| Wednesday, February 25, 2026 |
| Mississippi State announces new graduate programs in One Health | |
 | Mississippi State University (MSU) is offering two new graduate programs focusing on this public health approach that recognizes the interconnectedness of animal, human and environmental wellbeing. Beginning this fall, MSU's College of Veterinary Medicine is offering One Health graduate programming, a Master of Science with two distinct tracts and a certificate for professionals looking to expand their knowledge and skillsets. The options are in collaboration with the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and College of Forest Resources. According to the university, One Health is an interdisciplinary and scientifically holistic field promoting collaboration across medicine, veterinary science, environmental science and related disciplines to better detect, prevent and respond to health threats on a local and global scale. The abbreviated four-course certificate program is available through MSU's Center for Distance Education. |
| MSU announces new graduate programs in One Health | |
 | Mississippi State, a longtime leader in One Health principles, now is offering two new graduate programs focusing on this public health approach that recognizes the interconnectedness of animal, human and environmental wellbeing. Beginning this fall, MSU's College of Veterinary Medicine is offering One Health graduate programming, a Master of Science with two distinct tracts and a certificate for professionals looking to expand their knowledge and skillsets. The options are in collaboration with the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and College of Forest Resources. One Health is an interdisciplinary and scientifically holistic field promoting collaboration across medicine, veterinary science, environmental science and related disciplines to better detect, prevent and respond to health threats on a local and global scale. "One Health is a viewpoint. It's a lens that we are trying to help our students see through so they can be better leaders for the future," said CVM One Health Director and Associate Professor Dr. Nicole Ashpole. Grounded in MSU's land-grant mission, the Division of Agriculture, Forestry, and Veterinary Medicine has worked for generations to improve the health and resilience of people, animals and the environment across the Magnolia State and beyond. |
| Baton Rouge 3MT grad school competition demonstrates hope | |
 | Advocate staff writer and Mississippi State University alumna Jan Risher writes: Twelve graduate students took their turns standing on a stage in Baton Rouge on Friday -- each with one static slide, no notes and exactly three minutes to explain years of research. No pressure. I had never heard of the Three Minute Thesis competition -- 3MT, as it's known -- before last week. Developed at the University of Queensland in Australia, the format challenges master's and doctoral students to present their original research to a non-specialist audience in 180 seconds or less. In other words: Take something really complicated and make it make sense to someone who doesn't know anything about the topic. When Mary Farmer-Kaiser, dean of the graduate school at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, asked me to serve as a community judge at the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools' regional competition at the Crowne Plaza, I thought the event sounded interesting, but I didn't appreciate the extent to which it would impact me. ... My top score went to Samadhi Nisansala Nawalage, whose research focuses on creating sustainable iron composites for cleaner water. I was fully committed to her presentation before I knew anything about her background. When she ended up winning second place, I learned that she is pursuing her degree at my alma mater, Mississippi State University. |
| Baptist-Oktibbeha regains Level 3 trauma status | |
 | Baptist Memorial Hospital-Oktibbeha County has regained its Level 3 trauma center and primary pediatric center designation, allowing patients to receive emergency care closer to home. The designation, which the hospital will maintain for three years, means the facility can provide 24-hour surgical coverage, stabilize and treat seriously injured patients and, if necessary, transfer them to a higher-level trauma center. District 2 Supervisor Orlando Trainer said the designation is a step in the right direction when it comes to providing health care to county residents. "I think that just kind of says that we're headed in the right direction, and we're looking forward to some even greater improvement and greater levels of service out of Baptist," Trainer told The Dispatch on Tuesday. "I think they're going in the right direction. It will take some time to get where everybody wants us to be, but I ... think that they have the resources and have the wherewithal to take our health care and really put it on a level that this area and this region expects for it to be." Hospitals with Level 3 trauma designation can provide more extensive care, including emergency operations and patient stabilization as well as the ability to arrange for a patient transfer when necessary. Level 3 trauma centers can also provide continuous general surgical coverage. |
| Miss. Dept. of Education presents K-12 Workforce Development Plan | |
| A new workforce development plan was presented by Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) to the State Board of Education that may assist students in finding a career path before high school or college if put into action. Under the proposed K-12 Workforce Development Plan, MDE would provide school districts with a framework they can use to tailor a unique system for students in their area to help students identify and create a path in a particular field. Brett Robinson, Associate Superintendent in the Office of Career and Technical Education, said the plan was developed through the work of a task force comprised of superintendents, principals, teachers, career and technical education (CTE) directors and representatives of AccelerateMS and the Mississippi Economic Council. He said the plan is adjustable, allowing each district to modify it to meet their region's employment needs as well as the interests of the students. "The major goal of this plan was to create something that MDE has as the foundation," Robinson told the Board. |
| Gov. Reeves named chairman of Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway Development Authority | |
 | Gov. Tate Reeves has been elected to serve as the chair of the four-state Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Development Authority. The TTWDA advances economic development, freight mobility and recreation along the Tennessee- Tombigbee Waterway and the broader M-65 Marine Highway corridor. It comprises Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and Kentucky. It was ratified by the U.S. Congress in 1958 to promote development of the Tenn-Tom Waterway and its economic and trade potential. The Authority includes the four governors and five appointees from each state, for a total of 24 members. Chairmanship rotates annually among the governors. The M-65 Marine Highway is a federally designated inland waterway corridor extending from Paducah, Kentucky, to the Port of Mobile, Alabama, and connects the Tennessee River, the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway and the Tombigbee, Black Warrior, and Mobile River systems. This system links mid-America manufacturing and agricultural producers to domestic and international markets through cost-effective, energy-efficient barge transportation. |
| Mississippi lawmaker reacts to 'total mess' of liquor distribution delay | |
| Local liquor store owners, the state's hospitality industry, and restaurants are bearing the brunt of a major blow delivered by a massive backlog spurred by the Mississippi Alcoholic Beverage Control's warehouse in the Jackson suburb of Gluckstadt experiencing a conveyor belt software failure. "We've got a total mess, especially when we've got a warehouse full of a product we can't get to the package store owners," Rep. Kevin Horan, R-Grenada, said on Mornings with Richard Cross. Last week, members of the Mississippi House of Representatives' state affairs committee held a hearing, allowing Department of Revenue Commissioner Chris Graham to weigh in on the shipping delays. Graham noted that the contractor tasked with implementing a new conveyor belt system is no longer providing those services, forcing warehouse employees to revert to a less efficient loading method. "The answers that Commissioner Graham gave are just not acceptable, that we're going to be playing with this for the next two months. There has to be a solution that can be more immediate," Horan said. "We've dedicated a tremendous amount of money to make sure that this system works and that we transition into the new warehouse." |
| I-55 widening bill still moving forward despite double committee referral | |
| In Mississippi's legislature, a double referral of a bill used to mean one thing: it was doomed to fail. So when Senate Bill 2480 landed on two different House committees earlier this month, alarms went off. But House Speaker Jason White is pushing back on that notion, saying the practice has changed. Senate Bill 2480 would allocate $265 million for road projects across Mississippi. The majority of that funding would go toward widening Interstate 55 from four to six lanes between Mississippi 463 and Gluckstadt Road and adding ramps to connect with the new Reunion Parkway bridge. The bill passed the Mississippi Senate on a nearly unanimous vote in early February and is now being considered in the House. According to the Mississippi Department of Transportation, an average of 69,000 vehicles use that stretch of I-55 every day, making it one of the busiest corridors in the state. Madison County has experienced significant growth in recent years, with major employers like Amazon, bottling plants, packing facilities and other manufacturing operations relocating to the area. "Do your homework a little bit," White said. "You'll see that a ton of House bills were double referred. And those aren't death wishes, if you will, or anything along those lines. It's simply we're trying to take a long, hard look at bills, especially if they have a spending component to them." |
| Americans Who Can't Afford Beef Have 'So Many Proteins to Choose From,' Says US Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith | |
| Americans who can't afford beef a year into President Donald Trump's second term "have so many proteins to choose from," U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, a Mississippi Republican, said in response to a question about steep food costs. She made the remarks during a Sunday interview with WLOX host Hugh Keeton, who asked her what Republicans are doing to get the cost of living under control, pointing to a key 2024 campaign promise President Donald Trump made when he said he would "end inflation on day one." "Well, the good thing is we passed what we call the One Big Beautiful Bill. There are so many things in there," Hyde-Smith said, referring to President Donald Trump's package of Medicaid cuts, SNAP cuts, tax breaks and more. That bill killed hopes for Medicaid expansion that would've covered an additional 300,000 working Mississippians. During the Feb. 22 interview, Hyde-Smith noted that "the price of fuel affects everything," and argued that lower gas prices will help bring down prices because of lower transportation costs. She credited Trump's rollback of former President Joe Biden's limits on fossil fuels. "Now that we can undo some of those cumbersome things that restricted energy production It is on everybody's mind. It certainly is me at my house," she said. "And you know, you have so many proteins to choose from. And all commodities go through peaks and valleys. It is a global market, but we will be seeing a difference, I truly believe, because of so many things." Hyde-Smith, a cattle rancher herself, serves on the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee. |
| Trump Hails an Economic Turnaround Many Voters Don't See | |
 | President Trump told a national audience on Tuesday that he had unleashed a new age of economic prosperity. One thing he didn't say: I feel your pain. At the core of Trump's State of the Union address was a calculation that he can persuade Americans that the economy is in better shape than many think it is. In touting "a turnaround for the ages," the president opted against sending a message to voters that he understands the anxiety that polling shows is widely felt, including among swing voters the GOP needs to preserve its congressional majorities in this fall's midterm elections. "Our nation is back: bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever before," Trump declared at the start of his speech, which clocked in at a record one hour and 48 minutes. Polls find that Americans are unhappy with Trump's handling of the economy. In a Wall Street Journal survey last month, voters gave the president low marks when asked if he cares about "people like you," is looking out for the middle class and has the right priorities. For months, Trump's top advisers have urged him to focus on the economy, but his attention has often shifted to other subjects, including foreign affairs. As he spoke, Trump was weighing military strikes in Iran. In between remarks about the economy, Trump launched pointed attacks against Democrats over immigration and crime, setting off tense exchanges with lawmakers in the House chamber. He emphasized themes of patriotism and American exceptionalism, heralding the 250th birthday of the nation and celebrating the U.S. men's gold-medal hockey team. |
| Spanberger, in Democratic Response, Asks, 'Is the President Working for You?' | |
 | Gov. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia framed the Democratic Party's rebuttal to President Trump's State of the Union address around three questions: Is he making life more affordable? Is he keeping Americans safe? And is he working on Americans' behalf? Ms. Spanberger, who took office last month, argued that on all three counts, the answer was no. "Is the president working for you?" she asked before a supportive crowd in Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. "We all know the answer is no." Ms. Spanberger's speech -- and the selection of her to deliver it -- signaled how Democratic leaders want the party to be viewed in Mr. Trump's second term: sober and serious officials who understand voters' economic plight. A moderate who is coming off a landslide election victory in Virginia, Ms. Spanberger gave a safe speech that struck the political notes Democrats are aiming to press -- that Mr. Trump has hurt the economy and sowed chaos with his policies. She called Mr. Trump's tariffs a "massive tax hike on you and your family," and argued that congressional Republicans were making life more expensive and "making it more difficult to see a doctor" while driving up the costs of energy and housing. And she said that while Mr. Trump's policies were hurting "regular Americans," they were helping himself and his allies. "He's enriching himself, his family, his friends. The scale of the corruption is unprecedented," she said, before ticking through details. "There's the cover-up of the Epstein files, the crypto scams, cozying up to foreign princes for airplanes and billionaires for ballrooms, putting his name and face on buildings all over our nation's capital. This is not what our founders envisioned." |
| What Trump avoided in the State of the Union could haunt him in November | |
 | President Donald Trump's State of the Union address was defined in many respects not by what he said but by what he avoided saying. There were the mistakes he avoided making: Trump did not attack the Supreme Court. He did not blitz members of his own party who have criticized him. He avoided rambling, angry digressions from the script. Then there were the issues he avoided addressing: Trump offered no new ideas on housing or health care, two defining issues of the midterm campaign. He made no mention of the Jeffrey Epstein scandals consuming politics in Washington and far beyond. He did not clarify his policy toward Iran, even as he masses air and naval forces in the region. It was, for better or worse, a speech not likely to change the political trajectory of Trump's second term. The historically long address was, in some ways, nearly indistinguishable from Trump's daily patter in the Oval Office, on Air Force One or in the White House driveway. For some leaders in the president's party, mindful of his capacity for political self-harm, that might be cause for relief. Republicans wake up on Wednesday morning with no political problems they did not have the day before. Yet the status quo of the midterm campaign does not favor the GOP: Trump is on the defensive on many of the issues driving the election cycle so far. That, too, did not change. |
| Trump touts push to contain AI energy costs | |
 | President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced plans to coordinate with technology companies to build their own power generation for data centers. In his State of the Union address, Trump announced a "ratepayer protection pledge" under which he said "major tech companies" would "have the obligation to provide for their own power needs." "They can build their own power plants as part of their factory so that no one's prices will go up, and in many cases, prices of electricity will go down for the community, and very substantially down," Trump said. Trump announced the pledge as part of a larger focus on affordability, which is expected to dominate the midterm election campaign from both parties. In January, Trump posted on social media to express his support for data centers, with the caveat that tech companies should "pay their own way." Trump's move reflects bipartisan concern over rising energy costs. Earlier Tuesday, the House Science, Space and Technology Committee's oversight panel held a hearing on data center infrastructure, with an emphasis on speeding permitting and increasing energy generation capacity. Republicans, along with witnesses from Google and the Competitive Enterprise Institute, urged an increase in energy supply to help lower costs, which they said could be sped up by revamping the energy permitting process. The subcommittee's chair, Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., commended companies that are funding new generation capacity themselves. |
| Casey Means faces the Senate health committee in a confirmation hearing to be US surgeon general | |
 | Dr. Casey Means, a wellness influencer, author and entrepreneur aligned with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his Make America Healthy Again movement, will appear before the Senate health committee on Wednesday as she seeks approval to be the nation's surgeon general. The Washington confirmation hearing was rescheduled from last October, when Means went into labor the day she was set to appear. It will give the 38-year-old nominee an opportunity to share her vision for ending chronic disease by addressing its root causes, including through dietary and lifestyle changes. It's a message that dovetails with that of the nation's health department, which has shifted its focus away from its controversial vaccine policy changes and toward healthy eating as the midterm elections approach. But Means also will likely face tough questions about her qualifications and potential conflicts. The Stanford-educated physician's disillusionment with traditional medicine drove her to a career in which she has promoted a wide range of products, at times without disclosing how she could benefit financially. Means has no government experience, and her license to practice as a physician is not currently active. |
| Small, approachable actions are the key to a nonprofit push for greater civic engagement among Gen Z | |
| A well-connected, privately-funded initiative sees small, low-barrier acts of community outreach as the key to fostering civic engagement among young people. The nonprofit C&S -- previously known as the Institute for Citizens & Scholars -- is inviting schools, employers and other partners to encourage young people to lead activities such as calling elected representatives, volunteering locally or hosting public conversations with neighbors of differing backgrounds. The goal, announced Wednesday, is to empower 20 million people between ages 14-24 to take some sort of public-spirited action over the next three years. "You're not going to immediately go to a gym and try to bench press 325 pounds. You're gonna start easy, simple, something you can do -- both to affirm and start to build your muscle," C&S President Rajiv Vinnakota said. "That's what these civic actions are all about." The effort counters popular narratives that members of Generation Z, born roughly between 1997 and 2012, are unengaged or resigned. It's one of several pushes tied to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence's signing that is aimed at uniting Americans to address shared challenges. |
| MSMS Executive Director Speaks to Community Leaders of Lowndes County | |
 | Even though they are getting ready to graduate their 36th class, the administration at the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science is focused on the future of the school. MSMS Executive Director Ginger Tedder spoke to Lowndes County business, political, and community leaders today. Tedder gave an update on what students at the school are accomplishing, not only in the classroom, where there are 15 National Merit Scholarship semi-finalists in this year's class, but also their work outside of class, including volunteering with community organizations and outreach work with other schools and individual students to help them excel. Tedder also underscored the needs of the school for academically gifted students, including better funding and newer facilities at their home on the Mississippi University for Women campus. A couple of bills that would have streamlined the employment process and provided for the addition of a 10th-grade class died in the Legislature, but administrators and the students themselves continue to seek support for their school. Tedder said one goal for MSMS is for the school to have more direct control of its own finances. |
| MSMS: Facilities could hit crisis point in 5 years | |
| Five years. That's the window Ginger Tedder, executive director for Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, gave before years of deferred maintenance due to underfunding leads to a "major issue" in the school's residence halls. "We are at the point of MSMS that for us to have a bright future, we need a major investment," Tedder told Rotarians on Tuesday at Lion Hills Center. "We need new facilities. We need to create the student experience that the best and brightest in the state of Mississippi need and deserve." Tedder's presentation to Rotary Club of Columbus comes after two companion bills aiming to expand MSMS and reshape its funding structure died on the Senate calendar and in the House Education Committee. Either bill, if passed, would have allowed MSMS to expand enrollment to sophomores, provide designation required for the school to apply for federal grant funding and make MSMS its own fiscal agent. Sustaining MSMS requires a "conscious decision" from the Legislature to do so, Thomas Easterling, director of academic affairs at MSMS, said, pointing to the Alabama School for Math and Science's recently built $30 million research facility. |
| Expert says UMMC could face 'weeks to months' of recovery after cyberattack | |
| University of Mississippi Medical Center clinics across the state will remain closed and elective procedures are canceled through Wednesday as officials respond to a cyberattack that targeted the state's only academic medical center. Patients across Mississippi have missed health care appointments and surgeries since the cyberattack, which occurred Feb. 19 and compromised the health care system's IT network, forcing the shutdown of computer systems that hold patients' electronic health records. The medical center has released few details about when it expects to resume normal operations, how extensive the attack was, what the attacker has demanded or whether any data was compromised. Dr. LouAnn Woodward, vice chancellor for the medical center, confirmed the attacker has made financial demands in a Tuesday interview with SuperTalk. "Our highest concern is getting our services back open to be able to take care of our patients," Woodward said. "But very quickly right after that is the integrity of our patient data." Ransomware, or malicious software that holds computer systems or data hostage in demand for a payment, has increasingly targeted health care organizations with the aim of garnering large payouts by disrupting critical infrastructure, said Dr. Christian Dameff, an associate professor and co-director of the Center for Healthcare Cybersecurity at the University of California San Diego. |
| Local business leader urges UMMC patients to monitor or freeze credit as clinics remain closed | |
 | The University of Mississippi Medical Center will continue to keep clinics closed statewide Wednesday as the center continues to recover from last week's ransomware attack. Last Thursday, the center noticed irregularities in its system. "One of our IT systems started not working properly," said UMMC Vice Chancellor Dr. LouAnn Woodward. "So that was our signal." The attack forced UMMC to shut down its IT network and go into "downtime procedures." Clinical equipment remained functional, including vital monitors for critical care patients, but all clinics within the center's statewide system were closed. "I applaud UMMC for coming out there and talking to the press about it," said John O'Hara, president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau serving Mississippi. "Just letting people know, we don't know what's going on yet, but just to let you know to be careful. Maybe it will panic some people, but there are some things you could do to take control of it yourself." O'Hara said while it's understandable to have a fear of confidential medical information appearing on the dark web, he emphasized the risk identity theft carries. He said identity thieves start small, charging very low amounts to test out accounts. He said medical institutions are often attractive to those committing identity theft because of the amount of personal information collected. |
| Expert Scott Shapiro to explore AI, ethics, future of legal interpretation at Ole Miss | |
| The growing use of artificial intelligence in legal reasoning and the legal field will be the topic of discussion at the Jack Dunbar and Wylene Dunbar Lecture in Philosophy and Law at the University of Mississippi School of Law. The free, public event is scheduled for 4 p.m. Feb. 26 in the school's Weems Auditorium. A reception will follow. Scott Shapiro, professor of law and philosophy at Yale University, will discuss "Leibniz's Dream: How to Automate Legal Reasoning." Shapiro is also founding director of the Yale Legal AI Lab and the Yale CyberSecurity Lab. "We hope to learn how with emerging tools in generative AI, we might actually be able to realize legal philosopher Gottfired Leibniz's vision of legal calculus, or a system that can reliably take the law and interpret it and apply it to certain facts correctly," said Aaron Graham, Ole Miss assistant professor of philosophy. A former special assistant for AI ethics for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Shapiro is also the author of "Fancy Bear Goes Phishing: The Dark History of the Information Age, in Five Extraordinary Hacks" (Macmillan, 2023), about the history of hacking. |
| Overby Center to present Black gospel music and free speech program Wednesday | |
| Black gospel music and its free speech implications will be the focus of a program by the Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics. "Free Speech, Freedom Songs and the Music of Liberation" will be presented in the Overby Center auditorium on Feb. 25 as a part of Black History Month. Robert Darden, a member of the Overby Center panel of experts, will moderate the program that will feature live music from Billy Johnson & God's Creation, a Black gospel group from Newton, Miss. In the program, Darden will offer historical context to the origins of protest spirituals and Freedom Songs and highlight some of the most famous pieces that will be performed by Johnson's group. Darden is emeritus professor of Journalism, Public Relations & New Media at Baylor University. Both Darden and Johnson say that those attending should come ready to join in singing several of the most historic gospel songs. The program will begin at 5:30 in the Overby Center auditorium on the Ole Miss campus. The program will last approximately 90 minutes, and a reception for all attendees will follow. |
| USM honors faculty achievements at awards ceremony | |
| The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) recognized faculty members and academic programs during the inaugural Ready for Life Champion Awards ceremony on February 23, 2026. Created by Southern Miss President Dr. Joe Paul, the Ready for Life Champion Awards recognize and reward faculty members and academic programs leading innovative efforts to prepare USM students to thrive professionally and personally. Eight recipients received $5,000 each to support the continued development of their projects or professional development activities. An additional two recipients received special commendations along with a $2,000 gift. Funding for the awards was provided through the USM Foundation. |
| Hopson, Butler help celebrate Alcorn Day at state Capitol | |
| Sen. Albert Butler, Sen. Briggs Hopson and Sen. Sarita Simmons led the presentation of Senate Resolution 48, commemorating the 155 anniversary of the founding of Alcorn State University on Tuesday, Feb. 17, as part of "Alcorn State University Day." Dr. Tracy Cook, president of Alcorn State University; Jhada Wade of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 99th Miss Alcorn State University; Camron Parker, of Heidelberg, the fifth Mister Alcorn State University; and Avantavis Carter, of Hazlehurst, 68th Student Government Association, addressed the Senate during the presentation. Standing from left are Sen. Theresa Gillespie Isom; Rep. Grace Butler Washington; Sen. Kamesha B. Mumford; Dr. Marcus Ward Sr. VP Alcorn State University; Rep. Gregory Holloway; Sen. Gary Brumfield; Sen. Sarita Simmons; Dr. Cook; Jhada Wade; Camron Parker; Sen. Albert Butler; Sen. Justin Pope; Avantavis Carter; Sen. Reginald Jackson; Sen. Briggs Hopson; and Sen. Sollie B. Norwood. |
| MCC to induct alumni into Hall of Fame, celebrating excellence and legacy | |
 | Meridian Community College alumni who have excelled in their respective professions and life missions and have elevated MCC's esteem through their achievements, service and association with the institution will be inducted into College's Hall of Fame on Wednesday, March 4. Each year, MCC honors a group of servant-leaders who have distinguished themselves in their professions and community service with the Hall of Fame award. The ceremony gets underway at 2 p.m. in the McCain Theater. A reception will follow in the College's PTK Courtyard of Scholars, adjacent to Ivy-Scaggs Hall. Inductees for this year's class are Lane Burroughs, Larry Gill, William (Skip) Scaggs, and Sela Ward. Burroughs is the baseball coach for Louisiana Tech University; Gill is the mayor of Marion and a businessman; Scaggs is the executive director of the North Mississippi Industrial Development Association; and Ward is an actress. Sandy H. Clark, MCC Business and Marketing Technology Program coordinator and instructor, will be inducted into the College's Talon Club. This recognition honors MCC employees who have served the College for at least 30 years. |
| American Association of University Professors hold First Amendment discussion | |
| On Feb. 23 at 11 a.m., the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) held a talk titled "Understanding the First Amendment on College Campuses." David L. Hudson Jr., an associate professor of law at Belmont University, spearheaded the conversation as the event's keynote speaker. "The First Amendment really is what Justice Benjamin Cardozo refers to as 'the Matrix,' as the indispensable freedom. If we didn't have any speech, then, essentially, we wouldn't have any other freedom. There are some core foundational free speech principles that are important to understand. I think the first one, perhaps the most fundamental, is that we have the ability to criticize government officials and people in power," Hudson said. "That's the essence of why we have freedom of speech in the first place. That was a lesson that the United States Supreme Court told us in New York Times Company versus Sullivan, which, essentially, arose out of, in part, Montgomery, Alabama, when the New York Times in March of 1960, published an advertisement called 'Heed Their Rising Voices.'" |
| Impact of spring sports on student and faculty parking | |
| In the spring, two sports heavily increase the amount of traffic coming onto the UT Knoxville campus: baseball and basketball. Baseball, running from Feb. to May, and basketball, running from Nov. to March, complicate the afternoon and evening parking situation on campus. Both the men's and women's teams of basketball draw in large crowds of students, parents and fans alike. While SEC sports bring money into the school, they also add stress for those who live and work on or around campus, as the influx of cars and traffic increases. "When there's home basketball games they have all of Neyland Drive shut down for cars coming into campus, especially on the back behind the stadium and getting into G10," Allie Owens, a sports journalism senior, said. It's not just Neyland Drive that's affected. The agriculture campus is used as a park and ride, stoplights on campus are turned off in favor of human-directed traffic and parking lots surrounding the stadium are quickly filled in as pay-to-park options. Faculty and staff parking rates vary, but most pay between $264.60 and $661.56 yearly to park on campus. If they want to park during gametime, their normal passes don't work -- they're expected to pay the additional fee as well. "As with any university campus, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, hosts a variety of classes, programs, and events after business hours," the University said in a statement. |
| U.of Texas' second non-academic president reshaped campus in year one -- but won't take questions | |
| University of Texas Regents handpicked President Jim Davis to lead its flagship university one year ago, bypassing a national search or a process that would have involved input from a committee of other UT presidents, faculty, alumni and students. Davis is the first UT leader in more than 100 years who doesn't come from academia, and regents say they trust he'll carry out their priorities and improve operational efficiency. Indeed, his first year brought sweeping changes -- from investments in the School of Civic Leadership to an overhaul of university core courses and consolidation of UT's ethnic and gender studies departments. But no matter the scale of the change or how many students his decisions affected, he repeatedly declined all interview requests -- more than a dozen in total – from the Austin American-Statesman. He has also declined interview requests from the Texas Tribune and KUT, the outlets confirmed. The Daily Texan, UT's student newspaper, also has not spoken with him. The refusal to engage with the media contrasts Davis' predecessors and contributes to a sharp decline in transparency at the Forty Acres, which also lost its faculty senate, a long-standing public forum that allowed faculty to question the president directly. The UT System ended faculty senates to comply with Senate Bill 37, a sweeping higher education reform law that handed greater power to governor-appointed regents. |
| AI meets the search for a BA | |
| As teenagers decide whether to go college, and where, more of them are turning to artificial intelligence to help make that decision. According to a survey out today from the education company EAB, about half of high schoolers who are planning to go to college are using AI tools in that search. That's nearly double the number from last spring. For Jennifer Jessie, a college consultant in the D.C. area, that tracks. "A student's using AI almost all the time, for almost anything," she said. So, it makes sense that students will ask an AI to find colleges with particular attributes. "They usually say, 'Okay, I want a school that has this particular engineering program. I want a good football team,'" Jessie said. And then, the AI will spit out a list of colleges. Michael Koppenheffer, a co-author on that EAB study, said high schoolers are also asking very targeted questions. "We had a number of students who did things like 'Hey, ChatGPT, I'm interested in this college. Can you go on Reddit and Instagram and tell me what the vibe on campus is like?'" Koppenheffer said colleges have to pay attention to how they appear in these AI responses. It's like SEO, but instead of getting noticed by a search engine, they have to get noticed by an AI. "The first thing colleges need to do is be secret shoppers themselves. They need to look on AI and see what AI is saying about them," he said. |
| The Trump Agenda: Why the Education Department Wants to Sell Off the Student-Loan Portfolio | |
 | In a sign of the Trump administration's continued efforts to shutter the Department of Education, the agency is apparently pursuing selling off its $1.7-trillion student-loan portfolio to private entities. In a letter to Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat of Massachusetts, that her office released Monday, the Education Department's top higher-ed official stressed that, while no final decisions had been made on such a sale, the department would "explore all viable options" for dealing with the massive portfolio. Nicholas Kent, under secretary of education, said in the letter that "taxpayers have shouldered the costs" of the loans, and there is both public and congressional interest in reallocating the debt. The correspondence came in response to Warren's concerns over privatizing student loans, which she and her Democratic colleagues argue would result in the loss of borrowers' previously established protections. Politico reported in the fall that the Education Department was considering offloading the portfolio in service of its goal to wind down as much of the agency as possible. Little is known about how the department might execute such a sale, policy experts say, and the process would involve legal maneuvers and potentially Congress. But Preston Cooper, a senior fellow at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute, cautioned that there is a major distinction between selling the outstanding portfolio and completely privatizing the system. |
| Armed police flood Iran's universities to crush student protests | |
| Plainclothes police and security forces, many of them armed, have tried to flood Iran's remaining open universities in an attempt to crush a fourth day of student protests against the supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. Running battles were reported on some campuses, with videos showing fistfights between the Basji state-backed militia and students at the University of Science and Technology in Tehran. Pick-up trucks with machine-guns were photographed parked outside the University of Tehran, with demonstrations also in Mashhad. Elsewhere, students found themselves barred from entry if they had been identified as being involved in previous protests and university administrators also announced the closure of in-person classes. Nearly 80% of Iran's universities are already conducting virtual courses, partly to prevent students being given a chance to gather to demonstrate against the government and its brutal crackdown of the January protests. The protests form an uneasy backdrop to the third round of talks on Iran's nuclear programme due to be held in Geneva on Thursday between the Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, and the US special envoy, Steve Witkoff. |
| When taxpayers incentivize jobs, the state should protect workers' privacy in union votes | |
| Columnist Sid Salter writes: Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves announced in December that the state will invest over $100 million in economic development projects---projects that have created record-breaking numbers of jobs---funded by Mississippi taxpayers. As mentioned in a previous column, these projects include the $20 billion xAI Data Center in Southaven, the $10 billion Amazon Web Services project in Madison County, and the $10 billion Compass Data Center in Lauderdale County. Site Selection Magazine's Alexis Elmore recently noted: "In less than two years, Mississippi has captured the three largest capital investment projects in the state's over 200-year history. "This wasn't a matter of faltering on legacy industries -- such as advanced manufacturing; aerospace & defense; agriculture; automotive; chemicals; distribution & logistics; energy; and forestry -- but rather embracing a technology-driven economy...(t)he most enticing tool on hand when it comes to securing multi-billion-dollar investments? In Mississippi, it comes in the form of incentives," Elmore observed. The same was true when Mississippi competed with other Southern states for high-tech jobs in automotive manufacturing, as the old Detroit-based car-building jobs moved south partly due to rising union-influenced labor costs. |
SPORTS
| Baseball: Fourth-Ranked MSU Closes Homestand With Run-Rule Win | |
| Fourth-ranked Mississippi State kept its perfect start intact Tuesday afternoon, overwhelming Austin Peay 16-3 in seven innings at Dudy Noble Field. The Diamond Dawgs (9-0) pounded out 16 hits and scored in five of their six at-bats, turning a tight game early into another lopsided run-rule victory in front of 9,337 fans. After spotting Austin Peay (4-4) a run in the top of the first, MSU answered quickly. The Bulldogs tied it in the second before erupting for five runs in the third to seize control for good. State added two more in the fourth, four in the fifth and three in the sixth to bring the 10-run rule into play. On the mound, the Diamond Dawgs used a parade of arms to keep the Governors in check. Chris Billingsley (1-0) earned the win with 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief as part of a seven-pitcher effort that limited Austin Peay to four hits. The only late damage came in the seventh, when the Governors pushed across two runs, but by then the outcome had long been decided. Mississippi State ventures away from Starkville for the first time this season to play in the Amegy Bank College Baseball Classic at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. The Bulldogs are slated to play Arizona State on Friday at 11 a.m. followed by Virginia Tech on Saturday at 3 p.m. and No. 1 UCLA on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. All three games will be streamed on FloCollege. |
| Rapid Recap: No. 4 Mississippi State 16, Austin Peay 3 | |
| Mississippi State baseball picked up a run-rule win over Austin Peay at Dudy Noble Field on Tuesday. A potentially tricky matchup quickly turned into a blowout as the Bulldogs posted runs in five consecutive innings to win 16-3. The Diamond Dawgs are now 9-0 on the year ahead of a trip to Arlington at the weekend, and they'll arrive in Texas with warm bats after a 16-hit performance. The Bulldogs took a blow in the second inning when starting pitcher William Kirk came away from a pitch hobbling. He'd just struck out a batter and tossed a strike on the next one when he wheeled away from the follow-through with a limp. He threw one warm-up pitch and struggled to put weight on the foot, prompting head coach Brian O'Connor to send Chris Billingsley Jr. up for warm-ups in the bullpen to take over. Billingsley got the strikeout and pitched a 1-2-3 third inning to steady the ship, and was followed out of the bullpen by Jack Bauer to start the fourth inning. When the freshman took the mound, the Bulldogs had established a 7-1 advantage on the scoreboard. Bryce Chance got two runners home with a hit in the second inning, Ryder Woodson got another in the third, and then Aidan Teel launched his first home run as a Bulldog into the student section in right field with the bases loaded for the team's first grand slam of the season. |
| Men's Basketball: Five Things To Know: State vs. No. 17 Alabama | |
| Mississippi State men's basketball returns to the road to face one of its two remaining regular season matchups versus top 25 opponents when the Bulldogs head to No. 17 Alabama on Wednesday evening for its yearly trip to Coleman Coliseum. State (13-14, 5-9 SEC) is led by Josh Hubbard and Jayden Epps who have combined to rack up 36.2 points per game which is the program's top scoring duo Jeff Malone paired with Terry Lewis to average 42.0 points per contest in 1982-83. The Crimson Tide (20-7, 10-4 SEC) have piled up wins in six straight and nine of their last 11 games which started with a 97-82 victory at State on Jan. 13. Bama's high octane attack averages 92.6 points per game on the strength of 12.6 made three-pointers per game. The Tide have won the last nine in the series dating back to 2021-22 and have been a ranked team in eight of those nine games. State's last win was a 78-76 decision on Jan. 15, 2021 in Starkville. The Bulldogs also will look to snap a nine-game skid in Tuscaloosa which dates back to a 67-61 triumph on Feb. 20, 2016. |
| Alabama basketball still hasn't hit its peak as it prepares to face Mississippi State | |
 | Alabama men's basketball has won six games in a row and is on track to get a double bye in the SEC Tournament, but coach Nate Oats isn't all that interested in stopping to smell the success. "We've got a lot yet to play for," Oats said Tuesday. "The biggest thing is, we've got to be hitting our peak come postseason play. We've got 11 days left until the regular season is over. We've got to make sure we take advantage of all four games and every day, every practice day possible to be hitting our peak come postseason." That starts with the matchup against Mississippi State on Wednesday (8 p.m. CT, ESPNU) at Coleman Coliseum. Then the No. 17 Crimson Tide visits No. 22 Tennessee on Saturday (5 p.m. CT, ESPN) before closing out the regular season with Georgia and Auburn next week. Mississippi State is the lowest ranked of those teams per KenPom, but guard Josh Hubbard could give the Crimson Tide trouble if it doesn't defend well. He averages 22 points per game and tallied 23 in the first matchup Alabama won 97-82 in January. "The first half (35 points) he had against Auburn was almost like a video game you're watching," Oats said. "I'm not a big video game guy, but he was in the mode he doesn't miss. We've got to make sure our backcourt defense is ready to go. We've got to have adjustment on top of adjustment ready to go if the first one's not working. He's capable of going for a lot of points." Oats had plenty of praise for the Bulldogs, including coach Chris Jans, but Oats is more focused on making sure he has his team ready to go and playing up to its potential. |
| Judge denies Charles Bediako's request to play for Alabama | |
| Charles Bediako's latest attempt to again play college basketball this season was rejected Tuesday by an Alabama judge who ruled against his request to return to the Crimson Tide, according to documents obtained by ESPN. On Monday, Bediako's legal team simultaneously asked the Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court and the Alabama Supreme Court for "interim injunctive relief" to allow him to return to college basketball as his appeal moves forward weeks after Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court Judge Daniel Pruet denied his request for a preliminary injunction that would have allowed him to play the rest of the 2025-26 campaign. Pruet is the same judge who denied Bediako's request for interim injunctive relief on Tuesday. Alabama law states that Bediako first had to ask the local court before the Alabama Supreme Court, which is also assessing his appeal, can rule on the same request for interim injunctive relief. In their latest legal push, Bediako's lawyers argued Monday that the appeal of that ruling would not be completed by the time the season ends, which would keep Bediako out of the NCAA tournament. |
| Softball: No. 12 State Hits The Road To ACC Country | |
| No. 12/19 Mississippi State embarks on an 11-game road swing this week beginning with a midweek game at Georgia Tech on Wednesday night. The Bulldogs (14-1) have their best 15-game start since 2014 along with their highest ranking ever in the NFCA Coaches' Poll as they prepare to make their first regular-season appearances at an ACC ballpark since 2019. Wednesday evening's game has been moved to ACC Network Xtra, but first pitch remains set for 5 p.m. CT. The Bulldogs will face a high-powered offense as the Yellow Jackets are first or second in their conference in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, hits, doubles, homers and RBIs. Following the midweek contest, State remains on the road and continues the drive over to Clemson, South Carolina, for this weekend's Tiger Invitational. The round robin tournament will see MSU play Wofford, Georgia Southern and No. 25 Clemson once each before being seeded for the final game on Sunday. |
| Legislature could allow first bear hunt in almost 100 years | |
 | Bear hunting in Mississippi? Yes, it could happen and if a bill calling for that in the Mississippi Legislature makes its way to the governor's desk, the state could have a limited bear hunt next year. Senate Bill 2436 calls for a return of hunting black bears in Mississippi and if it passes, it will be the first opportunity to hunt black bears in the state in almost 100 years. "I think it was generated just from seeing more bears in Mississippi," Sen. Jeremy England, R-Ocean Springs, said of the origin of the bill. "More sightings are being reported. All we're really seeking is to give the (Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks) the authority to set up a bear hunting season, set a limit, set the number of tags." England, who is a co-author of the bill, said other southeastern states have resumed bear hunting seasons in recent years. Louisiana conducted its first season in 2024 after not having hunts for several decades due to a low population. Florida had its first hunt in 10 years in 2025 after the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission determined that the populations in some areas were growing at rates that would lead to overpopulation. In Mississippi it's a different story, at least at the moment. Unlike Louisiana and Florida, the state does not have a population estimate. |
| Virginia QB Chandler Morris files lawsuit to regain season of eligibility | |
| Another high-profile college football quarterback is requesting additional eligibility. Chandler Morris, the quarterback who helped Virginia to an 11-win season last year, filed a lawsuit against the NCAA in Charlottesville Circuit Court to regain a season of eligibility by asking a judge to prohibit the NCAA from enforcing its eligibility standards, according to court documents. Morris, who has played in six seasons for four different schools, argues in the complaint that the NCAA should have granted him a medical redshirt for the 2022 football season, citing both mental and physical ailments. As TCU's starting quarterback that year, Morris suffered a knee injury in the season opener before playing in three more games in backup duty and suffering from mental health issues as a result of the injury. The NCAA denied an eligibility waiver from Morris in January, and an NCAA committee -- made up of school administrators -- rejected an appeal of the waiver by Virginia. Morris and his attorneys are urging a judge to grant him a preliminary injunction that would make him eligible for the 2026 football season. His request is timely. Without an injunction, Morris would presumably enter the NFL Draft in April. |
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