Magnolia Mornings: January 20, 2025

• 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. Snow across Mississippi? Prepare now

Governor Tate Reeves has issued a State of Emergency in Mississippi as a result of anticipated prolonged freezing temperatures and winter weather, from January 19 through at least January 22.

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency cautions that the National Weather Service has forecasted widespread snowfall throughout the state beginning in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Temperatures could be below freezing for 48-72 hours with wind chills under 10 degrees.

Many schools and offices around the state have announced closures for Tuesday. Check your local media outlets for more details.

2. MDAH announces historic site preservation grants

The Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) announced Friday the 2025 Mississippi Historic Site Preservation Grant program (MHSPG) grantees.

The 2025 grants were awarded for the following projects:

• Chickasaw Bayou, Warren County, American Battlefield Trust – $278,250. There are five proposed grants for properties in the Core and Study Areas of the Chickasaw Bayou battlefield. These are the Curry, Creekmore, Dunham, Tarver, and 4 J Properties tracts.
  
• Mills Tract, Alcorn County, American Battlefield Trust – $14,500. This tract is within the Core Area of the Corinth battlefield.

In 2021, the Mississippi Legislature authorized the creation of the MHSPG program to acquire sites related to Civil War battles, Native American archaeology, and civil rights history. The funding supports the preservation of endangered and historically significant properties.

National News & Foreign Policy

1. Trump to be sworn in today

Donald Trump is being sworn in today as the 47th President of the United States, completing a comeback four years in the making.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Trump “will call for a ‘revolution of common sense’ during his inaugural address.”

“The president-elect has readied executive orders on immigration, energy and government hiring. He also has signaled his intent to reinstate TikTok after the app briefly went dark for U.S. users,” WSJ reported.

For the first time in 40 years, Trump will take the oath of office inside the Capitol due to freezing temperatures in D.C.

2. Expect a “barrage” of executive orders after Trump is sworn in

The Hill reports that President Trump “is planning a barrage of executive actions on energy, the border and immigration enforcement on his first day in office.”

“Stephen Miller, incoming White House deputy chief of staff for policy, briefed Republican congressional leaders about a number of planned actions on Sunday, according to three sources. Trump will sign dozens of executive orders on Monday, a fourth source said. The orders will also touch upon bringing back the federal workforce to offices,” The Hill reported. “While Trump has long forecast a number of the coming actions, the swath of proposals is historically ambitious for first-day executive actions. President Biden signed a total of 22 executive orders during his first week in office, marking a modern record at the time.”

Sports & Entertainment

1. Belhaven baseball to play at Trustmark Park

The Mississippi Mud Monsters and Belhaven University announced a partnership Friday that ensures Trustmark Park will be the home of Belhaven Blazers baseball until 2030.

The DIII Blazers will use Trustmark Park for games, practices, and showcases year-round.

“We are excited to partner with Belhaven to give them a world-class facility” said Mud Monsters General Manager Andrew Seymour in a statement. “Belhaven is a top-notch private university with over 140 years of history and we’re glad to partner with them.”

Belhaven have been venue hopping since 2020.

2. Ole Miss cheer team wins Division IA Traditional All Girl national championship

Ole Miss Athletics notes that for the first time in program history, the Ole Miss cheer team won a national championship in the Division IA Traditional All Girl category at the Universal Cheerleaders Association College Nationals.

Ole Miss earned a score of 88.5 in the semifinals on Saturday to advance to Sunday’s finals. The Rebels went on to win the national title with a 91.4 in the finals.

In addition to claiming the All Girl crown, the Rebels’ finished fourth in the D1A Spirit Program Game Day category and the coed squad finished ninth nationally in the traditional cheer section.

Markets & Business

1. TikTok back – for now

After going offline late Saturday night, TikTok came back Sunday “after President-elect Donald Trump said that he would sign an executive order on Monday following his inauguration to delay a federal ban of the app,” reports CNBC.

In a statement on X, TikTok wrote:

“In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service. We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive. It’s a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship. We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States.”

“Despite TikTok’s pledge to reinstate service in the U.S. following Trump’s statement, the company’s future remains unclear under the current law,” CNBC reported.

2. Trump teases Apple “massive investment” in U.S.

FoxBusiness report that President-elect Trump said Sunday that he spoke with Apple CEO Tim Cook and teased a potential move by the world’s most valuable company.

“I spoke with Tim Cook of Apple. He said they’re going to make a massive investment in the United States because of our big election win,” he said during his Make America Great Again Victory Rally on Sunday in Washington D.C. 

“Since the election, many CEOs have broken bread with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida, including Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Google’s Sundar Pichai and Walmart’s Doug McMillion,” FoxBusiness reported.