by Carl “Bull” Crapper

America is more polarized politically than ever. Over the past 10-12 years, it has gotten dramatically worse. The political polarization has torn apart families and long time friendships. Differing views on covid caused a lot of division among families and friends as well. It’s very sad. In many cases, people believe that members of the opposing political party are their enemies. It’s just become so divisive and ugly. I could write a book on this, but I don’t have time for that. However, I can give you advice on how to survive Thanksgiving dinner this year.

Thanksgiving has become very stressful for many people and families. Because of politics, many people have stopped getting together with family on Thanksgiving. And, because of politics, many Thanksgiving gatherings have turned into Jerry Springer or Maury Povich episodes. Let’s not let this happen this Thanksgiving.

Most of our SRVO readers are Trump supporters, and y’all are on cloud nine after the election. Y’all need to take the high ground this Thanksgiving and Christmas. Don’t spike the football on your family or friends. Below, I’ve lined out my ways to survive this Thanksgiving. If we all abide by these items, we will not only survive Thanksgiving, but we just might be able to heal and unite our great nation.

• Do not wear a Make America Great Again hat
• Do not wear a Let’s Go Brandon shirt
• Do not wear a trash bag on your person
• Do not wear an orange or yellow safety vest to have the appearance of a trash/garbage worker.
• Do not rent a garbage truck to drive to your Thanksgiving gathering.
• Before the festivities begin, openly apologize for your pro Trump and anti Harris messages and memes in the family group text and/or family Facebook group or GroupMe group. Be apologetic and humble.
• Do not say “What can be, unburdened by what has been.”
• Do not intentionally speak in Kamala word salads. Be concise and to the point, but don’t repeat yourself like Trump. You might even want to refrain from saying the word great.
• Do not say the names Joe Rogan and/or Elon Musk, and you might not want to say anything about your relative’s Tesla.
• Do not mention Peanut the squirrel and/or Fred the raccoon.
• Do not mention the country of Ukraine.
• Do not say the words border and/or illegals.
• During times of silence, remind yourself not to mention anything political. Resist the temptation.
• One more name not to mention- RFK, Jr.
• If you’re a male, do not ask if there are tampons in the bathroom.
• If you manage to keep it together, do not let your guard down at the end of the gathering. See it through to the end. Maintain your composure!
• As you’re leaving, do not put a pro Trump or anti Harris sticker or magnet on your relatives vehicle. If you purchased them, throw them away now.

I hope this helps you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family! God bless you and yours and God bless America!

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!

by SRVO Editorial Board

The SRVO normally does not endorse political candidates. That’s been a longstanding unofficial policy of our organization even though our endorsement has been sought from many local and national politicians. We just like to report the news, and we’ll let you, the reader, decide. But, we felt compelled to endorse a candidate for President of the United States this election cycle, because this is the most important election of our lives (because it’s the next one of course). And, what can be, unburdened by what has been.

There’s never been such a binary choice for President. Man or woman, orange man or black/Indian woman, old or young (somewhat), East Coast or West Coast, Republican or Democrat, conservative or liberal, middle class elite or rich elite, business owner or career politician, and we could go on and on. Our editorial board had a long spirited debate (about 30 seconds), and we made the decision to endorse Donald J. Trump.

We lined out 10 reasons for endorsing Trump, and they are listed below.

• He’s worked a normal job longer than Harris. See the recent picture above at McDonald’s.
• Harris and Trump both lie (they’re politicians after all), but Trump’s lies aren’t outright lies. There’s generally a shred of truth with his lies.
• Even though Trump doesn’t speak in complete sentences and constantly repeats himself, he has more substance to his statements than Harris. Harris speaks quite a bit, but doesn’t really say anything.
• We like Harris’s joyful demeanor, but we’re not sure the country can take her uncontrolled and sometimes spontaneous laughter for 4 years. We’re not sure how Putin and Xi would respond to her laughter.
• We can’t take 4 years of “I grew up in a middle class family” memes, and we can’t take that excuse from Harris every time she fails over the next 4 years. Trump isn’t humble, and he will never accept blame or admit he failed. But, we’ll take that over “I grew up in a middle class family.”
• If Harris wins, America may not have any middle class families in 4 years.
• Trump is not in favor of tampons in men’s bathrooms.
• Vance > Walz (nice beard)
• Trump just makes things more interesting, and that’s good for the news business.
• We’re pandering. The vast majority of our readers support Trump, and we don’t want to make them mad.

We hope you respect and understand our decision to endorse Trump. Regardless of which candidate you support, we hope you’ll continue to come to us for the news of the Strong River Valley. We appreciate your readership, and we’ll continue to report the news.

by “Stretch” DeTrooth

College sports, especially football and basketball, have been changed dramatically by NIL (name, image, and likeness). Many players simply choose their college based off which college will pay the most NIL money. In addition to NIL, the transfer portal is making a huge impact on college sports. Players can switch schools freely with no restrictions. Players are basically free agents each year, and many leave a school because another one will pay them more money.

Just about all major Division 1 colleges have NIL collectives, and some smaller schools have collectives as well. Now, some community colleges have formed collectives to pay their athletes. But, the trend really hasn’t trickled down to high schools across the country. I’ve heard about a few high school athletes receiving NIL money, but it’s rare. That is about to change in The Valley.

Valley Prep’s boosters have recently formed a NIL collective called The Standard Collective. Valley Prep’s motto is “Set the Standard”, so the collective name comes from their motto. From my recent story about Valley Prep, you know that athletics are not a big focus for the school. The Standard Collective will not be for athletics; it’s going to initially be for Valley Prep’s chess and debate teams.

Valley Prep’s chess team is the best in the state bar none. They have won the state championship 7 out of the past 8 years, and 5 times in a row. Valley Prep’s debate team is also the best in the state; they’ve won 4 consecutive state championships and 5 out of the past 6. These mental athletes are the top performers at Valley Prep, and they’re some of the most sought after students in the state. Most receive scholarship offers from Ivy League schools and other prestigious universities. As Valley Preppers say, “From The Valley to the Ivy.”

The Standard Collective was formed 3 weeks ago, and it was spearheaded by Bobby Fisher. Fisher said, “We’re very excited about the Standard Collective. We have some of the best mental athletes in the state and in the country, and we want to do everything to keep them at Valley Prep. Many of our chess and debate team members have gotten offers from other schools, and the Standard Collective will help keep our talented students at Valley Prep. It will also help us attract even more mental athletes to Valley Prep. The future is bright for Valley Prep and the Standard Collective. As we say here at Valley Prep- “We set the standard.”

This is the first NIL collective in the state for high schoolers, and it’s interesting that it’s not even for football or athletics. I talked with multiple Valley Prep stakeholders, and the feedback I received about the Standard Collective was mixed.

One Valley Prep football player’s father told me, “To be honest, I think this is a load of crap. Our football team is horrible and has been horrible for a while; the collective money needs to be used for football. The chess and debate teams are already stacked, so they don’t need help. The football program needs help Mr. Fisher! Come on man!”

I talked with Valley Prep’s Director of Academic Achievement, Cornell Brown-Yale, and he said, “We are so excited about the Standard Collective. This will help our mental athletes get the compensation they deserve, and it will help us attract even more top notch chess players and debaters in the state. Some may feel this is a little much for high school students, but we think this will become more common in the future. As usual, Valley Prep is setting the standard.”

The Standard Collective will begin accepting contributions next month. They are urging Valley Prep alumni to donate to this trend-setting organization. It will be interesting to see if other schools in The Valley and the state start paying high school athletes. As usual, you can count on the SRVO to keep you informed, and we’ll do that about Valley Prep and the Standard Collective.

by Mack Speed

Hello Valleyans! We had a great night at The Valley Motor Speedway Saturday night. It was the final race of the season, so it was a playoff-like atmosphere. We had a huge crowd; I think it was the biggest crowd we’ve ever had. Next season, we’ll have to start counting cars and keep track of attendance to know how many we have each race.

Just when you think you have the parking thing down, things go haywire. My parking guys didn’t have a good night. I talked with my head parking guy, and he said some of it was the fans didn’t care what the parking guys said. He also said two of his take charge guys were out, and I guess his replacements didn’t know how to take charge. If you’re not assertive and forceful, these people will just park wherever and however they please.

The vibes at the track were electric. It had the atmosphere of a big SEC football game. We had more tailgaters than ever, and everyone was having a good time. The MSU and Ole Miss fans were tailgating together again, and you love to see that. There were tons of kids running around, and that made me feel good. The Coach O impersonator was back! He has become a celebrity at the track. He was even taking selfies and signing autographs Saturday night.

Rusty Moore and the sports book was on fire this week. We had more betting than ever. Rusty made money for the track last week, and he did really well for the track this week. We might be able to get him some help next season, and I think we made enough money to get him out of the old shooting house and get him some new digs. We’re going to have to do more to promote Rusty and the sports book next season, so y’all look out for that next year.

To the races! My boy, Dale Earnhardt Speed, bounced back after his first ever loss. I told him it’s all about how you respond when you get knocked down. He was locked in from the jump, and it wasn’t even close. He sent a message to Juan Pablo Lagano and the others that he owns the junior league, and it’s gonna stay that way going into next season.

Jimmie Stewart was back this week after serving his one race suspension from gambling on his race. He was locked in from the jump, and he managed to eke it out in the end. It was a tough race, and the guys were bumping and grinding the whole race. I was worried that it might get out hand, but it never did. It was just old fashioned tough racing, and I liked it. The fans were even mouthing back and forth at each other. It was good stuff, and that’s what it’s all about.

Valleyans, thank you for coming out to the track this season! We had a great season, and I can’t wait for next year. We’re gonna continue to grow the SRVMRL, and we appreciate your support. See you next season!

by Offe Hisczrocher

Have you wondered why so many Jeeps have rubber ducks sitting on their dashboard? I’m sure most of you have noticed the rubber ducks on the Jeep dashboards by now. But, I had no idea why so many Jeeps have ducks sitting on their dashboard. Are they Free Masons, members of a secret club, or possibly members of a cult? Well, the practice is called “ducking.” Fellow Jeep owners acknowledge each other for multiple reasons, including just having a nice Jeep to just an act of kindness, by putting a duck on another person’s Jeep. There’s nothing sinister about it; it’s actually a neat practice or trend.

Someone in The Valley has started a similar trend. It appears the originator/s of this trend seeks out older model Honda Accords and Toyota Camrys, and they put mini Energizer bunnies on these cars. No one knows who started the trend, but it’s catching on. I’ve personally noticed 5-6 Accords and Camrys with small Energizer bunnies sitting on their dashboards.

It’s the talk on social media among Valleyans right now. People are trying to figure out who started the trend, but no one knows. The practice is being called “bunnying” or “getting bunnied.” One can assume the Energizer bunny symbolizes that these two car models are durable, and they just keep going and going like the Energizer bunny.

One Valleyan said, “I think this is hilarious. My Accord is 12 years old, and she’s still running strong. I’m going to drive her to the wheels fall off. I’ve been “bunnied” 3 times now, and I’m proud to display those bunnies on my dash. Hopefully, my car will still keep going strong for years to come, and I can fill my dash up with bunnies.”

A Valley Jeep owner said, “I’ve been ducking for years now, and it’s fun. But, I really enjoy bunnying Accord and Camry owners. I’ve bought a ton of mini bunnies, and I’m putting them out everywhere. It’s a riot to see these old cars driving around with bunnies on their dashes.”

This a fun trend, and the intrigue about the originator/s is very funny. The trend hasn’t really caught on outside The Valley yet, but I’m sure it will soon. No one noticed those older Accord and Camry’s until now. Take a backseat Jeep owners! It’s time for these old Accords and Camrys to shine!