| Friday, December 5, 2014 |
| Governor speaks at data center opening in Cochran Research Park | |
 | Starkville Mayor Parker Wiseman said he didn't know what it felt like to get a $23 million Christmas present, but he got a taste Thursday as C Spire hosted the grand opening of its new commercial data processing center. C Spire officially opened the $23 million, 23,800 square foot facility, which sits on a 6.5-acre site in Mississippi State University's Thad Cochran Research, Technology and Economic Development Park. (Subscriber-only content.) |
| Rocker Jack White to play at Mississippi State | |
 | Veteran rocker Jack White, known for fronting such bands as The White Stripes and The Raconteurs, will perform at Mississippi State University's Humphrey Coliseum Jan. 27. Advance student ticket sales began Wednesday at the Colvard Student Union, while public sales will begin noon on Dec. 12. On June 10, White released his second solo album, "Lazaretto", which found critical and commercial success. Through his associated acts and on his own, White won eight Grammy Awards out of 24 nominations, including Best Alternative Album (The White Stripes' "Elephant" and "Get Behind Me Satan"), Best Rock Song ("Seven Nation Army" and "Icky Thump") and Best Country Collaboration with Vocals ("Portland Oregon" with Loretta Lynn). |
| Lt. Gov. to give MSU-Meridian commencement address | |
 | Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves will be the graduation speaker Dec. 12 for fall commencement ceremonies at Mississippi State University-Meridian. The program gets under way at 11 a.m. at the MSU Riley Center for Performing Arts and Education. More than 100 students are candidates for degrees. Elected to statewide office in 2011, Reeves leads the 52-member Mississippi Senate. He successfully sought the state's second highest office on a platform of "keeping government spending under control, reforming education and making Mississippi a better place to raise a family." |
| Live Christmas tree demand remains strong | |
 | Cathy Brock has been buying "live" Christmas trees for 20 years and wouldn't have it any other way. "I just love the smell of them," said Brock, who went to get her preselected tree at Worthey Tree Farm new Amory Thursday. "And they don't shed." Choose-and-cut Christmas tree farms dot the state, and the busiest time of the year is from mid-November to Christmas. According to Mississippi State University Extension Service, Christmas tree production has been flat as more growers retire. "Growers still in the business are producing more trees each year, but demand in heavily populated counties is much higher than the supply of trees," said Stephen Dicke, a forestry professor with the MSU Extension Service. |
| Mississippi State Seeks MLK Essay Contest Entries | |
 | Magnolia State high school students are invited to enter the Mississippi State University 2015 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Contest. Ninth-12th graders enrolled in any Mississippi high school may respond to the 2015 theme question, "The Enduring Legacy of Dr. King: How Does His Legacy of Social Justice and Non-violent Change Continue to Resonate in American Culture and Society?" Typed, double-spaced essays should include page numbers and 1,000 words or fewer. Submissions must be entered online by Dec. 31. |
| Man charged in Mississippi State thefts | |
 | Mississippi State police have charged a man with grand larceny in the theft of trailers, an ATV and lawn care equipment from campus in recent weeks. Police Chief Vance Rice says they were notified Tuesday night of someone at the grounds maintenance compound at the school. Matthew Dotson, 30, who had an address in Georgia but lives in Oktibbeha County, was taken into custody after a trailer with six back-pack leaf blowers was determined to belong to the university. Dotson confessed to taking the items and was taken to the Oktibbeha County jail. |
| Starkville football frenzy | |
| At Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, you can best believe that preparations are underway for the next two days of high school football. That means 12 teams full of players, coaches, parents and their supporters all coming to Starkville to hopefully take home the state championship trophy in their classification. "This is one of the top five events in a lifetime for a lot of these high school players. And what better place to come than to Scott Field, an SEC field and bring these families to a university and let them play on an SEC field," replied Johnny Mims, the director of the Mississippi Association of Coaches. Starkville economic development officials and business leaders are anxiously awaiting the arrival of those, players, parents and other patrons. |
| Man charged in State Superette gas station wreck | |
| A Vicksburg man faces misdemeanor charges in connection with a fiery wreck at a gas station in Oktibbeha County Wednesday morning. Deputies say Thomas Adcock, 20, was driving the car that left the roadway near the Blackjack Road-Oktoc Road intersection and crashed into a pole by the gas pumps at State Superette. The car burst into flames and Adcock and a passenger jumped from the vehicle and ran from the scene. Adcock voluntarily turned himself into deputies Wednesday evening and was charged with leaving the scene of an accident and reckless driving. |
| Trash cans placed in high foot-traffic areas in Starkville | |
| The City of Starkville is placing more trash cans in the city to help keep litter off the streets. The Community Development Department will place 16 cans near high foot-traffic areas along Highway 182, University Drive and throughout city-owned cemeteries. Officials expect the placement of the cans will cut down on litter issues largely from pedestrian traffic between the Cotton District and downtown. The new cans will match those currently in use on Main Street. |
| No gay marriage in Mississippi during appeals process | |
 | Same-sex marriages won't be allowed in Mississippi while the state defends its gay-marriage ban, a federal appeals court said Thursday. U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves on Nov. 25 overturned Mississippi's definition of marriage as being only between a man and a woman, but he put his own decision on hold for two weeks to give the state time to appeal his ruling. On Thursday, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Mississippi cannot issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples during the appeals process. But, the New Orleans-based court agreed to a quick process for considering the dispute over Mississippi's definition of who can marry. |
| Trent Lott's advice to Mitch McConnell: 'Deal sternly' with GOP obstructionists | |
 | From a former Republican Senate majority leader to an incoming one, Trent Lott has this advice for Mitch McConnell: Deal "sternly" with renegade conservatives and quickly "co-opt" new GOP senators so they don't drift over to the obstructionist side of the party. That's important to breaking the gridlock in Congress, according to Mr. Lott, the former senator and majority leader from Mississippi. His advice was dittoed by another former senator and majority leader, Democrat Tom Daschle of South Dakota. Through their engagement with the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington, the two have been promoting ways to return Congress to a more productive era. It's harder to reward and punish members of a caucus when earmarks are no longer available as sticks and carrots, Lott admitted. |
| Lott says Mississippi delegation gaining influence | |
 | Mississippi's congressional delegation is regaining its clout, former Sen. Trent Lott said Thursday. Lott noted that, beginning in January, Republican Sen. Thad Cochran is in line to become chairman of the powerful Appropriations Committee, and Republican Sen. Roger Wicker will take over the National Republican Senatorial Committee, a top leadership post. "Our delegation has been relatively weak in recent years compared to the past, but with time that is beginning to change," Lott, a former Senate majority leader, told reporters following a breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor. "They're building up seniority and influence and respect." |
| Alcorn County corruption probe widens | |
| Rather than concluding an investigation of public corruption in Alcorn County, this week's arrest of five individuals connected with alleged fraudulent transactions in the county's second supervisor district is just one part of a widening investigation. State Auditor Stacey Pickering said in a Wednesday press conference in Corinth that further examination of Alcorn County financial activity will include the sheriff's department and the Alcorn Regional Jail. These continued allegations of officials misusing public funds should incense county taxpayers, Pickering said, and the extent and depth of the current case is of particular concern. |
| Governor praises Diabetes Telehealth Network | |
 | Gov. Phil Bryant, along with FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn and representatives of the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Intel GE Care Innovations, C Spire and GE Healthcare, visited North Sunflower Medical Center Wednesday to address the growing diabetes crisis and to promote the Diabetes Telehealth Network. The telehealth network utilizes cutting edge technology to improve the health of diabetic patients while cutting the cost of medical care. Over 370,000 adult Mississippians are affected by diabetes. |
| Two positive drug tests under new welfare drug testing | |
 | Two Mississippi residents have tested positive for drugs from a pool of 38 welfare applicants who were examined as part of the state's controversial new drug testing law. The 38 chosen for testing were screened from the state's 3,656 applicants for Temporary Assistance For Needy Families since the law went into effect in August. "Poor working families don't need a barrier to services and this is just another barrier," Cassandra Welchin, policy director of the Mississippi Low Income Child Care Initiative said. "It's just a waste of money." However, the bill's author, House Public Health and Human Services Chairman Sam Mims, R-McComb, said the goal of the law is to help people get off drugs. |
| Landrieu's last stand: why Deep South white Democrats are vanishing | |
| Come Saturday, the sweep is likely to be complete. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D) of Louisiana is nearly certain to lose her runoff election against Republican challenger Bill Cassidy. In the Deep South, that will mean no more Democrats in the US Senate, a governor's office, or the majority in a state legislature. This shift to deep red in the Deep South has been decades in the making. And it was only a matter of time before Louisiana was going to shift, too, analysts say. Still, one statistic stood out in Senator Landrieu's vote totals on Election Day last month: She got only 18 percent of the white vote, down from 33 percent just six years ago. Why the precipitous decline? And what does it signal for Democrats' future chances in the South? |
| Obama to name Ashton Carter secretary of defense today | |
 | President Barack Obama will name Ashton Carter, the former No. 2 official at the Pentagon, as his nominee to be next secretary of defense on Friday, according to a White House official. Carter, 60, spent years in the Pentagon through two administrations, serving as deputy defense secretary from 2011 to 2013. Before that, he was undersecretary for acquisition, technology and logistics for two years. When Carter resigned from the Pentagon in 2013, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., praised him. Now McCain is the incoming chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, which will hold hearings on the next Pentagon nominee. |
| Drones could revolutionize aviation like the jet engine, Alabama task force told | |
 | A task force studying the use of drones in Alabama heard from an expert Thursday that unmanned aircraft could be as revolutionary to aviation as the jet engine. John McGraw, a former Federal Aviation Administration official who owns an aerospace consulting firm, said he expects unmanned aircraft to be fully integrated into air space over the next five years or so. Subcommittees are studying the potential for unmanned aircraft in agriculture, forestry, law enforcement, emergency response, transportation, utilities and other areas. |
| U.S. Economy Added 321,000 Jobs in November as Unemployment Rate Held at 5.8 Percent | |
 | Employers added 321,000 jobs in November, a very healthy showing that echoes other positive economic data recently and bodes well for the crucial holiday retail season underway. The unemployment rate remained unchanged from last month at 5.8 percent, the Labor Department said Friday. Government statisticians also revised upward the number of jobs added in September and October by 44,000, another good sign. Significantly, average hourly earnings surged 0.4 percent in November, twice what economists had been expecting and a sign the healthier economy is finally translating into wage gains for ordinary workers. Over the last 12 months, however, earnings are up only 2.1 percent. |
| NASA launches new Orion spacecraft and new era | |
| NASA's new Orion spacecraft zoomed toward a high point of 3,600 miles on an orbital test flight Friday, ushering in a new era of exploration that could one day put people on Mars. The unmanned journey began with a sunrise liftoff witnessed by thousands of NASA guests. Two hours later, Orion zoomed toward the highest altitude traveled by a spacecraft built for humans since the Apollo moon program four decades ago. NASA is now "one step closer" to putting humans aboard Orion, said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden Jr. He called it "Day One of the Mars era." |
| Cyberattack could cost Sony Pictures tens of millions of dollars | |
 | The financial cost of the crippling cyberattack that hit Sony Pictures Entertainment last week is beginning to become clear -- and it won't be cheap. The Culver City film and television studio could face an outlay of tens of millions of dollars, according to digital security and legal experts. "It sounds like a really bad situation. It could cost tens of millions of dollars," said attorney Peter Toren, a cybersecurity expert who formerly worked in the Department of Justice's Computer Crime & Intellectual Property Section. "Clearly they have issues." The identity of the hackers remains unclear, and the FBI is investigating the matter. |
| Who Made That Flavor? Maybe A Genetically Altered Microbe | |
 | For practically our whole history of cooking and eating, we've gotten our spices and most flavors (not to mention all the other basic nutrients that keep us alive) straight from plants. But researchers and biotech companies are starting to produce some of these nutrients and flavors -- especially the high-priced ones -- in their laboratories. The idea of using microbes to produce valuable molecules is not really new. Biotech companies have been making pharmaceuticals this way for several decades. But only recently have they moved into the more familiar world of food ingredients. There are two reasons why companies don't want to talk about it, one researcher says. First, they're trying to hide valuable secrets, such as what strain of bacteria they're using. Second, they're afraid of getting caught up in the controversy over genetically modified organisms -- GMOs. |
| Yates awards $100,000 to Jackson State | |
| Yates Construction has contributed $100,000 to Jackson State University to enhance the College of Science, Engineering and Technology and the College of Business. JSU President Dr. Carolyn Meyers says the partnership will benefit students by creating internships and opportunities for future employment with the company. |
| Possible shooting under investigation at apartments near Jackson State | |
 | Authorities are looking into a possible shooting at campus apartments near Jackson State University. Witnesses said around 1 a.m. Friday, there was a shooting at The Palisades apartments on Valley Street near the campus. Police tape could be seen outside one of the buildings at the complex, and officers were on the scene. Jackson police told 16 WAPT that the campus police are investigating the incident. |
| Belhaven University president joins White House summit | |
| The president of Belhaven University is participating in a White House summit exploring how to increase college completion, particularly for first-generation, low-income and underrepresented students. Roger Parrott was to join President Barack Obama and others Thursday at the White House College Opportunity Summit. The conference brings together colleges and universities, business leaders, nonprofit groups and others working to support more opportunities for students. The Jackson school also was to be recognized for its efforts to increase the number of college graduates in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. |
| Auditor finds financial faults at LSU and Grambling | |
 | Two new audits out on Louisiana colleges -- one on LSU and another on Grambling State University -- raise concerns about oversight and spending on campuses. At Grambling State University, the Louisiana legislative auditor found thefts totaling more than $130,000, and LSU's separate audit found 10 instances of falsified payroll records, among other concerns. The incidences included student employees in the Chemistry Department and Center for Computation and Technology falsifying time sheets and forging their supervisors' signatures for hours not worked. All of the employees noted no longer work for LSU, according to the audit. |
| UGA students seek real discussion on race on campus | |
 | More than 200 University of Georgia students gathered in a Miller Learning Center classroom Thursday night to talk about what they could do in the aftermath of the killings of young black men by police, and subsequent grand jury decisions not to charge officers with any crime. Their first goal would be to decide what to say about the situation in a letter to UGA and Athens leaders, said Jeremiah Lemons, president of UGA's Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity chapter, which convened the meeting. The group, mostly African American students, came up with many ideas about what to ask for. |
| White House lauds Tennessee's free community college plan | |
 | Tennessee's decision to eliminate tuition at state two-year colleges was lauded Thursday by officials at the White House, where Gov. Bill Haslam promoted Tennessee Promise as an innovative way to make college more accessible. Haslam was one of several Tennesseans in Washington for President Barack Obama's second College Opportunity Summit. The event showcased hundreds of educational institutions around the country that have set new goals to increase college participation and graduation rates. Tennessee Promise, which covers tuition at two-year colleges not already covered by other scholarship or aid programs, was the first program recognized at Thursday's summit when Cecilia Munoz, director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, asked Haslam about it. |
| Michael Brown, Eric Garner protests make their way to Texas A&M campus | |
 | The protests against the two recent killings of unarmed black men made their way to Rudder Plaza at Texas A&M Thursday with an NAACP-organized "Walk Out for Justice" protest in the wake of a New York City's grand jury decision Wednesday not to charge NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo in the choking death of Eric Garner. More than 100 protesters including Texas A&M students started their march around campus at 1:30 p.m. in the commons while chanting and holding signs on their way to Rudder Plaza, where they gathered for prayer and a moment of silence. A small Ferguson-related Hands Up Walk Out protest not affiliated with the NAACP was held Monday in the plaza, but Thursday's focus was to spur legislative change in the local community and around the country. |
| U. of Missouri hires Florida State provost | |
 | The University of Missouri has tapped an administrator with experience as a provost and a president at Florida State University to head its academic operations. Florida State University Provost Garnett Stokes will join MU as the provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs on Feb. 1, according to a news release. MU Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin said in a prepared statement that Stokes has the ability, the vision and the drive to move MU "to the next level." Before Florida State, Stokes was dean of the University of Georgia College of Arts and Sciences for seven years. Stokes' salary is $375,000, MU spokesman Christian Basi said. |
| At second higher ed summit, Obama administration mixes praise and accountability | |
 | The second White House college summit held Thursday was bigger and focused on a broader range of institutions than the inaugural January event. And it also, in part, more vividly illustrated what seems to be an ongoing tension of the Obama administration's higher agenda: how to promote the value and importance of colleges while also seeking to hold institutions more accountable, especially for their tuition prices. The contrast in tone between separate speeches on Thursday by President Obama and Vice President Biden underscored the balancing act for an administration that has sought to both cheerlead successes and innovations in higher education and clamp down on rising tuition prices -- approaches that tend to draw opposite reactions from college leaders. |
| How to Make the Case for Graduate Education | |
 | After her talk to a packed room on Thursday, Janet Napolitano, president of the University of California, asked audience members to raise their hands if they planned to meet with members of Congress or their staffs while here in Washington. Only about a half-dozen or so hands shot up in a room full of some 700 graduate-school administrators attending the annual meeting of the Council of Graduate Schools. "I just defined the echo chamber," Ms. Napolitano said, referring to the tendency of graduate-education leaders to preach to the choir rather than make an effective case for support to lawmakers and the broader public. Ms. Napolitano and other administrators at the conference emphasized that universities need to better explain how graduate students benefit the public good. |
| Lawmakers look at Chinese influence on American universities | |
| The growing number of educational partnerships between Chinese and American colleges could see increased congressional scrutiny, as some critics argue the Chinese government's influence in such initiatives undermines academic freedom. U.S. Rep. Christopher Smith, a Republican from New Jersey, said at a subcommittee hearing Thursday that he plans to ask the Government Accountability Office to review partnership agreements of American satellite campuses in China and Confucius Institutes housed on U.S. campuses. |
| PHIL HARDWICK (OPINION): Dispatches from a Mississippian in France | |
 | Columnist Phil Hardwick writes in the Mississippi Business Journal: "This column is coming to you from France, where my wife and I are on vacation. Each place we go I am asking as many people we deal with as possible if they have ever heard of Mississippi and what they might know of it. ...The reason this is so interesting to me is that my own research and that of others has revealed that the more familiarity a person has about a place the more likely they are to visit, relocate or open a new business there." |
| JIM PRINCE (OPINION): Bill Minor's assertion about editor Tannehill is fiction | |
| Mississippi newspaper publisher Jim Prince writes: "Columnist Bill Minor has for 50 years been repeating a racist lie about a late editor of The Neshoba Democrat, so because he brought it up again this week, it's time to set the record straight since I now occupy the chair and my master's thesis examined the subject extensively. Mr. Minor asserts again this week in his column that Jack Tannehill failed to report the Tuesday, June 16, 1964, nighttime church burning that led to the murders five days later of three young men who were helping blacks register to vote, outraging the nation and spurring passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Minor suggests Tannehill could have stopped the murders four days later by speaking out about the fire he couldn't confirm on deadline. The historical record reflects a Tannehill who, overall, stood up to Klan intimidation." |
SPORTS
| Hughes will represent Mississippi State at NCAA convention | |
| It's likely no member of this year's Mississippi State football team enjoyed the Bulldogs' rise to the nation's elite as much as safety Jay Hughes. That's because it was a season of redemption for Hughes, a fifth-year senior from Hattiesburg. Hughes missed all but six plays of his junior season and watched MSU's fight for bowl eligibility from the sideline, only to return to lead the Bulldogs in interceptions and help lead MSU to 10 wins. On Wednesday, Hughes learned he will be the face of the Southeastern Conference at a national NCAA convention. Hughes, along with two other SEC student-athletes, will represent the SEC on proposed governance rule changes under the NCAA's recently adopted Division I autonomy process. |
| Bulldogs look to snap road losing streak at Tulane | |
| Rick Ray wasn't shy about making his goals known entering his third year as Mississippi State's men's basketball coach. "I think, first and foremost, we need to be in the conversation for postseason basketball," said Ray prior to MSU's season opener. "Whether it's NCAA Tournament or NIT, we need to be in that mix." For that to happen, opportunity will knock for the Bulldogs starting on Saturday with a visit to Tulane. |
| Bulldogs leaning on depth | |
| Rick Ray once again had injuries strike his Mississippi State team before the season even started. But unlike the two previous years, Ray's roster had enough depth to overcome the injuries during the opening weeks and is now beginning to get back to full strength. Guards I.J. Ready and Craig Sword have both recently returned from back surgery but have yet to regain their spots in the starting lineup. Despite Ready and Sword missing from the starting five, MSU is off to a 5-1 start. The Bulldogs will be back in action at Tulane on Saturday at 1 p.m. |
| Elijah Staley practicing with Mississippi State basketball team | |
| Elijah Staley has made the transition from football to basketball. Mississippi State coach Rick Ray said Staley, who is redshirting as a quarterback for the football team, has practiced twice with the basketball team. Staley came to Starkville looking to play both sports. "He's not in basketball shape. He's in football shape," Ray said. Staley won't travel with the basketball team for its upcoming road trips to Tulane or Oregon State. While basketball is on the road, Staley will participate in bowl practices. |
| Salter making her case for more playing time at Mississippi State | |
| It hasn't long for LaKaris Salter to gain the support of the fans at Humphrey Coliseum. Whether it has been spin moves, deft passes, or potential layups of breakaways, the freshman has dazzled Mississippi State women's basketball fans with her offensive skills. Now Salter wants to find a way to dazzle MSU coach Vic Schaefer with more than just long jump shots. Salter took another step in her progression Tuesday night when she scored a career-high 16 points in a 109-58 victory against North Dakota State. Salter, a 6-foot-1 forward from Tallahassee, Florida, was 6 of 8 from the field and had 10 of her points in a 1-minute, 22-second stretch late in the Bulldogs' latest victory. |
| MHSAA celebrates championship weekend move to Mississippi State | |
| After months of preparation, show time has arrived for the Mississippi High School Activities Association. For the first time in more than two decades, the high school football state championships will dominate the state's headlines from a venue other than Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson. The first-ever games played at Mississippi State University in the Gridiron Championship series take place today and begin with an 11 a.m. start between St. Aloysius and Natchez Cathedral for the Class 1A state championship. |
| Third lawsuit dismissed against Jackson State AD Fuller | |
| A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a former Jackson State University employer for wrongful termination by the school on Tuesday. Dalandus Henderson, a former budget accountant, filed the lawsuit on Jan. 2, 2013. He claimed he was fired for participating in the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission investigation into Lolita Ward, a former JSU employee who filed a separate lawsuit claiming sexual harassment by athletic director Vivian Fuller. The lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice by U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate. It's the third of six filed against Fuller that have been dismissed. |
| Vivian Fuller's new contract at Jackson State pays $210K | |
| Jackson State athletic director Vivian Fuller received a 40 percent raise in her new contract, which includes incentives and academic terms that must be met. Fuller's contract, obtained by The Clarion-Ledger through a public records request, pays $210,000 annually and is a three-year extension that runs through July 2017. The contract says that an APR at or above 975 must be maintained. Also, the school's student athletes' graduation success rate must meet the national norm score of 66 and a federal rate of 54. |
| Missouri puts Memorial Stadium project on fast track | |
| A conversation over coffee six weeks ago led Missouri Athletic Director Mike Alden to rearrange the priorities of his facilities master plan and put the Memorial Stadium south end zone project on the fast track. Alden said the plans for a new indoor football practice facility were almost complete and the university was getting ready to accept bids for its construction when football Coach Gary Pinkel asked Alden to call an audible. In the athletic facilities master plan that was approved in June 2012, there was a project in which the football offices, locker room, training room and weight room would be incorporated into a structure attached to the south side of the stadium. Pinkel wanted that done sooner than later, as he informed Alden one morning at Lakota Coffee Company. |
| McElwain, U. of Florida agree to deal | |
| Less than three weeks after promising the Gator Nation that he was going to hire an offensive-minded head football coach, Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley delivered Thursday. Colorado State's Jim McElwain was named the Gators' head coach after a deal was negotiated and finalized between UF, McElwain and CSU concerning McElwain's $7.5 million buyout clause in his contract. McElwain has agreed to a six-year contract with UF that will pay him an average annual salary of $3.5 million. |
| Jameis Winston's Account Is Released, and Lawyers Battle | |
| About 20 minutes before his code of conduct hearing ended Wednesday, Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston stood in the lobby of the Materials Research Building and conferred with one of his legal advisers. The two exchanged a fist bump, and Winston turned and ascended the stairs to the second-floor room where, for the first time, he would give his account of the 2012 incident in which he was accused by a fellow student of sexual assault. Winston denied raping the woman and gave a detailed, often explicit account of events. Within a couple of hours, his five-page letter -- an exhibit in a Title IX proceeding that is supposed to ensure confidentially and legally protect the privacy of students -- was released to the news media and quickly posted on the Internet. The events further escalated animosity between lawyers for both sides on Thursday |
| Triathlon Goes to College | |
 | Several women's sports that the NCAA has tested in recent years have failed to survive, including archery, synchronized swimming and team handball. But as triathlon begins its trial next autumn as an NCAA "emerging sport for women," it boasts a distinct advantage: money. The sport is so fast-growing among free-spending adults that its governing body, USA Triathlon, can afford to put some financial muscle behind the NCAA effort. On Friday, USA Triathlon will announce a decision to award $2.6 million in grants to colleges that launch women's triathlon teams. Following an application process, it expects to distribute about 20 grants among schools in all three NCAA divisions. A Division I triathlon team could receive up to $140,000 over four competitive seasons, Division II and III schools half that amount. |
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