Stories from Wednesday, December 10, 2003

An estimated crowd of more than 800 people jammed downtown Piggott last Saturday for Christmas Fest on the Square. The Piggott Area Chamber of Commerce sponsored the event in an effort to encourage residents to shop in Piggott during the Christmas season...

Layla Phillips of Rector and Kristin Freeman of Sheridan emerged with crowns last Saturday night at the Miss Crowley's Ridge Byway pageants at the Piggott Community Center. Phillips won the title of Miss Teen Crowley's Ridge Byway, while Freeman was crowned Miss Crowley's Ridge Byway. The two pageant winners qualified for the Miss Arkansas competition in their respective divisions next summer in Hot Springs...

Bridge construction will divert traffic for a few months, but the benefit will outweigh the inconvenience. The Piggott Street Department, with assistance from Clay County, will build a new bridge on Browning Street, replacing a structure which had been in existence for more than 30 years...

Audience members were transported back to the 1920s and the wild household of the Gilberth family on Thursday, Dec. 4, and Friday, Dec. 5, as the Piggott High School Speech and Drama Club presented "Cheaper By The Dozen". Christopher Sergel adapted the play from the novel of the same name by Frank Gilberth, Jr., and his sister, Ernestine Gilberth Carey...

Representatives from Arkansas Western Gas addressed the Piggott school board Monday night in response to Mayor Gerald Morris' recent request to have the board consider using all electric power in the district's upcoming construction plans and renovations...

Russell Householder, 52, of Pollard died Saturday, Dec. 6, 2003, at Saint Bernard"s Regional Medical Center in Jonesboro. He was born Aug. 2, 1951, in Granite City, Ill., the son of Francis Odell and Mary Jane Weller Householder. He was preceded in death by his father...

The Rivercrest Colts, last year's AAA state runnerup in high school football, has once again reached the state finals with last Friday night's 46-14 win over Prairie Grove in the semifinals. The Colts will face Pulaski Academy this Saturday in the AAA state championship game at 6:30 p.m. at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. Pulaski Academy defeated Shiloh Christian in Friday's other semifinal game, 31-8...

2000 Piggott High School graduate and basketball standout Darren McCrillis led the Harding University Bisons with 20 points last Saturday as ASU thrwarted a late Harding comeback to post an 87-81 victory at the Convocation Center. The meeting of the two teams was the first in 64 years...

A strong third quarter run by the Greene County Tech Jr. Eagles provided the difference last Wednesday night, as GCT defeated Piggott 60-40 to pick up the East Poinsett County Jr. High Boys Invitational Tournament championship. In the game, played at Lepanto the Jr. Eagles pulled away from a relatively...

With an overall season record of 4-3 (3-3 in 3AAA-North conference play) the Piggott Lady Mohawk basketball team is seeded eighth out of a field of 16 teams participating in this year's annual NEA tournament which will be held later this month in the Convocation Center on the campus of Arkansas State University in Jonesboro...

Norman D. Underwood, 85, of Flint, Mich., died Thursday, Nov. 8, 2003, at Maple Woods Manor in Clio, Mich. He was born in Piggott on May 12, 1918, to the late Harvey and Laura (Lewis) Underwood. He was one of 13 children. Mr. Underwood was united in marriage to Martha Virginia Dearing on Sept. 27, 1939, in Piggott. She preceded him in death on Oct. 21, 1992, in Jonesboro. To this union one daughter was born...

May Sample, 86, of DeQueen, Ark., formerly of Nimmons died Sunday, Dec. 7, 2003, in the DeQueen Regional Medical Center in DeQueen, Ark. She was born Jan. 16, 1917, in Sevier County near DeQueen, Ark. She was the daughter of the late Will and Mary Reigert Halter...

Mattie Lee Reams, 90, of Dexter, died Friday, Dec. 5, 2003, at the Crowley's Ridge Care Center in Dexter. She was born Feb. 13, 1913, in Union City, Tenn., the daughter of the late Edward Lee and Martha Jane Barns Roney. She was united in marriage to the late Emmett Lee Reams on Dec. 6, 1933. To this union four children were born...

Both Marmaduke senior teams participation in the Williams Baptist College (WBC) Invitational Tournament abruptly came to an end Thursday night as they dropped two games to Hoxie. The Lady Hounds, seeded second in the tournament, which was played at Walnut Ridge, fell to the seventh seeded Lady Mustangs 60-29...

The Rector Cougars came from behind Saturday night on the road against Oak Ridge Central (ORC) 45-40 to win their first game of the year. Down 35-33 entering the final frame the Cougars used 10 points in the quarter by James Hemphill to overtake ORC...

The Rector Jr. Lady Cougars suffered their first defeat of the season Saturday night in the finals of the Pre-Holiday Tournament in Trumann as they were tripped up 33-25 by Nettleton. When Lindsey Ferris hit a pair of free throws at 1:31 of the final period the Nettleton lead was 29-17. After an Abbe McCarroll free throw Lauren Faulkner hit a 3-pointer at 1:02 and the score was 29-21. Katie Hardin then hit a lay-up after a steal to make the score 29-23...

The generosity of Rector citizens and businessmen has provided the Rector High School FFA with a necessary piece of equipment for the new FFA Livestock Showteam. FFA advisor Jason Murray said that his students went around to area businesses to collect the funds needed to purchase the trailer. This is the first year for the Showteam at RHS...

Layla Phillips of Rector and Kristin Freeman of Sheridan emerged with crowns last Saturday night at the Miss Crowley's Ridge Byway pageants at the Piggott Community Center. Phillips won the title of Miss Teen Crowley's Ridge Byway, while Freeman was crowned Miss Crowley's Ridge Byway. The two pageant winners qualified for the Miss Arkansas competition in their respective divisions next summer in Hot Springs...

In a brief school board meeting Monday night, the Rector school board discussed the special session of the state legislature that is currently underway. Superintendent Rob Louder explained to the board that Governor Huckabee's most recent plan is to maintain schools of 500 or more total...

Wonderful jazz entertainment, a delicious meal and lots and lots of chocolate will be featured at the Clay County Arts Council's third annual "Night of Chocolate," set for 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13, at the Rector Community Center. Entertainment will be provided by Good Vibes Jazz Quartet, led by Craig Collison, who has been professor of percussion at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro since 1998. ...

A strong effort in the first half propelled the Lady Greyhounds to a 64-52 win over the Lady Bobcats of Corning last Monday night at Marmaduke. The first quarter was even when a Lauren Wright 3-pointer at 1:36 gave the Lady Hounds a 9-6 lead. After Sarah Rogers followed with a driving lay-up, the Lady Hound lead was 11-6. ...