Obituaries 02/12/2026
Landon Arbuckle WATER VALLEY – Landon Arbuckle, 14, passed away Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, leaving behind a world made quieter by his absence. Landon was a student at Water Valley Junior High School and the kind of kid you noticed immediately. He lived with energy, confidence and humor, often using quick wit and sarcasm to…
Read MoreOne Meal, Many Thanks For Linemen
I hope everyone has power back on. I know there are still some with specific issues that are waiting, but hopefully most are now enjoying all those creature comforts we sometimes take for granted until they are gone. My mom, Margaret Ross, and sister Carol had gotten so used to not having power that they…
Read MoreDebris Pickup To Begin Countywide
YALOBUSHA COUNTY — Organized debris removal following Winter Storm Fern is set to begin countywide, as equipment arrives and crews prepare to start systematic pickup of storm-generated debris along county and state road rights of way. Steven Vinyard with TFR Enterprises, the county’s debris removal contractor, debris collection officially begin Feb. 9 and is expected…
Read MoreRelief Effort Brings Hope, Supplies To Yalobusha County After Fern
YALOBUSHA COUNTY — When Winter Storm Fern left much of Yalobusha County without heat, water, or reliable access to basic supplies, help arrived quickly — and quietly — through a call answered hundreds of miles away. Josh Gill, a commander with the United Cajun Navy, was contacted by Libby Kuchta, a volunteer liaison working with…
Read MoreVincent and Donna Robertson: Serving From Day One
When Winter Storm Fern hit Yalobusha County, Vincent and Donna Robertson didn’t wait to be asked. They showed up. The Robertsons arrived at the Disaster Relief/Red Cross Shelter at the Multi-Purpose Building in Coffeeville on the very first day it opened, before the storm’s full impact had even settled in — and they’ve been there…
Read MoreStorm Triggers Four Fire Calls
WATER VALLEY – A generator fire on the back porch of a Clay Street home is believed to be one of several weather-related incidents that kept Water Valley firefighters busy during Winter Storm Fern, which triggered four fire calls over a week-long, according to Water Valley Fire Chief Mark McGavock. The Clay Street fire, which…
Read MoreNext Step: The Cleanup
WATER VALLEY – The Yalobusha County Board of Supervisors will open proposals Thursday for emergency debris cleanup following Winter Storm Fern. The planned opening follows a lengthy discussion during the board’s Feb. 2 “first Monday” meeting as Board President Cayce Washington emphasized the importance of using local contractors while ensuring the county remains eligible for…
Read MorePre-Planning, Mutual Aid Drive Power Restoration
WATER VALLEY – With the number of outages in the Water Valley Electric Commission’s grid down to single digits at presstime Tuesday, officials reported that the rapid restoration stemmed from strong planning culminating with coordinating outside help from the onset of the storm. This coordination included executing contracts with MDR and Gray’s Power Supply as…
Read MoreActions Speak Louder Than Words
I had a minor revelation during the last week: The folks who are the most vocal when there is a problem are rarely ever part of the solution. You know the ones I’m talking about — the people you only hear from when there is a problem. And the 2026 Ice Storm was a problem.…
Read MoreCommunication Is Essential In A Crisis
Typically, I would save the observational life lesson I’ve learned over the course of the week for the last paragraph of my column as a way to bring all the thoughts together and wrap it up into something semi-coherent. But, this time, I’m putting it right at the beginning so that the first-paragraph-only readers can…
Read More