Archived Stories

I was saddened to learn of the passing of Oxford businessman, Dick Marchbanks, this past Saturday. I contacted his real estate office just that morning for run-of-the-mill business and was told the sad news directly. Even though I knew Marchbanks (as I always called him) had been sick for a long time, the news still…

WATER VALLEY — After 48 years of practicing medicine, Dr. George Abraham says the hardest part about retirement isn’t finding something to do. It’s walking away from something he still loves. “I’m already missing it,” Abraham said.  Abraham retired June 30 after spending the past decade with Yalobusha Health Services, caring for patients at Odom…

The countdown is on, and we are excited to welcome everyone back for another fantastic school year. We can’t wait to see all of our students and begin a year of learning, growing, and making memories together. This year’s theme is “Glow as We Grow!” We know it’s going to be a bright and successful…

WATER VALLEY – The 56th annual Watermelon Carnival will fill Water Valley with music, food, old friends and a lot of laughter. By the time the weekend is over, most of us will have eaten more than we planned, stayed longer than we intended and visited with at least six people we had not seen…

OXFORD – A new Mississippi Department of Public Safety facility is expected to strengthen death investigations across North Mississippi by bringing forensic pathology services closer to the region. Water Valley-based Hill Construction LLC recently completed the $6.6 million Northern Regional Medical Examiner’s Office in Oxford. The facility joins Mississippi’s regional medical examiner system, providing a…

Live music will begin Friday night and continue throughout Saturday as part of the 56th annual Watermelon Carnival. Friday’s Street Dance, sponsored by FNB-Water Valley, will begin on the Central Street stage following the opening ceremonies. Mississippi singer-songwriter Charlie Mars will perform from 6:15 to 7:15 p.m. Mars has spent more than three decades building…

20 Years—July, 27 2006 – Oakland was the scene of an armed bank robbery earlier in the week, when two men robbed Bancorps South. It only took 32 minutes for a pair of bank robbers to be rounded up a decade ago when the bank in Oakland was robbed. The glitch in the plan came…

I did it again. I invented my own spelling for Water Valley Assistant Fire Chief Layth Terry’s name. I know. I know. This is at least the second time this year, and who knows how many times I’ve mangled a name over the course of a 28-year newspaper career. The embarrassing part is I even…

About a month or so ago, my trusty laptop computer decided to become untrusty and quit on me. Clocked out. Retired. Called it a lifetime. You don’t really realize how much typing you do until you’re writing newspaper columns, transcribing old letters, editing photos, and typing out the minutes of three-hour-long Main Street Association meetings…