| Wednesday, May 13, 2015 |
| Mississippi State researcher to receive insect knowledge grant from Monsanto | |
 | Jeff Gore, research entomologist at Mississippi State University's Delta Research and Extension Center, is one of six scientists who have been selected to receive grants through Monsanto's Insect Management Knowledge Program. Gore's research will be aimed at learning more about Helicoverpa zea, the scientific name for the insect pest also known as the corn earworm and bollworm. The other investigators working on the project will be Angus Catchot, Don Cook and Fred Musser, all scientists with Mississippi State. The program, which started in 2013 as the Corn Rootworm Knowledge Program, provides merit-based awards of up to $250,000 per award per year for up to three years for research that the company says "will not only enhance the collective understanding of insect management but help address significant challenges in agriculture." |
| Universities to come together for UAV research | |
 | Mississippi State University will lead a university team on research regarding best ways to integrate Unmanned Aerial Vehicles into the commercial airspace, the Federal Aviation Administration said last week. MSU was announced as the FAA's Center of Excellence for Unmanned Aircraft Systems after a rigorous competition, the FAA said. Like university think tank partnerships, the agency's Centers of Excellence bring together the best minds in the nation to conduct research to educate, train and work with the FAA toward solutions for aviation-related challenges. |
| Two solar farms coming to Golden Triangle Industrial Park | |
 | In what has been a lull period for economic development in the Golden Triangle, there will be at least one new start-up at the Golden Triangle Industrial Park by year's end. Silicon Ranch, a Tennessee-based independent solar power company, is set to begin work on a pair of solar farms at the industrial park, pending approval by the state's Public Service Commission at its June 2 meeting. The company plans to open two solar power farms on a 10-acre parcel it purchased from the Golden Triangle Development LINK. "This won't be much of a job creator, but we do like the message it sends that we are supportive of environmental-friendly energy," LINK CEO Joe Max Higgins told The Dispatch on Monday. |
| Phil Hardin Foundation names new director | |
 | Lloyd Gray, longtime executive editor of the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal in Tupelo, has been named executive director of The Phil Hardin Foundation. Gray will assume his new responsibilities in late July at the foundation, which provides grants to support innovative educational programs and partnerships in Mississippi. "Lloyd Gray brings to this position a lifetime of advocacy for improving education in Mississippi through his newspaper and community leadership roles," said Robert Ward, president of the Hardin Foundation Board of Directors. "I've always had great admiration and appreciation for the mission and work of the Hardin Foundation, and I'm very excited to become a part of one of our state's most respected and effective vehicles for educational philanthropy," Gray said. |
| Sports betting could boost casino traffic | |
 | At a time when many states are looking for ways to reverse sagging casino revenues, there's a three-judge panel in New Jersey pondering a decision that could change the gambling playing field. In the next week or two, the Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is expected to rule on a New Jersey challenge of the Bradley Act, or PASPA, the federal law that bans state-sponsored sports betting. The outcome could open the door for a sports betting in some states before the end of the year. "The easy part is the decriminalizing; the hard part is to say they can do it only at casinos," said Allen Godfrey, executive director of the Mississippi Gaming Association. "Now we know what it will take to legalize sports betting." Last year, Godfrey's office was asked by the Legislature to conduct a study on the impact and possibilities of sports betting and online gaming in Mississippi. Godfrey said the report was completed, but was never introduced during the session. |
| Governor's Oyster Council reveals plans to enhance the South Mississippi's oyster industry | |
 | The chairs of three committees formed to support the restoration and resurgence of the oyster industry gave their recommendations Tuesday morning at the final Oyster Council meeting. "The main goal is to increase the revenue for the oystermen who have dedicated their time to succeed in the oyster arena," said Dave Dennis, council chair. "Oysters have been plentiful in the past and we have a responsibility to make sure they are plentiful in the future." Each committee was given a theme to work toward and make recommendations to be presented to Gov. Phil Bryant in June. |
| Mississippi Development Authority wholesale show set for June | |
 | The Mississippi Market Wholesale Show is set for June 4-5 at the Mississippi Trade Mart in Jackson. Hosted by the Mississippi Development Authority, the market has been bringing buyers and sellers together since 1996 for Mississippi's only order-only wholesale show. Seminars designed for retailers are held on both days of the show on such topics as resources for small businesses, shipping solutions and creative displays. |
| Zinn, Kelly advance to 1st Congressional district runoff | |
 | Two candidates -- a Democrat and a Republican -- are advancing to a June 2 runoff election in the race for Mississippi's 1st District Congressional seat. Howard Zinn and Trent Kelly were the two front runners in Tuesday's special election to fill the seat left vacated following the death of Congressman Alan Nunnelee, who died in February following a battle with brain cancer. Zinn, a Pontotoc attorney, led the pack when all 426 precincts in 22 counties were counted. The 34-year-old Pontotoc native earned 15,135 votes, or 17 percent. Transportation Commissioner Mike Tagert finished third in the race behind Zinn and Kelly, earning a total of 11,115 votes, or 13 percent. "Obviously, we are disappointed," Tagert said. "In a 13-candidate race, with so many good candidates, you know it makes the race and the geography of it very difficult. But I am proud of our race. I think we ran a strong and clean campaign -- the only way to do so." Tagert is now throwing his support behind Kelly in the runoff election. |
| 1 Dem, 1 Republican headed to US House runoff in Mississippi | |
 | Democrat Walter Zinn and Republican Trent Kelly will spend the next three weeks competing for support in a north Mississippi congressional race after emerging from a field of 13 candidates in a special election. Following Tuesday's vote, the two now advance to a June 2 runoff, with the winner serving most of a two-year term started by Republican Rep. Alan Nunnelee, who was 56 when he died of cancer in February. Zinn, 34, of Pontotoc, is an attorney who has worked as a political consultant. He was the only Democrat in the contest Tuesday and appears to have been helped by a splintering of the vote among a dozen Republicans. Zinn was the only African-American candidate in Tuesday's election. He campaigned on strengthening health care and public education to improve the quality of life in Mississippi. |
| Gilich wins big to become Biloxi's next mayor | |
| It took less than an hour of counting votes Tuesday to determine Andrew "FoFo" Gilich is Biloxi's next mayor. Gilich won with 4,319 votes, or about 60 percent of the vote, over his opponent, Harrison County Supervisor Winfield "Windy" Swetman III, who took 2,917 votes, according to unofficial returns. Gilich, 67, emerged to the roar of a crowd at the Slavonian Lodge on election night. "Here we are among the Croatian nation," the Biloxi native said in his victory speech, flanked by immediate and extended family who helped with his campaign. "Everybody down here knows, when you push Biloxi, Biloxi pushes back." Gilich later told the Sun Herald he was referring to the endorsements Swetman landed from the governor, lieutenant governor and state Republican Party. |
| A Long Summer of Spending Standoffs Is Coming | |
 | Partisan disputes over the sequester threaten to derail the appropriations process in the months ahead, as House and Senate appropriators trudge ahead with work on fiscal 2016 spending bills. In the quest for a new budget deal, Democrats in both chambers are vowing to vote en bloc on the floor against any appropriations bills that adhere to the sequester-level spending caps. Publicly, at least, GOP appropriators are putting up an optimistic front. A spokesman for Senate Appropriations Chairman Thad Cochran said the Mississippi Republican plans to begin marking up fiscal 2016 funding measures as soon as next week. The aide said Cochran plans to move all 12 spending bills through committee -- something the panel hasn't accomplished in years -- at the statutory spending limit, which is $1.017 trillion for discretionary spending, excluding war-related funding. |
| U.S. Gambit Risks Conflict With China | |
 | After repeated and unheeded warnings to China to halt its massive reclamation works in the South China Sea, the U.S. is contemplating an option fraught with danger: limited, but direct, military action. By sending U.S. warplanes over artificial islands that China is building, and sailing naval vessels close by -- an option now under consideration, according to U.S. officials in Washington -- America could end up being sucked more deeply into an increasingly heated territorial dispute between China and its neighbors, say regional security experts. If such action fails to deter China, America will face a hard choice: back down and damage its credibility with friends and allies in the region, or escalate with the risk of being drawn into open conflict with China. |
| College Board begins Ole Miss chancellor search | |
 | The search process continues for a new leader of Ole Miss. Folks now have the chance to give input through a campus advisory search committee. It's the same 20-step search process that's been used in the past. But the new Institutions of Higher Learning commissioner is hoping it will restore faith in the board. "As open and transparent a process, as perhaps, we have ever run," said Dr. Glenn Boyce. Alumni association president-elect Eddie Maloney is trusting that will be what's best for the school. "More people looking at what's happening and making sure that we've got the right person for the job," Maloney said. Maloney notes that Dan Jones is moving on and it's time for the university to do the same. |
| East Central Community College Unveils New Changes | |
 | New and improved, that's what you'll notice as you drive down West Broad Street in Decatur. A newly paved road, new sidewalks, new lights, and an overall new facelift. It's these improvements that have been made to the campus of East Central Community College and the town of Decatur that have made the area safer. It's improvement that East Central President Dr. Billy Stewart says is part of the 20/20 vision plan, along with making the area safer. "We've got college standards now," Stewart said. |
| National report: Deep cuts, higher tuition mire Louisiana higher ed | |
 | Even as Louisiana legislators work to stave off potentially catastrophic cuts to state higher education funding in the coming year, a new national report is highlighting the hard hits that colleges and universities here have already taken since 2008. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities released Wednesday a national analysis that found higher education funding in Louisiana has been slashed 42 percent since 2008 -- about $4,941 per student and more than any other state in the country. The Washington, D.C.-based research group analyzes the impact of federal and state government budget policies from a progressive viewpoint. "Our findings indicate for the state of Louisiana, the cuts have been severe --- increasing costs to students and jeopardizing access and affordability," said Michael Mitchell, a co-author of the report. "Dollar for dollar, no state has cut higher education more deeply than the state of Louisiana." |
| Pair of plans spare Bert, U. of Florida's threatened heritage oak | |
 | Architects for the $53 million NEXUS building for the University of Florida's College of Engineering have come up with two alternative designs that bypass a 200-year-old bluff oak tree after students and faculty rallied on social media to save the tree they named Bert. Those plans, along with two other plans that don't save Bert, will come before the UF Lakes, Vegetation and Landscaping Advisory Committee Thursday. The committee must approve or deny trees for removal, transplant, replacement or mitigation based on the building footprint, utility corridors and other construction activities. The plans are being presented a month after the advisory committee charged planners with redesigning the project to save Bert. |
| Vanderbilt exoskeleton helps paralyzed student walk | |
 | With beads of sweat gathering at his temples, Andrew Ekelem rose up from his wheelchair this spring and did something that seemed impossible. He balanced himself on a pair of crutches as a mechanical exoskeleton moved his legs forward, carrying him out of his workspace in Vanderbilt University's Olin Hall and into the hallway. Minutes later, he asked to watch a video of the moment. It was the first time the Ph.D. student had seen himself walk since a snowboarding accident broke his back in 2010. Ekelem, 25, is at the forefront of an innovative project that is taking shape in Professor Michael Goldfarb's lab. He spends several hours a day hovering over his laptop keyboard, honing technology that could make exoskeletons a standard household item for hundreds of thousands of Americans like him who are living with a spinal cord injury. Goldfarb has spent years developing exoskeletons at Vanderbilt's School of Engineering. |
| Texas A&M nixes convocation, featured speaker from this year's graduation lineup | |
 | This year's class of Texas A&M University graduates will not receive a send-off from a featured convocation speaker, but it will have a more personalized experience in exchange. The record-breaking total of 8,700 students, who will graduate during 16 ceremonies around the state this week, have almost outgrown the small post-finals window they have for ceremonies, and left little room for a speaker on the Thursday before weekend commencement ceremonies at the flagship campus. A&M spokesperson Shane Hinckley said students were the highest priority in ceremony planning. |
| More than 5,000 students will graduate from U. of Missouri this weekend | |
 | The University of Missouri will confer degrees on 5,574 students during spring commencement ceremonies this weekend. Between Friday and Sunday, MU will award a total of 6,185 degrees, with some students receiving more than one degree. The number includes 4,413 bachelor's degrees, 1,068 master's degrees, 334 doctoral degrees, 123 law degrees, 114 veterinary medicine degrees, 99 medicine degrees and 34 education specialist degrees. At least 350 students will also graduate from the university's online program, Mizzou Online. |
| U. of Virginia dean sues Rolling Stone over botched rape story | |
 | A University of Virginia official, vowing to hold Rolling Stone accountable for one of the most prominent journalism scandals in recent memory, Tuesday sued the magazine and one of its writers for defamation stemming from a now-discredited story about an alleged campus rape. Rolling Stone's November 2014 article by Sabrina Rubin Erdely, "A Rape On Campus: A Brutal Assault and a Struggle for Justice at UVA" -- which was retracted and taken off the magazine's website in April -- portrayed a lackadaisical response to the alleged incident by the university, particularly by associate dean of students Nicole Eramo. Eramo's fiery, 76-page lawsuit calls Rolling Stone's story a "monumental hoax" and accuses the magazine of "actual malice" in running the story. |
| CHARLIE MITCHELL (OPINION): Mississippi is not a racist state | |
| Longtime Mississippi journalist Charlie Mitchell writes: "People know what 'sexist' means. A sexist believes people of the opposite gender are inferior. A policy or law is sexist it if is based on this belief. People seem confused about what 'racist' means. It works the same as 'sexist.' A racist believes people of another race are inferior. A policy or law is racist it if is based on this belief. Time and misuse have clouded the definition." |
SPORTS
| Mississippi State coaches visit Natchez on Road Dawg Tour | |
 | After completing one of the most historic year's of athletics in Mississippi State University history, athletic director Scott Stricklin, head football coach Dan Mullen, newly hired men's basketball coach Ben Howland and women's basketball coach Vic Schaefer have hit the road for their annual Road Dawg Tour. On the list of stops this year was Natchez, and the foursome made their way to the Miss-Lou Tuesday morning to talk with the Bulldog family. "It is a lot of fun to be able to get out, shake hands and see the Mississippi State faithful," Stricklin said. "One of the greatest things about Mississippi State is our fans stay engaged with us. When we come to a place like this, there is a little bit more excitement and it gets us energized and fired up about it." |
| Road Dawg Tour 2015 a big hit with local Mississippi State fans | |
 | Mississippi State fans in South Mississippi got a chance to chat with Bulldog coaches both old and new Monday night. The Road Dawg Tour 2015 made a stop at The Beau Rivage in Biloxi, and hundreds turned out to see MSU head football coach Dan Mullen and Bulldog men's basketball coach Ben Howland in Harrison County. It was Howland's first appearance in South Mississippi since he took over from Rick Ray last month. He quickly made a national splash when he signed Jackson Callaway's Malik Newman, one of the top five recruits in the nation. Mullen, whose team was ranked number one in the nation for much of last season, hopes his Bulldogs can build on that success. "We had a great spring practice," he said. |
| Mullen, Mississippi State prepare for life without NFL draft picks | |
| Dan Mullen saw potential in Preston Smith and Benardrick McKiney. The same was true about Josh Robinson and Matt Wells. Don't forget about Malcolm Johnson. All five players signed with Mississippi State as prospects rated as three-stars or less. They all heard their names called in the first six rounds of the NFL draft less than two weeks ago. "I think a lot of people get caught up in just recruiting. They look at all the stars," MSU coach Dan Mullen said. "They look at all the hype or all of that stuff. We really dive into young men's backgrounds and want to recruit guys of really high character." The five selections set a program record for the number of Bulldogs taken within the first six rounds. Mississippi State also had seven players sign free agent deals as undrafted rookies. I |
| Former Bulldog Blaine Clausell receives $10K signing bonus | |
| Blaine Clausell became the second former Mississippi State offensive lineman to receive the highest signing bonus among a team's undrafted free agents. The Baltimore Ravens included a $10,000 signing bonus in Clausell's free-agent contract, according to the Baltimore Sun. The news comes one week after former MSU center Dillon Day received $8,000 from the Denver Broncos. The money is guaranteed so the higher the figure, the more likely a player is to make a team. Clausell started all 13 games for Mississippi State at tackle last year. |
| Rivals Tennessee, Alabama cross paths on caravan circuit | |
 | Alabama fans were sipping cocktails just a short spiral's distance down Marietta Street in Atlanta, but once inside the College Football Hall of Fame, it was all about Tennessee. Vols football coach Butch Jones, not one to miss a chance to promote his program, celebrated the Tennessee references in the 94,000-square-foot shrine. SEC football never really stops, and it's up to caravans like this to keep ravenous fan bases fed between the end of spring practice and the start of fall camp. The Vols aren't the only ones who travel to meet and greet, but it was ironic that their second of five caravan stops just so happened to coincide with their bitter rival's Crimson Caravan. Next door, Alabama football coach Nick Saban and athletic director Bill Battle were mingling with their supporters on the second floor of the North Tower at the Omni Hotel at CNN Center. |
| Kentucky close to new deal with John Calipari | |
 | The University of Kentucky and John Calipari are close to extending the basketball coach's current contract another year at $8 million through 2022. Calipari is scheduled to earn a $1.6 million longevity bonus on July 1. The new contract would be a seven-year, $54 million deal. The news comes on the heels of the NBA's New Orleans Pelicans firing head coach Monty Williams on Tuesday. |
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