According to a U. S. government study 35% of black Americans were obese, leading ahead of other major racial or ethnic groups.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday that 29% of Hispanics and 24% of whites are obese and overall 26% of U. S. adults are obese.

Obesity rates and racial differences have been seen to go hand in hand earlier but health officials were surprised at the difference in figures. The new CDC report is the first to study the gap state by state and they reported that blacks had significantly higher obesity rates in 21 states and somewhat higher rates in many others.

OXFORD, Miss., Dec. 5 -- Officials at the University of Mississippi announced Friday Coach Houston Nutt has agreed to a contract extension through the 2012 season.

Terms were not released.

"I'm very excited about the terms we discussed," Nutt said. "This helps our recruiting and shows the direction our program is headed. We are very excited about going to our bowl game."

STARKVILLE, Miss., Nov. 29  -- Mississippi State football Coach Sylvester Croom resigned Saturday, one day after the Bulldogs ended their season with a 45-0 loss to Ole Miss.

Croom directed the Bulldogs to a 21-38 record, including 4-8 this season, in his five years at the helm.

"Five years ago, Mississippi State gave me the unprecedented opportunity to be a head football coach in the Southeastern Conference and to build a program based upon a strong foundation," Croom said. "I believe the foundation has been set for those goals to be reached under the leadership of someone else, and it was my decision to resign."

Washington - The complete flooding of the small US town of Winfield, Missouri, was prevented when the town's inhabitants hurriedly created a secondary dam out of sandbags after another of the many levees holding back the Mississippi River broke, local media reported Saturday.

On Friday, the US National Weather Service had issued a flash flood warning for the town of about 900 residents as the levee broke.