| Tuesday, November 18, 2014 |
| Former Journalist Talks Politics with Mississippi State Students | |
 | A journalist turned educator talked politics at Mississippi State Monday afternoon. Curtis Wilkie took the podium as the first guest of a new public lecture series for the political science and public administration department. Wilkie discussed legal affairs, public policy, and political parties. He spoke about the Republican shift of control on Capitol Hill, and expressed his belief that the Democratic Party will gain a foothold in the South in the future. He also discussed other elements of Mississippi culture. "We do live in a state where old connections run deep. Family connections, school connections, political connections." Wilkie said he discovered again how intimate the state's people are connected when he set out to write "Fall of the House of Zeus" about the Dickie Scruggs trial. |
| Bully: Mississippi State University's Mascot | |
 | It's a good thing to be a Bully at Mississippi State University, and for 21 years head veterinary technician Lisa Pritchard has cared for State's beloved bullies or bulldog mascot. Earning her a special title, Bully's mom. "I started introducing myself, hey my name is Lisa but just call me Bully's mom," she said. "That's kind of where it starts and it stuck." Since the turn of the 20th century AKC English Bulldogs like Champ have roamed campus, but not just for playtime. "We put the harness on and he's all business, it's time to go to work." |
| Strickland: Hunters shouldn't fear common deer diseases | |
 | Hunters who discover sick deer should not be overly concerned, according to a Mississippi State University researcher. Bronson Strickland, wildlife biologist and wildlife management specialist with the MSU Extension Service, writes: "As a wildlife specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, I get many phone calls and emails from hunters during the hunting season asking, "What's wrong with this deer?" The hunter then provides some details regarding what he is seeing on the deer. Together we can usually diagnose the problem." |
| Two arrested for Starkville auto burglaries | |
 | Two Starkville men are behind bars for auto burglaries that occurred in the town Saturday. Starkville police say Roderiquez Devonte Norman, 19, and Jarrerick Kenedric Jenkins, 19, were taken into custody after police responded to a possible burglary-in-progress at Crossgate Apartments around 2:53 a.m. Norman and Jenkins face two counts of auto burglary each. |
| Lowndes County in running for $1.2 billion aluminum plant | |
 | Lowndes County could be the future home of a mini-mill that produces 600,000 tons of aluminum a year and employs up to 850 people. American Specialty Alloys issued a media release Monday saying it has plans to construct a $1.2 billion facility "in the southeastern United States." The company's chief marketing officer told The Dispatch the facility's location "will be announced in the very near future." Joe Max Higgins, the CEO of the Golden Triangle Development LINK, in a voicemail left with The Dispatch on Monday, declined to comment. Jeff Rent, spokesperson with Mississippi Development Authority, said his office "cannot comment on what may or may not be an economic development project." |
| Mississippi initiative assists child care programs | |
 | The need to improve early childhood education in the state has caught the attention of Mississippi's business community. That was manifest in 2008 when businesses and foundations across the state came together to launch Mississippi Building Blocks, a Mississippi-only initiative that tries to help the state's child care centers improve their quality. Championed by the Mississippi Economic Council, MBB raised $7 million from businesses and foundations over its first four years. Now it operates entirely on state funding. It has received $3 million from the state for each of the past two years. |
| Ensuring quality: Mississippi lacks standard measure for child care | |
| As Mississippi tries to better prepare its youngest children for kindergarten, one of the most important places for it to start is its private child care centers. More than 50,000 of the state's children under age 6 are enrolled in one of its 1,391 private centers. That represents about 20 percent of the state's population under age 6. The challenge comes in ensuring these children are in a high-quality learning environment. |
| Tree planted for Emmett Till, whose slaying helped spark civil rights movement | |
 | At age 14, African-American Emmett Till was visiting relatives in the Mississippi Delta nearly 60 years ago when he did something that wouldn't turn a head today: He talked with, maybe even flirted with, a white woman who ran a grocery store. It cost him his life. On Monday, in memory of Till's death and in recognition of the lessons of the state's checkered past, Mississippi's senators joined Attorney General Eric Holder and other notables in planting a sycamore tree to honor Till on the north side of the U.S. Capitol. Mississippi's senior senator, Republican Thad Cochran, acknowledged the role of Till's death "in heightening America's awareness of the injustice of racial discrimination in our country." "Emmett Till's legacy carries with it memories of the risks so many took in my state, and elsewhere, in efforts to advance the cause of racial justice," he said. "This tree is a symbol of their sacrifices, too." |
| Bryant proposes tax cut 'for working families' | |
 | Gov. Phil Bryant released his budget proposal for the next year, which would include a state income tax break for low- to moderate-income families, provided the state economy remains flush. His proposal includes a non-refundable tax credit for families that have a state tax liability, which means, Bryant said, "only those who are paying taxes will be allowed to take the tax credit." Bryant says the proposal would provide a break ranging from more than $400 a year to about $100 a year, depending on income, for an estimated 300,000 Mississippi families. |
| Bryant seeks $78.7M tax cut for lower earners | |
| Gov. Phil Bryant is proposing a tax cut for low-to-moderate Mississippians as part of his budget recommendation released Monday. Bryant's proposal is to provide a sliding tax credit, based on a filer's tax liability, to those eligible for the federal earned income tax credit that was established for low-to-moderate income families. The Bryant tax credit, equal to 15 percent of the federal earned income tax credit, would be available, for example, to a family of four earning less than $49,186 annually. Bryant's stressed that his tax cut proposal "will begin the discussion" and that he is open to input from the Legislature during the 2015 session. |
| Gov. Bryant seeks $79M tax cut for lower earners | |
 | Republican Gov. Phil Bryant said Monday that he wants to cut income taxes for some Mississippians earning less than $53,000 a year as part of his 2016 budget proposal. He estimates the tax reduction will return $78.7 million to about 300,000 households, for an average tax cut of around $250 a year. The tax cut would piggyback on the existing federal Earned Income Tax Credit. Married people with three or more children making up to $52,427 a year might get relief under the proposal. A single childless person would benefit if making less than $14,590 a year. Bryant's plan differs from the federal credit in significant respects. |
| Legal experts: Gay marriage victory likely in Mississippi | |
| Gay couples could start obtaining marriage licenses in Mississippi as early as this week if the predictions of at least six top legal scholars nationwide hold true. The scholars, contacted Friday by The Clarion-Ledger, widely believe that U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves will grant a preliminary injunction to Mississippi's gay marriage ban as sought by the Campaign for Southern Equality in its case against the state. And that he will do so quickly. But the honeymoon in Mississippi wouldn't last long; experts also predict the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals will grant the state's sought-after stay in a short order. "The state could decide not to appeal the decision," said University of Mississippi law professor Dale Carpenter. "I don't know Mississippi politics very well, but I'm guessing it wouldn't be a popular option." |
| Delta Representative Wants Tax Incentives to Keep Graduates from Leaving | |
 | Get a college degree from Mississippi and move to another state; it is a trend some lawmakers hope to put an end to. "We are losing these type of bright young minds to other states," said Representative Chuck Espy. Espy says he plans on introducing legislation this year that would give new college graduates a tax incentive to remain working in the state, possibly not requiring them to pay income tax for up to five years. Espy is a Democrat from Clarksdale who represents District 26 which includes parts of Coahoma and Quitman counties. |
| Bryant announces another $28 million in Coast restoration projects | |
 | Gov. Phil Bryant announced Monday that three more restoration projects totaling $28 million are planned across the three Coast counties. Bryant said the projects will reduce erosion along the shorelines while providing protection from storm surge, strengthen the fishing industry and look at overfishing in the Gulf of Mexico. The three projects were developed in consultation with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality and federal resource agencies. |
| DeSoto County Schools Superintendent Milton Kuykendall to retire | |
 | After leading Mississippi's largest school district for 12 years and taking it from a vastly overcrowded situation, a sea of trailers on school campuses and tight funds to achieving lower teacher/pupil ratios and a better bottom line, DeSoto County Schools Supt. Milton Kuykendall Monday announced he was retiring from the position and will not seek re-election for a fourth term. Kuykendall's current term as school superintendent will end in December, 2015. In announcing his decision, Kuykendall said he wants possible successors to have ample time to prepare and campaign. "I know what it takes to run a campaign and I want to give those seeking this office time to run," Kuykendall said. |
| Rep. Palazzo questions Obama's strategy for stopping Islamic State | |
| As a Marine deployed to the first Gulf War in 1991 and now a member of the House Armed Services Committee, Republican Rep. Steven Palazzo of Mississippi has a deep interest in how the United States contends with the radical Islamists rampaging across much of western Iraq. He's no fan of President Barack Obama's approach and isn't shy about saying so. Palazzo said he and some of his fellow Republicans applauded the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, for testifying to the committee last week that U.S. combat troops eventually may be needed to defeat the so-called Islamic State. "I thought it was bold that he actually told members of Congress what his professional opinion was on how to deal with the threat," Palazzo said. |
| Leslie H. Southwick, 'The Nominee: A Political and Spiritual Journey' | |
 | So you think you want to be a judge? If so, then before you chart your course, you should read "The Nominee: A Political and Spiritual Journey," by Leslie Southwick, now a judge on the United States Court of Appeals. It is a sobering read that puts a human face on the deterioration of the judicial confirmation process. Judge Southwick's dream to become a judge dated back over a decade before he was was actually nominated by President George W. Bush to the 5th Circuit in 2005. Southwick was first recommended by Mississippi senators for a seat on the 5th Circuit in 1991, to replace the retiring Charles Clark and then again in 2004, as well as for a district judgeship in 2004 and 2006. In the meantime, he served in the Justice Department, went to Iraq as a JAG officer, served 12 years on the Mississippi Court of Appeals, and hobnobbed with multiple Presidents and Presidential aspirants. |
| Gun laws drove us to Alabama, Remington CEO confirms to New York officials | |
 | The CEO of Remington Arms has confirmed New York's tough gun laws did play a role in its decision to relocate a major manufacturing plant to Alabama. In a letter to New York officials, Remington Outdoor Company CEO George Kollitides said the company's decision was brought about by "state policies affecting use of our products." The letter was first reported in the New York Daily News. Remington announced in February it would open a $110 million production plant on land adjacent to the Huntsville International Airport. The facility will bring 2,000 jobs. |
| Jerusalem synagogue attack victims were American and British, police say | |
 | In the most serious attack in Jerusalem in years, two men armed with axes, knives and firearms stormed a synagogue Tuesday, killing at least four worshipers and injuring others before a police officer shot and killed the assailants, authorities said. Israeli police told the Associated Press that three Americans and one British citizen, all of whom also held Israeli citizenship, were killed by the attackers. Israeli media cited witnesses who said worshipers were felled in mid-prayer, wrapped in their prayer shawls and lying on the floor in pools of blood. A prominent rabbi was among the victims. |
| International students find home away from home at MUW | |
| International students who graduate from Mississippi University for Women leave the school with two things: a degree and a newfound family. For some, one is as valuable as the other. Nadeema Appukutti, 29, is a chemistry major from Sri Lanka. Appukutti came to The W from Nepal to join her husband who was a student at Mississippi State University. Her husband has since graduated and moved back to Sri Lanka. Appukutti will join him once she graduates in December. In the meantime, her fellow classmates have served as a second family, she said. "He was here for two years when I came here, so he already knew stuff," Appukutti said, speaking of her husband. "When he left, I was like, 'How am I going to survive?' These people, they are there for me for everything ... because of them, I don't feel like I am away from home." |
| U. of Mississippi Medical Center preparing Ebola isolation facility, renovating vacant building | |
| The University of Mississippi Medical Center is renovating a vacant building to serve as an isolation and treatment unit in the event of a confirmed or probable Ebola case in Mississippi. UMMC officials said in a news release Monday that the stand-alone structure is removed from other patient-care facilities on the Jackson campus. UMMC officials say patients can be sequestered and physically isolated the case from the rest of campus. The renovations will take two weeks. |
| Ex-USM worker arrested for stalking, disturbing peace | |
 | University of Southern Mississippi Police have arrested a former iTech employee on seven counts each of stalking and disturbing the peace. Quandom Benn, 31, turned himself in to authorities Monday and was turned over to the Forrest County Justice Court, said University Police Department Detective Rusty Keyes during a press conference. A Hattiesburg resident, Benn had worked at Southern Miss for seven years as an iTech technician and was responsible for completing work orders on malfunctioning computers, Keyes said. iTech is Southern Miss' technology support services. Southern Miss President Rodney Bennett said he received a briefing on June 24 from police officers about the inappropriate activity of an employee. |
| Former USM student accused of stalking, making threat against Gulf Park campus in Long Beach | |
| A former student at the University of Southern Mississippi has been arrested on charges alleging he stalked two faculty members and posted an email threat against the school's Gulf Park campus in Long Beach. The university announced the arrest of Joshua H. Scarabin, 40, of Carriere, in a news release Monday. He was arrested on two counts of cyberstalking and one count of posing a threat to cause injury. University police obtained arrest warrants and Scarabin was arrested Saturday in Carriere by the Pearl River County Sheriff's Office. University spokesman David Tisdale said he could not release details of the case. |
| USM saves more than $10M in energy costs since 2009 | |
| Turning off lights, unplugging appliances and even changing light fixtures can help reduce energy costs. In fact, these conservation measures and others worked for the University of Southern Mississippi -- to the tune of more than $10 million in energy savings since 2009. During fiscal year 2009, Southern Miss spent $7.2 million on energy costs. For FY 2014 which ended June 30, the university's total electric bill was $4.5 million --- a savings of $2.7 million over the 2009 costs. The savings, which came despite energy rate increases, was due to reduced consumption. In 2010, the state's Institutions of Higher Learning mandated that all universities reduce energy consumption by 30 percent by the end of fiscal year 2015. According to IHL, the mandate is working. |
| Former Delta State alumni director dies at 86 | |
 | Delta State University lost one of its greats over the weekend when Hugh Ellis Walker Sr. left the Green and White to cheer his university from a much larger stadium. Walker, 86, died Friday after a brief illness. Walker worked and volunteered at Delta State University for many years, and the alumni foundation house now bears his name. "When we found out on Friday that Hugh Ellis had passed it was just a shock to all of us. It kind of put a damper on homecoming but knowing Hugh Ellis he wouldn't want that. We all regrouped, said a prayer for Hugh Ellis. I'm just so sorry and my prayers go out to Eloise and the family," said Bob Dearing, a DSU graduate, former Democratic member of the Mississippi Senate and friend of Walker's. |
| High fashion rocks Delta State scholarship event | |
| On Thursday, Bolivar countians will have an opportunity to experience the world of high fashion with all its trappings as Pat Kerr's 35th Anniversary Celebration makes its appearance in support of Delta State University scholarships. The Fashion Rules-Music Rocks event will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Bologna Performing Arts Center with cocktails and a silent auction and continue at 8 p.m. with the concert and fashion show. An after party, which is a separate ticketed event at the Warehouse, will end the evening's festivities. Hosts for the evening are Gov. Phil Bryant and Delta State President Bill LaForge and wife Nancy. |
| Rust College professor pleads guilty to sexual battery charge | |
| A Rust College professor has pleaded guilty to sexual battery charges involving a student. Sylvester Oliver, 64, entered the guilty plea during a hearing in Marshall County Circuit Court Monday morning. Oliver was ordered to serve 15 years in prison, five years probation and register as a sex offender upon his release. The indictment was handed down into claims made by a student who filed a federal lawsuit against Oliver, Rust College and school administrators. |
| Mississippi community colleges taking part in College Challenge Week | |
 | All 15 community colleges in Mississippi are taking part in "College Challenge Week." It's designed to encourage students to graduate. According to local leaders, a lack of money is often a factor when it comes to many students not graduating, and other problems that campuses face. With a 25 percent graduation rate, the president for East Central Community College says one of ECCC's biggest challenges is a decrease in available funding for students. "We've had some restrictions on Pell grants, and probably 70 percent of our students qualify for the Pell grant, and so that has been a barrier," says Dr. Billy Stewart. With or without more student aid, Dr. Stewart says ECCC has set a goal to drastically change its graduation rate by increasing it to at least 50 percent by the year 2020. |
| Economic development expert joins U. of Alabama | |
 | The former director of the Alabama Development Office has been named the director of the Economic Development Academy at the University of Alabama. Neal Wade's appointment is effective immediately, according to a Monday news release from UA. "In the expanded responsibilities of the Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development, Mr. Wade joins an established economic development organization," said UA President Judy Bonner in the release. Wade said the academy's central mission will be linking the resources of the University of Alabama System, universities across the Southeast and regional, state and local economic development organizations. |
| Researchers at Auburn investigate potential invasion of large lizards | |
 | Alabama could potentially be the new home of the Argentine black and white tegu, a large predatory lizard reaching four feet in length and more than 10 pounds. The tegus, native to South America, have made their way to southern Florida where they are rapidly flourishing. The lizards are known to eat small mammals, birds and most importantly, other reptile eggs, which presents a threat to alligators and the rare gopher tortoise, both native to the Southeast. Auburn University researchers want to know how far north these invasive lizards can thrive and how much ecological havoc they could bring along with them. To assess the potential problem, the Alabama Natural Heritage Program, part of the Auburn University Museum of Natural History in the College of Sciences and Mathematics, has taken 19 tegus from South Florida and placed them in artificial habitats in Auburn to observe the lizards throughout the winter. |
| LSU breaks ground on engineering expansion | |
 | LSU is embarking on a $110 million renovation and expansion of its main engineering building -- one of the school's largest nonathletic projects ever and yet another indication of Louisiana's ongoing efforts to meet workforce demands in related fields. But Gov. Bobby Jindal said Monday that he couldn't speculate what impact Louisiana's looming state budget cuts could have on higher education or the state's $40 million WISE Fund that was created this year to promote programs like engineering. "At this point, we're pretty sure we'll be able to protect our critical investments and our critical priorities," Jindal said without getting into specifics. |
| Louisiana Board of Regents' supercomputer named among world's most powerful | |
| The Louisiana Board of Regents now has the 46th most powerful computer system in the world, according to a site that ranks high-performing supercomputers. The newly-upgraded system, known as QB-2, is the second iteration of the system's supercomputer launched in 2007, which was called Queen Bee. A 1.5-petaflops computer cluster, the new system is nearly 300 times more powerful than most supercomputers operating on individual campuses, according to the Board of Regents. TOP500.org is slated to release a detailed analysis of the new supercomputer rankings Tuesday at the SC14 conference in New Orleans. |
| International enrollment rising at U. of Georgia | |
 | The University of Georgia is going international this week with events meant to showcase the university's global reach. About a fifth of UGA students now take at least one short UGA course abroad, and the university's student body includes students from more than 100 countries. Rain put a damper on Monday's kickoff events, a parade of flags and "WorldFest," demonstrations of various activities from other cultures such as martial arts and dance that were scheduled for UGA's Tate Student Center plaza. International student enrollment at the University of Georgia and in the University System of Georgia has gone up dramatically in the past decade. |
| Texas A&M Foundation pulls $78M for university | |
 | The Texas A&M Foundation credits improvements in the state's economy, on-campus projects and a loyal donor base for its ability to make a record $77.9 million available to the university. The increase over the previous record of $70.8 million set by last year's gift comes on the heels of $87.1 million in contributions from former students and other supporters between July 1, 2013, and June 1, 2014. Foundation President Ed Davis points to the Engineering Education Complex that broke ground last week and the renovation of Francis Hall for the department of construction science. The foundation, a private nonprofit corporation, also posted an investment return of nearly 17 percent on its endowed funds. Total assets increased by 14.8 percent to $1.7 billion. |
| U. of Missouri inspecting library after mold is found | |
 | Testing is underway after mold was found on a heating and cooling vent at the University of Missouri's Ellis Library last week. The fungus was found Thursday morning. Environmental Health and Safety personnel tested the area that afternoon and confirmed it was mold, according to a notice from library administrators. The vent was in the special collections area of the fourth floor. "While we have confirmed there is mold in the area, that doesn't mean anything," Environmental Health and Safety Director Todd Houts said. "Mold is in the air everywhere. It becomes an issue when there's a lot. We're not sure how much there is yet." |
| Software change lets U. of Missouri students use preferred first name | |
| A University of Missouri software update now allows students to use the first name of their choice for class rosters, school email and other Web-based systems. MU Registrar Brenda Selman said the change was implemented about a month ago. "We did this at the request of the students," Selman said. It's a request students from several campus groups -- including transgender and international students -- have brought to administrators several times during the past few years. Selman said the delay was caused by waiting for the best time for a software update. MU student Shane Stinson pushed for the change. Earlier this year, Stinson started a gender transition with hormone shots. He started going by Shane -- instead of his birth name, Sarah -- last fall. |
| Colleges Saw a Flood of Students at Recession's Peak... and Discouraging Results | |
 | Six years after a flood of students entered college, many seeking shelter from a sinking economy and a leg up in an uncertain job market, their progress report is in, and it isn't encouraging. Only 55 percent of the students who entered college in the fall of 2008, at the peak of the Great Recession, had earned college degrees or certificates by May 2014, according to a report released on Tuesday by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. That's down from 56.1 percent for the cohort that started in 2007. That doesn't seem like a lot, but it comes at a time when colleges, foundations, and policy makers have been pulling out the stops to prod more students along to the finish line. |
| Study: Teenagers want to go to college, but are 'particularly averse' to student debt | |
 | Students born in the mid-1990s or later are overwhelmingly in favor of going to college, but they're not too keen on taking out loans to pay for it, a new poll found. More than 80 percent of the survey's participants -- whom the researchers refer to as "Generation Z" -- said that obtaining a college degree is important to having a career. At the same time, 67 percent of the respondents said they are worried they won't be able to afford college and, on the whole, they're opposed to acquiring student debt. The poll, the fourth in a series of surveys conducted by Northeastern University as part of its Innovation Imperative initiative, is based on the responses of more than 1,000 16- to 19-year-olds from around the country. |
| Report: Students read way below level that prepares them for college, careers | |
 | American students are reading more nonfiction, but not as much as Common Core standards recommend, and their reading tends to be far less challenging than it should be to prepare them for college or careers. That's one take-away from the latest "What Kids Are Reading" report from Renaissance Learning. The organization tracks the reading habits of some 10 million US students at all grade levels through its Accelerated Reader program, in which students record and take quizzes about books they read, both independently and as assigned reading. The Common Core State Standards have called for more nonfiction reading, and guidelines from the National Assessment Governing Board suggest students move to about 70 percent nonfiction by 12th grade. |
| At Brigham Young, Students Push to Lift Ban on Beards | |
 | The dark pants, tightly knotted ties and crisp white shirts that once defined the Mormon man are nearly absent at Brigham Young University, the Mormon school that dominates this city. Instead, the young men crisscrossing this campus look a lot like everyone else: They wear skinny jeans and flannel tops, gym shorts and sweatshirts. They are preppy, sporty and hipster; buzzed, shaggy and mustachioed. Beards, however, remain few and far between. This is because Brigham Young bans all chin hair (mustaches are fine), a rule set in place in the 1970s when school officials sought to distinguish their strait-laced students from the hippies staging demonstrations across the nation. In recent weeks, however, one student has begun a campaign to return the beard to Brigham Young, which has an enrollment of nearly 30,000 students. |
| CHARLIE MITCHELL (OPINION): Epps may do some time, but guilt is not his alone | |
| Longtime Mississippi journalist Charlie Mitchell writes: "Mississippians will be able to tell whether the criminal indictment faced by Christopher Epps means anything by how the 2015 edition of the Mississippi Legislature reacts. A smattering of tsk-tsking over what appears to be a provable years-long practice and pattern of bribery and extortion at the pinnacle of state prison operations will mean very little. If, however, the Legislature moves decisively to add complete transparency to prison finances -- does away with no-bid contracts -- then we'll know lawmakers seriously want to end such abysmal waste of public money." |
SPORTS
| Bulldogs 'feel awful' after loss, get back to work | |
| Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen could see the disappointment written all over his team's face in the locker room following the Bulldogs 25-20 loss at Alabama over the weekend. Instead of moving forward immediately, Mullen wanted his team to feel that pain for a while before beginning preparations for Vanderbilt. "Everybody should feel awful, we lost a football game," Mullen said. "We should embrace that feeling, that sickness that's in your stomach. We want to embrace that and make sure we don't have that feeling again." But Mullen was pleased with the way his team bounced back when it returned to the practice field on Sunday. He hopes that same attitude carries over for the final home game Saturday at 6:30 p.m. on the SEC Network. |
| Bulldogs turn focus to Commodores | |
| Following the first loss of the 2014 season, the Mississippi State Bulldogs (9-1, 5-1 SEC) turn their attention to the Vanderbilt Commodores (3-7, 0-6) in their final home game of the season. Coach Dan Mullen said he was pleased with the response in practice Sunday night following the 25-20 loss to Alabama Saturday. "We had a good practice (Sunday). Getting guys treatments and getting guys healthy and healed up a little bit. Everyone is banged up at this point in the season," he said. |
| After first loss, Bulldogs await playoff ranking | |
| For the first time since the initial College Football Playoff Rankings were unveiled more than three weeks ago, the Mississippi State football team won't know where the playoff committee will slot the Bulldogs when it announces its rankings at 6 p.m. Tuesday. That's because after sitting atop the playoff rankings, The Associated Press Top 25, and the Amway Coaches Poll (USA Today) for more than a month, MSU has fallen from its perch due to a 25-20 loss at Alabama. "I think we deserve to be there, but I'm not really thinking about that," said MSU quarterback Dak Prescott. "My focus is on rebounding from this loss, taking what happened out here today and getting better for it." |
| Mullen: 'I don't live in the chatline, call in radio' world | |
| Dan Mullen doesn't care about a hypothetical world that involves him coaching any team that's not Mississippi State. The sixth-year coach was asked about his name being thrown around at other coaching jobs on Monday. He wasn't ready to talk about any other location that Starkville. "I live in reality," Mullen said. "My reality is finding a way to win games at Mississippi State and building this program to be the best program that I can be in." |
| Mississippi State beats Mississippi Valley | |
| Each player flashed his vertical leap prior to Mississippi State's second game of the season. Freshmen Oliver Black, Demetrius Houston and Maurice Dunlap tried to impress the upperclassmen, throwing alley-oops to themselves. Eventually, the veterans took over, specifically during the Monday's 89-68 home win over Mississippi Valley State. "That's what we want to do. That's the type of basketball to play," MSU junior Fred Thomas said. "Get out and run, dunks, we want all of that." Mississippi State's starters combined for 77 points. Thomas finished with 17. |
| Slain ex-Millsaps QB gave up promising business future to coach | |
| Juan Joseph, whose list of accolades is long and distinguished, figured he could make more of a difference by influencing the kids at his high school alma mater than by going into business right away. "What happened, he just fell in love with coaching and with being with the kids. He had a masters in business, but he felt like he could give back to the community that gave him so much when he came up," said West St. John High School head football coach Robert Valdez. The Conerly Trophy winner and former Millsaps College standout quarterback, now a father, husband, coach and mentor, was shot to death outside a nightclub in Baton Rouge on Sunday. Millsaps President Robert Pearigen said Joseph had a lasting impact on the Millsaps community. |
| Ole Miss is ready to give Hugh Freeze another raise | |
| Ole Miss is paying its football coach $3 million a season. It's wiling and ready to give Hugh Freeze another raise. Athletics director Ross Bjork said Monday that the school is currently in negotiations with Freeze and his agent (Jimmy Sexton) for his third contract redo in as many seasons. That follows the same pattern Ole Miss has used the last two years, being willing to negotiate during the season to make things happen faster in December. "Hopefully when you get to the end it doesn't take as long to get things done," Bjork said. Ole Miss' position to compete with the SEC powers is helped by the SEC Network money. |
| U. of Florida to hire offense-minded coach | |
 | After suffering (and yawning) through four years of low-scoring games and offensive struggles under Will Muschamp, Florida fans are going to get what they want -- a head football coach with a track record of success on offense. That was the word from Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley during a news conference Monday, the day after Muschamp was fired following a second consecutive embarrassing loss in The Swamp. Foley said his search for a new coach would begin immediately and that there is no timetable for naming a new coach. He did, however, say that, ideally, it would be good to have the new coach in place before Christmas. |
| U. of Tennessee suspends A.J. Johnson, Michael Williams from team | |
 | The University of Tennessee football team has suspended a star linebacker and a second player as suspects in an alleged off-campus rape of a 19-year-old woman and the alleged sexual assault of another 19-year-old woman in the early hours of Sunday morning. Vols linebacker A.J. Johnson, a senior, and defensive back Michael Williams, a sophomore, were suspended from all team-related activities, according to a tweet posted by the football team's official Twitter account Monday. No arrests have been made, and Knoxville police declined to identify the suspects or make public their written report on Monday, saying it was not yet finalized. |
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