Friday, November 28, 2014   
 
Reeves to speak at MSU-Meridian
Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves will speak at the December graduation ceremonies at Mississippi State University in Meridian. Reeves' speech is one of many scheduled for the month at Mississippi's public and private colleges. Reeves will speak to graduates at 11 a.m. in the Riley Center on the MSU-Meridian campus on Dec. 12. Haley Fisackerly, president and CEO of Entergy Mississippi, is scheduled to speak an hour earlier Dec. 12 to MSU graduates at the Humphrey Coliseum on the MSU campus in Starkville.
 
Mississippi State Graphic Design Seniors Present 'Just a Bunch of Hipsters' Exhibit
Works of 14 graduating art/graphic design majors at Mississippi State will be on display Dec. 2-8 in the university's McComas Hall Art Gallery. Free and open to all, the art department-sponsored show titled "Just a Bunch of Hipsters" features various creations by the students during their final year of thesis studies. The exhibit includes web designs, posters, illustrations, packaging, self-promotional materials, as well as editorial, typeface, advertising and identity design, among others.
 
BattleBells maker recognized
Loudly ringing cowbells is a sound you hear a lot at Mississippi State athletic events. But if you ask the makers of the BattleBell, there's something a little bit different. "It has a higher pitch. That's stainless. It's strong. It makes a louder ring," said Ed Todd, the co-owner of the Long Branch Company, which makes the bells. An online campaign sponsored by the Ford Motor Company has offered a ringing endorsement for the company and is promoting it as a business bringing jobs back to America. The BattleBells company was started by two Mississippi State University alumni.
 
Unemployment high, but declining throughout Golden Triangle
The two counties with the highest unemployment in Mississippi are in or near the Golden Triangle. About 1,060 people in Clay County were looking for jobs last month, according to data released by the Mississippi Department of Employment Security. That's 15.1 percent jobless rate, which ranks highest in the state. In Noxubee County, the percentage was not much better. About 500 people there were unemployed in October. That's 14.1 percent of the population eligible to work, MDES data states. Oktibbeha County's rate was below the statewide average at 7.1 percent, which equates to about 1,490 people. Those figures reflect no change from September 2014. The rate was 7.7 percent last October.
 
Nunnelees keep blessings in mind
U.S. Rep. Alan Nunnelee said one word can make a big difference. "The Apostle Paul writes, 'In all things give thanks,'" the Republican from Tupelo said. "I am so glad he didn't write, 'For all things give thanks,' because I certainly couldn't be thankful for a stroke." With his wife's help, Nunnelee started counting his blessings. It was a life strategy he'd embraced after going blind as a student at Mississippi State University.
 
Mississippi awaits appeal on gay marriage decision
Tuesday's order from a federal judge to overturn Mississippi's ban on same-sex marriage was a landmark for gay and lesbian Mississippians. But it might not quickly open the door for same-sex couples to get married in the state. In issuing his preliminary injunction late Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves also put his order on hold for two weeks so the state can appeal, which it has said it will do. That appeal likely will ask the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to keep gay marriage in Mississippi on hold until it has ruled on the issue's constitutionality. "The 5th Circuit remains one of the most conservative appellate courts in the United States and many people believe that the thoughtful analysis undertaken by Judge Reeves may well be rejected by that court," said Cliff Johnson, assistant professor at the University of Mississippi's School of Law.
 
Southern Democrats urge a return to party basics
Southern Democrats are joining others in the party who say that a return to advocating to lift people out of economic hardship and emphasizing spending on education and public works will re-energize black voters and attract whites as well. "It's time to draw a line in the sand and not surrender our brand," Rickey Cole, the party chairman in Mississippi, said. He believes candidates have distanced themselves from the past half-century of Democratic principles. Democratic politics have become a tough sell in the conservative South.
 
Democratic Rifts Surface in Wake of Midterm Election Defeat
Long-muted tensions within the Democratic Party over policy and strategy are beginning to surface publicly, a sign of leaders looking beyond President Barack Obama 's tenure in the aftermath of the party's midterm election defeat. Democratic infighting has largely been out of public view for the last half-dozen years. Since Mr. Obama took office, Republicans have been the ones dealing with rifts. A conservative Tea Party wing clashed with mainstream Republicans in primary contests this year, jockeying for sway over the party's ideological compass. That debate remains unsettled and is likely to play out in the 2016 Republican primaries. Now, it is the Democrats who are looking increasingly fractious.
 
Next battle in the war on science
The war over science is heating up on Capitol Hill. GOP House members have had little success reining in research agencies so far, but, emboldened by their growing majorities, they're hoping for better luck next year. They plan to push proposals to cut funding for global warming and social science research, put strict new rules on the National Science Foundation's grant-making process and overhaul how science informs policy making at the EPA. Opponents in the scientific world and their political allies believe that, at its heart, the GOP assault isn't about bringing greater accountability to the EPA or NSF, but rather a larger lack of trust in science that could soon spur efforts to micromanage NIH, the Department of Defense and other agencies that, all told, spend tens of billions on scientific research every year.
 
Ex-Mississippi governor Ray Mabus contender for defense secretary
Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus and former Mississippi governor is reportedly a candidate for the next secretary of defense, several national publications have reported. The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Politico and The New York Times have all listed Mabus as a possible nominee. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced his resignation Monday. Hagel agreed to remain in office until his successor is confirmed by the Senate, the official said. Michelle Flournoy was thought to be the president's top choice to replace Hagel, but she removed her name from contention earlier this week.
 
Plans for UCLA visit give rare glimpse into Hillary Clinton's paid speaking career
When officials at the University of California at Los Angeles began negotiating a $300,000 speech appearance by Hillary Rodham Clinton, the school had one request: Could we get a reduced rate for public universities? The answer from Clinton's representatives: $300,000 is the "special university rate." That e-mail exchange and other internal communications, obtained this week by The Washington Post under a Freedom of Information Act request, provide a rare glimpse into the complex and meticulous backstage efforts to manage the likely 2016 presidential candidate's lucrative speaking career.
 
FAA Reports More Aircraft-Drone Near Misses
U.S. pilots and air-traffic controllers are increasingly spotting drones flying near aircraft, including several recent near-misses, according to federal data, highlighting the threat posed by the proliferation of such devices in U.S. skies. Pilots and controllers have reported roughly 150 incidents this year in which drones flew close to airports or aircraft in the U.S., including a surge in such reports over the past several months, according to data released by the Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday in response to records requests from The Wall Street Journal and other news organizations.
 
Near-collisions between drones, airliners surge, new FAA reports show
Pilots around the United States have reported a surge in near-collisions and other dangerous encounters with small drones in the past six months at a time when the Federal Aviation Administration is gradually opening the nation's skies to remotely controlled aircraft, according to FAA records. Since June 1, commercial airlines, private pilots and air-traffic controllers have alerted the FAA to 25 episodes in which small drones came within a few seconds or a few feet of crashing into much larger aircraft, the records show. The reported increase in dangerous encounters comes as the FAA is facing pressure from federal lawmakers and drone manufacturers to move more quickly to open the skies to remotely controlled aircraft.
 
Medical pioneer Dr. Aaron Shirley has died
Dr. Aaron Shirley, who broke a racial barrier at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in 1965 and founded the Jackson Medical Mall, has died. Shirley, medical pioneer and civil rights icon, died of natural causes today at a Jackson hospital. He was 81. In 1993, Shirley was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship (also known as the "Genius Grant") for his pioneering approach to rural and urban healthcare. By the mid-1990s he was working as the director of the Jackson-Hinds Comprehensive Health Center (an institution he helped to establish in 1970) when he had a fateful lunch with his friend, former Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Reuben Anderson.
 
Southern Miss junior reaches out to homeless
University of Southern Mississippi defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches took time out to make the Thanksgiving holiday brighter for some of the area's homeless. Wednesday, Nunez-Roches took sleeping bags and backpacks to the Field House for the Homeless to hand out. The backpacks contained items such as gloves, socks, hats, toiletries and canned goods. WDAM-TV reported Nunez-Roches and his family, who are originally from Dangriga, Belize, but now live in Phenix City, Ala., were homeless at one time. He said that's why it is important for him to give back. Nunez-Roches told the Hattiesburg-American he's "really blessed, just looking back on what we've been through. (But) everything from my past made me who I am today."
 
Alcorn's tuition wavier offered in fall of 2015
Alcorn State University will be the third four-year college in Mississippi to waive out-of-state tuition for all nonresident students. Delta State University and Mississippi Valley State University are the others. The state College Board approved Alcorn's waiver earlier this month. Alcorn officials estimate the school will forfeit about $1.5 million in out-of-state charges in the first year of the policy. Officials said the school already waives the charges for many of its more than 450 nonresident students.
 
Alabama, Auburn work together on research, social issues
The relationship between the University of Alabama and Auburn University might get the most attention as a fanatic rivalry in a state obsessed with college football, but the two state institutions work together year round on everything from research to community service projects. Once you get past the jokes about tooth counts and intellectual impairment that swirl around the gridiron matchup, there is a surprising level of collegiality. "Our colleagues are working with their peers at Auburn on any number of issues," said Steven Hood, interim vice president for Student Affairs at UA.
 
In-coming UF President Kent Fuchs looks at the challenges ahead
Kent Fuchs will take over as the 12th president of the University of Florida on Jan. 1. The Gainesville Sun traveled to Ithaca, New York, last week to interview Fuchs at Cornell about his final thoughts on his tenure there as provost and what he anticipates to be his biggest challenges and opportunities when he comes to Gainesville.
 
New president Kent Fuchs plans to lift up U. of Florida
Kent Fuchs cuts a striking figure as he strides across the arts quad at Cornell University, pointing out his favorite buildings. Tall and long-legged, Fuchs exudes a youthful energy for his 60 years as he leans into the wind, hands in pockets, a freezing wind blowing his sandy hair. However casual and cheerful he might be seen, Fuchs is a fighter who likes to take on new challenges, a fierce competitor for the greater good, colleagues say. He has a gift for seeing the big picture of where a university should be. After 13 years at Cornell, the first six and a half as dean of the College of Engineering, Fuchs is moving on. On Jan. 1, he will become the 12th president of the University of Florida, a position he will inherit from Bernie Machen, who served as UF's president for 11 years.
 
Fuchs' signature deal: Cornell's 'new campus for new age'
There is not much activity going on behind the green chain-link fence surrounding the construction site on Roosevelt Island, just some yellow heavy equipment moving around the rubble of the partially demolished Goldwater Specialty Hospital. Over the next three years, the first phase of a new Cornell University campus devoted to multidisciplinary scholarship, entrepreneurialism and technological research and development will rise from that rubble, a place for carefully selected graduate students to study the intersection between science and commerce, create new products and help grow the city's economy. More than any other initiative Kent Fuchs has launched, Cornell NYC Tech is seen as his signature achievement, a $2.1 billion, 2-million-square foot project that will be built out over the next 30 years and redefine Cornell's reputation and stature nationally and globally.
 
Louisiana college students carry lower loan costs, but the load is growing
Louisiana college students continue to graduate with lower average debt loads than graduates in most states across the country. A new report from the Project on Student Debt at The Institute for College Access & Success, or TICAS, also found fewer than half of the students graduating from Louisiana colleges and universities in the class of 2013 had student loan debt to pay off -- well below the national average of 70 percent. LSU President and Chancellor F. King Alexander repeatedly has hammered the point home that the picture for the average LSU student is far better than the average outlook. But the picture isn't entirely rosy, some advocates say.
 
Landrieu, Cassidy spar over congressman's LSU income
A spokesman for U.S. Sen Mary Landrieu's campaign says documents posted by bloggers raise questions about U.S. Rep. Bill Cassidy's part-time teaching at the old charity hospital in Baton Rouge. He frequently mentions teaching doctors in his campaign speeches. The available time records show that Cassidy was billing LSU for work in Baton Rouge on days he also cast votes in Washington, D.C. Emails acquired by The Advocate indicated that LSU officials worried the situation could get audited and cautioned medical school officials to carefully detail the work Cassidy did.
 
U. of Missouri leaders direct colleges to scrutinize individual accounts
Administrators are implementing a review process this semester that emphasizes, and ideally strengthens, financial accountability within the University of Missouri's colleges. Rhonda Gibler, MU chief financial officer, said the system requires leaders of colleges or other campus divisions to sign off on their financial reports, then meet with Gibler and the provost to discuss their situation and create a three-year plan to overcome any deficits the college might have in a line-item account. The process emphasizes scrutiny of spending within a college's individual accounts, even though each college or division as a whole isn't running at a deficit.


SPORTS
 
Dan Mullen: Quick start in Egg Bowl key for Mississippi State
Mississippi State scored a touchdown on its first possession of the game in five of its first seven games. The Bulldogs have started much slower in their last four, with one opening-drive touchdown. MSU scored on its first possession against Vanderbilt last week. Dan Mullen wants to continue that in the Egg Bowl. "I think you have to start fast, because we're on the road. You have to start fast and seize moment in the game," Mullen said. "We're going to have to execute at a very, very high level on offense."
 
Last year's Egg Bowl win gave Mississippi State a major boost
Cliches fill coach's press conferences every week emphasizing the now. Dan Mullen advised his team that neither the past nor the future impacts No. 4 Mississippi State's contest with Ole Miss. It's true, last season's Egg Bowl has no bearing on the outcome this Saturday. But it certainly mattered for the 2014 season. "It affected a lot," MSU senior Ben Beckwith said of the 2013 Egg Bowl. "At one point people were saying we weren't going to make a bowl game, (that) we (were) going to lose out."
 
Egg Bowl 2014: How do Mississippi State, Ole Miss match up?
Here's the thing about rivalry games: They can make no sense. Look at last year's Egg Bowl, for example. At the time, Ole Miss was 7-4 and looking to upgrade its bowl situation. Meanwhile, Mississippi State was 5-6 and staring a bowl-less finish eye-to-eye. Dak Prescott was a huge maybe to play, and a true freshman, Damian Williams, started at quarterback. It felt like it was going to end like the 2012 Egg Bowl did, with the Rebels routing the Bulldogs. Only... they lost.
 
Mississippi State defense looks for one more stellar performance
Mississippi State linebacker Beniquez Brown can't remember how hostile the environment was at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium when Ole Miss defeated MSU 41-24 two years ago. That's because he was sitting in his living room in Florence, Alabama. Brown, then a freshman redshirting during his first year on campus, watched on TV that night as Ole Miss outscored MSU 24-7 in the second half to win their only Egg Bowl in the last five tries. From his home in Alabama, Brown knew he never wanted to see that happen again.
 
Magnolia State ties link players and staffs for Egg Bowl rivals
The "Battle for the Golden Egg" has been dividing households in the Magnolia State since its inception. The 111th edition of the rivalry on Saturday will appear under the national spotlight on CBS for the first time. "People underestimate this game a lot," said Mississippi State guard Ben Beckwith. "'It's a big, nasty game that means a lot to a lot of people." A total of 116 Mississippians will be suited up on the sidelines for Saturday's game. The Bulldogs roster features 63 players from the state while Ole Miss sports 53 Mississippians. Naturally, there are plenty of recruiting battles between the schools located just 98 miles apart.
 
Coast products should play key role in Egg Bowl
Saturday's Egg Bowl in Oxford provides another stage for Coast products to shine for the state's two SEC schools. Mississippi State is the in-state SEC program that features the most Coast players with four on the roster. The No. 4 Bulldogs enter Saturday's game with designs on securing a spot in the College Football Playoff with a convincing victory over their rivals.
 
Mississippi State's Prescott on last year's Egg Bowl: Didn't think I'd play
Those at Davis Wade Stadium and the millions watching on ESPN saw the start of Dak Prescott's national rise in last year's Egg Bowl. It's no secret the quarterback, who hadn't played in three weeks due to an elbow injury, came off the bench in the fourth quarter to lead Mississippi State to a 17-10 win in overtime. It's a narrative that's been replayed a lot, but the events leading to the moment that changed Mississippi State's season have largely remained a mystery. "Throughout the week I was unsure, but I felt like I could play if I needed to play," Prescott said earlier this year. "It hurt a little bit here and there and felt tingly."
 
Rebels brace themselves to face dual-threat Bulldog QB Prescott
Ole Miss players didn't get a full dose of Dak last year, but they expect to see the Mississippi State quarterback for four quarters this season. Dak Prescott came off the bench in the fourth quarter and scored the winning touchdown as the Bulldogs won 17-10 in Oxford last year. This year Prescott is healthier than he was in 2013, and it's Ole Miss that has questionable health at quarterback with its starter Bo Wallace.
 
FBI investigating threat made against the Grove
The FBI is investigating an anonymous threat made this week towards the center of Ole Miss' campus. An anonymous handwritten letter, received by Ole Miss late Tuesday, threatened damages to the trees and shrubs in the Grove. University police chief Calvin Sellers has forwarded the note to the Jackson office of the FBI, Ole Miss announced in a press release. Ole Miss athletics director Ross Bjork and his Mississippi State counterpart, Scott Stricklin, released a joint statement asking fans to be responsible and show respect for each other.
 
LOGAN LOWERY (OPINION): Mississippi State's Mullen added intensity to rivalry
The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal's Logan Lowery writes: "Love him or hate him, fans of both Mississippi State and Ole Miss can credit Dan Mullen for rekindling what is now one of the most heated rivalries in college football. Sure, there was bad blood between the Magnolia State schools long before Mullen arrived in Starkville in December 2008, but he certainly has helped put the Egg Bowl back on the national scene. Mullen began taking verbal jabs at 'The School Up North' from his first day on the job and has been needling the Rebel fan base ever since. At first, they were only harmless words by a brash young Yankee in his first ever head coaching gig. But when November 2009 rolled around and the Bulldogs won 41-27 over a heavily favored Ole Miss team, it became something more."
 
In the IQ Iron Bowl, Auburn takes the prize as one of America's 'smartest cities'
Heading into a weekend when all eyes in the state of Alabama will be on football, here's another log for the fan fever fire. A recent study shows Auburn is one of the smartest cities in the country. That's according to a new ranking by New Geography that shows the Auburn/Opelika area as the fourth most-educated in the country. The rankings looked at 380 metropolitan statistical areas and examined them for three factors: growth rate in the number of residents with at least a bachelor's degree from 2000 through 2013; percentage point increase in the share of the population that is college educated over that same time span; and share of educated people in the population in 2013.
 
Auburn, Tuscaloosa mayors make Iron Bowl bet
As Auburn's Tigers and Tuscaloosa's Crimson Tide prepare to face off in Bryant-Denny Stadium Saturday, the mayors of the two football-crazed towns made a bet that involves more than just bragging rights. Auburn 's Mayor Bill Ham Jr. and Tuscaloosa 's Mayor Walter Maddox have bet $100 on the 79th meeting of the two teams -- money that will be donated to a charity of the winning team's choice. According to Auburn Director of Public Affairs David Dorton, the two mayors made the official phone call to place the bet at 3 p.m. on Wednesday. "The Iron Bowl is one of the great competitions in college football, and I'm proud that Mayor Maddox and I have found a way to make it a win for kids in need as well," Ham said.
 
Fans say Texas A&M-LSU rivalry isn't a done deal
In between bites of deep-fried turkey on Thursday, A&M said hello to Louisiana State University and began to say goodbye to Reveille VIII. Although A&M and LSU have a history, the rivalry between the Tigers and Aggies has yet to take off among fans. LSU senior Connor Adcock was at the game with his girlfriend, Kaitlyn Tibbs, who graduated from A&M in the spring. There was plenty of trash talking between the two, but both admitted they'd rather be playing other teams. "They're the replacement for Texas," Tibbs said of LSU. "I'd rather play Arkansas," Adcock said.
 
The Science of Hate in College Football
In college football, where fans of opposing teams can't agree on much of anything, they do share one opinion: There is no such thing as a boring rivalry. Rivalry games make or break seasons even when the matchups appear lopsided. The feelings of rivalry are incredibly powerful. They're also simple enough for everyone to understand -- or at least think they do. As it turns out, the concept of rivalries is increasingly the topic of psychological research, which often proves conventional wisdom to be quite wrong. Until now, despite everything we already believed, it remained a mystery if and how the emotions of rivalries changed human behavior. It is becoming clear that rivalries really are extraordinary. And they may be easiest to comprehend through the window of this weekend's football games.



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