Important state and national stories, market and business news, sports and entertainment, delivered in quick-hit fashion
In Mississippi
$56 million coming to Rankin County for railroad bridge over Hwy. 18
A federal award for more than $56 million was announced Friday to support the construction of a railroad bridge over Mississippi Highway 18 in Rankin County, as well as accompanying traffic improvements.
Currently, the Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) Railway runs through Mississippi Highway 18, contributing to serious congestion and safety hazards. By building a separate railway bridge over the highway, this project will remove the need for an at-grade crossing and keep freight moving efficiently across the state.
“Rankin County is committed to increasing the flow of traffic and commerce in the capital region. This federal grant is the fruit of years of hard work by local officials. It will ensure the county has the resources to bring this project to completion,” said U.S. Senator Roger Wicker. “We are all excited about Mississippi’s momentum. It is made possible because of the bold and creative visions we see from state and community leaders across Mississippi.”
“Leaders in Rankin County have long sought to resolve transportation and public safety problems created by a growing population and a critical rail crossing. I’m pleased to have worked with them and our congressional delegation to advocate for this federal grant which, in the end, will improve safety, mobility, emergency response reliability, freight movements, and community connectivity,” said U.S. Senator Hyde-Smith.
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Bombshell dropped in Michigan Senate race
The Hill reports that “Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) dropped a bombshell in the Michigan Senate race as she threw her support behind Republican Mike Rogers just two days before Election Day.”
“The congresswoman had originally been scheduled to appear with Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed at a rally brokered by Democratic Reps. James Clyburn (S.C.) and Debbie Dingell (Mich.) designed to smooth over tensions between the primary opponents. But El-Sayed disinvited Stevens from the event after she criticized him online and urged him to condemn an ad blaming U.S. support for Israel for the high cost of groceries,” The Hill reported. “The ad was produced by an outside progressive group and not El-Sayed’s campaign. El-Sayed has distanced himself from it and said he didn’t agree with the content but stopped short of a full condemnation.”
The Hill continued, “Instead, Stevens began her day with an appearance with Rogers for a service at Detroit’s Perfecting Church before endorsing him. She cited various factors, including El-Sayed’s past campaign appearance with controversial left-wing Twitch streamer Hasan Piker.”
2. NYT looks at Senate races ahead of Tuesday
The New York Times reports that “Democrats lead Republicans in six of the seven battlegrounds that will determine Senate control, according to the final set of New York Times/Siena University polls released on Sunday.”
“Democratic candidates are ahead in Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Ohio and Texas, and have a narrow edge in Alaska, the polls found. In Iowa, the seventh battleground, the candidates are effectively tied. Republicans currently hold all of those states except Michigan. Democrats need to keep all of their seats and flip at least four in Republican hands to win a Senate majority,” NYT reported. “The Democrats have a chance in these typical Republican strongholds because Trump and his party have lost the public’s trust on the year’s most salient issue: the economy. Across all seven states in the polls, Democrats had a nine-percentage-point advantage on the cost of living.”
NYT noted, “Some voters remain undecided. One of the few positives in the polls for Republicans is that voters who decided in the last month favored Republicans.”
Sports
1. Ole Miss remains at No. 12 in AP Top 25
Ole Miss remained at No. 12 in the AP Top 25 after defeating Auburn on Saturday 45-15.
Trinidad Chambliss surpassed 6,000 career passing yards at Ole Miss and recorded a touchdown pass for the 21st consecutive game, one shy of Chad Kelly’s school record of 22.
The Rebel defense recorded a season-high 10 tackles for loss. Suntarine Perkins had two sacks against Auburn, moving him into fourth place on Ole Miss’ career list with 22.
The Rebels won their 16th consecutive home game, tying for the second-longest active streak in the FBS and the longest among Power Four teams.
2. Southern Miss women’s soccer secures spot in Sun Belt Conference Championship quarterfinals
Southern Miss soccer made its regular-season finale count Sunday afternoon, shutting out ULM 1-0 at Brown Stadium to secure a place in the Sun Belt Conference Championship.
Alessia Navarro provided the difference early. After forcing a save in the seventh minute, Navarro broke through in the eighth off a feed from Ava Bynes, finishing for her second goal of the season and giving Southern Miss the lead it would carry the rest of the afternoon.
Quarterfinal play begins Monday, November 9, with the Golden Eagles’ opponent and match time to be finalized with the official tournament bracket.
Markets & Business
1. Investors brace for Election Day, jobs report
CNBC reports that “stock futures moved higher Monday as oil prices fell sharply and tech names rebounded, while investors braced for a packed week of earnings results, jobs reports and the upcoming midterm elections.”
“S&P 500 futures traded 0.4% higher, while Nasdaq-100 futures gained 0.7%. Futures linked to the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 196 points, or 0.4%,” CNBC reported. “Brent crude tumbled 4.5% to $108.38 per barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures also pulled back more than 4% to $99.31.”
CNBC added, “The tech-heavy Nasdaq and the S&P 500 logged a losing October amid AI spending concerns, with the Nasdaq suffering its worst losses since March 2025. The Dow, however, rose almost 2% as investors rotated into defensive areas like healthcare.”
2. More women entering skilled trade workforce
According to the Wall Street Journal, “The skilled trades have long been a boy’s club. But more women are breaking in, drawn by well-paying jobs that are in high demand. To keep them coming, many companies are courting women like Cossairt through new benefits and perks, including paid maternity leave and more flexibility. They are also trying to create a more welcoming work environment while cracking down on off-color jokes and catcalls on male-dominated jobsites.”
“The federal government tracks female participation in fields such as construction, and installation and repair, which includes jobs such as plumbers, carpenters and auto technicians,” WSJ reported. “As of last year, women made up about 4.4% of those workers. But they have made mostly steady gains, with that figure rising from 2.9% a decade earlier.”
WSJ further reported, “Women have broadly outperformed men in the labor market in recent years. This partly reflects booming growth in fields that traditionally employ more women, such as healthcare and social assistance, while women also are making inroads in traditionally male-dominated jobs.”
-- Article credit to the staff for the Magnolia Tribune --
