News

From his national debut on Season 17 of NBC’s The Voice in the fall of 2019 to the Rector’s Ford Theater Room stage, Cory Jackson will headline the Grand Re-opening of the Rector Community Museum with a sell-out crowd on Thursday, June 17. At the RCM Board meeting Monday, President Joey Pruett commended board members on the pork steak fund raiser and noted that but for a few General Admission tickets, the Cory Jackson concert is almost sold out. ...

The Piggott Cemetery Association will host the annual Fourth of July Picnic on July 3 this year, after having to cancel last year due to Covid. The picnic proceeds are to benefit the beautiful and well maintained Piggott Cemetery. The grand marshal for the parade this year is J.W. Toombs, retired cemetery care taker...

A brief agenda was addressed by the Rector City Council on Monday, June 7, at the Rector Community Center. Early discussion of properties that had burned brought the declaration by City Attorney Kimberly Dale that the city may not burn and bury property that belongs to someone else...

Rector Helping Hands Foundation announced the return of the Labor Day 5K Race-Walk to be held Saturday morning, September 4, beginning at Rector High School Gym. Heather Simmons commented that the resumption of what has become a favorite Labor Day Weekend event has given the Foundation committee a boost in energy after the COVID-19 hiatus. ...

RECTOR - On as gorgeous a Memorial Day Sunday as anyone present could remember, the Woodland Heights Cemetery Commission and Rector’s VFW Post 10480, Jon Bradshaw, commander, hosted the annual ceremony in remembrance of those service men and women who paid the ultimate price for our freedom...

The City of Piggott City Council met in regular session at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 27 at the Piggott City Hall with a quorum present. In addition to Mayor Travis Williams, Council members Jeff Benbrook, Tracy Cole, and Jamey Parks were present. Debbie Baker, representative of University of Arkansas Extension Service, addressed the council seeking approval to submit an application for a community garden grant. ...

After conversations with Dana McBride Speer and Cathy Crow Henderson along with a brief visit with Teresa Webb Rimer, the suggestion to discover more about Scatterville and the Scatterville Cemetery was inherent in their questions and challenging in scope. Another trip to the cemetery and to the Randleman Room at Rector Public Library became a necessity...

After an unimaginable year of COVID-19 restrictions, social distancing, and business shut-downs, the time has finally come for the Rector Community Museum to reopen. On June 17, Thursday, at 7:00 p.m., doors opening at 6:00 p.m., RCM will host Cory Jackson in concert in the Ford Room at the museum. ...

Hunter Smith, a 2021 PHS graduate, placed seventh in the nation in the Virtual Business Management Challenge for FBLA. Hunter has put in a lot of hours practicing for this simulation and competed all last week in the virtual final round among the top 40 teams nationwide...

Memorial Day will be marked this coming weekend with special observances and activities. Both Woodland Heights Cemetery at Rector, and Memorial Gardens Cemetery at Piggott, will be hosting their annual business meetings and special ceremonies. The Piggott Cemetery will hold their observance at 2 p.m. ...

In a newspaper editorial, the late Dr. O. L. Dalton wrote, “They gave us our community.” Giant cedars and oaks now create a canopy which allows dappled sunlight to cover the three acre plot filled with what some say are thousands of graves, the final resting places of Rector’s ancestors. ...

“It’s not just about the LEGOs,” explained Ben Shimming. When discussing LEGO LEAGUE and the recent state-wide competition, he continued, “We built robots and stations with LEGOs, maybe, the first two weeks of the program.” The theme for the competitive program was Re-Play, with Rector’s team deciding to use authentic research, primary and secondary sources to implement a robot simulation that proved their point about the benefits of social interaction and exercise, especially during the COVID pandemic. ...

PIGGOTT - The Piggott Public Library will kick-off their Summer Reading Program at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, June 2, as they host their annual salute to community heroes. On Wednesday, June 9 they will host a visit by Tommy Terrific’s Wacky Magic Show. They will continue on June 16 with a program on Animology and will wrap-up on June 23, with the traditional performance by Brian and Terri Kinder. This year’s theme is “Tails and Tales.”...

For the 22nd time, Heritage Park will come to life this weekend with the annual Piggott Heritage Car Show and Cruise. Festivities were canceled last year because of the coronavirus pandemic. With entrants from several states each year, the annual car show in the Piggott park has become a must-attend event for lovers of classic and custom cars and trucks, street rods, rat rods and motorcycles of all genre...

The Piggott High School class of 2021 took part in commencement exercises Sunday afternoon. With a packed house of family, friends and fellow students the members of the class were presented with diplomas along with scholarships and awards. Several special presentations were also held, as the classmates turned the page and started a new chapter of their lives...

Returning to the traditional time, place, and familiar pomp and ceremony after fourteen months of COVID restrictions, the Rector High School Class of 2021 along with parents, relatives, and friends filled the RHS gym which had been decorated for the festive occasion. ...

Piggott Elementary School fourth grade students will continue a long-standing tradition at the local school next Monday, May 24, as they present the annual youth power play. The PES fourth graders have been busy practicing for this year’s play, “Make A Difference.” And, they’ll be performing next week for both the students and the public...

The Clay County Quorum Court met for their May session on Monday, May 17 at the courthouse in Piggott. The judges shared that in an executive session prior to the meeting they appointed Teresa Akers to fill the position of County Treasurer. Justice David Cagle stated all the applicants were fine, however they believed Akers to be the most qualified...

Fun on a Saturday night in Rector included cruising from the M&M Drive-In to 3rd and Main Street, making the U-turn there. Showing up at the Rector Speedway with money for popcorn at the concession stand and cotton for ear drum safety presented another option. If not attending the most recent movie at the Ford Theater or hanging out with friends listening to popular stations on the radio, groups of mixed age couples square danced...

PIGGOTT - Once again this year, the Piggott School District will be taking part in the USDA Summer Feeding program. Under the federally-funded effort, all those under the age of 18 are provided free meals at local schools. The meals are the same for all children regardless of family income, race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability. No registration is required for those attending...

Piggott Community Hospital recently received a generous donation from Piggott Pharmacy and Rector Downtown Drug recently, which allowed the hospital to purchase new waiting room furniture for the emergency department/outpatient waiting room. Piggott Community Hospital Administrator James Magee said that the decision to use the donation for new seating was to enhance the functionality of the emergency room waiting area that also serves as the main registration area...

At the monthly meeting of the Rector School Board on May 10, Kim Isom resigned her position on the board. As required by the Arkansas School Board Association, a relative of a family member who is considered for full-time employment with the district cannot serve on the school board. Isom has served eight years, has been re-elected without opposition and has two years remaining at her position. The Rector School Board would be responsible for appointing a person to complete the two-year term...

The city of Piggott received a visit from U.S. Senator John Boozman on Thursday, May 6. Piggott was one of a four-city stop with leaders in multiple Region 8 counties. After stopping in Paragould to visit the high school for National Teacher Appreciation Week, Boozman arrived in Piggott, where he met with city and county officials to tour historical sights...

The PHS gym will be packed Sunday afternoon, as a group of 66 seniors will bid farewell to Piggott High School for the final time. Commencement exercises will be conducted at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 16, as the graduates look forward to turning the page and beginning the next chapter of their lives...

Rector High School will host graduation ceremonies for the class of 2021 at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 16. A total of 36 seniors are scheduled to take part in commencement, as they are slated to begin the next chapter of life. The candidates will enter the gym in their traditional Cougar blue caps and gowns to the familiar sound of Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance,” performed by the RHS concert band...

On a fair-weather Saturday night almost fifty years ago, cars lined Highway 90 and backed up at the entrance to the Rector Speedway. The crews, drivers, and their fans drove from Poplar Bluff, Paragould, and other towns as they followed the dirt oval race circuit throughout the hills of northeast Arkansas. Saturday afternoons and evenings were reserved for trials and finals with wild finishes and an occasional tire flying into the crowded bleachers...

The town of Rector sustained quite a bit of tree damage as the early morning hours of May 4 kept most people awake, listening to the weather reports until power was lost and then keeping up with storm reports on their cell phone apps. According to City Superintendent Todd Watson four trees have Entergy wires wrapped up in them. ...

Rector City Council heard a presentation by Grayson Bigger of Northeast Arkansas Intermodal Authority at the monthly meeting held at the Rector Community Center on Monday evening. Bigger is the executive director of the agency that takes as its mission the “creating of employment opportunities through recruitment, expansion, and retention of regional industry and business.”...

The 22nd annual Heritage Car Show t-shirts are now available for purchase. The t-shirts are $10 each and can be purchased at the Piggott Diner, Piggott City Market, or the Piggott Chamber office. The car show will take place on Friday and Saturday, May 21-22. More details related to the event can be found in this week’s issue of the Clay County Times-Democrat...

The Arkansas Department of Agriculture (Department) is currently accepting applications for the 2021 Arkansas Century Farm program. This program recognizes Arkansas families who have owned and farmed the same land for at least 100 years. Online and printable applications are available at: agriculture.arkansas.gov/arkansas-department-of-agriculture-services/arkansas-century-farm-program/. There is no cost to apply...

Mary Miller of Oxford, Mississippi was chosen by the Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum & Educational Center as the 2021 Writer-in-Residence. Miller grew up in Jackson, Mississippi. She is the author of two collections of short stories, Big World (Short Flight/Long Drive Books, 2009), and Always Happy Hour (Liveright, 2017), as well as the novels The Last Days of California (Liveright, 2014) and Biloxi (Liveright, 2019)...

Thursday's meeting of the Piggott City Council was a heated one, with members of that body trading verbal jabs with each other and the mayor throughout the night. During the early portions of the meeting, the city covered several items with no problems, including passing an ordinance to vacate 9th Street...

Piggott Superintendent Barry DeHart has decided to retire at the end of his contract later this year.  DeHart said he began thinking about retiring last fall and made his formal request to the school board earlier this year to allow for an orderly transition...

Clay County Arts Council’s 2020 season met the same dark fate as Broadway, favorite restaurants, festivals and art shows. Nevertheless, patrons of Clay County arts continued their support with memberships during the pandemic. As a result, the CCAC Board awarded four scholarships to area seniors who have participated in the arts and advocated for arts inclusion, a component of the CCAC mission...

The Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center and Karl and Matilda Pfeiffer Museum and Study Center have changed addresses. The new address of the Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center is now 1913 Museum Row. The new address for Karl and Matilda Pfeiffer Museum and Study Center is 1933 Museum Row...

Beginning this week, the Clay County Health Unit, in conjunction with the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) will begin offering the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. According to Clay County Health Unit Administrator Heather Masingale, the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine will be available for no out-of-pocket expense to eligible Arkansans 18 and over but bring an insurance card if you have one...

Local fire departments were called to assist with a house fire in Greenway. At approximately 7:49 a.m. Sunday, April 18, Piggott and Rector Fire Departments were both called to assist with a fire on US Hwy 49 in Greenway Both departments received a page-out from county 911 of a structure fire in Greenway and responded as automatic aid to GFD. Upon arrival, the structure was fully involved...

The Piggott School Board voted at the April School Board meeting to continue having students and staff wear face masks until the end of this school year. The meeting was held on Tuesday, April 13, at 5:30 p.m. in the administration building. In a 5-0 vote, the school board has decided that Piggott students and staff will be required to continue wearing masks for the remainder of the school year...

In the monthly meeting held on April 19, the Clay County Quorum Court approved four ordinances amending the 2021 budget and one ordinance amending the 2020 budget. The court approved ordinance 2021-10 to transfer funds in the amount of $53,901.00 from the Clay County Road Department to purchase a backhoe. Ordinance 2021-11 was unanimously approved to appropriate $3000 in funds to the Clay County Clerk's office and amend the 2021 budget to purchase two refurbished copy machines...

Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center has revised their hours for tours. The new tour times are as follows: Monday - Friday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tours are given on the hours. For reservation information call 870-598-3487...

BRAD Corporation announces the Winter Energy Assistance program will close Friday, April 30, 2021. Applications will be taken that week on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon and from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Please call your local coordinator's office to set up an appointment. Clay County - 870-857-6308, Lawrence County - 870-202-1353, Randolph County - 870-202-1349...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced that signup has reopened for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 (CFAP 2) as part of the Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative. The initial CFAP 2 signups ended on Dec. 11, 2020, but USDA has reopened sign-up for CFAP 2 for at least 60 days beginning April 5, 2021, for producers to apply or make modifications to existing CFAP 2 applications...

Drivers are noticing higher prices at the pump thanks to weather-related production disruptions, according to an analysis published Friday by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “Summer driving season is fast approaching, and after a year of severely curtailed travel due to the pandemic, people are itching to get on the road,” said John Anderson, economist with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences. ...

In 2019, Noah Gregory of Piggott wanted to find a way to give back to his hometown community. He had received help with his video production and wanted to pay it back.“I knew there were individuals in the community who needed a helping hand who might not have the means to get that helping hand.” And with that motto in mind, Gregory built his first blessing box...

Peggy Lucille Johnson, a former Times-Democrat writer whose career at the paper spanned for more than three decades, has died. She was 89. Johnson, who retired from the paper in 2015, had most recently lived at Campbell General Baptist Nursing Home in Campbell, Missouri. ...

The Piggott Cemetery Board met on April 6 to discuss plans for a July 4th Picnic in 2021. The overall consensus was to proceed. With the Fourth of July falling on a Sunday this year, it was decided to schedule the picnic fundraiser on Saturday, July 3. Plans are in place to return to the annual event with the same format as in the past, barring any health concerns issued by the state...

Rector School Board met Monday, April 12, at 5:30 p.m. in the Administration building. Notices from each building principal reflected the end of the year schedule. The high school Honor Day will be held May 13, with summative Aspire testing being concluded this week. ...

With the statewide mask mandate lifted by Governor Asa Hutchinson on March 30, the Arkansas Department of Education left the decision to require masks up to each school board. On April 5, Rector Superintendent Johnny Fowler said that the district would continue with the mask mandate until the school board meeting. On Monday, April 12, the Rector School Board voted for masks to be optional unless the district sees an outbreak of cases...