Thanks to Vicksburg’s economic development team, the largest manufacturing job creation project in Warren County in more than 15 years has come to fruition.

Unified Brands will employ 425 people in what is described as a $9.5 million investment at the Ceres Industrial Complex. “Our economic development team worked tirelessly and closely with the Mississippi Development Authority to win this project for Mississippi and for Vicksburg and Warren County,” president and CEO of the Vicksburg Warren Economic Development Partnership Pablo Diaz said. “We look forward to supporting Unified Brands as they ramp up and grow in our community.”

Indeed, good news for Vicksburg and Warren County.

More positives in Vicksburg from last week:

• Twice a month from August through May, a program at Crossway Church on U.S. 61 South provides an opportunity for mothers of children from infants to 12th grade to get away for a while from the stress of child rearing.

“MOPS is an international program,” said Tabitha Burt, MOPS coordinator at Crossway. “It’s just a way to love on mamas and deal with all the crazy that comes with motherhood and to minister to moms, because as mothers we get very exhausted taking care of our kids.”

The groups at Crossway have been active since 2003, and are open to the public. The groups meet together the second and fourthWednesday of each month for two hours during the school year. The church’s preschool department cares for the children while the mothers are in their meeting.

“We have members from Crossway who are here, we have people from other churches, and we have people who are unchurched,” Burt said.

• Warren Central High School social studies, government, minority studies and history teacher, Thomas Mayfield, has begun a belt and tie drive to help young men dress properly for job interviews.

“A lot of young men tell me they don’t have a belt or they don’t own a necktie for job interviews, so I’m taking it up upon myself to try to accept donations for belts and neckties, and I’ll distribute them to as many young men as I can,” Mayield said.

“Hopefully I can give 18- to 22-year-old young men a chance to progress in life.”

Mayfield said the drive is getting assistance from the United Way of West Central Mississippi, which is helping collect ties and created the fliers advertising the program. He said anyone wishing to donate money to purchase ties could send it to United Way.