- 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. Pascagoula ranked as Most Affordable Beach Town by Realtor.com
Realtor.com® recently released its Most Affordable Beach Towns in America list where home buyers can buy into a beach-side lifestyle without breaking the bank. Pascagoula on the Mississippi Coast topped their listing.
“Water lovers on a budget may want to check out No. 1 ranked Pascagoula, Miss. It’s located off of two major waterways: the Gulf of Mexico and the Pascagoula River and offers a lot of fun outdoor activities from fishing off the pier, to kayaking in its unimpeded river system, to an annual summer music festival,” said Keith Griffith, Journalist, Realtor.com®. “Pascagoula is also home to Chevron’s largest refinery and Ingalls Shipbuilding, which is Mississippi’s largest manufacturing employer, indicating the great mix between work and play that makes the beach town an attractive place to live.”
In rank order based on data as of March 2024, the Most Affordable Beach Towns in America include:
- Pascagoula, Miss. – Median List Price*: $164,900
- Atlantic City, N.J. – Median List Price*: $239,000
- Deerfield Beach, Fla. – Median List Price*: $239,950
- Dennis Port, Mass. – Median List Price*: $277,500
- Myrtle Beach, S.C. – Median List Price*: $299,500
- Corpus Christi, Texas – Median List Price*: $315,000
- Sunset Beach, N.C. – Median List Price*: $340,000
- Grand Isle, La. – Median List Price*: $375,000
- Newport, Ore. – Median List Price*: $399,950
- Ocean Shores, Wash. – Median List Price*: $425,000
2. Cassidy pleads guilty to reduced charge in Iowa case
Former Mississippi legislative and congressional candidate Michael Cassidy pleaded guilty on Friday to aggravated misdemeanor count of third-degree criminal mischief in the case against him where he flew to Iowa and destroyed a Satanic display at the state Capitol. It was a plea agreement to avoid a federal hate crime felony charge.
The plea agreement means Cassidy could receive a deferred judgment with two years probation, and an $855 civil penalty.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Trump hush money trial closing arguments begin Tuesday
The New York hush money trial of former President Donald Trump could conclude as early as this weel with closing arguments planned starting Tuesday.
The Associated Press reports that prosecutors and defense lawyers will have their final opportunity to address the jury in closing arguments expected to last for much of the day, if not all of it.
“Look for prosecutors to remind jurors that they can trust the financial paperwork they’ve seen and the witnesses they’ve heard from. That includes porn actor Stormy Daniels, whose account of an alleged sexual encounter with Trump is at the heart of the case, and Trump’s former lawyer and personal fixer Michael Cohen, who testified that Trump was directly involved in the hush money scheme and authorized payments,” the AP reported, adding, “To prevent a conviction, the defense simply needs to convince at least one juror that prosecutors haven’t proved Trump’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, the standard for criminal cases.”
2. Libertarians nominate Oliver for their presidential ticket
According to Fox News, the Libertarian Party nominated political activist Chase Oliver as its nominee for president at its convention Sunday.
“Oliver secured the nomination in the seventh round of voting after sitting in second place for the first five rounds. He received nearly 60% of the vote in the final round, finally clearing the 50% threshold required for victory, with his final opponent being the “none of the above” option,” Fox News reported.
Sports & Entertainment
1. Southern Miss wins back-to-back Sun Belt championships
Southern Miss won back-to-back Sun Belt Conference Championships on Sunday, taking down Georgia Southern 14-11 in Montgomery, Alabama. It’s their second year in the conference.
The Golden Eagles are now 41-18 on the season, winning 14 of their last 15 games. They will be assigned a spot in the NCAA Regionals later today, gaining the league’s automatic bid by winning the conference championship.
2. Hattiesburg’s Riley wins Charles Schwab Challenge
Hattiesburg-native Davis Riley won his first individual PGA Tour title on Sunday at the Charles Schwab Challenge.
The win earned him a payday of $1.6 million.
Markets & Business
Musk’s xAI to raise $6 billion to rival OpenAI
The Wall Street Journal reported that Elon Musk’s xAI said it would raise $6 billion in its latest fundraising round, as the rival to OpenAI looks to invest more in research and development amid fierce competition in the burgeoning sector.
“The investors in the Series B fundraising include Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital, Valor Equity Partners, Vy Capital and Fidelity Management & Research, as well as Saudi Prince al-Waleed bin Talal and Kingdom Holding, xAI said on its website late Sunday,” WSJ reported. “xAI’s valuation ahead of the fundraising was $18 billion, Musk said on X, meaning that the move would bring the startup’s valuation to $24 billion.”
Magnolia Tribune
