- 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. Go Vote, Mississippi!
It’s Election Day in Mississippi and around the U.S. Take a few minutes today to do your duty and cast your ballot for President, Vice President, Senate, Congress and more.
If you aren’t sure who’s on the ballot and what you need to know before you go vote, follow the links for the Magnolia Tribune Voter Guides.
2. Tropical Storm Rafael forms in Gulf
The National Hurricane Center is tracking Tropical Storm Rafael as it enters the southern Gulf of Mexico.
It is currently forecasted to reach Hurricane Category 1 strength by Wednesday but after crossing Cuba it is predicted to reach cooler waters and be met with wind shear that will destabilize the storm.
However, Mississippi’s Gulf Coast should stay weather aware over the next week.
3. Erin Brockovich coming to Southern Miss
Erin Brockovich is coming to the University of Southern Mississippi next week.
According to the university, Brockovich, whose pursuit of justice for residents of Hinkley, California—exposed to 30 years of Pacific Gas & Electric’s contamination of the town’s water supply—led to her portrayal by actress Julia Roberts in the movie “Erin Brockovich,” will discuss America’s (and Mississippi’s) water crisis Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 6:30 p.m. in Bennett Auditorium on the Hattiesburg campus of Southern Miss.
She has published a New York Times bestselling autobiography, Take It From Me: Life’s A Struggle, But You Can Win; most recently, she authored Superman’s Not Coming: Our National Water Crisis and What We the People Can Do About It.
Admission is free and the public is invited.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Trump, Harris tie Dixville Notch vote 3-3 to open Election Day
The first results of the 2024 presidential election are in from the tiny town of Dixville Notch, New Hampshire.
Election officials there announced just after midnight that former President Donald Trump (R) and Vice President Kamala Harris (D) had tied in the town’s vote, with each receiving 3 votes.
Dixville Notch began their midnight vote tradition in 1960, being the first in the nation to cast their ballots. In 2020’s election, all of the town’s 5 votes went to President Joe Biden (D) over Trump.
2. Knowing which party controls the U.S. House next Congress could take a while
The Hill reports that it could be days — or even weeks — before Americans know who will control the House of Representatives in the next Congress.
“There are dozens of closely contested seats up for grabs, setting the stage for a potential scenario where many of those contests are too close to call on election night and the race to 218 remains unresolved,” The Hill reported. “Determining the ultimate winner in that situation will almost certainly take days — or longer — as late ballots filter in, slow-counting states tally their results and likely legal challenges work their way through the courts.”
The Hill added, “Democrats need to pick up four seats to win control of the House, and election analysts and operatives in both parties expect that, regardless of who prevails, the final breakdown will be close.”
Sports & Entertainment
1. Saints fire Allen
The New Orleans Saints announced Monday that Head Coach Dennis Allen has been fired.
Special Teams Coordinator Darren Rizzi was named interim head coach.
Allen has been the head coach of the New Orleans Saints since February 2022. He became the 17th head coach in the franchise’s history.
The Saints have lost the last 7 games after winning the opening two this season. Atlanta is coming to the Big Easy on Sunday.
2. Big 3 open 2024 basketball season with wins
The 2024 college basketball season is here and each of the Big 3 opened with big wins on Monday.
- Southern Miss topped Bowling Green 77-68 at Reed Green Coliseum.
- Mississippi State rolled over West Georgia in Starkville 95-60.
- Ole Miss took an easy win over Long Island 90-60 in Oxford.
Markets & Business
1. Boeing strike ends, workers approve 38% wage increase
CNBC reports that Boeing machinists approved a new labor deal Monday, ending a more than seven-week strike.
“Machinists voted 59% in favor of the new contract, which includes 38% wage increases over four years and other improvements,” CNBC reported, adding, “Boeing will now be able to resume production, key to its recovery since the bulk of the aircraft price is paid when they are handed over to customers.”
As CNBC also reported, “It was the machinists’ third vote since September, when the 33,000 workers, mostly in the Seattle area, walked off the job after overwhelmingly rejecting a proposal promising a 25% raise, far short of the 40% the union sought. They voted down another sweetened proposal late last month.”
2. Entergy to break ground on new Greenville power station
Entergy Mississippi announced Monday that it will hold a groundbreaking for the company’s newly announced power station and honor the 50-year legacy of the existing power station located in Greenville, Mississippi on Thursday, November 7, 2024 at 11 a.m.
Governor Tate Reeves, Senator Roger Wicker and Congressman Bennie Thompson are said to be among those in attendance as the company breaks ground on and unveils the name of the new power generation facility.
The company’s $1.2 billion investment will be built adjacent to the Gerald Andrus Steam Electric Station, which will eventually be retired.
