“I am not stupid! Ignorant maybe, but certainly not totally stupid.” The rallying cry of most of us. Everyone feels better when they have at least a little bit of knowledge concerning what they are doing. That’s why starting a new job can be nerve-wracking. Why attending a new school is so hard on kids, where everything is totally different and they don’t know any names yet. Why it’s so difficult to force yourself to find a new church to attend, even though you believe that life seems to flow a little easier when you have dedicated one morning a week to inviting the Lord to guide and help you. For many of us, starting over or beginning something new is not fun. Because, being ‘the new kid on the block,’ where you feel awkward and yet to be accepted, can be an isolating experience. If you have ever begun a new job or school, you likely found that every facet of it was new to you. You probably had to ask someone a jillion questions for the first few days, and that gets very old, very quickly. It’s called learning. And it can be stressful, but sometimes it can actually be exhilarating and fun. I guess it just depends on your mental and emotional approach to the process. And also depends a lot on your mentor for the job. If you have the good fortune to inherit a kind, well-spoken instructor to walk you thru the process of grasping all the details, you are blessed indeed. Nothing worse than trying to learn from someone who makes it clear that you are interfering with their time. Or even worse, if you are personally resented. Because you were given a job that in their estimation should have gone to someone else. That can almost guarantee a very rough beginning that is going to last until they decide to forgive you. But like I mentioned earlier, there can be a fun part. It is affirming and exciting when you know you have grasped something new. Even if it is just a tiny part of the new requirements, “Hey, I got this, I can do it!” And making new friends with your co-workers or classmates - absolutely nothing wrong with that. Then the day comes when you are actually functioning on your own. Nobody has to remind you, direct you, or walk you through it one more time. Oh, happy day! You learned, you truly know what you are doing, and you belong. That, my friends, is a good feeling. If you are one of the fortunate - one of the few who has had the same classmates for years, or you never had to be the “newby” at work, then take these last two sentences to heart: It is extremely difficult for some people to be the one having to learn everything and everyone. Please, take time to be kind and helpful for their sake.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), in partnership with the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Federal Depository Insurance Corporation (FDIC), is hosting a series of regional economic development workshops on the “Path to Prosperity” in Mississippi, Kentucky, and Georgia to provide small businesses, including farmers and ranchers, with the resources and tools they need to grow. “These independent businesses, in rural communities, are the cornerstone of American life but many of them lack the same level of access to resources and economic development as their counterparts in larger metro areas,” said Malcom A. Shorter, USDA’s Acting Assistant Secretary for Administration. “USDA is committed to ensuring that small businesses of all types have the knowledge and opportunity to prosper, create jobs and stimulate their local economies.” The partnership and the “Path to Prosperity” workshops align with the Biden-Harris Administration's Executive Order on “Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government” and show the Department’s commitment to increase access to USDA’s products and services and improve service delivery in rural and underserved communities. Shorter said “Given USDA’s procurement portfolio of more than $9 billion annually, we can help small businesses access capital through government contracts. Last year, 25.8% of the Department’s contracts went to small, disadvantaged businesses, surpassing our goal of 21.5%, and we plan to exceed that goal again this year.” Through the “Path to Prosperity” regional economic development series; Federal, state, and local government agencies, along with private sector and non-profit partners, will provide small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs with resources and an opportunity to engage with experts and each other to learn best practices. The no-cost series features experts in how to start a business, how to access capital, and how to do business with the government. They will also include facilitated lender-small business matchmaking sessions. In order to meet participants where they are, the partnership will be conducting a pre-event assessment. Additional resources and experts will be provided based on any further needs. Presenters will discuss: Incentivizing unbanked and under-banked small business owners and individuals to establish a sustainable relationship with an insured financial institution, Expanding technical assistance and financial education for small business owners and individuals to improve their bankability, Increasing the number of SBA certified lenders to provide access to capital for small, minority, and underserved businesses, and Developing contracting relationships with Federal government and private industry partners. Workshop participants include small businesses, financial institutions, community development financial institutions (CDFIs), trade groups, local, state, and Federal agencies, community leaders, nonprofits, and community-based staff representing organizations. This spring, three “Path to Prosperity” workshops will be held in Mississippi, Kentucky, and Georgia with the goal of also reaching individuals and businesses in the surrounding region, as follows: Jackson, Mississippi (Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma) Lexington, Kentucky (Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee, West Virginia) Albany, Georgia (North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee) “These regions were chosen because local businesses accessed USDA’s procurement opportunities at a lower rate than others,” said George A. Sears, director of USDA’s Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization. The first “Path to Prosperity” event is on Tuesday, April 11, 2023, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm ET at the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum located at 1150 Lakeland Dr, Jackson, MS 39216. All participants must register to attend either “In Person” or “Virtually” at Path to Prosperity - Mississippi. The second event is scheduled for Tuesday, April 18, 2023, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm ET at the University of Kentucky, William T. Young Library, 401 Hilltop Avenue, Lexington, KY 40526. All participants must register to attend either “In Person” or “Virtually” at Path to Prosperity - Kentucky. The third and final southern state event will be held Tuesday, May 2, 2023, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm ET at Albany State University – West Campus, 2400 Gillionville Road, Albany, Georgia 31707, in Student Center Ballroom C266. All participants must register to attend either “In Person” or “Virtually” at Path to Prosperity - Georgia. Four "Path to Prosperity" events have been held since last fiscal year, with nearly 450 participants attending the Caribbean workshops in Caguas, Puerto Rico and St. Croix, Virgin Islands in March 2023, according to Sears. Other states will follow later in the year. USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy, and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

By Bob Arnold Ask outgoing Co-Lin President Dr. Jane Hulon Sims why she is retiring from her job at the college now, what the high and low points have been in her work and what is her vision for the future of the local institution, and she keeps coming back to one word: growth. From the college’s welcoming sign on Highway 51 to upgrading its athletic facilities to taking on regional economic development as a mission, she says it is all about investing in Co-Lin’s growth. Because the college is in a good position and well-positioned for growth into the future, Hulon Sims believes “it’s a good time to pass the ball.” While she and her husband will be resettling in Oxford, Mississippi, near Ole Miss, Hulon Sims says she has no thoughts of moving into new work at another institution or in other service any time soon. “We’ll enjoy the music and fine arts available in a university town, but, while I am still in good health, spend time with family and travel,” she says. When Hulon Sims took over as President of Co-Lin, the primary item on her agenda was the college’s growth and she thinks its enrollment increase going into the fall semester, which she hopes will continue with the spring semester, reflects her efforts to make the school “special,” “grand” and “collegiate.” In projects big and small – down to the bricks used in building renovations, she has aimed not only at enhancing the campus to increase its functionality, but to appeal to students and visitors. She points to a new welcoming sign on Highway 51 and the new President’s home as important first impressions, new residents halls that create a “special” feeling on campus, new parking facilities, lighting and a sidewalk funded by the Mississippi Department of Transportation under construction on the visitors’ side of Stone Stadium that make a difference in how people the perceive the college. “We want students to make Co-Lin a stop in their college and university journey,” says Hulon Sims. “Hopefully, they will stay and earn an Associates Degree, but we wamt them to at least begin their journey with us.” Construction projects during her tenure as president of the college also included a Career-Technical Building at the Simpson County Center, a Diesel Lab on the Natchez Campus and several campus beautification projects. Renovations at the college have encompassed the Cosmetology lab, bridge replacements on Wolf Hollow Golf Course, The Wolf Den Grill and Smoothie Bar, Fortenberry Career-Tech Building classrooms, and PJ’s Coffee. A major project – upgrading the athletic program’s facilities – was not a priority when she started the job, she says. “I did not intend to become Co-Lin’s athletic program president, but the college’s classrooms and laboratories had been upgraded in previous years, and the our coaches filed into my office soon after I became president to point out the need to repair and renovate the athletic facilities,” she relates. “I am a list-maker, took faithful notes, and talked to our board about the needs.” The result was a three-phase plan to address the athletic program’s needs, including installation of turf and a new scoreboard at Stone Stadium, an eight-court tennis complex and renovations at the Sullivan Baseball Field funded by corporate sponsors and other private donors through the “Back the Pack” capital campaign. Beyond meeting needs of the athletic program, “Back the Pack” helped build Co-Lin’s experience in working with donors outside the public sphere, Hulon Sims says. “State and other government funds are dwindling, and external funding from private sources is increasingly more important for meeting Co-Lin’s needs,” she points out. The funding of a $30 to $40 million Educational, Performing Arts and Athletic Center (EPAAC) on the Co-Lin campus will be a major test the college’s capacity to tap private sector support in the coming years, but Hulon-Sims, who has requested state funds three times for the project without a significant response, is confident it has the strength to capture the dollars, and says she expects to return sooner than later for its ground breaking. “Fundraising is progressing, and I am optimistic the next Co-Lin president can continue it successfully,” she says. “The college needs a performing arts center and new gymnasium, and southwest Mississippi needs the economic impact EPAAC can make,” she says. During her tenure as president, Co-Lin has also seen new instructional programs, scholarships, services that have increased student success and graduation rates and creation of new partnerships with universities and business and industry in the Co-Lin district. The college has been ranked number one in the state for graduation rates and for student success and been named “A Great College to Work For” and an Aspen Top 150 Community College during her leadership. Both men’s and women’s soccer were reinstated and the Blue Wave Show Band grew to be the largest band in school history. Hulon Sims has also broadened the college’s participation in regional economic development beyond its traditional role of training a workforce for employers. Co-Lin has sought to assist entrepreneurs in advancing business concepts and supports the ACT Work Ready program in the seven Co-Lin district counties by administering the WorkKeys Assessment to certify their emerging, existing and transitional workforces as “Work Ready.” The college is partnering with Southwest College in Summit to bring together economic development leaders from the region to explore strategic planning and cooperative efforts in recruiting new employers. This year, it is focusing on preparing workers for the future economy by supporting and implementing programs that advance the goals of the Mississippi Economic Council’s Accelerate Mississippi and the Woodward Hines Education Foundation’s “Ascent to 55.” “In the final analysis, Co-Lin’s growth is tied to economic growth in southwest Mississippi,” Hulon Sims observes. “We train students to live and work in the region, but that requires an economy that can support them.” In her quest to stimulate Co-Lin’s growth, Hulon Sims singles out the COVID-19 pandemic, which shut down the college’s traditional programming, as her biggest challenge. “I knew the college could meet educational needs through its distance learning capabilities, but I wasn’t sure the internet and broadband infrastructure was in place to connect,” she says. COVID stalled her agenda, but “we accomplished a lot,” she asserts. “There are things we didn’t accomplish, but I believe we’re leaving a legacy of growth.”Hulon Sims predicts a new president will be ready take over at Co-Lin when she leaves at the end of June, and says the announcement about her successor could come within weeks. “I am grateful to have served as Co-Lin’s president,” she says. “Co-Lin has always been there for me, even through some of my lowest points personally, and I have sought to give back. I followed some great leaders at the college, filling some big shoes, but believe I have continued in the right direction. I have appreciated the support of the college’s board, and particularly the work of my leadership team that has worked along side me to do what needed to be done. I have functioned as head cheerleader, but depended on others who share my desire for educational excellence on all our campuses. It has been a joy and honor to work with them.” Hulon Sims is a graduate of Jones County Junior College, received both a Bachelor of Science Degree and a Master of Education Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Southern Mississippi, and earned her Doctorate in Higher Education Administration from Mississippi State University before starting her 34-year career in education – 23 of them at Co-Lin starting in 1999 as Director of Planning and Research. Before becoming president of the college, she also served as Vice President of the Wesson Campus, Vice President of Instructional Services and Academic Dean of Instruction.

With the fall 2022 reorganization of the Fine and Performing Arts Department, Hinds Community College will produce a musical at Brooks Theatre for the first time in 12 years. The musical is “The Spitfire Grill.” The Lendon Players drama department typically performs two shows a year, one in the fall semester and another in the spring, a drama and a comedy. “This isn’t just the Lendon Players,” said Theatre and Drama Director Alison Stafford, co-director of the production along with Marc Rivet. “Every aspect of the department is contributing in some way, shape or form.” Also heavily involved in the production are Choir Director Andrew Head and Voice Instructor Dr. Mandy Spivak. Rivet, who serves as musical director, came on board at Hinds in fall 2022 as the Music Industry and Piano Instructor. His background is in musical theatre and opera. “I’m in charge of all of the instrumentation, the sound and making decisions on how they should be singing, certain phrases,” Rivet said. “The way that the music is sung needs to be directly influenced by how the actors are feeling. Even though I’m mainly the music director, there’s still things that the acting plays a part in.” Stafford said Rivet’s involvement is crucial to being able to produce a musical. “I myself don’t possess enough knowledge to be able to pull this off by myself,” she said. “We decided that we wanted to start doing musicals again because we had people like Marc.” Musicals are “more expensive to mount than a regular straight play. And with the singing is a lot more complicated,” she said. “You have to know in advance that you’ve got the right people with the right vocal quality, the right vocal ranges to be able to pull off those parts.” But, Rivet said, students get much more from the musical production experience. “There are a lot of more moving parts when it comes to a musical. So that gives the kids a lot more experience with different things that they might not have thought about or be a part of,” he said. “The Spitfire Grill” will be performed 7 p.m. April 18-21 at Brooks Theatre on the Raymond Campus. Tickets can be purchased online at hindscc.edu/calendar-event/the-spitfire-grill-themusical The musical has seven student cast members, six of whom sing. All auditioned for their parts. In the play, a feisty parolee follows her dreams, based on a page from an old travel book, to a small town in Wisconsin and finds a place for herself working at Hannah’s Spitfire Grill. The Grill is for sale, but there are no takers for the only eatery in the depressed town, so newcomer Percy convinces Hannah to raffle it off. Entry fees are $100 and the best essay on why you want the Grill wins. Soon, mail arrives by the wheelbarrow and things really start cookin’ at the Spitfire Grill. With six campuses in central Mississippi, Hinds Community College is a comprehensive institution offering quality, affordable educational opportunities with academic programs of study leading to seamless university transfer and career and technical programs teaching job-ready skills. Our Mission: Hinds Community College is committed to moving people and communities forward by helping develop their purpose, passion and profession. Our Vision: Hinds Community College will be a catalyst to create a competitive economy and a compelling culture for Mississippi. Our Values: Hinds Community College aspires to the following IDEALS: Integrity, Diversity, Excellence, Accountability, Leadership, Stewardship. To learn more, visit www.hindscc.edu or call 1.800.HindsCC.

Wesson area donors seeking to assist Mississippi storm survivors have been giving money and goods to help them through at least two organizations locally. Both Co-Lin and American Legion Drane-Prine Post # 79 announced they would accept donations, and local churches, although they made no public announcements, often are affiliated with national disaster response agencies. Through March 30, Co-Lin in partnership with Mississippi Delta Community College collected water, protein bars, peanut butter and toiletries from donors who brought them to Student Services in the Henley Building for distribution to affected persons. The American Legion started collecting funds and goods April 3-8, and is continuing April 10-15 at its 1014 Main Street location from 3 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday thru Friday and 12 noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday. The Legion is requesting personal hygiene items, including toothpaste, tooth brushes, deodorant, bath towels, shampoos and conditioner; new pillows, sheets, blankets, air mattresses and cots; charcoal, trash bags, bandaids, five-gallon buckets with lids, peanut butter, individual wrapped snacks, protein bars and bottled water; and pet supplies, including dog and cat food and kennels. With donated funds, the Legion will buy supplies and contribute to the America Legion Emergency Relief Fund, which also assists veterans and their families who are members of the Legion. Two church agencies with local congregations always on the scene at disasters are the Southern Baptist Convention and United Methodist Committee on Relief. In late March, a powerful storm that spawned at least one devastating tornado that killed 25 people in Mississippi and leveled hundreds of buildings. Rolling Fork, a town of around 1,900 in western Mississippi, was hit the hardest, with its water tower destroyed, homes reduced to rubble, tree trunks snapped like twigs and cars tossed aside like toys. Silver City, a rural community of around 300, saw similar devastation. Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves declared a state of emergency in affected areas, observing that “the scale of the damage and loss is evident everywhere affected. Homes, businesses ... entire communities." President Joe Biden ordered federal aid to supplement state, tribal and local recovery efforts in the affected areas, specifically Carroll, Humphreys, Monroe, and Sharkey counties. Mississippi officials set up three emergency shelters, including at the National Guard Armory in Rolling Fork, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) director travelled to the scene.

By Bob Arnold Born in Birmingham, Alabama, growing up in Madison, Mississippi, Mandeville, Louisiana, and Atlanta, and spending her early working life and child-rearing years in and around the Georgia capital, Leah Embry didn’t settle in our little of the world, which she always considered her home, until 13 years ago. Area folk concerned about their health and nutrition are glad she did. Embry’s parents settled in Birmingham after leaving their families in Brookhaven, but southwest Mississippi just naturally became home to their daughter as she regularly returned with them over the years to visit grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Today, Embry is the retail manager for Co-Lin Aladdin Campus as part of a dramatic life change after “coming home,” which included becoming a mom at age 40 to a son born 13 years after her oldest daughter and giving up a career in insurance and financial services to follow a growing interest in food preparation and nutrition that had started as a hobby while working in Atlanta. Embry grew up in Mandeville, Louisiana, and Atlanta. In elementary school in St. Tammany Parish near New Orleans, she enjoyed dancing starting when she was nine years old as a member of the St. Tammany Starlets, with which she performed during half time at Super Bowl XXIV in 1989. At 16 years old, when her family moved to the Atlanta area, she joined the cheerleading squad, played softball and competed on the swimming team at Harrison High School in Marietta, Georgia, from which she graduated in 1996. “We couldn’t find a venue for dancing, so I became a cheerleader and athlete as a high school sophomore.” Embry explains. Foreshadowing her pursuit of a business career, Embry also participated in her high school chapter of Future Business Leaders of America, and remembers meeting President Clinton at a conference. From high school, it was on to the University of West Georgia at Carrollton, where she graduated with a degree in finance, and then started a 15-year career in insurance and financial planning in 2000 with New York Life and AFLAC. In college, she also met her husband Scott with whom she had two daughters while living and working in Atlanta. When she wasn’t working or mothering, Embry, who always enjoyed cooking, also started focusing seriously on nutritional food preparation in her spare time. “I started studying nutrition after reading labels on cans and food packaging and wondering about those big words I couldn’t pronounce or which, like ‘BLT,’ were abbreviated,” she says. “I started visiting health food stores in the Atlanta, picking up brochures, doing research, learned about the dangers of food preservatives and sugar and organic foods alternatives.” Then Embry came home, and everything has changed. Embry’s husband, whose work involved travel related to Kinder Morgan’s oil and gas lands on the Atlantic coast, told her he could do his work from almost any location, and he wouldn’t mind doing it where she called home. So they moved with their two daughters to Brookhaven in 2010. Initially, she continued her insurance and financial planning career at their new location, but Embry decided to change her life five years later when she became pregnant at age 40. “I quit my job to become a stay-at-home mom, home-school my daughters – Sophie and Bella, who were in the first and sixth grades – and care for my new son, Asher,” Embry recounts. She continued her self-directed education in nutrition, studied online with the Spencer Institute to earn a certification as a personal fitness chef in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and started counseling and cooking meals for clients with special health needs – diabetics and persons with other health issues, including high blood pressure and celiac disease. In May a year ago, before her older daughter Bella, now 19, decided to enroll at Co-Lin, Embry accompanied her on a tour of the campus led by Richard Baker, the college’s vice president of finance. On the tour, Baker stopped at a renovation site and talked to them about the future opening of a campus hangout that would serve grill food and items that were nutritionally planned. “My heart started beating rapidly, and I texted him later that day about my business background, passion for cooking and nutrition, and interest in helping make that happen,” Embry says. A few days they were talking about the job she is now doing at Co-Lin. Embry is at home! What are your hobbies? After cooking and mothering, I also study and teach the Word of God. At East Haven Baptist Church in Brookhaven, I teach a Sunday School for women. When I have time, I enjoy painting and drawing. Are you a reader? I love reading. I enjoy history and cookbooks. I’m also a news nerd, and read about politics. I like Christian fiction, particularly writings of Francene Rivers. Outside of the Bible, I very much enjoy Redeeming Love, which she wrote. Do you follow movies or theater? I’m too busy to keep up, and would rather pursue studies, but I enjoy some movies out of the past – Dirty Dancing, Top Gun, Little Mermaid and the Jason Bourne films. I also follow the Yellowstone television series with Kevin Costner about the Western expansion. How about music? Anything I can dance to – Motown, the oldies, country, even rap. My kids have also introduced me to new music, some of which I enjoy. I don’t play an instrument or sing. What would you do with the winnings if you won the lottery? I’d give to my church first, then invest as a good financial planner. Finally, believe it or not, I am into five-speed fast muscle cars – Mustangs, GTs. How would you change the world? By teaching the Word of God.

By Bob Garver Last week, I wrote in my review of “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” that I wasn’t really familiar with the “Dungeons & Dragons” game, and that may have affected my enjoyment of the movie. There will be no such disclaimer for “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.” My brother and I were introduced to video games through “Super Mario Bros.” and “Donkey Kong Country.” I even tried playing the games myself sometimes, in between watching my brother play and actually win. So, while I’m not saying that I picked up on every Nintendo Easter Egg in this movie, there wasn’t much that caught me off-guard. And that’s kind of the problem, nothing here surprised me. Brothers Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day) aren’t having much luck with their plumbing business in Brooklyn, but their fortunes could change if they can stop a massive flood. They follow the sewer system to a mysterious pipe, which they enter, only to be whisked away to the world of the Mushroom Kingdom, where they get split up. On top of being lost, stranded, and separated from his brother, Mario is trapped in a world that centers around his least-favorite pizza topping. Mario makes fast friends with scrappy Mushroom Kingdom resident Toad (Keegan-Michael Key), who suggests they go to get help from Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy). She’s dealing with a problem of her own: an impending invasion by the evil Bowser (Jack Black) and his army of Koopas. Bowser has taken Luigi hostage, so Mario and Peach have a shared interest in his defeat. Mario and Toad accompany Peach on a mission to recruit the Kong army to combat the Koopas. King Cranky Kong (Fred Armisen) agrees to loan Peach his army if Mario can defeat his son Donkey Kong (Seth Rogen) in an arena battle. An alliance is soon formed, but Bowser isn’t far off. Bowser, for his part, is probably the funniest character in the movie, thanks to three words: Jack Black singing. He has a diabolical plan to marry Peach, which he plans to do by force, but he also wants to do it the right way, with romance and attentiveness. “Adventure Time” had a storyline like this, and arguably, so did “Beauty and the Beast.” But this is the first one to throw in a Jack Black piano ballad. Black’s performance is one of the few memorable things about this movie, the rest is pretty much disposable. Every time the movie gives us a funny joke or action beat, a lame one will come along to even it out, and vice versa. Very little falls above (or below, to be fair) the level of “middling.” I’ll say this: it was a good idea to make this movie animated. You just don’t get this brand of bright colors and bouncy movements in real life. Plus, I’ve seen portions of the yucky 1993 live-action movie. I haven’t seen it all the way through, but I think it’s safe to say that this is better. By the time you read this, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” will probably be the #1 movie of the year at the domestic box office, after a killer opening over Easter weekend. I’m glad that something is taking down the MCU mush that was “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” especially given the whole MODOK fiasco. But I’d also like to see this movie taken down by something that I can actually recommend. This movie comes close to breaking the streak of the world never getting a single decent video game movie, it really does, but the jokes and action, not to mention some stiff voice performances (Taylor-Joy could have used a few more takes, so could Black when he’s delivering straight lines) just barely make this movie an underwater level. Grade: C “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” is rated PG for action and mild violence. Its running time is 92 minutes. Contact Bob Garver at rrg251@nyu.edu.

By Kara Kimbrough Every now and then I run across one of those surveys that challenges you to list the contents of your “last meal on earth.” Invariably, pasta, shrimp, garlic bread and a loaded green salad with Comeback dressing are on the list. I’m not a huge sweets lover, but when pressed, pound cake is on the list. My love of pound cake goes back to childhood, as do most people’s favorite dishes. Thumbing through a family cookbook I compiled a few years ago, I found three recipes for pound cake. One was an aunt’s sour cream pound cake recipe, another was a cream cheese pound cake recipe written in my teenage handwriting (although I have no memory of making it back then) and last, my grandmother’s contribution, simply entitled “Pound Cake.” I would share the recipe but it’s going to take a while to decipher the ingredients due to the age of the handwritten recipe and the obvious hurry she was in when she jotted it down. The two pound cakes I most often make are five flavors and whipping cream varieties. A favorite story is the time I included the five flavors pound cake recipe in a column. A few weeks later, I received an email from the daughter of the lady who had fallen ill and was hospitalized in a coma. Upon awakening, the first thing she asked her daughter was, “Did you find that recipe for five flavors pound cake?” Turns out, the dear lady had misplaced her newspaper and had been worrying about it before going to the hospital. I was more than happy to provide the daughter with a recipe to pass on to her mom. This story just signifies to me how important pound cake is to many people. It’s a simple cake, a fact that is portrayed in the name itself. “A pound of this…a pound of that…” Yes, it’s simple…but even the most elaborate dessert does not compare to a slice of hot pound cake fresh from the oven. It’s delicious topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and sliced strawberries and juice. But I’m quite happy enjoying a slice unadorned. So yes, I’m happy to include it in my “last meal on earth,” list. Here are just a few of my favorite pound cake recipes. Five Flavors-Pound Cake Cake: 2 sticks butter 3 cups sugar 1 cup milk 5 eggs, lightly whisked (not beaten to liquid form) 3 cups all-purpose flour ½ cup vegetable shortening 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon each: vanilla, lemon, rum, coconut and butter flavoring Glaze: 1 cup sugar ½ cup water 1 teaspoon each: vanilla, lemon, rum, coconut and butter flavoring For the cake: Cream butter, shortening and sugar in mixer. Add egg mixture slowly, beating well after the addition of each lightly-whisked egg, to ensure eggs are incorporated. Add baking powder to flour and stir to combine; add flour and milk alternately to the batter. Add the extracts one at a time, completely incorporating each one before adding the next. Continue beating until batter is shiny, about 4 minutes. Bake in a greased and floured tube pan for 1½ hours at 300 degrees. Glaze: combine ingredients in heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir until sugar is melted. Pour over hot cake while it’s still in the pan. Let set until cake is cool. Whipping Cream Pound Cake 3 cups sugar 1 cup real butter room temperature (no substitution) 6 large eggs, room temperature 3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted 1 cup whipping cream (also known as heavy cream) 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 10-inch bundt or tube pan with non-stick spray or flour and grease pan. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat on medium butter until smooth. Add sugar and mix until smooth about 2 to 3 minutes on medium speed. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour and heavy cream alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Add vanilla and mix on low to medium until well combined. Pour batter into a prepared 10-inch tube or bundt pan. Bake for 1 hour 15-25 minutes at 325 degrees. Test for doneness with a wooden toothpick. Cool in the pan for 20 to 25 minutes before turning onto a serving plate to cool completely. Ten-Minute Pound Cake (You will need a stand mixer to adequately blend this heavy cake mix) 3 cups granulated sugar 2 cups butter, softened 6 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla 4 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup whole milk Powdered sugar for dusting Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Liberally grease bottom, side and tube of 10-inch angel food cake pan with baking spray or shortening; lightly flour. In large bowl, beat sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla with electric stand mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed 5 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. On low speed, gradually beat in flour alternately with milk. Pour batter into pan. Bake 1 hour 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to cooling rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Kara Kimbrough is a food and travel writer from Mississippi. Email her at kkprco@yahoo.com.

A 5K Run/Walk, musicians, vendors with an array of arts and crafts; snacks, refreshments and meals; the crowning of a new Queen, s parade and fireworks will highlight the Wesson Founders’ Day celebration on Friday, May 5, and Saturday, May 6. The Wesson Chamber of Commerce is the primary sponsor of the event with additional support committed so far by the Town of Wesson, Trustmark National Bank, Copiah County Medical Center and Taylor’s Legacy, LLC. The festivities start on Friday evening with a Run/Walk that begins at 6 p.m. Walkers and runners start the 5K event on Highway 51 with signs along the way directing them through Wesson and the Co-Lin campus and ending at their starting point on Highway 51. Overall Run/Walk winners and those finishing first, second and third place in four age categories -- under 20, 21-35, 36-50 and 51 and over -- will be recognized. The fee is $25 for the run/walk. Last year, more than 60 adults and youth participated and larger numbers are expected this year. On Saturday, the Chamber will Crown a new Founder’s Day Queen and celebrate the reign of the outgoing 2022-23 Queen, Ally Sullivan, who has represented the Chamber at various events throughout the year. ` Throughout the day, soloists and bands now being lined up by Chamber President Stephen Ashley will take the Spring Street stage with an assortment of gospel, rock and country music, dance and crowd-pleasing performances to the celebration. Shoppers will browse vendor booths and bargain for clothing, jewelry, arts and crafts. An abundance of food, snacks and drinks will be available to satisfy the hunger needs of visitors. Keys vs. Strings from Brookhaven will provide the music for street dancing in the evening hours. The Town of Wesson is also planning activities to celebrate Copiah County’s Bicentennial and the American Legion will present a Wesson citizen with the American Legion Continuous Membership Award. The Founders parade will roll at 3:00 p.m. Participants will start lining up at 2:30 p.m. in the parking lot of the old Sunflower grocery store on Highway 51. Co-Lin President Dr. Jane Hulon Sims is this year’s Grand Marshal. As darkness descends on Saturday, the celebration will culminate on Spring Street by the railroad tracks with a spectacular fireworks display. Chamber Board Secretary Deemie Letchworth says the celebratory event, in the final analysis, is about boosting the local economy. “Everyone is encouraged to come to Wesson, enjoy the event and also shop our local businesses,” she says. “Our local businesses are why the Chamber sponsors events such as this. We believe in our local businesses and want to see them thrive in our town.” More specifics about the 5K Run/Walk and other events will be shared in the coming weeks on the Wesson Chamber Happenings Facebook page. Contact Stephanie Duguid at 601-643-8341 for information about the 5K Run/Walk.

The International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC) has designated Wesson Town Clerk Angela Hester a Certified Municipal Clerk (CMC). “The CMC is more than a pin, a certificate and three letters at the end of a name,” IIMC Certification Manager Kellie Siggson told Hester. “It is a declaration that you are proficient in your important position and that you have demonstrated mastery of administrative skills critical to good government.” For the CMC, Hester attended extensive education programs in which she earned 60 points toward the designation and demonstrated pertinent experience in work as Wesson Town Clerk to earn another 50 points. IIMC, which established the CMC program in 1970, says it prepares designees “to meet the challenges of the complex role of Municipal Clerk by providing quality education in partnership with institutions of higher learning, as well as State, Provincial and National associations.” The program is designed to enhance the job performance of the Clerk in small and large municipalities alike. Hester earned her new CMC designation over the past six years, and now plans to continue working over the next four years toward the 60 advanced education points and 40 professional contribution points she needs to become a Master Municipal Clerk (MMC). “The working environment of a Municipal Clerk changes every day with new laws and governmental change, and I try to keep up,” says Hester.

You and I hear them, the stories of people who insist they are totally innocent of any wrongdoing. Yet they are definitely identified as being at the scene of the crime, in the company of the criminals. How does that happen? Realistically, how often does a person just happen to find themselves in the wrong car, with the thief? Or accidentally standing with the bad guys in a convenience store that is being robbed? How often does a teen or an adult hang out with friends and are totally unaware of what they like to do, and where they enjoy going? They don’t, not very often. So, how does it happen - accidentally being in the wrong place and time? “Hey, wait a sec, dudes. I thought we were headed to see a movie. Whaddya mean we’re just gonna ‘borrow’ this truck for a few hours? Oh, okay, I guess the owner won’t mind it being gone when he comes out of that bar.” Or, “But officer, I swear, I thought me and my girlfriends were just hangin’ out here on the street corner, wearin’ our see-thru Daisy Dukes and flirtin’ with whoever walked by. That’s whut Jimmy told me we’re doin’. I don’t know nuthin’ about no prostitutin’ stuff!” I’m not buying it. An adult or teenager with reasonable intelligence and capabilities, who is with a group of friends, before very long at all can sense the values and intent of those around them. And usually, most of us will not deliberately choose to spend time with people who don’t “gee ‘n haw” with our own beliefs. Not much fun in that. The bald fact is, we most usually choose who we are with, what we do, and where we go. Yeah, I remember trying that “But I’m just an innocent bystander” stuff – way back as a little kid. When Mom catches you with your hand in the cookie jar and crumbs on your face, that’s the first ploy a seven-year tries to use. “But, Mom, Donnie told me that you said we could have all we wanted today. It’s not my fault!” Me, my brother Donnie, and my mom all knew I was lying back then, and most people strongly suspect a lie when we hear it coming out of the mouth of The Innocent Victim today. The wisest man who ever lived, according to the Bible, was King Solomon. And that man repeatedly warned his sons, “Be careful of the company you keep and what you are doing with them.” My modern wording of his caution to his sons. Nick Saban, head coach of the University of Alabama football team is quoted as saying; “There’s no such thing as being in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Like my old Aunt Lucy said, “Anyone can hear a buncha’ red flags flyin’ all over the place on that one.” You make choices.

Equipped with a new technology, Wesson Lions Club is helping to spearhead efforts in the Mississippi Lions South District 30 to sight-screen as many children and youth as possible throughout the region to catch eye disorders before they become more serious. The local effort is in the tradition of Lions Clubs throughout the world that have focused their mission on preventing blindness and serving the visually-impaired, Wesson Lions Club President Randy Davis says. In recent weeks, the organization has brought its advanced Plusoptix vision device to a health fair at Co-Lin and special sight screenings for kindergarteners and first through sixth graders at Wesson Attendance Center (WAC) and members of the Hazlehurst Boys and Girls Club. It is seeking to schedule visits to Head Start programs and day care centers in and around Brookhaven, Crystal Springs and Hazlehurst At the WAC screening, almost 400 kindergarten and elementary school children received the quick vision screenings enabled by the scanner, which can detect problems when just pointed at eye. One hundred of them were referred to healthcare professionals for further evaluation. Because the Plusoptix vision screener requires only an eye scan and not reading lines of words or letters, children and adults who are evaluated do not have to be proficient in any language or to able speak articulately. It allows Lions Club volunteers, pediatricians and school nurses to detect the most prevalent vision disorders at an early age. “Plusoptix is most useful for persons up to the age of 25, and we want to screen children under seven – the earlier the better, as young as six months old – to identify, effectively treat and prevent ongoing problems, such as amblyopia (lazy eye),” Davis says. Since the Mississippi Lions South District 30 purchased two Plusoptix machines four years ago, the Wesson Lions Club has assisted other clubs in Brookhaven and Hazlehurst in schools and Head Start centers, and screened hundreds of adults and kids. “We have wanted to use the devices as much as possible since the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions,” Davis says. Although the Wesson Club has used loaned devices, a dozen Mississippi Lions Clubs – on the Coast, at Madison and Hattiesburg and in the northern part of the state -- have acquired their own machines. To set up a sight screening event in southwest Mississippi, call 601-754-4832.