Stories from Wednesday, August 18, 2004

Upward Basketball season is just around the corner. Those who have a child in kindergarten through sixth grade who is interested in playing Upward Basketball may go to the Marmaduke First Baptist Church Family Life Center from 9 a.m. to 12 noon Saturday, Aug. 21, for Upward signup and evaluations...

The Clay County Quorum Court addressed the issue of the abundance of residences without proper identifying marks at the monthly meeting in Corning Monday night. Ordinance 162, passed on April 18, 1995, placed a time limit of 60 days upon receipt of the 911 emergency addresses or 60 days after moving to a new address, for the owner or occupant to affix/display the assigned number...

The annual Clay County Fair will be held Aug. 23-28 at the fairgrounds on East North Street in Piggott. The festivities kick-off this weekend at 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 20, and Saturday, Aug. 21, at the fairgrounds arena. Three rodeo associations are working together to bring the best cowboys and cowgirls from a 12 state area: CRRA (Cowboys Regional Rodeo Association) based in Sallisaw, Okla., MRCA (Missouri Rodeo Cowboys Association) of Adrian, Mo., and the ARA (Arkansas Rodeo Association) with offices in Conway and Fort Smith. ...

Bond for accused murderer John Patrick Dickinson was denied by Judge David Goodson in a hearing Monday in Clay County Circuit Court at Piggott. Dickinson will appear before Goodson again Nov. 22 in Greene County Circuit Court for a pre-trial hearing...

Wilma Dale Presson, 68, of Rector died Thursday, Aug. 12, 2004, at Rector Healthcare. She was born Oct. 9, 1936, in Leachville to the late William Dewey Jeter and Irene Jeter. She was married to James Guthrie, the father of her daughters, and to the late Larry Presson...

Gerald Lee Crum, 53, of Jonesboro, died Friday, Aug. 13, 2004, in Jonesboro. He was born Feb. 18, 1951, in White Oak to Fred Lee and Bobbie Jean Crum, now of Rector. He was a veteran of the National Guard and a member of Antioch Baptist Church. He was preceded in death by one son, Garth Lee Crum; his grandfather, Fred Crum, and grandmother, Etta Vinson...

Sheila Jean Rohrer, 42, of Rector died Friday, Aug. 13, 2004, at St. Bernards Regional Medical Center in Jonesboro. She was born Nov. 9, 1961, in Rockford, Ill., to the late Max Rodden and Norma Jean (Cantwell) Rodden. She was a housewife, of the General Baptist faith and had lived most of her life in this community...

Emogene Simpson Irby, 91, of Piggott died Aug. 15, 2004, at the General Baptist Nursing Home in Campbell. She was a loving and devoted wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She was a faithful and loyal member of the South Thornton Church of Christ. She was happiest spending time with her family and attending her church. Her hobbies included sewing, cooking, playing golf and traveling. She worked with her husband through many successful business ventures...

Harold David (Top) Thompson, 67, of Morongo Valley, Calif., formerly of Rector, died Thursday, July 29, 2004, at his home. He was born April 7, 1937, in Rector to the late Fred and Mattie Thompson. He also was preceded in death by an infant daughter, Kimberly; one brother, J.W. Thompson; and one sister, Freda Thompson Roley...

Ernestina Vienna "Tina" McCartney, 78, of Las Vegas, Nev., died March 17, 2004, at her home. She was born July 6, 1925, in Rector to the late Jesse and Grace Edwards and was married May 2, 1942, to Wayne McCartney. Known affectionately as "Tene," she was the second child of three girls and three boys who grew up in the Hopewell community near Rector. ...

The Tri-County Senior All Stars team (15-16 year-olds) finished third in the Southwest Regional Championships in Brenham, Texas, which was began Aug. 5. The Oklahoma team was a no-show, so that was a victory by forfeiture by the team. They then played Colorado and won by a score of 8-4. Finally, the team faced Texas West in the pool play. Tri-County lost by a score of 15-1, but the team advanced in tournament play...

The Sugar Creek Country Club Two-Lady Scramble was held Saturday, Aug. 14, with 24 teams participating in the event. In the Championship Flight, Betty Russell of Piggott and Pat McCarroll of Cherokee Village placed first with a score of 67. Judy Knauts of Piggott and Liz Rusher of Brinkley came in second with a score of 69. Finishing third were Barbara Hamilton and Billie Clayton of Rector with a 70...

An area man was arrested on felony drug charges early Saturday. The Clay County Sheriff's Department entered Apartment 201 in the Rector Housing Authority at 9:43 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 14. Fred Jones, 53, was arrested after members of the department conducted a probationary search of the residence and found marijuana and drug paraphernalia...

A strange series of events led to the arrest of a man at the Rector Harps on Saturday. David S. Crowley of Smithville, Ark., hid out inside the store until it had closed on Saturday night. After everyone left, he started walking around the store. His walking triggered the store's burglar alarm...

Eugene M. "Bud" French, 80, of Pollard died Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2004, in the Piggott Community Hospital in Piggott. He was born April 15, 1924, in Piggott, the son of the late Barney and Arabell Doty French. He was united in marriage to Charlene Palmer on Jan. 14, 1950. They had four children...

James Clifford Glidewell, 76, of Caraway, died Tuesday morning, Aug. 10, 2004, at his home. He was born in St. Francis and lived most of his adult life in Caraway. He was a retired depot agent with Cotton Belt Railroad, a member of the Eastern Star Masonic Lodge 207 in St. Francis and a member of the First Baptist Church in Caraway, where he served as a deacon and Sunday school teacher...

Emogene Simpson Irby, 91, of Piggott died Aug. 15, 2004, at the General Baptist Nursing Home in Campbell. She was a loving and devoted wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She was a faithful and loyal member of the South Thornton Church of Christ. She was happiest spending time with her family and attending her church. Her hobbies included sewing, cooking, playing golf and traveling. She worked with her husband through many successful business ventures...

Jackie Eldon Stahl, age 64, of Mulkeytown, Ill. died Aug. 12, 2004, at Heartland Regional Medical Center, Marion, Ill. Mr. Stahl was born Oct. 1, 1939, to the late Eldon and Opal (Neeley) Stahl. He was preceded in death by his parents, Eldon and Opal Stahl; one brother; Bob Stahl; and one grandson, Terry Lynn Roth...

The Sugar Creek Country Club Two-Lady Scramble was held Saturday, Aug. 14, with 24 teams participating in the event. In the Championship Flight, Betty Russell of Piggott and Pat McCarroll of Cherokee Village placed first with a score of 67. Judy Knauts of Piggott and Liz Rusher of Brinkley came in second with a score of 69. Finishing third were Barbara Hamilton and Billie Clayton of Rector with a 70...

The Tri-County Senior All Stars team (15-16 year-olds) finished third in the Southwest Regional Championships in Brenham, Texas, which was began Aug. 5. The Oklahoma team was a no-show, so that was a victory by forfeiture by the team. They then played Colorado and won by a score of 8-4. Finally, the team faced Texas West in the pool play. Tri-County lost by a score of 15-1, but the team advanced in tournament play...

There is nothing quite like high school football. It does not matter what side of the tracks you come from, if you are big or small, or if you are even very good. It stays with you for the rest of your life. Football is multi-generational. It is a tradition and a source of pride for a small community. ...

The Piggott School Board heard the results of the Stanford 9 and Benchmark tests from Barbara Carrens, District Testing Coordinator, during its meeting on Monday, Aug. 9. Carrens said that students in kindergarten through fourth grade performed above grade level in reading and math on the Stanford 9...

In 1983 a West Plains, Mo., paramedic watched helplessly as he lost his father in an ambulance on the way to the hospital. His tragic loss led him to seek out a way to have helicopter ambulance service available in rural areas. Although two banks turned him down and informed him that the company would never make money, the paramedic did not give up...

"Each and every one has the ability to achieve whatever his desire is...or any goal he has set for himself," Gwen McKenney replied when asked if she had any advice for her former students and co-workers. She grew up in Pollard where her father, Vaughter Irwin, was a farmer...

The Clay County Quorum Court addressed the issue of the abundance of residences without proper identifying marks at the monthly meeting in Corning Monday night. Ordinance 162, passed on April 18, 1995, placed a time limit of 60 days upon receipt of the 911 emergency addresses or 60 days after moving to a new address, for the owner or occupant to affix/display the assigned number...

The annual Clay County Fair will be held Aug. 23-28 at the fairgrounds on East North Street in Piggott. The festivities kick-off this weekend at 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 20, and Saturday, Aug. 21, at the fairgrounds arena. Three rodeo associations are working together to bring the best cowboys and cowgirls from a 12 state area: CRRA (Cowboys Regional Rodeo Association) based in Sallisaw, Okla., MRCA (Missouri Rodeo Cowboys Association) of Adrian, Mo., and the ARA (Arkansas Rodeo Association) with offices in Conway and Fort Smith. ...