| Friday, June 13, 2014 |
| MSU Hosts Summer Veterinary Camp | |
 | Mississippi State University is hosting a group of children this week who hope to learn a little more about man's best friend. Campers from near and far have gathered together for the love of animals. Thanks to the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine, these animal lovers will learn how to medically care for their furry friends." It mirrors the experience of first and second year DVM students get in their education, so they do all kinds of labs and get experience that those students would get, but more of a kid-friendly version," Program Director Brandi Van Ormer said. |
| Taking care of animals at Mississippi State | |
 | Ask anyone in this group of young people and they'll all tell you about their love for animals big and small. Thursday, teenagers at Mississippi State University's Vet Camp are doing physical exams on dogs. They're listening to heartbeats and observing the animals' overall demeanor. Jessie Bethany with the MSU Vet Camp said, "They pretty much get to do everything that a first and second year student at MSU gets to do. Last night, we did the night in the emergency room." For the students, this interaction with animals seems to come naturally. |
| Mississippi State hosts veterinary camp for high-schoolers | |
 | Many high school students might get queasy at the prospect of examining an animal corpse, but not Skyler Turner. A sophomore at North Pontotoc University, Skyler said he hunts in his free time, so when he went to Mississippi State University's College of Veterinary Medicine day camp last year, the necropsy took territory familiar to him and added medical context. In fact, he said, it was his favorite part of the camp, and he is looking forward to it again this year. |
| Stennis Institute Gives 'First Impression' of Fulton | |
| Residents of Fulton had the chance to learn what some recent visitors thought about the strengths and weaknesses of their city. Thursday night they gathered at the historic grammar school auditorium to hear the findings from the Stennis Institute at Mississippi State University. Four members recently visited Fulton as part of the First Impressions program which is sort of like a secret shopper program. Project Director Joseph Fratesi presented his team's thoughts on the city's appearance, access to services, friendliness and overall atmosphere, as well as what needs improvement. Fratesi says they had very positive impression. |
| Mississippi landowners may see profit from natural resources | |
 | A July 17 workshop in Hattiesburg will help landowners recognize the income-generating potential of using their land in natural resource enterprises. The Mississippi Forestry Commission, the U.S. Forest Service and the MSU Extension Service are offering the Natural Resources Enterprise Advanced Workshop from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Forrest County Multi-Purpose Building. Topics include tax considerations, case studies, business plan development, integrated forest management, legal and liability considerations and compensation incentive programs. |
| Scientists studying new pesticide-application recommendations | |
 | Researchers at the Mississippi State University Delta Research and Extension Center believe a new research project can help farmers reduce their number of pesticide applications without reducing peanut yield. Jeff Gore, an Extension entomologist and assistant research professor with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station at the MSU Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville, said Mississippi peanut producers soon will have pesticide recommendations tailored specifically to the local climate. The two-year study will help researchers understand which insects cause the most yield loss and determine the best pesticide spraying schedule to control them in Mississippi. |
| MSU alum Miller to retire after 20 years of leading, modernizing Pitt's University Library System | |
 | Rush Miller, a visionary under whose leadership the University Library System has flourished, will retire from his position as director of the system and Hillman University Librarian effective Dec. 31. Miller ushered the system of University of Pittsburgh libraries -- which now includes 15 libraries and holdings of nearly 7 million books -- through two decades of change and growth. In addition to a master of library science degree from Florida State University, Miller earned a master of arts degree in medieval history from Delta State University and a Ph.D. in medieval history from Mississippi State University. |
| Arrests made in Starkville shooting death | |
 | A 25-year-old Starkville man has been arrested in connection with the shooting death of Tyrell Deshon Gillespie on Wednesday. Anthony Lamar Williams, of 1200 Louisville St., Apartment C1, has been charged with murder. He was also charged with disorderly conduct Thursday. He was processed and transported to Oktibbeha County Jail, according to a Starkville Police Department press release. Devonte Tyjuan Lucious, 21, of 382 Kincade Rd., was also arrested and charged with accessory after the fact for his alleged actions following the homicide. Police arrested Williams after he allegedly shot Gillespie, 27, multiple times in the parking lot of the Louisville Street apartment complex about 2:30 p.m. Thursday. |
| Bounds presents update on state | |
 | Dr. Hank Bounds, Institutions of Higher Learning commissioner, was the guest speaker during Wednesday's Rotary Club of Cleveland meeting. Delta State University President Bill LaForge, who introduced Bounds, said, "Hank is well known in the community and he runs eight universities across the state." Bounds also explained the importance of universities to the state and local municipalities. "DSU is doing well and we are about to put the issue of declining enrollment to rest. Universities are basically municipalities. It costs money to run them and some of them have larger populations than the towns or cities that they are located in," he added. |
| PEER: Department of Mental Health fails to follow rules | |
| The Mississippi Department of Mental Health didn't comply with its own requirements when it certified the private company that was later awarded the contract to privatize the Mississippi State Hospital's Community Services Division. The information will be released Friday in a report by the state watchdog agency, the Joint Committee on Performance and Expenditure Review, also known as PEER. PEER says a contract was entered into with the private company despite the fact the company didn't have a permanent adult program location or a staff that could provide all of the required services. The company's references weren't verified, nor was there a plan to transition the Community Services clients, or a plan to ensure that clients without pay sources would continue to receive services. |
| Protests aim at Mississippi's New York picnic | |
 | Opponents of a Mississippi law could be like ants at the state's annual New York picnic. Those protesting the Mississippi Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which takes effect July 1, say it could sanction discrimination against gays and lesbians. Oxford chef John Currence and others will host a Big Gay Mississippi Welcome Table dinner Friday in New York. Another group plans a moment of silence before the Saturday picnic in Central Park. The measure says government can't substantially burden religious practices without compelling reasons. Critics fear it could allow business owners who oppose homosexuality to refuse services to gays and lesbians. Supporters say it's needed to prevent government from putting other priorities ahead of religious freedom, such as zoning laws. |
| Nunnelee facing challenges in recovery from surgery | |
 | U.S. Congressman Alan Nunnelee continues to recover from surgery but has some challenges to overcome. A spokesman said Thursday that Nunnelee, who had surgery Monday to remove a small intracranial mass, is experiencing difficulty with his speech and mobility on his left side. However, doctors, who feel they were successful in removing the mass, are encouraged by his progress and feel his speech and mobility will be restored. Nunnelee will remain at MD Anderson in Houston, Texas, until early next week, and then will be moved to a rehabilitation facility in Houston. |
| Pew: U.S. political divide growing at exponential rate | |
| Political polarization in America has broken out of the voting booth. A new survey from the Pew Research Center finds Americans are divided by ideology and partisanship not only when they cast ballots, but also in choosing where to live, where to get their news and with whom to associate. And peaceful coexistence is increasingly difficult. The numbers of ideological purists are larger among the politically engaged than the general public, suggesting the ideological stalemates that have become more common in Washington and statehouses around the country are likely to continue. |
| McDaniel hits 'status quo,' Cochran touts aid | |
| Senate candidate Chris McDaniel is trying to visit 10 towns a day in his campaign to unseat longtime incumbent Sen. Thad Cochran, and Thursday, one of those stops was Houston. McDaniel dropped in Moore's Restaurant and worked the room, shaking hands and sitting down in booths with those eating breakfast, asking each person to vote for him in the June 24 runoff and asking their views on issues. Cochran, meanwhile, continued to remind voters that as a former Senate Appropriations Committee chairman, he has brought billions of dollars to Mississippi for highways, disaster recovery, economic development projects and university research. |
| Cochran, McDaniel pound home their platforms across Mississippi | |
 | U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran campaigned across South Mississippi on Thursday, highlighting federal government spending on education and shipbuilding, themes central to his comeback attempt against state Sen. Chris McDaniel. McDaniel, meanwhile, barnstormed around the northern part of the state. His bus took him to restaurants in Ackerman, Starkville, Aberdeen and Grenada. Runoffs have notoriously small turnouts that favor the top vote-getter in the first election. It came up at Cochran's second stop with business and political leaders in Pascagoula where U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker's wife, Gayle, urged Cochran's supporters to get out the vote. "Don't take for granted your best friend is going to remember to vote," she said. |
| Cochran supporters say Jackson County economy at risk if longtime senator isn't reelected | |
 | Jackson County's economy and the entire region's success will be at risk unless U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran is reelected, local business leaders said as the longtime senator made a campaign stop at Merchants & Marine Bank in Pascagoula Thursday afternoon. Cochran, a six term senator, faces challenger state Sen. Chris McDaniel, who is tea party-backed, in a June 24 Republican primary runoff. The runoff "will be a referendum on the future well-being of this county," said business leader Jerry St. Pe, who introduced Cochran to the crowd. Cochran pledged that he would invest his best efforts and "reflect credit on the state of Mississippi and all of you who had a part in my reelection to Senate." |
| Unions, workers say Cochran best able to save Ingalls jobs | |
| As the Ingalls Shipbuilding day shift workers trickled down Jerry St. Pe Highway at 4 a.m., few had any idea the road's namesake would be waiting for them at the end of the road and Gate 4 of one of Mississippi's largest employers. But there on a humid 80-degree morning with lightning flashing overhead was St. Pe and his friend Sen. Thad Cochran, who is locked in a runoff of battle with state Sen. Chris McDaniel. Mike Crawley, president of the Pascagoula Metal Trades Council, an umbrella organization of Ingalls unions that represents 6,000 employees, said it endorsed Cochran because of "all the things he's done for us." And he said the senator's longevity is a plus despite McDaniel and his supporters arguing that Cochran has been in the Senate too long. |
| Arkansas Congressman Defends Vote Against Delta Agency | |
| Arkansas Republican Senate hopeful Tom Cotton on Thursday defended his vote to abolish a federal agency formed to assist the Mississippi River Delta, telling leaders from the region that taxpayers aren't getting a good return from the spending. The freshman congressman said he believes Arkansans aren't getting enough in exchange for the federal money that goes toward regional commissions such as the Delta Regional Authority. Cotton, who is challenging Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor, voted for the Republican Study Committee Budget, which would have eliminated the DRA as well as the Appalachian Regional Commission. |
| Mississippi general who led Baghdad overthrow speaks about Iraq | |
| The man who lead American troops in to overthrow Baghdad in 2003 said what's happening in Iraq right now is a "bad situation." Mosul, where hundreds of American soldiers died during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Tikrit, another major Iraqi city that saw its share of bloody fighting, both have fallen, and Maj. Gen. Buford "Buff" Blount, a Hattiesburg native, said he believes America should have kept up a viable presence in Iraq longer than it did. "To cut everything as deeply as we did without leaving any advisers, without leaving any military presence, left an open door for al-Qaida," Blount said. |
| UMMC to name research program for Evers-Williams | |
| The University of Mississippi Medical Center is announcing Friday it is naming a research institute on child health disparities and minority men's health after civil rights advocate Myrlie Evers-Williams. The Myrlie Evers-Williams Institute for the Elimination of Health Disparities will be located at the Jackson Medical Mall. Ever-Williams will attend the announcement at 10 a.m. Friday along with Dr. James Keeton, UMMC vice chancellor for health affairs; Dr. Bettina Beech, UMMC associate vice chancellor for population health; U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss.; and others. |
| U. of Alabama system proposes tuition increase at Tuscaloosa, Birmingham campuses | |
 | The University of Alabama Board of Trustees are expected Friday to approve a $376 per two semesters increase for in-state students at its Tuscaloosa and Birmingham campuses. At a 3.9 percent raise to $9,826 for UA, the increase is slightly above last year's 2.7 percent raise. The rise in tuition at UAB decelerated slightly compared to last year, but students there will still see a 4.2 percent hike to $9,280. Due to a restructuring of their tuition payment system, UAH's increase is negligible -- in-state students will pay $9,158 for a two-semester year. "We must focus on our priorities," Ray Hayes, Executive Vice Chancellor for Finance and Operations, said when presenting the tuition proposal Thursday afternoon. "Our campuses can not be all things to all people." |
| Alabama trustees to consider construction projects in Tuscaloosa | |
 | The University of Alabama System board of trustees is scheduled to consider proposals to begin preliminary planning for a new UA supply store building near Tutwiler Hall and for authorization to name an architect for the renovation of the Bryce Admissions building. The projects were among a series of resolutions approved by the board's Physical Properties Committee on Thursday. The resolutions go before the full board Friday. The committee approved a resolution to begin preliminary planning for a $5.2 million, 13,281-square-foot retail center at the former site of the Corner Store and existing Bryant Dance Studio. The new building will house the SUPe Store branch relocated from Tutwiler Hall and a new Starbucks. |
| List of nominees for U. of Florida president grows to 15 | |
 | Seven new names have been added to the list of nominees to be the next president of the University of Florida, bringing the total now to 15. The board of trustees is conducting a search for a successor to Bernie Machen, the 11th president of UF, who is retiring this year. The search is being managed by the Miramar-based executive search firm of Greenwood-Asher and Associates for $95,000. |
| U. of Kentucky president, Lexington mayor meet to discuss Rupp Arena | |
 | University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto and Mayor Jim Gray met Thursday to discuss the future of a $351 million renovation of Rupp Arena and attached convention center. But the university and the city gave few details of the meeting, which came about three weeks after a letter Capilouto wrote withdrawing support for the arena and convention center project. Susan Straub, a spokeswoman for Gray, said Thursday's meeting was "positive" and "we look forward to continuing the conversation." Jay Blanton, a spokesman for the university, declined to comment. The fate of the controversial project is at a critical juncture. Without UK's support, it's unclear if the project can move forward. |
| Fraternities Are Focus of Measures to Reduce Assaults and Misconduct | |
 | At the University of Tennessee this year, some fraternity pledges had hot sauce poured on their genitals. At Emory in Atlanta, pledges were required to consume items "not typical for eating" and to engage in fistfights. Facing a barrage of bad publicity and lawsuits, a growing number of federal investigations and a recent White House task force report, colleges are under intense pressure to curb sexual assault, binge drinking and hazing. They have increasingly focused their efforts on fraternities. In just the past few months, fraternities have been suspended or put on probation at the Universities of Tennessee, Connecticut, Illinois and Mississippi, as well as at Kent State, Emory, Lehigh, Cornell and Northwestern Universities, among others. |
| AAUP Members Are Warned of Growing Threats to Academic Freedom | |
 | The last few academic years have brought a wave of new threats to academic freedom, arising both from controversies fanned by social media and from pressure on state lawmakers to restrict speech at public colleges, members of the American Association of University Professors were told here on Thursday at the group's annual conference. Both Henry F. Reichman, who is chairman of the AAUP's Committee A on Academic Freedom, and top officials of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, a free-speech advocacy group known as FIRE, described a host of recent efforts to punish colleges' faculty members for controversial statements or to limit what faculty members can say. |
| 'Can I Tweet That?' | |
 | From censored tweets to viral videos of professors' partisan "rants," numerous faculty members have found themselves in hot water over how they've used or been portrayed on social media in the past year. For faculty members at most colleges and universities, social media is a kind of "wild west" in which there are few -- if any -- articulated policies protecting professors' right to tweet, post or otherwise share professional or personal thoughts (or to keep their thoughts private). That's a problem, said Henry Reichman, professor emeritus of history at California State University at East Bay and chair of the American Association of University Professors' Committee A on Academic Freedom and Tenure. He delivered the plenary address at AAUP's annual conference in Washington on Thursday, aptly called "Can I Tweet That?" |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State women's hoops to play in Las Vegas holiday hoops classic | |
| Catch some Hail State Hoops and get that last-minute Christmas shopping done in Las Vegas as the Mississippi State women's basketball team participates in the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic, scheduled for Dec. 20-21. The event, hosted by Sport Tours International, will be played at the South Point Hotel arena located just a few miles from the famous Las Vegas Strip. Mississippi State returns five starters from last season's squad that finished 22-14, the fourth-most wins in program history, and advanced to the WNIT quarterfinals. |
| 'Bully!' for MSU athletic scholarship recipient Bryant | |
| Hard work -- and play -- paid off big for Brandon Bryant, who left last week to start his football career with a full athletic scholarship at Mississippi State University. The 2014 Rosa Fort High School graduate played sports his entire life, but said he kicked his efforts into full gear after losing his aunt Keshia Bond a year ago "It's going to be a big transition. I'm going to just be positive," he said. "My strategy to stay focused is my family. My aunt, who passed, she just made everything complete for me. When she passed away, I grind harder than I ever did before." |
| Alabama trustees consider digital upgrades to Bryant-Denny Stadium | |
| The University of Alabama would add approximately $2.5 million in new digital signs and sales terminals in Bryant-Denny Stadium as part of an equipment package being considered by the board of trustees today. The Physical Properties Committee on Thursday approved a resolution authorizing the purchase of new digital signage, digital menu boards and a point of sale system for concession stands at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The new equipment would be installed in all concourse concession stands and in high-traffic concourse locations. The digital signage package would include a mix of 246 55-inch and 42-inch televisions, 20 media players and associated support equipment. |
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