By: Kara Kimbrough Tiramisu dip is the perfect appetizer when paired with ladyfingers or sugar cookies for dipping.  It’s spring, which means summer is on the horizon. As soon as warm weather arrives, pool parties, cookouts and other social events offer the perfect opportunity to serve chips, crackers, sliced vegetables – well, almost anything, r4ally, with a big bowl or two of dip. I’ve never met a dip I didn’t like and I don’t see that changing. Even better, a dip with the name of my favorite snack cracker – Chicken in a Bisket, of course – has arrived on the scene, promising to bring just as much enjoyment as its namesake cracker. Some of my favorite dips are French onion, Tzatziki (Mediterranean), baked crabmeat, spinach and artichoke, hummus, smoked salmon and cream cheese, caramelized onion, olive tapenade, loaded baked potato…I could go on, but you get the idea…I love a good dip. Even though I possess an arsenal of delicious dip recipes, I’m always open to adding more. Besides this week’s find of the Chicken in a Bisket dip, I tried one reminiscent of my favorite New Orleans sandwich, a muffaletta. Filled with the same meats and cheeses, it’s a little bit of N’Awlins on a cracker. And last, boring fruit dip will be replaced this summer with exciting tiramisu dip, a takeoff of the decadent dessert by the same name. Pair it with sliced apples, ladyfingers or sugar cookies for a simple, yet memorable appetizer or even a light dessert. Chicken in a Bisket-Inspired Dip 1 cup mayonnaise 1 8-ounce package of cream cheese, softened 1 5-ounce can of chicken meat (packed in water,) drained or 1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded 1 tablespoon dried chives 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce Chicken in a Biskit Crackers for serving Beat cream cheese until smooth. Stir in mayo, chicken, chives, and Worcestershire sauce until combined. Refrigerate until ready to eat. Serve with Chicken in a Biskit crackers N’Awlins Favorite Sandwich Dip 1 8-ounces cream cheese, softened ½ cup mayonnaise, (add more to taste for a creamier dip 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce ½ teaspoon garlic salt 2 slices Genoa salami, chopped fine 2 slices cooked ham, chopped fine 2 slices pepperoni, chopped fine 1 cup Boscoli Family Italian Olive Salad 1 cup  shredded provolone cheese ¼ cup shredded Parmesan 1/4 cup chopped roasted red peppers (optional, or to use as garnish) Large plain round bread Crackers for serving In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, minced garlic, Worcestershire sauce and garlic salt; stir well to combine. Add meats, cheeses and Italian salad (and peppers, if desired). Leaving a 1-inch border, cut out center of bread and scoop out the center to make a bread bowl. Tear or cut scooped out bread into 1" pieces. Place bread bowl and bread pieces on a baking sheet. Fill bread bowl with dip. Bake dip, removing bread pieces if they start to get too dark, until warmed through, 30 to 35 minutes. Serve with crackers. Tiramisu Dip 8-ounce cream cheese, softened 8-ounce Greek yogurt or sour cream 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, plus a little extra for sprinkling 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder Final additions: 1 pint of whipping or double cream 3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar ½ tsp vanilla extract In a bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, Greek yogurt or sour cream, 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder and espresso powder until smooth. Finally, whip the heavy cream with the remaining confectioners’ sugar and vanilla extract until soft peaks form. Fold most of it (leaving a small amount for topping) into the cheese mixture. Spoon into a serving dish and dust top with cocoa powder. Serve with sliced fruit, ladyfingers or other favorite cookies for dipping.

The road to progress begins with community connection, and Bolton residents are invited to come out and meet the Democratic candidates who hope to lead the town into its next chapter. On Tuesday, April 22, 2025, from 5 PM to 7 PM, join the conversation at High Horse (250 Bolton-Raymond Rd, Bolton, MS 39041) for an evening of engagement, ideas, and local pride. This special meet-and-greet event will feature Mr. Calvin Thomas , running for Alderman at-large , and Mrs. Alisa Butler-Kidd , candidate for Mayor of Bolton . It’s a chance for residents to hear directly from the candidates about their vision for the town, the values they stand for, and how they plan to work for a brighter future for all who call Bolton home. The evening is hosted by the Hinds County Democratic Executive Committee and serves as a welcoming space for open dialogue and community connection. Whether you’re new to town or a lifelong resident, your voice matters in shaping Bolton’s future. Your vote. Your voice. Your Bolton.  Come be part of the movement.

By Bob Garver Poster Credit IMDB             After a mere two weekends, “A Minecraft Movie” has claimed the top spot of the 2025 domestic box office. It’s not shocking that this franchise piece beat out January fare, but since then we’ve had an MCU entry and this movie just blew right past it. And I have to ask: Why? Okay, I know why. It’s because the video game is popular. But bad movies based on popular video games flop all the time, why is this one in particular bucking the trend? Does the video game just have that big of a fanbase that they can turn it into a hit where so many similar attempts have failed? Or did fans and non-fans alike see the advertising for this movie and think that there might be a good movie here? I’m inclined to believe it’s the former, because I did not see any version of the advertising that made the movie seem like anything more than the hackery that it is.             Jack Black stars as Steve, a lifelong fan of mining who stumbles across a portal to another dimension called the Overworld. The new setting allows Steve to arrange the environment however he wants using the building blocks at his disposal, most of which are literal blocks, as in cubes. But he runs afoul of local pig-like villain Malgosha (Rachel House), who wants to shut down creativity at all costs. She has Steve arrested, but he hands off the portal-orb to his dog Dennis for hiding on Earth so it can’t fall into the wrong hands. The orb falls into what may or may not be the wrong hands.             The orb falls into the hands of fledgling arcade owner Garrett “The Garbageman” Garrison (Jason Momoa), who buys Steve’s abandoned things at a storage unit sale. He, along with a creative child he’s mentoring named Henry (Sebastian Hansen), are sucked into the Overworld, along with Henry’s adult sister (Emma Myers) and the siblings’ real estate agent (Danielle Brooks). The movie has no idea to do with three of these characters, they’re just there to pad out the cast beyond Black and Momoa, who are basically playing the same burnout-with-rock-n-roll-energy anyway.             A conditionally-released Steve teaches the newcomers how to survive in the Overworld, which includes introducing them to all sorts of bells and whistles that I’m sure are familiar to fans of the game. They also have to go on a quest to find their way home, which includes fending off zombies, pig armies, and even a monster riding a chicken for a literal chicken fight. A better movie would probably have the heroes try to make friends with the different races, but here they’re just enemies to either kill, evade, or knock aside while trying to attain a larger goal for themselves.             This movie is a mess. The jokes aren’t funny, the action isn’t interesting, and the writers were apparently all working on different movies. How else to explain the sincere tone of the Natalie-raising-Henry storyline or the painful tangent where an Overworld villager stumbles into the real world and begins dating Henry’s vice-principal (Jennifer Coolidge)? And none of it makes me want to play the “Minecraft” game. I’m not much of a video game person anyway (which yes, means I’m not the movie’s target audience, though I seriously doubt knowledge of the game would have endeared me to these underdeveloped characters), but a good adaptation knows how to cultivate new fans of the source material. As glad as I am that people are going to the movies, it baffles me that their choice is “A Minecraft Movie.” Grade: D “A Minecraft Movie” is rated PG for violence/action, language, suggestive/rude humor and some scary images. Its running time is 101 minutes. Contact Bob Garver at rrg251@nyu.edu .

Send responses to:  andybowman839@gmail.com Most people with a beating heart want to be loved. Oh yes, I am certain that psychiatrists would be quick to point out there is a certain tiny percentage of humans who feel no love and have no need to be loved. But overwhelmingly, most of us crave the feeling of warm acceptance, or being valued for simply who we are, and nothing else. But there is another “ I- need-it - and-I-will-get-it-no-matter-what”   that has surfaced in recent years. Driving a large segment to do and say things that in former generations would have been unthinkable. To what am I referring? People demanding respect from others. Countless song lyrics mandating respect from the world-at-large have clogged the airwaves. Speakers holding microphones are droning on endlessly about ‘their rights.’ A never-ending stream of lawyers, representing the self-declared downtrodden who feel their rights have been trampled, are holding forth in our country’s courtrooms, demanding their due. Every one of these are looking for that feeling of respect that will make them feel vindicated and worthy. And whether that validation comes in the form of financial compensation (always acceptable, of course) an abject public apology, a better position within the company where they work, or all the above combined, compensation for not feeling respected is being demanded. And sometimes, even coerced. In many instances, this demand is not even workplace or relationship based. It is internal - based solely upon the need that  everyone  around them accept and extol their choices. Whether those around them personally accept and feel like extolling those personal choices or not. Wanting and needing respect from others is a natural for us humans. We were made with an in-born desire to be recognized and valued for who we are and what we contribute. Nothing wrong in my eyes in desiring the respect of others. But here is my problem with today’s demand for respect. A person has to be respect-able. The kind of person whom the people around you are quite willing and able to hold in high regard. Forcing respect to come from others won’t happen. No matter how much you try to decree it into being – you cannot force people to respect you. Some examples; People will have trouble respecting you as a great spouse, if they know that you have been in fact cheating on your husband/wife. If you abuse defenseless children, you deserve absolutely no one’s respect. You probably will not be extolled as Employee Of The Month at your company if you are lazy on the job. And you certainly won’t be publicly lauded and applauded for lying and stealing, and then blaming someone else when you get caught. You cannot command or demand respect from anyone, when your behavior is trashy and despicable.   YOU HAVE TO EARN RESPECT! Having people’s respect isn’t your God-given right as a human being. Respect for you and your behavior is given when you respect yourself enough to realize who you can, and should be. And set about to be that person, someone who is respect-able.

The Town of Bolton will join communities across the nation in observing the National Day of Prayer on Thursday, May 1, 2025, with a special gathering scheduled from 12:20 PM to 1:00 PM. Residents, faith leaders, and community members are invited to participate in a collective moment of prayer and reflection at the City Hall parking lot, located at 202 Raymond-Bolton Road. This annual observance offers an opportunity for individuals of all backgrounds to come together in unity, lifting up the nation, local leaders, schools, families, and first responders in prayer. The brief, midday program aims to provide a peaceful yet powerful moment of spiritual encouragement and connection for the Bolton community. In the event of inclement weather, the gathering will be relocated to the Jimmie R. Lewis, Sr. Pavilion to ensure the event can proceed uninterrupted. Organizers encourage everyone in the area to take a pause from their daily schedules and join in this meaningful tradition. Whether attending as individuals or representing congregations or civic groups, participants are welcomed to stand together in faith and unity for the good of the community and the country.

Jana N. Henderson, a native of Bolton, Mississippi, has dedicated over two decades of service to the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), rising through the ranks to become one of the state’s leading voices in disaster mitigation and emergency preparedness. Her career at MEMA began in 2003, where she served in various roles including Administrative Assistant to both the Response and Recovery Bureau Director and the Executive Director. Her leadership and dedication eventually led to her appointment as Chief of Staff, and later as Director of the Office of Mitigation and the State of Mississippi Hazard Mitigation Officer in 2012. Ms. Henderson has played a vital role in responding to over 30 declared disasters, including the devastating impact of Hurricane Katrina. Her expertise in planning and recovery has helped guide Mississippi communities through some of their most challenging times. An alumna of Belhaven University, she holds both a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a master’s degree in Business Management. She is also a Certified Floodplain Manager and is furthering her studies in the legal field with coursework in Paralegal studies. In addition to her work at MEMA, Henderson is an Adjunct Professor at Tougaloo College, contributing to the Coastal Resilience Center of Excellence-Education Project within the Sociology and Social Work Department. She also serves as Treasurer for the Association of State Floodplain Managers and is a board member of the Association of Floodplain Managers of Mississippi. She has testified before the U.S. Senate on critical issues such as mitigation, resiliency, and flood insurance—bringing particular attention to the needs of rural communities like her hometown of Bolton. Her work continues to reflect a strong commitment to making Mississippi, and Bolton in particular, stronger and more resilient in the face of future disasters.

U.S. Representative Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) is inviting residents of Natchez and surrounding communities to a town hall meeting on Tuesday, April 15, from 6 to 7 p.m. at New Beginnings M.B. Church, located at 35 Triumph Lane. The event aims to discuss the potential impacts of proposed federal budget cuts on the Department of Education, Department of Health & Human Services, and the Social Security Administration. Congressman Thompson, who has represented Mississippi’s 2nd Congressional District since 1993, will address how these proposed reductions could affect students, seniors, and low-income families reliant on these federal programs. He emphasizes the importance of community engagement in understanding and responding to these potential changes. This town hall is part of a series of meetings organized by Congressman Thompson to engage directly with constituents on critical issues. Another town hall is scheduled for April 24 in Greenville. ​ Residents are encouraged to attend the Natchez meeting to voice their concerns, ask questions, and gain insights into how these federal decisions may impact their daily lives. For more information, constituents can visit Congressman Thompson's official website at benniethompson.house.gov .​

The Bolton News is proud to present the Central Hinds Academy Senior Spotlights album, a tribute to the graduating seniors and their remarkable achievements throughout their high school years. This special collection highlights the dedication, hard work, and future aspirations of the Class of 2025. Family, friends, and community members are invited to view the album online at Senior Spotlights . Join in celebrating these outstanding students as they embark on their next journey toward success. As additional seniors are featured, the album will be updated accordingly.

Send responses to:  andybowman839@gmail.com Years ago, right after I began CoffeeTime Column, a friend suggested I write an article addressing ‘Dealing with your ex after the divorce.’ Now, I don’t know much, but I do know that a writer is foolish to attempt to write about an unfamiliar subject. And as I have never personally experienced the aftermath of a divorce, writing on it is likely foolhardy on my part. And a possible insult to those who have. So, up to now, I have avoided the entire subject. But yet, her words have kept surfacing in my thoughts as the years have passed. So, I finally did the most prudent and wise thing I could – I drew upon my conversations with divorced people, listening to their experiences of living with divorce in their rear-view mirror. Then I spent some time combining their experiences, thoughts, and hard-won views with some frank teachings from God’s written Word. The following column is the result: Divorce hurts everyone, period.   Not just the couple with a broken marriage, but all those involved in their lives. Kids still at home, kids already out on their own, moms and dads, siblings and friends. Even supervisors at work, who are depending upon jobs being done effectively. Going through a divorce sometimes has a way of clouding the ability to think clearly. And the boss never appreciates that. Divorce takes a toll financially and emotionally on the husband and wife . Though probably not equally, from what I have been repeatedly told. One ex-spouse always seems to hurt so much more, while watching the other seemingly flourish and prance their way through life. That in itself can bring on more anger and bitterness. Not the greatest way to try to walk on. Some important lessons they’ve told me they learned from divorce:    1)   Forgiveness is the best thing for you.  It won’t change your ex-spouse’s behavior, just the consequences of it on your own entire future.  2) Realize if you remarry, you likely will subconsciously assign your ex-spouse’s faults to your new spouse . And fear makes you act defensively, setting you up for another fail.  3) Counseling can help . It helps you deal with this tendency and life to come. How does God feel about divorce? Scripture teaches that He hates divorce. All the above listed pain and problems is partly why. Another reason is Scripture states that when one marries, that person becomes one part of a whole. And any way it’s done, cutting something down the middle ends up creating two severed halves. Not exactly the painful end God intended. The Bible specifically mentions only two reasons for divorcing. Cheating on marriage vows or if the other spouse leaves. Cheating is fairly easy to define. But leaving… is emotional or physical abuse another form of leaving the marriage?  Like I said earlier, I am not qualified to answer, only to own an opinion. And opinions without experience aren’t worth much to someone else who has actually been there.

Bolton Baptist Church is excited to invite the community to its 2nd Annual Easter Extravaganza on Saturday, April 12, at 311 Bolton-Brownsville Road in Bolton, Mississippi. This family-friendly event celebrates the joy and hope of Resurrection Sunday with a full day of fun, fellowship, and faith. Families are encouraged to come out and enjoy an array of activities designed for all ages. Children can look forward to egg hunts, sack races, games, and other outdoor fun. There will also be an opportunity for attendees to take a special photo by the cross, a touching reminder of the reason for the Easter season. In the spirit of community and hospitality, lunch will be provided, including hot dogs, chips, and refreshing beverages—free of charge. “The Easter Extravaganza is a way for us to open our arms to the community and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ with joy,” said a church representative. “It’s all about coming together in love, laughter, and praise.” Whether you're a local resident or visiting the area, all are welcome to attend. Bring the whole family, invite your neighbors, and help make this Resurrection celebration one to remember. Event Details: 📍 Bolton Baptist Church – 311 Bolton-Brownsville Road, Bolton, MS 📅 Saturday, April 12, 2025 🎉 Games, Races, Egg Hunts, Photos, and More! 🌭 Lunch Provided – Hot Dogs, Chips, and Refreshments Come experience the joy of Easter with a community that cares.

Magnolia Mornings, Magnolia Tribune The Mississippi Department of Public Safety’s Driver Service Bureau will open select locations on Saturday, April 12; Saturday, April 26; and Saturday, May 3, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The extra hours are to accommodate Mississippians still needing to obtain a REAL ID ahead of the federal deadline of May 7. Appointments are available and can be scheduled online, but walk-ins are also welcome at the following Driver Service Bureau locations on these Saturdays: Biloxi Brookhaven Greenwood Hattiesburg West Jackson Meridian Nesbit New Albany Pearl Tupelo After May 7, individuals will need a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or identification card to board commercial flights and enter certain federal facilities. To check if you already have a REAL ID, look for a gold star in the upper-right corner of your driver’s license.