- 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. Nearly 1,000 MS homes damaged in last weekend’s storms
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) said Thursday that the agency has recorded damage to 941 homes, 38 businesses, and 25 farms across the state resulting from the March 14-15 storms.
Of the homes affected, 164 were destroyed, while 204 sustained major damage.
These figures are subject to change as further evaluations are conducted. MEMA has filled requests for 1,000 sandbags, 1,300 tarps, and more than 24,000 bottles of water for counties.
MEMA said the National Weather Service has confirmed that 18 tornadoes touched down on March 14 and 15 in Mississippi, including one EF-4, one EF-3, seven EF-2, seven EF-1, and two EF-0 tornadoes.
2. Jackson County man wins Publisher Clearing House prize
WLOX reports that Timothy Bomar of Jackson County won the Publishers Clearing House Prize Patrol sweepstakes.
“Bomar was surprised by Howie Guja, the face of Publishers Clearing House Prize Patrol, when he came home from work on Wednesday,” WLOX reported. “Bomar can choose between a Ford F-250, or the cash value of the truck as his prize.”
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Colleges, universities “capitulating” to President Trump
Politico reports that, “Colleges and universities across the country are capitulating to President Donald Trump with staggering speed, moving to slash progressive policies and crack down on student activism as they face compounding threats from an administration hellbent on reshaping higher education.”
“Columbia University on Thursday appeared poised to submit to a list of Trump administration demands that threaten core tenets of the school’s mission in an attempt to release itself from a $400 million federal funding freeze,” Politico reported. “The University of California’s board moved on Wednesday to cut diversity statements from recruitment requirements. Dartmouth College on Monday announced it had hired the Republican National Committee’s former chief counsel — an outspoken critic of birthright citizenship — as the college’s top lawyer and leader of its immigration office. And dozens of universities last month rushed to scrub diversity, equity and inclusion policies from their websites and cancel related events.”
Politico went on to add, “It’s a stunning display of how some of the country’s oldest, wealthiest and enduring institutions have swiftly folded to Trump, who is acting on longstanding conservative criticisms of universities as elitist and progressive.”
2. Trump signs order dismantling Dept. of Ed, but needs Congress to fully unwind the agency
President Trump signed a much-anticipated executive order directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to dismantle the Education Department, reports the Wall Street Journal.
WSJ reported, “In the executive order, Trump directed McMahon to ‘take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure’ of the department, ‘to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law.’ It calls for education authority to be sent to states ‘while ensuring the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs and benefits on which Americans rely.'”
To fully unwind the agency, Trump needs congressional action. WSJ noted, “While Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, it is unlikely they would be able to gain support from Democrats to reach a filibuster-proof 60-vote majority to completely unwind the agency.”
Sports
1. Big 3 hit the road this weekend
Here’s a look at who the Big 3 will take on this weekend in college baseball.
- No. 18 Ole Miss travels to Missouri for their first road series of the season. First pitch on Friday is set for 6 p.m. while both Saturday and Sunday are set for 4 p.m.
- No. 19 Southern Miss travels to ULM in a three-game weekend series, starting Friday in Monroe with a 6 p.m. Saturday’s game is at 2 p.m. and Sunday’s is at 1 p.m.
- Mississippi State travels to No. 10 Oklahoma as they host an SEC series for the first time. The weekend series gets underway on Friday at 6:30 p.m. and continues Saturday at 4 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.
2. Miss. State, Ole Miss women at the Big Dance
Mississippi State and Ole Miss women’s basketball teams are about to dance in the NCAA Tournament.
The Bulldogs play California on Saturday at 4 p.m.
It is the 13th time in program history that the women’s team has made it to the Big Dance.
Making its fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament, Ole Miss will play Ball State on Friday at 5 p.m.
Markets & Business
1. TrueCare names new leadership team
TrueCare, a nonprofit, provider-sponsored health plan has announced the appointment of three new executives to its leadership team. The group says the three will transform health care in Mississippi by aligning health insurance payers and providers to deliver high-quality care, improve member health outcomes and manage Medicaid costs effectively.
Ashley Thompson was appointed chief executive officer of TrueCare. With an extensive background in health care policy, Medicaid managed care and government relations, Thompson brings 14 years of strategic vision and operational expertise to the organization.
Chris Loftin was appointed chief financial officer of TrueCare and John Mitchell, a physician with more than 35 years of experience, was named chief medical officer.
The Mississippi Division of Medicaid (DOM) recently selected TrueCare to offer coverage statewide beginning in July 2025.
2. Futures down to end week
CNBC reports that stock futures fell Friday morning “as the S&P 500 tries to snap a 4-week losing streak caused by trade policy turmoil, recession fears and a rollover in megacap technology shares.”
“Futures tied to the S&P 500 were down by 0.2%. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures lost 111 points, or about 0.3%. Nasdaq 100 futures slipped 0.3%,” CNBC reported, adding, “Nevertheless, the S&P 500 is on pace for a 0.4% advance week to date, and it’s about to break a four-week losing streak.”
CNBC added, “The benchmark briefly fell into correction territory at one point during the monthlong rout. It sits about 8% from its record high going into Friday, short of the 10% correction level, as it tried to mount a comeback from the turmoil.”
