Stories from Wednesday, September 5, 2001

The Piggott Fire Department will host an open house for the public at the new fire station from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 8. The new facility is located at the corner of Highway 62 West and North Fourth, across from Duckworth-Muse Medical Clinic...

PIGGOTT The Piggott Lady Mohawk volleyball team was surprised last Thursday night with a loss to the Walnut Ridge Lady Bobcats on both teams' first match of the season. Piggott lost the opening game, 5-15, then came back and won the second game, 15-8, before losing 6-15 in the night's finale...

Two Piggott High School graduates, who are also avid sports fans, are volunteering their professional services to the Piggott Mohawk football teams. Piggott doctors Greg Mallard and John Howell together have volunteered to give their medical support to the senior high and junior high Mohawk football squads...

By just looking at the size of the players on the field, anyone could have predicted that the Walnut Ridge Junior High Bobcats would just run right over the Junior Mohawks, but that was not the case Thursday night at Parker Field in Piggott as the PJHS Mohawks pulled out a 28-14 fourth-quarter win in the season-opening game...

PIGGOTT -- A win is a win. Even if it includes seven fumbles. That was the case last Friday night in Piggott as the Mohawks held off Rector for their first win of the 2001 season, 16-6. "We just didn't play well," was about all Piggott head coach Jason Burkman said about the overall game...

Willie Clifton (Bill) Stidham, 74, of Piggott died Thursday, Aug. 30, 2001, at St. Bernards Regional Medical Center in Jonesboro. He was born Feb. 4, 1927, in Patterson, Ark., the son of the late James Marion and Addie Powers Stidham. He married Audrey Broadway on Dec. 30, 1950. To this union three daughters were born...

Ray E. Brandon, 76, of Piggott died Monday, Sept. 3, 2001, at St. Bernards Regional Medical Center in Jonesboro. He was born June 27, 1925, in Greenway, the son of the late Orval and Nannie Irene Black Brandon. He married Dee Peters on June 28, 1946. To this union one daughter was born...

Mary Christine Price Nanney Newsom, 83, of Greenway died Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2001, at the Illini Community Hospital in Pittsfield, Ill., after a brief hospitalization. She was born Dec. 14, 1917, in Greenway, the daughter of the late David and Hattie Payne Price...

After hearing an extensive report from engineer Marty Thomas of Barnes, Henry, Meisenheimer and Gende, Inc., contractors for upgrades and improvements at the Piggott power plant, the city council approved approximately $14,000 in additional expendures for the project which has been in the planning stages since 1996...

Arkansas and Missouri county and state officials met Friday morning in Piggott to discuss a proposed footbridge across the St. Francis River that would link the two states at Chalk Bluff. Missouri has received a $350,000 federal grant from the Department of Highways and Transportation that requires a 20 percent match, according to Virginia Heise of Malden, Dunklin County, Mo., national and state scenic byway chairman...

The Piggott School District has seven new teachers on staff this year. Six of them are at the high school campus with one new teacher at the elementary school. With 20 years of prior teaching experience, Diane Perry comes to Piggott to teach keyboarding in grade seven and career orientation in grade eight...

The Piggott School District will be holding a special public meeting at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 10, in the high school cafeteria. A power point presentation on the upcoming millage proposal will be presented by Piggott school district superintendent Barry Scott followed by a question and answer session...

Rector Elementary School staff and parents soon will miss the friendly face of secretary Joyce Bond. After 29 years of working in the school system, Bond is looking forward to joining her husband of 42 years, Paul, in retirement Friday, Sept. 7. Bond began working in the Greenway school cafeteria in 1972. ...

Perfect weather and an outstanding lineup of activities made Rector's Labor Day weekend 2001 one of the best ever. Gross revenues for Monday only totaled $65,769, up $1,800 from last year. "Everything was great," said Woodland Heights Cemetery Commission treasurer Betty Essman. "It all came together again, and everyone did their part. I'm so pleased."...

The Rector Junior Cougars fell just short of the Corning Junior Bobcats last Thursday night in Rector 14-6. Coach Wade Williams said he was pleased with the effort. "They were down, but they never quit," Williams said. Corning got on the scoreboard early in the first period and added a second score in the second period...

Ryan Sorahan has climbed from Foothill to the top of the Ozarks. Last year's quarterback at Foothill College in Los Gatos, Calif. has become the University of Arkansas' starting quarterback just two games into his Razorback tenure. The junior college transfer, who didn't even set foot in Arkansas until August, saved the Razorbacks' bacon last Thursday night. ...

The impact of athletic participation among elementary and high school students is immeasurable. The memories gained by participating in sports for young athletes will stay with the youngsters for their entire lives. When I was young and in scholastic sports, I was a pretty decent baseball pitcher and basketball player. ...

PIGGOTT The outcome could have easily been very different. Take the three punting mishaps in the first quarter away and the Rector Cougars could have very well upset the Piggott Mohawks in week one of the 2001 season. But unfortunately, that can't be done...

Ellen Javene Liddell, 69, of Paragould died Friday Aug. 31, 2001, at her home. A retired credit manager of Belk Department Store, she was born March 20, 1932, in Greene County to the late Raymond and Addie McCoy. She was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Paragould, a former Sunday School teacher and taught kindergarten at the First United Methodist Church...

Shirley Jean Blount, 65, of Paragould died Friday, Aug. 31, 2001, at St. Bernards Regional Medical Center in Jonesboro. Born Oct. 18, 1935, she was co-owner of Blount Auto Sales in Paragould and was of the Baptist faith. Survivors include three sons, Barry Woodson, Garry Woodson and Michael Woodson, all of Paragould; one stepdaughter, Susan Vaughn of Chicago, Ill.; two stepsons, David Blount of Rector and Phil Blount of Paragould; one brother, Bobby Barnes, and 10 grandchildren...

Sheral Thomas Reed, 92, of Biggers, a native of Boydsville, died Saturday, Sept. 1, 2001, at his home. A retired railroad bridgeman, he was born Jan. 2, 1909, in Boydsville to the late Thomas Arl Reed and Virgie (Huggins) Reed. He was married March 20, 1959, to Hazel Wilcoxson. He was a member of Rock Springs United Methodist Church...

Ray E. Brandon, 76, of Piggott died Monday, Sept. 3, 2001, at St. Bernards Regional Medical Center in Jonesboro. He was born June 27, 1925, in Greenway, the son of the late Orval and Nannie Irene Black Brandon. He married Dee Peters on June 28, 1946. To this union one daughter was born...

Inez Catherine Phillips, 90, of Paragould, a native of Rector, died Sunday, Sept. 2, 2001, at Baptist East Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. She was born April 2, 1911, in Rector and spent her early childhood years in Rector before the family moved to the Halliday community. ...

The Christian band Kanon of Ormond Beach, Fla., spent the week in Rector praising God through music and visiting the relatives of two band members, Nathan Hargrave and Drew Hodge, who are grandsons of Sue and Don Mosley of Rector. Drew's paternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Eldon Hodge, are from Halliday, and Nathan's paternal grandmother is Mamie Etta Hargrave of Rector...

Democrat News Staff Rector High School sophomore Ben Livingston has played trumpet since he was in the fifth grade. What first started his five-year devotion to the brass instrument was its keys. "I figured it was one of the easier instruments to play because it only has three keys," he said. "I was originally going to play the flute, but it just had way too many keys...

Beautiful sunny weather greeted visitors during the 60th annual Rector Labor Day Picnic. Mayor Ron Kemp greeted the "outstanding crowd" and welcomed everyone to the event. He said Rector natives are being encouraged to relocate to the area, and the city and chamber of commerce is ready to lend assistance...

The annual three-man scramble will be held this Saturday and Sunday at Sugar Creek Country Club in Piggott. A $10,000 hole-in-one contest will be featured on hole number 11 on Sunday. The prize is sponsored by Piggott State Bank. According to a spokesman, there are still openings for those who wish to participate...