Stories from Wednesday, March 17, 2010

For nearly 30 years, Hank Ray has been a fixture of what is now the Rector School District. During that time, the maintenance supervisor says he has done some of "everything." Ray was hired by the Greenway School District on Aug. ...

Five-year-old Isabella Mosley and two-year-old Scott Wright were crowned Friday night as the 2010 Little Miss and Mr. Rector in a contest which raised over $11,000 for the Rector High School junior/senior prom. Isabella is the daughter of David and Christina Mosley. ...

The 2010 Rector Area Chamber of Commerce banquet promises lots of fun and entertainment for all who attend. "Looking to the Future" is the theme for the event, set for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 13, at the Rector Community Center...

Things may be looking up for American Railcar Industries in Marmaduke and Paragould. A change in product could lead to new jobs in the area. According to a press release, ARI will join with U.S. Railcar, LLC, to produce self-propelled diesel engine passenger cars which will be able to travel along railways currently in place across the world...

The Rector Area Chamber of Commerce is gearing up for a Mayfest event sure to draw regional attention and provide a day of family fun and entertainment long to be remembered. Set from 10 to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 8, at the Downtown Park, Rector Mayfest 2010 will feature continuous music on stage by some of the area's best entertainers, a motorcycle show, a trike show, an antique tractor display, carnival games, air rides, the National Guard rock climb wall, a National Guard humvee, lots of booths with items displayed by local stores, crafts, face painting, political representatives and military information, along with a fantastic lineup of food vendors.. ...

Harry Lee Snyder, 75, of Rector passed from this life on Monday, March 15, 2010, at the Evergreen Health Care Center. He was born July 25, 1934, to the late John and Mary (Roofe) Snyder in Clay County. Harry was a wonderful husband and loving Dad. He loved all of his family and friends and will be missed by all who had the joy of knowing him...

Cancer is still an ugly word, but not as ugly as it used to be. Great strides are being made to erase the disease. There are many more cancer survivors who are living to tell their stories. I am one of them...

Unlike many area teams, the Lady Cougars were able to work in three games over the past week, despite the rainy conditions. Tuesday afternoon, the girls came away with a thrilling 15-14 win over Riverside in Rector. There was too much softball for the usual seven innings, as the two teams needed an addition two frames to determine a winner...

Monday's meeting with Riverside in Rector was a tough one for the Cougar baseball team, as they saw a sizeable lead turn into a large deficit, falling to the visiting Rebels, 19-8. Rector fell behind 1-0 in the first inning, but battled back to take a 7-1 lead in the third...

The passage of a frontal system in the early morning hours of Wednesday, March 10, brought strong winds to the Piggott area and the storm left thousands of dollars in damage in its wake. The majority of the devestation was restricted to a fairly narrow band, with most of the destruction along a three-block wide area running south to north through the city...

Piggott Elementary School hosted a special visit Wednesday, March 10, as personnel from the Bootheel Youth Museum presented a program called "Bend the Light." The program is offered to regional schools by way of a grant acquired by the museum, with Americorp volunteers providing the manpower...

The new security camera systems are now in place at both campuses of the Piggott School District. This photo shows the monitor in the office of Piggott Elementary School. Meanwhile, at the high school campus they have over two dozen cameras inside and outside their various buildings. ...

Edgar Medling, 80, of McDougal died Sunday March 14, 2010, at St. Bernards Hospice in Jonesboro. Born March 8, 1930, in Oxly, Mo., Mr. Medling worked as a millwright and was a member of Local 1102 for 50 years. He was a member of Sugar Creek Country Club in Piggott and former Mayor of McDougal. He was of the Church of Christ faith...

Floyd Doyle "Johnny" Hayes of Senath, Mo., son of the late James Leonard and Clara E. (Elder) Hayes, was born Sept. 20, 1926, in Wayne County, Mo., and passed away Monday, Feb. 22, 2010, at Piggott Community Hospital in Piggott at the age of 83...

1970 The derailment of a Cotton Belt freight train left 34 cars off the tracks in the Mary's Chapel community west of Greenway March 15. The crashing train cars also interrupted long distance service in Piggott and Rector as phone lines were destroyed. ...

Cancer is still an ugly word, but not as ugly as it used to be. Great strides are being made to erase the disease. There are many more cancer survivors who are living to tell their stories. I am one of them...

Monday afternoon the Piggott Mohawks hosted Manila in high school baseball at Independence Park and in extra innings dropped a 3-4 conference loss to the Lions. The contest had just about everything a ball fan could ask for in a game--homeruns, great pitching, a run scored on a balk, a failed squeeze play, good and bad base running, the ejection of one of the coaches and sparkling defensive play. ...