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By Bob Garver   Poster credit IMDB   Since this weekend’s highest-grossing as-yet-unreviewed theatrical film, 205-minute Indian actioner “Dhurandhar,” is playing on only 377 screens in the entire country, I thought I’d take this opportunity to review something a little more accessible. “Wake Up Dead Man” is the third installment of Rian Johnson’s “Knives Out” mystery franchise. Like its predecessor “Glass Onion,” “Wake Up Dead Man” is treating fans to a brief theatrical run to supplement its December 12th Netflix debut. As with the original “Knives Out” from 2019, the whodunit largely follows a character so likely to be the killer that they start to suspect themselves. Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor) is the assistant pastor at Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude Church in upstate New York, having been assigned there as punishment for punching a rude deacon at his old church. He clashes with head pastor Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin) over the church leader’s tendency to verbally browbeat unfamiliar parishioners until they leave. Duplenticy wants people to feel welcome in the church, and he also takes issue with Wicks’ drinking, greed, and general corruption. A rivalry and power struggle develop between the two, and it seems like control of both the church and the souls of Wicks’ inner circle are on the line. Wicks’ inner circle consists of lawyer Vera Draven (Kerry Washington) and her adopted brother Cy (Daryl McCormack), doctor Nat Sharp (Jeremy Renner, sadly making no reference to the actor lending his name to a brand of hot sauce in “Glass Onion”), washed-up sci-fi author Lee Ross (Andrew Scott), disabled cellist Simone Vivane (Cailee Spaeny), church groundskeeper Samson Holt (Thomas Haden… Church, appropriately), and longtime church assistant Martha Delacroix (Glenn Close). These people and Duplenticy are the only ones near the pulpit during a Good Friday service when Wicks is found murdered in a closet off to one side. And the one who went closest to the closet during the service was Duplenticy. Local police chief Geraldine Scott (Mila Kunis) decides that the case is too bizarre for her department to solve on their own. So she reaches out to an… outside resource. In comes private investigator and franchise face Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig). Although Blanc can’t exactly rule out Duplenticy as a suspect, he’s a good enough judge of character to know that the kindhearted redemption-seeker probably didn’t kill Wicks, even if the evidence says otherwise. Still, both Blanc and Duplenticy have a job ahead of them, uncovering layer after layer of secrets involving illegitimate children, a crazed mother, a missing family fortune, more deaths, and a person in a pastoral robe emerging from a sealed mausoleum containing the recently-deceased body of Wicks and the skeletal remains of his grandfather. Did a Dead Man truly Wake Up in a Christ-like miracle? Devout Duplenticy believes one may have. Atheist Blanc highly doubts it, but then what did happen? Fans of the “Knives Out” movies (and the similarly-timed Kenneth Branagh Hercule Poirot trilogy) will know to wait patiently for Blanc to unravel the convoluted mystery. For as twisty as these stories are, there’s a loose, but recognizable formula to them. Characters take turns as prime suspects as lies are uncovered and secrets revealed until likely theories are disproven and the solution has to be something else. The solution, at least as it pertains to the “How?” is never apparent from the outset, so it’s up to the audience to just enjoy the ride, usually courtesy of Blanc and his ridiculous Southern charm. This ride is less fun than the other “Knives Out” movies, with its often-serious looks at faith, betrayal, and forgiveness, and also because it takes Blanc longer than usual to show up. But it’s still fun, and certainly clever enough for me to recommend. “Wake Up Dead Man” may not be the sharpest of the “Knives Out” franchise, but it fits into the drawer just fine. Grade: B- “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” is now available on Netflix. The film is rated PG-13 for violent content, bloody images, strong language, some crude sexual material, and smoking. Its running time is 144 minutes. Contact Bob Garver at  rrg251@nyu.edu .

Special to Wesson News   A museum that will tell the story of Wesson is nearing reality next to the municipal park in a building formerly a venue for Boy Scouts.   “With purchase of equipment and building materials related moisture-proofing the building, we are moving forward with the first phase of the project,” says Marilyn Britt on behalf of Friends of the Library (FOL), which is sponsoring and coordinating the development of the museum.   An initial $9,500 Home Depot grant has jump-started the work and has so far been used to purchase a steel back door, seven windows, a dehumidifier and mini-split air conditioner and dehumidifier.   FOL expects Town of Wesson public works personnel and citizen-resident and Home Depot volunteers provide the labor required for installations, necessary repairs and cosmetics.   Britt singled out Home Depot’s Elisha Howard for helping to identify needed work.  “She did a walk-through showed us what needed attention to turn the building into a museum,” she explained.   Britt said the next phases of the building project will include:   Ceiling lighting Lighting for display cases Making the building handicap-accessible Electrical repairs Painting walls Repairing floors   The Town of Wesson has agreed to seal the front and north doors of the building to maintain its character.   FOL hopes the museum building will be ready for occupancy by the end of July, but additional funding and volunteer assistance will be needed.

Send responses to: andybowman839@gmail.com People are just people, everywhere you go. Everyone has their favorite hobbies and if given the chance, they would spend hours doing just that. And most of us also have heavy responsibilities that we avoid like the plague for as long as possible. As long as possible without wrecking our finances, or letting the house fall down around our ears. But only doing the great stuff? A truly adult life doesn’t work like that. Not unless you were fortunate enough to make a career out of your favorite hobby. But even then, there’s parts that are boring and stressful. For example, if you love toddlers and have chosen to run a daycare, those hours you get to spend playing and teaching them are magical. But as sure as day follows night, there is cleanup, bookkeeping, restocking of supplies, taxes, and a myriad of other responsibilities that aren’t near as much fun. But still, they have to be done. That’s the way life works for most people. And most adults accept it. Work and play, play and work. But. Then there’s others. That certain segment of semi-adults who somehow believe that  “I am definitely entitled to live differently!”  They think that because they only live once, they should be allowed to only do what they choose. Only the fun stuff. The adventurous stuff. And if society protests and tries to get them to change and accept responsibility for their life, they just stubbornly claim they have the right to exercise their right to do absolutely nothing of value. Others in that segment of non-working adults think they should play now, while they still have youthful vim and vigor. Work and responsibility can come later in life, after they have had time to experience all that adult playtime has to offer. The whole idea does sound fun, and honestly, kind of tempting. After all, who doesn’t like the idea of doing exactly as you want? When, how, and where you want. All the time. And then spend your – ahem - less than energetic years, working some dull, meaningless job that will allow you to pay off all your bills from earlier decades. But there’s a problem with that entire thought; If we all played, who provides the basics for the world? Food crops, transportation, homes, hospitals, and the money to have all those essentials? Second problem: In order to be meaningful, life needs real challenges to our minds, emotions and our bodies. In short, we need work. Without it, life gets sickening and uninspired. Much like a child who is allowed to eat sugary foods only and ends up suffering in every way, because his body is not receiving what it needs. In the same way, we humans NEED work  and  playtime to actually thrive. We need the challenge and the learned discipline that comes with hard work. But we also have to have time away from that work. I believe it’s called balance.

Special to Wesson News   The Wesson chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma (DKG) has presented its annual Red Rose Award to Marilyn Britt, Librarian at Wesson Public Library.   The DKG Red Rose Award is an annual recognition program for non-member women leaders who have significantly contributed to education within a local chapter's area .   The award is presented by local chapters of DKG, the international organization for women educators, to honor women whose work has advanced education and the status of women in leadership roles. Recipients are often women who are involved in the community but not members of DKG.    Britt became librarian at Wesson Public Library after a distinguished banking career in which she was a vice president at Trustmark and manager of its Wesson branch.  At Wesson Public Library, she has developed new services and implemented programs to build user traffic.   With chapters worldwide, DKG has and over 100,000 members in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and several European nations.  The honorary society for women educators promotes their professional and personal growth and excellence in education.  Its Greek letters stand for "Didaskotikai Kleidouchai Gynaikes," which translates to "teachers key women".    Founded in 1929, its mission is to unite women educators in a fellowship, advance their professional interests, and support legislation for education. The society aims to provide a spiritual fellowship for women educators, honor those who have given distinctive service, and advance their professional interests. It also seeks to support legislation, provide scholarships, and stimulate members' personal and professional growth. DKG provides scholarships for graduate study to members, with amounts up to $6,000 for a master's degree and $10,000 for a PhD, notes.

Fourteen students recently completed Copiah-Lincoln Community College's Electrical Lineman School. The 16-week training program is offered by the college's Workforce Education Division.  The Electrical Lineman Program is a non-credit workforce training program that, when completed, provides graduates with nine credentials: National Electric Codes, National Safety Electric Codes, Multi-Meter, OSHA-10, Forklift, First Aid/CPR, 40-hours climbing, Pole-Top Rescue, and CDL- Class A- License.   Graduates included Zachary Baker of Wesson, Ayden Carraway of Hazlehurst, Jay Fleming of Natchez, Avery Gary of Mendenhall, Gatlin Guynes of Bogue Chitto, Rhett Hedgepeth of Bogue Chitto, Helena Jointer of Brookhaven, Joseph Martin of Bogue Chitto, Philip Melancon of Brookhaven, Mason Shivers of Sumrall, Kolby Sagely of Brookhaven, Nelson Slocum of Lawrence, Todd Rodriguez of Brookhaven, and Mason Williamson of Florence.

By: Kelley Williams, Chair Bigger Pie Forum   Hans Einstein   Not Albert, his son Hans. As far as we know, Albert was right about his General Theory of Relativity and other natural laws. Hans was not as famous as his father. But he was the world expert on river sediments. He advised the Corps of Engineers (Corps) on the design of the Old River Control Complex (ORCC) in the 1950s. He thought the Corps would take his advice. He was wrong. The Corps built the ORCC to keep the Mississippi River from changing course down the Atchafalaya River. It’s about 50 miles upstream from Baton Rouge. It controls the Mississippi’s flow and diverts 23% to the  Atchafalaya as ordered by Congress (1954 Flood Control Act) and thence straight to the Gulf near Morgan City. It leaves the remaining 77% in the main channel to meander to the Gulf at New Orleans. Hans knew the natural law of sediment transport concentrates sediments in a meandering river when part of its flow is diverted. And that the concentrated sediments would fall out, clog the channel, create a  bottleneck, and slow the Mississippi’s flow to the Gulf. And that this would cause higher and longer floods upstream. He sought to minimize these effects by the careful design of the ORCC and by siting it to divert flow from the river’s sediment-rich strata. He was right about the design and the siting. Sedimentation was negligible for  27 years from 1963 when ORCC started up to 1990. Then the Corps ignored his advice and the natural law of sedimentation to collaborate on a hydroelectric power plant. Private investors built the plant and made a deal with the Corps to put it just upstream of the ORCC and for the Corps to send sediment-lean flow through its turbines to the Atchafalaya instead of the sediment-rich flow it had sent through the ORCC. Han’s couldn’t know this would happen. But he could have predicted the result: sediments concentrated in the river’s main channel, fell out, clogged it just below ORCC, and slowed its discharge to the Gulf. The river rose, floods got higher and much longer  inside the levees with little or no increase in rainfall. In 2015 there was a step-change increase in flood duration. The increase became obvious to landowners inside the levees in 2016. Floods were 2-3 times longer in the five years after 2015 vs before. There was no  increase in the frequency of floods (rainfall events). The Corps knew that sediments were increasing in 2005 when it made the first measurement of the river channel after the power plant began operating. By 2015 Corps measurements showed the channel width had  shrunk by 50% and the channel depth, by 33%. The Corps knew this was happening and that it would continue and make floods ever higher and longer. But the Mississippi River Commission (MRC) generals told Mississippi’s Secretary of State, other landowners, and me the flooding was due to more rain when we testified about flood damage in 2016-17. No mention  of sediments. We didn’t learn that sediments were the cause until 2018. Why did the Generals hide the real cause? The Corps deal with the power plant is a liability and an embarrassment. The Generals may have been ordered to hide it. The Corps is supposed to control floods and mitigate flood damage. Its deal with the power  plant makes both worse. The Corps has a Memo of Understanding (MOU) with the company that owns the plant. It requires the Corps to send sediment lean flow to the plant. It also requires the owner of the plant to dredge sediments the plant causes. The company doesn’t dredge. The Corps doesn’t enforce the MOU or dredge the sediments itself. It seems strangely indifferent to the consequences of its decisions. We learned the real cause of the floods after LSU’s Dr. Xu published a report in late 2017 based on changes in Corps morphology measurements (channel dimensions) cited above. It showed that sediments had  clogged the channel below ORCC and made it much smaller (bottleneck) since 1990. He said the bottleneck would cause the river to rise and change course in a big flood. In 2019, the Corps published a little-noticed updated flow line study. It predicts hundreds of miles of levees from Greenville to New Orleans will overtop in a big flood. The last time that happened was the great flood of  1927. Reality has confirmed that Dr. Einstein was right about Nature’s sediment transport law and the consequences of violating it. And that he was wrong to think the Corps would obey it. So disaster looms ever sooner as a result of Corps decisions — which seem inconsistent with the mission Congress gave it (1928 Flood Control Act): don’t let another 1927 flood happen. It looks like Corps’ decisions are leading to another great flood. Who made the decisions about the power plant? And the decision not to dredge the sediments, and the decision not to build a relief structure to take the top off of floods, and the decision not to tell landowners inside  the levees the cause of their flooding, and the decision not to warn landowners outside the levees about the increasing risk and inevitability of levees overtopping. The Corps is a bureaucracy subordinate to other bureaucracies and to Congress. Authority and responsibility are diffuse. No one takes responsibility for bad decisions. No one is solely to blame for the flooding inside  the levees and the coming flood disaster outside the levees. The buck doesn’t stop with the Mississippi River Commission Generals. They follow orders too. It seems the buck doesn’t stop anywhere. That’s the problem. We don’t know the names of the Generals, politicians, and bureaucrats who made the decisions now. But we will learn them after the levees overtop.

By Guest Columnist Bonnie Coblentz             Mississippi’s Christmas tree industry remains strong with demand, and it is growing as young farmers are entering the market. These trees were growing at Holly Berry Hills Tree Farm in Saucier. It seems Christmas tree farms benefit from the fact that Mississippians like to pass down the tradition of choosing and cutting their own trees.            Jeff Wilson, horticulture specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said there are at least 22 Christmas tree farms scattered across the state serving the population who likes to choose and cut their own tree as the way to begin the Christmas season.            “The industry in Mississippi is small in comparison to other agriculture entities, but the market is strong and growing as several new farms have begun growing trees in the last five years,” Wilson said. “Tree growers are also selling additional products, like wreaths and swags for decoration.”            Robert Smith, co-owner of Smith’s Christmas Tree Farm in Moselle, said the industry had a very good growing year in most places.            “There was plenty of rain in the spring and the trees look good,” said Smith, who is also the Mississippi director of the Southern Christmas Tree Association. “The drought in the fall really didn’t hurt that much, but it slowed the trees down a little bit.”   Smith said the state’s growers try to produce 8-foot trees in about 3 years. Leyland cypress is the number 1 seller, but Mississippi farms also grow Murray cypress, Virginia pines and Carolina sapphires.            “These trees grow relatively fast, so three to four years is an average growing time to get a tree to marketable size,” he said.            Smith has more than 2,500 trees ready to sell this year on nearly 35 acres in Jones County he has dedicated to Christmas trees. Smith has more than 10,000 trees that are kept in about a 7-year rotation, with new ones being planted after others are cut, and some are left to reach bigger sizes.            Smith’s Christmas Tree Farm has pines and red cedars that start at $5 per foot, with cypress, Virginia pines and Carolina sapphires running $7 a foot or more, depending on the size of the tree.          Although it takes a lot of work to raise good Christmas trees, a younger cohort of growers is entering the business as some of the older growers are retiring.     Jessica Haley, co-owner of Holly Berry Hills Tree Farm in Saucier, works with her grandmother in the family Christmas tree business. She said the drought in recent years slowed tree growth considerably.            “I think the trees put on 6 to 7 inches of growth,” Haley said. “It will take a whole maybe year or two to sell what we would have sold this year.”            The biggest disease challenge facing Mississippi Christmas trees is a fungal foliar disease that primarily affects Leyland cypress. A fungicide is available to treat the disease, but it is very difficult to control it successfully, as it thrives in the state’s hot, humid climate.            Haley said disease was not as much as issue this year as it was in 2023 and 2024 when her farm in Harrison County lost about 300 trees to drought and disease.   “We have approximately 12 acres that we planted on and about 500 to 800 trees per field on seven fields,” she said. “To lose 350 trees is basically a whole field.”         Despite the challenges, growers stay in the business because the demand is there.            “I’ve asked a couple of customers over the years why they come to us, and we’ve had a lot of people tell us it’s a tradition,” Hayley said. “The kids just love it, and some of these parents were doing the same thing with their family when they were the kids ages.” EDITOR’S NOTE:  Bonnie Coblentz writes for the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

By Misty Strieff Prine “May I never forget on my best day that I still need God as desperately as I did on my worst day.” – May ALL of us have this mindset!!                  This is something that I pray not one single one of us ever loses sight of. We need God JUST as much on our good days as we do on our bad ones. Why? Because we are nor will we EVER be exempt from our need for grace. No matter what good place or bad place we are in our lives, we need God every second of every day. We are not perfect, but we are perfectly capable of making plenty of mistakes and bad decisions. The minute we think we can handle like on our own, we might as well be prepared to face plant. Life is hard and we are human. God is good and His ways (and timing) are perfect. Keep Him close, never far. I want to close with the verse below and a song that perfectly relates to this message. “But as for me, I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; you are my God, do not delay.” - Psalm 40:17 “Lord I Need You” by Matt Maher. They Lyrics are as follows: “Lord, I come, I confess, bowing here I find my rest. Without You, I fall apart. You're the One that guides my heart. Lord, I need You, oh, I need You. Every hour I need You. My one defense, my righteousness, oh God, how I need You! Where sin runs deep, Your grace is more. Where grace is found is where You are. Where You are, Lord, I am free. Holiness is Christ in me! Lord, I need You, oh, I need You. Every hour I need You. My one defense, my righteousness, oh God, how I need You. So, teach my song to rise to You when temptation comes my way. When I cannot stand, I'll fall on You. Jesus, You're my hope and stay! **For daily devotionals, you can follow me on Facebook at The Upward Way or on Instagram at the_upward_way.

Special to Wesson News Wesson’s history is well documented in its mills, rail lines, schools, and cemeteries, yet some of its most memorable stories live outside the official record. They drift between neighborhoods and landmarks, carried through generations by word of mouth. These tales—rooted in old memories, half-truths, and the community’s shared imagination—compose a quieter, more mysterious layer of the town’s identity. A walk through Wesson becomes a walk through its folklore, where every bend in the road, every pine stand, and every historic site seems touched by stories that refuse to fade. The Echoes Beneath the Mill Long before the last wheel stopped turning, former mill workers spoke of strange noises drifting through Mississippi Mills after hours. Some insisted the old factory never truly slept. According to one story, a night watchman in the early 1900s claimed he heard the rhythmic clatter of phantom looms on windless summer nights. He supposedly followed the sound through the weaving room, lantern in hand, only to find the space empty—and silent. Whether rooted in imagination or lingering sound from aging machinery, the tale has endured. Older residents still recall grandparents who spoke of “the looms that never quit,” a poetic reminder of the industry that built Wesson from the ground up. The Library’s “Page Turner” At the Wesson Public Library, staff over the years have mentioned a curious phenomenon: a single book left open on a table after closing—despite no one remembering placing it there. Even odder, the book is usually about local history.The story has grown into a piece of gentle local folklore. Some say it’s a former librarian keeping watch over the collection. Others think it’s simply drafty windows. Either way, volunteers often joke that the library has “a reader who never signs the log.” The Music at Old Wesson School Grounds Before the modern school buildings took their place, the old Wesson school had a reputation for a distinct echo. Former students recalled hearing faint notes after choir practice—long after everyone stopped singing.Even today, when the wind comes across the grounds just right, some say they hear the same soft tones. Maybe it’s the air moving through new structures. Maybe it’s generations of students who simply aren’t done with their song. A Shadow Waiting for a Train On the old depot grounds—where trains once rattled and whistled through town—neighbors have long reported seeing a shadowy figure standing near where the platform used to be. Always in the corner of their vision. Always gone the moment they look directly. Generations have repeated the same thought: maybe it’s a passenger who never quite caught his train. The railroad shaped Wesson’s early growth, and this small bit of lore keeps that connection alive in its own peculiar way. Why These Stories Matter Wesson’s hidden histories endure not because they demand belief, but because they add depth to the places residents call home. They create connection, spark curiosity, and offer a sense of wonder in a town with strong roots and a steady path forward. Whether these tales are shadows of the past or simple imagination hardly matters. What counts is that they continue to be told—around kitchen tables, during walks at dusk, or in quiet moments when the pines rustle just a little too softly. In Wesson, history is more than dates and documents. It’s woven into every road, every hill, every old foundation. And as long as the stories survive, the town’s spirit remains richer for them.

Special to Wesson News Co-Lin Men's Basketball Team Co-Lin Women's Basketball Team While the Lady Wolves have jumped off to a fast start on the basketball court with only a single loss to Baton Rouge Community College in their initial seven games, the men under new Coach Randy Bolden have had a more mixed season so far with four wins against five losses. Bolden is hoping to guide the Wolves to improve on their 2024-25 overall 11-15 finish (3-11 in Mississippi Association of Community College Conference play) and failing to qualify for the Region 23 Tournament. "First and foremost, I want our team to get better game by game and day by day,” Bolden said. "We have a relatively young team this season and most of them haven't played together.  So we are working on building team cohesiveness and see where that takes us." In contrast, Lady Wolves Head Coach Britta Stephens Belanger, in her third year at Co-Lin, has an experienced team that finished 15-14 overall and 5-9 in MACCC play during the 2024-25 season, just narrowly missing the Region 23 Tournament field. "I think that we have a very veteran group with ten sophomores on our roster and eight of those are returners," says Stephens Belanger. "This year the conversation for our team is very different than it was last year. This year we want to try and win the conference, finish in the top four, and host the first round of the Region 23 Tournament." The men’s roster of 15 players features 14 incoming players with one returning sophomore in Zach Thompson (Hattiesburg). Coach Bolden had high praise for what this roster has done so far to get ready for the season.  The 14 incoming players are a mixture of transfers and freshmen and include Moustapha Salekh (Ngekoh, Senegal), Jadius McCormick (Bay Springs), Stevent Watkins (Ridgeland), LeBron Deal (Monroe, Louisiana), Koie Williams (Philadelphia), Tyrell Bowles (Springdale, Maryland), Morris Hammond (Ridgeland), Dylan Creggett (DeSoto, Texas), Caleb Crozier (Yazoo City), Jackson Payne (Madison), Tristian Lucas (Pearl), Jamei McGhee (Heidelberg), and Jamichael Green (Rolling Fork). "Tyrell Bowles is someone that we think a lot of, and we think he can be one of the best bigs in the league,” Bolden says.  “LeBron Deal is a player to watch. Our biggest surprise is Caleb Crozier who has really come along in the offseason and we think he is going to be a really good player for us.  Guys like Stevent, Tristian, and Jamichael who transferred from other community colleges in the state have been really good at offering insight for our freshmen on what to expect for the season and that was one of the reasons we wanted to bring them here," added Bolden. Guys like Koie, Jackson, and Jamei help our team because they were with us at Mississippi College and they know my standards and expectations for the team. Both groups come ready to practice and play and the experience that they give our freshmen is invaluable to our team." Coach Bolden says success for his team is very simple: "Developing young men! I think if our players come in as kids and leave as young men with the understanding of the importance of going to school and getting up and giving each day your very best, that is the most important thing.  I have been coaching for a very long time, and I attribute my career longevity to investing into our players first and then the basketball second. The Lady Wolves roster features 13 players including ten sophomores with eight returners and two transfers.  The sophomore group includes returning players Maddison Mitchell (Baton Rouge, Louisiana), Eymani Key (Lafayette, Louisiana), Zariah Hatten (Taylorsville), Jamyria Robinson (St. Martin), Tyra Johnson (Morton), Kamaiyah Pruitt (Pass Christian), Amari Barnes (Tylertown), and Kylinn Bell (Choctaw) while the two transfers are Kailyn Willis (Philadelphia) who spent last season at Coffeyville in Kansas along with Akeelah Hobson (Oakdale, Louisiana) who transferred from Southwest Mississippi. "This group is pretty special for coach Rachel Thompson and me because this is the first group that we have had for two years that we recruited to come here. This is the first year that all the players are my own and this group is very mature," says Stephens Belanger. "Just having this group being with me for a year has made a difference because they know what I expect along with knowing what to run and call." The three freshmen for the Lady Wolves are Jalynn Applewhite (Gulfport), Zion Nelson (Terry) and Tae Clay (Baton Rouge, Louisiana), who suffered a season-ending in her first practice.  Stephens Belanger says she is excited for what this group adds to the team. "For the first time in my entire coaching career, I have a team that has two dynamic post players that can do a lot of things with the ball in that area, and I am excited about what Jalynn and Zion can do for us,” says Stephens Belanger.  “There won't be a night where we are undersized against teams this season because of those two. They both can play with their back to the basket and can shoot the ball. While they are very different players, they are very dynamic with what they can do. They also allow us to play some other players in positions that they are more accustomed to being in." Coach Stephens Belanger says success for this team is simple:  "As a coach, I am a competitor and I want to win every game, but success for this team is personal growth and continue to develop their game.  We have ten players that we have to try and help find a place to play at the next level wherever that is. That will be determined by them and their play while success for our freshmen looks like potentially pushing for one of the starting spots." For both the men and women hoopsters, December is a relatively calm month before the competition heats up in January and into February and March.  This month, the Lady Wolves play at LSU Eunice and Southern University in Louisiana, teams they easily defeated on their home court in Wesson.  The men play home games with Bevill State and Delgado to whom they lost on the road and visit Southern University, to whom they lost, and Gadsden State, who they beat.

By Bob Garver   Poster credit IMDB               From its ridiculous opening scene, there is little denying that “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” is one of the stupidest movies of 2025. Its only real competition comes from Disney’s live-action “Snow White” remake thinking that its Dwarfs were fit for human eyesight. And it’s not even the fun kind of stupid horror movie. It was never really on the table for this to be a “good” horror movie like “Sinners,” but it could have at least been an interesting flavor of stupid. The potential for such flavor is at least present in the opening scene, but the movie squanders even that prospect fairly quickly.             In the opening scene, set in 1982, morose young Charlotte (Audrey Lynn Marie) eschews every other entertaining aspect of children’s pizza emporium Freddy Fazbear’s to wait for her favorite animatronic character. She turns her attention long enough to notice a boy being abducted (as would later become common at Freddy’s) and tries to alert parents at nearby tables, but none will listen to her. If her warnings had caused a deadly panic, then maybe that could have been a plausible foundation for a horror movie, but no, the movie seriously has all the adults just blow off a girl who is screaming about witnessing a child abduction. She has no choice but to try to rescue the boy herself, which costs her her life. She dies onstage as her aforementioned favorite animatronic – the Marionette – a character not in the first movie because it did not carry over to the subsequent Freddy’s franchise location where that movie was set, appears to take her soul.             In the present day, first-movie protagonist Mike (Josh Hutcherson) is trying to move on with his life. He’s got a good thing going, now with uncontested custody of his younger sister Abby (Piper Rubio) and a budding relationship with cop friend Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail). But Vanessa is still haunted by dreams of her villainous father William (Matthew Lillard, only used for a cameo for the sake of a cameo) and Abby is being bullied by her loathsome science teacher (Wayne Knight). Plus Abby just has to be obsessed with her old “friends” at Freddy’s, which leads to Mike giving her a radio that lets her talk to the possessed robots. It turns out that the radio lets her talk to the “wrong” possessed robots, as in the ones at the old Freddy’s location, which includes The Marionette, now possessed by Charlotte.             Charlotte, who can possess the Marionette animatronic, but also humans, including a viral ghost chaser (McKenna Grace, actually quite scary on the few occasions that the movie lets her be) is on a mission to rid the world of adults. Not just the adults that ignored her in 1982 – all adults. Some manipulation of Abby and boom, Charlotte now has a whole fleet of Freddy’s robots at her disposal. Characters jockey for control of the robots, who are descending on a town-wide celebration of the  Freddy’s legacy. The movie looks like it’s ready for a big festival showdown around crowds of people for its climax and then… it ends.             Is it an unwelcome spoiler to say that the movie ends with only one robot at the festival and more on the way? Maybe so, but it was an unwelcome spoiling of my moviegoing experience for the movie to end where it did. And the sequel-bait ending is only one of the movie’s problems. The pacing is horrendous, the acting is stiff, cheap jump scares are way overused, the robots can supposedly sneak up on people despite being giant metal monstrosities, we’re expected to keep track of which robots are under whose control despite there being multiple versions of the same robots, and Matthew Lillard doesn’t share any screentime with fellow “Scream” killer Skeet Ulrich (as Charlotte’s father) despite the movie’s advertising heavily implying a reunion. With very little time left to lose its lead, “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” is the worst movie of 2025. Grade: D “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” is rated PG-13 for violent content, terror and some language. Its running time is 104 minutes. Contact Bob Garver at  rrg251@nyu.edu .

Special to Wesson News   Dr. Nadia Alexis, head of the Literary Arts Department at Brookhaven-based Mississippi School of the of McComb, debuted the collection of her poetry and photography this past year in Watersheds , published by CavanKerry Press, with the help of the Mississippi Art Commission (MAC) for the second year in a row. As part of more than $1.7 million in 2025 grants, MAC awarded Dr. Alexis a $4,250 literary artist fellowship to support the revision process of her young adult novel-in-verse, including some of the cost to attend the AWP Conference in Los Angeles when her book was published in the spring. The Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC) is a state agency serving more than two million people through grants and special initiatives that enhance communities, assist artists and arts organizations, promote arts education and celebrate Mississippi’s cultural heritage. MAC is funded by the Mississippi Legislature, the National Endowment for the Arts, and other private sources.  Its annual grant funds went to individuals and organizations in 92 Mississippi House of Representatives districts and 52 state Senate districts. “I was grateful to receive this support for my work and my literary career,” said Dr. Alexis.  “It’s an honor to be creating and blooming in Mississippi. Learning from some of the state’s best literary and visual artists, and its birds, trees, and skies, has deeply impacted my artistic practice and contributed significantly to me receiving this fellowship.” A poet, writer, photographer, and educator born and raised in Harlem, New York City, to Haitian immigrants, Dr. Alexis has lived in Mississippi for eight years, currently in McComb.  Her writing and photography have appeared in numerous publications. She has received several accolades including a 2024 Individual Artist Mini-Grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission, a 2024 STAR Teacher Award, a 2024 Vance Fellowship from the Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration, and being named the 2023 Poet of the Year at the Haitian Creative Digital Awards. Her photography has also been exhibited in several shows in the U.S. and Cuba. A fellow of the Callaloo Creative Writing Workshop and the Watering Hole, she holds a PhD and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Mississippi. Pointing to Dr. Alexis, MAC Executive Director says “Mississippi is synonymous with the quality of art that emits from our state. The arts enhance the quality of life and local economies.  With the generous support from the Mississippi Legislature, we can activate our citizens’ innate creativity and invest in our communities.” For information about the Mississippi Arts Commission, please contact Ellie Banks, Communications Director, 601-359-6546 or ebanks@arts.ms.gov .