Archives November 2024

by B. S. Ryter

The growth of podcasts over the past 5-10 years has been amazing. According to a recent survey, 47% of Americans aged 12 plus have listened to a podcast in the past month. That’s up from 32% five years ago. Many people rely on podcasts for news, entertainment, education, and much more. Most podcasts are in audio format, but video podcasting has grown substantially. You’ve probably heard of at least one video podcaster like Joe Rogan or Tucker Carlson.

It seems like every news organization in the country has a podcast. It’s not just news organizations, my church has a podcast (my preacher has his own podcast too), my financial advisor has a podcast, my insurance agent has a podcast, my shrink has a podcast, my history teacher friend has a podcast, and I could go on and on. Even my crazy aunt who was obsessed with Nancy Grace and murder cases started her own true crime podcast. If you’re anyone with influence and a thought leader in your field, you have a podcast these days.

The SRVO writers, including yours truly, have been pushing our editorial board to start a podcast for a while. Finally, they agreed to let us start one! It’s going to be called “This Week in The Valley”, and it’s going to be every Friday at 10:00 am. It’s going to be an audio podcast; maybe we can do video at some point in the future. Our advertising department will need to get on the ball in order for us to afford video equipment. It’s going to be a laid back format where 2-3 SRVO writers discuss the current news in the Strong River Valley for an hour each week. We’ll also discuss everyday life in rural Mississippi and The Valley, and we’re going to have fun while we do it.

The podcast will be on all the major platforms including Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts. We will try to have guests on the podcast that have something to do with the current news in The Valley. The SRVO writers are very excited about the podcast. A different SRVO writer will host each week in order to keep it fresh. We’re going to give it a go and see what happens. We’re open to suggestions and guest ideas, so you can email us at [email protected] with ideas.

The first episode is going to be on Friday, Dec. 6th at 10:00 am. Stay tuned Valleyans! We’ll provide you with more details in the coming days.

by Heeza de Seaver

If you’ve been to a big city lately, you’ve probably noticed electric scooters (e-scooters) sitting on sidewalks across the city. Scooter ride sharing has expanded across many cities in the US, and it continues to grow. Riders download an app, create an account, and pay for their rides on the app. The scooters help riders get around the city quicker than walking, and it’s a fun way to get from point A to point B.

Valley City has a creative and forward thinking mayor and board of aldermen, and they’re always looking for ways to help the city and move it forward. The Strong River Valley Transportation Authority (SRVTA) recently received a federal grant for rural transportation needs. Valley City and their administration was able to get some of the grant money for the e-scooter program.

Valley City Ward 2 alderman Jimmy “Scooter” Brown is excited about the e-scooter program. Brown was the driving force to start the e-scooter program. He said, “I went to New York City last year, and I saw a ton of people riding around on electric scooters. They would zip by me, and it was way faster than walking. I thought then that it would be so cool if Valley City could have some of these things, and here we are now! Plus, I think this can generate up to $75 per month in revenue to the city. We could start getting food catered at our monthly meetings with that money.”

There are multiple e-scooter companies out there, and Valley City did their research and due diligence on them. They ended up choosing Bird as their vendor. Valley City plans to start with four scooters, and they may purchase more if there is demand for them. Valley City plans to go live with the e-scooters on December 1st, and they’re going to make a big deal out of it. The mayor will speak at a press conference, and they’re going to invite the media. Also, Alderman “Scooter” Brown will be the first to ride one of the e-scooters, so y’all get your cameras ready. The SRVO will be there to cover it. I talked with Valley City residents about the e-scooter program, and the reactions were mixed.

A senior citizen said, “This scooter thing is so dumb. We ain’t New York City or Chicago. It’s not going to work, I can tell you right now. The young people are not gonna take care of them; they’ll be torn up in two weeks. If they don’t get torn up, then they’ll get stolen. I don’t want to see those hideous things sitting on our sidewalks. Also, I hope “Scooter” Brown busts his butt when he does his little ride for the cameras.”

A Valley City teen said, “This is so cool! I can’t believe we’re going to have e-scooters in Valley City. I rode one last year when we went on vacation to New York, and it was so awesome. It’s sure beats walking around town. I can’t wait to do a TikTok while scooting around on one.”

The SRVO will be at the press conference, and we’ll make sure to get a video of “Scooter” Brown on a scooter. We’ll keep you updated on how the program goes.

by Ima Phibber

The Valley City Police Department (VCPD) has a great reputation in The Valley, and they have great rapport with the community. Police chief, Kojak Griffith, has led the department for about 15 years, and he has a flawless reputation. Griffith and his department have never come under fire until now.

Everything is sped up these days. No one is patient, and people continue to push the envelope and defy cultural norms. In the past, no one put up Christmas trees, lights, and decorations until after Thanksgiving. In recent years, people have started putting up Christmas trees, lights, and decorations in mid-November. Now, people are putting up Christmas trees, lights, and decorations immediately after Halloween.

The VCPD has started fining residents for putting up Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving. So far, three residents have been fined $150 each. This has become a very controversial issue among Valley City residents. The resident that received the first fine made a social media post blasting the VCPD, and people became more angry after they found out two more residents received fines. The vitriol was directed toward Chief Griffith and VCPD. But, a brief investigation has discovered that Chief Griffith and his department were following orders from Valley City’s mayor, Ronald Bush.

I wasn’t able to reach Mayor Bush for comment, but a statement was released by Valley City’s communications director, Karen Jean Pierre. The statement said according to Valley City Ordinance 37.2, the city has authority to fine residents for yard decorations that are deemed inappropriate.

The statement read, “Mayor Bush loves Christmas, and he appreciates the Christmas spirit of Valley City residents. However, he feels it is very inappropriate that Christmas decorations are immediately being setup after Halloween. In no way does Mayor Bush feel the Christmas trees, lights, and decorations themselves are inappropriate. Mayor Bush feels strongly that Thanksgiving needs to be remembered and celebrated. Christmas trees, lights, and decorations should be setup after Thanksgiving, but the VCPD will be lenient and not fine any resident for Christmas decorations setup after Nov. 15th. The fines will continue to be given to residents that setup Christmas decorations prior to Nov. 15th.”

Valley City residents have mixed emotions about the issue. One resident that received a fine said, “This is America! I thought it was still a free country, but I don’t know anymore. I got fined for putting a nativity scene, a nativity scene, in my yard! At first, I thought it was a joke. Chief Griffith needs to defy the mayor; he has to stand with the residents of Valley City. This cannot stand!”

I perused the Let’s Talk Valley City Facebook group, and many members agreed with Mayor Bush and the fines. One member of the group said, “I’m a Libertarian, so I believe people should be able to do whatever they want within reason. But, putting up Christmas decorations right after Halloween is just psychotic. These people may need to be admitted to Whitfield. It’s gotten out of hand. Can’t you just wait until after Thanksgiving?”

This will continue to be a controversial issue. We’ll see if Valley City residents defy the mayor and the VCPD. The holidays are going to be fun in Valley City!

by Emma Embellischer

Daylight saving time (DST) ends each year in November. We all have to “fall back” an hour every November, and the time change is very unpopular among Americans. We do gain an hour of sleep, but we lose an hour of daylight in the evenings after the time change in November. There has been talk for years in DC about keeping DST year round, but nothing has happened. There was a bill passed in the Senate in 2021 called the Sunshine Protection Act, and it would’ve made DST permanent. But, the bill did not pass the House. There are multiple states and US territories that don’t observe DST, and they include Hawaii, parts of Arizona, American Samoa, Guam, and Puerto Rico.

Valley County just became the first US and Mississippi county to keep DST permanent. The county’s board of supervisors held an emergency meeting yesterday to discuss the matter. The media was notified about 15 minutes prior to the meeting, so the SRVO was not able to have a representative present. However, I read the minutes, and I was able to talk with multiple supervisors about the change.

Beat 1 Supervisor Ghittar Dunn said, “I’ve always wondered why we didn’t just keep DST year round. It should be pretty simple. Just about everyone I’ve ever talked with would like to keep DST year round, but no one in DC or Jackson does anything about it. Well, my wife kept complaining about how she hates when DST ends each November. I thought that I don’t like it either, and I’m gonna do something about it. I took an unofficial poll with the other supervisors and just about everyone I encountered on Sunday, and only one person didn’t want to keep DST permanent. Unfortunately, he’s a supervisor, but I still had the votes.”

Dunn garnered a ton of support for keeping DST year round, and he and other supervisors called the emergency meeting yesterday to discuss it. Four of the five supervisors were gung-ho about making DST permanent. Beat 5 supervisor, Diffy Culte, was the lone dissenter. According to Dunn, the meeting would’ve only lasted about ten minutes, but Culte took about 15 minutes voicing his opposition. Board attorney, Jonny Cockren, also discussed the potential issues and drawbacks to making DST permanent.

Culte said, “I’m just not in favor of it. Ghittar thinks he can run the county, but he doesn’t. We’re gonna stick out like a sore thumb. Media from all over the country is gonna start calling me and the other supervisors about this. I’m ok with keeping DST permanent, but you gotta consider all the fallout. Plus, Ghittar is only doing this for political reasons; everyone knows he wants to get more publicity and run for state representative.”

Board attorney, Jonny Cockren, did a good job of playing devil’s advocate in the emergency meeting like he always does. Cockren said, “You have to think about all the potential issues with this. Every time Valley County residents travel outside the county, the time will change. Will our residents like that? Also, when out of county residents travel to Valley County, the time will change. That could cause major chaos. I understand the intent here, but I’m not sure the fallout is going to worth it.”

The main concern for the board was whether cell phone providers would be able to accommodate the change, and all the major providers have said they can and will. Also, Cockren was notified after the meeting that it is illegal for states to keep DST year round. Cockren said, “I had no idea it was illegal for states to keep DST; the good news is the federal law doesn’t mention counties and municipalities. We could face a legal challenge; we’ll see what happens.”

All the Valley County residents I talked with were happy about keeping DST permanent. One Valley County father said, “It always sucks when the time changes in November, because it’s dark when I get home from work. So, I don’t get to play outside with my kids. I’m pretty pumped that we’re keeping DST permanently, and my wife and kids feel the same way.”

This has gotten a ton of publicity for Valley County and The Valley from state and national media, and the vast majority of the coverage has been positive. Multiple Mississippi political leaders are now discussing keeping DST permanent as well, so we’ll see if a bill is passed in the 2025 legislative session. It will be interesting to see if other Mississippi counties and cities follow Valley County’s lead.

by Tre McGyver

Hello my fellow Valleyans! It’s been a while since I wrote a story for you. I’ve been busy trying to keep the zoo we call Valley Meadows (the Valley’s premier mobile home covenant community) straight. It’s a tough job folks, but someone has to do it. Whatever is going on, I’ll always have to take time to tell you about Halloween at Valley Meadows. It’s always crazy, and this year was no different.

I’m sure you’ve seen the massive skeleton decorations this year. They’re about 12 feet tall, and you can’t miss them. Well, we decided to put one on each side of our entrance. The residents were so excited. It was a community event when we put them out; we had about 50 Valley Meadows residents out there helping me set them up. We put a lot of time into decorating those bad boys, and they look pretty scary. We made them even more scary by putting a MS State hat on one and a Saints hat on the other. Maybe, we just should’ve put paper bags over their heads! These weren’t the only huge skeletons in the neighborhood; there were 8 scattered throughout the neighborhood too. You wouldn’t believe how some of them were decorated.

We had a ton of vehicles driving thru Valley Meadows again this year checking out the decorations. No one cares about Valley Meadows until Halloween every year, but we’ll take it. I sent a Facebook message to our Valley Meadows group begging our residents not to scare the crap out of the visitors. Evidently, no one read it. I know of four incidents where some of our teenagers hid behind vehicles, and they ran up to visitors’ cars trying to scare kids in the backseats. One poor grandmother got so startled that she drove her car into a tree, and she almost had a heart attack. Luckily, no one was hurt, but her grandkids were scared to death too. I had to threaten the teenagers and tell their parents.

This year, we started a Halloween party exclusively for our residents the day before Halloween. We had a ton of fun, and it got a little crazy. I did a Halloween costume contest for the first time, and the winner won $100 cash. People went all out for it! Little Billy Buford won the contest; he was dressed as Donald Trump. The hair did it for him; he and his mom nailed Trump’s hair. Little Sally Sellers came in a close second, and she was dressed as Taylor Swift. I don’t like Taylor Swift, so I chose Billy as the winner. I’ll definitely do the costume contest each year going forward.

I probably need to try to find a mobile pediatric dentist to visit Valley Meadows in November or December every year, because these poor kids eat a ton of candy for Halloween. If a dentist came to us, they could make a killing after Halloween. Y’all contact me if you know of one.

Valleyans, I hope to bring you another story about the zoo called Valley Meadows soon. Y’all come see us; it’ll be a life-changing experience!