- 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. MHP reports 2 fatalities, over 4,000 citations during Christmas enforcement
The Mississippi Highway Patrol reported that its 2025 Christmas holiday enforcement period, which ran from Tuesday, December 23 to Friday, December 26 at midnight, saw two fatalities and resulted in 4,130 total citations.
MHP noted that while the number of fatalities decreased over the previous year’s total, troopers saw a rise in DUI arrests and crashes on state roadways.
The two fatalities accorded in Lincoln and Lauderdale counties.
2. PSC to host Energy Workforce & Education Summit
The Mississippi Public Service Commission announced Monday that the commission will host the Energy Workforce & Education Summit bringing together leaders from education, industry, and workforce development to address the evolving needs of Mississippi’s energy sector and explore strategies for preparing the next generation of skilled workers.
The Energy Workforce & Education Summit will highlight workforce development and collaboration, featuring Dr. Courtney Taylor on aligning education with industry needs, Patrick Sullivan on bridging skills gaps, and a panel of leaders sharing innovative training models.
The PSC summit is scheduled for Tuesday, January 27, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at MPSC Courtroom in the historic Woolfolk Building in Jackson. The summit will conclude with a breakout session where students will have the opportunity to engage directly with the Commissioners.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Minnesota fraud target of Trump administration
A fraud scandal plaguing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) has drawn the ire of many Republicans and those in the Trump administration, The Hill reports.
“The state and its governor are facing national backlash following a viral video that made headlines showing a day care facility that appeared inactive despite receiving significant funding,” The Hill reported. “This comes amid an already launched investigation into the state’s safety net programs.”
The Hill continued, “And on Monday, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem said she sent agents door to door at suspected fraud sites as part of the broader investigation launched earlier this month.”
“DHS is on the ground in Minneapolis, going DOOR TO DOOR at suspected fraud sites. The American people deserve answers on how their taxpayer money is being used and ARRESTS when abuse is found,” reads a post from DHS’s account on social platform X, per The Hill.
2. Trump, Netanyahu present united front
As the New York Times reports, “President Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel presented a united front on Monday, papering over their differences on how to carry out the Gaza peace plan while heaping praise on each other.”
“The two leaders, who met over a multicourse lunch inside the dining room of Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump’s private club in Florida, shared few details on the substance of their talks or how they planned to resolve the many outstanding issues between them,” NYT reported. “Nor did they shed light on how Mr. Trump’s Gaza plan is to advance into its next phase, in which Hamas is supposed to disarm, the Israelis are supposed to pull back their forces and other countries are supposed to commit troops to an ‘international stabilization force.’”
NYT went on to report, “But Mr. Trump did make at least one commitment. He said that the United States would back Israeli strikes on Iran if Iran continued with its ballistic missile and nuclear weapon program.”
Sports
MLB Hall of Famer Chipper Jones coming to Meridian Community College
Meridian Community College is bringing MLB Hall of Famer Chipper Jones to its campus on Saturday, February 7, for Legends of the Game: A Night with Chipper Jones, an event supporting MCC Baseball as part of the program’s annual fundraising efforts.
The school said the Main Event will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the McCain Theater and will feature an in-depth conversation between Jones and MCC Head Baseball Coach Dillon Sudduth. The two will walk through key moments of Jones’ storied career, offering fans a rare, behind-the-scenes look at life on and off the field.
The evening will also include a welcome video, the introduction of the 2025–26 MCC Baseball team, and a Q&A session with Jones to conclude the program.
To purchase tickets or learn more, visit here.
Markets & Business
1. Ingalls delivers destroyer to U.S. Navy
Ingalls Shipbuilding announced Monday that the shipyard has delivered Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer Ted Stevens (DDG 128) to the U.S. Navy. This marks the second Flight III Arleigh Burke-class destroyer to be delivered by Ingalls’ shipbuilders.
Ingalls said the future USS Ted Stevens represents the next generation of surface combatants for the U.S. Navy, featuring the second-in-class Flight III AN/SPY-6 (V)1 radar system and the Aegis Baseline 10 combat system, designed to counter threats well into the 21st century.
There are four more Flight III destroyers under fabrication and another seven moving through early pre-planning stages of construction at Ingalls.
“The delivery of Ted Stevens reflects the strong momentum of our destroyer program as we accelerate Flight III production and bring enhanced capabilities to the fleet,” said Brian Blanchette, Ingalls Shipbuilding president. “We are honored to deliver DDG 128 to the Navy knowing that it will stand as a powerful asset in strengthening U.S. maritime security for decades to come.”
2. “Gigantic” refunds coming this tax season?
FoxBusiness reports that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent “predicted that Americans will see ‘gigantic’ refund checks in the upcoming filing season, thanks to tax cuts in President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA).”
“Bessent, who also serves as the acting commissioner of the IRS, made the remark during an appearance on the ‘All-In Podcast.'” FoxBusiness reported. “The treasury secretary told the hosts that the tax provisions in the act, which Trump signed in July, applied retroactively to the beginning of the year, and because most workers did not change their withholdings, many can expect sizable refunds in 2026.”
FoxBusiness noted, “Bessent’s prediction echoes that of the Tax Foundation, a nonpartisan tax policy nonprofit. The group said in a Dec. 17 report that ‘refunds will be larger than typical in the upcoming filing season because of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s (OBBBA) tax cuts for 2025.'”
Magnolia Tribune
