Important state and national stories, market and business news, sports and entertainment, delivered in quick-hit fashion
In Mississippi
1. IRS offering free tax help in Mississippi
The Internal Revenue Service announced that special Saturday hours will be available over the next few months at select Taxpayer Assistance Centers across the country, including Mississippi.
The special Saturday openings will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on select Saturdays through the end of June.
The events in Mississippi are scheduled for the following places and dates in Gulfport, Jackson and Greenville:
The Gulfport Taxpayer Assistance Center at 11309 Old Highway 49 is scheduled to be open on April 11, April 25, May 30 and June 27.
The Jackson Taxpayer Assistance Center at 100 W. Capital St. is scheduled to be open on April 11, April 25, and June 27.
The Greenville Taxpayer Assistance Center at 619 Washington Ave. is scheduled to be open on April 11, April 25, and June 27.
2. Dolly’s Rhinestone Roundup coming to Ocean Springs
WLOX reports that the Duchess Club of Ocean Springs will host its first Dolly’s Rhinestone Roundup on Saturday, April 25, a Dolly Parton-inspired fundraiser to support local children.
“The event will run from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. in downtown Ocean Springs, starting at OS 1515 and ending at Neon Moon,” WLOX reported. “The event will feature Dolly-themed deals, activities, and specials at participating downtown businesses. A costume contest will be held, and participants can also shop all day at participating boutiques for Dolly deals.”
WLOX added, “The Duchess Club is a women’s civic organization that recently celebrated its 77th anniversary. The organization operates a doll and toy program, provides scholarships for college and technical programs, sponsors summer camps, and maintains food and supply pantries at schools in Ocean Springs.”
National News & Foreign Policy
1. Trump order pays TSA agents, unclear how many will come back
The Hill reports the “Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees may finally get some relief on Monday after President Trump signed an executive order to pay the 50,000-strong airport workforce despite the ongoing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown… Trump’s order will reportedly tap into funding from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that he signed last year.”
“Officials are hoping the restoration of TSA employees’ pay will be enough to lure those who have been calling out back to work, easing the long lines and wait times facing travelers. But it’s not clear how quickly that will happen,” The Hill reported. “Some major airports continued to advise passengers to show up four or more hours before flights over the weekend. TSA call-out rates topped 10 percent nationwide Saturday, a slight drop from the high reached on Friday. Several major airports had a quarter or more of their staff call out.”
The Hill noted that “White House border czar Tom Homan said he was unsure whether federal immigration officers would leave airports once TSA agents start getting paid again” given the uncertainty of how many TSA agents will come back to work.
2. SCOTUS to weigh birthright citizenship
The New York Times reports that “for generations, most legal experts and the courts have agreed that the Constitution guarantees citizenship to nearly all babies born in the United States.”
“But ever since Donald Trump issued an executive order to eliminate so-called birthright citizenship for the infants of undocumented immigrants and temporary residents, some conservative legal scholars have begun re-examining the history of the 14th Amendment, long understood as the source of the birthright guarantee,” NYT reported. “On Wednesday, the Supreme Court will hear arguments on the legality of Mr. Trump’s executive order, and some conservative legal experts say that, in light of new scholarship, it might be a closer call that once thought.”
“A lot of people, when Trump first started talking about it, thought this is crazy,” said John Yoo, per NYT. He is a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, who was a top lawyer in the George W. Bush administration. “But in the intervening years, a lot more serious people are taking it seriously.”
Sports
1. Miss. State sweeps Ole Miss
No. 6 Mississippi State went over to Oxford and swept the homestanding No. 18 Ole Miss Rebels in their SEC three-game series.
The Bulldogs (24-4, 7-2 SEC) took a 7-1 win on Sunday, capping off the weekend after winning 5-4 on Friday and 6-1 on Saturday.
Mississippi State is back in Starkville Tuesday to take on Grambling at 6 p.m. on SEC Network+.
Ole Miss (19-10, 3-6 SEC) will play Little Rock on Tuesday morning at 11 a.m. in Oxford for the annual Kid’s Game. It will be aired on SEC Network+.
2. Southern Miss takes 2 out of 3 over App State
No. 11 Southern Miss won the Sun Belt series over Appalachian State in Hattiesburg, taking 2 out of the 3 games over the weekend.
Southern Miss (21-7 overall, 5-4 Sun Belt) capped off the series with a 13-4 win Sunday. The Golden Eagles won Friday’s game 6-5 before dropping the Saturday contest 6-2.
The Golden Eagles finish a four-game homestand Tuesday when they entertain Southeastern Louisiana. Game time is set for 6 p.m.
Former Ole Miss athletics director, coach, and student-athlete John Warner Alford Jr. passed away on Friday. He dedicated over 30 years to the university.
Ole Miss said of Alford:
“A student-athlete, coach, and administrator, Alford has been recognized for his success and dedication to Ole Miss athletics. He has been inducted into the M-Club Alumni Hall of Fame in 1999, the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 2003, the University of Mississippi Alumni Hall of Fame in 2009, and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Hall of Fame in 2018. In 2018, he received the University of Mississippi Alumni Service Award…
“A guard for legendary head coach John Vaught, Alford and quarterback Jake Gibbs were permanent co-captains of the 1960 squad, defeated Rice in the Sugar Bowl, and were named National Champions by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA)…
“Graduating with a BBA degree in June of 1961, Alford was a young business executive in McComb for four years before he decided in 1965 he wanted to return to football. After earning his master’s degree in economics, he joined the collegiate coaching ranks at Davidson (NC) College, where he served 14 months as defensive coordinator before spending the next three years as an assistant coach at Georgia Tech. Alford returned to Ole Miss after six years, when he was named the Rebels’ defensive line coach in 1971 and served in that position for three seasons…
“In 1974, Alford was named Assistant Director of Athletics and Director of Rebel Recruiting. In 1977, he relinquished his recruiting duties in order to devote full attention to administrative duties before being named Director of Athletics in 1978. During his 16 years as director, Alford helped produce one of the nation’s finest athletics programs, including progress on the fields of competition, in the classroom, and in facilities.”
Markets & Business
1. Future up to open Easter week
CNBC reports that “U.S. equity futures traded higher on Monday after President Donald Trump offered investors hope that an end to the war against Iran is drawing near… Wall Street is coming off a losing week, with the Dow and Nasdaq tipping into correction territory. The Dow, Nasdaq and S&P 500 all posted their fifth straight weekly declines.”
“The United States of America is in serious discussions with A NEW, AND MORE REASONABLE, REGIME to end our Military Operations in Iran,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Monday.
CNBC added, “Still, crude prices ticked higher to start the week. Brent crude futures climbed 2% to above $115 per barrel. West Texas Intermediate futures were up 1% at above $101 a barrel.
2. EU advances trade deal talks with U.S.
According to the Wall Street Journal, “European Union lawmakers voted to advance talks on the bloc’s trade deal with the U.S., bringing officials one step closer to implementing the accord.”
“Members of the European Parliament on Thursday voted 417 in favor and 154 against to adopt their position on pieces of legislation that would slash tariffs on U.S. goods under the trade deal, which was initially reached in July 2025 after months of back-and-forth between the European Commission and U.S. President Trump’s administration. Under that deal, tariffs on most U.S. goods imported to the EU would be eliminated, while EU goods shipped to the U.S. would face a 15% tariff ceiling,” WSJ reported. “The vote paves the way for negotiations between lawmakers, EU countries and the European Commission. Bernd Lange, chair of the parliament’s trade committee, said on Thursday the first of those talks would kick off on April 13.”
WSJ continued, “The parliament’s ratification process was put on hold last month after the Supreme Court ruled that some of Trump’s so-called reciprocal global tariffs were illegal, having already been paused after Trump threatened to impose tariffs on some European countries over Greenland.”
-- Article credit to the staff for the Magnolia Tribune --
