- 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. MGCCC’s Bryant Center receives Sterling Achievement Award
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College’s Bryant Center School of Nursing and Health Professions has received the Sterling Achievement Award for Disaster Recovery by the Council of State Community Development Agencies.
According to the Mississippi Development Authority, the award honors state programs that have demonstrated sustained success in improving the lives of low- to moderate-income individuals through disaster recovery efforts.
The Bryant Center was funded through the Katrina Community Development Block Grant Economic Development program—administered by the Mississippi Development Authority— and officially opened in early 2018. Since then, 2,390 students have graduated from its programs, with 59% coming from low- to moderate-income backgrounds.
The award was presented during COSCDA’s Annual Training Conference, held September 15–17, in Springfield, Illinois. The formal announcement took place at the President’s Reception and Awards Recognition on September 16 at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. Honorees gave short presentations on their projects at a plenary session the following day.
2. UMMC receives research grant for hearing, balance disorders
The University of Mississippi Medical Center said Tuesday that the school is advancing medical research for two of the most prevalent yet underserved health challenges: hearing and balance.
UMMC said it has received an $11.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence program to establish the Balance and Auditory Research Center within the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.
UMMC said the grant is payable over five years in Phase 1 and is competitively renewable up to 15 years in Phases 2 and 3. The grant supports cutting-edge research into molecular, cellular and physiological mechanisms of balance and hearing with the aim of developing new diagnostic tools, therapeutic strategies and rehabilitation techniques.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Trump calls out United Nations over immigration, climate change
As the Washington Post reports, “President Donald Trump on Tuesday called for fellow leaders to halt global migration and end the fight against climate change, taking aim at two of the United Nations’ core issues as he sought to elevate his domestic agenda into a playbook the whole world should follow.”
“In an address from the highest international stage, Trump took aim at the organization’s priorities but said it had ‘tremendous potential,'” WP reported. “But the message he delivered in unusually stark terms at the annual gathering of world leaders rebuked the values of the organization that seeks to reduce suffering from global conflicts, famines and persecution and address climate change by reducing emissions and the burning of fossil fuels.”
WP noted, “The president has held back funding for the United Nations, causing a budget crisis for the organization. His reception on Tuesday after a six-year hiatus marked a significant shift.”
2. Routh found guilty of attempting to assassinate Trump
The Hill reports that Ryan Routh, “the man accused of plotting to kill President Trump as he golfed in south Florida last year, was found guilty Tuesday following a trial where he mounted his own defense.”
“After two hours of deliberation, a jury of 12 Floridians convicted Routh on all five counts he faced in federal court, including attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment,” The Hill reported.
The Hill continued, “Routh’s sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 18, according to The Hill’s sister network, NewsNation. After the verdict was handed down, he attempted to stab himself in the neck with a pen, prompting U.S. Marshals to intervene, the network said.”
Sports
1. JUCO football now midway through 2025 season
Mississippi’s JUCO are back for week 5, now midway through the 2025 football season. Here is how Thursday’s games set up:
- No. 4 MGCCC heads over to Pearl River
- No. 7 Northwest travels to Northeast
- No. 11 Co-Lin visits Southwest
- No. 15 Hinds goes to East Central
- MS Delta hosts Itawamba
Then on Saturday, Jones hosts Holmes while East MS visits Coahoma.
2. Ole Miss drama ahead of LSU
Ole Miss Head Coach Lane Kiffin’s daughter made a splash this week revealing that she’s dating an LSU linebacker. The news came on the same week when Ole Miss is set to take on rival LSU in a Top 15 clash this Saturday.
Sports Illustrated wrote, “The Ole Miss Rebels’ Week 5 matchup against the LSU Tigers got personal this week as Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin’s daughter Landry hard-launched her relationship with one of the enemy on Monday. Landry Kiffin is dating LSU linebacker Whit Weeks, which begs the question, who will she be rooting for on Saturday?”
SI followed that up with a post from Lane Kiffin that said, “Will be rooting for Rebs!!!” which followed his post that said fans should “take the over.”
Markets & Business
1. Powell remarks send stocks lower
CNBC reports that Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Tuesday “that weakness in the labor market is outweighing concerns about stubborn inflation, leading to a decision he backed to lower the central bank’s key interest rate last week.”
“The Federal Open Market Committee’s first cut of the year came amid signs that both supply and demand of workers is waning at the same time that near-term impact from tariffs has pushed inflation higher,” CNBC reported. “At such times, Powell said, during a speech to business leaders in Providence, Rhode Island, the Fed’s job is to ‘balance both sides of our dual mandate’ for stable prices and low unemployment.”
CNBC added, “Stocks took a turn lower during Powell’s presentation as he said during a question-and-answer period that assets are ‘fairly highly valued.'”
2. Economic forecasts show U.S., global economies set to slow
The Wall Street Journal reports that the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said Tuesday that “the U.S. and global economies are set to slow less sharply this year than previously expected, but will continue to lose momentum in 2026 as higher tariffs take an increasingly large toll on activity.”
“The OECD estimated that the overall effective U.S. tariff rate on imports rose to 19.5% at the end of August from 15.4% in mid-May, reaching its highest level since 1933. It forecast a pickup in inflation to an average of 3% in 2026 from 2.7% this year,” WSJ reported.
WSJ went on to report, “…while U.S. inflation is set to accelerate as tariffs push prices of imports higher, the research body expects the Federal Reserve to respond to signs of weakness in the labor market by following up last week’s reduction in its key interest rate with one more cut before the end of this year, and two in early 2026.”
Magnolia Tribune
