Send responses to: andybowman839@gmail.com The elderly president had been with the company for so many years that no employee there could remember a time he wasn’t slumped over his desk, muttering about the ineptness of the younger generation. It was true, he was extremely knowledgeable of the company and all it provided for the business world, but it was also true that he was very disliked. Detested and avoided like the plague, but yet, almost indispensable. Much like the air in the office, or the light coming from the florescent bulbs hanging from the ceiling. Always needed and always there. Wouldn’t lift a hand to help anyone else with their work – but always loyal and committed to the company. Another old man was in another office of a different company. He too had been employed there since Moses was floating in the river. And he too knew it all. Thru the years there was no position that he had not worked and mastered. But there was an enormous difference. He was admired and respected. That man was also in The Chair, governing that company with an iron fist in a velvet glove. Every policy change. Each major decision. Any variation in the direction the company would be heading – the old gentleman was vitally involved. Nothing happened within those four walls that he did not know about before it came down the pike. But this leader was respected, feared, revered, and beloved. The O.G. The Old Goat. A man who had been thru the price wars, the terrifying financial woes of the Great Depression, the fluctuations of inflation, and a fire that once had burned the office building to the ground. As the years passed, he moved slowly up the corporate ladder, until finally he attained the coveted status of O.G in The Chair. What a difference in the two men. Same age. Equal opportunities within their companies. And yet, such a different outcome at the end of their lives. One man put in his time, learned all there was to learn about the company, and allowed those years to make him become bitter and resentful. As a result, his physical presence was studiously avoided as much as possible by everyone. The other man also put in his time, learned all there was to learn, but respected his fellow workers. He finally ended up affectionally known by the employees as the O.G. In The Chair. The game-changer? Attitude. Life is difficult, we all know that. Everyone one of us face enormous problems as the years roll by. But if you allow yourself to become resentful without finding a way to deal with your feelings, then that anger can easily turn into depression. Which, if left to ferment, becomes bitterness. And there is a large chance that as time rolls on, you probably will be known unaffectionately as ‘that old goat’ rather than the G.O.A.T. Your choice.

Special to The Bolton News The Annie Thompson Jeffers Library concluded a successful Summer Reading Program with engaging educational activities that combined reading, environmental awareness and life skills for local children. The program kicked off with a visit from Ollie the Otter, who shared an important message about protecting the environment. Children learned about recycling, the importance of properly disposing of trash and the impact plastic waste has on oceans, lakes and other waterways. The presentation encouraged participants to help keep their communities clean by recycling, picking up litter and reducing plastic pollution. Later in the summer, Mrs. Ware with the Mississippi State University Extension Service visited the library to lead an interactive session on communication skills. Several students participated in activities that encouraged effective communication, teamwork and confidence while sharing ideas with others. Throughout the summer, children took part in reading activities and educational programs designed to keep them engaged while school was out. The combination of literacy, hands-on learning and community partnerships helped make this year's program a success. Library staff expressed appreciation to the families, volunteers and community partners who supported the Summer Reading Program and helped create a fun and educational experience for participants. The Annie Thompson Jeffers Library's Summer Reading Program provided children with opportunities to strengthen their reading skills while learning about recycling, the importance of properly disposing of trash and the impact plastic waste has on oceans, lakes and other waterways. The program encouraged participants to help keep the Earth clean by recycling, picking up litter and keeping plastic containers out of oceans, lakes and other natural areas, while also developing communication skills through interactive activities. Library officials said they look forward to welcoming families back for future programs and continuing to provide educational opportunities for the Bolton community.

By Bob Garver Poster credit IMDB I am well aware of the case against Disney’s live-action remake of its 2016 animated hit “Moana,” namely that the original film is less than ten years old and doesn’t need a remake, and also that Disney live-action remakes are lazy cash-grabs in general. And I agree with a lot about that argument. I’d rather see Disney put its resources into developing new ideas instead of rehashing old ones, especially when it means trading the magic of Disney animation for the limitations of live-action. At the same time, no amount of discouragement – of which I offer a lot – can stop Disney from making and releasing this movie, and the movie they’ve made and released isn’t terrible. The story remains the same. Moana (Catherine Laga’aia), teenage daughter of Chief Tui (John Tui) and his wife Sina (Frankie Adams), is destined to one day take over her island home, but is told she must never go out on open water. Her wise grandmother Tala (Rena Owen) encourages her to take her duties seriously, but also to think for herself if strict adherence to tradition isn’t working. The island comes to be in trouble, and only returning the heart of petrified goddess Te Fiti will save it. Fortunately Moana has had the heart since childhood (she earned it as a reward for compassion toward the ocean and its creatures), so she sets out on an unprecedented seafaring expedition to return it. Moana’s mission requires her to team up with exiled demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson, reprising his role from the original, but now in live-action), who isn’t keen on crossing paths with old enemy Te Fiti. Together they have to keep other parties from stealing the powerful heart for themselves, such as coconut-like pirates the Kakamora and greedy crab Tamatoa (Jemaine Clement, also reprising his role in voice only). Then there’s Te Fiti herself, who is so mistrustful of humans and demigods that she fights our heroes even when they’re trying to do something as helpful as returning her own heart. It’s when the action kicks into gear that the movie doesn’t fare well. For most movies I’d say the opposite, that I prefer it when the first act stops plodding along and we get to the action. But the second and third acts in this film differ so little from the original that it’s just a matter of waiting for the same beats from 2016. I know “I’ve seen this all before” is a cliché for critics, but in this case it’s especially accurate and appropriate. While I’m talking about the movie’s lesser points, I need to bring up Dwayne Johnson. In 2016, I was thrilled that the pro wrestler known as The Rock had a juicy part (and even a song!) in the Disney canon. But he’s really lost a step since then. His jokes sound forced (not helped by, again, being carbon copies of jokes from ten years ago) and his body is unnaturally puffy, a result of the effects team going overboard in giving him sentient tattoos. Speaking of unnatural special effects, animal sidekicks Pua the pig and Heihei the chicken also look terrible, and even the water isn’t as… fluid as it should be. With all of these problems that I can completely understand being deal-breakers for other critics, why am I recommending this version of “Moana”? The answer is simple: Moana. Or, less simply, Moana and her family dynamic back on the island. The first act of the movie gives us four good characters with passion and motivation. The remake really steps up its game in fleshing out these characters now that they have actual flesh. Of course, the standout is Laga’aia, matching the charm of original Moana Auli’i Cravalho every step of the way. Laga’aia and Cravalho combine their spirited voices for a song that plays over the credits, which is just enough to earn this film a recommendation by the hair of a coconut. Grade: B- “Moana” is rated PG for action/peril, some scary images, rude humor and brief thematic elements. Its running time is 115 minutes. Contact Bob Garver at rrg251@nyu.edu.

Special to The Bolton News (Photo by Grace Cockrell) Three students from Bolton were among more than 3,500 students recognized on Mississippi State University’s Spring 2026 Graduation List. MSU President Mark E. Keenum congratulated graduates during the university’s May commencement ceremonies, highlighting the education, experiences and values students gained during their time at Mississippi State. “Integrity, strong work ethic and respect for others — that’s who we are, and that’s what we’re known for,” Keenum said. “Embrace and live your life with these values.” Bolton graduates recognized include: Chaydsia Horton, who received a Bachelor of Science cum laude from MSU’s College of Arts and Sciences. Jacob Houston, who received a Bachelor of Science from MSU’s College of Education. Myla Toaster, who received a Bachelor of Accountancy from MSU’s Adkerson School of Accountancy. MSU’s Spring 2026 graduates join a growing network of alumni across Mississippi and around the world. The university celebrated their accomplishments and encouraged them to carry forward the Bulldog values of integrity, hard work and respect as they begin the next chapter of their lives.

Send responses to: andybowman839@gmail.com Absolutely nobody I’ve ever known loves to go to see the doctor. In fact, we usually put up with pain until it becomes pretty unbearable, and only then do we begrudgingly drag ourself to visit that dreaded human being. And whether it is only a forty-eight-hour recovery by using an antibiotic the doc prescribes, or it turns into a long haul, it simply doesn’t matter. The next time we again feel ourself getting sick, we will put off that phone call as long as we can. I know, I know, no one wants to just give up and acknowledge their body has decided to leave the beaten path of pure health, that it has taken a sharp left turn and is now broken and spiraling downward. But look at it this way. Because we are the stubborn creatures that we are, it just may take everything falling apart in your life to make you actually get help you need. So, from that point of view, things falling apart can be a good thing. Because that’s when everything can begin falling back into place. You finally go to Urgent Care, or call for an appointment with the ‘dreaded human being.’ You submit yourself to an exam, take some tests, and voila, you find out why you have been feeling like your train has run off the tracks and is wallowing around in the desert somewhere. But are you like so many of us? That when it happens to you, your reaction is always, “This stinks! Why is this happening to me?” C’mon, honestly, do you really think that you are The Chosen One? That your gorgeous body is so wonderful that no disease or accident should be allowed to touch it? That God has designated you as His poster child for absolute health until the day you breathe your last breath and He whisks you off to paradise? No, of course not. If you are breathing, you know that is not the way life treats you. Fact; in this broken world, things break. And people hurt. And everyone needs help from someone else when we get broken. So, the best thing you can do is to simply acknowledge a few things. Life hurts humans. You are not super-human, so you are going to get hurt by life. And when that happens, you need someone to help you. People do not have ESP. That means you are going to have to pick up the phone, or confide in a friend, or yell down the street. But you are going to need to let someone help you. To let someone in. And that can be a definite good thing in your life. Sickness and sadness. It's going to happen to you. So best thing you can do is to change your perspective. That when things break in your life, decide to keep your eyes open for the eventual good that can result.

The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) will make available state Education Enhancement Funds (EEF) to all public-school districts on July 15 for teachers to purchase instructional supplies for their classes throughout the school year. For the first time, EEF funds are being provided to teachers through a digital wallet platform. Each eligible teacher has been allocated $748 in EEF funds for the 2026-27 school year. Teachers will access these funds through ClassWallet, a digital wallet platform built for instructional supply funds. Teachers may purchase instructional items using their EEF accounts at any point during the school year until April 30, 2027. The digital platform will enable teachers to track their spending and automatically collect receipts, reducing the administrative burden on district staff. Mississippi law requires districts to give teachers access to their EEF teaching supply funds by August 1. The Legislature in 2022 passed a law to move the deadline from September 1 to August 1 in response to the increasing number of districts shifting to earlier school start dates. "The timeline from when MDE receives our state appropriation on July 1 to delivering these funds to teachers is very tight, especially for districts that start school in July," said Dr. Lance Evans, state superintendent of education. "MDE made the decision to move to a digital wallet system to give teachers access to their funds as early as possible. We based our decision on input from district business managers and EEF card administrators from across the state." After districts receive the EEF funds for teaching supplies, they are responsible for activating the accounts and ensuring all teachers are trained through a live or recorded webinar. Teachers are not required to attend a live training session to activate their accounts. Instead, they can review the recorded webinar that will be posted on the MDE website on July 14. Live training sessions will be held throughout July with expanded capacity for participation. MDE will regularly post additional information on the EEF card page of the MDE website. Teachers may use their ClassWallet accounts to purchase items online from more than 160 vendors, including big-box retailers and companies specializing in literacy, early childhood education, special education, and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), among other subjects. Teachers may request the addition of local vendors by submitting their requests to their district card administrators and/or business managers. Local vendors have two options to participate. They may complete ClassWallet's onboarding process and, upon meeting all requirements, be added to the national online marketplace for shopping. Alternatively, local vendors may seek approval from MDE to allow teachers to use their personal funds to shop and submit their purchases to ClassWallet for reimbursement. The Mississippi Legislature has appropriated $25 million in EEF teaching supply funds for FY27. Many other states do not have programs like Mississippi's that give teachers money to buy supplemental instructional materials for their individual classrooms. "The MDE is grateful to the Legislature for continuing to provide Mississippi teachers with money to purchase materials that directly support student learning," Evans said. Find all MDE news releases at mdek12.org/news.

Cleophas Henderson, Sr. April 13, 1934 - July 6, 2026 92 Years of age Mr. Cleophas Henderson, Sr. was born on April 13, 1924 in Bolton, MS to the late Eldridge and Odessa Henderson. “Little Daddy” as he was affectionately known was a lifelong resident of Bolton devoting his life to farming, barbering, and his family. He departed this life on Monday, July, 6, 2026. Funeral Arrangements: Visitation with family: Friday, July 17 from 4:00 PM-7:00 PM Bolton Funeral Home, 205 Bolton Brownsville Road, Bolton Funeral Service: Saturday, July 18 at 11:00 AM Orange Hill Missionary Baptist Church, 4080 Coxs Ferry Road, Bolton Interment: Orange Hill Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery To send flowers or plant a memorial tree in memory, please visit our flower store.

By Bob Garver Movie Review: “Minions & Monsters” “Minions & Monsters” is the seventh cinematic outing for the Minions, and the third where they take center stage, as opposed to playing backup for former supervillain Gru. The jellybean-like animated gibberish-spewers all voiced by Pierre Coffin are once again taking the prequel route, as their story is told by a modern-day movie studio tour guide (Allison Janney), though a further framing device modifies even that context. At the beginning of the story, the Minions are once again searching the world for a new home in their inexplicable quest to serve the most despicable master possible despite not having an evil bone (or possibly any bones) in their bodies. A hulking cyclops seems like a good candidate (let’s see if this movie and “The Odyssey” in two weeks lead to a rise of cyclopes in pop culture), but a creative, ambitious Minion named James screws everything up for everyone. He also screws things up with a mummy, a pirate, and a wizard with a book of spells. Most of the Minions despise James’s antics, but friends Henry and Ed think he’s funny and stick by him. Washing up on American shores sometime in the 1920’s, the Minions see an outlaw train robber and think he’ll make a great master. They destroy half a town just to track him down to offer their services, then they find out that he’s no outlaw at all. He’s an actor, the town is Hollywood, the train robbery was part of a movie from short-tempered director Max (Christoph Waltz), and the Minions ruined the take. Having used the last of his film, Max is forced to present the picture, Minions and all, to a pair of finicky studio executives (both voiced by Jeff Bridges). Surprisingly, the execs love the Minions and order them to be put into more films. The whole tribe becomes movie stars overnight. To be clear, I love this portion of the film. The obvious love of – and constant references to – the golden age of Hollywood should earn admiration from any red-blooded cinema lover. I’m just not crazy about the parts that come before the Hollywood invasion and after the Minions fall from grace because they have a hard time transitioning to talkies (an appearance in “Citizen Kane” had me cracking up). Eventually, the Minions again need to find a new master. Most of them settle on metallic space alien Dort (Jesse Eisenberg), who is either planning to invade Earth along with his home planet, or is just another actor in a clunky suit. The Minions help Dort in a cute romance with suffragette Debbie (Zoey Deutch), who is willing to spend time with him as long as he doesn’t kick children (it’s sweeter than it sounds) Meanwhile, James and his cohorts, trying to stay in the movie business by turning to directing, crack open their old wizard master’s spellbook to summon a monster for their sci-fi movie. They can only manage the puny Goomi (Trey Parker), but he can summon other monsters, including insatiable blob Irene, who tries to consume Hollywood. Can the Minions clean up the mess they created? Can James complete his movie and win an Oscar? Can this franchise finally give us an installment where the Minions and/or Gru’s family go up against Will Arnett’s evil banker from the first “Despicable Me”? It’s been 16 years and it really bugs me that they’ve never seriously revisited that character. The movie, as always, depends on your tolerance for the Minions’ lowbrow schtick. Here they’re most effective when the movie is actively celebrating the art of schtick. But that’s just part of the movie, and the rest of the time I feel that they miss more gags than they hit. Plus the last act drags as it tries to work in too many sci-fi elements. “Minions & Monsters” comes close to getting my recommendation, but it falls short by a margin thinner than a 1920’s mustache. Grade: C “Minions & Monsters” is rated PG for violence/action, language and rude/macabre humor. Its running time is 90 minutes. Contact Bob Garver at rrg251@nyu.edu.

Send responses to: andybowman839@gmail.com Six-year-old Darren was on a first-time visit to the farm. His Pappa had arranged for him to get to see a part of this world that Darren never even knew existed. A real live working farm with all the corrals, fields, outbuildings and animals that a farm needs. Including horses. Darren spent an hour or so tentatively getting to know the horses that looked like giants to the tiny boy on the ground beside them. But every offer from the owners of the farm to let him ride one of the older gentler horses was meant with a shy smile and a quick negative shake of his blond head. But yet, he couldn’t be persuaded to leave the horse corrals, and ignored all their suggestions to go see the pigs, cows, and the rest of the animal clan. Intimidated as he was, Darren still was fascinated with the size and height of those huge animals. Finally, the lady of the farm had an idea. Murmuring to her husband, she then turned and smiled down at Darren and said she would be right back. That she had to go to the barn for something. Darren watched her retreating back as she headed directly to one of the outbuildings that housed the horse tack. When she disappeared inside, he turned to the farmer with a disappointed look on his little sunburned face. So naturally, the farmer asked him what was the problem. There was definite disbelief and a faint tinge of disgust in his voice when he answered, "Oh man, she can't be going to no barn! Barns are always red and white. That building ain’t red, an there ain’t no white trim. " It took the farmer a little while to make the little boy understand that barns are barns, no matter the color. It is only the contents that matter. My point: Are we going to be like that six-year-old all our lives – believing that truth can only be from our point of view? Understandable coming from a six-year-old, but not from you or me. There is one truth that I believe we can stand upon, and that is this; I am not always going to be one-hundred per cent correct. And most likely, neither are you. None of us have cornered the market on knowing what is right in every situation. And most of our quarrels and disputes are centered on that very fact. Be it countries, siblings, friends, denominations, or neighbors. Somehow, we let ourself believe that what we have learned in life has to be the only reality. Like a favorite friend of mine has been known to say, “My way, or the highway.” Seems logical, until you run into someone just as mule-headed. Unfortunately, it can be the highway way too often, if that’s how we live. A lot of good relationships can get tossed to the garbage heap with that philosophy. Just remember. I’m not God, and neither are you.

Special to The Bolton News Levon McGraw March 12, 1966 - July 2, 2026 60 Years of age Levon McGraw was born on March 12, 1966, in Bolton, Hinds County, Mississippi, to Dorothy McGraw-Funchess and the late Allen Campbell. He transitioned from his earthly life on Thursday, July 2, 2026, at the Baptist Medical Center. Funeral Arrangements: Viewing: Friday, July 10, 3:00 PM - 7:00 PM Bolton Funeral Home, 205 Bolton Brownsville Road, Bolton Celebration of Life: Saturday, July 11, 11:00 AM Hill of Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 1079 Annie Fortner Road, Bolton Additional viewing will take place one hour prior to the start of the funeral service Interment: Hill of Zion Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery To send flowers or plant a memorial tree in memory, please visit our flower store.

By Bob Garver Poster credit IMDB Krypto the Superdog isn’t very cute in “Supergirl.” I understand that the way the pup was rendered for this film involved taking a real dog (who probably was very cute) and slathering CGI all over his likeness. The result is a dog whose face looks unnatural and with whom I couldn’t connect during emotional scenes. You know your Super-whatever movie is in trouble when you can’t make a character like Krypto loveable. Krypto’s owner is more bearable, but just barely. Milly Alcock stars as Kara Zor-El aka Supergirl, a cousin of Superman’s who was raised on a sort of Kryptonian bunker after the planet’s destruction. Eventually the bunker couldn’t sustain life and Kara had to be sent alone to Earth as well, but unlike Superman, she knew a home and a family on Krypton only to have it all taken away. As a result, she doesn’t take to Earth like Superman did and now mostly spends her days moping around with no friends, save for Krypto. For this film, Supergirl finds herself teaming up with Ruthye (Eve Ridley), a teenager looking to avenge her family’s death at the hands of space pirate Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts). Krem needs to be defeated (for the murders, for child trafficking, and for poisoning Krypto and tauntingly carrying around an antidote), but Supergirl also wants to teach Ruthye that revenge through murder will not bring her the closure she seeks. On the other hand, Krem and his crew are perfectly willing to kill Supergirl, Ruthye, and anyone else they see fit. Killing him may save the lives of others, does that make it right to kill him? The Supergirl/Ruthye dynamic is based on “True Grit,” and grit-ting is what I had to do with my teeth every time the stiff, overly-formal-yet-too-immature Ruthye had a line in this movie. On their quest, Supergirl and Ruthye cross paths with what the film thinks is a colorful gallery of otherworldly background characters. But this isn’t Mos Eisley where the alien designs are so interesting that viewers will instantly wanf to know the backstory of every character in the room. They’re all basically indistinguishable rubbery space-takers. The exception is space biker/bounty hunter Lobo (Jason Momoa), who gets to steal some scenes. One of the few downsides of the DCEU folding a few years ago was losing Momoa’s Aquaman, but now fans can rest easy knowing that he’s landed on his feet in a more fitting role. Speaking of the larger DC Universe, it’s worth mentioning that yes, Superman (David Corenswet) is in this movie. He gets one of the few gags that actually works when he tries to welcome Kara to Earth, even though he only speaks English and she only speaks Kryptonian. It’s good to see that Superman is still reliable, because while I don’t dislike this version of Supergirl, this movie is clearly going to bomb and she isn’t going to be allowed another standalone movie anytime soon. If she, Krypto, and Lobo want to have any future in film, it’ll have to be as part of a Superman or Justice League movie. Choppy action, a disjointed story, a muddied moral, a bland villain, an annoying second banana in Ruthye, and an overall ugly aesthetic all conspire to make “Supergirl” one of the worst big-budget movies of the summer. Even Superman can’t save it and saving things is his whole reason for being. But what do you expect from a movie that can’t even get the beloved, iconic, usually-adorable Krypto right? Grade: C- “Supergirl” is rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, action, language, and smoking. Its running time is 107 minutes. Contact Bob Garver at rrg251@nyu.edu.

Send responses to: andybowman839@gmail.com Fireworks at home on the fourth of July? Almost a given in a large percentage of American homes on that day. If you think that getting fireworks from your local roadside seller is just too expensive? Well, they are nothing compared to the real home-made variety - explosive family arguments. The actual cost of the fireworks we create and ignite at home is astronomical, and most of us don’t even realize it. Here is a version of a typical American household on the 4th of July; Him: “Uh, honey, I need to start up the grill. Where is the charcoal that I told you to pick up while you were out yesterday?” Her: (facing the kitchen sink) “Huh? Sorry, I wasn’t listening, I guess. What’d ya’ say? Him: “The charcoal, where did you put it?” Her: “I haven’t moved your charcoal. I never use the grill, you always do that. So why ask me?” Him: (sighing dramatically) “Okay, dear. Let me start over ve-ry slow-ly, so you can follow. Where. Did. You. Put. The. Bag. Of. Charcoal. When. You. Brought. It. Home?” Her: (offended and glaring over her shoulder) And I repeat….I haven’t had your stupid charcoal! Wherever you put it last time, go look there.” Him: (now angry) “Are you telling me in your usual scatterbrained way that you forgot to buy charcoal, even after I reminded you yesterday??! Great, just absolutely great!” Her: (Furious) “Me scatterbrained! Look who’s talking! You’re the one who didn’t remember to write charcoal on the BUY LIST I keep on the fridge! If you would have just stopped and thought for two seconds, you could have used those three brain cells God gave you and remembered to write it down! This isn’t my fault, and don’t think for a minute you can blame me! Oh, yeah, I forgot. You don’t bother thinking most of the time.” Him: “My ‘three brain cells’ are working just fine, thank you! Working well enough to tell me that I don’t have to put up with your @$!#&*!!! I’m outta here. You can do whatever ya’ want. But I’m goin’ where some sane people are having fun together.” Her: (Hurls a carton of eggs at his disappearing back) “Fine! Do what you always do! Run like a chicken when things don’t go your way and it gets hard around here!” _____________________________ I really do hope this doesn’t sound like I have been watching a camera discreetly placed in your kitchen. But unfortunately, I believe there are some of you who could have used past memories to write your own version of this made-up scenario. Earlier, I referred to the cost of “homemade holiday fireworks.” The emotional cost to your family is enormous, so do your family a big favor this year. Vow to listen. And listen patiently, not jumping to conclusions. Or you could very easily find yourself providing free fireworks for the entire neighborhood that day. And believe me, nobody enjoys hearing those.