| Thursday, June 11, 2015 |
| Mississippi State's Grant Library joins presidential collection project | |
 | A Presidential collection at Mississippi State is now part of an internet website to help researchers and students learn more about where to find documents on the men elected to lead the U. S. The Ulysses S. Grant Library at Mississippi State University's Mitchell Memorial Library is now is part of the Connecting Presidential Collections project. The CPC, housed at the University of Virginia, is a free online site for centralized document searching across presidential collections. The MSU collection contains more than 600 items, including 32 volumes of "The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant." |
| Mississippi State's Grant Library Joins Online Presidential Library Program | |
 | The Ulysses S. Grant Library at Mississippi State University's Mitchell Memorial Library now is part of the Connecting Presidential Collections project. The CPC partnership resulted from contacts made by John Marszalek and Meg Henderson. Marszalek, a historian, author and Giles Distinguished Professor Emeritus, is executive director and managing editor of the Mississippi State-based U.S. Grant Association. Henderson is an associate at the university's Mitchell Memorial Library which houses the Grant Library. Stephen Cunetto and Randall McMillen also assisted providing metadata for digital documents. Cunetto is MSU Libraries' systems administrator; McMillen, digital projects coordinator. |
| Mississippi State expert discusses bird flu | |
 | A new outbreak of bird flu has hit the Midwest, causing some farmers to destroy millions of turkeys and chickens. Is Mississippi's poultry industry in danger, too? Mississippi Public Broadcasting's "Mississippi Edition" asked Tom Tabler, a professor in Mississippi State University's Poultry Science division. |
| Brookhaven high school student pursues medical dreams at Mississippi State | |
 | A Brookhaven teen is pursuing her dreams of becoming a doctor by attending a five-week program this summer. Taylor Cupit is currently in Starkville attending Mississippi State University's Rural Medical Scholars program. Bonnie Carew, program director, said that the program is for students between their junior and senior years of high school. The program helps the 24 students know what steps they need to take to pursue a medical degree. "It is geared to encourage them to consider a future in medicine," she said. |
| Tombigbees honor past and present with 'Starkgrass' | |
 | Starkville has embraced the moniker of "Starkvegas" in recent years, complete with an Adidas marketing campaign built around the nickname. As the profile of the football team has been raised in recent years, the music scene in town has risen right along with it. Just as "Starkvegas" as become synonymous with having a good time in the Cotton District and the Junction, Madison native Brent Varner hopes "Starkgrass" does the same for the music scene in town. What started over two years ago as impromptu picking sessions between Varner fellow Madison native Hayden Ellis on the front porch after work has turned into a unique Americana project, the Tombigbees. |
| Local, state Dems converge at Beans and Greens in Starkville | |
 | Rickey Cole looked out at a room full of Oktibbeha County Democrats and reminded them to stay together. "If you can, candidates, run on the same platform at all levels," the state Democratic Party chairman advised. Based on the speeches Tuesday, Cole will get his wish. Democratic candidates for governor on down to justice court judge had an opportunity to address a room full of supporters and the message stayed consistent: accept the Medicaid expansion that state Republicans have refused to take from the federal government; force the state legislature to fully fund the Mississippi Adequate Education Program; and rebuild the state's infrastructure to improve quality of life and bring jobs. |
| Golden Triangle Regional Airport sets passenger record | |
| The Golden Triangle Regional Airport says it had more passengers in May than in any month in the previous decade. During May, 3,974 passengers boarded flights at the airport between Columbus and Starkville. GTR Airport Executive Director Mike Hainsey credits the growth to business travel involving PACCAR, Steel Dynamics and Yokohama Tire. |
| Mississippi one of two state economies to shrink in 2014 | |
| Mississippi was one of two states whose gross domestic product decreased last year. Alaska was the other. The state's GDP, which measures economic output, shrank 1.2 percent in 2014, marking the second consecutive year of decline. The revelation was included in data the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis released Wednesday. The decline put Mississippi 49th in the U.S. The use of GDP to take the temperature of an economy as large as the U.S.' has been questioned by economists -- even the BEA itself -- because of concerns about the data's accuracy. Initial figures are often later revised. A spokeswoman for Gov. Phil Bryant noted that in a statement. |
| Lt. Gov. speaks at Lowndes County Republican Women lunch | |
| Mississippi Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves spoke at the Lowndes County Republican Women's monthly lunch at Lion Hills at noon Tuesday. Reeves talked about traveling the state after being elected in 2011. The number one concern from people he talked to during that trip was job creation. Reeves told the club he believes the government's role is not to create jobs but to create an environment which allows those in the private sector to create jobs. He talked about four ways he and the other Republicans in state government have tried to create that environment. |
| Rep. Esther Harrison remembered as champion for justice | |
| Longtime state Rep. Esther Harrison of Columbus died Wednesday morning, the House speaker's office confirmed. "Lisa and I are saddened to hear about the passing of Rep. Esther Harrison this morning," Speaker Philip Gunn said in a statement. "She had a gentle spirit and will be missed by all." Harrison, a former teacher and longtime Civil Rights activist who turned 69 on Wednesday, served in the House District 41 seat in Lowndes County since 2000. Longtime friend Constance Slaughter-Harvey spoke Wednesday on behalf of Harrison's family, and shared memories of her friend. |
| Sen. Buck Clarke provides legislative update at Cleveland-Bolivar County Chamber of Commerce | |
 | Sen. Buck Clarke, chairman of the Mississippi Senate Appropriations Committee, gave a legislative update to area educators, political leaders, and businessmen Tuesday at the Cleveland-Bolivar County Chamber of Commerce. "It is fitting to be speaking in Cleveland because Cleveland has set the bar for the Delta," he said. Clarke had a checklist for successful communities and criteria, included strong churches; strong schools and support for schools; locally owned businesses; and civic clubs, youth activities and youth groups. "Cleveland marks all those boxes," he said. "Good political leadership enhances those things. Thanks for what you do here." |
| GOP candidates visit Republican women's meeting in Pine Belt | |
 | The Mississippi attorney general's election opponent was in the Pine Belt Wednesday afternoon. Mike Hurst was guest speaker at this month's Jones County Republican Women's meeting. Hurst talked about his candidacy and how the state needs a new attorney general. Several other GOP candidates were also in attendance including candidate for public service commissioner Sam Britton, candidate for circuit clerk Kirk Landrum, candidate for justice court Sonny Saul and State Auditor Stacey Pickering. More candidates will speak next month at the Jones County Women's Republican meeting. |
| Obama making bid to diversify wealthy neighborhoods | |
 | The Obama administration is moving forward with regulations designed to help diversify America's wealthier neighborhoods, drawing fire from critics who decry the proposal as executive overreach in search of an "unrealistic utopia." A final Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) rule due out this month is aimed at ending decades of deep-rooted segregation around the country. The regulations would use grant money as an incentive for communities to build affordable housing in more affluent areas while also taking steps to upgrade poorer areas with better schools, parks, libraries, grocery stores and transportation routes as part of a gentrification of those communities. It's a tough sell for some conservatives. |
| Left and Right Line Up Against Fast-Track Trade Legislation | |
 | Some of the fiercest opponents of President Barack Obama's trade policy on the left and right are sending notably similar messages in a bid to kill legislation in the House designed to expedite a major Pacific trade deal. With a deciding vote set for Friday, unions and progressive groups are emphasizing arguments that also appeal to conservative organizations, accusing the Obama administration of undue secrecy, stretching the limits of executive power and undermining U.S. sovereignty. Leaders of left-leaning and conservative groups aren't working hand in hand -- an approach that would likely backfire in today's polarized Washington -- but their combined message is forcing Mr. Obama and Republican leaders who back the fast-track bill to fight a war on two fronts as they seek to corral the final votes. |
| After plunge in oil prices, hope fades for group of long-beleaguered workers | |
 | Other men bought big houses or new pickups with their oil money. Mike Gillham bought his favorite bar. He heads there most nights, to lug in more beer, to throw darts with his regulars, to smoke Camels and sit with his wife and wonder how to keep getting by, now that his oil job is gone. Four years ago, Gillham stumbled upon what is more or less an economic lottery ticket for an American man whose education stopped after high school. The crash in global oil prices late last year, with oil prices plunging from nearly $110 to about $45 for a barrel of West Texas crude, burned that lottery ticket. Gillham and thousands of men like him lost their jobs. The industry had offered the rare prospect of good-paying jobs to American men with no education beyond high school -- men who spent two decades seeing economic opportunities battered by the twin forces of globalization and factory automation. Now, for many of these men, that prospect is fading. |
| Underage drinking, binge boozing by minors is on the decline | |
 | Underage drinking and binge drinking rates among young people are on the decline across the USA, a new government study finds. A report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration released Thursday found underage drinking among all U.S. residents from age 12 through 20 dropped 6.1%. Underage binge drinking decreased 5.1%. The survey examined the years 2002 to 2013. In the final year of the study, 22.7% of the nation's young people reported that they had an alcoholic drink in the last 30 days. "While we're always very happy about these declines, we can't lose sight of the fact that we have approximately 9 million underage drinkers in the country," said Rich Lucey, special assistant to the director at SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse. |
| Northeast Mississippi Community College conference blends technology, education | |
 | Teachers received a task this year at an annual conference that helps educators better incorporate technology. Attendees at Northeast Mississippi Community College's Mobile Learning Conference were tasked with creating an electronic book during the three-day event that ended on Wednesday. That focus on hands-on learning made the seventh annual summit particularly engaging, said attendee Amber Nelms, clinical coordinator for radiological technology at Northeast. This year's conference drew about 70 participants from throughout the state, including kindergarten to 12th-grade teachers and community college instructors |
| Pearl River Community College board adopts budget with no tuition increase | |
 | The Pearl River Community College Board of Trustees approved a budget of $37.4 million for the 2015-16 academic year Tuesday during the regular June meeting on the Poplarville campus. Roger Knight, Vice President for Business and Administrative Services, explained the $37.4 million includes both restricted and unrestricted funds. "The new budget is an increase of $1.3 million over last year's budget," said Knight. The Current Unrestricted fund totals $36 million. Knight projected $18.4 million of this amount will go toward salaries and fringe benefits. |
| U. of Alabama Associate Provost Kevin Whitaker to serve as interim provost | |
 | University of Alabama Associate Provost Kevin Whitaker has been tapped to serve as interim provost. "Dr. Whitaker's leadership skills, experience at the University of Alabama and his collaborative and analytical approach to decision making, will prove helpful to (presidential nominee) Dr. Stuart Bell as he forms his administrative team," said UA President Judy Bonner in a statement released by UA. Whitaker will replace interim Provost Joe Benson, who is retiring later this summer. Benson delayed retirement to serve as the interim provost. The search for his replacement was put on hold earlier this year to allow Bonner's replacement to restart the search. |
| What went wrong with the Auburn Oak at Toomer's Corner? Horticulturist weighs in | |
 | While many hoped the live oak planted along Magnolia Avenue earlier this year at Toomer's Corner would eventually showcase a canopy of green leaves like its sibling, Auburn University announced Tuesday that the tree will instead be removed early next month. Auburn University Professor of Horticulture Gary Keever said that while it's difficult to know exactly what went wrong with the 35-foot-tall tree, it's likely fewer roots of the tree were captured during the pruning process, which has caused a lack of moisture throughout the oak. "The two planted at the corner were planted in just about ideal conditions, and they were both managed according to the recommendations of the consultant," said Keever. "In spite of those things, one of the trees simply didn't leaf out." |
| U. of Florida inquiry finds frat misbehavior may not have targeted veterans | |
 | A University of Florida investigation has found evidence that members of UF fraternity Zeta Beta Tau behaved badly in Panama City Beach during Spring Break -- but it found nothing to indicate their behavior was intentionally aimed at disabled veterans at the same resort. From interviews with more than 60 students, veterans and their spouses, hotel workers and guests, UF officials gathered a picture of Zeta Beta Tau students getting drunk, playing loud music into the early morning hours, and other unruly behavior typical of Spring Break. By their own admission, one student grabbed an American flag while intoxicated but returned it after a veteran yelled at him, and another popped open a bottle of champagne that may have accidentally spilled over the balcony to guests below. |
| U. of Florida administrators defend controversial new admissions program PaCE | |
 | Officials at the University of Florida are firing back at what they say is the media incorrectly branding a program intended to increase access to higher education as a "bait and switch." This spring, the university invented a new admissions program, known as Pathway to Campus Enrollment, or PaCE, to circumvent its space issues. Students admitted to the university through PaCE complete their first 60 credits through UF Online, the university's online degree-granting arm, avoiding the enrollment bottleneck -- but also missing the campus experience -- that is the university's face-to-face introductory courses. The rollout, however, has been marked by confusion and criticism. |
| Law enforcement travel to U. of Tennessee's Body Farm for course in outdoor recovery | |
 | As flies swarmed around the body, investigators moved in closer and used nets to trap the insects. The flies can reveal how long a body has been in that location and whether it's been moved from a faraway spot, said Clayton Nolting, a specialist in forensic entomology who works for police in Columbus, Ind. But this wasn't a crime scene, it was a teaching opportunity. The lesson in forensic entomology was just one of the topics covered during a five-day outdoor recovery course at the University of Tennessee Anthropology Research Facility -- better known as the Body Farm. |
| Tennessee music professor dies after wasp sting | |
| Living near family was a top priority for Kelly Thomas and his wife, Jana. They and their four young children moved cross country so Thomas could teach at the University of Tennessee, and they could live on Jana's family farm near Athens, Tenn. "He was trying to get her back home," said Jody Dake of Mr. Thomas and her sister. Mr. Thomas, a tuba and euphonium professor at the University of Tennessee, died Sunday after a severe allergic reaction to a wasp sting. Mr. Thomas was a professor at the University of Arizona for 13 years when he accepted a 18-month position at UT in January 2014. The job became permanent with a tenure-track position starting this fall, said Jeffrey Pappas, director of UT's School of Music. |
| Health professions summit matches inner-city youth with U. of Missouri students | |
 | As she wrestled with her fear of animals during a tour of the University of Missouri Veterinary Hospital on Tuesday, 16-year-old senior Samantha Metellus said she was a long way from her Bronx home. "This is gross to me," Metellus said when she saw a cow relieving itself in its stall. But Metellus quickly noted she was more comfortable earlier in the day when students were learning about careers in speech therapy and sports training. She also was enthralled with the experience of helping deliver a "baby" in the Shelden Clinical Simulation Center. Metellus and two of her classmates from Cristo Rey Brooklyn High School were among 39 students from seven states who participated in the University of Missouri Health System's Cristo Rey Health Professions Summit. The eighth annual event was a three-day experience designed to introduce underrepresented minority students from urban areas to career possibilities in health care. |
| Congress Turns Attention to Higher Education Act Renewal | |
 | With movement currently stalled on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act reauthorization in both chambers of Congress, lawmakers have turned their attention to another pressing education matter: overhauling the Higher Education Act. The postsecondary education law, which expired at the end of 2013, is a sweeping piece of federal legislation that includes the entire student loan system, the Pell grant tuition assistance program for low- and middle-income students, teacher-preparation provisions, and various programs that help smooth the path of disadvantaged students into higher education. |
| BRIAN PERRY (OPINION): 'The World's Largest Man:' buy it, read it, laugh and cry | |
 | Jackson-based consultant and columnist Brian Perry writes: "If you're a son or a father in Mississippi, or know a son or a father in Mississippi, or otherwise enjoy reading hilarious stories about a son and a father in Mississippi, you should buy the new memoir 'The World's Largest Man' by Harrison Scott Key who grew up in Rankin County. ...There was not a moment in the book without comedy. But there was tragedy as well. I'm unsure whether the tears the book caused are as universal as the laughs, but I believe they are. The son of the world's largest man has written the year's funniest book and you should buy it and read it and laugh and cry and then give it as a gift. You won't regret it." |
| BOBBY HARRISON (OPINION): Republicans who dared differ swayed key actions | |
| The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal's Bobby Harrison writes: "This year's elections could have a dramatic impact on the path forward for public education in Mississippi. That path, to a large extent, could be impacted by the November general elections when numerous pivotal legislative races will be on the ballot as well as a citizen-sponsored initiative designed to enhance the state's commitment to fund public education. But that path also could be impacted by what happens in August -- specifically what happens in a handful of Republican primary House elections." |
| SID SALTER (OPINION): Death penalty is partisan issue, poll suggests | |
| Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: "Has the imposition of the death penalty in the U.S. really become an issue that is guided by political partisanship? A Pew Research Center poll's findings makes that suggestion. While the bright line finding of the poll was that U.S. public support for the death penalty was at a 40-year low at 56 percent, the more intriguing findings were the division among Republicans, independents and Democrats on support for the ultimate punishment for crimes." |
SPORTS
| 'Aggressive' Bulldogs ready to deliver surprise in Eugene | |
| Steve Dudley has built Mississippi State's track and field program into one of America's best during his 15-year tenure in Starkville, five of those as head coach at his alma mater. The MSU men's squad currently holds a No. 10 ranking while the women's squad is ranked 11th. Even with its lofty positions in the polls, MSU wants to earn more national notoriety at the NCAA Outdoor Championship in Eugene, Ore., over the next four days on ESPNU. "I hope everybody we've got on both sides at Mississippi State are going to surprise some people," Dudley said. "Anybody who was at regionals or at the SEC meet saw how our kids competed. We're a pretty vicious group. We're pretty aggressive and it's all about the team." |
| Mississippi State's Taylor fulfills vow to his dying father | |
| Zach Taylor looked through the life-support tubes and cords keeping father, J.T., alive. The Mississippi State decathlete held his hand in room No. 321 at the Carolina Medical Center in Charlotte. The constant hum of doctors, nurses, and visitors within the halls allowed for little privacy. Last year on the morning of Nov. 21, Taylor closed the room's door, granting him a few moments alone with his dad. He made a promise to qualify for this month's NCAA Track and Field Championship in Oregon. But he also asked for a promise in return. He insisted his father join him in Eugene. "I just kept telling him to squeeze my hand," Taylor said. "Do something to tell me that you're there." A tear then came from his father's eye -- the first of many shed en route to Taylor keeping his promise and qualifying for nationals, which began Wednesday. |
| Mississippi State's Thompson finishes third, McBride poised to defend crown | |
| Mississippi State scored its first points of the 2015 NCAA Track and Field Championships on Wednesday. The men's team used the arm of freshman Curtis Thompson. Thompson placed third in the javelin with a throw of 247 feet,5 inches to earn six points for Mississippi State at Hayward Field in Eugene Oregon. "It feels great to end my freshman the year this way," Thompson said in a release. "It's great to be here and even better to place." Brandon McBride is familiar with the facility. The junior will have the opportunity to defend his title in the 800m run after posting a time of 1:47.28 to finish first in his heat and fifth overall. The finals will be held on Friday at 7:50 p.m. |
| Athlon ranks Mississippi State's Dan Mullen as top 20 coach in the country | |
| Dan Mullen received a raise in the offseason for leading Mississippi State to its first-ever 10-win regular season. The university isn't the only one taking notice. Athlon Sports ranked all 128 coaches in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Mullen ranked 19th. It was good enough for sixth in the Southeastern Conference. |
| Bryce Harper -- finally -- faced a pitcher younger than him: Jacob Lindgren | |
| In his 2,303th plate appearance and 554th game in professional baseball between the minors and majors, Bryce Harper finally faced a pitcher younger than him. The moment happened when Yankees starter Nathan Eovaldi was replaced by left-handed reliever Jacob Lindgren in the eighth inning of Wednesday's game. Lindgren, a prospect picked out of Mississippi State by the Yankees in the second round of last year's draft, is 22 years and 90 days old while Harper is 22 years and 237 days old -- a difference of 147 days. Lindgren was called up on May 24 and pressed into action in the eighth inning on Wednesday because the Yankees were shorthanded in the bullpen with Andrew Miller's injury. |
| South Carolina high court upholds USC/Alabama game death conviction | |
 | The state Supreme Court has upheld the conviction of an Alabama football fan stemming from a fatal, alcohol-fueled fight after a 2010 University of South Carolina home football game that resulted in the death of a USC football fan. In a 3-2 decision, the high court ruled there were no errors serious enough in the 2013 Richland County trial of Curtis James Simms, now 30, to overturn his conviction on high and aggravated breach of the peace in connection with the gruesome death of avid USC football fan Martin Gasque, 20. The trial brought attention to excessive drinking and fan mania around Williams-Brice Stadium before and after football games. Evidence at the trial showed both Gasque and Simms had been drinking. |
| Update: U. of Tennessee responds to report about Rick Barnes | |
| Tennessee fired its last men's basketball coach after one season due to alleged NCAA wrongdoing in his previous program. Now another new Vols coach has been linked to potential NCAA trouble from his past. The University of Texas announced Wednesday it is investigating allegations of academic misconduct in its men's basketball program under former Longhorns and current Vols coach Rick Barnes, and has contacted the NCAA about the matter. The confirmation came after The Chronicle of Higher Education on Wednesday published three claims of former Texas basketball players cheating on tests and receiving impermissible assistance with schoolwork. |
| Former USM coach Tyndall trying something new | |
| Donnie Tyndall has found work. The former Southern Miss men's basketball coach, who was fired in March after one season as head coach at Tennessee, will serve as guest manager for a match during Global Force Wrestling's Grand Slam Tour stop on Saturday Smokies Park in Kodak, Tennessee. Tyndall will coach the new Heavenly Bodies in their match against the Bullet Club in the evening's main event. Tyndall was fired by Tennessee as a result of findings uncovered by the NCAA during its ongoing investigation of the Southern Miss men's basketball program during his two seasons as head coach in Hattiesburg. |
| New ball gets first test in College World Series | |
 | The home run is back in college baseball, thanks to the new flat-seam ball put into play this year. Everyone now wants to see if the trend carries over to the College World Series in its cavernous home. "Justifiably, all eyes will be on Omaha to see how the ball performs there. I know ours will be," said Damani Leech, the NCAA director of championships and alliances. Traditionally, the threat of the big inning has been part of the appeal of college baseball. But in the four years the CWS has been played at TD Ameritrade Park, only 25 home runs have been hit in 59 games. Just three were hit in each of the last two years. That could change when the CWS begins Saturday. |
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