| Monday, February 2, 2015 |
| Mississippi State hosts 63rd Annual Honor Band Clinic | |
 | Mississippi State University hosted more than 200 high school students as part of the 63rd annual Honor Band Clinic. High School students participating in the weekend band clinic were selected from more than 300 who auditioned in the fall. During the clinic, the students meet in small groups to expand their knowledge and better their band experience. Saturday afternoon, the students wrapped up the clinic with a final band concert, showcasing their talents to participants. |
| Kress signs to be preserved | |
 | The iconic signs on the historic Kress Building, which is undergoing renovations to house a Mississippi State University Kinesiology Department, will be preserved for history. "We are very interested in protecting what we have down there," Mississippi State's Tim Muzzi said. "As far as the lighted Kress Building signs, the one on the west facade will remain in place. The two lighted signs on the north and south of the building will be removed, but they will be protected by our Archives and Historical Department. They will not be destroyed." An $11 million grant from The Riley Foundation of Meridian is providing funding for the new kinesiology program and the renovation of the Kress Building. The grant was announced in November. |
| Lower commodity prices, potentially higher interest rates may help push farmland prices lower | |
 | Will falling grain and cotton prices take a toll on land values and cash rental rates in the Mid-South states? At the height of the run-up in grain prices in 2012 and 2013, the national average land value for agricultural cropland increased 12 percent, from $3,350 per acre to $3,810, according to USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. Some Corn Belt states, such as Illinois and Indiana, saw similar increases in farmland values to those shown nationally, at much higher overall prices, notes Bryon J. Parman, assistant Extension professor, agricultural economics, at Mississippi State University. |
| Castleberry recognized at Greater Starkville Development Partnership banquet | |
 | During its annual awards banquet, the Greater Starkville Development Partnership honored Mark Castleberry, the Golden Triangle developer behind the Russell Street corridor-redefining Mill at MSU project, and other local business leaders and activists. For the $40 million investment along the economic front door to the university, Castleberry and his Columbus-based business, Castle Properties, received the 2014 R. Clay Simmons Exemplary Enterprise Award, which recognizes the totality of a person's or business' impact to the local economy. Long lauded by local leaders and economic development representatives, the $40 million Mill project broke ground last year. |
| Data: Mississippi job growth essentially flat in 2014 | |
 | Mississippi saw incremental jobs growth to end 2014, but growth may accelerate some this year. The state ended last year with 1,120,300 people employed, up .02 percent from 2013, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Mississippi is one of 11 states in the country with job growth of less than 1 percent last year, the BLS says. State economist Darrin Webb has forecast 1.5 percent growth in employment this year and in 2016. Manufacturing was the top job-creation industry in Mississippi last year, with 3,900 jobs created, according to figures compiled by Mississippi State University and the state Institutions of Higher Learning. |
| No bids in yet for city hall, lagoon properties | |
| While some aldermen seem intent on moving forward with a $2.55 million-maximum purchase of Cadence Bank's Main Street location, a financing issue could manifest in the middle of the month: Starkville has yet to receive bids on surplus property needed to pay for the structure. City officials confirmed Friday that Starkville has yet to receive bids for its current administrative home and lagoon property in the northern portion of the town. The sale of at least one of those properties is seen as crucial to keeping the potential purchase revenue neutral. Starkville listed City Hall and the lagoon after appraisals placed the properties' values at $800,000-$900,000 and $420,000-$600,000. |
| Golden Triangle law enforcement agencies seek more diversity | |
| While a nationwide debate on the racial makeup of law enforcement agencies continues, statistics show agencies in Lowndes and Oktibbeha counties are working toward becoming mirrors of the communities they serve. In Starkville, where about 35 percent of the residents are African-American, about 28 percent of the police department's 53-officers are from a racial minority (13 blacks, 2 others), according to Chief Frank Nichols. Four of the Oktibbeha County Sheriff's Department's 20 deputies are African-American, according to according to Sheriff Steve Gladney. That's 20 percent. Census date shows 37 percent of Oktibbeha County's population is African-American. |
| Shine 'em up for the farm toy show | |
| Nostalgia, collecting and the thrill of the hunt for that hard-to-find piece are all part of the draw for farm toy enthusiasts looking forward to the Starkville Farm Toy Show at the Mississippi Horse Park Feb. 27-28. The show is open to anyone with farm-related toys -- tractors, trucks, implements, animals, buildings, logging equipment -- who would like to set up to sell, trade or just display, said co-organizer Mitch Sisson. Vendors will set up to sell new and used, and even broken, farm toys. Greg Flint, one of the organizers, said the event is a great resource for answering any questions about how to fix or customize the toys. |
| Plywood maker rebuilding, expanding in Louisville | |
| Winston Plywood and Veneer, manufacturer of specialty plywood products, had a groundbreaking ceremony Friday at the site of the company's new manufacturing facility in Louisville. The project represents an investment of approximately $50 million and will create 400 new jobs. A tornado in April 2014 destroyed the company's facility in Louisville, but the company chose to rebuild and expand its operations with help of disaster recovery funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. |
| Nunnelee's cancer back, not treatable | |
 | Congressman Alan Nunnelee's cancer has returned, he is at home in Tupelo and "no further medical treatment is possible," a spokesman said Friday. "After seven months of bravely fighting brain cancer and a stroke, Congressman Alan Nunnelee was informed last Friday that a new tumor has developed and no further medical treatment is possible," said Morgan Baldwin, Nunnelee's political consultant, in a prepared statement. Nunnelee's political career spans two decades, beginning with his victory in a 1994 Mississippi Senate special election to succeed Roger Wicker after his election to the U.S. House of Representatives. |
| House may be state election focus | |
| Perhaps the most watched election this year will not be for governor or some other statewide office, but collectively for about 20-25 House seats scattered throughout the state that could determine control of that legislative chamber. In 2011, Republicans eked out control of the House for the first time since the 19th century. This election season they will try to maintain that control while Democrats will put a concerted effort into regaining a majority. "Politics is just different every cycle," Minority Leader Bobby Moak, D-Bogue Chitto, said when asked if he believes the Democrats have a shot of regaining the House. "But I think realistically speaking, especially in the House, the numbers are very close. Yeah, that can absolutely happen." |
| More opponents loom for school funding initiative | |
 | The skies were already clouding over for an initiative meant to require higher funding of Mississippi's education system. Now they're getting darker. The Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation is opposing Initiative 42, which would amend the state Constitution to require an "adequate and efficient system of public schools" and try to close the Legislature's wiggle room on spending less. And community college forces also appear to be lining up against the amendment. Community colleges, like the Farm Bureau, have a reputation for political power in Mississippi. It's been clear part of the strategy of opponents has been to warn that any court-mandated increases in K-12 funding would come out of the budgets of community colleges and universities. |
| Regional legislative races taking shape | |
| Northeast Mississippi legislative races are beginning to take shape with less than a month remaining before the Feb. 27 qualifying deadline. All Northeast Mississippi legislators with the exception of Rep. Brian Aldridge, R-Tupelo, have indicated they plan to seek re-election. Thus far, Republican Mark Prince and Democrat Jim Newman have announced intentions to seek the District 17 post being vacated by Aldridge. District 17 covers portions of southwest Lee County. The only Northeast Mississippi incumbents who have not filed qualifying papers to seek re-election, based on the updates sent out each day by both the Democratic and Republican parties, are Sen. Hob Bryan D-Amory, and Rep. Jody Steverson, D-Ripley. Both have indicated they intend to seek re-election. |
| Spreitler resigns from State Board of Education | |
| State Board of Education member Danny Spreitler resigned his position this week after just five months of service due to professional obligations, he said. His seat will be filled on the five-member board by Karen Elam, an Oxford food-and-health safety expert who also serves on the Charter School Authorizer Board. Spreitler, who heads the nonprofit grant-making Gilmore Foundation, had been appointed in August to fill the unexpired term of Simon Weir, whose term is set to end June 30, 2021. Since then, Spreitler said, several of the organization's senior managers have become gravely ill. |
| Gov. Phil Bryant to headline town hall meeting in Gautier Monday | |
 | Gov. Phil Bryant will be the featured attraction at a Community Town Hall meeting in Gautier Monday morning. Sponsored by the Mississippi Girls Health Initiative and Healthy Teens for a Better Mississippi, the meeting is set for 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the Fine Arts Auditorium of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College on U.S. 90. At 1 p.m., he is expected to sign an executive order creating the Governor's Oyster Restoration and Resiliency Council, which over the next several months will work to find ways to grow the oyster industry along the Mississippi coast. |
| Mississippi might join 'SEC primary' starting with 2016 presidential election | |
| Lawmakers will debate whether Mississippi should take part in a regional presidential primary, beginning in 2016. The move would help create the "SEC primary," named after the Southeastern Conference in sports. The Southeast is a stronghold for Republicans in presidential politics. Secretaries of state, including Republican Delbert Hosemann of Mississippi, have endorsed a regional primary as a way for the states to grab the attention of presidential candidates. House Bill 933 would move Mississippi's primary to the first Tuesday of March. |
| Obama budget seeks to boost middle class, close gap on income inequality | |
 | President Obama is set to release a $4-trillion budget Monday with liberal priorities that have little chance of passage but will serve as an initial foray in negotiations with the new Republican Congress and help define the Democratic Party in the run-up to the 2016 presidential race. The administration's annual federal budget, like those that will follow from the House and Senate, is a largely aspirational blueprint, even more so in Obama's final term. This budget, ending in September 2016, is the last one the president will still be in office to fully execute. Even before the budget's release, its contours were quickly dismissed by Republicans in Congress. |
| Obama Wants Funding For Research On More Precise Health Care | |
 | You may soon be able to donate your personal data to science. There are plans afoot to find 1 million Americans to volunteer for a new Precision Medicine Initiative that would anonymously link medical records, genetic readouts, details about an individual's gut bacteria, lifestyle information and maybe even data from your Fitbit. The idea is that medical science can learn a lot more about diseases if researchers can tap into a wide spectrum of information about people who get sick and those who stay healthy. Medicine has been moving haltingly in that direction. |
| Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal organizing national fundraising | |
 | Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal sometimes likes to wear cowboy boots, but that's not the reason he's well equipped to operate in what one watchdog group calls the Wild West of campaign financing heading into the 2016 presidential election. If, as many expect, Jindal decides to make a run for the White House, he can count on the support of the Believe Again political action committee, a super PAC organized earlier this year to boost his candidacy. The treasurer of the avowedly pro-Jindal Believe Again super PAC is Rolfe McCollister, a Baton Rouge publisher and longtime Jindal associate who was finance director for Jindal's 2007 gubernatorial campaign and was appointed by Jindal to the LSU Board of Supervisors. He's also the treasurer of Stand Up to Washington. |
| Spain to be featured in MUW's International Series | |
| Mississippi University for Women's 2015 International Series will focus on Spain, featuring speakers on Spanish language and culture, a flamenco demonstration and workshop, and a lecture-recital on Spanish guitar. All events begin at 7 p.m. on the MUW campus. The series begins in Martin Hall on Feb. 9 with "When Speaking of Spanish, Expect the Unexpected," in which MUW instructor of Spanish Erinn Holloway and recently retired professor of Spanish Dr. Michael Longton will explore linguistic diversity in Spain. The series is cosponsored by MUW's Department of Languages, Literature and Philosophy and College of Nursing and Speech Language Pathology. |
| Welcome to Middle-earth: Step into one MUW professor's fascination for Tolkien's world | |
| The campus is quiet on a Tuesday evening, dusk closing in on shadowed sidewalks leading to Painter Hall. Inside the venerable building at Mississippi University for Women, almost nothing stirs, only a lone student putting in work after hours. Flyers dot bulletin boards in this setting typical of many a college at the end of the day. It's at the top of the stairs, to the left and down a short, inconspicuous hallway, that things become more extraordinary. Dr. Leslie Stratyner's office gives her away. Not just the framed Middle-earth posters on her walls, but the glass-front case filled with figures from J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings." |
| Three individuals threatened, language suggests racial motivation | |
 | The University Police Department has issued a crime alert detailing an incident involving three individuals who were threatened by two or three young white males Wednesday night in the parking lot of the Malco Theater on Jackson Avenue. The three victims were walking to their vehicle when a large black truck occupied by the white males approached them, according to the statement. As the truck passed, one of the males pointed his finger and threatened the group using language that suggests the victims were targeted because of their race. Sellers told the The Daily Mississippian Thursday evening that there is no further information available at this time. |
| Ole Miss campus closed until noon due to loss of water pressure | |
 | The University of Mississippi campus in Oxford, MS is closed until at least noon on Monday due to a complete loss of water, according to the school's website. An update will be posted by 10 a.m. on www.emergency.olemiss.edu. The campus is closed to faculty, staff and students, while the physical plant works to restore water. |
| Alcorn State University to promote health and wellness | |
 | Alcorn State University is on board to co-sponsor a health and wellness event next year with the National Park Service. As it now stands, the Natchez Health, Wellness and Fitness Expo will be hosted in June 2016. "(Alcorn) has a commitment to promote health and wellness throughout the community," said Joshua Coleman, program field coordinator for the Extension Service at Alcorn. "And we're looking for ways to get the community involved." |
| JSU's Little Free Library unveiled amid eager readers | |
| The sun was shining, balloons were flying and a crowd of eager readers enjoyed the ribbon-cutting for the Little Free Library at JSU's e-City Center. "Today's a great day the Lord has blessed us with," said community activist Patty Patterson, owner of Repurposed Projects, as she welcomed the crowd, including about a dozen Blackburn Middle School students. "This is for the community." Mary M. White, interim vice president of JSU's Division of Institutional Advancement, shared with the students that she was an avid reader when she was 15 years old, and that helped prepare her to go to college. "I'm just very, very proud of the young people here," White said, "because you are our future." |
| Jackson State purchases apartment complex for students | |
| The College Board has approved Jackson State University's purchase of a 444-bed apartment complex. The board voted Friday to approve the $9.2 million purchase of the Palisades Apartments. The board voted in December to allow a JSU unit to borrow up to $10 million to buy the apartments and renovate them. JSU will purchase the apartments from Redus Mississippi LLC, a subsidiary of Wells Fargo & Co. The bank foreclosed on a previous owner in 2012. |
| Pulitzer Prize-winner Rick Bragg to speak Feb. 11 at U. of Alabama | |
 | "An Evening with Rick Bragg" will be held Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. at the Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library on the University of Alabama campus. The Pulitzer Prize-winning writer will give a speech and answer questions from the audience. Admission is $5 for students and $10 for the general public. Proceeds will help with printing costs for Alpine Living, a student-created travel magazine. Bragg was a reporter and national correspondent for The New York Times, where he won the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for feature writing. |
| Auburn student eats bugs for sustainable farming | |
 | Friday afternoon, Auburn University senior Cam Brantley-Rios pulled up a chair outside of Papa John's in the AU Student Center. He opened a cardboard to-go box, revealing rice and veggies, and dumped in a plastic container full of roasted crickets. He scooped up a spoonful of crickets and popped it in his mouth. "I didn't expect for them to taste so good," he said. "...These taste a little bit mushroom-y. ...They kind of taste like shrimp. Brantley-Rios, a public relations student from the San Francisco Bay area, plans to eat insects three times a day for 30 days in an effort to promote entomophagy, the human consumption of bugs. Brantley-Rios said eating insects promotes sustainable farming, along with offering numerous health benefits. |
| UALR Announces Finalists For Engineering & IT Dean | |
 | The University of Arkansas at Little Rock last week named four finalists for the position of dean of the Donaghey College of Engineering & Information Technology. The finalists will be interviewed on campus between Feb. 1 and Feb. 12. The finalists include Bill B. Elmore, interim director of the Dave C. Swalm School of Chemical Engineering and associate professor and Hunter Henry chair at Mississippi State University in Starkville. He holds three degrees from the University of Arkansas. |
| Four are finalists for U. of Florida liberal arts dean | |
 | And then there were four. The search committee assigned the task of recommending the next dean of the college of liberal arts and sciences to the provost and the president chose four candidates to come to the University of Florida later this month for more interviews. The four candidates are Avery August, chair of the Department of Microbiology & Immunology at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University; Ann Cudd, vice provost and dean of undergraduate studies at the University of Kansas; Christopher Long, associate dean for undergraduate and graduate studies at Penn State University; and David Richardson, a chemistry professor and interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at UF. |
| Black enrollment at U. of Florida takes a hit | |
| Black students are disappearing from the University of Florida campus at an alarming rate, despite efforts by campus recruiters. Enrollment of black freshmen dropped more than 50 percent between 2007 and 2013, with a high of 910, or 14 percent of 6,441 freshmen in 2007, compared with 395, or 6.2 percent of 6,370 freshmen in 2013, based on a database maintained by the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. Recruiting more black students to reverse that trend is a priority for UF, President Kent Fuchs said. "We are proud of our diversity, not just our students, but our faculty and staff as well," he said. "There is work to be done." |
| U. of Arkansas Fay Jones School of Architecture Dean Peter MacKeith on the Context of Design | |
| Peter MacKeith, 55, became dean of the Jones School of Architecture on July 1, 2014. Before coming to Arkansas, MacKeith was a professor and assistant dean at Washington University in St. Louis. MacKeith spent nearly a decade as director of the Master of Architecture-International Program at what is now known as Aalto University in Finland. MacKeith received his bachelor's degree in English and international relations from the University of Virginia and a master's in architecture from Yale. He is fluent in English, French and Finnish. |
| U. of Kentucky symposium focuses on 150th anniversary of end of Civil War | |
 | The nation will observe a major milestone in April: the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War, when the guns fell silent as Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union Gen. -- and future president -- Ulysses S. Grant. Even after a century and a half, the war's echoes remain. Now, the University of Kentucky's Gaines Center for the Humanities is noting the upcoming anniversary of the war's end through its 2015 Bale Boone Symposium. It will feature free public lectures during the next 10 days by three nationally known historians who will explore legacies of the conflict. |
| Texas A&M experts offer tips for perfect barbecue at 'Camp Brisket' | |
 | Anyone who has ever tried to cook a brisket knows the challenges involved. So it makes sense that a class taught by experts would be a popular one. How popular? Tickets for a recent "Camp Brisket" at Texas A&M went on sale online in August -- and sold out in less than a minute. The camp, a two-day event, covered all aspects of cooking and consuming the meat. It's an extension of A&M's BBQ Summer Camp series, in partnership with Foodways Texas, an organization aimed at promoting Texas food culture. |
| U. of Missouri hotline calls allege whistleblower retaliation, other misconduct | |
 | The University of Missouri System's ethics and compliance hotline brought in about as many calls in 2014 as the past two years combined with the majority of the calls coming from employees of University of Missouri Health Care. Unlike the bulk of the complaints regarding billing concerns and possible patient privacy violations, a handful of complaints toward the last half of the year alleged misconduct on the part of physicians and department chairs. The allegations describe a department chair engaging in ethnic origin discrimination and retaliation against whistleblowers, with retaliatory actions being used in a few other complaints. |
| University president seeks to end Missouri's race to the bottom | |
 | Missouri's race to the bottom has a powerful new enemy. His name is Tim Wolfe and he is the president of the University of Missouri System. Over the past two years, frustrated with the failure of the state's top political leaders to make education at all levels the priority it should be, Mr. Wolfe has taken his message directly to the people of the state. Missouri can't cut its way to prosperity. It can't win economically if it continues to be near the bottom of state rankings in all the things that matter (44th in higher education funding, for instance), and near the top in measures of poverty, hunger and poor health outcomes. "If we don't change, we will be in a race to the bottom and we will win the race. It is not what Missourians deserve," Mr. Wolfe told the Post-Dispatch editorial board. |
| Measles outbreak raises issues for colleges | |
 | A measles outbreak in the United States -- largely tied to exposure at Disneyland -- is causing alarm across the United States, and at least four colleges have students with the disease. "This is absolutely a concern for campuses," Sarah Van Orman, executive director of University Health Services at the University of Wisconsin at Madison and president of the American College Health Association, said via e-mail. Van Orman said there are two "critical actions" colleges should be taking right now. They should be "reviewing the immunization status of their students and when possible contacting students who are not fully immunized to encourage them to complete this," she said. Further, colleges should be "reviewing and updating their general communicable disease emergency response plans with attention to measles." |
| College Life Doesn't Have To Mean Crummy Cuisine, Says Dorm Room Chef | |
| Emily Hu is a veritable master chef of the dorm room. No oven? No problem. The college student is skilled at navigating the cooking limitations of campus living -- she can whip up cakes with just four ingredients and a microwave, and make muffins in a toaster oven. Her blog, called NotYourAverageCollegeFood.com, is full of recipes geared toward time-crunched students with limited resources and tiny kitchens. And earlier last month, she even taught a few Dorm Cooking 101 classes for the benefit of her fellow students at Johns Hopkins University, where Hu is a junior. But Hu, who studies public health at Hopkins, wasn't always such an expert. |
| BILL CRAWFORD (OPINION): Keep our school children safe from preventable diseases | |
 | Syndicated columnist Bill Crawford of Meridian writes: "Health science saves lives, particularly in Mississippi. ...Mississippi can stand proud. 'The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that for 2013-14, Mississippi had the largest percentage of kindergartners in public and private schools who have been vaccinated against diseases,' the Associated Press reported. ...Comes now a group calling itself 'Mississippi Parents for Vaccine Rights' wanting Mississippi to stand down when it comes to vaccinations. They want the law changed to allow for 'conscientious objections' so their children can attend school without vaccinations. Bless their hearts. They must not understand the awful history of contagious diseases before vaccinations." |
| DENNIS SEID (OPINION): Rolling out the carpet at furniture market | |
| The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal's Dennis Seid writes: "At the start of the 21st century 15 years ago, there was great concern about China and its effect on the furniture industry in the U.S. ...It's been a slow bleed for many companies as furniture jobs disappeared. But an effort to 'reshore' -- bringing jobs back to the U.S. -- has picked up steam in recent years. Some companies have found that the costs outweighed the benefits in going overseas. Later this week during the spring Tupelo Furniture Market, which officially starts Thursday, Mississippi companies have an opportunity to send more business to China. But in a way that benefits the companies and its workers." |
| PAUL HAMPTON (OPINION): Why wouldn't Jim Hood run for re-election? | |
| The Sun Herald's Paul Hampton writes: "Today's political forecast calls for dense fog. So, as our politicians slowly wave their wands above the top hat, don't fall for that misdirection. Watch the hand holding the squirming rabbit, not the hand with the wand. Consider the attorney general's race. When Republicans tell me Jim Hood, the only Democrat in a statewide office, is not running for re-election, my eyebrow loses control. I don't know what Hood is up to. He's famous for not telling the media anything past the news releases announcing arrests. People who know him well, though, have said he's running. And why not? I'm sure he drives the Republicans nuts and nothing, I've heard, warms his heart like a Republican with a coiffed head of burning hair." |
| LLOYD GRAY (OPINION): A new kind of Capitol control | |
| The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal's Lloyd Gray writes: "When C.B. 'Buddie' Newman ruled the Mississippi House of Representatives in the early 1980s, his most infamous act was adjourning the House on a deadline night while dozens of legislators shouted for a roll call vote. ...The maneuver was so heavy handed it turned out to be the beginning of the end of Newman's control of the House and the speakership. ...Yet even while ruling with an iron hand, Newman never required the absolute uniformity that current House Speaker Philip Gunn and Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves seem to get from their leadership team, not to mention the rank and file." |
| GEOFF PENDER (OPINION): Here's the ree-form; let's see ree-solve | |
| The Clarion-Ledger's Geoff Pender writes: "If you see state Rep. Jerry Turner of Baldwyn in the next few weeks, give him a hug, or at least an 'attaboy' -- his path may be beset on all sides as he attempts to pass House Bill 825. Many state leaders have called for some of that ree-form and sunshine in the wake of the massive prison system contract bribery scandal. Well, Turner has laid it out there in a nearly 600-page omnibus -- or as one former lawmaker used to say, 'ominous' -- bill to reform state contracting and provide more transparency. Turner -- gulp -- even has the audacity to want lawmakers to report gifts they are given by those who would try to influence them." |
| SAM R. HALL (OPINION): Big things ahead for Clarion-Ledger | |
| The Clarion-Ledger's Sam R. Hall writes: "The best way to describe the nearly three years I've been at The Clarion-Ledger is a time of continuous transition and change. ...These changes haven't always been easy. Many have been downright painful. And some have played into the narrative that newspapers are dying or -- more locally -- that The Clarion-Ledger is doomed. I've got a wife, three kids, a dog and a mortgage. If The Clarion-Ledger was doomed and the newspaper industry was on life support, I'd find another job. ...We are still in a period of great change and transition at The Clarion-Ledger as we reorganize our news operations, remodel our building, rebrand our entire business and launch exciting new products. ...All that said, The Clarion-Ledger remains your community newspaper and a statewide authority. I welcome and encourage your input." |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State closes deal in men's basketball win over LSU | |
| There would be no close call this time. After losing its last three Southeastern Conference games by a combined total of 16 points, Mississippi State's basketball team used a 19-10 closing stretch to break through, defeating LSU 73-67 in the process. "It means a lot because it gives us a lot of confidence," said MSU coach Rick Ray, whose team improved to 10-11 overall and 3-5 in Southeastern Conference play. "It's not just a win but it's a win against a quality ball club. I don't think there's any doubt that LSU is an NCAA Tournament team, I think they are the second most-talented team in the SEC. We wanted to make sure we could take that next step. But the thing is, we wanted to make sure we stayed the course and it's easier to do that when you win." |
| Free throws lift Bulldogs past LSU | |
| A rivalry was renewed on Saturday as old SEC West foes, LSU and Mississippi State, clashed in a battle. The Bulldogs used a late second-half surge, hitting 13 of their 14 free throws down the stretch, to pull off a 73-67 victory over LSU. Fred Thomas scored 18 points, including 7 of 7 shooting from the line, as Mississippi State hit 11 of its first 21 free throws but finished 23 of 35. "Obviously, that's a great win for our guys and the program," MSU coach Rick Ray said. "There's no question in my mind that LSU is a NCAA tournament team and they have some guys that are going to be playing in the NBA. I think they're probably the second most talented team in the SEC."= |
| Mississippi State tops LSU to close January on a positive note for team | |
| Applause rained down on Rick Ray as Mississippi State's head coach walked into one of the tunnels that acts as an exit from the court. His trip led him to MSU's locker room after a 73-67 win over LSU Saturday. Nearly an hour later, Ray left the court on the opposite side of Humphrey Coliseum to head to his office. A handful of fans remained, clapping. "Yeah, coach Ray!" "The thing we wanted to do when it's all said and done is stay the course and keep our guys together," Ray said. "This obviously helps you do that when you win." Those outside the program are beginning follow Ray on that course. |
| Craig Sword may play with back pain for rest of season | |
| The numbers don't reflect it, but Craig Sword's back is bothering him more than at the beginning of the season. Mississippi State's shooting guard missed the last two days of practice due to issues with his back. Sword had surgery to repair a bulging disc in his back in October. He missed MSU's first four games while recovering. In the last few games, Sword began showing the explosiveness he did last year as the Bulldogs' leading score. Against Ole Miss on Wednesday, and Saturday against LSU, he was a gametime decision. "We really didn't know for sure if he'd be able to play," MSU coach Rick Ray said. "And if he was able to play how effective he would be." |
| Fitts eagerly anticipates move to bullpen for Bulldogs | |
| Mississippi State pitching coach Butch Thompson didn't know what the meeting was going to be about. During MSU's fall baseball practice, MSU pitcher Trevor Fitts pulled his position coach to the side and told him the two needed to talk about something. Once behind closed doors, the senior from Birmingham, Alabama laid his idea out for Thompson to hear. "I went to coach and said 'If I'm not going to pitch deep into SEC games as a starter, and if I can help the team another way, I think we should do it,' " said Fitts on Friday afternoon. "I really felt like, with my stuff, I could possibly help the team from the bullpen." Thompson agreed, because he had been thinking the same thing. |
| Reid Humphreys provides pop in Mississippi State lineup | |
| Behind the wall that's about 330 feet from home plate at Dudy Noble Field and beyond a dirt road, stands a few portable bathrooms. During last weekend's Mississippi State baseball scrimmage, sophomore Reid Humphreys obliterated a ball that nearly hit them. "We need his bat in the lineup," MSU coach John Cohen said. "He's a very talented young hitter." |
| Mississippi State's Dak Prescott slated an early Heisman Trophy favorite | |
| This is why Mississippi State held its breath while Dak Prescott considered taking his talents to the NFL. The quarterback decided to use his senior year of eligibility and now he's a Heisman Trophy favorite heading into the 2015 season. Sure, it's January, but Bovada sports booking already has odds for the award. Only Ohio State's running back Ezekiel Elliot has better odds to win the Heisman Trophy than Prescott. Mississippi State lost 15 starters from last year's team, but a Heisman Trophy contending player masks a lot of holes. |
| Starting over: Mississippi State's Cox looks to rebuild career | |
| The days are quiet for Justin Cox now. That's fine with him. There are no fans around, no teammates, nothing but football. At around 7 a.m., sometimes earlier, the former Mississippi State safety jogs onto the football field at Training Farm, a facility in Aventura, Florida, where he is currently preparing for the upcoming NFL Draft. He immediately begins running, sprinting, jumping -- all the necessary workouts to stay in peak physical shape. The West Point native stays on the field, taking a short break around lunch, until the sun goes down. Then he returns to his apartment and does it again the next day. "I'm just trying to realize my dream of playing in the NFL," said Cox. |
| Mississippi's Butler seals Patriots' Super Bowl win | |
| Malcolm Butler's path from Vicksburg High School to Super Bowl hero Sunday night was far from conventional. Butler intercepted Russell Wilson's pass at the goal line with 20 seconds left to secure New England's 28–24 victory over Seattle in Super Bowl XLIX in Glendale, Ariz. |
| Auburn Board of Trustees to consider proposal for $13.9 million, 200-foot scoreboard upgrade | |
| Jordan-Hare Stadium is in line for a bit of facelift, and it starts with a brand-new, 200-foot videoboard. Auburn University's Board of Trustees will consider whether to approve a $13.9 million proposal by the athletics department to upgrade the scoreboard in the south end zone of Jordan-Hare Stadium during their monthly meeting Friday, according to a public agenda released on the university's website. "Our scoreboard is past its life expectancy, so we have to do something different in the south end," Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs told the Opelika-Auburn News last week. "We've got to replace that scoreboard." |
| Mike Alden explains departure from U. of Missouri athletics | |
| A day after announcing his resignation, Missouri Athletics Director Mike Alden explained the reasoning for his career move, albeit vaguely. After MU Deputy Chancellor Michael Middleton and Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin opened the ceremony, Alden said a resignation had been on his mind for several years. He called his next step part of his and his family's "journey." Loftin said the search for Alden's replacement will be a "careful, thorough process," but not long. Loftin said he is undecided whether MU will use a search firm. |
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