Stories from Thursday, March 22, 2012

Mary L. "Lou" Gossett of St. Louis passed away Sunday, March 18, 2012. She was the beloved wife of Orville "Bill" Gossett, beloved mother of Jerry (Geralyn), Vicki, Billy and Dana Gossett; proud grandmother of Timothy (Mayumi), Nicholas, Stephen and Kevin Gossett; dear great grandmother of Emi and Mei; dear sister of Betty Grissom, Don Steen, James Steen, Bonnie Stinson, Charles Steen, Martha Dover, Brenda Kay Diddle, Jimmy Steen, Melba Exum and the late Drewie Steen and Glendora Perez; sister-in-law, aunt, cousin and friend to many.. ...

Lela Mae Hoskins, 94, of Paragould, died Friday, March 16, 2012, at Rector Nursing and Rehab in Rector. She was born Feb. 9, 1918, in Tuckerman, Ark., the daughter of the late James and Burtha MacReath Watkins. She was also preceded in death by her husband, Paschal Hoskins; son, James Hoskins; daughter, Phyllis Hoskins; grandson, Randy Hoskins, and brothers, O'Neal and John Watkins...

Mrs. Patsy Marie Hayes, 64, of Rector, Ark., died Monday, March 19, 2012, at her home after a brave battle with cancer. Mrs. Hayes was born Aug. 10, 1947, in Rector Ark., to Hubert and Lucy Lucille Groves Ellis. Mrs. Hayes was an LPN and loved spending time with her family and friends...

Eula Mae Wooten Richardson of Cincinnati, Ohio, passed on Friday, March 9, 2012. She was born June 9, 1923, and grew up on a cotton farm near Rector. She was preceded in death by her sister, Marie Wooten; a brother, Harry Wooten, and husband, James H. Richardson...

Nothing smells natural anymore. Almost every household product contains an added scent or fragrance. I realized that this week when I was spraying a room deodorizer in my bathroom. The scent was French vanilla, but I could have bought any number of scents, ranging from lemon to lilac to lavender...

Emma Graddy was recognized Wednesday, March 14, as "The Proudest Kid in Piggott" during a special ceremony held at Piggott Elementary School. Emma was chosen as the winner of the annual "Proudest Kid" third grade essay contest. The daughter of Lora and Sean Graddy of Piggott, Emma is a student in Mrs. Cathy Coyle's third grade class at Piggott Elementary...

Area residents will have an opportunity to witness a living history event when the Union Pacific railroad's steam locomotive 844 leads the Shiloh Troop Train through Piggott and Rector on Wednesday, March 28. The train is scheduled to leave Dexter, Mo., at 12:01 p.m. ...

Students at Piggott High School were able to learn about a wide array of potential career paths during the annual Academic Fest event held March 15 on the high school campus. Few decisions in life have the lasting impact as choosing a career or profession. While economic factors such as salary, wages and employment opportunities often are rated high in terms of selecting a profession, other factors such as personal interest, education and scheduling also are critical...

As a member of the beloved Statler Brothers, Jimmy Fortune has thrilled countless audiences around the world with his amazing tenor voice and songwriting abilities. Fortune has continued to delight crowds as a solo performer following the retirement of Statler members Don Reid, Harold Reid and Phil Balsley in 2002...

Strong pitching, consistent hitting and reliable fielding have been the softball Lady Cougars' best friends to start the 2012 season, with diamonds being the setting. RHS has hit the basepaths running with a 5-0 start in the young campaign. The Lady Cougars ran roughshod over the visiting Lady Thunderbirds of Cross County Thursday at Rector, imposing their will upon the visitors, 19-3, in a three inning, run-ruled outing...

The Mohawks picked up their first win of the baseball season, notching a 4-2 victory over Blytheville Thursday in Piggott. Senior Zach Redmon had a solid performance on the mound for the Tribe. Redmon worked all seven innings for the Mohawks, allowing two runs on just three hits and four walks while fanning 12 batters...

The Cougars had a hard time at Marmaduke Thursday, falling to the hosting Greyhounds, 12-2. Rector trailed 3-0 after three innings, but plated a runner on a passed ball at the plate in the fourth. The Cougars scored again in the fifth on an RBI single by Mitchell Weber. A Rector runner tried to take the plate on another passed ball in the fifth, but a quick response by the MHS defense halted the play at the plate...

A commodity distribution for Clay County is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, or until supplies are gone, on Wednesday, March 28. The three distribution sites will be the Arkansas Army National Guard Armory at 600 E. Ninth Street (Hwy. 49) in Rector, Harmony Baptist Church at 8212 U.S. Highway 62 in Pollard and Agape Mission Outreach at 501 SW Second in Corning...