By Mika Hartman If you’re feeling relieved that your genetic testing came back with little to no chance your baby will have any chromosome abnormalities, you can and should celebrate. Your baby will not face all the challenges my baby does. I am super happy for you. I will celebrate your baby with you. I would celebrate the same had your testing come back positive for a chromosome addition or subtraction. I would celebrate with you and your baby no matter the circumstances. All life is a gift. I remember the day I walked into the doctors offices to have all my testing and answer all the questions. I was all smiles. Nothing could wipe the smile off my face. I was 41 and pregnant against all odds and completely shocked in the best way. The lady handed me a book of all the things that could go wrong at my age being pregnant; nope, not me. I had already had two beautiful babies and with no complications or any questions about their health. Do you smoke? No. Do you drink? Not really. Do you have family with inherited genetic abnormalities? Not that I know of. And so on. Then came the age part and what all could be or go wrong. I still smiled and answered confidently. No worries. She said that I answered everything she needed and sent me back to wait for my scan. The scan is where they were able to be see “soft markers” of potential “issues”. The room went from big laughter and excitement for me to dark and cold… they seemed as if this news was the worst thing they could say, like stage 4 colon cancer. Yes, I cried. I cried for the fear of never holding my baby. The delivery was as if I would never get the life I dreamed of with my baby. What they didn’t tell me is that his “extra” isn’t scary, but wonderful. That he would be strong and fight for his life each step of the way. And if I was lucky enough to carry him to full term, he would be a blessing to so many. So the sadness in the delivery of this news was wrong, it robbed me of the joy of my day seeing him in my belly and discovering the beautiful that was to come for my family. So back to the start of my story. It’s okay to pray for a healthy baby. Its okay to celebrate the life you’ve been blessed with. Its not okay to imply that you had God show up for you and I didn’t. He showed up for me in many perfect ways. He showed up and gave me and my family the LIFE of Hudson. His smile, His giggle. His light. His determination. You can go through life praying for many miracles and many things in your life. God answers prayers, I believe that wholeheartedly. But GODS WILL is greater than my worry or any fears. What He provides is a perfect plan and Hudson’s “extra” was all part of it. We can’t as a community devalue ones life to say your gift was better. Children are a gift. Not some children, but ALL children. No comparison is necessary. When we publicly put our opinion on Gods will, it’s often viewed though a narrow scope of a few. The broad way to see this is that God has shown/shows up for everyone. He gives us what we can handle, even when we don’t think we can. Not all disabilities can be detected on genetic screening or monitoring. Our babies are loved and worthy with or without any seen or unseen “abnormalities”. Definition of abnormal: deviating from what is normal or usual, typically in a way that is undesirable or worrying. See, it is this language that puts doubt in hearts. Do I worry? Yes, of course, but not how you think. I worry about acceptance most. How the world will treat my child. He has already done so many wonderful things in life and still people will approach me as if my life is harder. It’s not. Don’t ever feel sorry for me. Hudson provides us all with strength and determination to make this world better for him. While we have accomplished a lot, we still have mountains to move. Today, I learned that one mountain was moved that I have myself joined in the climb. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has finally issued updates to their guidelines that are way overdue. From Live Action News about these updates: The way parents receive a Down syndrome diagnosis will hopefully be changing after years of advocacy. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is updating their guidelines on how medical professionals deliver a diagnosis, something that could be potentially life-saving. The Down Syndrome Diagnosis Network (DSDN) originally launched on World Down Syndrome Day in 2014, with the goal of helping to support families after receiving a Down syndrome diagnosis, both prenatally and after birth. The other part of their mission was to improve how the medical community delivers a diagnosis, with an emphasis on accurate, up-to-date information. DSDN also promoted nationally recognized guidelines on how to deliver a diagnosis properly, a physician feedback program, and resources for medical professionals. Another DSDN campaign featured letters written by parents to the doctors who delivered their diagnoses; while a small number were positive, the majority were negative. One mother said doctors referred to her baby as “it”; another woman’s doctor said her daughter would be a ‘vegetable’. Part of the DSDN mission has included medical outreach, which again, has involved negative experiences. Heather Bradley, a member of the Board of Directors and former president of DSDN, spoke about what was said during an American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists District meeting in Wisconsin. “In speaking with a Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialist from Minnesota, he said that delivering a Down syndrome diagnosis was like giving someone a ‘crap sandwich,’” she wrote on Facebook. “When a new or expectant parent is just told the news their baby has Down syndrome and the first words are ‘I’m so sorry’ or ‘When should I schedule the termination?’, what is that physician saying about their CHILD? It most definitely tells them that their child IS a ‘crap sandwich.’” One survey found that just 11% of women reported having a positive prenatal diagnosis experience, while another survey found that 13% of doctors admitted purposely overemphasizing the negative aspects of Down syndrome in an effort to pressure parents into abortion. But the years of hard work and advocacy is slowly paying off. The AAP’s new clinical report includes updated guidelines on how physicians should deliver a diagnosis. Families are to be congratulated (no more apologizing for a child’s existence), to refer to the baby by name, and to make sure a support person is there for the parents during the discussion. Physicians are also told to leave out their own personal biases, to use up-to-date and accurate information, to use person-first language, and to connect parents to local support groups and resources. Doctors are also told to emphasize the positive aspects of Down syndrome, including improved medical outcomes and the fact that people with Down syndrome and their families overwhelmingly report being happy with themselves and their lives. When it comes to prenatal diagnoses, doctors are to include prenatal care considerations, and to take a “non-directive” approach to discussing options; in other words, no more assuming the parents want an abortion, making appointments without their permission first, or pressuring them into abortions. “For [EIGHT] YEARS we have been working with health care professionals to improve the diagnosis experience for families. We were steadfast in sharing the stories of our DSDN families with medical professionals, so they knew what the current realities were and to ask them to embrace and advocate for using an accurate, up-to-date, unbiased approach to sharing the news of a Down syndrome diagnosis. We specifically asked for prenatal medical care guidelines for a Down syndrome pregnancy, and to connect families to national and local support organizations as soon as possible,” DSDN Founding Director of Medical Outreach, Jenny Di Benedetto, said in a statement, adding, “We made a real and tangible change in the way a Down syndrome diagnosis is going to be delivered. Us. This group of moms who never gave up. For [EIGHT] YEARS we advocated and this week, when we were least expecting it, the medical community showed us that they listened. They heard us, they agreed with us, and they are advocating alongside us." AMEN! This change will be LIFESAVING! Simple. Needed. CONGRATULATIONS!!!! You see, this fight to recognize life, in all forms, is worth celebrating. No labels on our children are necessary. Hudson is a toddler boy. He plays. He learns. He lights up the room. Down syndrome is an “extra” he was born with. It will not go away. And I am celebrating every day who he is and who he will become. My EXTRA reminder is to say that God stepped up for me, too.

Tough one. When you think of babies born without arms or legs. You witness hardened criminals allowed to go scot-free, over and over again. A war perpetrated against a country who has not committed crimes that would warrant that action. People drawn in to drug addiction they can’t break. When you hear in the news that so many helpless young girls have been sold into sex slavery. Watch as a heartless powerful dictator is living high, while his countrymen are suffering in starvation and poverty. When you read of, or personally are acquainted with, a person who feels that they are trapped in the body of the wrong sex. Throughout time, some have held the belief that God the Creator has made mistakes in allowing things like this to happen. Well, first of all, if God, the creator of everything has made a mistake, I sure wouldn’t want to be the one created being that has the guts to stand up and tell The All-Powerful One that He did! I may not be the most intelligent, but I do have more brains than that. Secondly, yes, definitely we are surrounded by heartbreaking circumstances everywhere we look. Absolutely no doubt of that. But, is that reality a result of God’s inattention, His vengefulness, His uncaring? Or rather, is it a result of sin – the behavior that God Himself has warned men and women against throughout all generations of time? The Bible is filled with cautions and pleadings from Him, telling people what the inevitable result of sin will be. Pain and heartache. And remember, the consequences of bad behavior are not visited just on the person who acted against God’s advice. We are all interconnected, and therefore what I do affects you and yours. Little children suffer badly from the decisions made in the generations before them. Innocent people are terribly hurt when someone decides they can do anything they so please – regardless of God’s warnings against sinning. I have heard the statements, “Well, good grief, He is God! He could stop all this pain and suffering with a blink of His eye if He wanted to. So why doesn’t He, if He is a loving God? Yep, He certainly could. Except for one thing. Our loving God doesn’t believe in forcing anyone to act right. That would make us no more than human puppets, and He doesn’t seem to want that for us. He evidently has placed limits on His power to make us do what is good and right, versus living in sin. But why would He do that? Couple of reasons. He wants us to obey Him, not out of fear and oppression, but from love. And also, because He deliberately didn’t create us as robots, unable to think, reason, and have affection. When you look honestly at the facts, we humans are the reason there is so much pain in this world, not God.

A young girl’s poem in the wake of her dad’s suicide touched a chord deep in Tommy Rice’s heart. Now, this award-winning songwriter prays the song he spun from her words will reach other fathers. His ultimate hope is to prevent suicide in men struggling with depression, addiction and other demons, direct them toward the support they need to heal, and lead them back to their families’ loving embrace. He wants to remind them of the worth of their lives, the love of their children and the key place they hold in those young lives. Suicide is among the leading causes of death in the United States and ranks even higher for men, who are more likely to use deadlier means. Addi Giles was only 10 when her father’s overdose robbed her of a future with him. Her poem “Daddy Come Home” concludes with, “My heart is a puzzle that has yet to be done/With one missing piece/My dad is gone.” Stirred by the ache and longing in Addi’s words, her mom shared it with Rice, cousin of Addi’s grandfather and a songwriter still new on the Christian country music scene. With Addi’s permission, Rice built on her words for the recording “This Song Is for You, Daddy.” “We feel like this song would really touch people’s hearts because suicide is so common now, especially in America,” Rice said. “Playing that song would hopefully help a father who is thinking about suicide, and change his mind. I wrote it that way, for people to realize what they’re missing out on, and what they’re doing to their family. “A lot of kids are facing this now. Their fathers leave and go into a depression and keep to themselves, They don’t understand why they can’t see them anymore. It’s devastating to the family.” Rice understands the situation better than most. Following the death of his beloved wife Deborah of cancer in early 2019, he became almost a recluse. “I was beyond lost, depressed, in a dark tunnel with no light in sight,” he said. “I know how these people feel.” Suicide didn’t enter his thoughts, but he felt a strong pull to be with loved ones he’d lost. His counselor in a grief recovery class urged him to channel the feelings into a story. Rice’s story moved his class to tears. A fellow class member suggested he make a song of it. So, he did. Rice found a studio to handle details of the music, help find a singer and record “Miss Her More Today Than Yesterday.” The experience launched a new path for the Raymond, Mississippi, real estate broker and auto dealership owner. Rice lined up an entertainment attorney, Loggins Promotion and Mansell Media, and plunged into the newfound passion. “I prayed about it and God seemed put these people in my life, and it started happening,” he said. “Songs started coming all the time.” His current song count tops 200, with 84 recorded. With less than two years in the business, Rice won the New Music Award for Country New Group of the Year 2022 with a song featuring Patricia Barrett (also the singer for “This Song Is for You, Daddy”). His new single “My Momma Loved Me” went to No. 1 on Independent Music Network’s Country Top 30 Countdown this May. “What saved me was the music,” Rice said, recalling his own dark tunnel of grief. Now, he hopes this song can help save others, and prevent the heartache suicide leaves behind. For the song and video “This Song Is for You, Daddy” on YouTube, click here. For suicide prevention resources, click here. For more information: Website: www.tommyricemusic.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/tommyricemusic Instagram: www.instagram.com/tommyricemusic YouTube: Tommy Rice - YouTube For additional information, please contact: Tommy Rice 601-750-5511 TommyRice601@yahoo.com

By Kara Kimbrough Mississippi is blessed to be the destination of choice for travelers from around the U.S. and countries across the globe. A few tourism spots that come to mind are the Gulf Coast, Natchez, Vicksburg and assorted college towns around the state. Add Laurel to the list of places that are drawing tourists from far and near, all eager to walk the same streets, dine at the restaurants and view “up close and personal” the homes featured on the hit HGTV show, Hometown. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, really, to learn that the once-medium-sized city in Jones County is now a hot tourism spot. In fact, residents of other states are selling their homes, packing their belongings and moving to Laurel. The city’s sudden prominence on the world stage is similar to the popularity experienced by many cities and towns once they’re featured on a television show, Laurel is the destination of choice for thousands on a mission to see the Laurel Mercantile Co. owned by show hosts Ben and Erin Napier, The Pearl Diner and other places made famous after appearances on the show. I often hear Mississippians say they’ve never visited some of Mississippi's tourism spots frequented by guests from faraway places. Don’t make that mistake with Laurel. Incidentally, it shouldn’t matter if you’re a fan of the show or not. Laurel is a city worth visiting, filled as it is with amazing restaurants, the state’s first art museum, better known as the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art and a quaint, historic downtown area. Just in time for summer travels, plenty of family-oriented events are planned across the city, ranging from farmer’s markets to movie nights to fireworks shows. There’s plenty to see and do in Laurel, as most tourists can attest. However, one of the city’s most valuable resources is its historic downtown area. Filled with plenty of green spaces and many of the original buildings that made Laurel a bustling retail hub in the 1950’s and 60’s, the brick-lined area transports visitors back to a simpler time. Despite the influx of new businesses and a steady streams of cars and tourists on foot, it’s easy to feel like you’re in a bygone era when time storefronts were ornate, time moved at a slower pace and people were friendly. When it’s time for a meal, Laurel has something for every age group and taste bud, ranging from family-owned diners and butcher shops to fine dining establishments and everything in between. There are many new restaurants I’ve heard about but have not found time to visit. Instead, I tend to gravitate toward a favorite - The Loft. And the reason for my favoritism? The Loft’s steaks, seafood and sides are simply the best. I’ve never experienced a less than outstanding meal inside the restaurant tucked in a row of historic building in downtown Laurel. Grilled steak is a dish that tends to polarize and create dissension among otherwise civil people. Arguments abound over the perfect cut of meat, sauce or marinade, grilling technique and the charcoal versus wood chips debate. Sometimes it’s best to leave the grilling to other and enjoy a succulent grilled steak in a restaurant. The Loft is worth the trip if you’re a steak aficionado or like me, hadn’t considered it a favorite food until I sampled the hand-cut grilled steaks served at the charming eatery. The Loft wasn’t created solely with the goal of becoming a steak restaurant. Instead, Jon and Roxanne Diggetts wanted to offer a family-owned alternative to the plethora of chain restaurants dotting the Laurel landscape. In 2009, The Loft opened in an old bank building and relocated not long after to the current multi-room space on Central Avenue. Inside the ivy-covered building exists a charming ambiance courtesy of exposed brick walls and wooden beams, brick floors and cozy seating areas, all of which set the stage for the meal to come. Guests can choose to dine in the spacious dining areas, relax outside on the double-decker outdoor patio and courtyard reminiscent of New Orleans or head to the full-service bar. The Napiers’ decision to film several on-camera meetings at the restaurant with home renovation clients has been good for business. As a result, tourists from around the country regularly drop by to experience The Loft after seeing it on television. Yet despite the show’s popularity combined with the steady growth of a revitalized downtown area, there’s another reason for the restaurant’s success – the owners’ desire to prepare consistently good, made-from-scratch food and an on-site grill so that each steak is moist, tender and seared to perfection. I hate to focus solely on the steaks. After all, there are many other items on the menu. However, I must mention one of the best appetizers I’ve ever sampled. Grilled steak bites with two dipping sauces, miniature coming attractions of the larger delight to come, are succulent, smoky and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. I almost – make that almost – didn’t need to order an entrée after my friend and I shared an overflowing platter of the smoky bites. But, of course, I did. While the large ribeye is the most popular entrée (and other cuts are also on the menu), the Loft’s version of surf and turf is my go-to dish. The dish’s grilled ribeye contains just the right amount of seasoning and is neither dripping with marinade or too dry. Almost as good is the generous serving of large, lightly breaded butterflied fried shrimp. They’re prepared and fried with a light hand and are crispy, not greasy. The Loft also serves a delicious lineup of pasta dishes, appetizers and desserts. It’s not on the menu, but friendly service and the cozy, charming space is almost as good as the grilled steak and shrimp…almost. The Loft opens for dinner at 5 p.m., Tuesday – Saturday. They are not open for lunch. The restaurant is closed on Sunday and Monday. The restaurant is located at 535 Central Ave. in downtown Laurel. Call 601-518-0404 for additional information. For information on summer events taking place in Laurel, visit: thenewstateofjones.com. Kara Kimbrough is a food and travel writer from Mississippi. Email her at kkprco@yahoo.com.

The Atlantic Hurricane Season officially starts June 1 and runs through November 30. The NOAA Climate Prediction Center predicts above-average hurricane activity this year, predicting 14-21 named storms. The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency urges residents to prepare for the season ahead. “Being prepared can be life-saving in the wake of a hurricane or tropical storm,” said MEMA Executive Director Stephen McCraney. “Make sure your family has a go-kit and evacuation plan. Don’t wait for a storm to enter the Gulf of Mexico to begin your family’s preparations. Now is the time.” The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency has many resources to help residents prepare for a storm. Our 2022 Disaster Guide demonstrates what to do before, during, and after a storm, including making an evacuation plan and building a disaster kit. The Disaster Guide can be downloaded in Spanish and Vietnamese on the MEMA website. After a storm, residents are encouraged to contact their insurance provider if there is any damage and file a claim. Residents should report damage to their local Emergency Management Office as soon as possible. They can do so by using the Crisis Track self-reporting tool. This information-gathering platform allows local officials to determine the amount of damage within a community. Protecting lives and property are MEMA’s top priorities, and we hope that residents will make a plan, prepare, and be vigilant this hurricane season.

Mississippi Boychoir will present its Summer Tour Kickoff Concert on Thursday, June 23 at 6:30 p.m. at Lighthouse Ministries Church, 501 W. County Line Road, Tougaloo, MS 39174. After this concert, the choir will tour beginning on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, across the Panhandle of Florida, on to Orlando, and finish in Hattiesburg on July 2, 2022. The concert is free and open to the public. Donations are appreciated! To sponsor or donate, visit msboychoir.org. Mississippi Boychoir is funded in part by the Mississippi Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.

By Bob Garver I watched the original “Top Gun” from 1986 to prepare for “Top Gun: Maverick.” The aerial stuntwork and action sequences were impressive, but like many 80’s movies, it fell into the trap of having a smarmy protagonist in Tom Cruise’s Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. I was particularly skeezed out by a scene where he blatantly overstepped a boundary by following prospective love interest Charlie (Kelly McGillis) into a ladies’ room to hit on her. Fortunately, Maverick is much better-behaved in the new movie, at least around women. He still gives his superiors headaches with his against-protocol flying style, but he’s done enough growing up in the last 36 years that I can properly root for him now. The new film opens with Maverick saving a manned Navy flying program from a drone advocate (Ed Harris) by pushing a prototype plane to Mach 10. The flight is totally reckless and the plane is destroyed, but all Maverick had to do was get it to Mach 10 in the first place, so it counts as a win. The bureaucrat wants to ground Maverick permanently over the stunt, but our hero is instead transferred to the Top Gun flight academy in California, where he is to instruct an elite group of pilots on how to take out a secret weapons arsenal on dangerous foreign soil (the exact country is unspecified, probably for the best). The assignment is a tricky one for Maverick, because even though he requested to become a Top Gun instructor at the end of the first film, his stint didn’t go well and he didn’t last two months. But he understands the importance of the mission, so he teaches the young pilots the only way he knows how: by breaking all the rules, much to the consternation of his superiors (Jon Hamm and Charles Parnell). Never one to go too long without a lover, Maverick also reconnects with old girlfriend Penny (Jennifer Connelly). He’s still a bit unsure of himself, and needs some words of encouragement from old friend Iceman (Val Kilmer, in a performance that sadly reflects the actor’s real-life health). The new pilots include Hangman (Glen Powell), Bob (Lewis Pullman), Phoenix (Monica Barbaro), Payback (Jay Ellis), and Fanboy (Danny Ramirez). Then there’s Rooster (Miles Teller), the son of Maverick’s late former partner Goose (Anthony Edwards). To say Rooster resents Maverick is an understatement, not so much for the death itself, but for Maverick deliberately setting his career back with well-intentioned motivations. But it adds a layer of tension to an already-tense mission. I would have switched a few characters around for the climactic mission, but the movie is set on a certain direction. As always, the flying stunts are all top-notch. Cruise, as is his trademark, insisted on doing many stunts himself, and he definitely put himself through the ringer here, as did the other actors. I’m sure their motivation was that they didn’t want the… “more seasoned” Cruise showing them up. I’m not sure how wise it was to subject themselves to so much motion sickness and pressurization issues, but I have to admit, their eyes are rolling back in their heads just right. The story of “Top Gun: Maverick” isn’t going to break any new ground. An unconventional instructor plays by his own rules, but at the end of the day cares deeply about completing the mission and protecting his students. He’s ordered to leave one behind at one point, but we all know there is zero chance that Maverick will obey that order. The likeable characters and exciting action sequences make “Top Gun: Maverick” the epitome of a crowd-pleasing summer blockbuster. Spring for premium tickets in an IMAX/Dolby/Prime theater is you can, as this is the perfect time to make sure a movie is big and loud. Grade: B- “Top Gun: Maverick” is rated PG-13 for sequences of intense action, and some strong language. Its running time is 131 minutes. Contact Bob Garver at rrg251@nyu.edu.

Today the Mississippi State Board of Health announces that Daniel P. Edney, MD, FACP, FASAM, will be appointed the new State Health Officer of the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH), effective August 1, 2022. Edney currently holds the position of Deputy State Health Officer. He initially joined MSDH as chief medical officer and regional health officer for the Central Public Health Region in February 2021. According to State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs, Edney has been a tremendous asset since he joined the Health Department, and especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Among his many contributions, Dr. Edney worked with various organizations and partnerships to explain COVID and answer questions. He has also worked with providers to sign them up to give COVID vaccine, and he fielded questions from providers about allergies and other complications related to the administration of the vaccine,” said Dobbs. Edney appreciates the time he has spent working closely with Dobbs. “Following in the footsteps of Dr. Dobbs, I, too, hope to serve as a catalyst for change – especially with infant and maternal mortality, the opioids battle plaguing the country right now, and moving the needle in preventive health and health equity issues,” Edney added. A summa cum laude graduate of both William Carey University and the University of Mississippi School of Medicine, Edney is a board-certified General Internist with subspecialty board certification in Addiction Medicine. He completed his internship and residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Virginia. He has practiced general primary care internal medicine in Vicksburg since 1991 and has worked actively in the field of addiction medicine since 2013. He currently serves as an addiction medicine specialist for various inpatient residential facilities and outpatient programs in the state and has a private practice at the Medical Associates of Vicksburg. Edney is a former president of the Mississippi State Medical Association and currently serves as a board member on the Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure. He has also served as a fellow and laureate for the Mississippi Chapter of the American College of Physicians and a fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine. Edney will be replacing Thomas Dobbs, MD, MPH, who is resigning from his position at the end of July. Follow MSDH by e-mail and social media at HealthyMS.com/connect.

The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) is bringing back its annual Safety Message Contest for another year! Bring your A game and come up with the punniest, cleverest messages for your chance to win. The contest will run from June 1 to June 15. “MDOT is focused on safety; we want the traveling public as well as our roadside workers to make it home every night. These messages you see along the roadways help remind drivers of easy ways to increase their safety when behind the wheel,” said Brad White MDOT Executive Director. MDOT’s traffic safety messages appear on DMS boards along highways and interstates throughout Mississippi. These messages, which are often related to current events and pop culture, are part of an effort to encourage drivers to change their actions behind the wheel. However, any local emergency messages and traffic updates automatically override scheduled messages on the DMS boards. There is no limit to the number of messages you can submit, but below are some guidelines to remember: The message must relate to traffic safety. Signs can only accommodate three lines and 21 characters per line, including spaces. Hashtags, phone numbers and website addresses are not allowed. No emojis. For this year’s contest, participants are encouraged to focus their messages on the following themes: Speeding Distracted Driving/Texting and Driving Seat Belt Safety Sober Driving Work Zone Safety Turn Signals/Blinkers Left Lane Driving Etiquette Follow @MississippiDOT on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for details on how to submit your messages.

The Mississippi Armed Forces Museum is hosting a Memorial Day Ceremony Friday, May 27, 2022 beginning at 10:00 a.m. The ceremony will start in the museum’s Grand Gallery with opening remarks by Mr. Tommy Lofton, museum director, and Maj. Gen. Janson D. Boyles, the adjutant general of Mississippi. The 73rd Army Band of the U.S. Virgin Islands is playing the National Anthem and Rep. Manley Barton is providing the Memorial Day address. This year’s Gold Star Honoree is Braxton, Miss. native Pfc. Henry Lee Keen, a Marine who paid the ultimate sacrifice during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. Following the indoor ceremony, there will be a wreath-laying ceremony at the Gold Star Monument next to the museum. At the conclusion of the wreath laying, attendees are invited to visit the museum for self-guided tours and to see the newly installed display honoring Pfc. Keen. SuperTalk Radio will be broadcasting live at the Mississippi Armed Forces Museum starting at 10:00 a.m. for the duration of the events honoring Service Members and their Families for Memorial Day.

In response to the nationwide shortage of baby formula, Congressman Michael Guest (MS-03) has launched a crowdsourced website to pinpoint businesses that currently have baby-formula in their stock. “We’ve heard from mothers, fathers, and caregivers across our state who have searched for formula but cannot find it in their local store. I know Mississippians, and I know they want to help. This website is a tool that any Mississippian can use to help identify available formula.” The website, Central MS Formula Finder, offers options for Mississippians to enter in the location of businesses that offer formula and what brands they have in stock. The information is then used to populate an interactive map that can be accessed by individuals searching for baby formula. They can click on the location to see the address and brands. Mississippians can also take pictures of baby formula on shelves and email the photos along with the store name and location to mguestnews@gmail.com. The photos will then be uploaded to the website so people can view specific details about the formula in stock at the store. The office of Congressman Guest is also asking local businesses to self-report when they restock their shelves by using the form on the website. Currently, 37 locations have been identified with available formula. Of these, 14 are located inside the Jackson Metro area and 23 are located in other towns and cities across the Third Congressional District.

It is not an intelligent idea to ignore pain. If you have pain, or had pain in the past – physically, mentally, emotionally, maritally, financially, or any other ‘-ally,’ - there is a reason. Be smart and deal with it. Readers, ARE YOU LISTENING TO WHAT YOU ARE READING? Please take all this to heart. Pain is part of God’s Warning System that something is beginning to malfunction and will most likely worsen if it is ignored. Don’t make the mistake of being too busy to think about it. Too proud to try to make changes. Too scared of what you might be told if you go to a professional. And if you have already been given a diagnosis and have been told what needs to be done to prevent worsening future problems – don’t ignore the advice. Make the changes needed. In whatever area that is hurting. Because it is very unlikely that the problem will just magically go away. To the contrary, pain ignored is simply an invitation from you to an existing problem, “Go ahead, take over an even bigger part of my life and make yourself at home! In fact, you can live here as long as you want, I won’t do a thing about it.” And if you have only just begun to glimpse faint flashes of a warning light that something is wrong in your life, don’t be foolish and wait for the real pain to hit. Be smart. Get ahead of it. Investigate and try to get a jump on whatever has begun to say, “I’m almost completely thru your door, and when I do, you better believe that I’m gonna make my presence known, and I’m here to stay for a while.” Painful issues of any kind usually require making some adjustments, a different approach to living. Some examples; Your hurting marriage won’t likely heal with simply the passing of time. A physical problem most usually doesn’t just disappear on its own with no attention from you. Your empty bank account probably won’t recover unless you adjust your spending habits. And if it is depression or an anger issue that is nagging at you, it has roots that rarely disintegrate alone. I’ll write it again. If you have pain, or had pain in the past – physically, mentally, emotionally, maritally, financially, or any other ‘-ally,’ - there is a reason. And it is not a smart idea to ignore that pain. Interestingly, the expansion of that word, ‘ignore’ is the word ‘ignorance.’ And either meaning of that word ignorance, whether used as ‘innocently unknowing’, or as ‘willfully and stupidly turning your back’ means you probably stand to get hurt in the long run, either way.