| Thursday, January 22, 2015 |
| Mississippi State president appointed to College Football Playoff Board of Managers | |
 | Mississippi State President Mark E. Keenum has been appointed to the College Football Playoff's Board of Managers. "The Southeastern Conference has a long and distinguished history in college football and I look forward to representing the interests of the SEC on this important board," said Keenum. Mississippi Sate debuted the College Football Playoff rankings this year at No. 1. It remained there until a loss at Alabama dropped the Bulldogs to No. 4. |
| Mississippi ag producers may outline needs at meeting | |
| Agriculture clients in central Mississippi can help direct educational programming and research provided by Mississippi State University by attending the Central Mississippi Producer Advisory Council meeting Feb. 17 at the McKenzie Arena in Raymond. Representatives of the MSU Extension Service and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station will listen to producer needs for 2015 and answer questions in nine commodity sessions. |
| USDA official visiting Mississippi | |
| Lisa Mensah, Rural Development undersecretary for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is visiting Mississippi this week. She will visit with partners and stakeholders in Jackson and Greenwood. Additionally she will announce a recently funded project in Winona and meet with Alcorn State University and Mississippi State University officials. |
| Romney to speak at Florida university's commencement | |
 | Mitt Romney will give the commencement address at Jacksonville University in Florida on April 25, the university announced Wednesday. The speech comes as Romney is considering another bid for the White House. Florida is a key state and the home of two of his possible rivals, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). By April, some Republican contenders could have formally entered the race, but is unclear when Romney would, if he decides to run. He said at an appearance Monday night that he does not have a timeline for announcing his plans. Romney will also be speaking at Mississippi State University next week. |
| Aldermen override Wiseman's attempt to save LGBT-friendly policies | |
 | Starkville's statement of equality and its plus-one insurance offering -- two watershed policies in the landscape of the civil rights movement for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered employees and their partners -- will remain off the books after aldermen overrode Mayor Parker Wiseman's vetoes 5-2 Tuesday. Only Ward 4 Alderman Jason Walker and Ward 5 Alderman Scott Maynard voted to support Wiseman's vetoes. Both aldermen have remained supportive of the two policies since their inception. Before Tuesday's vote, Walker and Maynard spoke out against their peers' actions and how the override would place Starkville on the wrong side of history. |
| Oktibbeha County approves funding for storm shelter | |
 | Oktibbeha County supervisors unanimously approved funding Tuesday night for a new community storm shelter project. The building has an estimated $3 million price tag and should temporarily hold 4,000 residents at five square-feet per person during severe weather situations. The federal government would reimburse 90 percent of the price tag. |
| Starkville Harvey's Set to Reopen Thursday | |
 | A longtime Starkville restaurant is ready to reveal its new look. Harvey's has been closed since New Year's Day as contractors reworked the interior of the eatery. Expanded banquet space and a new decor theme highlight the first renovation for the Starkville store since it opened in 1987. Harvey's will open to the public again Thursday. |
| New Titan pickup planned at Nissan Canton | |
| A new version of the Nissan Titan pickup will come to Nissan Canton later this year, and the automaker says it will better establish the brand in a full-size truck market long dominated by domestic rivals. The 2016 Nissan Titan XD is scheduled to start production in Madison County later this year -- a specific time hasn't been announced -- with the vehicle to arrive at dealership showrooms before the end of the year. The start of production also could mean new jobs at the plant, where its workforce has doubled to more than 6,000 employees in the last four years as automotive sales industrywide have rebounded from the recession. |
| State, venture capitalist 0-2 in alternative fuel efforts | |
 | Solar-panel maker Stion Corp. is the only one of three alternative-energy companies that received a total of about $175 million in loans, plus other financial backing from the state of Mississippi that actually has employees today. All three were or had been controlled by Khosla Ventures, led by billionaire Vinod Khosla. Stion, which employs about 200 at its Hattiesburg manufacturing facility, will start building the first of three pilot projects for Entergy Mississippi this spring. Twin Rivers Technologies -- which likewise was to produce solar panels, and KiOR Columbus, which was to make gasoline from wood chips -- are shuttered, despite promising 1,500 jobs, direct and indirect. |
| SRHS now under criminal probe by Jackson County DA, state auditor, FBI | |
 | The Jackson County District Attorney's Office, the state auditor and the FBI are investigating allegations of criminal misconduct at Singing River Health System related to the hospital system's failed pension plan, District Attorney Tony Lawrence said today. "I can confirm that there is a criminal investigation, the results of which will be presented to a grand jury to ultimately decide if there is criminality involved or not," Lawrence said. The county-owned health system has responded to news of the criminal investigation. "Singing River Health System has been cooperating and will continue to fully cooperate with any and all reviews and investigations by any governmental entity," Richard Lucas, director of communications, said in a statement. |
| Mississippi court hears arguments over same-sex divorce | |
 | Mississippi, which does not allow same-sex marriages, should find a way to grant a divorce to a DeSoto County woman who married another woman in California in 2008, lawyer Carey Varnado told the state Supreme Court on Wednesday. The attorney general's office, though, told the court that the state can't grant a divorce to Lauren Czekala-Chatham and Dana Ann Melancon because their marriage is void in Mississippi. There may be a way out for the nine justices on Mississippi's top court: They could find a way to grant a divorce or legally dissolve the marriage without overturning the state constitutional amendment and law that limit marriage to a union between only one man and one woman. They could also wait for the U.S. Supreme Court to rule. |
| Bryant: Mississippi in best shape in recent history | |
| Mississippi has not reached its full potential, but the state is in its best financial condition in recent history, Republican Gov. Phil Bryant said Wednesday during his State of the State address. "We are not yet where we need to be to move to a new level, but we are moving ahead and should not be timid about recognizing the good things in Mississippi," Bryant told legislators, statewide elected officials and judges in a packed House chamber in the state Capitol. "Others will certainly revel in the bad. But as for me, I am proud of my Mississippi." Bryant did not mention Mississippi's perennial status as one of the poorest states in the nation with some of the highest rates of obesity and heart disease and some of the lowest rankings in education. |
| Bryant lays out plans for state in speech | |
 | Gov. Phil Bryant touted the Mississippi economy during his annual State of the State address Wednesday night, but also announced programs that he said would help the state move to "a new level." During a joint session of the Mississippi Legislature in the House chamber, the first-term Republican governor said during his three years in office the unemployment rate has dropped from 9.8 percent to 7.3 percent, though, he did not point out it still is one of the highest rates in the nation. He also cited Mississippi's being praised by various national groups for its economic development efforts. |
| 'Eternal optimist' Bryant gives State of State | |
| Gov. Phil Bryant described himself as "an eternal optimist" in the final State of the State address of his first term, and vowed to pump millions more money into job training and tourism and continue to push for a tax cut for "working Mississippians." Bryant on Wednesday declared that in his first three years, he and Republican legislative leaders "have created one of the most job-friendly states in America." Bryant's biggest announcement was a proposal for a "Keep Mississippi Working Fund." He wants to divert $50 million -- $25 million a year over two years – from taxes businesses pay into the Unemployment Trust Fund into the new account. It would be managed by the state Workforce Investment Board for job training programs at state community colleges. |
| Anti-Common Core bills clear first hurdle | |
| Mississippi inched closer Wednesday to detaching itself from Common Core and its associated testing consortium, the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC, with the passage of two bills by the House Education Committee. The legislation now heads to the full House floor for a vote, where it is expected to pass mainly along party lines. House Bill 156 uncouples Mississippi from the federal Common Core requirements it adopted five years ago along with most other states. Although it doesn't repeal the controversial K-12 education standards, the legislation does allow the state to change those standards without seeking permission from the federal government, said committee Chairman John Moore, R-Brandon. |
| Race to the pump: Feds appear ready to beat state on new gas taxes | |
| The chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee says it seems Congress is about to pre-empt Mississippi's opportunity to take advantage of plummeting gasoline prices by enacting new motor fuels taxes. While Mississippi legislators wait for a late 2015 completion of a private-sector study on state transportation infrastructure needs and how to pay for them, Congress is poised to act this year, said state Sen. Willie Simmons, a Cleveland Democrat who has tried and failed the last couple of years to convince legislators to address a backlog of road and bridge maintenance needs. |
| Senate transportation chair seeks emergency money for roads, bridges | |
| In a move he acknowledges is a long-shot, the chairman of the Senate Highways and Transportation Committee is asking legislators to approve $300 million for timely repairs on state highways and bridges and an additional $100 million for locally maintained roads and bridges. Sen. Willie Simmons, a Cleveland Democrat, wants the money to be part of the state's general obligation bonding. His legislation, Senate Bill 2028, is in the Senate Finance Committee. If allocated, around $40 million of the $300 million would go for replacing posted bridges on the Delta's Highway 6 between Batesville and Clarksdale. His bill limits draws on the $300 million for state roads and bridges to $150 million a year and to $50 million a year on the $100 million State Aid portion. |
| Lawmaker proposes changes to Mississippi Open Meetings Act | |
| Open meeting advocates say new proposed legislation in the Senate will redefine a public meeting, making it easier for government bodies to conduct business in private. State Sen. Lydia Chassaniol, R-Winona, is proposing two bills to limit the provisions of the Open Meetings Act to government meetings where a quorum is present. Government transparency advocates say the proposed changes would undermine important provisions of the act and make it easier for government bodies to avoid public scrutiny. |
| Tim Tebow Act: Should homeschoolers participate in public school activities? | |
 | A push is underway to get homeschoolers a chance to compete with their public school counterparts. There's a famous name tied to new legislation to level the playing field. The Tim Tebow Act has been filed in the Mississippi Senate. Yes, it's labeled the "Tim Tebow Act" but it's about giving equal access to all extra-curricular activities. The bill's author, Senator Joey Fillingane, points to the idea that these parents pay taxes like everyone else. He thinks their kids should have the option to compete with their peers in public schools. |
| Group pushes for bill to disclose insurance costs | |
| A group of lawmakers and residents from the Mississippi Gulf Coast are again pushing a bill that would require insurance companies to disclose how much they're charging to insure property by geographic area. The idea, which originated in Alabama, is meant to provide evidence to people who are fighting for lower insurance rates. The theory is that coastal residents are being overcharged and that public data will prove it. Whether rates are fair, though is still a subject of dispute in places where data has been published. Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney, a Republican, has agreed to seek such data from companies on a one-time basis. But lawmakers say they want to ensure the data is gathered over multiple years. Rep. Scott DeLano, R-Biloxi, said it was important to legally mandate a simple and cost-effective data collection. |
| Republicans outfox Democrats on climate votes | |
 | Senate Republicans head-faked Democrats on climate change Wednesday, agreeing in a floor vote that the planet's climate was changing, but blocking language that would have blamed human activity. In a complicated maneuver that was the first politically perilous test for Senate Republicans, the new majority party split up the votes that Democrats had hoped would force the GOP into an awkward roll call on whether they believed in the science behind climate change. Though all but one Republican agreed that the planet's climate was changing -- Mississippi's Roger Wicker was the lone naysayer -- only a handful of Republicans joined Democrats in tying the rising global temperature to human activities. But the GOP engaged in a series of bait-and-switches through the day to parse the voting. |
| Wicker lone vote against 'climate change is real' | |
| Sen. Roger Wicker was the only U.S. Senator to vote against an amendment to the Keystone XL pipeline bill that says climate change is real and not a hoax. The amendment passed 98–1 after Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., the Senate's leading climate change skeptic, asked to be added as a co-sponsor. Inhofe, who in the past has called climate change a "hoax," told the chamber that he believes climate change is real but doesn't believe humans are the driving cause. Of course, the significance of this vote should not be overblown. |
| Abortion bill dropped amid concerns of female GOP lawmakers | |
 | House Republican leaders abruptly dropped plans late Wednesday to vote on an anti-abortion bill amid a revolt by female GOP lawmakers concerned that the legislation's restrictive language would once again spoil the party's chances of broadening its appeal to women and younger voters. In recent days, as many as two dozen Republicans had raised concerns with the "Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act" that would ban abortions after the 20th week of a pregnancy. Sponsors said that exceptions would be allowed for a woman who is raped, but she could only get the abortion after reporting the rape to law enforcement. A senior GOP aide said that concerns had been raised "by men and women Members that still need to be worked out." |
| U. of Mississippi Medical Center, NMMC join forces for children's services | |
| Two of Mississippi's biggest hospital systems have teamed up to expand pediatric specialty care in Tupelo and the region. University of Mississippi Medical Center and North Mississippi Medical Center have partnered to open Children's of Mississippi-Tupelo. "We don't want children to have to leave their home or Mississippi to get care," said Dr. Rick Barr, who heads the UMMC pediatrics department. |
| U. of Southern Mississippi student held on kidnapping, simple assault charges | |
 | A University of Southern Mississippi student is still in the Forrest County Jail today on kidnapping charges. Joseph Tremaine King, 40, also was charged with domestic violence/simple assault in connection with the alleged kidnapping and assault of another Southern Miss student, said University Police Department Chief Bob Hopkins. King and the victim are both from Jackson and had been involved in a past relationship that ended last fall, the police chief said. |
| Former USM student sentenced to 80 months in federal prison for child pornography plea | |
 | A former student at the University of Southern Mississippi has been sentenced to 80 months in federal prison and a lifetime of post-release supervision for possession of child pornography. Miles Justin McNairy, 25, of Aberdeen, was sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court by Judge Keith Starrett. At the time of his arrest, McNairy was a student at USM in Hattiesburg and was charged with downloading and sharing pornographic images of children which he had transported to Hattiesburg from his home. |
| Safe Space training available at Delta State | |
 | Last semester, over 30 faculty and staff at Delta State University completed the Safe Space training program. Dr. Noah Lelek, Quality Enhancement Plan coordinator, continues to lead the trainings. "Our mission is to create a welcoming space at Delta State University where lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQ) people feel welcome and supported," said Lelek. The program is a two-hour training session for faculty and staff who are interested in learning about gender and sexual identity, homophobia, heterosexism, and how to provide support while working toward being an ally for the LGBTQ community. |
| Young to retire from East Mississippi | |
| The man who has led East Mississippi Community College forward in the 21st century has announced his retirement. Dr. Rick Young has served as EMCC's president since 2004. He is credited with helping lead EMCC to prominence among Mississippi's community colleges and expanding the school's capacity to educate people throughout the region. He will officially retire on June 30. Young has been with EMCC for 40 years. He started as a marketing professor and rose to vice president of EMCC's Golden Triangle campus, a position he held for many years before becoming president. |
| EMCC President Talks About Pending Retirement | |
| East Mississippi Community College's outgoing president opens up about his decision to leave the school after 11 years at the helm as president. Dr. Rick Young announced Tuesday that he will be retiring as of June 30th. After 42 years in education and 40 with EMCC, Young sees this as a good time to start a new chapter in his life. "I've had several false starts over the past four or five years that I said I was going to retire, and I've always found reasons to extend it just a little bit. But, yes, it hasn't really soaked in, if you will, the reality," he says. |
| Pearl River president: How would Obama college plan affect other tuition programs? | |
 | A local community college president is reacting to President Obama's proposal to make a community college education free-of-charge. The president outlined the plan in his State of the Union speech Tuesday night. Pearl River Community College president Dr. William Lewis said the plan has merit, but he's concerned about it's impact on current tuition assistance programs, like the Pell Grant. "A lot of our Pell Grant recipients that receive substantial amounts through that Pell Grant system, can get not only their tuition paid, but the room, board, books, travel expense," Lewis said. "The big unknown for me is how the Pell Grant system impacts all of this and how that is going to be reconciled with the concept of free tuition." |
| UGA stronger than ever, but president wants to increase diversity | |
 | The University of Georgia is "stronger now than at any point in our 230-year history," said UGA President Jere Morehead on Wednesday. For the second year in a row, UGA's freshman class was the most academically qualified in the university's history, faculty are earning national and international accolades, and close to $200 million in construction projects underway or beginning soon. Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal's proposed new budget, Morehead noted, includes money for two other big projects: $43 million for a new building for the university's business school and $17 million for UGA's Center for Molecular Medicine. Even though Morehead said UGA is stronger than ever, he also produced a list of ways UGA might improve, beginning this year with diversity. |
| UGA student charged with murder in drug-related shooting death of fellow student | |
| Authorities on Wednesday charged a University of Georgia student with felony murder in what they said was the drug-related shooting death last week of a fellow UGA student. Athens-Clarke County police said Lucas Amsler Raposo, 20, went with the victim, Min Seok Cho, on Jan. 13 to meet two other men at or near the University Garden apartment complex to distribute marijuana. During the meeting a dispute erupted and it turned violent, police said, with Cho suffering a fatal gunshot wound to the head. |
| Tyson Foods Foundation, Family Donate $500K to U. of Arkansas' eVersity | |
 | The Tyson Foods Foundation Inc. and the Tyson family have donated $500,000 to the University of Arkansas System's online university, eVersity. The online university is expected to begin classes this fall. The University of Arkansas hopes to tap into a group of adult learners that now turn to for-profit online institutions for their education with eVersity. "When I first learned of Dr. [Donald] Bobbitt's plan for eVersity as a member of the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees, I was convinced that this will be a game changer and a huge contributor to the future of higher education in our state," John Tyson, chairman of Tyson Foods board, said. |
| Mary Manhein, director of LSU FACES lab that helps ID human remains, set to retire | |
 | Mary Manhein liked to paint a scene for her LSU students. Imagine kicking up your feet on the sofa and relaxing after a long day, she would say. Then the phone rings. And so begins another case to crack, another set of bones to identify, another race to connect a family with a missing loved one. Such is the story of Manhein's career as a premier forensic anthropologist and LSU professor, which will come to a close when she retires at the end of April. The late-night phone calls have led her to crime scenes of all types, and then to sometimes months, years and decades of work in her specialty: identifying the dead. |
| Texas A&M welcomes back Reveille I painting with re-unveiling ceremony | |
 | Decades ago, the first thing Dan Boone would do upon walking in to the Military Science Building at Texas A&M University was peek around the entryway and take a moment to look at a painting of the first Reveille. Boone, a member of the class of 1946 and former Battalion student newspaper editor, helped raise $100 in 1943 to pay for the painting that would honor the memory of the aging mascot. He entered the building one day in the early 1990s expecting to see the portrait of Reveille in front of the Class of 1938 Memorial Fountain, but only saw a blank space on the wall. "I didn't see a flicker of enthusiasm from anyone that I knew was in my eye when I told them Reveille was missing," Boone said. After 24 years, Boone finally laid his eyes on the painting when he helped unveil the four-foot by five-foot painting at the Sam Houston Sanders Corps of Cadets Center on Wednesday. |
| U. of Missouri breaks spring enrollment record | |
 | Students crowded MU sidewalks in record numbers Tuesday as the spring semester began. The campus, somewhat of a ghost town during the winter intersession, was back to its bustling self. A confirmed 32,588 students are enrolled at MU this semester, a record number for a spring term, according to MU spokeswoman Jesslyn Chew. Undergraduates make up 77 percent of spring's student body. |
| U. of Missouri Health Care debuts new south Columbia medical plaza | |
 | University of Missouri Health Care opened the doors to its new South Providence Medical Park building on Tuesday. Scores of people attended the open house to get a look at the 85,512-square-foot medical office plaza. The building houses family medicine, pediatric and behavioral health practices as well as radiology, mammography, urgent care and laboratory services and a pharmacy. More than 200 employees, including 100-plus doctors, will work in the two-story building near Providence Road and Southampton Drive. |
| 2015 Survey of Chief Academic Officers: Civility Matters... to Provosts | |
 | A majority of provosts are concerned about declining faculty civility in American higher education. And a large majority of provosts believe that civility is a legitimate criterion in hiring and evaluating faculty members. Generally, the provosts are confident that faculty members show civility in their treatment of students, but have mixed views on whether professors show civility in dealings with colleagues and doubt how much civility is shown to administrators. These results are clear from Inside Higher Ed's 2015 Survey of College and University Chief Academic Officers. And after a year of intense debate over civility, the survey shows that provosts are not aligned with faculty leaders on the issue. |
| In an Evolving Career Landscape, How Should Colleges Prepare Students? | |
 | By all accounts, the career paths of today's students will hardly resemble those of their parents. So what are colleges doing to help them prepare? On Wednesday the Kettering Foundation, the National Issues Forums Institute, and Augsburg College gathered a group of leaders from higher education, business, government, and other fields here to begin what the organizations hope will be a national conversation on the question of how colleges should adapt to a working world changed by technology, globalization, and the aftermath of the recession. |
| Bill would allow concealed weapons on college campuses in Florida | |
 | A bill allowing concealed weapons on college campus in Florida may have a shot at becoming law. House Bill 4005, sponsored by Republican state Rep. Greg Steube, received support Tuesday from the House of Representatives' Criminal Justice Subcommittee. Republicans on the committee supported it, while the Democratic minority opposed it. The legislation would authorize those with valid permits to carry guns on public colleges and universities. Permit holders must be a least 21, unless they're in the military, and must not have felonies or drug-related convictions. Supporters say the law is needed in the wake of campus shootings such as the one in November at Florida State University in Tallahassee. |
| JEFF AYRES (OPINION): Mississippi's partnership with KiOR heading toward a bitter end | |
| The Clarion-Ledger's Jeff Ayres writes: "Five years ago, the state of Mississippi and KiOR, a Texas-based advanced biofuels company, envisioned a partnership that would culminate with the cutting of a ribbon in front of a first-of-its-kind, renewable crude oil production facility, with hundreds of workers on the job. Instead, the pairing looks like it will end inside a courtroom. With dreams of a biofuels revolution based in Mississippi seemingly wiped away for good amid mounting losses and questions from investors and regulators regarding being misled about the company's prospects, KiOR now finds itself not as Mississippi's latest business success story but its newest defendant." |
| SLIM SMITH (OPINION): Discrimination in the name of God is still discrimination | |
| The Dispatch's Slim Smith writes: "When I was a child, a visit from the preacher meant a flurry of activity. Aside from the usual ritual of cleaning and cooking, it produced a frantic effort to locate the family Bible, blow off a few years' accumulated dust and display it prominently -- but not so prominently that the preacher's suspicion might be aroused -- in the living room. That was 50 years ago. Today, not even an impending visit from the pastor sends folks scurrying for the Good Book faster than any mention of gay people." |
| SID SALTER (OPINION): School funding battle brings focus back to initiative process | |
| Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: "Although the process has been around for more than two decades, Mississippi's initiative process is getting a fresh look given the pitch of the K-12 education funding battle. Since 1993, Mississippians have had the option of taking the power away from the Legislature and changing the state constitution as they deem appropriate when the Legislature refuses to act. The process is called initiative and referendum and it isn't easy." |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State edges Auburn on the Plains | |
| Mississippi State sophomore I.J. Ready saw enough of a late-game run by Auburn Wednesday night. Ready halted the run with a critical 3-point basket and followed that with four straight free throw as MSU grabbed its first win in the Auburn Arena with a 78-71 win over Auburn in a Southeastern Conference men's basketball contest. Fresh off the heels of a 57-54 home win over Vanderbilt Saturday, MSU it back-to-back league wins for the first time since consecutive home wins over Texas A&M and Auburn last season. MSU was led by Gavin Ware, who posted his 11th career double-double. |
| Second-half surge not enough for Auburn against Mississippi State | |
 | Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl pulled no punches after his team's 78-71 loss to Mississippi State on Wednesday night. When a team doesn't rebound or play defense, that team isn't going to win. The Tigers learned that lesson against the Bulldogs. Mississippi State outrebounded Auburn, 44-33, and came up with 20 second-chance points compared to 14 from the Tigers. Combine that with an Auburn eight-plus minute scoring drought and it's easy for Pearl to explain the team's eighth loss of the season. |
| Mississippi State women renew rivalry against Ole Miss | |
| "Playing with a purpose" is a perfect phrase for Mississippi State women's basketball coach Vic Schaefer to use to describe his team's next game. Not only does that phrase highlight how No. 18 MSU will have to play at 8 tonight (SEC Network) against Ole Miss, but it also epitomizes how the Rebels are playing in their second year under coach Matt Insell. "Those kids are playing really well, really hard," Schaefer said. "They have had some awfully big wins in the league, and they have gotten better. We have got our hands full. We expect a big crowd over there." |
| No. 18 Bulldogs visit Ole Miss women tonight | |
| Both Mississippi State and Ole Miss have enjoyed stellar seasons so far including 4-2 starts in conference play. The unranked Rebels and the No. 18 Bulldogs are both jockeying for seeding the SEC Tournament and also postseason bids. The Magnolia State rivals will clash in Oxford at 8 p.m. tonight on the SEC Network. "I'm at Mississippi State and we're not supposed to like those folks," said MSU coach Vic Schaefer. "I understand that completely. But you have to have an appreciation for the job that they're doing and how hard those kids play. They're completely different than a month ago." |
| Mississippi State wants to renew SEC push | |
| Vic Schaefer knew his team would turn heads this season. Mississippi State's women's basketball coach also knew the Bulldogs wouldn't run the table. After 18-straight wins, MSU lost two straight in Southeastern Conference play. It's bound to happen. "The bottom line is you better learn from it because you're going to be in that spot again," Schaefer said. "In this league, you're going to be in that opportunity again, and we need to learn from it." Mississippi State (19-2, 4-2 SEC) rebounded with a win at home against Alabama. Tonight, the Bulldogs can build a new winning streak in Oxford against rival Ole Miss. |
| Mississippi State baseball team will start practice Saturday | |
| A new college baseball season is almost here. With opening day for a Mississippi State baseball season looming Feb. 13 against Cincinnati at Dudy Noble Field, the Bulldogs will continue preparations Saturday when it officially opens practice for the 2015 campaign. It's a day that can't get here fast enough for some MSU players. "We are excited, really anxious," shortstop Seth Heck said. "We are definitely ready. It will be here before we know it." The season holds plenty of promise for the Bulldogs. |
| Mississippi State's Ronaldson honored by SEC | |
| Behind a stellar performance in the season-opening doubleheader last Sunday, Mississippi State women's tennis freshman Louise Ronaldson has been named the SEC Freshman of the Week, the league announced Wednesday. Ronaldson, who went 3-0 for the weekend in singles and doubles against Alabama State and Jackson State, scored impressive performances to open her dual match career. Her individual singles record now stands at 10-2, the best start of any MSU freshman since 2008. |
| Doug Hutton named Mississippi State's SEC Legend | |
| The Southeastern Conference named its Basketball Legends on Tuesday, that will be inducted during its basketball tournament in March. The league will honor Doug Hutton from Mississippi State. Each SEC Basketball Legend will be recognized at halftime of his institution's first game at the tournament. A 3-year letterman for MSU, Hutton led the Bulldogs to two SEC titles. He was also part of the 1963 team that sneaked out of town in order to compete in Mississippi State's first NCAA Tournament against Loyola-Chicago in what is now known as the Game of Change. |
| Incentives offered to lure U. of Alabama fans to sports events | |
 | The University of Alabama athletic department is offering several incentives for fans to attend events this week. At 8 p.m. Thursday at Foster Auditorium, the UA women's basketball team will take on Auburn. Tickets will be $1, and the first 250 fans will receive a vintage logo T-shirt in the tradition of social media's Throwback Thursday. The UA women's tennis team will host its ITA Kickoff Weekend on Saturday with a breakfast with fans at the indoor facility at the tennis stadium at 9 a.m. before the match against Syracuse at 10 a.m. The food is being provided by Panera Bread. |
| Jerry Jones Gives $10.65M to U. of Arkansas Athletic Department | |
| Jerry Jones and his wife, Gene, have donated $10.65 million to the University of Arkansas Athletic Department. The donation will go toward multiple projects. The Jones' gift is a combination of cash to be paid over a five-year period and land donated to the Razorback Foundation. Jones recently purchased the land, 254 acres off South Cato Springs Road, for about $7.3 million. The next day, he transferred ownership to the foundation. There are no immediate plans for the land, which the university said appraised at $8.65 million in March. |
| Richt gets raise to $4 million, 2-year extension | |
| Georgia football coach Mark Richt has entered the high-end $4 million club. That's what the SEC's dean of coaches will make annually after getting an $800,000 raise and a two-year contract extension in action taken Wednesday afternoon by the executive committee of the UGA Athletic Association board via conference call. It moves Richt from near the bottom of SEC coaches in total compensation for a tie for fifth with South Carolina's Steve Spurrier and continues a spending spree this month on football coaches in Athens. |
| U. of Missouri AD enthusiastic about full-cost-of-attendance scholarships | |
| Starting in August, Missouri will provide its athletes with more resources than ever before. Thanks to a nearly unanimous vote at the NCAA convention on Saturday in Washington, D.C., all of the athletic programs in the "Power 5" conferences can opt to pay their scholarship athletes full cost of attendance. Missouri Athletic Director Mike Alden said his department will most definitely opt in. And it's been a long time coming. "We're looking forward to that," Alden said of the change that will cause MU to spend approximately $1 million more per year on the scholarships of its athletes. |
| U. of Florida announces $15M indoor football practice facility | |
 | The much-debated and much-anticipated indoor football practice facility at the University of Florida is becoming a reality. Construction on a $15 million indoor facility will begin shortly and is expected to be completed in early September, the University Athletic Association announced Wednesday. The 120-yard, synthetic football field will include additional space for drill work on the north end of the field, three camera platforms, satellite training room facilities, equipment storage and restrooms. It also will include a newly designed entrance to the baseball stadium and the football practice facility. |
| U. of Tennessee adding barber shop at athletics training center | |
 | Tennessee's athletic department strives to give its athletes as little reason as possible to leave campus. The Anderson Training Center contains an indoor field, weight room and other workout facilities, and a dining hall, so players don't have to leave the building after practice to eat. They only need to walk about two blocks from there to get to the Thornton Athletics Student Life Center, where they can go for study hall and tutoring. Once Tennessee completes its next project, which it hopes will be about a month from now, the Vols won't need to leave to get their hair cut. On Wednesday, the Tennessee Fund posted artist renderings of a small barber shop that will be built inside the Anderson Training Center near Smokey's, the athletics dining hall. Athletic director Dave Hart confirmed the plans in an interview. |
| Tyndall's troubles a trend at Tennessee | |
| The ongoing NCAA investigation of Tennessee's Donnie Tyndall's former school is the latest in a series of coaching complications over what has been tumultuous several years in Knoxville. Southern Miss announced Tuesday that it was self-imposing a postseason ban for this season as the NCAA investigates its men's basketball program. The school also acknowledged the investigation centers on the 2012-13 and 2013-14 academic years, when Tyndall was head coach for the Golden Eagles. There's been a consistent stream of coaching chaos at Tennessee since the days of Phillip Fulmer and Pat Summitt. |
| NCAA Says It's Investigating Academic Fraud at 20 Colleges | |
| UNC, you're not alone. The National Collegiate Athletic Association is investigating allegations of academic misconduct on 20 campuses, the association's head of enforcement told The Chronicle on Tuesday. The cases are at various stages, from preliminary inquiry to awaiting a hearing with the Division I Committee on Infractions, and they involve a variety of missteps, including allegations that players received impermissible assistance from professors, academic advisers, or people outside of an athletic department. Eighteen of the cases are in Division I, one is in Division II, and one is in Division III. The official declined to name any of the colleges. |
| RICK CLEVELAND (OPINION): Lots of Mississippi flavor in Super Bowl | |
| Syndicated sports columnist Rick Cleveland writes: "We call ourselves the Magnolia State. But where the Super Bowl matchup of Seattle and New England is concerned, Mississippi is the 'Linebacker State.' Start with Jamie Collins, from McCall Creek, Franklin County High School and Southern Miss. He's the freakish athlete New England coach Bill Belichick has compared to Lawrence Taylor. He leads the Patriots in tackles --- by a lot. Counter Collins with Seattle outside linebacker K.J. Wright of Olive Branch and Mississippi State. He leads the Seahawks in tackles, and, like Collins, also excels in pass coverage. ...So, Mississippi has produced the two leading tacklers in the game. And that's just for starters." |
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