Stories from Thursday, April 1, 2004

Approximately 25 concerned citizens gathered in the Rector Community Center at 7 p.m. Monday night to ask questions and make comments about the proposed extension of the one-cent sales tax. Mayor Ron Kemp and the members of the Rector City Council took turns addressing the crowd. Kemp explained that the tax would no longer be in effect as of April 1 due to the fact that the city has paid off the street construction bond...

Thelma Gertrude Layer, 89, of Corning Health Care, a native of the Rector area, died Sunday, March 28, 2004, at Corning Health Care. She was born Sept. 11, 1914, in the Leonard community near Rector to the late Richard Owens and Lela (Glass) Owens. She was a homemaker and a member of Salem Missionary Baptist Church...

Mary Maglene Banks, 76, of Rector died Sunday, March 28, 2004, at Rector Healthcare. A homemaker, she was born Dec. 20, 1927, in Friendship, Mo., to the late John Alfred and Rosie Lemmons. She was of the Pentecostal faith. She also was preceded in death by her husband, J.E. ...

Allie Eugene Parrish, 64, of Rector died Saturday, March 27, 2004, at Arkansas Methodist Medical Center in Paragould. A farmer, he was born May 11, 1939, in Greene County to the late Ovel and Annie (Clayton) Parrish. He was married Sept. 27, 1958, to Dorothy Sue Cavaness Parrish...

The members of Fifth and Pine Street Church of Christ in Rector have worked together as a team and prayed together to be financially able to help the needy in their community -- and they have succeeded. The church members have raised enough money to purchase a 16 x 20 metal building and move it to the church parking lot to begin a "clothes closet" for the needy in the community...

The Clay County Regional Water District has completed a project with the installation of two back-up generators Thursday, March 25, in Piggott and McDougal. Bobby Brown, manager of the CCRWD and McDougal recorder-treasurer, is proud of the new generators and glad to have the project completed...

Students from the Rector Public Schools Gifted and Talented program learned about the history of the Presidential Library system from Kathleen Pate on Friday afternoon in the Rector Elementary School Multi-Purpose Room. Pate, the Education Specialist for the William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Park in Little Rock, presented a program on the history of the Presidential Library System for G/T students in grades five through 12 at 1 p.m...

The Rector Lions Club hopes area residents will be ready to cleanup and light up their homes and help a great cause when club members go door-to-door Saturday, April 17, selling high-quality brooms and light bulbs made by the blind. Regular kitchen brooms, push brooms and toy brooms will be available and, for those with a special need, custom brooms may be ordered. The light bulbs come in packages of six...

The Rector Area Chamber of Commerce is conducting its annual membership drive, and Chamber members hope those who take pride in their hometown will join the organization in its efforts to make Rector a stronger and better place to live. The Chamber supports local merchants and industries, conducts ribbon-cutting ceremonies for new businesses, provides scholarships to selected Rector High School graduates each year, sponsors the city's Christmas lighting project, holds an annual Christmas get-together for all local residents and more. ...

Tickets now are on sale at $15 each for the Rector Area Chamber of Commerce annual banquet set for 7 p.m. Thursday, April 8, at the Rector Community Center. The ticket price includes a catered meal. Speaker will be Arkansas State University head football coach Steve Roberts, and entertainment will be provided by Rector's own Diane Freeman...

Clay County Deputy Prosecutor Carla Powell has moved to a new location and has taken on even greater challenges and opportunities to better serve the people of Clay County. Powell became the sole Rector City and County Attorney and Deputy Prosecutor with the recent retirement of attorney Joe Calvin from all three positions...

The Cougars lost two road games last week to drop their record to 5-4 for the year. Wednesday they fell 6-4 to Crowley's Ridge Academy (CRA). The Cougar bats were rattling in the first inning. Leadoff batter Jake Holcomb singled to ignite the uprising. ...

The Marmaduke Lady Greyhounds started their softball season Monday as they split a doubleheader with Riverside on the road. The Lady Hounds won the first game 6-5 behind sophomore Danielle Bateman. Brittany Drope, Lauren Wright, Sarah Rogers, Katie Christian, Brooke Smith, Terri Graham, Nikita Staires and Bateman all had hits in the game. Rogers, Christian and Staires had RBIs...

Bruce Wallace is on a roll. Last week he no-hit Maynard as the Hounds won that game 14-1. Monday, he pitched the Hounds to a 6-5 win over highly regarded Buffalo Island Central (BIC). In the Maynard game, played last Thursday at Marmaduke, Wallace struck out 10 in the five inning game shortened because of the 10-run rule...

The Rector Cougars won their third home game of the year without a loss, as they overcame Cross County, 9-7, last Tuesday. Derick Parrish, who started on the mound for the Cougars and got the win, set Cross County down without a hit in the first inning but the Cougars were retired in order in the bottom of the inning...

Luda Layne, 90, of Doniphan, Mo., died Saturday, March 27, 2004, at Current River Nursing Home in Doniphan. She was born May 24, 1913, in Van Buren County, Ark., to the late John Emery and Della Bradley. She was a homemaker. She also was preceded in death by her husband, Clyde Leo Layne, and a son-in-law, William Edward Wooldridge...

Daphne Joyce Bullington, 75, of Corning, died Friday, March 26, 2004, at her home. She was born Feb. 25, 1929, in Delaplaine to the late Harry Augusta Fairchild and Mazie Mae (Davis) Fairchild. She was a homemaker, a gardener and had been a member of the Knobel Church of Christ since 1945...

Last Thursday at Corning the Lady Cougars lost two games. Corning won the first game 8-4. The Corning pitcher, Brittany Bolen, didn't allow a hit. Bolen did give up a lot of free bases. Hill had a walk and was hit by a pitch. Tara Shepard and Cornelison both drew two walks...