By Jack GurnerReporter WATER VALLEY – The School Board adopted a $10,504,929.92 budget for FY 2011 Monday night during a six-minute long meeting held before the regular session. District Business Manager Randy Goodwin told board members that if nothing happens there will be a fund balance of $640,875.38 at the end of the fiscal year.…

WASHINGTON – The City of Water Valley has received an Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) grant of $40,000 for sewer and water improvements, announced Congressman Travis Childers. These funds will be used to purchase equipment to monitor the City of Water Valleys’ sewer and water systems.   “This significant funding represents an important investment in the…

By Jack GurnerReporter JACKSON, TENN. – If there were ever two towns linked by a common thread of history, they are Water Valley and Jackson, Tenn. For more than a century, as many as eight trains a day ran the 119 miles between the two important points on the Illinois Central Railroad. When the Mississippi…

Musicians and storytellers are as much a part of Mississippi as fried catfish and sweet iced tea. On Thursday, July 15, at 7 p.m. two of the state’s favorite sons, will present An Evening of Songs and Stories with Charles Pittman and Robert Khayat at the North Mississippi Fish Hatchery at Enid Lake. Perhaps best…

The Water Valley Arts Council Art Camp for youngsters in grades one through six got underway Monday. Among the instructors were Mari Foster (2nd from bottom photo) who taught T-shirt painting while Leigh Ann Black (bottom photo) showed another group how to work with clay. The kids will be making masks, pipe cleaner sculpture, music,…

By David HowellEditor WATER VALLEY – This year’s watermelon carnival will include a new twist, a cooking contest for watermelon dishes as well as ribs,  barbecue, chicken, desserts and sides. The contest will be incorporated into the three-day event, with participating cooking teams required to purchase a booth at an area designated for the event…

Staff Report ENID LAKE – There are prehistoric giants lurking in the waters of the North Mississippi Fish Hatchery. “It’s one of the largest freshwater fish in North America,” Hatchery Man-ager Justin Wilkens said of the alligator gar currently being raised at the facility. “They can grow to over nine feet and 300 pounds. There…

By Jack GurnerReporter WATER VALLEY – For as long as she can remember Rebecca McGavock has been involved with art. “In school I always drew and at home I would watch my Mom paint and draw with her,” said McGavock, whose work is currently on display at Renasant Bank. Nine pieces of her art hang…

By Jack GurnerReporter WATER VALLEY – Aldermen met Monday and Tuesday of this week for the longest and the shortest City Board meetings of the year-old administration. On Monday at 10 a.m. Aldermen met for what was supposed to be a quick session to open bids for overlay work at the Municipal Airport. That took…

By Jack GurnerReporter WATER VALLEY – A downtown building is not in danger of collapsing even though the roof has fallen in, Mayor Larry Hart said. Hart told Aldermen at their regular monthly meeting Tuesday, July 6, that Building Inspector Billy Humphreys had examined the structure, located at 428 North Main. “Billy thinks its safe,”…