Stories from Wednesday, August 6, 2003

Local and state law enforcement have seized almost 3,000 marijuana plants in two eradication sweeps along Cache River Ditch 1 in Clay County. Clay County Sheriff Ronnie Cole said the estimated street value of the plants pulled in this weekend's eradication at between $1.2 million to $1.5 million...

Tennis practices for the Piggott High School tennis teams will begin next Tuesday, Aug. 12. Girls will practice at 3:30 p.m.with the boys following at 4:40 p.m. Any persons in grades 9-12 interested in plying tennis this season must attend practice...

Piggott fifth and sixth graders interested in playing peewee football this fall may signup Saturday, Aug. 9 at the Parker Field field house. Sign-ups begin at 10 a.m. For more information interested persons may contact coaches Michael Harrell or Daniel Gossett...

While fall is just around the corner and football season kicks off in a mere four short weeks, most thoughts are on the gridiron, but for others, it's time to start hitting the tennis courts. This season the Piggott High School tennis schedule will be played entirely in the fall with the first match against Ridgefield Christian slated for Tuesday, Aug. 26...

Two best friends, two talented coaches who can be as different as night and day, yet have the same visions and work together as one to achieve a common goal, two men who came together because of their similar love for football Daniel Gossett and Michael Harrell are going into their final season together as the successful coaching duo of the Piggott Youth Football Program. ...

R.E. "Punk" Mann, 81, of Piggott died Monday, Aug. 4, 2003, in the Murphy Health and Rehabilitation Center (the former Piggott Nursing Center) in Piggott. He was born Dec. 5, 1921, in Piggott, the son of the late Robert Earl and Zelphia Hutchison Mann. He was the youngest of 12 children...

Mary Ann Rochon, 64, of Clarkston, Mich., formerly of Nimmons, died Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2003. Ms. Rochon had retired from Farmer Jack Groceries after 30 years of service. She was a member and former Union Steward of UFCW Local 876. She loved her grandchildren, bowling, Las Vegas and country music...

Verlie Lee Wiley Warren, 92, of Piggott died Sunday, Aug. 3, 2003, in the Piggott Community Hospital in Piggott. She was born Sept. 14, 1910, in Piggott, the daughter of the late Thomas Lee and Nettie Williams Wiley. She was united in marriage to Fate Warren Sept. 29, 1929. He preceded her in death on Nov. 12, 1975...

Thelma Marie Parker, 79, of Malden died Saturday, Aug. 2, 2003, at Missouri Southern Healthcare in Dexter. She was born Jan. 26, 1924, in Gideon, Mo., the daughter of the late Peter David Mitchem and Eula Robertson Mitchem. She was a member of the Full Gospel House of God Church in Malden...

Residents will have an opportunity to voice their concerns and ask questions concerning the Arkansas Western Gas Co.'s (AWG) rate increase proposal during a public meeting, hosted by the Public Service Commission (PSC), scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 14, at the Piggott Community Center...

Effective Aug. 1, the Piggott Nursing and Rehabilitation Center became known as Murphy Health and Rehabilitation Center. It is one of many changes that have taken place the facility over the past four months. "The change in our facility name is to reflect the change in ownership," administrator Larry McFadden said. ...

Arkansas and Missouri officials gathered north of Corning on July 29 to discuss renewed efforts at focusing attention on Highway 67. The meeting was organized by Poplar Bluff Mayor Scott Faughn. The goal is to combine forces into a coalition to secure state and federal funding to four-lane Highway 67 from St. Louis to Little Rock for the economic benefit of the region...

Darrell Timothy Armour, 47, of Hardy, Ark., died in an automobile accident in Willow Springs, Mo., Thursday, July 31, 2003. Mr. Armour was born on March 13, 1956, in Memphis and formerly worked for Schering Plough in Memphis as a Senior Research Technician. ...

Tommie Jackson, 83, of Piggott died Sunday, Aug. 3, 2003, at his home in Piggott. He was born Jan. 11, 1920, in Kennett, the son of the late James Edward and Neeley Ann King Jackson. He was preceded in death by five sisters and three brothers. Mr. Jackson was united in marriage to Cora L. Woolf on Feb. 24, 1940...

Doyne Woods, 66, of Corning died Sunday, Aug. 3, 2003, at Three Rivers Healthcare North in Poplar Bluff. He was born Nov. 14, 1936, in Hickoria, Ark., the son of Willie Thomas and Ida Madge Pemberton Woods. He was united in marriage to Charlene Annitta Mayes on July 26, 1975, in Oxly, Mo...

RONNIE HARDIN Democrat Sports Staff Though the weather outside is decidedly not basketball weather and the high school season is over two months away from its inception, the Rector teams are already preparing for the upcoming campaign. Right now the focus is on conditioning with agility drills and exercises designed to build wind and strength being the order of the day...

Freeda McKay Dodd, 58, of Lonedell, Mo., formerly of this area, died July 24, 2003, at her home. Survivors are her husband of 42 years, Jerry Dodd of Lonedell; two daughters, Melissa Lawrence of Sullivan, Mo., and Kim and Jason Vogelsang of Union, Mo.; two sons and daughters-in-law, Jeff and Kerry Dodd of Indiana and Curtis and Diana Dodd of St. ...

Ruby E. Vaden, 89, of the Paragould Nursing Center died Sunday Aug. 3, 2003, at the center. She was born July 9, 1914, in Clay County, the daughter of the late William Nichols and Rosie Settlemire Nichols. She was a homemaker and was of Baptist faith...

Johnny W. Mills, 91, of Rector died Monday, Aug. 4, 2003, at Rector Healthcare. He was born June 26, 1912, in Malden, Mo., the son of the late William Arthur and Ida Kreigle Mills. He was first married to Edith Lovelady, who preceded him in death in 1932. He then married Carlene Moore, who preceded him in death on May 30, 2002...

Murley Burke Price, 69, of Doniphan, Mo., died Monday, July 28, 2003, at Ripley County Memorial Hospital. She was born Feb. 4, 1934, in Rector, the daughter of the late Abner and Evaline (Utley) Vowell. She was a member of the Doniphan Lionesses and a lifetime member of the VFW Ladies Auxiliary. She was also a member of the Doniphan United Methodist Church and was a businesswoman...

Violet Higgins, 81, of Paragould, formerly of Rector, died Monday Aug. 4, 2003, at Arkansas Methodist Medical Center in Paragould. She was born Aug. 12, 1912, in Paragould, the daughter of the late Hill and Della (Taylor) Smith. She was a homemaker and was of Methodist belief...

Nancy Ann Boyd Webb, 59, of Cape Girardeau, Mo., formerly of Rector, died Monday, Aug. 4, 2003, at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. She was born May 3, 1944, in Leonard, the daughter of the late John William "Bill" and Flora Jesse Elrod Boyd...

Mildred Margarett Johnson, 92, of Shreveport, La., formerly of Marmaduke, died Tuesday, July 29, 2003, at Christus Schumpert Medical Center in Shreveport. She was born April 16, 1922, in Marmaduke, the daughter of the late Tom and Sylvia Vestal. She was a homemaker and was a member of the First Baptist Church in Marmaduke...

Joan Lilly Cannon, 69, of Blytheville, the widow of Minor Lilly and Jim Cannon, died Sunday, Aug. 3, 2003, at St. Bernards Regional Medical Center in Jonesboro. Born June 1, 1934, in Pollard, the daughter of the late John and Martha Kirk Barkemeyer, she was a longtime Blytheville resident and a retired secretary of the Engineering Dept. at the Randall Corp...

Nina Gogue Richmond, 61, of Oak Hill, Va., formerly of Rector, died Tuesday, July 22, 2003, in Washington, D.C. She was born Nov. 26, 1941, in Rector to the late Harold Eugene and Rheda Aline Gogue. She was a program manager for American System Corporation in Virginia and was of the Baptist faith...

"Calling All Angels" was the theme for this year's Rector United Methodist Church youth mission trip to the Neighbor to Neighbor Ministry and its Sarai's Shop Ministry in Kansas City, Mo. Youth director Ginger Sain said 17 youth and seven adults made the trip July 13-17...

The Rector City Council heard an update on the Little League field project at Monday night's regular meeting. City Attorney Carla Powell said she had contacted the community's two banks as potential funding sources for the project, and she will also research Amendment 1 issues...

Residents will have an opportunity to voice their concerns and ask questions concerning the Arkansas Western Gas Co.'s (AWG) rate increase proposal during a public meeting, hosted by the Public Service Commission (PSC), scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 14, at the Piggott Community Center...

RONNIE HARDIN Democrat Sports Staff James Parrish comes from a baseball family. Encouraged by his father and his baseball playing older brothers, he started playing the game at an early age. His playing days over, he only gets on the field as a coach nowadays. This summer when he coached the Rector Senior Babe Ruth team marked the twelfth consecutive year that he has coached baseball at some level...