- 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. Oliver Anthony coming to Brandon
Oliver Anthony is headlining his “Out of the Woods” Tour and heading to the Brandon Amphitheater on March 9th.
Anthony became a viral sensation for his song “Rich Men North of Richmond” which made music history by becoming the first artist in history to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard charts without previously having a song on the charts.
The country singer-songwriter is also the first living male songwriter to chart 13 songs simultaneously in Billboard’s Top 50 Digital Song Sales.
Five of his other songs have made iTunes’ Top 10, with “I’ve Got to Get Sober” reaching No. 3. “Ain’t Got a Dollar” claimed the No. 1 spot on Spotify’s Viral 50 list and No. 2 on ITunes.
2. Ivory to head MHP uniform division
Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell announced Tuesday that James Ivory III has been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel of the Mississippi Highway Patrol (MHP).
Effective March 1st, 2024, Ivory will take on the role of Director of the uniform division.
Ivory has served with the Mississippi Department of Public Safety for 24 years in a variety of roles. Most recently, he has served as the Captain at Troop K (Biloxi), the second-largest district in the state, since September 2020. Prior to that, he was Captain at Troop H (Meridian), a Special Agent with the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, a Deputy with Harrison County Sheriff’s Department, and a Second-Class Petty Officer in the United States Navy.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Haley loses to “None of these candidates” in Nevada
Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley appears to have lost by nearly double to the “none of these candidates” option in the state-run Nevada Primary ballot on Tuesday – not a good sign for her campaign moving forward.
Haley appeared on the ballot with now withdrawn candidates Mike Pence and Tim Scott as well as the option for “none of these candidates.”
Frontrunner former President Donald Trump was not on the Primary ballot as the state party adopted a rule that disqualifies candidates competing in the state-run primary from winning any delegates. Trump will be the only candidate of note up for the GOP caucus on Thursday, meaning he will win the state’s delegates for the party’s nomination.
2. Tucker Carlson to interview Putin
Former FoxNews host Tucker Carlson announced Tuesday that he would be interviewing Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
Carlson said he had a responsibility to inform people in the U.S. on a war that in the last two years has reshaped the world. After all, he said, the American people are paying for much it through sending funds to Ukraine.
“This war has utterly reshaped the global military and trade alliances, and the sanctions that followed have as well,” Carlson said. “And in total, they have upended the world economy.”
The Kremlin said Putin they granted an interview with Carlson because his approach differs from the one-sided reporting of many traditional Western news media, as most do not try to appear impartial.
“These are all media outlets that take an exceptionally one-sided position. Of course, there is no desire to communicate with such media, and it hardly makes sense, and it is unlikely that it will be useful,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, per Reuters.
The interview will be aired on X (formerly Twitter) on Carlson’s platform here.
Sports & Entertainment
1. Rebels lose to Gamecocks
No. 15 South Carolina held on late to defeat Ole Miss in men’s basketball on Tuesday by a score of 68-65.
The Rebels fought back from a 12-point deficit at halftime to make it a one-possession game most of the final 8 minutes of play in the contest.
Ole Miss is now 18-5 on the season and 5-5 in SEC play. The Rebels are off this weekend. They will then head to Kentucky next Tuesday.
2. Southern Miss basketball coach suffers medical emergency
According to Southern Miss, the Golden Eagles’ men’s basketball head coach Jay Ladner was hospitalized on Tuesday morning in Hattiesburg after suffering a heart related medical emergency. Ladner will step away from the team while he is expected to make a full recovery.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Jay and his family as he works to make a full recovery,” said Southern Miss Director of Athletics Jeremy McClain in a statement. “We will continue to support our coaches and student-athletes at the highest level while he is away from the team.”
Southern Miss says players and staff members were recently made aware and are preparing to compete in Wednesday’s game against Old Dominion. Associate head coach Juan Cardona will act as head coach during Ladner’s recovery.
Markets & Business
1. Consumer pessimism prevailing despite economic gains
The Wall Street Journal reports that there is “a striking disconnect between the widely shared pessimism among Americans and measures that show the economy is actually robust.”
As WSJ writes, consumers are spending briskly—behavior that suggests optimism, not retrenchment. Inflation has tempered. Unemployment has been below 4% for 24 straight months, the longest such stretch since the 1960s.
The disconnect has puzzled economists, investors and business owners. But press Americans harder, and the immediate economy emerges as only one factor in the gloomy outlook. Americans feel sour about the economy, many say, because their long-term financial security feels fragile and vulnerable to wide-ranging social and political threats.
Reliable steps up the economic ladder, such as a college degree, no longer look like a good investment. War overseas, and an emboldened set of hostile nations, have made the world feel dangerous. Uninspiring leaders at home, running a government widely seen as dysfunctional, have left people without hope that America is up to the challenge of fixing its problems.
2. Singing River celebrates success of LPN Apprenticeship Program
Singing River Healthcare Academy announced Tuesday the successful completion of its LPN Apprenticeship Program. Thirteen apprentices passed the NCLEX-PN examination.
The LPN Apprenticeship program is a collaboration between Singing River Healthcare Academy and the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College pilot program. The program, SRHS says, has proven to be a vital initiative in addressing the critical shortage of healthcare professionals in our community and nationwide.
Through this rigorous 16-month program, apprentices received comprehensive didactic training at MGCCC, complemented by on-the-job clinical experience at one of three Singing River hospital locations on the Mississippi Coast under a preceptor, all at no cost. This program allows students to earn while learning critical skills to accelerate their careers in the healthcare field.
