- 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. Sentencing handed down in $3M healthcare fraud scheme
Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced Tuesday the sentencing of Katricia Smith for one count of wire fraud.
In 2023 and 2024, Smith, former owner of KLS Medical Services, LLC in DeSoto County, knowingly submitted false claims for Medicaid services that she did not provide.
Madison County Circuit Court Judge Steve Ratcliff sentenced Smith to five years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC). She was ordered to pay full restitution in the amount of $3,190,017.93 to the Mississippi Division of Medicaid.
The case was investigated by the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office and the Mississippi Division of Medicaid Program Integrity, and prosecuted by the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office.
2. $120M Madison County conference center project receives approval
Madison County has given final approval for the Madison County Conference Center, a project that is more than two decades in the making.
The conference center will be paired with a privately financed 250-room Dolce by Wyndham hotel at Prado Vista.
Madison County leaders say that 50,000-square-foot Madison County Conference Center will be the first dedicated conference center of its kind in the county and will accommodate up to 1,800 attendees.
The public-private structure of the project directs approximately $18.9 million, essentially 100% of the project’s tourism rebate proceeds, back to Madison County to accelerate repayment of conference-center construction debt.
The combined investment totals approximately $120 million, with the conference center financed through an urban-renewal bond structure and the Dolce hotel financed privately by PraCon.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. ‘Trumpapalooza’ to kick off in Dallas today
On Wednesday and Thursday, the Republican Party will throw a two-day, Trump-centered pep rally in Dallas to kick off the peak campaign season, reports the Washington Post.
“‘Trumpapalooza,’ as the Republican National Committee chairman calls it, will put the party’s chief communicator and his administration’s record at the center of the party’s case as he fights an unpopular war, presides over an uneven economy and faces historical headwinds to preserving a GOP majority,” WP reported. “Originally expected as the event’s grand finale, Trump is now scheduled to headline the first night and speak again on Thursday. An official involved in the planning said Trump wanted to ‘set the tone.’ Vice President JD Vance will anchor the second night, burnishing his image as the heir apparent. The other most buzzed-about potential successor, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, is not scheduled to speak.”
WP continued, “Democrats, the president and his advisers reasoned, would try to turn the midterms into a referendum on Trump with or without his help… Trump has told his supporters to vote as though he were on the ballot, and party strategists recognize they need him to deliver base voters who might otherwise sit out a nonpresidential election.”
2. Trump hands out $45K gifts to West Wing employees
The New York Times reports that “President Trump provided a ‘cash gift for the holidays’ to three White House aides last year, handing out $45,000 each to his executive assistant Natalie Harp and two other employees who work in the West Wing, according to financial disclosure forms.”
“The women are among Mr. Trump’s closest aides. Besides Ms. Harp, the money went to Margo Martin, his communications adviser; and Chamberlain Harris, the deputy director of Oval Office operations,” NYT reported. “In a statement posted on social media, the White House said Mr. Trump has a ‘longstanding practice of giving Christmas gifts to people in his orbit. The gifts at issue here have nothing to do with any of these individuals’ official government duties, and, therefore, are entirely permissible under relevant legal and ethical standards.'”
NYT noted, “Government employees are generally prohibited from accepting outside salaries… The women’s salaries are $150,000 a year, according to the disclosures.”
Sports
1. Week 3 for Mississippi JUCOS
Mississippi’s community colleges enter Week 3 of the football season with key games on tap for Thursday night. Here is a roundup of this week’s games:
- Holmes at Hinds
- Coahoma at East Central
- No. 6 Northwest at Co-Lin
- Pearl River at No. 9 East Mississippi
- No. 11 Itawamba at No. 4 MGCCC
- Northeast at Jones
- MS Delta at Southwest
2. Valley falls to 0-2
Mississippi Valley State continued its early-season road stretch Saturday evening, falling to 0-2 on the season after losing 52-0 to Sacramento State at Hornet Stadium.
The Delta Devils produced 104 yards on the ground and forced two Sacramento State turnovers, but the Hornets capitalized on favorable field position and several explosive plays to take control of the contest.
Mississippi Valley State will look to regroup as it prepares for the 2026 Chicago Football Classic. The Delta Devils will face Lincoln University (Pa.) on Saturday, Sept. 12, at 3 p.m. inside Soldier Field in Chicago.
Markets & Business
1. Data center tax breaks being revisited in some states
Some state lawmakers around the U.S. that approved incentives for data centers now “want to repeal the sales-tax exemption and renegotiate past deals with companies such as Amazon.com, Meta Platforms and Alphabet’s Google that secured exemptions for decades by signing contracts with the state,” reports the Wall Street Journal.
“A similar dynamic is playing out across the country, as legislators or governors in more than 10 states, including Illinois, New Jersey and Washington, have slammed the brakes on the tax breaks. The reversals underscore how state leaders who once welcomed the facilities powering the AI boom as an economic engine suddenly treat them like a political liability,” WSJ reported, adding, “In several states, the exemptions for tech giants have exceeded $1 billion annually.”
“They seem to have more money than God and they’re able to build without the need for these types of incentives,” said Ohio Democratic Rep. Tristan Rader, who is proposing new data-center taxes and requirements that developers pay more for power and electrical infrastructure, per WSJ.
2. Oil tops $100 a barrel for first time since July
CNBC reports that “stock futures traded lower on Wednesday after a losing day in the previous session, as oil prices continue their ascent.”
“Oil prices rose as escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran fuel concerns over further disruptions to Middle East energy supplies. Futures for Brent crude, the international benchmark, added more than 2% to break $100 a barrel for the first time since July,” CNBC reported. “Oil’s rise follows a session advance in crude that put downward pressure on the three major averages in their first session of a holiday-shortened trading week. The stock market was dark on Monday in observance of the Labor Day holiday.”
CNBC further reported, “The Dow dropped 1.2% on Tuesday, marking its worst day in almost three weeks. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite slid 0.6% and 0.3%, respectively.”
