Stories from Friday, November 10, 2006

T.J. Harris etched his name in Piggott High School history Thursday night as the senior running back broke the single season school rushing record. Harris' record-setting run came as the Mohawks pounded the Brinkley Tigers 48-0 on Senior Night at Parker Field...

The Piggott Lady Mohawks made the long trip to Harrison last week for the state volleyball tournament, something that has become a routine in recent years. But this year the Mohawks were going into the tourney as conference champions and the number one seed from 3-A Northeast, so expectations were high...

Thursday night the Piggott Mohawks rode a wave of emotion to a 48-0 victory over the Brinkley Tigers at Parker Field. On the night standout senior running back T.J. Harris had 116 yards on 13 carries as he set a new single-season school rushing record of 1,873 yards. The previous record had been held by Todd Self, a multi-sport star who set the mark in the fall of 1987...

Larry Alan Martin, 57, of Piggott, died Monday, Oct. 30, 2006, at St. Bernard's Medical Center in Jonesboro. He was an Air Force veteran, a machinist for Federal Mogul and was an active member of the Harmony Baptist Church. He was preceded in death by wives Vicky Broadway Martin and Judy York Martin, mother Willa Dean Martin and son Keith Samples...

I don't like to make mistakes. No one does, I know. I made a terrible mistake in last week's paper. As everyone knows, elections were yesterday, and we should have unofficial results printed here--hopefully error free. But, in the line of trying to be a responsible newspaper, I wrote up a little something about what the races were and who/what voters would see on the ballot...

The Piggott Chamber of Commerce is planning the annual Christmas Fest set for noon until 3 on Saturday, Dec. 9. At the top of the list of added activities this year is a Christmas Parade. "We used to do one, but haven't had it in years," said Shelly Moore, Chamber secretary. The parade will start at 11 and lead into the noon festivities...

Mike Beebe rolled up a strong vote total in Clay County on his way to sweeping to victory in the Arkansas governor's race Tuesday, defeating Republican Asa Hutchinson. As of early Wednesday morning, the Democratic winner had a 57-39 percentage margin over his opponent...

Back in 1983, a made-for-television movie was released that depicted the results of a nuclear attack on the U.S. and how it affected a small town in eastern Kansas. One image from "The Day After" that embedded itself in many memories was the sight of a mushroom cloud rising over the Kansas plains; an image that is hard to forget...

Piggott is a special town with very special people, among many being our business leaders. One special person in this community is a man who truly is a longtime businessman and leader of our wonderful town, our Mayor, Gerald Morris. Morris will soon complete his fourth year after taking over the office in 2003 from his predecessor, Bud Holcomb. His new term will begin January 1, 2007 with no opposition...

The class of 2007 was honored with "Senior Night" activities at Thursday night's football game at Parker Field, as football players, cheerleaders and band members were recognized. Prior to the game with Brinkley eleven graduating members of the Mohawk football team were introduced to the crowd. Also introduced in the pre-game festivities were senior cheerleaders Brittany Johnson, Rachel Mullins and Samantha Vaughn...

I wanted to do something in this week's column that would mark the transition from football to basketball in a way that would appeal to readers of all ages. I went looking inside my mind for something so off-the-wall that everyone and their brother couldn't help but read this column...

The City of Rector hopes its likely involvement in an economic development coalition will be a step toward more businesses and jobs in the community. According to comments by mayor Ron Kemp at Monday's monthly Rector City Council meeting, an economic development meeting will take place at the Rector Community Center on Tuesday, Nov. ...

Mike Beebe rolled up a strong vote total in Clay County on his way to sweeping to victory in the Arkansas governor's race Tuesday, defeating Republican Asa Hutchinson. As of early Wednesday morning, the Democratic winner had a 57-39 percentage margin over his opponent...

Marmaduke fourth graders enjoyed a visit Friday from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Solar System Ambassador Kenneth Renshaw of Piggott. The students, who currently are studying a unit about space in their science classes, were presented a slideshow covering several topics in relation to the solar system...

The 2006 Cougar football season came to a close last Thursday, as the boys from Rector journeyed to Palestine to meet the Palestine-Wheatley Patriots. The end-of-the-year match-up would be a rollercoaster for both squads, as the Cougars fell 14-12. Rector took control early and looked to be on their way to victory, going ahead 12-0 in the first five minutes of the first quarter...

Fans were treated to a preview of this year's Cougar basketball teams during an evening of Blue-White scrimmages on Friday night. The evening not only gave the coaches the opportunity to provide their teams with a game-type environment, but also allowed the Rector community the chance to take in the action while enjoying the new gymnasium...

The Lady Cougars officially opened their new gymnasium in style on Monday, rolling over the Lady Hornets of Harrisburg, 77-55. Rector was in control from the very beginning, jumping out to a 30-10 first quarter advantage before heading into the half leading 40-27. It was 59-38 in the Lady Cougars' favor going into the fourth...

Dathel Gilmore, 89, of Paragould died Monday, Nov. 6, 2006, at Paragould Nursing Center. She was born Jan. 14, 1917 to the late James and Molly Robertson and was married Oct. 2, 1938, in Marmaduke to Robert Gilmore, who preceded her in death. She was a member of Emmanuel Baptist Church...

Larry Alan Martin, 57, of Piggott, died Monday, Oct. 30, 2006, at St. Bernard's Medical Center in Jonesboro. He was an Air Force veteran, a machinist for Federal Mogul and was an active member of the Harmony Baptist Church. He was preceded in death by wives Vicky Broadway Martin and Judy York Martin, mother Willa Dean Martin and son Keith Samples...

Bennie F. England, 89, of Rector died Thursday, Nov. 2, 2006, at Fayetteville Veterans Home in Fayetteville, Ark. Born April 4, 1917, in Many Islands, Ark., to the late Dora and George England, he was retired from the military, having served during World War II and Korea. He also served as city marshal in Whitehall...

Dorene M. Gordon, 81, of Savoy, Ill., formerly of Rector, died Friday, Nov. 3, 2006, at the Carle Arbours in Savoy. Mrs. Gordon was born Oct. 16, 1925, in Henderson, Minn., to the late Henry Edward and Minnie Martha Griesbach Rau. She was married in August 1945 in Seattle, Wash., to Richard Jacob Gordon, who died Dec. 2, 1999...

The Marmaduke Lady Greyhounds suffered their first loss of the season Monday, falling to Manila on the road, 58-38. Manila held the lead throughout: 12-5; 22-14 and 46-30. Lindsey Hickson paced Marmaduke with 16 points. Other scorers were Jade Brinkley 7, Shawna Spurling 6, Leah Newsom 5, Brittany Drope 4 and Jamie Ricker 1...