- 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. Egg Marketing Board hosting annual Easter at the Ag Museum
The Mississippi Egg Marketing Board is hosting its annual Easter at the Ag Museum event at the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum on Saturday, March 30, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Ag Commissioner Andy Gipson invites all Mississippians to experience the family fun as children follow the tracks through the museum’s “Bunny Trail” to collect candy and toy-filled eggs in their baskets. Families will have the opportunity to dye and paint eggs; take a wagon, train or carousel ride; have their faces painted; visit with Mississippi Miss Hospitality Abney Grace Pittman; and get their picture with the Easter Bunny throughout the day.
The Mississippi Beef Council will also be serving complimentary hotdogs to visitors, while supplies last. Additional sponsors include Cal-Maine Foods.
Admission is $8 per person for ages 2 and up and includes carousel, train and wagon rides. Concessions such as pulled pork sandwiches and sausage dogs will also be available for purchase.
2. FEMA approves $2.7 million reimbursement for Southern Pine EPA
On Thursday, FEMA announced that they had approved $2,688,078 to reimburse the Southern Pine Electric Power Association in Mississippi for damage to its power distribution system following the June 14-19, 2023, severe storms, straight-line winds and tornadoes.
According to FEMA, Southern Pine Electric Power Association used its own personnel and mutual aid to complete the restoration of the power distribution system back to its pre-disaster design, function and capacity. Following the June 2023 tornadoes, the power association received damage to:
- 100,741 conductors
- 1,169 insulators
- 229 poles
- 165 anchors
- 117 ground rods
- 108 transformers
- 73 cutouts
- 66 arrestors
- Six plate poles
The Public Assistance program is funded by FEMA and administered by the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Mayorkas impeachment being sent to Senate April 10th
Speaker Mike Johnson (R) said Thursday that the impeachment articles against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas would be sent to the Senate on April 10th.
Johnson, in a letter, implored Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D) to “schedule a trial of the matter expeditiously.”
Mayorkas’ impeachment, which passed the House in February by a 214-213 vote, is the first for a cabinet level official since Secretary of War William Belknap in 1876.
As previously reported by Magnolia Tribune, the articles of impeachment against Mayorkas outlined in H.Res. 863 state that he is being impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors related to repeatedly violating laws enacted by Congress regarding immigration and border security.
2. Republican leadership battle in U.S. Senate intensifying
The battle to replace outgoing Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell as the chamber’s Republican leader is intensifying between Senators John Cornyn of Texas and John Thune of South Dakota and possibly others, the New York Times reports.
NYT notes that the GOP leadership race is “a throwback to an earlier era, when leadership races in Congress were crowded and sometimes messy affairs featuring prominent figures and dueling factions.”
“Now it is Mr. Thune and Mr. Cornyn who must navigate the twists, turns and vagaries of internal elections and try to keep their supporters locked up for months. If past leadership fights have shown anything, it is that the unexpected is always just around the corner,” NYT reported.
Sports & Entertainment
1. Two Mississippi players Opening Day pitchers for White Sox, Cubs
On Thursday, Mississippi was one of three states to have two or more players on Major League Baseball rosters as Opening Day starting pitchers. California and Florida are the other two states, each with five.
Mississippi’s players are Garrett Crochet and Justin Steele for the White Sox and Cubs, respectively.
Crochet played high school ball at Ocean Springs while Steele played at George County.
2. Southern Miss sprinter McDougle earns Sun Belt Athlete of the Week honor
According to Southern Miss Athletics, USM senior sprinter Jada McDougle earned the Sun Belt Conference Track Athlete of the Week honors on Wednesday for her efforts last weekend at the Bulldog Relays in Starkville.
McDougle, who is from Decatur, won three races during the meet including the women’s 100 meters at 11.48, the women’s 200 meters at 23.38 and the women’s 4×100 relay, in which she was the second leg of the winning 44.40 second run. Along with McDougle on the 4×100 relay team was Trinity Flagler, Savi’a Varnell and Trinity Benson.
The Golden Eagles will be back in action this weekend when they played host to the Southern Miss Invite, Friday and Saturday.
Markets & Business
1. Disney backs down in Florida fight
According to the Wall Street Journal, “Disney backed down on Wednesday from a long-running legal battle with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over control of the Orlando-area land that is home to its most important resort, ending a yearslong feud and handing the governor a political victory.”
“The company’s truce with the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, the entity that oversees the resort’s land and infrastructure, gives DeSantis more power and influence over the company’s Florida operations. It also paves the way for Disney to expand its theme parks and resort properties in the state,” WSJ reported.
“Everything we’ve done has been in the best interest of the state of Florida,” DeSantis said Wednesday. “We’ve been vindicated on all those actions.”
2. S&P seeing best first quarter since 2019
CNBC reports that the S&P 500 rose Thursday as it aimed to wrap up its best first-quarter performance in five years.
“For the quarter, the S&P 500 is about 10.3% higher. It is on pace for its best first-quarter gain since 2019, when it rallied 13.1%,” CNBC reported, adding, “On a monthly basis, the S&P 500 is 3.2% higher.”
Magnolia Tribune
