- 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. RESTORE Act expenditure plan amended
Governor Tate Reeves announced Tuesday that the Mississippi’s State Expenditure Plan totaling $181 million has been amended and approved by the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration (RESTORE) Council.
The plan and projects are funded through the RESTORE Act and were initially approved by Governor Reeves prior to the RESTORE Council’s consideration.
According to the Governor’s office, the projects and programs added to Mississippi’s State Expenditure Plan in the most recent (2023) and approved amendment include, among others: Walter Anderson Museum of Art Creative Complex ($1.21 million), Workforce Training – Meeting the Needs of the Supply Chain ($5.5 million), Health Professions (HEALP) for Our Community: Health Professions Center of Excellence ($6.6 million), Coastal Science Program for Mississippi High Schools ($1,886,500), Pascagoula River Scenic Trail ($2.75 million), and the Artificial Reef Project ($1.98 million).
2. Hyde-Smith to introduce action against Biden Administration’s Title IX changes
Mississippi U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R) will lead a Protect Title IX news conference on Wednesday in D.C. to discuss the introduction of a Congressional Review Act resolution of disapproval to overturn the Biden administration’s recent final Title IX rule that she says puts girls and women at a disadvantage by radically redefining the word “sex” to include gender identity.
Expected to join Hyde-Smith at the news conference are fellow Senators James Lankford (R-Okla.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kan), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), and possibly other cosponsors.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Hunter Biden becomes first child of sitting President to be convicted of a felony
Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, was convicted on Tuesday on all three felony counts stemming from unlawfully purchasing a firearm while allegedly addicted to drugs. It is the first time in U.S. history that sitting President’s child has been convicted of a felony.
Hunter Biden faces up to 25 years in prison, yet as a first-time offender that is unlikely, legal experts say. His sentencing date was not immediately set.
President Biden issued a statement saying, in part, “As I said last week, I am the President, but I am also a Dad. Jill and I love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today.”
2. Ben Carson as Trump’s running mate?
The New York Times reports that Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon and former housing secretary, is under consideration to be former President Donald Trump’s running mate as one of “many people that would do a really fantastic job,” the former president told a local New York reporter last month.
“Last week, Mr. Trump again highlighted the possibility of running with Mr. Carson, saying on Newsmax that he was among ‘many great people,'” NYT reported. “And behind closed doors, Mr. Trump has spoken warmly of Mr. Carson, reflecting an odd-couple political friendship between the belligerent Republican leader and the soft-spoken doctor who ran against him in 2016.”
Sports & Entertainment
1. Ole Miss, Miss. State football kickoff times announced
Approximate start times and TV assignments for the remaining SEC games of the 2024 season have been set, the Conference and ESPN announced on Tuesday.
New this upcoming season, the Southeastern Conference and ESPN designated TV windows for all games after week 3 as a new benefit of the new conference rights agreement. According to Ole Miss, television start time windows for Weeks 4-14 are defined as follows:
· Early: 11 a.m. to noon CT start
· Afternoon: 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. CT start
· Night: 5 to 7 p.m. CT start
· Flex: Games flexed between the afternoon (2:30-3:30 p.m.) and night (5-7 p.m.) windows
Eight more game times were announced for Ole Miss. They are:
Sept. 21 vs. Georgia Southern (6:45 p.m. CT – SECN)
Sept. 28 vs. Kentucky (11 a.m. CT – ABC or ESPN)
Oct. 5 at South Carolina (Flex – TBA)
Oct. 12 at LSU (Night – TBA)
Oct. 26 vs. Oklahoma (Early – TBA)
Nov. 2 at Arkansas (Early – TBA)
Nov. 9 vs. Georgia (Flex – TBA)
Nov. 23 at Florida (11 a.m. CT – ABC or ESPN)
For Mississippi State, two more game times were announced:
Sept. 21 vs. Florida (11 a.m. CT – ABC or ESPN)
Nov. 2 vs. UMass (Early – TBA)
2. Four Golden Eagles make ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Div I All-Region South Teams
Four Golden Eagles were named to 2024 ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Div. I All-Region South Teams announced on Tuesday.
Southern Miss players on the list include designated hitter Slade Wilks to the first team, along with Golden Eagle outfielder Dalton McIntyre, starting pitcher Billy Oldham and relief pitcher Colby Allen earning second-team honors.
The teams are voted on by members of the American Baseball Coaches Association and the process is led by the ABCA NCAA Div. I All-America & Coach of the Year Committee.
Markets & Business
1. Oil demand growth to slow down?
As reported by CNBC, the International Energy Agency said on Wednesday that a U.S.-led surge in global oil production is expected to outstrip demand growth between now and the end of the decade, pushing spare capacity to unprecedented levels and potentially upending OPEC+ market management.
“The forecast prompted a stern warning for Big Oil from IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol, who suggested the world’s largest energy majors may wish to align their business strategies with the changes taking place,” CNBC reported. “In its latest medium-term market report, titled Oil 2024, the global energy watchdog said oil demand growth was on track to slow down before ultimately reaching its peak of near 106 million barrels per day by 2030. That’s up from just over 102 million barrels per day in 2023.”
2. UMMC establishes teaching campus in Ridgeland
The University of Mississippi Medical Center announced Tuesday that it is enhancing its educational infrastructure by establishing a multidisciplinary teaching campus in Ridgeland’s Colony Park.
The school said the expansion marks a significant step forward in UMMC’s commitment to fostering excellence in medical education, research and health care delivery. The development of the Colony Park educational campus will help equip the next generation of health care professionals with the knowledge, skills and resources needed to meet the evolving needs of our communities.
The new campus will increase academic opportunities for UMMC students and trainees in facilities with health care settings that more closely match those of the providers in which many will eventually be employed outside the academic medical center structure.
