#1 The murder of Sherry Ingold and attempted kidnapping of Andrea Goss Roland Mitchell Dampeer, 28, faces a federal murder charge in the shooting death of Sherry Ingold, 58, as she delivered mail on her route along Highway 35 in Hesterville on Jan. 16, 2020. He also faces a charge for discharging a firearm — a 9mm Ruger LCR pistol. In addition to the federal murder charges, Attala County District Attorney Doug Evans said in March that Dampeer had been indicted locally in the Ingold death, as well as in the attempted kidnapping of 26-year-old Andrea Goss from inside the Sunflower supermarket before attacking Ingold. Ingold, a Hesterville native and Lexington resident who had worked for the postal service since 1994, was just months away from her planned retirement. Married to Danny Ingold, she was the mother of three adult children and eight grandchildren.Early in the investigation, US Postal Investigator Tony Robinson, said Dampeer, a native of Mendenhall, MS, was also being investigated in relation to an incident in Greenwood the night before the Attala County incidents.Around 9 a.m. on the morning of January 16, a Greenwood woman took to social media to recount a frightening incident in her home overnight. She said her son had come into her bedroom to tell her of a strange man in the living room shining a flashlight in the boy’s face. The woman’s boyfriend went to see what was going on, and the man reportedly said something had sent him to their home but that he was at the wrong house. The suspect allegedly exited the house and the boyfriend followed the suspect’s vehicle to get a photograph of the license plate. They reported the incident to law enforcement, realizing only later that the suspect was probably the same individual in the Attala County incidents later in the day.Around lunchtime, investigators said Dampeer attempted to kidnap Goss from inside a busy Sunflower supermarket on Highway 12. Goss was able to get away from the suspect and police accompanied her back to work where she waited for her father to arrive to follow her home. Investigators have yet to explain how Dampeer came into contact with Goss a second time as she drove up Highway 35 north toward home.It was after Goss and her father got past Dampeer’s vehicle that he reportedly came upon Ingold delivering mail at the home of Pearlean Cummins on Highway 35 South.Cummins said at the time she heard the blast of a gunshot near her home early that afternoon. She looked out into the side yard of her home, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. She then walked out front to her driveway. “She’s been our mail carrier for years. She’d always have the biggest smile on her face. A lot of times, she’d bring our mail right to the house. She has always been so sweet to us,” Cummins said of Ingold, who Cummins found lying in her driveway.“I still didn’t associate the gunshot with her laying there, and then I saw and went to tend to her,” said the retired emergency room and clinic nurse. “If I had been in the emergency room, I would have done this, and this and this, but on the side of my driveway, I couldn’t do this and this and this because I didn’t have the equipment.”After evaluating Ingold’s condition, Cummins said she knew there was really only one thing she could do for the woman.“I didn’t feel I could help and I was afraid I could make matters worse. That’s the reason I just prayed. I knew that was the best thing for me to do,” she said.“So I took her hand and said, ‘Sherry, this is Miss Pearlean. I’m here with you until help comes. Now you hang in there and I’m going to pray. You know God does miracles every day and that’s what I’ll pray for,’” she said she told Ingold. “I prayed until the ambulance got there and then I fell to pieces,” she said Saturday as she tied purple ribbons to be placed on mailboxes to remind people to pray for Ingold and her family.Ingold was airlifted to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson for care and family and friends created purple ribbons to connote support for the woman. Dozens of the ribbons showed up — and remain today — on mailboxes along Ingold’s delivery route and elsewhere, and prayer vigils were held as medical personnel fought to save Ingold’s life. She succumbed to her injuries a little more than a week later on Jan. 24. The ribbons will remain, supporters say, until justice is served.Although Dampeer reportedly fled the scene, law enforcement shot him in the leg after he attempted to flee when they sought to take him into custody.“A short time after Dampeer left the scene of the shooting, he was observed by Attala County Sheriff's deputies and Mississippi Highway Patrol State troopers as Dampeer was traveling along Highway 35 in a silver four-door vehicle with tinted windows and a tinted license plate cover, matching the description given by the aforesaid witnesses. Law enforcement initiated a felony vehicle stop on Dampeer's vehicle. Dampeer stopped his vehicle and law enforcement attempted to handcuff Dampeer. Dampeer physically assaulted the arresting officer and fled the scene. As he was fleeing the scene, he was shot by a law enforcement officer and taken into custody,” according to court documents. Dampeer, a native of Mendenhall, MS, and resident of Michigan City, IN, was reportedly at some point employed as a correctional officer in Indiana.Both Ingold’s family and Goss remained silent about the case for nine months before both agreed to interviews with The Star-Herald. The Ingold family decided to speak out after they received conflicting information about the status of the case against Dampeer. On Monday, Oct. 5, family members say they received a call from a federal investigator informing them that — following a three-month psychological evaluation of the suspect — a report had been submitted to the court indicating that Dampeer is incompetent to stand trial. A hearing, the investigator told them, was tentatively set for Oct. 20.Two days later, however, family members say they received another email notification, this one from the United States Department of Justice Victim Notification System (VNS). The new letter sent them into a tailspin. Sherry Ingold’s daughter, Kristy Ingold Killebrew said she realized it indicated Dampeer had already been found not guilty by reason of insanity.“As a result of the Court’s previous finding of not guilty by reason of insanity the defendant has been confined to a facility. The purpose of this (Oct. 20) hearing is to determine if the defendant should continue to be confined in order to receive mental health treatment,” the notification read.Furious, confused and upset, family members began calling federal authorities with whom they had prior communications. While one official told them the newest letter was correct, another said it was not, and a third said he was not even aware of the VNS letter, Killebrew told The Star-Herald at the time.Eventually, all of the officials reportedly came to agreement that the VNS communication was incorrect and had been sent in error. Although the family believes officials’ intentions are good, recent events made it impossible for them to shake the fear that Dampeer might never be adequately held accountable for Sherry Ingold’s death.“We will fight and we hope it isn’t too late,” said Kristy Ingold. “We want answers. We want justice. We want what is right.” After hearing the concerns expressed by the Ingold family, The Star-Herald contacted the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Mississippi, the agency that prosecuting Dampeer on the murder charge.Criminal Chief Bob Norman said the Oct. 7 letter — the one that indicated Dampeer had already been found not guilty by reason of insanity — was incorrect and should never have gone out.“I know that the family got a very disturbing letter. They had every reason to be angry,” he said. “That letter was incorrect. There has been no hearing on his competence.”After the paper’s interview with Norman, Killebrew said Norman called her to explain the process to her personally.“Mr. Norman really made me feel better about the hearing coming up. He said the case is not near the finish line,” she said at the time. “If it takes years, I will fight for years. I will do what it takes to get justice for my momma, as I know that she would be doing for me.”At the same time Ingold’s family spoke out, Goss decided it was time to tell her own story of her attempted kidnapping, allegedly by Dampeer.“I guess I just want to help people understand how bad he (Dampeer) really is,” she said.It all started when Goss went to Sunflower to pick up lunch from the deli counter. “I turned around from the cashier at the deli and he was right there in my face, and he said, ‘Hey, come with me.’ I told him no, that I didn't know him and then that's when he grabbed me and started pulling me. That’s all he said to me,” said Goss. “It just felt like I was in a horror movie. You just don’t ever expect anything like that to happen.” When she continued to fight him off, Dampeer picked her up from the ground. Goss said she still cannot understand why no one helped her.“A lot of people thought me and him were together. Even if that were the case, I don't see how people would not step in to help,” she said. “When he carried me down the aisle and threw me in the meat cooler, they were just, just looking. They never even tried to help me.”After speaking to police, Goss returned to work at Central Tire Service to wait for her father to accompany her home.In what she describes as something like a scene in a horror movie, she came face-to-face with her assailant a second time.As she drove up Highway 35 toward home, her father following behind in his truck, a vehicle coming from the opposite direction came to a stop near the Cummins home.She said that she had not heard a description of his vehicle and did not realize her situation at first.“But he immediately knew that it was me, because then he got into my lane. We were bumper-to-bumper and he smiled and waved at me. I immediately knew it was him,” she said.She put her vehicle in reverse and her father then followed suit, each backing up the hill they had just descended. Dampeer’s vehicle continued forward, she said, remaining nearly bumper-to-bumper with hers.Goss said her father attempted to warn Dampeer away.“He (Goss’s father) holds his gun out his window and shows the guy like, ‘Hey, I got a gun!’” she said. “So, that made him (Dampeer) kind of pause for just a second and I had just a little bit of space to get around his bumper.”She said she rapidly drove up the next hill and saw Dampeer’s vehicle pull toward the side of the road. Her father also got past Dampeer.It was only later that Goss said her father recalled seeing what he now believes was Ingold’s vehicle in his rearview mirror, turning on to Highway 35 North from Highway 440, headed toward Pearline Cummins’ house to deliver mail — the location where she was allegedly shot by Dampeer. Goss said it doesn’t matter which charges Dampeer is convicted of — as long as he is never released from custody.“I am heartbroken for Mrs. Sherry’s family and if we can get justice for her, then that is justice for me, as well. I pray justice will be served,” she said. “I hope that he gets charged fully and that he can never get out.”The thought that Dampeer might someday be free is almost unimaginable to her.“I’m hoping that is not the case,” she said. “If there is a chance that he could get out, I’m going to have to live in fear for the rest of my life.” Dampeer appeared in federal court in Oxford on Oct. 20.The hearing itself was short, as both prosecutor Paul Roberts and defense attorney Scott Davis agreed to allow a psychological evaluation of Dampeer — indicating that he is not currently competent to stand trial — to be accepted by the court without challenge. Aycock gave both Roberts and Davis an opportunity to question the doctor who prepared the report — available via video conference — but cautioned that only procedural questions would be permitted. Aycock did not allow discussion of or questions about the details of Dampeer’s mental health or history during the hearing. The report is currently sealed by the court. Dampeer shook his head as a segment of the report was read aloud in court, indicating he is “currently suffering from mental disease and can’t appreciate the nature and consequences of the proceedings and cannot help his counsel in his defense.” Aycock ordered Dampeer committed to an appropriate federal facility for up to four months to determine if he can be returned to competence to stand trial, as requested by the prosecution. Both before and after the hearing, the prosecution team met with the Ingold family, and told them it will likely be as many as six months before the next court date.Killebrew, who has been acting as family spokesman, said that the hearing itself was generally what had been expected, but that didn’t make the experience easy. It was the first time they saw the man accused of her mother’s murder face-to-face.“Seeing him was really the worst part,” she said. “What got me, what was a trigger for me, is that (his) is the last face she saw.”#2 COVID-19 affects life in Attala CountyLocal officials and the medical community gathered for a planning meeting in early March to discuss the potential impact of the expected COVID-19 pandemic on Attala County.Within days, two of the physicians present for that meeting had contracted the virus. Within a month, both Kosciusko and Attala County schools had suspended in-person education for the rest of the school year in an effort to stem the spread. During a statewide shutdown, local businesses found new ways to serve customers and keep themselves going - from delivery to curbside pickup. During the ensuing months, we reported on school officials’ and families’ struggles to adjust to children being educated at home. As information about the debilitating illnesses caused by the virus became more well-known, The Star-Herald reported on a number of people who had survived serious illness.Attala County became a hot spot for infection in May and several mask orders have since been imposed here.High school graduations were either taped or allowed families to drive up to witness their socially-distant graduate accept their diploma.Both school districts offered both in-person and virtual learning options for the 2020-21 school year, and first cases among in-person students and staff were reported within a week of the school year’s Aug. 17 start. Individual schools and districts have experienced temporary closures since then as COVID-19 outbreaks were recorded.The longterm effects of education disruption remain to be seen.As 2020 came to a close, Attala County had gone from a handful of cases in March to 1,669 cases and 44 deaths as of Dec. 27.Almost all of the states’ 82 counties are under a mask order issued by Gov. Tate Reeves until at least Jan. 15, 2021. The orders also restrict the size of both indoor and outdoor gatherings.#3 Mayor Jimmy Cockroft announces retirementBy the time Kosciusko Mayor Jimmy Cockroft leaves office next July, he will have served 24 years in that role. He also previously served one term as Kosciusko’s Alderman-At-Large.Cockroft said that by then, he will be 64.5 years old and that he feels it is simply time for someone else to step into the role.But retirement from office does not mean he will be moving to be closer to family in Madison, nor does it mean he will be at leisure full-time.“I’ve heard that I’m moving to Madison, but I’m not planning to move to Madison. My kids don’t even want me to move to Madison,” he said with a shake of his head and a laugh. “I plan to find something to do. I’m not going to go home and sit. I’ll look for something to occupy my time. I’ve never just had a lot of free time.”Cockroft started working in retail after graduating from high school in 1975, “including working a lot of weekends,” a circumstance that has continued through his years in elective office.From 1997 to 2005, he owned Parker’s Shoe Shop on the square while serving his early years as mayor. He dedicated himself to the mayoral role full-time in 2005.Cockroft said he made his decision not to seek reelection early — six months before qualifying even begins — in order to allow a variety of people who might not have otherwise considered a run to think it through and plan for a potential campaign.Cockroft said the most important characteristic for a good mayoral run is the ability to work with a variety of people, both as a manager of city employees and in dealing with the public.“You have to be able to get along and deal with anybody and everybody,” the mayor said. “The one thing it taught me early on is to be brutally honest, but sometimes honesty makes you look arrogant.”He said the hardest part of the job has always been getting good, detailed information into the hands of the public, despite the efforts of city officials and local media outlets.The mayor said social media has only made the problem worse in recent years.“What’s changed the most and made it tougher is social media and the lack of people checking to see what is or isn’t factual,” he said. “The city board tries to be open, but there is a lot of misinformation that gets out there.”Cockroft said another challenge is keeping the city looking good. “We don’t take as good care of our personal property like we used to,” he said.The best part of the job?“People. Helping people,” he said.Candidates can qualify to run for mayor or alderman from Monday, Jan. 4, through Friday, Feb. 5. Alderman-at-large Tim Kyle has said previously he will be running for mayor.Interested candidates must fill out paperwork at City Hall during the qualifying period. Those declaring party affiliation need to submit a $10 check with their qualifying paperwork and Independent candidates have to submit 50 signatures from his/her ward or from the entire city if running at-large.Primary elections will be held on Tuesday, April 6, with April 27 scheduled for any primary runoffs. The general election will be Tuesday, June 8.#4 Three tornadoes hit county at dawn of 2020The new year 2020 found McCool residents found themselves cleaning up after what was later verified as . The storm significantly damaged about 15 properties in the area according to Attala County Emergency Manager Danny Townsend.Townsend said the apparent tornado started in the southern portion of the county, lifted up over Kosciusko and touched back down along Hwy. 12 just past the Ethel hilltop and ran up to the McCool county line.Area residents were warned by sirens, according to Townsend. It was just last year when it was discovered that the Ethel siren didn’t work at all due to an electrical problem and the McCool siren would start but fail within 30-45 seconds. Fortunately for residents, both had been fixed by the time this tornado passed through the area.A week later the National Weather Service had verified that three EF-1 tornadoes hit Attala County late in the afternoon of Sunday, Dec. 29. The Newport tornado hit first, touching down near the Attala/Leake line at 3:35 p.m. It brought 105 m.p.h. winds and ran a 6.8-mile path through the area with a maximum width of 400 yards. It ended just seven minutes later.The Ethel tornado then touched down north of the Kosciusko airport, crossed the Natchez Trace, and continued up Highway 12 near County Road 2111. It hit around 3:53 p.m. with 105 m.p.h. winds and took a 6.61-mile path, stretching up to 500 yards wide.The McCool tornado touched down in the woods south of Highway 12 around 4:03 p.m., crossed the highway, and went as far as the opposite side of County Road 3122. It was the last and strongest to hit, with 107 m.p.h. winds and cutting a 7.73-mile path as much as 900 yards wide before ending eight minutes later at 4:11 p.m.#5 Project to revive The Strand replaces Native American Museum planThe city of Kosciusko is switching gears from the construction of a Native American Museum on the former Leonard’s department store site to the completion of the stagnant Strand theater redevelopment project..At the city’s request, Rep. Jason White garnered approval for legislation allowing the reallocation of $1 million in legislative and Archives & History grant funds from the museum project to the Strand effort.“The Board of Aldermen is exploring the feasibility of utilizing the museum grant money to renovate the Strand building into a multi-use facility, in which part could be a Native American museum,” Cockroft told The Star-Herald, noting the need for an error in the legislative language to be fixed in a future session. “The city will be viewing schematic designs that best meet the goal of turning this building into an economic development facility while preserving the historic aspects of the building.”White said the reallocation makes sense under the circumstances.“The Mayor approached me about the issue with the museum and the potential for reallocating those funds to go toward the Strand project,” he said. “With the Leonard’s building collapse, we decided at this point to put this money towards the Strand project.”Cockroft said the city would start the planning process with earlier schematics drawn up by Belinda Stewart & Associates to repurpose the Strand as mainly a conference center. There is intent to incorporate a Native American museum within the Strand project. “Part of the goal of that is to cover expenses daily,” said Cockroft. “To have economic impact, we prefer it not just be a rental place.”The Strand was purchased by the city for approximately $50,000 and the roof and facade were replaced with earlier grant funds from the Mississippi Arts Commission before the project fell dormant for lack of funding, according to Cockroft.The Native American Museum — set for the site of the former Leonard’s Department store on the square — was stopped early in the reconstruction process when a significant portion of the roof and outer wall of the donated building collapsed.In addition to the $1 million reallocated by the legislature, there was $300,000 remaining in insurance monies from the collapse after $500,000 was expended to pay the contractor and architect for work completed on the old Leonard’s property, as well as site cleanup following the collapse. With a total cost estimated at more than $4 million, the project was coming up short despite efforts by the Kosciusko Attala Community Foundation (KACF) to raise additional funds for the project.Hollis Cheek of the KACF said once plans for the new project are complete, the KACF will contact those who pledged donations to the prior museum project to see if they want to transfer their pledges to the Strand project, leave them for a potential future museum project (if the museum concept is not included in the Strand), or cancel their pledges.“Utilizing this existing building makes sense,” Cheek told The Star-Herald. “I think it is a good move. I believe the city had good intentions (on the museum project) but because of the building failure, ended up with a vacant lot.”Cockroft said city officials have not yet discussed the future of the former Leonard’s lot.#6 Plan for new manufacturing plant excites, lets down community hungry for jobsAgreements for Attala Technology Group LLC to lease and then lease-to-buy the 367,000-square-foot former Jack Post building on 68 acres off East Jefferson Street in Kosciusko from Attala County have been terminated.The company — affiliated with Sustainable Energy Technologies Incorporated (SETI) —planned to initially house a carbon black and graphene battery manufacturing operation at the site, which had been unoccupied for the past several years. The project’s local representative, Don Coleman, said last summer that those planned and additional operations at the site could eventually bring as much as $100 million in investment and as many as 300 new jobs to the area.When The Star-Herald contacted Coleman in December after hearing rumors that the project had been canceled, he forwarded a letter he said was written by Paul Cheeks, one of the project’s principals, addressed to Board of Supervisors Chairman Stephen Goss.“...It is with deep regret that we bring to you, the board of supervisors, Taylor Casey, Attorney Scott Pickle, Darren Milner, and the good citizens of Kosciusko and Attala County, unfavorable news that SETI (Sustainable Energy Technologies Incorporated), will not be able to move forward and purchase the Jack Post Property at this time per contract extension terms,” the letter reads.The document cites poor economic and political conditions — particularly related to the COVID-19 pandemic — as concerns that prevented the group from gathering enough investment to move forward at this time. It thanks local officials and Coleman for working diligently to see the project succeed. But before their lawyers approved that letter to be sent to county officials, Coleman said the group received notification from Scott Pickle, attorney to the Board of Supervisors, that the county was exercising its option to terminate the agreements.Pickle told The Star-Herald that supervisors voted in executive session Nov. 16 to terminate agreements with the group after a $2,500 lease payment to use the high bay area of the building for equipment storage was not received on time for the month of November. That agreement was in place pending execution of a final lease-to-purchase agreement for the facility by the end of this calendar year. Had the final deal gone forward, the county would have received $12,000 per month in lease fees, 90% of which would have been counted toward the $2.5 million purchase price for the property.The county then terminated those agreements on Nov. 25.“We were really hoping for it, but at the end of the day, it just didn’t happen because they couldn’t come up with their investors,” Pickle said. #7 Fire at Middle Elementary causes school move to Boys & Girls ClubApproximately 260 in-person education students of Kosciusko Middle Elementary (KME) have wound up attending school at the Oprah Winfrey Boys & Girls Club since a fire at the school on Tuesday, Oct. 29.While fire only damaged the janitorial closet and the roof area above it, smoke and water damage brought the need for a more significant cleanup effort, including replacement of classroom supplies.“If it was just the fire, we’d be talking about a very short period of time to get back in there, but the smoke damage is what really got us to where we have a lot of work to do,” said Ellzey.The superintendent said the school community has been fortunate to have strong support from the OWBGC, school staff and families, and the greater community.“There are some people that have done some amazing jobs to make this happen. Obviously, we’ve got to give credit and thanks to the Boys and Girls Club, who are allowing us to use their facility during the day — Mr. Fuller and Mr. Hood, the regional director — that stepped up and put their hand out and said, ‘Hey, come on, we’re going to take care of you,” said Ellzey, who added that area churches have offered help also.“And there's some people that have done some great things for us. Our tech department has stepped up and got great WiFi throughout the building for our students and teachers to use when they're over there,” said Ellzey.The superintendent also said Principal Will Anderson has done a great job organizing the move and Transportation Director Eli Dew has worked to ensure busses get children to the new location. Cafeteria staff will also transition over to make both breakfast and lunch available to KME students at the club.“Our principal has made sure his teachers feel that it will be okay; we’re going to be fine. He’s done a great job of saying, ‘This is what we need to do,” and making sure those things are happening,” Ellzey said. Work continues on the restoration and students are expected to return to the school facility in early January.#8 Ethel basketball player assaulted on court by Sebastopol officer following gameEthel High School withdrew from a round-robin basketball tournament in early December after a player was reportedly body-slammed, thrown to the floor, and choked by a Sebastopol police/security officer. The incident occurred as the EHS game against Newton County at Sebastopol came to a close on Thursday, Dec. 3.“An administrative decision has been made based on inappropriate actions upon an Ethel player and the use of profanity directed at Ethel coaches and staff by a Sebastopol security/police officer,” said EHS Principal Culley Newman. In an exclusive interview with The Star-Herald, EHS junior shooting guard Dominguez Clark said that, as the game came to a close, a skirmish broke out between the two teams. He said that as he walked away at his coach’s urging, he was attacked by the security/police officer.“So this Newton team tried to fight us and I went out there because all of them rushed my teammate, and I ran out and said, ‘This not about to happen,’ so then coach grabbed me and I walked away from it,” he said. “Then this white police ran past everyone and grabbed me and body-slammed me, and choked me for nothing. All I was trying to do was get my teammate.”Clark’s grandmother, Minnie Clark, who has raised him since his father was killed in 2012, said she is seeking counsel and expects to take legal action related to the alleged assault of her grandson.A telephone call to Sebastopol Mayor Greg McGarrity was returned by a city staff member, who left a message referring inquiries to the school.“I found out on that incident last night, you’re going to have to speak with the school concerning that because that guy; he was hired by the school for security last night. He was not working for the town of Sebastopol,” she said in the voicemail message.Newman said he reported the incident to the Mississippi High School Athletic Association. MHSAA Executive Director Don Hinton said Tuesday that the association will investigate any reported incident.The Star-Herald continues to follow this story.#9 BLM movement goes local with protests and community gatherings in KosciuskoA group of nearly 50 people gathered on the lawn of the Attala County courthouse on the morning of Sunday, May 31, in response to the civil unrest across the country resulting from the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis, police officer. Later that same day, another 30 mostly younger people marched from the library to the courthouse in protest mid-afternoon, later continuing through town. A second march was held Monday evening.Peaceful protests continued in Kosciusko over the following week, with groups holding signs on Highway 12 some days, a unity gathering on the courthouse lawn on Saturday evening, and a protest march leading to Northside Park for a community gathering — entitled “End Racism: The Cookout” — Sunday afternoon. While protests elsewhere were marred by violence and looting, local events remained peaceful.#10 Community finds new ways to continue old holiday traditions during the pandemicAs the holidays approached the Kosy Lights group continued expanding how much of courthouse square could be lit. The city held the annual tree lighting and KHS band concert with COVID-19 precautions in place, asking those attending to socially distance and wear masks. After the usual Christmas parade was cancelled due to fears the event might cause spread of the virus, Junior Auxiliary stepped up to plan a reverse Christmas parade. The group set up “floats” in stationary locations around the square, allowing those who would normally attend the parade to drive around the square to enjoy them and the lights while sipping on hot cocoa provided by the group.
