Important state and national stories, market and business news, sports and entertainment, delivered in quick-hit fashion to start your day informed.
In Mississippi
1. Mississippi could see flooding this week
A slow-moving rainmaker could bring flash flooding to areas across the Magnolia State this week even as parts of north Mississippi continue to thaw after days of snow and ice.
Rain will enter Mississippi Tuesday and move throughout the state the rest of the week, clearing by the weekend.
The state’s total death toll to due to the winter weather since January 14 stands at 12.
2. Coast coalition files complaint against Army Corps over effects to dolphins from Bonnet Carre release
On Monday, Harrison County and other members of the Mississippi Sound Coalition (MSSC) filed a complaint vs. the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi under the Marine Mammal Protection Act to protect the Mississippi Sound and its dolphin population from further harm from polluted, low-salinity Mississippi River water entering the Sound via the Bonnet Carré spillway.
The coalition states in its filing that massive volumes of Mississippi River water released through the Bonnet Carré Spillway and into the Mississippi Sound in 2019 caused direct and indirect mortality of many resident bottlenose dolphins and that the Corps is required under the Marine Mammal Protection Act to obtain a permit for these incidental “takes” of bottlenose dolphins. The dolphins’ long exposure to low salinity can result in skin lesions (and extraordinary pain), abnormal blood chemistry, secondary infections, and death.
MSSC is asking for the federal court to 1) declare that the Corps has acted contrary to law and/or has unlawfully withheld or unreasonably delayed agency action in taking bottlenose dolphins through the operation of the Bonnet Carré Spillway and failing to obtain an incidental take permit; 2) order the Corps to fully comply with the requirements of the Marine Mammal Protection Act; 3) require the Corps to take action to avoid taking of bottlenose dolphins through operation of the Bonnet Carré Spillway; 4) award the plaintiffs their attorneys’ fees and costs as required by applicable rules and statutes; and 5) award such other and further relief as is proper.
The Coalition contends that the Corps could accomplish its mission of flood control for public safety of persons and property without doing harm to the Mississippi Sound estuary.
3. Flatgard re-elected MDAH president
The Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) Board of Trustees has re-elected Spence Flatgard of Ridgeland as president.
During its regular meeting in Jackson last week, the MDAH Board also elected Nancy Carpenter of Columbus as vice president and Dr. Mark Keenum of Starkville to a second six-year term.
Lucius “Luke” Lampton of Magnolia, who was completing an unexpired term, has been elected to his first full six-year term.
Members of the MDAH board serve six-year terms and must be confirmed by the state senate. Other members are Carter Burns of Natchez, TJ Taylor of Madison, Reginald Buckley of Jackson, and Betsey Hamilton of New Albany.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Supreme Court hands Biden border policy win
The U.S. Supreme Court voted 5-4 to allow the Biden Administration to instruct federal agents to remove razor wire from along the Texas-Mexico border over the objection of Texas Governor Gregg Abbott.
The high court’s three liberal justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson were joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett in approving the request from the Biden Administration to vacate the injunction placed on the matter by the Fifth Circuit in late 2023.
Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, and Brett Kavanaugh were the dissenting votes.
A spokesperson for Governor Abbott told Newsweek that “the absence of razor wire and other deterrence strategies encourages migrants to make unsafe and illegal crossings between ports of entry, while making the job of Texas National Guard soldiers and DPS troopers more dangerous and difficult.”
2. Son of Martin Luther King Jr. dies
It was announced on Monday that the youngest son of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King has died. Dexter Scott King was 62 years old.
King suffered from prostate cancer.
Sports & Entertainment
1. Ole Miss hires Wood as Deputy AD
Ole Miss has hired Dr. Eric A. Wood as the Rebels’ Senior Deputy Athletics Director/External Relations and Business Development. Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics Keith Carter recently made the announcement.
Dr. Wood arrives in Oxford after more than three seasons as Vice President and Director of Athletics at Louisiana Tech. His 24-year career in collegiate athletics also includes stops at UCF, Arkansas, the Atlantic Coast Conference, Wake Forest, New Haven, the NCAA and Clemson.
Under Wood’s guidance, LA Tech was the only Division I school in the country to have won a conference regular-season title in baseball, softball, men’s basketball and women’s basketball within the two-year span of 2021-22.
2. Senior Bowl announces team coaches
The Reese’s Senior Bowl has announced that Tennessee Titans Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Line Coach Terrell Williams (American team) and New York Jets Defensive Coordinator Jeff Ulbrich (National team) will serve as head coaches for the historic 75th Anniversary Reese’s Senior Bowl to be played on Saturday February 3, 2024, at Hancock Whitney Stadium on the campus of the University of South Alabama in Mobile.
All three days of practice will be televised on both NFL Network and ESPN and the game itself will be aired live on the NFL Network at Noon CT. The Titans have the seventh overall pick, and the Jets own the tenth selection in the 2024 NFL draft.
In addition to the head coach appointees, the following individuals were selected as coordinators for the American and National squads:
American
- Offensive Coordinator – New England Patriots Wide Receivers Coach Troy Brown
- Defensive Coordinator – Cleveland Browns Defensive Backs Coach Ephraim Banda
- Special Teams Coordinator – New York Giants Assistant Special Teams Coach Mike Adams
National
- Offensive Coordinator – New York Giants Quarterbacks Coach Shea Tierney
- Defensive Coordinator – Minnesota Vikings Pass Game Coord/Defensive Backs Coach Daronte Jones
- Special Teams Coordinator – New Orleans Saints Assistant Special Teams Coach Phil Galiano
Markets & Business
1. Macy’s rejects takeover bid
Macy’s, Inc. confirmed Sunday that it received an unsolicited, non-binding proposal from Arkhouse Management Co. LP and Brigade Capital Management, LP to acquire all of the outstanding shares of the company for $21.00 per share in cash on December 1, 2023, and that the Macy’s, Inc. Board of Directors has determined that the non-binding proposal does not constitute a basis to enter into a non-disclosure agreement or provide any due diligence information to Arkhouse and Brigade.
The rejection of the deal, which would have been worth nearly $5.8 billion, could result in a potential hostile bid and bring other bidders into the mix.
According to the New York Times, Macy’s “shares have fallen about 30 percent over the past five years, as the company lost significant market share and was forced to close stores and lay off staff. Last week, it announced that it would cut 2,350 jobs.”
2. Recession coming?
Markets Insider is reporting that the top economist at the hedge fund Brevan Howard is warning of a recession in the U.S. in 2024.
“Monetary policy now is as tight as it has ever been on the precipice of a recession,” Jason Cummins said, barring an exception in 1984, as reported by Bloomberg and Markets Insider.
According to the report:
The central bank hiked interest rates at the fastest pace in four decades, hitching rates up from near-zero levels in March 2022 all the way to 5.25%-5.5% in July 2023.
And that’s weighing down the economy, Cummins warned, pointing out that household survey data shows that the number of people moving into the labor force into a job has dropped by a record amount.
“A very careful look at the labor market now will suggest that hiring has just ground to a halt,” he said. “So if it weren’t for participation falling back by a huge amount, three-tenths in the last report, the unemployment rate would’ve gone up by three tenths to 4%.”
