Search Results

The 44th President of the United States Barack Obama with the Queen of Women's Basketball Ruthie Bolton as the Queen and others were honored at 50th Anniversary of USA Basketball in Las Vegas in July 2024. The President served as the surprise special guest speaker. Ruthie Bolton, born May 25, 1967 to Leola and Linwood Bolton, is the twin sister of Allen Ray Bolton of the famous Bolton Brothers, a legendary gospel music group consisting of her brothers, but not all of them. Ruthie is just 16 of 20 siblings but she made a name for herself and in her own right, is not only the biggest star in her family, but one of the biggest superstars in the world. Ruthie Bolton family picture. Ruthie is a 2x WNBA All-star, 2x Olympic Gold Medalist, and an inductee in the WNBA Hall of Fame. That's just for starters. She represented the United States of America with famous teammates like The Queen of College Basketball Coach Dawn Staley, the famous head coach for women's basketball at The University of South Carolina who won 3 NCAA National Championship including in 2024. A Historic Picture of Basketball Royalty: Queen of Women's Basketball Ruthie Bolton, with the Queen of the WNBA 3x MVP Sheryl Swoopes who was the first woman to be signed to the WNBA, Queen of the Court & the first woman to dunk in the WNBA 3X MVP Lisa Leslie, and the Queen of College Basketball, 3x NCAA College Basketball Champion Coach Dawn Staley, Head Coach of the University of South Carolina Women's Basketball Team. Ruthie has also served her country as a member of the United States Military, reaching the rank of 1st Lieutenant. Yes, she's represented her country both in the Olympics and and in the military. No question she not only a true American Hero but also a treasure to the African American Culture. Ruthie has won additional medals outside of the Olympics. She's won a bronze and gold medal for the FIBA World Championship for Women and another gold medal for the World Championship Games in 1991. Queen of Women's Basketball WNBA Superstar Ruthie Bolton and Dee Moye, Principle and CEO of the powerful HMG Firm, pose for a picture at Greene County High School after a local high school basketball game. The HMG Firm is a powerhouse consulting firm that manages The Sipp Collective (statewide NIL), The MAP (all high school athletes in Mississippi) and THN, The Hattiesburg News (The #1 digital news platform in Mississippi.) R uthie started her professional career for the Visby Ladies in Sweden. The following season, The Queen of Women's Basketball became the first American female to play professional sports in Hungary. Ruthie has been featured in many documentaries as she was a star well before the WNBA was created paving the way for thousands of young female athletes who follow in her footsteps. Ruthie Bolton and high school star athlete Zamiah Knight at Greene County High School. Ruthie mentors and coaches Zamiah when she's home in Mississippi. Zamiah is ranked as one of the top 20 females athletes in Mississippi. Ruthie is one of the most sought after guest speakers in the world, speaking at colleges & universities, high schools, sports events, and corporate events all across the world. Ruthie is the author of several books including the bestseller, "Sent With Purpose." She's very passionate about women empowerment and overcoming domestic violence as she herself was a victim of domestic violence, being physically and mentally abused by her ex-husband, in which she candidly talks about. Today, Ruthie is being sought out by multiple universities to become their next head coach of women's basketball. She serves on several organization's Board of Directors, including being a board member and brand ambassador for the Mississippi Association of Players , the primary organization that serves 7th - 12th grade student athletes in Mississippi through all-stars, scholarships, mentorship programs, and awards. Ruthie loves serving as a mentor to kids in her local community when's she home back in Mississippi. Ruthie is not only American History, she's embedded into the frame of Black History. Ruthie Bolton, Queen of Basketball, continues to give both on and off the court. Ruthie is the mother of 2 teenagers, Hope and Chris. Ruthie Bolton poses for a picture with her kids , her son Chris and her daughter Hope.

Hattiesburg, MS- Good Morning Hattiesburg & Friends. Here is your weather for your lovely Valentine's Day weekend. Today will be mostly cloudy, with a high near 81. South wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Tonight Showers and thunderstorms before 2am, then a chance of showers between 2am and 3am. Some of the storms could be severe. Low around 50. South wind 15 to 20 mph becoming west northwest after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible. Sunday Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a temperature falling to around 50 by 9am. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Sunday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 32. North wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Forrest County NAACP President Clarence Magee and USM Head Football Coach Charles Huff gives their acceptance speech at the 27th Annual Black History Celebrations Grand Marshal Luncheon in Downtown Hattiesburg on Tuesday, February 4, 2025 at the Jackie Dole Community Center. Hattiesburg, MS- On Tuesday, February 4, 2025 at the Black History Celebrations Grand Marshal Luncheon, USM's Head Football Coach Charles Huff was named as the Honorary Grand Marshal and The NAACP President Clarence Magee was named as the Grand Marshal of the 27th Annual Black History Parade & Celebrations, which takes place Saturday, February 22, 2025 on Country Club Rd at 12:00 Noon. Charles Huff is the University of Southern Mississippi's First African American Head Coach in the university's 110 year history. Clarence Magee is the longtime President of the Forrest County NAACP, Mississippi's largest branch. Coach Huff began his acceptance remarks as the Honorary Grand Marshal by thanking Lieutenant Colonel Raylawni Branch, the first African American student to attend the University of Southern Mississippi, for paving the way for African Americans at Southern Miss. "To be standing here many many years later to be the face of the {University of Southern Mississippi's} football program is a honor. And I thank you and your family for all you endured. I'm sure if we even began to let them tell some of the stories we would cringe!" "Not that it would be unbelievable but they actually endured all those things to actually allow us all to be here." - Coach Charles Huff A historical event within itself, Lt. Col. Raylawni Branch made the surprise grand marshal announcements, making it the first time USM's first African American Head Coach and USM's first African American Student met each other. Lt. Col. Raylawni Branch, the first African American student to attend the University of Southern Mississippi and Coach Charles Huff, the first African American Head Coach of the University of Southern Mississippi, meet for the first time at the 27th Annual Black History Celebrations Grand Marshal Luncheon in downtown Hattiesburg, MS. Clarence Magee begin his acceptance speech as the 2025 Grand Marshal overjoyed and overwhelmed within the moment, "I can't help but say I'm proud to be here! I came from very very humble beginnings, so humble you can see the chicken through the cracks of the floor." Reflecting on the weight of the moment of being named Grand Marshal, which is by tradition since 1991, the highest award and honor an African American is bestowed in the Pine Belt, President Clarence Magee said, "Here I am and I do not deserve any of it. I do not deserve any of it!" "Here I am and I do not deserve any of it. I do not deserve any of it!" -Clarence Magee. Magee ending his acceptance speech with one of the most powerful phrases of the year, "All my life I've had courage. Courage overcomes fear!" he softly exclaimed as he thanked everyone. The honorable Hope Jones, Mayor of Collins, MS speaks at the 27th Annual Grand Marshal Luncheon in downtown Hattiesburg, MS. Mayor Jones is the first African American Mayor of the City of Collins, MS. The luncheon, powered by The HMG Firm's Community Development Division, was held at the Jackie Dole Community Center in downtown Hattiesburg featuring several community stakeholders, elected officials from across the Pine Belt, and previous grand marshals. The event was sponsored by Popeye's Chicken and Chicken Salad Chick. Each year, the grand marshal leads the famous parade into the Black History Celebrations, the largest Black History Celebration in Mississippi. Black History Parade 2025 The 27th Annual Black History Parade is schedule for Saturday, February 22, 2025 . The parade will begin with a parade day party at 12:00 Noon on JC Killingsworth and Country Club Rd to keep parade watchers excited and entertained. To sign up to be in the parade, click here. It's FREE to be in the Black History Parade. If you need candy or beads to throw out, official group t-shirts, or car magnets to go on your car, just click to add those options when you sign up. Country Club Road in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Although the road serves as the main entrance to Vernon Dahmer Park, the road will be closed to traffic for the parade and throughout the event for safety reasons. General parking will be next to The First Tee building. The parade itself starts at 1:00pm on the corner of Highland Ave and JC Killingsworth Ave. The parade then travels down JC Killingsworth turning left onto Country Club Rd. The parade then ends inside of Vernon Dahmer Park. The corner of JC Killingsworth and Highland Ave is where the famous 27th Annual Black History Parade will begin. The parade will travel down JC Killingsworth to Country Club Rd. The community is expected to crowd the streets by the 1,000's. The public is encouraged to park in the First Tee Field behind Vernon Dahmer Park for general parking starting as early as 10am. Then walk to JC Killingsworth or Country Club Rd to watch the parade. Early arrival is highly recommended. First Tee Field behind Vernon Dahmer Park. This is where the general public can park for free to watch the parade and enjoy the picnic after the parade. After the parade, the public is encouraged to walk back to Vernon Dahmer Park where the Black History Picnic will begin. Thousands are expected to crowd the park this year to celebrate Black History in the Pine Belt. Black History Celebrations: Schedule of Events Immediately After the Parade Below is a schedule of events for the Black History Celebration & Parade. Hattiesburg news will provide more updates leading up to the event. 12:00 Noon Parade Day Party JC. Killingsworth & Country Club Rd 1:00pm Black History Parade JC. Killingsworth & Country Club Rd 2:00pm Black History Picnic Vernon Dahmer Park 5:00pm Black History Free Community Concert Vernon Dahmer Park 7:00pm Black History Fireworks Show Vernon Dahmer Park Black History Celebrations: The Picnic One big tailgate party! Immediately following the parade, there will be a Black History Picnic at Vernon Dahmer Park. Families are encouraged to come out in force and bring their tents and lawn chairs to enjoy a day of celebration as the Pine Belt comes together to celebrate Black History. The picnic will feature fun games for the kids, sports tournaments for youth of all ages including teenagers, a 7 on 7 adult football game, Hattiesburg vs Laurel, "The Big Brown Jug," a Kickball Game featuring Collins vs Wiggins, a spade tournament, a domino tournament, and many other family filled activities. All vendors including all political candidates must register to be a vendor. To signup as a vendor, click here. Black History Celebrations: The Free Concert During the Picnic, there will be a Free Community Concert on stage. The concert is expected to feature local artist again this year. All music genres will be represented to show the diversity of Black History. 100's of people are expected to crowd around the stage. The annual $100 kids dance contest that's held on stage will also take place again this year. Also, the concert will feature a sidewalk step show. More details about who will perform during the step show will be revealed later this month. Black History Celebrations: The Fireworks Show Each year, the celebration ends with an epic Fireworks Show inside Vernon Dahmer Park. As expected, 100's of kids will crowd the park to see the best part of the celebration, the fireworks show. Black History Celebrations: Contact List If you have any questions, would like to participate in either the parade, picnic, or any part of the celebrations, you can contact The HMG Firm or The Black History Celebrations Executive Committee: Ashely Crutcher at 769.299.8365, Marian Allen at 601.323.9418, or Councilman Nick Brown at 601.545.4551. You can also email: thehmgfirm@gmail.com .

On Early Sunday Morning, Febraruy 2, 2025, a woman posted a disturbing message on her Facebook page. She posted everyone in her house was dead. This sent shockwaves throughout social media and immediately sent out shockwaves across the country. "Everyone dead in my house I'm next sorry yall"- Brenda Spencer via Facebook Post Brenda Tela Spencer posted on her Facebook page, "Everyone dead in my house I'm next sorry yall." Brenda Spencer lives in Tchula, Mississippi, next to Lexington, MS in Holmes County. Holmes County Sheriff Department is on the scene. Holmes County told Hattiesburg News that everyone is safe, however an ambulance is in route to the residence to check out Brenda Spencer. We are not sure at this time if that's because of a mental illness or physical injury. This is a developing story.

Hattiesburg, MS- Monday, January 27, Hattiesburg Fire Department responded to a call of a house on fire on West 4th Street. According the officials, they received a 911 call of a person trapped inside of a house that was on fire. There were no injuries. There was extensive content damage. The fire broke out in a bedroom. According to the tenants, the fire was caused by a shortage in the AC unit. The landlords were witnessed on the scene. According to Hattiesburg Fire Department, the fire is officially under investigation.

COCHRAN, Ga. – The William Carey Men's Basketball Team fell to Middle Georgia 75-72 Monday afternoon at Morris Gymnasium.  "It was a tale of two halves," said Head Coach  Steve Knight . "We were excellent on both ends in the first half but could not overcome our poor shooting in the second half. You just have to be able to make big shots and eliminate bad turnovers when on the road against good teams. But our guys played hard the whole game. They competed at a high level."  Just like in their game against Brewton-Parker on Saturday, the Crusaders found themselves down 10-2 just three minutes into the contest. Also, like in the game on Saturday, Carey found their footing, as  Ashton Campbell  drained a three and  Dylan Brumfield  followed with seven points to tie the game at twelve with fourteen minutes remaining.   Zandon Haralson  capped the run with a three pointer from the left wing to give WCU their first lead of the game. That was the spark the Crusader offense needed, as they never relinquished the lead the rest of the half, going on to build a 46-37 lead at the break.  Carey used that momentum in the second half to maintain the lead for ten minutes. However, the Carey offense went cold and with just over nine minutes to play the Knights retook the lead 60-58 on a Jamal Taylor layup.  Over the next five minutes, the Crusaders found themselves playing catch up once again until  Cam Brown  was fouled on a three-point attempt and converted all three free throws to put WCU back in front 65-64 with just over four minutes to play.   The final minutes saw an intense battle with both teams taking turns with the lead. With under twenty seconds on the clock, the Knights took a two point lead, but on the Crusaders' next possession, Brumfield drove a wide-open lane for the layup to tie the game once again with seven seconds remaining. However, Middle Georgia wasted no time, as Taylor made what would be the game winning three pointer, with two seconds left on the clock.   Dylan Brumfield  led the offense with 23 points with  Zandon Haralson  adding 19 points.  Carey is back in action Thursday, January 30, as they take on Life University. Play is set to begin at 7:30 pm at Clinton Gym.

THOMASVILLE, Ga. – The William Carey Men's Basketball Team dropped their second straight game, falling to Thomas University 72-67 Thursday night. "Really hard-fought game by both teams," said Head Coach  Steve Knight . "Thomas made the offensive plays in the second half shooting 59.4%. They really got it going and their crowd was a factor for sure. We battled and played hard down the stretch with an opportunity to win, but just did a poor job defensively allowing some easy buckets and offensive rebounds in the final three minutes. Give them credit, they earned this victory." Thomas opened the scoring with a three pointer but a pair of free throws by  Ankerion Gross  followed by a layup from  Dylan Brumfield  put Carey ahead with  Cam Brown  making it 7-3 WCU. Over the next few minutes both teams struggled on the offensive end but with thirteen minutes to play,  Javeon Gordon  and Brumfield pushed the Crusaders lead to 14-5. Things picked up with under ten minutes remaining with the Night Hawks slowly battling back to get within two at 17-15.  Makeem Roberts  and  Ashton Campbell  responded for the Crusaders with six straight points to make it 23-15 with four minutes left in the half. Again though, Thomas fought their way back and with just over minute left, cut the deficit to 25-24 but a pair of free throws by  Jamar Jenkins  would give WCU a three-point lead heading into the break. Thomas came out of the break, quickly erasing the deficit before taking a 32-27 lead two minutes into the second half. However, a three by Campbell followed by a steal from Gross with Brown making the layup, evened things up. After trading baskets, Thomas knocked down three straight three pointers to take a 43-34 lead with fourteen minutes remaining. Over the next four minutes, Thomas extended their lead to as many as eleven points. The Crusaders regrouped and slowly fought their way back, eventually tying the game at 51 on a Randaruis Hughes dunk with seven minutes to play. For the next five minutes both teams went back and forth with neither leading by more than two points. With Carey leading 62-61, the Night Hawks Jordan Howe gave them the lead for good scoring five straight points. From there Thomas extended their lead to eight on their way to victory. Dylan Brumfield  led the way with sixteen points.  Cam Brown  added twelve points while  Randarius Hughes  pulled down fourteen rebounds. Carey is back in action Wednesday, November 27, as they take on Talladega College in non-conference action. Play is set to begin at 4:00 pm at Clinton Gym.

NEW YORK (AP) — To celebrate an upcoming milestone, Alyssa Math could think of nothing more fitting than front-row tickets to “Onyx Storm” author Rebecca Yarros’ appearance at The Town Hall in Manhattan. “I’m getting married next weekend, so this is my bachelorette party,” said Math, an accountant who traveled with friends from her home near Annapolis, Maryland. She has been one of millions of admirers of Yarros’ work and a year ago drove two hours to Reston, Virginia, to see the author. “It’s a huge cult following,” said Math, wearing a white veil in homage to one of Yarros’ characters. “The drama (of her books) keeps you on the edge of your seat.” Friday night at The Town Hall had the feel of a costume party, rock concert and family reunion as a capacity crowd of around 1,500 clapped, laughed and shouted, “Yes, Queen!” The “Empyrean” series has made Yarros one of the country’s most popular and obsessed-about leaders of romantasy, a newly branded genre combinging romance and fantasy. “Onyx Storm” is the much-awaited third installment of a planned five centered on the lovers Violet and Xaden, and the first since the million-selling “Iron Flame” came out in 2023. In its first week of publication, “Onyx Storm” has already topped the bestseller lists of Amazon and sold more than 300,000 copies just through Barnes & Noble, according to a spokesperson for the superstore chain. Yarros, interviewed for some 75 minutes by Olympic gymnast and avowed fan Laurie Hernandez, shared a few insights about her writings (she already knows how the series will end), spoke lovingly of her husband (“He’s 6'4" and hot as hell with a baby strapped to his chest”), swore casually and joked that hers was the “only profession where you can have imaginary fiends” and not be considered insane. She expressed relief and pleasure over completing “Onyx Storm,” noting she had to block out her own popularity to get the writing done. “As much as I love you guys, I kind of pretend you don’t exist,” she said. “I kind of ignore you, but I love you at the same time.” “Onyx Storm” isn’t quite a Harry Potter-level phenomenon — the final Potter book by J.K. Rowling , “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” sold more than 8 million copies in the U.S. in its first 24 hours — but it carries a similar feeling of obsession, identification and spontaneity. Like the Potter books, the release of “Onyx Storm” was welcomed with midnight store parties around the country, gatherings for which fans showed up in costume. Some fans at The Town Hall finished the 526-page “Onyx Storm” within hours of receiving it, others are in no hurry. “This is a book I personally want to take my time with,” said Scarlett Fuentes, who arrived with her friend Zy Bao-angan, both of them in black leather. “I want to savor this moment,” Bao-angan said. Like Potter, enthusiasm for the Yarros books extends well beyond any organized publicity campaigns. The Potter books helped inspire some of the first Internet fan sites for books. Yarros and such fellow romantasy authors as Sarah J. Maas have been favorites of the young readers on BookTok, a TikTok community that has emerged as publishing’s most effective driver of sales. Countless fans on BookTok and other social media — some crying, some cursing in amazement — have been posting their responses to “Onyx Storm.” On Friday, Hernandez and the audience posed questions about her books as if gossiping about friends. If Violet and Xaden were at a bar, what would they order? Violet would go for a lavender lemon drop, Xaden is fine with a beer. And which music genres define them? Xenon is heavy metal, Violet harder to label. Asked what was the most important lessons she has learned from writing the books, Yarros reminded her fans that she wasn’t only a writer or public figure. “I can say plotting and I can say everything, but probably the most important thing I’ve learned is that real life is what happens in my house, and what happens around my kitchenette and what happens in my living room chairs and what happens when my kids are all together and my husband’s together,” she said. “Real life is not what happens on the internet.” “I love you guys,” she added. “But peace out.”

LOS ANGELES (AP) — As Hollywood reels from the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, the industry came together to anoint this year’s crop of Oscar nominees as first reported by the AP. Coming out on top: the Netflix narco-musical “Emilia Pérez,” closely followed by “Wicked,” the lavish Broadway adaptation, and the post-war epic “The Brutalist.” The 97th Academy Awards, hosted by Conan O’Brien, will air on ABC on March 2, from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Here are reactions from some of the day’s notable nominees: Mikey Madison for “Anora” “I always dreamed of something like this, but it never felt like it would ever be a reality for me. I just love filmmaking. I love movies. It’s one of the biggest loves of my life and the thing that makes me happy .... I’m a Los Angeles native and so there’s been so much devastation these past few weeks and my heart breaks for LA, but it’s really beautiful to see Hollywood coming together and celebrating film right now, it is really beautiful. “Anora” has changed my life. There are doors that are open that were closed for a decade plus, and it’s really because of Sean (Baker) uplifting me as an actress and giving me this incredible character to play, that no one had ever really given me before, and so I really owe a lot to him and his trust in me as an artist. It’s really reinvigorated my love for cinema and acting and filmmaking and it’s changed a lot of things.” — Madison, nominated for best actress, spoke from her hotel room bed in New York, where she watched the nominations while FaceTiming her mother (they both screamed at the news.) Monica Barbaro for “A Complete Unknown” “My phone started blowing up, and I just like I fell on the floor and couldn’t believe it. It’s completely surreal. The supporting actress category is full of some of my favorite actresses. It was unbelievable to be put on a shortlist, let alone, now this. I kind of can’t believe it.” —- Barbaro learned about her supporting actress nomination while in London during a costume fitting for a new project. Jeremy Strong for “The Apprentice” “On a level of artistry, today, for me personally, is an incredible day and I feel very happy. And I have complicated feelings about the character (Donald Trump mentor Roy Cohn) I played. It was the role of a lifetime, and at the same time his legacy is real and it’s playing out in situ in front of our eyes in very frightening ways. ... I hope today’s recognition is a catalyst to rerelease this film. It suffered from and was handicapped by a lack of release because none of the studios or streamers would touch it. But I do think the movie offers tremendous insight into how we got to where we are today. — Strong, nominated for best supporting actor, spoke from his home in Brooklyn, where he said he learned of his nomination from his young daughter knocking on the door. Yura Borisov for “Anora” “I was inside my car with my daughters and wife, and my nomination was first and my name was first. And after that ... screaming and crying. (It was) a very emotional moment, I can say, for everybody. (”Anora” is about) connection between people. Between mentalities and nationalities and cultures. ... Of course, it’s not easy I know, and everybody knows, but it’s possible. And during this shoot I (felt) that we are different but at the same time we were absolutely similar. And so, for me, it’s about connection between souls and it’s possible.” — Borisov, nominated for best supporting actor, spoke in an interview from Moscow. Zoe Saldaña for “Emilia Pérez” “I don’t think I can properly express the deep levels of gratitude and joy I feel for the recognition Emilia Pérez has been given ... I’m especially grateful to Karla, whose bravery and talent brought so much depth and authenticity to Emilia. It’s a bittersweet moment as our community in Los Angeles is processing the heartbreaking losses from the ongoing fires — homes, schools, businesses and entire neighborhoods. My heart is with all those affected and I’m sending endless love and appreciation to our fearless first responders and everyone working to help rebuild our city.” — Saldaña, nominated for best supporting actress, in a statement. Coralie Fargeat for “The Substance” “(Star Demi Moore) came on this movie taking a lot of risks. You know, this movie was, for sure challenging. ... She reacted to the fact that it could be something very special, but also performance-wise, it gave her the space to really create a performance that could, you know, make a difference and make an impact. And of course, the subject of the film, you know, says so much. I think we both love what the movie’s about in different ways. We didn’t need to talk about what the film is about. It was like five minutes, and we knew we were on the on the same page.” — Fargeat, nominated for best director, spoke in an interview from Paris. RaMell Ross for “Nickel Boys” “I think we’ll all still in shock. Everyone’s like: ‘Congratulations! We did it? Did we do it? Is this done? Is this it? What’s next? What should we do?’ This film elicits a super objective response. It forces someone to speak their mind. … And hopefully there’s more, too. This film is a film that needs discourse. It’s a film that’s built for discourse. The film is itself a discourse amongst itself. I can’t wait to do it more.” — Director and co-writer Ross, nominated for best adapted screenplay, spoke in an interview from Providence, Rhode Island. James Mangold for “A Complete Unknown” I was thrilled ... particularly for our actors and the rest of our team. This group has been assembled to make this movie for over five years, and through the pandemic and strikes and and schedule challenges, we’ve all hung together and become great friends as well as collaborators, and so the greatest thing I feel is just such joy seeing so many of my partners getting acknowledged for their incredible work, not the least of which was Timothée Chalamet who put in a tremendous effort preparing to play Bob Dylan. .. In movies like this, which don’t feature alternate worlds and galaxies, the special effect is the acting. Everything rides on on the performances being timeless and unforgettable and unique achievements, and I think across the board ... the performances in my movie are something I’m profoundly proud of.” — Mangold, nominated for best director, spoke in an interview from Los Angeles. The snubs and surprises from today’s Oscar nominations Diane Warren for “The Six Triple Eight” “The fact that I get another shot (after 15 previous Oscar nods), you know, is awesome. I love it. It’s like the losing team that’s getting sent back. I don’t know anything about sports and stuff, but I guess (it’s) like a Super Bowl, like a team that, you know, loses for decades. People root for them. I have an honorary Oscar sitting right over there. He gets very lonely.” — Warren, nominated for best original song for “The Journey,” her 16th nomination, spoke in an interview from Los Angeles. John Powell for “Wicked” “I quite happily slept in this morning and got a call from my agent, and I was like, ‘What the hell is she calling me for? What could be that urgent? ... I do like to work on things with joy. I think that’s why I do a lot of animation. They tend to be more joyful. And a lot of live action tend to be kind of dark. And obviously there’s a wonderful place for that in cinema. But finding something that had this much fun in it was kind of a special thing for me.” — Powell, nominated for original score, spoke in an interview from Los Angeles. He evacuated his home and studio in the Palisades following the wildfires and cannot yet return. Isabella Rossellini for “Conclave” “When I was young, I was always identified as the daughter of Ingrid Bergman and Roberto Rossellini. As I’ve gotten older, this doesn’t happen as frequently ... I wish my parents were alive to celebrate with me this great honor. And, also, today, with this joy, my mind can’t help lingering in the beyond to David Lynch. Our collaboration was key to my understanding of the art of acting. It is my past, all that I have in me, that I brought to my interpretation of Sister Agnes in the film ‘Conclave,’ working under the clear, sharp direction of Edward Berger (and) his incredible cast and crew, especially the incomparable Ralph Fiennes. — Rossellini, nominated for best supporting actress, in a statement. ___ Interviews were conducted by Associated Press Entertainment Writers Jake Coyle, Jonathan Landrum, Brooke Lefferts, Jocelyn Noveck and Maria Sherman. ___ For more coverage of this year’s Oscars, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/academy-awards

According to people familiar with the story, staff and musicians have publicly resigned at First Baptist in Laurel after Jonathan and Cindy McKenzie was given an option to resign within 2 hours or be fired with no severance pay. The church called a meeting that went into an executive session with Pastor John Helveston, the deacon board and others. Johnathan was the church Minister of Music. His wife Cindy was the children's minister. Neither minister is no longer serving at First Baptist Church in Laurel and many are asking why. A witness stated the pastor told the couple because Mississippi is an at will state, no explanation was needed. They were simply told to gather their things, exit the church immediately and not to return. As result, Dr. Cheryl Clark and the entire music department has also resigned without pay in solidarity with Johnathan and Cindy being fired, giving up their positions and salaries at the church. Read the full resignation letter below. This is a developing story.

MOUNT VERNON, Ga. – The William Carey Women's Basketball Team showed no signs of rust after two weeks off, cruising to a 75-44 victory over Brewton-Parker College Saturday afternoon.   "We had a solid game today," said Head Coach  Tracy English . "We played well on defense, and I thought Jenna got us going early on the offensive end which allowed us to get into an early rhythm." The Lady Crusaders set the tone early, shooting 50% from the floor in the first quarter while the defense held the Lady Barons to just 16%, leading to a 19-11 advantage. The game started with both teams trading shots. With Carey holding an 8-7 lead, a  Jenna Garriga  jumper with just over five minutes remaining, sparked an 11-4 run to close out the quarter. After an opening basket by Brewton-Parker to start the second quarter, the Lady Crusader offense caught fire, as five different players combined for a 19-4 run, capped by a McKalea Randall three pointer to make it 36-17 WCU with four minutes left. The final minutes of the quarter saw the Carey offense go cold, but the defense continued their strong play, holding the Lady Barons to just six points. The third quarter saw even exchange between both teams with Brewton-Parker unable to make up any ground, leading to a 54-37 lead for the Lady Crusaders.  Madelyn Ladner ,  Rose Warren , Blakeney, and  Shaneal Corpuz  combined for nine points to open the fourth and the WCU offense was off to the races. Carey went on to outscore the Lady Barons 21-7 in the quarter on 10-19 shooting while the defense forced seven turnovers with four of them coming off steals. For the game, the Lady Crusaders shot over 50% from the floor while limiting BPC to just 28% and out rebounded the Lady Barons 40-27.   Kolten Blakeney  led the offense with 20 points and 14 rebounds.  Shaneal Corpuz  also finished with a double double with ten points and ten rebounds with  Rose Warren  adding eleven points. Carey is back in action Monday, January 27, as they head to Cochran, Ga. to take on Middle Georgia State. Play is set to begin at 1:00 pm.

MOUNT VERNON, Ga. – The William Carey Men's Basketball Team outlasted Brewton-Parker, defeating the Barons 106-99 in overtime Saturday afternoon.  "Brewton-Parker played a great game and had a lot of energy," said Head Coach  Steve Knight . "You have to give them credit for their play. Our guys responded and made the plays we needed to pull out a tough win. I thought our bench guys were fantastic and really picked us up during tough times. Everyone contributed in their own way and helped us along the way. Dylan had a great second half and took over when we needed him the most."  The Crusaders got off to a slow start, finding themselves trailing 25-14 after nine minutes of play. However, Carey found their stride and over the next two minutes cut the deficit to just three points on a three pointer by  Ashton Campbell  followed by five straight points from  Cam Brown .  WCU kept on battling, and with seven minutes remaining took their first lead of the game at 28-27 on a Campbell jumper. The Crusaders would go to take their largest lead of the half after a  Jamar Jenkins  steal with  Zandon Haralson  laying it in to make it 33-29. The Barons responded quickly with five straight points and from there both teams went back and forth, sending the game into the break tied at 38. The second half picked up where the first half stopped and after twelve minutes of play Carey was holding a 67-66 lead. That is when things changed. Brown,  Dylan Brumfield , and Jenkins combined for an 8-0 run to stretch the WCU lead to nine with just over six minutes remaining. However, just as the Crusaders did in the first half, Brewton-Parker fought their way back over the next three minutes to retake the lead at 80-79. Again, both teams traded shots with Carey eventually building an 89-85 lead with under twenty seconds left to play. After a pair of free throws by BPC, Brumfield went to the free throw line with seven seconds left to try and make it a four-point game but converted only one of the attempts leaving the door open for a potential game tying attempt by the Barons. With time winding down, Tommy Tisdale drained the three pointer from the right wing to send the game into overtime. After some back and forth action in the first couple of minutes of overtime, Brown and Brumfield made back-to-back layups to give Carey a 99-93 lead with just over two minutes left. The Barons managed to get within three points with under a minute to play, but the Crusaders answered quickly to put the game away for good. After a  Makeem Roberts  layup, Campbell poked the ball the away from Tisdale at the top of the key, as he tried to drive past him and finished it off with a layup to make it a seven-point game with twenty seconds remaining.  Dylan Brumfield  led six different Crusaders in double figures with 25 points with  Cam Brown  finishing with 19 points.  Zandon Haralson  and  Randarius Hughes  each added 16 points with Hughes also picking up 17 rebounds.  Ashton Campbell  finished with 15 points while  Jamar Jenkins  chipped in with 13 points.  Carey is back in action Monday, January 27, as they head to Cochran, Ga. to take on Middle Georgia State. Play is set to begin at 3:00 pm.