By Clay Mansell The Wesson News welcomes Louise Vaughn, PhD, MBA, MPA as its new City Beat reporter. Vaughn, who has a master’s degree in Accounting, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and a doctorate in educational leadership, is not only a writer, but is also heavily involved in agriculture and community development. Professionally, her experience crosses several areas, including accounting and financial consulting, tax preparation, business development, human reso

Special to Wesson News A 78-year-old truck driver was found dead outside his tractor-trailer near the Interstate 55 rest area in Wesson on Thursday, authorities said. The man was discovered just south of the northbound rest area, located near mile marker 54 in Copiah County. Copiah County Emergency Operations Center Director Darryl Hilliard said the driver was found lying on the ground near the passenger side of the 18-wheeler. A passerby spotted the man and alerted authoriti

Wesson residents now have access to faster internet options following an expansion of Sparklight’s Multi-Gig network in Southwest Mississippi. Sparklight announced Wednesday, Sept. 2, that residential customers in Wesson can access internet speeds of up to 2 Gig as part of the company’s latest regional network expansion. The expansion follows nearly $10 million in network investments in McComb and surrounding communities. According to Sparklight, the improvements have increas

Special to Wesson News Copiah County’s burn ban is scheduled to expire at midnight Tuesday, Sept. 1, pending any official extension by local authorities or the Mississippi Forestry Commission . At the time of this writing, no update or extension to the burn ban has been announced. The county has been under the burn ban since Aug. 17 amid hot, dry conditions and an increased risk of wildfires. The restriction was implemented as Mississippi experienced a significant increase in

The funeral service for the former Mayor of Brookhaven, Robert V. (Bob) Massengill, will be at Faith Presbyterian Church located at 400 Magee Drive in Brookhaven at 11 a.m. on Thursday, September 3, 2026, with visitation at the church from 9 a.m. until the time of the service. He was preceded in death by his parents, his sister, and his wife of 59 years, Carol. He is survived by his high school sweetheart and loving second wife, Ann Williams Sherman Massengill. He was the pro

Special to Wesson News Pictured (l to r) are Lily Sykes, Myles Smith, Cam Peets, Katie Grace Garcia, Kennedy Garcia, Sami Curole, Jerry Johnson, Piper Curole and Mia Case. To commemorate National Garden Club Week, June 7-13, 2026, the Wesson Garden Club and the Butterbeans youth gardening group collaborated on a flower arrangement workshop at the Wesson Library Pavilion. The workshop highlighted the three essential design elements: thriller, filler and spiller. The finis

By Guest Columnist Kim Whittington It’s back to school time! I know many parents are very happy because their kids are driving them crazy. By all means, let’s send them back to school, and let the teachers deal with their attitudes. I could never be a teacher. Teachers have so much to deal with that has nothing to do with teaching. You know, you see them working at the ballgames, standing outside in the rain putting the precious kids in the car after school. They always hav

Copiah-Lincoln Community College's Press P.A.W.S Initiative has received the 2026 Excellence in Mental Health and Well-Being Award from Insight Into Academia magazine. Co-Lin will be featured, along with 37 other nation-wide recipients, in the September 2026 issue of Insight Into Academia magazine. Co-Lin was the only Mississippi college or university to earn this national recognition. The Excellence in Mental Health and Well-Being Award is a measure of an institution's ind

Wesson News The Wesson Attendance Center’s (WAC) Cobra PTO is again offering the opportunity for area residents to celebrate their child’s special day, shout out their accomplishments or praise their favorite staff members for all of WAC to see. Those interested can “Rent the Rock” on display at WAC and paint it with a special congratulatory, celebratory or encouraging message. Rock rental is $20 for a 24-hour period and does not include painting services. Parents are respon

Special to Wesson News Pictured (l to r) are Colettes Kimora Peyton, Caroline Strong, Kaden Belcher, Kayla Bourg, Riley Floyd, Addie Carver, Anna Kate Goree, Maranda Bowman, Celeen Brice, Abbey Berch and Allie Beeson Copiah-Lincoln Community College (Co-Lin) has announced its 2026-27 Colettes dance team, and the squad is already turning heads. After a standout showing at Universal Dance Association (UDA) summer camp on the campus of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, th

Special to Wesson News A Crystal Springs man has been sentenced to 43 years in prison after pleading guilty to multiple charges involving child sexual abuse material and methamphetamine. David Yonathan Orozco, 30, was sentenced Monday, Aug. 17, to 43 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections, according to Madison and Rankin Counties District Attorney John K. “Bubba” Bramlett. Orozco will also be required to register as a sex offender following his rele

Special to Wesson News For the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 79, Department President Sara Black Lassiter installed the new Unit officers. Pictured (l to r) are Sharon Langley, chaplain; Vivian Hoeflich, historian; Laurie Chassion, treasurer; Judy Chester, secretary; Janet Currie, vice president; and Kim Whittington, president. Not pictured is Camille Johnston, sergeant-at-arms. American Legion Post 79 recently held a special meeting recently to install its 2026-27 officer

By Jessica Breazeale The Wesson Public Library and Wesson Friends of the Library kept young readers busy throughout July with a lineup of hands-on programs as part of this year's Summer Reading Program, "Unearth a Story." The month kicked off July 9 with a paleontology presentation that drew more than sixty attendees. The program was led by Sabrina Cummings, M.S., C.I.G., a conservation biologist and outreach educator with the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, who sh

Special to Wesson News The Co-Lin Foundation recently celebrated raising $2 million in revenue for the first time in its history at their July board meeting. Pictured are Foundation executive director Angela Furr and Co-Lin president Dr. Dewayne Middleton (center) and the Foundation Board of Directors. For the first time in its history, during the 2025-26 fiscal year, the Copiah-Lincoln Community College Foundation received more than $2 million in donations. The Foundation’

Special to Wesson News A new Mississippi attendance law (Mississippi Code Annotated § 37-13-91) takes effect this school year (starting July 1, 2026). The new state legislative mandates are designed to bolster classroom engagement and academic performance for public school students. The Copiah County School District recently outlined the upcoming guidelines, which stem from the updated Mississippi state law and apply uniformly to every public school district across the

By Sarah Grace Coleman Marsha Raiford and her family at Clark Creek in Woodville Marsha Raiford is a life-long resident of Wesson, where she lives with her husband, Lance Raiford, and their two youngest children, Nick and Savannah. Her oldest daughter, Kelly Grace, lives on her own. Growing up, Raiford’s dream was to be a dancer and cheerleader. She attended Nena Smith’s School of Dance, where she later worked as a student teacher in high school. Raiford attended Copiah-Lin

Dr. Walterine Nelson Copiah-Lincoln Community College has announced the establishment of its new Division of Nursing and Allied Health, a strategic organizational enhancement that reflects the continued growth of the college's healthcare programs and aligns Co-Lin's organizational structure with many colleges and universities where healthcare programs are housed within a specialized division. The new division will house Associate Degree Nursing, LPN-to-RN, Medical Laboratory

By Jessica Breazeale Wesson native Landon Beasley Landon Beasley left Wesson for the Army and saw more than thirty countries. Now, he's betting on bringing his hometown back to what he remembers it being. Beasley, 38, was born and raised in Wesson. He's an active-duty Major in the Mississippi Army National Guard, a graduate of Mississippi State University and the University of Maryland, and the founder of Southern Grid Properties, a real estate investment company he started

Special to Wesson News Pictured (l to r) are Erika Gemelli, Debbie Brown, Danielle Graham, Alana Lyons, LeAnne Duet, Natasha Lewis, Edna Stevens, Megan Lang, Ruth Case, Katie Hall and Susan Lee. For the third year in a row, dozens of Wesson Attendance Center students walked into the new school year with fresh haircuts, courtesy of local stylists who donated their time and skills free of charge. The event, held August 2 from 2 to 5 p.m. in the school's old gym, drew six stylis

A 27-year-old Crystal Springs man was killed Thursday afternoon in a single-vehicle crash on Interstate 55 in Copiah County, according to the Mississippi Highway Patrol. The crash occurred at approximately 3:52 p.m. Thursday near the 51-mile marker on Interstate 55 South. Preliminary information from the Mississippi Highway Patrol indicates that Anthony Antoine McKnight Jr. was driving a 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee southbound when the vehicle left the roadway and struck a tree.