Magnolia Mornings: July 19, 2024

• 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. Neshoba Sheriff using thermal imaging drone to police Fair

WCBI reports that the Neshoba County Sheriff’s Office will have a new tool to keep an eye on crowds at the annual Neshoba County Fair this year.

“This year, deputies plan to use a thermal imaging drone to help patrol the area,” WCBI reported, noting a vehicle burglary on the grounds this week.

2. Coahoma Sheriff issues travel warning

The Coahoma County Sheriff’s Office is urging people to stay away from the Friars Point area near Highway One, according to WJTV.

The travel warning comes after “several shootings have been reported in the area from 8 p.m. until the early morning hours. Investigators believe the attacks are random and gang-related,” WJTV reported.

National News & Foreign Policy

1. Is Biden staying in or is he out?

Newsmax‘s Mark Halperin said Thursday that multiple sources have told him President Joe Biden plans to withdraw from the presidential election as early as this weekend, with Sunday most likely.

“According to multiple Democratic sources, this is happening all of a sudden,” Halperin told “Carl Higbie FRONTLINE” as reported by Newsmax from the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. “Everyone said it would happen gradually and then all at once. And that’s what’s happening. According to my sources, President Biden has agreed to step down as the Democratic nominee. It will happen as early as this weekend.”

Halperin went on to say that Biden will not endorse his Vice President Kamala Harris and will call for an open convention to determine the Democratic Party’s nominee.

Biden’s campaign team rushed to say the reports were not accurate and that the President remained in the race. Other reports continued to swirl that note national Democrats calling for Biden to exit the race, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Shumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former Barak Obama all reportedly expressing concerns that Biden cannot win and is hurting their down ticket chances.

2. Funeral for Comperatore, killed at Trump rally, set for Friday

The funeral for Corey Comperatore, the father of two who was killed during an attempt to assassinate former President Donald J. Trump at a rally last weekend, will be held Friday, according to the New York Times.

“The funeral was set to take place at 11 a.m. at the church in Cabot, Pa., where Mr. Comperatore, 50, was a longtime member. Afterward, a procession of fire trucks — as many as 500, some from as far as Florida and Texas — will travel from the church to the Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company in neighboring Sarver, where Mr. Comperatore served for decades,” NYT reported.

On Thursday night during his acceptance speech at the RNC, Trump said Comperatore “lost his life selflessly” as his firefighter uniform was placed on onstage near Trump. The former President embraced the uniform and kissed the helmet before asking attendees to observe a moment of silence. Trump said he had spoken with the family as well as the families of the others injured Saturday.

Sports & Entertainment

1. JSU punter Noll earns Preseason All-American honor

Jackson State punter Matt Noll was named Second Team All-American after he earned Preseason First Team All-Conference honors in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) on Tuesday from FCS Football Central.

He finished the year recording 34 punts for 1,507 yards. He averaged 44.3 yards per punt and recorded a season-high 65-yard punt. He finished the season with three touchbacks and a pair of fair catches.

2. Ole Miss volleyball earns team academic award

Ole Miss volleyball has been named a recipient of the 2024 AVCA Team Academic Award sponsored by INTENT, the American Volleyball Coaches Association announced on Wednesday. 

This marks the third consecutive year the team has received this honor and the seventh selection all-time since the award was initiated during the 1992-93 academic year. The AVCA honors volleyball programs who have maintained a year-long grade-point average of 3.30 or better.

According to the athletic department, Ole Miss was one of eleven SEC programs to be recognized, joining Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.

Markets & Business

1. Global IT outage causes havoc Friday morning

As reported by CNBC, what’s being termed an unprecedented global IT outage has grounded planes and taken broadcasters off air while disrupting many critical services on Friday morning.

“Financial services and doctors’ offices were disrupted on Friday, while TV broadcasters went offline as businesses worldwide grappled with an ongoing major IT outage. Air travel has been particularly hit, with planes grounded, services delayed and airports issuing advice to passengers,” CNBC reported.

CNBC notes that cybersecurity giant CrowdStrike experienced a major disruption, the company told NBC, following an issue with its latest tech update. Their CEO said this is “not a security incident or cyberattack. The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed.”

2. Rising energy costs coming for much of U.S.

The Wall Street Journal reports that utility customers across the country are increasingly paying more for less-reliable service — “a trend driven home by a massive heat wave that has triggered outages around the country in recent weeks.”

“Utilities from Michigan to New York and beyond are planning their largest capital investments since World War II as the grid becomes more unstable as a result of age and extreme weather,” WSJ reports, adding, “Meanwhile, demand is poised to soar, with millions of electric vehicles and massive data centers powering artificial intelligence needing to draw power.”

WSJ notes that, “Customers of roughly 17 large utility companies may see rate hikes above the rate of inflation between 2022 and 2027, according to Sector & Sovereign Research.”