- 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. Record 43.7 million visitors came to MS in 2023
According to Visit Mississippi’s annual Tourism Economic Contribution Report, the state welcomed a record 43.7 million visitors in 2023. The Governor’s office said the visitor volume has resulted in a record-breaking $17.5 billion contribution to Mississippi’s economy.
The new study, conducted by Tourism Economics, provides an in-depth analysis of tourism’s economic impact in Mississippi for the calendar year 2023. This marks a pivotal transition from previous fiscal year reporting, allowing for improved alignment with national trends.
Key highlights from the 2023 Economic Impact Report as shared by the Governor’s office include:
- Visitor Volume: Mississippi welcomed 43.7 million domestic and international visitors in 2023.
- Visitor Spending: $11.5 billion in visitor spending generated a total economic impact of $17.5 billion in Mississippi in 2023.
- Job Creation: The total economic impact sustained 133,880 jobs, contributing $4.5 billion in labor income.
- State & Local Taxes: Tourism generated $1.1 billion in total state and local tax revenues in 2023, alleviating the tax burden on Mississippi households.
- Daily Spending: On average, visitors spent approximately $31.6 million per day.
- Key Spending: Top categories included food and beverage, lodging, recreation and retail, and transportation.
The report reveals that approximately $31.6 million was spent daily by visitors in Mississippi.
2. Rice honored with Songwriter of the Year award
Songwriter Tommy Rice has been honored with the prestigious Songwriter of the Year award at the 2024 International Singer-Songwriter Association (ISSA) Awards.
Rice’s journey as a songwriter began after the loss of his beloved wife, Deborah, to an aggressive form of brain cancer. To cope with his grief, Rice turned to songwriting, and what began as a therapeutic outlet quickly evolved into a celebrated career. In just over three years, Rice has written more than 200 songs, with over 100 recorded and 12 reaching number one on various music charts.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Musk campaigns with Trump at site of first assassination attempt
Elon Musk joined former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday at the site where the former president survived an assassination attempt in July, reported the Associated Press.
“It was the first time that Musk joined one of Trump’s rallies and was evidence of their growing alliance in the final stretch of the presidential election. Musk created a super political action committee supporting the Republican nominee and it has been spending heavily on get-out-the-vote efforts. Trump has said he would tap Musk to lead a government efficiency commission if he regains the White House,” the AP reported.
The AP continued, “Before a large crowd Saturday, Musk sought to portray Trump as a champion of free speech, arguing that Democrats want ‘to take away your freedom of speech, they want to take away your right to bear arms, they want to take away your right to vote, effectively.'”
2. One year after Hamas attack, Israel prepared to be at war for years
It has been one year since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. The Wall Street Journal reports that Israel is now prepared to be at war for years.
“Weathering a ferocious Iranian missile assault in recent days and shaking off calls from allies for a cease-fire in Gaza, Israel is instead opening new theaters of fighting,” WSJ reported. “It launched a stunning series of attacks against the Lebanese militia Hezbollah in Lebanon in recent weeks, while simultaneously targeting Houthi rebels in Yemen, rooting out militancy in the occupied West Bank and mapping out its next steps against Iran, the architect of a so-called axis of resistance that includes U.S.-designated terrorist groups bent on destroying Israel.”
WSJ went on to add, “The impact of this new strategy is expected to touch nearly every part of Israeli society, reshape Middle East geopolitics and shake up relations with the U.S., which as Israel’s main diplomatic ally and supplier of weapons has watched its influence diminish.”
Sports & Entertainment
1. Rebels back in Top 10
After a win on Saturday at South Carolina and a crazy weekend of upsets in the Top 10, Ole Miss moved up three spots in the AP Top 25 on Sunday to No. 9.
The Rebels head to Baton Rouge this weekend to take on the No. 13 LSU Tigers for a key SEC matchup.
LSU is coming off of a bye week. Both teams are 4-1 overall on the season.
2. Jackson State 2-0 in SWAC play
Jackson State traveled to Mobile on Saturday and returned to the capital city with a win over Alabama A&M. The Tigers held off a late rally by the SWAC opponent to win 45-28.
JSU is now 4-2 on the year and 2-0 in SWAC play heading into this bye week.
The Tigers will play at home on October 19 against Florida A&M following the bye week.
Markets & Business
1. Stock futures slip to open week
CNBC reports that stock futures slipped on Monday as Wall Street struggles to keep the momentum from Friday’s rally.
“S&P 500 futures fell 0.5%. Nasdaq-100 futures were down 0.6%, while Dow Jones Industrial Average futures ticked down 174 points, or 0.4%,” CNBC reported. “Adding pressure to futures was an uptick in U.S. Treasury yields. The benchmark 10-year Treasury yield rose nearly 3 basis points to 4.008%. That marks the first time since August that the yield topped 4%.”
CNBC added, “Higher oil prices also weighed, as tensions in the Middle East remain high. U.S. crude climbed more than 2% to more than $76 per barrel.”
2. BP to ramp up oil and gas production in Middle East, Gulf of Mexico
The Telegraph reports that BP has reportedly abandoned its target to cut oil and gas production by 2030 as its new chief executive scales back a switch to green energy to boost its share price.
“Murray Auchincloss, who took over from Bernard Looney in January, is expected to focus on ploughing new money into projects in the Middle East and the Gulf of Mexico to boost output,” The Telegraph reported. “It marks a further withdrawal from green energy after BP reduced its pledge to cut oil and gas production from 40pc to 25pc, which would have meant it was still producing 2m barrels of oil a day at the end of the decade.”
The Telegraph noted, “BP also announced it would go ahead with the development of a complex reservoir in the Gulf of Mexico more than a decade after the Deepwater Horizon disaster that killed 11 people and triggered the worst oil spill in history.”
