- 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. Two middle school students tie for first in Mississippi Spelling Bee
Azariah Green, a sixth grader from Hernando Middle School, and David Heyman, a seventh grader from Caledonia Middle School, were the first place champions in a tie of the C Spire Foundation Mississippi Spelling Bee, according to WJTV.
“In all, 317 Mississippi schools from 42 counties enrolled in the Mississippi Spelling Bee. About 8,000 students in Mississippi competed in classroom, grade, school, district and county spelling bees since fall 2023,” WJTV reported.
2. Mississippi among top tier of states in health emergency preparedness
According to a release from the Mississippi Department of Health, a new report – the 21st annual Ready or Not: Protecting the Public’s Health from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism – by the nationally renowned organization Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) has placed Mississippi among the top states that are prepared for health emergencies.
The report measures states’ preparedness to respond to a spectrum of health emergencies and to provide ongoing public health services based on nine key indicators. This year’s report placed Mississippi and 20 other states in the high-performance tier, 13 states in the middle-performance tier, and 16 states in the low-performance tier.
“This recognition is a testament to the experience, hard work and commitment we have as a state to prepare for and respond to emergencies,” said Dr. Daniel Edney, Mississippi’s State Health Officer. “We strive to get better every day to protect the health and well-being of all Mississippians, without exception. We, along with communities, health care providers, state agencies and our federal partners must keep our foot on the gas and continue to invest in both people and resources for the challenges we will face down the road.”
National News & Foreign Policy
1. U.S. House passes TikTok ban
On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 352-65 to ban the popular video app TikTok if it does not separate from the Chinese Communist government over national security concerns.
Shortly after the vote, China sent a warning to the U.S., as reported by Newsweek.
“Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin accused lawmakers of ‘robbery logic’ and said Washington risked showing the world it only takes legal action for its own benefit—a line of reasoning one China analyst called ironic, citing Beijing’s heavy censorship apparatus,” Newsweek noted.
The legislation, which now heads to the Senate for consideration, seeks to remove TikTok’s parent company ByteDance in order to mitigate risk of data theft of U.S. citizens.
2. Kennedy namedrops Rodgers, Ventura as VP selection nears
Independent presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Jr. is considering vice president picks, and two names floated to the top on Wednesday – future NFL Hall of Fame QB Aaron Rodgers and former wrestler and Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura.
According to the Washington Post, Kennedy said he has selected a running mate and will announce the candidate in California later this month. He “had a conversation with NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers about the role, according to a person familiar with the process… alongside former independent Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura…”
As the Post noted, it was not said whether Rodgers or Ventura were offered the job.
Sports & Entertainment
1. Ole Miss, Beard agree to new contract
Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics Keith Carter announced Wednesday that Ole Miss and Head Men’s Basketball Coach Chris Beard had agreed to a new contract.
Beard is coming off of leading the Rebels to their first 20-win season in five years during the regular season, jumping out to a 13-0 start.
Ole Miss said the excitement around Ole Miss Basketball has led to record-breaking attendance records, with their season-total attendance setting a program record. For the January 30 victory over Mississippi State, the SJB Pavilion was packed with 10,630 fans, the most in program history.
2. Minshew gets $25 million deal with Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders have signed Mississippi-native quarterback Gardner Minshew to a two-year, $25 million deal.
Minshew is coming off of a Pro Bowl season with the Indianapolis Colts.
The Raiders have parted ways with Jimmy Garoppolo and have brought in Minshew to compete for the starting job with Aidan O’Connell.
Markets & Business
1. Dollar Tree, Family Dollar closing nearly 1,000 locations
Dollar Tree announced on Wednesday that a Portfolio Optimization Review has identified approximately 600 Family Dollar Stores for closure in the first half of 2024 and approximately 370 additional stores as their leases expire thereafter, along with 30 Dollar Tree stores.
Dollar Tree, a Fortune 200 Company, operated 16,774 stores across 48 states and five Canadian provinces as of February 3, 2024. Stores operate under the brands of Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, and Dollar Tree Canada.
The specific closure locations were not announced on Wednesday.
2. Investors await wholesale inflation report
CNBC reports that U.S. stock futures rose Thursday as traders looked ahead to another inflation reading.
“Dow Jones Industrial Average futures rose 130 points, or 0.3%. S&P 500 futures advanced 0.3%, and Nasdaq-100 futures climbed 0.5%,” CNBC reported. “Investors are watching out for February’s producer price index, due at 8:30 a.m. ET. The metric is a measurement of wholesale inflation. Economists polled by Dow Jones anticipate that headline PPI grew by 0.3% in February, or 0.2% when excluding food and energy prices.”
