By Jack Gurner Reporter WATER VALLEY – Yalobusha County folks still believe there is plenty to celebrate this Thanksgiving in spite of the tough economy. An informal survey of shoppers shows that family, friends, and food are uppermost on their minds as they prepare for the upcoming holiday. “I’m just thankful to be able to…

Staff Report COFFEEVILLE – Yalobusha supervisors ordered the merger of the county’s two justice court offices in a split vote during a recessed meeting last Wednesday. The merger will combine both justice court offices in the Carothers building located two miles south of Water Valley.     The decision will change the long-standing practice of operating…

Water Valley, Coffeeville Are On Low End Of Scale Staff Report JACKSON – Water Valley Schools are performing at the Academic Watch level under the new accountability ratings released this week by the Mississippi Department of Education. Under the new accountability model, schools and districts will receive labels from highest to lowest:  Star, High Performing,…

    A University of Southern Mississippi (USM) student who had been missing for a week was found dead in his car on Hwy. 32 in Yalobusha County on Friday, Nov.13 around 5 p.m. He had been in his car for a week, according to authorities.     Steven Clay McGehee, 21, a freshman at USM, died…

By Jack GurnerReporter WATER VALLEY – Police arrested Jamie Oneal Martin, 22, of Water Valley as the result of an investigation into a burglary that occurred Sunday at the First Christian Church Parsonage, according to Lt. Rick McCuan. Mary Freeman, wife of Bro. David Freeman, confronted a man wearing a hooded sweatshirt in the home…

WATER VALLEY – During a brief called meeting of the Board Monday afternoon, Aldermen agreed to an order to reduce the ammonia-nitrogen discharge from the City’s wastewater treatment facility. Mayor Larry Hart read a letter from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) stating that the effluent BOD (biochemical oxygen demand) five-day limitation was exceeded…

By Jack GurnerReporter WATER VALLEY – The new Superintendent for the Water Valley School District may need super powers if he – or she – is to live up to some of the criteria suggested at a public forum on Nov. 10. Among the suggestions made during the meeting is that the new Superintendent should…

By Jack GurnerReporter WATER VALLEY – School Board members got a basic class in the complex issue of school finances during their regular meeting Monday night. They also were given a hint that some of the upcoming budget cuts could include salaries. School Finance Officer Suzanne Carter told the Board that it depends on what…

By Jack GurnerReporter WATER VALLEY – “As comrade after comrade departs, we march on with our ranks growing thinner.” Those words were part of a prayer spoken by Jack Grass, Chaplin for the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4100, at the Veterans Day observance downtown last Wednesday. As the 11 a.m. ceremony began, 111 people…

By David HowellEditor COFFEEVILLE – A minor audit finding stemming from the 2008 audit conducted by the Mississippi Office of the State Auditor prompted supervisors to weigh several options concerning the justice court offices, including the possible consolidation of the Coffeeville and Water Valley offices.     “We had three findings in our audit and they…