Austin Brooke Mills was crowned Watermelon Queen in Saturday night’s Watermelon Pageant. The annual event is sponsored by the Junior Auxiliary. She is the 18 year-old daughter of Tim and Lisa Mills. Other winners will be published in coming weeks.         – Photo by Jack Gurner

WATER VALLEY – The local post office at 501 North Main St. has been approved as a passport acceptance office by the Department of State. The office now has a passport camera and photos will also be available by appointment. To introduce the new service, a passport fair will be held this Saturday from 9…

WATER VALLEY – A new Watermelon Queen and her court will be selected Saturday night during the 27th Annual Watermelon Pageant. The event, sponsored by the Junior Auxiliary of Water Valley, begins at 6 p.m. at the Civic Auditorium. Queen contestants will be judged solely on stage personality, according to Hope Stovall, pageant chairman. Jessica…

WATER VALLEY – Police arrested Orlando Hall, 24, of Water Valley for possession of a controlled substance, according to Lt. Rick McCuan. The arrest was made on Edgefield Street Monday, March 9, around 8 p.m. Lt. McCuan reported the following additional law enforcement activity within the Water Valley City limits during the past two weeks:…

By David HowellEditor WATER VALLEY – After a push in the community last year to implement a school uniform policy failed, students’ attire is back in the limelight following a committee’s recommendation to strengthen the current dress code.     The recommendations came during Monday’s school board meeting with a presentation by seventh grade English teacher…

By Jack GurnerReporter COFFEEVILLE – The investigation continues into a pair of break-ins at the Yalobusha County Multipurpose building that occurred during the early morning hours of Sunday and Tuesday of last week. Thieves broke several door handles to gain entrance to the Yalobusha County Extension Service offices, said Coffeeville Police Chief Mark Martin. “They…

By David HowellEditor A warrant has been issued and an arrest expected in a shooting altercation Sunday night on County Road 211 that ended in a two-vehicle accident around midnight.     The dispute began at a private club, the Night Owl, also located on County Road 211, according to Sheriff Lance Humphreys. According to reports,…

By David HowellEditor WATER VALLEY – To say that operation Home Team scored a homerun in their fundraising efforts to restore cuts made to the Water Valley School District’s athletic programs would be an understatement.     Junior high baseball, volleyball and track programs were slated to be eliminated in the 2009-2010 school year, after state…

The Blue Devils were in action Thursday, playing the Lafayette Commodores at 4:30 p.m. and the Oxford Charges 7 p.m. The Blue Devils were able to run-rule the Commodores, 15 – 5, but the tide changed in the second game as the Chargers run-ruled the Blue Devils, 13 – 3.

By Jack GurnerReporter JACKSON – Shaniqua Wesley from Water Valley High School was the winner of the state finals of the Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest. Wesley, a 17-year-old senior and National Merit Science Scholar, performed “It was not death, for I stood up” by Emily Dickinson in the final round of the competition…