| Tuesday, January 6, 2015 |
| County agreement with Mississippi State debated | |
 | The Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors voted to send a letter to Mississippi State University outlining concerns and expectations officials have for the development of a new road through South Farm connecting Blackjack Road to Poorhouse Road. MSU is planning to build 3.5 miles of South Entrance Road to connect the two county roads and create a south corridor into the university. County supervisors tabled MSU's request for right-of-way to connect this road to Poorhouse Road after District 1 Supervisor John Montgomery said the county and university still had a few written agreements to make before moving forward, primarily concerning keeping the road's contractor responsible for any damage Poorhouse Road sustains in the construction process. (Subscriber-only content.) |
| Mississippi braces for arctic blast; shelters opening | |
 | By Wednesday, an arctic front that will feel like the temperatures are in single digits will fall upon the state of Mississippi. Area residents are used to it getting cold this time of year, but wind chills around seven or eight degrees are no fun for anyone. National Weather Service Meteorologist Eric Carpenter said as the arctic air mass moves in, the lows should be in the teens on Wednesday night, with wind chill readings below 10 degrees. By the end of the week, there's even a chance for freezing precipitation. "There might be some chance for a little bit of sleet. We don't see anything major, but we're keeping an eye on it," Carpenter said. |
| Southwest Mississippi feeling impact of drop in oil and gas prices | |
 | Oil and gas prices keep dropping but not everyone is jumping for joy. "We've seen a 50% drop," noted Britt Herrin with the Pike County Economic Development District. "In what? Two months." Herrin admits the changing costs have put a dent in their oil industry. "We've had two companies that were in the process of drilling wells that have halted their operations," said Herrin. But he's not ready to call bust on what they expected to be a business boom. Some of the companies drilling in the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale or TMS aren't breaking even right now. But three companies are sticking out the pricing play. A couple of others are considering an investment in the region. |
| Rallies expected as Mississippi lawmakers begin session | |
 | As Mississippi lawmakers begin their three-month session at noon today, they will be greeted by groups trying to influence state policy on education standards, state employee pay raises and a host of other issues. People pushing a pay raise for all state employees are planning to gather at the Capitol on opening day, as is a separate group opposed the state's current academic standards. The state Board of Education adopted the current Common Core academic standards and defends them. It's unclear if the Legislature will change the standards. Also uncertain is whether lawmakers will grant pay raises to all state employees. Raises for teachers are promised, and Gov. Phil Bryant is requesting a pay increase for state troopers. |
| Legislature begins 2015 session today | |
 | The 2015 session will get underway at noon today with one of the first orders of business being to elect a new Senate president pro tem. The post has been vacant since the incumbent, Terry Brown, R-Columbus, died in September after a battle with cancer. Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, who presides over the Senate, announced recently he is supporting second-term Sen. Giles Ward, R-Louisville, for the post. The selection of Ward -- most likely today -- is not expected to be contentious. But there will be numerous contentious issues, ranging from education issues to Medicaid funding to a possible income tax cut, to be dealt with during the 2015 session. |
| Lawmakers not quite at home: Long drives, rentals | |
| State Rep. Scott DeLano on Monday had his motor home loaded and hit the road from Biloxi to Jackson, where he'll live in the RV during the legislative session that starts Tuesday at noon. Many of Mississippi's part-time, citizen lawmakers have to travel long distances, be away from home, family and jobs and stay in hotels or make other arrangements during the three-month legislative session. Longtime state Rep. Tommy Reynolds, D-Charleston, said: "You put a lot miles on your vehicle and you put a lot of miles on your body. But it is worthwhile because of the good you can do." |
| Tech guru Bomgar files for House race | |
| It's been no secret that successful businessman Joel Bomgar has been considering a run for the Madison County-Ridgeland House post being vacated by longtime Rep. Rita Martinson, who is not seeking re-election after 23 years. Bomgar, who founded the multi-million dollar tech company Bomgar Corporation, has made it official, filing papers with the state GOP declaring his candidacy. He already had a website and a PAC and has been fundraising. |
| Officials prepare for 2015 legislative session | |
 | Education, tax cuts and cleaning up governmental corruption are among the items on the table awaiting state legislators' discussion during the upcoming 2015 session, which starts Tuesday. State Sen. Sally Doty (R-Brookhaven) said education funding is always a hot topic. "We'll talk a lot about the appropriate level of funding," Doty said. "I want to push for more funding for schools." State Reps. Bobby Moak (D-Bogue Chitto) and Becky Currie (R-Brookhaven) look forward to focusing on education this session as well. "We left the last legislative session not fully funding education, so that'll be on the front bumper," Moak said. |
| Nunnelee hospitalized in Tupelo after hematoma | |
| Rep. Alan Nunnelee, R-Miss., is in Tupelo to undergo treatment for a hematoma. Nunnelee, who has been battling brain cancer, experienced a hematoma in his left leg over the holidays, and he is being treated at North Mississippi Medical Center. Doctors are working to alleviate his pain and stop the bleeding in his leg. Doctors have not specified a discharge date. |
| As gay marriages begin in Florida, Supreme Court is set to meet on issue | |
 | Gay couples began marrying in Miami on Monday, kicking off a pivotal week when the Supreme Court will have a chance to consider whether same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry or whether states may limit marriage to a man and a woman. A Miami-Dade County judge gave couples there a head start before marriages begin elsewhere Tuesday in the nation's third-most-populous state. With the addition of Florida, more than 70 percent of Americans now live in the 36 states and the District of Columbia where same-sex marriages are allowed, according to estimates by the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law. On Friday, Supreme Court justices will meet in private to consider whether to act on cases that could provide a nationwide answer on whether same-sex marriages must be allowed. On the same day, a federal appeals court will consider bans in Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana. |
| U. of Southern Mississippi president honors grad for favor | |
 | When Bill Funderburk graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi on Dec. 12, he didn't expect to also be commended for doing a good deed. Southern Miss President Rodney Bennett presented Funderburk with a framed memento that included a $5 bill, a $1 bill, two quarters, one dime, one penny, a receipt and letter of thanks. Why? Because on Aug. 27, Funderburk purchased Bennett's morning snack in the bookstore on the Gulf Park campus in Long Beach. The total purchase cost $6.61 and Funderburk stepped up to help Bennett when the university president couldn't remember his debit card pin number. During the memento presentation, Bennett said Funderburk embodied the true "Southern Miss spirit," however the Army veteran who had just received his master's degree said he did it because it was the right thing to do. |
| U. of Alabama earns community service honor | |
 | The University of Alabama has been honored for its commitment to improving the community through service and service-learning partnerships. The Corporation for National and Community Service and the U.S. Department of Education have placed UA on the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction. "UA students, faculty and staff have a strong commitment to civic engagement tied to a history of community-university partnerships," Stephen Black, director of the UA Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility, said in a news release. During the 2012-13 academic year, more than 26,000 UA students completed around 770,000 hours of community service with more than 183 community partners. |
| Auburn University debuts new car tags | |
 | Auburn University launched its new collegiate car tag this month, which was designed based on input from Alabama Auburn graduates. The tag features the interlocking AU logo on the left---the original AU vanity tag featured Samford Hall, but was changed to the interlocking AU in 1992 -- a blue stripe at the bottom with "Auburn" in white and "Alabama" at the top in an orange stripe. Fans who purchase the tag can also personalize the available six characters for free. Proceeds from Auburn tag sales in Alabama are funneled into the university's "License to Learn" Scholarship Endowment Fund, which raises funds for freshman scholarships. Last year, the License to Learn Fund awarded almost $2 million in 982 scholarships. Since its launch in October 1988, the program has raised more than $38 million to support students through academic scholarships. |
| Public art projects spring up around U. of Florida campus | |
 | When Jason Mitcham's painting "Forest for the Trees" was hung in the conference room of the Austin Cary Learning Center in December, it was the latest of a long line of public art projects sponsored by the University of Florida. And it heralds the first of many new art pieces to start springing up around the UF campus and its properties as new buildings are constructed in the coming years. Mitcham said he was thrilled to be selected to create a public art piece for UF. "As an alumni, the university will always hold a special place in my heart, and I'm extremely grateful for the close relationship I continue to keep with UF," Mitcham said. |
| Longtime U. of Florida vice president stepping down | |
 | Joe Joyce, the second-in-command for six chiefs of the University of Florida's agricultural program over the last 20 years, is stepping down next year. Joyce will step down as senior associate vice president for Agricultural and Natural Resources and assume the role as director of the new Center for Leadership at the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Center For Leadership until he retires in November. "The new center will be dedicated to training people how to become someone like Joe Joyce," Jack Payne, senior vice president for Agriculture and Natural Resources, said in an email to IFAS supporters. Taking his place Feb. 1 will be Jeanna Mastrodicasa, an UF administrator for the last 17 years, the last seven as assistant vice president for student affairs. |
| Transfer of streets to U. of Tennessee on City Council agenda | |
 | One unnamed alleyway runs right through the Goodfriend Tennis Stadium on the University of Tennessee campus. Another alley cuts through the 11th Street Garage and a third through the Apartment Residence Hall. At least, that is, according to city records. Knoxville City Council tonight will hear proposals to officially remove three roadways that have been shut down and built over -- one for more than a decade. "It's simply a clean up," said Jeff Maples, associate vice chancellor for finance and administration at UT. City Council members, in their first meeting of the new year, also will take up a proposal to transfer ownership of two campus roads to the university and rename a third road for Joan Cronan, the former Lady Vols athletics director. |
| Texas A&M researcher working on targeted cancer treatment | |
 | Traditional cancer treatments such as chemotherapy can have side effects and may even make it harder for patients to fight the disease if it returns, but one Texas A&M researcher hopes to drastically cut back collateral cell damage with a more focused, nano-sized approach. Rangel College of Pharmacy associate professor Lin Zhu is in the process of testing drug carriers 20 to 30 nanometers in size that unleash cancer-fighting drugs inside the cell without damaging the healthy cells around it. Zhu's three-pronged attack on cancerous cells has shown success in the laboratory and is getting closer to accomplishing his goal of seeing more patients win their fight. "In our lab, we focus on the toxicity at the cell level," Zhu said. "When a cell dies, it may cause different side effects. If you can solve the toxicity issues, you can remove the side effects." |
| Panelists discuss beefing up cattle industry at U. of Missouri summit | |
 | Water, rainfall, mud and cornfields -- these are some of the key elements that make Missouri a desirable place for raising beef cattle, said Scott Brown, a professor in the University of Missouri's Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics. Despite the nationwide decline in beef cattle inventory, Missouri ranks second in cow and calf inventory, according to data from the Missouri Department of Agriculture. However, of the 1.7 million beef cattle in Missouri, less than 5 percent are processed in-state. To brainstorm ways to beef up the state's cattle industry, Gov. Jay Nixon held the first Missouri Beef Summit on Monday at the Reynolds Alumni Center at MU. On Monday morning, panelists, including Brown, discussed how to keep the beef industry's value in-state. |
| Georgia Tech professor accused of funneling $1 million to his company | |
| A former Georgia Tech professor was indicted last week on charges that he engaged in a scheme that led to the theft of more than $1 million from the university. Joy Laskar was indicted Dec. 30 by a Fulton County grand jury on two charges of racketeering, Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens' office announced Monday. The indictment alleges that Laskar, who had served as Georgia Tech's director of the Georgia Electronic Design Center, used university resources to purchase about $1 million in computer chips from CMP, a French microchip fabricator, to benefit Sayana Wireless, a private company he formed in 2006. Laskar also allegedly used Georgia Tech resources to conduct his company's day-to-day business activities -- a violation of university policy and procedure. |
| In STEM Courses, a Gender Gap in Online Class Discussions | |
 | Women and men behave differently in online class discussions, at least in science, engineering, and computer-science courses, according to a new study conducted by Piazza Technologies, a company that makes a digital class-participation tool. The company found that women use its program, called Piazza, to ask more questions than do their male peers, but that they answer fewer questions. When women do answer, they are more likely to answer anonymously. The findings come in the midst of an online debate about male privilege in the sciences. Part of Piazza's mission is to level the playing field for men and women in academic environments. |
| From Foster Care To Freshman Year | |
 | By the time she aged out of foster care, Jasmine Uqdah had spent nearly half her life in the system. On a summer day in 2008, Uqdah grabbed her duffel bag and two small garbage bags, and she stuffed everything she owned inside. It wasn't much --- just some clothes and a few stuffed animals. She said her goodbyes to her foster family in Detroit and moved out. She was 18 years old. Uqdah was one of the more than 20,000 young people who age out of foster care in the U.S. every year. For most, the outcomes aren't great. They're heading out into the world with next to nothing -- no family, no money, no support. Roughly half drop out of high school, and few of those who do make it to college graduate. Some states like Michigan are trying to bring that success rate way up, finding the money and other support needed to give young people like Jasmine Uqdah a fair shot at success. |
| DONNA ECHOLS (OPINION): The bus driver who still 'takes us to school' | |
| Contributing columnist Donna Echols writes for The Clarion-Ledger: "This is not a story about a bus driver who literally takes people to school. This is a story about a bus driver who 'takes us to school' by teaching us a few lessons along the way. And aren't the best lessons learned the ones we don't really see coming? ...Everett Kennard is one of those people who may drop into your life for just a minute, but will make an impression that will last forever. Whether you know him from farming, as the coach, or the bus driver, everyone who meets him comes away with a story of how to be a better person for having known him." |
| CHARLIE MITCHELL (OPINION): White working class in a corner, and it's getting lonely | |
 | Longtime Mississippi journalist Charlie Mitchell writes: "Republicans who want to stay in office in Mississippi this election year have no worries -- if they are conservative enough. If any are seriously challenged, it will likely be from the right, not from the left. That's where we are in the ever-swinging pendulum of politics. Nationally, voting trends from November illustrate this. Closer to home, it may be fair to say Mississippi is the epicenter of a deeply disenchanted white working class. No longer a Tea Party 'fringe,' this is a reformist group demanding to be heard. The marquee example is last year's race between incumbent U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran and state Sen. Chris McDaniel." |
| GEOFF PENDER (OPINION): Teleportation, demon chipmunks: the Legislature returns | |
| The Clarion-Ledger's Geoff Pender writes: "The 2015 session of the Mississippi Legislature kicks off Tuesday, and as always capital-area residents are advised to keep their wallets in their front pockets and bring in lawn furniture at night. Mississippi's 174 lawmakers -- 122 in the House and 52 in the Senate -- over the next three months will decide how to spend $6 billion of your tax dollars. They'll also debate all the issues important to the commonwealth, such as which specialty car tags to approve and deer baiting. For the lay person, some of the jargon, mangled Latin terms and machinations over the next three months might be confusing. Lawyers have worked for nearly two centuries to make it so. So, as I've done before, I present a primer of legislative terms and their meanings." |
SPORTS
| No. 14 Mississippi State women continue to make history | |
| The Mississippi State women's basketball team's history-making season took another step forward Monday when it moved up three spots to No. 14 in The Associated Press' Top 25 poll. In the process, MSU (17-0) received 431 points and climbed past Stanford (9-4, No. 15, 405 points), one of the game's perennial powers, to move to one of the highest rankings in program history. The No. 14 ranking is MSU's first top-15 appearance since the final 2002-03 poll, when it was ranked No. 13. MSU climbed as high as No. 10 in Week 17 in the 2002-03 season. Stanford was ranked No. 9 the same week. No. 10 is the highest MSU has climbed in its history. MSU will try to extend its winning streak at 8 p.m. Thursday when it plays host to Arkansas at Humphrey Coliseum. Fox Sports Net South will broadcast the game live. |
| Mississippi State's undefeated start leads to top 15 ranking | |
| A 17-game winning streak to start the season has Mississippi State up to No. 14 in Monday's AP Poll. It's a climb of two spots for the women's basketball team, which also received NCAA Team of the Week honors. Mississippi State is off to a 2-0 start in SEC play for the first time since the 2009-10 campaign. It's most recent win was against No. 19 Georgia – MSU's second victory against a ranked team this season. The Bulldogs are one of five SEC teams ranked in the Top 15, joining South Carolina (No. 1), Tennessee (No. 7), Texas A&M (No. 9) and Kentucky (No. 10). Georgia fell one spot to No. 20. |
| Mississippi State men will try to build on latest win in SEC opener | |
| Rick Ray doesn't know what was said. When asked about a players' only meeting his team held last week after its 66-47 loss to McNeese State, Ray couldn't provide any details. "We had a lot of meetings, some good, some not-so-good," said Ray, Mississippi State's third-year men's basketball coach. "I know the players came together and talked about some things. I don't know exactly what they said, but hopefully they were the right things." That's the hope of everyone involved with MSU basketball as the Bulldogs try to gain traction following an up and down non-conference portion of the schedule. MSU (7-6) closed the first part of its season Friday with a 62-55 victory against Atlantic Coast Conference member Florida State. The victory gave MSU momentum as it prepares to play host to Tennessee at 8 p.m. Wednesday night at Humphrey Coliseum in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams. ] |
| Gavin Ware, Craig Sword still recovering from injuries | |
| Mississippi State has practiced twice with their full roster this season. Injuries have prevented important players like Gavin Ware, I.J. Ready and Craig Sword from practicing. The trio has combined to miss eight games this season, but are starting to inch toward mid-season form as Southeastern Conference play starts Wednesday against Tennessee. Ready played his best game of the season last time out against Florida State. He tied a career-high with 14 points. Ware returned to the court after missing the previous two games and 15 days of practice with an ankle injury. He scored 10 points to go with eight rebounds. Sword has scored 26 points in his last three games. |
| Rick Ray's plan for De'Runnya Wilson: to play in the NFL | |
| The football season is finished, but don't expect De'Runnya Wilson to be on the hardwood. MSU coach Rick Ray said he hadn't talked to Wilson about playing basketball this season. Last year as a freshman, Wilson joined the basketball team after the Liberty Bowl. "I have not talk to him about it at all," Ray said. Wilson led Mississippi State's receivers in all three major categories this season as true sophomore. He caught 47 passes for 680 yards and nine touchdowns. "My plan for him is for him to be an NFL wide receiver," Ray said. "That's my plan. I don't know what his plan is." |
| Diaz returns to Mississippi State as defensive coordinator | |
| In an effort to take his team forward, Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen decided Monday to take a step backward. To do that, Mullen reached back four years and re-hired Manny Diaz as MSU's new defensive coordinator. Diaz held the position when MSU went 9-4 in 2010. Diaz, a nine-year veteran defensive coordinator, left MSU to take the same position at the University of Texas following MSU's 52-14 victory against Michigan in January 2011. Four years later, he returns to lead MSU's defense again. Diaz will replace Geoff Collins, who left MSU last month to become the defensive coordinator at Florida. |
| Diaz returns to lead Mississippi State's defense | |
| A familiar face is returning to Dan Mullen's coaching staff at Mississippi State. Louisiana Tech's Manny Diaz is back with the Bulldogs for a second time to serve as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, having previously held those positions in 2010. "Manny's experience and development of players speaks for itself," Mullen said in a statement. "When you look at the number of players he has helped reach the NFL, it's a testament to his abilities. We pride ourselves on playing great defense at Mississippi State. He's always had outstanding relationships with players, and I know he will excel in this role as part of the Bulldog family." Diaz agreed to a three-year contract with State worth $1.8 million. |
| Mississippi State announces Manny Diaz as new defensive coordinator | |
| Call it Psycho Defense Part II. Mississippi State found a replacement for the originator of its defense's nickname. MSU announced Monday the hiring of Manny Diaz. There shouldn't be difficult retaining that moniker under Diaz. In his only season as its defensive coordinator a Louisiana Tech, he helped its defense lead the country in turnovers created. It marks Diaz's second stint in Starkville. "I want to thank Dan (Mullen) and Scott (Stricklin) for this opportunity," Diaz said. "When you look at the new standard Mississippi State has set and the national prominence that has come with the accomplishments of 2014, we want to continue to raise the bar here." |
| PATRICK OCHS (OPINION): Diaz right man for the job | |
 | The Sun Herald's Patrick Ochs writes: " So much for a quiet post-bowl Monday to segue into the Southeastern Conference's basketball season. In a matter of an hour or so, Sports Illustrated broke the not-so-surprising news that Round 2 with Manny Diaz was on in Starkville and Ole Miss signee Chad Kelly took a plea deal to a disorderly conduct violation that will require 50 hours of community service. Neither nugget is surprising, but both are good for their respective programs. ...I'm not alone in thinking Diaz was a rising star in college football. It's clear, in watching the Longhorns post-Diaz that he was far from the problem in Austin, Texas. The ship was sinking and Mack Brown did everything he could to keep it afloat." |
| Ole Miss recruit Chad Kelly agrees to plea bargain | |
| A legal path has been cleared for Chad Kelly to enroll at Ole Miss, but his future is not yet determined. Coach Hugh Freeze said Tuesday morning that he will talk by phone to Kelly and his family later that day. Freeze expects to make a decision on Kelly's status in the following couple of days. But what happened in Buffalo court Monday likely helped Kelly's case. Kelly's lawyer, Thomas J. Eonnanu, told local reporters that Kelly planned to travel to Ole Miss today, though it remains unclear the reason for his visit. |
| Alabama's deputy athletic director named AD at West Virginia University | |
| Shane Lyons, who has held the No. 2 position in the University of Alabama athletics department for more than three years, was named athletics director at West Virginia University on Monday. The 49-year-old Lyons, who has served as deputy director of athletics and chief operating officer at UA since November of 2011, will be returning to his alma mater and to the state where he was born and grew up. A native of Parkersburg, W.Va., Lyons earned bachelor's and master's degrees in sports management from WVU. Lyons was in charge of day-to-day operations of the Alabama athletic department, including oversight of UA's 21 sports teams and compliance issues. |
| U. of Florida gets $25 million to bolster athletes' academics | |
| With the help of a record $12.5 million donation from an anonymous donor, construction on a new academic learning center for Florida athletes will begin in March. The donation is the largest-ever individual gift to University of Florida athletics. An additional $12.5 million in matching gifts will mean that $25 million will be dedicated to enhancing tutoring, studying, academic advising, job placement and other services for UF's 480 student-athletes in 21 varsity sports. "We want our student-athletes to be champions on the field, court and in the pool -- and in their lives and professions after graduation," UF President Bernie Machen said. "This new center will bring together and enhance our learning and career services for these students, ensuring they have every opportunity for academic as well as athletic excellence." |
| Dooley adds article in scholarly journal to list of accomplishments | |
 | Former University of Georgia football coach and athletic director Vince Dooley has added one more entry to his list of accomplishments, along with winning 201 games, six SEC championships, a national football championship, and building one of the nation's best athletic programs. At the age of 82, Dooley has published his first article in a scholarly journal. Dooley was writing and publishing books --- including volumes on gardening and UGA history as well as football -- long before his retirement in 2004, after 40 years at as UGA. His journal article, "A Year Like No Other: Football on the University of Georgia Campus, 1942" appears in the most recent issue of the Georgia Historical Quarterly, the journal of the Georgia Historical Association. Dooley is on the association's governing board, but decisions on content are made by the journal's editors, not the board. |
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