| Tuesday, March 3, 2026 |
| Corn Moves South: From Texas to Mississippi, corn is finding new ground | |
 | When most people picture corn country, in their minds' eye they tend to see endless acres of lush plants under the big blue skies of Iowa and Illinois, the Corn Belt as it's long been known around the world. But fewer can picture what we could call the Southern Corn Belt. For starters, it's not concentrated in one region, but scattered across states like Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Colorado, New Mexico and California. It's also obviously not as large as the main Corn Belt, but it's tenacious and built on years of success and it may grow substantially in the future on both irrigated and dryland fields. "We used to lag behind the U.S. average but the last ten years, we've exceeded it," Mississippi State University extension/research professor Erick Larson says. "Over the course of my career, we've seen the state average yield go from 100 bushels per acre in 2000 to now approaching 190 bushels per acre. And on a lot of irrigated and dryland fields with good rainfall, growers commonly reach yields that are over 200. We've had several growers reaching 300 bushels per acre in growing contests. In the Corn Belt, it's about 175–180." Part of achieving high yields in southern corn is using practices that work. |
| Profile: Birdwatching: Pokémon in the real world | |
 | On Saturday, Rosy Davis led a group of more than 20 on a birdwatching adventure at Plymouth Bluff, part of a Birding 101 course sponsored by the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library. Davis, a wildlife biology major at Mississippi State University, demonstrated some best-practices for spotting and taught the group how to use mobile apps, such as eBird, to identify species. Most birds they saw were common species to the area – robins, chickadees and mockingbirds. But a visiting group of pelicans, as well as a bald eagle, served as the day's highlights. "Going into it, I knew there were people interested in birds and getting outside, but I wasn't sure how many folks would actually show up," she said. "It's hard to make time, especially on a Saturday. It was an incredible group of people who were excited and brought a range of knowledge. By the end of the trip, it felt like a group of friends going on a hike together." |
| Watson not seeking re-election as Secretary of State but 'will be on the ballot' | |
| Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson (R) announced Monday that he will not seek a third term. However, he did hint that his career in public service is not over quite yet. "I will be on the ballot," he said at a Stennis Capitol Press Forum in Jackson, before adding, "If garbage men were elected, I would run for that." The political rumor mill across the Magnolia State holds that Watson will not be running for garbage man but has an eye on Lieutenant Governor in 2027. Current Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann (R), also a former Secretary of State, is term limited and is seen as a potential candidate for Governor for in 2027. On Monday, the former state senator would not comment further on his future political plans. Watson served three terms in the Mississippi Senate before being elected to two terms as Secretary of State. During that time, he has sought to enhance transparency in campaign finance, reduce the regulatory burden on businesses, and strengthen the integrity of Mississippi's elections. During his speech to the press at Hal and Mal's, Watson said voters should have confidence in the March 10 midterm primary elections for U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives. |
| Michael Watson confirms he won't seek third secretary of state term, hints at higher office | |
| Secretary of State Michael Watson on Monday announced he will not run for reelection in 2027, further fueling the speculation that he will run for lieutenant governor next year. Watson, a Republican, said at the Stennis Institute's Capitol Press Forum that while he won't run for secretary of state again, he will "still be on the ballot" next year. "We have really gotten to the point where we feel like we've done our duty," Watson said. We've done our work at the secretary of state's office. I can walk out of there feeling like I've left the place better than I found it." Since serving as secretary of state, Watson has championed measures to ensure only U.S. citizens vote in Mississippi elections, to strengthen the state's campaign finance laws and to repeal onerous "red tape" regulations on businesses. Watson is the second statewide official to reveal at least part of his future political plans, though Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann and Gov. Tate Reeves are prevented from running for another term in their current offices because of term limits. State Agriculture and Commerce Commissioner Andy Gipson has announced he is running for governor next year. |
| Mississippi lawmakers examine why state IT system upgrades can take nearly a decade | |
 | Mississippi spends roughly $400 million a year on government technology. But when the state tries to replace a major computer system, the process can stretch close to a decade. At a Senate Appropriations hearing this week, agency leaders described a pattern of aging systems, lengthy procurements and multi-year buildouts that lawmakers say are slowing modernization across state government. The hearing comes as lawmakers debate broader cybersecurity reforms following recent ransomware incidents, including last week's attack on the University of Mississippi Medical Center. But Wednesday's focus was less about hacking and more about how long it takes the state to upgrade its own infrastructure. At Child Protection Services, Commissioner Andrea Sanders told lawmakers the agency is still operating on software that predates smartphones. "Our case management system, which carries every child's story, the state's operating in a 25-year-old system right now," Sanders said. That system tracks placements, services and payments for children in state custody. CPS began procuring a replacement in 2021. It is now projected to go live around Memorial Day, nearly four years later. Sanders said the delays stem in part from the complexity of the buildout and in part from aggressive bidding practices by vendors. |
| Mississippi Senate considers easing seafood origin labeling rules | |
| As Mississippi continues enforcing seafood origin disclosure laws, some restaurant owners say a bill now before the Senate could simplify compliance -- and lower costs. House Bill 1466 would allow restaurants to use menu symbols paired with a clearly visible legend instead of labeling each seafood item individually. The proposal updates a 2025 law that requires businesses to identify seafood as domestic or imported and would allow labeling by specific country of origin. Mississippi Hospitality and Restaurant Association Executive Director Pat Fontaine said confusion surfaced soon after the original law took effect last July. "With any new legislation, it's hard to provide explanations that apply to each scenario," Fontaine said. He said the bill is designed to prevent intentional misrepresentation while making compliance clearer and more practical for restaurants. The MDMR and the Mississippi Department of Agriculture enforce the current law. Violations can result in civil and misdemeanor criminal penalties, with fines ranging from $500 for a first offense to at least $10,000 for a fourth violation. |
| $750M data center coming to Clinton | |
| A $750 million data center is coming to Clinton. In January, the Clinton Board of Aldermen approved entering into a FILOT agreement with an unnamed company to develop the center at 1001 Industrial Park Drive. A FILOT is a "Fee-in-Lieu of Taxes" agreement. As part of the deal, the company will pay the city an annual fee rather than the full property taxes that would be generated by the $750 million development. FILOTs serve as incentives for new development, with the annual payments being significantly lower than the amount that would be paid in taxes. Terms of the FILOT were approved at a special meeting on January 15. The board voted 6-0 in favor of the proposal. One alderperson was absent. "As a result of the company's location of the project in the city, the city and its citizens will benefit from a significant enhancement to the local ad valorem tax base and an annual source of new ad valorem tax and fee-in-lieu of ad valorem tax revenues, as well as the creation of new jobs... over the project life," the resolution approving the agreement states. The project is expected to create 50 new jobs. Minutes from the meeting were obtained by WLBT after reaching out to the Clinton City Clerk's Office. According to documents, the data center will be located in the facility that used to be home to Delphi Packard Electric. Delphi closed in 2009, WLBT previously reported. |
| Democrats offer farm bill amendments to roll back SNAP changes | |
 | Democrats on the House Agriculture Committee are trying to use Tuesday's farm bill markup to roll back controversial changes to the food stamp program enacted in the 2025 reconciliation law that funneled billions of dollars out of the program. House Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture Subcommittee ranking member Jahana Hayes, D-Conn., submitted two amendments to the bill that would repeal the cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program made in reconciliation and increase the federal administrative personnel cost-share to 100 percent. Last year's reconciliation law made sweeping changes to SNAP, a program that serves about 42 million people, over the opposition of Democrats. The law reduced federal nutrition spending by $186.5 billion over 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The majority of the SNAP spending reductions were from the establishment of a first-of-its-kind benefit cost-sharing requirement for states that have payment error rates at or above 8 percent, starting in fiscal 2028. The state cost-share ranges from 5 percent to 15 percent. The average national error rate in fiscal 2024 was 11 percent. The CBO estimated that the cost-sharing provision would reduce federal spending by $40.8 billion over the 2025-2034 period. |
| Dow drops 1,200 as stocks sell off around the world and oil prices leap even higher on war worries | |
 | A sell-off for stocks wrapped around the world and is slamming into Wall Street Tuesday, as oil prices leap even higher on worries that the widening war with Iran may do more sustained damage to the economy than feared. The S&P 500 dropped 2.4% in morning trading and was heading toward its worst day since October. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 1,232 points, or 2.5%, as of 10:30 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 2.7% lower. It was just a day ago that U.S. stocks opened with sharp losses, only to recover all of them and end the day with slight gains. But that was with the caveat that oil prices did not jump too high, like to more than $100 per barrel. On Tuesday, oil prices soared again and raised more alarms. The price for a barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, leaped another 7.8% to $83.84. That's up from close to $70 less than a week ago. A barrel of benchmark U.S. crude, meanwhile, rose 8.8% to $77.52. Oil prices made the jump as Iran struck the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia, part of a widening of targets that also includes areas critical to the world's oil and natural gas production. Worries are particularly high about the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Iran, a narrow passageway where roughly a fifth of the world's oil passes. That makes it crucial for the global flow of crude. |
| Senate Republicans warn Trump about expanding Iran mission as death toll rises | |
 | Senate Republicans are warning President Trump against expanding the U.S.'s military offensive in Iran after he indicated he is willing to go as far as needed in order to complete the mission in the region. GOP lawmakers largely backed Trump's decision to order strikes against Tehran and other key locations over the weekend in coordination with Israel. But they indicated on Monday that they still have some major questions that need to be answered. Headlining those are the timeline for the operation, the objectives, whether boots on the ground will be required to meet those objectives. Trump on Monday said in an interview that he is open to that possibility if needed. But with American casualties reaching six on Monday and conservatives warning of a second coming of the quagmire in Iraq, lawmakers are cautioning that there is peril if he goes that far. "I think the president is well aware of the concerns of the American people for any kind of elongated engagement," said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), a member of GOP leadership. |
| Trump promised the MAGA base no new wars. Then he went to war with Iran | |
 | The Trump administration's justification for war in Iran is exacerbating tensions within the president's political coalition and highlights an increasing disagreement on what "America First" means. In the hours after the U.S. and Israel launched attacks that killed Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and let to an ongoing conflict that has seen the deaths of six U.S. service members so far, a vocal contingent of Trump's supporters have increased their criticism of the operation and the man who ordered it. They include figures like conservative commentator Matt Walsh, who argued in a series of posts on X that efforts by the White House and other conservatives to massage the narrative around the attacks were, "to put it mildly, confused." As Congress is set to vote on bipartisan war powers resolutions this week to curb operations in Iran, the administration's explanations for the new war have been met with displeasure by many of the president's supporters who believe the country should focus on domestic issues. The online backlash to war in Iran aligns with early public polling that suggests limited support for the attacks -- including from Republicans who are normally willing to give Trump considerable latitude to enact policies that sometimes conflict with conservatism. |
| 'Pretty Bad for Vance': The VP's Silence on Iran Peeves Allies | |
 | In January 2023, then-Senator JD Vance took to the Wall Street Journal op-ed page to announce his early support for Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election. The primary reason for his support, he claimed, was that Trump "started no wars." "In Mr. Trump's four years in office, he started no wars despite enormous pressure from his own party and even members of his own administration," wrote Vance, then just one month into his first term as the junior senator from Ohio. Trump's refusal to plunge the U.S. into any new foreign conflicts marked "the first real disruption to a failed consensus and the terrible consequences it wrought" -- a record that, "more than any single accomplishment, is the enduring legacy of Mr. Trump's first term." Now, as the Trump administration oversees a far-reaching assault on Iran's Islamist regime, Vance is participating in a swift reversal of that legacy. The about-face is all the more striking for the vice president, who rose to national prominence as the standard-bearer of MAGA's anti-interventionist faction that took shape in opposition to the "forever wars" in the Middle East, and which has harshly criticized U.S. intervention in more recent foreign conflicts like Russia's war in Ukraine. More recently, Vance has positioned himself as a vocal Republican skeptic of war with Iran, arguing as recently as October of 2024 that "our interest, I think very much is not going to war with Iran." Against that backdrop, Trump's attack on Iran appears to be a major political setback for Vance and the anti-interventionist faction on the right -- even in the eyes of Vance's putative allies. |
| Why China Is Doing So Little to Help a Friend Under Fire | |
 | As the U.S. and Israel have pummeled China's closest partner in the Middle East, killing Iran's leader and calling for its people to overthrow the government, Beijing has responded with sharp denunciations, but little more. The war carries several risks for China, potentially choking off the significant portion of its oil imports that runs through the Strait of Hormuz and highlighting the limits of its support for countries whose partnership it seeks in challenging the global dominance of the U.S. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Sunday that it was "unacceptable" for the U.S. and Israel to attack Iran while carrying out negotiations, "still less to blatantly assassinate a leader of a sovereign country and instigate regime change." China "supports the Iranian side in safeguarding its sovereignty, security, territorial integrity and national dignity," Wang said, speaking with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi by phone on Monday. There was little else beyond words that China could offer Iran. Still, the war against Iran offers some bright spots for Chinese policymakers. The U.S. is straining its military capacity while depleting its stockpile of munitions, particularly the type of weapons that might be used in any sort of conflict with China over Taiwan. The U.S. is also providing the Chinese military with a glimpse of its latest equipment and tactics. The U.S. has moved military resources out of Asia, a shift that could prove durable if the war in Iran doesn't end quickly. |
| Exclusive: Israel decided to kill Iran's leader after Oct. 7 attack | |
 | The decision to kill Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the Iran-backed leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah was taken in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, USA TODAY has learned. But more specific planning for what Israel has named "Operation Roaring Lion" and the United States is calling "Epic Fury" did not begin until after Israel's 12-day war with Iran in June 2025, and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu only gave the order for the operation in November that same year, according to a person familiar with the matter. USA TODAY is the first news outlet to report on the timing of the decision to eliminate Khamenei and other top Iranian officials, and its direct connection to avenging the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust. Khamenei was killed as part of an ongoing bombing campaign on Iran by the militaries of the United States and Israel that began on Feb. 28. Israel has a long track record of capturing or assassinating its enemies no matter where they are located stretching back to the country's founding in the wake of World War II in 1948. In recent years, Israel has used everything from letter bombs to exploding pagers and mobile phones, from drone strikes to a satellite-operated, AI-assisted machine gun mounted on a truck, to kills its adversaries. |
| Iranian Americans fear for relatives in their homeland as war continues | |
| Many in the Iranian American diaspora spent several days glued to their televisions, watching the news of U.S. and Israeli bombs falling on Iran, some clinging to hope it might bring a brighter future to their homeland but terrified their relatives will suffer in a new Middle East war with no certain end. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who ruled Iran for decades while violently crushing dissent, was killed early in the attack. In the United States, many celebrated, some popped Champagne, some downed shots of tequila, some took to the streets to cheer the toppling of a ruler they considered a tyrant. "We are happy, we are happy that he is gone and he can't kill our innocent people anymore," said Ava Farhadi, 33, an electrical engineer in Indiana. In January, Farhadi's family participated in protests against their government, which were met with a brutal crackdown. While her immediate family was unhurt, Farhadi said, friends and close loved ones were among the thousands killed when security forces opened fire on peaceful protesters. Many said they are worried for their families still there and for what the future holds. Between 400,000 and 620,000 people of Iranian ancestry live in the U.S., according to the University of California Los Angeles, the vast majority of them in California. |
| Despite Promises, Veterans Affairs Department Cut Thousands of Roles for Doctors and Nurses | |
 | The head of the Veterans Affairs Department has repeatedly said that the agency needs to hire more doctors, nurses and other providers "taking care of people on the front line," even as President Trump seeks to shrink the federal government. But the V.A. has eliminated thousands of medical positions that were left vacant after a wave of resignations and retirements last year, according to a New York Times analysis of internal agency records that have not previously been reported. The cuts include empty slots for more than 1,500 physicians and 4,900 nurses. In total, the V.A. chose not to hire replacements for roughly 14,400 unfilled medical vacancies at its health care division. Those jobs were the equivalent of about 5 percent of the V.A.'s medical staff as of December. While the reductions are smaller than those Mr. Trump has made at other agencies, the V.A. has long struggled to hire medical providers. The move to shrink the V.A.'s health care division represents a striking turnaround after years of growth supported by members of both parties. The staffing declines have been especially acute in some states. For example, the number of V.A. doctors fell by 10 percent or more last year in Alaska, Mississippi, Maine and West Virginia. |
| Screamin' Eagles Guitar Festival set for March 14 | |
 | The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) School of Music announced the 2026 Screamin' Eagles Guitar Festival will be held on March 14, 2026, in Marsh Hall. The festival will include concerts, educational opportunities, raffle prizes, a special coffee hour featuring music by the Southern Miss Guitar Studio and discounts provided by Mo' Bay Beignet Co., and more. The theme this year is "JAM." One of this year's featured events will be a midday, festival-wide jam session. The Screamin' Eagles Guitar Festival aims to be an inclusive event. At the festival jam, and throughout the day, everyone is welcome, no matter their level, age, background or what kind of guitar they play. Another feature will be the "High School Showcase." Festival participants who are in high school or younger will have the opportunity to perform on the big stage in front of family, friends and fellow festivalgoers. The public is welcome to attend the "High School Showcase" at 5:00 p.m. and the "Screamin' Eagles Pro Showcase" featuring the Patterson/Sutton Duo and Russell Welch Trio at 6:00 p.m. Both concerts will be held in Marsh Auditorium. |
| State lawmakers meet, share legislative updates with PRCC students | |
 | Four state lawmakers took the stand to answer questions from Pearl River Community College students about ongoing legislation that could impact them and their communities. "We did hear some things today that many of us in the room have heard before, but it's the first time for these students to hear it," PRCC President Adam Breerwood said. "So, we all think these events are important to not only know what's going on today, but also what can be facing us in the future." First on the list of topics was school choice. The issue came to a close after the Senate voted House Bill 2 down in early February. "What we in the Senate want to do is, before we take any drastic directional change, that we make sure we ensure the quality and performance of our public schools first and foremost," said Sen. Joey Fillingane, R-41. Lawmakers also continue to discuss tier five of the Public Employees Retirement System, or PERS, even after the hybrid retirement plan went into effect on March 1. |
| Pentagon cuts ties with 'woke' universities, touts Auburn as potential new partner | |
 | The Pentagon has named Auburn University as a "potential new partner institution" for military education programs, part of a broader shake-up that cuts ties with Ivy League and other prominent schools. In a social media video on Feb. 27, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, MIT, Brown, Yale and other schools promote "wokeness and weakness," and are "woke breeding grounds of toxic indoctrination." He also said the universities were "factories of anti-American resentment and military disdain." According to a memo the secretary signed that day, 93 military students are enrolled in 22 affected institutions; Harvard has the most, with 21. In the memo, Hegseth said the department chose Auburn and 20 other institutions because they are examples of "intellectual freedom, minimal relationships with adversaries, minimal public expressions in opposition of the Department, and Graduate-level National Security, International Affairs, and/or Public Policy Programs." Auburn is the only Alabama college on the list. |
| Iranians at LSU cheer death of Ayatollah Khamenei in US airstrikes: 'We want freedom' | |
 | When they heard they heard news that Iran's leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had been killed, they cheered. They cried. They called their relatives still in Iran, cheering and crying with them. Then on Monday, more than 50 Iranian-born students and Baton Rouge residents gathered on the Louisiana State University campus with flags, signs and a boom box. "USA! USA!" they chanted. "Thank you, President Trump! From Iran," one sign read, one of the many praising President Donald Trump's weekend assault on the country. The group danced to the Village People's "YMCA." With the help of the Iranian Students Association, Hamed Ghassemi, 47, pulled together the celebration in a matter of hours. He's long been critical of Khamenei's "very, very dangerous regime," including his security forces opening fire on street protesters in January, killing thousands. Meanwhile, a dozen counterprotestors with cardboard signs protested the U.S. intervention in Iran as yet another immoral Middle East conflict, citing civilian deaths and support for the Iranian people. A protest with a similar message took place in New Orleans over the weekend. |
| Florida universities face H‑1B hiring pause through 2027 | |
 | The Florida Board of Governors voted 17–2 on March 2 to pause the hiring of new employees on H-1B visas until Jan. 5, 2027. Universities will not be required to terminate existing contracts, and current H‑1B visas may still be renewed during the pause. The H‑1B visa program allows U.S. employers to hire foreign professionals with highly specialized knowledge and at least a bachelor's degree for up to six years. The University of Florida employs the largest number of H‑1B visa holders among the state's public universities, according to previous reporting by The Independent Florida Alligator. U.S. Customs and Immigration Services data show that UF approved 253 H‑1B visas (new and renewed) in fiscal year 2025 and has approved 57 more since the start of this year. Two board members, Carson Dale and Kimberly Dunn, voiced concerns about the pause and the potential long-term reputational damage it could cause to universities' efforts to recruit qualified faculty. Dale suggested that instead of halting applications entirely, the board could add an additional layer of scrutiny by requiring H‑1B visa requests to come before the board for approval. |
| Tennessee legislature reviews bill to streamline university termination procedures | |
| A bill under review in the Tennessee General Assembly would eradicate steps currently required by UT policy in the termination of a faculty member. "All terminations and suspensions based on an allegation of misconduct by the tenured or non-tenured faculty must be made by the institution's chief executive officer or chief academic officer without any recommendation or vote by another faculty member at the institution," the bill reads. HB 2194, proposed Feb. 2 by Rep. Jason Zachary (R-Knoxville) and Sen. Adam Lowe (R-Calhoun), is scheduled to be reviewed by the House Education Committee March 3 and the Senate Education Committee March 4. "Academic tenure serves as an important safeguard for academic freedom, the advancement of knowledge, and the protection of intellectual independence in public institutions of higher education," the bill reads. "The safeguarding of tenure must be balanced with the responsibility of institutional leadership to ensure accountability, integrity, and appropriate professional conduct within the faculty." The bill equates termination policies for tenure and non-tenure faculty. Paul Gellert, professor of sociology and treasurer of UTK's American Association of University Professors chapter, worries about the effect the new policy would have on faculty rights. |
| Mizzou updates remote work policy, bringing most staff back to campus by August | |
 | The University of Missouri is updating its remote work policy to prioritize an in-person workforce, ending remote and hybrid work agreements before the start of the fall 2026 semester. Employees may still be able to work remotely if approved by administration in circumstances where it "directly advances the university's mission," according to Mizzou's human resources website. Staff leaders were notified of the decision Monday, and an internal announcement will be sent out to employees Tuesday, university spokesperson Christopher Ave said. "We feel like an in-person workforce better serves our students and everyone who relies upon our teaching, research and engagement mission," he said. Exceptions may be made in cases where there are facility limitations, short-term operational continuity needs or where roles are "difficult to fill due to a limited local talent pool." Positions that are assigned to off-campus locations across the state will not be affected, nor will they have to file for an exception. Mizzou employs people in all 114 Missouri counties, as well as the city of St. Louis. Employees based out-of-state, such as student recruitment specialists and donor engagement professionals, will have to go through the exception process. |
| Illinois Wants to Spread More State Money Around. Not So Fast, Says Its Flagship. | |
 | To Illinois' public colleges, the money might feel like a welcome windfall: Bills working their way through the General Assembly's Senate and House would authorize $1.7 billion in new funding over 10 years. Instead, a round of jostling has broken out even before the bills become law. At issue is how the new money would be distributed across the colleges, based on whether they receive "adequate" support from the state. That approach would primarily benefit the state's regional comprehensive universities, such as Western Illinois and Eastern Illinois Universities, which have struggled in recent years with low enrollments and financial straits. The University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, the state's flagship research institution, would not come out ahead to the same degree. The discord over the adequacy of funding is the latest skirmish in what has become a wider cold war in states like Oregon and Wisconsin between flagships and their regional public four-year peers. Marquee institutions, with their statewide (or nationwide) brands and athletic profiles, draw students and state support, while many regional comprehensive universities struggle for both. The Illinois legislation proposes to directly counter the flagship advantage. |
| Nancy Pelosi visits U.Va., warns of threats to democracy and anticipates midterm sweep | |
| Nancy Pelosi (D), former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, visited the University of Virginia Wednesday for two events, speaking to packed audiences about the future of American democracy and the upcoming midterm elections. She sat down with Susan Page, USA Today Washington Bureau Chief, for a conversation hosted by the Karsh Institute of Democracy in the Rotunda in the afternoon, then appeared at Culbreth Theatre for a discussion with Robert Costa, CBS News correspondent and Center for Politics scholar. The former House speaker spoke about the state of democracy, the upcoming midterm elections and her career in Congress, saying she is confident Democrats will win big in November. At both sold-out events, Pelosi said she believes Democrats will take back the House in the November midterm elections, flipping the chamber from Republican control and argued that doing so is necessary to check what she described as the current administration's disregard for the Constitution. "We fully intend ... to win this election. It's more urgent. Have you heard that this is the most important election of our time?" Pelosi said. "For this to happen, we would have to have a Congress -- Democratic or Republican -- respectful of the oath of office to protect and defend the Constitution." Pelosi said she thinks many Republican members of Congress are staying quiet out of fear rather than genuine support for the administration, and that falling presidential approval numbers will eventually push some of them to vote against their party. |
| UC Davis Library Emerges as Campus 'Third Place' | |
 | Bill Garrity still remembers the moment last fall when the University of California, Davis, library transformed into a performance hall. A quartet played beneath its high ceilings, the strains of a medieval-style guitar echoing among the stacks. "That was the most profound moment for me," said Garrity, the university's librarian and vice provost of digital scholarship. "Students were walking by, stopping and going, 'What's this?' and I would watch them texting their friends to come down from the upper floors to see the performance." "That was an experience I don't think these students would have had otherwise because they were in the library," he said. Increasingly, UC Davis students are turning to Shields Library not just to study but to attend musical performances, meet with mental health ambassadors, cuddle with therapy dogs and engage in other activities. Campus leaders say it has become a "third place" -- a term coined by sociologist Ray Oldenburg to describe a space beyond home and work where people gather, connect and belong. Amid broader discussions about the disappearance of third places -- particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic -- the role of community as a public health necessity has gained renewed attention. College libraries nationwide have increasingly stepped into that void. |
| College students add puppy training to their course load | |
 | Julie Gray unzipped her navy fleece and dropped it onto the head of a puppy named Hope. The dog moved her head in confusion but stayed seated on the floor of an academic building at the University of Maryland. "She wants her head out, but she's not freaking out," Gray told fellow students who held dog leashes. "So that's what the jacket test is." She explained that the exercise was to prepare for a real-life scenario, when a jacket falls off a chair and onto a dog. "You wouldn't want them to get up, make a scene," Gray said. The recent training class was for student members of a college chapter for the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind, a nonprofit that provides service dogs to people with vision impairments. The Guide Dog Foundation -- as well as a handful of other organizations that provide service dogs -- has in recent years relied on college students who are willing to have dogs with them in their dorms, in classes and in dining halls to train the pups. The groups see college campuses as strong training grounds because they expose puppies to thousands of people and a wide range of social gatherings. Students, many of whom miss the dogs they grew up with, also benefit by having a fuzzy companion while pursuing their degrees. |
| College students, professors are making their own AI rules. They don't always agree | |
| For English professor Dan Cryer, using generative artificial intelligence to write a college essay is like bringing a forklift to the gym. "If all we needed was the weights moved, then that would be great," says Cryer, who teaches at Johnson County Community College outside Kansas City, Kansas. "But we need the muscles developed, and students going through the process of writing are developing those muscles." Cryer says AI has also added a new type of labor for professors like him: trying to determine whether a student's work is their own. He says that problem is compounded by the fact that his community college, like many other higher education institutions around the U.S., provides students access to AI tools. He says the advent of these tools has created a new burden for students too: finding the line between responsible and irresponsible AI use. "It's not fair to them," Cryer says. More than three years after ChatGPT debuted, generative AI has become a part of everyday life, and professors and students are still figuring out how or whether they should use it, especially in humanities courses. A recent survey suggests many students are diving right in. |
| Replacing entry-level work with AI may come with 'a toll to pay' | |
| Just a few years ago, a junior employee in finance was expected to master Excel, learn about the company and analyze data in response to specific requests. Today, AI can handle much of that work, and entry-level hires are increasingly asked to review AI-generated output, make judgment calls and manage risk -- responsibilities that traditionally required years of firsthand experience, according to Peter Watkins, senior director of university programs at the CFA Institute. "When you were an apprentice doing something 20 years ago, you needed about two or three years of work alongside other people," Watkins said. "It's almost like we've forgotten that period is needed for someone to be really effective in the next stage in their career." While some companies are just starting to dabble in AI deployment, early adopters have dived in. According to NVIDIA's State of AI in Financial Services: 2026 Trends report, 73% of respondents in leadership roles said AI is important to their company's future success and 89% of those surveyed said the technology has increased revenue and reduced annual costs. If companies intend to replace, rather than reshape, entry-level work, said Neil Costa, founder and CEO of the recruitment and marketing agency HireClix, they should remember AI still lacks human experience, judgment, and diversity. "There's a big misconception for companies that are maybe thinking they can just throw it over the wall to the machines," Costa said. |
| Under Pressure, Clearinghouse Severs Relationship With Student Voting Study | |
| The National Student Clearinghouse has severed its 13-year relationship with a massive student voting study based at Tufts University after the Trump administration accused the study of violating student privacy laws. The study, the National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement, creates campus-by-campus reports about how much of their student body participated in a given election, as well as broader reports about voting trends among college students. NSLVE researchers do this using data provided by the clearinghouse that matches enrollment records to public voting records. (The data is de-identified before NSLVE receives it.) Civic engagement advocates laud the project -- which began in response to an Obama-era call for colleges to promote democratic engagement among their students -- as an important resource in understand how college students engage in the electoral process. But in early February, the Department of Education said it was investigating whether the clearinghouse and the study were violating the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act; it also warned that institutions that using NSLVE data could also be in violation of FERPA. Now, less than a month later, the clearinghouse has apparently ended its relationship with NSLVE, according to an email from the clearinghouse to the roughly 1,000 institutions that participate in the study. |
| A.I. boom a challenge for homeland manufacturers | |
 | Columnist Bill Crawford writes: A.I. data center spending in America has created a boom for overseas manufacturers, not so much for manufacturers here at home. "Roughly three-quarters of the cost of an A.I. data center is for the computer gear and parts such as computer chips that go inside of it," reported the Wall Street Journal. "America's A.I. champions, including the computer chip pioneer Nvidia, manufacture many of their products in Asia – despite efforts by the Biden and Trump administrations to reduce U.S. dependence on essential chips made overseas." "The single biggest threat to the world economy, the single biggest point of single failure, is that 97% of the high-end chips are made in Taiwan," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said last month. Forbes reported that modern, top-of-the-line A.I. servers, like those running NVIDIA GPUs are built from thousands of components manufactured overseas with final assembly concentrated in Mexico, Taiwan, China, and other countries in Greater Asia. Reshoring alone will not overcome this. |
SPORTS
| Baseball: No. 4 MSU Readies For Another Top 10 Challenge | |
| Fourth-ranked Mississippi State faces another top 10 battle on Tuesday when the Diamond Dawgs travel to take on No. 10 Southern Miss at 6 p.m. streaming on ESPN+. MSU dropped a heartbreaker to top-ranked UCLA 8-7 in 10 innings in the final game of the Amegy Bank College Baseball Classic in Arlington, Texas on Sunday. It was the first loss the Bulldogs have suffered this season, falling to 11-1. State will send senior Brendan Sweeney to the mound to make his first start in Maroon and White. The 6-foot-7 right-hander has made three relief appearances this spring including a save in the season-opening series against Hofstra. Sweeney sports a 1.23 earned run average with nine strikeouts and only one walk in 7 1/3 innings of work. It will be Sweeney's second-career start. The South Carolina transfer started one outing for the Gamecocks against North Carolina, working a scoreless and hitless inning of work as an opener last year. The Golden Eagles will counter with freshman righty Dylan Causey, who is also making his second-career start. Causey has made four appearances on the year working a total of three frames with no walks, two strikeouts and an unblemished ERA. Mississippi State has dominated the series against USM historically, holding an 87-44 advantage in the series. |
| Mississippi State, Southern Miss both in D1Baseball's top 10 | |
| Tuesday night's midweek battle between Mississippi State and Southern Miss will be a top-10 matchup, according to the latest rankings from D1Baseball. The Golden Eagles (10-1) cracked the top 10 for the first time this season after notching a second consecutive weekend sweep. The team landed at No. 10 in the weekly poll. Mississippi State (11-1) had a chance to potentially take the top spot in the poll, but instead held tightly to its No. 4 spot after a mostly successful venture in the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series in Arlington, Texas. Brian O'Connor's club proved solid on Friday and Saturday, ousting Arizona State and Virginia Tech, before going toe-to-toe with the nation's top-ranked UCLA Bruins. The Bulldogs were on the wrong side of fortune in a one-run extra-innings loss. Even with the loss to UCLA, Mississippi State is off to its best start since 2015. Now, a perfect storm has been set up: a red-hot Southern Miss club will look to get a top-five win as Mississippi State will look to get back in the win column when the two teams square off Tuesday night in Hattiesburg. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. with ESPN+ and participating SuperTalk Mississippi stations handling the broadcast. |
| Men's Basketball: Five Things To Know: State vs. No. 5 Florida | |
| Mississippi State men's basketball wraps up the road portion of its SEC slate with a trip to No. 5 Florida on Tuesday evening at Exactech Arena inside the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. State (13-16, 5-11 SEC) is led by Josh Hubbard and Jayden Epps who have combined to rack up 35.1 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 Gators (23-6, 14-2 SEC) have won nine consecutive games and clinched a share of the SEC regular season crown with a 111-77 rout of No. 20 Arkansas on Saturday. The defending national champions have six players averaging in double figures fueled by Thomas Haugh (17.1 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.0 BPG) and Alex Condon (14.4 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.5 BPG) in the front court along with Boogie Fland (11.6 PPG, 3.4 APG) and Xaivian Lee (11.4 PPG, 4.1 APG, 1.1 SPG) in the back court. Haugh and Condon have combined for 11 double-doubles on the season. |
| Purcell remains positive about March Madness chances heading into SEC Tournament | |
| The regular season came to a close for Mississippi State women's basketball on Sunday with a 72-63 defeat to No. 6 LSU. The Bulldogs finished the 2025-26 campaign 18-12, 5-11 in SEC play, with four straight losses to close their conference campaign. The team still has hopes of making the NCAA Tournament, but will likely need a win or two at the SEC Tournament to stay in contention for a spot. When MSU head coach Sam Purcell arrived with players Kharyssa Richardson and Favour Nwaedozi for the post-game press conference, the attitude was far from disappointment. The trio shared encouragement and belief that the team still has what it takes to extend the season. "I love it," Purcell said when asked how he felt about his team's tournament chances. "When you look at the bubble teams, nobody has signature wins like we do. When you do a blind resume and say, who'd you beat? We beat three Top-25 teams." Purcell recognized the importance of the team's record and recent struggles in the context of his team's bid for a place in the tournament. Still, he believes his team's performances show more than their record in a resume comparison. MSU will open SEC Tournament play as the No. 13 seed in the conference standings. The current format features all 16 member schools in the tournament, with the opening round beginning on Wednesday. The Bulldogs will face a familiar foe in Florida, the team that began MSU's current losing streak two weeks ago at Humphrey Coliseum. |
| Women's Tennis Makes Quick Work of Memphis | |
| Mississippi State women's tennis improved to 12-2 on the year with its 4-0 victory over Memphis on Monday. Mississippi State, playing its fourth match in five days, was hitting on all cylinders against Memphis. The Bulldogs took the doubles points over the Tigers with a 6-0 win by Athina Pitta and Mia Robinson on court three, followed by a 6-2 victory on court two by Emma Cohen and Thessy Ntondele Zinga. Singles was over in record time, as State secured three wins nearly simultaneously on courts 2, 3, and 4. State's first win came from Charlotte Kempenaers-Pocz (6-0, 6-1). Mississippi State secured its third point of the match on court four with Carolina Troiano winning 6-1, 6-1. The match was clinched by Ntondele Zinga, who won 6-2, 6-2 on court three. The Bulldogs will travel to Texas for a pair of matches. State will take on Texas A&M on Thursday, March 5, at 5 p.m. and Texas on Saturday, March 7, at noon. |
| Excellent turkey hunting season expected in Mississippi | |
 | Turkey season is just around the corner and according to the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, hunters should expect another excellent year. "It's really positive," said Caleb Hinton, Wild Turkey Program coordinator for the agency. "We've had some really strong hatches across the state the last two or three years. There should be plenty of 2-year-old gobblers on the landscape for hunters to chase this spring." According to MDWFP's turkey season forecast, the last few years have been exceptional for Mississippi turkey hunters. In the 2025 season, hunters harvested more than 32,000 gobblers which is 15% above the average of the previous decade. With another strong hatch recorded in 2025, Mississippi's turkey population estimate is at one of the highest levels in a generation. Turkey numbers vary from property to property, but the overall forecast for the 2026 season is highly optimistic in nearly every part of the state. Mississippi's spring turkey season opens on Saturday, March 14, and runs through May 1. |
| NCAA advises schools to brace for March Madness travel disruptions amid charter shortage | |
| The NCAA is advising member schools to brace for potential travel issues with March Madness, especially during the first week of the men's and women's basketball tournaments, in part because of a shortage of charter aircraft. "Extreme flexibility will be required this championship season," NCAA officials said in a memo distributed last week to its more than 350 Division I members. The NCAA provides charter flights and buses for 136 teams -- 68 in each tournament -- that all need to be moved within a 12-72-hour window after brackets are revealed March 15. Schools are responsible for their own bookings. Schools located 400 or more miles away from the game sites can book a charter flight through an NCAA provider. The NCAA cited the busy spring-break travel season, possible TSA-related delays due to a partial government shutdown and a significant decrease in available charter flights nationwide as potential logistical hurdles for schools. The NCAA men's tournament begins March 17-18 with the First Four in Dayton, Ohio. First- and second-round games are played March 19-22 at eight sites around the country, including Buffalo, N.Y., Tampa, Fla. and St. Louis, Mo. The highest seeds host the first two rounds of the women's tournament. The women's First Four is scheduled for March 18-19, and first-round games are March 20-23. |
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