| Tuesday, September 2, 2014 |
| FBI set to offer explosives awareness training at Mississippi State | |
 | Mississippi State University is scheduled to partner with the Federal Bureau of Investigation to provide explosive awareness training. The university will host the FBI National Improvised Explosives Familiarization and Chemical Outreach Workshop on Sept. 25. Although the event is open to everyone, the FBI will be specifically addressing law enforcement, first responders, chemical industry representatives and university employees. The free workshop aims to teach specific personnel how to readily identify makeshift explosives. MSU Police Chief Vance Rice said the primary goal is to protect the Starkville and MSU community. "Ultimately, makeshift explosives are a growing concern for not only MSU, but the entire nation," he said. |
| Last passenger pigeon died 100 years ago | |
 | An almost unthinkable thing happened 100 years ago on Monday, when Martha, the last known passenger pigeon, died at the Cincinnati Zoo. At one time the passenger pigeon was the most abundant bird in North America, and possibly the world. The birds weren't tame, but neither were they especially afraid of humans, who shot and trapped them for food. Hunting wasn't the only reason for their extinction, said Don Jackson, author and retired fisheries professor at Mississippi State University. |
| Manning death penalty case back before Mississippi Supreme Court | |
 | A Mississippi death row inmate is back before the state's high court to challenge the evidence and his lawyer's performance during his trial in the slayings of two elderly Starkville women in 1993. Willie Jerome Manning is appealing an Oktibbeha County judge's denial of his post-conviction challenges related to evidence in his trial and his lawyer's performance. The Mississippi Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case on Oct. 27 in Jackson. In May 2013, Manning had been set for lethal injection in a separate case -- the December 1992 slayings of Mississippi State University students Jon Steckler and Tiffany Miller. |
| Mississippi to hold first tax-free sportsmen holiday | |
| If you're a sportsman, this weekend is your holiday. Mississippi's inaugural tax-free holiday will begin Friday. It runs through Sunday. The Legislature passed a law creating an annual tax-free weekend in September. The law went into effect on July 1. The holiday will be held annually on the first Friday of each September until midnight on the following Sunday. Individual sales of firearms, ammunition, archery equipment, rifle scopes and certain hunting supplies will be exempt from taxes during the state's inaugural tax holiday. Mississippi has a 7 percent sales tax. |
| Senate not only race on November ballot | |
| The U.S. Senate election in which Democrat Travis Childers of Booneville is challenging six-term Republican incumbent Thad Cochran will not be the only contest on the Nov. 4 general election ballot for Northeast Mississippians. Voters in the region can vote on the 1st District U.S. House race, local circuit and chancery judge elections and a proposal to amend the state Constitution to guarantee the right to hunt and fish. The ballot was approved recently by the state Election Commission. |
| McDaniel delays announcement on election lawsuit | |
| Mississippi state Sen. Chris McDaniel will take at least one extra day to decide whether to try to revive his lawsuit that challenged his Republican primary loss to six-term Sen. Thad Cochran. McDaniel campaign spokesman Noel Fritsch said Monday that McDaniel will take until Wednesday to decide whether to ask the Mississippi Supreme Court to overturn the lawsuit's dismissal. McDaniel's camp originally said he would announce a decision Tuesday. Judge Hollis McGehee dismissed the lawsuit Friday, saying McDaniel waited too long to file it. |
| Obama tries to rekindle hope in Labor Day speech | |
 | President Obama flew to Milwaukee for a fiery, populist speech on Labor Day, marking the informal kickoff of a push this fall to stave off Republican control of the Senate. Obama's brief visit to Wisconsin was ostensibly nonpolitical, and he avoided wading into the state's hotly contested race for governor. But before an appreciative audience decked out in shirts proclaiming their union membership, the president hit all his party's main campaign themes: equal pay for women, gay rights, an increase in the minimum wage, immigration reform. Obama cited recent job growth, expansion of conventional and renewable energy production, and improvements in manufacturing. |
| Deployed by Gov. Rick Perry, National Guard adjusts to its new role on the Texas border | |
 | The National Guard troops arrived in Rio Grande, Texas, last week, outfitted in body armor and carrying pistols to help bring more security to the U.S.-Mexico border. Yet they saw little activity after taking their positions in portable towers and Border Patrol vehicles along the dirt roads and levees that overlooked the dense brush near the Rio Grande. Some found themselves fighting boredom, chatting with each other about their lives back home -- where their jobs were altogether different than looking out for armed traffickers -- and wondering how much longer they would be posted in the unforgiving desert heat. The National Guard was dispatched to the border with great fanfare by Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R), who declared in July that he was forced to act because of a string of failures by the federal government in addressing drug smugglers and an influx of unaccompanied Central American minors who had flooded across the border in recent months. |
| Russia Calls on U.S. to Push Ukraine Into Halting Military Campaign | |
 | Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called on the U.S. to push Kiev into giving up its military campaign against pro-Russia rebels in the east and negotiate a political compromise, as an influx of support for the rebels from Russia began reversing Ukrainian gains on the battlefield. He called on Washington to pressure Ukraine into reaching a deal during Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's planned visit to the U.S. later this month. Russia has denied accusations that its troops invaded Ukraine to prop up the rebels, despite the recent capture of Russian soldiers on Ukrainian territory and an assessment by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization that Russia has "well over" 1,000 troops operating in Ukraine. |
| State budgeting with an eye on results | |
 | "Performance-based budgeting," buzzwords for states making spending decisions based on specific benchmarks, gained traction in the 1990s, then fell out of favor during the budget-cutting era of the 2007-09 recession. Now the strategy is making a comeback -- with mixed results so far. The approach makes perfect sense -- in theory. In reality, its success relies heavily on how vigorously state leaders push the idea and how receptive state agencies are to a process that often makes them work harder. Eleven states -- Mississippi, Connecticut, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Vermont -- have completed implementation of the model and have shifted, cut or allocated a total of $80 million using the new measures. |
| Manufacturing: When cheap is not so cheap | |
| Where managers should locate a new factory depends on many things. Cost is one of them. But costs come in many forms and change constantly. Alongside labour costs, there are also those for raw materials, energy, transport and much else besides. Currencies move too. Yesterday's low-cost location may turn out to be tomorrow's money-pit. A new study by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), a management consultancy, has crunched the numbers in an attempt to determine which countries the many variables currently favour. BCG reckons that America and Mexico really are "rising stars". American wage restraint and newly cheap energy have improved its attractiveness to manufacturers. |
| FBI, Apple Probing Alleged Nude Photo Hack of Celebrities | |
 | The FBI and Apple said Monday they are investigating the apparent hacking of iCloud accounts that led to alleged nude photos of Jennifer Lawrence and other female stars being posted online. "We take user privacy very seriously and are actively investigating this report," Nat Kerris, Apple spokeswoman, told NBC News. The computer giant has not explained how the hackers could have obtained the images. The FBI said it was "aware of the allegations concerning computer intrusions and the unlawful release of material involving high profile individuals, and is addressing the matter." |
| A Call for a Low-Carb Diet | |
 | People who avoid carbohydrates and eat more fat, even saturated fat, lose more body fat and have fewer cardiovascular risks than people who follow the low-fat diet that health authorities have favored for decades, a major new study shows. The findings are unlikely to be the final salvo in what has been a long and often contentious debate about what foods are best to eat for weight loss and overall health. The notion that dietary fat is harmful, particularly saturated fat, arose decades ago from comparisons of disease rates among large national populations. But more recent clinical studies in which individuals and their diets were assessed over time have produced a more complex picture. |
| Ongoing changes to U. of Mississippi parking | |
 | After years of planning, improvements to campus parking are finally in effect at the University of Mississippi. However, many unhappy students, faculty and staff are puzzled by the apparent lack of progress. Students who paid a higher price for parking passes expected to find more campus parking when they returned this fall only to find there is less parking than the previous year. "Everything is a process," Mike Harris, director of parking and transportation, said. Understanding of the students' confusion, Harris said they had previously planned to have the parking garage completed by the fall. "We are doing a lot to make parking better, but we have a lot of issues," Harris said. |
| Eagle Dining kicks off 'Just Like Home Recipe Contest' at U. of Southern Mississippi | |
 | After a bad day, University of Southern Mississippi sophomore Carley Pierce loves her mother's rendition of shepherd's pie. For junior Katherine Brewer, her family's crawfish etoufee can turn any day around. Both dishes are items the Southern Miss students said they would love to see served at The Fresh Food Company. And thanks to an ongoing contest, the young women may just get their wish. In an effort to give students more variety, Eagle Dining has launched the "Just Like Home Recipe Contest" for the 2014-15 academic year. The contest invites students, faculty and staff to pick their favorite recipe from home and submit it to Eagle Dining. |
| USM's Ogletree House, heavily damaged in 2013 tornado, to celebrate grand re-opening | |
 | The University of Southern Mississippi will celebrate significant post-tornado recovery achievements with a special ceremony set for 10 a.m. on Friday on the Hattiesburg campus. The public is invited to attend the ceremony, which will feature a grand reopening of the Ogletree House, the iconic home of the University's Alumni Association that suffered extensive damage from the Feb. 10, 2013 storm. "I am excited that this day has arrived and that we are able to celebrate the relentless efforts of each individual whose hard work and dedication allowed us to make substantial progress in the restoration and recovery process," said Southern Miss President Rodney D. Bennett. |
| French student at East Mississippi Community College charmed by state | |
 | Things move slow in the South, but Mississippi life is still a little overwhelming for one East Mississippi Community College student. Pauline Pimolle, a freshman at EMCC, hails from Marseille in the south of France. She recently enrolled at the Scooba campus to be closer to her American boyfriend, whom she met online via a shared interest in art. She's visited "The States" briefly a couple of times, but has only lived here a few weeks. And she's still trying to take it all in. Pimolle estimates she's already taken more than 1,000 pictures during her short time in Scooba. She eventually hopes to study art and photography at Mississippi State University. |
| Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College top of class when it comes to producing grads | |
 | For the 11th time since 2002, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College has been named one of the top associate degree producers in the nation, according to Community College Week. The educational magazine ranked MGCCC No. 94 overall thanks to 1,754 students receiving degrees in 2013, tops in Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Arkansas. MGCCC has made plenty of news recently with its partnerships with Mississippi State, the University of Southern Mississippi, Mississippi University for Women and Faulkner University to broaden education options for its students. "The economic benefits of these partnerships are evident in the impact on our stakeholders," MGCCC President Mary S. Graham said. |
| Got your iPad? Northeast Mississippi Community College adds electronic devices to classrooms | |
| As class started last Wednesday morning, Tina Gambill's students walked to a cart in the back of her Northeast Mississippi Community College classroom and grabbed an electronic device. "Does everyone have an iPad?" Gambill asked as the pupils returned to their seats in her beginning English and reading class. Northeast finds itself in the middle of a movement that aims to do the opposite. This year, it is providing its roughly 300 faculty and staff members with an iPad they can use in their classrooms. Next fall, it plans to have the devices available for each of its roughly 3,500 students. Northeast is the first community college in the state to roll out an extensive iPad initiative, said Executive Vice President Ricky Ford. |
| Christening Minerva: U. of Alabama grad student builds boat to study river bottom | |
 | At a public boat launch on the Black Warrior River packed with boaters taking advantage of the long Labor Day weekend, University of Alabama graduate student Eugene Randle, plastic champagne coupe in hand, celebrated his months-long labor moored at the busy dock. Randle gathered with family, neighbors and fellow graduate students and professors from the department of geography to celebrate the launch of his research vessel Minerva, a renovated pontoon boat outfitted to help him study the river bottom of the Black Warrior River. Sagy Cohen, an assistant professor of geography at UA, is a co-supervisor with associate geography professor Lisa Davis of Randle's graduate research. |
| UGA to hold dedication for Bolton Dining Commons | |
 | The University of Georgia will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony 10 a.m. Thursday to dedicate the newest and largest meal plan facility on the Athens campus. Construction on the 1,000-seat Bolton Dining Commons concluded in July and opened its doors on Aug. 18 for the start of fall semester classes, setting a UGA serving record as it fed 9,500 people. The two-story dining commons, named after longtime UGA treasurer and comptroller John Dixon Bolton, is about 56,000 square feet. Construction on the $24-million building began in the spring of 2013. |
| UGA scientists part of team that grew new organ in mouse | |
| A team of scientists that includes University of Georgia genetics professor Nancy Manley have grown an organ for the first time in an animal. Their success in inducing a mouse to grow a new thymus raises the possibility that scientists might be able to grow the organ in humans whose thymus is absent or impaired, or that their discovery might one day be used to grow important disease-fighting cells called T-cells outside the body. "It's not something that's going to be ready in a year, but it's real promising," said Manley, director of UGA's Developmental Biology Alliance. |
| LSU's Pennington research center selected to test new Alzheimer's drug | |
 | LSU's Pennington Biomedical Research Center will take part in a national clinical research study, testing a drug that could treat Alzheimer's -- an incurable disease that affects brain function and eventually leads to death. The study marks Pennington's entry into the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study network, an elite group of research sites that are leading federal efforts to find an Alzheimer's cure. "It took a lot of hard work, but we finally got there," said Dr. Jeffrey Keller, director of Pennington's Institute for Dementia Research and Prevention. |
| $7.5M for biodiversity; U. of Florida digitizing collections | |
 | Several institutions involved in a nationwide project overseen by the University of Florida's iDigBio to digitize biodiversity collections received $7.5 million in the latest round of funding from the National Science Foundation. The effort is being led by Larry Page, a zoology professor, curator of fishes for the Florida Museum of Natural History and director of the Biodiversity Institute, which oversees the National Resource for Advancing Digitization of Biodiversity Collections. The project is already three years into a $14 million, five-year grant to coordinate the digitization of 154 institutional collections throughout the U.S. -- mostly at colleges, universities and field museums. |
| 'Brazen' attacks on two women worry Gainesville, U. of Florida police | |
| The timing and location of two weekend assaults against women left Gainesville and University of Florida police officers deeply concerned. "This was very bold -- very brazen," Gainesville Police Lt. Jeff Blundell said on Monday afternoon. "To do this with such a heavy law enforcement presence is way outside the norm. That's what's concerning." Detectives are in search of a man who they described as being between 23 and 25 years old, heavyset and white; 6 feet 5 inches tall, with close-cut brown hair and a tightly cropped beard. Dana Lake and Brianna Felegi, both UF freshmen, said they were pleased with the rapid-fire delivery of campus warnings through text messages. |
| Workers demolish U. of Kentucky lab that played role in space race | |
 | Demolition work has started on the University of Kentucky's Wenner-Gren Research Laboratory, which architects and preservationists wanted the school to save. Demolishing the building designed by noted Lexington architect Ernst Johnson will allow construction of a new science building. The laboratory was commissioned for aeronautical research. It was one of the area's few remaining examples of Streamline Moderne architecture. The style, which also was used in everything from steam locomotives to toasters, reflected mid-20th century Americans' hopeful visions of a space-age future. |
| Aggies ready to get to work on first day of classes at Texas A&M | |
 | Texas A&M freshman Samantha Moore lost her way just once Monday -- her first full day of classes at the state's largest university. The electrical engineering major from Portland, Texas -- a city with a population about one-forth the size of her university -- said she still needed to buy a calculator and log on to homework websites, but felt ready for her first semester as a college student and all that comes with it. "I feel pretty prepared, need to get a few more things, but feel ready to be here," she said. "I think [the class work] seems pretty manageable, there's nothing too crazy yet." Labor Day marked the first day of fall classes, and the additional so students on campus was apparent. |
| U.S. Is Urged to Curtail Alarming Dropout Rates Among Minority Men | |
 | The federal government should require all colleges to create early-alert systems that flag students with low test scores, missing assignments, or spotty attendance. That would be one way, according to a report released on Tuesday, to curb the alarming number of minority men who drop out of college. The report, "Advancing the Success of Boys and Men of Color in Education," is the result of brainstorming by diversity researchers at seven higher-education institutions. It is aimed at building on the momentum of My Brother's Keeper, the Obama administration's effort to improve education and career outcomes for young minority men. |
| Education Department renegotiates contracts with student loan servicers | |
 | The U.S. Department of Education on Friday announced changes to how it pays the companies that manage student loan payments, responding to growing criticism that its oversight of those companies is inadequate. Officials have renegotiated the government's contracts with the four main loan servicers, which together collect payments for tens of millions of federal student loan borrowers. The revamped agreements are aimed at creating better incentives for the companies to provide good customer service and make sure that borrowers are repaying their loans on time. Some critics have said that the companies aren't doing enough to help struggling borrowers. |
| Campus Carry: Armed and Ready for College | |
| Derek Sommer carries a concealed handgun almost everywhere he goes these days, including onto the campus of Idaho State University -- an illegal act until recently. Under an Idaho law that took effect July 1, nearly 3,000 Idaho residents with enhanced concealed carry permits -- people like Sommer -- can bring their guns on college campuses. Sommer no longer leaves his gun at home or in his car's locked glove compartment. Idaho became the seventh state to allow "campus carry" in a movement gaining traction across the country, despite the often strenuous opposition of other students, faculty and campus administrators. |
| Robbing crew targets Georgia Tech students | |
| Georgia Tech police have issued a warning about a young robbing crew targeting students. The three suspects, one described as being as young as 12 or 13, pulled two armed robberies on Tech students within minutes last Wednesday night. The first incident happened about 9:50 p.m. Wednesday when a white minivan pulled up next to a student walking along Ferst Drive near Cherry Street. "A passenger in the vehicle exited, displayed a handgun and demanded the victim's property," Georgia Tech police said in a crime alert. |
SPORTS
| Bulldogs turn attention to UAB | |
 | Following a 49-0 blanking at the hands of Mississippi State on Saturday night, University of Southern Mississippi football coach Todd Monken was effusive in his praise for the Bulldogs. "That's a good football team over there," said Monken of MSU. "There's a reason I vote for them in the top 25. I have a vote in the coaches' poll, and that's a very good football team." Now, a second Conference USA coach with nothing but praise for the Bulldogs will take a shot in Starkville this weekend. "They have a chance to win the SEC this year," said Clark, whose team enters at 1-0 after a 48-20 win over in-state rival Troy. "This is going to be a good test for us. They are as good as advertised as far as what I see." |
| UAB prepares for week two matchup vs. Mississippi State | |
 | Mississippi State handed Southern Miss its 24th loss in its last 25 games last Saturday. The Golden Eagles' lone win during that span came against UAB -- MSU's opponent this week. The Blazer blew out Troy last week 48-10. "We expected to win. That was the first goal we had back in the summertime," senior tight end Kennard Backman said. "That was the goal then and that's the goal now. As far as going into Mississippi State, our goal is to win. Not to compete, but to win." With the way Mississippi State handled Southern Miss last week, many won't give UAB a chance. The Blazers are embracing the opportunity. |
| Mississippi State explains slow first quarter against USM | |
| It took Mississippi State 2 minutes and 33 seconds to move 87 yards to start the season with a touchdown. All the hype created in the offseason appeared to be warranted. MSU's offense looked unstoppable -- until its second possession against Southern Miss on Saturday. The Bulldogs scored just once in their next six possessions. They came away empty-handed twice in first-and-goal situations from the four yard-line. "We were just stepping on our own feet, hurting ourselves," quarterback Dak Prescott said. "Once we fixed those, we got rolling later on." |
| Mississippi State's Preston Smith named SEC defensive lineman of the week | |
 | Mississippi State senior Preston Smith was named Southeastern Conference Defensive Lineman of the Week for the first time in his career, league officials announced Monday. Smith is the first Bulldog defensive lineman to earn the honor since NFL first-round draft pick Fletcher Cox accomplished the feat four times in 2011. Smith picked up the award after filling out the box score in State's 49-0 shutout victory against Southern Miss this past Saturday at Davis Wade Stadium. |
| Mississippi State safety Jay Hughes still has playmaking touch | |
| A year ago, safety Jay Hughes laid on the turf inside NRG Stadium in Houston, during a game against Oklahoma State. An Achilles heel injury prevented him from moving. So his Mississippi State teammates helped him to the sideline. Last Saturday, 364 days later, his teammates helped him off the field again. This time, under much different circumstances. Hughes didn't want to get up. "It was one of the best feelings I've ever felt before," Hughes said. |
| Schaefer ready to leave mark on Mississippi State program as freshman | |
| Don't pigeon-hole Blair Schaefer into one role. In two years at Starkville High School, Schaefer showed an uncanny ability to get to the basket, to create shots for herself and for her teammates, and to lead the team from the point or the wing. The concern in moving to the highest level in the sport in the Southeastern Conference is how those skills will translate for a player who won't be the biggest, fastest, or strongest on the court. That's why on paper it would be easy to consider 5-foot-7 freshman as an ideal shooter to add to the mix that will be the 2014-15 Mississippi State women's basketball team. |
| U. of Alabama football fans to experience $2.5M in game-day upgrades for home opener | |
| Football fans will see upgrades at concession stands in Bryant-Denny Stadium and few changes for campus tailgating when the University of Alabama Crimson Tide faces Florida Atlantic University for the first 2014 home game on Saturday at 11 a.m. "It's almost like going to a movie theater," Milton Overton, senior associate athletics director, said about the concession upgrades. The concession upgrades are part of a host of changes at the stadium that include new ticket options, an expanded fan zone and connectivity upgrades by cellular providers. Fans tailgating on the UA campus won't see many changes, according to Virginia Johnson, associate vice president in the division of financial affairs, auxiliary and support services. |
| On Sidelines, Researchers See C.E.O.s in Coaches | |
| According to a new study by researchers at Vanderbilt, coaches who command what are widely seen as robust salaries are worth the money because of the value they bring to their universities. The study, which included 947 contracts from 2005 to 2013, benchmarked coaching salaries against those of chief executive officers at public companies -- another group that is often accused of being paid too much. "Coaches are running large programs that have tremendous value," said Randall S. Thomas, a law and business professor and one of the authors of the study. "They are creating great value, and they are being paid for creating that value." The increasing demands to win, coupled with billion-dollar television deals, have combined to cause the average pay for coaches at the top level of Division I football to double since 2005 to $1.5 million, the Vanderbilt study found. |
| LOGAN LOWERY (OPINION): Big win offers insights | |
| The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal's Logan Lowery writes: "I'm asked some variation of this question quite a bit: 'How are the Bulldogs looking?' Since practices were closed with the exception of one hour a month ago, I had no way to know and truly answer that question. So Saturday's season opener against Southern Miss was essentially my first time to see the 2014 team in action as well. So what did I learn in the Bulldogs 49-0 shellacking of Southern Miss? The first thing that jumps out is that the defense is as good as advertised." |
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