Herald Columnists

All right, everybody, it looks like we are going to wrap up the budget process in the city during Tuesday night’s meeting. My prediction is that it will be anti-climactic: raises as promised and enough funding to barely squeak through another year. But I could be wrong. It wouldn’t be the first time. There are…

I have been out of town working for most of the past month. One week of that involved teaching art classes to students at Mississippi State University. Never would I have thought that I would venture to the dark side aka Starkville but I did and, to my great surprise, it was really fun!  One major…

When most people hear the words “Chamber of Commerce,” they naturally think about businesses. And certainly, supporting our local businesses is a big part of what the Water Valley Area Chamber of Commerce does. We are deeply appreciative of our business members. Their support helps make the Chamber’s work possible, and their investment in this…

The Oakland News didn’t get done last week because of Labor Day and the fact that all my siblings and I plus all our spouses, children and grandchildren decided to go all out to honor Mother (Margaret Jean Ross) for her 94th birthday celebration. Forty of 41 of us were able to be there. Most…

Little sweet pea Lilly Rose Fletcher was here Saturday, said Debbie McCool. Everyone got plenty of smiles from her, played with her and enjoyed the visit. Uncle Jason Beavers and grandmother Debbie even got a little more than they bargained for when Lilly Rose spit up on them. Allison, Cameron and Lilly Fletcher came from…

I pray everyone had a good week and you found yourself in the Lord’s favor. Sunday morning worship services were opened by Presleigh with the ringing of the bell. Before beginning the message, we observed a moment of silence for those lost in the tragedy of Sept. 11. Bro. Grant Coffey’s message, “Tragedy, Terror and…

I could tell from the long face that Allen Rogers had bad news when he stopped by the office Tuesday afternoon. Jolene didn’t make it through the long, hot days of late summer, the tedious span that separates the good ones from the great ones. That is the trick with Carolina Cross melons. While the…

I’m writing this column on Monday morning, about nine hours after the Ole Miss game ended in a victory. Yet, I’m sure my resting heart rate is still well above normal levels. I made the classic Ole Miss fan mistake of feeling secure going into a game, and this has left me with the classic…

My human has accused me of having selective hearing. This is ridiculous. My hearing is excellent. In fact, I would argue that it is one of my more impressive qualities. And no jokes about the size of my ears, please. I’ve heard them all from Snack Dad. Twice. I can hear the refrigerator door open…

I pray everyone had a good week and found themselves in the Lord’s favor. The message Bro. Grant Coffey brought us this week was titled “One Less Sunrise.” Our Bible verse of focus was Psalm 90:12. “So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Or in layman’s terms,…