Special to Wesson News Dr. Bobby G. Helms, Director of Choral Activities and Theater, is taking his college choir to Carnegie Hall in New York City. Along with the Jackson-based Mississippi Boys Choir, also directed by Helms, the Presbyterian Christian School choir from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, the Tyler, Texas, First Baptist Church choir and a New York City choir, the Co-Lin choir will perform the world premiere of To Truly Love on May 25 at the famed Gotham venue. “I

Residents from across the Jackson area are expected to gather on Saturday, May 30, 2026, for the annual BAPS Charities Walk-Run, part of a nationwide volunteer-driven event taking place simultaneously in more than 100 cities across North America. The Jackson event, scheduled at 2390 Greenway Drive in Jackson, Mississippi, is expected to bring together approximately 300 participants of all ages in support of local charitable causes, including the American Cancer Society and th

Special to Wesson News Butterbeans get trees to plant and nurture. The Butterbeans, the youth gardeners of the Wesson Garden Club, celebrated Earth Day Wesson Public Library last months in conjunction with National Library Week. Librarian Marilyn Britt lectured the group, discussing the historical context and significance of Earth Day. This annual event, observed globally on April 22, supports environmental protection efforts, she said. Having first taken place in 1970, Ear

md The Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS) today announced a $5 million investment of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) direct funds to child care assistance for low-income working families in Federal Fiscal Year 2026. The new funding will be administered through MDHS's Division of Early Childhood Care and Development (DECCD) and distributed through the established Child Care Payment Program (CCPP) voucher system. These TANF direct funds are in additi

Special to Wesson News Competitors in the Wesson Kids Got Talent show danced, sang, played instruments and displayed works of art. Fifteen local children and youth between the ages of four and 18 years old demonstrated that they don’t take a backseat to their peers elsewhere when it comes to dancing, singing, playing musical instruments, the visual arts and more in the first Wesson Kids Got Talent competition sponsored by the Wesson Chamber of Commerce on the evening of May

Special to Wesson News Jessica Breazeale accepts award on behalf of G.O.A.T Camps at the Children’s Foundation of Mississippi’s 2026 Summit. G.O.A.T Camps was recognized as a 2026 REACH Award winner during the Children’s Foundation of Mississippi’s 2026 Summit, Sowing Seeds of Success: Cultivating a Bright Future for Mississippi’s Children last month at Pearl, Mississippi. The two-day Summit brought together leaders, professionals, advocates, educators, community partners

Law camps that will introduce high school students to the legal profession are scheduled for June and July in Brandon, Gulfport, Indianola, Natchez, Starkville, Tupelo and Vicksburg. The Mississippi Court of Appeals also will conduct a one-day appellate law camp in Jackson. Planned programs are expected to include discussions with judges, attorneys and court staff; opportunities to watch court proceedings; and practice activities including moc

Special to Wesson News Tent vendor fees spark discussion at Aldermen meeting. Do vendors in tents at town events, who pay almost nothing to sell food and products, compete unfairly with brick and mortar businesses? A question about the fee vendors at the Chamber of Commerce Taco Tuesdays are paying – or not paying -- sparked an intense, but polite discussion about the issue among Wesson Aldermen, Teri Bath, the Chamber president, and other townspeople at the May Aldermen me

Special to Wesson News : Lions Club members (left to right) Daryl and Stephanie Alsbury, Suzanne and Randy Davis, Larry Williams, Bob Arnold and Bobby Thornton celebrated receiving Chamber of Commerce Community Service Award. Wesson Chamber of Commerce celebrated the movers and shakers of the town last month at its 2026 awards banquet. The Chamber brought local leaders to the podium at the Co-Lin Thames Center and presented awards to businesses that helped drive the econ

Special to Wesson News Local Realtor Sherry R. Davis has been named a Leading Edge Society Award winner Davis, of Wesson, is a Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices (BHHS) team member. She is also a retired school teacher working on her second career, now in real estate. This Leading Edge Society award recognizes top-performing agents for their sales achievements within the BHHS network. Davis ranked among the top agents based on her 2025 sales numbers. She has been a realtor

Special to Wesson News Chris McSweyn, the long-time chef at Wesson’s once world-renown Porches Restaurant before taking over as Executive Chef for Co-Lin’s Aladdin Campus Dining, shared his cooking secrets with more than 20 Institute for Learning in Retirement members seeking to improve their culinary skills in a special workshop at the college’s Thames Center last month. At the workshop, McSweyn shared start-from-scratch recipes for water melon and ch

The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) is providing free Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis) vaccinations and birth certificates to residents impacted during last week's tornadoes in Lincoln, Lamar and Franklin counties. The American Red Cross will also be providing resources. Residents and first responders ages 19 and older in the impacted area can receive the Tdap vaccine at no cost, regardless of insurance status, by visiting the MSDH mobile unit in the

Special to Wesson News Wesson High School will graduate 72 seniors this month with the end of the 2025-2026 school year. Brendon Duiguid STAR Student Among the graduates are four Wesson Attendance Hall of Fame inductees: Tate Brister, Macy Loy, Ty Turner and Mary Margaret Woods. The 2026 Star Student from the Class of 2026 is Brendon Duguid. The 2026 Star Teacher is Heather McKenzie. The 72 graduating seniors are: Tate Brister- Hall of Fame Brayden David Allen, Jac

Caylie Britt, a junior at Wesson Attendance Center (WAC), is the 2026-2027 Wesson Founder’s Day Queen. The daughter of Hillry and Misty Britt of Wesson, the new Queen says she aspired to the role because “I am proud to be a part of the community.” She says grew up in Wesson and always enjoyed the events that brought the town together and believes “I would be a positive representative for the town.” At WAC, Britt has been a member of the Beta Club, yearbook staff and Educa

By: Bob Arnold The Co-Lin Foundation inducted 11 new members into its Hall of Fame. Members of the 2025 class pictured were (front, from left) Dr. Toby and Kathy Graves, Wesson Lions Club representative Larry Williams, Bank of Brookhaven representative Shannon Aker, Dr. Richard and Lesa Baker, Melton King, Angela Furr, LaNissa Wilson; (back) Wesson Lions Club representative Bobby Thornton, David Magee, CCMC Cares Foundation representative David Sinclair, Dr. Dewayne and Tan

Co-Lin culinary arts sophomore Ashlyn Sprayberry of Harrisville, a graduate of Mendenhall High School, has earned a paid internship at Disney World in Orlando, FL as part of the Disney College Program. Pictured with Sprayberry is Culinary Arts program director Abby Rials. Copiah-Lincoln Community College sophomore Ashlyn Sprayberry of Harrisville has been accepted into the Disney College Program at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Sprayberry, a Culinary Arts Technology

By Courtney Warren I am so glad we are finally to warmer weather! It’s time to lounge outside in the sun and enjoy the beauty around us. For me, that means spending time in the backyard and at the pool with a good book. Here are two books I am excited about. Kutchinsky’s Egg by Serena Kutchinsky. According to the publisher, when Kutchinsky was a child, her life was turned upside down by her father’s obsession with crafting the world’s largest jeweled egg. Long after her famil

Benson Schexnaydre Olivia Vaughn Copiah-Lincoln Community College sophomores Benson Schexnaydre of McCall Creek and Olivia Vaughn of Union Church have each won a $4,000 scholarship awarded by the national mathematics honor society Mu Alpha Theta. Only three community college students in the nation were selected for the prestigious scholarship to be used at the university of their choosing. "Benson is a dedicated and hardworking pre-engi

Special to Wesson News Curbing vandalism at Wesson Municipal Park requires the assistance of park users who see it happening and reporting it to police right away, Aldermen agreed at their April meeting. The vandalism is occurring in park bathrooms and at the Veterans Memorial, and probably unsupervised youth are culprits, Mayor Alton Shaw said. “Too often the vandalism isn’t reported until several days after it occurs,” noted Alderman Mike King. “Daily reports from ci

BISSELL Pet Foundation, a national animal welfare organization dedicated to ending pet homelessness, is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its signature Empty the Shelters® event with a nationwide reduced-fee adoption effort from May 1–17, 2026. The Brookhaven Animal Rescue League (BARL) is proud to participate in this nationwide event, joining more than 335 shelters across 39 states to help pets find loving homes. During the event, BISSELL Pet Foundation will sponsor reduce