| Tuesday, September 16, 2014 |
| Mississippi State Gears Up for Mid-South Forestry Equipment Show | |
 | Mississippi State University's College of Forest Resources is preparing for its biennial forestry event. The Mid-South Forestry Equipment Show will be held Friday and Saturday at the John W. Starr Memorial Forest off of Highway 25 south of Starkville. This year is the 30-year anniversary of the event, which is the longest-running live, in-wood forestry equipment demonstration in the South. The show will play host to around 80 exhibitors, including Caterpillar, John Deer and Tigercat. A children's area will be set up with games for them to participate in. |
| Miss Mississippi Jasmine Murray's fans still proud | |
 | While Miss Mississippi Jasmine Murray was not in the top five at the Miss America pageant, her loyal following definitely decided she's their Miss America anyway. At Mississippi State University, it's not unusual to have a reigning Miss Mississippi, as five of the last nine have been from MSU. But Murray brought a new facet to that bragging point, said MSU Assistant Director for Student Activities Amelia Treptow. "There's a wider population that knew of her prior to her even winning Miss Mississippi, and just to see the outpouring of support from across the nation has been great," she said. "We're proud of her. She's represented the state and MSU so well..." |
| Court of Appeals to convene at PRCC, USM and Mississippi State | |
 | The Mississippi Court of Appeals will begin its fall schedule of college campus visits Sept. 24 at the Poplarville campus of Pearl River Community College. A three-judge panel will hear oral arguments in a criminal case at 1:30 p.m. at the Ethel Holden Brownstone Center for the Arts. The Court of Appeals will convene on the Hattiesburg campus of the University of Southern Mississippi on Nov. 14 and will hear cases Nov. 18 at Mississippi State University in Starkville. |
| Air Force Band Performs at Mississippi State | |
| Patriotic music filled the McComas Hall Ttheater at Mississippi State University on Monday night. That's because the U.S. Air Force Band of the West Freedom Brass Quintet is spending some time in Starkville to perform. The group, made up of brass instruments and a percussionist, is from San Antonio, Texas. The quintet will also work with band students at MSU and a local high school on Tuesday. |
| Two MSU students arrested Sunday in alleged assault | |
 | Two Mississippi State University students are facing aggravated assault charges after an alleged drug transaction Sunday at a local apartment complex ended with a reported stabbing. Starkville police arrested Cheng Ye, of 321B Oak Hall at MSU, and Dylan Mason Shannon, of No. 8 Tally Ho Drive in Starkville, following the alleged altercation, according to a Starkville Police Department press release. (Subscriber-only content.) |
| Madison man linked to Starkville drug sales | |
| Authorities in Madison County say a 19-year-old man has been arrested for suspicion of selling the drug LSD at Mississippi State University. Madison Sheriff Randy Tucker tells WCBI-TV that Kaleb Chhabra was booked with possession with intent to distribute the drug. Tucker says investigators believe Chhabra acquired the drug in Internet purchases, then sold it in Starkville. Tucker says Chhabra is a former Mississippi State student. |
| Katie Blount to become new director of Mississippi Archives and History | |
| Longtime employee Katie Blount will become director of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History beginning in February. In that role, she will oversee completion of the Mississippi history and civil rights museums that have been under construction since last year in downtown Jackson. The two museums under one roof are scheduled to open during the state's bicentennial year of 2017. Blount earned a bachelor's degree in English and history from the University of Michigan and a master's degree in Southern studies from the University of Mississippi. She is married to state Sen. David Blount, D-Jackson, who recuses himself from voting on matters that affect the Department of Archives and History, including its budget. |
| Sen. Watson says he'll continue attacks against Common Core | |
 | State Sen. Michael Watson talked about education, road and bridge spending, marijuana and the lack of civic involvement at a town hall attended by a half-dozen people at the East Central Community Center in Hurley. Common Core took up the most time and no one spoke in favor of the new education standards that just became fully implemented. Watson, a Pascagoula Republican, and his Conservative Coalition colleagues in the Senate tried to kill Common Core in the last legislative session by stripping its funding. He said the fight will continue in 2015 but he expects more success. |
| DeSoto County lawmakers get 'wish list' for 2015 session | |
 | State lawmakers from DeSoto County will go to the State Capitol early next year with a singular mission -- to unburden county taxpayers from state mandates that cost them money and rewrite laws that don't "make sense." At the top of the lawmakers' agenda is the attempt to abolish a state law that provided a tax loophole for owners of Section 42 housing. That's important because DeSoto County is losing between $550,000 and $700,000 due to the legislation known as Senate Bill 3100. Also, District 1 Supervisor Jessie Medlin said he was becoming more increasingly concerned about the requirements for counties to "up their PERS contributions," or funds paid into the state's retirement system on behalf of county employees. |
| Mississippi Death Row Case Faults Bite-Mark Forensics | |
 | A disputed bite-mark identification is at the center of an appeal that was due to be filed Monday with the Mississippi Supreme Court. Eddie Lee Howard Jr., 61, has been on death row for two decades for the murder and rape of an 84-year-old woman, convicted largely because of what many experts call a far-fetched match of his teeth to purported bite wounds, discerned only after the woman's body had been buried and exhumed. Mounting evidence has shown that matching body wounds to a suspect's dentition is prone to bias and unreliable. |
| Franchise owners flock to D.C. in defense of McDonald's | |
 | Fast food restaurateurs, hotel operators and other franchise owners from around the country are descending upon Washington on Tuesday to register their opposition to a National Labor Relations Board finding they say threatens to undermine their business model. The latest salvo in an escalating battle between labor and business, the fly-in is part of the International Franchise Association's strategy to overturn a preliminary NLRB decision that corporations like McDonald's share joint employer status with their franchisees. More than 350 franchisees and franchisors are expected to participate in this week's event in Washington, which will include remarks from Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R). |
| Tommy Boggs helped create modern world of D.C. lobbying | |
 | Thomas Hale Boggs Jr. -- veteran lobbyist and Democratic insider who helped create the modern world of Washington lobbying and fundraising -- died Monday at 73. Boggs was long known on K Street as a power broker with an unparalleled reputation, influence and style. "I always had an appreciation for Tommy's abilities -- very, very bright, knowledgeable, experienced, thoughtful," said former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour. Barbour -- despite being a Republican -- was a longtime friend of Boggs. They last went duck hunting on the Eastern Shore of Maryland earlier this year. Together, they helped finance and open the Caucus Room -- a D.C. power restaurant once popular with the downtown crowd. "Our pretty public goal was to say that Democrats and Republicans can battle over the issues and the budget. But they can go out at night and eat dinner and have a drink," Barbour recalled. |
| Lobbyist Thomas Boggs Jr. dies at 73 | |
| Thomas Hale Boggs Jr., the heir to a political dynasty who helped build one of Washington's most successful law and lobby firms, died at his home on Monday. He was 73. Known around town as "Tommy," Boggs was at the vanguard of the lobbying industry that took hold in Washington in the latter half of the 20th century. When fellow lobbyist Haley Barbour made his run for Mississippi governor in 2003, Boggs was among the hosts at a Republican fundraiser for him. "I certainly primarily support Democrats. But whenever I see a Republican who I think is very competent and very good, particularly one who's a good friend of mine, like Haley Barbour, I tend to try to help them. Mississippi's going to have one heck of a governor, in terms of a fellow that can get something done in Washington," Boggs told CNN in 2003. |
| Hagel: United States at war with Islamic State | |
 | Gen. Martin Dempsey, the military's top officer, told a Senate panel Tuesday he will recommend having U.S.advisers fight with Iraqi troops against the militant Islamic State group if the situation requires it. "To be clear, if we reach the point where I believe our advisers should accompany Iraqi troops on attacks against specific ISIL targets, I will recommend that to the president," said Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The United States is at war the militant Islamic State group, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said, and the fight "will not be an easy or brief effort. It is complicated." "We are at war with ISIL, as we are with al-Qaeda," Hagel said. |
| U.S. military will lead $750 million fight against Ebola in West Africa | |
 | President Obama will announce Tuesday that the U.S. military will take the lead in overseeing what has been a chaotic and widely criticized response to the worst Ebola outbreak in history, dispatching up to 3,000 military personnel to West Africa in an effort that could cost up to $750 million over the next six months, according to senior administration officials. By the end of the week, a general sent by U.S. Africa Command will be in place in Monrovia, Liberia -- the country where transmission rates are increasing exponentially -- to lead the effort called Operation United Assistance. |
| A Military-Grade Drone That Can Be Printed Anywhere | |
 | We have 3-D printed keys, guns and shoes -- now a research team at the University of Virginia has created a 3D printed UAV drone for the Department of Defense. In the works for three years, the aircraft, no bigger than a remote-controlled plane, can carry a 1.5-pound payload. "We weren't sure you could make anything lightweight and strong enough to fly," says David Sheffler, who led the project. Sheffler is a former engineer for Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce who now teaches at the university. |
| Changes coming to road names at UM | |
 | Chancellor Dan Jones' announcement of The University of Mississippi's action plan at the beginning of August called for implementing certain changes within the UM campus. Among these was the changing of two campus road names in response to an assessment completed by a Sensitivity and Respect Committee in the summer of 2013. The roads under revision are Confederate Drive and Coliseum Drive. The name of Confederate Drive is being changed for cultural reasons. Donald Cole, assistant provost for multicultural affairs and chair of the committee that conducted the initial assessment, has long supported the changing of the road names and welcomes the transition. |
| Auburn University, city officials urge residents to travel with care | |
 | Officials representing Auburn University, the City of Auburn and Lee County kicked off the annual Travel with Care-Auburn week Monday on Samford Lawn. Travel with Care is a collaboration between the City of Auburn, Auburn Police Division, Auburn University and the Lee County Sheriff's Office to encourage awareness of pedestrian, bicycle and vehicle traffic. "We've been doing it for almost 10 years," said APD Chief Paul Register. "About 10 years ago we were seeing too many accidents with pedestrians, cyclists, distracted drivers." The number of accidents decreased by 75 percent from 2008 to 2013, Register added. |
| No uniform policy to address sexual assaults on Louisiana college campuses | |
 | Louisiana has no statewide policy for handling allegations of sexual assault on college and university campuses, leaving students open to varied experiences depending on which school they attend, according to a report the state Board of Regents released Monday. State Sen. J.P. Morrell, a New Orleans Democrat who had asked for the statewide look, said legislation likely will be proposed during the Louisiana Legislature's 2015 session to address sexual assault on college campuses and possibly make policies more uniform. LSU -- the state's largest university -- had 22 sexual assault cases reported from January 1, 2009, to December 31, 2013, according to the report. |
| UGA celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month | |
 | The University of Georgia is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with events hosted by Multicultural Services and Programs and the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Institute. It honors the contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans in the U.S. while highlighting the diverse heritage and cultures of Latin America. "This year's theme, 'A Legacy of History, a Present of Action and a Future of Success,' invites us to reflect and actively engage in co-constructing an experience enriched by the cultural influences of Central and South America, the Caribbean and Spain," said Zoe M. Johnson, director of Multicultural Services and Programs. |
| Former UGA VP Landrum named senior consultant at Lighthouse Counsel | |
| Tom Landrum, who retired earlier this year as vice president for development and alumni relations at the University of Georgia, has been named a senior consultant for Lighthouse Counsel, a consulting firm that provides services to nonprofit organizations. Landrum has more than 40 years of experience as an external affairs practitioner, including work in communications, fundraising and alumni relations. In 38 years at UGA, he served as director of public relations and as chief of staff to two university presidents before becoming an institutional vice president in 2007. |
| U. of Florida chooses Isabel Garcia as dean of College of Dentistry | |
 | More than a year after the last dean stepped down, the University of Florida has picked Dr. Isabel Garcia as the College of Dentistry's seventh dean. Garcia, deputy director of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, will begin her new job in February, university officials announced Monday. She will receive a total annual compensation package of $350,000. She will take over for interim dean Dr. Boyd Robinson, who took the position when Dr. Teresa Dolan stepped down in May 2013 after 10 years in the position. |
| Constitution Day event at U. of Florida looks at national security, privacy | |
| The University of Florida will celebrate Constitution Day on Wednesday with a discussion: "National Security and Privacy After Snowden." The talk, which begins at noon in UF Law's Martin H. Levin Advocacy Center, will feature Senior District Judge Roger Vinson of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida; Jon Mills, director for UF Law's Center for Governmental Responsibility; and Sandra Chance, UF journalism professor and executive director of the Brechner Center for Freedom of Information. Smathers Libraries will also hold a Constitution Day celebration. Attendees can write their own Constitutional amendment and see what amendments others would make. |
| A&M fans snapping up Kyle Field's newest delicacy: Chicken Fried Hot Dogs | |
 | Sitting atop a plate of kettle chips and drenched in a jalapeno and sausage gravy, the Chicken Fried Hot Dog stood apart from its fellow concessions at Kyle Field. It's a Texas-sized hot dog with a Texas-style crunch and a kick to top it off, and it's only available at the E. King Grill in the 350-level cool zone on the east side of the stadium. Many fans came up empty-handed when the fried hot dog sold out before the Lamar game had even started last week, but one group had a plan for Saturday's game against Rice. |
| U. of Missouri, Italian government partner in antiquities study | |
 | The University of Missouri and the Italian government are collaborating to better understand antiquities stored in a Roman museum for decades. Representatives from MU and the Italian Embassy announced the collaboration Monday, along with a representative from Enel Green Power, an Italian power company that is providing the majority of the project's funding. Alex Barker, director of the Museum of Art and Archaeology at MU, said the university's specialized programs in art history, doctorate program in classical archaeology, the museum and the MU Research Reactor all worked in the university's favor. |
| U. of Missouri presentation urges bystander intervention to combat sexual violence | |
| If every incident of power-based personal violence is represented by a red dot on a map, a green dot could mark locations where someone intervened to prevent an incident. Danica Wolf, coordinator of the Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention Center at the University of Missouri, said she wants to counter and replace the red dots with green dots on campus. She gave a presentation on Green Dot Mizzou to a small group Monday in the MU Student Center as part of a week of events called Safe Mizzou 2014. Wolf said sexual violence is among the most underreported crimes in the nation. |
| Thomas Jefferson's restored grave marker has finally found a home at U. of Missouri | |
 | Thomas Jefferson's grave marker has returned home to MU after undergoing an extensive restoration by the Smithsonian Institution. After being tucked away in the attic of Jesse Hall for years, MU inquired about restoring the marker as the marble began to deteriorate. The Smithsonian agreed to pay for the restoration, and the restored relic was showcased for the first time Monday at the Missouri Theatre Center for the Arts before Jon Meacham's lecture, "Thomas Jefferson, The Art of Power." |
| Too Few University Jobs For America's Young Scientists | |
 | Imagine a job where about half of all the work is being done by people who are in training. That's, in fact, what happens in the world of biological and medical research. In the United States, more than 40,000 temporary employees known as postdoctoral research fellows are doing science at a bargain price. And most postdocs are being trained for jobs that don't actually exist. Academic institutions graduate an overabundance of biomedical Ph.D.s -- and this imbalance is only getting worse, as research funding from the National Institutes of Health continues to wither. The funding squeeze presents an enormous challenge for young scientists. |
| Where will Obama's presidential library be? There are four finalists | |
 | The Barack Obama Foundation on Monday announced four locations as potential sites for President Obama's presidential library and museum. Columbia University, the University of Hawaii, the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois at Chicago are all set to submit official proposals to house the library. Each of the universities demonstrated in initial proposals the ability to develop and design the library and enhance economic development in the communities in which they reside, according to officials with the foundation. Construction of President George W. Bush's presidential library on the campus of Southern Methodist University cost about $250 million. Construction of President Clinton's library in Little Rock, Ark., cost about $165 million. The New York Times in June cited unnamed advisors as saying Obama's library could cost more than $500 million. |
| New 11-University Alliance Plans Efforts to Help Graduate More Needy Students | |
 | Eleven public research universities around the country that enroll some of the most economically and racially diverse student bodies in the nation have formed a collaboration aimed at increasing the numbers of low-income students who start and graduate from college. The institutions in the new University Innovation Alliance, to be formally announced on Tuesday at an event in Washington, say that they have all committed to work together to test promising approaches, to document what works and what doesn't, and then to develop techniques to spread the ideas at a big-enough scale to make a difference. |
| New NEH director welcomes digital humanities grant recipients to the agency's new home | |
 | The National Endowment for the Humanities has a new home and a new chairman, but the agency's work to fund digital humanities projects continues unabated. The NEH Digital Humanities Project Directors Meeting was hosted for the eighth time in Washington on Monday, but for the first time in the agency's new premises in the recently renovated Constitution Center. The event brings together grant recipients of the Office of Digital Humanities, the grant-making arm of the agency. The 33 projects on display Monday -- most of which were awarded grants to support them in their startup and implementation phases -- received more than $4.1 million. |
| BENNIE THOMPSON (OPINION): Mississippians deserve Medicaid | |
| Bennie Thompson, who has represented Mississippi's 2nd Congressional District since 1993, writes for The Hill: "Thousands of Mississippi families are one major illness away from bankruptcy. Recent studies have shown that medical debt is the No. 1 cause of bankruptcy in America; yet, as governors across the country in states like Arkansas, Pennsylvania and Tennessee are working to find ways to broaden their states' Medicaid eligibility, Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant (R) continues to fight the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The result is failure to provide the much-needed safety net for middle-class Mississippians." |
| CHARLIE MITCHELL (OPINION): 'Uber' builds a better mouse trap for transit | |
 | Longtime Mississippi journalist Charlie Mitchell writes: "A rising and enterprising international car service finds itself at the intersection of civics and technology. In Mississippi and elsewhere, this means the company has been and continues to be in trouble with the law, too. ...This type of service has been offered, generally, by car services since someone first figured out how to marry the Internet to their firm. The Uber differences are (1) one app (or website) for hundreds of cities and towns, (2) a lot of part time or hobby drivers using their own vehicles and (3) charging less -- often much less. And that's where the civics comes in." |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State's Mullen: SEC west unlike any 'division in football at any level' | |
| Mississippi State prepares for its first ranked opponent this week in No. 8 LSU. It better not throw out the gameplan. The Bulldogs have two more top-10 teams after the Tigers. MSU has a bye next week, but plays No. 6 Texas A&M on Oct. 4 and No. 5 Auburn on Oct. 11. "There's nowhere in the country right now like the SEC west," MSU coach Dan Mullen said. "I don't think there is a division in football at any level that's like the SEC west right now." |
| Mississippi State hopes to respond to biggest test | |
 | The biggest opportunity of the season has arrived for Mississippi State's football team. After three weeks of dominating non-conference opponents, MSU will open Southeastern Conference play at 6 p.m. Saturday at No. 8 LSU. "We are going to have to play at a very, very high level to find a way to win," said MSU coach Dan Mullen, who is 0-5 against LSU in his tenure in Starkville. "They are a top-10 team, and playing on the road on a Saturday night is a big challenge for us." LSU will be the first of three consecutive top-10 opponents for MSU. |
| Mississippi State offense aims to 'settle down' | |
| Dan Mullen admits that his offense has not been perfect through the first three weeks. However, Mississippi State is averaging 526.7 yards and 43.7 points per game during its 3-0 start. The Bulldogs have surpassed 500 yards in each outing this season behind quarterback Dak Prescott, who has accounted for a dozen touchdowns. "We are still trying to find out who we are as a team through three weeks," Mullen said. "I think we are going to settle down a little bit as we get in to conference play." |
| Mississippi State to open up playbook against No. 8 LSU | |
| Mississippi State didn't have to do too much to go 3-0. The defense primarily played a base 4-3 defense, regardless of its opponents' formations, and allowed 37 points. The offense didn't have to use too much of its playbook to score 131 points. But expect that to change Saturday, when the Bulldogs face No. 8 LSU in Baton Rouge (6 p.m., ESPN) for its first Southeastern Conference game. "We still haven't shown all of our offense yet. The same, I think defensively," MSU coach Dan Mullen said. |
| Bulldogs must battle history at Tiger Stadium | |
| Mississippi State has fielded some solid football teams over the past two decades but rarely has it found success against LSU. LSU leads the series 71-33-3 and is 47-18-1 in games played in Baton Rouge, the site of Saturday's 6 p.m. contest on ESPN. "They are a top 10 team in the country and playing on the road on a Saturday night is a big challenge for us," said MSU coach Dan Mullen. "We are going to have to play at a very, very high level to find a way to win." |
| Mississippi State's Prescott catches attention of LSU's Miles | |
| The early season performances of Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott have gotten the attention of LSU coach Les Miles. "Dak Prescott is as good a player as there is at his position in our conference," Miles said Monday, as preparations began for the No. 8 Tigers' Southeastern Conference opener against the Bulldogs on Saturday night. "He's a guy that stands back in the pocket and knows what he's looking at. He makes the throws and he has the ability to pull it down. He runs with strength." |
| LSU coach Les Miles says Mississippi State should be a ranked team | |
| LSU coach Les Miles gave a glowing scouting report of Mississippi State (3-0), which plays the Tigers in both teams' SEC opener in Tiger Stadium on Saturday. |
| Mississippi State's Smith makes history with award | |
| Mississippi State defensive end Preston Smith's reign of dominance among Southeastern Conference defensive linemen continues. On Monday, Smith, a 6-foot-6, 267 pound senior defensive end, was named the league's Defensive Lineman of the Week for the third-straight week after another dominant performance in a 35-3 victory against South Alabama. It is the first time a player has earned the league honor for three straight weeks. In Mobile, Alabama, Smith delivered two quarterback sacks, a blocked field goal, and a forced fumble. |
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