Friday, June 19, 2015   
 
Kroger makes $50K donation to Mississippi State food camp
A $50,000 donation from Kroger is going to fund scholarships for a Mississippi State University camp. The gift was given to the university's Fun with Food Camp, a week-long venture educating children about nutrition. Campers were busy with hands-on food preparation, field trips and lessons about food from farm to table.
 
Mississippi State honored for rain garden project
A rain garden project in Starkville has been given a regional award from the Environmental Protection Agency. Mississippi State University received the 2015 EPA Rain Catcher Award in the Neighborhood/Community Category for the Oktibbeha County Heritage Museum's rain garden program. The five-year project was designed and constructed by MSU students, faculty and volunteers. The Rain Catcher Award recognizes excellence for using natural or man-made systems to manage stormwater and reduce water impacts.
 
Spike in Mississippi egg prices still to come, experts say
If the price of eggs at your favorite grocery in Mississippi hasn't taken a big jump, don't get overconfident. It's coming, said Dr. Bryon Parman, agricultural economist at Mississippi State University. It can take a couple of months for eggs purchased by buyers to hit the grocery shelves, he said. The Mississippi poultry industry has thus far escaped the outbreak of avian flu that has devastated flocks in the Midwest, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Eggs are typically bought two months ahead, so the effects of the outbreak of avian flu that has devastated the poultry market in the Midwest will take awhile to get to Mississippi, Parman said. Forty-seven million birds have been destroyed because of the virus, with Iowa leading the way with 30.7 million. Of the outbreak, he said, "It's going to affect everyone."
 
Delta faces down a threat to water sustainability
Mississippi would never be mistaken for California, but there is at least one thing they share. Each lays claim as among the most fertile and productive growing regions in the world. And both have a water supply problem. Mississippi's is not drought-driven and is not in the same league as the California problem. Still, it is a major threat. Kay Whittington, director of the MDEQ Water and Land Division, said that "conservation is the near-term priority. There is a lot of potential there for water savings." A voluntary program calling for 5 percent of all the wells in each county to be metered by June 30, 2014 was met, she said. Dr. Jason Krutz of the Mississippi State University Extension Service is helping farmers with conservation steps, and his success rate is reduction of water use by 20 percent to 50 percent while making the same yield, she said.
 
Officials want improved siren maintenance
Ward 3 resident Bill Daniel says he hasn't heard the wail of his neighborhood's tornado siren in a long time. It's not that Daniel is hard of hearing -- the siren, located on Country Club Road in front of his house, fails to sound its warning during adverse weather situations and monthly testing procedures, Daniel said. The County Club Road siren, dubbed a "primary offender" Tuesday by Chief Administrative Officer Taylor Adams, is one of "a few" units under review by the Oktibbeha County Emergency Management Agency, said incoming director Shank Phelps. That specific siren services numerous subdivisions and neighborhoods along South Montgomery Street, including Country Club Estates and south Greenbriar.
 
Bio-made products grow opportunities for Mississippi
Mississippi is the top state in the U.S. for the production of bio-made products, according to a study the United States Department of Agriculture released Tuesday. The study, conducted for the USDA by outside university researchers, analyzed the relative employment contribution of the bioeconomy in every state to its national share of the U.S. economy. It calculated the percent of state employment in an industry divided by the overall percentage of employment in the same industry in the U.S. It examined industries considered connected to bio-production --- including agriculture and forestry, forest products, enzymes and chemical production.
 
NASA looking for tenants at Stennis Space Center
Stennis Space Center is well known as home to NASA rocket scientists, Naval oceanographers, Navy SEALS and major aerospace companies including Lockheed Martin, Aerojet Rocketdyne and SpaceX. With NASA as its landlord, Stennis houses more than 40 federal and state agencies, academic institutions, private organizations and technology companies that share costs to keep the Hancock County center running. But what happens when programs are scaled back or cancelled, leaving those structures and buildings empty or underutilized? NASA the landlord goes searching for new tenants.
 
Low prices, temporary closure frustrating shrimpers
Mississippi shrimp fishermen have been struggling with small shrimp and low prices. Wednesday's closure of shrimping in Mississippi waters north of the Intracoastal Waterway is expected to make life even tougher for some. The season opened June 3 and was a disappointment for shrimp fishermen and customers. Buyers complained of small sizes, and fishermen were frustrated with low prices caused in part by the predominantly small shrimp. Melissa Scallan of the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources said the season was opened when samples of shrimp met the required minimum of 68 per pound.
 
Hurst kicks off campaign for attorney general
Mike Hurst, Republican candidate for Mississippi's Attorney General seat, formally kicked off his campaign this week with stops throughout north Mississippi. Hurst is challenging current Attorney General Jim Hood, a Democrat, for the position in the upcoming elections later this year. Hurst stopped in Tupelo and Pontotoc, among other locations, Thursday to meet with area residents and share his platform. Hurst is placing an emphasis on increasing the prosecution of public corruption throughout the state in his campaign. He is a native of Newton County and a graduate of East Central Community College in Decatur and Millsaps College in Jackson, as well as The George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C.
 
Write-in candidates eligible for Lowndes' District 41 state House race
Write-in candidates are eligible for election in the Democratic primary for District 41 representative, and that has opened the possibility of formalized write-in campaigns for the seat. Longtime representative and Democratic incumbent Esther Harrison died last week at age 69. She had qualified for re-election in January and was slated to defend her seat against Democratic challenger and Columbus councilman Kabir Karriem in the Aug. 4 primary. No Republicans or independents qualified for the seat, meaning the winner of the Democratic primary will win outright.
 
North Mississippi judge suspended for 30 days, no pay
The Mississippi Supreme Court has ordered a chancery judge suspended for 30 days without pay and publicly reprimanded for misconduct. The Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance filed a complaint in September against Chancellor Talmadge Littlejohn of New Albany. The commission alleges Littlejohn ordered someone jailed for non-payment of child support when the case had been appealed to the Supreme Court. The man was arrested and held for three days in the Lee County jail before he was released. The commission says the filing of an appeal bond took the case out of Littlejohn's court. The Supreme Court on Thursday said Littlejohn had refused to take responsibility for his misconduct.
 
'Loner' Held in Charleston Church Killings
About a month ago, Dylann Roof's family became concerned. The once-quiet, bright boy from a middle-class family had been drifting and began to tell relatives he was involved in racist groups. "He turned into a loner in the last couple of years and no one knew why," said a woman reached at the house of his former stepmother. On Wednesday evening, police said, the 21-year-old Mr. Roof entered an African-American church here that dates to the time of slavery, sat quietly through an hour or so of Bible study, then pulled out a pistol and methodically killed nine people. The violence came at a time of heightened racial sensitivity after the shootings of African-American suspects in disputed incidents by police.
 
Gov. Nikki Haley calls for death penalty in Charleston shooting
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley says the gunman who killed nine people during a shooting spree at a Charleston church should get the death penalty. Speaking Friday morning on NBC's "Today" show, Haley said "we will absolutely will want him to have the death penalty." Twenty-one-year-old Dylann Storm Roof was arrested Thursday in North Carolina, a day after nine people were killed during a Bible study at a historic black church in downtown Charleston. Those killed included the minister at The Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. The shooting is being considered a hate crime.
 
Officials: Chinese had access to U.S. security clearance data for one year
The recently disclosed breach of the Office of Personnel Management's security-clearance computer system took place a year ago, giving Chinese government intruders access to sensitive data for a year, according to new information. The considerable lag time between breach and discovery means that the adversary had more time to pull off a cyber-heist of consequence, said Stewart Baker, a former National Security Agency general counsel. "The longer you have to exfiltrate the data, the more you can take," he said. "If you've got a year to map the network, to look at the file structures, to consult with experts and then go in and pack up stuff, you're not going to miss the most valuable files."
 
Cold war 2.0? Russia, NATO edge toward high-risk military standoff
For more than a year, antagonistic rhetoric and deeds have ticked upward as the West seeks to restrain and punish Russia for its actions in Ukraine. Moscow and NATO have broken off ties, and both sides have staged an escalating series of war games near each other's borders. Experts have been pointing to the growing risk of accident or miscalculation as Russian and NATO ships and planes are increasingly thrown into unscripted encounters in international territory. This week the temperature of the rhetoric jumped, with both sides threatening deeds that bring them closer to permanent force deployments on their borders -- and recreate the sort of standoff that scarred two generations during the 40-year-long cold war.
 
Boeing celebrates launch of new $6M research and tech center in Huntsville
Boeing leaders didn't cut the ribbon on their new Huntsville research and technology center Thursday with a giant pair of ceremonial scissors. The company, joined by Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle and Madison County Commission Chairman Dale Strong, used tablets to mimic a virtual ribbon cutting instead. Led by Boeing Director of Support and Analytics Technology Steve Swaine, the research center includes metals and fracture technology, chemical technology and several new or increased labs, such as radio frequency systems, advanced systems integration, vehicle management systems integration, composites lab and advanced electromechanical technologies.
 
Construction set to begin on MUW campus
The Mississippi University for Women will soon begin milling and repaving two north campus parking lots and road to improve infrastructure. The work is scheduled to begin Monday, and will a day or two to complete. The roads will be striped in about 10 days. The project involves Third Avenue, Welty Drive and Callaway and Whitfield parking lots. The projects total about $191,000 and are being funded through university funds and capital improvement fees.
 
MUW's desegregation focus of project
Three years ago, a professor at Mississippi University of Women was prompted by a student's capstone to look into the history of desegregation at the university. She was surprised by what she found -- nothing. No newspaper coverage, no photographs, not even the names of the first women to desegregate the school in 1966. So Erin Kempker, associate professor of history, became curious. Where was the record of this landmark for the university? It clearly was not as tumultuous as the University of Mississippi integration a few years earlier that led to riots, arrests and deaths, but what were the circumstances
 
MUW uses real-world stories, YouTube to train middle school teachers
Twenty middle school mathematics teachers have gathered to help students prepare for the future at the College and Career Readiness Mathematics Institute on the campus of Mississippi University for Women. "The institute will demonstrate that mathematics is involved in everything we do and that almost every situation can be made into a mathematical problem or story," said Dr. Richard Holden, professor of education. Since June 1, area middle school teachers have attended the mathematics institute at The W. At the institute, teachers interact with W faculty for specialty training that will equip them for the new College and Career Readiness Standards, the Standards for Mathematical Practice and effective methodologies for teaching these standards to middle school students.
 
College Board hires consultant on search for UM chancellor
A Dallas-based consulting firm will lead the search for a new chancellor of the University of Mississippi. The state College Board on Thursday hired the firm, R. William Funk & Associates. The firm will be paid $110,000. College Board officials say they hope to complete the search by the end of the calendar year but it may take longer. Commissioner of Higher Education Glenn Boyce says the firm's CEO, Bill Funk, is "one of the finest search consultants in the nation." The Board also named 34 members to its Campus Search Advisory Committee and the Board Search Committee.
 
Search begins for new Ole Miss chancellor
The goal of the Board of Trustees of state Institutions of Higher Learning is to have a new chancellor at the University of Mississippi this year. "We will do our best to get this done this calendar year, but it is not a guarantee," said College Board President Alan Perry on Thursday after the College Board voted to hire a Dallas-based firm to help with a nationwide search for the next Ole Miss chancellor. The College Board, which oversees the state's eight public universities, also announced a 34-person advisory committee that will provide input to the College Board on the search. The advisory committee consists of Ole Miss faculty, staff, students and alumni and will be headed by Alice Clark, the vice chancellor for research and sponsored programs.
 
College Board hires consultant for Ole Miss search
The two committees that will work to select the next Ole Miss chancellor will meet for the first time next month. The 34-member Campus Search Advisory Committee and a committee made up of all 12 members of the state College Board will work with Dallas-based higher education search firm R. William Funk and Associates, Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning Commissioner Glenn Boyce said. Boyce said during a College Board Thursday Funk and Associates was one of nine firms to respond to a request for proposals the IHL issued last month. Funk's bid was $110,000. "That was one the lowest," Boyce said.
 
Former Ole Miss student pleads guilty to putting noose on civil rights statue
A former student at the University of Mississippi pleaded guilty Thursday to a misdemeanor charge arising from a noose placed on a statue of civil rights activist James Meredith. At a brief court appearance, Graeme Phillip Harris pleaded guilty to a charge of threatening force to intimidate African-American students and employees at the university. Harris, who is white, was an Ole Miss student when the noose was placed on the statue but is no longer enrolled. The national office of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity suspended its Ole Miss chapter after three of the chapter's members were accused of leaving the noose and flag on the Meredith statue. University spokesman Danny Blanton released a school statement Thursday expressing hopes that closure in the case would further the healing process.
 
Jackson State presents $42M plan to buy land and build new dorm
Jackson State University officials want to issue $42 million in bonds to finance construction of a new dormitory on campus. The proposal requires state College Board approval. Board members heard a presentation about the plan Thursday but set it aside without a vote. They said they could act on it later. Nicole Evans, JSU's vice president for enrollment management and institutional research, says the university's enrollment has increased in recent years and there's a need for more student housing.
 
Stuart Bell ringing in new era of leadership at U. of Alabama
The University of Alabama board of trustees on Thursday unanimously approved the appointment of Stuart Bell as the next president of the Capstone beginning July 15. "I certainly look forward to leading this university as its next president," Bell said. His initial plans include meeting with members of the campus community as part of a "listening tour" to help develop his strategy. Bell, the provost and executive vice president at Louisiana State University and previously a faculty member at UA, was confirmed Thursday during a specially called board meeting. Bell previously served as the head of UA's Department of Mechanical Engineering and director of the UA Center for Advanced Vehicle Technologies in 2002.
 
Alabama trustees will vote on tuition increase
The University of Alabama board of trustees will consider tuition increases for its Tuscaloosa and Birmingham campuses when it meets Friday. The board's finance committee gave preliminary approval to the new tuition rate proposal on Thursday. The proposal would increase in-state tuition rates $344 a year to $10,170 at UA for undergraduate and graduate students taking a full course loads. Tuition annually would increase $316 to $9,596 at the University of Alabama at Birmingham for undergraduate students who are residents. For nonresidents, tuition would increase $1,000 to $25,950 for out-of-state students at UA and $736 to $21,956 at UAB.
 
University presidents from around the world create action agenda to solve hunger
Inspired at an historic gathering of university presidents from around the world, Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez said he planned to take the document that they had all signed, "Presidents' Commitment to Food and Nutrition Security," to Vice President Joe Biden, saying that this was an action plan that could help solve hunger. Hernandez spoke on June 17 at the National Press Club gathering of Presidents United to Solve Hunger (PUSH), a movement that has grown in less than a year to nearly 80 universities from six continents. Auburn University President Jay Gogue, who also serves on the PUSH Steering Committee, opened the meeting, saying, "PUSH is currently working on two fronts to develop a global view of university action on all campuses and also assess needs in developing countries."
 
State appropriates $1.5 million for Auburn aviation
Alabama legislators have appropriated $1.5 million in the state's Education Trust Fund for the Auburn University Aviation Center and its programs in emerging unmanned aircraft systems. "Auburn is the first in the country and the only entity so far that's been approved by the FAA to do this program. That's a pretty big deal," Alabama Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard said. "I've gotten $1.5 million earmarked for it because I think it's worthy of it. Now, it's kind of exploding, what's going on. ...I was pleased we were able to do that." Though the Aviation Center opened last July, Auburn boasts more than 80 years of work in aerospace engineering and management, along with flight training.
 
U. of Arkansas Names Colleen Briney to Business Affairs Post
Colleen Briney has been named the new associate vice chancellor for business affairs at the University of Arkansas, the university announced Thursday. Briney's new duties will go into effect July 1. Briney is the assistant dean for finance in the UA's College of Engineering. In her new role, Briney will be the chief business officer for the UA, overseeing procurement; accounts payable; travel and surplus property; risk management; transit and parking; print-mail copy services; the University Bookstore; and the Garland Center leased retail space.
 
U. of Arkansas System Makes List of Top 100 US Patent Producers
The University of Arkansas System made the list of 100 top U.S. utility patent-producing universities in the world, released by the National Academy of Inventors. The UA comes in at No. 65, tied with four other institutions: the Universities of Kentucky and Virginia, Yale University and Ohio State University. The nonprofit ranked the top 100 universities (and their respective systems) for U.S. utility patents produced in 2014. Topping the list is the University of California System.
 
Beloved Aggie architecture professor dies at 81
John Only Greer, the Aggie who became one of the most respected architecture educators in the U.S., was laid to rest in College Station on Tuesday. He was 81. Greer, class of 1957, was respected by students, staff, faculty and the larger architecture community during his 49 years of teaching at Texas A&M. Jorge Vanegas, dean of the Texas A&M College of Architecture, said when he first met Greer, he came across as someone who was a strong advocate for educating future generations. "Most of the awards he received were for his outstanding abilities as an educator," Vanegas said, adding "He was the ultimate progression and a champion and advocate for architecture." Greer was buried in the Aggie Field of Honor after a service that Vanegas described as "a fitting tribute to a man who left a long legacy in the College of Architecture at Texas A&M."
 
SID SALTER (OPINION): Universities' initiatives battle global hunger
Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: "Hunger and food insecurity are problems that are at once global and local. To be sure, relatively affluent nations like the U.S. face far less dire circumstances than do regions of the world like Sub-Saharan Africa. But suggesting Mississippians don't face food insecurity and hunger here at home ignores reality. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service reports that some 14.3 percent of all U.S. households are classified as food-insecure households... The challenges of global food security and world hunger are daunting, but solutions to meet those challenges are being developed in the nation's land-grant universities. Mississippi State University, Auburn University and other land grant schools are part of an exciting global effort to battle these problems. ...The United Nations and other key groups have long ago realized solutions to these vexing problems will be found in the programs of American research universities."


SPORTS
 
Two more night games revealed in Mississippi State's football schedule
Conference USA forced Mississippi State fans to wait longer than nearly any fanbase to see the 2015 football season begin. ESPN will force MSU's faithful to wait all day for its home opener. The reward is a primetime kick against LSU on ESPN at 8:15 p.m. on Sept. 12, the Southeastern Conference announced on Thursday. The game follows a 9 p.m. kick to start the season at Southern Miss on Fox Sports 1. The Bulldogs will host a day game on Sept. 19 at 3 p.m. against Northwestern State. The game will be televised on the SEC Network.
 
Late football nights ahead for Rebels, Bulldogs
Looking at the early part of the SEC football season, both Mississippi State and Ole Miss -- and their fans -- will be tackling some late starts. The league released the complete details of the first three weeks of the season on Thursday. We already knew that Mississippi State's season-opener at Southern Miss on Sept. 5 was set for a 9 p.m. kickoff -- yes, that's Central time -- on Fox Sports 1. On Sept. 12, MSU entertains LSU with a Death Valley-worthy 8:15 p.m. kickoff on ESPN. The league's schedule announcement also noted that Mississippi State's Week 10 game at Missouri will be played on Thursday, Nov. 5, with an 8 p.m. kickoff on ESPN.
 
Howland building from ground up with Mississippi State's freshmen
Ben Howland hasn't wasted any time in rebuilding Mississippi State basketball. He traveled to Jackson to speak with Quinndary Weatherspoon, MSU's top recruit at the time, within a week of signing on as the Bulldogs coach. A month later, Howland reeled in Malik Newman, the top-rated point guard in the country. A month after that he announced the addition of four-star stretch-four Aric Holman. The trio of freshmen participated in their Mississippi State basketball practice two weeks ago. At which time, their rebuilding began too. "Coach Howland, he's so detailed," Newman said. "He wants everything done in a certain way. That was the toughest part." The adjustment from high school to college hit the talented trio in the weight room.
 
Alabama Board of Trustees set to consider renovation of Jerry Pate Golf Center
The University of Alabama Board of Trustees is set to consider the architectural plans for the renovation of the Jerry Pate Golf Center when it meets Friday. On Thursday, the board's Physical Properties Committee gave preliminary approval to the design and permission to execute construction contracts with future low bidders for the $825,870 renovation to the facility on Old Colony Road in Tuscaloosa. The full board will vote on the design Friday. Davis Architects Inc. is the design firm. The project will be funded by Crimson Tide Foundation. The university hopes to complete the work by August, according to the project proposal.
 
Police report reveals details of alleged break in by LSU QB Jennings, 3 other players
Four LSU football players have been placed on indefinite suspension after their arrests Thursday. Quarterback Anthony Jennings, cornerback Dwayne Thomas and defensive lineman Maquedius Bain were arrested and booked on unauthorized entry into an inhabited dwelling, police records show. Thomas was also booked on simple burglary. Defensive tackle Trey Lealaimatafao, earlier Thursday, was arrested and booked on simple battery and simple robbery, a felony. LSU coach Les Miles immediately suspended all four players and has met with them, according to a statement the coach released to The Advocate.



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