- Important state and national stories, market and business news, sports and entertainment, delivered in quick-hit fashion to start your day informed.
In Mississippi
Governor signs agreement aimed at strengthening Mississippi’s forests
Governor Tate Reeves has signed an updated Shared Stewardship Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), bringing together the State of Mississippi with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The Mississippi Forestry Commission (MFC) served as the lead state agency in developing the agreement.
According to the Governor’s Office, the MOU establishes a framework for state and federal agencies to coordinate forest management, align resources, and support locally driven priorities across Mississippi. By working across ownership boundaries, the partnership will help improve forest resilience, strengthen rural economies, and ensure the long-term sustainability of Mississippi’s forest resources.
Under the MOU, the USDA Forest Service will work with Mississippi to expand active forest management through prescribed fire, invasive species control, wildlife habitat improvement, forest product market development, Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) projects, wildfire risk reduction, and coordinated planning for natural disasters, research, and cultural resource protection.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. HUD looks to overhaul homeless program
The Hill reports that “a U.S. appeals court in Boston on Wednesday gave the Trump administration the green light to go forward with a massive overhaul of a homelessness program and its criteria for aid funding.”
“The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ three-judge panel halted a Rhode Island-based federal judge’s ruling in March that the changes to the Continuum of Care (CoC) program were unlawful,” The Hill reported. “HUD sought to change the rules for receiving $75 million to build housing for homeless families and individuals, and set $1.3 billion aside for transitional housing and supportive services.”
The Hill continued, “The program’s funding goes to states, local governments, tribal governments and nonprofit organizations working to rehouse homeless people and families, individuals fleeing violent situations and others in need of assistance, which it has done since 1987. Congress codified the program in 2009.”
2. U.S. allows Iranian leaders to attend U.N. meetings in New York
According to the Washington Post, “The Trump administration has agreed to let Iran’s leaders attend next week’s high-level United Nations meetings in New York, even as the two countries remain at war.”
“Consistent with our host country obligations, the core delegation from the Iranian regime will be able to attend UN General Assembly High Level Week,” the State Department said in a statement, per WP.
WP further reported, “The granting of travel documents to the Iranian delegation means that its members will be able to attend the United Nations General Assembly, which begins Tuesday. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is scheduled to address the General Assembly on Wednesday.”
Sports
1. Ole Miss-LSU headline Mississippi’s Big 3 games this Saturday
The return of Lane Kiffin to Oxford, now with the visiting LSU Tigers, is the main storyline across Mississippi’s Big 3 football programs this Saturday. Here is a look at the game times and matchups on tap in Week 3.
- No. 8 Ole Miss hosts No. 7 LSU before a sold out crowd in a primetime game being aired on ABC. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. College Game Day is also in town broadcasting from the Grove, with Morgan Freeman announced as the guest picker on the Saturday morning show.
- Mississippi State travels to South Carolina. Kickoff is 3:15 p.m. with the game airing on the SEC Network.
- Southern Miss is back home hosting UConn in Hattiesburg. ESPN+ will broadcast the game with a kickoff at 6 p.m.
2. JUCO Week 4 score roundup
All but one JUCO game was played Thursday night in Mississippi. Here is a roundup of the scores from the community college gridiron matchups:
- No. 5 East MS 25 – East Central 20
- Coahoma 33 – Holmes 36
- MS Delta 0 – No. 14 Northwest 42
- Northeast 0 – Itawamba 31
- Pearl River 13 – Jones 20
- Hinds 17 – Southwest 10
There is one more JUCO to be played this week, with No. 10 Co-Lin traveling to No. 3 MGCCC on Saturday.
Markets & Business
1. Clarke named CEO of Delta Council
Delta Council announced Thursday the appointment of Carlisle Clarke as the organization’s new Chief Executive Officer, becoming only the fourth CEO in Delta Council’s distinguished history.
Clarke joins Delta Council after serving as Vice President at Van Scoyoc Associates, a multi-client lobbying firm in Washington, D.C. He joined the firm in 2019 following a 12-year career on Capitol Hill.
Clarke was formerly the Majority Clerk of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Related Agencies, a position with jurisdiction over more than $140 billion in annual spending. In this role, Clarke managed all funding and administrative oversight of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA), including disaster supplemental appropriations.
Earlier in his career, Clarke worked in the personal office of U.S. Senator Thad Cochran. Additionally, Clarke is one of the few experts that served on both the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee and the Agriculture Committee. Clarke began his staff career on the Senate Agriculture Committee in 2007, working for U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) on the 2008 Farm Bill.
2. Stocks on pace for mixed week
CNBC reports that “U.S. markets are coming off a positive session. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed higher by 316 points, or 0.6%. The S&P 500 rallied 1.1%, while the Nasdaq Composite jumped 1.7%.”
“S&P 500 futures were relatively unchanged on Friday, a day after the major averages rose following Wednesday’s first Federal Reserve interest rate hike in three years,” CNBC reported. “Futures tied to the broad market index gained 0.1% and Nasdaq-100 futures were up by 0.3%. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures shed 44 points, or 0.1%.”
CNBC added, “The major stock averages are on pace for a mixed week. As of Thursday’s close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down by 1.5% this week, on track for a third straight losing week. The S&P 500 was also lower week-to-date, by 0.3%. Only the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite was set to enter Friday’s trading showing weekly gains, up 0.3%.”
