by “Stretch” DeTrooth

Travel or select baseball and softball are very popular now. Families are packing up and traveling all over the place each weekend playing games and tournaments. They’re practicing a couple nights each week working on their crafts. A whole industry has been created around these sports. Organizations and tournament organizers are making a lot of money off these kids and families. But, the families and kids are not getting a piece of the pie. Now, they have a tool to help with expenses and possibly even make money.

The Strong River Valley Technology Initiative (SRVTI) got back in the lab this past week and created 5Tool. One of SRVTI’s members has a son that has a promising future as a baseball player, and he brought the issue of the cost of the sport up to the SRVTI board. They got to work, and created this awesome tool for young ball players.

5Tool will allow young baseball and softball players (ages 7-12) to obtain name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals just like college athletes. Parents can setup a profile for the kids on the site, and businesses and organizations can choose kids to sponsor off the site. Parents are in charge, and it’s free to join.

5TOOL APP

Parents and coaches are excited about 5Tool. One 12U baseball coach said, “I have at least 4 future college players on my team now. They’ve had no way to make money and help pay for ball expenses. 5Tool will help them build a brand, and it’ll help them market themselves to businesses and sponsors. This could really change the travel ball game.”

One softball mom said, “Lillie Ruth has had multiple teams and coaches try to poach her off her current team. They’ve promised free gear and money to help with travel, and I don’t like it. It just doesn’t seem right to be doing that to a 10 year old. 5Tool will give her an opportunity to make some money the right way, and she can get her true worth. I think it’s great.”

by Ben BeEssen

Ricky’s on the River is a Valley staple, and it’s a very popular spot this time of year. People flock there to feast on crawfish, drink beer, and enjoy the awesome Valley and river vibes. They also have a popular crawfish eating contest each year that we’ve written about before. Things were going great this Tuesday night at Ricky’s until an out-of-towner showed up.

Witnesses said an out-of-towner that no one recognized came in around 5:45 pm, and he sat at the bar alone. About 5 minutes later, Billy Brawlar, an amateur MMA fighter, and his girlfriend, Kim Swift, walked in and sat by the gentlemen. They were seen having a little small talk with the out-of-towner, and everything seemed to be going fine. Things made a turn for the worst around 6:15. Brawlar was heard raising his voice, and the out-of-towner and Brawler stood up chest-to-chest. They could be overheard using some language you wouldn’t hear in Sunday School, and things got physical.

Brawlar said, “Look, I was trying to be nice to the guy. He told us he was from New York, and he was here on business. But, he was kind of a know-it-all. He kept talking about how great the Yankees are. He heard my girlfriend say crawfish a couple times, and he started correcting her telling her that they’re pronounced cray-fish. I told him that we don’t say that here. You may say that up in New York, but we say craw-fish down here.”

I talked to some Ricky’s employees including the bartender, and they said the guy was a bit of a jerk. One said that you could tell he thought he was a little haughty, and you could tell he was looking down on people in the restaurant. They said he just couldn’t understand why we love these crayfish.

Brawlar added, “What really did it was when he started making fun of me for saying y’all. In a fake southern drawl, he said, “Y’all hicks love these crawfish.” I couldn’t take anymore of his crap after that. I stood up and told him that he needed to go back where he came from, and I told him some other things that I can’t repeat too. He was a lot bigger than me, but he didn’t scare me. He pushed me first, and then it was on! I let him know what’s up!”

The sheriff’s department was called, and a couple deputies showed up soon after. Things had settled down by the time they’d arrived. The New Yorker left with a black eye and bloody lip before the deputies arrived. No charges were filed. As the New Yorker was leaving, the diners gave Brawlar a standing ovation for his efforts.

Folks, we’re serious about our crawfish here in The Valley. It’s not advisable to make fun of us Valleyans concerning our crawfish and our language. I’ll add you may not want to make fun of our college football or baseball either.

by Ima Phibber

For a small rural area, The Strong River Valley has a ton of talent. One area of immense talent in the The Valley is our music. SRV Records is leading the way on the music scene in The Valley. They’re a small record label with 3 strong local artists- Bubba Swompz, Lily of The Valley, and Don Cartwright. Since coming onto the scene, Bubba Swompz has been prolific, and he’s released some great music. Up until now, Bubba has produced only country hip hop tracks, but Bubba has seen The Light. He will be releasing a gospel album called “A Gospel Compilation” on May 8th. He’s also releasing a single on the album called “The Good Shepherd” tomorrow. You can listen and download it on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music and all the major streaming platforms.

I was able to sit down with Swompz this week on his lunch break to discuss his new album. Swompz said, “I’ve been busy lately with work and my music. I’ve gotten more active in my church the past 6 months or so, and I’ve sang in church a good bit. A couple people at church told me that I needed to do a gospel album. I’d never really thought about it. I started mulling it around, and God and I decided that I needed to do one. So, I’ve been working on it for a few months, and here we are!”

Swompz added, “I tried to base most of the songs on scripture. I think too much of contemporary Christian music is not really based on scripture. Many songs have good messages, but they’re lacking a little. I hope to point listeners to God and The Word with my album. For example, my single that I’m releasing on Friday called “The Good Shepherd” is based on John 10:11.”

Swompz said, “Valleyans have been good to me. I’m just a dude chasing my dream. I hope “A Gospel Compilation” will touch and minister to some folks. I’ve enjoyed making and producing the album. Y’all checkout “The Good Shepherd” tomorrow, and mark your calendar for May 8th when the full album is released. Also, follow SRV Records on Facebook and Instagram! God Bless!”

by Emma Embellischer

Drivers have to be on the lookout for animals while driving in Mississippi and The Valley, especially at night. Deer are the main worry, because they can cause major damage to a vehicle. But, motorists also have to be on the lookout for other animals as well. Many car accidents are caused each year because of drivers trying to avoid animals. There’s a ton of wildlife along Hwy. 13 between Strong River Bend (SRB) and Valley City close to the 40B Development, and many animals are struck and killed along this stretch of highway. The Strong River Valley Transit Authority (SRVTA) has decided to take action to protect motorists in this area.

SRVTA Chairman Mehate Teslaz said, “We’ve been hearing complaints from Valley motorists about this strip of Hwy. 13 for some time, so we decided to do something about it. The SRVTA board has debated for a few months about a solution, and we finally formed a consensus at the last board meeting. We decided to build a wildlife bridge over Hwy. 13. You may have heard about this idea before. Gov. Newscum from California is doing this in his state. Unlike him, we plan to spend way less of your tax dollars and keep the project on time and actually complete the project.”

The wildlife bridge is expected to cost about $2.9 million, and construction is scheduled to start in 3 weeks. The SRVTA anticipates the project will take about 7 weeks to complete. Traffic on Hwy. 13 along the construction area will be impacted in the coming weeks while the bridge is being built.

Teslaz added, “This will simply be a small bridge over the highway. It’ll be similar to a pedestrian bridge over a busy highway or freeway in a large city. It will be approximately 25 feet wide to be able to handle wildlife traffic coming from both directions. We will plant grass and some plants on the bridge to make it appear as natural as possible. We think it will cut down on road kill and vehicle accidents, and that’s a good thing.”

The SRVTA will post signs on the right of way by the bridge and in the wooded areas surrounding the bridge to direct animals to the bridge for safe crossing. They also plan to have employees occasionally walk across the bridge to show animals how it works. Teslaz said, “We realize it’ll take some time for the animals to get accustomed to it, but we hope the signs and training will do the trick. You’ll have some mavericks and stubborn animals that won’t take the bridge, and we realize that.”

signs for animals

Valley residents have mixed feelings about the wildlife bridge. One resident said, “Is this a joke? Our hard-earned tax dollars are going to this garbage? The animals won’t use it. Kids are probably gonna use it to terrorize people driving thru there. This is such a stupid idea. We gotta clean house at the SRVTA and get rid of the board!”

Another resident said, “Oh, this is such a great idea! I know a lot of the animals probably won’t use it. But, if we can just save one raccoon’s life or one deer’s life, it’ll be worth it. The armadillos have no hope, but we can save other animals’ lives, and that’s a good thing.”