- Important state and national stories, market and business news, sports and entertainment, delivered in quick-hit fashion to start your day informed.
Happy Mardi Gras, Mississippi!
In Mississippi
1. Voisin named new Executive Director of the Mississippi Coast Coliseum & Convention Center
Sam Voisin has been named the new Executive Director of the Mississippi Coast Coliseum & Convention Center.
Voisin becomes just the fourth leader in the Coliseum’s 48-year history.
“Sam brings more than 30 years of senior-level experience in the convention, entertainment, and hospitality industries, along with a proven track record of strategic leadership, operational excellence, and community partnership. His vision and industry expertise will help guide the Coliseum into its next chapter of growth and innovation on the Mississippi Gulf Coast,” according to the Coliseum’s social media .
Voisin succeeds Matt McDonnell, who worked with the Coliseum for 40 years.
2. PSC to host utility preparedness summit
The Mississippi Public Service Commission will host a two-day summit focused on strengthening disaster preparedness and utility resilience across the state in the wake of the widespread impact of Winter Storm Fern, which left more than 125,000 Mississippi homes without power,
The “From Recovery to Resilience: Mississippi Utility Preparedness Summit” will be held June 23–24, 2026, in Tupelo. A specific location is to be announced at a later date.
The PSC said the summit will bring together electric cooperative general managers, operations leaders, and utility professionals from across Mississippi to reflect on recent severe weather events and strengthen readiness for future emergencies.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Jesse Jackson dies at 84
Jesse Jackson, the founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and a two-time presidential candidate, has died at 84.
The New York Times reported that “Jackson was hospitalized in November for treatment of a rare and particularly severe neurodegenerative condition, progressive supranuclear palsy,” and that in 2017 he announced that he had Parkinson’s disease.
“Mr. Jackson, particularly in his galvanizing speeches at the Democratic conventions in 1984 and 1988, enunciated a progressive vision that defined the soul of the Democratic Party, if not necessarily its policies, in the last decades of the 20th century,” NYT reported, adding, “His transcendent rhetoric was inseparable from an imperfect human being whose ego, instinct for self-promotion and personal failings were a source of unending irritation to many friends and admirers and targets for derision by many critics. Mr. Jackson, the writer and social commentator Stanley Crouch once said, ‘will be forever doomed by his determination to mythologize his life.’”
2. U.S., Iran to meet for second round of talks
As reported by The Hill, “U.S. and Iranian officials are set to meet for a second round of talks on Iran’s nuclear program today as the Trump administration strives for a deal that has so far proved elusive.”
“Tuesday’s talks are taking place in Geneva, Switzerland. The U.S. delegation is led by President Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, both of whom have been heavily involved in peacemaking efforts in various conflicts, including between Israel and Hamas in Gaza,” The Hill reported. “Representatives from the two countries met earlier this month for indirect talks in Oman to try to reach a diplomatic solution on Iranian nuclear developments. After the meeting, both sides described those discussions as productive and indicated they would plan to meet again.”
The Hill noted, “The president’s decision to hold off on strikes so far suggests he sees at least some path to a deal, even if it’s a difficult one.”
Sports
1. Big 3 earn spots in Top 25
After week 1 opening series wins, Mississippi’s Big 3 earned national rankings on Monday.
In D1 Baseball’s Top 25, Mississippi State came in at No. 4 and Southern Miss was ranked at No. 20. Baseball America’s Top 25 put Mississippi State at No. 3, Ole Miss at No. 16 and Southern Miss at No. 21.
All three return to action tonight for midweek matchups.
2. Southern Miss women’s golf advances to Great River Cup championship
Southern Miss Athletics says their women’s golf team cruised to two wins over Arkansas State and Central Arkansas on Monday at the Great River Cup.
The Golden Eagles now advance to play ULM in the match play championship at Windance Country Club.
The Golden Eagles will tee off against ULM at 8 a.m. tomorrow. ULM reached the finals after beating Little Rock and Missouri State. Central Arkansas and Missouri State will play for third place in Gulfport.
Markets & Business
1. Futures down to start shortened week
CNBC reports that stock futures “were trading lower Tuesday as Wall Street struggles to regain its footing after yet another losing week. Technology stocks, including beaten-down software names, led the early selling.” The market was closed for Presidents Day on Monday.
“The S&P 500 is coming off its second consecutive losing week as fears about AI’s disruption hit industries such as software, real estate, trucking and financial services. Both the S&P 500 and blue-chip Dow lost more than 1% last week, while the technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite lost more than 2%,” CNBC reported. “The Dow and S&P 500 both logged their fourth losing weeks of the last five. The Nasdaq recorded its fifth straight negative week, its longest losing streak since 2022.”
CNBC added, “Investors will get more insight into the path of inflation this week, with the personal consumption expenditure report slated for Friday. Before then, they’ll monitor Federal Reserve meeting minutes on Wednesday.”
2. Goldman Sachs drops DEI criteria for its board
According to the Wall Street Journal, Goldman Sachs “is preparing to remove race, gender identity, sexual orientation and other diversity factors from the criteria its board will consider when identifying potential candidates, according to people familiar with the matter.”
“The board’s governance committee currently finds qualified candidates based primarily on four factors, one of which is a broad description of diversity, such as viewpoints, background, work and military service in addition to ‘other demographics’ that includes a list of DEI factors,” WSJ reported. “Now it plans to cross off the ‘other demographics’ including race, gender identity, ethnicity and sexual orientation, the people said.”
WSJ continued, “Goldman’s decision followed a behind-the-scenes request from the conservative activist nonprofit National Legal and Policy Center, which owns a small stake in the bank. The group submitted a proposal to the firm in September, seeking to remove the DEI criteria, the people said. The group requested its proposal be included in Goldman’s proxy statement that will be circulated to shareholders ahead of the firm’s annual shareholder meeting this spring.”
