Stories from Wednesday, July 30, 2003

The annual Greenway Picnic will be held Saturday, Aug. 2, at the picnic grounds on Highway 49 in Greenway. Entertainment is scheduled throughout the day, and Greenway School memorabilia will be on display in the northeast corner of the picnic kitchen...

Sarethna "Dina" Embry Robertson Stickney, 95, of Centralia, Mo., formerly of Renick, Mo., died at 6:35 a.m. Saturday, July 26, 2003, at Loma Linda Nursing Home in Moberly, Mo. Mrs. Stickney was born Feb. 18, 1908, in Crockett, to the late Allison Butler and Flora Katherine Embrey Embry. She grew up as a child in Piggott and later moved to St. Louis when she was a teenager...

Ballard Doyne Mann, 76, of Piggott died Saturday, July 26, 2003, in the Piggott Community Hospital. He was born Jan. 20, 1927, in Pollard, the son of the late Jeff Davis and Lida Settlemoir Mann. He was united in marriage to Geraldine Davis on Nov. 7, 1947...

Bruce Thrasher, 69, of Piggott died July 14, 2003, in the Arkansas Methodist Hospital in Paragould. He was born March 15, 1934, in Piggott, the son of the late John Green and Lora Rosalyn Jackson Thrasher. He was united in marriage to Jo Ann Higdon on Feb. 13, 1969. She preceded him in death on May 7, 2001...

Gaylon Leon Montgomery, 71, of Piggott died July 24, 2003, at his home in Piggott. He was born Sept. 2, 1931, in Rector, the son of the late George and Ether Beaver Montgomery. He was united in marriage to Veila Doris Holland Burnine on Nov. 8, 1969...

Cecilia Watson Bond, 99, of Poplar Bluff, died on July 6, 2003, in Jacksonville, Fla. Mrs. Bond was born on Feb. 20, 1904, in Benton County, Tn., to George Riley Watson and Mary Jane Smothers Watson. She was united in marriage to Elmer Riley Bond on Dec. 24, 1924. He died on Feb. 17, 1981...

Kathy Fay Raney, 45, of Corning died Friday, July 25, 2003, in an automobile accident eight miles west of Corning. She was preceded in death by her father, John Raney, and one brother, David. She was a 1976 graduate of Rector High School. Survivors include her mother, Mazie Raney of the home; four sisters, Janet Mason and Lesia Simpson of Rector and Dorothy Boozer and Frances Raney of Piggott; five brothers, Johnny Raney of Corning, Robert Raney of Marion, Ark., Max Raney of Piggott, Roger Raney of Pollard and Gaylon Raney of Mt. ...

State budget cuts have forced decreased hours at the Clay County Health Unit office in Corning, effective Aug. 1. The health unit's office hours in Piggott will remain unchanged. Kim Donner, R.N./hometown health team leader, said that, beginning Aug. 4, the Corning office will be open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Mondays and Fridays. She said it serves residents from the areas of Biggers-Reyno, Success, Corning, Peach Orchard, Datto and McDougal...

The Piggott City Council approved an ordinance during Monday night's utilities meeting to add $5 to all city district court fines. City Attorney John Lingle said the additional fines are placed in special fund that is designated specifically for prisoner housing fees. He said the fund was created by Act 1188 of 2003...

The Clay County Fair will be held Aug. 18-23 at the Clay County Fairgrounds in Piggott. Fair catalogs are printed and can be picked up at various locations in Piggott, Rector and Corning. If you need a fair catalog, one can be picked up at the Clay County Extension Office in Piggott at 148 East Main, Piggott, or 508 Vine Street in Corning...

Arkansas regulations mandate candidates running for a position on their local school board must file a petition with the county clerk of their respective county no later than Monday, Aug. 4, to be listed on the ballot, according to Clay County Clerk Sharon Williams...

Preseason practices for the Piggott Mohawk football team will begin on Monday, Aug. 11. The field house will be open at 7 a.m. Seventh graders will practice from 7:30-9:30 a.m. with the eighth and ninth graders following from 10 a.m. until noon. 10th, 11th, and 12th graders will practice from 3:30-6 p.m...

After suffering through a dismal 2002 campaign, Piggott Mohawk football fans can now rest assured that the 2003 gridiron season will be full of excitement and energy thanks to the hiring of Ken Shumate, a well-seasoned and experienced leader of the gridiron...

Beverly Jean Throgmorton, 67, of Piggott died Saturday, July 26, 2003, in the Piggott Community Hospital. She was born Nov. 5, 1935, in Denver, Co., the daughter of the late Harry and Rose Gallo Powers. She was united in marriage to Eldon Dale Throgmorton on May 30, 1973...

Brenda Underwood, 56, of Russellville, Ark., died Friday, July 25, 2003, at St. Mary's Regional Medical Center in Russellville. The daughter of J.D. and Louise Jones Wood, she was born May 13, 1947, in Heber Springs, Ark. She was a 1965 graduate of Heber Springs High School. She was a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church...

This past Saturday afternoon in Marmaduke over 200 family members, friends and well wishers turned out to welcome David Hampton back to the states. David had returned from his tour of duty in Iraq, where he had been deployed since early March, seeing three and a half months of action there...

Lark Sigsby finally gets to work in the town she's called home for 20 years this fall as the new principal of Rector High School. Sigsby has worked in the education field for 31 years. At Pocahontas she worked in the elementary school self-contained special education classroom for five years. She worked at the Jonesboro Human Development Center for seven years, five of them as the Director of Education and Training. Sigsby spent one year in Knobel working with high school resource students...

Class registration for grades seven through 12 at Rector High School will be Tuesday, Aug. 5, through Thursday, Aug. 8, at the high school. Students will receive their class schedules and information needed to start school on Monday, Aug. 18. This is the registration schedule:...

Arkansas regulations mandate candidates running for a position on their local school board must file a petition with the county clerk of their respective county no later than Monday, Aug. 4, to be listed on the ballot, according to Clay County Clerk Sharon Williams...

Kathy Fay Raney, 45, of Corning died Friday, July 25, 2003, in an automobile accident eight miles west of Corning. She was preceded in death by her father, John Raney, and one brother, David. She was a 1976 graduate of Rector High School. Survivors include her mother, Mazie Raney of the home; four sisters, Janet Mason and Lesia Simpson of Rector and Dorothy Boozer and Frances Raney of Piggott; five brothers, Johnny Raney of Corning, Robert Raney of Marion, Ark., Max Raney of Piggott, Roger Raney of Pollard and Gaylon Raney of Mt. ...

Literary stylist types have always been attracted to baseball perhaps more than any other sport. A recurring theme frequently seen in this type of literature produced is how the skills and love of baseball is passed from one generation to the next. Although this is a staple of fictional literature, this does happen in real life...

Two local Little League ball players, Dexter Horton from Marmaduke and Logan Buck of Rector, had a memorable July centered around baseball. The two long-time friends played in the USSSA Little League World Series at St. Charles, Mo. from July 4th to July 11th. They played for a team from Marion, AR...