- 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. UMMC School of Dentistry celebrates 50 years
The University of Mississippi Medical Center’s School of Dentistry is celebrating 50 years of training dental professionals, advancing research and serving Mississippians through outreach that stretches from elementary classrooms to free dental clinics.
“We want to build on the foundation from the last 50 years of the School of Dentistry and continue our commitment to prepare competent, ethical dental health professionals for the state of Mississippi who work to eliminate health disparities and improve health outcomes,” said Dr. Pia Chatterjee Kirk, interim dean of the school.
The effort to establish a dental school began in 1971, when advocates pressed lawmakers to create one. Legislation passed two years later, and in 1974, Dr. Wallace V. Mann became the school’s first dean. That same year, the dental hygiene program— already one of the first three programs offered by the School of Allied Health (now the School of Health Related Professions)— graduated its first class of eight women. By 1975, the School of Dentistry was accredited, enrolled its inaugural students and broke ground on a permanent facility.
On March 6, 2025, the school broke ground on a new clinical building — a fitting symbol of its commitment to the next fifty years. As it celebrates its golden anniversary, the School of Dentistry continues to embody its mission of improving the health of Mississippians by training dentists and hygienists to treat not just teeth, but people.
2. Hyde-Smith moves Jackson office to Ridgeland
U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith announced Thursday that her Jackson metropolitan office is being relocated to “a more accessible location in Madison County, a move intended to better serve constituents in central Mississippi.”
The new office is located at 1020 Highland Colony Parkway, Suite 203, Ridgeland.
“We listened to feedback from constituents and moved to a location that provides greater convenience for those who come to us for assistance,” Hyde-Smith said in a statement. “I look forward to my team continuing to serve our constituents in the metro area from our newly renovated Ridgeland office in the Renaissance at Colony Park.”
Hyde-Smith also maintains offices in Gulfport, Oxford, Brookhaven, and Southaven.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Democrat Senate candidates turn on Schumer
As reported by The Washington Post, “Across the country, Democratic Senate candidates from Texas to Maine have distanced themselves from [Chuck} Schumer, 74, amid a growing appetite in a rebuilding party for newer, younger leaders eager to wage more aggressive fights against President Donald Trump and other Republicans.”
“Some are openly critical of Schumer, who has been in elected office since 1975, while many others have sidestepped questions about him,” WP reported. “The Washington Post contacted the campaigns of major Democratic candidates in a dozen Senate races, including the nine seen by nonpartisan analysts as the most competitive. None of the candidates or their representatives said they would support Schumer for leader in the next Congress if they win their respective contests.”
WP noted, “The Senate Minority Leader said Wednesday on MSNBC that he was ‘optimistic about us actually taking back the Senate, much more now than before, because really fine candidates are stepping up to the plate.'”
2. Hegseth summons generals to D.C. meeting
The New York Times reports that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “has summoned scores of generals and admirals from around the world to meet on short notice next week at a Marine Corps base in Virginia but has not disclosed the reason for the gathering, four U.S. officials said on Thursday.”
“The unusual directive, which has been filtering its way through military commands, and the undisclosed rationale, has stirred anxiety among the military’s top ranks at a time when Mr. Hegseth has fired several senior officers,” NYT reported. “The four U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential meetings, confirmed that the gathering was scheduled for next week, probably Sept. 30, at the base in Quantico, Va.”
NYT continued, “The chief Pentagon spokesman, Sean Parnell, said in a statement that Mr. Hegseth ‘will be addressing his senior military leaders early next week,’ but he offered no additional details.”
Sports
Ole Miss hosts LSU, Miss. State hosts Tennessee, USM hosts Jax State
Mississippi’s Big 3 are back in action with key matchups this Saturday. Here is a look at who Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Southern Miss are playing and how to watch.
- No. 13 Ole Miss hosts No. 4 LSU in an SEC battle in Oxford. Kick off is at 2:30 p.m. and the game will air on ABC.
- Mississippi State hosts No. 15 Tennessee at home in Starkville. The game will air on the SEC Network with kick off at 3:15 p.m.
- Southern Miss hosts Jacksonville State for a 6 p.m. kickoff in Hattiesburg. ESPN+ has the broadcast.
Markets & Business
1. Auto industry showing warning signs
The Wall Street Journal reports that the auto industry “is flashing warning lights on the state of the U.S. economy.”
“Automakers’ profits are getting squeezed by tariffs. A subprime auto lender recently collapsed, and some car retailers are warning that consumers are pulling back,” WSJ reported. “CarMax, the biggest seller of used cars, said Thursday that its sales and profits plunged in the latest quarter. The company’s results, which sent its stock tumbling as much as 25%, is the latest in a series of unsettling developments in an industry under strain from President Trump’s tariffs and carmakers’ recalibration of expensive electrification strategies.”
WSJ noted, “High vehicle prices and high interest rates have weighed on shoppers who are already facing high food prices and feeling less secure in their jobs. New vehicle prices are up 2.9% since last year, to an average of $45,795 in September, while manufacturer-funded incentives that help shoppers afford vehicles at dealerships are roughly flat, according to J.D. Power.”
2. Unemployment claims fall
CNBC reports that initial claims for unemployment insurance “were well below expectations last week, helping to douse caution at the Federal Reserve and elsewhere that the labor market is in danger.”
“First-time filings for the week ended Sept. 20 totaled a seasonally adjusted 218,000, down 14,000 from the prior week’s upwardly revised figure and significantly less than the Dow Jones consensus estimate for 235,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday,” CNBC reported. “Continuing claims, which run a week behind, were little changed, falling 2,000 to 1.926 million.”
CNBC added, “The release comes just a week after the Federal Reserve voted to lower its benchmark borrowing rate by a quarter percentage point to a range of 4%-4.25%.”
Magnolia Tribune
