pilot program sees early success | |
| Three months into the Mississippi Office of State Public Defender's pilot program to place public defenders in the state's underserved areas, the initiative is receiving praise from legislators. OSPD State Defender Andre de Gruy told lawmakers that the program "hit the ground running." Known as "Day One," the program is active in the Fifth Circuit Court District, which includes Attala, Carroll, Choctaw, Grenada, Montgomery, Webster, and Winston counties. The State Defender said defendants sitting in jail without representation for prolonged periods has been a problem in Mississippi due to the state not having enough lawyers in rural areas. He said as one of the most rural states in the nation, 67 of Mississippi's 82 counties have a population of less than 50,000 people, and eleven of the 23 Circuit Court Districts are comprised of only rural counties. Under the pilot program, OSPD contracts with Defend the Fifth Inc., a Mississippi non-profit corporation to provide Day One public defense services. In the pilot program's first three months of operation, the office represented 44 clients facing a total of 58 felony charges, including two charged with murder and 30 associated misdemeanor charges. |
| N.S.A. Nominee Promises to Protect Elections From Foreign Interference | |
 | President Trump's nominee to lead the National Security Agency and the U.S. Cyber Command pledged to senators at a confirmation hearing on Thursday that he would safeguard U.S. elections from foreign influence, even as the administration has weakened cyberattack protections. Mr. Trump has eroded federal cyberdefenses, especially for elections, raising questions about the roles that the N.S.A. and the U.S. Cyber Command could play in protecting the vote. The nominee, Lt. Gen. Joshua M. Rudd, told lawmakers that he still saw a role for the agencies to shield elections from foreign influence. General Rudd, of the Army, was chiefly asked about, and focused on, external threats to elections. He promised senators he would protect the vote from foreign influence campaigns.In an Armed Services Committee hearing to consider the nominations of General Rudd and Lt. Gen. Francis L. Donovan of the Marine Corps, Mr. Trump's nominee to lead the U.S. Southern Command, the generals were particularly tight-lipped. Their laconic answers drew criticism. "It's OK for you two gentlemen to tell us how you feel," Senator Roger Wicker, Republican of Mississippi and chairman of the Armed Services Committee, told them. "We realize that you haven't been confirmed yet, but so far we really haven't received any answers about how you feel about the responsibilities you're about to take on. It's OK to tell us, and actually it would be helpful." Mr. Wicker's prodding didn't have the intended effect. |
| 'Dumbest thing I've ever heard': Republicans amp up their resistance to Trump's Greenland push | |
 | President Donald Trump is talking about taking over Greenland by any means necessary. Republicans in Congress are trying to scare him back to reality. As Trump continually threatens to bring the Danish territory into the U.S. over the objections of key global allies and the island's elected representatives, some GOP lawmakers are stepping up their warnings and engaging in diplomacy as Democrats prepare to put the other party on record opposing a military invasion. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) predicted members on both sides of the aisle would lock arms and require congressional signoff if it became clear Trump was preparing imminent military action. "If there was any sort of action that looked like the goal was actually landing in Greenland and doing an illegal taking ... there'd be sufficient numbers here to pass a war powers resolution and withstand a veto," Tillis said. Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) went further, predicting that it would lead to impeachment and calling Trump's Greenland obsession "the dumbest thing I've ever heard." The blunt public messaging comes as lawmakers try to reassure U.S. allies, including Denmark, in private. A bipartisan group of House and Senate lawmakers are in Copenhagen Friday to try to drive home in person the message that military action does not have support on Capitol Hill. |
| GOP senators try to talk Trump down from invoking Insurrection Act in Minneapolis | |
 | Republican senators are trying to put the brakes on talk of invoking the Insurrection Act to quell angry protests against immigration officers in Minneapolis after one fatally shot Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three. Invoking the law, which was last updated in 1874, would allow President Trump to mobilize active-duty troops or federalized National Guard troops to the streets of Minneapolis amid growing civil unrest over actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers. GOP lawmakers are leery of the prospect of sending a wave of troops to Minneapolis when television and online news in recent days have been dominated by images of masked ICE officers, wearing helmets and ballistic-resistant vests, engaged in heated exchanges with protesters. Asked if invoking the Insurrection Act to deploy troops to Minneapolis to quell the protests would be appropriate, Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) responded, "Probably not." Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) called for cooler heads to prevail when asked about Trump's threat to trigger the Insurrection Act. "I think that we need to calm the country down, not head further toward chaos," he said. |
| Wrap-up: Congress leaves for MLK Day with long January to-do list | |
 | Lawmakers left Washington Thursday with a few more government funding bills under their belts but face a rush after the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday to avert another partial government shutdown and respond to developments abroad. Particularly challenging for Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., will be to push through the fiscal 2026 Homeland Security spending bill, which hit a snag following the fatal shooting by an immigration officer of an unarmed woman in Minneapolis last week. Thune acknowledged Thursday the Homeland Security measure would be the most difficult, adding they may have to tackle the department's funding through a continuing resolution. Before departing for the week, the Senate also passed bipartisan legislation that would allow individuals to sue over nonconsensual intimate depictions of them that were generated by artificial intelligence. With the chamber out next week, senators are expected to take part in international delegations. A bipartisan group is traveling to Denmark amid Trump's ongoing threats to take over Greenland. But when senators return to the Capitol, they will have just days to work out a final deal on outstanding fiscal 2026 appropriations. |
| Powell Investigation Upends Final Stretch of Fed Chair Contest | |
 | The criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell threatens to upend the contest over whom President Trump will choose to succeed him as it enters its final stretch. The episode is creating new obstacles on Capitol Hill and raising hard questions about whether any nominee can be seen as independent -- tension that was always present but is now much harder to ignore. Trump has made clear he prizes loyalty in his pick, but the Justice Department probe -- which Powell said was part of a pressure campaign to get the Fed to lower interest rates -- threatens to make that quality a liability. The backlash on Capitol Hill could force that pick to walk a tightrope in any confirmation process this spring. The nominee would have to avoid upsetting Trump with statements that question his efforts to challenge the Fed without provoking concerns from lawmakers or market participants that they are too close to Trump to be credible. "Trump is making it very difficult by saying he refuses to appoint anyone who doesn't agree with him and is not going to do what he wants," said Janet Yellen, the former Fed chair and Treasury secretary. "So you start with that, which undermines a person's credibility." In a sign of some lawmakers' unease, two Republican senators -- Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska---said this week they won't vote for any nominee until the probe is resolved. |
| A healthy meal for $3? Agriculture secretary says it's easy. | |
 | Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins made waves this week with claims that the Trump administration's revamped food pyramid leaves plenty of room for Americans to maintain a healthy diet for as little as $3 a meal. In an interview Wednesday with News Nation, Rollins said her agency came up with plenty of low-cost meals that conform with the new dietary guidelines, which call for Americans to eat more red meat and butter, and less processed food. "Are we asking them to spend more on their diet? And the answer to that is no." She said the agency ran "over 1,000 simulations" and found that "it can cost around $3 a meal for a piece of chicken, a piece of broccoli, you know, a corn tortilla and one other thing." On social media, some people ridiculed Rollins's comments. Who eats one piece of broccoli as a side dish? How can someone buy just one piece of broccoli or one piece of chicken at the grocery store? Some pointed out that a piece of chicken and a tortilla don't add up to nearly the recommended caloric intake for most people. Others drew illustrations of a plate with a measly piece of broccoli and the words "one other thing." But the Agriculture Department said the scenario is no joke. A USDA spokesperson did not respond to questions about how the simulations worked but said in a Thursday email exchange that "there are hundreds of thousands of meal options that will align with the [dietary guidelines] and at no increased cost to American consumers." |
| How the White House and governors want to fix AI-driven power shortages and price spikes | |
 | The White House and a bipartisan group of governors are pressuring the operator of the mid-Atlantic power grid to take urgent steps to boost energy supply and curb price hikes, holding a Friday event aimed at addressing a rising concern among voters about the enormous amount of power used for artificial intelligence ahead of elections later this year. The White House said its National Energy Dominance Council and the governors of several states, including Pennsylvania, Ohio and Virginia, want to try to compel PJM Interconnection to hold a power auction for tech companies to bid on contracts to build new power plants, The Trump administration and governors will sign a statement of principles toward that end Friday. The plan was first reported by Bloomberg. "Ensuring the American people have reliable and affordable electricity is one of President Trump's top priorities, and this would deliver much-needed, long-term relief to the mid-Atlantic region," said Taylor Rogers, a White House spokeswoman. Trump and the governors are under pressure to insulate consumers and businesses alike from the costs of feeding Big Tech's energy-hungry data centers. Meanwhile, more Americans are falling behind on their electricity bills. |
| International aid groups are dealing with the pain of slashed USAID funding by cutting staff, localizing and coordinating better | |
| Since Jan. 20, 2025, the first day of his second term in office, President Donald Trump has slashed U.S. foreign aid spending. It began with a stop-work order that paused spending on everything from treating tropical diseases in Mali to providing nutrition support in Nepal. By early February 2025, billionaire Elon Musk announced that the U.S. Agency for International Development, the lead foreign aid agency, had been fed "into the wood chipper." By July 1, USAID had ceased to exist, 83% of its programs had been canceled, and remaining aid programs were moved into the State Department -- where it was unclear how they would be managed. Congress clawed back billions in previously approved aid spending, at Trump's request, in July. These developments rattled nongovernmental organizations around the world because about half of USAID's funding was channeled through nongovernmental organizations prior to this upheaval. According to Tom Hart, who heads a coalition of U.S.-based NGOs, "We're in a pivot moment, a massive transition, and things aren't clear." Philanthropy may fill some gaps. However, foundations and individual donors are also facing economic and political uncertainty. Charitable giving to international affairs has been on the rise, but the $35 billion in giving to international causes in 2024 would have to more than double to make up for the reduction in government spending. |
| PRCC signs educational partnership with CNMOC to help STEM students | |
| Pearl River Community College President Dr. Adam Breerwood brought pen to paper Thursday afternoon, making a partnership with Commander Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command official (CNMOC). "So many times, we have a challenge of equipment needs and challenges of an outstanding faculty," said Dr. Breerwood. "Days like today provide us those opportunities that we can ultimately pass on to our students to create life-changing opportunities." This partnership will provide STEM students at the college with resources at a professional standard and a potential pipeline for future employment. "It gives the students practical experience in the field for what they would be doing in the workforce when they graduate," Naval Oceanographic Office Technical Director Wade Ladner said. Hydrography instructor Sydni Shoemaker said advanced data collection tools are essentially unattainable, with price tags well into the thousands. She believes a partnership of this caliber could bring the program to new heights, or in this case, new depths. |
| Mississippi college student admits to having marijuana, rifle in dorm room | |
 | A Coahoma Community College student was arrested on Wednesday after admitting to possessing marijuana and a rifle in a dorm room, according to the Coahoma County Sheriff's Office. Mario King was charged with felony possession of a controlled substance, possession of a firearm on educational property, and possession of drug paraphernalia. On Jan. 14, the sheriff's office said they received a call in reference to Coahoma Community College, Friendship Dormitory. Deputies said the caller told them that several people were inside a room and had firearms and illegal drugs. Deputies said five students were detained and transported to the sheriff's office. During questioning, one student said he was forced to bring the marijuana into the dorm room, but video deputies obtained later contradicted that statement. |
| Alabama aims to boost college graduation rates with this funding change | |
 | Alabama lawmakers might change how public colleges are funded. This legislative session, lawmakers will consider tying some higher education funding to how many students graduate and get jobs. Some public colleges in the state have six-year graduation rates below 50%. "Alabama is making an investment in these students, and not all of them are graduating on time," said Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur. Orr is working on a bill, tentatively called the CHEER Act, which will use some money from the Educational Opportunities Fund, a bucket of reserve money, to support colleges who want to boost retention, graduation rates or research. Nationally, about 60% of college students graduate within 6 years. Orr said two- and four-year colleges will still get basic appropriations for operations. Outcomes-based funding will simply get added to the top. The recommendation comes after a committee studied different college funding models in Arkansas, Texas, Kentucky and other states. About half of states tie funding to outcomes for two-year and four-year colleges. Currently, Alabama has a $2.5 billion higher ed budget, which funds public colleges, community colleges and some statewide programs. |
| Amid Criticism From Lawmakers, Arkansas Rescinds Dean Offer | |
 | Emily Suski, an associate dean at the University of South Carolina law school, was supposed to assume her new role as dean of the University of Arkansas law school July 1. But five days after university officials announced Suski's hire, they rescinded their offer based on outside feedback. "After receiving feedback from key external stakeholders about the fit between Professor Suski and the university's vacancy, the university has decided to go a different direction in filling the vacancy," university officials wrote in a statement Wednesday. "University officials are very grateful for Professor Suski's interest in the position and continue to hold Professor Suski in high regard. We wish Professor Suski well as she moves forward with her career." In a statement, Suski said she was hurt by the university's decision. In an Instagram post, Arkansas representative Nicole Clowney, a Democrat, wrote that the university's decision to rescind Suski's offer was a "horrifying, unprecedented and absolutely unconstitutional abuse of state power." |
| As Other Campuses Cut Back, Vanderbilt U. Looks to Expand | |
 | At a time when many universities are retrenching or anxiously treading water in face of economic and political uncertainties, Vanderbilt University is expanding. The private institution announced this week that it would be raising $250 million to build a new graduate-education campus in West Palm Beach, Florida, near Miami. The next day, Vanderbilt leaders spread word that it would acquire the California College of the Arts campus in San Francisco -- the small, struggling college is set to close in 2027 -- for an undisclosed sum to serve graduates and undergraduates alike. The announcements of the two new campuses arrive two months after Vanderbilt touted the opening of a New York City campus in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood, slated for the fall of 2026, to house a semester-long program for undergraduates and a master's in business and technology. Vanderbilt's nationwide expansion may buck the current trend toward caution, even among wealthier institutions, but it's likely the result of calculated strategy and carefully hedged bets, experts said. "I think Vanderbilt sees this as its moment," said Brendan Cantwell, a professor of educational administration at Michigan State University. |
| Kemp budget about affordability, with tax cuts plus money for employees and college students | |
| Gov. Brian Kemp's last budget proposal would stockpile billions for any rough economy one of his successors might encounter while also asking lawmakers to return over $1 billion to taxpayers. In his eighth and final state of the state address Thursday, Kemp said his budget proposal to the Georgia General Assembly will give average rebates of $250 per individual taxpayer plus a fifth of a percentage point reduction to the state income tax rate, lowering it to 4.99%. Like perhaps every other politician, Kemp nodded to what is shaping up to be a dominant issue in the upcoming elections: affordability. "The reality is too many of our citizens are still struggling to make ends meet each and every day because costs are still too high," he said, speaking from the well of the Georgia House. "Groceries, rent, insurance, clothes for the kids, it all adds up to more than it used to." Kemp's budget proposal spends money, too, on roads, on pay supplements, on retirement benefits and, for the first time in state history, on needs-based scholarships for higher education. |
| Is Plato woke? Texas A&M professor speaks out after being banned from teaching the Greek philosopher | |
| How can you teach a philosophy class without mentioning Plato? Texas A&M University professor Martin Peterson is trying to figure that out. Plato was a father of Western philosophy, famously a student of Socrates and teacher of Aristotle. He authored foundational texts on ethics, metaphysics and politics. But because his "Symposium" debates the existence of more than two genders and explores homosexuality, it's subject to a Texas A&M ban on the teaching of "race and gender ideology." And the university banned Peterson from including it in his curriculum. Many people deem Plato controversial, but Peterson said a number of other philosophers are controversial too, citing Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger and Immanuel Kant as examples. Despite disagreements over Plato's principles, Peterson finds the text vital to understanding philosophy. "Plato's 'Symposium' is one of the most important philosophical texts ever written," he said, "and it's been taught for thousands of years to students without doing any harm to anyone." Even though his curriculum has been censored, Peterson said he fears more for his students' academic experience. |
| Texas A&M abruptly cancels ethics course over race, gender policy | |
| Texas A&M University canceled a graduate ethics course three days after the semester began, saying Professor Leonard Bright did not provide enough information to let administrators determine if the course meets new standards for discussing race and gender. Bright disputes that characterization. The decision is distinct from earlier course changes at Texas A&M as the class had already met once before administrators canceled it. In a schoolwide email explaining the decision Wednesday, Bush School Dean John Sherman said system policy required the cancellation because Bright declined repeated requests to provide information on his planned instruction. Without that, Sherman said, administrators could not comply with system policy that bars courses from advocating race or gender ideology or topics related to sexual orientation or gender identity. Courses that venture into those topics require an exemption from top university officials. A university official said the deadline for department submissions is Friday, and the university expects to know before the Jan. 28 add-drop deadline how many courses will be canceled or changed under the policy. In an interview with The Texas Tribune, Bright said he made clear that issues of race, gender and sexuality would arise throughout the course, rather than on specific days that he could share in advance. |
| They Wanted a University Without Cancel Culture. Then Dissenters Were Ousted. | |
| The inaugural year of the University of Austin, or UATX as it's known, had been marked by the frenzy and occasional chaos that one might expect from a start-up aimed at disrupting American higher education. The audacious experiment -- the construction of a new university ostensibly based on principles of free expression and academic freedom -- had drawn the interest and participation of a star-studded cast of public intellectuals, academics and tycoons. Even measured against this high bar, however, April 2, 2025, would be a memorable day. The night before, the campus had hosted a dinner and conversation between the prominent conservative historian Niall Ferguson and Larry Summers, the former Harvard University president and Treasury secretary. Later, that evening, the billionaire entrepreneur Peter Thiel would deliver the first of a series of lectures on the Antichrist. People at UATX had grown accustomed to fast-paced action. But in the afternoon, all of the professors and staff were summoned, quite unusually and mysteriously, to a closed-door meeting. It had been called by Joe Lonsdale, a billionaire entrepreneur who'd co-founded the data analytics company Palantir Technologies with Thiel. Together with Ferguson and the journalist Bari Weiss, Lonsdale had been a driving force behind the creation of UATX and was a member of the board of trustees. But he wasn't often present on campus, and it was almost unheard of for a member of the board to summon the staff, as Lonsdale had. |
| At Least 26 Faculty Members Faced Scrutiny for Charlie Kirk Comments. Here's What Happened Next. | |
| In the days immediately following Charlie Kirk's assassination at Utah Valley University, colleges across the country quickly took action against faculty members and other employees who had made light of Kirk's death or criticized his political views online. Since then, at least half a dozen faculty members have sued their institutions for violating their First Amendment rights. Disciplinary investigations meant to quell escalating waves of public scrutiny and threats from lawmakers instead exploded into nationwide debate about the limits of free expression on college campuses. PEN America's latest "America's Censored Campuses" report, released Thursday, warns that colleges have become increasingly willing to bow to public pressure. "This sort of jawboning is a serious problem and ripe for abuse," the report says. "The growing pattern is a reminder that universities must stand firm against external attempts to pressure them into punishing their faculty for protected speech, because the future of academic research and teaching is at stake." |
| Professors fired for Charlie Kirk remarks are getting their jobs back | |
 | Following Charlie Kirk's death, public universities fired and censured employees who posted critical comments about the conservative icon. Months later, and with some legal pressure, a handful of schools are reversing course. In recent months, at least three fired professors have reclaimed their jobs, and three more have had suspensions lifted or investigations concluded in their favor. One of those employees, Darren Michael at Austin Peay State University in Tennessee, also secured a $500,000 settlement from his public university, The Tennessean, a member of the USA TODAY Network reported. Universities weren't alone in their actions. A Reuters report found that employers across the country fired hundreds for sharing disrespectful remarks about Kirk. But universities pride themselves on being centers of open inquiry where hateful speech is met with debate. Beyond that, free speech experts say the First Amendment allows government employees to speak as private citizens about events that affect the public. The assassination of a public figure -- Kirk had millions of followers on social media and ties to the Trump administration -- fits that bill. What's more, many of the fired professors shared their remarks on their personal social media accounts, not necessarily as envoys of their school. That doesn't mean public employees have carte blanche in their statements. Complaints about private matters, such as an employee's criticism of their bosses, don't receive the same protection. And courts have to balance an employee's First Amendment rights against the government agency's ability to operate. |
| Report: State Lawmakers Enacted 21 Censorship Bills in 2025 | |
| Last year was a record-setting one for education censorship; more than half of U.S college and university students now study in a state with at least one law or policy restricting what can be taught or how college campuses can operate, according to a new report from PEN America, a nonprofit that advocates for campus free speech and press freedom. Last year, lawmakers in 32 states introduced a combined 93 bills that censor higher education. Of those, 21 bills were enacted across 15 states: Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming. "Censorship is, sadly, now an intractable reality on college and university campuses, with serious negative impacts for teaching, research, and student life," Amy Reid, program director of Freedom to Learn at PEN America, said in a news release. he PEN report also covers federal pressure to censor colleges and universities. In 2025, the Departments of Justice and Education launched more than 90 investigations into alleged Title VI violations. The Trump administration targeted $3.7 billion in research funding and Trump signed 19 executive orders related to education, including an order to end DEI initiatives at colleges and universities. Also last year, the administration suggested 38 universities should be suspended from federal research partnerships because of their hiring practices. |
| Humanities Endowment Awarding Millions to Western Civilization Programs | |
| The National Endowment for the Humanities on Thursday announced $71 million in new grants, including nearly $40 million to classical humanities institutes and civic leadership programs that have been promoted by conservatives as a counterweight to liberal-dominated higher education. The grants, awarded to 84 projects across the country, come as the Trump administration has moved to bring the agency into line with its priorities, sometimes directing money to ideological allies. They include support for museum exhibits, scholarly publications and other work the endowment has long supported. But the majority of the funding -- including three grants of $10 million, among the largest in the agency's history -- goes to hiring faculty, recruiting students and developing courses at classical humanities programs and civic centers. One award provides $10 million for hiring 16 faculty members at the University of Texas and helping "launch academic majors in Strategy and Statecraft and Great Books." Another provides $10 million in matching funds to the University of North Carolina to build an endowment to fund "a world-class civics faculty." The grants arrive amid the Trump administration's pressure campaign against higher education, as well as a roiling debate over what some conservatives see as universities' abandonment of the study of the Western intellectual tradition. |
| Students are increasingly choosing community college or certificates over four-year degrees | |
| For years, concerns over rising college costs and student loan debt have been driving some high schoolers away from a four-year degree in favor of shorter, less expensive alternatives. Now it's clear that students are putting more emphasis on career training and post-college employment, as more opt for a two-year degree or even shorter-term credentials. The overall rate of high school graduates choosing to enroll in community college and short-term credentialing programs is rising, according to a new report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Enrollments in undergraduate certificate and associate degree programs both grew by about 2% in fall 2025, while enrollment in bachelor's degree programs rose by less than 1%, the report found. Community colleges now enroll 752,000 students in undergraduate certificate programs -- a 28% jump from just four years ago. Starting in July, there's even more incentive to pursue short-term training programs. Under President Donald Trump's "big beautiful bill," which Congress passed last year, students enrolling in workforce training programs at community colleges may be eligible for Pell Grants, a type of aid awarded solely based on financial need. The grants are worth up to $7,395 for the 2025-26 academic year. Previously, these funds were only available to degree-seeking undergraduate students. |
| The House passed school choice, but what is it and why do conservatives want it? | |
| The Magnolia Tribune's Russ Latino writes: Social media in Mississippi is abuzz with misinformation and scare tactics over school choice after the Mississippi House of Representatives passed a Trump-backed plan to deliver meaningful options to families in the Magnolia State. Let's take a step back. What is school choice? Why do supporters, including President Donald Trump, Governor Tate Reeves, the Mississippi Republican Party, every Republican governor of every surrounding state, and over 70 percent of Mississippians favor giving families education options through ESA programs that let the money follow the student? Why do conservatives support the idea of giving families school choice? Fundamentally, it is rooted in a very old conservative belief that parents, not the government, are responsible for raising and educating their children. They do not belong to the state. Parents know their children and have the most vested interest in their child's success. It's also rooted in an understanding that the whole point of "public investment" (your money) in education is to prepare kids for life. Only a fool -- or an absolute charlatan -- would say that 100% of the time, every single kid, is miraculously best served at the school that happens to be closest to where a kid lives. |
SPORTS
| 10 Diamond Dawgs recognized in Perfect Game Freshman and Sophomore 100 lists | |
| As Mississippi State begins preparations for the much-anticipated 2026 season, the expectations for Brian O'Connor's first season at the helm are fuelled by an impressive young group of players reeling in preseason honors. The Bulldog squad features five freshmen and five sophomores recognized in the Perfect Game USA Top 100 for their respective classes, with pitcher Jack Bauer considered the top freshman in the country in the preseason list. Fellow freshmen Parker Rhodes (23rd), Maddox Miller (25th), Tanner Beliveau (60th), Jacob Parker (75th), and Peter Mershon (95th) rounded out the Diamond Dawgs on the freshman 100. Bauer was considered the top high school recruit in the country coming out of Lincoln Way East High School in Frankfort, Illinois. The freshman lefty owns the record for fastest pitch thrown by a prep pitcher, clocked at 103 miles per hour, and allowed just five runs with a 1.22 ERA over 28.1 innings pitched as a senior. Named after Kiefer Sutherland's character in the popular television show "24", Bauer dons the same number on his shirt at MSU. The sophomore group features Ryan McPherson (24th), James Nunnalee (33rd), Tomas Valincius (34th), Duke Stone (56th) and Charlie Foster (68th). |
| Ole Miss visits Mississippi State after Hubbard's 23-point game | |
| Mississippi State hosts Ole Miss Saturday night after Josh Hubbard scored 23 points in Mississippi State's 97-82 loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide. The Bulldogs have gone 7-2 in home games. Mississippi State ranks sixth in the SEC in rebounding with 37.6 rebounds. Quincy Ballard leads the Bulldogs with 7.5 boards. The Rebels have gone 2-2 against SEC opponents. Ole Miss ranks sixth in the SEC shooting 35.4% from 3-point range. Mississippi State's average of 7.9 made 3-pointers per game this season is only 0.5 fewer made shots on average than the 8.4 per game Ole Miss allows. Ole Miss has shot at a 45.5% clip from the field this season, 3.4 percentage points higher than the 42.1% shooting opponents of Mississippi State have averaged. The matchup Saturday is the first meeting of the season for the two teams in conference play. Hubbard is scoring 22.8 points per game with 2.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists for the Bulldogs. Jayden Epps is averaging 15.9 points and 2.6 rebounds while shooting 43.0% over the last 10 games. |
| 2026 Egg Bowl to be played on Black Friday for third straight year | |
| The Egg Bowl will not be played on a Saturday this year, as initially scheduled. Instead, the bitter rivalry matchup between Ole Miss and Mississippi State will follow the recent trend of taking place on Black Friday. A rivalry that dates back to 1901, the 2026 showdown will mark the 123rd meeting between the Rebels and Bulldogs and the 99th edition of the Battle for the Golden Egg. While we know the date of the upcoming Egg Bowl, which will be played at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, a kickoff time and television information have not been released. ... in Starkville, year three of the Jeff Lebby era will feature a homegrown talent behind center. Noxubee County native Kamario Taylor has given Bulldog faithful hope that a turnaround is imminent after a daunting past few seasons. Taylor, a dual-threat signal caller, shone in his debut start, one that ironically occurred in last season's Egg Bowl, accounting for 351 total yards and two touchdowns. He and the team averted disaster after a Duke's Mayo Bowl injury proved not to be as severe as it initially looked. Mississippi State, like Ole Miss, has also worked the portal. The Bulldogs have beefed up both lines of scrimmage |
| Women's Basketball: Bulldogs Fall Just Short Of #5 Vanderbilt | |
| A late surge from Mississippi State left the Bulldogs just short of a come from behind win, as they fell to the undefeated fifth-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores, 89-84. The Bulldogs excelled at getting points in the paint, outscoring the Commodores 42-32 in that category. Thursday's game was just the first time in 15 games that the Bulldogs outscored their opponents in the paint and lost. Five Bulldogs scored in double figures in Thursday's contest. Madison Francis led the Bulldogs in scoring for the sixth time this season. She scored 15 points on 60 percent shooting and led the Bulldogs with eight rebounds. This marked the third-straight game Francis scored in double figures. Favour Nwaedozi battled foul trouble throughout the contest and only played in 20 minutes but finished with 14 points and six rebounds on 7-10 shooting. Nwaedozi also collected six rebounds before fouling out. The gauntlet of January continues for the Bulldogs, as they will face their fifth-consecutive top 20 opponent when they welcome the seventh-ranked Kentucky Wildcats to Humphrey Coliseum on Sunday, January 18. Tipoff for the contest is set for 2 p.m. on SECN+. |
| Ally Perry signs professional contract with Italian champions Juventus | |
| One of the most accomplished players to wear maroon and white for Mississippi State has turned professional with one of the most famous soccer clubs in the world. Ally Perry, MSU's top scorer in both 2024 and 2025, signed with Italian club Juventus this week, making her the 11th active professional player from the program and the ninth pro player from the SEC championship-winning team a year ago. "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. The speed of play is something that I'm going to have to learn how to get used to, but I already know that. Just going into this chapter knowing it's a little different here, the style of play and how different it is both tactically and technically, is something that I am looking forward to transitioning into." Perry was approached by the Italian champions last year after the SEC championship campaign, but decided to stay for a graduate senior season with the Bulldogs before going pro. She returned as a team captain, setting team highs with eight goals and eight assists. Perry also scored the winning goals in MSU's two wins over Top 10 opponents, beating No. 10 Wake Forest 2-1 and No. 1 Tennessee 3-2. "I think that everyone has more they can improve on to be more successful in the next level," Perry told The Dispatch about her decision to stay another season. |
| Former Southern Miss player is among 20 charged in college basketball gambling scheme | |
| Federal prosecutors have revealed a sprawling scheme to rig college basketball games while yielding big payouts to gamblers. A former Southern Miss player, Picayune native Mo Arnold who last played for the Golden Eagles in the 2023-24 season, is among 20 men charged. According to an indictment unsealed Thursday, fixers started with two professional games in China before turning their focus to recruiting college players in America to participate in similar point-shaving efforts as recently as January 2025. The indictment, which includes charges against current and former college players, coincides with multiple NCAA probes into sports-betting violations. "We were made aware this morning of federal charges brought against a former Southern Miss men's basketball player as part of a larger sports betting probe," Southern Miss athletic director Jeremy McClain said in a statement Thursday. "This news is disappointing to everyone associated with Southern Miss athletics. Integrity is important to anyone who loves college sports, and the university stands ready to assist in making sure incidents like these are removed from the competitive space in college athletics." |
| Incredible details about Southern Miss and fixed games found in indictment | |
 | Former Southern Miss guard Arlando "Mo" Arnold has been charged in a point-shaving scheme that involves nearly 40 college basketball players, multiple bettors and at least 29 games being influenced according to a federal indictment unsealed Thursday in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Arnold was accused of recruiting two teammates to attempt to fix two games late in the 2024 season in exchange for payment. According to the documents, Arnold and two teammates were approached by Marves Fairley, Jalen Smith and Antonio Blakeney in late February 2024. The three allegedly agreed to underperform and influence the outcome of an upcoming game against South Alabama. When that attempt failed, the charges claim the three made another attempt the following game against Louisiana. That attempt succeeded and Arnold was paid "tens of thousands of dollars" for his role. Arnold would allegedly go on to recruit others, including teammate Victor Hart's brother Carlos and several members of the next season's USM team. Southern Miss was indirectly involved in a third game named in the scheme in Dec. 2024. The Golden Eagles hosted an Alabama State team that had four players allegedly attempting to fix the result in order for USM to cover a 6-point spread, including Shawn Fulcher and Corey Hines. When halftime arrived and the Hornets were leading USM, one of the bettors who set up the scheme texted the players telling them to allow USM to "Lay it up" and stop playing defense. One of the players responded by saying USM was "so bad" that they were having difficulties throwing the game, according to the indictment. Southern Miss would pull away and win by 17 points. |
| The Game Within the Game: How colleges' bowl-game advertising has changed -- and why it matters | |
| Viewers of the Peach Bowl last Friday night watched Indiana University score seven touchdowns, force three turnovers, and generally stomp all over the University of Oregon on their way to a place in college football's national championship. Between the passes and runs, viewers also heard about the university's prowess in tackling real-world challenges like Alzheimer's and diabetes, about its breakthroughs in the lab rather than its agility on the field. "They said it would never happen," professors in lab coats and students in Hoosier red declared over an urgent musical score during one of the game's many ad breaks. "And we said: Watch us." Indiana isn't alone in using the spotlight of athletics to send a message about how its academics and research support the broader good. This fall, dozens of colleges are moving away from rah-rah recruitment ads aimed at prospective students and potential donors -- filled with campus beauty shots, cheering crowds, and gauzy glimpses of students bent over books and beakers -- that have long been a staple of Saturday-afternoon football broadcasts. Instead, the commercials make a broader case to all football-watchers about higher education's impact. |
| College football is chaotic, messy -- and more popular than ever | |
| For a few years now, Fox executive Mike Mulvihill has watched the discourse unspool among college football fans. In the throes of seismic changes -- think NIL deals, the transfer portal and coaches ditching their teams in the middle of the College Football Playoff -- the sport, fans complain, is in shambles. Nothing, Mulvihill said, could be further than the truth. "The most overused word in college sports is 'chaos,'" Mulvihill, President of Insights and Analytics at Fox, said in an interview. "You hear 'chaos' all the time. College sports is changing, but not all change is chaos. College football has never been more popular." The proof, Mulvihill said, is best seen in a single number: TV viewers consumed 179 billion minutes of college football this past regular season. Over the last five years that number has risen dramatically, up 33 percent from 135 billion minutes in 2021. This season's bowl games on ESPN recorded their highest audience in 10 years. Other metrics paint a similar picture. Thanks to the expanded playoff, college football accounted for eight of the 100 most-watched TV telecasts in 2025, its most ever. ESPN posted its most-viewed college football season since 2011. The network's senior vice president of research, Flora Kelly, noted that fans under 18 and women showed the largest audience growth. |
| Federal Judge Denies College Football Players Fifth Season | |
| A federal judge on Thursday denied a preliminary injunction that would have blocked the NCAA from enforcing its Five-Year Rule and Redshirt Rule and allowed Vanderbilt senior linebacker Langston Patterson and four other Division I football players, who have played four consecutive seasons, to play a fifth season in 2026. The judge, U.S. District Judge William L. Campbell Jr., in 2024 granted a preliminary injunction allowing Vanderbilt quarterback and former JUCO transfer Diego Pavia to play a sixth college season (fourth Division I season) in 2025. For this ruling, Campbell reasoned that Patterson's group had come up short in establishing antitrust arguments necessary for an injunction. The other football players are Nicholas Levy, Nathanial Vakos, Kevin Gallic and Lance Mason. Patterson insists that if the players have "five years to practice" and "five years to graduate," he should also have five years to play. The NCAA generally permits players to have four seasons of eligibility within a five-year period. However, as Patterson stresses, football players can play up to four regular seasons plus postseason games in a redshirt year without the season counting against the four seasons cap, and they can also participate in practices, workouts and other team activities for five years. Patterson maintains players in his position should gain a fifth year of eligibility, particularly given that they can earn revenue share and NIL deals in that fifth season. |
| US names major sporting events other than World Cup, Olympics exempt from Trump visa ban | |
| The Trump administration has identified a host of athletic competitions it classifies as "major sporting events" --- aside from soccer's 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympic Games -- that athletes and coaches will be allowed to travel to the U.S. to take part in despite a broad visa ban on nearly 40 countries. In a cable sent to all U.S. embassies and consulates Wednesday, the State Department said athletes, coaches and support staff for the World Cup, the Olympics and events endorsed or run by a long list of collegiate and professional sporting leagues and associations would not be subject to the full and partial travel bans that apply to citizens of 39 countries and the Palestinian Authority. However, the cable made clear that foreign spectators, media and corporate sponsors planning to attend the same events would still be banned unless they qualify for another exemption. "Only a small subset of travelers for the World Cup, Olympics and Paralympics, and other major sporting events will qualify for the exception," it said. President Donald Trump's administration has issued a series of immigration and travel bans as well as other visa restrictions as part of ongoing efforts to tighten U.S. entry standards for foreigners. At the same time, the administration has been looking to ensure that athletes, coaches and fans are able to attend major sporting events in the U.S. |
| The World Cup's most dreaded gatecrasher isn't a fan but a drone | |
| Leaders from the military, law enforcement and local governments gathered this week for tabletop exercises overwhelmingly focused on one violent threat to this summer's World Cup: unauthorized drones entering airspace above the 11 American stadium where matches will be played. The two-day summit, held near the headquarters of U.S. Northern Command, brought together federal agencies, 11 U.S. host committees and FIFA's security leadership in an attempt to prepare for a 48-team tournament spread across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada that will put unprecedented demands on public authorities at all levels. The planning for drone incursions marks an evolution of perceived threats to large-scale events in the United States from the preoccupation with manned vehicle attacks and weapons of mass destruction that dominated security preparations in the years after September 11. The fear of unauthorized drones flying over World Cup stadiums is among the biggest emerging threats, one which didn't exist when the United States last hosted the World Cup in 1994. Two years later, the summer Olympics in Atlanta was disrupted by a lone domestic terrorist, later identified by federal investigators as Eric Rudolph, who placed a bomb-filled backpack in a crowded Olympic Park, killing one person and injuring more than 100. Such a low-tech threat has receded in the minds of World Cup planners, who instead are envisioning unmanned aircraft moving through regulated airspace into areas where tens of thousands of fans and dignitaries have gathered in stadiums or at urban fan festivals organized by host committees. |
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