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Millsaps Scholar-Athletes Have Highest 5-Year Graduation Rate

[Verbatim] JACKSON, Miss.Millsaps scholar-athletes have once again proved they have what it takes to win both on the field and in the classroom. Millsaps College recently won the David M. Halbrook Award for having the highest percentage of graduating athletes for the five-year period, 2003-04 to 2007-08, with a 98 percent graduation rate in the Independent College Division. The award was presented during the 75th Annual Mississippi Association of Colleges and Universities Conference.

Radio: Mississippi Style

A lively foot-stomping crowd gathers every week to hear author readings and live music in the most unlikely of places: a bookstore.

Bridging Two Worlds

"Unaccustomed Earth" (Knopf, 2009, $15), newly released in trade paperback, has been widely praised since it was first published in 2008. The New York Times Book Review selected it as Best Book of the Year, and it has won numerous short story awards.

Act Proposes Stimulus for Gulf Coast

Supporters of a large-scale civic works program for the Gulf Coast are calling U.S. Representatives today, asking them to include H.R. 4048, the Gulf Coast Civic Works Act, in an upcoming economic stimulus package. Mississippi Reps. Bennie Thompson and Gene Taylor are co-sponsors of the bill, which would employ 100,000 people in rebuilding Gulf Coast schools, hospitals, and infrastructure.

Photos: John Horhn Announces Candidacy for Mayor

Photos of the announcement press conference and rally for Mississippi State Senator John Horne, who announced his intention to run for Jackson city mayor in 2009. Photos by Kip Caven:

Wicker Applauds Veterans Travel Reimbursement Increase

[Verbatim] WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., today applauded the decision by the Secretary of Veterans' Affairs to increase the reimbursement rate for disabled veterans traveling to VA facilities to receive health care. Effective today, the rate was increased from 28.5 cents to 41.5 cents per mile. "This increase is a huge benefit to Mississippi's veterans, especially those in rural areas who travel many miles to reach VA facilities," Wicker said. "Increased energy costs and economic challenges have only added to the financial burden felt by many disabled veterans. This reimbursement increase should help alleviate that burden while helping ensure these veterans have access to the health care they deserve."

‘We Owe It to Emmett Till'

AP is reporting: "The Justice Department said Monday it is reopening the investigation into the 1955 murder of Emmett Till, a black teenager whose death while visiting Mississippi was an early catalyst for the civil rights movement. Till was abducted from his uncle's home in Money, Miss., on Aug. 28, 1955. The mutilated body of the 14-year-old from Chicago was found by fishermen three days later in the Tallahatchie River. Pictures of the slaying shocked the world. Two white men charged with murder - Roy Bryant and his half brother, J.W. Milam - were acquitted by an all-white jury. Both men have since died."

Imagining a Real Youth Movement

By Raj Jayadev writes for Wiretap about problems with the youth voting movement. "[A] movement is about creating choices. The gulf is about imagination. As Desmond Tutu said, it's not just about having a seat at the table, it's about setting the menu. If young people really did set the menu, I doubt they would be serving up the Democratic Party or John Kerry.

Tyler Connection An Issue for Candidate

The Tyler (Texas) Morning Telegraph reports on Frank Melton's homestead issues.

Factcheck.org: Just How Many Bills Has Kerry "Passed?"

Bush said Kerry passed five bills. Kerry said he's passed 56. Who's right? That depends on the definition of "passed" and "bills."

Bush "Dead Even" with Kerry; on Defensive

AP is reporting: "Republicans have a lot to worry about; hence the reason Bush has been on the defense, says national pollster Mark Schulman."

St. Pete Times: ‘Obama Effect' Could Elect Musgrove

A story in the St. Petersburg Times highlights the enthusiasm they say many African-American voters are bringing to this year's presidential election in support of Barack Obama. This enthusiasm is expected to help both Obama and down-ticket races in many Southern states.

Former Bush Staffer Working for Kerry

AP is reporting: "Randy Beers sat on the porch steps next to his longtime friend and colleague Dick Clarke and the words came tumbling out in a torrent. 'I think I have to quit. ... I can't work for these people. I'm sorry, I just can't.' It was a few days before the start of the Iraq war in March 2003, and Beers was President Bush's special assistant for combating terrorism, a job he had held for only a matter of months. But Beers was no newcomer to government; he had worked on foreign policy for four presidents.

Why I Still Drink Coffee

On pain of death (or, rather, pain of dirty looks from Ronni), I'm taking stock of my five wellness goals. I'm falling short on some: my afternoon coffee intake has risen, not dropped, and I'm meditating about half as often as I'd like. The coffee goal might be a bad one, though. While I don't love the headache and sluggishness that comes with a caffeine deficiency, I find something perversely romantic about the whole ritual, about sharing this weakness with so many people.

Sun/King 5K Run/Walk for Habitat

Remember the 3rd Annual Sun King 5K Run/Walk in memory of Ernest Davidson

Saturday, Oct.5, 2002, 8 a.m. Race will start and finish at St. James Episcopal Church This year' s event will benefit St. James' Habitat for Humanity projects.

Tweaking Sound

"Perfecting Sound Forever: An Aural History of Recorded Music" (Faber & Faber, 2009, $35) is a book for music nerds and casual fans alike. In it, Greg Milner explains sound recording from varied perspectives, analyzing its scientific beginnings with Thomas Edison to the latest techniques in digital recording, citing Desmond Child's obsessive use in the late '90s that propelled it forward.

Literary Resonations

When English professor and poet Steve Kistulentz joined the Millsaps College faculty in 2009, he campaigned to formalize a visiting writers series.

Out Of The Freezer, Back On The Ice

Doctor S sez: I like Brussels sprouts better than the NHL.

The NHL returns to the ice on Wednesday night after nearly two years of labor issues-related exile. Newsday's Johnette Howard sums up the situation nicely: "Hockey is sort of the Brussels sprouts of pro sports. No matter how you tweak it, cook it, tout it or dress it up, people still either love it or hate it. If you hate it, you think the game of 1,000 turnovers should've stayed shutdown for good. If you're a true believer, you can't wait until all 30 teams begin the regular season tonight, even if you're a still mad at the league for last year's lockout, or conflicted about mindlessly rushing back to a sport that endured one of the dumbest contract negotiations in sports history."

Football Post-Mortem

Here's a roundup of reaction to a weekend of bad Mississippi college football

Ole Miss: The Northeast Mississippi Journal's Parrish Alford wonders what Ole Miss' victory means. Doctor S knows: It means the Rebels aren't very good.

Fun Politics? Imagine ...

Right now, over on Howard Dean's blog, there's a fund-raising "bat" marathon going on to beat the $250,000 that Dick Cheney is going to get from a few wealthy contributors Monday night. As of right now, they're up $130,000 since last night in small contributions—and has two days to go. Go check it out: Whatever you think of Dean, this energetic grass-roots movement is something to behold. Sure beats the hell out of conventional political, er, "wisdom."

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