Stories from Wednesday, June 13, 2001

A full action-packed weekend of girls softball ended Sunday afternoon at Rector's Fourth Annual Dr. Pepper Bash. 22 teams played three days of tournament action at the Jeremy McDaniel field. Tournament trophies were presented to the top four finishers in the three age categories...

In a unanimous decision Monday night, the Rector school board voted to raise teacher salaries by $1,500 for next year. "The state legislature voted to raise all teacher salaries by $3,000 over the next two years," superintendent Kelly Scobey said. "Schools are required to raise salaries by $1,000 this year, but we're in pretty good shape financially, so I suggested we go ahead and do $1,500 this year."...

Marmaduke residents are hard at work making ready for the city's annual Independence Day Celebration. The fun will begin with a spectacular carnival Friday night, June 29, provided by Star Amusements, which also provides Piggott's carnival for the Fourth of July...

When a person has had a life-changing experience, it shows in his or her face. For a group of parents and youth at the Rector First United Methodist Church, one glance is all it takes to know that a recent mission trip to Kansas City, Mo., will never be forgotten. Youth leader Ginger Sain and Pastor Jimmy Anderson talked about the transforming experience the group had May 27-31...

Working for the Marmaduke Fourth of July Picnic is a family tradition for longtime picnic chairman Terry Roberts. Serving as chairman or co-chairman since 1990, Roberts carries on the work of his grandfather, the late Simmie Houston, who was one of the original organizers of the picnic when it began in 1965...

Fuzzhead's C-Store and Pizza Pro opened today (Wednesday, June 13) on Highway 49 North in Marmaduke, just across from the Post Office, and will be open 24 hours a day to provide good food, convenience items and gasoline. Owner Bob Lacey of Rector has a lot of experience in the restaurant and convenience store business and says he is excited about the new store, which marks his third location. ...

William Henry "Bob" Hillyer, 71, of Piggott died Sunday, June 10, 2001, at Piggott Community Hospital. He was born May 13, 1930, in Pollard, the son of the late John and Edith Sedrick Hillyer. He married Marie Runyon on Feb. 4, 1950. To this union two children were born...

Rector's Babe Ruth teams split the A and B games against Hoxie last week. Rector won the B game by a score of 11-5. Dusty Scott picked up the pitching win. Hitting safely for Rector were Jacob Holcomb with a single and a double, Scott with a double, Derick Parish with a single and a double, Phillip Forbs with two singles, Matt Hale with a double and Merman Holcomb with a double. Bryan Arnold reached base safely after a dropped third strike. Jacob Holcomb picked up the save...

Piggott's C.W. Knauts fired a combined score of 223 last week at the Fayetteville Country Club to claim the Super Senior Stroke Championship state title. The tournament was held June 5-7. The championship title is Knauts' third state tournament championship. In 1997, he won the match play competition title at Harbor Oaks Golf Course in Pine Bluff. He also won the Senior Four-Ball Tournament in 1998 at Searcy...

A full action-packed weekend of girls softball ended Sunday afternoon at Rector's Fourth Annual Dr. Pepper Bash. 22 teams played three days of tournament action at the Jeremy McDaniel field. Tournament trophies were presented to the top four finishers in the three age categories...

Betty Russell of Piggott and Pat McCarroll of Cherokee Village combined to fire a 72 to take first place in the Championship Flight of the annual Two Ladies Scramble last Tuesday at Sugar Creek Country Club. Placing second was the team of Mary Godwin and Sherry Davis of Poplar Bluff with a 74. Barbara Hamilton and Billie Clayton of Rector shot a 75 to place third...

A total of 22 young Piggott girls spent last week on the hardcourt of the Mohawk gymnasium learning basketball fundamentals and sportsmanship at the annual Lady Mohawk basketball camp. After four days of practice and game situations, the participating girls were recognized with a special awards ceremony last Thursday...

Piggott Lady Mohawk volleyball players, Micha Morgan and Courtney Carrens along with head coach Angie Donner have recently been named to the 2000 Arkansas Athletic Association's All Star teams. Morgan and Carrens will be competing in the annual AAA state All Star volleyball game on June 22 at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia...

The Piggott School Board passed a motion Monday night agreeing to propose a 2.9 millage increase on the September ballot. In official terms, a motion made by board member Shawn Parker read, "...to submit an application for a permit to issue bonds with related documents for a $1,128,908 funding and construction bond issue to the state Department of Education and to employ Raney and Beardsley, Inc. as fiscal agent."...

The Piggott City Council quickly dispensed with a light agenda Monday evening. The council heard from South Garfield Street resident DeWitt Carman, who has appeared before the council on previous occasions to complain about drainage problems on his property...

The Arkansas Board of Education restored $3 million to the state's regional public libraries Monday, double the anticipated $1.5 million that was expected to be added to the budget. Hal Hubener, director of the Northeast Arkansas Regional Library, which includes Piggott, Rector, Corning, Paragould and Pocahontas, said the local library system will now receive approximately $82,000 for the next fiscal year that begins July 1...

William Henry "Bob" Hillyer, 71, of Piggott died Sunday, June 10, 2001, at Piggott Community Hospital. He was born May 13, 1930, in Pollard, the son of the late John and Edith Sedrick Hillyer. He married Marie Runyon on Feb. 4, 1950. To this union two children were born...

Myrtle Edwards, 88, of Piggott died Thursday, June 7, 2001, at the General Baptist Nursing Center in Campbell. She was born Dec. 30, 1913, in Piggott, the daughter of the late Lewis Whitley and Susan Bradford Haywood. She married Delmar C. Edwards on Oct. 8, 1933. To this union two children were born...

Alice Coleman, 74, died Thursday, June 7, 2001, at Piggott Community Hospital. She was born April 1, 1927, in Phelps, Ky., the daughter of James and Elonia Taylor. She is survived by five sons and two daughters, Burgess and Elaine Coleman and Lonia and David Peyton of South Lyon, Mich., Carl Coleman of Athens, Tenn., Larry and Diana Coleman of Stockbridge, Mich., Glenn and Jean Coleman of Lovonia, Mich., and Debbie and Alan Crow of Piggott, and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, including Jim Crow and Shannon and Larry Don Smith of Piggott.. ...

Linnie Mae Cole, 88, of Piggott died Tuesday, June 5, 2001, at her home. She was born April 2, 1913, in Holcomb, the daughter of the late Alfred Marion and Emer Estella Parks Clements. She married Ralph Cole on Aug. 6, 1935. To this union two sons were born...

Lou Edwards, a lifelong resident of Piggott and wife of C.C. Edwards, died Wednesday, June 6, 2001. She was born Dec. 24, 1924, in Piggott, the daughter of the late William and Hazel Marie Stallings Vaughn. She married C.C. Edwards on July 2, 1942. She was preceded in death by an infant daughter, Donna Marie...

Stanley McComb, 84, of Piggott died Sunday, June 10, 2001, at his home. He was born Nov. 12, 1916, in Holcomb, the son of the late James and Lena Johnson McComb. He married Ada E. Menser on Oct. 31, 1945. He was preceded in death by his wife and three brothers, Paul, Junior and Glen...

Zelma Duckworth Mayo, 94, of Piggott died Friday, June 8, 2001, at the General Baptist Nursing Home in Campbell, Mo. She was born Sept. 8, 1906, in Pollard, the daughter of the late Clarence E. and Cora Mae Johnson Grider. She married Dock Duckworth on Nov. 14, 1925. After his death, she married Ezra Mayo, who preceded her in death on Feb. 19, 1976...

The L.A. Darling Company, with a wood products branch in Piggott, announced last week it was reducing its work force throughout its North American locations. According to a company news release, the reduction included 80 salaried and 135 hourly associates...