| Monday, February 23, 2026 |
| MSU hosts institute students helping solve statewide, global challenges | |
 | High school students from across the Magnolia State convened at Mississippi State Friday as participants of the eighth-annual World Food Prize Mississippi Youth Institute, hosted by MSU's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The Mississippi Youth Institute provides high school students the opportunity to research and suggest solutions for some of the most pressing global issues, including food security, water quality and health, said acting CALS Dean and institute leader Darrell Sparks. "These are our future leaders, so it is important that they learn to problem solve and effectively communicate their ideas with others," he said. "This program provides a constructive space for them to network with their peers as well as experts from industry and academia." The institute included the Charles E. Lindley Lecture featuring Ryn Laster, director of food safety and animal welfare at Cal-Maine Foods Inc. headquartered in Ridgeland. She is a four-time MSU graduate and has spent her career ensuring the highest standards in egg production, quality assurance and sustainable practices that support public health and industry integrity. The Mississippi Youth Institute is hosted by MSU with generous support from CALS alumni Barry L. and Lana B. White and the Madison Charitable Foundation. |
| Researchers publish landmark infectious disease study in 'Science' | |
| An article by Mississippi State Professor of Anthropology Molly Zuckerman and her graduate student Lydia Bailey has been published in Science, one of the foremost scientific journals in the world. Zuckerman and Bailey's piece examines new evidence from ancient DNA that pushes the origins of diseases closely related to syphilis back more than 5,000 years and strongly supports an American rather than European origin for a close relative of the disease. Drawing on recent paleogenomic discoveries from Colombia and Mexico, the article demonstrates how advances in ancient DNA research are transforming long-standing debates about human disease, evolution and global health. The article is available at www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/science.aee7963. Zuckerman said her career was profoundly shaped by her graduate mentor who intentionally included her in research on the origins of syphilis. She said now her inclusion of Bailey in current research is "a meaningful way to pay that mentorship forward" by providing the same kind of hands-on, scholarly opportunity that once helped launch her own research path. |
| Mississippi AI Innovation Hub's New Chatbot Targets Procurement | |
| Mississippi's AI Innovation Hub has focused its latest AI efforts behind the scenes, targeting the state's procurement operations -- and recently producing one of the Hub's first operational AI solutions. Procurii is a chatbot designed to help procurement staff quickly find and interpret relevant policies, procedures and regulations. The tool lets staff ask questions in plain language and provides answers drawn directly from official Department of Information Technology Services (ITS) materials, complete with references so users can verify sources. As Shelley Thompson, ITS emerging technology manager, described it, Procurii is "internal, governance-aligned and advisory by design, strengthening a mission-critical operational backbone of ITS" and "does not replace ITS procurement processes, but augments them." The system was built with the help of a Mississippi State University student team in the AI Innovation Hub's Amazon Web Services (AWS) sandbox, using a retrieval-based architecture tailored to the state's procurement documentation. It was then submitted to the AI Innovation Hub and selected for development based on its potential to address institutional knowledge attrition risk and operational consistency. Working in partnership with AWS and the Mississippi Artificial Intelligence Network, the state created the Hub to provide agencies, universities and private partners with a space to collaborate, train students and build proof-of-concept applications that address government challenges. |
| Vayda named MSU-Meridian Physician Assistant department head, program director | |
 | Mississippi State University has named Pamela Vayda department head and program director for the Meridian-based Master of Physician Assistant Studies program. "I am honored for the opportunity to serve my alma mater in this capacity," said Vayda, who entered the new position after serving as interim program director. "I am so thankful for the unique vantage point I have from being part of the program's first cohort." Vayda got her start in healthcare in 2003 at William Carey College in Hattiesburg, earning bachelor's degrees in chemistry and psychology. She earned a Master of Science in Biology from MSU in 2018. She also worked as a kinesiology lecturer at MSU-Meridian and served as a faculty member at Meridian Community College before enrolling in MSU-Meridian's PA Studies program. Vayda became an inaugural graduate of the program she now leads in 2023. The rigorous 29-month curriculum recently seated its sixth cohort. "Learning to be a student again, especially a PA student, was an eye-opening experience, and I hope to develop and encourage a workforce based on my experiences as both a student of the program and a working professional," Vayda said. |
| Vayda named MSU-Meridian Physician Assistant department head, program director | |
 | Mississippi State University has named Pamela Vayda department head and program director for the Meridian-based Master of Physician Assistant Studies program. After graduating from MSU-Meridian's PA program, Vayda accepted a position at Compass Urgent Care in Mobile, Alabama. She began work on her doctorate while employed with Compass and graduated with a Doctor of Medical Science from Butler University in 2024. She assumed an assistant teaching professor role in MSU-Meridian's PA program in 2024, and she was soon promoted to assistant program director of curriculum, assessment, and accreditation. In addition to her new university position, Vayda continues her role as a provider, seeing patients in Waynesboro in the WGH Walk-In Clinic. She and her family live in Collinsville. For more information on MSU-Meridian's Master of Physician Assistant Studies Program, visit www.meridian.mstate.edu. |
| Lyceum Series at Mississippi State welcomes Sonic Escape | |
 | Violinist Maria Kaneko and flutist Shawn Wycoff will bring their innovative classical interpretations to Mississippi State University's Lyceum Series on Thursday. The duo, known as Sonic Escape, reimagines works by classical masters such as Bach, Dvořák, Debussy and Delibes. Both Kaneko and Wycoff are graduates of the Juilliard School and have performed at prestigious venues nationwide, including the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. The performance takes place at 7:30 p.m. in Lee Hall's Bettersworth Auditorium. Tickets are $30 for the general public, $25 for MSU employees and $10 for children. Students can attend free by reserving tickets online at msstate.universitytickets.com or picking them up in person at the Center for Student Activities, Suite 314 of the Colvard Student Union. If available, tickets may also be purchased at the door on the day of the performance. |
| In memoriam: Pastor Ronnie Tucker's legacy lives on in Starkville youth | |
| On the second and fourth Sundays of each month, Pastor Ronnie B. Tucker could usually be found at J.L. King Park in blue jeans and a shirt, standing among other ministers and neighborhood families. For about five years, those afternoons became known as Gospel in the Park, a community worship event that brought ministers outside church walls and into conversation with residents. The event was one of Tucker's proudest achievements during his years of service in Starkville. "We would go through (the park) ... to let the young men see the unity," Willie Thomas, long-time friend of Tucker, told The Dispatch on Friday. "They would come out and they'd ask questions. We would stop and minister to them and give them encouraging words. ... It was just like coming to church." Tucker, 72, passed away Feb 2. Originally from Arkansas, he moved to Starkville in 1998 with his wife, Lenore Tucker, and their two children. Since 2019, he has served as pastor of Mt. Peiler Missionary Baptist Church and as a chaplain for the Starkville Police Department. Tucker was also a lifelong NAACP member, serving as vice president of the Oktibbeha County branch in 2022 before becoming president in January 2025. Friends and colleagues say one of Tucker's greatest efforts was pouring into the youth, particularly young Black men. |
| Starkville police officer in critical condition after crash during funeral escort | |
| A Starkville Police Department motorcycle officer was injured after a traffic collision during a funeral procession escort Saturday. At approximately 1:43 p.m. Feb. 21, the SPD motorcycle and another vehicle collided. This other vehicle was not part of the funeral procession. According to SPD officials, the motorcycle officer suffered "serious injuries" in the collision and was airlifted to a medical facility in Jackson to receive treatment. The officer is currently in critical condition, officials added. The driver of the other vehicle remained on the scene and declined medical treatment. The Starkville Police Department is now investigating this incident. "We ask the community to keep our officer and their family in your thoughts," officials said in a statement. |
| Columbus Spring Pilgrimage returns April 7-19 | |
| Columbus will host its annual Spring Pilgrimage April 7-19, featuring tours of historic homes, local food, music and other events. The event includes tours of 18 pre-Civil War homes, including the Amzi Love Home, which has been part of the Pilgrimage for 75 years and will appear for the final time in 2026. Candlelight tours will also return, and Kidd's Tavern will mark its 200th birthday as part of the Pilgrimage. "Tours, live performances and community events are part of the Pilgrimage schedule," said Frances Glenn, tourism director for the Columbus-Lowndes Convention and Visitors Bureau. Other Pilgrimage events include Tales From the Crypt on April 8, 10, 15 and 17, with candlelit tours of historic Friendship Cemetery. Students from the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science perform monologues portraying individuals buried in the cemetery. Catfish in the Alley will take place April 10-11 in Historic Catfish Alley, with music, food and vendors. The annual Blues With a Side of Soul luncheon is scheduled from noon to 2 p.m. April 10 on the Catfish Alley stage, with additional activities continuing April 11 from noon to 5 p.m. The Stella Shouting Contest, inspired by A Streetcar Named Desire, will follow April 11 activities. |
| Farmers can apply for USDA's one-time $11 billion bridge payments | |
| Farmers across the country will soon be able to apply for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's bridge payments. The Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) program, first announced in December, will provide $11 billion in one-time payments to row crop producers in response to temporary trade market disruptions and increased production costs. The FBA enrollment period opens Monday, Feb. 23, and closes April 17, 2026. In a press release, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins explained they have simplified and streamlined the application process for the program to ensure producers receive the financial assistance they need as quickly as possible, as farmers are kicking off the spring planting season. The bridge payments are authorized under the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act and are administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA). Bridge payments are intended in part to aid farmers until investments set in from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, including reference prices which are set to increase between 10% and 21% for major covered commodities and will reach eligible farmers after Oct. 1. Agriculture is Mississippi's largest industry. |
| Over $5 billion in K-12 education funding passed in the Mississippi House | |
| Two appropriation bills were passed in the Mississippi House on Thursday concerning the state's K-12 education system. Combined, the bills provide just over $5 billion in funding for education in Mississippi. Funding for state general education programs and the Mississippi Student Funding Formula under HB 1935 is being proposed at $2.1 billion and nearly $3.2 billion, respectively. This includes special and federal funds as well. These figures represent increases of $43.5 million for general education funding above the Legislative Budget Recommendation and $192.8 million in MSFF funding, State Rep. Karl Oliver (R) explained while on the floor. The funding takes into account the House's proposed teacher pay raises in HB 1126 that would provide teacher pay raises of $5,000 across the board as well as an additional $3,000 for special education teachers, among other House-backed provisions. That House teacher pay raise bill awaits action in the Senate Education and Senate Appropriations Committees. The Senate has proposed a lesser teacher pay raise of $2,000. Yet, Senate Education Committee chairman State Senator Dennis DeBar (R) did say after his committee's vote, "We know the educators need more than just $2,000. I would like to see it get closer to $5,000 as most of our education groups have requested." The last teacher pay raise of $5,000 that was passed in 2022 also began at a lesser amount. |
| Bill that would help cover costs for learning skilled trades lands bipartisan support | |
| To address Mississippi's workforce shortage, some lawmakers are considering a bill that would create a program to help eligible students better afford an associate degree or professional credential in in-demand industries at the state's community colleges. Senate Bill 2522 would create the UPSKILL Mississippi Grant Program, a state-funded initiative that would provide last-dollar scholarships, which would cover the remaining balance owed after all other financial aid and scholarships are applied. UPSKILL would also provide a $500 annual stipend for books, transportation, child care and other materials. The Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid would oversee the program. So far, there is bipartisan support for the effort, which passed the Senate on Feb. 9 and awaits consideration in two House committees before a March 3 deadline -- Universities and Colleges; and Accountability, Efficiency and Transparency. The proposal focuses on helping working adults or non-traditional students, a population with few resources or support outside of federal financial aid, said Sen. Nicole Boyd, a Republican from Oxford and chair of the Senate Universities and Colleges Committee. |
| State Rep. Zuber speaks out on Mississippi ABC backlog affecting liquor stores and restaurants | |
 | A software failure and aging equipment at Mississippi's ABC warehouse north of Jackson have created a significant backlog in liquor distribution, leaving some businesses struggling due to a lack of supply, according to State Rep. Hank Zuber. "You've got some of your local small mom and pop liquor stores on the verge of literally going out of business because they don't have any supply to sell," Zuber said. Lawmakers are now considering several remedies, including removing the state from the liquor distribution business. "We're looking at possibly just excluding the state, getting the state out of the liquor business altogether," Zuber said. he House has passed a privatization bill twice in previous sessions, sending it to the Senate both times, where it failed to advance. Zuber said lawmakers are bringing the bill back up this year. "We're looking at sending that bill back over to the Senate, in addition to some other possible remedies," Zuber said. A privatization model would require a transition period, after which liquor store operators, permittees, and casinos would be allowed to purchase directly from distributors, Zuber said. |
| 'Fearless' prosecutor took on Dixie Mafia -- and won. South Mississippi lost 'great one' | |
 | Peter Hickman Barrett, a key prosecutor in one of Mississippi's most notorious modern-day murder conspiracies, has passed away at the age of 78 at his home in Gulfport. The scrappy lawyer was working as an assistant U.S. attorney for Mississippi's Southern District when he helped prosecute defendants whose conspiracy led to the murders of Circuit Court Judge Vincent Sherry and former councilwoman Margaret Sherry in their Biloxi home. The investigation into the couple's September 1987 murders led to the convictions of Dixie Mafia members and Biloxi's former mayor. FBI Special Agent Keith Bell, now retired, oversaw the 10-year case through the investigation and three trials that resulted in convictions. Barrett helmed the first trial in 1991. Bell said some prosecutors were hesitant to take up the case, but Barrett plowed through the investigative material in FBI offices daily for weeks, including hundreds of interviews with members of the southeastern mob known as the Dixie Mafia. Bell said he credits Barrett with the overall successful prosecution of those responsible for the Sherry murders in what is one of the most notorious cases in Coast history. "He stepped up to take it on when others would not," Bell said. "He was a great one," said former assistant U.S. attorney and Jackson lawyer Joe Hollomon, who prosecuted the Sherry murder-conspiracy case alongside Barrett in 1991. "The most important cases prosecuted in the Southern District of Mississippi were handled by Peter Barrett. |
| 'The Struggle Continues': Congressman Thompson issues call to action at Black History event | |
 | Praising the Natchez churches that 'dared to open their doors' during the struggle for civil rights, U.S. Congressman Bennie Thompson (D-MS) urged the community to remain vigilant against current efforts to roll back the progress made. "It took Jim Crow and racism to get us together. And that is really something you can be proud of," Thompson said, warning the packed crowd at Zion Chapel AME on Sunday morning that the fight is not over. "It's very simple. The struggle continues. If you don't believe me, all you have to do is watch the news." Thompson is running for re-election in Mississippi's Second Congressional District. He faces attorney Evan Turnage and Pertis Williams III in the Democratic Primary on March 10. Natchez businessman and Adams County District 2 Supervisor Kevin Wilson faces Ron Eller, from Jackson, in the Republican Primary. As the featured speaker for a Black History Month celebration, Thompson wove personal history with a blunt warning about the current political climate. Thompson, who chaired the January 6th Committee in Washington, D.C., drew a straight line from his childhood in the Bolton "Colored School" to the halls of Congress. He recalled a youth defined by hand-me-down textbooks from white schools, noting that the systemic inequities of the Jim Crow era are being mirrored in modern policy debates. Thompson highlighted several critical areas where he believes progress is under threat, including voting rights, education and healthcare. |
| Republicans eye opening for DHS deal this week as Democrats double down | |
 | Lawmakers return to Capitol Hill this week facing an uphill climb to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as Republicans see an opening after President Trump's State of the Union address on Tuesday despite few signs that Democrats are willing to compromise on their demands. Discussions between the two sides have yielded little in recent days, with the White House not issuing a formal counter-offer as of Sunday, after Democrats presented what GOP sources described as a "recycled" proposal last week. However, some lawmakers are hopeful that negotiations can shake loose starting on Wednesday. Some Republicans are eyeing the first round of missed paychecks for DHS workers on Friday as a pressure point that will compel Democrats toward a compromise. "[The shutdown] gets real going into the weekend if people are being required to show up to work and not get paid. That's when it becomes sympathetic and real," one Senate Republican said. Others accuse Democrats of holding out until after the State of the Union itself. |
| Shutdown at D.H.S. Extends to Cyber Agency, Adding to Setbacks | |
 | In his first term, President Trump established the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to defend the nation's infrastructure against cyberattacks. In his second, he has taken aim at the agency. Mr. Trump has sought to chip away at major aspects of CISA, a target of his ire after it undercut his false claims that the 2020 election was rigged. He has dismantled its election-related defenses, and called last year for a "comprehensive evaluation of all of CISA's activities." The lapse in funding for the Department of Homeland Security, CISA's parent agency, is only the latest setback, temporarily winnowing its already thinning ranks. In January 2025, CISA employed about 3,400 people. That number has dropped to below 2,400. The shutdown means employees are now furloughed, leaving fewer than 1,000 of them to continue working. The agency has navigated these cuts while being effectively rudderless without a Senate-confirmed leader. The result is a demoralized work force concerned about the agency's ability to ward off threats, according to former agency officials. Lawmakers have shared those worries. Since Mr. Trump's electoral victory in 2024, chaos has become routine at the agency. |
| How Trump will use his State of the Union address to sell skeptical midterm voters on his plans | |
 | President Donald Trump's State of the Union address on Tuesday is likely to be a test run of the message Republicans will give to voters in November's elections for control of the House and the Senate. The president and his party appear vulnerable, with polls showing much of America distrusts how Trump has managed the government in his first year back in office. In addition, the Supreme Court last week struck down one of the chief levers of his economic and foreign policy by ruling he lacked the power to impose many of his sweeping tariffs. Though Trump is expected to focus on domestic issues, his intensifying threats about launching military strikes on Iran over its nuclear program cast a shadow over the address. Trump swept back into the White House on promises to bring down prices and restore order to immigration in America. But on both issues, public sentiment has turned against him. Only 39% of U.S. adults approve of his economic leadership and just 38% support him on immigration, according to the latest Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey. Those low numbers show the country is still fretting about the costs of groceries, housing and utilities, a problem compounded by Trump's whipsawing use of tariffs. They also show how the public was disturbed by videos of violent clashes with protesters, including two U.S. citizens killed by federal agents. |
| Trump continues to attack Supreme Court after tariff ruling | |
 | President Donald Trump on Monday continued to rail against the Supreme Court's recent decision to block his sweeping tariffs. In a post to Truth Social, Trump claimed the court "accidentally and unwittingly" gave him "far more powers and strength" than before the "internationally divisive" ruling -- even as he signaled he expects another legal defeat after the court hears arguments on his executive order ending birthright citizenship. Trump has posted at least six messages denouncing the high court on Truth Social since the Friday decision. "I can use Licenses to do absolutely 'terrible' things to foreign countries, especially those countries that have been RIPPING US OFF for many decades, but incomprehensibly, according to the ruling, can't charge them a License fee -- BUT ALL LICENSES CHARGE FEES, why can't the United States do so?" Trump said in his post. The court's 6-3 decision on Friday dealt a major blow to Trump's economic and trade agenda. After the ruling, the president announced first a 10 percent and, later, 15 percent global tariff. The rare rejection of the president's priorities by the conservative-leaning court quickly drew Trump's anger, and he lambasted the majority justices as "unpatriotic and disloyal to our Constitution." In a separate post on Monday, Trump appeared to warn other countries he is still willing to impose tariffs on them. In yet another post on Monday, the president said he does not require congressional approval to enact tariffs. |
| Never Trump Republicans are still issuing dire warnings. Is anyone listening? | |
| Over and over, the Republicans and former Republicans who gathered just outside Washington this weekend warned that President Donald Trump and his allies in Congress are tearing at the very fabric of American democracy. A former congressman described the president's party as an "authoritarian-embracing cult." A prominent conservative writer said Trumpism is an "existential threat." And a retired Army general, his voice shaking with emotion, cited post-Nazi Germany as a roadmap for the nation's post-Trump recovery. It's unclear how many people are listening. The main convention hall at the sixth annual Principles First summit on Saturday and Sunday was half empty. About 750 chairs were set up in a room that could have fit thousands, and many were unfilled. Not a single current Republican elected official participated in the two-day program. This is what remains of the Grand Old Party's Never Trump movement, a coalition of Republicans, former Republicans and independents who banded together as Trump consolidated power. They largely remain political exiles -- not quite at home among Democrats yet disgusted by how the president has abandoned Republicans' longstanding commitments to free trade and limited government. |
| Judge Cannon orders secrecy for report on Trump classified-documents case | |
 | A federal judge in Florida blocked public release of special counsel Jack Smith's extensive report on the classified-documents case against President Donald Trump -- a resounding victory for Trump's efforts to block public viewing of what probably would be damaging details about his retention of classified materials after he left the White House in 2021. The decision Monday morning from U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon resulted from litigation that has dragged on for more than a year in her courtroom. Cannon ruled that releasing the special counsel report could violate grand jury secrecy rules and could result in impugning the presumption of innocence for Trump and his co-defendants in a case that did not result in guilty verdicts. The ruling can be appealed. Although Trump and the Justice Department both opposed the public release of the report, First Amendment advocacy groups and media outlets pushed in Cannon's court for release. In her Monday ruling, Cannon lambasted Smith for compiling the report even though she dismissed the charges in 2024. Using the discovery in the case to complete the report amounted to circumventing her ruling, she said. |
| Gunmen Wreak Chaos in Mexican Coastal Retreat After Cartel Killing | |
 | It was a typical quiet Sunday morning in the Pacific coast city of Puerto Vallarta -- until the gunfire rang out. Jim Vawter, a 76-year-old Iowan who is one of thousands of American retirees living in Puerto Vallarta, was lounging with a coffee at the Bean and Brick cafe when a commotion erupted at 9 a.m. in the street outside. "I heard a couple gunshots," he said. "And then we started hearing sirens." The Bean and Brick quickly closed, and Vawter stepped outside and into the middle of chaos. Gunmen from the Jalisco New Generation Cartel were on a rampage in a violent response to the Mexican military's killing of their chieftain, Nemesio "Mencho" Oseguera. The cartel is considered the country's most powerful organized crime group, one that doesn't shy away from conspicuous violence to send a message. And on Sunday, its gunmen shattered the peace in Mexico's premier Pacific beach destination, among the wealthiest places in Jalisco state. American retirees normally spend the day walking the boardwalk or enjoying the cafes and restaurants in the Zona Romantica. On Sunday, they were huddling at home, peeking out of their windows at the unfolding violence. The beauty of the place, and its relatively peaceful atmosphere, have long made it popular with American retirees. |
| Legislation may open door for MUW to raze blighted historic buildings | |
| The Mississippi University for Women has been around for 142 years, and over that timeframe, 26 of its buildings have been designated by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History as historic landmarks. Six of these buildings sit vacant and unused by the university because of costly renovation prices and the absence of MDAH approval to demolish them. But what if The W could tear down these buildings and start fresh with brand new dormitories and educational spaces? Senate Bill 2594 seeks to answer that question. Authored by District 15 Sen. Bart Williams, R-Starkville, the bill allows the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning or the Mississippi Community College Board to issue demolition permits for blighted buildings on campuses that are designated as historic landmarks in conjunction with MDAH. "We keep the (permitting) process moving, ... and if there's not clarity there, hopefully this legislation will provide that timeline and the clarity that goes with it, (and the) next steps until we get to the final processes," Williams said. "Either all parties agree we're going to demolish it, or all parties agree ... that we're going to preserve it, and we've got good reasonings for that." The bill passed the Senate 47-5 on Feb. 9 and now sits in the House Public Property Committee. District 16 Sen. Angela Turner-Ford, D-West Point, District 17 Sen. Chuck Younger, R-Lowndes County, and Williams all voted in favor of the bill. |
| UMMC keeps clinics closed and cancels elective procedures Monday and Tuesday amid recovery from cyberattack | |
| Clinics within the University of Mississippi Medical Center network will remain closed and elective procedures will be canceled Monday and Tuesday as authorities work to recover the health system's IT infrastructure following last week's cyberattack. People can still receive emergency department services in UMMC hospitals and at community hospitals in Jackson, Grenada, Madison County and Holmes County, according to a statement from the hospital. "I know this intrusion into our system has negatively impacted some of our patients, but please know that we are using every resource at our disposal to resolve this issue in a safe and effective manner," Dr. LouAnn Woodward, vice chancellor for the medical center, said in a statement Sunday. Federal agencies, including the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, have been assisting Mississippi's largest public hospital since Thursday when a cyberattack compromised the health care system's IT network, forcing the shutdown of computer systems that hold patients' electronic health records. Those records are used to book appointments and to manage patients' medical histories, test results and billing information. |
| Boyce Subpoena Withdrawn In Fired UM Employee's Wrongful Termination Case, Hearing Ends | |
 | Fired University of Mississippi employee Lauren Stokes withdrew her subpoena for Chancellor Glenn Boyce to testify this week in her wrongful termination lawsuit, ending the case's evidentiary hearing. The case is ongoing as U.S. District Judge Glen H. Davidson reviews evidence and legal arguments to rule on the motion for a preliminary injunction Stokes filed on Nov. 7, 2025, and the motion for dismissal Boyce filed on Dec. 10, 2025. Stokes, who had previously served as an executive assistant to the vice chancellor for development at the university, alleged that Boyce violated the First Amendment in firing her for commentary that she reposted on her private social media account on Sept. 10 that condemned the beliefs of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was killed at Utah Valley University earlier that day. She filed her lawsuit against Boyce on Oct. 21, 2025. Boyce did not appear at the evidentiary hearing on Feb. 13, despite filing a motion on Dec. 22, 2025, to continue the hearing on that date. Defense attorney J. Cal Mayo argued at the hearing that Boyce had no obligation to appear because he had not been subpoenaed by the plaintiff. The court was set to reconvene on Friday, Feb. 20 at 10 a.m. Boyce was expected to be present before Stokes withdrew her subpoena. |
| JSU alumni celebrate black history with annual talent-fashion show | |
 | The Hattiesburg chapter of the Jackson State University National Alumni (JSUNA) hosted their 35th Annual Black History Talent-Fashion Exhibit. Kids from local schools were recognized for their achievements in the classroom and the various talents they have to showcase to the world. "The overall goal is to make sure we are uniting Jacksonians across generations so that we can continue to stand together to support one another," said Dr. Kesia Jones, JSUNA Hattiesburg chapter president. "Many times, family knows what the young people are doing, but we want the community to know so we can get behind them and continue to give them a boost." The alumni says they reached their goal of $23,000, which will go towards helping young people like Zachary Pope continue striving for their dreams and aspirations. "I want to go to college to study engineering," he said. "I just loved putting things together, specifically like Legos, you just put all types of blocks together, and you see your final creation, it's inspiring." |
| A huge study finds a link between cannabis use in teens and psychosis later | |
 | As marijuana use among teens has grown in the past decade, researchers have been trying to better understand the health risks of the drug. Now, a new longitudinal study finds that cannabis use among adolescents increases risks of being diagnosed with bipolar and psychotic disorders, as well as anxiety and depression, years later. "This is very, very, very worrying," says psychiatrist Dr. Ryan Sultan at Columbia University, a cannabis researcher who wasn't involved in the new study published in the latest JAMA Health Forum. "We looked at kids using cannabis before they had any evidence of these psychiatric conditions and then followed them to understand if they were more likely or less likely to develop them," says Dr. Lynn Silver, a pediatrician and researcher at the Public Health Institute, and an author of the new study. They found that the teens who reported using cannabis in the past year were at a higher risk of being diagnosed with several mental health conditions a few years later, compared to teens who didn't use cannabis. Teens who reported using cannabis had twice the risk of developing two serious mental illnesses: bipolar, which manifests as alternating episodes of depression and mania, and psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia which involve a break with reality. |
| UGA researchers find 'triple win' in combining solar energy and farming | |
| Researchers at the University of Georgia are studying how agriculture and solar energy can work together on the same land. Bodie Pennisi, a horticulture professor at UGA, said Georgia is seeing an increase in utility-scale solar projects. "Much of that development is happening in rural agricultural counties," Pennisi said. "Which creates a practical question: Can the same land support energy, farm production and ecosystem services instead of becoming a single-use site?" Utility-scale solar refers to large, ground-mounted solar facilities -- generally more than 1 megawatt in size -- that feed electricity directly into the grid, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. These projects sell power to utilities or wholesale markets rather than powering individual buildings. "This is the crux of our UGA agrivoltaics initiative," Pennisi said. "We frame this as avoiding a choice between a farm, agriculture production and clean energy. We look at it as a triple win." Pennisi said the work focuses on producing energy from photovoltaic panels while maintaining agricultural production and ecosystem benefits. UGA is partnering with Silicon Ranch to research and advance agrivoltaics, the shared use of land for solar energy generation and agriculture. |
| UGA School of Medicine opens recruitment applications for 1st year of program | |
| The University of Georgia School of Medicine is officially opening for business. Applications are now open for recruitment of the university's first class of medical school students. According to the university, the new program was officially given preliminary accreditation on Feb. 13. Now, prospective students will be able to apply for a slot in the Athens-based medical program. "We are seeking students who are ready to help set the standard for the type of physicians we will strive to produce at the School of Medicine -- collaborative, compassionate and committed to improving health across Georgia," Founding Dean Shelley Nuss said in a statement. The UGA School of Medicine hosted a virtual recruitment event on Feb. 20 and is expected to host an in-person session on Feb. 27. The university will hold rolling interviews until final decisions are made in April. In total, UGA said they are expecting to enroll 60 students to start classes in the fall. |
| United Faculty of Florida warns of state overreach in newly revised sociology textbook | |
 | The United Faculty of Florida urged college faculty to resist state efforts to censor introductory sociology courses during a Feb. 18 webinar, held after the release of a state‑approved syllabus and textbook that removes key discussions of race, gender, class, and inequality from the curriculum. According to its website, the union represents more than 25,000 faculty members at all 12 of Florida's public universities, and 16 state and community colleges. Florida State University and Florida International University have adopted the revised syllabus and textbook, though colleges are not required to do so. The University of Florida has not yet adopted the materials. "Sociology is a rigorous science produced by trained sociologists...to be sure, untrained individuals and politically appointed boards of governors are unqualified to do sociology in any form or fashion," said Aldon Morris, sociology professor at Northwestern University and former president of the American Sociological Association. "This textbook serves the ideological interests of the Florida state government over the value of the intellectual contributions of sociologists in our field," said Evan Lauteria, an assistant instructional professor at UF. |
| Trump is betting on DeSantis' college oversight revamp. It's shaping up to be a red-state revolution. | |
| Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is at the center of a red-state rebellion against the organizations that oversee the nation's colleges -- and he's getting a boost from President Donald Trump. The outgoing Republican governor has been on a yearslong campaign to break up the current system of college accreditors, the obscure gatekeepers that decide whether universities qualify for federal student aid. And he's building support across several states looking to challenge "woke" policies. Despite being occasional rivals, DeSantis and Trump have both slammed accreditors and accused them of being education "cartels" that force colleges to adopt diversity, equity and inclusion programs. The governor's project, which is getting $1 million from Trump's Education Department, is trying to establish an accreditor more aligned with conservative values -- and he's got a few takers. University systems in primarily red states are moving to ditch their current accreditors in favor of the one being promoted by DeSantis. And lawmakers in at least five states are also taking steps to advance the breakaway system with legislation encouraging -- and sometimes demanding -- schools switch to the yet-to-be-approved accreditor. The effort has the potential to create a chasm in how schools are evaluated for federal student aid eligibility that is deeply linked to their state's politics. |
| U. of Tennessee's Tombras School introduces a new professional learning tool into the classroom | |
| University of Tennessee Knoxville advertising and public relations students are the first to get experience using the third largest news distribution service in the world, Access Newswire, in the classroom. The service allows for public relations professionals to share material with the media. Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations assistant professor of practice Joe Stabb goes into more detail about the software. "It's one of many different news wire services that exist," Stabb said. "And it is a tool that many of us in the professional world use for sending media pitches, sending press releases, coordinating our online newsroom environments and doing media monitoring." The software was introduced in Stabb's classroom starting in fall of 2025. He is the first faculty member in the country to use this tool in the classroom. Stabb worked with the team at Access Newswire for over a year to create a custom environment for his class. He says he found the team at Access Newswire great to work with and very supportive of students having access to the program. "I had met the VP of marketing and sales, the president and CEO of Access Newswire at our industry conference at PRSA a few years ago," Stabb said. "I had mentioned to them that it would be really great to be able to use these tools in the classroom." |
| Not all paths to college and career readiness pay off equally for Texas students, study finds | |
| As Texas pushes more high schoolers to get ready for college and the workforce, new research suggests that some of the ways schools count students as ready don't equally set them up for success after graduation. The state rewards Texas school districts for preparing students for life after graduation, tying college and career readiness to more school funding and a higher school performance rating. The Texas Education Agency has been increasingly strict on districts about college readiness. In the 2022-23 school year, state education officials raised the benchmark for schools to qualify for an A grade in the category of college and career readiness: Schools needed to get 88% of graduates ready for life after high school, up from 60% in prior years. Researchers from four Texas universities tracked nearly 1 million Texas high school students across eight graduating classes from 2016-23 to see how they fared after high school, including the wages they earned as well as whether they enrolled in college and completed their degree. While English and math college prep courses have seen a boom in enrollment, the researchers found students in those courses were 5% less likely to earn a college degree or certification within six years of high school graduation than students who were not considered college ready. They were also 18% less likely to get a degree or certification than their dual credit peers. The results of the study, The Uneven Promise of Readiness, suggest college prep courses offer a false signal of preparedness. |
| Mizzou launching new MBA in analytics for data-driven careers | |
 | The University of Missouri will launch a new MBA program in analytics in 2026, according to a community announcement. The program, offered by the Robert J. Trulaske Sr. College of Business, aims to combine traditional MBA coursework with advanced analytical skills. It is designed for those seeking careers in data-driven business environments. "This achievement embodies our collective commitment to anticipating and addressing the evolving needs of industry while empowering our students with the tools and insights necessary to thrive in an increasingly complex business landscape," Balaji Rajagopalan, Robert J. Trulaske Sr. dean of the Trulaske College of Business, said in the announcement. The MBA in analytics will focus on equipping students with the expertise to interpret complex data and integrate analytics and artificial intelligence into business strategies. "The MBA in Analytics bridges advanced business strategy with real-world data expertise, giving students the ability to interpret complex information and turn it into actionable insight," Kim Black, director of MBA and master's programs at Trulaske, said. |
| Mizzou researcher receives $1.9M federal grant to develop bird flu vaccine | |
 | A University of Missouri researcher has received a $1.9 million federal grant to develop a new vaccine aimed at curbing highly pathogenic avian influenza, a virus that has driven economic losses for farmers and contributed to rising egg prices. The funding, awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, will support a three-year project through February 2029 led by Wenjun Ma, a professor at the MU School of Medicine and College of Veterinary Medicine. The grant is part of a broader USDA effort investing up to $100 million in projects focused on developing vaccines and therapeutics and improving response strategies to combat highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu. Ma said the project will focus on developing a vaccine that allows researchers to distinguish between infected and vaccinated animals, a step he said could improve outbreak control. Missouri has seen widespread impacts from the virus. |
| U.S. Plans to Stop Funding Low-Earning Degrees. Indiana May Just End Them. | |
 | Starting this summer, most college programs will have to show that their students earn more than someone with only a high school diploma to avoid being cut off from federal funding, as part of a new accountability measure. Congress created the earnings test known as Do No Harm when it passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last summer. The Education Department is still working to finalize the regulations that outline how it will work. But one state is close to passing legislation that would directly import the federal test into state law -- and take it further. While the federal law will cut off students attending failing programs from receiving federal student loans, Indiana's Senate Bill 199 would end such programs entirely at public universities and Ivy Tech Community College. n Indiana, the average salary for a high school graduate is just over $35,000, and about a dozen public institution programs would fail based on recent federal data -- though the state Commission for Higher Education, a group of gubernatorial appointees, could grant exemptions. So far, the state's flagship university and Ivy Tech haven't publicly taken a position against it, but the state commission supports the bill. The trend, if it picks up steam, could represent a new tool in how Republican states hold universities accountable for -- and increasingly define the value of academic disciplines by -- how much money they can earn students. |
| NYU Wants Students to Put Down Their Phones. Will They? | |
 | This week, New York University will begin a new initiative aimed at getting students to spend less time on their phones. It's called NYU IRL (short for "in real life"), and it spans the university's Manhattan, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai campuses, where students will be enticed to enter "device-free zones" called "the Nest." The rooms have charging phone lockers and feature crafts and board games, nudging students to, literally, check the internet at the door. Along with the rooms, NYU IRL, which Linda G. Mills, NYU's president, announced earlier this year, includes new resources for faculty to try "device optimization" in their classrooms, such as making it a featured topic in the university's faculty learning exchange week, which is happening now. NYU will also host in-person events like a "supper club" in its dining halls. To mark the beginning of the effort, NYU professor and author Jonathan Haidt is hosting a "fireside chat" early next month to talk through his bestselling book, The Anxious Generation. The 2024 book argues that the rise in smartphone usage in childhood over the last decade has contributed directly to the rise in mental illness in younger generations. Mills cites Haidt's findings as a major inspiration for the new program. |
| These Schools Want Civil Discourse on Campus. Even That Is Up for Dispute. | |
| On the evening of Jan. 15, 26 undergrads gathered for dinner in a common room at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to debate the fairness of college admissions post-affirmative action. The ground rules were clear: Nothing they said would leave the room. Nobody would be shouted down. No one would get ratted out on social media as "problematic." The students went at it with gusto. First-years from Hungary and Turkey lamented the systems in their home countries, where admissions are based purely on standardized tests rather than their interests or extracurriculars. A Black student from in-state criticized admissions based on test scores and GPAs for different reasons; given sharp disparities in secondary schools and family resources, some kids were already at a disadvantage. A couple of students praised the end of affirmative action, which they described as inherently unjust. The dinner officially wrapped up after an hour, but rather than dash out, most students stuck around, continuing the discussion in small clusters. "A lot of us have memories from college of late-night conversations debating every topic under the sun, and a lot of students have felt as though that's missing," UNC's chancellor, Lee Roberts, said in an interview. Students today, he explained, are looking for "the chance to debate a topic without debating whether you've somehow said the wrong thing." All this was taking place at CivComm, a residential hall affiliated with a program at UNC called the School of Civic Life and Leadership (SCiLL). |
| State Bills Aim to Limit Scholarships for International Students | |
| Republican legislators in three states are proposing laws that would limit how much financial aid public colleges and universities can give international students. In Idaho and Ohio, the legislation, if passed, would cap the percentage of athletic scholarships that can go to international students. The Oklahoma bill would prevent public institutions from giving any scholarships to noncitizens. The sponsors of the bills in Ohio and Idaho say they aim to ensure scholarship opportunities funded by state taxpayers go to local students who, they say, are more likely to stay in the U.S. and contribute to their universities' local economies after they graduate. "These are state schools; they're subdivisions of state government. They're funded in large part by U.S. citizens," State Senator Doug Okuniewicz, the sponsor of the Idaho bill, said in an interview. "I think our education system is largely designed to create an educated and skilled workforce to become productive citizens in our state and our country ... It seems it would be better if we had U.S. residents, and if at all possible, Idahoans, have more of these scholarship opportunities so we can train and create more teachers and police officers and people who can work in the medical field." |
| Blueprint for state bills aims to tighten control over gen eds | |
| The Manhattan Institute, an influential conservative think tank, shared model legislation last week that proposes giving states and governing boards greater authority over general education, signaling that state-level efforts to shape classroom instruction could accelerate. The proposal would also weaken shared governance by limiting faculty bodies to advisory roles. Under the model legislation, state funding would be contingent on colleges complying with the general education requirements. The think tank has helped drive a wave of bills aimed at stamping out college diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Just last year, state lawmakers proposed 25 anti-DEI bills influenced by model legislation from the Manhattan Institute and another think tank, five of which became law, according to an analysis from PEN America, a free expression group. When sharing the model legislation, two Manhattan Institute scholars argued state lawmakers should expand their oversight of public colleges by shifting more control over general education curriculum to governing boards, whose members are typically politically appointed. The model legislation contains some of the same language as a sweeping law enacted in Texas last year mandating course reviews and stripping away power from faculty bodies. The think tank's proposed bill would require boards to review core courses each year. |
| Education Department puts pressure on colleges ahead of upcoming student loan changes | |
| The Trump administration is turning up the pressure on schools to rein in student loan default rates ahead of changes the federal government is implementing this summer that advocates worry could hurt borrowers. The Department of Education released guidance to universities this week to offer "best practices to reduce default rates" -- and reminded schools that failing to meet their obligations could lead to a loss of access to federal student aid programs. The guidance offered some transparency experts say will be useful for institutions, but it also fueled concerns the Trump administration is seeking to pin blame on universities for the high default rates after curtailing debt relief efforts. An analysis by the Congressional Research Service last year showed more than 5 million student loan borrowers were in default and millions more were close to that threshold. A borrower is considered to have defaulted on their student loans after 270 days without a payment, leading to damage to their credit score and even potential wage garnishment. |
| The College Student Who Built His Own DOGE -- And Cashed In | |
| In a launch video for the five-month-old startup The Antifraud Company, three co-founders dressed in business-casual present their entrepreneurial credentials to the camera. One, Sahaj Sharda, mentions a book he wrote on universities' anticompetitive practices not long after graduating from law school. David Barclay, also a lawyer, says he "worked to stop Big Pharma from defrauding Medicare and Medicaid" at the Federal Trade Commission before joining the startup. Alex Shieh, now 21, takes a different tack. "I emailed thousands of administrators at Brown University to ask them what they did in the past week and built an AI system to audit the University's budget," Shieh, the only non-lawyer in the bunch, says in the video. It is telling that this is the experience that Shieh finds most worth mentioning in a video about his credentials, because in many ways, it did take him directly here. The email, which bore an undeniable similarity to those Elon Musk was sending out just weeks before to federal government workers, and the response to it from the university, triggered a national uproar in the early spring of last year. Shieh's story went on to attract the attention and promotion of Musk, Bill Ackman and Donald Trump supporters across the country, and Shieh soon used that attention as a launchpad to success in a totally different arena: venture capital. |
| Why adults pursuing career growth or personal interests are the 'new majority' student | |
| Interested in starting a business, learning about artificial intelligence or exploring a new hobby? There's a class for that. Millions of U.S. adults enroll in credit and non-credit college courses to earn professional certificates, learn new skills or to pursue academic degrees. Some older students are seeking career advancement, higher pay and job security, while others want to explore their personal interests or try new things. "They might have kids, they might be working full-time, they might be older non-traditional students," said Eric Deschamps, the director of continuing education at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona. But returning to school "opens doors to education for students that might not have those doors open to them otherwise." Older students, many of whom bring years of work and life experience to their studies, often are juggling courses with full-time jobs, caregiving and other family responsibilities. It is a challenging balancing act but can also sharpen priorities and provide a sense of fulfillment. Higher education experts say some adults take classes for professional development as economic concerns, technological advances and other workforce changes create a sense of job insecurity. "A great example of that is artificial intelligence. These new technologies are coming out pretty quickly and for folks that got a degree, even just 5 or 10 years ago, their knowledge might be a little bit outdated," Deschamps said. |
SPORTS
| Baseball: Fourth-Ranked State Completes Another Sweep | |
| No. 4 Mississippi State kept the brooms out Sunday afternoon at Dudy Noble Field, polishing off a weekend sweep of Delaware with a 7-3 victory to remain unbeaten on the young season. The Diamond Dawgs (8-0) used timely hitting, relentless pressure on the basepaths and a dominant effort out of the bullpen to secure the three-game sweep in front of 9,473 fans braving brisk conditions in Starkville. Brian O'Connor's Bulldogs had eight hits on the day, led by Chone James going 2-for-4 with a double. After Delaware (1-6) jumped ahead with two runs in the second inning, MSU answered in the third. A James Nunnallee walk and back-to-back singles by James and Bryce Chance set the stage for Ace Reese to deliver an RBI single followed by a bases loaded walk from Noah Sullivan to send in the tying run. The Bulldogs then took control an inning later, capitalizing on Fightin' Blue Hen miscues -- part of four Delaware errors on the day -- to push across two more runs for a 4-2 lead. State added insurance in the sixth and eighth inning. Chance lifted a sacrifice fly as part of a three-run stretch, and the Bulldogs tacked on two more in the eighth to stretch the margin to 7-2. |
| Game 3: No. 4 Mississippi State 7, Delaware 3 | |
| Mississippi State baseball completed a series sweep of Delaware at Dudy Noble Field on Sunday, improving to 8-0 on the season with a 7-3 win over the Fighting Blue Hens. Starting pitcher Charlie Foster wasn't able to go deep into the game, but a strong bullpen day helped the Bulldogs overcome an early deficit. Foster was able to get out of the first inning with three strikeouts, but got into a jam in the second. The Blue Hens got some luck with a fielding error at shortstop by Ryder Woodson, and two unearned runs got home on a single up the middle by center fielder Sal Mineo. Duke Stone came out of the bullpen in relief and powered through the Delaware lineup, throwing four innings and striking out six to post four zeros on the board. The Bulldogs got going offensively in the third inning, loading up the bases and getting two runs home with an RBI hit from Ace Reese and a walk by Noah Sullivan. MSU returns to action against Austin Peay at The Dude on Tuesday at 4 p.m., and will travel to Arlington, Texas, for the Amegy Bank Series beginning Friday against Arizona State at Globe Life Field. |
| What we learned from Mississippi State baseball's sweep of Delaware | |
 | Mississippi State baseball is 8-0 for the first time since 2015. The No. 6 Bulldogs and new coach Brian O'Connor won all three weekend series games against Delaware (1-6) at Dudy Noble Field. They won 9-2 on Feb. 20, 10-0 in eight innings on Feb. 21 and 7-3 on a cold, windy day on Feb. 22. If the Bulldogs beat Austin Peay in Starkville on Feb. 24 (4 p.m. CT, SEC Network+), they'll be undefeated entering the biggest challenge yet in the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series Feb. 27-March 1 in Arlington, Texas, with games against Arizona State, Virginia Tech and No. 2 UCLA. Here what we learned from Mississippi State's series against Delaware. Virginia pitcher transfer Tomas Valincius ran into early trouble in the second inning when Delaware loaded the bases with no outs in Game 2. After a mound visit from pitching coach Justin Parker, Valincius struck out three consecutive Delaware batters to end the inning with no runs allowed. He was in much better control the rest of the game, finishing with six scoreless innings and seven strikeouts. "I thought he got better as the game went on," O'Connor said. "That was a pretty defining moment. He was excited, obviously, and the kid's a warrior. I've seen it for a year. He's going to battle you to the end." |
| Men's Tennis: Record-Setting Roberts Keeps Feeding The Positive Dawg | |
| Culture. It's a word that gets thrown around a lot in college athletics. Virtually every program aims to have a consistent atmosphere of unity, preparation and toughness that carries over from season to season. A lot of folks talk about it. Then, there are those like Mississippi State men's tennis head coach Matt Roberts. Roberts doesn't talk about culture. He IS about it. On Saturday with the Bulldogs' victory over Vanderbilt, Roberts notched the 221st victory in his MSU career to surpass Andy Jackson and become the all-time winningest coach in State men's tennis history. It's just the latest accomplishment for Roberts since he took the helm in Starkville a little over a decade ago. In 11 seasons, Roberts has led the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament in every single completed campaign. (The tournament wasn't held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.) State has advanced to the Round of 16 or farther in every completed season but one since 2018. Put simply, Roberts has constructed an elite tennis program that punches with the nation's best literally every single season. Behind it all -- the secret sauce, if you will -- there's that buzzword. Culture. Only for Roberts, it's not a buzzword at all. It's a foundation for everything. |
| NCAA Eligibility Rules Draw Judge's Ire in Nevada Baseball Ruling | |
| Embodying some of the bluntest language yet by a judge in repudiating the NCAA's eligibility guidelines, U.S. District Judge Anne Traum last Friday issued her written order granting Nevada outfielder Noah Blythe a sixth season of college baseball. The ruling is a reminder that some judges view antitrust lawsuits over Division I athlete eligibility as fundamentally a question of economic competition -- namely, an athlete selling their services to the marketplace of college buyers -- rather than an educational or social issue. Traum orally granted an injunction earlier in February, but Friday's ruling explained her reasoning. As the judge detailed, Blythe's collegiate career has been disrupted for reasons beyond his control. His 2021 season at Division II Hawaii Pacific was limited to 21 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Blythe then transferred to University of Antelope Valley, an NAIA school; there, he played three seasons during which he broke his hand, and the school declared bankruptcy and permanently closed. Blythe, 23, returned to Hawaii Pacific for his 2025 season and is now at Nevada. Blythe obtained a COVID-19 waiver for his first season, but that allowed him to play a fifth season, not a sixth. Traum not only granted Blythe an injunction to play in 2026 but also rebuked the NCAA's restriction of eligibility to four seasons of a sport in five years as especially problematic in the current college sports world. |
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