Stories from Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Since 1931, the Clay County Fair has sought to bolster the role agriculture plays in the community, while providing a variety of activities for all ages. This year's fair, slated to kick off this weekend, should prove to be no exception. Set at the Clay County Fairgrounds, the fair is scheduled to commence Saturday morning and run through Aug. 27. General admission will be free with the exception of a $1 parking fee on Friday and Saturday night...

The Sugar Creek Country Club hosted their two-lady scramble this past Saturday. A total of 23 teams competed in the 18 hole event. The team of Betty Russell of Piggott and Pat McCarroll of Cherokee Village finished first overall with a 68. Other teams finishing in the Championship Flight were Sue Calvin-Ellen Rogers 74 and Ruth Kelley-Laquietta Edison 75...

The Lady Mohawks Volleyball team will begin their 2006 season almost as soon as they begin school. On Tuesday, the Lady Mohawks will host their first game of the season when the team faces Cedar Ridge. The Lady Mohawks are 18 players strong this season. ...

Ella Christine Whiteside Davis, 90, of Campbell, Mo., died Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2006, at Piggott Community Hospital. She was born June 11, 1916, in Piggott. She was first married to Paul Byron Whiteside on Oct. 3, 1936, in Holcomb, Mo. He preceded her in death on Feb. 19, 1974. She later married Ezra Davis on March 7, 1977, in Broseley, Mo...

The threat of a rampant, devastating illness afflicting humanity has moved from the realm of fantasy and become a concern for many health and political officials in the country. The risk of a "superflu" has jumped from the pages of fictional literature and film to lodge itself in the minds of many as a potential threat for which preparations must be made...

Local growers showcased several different varieties of crops in the field during the Clay County Cooperative Extension Service's annual field day Thursday. The event was structured to provide farmers with as much information as possible on many important aspects facing today's growers...

Change -- it's a word some people don't like to hear but one that often reflects necessity. For without change there can be no progress. In the case of the Piggott School District, it's a means of providing students with additional educational opportunities...

Rector Cougar football coach B.J. Applegate encourages all fans to come outto the Blue-White games at the local field this Friday night. Junior high action starts at 6 p.m. with the senior squad to follow at 7. Admission to the game will be a towel, soap or laundry detergent...

Hison "Buddy" Boswell, 75, of Marmaduke died Monday, Aug. 14, 2006, at his home. Born June 3, 1931, in Blytheville to the late Oliver Boswell and Tina McBride Minick, he was a member of Pine Hill Full Gospel Church. He was retired from Atlas Asphalt and, according to his family, one of his favorite pastimes was "playing with his gravel truck and backhoe."...

John Cassius Bulley, 89, of Evergreen Health and Rehabilitation Center in Rector, died Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2006, at Arkansas Methodist Medical Center in Paragould. He was born Nov. 16, 1916, in Marine City, Mich., to the late Clarence and Louise (Biscorner) Bulley. A veteran of the Coast Guard, he was of the Catholic faith and worked as a master welder for General Motors...

Doyle Wayne Presson, 74, of Rector, died Sunday, Aug. 13, 2006, in Jonesboro. He was born March 23, 1932, in Mounds, to the late Jesse G. and Elsie Presson. He was a farmer and a member of Rector First General Baptist Church. Also preceding him in death were seven brothers, Loy, Willie, Leon, Arlon, Durward, Leo and Donald Presson, and one sister, Neoma Presson...

It is a formidable job, but, as the old saying goes, someone has to do it. So it is no small thing that Michael and Krystal Polk have volunteered to serve as chaircouple for the Rector Labor Day Picnic - a job which, traditionally, is a two-year obligation...

Approximately 150 to 200 new jobs will be created with the construction of American Railcar Institute's new $28 million dollar flexible railcar manufacturing plant. The new plant will be built adjacent to its Marmaduke tank manufacturing plant which resumed operations Aug. 7...

Marmaduke students and faculty members are familiar with change after an April 2 tornado which devastated the town necessitated lots of shuffling around in classroom and office locations at the school. Located at the west edge of town, the school was among the hardest hit areas, with elementary classrooms virtually destroyed and many other parts of the complex damaged heavily...

Summer activities are coming to an end for Rector School District students, who will return to the classroom Monday, Aug. 21, for the start of the 2006-2007 school year. Teachers already are at work this week preparing classrooms and other areas of the school, the school's football team is hard at work preparing for its season opener and the RHS band is practicing for Labor Day and more...

The Sugar Creek Country Club hosted their two-lady scramble this past Saturday. A total of 23 teams competed in the 18 hole event. The team of Betty Russell of Piggott and Pat McCarroll of Cherokee Village finished first overall with a 68. Other teams finishing in the Championship Flight were Sue Calvin-Ellen Rogers 74 and Ruth Kelley-Laquietta Edison 75...