Send responses to: andybowman839@gmail.com Sleep difficulties? Finally even gotten to the point of lying sleepless every night for hours on end? So you decide to try natural supplements that are supposed to bring on sleepiness and restful nights of sleep. And you carefully begin with the recommended dosage on the back of the box or bottle, right? But nothing changes in your sleep pattern – or should I say your lack of sleep pattern. So, you decide “The recommended dosage probably isn’t strong enough for someone like me, I’ll double it, as I really do have a bad sleep issue.” But instead of improving, now your nights are actually worse. In response, you hesitantly increase the dosage again and maybe add another kind of sleep aid to the mix. The problem rocks on for a few more nights, and by now you are bleary-eyed, depressed, anxiety-ridden, grouchy, mentally fuzzy, and getting desperate from existing on two to three hours of sleep each night. In keeping with your desperation level (and your stubborn streak) you defiantly keep upping the amount of the sleep aids, “until I finally reach success, dadgummit.” Defined as “Hallelujah, I got six hours of sleep last night!” Instead, you’re now pulling all-nighters. Finally, you make your brain pull itself out of that black hole where it is now living, and force it to begin thinking logically about this definite downslide in life. And you finally realize, “Hmmmm, I wonder…. could I be having a bad reaction to mixing all these natural sleep remedies, PLUS an OTC med that I added?” (Remember, you are very fuzzy-brained.) You pull out your trusty cell phone to research the subject on medical websites. Answer: Nope, mixing together those sleep supplements do not cause any negative reactions. Then you finally think to ask the question: “Can a person take too much of a sleep aid named “……..” and cause an adverse reaction of total sleeplessness?” Bingo!! The answer comes back a resounding “Of course, you idiot!” If my cell phone could laugh at me, it would have been rolling in the aisle. It would have been gasping for breath while it made fun of me for at least five minutes. I found out the hard way that every kind of sleep-aid, whether it is a supplement, an over-the-counter, or by prescription, if you take it in too large a dose, IT CAUSES THE OPPOSITE EFFECT AND YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SLEEP MUCH AT ALL. For days and days. And, folks, you can only imagine what happens if you have over-self-prescribed a sleep aid for the issue of falling asleep, and another for staying asleep. Each one of them can hype your brain and causes you to be able to count sheep for four hours straight and never miss a set of ears. End of the story? I finally learned from a nutritionist that I needed to take my sleep-aid 2 to 3 hours earlier so it would have time to work. Rough way to learn a truth.

Special to Wesson News The Wesson Volunteer Fire Department (WVFD) has been named as the recipient of a $10,000 2026 Good Neighbor Firefighter Safety Program grant from the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) and State Farm. The funds from the grant will be used towards the purchase of new self-contained breathing apparatus equipment, which will help the firefighters as they serve the community. One hundred fifty volunteer fire departments were selected to each receive a $10,000 grant to help them purchase critical equipment that keeps firefighters safe and strengthens emergency response. The WVFD was one of only four volunteer fire departments in Mississippi to be selected to receive one of the grants. According to information provided by the NVFC, eighty-two percent of U.S. fire departments are comprised entirely or mostly of volunteer firefighters. Many of these departments operate on limited budgets that leave them struggling to fund equipment that enables them to more effectively and safely do their jobs. Recognizing this need, State Farm and the NVFC teamed up to provide $1.5 million to local fire departments in 2026. Since the program began in 2024, a total of $4 million has been distributed to support volunteer fire departments with their equipment needs. “Volunteer firefighters are there for their communities no matter what the emergency, from structure and wildland fires to vehicle crashes and medical emergencies to natural disasters and hazardous materials incidents,” said NVFC Chair Steve Hirsch. “Yet many local departments lack the funding to purchase the resources and gear they need, forcing them to rely on outdated or insufficient equipment. We thank State Farm for taking action to address this need by helping local departments secure critical equipment so they can do their jobs more safely and effectively.” “At State Farm, we are committed to helping people manage everyday risks and building safer, stronger communities,” said Rasheed Merritt, State Farm HR&D Exec-Corporate Responsibility. “We are proud to support volunteer firefighters with equipment needed to enhance safety.” The announcement of the 2026 recipients was made on August 18, a date many celebrate as Volunteer Firefighters Recognition Day. Grants will be used to purchase a wide variety of department necessities, including personal protective equipment, EMS and rescue tools, In addition to the 150 grants, State Farm provided complimentary NVFC memberships to the first 2,000 eligible applicants to provide more responders with access to an array of benefits, including free training, support services and more. The NVFC is the leading national nonprofit association serving the volunteer fire, emergency medical, and rescue services. For more information about the Good Neighbor Firefighter Safety Program, including a list of departments receiving the grants, visit the NVFC website at www.nvfc.org/statefarm.

(Photo from Hitachi Energy website) Hitachi Energy will invest $528 million to expand its transformer manufacturing operations in Copiah County, marking the company’s largest U.S. investment to date and bringing 654 new jobs to the region. The expansion will take place at the company’s existing transformer manufacturing operation in the Copiah County Industrial Park in Gallman. Hitachi Energy currently employs 475 people at the facility, which manufactures small power transformers. “This is truly a massive win for Mississippi and the United States,” Gov. Tate Reeves said. “Hitachi Energy could've made its largest investment in America anywhere in the country – but the company chose Mississippi.” The project will substantially increase the facility’s production capacity and expand the variety of small power transformers manufactured domestically. The additional capacity is expected to help meet growing demand for electrical infrastructure across North America while strengthening the domestic supply chain for critical energy equipment. The expansion includes the purchase of a 45-acre site at the Copiah County Industrial Park, construction of a new manufacturing facility, installation of new manufacturing equipment and infrastructure improvements. “Reliable energy infrastructure has become one of the most important factors in economic growth, and that starts with the ability to manufacture the equipment that keeps the grid running,” Mississippi Development Authority Executive Director Bill Cork said. “At $528 million, Hitachi Energy's expansion is a massive addition to the investment taking place in Mississippi and puts Copiah County at the center of an industry that is increasingly critical to economic development.” The Mississippi Development Authority is providing assistance through the Mississippi Flexible Tax Incentive, or MFLEX, program. MDA also is assisting with site development and infrastructure improvements. Copiah County is providing assistance for the project. Arthur “Pokey” Evans, Executive Director Copiah County Economic Development District “Copiah County Economic Development District is grateful for the decision of Hitachi Energy to invest $528 million into expanding the domestic transformer production located in Copiah County,” said Copiah County Economic Development District Executive Director Arthur L. Evans Jr. “We thank the Mississippi Development Authority for support of this project, which will strengthen Hitachi Energy's operation, create new jobs and assist with continued economic growth of our community.” Hitachi Energy manufactures transformers and other electrical equipment used to support the nation’s power grid, including infrastructure serving homes, businesses and communities. The company said the expansion reflects its long-term commitment to U.S. manufacturing as demand for electricity and grid infrastructure continues to increase. “Demand for electricity is growing rapidly, and the grid must grow with it,” said Andreas Schierenbeck, CEO of Hitachi Energy. “This investment in Mississippi, our largest ever in the U.S., reflects our long-term commitment to American manufacturing and building the grid infrastructure that will help power America's growth for decades to come.” Construction is expected to begin later this year, with transformer production at the expanded operation scheduled to begin in 2029. The project is expected to further establish Copiah County as a manufacturing center for equipment supporting the nation’s energy infrastructure while adding hundreds of jobs to the local economy.

By Jessica Breazeale For a communications class project, members of the Copiah-Lincoln Community College football team sat down for a round of quick interviews about where they come from, what position they play and why Wolves fans should be showing up on game day. Their answers paint a picture of a roster built from small Mississippi towns, bigger programs down the road and everywhere in between. Deshawn Smith, who plays wide receiver for the Wolves, said he grew up in Philadelphia, Mississippi, but still claims Fayette as home, even though he has lived in Wesson the past four or five years. He played for Wesson Attendance Center under coach Jeremy Lloyd, where he said he played "everything" before settling in as a receiver at the college level. Khayree Lee, a lineman from the West Bank of New Orleans, said this is his first season playing JuCo football after stops at LSU and South Alabama. Asked what he likes most about Co-Lin, Lee pointed to the team's chemistry."I like how all my teammates, we come together, and we just play as one," he said. Making the jump from a Power Four program to a smaller junior college hasn't changed much for him, he added: "I'm still playing a sport that I love, so it's not really too, too crazy." Brandon Thomas, a receiver from Auburn, Alabama, made the case for bigger crowds at Wolves games. He said the players hear the stands more than fans might think, even when they have to tune out the noise during a defensive series, and that a packed stadium changes the energy of a game."Seeing that many people in the stands helps your morale," Thomas said. "After a game, we see y'all over there, and we're trying to thank everybody." Eddie Ratliff, a safety who grew up around Collins, Mississippi, and played cornerback in high school, said Wesson already feels like a step up from home in terms of turnout. "It's a whole different level," Ratliff said, describing his hometown as a place where families didn't always come out to interact after games. His first game at Co-Lin was a different story — he said a good number of family members made the roughly hour-and-15-minute drive down to see him play. Jaden O'Hara, an offensive guard from Pearl, Mississippi, and a Pearl High School product, compared campus amenities between the two schools. His one request for Wesson: more late-night food options once the cafeteria closes for the evening. Jyrion Cook, a safety from Ellisville, Mississippi, who called himself "an athlete" in high school after playing multiple positions at South Jones, described the Co-Lin locker room in one word: brotherhood.We need all the fans that we can get, Cook said, pointing to a recent game he felt could have gone differently with more crowd energy behind the team. "Not just on the player's side, but as a whole — as a stadium." Lawrence Taylor, a defensive lineman from Memphis, Tennessee, kept his answer simple when asked about his favorite part of Co-Lin: "Playing football here." Taylor said it's his top reason for being at the school, full stop. Mike Harris, who hails from Cleveland, Mississippi, in the Delta, said the Wolves' defense has been tough this year and encouraged more fans to come see for themselves.Taken together, the interviews reflect a roster stitched together from small towns and bigger programs alike — receivers, linemen and defensive backs who all landed in Wesson for different reasons but share the same request heading into the season: show up, and bring the noise. The Wolfpack has a clear message for the community…the charge to come out and show support.

James Russell Ray May 26, 1941 - September 12, 2026 85 Years of age SERVICE: Friday, September 18, 2026 Calvary Baptist Church, Oak Grove 11:30 a.m. INTERMENT: Highland Cemetery VISITATION: Friday, September 18, 2026 Calvary Baptist Church, Oak Grove 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. Services for Mr. James Russell Ray will be held at 11:30 a.m., Friday, September 18, 2026 at Calvary Baptist Church in Oak Grove. Dr. Jeff Floyd will officiate the service and burial will follow in Highland Cemetery. Serving as pallbearers will be Mike Bennett, Rusty Anderson, Mark Davion, Phillip Nobles, Gary Prach, Richard Watson, Curtis Rimes, and Bruce Owens. James Russell Ray, 85, of the Oak Grove community, went home to be with the Lord on Saturday, September 12, 2026. He was born May 26, 1941 in Jackson, Tennessee. He married Zandra Scott Ray, and together they shared 63 years of marriage. Russell served as a counselor at The University of Southern Mississippi for eight years and as Director of Counseling and Recruitment at Copiah-Lincoln Junior College. He spent his career walking alongside students as they found their path, and he did that work with patience, steadiness, and genuine care. Russell was also a member of Calvary Baptist Church of Oak Grove. Those who loved him will remember a husband, a father, and grandfather who took pride in his family, and a man who gave his working life to helping young people. He was preceded in death by his parents, Floyd and Dorothy Ray of Waynesboro.He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Zandra Scott Ray; his son, David Allen Ray and wife Julie Britt Ray of Hattiesburg; his daughter, Gwen Ray Larrett and husband Keith Larrett of Palm Coast, Florida; his granddaughter, Breanna Ray Finnley and husband Bryce Finnley of Hattiesburg, his granddaughter, Avery Robinson of Hattiesburg; his grandson, Samuel Robinson of Hattiesburg; and his great-grandson, Waylon Tucker Finnley of Hattiesburg. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Calvary Baptist Church of Oak Grove.

Special to Wesson News The Wesson Cobras found a way to win when it mattered most Friday night, rallying in the fourth quarter to defeat Franklin County 15-14 and remain unbeaten through the first three games of the 2026 season. Wesson overcame an early deficit and a one-point fourth-quarter disadvantage to escape with the nonconference road victory. The Cobras improved to 3-0 with the win, while Franklin County fell to 0-3. Franklin County scored the only points of the opening quarter, taking a 2-0 lead. Wesson answered in the second quarter with a touchdown to take a 7-2 advantage into halftime. The Bulldogs regained the momentum in the third quarter, scoring six points to move ahead 8-7 entering the final period. With the game hanging in the balance, Wesson responded with eight points in the fourth quarter to pull out the 15-14 victory. Running back and quarterback B. Robbins was a key contributor for the Cobras, rushing for 76 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries. Quarterback C. Watts completed 6 of 14 passes for 42 yards. Wide receiver D. Smith recorded six receptions for 47 yards. The victory continues a strong opening stretch for Wesson. The Cobras have now won all three of their games to begin the season, including Friday's narrow road victory against Franklin County. Wesson will return to action Thursday, Sept. 17, traveling to Lumberton for another nonconference matchup. Lumberton enters the game with a 1-2 record following a 27-14 loss to West Marion on Sept. 11. The Cobras will look to carry their undefeated record into Lumberton as they continue their 2026 campaign.

Ronald W. Bath August 29, 2026 81 Years of age Ronald W. Bath, 81, passed away Saturday, August 29, 2026, in Wesson, Mississippi. Ron was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend whose greatest joy and legacy was his family. He is survived by his wife and best friend, Teri Bath; his five children, Shilo Bishop, Angela Taylor, Ronald Johnson, Aaron Johnson, and Lisa Carruth; his brother, Steve Bath; 10 grandchildren; and one great-grandson. He was preceded in death by his parents, Charlotte and Edwin Bath; his son, Ed Bath; and granddaughter, Ashlee Brekke. A successful real estate developer, Ron was a true “dirt artist” with a remarkable ability to look at a piece of land and envision what it could become. He was also a proud United States Army veteran and member of American Legion Post 79. Ron will be remembered for his infectious laugh, stories, advice, love of baseball, and devotion to Teri, his family, and friends. His greatest legacy will always be the people he loved and the lives he touched. He will be deeply missed and forever remembered as a loving husband, Dad, Pop, Papa, and friend. A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, September 19, 2026 from 1-3PM at the American Legion Hall in Wesson, Mississippi.

By Misty Strieff Prine “Lord, please make it happen in the most impossible way so they know it’s only YOU who could have done it.” – Unknown I love it when God answers prayers, performs a miracle or just simply allows something to happen that someone says is impossible. As a believer, I am constantly awe struck by the things God does every single day and the “invisible strings”, if you will, that I sit back and look at, that He has had in motion my entire life to get me to where I am today. When I say ONLY God can do the things that have brought me to this point in my life, I mean it. I have witnessed things in other people’s lives that leave me speechless and I’m sure you have your own stories. But nothing compares to the moment that a non-believer sees for the first time a moment in time when something happens that THEY know ONLY God can do and they have no explanation but that it was the hand of God. I think we need to pray that prayer that God will move in such a way that others will see Him in a way where they have no doubt that only the hand of God was at work. That they would accept Him as their Lord and Savior and get so excited to tell their story to others around them that a revival would sweep our communities for Jesus. It only takes one person. You know how you felt when God did something in your life that was so amazing you couldn’t praise Him enough? Well, don’t let that fire burn out. Remember it! Tell someone about it. Can you imagine how many eyes we, as Christians, could open just by telling our story? Oh, what an amazing thing we could start for Him just by telling our story!

By Raymond Barranco, MSU Professor of Sociology Right before I graduated college, I applied to the Louisiana State Police. Part of the process was a polygraph test. If you’ve never taken one, here’s how it works: you sit in a small room while someone asks you a series of yes-or-no questions, and a machine tracks your heart rate, breathing, and a few other things that apparently reveal whether you’re lying. One of the questions was simple enough on paper: have you ever stolen anything? I sat there and actually thought about it. Not in a panicked way – in an honest one. Had I ever taken something I shouldn’t have? Of course. Probably a piece of candy as a kid. Maybe something small from a friend’s house that I forgot to give back. Years of little, forgettable things that I genuinely couldn’t reconstruct with any confidence. So when the examiner asked if I had told him everything, I hesitated. I wanted to say yes. But I couldn’t, in good conscience, claim I remembered every small thing I had ever taken across two decades of being a kid. I told him what I could remember and admitted there was probably more I had simply forgotten. I failed the polygraph. Not because I was hiding some terrible secret, but because I could not honestly pretend to remember every small mistake I had ever made. At the time, this felt like one of the most unfair things that had ever happened to me. I had been honest – more honest, probably, than the test wanted me to be – and it cost me the job. I remember feeling a particular kind of frustration that’s hard to name: not anger at a person, exactly, but anger at a moment. Like the universe had handed me a raw deal for no good reason. I didn’t know what to do next. So, I did the thing you do when you don’t know what to do: I bought myself more time. I went to graduate school. I want to be clear that this was not some grand strategic pivot. I didn’t have a five-year plan. I was a guy who had just lost the job he thought he wanted, looking for the next reasonable step, and graduate school was it. Almost twenty years later, I cannot imagine a better life than the one that decision built for me and my family. The career I have now, the work I get to do, the people I have met along the way – none of it exists in the version of my life where I pass that polygraph and become a state trooper instead. I’m not saying that path would have been bad. I’m saying I can’t picture my life now without the detour that felt, at the time, like a punishment. Here’s what I keep coming back to: in the moment, I was certain I understood what had just happened to me. Something bad. Something unfair. A door closing for no good reason. I was wrong about all of it. Not factually wrong – the door really did close, and it really did feel unfair. I was wrong about what it meant. We do this constantly. We experience something – a setback, a rejection, a plan falling apart – and we immediately assign it a verdict. Good or bad. Lucky or unlucky. Fair or unfair. We are rarely wrong about what happened. We are often wrong about what it means, because meaning usually takes longer to arrive than judgment does. I’m not telling you this so you’ll sit back and assume everything happens for a reason, or that every setback is secretly a blessing. Plenty of bad things are simply bad, with no silver lining waiting on the other side. That’s not the lesson. The lesson is smaller and, I think, more useful: we should hold our verdicts a little more loosely than we do. The instinct to immediately decide whether something is good or bad, fair or unfair, a disaster or a blessing, is almost always premature. We are judging a chapter as if it were the whole book. So the next time something happens that feels like a clear, obvious setback, pause before you finish the story in your head. You might be right. The setback may be exactly what it appears to be. But you might also be twenty years away from realizing that the thing you were sure had gone wrong was actually the moment everything else became possible.

By Sarah Grace Coleman Taylor Burke (center), pictured with the Wesson tennis team “Once a Cobra, always a Cobra” is the mantra of the Wesson Attendance Center and one that is dear to Taylor Burke. Burke has lived in Wesson ever since she was three years old. She has been married to her high school sweetheart, Konner Burke, for nine years and has three children— Emmerson,6; Anniston, 2; and Mallory, 3 months. Growing up, her dream was to be a teacher. She also enjoyed dance and attended Nena Smith’s School of Dance from kindergarten until graduation. In high school, she was a member of the tennis team. Like many Wesson residents, Burke got her associates’ degree from Copiah-Lincoln Community College before going to Ole Miss in Oxford, where she got her degree in education. After that, she began her teaching career at Brookhaven Academy in 2017, where she taught sixth grade for three years. In 2020, she moved to the Wesson Attendance Center, where she started as a third-grade teacher before moving to seventh grade and biology for three years before becoming a guidance counselor and tennis coach. “I think that was God’s calling on my life was to be involved in education somehow. I think He put people and opportunities in my life that opened doors for me to become a counselor,” said Burke. Wesson Schools has been a big part of her life. “You really form relationships with your peers, the teachers, the staff, administrators, they get to watch you grow up and they cheer for you. My kindergarten teachers cheered for me all the way through graduation and college, and when I got married and had babies, they are still cheering for me,” said Burke. “I recently got a letter from a previous student of mine that thanked me for believing in him when he didn’t believe in himself and pushing him to be better than he was at the time. I think, looking back, my proudest accomplishments, especially work-wise, are those students who have made it to graduation and have gone on to college or join the workforce, that maybe didn’t know that they would be able to accomplish that - that our teachers and staff and administration just rallied around and got them through to that.” Burke also helps teach dancersize classes alongside Marsha Raiford and Jessica Breazeale at the Event Room on Tuesday nights. When she’s not working at the Attendance Center or dancing, she spends time with her family outdoors. This time of year, she and her kids can be found visiting Wesson’s park, enjoying snow cones from Park Place Ice Cream, and eating fried squash from her parent’s garden. Burke is also involved as a member of Topisaw Baptist Church in Bogue Chitto. When asked to describe herself, Burke said, “Blessed. That's the only way to sum it up. In every aspect of the word.” What are your hobbies? I really don’t have much free time. I love spending time with my family. I enjoy playing tennis with my tennis team, but I don’t do it on my own anymore. Are you a reader? No, unfortunately not. I would love to have the time to, but I do not. How about music? I do; music is my love language. I am dying to see Ella Langley live right now, so that's on my bucket list at the moment. I love live music. Do you go to the theater or movies? Yes. I’ve been to New York a couple times, everything about Broadway shows just enthralls me, so I would love to be a fly on the wall backstage of the theater just to know how it operates. I love just how well they perform things. My favorite off-Broadway show I’ve ever been to was Kinky Boots. If you won a lot of money in the lottery, how would you spend it? The not-fun answer would be I would put it up for my three girls because, before I know it, I’ll be buying cars and wedding dresses and sending them to college and things like that. But my fun answer would be I would go see any live concert that I wanted to. How would you change the world? Being in education, a lot of times we tell kids, “You can do whatever you set your mind to. You can be whoever you want to be, but the reality in small-town Mississippi for some of our students is they don’t always have the resources available at their fingertips to make that happen. I think if I had the ability to, I would make that statement true for our kids here that they could do or be anything that they wanted to be without any obstacles in their way.

Special to Wesson News The Wesson Cobras will put their unbeaten start to the 2026 season on the line Friday night when they travel to Meadville to take on the Franklin County Bulldogs in a non-district matchup. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11, at Franklin County High School. Wesson enters the contest at 2-0 after a dominant opening-night performance against Bogue Chitto and a strong follow-up victory over North Pike. The Cobras opened the season Aug. 28 with a 41-0 road shutout of Bogue Chitto. Wesson then returned home Sept. 4 and defeated North Pike 29-14 at Stone Stadium on the Copiah-Lincoln Community College campus. Through two games, Wesson has outscored its opponents 70-14, putting together a balanced start that has seen the Cobras score at least 29 points in each game while holding both opponents to 14 points or fewer. Friday's opponent is looking to turn its season around. Franklin County enters the matchup at 0-2. The Bulldogs opened the season with a narrow 17-12 loss at North Pike before falling 42-6 to Brookhaven on Sept. 4. Franklin County has scored 18 points through its first two games while allowing 59. The Bulldogs are beginning the season under new leadership. Jamario Winters is in his first season as Franklin County's head coach. Franklin County competes in Class 3A Region 7. Despite the different starts to the season, Wesson will not be able to overlook the Bulldogs. The two programs have a long history, having met 12 times since 2004, with the series tied at 6-6 entering Friday's game. Wesson head coach Jeremy Loy is in his 11th season leading the Cobras. The team is looking to build on the momentum of last year's successful campaign and position itself for another playoff run. Friday's contest is the third of five consecutive non-district games to open Wesson's schedule. After Franklin County, the Cobras will travel to Lumberton on Sept. 18 before returning home Sept. 25 to face Lawrence County. District play begins Oct. 2 when Wesson hosts Enterprise. The Cobras will then travel to Loyd Star on Oct. 9 before closing the listed district portion of the schedule at home against Amite County on Oct. 16. For Wesson, Friday's game provides another opportunity to keep its perfect record intact, continue its strong offensive start and build confidence before district competition begins. The Cobras and Bulldogs will meet under the Friday night lights in Meadville with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m.

By Bob Garver Poster credit IMDB “By Any Means” is a movie about two disparate FBI employees that can’t decide if it wants to be a “Buddy Cop” movie or not. The pair are mismatched, but are they “comically” mismatched? The pair banter, is there enough banter to qualify for the “Buddy Cop” label? There’s action, but is the action too violent and intense for a term as casual as “Buddy Cop”? The result is an uneven tone that makes the movie too dark for matinee action fans and too ridiculous for true-crime aficionados. The movie takes place in 1966, primarily in Mississippi. Local agent Wayne Strider (Yahya Abdul Mateen II) is eager to prove that he, as a Black man, can handle more than a desk job. He also wants to help in the investigation into the murder of civil rights activist and personal friend Vernon Dahmer (Giancarlo Esposito). His boss (David Strathairn) notices that Black neighbors of Dahmer are unwilling to talk to white agents, but maybe they’ll cooperate with Strider. The agent is given a special off-the-books assignment that requires some investigating, though he is mostly in the service of informant Gregory Scarpa (Mark Wahlberg), a New York mobster known for uncondoned methods of getting answers. For different reasons, neither Strider nor Scarpa is particularly welcome in Klan-infested 1960’s Mississippi, though it’s not like they’re conducting the investigation to make friends. Scarpa has certainly shown up to be one half of a pair of Buddy Cops. Everything from his hair to his sunglasses to his drinking and womanizing, indicates that he is the “wild” one of the team. And that’s just his first impression. He’s also got a mean mouth, a short fuse, and an itchy trigger finger. The man starts putting up a body count much earlier than Strider expected. He’s not much more merciful in his interrogations, with the investigation rarely moving forward without information soaked in blood. Then again, at least he’s getting the information, which Strider would never be able to get going by the book. Strider and Scarpa settle into a rapport, though Scarpa is casually racist and says he doesn’t care about the investigation outside of his specific assignment. Strider eventually learns to give verbal abuse as good as he gets. He even teaches Scarpa an epithet for white people that he doesn’t already know. I found it hard to believe that Scarpa wasn’t familiar with the term, or at least be able to easily guess its meaning from context. His ignorance in this scene is about as embarrassing for the movie as Dr. Don in “Green Book” being befuddled by fried chicken. When it comes to the investigation, there’s no learning from each other, Scarpa 100% brings Strider over to his side of using violence to get what he wants. And there is a lot of violence. Interrogation scenes see suspects begging Scarpa to kill them, but he won’t end their suffering that easily. Granted, these men are always perpetrators of horrific violence themselves, which just means that all “action” sequences in this movie are a rough watch. I get the point of making the violence in “By Any Means” so ugly, there are no winners in a hate-based war. I also get the point of making the character of Scarpa so unlikeable (provided it does the real-life Scarpa justice), sometimes assets to justice have to come from the dregs of society. But did this movie have to take so many cues from lighter Buddy Cop movies, as if it couldn’t sell itself as something heavier? And did it have to whiff so badly on its few attempts at levity? The film takes itself both too seriously and not seriously enough, working occasionally, but not consistently. It never quite finds the means to elicit laughs “or” screams. Grade: C “By Any Means” is rated R for violence/bloody images and pervasive language. Its running time is 107 minutes. Contact Bob Garver at rrg251@nyu.edu.