Mississippi
What Jeff Lebby said changed about Mississippi State football since 2-10 season
ATLANTA — Jeff Lebby, one year later, said he was not expecting the season Mississippi State football endured in 2024.
There were optimistic expectations for Lebby as the first-year MSU coach. Instead, the Bulldogs were blown out at home by Toledo in Week 3, then quarterback Blake Shapen suffered a season-ending injury in Week 4 before the season derailed. They finished 2-10 with no wins in the SEC.
Mississippi State added over 50 new players since then, while keeping the coaching staff mostly intact. The obvious goal is to improve the talent. Accounts from Lebby and Mississippi State players though at SEC media days on July 16 said that an improved locker room environment has been noticeable.
“We’re not trying to create a new culture; we’re going to be exactly true to who we are supposed to be and what we’re creating,” Lebby said. “I think the difference in the team today compared to a year ago today, besides the physical parts of it, is we are closer as a football program and as a football team. The only way you do that is you spend time and you have to take the right people.
“I’ve continued to talk about that. Protect the locker room … by taking the right people. That’s what it’s all about.”
Where Mississippi State football changed for 2025 season
Mississippi State added at least one transfer at every single position except kicker and punter. There were focuses on some positions of need, like defensive line where MSU fielded the worst scoring defense in the SEC.
MSU also flipped its wide receiver room, which lost four of its top five players from last season. Ten of the new players are wide receivers, six via the transfer portal.
“Whether it’s transfers or high school players, at the end of the day, they’ve got to be good enough, but then you want to take the right people,” Lebby said. “People matter. And so for us, changing the entire receiver room, that has helped us tremendously, and it’s helped the locker room. I think we are in a much better place as a team today than we were a year ago, which is going to be something that’s important for us.”
Shapen, one of the three Mississippi State players at SEC media days, said he’s noticed a difference behind the scenes.
“I would say for us, coming into the building, you can tell the energy level is way higher,” he said. “Even from just going in the lunch room to dinner, whatever it may be. Everybody’s energetic. It’s little things. The locker room is energetic.
“I feel like last year, at times, it was a little bit dead in some areas. I feel like you can just tell a different level of energy.”
Mississippi State picked to finish last in SEC preseason poll
Outside expectations remain low for the Bulldogs though. They played four opponents last season that made the 12-team College Football Playoff and will play those four teams again in 2025. That doesn’t include five other SEC opponents who won at least seven games each in 2024 that MSU plays again.
The USA TODAY SEC preseason poll picked Mississippi State to finish last in the conference for a second straight season.
“We don’t really look at that stuff too much,” safety Isaac Smith said. “We were 2-10 last year, so I would expect that, especially with the way we played last year. We don’t really worry about that right now.”
Sam Sklar is the Mississippi State beat reporter for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at ssklar@gannett.com and follow him on X @sklarsam_.
Mississippi
Mississippi AI task force hears competing claims on data center costs, community impacts
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) -Mississippi’s artificial intelligence regulation task force opened its first day of hearings Monday, taking testimony from utility representatives, public service commissioners, and community advocates on the costs and consequences of the state’s data center industry growth.
Entergy projects lower bills; critics question the numbers
Entergy told the task force it expects residential customer bills to decrease as data center growth expands the utility’s customer base.
“When you have higher sales volume to spread those costs over, it’s going to produce a lower rate,” said Jeremy Vanderloo, vice president of business operations and strategy for Entergy Mississippi.
The company projected residential bills would be $30 a month less by 2030 than they would have been without data center growth. Entergy pushed back on a recent study commissioned by environmental groups that claims costs are already being passed on to ratepayers.
Commissioners weigh ratepayer protections
Two public service commissioners testified before the task force. Commissioner DeKeither Stamps said the goal of protecting ratepayers goes beyond simply keeping rates low.
“We should be looking for a low rate or a high rate, just the correct rate to maintain the systems,” Stamps said. “And if the citizens don’t want the correct rate, then as a regulator, we still have to put the correct rate on the table.”
Advocates raise questions on accountability
National advocate Jim Walsh questioned what would happen if industry projections prove inaccurate, asking, “Who pays if industry’s projections are wrong?” Walsh said some states and communities have placed moratoriums on data centers while they assess potential impacts.
Shannon Samsa, director of the Safe + Sound Coalition, told the task force she is not opposed to AI and data centers broadly but called for greater transparency.
“It’s about whether the people of Mississippi deserve transparency, accountability, and leaders who will protect the health and well-being of our families and communities before the interests of a private corporation,” Samsa said.
North Mississippi resident cites noise from xAI site
Samsa, who lives in north Mississippi, said residents near the xAI facility in Southaven have experienced near-constant noise for nearly a year.
“There have been numerous occasions where I myself can hear the turbines from inside my home, and I live almost 2 miles away from the site,” she said.
The task force is scheduled to hear Tuesday from local leaders in affected communities as well as companies including Amazon.
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Inside the new Lego retailer, Bricks & Minifigs
Customers can buy or sell Legos and get individual bricks at the new store in Montrose.
Shoppers visiting Renaissance at Colony Park later this month will notice a big change.
Apple is moving to a new and larger store within the Ridgeland shopping center, while LEGO plans to take over Apple’s current location once the move is complete, according to Apple and other industry sources.
Apple has announced that its new store will open July 24 near the development’s Show Fountain. The company is not leaving Ridgeland. Instead, it is moving to a new location a short distance away inside Renaissance at Colony Park.
The company has operated a store at Renaissance for more than a decade. Once Apple moves into its new store, LEGO plans to open in the company’s former space. The addition will bring another well-known international brand to central Mississippi and give LEGO fans a dedicated store in the Jackson metro area.
It is another win for Ridgeland with last week’s announcement that a Dave & Buster’s that will be located at the PradoVista development near Topgolf. A site plan and architectural review for Dave & Buster’s was approved at the Ridgeland Board of Aldermen meeting on Tuesday, July 7.
Renaissance at Colony Park continues to thrive
Over the years, the center has attracted a mix of national retailers, restaurants and specialty stores. Previous developments at Renaissance have included luxury retailers, popular restaurant chains and entertainment options that draw shoppers from across Mississippi and neighboring states.
Apple’s new location will continue offering product sales, technical support and repair services. Customers will also be able to attend the company’s “Today at Apple” classes and workshops, which provide free lessons on photography, video, music and other topics.
Apple has not released details about the size of the new store. The Ridgeland project is one of several store moves announced this summer.
Renaissance keeps storefront
For Renaissance, the deal works in several ways.
Apple stays at the shopping center and receives a newer storefront. At the same time, the center fills Apple’s former location with another high-profile retailer instead of leaving the space vacant.
LEGO stores are often considered destination retailers because customers will drive long distances to visit them. Families, collectors and hobbyists frequently seek out official LEGO stores for exclusive products and special events.
For shoppers, the most immediate change will be Apple’s July 24 opening. Customers who need repairs, technical help or product purchases will be directed to the new store after the move.
LEGO has not yet announced an opening date.
Ross Reily is a writer for the Clarion Ledger, part of the USA TODAY Network. He can be reached at rreily@gannett.com or 601-573-2952. You can follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter @GreenOkra1.
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Mississippi leaders across the board are reflecting on the legacy of service Sen. Lindsey Graham had in Washington, D.C.
3 On Your Side spoke on the phone with Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith who shared that Graham treated her like a little sister when she arrived to the Senate.
Their friendship grew outside of work, but one thing she’ll really cherish is the teamwork they developed to get things done with President Donald Trump.
“There were times he would come to me and say, OK sister, you’re going to have to break this news to Trump. If it was a difficult situation, he would say you got to soften him up, you call him and then I’ll call him after you but you’re the one that’s going to have to take care of this. Or you’ve got to go to Mar-a-Lago and handle this, but we were a pretty good team together because we were both close to the President,” said Sen. Hyde-Smith.
Sen. Hyde-Smith added, since coming to Washington, D.C., she looked up to Sen. Graham like an older brother in the chamber.
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