- 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. Ocean Springs Aldermen call special meeting to discuss City Attorney
WLOX reports that on Sunday, “Ocean Springs aldermen called for a special session, which will take place on Monday.”
“Aldermen Karen Stennis and Shannon Pfeiffer said they called tomorrow’s meeting to review concerns about the city attorney, David Harris,” WLOX reported. “Those aldermen said they will present the full timeline of the issues in open session and will introduce a motion to exercise the termination clause in the City Attorney’s contract.”
WLOX continued, “They said this meeting is due to alleged incidents surrounding potential conflicts of interest, incorrect legal guidance provided to the Board, the handling of executive-session matters, and issues surrounding recent settlement proposals.”
2. Ole Miss partners with Millsaps, Carey on Accelerated Law School Pathway
The University of Mississippi School of Law announced Friday that the school had joined forces with Millsaps College and William Carey University to allow undergraduates from those schools to earn law degrees in less time through the schools’ new Accelerated Law School Pathway.
Officials signed and formalized the partnership agreements in Hattiesburg and Jackson on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.
The school said the Accelerated Law School Pathway provides a plan for undergraduate students in certain Millsaps and William Carey degree programs to shorten the time required to earn both a bachelor’s degree and a law degree by one year.
It is anticipated that most Millsaps College academic degree programs will participate in the partnership. It is expected, but not finalized, that the criminal justice and forensic science programs at William Carey will participate. After completing three-fourths of the courses in one of these degree programs and meeting other competitive law school admissions requirements, students may then enroll at the law school.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Republicans concerned about midterms
According to The Hill, “GOP lawmakers are growing increasingly concerned over signs that the 2026 midterm elections could be a wipeout for Republicans that could cost them control of the House and shave down their Senate majority by two or three seats.”
“Republican senators say the off-year elections in New Jersey, Virginia and other parts of the country on Nov. 4 served as a wake-up call and warn that President Trump and Republican leaders in Congress need to address voters’ concerns about the slowing economy and persistently high prices,” The Hill reported. “There’s growing anxiety in the Senate and House GOP conferences that Trump’s sinking approval rating will create a headwind in swing states and districts.”
The Hill continued, “But GOP lawmakers say they still have time to improve their party’s image before next November.”
2. Ukraine, U.S. negotiating peace plan to present to Russia
As the New York Times reports, “Ukrainian and American officials said they had made good progress on Sunday in talks about a contentious U.S. plan to end the war with Russia, even as President Trump lashed out at Ukraine, accusing its leaders of ingratitude.”
“Mr. Trump has set a deadline of Thursday for Ukraine to agree to the 28-point peace plan, an early draft of which many Ukrainians dismissed as capitulation because it acceded to longstanding Kremlin demands,” NYT reported. “The talks, which began in Geneva on Sunday, were cast as an effort to bridge the gaps, and in a joint statement released after the discussions, Ukraine and the United States both said that much had been accomplished.”
NYT went on to report, “While Mr. Trump has said he wants Ukraine’s response to the peace plan by Thursday, he has left open the possibility that the deadline could be extended ‘if things are working well.’ Ukrainian and U.S. officials had already discussed changes to the 28-point plan before the meeting in Geneva, according to a Western official briefed on the talks. The working version now differs, the official said, from a version posted online on Thursday by a Ukrainian lawmaker.”
Sports
1. USM drops two straight but a win Saturday sends Eagles to Sun Belt Championship game
Despite losing their last two Sun Belt games, Southern Miss can clinch a spot in the conference title game this week when they host Troy on Saturday.
A win by the Golden Eagles would mean they would be the Sun Belt West Division title and move on to face East Division Champs No. 21 James Madison in the conference championship game.
Saturday’s game at The Rock versus Troy will kickoff at 2:30 p.m. and air on ESPN+.
2. JSU escapes over Alcorn, wins SWAC East title
Alcorn State gave Jackson State all they could handle on Saturday.
JSU built an early lead against Alcorn State, but Alcorn stormed back. At the end of it all, JSU held on to win 27-21.
JSU’s win clinched its second consecutive Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) East Division title and the right to host the SWAC Championship on December 6.
Markets & Business
1. Futures up to start short Thanksgiving week
CNBC reports that stock futures were mixed on Monday morning “as the market seeks to rebound into the Thanksgiving holiday week after a slide that’s knocked the air out of this year’s AI bull run.”
“Stocks are attempting to build on a strong rebound that started on Friday, after the head of the New York Federal Reserve left the door open to a December interest rate cut,” CNBC reported. “Major averages have still stumbled sharply since the month began, pressured by a reconsideration of sky-high valuations across artificial intelligence-linked names that had powered much of 2025′s market gains.”
CNBC noted, “The S&P 500 slipped 2% last week, bringing its November decline to 3.5%. The Nasdaq Composite shed 2.7% in the prior week and is down 6.1% for the month. The 30-stock Dow fell 1.9% last week and is off 2.8% month-to-date.”
2. Goodwill getting more glamorous
The Wall Street Journal reports that Goodwill, “long known for its dingy thrift stores with dark, crammed aisles and overflowing bins, is getting more glamorous.”
“The chain’s new stores are bigger and brighter. Some feature signature scents to neutralize items’ musty odors. Goodwill is even targeting donors and shoppers through TikTok, where it posts videos of influencers browsing racks of jeans or boxing up donations,” WSJ reported. “Real estate is also crucial to the new strategy. By opening larger stores in affluent neighborhoods, Goodwill is well-positioned for when wealthy donors clean out their closets. Some drop off boxes with barely worn designer clothing and accessories.”
WSJ added, “The company’s efforts appear to be resonating. Shoppers spent more than $5.5 billion in Goodwill retail stores across the U.S. and Canada last year. That is a record high and up 37% from 2019, according to Goodwill Industries International.”
Magnolia Tribune
