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Editorial

Commentary

Another Hometown Hero Fades Away By Jack Gurner We lost another veteran last week. Robert S. “Bob” Riley, passed away Thursday, Aug. 13, at the Mississippi State Veterans Home in Oxford. He was 81. His obituary in on page A7 and provides the basic details. But, the one line summation of his 22 years of…

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Guest Commentary

Railway Purchase Result Of Unprecedented Regional Cooperation             Last week the North Central Mississippi Regional Railroad Authority (the NCMRRA) completed the acquisition of the Grenada Railway line extending from Southaven, Miss. to near Canton, Miss. Simultaneously with the acquisition of the line, the authority signed a long term lease agreement with a subsidiary of Iowa…

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Commentary

People Have Input As Part Of Rezoning Process Commentary By Jack Gurner WATER VALLEY – The city’s planning commission has handled a number of issues involving zoning over the past decade since its creation. But, few have generated as much public interest as the public hearing July 7. At issue was the rezoning of a…

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Commentary

Many Americans Unqualified For Military Service Commentary By Jack Gurner As Memorial Day comes to an end (and apparently it was a fun holiday from the number of calls to which law enforcement responded for drunken behavior) here are some sobering facts… Most Americans are ineligible to join the military because they are obese, drug…

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Water System Threatened By Low Rates

Commentary By Jack Gurner             City officials increased water rates at the end of last year. It was the first time since 2009 that rates had gone up for residential users and the first time since 2005 for industrial users.             The reason: “To purchase additional chemicals to bring the wastewater discharge into compliance,” Mayor…

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Commentary

Commentary By Jack Gurner Are Water Valley residents subsidizing local industry by helping pay for the water they use? It’s a convoluted issue that has intrigued me for the past seven years, ever since aldermen from the previous administration first voted to raise water rates across the board in March 2008. Then they did a…

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Commentary

Commentary By Jack Gurner Tired of beer? Let’s talk water. The water and sewer system is part of the city’s infrastructure and infrastructure is a dull topic. So, bear with me. Water Valley is blessed with very good water. But, how that water is delivered and how wastewater is carried away and treated is of…

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Commentary

Beer Law One Symptom Of City’s Many Problems Commentary By Jack Gurner “What is the big deal with beer in this town.” That’s a quote from Amos Harvey, but it could be attributed to a number of people who just don’t seem to get it. Harvey, a brewer and operations manager at Yalobusha Brewery, appeared…

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Commentary

Pound Problems Complicated By Number Of Strays Commentary By Jack Gurner A day late and a dollar short. That’s the way I describe the volunteers of the Second Chance Animal Alliance. Never heard of them? Neither had I until a story about a fundraising event appeared in last week’s Herald. The purpose of the new…

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Commentary

Don’t Be Afraid To Express Your Opinion Commentary By Jack Gurner The Herald doesn’t print anonymous letters. We received one recently that we would like to print because it represents an opposing viewpoint on the beer ordinance uproar. But, for whatever reasons, the writer doesn’t want their identity known. Once in a great while, the…

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