The public water system of the City of Cleveland was awarded a second consecutive perfect score from the Mississippi State Department of Health during the fiscal year 2008 Public Water System Capacity Assessment.

The City also received a perfect rating in the fiscal year 2007 assessment. According to the Mississippi State Department of Health Division of Water Supply, only 19 percent of the state's water systems scored a perfect rating of 5.0 in both fiscal years 2007 and 2008.

By David Johnson
The CNL

A group of local Democrats gathered Friday afternoon at the Christ Temple Church in Cleveland to petition the chairman of the county party to hold a caucus to form a new Democratic Municipal Executive Committee for the city.

The Democratic Municipal Executive Committee is responsible for conducting the May 6 Democratic primary in Cleveland. Voters will go to the polls to elect seven alderman and a mayor that day.

By Taylor Mitchell
The CNL

Editor's Note: This is the first in a series called "Our Cleveland," focusing on the people, places and things that make Cleveland one of the best small cities in America.

As baseball season approaches, it’s time for every body to return to their favorite baseball field in Cleveland, Dave “Boo” Ferriss Field.

Anybody who has ever been to a game at this simple, yet magnificent baseball field has walked the same steps as everybody else.

Parking in the grassy field next to the stadium, or along the road, purchasing their tickets right outside the gate, walking past the concessions and rest rooms to take their seat behind home plate, or wherever you choose to sit.
It is all part of the Delta State experience.

However, it is time to add another stop along that pathway, the Dave “Boo” Ferriss Museum.

By David Johnson
The CNL
Cleveland police officers will soon be equiped with tasers.

Police chief Charles "Buster" Bingham said officers will be carrying the electronic defense device by mid-February.

"We plan on ordering the tasers this week and, hopefully, they will be deployed by the middle of next month," Bingham related.

The City of Cleveland Board of Aldermen approved departmental use of the weapon last week.

BY DAVID JOHNSON
THE CNL

Business may be brisk when Cleveland’s city hall opens for business Monday morning.

Monday will mark the first day candidates for city office may officially file qualifying papers.

Up for grabs are all seven City of Cleveland aldermanic seats and the mayor’s job. As of this writing, seats in city wards 2, 4 and 5 are contested, as well as the mayor’s job.

Our front page today is full of election news.

I expect it will likely stay that way for the next 120 days.

That’s right.

It has crept up on us again. It’s election time in Cleveland.

So in addition to those beautiful, blooming tulips, the lawns of Cleveland will be planted with yard signs soon. A friend of mine is taking bets on which candidate will be the first to start punching holes in the lawns of Cleveland. There, of course, will be red, white and blue signs. Then there will be red signs. Blue ones, too. Maybe even a green. Maybe black and gold.

By
James Jennings
The CNL

Holiday Cheer
(Corbin White and Sara Ellen Hill admire a purse at Muddpuddles. Photo by Taylor Mitchell, CNL.)

Going into the holiday shopping season, many economists were predicting doom and gloom for retailers, but such was not the case for many downtown Cleveland merchants.

In the last weekend before Christmas, downtown merchants were pleased - some even surprised - with how well business has been this season.

"We're very surprised," Nancy Pate of Nancy's Hallmark said. "You would never know we had a recession going on right now."

By Taylor Mitchell
The CNL

The fans are cheering.

The band is playing the school’s fight song as loud as they can.

The players are playing the game as hard as they can.
Orchestrating all of this is one man, the head coach.

The head coach prowls the sidelines with his headset, play sheet, and a screaming voice. He is the visible leader of the team, commanding respect from everyone around him.

But out of the 11 schools in the Bolivar-North Sunflower area, one coach stood above the rest.

By
Taylor Mitchell
The CNL

Every team has that one player they turn to when the game is on the line.

If they need one yard, they turn to him. If they need 20 yards, they turn to him.

He doesn’t succeed at just one aspect of football, but in all aspects of the game.

On offense, he can’t be stopped.

On defense, he’s a brick wall.

Even on special teams, he is the one player you don’t kick to.