| Friday, August 15, 2014 |
| Mississippi State Moves to 11th on 'Supercomputing' List | |
 | The state's premier research university is again ranked as a leading academic supercomputing site, according to an international organization dedicated to cataloging the world's most powerful computer systems. Named "Shadow," Mississippi State's newest Cray supercomputer is the 11th fastest academic system in the United States with an overall ranking of No. 185 on TOP500.org's latest Top500 Supercomputer Site list. "Dating back to 1996, MSU has had a computer system on 19 of the last 37 Top500 lists," said Trey Breckenridge, director of high performance computing at the land-grant institution. |
| Mississippi State climbs the supercomputing ranks | |
 | Mississippi State ranks among the leading academic supercomputing sites according to TOP500.org. "Shadow", MSU's newest supercomputer, is the 11th fastest academic system in the United States. It is the primary high-performance computing asset for shared research at the university. Four other systems, two at the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers Research and Development Center in Vicksburg and two U. S. Navy systems at Stennis Space Center, are also on the list. |
| Fiddling MSU Engineering Student Awarded Prestigious Scholarship | |
| A Mississippi State University engineering student is the latest recipient of the prestigious Buick Achievement Scholarship Award and will be receiving some $100,000 in scholarship money over the next four years. This semester at MSU, fiddle playing engineering student Tyler White of Jumpertown is expected to be walking the campus by day and touring the Southeast and beyond on weekends. The future engineer has at least two tools for success at his disposal: His rigid class schedule at MSU, and an itinerary featuring bluegrass gigs with his favorite band members as they hit the road taking them to various destinations across the country. |
| Montgomery Foundation supports new MSU veterans facility | |
 | The G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery Foundation has made a $100,000 challenge commitment to the late U.S. Congressman's alma mater for a new campus veterans center to be erected with private gifts on the Mississippi State campus. "This is a most generous donation and a wonderful tribute to the late Sonny Montgomery who will always be remembered as a champion for assisting our servicemen and women," said MSU President Mark E. Keenum. "Currently the veterans center is housed in an older building that cannot adequately serve this growing portion of MSU's enrollment. A new home will enhance the educational and transitional environment for student veterans." |
| Country Music Legend Merle Haggard Coming to Mississippi State | |
| Singer, songwriter, musician, guitarist, country music legend–some of the words that describe Merle Haggard. An Oildale, California, native who helped create the Bakersfield sound in the Sixties, Haggard inaugurates Mississippi State's 2014-15 Lyceum Series with an Aug. 20 concert in the Bettersworth Auditorium of the university's historic Lee Hall. The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. Ticket information is available at www.lyceum.msstate.edu. |
| Local Professor Discusses Impact of Black Bear's Killing | |
 | A local biology professor says the death of a Louisiana black bear could have lasting consequences. Jarrod Fogarty, who teaches biology at Mississippi State University-Meridian, says the killing of a black bear in Lauderdale County in January of this year is very unfortunate for the black bear population because a loss of just one bear impacts the genetic diversity of the black bear population. It's estimated there are only a little more than 100 Louisiana black bears in Mississippi. "That is just, just unnecessary," Fogarty said. "And again, just unfortunate that somebody made that decision." Travis Butler, 28, of Meridian, Chester Brad Williams, 49, of Meridian, and David Lucas Wimberly, 34, of Quitman, were indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with a Jan. 4, 2014, incident. |
| Eyes in the Skies, Drones in Mississippi | |
 | Flying up and out of sight, you can barely even hear it once it's up in the air. Unmanned aircraft systems, also known as drones, are being more and more popular with consumers. It's leading the Federal Aviation Administration to create more rules and regulations. Along with Hinds Community College, Mississippi State University is already researching the unmanned aircraft systems. While we've mostly heard drones are used for military and recreational use, some are awaiting FAA's regulations in hopes of using drones for agricultural use. "Right now, 80 percent of the use will be agricultural related," says Commissioner of Agriculture, Cindy Hyde-Smith. She says drones will be mostly used for farming. |
| Reading deadline looms for Mississippi third-graders | |
 | Thousands of Mississippi parents could get a letter at the end of this school year notifying them their third graders have failed because of a legislative mandate to hold them back if they don't read well enough. The state Board of Education could approve the letter Friday, discussing efforts Thursday to help cut the number of failing students. In 2012, about 5,000 of Mississippi's 37,000 third graders scored "minimal" on state standardized tests. Nathan Oakley, state director of curriculum and instruction, said a similarly-sized group is in danger this year, although declined to estimate how many children might fail. |
| Mississippi Department of Education sought 75 literacy coaches, hired just 41 | |
 | The Mississippi Department of Education hired just 41 of the 75 literacy coaches wanted to fully implement a new legislative initiative dubbed "third-grade reading gate." It's up from 24 last year but still short of the agency's goal. Under the program, struggling readers will be held back if they can't make progress by the end of third grade. Coaches are meant to reduce the number of affected children by helping schools identify and assist at-risk students so they can achieve grade-level reading proficiency. Despite collecting nearly 600 applications and conducting more than 100 interviews, MDE was able to fill just a fraction of the allotted positions, said Nathan Oakley, director of MDE curriculum and instruction. The problem stems from the relative uncertainty of the job, said state Superintendent of Education Carey Wright. |
| McDaniel sues to be declared winner | |
| Chris McDaniel wants a court to exclude 25,000 Hinds County votes -- plus those from several other counties -- from the June 24 runoff results and declare him the winner of the U.S. Senate GOP primary. McDaniel filed a lawsuit against incumbent Sen. Thad Cochran in Jones County Circuit Court on Thursday, the legal deadline to file. If he's not declared the winner, tea party-backed McDaniel asks the court to order the state Republican Party to hold a new statewide primary and require it to prevent "party raiding" by Democrats. McDaniel's complaint calls Hinds County the "worst offender" of Mississippi's 82 counties. |
| McDaniel files election challenge | |
| A tea party-backed candidate asked a Mississippi court on Thursday to declare him the winner of the June 24 Republican runoff against incumbent U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran or order a new election. State Sen. Chris McDaniel sued Thursday in state court in his own home of Jones County. The Mississippi Supreme Court will appoint a special judge to handle the case. McDaniel faces high hurdles to convince a judge to take either action: it would be unprecedented for a court to order a do-over of a statewide election, and part of his argument in the lawsuit hinges on an unenforceable law. |
| McDaniel legal challenge filed in Jones County | |
 | Chris McDaniel finally has filed his long-awaited legal challenge to the results of the June 24 Republican primary runoff he lost to incumbent Thad Cochran. McDaniel is asking the courts to award him the nomination or at least order a new primary election. The state senator from Ellisville filed the legal challenge in circuit court in his home county of Jones. Filing in his home county does not provide McDaniel any particular advantage in succeeding in the challenge since under state law Mississippi Supreme Court Chief Justice William Waller Jr. is required to appoint a special judge to hear the case. |
| Hosemann calls McDaniel lawsuit a 'distraction' | |
 | Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann has called State Sen. Chris McDaniel's lawsuit a "distraction." Last week, the Mississippi Republican Party refused to hear McDaniel's challenge to the outcome of his GOP primary run-off loss in the U.S. Senate race and told him to take it to court. So, he did. McDaniel's attorney filed the challenge in Jones County, the candidate's home county. Hosemann, who was on the Coast to speak to the Gulfport Rotary Club on Thursday, said this battle is a reminder that there is still political dysfunction in the state. "There's no reason for Mississippi to be involved in this litigation, and I'm hopeful we won't be," Hosemann said. |
| Hitting Las Vegas' political jackpot | |
 | A parade of candidates and political groups are making their way through Las Vegas, drawn by the combination of campaign cash, industry gatherings and R&R. Politicians, political committees and parties have spent more than $330,000 this cycle at top hotels and restaurants on and near The Strip, according to a Politico analysis of Federal Election Commission data. The availability of campaign cash, speaking fees and elite audiences often make it worth risking the taboo that opponents invariably try to attach to jaunts to the U.S. capital of debauchery, but sometimes politicians still prefer to sneak in and out with minimal attention. Top out-of-state spenders include Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi: $34,000 at the Aria and MGM hotel casinos. |
| Congress under pressure from left and right to 'demilitarize' police | |
 | Groups on the left and right are uniting behind calls to end what they say is the rise of a "militarized" police force in the United States. They say the controversial police tactics seen this week in Ferguson, Mo., are not isolated to the St. Louis County police department and warn the rise of heavily armed law enforcement agencies has become an imminent threat to civil liberties. Critics say the Pentagon program is "blurring the lines" between the police and the military in dangerous ways. |
| Americans say what ails the economy: It's politics | |
 | More than five years after the recession's official end, Americans are still deeply worried about their economy -- and they say the way forward lies in improved government. These views are evident in a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll: Nearly two-thirds of adults say they're dissatisfied with the state of the economy. Three-fourths say they're not confident that their children's generation will have a better life than their own. If a silver lining immediately leaps out of these numbers, it's this: Americans aren't rolling over and saying a difficult economy is inevitable. They want the problems fixed and they think that policies can make a difference. |
| GOP campaign arm launches fake news sites against Democrats | |
 | At first glance, the "Central Valley Update," the "Augusta Update" and the "Aurora Update" appear to be doing what any news site would do: hold local candidates accountable. Problem is, they're not real news sites. The National Republican Congressional Committee has launched more than 20 of these fake news sites to attack Democrats running for Congress, creating a media uproar and drawing protest from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the NRCC's counterpart. "One of our country's greatest strengths is freedom of the press," said Jason Bresler, a spokesman for Rep. Bill Enyart (D-Ill.), in a statement. "For the Republicans to mock that -- it's offensive." |
| U. of Alabama students offer advice to help freshmen thrive | |
 | More than 6,000 freshmen will move into their dorm rooms and residence halls at the University of Alabama beginning Friday and continuing through Sunday. Classes at UA begin Wednesday, and more seasoned students have some tips on how freshmen can thrive in their first year on campus. Jazymine Latham, a senior, said that freshmen need to get acquainted with their teachers as well as fellow students. Whitney Watson, a junior accounting major, stressed the need to become an expert in time management. Brelan Dunn, a sophomore chemical engineering major, said that freshmen need to take time to familiarize themselves with the campus and transportation options. |
| Auburn researchers make breakthrough discovery about evolution of spiders, webs | |
 | A group of Auburn researchers has published a study that could overturn some long-held paradigms regarding spider web evolution. Because of similarities in behaviors associated with web construction and the complicated nature of the webs, it has long been thought that all orb-weaving spiders shared a common ancestor. The study shows that spiders that weave orb-shaped webs are not all closely related and that the orb web was likely not the pinnacle of web evolution. "Conversely, our data shows that rather than being highly derived, or evolved much later in spider evolutionary history, the orb web is actually quite primitive and evolved earlier than previously thought," said Jason Bond, a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and director of the Auburn University Museum of Natural History, who led the study. |
| Former congressman named to LSU board | |
 | The former congressman who introduced Gov. Bobby Jindal to Louisiana politics was named by the governor Thursday to the LSU Board of Supervisors. Retired U.S. Rep. Jim McCrery, a Shreveport Republican, was appointed to fill a vacancy on the 16-member board that oversees LSU's campuses and hospitals. McCrery, 64, replaced Buddy Roemer in the U.S. House in 1988, when Roemer became governor. He left Congress in January 2009. McCrery replaces Shreveport doctor John George, who abruptly resigned his seat on the LSU Board after questions were raised about his relationship with the private foundation that took over management of LSU hospitals in Shreveport and Monroe. |
| U. of Missouri program gives seeds, vegetable plants to food pantries | |
 | It's still early, but University of Missouri employees trying to reduce the number of Missourians who don't have enough food are confident they are making a difference with the help of a five-year grant. After one year, Grow Well Missouri, a project that distributes thousands of seeds and vegetable plants to area food pantry users to grow their own food, has already made a difference, project coordinator Bill McKelvey said. The Grow Well Missouri project is funded by a $500,000 Missouri Foundation for Health grant. It started in early 2013 and has since distributed more than 22,000 seed packets and plant starters to four food pantries in northeast and Mid-Missouri. |
| U. of Missouri program receives grant for establishing national network of researchers | |
 | In order to encourage research that benefits the public, the National Science Foundation has awarded MU a $500,000 grant for its Broader Impacts Network. The grant will fund a five-year initiative to foster collaboration between MU and other national organizations, known as the Broader Impacts and Outreach Network for Institutional Collaboration. The network will connect researchers engaged in broader impacts activities. Susan Renoe, director of the Broader Impacts Network at MU, said broader impacts activities are designed to explain to the average citizen how researchers are using tax dollars. Renoe described it as a "return on taxpayers' investment." |
| Some colleges embrace, tepidly, federal scrutiny on campus sexual assaults | |
 | In announcing bipartisan campus sexual assault legislation earlier this month, Senator Claire McCaskill suggested that colleges could either protest the scrutiny or get on board with the effort. Several higher education groups in Washington have responded by pushing back against the legislation. While acknowledging that colleges have a moral and legal obligation to root out sexual violence on their campus, some higher education advocates in Washington said that the bill is mostly too heavy-handed. Some individual colleges and university systems, though, are opting for a different approach: they're either embracing the legislation outright or cautiously deferring judgment on it, careful not to be dismissive of the concerns about sexual assault animating the legislative effort. |
| A Shooting in a St. Louis Suburb Reverberates on Campuses Near and Far | |
 | The weekend shooting death of an unarmed black teen by a police officer in Ferguson, Mo., had colleges in the St. Louis area scrambling to beef up security this week as racially-charged clashes between protesters and the police created an uneasy prelude to a new academic year. Area colleges sent out messages to reassure students, parents, and faculty and staff that their campuses were safe after several nights in which heavily-armed police officers fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters angered by the shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown. Teach-ins were being planned at several campuses that will be welcoming students next week. Meanwhile, controversy over the incident is reverberating nationwide. |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State's Dak Prescott named to Manning Award watch list | |
| Dak Prescott is one of 32 quarterbacks up for the Manning Award, the Sugar Bowl announced Thursday. The Mississippi State quarterback is also a candidate for the Maxwell Award and the Davey O'Brien Award this season. The Manning Award was created in honor of the college football accomplishments of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning -- all quarterbacks. It is the only quarterback award that includes the candidates' bowl performances in its balloting. Prescott attended the Manning Passing Academy earlier this summer. |
| Mississippi State features plenty of running back options | |
 | Mississippi State has produced standout running backs such as Vick Ballard and Anthony Dixon in the past, but the program has never featured much depth at the position. That's changed for the Bulldogs this year. "We have a good group. I don't know if I've had this many quality running backs in a while," running back coach Greg Knox said of his group. "The two freshmen (Dontavian Lee and Aeris Williams) who have come in have shown they are going to be able to play in this league. The veterans coming back are solid. All those guys are playing well right now, and we have competition at that position." |
| Knox enjoying best running back depth in his time at Mississippi State | |
| Greg Knox enters his sixth season at Mississippi State. As the running backs coach he's seen Vick Ballard, Anthony Dixon and LaDarius Perkins leave Starkville for spots on NFL rosters. The Bulldogs began camp with six running backs competing for a spot to replace Perkins. Through two weeks they've impressed. "I don't know if I had this many quality running backs in a while," Knox said. |
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