- 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. Southern Lights at Trustmark Park now pet friendly
The Southern Lights is where winter wonder meets Southern soul, the Mississippi Mud Monsters said Wednesday.
More than just a light show, it’s a grand holiday festival that transforms Trustmark Park – the home to the Mud Monsters – into a glowing fairytale village filled with millions of lights, skating, fire pits, carnival rides, and festive food. Designed to be a tradition for the entire South, The Southern Lights blends spectacle and togetherness into a celebration built for joy, awe, and lasting memories.
In addition, the team said Wednesday that Trustmark Park’s winter wonderland is now pet friendly and absolutely barking with holiday cheer.
The Southern Lights runs throughout the season with ice skating, train rides, s’mores stations, festive treats, and immersive displays across the concourse and field. Whether you arrive with kids, cousins, coworkers, or a canine connoisseur of Christmas lights, you’re stepping into something unforgettable.
2. Ole Miss, MSU Run Game Ball for Parkinson’s Foundation, Food Drive
Cadets from ROTC programs at the University of Mississippi and Mississippi State University have partnered to raise awareness and funds for the Parkinson’s Foundation ahead of the annual Egg Bowl.
The schools said Wednesday that the run will take place Saturday, November 22 at 9 a.m. on the front steps of the Lyceum and ending at the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts on University Avenue in Oxford. Community members are invited to support the event by running or cheering from the sidelines, and donations may also be made here.
Following the run in the morning, the schools said Ole Miss cadets will drive to Calhoun City, where they will meet the Bulldogs, exchange the Egg Bowl game ball and drop off their canned food donation. Alongside raising awareness for Parkinson’s disease, the cadets are conducting a canned food drive for Calhoun City, the meeting point for the annual event.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Trump signs Epstein Transparency Act giving DOJ 30 days to release the info
As The Hill reports, “President Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act into law, officially directing the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release all unclassified records and documents connected to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.”
“The move marks a stunning reversal for the president, who until days ago was adamantly against releasing the files. Trump called on House Republicans to pass the bill on Sunday evening in a Truth Social post, saying it was time to move on from the controversy,” The Hill reported, adding, “Attorney General Pam Bondi now has 30 days to ‘make publicly available in a searchable and downloadable format all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials in the possession of the Department of Justice, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and United States Attorneys’ Offices, that relate to Epstein.'”
The Hill continued, “The legislation also states that the Justice Department can move to withhold or redact information that ‘would jeopardize an active federal investigation or ongoing prosecution, provided that such withholding is narrowly tailored and temporary.'”
2. Mamdani heads to D.C. to meet with Trump
According to the New York Times, “Zohran Mamdani, who ran for mayor of New York City in part on a promise to stand up to President Trump, will meet with the president at the White House on Friday, weeks before taking office.”
“Mr. Trump announced the meeting on social media on Wednesday night, saying that Mr. Mamdani had asked for it and labeling him incorrectly as the ‘Communist Mayor of New York City.’ Mr. Mamdani is a democratic socialist,” NYT reported. “On Sunday, Mr. Trump said he was open to a meeting. ‘We want to see everything work out well for New York,’ he said.”
NYT also reported, “As Mr. Mamdani’s Jan. 1 inauguration draws near, Mr. Mamdani has spoken about trying to find common ground with Mr. Trump on issues like bringing down grocery prices. Mr. Mamdani ran on an affordability message that includes freezing rents on stabilized apartments, making buses free and creating five city-owned grocery stores.”
Sports
1. MSU ties Alabama for SEC-leading athletic graduation rate
Mississippi State Athletics is celebrating its achievement of the highest Graduation Success Rate in department history, earning a score of 96 in the NCAA’s latest release of Division I GSR data on Wednesday.
The school said the mark ties MSU with Alabama for the highest score in the SEC this year and ranks seventh among all Power 4 programs. The report includes Graduation Success Rate and Federal Graduation Rate results for the 2015-16 to 2018-19 freshman cohorts across all Division I institutions.
Mississippi State Athletics said the all-time high score of 96 improved the department’s previous record by three points. A total of eight programs recorded perfect scores of 100, and 11 teams scored 90 or better.
2. Ole Miss cross country’s Misgina named SEC Men’s Newcomer of the Year
Ole Miss men’s cross country redshirt junior Kidus Misgina has been named the SEC Men’s Newcomer of the Year.
Ole Miss Athletics said Misgina, who is in his first cross country season with the Rebels in 2025, has been splendid for Ole Miss this fall, running as the low stick in each of his five races. He finished fifth overall for All-Region honors at the NCAA South Regional and helped push Ole Miss to an automatic national qualifying berth as the South Region runners-up.
At SECs, Misgina also earned first-team All-SEC after a sixth-place finish. Misgina never finished worse than 11th this season.
Markets & Business
1. BLS to release first jobs report since September
CNBC reports that the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Thursday “will release the September nonfarm payrolls number, ending a shutdown-induced blackout on official jobs data, albeit with a decidedly rear-window view.”
“Due at 8:30 a.m. ET, the release is forecast to show a gain of 50,000 jobs in the public and private sectors, up from the initially reported 22,000 in August but still indicative of a soft labor market,” CNBC reported.
CNBC went on to report, “Though the report will be backward-looking, it at least will provide some fodder for investors, economists and Federal Reserve officials who have had to rely on a host of private alternative data during the record-long shutdown in Washington, D.C. It will be the first BLS jobs report since the August release on Sept. 5.”
2. Walmart seeing strong sales growth
The Wall Street Journal reports that Walmart “reported strong sales for the most recent quarter and raised its financial outlook for the full year as consumers flocked to its value and fast-shipping services ahead of the holiday season.”
“The retail behemoth said it saw some pullback in spending from lower-income shoppers, especially near the end of the quarter, but overall it is gaining market share, with the biggest gains among higher-income shoppers,” WSJ reported. “Walmart said Thursday that U.S. comparable sales, those from stores and digital channels operating for at least a year, rose 4.5% in the three months ended Oct. 31. The company raised its sales and profit estimates for the full year.”
WSJ noted, “Walmart has increased the range where it can deliver products ordered online within hours, services that now cover 95% of U.S. households. Together with stronger advertising revenue, the company’s e-commerce sales rose by 27% in the most recent quarter.”
Magnolia Tribune
