Stories from Wednesday, March 10, 2004

Opening their season a week late because of a long rain delay, the Marmaduke Greyhounds fell 12-2 to Walnut Ridge on the road Monday afternoon. Coach Larry Willis said, "Walnut Ridge is a pretty good team. They are ranked in the top 10 teams in the state in Class AA again. We didn't do that badly for awhile. We only trailed 3-2 going into the bottom of the fourth inning when they scored nine runs to end the game by the 10-run rule...

Rector's Relay for Life Team, WRECK (Walking Rectorites Encouraging Cancer Knowledge), has several fund-raising efforts in the works for the 2004 Relay for Life event set for Saturday, April 24, at Heritage Park in Piggott. Beautiful daffodils now are on sale at 10 for $5 in a project called "Daffodil Days." The flower buds come in bunches of 10 and need only a vase and water to make them bloom into a colorful bouquet sure to brighten any room or cheer any person. ...

Four Clay County members of the Arkansas Army National Guard are awaiting deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom II. They are Joel Hayes and Justin N. Berry of Rector and Larry L. Sells an Shannon S. Grant of Piggott. All are members of the 39th Infantry Brigade (also referred to as the 39th Combat Team)...

In a brief meeting Monday night, the Rector school board voted to make three changes as a result of the recent academic audit by the Arkansas State Department. The board adopted the Arkansas frameworks as the official curriculum of the school, approved the goals of the ACSIP plan, and approved a policy to accept military identification as proof of age and citizenship for enrollment...

If anyone ever wonders where all the beautiful potted flowers come from around the city of Rector, just ask about the Rector Garden Club. This club is more than a garden, it consists of some wonderful women who have an exciting interest they like to share...

For the second year in a row, three students Rector Elementary School students have been selected to participate in the Story Store in Walnut Ridge. This is the largest number of students from the school that has been selected to participate at one time...

Louise Williams, 83, of Rector, died Thursday, March 4, 2004, at Arkansas Methodist Medical Center in Paragould. She was born Nov. 21, 1920, in Lafe to the late William and Mary Catherine Textor. She was retired from Ely Walker Shirt Factory and a member of the First Baptist Church in Marmaduke...

Jerry Allen "Red Man" Fuller, 45, of Marmaduke died Sunday, March 7, 2004, at Arkansas Methodist Medical Center in Paragould. He was born Nov. 5, 1958, in Marmaduke to the late Sammie Lee and Sylvia Irene (Nelson) Fuller. He also was preceded in death by three brothers, Danny Fuller, Louis Junior Fuller and Charles "Diego" Fuller, and two sisters, Innette Fuller and Betty Thrasher...

The Rector Lady Cougars softball team will start their season March 23. As of now the Lady Cougars have 12 players on their team. There are three seniors, Jessica Hill, Kocaina Lyles and Mika Baugh; one junior, Tara Robertson; four sophomores, Haley Harmon, Tara Shepard, Lindsay Fowler and Tiffany Kirklin, and four freshmen, Skye Shepard, Jordan Cornelison, Abbe McCarroll and Eileen Mathis...

Four championships were decided at the Rector Invitational Peewee Basketball Tournament Saturday afternoon. In the first game, a fifth grade girls contest, Marmaduke beat Rector 15-10. The score was tied after one quarter and Marmaduke led 7-4 and 11-6 after the next two quarters. Rachel Morton scored 11 points for Marmaduke. Chelsea Drope and Brittany Long had two points each...

After having all of their games rained out last week, the Rector Cougars finally opened their season Monday afternoon on the road at Manila only to see the Lions score three runs in the first inning and four more in the third as the home team defeated the Cougars 7-1...

The Tiny Trotters, who are probably the world's smallest basketball team, visited Piggott about four years ago and they are coming to town again. This time the event will be sponsored by the Wise Company's Relay for Life Team. On April 2, Piggott residents should prepare for two hours of complete fun and entertainment. Game time will be 7 p.m...

Four championships were decided at the Rector Invitational Peewee Basketball Tournament Saturday afternoon. In the first game, a fifth grade girls contest, Marmaduke beat Rector 15-10. The score was tied after one quarter and Marmaduke led 7-4 and 11-6 after the next two quarters. Rachel Morton scored 11 points for Marmaduke. Chelsea Drope and Brittany Long had two points each...

There have been many changes at the Clay County Detention Center. The Clay County Sheriff's Department has expanded and built a new addition to make the jail and detention center more secure and efficient. "All areas renovated will be utilized to the best advantage," Sheriff Ronnie Cole said...

A group of elementary teachers led by Julie Mobley showed the board an example of the Accelerated Reading Program and thanked the board for supporting their ability to attend these workshops in Bryant at the monthly meeting of the board on Monday, March 8, held in the elementary library...

Four Clay County members of the Arkansas Army National Guard are awaiting deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom II. They are Joel Hayes and Justin N. Berry of Rector and Larry L. Sells an Shannon S. Grant of Piggott. All are members of the 39th Infantry Brigade (also referred to as the 39th Combat Team)...

The joy of reading filled the halls of Piggott Elementary School on Tuesday, March 2, as teachers, students and members of the community gathered to celebrate the 100th birthday of Ted Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. The annual celebration is part of a National Education Association initiative called Read Across America. The celebrations began seven years ago with the goal to get kids excited about reading...

Julia Frances Fain Dalton, 87, of Piggott died Friday, March 5, 2004, in Kennett. She was born Oct. 30, 1916, in Walnut Ridge, the daughter of the late Rev. Charles R. and Etta Jane "Nain" Hurn Fain. She was a small child when her mother died in 1920. ...

Albert Carroll Romines, 80, of Piggott died Tuesday, March 2, 2004, at Arkansas Methodist Medical Center in Paragould. He was born Sept. 3, 1923, in Pocahontas, the son of the late Clifford and Alma Pearl Haas Romines. He was united in marriage to Stella Mae Meade on March 19, 1981, to this union one daughter was born, Shelby Romines...

Lillie M. Craig Sowell, 82, of Conway died Sunday, March 7, 2004. She was born Aug. 22, 1921, in Holland to the late Hugh L. Craig and Lillie Ann Parker Craig. She was the widow of Walter Elmer Sowell, to whom she was married for 62 years until his death on Oct. 24, 2003...

Letha J. Bell, 83, of Decatur, Ind., died Thursday, March 4, 2004, at Medowvale Health and Rehabilitation Center in Bluffton, Ind. She was born on Nov. 16, 1920, in Piggott, the daughter of Charles and Sally Warren Harmon. She was united in marriage to William E. Bell on Oct. 14, 1939...

Flora Jane Meade, 83, of Piggott died Monday, March 1, 2004, in the Piggott Community Hospital in Piggott. She was born March 30, 1920, in Crockett, the daughter of the late Alonzo Cleveland and Katie Mae Groves Johnson. She was united in marriage to Ivan Meade on Jan. 4, 1941, to this union seven children were born...

Helen May Stumbo Colglazier Morgan of Searcy died Sunday, March 7, 2004. She was born March 23, 1927, in LaHarpe, Kan., and was the daughter of Ernest L. and Jewel Grizzle Stumbo. Mrs. Morgan was a member of the College Church of Christ in Searcy. She was a 1944 graduate of Lawrence High School in Lawrence, Kan., and attendend Lawrence Business College...

The Piggott City Council heard a request for an ordinance regarding the removal of garbage containers from the street within 24 hours of trash pickup from Donna Johnson and Gary Beeson of Delta Disposal during its monthly meeting Monday night at city hall...