Bryce Owens of Bolton recently served as a page for the Mississippi House of Representatives. Pages generally run errands for officials and House staff. Owens, 17, is the son of Dina and Daryl Owens, and he is a senior at Raymond High School. He was sponsored for the week by Representative Stephanie Foster (D – Raymond). When asked about the week, Owens said, “I enjoyed my time as a page. I got to meet new friends and lots of people. Thank you, Representative Foster, for this great opportunity.”

By Bob Garver I suppose it’s appropriate that movies starring Ant-Man aka Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) have always been rather “small” in the scheme of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Yes, he showed up for Captain America in 2016’s “Civil War” and played a role in saving the universe in 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame,” but those were parts of a team effort. In movies where he’s been the lead, the character’s contributions to the MCU have mostly been self-contained, with action localized to San Francisco and villains like the miserable Yellowjacket (Corey Stoll) never getting off the ground to affect other heroes. New installment “Quantumania” throws that small scale out the window in favor of a whole new world to explore and a villain with long-term ramifications. I liked the smaller movies better, because even with the deceptive strength of an ant, the character isn’t cut out for this sort of heavy lifting. The film sees Lang, his daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton), girlfriend Hope van Dyne aka The Wasp (Evangeline Lilly), and her parents Hank (Michael Douglas) and Janet (Michelle Pfeiffer) all shrunken down and sent to the mysterious Quantum Realm. Yes, it’s technically infinitesimally small, but to the characters, it’s a big mysterious world. The crew meet some new characters, like hole-obsessed gelatinous blob Veb (David Dastmalchian), exasperated psychic Quaz (William Jackson Harper), smarmy former freedom fighter Krylar (Bill Murray), and a repackaged old character that I believe now holds the title of Worst in the MCU. One look at this character, and the entire movie became instantly irredeemable. I like the actor, but this role is going to haunt him for the rest of his career. In trying to escape the Realm, Scott and company encounter villain Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors). Advance word for this movie has told me that the MCU has big plans for Kang down the line, so this is just our first taste of him. I can’t say I’m terribly impressed – not with his character development, not with his ability to carry out a plan, and not with his track record. I suppose he’s intimidating and dangerous enough, but his motivations go little beyond a need to “Conquer” everything, he twice gets sloppy in concealing his megalomaniacal nature, which twice leads to his twice taking losses that will hurt his perception as a threat going forward. Then again, I will say that he’s off to a better start than Thanos, who spent six years as a vague grimacing presence dependent on underlings to do his bidding before he became a decent character. The special effects are unusually subpar for a movie of this importance. Of course, they’re at their worst when is comes to a certain henchman, but they’re unconvincing elsewhere too. There’s an overreliance on greenscreens, especially when characters are running away from falling rubble. Maybe it’s just that the Quantum Realm environment is so phony that the characters wouldn’t look like they’re in danger anyway. No wonder everyone wants to get out of the place so badly, it’s not worth staying or even Conquering. “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” shows early promise with Rudd’s effortless charm and Newton (of the surprisingly-heartfelt horror movie “Freaky”) as the new-and-improved activist version of his daughter, now grown-up thanks to surviving the Snap/Blip. But once the movie stops taking place in a recognizable plane of existence, it loses its relatability. Its legacy in the MCU will be that it marked the first big-screen appearance of Kang, but I’m waiting for the movie that marks the first “good” appearance of Kang. Grade: C- “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” is rated PG-13 for violence/action, and language. Its running time is 125 minutes. Contact Bob Garver at rrg251@nyu.edu.

Hinds Community College’s Fine and Performing Arts department will host a Fine Arts Day that will give high school seniors a taste of the programs Hinds offers. High school students will select and rotate through a series of sample classes with current Hinds Community College students and instructors. Among their choices will be ceramics, drawing, painting, computer art, band, choir, dance, Hi-Steppers, a stage combat class and a music industry classes that will allow student to do some recording in the studio. The Fine Arts Day is 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on March 3 on the Raymond Campus. Students can find the full schedule and details on how to register on the Hinds website here (under Fine Arts Day on the events calendar at www.hindscc.edu) or contact Shane Sprayberry (jssprayberry@hindscc.edu or 601-857-3271) for more information. The deadline for registration is Feb. 24. The day will also feature performances by top Hinds music students during Recital Hour. The high school students will have an opportunity to attend advising sessions, campus tours and auditions. “There is going to be a lot going on that day. I’ve talked to some high schools in the area, and they’re super excited about it. They’re calling me for tours,” said Shane Sprayberry, Fine and Performing Arts Director. For more information, call Shane Sprayberry at 601-857-3271 or email jssprayberry@hindscc.edu .

The Bolton Branch of the Jackson Hinds Library System hosted an "Emotional Wellness" Program on Saturday, February 11. A packed house welcomed speaker Shanice White from Restitution of Hope, who provided tips on being emotionally healthy, building healthy relationships within yourself, and maintaining wellness. See the album of pictures from this event at https://www.restitution-of-hope.boltonms.com/

Kids, even the adult versions, display the effects of the greatest influences in life…their parents. It can show up in being a mirror image of a parent, becoming similar in actions and reactions. Or it can have the opposite effect. Sometimes, a person may decide that mom or dad’s life was not one they want to mimic, and they deliberately turn the other way. But either way, parents have an enormous influence on their adult child. And parents need to realize that fact. While substituting for a few days as the receptionist at a local funeral home, I had the opportunity to be introduced to several people whom I had never met before. Family members who had lost their loved one would come in, many times as a family group, to grieve together and make arrangements. And as an unobtrusive receptionist sitting at the desk, I noticed a few things. Things like; there is usually an instinctive leader in the family, and many times it is not a spouse, nor is it necessarily the oldest sibling. But there would be one who just naturally spoke for the group. I also noticed that families have their own personality as a group, and no two families are alike. Although every sibling had their own personality, each family would invariably display a certain amount of group reaction to the loss. Some families were all loners in their grief, displaying a certain amount of isolation from each other. Other families seemed to draw strength from being with each other. Another notable; when it was a parent who had died, that parent’s outlook on life was often reflected in the very reaction of the ‘grownup baby children.’ One morning a family came in that truly stood out. All the adult children of the man who had died were respectful, kind, and softspoken. Tender care for the mom was obvious in everything they said and did. Later, someone who knew that family for many years told me those same traits were evident in the entire life of the dad. That father’s attitude thru the years was definitely imprinted on his kids as adults. Dads have the power to teach their child to view the world as a place of endless possibilities. Where there are disappointments and pain certainly, but also a place of love, forgiveness, acceptance, and new beginnings. Dad has the responsibility to give his son or daughter a sense of unconditional love and a positive self-image. That gives them the internal fortitude to face life at its hardest, and keep going. Yes, readers, Dads actually have that power within them. Can they create a child who will grow up to be exactly what dad had in mind? No, only God has that awesome power of influence. But a dad plays a huge part in how well his child believes in himself. Unfortunately, they also have the power to create just the opposite in their kids.

The Bolton Branch would like to thank Hezekiah Watkins for speaking at our Black History Program, The Power of a Dream. He was very transparent and emotional with his journey to becoming a Freedom Rider!

Hinds Community College has selected its first group of honorees in its new employee recognition program called IDEAList. IDEALists can be nominated by anyone at the college or the community. They model the IDEALS as identified in the college values of Integrity, Diversity, Excellence, Accountability, Leadership and Stewardship. Included in the honor was Jeffrey Johnson of Bolton, Hinds’ director of physical plant and maintenance, Jackson Campus. A Hinds graduate, Johnson has been employed with the college for six years. He is in charge of the regular care and maintenance of the campus buildings and grounds “to ensure the campus is aesthetically pleasing, properly repaired, well-maintained and safe.” Pictured (left to right) are, front row: Julie Clark of Brandon, Wendy Lingle of Pearl, Jackie Jackson of Raymond, Tershuna Bass of Terry, Dana Harpole of Vicksburg; and back row: Brad Smith of Brandon, Karen Mays of Jackson, Jeffery Johnson of Bolton, Renita Ragsdale of Clinton, and Emily Thomas of Richland.

By Kara Kimbrough They're hard to miss: purple, green and gold sugar-encrusted king cakes are piled high on supermarket displays and in bakeries. That can mean only one thing: Mardi Gras season is upon us. Mardi Gras is growing in popularity, with revelers flocking to parades or at the very least, celebrating with the iced pastry rings filled with cream cheese and other flavorings. Side note: I have a recipe for easy homemade King Cake, but realizing how easy it is to pick up one at the supermarket or bakery, I’m not sharing the recipe here. However, if your local store’s supply is running low or has been on the shelf a little longer than you’d like, drop me an email and I’ll share it with you. But back to Mardi Gras. Mississippi’s Gulf Coast has been hosting Mardi Gras celebrations for years, complete with a spectacular coronation ball at the Coast Coliseum and parties rivaling those in nearby New Orleans. And, family-friendly parades, including a children’s walking parade and Krewe of Barkloxi’s PAWrade for pets roll in every city and town along the beach until Fat Tuesday. Even better, the Coast’s family-friendly parades lack the craziness of NOLA. For a complete lineup of parades, check out the schedule at: https://www.gulfcoast.org/events/mardi-gras-events/ Additionally, a Mississippi-style Mardi Gras promises non-stop feasting. Personally, I enjoy Cajun and Creole food (and yes, I know they’re different, but equally delicious) 12 months of the year and Mardi Gras season is no exception. I rarely share family recipes given to me by my Coast friends, but in the spirit of Mardi Gras, I’ll make an exception. Here are a few of my favorites to make Mardi Gras ’23 one to remember. Last, I rarely share my family’s recipe from shrimp Creole with anyone except special friends, but I’ll send it to anyone that requests it. “Laissez les bons temps rouler!” Biloxi Barbecued Shrimp 3 pounds large shrimp, peeled 2 sticks butter or margarine, melted separately ½ cup olive oil Garlic salt Celery salt Lemon 1 cup barbecue sauce Black pepper ½ cup of tangy liquid: white grape juice, pineapple juice, apple juice or apple cider vinegar (optional) Turn oven to broil, high heat. Cover bottom of heavy ovenproof skillet with one stick of melted butter. Place unpeeled shrimp in pan. Pour remaining melted butter on shrimp. Sprinkle olive oil, garlic salt, celery salt, lemon and barbecue sauce on shrimp. Sprinkle liberally with black pepper. Place shrimp under broiler pan for about 5 minutes. Turn shrimp and broil other side for 5 more minutes, watching to make sure shrimp don’t burn. Remove from oven and sprinkle with your choice of tangy liquid (optional step). Put back under broiler for one more minute. Serve with plenty of crusty French bread – it’s delicious dipped in the butter sauce! Quick One-Pan Jambalaya 12-ounce package of favorite sausage 2 cups uncooked instant rice 2 cups water ½ cup frozen bell pepper, defrosted 16-ounce can stewed tomatoes 12-ounce package cleaned raw shrimp ¼ teaspoon thyme 2 tablespoons minced onion 2 teaspoons instant chicken bouillon or two cubes 1 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper ¼ teaspoon chili powder Cut sausage into 1-inch diagonal slices. Place in large skillet. Brown as directed on package. Add remaining ingredients. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat, simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Shrimp Remoulade 2-3 pounds shrimp ½ cup horseradish mustard 2-1/2 tablespoons paprika 1 teaspoon salt ½ vegetable oil ¼ cup finely minced celery 2 cloves garlic, finely minced 2 tablespoons ketchup ¾ teaspoon red pepper 1/3 cup tarragon vinegar Boil shrimp, peel and marinate in sauce made with remaining ingredients. Serve in a large boil with marinade, using toothpicks to spear the shrimp. Can be used as a dressing for salad. The flavor improves after marinating overnight. Kara Kimbrough is a food and travel writer from Mississippi. Email her at kkprco@yahoo.com.

#DidYouKnow: Tougaloo College Alumnus Bennie Thompson is the longest-serving African-American elected official in the State of Mississippi and the first African-American to chair the House Committee on Homeland Security. He began his grassroots political activism being a civil rights champion through the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) while a student at Tougaloo College – a private historically black college in Jackson, Mississippi. He organized voter registration drives for African-Americans throughout the Mississippi Delta on behalf of the organization before graduating and following in the footsteps of his mother by becoming a school teacher. During his tenure educating the youth of Mississippi, a fire inside of Thompson was ignited pushing him to be a voice to the voiceless through elected office. #WeLoveThee #BlackHistoryMonth

By Bob Garver I had never seen a “Magic Mike” movie before “Magic Mike’s Last Dance.” The franchise’s first two installments both missed out on the domestic box office crown in their respective opening weekends in 2012 and 2015, thus not warranting reviews from me. Ironically, “Last Dance” made less money in its opening weekend then either of its predecessors, but those opened in the more blockbuster-y summer season instead of the void that is Super Bowl weekend. If the first two entries in this series are anything like the third, then not only am I glad I missed them, but I have to wonder why this property was even allowed to have three movies. The film opens with former exotic dancer Mike Lane (Channing Tatum) bartending in Florida, his relationships and business ventures all having fizzled out since the second movie. Lonely philanthropist Maxandra “Max” Mendoza (Salma Hayek Pinault) hears that Mike can provide certain services, and he agrees to give her a lapdance that turns into much more. Taken by his talent and charm, Max invites Mike to London to become the director of a one-night-only strip show at a theater she owns. Again, he reluctantly agrees, though the relationship has to be strictly professional from that point forward. The rest of the movie is mostly what you’d expect from the “Let’s Put on a Show” genre. Mike balks at the new setting at first, but he quickly adapts. He doesn’t get along with Max’s daughter (Jemalia George) or butler (Ayub Khan Din) at first, but of course they come to like him. There’s a montage of auditioning dancers and some antics with a stuffy city official (Vicki Pepperdine). It looks like the show will be shut down, but they pull out all the stops and put it on anyway because they just love performing so much. The Mike/Max relationship deepens, by which I mean there is one, apparently. Proponents of this film say that the best thing about it is the chemistry between the two leads. I was not picking up on any such movie-saving chemistry. Even with a grand gesture toward the end of the film, I was having a hard time buying that either Mike or Max has commitment to the other in their future. Maybe this belief in their chemistry comes from the lap dance sequence early in the film. They do nail that scene, though it seems to involve a lot of physical exertion from Max. I thought lap dances were supposed to be relaxing for the recipient? The film is surprisingly restrained on the sexuality front. I’d say that for about 80% of the dances in this movie, the dancers wear pants – that’s full-legged pants. Mike and a female partner share a dance sequence toward the end of the movie for a supposedly-ravenous, mostly-female audience, and she’s way more scantily-clad than he is. The movie’s advertising didn’t exactly promise heaps of male nudity, but it was certainly implied. I’d bet that this movie could clean up its language, make no cuts visually, and get a PG-13 rating. Were the other “Magic Mike” movies this tame? “Magic Mike’s Last Dance” isn’t particularly funny, romantic, or interesting, nor does it work as a visual spectacle outside of some acrobatic feats that viewers of any sexuality will likely find more impressive than tantalizing. I know it wants to be a date movie for Valentine’s Day, but it has to contend with yet another rerelease of “Titanic.” That movie may as well be Kate Winslet floating on a suspiciously-roomy door, because this movie is dead in the water. Grade: C- “Magic Mike’s Last Dance” is rated R for sexual material and language. Its running time is 112 minutes. Contact Bob Garver at rrg251@nyu.edu.

The Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy is honored to host an interview with U.S. Representative Bennie Thompson (D-MS) on February 27, 2023, at 4pm ET. The interview will focus on the Representative’s long and distinguished career and in particular on his legislative oversight work he has led culminating in his recent chairmanship of the U.S. House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol. The interview is part of Wayne State University’s Black History Month programming and will be livestreamed on the Levin Center’s YouTube channel. Jim Townsend, director of the Levin Center, will conduct the interview.

Looking for another way to celebrate those you love during the month of February? Come join the members of the Metro Chamber Orchestra as they present “Music and Romance”, St. Andrews Episcopal Cathedral, downtown Jackson, February 19, 2023, 3 p.m. In the spotlight will be violin soloist Vince Massimino, performing Antonin Dvorak’s “Romance in F minor, Op. 11”. Published in 1879, it is one of the most popular romances in the orchestral repertory. Mr. Massimino is a member of the Mississippi Symphony and serves as Assistant Concertmaster. The Chamber orchestra will also perform “Overture:Abduction to Seraglio”/W.A. Mozart; Suites from “Dardanus”/J.P. Rameau; and “Military March in C major”/L.van Beethoven. The MCO has been offering the gift of classical chamber music to the Jackson community free of charge since 1984. Made up of around 40 non-professional and professional musicians, the group offers three concerts each season under the direction of Artistic Director Wayne Linehan and Concertmaster Ryan Rogers.