Monday, June 29, 2015   
 
Mississippi State, Japanese university sign memorandum of understanding
Mississippi State University and a major Japanese university are coming together to enhance educational and research opportunities, as well as the experiences of their respective students and faculty. The Nihon University College of Industrial Technology signed a formal agreement with MSU last week while visiting campus. "Mississippi State continues to expand the university's global footprint through relationships like the one we've developed with our colleagues at Nihon University," said MSU President Mark E. Keenum. "These relationships are invaluable for furthering our mutual goals as research universities. We're grateful for the opportunities that will develop for students and faculty members at both institutions."
 
OUR OPINION: Congressional delegation influence seen in funds
The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal editorializes: "Mississippi's federal programs and assets fared well in the early stages of congressional appropriations legislation last week, with Sens. Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker, both Republicans, putting their imprint in bills that would provide essential funds for new and continuing projects. ...Cochran, chairman of Appropriations, helped pass the FY16 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) Appropriations Bill out of committee, which has essential money for, among other programs, the Unmanned Aerial Systems Center of Excellence at Mississippi State University, the designated national lead university for the initiative. ...the insider influence of the congressional delegation remains essential for our state."
 
Marriage ruling will expand insurance coverage
Mississippi's eventual recognition of marriage equality means additional spouses of city and county workers will be eligible to receive health insurance, officials confirmed Friday. Once the state begins issuing marriage licenses to same-sex partners and recognizing similar documents previously granted to couples by other states, employees can then opt to extend benefits to their spouses, said Starkville Mayor Parker Wiseman and Oktibbeha County Administrator Emily Garrard. Starkville experienced fiery public reactions in 2014 when aldermen unanimously voted to extend "plus-one" insurance coverage to adults of workers' choosing -- a designation that included unmarried and same-sex partners -- but later amended its policy to only those within state-recognized marriages.
 
Professor: Gay couples still face hurdles despite court ruling
For Mississippi State University political science professor Dr. Ravi Perry, the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling Friday was a victory personally and professionally. Perry is an openly gay man who married his husband Paris Prince in August 2012 in Massachusetts. They moved to Starkville the next month so Perry could take a job with MSU. "We came here fully with the knowledge that not only were we moving to a more conservative place in terms of attitudes and values, but in terms of the law," Perry said. Perry and Prince enjoy living in Starkville. Friday's ruling ensures that couples like Perry and Prince will not see their marriage status change state to state. Perry said attitudes on same-sex marriage are changing in the state.
 
Heiselt leaving Starkville school board, recommends Myles to post
Starkville School District Board of Trustees member Eric Heiselt tendered his letter of resignation with the city late last week, and Starkville aldermen are expected to hold a special-call meeting to fill his seat before Oktibbeha County School District merges with SSD Wednesday. Heiselt's tenure ends at the conclusion of Tuesday's final SSD meeting before the group takes over leadership responsibilities associated with the Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District. His replacement could be former school board president Eddie Myles, whom Heiselt recommended take his seat in his resignation letter. Heiselt and his family are moving to Nevada, where he and his wife both accepted jobs at the University of Nevada.
 
LINK angling potential 100-job project in Oktibbeha County
Golden Triangle Development LINK Chief Operating Officer Joey Deason confirmed his organization is close to landing a 100-job economic development project in Oktibbeha County. Deason released few details about the development but said the project, if finalized, "will be a very good win for Starkville." "This is a good, fast-growing company with good people," Deason said Wednesday. "We still have a few little things to tie up to make this happen." Officials first disclosed the potential deal Wednesday when a Golden Triangle Planning and Development District representative asked the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors to schedule a public hearing for a $2 million-maximum Community Development Block Grant application to the Mississippi Development Authority.
 
Hotels in Lowndes County fueled by increase in industry
When Cindy Putnam began working at the Quality Inn on Highway 45 North, there were two other hotels in town. Putnam has worked at the Quality Inn for 28 years, and since then, a lot has changed. Now Columbus is home to 17 hotels, and at least one more is beginning construction in the fall. Putnam, though, said business is not bad. "We're older, but that just means we have to step up our game," she said. Putnam said their guest rates are steady and the increased industry in the area has benefited all of the hotels, old and new. The competition agrees. Deborah Stevenson, the director of sales at the Ramada Inn, has seen this growth firsthand. Specifically, she cited the Yokohama tire plant coming to West Point as increasing the hotel's business.
 
Airbag recall big business for dealerships
With millions of vehicles affected by airbag recalls, some Mississippi car dealerships have seen a dramatic increase in business in their service departments. "We've seen a gazillion of them," Patty Peck Honda service adviser Fred Smith said Thursday. Smith said the Ridgeland dealership has replaced approximately 400 airbags since the recall last summer. The Takata airbag recall affected more than 30 million vehicles in the United States made by 10 automakers. Thursday, Honda and Toyota recalled 3 million vehicles in Europe. Eight people have died and hundreds more have been injured as a result of the faulty airbags. According to reports, defective inflator and propellent devices in the driver and passenger airbags may deploy improperly in a crash, shooting metal fragments into the vehicle's occupants.
 
County Line Road, Northpark Mall fighting to hold their own
County Line Road between Jackson and Ridgeland is in a holding pattern in more than one way these days. Known for its infamous traffic, the mile-and-a-half, four-lane street that connects Interstate 55 and Old Canton Road, has lost several major stores in the past few years, and is about to lose more. Meantime, the "anchor" of the retail corridor, the 950,000-square-foot Northpark Mall built in 1985, has lost a number of prestige tenants in recent years, including Williams-Sonoma, Restoration Hardware, Lee Michaels Fine Jewelry, Abercrombie and Fitch, Brookstone, Ann Taylor and Gap. Meantime, County Line deals with its own challenges. Two years ago, Ridgeland and Jackson talked of forming a business improvement district, but that has not come to fruition, said Alan Hart, Ridgeland's director of development.
 
Aftershocks are possible after 3.2 Madison quake
Officials warn aftershocks are possible after Monday morning's earthquake. According to Paul Caruso with the United States Geological Survey, this morning's 3.2 earthquake could come with aftershocks. "We could have aftershocks for sure but the rule is one magnitude smaller," Caruso said. The quake occurred at 8:23 Monday morning, 7 km southwest of Canton, according to the USGS website. Caruso said the USGS received reports of people feeling a "weak" quake. "Books falling off shelves, maybe vibrations, but we wouldn't expect to see significant damage of this magnitude," he said.
 
Mississippi may benefit from Louisiana movie credit cap
Louisiana's new cap on film tax credits could send more movie business to Georgia and Mississippi, says the Mississippi Film Office's Gulf Coast project manager. As one of the top film locations outside of California, Georgia is likely to get some of the business that might otherwise have gone to Louisiana, sometimes called "Hollywood South," Bill Webb said. Georgia already has crew, equipment and production facilities, Webb told The Sun Herald. But, he said, "We should see some additional action." Mississippi Film Office director Ward Emling said movie business is growing in the Magnolia State.
 
Analysis: Flag affects Mississippi election dynamic
The racially sensitive topic of the Confederate battle emblem on the Mississippi flag was clearly was not on Republican Gov. Phil Bryant's agenda entering this election year. Debate is unavoidable now, because the massacre of nine worshippers at a black church in South Carolina has prompted people to re-examine the prominence given to symbols of the Old South. Mississippi has the only state flag that includes the Confederate symbol. The design has been used since 1894, and was affirmed by a nearly 2-to-1 margin of voters in a 2001 statewide election.
 
Straddling Old and New, a South Where 'a Flag Is Not Worth a Job'
And so the Old South gives way to the New, one economic development announcement at a time. Lured by the South's call of cheap land and labor and limited regulations, businesses have flocked here from around the world. Hyundai and Mercedes-Benz build cars in Alabama. Volkswagen and Nissan build them in Tennessee, while Kia does the same in Georgia. Workers in rural east Mississippi build unmanned aerial systems for an Israeli aerospace company, and at an assembly line under construction in Mobile, Ala., jetliners will soon be put together for the European company Airbus. Small businesses that have exploded into major corporations, most notably Walmart, are now throwing their corporate weight around, pressuring the South that produced them to change on issues like gay rights. Hispanic and Asian newcomers are transforming towns and cities their ancestors never knew. At the same time, more than half of the black population of the United States lives in the South.
 
State leaders ponder same-sex marriage ruling
State leaders are scrambling to determine how to respond to Friday's historic ruling by the United States Supreme Court saying same-sex marriages must be recognized and performed nationwide. The office of Mississippi Attorney Jim Hood issued a statement saying the ruling is "the law of the land," but circuit clerks cannot begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples until additional legal action is taken." Late last year, U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves for the Southern District of Mississippi overturned the state's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. But the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals postponed Reeves' ruling, essentially until the nation's highest court addressed the issue, which it did Friday. The Human Rights Campaign, which was a party to the lawsuit decided by Reeves, sent letters Friday to Hood and Gov. Phil Bryant requesting that the state begin immediately issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
 
Justices lament ballot wording
Voters will glean little information from the language on the ballot when they go to the polls in November to decide whether to approve one of two competing measures to amend the Constitution to enhance the state's commitment to the funding of kindergarten through 12th grade education. Multiple Supreme Court justices lamented the lack of information that voters will have in the voting booth during recent oral arguments about what language should appear on the November ballot. One of the two measures that will appear on the November ballot is a citizen-sponsored initiative spurred by a coalition of Mississippians who said they are concerned by the Legislature's chronic underfunding of the public schools – a $1.7 billion shortfall since 2008. The other measure is a legislative alternative to that citizen-sponsored initiative.
 
Supreme Court refuses to ban controversial method of execution
The Supreme Court refused Monday to limit states' use of a controversial execution method that opponents have likened to being burned alive. The court's conservative majority said lethal injection remains the most humane method of execution. During oral arguments in April, they had blamed opponents for exacerbating a shortage of drugs that has forced some states to experiment with less reliable alternatives. Justice Samuel Alito wrote the decision for the court. All four liberal justices dissented vehemently, and two of them said the entire death penalty likely is unconstitutional. Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote the principal dissent for the four more liberal justices, charging that the ruling "leaves petitioners exposed to what may well be the chemical equivalent of being burned at the stake."
 
Puerto Rico says it cannot pay its debt, setting off potential crisis in the U.S.
The governor of Puerto Rico has decided that the island cannot pay back more than $70 billion in debt, setting up an unprecedented financial crisis that could rock the municipal bond market and lead to higher borrowing costs for governments across the United States. Puerto Rico's move could roil financial markets already dealing with the turmoil of the renewed debt crisis in Greece. It also raises questions about the once-staid municipal bond market, which states and cities count on to pay upfront costs for public improvements such as roads, parks and hospitals. For many years, those bonds were considered safe investments -- but those assumptions have been shifting in recent years as a small but steady string of U.S. municipalities, including Detroit, as well as Stockton and Vallejo in California, have tumbled into bankruptcy.
 
Boys State Is Proving Ground for GOP Presidential Candidates
Part civics class, part hands-on training in the craft of politicking, Boys Nation and its state-level version, Boys State, have given an early taste of campaigning to a large number of men now prominent in politics, including four running or expected to run for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. Related programs have provided a similar boost to young women. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who attended both Boys State and Boys Nation in 1985, has said the program redirected him into politics from a presumed career in business. George Pataki, a former New York governor and recently announced White House contender, attended a 1962 Boys State program. During the 1979 Boys Nation, held at American University in Washington, D.C., Gov. Chris Christie showed early signs of the political instincts that would propel his career.
 
UM-Tupelo, Bevill State partner for program
The University of Mississippi at Tupelo and Bevill State Community College have partnered to create a program to help Bevill graduates transition seamlessly to UM-Tupelo to pursue a bachelor's degree. Bevill State has several campuses across the state of Alabama, the closest to Tupelo being in Hamilton. The program applies to students at the school's Sumiton, Jasper and Fayette/Pickens campuses as well. Derek Markley, executive director of UM's Tupelo and Booneville campuses, said the program will ensure credits earned at Bevill State transfer to UM Tupelo, serving as a road map for students who want to continue into a bachelor's degree program upon graduation.
 
Miss USM crowned Miss Mississippi
Two years after finishing as first runner-up, Hannah Roberts of Mount Olive was named the 2015 Miss Mississippi at the Vicksburg Convention Center Saturday. Roberts, 21, who competed as Miss University of Southern Mississippi, earned a $10,000 scholarship, which was part of $95,000 in scholarship money given away during the evening. Roberts plans to attend the University of Mississippi Medical Center. "It was a similar experience (to 2013)... it was a very anxious moment, but I was very, very excited," Roberts said. "I tried to improve my poise on stage and being on stage in general."
 
Delta State workshop promotes region's culture
For six years, the Delta Center for Culture and Learning at Delta State University has hosted teachers from around the country and the world for a weeklong learning adventure that serves also as a promotional venue for the Delta. Participants develop lesson plans using information from the workshop to take back to their classrooms. The ripple effect from their experiences serves to generate both information about the area for their students as the Delta is integrated into their curriculum and as a stimulant for others to visit. Dr. Rolando Herts, director for the Delta Center for Culture and Learning, said, "The National Endowment for the Humanities 'Most Southern Place on Earth' workshop is a week-long immersion program that uses an experiential learning approach."
 
Print edition of award-winning Delta State paper on the way out
Delta State University's student newspaper was vindicated after its printed edition was axed by budget cuts earlier this year. The newspaper's former editor-in-chief Elisabetta Zengaro, a DSU 2015 journalism graduate, used her editorial prowess to protest the budget cuts and, in doing so, won second place in the college division at the 2015 Louisiana/Mississippi Associated Press Media Editors Contest. The contest is one of the region's largest journalism competitions and over 1,000 entries were received. Although five Mississippi universities were recognized, Delta State was the only one to place.
 
LSU prof fired for using salty language in classroom claims she's 'witch hunt' victim, plans suit
An LSU associate professor has been fired for using curse words and for telling the occasional sexually-themed joke to undergraduate students, creating what university administrators describe as a "hostile learning environment" that amounted to sexual harassment. A faculty committee that reviewed her case gave a few "notable" examples. Teresa Buchanan, who specializes in early childhood education and trains elementary school teachers, is fighting back. The tenured faculty member said she's the victim of a "witch hunt," and plans to take the university to court for wrongful dismissal.
 
U. of Florida faculty not happy with half-percent pay raise offer
University of Florida faculty are not too happy with the half-percent salary increase offered by Tigert Hall this week, given how well the university fared with the Legislature. The United Faculty of Florida-UF Chapter sent a bargaining update email to its members Friday, saying that negotiations resumed this week --- after Gov. Scott signed a state budget that included $24 million in new money for UF in the form of performance and preeminence funding. "UF fared well in that budget, with substantial additional funding to help it in its aspirations to become a leading public university," the union said. That made it all the more surprising to union negotiators when the administration offered faculty a .5 percent raise for 2015-16.
 
U. of Kentucky's largest single donor is named a lifetime honorary trustee
The University of Kentucky's largest single donor will become a lifetime honorary trustee, Gov. Steve Beshear announced Friday. Carol Martin "Bill" Gatton has given more than $45 million to his alma mater, including the most recent $20 million gift for a new student center, the largest in UK's history. Gatton is cycling off his last term as a trustee at the end of June. His honorary status makes him a non-voting member of the board. On Friday, Beshear announced Gatton's replacement and other appointments to the UK Board. Appointed through 2021 are Frank Shoop, an auto dealer from Lexington, who replaces James Stuckert; and Claude A. "Skip" Berry, of Eminence, chairman of the Wehr Constructors Inc. Kentucky division, who replaces Gatton.
 
Texas A&M avian complex needs funding to complete vision
The Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine's new $2.8 million Avian Health Complex already has proven to be a big step up from the facility 300 exotic birds used to call home, but development is far from finished. According to Guy Sheppard, director of development for the vet school, a major push for private funding to fulfill the center's potential is underway and needs help from what he describes as a small, but passionate donor base. "The community of folks interested in birds are a small group and they're difficult to connect with," Sheppard said.
 
Texas A&M developing technology to test water for fecal contaminants
Technology being developed at Texas A&M University could help identify the source of the state's growing number of infections caused by fecal contamination. This year, there have been 54 reported cases of stomach illness caused by fecal contamination in Texas, according to the Department of State Health Services. The cause is the cyclospora parasite, a single-celled, microscopic parasite found in water or food contaminated with feces. Texas A&M biomedical engineering professor Vladislav Yakovlev is leading a team of professors and graduate students in an effort to develop a device to test large samples of water for fecal contaminants. Yakovlev said past devices were not as effective because they could handle only small samples.
 
U. of Missouri officials emphasize importance of faculty
Recruiting and retaining great faculty will be an area of focus for the University of Missouri this year, UM System President Tim Wolfe and MU Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin said Friday to the Board of Curators. Faculty recruitment will be critical at UM's flagship campus as it works to replace 110 retiring faculty members, Loftin said. "The key to our success is faculty, faculty, faculty," Loftin said. "We have to attract and retain the greatest faculty." Wolfe stressed the importance of faculty in his State of the University address Friday, and Loftin updated the curators on faculty recruitment and retention. Those 110 faculty members leaving MU, Loftin added, are 10 times the number of retirees in an average year. MU implemented a voluntary program this year that encouraged retirement.
 
U. of Missouri System's Wolfe reviews accomplishments, goals after curators approve budget
The University of Missouri System should behave more like a hedgehog and less like a fox, system President Tim Wolfe said during a State of the University message during the board of curators meeting Friday. Taking a cue from Jim Collins, author of "Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap ... And Others Don't," Wolfe explained that a fox is a more scattered animal that will try to tackle five tasks at once, while the hedgehog, like UM's administration body, remains focused on a single simplified mission that guides its overall purpose. "What we've done in the last two or three years is plan for success," Wolfe said. "We've had goals that are time bound, and those goals prioritize everything that we do. I can safely say on behalf of the University of Missouri System that we plan for success, we're measuring that success, and we expect it."
 
Proposed 2016 U.S. spending on education, health, labor programs
Both congressional appropriations committees approved legislation last week that would set spending levels for the nation's health, education and workforce programs, setting up likely showdowns with the Obama administration over budgets for some programs and policy initiatives that congressional Republicans want to stop. The policy battles could trump any deliberations over the spending levels, as the Obama administration is likely to go to the mat over its efforts -- now backed by two federal courts -- to require vocational programs at for-profit and other colleges to prove that they provide "gainful employment" to their graduates. To the satisfaction of higher education groups, both spending bills would increase spending on the National Institutes of Health beyond the $1 billion increase requested by President Obama, with the Senate adding a full billion dollars on top of that.
 
What the Landmark Ruling on Gay Marriage Means for Higher Ed
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Friday that the Constitution guarantees a right to same-sex marriage. What will the affect be on higher education? For most colleges, not much. But for others -- in particular, Christian colleges -- the ruling beckons toward an uncertain future. Some people at Christian colleges worry that they might lose federal benefits if they don't change their own policies on same-sex relationships and marriages. Since colleges have been dealing with a "patchwork of laws across states," the ruling will probably make it easier for institutions to support gay students and professors, said Suzanne B. Goldberg, director of the Sexuality and Gender Law Clinic at the Columbia University Law School, which filed a brief with the Supreme Court in support of same-sex marriage.
 
Will Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage challenge or change Christian colleges?
Friday's Supreme Court decision that states must authorize and recognize gay and lesbian marriages could create major legal challenges for religious colleges -- primarily evangelical Christian colleges that bar same-sex relationships among students and faculty members. Or the decision may not create much of a legal challenge at all. Or it may create challenges, but not soon. Legal experts are divided. But the question of whether same-sex marriage as a national right changes the legal status of Christian colleges is no longer just theoretical. For the majority of colleges that do not bar same-sex relationships, the decision won't change very much, or may simplify things. But that is not the case for many Christian evangelical colleges. And those colleges, some legal experts believe, may now face challenges to their tax-exempt status or other government benefits.
 
GEOFF PENDER (OPINION): First look: Former Gov. Haley Barbour's Katrina book
The Clarion-Ledger's Geoff Pender writes: "On the afternoon of August 29, 2005, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour knew someone had to be in charge after Hurricane Katrina's winds died and storm surge receded and realized 'for better or for worse, that was me.' 'America's Great Storm: Leading through Hurricane Katrina' is co-authored by the former two-term governor and Mississippi author and politico Jere Nash. Long in the works -- and put on the backburner for at least a couple of years by Barbour's own admission -- it's set to hit book stores Aug. 10, shortly before the 10th anniversary of the worst natural disaster in U.S. history. ...For those familiar with Mississippi's 'Katrina story,' Barbour and Nash's book fills in key details and serves as an excellent resource. For those not, it's a fascinating read on the challenges -- many of which the layperson might find surprising -- a mega-disaster brings."
 
BILL CRAWFORD (OPINION): Speaker should stick to beliefs
Syndicated columnist Bill Crawford of Meridian writes: "'What confounds you most about our state?' Sid Salter asked me in 2002. 'Two things,' I responded, 'our lingering love to hate and our sandbox mentality.' ...Sid asked me this question soon after we moved to settle the long-standing Ayers higher education desegregation case. I was a member of the IHL Board and one of three appointees of Gov. Kirk Fordice who made up the board's settlement negotiating team. Racism, rooted in hate and selfishness, tainted all issues in the Ayers case. ...It took courageous, forward-thinking leadership to settle the Ayers case after 29 years of fighting. Meanwhile, our flag fight is 15 years old. Our sandbox mentality doesn't care if the Confederate emblem in the flag has racist overtones and offends others, much like we felt for years about Ayers."
 
SAM R. HALL (OPINION): Flag issue defining our state leaders
The Clarion-Ledger's Sam R. Hall writes: "Let me be clear: those supporting a change in the state flag are not the only brave ones. No, those who have come out in favor of keeping the state flag and made a clearly reasonable argument why are just as brave. I personally disagree with the positions of Sens. Chris McDaniel and Melanie Sojourner, but they stood up and said they didn't support changing the flag. They weren't ambiguous, and they didn't pass the buck. That takes political courage. It's the ones who have passed the buck to 'the people,' who have said a lot without saying anything, or who have refused to say anything who have not the courage of a conviction or -- in the case of those who refuse to speak -- a conviction of which to have courage."
 
SID SALTER (OPINION): Marriage ruling faces procedural roadblock in Mississippi
Syndicated columnist Sid Salter writes: "Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood said Friday that the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark decision that same-sex couples can marry nationwide isn't immediately applicable in Mississippi based on a prior ruling by U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves that granted a preliminary injunction blocking Mississippi's past ban on same-sex marriages. The roadblock is procedural in nature, but the procedure will apparently have to play out. ...Given the politically-incendiary nature of the question and the fact that statewide courthouse-to-statehouse elections loom, it's unlikely that state government will take any action on same-sex marriage until after November. State government options are rather severely limited. What is likely -- given the basic legal finality of the high court's ruling -- is a great deal of political posturing by those on both sides of the debate."


SPORTS
 
Five most important Mississippi State offensive players in 2015
Mississippi State's offense led the Southeastern Conference last year as the only squad to average more than 500 yards per game. The Bulldogs offense lost major contributors from last seasons, including three starters along the offensive line, two starting wide outs and its leading rusher. Mississippi State still has the potential to match its record-breaking numbers from 2014. It will need these five players to step up in 2015.
 
Akins caps 30-year career with Mississippi State athletics
Few men truly get to live out their dreams. Richard Akins counts himself among those lucky few. For more than 30 years, Akins has served as strength and conditioning coach for men's basketball, women's basketball and "every sport but football," according to him. So earlier this summer, when Akins retired, it left the Ethel native in a reflective mood. "A lot of people don't get the opportunity to fulfill a dream, to work at this level and stay in one place for so long," said Akins. "I grew up in a small town 65 miles west of here. And to be able to work all these years at a university like this, to be able to come to work every day and work with athletes like this, I've been very fortunate."
 
Mississippi State's Erica Bougard qualifies for World Championships
Erica Bougard is going to Beijing, China and will represent the United States in the 2015 Track and Field World Championships. The Mississippi State senior finished third in the heptathlon at the USA Track and Field Championships on Sunday in Eugene, Oregon. Bougard entered the second day of the event in third and held the position with the conclusion of three events. Bougard totaled 6,288 points in the seven events, which was third most and earned her a spot on the US national team.
 
Rivalry renewed: Choctaws, Statesmen covet Heritage Bell
Mississippi College is working hard to reverse the effects of a 20-year-old decision. Entering their second and final year of Gulf South Conference provisional status the Choctaws are hoping the progress they've made in climbing back to NCAA Division II from Division III will show on the football field. If it does Mississippi will be closer to regaining what had become an entertaining small college rivalry between MC and Delta State. Bland and Delta State coach Todd Cooley both say the Choctaws aren't far from finding the success they enjoyed in the late '80s and early '90s -- even if Cooley would like to slow things down a bit.
 
Ole Miss All-American Tunsil arrested after allegedly protecting mother from stepdad
Ole Miss All-American left tackle Laremy Tunsil was arrested on charges of domestic violence against his stepfather following an incident that occurred Thursday night in Oxford, coach Hugh Freeze confirmed on Saturday. Tunsil turned himself into authorities, Freeze said, after he allegedly assaulted his stepfather, Lindsey Miller, in defense of his mother, Desiree Tunsil. Freeze said that Laremy Tunsil and his mother have pressed charges against Miller. An Oxford Police Department spokesperson could not confirm if Tunsil and his mother have indeed filed charges.
 
Experts mixed on U. of Tennessee's branding changes
The signs at Gate 20 of Neyland Stadium symbolize the crossroads at which Tennessee's athletic department stands. There is still a three-striped adidas logo at the bottom of the sign that marks the entrance of Tennessee athletics' official team shop. But the Nike Swoosh adorns one of the store's two glass doors. "Coming 7.1.15," is written below. The other door reads: "The Line Starts Here." Tuesday marks the final day of UT's contract with adidas, the end of an apparel partnership that goes back to 1997. On Wednesday, UT formally joins the Nike empire, beginning an eight-year contract and revealing its new product line in a web broadcast that will air at noon on UTSports.com. The cementing of UT's most controversial decision in recent memory will occur in tandem with the switch to Nike. Starting Wednesday, the women's basketball team will be the only team known as the Lady Vols.
 
Vanderbilt plans to build $12M baseball facility
Vanderbilt will build a new $12 million baseball facility beginning after the 2016 season, pending approval by the university's Board of Trustees. The new three-story building will connect Memorial Gym to Hawkins Field and stand just beyond the left-field wall. In fact, coach Tim Corbin said one side of the three-story complex will serve as a new replacement to the current 35-foot-tall green monster wall in the left-field corner. "The building itself will make up the monster, so we won't lose the elevated wall and we won't lose the distances," Corbin said. "There will just be something behind that wall." Athletics director David Williams said the process of planning a new facility began after last year's run to Vanderbilt's first national championship, when he asked Corbin what upgrades he preferred for his program.
 
Mississippi's state flag missing from display at USATF Outdoor Track & Field Championships
Mississippi's state flag, which features the Confederate flag in one corner, is not among the state flags displayed at Hayward Field during the USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships. Friday evening, TrackTown USA meet organizers referred questions about the omission to TrackTown USA president Vin Lananna, who could not be reached. On Saturday, a TrackTown USA spokesman said Lananna would be available Sunday to speak about the absent flag. A USA Track & Field spokeswoman declined to comment about the flag, referring questions to meet organizers. The omission comes at a time when continued display of the Confederate flag in South Carolina and on a portion of Mississippi's state flag has been the subject of controversy -- which has even extended to a state flag display at a Salem park.
 
Nascar Chairman Wants Confederate Flag Eliminated at Races
Calling the Confederate flag an "insensitive symbol" he personally finds offensive, Nascar Chairman Brian France said the series will be aggressive in dissociating the symbol from its events. "We want to go as far as we can to eliminate the presence of that flag," France said Saturday. "I personally find it an offensive symbol, so there is no daylight how we feel about it, and our sensitivity to others who feel the same way. Obviously, we have our roots in the South, there are events in the South, it's part of our history like it is for the country. But it needs to be just that, part of our history. It isn't part of our future."
 
Proposal seeks tougher NCAA academic integrity policies
Academic misconduct may soon have its own section in the NCAA rule book. New legislation announced Friday by the NCAA proposes tougher academic integrity policies and sets expectations for athletic department staff and athletes. If the proposal by the Division I Council passes next April it will be an NCAA violation whenever a coach or staffer is involved in academic misconduct.
 
RICK CLEVELAND (OPINION): George Bryan to receive Rube Award
Mississippi syndicated sports columnist Rick Cleveland writes: "West Point native George Bryan, who brought the 1999 U.S. Women's Open golf championship to the nationally renowned golf course he built in his hometown, will receive the 2015 Rube Award for his lifetime of contributions to Mississippi sports. The Rube Award is named in honor of the late Michael Rubenstein, long-time TV sportscaster and executive director of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. ...Bryan, a business school graduate of Mississippi State University, is the founder of Old Waverly Golf Club in West Point. Old Waverly has hosted the US Women's Open, Southern Amateur Championship, and other national championships."



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