- 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. MBI investigating homicide in Jackson County
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) said Monday that it is investigating a homicide that occurred on a Greyhound bus near mile markers 57-61 on Interstate 10 in Jackson County around 11:00 p.m. on March 24, 2024.
According to the MBI, a Greyhound bus was traveling eastbound through Mississippi on I-10 when 26-year-old Rashad Price, of Slidell, Louisiana, fatally shot 25-year-old Jay Jackson of Decatur, Georgia. Price demanded the driver to stop the bus so he could exit. The driver then drove to the nearest exit and called 911. No other passengers were injured during this incident.
At approximately 3:00 a.m. on March 25, 2024, deputies with Jackson County Sheriff’s Department observed Price running across the interstate, and he was taken into custody with no further incident. He is currently being charged with homicide.
MBI notes that it is currently investigating this incident and gathering evidence. Upon completing the investigation, agents will share their findings with the local District Attorney’s office.
2. Former Lawrence Co. deputy tax collector pled guilty to embezzlement
Former Deputy Clerk of the Lawrence County Tax Collector’s Office Hollie Summers pled guilty to embezzlement, the State Auditor’s Office announced on Monday. Summers was arrested by agents in November of 2023.
She reversed transactions for vehicle registration and renewals and then took the cash payments for herself.
Summers was sentenced by the Lawrence County Circuit Court to 5 years with the Mississippi Department of Corrections, with 1 year of ISP House Arrest with the remaining 4 years suspended and 4 years to be served on Post Release Supervision. Summers was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $21,710. A $50,000 surety bond covers Summers’ employment as a Lawrence County Tax Collector Clerk.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Appeals court grants partial stay for former President Trump
On Monday, an appeals court in New York allowed former President Donald Trump to post a reduced bond of $175 million “to stave off enforcement of a nearly half-billion dollar civil judgment against him and his business,” the Washington Post reported.
“The panel gave Trump 10 days to come up with the reduced bond of $175 million, saying it would only delay enforcement of the full amount if he put up that money within this window,” the Post reported.
Trump, appearing after the hearing and decision by the appeal court, said, “I greatly respect the decision of the Appellate Division and I will post either $175 million in cash or bonds or securities or whatever is necessary very quickly within the 10 days. I thank the Appellate Division for acting quickly.”
2. Chinese hackers accused of targeting critical U.S. infrastructure
The United States imposed sanctions on Chinese hackers on Monday and accused them of working as a front for Beijing’s top spy agency, part of a broad effort to place malware in American electric grids, water systems and other critical infrastructure, the New York Times reported.
NYT says the the sanctions were a major escalation of what has become an increasingly heated contest between the Biden administration and Beijing.
“While there have been no cases so far in which the Chinese government has turned off essential services, American intelligence agencies have warned in recent months that the malware appeared to be intended for use if the United States were coming to the aid of Taiwan,” NYT noted.
Sports & Entertainment
1. Ole Miss women fall to Notre Dame
The Ole Miss women’s basketball team fell to Notre Dame in the NCAA Round of 32 on Monday afternoon, losing 71-56.
The Rebels end their season with a 24-9 overall record and 12-4 in SEC play.
Ole Miss wraps up its third consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament.
2. Miss. State women advance to WBIT quarterfinals
Mississippi State overcame a late comeback attempt and pushed ahead in the final minutes of action to defeat TCU, 68-61, in the WBIT Second Round inside Humphrey Coliseum on Sunday.
Mississippi State improves to 23-11 overall this season and advances to the WBIT Quarterfinals Thursday.
Markets & Business
1. Truth Social company to begin trading on NASDAQ
CNBC is reporting that former President Donald Trump’s newly merged social media company for Truth Social will begin trading under the stock ticker symbol DJT on Tuesday, the firm said in a new regulatory filing.
The company – Trump Media & Technology Group Corp. (TMTG) – will trade on the NASDAQ market.
“TMTG is the result of a combination of Trump’s company and the shell company Digital World Acquisition Corp. A majority of DWAC shareholders on Friday voted to approve the merger with TMTG. That tie-up was completed Monday, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission,” CNBC reported. “DWAC’s share price soared up to 25% higher on Monday’s news, recovering losses it saw Friday after the merger was approved.”
2. Perry County gets huge economic development news
Mississippi is getting one of the first two of their kind hydrogen-ready iron-making facilities, the Department of Energy’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations has announced.
The $1 billion investment is being made in to two facilities – one in Perry County, Mississippi, and the other in Middletown, Ohio. The federal cost share for the Mississippi project is up to $500 million.
Swedish green steel leader SSAB will build the first commercial-scale facility in the world using the HYBRIT®, fossil-free Direct Reduced Iron (DRI) technology with 100% hydrogen in Perry County.
The Department of Energy says this project aims to generate an estimated 6,000 construction jobs and 540 permanent jobs. SSAB plans to engage the Perry County Small Business Development Center to solicit and support vendors, contractors, and sub-contractors for the project and subsequent facility operations. Additionally, SSAB plans to partner with CERM Legacy Foundation to provide STEM-focused summer camp scholarships for qualifying high school students in underrepresented communities, assist curriculum development, and interact with students including offering field trips to the Perry County facility.
Magnolia Tribune
