Stories from Wednesday, July 27, 2005

The Chester A. Barner Gymnasium at Marmaduke has received a bit of a facelift in the form of new scoreboards. The scoreboards were purchased for the school by American State Bank in Marmaduke. The scoreboards are not only newer in appearance, but have several technological advances over the former ones in use. ...

Edith E. Robertson, 95, of Kennett, Mo., died Sunday, July 17, 2005, at Heritage Nursing Center in Kennett. She was born March 21, 1910, in Cardwell to the late William B. Ellege and Ethel May Craig Ellege and was a member of the Harrison Street Church of Christ...

Dale Stafford, 77, of Marmaduke died Sunday, July 24, 2005. Born Nov. 11, 1927, in Rector to the late Ollie and Charlene Stafford, he was a crop adjuster and a member of the First Baptist Church in Marmaduke. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by one brother, Melvin Stafford...

James Howard Lankford, 86, of Piggott, died Wednesday, July 20, 2005, in the Piggott Community Hospital. He was born Sept. 12, 1918, in Rector, the son of the late James Wylie and Callie Foster Lankford. He was a retired carpenter and custodian for the Piggott School District and was a member of the South Thornton Street Church of Christ in Piggott...

A Greenway man apparently shot two people before taking his own life in an incident Sunday night, July 24, at a home east of Rector. According to authorities, Larry Keith Stacy, 49, of Greenway shot his ex-girlfriend, Michelle Smith, 37, as well as Anthony Garner, 28, at Smith's home at 381 CR 531 and later turned the gun on himself...

Second Judicial District Pros. Atty. Brent Davis has told the Democrat he now plans to call for a State Police investigation into possible criminal violations in the Marmaduke School District. Davis also will contact the state Office of the Prosecutor Coordinator to begin the process of appointing a special prosecutor in the case. Davis said that office will submit a list of names to be considered and a Circuit Judge will make the final appointment...

Longtime Rector resident Russ Gamblin has been selected as the Grand Marshal of the 2005 Rector Labor Day Parade. Gamblin is the owner/operator of Northeast Arkansas Tooling Company (NATCO), which was established 25 years ago. Gamblin moved from St. Louis to Rector in 1975 and immediately became involved with the community...

Two new teachers were hired by the Rector School board Thursday night. After an executive session, Shawna Bucy of Rector was hired to teach fourth grade and Amber Powell of Paragould was hired to teach high school math. Others employed were Michelle Hartsfield, who will fill the position of elementary secretary, and Desiree Speer, who will serve as an elementary special education aide...

Shyann Nichole Tucker, the daughter of Stephanie Tucker, was born July 24, 2005, and died July 24, 2005, at the Piggott Community Hospital. She is survived by her mother, Stephanie Tucker of Piggott; her grandparents, Jim and Teresa Tucker of Piggott; one aunt, Sarah Zink of Piggott; one uncle, David Tucker of Piggott; a great uncle and aunt, Skippy and Delores Britton of Piggott; and other relatives and friends...

Thomas Leslie Easterwood, 87, of Eastpointe, Mich., died Thursday, July 14, 2005, in Eastpointe, Mich. He was born June 6, 1918, in Piggott, the son of Hilliard and Florence Easterwood. Mr. Easterwood owned Tidy Cleaners, in Warren, Mich., from 1947-1968 then worked at Indian Village Cleaners. He loved fishing, taught Sunday School for more than 60 years and would have celebrated his 67th wedding anniversary on Aug. 17, 2005. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II in the Pacific...

James Howard Lankford, 86, of Piggott, died Wednesday, July 20, 2005, in the Piggott Community Hospital. He was born Sept. 12, 1918, in Rector, the son of the late James Wylie and Callie Foster Lankford. He was a retired carpenter and custodian for the Piggott School District and was a member of the South Thornton Street Church of Christ in Piggott...

Betty Birmingham, 73, of Piggott died Wednesday, July 20, 2005, in the White River Medical Center in Batesville. She was born Nov. 20, 1931, in Piggott, the daughter of the late Alvin C. Crossno and Mable Rieves Williams. She was united in marriage to Raymond Birmingham on Oct. 2, 1948. They had three children...

The issue of keeping an eye on sex offenders has been brought to the forefront of many minds with the recent kidnapping of Shasta Groene and her brother, Dylan, in Idaho by a convicted sex offender. Under the Sex Offender Registration Act of 1997, sex offenders are required to register in the state of Arkansas. The definition of who is required to register, according to the Arkansas Crime Information Center (ACIC), is as follows:...

Approximately 38 seniors from locations across Clay County gathered at the B.R.A.D. Senior Citizens Center in Piggott on Thursday, July 14, to relive the age when age when bobby-socks were all the rage and doo-wop and Elvis were king. According to Piggott Senior Center site manager Debbie Scott, the party had been in the planning stages for approximately two months...

A Greenway man apparently shot two people before taking his own life in an incident Sunday night, July 24, at a home east of Rector. According to authorities, Larry Keith Stacy, 49, of Greenway shot his ex-girlfriend, Michelle Smith, 37, as well as Anthony Garner, 28, at Smith's home at 381 CR 531 and later turned the gun on himself...

Two men admitted in court they stole cows last winter during the cattle owner's funeral, and a judge has ordered them to pay $5,160 in restitution to the man's widow. Wesley Bryon Poole, 24, of Piggott pleaded guilty in Clay County Circuit Court to three counts of theft, and Dustin Causey, 20, of Pollard pleaded guilty to two theft counts. The men were accused of stealing cattle during Mike Mobley's funeral March 2...