- 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. Northpark Mall marks 40th Anniversary
Northpark Mall in Ridgeland is kicking off its 40th-year anniversary celebration this week.
Indoor shopping malls have been on the decline across the country, with only a few left in Mississippi.
To mark the continued operation at the Jackson area mall, they are hosting several events throughout this year to bring the community together, some of which include a “601 Day” and “Celebrate America Balloon Glow” in June as well as a fashion show with the original 1984 Gayfer Girls, a “Decades Day,” and a birthday celebration in September.
2. Mississippi Songwriters Performing Arts Center coming to Gautier
WLOX reported Tuesday that the City of Gautier has received more exciting news, announcing plans for a $6 million Mississippi Songwriters Performing Arts Center.
“Construction on the Performing Arts Center is scheduled to begin early summer of this year and be completed winter of 2025,” WLOX reported. “A major feature of the facility is a Hall of Fame that will house the history of twenty-six songwriting legends from across the state. Four names will be added this year, including Willie Dixon, Howlin Wolf, Muddy Waters, and Jug’s Corner.”
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Major earthquake rocks Taiwan
Taiwan experienced a major earthquake during its morning rush hour on Wednesday. Taiwan said the quake measured at a 7.2 magnitude while the U.S. Geological Survey reported it at 7.4.
Taiwan has so far listed nine people dead with significant structural damage to buildings and infrastructure. Reports list over 800 people injured and more than 70 trapped in rumble.
2. Poll finds Trump ahead of Biden in 6 of 7 battleground states
A new Wall Street Journal poll finds that former President Donald Trump (R) is leading President Joe Biden (D) in six of the seven most competitive states in the 2024 election, “propelled by broad voter dissatisfaction with the national economy and deep doubts about Biden’s capabilities and job performance.”
“The poll of the election’s main battlegrounds shows Trump holding leads of between 2 and 8 percentage points in six states—Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina—on a test ballot that includes third-party and independent candidates,” WSJ reports. “Trump holds similar leads when voters are asked to choose only between him and Biden.”
WSJ says the one outlier is Wisconsin, where Biden leads by 3 points on the multiple-candidate ballot, and where the two candidates are tied in a head-to-head matchup.
Sports & Entertainment
1. Baseball scores from Big 3 midweek matchups
Here’s the latest scores from Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Southern Miss in their Tuesday midweek matchups:
- Mississippi State lost to Central Arkansas 7-6, dropping the Bulldogs to 19-11 on the year. State will host Georgia in a three-game series starting Friday.
- Ole Miss fell to Memphis 9-4, falling to 18-12 on the season. The Rebels travel to play Arkansas for their weekend series set to begin on Thursday.
- Southern Miss dropped its Tuesday game to Southeastern Louisiana 7-6. The Golden Eagles, now 18-11 on the year, head to South Alabama on Friday for their three-game series.
2. Foscue called up to Rangers
The Texas Rangers called up former Mississippi State baseball player Justin Foscue on Tuesday.
According to Mississippi State, Foscue is the 69th Diamond Dawg player to reach MLB and the first to be called up to make his Major League debut since June 26, 2023.
As the No. 14 overall pick, Foscue is tied for the fifth-highest pick in Mississippi State history, behind only Will Clark (1985; 2nd), B.J. Wallace (3rd; 1992), Paul Maholm (8th; 2003) and Hunter Renfroe (13th; 2013) and tied with Will Bednar (14th; 2021). He was the 12th Diamond Dawg drafted by the Texas Rangers, which is the most by a single organization in program history.
Markets & Business
1. Stock futures lower amid rate cut concerns
U.S. stock futures were slightly lower Wednesday, as Wall Street’s struggles to start the second quarter of 2024 continued, reports CNBC.
“Dow Jones Industrial Average futures fell by 14 points, trading slightly below flat. S&P 500 futures were lower by 0.2%, while the Nasdaq 100 futures dipped 0.3%,” CNBC notes.
Investors concerns have risen this week over the Fed slow rolling rate cuts, the first of which was once thought to be possible by mid-year.
2. Tesla reports drop in sales
The New York Times reported Tuesday that Tesla appeared to be losing command of the EV market it effectively created after it reported a stunning drop in quarterly sales.
“The sales decline caught investors off guard as rivals like BYD of China and Kia and Hyundai of South Korea reported increases in electric vehicle sales, suggesting that slower overall demand for battery-powered models was not the only explanation for Tesla’s problems,” NYT reported.
As NYT noted, Tesla said it delivered 387,000 cars worldwide in the first quarter, down 8.5 percent from 423,000 in the same period last year.
