Stories from Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Piggott Police Chief Bill Alstadt reports that the investigation into a strong-arm robbery that occurred Tuesday evening is continuing. Officers were called to the Open Roads Motel, on Highway 62 at the east edge of Piggott, around 9 p.m. Tuesday night after an individual took an undetermined amount of cash from the business...

Firefighters from several area departments responded to a location along the St. Francis River levee southeast of Nimmons Tuesday afternoon, to battle a grass fire of undetermined origin. The blaze, which apparently began in an abandoned building between the levee and river, was compounded by dry conditions and a prevailing north wind. By the time the fire was extinguished, well after sunset, it had spread nearly a mile...

With the dog days of summer in full swing, sleepy scenes like this barn lot east of Pollard are not hard to find. But, with Labor Day just around the corner it's nice to know that fall cannot be far behind. (Times photo/Tim Blair)

The Piggott Mohawk golf teams were back in action Monday afternoon at Sugar Creek Country Club as they hosted several regional teams. The Lady Mohawks played host to Corning and Hoxie and split with their conference foes, losing by a stroke to the Lady Bobcats and beating the Mustangs. According to Coach Nikki Speers, low round for the girl's team was shot by Kayla Morgan...

Any military commander will tell you that you have no idea how your troops are going to react to a combat situation until you put them in one. The same is true for coaches and the athletes they train-- practice is just not a good substitute for game experience...

1970 Over 4,800 Clay County residents cast ballots in the Democratic Primary Election, Aug. 25 while just over 200 took part in the Republican Primary. Boyce McLeskey was re-elected county clerk, Vaughn Webb was elected assessor and Guy Brinkley, Jr. was tabbed to be municipal judge. Meanwhile, Frank Carpenter and Doug Batey will be in a run-off for sheriff. Also in the news, the annual McDougal Picnic is at hand with the proceeds to benefit the Post Oak Cemetery...

Gage Patterson is greeted by Piggott Elementary School assistant principal Amber Harrell as he arrives for the first day of school Thursday, Aug. 19. With the exception of kindergarten students, who had their first day Friday, all Piggott classes convened last Thursday as they marked the start of the new school year...

Piggott voters will have three contested municipal races to decide in the upcoming General Election, as the period for candidates to file ended at noon Tuesday, Aug. 24. In the past few weeks all the incumbent city officials facing re-election filed to seek another term. That included Mayor Gerald Morris, city clerk Ramona Magee, city attorney John Lingle and incumbent aldermen Carl Birmingham and Tommy Risinger...

Wally Lage, vice president and chief operating officer of Rust Communications, died Thursday night, Aug. 19, in Maine, after slipping off a wharf. He was 66. Rust Communications is the parent company of the Clay County Democrat, as well as a number of other newspapers in Arkansas and around the country...

(Peggy is taking off this week, so we're featuring one of her award-winning columns from several years ago) Is this how it begins, mama? You lie curled in bed, just the top of your head showing from under the piles of blankets. Your hands, posed as in prayer, cup your face against the pillow...

Jane (Huss) Vaughn, 72, of Trumann, died Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2010, at the family residence. She was born in Craighead County, had lived in Trumann the past four years, and was formerly of Mantachee, Miss. Mrs. Vaughn was a housewife and a member of Calvary Baptist Church. She was preceded in death by one daughter, Shelia Huss Bailey; two brothers, and her parents, Jessie and Aileen (Sims) Holt...