Good Monday morning! Welcome to a brand new week. This is The Daybreaker, the first of several newsletters that will be published this week by the Independent Herald. The Daybreaker (Monday morning) and The Weekender (Thursday evening) are our two news-first newsletters. We publish several other newsletters throughout the week, as well as our regular E-Edition on Thursday and our Varsity E-Edition on Sunday (during sports season). If you’d like to adjust your subscription to include (or exclude) this or any of our other newsletters, please do so here. If you need to subscribe, it’s as simple as entering your email address:
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Howdy Coffee officially opens new store
HUNTSVILLE | After two and a half years of operating out of a portable trailer, Howdy Coffee officially has brick-and-mortar digs … and the Town of Huntsville has its first permanent coffee shop.
Howdy Coffee Company officially cut the ribbon on its new store on East Monticello Pike Friday morning, after spending months remodeling the building behind where its trailer has set since September 2023.
The new store is located next-door to Scott Appalachian Industries.
Huntsville Mayor Dennis Jeffers and Scott County Mayor Jerried Jeffers joined representatives of the Scott County Chamber of Commerce and Howdy Coffee for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Howdy Coffee Company is owned by Jagger and Leondra Coffey.
In addition to mocha, latte, and traditional coffees, along with cold brews and frozen coffees, Howdy offers Chai tea, hot chocolate, lemonade and Italian soda.
The Coffey family has a long history of doing business in Huntsville. Jagger Coffey is the grandson of the late James and Phyllis Coffey.
James Coffey owned the James E. Coffey Construction Co. for many years prior to his untimely death at the age of 53. He had just started Coffey’s Rentals when he died in 2000. Phyllis Coffey, who died last year, owned Master’s Touch Salon & Boutique. Their son-in-law, John Beaty, continues to operate his law office in the Master’s Touch Plaza, which James and Phyllis Coffey built. Their son, Trent Coffey (Jagger’s father) is executive director of S.T.A.N.D., and their daughter, Misty Beaty, is the postmaster in Huntsville.
Leondra Coffey is a native of McCreary County. She and Jagger Coffey were married in 2024.
Need a good rate on your auto insurance? Contact your local State Farm agent, Roger Baldwin. (Sponsored content.)
Damaging freeze to occur tonight, tomorrow night
The cost of a warm start to spring like the northern Cumberland Plateau region has experienced in 2026 is the damaging freezes that will inevitably follow, and the first of those for this year is about to be experienced across the region the next two nights.
The National Weather Service is forecasting a low temperature of 20° tonight in the Oneida area, followed by a low of 21° tomorrow night. Temperatures will only rise into the mid 30s tomorrow, and will be in the 30s much of today, as well.
These are not likely to be record low temperatures for the date; the record for tomorrow morning is 14°, set in 2017, and the record for Wednesday morning is 12°, set in 1967.
In fact, the average date of the latest morning that temperatures drop to 20° or lower in the Oneida area each year is March 17, which puts this week’s cold snap right on schedule. The latest it has ever occurred was April 11, back in 1966.
However, this cold snap is exacerbated by the much warmer-than-normal temperatures that the region has experienced this season, which has accelerated the start of the blooming process. Many species of fruit trees are in full bloom across the region. Peach trees are nearing full bloom, and many varieties of pear trees are blooming, as well.
When temperatures dip below freezing, which is 32°, the water inside the cells of flower petals and stems begins to freeze. As ice crystals expand, cell walls rupture and irreversible damage is caused, resulting in wilted, discolored, or mushy flowers that lose their structural integrity. Although some spring blooms withstand cold temperatures better than others, fruit trees are especially susceptible. When apple trees are in full bloom, a temperature of 28° will kill approximately 10% of developing fruit, while a temperature of 25° will kill 90% of the developing fruit. With temperatures expected to drop to near 20° the next two nights, this year’s fruit crop is likely to take a significant hit.
Home gardeners with small to medium trees can use cloth or burlap to cover their trees and trap in warm air. Such materials must fully cover the tree and extend to the ground to be effective, but should not stick to the blooms, as this can cause further damage. Plastic tarps are not recommended.
Words of Wisdom
Each week, Preacher Johnny Polk and the Oneida Church of Christ present Words of Wisdom, short devotionals that are archived on our website. Here is the current Words of Wisdom. (Sponsored content.)
The Week Ahead
❄️ Weather: Snow showers are likely today as colder air surges in. Any accumulations should be minor and primarily limited to elevated surfaces; widespread travel hazards are not anticipated. Temperatures will drop through the 30s today, bottoming out around 20° tonight. Tomorrow will only get into the mid 30s, and we’ll drop to near 20° again tomorrow night before a warming trend begins Wednesday. We’ll be back to near 70° on Friday. Check out our daily Eye to the Sky updates on our Facebook page — published each morning at 7 a.m. on the dot — or always available at indherald.com.
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📅 Community Calendar
Monday: The Scott Appalachian Industries Senior Center (Monticello Pike, Huntsville) offers a walking program, puzzles and games, and massage chairs every week day (Monday-Friday) from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Monday: Ridgeview Behavioral Health Services’ Mobile Health Clinic will be in the Walmart parking lot in Oneida from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., offering integrated primary care and behavioral health. No insurance is not a problem. Call (866) 599-0466 for more information.
Monday: The Scott County Senior Citizens Center (Main Street, Oneida) will serve lunch from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. The cost is $7 for dine-in or carry-out. Phone: (423) 569-5972.
Monday: Scott County Commission will meet at 5 p.m. at the Scott County Office Building in Huntsville.
Tuesday: The Scott County Senior Citizens Center (Main Street, Oneida) will host exercise from 10 a.m. until 11 a.m.
Tuesday: Pinnacle Resource Center’s food pantry (1513 Jeffers Road, Huntsville) will be open beginning at 10 a.m. There are no income guidelines; however, a photo ID and a piece of mail with a Scott County address are required.
Tuesday: Boy Scout Troop #333 will meet at the Oneida War Memorial Building on Alberta Street in Oneida beginning at 6 p.m.
Tuesday: Wall Builders will meet from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. at Trinity Baptist Church (1611 Glass House Road, Helenwood) for those struggling with addiction or striving to keep off drugs. There will be preaching, teaching, food, fellowship and personal counseling.
Tuesday: Robbins Elementary School Food Pantry will be open March 17 from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m. at Barton Chapel (5760 Scott High-way, Robbins). Turn onto School House Road at Keeton Monuments and follow it to the entrance of Barton Chapel (do not try to enter Barton Chapel from U.S. 27 please). Parents, grandparents, guardians or caregivers of a child attending Robbins Elementary School or Head Start are eligible to receive food.
Tuesday: Alcoholics Anonymous will meet at 7 p.m. at the Highway 27 Unity Club (17737 S. Alberta Street, Oneida).
Wednesday: The Scott County Senior Citizens Center (Main Street, Oneida) will serve lunch from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. The cost is $7 for dine-in or carry-out.
Thursday: The Gerry McDonald Mission House, located on Church Avenue, directly behind First United Methodist Church, is open from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. You are eligible to receive food once per month. 569-8828.
Thursday: The Scott County Senior Citizens Center (Main Street, Oneida) will host exercise from 10 a.m. until 11 a.m.
Thursday: The Town of Oneida Board of Mayor and Aldermen will meet at 6 p.m. at the Oneida Municipal Services Building.
Thursday: The Town of Huntsville Board of Mayor and Aldermen will meet at 6 p.m. at the Huntsville Municipal Building.
The Community Calendar is presented by Citizens Gas Utility District. Citizens Gas Utility District regularly patrols its system and checks pipelines for leaks to help mitigate hazardous situations. Visit citizensgastn.com.
Thank you for reading. Our next newsletter will be Echoes From the Past tomorrow. If you’d like to update your subscription to add or subtract any of our newsletters, do so here. If you haven’t yet subscribed, it’s as simple as adding your email address!
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Our Newsletters:
• Monday morning: The Daybreaker (news & the week ahead)
• Tuesday: Echoes from the Past (stories of our history)
• Wednesday: Threads of Life (obituaries)
• Thursday evening: The Weekender (news & the weekend)
• Friday: Friday Features (beyond the news)
• Sunday: Varsity (a weekly sports recap)