| Tuesday, January 27, 2015 |
| Romney Event Venue at Mississippi State has Reached Capacity | |
 | Mississippi State welcomes former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney on Wednesday as featured speaker for the university's Global Lecture Series. Sponsored by the MSU Student Association, the free, public address will begin at 6 p.m. in Lee Hall's Bettersworth Auditorium. Romney will give his perspective on global issues and key challenges facing America and the world today, with a brief question-and-answer session following. All tickets to the venue, made available on a first-come, first-served basis, have been claimed. Earlier that day, Romney will meet with members of the MSU Student Association and then with a group of the university's student leaders. |
| MSU-CVM professor leads major reference publication | |
 | A comprehensive reference book on all aspects of bovine reproduction was recently published under the leadership of a Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine professor. Dr. Richard Hopper, professor in the MSU-CVM Department of Pathobiology and Population Medicine, is lead author and editor-in-chief of "Bovine Reproduction." Hopper is section leader for the CVM Theriogenology, Ambulatory and Food Animal Medicine Service. Theriogenology is the study of animal reproduction. "This compendium was a huge undertaking by Dr. Hopper and has been much needed in the field," said Dr. Peter Ryan, MSU associate provost and contributing author. |
| Mississippi State Band Staff Welcome High School Musicians to Honor Clinic | |
| More than 200 high school musicians from throughout the region will participate Thursday-Saturday in Mississippi State's 63rd annual University Honor Band Clinic. The campus event began in the early 1950s as a new materials clinic and was among only a few such university-based programs in the U.S. In the original format, band directors were invited to hear performances of newly published music to consider for their organizations. "It's a privilege for us to host this clinic each year and have some of the best student musicians from the Southeast in attendance," said Elva Kaye Lance, MSU director of bands. |
| Starkville police make arrest in rape case | |
 | A Maben man was arrested in Starkville on rape charges over the weekend. Starkville police say 24-year-old Zachary Townsel was taken into custody for statutory rape Saturday night. |
| Memorial service planned in Starkville for John Switzer | |
| A memorial service is scheduled Tuesday night for a Starkville man missing since he disappeared on a kayak trip in the Gulf of Mexico earlier this month. The Episcopal Church of the Resurrection in Starkville will host the service for John Switzer, 24, from 6 p.m. til 7 p.m. at the church on North Montgomery Street. Switzer was reported missing on January 10th after family members say they never heard from him after he texted he was fishing off the coast near Gulf Shores. |
| United needs to fill 300 jobs in Verona -- quickly | |
 | Equipment is being installed at United Furniture Industries' newest production plant as it gets ready to open in two weeks. But one critical component is missing: employees. The company, which already employs more than 1,600 people at five facilities in Northeast Mississippi, is looking to fill 300 jobs as soon as possible to work four production lines at the plant. United, one of the nation's largest furniture manufacturers and suppliers, is building stationary furniture at the Verona facility starting Feb. 9. The company is investing $2.75 million in the facility. The Mississippi Development Authority is providing $500,000 for building renovations and workforce training valued at $801,500. Gov. Phil Bryant noted United's announcement was the state' first big economic development news of the year. |
| Von Drehle breaks ground on facility; expansion to support additional jobs in Natchez | |
 | Company officials with von Drehle officially broke ground on an expansion to the company's Majorca Road facility that will represent a nearly $100-million investment and 125 to 150 new jobs by the time it is completed. The expansion will include 30,000 square feet to house a new paper machine and 12,000 square feet to store the large rolls of paper that are manufactured at the site. Mississippi Development Authority Executive Director Brent Christensen said economic development takes time, and von Drehle has been a positive example of that. |
| Study: Same-sex marriage could garner $10.6M for Mississippi | |
 | As Mississippians continue to eye a federal appeals court's pending ruling on same-sex marriage in the state, some are weighing the potential economic impact if gay marriage were legalized. A study conducted by The Williams Institute, a research organization at University of California at Los Angeles, predicts that $10.8 million in revenue would be generated for the state in three years, with $6.9 million coming in the first year alone, if same-sex marriage is legalized. To reach the revenue estimates, researchers took the average cost of a wedding in Mississippi, $19,132, and compared it to half the number of Mississippi's 3,484 same-sex couples. |
| Former Sen. Robertson accused of embezzlement | |
| Former state Senator Tommy Robertson of Moss Point is accused of using his position as board attorney for Singing River Federal Credit Union to embezzle more than $484,000. Robertson, 59, was indicted on five counts of embezzlement alleged to have occurred in April of 2013, according to an announcement Monday by State Auditor Stacey Pickering and Jackson County District Attorney Tony Lawrence. They say Robertson embezzled loan proceeds he held in trust. Republican Robertson served in the state Senate from 1992 to 2008, including two terms as chairman of the powerful Finance Committee. |
| Ex-state senator accused of embezzling $484,092 from credit union | |
 | Former state senator Tommy Robertson has been indicted on five counts of embezzlement, District Attorney Tony Lawrence announced Monday. Robertson is accused of using his position as board attorney for Singing River Federal Credit Union to embezzle $484,092 in loan proceeds, which he held in trust, for the purpose of distributing funds in accordance with the applicable loan statements, Lawrence said in a press release. The State Auditor's office received a request from Lawrence's office to help in the investigation of the case by the Jackson County Sheriff's Office. |
| Legislature takes up texting-while-driving bills | |
 | A Golden Triangle state representative says laws against texting while driving are almost assured to pass this legislative term. State Rep. Gary Chism, R-Columbus, says the prohibition is inevitable and should face little resistance from other legislators in Jackson. Chism is one of 10 lawmakers from the Mississippi House and Senate to attach their names to individual bills that, if passed, would prohibit drivers to text message and utilize social media networks on their smartphones while operating a motor vehicle. While the Legislature could pass a law that applies to drivers of all ages, Chism said cities like Starkville -- college towns with a high number of younger, inexperienced drivers -- could experience more benefits of enforcement than others. |
| Mississippi Prison Industries faces audit | |
| Legislators warned Mississippi Prison Industries Corp. officials on Monday to get ready for an audit less than two years after a PEER report that had questioned the program's effectiveness. "We have nothing to hide," MPIC Executive Director John Dennery told members of the House Corrections Committee after a 90-minute meeting on the subject at the Capitol. "We are ready to comply." Dennery came to the helm of MPIC three months after the release of the June 2013 PEER report, which found the entity lacked sufficient data to prove it had been accomplishing its mission. Created by the Legislature in 1990, MPIC aims to reduce prison recidivism by training and employing inmates in its numerous factories. |
| Drone drama: Mississippi seeks drone prohibition law | |
 | Mississippi is the latest state to address the increasing number of drone issues. For over two years people have been arrested in the United States for illegally flying drones, and that number continues to rise. Mississippi House Bill 347, more commonly referred to as the "Drone Prohibition Act," has been introduced as a way "to prohibit any person from using a drone to capture unauthorized images." Mississippi wants to join the 20 other states in that already have drone laws. Mississippi Rep. Timmy Ladner questioned the idea of a new law, and suggested expanding a law already in place. "House Bill 347 is designed to prevent people from taking pictures of my family and family activities on private property," said Ladner. "I've had enough feedback that folks seem to think we need to let this bill go away and expand the voyeurism laws to cover drones." |
| Mississippi Tea Party Shows Support for Vaccine Choice Bill | |
 | The Mississippi Tea Party is now showing support for a vaccine choice bill (HB 130) which is being discussed at the state Legislature. In Mississippi, children have to be vaccinated before attending school unless they are exempt for medical reasons. If passed, the vaccine choice bill would change that, allowing for philosophical exemptions. According to Mississippi Tea Party Chairman Laura Van Overschelde, the bill goes hand and hand with one of the Tea Party's basic principles of having a "Constitutionally Limited Government. |
| South Mississippi legislators, educators push mandatory kindergarten | |
| Sonya Bowser Ashley was part of Mississippi's first public kindergarten class in 1976. Almost 40 years later, she is advocating for a new law -- introduced by the daughter of her kindergarten teacher -- that would make kindergarten mandatory for most 5-year-olds across the state. Rep. Sonya Williams-Barnes, D-Gulfport, authored the measure, called the "KIDS Act" -- or Kindergarten Increases Diplomas Act -- that would reduce the mandatory age for schooling from 6 to 5 years old. The measure is in honor of Williams-Barnes' mother, Rose Mary Hayes Williams, the first kindergarten teacher in Mississippi under a pilot program in Pass Christian. |
| House bill defines pit bull as 'dangerous dog' | |
 | In the wake of several dog attacks in Mississippi, many of them from pit bulls, comes a 24-page bill, dubbed the Mississippi Regulation of Dangerous Dogs Act. Those pages are drawing serious criticism, and some believe that legislation violates the U.S. Constitution. Pit bull owner Don Tullos believes that. Tullos said his dog is proof that people can't label a breed as inherently dangerous. House Bill 1261 says otherwise. It says in part, "A law enforcement officer, at any time, may enter the premises where a dangerous dog is kept, or is believed to be kept, for an on-site inspection of the premises." Mississippi College School of Law Professor Matt Steffey says that means it's a warrantless search. |
| Mississippi nurses hold annual legislative and policy summit | |
| Information on current legislation impacting the nursing profession and health care and how registered nurses can be involved in the process are on the agenda for 2015 Statewide Nursing Summit on Tuesday. The 21st annual legislative and policy event sponsored by the Mississippi Nurses' Association will be 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Jackson Convention Complex. Deborah Bryant, wife of Gov. Phil Bryant, will kick off our event, and Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves will speak mid-day to more than 1,000 nursing students, nurses and advanced practice registered nurses. |
| McDaniel PAC Aiming to Help Conservatives Win Office | |
 | State Senator Chris McDaniel is back on the campaign trail, this time pushing to get more conservative candidates elected to office. At what seemed eerily similar to a campaign stop in Pearl Monday night, Tea Party backed State Senator Chris McDaniel addressed supporters on his new Political Action Committee, the United Conservative Fund. Launched late last year, the PAC seeks to prop-up conservative candidates by putting them through a vetting process while also holding conservatives -- quote -- accountable. McDaniel says his PAC will rely on three basic principles. |
| Harper talks national issues at chamber meeting in Quitman | |
 | Speaking to the Quitman/Clarke County Chamber of Commerce on Monday, U.S. Rep. Gregg Harper, R-Miss., recalled a legislative success of his third term: the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act. Harper said the bill -- introduced on the house floor in 2013, and became law when President Barack Obama signed it on April 3, 2014 -- is an example of how Republicans and Democrats can work together for the good of the country. The congressman's legislation ended tax-payer contributions from going to the Presidential Election Campaign Fund and instead diverts them to a fund that will pay for research in pediatric cancer through the National Institute of Health. Cost of the program is pegged at $126 million for 10 years. While the bill became a reality because of broad bipartisan support, Harper said to not look for Republicans -- who now control both the House and Senate following the November 2014 elections -- to suddenly find harmony with a Democratic president. |
| Congressman Harper Addresses American Issues | |
 | Many drivers are glad to see gas prices continuing to dwindle at the pump. Congressman Gregg Harper says that's thanks in large part to the private sector and its resources. "It's the lowest in six years," Harper said. "Once the president came in office, it's about back to that level where it was. This is no thanks to this administration." Harper says the private sector has been providing more and more jobs through oil and gas. |
| Wicker unwavering on climate change skepticism | |
| U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker remains low key about his lone-wolf vote last week against an amendment, introduced by Rhode Island Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, "To express the sense of the Senate that climate change is real and not a hoax." He also said the "the science on the matter" of climate change is not settled. Wicker, who heads the GOP's Senate campaign apparatus, was the butt of jokes on late-night televison talk shows after the vote, but seems unfazed in statements released by his office. "The Sen. (David) Whitehouse amendment is an attempt to stop the construction of the Keystone pipeline using disputed facts. My record is very clear on this issue, and I will not change my position based on a political show vote," Wicker said in a statement provided by his press office Monday morning. |
| Romney's Consideration of Candidacy Is Closely Tied to His Faith, Allies Say | |
 | A prominent Republican delivered a direct request to Mitt Romney not long ago: He should make a third run for the presidency, not for vanity or redemption, but to answer a higher calling from his faith. Believing that Mr. Romney, a former Mormon pastor, would be most receptive on these grounds, the Republican made the case that Mr. Romney had a duty to serve, and said Mr. Romney seemed to take his appeal under consideration. Three years ago, Mr. Romney's tortured approach to his religion -- a strategy of awkward reluctance and studied avoidance that all but walled off a free-flowing discussion of his biography -- helped doom his campaign. But now as Mr. Romney mulls a new run for the White House, friends and allies said, his abiding Mormon faith is inextricably tied to his sense of service and patriotism, and a facet of his life that he is determined to embrace more openly in a possible third campaign. |
| U.S. Spies on Millions of Drivers | |
 | The Justice Department has been building a national database to track in real time the movement of vehicles around the U.S., a secret domestic intelligence-gathering program that scans and stores hundreds of millions of records about motorists, according to current and former officials and government documents. The primary goal of the license-plate tracking program, run by the Drug Enforcement Administration, is to seize cars, cash and other assets to combat drug trafficking, according to one government document. But the database's use has expanded to hunt for vehicles associated with numerous other potential crimes, from kidnappings to killings to rape suspects, say people familiar with the matter. |
| Drone lobby isn't excited about the latest White House fence hopper | |
 | A small drone flew onto White House grounds in the wee hours of Monday morning -- and the drone lobby isn't happy about it. "This incident represents a clear misuse of [unmanned aerial systems] technology," Brian Wynne, president of the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, told the National Journal. "Flying any aircraft around the White House is a serious violation of the restricted and prohibited airspace in Washington, D.C. We hope the individual or individuals responsible are found and held accountable." The incident comes at an inconvenient time for drone supporters, who staged a charm offensive last week. |
| Quadcopters straddle the line between drones and toys | |
 | Quadcopters like the one that crashed at the White House on Monday are among the most popular remote-controlled aircraft being sold today. But are they drones or sophisticated toys? Sometimes it's very hard to distinguish between the two. It really depends on the particular model. Some quadcopters are marketed as toys and sell for little as $40, but more capable models that can be equipped with cameras and other devices frequently sell for hundreds of dollars. They are being widely used for aerial photography and crop monitoring despite an FAA ban on most commercial drone use. |
| Auschwitz anniversary: Never again, again | |
| A decade ago, on the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz by Red Army troops, survivors of the Nazi death camp huddled on chairs in the freezing cold while politicians, including Russia's Vladimir Putin, made long speeches. For the 70th anniversary ceremony being held today, probably the last major one the ageing survivors will attend, the plan was to make the survivors the centre of attention. Instead, politicians are again grabbing the limelight. Besides honouring the Holocaust's victims, organisers of the events in Prague and at Auschwitz want to bring public attention to a renewed wave of anti-Semitism and intolerance in Europe. But at both events, the historical commemorations have been overshadowed by Mr Putin and the warfare in eastern Europe his government has incited. |
| Russian Threats Expose Europe's Military Cutbacks | |
 | An international cat-and-mouse game played out in the waters of Stockholm a few months ago. The "mouse" was a foreign submarine -- Russia is the main suspect -- that got away. And as Russia's military becomes more aggressive, European leaders fear they do not have the military power to deal with this new threat. After the Cold War, Sweden and the rest of the continent believed they had entered an era of European peace and unity. Lately, Russia has proven them wrong -- and not only by seizing part of Ukraine. Suddenly, armed conflict in northern Europe seems plausible, and the region is not prepared. |
| Google to Announce Fiber Expansion In Four Cities | |
| Google Inc. is preparing to offer its high-speed fiber-optic Internet service in four new metro areas, the latest step in a careful expansion of the service. Google will announce launches of Google Fiber in Atlanta, Charlotte, N.C., Raleigh-Durham, N.C. and Nashville, Tenn. in coming days, according to two people familiar with the situation. Google Fiber offers Internet connections at speeds of up to one gigabit per second---roughly 10 times as fast as the average U.S. Internet connection---in Kansas City, Austin, Texas and Provo, Utah. On Wall Street, the project is considered by many investors and analysts as an expensive experiment to try to persuade other broadband Internet providers to upgrade their own networks. |
| Mississippi children's hospital plans $150 million expansion | |
| University of Mississippi Medical Center officials say they're planning a $150 million expansion of Batson Children's Hospital to make room for more operating rooms, an imaging center, clinics and a revamped neonatal intensive care unit. Gov. Phil Bryant endorsed the project in Wednesday's State of the State speech. In a pre-speech briefing, Bryant staffers said the governor supports state borrowing of $30 million to contribute to the project. Dr. James Keeton, vice chancellor for health affairs at the medical center, says that while the hospital doesn't need more general inpatient beds, it needs to expand elsewhere. |
| 100 teachers respond to William Carey workshop for 20 | |
 | William Carey University's School of Education has gotten an overwhelming response from K-12 teachers in the Pine Belt who are interested in attending a professional development workshop this summer. The four-week June workshop is being funded with a $90,000 Title II grant the School of Education received from the Board of Trustees of the state Institutions of Higher Learning. Only 12 such grants were awarded in Mississippi this year. "This grant is specifically designed to improve teacher quality or foster teacher professional development," said Ben Burnett, the school's dean. "It will impact 20 teachers spanning eight school districts. We had more than 100 teachers who replied (to us) or were interested." |
| Community turns out for Auburn University speech, language and hearing clinic | |
 | Monday afternoon, Auburn University audiology doctoral student Lexie Goldberg slipped a pair of headphones over 5-year-old Jack Ballam's ears and passed him a handheld buzzer. Ballam pressed the buzzer each time he heard a beep in either ear, controlled by speech-language pathology student Kathleen Palmer, as part of the university's free speech, language and hearing screening. "It is kind of the first step if someone is concerned or suspicious about hears, speech, language, communication disorders," explained Dr. Martha Wilson, clinical professor and audiologist. "...It's really a screening just for diagnostic purposes." |
| Malware attack targets U. of Florida faculty, staff | |
 | A dangerous virus was delivered Monday morning to the computers of hundreds of University of Florida faculty and staff by a cleverly disguised email containing malicious software code that delivers bulk email spams. The massive malware attack was delivered to UF email inboxes around 10:30 a.m. via an email titled "You have received a new fa" from what appeared to be UF users. UFIT put an alert up on its dashboard warning people to not open those emails as they might have malware attached. Chief Information Security Officer Rob Adams and his security engineers were still working on the issue Monday evening to analyze what the code does. |
| Land deal for research lab space in city of Alachua is underway | |
| A land deal to build lab space in the city of Alachua is making progress. The developers are looking to complete the permitting process and close the contract to buy the land sometime in the next few months, said Brian Crawford of Concept Construction of North Florida. The University of Florida Foundation entered into a joint venture last fall with the Hawley & Taylor Real Estate Group and Concept Construction of North Florida, agreeing to sell 14 acres next to Santa Fe College's Perry Center for Emerging Technologies on U.S. 441 across the street from Progress Park. The lab space will focus on attracting bioscience and research companies, Crawford said. Biotech companies have struggled to find land space as they grow out of university labs and incubator programs. |
| CATS ready to pounce on next LSU bus service contract | |
 | In 2009, the Capital Area Transit System lost its contract to provide bus service to LSU's campus, ending a 30-year partnership and costing the public bus agency about $2.4 million a year. But this year, CATS could get its chance to win back the valuable contract and reclaim its position as the sole bus system for the parish. CATS that year lost out to First Transit, which has been operating under a five-year contract. The contract was supposed to be rebid last year, but instead was renewed for an additional year. It is now set to expire this June, and expected to be put out for public bid for the first time since CATS lost the contract. CATS CEO Bob Mirabito said the agency has been waiting since last year for another shot at the contract. |
| Native Northerner talks about South on UGA Founders Day | |
 | A transplanted Yankee revealed what he likes about the South on Monday, as well as a couple of things he doesn't, at the University of Georgia. "The thing I like most is the warmth of the South," said Paul Kurtz, a retired UGA law professor and associate dean emeritus in the UGA School of Law. Kurtz delivered UGA's annual Founder's Day lecture in the UGA Chapel as the university's alumni organization kicked off a week of events marking the university's 230th birthday. Kurtz wasn't talking about the weather when he praised Southern warmth, although the native New Yorker -- state, not city -- did favorably mention what he calls "the God plan of snow removal," which is removal by the sun before noon instead of the removal by snow shovel he knew growing up. |
| Texas A&M student accused of driving drunk, LSD possession | |
 | A Texas A&M student from San Antonio was arrested early Monday by campus police on charges of driving while intoxicated and felony possession of LSD. According to an arrest report, officers found 19-year-old Brandon Thorne Robalin walking around Lot 30E just before midnight. A caller told a 911 dispatcher that a car was driving erratically before the driver parked and exited the vehicle in the parking lot, the report said. Officers searched Robalin and found LSD, a psychoactive hallucinogen, in his pocket, according to the police report. Officers reported finding a marijuana pipe and grinder in the vehicle. |
| Texas A&M professor: Don't let your smartphone become a pain in your neck | |
| Every now and then, when Texas A&M professor Ranjana Mehta is using her smartphone, she'll catch herself slouching and quickly correct her posture. It is a position many assume when using smartphones and hand-held devices, and it is contributing to a rising number of young people experiencing back and neck pain, Mehta said. According to the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan think tank that conducts social science research, smartphone owners spend an average of two to four hours a day on their devices, and all of that hunching over to look at the screens has created a condition some researchers are calling "Text Neck." Mehta's research involves detecting stress on physical capacity or health. She said assuming the position of hunching and bending heads over phones or tablets creates an unnatural posture that over time can straighten the natural curve of the neck and lead to spine degeneration. |
| U. of Missouri temporarily using University Village lot for student parking | |
 | While University of Missouri administrators mull over a permanent use of the property that housed the University Village apartment complex, part of the land has been opened for student parking. Karlan Seville, a spokeswoman for MU Campus Facilities, said 11 of the 14 buildings on the property have been demolished. The university has no plans to demolish the last three buildings, which are being used for storage. Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin decided to demolish the University Village complex after a walkway collapse killed Columbia firefighter Lt. Bruce Britt last February. After Britt's death, a structural engineer report indicated concerns with some of the apartment buildings and prompted the decision to ultimately close the complex last summer. |
| Competency-Based Degree Programs On The Rise | |
| Competency-based education is in vogue -- even though most people have never heard of it, and those who have can't always agree on what it is. A report out today from the American Enterprise Institute says a growing number of colleges and universities are offering, or soon will offer, credits in exchange for direct demonstrations of learning. That's a big shift from credit hours -- the currency of higher education for more than a century -- which require students to spend an allotted amount of time with instructors. The major argument in favor of competency-based programs is that they will offer nontraditional students a more direct, more affordable path to a degree. |
| Migrant college students face more stress than their peers, study says | |
 | Recent federal policies to limit deportations and state programs to expand financial aid have benefited college students who entered the country illegally, but those young people still face emotional, educational and money problems, according to a new national study by UCLA researchers. The report found that those students -- often brought to the U.S. as children -- have significantly higher levels of anxiety than other undergraduates. "They are stigmatized. They are invisible. They are swimming against an extraordinary undertow very difficult to combat," said Marcelo Suarez-Orozco, dean of UCLA's Graduate School of Education and Information Studies and one of the report's authors. |
| BILL CRAWFORD (OPINION): More jobs, but fewer with jobs, huh? | |
| Syndicated columnist Bill Crawford of Meridian writes: "'Mississippi added 8,800 more jobs in 2014 than in 2013,' so noted Gov. Phil Bryant in his optimistic State of the State address last week. Over the same period, 16,700 fewer Mississippians had jobs. So says the same report that the governor's figure came from. Huh? The Mississippi Department of Employment Security, as do its counterparts across the country, publishes two sets of employment statistics. One set counts people, the number of Mississippians who have jobs. This is called residence-based employment. The other counts jobs, the number of jobs at Mississippi-based employers. This is called establishment-based employment." |
| PAUL HAMPTON (OPINION): Just in the nick of time, Chris McDaniel rides in on a white horse | |
| The Sun Herald's Paul Hampton writes: " I know a lot of people who wish Chris McDaniel would just go away. I'm not among them. Yes, McDaniel has given me another early birthday present: Another Chris McDaniel tour. And it's no farewell tour. He's kicking off the United Conservatives Fund to -- you guessed it, save the Republic. 'The working people of this state can and must unite for the survival of our republic,' McDaniel wrote. I bet the Republic can't wait." |
SPORTS
| Rick Ray: Mississippi State a few steps away, needs to stay the course | |
| It's one thing if Rick Ray claims Mississippi State is playing its best basketball. It's another when an in-state rival agrees. "From reading coach Ray's comments, I would certainly be in full agreement, I think they are playing their best basketball of the season," Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy said on the Southeastern Conference teleconference on Monday. Mississippi State is coming off a loss against Georgia, but has buoyed its play in the month of January. MSU is 3-4 in its last seven games after a 1-5 stretch in December. "I just think we're just a few steps away from being where we need to be and being a consistent winner," Ray said. |
| Mississippi State finds its Mr. Clutch in I.J. Ready | |
| Midway through his second season, I.J. Ready is earning a nickname among the league's coaches. "I don't know if they call him 'Steady Ready,' but he's confident," Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy said. "He never seems to get rattled. I think that's what's impressed me about him. He's just consistent." Kennedy witnessed Ready's coming-out party in the final three minutes of the Aggies' 74-70 win two weeks ago. Ready poured in 16 points, to go along with a steal, a rebound and an assist in the final 2 minutes, 58 seconds of the game. It forced the Southeastern Conference to take notice, but it's something the sophomore has done since late December. |
| I.J. Ready gets Mississippi State, Ole Miss 'that's like life and death' | |
| I.J. Ready grew up in Arkansas. He's experienced three Mississippi State and Ole Miss basketball games. There may not be an Egg Bowl trophy involved Wednesday night when the two teams meet on the hardwood, but the sophomore understands the importance any time the two schools meet. "That's like life and death, Ole Miss versus Mississippi State. It's like when you go to Ole Miss,you've got to hate Ole Miss when you go into their (building)," Ready said. "The School Up North. I'm not even supposed to call them Ole Miss." |
| No. 18 Bulldogs improve to 21-2 | |
| Freshman forward Victoria Vivians had 19 points and 10 rebounds as No. 18 Mississippi State won 59-48 at Auburn on Monday night. It was MSU's second straight road win. Forward Breanna Richardson and center Martha Alwal each scored 15 points for the Bulldogs (21-2, 6-2 SEC). Those three combined to outscore the host Tigers (9-11, 0-7) by a point. Vivians, 8 of 22 from the floor, recorded her fourth double-double of the year. The Bulldogs visit Vanderbilt on Thursday night. |
| Tigers flirt with upset, but can't hold on against Mississippi State | |
| Auburn was without its top player and senior captain Hasina Muhammad, serving the first of a two-game suspension. And for about 5 minutes midway through the first half Monday night, that didn't seem to matter. But Muhammad's absence was surely felt the rest of the game as No. 18 Mississippi State equaled the Tigers' first-half run with one of their own and kept Auburn winless in the SEC with a 59-48 loss Monday at Auburn Arena. The Bulldogs took advantage of 23 turnovers by the Tigers, leading 25-13 in points-off-turnovers while also controlling the boards, outdueling Auburn 17-7 on the offensive glass that led to a 25-4 advantage in second-chance points for Mississippi State. |
| Bulldogs 14th in Baseball America preseason rankings | |
| Mississippi State received its highest preseason ranking Monday when Baseball America voted the Bulldogs at No. 14. It was the third preseason poll to have MSU ranked, joining Collegiate Baseball (20th) and Perfect Game (23rd). D1Baseball.com did not have the Bulldogs among its preseason top 25. State was one of five Southeastern Conference programs ranked by Baseball America, along with defending national champion Vanderbilt (1), LSU (2), Florida (6) and South Carolina (13). |
| Mississippi State falls inside top 25 in preseason polls | |
| Mississippi State will begin the season ranked within the Top 15, at least according to Baseball America. MSU ranked No. 14 in the publication's 2015 preseason Top-25 poll released Monday. The ranking marks the third-consecutive season the club will take the field on Opening Day as one of Baseball America's top-15 teams in the country. Perfect Game released its rankings last week and placed MSU at No. 23. Mississippi State is the 23rd best team to start the season according to Collegiate Baseball. The Bulldogs return 16 players from last year's team, which advanced to the NCAA Lafayette Regional finals. |
| Humphreys hopes to add pop to Mississippi State's lineup | |
| Asked late Sunday afternoon if Mississippi State's baseball team will have more pop in its lineup this season, sophomore Reid Humphreys didn't hesitate. "I definitely think we do," Humphreys said. "I think with the new guys we have and the guys we have returning, we have a lot of players on this team who can change a game with one swing of the bat." Humphreys put that ability on display Sunday afternoon. A day after No. 23 MSU held its first intrasquad scrimmage of the spring, the team was back at it Sunday. Following a 2-1 final result Saturday, MSU enjoyed an offensive explosion as the Maroon and Gray squads combined for 12 runs in an 8-4 victory by the Gray in four innings. On a warm but windy day at Dudy Noble Field, Humphreys kick-started the offense with a solo home run in the first inning, a mammoth shot that landed near a building that houses restrooms behind the Left Field Lounge. |
| U. of Arkansas' Jeff Long Re-Elected as Playoff Selection Committee Chair | |
| Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long will serve another season as the chairman of the College Football Playoff selection committee. Bill Hancock, executive director of the College Football Playoff, announced Long has been re-elected by his fellow committee members to lead the 13-person panel. |
| LSU to make nearly $9 million on neutral site games against BYU, Miami | |
| LSU will make nearly $9 million from its two most recently scheduled neutral site games, according to game contracts obtained by The Advocate. ESPN will pay LSU $4 million for a game against BYU in Houston in 2017, and the Tigers will get a whopping $4.75 million from the network for the game against Miami in Arlington, Texas, in 2018. That $4.75 million check is believed to be the most the school has received from a neutral site game. The school has played four neutral site games in the previous five seasons. |
| Cory Batey tells Vanderbilt victim that he's sorry | |
 | Cory Batey was horrified by the photographs he found on his cellphone after waking up on June 23, 2013. "I didn't know how they got there," the former Vanderbilt University football player said Monday. "I didn't know what had happened to the young lady in the pictures, and I immediately deleted them." Batey did not try to check on the woman, whom he did not know. He went to church. And then he talked to his friends. "They explained to me that I was kind of wild that night," Batey said in court testimony on Monday. He testified for about two hours in his own defense. |
| Concerns continue about role of hostesses in football recruiting | |
 | A high-profile rape trial involving two former Vanderbilt University football players has put the spotlight back on the deep-rooted practice of using "hostesses" to help recruit prospective football players. Defense lawyers have asked several witnesses about the use of female hostesses for recruits and suggested that the woman who has accused the players of rape helped in recruiting players to the team. The first mention of the use of "pretty girls" to attract recruits appeared in court filings last year. Vanderbilt hasn't confirmed whether such a program exists, saying that it doesn't comment on issues related to ongoing legal matters. The defense's broader legal argument has focused on blaming a culture characterized by sex and alcohol. |
| College athletes greatly overestimate their chances of playing professionally | |
| College athletes vastly overestimate their chances of playing professional sports. The problem is so pervasive that Mark Emmert, the NCAA's president, devoted significant space to the issue during his most recent state of the association address, saying that "athletes often have incredibly unrealistic perceptions of their professional prospects." Men's hoops players are the most unrealistic. More than three-quarters of men's basketball players in Division I say they believe it is at least "somewhat likely" they will play in the National Basketball Association. Some college programs feed those hopes by prominently advertising their connections to professional sports when recruiting athletes. |
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