By David HowellEditor  COFFEEVILLE –  A side issue that surfaced during the redistricting debate created much of the tension at Monday’s supervisors meeting when District 3 Supervisor M.H. “Butch”  Surrette told supervisors that changing the district lines could affect the amount of money each beat receives from the bridge tax levy.     He was referring…

Our neighbors to the north in the Pine Flat community in Lafayette County need help getting back to normal after this week’s devastating tornado. Pastor Gene Bramlett of the Pine Flat United Methodist Church said Friday that they could use all the help they can get for the clean up and recovery effort. If you…

TUPELO – On the heals of an already slow Easter weekend for blood donations, the tornados and severe storms in NE Mississippi and NW Alabama have left United Blood Services’ shelves bare. Blood drives cancelled in anticipation of severe weather and schools scheduled to host blood drives next week have been crippled from high winds…

Road Sign – City utility workers found this ominous greeting last week at the intersection of Hill and Ridge Streets about a block north of Wood Street. It looked a lot like a warning from a horror movie, one commented. The deer head was removed and the sign is scheduled for repainting.                             – Photo Submitted

Jason Mooney (upper right) lost control of his pick-up Monday night as he pulled a lawn mower on a trailer southbound on Hwy. 315 east of the city. Mooney, who had his seatbelt fastened, was not injured when the vehicle left the road just before 7:30 p.m.  – Photo by Jack Gurner

By Jack GurnerReporter WATER VALLEY – Mississippi has the highest percentage of people without a checking or savings account, according to a new report on the state’s financial well-being. About 16 percent of Mississippians are “unbanked” as opposed to 7.7 percent nationwide. And, the average Mississippi family’s net worth is lower than 44 of the…

By Jack GurnerReporter WATER VALLEY – Yalobusha County’s unemployment rate continues to drop falling another one-tenth of a percentage point to 11.4 percent from February to March. There were 1310 people unemployed last month as opposed to 1320 in February, according to the latest figures from the Mississippi Department of Employment Security. There wasn’t a…

By Jack GurnerReporter WATER VALLEY – The School District’s financial condition is “healthy” as the end of the school year approaches, School Board Trustees were told Monday night. The district will end the current fiscal year with a fund balance well above the seven percent mandated by the state, District Business Man-ager Randy Goodwin predicted.…

By Jack GurnerReporter WATER VALLEY – Police reported a busy holiday period with several incidents, some leading to arrests over the past week. Police and sheriff’s deputies responded to a shots fired call on Lee Street at 10:54 p.m. on good Friday. No one was hit by the gunfire, but one man was transported from…

By David HowellEditor COFFEEVILLE – After operating for a dozen years in Yalobusha County, Avery Outdoors is closing its distribution center in the county-owned building in Coffeeville.     Company President Allen Hughes notified county officials last week of the decision, explaining that the company needed more space. Avery Outdoors is one of the nation’s leading…