- Important state and national stories, market and business news, sports and entertainment, delivered in quick-hit fashion to start your day informed.
On this day 80 years ago, nearly 160,000 Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy, France, taking in Hitler’s Atlantic Wall directly. It was the beginning of the end of World War II thanks to the sacrifice and service of the greatest generation.
In Mississippi
1. Derelict ships being repurposed as reefs on the Coast
According to WLOX, more than a dozen derelict vessels across the Mississippi Gulf Coast are set to be removed.
“The Gulf of Mexico Alliance is a nonprofit that recently received a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to remove derelict vessels that litter Gulf Coast waters,” WLOX reported, adding, “A local business, Gulf Stream Marine, will remove the abandoned boat from the Bay, gut it, and then sink it in the Gulf of Mexico. The process is known as reefing. It will happen with the help of the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources.”
WLOX noted that some 20 derelict ships will be removed from the Mississippi Gulf Coast over the next four years.
2. Gulf Coast Restoration Fund workshops announced
The Mississippi Development Authority has announced a series of workshops to help guide communities and individuals through the Gulf Coast Restoration Fund program grant application process.
The workshops, which will focus on the GCRF application portal, will offer attendees an opportunity to learn about key aspects of and updates to the grant application process. The forums will be held at the following locations starting Monday:
• Monday, June 10, 9 a.m. – Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College – Hospitality Resort Management Center – 420 Debuys Road, Biloxi, MS 39531
• Monday, June 10, 2 p.m. – Pearl River Community College Cafeteria – West Dining Room – 101 Highway 11 N, Poplarville, MS 39470
• Tuesday, June 11, 9 a.m. – George County Board of Supervisors Meeting Room – 329 Ratliff Street, Lucedale, MS 39452
• Tuesday, June 11, 2 p.m. – Jackson County Board of Supervisors Meeting Room – 2915 Canty Street, Pascagoula, MS 39567
• Wednesday, June 12, 9 a.m. – Hancock County Board of Supervisors Meeting Room – 854 Highway 90, Suite A, Bay St. Louis, MS 39520
• Wednesday, June 12, 2 p.m. – Stone County Economic Development Partnership – 115 E Hatten Ave, Wiggins, MS 39577
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Georgia Court of Appeals stays most proceedings in Trump case
The New York Times reports that the Georgia Court of Appeals on Wednesday stayed the criminal election interference case against former President Donald Trump “until an appellate panel could resolve the matter of whether the district attorney in Fulton County should be disqualified from prosecuting the case based on a conflict of interest.”
“In a one-page order, the court stated that any movement at the trial-court level pertaining to Mr. Trump and eight other defendants who have appealed a ruling allowing the prosecutor, Fani T. Willis, to remain on the case was ‘stayed pending the outcome of these appeals.'” NYT reported.
Earlier this week, as NYT notes, the appellate court set a tentative date for oral argument of October 4.
2. Hunter Biden trial highlights drug use
The Hunter Biden trial underway in Delaware saw his ex-wife Kathleen Buhle testify that she would comb through their cars to remove drug paraphernalia so that their three daughters would not be caught driving with their father’s drugs, this according to the Washington Post.
Prosecutors are using the testimony to prove that Hunter Biden “lied when he declared on an official form when buying a gun that he was not using illegal drugs.”
“Hallie Biden — the widow of President Biden’s son Beau and the mother of two of the president’s grandchildren — is expected to testify Thursday about the crack cocaine that she and Hunter used together during their love affair, something she is doing under a grant of immunity,” WP reported.
Sports & Entertainment
1. Class-action lawsuit could be doomsday for NFL
The Wall Street Journal reports that a class-action suit alleging that the NFL violated antitrust law and harmed consumers through the sale of its exclusive “Sunday Ticket” telecast package of games is being tried in Los Angeles.
“The case essentially pits the league against a class composed of millions of its own fans who shelled out big bucks for a premium product,” WSJ reported. “People familiar with the NFL’s thinking say the league’s media model is the best one in sports for fans, with the majority of games—and all local ones—shown on broadcast television. They also believe that upending the current dynamic would harm fans, instead of helping them, and would warp the game’s competitive equity.”
As WSJ adds, in “a doomsday scenario” should the case go against the league, “the NFL could be staring down a $21 billion bill.”
2. M-Braves’ Mejia named Southern League Pitcher of the Month
Minor League Baseball (MiLB) named Mississippi Braves starting pitcher Ian Mejia the Southern League Pitcher of the Month for May.
According to the team, the two-time Southern League Pitcher of the Week went 4-0 with a 0.00 ERA in four starts as he scattered eight hits and five walks over 26.2 innings. He held opponents to a .093 average while striking out 30. His two shutouts in May were the most in professional baseball (MLB or MiLB).
Markets & Business
1. Stock futures little changed heading into Thursday trading
CNBC reports that stock futures were little changed on Thursday morning after the S&P 500 notched a new record closing high thanks to a rally in artificial intelligence chip darling Nvidia.
“Futures tied to the S&P 500 flickered near the flatline, as Nasdaq-100 futures added 0.1%. Futures connected to the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 22 points,” CNBC reported. “Stocks are coming off a winning session. The S&P 500 jumped 1.18% to close at 5,354.03. The index also touched a new intraday all-time high of 5,354.16. The Nasdaq Composite jumped 1.96% to 17,187.90 and also hit a new record, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.25% to close at 38,807.33.”
2. Boeing Starliner launches for first astronaut-crewed flight
As reported by ABC News, Boeing’s Starliner capsule launched Wednesday morning from Cape Canaveral, Florida for its first astronaut-crewed flight into space to the International Space Station (ISS) after several delays.
“Starliner is designed to carry a seven-person crew, but aboard the “test drive” launch are NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore, 61, a former U.S. Navy captain who will be commanding the flight, and Sunita Williams, 58, a former Navy service member who will be piloting the flight,” ABC News reported.
Boeing Space said Wilmore and Williams will pilot Starline manually at certain points to prove it can, despite the spacecraft being able to operate autonomously, according to ABC News.
Magnolia Tribune
