Tuesday, July 21, 2015   
 
Palmer Home children get chance to think about future at LeaderState
It's a classic question from adults to kids: "What do you want to be when you grow up?" High school students from Palmer Home for Children, a Columbus-based organization that provides homes for kids who need them, got the chance to start thinking about the answer to that question at a five-day long program on the Mississippi State University campus last week. The students were part of a program called LeaderState. Approximately 12 students spent five days living in dorm rooms, touring businesses and interacting with special guest speakers from a variety of professions. All the events and activities were designed to get the teens thinking about their futures.
 
More children are in poverty today than before the Great Recession
One out of five American children live in poverty, and we have the Great Recession to blame. That's according to a new report out today from the Annie E. Casey Foundation that tracks the overall well-being of children in the United States. Today, 22 percent of children live in poverty, up from 18 percent in 2008. At the bottom is Mississippi, where the child-poverty rate is a staggering one in three. Since 1990 when the Casey Foundation first released its report, Mississippi has remained at the bottom every year except one, says Linda Southward. She studies families and children at Mississippi State University's Social Science Research Center and directs Mississippi KIDS COUNT. "The fact that Mississippi is so much lower than the rest of the country on these measures, Mississippi would have to make tremendous gains on these measures to rise in the rankings," she said.
 
Dog from stolen vehicle suffers heat stroke, taken to Mississippi State
A dog that was inside a vehicle that was stolen by two escaped Hinds County inmates suffered heat stroke and is in intensive care at Mississippi State University. Chase was recovered Friday after Montreal Anderson and John Rollins were captured in Warren County. Anderson and Rollins were two of four inmates that escaped the Hinds County Detention Center in Raymond on July 13. The 9-year-old golden retriever was reunited with owner of the truck, Joe Cox of Clinton, WAPT reported. Chase was taken to an emergency veterinarian clinic Saturday, where he was diagnosed with heat stroke. Chase was taken to Mississippi State Monday for more treatment.
 
On the move: US Army Corps of Engineers
Henry "Hank" McDevitt of Clinton has been selected as the new deputy to the commander of the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center in Vicksburg. McDevitt, a Vicksburg native, has bachelor's and master's degrees in civil engineering from Mississippi State University.
 
New weed management technologies will require additional safeguards
Even as two new weed control technologies are on the horizon for Mid-South agriculture, regulatory challenges continue to get federal approval for crop chemistries, says John Campbell. "Things we were able to previously get approved by the Environmental Protection Agency, we may not be able to get today, even when we point out specific examples that they granted five years ago for other products," he said at the annual meeting of the Mississippi Boll Weevil Management Corporation and the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation Cotton Policy Committee. "Before growers can use these technologies, they will have to complete an MDAC-approved training course. Mississippi State University is in the process of developing an online module to address issues such as off-target movement, volatility, tank cleanout -- everything associated with these products."
 
Starkville begins comprehensive planning process
Efforts to develop a new comprehensive plan for Starkville begin this week as the city is hosting two public meetings. Starkville's Comprehensive Plan Advisory Panel met Monday at 11 a.m., and a public hearing with planners will be held 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall. The city's comprehensive planning advisory group is comprised of Michelle Amos (chamber of commerce), Michael Brooks (planning and zoning), Mark Castleberry (developer), Jeremiah Dumas (Mississippi State University transportation), Michael Fazio (historic preservation), Toriano Holloway (Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District), Hal Parker (developer), Jeffrey Rupp (MSU outreach) and Chris Taylor (Oktibbeha County NAACP). City representation includes CAO Taylor Adams, City Planner Daniel Havelin, City Engineer Edward Kemp, Starkville Electric Department General Manager Terry Kemp, Vice Mayor Roy A. Perkins, Sanders, Ward 4 Alderman Jason Walker, Mayor Parker Wiseman and Ward 2 Alderman Lisa Wynn.
 
Starkville schools tech expert invited to global summit
Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District technology integration specialist Danielle McGee has been invited to attend the global SMART Exemplary Educator Summit. McGee is among 10 mentors nominated to the summit worldwide. She will serve as an instructor to 60 teachers from across the world at the conference to be held in Calgary, Alberta, this month. She is the first nominee from Mississippi in the six year history of the conference. "I am sure it will be an exciting time," said McGee. "I am truly humbled to have been recognized nationally for the work that I do as an educational technology professional. It is also a testament of the dedication and commitment of the technology team of the Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District."
 
Fall brings a new type of high school
Sixty soon-to-be high school freshmen from the Golden Triangle will start a unique experience at East Mississippi Community College in the fall. Golden Triangle Early High School will become a part of the college and give the students a chance to earn both college and high school credit. Principal Jill Savely says it's not a typical dual enrollment program. "The difference is our students start with us in the ninth grade," said Savely, "and they begin taking college classes as early as the ninth grade." Participating students can get an associates degree by the time they finish high school.
 
Bryant OKs Mississippi Guard to arm personnel
The Mississippi National Guard now has the authority to arm its personnel at state military facilities after last week's shooting in Tennessee that killed five service members. Gov. Phil Bryant issued an executive order Monday authorizing the guard to arm certain full-time military personnel at facilities including National Guard recruiting centers. Recruiters work in nine stand-alone recruiting offices and also work on college campuses and at Community Readiness Centers around the state.
 
Rep. Baria will fight for returning most of state's BP settlement to Coast
Rep. David Baria, D-Bay St. Louis, said Monday he will fight for returning most of the money the state received from the BP oil spill settlement to the three Coast counties. Baria said he will file a bill in advance of the 2016 legislative session requiring that at least 80 percent of the $750 million fund be returned to South Mississippi. "Should this bill be signed into law it will officially recognize that the primary damage done to our economy and marine ecosystem occurred in Hancock, Harrison and Jackson Counties, but will also acknowledge that other areas of the state sustained damage to a lesser extent," Baria said.
 
Prison led tort lawyer, Scruggs, to promote education
After his release from federal prison, Dickie Scruggs realized a lot of Mississippians were like him. They needed a second chance. Scruggs, who was once the country's most powerful tort attorney, spent six of the last seven years in federal custody for a judicial bribery scheme, but while behind bars, he found new purpose through helping provide GED education, he told Port City Kiwanis at their meeting this week. The prison experience led Scruggs to found and become spokesman for Second Chance Mississippi, a nonprofit that helps adults get their high school-equivalency diplomas. "We have over half a million Mississippi adults with no high school diploma," Scruggs said.
 
Democratic Party Machinery Shows Rust
Democrats maintain a significant electoral college advantage as shifting U.S. demographics tilt their way. This spring, a Pew Research Center analysis found that 48% of Americans either identify as Democrats or lean Democratic, compared with 39% who identify with Republicans or lean Republican. But many Democrats worry that GOP success capturing state and local offices will erode that advantage before they have a chance to rebuild. The party's failure to elect more governors, for example, has shrunk the pool of potential Democratic presidential candidates, one reason few have challenged Hillary Clinton for the 2016 nomination.
 
Why the Agriculture Department is giving out tens of millions of dollars for Internet access
Despite its lower profile on broadband, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, along with other federal agencies such as the Department of Housing and Urban Development, are taking on a bigger role in expanding Internet access. Like consumers, federal officials are increasingly aware that the Web is a basic necessity: for folks in the so-called gig economy, for schoolchildren, for low-income Americans who can't afford a PC and, yes, even for farmers. "We're trying to live up to the president's commitment on [broadband]," said Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack in an interview. "Focus on the areas that don't have it today or on those who don't have many telecom facilities at all.
 
UMMC drops 14 nursing educators, administrator slots
The University of Mississippi Medical Center has laid off 10 nurse educators and four others in the latest downsizing. "This did not impact any bedside or direct patient care nurses," said Marc Rolph, associate director of Public Affairs. These 14 will work until Sept. 30 and will have "priority status" for any open positions they are qualified for, he said. Rolph said UMMC made this decision after determining there was an overlap of responsibilities. "Each floor has a dedicated nurse educator -- the employees affected in this reduction were more global to the institution," he said. "Also, our organization is moving toward providing more content using electronic platforms as necessary. No programs or initiatives will be affected negatively because of this."
 
Oxford hosts Faulkner & Yoknapatawpha Conference
he 42nd annual Faulkner & Yoknapatawpha Conference began Sunday and will continue to Thursday. The five-day conference, held in honor of William Faulkner, began at the University Museum with an opening reception and presentation, followed by dinner held at Rowan Oak, the site of Faulkner's home. The conference is designed for anyone who loves Faulkner, including students, teacher and writers. It includes four days of lectures and panels, an afternoon cocktail reception, a picnic served at Rowan Oak, an evening salon at Southside Gallery, guided tours and a closing party. "We are expecting around 100 people to participate this year," said Barbara Thompson, senior project administrator at the Outreach Center. "This conference is a great place to come and learn what you didn't know before and meet new people."
 
USM boat docked in Louisiana gives students a look offshore
Marine zoology students at Nicholls State got a rare chance to study offshore aquatic life, thanks to a Mississippi research vessel. Professor Gary Lafleur tells The Courier that students in the Louisiana University Marine Consortium's summer field course usually can study only inshore species. But this summer, the University of Southern Mississippi's research boat is docked in Cocodrie, along with LUMCON's own research vessel. That let the class of six, LaFleur and another professor go offshore for 24 hours in June. LaFleur says the vessel trawled in water 60 feet deep 50 miles south of Cocodrie.
 
National Food Service Management Institute at USM Undergoes Name Change
The National Food Service Management Institute has been renamed the Institute of Child Nutrition, after it was determined a name change would better reflect a growth in its resources and services, as well as its mission of promoting the continuous improvement of child nutrition programs. The Applied Research Division of the institute is housed in the University of Southern Mississippi's College of Health. "With an updated name and new logo, the Institute of Child Nutrition will continue to be a national leader for nutrition services in the 21st century," said Dr. Keith Rushing, research scientist at the Applied Research Division.
 
Delta State's Wiley Community Garden alive with heavy hitting okra
Delta State University's Wiley Community Garden, on the outskirts of campus, is bursting with life this summer. Green beans, peppers, melons, kale, cucumbers, radishes, carrots, tomatoes -- the list goes on. And who can forget the obligatory okra? This year's okra is growing with an extra punch thanks to a seed donation of a new strain that is known for its heavy production. The "Heavy Hitter" seeds were donated last year by Ron Cook, a retired Oklahoma schoolteacher who took interest in Delta State's Fighting Okra mascot. "We planted them in the back of the garden, and they're massive," said garden volunteer and former Delta State instructor Lacey Fitts. "They're a lot bigger than any okra I've seen before, and it grows really large, really fast."
 
Inaugural poet Richard Blanco to read at Millsaps College
Richard Blanco, an inaugural poet, public speaker, teacher and memoirist, is scheduled to appear July 20 at Millsaps College in Jackson. He will read from his memoir, "The Prince of los Cocuyos," at 7 p.m. in the auditorium of the Christian Center. The program is free and open to the public. Lemuria Books will staff a table where Blanco will sign books. Blanco, who was born in Madrid and grew up in Miami, read "One Today" during President Barack Obama's second inauguration, a poem that he wrote for the occasion. He was the first immigrant, Hispanic and openly gay poet to read at an inauguration, and, at age 44, he was the youngest. Blanco's reading is in partnership with the Eudora Welty Foundation as part of the McMullan Young Writers Workshop.
 
Twenty years later, Auburn police re-explore mysterious death of college student
The scene that confronted Auburn police in the small apartment on that summer day 20 years ago was gruesome but puzzling. Candice Fenton, a 19-year-old Auburn University student, was dead, her body quickly decomposing. She hadn't been shot, stabbed, strangled or raped. Her body bore no injuries from a struggle. There was no evidence of robbery or forced entry into the apartment. But there's never been an official homicide ruling, much less any arrest. Candice enrolled at Auburn in 1993. It was 900 miles from home, but she was excited that the university would help her work through a learning disability. Perhaps the secrets of her death will soon be unlocked. Auburn police, relying on new technologies, are reopening the investigation on orders of Chief Paul Register, resubmitting evidence to state crime technicians and conducting fresh interviews.
 
UGA study finds Southeast's rural landscapes pose potential risk for salmonella infection
Researchers from the University of Georgia have determined that various freshwater sources in Georgia, such as rivers and lakes, could feature levels of salmonella that pose a risk to humans. The study is featured in the July edition of PLOS One. Faculty and students from four colleges and five departments at UGA partnered with colleagues from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Georgia Department of Public Health to establish whether or not strains of salmonella exhibit geographic trends that might help to explain differences in rates of human infection. By studying how salmonella interacts with its environment, the UGA team hopes to gain a better understanding of how it can be controlled.
 
Surgical director Dr. Mark Staples at UF Health Shands retires after 30 years
At 48 years old, Randy Bragg had the hearts of three men. In a 24-hour span, Bragg, of Orlando, underwent two heart transplants and survived. It was a surgery of spectacular failure and spectacular success for Bragg's surgeon, Dr. Mark Staples. And it was one of the longest surgeries Staples ever performed in his 30-year medical career at UF Health Shands Hospital, which ended July 1 with his retirement. "I'm retiring at a high point in my career from the University of Florida," Staples said. "I have no regrets and lots to be proud of."
 
U. of Kentucky computer science chairman, students decipher ancient Hebrew scroll
The most ancient Hebrew scroll since the Dead Sea Scrolls has been deciphered, thanks in part to students in the University of Kentucky computer science department, and its chairman, Brent Seales. Digital-imaging software developed by Seales made it possible to read parts of a 1,500-year-old Torah scroll that was excavated in 1970, but at some point earlier had been badly burned. A research team at UK and Seales' software discerned the first eight verses of Leviticus from the charred, still-rolled parchment. The rare find was presented at a news conference Monday in Jerusalem.
 
U.S. News names Vanderbilt top hospital in Tennessee
Vanderbilt University Medical Center took the top spot in U.S. News & World Report's best hospitals in Tennessee rankings. The Nashville hospital is nationally ranked in eight adult specialties, including urology and nephrology, according to the 2015-2016 rankings. The ratings are compiled, in part, by data on admissions of people ages 65 and older.
 
Brazos County commissioners sign off on $335M Texas A&M dorm project
Brazos County commissioners have signed off on public-private bond issue for a proposed $335 million Texas A&M University dormitory project. The 3,412-bed student housing facility is planned for 48 acres on George Bush Drive between Penberthy Road and Marion Pugh Drive north of Luther Street West in College Station. The project has not been finalized.
 
Activists seek animal testing records from Texas A&M
Animal rights activists are pushing to get records of the cats and dogs undergoing lab testing at Texas A&M University. But the school, backed by a legal opinion from state Attorney General Ken Paxton, isn't releasing information that ranges from daily care logs to health records. University officials have declined to comment to the San Antonio Express-News on the testing or Paxton's opinion. At least 40 people who requested documents received responses from the attorney general's office granting veterinarian-patient privilege and allowing the university to withhold the records. Activist group Beagle Freedom Project said it has been able to obtain animal research records at other universities. But Paxton's opinion is a unique roadblock in Texas and sets a "terrible precedent" that other Texas schools may use, according to group member Jeremy Beckham.
 
Cerner extends Tiger Institute partnership with U. of Missouri
The Tiger Institute for Health Innovation is shifting its focus from digitizing data to using that data to improve patient care. The University of Missouri and Cerner extended their relationship through 2025 and identified new priorities for the Tiger Institute, which the two entities formed in 2009, including mobile health care that focuses on smartphones, technology's role in medical center research and patient record-keeping. MU and Cerner created the institute to share electronic health records and technological advances. Bryan Bliven, chief information officer at MU Health Care and executive director of the Tiger Institute, said since the Tiger Institute's founding, MU Health has been nationally and regionally recognized for its technology.
 
As institutions outsource they should keep their mission -- and the vendor -- close
At what point does an institution outsource a service, and what are the benefits and risks of relying on an outside business? Outsourcing is far from new, but as more and more colleges and universities subcontract an increasing number of services to try to save money and time, such questions are common for business officers and were the topic of discussion during a session of the National Association of College and University Business Officers annual meeting in Nashville on Monday. Issues related to culture and mission integrity -- can an outside company really serve a mission-driven university well? -- need to be taken seriously as institutions consider outsourcing, according to a panel of college and university chief financial officers discussing the practice.
 
Student debt protesters crash annual gathering of college financial aid officers
The beer-soaked streets leading to Jackson Square in this city's historic French Quarter bustled on Monday evening with characteristic revelry -- and a short-lived, if chaotic, debate over student loan debt. "They're coming," a face-painted man in a full-body alligator costume yelled from his bicycle. "They're two blocks away." With that warning, several dozen student activists, staged strategically at a corner bar, finished their drinks, gathered their protest signs, and geared up for action. The target? Hundreds of college financial aid officers who were parading -- complete with Mardi Gras beads, marching band and police escort -- through the French Quarter to celebrate the end of the second day of their annual gathering here. The protest, which lasted less than an hour, came during the annual meeting of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, known as NASFAA.
 
Colleges Seek Diversity, but 'Admissions Calculus' Hasn't Changed
Few selective colleges have changed their admissions practices since the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin two years ago, according to a report released on Tuesday by the American Council on Education. Yet many institutions, it found, have since embraced various strategies for increasing racial and socioeconomic diversity in their student body. The report, which is based on a survey of colleges, urges policy makers, researchers, and journalists to consider such nuances as higher education braces for another ruling in the closely watched affirmative-action case. In June the high court announced that it would revisit the lawsuit, which challenges the university's consideration of race and ethnicity in its evaluations of undergraduate applicants. As the Supreme Court takes up the case for a second time, college officials once again are weighing how best to achieve diversity.


SPORTS
 
Loss to Alabama fueling Mississippi State's drive to return to No. 1
Eight months ago Dan Mullen and Dak Prescott traveled to Alabama with perfect record and a No. 1 ranking. Mississippi State's coach and quarterback returned home with their first loss and shattered dreams of the school's first national championship. Last week, the duo returned to Alabama for Southeastern Conference Media Days. Mullen addressed the matchup five times. Prescott referenced it in six more instances in the main media room. "It was a tough game on the road," Mullen said. "We came up a little bit short, but I think that experience certainly helps us moving forward." We didn't finish last season," Prescott said. "That's what we're going to take into this offseason and into the next season is to finish and to get better every game."
 
Mississippi State tennis transfer crowned Tuscaloosa ITA singles champion
Continuing her stellar summer play, incoming Mississippi State women's tennis transfer Madison Harrison captured her second singles title on the ITA Summer Circuit on Monday, winning the Tuscaloosa Open singles championship. Harrison, the region's fifth seed, reeled in five victories to capture her second singles title of the summer. "Some of the top college players play the ITA Summer Circuit events and Madison's title runs in Tallahassee and Tuscaloosa are very impressive," MSU coach Daryl Greenan said. "She has picked up wins against some accomplished players and I am extremely excited to have her join our team this fall."
 
LSU athletics to transfer $10M to university to provide 'vital resources'
LSU's athletic department announced Monday that it'll transfer $10 million to the university -- about $3 million more than its required payment. LSU's main campus receives a guaranteed $7.2 million from its athletics program each year, according to the athletics funds transfer policy approved by the Board of Supervisors in 2012. In a news release, the athletic department said a surplus this year allowed for an additional $2.85 million to be given to the university. Facing budgets cuts, LSU President F. King Alexander said in mid-March that the school's administration was exploring ways to increase that annual $7.2 million transfer. "There is no athletic event without the university," Alexander said at the time.
 
NCAA tweaks March Madness seeding rules for more flexibility
The committee that puts together the field of 68 for the NCAA men's basketball tournament will have more flexibility to set the First Four and give No. 2 seeds more favorable matchups. The NCAA announced Monday that the Division I selection committee will now be allowed to slide every team up or down the seed list, including the last four at-large teams selected. Until now, the last four teams voted into the tournament field were locked into the First Four, the eight-team playoff that serves as the tournament's first round. Going forward, the last four at-large teams on the overall seed list -- after the seeds have been tweaked by a process known as scrubbing -- will play in the First Four.



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