The Wesson Board of Alderman has accepted resignations of two police officers. Full-time Officer John Brent is leaving Wesson Police Department (WPD) to serve both the Hazlehurst Police Department and the Copiah County Sheriff's Office, while part-time Officer Andrew Arnett is leaving WPD to focus exclusively on the demands of his full-time work at Mississippi Forestry. The Aldermen also held public hearings at their January meeting related to discussions around the provisions of a new low-speed vehicle ordinance aimed at regulating the use of golf carts on Wesson roadways and soliciting bids from contractors to collect garbage for the town. Wesson residents currently are serviced by garbage collectors contracted by Copiah County, but the town's Aldermen believe the municipality would be better served by contractors working directly for Wesson.

Fourteen years after Steel Outdoors started its custom metal fabricating business in a Hazlehurst backyard with a deer feeder as its lone product, the now Wesson-based manufacturer is expanding into residential and industrial building products. As its sales grow with the expansion, Steel Outdoors expects its workforce to grow from 20 employees currently to 30 to 35 over the short term and to as many 50 over the long term, reports Pam McLemore, who started Steel Outdoors with her husband Dwayne in their Hazlehurst backyard in 2007. The latest step in the metal fabricator's continuing slow, steady expansion started quietly last year with an investment of several hundred thousand dollars in equipment to produce rigid frame and cold form building systems, metal roofing and trusses, including 26 and 29 gauge metal panels, cee, zee and receiver channel steel purlins; siding, trim, doors and other building components which meet the most stringent snow and wind load codes. Joe Lea from Monticello has come on board in sales for the new building products line and Carlos Garcia of Wesson is managing the new operations. "We can now customize pole barns, storage and factory facilities and open floor barndominium homes as our customers specify," says McLemore. Steel Outdoors' welding and sheet metal assembly operation -- its initial business -- can also create interior and exterior staircases, indoor partitions and decor and outdoor gates and fencing, among other building components, she adds. In addition, the company is also selling pine and cedar wooden beams, insulation and other building products it does not manufacture. The company recommends contractors to help customers build. While Steel Outdoors will maintain its special niche in the metal fabricating industry in customizing and modifying it buildings to meet customer needs, it plans for the future call for making its varied building available in kit form, McLemore says. After API Technologies left its 55,000 square foot building on Highway 51 in Wesson, the McLemores moved Steel Outdoors there in 2019 from a 10,000 square foot facility they grew from a two- person operation started in a truck body in their backyard where they manufactured metal deer feeders. Working together part-time, the McLemores initially shared metal-cutting, welding and painting tasks, expanded their production with addition of new workers to include some 30 types of deer feeders, deer blinds, fire pits and cookers and metal art sold throughout the United States; and launched a companion company -- Alpha Machine & Welding -- that engineers, builds and installs custom metal products for saw mills, food plants and other industrial customers located predominantly in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee. At its new Wesson location, Steel Outdoors utilized the expanded space to start a retail business oriented to hunters and outdoors enthusiasts. It is using the 15 acres that surround the building outside for special commercial and community events -- product exhibits, a wildlife extravaganza, cookouts for Wesson's first responders and other leaders and citizens. And now it is beginning a new phase in its growth. The Highway 51 facility started as a garment factory and later housed Potter Production Corporation after Spectrum Control acquired the company in 1998. API Technologies, based in San Jose, California, acquired the Spectrum plant and consolidated the operation with its facilities in Pennsylvania in 2017. "We're in a highly visible location as you come into Wesson from the north on Highway 51," notes McLemore. "We want to reflect the growth and ongoing development of a small town."

Over $1.7 million in restitution and over $8 million in private debt relief for MS borrowers Attorney General Lynn Fitch announced that Mississippi entered settlement with Navient, known as one of the nation’s largest student loan servicers, to resolve allegations of unfair and deceptive student loan servicing practices. The settlement will require court approval. “Student loan debt can be a very real obstacle to achieving financial security, especially for young people just coming out of school,” said Attorney General Lynn Fitch. “As a result of this settlement, Navient will be making much-needed improvements to the way it works with its customers to help them understand the options available to them and help them find the best option when they are facing serious challenges with loan repayment.” Relief terms in this settlement include improved notification of options available to borrowers, as well as training for loan specialists on how to advise distressed borrowers about alternative repayment options and how to counsel eligible borrowers about Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). Terms also prohibit compensating customer service agents in a way that incentivizes them to minimize the time they spend counseling borrowers. Navient will forgive $8,229,788 in private debt for Mississippi borrowers and will provide $1,747,850.40 for restitution payments to Mississippi borrowers who were placed in certain types of long-term forbearances. Additional information on the restitution payments will be available in the coming months; but federal loan borrowers who may qualify for this relief do not need to take any action at this time other than to update or create their www.studentaid.gov account to ensure that the U.S. Department of Education has their current address. Separately, today, a coalition of 39 state Attorneys General announced their settlement of similar claims with Navient. FAQs available here may help answer questions for borrowers.

Richard Diamond of Wesson is among the list of distinguished Northwest Mississippi Community College students to be recognized for earning a place on the President's List for their outstanding academic performance during the Fall 2021 semester. The President's List includes students completing a minimum of 12 academic hours with a 3.75 or better average in a four-point system. Northwest offers the pre-requisites students need to prepare for a four-year degree at any of Mississippi's colleges and universities. Northwest also offers more than 30 Career and Technical programs designed to teach students the practical skills needed for a wide variety of jobs in the workforce. The deadline to register for online full-term classes and the semester's first mini-term for Spring 2022 is Wednesday, Jan. 19. Registration for the semester's second mini-term begins Wednesday, March 2, and ends on Tuesday, March 8. For more information, visit the Northwest website at northwestms.edu.

New beaus and beauties grace Wesson Attendance Center throughout the school term every year. Among selections this term in the elementary grades were: Kindergarten. Most Handsome Gatlin Burch and beaus Slayde King, Darrell Miller and Cotton Wall. Most Beautiful Mila Wallace and beauties Alyvia Bacot, Autumn Howard, Jojo Williams and Kassadee Ryan. First grade. Most Handsome Kade Banks and beaus Eli Carr and Peck Newman. Most Beautiful Bristol Rorie and beauties Hayden Ryan and Rennlya Curtis. Second grade. Most Handsome Asher Formby and beaus Jude Carr and Antonio Walker. Most Beautiful Ella Shelton and beauties Madalyn Benton, Addisyn Coleman and Madison Smith. Third grade. Most Beautiful Evelyn Westrope and beauties Zada Ashley, Harper Johnson and Aubree Williams. Fourth grade. Most Beautiful Lyla Formby and beauties Aria Gemelli, Augumn Harris, Azyiah James and Lexi Ryan. Fifth grade. Most Beautiful Ady Prestridge and beauties Maklya Jackson, Madison Rowley, Isabella Shoop, Caroline Smith and Hartley Walker. Fifth and Sixth grade beaus. Most Handsome Ayden Lee and beaus Rykey Galdden and Silas Hall.

Co-Lin has the highest graduation rate of any Mississippi community college at 51 percent, according to a recent report from the University HQ for the Best Associate Degree Colleges in Mississippi. Additionally, Co-Lin was ranked the No. 2 Mississippi community college overall. University HQ’s rankings factored in the cost of tuition, admission and retention rates, graduation rates, number of programs offered, online programs offered, loan default rate, diplomas awarded, and number of students receiving financial aid. Co-Lin offers both academic and career-technical education on all three campuses at Wesson, Natchez and Simpson County, as well as programs that can be completed fully online. Schedule a tour of Co-Lin at www.colin.edu/tour.

Jessica Breazeale of Wesson received two public relations awards at the Public Relations Association of MS (PRAM) -Pine Belt Chapter meeting at the OgleTree Alumni House at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg. Breazeale received an award of merit on a 2020 summer safety campaign she implemented. She was also honored with a 2021 Senior Practitioner Award by the Southern Public Relations Federation (SPRF). The senior practitioner designation was established to honor Southern Public Relations Federation (SPRF) members who are recognized by their peers as veteran public relations professionals with high ethical standing. Nomination and selection are made by local public relations association chapter based on criteria set by the Federation. To receive the designation “senior practitioner,” a recipient must qualify in three of the following four criteria: 15 years of full-time public relations experience Accreditation by a Universal Accreditation Board (UAB) member organization Officer or board member at the chapter, state or SPRF level Recognition of professionalism as evidenced by such awards as Practitioner of the Year, Lantern Award or similar honor The emcee presenting the award to Breazeale said she "checked every box." Breazeale was recognized at SPRF’s annual conference this year at Panama City Beach, but was not able to attend due to prior commitments. “It was a huge honor being nominated and recognized - even though I couldn’t be in Panama City," she said. "When they told me they wanted to also recognize me in Hattiesburg, I asked my mom to come with me. It was nice having her there with me as well.”

When a year comes to a close and a fresh year is set to begin, we naturally begin to reflect. We reflect on what went right, what was not so great, what worked, what did not work, and so on. If 2021 has left you feeling depleted, or like you did not quite achieve what you set out to, you are not alone. For many, it was not quite the year they had in mind. However, taking time to reassess and set some realistic goals can be a way of moving forward in a positive manner. Think of 2022 as a Happy You Year! Reflect on your current health, nutritional, activity status, and more. What are your realistic and reachable goals you would like to work towards? Now is the perfect time to start setting yourself up for success in 2022. For many years, it has become tradition to make New Year’s Resolutions and goals that last for a few weeks, and then get thrown aside. In fact, 80% of people give up on their resolutions by the second week of the year. The problem is that many resolutions are unrealistic and poorly executed with no preparation. Change that and make some plans that will last! Try setting attainable, sustainable 2022 New Year’s Resolutions and goals. Why do we set goals? We all set goals for a variety of reasons. Our goals are usually a combination of these: Finding motivation Improving your current situation Getting through your “wish list” or “to do list” in life Helping get to your next step Keeping yourself accountable Where do you start? And how do you actually make them fun, so you are more likely to stick to them? Here are 20 small changes you can make to effect a big difference. Try one or more that find attractive. You never know, they may even become a permanent part of your lifestyle: 1. Try One New Recipe Per Week 2. Try Making One Smoothie Per Day 3. Try a New Style of Fitness Each Week or Month 4. Establish a Simple Meditation Practice 5. Read One New Book a Month 6. Drink an Extra Cup of Water a Day 7. Declutter That Problem Area Once a Week 8. Take a Walk Each Day 9. Sanitize Your Phone Every Week 10. Eat a Snack Before You Grocery Shop 11. Put Your Phone in a Different Room While You Work 12. Build a Gratitude Practice 13. Compliment Yourself Every Day 14. Start a Wind Down Routine Before Bed 15. Take a Social Media Detox Once a Month 16. Practice Random Acts of Kindness 17. Add Extra Fruits/Veggies to Your Grocery Cart 18. Laugh Once a Day 19. Spend Quality Time with Your Loved Ones Once a Week 20. Try a New Journal Prompt Every Day If you are eager to crush your 2022 goals, that excitement will help motivate you when you need it most. Go for a resolution you can count on; small, achievable, and fun! Be sure to reflect monthly to check your progress, make some adjustments, and even to refocus. Cheers to a Happy and Healthy New Year! EDITOR'S NOTE: Stephanie Duguid is Dean of Academic Instruction at Co-Lin. She is also an athletic trainer and nutrition specialist and has been teaching courses related to those two areas as well as practicing what she preaches for more than twenty years.

The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) is issuing a statewide order making participation in Mississippi COVID System of Care Plan mandatory for all licensed hospitals effective at noon today. The order will continue until January 23, 2022, unless revoked prior to that time. Due to the current wave of COVID-19 and limited ICU availability, and the inability of ill patients in rural areas to access care, MSDH is activating this Limited System of Care Plan. All Mississippi hospitals must participate in the plan to allow the most critically ill patients to be transferred for care while not overburdening any hospital. This approach is more focused than the prior Order because it only includes situations such as: Heart attacks Strokes Immediate neurosurgical intervention (such as a severe car accident) Transplant patients with complications Ventilated patients at a hospital without an ICU, respiratory therapy or a ventilator) Mississippi MED-COM will direct patients to available beds, and when no beds are available, to hospital destinations on a rotating basis based on geography and resource availability. Follow MSDH by e-mail and social media at HealthyMS.com/connect.

The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) introduces “The Extra Mile Podcast: Legislative Session.” This special series of “The Extra Mile” podcast will give listeners an in-depth look into how the 2022 Mississippi legislative session will affect transportation infrastructure. To kick off the new special series, MDOT spoke with Speaker of the House Philip Gunn. Gunn spoke about current legislative priorities, the importance of transportation infrastructure in Mississippi and many other topics. “These special legislative editions of the podcast provide a great opportunity to increase transparency in our relationship with our state government leaders. It allows our legislative leadership the opportunity to speak directly to our MDOT family and transportation partners about issues that affect each of us in a major way,” said MDOT Executive Director Brad White. “The Extra Mile Podcast: Legislative Session” will be recorded and distributed on a weekly basis while the legislature is in session. Each episode will focus on legislation moving throughout the capitol, especially legislation involving transportation and infrastructure. There will also be interviews with lawmakers on what’s happening in the session and what their priorities are. You can subscribe and download “The Extra Mile Podcast: Legislative Session” wherever podcasts can be found. For more information on “The Extra Mile” click here.

The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) 2020-21 Superintendent’s Annual Report has been released, detailing how Mississippi students, teachers and school leaders continued to strive in classrooms during the Covid-19 pandemic by building upon historic academic gains of recent years. View the report online at mdek12.org/superintendent2021. Report highlights: Graduation rate reached an all-time high of 87%; graduation rate of students with disabilities reached an all-time high of 55.4%, more than double the rate of 23.2% in 2014. Dropout rate fell to an historic low of 8.8%. Statewide assessments resumed with 97% of students participating. The Advanced Placement exam passing rate for 2021 reached an all-time high of 37.4% for a full school year. The number of students who completed career and technical education courses of study increased 36% from 2015 to 2021. Nearly 400,000 computer devices secured for students through Mississippi Connects initiative and other funds. In partnership with Mississippi Public Broadcasting, MDE literacy coaches and other certified teachers filmed 260 lessons to preK-12th grade students on the MPB Classroom TV channel. Class of 2022 graduates can now earn an academic or distinguished academic endorsement to automatically qualify for admission into any of Mississippi’s public universities. Graduates can also earn a career and technical education endorsement. Approximately 3,000 students enrolled in 18 Early Learning Collaboratives across the state with plans to enroll 6,000 students in additional ELCs in 2022-23 now that funding has doubled from $8 million to $16 million. A team of 112 coaches support teachers and school leaders in the areas of literacy, early childhood education, special education, school improvement and digital learning. Math coaches will be added in 2022. Three schools exited the Comprehensive Support and Improvement program and four schools were named 2021 National Blue Ribbon Schools. Assessment results indicate the pandemic’s toll on learning. Pre-pandemic, student proficiency had reached an all-time high of 41.6% in English Language Arts (ELA) and 47.4% in mathematics in 2019. When assessments resumed in 2021, student proficiency decreased in ELA to 34.9% and mathematics to 35.1%. Like other states, achievement dropped more in mathematics than ELA. “Despite some setbacks, Mississippi students, families, teachers and school leaders persevered through the most challenging school year of their lives, and I could not be more proud,” said Dr. Carey Wright, state superintendent of education. “As we continue to combat the pandemic, plans are underway to offer additional resources to teachers and students and ensure academic gains are achieved.” Find all MDE news releases at mdek12.org/news.

By Bob Garver For some reason, “The 355” really wanted to be the first movie of the year – any year. It was originally scheduled to open in January 2021, but I guess the studio decided that since theaters in major markets weren’t open yet, it should be pushed back to January 2022. Things might have worked out better in 2021. Yes, it would have faced obvious hurdles with a limited number of theaters, but competition in that era was scarce. It wouldn’t have gotten steamrolled by “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and “Sing 2” like it did this past weekend when it opened to less than $5 million at the domestic box office. Then again, it might not have made a difference. Audiences know a bomb when they see one, no matter when it opens. The film brings together an impressive cast: Academy Award winner Penelope Cruz, Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o, multiple time Academy Award nominee Jessica Chastain, SAG Award winner Diane Kruger, and Chinese superstar Bingbing Fan. A movie like this should want you to come for who these actresses are and stay for what they do. Unfortunately this movie is just content to get you to come for who the actresses are and that’s it, there’s nothing interesting about what they do. The actresses play spies (actually Cruz plays a psychologist who works for a spy agency but isn’t a spy herself, as her wet-blanket character constantly reminds us) that are all trying to keep an evil flash drive from falling into the wrong hands. The “wrong hands” means the bad guys, obviously, but it also means each other’s agencies, meaning that they’re at odds with one another. Eventually they learn to work together and rightfully decide that their own corrupt agencies shouldn’t have it either. Their mission takes them all over the world as they track the MacGuffin from one boring bald guy to another. We wait for it to wind up in the hands of a cast member worth crediting. It starts off with a corrupt DNI agent (Edgar Ramirez), but he’s got “killed off quickly” written all over him. We also know that arms dealer Clarke (Jason Flemyng) is in the mix, but he’s too boring (even for this movie) to truly be at the top. Could it possibly be Chastain’s partner (Sebastian Stan), who was presumably killed in the first act, but whose death we didn’t see so he’s surely still out there somewhere? The characters and story certainly aren’t enough to carry this movie, how’s the action? Choppy and underwhelming. The actresses usually wear wigs for their missions, which is just a thinly-veiled excuse to hide stunt doubles under those wigs. But the stunt doubles aren’t being directed particularly well, so there’s little point. The fight scenes offer nothing unique and there are so many shootouts that you’ll be bored with shooting by the end of this movie. A movie with this high of a body count from shooting really has no business going for a PG-13 rating, but it’s intentionally just bloodless enough to qualify. Although the film’s advertising has given away why the movie is called “The 355,” we don’t get the scene where it’s explained until the very end (which is another dead giveaway that the Stan character is still alive). This means that the group plans to continue working together, and thus a sequel is implied. I dare someone to give us a sequel after how bad this movie is and how badly it has performed. At least whoever is put in charge won’t have to worry about high expectations. Grade: D “The 355” is rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, brief strong language, and suggestive material. Its running time is 124 minutes. Contact Bob Garver at rrg251@nyu.edu.