Stories from Thursday, August 2, 2012

When I was little I always enjoyed the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. I never tired of it. So this week, I borrowed the storybook from my daughter, the school teacher. This morning I read the Disney storybook which varies somewhat to the story I used to read...

Ellagene (McNiel) Gilman died peacefully at her home in Texas City, Texas on July 29, 2012. She was born July 27, 1920 in Rector, Arkansas to George A. and Maude McNeil. She proudly served as one of the earliest female members of the United States Marine Corp, and was previously employed by La Marque High School, Local #347 Labor Union and UTMB. ...

Donna Kay Grooms Arnold was born January 31, 1952 and passed away July 28, 2012. Donna grew up in the St. Francis and Piggott areas. She leaves behind her husband, Dale Arnold. The couple was joined in marriage on June 29, 1974. She is also survived by one son, Larry Arnold and wife Amy of Mansfield, Mo.; two daughters, Halee Arnold of the home and Mercedes Arnold of Rector; two grandchildren, Delilah Ann Arnold of Mansfield, Mo. and Levi Williams of Rector...

Abbey Renee Sevor, age 22 months, of Mountain View, Mo., passed from this life Saturday, July 28, 2012, at the Ozark Medical Center in West Plains, Mo. Born Sept. 27, 2010, at West Plains, she was the daughter of Kenneth and Elizabeth Froman Sevor. She is survived by her parents, Ken and Beth Sevor of the home; two sisters, Emily Sevor and Bailey Coles of Willow Springs, Mo.; one brother, Michael Sevor of Willow Springs, Mo.; paternal great-grandmother, Wanda Brown of Cherry Lake, Fla.; paternal grandmother, Margaret Miller of Willow Springs, Mo.; maternal great-grandmother, Ruth Gibbs of Granite City, Ill.; maternal grandparents, Rob and Laurie Forman of Monette, Ark.; aunts and uncles, Evans and Ashley Sevor of Cherry Lake, Fla., John and Amy Clark of Crestview, Fla., and Jeff Froman of Monette, Ark. ...

The final of a series of three "Voice of the Community" public meetings was held Tuesday, July 24 at the Piggott Community Center. More than 30 residents and local business and community leaders turned out for the event, which was held in conjunction with an ongoing effort to determine potential projects and improvements designed to strengthen Clay County...

It's not a traditional gift-giving season, but Congressman Rick Crawford brought presents nonetheless Monday, distributing hundreds of books to area libraries, including those in Rector and Piggott. The books were collected as part of the Library of Congress' Surplus Books Program...

Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 4 and 5 will be the second annual sales tax holiday for the state of Arkansas, creating massive interest among parents and students. Retail stores will not charge sales taxes on the purchase of school supplies and some clothing, as set forth by Arkansas law...

Rector native Kimberly Dale, now a Paragould attorney, played a lead role in the prosecution of Jerry Lard, convicted last week in Paragould of capital murder in the April 2011 shooting death of Trumann police officer Jonathan Schmidt. Dale, who graduated from high school here in 1995 and went on to earn a law degree at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, is the daughter of Darrell and Shelia Dale of Rector. She also serves as Rector city attorney...

Class registration for grades seven through 12 at Rector High School will be Tuesday, Aug. 7, through Thursday, Aug. 9, at the high school. Students will receive their class schedules and information needed to start school on Monday, Aug. 20. This is the registration schedule:...