| Friday, December 12, 2014 |
| MSU-Meridian graduates include one couple, two degrees | |
 | Keith and Valerie Cullum have double the reason to celebrate Mississippi State University-Meridian's fall commencement. During Friday's graduation ceremony at the MSU Riley Center, the couple will become the first members of their respective families to earn a bachelor's degree. They are among some 100 candidates who will walk across the stage at the 11 a.m. event. Keith, 25, and 22-year-old Valerie first met in December 2011 during a Tuscaloosa, Ala., class sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She was pursuing a dance degree at the University of Alabama, while he was attending Meridian Community College after a two-year church mission. From their experiences, Keith and Valerie have some key advice for other young couples now in school: work hard to reduce your student debt. |
| Center Director Touts Mississippi State's Veteran Programs | |
 | The Columbus Exchange Club learned firsthand how Mississippi State University is bettering the lives of military veterans. Sonny Montgomery Center for American Veterans Director Ken McRae spoke to the group about the recent programs offered for student veterans. Some of those include health benefits on campus for students and non-student veterans in the Golden Triangle. Also, the Green Zone program that has offered counseling for student veterans whenever they need it. McRae says it's important to invest in the lives of those who have sacrificed so much. According to the US News and World Report, MSU is currently ranked first out of 14 other universities for educational support for student veterans and their families. |
| Mississippi State's Keenum part of United Nations ceremony | |
 | Mississippi State University President Mark E. Keenum and leaders from other universities around the nation signed the Presidents' Commitment to Food and Nutrition Security on Tuesday at the United Nations in New York City. "Land-grant universities have always supported the advancement of food security through research, teaching and outreach as part of their historical mission," said Keenum. "I am excited to see so many land-grants -- from UC Davis to Cornell and Penn State -- joining the PUSH movement. It is through this joint commitment, collaborative effort and sharing of best practices that we will be able to accomplish this ambitious -- but achievable -- goal of ending hunger." |
| Mississippi State plans power outages next week | |
 | Mississippi State officials warn of two power outages next week on campus. Facilities Management officials say work to install alternate feeds to the buildings' transformers make the outages necessary. On Tuesday from 10 a.m. until noon, the power will be off at Rice Hall. The power will be off at Moseley Hall and McComas Hall from noon until 1 p.m. |
| Jack White Mississippi State tickets on sale today | |
 | Tickets to the Jack White concert in Starkville at Humphrey Coliseum go on sale to the public at noon today. Bowl level seats are $30 or $40; floor level seats are $65. White released Lazeretto, the follow-up to 2012's Grammy-nominated Blunderbuss, in July to positive reviews. White became one of the most prolific name in rock after his band The White Stripes took the mid-2000s by storm with the introduction of garage revival to the masses. |
| Endowment by MSU Alum Memorializes Jackson-Area Veterinarian | |
| A 1992 graduate of Mississippi State's College of Veterinary Medicine is honoring the memory of his friend and classmate at the university. A recent $30,000 special endowment by Dr. Todd R. Henderson is dedicated to the late Dr. Paul W. Farmer, who, with his wife Alyssa, owned and operated the Animal Medical Hospital Inc. near the Ross Barnett Reservoir in Jackson. Farmer, who also received a doctor of veterinary medicine degree in 1992, died in 2011 following a battle with pancreatic cancer. |
| Restaurant Week in Starkville moving to 10-day event | |
| When is a week longer than seven days? When it involves the relationship between college baseball, dining out and economic impact. Starkville Restaurant Week organizers confirmed Wednesday they will extend 2015's event to 10 days in an attempt to cash in on March's college baseball series between Mississippi State University and the University of Alabama. Next year's event will begin March 13, Greater Starkville Development Partnership Special Events and Projects Coordinator Jennifer Prather said, the same Friday MSU begins a three-game home stand against the Crimson Tide. |
| Starkville's Armstrong Middle School Welcomes County Students | |
| Armstrong Middle School in Starkville held an open house Thursday for Oktibbeha County students who will soon be joining the Yellowjacket family. Students and parents from East and West Oktibbeha County Schools had a chance to see first hand what the middle school has to offer new students. The program kicked off with a mini-pep rally followed by a tour of the school. One parent says she is excited about her son's new journey. "Better learning, better teaching. I'm just looking forward to my child to get a better education," says Vicki Brown. |
| Portera Developing Kemper County Economic Development Plan | |
 | Kemper County officials are taking steps to develop a long-term economic development plan for the county. To start the process, the Board of Supervisors has hired a man who has helped attract hundreds of jobs to both Mississippi and Alabama. Former Mississippi State president and chancellor emeritus of the University of Alabama System turned consultant, Dr. Malcolm Portera is the man who Kemper County supervisors have hired to develop a base plan for economic development within the county. Aside from playing key roles in attracting the Mercedes plant to Alabama, and the new Yokohama tire plant in his hometown of West Point, Mississippi, Doctor Portera also had a major hand in the development of the MSU Riley Center in downtown Meridian, and with enhancing the workforce training program for East Mississippi Community College's Golden Triangle campus. |
| Dixie National Rodeo and Livestock Show 50th Anniversary Gala announced | |
 | Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Cindy Hyde-Smith and Mississippi Fair Commission Executive Director Rick Reno will step back in time through half a century of the largest rodeo east of the Mississippi River at the Dixie National Rodeo and Livestock Show 50th Anniversary Gala. The event will take place on Feb. 10 at the Mississippi Trade Mart. The Dixie National Rodeo and Livestock Show began in 1965, and has grown and evolved over the years. It now has an estimated annual economic impact of over $20 million and draws in well over 100,000 visitors to the fairgrounds in Jackson each year. |
| Mississippi job losses blamed on trade deficit | |
| America's trade deficit with China has cost more than 3.2 million U.S. jobs ---20,200 in Mississippi, according to a study released Thursday by the nonpartisan think tank Economic Policy Institute. Mississippi ranks 32nd in the nation in job losses attributed to that trade deficit, the study shows. The overwhelming majority of jobs lost are manufacturing. The EPI study revealed that 2.4 million manufacturing jobs were lost between December 2001 -- the year China joined the World Trade Organization -- and December 2013, accounting for two-thirds of all U.S. manufacturing jobs lost or displaced during that time, the study concluded. |
| Mississippi casinos add $4 billion to state's economy each year, study says | |
 | A study released Thursday by the American Gaming Association puts the annual economic impact of Mississippi casinos at $4 billion. Oxford Economics determined in the study that one of every 10 jobs in Mississippi is supported by the casinos. That is 37,000 employees who work at the casinos; at the suppliers who provide products and services to the casinos; and at businesses where these employees spend their money. Though Mississippi has dropped from third to sixth in the country in casino revenue, the state's casinos continue to employ the third-highest number of people. |
| Democratic lawmakers unveil their own budget proposal | |
| Democratic state lawmakers unveiled their own 2016 fiscal year state budget proposal today that calls for spending about $185 million more than the budget recommendations made Monday by the Joint Legislative Budget Committee. The Democrat budget proposal calls for increased funding for public schools, community colleges, universities, highway maintenance, and a state employee pay raise, said state Sen. Hob Bryan and state Rep. Cecil Brown, two of the leading Democrats in the state Legislature. |
| Democrats' budget alternative gives schools more | |
 | Legislative Democrats propose to phase in full funding of public education over a three-year period and to provide an additional $105 million during the upcoming 2015 session. Sen. Hob Bryan, D-Amory, and Rep. Cecil Brown, D-Jackson, released the Democratic proposal Thursday in response to the plan offered Tuesday by the Legislative Budget Committee, which is led by House Speaker Philip Gunn and Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves. Bryan said he "was flabbergasted" that the Budget Committee plan did not pay the total costs of the second year of a multi-year teacher pay raise passed during the 2014 session and touted by Gunn and Reeves. The proposal would take $185 million of unallocated funds and direct them to education -- from the kindergarten through university level -- and to give state employees a $1,000 across-the-board raise. The Budget Committee proposal cuts funding for both community colleges and universities. |
| Democrats offer budget proposal they say would pump more money into Mississippi education | |
 | Democrats in the Mississippi Legislature are offering their own budget proposal that they say would pump more money into education. Sen. Hob Bryan of Amory and Rep. Cecil Brown of Jackson released the plan on behalf of their colleagues Thursday. Democrats also propose a $1,000 pay raise for each state employee, plus higher spending for community colleges, universities and highways, without increasing taxes. Legislators will debate budget ideas during the session that runs from January to April. |
| Wife of Sen. Thad Cochran dies | |
| Rose Cochran, wife of Sen. Thad Cochran, has died, according to Chris Gallegos of the senator's office Friday. |
| State school board member calls lieutenant governor's ideas 'foolish' for recreating standards | |
 | Mississippi Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, with support from Gov. Phil Bryant, said earlier this month he wanted to create a task force to create higher educational standards in Mississippi in place of Common Core, which was fully implemented this year. State Board of Education member Bill Jones of Petal said he does not anticipate an appeal and said it would be a timely process. "To undo what we've already started doing or start over... is really quite foolish," said Jones. Jones, however, said that Reeves and others have "created a myth" that Common Core is controlled by the government and said it is "right near insanity." Jones said the Common Core debate has became political to the point of being a campaign issue for some in the state. |
| Common Core a hot issue at Jackson County legislators meeting | |
| On the heels of an announcement from the United States Department of Education denying Mississippi's request for a grant toward early learning, legislators offered their views on education in the Magnolia State. Talk about Common Core came up at a legislative breakfast Thursday morning at the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce. "I support higher standards, whether that's lower core, higher core or middle core," said Sen. Brice Wiggins, who said 60 percent of children in Mississippi are not ready for kindergarten. "If you want the best return on your child's investment, invest in early education." |
| Auditor's office: Red flag could have triggered earlier review of health system finances | |
| The State Auditor's Office was unaware before this year that Singing River had financial problems because nobody with the health system or county alerted the agency. "If the people on the ground wanted to raise the flag with us, then certainly we would have done what is being done now and come to their aid," Brad White, Auditor Stacey Pickering's chief of staff, told the Sun Herald. "Certainly, if there was an issue, we have cities and counties and public entities that call up here (for assistance) all the time." White said Jackson County and the health system are working with the auditor's office to sort out financial issues. |
| Federal class-action lawsuit filed against SRHS, trustees, former CEO and others | |
 | A federal class-action lawsuit was filed today in U.S. District Court against Singing River Health System, its board of trustees, former CEO Chris Anderson and others. The Biloxi law firm of Reeves & Mestayer and the firm of Cunningham & Bounds in Mobile made the filing jointly, according to a release from the two firms. Also named in the suit are TransAmerica Retirement, KPMG, former SRHS chief legal counsel Stephanie Barnes-Taylor and former CFO Michael Crews, along with 11 others. The suit details how SRHS employees were deliberately mislead through false pension statements showing the Health System was fully funding its employee retirement program. |
| Miller responds to DMR comments at Jackson County breakfast | |
| Legislators met with officials at a Jackson County chamber breakfast in Pascagoula to discuss the upcoming year's priorities, but the conversation was quickly dominated by the controversy at Singer River Health System. "We are not the DMR," said Lee Bond, chief finance director, referring to the state Department of Marine Resources. Sen. Brice Wiggins quickly disagreed and informed Bond that "at this moment they are like the DMR." "No one here has bought a boat," Bond said. "That was an office full of corruption; we are not corrupt." DMR director Jamie Miller released a statement Thursday afternoon. |
| Lawyer seeking delay in corruption trial of former MDOC chief Christopher Epps | |
| The lawyer for indicted former Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner Christopher Epps wants to push back the Jan. 5 trial date. John Colette, in a motion filed Thursday, wrote he received 75 discs of government evidence against Epps Tuesday and needs more time to review it. |
| High court denies state Rep. Aldridge's appeal | |
| The Mississippi Supreme Court on Thursday denied state Rep. Brian Aldridge's attempt to overturn a chancery court decision that he must pay more than $200,000 to the estate of his deceased aunt. The state's highest court, in a 7-1 decision, refused to reverse the ruling of Chancellor Michael Malski, who found in a 2011 civil trial that Aldridge's father, Louis, had "plundered" more than $520,000 from Florence Aldridge while she was sick and Louis Aldridge held power of attorney over her estate. Aldridge, a Republican, was elected to the state House in 2003 and previously served as chairman of the Mississippi Legislative Conservative Coalition. |
| House passes $1.1 trillion spending bill | |
 | Congress managed to narrowly avoid another government shutdown crisis Thursday night when the House approved a $1.1 trillion spending package to keep most government agencies operating through next summer. The 219-to-206 vote came with less than three hours to go until government funding expired. The result capped a long and acrimonious day in which House Democrats nearly upended the entire package, which was backed by President Obama. The showdown exposed some of the dynamics on Capitol Hill in which the most liberal Democrats replaced the most conservative Republicans as significant obstacles to passing difficult fiscal legislation. |
| David McIntosh Succeeds Club for Growth President Chris Chocola | |
 | Club for Growth President Chris Chocola, a former Indiana congressman, announced his retirement Thursday from the conservative outside group that often serves as a thorn in the side of Republican leadership. Former Rep. David M. McIntosh, also a Hoosier State Republican, will take over for Chocola, who led the group for six years. McIntosh will take the helm of the group -- which supports many fiscally conservative Republicans often aligned with the tea party faction -- after a lackluster 2014 cycle. Many of the club's endorsed candidates lost primary and general election challenges. Most notably, state Sen. Chris McDaniel failed to unseat Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., in an expensive primary and runoff earlier this year. |
| The Vanishing Male Worker: How America Fell Behind | |
 | Working, in America, is in decline. The share of prime-age men -- those 25 to 54 years old -- who are not working has more than tripled since the late 1960s, to 16 percent. More recently, since the turn of the century, the share of women without paying jobs has been rising, too. The United States, which had one of the highest employment rates among developed nations as recently as 2000, has fallen toward the bottom of the list. Many men, in particular, have decided that low-wage work will not improve their lives, in part because deep changes in American society have made it easier for them to live without working. At the same time, it has become harder for men to find higher-paying jobs. The resulting absence of millions of potential workers has serious consequences not just for the men and their families but for the nation as a whole. |
| Southern Baptists to host racial reconciliation summit | |
 | The Southern Baptist Convention announced Thursday it will host a spring summit on racial reconciliation, moving it up from a planned 2016 date in light of the Ferguson riots and the Eric Garner grand jury ruling. It's a significant move for the Nashville-based denomination, which was born in 1845 out of its support for slavery -- a stance it formally apologized for in 1995. Just three years ago, Southern Baptists considered rebranding to move past their split with Northern congregations and increase opportunities for expansion. The denomination kept its name, a decision the head of its ethics and public policy arm said he supported because it keeps its past sin in front of members. |
| Mississippi University for Women Earns SACS 10-Year Reaffirmation | |
| The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges has reaffirmed the accreditation of Mississippi University for Women for another 10 years. The decision represents years of planning by faculty and staff to document and demonstrate the university's compliance with regional and national standards of excellence. "This is an extremely rigorous process that looks at every aspect of the institution and requires extensive analysis and documentation," MUW President Jim Borsig said. "The W is committed to quality enhancement through assessment and continuous improvement, and I commend the hard work of countless faculty and staff members who contributed to the effort." |
| Case dropped against U. of Alabama student for threatening text message | |
 | A Tuscaloosa County District Court judge has granted youthful offender status and dismissed the case against a University of Alabama student charged with harassing communication for comments that allegedly prompted additional anxiety in the wake of a threatening online post in September which caused days of alarm on campus. Judge Joel Chandler granted Dakota John Timm youthful offender status Thursday and dismissed the case on motion of the state with prejudice, according to court records. Under youthful offender status, Timm's court records in the case are sealed. The UA Police Department continues to investigate the original post, according to UA spokesperson Chris Bryant. |
| U. of Kentucky president condemns 'hate-filled' language about 'die-in' protesters | |
 | University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto on Thursday condemned "hate-filled" language aimed at UK students who staged a "die-in" this week to protest police brutality in Missouri and New York. Die-ins were held Tuesday and Wednesday. Wednesday night's protest, at W.T. Young Library, sparked an outburst on Yik Yak, a social media app that allows users to anonymously post comments in a 1.5-mile radius from where they are. The posts later disappear. The comment came from people who were clearly in the library with the protesters. Capilouto also pointed out that free speech on social media cannot be controlled. UK senior Jazmene Landing, who took part in the protests, said the statement doesn't go far enough. |
| Kappa Sigma eviction put on hold at U. of South Carolina | |
 | The owner of the Kappa Sigma fraternity house on the University of South Carolina campus has won a temporary court order that stops the school from kicking out chapter members. Chapter members were told to leave by Sunday after the fraternity's national office imposed a five-year ban on the USC chapter last month. Kappa Sigma's national office said it uncovered hazing and alcohol violations as well as unapproved spending of more than $20,000 for loans and legal fees, according to an email sent to alumni and parents. Kappa Sigma's USC members have disputed the version of events shared by the national office. Kappa Sigma Housing Corp.'s complaint alleges USC evicted chapter members before all their appeals were exhausted and without notifying the house's mortgage lender, as required by a 40-year land lease. |
| Composting now measured in tons on UGA campus | |
 | Most of us think of composting as a nice little thing we can do for the environment in our backyards, but when an entire major college campus gets involved in converting food waste into soil amendments, composting takes on a very different meaning, with surprisingly big numbers. UGA workers have been composting yard waste such as leaves and tree trimmings since 1983. That's a lot considering the campus covers 759 acres, not counting the new campuses in Athens' Normaltown neighborhood and on College Station Road. But since April, all food waste from UGA's dining halls has been added to the compost stream, pumping up the numbers even more. |
| Aggies, diplomatic trainees hash out U.S.-Russia issues in Bush School video teleconference | |
 | With relations between the United States and Russia growing more tense, non-diplomatic talks like the one that took place at the Texas A&M Bush School of Government and Public Service earlier this week could help restore lines of communication. A video teleconference held Tuesday with 12 students at the Bush School and 12 trainees from the Russian Diplomatic Academy in Moscow let future leaders from both nations discuss pressing issues in a setting that proved to be an invaluable learning experience for both parties. Former U.S. ambassador and current Bush School professor Larry Napper helped facilitate the teleconference with Russian Diplomatic Academy Department of Political Science professor Oleg Ivanov. "This is the most tense period in U.S.-Russian relations that we've had for a long time, probably since the collapse of the Berlin Wall itself," Napper said. "It's a difficult time." |
| Schaefer bill aims to keep ex-governors from U. of Missouri System top job | |
 | Gov. Jay Nixon has two years in the state's top job, but Sen. Kurt Schaefer is already thinking about Nixon's future and how to block at least one career path. Schaefer, R-Columbia, filed a bill for the upcoming legislative session to make it illegal for the University of Missouri Board of Curators to vote to appoint "or in any way employ in any position in the university any person who appointed him or her to the board of curators." Only a governor can appoint curators, who serve six-year terms. A retiring two-term governor such as Nixon would, before leaving office, appoint all nine voting members of the board. Curators who voted to give a job to a governor who appointed them in defiance of Schaefer's proposal would forfeit their seat on the board. "That is not aimed at Nixon specifically," Schaefer said. "I just think it is good public policy to make sure curators do not feel pressured to do certain things." |
| U. of Missouri students demonstrate for peace, justice, equality | |
 | Dressed in all black and wearing a veil that covered her face, Qiana Moore placed a rose on each of the 10 makeshift coffins Thursday afternoon on Francis Quadrangle. Moore was representing mothers and wives who had to bury their husbands and sons due to police brutality over the past several months. She said the five different colors of the coffins -- black, white, red, brown and yellow -- represented different skin colors of people whose lives are endangered by injustice. Moore was part of an initiative called "Wage Peace" that advocates peace and justice. At 12:30 p.m. Thursday, University of Missouri students crossed the campus from the Gaines/Oldham Black Culture Center to the quadrangle to demonstrate a peaceful show against racial discrimination and what Moore called the injustice represented by the police brutality over the past few months. |
| Study Challenges Notion That Risk of Sexual Assault Is Greater at College | |
 | A study of sexual assault released by the federal government on Thursday challenges conventional wisdom about the heightened danger on college campuses, finding that women there are less likely than nonstudents to be victims. College women are also less likely, the study found, to report the incidents to the police. The rate of rape and other sexual assault over the past two decades was 1.2 times higher for nonstudents of college age than for students, according to the study, by the Bureau of Justice Statistics. It showed an average of 7.6 cases per 1,000 nonstudents, compared with 6.1 per 1,000 college women. For the most recent year, 2013, those rates were almost identical, according to the study, which focuses on women ages 18 to 24. |
| New report argues for better mentoring, pay, and career progression for postdocs | |
 | Postdoctoral fellowships make a lot of sense in theory: They offer recent Ph.D.s, especially those aspiring to careers in academic research, a place to develop professionally and -- hopefully -- build a research profile before or while hitting the job market. But too often, these fellowships are underpaid, under-mentored positions where young academics languish during what are potentially their most creative, productive years. That's the upshot of a new report from the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering and Institute of Medicine, which is highly critical of the structural factors driving the growth of postdoctoral ranks, and which recommends a series of reforms. |
| U. of Memphis faculty voice fears about competing teacher training program | |
| Faculty in the University of Memphis' college of education, who until now have been silent on the separate teacher training model the university is studying, outlined their concerns in a letter hand-delivered to president David Rudd Wednesday. "This decision is literally bringing a direct competitor onto our campus and promoting them as an option for our undergraduates to move into Relay's Graduate School of Education MAT (master of arts in teaching) degree," according to the letter from faculty in Instruction and Curriculum Leadership. On Thursday, Rudd said he was clear in a memo Tuesday to the faculty that he would forward the final Relay agreement to them as soon it was finished. |
| U.Va. Looks At Ways To Curb Drinking At Its Frat Houses | |
 | The University of Virginia is renegotiating its contract with fraternities, which were suspended after a Rolling Stone article described a frat house gang rape. Even though that article has been called into question, U.Va. is sticking with its vow to make changes -- and that includes President Teresa Sullivan's plan to crack down on excessive and underage drinking at frat houses. But the way to do that may not be easy. There are dry fraternities, but that idea was quickly dismissed. Tommy Reid, head of U.Va.'s Inter-Fraternity Council, told the Board of Visitors, the school's governing body, it would simply drive drinking parties underground. So how do you regulate something illegal? Sullivan suggests one place to start: those big garbage cans full of hard liquor brew. |
| OUR OPINION: Democrats' alternative stronger on education | |
| The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal editorializes: "Mississippi's legislative Democrats proposed a 2016 budget Thursday that is preferable in its content and goals from the Republican-dominated Legislative Budget Committee proposal announced Tuesday. The Democrats' proposal, presented by Sen. Hob Bryan, D-Amory, and Rep. Cecil Brown, D-Jackson, realistically addresses the underfunding crisis in public education with a three-year plan to fully fund the mandated formula for public schools rather than offering lame excuses about why it can't be done. ...The Bryan/Brown alternative presents a balanced budget with differing, better priorities, led by education." |
| SLIM SMITH (OPINION): What the governor won't tell MUW grads | |
| The Dispatch's Slim Smith writes: "Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant will be the speaker at Friday's commencement exercises at Mississippi University for Women. In one sense, it is perfectly understandable The W would invite the governor, Mississippi's top elected official, to speak. Yet, in another sense, the choice of this particular governor is unfortunate. In his time in office, Bryant has not proven to be a friend of the typical college student, if such a thing can be judged by his policies and stated intentions." |
| ROSS REILY (OPINION): Bryant should make change and quit shirking responsibility | |
| The Mississippi Business Journal's Ross Reily writes: "People keep telling me that I am bald. What's the deal? Why can't they accentuate the positives? I have hair, just not all over my head. That is kind of what I feel like Gov. Phil Bryant was saying when he was talking to business people in Southaven this week. 'Accentuate the positives while accepting reality and working to make things better,' is what Bryant said. ...It's great to accentuate the positives of Mississippi. I do it every day. But, at some point, change has got to occur, and there hasn't been significant change in Mississippi on very many fronts, at least the ones that count the most -- like healthcare and education." |
SPORTS
| Bowl practices serve as 'wake-up call' for Mississippi State | |
| The gestation period for Mississippi State's 2015 season starts today, when the Bulldogs begin bowl practices at 4:55 p.m. It's the first of nine before the team breaks for Christmas on Dec. 20 Nine practices in a season may not hold much value. But this is Mississippi State's fifth-straight season heading to a bowl. That's at least 45 for fifth-year seniors like offensive linemen Dillon Day and Ben Beckwith. That's about as many as fall and spring camps combined. |
| MSU Quarterback Dak Prescott Sues T-Shirt Maker | |
| Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott is suing a Gulfport t-shirt maker for using his name on several products. The lawsuit, filed in Oktibbeha County Circuit Court, is asking a judge to stop Christian Matthew to stop printing and selling shirts that say "Dak Attack" and "Dak Dynasty." An undisclosed amount of damages is being sought. MSU has no involvement with the lawsuit. MSU Chief Communications Officer Sid Salter says the university is aware there has been "a proliferation of products" being sold with Dak's likeness on them this football season. Salter said MSU has a licensing process for its products, but student athletes have a right to, individually, protect their likeness. |
| Dak Prescott suing T-shirt company for using likeness | |
| A Mississippi State spokesperson confirmed a lawsuit involving Dak Prescott and a merchandise vendor Thursday night. The lawsuit, first reported by WCBI, involves a clothing designer illegally using the Mississippi State quarterback's likeness for profit without his consent. Sid Salter, MSU's chief communication's officer, said the university is not involved in the lawsuit. Prescott hired a lawyer through the NCAA Opportunity Fund. It helps student-athletes when they can't afford certain things, such as legal action or to travel home due to family emergencies. Salter said Prescott's lawyer filed numerous cease and desist notices with the clothing outfitter, which were all ignored. "The university believes it's appropriate for Dak to defend himself and protect his rights as an individual," Salter said. |
| AutoZone Liberty Bowl springboard for Urban Meyer and Mississippi State | |
| The first wave of a full AutoZone Liberty Bowl blitz begins this afternoon with the annual coach's press conference featuring Kevin Sumlin, head coach of Texas A&M and Dana Holgorsen, head coach of the West Virginia Mountaineers. The game could also be a significant tone-setter for next season. During an interview with MBJ, Steve Ehrhart, executive director of the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, discussed the game and what could be in store for whoever wins: "The tradition of the AutoZone Liberty Bowl for teams is that often the next year is a breakthrough. A few years ago, we had Urban Meyer and Utah (who won the game in 2003). Then Boise State and Louisville went on to great success (after a shootout won by Louisville in 2004). I told (Mississippi State head coach) Dan Mullen this would be a platform and one of the teams could use this as a springboard for next year. And look at what they were able to do this year." |
| Bulldog women rally to stay perfect | |
| No. 22 Mississippi State got more than it bargained for from Louisiana Tech on Thursday night. The Bulldogs (9-0) trailed for most of the contest but mounted a 6-0 run in the final 2:07 to pull away for an 81-77 victory. "In the end, we made enough plays to win," said MSU coach Vic Schaefer. "Louisiana Tech really played well and they're going to win a bunch of games." The Lady Techsters (3-4) are coached by Tyler Summitt, the 24-year old son of former Tennessee coach Pat Summitt, and shot 42.9 percent from the floor. State visits Southern Miss on Sunday at 2 p.m. |
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