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Special to The Bolton News Bolton City Hall will open its doors on Saturday, February 21, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. for in‑person absentee voting only in the Ward 2 Special Election. This additional voting session provides registered Ward 2 voters the chance to cast their ballots ahead of Election Day without needing to meet specific absentee‑by‑mail requirements. In‑person absentee voting remains a critical option for eligible voters who may be unable to vote at their regular precinct on Election Day. According to Mississippi’s election procedures, eligible voters must meet state criteria to cast an absentee ballot in person; typical qualifying reasons include work obligations, school attendance outside the county, being out of town on Election Day, age‑related limitations, or temporary or permanent disability. It’s essential for voters to confirm their eligibility and bring valid photo identification when they arrive to vote. This Saturday voting session at City Hall is specifically for absentee ballots and not for Election Day precinct voting. Voters who do not vote absentee during this period will still have the opportunity to cast their ballot at their Ward 2 polling location on Election Day itself. For more information about absentee voting rules and eligibility in Mississippi, contacting your local municipal clerk or visiting the Mississippi Secretary of State’s voter resources is recommended.

Special to The Bolton News A special election has been scheduled for Tuesday, February 24, 2026, to fill the vacancy in the Ward 2 Alderman position in Bolton. The seat became vacant on December 25, 2025, following the death of Alderwoman Helen Harris. The election will be held at the Bolton Volunteer Fire Department, located at 117 W. Madison Street, where registered voters of Ward 2 can cast their ballots. Three candidates are seeking to fill the open seat: William Wood, Thomas Warren, and Lendell Mack, Jr. Voters will have the opportunity to select the candidate they believe is best suited to represent their ward and contribute to the governance of the city. This special election is a critical opportunity for residents to have a direct voice in their local government and ensure that Ward 2 continues to have representation on the Bolton Board of Aldermen. Registered voters are encouraged to review candidates’ positions and participate in shaping the future of their community. For more information about polling times, voter eligibility, and absentee voting, residents may contact the Bolton City Hall or visit the Mississippi Secretary of State’s voter resources.

Daphne Marie Watson November 21, 1953 - February 13, 2026 72 years of age Ms. Daphne Marie Watson was born on November 21, 1953, in Bolton, Hinds County, Mississippi, to the late John Wesley “J.W.” Watson, Sr. and the late Lula Mae Howard Watson. She departed this life on Friday, February 13, 2026. Service Details: Viewing: February 20, 2026, 3:00-6:00 PM, Bolton Funeral Home, 205 Bolton Brownsville Road, Bolton Cards may be sent to: Bolton Funeral Home, Attn: Family of Daphne Marie Watson, PO Box 67, Bolton, MS 39041 Funeral Service: February 21, 2026, 11:00 AM, Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church, 6449 W. Northside Drive, Bolton Viewing will take place one hour before the start of the funeral service Interment: Hill of Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 1079 Annie Fortner Road, Bolton To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Daphne Marie Watson, please visit our flower store .

Special to The Bolton News The Mississippi Insurance Department (MID) has been made aware of contractors acting as unlicensed public adjusters by filing claims on behalf of insureds. This practice is illegal in the State of Mississippi. Any contractor caught filing claims for insureds without a signed contract and proper licensure as a public adjuster will be referred to the Attorney General and/or Board of Contractors for legal action. If you are aware of illegal activity or need other storm-related assistance, contact the MID Consumer Services Division by phone at 1-800-562-2957 or 601-359-2453.  You can also email  consumer@mid.ms.gov Keep the following tips in mind when hiring contractors: Check if a contractor is licensed with the Mississippi State Board of Contractors,  https://www.msboc.us/   Be cautious of door-to-door or phone solicitations, especially after storms. These contractors often rely on high-pressure sales tactics and unlicensed labor. Never pay in full before work is completed. Don't feel pressured to sign or decide immediately—take time to review all documents. If materials must be purchased upfront, pay the supplier directly. Request at least three references and proof of required licenses, permits, insurance, and bonding.  Record the contractor's license plate and driver's license number. If you were impacted by Winter Storm Fern, file an insurance claim as soon as possible. Your policy may require that you make the notification within a certain time period. Be sure you cooperate fully with the insurance company. Ask what documents, forms, and data you will need to file a claim. Keep a record of all conversations with insurance companies, creditors or relief agencies. Once you begin working with an adjuster, ask them for an itemized explanation of the claim settlement offer. Be patient and assist claims adjusters assigned to your case. Small losses may be settled quickly; extensive claims will take longer. Save all receipts, including those from the temporary repairs covered by your insurance policy.

Special to The Bolton News On Sunday, March 8 at 3:00 p.m., the quiet beauty of St. Mary's Episcopal Church will once again become a place of reflection and music as the congregation hosts its monthly Second Sundays service. Set in the heart of Bolton at 209 East Madison Street, the gathering offers the community an opportunity to pause, pray, and experience a meaningful presentation of The Way of the Cross. This month’s service will be led by lay readers Susan and Richard Price, whose thoughtful narration will guide those in attendance through the solemn and moving journey that recalls the final hours of Christ’s life. Their reading will be accompanied by a carefully chosen selection of hymns and incidental music, creating a reverent atmosphere that invites personal meditation as well as shared worship. Music will play a central role in the afternoon. Pianist Kyle Jones and violinist Leslie Wood will provide a program that complements the readings, blending familiar sacred melodies with expressive instrumental passages. Their performance is designed not as a concert, but as an extension of the service itself, offering moments of stillness and emotional depth between each station. Second Sundays at St. Mary’s has become known for its intimate setting and welcoming spirit. The service draws people from across the Bolton area and beyond, many of whom return month after month for the chance to step away from the pace of daily life and enter a space devoted to quiet reflection. The historic church, with its simple architecture and warm interior, provides an ideal backdrop for an observance centered on contemplation and faith. As the season of Lent begins, The Way of the Cross holds special significance for Christians, marking a time of remembrance, repentance, and renewed focus. The March 8 service offers an opportunity for individuals and families alike to prepare their hearts for Easter through scripture, music, and prayer. The public is invited to attend, and all are welcome to take part in this meaningful afternoon of worship and reflection.

By Bob Garver Poster credit IMDB On the weekend of the biggest football game of the year, it was only natural that I saw a movie about basketball. Or rather “Roarball,” as the anthropomorphic animal characters call it – but it’s basketball. When he was just a kid (pun intended), young goat Will (Caleb McLaughlin) went to Roarball games to root for his hometown Vineland Thorns and cheer on his favorite player: panther Jett Fillmore (Gabrielle Union). Will’s mother (Jennifer Hudson) encouraged him to dream big, and he dreamed to be as big a Roarball player as Jett. Ten years later, Will is a struggling delivery boy, his mother has passed, Jett has never won the league’s championship, and the Thorns’ warthog owner (Jenifer Lewis) is too busy with mud baths to make any effort to improve the roster. Will can’t make a career for himself because he’s too obsessed with Roarball. And he can’t get ahead in Roarball because he’s too small. Actually, he’s more of a “medium” in a world that includes rodents and such, but every high-profile player is bigger than him, so he’s considered “small.” He answers an open challenge for a one-on-one game to three points laid out by visiting superstar Mane Attraction (Aaron Pierre), and the horse beats him 3-2, but everyone in Vineland is impressed that he was able to score two points Yes, his star rises because a heavily-memed video of his performance “goes viral.” Against the wishes of Jett, who wants a proper teammate for what will likely be her final season, he’s signed to the Thorns. Teammates on the Thorns include paternal pachyderm Archie (David Harbour), aging giraffe Lenny (Stephen Curry), self-doubting ostrich Olivia (Nicola Coughlin), and out-of-his-mind Komodo Dragon Modo (Nick Kroll), as well as put-upon monkey coach Dennis (Patton Oswalt). It’s not hard to see why the team is in last place, with all the neuroses in play, compounded by Jett’s constant frustration. At this rate the team will be out of contention before Will can even come off the bench. Despite a rocky start, Will soon proves himself useful, able to slip between large, lumbering players and make long-shots from far-off places on the court. Aside from his playing, his optimism is infectious, both with the fans, who drive up ticket sales, and his teammates, who start playing better with his inspiration. Even sour (literal) puss Jett has some of her best days in years around him. Then there’s an ugly chapter where business gets in the way and egos affect morale (every sports movie has one) and the team basically breaks up, but of course everybody rallies and puts in their best efforts for the big final game against Mane Attraction’s team. So the story isn’t going to redefine any (figurative, this time) playbooks. So the humor can be obnoxious at times with all the self-aggrandizing characters. So it’s obvious that the movie was written around the lazy premise of an athlete wanting to be the Greatest Of All Time… and he’s an actual goat. The movie is still a delight at a time when delightful movies are in short supply. Its biggest strength is its rapid-fire gag delivery, even if a joke misses, you can be as sure as there’s at least one played out screaming goat gag in this movie that there’s another one right around the corner. “GOAT” isn’t what I would call a “great” animated offering, but it’s not ba-a-a-a-a-ad. Apologies. Grade: B- “GOAT” is rated PG for some rude humor and brief mild language. Its running time is 100 minutes. Contact Bob Garver at rrg251@nyu.edu .

By Bob Garver Poster credit IMDB Did you know that getting stranded on a deserted island has a way of shaking up social hierarchies? I suppose that was a big part of the plot for recent Best Picture Oscar nominee “Triangle of Sadness.” As well as the literary classic “Lord of the Flies.” And it’s represented on television in everything from “Survivor” to “Lost” to “Gilligan’s Island.” And it was at the center of a play I did in high school called “The Admirable Crichton,” where I played a rich snob who gets taken down several pegs. Director Sam Raimi is hoping you’ve somehow avoided all of these precursors, plus others I’m sure I’m forgetting, because only then can you find originality in “Send Help.” Rachel McAdams stars as Linda Liddle, a doormat of an employee in the strategy and planning department of a financial consulting firm. She does great work, but she doesn’t have the best social skills, and her bro-y male colleagues take her work for granted while overlooking her as a person. This is especially true of her boss Bradley (Dylan O’Brien), who gives a college buddy a promotion over her and is ready to boot her from the office over the smell of her tuna-fish sandwich. But he needs her numbers skills for a conference in Bangkok, so he reluctantly lets her tag along on his private plane. Wouldn’t you know it, the plane goes down and only Linda and an injured Bradley make it to a nearby island. Linda is an adept survivalist, having read many books on the subject. She’s able to build a makeshift shelter, get a fire going, and round up some food and water for the passed-out Bradley, all before he even wakes up. When he does come around, he’s grateful for about ten seconds before chiding Linda for not making more of an effort to get the two of them rescued. She walks off, leaving him to the elements. He soon learns that he can’t survive on his own and has to sheepishly ask her to go back to caring for him. This establishes a pattern that continues for the rest of the movie: he’ll think that the power he wields in the office also applies to the island, and she keeps easily proving him wrong. Eventually she becomes the powerful one, and she insists she’s a better boss than he ever was, but… is she? Or is she destined to become the tyrant that Bradley was on the mainland? Could she even become something worse? It’s hard to imagine Bradley, even at his most piggish, making some of the decisions Linda makes. Speaking of piggishness, Raimi hopes that audiences are too distracted by select scenes of visual spectacle to notice that there’s nothing original about the story. One is a battle between Linda and a supposedly-scary CGI boar. Others include the plane crash, a dream sequence, a physical altercation, and a high-tension confrontation involving a poisonous octopus and a dead rat. I’d chide Raimi for relying too much on his old crutches of extreme violence and body horror, but it’s not like he was doing better with the non-gruesome elements of the movie. Basically, I spent the entirety of “Send Help” doing that “move it along” gesture with my hand because the story was so routine. Bradley was never going to learn his lesson, Linda was only going to get worse, and rescue wouldn’t come until much more blood (and possibly other innards) had been spilled. The film isn’t devoid of properly-built suspense, but it’s nothing that hasn’t been seen in other, better cat-and-mouse horror movies (“Misery,” from the late Rob Reiner, came to mind). Sometimes people like to debate which movies they wish they could have with them on a deserted island. I wouldn’t want “Send Help” even if I didn’t have to waste a pick on it. Grade: C- “Send Help” is rated R for strong/bloody violence and language. Its running time is 113 minutes. Contact Bob Garver at  rrg251@nyu.edu .

Send responses to:  andybowman839@gmail.com         You remember hearing and seeing the popular phrase, WWJD? ‘What Would Jesus Do.’ If you do, very likely you also remember often seeing the mocking curl of the lip of someone in the vicinity. That sentence  showed up everywhere and soon became trite and overused. And almost guaranteed to irritate anyone nearby. I can even remember hearing certain people as they would laugh and say, “WWJD….oh, yeah sure, me too. And I can give you a few ideas for your WWJD. But you probably ain’t gonna appreciate ‘em.” Because show up it certainly did…everywhere. Remember the wrist bands?? The t-shirts, license plates, coffee cups, plaques, business cards, and pictures that carried that phrase, WHAT WOULD JESUS DO? Talk  about overkill, and running a good thing straight into the ground. But honestly, was it the phrase that grated on the nerves, or the mouths that spouted it at the drop of a hat? Was it what the sentence stood for, or the hypocrisy it exposed, as people let it drip religiously out of their  mouth – while at the same time their actions did exactly the opposite? Being open and quite honest with you, I have to admit that WWJD wore mighty thin, mighty quickly for me too. Sure, I attempted to not let my feelings show with a mocking curl of my lip, but, I confess, inside it was there. Why? Overkill, from hearing it way too often? Hypocrisy of the speaker? My own feelings of sudden guilt when confronted by such an ‘in your face” reminder of the One who is always hearing and watching me fall flat  on my face too many times? Maybe. Or it could easily have been all of the above. It is mighty difficult to hear “WWJD!!!” fall blithely from the lips of someone who has deliberately, or even unwittingly, cut someone to the quick, and then just five minutes later hear them sweetly use that same phrase  again as they try to encourage their friend. Hear me well. It was not the actual phrase, or the wording of the phrase, or the good intentions behind the creating of that phrase that was so irritating. WWJD is certainly representative of living a life that never hurts anyone or takes advantage of a situation. The meaning of WWJD is wonderful and worthy of attempting to emulate. The problem lies with the fact that most didn’t. Most of the time we just delivered lip service to it as we smiled sweetly, and actually delivered WWTWD. And if you don’t recognize the ‘TW’ substitution, simply turn on  your local news and see it in living color. The World… and folks, it’s not very pretty. And it’s certainly not sweet and loving. Not worth imitating at all. But yet we do. And predictably as the result, we now have what we have. A world that is deeply in turmoil. Anger, hate, revenge rule….AHRR, I guess.

Celebrate Super Bowl LX, Valentine’s with special foods By Kara Kimbrough   Chocolate Covered Strawberries (Photo credit: Kara Kimbrough)    A few years ago, the Super Bowl did American men a favor by landing right in the middle of Valentine’s Day weekend. The excuse that there was “simply no time” to go out for a special Valentine’s meal due to the big game got them off the hook. Fast forward to 2026; Super Bowl LX, or the 60 th  game, falls on Sunday, Feb. 8. Valentine’s Day arrives the following Saturday. However, there are ways to celebrate both special events with simple dishes that are easy to prepare and enjoyed at home with minimal stress on everyone involved.     First, every year a new Super Bowl food trend seems to sweep the internet; this year is no exception. TikTok is filled with thousands of “new” game day recipes and elaborate decorating ideas. A few of my favorites include a “stadium” made of small boxes filled with snacks and dips, highlighted by a “field” containing platters of wings, burgers and pizza slices; a backdrop of gold balloons shaped to resemble gold posts, with a giant football balloon positioned in the center and hundreds of versions of hot and cold dips, pizzas, sliders, wings and more.    My favorite food idea this year is a “wings and things” board filled with a selection of fried chicken tenders and wings, spicy fries, fried pickles, slices of grilled sausages, a bowl of homemade ranch dressing for dipping and here’s the interesting part…halves of grilled cheese sandwiches interspersed throughout the regular game day fare.     Turns out, “Grilled Cheese on Texas Toast” is a relatively new item in the freezer case at Sam’s. Requiring only a few minutes in the microwave (or a little longer in the oven) the end result is a hot, crispy, cheesy addition to the “wings and things” charcuterie board.     It’s fun to try new food trends, but let’s face it, there are some tried-and-true Super Bowl foods that everyone expects to be on the buffet table and for good reason.      It simply wouldn’t be the Super Bowl without everyone’s favorite chips and dips, a mile-high stack of nachos and all the toppings, the afore-mentioned wings and plenty of dipping sauces and depending on your taste, a huge pot of chili, burgers and maybe a pizza or two. Each of these dishes deserves their rightful place of honor on Super Bowl Sunday and for the most part, they’ll be served in most homes or at parties celebrating the game this Sunday.    As for Valentine’s Day, yes, it falls on Saturday, making it convenient for most couples to dine out at a restaurant in honor of the holiday celebrating love and other sentimental emotions. But if one or both members of the couple would prefer a cozy dinner at home, it’s super easy to create a meal that’s almost (notice I said “almost”) as good as anything that can be found at a restaurant.    I’ve compiled a few of my favorite Super Bowl and Valentine’s recipes for you to recreate. If you'd like additional recipes for either special event, drop me an email and I'll send them to you. Enjoy!   Super Bowl LX Wings (Photo credit: Kara Kimbrough)     Super Bowl LX Wings 2 pounds chicken wings: Split into drumettes and flats 1-2 tbsp baking powder (for crispy skin- make sure you’re using baking powder, not baking soda!) 1 cup barbecue sauce, teriyaki sauce or hot sauce (1 cup hot sauce mixed with 1 cup melted butter) Seasoning blend: 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon chili powder.      Prep wings: Pat the wings completely dry with paper towels. In a large bowl, toss the wings with the olive oil (if using), then add the baking powder and spice mixture, tossing thoroughly to coat. For maximum crispness, place seasoned wings on a wire rack over a baking sheet and leave uncovered in refrigerator 1–2 hours (or up to 24 hours).      Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Arrange wings in a single layer on a wire rack set over a foil-lined baking sheet that has been lightly brushed with olive oil or sprayed with cooking spray to prevent sticking.      Bake for 40–50 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden brown and crispy.     To add sauce: Remove from oven; toss wings in a bowl with preferred sauce, or leave in pan and cover wings with sauce using a small brush, turning to coat both sides.      Return sauced wings to the oven for an additional 5–10 minutes to crisp wings. Steaks for Two Marinate a thick cut of sirloin (or your favorite cut) steak for several hours in the refrigerator with:  1/2 bottle of teriyaki steak sauce   Juice of 1 lemon Salt and pepper   Remove from refrigerator and coat the top of each steak with 1-2 tablespoons of butter. Grill or broil to desired level of doneness. Let meat rest before slicing.  Twice-Baked Potatoes      Bake two large baking potatoes. Scoop out inside, leaving a small border of potato around edges. Add to the meat of the potatoes: • Small container of French onion dip • 1-2 tablespoons of butter     Stir and return mixture to potatoes. Top with a sprinkle of bacon pieces and shredded cheese, if desired. Place under the broiler or in microwave for a couple of minutes until butter and cheese are melted; don't overcook. V-Day Chocolate-Covered Strawberries  1-pint fresh strawberries 1 cup milk chocolate chips, white chocolate or dark chocolate chips 1 teaspoon coconut oil       Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Dry strawberries well with paper towels to make sure chocolate adheres perfectly. Heat chocolate chips and coconut oil in microwave safe bowl for 2 minutes on 50%. Stir until smooth. Dip each strawberry into the melted chocolate, making sure the strawberry is covered almost to the stem. Place chocolate covered strawberry onto parchment lined baking sheet and place into the freezer for at least 15 minutes to set. Once chocolate is set, you can dip the bottom half of strawberries in alternating chocolate color or drizzle alternating color over strawberries with a fork. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Note:  For Super Bowl, leave some plain after dipping in dark chocolate. Decorate each with white “football laces” using small icing tubes found in the baking aisle. Kara Kimbrough is a food and travel writer from Mississippi. Email her at  kkprco@yahoo.com .

Special to The Bolton News The Bolton News is excited to announce a new partnership with Card My Yard, Clinton, MS bringing readers a fun way to celebrate special moments while enjoying exclusive savings. Through this partnership, Bolton News readers can receive $20 OFF their next Card My Yard order by using promo code Bolton20. Card My Yard specializes in large, professionally installed yard signs that turn everyday celebrations into unforgettable moments. From birthdays, graduations, and anniversaries to retirements, proposals, and welcome-home surprises, Card My Yard offers full-service rentals that include delivery, setup, and removal. “This partnership is all about celebrating our community,” said a representative of The Bolton News. “Card My Yard shares our passion for bringing joy locally, and we’re proud to offer our readers a meaningful discount.” Whether you’re planning a milestone celebration or simply want to surprise someone special, Card My Yard makes it easy, and memorable. To book and receive $20 off, visit:  https://www.cardmyyard.com/locations/mississippi/clinton-ms/ Use promo code Bolton20 at checkout. If you have questions or need assistance with your order, you can contact:Doris Bynum 601-335-3247 clinton-ms@cardmyyard.com Availability is limited, and popular dates fill quickly. Stay connected with The Bolton News for more local partnerships, community highlights, and exclusive reader offers.

By: Tommie Hart Cholangiocarcinoma, or bile duct cancer, is one of the most challenging and under-recognized cancers, with limited treatment options and a grim prognosis for many patients. Despite its rarity, the need for awareness and focused research is immense, as early detection and innovative therapies can make a life-saving difference. With February being Cholangiocarcinoma Awareness Month, it is an opportune time to learn about this disease that affects too many lives. I am writing as someone who is personally impacted by cholangiocarcinoma. In August 2025, my husband, Rev. Mike Hart, and I were informed of a mass in his liver. We must give credit to Dr. Art Kergosien at Brookhaven Internal Medicine. He noticed that my husband’s liver enzymes were a little elevated and sent him for an ultrasound. As aggressive as this cancer is, early detection is essential. At that time, we had no idea just how complicated and difficult his fight would become. He had his biopsy at the start of September and that is when we learned that he had cholangiocarcinoma. It was a difficult thing to accept since he was in good health with no symptoms. Cancer treatment in Mississippi seems to move extremely slow. He was in the middle of October, still not having started treatments, when the symptoms began. His bilirubin started to rise. They could not start his chemotherapy with the elevated bilirubin, so he had to have a procedure called an ERCP to place stents into the bile ducts to help them to work correctly. That procedure caused pancreatitis and resulted in a five-day hospital stay. Unfortunately, those stents did not work and caused more problems and his bilirubin rose to 14.9. He had to have the procedure repeated just two weeks later and the stents changed for longer ones. Since then, there have been countless doctor visits, more hospital stays and more procedures. Things change so quickly with this cancer. Since cancer treatment is limited in Mississippi, we reached out to MD Anderson in Texas and were quickly set up with an oncologist. On our first visit in October with Dr. Xavier, he had blood work, a CT and was admitted to MD Anderson for the stent exchange. Dr. Xavier also started molecular testing on his biopsy sample. After three months of chemotherapy that he received at Jackson Oncology with Dr. Sheehan and coordinated with MDA, he unfortunately showed progression of the cancer. Because of this, he has developed a dangerous portal vein thrombus and has been referred to an oncology radiologist at MD Anderson. We have met with Dr. Grace Li Smith, and he will undergo Proton Beam Therapy at MD Anderson. Mike also has a fistula that complicates the radiation treatment even further. Once the radiation sessions are completed and the radiologist feels he is ready, Mike will then be able to start on the next form of targeted chemotherapy. Luckily, the molecular testing showed that my husband has the FGFR2 FUSION mutation. Only 10-20% of patients have this. Because of that mutation, there is a targeted therapy that works as a small-molecule kinase inhibitor, selectively blocking Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptors (FGFR1, FGFR2, and FGFR3) that have genetic alterations (fusions, rearrangements) in certain cancers, like cholangiocarcinoma. By inhibiting these faulty receptors, the medication stops the abnormal signals that drive tumor cell proliferation, migration, and survival, ultimately slowing or stopping cancer growth. He will start this treatment soon after radiation and we, as well as the oncologists, are very optimistic. Thankfully, my husband has decent health insurance, and he now has an oncologist and general surgeon in Mississippi and an oncologist, gastroenterologist, radiologist, and oncology surgeon in Texas. This is a trying and complicated health issue that we must traverse. Our new normal. Although this is an extremely dangerous health situation, we hold strong to our faith that God will take care of him. Mike is a resident of Wesson and the pastor of Mallalieu Methodist and New Hebron Methodist churches. They are full of Godly, caring members that have been with us every step of the way. February 19, 2026 , is World Cholangiocarcinoma Day , a global effort to raise awareness of this challenging disease and highlight the need for early detection, better treatments, and increased support for patients and their families. This year, I would like to encourage anyone reading to join us by wearing green on February 19  in honor of cholangiocarcinoma awareness. The simple act of wearing green sends a powerful message of solidarity to those battling this disease, their families, and the medical professionals striving to find a cure. It would also mean so much to our local community, where awareness can lead to earlier diagnoses and better outcomes for those affected. Cholangiocarcinoma is often diagnosed too late due to vague symptoms and limited public understanding of the disease, but by helping to educate others and inspire action could save lives. You can learn more about cholangiocarcinoma and World Cholangiocarcinoma Day by visiting   cholangiocarcinoma.org . Together, we can make a difference!

By Bob Garver Poster credit IMDB “Mercy” was the  #1 movie at the box office on a weekend where the weather showed little in the way of mercy to much of the country. Hope you’re all safe out there. As if the weather weren’t enough of a disadvantage, “Mercy” is saddled with one of the stupidest cinematic premises I’ve ever seen. It takes place in a dystopian future where murder trials take the form of “Mercy trials,” suspects being strapped unsupervised to a chair in a tech-filled, but otherwise empty room and given 90 minutes to prove their innocence to an A.I. judge. If they can’t establish a reasonable doubt within the time limit, they’re executed on the spot. To give the suspects a fighting chance, tech is at their disposal to examine the crime scene, check security cameras, call witnesses, look at evidence like strangers’ personal financial records, and so on, all in the name of making the system think that they are less than 92% guilty. But emotional pleas do no good, the way they might with a human jury. Also, there are no lawyers to navigate (some would say “manipulate”) the justice system. No suspect given this kind of trial has ever been found not guilty. Detective Chris Raven (Chris Pratt), a major proponent of the Mercy system, awakens one day to finds himself strapped to a chair for a Mercy trial. On a screen, Judge Maddox (Rebecca Ferguson) informs him that he’s the prime suspect in the murder of his wife (Annabelle Wallis). His probability of guilt is deemed to be 96.7%. If he wants to avoid being… the movie never says, but I’m guessing electrocuted, he’d better get cracking on getting that number down below 92%. Oh, and he suffered a brain injury when he was arrested, so he doesn’t remember anything about the morning of the murder – including whether or not he did it. Chris goes about uncovering the truth. He knows that he wasn’t always the best husband, struggling with anger and alcoholism, but he couldn’t have done it… in the emotional sense. In the literal sense, maybe. He doesn’t get much help from friends and family, like his less-angelic-than-he-thought daughter (Kylie Rogers), his sponsor (Chris Sullivan), or his partner (Kali Reis), who are seemingly of the attitude that they want to help him, but the evidence isn’t looking good. He uncovers layers upon layers of secrets: his wife may have been having an affair with a chef (Jeff Pierre), she may have been involved with illegal drug manufacturing with her co-worker (Rafi Gavron), and there may be a conspiracy to unleash untold terror. And he may have to come to the conclusion that the Mercy system itself may not be as perfect as he previously thought. Who would have thought that putting a murder trial in the hands of a judge that can simply be unplugged might have flaws? “Mercy” is one of those movies that wants to warn us about the dangers of A.I., that this is where society is headed if we entrust in it too much. Except no, we’re not. A.I. is indeed creeping its way into all facets of life, including the justice system, and there are dangers that come along with it, but we’re a million miles from this strapped-to-a-chair-with-no-humans-around nonsense. The whole thing is ridiculous. It’s so ridiculous, in fact, that it warrants being seen by people who like ridiculous movies. This movie gets my rare “B-minus-minus” rating, reserved for movies that I would never recommend in the traditional sense, but do make me shake my head and chucklingly say, “You gotta see this.” Grade: B- - “Mercy” is rated PG-13 for violence, bloody images, some strong language, drug content and teen smoking. Its running time is 100 minutes. Contact Bob Garver at rrg251@nyu.edu .