- 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. Coast Veterans Home soon to open
WLOX reports that the 133,000 square foot Veterans Home in Tradition is soon to open its doors. It can house 100 veterans.
“The home is double the size of any of the four homes located in Oxford, Kosciusko, Jackson, and Collins — making it the largest in the state,” WLOX reported. “The old storefront-style rooms will soon be daily necessities for residents. A chapel, bank, library, restorative therapy, lounge area, dining area, and beauty and barber shop will soon come to life.”
Mississippi Veterans Affairs Executive Director Mark Smith told WLOX that the federal side of Veterans Affairs has funded 65% of the project, and state leadership came up with the other 35%.
2. All clear given after unconfirmed bomb threat at Ole Miss
Sunday morning, Ole Miss students and staff were notified that the University Police were investing a bomb threat at Weir Hall, Lewis Hall and the Jim and Thomas Duff Center for Science and Technology Innovation on the university’s campus.
Students and staff were told to avoid the area, evacuate immediately, and stay away from the buildings.
The all clear was given once the facilities had been searched and operations returned to normal in a few hours.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Harris’ SNL appearance raises FCC equal time question
USA Today reports that NBC has filed a notice with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and will provide former President Donald Trump with “equal time” following an appearance by Vice President Kamala Harris on “Saturday Night Live.”
“Following her brief stint on the show, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr posted on X, formerly Twitter that it was a ‘clear and blatant effort to evade the FCC’s Equal Time rule.’ Carr, a senior Republican on the commission who was appointed by Trump, went on in the post to suggest NBC should offer equal time to ‘other qualifying campaigns,'” USA Today reported.
USA Today went on to add, “In the notice filed Sunday, NBC said Harris appeared ‘without charge’ on ‘SNL’ for 1 minute and 30 seconds. The broadcaster provided Trump airtime Sunday, CNN’s Brian Stelter reported, giving the former president an opportunity to directly address viewers during the NASCAR 2024 Cup playoff race.”
2. Down to the wire as Election Day approaches
Poll averages from RealClearPolitics continue to show a tight race for the White House between Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump.
As of Monday morning, the RCP averages show Trump ahead nationally by 0.1 percent. He continues to lead in 5 of the 7 key battleground states – Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Arizona and Nevada – while Harris is leading in Michigan and Wisconsin.
Sports & Entertainment
1. Jackson State remains undefeated in SWAC play
Jackson State defeated Arkansas-Pine Bluff 41-3 on Homecoming inside Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium on Saturday. With the win, the Tigers remain undefeated in SWAC play and move to 7-2 on the season.
Jackson State closes out the home portion of its schedule at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium, hosting Mississippi Valley State on Saturday with a 2 p.m. kickoff.
2. SEC Nation comes back to The Grove for Georgia-Ole Miss matchup
Ole Miss Athletics has announced that SEC Nation Presented by Johnsonville is returning to Oxford this Saturday when No. 18 Ole Miss hosts No. 2 Georgia.
The show will broadcast from The Grove for the 11th time on November 9, from 9-11 a.m. CT, on the SEC Network.
Laura Rutledge hosts the show, her eighth season in the host’s chair and her ninth on the show overall. She is joined by Paul Finebaum, Roman Harper, Jordan Rodgers and Tim Tebow for a weekly breakdown of the SEC football action to come.
Markets & Business
1. Stock futures rise ahead of Election Day
CNBC reports that stock futures rose slightly on Monday as investors geared up for the highly-anticipated U.S. presidential election.
“Futures connected to the Dow Jones Industrial Average traded higher by 25 points, or 0.1%. S&P 500 futures and Nasdsq-100 futures gained 0.2% and 0.1%, respectively,” CNBC reported.
CNBC added, “Tuesday’s election results could play a pivotal role in where stocks finish off the year… However, much of market aftershocks may hinge more heavily on which party takes control of Congress. If control of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate is divided, it would likely mean a maintaining of the status quo. A Republican or Democratic sweep, however, would likely be coupled with a White House victory for the same party, and could mean fresh spending plans or a tax overhaul.”
2. South Central Regional in Laurel announced renovations
Phase one renovation work is underway at South Central Regional Medical Center in Laurel as part of the health system’s multi-phase plan to renovate and expand facilities. SCRMC said Friday that the renovation is yet another intentional aspect of the hospital’s efforts to improve the patient experience at SCRMC.
Phase one includes the renovation of the first-floor patient rooms and first floor hallways. These renovations will include the addition of new flooring, new lighting and other aesthetic improvements. Construction projects will not impact patient care, and there is no loss of overall bed count at SCRMC during these renovations.
SCRMC noted that the hospital is also undergoing construction in several additional areas, including a new addition of the 10,300-square-foot office suite on the second floor of the East Annex for SCRMC employees who will support Epic, SCRMC’s new electronic medical record system.
