- 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. Biloxi’s Mary Mahoney’s pleads guilty to passing off foreign seafood as local
The co-owner of Mary Mahoney’s, a famed Biloxi restaurant, and the parent company pleaded guilty on Thursday of mislabeling the seafood on its menu.
Anthony Charles Cvitanovich faces up to three years in prison and a $10,000 fine for felony misinformation, while the company could be fined up to $500,000.
In court filings, the U.S. Attorney’s office claims the restaurant mislabeled foreign fish as being caught in the Gulf of Mexico, saying the scheme began in 2002 and continued to 2019. FDA testing confirmed the mislabeling. Sentencing is set for September 12th.
2. Gulfport to honor former mayor Schloegel with naming of lighthouse
The City of Gulfport has announced that it will hold a dedication ceremony for the Ship Island Lighthouse on Monday, June 17th. The city will be honoring the late George A. Schloegel, former mayor and distinguished business leader of Hancock Bank.
The city says Schloegel’s pivotal role in the lighthouse’s reconstruction post-Hurricane Katrina and his lifelong commitment to the Gulfport community will be celebrated.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Trump to speak from Trump Tower Friday morning
A day after he was found guilty on 34 counts in the New York hush money criminal trial, former President Donald Trump is set to give a speech at Trump Tower at 11 a.m. ET.
The presumptive Republican nominee for the White House for a third consecutive cycle will likely more thoroughly address his conviction which was handed down on Thursday.
Trump is set to be sentenced on July 11, just days before the Republican Convention is set to begin.
2. Biden allows Ukraine to use American-made weapons to strike inside Russia
The New York Times reported that President Joe Biden, “in a major shift pressed by his advisers and key allies, has authorized Ukraine to conduct limited strikes inside Russia with American-made weapons.”
“Mr. Biden’s decision appears to mark the first time that an American president has allowed limited military responses on artillery, missile bases and command centers inside the borders of a nuclear-armed adversary,” NYT reported. “White House officials insisted, however, that the authorization extended only to what they characterized as acts of self-defense, so that Ukraine could protect Kharkiv, its second-largest city, and the surrounding areas from missiles, glide bombs and artillery shells from just over the border.”
NYT added that Biden has clearly crossed a red line that he himself drew.
Sports & Entertainment
1. Egg Bowl to be played on Black Friday instead of Thanksgiving
The annual Egg Bowl between Ole Miss and Mississippi State has been moved back a day.
As first reported by Ross Dellenger of YahooSports, the Egg Bowl will now be played on Black Friday – the day after Thanksgiving – and will air on ABC at 2:30 p.m.
The Rebels, who will host the gridiron battle this fall in Oxford, lead the Bulldogs in all-time wins in the annual rivalry game by a record of 65-46-6.
2. Southern Miss, Miss. State open NCAA Regional play Friday
Southern Miss and Mississippi State open NCAA Regional play on Friday. Both teams are the No. 2 seeds in their respective regionals.
The Golden Eagles will take on No. 3 seed Indiana in the Knoxville Regional field. Game time is set for Noon at Lindsey Nelson Stadium on the Tennessee campus. Southern Miss can be seen on ESPN+ as well as heard on an affiliate of the Southern Miss Sports Network with audio also available through SouthernMiss.com.
The Bulldogs are set to meet No. 3 seed St. John’s in the Charlottesville Regional field. Game time on the campus of Virginia is scheduled for 6 p.m. Mississippi State’s game will be aired on ESPN+ and will also be carried on the Bulldog Sports Network powered by LEARFIELD, along with a live audio stream via HailState.com/OnDemand.
Markets & Business
1. First quarter GDP revised downward
Commerce Department data released on Thursday showed the U.S. economic growth was slower than initially reported, resulting in the first quarter GDP being revised downward.
The New York Times reported consumer spending eased amid rising prices and high interest rates.
“U.S. gross domestic product, adjusted for inflation, grew at a 1.3 percent annual rate in the first three months of the year, the Commerce Department said on Thursday. That was down from 3.4 percent in the final quarter of 2023 and below the 1.6 percent growth rate reported last month in the government’s preliminary first-quarter estimate.,” NYT reported.
2. Ingalls sponsors free admission to Two MS Museums for Juneteenth
Huntington Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula is sponsoring free admission to the Two Mississippi Museums in honor of Juneteenth on Wednesday, June 19.
“We are grateful to Ingalls Shipbuilding for making it possible for so many Mississippians to visit the Two Mississippi Museums and celebrate emancipation in the United States,” said Katie Blount, director of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, in a statement.
Juneteenth National Independence Day became a federal holiday in 2021, commemorating the emancipation of enslaved people at the end of the Civil War.
In addition to free admission all day, there will be a Juneteenth Jubilee program from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Two Mississippi Museums.
Magnolia Tribune
A look at the winding legal saga of Hunter Biden that ended in an unexpected guilty plea
