| Wednesday, January 7, 2015 |
| Wesson native travels country with Mississippi State football | |
 | Joel Douglas, a former resident of Wesson, has been enjoying life with the Mississippi State Bulldogs as the head quarterback's equipment manager including the 2014 Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. Currently a junior at the university, Douglas is earning his degree in business administration with a focus on marketing and management. But while he is not busy in class, he works seven days a week washing laundry, prepping footballs and doing anything necessary to make games and practices run smoothly. Being part of the Maroon and White family has been a special addition to Douglas' academic career and has provided him with once in a lifetime opportunities to be a part of the SEC life. |
| MDOT to Help Mississippi State Community Prepare for Winter Weather | |
 | One of the best ways to stay safe is to make preparations before winter weather conditions occur. The Mississippi Department of Transportation will be on the campus of Mississippi State University for a winter weather college tour. The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 16 on the Drill Field. MDOT will be providing information about safe driving tips, ways to prepare your vehicle for winter and ideas on how to make an emergency kit for your car. |
| PHOTO: Final registration at MSU-Meridian | |
 | Jerra Smith of Collinsville stopped by MSU-Meridian this week with her son, Bronson, to speak with Lynda Gist, financial aid assistant. Open and final registration for 2015 spring semester is today and Thursday. Classes start Jan. 12. |
| Starkville aldermen: Future raises unobtainable without austere spending | |
 | The three-person Starkville Audit and Budget Committee told city department heads not to expect across-the-board pay increases for workers if they cannot live within their budgets this fiscal year. The committee, comprised of Chairman Scott Maynard, Vice Mayor Roy A. Perkins and Ward 2 Alderman Lisa Wynn, held its first group meeting with department heads this year after Perkins hammered staff for odd, extravagant spending in both of December's full board of aldermen meetings. Perkins highlighted numerous expenditures -- boots, Christmas cards and janitorial supplies when departments contract out those services -- as non-essential Monday, and ordered Chief Administrative Officer Taylor Adams to compile a list of city cellphones and their associated costs. |
| Upcoming Oktibbeha County Justice Court races flush with Democrats | |
| Election matchups for a variety of county-level seats began taking shape Monday as 21 candidates filed qualification paperwork to enter this year's race. As of the end of business hours, a number of intra-Democratic Party races manifested, including primary challenges for all three of Oktibbeha County's justice court seats, sheriff and a constable position. A rematch of 2011's closest race -- the District 3 showdown between incumbent Marvell Howard, a Democrat, and Republic Dennis "Denny" Daniels -- will occur in November if no other challengers emerge. Other incumbents who qualified Monday include: District 1 Supervisor John Montgomery, District 2 Supervisor Orlando Trainer, District 4 Supervisor Daniel Jackson, County Prosecutor Haley Brown, Tax Assessor Allen Morgan and Chancery Clerk Monica Banks. |
| Oktibbeha supervisors refuse closed-door hospital discussions | |
| A coalition of three supervisors rebuked an attempt to discuss OCH Regional Medical Center finances in executive session Monday, saying any closed-door talks outside of public purview could lead to the impression that some board members again are trying to sell or lease the hospital. Supervisors Marvell Howard, Daniel Jackson and John Montgomery canceled talks with Raymond James financial advisors, the same firm Jackson County supervisors unanimously tapped to study Singing River Health System in November, after they were previously invited to meet with the board by District 2 Supervisor Orlando Trainer. |
| King cake season hits Mississippi | |
 | Epiphany dawned Tuesday with visions of king cakes dancing in celebrants' heads. Make that pre-dawn for some. "Oh yeah, we were here at 2 a.m. this morning," Broad Street Baking Co. pastry chef Jen Adelsheimer said mid-morning in Jackson. It'll be that way, or even 1 a.m., clear through king cake season. The special cakes, traditionally a ring of rich dough, decorated with sugar toppings, are customary to celebrate the three kings' visit to the baby Jesus and a sweet staple of the Carnival season that stretches to Mardi Gras. Paul's Pastry Shop in Picayune, "Home of the Original Cream Cheese King Cake," has partnered with and trained bakeries in California, Oklahoma, Washington state, Ohio and New Jersey to make their cream cheese and fruit-filled Mardi Gras king cakes. |
| Yokohama Tire Manufacturing Mississippi Announces Production Position Openings | |
| The production phase of hiring at Yokohama Tire Manufacturing Mississippi was announced Tuesday. "We are excited and pleased to announce the posting of the first of our production machine operator positions today on MDES," said Melissa Orman, human resources manager for YTMM. The production position hiring marks an uptick in the quantity of people hired for the company, as this level of employment will make up the majority of the plant's workforce. YTMM, located in West Point currently employs 110 people. The first phase of this development is anticipated to add approximately 500 jobs to the community, with more to follow with potential subsequent phases. |
| Mississippi tries to force KiOR into liquidation | |
 | The state of Mississippi is trying to force biofuel maker KiOR into liquidation. The company filed for Chapter 11 reorganization last year, with plans for controlling shareholder and financier Vinod Khosla to buy what's left of the company. But the Mississippi Development Authority says that's an inappropriate attempt to dump debt while allowing the original owners to keep the company. MDA says KiOR's Mississippi subsidiary, which hasn't declared bankruptcy, owes it $79 million. |
| How White Flight Ravaged the Mississippi Delta | |
 | For generations, plantation owners strove to keep black laborers on the farm and competing businesses out of town. Today, the towns faring best are the ones whose white residents stayed to reckon with their own history. |
| Mississippi lawmakers begin their 3-month session | |
| The Mississippi Legislature started its election-year session Tuesday, facing demands from labor union members who want a pay raise for state employees. Moments after the rally ended, the 122-member House and 52-member Senate gaveled to order in their respective chambers on opposite ends of the Capitol, which is in the midst of a lengthy restoration. Republican Gov. Phil Bryant watched from the side of the Senate chamber as senators unanimously elected Republican Giles Ward of Louisville their new president pro tempore -- the person who will preside when Republican Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves is unavailable. |
| On opening day, Senate elects new president pro tempore | |
 | The state Senate wasted little time Tuesday -- on the opening day of the 2015 legislative session -- in electing Giles Ward, R-Louisville, to serve as the chamber's president pro tempore for the upcoming year. Ward, a second-term senator who has announced he will not seek re-election this year, was elected by acclamation to replace Terry Brown, R-Columbus, who died in September after a bout with cancer. Neither chamber was in session long on Tuesday. But Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves did lead the Senate in remembering Brown while selecting the new pro tem. |
| Common Core opponents seek momentum as session starts | |
| Gov. Phil Bryant reiterated Tuesday that Mississippi should stop using the Common Core academic standards, but just what legislative leaders plan remains unclear. Bryant spoke to more than 100 people who gathered on the Capitol steps to oppose the standards, saying they're a loss of state control and academically flawed. "What we must begin to do is begin to erase that chalkboard and begin to write a plan upon it that will be of benefit to every child in every school in Mississippi," Bryant said. Among the organizers of Tuesday's rally was Brandie Correro of Hernando. Correro said she objects to Common Core because they require her fourth-grader Lexi to learn abstract concepts that she considers inappropriate for a child that age. When pressed for an example by a reporter, she said she couldn't immediately give one. |
| Common Core opponents make statement at Capitol | |
| Gov. Phil Bryant stood in solidarity Tuesday with more than 100 Common Core opponents from across the state who spent the first day of the 2015 legislative session rallying lawmakers to repeal the controversial academic standards. "We're determined that after nearly 100 years of failure, our public school system will succeed," Bryant said. To do that, he said, won't take more money but more people demanding better education. But many Mississippians do support the standards, which schools have slowly been implementing for the past few years. Educators, in particular, say students have risen to the new expectations and that they'll eventually produce a more educated population. |
| State employees rally for pay raise | |
| Some educators joined with other state workers Tuesday to rally at the state Capitol for a pay raise for all state employee on the first day on the 2015 Legislature. Mississippi teachers and many state employees are some of the lowest paid in the nation, organizers of the Moral Movement rally said. House Appropriations Chairman Herb Frierson has said he hoped the state would have been able to give all employees a pay raise last session. He said the state may look at a pay raise for all state employees this session. |
| Nonbelievers, DeLano don't see eye to eye on secular beliefs | |
 | Rep. Scott DeLano said if some "poor soul" wants to introduce a bill that would amend the state Constitution and remove a requirement that office holders believe in a supreme being, the Constitution Committee he chairs would look at it. "But it's not going to pass," he said. "I don't know of anybody in the Legislature who would introduce a bill that would remove that provision from the Constitution." DeLano, R-Biloxi, said no one has asked him to draft such a bill. DeLano was drawn into the debate when a Mississippi Public Radio reporter called him and asked him about Openly Secular's efforts to change the Constitution in Mississippi and six other states that it says discriminates against people with secular beliefs. |
| Lawmaker has close call hunting before session | |
| State Rep. Charles Busby, R-Pascagoula, spent about two hours in a chilly creek Monday waiting to be rescued after he jumped in to help his cousin. Busby, his cousin and a friend were deer hunting Monday in Clarke County near Quitman. Busby said he had crossed a creek earlier wearing waders, but recent rains made the creek rise rapidly. His cousin attempted to cross the swollen creek in a kayak, but it capsized in the swift current. "So I went in to try to help him," Busby said. The pair were soon clinging to trees in the cold swift water. Their friend quickly called 911. |
| Mississippi GOP hires new executive director | |
 | Mississippi Republican Party Chairman Joe Nosef announced Tuesday that the party has hired a new executive director, Spencer Ritchie. Ritchie most recently worked as an attorney with the Watkins & Eager PLLC law firm in Jackson. Prior to his legal career, Spencer worked in Washington, D.C. as a legislative aide to Republican Congressman Sam Johnson of Texas and as director of legislative affairs for the Associated Builders and Contractors. |
| Cochran takes oath after re-election to 7th term | |
| Republican Sen. Thad Cochran was sworn in to a seventh term on Tuesday, the opening day of the 114th Congress. Republican Sen. Roger Wicker escorted Cochran to the front of the Senate chamber, where Vice President Joe Biden administered the oath of office. "It's an exciting time," Cochran said after the ceremony. "It's an opportunity for all of us to take a deep breath and roll up our sleeves and get to work to get the country moving in the right direction." |
| Palazzo: Throwing South Mississippi under bus just to make point not an option | |
 | Despite opposition from tea party lawmakers, House members voted Tuesday to re-elect John Boehner as speaker. But 25 Republicans voted against Boehner saying he isn't conservative enough. Mississippi's GOP congressmen were not among that group, and Rep. Steven Palazzo is taking heat for it. Palazzo acknowledged on Facebook Tuesday after the vote that many of his constituents contacted him, asking that he vote against John Boehner for Speaker of the House. "I realize many people disagree with this decision, but I was not willing to compromise my ability to serve South Mississippi for a purely symbolic vote that could later be used to punish my constituents," Palazzo wrote. South Mississippians, and others, outraged over the congressman's vote took to social media to voice their displeasure. |
| Rep. Steve Israel, finding the funny in Washington's corridors of power | |
 | Because, seriously, there aren't enough caucuses cluttering Capitol Hill, Rep. Steve Israel plans to start a new one this month. It's tentatively called the Congressional Writers Caucus, because there's another critical shortage in this country: politicians publishing books. But in that crowded field, the Long Island politician and former two-term chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is surely an anomaly. Israel has authored neither a political tract/bid for higher office nor a memoir/bid for higher office. His offering is "The Global War on Morris," a comic novel about Long Island and the war on terrorism that's being released this week. In a Washington Post review, Book World editor Ron Charles called it "an unexpected delight," written "in the full-tilt style of Carl Hiaasen." |
| Border drones are ineffective, badly managed, too expensive, official says | |
 | Drones patrolling the U.S. border are poorly managed and ineffective at stopping illegal immigration, and the government should abandon a $400-million plan to expand their use, according to an internal watchdog report released Tuesday. The 8-year-old drone program has cost more than expected, according to a report by the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general, John Roth. Rather than spend more on drones, the department should "put those funds to better use," Roth recommended. He described the Predator B drones flown along the border by U.S. Customs and Border Protection as "dubious achievers." |
| Alcohol Poisoning Kills 6 Americans a Day, a Federal Report Finds | |
 | Six Americans die from alcohol poisoning daily on average, and mortality rates are highest among middle-aged men, federal health authorities reported on Tuesday. The report is the first in a decade by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to tally alcohol poisonings for the entire American population. "Most previous studies have looked at college kids and young people, but the problem is bigger than that," said Dr. Robert Brewer, who heads the alcohol program at the C.D.C. "It was surprising that the number of deaths was so concentrated among middle-age adults." States with the highest death rates were mostly in the Great Plains and the West, but also included two New England states, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. |
| Satirical Magazine Office in Paris Attacked by Gunmen; 12 Killed | |
 | Armed men Wednesday stormed the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical magazine targeted in the past for its cartoons on Islam, leaving 12 people dead, according to the Paris prosecutor. Arriving swiftly at the scene, French President Francois Hollande called the shooting a terror attack and described it as "an act of exceptional barbarity." Mr. Hollande said he had convened an emergency meeting of top ministers for Wednesday afternoon to discuss national security. The attack came on a busy shopping day in Paris with the start of the winter sales that typically attract large numbers of tourists. |
| AT&T Mississippi Honors Jeff Smith with $10,000 Donation to East Mississippi Community College | |
| AT&T Mississippi donated $10,000 to East Mississippi Community College in December in honor of State Rep. Jeff Smith, EMCC 2014 Alumnus of the Year, and his efforts to improve economic development in the Golden Triangle and Mississippi. "We congratulate Representative Smith on his recent recognition at EMCC and appreciate his outstanding leadership in the Mississippi legislature," said C.D. Smith, regional director for AT&T Mississippi. EMCC Golden Triangle campus Vice President Dr. Paul Miller was on hand to accept the donation, which will fund manufacturing training at EMCC campuses. |
| U. of Alabama unveils new collegiate license plate | |
 | The University of Alabama and the state Department of Revenue have unveiled a new UA collegiate license plate. The new series began this month, according to the Alabama Department of Revenue website. The proceeds from the collegiate tags sold in the state are used to fund undergraduate and graduate scholarships. Annually, the tag sales generate about $4.5 million for scholarships at UA, according to David Wilson, director of alumni funds with the Alabama National Alumni Association. Wilson said the alumni association consulted with fans and members of the UA community on the design. |
| U. of Kentucky will consider only internal candidates for provost position | |
 | The next University of Kentucky provost will be a familiar face. President Eli Capilouto has announced that he will look no further than UK's campus to find the next chief academic officer to replace former Provost Christine Riordan. She was chosen in 2013 after a lengthy national search, coming to Lexington from the University of Denver, where she was the business dean. Riordan announced last month that she was leaving to become the president of Adelphi University in New York on July 1. Until that time, she will serve as an executive adviser for special projects at UK, and continue to make her annual salary of $420,000. |
| State-level sex assault policy being drafted for Louisiana college campuses | |
 | A state-level policy is being drafted to address how claims of sexual assault are handled on college campuses in Louisiana, and it's expected to require colleges and universities to institute regular campuswide sexual assault climate surveys. The policy also will require the state's four higher education systems -- Louisiana Technical and Community College, LSU, Southern University and University of Louisiana -- to develop stronger, more specific campus policies. "Those must comply with all of the requirements of the state-level policy," Uma Subramanian, deputy higher education commissioner for legal and external affairs, said during a task force meeting at the Capitol on Tuesday. |
| GSU, Georgia Perimeter to merge, dethroning UGA as state's largest university | |
 | The University of Georgia might soon be dethroned as the state's largest university. The state Board of Regents on Tuesday approved Chancellor Hank Huckaby's proposal to merge Georgia State University with two-year Georgia Perimeter College, whose combined enrollment this year was 53,927, according to University System of Georgia statistics. The new Georgia State University will be the state's largest university by about 20,000 students. UGA officials had no comment on the planned consolidation on Tuesday. "It's a Regents matter," said UGA spokesman Tom Jackson. |
| U. of Tennessee medical school eyes Nashville expansion | |
 | The University of Tennessee Health Science Center is laying the groundwork for a dramatic expansion of its medical training program in Nashville. The Memphis-based institution is looking toward "a major construction project" that would bring more aspiring doctors to Middle Tennessee, according to a statement from UTHSC Chancellor Steve J. Schwab. The goal is to put a satellite campus in Nashville as part of its partnership with Saint Thomas Health. It would go on six acres adjacent to Saint Thomas West Hospital, where the university is looking to invest as much as $40 million once it receives the proper approvals. |
| Share of research funding going to young scientists is declining | |
 | Ten years ago, a report from a National Academy of Sciences committee sounded an alarm about the barriers that young biomedical scientists face in launching their research careers. If improvements aren't made, the report warned, there could be dire consequences to the future of biomedical research in the U.S. Since then, the situation has only grown worse, as the share of research money going to young scientists has continued to decline, according to a paper by Johns Hopkins University President Ronald Daniels. The paper was published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. |
| College Presidents Get Their Own Guide to Social Media | |
 | As social media redefine how we communicate, both new and experienced users in colleges' top jobs have to ponder some questions: How should I be representing and promoting my college personally on social media? What do I gain if I do it well? What do I lose if I don't? And what are the risks of engaging in a forum where a misstep can go viral and embarrass me and my institution? Daniel A. Zaiontz had those questions in mind when he wrote "#FollowtheLeader: Lessons in Social Media Success From #HigherEd CEOs." Drawing on interviews he conducted with 22 college presidents active on social media in the United States and Canada, the book offers case studies of presidents who use social media to their institutions' advantage, an overview of benefits and pitfalls, and best practices for using social media strategically. |
| At U. of Illinois, the growth in the number of Chinese students has been dramatic | |
| It would be hard to find a more iconic American campus than that of the University of Illinois's main campus. On the unseasonably warm late October weekend when the homecoming football game is played, the trees have changed to their fall colors and the central quad is alive. Outside the twin cities of Urbana and Champaign, miles of corn and soybean fields spread as far as the eye can see. The university's nickname in China translates roughly as "village of corn." That's not an idle fact. UIUC enrolls nearly 5,000 students from China, more than any other U.S. university. Nationally, the number of Chinese students in the U.S. has risen fivefold since 2000 -- driven by a big increase in the number of Chinese students going overseas for their undergraduate degrees -- but even against that backdrop of growth the expansion of the Chinese student population at Illinois's public flagship university has been remarkable |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State, Ole Miss support NCAA travel pay | |
| Few fan bases realize the need for NCAA aid more than Mississippi State, which just returned from a week's stay in Miami. "You think about our experience in the Orange Bowl. Miami's a very expensive place," MSU compliance coordinator Steve Smith said. "Any benefits that we can provide would obviously benefit and help those families out a lot." The NCAA helping families in the Final Four and college football championship could be just the start. "It will expand, but where it's going, I have no idea," Smith said. "Where is the limit on this? If there is, what is it? I don't know." |
| N.C.A.A. to Allow Family Travel Aid for Top Title Games | |
| Ohio State Coach Urban Meyer reiterated a theme on Tuesday that he had sounded loudly after the Buckeyes secured a spot opposite Oregon in the first College Football Playoff title game, to be played Monday. Players' families, he said, should not have to pay to travel to Arlington, Tex., to watch those players compete for a championship. The $800 stipend that Ohio State planned to offer its athletes' families out of its student opportunity fund was not enough, Meyer argued. Less than a half-hour later, in emails sent within minutes of each other, the Playoff announced that it had received an N.C.A.A. waiver allowing it to reimburse parents or legal guardians for travel, hotel and meals up to $1,250 per parent, and the N.C.A.A. announced that as part of that pilot program, it would also reimburse family members up to $3,000 for semifinals and $4,000 for the title game during the men's and women's Division I basketball tournaments. |
| A sneak peek of the view from Dudy Noble Field's Left Field Lofts | |
| Baseball season is less than 40 days away. Scott Stricklin gave Mississippi State fans something to hold them over until the season opens on Feb. 13 against Cincinnati. MSU's athletic director tweeted a photo of what the view might look like from the Left Field Lofts. They are part of the $40 million renovations plans for Dudy Noble Field. Within the tweet Stricklin didn't give a timetable. The original project is based on the Bulldog Club reaching its $20 million private fundraising goal. After the $20 million of private donations is reached the university will pay for the rest of the redesign through the sale of premium seats. |
| Mississippi State plays Tennessee in conference opener | |
| Moments after his team's biggest win in more than a month, Mississippi State men's basketball coach Rick Ray was already looking forward. "We have to make sure this isn't a one-time thing," said Ray after a 62-55 win over Florida State last Friday. "We have to ensure that this carries over with conference play coming." Ray's first chance to see if his Bulldogs listened to that message will come tonight, when MSU hosts Tennessee in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. at the Humphrey Coliseum and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network. |
| Bulldogs host Vols in SEC opener | |
| Mississippi State's non-conference slate was reminiscent of a rollercoaster ride enjoying highs with wins over quality teams such as Utah State, St. Louis and Florida State. But the Bulldogs managed just a 7-6 record enduring lowly losses to the likes of Arkansas State, USC Upstate and McNeese State along the way. Tonight MSU begins the Southeastern Conference portion of its schedule hosting Tennessee at 8 p.m. on SEC Network. The Bulldogs do so coming off a 62-55 upset over Florida State on Friday. "We've got make sure our guys understand that our performance against Florida State can't be a one-time affair," said MSU coach Rick Ray. "It's got to be who we become and who we are." |
| Friends Ray, Tyndall meet for 1st time as head coaches | |
| For Rick Ray and Donnie Tyndall, nothing kept their friendship together like a nice pair of shoes -- or about 250 of them. The Southeastern Conference coaches crossed paths in Iowa about 20 years ago at small schools. Tonight, they meet again for the first time as head coaches as Ray leads Mississippi State and Tyndall brings Tennessee to Humphrey Coliseum. "Me and DT go way back. He's a guy that I got acquainted with," Ray said. "I was fascinated with his shoe collection. He has an unbelievable shoe collection." |
| Mississippi State is Vols' first test in wide-open SEC | |
| The two youngest coaches in the SEC go back quite a ways. Tennessee's Donnie Tyndall estimated that he's known Mississippi State coach Rick Ray for 25 years. That's more than half the life of Tyndall and Ray, who played college basketball 90 minutes apart in the heart of Iowa in the early 1990s -- Tyndall at Iowa Central Community College and Ray at Grand View College. On Wednesday night, Tennessee (8-4) opens its SEC slate at Mississippi State (8 p.m., SEC Network). Tyndall will be coaching in the Magnolia State for the first time since he left his former job at Southern Miss to become head coach of the Vols in April 2014. The stakes are already high for a young Vols team that has struggled away from home this season. |
| RICK CLEVELAND (OPINION): Undefeated Lady Bulldogs showing age just a number as they climb ranks | |
| Mississippi syndicated sports columnist Rick Cleveland writes: "This was Vic Schaefer, coach of the Mississippi State women's basketball team, talking late Sunday afternoon: 'We set offensive basketball back at least 20 years today.' ...Now then, you should know Schaefer's Lady Bulldogs, ranked No. 17 at the time, had just defeated Missouri 53-47, on the road, erasing a nine-point second half deficit, to go to 17-0 on the season. That's the best start in school history, the longest win streak in school history. Schaefer must be doing something right. Same goes for his players. That's especially true when you consider Schaefer started three sophomores and a freshman." |
The Office of Public Affairs provides the Daily News Digest as a general information resource for Mississippi State University stakeholders.
Web links are subject to change. Submit news, questions or comments to Jim Laird.
