May 2024

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Judge Dan Stidham manages his professional judicial calendar along with his current -months-long book tour to promote his true crime book, ‘Harvest of Innocence’, accompanied by Lea Ann Stidham, his wife. He met with an interested crowd at the book signing in the community room at the Rector Public Library on Saturday morning, May 18, and with another audience interested in hearing his personal perspective on the case involving the so-called West Memphis Three in the afternoon at the Ford Room inside the Rector Community Museum. A question/ answer portion of the program at the Ford Room allowed audience members to gain further insight into Judge Stidham’s theories. As a whole, both audiences were interested in Judge Stidham’s story as told from his perspective thirty years after he was appointed public defender for Jessie Misskelley, one of the three teens later convicted of the horrific murders of three 8year old boys in 1993 in West Memphis.

The Piggott High School class of 2024 held their commencement Sunday afternoon, May 19, with a packed house of family, friends and fellow students. The members of the class were pre-sented with diplomas as well as many scholarships and awards. The class members entered the PHS gym to the traditional “Pomp and Circumstance” played by the Piggott High Concert Band. As they walked out they each placed a flower in a basket in memory of Coach Chris Brantley who passed away earlier in the week. Each graduate also wore a purple heart sticker on their caps that had the letters “CB” printed on them.

Rector’s Class of 2024 participated in commencement exercises on Sunday afternoon, May 19, at the Rector High School gym. Valedictorian Drew Henderson led the audience in the Pledge of Al-legiance and offered the invocation.

On Monday night, May 20, the Clay County Quorum Court met in regular session at the courthouse in Piggott with all justices in attendance. After roll call, motion was made and passed to waive the reading of the previous month’s minutes.