- 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. Holmes, first black student to attend MSU, has died at 82
Dr. Richard E. Holmes, Mississippi State University’s first African American student, died October 16 at age 82.
Upon learning of Dr. Holmes’s passing, MSU President Mark E. Keenum said:
“My wife and my four children, all now MSU students, join me in mourning the death of a man who profoundly and positively influenced our university. Dr. Richard Holmes was a man of courage, vision, and patience who enrolled at this university on July 19, 1965. Later, he earned the honor of being our first Black National Alumnus of the Year. We were also fortunate to have him serve as a physician at our Longest Student Health Center. Dr. Holmes cast a long, productive, and impactful shadow over this institution, a shadow that also leaned forward. I will miss his company and his counsel.”
2. Gibbs to receive Future Caucus Rising Star Award
State Rep. Justis Gibbs, (D-Jackson), the youngest black member of the Mississippi Legislature, will receive the ninth annual Rising Star Award from Future Caucus for his cross-partisan leadership on House Bill 1444, protecting incarcerated workers from hazardous chemical exposure. It was the only corrections-related bill to become law in the 2026 session.
Joining Gibbs as a Rising Star Award honoree is North Dakota state Rep. Dawson Holle (R-Mandan), the youngest-ever chairman of North Dakota’s Missing and Indigenous Persons Task Force. Holle continues to work directly with tribal communities on long-neglected crises and helped keep a rural hospital and nursing home in his district open.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Border czar Homan says there’s a ‘strong case’ against Congresswoman Omar
The Hill reports that “White House border czar Tom Homan said federal investigators have a ‘strong case’ in the ongoing criminal investigation into Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) for possible immigration fraud after federal agents raided her home last week.”
“In an interview Saturday with Fox News, Homan said he was informed by investigators that they have been following strong pieces of evidence in the wake of the multiple court authorized search warrants on Omar’s Washington, D.C., home,” reported The Hill.
“If she violated law then she’d be held accountable,” Homan said, adding that the congresswoman will not be receiving any special treatment throughout the investigation.
The Hill continued, “Omar has not been charged with a crime and has denied the allegations, calling the investigation politically motivated. In a separate interview Thursday, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin denied claims that the investigation was politically motivated.”
2. France burning
As reported by the Washington Post, “France was reeling Sunday after mass protests over rising living costs spiraled into riots and looting, leaving cities around the country littered with debris, shattered storefronts and charred buildings.”
“With public anger broiling over the policies of President Emmanuel Macron’s administration, more than half a million people took to the streets for demonstrations Saturday before the violence broke out. It was some of France’s worst unrest in years and left a trail of destruction from Lille in the north to Marseille in the south. Police detained at least 2,000 people, officials said Sunday as the country woke up to images of wrecked government buildings,” WP reported. “Among the most shocking was the charred shell of a historic town hall in Limoges, which was consumed by fire in an arson attack, its spire collapsing into bright flames in the night.”
WP further reported, “French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu accused the ‘ultra left’ of stoking Saturday’s violence ahead of a presidential election next spring. Lecornu said opportunist ‘criminals’ had also joined in ‘to loot and destroy,’ and vowed that the government would not be intimidated.”
Sports
1. Ole Miss wins as Miss. State, USM slide
Mississippi’s Big 3 were all in action on Saturday as key conference gridiron contests are in full swing. Here’s a recap of the games:
- No. 9 Ole Miss moved up two spots to No. 7 this week after soundly defeating then No. 13 Missouri 31-13 in Oxford. The victory marked Ole Miss’ first against Mizzou since 1974. The Rebels will hit the road this week to face No. 19 Texas.
- No. 16 Mississippi State was without its starting quarterback and running back on Saturday as the Bulldogs visited No. 22 LSU. Those injuries had a big impact, with Mississippi State losing 31-0, dropping them out of the Top 25 rankings. MSU battles Oklahoma on Saturday in Starkville.
- Southern Miss continued its slide with a 23-13 home loss to Arkansas State. The 1-5 Golden Eagles will host Louisiana on Saturday.
2. JSU powers past Florida A&M
Behind a dominant fourth-quarter surge and a defense that forced four turnovers, Jackson State secured a 27-17 homecoming victory over Florida A&M on Saturday.
TheTigers relied on a heavy ground attack that racked up 228 rushing yards while controlling the clock for over 36 minutes.
Jackson State heads to Bethune-Cookman this Satuday.
Markets & Business
1. Futures up to start week
CNBC reports that “stock futures rose early Monday, led by a tech rebound following last week’s rout in shares linked to the artificial intelligence trend.”
“Nasdaq 100 futures added 1.1%. S&P 500 futures gained 0.5%. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures traded just below the flatline,” CNBC reported. “The S&P 500 lost nearly 2% last week, its biggest weekly decline since late June. The Nasdaq tumbled 4.5%, snapping a four-week winning streak.”
CNBC noted, “On Monday… Brent and WTI crude futures were both trading slightly lower. A slew of earnings from major companies such as Meta Platforms and Tesla hit the Street this week, with optimism those results will stabilize the market.”
2. Exports buoy slowing Chinese economy
The Wall Street Journal reports that “China’s economic growth picked up in the third quarter, recovering from a three-year low as booming exports mitigate a deepening economic slowdown at home.”
“Gross domestic product expanded 4.5% in the period between July and September compared with the same period a year earlier, according to official data released Monday. This is up from 4.3% last quarter, which marked the slowest growth since 2022, when the Covid-19 pandemic hammered the Chinese economy,” WSJ reported. “The figures are at the low end of the government’s full-year annual growth target of 4.5% to 5%, as Beijing grapples with a domestic economy beset by high debt and poor consumer confidence and heavily dependent on exports to power growth.”
WSJ added, “China is in the midst of an export surge that is increasingly causing tension with its trading partners, who are struggling to compete with the deluge of Chinese goods.”
Magnolia Tribune
