| Thursday, August 28, 2014 |
| Mississippi State's Keenum takes ice bucket challenge for ALS | |
 | At Mississippi State University, one president challenged another last week -- and now, that challenge has been accepted. MSU President Mark Keenum took the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Wednesday, donating to the ALS Association and getting doused with ice water by one of his challengers, MSU Student Association President Brett Harris. (Subscriber-only content.) |
| Mississippi State receives funding for two proposals aimed at boosting NASA missions | |
 | Mississippi State University is receiving funding for two proposals expected to help NASA achieve its long-term space mission as well as enhance commercial partnerships and technological innovation on Earth. The federal agency announced principal investigator Judy Schneider of the university's Advanced Materials and Processing Research Group was awarded the grants through the NASA-Marshall Space Flight Center Cooperative Agreement program. "This funding effort builds on more than a decade of collaborative efforts with the NASA-Marshall Materials and Processing Branch," said Schneider. |
| Get Swept Up draws 500 to cleanup effort | |
| Lindsey Thornton, a senior majoring in communication at Mississippi State University, has a lot of friends who live in the Cotton District. But on Wednesday morning, she and three fellow sorority sisters in Phi Mu went there not to socialize or party, but to clean as part of the Greater Starkville Development Partnership's Get Swept Up program. The four were among many more from Phi Mu who volunteered in that area of town throughout the day. Gathering scattered trash across the neighborhood gave her a new perspective on the Cotton District, she said. (Subscriber-only content.) |
| Stennis Institute of Government's Hardwick Steps Down | |
 | After more than a decade as program coordinator for the Stennis Institute of Government and Community Development at Mississippi State University, Phil Hardwick is stepping down. On Wednesday, friends and coworkers honored him with a luncheon in Starkville. Hardwick is hesitant to use the word "retiring." He still teaches classes at Millsaps College, and writes a column for the Mississippi Business Journal. |
| Grant to assist Mississippi State's mobile vet clinic | |
 | The Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine has received a grant to help its mobile spay and neuter clinic. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is providing $40,000 to help cover expenses as the Mobile Veterinary Clinics travel to 20 north Mississippi animal shelters. Students spay and neuter homeless animals through the program that relies solely on grants and donations for its funding. The school currently has two mobile units. |
| Riley Foundation initiates new Mississippi State scholars program | |
 | The Riley Foundation again is increasing support of local Mississippi State University scholarships. Recently the Lauderdale County-based organization provided funding for a new set of academic awards at the MSU-Meridian campus to begin this fall. "We are proud to offer these scholarships for students who have attended one of the community colleges in our area," said Becky Farley, the foundation's executive director. "Our Riley Scholars Program allows talented students to complete a four-year degree at one of the Meridian campuses of Mississippi State University," she added. |
| Riley Foundation Initiates New MSU Scholars Program | |
| The Riley Foundation again is increasing support of local Mississippi State University scholarships. Recently the Lauderdale County-based organization provided funding for a new set of academic awards at the MSU-Meridian campus to begin this fall. In response to the gift, Jerry Gilbert said, "Mississippi State University greatly appreciates the continued investment of the Riley Foundation, particularly in the lives of our students, who are often first-generation college students in need of scholarships." Gilbert is the land-grant institution's provost and executive vice president. |
| Starkville aldermen stall capital improvements exercise | |
 | A process identifying a variety of potential Starkville capital improvement projects was put on hold Tuesday as aldermen were not ready to decide if the city should identify needs in future work sessions with financial advisor Demery Grubbs. Grubbs, who has developed similar planning lists for the city in the past, outlined an oft-used process Tuesday that would allow aldermen and city department heads to develop what he called a Christmas shopping list of improvements for the next one to three years -- before the current term ends. Aldermen would identify projects and then vet the list with a grading system. Work sessions would follow to identify project feasibility and financing options. Traction for the exercise stalled when aldermen could not come to a consensus about moving forward with the process. |
| OCSD warning of suspects posing as law enforcement | |
| Oktibbeha County law enforcement agents are warning residents of two suspects who are reportedly posing as police officers and conducting illegal traffic stops after a resident claimed she was taken to Kemper County against her will Monday. Deputies were first contacted about the reported abduction about 10 p.m. Monday when the victim's mother contacted law enforcement. OCSD Commander Brett Watson said the victim was pulled over by a white Ford Crown Victoria with a spotlight and blue, police-style emergency light on Highway 182, east of Starkville in outlying Oktibbeha County. "Police officers are here to protect you; we want to make sure we do that. We take this situation very seriously," Watson said. |
| Group files lawsuit for MAEP funding | |
 | Fourteen Mississippi school districts filed a lawsuit in Hinds County Chancery Court on Thursday demanding full funding of the state's schools. The suit was filed by the MAEP Legal Group, which includes former Gov. Ronnie Musgrove. It seeks for those 14 districts -- including Okolona, Prentiss County and Clay County in Northeast Mississippi -- to be repaid a total of $115,164,603 that they have been underfunded since Fiscal Year 2010 under the Mississippi Adequate Education Program. The lawsuit is different than the "Better Schools Better Jobs" group that aims to put a constitutional amendment on the November 2015 ballot that it says would ensure full-funding of schools. That initiative would require a percentage of state revenue growth to be dedicated to MAEP until it was fully funded. |
| McDaniel demands election records from circuit clerks | |
 | Attorneys for Chris McDaniel have issued subpoenas demanding election records from more than half of Mississippi's counties for a lawsuit that seeks to overturn his Republican primary loss to Sen. Thad Cochran. Some circuit clerks said Wednesday that gathering records will require a great deal of work and expense. A McDaniel subpoena demands that records be delivered by Friday to Jones County, where McDaniel filed his election challenge. McDaniel attorney Mitch Tyner said he sent subpoenas Monday to 46 or 47 of the 82 counties -- places where he believes widespread irregularities occurred in the June 24 runoff. |
| County clerks file motions to quash McDaniel subpoena for election materials | |
 | Circuit clerks in Adams and Oktibbeha counties have filed motions to quash or modify the subpoena from Chris McDaniel's attorney Mitch Tyner that requested all original election materials from the United States Senate Republican Primary be forward to the Jones County Circuit Clerk by Friday. The motion from Oktibbeha County's clerk Glenn Hamilton argued that the subpoena was not issued properly. The motion also requested two sanctions against McDaniel, one of them being monetary for the "hundreds of thousands of dollars allegedly campaign contributions" that the motion claimed McDaniel has continued to collect. The other sanction was requested due to the subpoena being "exercised in bad faith as well as in such a manner that unreasonably annoys, embarrasses and oppresses movant to curb abuses." |
| Cochran photo case investigator loses job | |
 | The lead Madison Police Department investigator in the case involving the taking of a photo of U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran's bedridden wife has been reassigned to the animal control/rescue division. No one is commenting why Vickie Currie has lost her job as an investigator with the Madison Police Department. When reached at Animal Control/Rescue, Vickie Currie wouldn't comment. Currie's new assignment began this week. Only three months ago, Currie was lead investigator in the case and was the only witness for the prosecution in Clayton Kelly's preliminary hearing in May. |
| Wesley Foundation Welcomes Students to MUW | |
| The Wesley Foundation at Mississippi University for Women kicked off the school year Wednesday night with a block party. The Wesley Foundation is a ministry of the United Methodist Church for students on college campuses. The ministry provides opportunities for Bible studies, mission opportunities and time to grow in your faith. The second Wesley Wednesday featured the party in Stark Backyard with live worship and a time of Bible study. Participants were treated to a free hamburger and hotdog meal. |
| New Artist-in-Residence joins honors college at UM | |
 | Renowned pianist Bruce Levingston joined the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College as its Artist-in-Residence over the summer. Levingston is the latest addition to Chancellor Dan Jones' "in-residence" positions across the university. The Artist-in-Residence position was made possible by the Lester G. Fant III Charitable Lead Annuity Trust. Dean Douglas Sullivan-González of the honors college said he began seeking this addition to the honors college a year ago. Levingston will have many different roles in his new position. He will perform for the university and around the community along with making appearances in honors courses throughout the year. |
| U.S. government to grow 30 times more marijuana this year | |
 | The U.S. government has upped the quantity of marijuana it's growing this year, to more than 1,400 pounds from the originally planned 46. The federal government classifies marijuana as a substance that has no medical use and is more dangerous than cocaine. But it's willing to let researchers have access -- under a few conditions. One condition is that each project needs approval from the Drug Enforcement Administration. Another is that researchers get the substance from a particular source: the federal government. The marijuana is grown at the University of Mississippi, which has the federal contract to do so for research purpose. |
| Eight Auburn University students test positive for tuberculosis infection, but do not have TB | |
 | Eight Auburn University students have tested positive for latent tuberculosis infection but do not have tuberculosis and are not infectious to others, according to one state health official. Pam Hunter, director of the Alabama Department of Public Heath tuberculosis control division, said there's a significant difference between the infection and the actual disease. Earlier this month, the Alabama Department of Public Health stated that an Auburn student had tested positive for pulmonary tuberculosis. Hunter said the student continues to be treated. |
| Alabama's University Medical Center expanding evening hours | |
 | The University Medical Center on the University of Alabama campus has expanded its evening hours to include scheduled patient appointments. The center has been open from 5:30 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday nights for established patients who need urgent or walk-in care. Now those patients, as well as new patients, can schedule appointments to see doctors for other services, including minor procedures, women's health care, well-child visits and sports physicals. University Medical Center provides care to the university and West Alabama community. |
| Cliff Vannoy named LSU Alumni Association leader | |
 | Cliff Vannoy, who has been serving as acting head of the LSU Alumni Association in recent weeks, has been named the new president and Chief Executive Officer of the nonprofit alumni group. Vannoy took on the acting president role earlier this month, after former CEO Charlie Roberts retired amid a lawsuit that claims he had entered into a monetary arrangement with a former employee to keep secret a sexual relationship between the two. Vannoy joined the LSU Alumni Association, then known as the Alumni Federation, in 1981 as assistant to the director for corporate giving. |
| U. of South Carolina's new business school a beacon for Columbia's business community | |
 | From a corner conference room on the third floor of the University of South Carolina's new Darla Moore School of Business, visitors can see a wide swath of downtown Columbia -- from the State House to the buildings that house the banks, law and commercial real estate firms where much of the Capital City's business gets done. Moore School officials hope the business community will be looking back -- with fresh eyes -- at the new state-of-the-art building at the corner of Greene and Assembly streets, a showcase for the latest in technology and green-energy construction. The new school -- USC's biggest with 4,800 undergraduates and 800 graduate students -- will make its interaction with the business community easier and more widespread, school officials said. |
| Two male students being sought at U. of South Carolina for entering women's dorm rooms in middle of night | |
| University of South Carolina police are questioning two male suspects who allegedly entered several female students' dorm rooms early Friday morning, according to an incident report filed with the USC Police Department. The report said USC police received a call about suspicious activity from the Columbia Hall Residence, a co-ed, freshman dormitory at Barnwell and Pendleton streets. The officers met with a resident mentor, who said female students from six different dorm rooms said two male suspects believed to be students entered their room, between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. the morning of Aug. 22, according to the report. According to university spokesman Wes Hickman, campus police have identified two suspects involved in the incidents. No charges have been filed as yet, he said. |
| U. of Kentucky announces $24M research effort to diversify state's energy economy | |
 | The University of Kentucky announced a $24 million effort Wednesday to harness the brain power of Kentucky's eight public universities to diversify and develop the economies of the state's struggling coalfields. The National Science Foundation's Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research awarded $20 million to UK, and the state's EPSCoR program threw in $4 million to support the project, called "Powering the Kentucky Bioeconomy for a Sustainable Future." "This is the route of innovation and discovery," said UK President Eli Capilouto, who announced the grant alongside a roster of politicians. |
| U. of Kentucky's K-Lair Grill returns after 15-month absence | |
| The historic K-Lair Grill is back at the University of Kentucky's Haggin Hall. It held a ribbon-cutting and reopening ceremony Wednesday, but it won't open for business until next week. A UK institution, K-Lair first opened in 1961. Last year it was closed when the old Haggin Hall was torn down to make way for a new Haggin residence hall. The new K-Lair is spread across 6,000 square fee, with 230 seats, TVs and exterior seating. Food will be served by Aramark, which now runs UK's dining services. |
| U. of Missouri students make silent march for Michael Brown | |
 | Dozens of University of Missouri students marched in silence across campus Wednesday to demand justice for Michael Brown and to express solidarity with demonstrators in Ferguson. "Pray 4 STL," "Hands up, don't shoot" and "Justice" were among the signs students held up while walking across campus and eventually through MU's iconic columns starting about 5:30 p.m. Students without signs held up a fist. "This sends a message to Ferguson," Jonathan McElderry, coordinator of MU's Black Culture Center, said to the crowd after they walked through the columns. The goal of the walk was to empower students and bring attention to the story of Brown |
| NIH Tells Genomic Researchers: 'You Must Share Data' | |
 | Scientists who use government money to conduct genomic research will now be required to quickly share the data they gather under a policy announced on Wednesday by the National Institutes of Health. The data-sharing policy, which will take effect with grants awarded in January, will give agency-financed researchers six months to load any genomic data they collect---from human or nonhuman subjects---into a government-established database or a recognized alternative. NIH officials described the move as the latest in a series of efforts by the federal government to improve the efficiency of taxpayer-financed research by ensuring that scientific findings are shared as widely as possible. |
| SID SALTER (OPINION): Carver's union arguments are at odds with federal law | |
 | Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: "In a recent column, former Freedom Summer volunteer Ron Carver took me to task over my writings about the as yet unsuccessful attempts by organized labor throughout the South to organize the workers in 'Detroit South' auto plants as a means to shore up plummeting membership in flagship unions like the United Auto Workers (UAW). ...As I've written before on this topic, the fact is that cloaking union organization efforts in the political vestments of the civil rights movement is a tactic designed to change what is at its core an argument about money into one about virtue. Despite these tactics, auto workers across the South have rejected this political sleight of hand despite -- as Mr. Carver tried to do with me -- false accusations of racism and intolerance simply because one sees the UAW as less than a desirable presence in the new Southern auto plants." |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State AD Stricklin: 'It's true to our vision' | |
| Mississippi State Director of Athletics Scott Stricklin simply smiled and shook his head. When asked Tuesday afternoon about his favorite aspect of MSU's soon-to-be unveiled $75 million expansion to Davis Wade Stadium, Stricklin had a hard time choosing. "To be honest, I love the brick on the outside facade," said Stricklin, speaking near the end of a one-hour media tour of the stadium. "But there are so many impressive aspects of this. From the new scoreboard level to the gridiron level -- which offers a new view in the end zone -- to the fact that the entrances now present a bigger sense of arrival, there's so much here to be proud of. It truly has stayed true to the vision that we set out to create when this started, and I am especially proud of that." |
| Mississippi State ready to unveil 'new' Davis Wade | |
| When Mississippi State takes the field at 6:30 p.m. Saturday against Southern Miss to open the 2014 season, it will do so in front of one of the largest crowds ever to witness a college football game in Mississippi. The Bulldogs cut the ribbon on a $75 million renovation to Davis Wade Stadium which expands the capacity to 61,337. Tickets for the game are already exhausted – MSU's 31st consecutive home sellout. "It's going to be amazing going from a couple hundred people in the end zone to several thousand," said MSU defensive end Ryan Brown. "Adding another scoreboard monitor is crazy. It's going to be very, very loud and exciting for us to play in." |
| MSU's Mullen: 'this game is huge' in the state of Mississippi | |
| There will be distractions when Mississippi State and Southern Miss kick off Saturday at 6:30 p.m. A top-20 battle between Georgia and Clemson will be coming to a close. Top-ranked Florida State plays Oklahoma State at 7 p.m. All three lead into No. 14 Wisconsin matching up against. No. 14 LSU at 8 p.m. The Magnolia State may have tunnel vision for action inside Davis Wade Stadium. "I think it does so much for the people of Mississippi. On a national schedule this game's not that big," MSU coach Dan Mullen said Wednesday on the Southeastern Conference teleconference. "In the state of Mississippi this game is huge and means so much to so many people." |
| Mississippi State embraces SEC championship aspirations | |
 | Mississippi State has the experience to challenge for its first berth in the SEC Championship Game since 1998. The Bulldogs return 18 starters from last year's 7-6 team that defeated Rice in the Liberty Bowl. With 30 lettermen and a strong recruiting class, MSU may be ready to take the next step. "Our team immediately put a lot of expectations on themselves. ... Our expectations are to find a way to get to Atlanta," MSU coach Dan Mullen said. "I think this is one of these years we've built a foundation for our program. By going to four straight bowl games, by winning four out of five Egg Bowls within the state, we've built a solid foundation for our future." |
| Mississippi State defensive line has pressure to produce | |
| They can't escape it. Mississippi State's defensive line hears about its sack total in the meeting rooms and from the media and the fans. It's usually not praise either. "They've heard the same thing. They know," MSU defensive coordinator Geoff Collins said. "They probably get asked the same question all the time too. So they're kind of hungry." "They want to get after the quarterback; they want to produce," Collins said. "There's a lot of pride involved." When that unit plays well, it creates opportunities for other players on the field. |
| Mullen, Mississippi State look ahead to opener | |
| Mississippi State wide receiver Jameon Lewis said it best. One by one on Monday afternoon, MSU players and coaches summed up their feelings on finally being within range of Saturday night's season-opening football game against Southern Mississippi. First, MSU coach Dan Mullen conveyed his excitement during his weekly press conference. Several players followed the sixth-year coach, and each one shared his enthusiasm five days before the season begins. But no Bulldog put it as succinctly as Lewis. "It has been a long, hot summer," said Lewis, a senior wide receiver from Tylertown. "It seemed like this summer would never end. Now we're right here in game week. It feels so good." |
| Mississippi State on guard for Southern Miss passing game | |
| Mississippi State defensive coordinator Geoff Collins and University of Southern Mississippi quarterback Nick Mullens are hardly strangers. Collins, who came to MSU in 2011, was in charge of recruiting central Alabama in the fall of 2012 when Mullens was a senior at Hoover High School near Birmingham. A two-star prospect, Mullens made multiple visits to MSU but a a scholarship offer never came, and the 6-foot-1, 185-pound signal caller eventually signed with Southern Miss. "He's a great kid, smart kid," said Collins of Mullens. "I got to know him real well, got to know his family. He's a good fit for their offense down at Southern Miss. I think the world of him and it will be fun to get to compete against him." On Saturday night, Collins and Mullens will meet again when the Bulldogs host the Golden Eagles to kick off the season at 6:30 p.m. at Davis Wade Stadium. |
| Mississippi State could break records Saturday | |
| In four days, one of the Mississippi State football team's most anticipated seasons in recent history will begin with a home game against Southern Mississippi. Returning 18 starters, including a quarterback and two defensive players who have garnered plenty of national attention, expectations are high in Starkville. If that potential is reached, either on an individual basis in quarterback Dak Prescott's case, or by the team itself, a number of season and career records could fall at MSU. |
| Colleges are doing wacky things to stand out in the competitive recruiting world | |
 | Tennessee recently drew attention to its recruiting efforts by sending five-star defensive lineman Shy Tuttle a photoshopped Rolling Stone cover showing him with music superstar Beyonce. Mississippi State has sent recruits wacky letters under titles like: "You're a Baller" and "Can of Swag." As the battle over coveted football recruits grows more competitive, over-the-top pitches are becoming more of the norm than the exception. There are a lot of motives at play. Schools want to show that they are hipper and cooler than the competition. They are also trying to show the non-football side of their program. "It's not just all business," says Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen. "They can [come here and] have fun. The guys you are recruiting are young kids -- 16, 17-year old kids -- and their worlds sometimes are a little different than our worlds. I think it's an opportunity for them to see: 'I can go, have fun and be part of a great family.'" |
| Mississippi State soccer learns about leadership | |
| Intimidating. Soft spoken. Mean. Sweet. Mark Tribus has a knack for eliciting a wide array of colorful words from people who are asked to describe him. Those four words are a sample of ones Mississippi State women's soccer players used in talking about the graduate of West Point and Harvard Business School. But the word the Bulldogs will remember the most from their time with Tribus is much more significant: Team. Earlier this month, MSU women's soccer coach Aaron Gordon invited Tribus to come to Starkville to put his team through a leadership development and team-building exercise. Gordon saw the success Tribus had at his former school, Texas Tech. |
| Mississippi State to build year-round residences at baseball stadium | |
 | Ever dreamed of living at your favorite team's sports facility? Mississippi State is thinking the same thing. As part of a $40 million plan for renovating Dudy Noble Field, its baseball stadium, school officials are developing residential lofts overlooking left field. College baseball is a big thing in Starkville and school officials are confident there is a market for the lofts, considering those residents could use them for football as well as basketball games. Humphrey Coliseum, Mississippi State's basketball venue, is across the street from the ballpark. |
| Mississippi State women complete non-conference basketball schedule | |
| The Mississippi State women's basketball team will pick up where it left off last season when it begins the 2014-15 non-conference slate in the Preseason Women's National Invitation Tournament. Following a Nov. 9 exhibition against Arkansas-Fort Smith, MSU will open the campaign and the WNIT at 8 p.m. Nov. 14 against Mercer, a squad that returns three starters from last season's 17-14 team. The game will be the second half of a men's-women's doubleheader, as Rick Ray's Bulldogs will face Western Carolina at 5:30 p.m. Vic Schaefer's squad is one of nine in the 16-team field to make the postseason a year ago. Like MSU, three other squads advanced to the WNIT, while five teams went to the NCAA tournament. |
| Mississippi State announces men's golf schedule | |
| Coming off the two most successful years in program history the Mississippi State Men's Golf team and 12th-year coach Clay Homan are looking for the momentum to continue. During that time span, the Bulldogs have won six tournaments, the most in any two-year span, and made it to back-to-back NCAA Regionals for the first time since 2008-09. "We are looking forward to beginning another fantastic schedule against some really competitive programs," Homan said. |
| Millsaps College adding beer garden at football games | |
| Millsaps College is a Division III school in Jackson, Miss., with little name recognition to much of the football world, save for those who know it had the home of New Orleans Saints training camp for a spell in the mid-2000s. Game day at Millsaps Majors football games will draw the envy of fans of many major conference schools this fall for one reason: beer. While 21 Division I schools will allow beer sales at on-campus stadiums this year, the practice has been slow to catch on in the major conferences because of the stigma that comes with alcohol. Millsaps however, is going about beer sales differently than even the Division I schools that sell alcohol. The Majors will have a beer garden at their games, sponsored by local brewery Lucky Town Brewing Company. |
| Millsaps, local brewery bring beer to football games | |
| In an effort to revamp the game day experience, Millsaps College is partnering with Jackson-based Lucky Town Brewing Company to offer fans and alumni a unique sideline amenity: a beer garden. Lucky Town and Millsaps' partnership, in a way, dates back to last year. In early 2013, Else School of Management professor David Culpepper and local attorney and Millsaps alum Matthew McLaughlin approached Chip Jones, Lucky Town's co-founder, and encouraged Jones to consider Midtown, the area north of downtown Jackson, as the site for the brewery. "They definitely helped out with the search and even helped us out in navigating the hurdles we had in getting a zoning ordinance passed" for the building, Jones said. |
| Hogue introduced as Southern Miss softball coach | |
 | Bill McGillis' search for Southern Miss' next head softball coach began and ended with the same person. On Wednesday, the Golden Eagle athletic director introduced that person, Wendy Hogue, at a press conference held at the Giannini Touchdown Terrace at M.M. Roberts Stadium. Hogue comes to Southern Miss after 10 years as the head softball coach at cross-town NAIA William Carey University. The Petal native led the Crusaders to a 373-152 record in her decade as coach. In perhaps her most successful season at William Carey, Hogue guided the Crusaders to a 52-12 mark last season and finished the year as NAIA World Series runners-up. |
| Winn-Dixie now the official supermarket of Gators ...and Seminoles | |
 | The Florida Gators now have an official supermarket to go with the teams' official yogurt (Chobani), official hot dog (Oscar Mayer) and a host of other official products, services and companies that pay for sponsorships in return for aligning their brands with the Gators' brand. Winn-Dixie announced last week that it has entered multi-year, multi-sports agreements to be the official and exclusive supermarket of the Gators and the Florida State Seminoles starting with Saturday's home football games. The Gators do not get any additional revenue from the sponsorship. Instead, Winn-Dixie pays IMG College for the sponsorship rights as part of IMG's arrangement to handle multimedia rights for the University Athletic Association in return for a flat annual fee, said Mike Hill, executive associate athletics director for the UAA. |
| LSU's Miles pens 'love letter' to Baton Rouge for Huffington Post | |
| Les Miles has eaten grass, scaled a skyscraper and kissed a pig. The LSU football coach has now written a love letter to a city he adores. Miles marked the beginning of his 10th season as the Tigers' coach by writing a 230-word letter to Baton Rouge. The letter was published Wednesday in the Huffington Post, a national online news publication. The coach's letter begins, "Dear Baton Rouge." He addresses the city as if it were a stranger who welcomed the Miles family into its home in 2005. "From the food, the people, and of course LSU," he wrote, "I can't imagine living anywhere else." |
| At College Football Games, Student Sections Likely to Have Empty Seats | |
 | Football stadiums will be packed this weekend for the kickoff of the college season. But many of the student sections are likely to have empty seats. Average student attendance at college football games is down 7.1% since 2009, according to an analysis by The Wall Street Journal of stadium turnstile records from about 50 public colleges with top-division football teams. The decline was 5.6% at colleges in the five richest conferences. The decrease even at schools with entrenched football traditions and national championships stands in contrast to college football's overall popularity. |
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