By David Howell Editor WATER VALLEY –  Thousands of people will be in Water Valley this weekend to celebrate the area’s watermelon-growing heritage in the 46th Annual Watermelon Carnival.             The action-packed weekend kicks off with the Watermelon Carnival Music Festival, sponsored by the Town and Country Garden Club, on Thur-sday, July 30, at the…

By David Howell Editor WATER VALLEY – Months of politicking will culminate in Tuesday’s Primary Election as the polls open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. at 11 precincts across the county. Only four incumbents in the county are unopposed and the retirement of three long-time supervisors helped push the total list of candidates competing…

By Jack Gurner Reporter WATER VALLEY – After some ups and downs earlier in the year, unemployment held steady over the month of June going down only one-tenth of a percent in Yalobusha County             The jobless figure for the county is down from 7.8 percent in May to 7.7 percent for June, according to…

By David Howell Editor WATER VALLEY – An Oxford man is behind bars and authorities are searching for two more suspects wanted in connection to a residential burglary reported Sunday morning on County Road 224, just north of Water Valley.             Sheriff Lance Humphreys reported the Water Valley Police Department arrested Jameron Conway Monday night…

By David Howell Editor COFFEEVILLE – An eight year quest by Melvin Gary to purchase a dilapidated school building in Oakland came to an end July 17 when supervisors agreed not to sell or lease the building or property. The decision followed a closed door session during a meeting held July 16 at the Coffeeville…

By Jack Gurner Reporter WATER VALLEY – A “class act” was the way Superintendent Michael McInnis described local school district teachers who came together to help their counterparts at Batesville Elementary School in the wake of the fire that destroyed their building. McInnis told school board trustees at their meeting Monday night that Water Valley…

By David Howell Editor COFFEEVILLE – Video surveillance recorded inside the new county jail squelched accusations that deputies injured an inmate while breaking up a fight on July 14. The matter surfaced in a recessed Board of Supervisor meeting Friday after Billy Byford alleged his son, Dewayne Byford, sustained injuries in the jail and did…

Mother/Daughter Team Featured In Festival              A mother/daughter team of ventriloquists, Chelle Wilson Worrell and Alexa Rae Heafner, are part of the line up of talent slated for the Watermelon Music Festival at the Water Valley Civic Auditorium on Thursday, July 30.  Community Band Pre-Show begins at 6:30 followed by a welcome at 7:30. The…

Water Valley artist Bill Warren has worked for almost three weeks on the railroad mural on Main Street. Warren was commissioned by the Chamber of Commerce to touch up and repaint Water Valley’s landmark mural. Warren’s handiwork is also visible in almost two-dozen storefront signs in Water Valley. Don’t miss next week’s Carnival edition to…

Staff Report WATER VALLEY – The poultry processing plant on Lafayette Street is under investigation for allegations of illegal dumping by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality. The Clarion-Ledger news-paper in Jackson reported over the weekend that an investigator with MDEQ visited the plant in June after receiving a complaint that 40,000 pounds of chicken…