Important state and national stories, market and business news, sports and entertainment, delivered in quick-hit fashion
In Mississippi
Miss. Dept. of Education announces Blue Ribbon Schools
The Mississippi Department of Education recently announced that four schools have been named 2026 Mississippi Blue Ribbon Schools. This recognition highlights schools that excel in academic performance and/or make significant strides in closing achievement gaps among different student groups.
The four 2026 Mississippi Blue Ribbon Schools are:
Exemplary High Performing Schools
- Ackerman Elementary School, Choctaw County School District
- Madison Station Elementary, Madison County School District
Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing Schools
- Northeast Lauderdale High School, Lauderdale County School District
- Oakdale Elementary School, Rankin County School District
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Did Democrats recruit an independent Senate candidate in Alaska to confuse voters?
As reported by the Washington Post, “Alaska’s governor said late Wednesday he was ordering an investigation into whether the campaign for Democratic candidate Mary Peltola should face criminal charges or civil action following accusations it helped recruit an outside contender for the Senate race.”
“Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) said he was directing the Department of Public Safety ‘to investigate whether this scheme violated Alaska’s laws.’ His announcement followed a New York Times report that said Peltola’s campaign appeared to have been involved in recruiting an independent candidate with a name similar to the Republican incumbent, Sen. Dan Sullivan,” WP reported. “The independent, retired teacher Dan J. Sullivan, will appear on Alaska’s ballot as a Senate candidate along with Sen. Sullivan, Peltola, and another candidate.”
“Alaskans have a fundamental right to vote for the candidate they actually intend to support,” Dunleavy wrote on X. “Deliberately tricking voters into casting their ballots for someone else strikes at the integrity of our elections.”
2. Johnson intends to remain GOP leader even if Republican lose House majority
The Hill reports that “Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) recent hints that he intends to remain GOP leader even if Republicans lose the House have rattled the party’s leadership outlook and raised fresh new questions about the GOP’s future heading into the next Congress.”
“Most House Speakers in recent decades have stepped out of Congress after losing the gavel. And Reps. Steve Scalise (R-La.), the majority leader, and Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), a conservative icon, are both expected to launch bids to lead House Republicans if Democrats flip the chamber, according to GOP lawmakers, aides and strategists,” The Hill reported. “But Johnson recently muddled the leadership landscape by signaling his intention to keep his spot atop the party even if Republicans are knocked out of power. Then on Monday, President Trump offered a glowing endorsement of Johnson’s leadership chops, sparking further speculation that Johnson might, in fact, buck historic trends and try to remain leader even from the minority.”
“Mike Johnson is a true friend, fighter, and WINNER,” Trump posted on his social media account, “and he has my Complete and Total endorsement for Re-Election.”
Sports
The 2026 Mississippi community college football regular season ends Thursday night as all JUCO teams compete in Week 10 matchups. Here is a rundown of the games on tap tonight:
- Southwest at East Central
- Jones at No. 7 Hinds
- No. 15 Itawamba at MS Delta
- No. 5 Northwest at No. 6 East MS
- Holmes at Northeast
- No. 14 Co-Lin at Coahoma
- No. 9 MGCCC at Pearl River
2. Brewers win first World Series title
The Milwaukee Brewers won their first ever World Series title on Wednesday night in Game 5 versus the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Brewer program has been around since 1957 and last appeared in a World Series 44 years ago.
Only four current franchises have never won a World Series title now: the Mariners, Padres, Rays and Rockies.
The Biloxi Shuckers are the Double-A Affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers.
Markets & Business
1. FTC investigating companies over use of personal data to charge different prices
FoxBusiness reports that “Federal regulators announced Wednesday that they are examining whether major airlines, ride-hailing companies, delivery services and retailers are using personal data to charge different customers different prices for the same products and services or determine how much gig workers are paid.”
“The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said it launched an inquiry into nine companies, ordering them to provide information about how they use consumers’ and workers’ personal data to set prices and compensation,” FoxBusiness reported. “The orders were sent to Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, JetBlue, Lyft, Uber, DoorDash, Instacart, Target and Walmart, according to the FTC.”
FoxBusiness continued, “The agency said it is seeking information to assess whether prices for airline tickets, rides, food deliveries and other products or services vary from person to person.”
2. Treasury yields ease
CNBC reports that “U.S. Treasury yields fell on Thursday morning, a day after the Federal Reserve’s October meeting that saw the central bank hold its key interest rate steady.”
“At 6 a.m. ET, the yield on the 10-year Treasury note was 5 basis points lower at 4.995%,” CNBC reported. “The 2-year Treasury yield lost 5 basis points to trade at 4.683%, while the yield on the 30-year Treasury was down by 3 basis points at 5.329%.”
CNBC noted, “One basis point equals 0.01%, or 1/100th of 1%, and yields and prices move inversely to one another.”
-- Article credit to the staff for the Magnolia Tribune --
