Stories from Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Piggott High School marked senior night Friday at Parker Field, as the Mohawk football team played their final game of the 2009 season. Prior to the contest the senior members of the team were introduced and recognized, along with the senior members of the PHS cheerleading squad. ...

Basketball season got underway this week, with the Piggott Lady Mohawks hosting the Bearcats of Brookland in a full set Monday night. The contests also mark the debut of new girls head coach Alan Rabjohn, who joined the staff last year as an assistant and took over the top job in the offseason...

There's something to be said for playing your biggest rival in the final game of the season. It affords the chance to forget about the previous nine games, your season and conference record and where you are in the standings. And if you win, you get bragging rights and spend the offseason as a winner...

1969 Sheila Jewell, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Sam Jewell, was crowned PHS Homecoming Queen for 1969, and her court included--maids Diana Hughes, Sheila Taylor, Donna Jo Cluck and Barbara Batey. ...

"In seven seconds, share this message with seven people and you will receive a miracle tomorrow." Anyone who has a personal computer and forwards emails to friends will receive messages like the above one. There are promises being made every day with directions to forward a certain email to others, usually seven, 10 or 12 people. If you do, then good things are bound to come to you, the email predicts. I get similar forwarded emails all the time...

Betty J. Bailey, 80, of Kenosha Wis., died Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009, at Kenosha Medical Center. She was born on Oct. 30, 1928, in Greenway, and was the daughter of the late Auda and Naomi (Slaughter) O'Neal. She was educated in the schools of Greenway, graduating from Greenway High School. She married Clifford Wendell Bailey June 2, 1946, in Piggott...

Necie Lurene (Lowery) Pollard, 85, of Pollard, passed away on Nov. 8, 2009, at the Evergreen Nursing Home in Rector. She was born June 14, 1924, in Crockett, Ark., and was the daughter of the late Willie Sparks and Winnie Pearl (Thomas) Lowery...

Juanita C. Medling, 76, of McDougal died Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009, at her home in McDougal. She was born Jan. 1, 1933, at McDougal to Ralph and Ora Reed. She married Edgar C. Medling in 1948 and the couple was married for 61 years. She was a homemaker, and enjoyed golf, sewing and being a lifelong devoted member of the Church of Christ...

Funeral services for Harris "Mr. Pete" Fruge, age 92, were held at 2 p.m. Thursday, Oct.22, 2009, in the LaFond-Ardoin Funeral Home Chapel in Melville, La., with the Reverend Billy Wayne Ivy officiating. Interment followed in the Baptist Cemetery...

Vickie Cunningham, 45, of Fort Smith, Ark., entered into rest Nov. 5, 2009, in St. Edward Mercy Medical Center. She was born June 28, 1964, in Paragould to the late Berl Lynn Vaught and Marcellene (Smart) Vaught and grandparents Jim and Luna Vaught of Rector and Dan and Thronie Smart of Piggott. All preceded her in death...

Hannah (Crews) Marshner was born July 12, 1961, and died Nov. 5, 2009, at her home in Poplar Bluff at the age of 48. She was the daughter of the late Howard and Ruth Crews, and was a graduate of Piggott High School...

David Lee Moore, 51, of Piggott, passed away Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009, at his home in Piggott. He was born March 3, 1958, in Poplar Bluff, and was the son of the late Joe Cecil and Jane (Hill) Moore. He was preceded in death by five brothers, Joe Harold, Jimmy, Larry, Kenny and Loyd, and two sisters, Charlene and Patricia...

Curtis Smart, 88, of St. Francis, Ark, passed away Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009, at the General Baptist Nursing Home in Campbell. He was born Dec. 2, 1920 in Piggott, the son of the late Pinkney Julian and Rutha Louisa (Johnson) Smart...

Congressman Marion Berry was one of two from the Arkansas delegation to vote Saturday night for House Bill 3962, a sweeping piece of national health care reform legislation. Berry joined Vic Snyder of the Second District in voting for the measure, while Fourth District Congressman John Boozman and the Second District's Mike Ross cast negative votes...

Piggott State Bank and Piggott Community Hospital hosted a health fair Wednesday, Nov. 4 in the annex building of the bank. Organizers noted that 115 individuals took advantage of the free screenings, tests and informational packets. Door prize winners of blood pressure monitors were Kathleen Beaver and Joe Lambert. Pictured is PCH lab technician Vickie Cochran (left) as she draws blood from Charles Crafton, while Crystal Henson makes preparations in the background. (Times photo/Tim Blair)...

The following is the complete transcript of a written statement delivered to the Piggott Schools Board of Education by Latraca Moore at their Nov. 9, 2009 meeting. Moore served as spokesperson for a group of more than a dozen parents on hand. The complete text is below, although Moore did paraphrase some thoughts in her presentation to the board...

A group of more than a dozen concerned parents attended Monday night's meeting of the Piggott School Board. The group had requested to appear on the agenda for the regular monthly meeting to discuss their reaction to last month's evacuation of both the high school and elementary campuses due to a threat found written on a restroom wall...

A South Garfield Street man was fortunate to escape injury Friday when an out-of-control vehicle slammed through the wall of his home in Piggott. Clyde Jones of 397 South Garfield was sitting in the living room of his home around mid-morning when the Ford Expedition rammed into an adjacent bedroom...