Important state and national stories, market and business news, sports and entertainment, delivered in quick-hit fashion
In Mississippi
1. Ingalls graduates 70 from Apprentice School
Ingalls Shipbuilding celebrated 70 apprentice school graduates during a ceremony at the shipyard on Saturday as they became the newest class to complete the Department of Labor-registered program, which combines classroom instruction, paid on-the-job training and industry-recognized credentials.
“The future of shipbuilding depends on skilled craftsmen and women who care deeply about their work, and today’s graduates should wear that responsibility with pride,” said Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Blanchette. “What they have learned is more than a trade, it is the discipline to do what’s right even when no one is watching. And the timing could not be more important; Our Navy is counting on the commitment and capability they bring to the ships our nation depends on.”
Since its founding in 1952, the shipbuilder said its Ingalls Apprentice School has graduated more than 4,000 shipbuilders and today supports more than 750 students who contribute directly to Ingalls’ operations. The school provides specialized training in 15 U.S. Department of Labor–registered trades, equipping apprentices with the technical skills, strong work ethic and hands-on experience needed to advance into journeyman roles. Apprentices earn competitive wages and receive a comprehensive benefits package beginning 30 days after starting the program.
Mississippi U.S. Senator Roger Wicker joined Senators Tim Scott of South Carolina, Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, Ted Budd of North Carolina, and Angus King of Maine in introducing the Public Health Response and Emergency Detection through Integrated Wastewater Community Testing (PREDICT) Act.
Wicker’s office said the legislation would strengthen and expand the nation’s wastewater monitoring network and improve the early detection of infectious diseases.
“Wastewater often provides early warning signs that infectious diseases could be spreading through our communities. Early detection tools are the first line of defense for families and public health officials,” Wicker said. “We must keep these monitoring capabilities up-to-date. This legislation would improve current methods to track the spread of infectious diseases and put better measures in place to prepare for public health emergencies.”
Wicker’s office stated that wastewater surveillance analyzes sewage to detect viruses and bacteria circulating in a community. Individuals infected with diseases such as measles, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza A, and COVID-19 can shed viral or bacterial material through everyday activities, even if they do not show symptoms. Monitoring wastewater helps public health officials identify potential outbreaks earlier and respond more quickly to protect communities.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. SAVE Act heads to Senate floor
According to The Hill, “President Trump’s allies are planning to take over the Senate floor this week in a bid to pass the SAVE America Act, setting up a major test for Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) who is under pressure from Trump and the MAGA base to extend the debate over voting reform for as long as possible.”
“GOP senators are playing their cards close to the vest ahead of this week’s marathon debate over the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, which would require people registering to vote to show documented proof of citizenship,” The Hill reported. “But they’re bracing for long hours and possible late nights in a bid to build momentum for the bill, which already has broad public support. A recent Harvard CAPS/Harris poll of 1,999 registered voters found that 71 percent support the SAVE America Act.”
The Hill continued, “Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), a leading proponent of the bill, says Trump wants to see Republicans go all out and is envisioning an epic floor fight, like the two-month battle that preceded the Senate’s passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act… Lee recalled that during the battle over the 1964 Civil Rights Act the Senate stayed in session for 60 days ‘and used an approach that is similar to what I think we ought to do here.’”
2. U.S. immigrant truckers set to lose commercial licenses
The Washington Post reports that “some 200,000 immigrant truck drivers will begin to lose their commercial driver’s licenses as they expire under a new Trump administration rule that takes effect Monday.”
“The Transportation Department’s rule will weigh on the beleaguered trucking industry, which is critical to transporting goods across America at a time when energy costs are surging due to the war in Iran,” WP reported. “The rule bars immigrants who are asylum seekers, refugees or recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, from obtaining commercial driver’s licenses. And it’s part of the Trump administration’s widening campaign against immigrant truck drivers following several high-profile accidents last summer.”
WP noted, “Those with valid commercial driver’s licenses will lose their driving privileges as their licenses expire, not immediately.”
Sports
1. Big 3 all go 1-2 on the weekend
After hot starts to the season, Mississippi’s Big 3 all took opening conference weekend series losses, each losing 2 out of 3.
- No. 3 Mississippi State dropped their Friday game against No. 5 Arkansas before splitting the Saturday doubleheader. The Bulldogs are now 16-4 on the season and host Jackson State on Tuesday.
- No. 7 Southern Miss lost their Friday game at Arkansas State before winning Saturday and losing again on Sunday. The Golden Eagles, now 16-4, head to Biloxi to face Nichols at the home of the Shuckers on Tuesday. The two teams met two weeks ago with Nichols getting the 3-2 win.
- Ole Miss, now 16-5, won their Friday game against No. 2 Texas before dropping the next two. The Rebels return to action Tuesday in Oxford taking on Austin Peay.
2. Ole Miss women go dancing
Ole Miss Athletics is celebrating after the Ole Miss women’s basketball heard its name called on Selection Sunday for the fifth season in a row to earn a trip to the big dance, its 22nd NCAA Tournament appearance in program history.
The school said the No. 5 Rebels slotted in the Sacramento region, begin their tournament journey on Friday, March 20 in a first-round matchup in Minneapolis, Minnesota, facing off against No. 12 Gonzaga, with television info to be announced later.
If Ole Miss advances to the second round, it will either face off against No. 4 Minnesota or No. 13 Green Bay.
3. College Showdown, Governor’s Cup back at Trustmark Park
Two of the state’s most anticipated college baseball matchups are returning to Trustmark Park this spring as the College Showdown and the Mississippi Farm Bureau Governor’s Cup bring Mississippi’s fiercest rivalries back to Pearl, the home of the Mississippi Mud Monsters.
The Mud Monsters said with passionate fanbases, statewide bragging rights on the line, and some of the nation’s top programs taking the field, these annual showdowns have become a staple of Mississippi’s baseball calendar.
Ole Miss will face Southern Miss in the College Showdown on April 14 while Mississippi State meets Ole Miss in the Mississippi Farm Bureau Governor’s Cup on April 28.
Markets & Business
1. Futures up, oil down to open week
CNBC reports that stock futures “rose slightly as Wall Street tried to recover from another losing week, with investors monitoring oil prices and the latest developments from the U.S.-Iran war.”
“The moves come after the S&P 500 notched its third losing week in a row and closed at its lowest level of the year on Friday. The benchmark index ended the week down 1.6%, while the Dow and Nasdaq shed about 2% and 1.3%, respectively,” CNBC reported. “Oil prices rallied last week, with Brent crude settling above $100 per barrel for the first time since 2022. Crude soared as traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route, has been effectively halted since the war began.”
CNBC added, “In early Monday trading, WTI crude traded 1.7% lower at around $97 a barrel. It traded above $100 per barrel overnight. Brent crude rose 0.2% to around $103 a barrel.”
2. State income tax systems growing further apart
As reported by the Wall Street Journal, “U.S. politics are getting more polarized and, increasingly, so are state income-tax systems.”
“Republican-led states are racing each other to flatten, cut and eliminate individual income taxes, with 23 states lowering their top income-tax rates since 2021. Mississippi and Oklahoma, among others, put themselves on paths to eliminate personal income taxes. South Carolina is setting a course this year to drop its top income-tax rate to 1.99%, and Missouri residents may vote this November on a plan to phase out income taxes and allow lawmakers to expand sales taxes,” WSJ reported. “Democratic-controlled states are moving the opposite way, pushing to increase taxes on top earners to combat inequality and plug budget holes expected from Republicans’ cuts to federal health and nutrition assistance programs. Washington state’s legislature last week sent Gov. Bob Ferguson a bill that would create a 9.9% income tax on earnings over $1 million. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is pushing state lawmakers to raise income taxes on high-income households. Hikes on top earners are a priority for some Democrats and progressive groups as they head to elections this fall in Rhode Island and Colorado.”
WSJ went on to report, “The middle ground is quickly disappearing. In 2006, 15 states had top income-tax rates on wage income below 5% and just one exceeded 10%, according to the Tax Foundation, a group that favors lower rates and fewer breaks. Now, more than half of the states have gone below 5% and five others plus the District of Columbia are in double digits.”
-- Article credit to the staff of the Magnolia Tribune --
