| Wednesday, October 22, 2014 |
| Mississippi State, Tougaloo Sign Agreement to Enhance STEM Opportunities | |
 | Mississippi State University and Tougaloo College signed a memorandum of understanding Monday to enhance educational and research opportunities in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, collectively known as STEM. MSU President Mark E. Keenum said he looks for great things to come to the two schools in the days ahead. "We are immensely honored and proud to partner with Tougaloo, a very prestigious college that we can partner with for the future of our students," Keenum said. |
| Mississippi State, Tougaloo College agreement to promote STEM | |
 | Mississippi State University and Tougaloo College will work together to improve education and research opportunities in STEM fields. The two schools signed a memorandum of understanding Monday to promote the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Both schools agree to collaborative research opportunities between the two institutions in selected STEM disciplines. It also includes the exchange of faculty members and/or students and joint submission of grant proposals to fund educational and research endeavors. |
| Mississippi State students attend OkSOBERfest | |
| Nearly 2,000 college-age Americans die each year from alcohol-related accidents. That's why Mississippi State University hoped to lower that number by hosting an event Tuesday called OkSOBERfest. The school held games designed to educate students about the dangers of alcohol abuse. Students learned what counts as a drink and just how bad one's vision is impaired when under the influence. "We're really focused on bringing information to students in a fun, interactive and engaging way and giving them information so they can make decisions that are intentional and well-informed," said Karen Brandon. |
| Equine Lessons Continue at Mississippi State Horse Auction | |
| Most Mississippi State University horses arrive on campus in the spring educating students about the foaling process and leave in November teaching them about auctions. The annual horse sale will take place in a nontraditional setting as about 20 horses, ages 6 months to 12 years, are sold online Nov. 15-21. Ryann Campbell, the MSU herd supervisor overseeing the sale, said the annual Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station's production sale has been a joint effort between the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and the MSU Extension Service. Proceeds go back into the research and teaching program. |
| Shop supports Jackson, creative economy | |
 | Kristen Ley believes in downtown Jackson. That's why she located Thimblepress at 113 N. State St., across from the War Memorial Building, in April 2013 and opened a retail shop about a year ago. "It makes me feel like I'm doing my part to make Jackson better," she said. A graduate of Mississippi State University, Ley purchased her first letterpress in 2011 out of curiosity and opened Thimblepress in her garage. |
| SMART-Parks proposal: Widen Lynn Lane, add connections | |
 | A significant five-phase, $660,000 infrastructure investment could add increased access points to Starkville Parks and Recreation facilities along Lynn Lane and help solve traffic and mass transit issues along the highly used thoroughfare. Aldermen stopped short of taking action on the project Tuesday, but discussions are expected to continue in the future. A group of delegates from the city and Mississippi State University developed the plan after SPR officials complained that buses from the joint Starkville-university mass transit system caused significant pot holes and other infrastructure issues while picking up riders at the Lynn Lane-based Starkville Sportsplex. |
| Starkville tax returns down from last October | |
| Starkville's most recent sales tax check from the Mississippi Department of Revenue was nearly $20,000 short of the previous October's. Returns totaled $566,347 this month, which reflects 18.5 percent of what city retailers collected in August and turned in to MDR in September. Last October, the city was paid $585,942. It has received $3,917,644 so far in this calendar year. For the 2014 fiscal year, which began last October and ended at the end of last month, the city received $5,953,849. That's a $236,235 improvement from the prior fiscal year. Tourism tax reports for Starkville were not available at press time. |
| Recipes and road stories: Musical Melby sisters have something cookin' in the kitchen | |
| They may not seem old enough to be writing memoirs, but Hannah and Caroline Melby have been "on the road" since they attended elementary school in Starkville. The talented musical sisters, daughters of Pete and Cindy Melby, are based in Nashville and entertain as HanaLena. They are celebrating the release of their book, "Recipes and Road Stories: Life on the Road with Sisters Hannah and Caroline Melby of the duo HanaLena." The sisters' 228-page book of touching and rollicking road stories provides a glimpse into the lives of young musicians learning the art and business of the music industry. Recipes for the book come from a variety of folks the Melbys have eaten with on the road, been hired to play for, played in the band with or shared a stage with. |
| Report: U.S. furniture industry poised for turnaround | |
 | The U.S. furniture industry is starting to rebound from the recession in terms of sales and orders, according to a new report. Still, manufacturers and retailers continue to face challenges, including the sluggish economy, worker shortages, rising labor costs, and shifting consumer buying preferences, according to the report from Anderson Bauman Tourtellot Vos, a turnaround management firm based in Greensboro, North Carolina. The report also noted the trend of on-shoring among manufacturers, noting several reasons for bringing operations back to the U.S., including proximity to customers, access to skilled labor, transportation costs and supply-chain lead time. |
| Mississippi payrolls rise and unemployment rate falls | |
 | Mississippi's employers added 6,000 jobs to their payrolls in September and the state's unemployment rate fell again, although it remains the second-highest in the nation. The state's jobless rate fell to 7.7 percent, down from 7.9 percent in August and 8.4 percent in September 2013. The decrease was driven by people stopping job searches, with fewer people actually reporting they had jobs. Georgia had the worst jobless rate among states at 7.9 percent. |
| Mississippi in 2060: Drastic changes ahead | |
| Before civil rights and integrated schools, before "Jungle Fever" and bilingual labels at the grocery store, Mississippi boasted one of the nation's most diverse populations with a roughly 40-60 mix of black and white residents stitched together by a history of agriculture and slavery. But between 1960, when Mississippi ranked third most diverse state in the nation, and 2060, when USA Today projects it will fall to No. 27, shifting demographics will have reshaped the American landscape and so severely altered parts of Mississippi as to make them almost unrecognizable from today. The Clarion-Ledger examines that shift as part of a Gannett-wide initiative called The Changing Face of America. |
| Fitch: Women need to empower themselves | |
 | State Treasurer Lynn Fitch says women shouldn't be afraid of talking about money. "Empowerment of your money means being money-savvy and planning our future," she said at the fifth annual Renasant Women's Business Symposium at the Tupelo Country Club on Tuesday. Fitch said women face financial barriers -- some brought upon themselves. But she also said those barriers can, and should, be overcome. "As women, we're doing better, we're earning more, but we still have old-school concepts about budgeting, about not looking at the big picture," she said. |
| Mississippi Department of Transportation eliminates 44 jobs | |
| The Mississippi Department of Transportation is eliminating 44 jobs in its Right-of-Way Division. Jason Scott, spokesman for MDOT, says the workers in the Appraisals and Titles section of the Right-of-Way Division were notified this past week. He says workers will be employed with the MDOT until January. MDOT officials say no other layoffs are planned. |
| Congressman Bennie Thompson Talks Homeland Security Action in Ebola Virus Threat | |
 | Congressman Bennie Thompson, the ranking member of the Homeland Security Committee, was in Meridian Tuesday night, talking about tackling security threats at the federal, state and local levels. The longtime Democratic Congressman who serves Mississippi's Second District, says he was invited to the Queen City some time ago to discuss rural health care and tour Rush Foundation Hospital, but the recent Ebola virus scare brings immediate security concerns to light. |
| Full Obamacare Repeal Unlikely, According to Gregg Harper | |
 | Mississippi Republican Congressman Gregg Harper believes it is unlikely to fully repeal Obamacare. Harper says the GOP should focus on "pinpoint" changes. Speaking at a health care reform summit in Jackson, Harper said fully repealing the healthcare reform law is still a top goal, but that it is unrealistic to believe that the law can be totally undone. Harper says the goal now should be targeted changes to make the law more palatable to conservatives. The congressman says pressure will be on for Republicans to propose fixes if they retake control of the U.S. Senate following next month's federal election. |
| Chairing Space Subcommittee attracts campaign cash for Mississippi congressman | |
 | As chairman of a House Science and Technology Committee panel over the last four years, Republican Rep. Steven Palazzo of Mississippi has been a vocal advocate of U.S. space exploration, calling for the resumption of manned flights. That stand has served his re-election campaign well, too, bringing a pile of cash that helped him stave off a primary challenge last spring. From Jan. 1, 2013, through Sept. 30 of this year, the chairman of the Space Subcommittee has collected at least $73,000 from political action committees and employees for aerospace contractors. The out-of-state donations are in keeping with Palazzo's overall fundraising pattern as he closes in on winning a third term in office. |
| Battle begins for National Republican Senatorial Committee chair | |
 | The midterm elections aren't over yet, but that hasn't stopped early chatter among senators over who will lead the Senate Republican campaign arm for the 2016 cycle. Sens. Roger Wicker of Mississippi and Dean Heller of Nevada have been working behind the scenes to let allies know they are interested in taking over as the next head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, according to five sources familiar with the discussions. Several Republican sources said that Wicker has expressed interest in taking the job. Other candidates may yet emerge for the job, and it's entirely possible that Wicker and Heller ultimately may decide not to formally run for the position. Both of their offices were noncommittal, saying they were focused only on 2014. |
| Childers highlights minimum wage, equal pay | |
| Challenger Travis Childers reiterated his support for equal pay for women and an increase in the minimum wage at a Monday luncheon held by "Mississippi Women for Travis." Childers has used the two issues during his underdog campaign to try to differentiate himself from six-term incumbent U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran. Childers, a Prentiss County Democrat who previously served in the U.S. House, told the crowd of about 40 that he learned to support both equal pay and a minimum wage increase after watching his mother work two jobs after his father died when he was age 16. Childers also told the predominantly female crowd at the luncheon, that raising the minimum wage would help women because 70 percent of the people earning it in Mississippi are female. |
| Senate race remains its own parallel universe | |
| The Republican is still angling for the black Democratic vote. The Democrat is trying to win over conservative tea party Republicans. Welcome back to the bizarre parallel universe that is the 2014 Mississippi U.S. Senate race. In a rare public appearance in the Metro area, six-term incumbent Republican Sen. Thad Cochran will thank supporters Thursday at an event sponsored by the All Citizens for Mississippi PAC. This group, created by black religious and political leader Bishop Ronnie Crudup, ran ads and campaigned to help Cochran pull off a hail Mary primary runoff win against tea party challenger Chris McDaniel. Meanwhile, Democratic challenger Travis Childers, an underdog trailing in the polls by double digits, has made two major overtures to tea party Republicans. His wild-card shot at an upset would likely depend on luring GOP crossovers angered over McDaniel's loss. |
| Farmers in battleground states get drought relief | |
| After pressure from farmers in battleground states, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Tuesday that his department will expedite action next spring on a new provision in the farm bill to help growers most impacted by the severe, sustained drought of recent years. Wheat producers from Texas and Oklahoma have been the most outspoken, but the change could also benefit corn and wheat growers in Kansas, Colorado, and Iowa -- all of which figure prominently in the battle over control of the Senate in next month's elections. Prior to Tuesday's announcement, Vilsack and the Risk Management Agency, which oversees the federal crop insurance program, had long insisted the earliest date for implementation would be 2016. |
| Tea Partyers fall in line | |
 | Tea Partyers have learned to play nice after a cycle of knockdown, drag-out fights with the Republican establishment that have gotten them nowhere. Sensing a GOP majority in the Senate is within reach, conservative groups have put down their bombs and are working together with establishment actors to make that happen -- even backing formerly sworn enemies in some races. It's a stunning reversal from early on in the cycle, when establishment actors were gearing up for what was expected to be a fierce fight with Tea Partyers in a number of primaries nationwide. But despite promising a fierce battle, an establishment bloodbath never materialized, and Tea Party groups failed to knock off a single incumbent senator this cycle. Tea Partyers do note that they came close in a number of races, like Kansas, and continue to insist they should've won in Mississippi. |
| Ebola and the politics of fear | |
 | Rhetoric aimed at frightening voters is a time-honored technique. President Johnson had his "Daisy Girl" nuclear ad. President Reagan had a "bear in the woods," a symbol of the Soviet Union. The second President Bush used wolves as a post-9/11 metaphor for lurking terrorists. This campaign season, it's the arrival of Ebola in the United States that has ramped up fear, handing politicians an arresting new talking point. Republicans accuse the Obama administration of incompetence. Democrats say GOP budget-cutting has hampered the government response. As much as voters say they dislike "negative ads" -- whether the ads are peddling anger or fear or other forms of negativity -- political strategists swear by them as turnout tools. There's academic evidence that shows negative advertising can mobilize voters, as well as evidence that emotion is key. |
| Ben Bradlee, legendary Washington Post editor, dies at 93 | |
 | Benjamin C. Bradlee, who presided over The Washington Post newsroom for 26 years and guided The Post's transformation into one of the world's leading newspapers, died Oct. 21 at his home in Washington of natural causes. He was 93. From the moment he took over The Post newsroom in 1965, Mr. Bradlee sought to create an important newspaper that would go far beyond the traditional model of a metropolitan daily. The most compelling story of Mr. Bradlee's tenure, almost certainly the one of greatest consequence, was Watergate, a political scandal touched off by The Post's reporting that ended in the only resignation of a president in U.S. history. But Mr. Bradlee's most important decision, made with Katharine Graham, The Post's publisher, may have been to print stories based on the Pentagon Papers, a secret Pentagon history of the Vietnam War. |
| Welty weekend kicks off Thursday at MUW | |
| The Eudora Welty Writer's Symposium kicks off Thursday with writers from around the country gathering at Mississippi University for Women in Columbus. The 26th annual event continues through Saturday. Louisiana-based writer Tim Parrish will highlight the event, as well as local author Deborah Johnson and writer Robert Edsel. The symposium annually celebrates the role of international writers in Southern literature and the influence of other cultures on Southern writers. |
| Senate District 17 candidate debate to be held on MUW campus | |
| Mississippi University for Women will host a debate for District 17 Mississippi Senate candidates Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. in Poindexter Hall's Kossen Auditorium. William B. "Bill" Canon, Bill Gavin, Bobby Patrick and Charles "Chuck" Younger are the four candidates who will participate in the debate moderated by staff members of The W's newspaper, The Spectator. Candidates will have the opportunity to give a brief opening statement, address questions from The W student body and general audience and close with a statement. The special election is set for Nov. 4. to fill the seat vacated by longtime lawmaker Terry Brown, who lost his battle with cancer in September. The winner of the special election will hold the District 17 seat for one year and will represent the northern two-thirds of Lowndes County including much, but not all, of Columbus. |
| UMMC 'As Prepared As We Can Be' for Ebola | |
| Officials at Mississippi's only level-one trauma center believe they are as prepared as they can be to treat a case of Ebola, if one were to occur in the state. The University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson is coordinating efforts with the state and the Centers for Disease Control to take every precaution against the potentially deadly disease. No one is Mississippi has been diagnosed with Ebola, but officials at the state's largest medical facility say they are as prepared as possible to treat a patient with the disease. |
| Football crowds leading to spike in crime in Oxford | |
| With football hype at an all-time high, more people are making the trip to Oxford, Mississippi. Police are warning that criminals could take advantage of the crowds. "Criminals also understand, large crowds, people walking alone, so they're going to come up here and try to capitalize on any type of advantage like that, that they see," Oxford Police Chief Joey East said. Arrest numbers were actually down over the weekend when the Tennessee Volunteers came to take on the Ole Miss Rebels, but violent crime spiked. Two different victims were pushed to the ground and robbed of their wallets as they walked home. Police say fans celebrating too much can become targets. They warn everyone needs to be smart and aware of their surroundings at all times. |
| Ole Miss working to promote sexual assault awareness | |
 | The University of Mississippi reported five forcible sex offenses on campus in 2013, while there were 10 reported in Lafayette County, according to official records. These incidents were among the 93 reported over the past five years, according the University Police Department's Annual Security Report released Oct. 1. That number may seem low compared to other universities in the nation, but University Assistant Police Chief Ray Hawkins isn't satisfied. "Crime is always changing," Hawkins said. "And I wouldn't want to sit here and say 'yes, we have a grip on crime.' I think we're always looking for ways to improve, and we're always looking for ways to make our campus safer. And even though I have some degree of comfort in where we are, I still think there's room for improvement." |
| At Southern Miss, former Libertarian presidential candidate calls midterms 'big yawn' | |
 | The Libertarian Party's candidate for president in 2012 spoke in Hattiesburg Tuesday night and called the upcoming midterm elections "a big yawn." Gary Johnson, who was also a former two-term Republican governer of New Mexico, spoke at the University Forum at Southern Miss. He said the midterms are no more than a soda taste test and said the nation would be better served if Libertarians were included in national presidential debates. Johnson also spoke about his book, "Seven Principles of Good Government." |
| Meridian Community College, United Way host service day | |
 | A combined team of more than 1,300 volunteers of students, faculty and staff from Meridian Community College and local businesses partnered with United Way to serve different organizations in Meridian on Tuesday. The volunteer event revived the "My College Cares" day for the college and served as the annual "Day of Caring" for the United Way. "It's a great thing to do something for the community," first year cosmetology student Tai Drish said. "It's good to volunteer and do good things for the community." The day served as a volunteer service project for MCC's Phi Theta Kappa, an honors and service organization for two year colleges. |
| East Central Community College gets $2.5M for job training in Winston County | |
| East Central Community College in Decatur has been awarded a $2.5 million grant to provide workforce training opportunities in Winston County, one of the school's five support counties. ECCC President Billy Stewart said the college applied for grant in response to the unemployment rate and the number of dislocated workers in Winston County. The grant will be used to provide training in information technology, health care, energy and advanced manufacturing at the Louisville Career Advancement Center. |
| European trade mission to focus on Alabama's bioscience business | |
 | Bioscience, research and business leaders from across Alabama will travel to Belgium and the Netherlands next week in a trade mission to strengthen ties with similar companies in Europe. Alabama Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield will lead the delegation, which is made up of representatives of bioscience firms, research organizations, trade experts and business recruiters. Other participants hail from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the University of South Alabama, Huntsville's CFD Research Corp., the Birmingham Business Alliance, North Alabama International Trade Organization, the Tuscaloosa County Industrial Development Authority, the city of Opelika and the Alabama Small Business Development Center. |
| John Lewis talks civil rights struggle, new book at LSU | |
 | Georgia Congressman John Lewis says he was initially hesitant about turning his story of becoming a leader in the Civil Rights movement into a graphic novel. "But I'm glad we did it; now there are people young, and not so young, reading it all over," said Lewis, who was on LSU's campus Tuesday to sign copies of "March: Book One." The book, which is the first in a trilogy, serves as a unique early-life memoir for Lewis, 74, and it's detailed through 121 pages of sharply drawn black and white images, like a comic book with the color drained from it. In the LSU campus bookstore, Lewis was greeted by a steady stream of students -- most of them at least 50 years younger than him and decades removed from the segregation he fought against. |
| U. of Georgia restricts travel to Ebola countries | |
 | The University of Georgia won't approve school-related travel to three West African countries gripped by an Ebola virus epidemic. The new rule is in keeping with guidance issued by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said UGA spokesman Tom Jackson. According to the CDC advice, education-related travel to Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone should be postponed "until further notice." University officials don't have to worry, though, about students going home to any of those countries over the Thanksgiving or winter holiday breaks. UGA's student body of about 35,000 includes about 2,500 students for other countries, but none from Liberia, Guinea or Sierra Leone. |
| New federal sexual assault rules won't mean major changes at UGA, officials say | |
| New federal rules on violence against women will require more training for students and workers on preventing sexual assault, domestic violence and related crimes. The regulations, released Monday by the federal Department of Education, also call on colleges to clearly outline campus policies on sexual violence. Institutions will "provide to incoming students and new employees and describe in their annual security reports primary prevention and awareness programs," according to the 227-page document. The University of Georgia already complies with most of the requirements, and will have to make few changes as a result of the new rules, said Tom Jackson, UGA's vice president for public affairs. |
| U. of Arkansas System debates how to fund online education startup | |
 | The University of Arkansas System in March approved the creation of a fully online institution that would spring from the system's pool of talent and resources. Seven months later, some of the other institutions in the system are balking at the idea of footing the bill for what may become a direct competitor. eVersity is part of a statewide effort to increase the number of Arkansans with college degrees. Following its anticipated launch in October 2015, the online institution will market itself to adult learners who at one point started college and completed a handful of credits but left before they could earn a degree. |
| 2014 U. of Missouri Homecoming blood drive collects 5,738 pints of blood | |
 | The 2014 University of Missouri Homecoming blood drive collected 5,738 pints of blood, about 490 pints over the goal, Daphne Mathew, communications director of the American Red Cross, said. The 29th annual MU Homecoming blood drive collected blood from students, alumni and community members. The drive, hosted by the Mizzou Alumni Association, was held at Hearnes Center Fieldhouse. Since 1985, the MU Homecoming blood drive has cumulatively collected more than 100,000 pints of blood, according to the release. Each blood donation has the potential to save up to three lives, according to the American Red Cross's website. |
| Brain-Training Companies Get Advice From Some Academics, Criticism From Others | |
 | Your brain is a tree. Or, perhaps more fittingly, a bank account. With metaphors like those, brain-game companies entice people to buy subscriptions to their online training programs, many of which promise to increase customers' "neuroplasticity," "fluid intelligence," and working memory capacity. They even claim to help stave off the effects of aging. Leading scientists have criticized those promises, though. The loudest objection came on Monday, when the Stanford Center for Longevity and the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, in Berlin, released "A Consensus on the Brain-Training Industry From the Scientific Community," a statement objecting "to the claim that brain games offer consumers a scientifically grounded avenue to reduce or reverse cognitive decline." |
| Florida State's Pi Kappa Alpha chapter under investigation in sexual battery case | |
| Florida State University's Pi Kappa Alpha house was a bustling hive of college students the night of Friday, Oct. 10 hours before a sexual battery was reported. The 300 or so fraternity brothers, also known as Pikes, hosted their annual pirate-themed "Pikes of the Caribbean" party at their multi-story fraternity house in Heritage Grove off Ocala Road. But three hours later, seven FSU PD officers were back at the house after a student said she was sexually battered there. Six days later, Pi Kappa Alpha was placed on an interim disciplinary action due to university and Title IX concerns. Pi Kappa Alpha is no stranger to trouble. It was shut down for more than a decade after three members were charged with raping a drunk, 18-year-old woman at the fraternity's house in 1988. |
| U. of California leaders consider limiting out-of-state enrollment | |
 | The University of California is beginning to have second thoughts about its highly successful effort to bring more out-of-state students onto its campuses. In a bid to boost revenue, the system five years ago began to aggressively recruit students from other parts of the country and from around the world. The significantly higher fees those students paid brought in about $400 million extra last year. But the effort stirred a backlash from California parents, who suspected that their children's admissions chances were being hurt. UC officials have taken great pains to argue that qualified California students were not losing slots to those from New York or China. But the complaints from parents and state legislators recently prompted UC President Janet Napolitano and other system leaders to consider putting limits on out-of-state enrollment. Any such retrenchment faces its own set of complications. |
| OUR OPINION: The four-year plan is best for students | |
| The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal editorializes: "Jokes abound about college students being on "the five-year plan" and beyond. Yet it's no longer a joke -- it's becoming the norm. ...But there's an even more ominous downside. The longer a student stays in college beyond the normal four years, the greater the risks that he or she won't get that degree. ...All of these are good reasons why the state Board of Trustees of Institutions of Higher Learning has endorsed the efforts of the state's eight university student body presidents to raise awareness of the issue. A 'Finish in 4' campaign through brochures, a website and social media is under way at the initiative of the Student Body Presidents' Council, whose members have seen first-hand what happens when students don't plan ahead and commit to finishing in four years." |
| OUR VIEW: A strong case for a liberal arts education | |
| The Dispatch editorializes: "Eighty-nine years ago, a 16-year-old girl from Jackson began studying English literature at what was then known as Mississippi State College for Women (now MUW). While she never received a degree from The W, her name is indelibly linked to the school. Thursday marks the beginning of the 26th annual Eudora Welty Writer's Symposium and, as it has been since the start, the three-day event is both a reminder of our town's rich cultural heritage as well as a powerful argument for what is called the 'liberal arts.' ... In recent years, when the subject of education emerges, we have been told that there needs to be a greater emphasis on math and science in college and for developing skilled workers for our growing industrial economy among those who might not be best-suited for university training. But as our educational focus shifts toward these disciplines, we should not be dismissive of the value of the liberal arts. The annual Welty symposium is, then, a reminder of those benefits." |
| GINNA PARSONS (OPINION): Football divides, but food unites | |
| The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal's Ginna Parsons writes: "The recent flurry of football activity has created quite a disturbance in the Parsons-Langford household. It wasn't bad enough that I'm an Ole Miss grad and my husband, Charlie, graduated from Mississippi State. Now, our daughter, Mary, is a junior at UM and our son, Patrick, will be headed to MSU next fall. The Egg Bowl is going to be extra-interesting this year and, quite likely, for years to come. But one thing we all have in common is food, and especially tasty tailgating treats. Enter Cindy Wood of New Albany." |
| BRIAN PERRY (OPINION): Shakeup in the U.S. Senate? | |
| Consultant and columnist Brian Perry writes: "In less than two weeks, mid-term elections will impact the final two years of President Barack Obama's administration. Voters decide whether he has a Democratic Senate majority that, having stripped the Republican minority of the filibuster protections, can confirm his nominees and block measures from the Republican controlled House of Representatives, or if he will be firmly a 'lame duck.' In the struggle for the Senate, Southern states play a critical role, including a handful of states along the Mississippi River. Republicans hold 15 seats in this cycle. The Cook Political Report lists 12 of these seats as 'Solid Republican' or 'Likely Republican.' All these races but two -- Oklahoma and Nebraska -- feature incumbents seeking re-election. Mississippi's Senator Thad Cochran is rated 'Likely Republican.'" |
| BOBBY HARRISON (OPINION): Repeal advocates' Obamacare dance | |
| The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal's Bobby Harrison writes: "Republicans seem to be faring pretty well this election cycle, even though many of them are getting twisted up on how to deal with the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare. The mantra of Republican candidates, including incumbent U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran here in Mississippi, is that the Affordable Care Act must be repealed. But in Maine, incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who is running for re-election, like Cochran, said recently that it might be too late to repeal the Affordable Care Act, though she said there might need to be some bills to fix certain aspects of the law. Interestingly, Collins and Cochran's Democratic opponent here in Mississippi, Travis Childers, appear to be in lockstep on how they would approach Obamacare if they win their respective Nov. 4 elections." |
| SAM R. HALL (OPINION): Childers is a nice guy who never stood out | |
| The Clarion-Ledger's Sam R. Hall writes: "Former Congressman Travis Childers would make a fine U.S. senator. His politics fairly well reflect the mindset of most northeast Mississippi voters -- Mississippi voters in general, for that matter. He doesn't vote lockstep with the Democratic Party, was never a political leadership kind of guy and is genuinely a product of his upbringing and Prentiss County values. But Travis Childers will not be the next U.S. senator from the Magnolia State." |
| CHARLIE MITCHELL (OPINION): Future jobs will go to prepared people, areas | |
| Longtime Mississippi journalist Charlie Mitchell writes: "In 2008 when the global economy imploded, experts predicted there would be no quick bounce-back. Perhaps more significantly, those who study this stuff nonstop said that when the U.S. economy did start clicking again, we might not recognize it. Now comes a report in USA Today validating that vision. Out with the old; in with the new. The takeaway for Mississippi is that unless this state's citizens, its leaders and policymakers get busy, think smart and longer-range, the state stands to lose ground. The other side of the coin is that if the Legislature and others are paying attention, the state can position itself for significant gain. Mississippi can, to paraphrase former Gov. Haley Barbour, 'hitch up our britches.' Sadly, there are not overwhelming signs this is happening." |
| SID SALTER (OPINION): Forty-five years after Alexander v. Holmes, nation's schools reach milestone | |
 | Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: "It's been a long time -- 45 years to be exact -- since massive school desegregation changed Mississippi's educational landscape and with it set the pace for sweeping social and political changes to follow. ...Too many of the stories of Mississippi educators from that era have passed away. But through the efforts of Mississippi State University associate professor James 'Jim' Adams, many of those first-person accounts of public school integration in Mississippi are being preserved. Adams and his wife, Natalie, both university professors, have completed an oral history study on the desegregation of the state's public schools between 1963 and 1971. The project focuses on recording the first-person accounts of administrators, teachers, coaches, staff, students, parents, community activists and others who have a story from that era." |
SPORTS
| Reconstructed Mississippi State offensive line holds up | |
| Friday is test day for the Mississippi State's offensive line. They are quizzed on everything from defensive sets to individual defender's techniques. And then it gets personal. Offensive line coach John Hevesy asks his unit each week who they trust beside them. "For me, when Devon (Desper) goes in there, the four other guys have to trust him when he goes in there," Hevesy said. "That's a big part of learning and learning young." The names written down play a large role in who gets playing time that weekend. |
| Kentucky's weakness could mean big day for Mississippi State's Prescott, Robinson | |
| "Dakman and Robinson" signs sprouted up in the Junction three weeks ago as SEC Nation arrived in Starkville. Fans painted Dak Prescott in a Batman costume, while they photoshopped Josh Robinson in a Robin outfit. The tandem may be superheros at Mississippi State, but opponents view them as brain-cramping riddles. The duo ranks in the top four in rushing in the Southeastern Conference. They are the only teammates in the power five conferences to accomplish that feat. "The way Dak is throwing the ball as well, they stretch you constantly," Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said. "So it is a concern." The numbers back that up. |
| Mississippi State's Myles fills needed role without Lewis | |
| The Mississippi State football team didn't miss a beat. Three weeks ago, minutes before No. 12 MSU was to face No. 6 Texas A&M, Dan Mullen learned senior wide receiver Jameon Lewis, one of MSU's most explosive and versatile offensive weapons, would miss the game with a lower leg injury. Seven days later, Lewis, who entered the season as the SEC's leading returning receiver, would miss his second-straight game, this one a showdown against No. 2 Auburn. Enter Gabe Myles. |
| Mississippi State's Deshea Townsend using NFL experience to help humble team | |
| Deshea Townsend walked into the media room with a grin. Mississippi State is 6-0 and ranked No. 1, but before he spoke about the Bulldogs, he commented on his former team's win. The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Texans 30-23 on Monday night. The former cornerback won two Super Bowls with the Steelers. The 12-year veteran is no stranger to the spotlight. The cornerbacks coach is using that to help Mississippi State handle the media hoards now. "It keeps you grounded at one game at a time," Townsend said. |
| GOP appears to violate NCAA rules by using Ole Miss, Mississippi State players in ads | |
 | An email ad sent Tuesday morning by the Mississippi Republican Party appears to violate NCAA rules by using photographs of two student athletes. The email, which solicits volunteers to help with the re-election effort for GOP Sen. Thad Cochran, also links to a YouTube video featuring Gov. Phil Bryant and what appears to be footage from NCAA games. But that video contains no overtly political message. At the end of the GOP email, however, the party makes this plea: "There are only 14 days until the midterm elections ...and the momentum is on our side. Now, more than ever, we need your help!" Earlier this year, Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell ran afoul of the University of Kentucky, which sent his campaign a cease-and-desist order for using a Kentucky basketball player in an ad. |
| JOHN CLAY (OPINION): Mississippi State AD Stricklin says Kentucky can reach the top too | |
 | Columnist John Clay writes for the Lexington Herald-Leader: "This has never happened before in Starkvegas, of all places, where the local football team is undefeated, with three straight wins over top-10 teams, with back-to-back Sports Illustrated covers, with -- drum roll, please -- the No. 1 ranking in the entire nation. So you might think Scott Stricklin, former associate athletics director at Kentucky, now AD at Mississippi State, would be soaking up all the attention from his program's unexpected rise to the top rung on the grid ladder. Instead, Stricklin has his smiling eyes on his fan base. 'It's been fun to watch our fans,' said Stricklin before boarding a flight to Indianapolis and an NCAA meeting on Tuesday." |
| LOGAN LOWERY (OPINION): Rough path ahead for Bulldogs | |
| The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal's Logan Lowery writes: "Mississippi State enjoyed its best first half to a football season in school history. The Bulldogs rose from unranked to the No. 1 team in the country by defeating three consecutive top 10 opponents and remain undefeated at 6-0. But MSU coach Dan Mullen and quarterback Dak Prescott are quick to remind fans and media alike that the season isn't over yet and there is plenty their team wants to accomplish. The Bulldogs still have six games remaining in the regular season including three more SEC road games and two against teams ranked in the top 4 nationally." |
| Houston could provide punch for Mississippi State men on court | |
| Entering his third season as Mississippi State's men's basketball coach, Rick Ray hopes this year's newcomers help MSU end its postseason drought. The group includes sharp-shooting guard Maurice Dunlap, a freshman from Greenwood; 6-foot-9 post player Oliver Black, of Jackson Wingfield High School; and junior college transfer Travis Daniels and redshirt freshman Fallou Ndoye, who were on campus a year ago but will take the court for the first time as Bulldogs this season. Ray's hopes are perhaps highest for freshman small forward Demetrius Houston, of Montgomery, Alabama. A member of the Rivals.com Top 100 a year ago as a senior at Montgomery's Carver High, Houston chose MSU over offers from Alabama, Auburn, and Seton Hall. |
| Mississippi State's Alwal hopes new habits will pay dividends | |
| Martha Alwal doesn't like to talk about herself. That's why you won't hear the 6-foot-4 center discussing how she earned first-team All-Southeastern Conference honors from the league coaches and The Associated Press last season after leading the team in scoring (14.9 points per game). You also won't hear Alwal bragging about how she was named to the SEC's All-Defensive team for the second-straight year or how she shared its defensive player of the year award after finishing third in the league in rebounding (8.8 per game) and first in blocked shots (2.7). But Alwal is more than happy to discuss new diet options she hopes will help her have an even better senior season for the Mississippi State women's basketball team. |
| Mississippi State's Martha Alwal named preseason All-SEC | |
| Mississippi State was picked eighth and senior Martha Alwal was named preseason All-SEC in a vote of media members announced Tuesday. "It's a great compliment to our four starters returning and the Top 20 recruiting class that we brought in," MSU coach Vic Schaefer said. "At the end of the day it's not where you start but where you finish. Our challenge now is to not just live up to that but to exceed it." |
| Mississippi State surges to 22-shot lead at Old Waverly | |
| After the second day of the Bulldog Invitational at Old Waverly Golf Course, Mississippi State's women's golf team holds a 22-stroke lead over the competition, more than quadrupling the five-stroke lead it held at the end of day one. As a team, MSU shot 11 strokes under par Tuesday to move to -14 under for the tournament. Memphis is in second place at +8, with South Florida and Florida International tied for third at +10. The competition is tighter on the individual level, as Bulldog senior Ally McDonald finished five strokes under par on day two to take the lead from teammate Jessica Peng, who led after the first day. McDonald, at -8 for the tournament, is two strokes ahead of USF's Ashley Burke entering today's final round. MSU coach Ginger Brown-Lemm thought her team played its best golf Tuesday after shaking off some tense moments Monday. |
| Bias? Or Jealously? SEC's rankings draw angry response | |
| Duck fans in Oregon and Buckeye backers in Ohio are united. Seminoles in the Florida panhandle and Sooners in the Oklahoma panhandle are rallying around a common cause. As the Southeastern Conference was trending last weekend after becoming the first league to hold four of the top five spots in the AP Top 25, fans of other conferences had an angry response: #SECBias. The conference that won seven of the last eight BCS championships has many fans exasperated with media coverage they feel has created an unbeatable-SEC narrative. The fear is it will lead to the first College Football Playoff being overrun by one conference. |
| Hugh Freeze, Coach at Ole Miss, Follows an Unlikely Blueprint | |
 | The University of Mississippi has emerged as an unexpected power in college football this season under Coach Hugh Freeze, whose road map to the upper reaches of the Southeastern Conference has made him one of the university's most popular figures since various members of the Manning family roamed the tree-lined streets of Oxford. The No. 3 Rebels (7-0), who play Saturday at No. 24 Louisiana State (6-2), are rolling behind a stifling defense and an up-tempo offense, styles of play that Freeze developed as a high school coach. And not only on the football field. |
| Ex-ESPN analyst Dykes defends his hire at Arkansas as women's basketball coach | |
| Jimmy Dykes' abrupt career change from ESPN analyst to first-time college head coach at age 53 drew criticism from those who said such a move was highly unlikely in prestige sports like football or men's basketball. At the Southeastern Conference Media Day on Tuesday, Dykes offered an impassioned defense of himself and Arkansas' decision to hire him as women's basketball coach. "The people in charge of the hiring, I think you have to trust that those people are going to hire the best person for their job," he told reporters. When pressed about his hire suggesting something dismissive about women's basketball, Dykes bristled. |
| Butch Jones: Billboards show Midstate's value to Vols | |
 | After a billboard on Interstate 40 West popped up this week in Nashville featuring eight freshmen Vols from the Midstate, Tennessee coach Butch Jones spoke Tuesday about how important the region is for his vision of the program. "The Midstate area is a very strong recruiting base for us," Jones said. "The entire state of Tennessee is a very strong recruiting base for us. You look at the individuals, particularly this past year's recruiting class, from the Midstate area and they're all making an impact on our football team." Jones added that he wants to attract in-state recruits to Knoxville who are excited about playing for the Vols. |
| Many Athletes Receive Little Education on Concussion | |
| Nearly a quarter of respondents to a new survey of NCAA colleges said their institutions do not have a formal process for educating athletes about the danger of head injuries. The findings, published on Tuesday in The American Journal of Sports Medicine, suggest that dozens of institutions may not be in compliance with the concussion policy set forth by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The NCAA's policy requires colleges to have a concussion-management plan, along with a process for educating players about the signs and symptoms of head injuries. There are no penalties for noncompliance. The study also examined institutions' management of head injuries on the field. |
| Former congressman says 'inexorable change' coming to NCAA sports | |
| A forum sponsored by the Big 12 Conference on Tuesday was billed as a discussion about whether college athletes should be treated as employees. Instead, it foretold a coming apocalypse to the status quo of college sports. "You're going to be facing a day of reckoning," Tom McMillen, a retired professional basketball player and former member of Congress, warned the gathering of college sports professionals. And that reckoning, he said, is coming sooner rather than later. McMillen, who now serves on the board of directors of the National Foundation on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition, was speaking on a panel during the one-day conference, called "The State of College Athletics Forum." The reckoning, he said, would come in the form of Congress and the White House establishing a presidential commission on college sport. |
| RICK CLEVELAND (OPINION): Book on state's sports greats launches | |
 | Mississippi sports columnist Rick Cleveland writes: "We begin with an admission: I just thought I knew about everything there was to know about Mississippi sports history and heroes. And then I started working on a book -- Mississippi's Greatest Athletes -- to benefit the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum about a year ago. That's when I found out how much I didn't know. It has been educational; it has been a true labor of love. I love sports and love history. This book combines the two with a lot of human interest mixed in. Published by Neil White at The Nautilus Publishing Company, the handsome coffee table book debuts this month at bookstores across Mississippi." |
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