By Jack Gurner Reporter WATER VALLEY – The local school district is making some “forward thinking” efforts in early intervention, which officials hope will lead to an increase in the graduation rate and decrease the number of dropouts. Special Education Coordi-nator Butch Stevens explained to school board members at their Aug. 18 monthly meeting that…

By Jack Gurner Reporter WATER VALLEY – School officials are considering blocking off the entrances to Davidson Elementary School after school hours to avoid damage to the covered walkway and for additional school security. Earlier this year a tractor-trailer truck hit the walkway structure while using the parking lot to go between North Court Street…

By David Howell Editor   OXFORD – Sentencing for 14 men indicted in a multi-count indictment involving drug trafficking, money laundering and illegal gambling spanning more than six years is approaching.     Dubbed the Raymond McKinney drug-trafficking organization, the group included two Water Valley men – Edward Scanlon and Shedlia “Shelly” Freeman –  involved in…

Supervisors Contemplate Property Sale By David Howell Editor   OAKLAND – A portion of the 13-acre tract of land on Hwy. 51 that includes the old Oakland school could be declared surplus and offered to the public. The building and acreage is owned by the county and supervisors briefly discussed the matter during a recessed…

By David Howell Editor COFFEEVILLE – A massive search for a four year-old who wandered off from his house last Wednesday morning had a happy ending after first responders found him in a heavily wooded area about a quarter-mile from his house near Coffeeville.     Sheriff Lance Humphreys said dispatchers received a call from the…

Water Valley Versus Coffeeville o WHEN, WHERE:  Friday, 7 p.m. at Coffeeville High School o RECORDS: WV 1-0 (0-0), Coffeeville 0-1 (0-0) o SERIES: WV leads 32-6-1 o FIRST MEETING:  1969 – WV won 30-14 o LAST MEETING:   2013 – WV won 56-20 o LAST WEEK: WV beat New Albany 36-33, Coffeeville lost to Calhoun…

By David Howell Editor   WATER VALLEY – County employees will get a $50 monthly raise in the coming fiscal year that starts October 1. The raises come after county officials fine-tuned the 2014-15 budget during a recessed meeting last Thursday.     The  cost for the raise for the 29 employees paid out of the…

By Jack Gurner Reporter WATER VALLEY – Second graders at Davidson Elementary School will get much needed exposure to technology thanks to a generous gift from a local business man with a solid belief in public education. Casey Washington, owner of Valley Tool, Inc., and his wife, Michelle, presented 25 iPad tablet computers to the…

By David Howell Editor   WATER VALLEY – The qualifying period for school board elections is underway, with two slots on the November ballot in the Water Valley School District and one in the Coffeeville School District.     In Water Valley, the slots include a five-year term for District 3 and a partial term in…

By Jack Gurner Reporter WATER VALLEY – School uniforms are back on the table as a possibility for the 2015-2016 school year. But, school board members want to gather public opinion before making a decision – much like they did with a survey and public forum held six years ago in the fall of 2008.…