Freshmen give Ole Miss football hope

OXFORD — It’s not often a college football player — let alone a freshman — will give his coach advice.

Universiy of Mississippi receiver Nickolas Brassell couldn’t help himself. He had to let Houston Nutt know what was on his mind.

“I know I can make more plays by just being on the field more,” Brassell said. “I know what I can do when I have the ball in my hands.”

Bost earns first-team All-SEC honors

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The University of Kentucky and Mississippi State senior guard Dee Bost earned places on the first tier Monday.

Media members picked Kentucky to finish first in the Southeastern Conference preseason men’s basketball poll and made Bost a preseason first-team All-SEC pick.

Miss. giving white shrimp harvest a closer look

Mississippi Department of Marine Resources workers are sampling white shrimp deeper into coastal bays and estuaries than ever before, to see what remains in those nurseries, officials say.

Woman guilty of cruelty to animals

A 52-year-old woman has been found guilty of 11 counts of animal cruelty and ordered to pay $1,100 to the animal shelter where she tied 11 puppies to the fence after hours.

In Elvis’ birthplace, Palin wears blue suede shoes

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin invoked Tupelo’s most famous son in word and feet, delighting about 6,500 fans by showing up in blue suede shoes.

MS peanut growers get highest yields in nation

The Mississippi State University Extension Service says timely rains in early September made a smooth harvest for Mississippi peanuts, a crop that is in high demand due to drought in other peanut-growing areas.

1 in 7 NE Miss water systems cited for violations

The state health department found roughly one in seven Northeast Mississippi water providers in violation of regulations last year, for everything from contamination to monitoring failures.

DFA asks for funds for 2 state planes

The state Department of Finance and Administration has asked legislative budget writers for $250,000 in the next fiscal year to maintain two jets used by state officials.

Nobel Prize winner will share ‘defining science’ Wednesday

Sir Harold W. Kroto, winner of the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, will be featured Oct. 26 in a special program at Mississippi State.

MSU cheese store extends hours, takes holiday orders

The staff at the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station Sales Store, located on Mississippi State University’s campus, is encouraging patrons to place orders now for the holidays and to take advantage of products suited to tailgating.

Rebels don’t have answer

OXFORD — Houston Nutt had his coaching bag of tricks ready for his former school.

It wasn’t quite enough.

The University of Mississippi football team jumped out to a 17-point lead before watching the No. 10 University of Arkansas roar back for a 29-24 victory Saturday afternoon at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

Starkville boys, Mattox win meet at MSU

STARKVILLE — Joseph MacGown, Kamau Bostic, and Damian Grady earned top-six finishes Saturday to lead the Starkville High School boys cross country to team to a first-place finish at the Starkville Invitational at the Mississippi State Horse Park.

Alabama surges past Tennessee in second half

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — University of Alabama football fans could finally move on from the big rival to the really big game.

Most of the 101,821 stuck around until the end of Alabama’s 37-6 rout of the University of Tennessee on Saturday, happily starting up the “LSU” chants with a couple of minutes left and roaring when the announcer mentioned the next game in two weeks.

Eighth Annual Southern Belle Cotton Pickin’ 100 early entry deadline approaching

The early entry deadline is rapidly approaching for the 8th Annual Southern Belle Cotton Pickin’ 100 at Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, Oct. 27-29. Competitors have until today to file their early entry for the event. The early entry fee is $100. After this date, the entry fee will be $150.

Lions clinch homefield in playoffs

CUMBERLAND – The Hamilton Lions secured home field advantage in the first round of the Class 2A State Playoffs in impressive fashion Friday night routing East Webster 52-7 on the road. The Lions improved to 9-1 on the year and remain unblemished in district play at 4-0.

Starkville Academy wins title

STARKVILLE — The Starkville Academy football team closed its regular-season home schedule in cool fall fashion with a championship Friday night.

Ryan Mann rushed for 119 yards and a touchdown to help Starkville Academy pile up 280 rushing yards in an 18-7 victory against East Rankin Academy that helped it secure the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools Class AAA District 2, Division II championship.

Caledonia beats Koscisuko to snap losing streak

CALEDONIA — A five-game losing streak came to an end Friday night when the Caledonia High School football team downed Kosciusko 28-10 on Senior Night.

Obama announces total Iraq troop withdrawal

WASHINGTON — America’s long and deeply unpopular war in Iraq will be over by year’s end and all U.S. troops “”will definitely be home for the holidays,” President Barack Obama declared Friday.

Oktibbeha County Arrest Report 10-21-11

STARKVILLE — The following people were arrested on felony charges in Oktibbeha County from Oct. 10-Oct. 16:

Schweddy Balls? Not in Columbus

HARTFORD, Conn. — Ben & Jerry’s Schweddy Balls ice cream is too hot to handle for some supermarket chains. While the new limited-edition flavor has brought chuckles from fans of the “Saturday Night Live” skit on which it’s based, some supermarket chains aren’t laughing and have been giving it a cold shoulder.