Stories from Wednesday, August 13, 2008

The Arctic Cats softball team recently completed an outstanding summer season. The squad finished in first place during league play, notching a 16-0 record. They also racked up plenty of hardware over the course of the year, claiming first place in a preseason tournament, second place in the Marmaduke Invitational and third place in the district tournament...

Sallie Marie Herren, 90, of Rector died Monday, Aug. 11, 2008, at Arkansas Methodist Medical Center in Paragould. She was born Oct. 31, 1917, to the late William and Rhoda (Chilcutt) Reed. She also was preceded in death by her husband, Leo Herren; two brothers, Silas Reed and Thomas Reed, and one sister, Duel Simpson...

Donny Oliver, 74, of Ebro, Fla., died Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2008, in Panama City, Fla. He was born July 7, 1934, in Rector to Argolis Oliver and Gertrude Waldron Oliver. He had been a resident of Panama City since 1980...

Alonzo Parrish, 93, of Paragould, formerly of Knob, died Sunday, Aug. 10, 2008, at Arkansas Methodist Medical Center in Paragould. He was born July 30, 1915, to the late Robert and Julia Parrish and was married April 18, 1936, to Fredonia Mobbs...

Mary Magdalene Stephen, 102, died Sunday, Aug. 10, 2008, at Evergreen Health and Rehabilitation in Rector, where she was a resident. Mrs. Stephen was born May 29, 1906, to the late Bill and Virgie (Moore) Drope north of Marmaduke. ...

How about some good news for a change? A new study shows that there are 84,000 fewer smokers in Arkansas in 2007 than if smoking rates in 2002 had continued unchanged. The percentage of adults in Arkansas who smoke decreased from 26.3 percent to 22.4 percent in 2007...

My blood pressure must have shot up 40 points. My face was flushed and my aggravation point was at its peak. All because of a wireless cell phone. Actually it was the prepaid minute card that started the whole thing. All I wanted to do was add more minutes to my existing cell phone account...

This is the time of year when your ageing observer adjusts his spectacles, tunes up the old hearing aids, and generally sits back on tiring haunches to take a week off, just to play. We do this to commemorate the anniversary when a young woman brought forth her fifth son -- on the date of this publication, eighty-five years ago. ...

An industrial training center is on the road to development in Rector. Mayor Ron Kemp met Tuesday, Aug. 12, with Vicki Kuykendall, director of the Greene County Industrial Training Center in Paragould, and received a letter of commitment from Black River Technical College (BRTC) at Pocahontas...

Rector has been my home since 1972 and I have seen a lot of changes in the past 36 years. I was very disappointed to hear what happened at the Rector City Council meeting concerning annexation while we were out of town. ...

The eastern district courthouse in Piggott was the site of a hearing Friday, Aug. 8, on the merits of a temporary injunction that was granted July 25 by Judge David Laser. The injunction had been sought, and gained, by Van Winton of Clay County Abstract of Piggott against sheriff and collector Ronnie Cole. ...

A familiar face is greeting those who visit the Arkansas Revenue Department office in the Rector Community Center. Sarah Burdin, known to many by her maiden name, Sarah Pruett, is the new revenue officer at the city site. Burdin fills the position recently vacated by Teresa Roofe, who retired...

Paul Frets is a soft-spoken man, kind and unassuming. Yet his art makes a bold statement and reveals an exciting and adventurous spirit. "Art is like a language in itself," Frets said in an April 2008 interview with the Democrat. ...

Pre-season practice continues for the Piggott Mohawk football team, as the Tribe prepares to take on the Valley View Blazers at Parker Field on Friday, Sept. 5. The non-conference game with the Blazers will kick-off the 2008 campaign, and marks the 30th season that the Mohawks have played on the turf of the new Parker Field. ...

1968 A total of 4,801 voters turned out for the primary run-off for Clay County judge 40 years ago this past week, with Vernon Call edging-out Carl Ermert 2,872-1,929. In other news, the Greenway picnic was rained-out again this year before the Miss Greenway pageant..and it was re-set for Friday, Aug. ...

My blood pressure must have shot up 40 points. My face was flushed and my aggravation point was at its peak. All because of a wireless cell phone. Actually it was the prepaid minute card that started the whole thing. All I wanted to do was add more minutes to my existing cell phone account...

Audrey A. Stidham, 79, of Piggott, died Monday, Aug. 4, 2008, at the Piggott Community Hospital. She was born on Dec. 14, 1928, in Nimmons, the daughter of the late James Henry and Laura Elizabeth (Howell) Broadway...

Ellen V. Harmon, 86, of Paragould, formerly of Piggott, died Thursday, July 31, 2008, at Arkansas Methodist Medical Center in Paragould. She was born Dec. 8, 1921, in Nimmons, the daughter of the late W.O. and Nettie (Carmichael) Eubanks...

O. Louise Harmon, 71, of Kennett, died Friday, July 18, 2008, in Kennett. She was born Sept. 21, 1936, in Piggott, and was the youngest daughter of Riley and Lottie (Parton) Book. On May 5, 1955, she married her late husband Aldon O. "Sonny" Harmon, Sr...

Paul Gene Garrison, 73, of Piggott, died Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2008, in the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. He was born Feb. 1, 1935, in Pollard, the son of the late Asa and Nola (Conley) Garrison...

Richard Alan Jorman, 41, of Harrison, formerly of Piggott, died Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2008, at the North Arkansas Regional Medical Center in Harrison. He was born Aug. 9, 1966, in Piggott, the son of Sherman and Grace (Massey) Jorman. He worked for Outback Restaurant and Pub in Branson, Mo., for 12 years...

Royal Lee "Toots" Broadway, 74, of Piggott, was born March 16, 1934. at Nimmons, to Laura Elizabeth Howell Broadway and James Henry Broadway. He died Monday, Aug. 4, 2008, at the Piggott Community Hospital...

The annual Clay County pageants for 2008, held in conjunction with the annual fair, will be held beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 6 in the commercial exhibit building at the fairgrounds. The attire for Miss Clay County and Mrs. ...

Municipal filings for the November general election continue across Arkansas, with the deadline set for noon on Tuesday, Aug. 26. This year all four members of the Piggott City Council stand for re-election, with two candidates set for two-year terms and the other two for four-year terms. ...

There were some tense moments Tuesday morning at the Piggott City Hall, after a small blaze of undetermined origin broke-out in a storage area at the rear of the building. ...

Several Clay County agricultural producers gathered Friday, Aug. 8, to take part in the annual field day held by the Clay County Cooperative Extension Service. The field day offers area growers a chance to see the results of different seed varieties grown on local soil. ...

Monte Brett Beers, 45, of Edgemont, S.D., died Friday, Aug. 1, 2008, at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Minneapolis, Minn. He was born May 23, 1963, in Piggott to Elliott and Mary (Erwin) Beers. He spent the first six years of his life in Rapid City before moving with his mother to Greenway. He attended Greenway schools and graduated from Greenway High School in 1981...

Monte "Brett" Beers, 45, of Edgemont, S.D., died Friday, Aug. 1, 2008, at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Minneapolis, Minn. He was born May 23, 1963, in Piggott to Elliott and Mary (Erwin) Beers. He spent the first six years of his life in Rapid City before moving with his mother to Greenway. He attended Greenway schools and graduated from Greenway High School in 1981...