- 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. Clay wins Jackson Ward 2 special election
Montyne “Tina” Clay has won the Jackson Ward 2 seat following Tuesday’s runoff special election.
Clay defeated Marcus Cheatham by drawing in nearly 61 percent of the vote, per unofficial results.
Clay will fill the unexpired term of former Councilwoman Angelique Lee who resigned before being indicted and pleading guilty to federal charges related to conspiracy to commit bribery.
2. Starkville recognized for tourism
WCBI reports that Starkville, the home of Mississippi State University, has drawn in big dollars from tourism.
“Visit Mississippi, the state’s tourism office, said tourists spend more than $194 million in the Oktibbeha County town last year,” WCBI reported. “In the recent Tourism Economic Contribution Report, Starkville ranked in the top 16 counties in the state for visitor spending.”
National News & Foreign Policy
1. U.S. confirms North Korea has sent troops to Russia to fight Ukraine
The New York Times reports that U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III confirmed on Wednesday that North Korea had sent troops to Russia to join the fight against Ukraine, a major shift in Moscow’s effort to win the war, calling it a “very serious” escalation.
“He gave no details about the number of troops already there or the number expected to arrive,” NYT reported. “His statement came as American intelligence officials said they were preparing to release a trove of intelligence, including satellite photographs, that show troop ships moving from North Korea to training areas in Vladivostok on Russia’s East coast, and other Russian territory further to the north. No troops have yet reached Ukraine, the intelligence officials said.”
NYT added, “American officials have said they estimate that about 2,500 North Korean troops have been dispatched so far. But they made no estimate of how many more would follow.”
2. Congressional Republican leadership could see a shake-up post-election
The Hill reports that House Republicans are bracing for potential leadership shake-ups in the coming weeks, “a post-election scramble that will heavily depend on who wins control of the lower chamber and White House in November.”
“The biggest wildcard is what Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) will do. The Louisiana Republican has said he wants to continue to lead the House GOP conference if they retain the majority, but has been mum on his plans if Democrats take the upper hand in the lower chamber,” The Hill reported, adding, “The dominant view among Republicans, however, is that Johnson would not remain atop the House GOP conference if it is relegated to the minority. Some lawmakers say members of the Speaker’s leadership team could also lose their positions in that scenario.”
Names to watch include Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.), the No. 2 House GOP leader; Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio); and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.)
Sports & Entertainment
1. USM men’s basketball win exhibition in OT
Southern Miss Athletics says there was no shortage of offense for USM’s men’s basketball team in its 105-102 overtime win against New Orleans on Tuesday night.
The Golden Eagles rallied from an eight-point deficit with 6:51 to play to secure the exhibition win.
Southern Miss returns to action next Monday when it hosts Jackson State in its final tune-up before the regular season starts on Nov. 4.
2. Elko makes USA Baseball roster for 2024 Premier12 Tournament
USA Baseball announced Monday that former Ole Miss Rebel Tim Elko would be a part of its roster for the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier12.
“The 28-player U.S. roster comprises 15 pitchers and 13 position players who are not currently on Major League Baseball 40-man rosters and features four USA Baseball alumni as well as four MLB Pipeline Top 100 prospects,” Ole Miss Athletics shared. “Team USA will compete in the group stage from November 9-14 in Guadalajara and Tepic, Mexico. The top two nations from the six-team group will then advance to the Super Round in Tokyo, Japan, from November 21-24.”
Elko recently wrapped up his second full professional season in the Chicago White Sox organization. He opened the season with Double-A Birmingham but was promoted to Triple-A Charlotte on July 30 where he hit. 289 with nine home runs and had 33 RBI in 48 games. He is currently playing with the Glendale Desert Dogs in the Arizona Fall League.
Markets & Business
1. Denny’s closing 150 locations
Denny’s Corporation, which operated Denny’s and Keke’s Breakfast Cafe, announced Tuesday that it is closing 150 of its restaurant locations by the end of 2025.
According to FoxBusiness, “Other domestic Denny’s locations will undergo ‘rehabilitation’ through various strategies, including their potential acquisition by ‘stronger operators,’ according to the investor day presentation.”
“The company’s expectations for 2024 include opening 30-40 restaurants across its two brands ‘with a consolidated net decline of 45 to 55.’ Twelve to 16 of the openings will be Keke’s locations, it said,” FoxBusiness reported.
2. Mortgage demand at lowest level since July
CNBC reports that mortgage demand moved lower again last week, even though mortgage interest rates didn’t move.
“Total mortgage application volume dropped 6.7% from the previous week, hitting its lowest level since July, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s seasonally adjusted index,” CNBC reported. “The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($766,550 or less) remained unchanged at 6.52%, with points decreasing to 0.64 from 0.65 (including the origination fee) for loans with a 20% down payment.”
CNBC also noted, “Refinance demand continued to lead the way down, dropping 8% for the week. It was, however, 90% lower than the same week one year ago. Last year at this time mortgage rates were 138 basis points higher, closing in on 8%.”
