Stories from Wednesday, December 19, 2001

Heavy rains over the weekend and early this week caused massive flooding and impassable roads in Clay County Monday. Highway 49 was temporarily closed due to flooding early Monday morning and Highway 90 north of Rector was closed due to bridge washouts...

The Marmaduke boys improved their season record to 17-4 on the year Friday night with a close 53-48 win over Greene County Tech. Josh Bateman led the Greyhounds with 20 points. Adam Oglesby followed with 12 while Shane Jordan pitched in 11. Brent Richardson added six with Chase Henson and Chris Keen tallying two points each...

RECTOR The Riverside Rebels played the spoiler here last Friday night as they defeated the Cougars, 55-45, on their Homecoming night. The Rebels scored first in the contest and never trailed, but did have to fend off a late Cougar threat that was led by an 18-point fourth quarter performance by Rector's Justin Goodman. Goodman connected for four fourth quarter threes as the Cougars cut a once 16-point deficit to eight with just over a minute to play...

MARMADUKE The Marmaduke Lady Greyhounds coasted to an easy 70-20 win over the Rector Lady Cougars last Thursday night at home in the Chester Barner Gymnasium. A total of 12 Lady Greyhounds posted points in the scorebook in the win. A barrage of five first quarter three-pointers for Marmaduke paced the Lady Hounds as they took a 29-5 lead at the end of the first period...

Rector Lumber Company owner Houston Orr of Paragould died Sunday, Dec. 9, at his home at age 73. The business will continue under the ownership of his wife, Wilma, and will be operated by his son, Bill. Orr was born Sept. 7, 1928, in Beech Grove. He also worked as a farmer and was a member of the Oak Grove Church of Christ...

Enoch Huckabay, 80, of Pontiac, Mich., died Friday, Dec. 7, 2001. He was a construction laborer and farmer and was a member of Columbia Avenue Baptist Church. He was a member of the Laborers Union Local 1076, was a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and was a lifetime member of the DAV...

Stuart Brooks Holifield Sr., 73, of Kennett, Mo., a native of Clay County, died Saturday, Dec. 15, 2001, at St. Bernards Regional Medical Center in Jonesboro. Mr. Holifield was born Oct. 15, 1928, in Clay County to the late Edward and Elizabeth Holifield. He worked as a millwright and balancer of large turbines. He was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Rector...

Evelyn Marie Duncan, 76, of Rector, died Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2001, at Arkansas Methodist Hospital in Paragould. She was born March 7, 1925, in Dardanelle to the late Johnny and Myrtle Johnson. A factory worker and homemaker, she was of the Baptist faith...

Cleatis J. "Skeet" Roofe, 86, of Rector died Saturday, Dec. 15, 2001, at Rector Healthcare, Inc. A homemaker, she was born Jan. 8, 1915, in Beech Grove to the late Calvin and Ada (Lovelady) Green. She was married Aug. 4, 1936, in Piggott to Clyde Roofe, who died July 10, 1992. She was a member of Hargrave Corner Evangelical Methodist Church...

The Clay County Conservation District Board began a new chapter in the county's resource conservation history this past week. During the 64th annual meeting of the Arkansas Association of Conservation Districts, held Dec. 4-6 at the North Little Rock Hilton, longtime Clay Conservation District Board vice chairman Richard Simmons of Rector was sworn in to the appointed position of chairman, and County Judge Gary Howell of Piggott took the oath of office to fill the elected position on the board previously held by Simmons.. ...

Two Rector women are sharpening their leadership skills as part of a Regional Leaders Program sponsored by Arkansas State University. Rector city administrative assistant Betty Benson and Rector Housing Authority manager Michele Haley began the nine-month program in September after being contacted by one of the program's leaders, Conye Johnson of ASU...

To receive a necessary 911 equipment upgrade, space at the Clay County Detention Center must be expanded, the quorum court learned Monday night. E-911 coordinator Jenny Hancock said cellphones are "causing headaches" with 911 since the current equipment cannot place an area code on a cellular call. She said a modification was made at a local cellular tower, but now all cellphone calls register the identical number on the 911 monitors...

Perfect weather is expected Thursday night for Rector's fifth annual Christmas parade, set to begin at 5:30 p.m. at the corner of Main and Third Streets. Excitement is building for the big parade, which will again feature colorful lighted floats, the Rector High School marching band, Girl Scouts, antique cars, beauty queens, church groups, area elected officials, the always-popular Jones Family, horses, bicycles and more, including a visitor from the North Pole, Santa himself...

NEA tourney set to tip-off Marmaduke's Lady Greyhounds will face either Lynn or Salem at the NEA tournament on Saturday at 6 p.m. A win would have them face either Maynard or River Valley in the quarterfinals next Thursday at 7:30 p.m. The Marmaduke boys will play either Walnut Ridge or Biggers-Reyno on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 1:30 p.m. The winner will face either Marked Tree, Swifton or Tuckerman in the quarterfinals next Thursday at 4:30 p.m...