- 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. Mississippi students reach all-time high in math, English language arts, science
The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) released the results from the 2023-24 Mississippi Academic Assessment Program (MAAP) on Thursday, showing student achievement reaching an all-time high in mathematics, English Language Arts (ELA) and science. MAAP results make up a large portion of the A-F accountability grades schools and districts earn annually.
Overall, for 2023-24, MDE reports that the percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced reached a record high of 47.8% in ELA, 56.3% in mathematics and 63.4% in science. U.S. History decreased slightly from 71.4% in 2022-23 to 70.9% in 2023-24.
The 2023-24 assessment results show student achievement continues to exceed pre-pandemic levels. Student achievement in Mississippi and the nation dropped in 2021 due to the pandemic, though Mississippi students mostly rebounded by 2022.
View MAAP Results Executive Summary and District- and School-level Results Report: https://www.mdek12.org/OPR/Reporting/Assessment/2023-24.
2. Crosby appointed as Chancellor
Governor Tate Reeves announced Thursday that he had appointed Doug S. Crosby as Chancellor for the 6th Chancery Court District, Place 1. The appointment fills a vacancy created by the resignation of the Honorable Joseph Kilgore.
Crosby has been a practicing attorney since 1996. He currently serves as Attala County Youth Court Prosecutor, Attala County Prosecuting Attorney, City of Kosciusko Prosecuting Attorney, and the Sixteenth-Section School Board Attorney. Additionally, Crosby is the owner of the Law Office of Doug S. Crosby in Kosciusko, and a member of the Mississippi Prosecutors Association.
The Governor’s office said Crosby’s term will begin on August 23, 2024. Governor Reeves will call a special election to be held on November 4, 2025. The winner of the special election will serve the remainder of the four-year term.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Harris blames price gouging for higher prices but economists disagree
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris is blaming corporate price gouging for high grocery prices. But while the messaging may be well received progressives and swing voters, as the New York Times reports, the economic argument over the issue is more complicated.
“Economists have cited a range of forces for pushing up prices in the recovery from the pandemic recession, including snarled supply chains, a sudden shift in consumer buying patterns, and the increased customer demand fueled by stimulus from the government and low rates from the Federal Reserve,” NYT reported. “Most economists say those forces are far more responsible than corporate behavior for the rise in prices in that period.”
“If prices are rising on average over time and profit margins expand, that might look like price gouging, but it’s actually indicative of a broad increase in demand,” said Joshua Hendrickson, an economist at the University of Mississippi who has written skeptically of claims that corporate behavior is driving prices higher, according to NYT. “Such broad increases tend to be the result of expansionary monetary or fiscal policy — or both.”
2. Franklin Graham condemns use of his father to attack Trump
Rev. Franklin Graham is pushing back on a pro-Harris group over their use of footage of his father, Billy Graham, to attack former President Donald Trump.
According to FoxNews, Graham condemned the group “Evangelicals for Harris” using his father’s image. He argued that if his father were alive, he would support Trump.
“The liberals are using anything and everything they can to promote candidate Harris. They even developed a political ad trying to use my father @BillyGraham’s image,” he wrote in a social media post. “They are trying to mislead people. Maybe they don’t know that my father appreciated the conservative values and policies of President @realDonaldTrump in 2016, and if he were alive today, my father’s views and opinions would not have changed.”
FoxNews added, “The official Evangelicals for Harris account replied, ‘Praying for you’ along with a heart emoji beneath his post and later said in a retweet that Graham has ‘forsaken the gospel.'”
Sports & Entertainment
1. Southern Miss announced Hall of Fame honorees
The Southern Miss M-Club Alumni Association, in conjunction with the Department of Athletics, announced its six-member 2024 Hall of Fame inductees this week.
According to USM Athletics, the 2024 Hall of Fame inductees include Luke Johnson (Football, 2002-05); Berlin Ladner (Men’s Basketball, 1965-68); Cedric Norman (Track & Field, 2001-04); Kelsea Seymour Weldon (Volleyball, 2008-11); Kent Willis (Baseball, 1986); and former long-time men’s basketball assistant coach Robert McInnis as the class’s honorary inductee.
The 2024 Hall of Fame Class will officially join the ranks of former Golden Eagle greats at the Annual M-Club Alumni Association Hall of Fame Banquet on Friday, November 8, at Southern Oaks in Hattiesburg.
2. High School state championship games to be played at Southern Miss
The Mississippi High School Activities Association board voted Tuesday to partner with the University of Southern Mississippi for the 2024 Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi Gridiron Classic (MHSAA Football State Championships), which will be played at “The Rock” on December 5-7.
“We appreciate the time and conversations with all the potential host sites through this process,” said MHSAA Executive Director Rickey Neaves in a statement. “We have no doubt that Southern Miss and the city of Hattiesburg will once again do a tremendous job hosting and creating exciting, memorable experiences for our schools, students, coaches, families, and communities.”
Remaining a three-day event, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Gridiron Classic will begin on Thursday, December 5 with Class 3A at 4:00 pm and Class 7A at 7:30 pm. Friday’s (Dec. 6) Class 1A and Class 5A championships will be played at 4:00 pm and 7:30 pm, respectively. On Saturday (Dec. 7), Class 2A will play at Noon, followed by Class 4A at 3:30 and Class 6A at 7:00.
Markets & Business
1. Retail sales up, Commerce Dept. reports
Retail sales—a measure of spending at stores, online and in restaurants—rose a seasonally adjusted 1% in July from the month before, the Commerce Department said Thursday as reported by the Wall Street Journal.
“That was a strong pickup from June, when sales were revised down to a 0.2% decrease,” WSJ reported. “Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal had expected retail sales rose just 0.3% in July.”
WSJ added that, “Excluding vehicle sales, overall retail sales rose a more modest 0.4% last month.”
2. Moss Point honors Liza Cirlot Looser, founder of The Cirlot Agency
Liza Cirlot Looser, Founder and CEO at The Cirlot Agency, has been inducted into the prestigious Moss Point Hall of Fame, the company announced on Thursday. The honor recognizes her significant contributions to the community as well as her journey of building a multi-million-dollar, international firm.
The Cirlot Agency works in brand strategy, corporate communications, and business development.
The Moss Point Hall of Fame honors individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to their communities and industries. Cirlot Looser’s induction celebrates her role as a trailblazer in corporate communications, her dedication to driving innovation, and her impact on the global stage. This year, the Agency celebrates 40 years in business.
