Magnolia Mornings: October 10, 2024

• 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. PSC to host Nuclear Summit

The Mississippi Public Service Commission will host a Nuclear Summit, bringing together industry leaders, policymakers, and stakeholders to discuss the future of nuclear energy in Mississippi and its role in the state’s energy landscape.

The Nuclear Summit is scheduled for Tuesday, October 22, 2024, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the MPSC Courtroom in the Woolfolk Building in Jackson.

This free event will feature speakers including: Scott Hunnewell (Vice President of the New Nuclear Program at Tennessee Valley Authority); Jeff Merrifield (US Nuclear Industry Council Chairman, and former NRC Commissioner); Jim Smiley (Senior Manager Advanced Nuclear Development Grand Gulf Nuclear Station in Port Gibson, Mississippi); Mike King (US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Special Assistant for ADVANCE ACT Implementation); and CEO James Walker Chairman Jay Yu (Nano Nuclear Energy Corporation).

The Commissioners are inviting all interested parties to the educational summit for a more comprehensive understanding of the current state of nuclear in Mississippi, including the innovative technologies, and the benefits and challenges the state faces.

2. Mississippi Governor approves National Guard deployment to aid Florida

Governor Tate Reeves announced Wednesday that he approved the deployment of 22 Soldiers of the Mississippi National Guard (MSNG) to Tallahassee, Florida. The 22 Soldiers will support emergency response missions in Florida in the anticipated aftermath of Hurricane Milton.
 
“Mississippi stands ready to assist Florida as they brace for Hurricane Milton,” said Governor Reeves in a statement. “Our state is no stranger to hurricanes, and we’ll always be grateful for the assistance we’ve received in the past from people across the country. It’s only right that we now help our fellow Americans in their time of need. I know the Mississippi National Guard will do an excellent job assisting Floridians.”
 
Twenty-two members of the Mississippi Army National Guard’s 185th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade, headquartered in Jackson, Miss. deployed to Tallahassee International Airport, Florida today, October 9, 2024, in preparation for recovery operations in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton. The Mississippi National Guard aviation response team consisted of 22 soldiers, aviators, and crewmen, flying two HH-60M Blackhawks from Jackson and one CH-47 Chinook helicopter from Meridian to aid in hurricane response missions.

National News & Foreign Policy

1. Milton makes landfall in Florida as a Category 3 hurricane

Hurricane Milton made landfall on the west Gulf Coast of Florida on Wednesday as a Category 3 storm. As the Associated Press reported, Milton pounded cities with ferocious winds and rain, whipping up a barrage of tornadoes and causing an unknown numbers of deaths.

“As dawn broke Thursday, officials repeated that the danger had not passed: Storm surge remained a concern in many parts of Florida and tropical storm warnings were in place for much of the east-central coast. Officials in the hard-hit counties of Hillsborough, Pinellas, Sarasota and Lee urged people to stay home, warning of downed power lines, trees in roads, blocked bridges and flooding,” the AP reported.

According to poweroutage.us, more than 3 million homes and businesses were without power as of Thursday morning.

2. Harris bobs and weaves in interviews

The New York Times reports that when sitting for interviews, Vice President Kamala Harris “continues to bob and weave.”

“Running an abbreviated campaign in the final sprint before Election Day, Vice President Kamala Harris blitzed the media this week in a series of interviews to speak to voters who say they still don’t know enough about her,” wrote Michael Bender with NYT. “One thing they learned: how she keeps answering the question she wants, not the one that was asked.”

Bender continued, writing, “Her media swing provided a glimpse into how she often responds to unpleasant questions without answering them, questions the very premise of questions she finds unfair and can take it upon herself to reword a query she considers unhelpful. Ms. Harris, 59, can turn the typically defensive crouch of a non-answer into a bit of verbal jujitsu, as she did in declining the opportunity to identify Mr. Netanyahu as an ally.”

Sports & Entertainment

1. Full slate of JUCO action on tap for Thursday night

Here’s a rundown of the full schedule of community college games set for Thursday night in Mississippi.

• No. 7 Northwest travels to Southwest
• Hinds hosts No. 12 Jones
• MS Delta heads to No. 8 Holmes
• East Central hosts No. 3 MGCCC
• Itawamba visits Coahoma
• Pearl River hosts Co-Lin
• East MS travels to Northeast

2. LSU-Samford to play baseball exhibition in Biloxi

The Biloxi Shuckers announced that the LSU Tigers and Samford Bulldogs will play a fall exhibition game as part of the Hancock Whitney Classic at Keesler Federal Park on Sunday, November 3. First pitch is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. and gates open at 10:00 a.m. The two teams will play three seven-inning games for a total of 21 innings.

Tickets for the game can be purchased here or the Shuckers Box Office at Keesler Federal Park. All tickets will be general admission and are available for $15. 

Markets & Business

1. Stock futures down ahead of inflation report

CNBC reports that stock futures slipped Thursday as investors looked ahead to the release of September’s consumer price index report.

“Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 50 points, or 0.1%. S&P 500 futures were 0.1% lower, and Nasdaq 100 futures fell 0.2%,” CNBC reported. “September’s CPI report is due at 8:30 a.m. ET, with investors looking for further signs that inflation is on a cooling trend. Economists polled by Dow Jones anticipate a 0.1% increase on a monthly basis, and a 2.3% advance over the prior 12 months.”

2. Home Depot dropping warehouses

The Wall Street Journal reports that Home Depot “is shedding some of the sprawling warehouse space it had added in the midst of the pandemic as the home-improvement goods retailer grapples with falling sales in an uncertain consumer market.”

“The Atlanta-based company is looking to sublease four buildings of around 1 million square feet or more across the U.S. that it had been using to store products imported from Asia that it had rushed into the country to get ahead of supply-chain bottlenecks,” WSJ reported. “The changes come as Home Depot is targeting about $500 million in cost savings this fiscal year, including by getting rid of space leased during the Covid-19 pandemic amid feverish consumer demand to complete home-improvement projects.”