- 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. MDA hosts Gulf Coast Restoration Fund workshops
The Mississippi Development Authority is organizing a series of workshops to help guide communities and individuals through the Gulf Coast Restoration Fund program grant application process.
The workshops, which will focus on the GCRF application portal, will offer attendees an opportunity to learn about key aspects of and updates to the grant application process. The following is the schedule for the workshops:
- Monday, June 23, 2 p.m. – Jackson County Board of Supervisors Meeting Room – 2915 Canty St., Pascagoula, MS 39567
- Tuesday, June 24, 9 a.m. – Knight Nonprofit Center – 11975 Seaway Rd., Gulfport MS 39503
- Thursday, June 26, 2 p.m. – Pearl River Community College Cafeteria – 101 Highway 11 N, Poplarville, MS 39470
- Wednesday, June 25, 9 a.m. – George County Board of Supervisors Meeting Room – 329 Ratliff St., Lucedale, MS 39452
- Wednesday, June 25, 2 p.m. – Stone County Economic Development Partnership – 115 E Hatten Ave., Wiggins, MS 39577
- Thursday, June 26, 9 a.m. – Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission, Multipurpose Room – 7250 Stennis Airport Rd., Kiln, MS 39556
The GCRF application portal is now open and will accept applications through Friday, August 1, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. The application portal can be accessed here.
2. Jolly wins Miss Mississippi 2025
Ukrainian-born Anna Leah Jolly has been crowned Miss Mississippi 2025.
Jolly was adopted out of a Ukrainian orphanage at 12 years old, coming to Mississippi. She came into the competition as Miss Capital City, having lived in Brandon and attending Belhaven University.
She is the first foreign-born Miss Mississippi.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Suspected Minnesota shooter captured
The Wall Street Journal reports that 57-year-old Vance Luther Boelter, the man suspected of shooting two state Democratic lawmakers, “was arrested late Sunday after authorities tracked him into an area with crops and woodlands in rural Minnesota, authorities said.”
“State prosecutors are charging Boelter with murder, authorities said. Additional federal charges may be forthcoming,” WSJ reported, adding, “Law-enforcement officers, in what they described as the largest manhunt in the state’s history, searched properties on Sunday in Sibley County after a vehicle that might have been used by the suspect was found along a local highway, according to the sheriff’s office. Residents were told to keep their doors locked and vehicles secure. Boelter lives in the county, southwest of where the shootings unfolded.”
WSJ went on to report, “Authorities earlier said they had found a list in the suspect’s vehicle that named other public officials. It had dozens of names, including prominent individuals who support abortion rights in Minnesota, as well as many Democratic lawmakers and abortion providers, according to an official who has seen the document.”
2. Israel-Iran conflict enters fourth day
The New York Times reports that Israel said on Monday that it had struck “the command center of Iran’s elite Quds Force, as the fiercest and deadliest confrontation in the history of the Israeli-Iranian conflict entered its fourth day.”
“Israel is intensifying its efforts to destroy Iran’s nuclear and military capabilities and Iran continues to return fire with huge barrages of ballistic missiles,” NYT reported. “The attack on the Quds facility in Tehran, and the extent of any casualties or damage, could not immediately be verified independently. It came as Iranian missiles struck several Israeli cities early on Monday, killing at least eight people, according to Israeli officials.”
NYT noted, “Israel appears intent on fighting until Iran gives up its nuclear enrichment program, which could be used to create a nuclear bomb, but Iran has given no hint of doing so voluntarily.”
Sports
1. Two Golden Eagles head to 2025 MLB Draft Combine
Two Southern Miss baseball prospects – both Mississippi natives – are among the Major League Baseball and USA Baseball announced list of participating draft-eligible players ahead of the 2025 MLB Draft Combine.
Southern Miss outfielder Jake Cook and starting pitcher JB Middleton will head to the Combine set to take place from June 17-21 at Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, for a third consecutive year.
The Combine will feature 322 Draft prospects, including 180 collegiate players and 142 high school athletes, as well as a decorated group of former Major League players and coaches, members of Club baseball operations departments, scouting directors, and other Club personnel.
2. PRCC baseball celebrates five NJCAA All-Americans
Pearl River Community College Athletics is celebrating a record-setting 53-win season, being the National Runner-up, and five NJCAA All-American awards.
The five selections tied for the most in the country and were the most in a single season in program history.
Jacob Johnson (Carriere; Pearl River Central) earned Honorable Mention, Topher Jones (Hernando) earned Third Team, Jacob Keys (Brandon) and Caston Thompson (Jayess; Brookhaven Academy) took home Second Team honors and KK Clark (Brandon) earned First Team.
Pearl River has now had an All-America selection in seven consecutive seasons.
Markets & Business
1. Oil price spike eases, futures rebound to start Monday
CNBC reports that stock futures rebounded slightly early Monday “as the spike in oil prices due to the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran eased for a moment.”
“Stock gains were muted as investors remained concerned about the rising geopolitical risk to the global economy,” CNBC reported. “The conflict prompted a sell-off in stocks on Friday, with the Dow tumbling more than 700 points in the session. All three of the major indexes dropped more than 1% in the trading day.”
CNBC continued, “Friday’s declines pulled the three indexes into red territory for the week. The Dow finished the week down 1.3%, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite lost 0.4% and 0.6%, respectively.”
2. Labor market for recent college grads deteriorating
As FoxBusiness reports, “Recent college graduates are aggressively hunting for their first job, but they are facing one significant problem: the labor market is deteriorating.”
“The Labor Department reported that employers added 139,000 jobs in May while unemployment held steady at 4.2%,” FoxBusiness reported. “The unemployment rate for all college grads was 2.7%, but the rate for those between the ages of 22 and 27 years old jumped to 5.8%, according to the New York Federal Reserve. That’s the highest reading since 2021.”
FoxBusiness added, “Economic research from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York indicated the labor market ‘deteriorated noticeably’ in the first quarter of 2025, with those just entering the workforce taking the hardest hits.”
Magnolia Tribune
