Special to Wesson News The late Bob Huckaby of Bogue Chitto has been inducted into the Mississippi Community College Sports Hall of Fame. Huckaby graduated with an associate’s degree from Co-Lin in 1954, where he played basketball. He continued his education at Mississippi College, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees. A member of the Bogue Chitto High School Class of 1952, he was named an All-American after leading his team to a state championship. He had a successful two-season stint at Co-Lin under Coach Ray Busby, where he was the leading scorer and rebounder. He was inducted into Co-Lin’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1984. At Mississippi College, he earned Little All-American honors and continued his streak as the team’s leading scorer and rebounder. He was inducted into MC’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1983, and he is a member of the 500-point club. After graduating from college, he was drafted into the United States Army and spent two years at Fort Chaffe in Fort Smith, Arkansas. In the Army, he continued to excel in basketball, softball, and track, including a fourth-place finish in the Army High Jump. He coached at State Line, Mississippi, for seven years before returning to Co-Lin to be the head basketball coach from 1966 to 1968. He left coaching to become a vocational counselor until his retirement in 1995. He died on October 13, 2021. “I saw him play at Mississippi College against Southern Miss, and he was scoring every time he got the ball,” said Alton Ricks, former Co-Lin basketball coach and Huckaby’s colleague. “He was a left-hander; he was considered the best with his left-handed hook shot.” Huckaby and his wife, Katherine, had three children: Cheryl Shelby (Gus), Julia Everett (Jack), and Robert Huckaby (Leanne).

By Jessica Breazeale I have no idea why I was dreaming about this, but here we are.This morning I woke up with one thing on my mind: be a salmon. Now, if you know me at all, you know how strange that is. I am not a fisherwoman. You cannot pay me to take a fish off a hook. My fish are pets — I feed them, nurture them, watch them grow, and the only scenario where I’m eating one of my “pets” is a full-blown apocalypse. So for a salmon dream to shake me awake with a message? That got my attention. I think God was trying to tell me something. We all know salmon swim upstream. But have you ever stopped to think about why? It’s not stubbornness. It’s survival — for the next generation. Salmon fight against the current to reach safe, oxygen-rich waters where their eggs can hatch and their young can live. If they just went with the flow, the species would cease to exist. There’s a word for this in biology: rheotaxis — the tendency of an organism to orient itself and move against a current. And I believe this is exactly what real Christ followers are called to do. Romans 12:2 says it plainly — “Do not conform to the pattern of this world.” The world has a current. It flows toward self-interest, materialism, and comfort at all costs. The default is to drift. Easy, culturally comfortable Christianity isn’t discipleship. It’s just floating downstream with a cross bumper sticker on your back. Real rheotaxis starts with orientation — figuring out which way the water is flowing before you move. For me, that’s prayer and scripture. Discernment comes before direction. Really feel the current to know which way is different (or upstream). Then comes the effort. Swimming upstream costs something — energy, comfort, sometimes relationships. Carrying a cross was never meant to be a metaphor for mild inconvenience. But here’s what’s remarkable: for the salmon, that upstream fight eventually becomes instinct. For believers, that instinct gets cultivated through the Holy Spirit renewing our minds day after day until swimming against the current becomes who you are to the core, not just what you occasionally try to do. And then there’s the part that really gets me. The salmon exhausts itself fighting upstream, reaches its destination…and dies there. Costly. Purposeful. Complete. Here’s what I believe: real living isn’t found here on Earth. We’re on this planet for just a moment, just a breath. What I’m swimming upstream for is what’s coming — the Kingdom, eternity, and the people I’m hoping come with me. If we drift, they drift. If we fight upstream, we leave behind a path, a witness, a faith worth passing on. So the question I woke up with, and I’ll leave it with you: Which way are you swimming? The current will always take you somewhere. But if you want the life that’s real living, then be a salmon. Downloadable version

Special to Wesson News Chris Kings tells Wesson Garden Club members to place native plants in their yards to support birds and insects. An avid birdwatcher from Brookhaven highlighted the Wesson Garden Club (WGC) meeting last month. Chris King, who promotes bird conservation and protecting habitats, presented an informative program – “We Are All About Birds” – that encouraged his audience to place native plants in their yards to support birds and insects. Attendees at the WGC meeting on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, at the American Legion Post 79 included Terri Bath, Marilyn Britt, Sherri Carty, Sonya Cowen, Robin Furr, Rebecca Harrison, Cherry Head, Rhonda Ishee, Camille Johnston, Vickie Martin, Jennifer Meilstrup, June Owens, Pam Owens, Jennifer Peets, Joy Phillips, Jean Ricks, Lisa Smith, Pollyanna Smith, Sheila Stewart, Stanley Stewart and Dixie Thornton. WGC President Sherri Carty called the meeting to order and welcomed members with an inspirational quote. The group recited the Garden Club Collect and the Pledge to the flag. Following the program, Pam Owens offered the “Gardening Tip of the Month” on recycling. After completing the club’s business and a closing prayer by Robin Furr, the meeting adjourned. Refreshments were enjoyed courtesy of hostesses Jennifer Meilstrup, Cherry Head, Dixie Thornton and Sheila and Stanley Stewart. The WGC is a member of The Garden Clubs of Mississippi, Inc., National Garden Clubs, Inc., Deep South Garden Clubs, Inc., and the Natchez Trace District of GCM.

Special to Wesson News Brister speaking to classes on the Co-Lin Wesson campus. Building good money habits early can help students succeed later, says Brittany Brister, branch manager at Trustmark in Wesson. Brister, who has worked at the Wesson branch for about two and one half years, spoke about credit, savings and fraud during recent visits to local schools. She is making a similar presentation at Wesson Attendance Center, focusing on how credit works, at Wesson Attendance Center this month. She spoke to 71 seniors at Wesson High School. They played credit Jenga and munched on snacks and reviewed promotional items. “I enjoy helping customers achieve their goals,” Brister said. “I also like being part of the community.” During her school talks, Brister explains how young people can start building credit. She recommends secured loans or a line of credit as safe first steps. She also says teens can become authorized users on a parent’s credit card, as long as the parent uses the card responsibly. Brister says students should also learn how to protect their money. She warns that scams and fraud are common and can affect anyone. “Be careful,” she says. “Fraud is everywhere right now.” With the school year ending, Brister encouraged graduating seniors to open student checking and savings accounts. She says starting early can help students manage money better as they enter college or the workforce. Brister’s goal is to give students simple tools they can use right away. “Understanding money now can make a big difference later,” she says.

By Misty Strieff Prine “God rebuilds you right in front of people who broke you. Trust me, you don’t need revenge, you need faith.” – Unknown.+ Trust me when I say, this is one of God’s BIGGEST ways to not only draw you closer to Him but for you to truly see God’s ability to turn complete brokenness into something beautiful. I am a living, breathing, walking testament of this more times than I can count. In many ways, being hurt by the very people that are supposed to lift you up, pray for you, celebrate and help further your ministry, encourage you, and love you through the rough stages in your life, are one of the most difficult things a Christian can experience and overcome. But here’s the thing. When you’ve had years upon years of that same hurt from multiple avenues, (church, career, life in general, etc.) but EACH time God shows up and shows out in such a way that you sit back and just are in complete and utter awe when you see what God turns that brokenness into! Wow. He does it every time! His plan is SO grand and thought out and perfectly timed and every event has to happen for it to fall into place. As they say, we all must be broken for the light to shine through. For a moment I experienced weakness, and the enemy would start to get the upper hand, and my first thought would always be to quit writing, singing, be sad and gloomy…but that would be quitting ALL of the thing’s GOD was having me do. That’s when it hit me. The enemy would win. No, no, NO! My Mama would always come through in a clutch and say, “Baby, the devil wouldn’t be fighting so hard to get you to quit if you weren’t doing something right.” So, every time I find myself broken, no matter what the case may be, God gives me HIS strength, and He always finds me a way to turn a mess into a message and a test into a testimony. Revenge is never needed. You may feel that human emotion at first. After all, we are all human. However, if you have faith that God is going to work it all out for the good of those who love Him like He promises and you TRULY do, He’s going to work EVERYTHING OUT right in front of the very ones that broke you but do it in such a way that is humbling and shows your heart is in the place it should be. If you handle correctly, you will turn it around and become a witness to them. Now how about that?

By Bob Garver Poster credit IMDB “The Mandalorian and Grogu” is coming at an interesting time in the history of “Star Wars.” It is a test to see if the franchise’s recent success on the small screen can translate to blockbuster status on the big screen. I have not seen “The Mandalorian” streaming series on Disney+, though I know of its massive success. I could even imagine a world where a “Mandalorian” movie makes enough money to have a legitimate place alongside classic installments like “A New Hope” and “The Empire Strikes Back.” That world just isn’t this one, not with this movie that nearly put me to sleep. The movie follows Din “The Mandalorian” Djarin (voiced and played in “face scenes” by Pedro Pascal), a helmeted human bounty hunter who resembles, but is not related to, beloved franchise character Boba Fett. His young apprentice is Grogu, a non-speaking alien who resembles, but is not related to, beloved franchise character Yoda. I’m sure the origin of the team-up is explained in the series, but for now all I need to know is that that they are a team. The opening moments of the movie follow The Mandalorian and Grogu as they take out a leftover Empire loyalist (Hemky Madera) running a protection racket. The sequence is filled with action, comedy, and visual spectacle on a level that the rest of the film lacks. I’ve heard some critics saying that this film could have been a few episodes of television, I’m saying that everything after this sequence could have been cut and the whole thing could have been a short that plays in front of another Disney feature. I know it’s wishful thinking, but it could have added some much-needed incentive to see a fledgling effort like… “Wish,” come to think of it. The rest of the story follows the team as they’re sent on a mission by their employer (Sigourney Weaver) to capture another Empire henchman who has thus far escaped justice. This person’s identity is known only to the deplorable Hutt family, and Jabba’s twin siblings won’t give up the information for free. Mando and Grogu first have to rescue Jabba’s son Rotta (Jeremy Allen White) and return him to his aunt and uncle. It turns out that Rotta has carved out a nice little life for himself on another planet as a gladiator of sorts fighting for unscrupulous promoter Janu Coin (Jonny… Coyne is the actor’s name), and he doesn’t want to leave. The “rescue” mission is going to have to be more of a “capture.” At first I liked the adorable, Force-enabled Grogu so much that I wondered if the movie even needed The Mandalorian. Around the two-thirds mark, I got my answer when Mando was incapacitated for a stretch. The answer is that yes, the movie very much needs The Mandalorian, because with just Grogu, this movie fell apart. Bless the writers for trying to give him a solo arc and the puppeteers for trying to make him sympathetic, but he just does not have a mode other than “cute.” He works in small, scene-stealing doses, but anything more than that is a mistake. “The Mandalorian and Grogu” is every action movie you’ve ever seen about a shady hero dealing with shadier secondary players, including, but not limited to, other “Star Wars” movies. Except it doesn’t quite have the ambition of other “Star Wars” movies. There’s too much blandness to the settings and periphery characters. I can see where Disney thinks this property is “too big” for television, but I can’t say this movie is theater-worthy, at least on the level that a “Star Wars” movie should be. It’s stuck awkwardly between the two tiers of entertainment hierarchy. I’m sure there will be another movie, and I encourage the creative team to step up their efforts (it won’t take much, just a few extra flourishes) so that film can unmistakably belong in theaters. Grade: C “The Mandalorian and Grogu” is rated PG-13 for sci-fi violence and action. Its running time is 132 minutes. Contact Bob Garver at rrg251@nyu.edu.

Special to Wesson News Locals are discovering hometown banking with Renasant Bank is built on trust, convenience, and community support. Known for its friendly customer service and commitment to local growth, Renasant Bank continues to help families, small businesses and individuals achieve their financial goals. “With Renasant Bank, customer service is top tier. Also, when you walk in the door, you’re family,” said Misty Prine, Branch Manager of Copiah County. The bank has two locations in the county, Crystal Springs and Hazlehurst. Prine has been with the bank for 23 years. She also writes a weekly devotional that is featured on wessonnews.com. From personal checking and savings accounts to home loans and business banking solutions, Renasant Bank offers modern financial tools with the personal touch customers appreciate. Local residents say the bank’s knowledgeable staff and strong community involvement make it a reliable partner for every stage of life. Community leaders also praise the bank for supporting local events, schools, and charitable organizations throughout the region. As more customers look for dependable financial services close to home, Renasant Bank continues to stand out as a trusted name in community banking.

Send responses to: andybowman839@gmail.com Lost terribly at the family game of cards? Tear up that score card and put it out of your mind. A silly little board game is not worth thinking about and ruining your day. But you know that. Or you should. Your fiancé lets you know that after thinking about your relationship, you just aren’t the perfect one? Go ahead and sob brokenheartedly for a while, mope around the house in your pjs, eat a gallon of chocolate ice cream, get angry and tear up the picture of you two enjoying a day at the beach together… and then determinedly move on. Grief over the death of a loved one? You definitely do need to grieve. Feel the depression that comes, experience the total loss that weighs you down and makes even simple walking feel impossible. That is normal. Painful, but normal. But, after falling headfirst into that mud puddle of despair, do not let yourself lay there endlessly. There has to come a time when you sit up, look around you, wipe off your face, then sigh and begin your life again. I could cite an endless list of things that can ruin your days…or even your life for years. But I’m telling you as emphatically as I possibly can – WHAT EVER IT IS, DO NOT LET IT CONTROL YOU ENOUGH TO DESTROY YOU. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is worth that. There is a real fact in life, and that is this; a traumatic day, or week, or even years, all fall into the category of ‘the past.” And when that day comes when you get hit below the belt by life - and you will - you will have to choose to move on past that painful yesterday. After all, you can't change what has happened, and dwelling endlessly on it is depressing and paralyzing, so don’t make that mistake. Give your pain all the attention that it is due, and then pull yourself up by your bootstraps, as your grandfather would say, and determinedly choose to start over. I say this because the day after that traumatic day happens, your tomorrows will rapidly begin arriving, one after another, and you will have no choice but to make a choice. Between starting over, or laying in that mud puddle of pain. One is guaranteed to keep you hurting and depressed. The other gives you a fighting chance to create a life you can enjoy. Choose wisely. Because you are the only fighter in this war. Sure, others will want to help you, and will offer endless advice, support, and loving wisdom. But ultimately, you and you alone, will decide if that painful ‘yesterday’ wins the battle and has the power to cause you to live the rest of your life on earth, wishing you weren’t here.

Special to Wesson News Seven members of the Wesson Cobra All-Superior band have signed scholarships to further their band careers at the next level. Five are going to Co-Lin, one to Mississippi College and one to the University of Southern Mississippi. Tate Brister signed a scholarship with Co-Lin's Blue Wave Show Band to play the trombone. Pictured (front left to right) are Vanda Brister (Mom), the signee and Tyler Brister (Dad). Back (left to right) are Wesson Band Director Andrew Bonner, Color Guard Director Shae Coleman, and Co-Lin Blue Wave Show Band Director Chad Austin. Brooke Coleman signed a scholarship with Co-Lin's Blue Wave Show Band to play the trumpet. Pictured with Brooke (front left to right): Shae Coleman (Mom), the signee and Travis Coleman (Dad). Back (left to right) are Wesson Band Director Andrew Bonner and Co-Lin Blue Wave Show Band Director Chad Austin. Willow Love signed a scholarship with Co-Lin's Blue Wave Show Band to play the saxophone. Pictured with Willow (front left to right): Jennifer Love (Mom), the signee) and David Love (Dad). Back (left to right) are Wesson Band Director Andrew Bonner, Color Guard Director Shae Coleman and Co-Lin Blue Wave Show Band Director Chad Austin. Madison Morris signed a scholarship with Co-Lin's Blue Wave Show Band to participate in its color guard. Pictured with Madison (front left to right): Melissa Morris (Mom), the signee and Jeremy Morris (Dad). Back (left to right) are Wesson Band Director Andrew Bonner, Color Guard Director Shae Coleman and Co-Lin Blue Wave Show Band Director Chad Austin. Caeden Williams signed a scholarship with Co-Lin's Blue Wave Show Band to play percussion. Pictured with Caeden are (front left to right): Anna Williams (Mom), the signee and Blake Williams (Dad). Back (left to right) are Wesson Band Director Andrew Bonner, Color Guard Director Shae Coleman and Co-Lin Blue Wave Show Band Director Chad Austin. Alana Hux signed a scholarship with Mississippi College to play the flute. Pictured with Alana are (front left to right): Stephanie Hux (Mom), the signee and Daniel Hux (Dad). Back (left to right) are Wesson Band Director Andrew Bonner, Color Guard Director Shae Coleman and Mississippi College Band Director Duvy Salvant. Sullivan Roberts signed a scholarship with The University of Southern Mississippi to play the baritone. Pictured with Sullivan are (front left to right): Angela Shannon (Mom), the signee and Michael Roberts (Dad). Back (left to right) are Wesson Band Director Andrew Bonner, Color Guard Director Shae Coleman and USM Alumni Hank Jordan.

By: Jessica Breazeale Need closure? Write your own ending and move on to a newer, cooler book. No one cares what you need. We live in a selfish society. Find your own peace. God is writing a story. Don’t steal the pen. Remember it’s HIS story. Don’t make yourself the main character. Your manifesto is for you. They won’t care. Write it anyway for you. If they have your very best interest at heart, you have a rare, beautiful thing. Or consider that you have seriously mistaken. If it’s therapeutic to dance in your garage, brush up on that electric slide! Don’t let the world and all its drama steal your joy. That’s just training a thief to keep on thieving. Do you really want to enable it? If you’ve been called to a specific work, do it like your life depends on it…because it might. Need inspiration? You won’t find it in the mundane. Worried you won’t make it to dessert? Order and eat it first. Everyone complains—few step up. Naysayers are merely white noise to change agents. The world needs real, compassionate love. Can it count on me? What about you? People need leaders with no agenda. The world needs less leaders and more servants. Are optimists a thing of the past? If your soul is yearning for something, don’t stop searching for it. Joyful people are mislabeled as fake by angry, bitter or jealous people. Keep choosing joy. It’s far better than the alternative. Good people do bad things, and bad people do good things. Sometimes you can’t tell the difference. That’s a problem. If we don’t appreciate & respect nature, one day we won’t have it to appreciate and respect. Faith over fear is a better, calmer way to live. People like easy. They like normalcy. They fight amongst themselves and devour one another to keep the easy and normal. Don’t allow anyone to speak into your life that you don’t respect. Why take advice from someone you don’t wish to be like? Don’t ask for it. Don’t take it. If you ask for advice, it’s considerate to consider it. If you get a wrong vibe from someone, first ask yourself if it’s you. Then, after that, you can consider if it’s them. We are our VERY OWN WORST ENEMY. Don’t be the weapon formed against yourself. How can I be the change I wish to see? It won’t happen by being like everyone else, complaining, being passive, or through hate. NEVER be the bully. Don’t be the reason someone won’t paint, sing, smile, or dance anymore. Don’t silence someone. That’s taking away someone’s most basic human right. Cornered, pressed, or controlled? Expect direct opposition, anticipate it, and be ready to walk away. You grew. Do not return to what tried to break you. You’re so past that. Stuck in your own thoughts? Step back to zoom out to see a bigger picture. These are just some of my recent ponderings…

Copiah residents are invited to attend a free Community Resource Event at 12 p.m. on Thursday, May 28, 2026, at Copiah County Medical Center. The medical center is located at 27190 Highway 28 in Hazlehurst, Mississippi. Event attendees will have a chance to win a $100 gift card. Participants must be present to qualify for the giveaway. Hosted in partnership with the Institute for the Advancement of Minority Health, the University of Mississippi Medical Center, and Copiah County Medical Center, the event is designed to connect residents with valuable local resources and health information that support individuals and families across the community. Attendees will have access to educational resources, community vendors, wellness activities, mental health information, and refreshments. This event is designed to bring people together and making sure communities know what resources are available to support their health and well-being. Residents are encouraged to come out, connect and take advantage of the information and services available. The Community Resource Event is FREE and open to the public. Register to attend or to be a vendor at https://bit.ly/4f2Eess. For more information, contact Kristi Carney at 601-574-7232

By Misty Strieff Prine “How you treat people IS a ministry.” – Unknown I wrote this the other night on my devotional page, The Upward Way, on Facebook and I just felt the impulsive need to share it with as many as I could. Why? Because I feel like it is the one thing that we could all not only work on but LEARN from. I think it is the number one overlooked ministry tool in today’s time. This is 100% a ministry in and of itself. People may forget what you look like or what your name was, but they will never forget how you treated them. Not only will they remember how you treated them, but they will also more than likely tell others about you. So, ask yourself these questions. Think about each person you interacted with today. First question. Did they walk away with a positive imprint from you and walk away better than when they came to you? Did you lift them up? Did you encourage them somehow? Second, depending on how you answered those first questions, if they were to tell someone about how that interaction went, would you become a stumbling block for that person and the person they told or would you be starting a movement of lifting others up unbeknownst to you by shining a light for Christ, even if that meant you pushing through a possible hard day of your own? You see, we must set aside our bad days because you never know who God has sent to cross our paths that’s hanging on by a thread. God may have chosen one of us to do the heavy lifting and we may not know it. We can’t let our bad day cut that dangling thread of theirs. We need to be the light to all we come in contact with. As the old song says, “It only takes a spark to get a fire going!” That person may also take that interaction back to the person hanging on by a thread. God works in mysterious ways, friends. Stay vigilant.