- 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. Trustmark Park getting turf infield
The Mississippi Mud Monsters announced Thursday that Spectrum Entertainment will install Major Play Matrix® synthetic turf, bringing a brand-new era to Central Mississippi’s Trustmark Park.
More than 40,000 square feet of cutting-edge surface will transform the infield into something that looks like baseball, plays like baseball, and unlocks a future where rainouts, cancellations, and missed moments are a thing of the past, the team said.
“For twenty years, fans have seen the lights come on and then watched the tarp roll out,” said Andrew Seymour, General Manager of the Mud Monsters. “Those nights are over. Turf means more baseball, more concerts, more festivals, and more chances for this ballpark to be alive year-round.”
The Frontier League team wrapped up its first season at Trustmark this week, with plans to return in the 2026 season.
2. Tunica casino closing later this year
WMC reports that Sam’s Town is closing down its Tunica casino later this year.
“A corporate spokesperson confirmed the team members were informed Thursday that the casino will close on Monday, November 10,” WMC reported. “That spokesperson blames a decrease in market conditions in Tunica over the past few decades.”
“This was not an easy decision for our Company. However, demand throughout the northwest Mississippi market has declined significantly over the past 20 years, with several of Tunica’s original casinos closing since 2014. Our decision to close Sam’s Town is a result of these market conditions, and follows our best efforts to adjust the business to address lower demand,” Boyd Gaming said in a statement from WMC. “These decisions are by far the most difficult we have to make as a company, and we regret that this was necessary.”
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Miran tells Senators he plans to keep White House job while serving on Fed board
As reported by the Washington Post, “Federal Reserve nominee Stephen Miran, a senior White House economic adviser, told Senate lawmakers Thursday that he does not plan to resign from the Trump administration if confirmed to the Federal Reserve’s board of governors — an unusual arrangement likely to raise concerns about the central bank’s independence.”
“Testifying in the Senate on Thursday, Miran said he plans to take an unpaid leave instead of stepping down from the White House because he would only be filling a short-term slot on the seven-member Fed board. He said repeatedly he was citing the advice of an attorney,” WP reported.
WP went on to report, “If confirmed, he would be the first modern-day Federal Reserve Board member to maintain such close ties to the White House. Although he would be filling a term that officially expires at the end of January, he could remain on the Fed board until a successor is confirmed by the Senate.”
2. Kennedy grilled on Capitol Hill
The Hill reports that Democrats and some Republicans “took turns grilling Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over his stance on vaccines and his leadership in their questioning at a Thursday Senate Finance Committee hearing.”
“Last week, Kennedy ousted CDC director Susan Monarez — and at Thursday’s hearing accused her of lying in a Wall Street Journal op-ed about her termination, which she said was over her refusal to give in to pressure to ‘compromise science itself,” The Hill reported. “A number of other senior CDC officials departed in the wake of her ouster.”
The Hill continued, “A number of GOP senators, including Sens. Thom Tillis (S.C.), Bill Cassidy (La.) and John Barrasso (Wy.), pressed Kennedy about his views on President Trump’s COVID response and vaccine access as well as his recent overhaul at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).”
Sports
1. Big 3 set for Week 2 matchups
No. 20 Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Southern Miss are set for Week 2 of the 2025 football season. Here’s a look at who they play and how to watch this Saturday:
- Ole Miss travels to Kentucky to open SEC play. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. on ABC.
- Mississippi State is hosting No. 12 Arizona State for a 6:30 p.m. kickoff on ESPN 2.
- Southern Miss is hosting Jackson State. Kickoff is at 4:00 p.m. on ESPN+.
2. MS JUCO football scores from Thursday night
Here’s a recap of the Mississippi JUCO football scores from Thursday night’s Week 2 games:
- Jones 51 – Coahoma 20
- Holmes 13 – No. 7 Co-Lin 30
- East Central 10 – No. 3 Northwest 29
- Northeast 35 – Southwest 21
- Itawamba 41 – Pearl River 48
- Hinds 6 – East Mississippi 7
- MS Delta 7 – No. 9 MGCCC 58
Markets & Business
1. Labor market slows
CNBC reports that “U.S. private sector hiring rose less than expected in August, data released Thursday shows, offering the latest indication of trouble in the labor market.”
“Private payrolls increased by just 54,000 in August, according to data from processing firm ADP published Thursday morning. That’s below the consensus forecast of 75,000 from economists polled by Dow Jones and marks a significant slowdown from the revised gain of 106,000 seen in the prior month,” CNBC reported.
CNBC added, “Jobs tied to trade, transportation and utilities saw particular weakness in August, with the group losing 17,000 roles on net, according to the ADP. Education and health services followed, recording a decline of 12,000 jobs. But those losses were offset in part by a boom in the leisure and hospitality industry, which added 50,000 jobs in the month.”
2. Where the billionaires can be found in the U.S.
The Wall Street Journal reports that “there is a large and growing group of people worth at least $1 billion in small towns and big cities that rarely make the headlines.”
“There were 1,135 billionaires in the U.S. as of 2024—up from 927 in 2020, according to data from Altrata, a wealth-intelligence firm. The biggest concentration, 255 of them, is in California. But the super rich are also behind businesses in places such as Ridgeland, Miss., and Waunakee, Wisc.,” WSJ reported. “Collectively, these people are worth about $5.7 trillion, according to Altrata’s estimates.”
