Wednesday, March 18, 2015 |
Oktibbeha supervisors move forward with industrial development bond | |
Oktibbeha County supervisors approved two resolutions that continue a joint city-county process that will fund a new industrial park near the Highway 25 and Highway 182 intersection. Supervisors unanimously rubberstamped orders authorizing and directing the issuance of a $5 million general obligation bond to turn 326 acres of rolling hill and open farm land into the Innovation District, a Golden Triangle Development LINK-backed project officials hope will make Oktibbeha County a viable competitor in the world of economic development. The funds, along with a $5 million bond pledge from Starkville aldermen, will allow the LINK to purchase the land and provide the necessary infrastructure improvements -- roads, electricity, water and sewer -- to ready the site for industrial enticement initiatives. | |
Ethics Commission dismisses 2014 complaint against Starkville aldermen | |
The Mississippi Ethics Commission dismissed a 2014 Open Meetings Act complaint against Starkville aldermen that alleged impropriety with an earlier school board vote. The original complaint, filed last spring by former Alderman Mary Lee Beal, stemmed from a controversial February 2014 school board appointment. That night, aldermen appointed Juliette Weaver-Reese to a five-year term after denying former Starkville School District Board of Trustees President Eddie Myles an opportunity to interview for and continue serving in his capacity. The MEC's March 6 ruling, approved by Executive Director Tom Hood, states no evidence exists proving the vote was pre-arranged, and the group has no legal authority to investigate prior meetings for potential Open Meetings Act violations. | |
Job numbers climb, but Mississippi keeps worst jobless rate | |
Here's the good news: Mississippi's job market in January had the strongest month in at least three years. But balance that with the bad: The state remained tied in January with Nevada for the highest unemployment rate of any state, and its struggling recovery has a long way to go before reaching pre-recession employment levels. The state's jobless rate fell to 7.1 percent, down from 7.2 percent in December and 7.9 percent in January 2014. Unlike many recent months, that improving unemployment rate was not driven by Mississippians leaving the job market. The number of people looking for a job rose by 7,000. | |
ACT won't bid on contract for Mississippi school tests | |
When it comes to companies to provide future standardized tests in Mississippi, the ACT organization says it's out. But it's not yet clear who's in. Monday was the deadline for companies to submit proposals to the Mississippi Department of Education, which could as early as April choose the test that will be used starting in the 2015-2016 school year. The department said late Monday it was unable to reply to an Associated Press request for a list of bidders until Tuesday at the earliest. As part of a switch to the Common Core academic standards, Mississippi joined a multi-state testing group called the Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers. Lawmakers unsuccessfully sought earlier this year to mandate use of ACT or ban the test Pearson wrote for PARCC, even after Mississippi left the consortium. Those proposals could still resurface in the 2015 session. | |
Mississippi Senate sends $2.5B education budget to Bryant | |
In a legislative rarity, there won't be any late-session negotiations over Mississippi's K-12 education budget. There also won't be any possibility of more money for the schools, as the Senate voted Tuesday to send Gov. Phil Bryant a $2.5 billion school spending plan for fiscal 2016, which begins July 1. House Bill 1536 will increase funding to schools by $109.9 million and represents the most state tax revenue ever spent on elementary and secondary education. That's something leaders were already pushing as an election-year bragging point Tuesday. It will still leave schools $211 million short of the amount demanded by the Mississippi Adequate Education Program. | |
MAEP funding sent to governor $211M short | |
The state Senate rejected a proposal to phase in full funding of the Mississippi Adequate Education Program over a three-year period and instead sent to Gov. Phil Bryant a bill that increases funding for education by $110 million. The Senate proposal, which passed the House earlier this session, still leaves MAEP $211 million short of full funding according to the law and does not have any provision committing to full funding in the future. If the governor signs the proposal, as expected, K-12 education would have been underfunded more than $1.7 billion since 2008. Still, state Sen. Terry Burton said the bill the Senate approved Tuesday would be the most ever budgeted for education, but short of the amount proposed by Sen. Hob Bryan, D-Amory, in the three-year phase-in plan. | |
Education funding goes to governor; MAEP still short | |
Gov. Phil Bryant is expected to sign a $2.5 billion K-12 education funding bill that passed its final legislative hurdle Tuesday. Senators voted 49-2 in support of the appropriations bill, which includes $2.2 billion for the Mississippi Adequate Education Program -- nearly $100 million more than last year's MAEP allocation but roughly $211 million short of its full funding. "K-12 education is a priority," said Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Sen. Terry Burton, R-Burton, who presented the bill on the floor. "We're funding it first. We're funding it more than it has ever been funded." But not everyone was happy about the vote. | |
Senate sends $555 million tax cut to House | |
The Mississippi Senate passed by a 40-11 margin Tuesday a broad-based tax cut that will take at least $555 million out of the general fund during the next 15 years. "Today in a broad, bipartisan vote, the Senate approved a compromise plan that helps create an environment that encourages long-term economic growth and capital investment," Lt. Gov. Reeves said in a statement. "Uncertainty is the enemy of a sound business climate. Therefore the state's tax policy needs to provide simple, meaningful tax relief." The proposal now goes back to the House where Ways and Means Chair Jeff Smith, R-Columbus, said he most likely will try to concur in the Senate proposal and send it to Gov. Phil Bryant, who is expected to sign it. The concurrence might be more difficult than was believed. | |
Tax cut passage hinges on House Democrats | |
Republican legislative leaders have agreed on a compromise $550 million tax cut proposal, but it won't fly unless a handful of Democrats support it or "take a walk" when it comes time to vote in the House. The Senate after lengthy debate Tuesday passed the proposal for cutting corporate, small business and income taxes pushed by Republican Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves by a vote of 40-11. It now heads to the House for a vote as early as Wednesday. The state's Republican leaders -- Reeves, Gov. Phil Bryant and House Speaker Philip Gunn -- all promised tax cuts this election year. But they offered differing plans, and the compromise was reached only Tuesday as the legislative session draws near its end. The tax cuts face opposition from public education advocates and others who worry they would sap money from schools and other budgets. Democratic leaders have argued against tax cut proposals this year. | |
Autism insurance bill goes to governor | |
Mississippi appears poised to join a growing number of states that require health insurance plans to cover autism diagnosis and treatment. The Legislature on Tuesday sent House Bill 885 to Republican Gov. Phil Bryant, who has supported the measure and is expected to sign it. It extends health insurance coverage to autism services, such as Applied Behavior Analysis -- called ABA. The bill restricts coverage to children ages 2-8, but ongoing treatments can continue after that age cap if deemed medically necessary. The bill also regulates the practice of ABA therapy and requires providers obtain state licenses. | |
Mississippi lt. gov. candidate arrested by MHP | |
State troopers arrested Jelani Barr, a candidate for Mississippi lieutenant governor, Monday. Mobile phone video, taken by Barr's girlfriend, shows troopers handcuffing Barr. The incident happened in Holmes County, WAPT reported. "He said that he knew me and that he knew who I was and what I was about," Barr said. Mississippi Highway Patrol said Barr was stopped for speeding. "We charged him with speeding -- 70 in a 55 -- disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and non-compliance," MHP spokesman Tony Dunn said. MHP said there is dashboard cameras video of the arrest, but they will not release it during the investigation. | |
Two more candidates to join 1st Congressional District race | |
The 1st Congressional District race is expected to grow by two today. Tupelo dentist Ed Holliday and Columbus businessman Sam Adcock plan to announce their intentions to run for the seat vacated by the death Congressman Alan Nunnelee on Feb. 6. Holliday, who has been active in the Tea Party, posted on Facebook Tuesday afternoon saying he would officially announce his candidacy at 10 a.m. this morning in front of the Lee County Courthouse. Adcock will announce his candidacy at 1:30 p.m. in front of the Lee County Courthouse. He'll also make stops in Columbus and Southaven. Adcock serves as vice president and general manager for Airbus Helicopter's Columbus facility. | |
Palazzo named to appropriations committee | |
Rep. Steven Palazzo will replace the late Rep. Alan Nunnelee on the powerful House Appropriations Committee. Palazzo, who represents Mississippi's 4th Congressional District, could begin serving as soon as next week on the committee that controls federal spending. Republican Rep. Hal Rogers of Kentucky, the committee's chairman, announced Palazzo's new assignment late Tuesday. "No one can truly fill the shoes of my friend Alan Nunnelee, but I will work to uphold the values he held so dear by fighting for Mississippi and for our country every single day," Palazzo said in a statement. Palazzo's seat on Appropriations will help him protect funding for the state's military and defense installations, said former Republican Sen. Trent Lott. | |
Wicker opposes Lynch nomination | |
Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker said Tuesday he will vote against the confirmation of Loretta Lynch as the nation's next attorney general. Some Republicans have objected to Lynch's nomination to succeed Eric Holder, saying she supports President Barack Obama's executive action shielding millions of undocumented immigrants from deportation. "I cannot support an attorney general nominee who is willing to engage in, or permit, discretionary enforcement of the law," Wicker, a Republican, said in a statement. Republican Sen. Thad Cochran, who met with Lynch in January, has not yet said how he will vote. "The senator continues to consider her testimony and other information related to her nomination," said Chris Gallegos, a spokesman for Cochran. | |
Netanyahu Says He'll Work Quickly to Form New Government | |
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel pledged on Wednesday to work quickly to form a new government after his clear-cut election victory as Isaac Herzog, the center-left opposition leader, conceded defeat. "Our country's everyday reality doesn't give us the luxury for delay," Mr. Netanyahu of the conservative Likud Party said in a statement. The decisive nature of Mr. Netanyahu's comeback came as a surprise to most, since Likud had been trailing the Zionist Union by four seats in several opinion polls released on Friday, the last day that polls were allowed to be published under Israel's election law. | |
Boeing is top winner of state, local tax breaks | |
Boeing is the biggest winner of state and local tax incentives, receiving more than $13 billion of them, according to a nonprofit watchdog group that tracks the subsidies. Good Jobs First tracks federal subsidies and loans to major corporations, and Boeing again comes up a winner, receiving more than $450 million in subsidies and more than $64 billion in loans. States use tax incentives as an economic tool to lure new jobs or keep existing ones. But fiscal watchdogs criticize the practice, which they say doesn't always deliver on its promise. Auto manufacturers receive a good chunk of state and local subsidies from traditional carmaking states like Michigan, as well as newer ones such as Kentucky, Mississippi and Georgia. | |
Nissan to add 1,000 jobs in Smyrna | |
The supplier park Nissan North America plans to invest $160 million to create on its massive Smyrna, Tennessee, campus is part of a growing trend among automakers seeking to shorten the time and distance that parts have to travel to reach their assembly lines. Officials with Rutherford County's largest employer, along with Gov. Bill Haslam and other state and local officials, Tuesday announced plans for the more than 1.5 million-square-foot integrated logistics center. Already, Nissan has 10 suppliers lined up to occupy space at the park, which should create more than 1,000 jobs. For the latest expansion, Nissan is set to receive $35 million in state incentives similar to the $166 million package intended for Volkswagen. | |
Largest Presbyterian Denomination Gives Final Approval for Same-Sex Marriage | |
After three decades of debate over its stance on homosexuality, members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) voted on Tuesday to change the definition of marriage in the church's constitution to include same-sex marriage. The final approval by a majority of the church's 171 regional bodies, known as presbyteries, enshrines a change recommended last year by the church's General Assembly. The vote amends the church's constitution to broaden marriage from being between "a man and a woman" to "two people, traditionally a man and a woman." The church, with about 1.8 million members, is the largest of the nation's Presbyterian denominations, but it has been losing congregations and individual members as it has moved to the left theologically over the past several years. | |
St. Patrick's Day parade: LGBT inclusion hints at shifting Catholic mores | |
For the first time on Tuesday, New York's St. Paddy's Day parade, the city's grandest of them all in many ways, included a group of gay and lesbian New Yorkers marching up 5th Avenue amid the familiar annual flow of proud-to-be-Irish green. For years, the city's famous march, held for more than 250 years and celebrating the Irish-Catholic heritage so strong among its police and firefighters especially, had also included bitter debates about the official inclusion of gay and lesbian groups. But the small accommodations made this year by the mostly Roman Catholic parade organizers in New York and Boston -- as well as many other regions of the country -- provide a microcosm of the broader shifts in the Catholic Church as a younger generation grapples with the church's moral traditions and long-held opposition to homosexuality. | |
Chaney to speak at Ole Miss insurance symposium | |
State Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney and industry leaders are among the speakers headlining the University of Mississippi's annual Insurance Symposium Wednesday and Thursday. The event, hosted by the School of Business Administration, will be held at The Inn at Ole Miss. The school's Risk Management and Insurance Program offers many opportunities for students to meet and interact with professionals through internships and special events. The annual symposium also brings professionals and students together through education. | |
Mississippi universities push for pay raises for faculty, staff | |
Mississippi university leaders believe their faculty and staff deserve a pay raise. So they're urging state lawmakers to provide an additional $36 million to fund an across-the-board salary increase for university employees. The push for a pay hike has taken top priority this year. Universities want the best and the brightest at the head of the class. But USM's president admits it's getting harder to attract and keep highly qualified instructors and researchers. "I think when staff and faculty look at USM and compare where we are, and they can see what they can receive at other institutions, it puts us in a position we don't want to be in," said USM President Dr. Rodney Bennett. | |
USM's NCS4 hosting first national after-school safety summit | |
School administrators, resource officers and athletic directors from across the country will gather in Hattiesburg this weekend to try to improve safety and security at interscholastic and extra-curricular events at high schools. The University of Southern Mississippi's National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4) is hosting the first-ever, three-day summit. The goal is to develop a first edition of a "Best Practices Guide for High School Interscholastic Athletics and After-School Activities." | |
Blue Cross boosts Itawamba Community College fitness efforts | |
Health and fitness at Itawamba Community College received a booster shot on Tuesday. Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation formally announced a $355,048 grant that will pump up the community college's fitness facilities and expand programming into the community as part of its WellFIT 365 program. "We want to build up campus cultures of health and wellness that extend out into the community," said Sheila Grogan, foundation executive director, before presenting the ceremonial check in Fulton on Tuesday. ICC president Mike Eaton said the community college is grateful for the chance to expand health and wellness opportunities in Fulton. | |
Auburn professor discovers catfish species, names it for Star Wars character | |
Jonathan Armbruster, biological sciences professor and curator of fishes for the Auburn University Museum of Natural History, has named a previously unknown species of catfish in honor of the enigmatic Star Wars fan favorite, Greedo. The suckermouth armored catfish, Peckoltia greedoi, was found in 1998 by researchers along the Gurupi River in Brazil and is known physically for its large, dark eyes, sucker mouth and protruding bristles. Armbruster obtained the specimens in 2005 for a manuscript he was preparing on the genus. Ten years later, he, along with David Werneke, Milton Tan and Chris Hamilton, all of the Department of Biological Sciences, was examining the specimen for characteristics when the connection was made. | |
Hoop skirts banned at UGA following Oklahoma frat video | |
Hoop skirts will go the way of Confederate uniforms as special-event attire for Greek organizations at the University of Georgia -- into the past. The hoop skirt ban came after UGA Student Affairs administrators met Monday with some UGA fraternity and sorority leaders, including representatives of the UGA chapters of Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Kappa Alpha fraternities, both of which have deep roots in the Southern Confederacy. Talk during Monday's UGA meeting at UGA was about presenting the university and Greek organizations in a good light, and not inviting negative attention, said Victor Wilson, UGA's vice president for student affairs. Part of the talk was about dress at such events as KA's "Old South Week" and SAE's "Magnolia Ball." | |
UGA retail entrepreneurs learn by doing with Couture-a-la-Cart | |
Students in the University of Georgia's College of Family and Consumer Sciences earned some credits and a few bucks Tuesday by hawking their wares on campus. They plan to do so again today and the remainder of the semester at their tiny retail store -- actually a modified golf cart. "Couture a-la-Cart" will open for business two days a week - 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays in front of Dawson Hall and Wednesdays on the Tate Student Center lawn. Part of a class on retail entrepreneurship instructor Emily Blalock teaches in UGA's Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Interiors, Couture a-la-Cart gives students an idea of what it takes to launch and run a retail business. | |
Arkansas Lawmaker Proposes Cut to Higher Education Funding | |
An Arkansas lawmaker on Tuesday proposed cutting college and university funding by up to $14.6 million, an idea that faced opposition from the governor and the chairmen of the Legislature's budget committee. Republican Sen. Bart Hester said he'll propose reducing funding for higher education by 1 or 2 percent in the coming fiscal year, arguing the savings could be used to pay for additional tax cuts or other state needs. "I'm sure many of you have things that you think ought to be funded, and I think we're about to realize very quickly there's no money for the things we want," Hester told members of the Joint Budget Committee. | |
Texas A&M to seek 2016 presidential debate | |
Texas A&M University is putting the finishing touches on its bid to host a presidential debate in 2016, a move that could elevate Texas even more as a factor in the race for the White House. Texas A&M and other interested sites across the country face a March 31 deadline to submit applications to the Commission on Presidential Debates. Jose Luis Bermudez, Texas A&M's associate provost for strategic planning, said the school has been pulling out all the stops as it readies its application. For months, a university working group has been preparing the bid with the help of members of the faculty, facilities and transportation staffs, athletics department and campus security. | |
Texas A&M professor introduces SXSW attendees to robots | |
The idea of an increased role of robots in everyday life can be scary to some. That is why Texas A&M professor Robin Murphy says she favors a lighter approach at introducing the public to robotics. Murphy and a group of A&M graduate students hosted a robot petting zoo Monday and Tuesday at the JW Marriott in Austin as a part of South by Southwest to show how robots can be used in emergency situations to save lives. "It's a great way to fill our educational mission and get people better educated about disaster-situation robots," Murphy said. "Also, it helps get Texas A&M out front and center -- the leadership we have, the top engineering office and what we do as Aggies and also with TEEX." | |
U. of Missouri students express frustration with slow progress toward inclusiveness | |
Jonathan Butler wasn't alone in his frustration Tuesday evening. "I don't feel safe. I don't feel safe at night. My friends don't feel safe, and that shouldn't be the case," Butler, a University of Missouri graduate student, said. In 2009, Butler found a notorious racial slur spray-painted on his dormitory door as an undergrad at MU, and he still feels the fresh oppression heaped upon him each day. But his experience was like many expressed in the third of a series of listening sessions about race hosted by MU Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin. A simmering array of questions and comments challenged the level of diversity at MU and questioned administrative efforts to create a more inclusive atmosphere on campus. Students, faculty and staff drew upon varying levels of frustration, anger and pain in their personal accounts at MU and elsewhere. | |
House Republicans Would Slow Spending on Pell Grants to Help Balance Budget | |
Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives unveiled a budget blueprint on Tuesday that would slow spending on Pell Grants as part of an effort to balance the federal budget. The plan, which would slash spending by $5.5 trillion over the next decade, would freeze the maximum Pell Grant for 10 years and roll back some recent expansions of the program. The plan is for the 2016 fiscal year, which starts on October 1, but it would set spending priorities for the coming decade. While the program now runs a surplus, it is expected to face a shortfall as early as 2017. | |
House Republicans again propose 10-year freeze on Pell Grant maximum award | |
Kicking off what will likely be months of contentious budget battles, Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday released a 2016 funding blueprint that calls for freezing the maximum Pell Grant award. The proposal, which was spearheaded by the House budget committee chairman, Representative Tom Price of Georgia, would keep the maximum Pell award at the current $5,775 for the next 10 years. It is part of an overall plan that seeks deep cuts in domestic spending in order to bring the federal government's expenditures into balance with its revenue over the next decade. Advocates for student financial aid rejected the budget proposal's approach to Pell funding. | |
UAH climate expert John Christy on funding: 'No one is paying me to have my view' | |
John Christy, a climate expert at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, said Tuesday that he has not accepted any funding from the fossil fuel industry. Christy's response in an interview with AL.com resulted from an inquiry from an Arizona congressman who has asked about Christy's funding sources as part of a probe of climate change skeptics. "My response is that I don't see anything in this letter that challenges the science we produce," he said. "So therefore, it should not matter where support came from to produce that science. (The Obama) administration believes that if you don't agree with them about climate change, you must be being paid to have that opinion." | |
New .College Domain Is Opportunity for Some Colleges, Worry for Others | |
A college's online presence isn't as simple as the classic .edu. The college also has to worry about .com, .net, and .org, to protect its good name. And as of this week, there's another domain type to worry about: .college. On Tuesday colleges with registered trademarks were given first dibs at .college domains. Trademark holders are eligible to register and obtain domains that exactly match their trademarks -- at no charge -- until April 17. Another registration phase begins on April 20. When new domain types were first discussed, there was "some discussion, some excitement, and some hand wringing" about what they might mean for colleges, said Gregory A. Jackson, who was formerly vice president for policy at Educause, an academic-technology organization, and chief information officer at the University of Chicago. | |
NYU professor is denied entry to the UAE, where the university has a campus | |
After a New York University professor who has written critically of migrant labor issues in the United Arab Emirates was blocked from boarding a plane to Abu Dhabi, some are asking what the implications are for N.Y.U.'s branch campus there. Andrew Ross, a professor of social and cultural analysis at the New York City campus and president of N.Y.U.'s American Association of University Professors chapter, was prohibited by U.A.E. authorities from boarding an Abu Dhabi-bound plane. Perhaps the most striking aspect of Ross's case is the fact that the prestige of the N.Y.U. campus -- a collaboration between the university and U.A.E. government officials -- failed to grant Ross the needed protection to do research in the country. The university maintains that its Abu Dhabi campus "enjoys full academic freedom as it exists at N.Y.U. New York." | |
Penn State fraternity suspended over Facebook page with nude photos | |
A Penn State University fraternity has been suspended for a year after a police investigation of allegations that some members posted nude photos of women on an invite-only Facebook page, the university said Tuesday. A former member of Kappa Delta Rho at the university's State College campus, about 130 miles east of Pittsburgh, told police about the page in January. The page had been used by other members to share photos of "unsuspecting victims, drug sales and hazing," according to the police warrant. State College Police Lt. Keith Robb said authorities are still working to determine who posted the photos and to identify potential victims. Anyone who posted pictures of the women could be arrested on charges including invasion of privacy, he told the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday. | |
Party's over for U. of Michigan frat after ski-resort rampage | |
The University of Michigan's Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity has been permanently disbanded by its parent organization for not only wrecking a northern Michigan resort but also for not stepping up and facing the music. The university itself was "pleased (the national organization) followed through with this action," university spokesman Rick Fitzgerald said, adding the actions taken by both the university and the national group prove they took the issue seriously. This end was inevitable, said Alan Greenberg, a member of the alumni board that owns the house. The chapter leaders "chose to protect those who destroyed this chapter," he said. "I also fault the parents, because they didn't impose their will on the students to make them deal with this and they had chances to do so." |
SPORTS
Bulldogs' Schaefer earns top AP honor | |
After leading South Carolina to a top seed in the NCAA Tournament, Tiffany Mitchell was selected Tuesday as the Southeastern Conference women's player of the year by The Associated Press. Vic Schaefer of Mississippi State was voted coach of the year. In his third season at Mississippi State, Schaefer guided his team to school records for overall wins (26-6) and league victories (11-5). A third-place finish in the conference matched the best in school history. "I'm certainly thrilled for my players and my staff and my university for being able to go to the NCAA Tournament, to go 26-6 in year three," Schaefer said. "In most games, with two freshmen, two sophomores and a senior on the floor, we're a really young team." The league's top scorer, Mississippi State's Victoria Vivians, was a second-teamer. | |
Mississippi State's Victoria Vivians healthy entering NCAA Tournament | |
The most important thumb on Mississippi State's women's basketball team is "fine," according to coach Vic Schaefer. Victoria Vivians injured her right thumb in the Southeastern Conference Tournament on March 6. Most of her right thumb-nail was ripped off during a 76-67 loss to Kentucky in Little Rock. "It's great," Vivians said. "I'm back shooting again. It's good." Vivians led the SEC in scoring this season averaging 15.1 points per game. Tuesday, she earned second-team All-SEC honors as voted by the Associated Press. Schaefer was also elected SEC Coach of the Year. | |
Laster goes the distance for Bulldogs against Eastern Illinois | |
Senior left-hander Lucas Laster threw Mississippi State's second complete game in three games in a 5-2 win over Eastern Illinois on Tuesday night at Dudy Noble Field. Laster (3-0) allowed eight hits and two runs (both earned) while matching a season high with seven strikeouts and no walks. The Bulldogs completed their season-opening 23-game homestand with a 17-6 overall record. MSU hits the road for the first time this season this weekend for an SEC set at Kentucky. First pitch for Friday's Game 1 is set for 5:30 p.m. | |
Mississippi State completes homestand with win over Eastern Illinois | |
Senior left-hander Lucas Laster threw Mississippi State's second complete game in three games as the Bulldogs knocked off Eastern Illinois 5-2 Tuesday night at Dudy Noble Field. Laster (3-0) allowed eight hits and two runs (both earned) while matching a season high with seven strikeouts and no walks. The Bulldogs have now recorded three quality starts in their last four games. MSU finished with seven hits. Rea and Robson each had multiple hits. Eastern Illinois (0-14) finished with eight hits and made the game's only error. Brent Valach was the squad's lone multiple hitter. | |
Mississippi State kicks off spring football practice | |
Mississippi State football made its 2015 spring debut Tuesday as seventh-year head coach Dan Mullen put his Bulldogs through a 2.5-hour workout in helmets and shorts at the Leo Seal Jr. Football Complex. The first practice centered on fundamentals and speed. MSU spent January and February going through a rigorous training program under the direction of Rick Court. The Bulldogs will continue to be one of the nation's fittest teams and it showed Tuesday. "We work hard to come out here and play football, and I think we had a great offseason," said Mullen. "A lot of guys have been training and working hard and now they get to come out and apply it to the game of football." The Bulldogs return to practice at 3:20 p.m. Friday at the Seal Complex. It is open to the public. | |
Mullen glad to have Bulldogs back | |
The Mississippi State football program has made plenty of headlines of late although spring practice did not officially get underway until Tuesday afternoon. The Bulldogs were at the center of controversy with three players being attacked on spring break, two others arrested and two more accused of assault. Head coach Dan Mullen was just happy to have his guys back on the field and focused on football. "Spring break is when everybody is away from campus and are all over the country with different things going on," Mullen said. "The two incidents we had over spring break, I guess you can control both of them by locking yourself in your house. But these guys are kids and they go out and are going to try to have fun. You try to get guys to make good decisions but they're college kids." | |
Mississippi State excited to move past rough month, start spring practice | |
Mississippi State's offseason has been marred with off-the-field incidents in recent weeks. Quarterback Dak Prescott and two teammates were attacked at a concert in Panama City, Fla., earlier in the month and last week receiver De'Runnya Wilson was arrested on a charge of possession of marijuana while on spring break. This week, reports of an additional arrest surfaced involving an alleged on-campus assault which occurred in late February. "Any time any of our players are accused of anything we thoroughly investigate it," coach Dan Mullen said following Tuesday's first spring practice. Tuesday's practice consisted of individual workouts and team drills culminating with 7-on-7 drills. "It's great to be out here. They've had a great offseason working hard and now they get to come out here and apply it on the field," Mullen said. | |
Mullen: Mississippi State will handle team discipline internally | |
Mississippi State used its first spring practice as an escape from the off-the-field distractions that occurred the last two weeks. As players exited the practice fields behind MSU's football complex, the distractions returned when MSU coach Dan Mullen addressed the media. "The two incidents we had over spring break. You can control one of them by locking yourself in your house. These guys are kids," Mullen said. "They're going to go out and try to have fun. De'Runnya (Wilson's) at home out with friends. You try to get guys to make good decisions, but they're college kids." After the week's events, Mullen didn't hold a specific team meeting to address the team's conduct. But the seventh-year coach is constantly in his players' ears. | |
Mississippi State disputes report about Jenkins incident | |
Mississippi State is disputing the details of a February incident that began with a snowball fight and ended with an arrest and a possible civil lawsuit. "Any time any of our players are accused of anything, we thoroughly investigate it," said MSU coach Dan Mullen. "We don't rush to the headlines. We want to do a thorough investigation, cooperate with all the authorities involved and get to the bottom of the reality of the situation and figure out the discipline issues." The school issued a statement Tuesday, saying, "While Mississippi State University normally does not comment on legal matters, a post today on the website SB Nation merits a response." | |
Judge refuses to block Texas A&M's Kyle Field new seating | |
A judge has refused to block updated seating for Texas A&M's expanded Kyle Field as some ticketholders fear they could lose their favorite spots. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap refused to grant a temporary restraining order or a permanent injunction. The lawsuit was filed by three ex-students who contributed heavily to scholarship endowments and expect prime seats and parking. | |
'Cheated:' Q&A with authors of new book on UNC 'paper classes' | |
For 20 years, some employees at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill knowingly steered about 1,500 athletes toward no-show courses that never met and were not taught by any faculty members, and in which the only work required was a single research paper that received a high grade no matter the content. After years of investigations, the scope of the scandal was finally detailed in a report by Kenneth Wainstein, a former official with the U.S. Department of Justice, in October. But it was Mary Willingham, who worked in UNC's Center for Student Success and Academic Counseling, who first helped bring the scam to light. Willingham has now teamed up with Jay Smith, a professor of history at UNC-Chapel Hill, to write a book about the long history of the fake courses. They argue that big-time college athletes are being cheated out of an education. | |
RICK CLEVELAND (OPINION): SEC commissioner Slive leaving lasting legacy | |
Mississippi syndicated sports columnist Rick Cleveland writes: "Twenty years ago, Mike Slive introduced himself to me as 'a recovering lawyer.' I laughed, and Slive said, 'No, really, I am.' Slive, who has guided the SEC to unprecedented heights as the league's commissioner, has recovered quite well. He will retire July 31. ...To call Slive a visionary doesn't really do him justice. He has guided the SEC to unprecedented heights. He has done so the way all great leaders do: by communicating, by inspiring, by building a consensus, by not being afraid to take bold chances, by surrounding himself with good people and by being passionate about his job." |
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