| Monday, February 23, 2015 |
| Organizers announce ragtime and jazz festival dates, Gatsby Gala at Mississippi State | |
 | The music -- and fashion -- of the Roaring '20s will be in the spotlight during the Charles H. Templeton Ragtime and Jazz Festival March 26-28 on the Mississippi State University campus. The Gatsby Gala fashion show opens the ninth annual festival March 26 at 5:30 p.m. Mitchell Memorial Library's second-floor lobby will be transformed for the evening into the Gatsby mansion as MSU Fashion Board members present 1920s-inspired styles created by design students. Musicians will be showcased in evening concerts March 27-28 in McComas Hall on campus, as well as in daytime talks. |
| FAA Small Drone Proposal Embraced By Agriculture Industry; Crop Benefits Seen | |
 | The benefits of using drones on farms -- from scouting crops to managing inputs like nitrogen and herbicides -- have the agriculture industry embracing the Federal Aviation Administration's proposed rule for commercial use of the unmanned aircraft systems. Stakeholders said many companies, and potentially farmers with thousands of acres, will want to be able to fly beyond line of sight. The FAA under its proposal said farmers can address this limitation by placing spotters to track a drone. Other systems may potentially be explored as long as there is adequate communication, Robert Moorhead, director of the Mississippi State University Geosystems Research Institute, said. |
| National beef symposium heads to Biloxi in 2015 | |
 | A national organization dedicated to improving the beef industry will hold its annual meeting on the Mississippi Gulf Coast in June and bring together cattle producers from across the world. The 2015 Beef Improvement Federation Convention, themed "Rebuilding a Cowherd," will take place June 9-12 at the Beau Rivage Hotel and Conference Center in Biloxi. Brandi Karisch, a Mississippi State University Extension Service animal scientist and researcher with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, is coordinating the event. "This is a great opportunity for researchers, industry representatives and beef producers from across the Southeast to attend the international meeting in their backyard," Karisch said. |
| Mississippi State Students Celebrate Chinese New Year | |
 | Mississippi State students celebrated the Chinese New Year on Friday evening in style. The MSU Association of Chinese Students and Scholars, along with the Holmes Cultural Diversity Center, hosted a gala at Lee Hall. Along with free food, there were traditional and international performances. |
| Wiseman vetoes insurance agent's ousting | |
| Starkville Mayor Parker Wiseman issued a veto Friday to overturn a 4-2 board of aldermen decision severing ties with its long-serving insurance agent of record. Led by Ward 2 Alderman Lisa Wynn, the board effectively fired Tim Cox, of the Columbus-based Cox Consulting Services, and agreed to replace him with the Integrity Group's Debbie Jaudon in March after Wynn alleged Cox concealed information from the board regarding the city's controversial plus-one insurance option. Five votes are needed to override a veto, and only six aldermen voted in Tuesday's decision since Ward 5 Alderman Scott Maynard recused himself from the debate. |
| Interim promotion saves SFD from more personnel moves | |
| Despite one Starkville alderman's objection to Tuesday's interim fire chief appointment, outgoing Chief Rodger Mann says the move makes sense because it avoids numerous internal promotions. The board appointed Fire Marshal Mark McCurdy as Mann's interim replacement over Battalion Chief Curtis Randle in a 4-3 vote Tuesday. The votes to approve McCurdy and pass on Randle both went down racial lines. After a failed motion to appoint Randle, Vice Mayor Roy A. Perkins alluded to racial bias as the board's reasoning to pick McCurdy instead of Randle. Perkins never specifically accused the board's four white aldermen of racism, but his comments insinuated the vote promoted McCurdy because "of who he is, not his experience." Mann said both McCurdy and Randle would perform well as interim chief, but McCurdy's promotion makes more sense in terms of personnel. |
| Rollin' in dough: Lowndes County worth $1.2 billion, Oktibbeha worth $355M | |
| A decade has made a marked difference on assessment values and tax collections in Lowndes and Oktibbeha counties. In 2014, the total assessed value of all real and personal property in Lowndes County eclipsed $1 billion, a more than 150-percent increase from $397 million in 2004. Oktibbeha County has also seen a bump in property value assessments with $355 million in 2014. That's up 48 percent from $240 million in assessed value in 2004. For Oktibbeha County, it's not industry, but multi-family housing units contributing the most in taxes. "Our growth is definitely tied to Mississippi State University, I think," Oktibbeha County tax collector/assessor Allen Morgan said. "We've got a lot more students here than we had 10 years ago. And you've got a lot of people who live here and work in Lowndes County." |
| Aluminum mill officials announce Louisiana site | |
 | An aluminum company that based its offices in Columbus last year will locate a proposed $2.4 billion aluminum manufacturing complex in Louisiana. American Specialty Alloys announced Friday in a news release that the site is a 1,200-acre mill complex formerly operated by International Paper in Rapides Parish near Pineville, Louisiana. The complex will employ roughly 1,500 jobs, according to ASA. ASA officials say several states were considered for the plant, including Mississippi. An offer for 826 acres in Lowndes County was pulled by the Golden Triangle Development LINK after officials said ASA's CEO, Dr. Roger Boggs, wouldn't answer questions about the project, which ASA initially indicated would be worth $1.2 billion and employ up to 850 people. |
| Kemper County looks to implement Portera plan | |
 | Things are about to get busier and better for Kemper County. The Mississippi Power Company's Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle Facility -- which is set to open in 2016 -- is expected to pump $12 million of tax-based revenue into Kemper County, according Kemper County Board of Supervisors President Johnny Whitsett. Dr. Malcolm Portera, former president of Mississippi State University and chancellor for the University of Alabama System, and his son, Andy, gave a presentation of their firm's "Kemper County: A Strategic Investment Plan," Tuesday night before a standing-room-only crowd. Craig Hitt, executive director of the Kemper County Economic Development Authority, said the plan was ambitious, but necessary if Kemper County wants to sustain the spark of potential economic growth created by the start of production from Mississippi Power's new $6.1 billion capital project. |
| 50 years after Appalachian Regional Commission created progress made, but problems persist | |
| The agency created five decades ago to fight poverty in Appalachia has helped county economies grow with nearly $4 billion in spending, but the region still lags in key measures of educational, economic and physical well-being, according to a new study. The exhaustive report ordered up by the Appalachian Regional Commission cites progress in some categories -- poverty rates have fallen by about half, for instance -- though the research didn't quantify the ARC's role in many of the individual demographic trends. And researchers noted that other problems persist, including disproportionately high mortality rates and dependency on government checks. |
| Federal highway money to Mississippi flattens as needs eyed | |
| As Mississippi leaders study ways to deal with the state's crumbling highways and bridges, declining federal funds aren't helping the situation. The pinch comes as highways age that were built in the great burst of construction following Mississippi's passage of its 1987 four-lane highway program. The state's three transportation commissioners and others have been sounding alarms for several years. "We continue to do the best job that we can in managing the demise of our transportation system," said Central District Commissioner Dick Hall, maybe the most outspoken in favor of more money. The Mississippi Economic Council has formed a group to study transportation conditions, outline priorities and figure out how to pay for them. |
| Hood Running for 4th Term as Mississippi Attorney General | |
| Jim Hood filed papers Friday to run for a fourth term as Mississippi attorney general, saying he considered retiring and going into private law practice but still has things he wants to accomplish as the state's top legal officer. "I labored over the decision. I've just got some unfinished business," Hood told The Associated Press in a phone interview from his home in his northeast Mississippi hometown of Houston. Hood, 52, is the only Democrat currently holding a statewide office in Mississippi and is the first person in the race for attorney general. Candidates' qualifying deadline is Feb. 27, and it's unclear whether a Republican will run. |
| Tax cuts on upcoming legislative agenda | |
 | If legislators are going to pass a broad-based tax cut during the 2015 session, at least one chamber must vote on a proposal by Wednesday. That is likely to occur since Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, who presides over the Senate, has proposed a $380 million tax cut phased in over multiple years that would lower taxes for large and small businesses and for individuals paying taxes on income. But Reeves' proposal is far from the only tax cut plan floating around this session -- in advance of this November's elections. |
| Common Core: When friends become foes | |
 | Common Core opponents, once united against a shared enemy, fractured this month over whether Mississippi lawmakers did enough to endanger the controversial standards shaping K-12 education curriculum statewide. Occupying one camp are residents such as DeSoto County mother Brandie Correro, who said legislators passed a watered-down bill changing the standards' name but not the standards themselves. They're angry at what they call false promises by milquetoast politicians and vow to push for a full repeal. In the other camp are elected officials such as Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves who praised the Senate's passage of legislation that, while not as strong as some had wanted, sets in motion a process to dismantle Common Core. |
| Mississippi Association of Supervisors targets unfunded mandates on counties | |
| The Mississippi Association of Supervisors is rallying the rank and file to oppose several bills making their way through the 2015 Legislature. Among them are bills to boost the salaries of court reporters, constables and sheriffs. The association considers them unfunded mandates. All appear to have overwhelming support in the Legislature. The association lobbies on behalf of the state's 410 locally elected supervisors before the Legislature and other governmental bodies. In addition, the association is opposing tax breaks for seniors and disabled persons because there are too many unknowns about how the legislation would impact the counties. |
| Tate Reeves Speaks on Plan for Mississippi Job Growth | |
 | Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves qualified to seek re-election last Monday. His first stop on the campaign trail was east Mississippi where he's talking about growth in the private sector. "The question that needs to be asked is, 'What are we doing in local governments?' They need to be working with our state government to create that environment which encourages private sector businesses to invest capital in this region of the state," Reeves says. Reeves says it's up to the state to provide local governments with the tools needed to promote job growth within their own regions. "One thing we have to get better at across the state is our local officials have to work together better," Reeves explains. "Our city officials, our county officials and our state officials all have to be singing from the same hymnal." |
| 3Qs: Delbert Hosemann, Mississippi Secretary of State | |
| Legislation is pending during the current session of the Mississippi Legislature to establish what has become known as a SEC, or Southeastern Conference, election primary. Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann, who oversees elections in Mississippi, answered three questions about the SEC primary for 2016 with the Daily Journal's Bobby Harrison. And, by the way, it has nothing to do with football. |
| GOP chairman says DeSoto important in state politics | |
 | Mississippi Republican Party officials, including several statewide candidates, gathered at the Southaven Public Library Thursday to rally support for the party ticket this November. GOP Chairman Joe Nosef was the guest speaker at a combined meeting of the DeSoto County Republican Women and the DeSoto County Republican Club. Nosef spoke on a wide array of topics, including the special election to fill the First District Congressional seat, this year's legislative session, and the upcoming state elections. Republican Party Executive Director Spencer Ritchie, who accompanied Nosef on the Southaven trip, said DeSoto County will continue to play a major role in state politics. |
| Parker not running for 1st District, to stay in state Senate | |
| State Sen. David Parker, R-Olive Branch, made it official Friday that he will stay in the Mississippi State Senate rather than seek higher office as a U.S. Congressman. "Since the passing of Congressman Alan Nunnelee, I have been diligently considering a run for Congress and the impact it would have on my family," Parker said in a statement released Friday. "I have consulted with the governor, lieutenant governor, fellow senators, local elected officials, friends and patients." Parker determined the timing is not right to run for Congress. Parker is an optometrist in Olive Branch. A self-described "conservative Republican," he was elected to the Senate in 2012 and serves on the Senate Economic Development Committee, Elections Committee, Judiciary-A Committee, Housing Committee, and Public Health and Welfare Committee. |
| Rudy Giuliani says he's received death threats over Obama remarks | |
 | Rudy Giuliani says he is getting death threats at his office in the wake of controversial comments that President Barack Obama doesn't love America. Giuliani's remarks about Obama, made during a private dinner in midtown Manhattan featuring Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, have put the entire 2016 Republican field on the spot. "I wouldn't characterize any of that that way," said former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour of Giuliani's choice of words. |
| Document Reveals Growth of Cyberwarfare Between the U.S. and Iran | |
 | A newly disclosed National Security Agency document illustrates the striking acceleration of the use of cyberweapons by the United States and Iran against each other, both for spying and sabotage, even as Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart met in Geneva to try to break a stalemate in the talks over Iran's disputed nuclear program. The document, which was written in April 2013 for Gen. Keith B. Alexander, then the director of the National Security Agency, described how Iranian officials had discovered new evidence the year before that the United States was preparing computer surveillance or cyberattacks on their networks. It detailed how the United States and Britain had worked together to contain the damage from "Iran's discovery of computer network exploitation tools." |
| Police secretly spy on phones with cell-tower simulators | |
 | The case against Tadrae McKenzie looked like an easy win for prosecutors. He and two buddies robbed a small-time pot dealer of $130 worth of weed using BB guns. Under Florida law, that was robbery with a deadly weapon, with a sentence of at least four years in prison. But before trial, his defense team detected investigators' use of a secret surveillance tool, one that raises significant privacy concerns. In an unprecedented move, a state judge ordered the police to show the device -- a cell-tower simulator sometimes called a StingRay -- to the attorneys. Rather than show the equipment, the state offered McKenzie a plea bargain. McKenzie's case is emblematic of the growing, but hidden, use by local law enforcement of a sophisticated surveillance technology borrowed from the national security world. |
| MUW's Shields honored with IHL diversity award | |
| Janie Shields, the life enrichment program coordinator at Mississippi University for Women, was honored Wednesday with a diversity award by the Mississippi Board of Trustees of the State Institutions of Higher Learning. Each state university submitted one nomination for consideration to IHL's Office of External Relations. Nominees were evaluated based on positive contributions to the campus and the state and advancing diversity among their respective institutions. Shields was recognized at an IHL event Wednesday in Jackson and will be honored on MUW's campus at the Diversity Award for Excellence Recognition Luncheon Ceremony next Thursday at 11:30 a.m. |
| 'The Cat in the Hat' comes to The W stage Thursday | |
| Cherished by readers both young and old, the story about the cat in the tall red and white striped hat will come to life on stage at Mississippi University for Women Thursday. The performance is set for 7 p.m. in Rent Auditorium, Whitfield Hall. "This stage adaptation of Dr. Seuss' "The Cat in the Hat" was created by the National Theatre of Great Britain a few years ago and has subsequently become a very popular production worldwide. The play is true to the original book in its look, style and spirit. It is 40 minutes of pure energy, fun, and, of course, rhymes," said William "Peppy" Biddy, who is professor of theatre and director of graduate studies at The W. |
| Art Week blossoms in 3-D on the W campus | |
| A drive through the Mississippi University for Women campus these past several days has had heads turning. Three vibrant three-dimensional works were displayed on the grounds in front of the Art and Design Building. If this week's weather conditions cooperate, they should be back out, showing visitors to The W what art students have been up to during this semester's Art Week. During Art Week, students were grouped to focus on collaborative projects, rather their more regular studio work, explained Associate Professor of Art Alex Stelioes-Wills. In the fall, teams create large two-dimensional artworks. For the spring semester, they develop three-dimensional projects. Groups chose from a selection of themes related to contemporary art. |
| Southern universities, including U. of Mississippi, still wrestling with racist pasts | |
 | Tillman Hall is the building that goes on the Clemson University posters, at least the ones that don't feature the football stadium or an orange paw print. The red brick building with a clock tower is the grandest and best-known structure on campus. It's also named for a vehement racist. Clemson -- along with other Southern universities, and even some in the North -- is now wrestling with that troubled legacy. After a 2012 incident, when a mob of students protesting President Barack Obama's re-election chanted racial slurs, the University of Mississippi appointed a committee to address issues of insensitivity on campus. That committee came up with a list of recommendations, one of which was the renaming of a building called Vardaman Hall. The "rewriting history" argument doesn't work for Charles Ross, an African-American studies professor who sat on the committee. |
| Ole Miss prof: Face of journalism changing | |
| The journalism school at the University of Mississippi has experienced phenomenal growth in the five years since Will Norton Jr. returned to the Oxford campus to head up the program. Norton says, however, he is troubled by the number of students who arrive at college ill-equipped at basic writing skills and the coddling they have received growing up. "I can't tell you what a difference Ole Miss is now than when I came 40 years ago, when students had a much better work ethic than they have now," Norton said in a recent civic club speech in Greenwood. |
| Ole Miss names interim alumni affairs director | |
| Sheila Dossett has been appointed interim executive director of alumni affairs at the University of Mississippi, effective March 2. Dossett is senior associate director of alumni affairs and director of alumni activities for the schools of Applied Sciences and Education. A member of the alumni affairs staff since 2001, she joined the university staff as an advancement associate for the School of Applied Sciences. She also serves as adviser for the Student Alumni Council. |
| USM faculty members see success | |
| The University of Southern Mississippi's Stan Kuczaj, professor of psychology and director of its Marine Mammal Behavior and Cognition Laboratory, has been selected a Fellow with the American Association for the Advancement of Science, one of six psychologists chosen for the honor. Michele Frasier-Robinson, an assistant professor who is the reference librarian for the College of Education and Psychology, was elected to a two-year term as vice chair/chair-elect of the Association of College and Research Libraries, Mississippi Chapter of the Mississippi Library Association. Elena Azadbakht, an assistant professor and reference librarian for health sciences, was elected to a one-year term as secretary/treasurer for 2015 of the Association of College and Research Libraries, Mississippi Chapter of the Mississippi Library Association. |
| Rankins to be formally installed as Alcorn State president | |
| Alcorn State University will formally install Alfred Rankins Jr. as its 19th president April 16-17 with a number of events. Officials say in a news release that the program for the events will salute the university's traditions, its continued commitment to academic excellence and its promise to insure the school's legacy for future generations. Rankins is only the fifth Alcorn graduate to be appointed president in the university's 144-year history. |
| Mississippi Community College Board deadlocked over its chief's hiring | |
| Mississippi Community College Board Chairman Bruce Martin of Meridian says the board took no action in a closed meeting Friday but will keep discussing the appointment of a new executive director. Martin didn't say exactly what happened in Friday's executive session, but indicated the stalemate persisted. |
| East Central Community College president praised for workforce training efforts | |
| East Central Community College President Dr. Billy Stewart was praised Thursday by officials from the Mississippi Economic Council for his efforts in workplace development. MEC President and CEO Blake Wilson lauded Stewart during a round table discussion following the MEC's Regional Roundup at the Philadelphia Depot on Thursday. "The $57 million expansion Weyerhaeuser announced last August has real potential for great economic growth for this area and Dr. Billy Stewart should be praised for being pro-active in dealing with Weyerhaeuser and helping them prepare a workforce," Wilson said. Stewart said workforce development will be a crucial area for the state's community colleges. "This has great potential for our smaller community colleges like East Central," Stewart said. "The funding has never been there before, but now we're able to do more in help building a workforce development program." |
| U. of Alabama tapped as science innovation site | |
 | The University of Alabama's recent selection by the National Science Foundation as an Innovation Corps site will help UA broaden its efforts to help commercialize new technologies developed by students and employees. "It really doesn't change drastically what we are doing," said Dan Daly, director of the Alabama Innovation and Mentoring of Entrepreneurs Center. AIME helps faculty, staff and students commercialize inventions and innovations. The UA board of trustees approved renaming the center earlier this month from the Alabama Institute for Manufacturing Excellence. |
| Auburn University to increase security in response to written message found on campus | |
 | Auburn University sent out a safety advisory to students and staff on Friday after a concerning message was discovered in a campus bathroom. Auburn Police said that while there is an ongoing investigation, the message did not relay any direct or specify threat to the public. However, the college and police department will increase security personnel assigned to the area as a precaution. Director of Public Safety Melvin Owens said the main purpose of the advisory was inform to inform students of the incident and encourage anyone on campus to report unusual behavior. The Auburn Police Department, with the assistance of the FBI, is actively looking into the matter since the posting of any message in a public place that disrupts school and causes public alarm is a felony offense. |
| Psychological Services open house Wednesday at Auburn University | |
 | The Auburn University Psychological Services Center, which has served the Auburn community for more than 30 years, will showcase its recent renovations during an open house Wednesday from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in Cary Hall near South Donahue and War Eagle Way. Visitors can tour the facilities and meet the director, Polly Dunn, as well as graduate clinicians. There is a more modern and soothing atmosphere for clinical services and a comfortable waiting area, with separate space for children and families. There are now 10 individual therapy rooms, including two large play therapy rooms for younger children, as well as a group therapy room and two assessment rooms. |
| In-demand college majors in Louisiana may cost more | |
 | As state leaders look for ways to address what threaten to be cataclysmic cuts to higher education funding in Louisiana, one idea that has been discussed is whether colleges could charge higher fees for more in-demand majors. In practice, the idea is simple: Engineering majors, for example, would ultimately pay more for their degrees than English majors. Supporters of the proposal say engineering courses are more costly to offer because those professors are paid more and they often rely on expensive lab equipment. Also, engineering majors are more likely to get higher-paying jobs quickly upon graduation, so those degrees are more valuable in the marketplace. |
| U. of Tennessee trustees to hear funding plan from DiPietro | |
 | University of Tennessee President Joe DiPietro will soon reveal his next steps in fixing the "broken" university business model. DiPietro will speak on the issue when he addresses the UT board of trustees during its two-day meeting this week at the UT Health Science Center in Memphis. "Dr. DiPietro's report to the full board will outline a model for campus and institute executives to use to manage their units for the next two budget cycles," said Gina Stafford, UT system spokeswoman. "The president considers working to establish long-term, sustainable funding for the university his top priority." Stafford said DiPietro will ask the board for its endorsement of his plan. |
| Foundation report recommends big changes in J-schools | |
| Teaching students how to stay up to date should be emphasized over theory if the nation's journalism colleges expect to stay relevant and produce graduates who are able to compete in the rapidly changing field. That is the conclusion drawn by Dianne Lynch, president of Stephens College and author of a report for the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation released Thursday. The report, which comes at a time the journalism profession is going through major upheavals, says a big shakeup is needed in the way it's taught. Diane McFarlin, Dean of the College of Journalism and Communications at University of Florida, said she completely agrees with Lynch's overall message, "which is the importance of digital fluency and the benefits of hands-on learning." |
| Police: Vanderbilt campus shooting may be drug related | |
 | Metro police believe the suspect and victim in a deadly Saturday night shooting at a Vanderbilt University garage knew each other and may have been involved in a drug-related dispute. According to Vanderbilt police, officers responded to the Wesley Place garage at approximately 11:40 p.m. Saturday where they found Joeuan Booker, 31, with injuries from an apparent gunshot wound. Booker is not affiliated with the university and Vanderbilt police believe the suspect is also not affiliated with Vanderbilt. |
| U. of Missouri fraternity members charged with disturbing the peace in hazing incident | |
 | Six University of Missouri fraternity members arrested on hazing charges ultimately pleaded guilty to peace disturbance by fighting after a fraternity-sanctioned game similar to hide-and-seek caused a stir on campus. The six Phi Kappa Theta brothers pleaded guilty earlier this year and were sentenced to one year of unsupervised probation. According to the probable cause statement, the new members -- or pledges -- were taking part in a "walkout," where they had to avoid older fraternity members; if a pledge is caught, it's common for his hands to be bound as he is taken back to the fraternity house. |
| Missouri medical school expansion tied up in budget fight | |
| After about seven years of planning, the University of Missouri School of Medicine accepted an expanded first-year class last fall. The expansion was possible because of a partnership with two hospitals in Springfield, which will allow about a third of the students to spend their clinical years -- years three and four of their education -- at the hospitals in southwest Missouri. But the project suffered a major blow when Gov. Jay Nixon withheld $10 million from the 2015 budget for the college's clinical campus in Springfield and a new building in Columbia. The project aims to address the physician shortage in southwest Missouri, and the state in general. |
| Sanctions Put Academic Freedoms to a Test on a Campus Far From Tehran | |
| Word of the new policy spread through Facebook, text messages and emails, leaving consternation and fury in its wake. The state's flagship campus had announced this month that it intended to ban Iranian nationals from admittance to certain science and engineering programs, including physics, chemistry, and electrical and computer engineering, citing a 2012 federal law that limits the fields Iranians can study at American universities. Universities have long been subject to various export controls, and the dispute has drawn attention to a topic that students and their universities have wrestled with. Young Iranians have been encouraged to study here while sanctions limit what they are allowed to do, putting those regulations at odds with stated values of academic openness and tolerance. |
| Oklahoma legislature targets AP US history framework for being 'negative' | |
 | American history is constantly debated not only by historians but by politicians. So it was largely unsurprising when some Republicans started to criticize the new Advanced Placement U.S. history framework last year for allegedly downplaying positive elements of America's past. Many historians were caught off guard last week, however, when the criticism grew legs, at least in Oklahoma: a legislative committee there easily passed a bill declaring the new AP curriculum an "emergency" threatening the "public peace, health and safety," to be defunded in the coming school year. The Oklahoma bill's future is unclear, and some aren't taking it too seriously. But the movement has historians concerned about the possible spread of legislative actions against the AP framework -- and the fate of what they say is a good test that encourages precisely the kind of historical thinking they want students to pick up on their way to college. |
| College students prefer reading in print over e-books on mobile devices | |
| Frank Schembari loves books -- printed books. He loves how they smell. He loves scribbling in the margins, underlining interesting sentences, folding a page corner to mark his place. Schembari is not a retiree who sips tea at Politics and Prose or some other bookstore. He is 20, a junior at American University, and paging through a thick history of Israel between classes, he is evidence of a peculiar irony of the Internet age: Digital natives prefer reading in print. "I like the feeling of it," Schembari said, reading under natural light in a campus atrium, his smartphone next to him. Textbook makers, bookstore owners and college student surveys all say millennials still strongly prefer print for pleasure and learning, a bias that surprises reading experts given the same group's proclivity to consume most other content digitally. |
| If Your Teacher Likes You, You Might Get A Better Grade | |
 | Were you ever the teacher's pet? Or did you just sit behind the teacher's pet and roll your eyes from time to time? A newly published paper suggests that personality similarity affects teachers' estimation of student achievement. That is, how much you are like your teacher contributes to his or her feelings about you -- and your abilities. "Astonishingly, little is known about the formation of teacher judgments and therefore about the biases in judgments," says Tobias Rausch, an author of the study and a research scientist at the Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg. "However, research tells us that teacher judgments often are not accurate." |
| CLAUDIA WILLIAMSON (OPINION): Government spending, regulations hurt Mississippi business climate | |
| Claudia Williamson, an assistant professor of economics at Mississippi State, writes for The Clarion-Ledger: "The latest Economic Freedom of North America report, which measures and ranks all 50 U.S. states in economic freedom levels, is a useful guide in helping Mississippi identify areas in which the state must improve economic freedom and, in doing so, improve opportunity and quality of life for Mississippians. According to the report, over the past five years, Mississippi has been declining in economic freedom, landing at 48th. The main drivers of the downward trend are an increase in size of government and restrictions on the labor market." |
| BILL CRAWFORD (OPINION): Mississippi's thin racial veneer | |
| Syndicated columnist Bill Crawford of Meridian writes: "Race persists as a predominant part of Mississippi life. There are the disparities revealed by objective facts: Most Republicans are white. Most African-Americans are Democrats. All statewide elected officials are white. Most prison inmates are black. Most wealthy Mississippians, business owners, bank executives, physicians, and plant managers are white. Most poverty-level Mississippians and non-elderly Medicaid recipients are black. Most churches remain segregated. White flight from urban areas has re-segregated many city schools. And so on. There are the contemporary racial events that hearken to our hateful past..." |
| A Black Mississippi Judge's Breathtaking Speech To 3 White Murderers | |
| U.S. District Court Judge Carlton Reeves, who in 2010 became one of only two African-Americans ever to have ever served as a federal judge in Mississippi, delivered an address to three young white men before sentencing them for the murder of a 48-year-old black man in a parking lot in Jackson one night in 2011. In his speech, reprinted by National Public Radio's Code Switch blog, Reeves references the book, "A New History of Mississippi," and its author, Dennis Mitchell, division head of Arts and Sciences at Mississippi State University-Meridian and Reeves' former history professor. |
| JASON MORGAN WARD (OPINION): Lynching, murder and the judge | |
| Jason Morgan Ward, an associate professor of history at Mississippi State, writes for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "Two important events in the unfinished history of southern racial violence occurred earlier this month. On Feb. 10, the Alabama-based Equal Justice Initiative released 'Lynching in America,' an unflinching report that documents 3,959 black victims of mob violence in 12 southern states between 1877 and 1950. The same day, a U.S. District Court judge handed down sentences in the federal government's first prosecution in Mississippi under the Shephard-Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act. If not for the sentencing remarks that Judge Carlton Reeves delivered to three participants in the June 2011 killing of James Craig Anderson, perhaps no one would be talking about these events in the same breath. They should." |
| SID SALTER (OPINION): A Slater victory highly improbable | |
| Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: "Mississippi is going to have a contested governor's race in 2015 after all -- well, after a fashion. The entry of successful Madison attorney Vicki Slater into the race guarantees incumbent Republican Gov. Phil Bryant an opponent. But can a Democrat win a statewide election? First, a trip down memory lane. A quick review of the last 25 years or so in Mississippi politics helps define the landscape in that race. ...Mississippi's recent political history suggests that Slater faces a long, hard road in 2015 against Bryant. In gubernatorial politics, the numbers have solidly favored Republicans, and Republican incumbent governors have grown stronger in office, not weaker -- since 1991. |
SPORTS
| Battling Bulldogs improve to 8-0 | |
| No. 24 Mississippi State polished off its second four-game sweep of the young season to improve to 8-0 on Sunday. The Bulldogs downed Marshall 7-4 in a game that was resumed from Saturday and held on for a 2-1 win against Alabama A&M in the nightcap. "No untested team is going to go out there and win the whole thing," said MSU second baseman Ryan Gridley. "You've got to battle and have games that go down to the very end. Those are the games where you know you have a tough team, a team that can take it all the way." |
| Robson continues hot start at plate for Bulldogs | |
| There is nothing about Mississippi State center fielder Jacob Robson that screams middle-of-the-order hitter. Maybe that's why it's working so well. Robson, a 5-foot-7, 160-pound speedster out of Windsor, Ontario, Canada, isn't a threat to hit a home runs. And with his slender build and contact-hitting approach, he doesn't seem like a typical run producer. But there he is, the sweet-hitting left-hander anchored at the No. 5 spot in MSU's batting order. So far, the results are near historic. |
| No. 14 Mississippi State women escape Alabama, 57-55 | |
| Dominique Dillingham came up with the key block with :06 left to help No. 14 Mississippi State escape Tuscaloosa with a 57-55 win over Alabama Sunday. Victoria Vivians' jumper with 1:26 left gave Mississippi State a five-point lead, 57-52, but the Bulldogs did not score again and Alabama rallied. Sharin Rivers knocked down a 3-pointer with :55 left in the game to pull the Crimson Tide within two, 57-55, but Karyla Middlebrook had her shot to tie the game blocked by Dillingham, who grabbed the rebound to allow the Bulldogs to run out the clock. Mississippi State (25-4, 10-4) is tied with Texas A&M for third place in the SEC. |
| Alabama women's basketball loses to No. 14 Mississippi State | |
| Foster Auditorium saw its biggest crowd as 3,133 people bled crimson, maroon and pink for the University of Alabama women's basketball team's annual Power of Pink/Play 4Kay game. Mississippi State fans made the 90-mile drive, filling half of the gym in maroon, to watch the No. 14 Bulldogs edge the Crimson Tide in a 57-55 thriller. The win was the Bulldogs 25th this season, an all-time school record. Mississippi State had 3 players score in double-digits; Victoria Vivians with 12, and Dominique Dillingham and Martha Alwal both with 10. Five cancer survivors joined the Crimson Tide in the locker room before the game, and were recognized with standing ovations on the court throughout the game. |
| Mississippi State softball team sweeps Penn State | |
| Samantha Ricketts started earning her keep very early as the new hitting coach for the Mississippi State softball team. Ricketts has instilled a positive attitude and a new belief system at the plate. Both have paid dividends early as MSU is off to a 12-1 start after a 9-3, 10-5 doubleheader sweep of Big Ten Conference foe Penn State on Saturday at the MSU Softball Field. "One of the focuses coming in was our confidence level," Ricketts said. "We wanted to make sure the girls were at their best mentally before the season started. You have to work hard to make sure the players who are lacking confidence have a better understanding of their abilities." |
| Mississippi State softball routs Penn State | |
 | Picking up where they left off after a Saturday sweep, Mississippi State bats erupted as the Bulldogs defeated Penn State 10-2 in five innings on Sunday at the MSU Softball Field, sealing the three-game sweep. Mississippi State (13-1) used nine hits and impressive performances from sophomore third baseman Caroline Seitz and sophomore pitcher Alexis Silkwood to overpower the Nittany Lions (6-7). "I am proud of how we handled the weather and the third game of this series. I really appreciate the fans that braved the elements with us," said Bulldog skipper Vann Stuedeman. |
| Mississippi State's loss to Arkansas shows Ready's importance | |
| There's a reason Mississippi State coach Rick Ray's squad looks like a basketball team this year. He has enough basketball players. During Ray's first two seasons at Mississippi State, he went through the Southeastern Conference schedule with six to eight scholarship players. This year, it's common to see as many as 10 scholarship players log minutes for the Bulldogs (12-15, 5-9 SEC). But Ray still doesn't have the quality of depth to match up with the elite in the league. Mississippi State hosted No. 18 Arkansas on Saturday without its starting point guard I.J. Ready. The result was 23 turnovers, the third-most this season. "He's a crucial part to our team," Ray said. |
| Mississippi State's Tony Hughes named one of nation's top recruiters | |
| Mississippi State football assistant coach Tony Hughes has been recognized as one of the top 25 recruiters in the nation by Rivals.com. Rivals.com annually puts out its list of the top recruiters and Hughes made it again. According to the recruiting web site, this year's class of freshman MSU brought in during signing day was its best since 2003. Hughes, who is entering his seventh season with the program, has been a cornerstone of football in the state of Mississippi since 1985. |
| Mississippi college players shine on day 3 of combine workouts | |
| Three Mississippi college players had solid workouts at the NFL Combine on Sunday. Mississippi State defensive lineman Preston Smith may have worked himself into first-round consideration. Smith shined among the defensive linemen, put up 24 reps at 225 pounds in the bench press, ran a 4.74 in the 40-yard dash, leaped 10-feet-1-inch in the broad jump and vertical jump of 34 inches. MSU linebacker Benardrick McKinney also stood out. He leaped 10-feet-1-inch in the broad jump and his best 40 time was 4.6. McKinney, who left MSU after his junior season, is considered a first-round pick. |
| Conferences weigh freshman-ineligibility rule for basketball players | |
| Frustrated by what they see as the National Basketball Association's continued pillaging of underclassmen from their teams, some college basketball conferences warn that colleges will consider making freshmen ineligible to play if the N.B.A. does not change its rule that makes players eligible for the draft at age 19. Freshman ineligibility is often proposed by those interested in reforming college sports as a way to protect academic integrity and help remediate struggling athletes. It's not often considered seriously by many in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, which voted to make freshman players eligible in 1972. In recent months, however, the idea has gained traction among some high-level college athletics officials. |
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