2 months 3 weeks ago
CHARLESTON — Earline M. Fillyaw, age 83, passed away Thursday, Jan. 1, at her home in Charleston.
Funeral services will be held 3 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 6, with visitation one hour prior, at Adams Arbor Church of God of Prophecy. Interment will follow in Adams Arbor Cemetery. Newsom Funeral Home has charge of arrangements.
She was preceded in death by her daughter, Angela Todd.
She is survived by her son, Brian Wilkes of Courtland; 6 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
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2 months 3 weeks ago
CHARLESTON — Kathy Annette Rogers Dungan, age 70, registered nurse, passed away, Wednesday, Dec. 31.
Funeral services will be held 11 a.m. Monday, Jan. 5, at Newsom Funeral Home with interment following in Magnolia Gardens Cemetery at Paynes.
She is survived by her husband, Donnie Dungan; two sons, Joshua Dungan and Christopher Dungan; and a granddaughter.
The family requests memorials be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Published on
3 months ago
Published on
3 months ago
As revelers prepare to bid adieu to 2025 and welcome in 2026, Charleston Police Chief Kirby Griffin reminds city residents that their New Year’s festivities should not include the use of guns.
For some people, discharging a shotgun or other firearm into the air at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve is simply part of a long New Year’s tradition, but Griffin said no allowance is made for celebratory gunfire in the city of Charleston.
The chief said the city has a “zero tolerance” policy for discharging a firearm in the city of Charleston for any reason and on any day.
By Clay McFerrin - Editor and Publisher, Charleston Sun-Sentinel on
3 months ago
Charleston celebrates on New Year's Eve 2022. (Sun-Sentinel file photo by Clay McFerrin)
Singing, fireworks and a ball drop are to be part of the festivities surrounding a public New Year’s Eve celebration in Charleston tonight, according to Mayor Sedrick Smith Sr.
The event will be conducted in front of City Hall, on the south side of Charleston Court Square, the mayor said.
The festivities are scheduled to get underway two hours before the big finale.
“We will have some open mic singing starting at 10 p.m.,” Smith said. “If anybody wants to come and sing their favorite song, they can.”
By Clay McFerrin - Editor and Publisher, Charleston Sun-Sentinel on
3 months ago
Family members are pictured at a recent West Tallahatchie Habitat for Humanity house dedication ceremony in Tutwiler. From left, they are homeowner Ariel Montgomery, her aunt Amelia Davis, her daughter Alaiyah, her mother Yolanda Davis, her grandmother Emma Davis and her cousin, Karter Davis. (Photo special to The Sun-Sentinel)
TUTWILER — Days before the Thanksgiving holiday, West Tallahatchie Habitat for Humanity completed its mission once again, “One home, one hammer, one dollar, one family at a time.”
The Habitat affiliate dedicated House No. 48 to its newest homeowner, Ariel Montgomery, and daughter.
On Tuesday, Nov. 25, Montgomery signed off on her promissory note/Deed of Trust to Homeownership with West Tallahatchie Habitat for Humanity. A house dedication ceremony was held immediately following the signing.
By Sherry Hilliard - Special to The Sun-Sentinel on
3 months ago
TUTWILER — Dorothy Jean Madden, age 78, passed away Thursday, Dec. 18.
Visitation will be held 1-5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 2, at Clark-Williams Funeral Home in Grenada.
Funeral services will be held 12 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 3, at Mt. Calvary Baptist Church near Tutwiler.
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3 months 1 week ago
Sister Mary Bertoli, SNJM, 94, born on June 7, 1931, died on December 11, 2025, in Lake Oswego, Oregon.
A Mass of Resurrection will be held Thursday, January 8, 2026, at 11 a.m., at the Chapel of the Holy Names, in Marylhurst, Oregon. Burial follows at Holy Names Cemetery.
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3 months 1 week ago
CHARLESTON— Wilburn Wesson Coker, III (“Tray”), age 56, passed away, Sunday, Dec. 21.
A memorial service celebrating Tray’s life will be held 2 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 23, at Stonefield Church of God. In accordance with Tray’s wishes, he will be cremated, and no burial service will follow.
He is survived by his children, Michael Wesson Coker, Kaitlin Blair Coker and Jenna Clair Coker; a brother, sister and three grandchildren.
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3 months 1 week ago
TUTWILER — Hiawatha Bell, age 62, of Tutwiler, passed away Friday, Dec. 19, in Memphis, Tenn.
Visitation will be held 5-7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 26, at Tutwiler Funeral Home.
A celebration of life service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 27, at Union Grove Missionary Baptist Church, Clarksdale, with interment following at Mt. Calvary Church Cemetery Thornton near Tutwiler.
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3 months 1 week ago
SUMNER — Smith Murphey IV, age 88, passed away Tuesday, Dec. 16, at his home in Sumner.
A celebration of life service, including military honors, will be held Monday, Dec. 22, at Sumner Presbyterian Church, followed by a private interment at Woodlawn Cemetery in Sumner. Meredith Nowell Funeral Home in Clarksdale, has charge of arrangements. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the Sumner Presbyterian Church or a charity of the donor’s choice.
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3 months 2 weeks ago
OXFORD — The Ole Miss Rebels make their NCAA College Football Playoff debut on Saturday (Dec. 20) at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, hosting Tulane University and transforming Oxford into the most sought-after spot in the entire state.
The postseason milestone follows a regular season that delivered a record $411 million in visitor spending across the city and the highest single-game and regular season attendance numbers on record. City and University of Mississippi officials anticipate the playoff game will bring a holiday gift unlike any the area has experienced.
By Special to The Sun-Sentinel on
3 months 2 weeks ago
Lola, a Charleston dog found with two gunshot wounds, awaits the result of tests. She would be euthanized due to the extent of the injuries. (Photo by Doll Stanley)
A $500 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for shooting a neighborhood brindle pit bull in Charleston.
Doll Stanley, of Winona, who is with In Defense of Animals’ Justice for Animals Campaign, said the female dog, Lola, was shot once in each hip during the local weekend incident and her injuries were so severe she had to be euthanized.
By Clay McFerrin - Editor and Publisher, Charleston Sun-Sentinel on
3 months 2 weeks ago
Photo by Clay McFerrin, © 2025 Emmerich Newspapers, Inc.
Students perform during the Dec. 16 Charleston Elementary School Christmas musical held in the Morgan Freeman Auditorium at Charleston High School.
The pre-K through fourth-grade classes of Charleston Elementary School presented their annual Christmas musical Tuesday night (Dec. 16) in the Morgan Freeman Auditorium on the campus of Charleston High School.
Students from each grade had their own featured time on the program, presenting unique musical routines centered around familiar Christmas songs, including “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Jingle Bell Rock,” “Like It’s Christmas,” “Feliz Navidad” and “It’s Christmas Time.”
By Clay McFerrin - Editor and Publisher, Charleston Sun-Sentinel on
3 months 2 weeks ago
Sylvia Hickey
Northwest Mississippi Community College Board of Trustees member Sylvia Hickey of Charleston poses with National Junior College Athletic Association awards won by the NWCC Lady Rangers soccer team. The team captured its first-ever NJCAA Division II national championship in the sport in November 2024, finishing with a perfect record of 22-0, and repeated with a second national title in 2025. The awards were on display at the Dec. 11 board meeting. (Photo by Jamie Anderson of Charleston, also a NWCC board member for Tallahatchie County)
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3 months 2 weeks ago
Sumner Town Clerk Toni T. Clark, left, receives a plaque from Mayor Jackson Webb IV and the Sumner Board of Aldermen. (Photo special to The Sun-Sentinel)
SUMNER — Retiring Town Clerk Toni T. Clark was honored recently with a plaque and resolution from elected town officials.
The plaque, dated Dec. 2, praises her “24 years of outstanding service and commitment as town clerk” and her “wisdom, integrity and professionalism.”
The resolution reads:
“Whereas, Toni T. Clark will retire on December 31, 2025, after twenty-four years of outstanding and dedicated service to the Town of Sumner and its citizens.
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3 months 2 weeks ago
School will be out in a few days for the Christmas holidays. I pray all school and college students and faculty members will have a safe and fun vacation from school for a couple of weeks.
Ginger Harrison and her husband, Phil, along with their Aunt Linda Harrison, had a great lunch at Diane Nail Hill’s Sunday. They were celebrating Phil’s birthday (the 16th) early. Belated happy birthday, Phil!
By PATCIE DECK on
3 months 3 weeks ago
The second week of the Advent Season focuses on peace.
In the Beatitudes, Jesus lays out a series of blessings for those who follow him.
These blessings are not for those who use only lip service to follow Jesus; these blessings are for those who practice the tenets and ordinances that Jesus laid out. Following the teachings of Jesus may not always be comfortable, because Jesus embraced some radical ideas about seeking the kingdom of heaven and loving one’s enemies.
By VIRGINIA BURCHFIELD on
3 months 3 weeks ago
From 4 months old to 93 years old, community members gather for the town’s annual Christmas tree lighting ceremonies in Oakland. (Photos by Linda Ross Aldy)
It truly is beginning to look a lot like Christmas and that song kicked off the Oakland Tree Lighting Ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 6 as the Stayin’ Alive Singers of DeSoto County, in Victorian Carolers’ attire, led a group of about 80 people who gathered for the tree lighting.
By Linda Ross Aldy on
3 months 3 weeks ago
Warm and pleasant greetings to all. We hope you are enjoying a good week.
Last Tuesday, Blue Cane Little Hubbard Community Center was opened for voting in the runoff election for the District 24 Senate seat. Some people forgot about the runoff, or maybe it was the cold weather.
Regardless, it’s important for all voters to participate in the election process. Voting day should be marked on your calendar as soon as you know.
We congratulate and welcome Justin Pope to Tallahatchie County, which joins three other counties making up Senate District 24.
By MELBA TAYLOR on
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1 day 11 hours ago
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