News

The Piggott Area Chamber of Commerce recognized the Proudest Kid's winners in the Piggott essay contest on Wednesday, March 31. All winners of this year's competition were on hand for the prize presentation, along with their teachers from PES. In keeping with recent tradition, the winners joined Piggott Mayor Travis Williams for lunch as part of their recognition...

Rector City Council addressed a lengthy agenda on Monday, April 5, at 7:00 p.m. at the Rector Community Center. Shannon Todd, engineer, affiliated with Horner-Shifrin of Poplar Bluff, presented an updated proposal regarding Rector's wastewater system. ...

Pair two good samaritans with a ray of mid-morning sunshine and what was lost is found For fourteen years, Alma White Webb wore a heart necklace with 'I love you' engraved on the heart's face. Gifted to her on Mother's Day, by daughter Judy White Kellogg, in remembrance Alma's late son Doug White, the engraved heart necklace became a valued treasure with each touch and memory...

The Rector Fire Department (RFD) responded to a house fire at 321 W 6th Street in Rector on March 28 at approximately 1:56 p.m. Upon arrival on scene, RFD reported to see heavy fire already through the roof and spreading rapidly. The tenant advised that they discovered smoke in a bedroom and when she opened the door, the room was inflamed. The house was evacuated and 911 was called...

Miranda Holman, from Clarksville, was recently hired to fill the role of editor at the Clay County Times-Democrat on March 19, replacing Tim Blair who retired in late February. Holman is an Arkansas Tech University alumna with dual bachelor’s degrees in English and Creative Writing and a Master’s in Communications. ...

The community of Piggott is mourning the death of prominent town business owner and dentist Gary Stewart Dehls, who passed away on Friday, March 26, 2021. Dehls was born in Vincennes, Indiana, to the late Tony Fields and Daisy Opal Dehls and was the youngest of five children...

The Clay County Arts Scholarship application is now available for any high school seniors pursuing additional study in an art program. If you are a high school senior who attends a Clay County High School and are interested in pursuing a degree in dance, music, theater, visual or literary arts, then you should apply for a scholarship from the Clay Council Arts Council...

Fifteen students from Rector High School earned recognition at the 2021 Future Business Leaders of America Spring Conference and will advance to the state competition. FBLA – Future Business Leaders of America – offers students a chance to improve their business skills in communication, ethics, management, leadership, and mathematics. ...

A commodity distribution for Clay County is scheduled for Wednesday, March 31, 2021. Distribution will take place at Agape Mission Outreach, located at 501 SW 2nd, St. in Corning, from 9:00 a.m. until noon and at the Rector Community Center, located at 740 East 9th. Street in Rector from 8:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. Both locations will be a drive-thru distribution...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced the nationwide extension of several waivers that allow all children to continue to receive nutritious meals this summer when schools are out of session. These flexibilities are now available through Sept. 30, 2021...

The number of active Arkansas COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continues its downward trend. The Department of Health reported active cases, or ones that don’t include people who have recovered or died, dropped by 13 Saturday to 2,676. The state’s COVID-19 hospitalizations fell by 17 to 216, while four new COVID-19 deaths raised the state’s pandemic death toll to 5,533...

John Crossfield, 89, of Corning, Ark., passed away Friday, March 19, 2021 at home surrounded by his family. Mr. Crossfield was born November 5, 1931 in Greenway. He was a farmer and carpenter who proudly served his country in the US Army. On July 8, 1955, he married Wanda Laverne Cate. They were married 64 years prior to her death on November 19, 2019...

Senior, Jacob Holmes of Rector, who is attending the Arkansas School For Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts (ASMSA) in Hot Springs, was named a National Merit Finalist for the 2020-21 academic year by the National Merit Scholarship Corp. The National Merit Scholarship Corp. ...

Although it’s still a couple weeks away, the Piggott Area Chamber of Commerce reminds local residence to begin to make their plans for the annual Piggott City Wide Yard Sale. This year’s sale will be held Saturday, April 3, in conjunction with the annual ffa sale, and sales held that weekend will not be required to purchase a permit from the city. ...

Piggott Board of Education met in regular session at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 9, in the school’s Administration Building and addressed a brief agenda. After the standard approval of the minutes of the previous meeting and the previous special session held Friday, March 5, the board also approved the financial reports...

The Quorum Court held the stated monthly meeting at the Piggott Courthouse on Monday, March 15, at 7:00 p.m., the honorable Judge Mike Patterson presiding. All court justices were present. In new business before the court, the justices heard the reading of Ordinance 2021-7 An ordinance applying funds for e-911 phones/dispatch transferred to overtime and amending the 2021 budget. ...

Jeff Dorris jdorris@dddnews.com The Clay County Quorum Court held a makeup session at the courthouse in Piggott on Thursday, March 4, 2021. The meeting had been rescheduled due to the weather event in February. The court approved a number of ordinances, discussed Dispatch employees salaries, and heard an update on county activities...

At the Rector School Board’s regular meeting on Monday, March 8, at 5:30 p.m., the board heard a final report from Michael McBryde of Stephens Inc regarding the refunding of Rector School District’s $1,710,000 May 1, 2016 bond. According to McBryde, the agency received five qualified bids to refinance the bond at the lowest interest rate. ...

Ernest Hemingway, the iconic literary figure considered one of the greatest American writers and among the first to live and work at the treacherous nexus of art and celebrity, is the subject of an upcoming three-part, six-hour documentary series directed by award-winning filmmakers Ken Burns and Lynn Novick coming to Arkansas PBS April 5-7...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides technical and financial assistance to help Arkansas farmers and livestock producers recover from damages brought on by winter storms Uri and Viola. Agricultural producers are encouraged to contact their local USDA Service Center to learn about the programs available to help them recover from crop, land, infrastructure, and livestock losses...

Colton Wilson Named Top Speller

Jeff Dorris Special for the Clay County Times jdorris@dddnews.com The February session of the Piggott city Council centered around the passing of three resolutions, discussion on the application for a CDBG Grant, and the energy crisis caused by the weather event during the week of the 15th...

BY JANE GATEWOOD TD News Staff Rector City Council met at 6:00 p.m. Monday, March 1, at the Rector Community Center. In addition to the standard reports and usual business, the council heard from Shannon Todd, Environmental Engineer for Horner-Shriffin of Poplar Bluff, MO. He and his engineering firm have been hired for numerous City of Rector engineering projects. The current project for which he has oversight is the waste-water treatment repair issue being addressed by City of Rector...

With spring sports at hand, signups are underway for the upcoming Rector Sports Complex softball and baseball season through Friday, March 19. As in years past, this spring there will be a number of age divisions playing at the complex. Included will be T-ball for three and four year old boys and girls...

The Clay County Cooperative Extension Service will hold its annual Private Applicator Trainings (PAT) at 9:00 a.m. Monday, March 15 at the M.B. Ainley Community Center in Corning. The PAT meeting will allow participants to receive certification and recertification for a restricted use pesticides (RUP) license. ...

A Missouri man was killed Friday evening in a two-vehicle crash on Highways 67 and 141 in Clay County, according to a preliminary fatality report from the Arkansas State Police. Kenneth L. Freeman, 26, of Doniphan was going north in a 2016 Chevrolet around 7:30 p.m. ...

On Saturday, February 20 at approximately 12:25 a.m., Kennett police responded to the American Legion building in reference to someone shooting a firearm. "We got called to the American Legion building last night in reference to shots fired," reported Kennett Chief of Police Kenny Wilson. "Investigation revealed there were five victims. One did not survive his injuries and two are in critical condition at a hospital in Cape Girardeau."...

According to an analysis of state health data Clay County has fully vaccinated about nine percent of its population, the highest per capital rate in the state. Alan Vaughn, director of the Clay County Office of Emergency Management, said the local pharmacies are going all out to meet the needs of the community. “We’ve got really competent pharmacies here,” Vaughn said...

The Arkansas Activities Association has pushed regional and state high school basketball tournaments back one week, allowing time for regular-season games and district tournaments to be rescheduled in the wake of recent winter storms. The 2A-North Regional Basketball Tournament is now scheduled for March 3-6 at the Rector High School gym. The regional tournament will include the top boys and girls teams from 2A-3 and 2A-6, and will feature some of the top talent in the state...

Vaccinate the Natural State, a new initiative led by Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield in collaboration with the Arkansas Department of Health, Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care, Arkansas Minority Health Commission, Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce/Associated Industries of Arkansas, Northwest Arkansas Council, UAMS and Walmart, was announced today. The statewide initiative will educate Arkansans about the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine and encourage individuals to get the vaccine as soon as possible – by doing so they will be taking a critical step toward helping end the pandemic. . ...

The Arkansas Department of Health reports the statewide COVID-19 numbers have stabilized, although Clay County recorded a sharp increase in cases in the past week. And although the case numbers have stabilized in Arkansas, the death toll continues to climb and has eclipsed the 5,000 mark...

Black River Area Development Corporation (BRAD) has announced the Winter Crisis Energy Assistance Program will begin accepting applications on Monday Feb. 22, by appointment only. Applications for both regular and crisis programs will be accepted until it appears funds will be depleted...

One trend that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic and has continued into 2021 is a greater interest among Arkansans in growing their own food. In response to frequently-asked gardening questions, the Cooperative Extension Service has developed a series of online “Grow Your Own Groceries” presentations to share agents’ expertise in growing and preparing fruits and vegetables...

According to State Senator Blake Johnson, of Corning, businesses would not be penalized by state regulators for violating Covid-19 restrictions because of the behavior of their customers, under legislation passed by the Arkansas Senate. The information was included in an update on legislation provided by the lawmaker, as the session continues in Little Rock...

Latest numbers positive in county, state and region

Local man held in connection

Area man faces multiple charges

Community service project proving popular

New members approved for RFD