| Monday, March 2, 2015 |
| The Mill: 'It's really coming together' | |
 | For long-time developer Mark Castleberry, The Mill at Mississippi State University represents the most challenging project of his career. Yet, here on a cold February afternoon as he toured the project, none of those challenges seem to register on Castleberry's face. Why is this man smiling? "Well, it's not like doing a strip mall, you know?" he says. Indeed, Castleberry says the unique challenges the project have presented have been an awful lot of fun, especially now that parts of the projects are nearing completion. Castleberry is far from the only person who is eager to see the project finished. The Mill at MSU has been a dream of both the university and the city of Starkville for a dozen years now as leaders in the city and the university recognized the strategic value of the old building as both a gateway to the university and the city and a way to integrate the two entities. |
| Local vet students learn disaster preparedness for pets | |
 | They say a dog is a man's best friend, right? The Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine is being proactive about animal safety. On Sunday, the students worked with local first responders on disaster training. "The human animal bond, is a really strong thing. So, in times of disasters, some people will refuse to evacuate if they can't take their pets. We want to raise awareness among the local responders that animal health is really important," said Mississippi State student Brittany Szafarn. Szafarn has been planning this event for the past five months |
| 2015 Bulldog Family Weekend Held In Starkville | |
 | This weekend on the campus of Mississippi State it's all about family. Families of current MSU students are taking the time to explore the campus and learn more about the "True Maroon" experience. The 2015 Bulldog Family Weekend highlights several athletic buildings, as well as activities going on around campus. The big weekend draws in many out of state families. |
| Soil temperature is important when planting peanuts | |
 | Optimum soil temperatures at planting can make a significant difference in emergence of peanuts, says Jason Sarver, who says lasts year's cool, wet spring generated a lot of calls from growers asking, "Why aren't my peanuts coming up?" A lot of peanuts went in the ground when soil temperatures were in the 50-65 degree range, he told members of the Mississippi Peanut Growers Association at their annual meeting, and in many cases cool rains followed. Sarver, who is assistant Extension and research professor of plant and soil sciences at Mississippi State University and the state's peanut specialist, says work done in Georgia has shown the importance of soil temperature for timely, uniform germination. |
| Oktibbeha elections set as last-minute qualifiers enter races | |
| Twenty-four Democrats, 14 Republicans and two independents tossed their hats into the races for 18 elected Oktibbeha County positions before Friday's qualification window closed. All but four of the county's elected seats are challenged: Opponents to Prosecutor Haley Brown, Surveyor Tom Gregory, District 3 Constable James Lindsey and District 1 Constable Shank Phelps failed to materialize by the 5 p.m. deadline. All five incumbent district supervisors face re-election campaigns this year, and the race for District 2's seat doubled this week as two new candidates emerged. Three top-level county administrators -- Oktibbeha's tax assessor and its circuit and chancery clerks -- now face election challenges this cycle. The race for Oktibbeha County's top law enforcement position pits Sheriff Steve Gladney against former Chief Deputy George Carrithers in November's general election. |
| Allgood, Colom face off for Golden Triangle district attorney | |
| Forrest Allgood and Scott Colom are both vying to be the district attorney that oversees the Golden Triangle. Allgood, who has held the District 16 position since 1989, is stripping his party affiliation for his latest re-election bid, qualifying as an independent. This marks the first time since Allgood was first elected that he's run as an independent. He ran as a Democrat in his previous re-election bids. He will face Colom, a Columbus attorney, in the general election. Colom qualified with the state Democratic Party in Jackson on Friday. Allgood said several factors led him to run as an independent, not the least of which was his belief that judicial system candidates should not have to declare a party. District 16 includes Lowndes, Oktibbeha, Clay and Noxubee counties. |
| Starkville P.D. eyes camera at high-traffic Cotton District intersection | |
| Recently acquired grant funding will give Starkville Police Department an unblinking watchman at one of Starkville's busiest intersections. SPD Chief Frank Nichols confirmed earlier this month the department would install a camera at the intersection of University Drive and Maxwell Street, a key intersection in the Cotton District. The city utilizes similar cameras at two downtown intersections -- Main and Lafayette streets and the Main-Douglass L. Connor streets juncture. The Cotton District is home to a number of restaurants that also function as bars. The University Drive-Maxwell Street intersection is ground zero to Starkville's largest public events, including Bulldog Bash and the Cotton District Arts Festival. |
| MEC roundtable promotes economic growth | |
 | Building better roads and improving infrastructure were topics discussed during Thursday's Mississippi Economic Council Meridian Regional Roundup. Several civic leaders, along with MEC President and CEO Blake Wilson, broached those subjects in a community roundtable discussion following the MEC presentation at the MSU Riley Center. Wilson said Meridian needs to do a better job of making cultural tourism an economic drive. The looming Mississippi Entertainment and Arts Center is great start, but he said motorists on Interstate 20/59 need to know about the MSU Riley Center, the art museum and the Jimmie Rodgers Museum. "You need to let tourism rebuild your downtown," Wilson said. |
| Barbour to lead Butler Snow economic development firm | |
 | Former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour is among the leaders of a new economic development firm formed by Ridgeland-based Butler Snow LLP. The law firm said Monday that Barbour will serve as chairman of VisionFirst Advisors, which will provide strategic analysis and identify market opportunities for organizations. He will be joined by former Florida Secretary of Commerce Gray Swoope, who will serve as president and chief executive officer. |
| Oil prices slow down Mississippi's drilling, fortunes | |
 | A 90 million-year-old underground rock formation was supposed to be an economic development alpha wolf for Southwest Mississippi. The Tuscaloosa Marine Shale may still lead the region out of an extended slump, but it'll be more of a methodical march instead of a furious charge. The plunge in oil prices has put the brakes on a lot of the drilling activity that has turned McComb into a somewhat of a hub for the industry since technology allowed operators to access the oil buried deep in the rock. "The pace has really slowed down," said Britt Herrin, executive director of the Pike County Economic Development District. That's not just an anecdotal assertion. |
| Inspection sticker elimination could have unintended consequences | |
 | A move to eliminate the $5 vehicle inspection sticker has been approved by the Mississippi Senate, and approval by the House is expected. The legislation, pushed by Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves as part of his legislative agenda, is welcome by many who think there is little need for the sticker. Many businesses that perform the inspections won't miss the hassle that much. They get $3 of the fee, while the rest goes to the state. But for other businesses, like Weather's Auto Supply, the likely repeal of the inspection sticker has more impact. "I could lose seven or eight employees," said owner Mike Mason. The reason, he explained, is that inspections also review the condition of the windshield of vehicles. A crack could prevent a vehicle owner from getting a new sticker unless the windshield is replaced first. |
| Former Mississippi House Speaker Tim Ford dies | |
| Former House Speaker Tim Ford, a Baldwyn native, known for his ability to build coalitions that enabled him to govern an often-raucous Mississippi House for four terms, died early Friday night at a home he owned in Oxford. Ford, 63, now a Jackson attorney, died from an apparent heart attack, according to several sources. Rep. Steve Holland, D-Plantersville, who served 20 years in the House with Ford, said Friday night he was "a very dear friend. I am crushed." Ford, then a little-known third-term member, was elected speaker in 1988 by the House membership after what was at first a small group of insurgents was able to strip much of the power from then-powerful Speaker C.B. "Buddie" Newman. |
| Tim Ford arrangements set | |
| Arrangements for former Speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives Tim Ford have been finalized. Visitation is Monday from 3-5 p.m. and Tuesday from 9-11 a.m. at Parkway Funeral Home and Memorial Park in Ridgeland. After the Tuesday visitation, a motorcade will travel from Ridgeland to Oxford for a memorial at Paris-Yates Chapel on the campus of the University of Mississippi. The memorial starts at 3 p.m. Ford, 63, died of a heart attack Friday night in Oxford. A Baldwyn native who received undergraduate and law degrees from Ole Miss, he served a total of 24 years in the Legislature, 16 of those as speaker. Mac Gordon, a former political reporter at The Clarion-Ledger, was hired by Ford to work as public information officer for the Mississippi House in mid-1990s. "Tim Ford always felt the House of Representatives was the chamber of the common man in Mississippi. He never wavered from that," Gordon, who's now retired, said in a statement Friday. |
| Lawmakers squabble over election-year tax cuts | |
| It's election year, and Mississippi policymakers are engaged in an escalating debate over who can offer the biggest, juiciest tax cut. The resolution is weeks away, with legislators facing a late March deadline to agree on tax and spending plans. It's not clear what sort of tax cut will survive, if any. That could depend on a clash of wills and a fight over which legislators can claim most credit for the final product. The Senate Democratic Leader, Hob Bryan of Amory, said with more than a bit of exasperation in his voice last week that the Republican-led effort to reduce revenue could undermine budgets for schools, transportation and other vital state services. "There's never been anything like what's going on this year," Bryan said. "I'm inclined to offer a constitutional amendment to prohibit the Legislature from convening during election years." |
| Battle for control of state House is set | |
| Republicans and Democrats will begin nearly even in terms of uncontested races as they battle for control of the Mississippi House of Representatives. Friday was the qualifying deadline for the state's Aug. 4 party primaries and Nov. 3 general election. According to preliminary data gathered from both the Republican and Democratic parties, there are 41 uncontested Republican seats and 40 uncontested Democratic seats. There are three seats where major party candidates will be challenged by independents. All told there are 122 House districts, meaning there will be 38 contests to determine control of the chamber during the upcoming November elections. |
| Democrat Pritchett says she'd fight corruption as auditor | |
| Democrat Joce Pritchett of Jackson said Friday that she's running for Mississippi state auditor because she wants to fight corruption and hold officials accountable for how they spend tax dollars. "In recent years, we have seen scandal after scandal in our counties and our state agencies because the state auditor has been asleep at the wheel. Mississippi deserves better," Pritchett, a civil engineer, said Friday in announcing her candidacy outside the state Capitol. Pritchett was one of the plaintiffs who filed a federal lawsuit last year challenging Mississippi's ban on same-sex marriage. She and her wife, Carla Webb, were married in Maine and want their marriage to receive legal recognition in Mississippi. |
| LGBT Leader, Other Democratic Women Running for Office | |
 | The civil engineer and businesswoman helping to spearhead the fight for marriage equality in Mississippi is running for state auditor and hopes to bring transparency to the office that holds the state accountable for its spending. Joce Pritchett announced her candidacy at the Capitol today on a chilly Friday morning. Her supporters braved the cold as she spoke about her qualifications, as well as current state auditor Stacey Pickering's poor performance. Pritchett and her wife, Carla Webb, are among plaintiffs currently fighting against Mississippi's same-sex marriage ban. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is currently deliberating on the case. Pritchett told the Jackson Free Press she will put the focus on agencies that have been in trouble in the past like the Mississippi Department of Corrections and the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality. |
| Jim Hood opposes mental health task force | |
| Legislation to study Mississippi's mental health system met opposition from Attorney General Jim Hood, who claims it could jeopardize the state's ongoing negotiations with the U.S. Department of Justice. Hood sent the Feb. 18 letter to the Mississippi Department of Mental Health, whose board also mentioned the DOJ in its own opposition to the bill. That opposition came in the form of a resolution adopted Jan. 15. The DOJ in 2011 had found Mississippi in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act by unnecessarily institutionalizing its residents with mental illnesses instead of serving their needs in integrated community settings. Litigation still looms until the state and the Department of Justice reach a resolution. If they can’t do that, Hood worries a new state-sanctioned study will be used against Mississippi in court. |
| Grievances aimed at Mississippi Democratic leader | |
| As 2015 statewide elections kick off, Mississippi Democratic Party Chairman Rickey Cole faces complaints from his second in command about spending and raising money, management and failing to follow orders from the party's executive committee. A list of grievances by party Vice Chairwoman Vallena Greer leaked to The Clarion-Ledger suggests a leader who spends party money without proper authorization, disrespects fellow officers and ignores the state's sole sitting Democratic congressman. Cole called the allegations "without merit" and the unfortunate byproduct of a personality conflict between him and the party's vice chairwoman. |
| NASA panel can't confirm safety standards met | |
| It's impossible to know whether a multibillion-dollar program to replace the space shuttle with private rockets meets safety standards because NASA has been slow to provide adequate information, the head of a NASA advisory panel said last week. "Denying information to (the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel), or Congress, about the Commercial Crew Program is unacceptable when the hardworking American taxpayers are footing the bill for the program and the safety of our astronauts is on the line," said GOP Rep. Steven Palazzo, R-Mississippi, who chairs the Space Subcommittee that held Friday's hearing. |
| Club for Growth plots role as 2016 kingmaker | |
 | The Club for Growth couldn't find a presidential candidate to love in 2008 and 2012. But 2016 may be different. For the first time since forming in 1999, the right's leading tax- and budget-cutting activist group could marshal their significant supply-sider cred and donor network behind a White House hopeful -- if only it can pick a candidate. Club officials are still seeking new pick-up opportunities. They are currently interviewing candidates in the special election to replace Mississippi Rep. Alan Nunnelee, who died last month of a brain tumor. The Club went all-in for Chris McDaniel in the Mississippi GOP primary, where he was taking on the pro-earmark Sen. Thad Cochran. The ensuing runoff, which Cochran won narrowly, certainly pitted the Club against the party establishment. |
| Pentagon Shops in Silicon Valley for Game Changers | |
 | A small group of high-ranking Pentagon officials made a quiet visit to Silicon Valley in December to solicit national security ideas from start-up firms with little or no history of working with the military. The visit was made as part of an effort to find new ways to maintain a military advantage in an increasingly uncertain world. In announcing its Defense Innovation Initiative in a speech in California in November, Chuck Hagel, then the defense secretary, mentioned examples of technologies like robotics, unmanned systems, miniaturization and 3-D printing as places to look for "game changing" technologies that would maintain military superiority. "They've realized that the old model wasn't working anymore," said James Lewis, director of the Strategic Technologies Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. "They're really worried about America's capacity to innovate." |
| Tech Spying Escalates a U.S.-China Trade Dispute | |
| At an elegant guesthouse here recently, China's top Internet regulator entertained ambassadors and diplomats with platters of tempura and roast on a spit, unusual lavishness in an era of official austerity in China, to celebrate the Chinese New Year. But the graciousness came with a warning: Foreign companies had to behave if they wanted to stay in China's $450 billion technology market. In Washington on the same day, more than two dozen American tech industry executives and trade association officials gathered at an emergency meeting at the pre-Civil War building of the Office of the United States Trade Representative. They told the deputy trade representative that it was time for the United States to get tough with Beijing. The stern words at the dueling gatherings underscored how a routine trade disagreement had quickly escalated into a complex political fight. |
| Deadly bacteria release sparks concern at Louisiana lab | |
 | A dangerous, often deadly, type of bacteria that lives in soil and water has been released from a high-security laboratory at the Tulane National Primate Research Center in Louisiana. Officials say there is no risk to the public. Yet despite weeks of investigation by multiple federal and state agencies, the cause of the release and the extent of the contamination remain unknown, according to interviews and records obtained by USA Today. The safety breach at Tulane's massive lab complex 35 miles north of New Orleans is the latest in a recent series of significant biosafety accidents at some of the most prestigious laboratories in the country where research is performed on bacteria and viruses that are classified as potential bioterror agents. |
| University presidents seek support for higher education in Mississippi | |
 | The Hattiesburg American publishes a column by Mississippi's public university presidents: "When it comes to education and money, two questions permeate conversations from the halls of the Capitol to the booths of the local coffee shop: How much is enough? How can we get the best return on the state's investment in education? ...Mississippi Public Universities are doing their part -- enrolling 94,000 students in an academic year and awarding more than 16,000 degrees, which represents a 10.9 percent increase over the past five years. ...As our economy rebounds, let's invest now in our public universities because our future depends on it. We urge legislators to take this moment in history to invest strategically in Mississippi's universities, which will allow our state to reap the benefits of that investment for years to come." |
| Keep pace: State's college grad rates on par with nation | |
| Mississippi community college and university students are graduating at or above the national average, according to a report released last week. "The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center's report on a state-level view of student attainment rates gives us a better picture of college completion rates than we have had in the past," said incoming Mississippi Commissioner of Higher Education Jim Borsig. "The ability to follow students between institutions, even between states, provides us with the data needed to drive good decision-making and lead to continued improvement. The data from the report will help us to continue to increase degree attainment, which will create a more educated citizenry, a better-prepared workforce and improve economic development in Mississippi." |
| The W's juried show celebrates art, names winners | |
| Painting, photography, ceramics and graphic design are among the disciplines represented in Mississippi University for Women's Juried Student Exhibition currently on display in the galleries of the Art and Design Building on campus. With 95 works of art, the exhibit highlights the strengths of the university's Department of Art and Design. In a ceremony Feb. 19, 17 participating students were honored with awards in 10 art disciplines. In addition, Department of Art and Design faculty selected the Overall Achievement Award winners. Shawn Dickey, chair of the Department of Art and Design, said, "The Overall Achievement Awards go beyond the media awards in that the students selected will have demonstrated merit in multiple disciplines. Their service to the department and the university is also a factor. These awards represent an all-around excellence." |
| Funeral arrangements announced for Ole Miss student | |
| A funeral will be held Tuesday for the Ole Miss student who was one of the three deaths in last week's winter storm in Mississippi. Fenton Kottkamp died Wednesday in Oxford during a sledding accident. He was due to graduate in May and was going to start in the fall on his master's degree in accountancy. Visitation will be Monday and Tuesday at St. Francis in the Fields Episcopal Church in Harrods Creek, Kentucky. |
| Southern Miss Celebrates African American History Year-round | |
 | The College of Arts and Letters at the University of Southern Mississippi celebrates Black History not just in February, but also throughout the year in its faculty research, courses and internships, sponsored readings and performances and exhibits. As Dean Steven R. Moser affirmed, "The College is dedicated to exploring and learning more about the lives and contributions of African Americans in our nation's history, literature, music, art and politics." The College's internationally distinguished journal, The Southern Quarterly: A Journal of Arts and Letters in the South, has a strong commitment to publishing scholarship on African American history, music, art and literature. |
| Southern Miss Professor Wins National Dissertation Award | |
| Dr. Lissa Stapleton, assistant professor in the Higher Education Student Affairs program at the University of Southern Mississippi, has been selected as the winner of the 2015 Melvene D. Hardee Dissertation of the Year Award presented by NASPA -- Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. The award recognizes outstanding dissertation research conducted by doctoral degree recipients presently in, or intending to enter, the student affairs profession. |
| Litigation continues between former chairman, Delta State president | |
| Litigation between former Languages and Literature chair Bill Hays and Delta State University President William LaForge continues as Hays' lawyers chose to rewrite their complaint. LaForge's lawyers filed a motion to dismiss the complaint, however when the plaintiff chose to write a revision, the defendant (LaForge) withdrew the motion to dismiss to allow for an amended complaint. When a plaintiff files a complaint, the defendant can then answer the complaint, go into discovery, and then go to trial. The defendant also has the option to file a motion to dismiss and say there is nothing to the complaint, which is what LaForge's lawyers chose to do. |
| Delta State conference brings renowned speakers | |
 | Officials with two of the country's largest charitable foundations will be speakers at Delta State University's annual race relations conference. The conference will be held March 30-31 on the Delta State campus in Cleveland. This year's conference is titled "Winning the Race: Through Hearts & Minds. A Conversation on Building Connected Communities." La June Montgomery Tabron, president and CEO of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Michigan, will discuss how the increased use of "big data" can help create interventions that are tailored to the health, education and workforce training needs that face young people of color. |
| U. of Alabama chapter founder of ONE campaign seeks help in Washington | |
 | University of Alabama student Morgan Moran is part of a delegation of than 175 people meeting with lawmakers in Washington, D.C., this week to seek support for foreign assistance programs affiliated with the ONE campaign. ONE, a nonprofit group that seeks to end extreme poverty and preventable disease, was co-founded 10 years ago by Bono, lead singer of U2. Moran is a senior political science major who started the ONE chapter on the UA campus during her sophomore year. |
| Auburn University aviation students learn about 'pathway' program | |
 | Some Auburn University students literally have an opportunity to reach new heights after graduation. On Wednesday, Auburn University Aviation students took part in the JetBlue Airways University Gateway Presentation, which was held at the Auburn University Hotel and Conference Center. The program gives students a "pathway" to expedite becoming a pilot for a major airline just a few years after earning an undergraduate degree. Auburn University Regional Airport Director Dr. Bill Hutto commended JetBlue for the program and its partnership with Auburn Aviation. Last year, Auburn University announced plans for a new aviation center that will serve as a hub for instruction, research and outreach for the aviation and aerospace industries in Alabama. The center will be housed at the Auburn University Regional Airport and will oversee the university's flight school. |
| Auburn veterinary medicine uses online giving to fund GM1 research | |
| The Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine, in cooperation with the Auburn University Foundation, is using a crowdsourcing site to raise awareness and financial support for its GM1 research. Associate Professor Dr. Doug Martin said he believes that if funding is raised through the site, CrowdRise, there could be a breakthrough in treatment for the rare, fatal neurological disease. For decades, the Scott-Ritchey Research Center in Auburn's College of Veterinary Medicine has researched GM1 gangliosidosis in felines, as GM1 occurs naturally in cats. The goal is to find a cure for feline GM1 and, through research partners across the United States, successfully apply therapies that translate into human medicine. |
| Regents look at privatizing Louisiana's public universities | |
 | Years of deep cuts to state funding for Louisiana's colleges and universities -- and the threat of even further reductions in the near future -- have some leaders looking at drastic measures that could change the face of Louisiana higher education. One idea that has recently been floated: Why not encourage some of the state's public schools to go private? The idea, which experts agree is radical and may not ever be feasible, came up during a recent meeting of the state Board of Regents, a group appointed by Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal, whose administration has led the charge for recent state budgets that have left Louisiana with some of the nation's most severe cuts to higher education funding. Regents board members have instructed state higher education staff members to examine the concept and report back on whether the plan would work and what it would take. |
| Why is enrollment of black students at U. of Florida down? | |
 | When she walked into her theater appreciation class last year, Delchyne Similien immediately noticed that she was the only black student in the class. It was an experience she was not used to, having gone to a much more diverse high school in South Florida. Despite that feeling of isolation, Similien said she is mostly happy with her experience at UF. "I do like it here, but it is scary sometimes," said Similien. Many of the 2,200 black undergraduates at UF can relate to similar experiences -- of living in a world divided by color, struggling to find classmates and faculty who can relate. "There are two very different UFs that don't interact very much," said Sebastian Wright, a senior. UF, as with many of its peer institutions across the country, has been struggling for years with declining black enrollment. |
| U. of Kentucky vice president Judy Jackson to resign | |
 | University of Kentucky first vice president Judy Jackson, who led the Office for Institutional Diversity since 2008, will leave UK at the end of spring semester to move closer to family in Boston. UK president Eli Capilouto said in a letter to staff that through Jackson's "passion for the whole life of the student and each one's development as an 'educated individual,' Dr. Jackson has increased the number of under-represented students participating in study abroad." Capilouto also praised Jackson's "calming perspective on many an issue." |
| 'Game of Thrones' creator George R.R. Martin presents first edition 'Hobbit' to Texas A&M | |
 | George R.R. Martin regularly kills off beloved fictional characters in his A Song of Ice and Fire book series, but he has never been able to bring himself to throw away a book. The renowned fantasy and science fiction author visited Texas A&M University on Friday to explain how his pack rat approach to collecting books and literary materials led him to gift a rare first edition volume of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit to commemorate the acquisition of Cushing Memorial Library's 5 millionth volume. Martin's gift to the library was made in front of an audience of more than 800 at Rudder Auditorium and was symbolic of a long-standing relationship with the university that blossomed during AggieCon science fiction conventions in the 1970s. |
| New provost hopes to incentivize U. of Missouri faculty success | |
 | Garnett Stokes was the top faculty choice for the University of Missouri's new provost, and now that she is here, they are excited about what is to come. Craig Roberts, chairman of MU's Faculty Council, said Stokes is similar to Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin in that she is forthright and transparent, which bodes well with faculty. Stokes came to MU earlier this month from Florida State University, where she was the provost and, for much of 2014, the interim president. "She's not afraid of change, and faculty are counting on that," Roberts said. "Can she make the changes and hard decisions that need to happen about programs or whatnot? I think she can. That's the faculty's response to her right now." Stokes addressed a slew of questions from media during her first availability Wednesday. |
| Final MU journalism dean candidate pitches 'Missouri Conversation' | |
| Thor Wasbotten wants to create what he calls the "Missouri Conversation." That is, if he is selected to lead the University of Missouri School of Journalism. Wasbotten is the fourth and final candidate invited to MU for a series of interviews and an open forum with faculty, staff and students to make his pitch to be the next journalism school dean. The so-called Missouri Conversation is Wasbotten's idea of bringing together all members of the journalism school community for discussions about news issues. It's similar to something he has done as director of the Kent State University School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Wasbotten described his idea as a "rapid-response mechanism," taking a current issue and unpacking it. |
| U. of Missouri System president takes month-long vacation | |
| University of Missouri System President Tim Wolfe is taking some time off: one month, to be exact. UM System spokesman John Fougere said Wolfe combined his accrued vacation time and annual leave for his 20-working-day vacation. Not much changes while the president is out. He is still in charge, and he is still communicating with his leadership team, Fougere said. "He is spending time with his family during his time away," Fougere said. Wolfe's vacation started Feb. 16 and ends March 14; the time was approved by the Board of Curators. Former curator David Bradley said "there was a lot of talk" about Wolfe taking an extended period of time off, but he does not think taxpayers "should have any worry about it." |
| Student Housing Gets an Upgrade | |
 | Student housing has undergone a transformation in recent years, with an increasing number of private developments resembling high-end apartments rather than traditional dormitories, with amenities including swimming pools and party rooms. Now some developers are transforming student housing yet again, this time adding restaurants, shops and hotels. Consider Sterling Frisco, an off-campus student-housing development near the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. The development includes 219 units with 640 bedrooms, a 24-hour fitness center, computer lab, study lounges, a pool with cabanas and a rooftop deck. The development also includes Jammin Java, a 1,265-square-foot coffee cafe whose customer base includes not only residents but also others in the neighborhood. |
| Median Salaries of Senior College Administrators, 2014-15 | |
 | For the second consecutive year, the rate of salary growth for senior administrators at public colleges outpaced that of their peers at private institutions, according to a survey released on Monday by the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources. At public institutions, the median base salary of senior administrators in 2014-15 rose by 2.5 percent, compared with an increase of 2.3 percent for officials at private colleges. Over all, pay for senior college administrators rose by 2.4 percent. |
| Pentagon push for women's equality gets murky at academies' doorsteps | |
 | In Jennifer Bower's freshman year at the United States Air Force Academy in 2003, a sexual assault scandal gave her a glimpse of where she stood as a woman at the school. To its credit, the service appeared to be taking the scandal seriously. But one of the solutions struck her as odd. Captain Bower and some of the women in her class were told to move from their originally assigned dorms into new rooms clustered around the bathrooms. The intent was to reduce the risk that women might be assaulted on their way to the showers. The problem was that "it really had this shaming effect," she recalls. For more than 30 years, many women have felt like party-crashers at the nation's three service academies. As early as next year, however, that barrier could disappear as women are set to be cleared for combat. For the academies, will they follow suit? |
| UNC board kills 3 centers amid criticism that the action violates academic freedom | |
 | The University of North Carolina Board of Governors voted Friday -- against strong protests from faculty members -- to kill three research centers at the university system. Tensions between faculty and the system's board have escalated in the wake of the vote, especially at the flagship at Chapel Hill. Protesters spoke out during the board meeting and the actual vote took place in a small room where board members went after the protests continued. Critics said the action was a political attack on scholarly work that conservatives don't like -- and on a scholar whom they don't like. |
| LLOYD GRAY (OPINION): Hyperpolitics, next round | |
| The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal's Lloyd Gray writes: "In the midst of the most hyperpolitical election-year session of the Mississippi Legislature in memory, there was a pause Friday for an assessment of the politics from this point forward into the summer. It was the qualifying deadline for the Aug. 4 party primaries and Nov. 3 general election -- the moment all 174 legislators and eight statewide elected officials have been waiting for. They now know the political landscape ahead of them. Whether that will change the tone and tenor of this most transparently pandering of legislative sessions is doubtful. The die is cast. ...The election season started with a vengeance in January the first day the Legislature returned to the Capitol and it won't end until November." |
| GEOFF PENDER (OPINION): 2015 election battle will be in legislative trenches | |
| The Clarion-Ledger's Geoff Pender writes: "An eventful week ended on a somber note with the unexpected death Friday of one of Mississippi's most noted political leaders, longtime House Speaker Tim Ford. Ford helped transform the Legislature -- and hence politics, policy and economic development -- from a nearly feudal system into the modern age. He was leader of a 'revolution' that broke the iron-fisted, good-old-boy grip of former Speaker C.B. 'Buddie' Newman on state policy-making." |
| SID SALTER (OPINION): Shock over GOP tax cut agenda defies logic | |
| Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: "So 2015 is a courthouse-to-statehouse election year in Mississippi and the state's Republican leadership is pushing and shoving to see which one of them can offer Mississippi voters -- particularly Mississippi voters in the state's GOP primary Top 15 counties -- the most tax relief. That's not particularly surprising. What is surprising is the shock those proposals seem to have generated among their Democrat political opponents and the public advocacy groups that represent them." |
SPORTS
| Vance Tatum continues with Mississippi State's dominance on the mound | |
| Mississippi State's starters in the first three games of the weekend set the bar high for Vance Tatum. The sophomore used his start to raise it even higher. The southpaw guided MSU to a 6-2 win over Samford with eight-innings of two-hit baseball. It improved the Bulldogs' record to 13-0 on the season. Tatum pitched into the ninth inning, before Trevor Fitts took over after a leadoff single. Tatum struck out 12 in his eight innings of work. He also walked two and allowed two earned runs while throwing 96 pitches. |
| Mississippi State improves to 13-0 | |
 | Left-hander Vance Tatum allowed two hits eight-plus innings of work as Mississippi completed its third straight four-game weekend series sweep with a 6-2 win over Samford at Dudy Noble Field. MSU is 13-0 for the fourth time in program history. Tatum (2-0) struck out 12 batters Sunday when was the most by an MSU starter since Jacob Lindgren struck out 13 against St. Joseph's on March 1, 2013. MSU broke a 1-1 tie by scoring twice in the fourth inning and fifth inning. |
| Diamond Dawgs first team in country to win 13 games | |
| Mississippi State sophomore left-hander Vance Tatum capped a weekend of brilliant pitching for the 13th-ranked Bulldogs. Tatum allowed two hits eight-plus innings of work as MSU completed its third straight four-game weekend series sweep with a 6-2 win over Samford at Dudy Noble Field. Tatum recorded his second quality start and the team's fourth of the season. Senior right-hander Trevor Fitts worked around a pair of hits to close out the win. MSU plays host to Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. |
| Austin Sexton dominates on mound in Mississippi State's doubleheader | |
| Austin Sexton's start provided the sophomore with a numbers of stats he could be proud of. He began Mississippi State's 6-2 win against Arizona by recording the first five outs by way of strikeout. He punched out the side twice. He finished with the first 10-strike performance by a Bulldog in a year. After MSU's 8-2 win against Samford to sweep the doubleheader, Sexton only smiled about one stat . "Zero walks," Sexton said. "I hate to say it but it's been a while since I went up there and not walked someone." Mississippi State provided plenty of offense in the two games at Dudy Noble Field. MSU broke open a tie with a four-run sixth against Arizona. Mississippi State took advantage of five first-inning walks to score five run in the first against Samford. |
| Record turnout watches Bulldogs secure SEC's No. 3 seed | |
| The largest crowd ever to witness a women's basketball game at Mississippi State saw the 11th-ranked Bulldogs sweep arch rival Ole Miss 55-47 to secure the No. 3 seed and a double-bye during the SEC Tournament this week. The senior day attendance of 7,326 surpassed the previous record, set in 2003, by 1,271. "I'm proud to be a Bulldog and proud to be the head coach today," Vic Schaefer said. "I'm so proud of my fans, 7,300-plus. What a great atmosphere. It was just a tremendous, tremendous game, and I don't think anybody walked out of there disappointed." MSU closed out the regular season at 11-5 in the league and 26-5 overall, both school records. |
| Mississippi State tops Ole Miss as teams turn focus to postseason | |
| The record crowd inside Humphrey Coliseum rose to its feet as Martha Alwal walked to the bench with 16 seconds remaining. Mississippi State's 55-47 win over Ole Miss was already in hand, so it acted as a curtain call for the senior in the final regular season game of the year on Sunday. Only there's a good chance the 7,326 in attendance -- the most ever at a women's basketball game at the Hump -- will get to see her play again in Starkville. "I think we'll host in the NCAA tournament," said Alwal, who finished with nine points and 13 rebounds. |
| Mississippi State edges Ole Miss, earn No. 3 seed in SEC tournament | |
| Martha Alwal scored nine points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead No. 11 Mississippi State to a 55-47 victory over Mississippi on Sunday, sweeping its in-state rival while ending the regular season with the best record in school history. Mississippi State (26-5, 11-5 SEC) bounced back after losing to No. 2 South Carolina on Thursday night to secure the No. 3 seed heading into the conference tournament. "It was a tremendous day for us and for women's basketball," MSU coach Vic Schaefer said. "I am so proud of the seniors. To be able to send them out with a win before the largest crowd in school history is special. To win 26 games in a regular season is an achievement. It takes a special team." |
| Mississippi State softball sweeps the day with win over No. 23 Notre Dame | |
| After having its schedule shifted due to a Saturday washout, the Mississippi State softball team (16-3) downed Miami (Ohio) and No. 23 Notre Dame on Sunday at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. "I love the level of energy we came out with today after getting rained out yesterday," head coach Vann Stuedeman said. "Sundays are about toughness. We were mentally and physically prepared for today. We got off to strong starts in both games and that allowed us to play loose. We are ready to get home to play in front of our hometown crowd this week." |
| LSU's recruiting penalties are historic, and national consensus is they're 'pretty ridiculous' too | |
| LSU football coach Les Miles visited the home of recruit Matt Womack on Oct. 28. At the time of the visit, it was perfectly within NCAA rules. Two months later, it was not. Miles' in-home visit with Womack, a tackle from Mississippi, is at the center of recruiting sanctions the program has suffered -- penalties made public earlier this week through public records obtained by The Advocate. The penalties aren't considered too severe or harsh, and most national recruiting experts said LSU's recruiting shouldn't feel a noticeable effect, but they are historic. LSU is believed to be the first school to receive such violations, at least publicly, for a peculiar and new NCAA policy. The ruling confounds many who couldn't grasp how a school could be punished retroactively because a teenager decommitted. |
| Lawsuit against Nick Saban's daughter over 2010 fight with sorority sister set for August trial | |
 | A Tuscaloosa judge has scheduled an August trial for a lawsuit filed against the daughter of Alabama football head coach Nick Saban over a fight she had in 2010. The scheduled trial will come almost exactly five years after Kristen Saban got into a fistfight in her home with Sarah Grimes, one of her sorority sisters at the University of Alabama at the time. The two came to blows after a night of arguing when Saban locked herself in her upstairs bedroom and posted something negative about Grimes on social media. Grimes confronted her about the post, but there is dispute over who escalated the argument into a fistfight. |
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