Important state and national stories, market and business news, sports and entertainment, delivered in quick-hit fashion
In Mississippi
1. Ocean Springs principal appointed by Education Secretary to National Assessment Governing Board
U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon has appointed Ocean Springs High School Principal Jacob Dykes to the National Assessment Governing Board, which sets policies for the Nation’s Report Card.
Dykes is a principal at a Mississippi gulf coast high school, which has earned recognition for achievement, student opportunities, and athletics. He also has served on the Mississippi Department of Education Accountability Task Force and as an elementary school principal and science teacher, bringing deep experience to his role on the 26-member Governing Board.
The Board determines which grades and subjects to assess on the Nation’s Report Card, also known as the National Assessment of Educational Progress or NAEP; what content to include; how achievement levels should be set; and ways to make the Nation’s Report Card results meaningful and relevant to the public.
2. Port Bienville receives $6 million grant
Port Bienville in Hancock County has been awarded $6 million to construct an intermodal facility.
The Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) grant funding will allow the Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission to move forward with the construction of its Site 4 Intermodal Facility Project, which will involve a 50,000-square-foot, weather-protected transit warehouse strategically located between the barge slip and the Port Bienville Railroad.
“This amounts to a game-changing investment to improve the efficiency and capacity of Port Bienville by creating a secure intermodal buffer facility to eliminate a longstanding storage bottleneck. Once completed, it will allow for the immediate transfer of moisture-sensitive cargo between water and rail through a secure intermodal buffer facility,” said U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith.
Hyde-Smith’s office noted that the grant is being funded, in part, through a $103.3 million appropriation for discretionary PIDP grants in the FY2026 T-HUD Appropriations Bill, which Hyde-Smith shaped as chair of the Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (T-HUD) Appropriations Subcommittee.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. No clear winner as Israel continues counting votes
According to the New York Times, “Israelis are bracing for what could be weeks of political gridlock after exit polls showed no clear winner in a national election that many have described as a make-or-break moment for the country.”
“If neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hard-line alliance, nor a bloc of opposition parties led by Gadi Eisenkot, win enough seats to form a government, both would need to find support from outside their blocs for backing as prime minister,” NYT reported. “By late Wednesday morning, election officials had counted more than 60 percent of ballots. The exit polls — which have a spotty record in Israel — suggested that scenario was likely to play out. Some of Mr. Netanyahu’s allies are floating the idea that he could join Mr. Eisenkot and other centrists to form a broad unity government. For Mr. Netanyahu, who remains as a caretaker prime minister until a government is formed, that would be a comfortable scenario, as long as he remained on top.”
NYT noted, “Turnout in Tuesday’s election, widely seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government, was the highest in at least a quarter-century. It was the first election since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attacks ignited three years of war.”
2. Cruz to Supreme Court?
The Hill reports that “President Trump joked Tuesday that Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) would be his pick for the next Supreme Court vacancy, saying the senator could get unanimously confirmed because lawmakers in both parties would jump at the chance to get rid of him in Congress.”
“During a midterm rally in Lubbock, Texas, the president praised Cruz as a ‘brilliant lawyer’ before suggesting he had found a way around the often-contentious Supreme Court confirmation process,” The Hill reported.
“I picked three Supreme Court justices, and it’s very hard to get them approved,” Trump said, referring to his appointments of Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. “I said, ‘Look, I have an answer to it.’ Ted is a brilliant guy, brilliant lawyer, brilliant all that,” he said.
Trump continued, “Went to law school, top student, everything, top credentials. I said, ‘I have an answer to not being able to get it past the Democrats or the Republicans together.’ I would pick Ted Cruz to be the next Supreme Court justice.”
The Hill added that “Trump predicted that in an unusual move, Democrats would ‘100 percent’ support the nomination because ‘they hate the guy and they want to get rid of him.’”
Sports
1. Taylor out for rest of season
Mississippi State announced Tuesday that quarterback Kamario Taylor will not return this season due to injury.
“Quarterback Kamario Taylor will miss the remainder of the 2026 season due to a foot injury that requires surgery. He is expected to make a full recovery and return to 100 percent,” MSU Athletics said. “Kamario is one of the most dynamic players in college football, and he will remain an important part of our team as he begins his recovery. Thank you, Bulldog Family, for your continued support of Kamario and his family.”
Taylor also released a statement saying, “Missing the rest of this season is hard to accept, but I know God has a plan.”
“There’s a lot of football left, and I’m all in with my guys,” Taylor said. “Starkville is home, and I can’t wait to be back playing the game I love.”
2. Southern Miss to renovate Pete Taylor Park
Southern Miss Athletics announced Tuesday its vision for a transformational renovation of Pete Taylor Park/Hill Denson Field, launching the public fundraising phase of an initiative designed to preserve the tradition of one of college baseball’s most distinctive venues while positioning the home of Golden Eagle Baseball for the future.
The initiative, “Where Tradition Meets Tomorrow,” outlines a comprehensive vision for the future of Pete Taylor Park that includes significant enhancements to the fan experience, premium seating and hospitality, baseball operations and ballpark amenities. The ballpark was originally constructed in 1984.
The announcement also marks the beginning of a fundraising effort to help bring the proposed improvements to life. Southern Miss Athletics will engage alumni, fans, and donors through philanthropic giving, naming opportunities and other investment opportunities tied to the project.
3. MHSAA announces new classifications
The Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) released the new classifications on Monday for the 2027-2029 school years.
MHSAA reclassifies every two years, placing schools in 1A through 7A based on student population.
5A, 6A and 7A consist of 24 schools each, with 7A being the largest classification. 2A, 3A and 4A have 40 schools each while 1A has 48 schools.
Tupelo is the largest school and Mississippi School for the Blind is the smallest.
MHSAA will determine new districts soon.
Markets & Business
1. Oil jumps after attack on Saudi Arabia’s largest refinery
CNBC reports that “Oil prices climbed Wednesday as investors weighed the prospect of a prolonged and widening Middle East conflict after Tehran-backed Houthis attacked Saudi Arabia’s largest refinery.”
“International benchmark Brent crude futures rose 0.7% to $114.68 per barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures gained 1.42%, to $101.32 per barrel,” CNBC reported. “The Houthis said on Tuesday they had attacked Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura refinery with a ballistic missile, raising worries of an escalation in the regional conflict.”
CNBC further reported, “Trump, meanwhile, said that the war with Iran would end on his terms, while insisting that Tehran must be prevented from acquiring nuclear weapons.”
2. Trump ending Biden-era methane rule that cost energy producers billions
FoxBusiness reports that “President Donald Trump said Tuesday that his administration is ending a Biden-era rule aimed at reducing methane emissions from oil and gas drilling.”
“The president announced the move during a campaign rally in Lubbock, Texas, in support of Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ken Paxton, saying it would save consumers and energy producers $45 billion and unlock 210 million barrels of oil,” FoxBusiness reported.
“Tonight, I’m officially terminating Biden’s expensive and unnecessary methane regulations to save consumers and energy producers $45 billion in costs, unlock vast quantities of Texas natural gas and produce 210 million barrels of oil,” Trump said.
FoxBusiness continued, “The rollback comes as Trump pushes to increase domestic energy production amid high fuel prices and the U.S. war with Iran… Methane is the main component of natural gas and a major source of greenhouse gas emissions.”
-- Article credit to the staff for the Magnolia Tribune --
