Vincent and Donna Robertson: Serving From Day One
When Winter Storm Fern hit Yalobusha County, Vincent and Donna Robertson didn’t wait to be asked. They showed up. The Robertsons arrived at the Disaster Relief/Red Cross Shelter at the Multi-Purpose Building in Coffeeville on the very first day it opened, before the storm’s full impact had even settled in — and they’ve been there…
Read MoreStorm Triggers Four Fire Calls
WATER VALLEY – A generator fire on the back porch of a Clay Street home is believed to be one of several weather-related incidents that kept Water Valley firefighters busy during Winter Storm Fern, which triggered four fire calls over a week-long, according to Water Valley Fire Chief Mark McGavock. The Clay Street fire, which…
Read MoreNext Step: The Cleanup
WATER VALLEY – The Yalobusha County Board of Supervisors will open proposals Thursday for emergency debris cleanup following Winter Storm Fern. The planned opening follows a lengthy discussion during the board’s Feb. 2 “first Monday” meeting as Board President Cayce Washington emphasized the importance of using local contractors while ensuring the county remains eligible for…
Read MorePre-Planning, Mutual Aid Drive Power Restoration
WATER VALLEY – With the number of outages in the Water Valley Electric Commission’s grid down to single digits at presstime Tuesday, officials reported that the rapid restoration stemmed from strong planning culminating with coordinating outside help from the onset of the storm. This coordination included executing contracts with MDR and Gray’s Power Supply as…
Read MoreActions Speak Louder Than Words
I had a minor revelation during the last week: The folks who are the most vocal when there is a problem are rarely ever part of the solution. You know the ones I’m talking about — the people you only hear from when there is a problem. And the 2026 Ice Storm was a problem.…
Read MoreCommunication Is Essential In A Crisis
Typically, I would save the observational life lesson I’ve learned over the course of the week for the last paragraph of my column as a way to bring all the thoughts together and wrap it up into something semi-coherent. But, this time, I’m putting it right at the beginning so that the first-paragraph-only readers can…
Read MoreCommunity Shined In Aftermath Of Storm
When the sleet stopped and the freezing rain settled in over Water Valley, it didn’t take long for things to get dangerous. Roads slicked over, trees started bending, and just about everything stopped at the same time. Power didn’t just go out. Limbs came down. Trees toppled. Power poles broke under the weight of the…
Read MoreFirst All-Woman Jury In Water Valley Empaneled As A Petit Jury in 1976
20 Years—February 2, 2006 – The Water Valley Lions Club, aided by city workers, installed a new roof on the Railroad Depot Museum. The Career Discovery, Computer Discover, and Technology Classes at Water Valley High School, were jointly hosting their second Valley Tech Expo on February 9 in the High School Multi-purpose building. Lynn Bonner,…
Read MoreCoughlin Earns Multiple Scholastic Awards
Annaliese Coughlin, a student at The Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, has earned multiple honors in the 2026 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, presented in Mississippi by the Eudora Welty Foundation. Coughlin received a Gold Key for her poetry piece “my silver pinky ring,” which advances to national-level judging in New York City. In…
Read More‘A Blast Of Cold, Freezing Trouble’
Diane Dukes has enjoyed having some of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren staying with her. Each morning starts with figuring out who wants what for breakfast — but first, she has to have her coffee with grandson Waylon. Then the day begins. Diane told great-great- granddaughters Haven Rose and Joanna that lights have to be…
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