- 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. DPS transfers 1960s Klan materials to MDAH
The Mississippi Department of Public Safety said the agency has transferred to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History 1960s-era Ku Klux Klan materials, including full Klan regalia, recently discovered as DPS staff prepared to move into new headquarters.
“Mississippi Highway Patrol Troopers and Agents with the Mississippi Department of Public Safety have worked for decades with our federal law enforcement partners to shed light on the darkness in which groups like the Ku Klux Klan chose to operate,” said DPS Commissioner Sean Tindell in a statement. “By preserving these artifacts and shedding light on such organizations, we help ensure that future generations are never led astray by such hate.”
A small blue suitcase held documents and other items, including charters, a spiral notebook with meeting minutes, a ledger book, a 1964 Imperial Executive Order and numerous pamphlets. There is also Klan propaganda material, including a pamphlet entitled, “The Ugly Truth about Martin Luther King,” published by United Klans of America.
Additionally, the agency said the inventory included file folders that contained news clippings about the Mississippi Highway Patrol, the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, then-DPS Commissioner T.B. Birdsong and material related to Freedom Riders. All will be processed by MDAH to be digitally accessible to the public in the future.
2. Best named Natchez Police Chief
WJTV reports that Natchez Mayor Dan Gibson said Lee Best has been named the city’s new police chief after a vote on March 23.
“Best started his law enforcement career with the Adams County Sheriff’s Office in 2010 before he joined the Natchez Police Department in 2024,” WJTV reported. Best will replace Natchez Police Chief Cal Green, who announced her intentions to retire in January 2026.”
“Commander Best has served our community well as a police officer and longtime leader in the sheriff’s office. He will do a fantastic job for our community, and we are very grateful that he has stepped up to serve,” said Gibson, per WJTV.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. DHS shutdown drags on as Senate Democrats, Senate GOP and Trump at odds
As reported by the Washington Post, “Senate Republicans sent Democrats a new proposal Tuesday to end the partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, which has led to long lines at airport security in recent days and has forced many of the agency’s employees to go without pay for more than a month.”
“The proposal would fund DHS except for the part of Immigration and Customs Enforcement charged with arresting and deporting undocumented immigrants, according to three people familiar the plan, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations,” WP reported. “But President Donald Trump did not commit to the potential compromise even though several Republican senators pitched him on it Monday evening at the White House.”
“I don’t want to comment until I see the deal, but as you know, they’re negotiating a deal,” Trump told reporters Tuesday in the Oval Office. “I guess they’re getting fairly close. But I think any deal they make, I’m pretty much not happy with it.”
2. Iran to allow “non-hostile vessels” to pass through Strait of Hormuz
The Hill reports that “leaders in Iran sent a Tuesday letter to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) confirming that ‘non-hostile vessels‘ would be permitted to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.”
“The choke point carries a fifth of the world’s oil per day. But few ships have made the journey through the single passageway from the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean since the start of the war with Iran,” The Hill reported. “Iran has repeatedly stated that the Strait of Hormuz remains open and wrote in their letter that maritime traffic has not been suspended.”
“Navigation continues, subject to compliance with the necessary measures referenced above and the realities arising from the ongoing conflict. It is further underscored that vessels, equipment, and any assets belonging to the aggressor parties—namely, the United States and the Israeli regime as well as other participants in the aggression, do not qualify for innocent or non-hostile passage,” the letter says.
Sports
1. Miss. State run-rules Southern Miss in revenge game
No. 6 Mississippi State hosted No. 11 Southern Miss Tuesday night, taking out their frustrations over a 7-6 loss to the Golden Eagles earlier this month in Hattiesburg.
Mississippi State (21-4) poured the runs on early and often Tuesday in Starkville, downing Southern Miss (19-6) 12-0 in seven innings.
Mississippi State heads up to in-state SEC rival Ole Miss on Friday for their weekend series while Southern Miss hosts Appalachian State in a Sun Belt Conference series.
2. Ole Miss falls to Memphis
A day after returning to the Top 25, No. 18 Ole Miss dropped its midweek matchup at Memphis 6-2 on Tuesday evening.
The Rebels (19-7) bested Memphis (7-16) earlier this month, in a 7-1 win in Oxford.
Ole Miss now turns its attention to hosting in-state rival No. 6 Mississippi State this weekend, with games starting Friday afternoon.
3. Boom Ball coming to Trustmark Park
Boom Ball, the high-energy touring baseball show, announced Tuesday that Mississippi will be the newest stop added to its 2026 nationwide tour.
The event will take place June 20 at Trustmark Park in Pearl, home of the Mississippi Mud Monsters.
The organization said that the event is part of Boom Ball’s expanding national schedule bringing its one-of-a-kind baseball show to stadiums across the United States. The experience blends entertaining former collegiate and minor league players, softball stars and reality TV personalities with fast-paced gameplay, crowd interaction and unexpected entertainment moments that transform the traditional ballpark experience.
Fans can expect a fast-paced, interactive ballpark experience filled with music, crowd participation and surprise moments throughout the night. Tickets and additional information can be found here.
Markets & Business
1. Futures rise, oil falls on Iran news
CNBC reports that stock futures “jumped on Wednesday following a news report that the U.S. has given Iran a plan to bring the conflict to an end, sending crude prices tumbling.”
“Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 446 points, or 1%. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures advanced 0.9% and 1.1%, respectively,” CNBC reported.
CNBC added, “Oil prices fell sharply on Wednesday. West Texas Intermediate futures lost 5% to around $87 per barrel. International Brent also fell 6% to around $94. Treasury yields also tumbled with oil prices and the prospect for peace.”
2. Senator launches investigation into private-equity’s role in child care
According to the Wall Street Journal, “Child care has joined the growing list of industries in which private equity’s influence is facing renewed government skepticism.”
“On Tuesday, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D., Ore.) announced an investigation into whether two private-equity firms are putting their own profits ahead of the safety and welfare of children at the facilities the firms control,” WSJ reported. “The senator requested extensive documentation, including financial and safety records, from the two largest private equity-backed child-care companies in the U.S.: KinderCare Learning Companies, backed by Swiss firm Partners Group, and Learning Care Group, backed by New York firm American Securities.”
WSJ continued, “Merkley, the top Democrat on the Senate Budget Committee, cited research suggesting that private equity’s imperative to maximize profits might conflict with the best interests of parents and children.”
Magnolia Tribune
