JACKSON— Today, Governor Tate Reeves announced his request for a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration from the federal government has been approved. The declaration makes available additional federal assets and resources to aid Mississippi's COVID-19 response. Governor Reeves sent a letter to President Trump on April 1 requesting the disaster declaration. "I'm truly grateful for President Trump approving Mississippi's request to support our people and ease the burden of COVID-19. These resources will reinforce our ongoing efforts to mitigate the impact of the virus and help us emerge stronger than ever. Our continued partnership and collaboration with the Trump Administration will be critical as we deploy every resource available to protect the health and well-being of all Mississippians," said Governor Tate Reeves. Public assistance is now available to State, tribal, and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations for emergency protective measures, including direct Federal assistance, for all areas across Mississippi impacted by COVID-19 beginning on January 20, 2020. The disaster declaration will provide Mississippians access to expanded mental healthcare, supplement the efforts of tribal healthcare workers, provide grants to reduce the risk of loss of life or property during future emergencies, make available legal assistance to low-income Mississippians, expand food assistance and other services to low-income households impacted by COVID-19, and more.

JACKSON, Miss. – Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson encourages the public to stay informed on the latest news and resources in agriculture by reading the Mississippi Market Bulletin. The Mississippi Market Bulletin, published by the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce, serves as a source to buy direct from a farmer, as well as a source to find items needed for both small and large farms, both small and large, gardens and homesteads. “As we ‘Shelter in Place’ to slow down the spread of COVID-19, I can think of nothing better to do than take a few minutes to read the latest edition of the Mississippi Market Bulletin,” said Commissioner Gipson. “This newspaper has gained the reputation as being the #1 agriculture trade publication in the state for farmers, ranchers and landowners over the last ninety years.” Commissioner Gipson continued, “The Bulletin is not just for farmers, but anyone interested in connecting to agriculture, horticulture or the outdoors. You can find a list of local farmers markets, or buy supplies for a home Victory Garden, or buy direct from Mississippi farmers. Whether you want to diversify your family’s food supply or want to do some healthy, outdoors social distancing, now is the time to explore the Mississippi Market Bulletin.” The Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce has published the Mississippi Market Bulletin twice every month since 1928. Issues feature an agricultural commodity and provides a listing of farmers markets; agricultural events; livestock and equipment auctions; farm market prices; livestock shows and sales; and informative and educational information, along with agricultural news articles and recipes. The Mississippi Market Bulletin has over 32,000 subscribers, allowing all in-state subscribers the opportunity to run two free advertisements per issue. Each issue contains between 2,000-3,000 agricultural advertisements in over 165 categories including machinery and equipment, crops, livestock, farm property, hunting accessories and much more. Subscriptions are only $10 per year for in-state residents and $15 per year for out-of-state residents. Visit msmarketbulletin.org for more information, to view free past Mississippi Market Bulletin editions, and become a subscriber. Click https://youtu.be/fxplPCIJJNU to view Commissioner Gipson’s entire message.

By guest columnist R. Shaw Furlow Just in case you didn’t know, you can watch Co-Lin sports events on television from the comfort of your home or at work by opening a link on your computer or cellular device. Co-Lin on television! When I was a student, we were proud when a group of students got a little, low watt radio station up and running. Co-Lin exemplifies how television has changed over the years, and the local colleges has been on the cutting edge of streaming their sporting events. If you can’t make it to the stadium or the gym, you can watch every play or turn-over on Co-Lin’s live stream. To say television has changed is an understatement? When I was a kid, we had three networks, which provided news, entertainment and sports, much like they do today. On Saturday afternoon, the family sat around the TV and watched the Baseball Game of the Week. Dizzy Dean and Pee Wee Reece did the play-by-play and set the example for many sports announcers who followed. The game of the week. One game and occasionally, a double header. Walter Cronkite, Chet Huntley and David Brinkley brought us the news each evening. One of the dreadful reports brought to us each day was the body count from the war in Vietnam. But we trusted Cronkite and the others to keep us informed. Public Broadcasting was one of the first changes, bringing new types of television. Educational programs like "Sesame Street," orchestral concerts and operas from Lincoln Center in New York City and, of course, Julia Child and Justin Wilson. All different from the three commercial broadcast networks. I remember the conversations we all had about “pay tv.” Why would we pay for what we can have for free? Little did we know. Cable tv came along, and with it FOX. It started with limited content and was not available in every home. But cable grew, becoming available in every neighborhood, subdivisions and apartment complexes. On their signs, hotels advertised they had free HBO to entice visitors to stop. With cable came relaxed standards. After all, you subscribed. No one made you do it. Family television rapidly gave way to series like the "Sopranos," which opened our eyes to the dark side of the mafia. The scripts were violent, the dialogue was full of profanity, and there was nudity. Everything changed with satellites and the internet. What you could watch proliferated. No more were there standard shows everyone watched. Program content narrowed for specific demographics. Even the television set itself changed. Today, we watch our "television" shows on our telephones. I remember asking my Co-Lin Music Appreciation classes if they saw last night's episode of "24" or the Grammy Awards show, and no one was watching them, or even a television set for that matter. I repeated that question each semester and got the same response. I was flabbergasted at first, but then came to expect it. They were playing video games -- another new kind of "television program" on a television-like device or a television modified for interactive play -- when they should have been watching REAL tv. “Remember when late night tv was funny?” I hear that all the time from victims of demographic-focused programming. My mother said: “I just don’t get Conan O’Brien.” Now, mom was well into her 70s and way out of Conan’s demographic. I explained that his humor was not intended for her, but rather "thirty-something’s." “Well, that explains a lot,” she said. "Saturday Night Live" was funny to me during my mid 20s to mid 40s. Today, I find some of it slightly amusing and I rarely know the musical guest. I’m not in the demographic. To attract younger viewers, venerable morning news shows, like "Today" and "Good Morning America," have introduced us to many new younger reporters. The awards shows are geared toward younger viewers. It doesn’t bother me. I had my time. Not only can you watch tv on your cellular device, but you can produce your own show and stream it to all your friends and followers, and if you are really lucky, you can become an internet influencer, whatever that is. My friend and sometime music partner Charlie Hewitt streams many live music shows in our area. With his phone and Facebook, he brings performances to your computer or phone. Charlie and I, in fact, have delved into the streaming world ourselves with a Facebook show, "Two Old Men on the Shadyside Porch" totally streamed from our IPhones. My show, "Music from the Shadyside," was recorded with very professional equipment, but streamed on both Facebook and YouTube. I highly recommend both shows "YouTube." The name reflects how far television has come. Justin Bieber, Carly Rae Jepsen, Ed Sheehan and Charlie Puth all started on YouTube. You don’t know these names? Demographics. There’s that word again. Now there is Hulu, Disney+, Netflix, and a dozen others. What’s next? Maybe cable goes the way of Blockbuster? That’s it for now friends. You have to look for it, but there is tv worth watching. Until next time, support the arts.

Relay for Life (RFL), the American Cancer Society's (ACS) major fundraising event that has taken place annually in local communities across the nation since 1985, is coming to Wesson this year. Co-Lin will host the event sponsored by ACS of Lincoln and Copiah Counties on April 25 from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Last year, the event was held at Lincoln Civic Center in Brookhaven. "We are excited about our move to the Co-Lin campus in Wesson," Stacie Cross, community development manager for the area ACS, told an Institute for Learning in Retirement luncheon. The Relay is one of ACS's most visible activities, and teams are already organizing in Copiah and Lincoln Counties to raise funds in connection with the event. "Over thirty years, RFL has generated some $6.5 billion, which the Society spends on cancer research that is not entirely understood and other services largely unknown to the public," Cross said. Cross focused on that research and those services: Research results, including new screening technologies to detect cancers early, new drugs and advances in treatments of cancers unique to women. "ACS has directed some $4.9 billion in grants to cutting edge research that resulted in 49 Nobel Prize awards," Cross pointed out. A 24/7 800-number (800-227-2345) where cancer patients and their caregivers can learn about what to expect as they pursue treatments, be reassured, connect with volunteers for rides to physicians offices and clinics and obtain other kinds of assistance. Lodging for cancer patients and their caregivers during treatments. "ACS has its own apartment complexes -- Hope Lodge -- and has arrangements with hotels and motels," Cross said. "It's free for the length of the treatment period -- days, weeks or months. It allows patients to keep their homes if they must spend extended time away." A Hope Lodge which opened in Jackson last year is currently 60 percent occupied. Travel grants. Insurance and resource assistance. A wig bank for patients who experience hair loss due to chemotherapy. A wide-ranging network of volunteers, who are thoroughly trained to provide services, and understand what ACS offers to patients and caregivers. Blood. Cancer patients need one-third of the stored blood supply, and ACS partners with the American Red Cross on blood drives to make sure it's there for them. "Under new leadership, ACS is taking an increasingly business-like approach to its work," Cross concluded. "We now seek out donations for things for which we used to pay. Training for employees and volunteers is extensive." As result, the Society, which once spent only 65 cents of every dollar on its mission, now is spending 79 cents, with the goal of increasing it to 85 cents, Cross said.

Don't be surprised if you're meeting more people from who live outside the immediate area in Mississippi and even outside the state. It's happening in Lincoln County because there's more money to spend on tourism. Over the past year and a half, funding of the Brookhaven-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce (BLCC) Tourism Council from the two percent hotel-motel tax has tripled from annual receipts of $5,000 to $6,000. "We joke that 'we must be doing something right for a change,'" says BLCC Executive Director Garrick Combs says. But in fact BLCC, with its committees and the Tourism Council, has been working steadily in recent years, particularly since funds started flowing from the hotel-motel tax four years ago, to make its own events bigger and better and help locals grow and create other events to bring visitors to the area. The work is bearing fruit. In January, BLCC co-sponsored Brookhaven Little Theater's fourth annual "Mozart by Candlelight" performance of the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra. BLCC has also been an important supporter and promoter of the current BLT season, including “Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical,” in October, “Disney’s Frozen Jr.” in December, “The Diary of Anne Frank” last month, and upcoming productions of “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast: The Broadway Musical” in April and May and workshop performances of “Disney’s High School Musical Jr.” and “Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka Kids” by BLTeens and The Haven Kids in June and July. Last month, BLCC again hosted Downtown Jazzed Up, its fourth annual Mardi Gras celebration in downtown Brookhaven from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., featuring a second-line parade, a Cajun cook off and street party. On Mardi Gras party day starting at 7 a.m., BLCC also co-sponsored the first of five run/walk events in the Ole Brook Run Series -- "Cupid Shuffle," with a 5K run/walk, 10K run and one-mile kids run to raise funds for Habitat for Humanity. BLCC will also support the Defining Moment Event charity runs on May 23 ("Run to Remember"), July 18 ("Splash Dash"), October 24 ("Trick or Treat Trot") and December 5 ("Run, Run Rudolph") for the Wounded Warriors Projects, a school kits program and Toys for Tots. BLCC hosted "Brookhaven Day" in the state capitol rotunda at Jackson on February 27, featuring an ice cream social and visits from government officials. Locals making also had opportunities to visit their legislative representatives and personnel at state agencies. Last week, BLCC registered bikers for the Red Bluff Gran Fondo 100-mile plus ride in Lawrence County and hosted a Meet and Greet featuring retired pro bike riders. Long-standing BLCC events are: Miss Hospitality interviews for young women 18 to 24 years old for the state pageant. Girls Night Out in June to bring shoppers to downtown Brookhaven. The Ole Brook Festival, AM outdoor bazaar in Brookhaven with fleas, arts and crafts, food vendors and entertainment on October 3. The Brookhaven Christmas parade on December 3. BLCC also promotes: The Goin' to Town Car Show held March 7 from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Fielder's Pro Shop event brought more than 270 vehicles to downtown Brookhaven last year. Hogwild Barbeque Festival sponsored by volunteer fire fighters on May 22 and 23, with cook off contests for adults and kids, as well as meals for visitors. A Farmers Market coordinated by the Agricultural Extension Service in Railroad Park in downtown Brookhaven from May through August and into the autumn months. The Spring Fest, a country fair with a rides, and displays and vendors at Lincoln County Civic Center. The Wildlife Expo August 24 and 25 at Lincoln County Civic Center that showcases hunting, fishing and outdoors products. In recent years, the area music scene has been recognized for its talent, and BLCC has supported: A summer concert series during May, June and July, with bands providing music for street dancing in downtown Brookhaven. Brookstock, a three-day rock festival in July bringing together long-time and young musicians, including performers who continued their careers elsewhere after starting them in the area and others who stayed here. Overbrook Songwriters Festival, an event that brings together composers-performers of popular and country music mostly from outside the area to share their art with locals in area restaurants/bars. Music in Trinity Park, an outdoor lunch time concert series in the Trinity Episcopal Church park produced by Wesson News columnist and local arts promoter Shaw Furlow during April and October.

Wesson’s Youth Garden Club -- the Butterbeans -- learned how to properly plant trees and shrubs and pot bulbs in an Arbor Day celebration last month at Wesson’s Splash Park and pavilion. The Butterbeans, including third, fourth, fifth, and sixth graders, planted six trees -- red buds, a flowering crabapple and sweet olive -- and forsythia and spirea shrubs. Two of the trees, which will be dedicated in the near future, memorialize Belle Cowen and Dottie Mercier, recently deceased Wesson residents who were active members of the Wesson Garden Club. After their gardening experience, the Butterbeans enjoyed refreshments and a story time at Dumps BBQ Restaurant. Wesson Garden Club members talked to the group about the importance of trees in the environment and the many products made from trees. In a reading of Celebrations in My World: Arbor Day by Lynn Peppas, the Butterbeans learned that Arbor Day was first celebrated in the United States in Nebraska in 1854, was founded by American Julius Sterling Morton and spread to other states and countries around the world. Children participating in the celebration took home bulbs to plant at their homes and received wooden hearts to decorate and give to a love one for Valentine's Day. Garden Club members involved in the Arbor Day celebration were Beverly King, Pam Owens, Jennifer Peets, Debbie Smith, Lisa Smith, Nancy Sullivan and Dixie Thornton. The Town of Wesson’s Public Works Department dug the holes for the trees in the park and a Lowe’s Community Partner Grant helped make it possible for the Club to purchase materials.

By Bob Arnold History is riddled with myths and misconceptions caused by mistakes in seeing and understanding what was happening, errors in reporting, propaganda and people just trying to make better stories about events. World War II is a case in point, according to Co-Lin sophomore history major Jacy Maher. Maher, vice president of the Co-Lin Centurions, an organization that promotes historical research and scholarship of its student members, discussed the myths and misconceptions of the Great War with Institute for Learning in Retirement (ILR) seminar participants. Maher cited German propagandist Franz Holder for articles and books that perpetrated many of those myths, if not originating them. Holder was honored for this work by not only Adolph Hitler for work during the War, but later post-War by John F. Kennedy for his supposed assistance in helping U.S. analysts understand what happened during the War. German Generals also fed information to U.S., French and Russian officials following World War II, which helped build the mythology, Maher said. Maher pointed to ten World War II tall tales at the ILR seminar: . The Blitzkrieg. "There was no such thing as the lightning attack by the German Army," Maher said. "Actually, the German Army mastered 'bewegungkrieg' -- maneuver warfare, movements into positions for knockout blows. . Mechanization of the German Army. Actually, the infantry was far and away the biggest part of the German Army, outnumbering its panzer front line and mechanized divisions, Maher explained. "Infantrymen with backpacks and rifles walked into their attack positions." he said. "For transportation, it used 625,000 horses as well as 600,000 trucks." . "Clean wehrmacth" the myth that German officers and soldiers just took orders from Hitler, but were not responsible for war crimes. "Nonsense," Maher said. "They engaged not only military targets, but civilian populations." . The German Tiger Tank's superior armor, mobility and firepower. In reality, the German tank was a complicated, overweight weapon, said Maher. "It would develop catastrophic problems on the battlefield and was difficult to fix," he explained. "It's main task was positioning soldiers." . Panzer aces. Propaganda portrayed the German tanker killers as young, handsome supermen, but they were just regular joes, according to Maher. . The large, complex German weaponry could have won the war. In fact, the STG-44, an new kind of infantry rifle, was the biggest German advantage, Maher said. It was a new model for the battlefield, making the bolt action rifle obsolete as semi-automatic that could be turned into an automatic weapon with the flip of a switch. Maher called it "my favorite gun." The U.S. Sherman tank had a weak gun and thin armor, but could more effectively support infantry and place soldiers. In many respects, the Sherman Fire Fly was cobbled together, but it worked. . The ping -- the sound of a rifle ejecting an ammunition clip -- signaled soldiers that it was safe to charge enemy forces. The ping was not heard easily. All rifles did not eject clips at the same time. A soldier could quickly reload a rifle. "Charging at the sound of the ping was a bad idea," Maher summarized. . Russian human wave attacks. In fact, Germans often outnumber Russians on battlefields and Stalin fretted about losses. The Russian deep battle infantry, however, did penetrate German lines to hit where it hurt, Maher affirmed. . Allied equipment inferiority. Actually, mass-produced allied weapons, in general, performed better than German weaponry. Russian testing of captured German equipment also informed production of allied weapons. . The tank numbers. The number of allied tanks were far great than what the German put on the battlefield -- 49,234 Sherman tanks and 57,339 T-34 Russian tanks vs. German Tiger 1s (1,347), Tiger 2s (492) and Panzers (6,000).

By Guest Columnist Gary R. Bachman I speak with new gardeners who seem to think that the idea of having a home garden is a brand-new idea. In reality, it is a new idea for them, but it is not new at all for many others. When you look at the development of human civilization, having a garden was a pretty big deal. In fact, it was one of the main reasons that humans became civilized. I don’t have the exact date, but it’s generally recognized that about 12,000 years ago, humans were hunter/gathers constantly searching for their next meal. In this time period, Atouk, who was portrayed by Ringo Starr in the 1981 comedy documentary film, “Caveman,” discovered that with the domestication of plants and animals, he and his family could live in one place. Agriculture was “discovered,” and it would provide a consistent food source, putting an end to constant wandering. I’m sure that gardeners bragging about who grew the best-tasting tomato started shortly after that. Evidence of gardening dates back to the Egyptian pharaohs, who documented the gardens of their various kingdoms in elaborate tomb paintings. Among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World were the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. These gardens were said to have been built on terraces and were probably the first raised garden beds, a style of gardening we still practice. The story goes that King Nebuchadnezzar had the gardens built for his wife. Many modern gardeners, myself included, grow flowers and vegetables because our spouses like them. Let’s fast forward to gardening today. Many of my gardening friends know that I have quite the home vegetable garden. I really enjoy the taste of homegrown vegetables, and I go all the way back to starting my own seeds. I’m poring over the catalogs that are stacking up, and selecting new varieties to try in 2020.With all the selection of seeds and plants we have available today, I'd kind of feel sorry for Atouk if he were still gardening. There is satisfaction in knowing that the home garden can produce good, nutritious food. One crop I grow for my wife is fresh heirloom tomatoes. She loves them, and she loves me for growing them for her, even though I really don’t like fresh tomatoes.So, I’m encouraged when I talk to homeowners who are starting their first gardens or Master Gardeners expanding their landscapes and gardens. While we don’t have to rely on our gardens for survival anymore, I’m encouraged that the human species is still practicing and benefitting from this eons-old tradition that was a leading force in stabilizing our society. EDITOR’S NOTE: Dr. Gary Bachman is an Extension and research professor of horticulture at the Mississippi State University Coastal Research and Extension Center in Biloxi. He is also the host of the popular Southern Gardening television and radio programs. Contact him at southerngardening@msstate.edu. Locate Southern Gardening products online at http://extension.msstate.edu/shows/southern-gardening

The Mississippi Association of Community and Junior College (MACJC) has named two Co-Lin standout hoopster sophomores to its Second Team All-State after stellar seasons. Sha'Quandra Carter, a Monroe, Louisiana, native and Camryn Davis from Monticello earned the recognition. Carter, a Neville High School product led the Lady Wolves with 14.5 points per game, finishing the regular season with 334 points and a 42.2 shooting percentage from the floor. Along with her solid offensive play, Carter had 38 steals and 155 rebounds. Davis, a Lawrence County High School graduate, started all 23 games for the Lady Wolves and scored 11.1 points per game on her way to 256 total points. Davis shot 45 percent on the year. Like Carter, Davis is not only explosive on the offensive end of the court, but left her mark on the defensive side as well, leading the Lady Wolves with 39 steals and pulling in the second-highest number of rebounds, with 166 off the boards. The All-Staters had an opportunity to add to their resumes last week in NJCAA Region XXIII Tournament play at Mississippi College in Clinton. Although the Lady Wolves missed the MACJC State Tournament, the team earned a backdoor bid to the national regional. The tournament fields the winners of the first round of the MACJC State Tournament, th e highest record of the Region XXIII team from Louisiana and the next three highest Region XXIII teams from Mississippi, which is how the Lady Wolves earned the nod. Winners & Losers. So far in the new year, the Lady Wolves are outperforming Co-Lin men's teams in sports. In basketball, the Lady Wolves, in a less than stellar season with a 13-10 record, landed a bid to the NJCAA Region XIII Tournament as one of the three highest-ranking XXIII teams in Mississippi, even though they did not make the MACJC Tournament. Meanwhile, the men's hoopsters finished 7-16, with no post-season play. In baseball to date, the men are 3-4, with wins against Mineral Area College (4-2, 8-5) and Southwest (9-5) while losing to Delgado (10-1, 6-4), Meridian (12-2) and Mississippi Delta (15-5). In contrast, the softball women have a 7-0 record, with wins against Baton Rouge (11-6, 3-0), Lurleen B. Wallace Community College (9-1, 4-3), Mississippi Delta (4-1, 11-1) and Southwest (11-7). The 5-1 women's tennis team has wins against Hinds (9-0, 9-0), Itawamba (7-2), Holmes (9-0) and Meridian (6-3), with a loss to Jones (5-4). The men's netters, on the other hand ar e 1-5 with a sole win against Holmes (9-0) and losses to Itawamba (6-3), Hinds (5-4, 5-4), Meridian (8-1) and Jones (7-2).

By Bob Arnold If Heather McKenzie was jittery when she came to Wesson Attendance Center (WAC) to teach in 2011, her nervousness quickly dissolved in familiar surroundings. WAC's new second grade teacher found herself in the same classroom where she was a second grade student back in the 1990s. There were, of course, a few stops on her roundtrip journey -- experiences and learning that equipped her for teaching. At WAC, McKenzie, a Wesson native, went on to graduate from Wesson High School, initially studied music and voice at Co-Lin before earning her Associate's Degree in education there, and then completed her college career at Southern Mississippi University in Hattiesburg, where she received a BA in education and an MA in education, with a literacy specialty. McKenzie first taught at Eva Gordon Elementary School in Magnolia, Mississippi, from 2005 to 2011, before returning to her second grade classroom at WAC. McKenzie says she "loved Wesson and WAC" during her childhood and youth because of the special relationships she enjoyed -- knowing everyone in your community and school. "In the attendance center, there was the mix of older youth and younger kids," she recalls. "Your relationships grew and changed with the same kids as you continued through WAC. There was good communication between teachers and students based on relationships that formed and changed over the years." Back at WAC, relationships remain a key focus for McKenzie in the classroom. As a teacher, McKenzie says she wants her students, above all, to learn to be good citizens and good persons, which, in the final analysis, means "working with each other" -- good relationships. Towards that end, she encourages her second graders to teach each other. "I will teach them, and put them in teaching situations with classmates in which they focus on the same subjects and material. Learning is not a matter of just listening, and kids learn from each other." McKenzie says she is constantly "trying new things" with her classes, "not doing the same thing all the time" to promote learning. "I also practice 'whole brain teaching' -- getting children to use both of sides of their brains -- in learning," she says. McKenzie believes her particular strength as a teacher is helping children read better, drawing on her Master's Degree studies at Southern Mississippi. "I can figure out why students aren't getting it, and do something," she says. McKenzie and her husband Wayne, a banker, have two children, who are students at WAC: Ben, 13, a seventh grader, and Kate, 8, a third grader. They live on ten acres in Brookhaven. When she isn't in the classroom, McKenzie enjoys "doing family things" -- camping and outdoors activities. McKenzie also bakes and races in 5K marathon runs.

By Bob Arnold When you're growing up in a small town, there's not always a lot to do. But "there's always another back road to ride in Wesson," says Haleigh Chinn in reflecting on growing up here. Chinn, a single mother, left for the Jackson area briefly, but came back to Wesson with her one-year old son, Hatcher Atticus (named after Atticus Finch, the attorney in To Kill a Mockingbird), to go down those roads, as she has done to equip her for life. "You ride them, get lost with seemingly no way to get help and find your way back home," she says. Over 23 years in Wesson since her family settled here in 1996, Chinn's back roads have encompassed elementary and high school at Wesson Attendance Center (WAC), earning a degree in psychology at Co-Lin, play and social life and the joys and sorrows of living. She recalls testing the limits as she grew up, flirting with trouble with friends, driving a car in high school that "could tell you some good stories" about that time in her life. She remembers riding four-wheelers up and down Highway 51 past the police station, riding horses down Sylvarena Road, team penning and, "perhaps most enjoyably," playing in the creek near school. In the springs and summers, Chinn played ball in the tradition of many Wesson young people on the Hiram C. Newman Memorial Fields on Grove Street, starting as a toddler in tee ball and moving onto softball, competing on local all star teams throughout Mississippi, before playing softball at WAC. "Going to Co-Lin was a blast," she says. "It really is 'the place to be' for a lot more than just studying." There were some difficult roads during Chinn's high school years. "Over one three-month period, my friends and I had to cope with six deaths of classmates in car wrecks, four-wheeler accidents and a suicide," she says. "Those were uncharted waters. We had experienced deaths of older relatives and friends of the family, but not peers. The experiences brought us closer together as we found solace without judgment with each other in navigating them. No one wanted to be alone." Going down those roads successfully was somehow more possible in Wesson. Chinn recalls her parents and those of her friends opening their homes anytime day or night so their sons and daughters could find the comfort and support they needed. "Wesson is close-knit, stable and safe," Chinn observes. "Little has changed here over the years. A couple of new stores. You can buy beer and lottery tickets today. But that's about it. For years, people here are the same and do the same things. For years, you could depend on Kenny Furr meeting over coffee with his friends in front of his service station on Highway 51. Bill McGuire and Philip Knight were the high school biology and math teachers year in and year out. I've settled with my son in Wesson to give him the support he can only get here -- an aunt, uncle, grandmother and community." Chinn has largely worked out of town -- currently as a waitress/bartender at Magnolia Blues Barbeque in Brookhaven after stops at a tattoo parlor and bar in McComb, and Piggly-Wiggly and Georgia Blues in Brookhaven, but she always returns to Wesson at the end of the day, where another back road awaits! What are your hobbies? I am a reader. I enjoy being with my kid -- my favorite person and best friend. I like to cook. Believe it or not, I also enjoy grocery shopping. Walmart, Sullivan's, anywhere. I love animals. I have a dog and two cats. I have had a bull, pigs and a brought a deer home -- we called him Lucky Buck -- after hitting him with a car. He stayed with us several months before running off back into the woods. Laundry, however, is not a friend of mine. What do you read? Everything. I am currently reading Game of Thrones. Do you enjoy movies or theater? I am a Tim Burton fan -- his dark, gothic, and eccentric horror and fantasy films and blockbusters. I also watch Law and Order SVU on television and, recently, have been following Net Flex's Don't F with Cats. How about music? I am into 90s country and alternative music. Not rap. I like George Strait and the rock bands Alice in Chains and Stone Temple Pilots. I also enjoy the local music scene -- Betsy Berryhill, Sullivan's Hollow, Cody Dunaway. There's so much talent in the area. How would you spend your lottery winnings if you were so lucky. I would buy all the books on my reading list -- really far too man y to read -- and build a personal library with a coffee corner. Of course, I would share my wealth with family as well. How would you change the world? The world needs more peace. I am not sure how I would bring that about.

JACKSON, Miss. – The University of Mississippi Medical Center is calling on the community to help protect its employees after the Mississippi Department of Health directed all health care professionals in the state to wear a mask while at work. The policy is aligned with the Center for Disease Control’s current recommendations regarding the use of cloth face coverings to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Home-sewn masks will also make it possible to save precious personal protective equipment, or PPE, for employees working in direct-patient care areas. PPE is in limited supply at the Medical Center and around the country as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which by Saturday had killed 6,593 Americans and sickened over 277,000. Dr. Laura Vick, associate professor of general surgery at UMMC and longtime seamstress, has been ahead of the curve. She has been living by the motto of “preparing, not panicking” during these uncertain times. So, several weeks ago, when colleague and nurse practitioner Katie Smith told Vick how her mother, a seamstress, desperately wanted to make something to help protect health care professionals and patients, she had an idea. Vick returned home that night to her dining-room-turned-sewing-room, which is packed with fabrics and several sewing machines, and got to work. The next morning, she brought three different prototypes of surgical masks, which Dr. Matthew Kutcher, assistant professor of surgery, tried out. Vick’s goal: produce additional masks and equipment for use by health care professionals in low-risk settings, and free up precious PPE for employees taking care patients. “What we’re trying to do is prepare, not panic,” Vick said in the Facebook video she posted demonstrating how to make the masks. The video had been viewed over 90,000 times with 1,100 shares by Sunday morning, and the Medical Center has received generous donations of masks and other equipment in the past weeks. Individuals and businesses also donated other PPE, meals for health care workers, monetary donations and tablets and smart phones for telehealth appointments. “We are so grateful to our community for stepping up and supporting us during this time,” said Dr. LouAnn Woodward, vice chancellor for health affairs and dean of the school of medicine. “What we are doing in response to this outbreak in Mississippi would not be possible without the help of the people of this state.” In the video, Vick details how to make the mask she and Kutcher decided was the most universal and useful. The masks are cotton on the front and flannel on the back, and each person who wants to participate is asked to make five as a starting point. And back at UMMC, she delivered the first eight masks she made to several on-call surgical trauma residents for use in caring for trauma patients. Vick has kept up her momentum on Facebook, posting videos about how to make surgical caps, which are also in demand. Word reached groups like the Susannah Stitchers, a group of around 20 women that meets weekly at Chris United Methodist Church in Jackson. They have been sewing items for the Medical Center for 20 years, making everything from 200 prayer quilts for transplant patients to burial gowns, blankets and bonnets for babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit who passed away. McDonald said she and her group members were “hungry to do something.” “We want to help but feel like we can’t. We’re stranded, we can’t get out, so it just means so much to us to be able to do something,” she said. Others who want to make and donate masks can drop them off in the secure bin at the overhang outside of the Nelson C. Norman Student Union on the Jackson campus. They may also be mailed to the UMMC Office of Development, 2500 N. State St., Jackson, MS. Click here for more information about ways to help UMMC in the fight against COVID-19. For more information about COVID-19 in Mississippi, click here.