Stories from Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Last week Piggott Schools celebrated Homecoming with a full slate of activities, culminating with the football game Friday night at Parker Field. This year's homecoming royalty included: seventh grade maid Kaela Cox, eighth grade maid Shelby Moore, Freshmen maids Erin Somers and Shayna Duffy, Sophomore maids Elise Watson and Shelby Gossett, Junior maids Alicia Garcia and Cursty Johnson, Senior maid Jordan Coomer, Senior maid of honor Kortney Toombs, and Queen Jessica Ingram...

"Don't do drugs" was the resounding message from speakers at the Red Ribbon Week kickoff rally held on the playground at Piggott Elementary School on Monday. "The focus is to stay drug free during our whole lifetime," said elementary principal Kevin Reddick, noting that being drug free wasn't just about Red Ribbon Week. It was a sentiment that Mayor Gerald Morris echoed...

Clay Winberry would now be a Major had he joined the service when he was 18. Instead, at 31, Winberry is a 1st Lt., a Signal Detachment Commander in the 2nd Battalion of the 20th Special Forces unit. On Sept. 23, he returned from 365 days deployed to Afghanistan...

The Annual Fall Chamber Banquet was held Oct. 17, at the Piggott Community Center. It was a fun filled evening with a wonderful emcee, great food, great entertainment, and a fantastic silent auction. As always, the Banquet allowed participants to decorate a table and awards were given. ...

A meeting of the Clay County Quorum Court's finance committee is scheduled for Nov. 14 to set up the county's 2007 budgets. Though no specific setting has been named as of yet, the majority of the committee's meetings have been held at the courthouse in Piggott...

I've been talking about moving and moving experiences and things that are associated with moving the last few weeks and this week is no different. I'm not trying to start a religious debate -- I won't even mention theology or anything (which I'm generally pretty happy to do). I'm just talking about concerns of moving. Plus, I think the ideas that follow could very well fit for any denomination...

Hershel Sanders, 81, of Rector died Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2006, at his home. Born Jan. 6, 1925, in Leonard to the late George Sanders and Margie (Baker) Sanders, he was a retired farmer, preacher and plumber. He was a lifelong member of the community and a member of the Rector First General Baptist Church...

Friday night the Piggott Mohawks hosted the Hughes Blue Devils at Parker Field as the Tribe celebrated homecoming 2006. The weather was cool but near-perfect as there was a large hometown crowd to witness the Mohawks pound their opponents 48-16. In the wake of three conference losses the Tribe rebounded Friday night with what has become their trademark under coaches Hendrix, Hearn and Harrell; smash mouth football with a healthy dose of T.J. Harris thrown in for good measure...

I hate it when teams run up the score in a one-sided game. It doesn't matter if I'm a fan of either team or just read about it the next day, a blowout-at the amateur level, pros can fend for themselves-doesn't make me think of the winning team's skill. It makes me think of the offending program's lack of class...

The Piggott Lady Mohawks will close out the regular season Thursday night at home as they play host to the Jonesboro Hurricane. The first game is set to get underway at 6:00 at the high school gym. The Lady Mohawks are now 18-5 on the season and are the regular season conference champions in 3A-Northeast. With the championship the team also earned a top seed in next week's state volleyball tournament at Harrison...

Sophomore Hillary French represented the 3-AAA District Champion Lady Mohawks at the state tennis tournament in Harrison last week and finished third. In the first round French beat Tori Morehead of Gurdon 6-0, 6-0. In the quarterfinals she downed 5-AAA champion Emily Sansom of Harding Academy 7-5 and 6-0. Then in the semifinals she fell to eventual state runner-up Melissa Camras of Bismarck 0-6 and 2-6...

A cold October night was made even more frigid for the Cougars during their game against the Cross County Thunderbirds Friday night in Rector. The home team was overwhelmed in the meeting, 60-0. The Thunderbirds came into the contest with a 6-1 record, ranked fourth in 2A. By comparison, the Cougars were 0-7 and two years removed from failing to field a team...

The rain-soaked bleachers and low temperatures were not enough to keep the faithful away from Temerian Field last Thursday, as the Junior Cougars played host to the Jaguars of McCrory. The matchup held great meaning for both teams, as the outright conference title was on the line...

Randall Dale Gannon, 47, died suddenly Aug. 10, 2006, at his home. He was born June 12, 1959, in Mesa, Ariz., to Shirley (Atnip) Gannon and the late O.D. (Red) Gannon. He was a contractor for remodeling homes, welder and owned his own landscaping business in Sacramento and Chico, Calif...

Mindy Kay Wolfenbarger, 25, of Rector, formerly of Marmaduke, died Saturday, Oct. 21, 2006, at St. Bernards Regional Medical Center in Jonesboro. Born Sept. 3, 1981, in Jonesboro, she was a certified nurses' aide and a member of the Marmaduke First Baptist Church. She was married May 9, 2003, to Steven Wolfenbarger of Rector...

Hershel Sanders, 81, of Rector died Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2006, at his home. Born Jan. 6, 1925, in Leonard to the late George Sanders and Margie (Baker) Sanders, he was a retired farmer, preacher and plumber. He was a lifelong member of the community and a member of the Rector First General Baptist Church...

New talent continually blooms on the Rector High School stage, and new performers will join several veteran performers for a Department of Theatre presentation of "Dear Edwina" at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, in the RHS cafetorium. With music by Zina Goldrich and books and lyrics by Macy Heisler, "Dear Edwina" is a popular musical performed all over the country as a part of the Music Theatre International Collection. ...

The damage inflicted upon the town of Marmaduke from the tornado of April 2 was so great, the town continues to pull itself back upright today. As residents who lost their homes move along with the rebuilding process, attention has now begun to shift toward public facilities...

A meeting of the Clay County Quorum Court's finance committee is scheduled for Nov. 14 to set up the county's 2007 budgets. Though no specific setting has been named as of yet, the majority of the committee's meetings have been held at the courthouse in Piggott...

I hate it when teams run up the score in a one-sided game. It doesn't matter if I'm a fan of either team or just read about it the next day, a blowout -at the amateur level, pros can fend for themselves- doesn't make me think of the winning team's skill. It makes me think of the offending program's lack of class...