Stories from Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Tracy Meadows, former band director at Piggott High School, has been indicted for distribution of child pornography by a grand jury on Wednesday, Feb. 7, a news release from Tim Griffin, the state's U.S. Attorney for the Eastern district said on Friday. Meadows now faces a statutory sentence of not less than five years and not more than 20 years imprisonment for counts one and two, and not more than 20 years imprisonment for count three...

The principals at both Piggott School campuses will be returning next year, following action at last night's school board meeting. Board members, as part of their regular monthly meeting, voted last night to offer new contracts to both high school principal Barry Dehart, and elementary principal Kevin Riddick. The votes were unanimous...

The Piggott Diner has moved across the street--across the town square, really--and is up and ready for business. The Diner, which opened in 2004, is owned and operated by Kenny and Kim Wood and closed its doors at the old location on Sunday, Feb. 4. They reopened in the new location on Wednesday, Feb. 7...

Charles Edward Jones, 63, of Poplar Bluff, died Monday, Feb. 5, 2007, at the Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. He was born March 10, 1943, in Piggott and had been employed as a vendor at Bush Stadium in St. Louis and as a newspaper vendor in Poplar Bluff. He enjoyed spending time with his family...

Catherine Robbie Lee Landrum, 79, of Paragould, died Feb. 9, 2007, at Arkansas Methodist Medical Center. Born June 23, 1927, in Brilliant, Ala., she was a homemaker and a member of 7th and Mueller Church of Christ. She is survived by her husband, David Landrum of the home; one son and daughter-in-law, Sam and Carolyn Landrum of Greenway, Ark.; three daughters and sons-in-law, Evelyn and Ronny Ashbrooks of Memphis, Tenn., Diann and Greg Walker of Paragould, and Renea and Tim Sain of Collierville, Tenn.; four brothers, Cecil Corkren of Swartz Creek, Mich., Harold Corkren of Winfield, Ala., Horace Corkren of Haleyville, Ala., and Rebert Corkren of North Port, Ala.; eight grandchildren and spouses, Amber and David Powell, Josh and Jasmine Walker, Adam and Ollie Landrum, Amy and Daniel Wilkerson, Daniel and Courtney Landrum, Laura Anne Ashbrooks, Evan Landrum, and Logan Landrum; and one great-grandchild, Kaydy Powell.. ...

Carl Reed, 71, of McDougal, died Friday, Feb. 9, 2007, at the Regional Medical Center in Memphis. He was born June 30, 1935, in McDougal, and was the son of the late Ralph and Norma Ora Baker Reed. He is survived by his children, Rema, Carla, and Sandy and Dana Russell (son-in-law); grandchildren, Kristal, Jesse, Carlos, Mary and Timothy; eleven great-grandchildren; former wife, Mary Sue Reed; two brothers, Nathaniel and Larry; four sisters, Norma, Juanita, Barbara, and Carol; and many other relatives and friends.. ...

Daniel K. Russell, 34, of Ash Flat, died Thursday, Feb. 8, 2007, in Horseshoe Bend. He was born in Flint, Mich., and was a laborer. He is survived by his father Lowell Russell and step-mother, Leola; mother, Alice Scroggins, and step-father, Willie; two brothers, Lowell Kelly Russell, II, and Jeremy M. Russell; two step-brothers, Kris Snow, Jeff Snow; one step-sister, Katie Snow; grandmother, Lois McKeny; grandfather, Theron Russell; and other numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews...

The Piggott Mohawks closed out their regular season with two wins in the past week, a road victory over the Armorel Tigers last Tuesday and a "Senior Night" pounding of the Maynard Tigers on Friday at PHS. Piggott at Armorel The Piggott Mohawks traveled to Armorel last week for a non-conference tune-up with the Tigers, coasting to a 59-50 win. Senior T.J. Harris paced the Tribe with 14, while junior Chuck Rice added another 12...

In what can only be described as an "emotional rollercoaster" of a regular-season drew to a close Friday night, the Piggott Lady Mohawks fell to Maynard 55-43 on "Senior Night" at PHS. After the loss the girls turned their attention to their first-round district tournament game, which was set for Tuesday afternoon at Manila...

Back on Tue Dec 12, 1964 the current PHS gym opened with a double-header against the Holcomb Hornets. That night the "B" team lost their contest, while the varsity boys prevailed in the "A" game. Last Friday night, the final regular-season games in the historic building were played, as the Mohawk boys and girls hosted Maynard for "Senior Night." And as it was in the first set played in the building, the Mohawks lost the early game, but prevailed in the nightcap...

Gerri Denise Johnson, 37, of Corning, died Feb. 6, 2007 at her residence. She was born Jan. 25, 1970 in Piggott, the daughter of Frank Green and the late Geneva "Utley" Green, of Piggott. She was a home maker and attended Success Church of Christ...

Ruth Evelyn Drake, 73, of Evergreen Health Center in Rector, formerly of Greenway, died Feb. 7, 2007, at the Piggott Community Hospital. She was born July 6, 1933, in Arbyrd, Mo., the daughter of the late Jeff and Lillie Mae "Ward" McClure. She was of the Baptist Faith and worked for many years as a nurse's aide. She married Marshall Drake on May 10, 1955...

Arlie Ardell Dowdy, 88, of Piggott, died Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2007, at the Northeast Arkansas Medical Center in Jonesboro. Arlie was born Nov. 16, 1918, in Rector to the late Claude and Flossie Mae "Woods" Dowdy. He was married to Alma Clark of Piggott...

Alta Mae Crittenden, 89, of Piggott, died Friday, Feb. 9, 2007, at the Piggott Community Hospital in Piggott. She was born Dec. 2, 1917, in White Oak, Mo., and was the daughter of the late William Wiley Jerome and Laura Irene (Rogers) Gipson. She was united in marriage to Virgil Franklin Crittenden on Nov. 15, 1936, and to this union four children were born...

Albert Sanders, 83, of Piggott, died Thursday, Feb. 8, 2007, at the Piggott Community Hospital. He was born May 15, 1923 in Clay County, the son of the late William and Nellie "Russell" Sanders. He was married to Mary Dawson on Nov. 30, 1946. He is survived by his wife, Mary Sanders of Piggott; two sons, James Sanders of Sikeston and Eddie Sanders of Piggott; five daughters, Nellie Alexander of McComb, Mich., Barbara French and Brenda French, both of Pevely, Mo., Mary Moore of Florissant, Mo., and Loretta Banegas, of College Station, Tex.; three brothers, John Sanders of Ozark, Mo., Monroe Sanders of Malden, Billy Sanders of Jonesboro; and three sisters, Lina Mae Jackson of Piggott, Leona Mungle of Patton, Mo., and Gertrude Wikowsky of Rector; sixteen grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.. ...

Earl Wayne Parker, 69, of White Lake, Mich., formerly of Piggott, died Monday, Feb. 5, 2007. He was retired from the Ford Motor Company after 32 years of service. Preceding him in death were his parents, Henry L. "Whiz" and Berniece Parker, and one son, Terry...

The Piggott Times recently received a letter from Piggott Cub Scout Bears, pack 46, via pony express. No, this isn't a reprint of an article from the archives of the paper and it isn't April 1 yet. The scouts and pack leader Teresa May, had been reading about the pony express in their handbook. To their surprise, they discovered an article about the pony express in the American Profile insert in The Piggott Times...

As a newspaper guy, I often get to hear all sorts of tidbits of news, gossip, hearsay and stories of yesterday. Some of it is serious. Some of it is funny. Just about all of it is interesting. I've heard it said quite a bit about how many people drink in this county. Most of the time it is said with a smirk or a giggle because we are a dry county...

1967 Representative F.B. Manatt of Corning reported that nearly 400 bills have been introduced in the Arkansas house so far this session. The Rector Black Cats swept the Clay County tournament, beating Corning for the "B" title and Greenway for both the junior and senior championships...

"This past week was dominated by tax cuts," 11th District state senator Robert Thompson remarked from his Paragould office Friday. "Arkansas manufacturers will pay $20.2 million less in taxes next year, thanks to legislation passed by the Senate that reduces their sales tax on purchases of energy," he explained...

When the current gym, commonly known as the Piggott High School gym, was opened back in the fall of 1964 it was to little fanfare. The Mohawk football team had just completed their second unbeaten season in a row, and were enjoying their third straight district championship. In fact the team was in the midst of a 22-game winning streak that extended back to the last two games of 1962...

The Piggott junior Lady Mohawks ended their season last Tuesday night, losing to the Corning junior girls at the district tournament. The girls had advanced to the second round of the tournament with a win over Brookland, and took on the top-seeded Lady Bobcats on their home floor. In the end the Corning girls prevailed by a final score of 35-19. Michelle Greaney led the Lady Mohawks on the night with eight points. Whitney Groning had 12 for the Lady Bobcats...

The Cougars faced the unenviable task of matching up with the fired up home team, Riverside, in the opening round of the 2A-3 district tournament Monday night in Caraway. Rector fell to the perennial conference threat, 57-38. Riverside was able to maintain control throughout the contest: 17-7, 27-18 and 40-28...

The Marmaduke Greyhounds wrapped up their regular season at home Friday night with a 74-45 dismantling of the Rector Cougars. The teams battled through the first quarter, appearing to be fairly evenly-matched. Rector pulled within a single bucket, 20-18, after Andrew Hill connected on a three-pointer from the right wing with 22 seconds left in the opening stanza...

The Junior Greyhounds were eliminated from the 3A-3 junior high district tournament at Corning last Tuesday, 56-39, to Hughes. Marmaduke fell behind 16-9 after the first quarter and was unable to remain within single digits the rest of the way. Hughes led 34-19 at the half and 48-33 going into the fourth quarter...

The Lady Greyhounds may not have won their regular season finale, falling to Weiner 32-29, but coach Spencer Hoffman feels the game may serve as a wake-up call for his squad going into the district tournament. "This team hates to lose," Hoffman said. "It leaves a bad taste in their mouth. Hopefully, that works in our favor come tournament time."...

The Lady Cougars played host to Valley View last Thursday night as part of the Senior Night festivities. The squad's four seniors -- Abbe' McCarroll, Lauren Faulkner, Jordan Cornelison and Skye Shepard -- celebrated their final regular season home game in spectacular fashion, as Rector rolled to a 65-36 victory...

The Cougars picked up a big win last Thursday in Rector, topping the 3A Manila Lions, 47-40, on Senior Night. The Cougars were able to jump out to a 17-8 lead through the first quarter, thanks to a total of nine points from seniors Andrew Hill, Tony Loveless and Brantley Terry. Hill buried a three-pointer and added a free throw. Loveless also added a basket from beyond the arc. Terry scored in the low post, boosting Rector's inside presence in the early going...

Ruth Evelyn Drake, 73, of Evergreen Health Center in Rector, formerly of Greenway, died Feb. 7, 2007, at the Piggott Community Hospital. She was born July 6, 1933, in Arbyrd, Mo., the daughter of the late Jeff and Lillie Mae "Ward" McClure. She was of the Baptist Faith and worked for many years as a nurse's aide. She married Marshall Drake on May 10, 1955...

Arlie Ardell Dowdy, 88, of Piggott, died Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2007, at the Northeast Arkansas Medical Center in Jonesboro. Arlie was born Nov. 16, 1918, in Rector to the late Claude and Flossie Mae "Woods" Dowdy. He was married to Alma Clark of Piggott...

James Austin Ray, 82, of Rector, died Saturday, Feb. 10, 2007, at Arkansas Methodist Medical Center in Paragould. He was born Oct. 6, 1924, in Black Oak to the late Henry and Sadie Marie Ray. Mr. Ray farmed in his early years and moved to Michigan in the 1940's. He worked as a freight manager and was a World War II veteran...

Earl Wayne Parker, 69, of White Lake, Mich., formerly of Piggott, died Monday, Feb. 5, 2007. He was retired from the Ford Motor Company after 32 years of service. Preceding him in death were his parents, Henry L. "Whiz" and Berniece Parker, and one son, Terry...

Tammy Lynn Hill, 44, of Rector died Friday, Feb. 9, 2007, at her home. Born Nov. 3, 1962, in Paragould, she was a homemaker and of the Church of Christ faith. She was preceded in death by her father, Donnie "Red" Greenway. Survivors include her parents, Clay and Anna Belle (Copeland) Robinson; one son, Grady Robinson of Rector; one daughter, Ashlyn Hill of Rector; one brother, Donnie Greenway of Corning; her grandmother, Hoover Copeland Dale, and one granddaughter, Grason Clay Robinson of Rector.. ...

Evelyn Frances Waldron Barker Griffith, 84, of Rector died Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2007. The youngest of 10 children, she was born Jan. 29, 1923, to the late John Waldron and Lilly (Wells) Waldron. She was a homemaker and very family oriented. She attended the Evangelical Methodist Church at Hargrave Corner. ...

Albert Sanders, 83, of Piggott, died Thursday, Feb. 8, 2007, at the Piggott Community Hospital. He was born May 15, 1923 in Clay County, the son of the late William and Nellie "Russell" Sanders. He was married to Mary Dawson on Nov. 30, 1946. He is survived by his wife, Mary Sanders of Piggott; two sons, James Sanders of Sikeston and Eddie Sanders of Piggott; five daughters, Nellie Alexander of McComb, Mich., Barbara French and Brenda French, both of Pevely, Mo., Mary Moore of Florissant, Mo., and Loretta Banegas, of College Station, Tex.; three brothers, John Sanders of Ozark, Mo., Monroe Sanders of Malden, Billy Sanders of Jonesboro; and three sisters, Lina Mae Jackson of Piggott, Leona Mungle of Patton, Mo., and Gertrude Wikowsky of Rector; sixteen grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.. ...

Though it's been a difficult year for the people of Marmaduke, struggling to rebuild not only their town, but in many ways their very own lives, in the aftermath of last April's tornado, the small community continues to show that while it may still be rebuilding on the outside, inside there remains an undaunted heart which still beats with concern for others...

Sentiments from the heart make Valentine's Day a very special time, and the honest and unabashed declarations of children often are among the most tender -- and definitely most remembered. Rector Elementary School third graders were asked this week to share messages of love and appreciation for a "special someone" in their lives. Our thanks to third grade teachers Bonnie Manning, Dereta Palmer and Rita Dortch for their assistance...

The Marmaduke School Board continues to evaluate its options on the district's approved building plans. Already approved to add classroom space to its existing facilities as well as construct a new elementary physical education building, the Board and school administration is still undecided as far as the optimum placement of these new structures. ...

The Junior Lady Cougars were eliminated from the district tournament at Monette last Tuesday, falling to Marked Tree, 36-17. The girls from Rector seemed to suffer from a case of opening jitters in the tourney, as they could not get their offense going through the first three quarters. The team managed just five points through the first three frames, trailing 11-2 after the first quarter, 20-5 at halftime and 30-5 going into the fourth...