Stories from Thursday, May 28, 2009

Monette Manor held a dedication service for the newly erected flag pole on Friday morning, May 22, with a ceremony honoring all resident veterans. The flag pole came as a suggestion from Vietnam veteran and Monette Manor resident Jimmy Pyland. Pyland also volunteered to raise and lower the flag each day...

Russell "Pete" Lorton Files, 89, of Manila died Tuesday, May 19, 2009, at NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital in Jonesboro. Born at Manila, he was the son of the late James Berry and Mary Elizabeth Crow Files and had been a lifelong Manila area resident. ...

Floyd Winford Rose, 74, of Leachville died Monday, May 18, 2009, at Monette Manor Nursing Center. Born at Hollywood, Mo., he was the son of the late S.C. and Gladys Ross Rose and was a longtime Leachville area resident. ...

Carl David "Maniac" Gray, 54, of Leachville died May 17, 2009. He was born Nov. 26, 1954, at Monette to the late Gerald and Lois Walker Gray. Survivors include his wife, Malinda Gray of Leachville; children, Natalie Gray of Manila, Brady Gray of Arlington, Texas, Nicholas Gray of Richmond, Texas, and Charles Hinklin of Blytheville; siblings, Linda Gatewood, Tinker Stobaugh, Marie Huff, Frankie, Tommy, Gerald, Jr., Julian and Ricky Gray; and six grandchildren.. ...

Orwell Moore, 91, of Caraway died Tuesday, May 19, 2009 at St. Bernards Medical Center. He was born Nov. 25, 1917, in Agnos to the late June Sylvester and Maude Ellen Moore. He was a retired coach and school teacher and a member of the United Methodist Church in Caraway. Coach Moore was well known for being the owner and coach of the All American Red Heads women's basketball team...

Ray O'Neal Presley, Jr., of Jonesboro, died Monday afternoon at his home. Born in St. Louis, Ray had lived much of his life in the Jonesboro/Brookland area. Ray was a Christian who enjoyed motorcycles and rock music. He loved working on classic cars and working in the yard with his flowers...

The Leachville City Council reviewed complaints with 911 Fire Department emergency relays at the regular city council meeting held Monday, May 18. The council discussed complaints with Leachville contact delays from the Mississippi County 911 service...

Buffalo Island Central outdistanced Riverside to claim the 2A-2 Junior High Conference Track Meet May 4 at Mountain Home. The Lady Mustangs outscored the Lady Rebels 184-138 to take home the top prize in their first year of track competition. Eighth grader Brittany Fowler posted four first place finishes and a pair of runner-ups to lead the BIC scoring barrage...

Riverside's Lady Rebels placed second in the 2A-2 junior high track meet held May 4 at Mountain Home High School, led by Becca Frayer's winning performances in the both the 100 and 200 Meter Dashes. Frayer won the 100 Meter Dash with a blistering time of 12.85 seconds before racing to the 200 Meter crown with a time of 27.41 seconds...

The NEA Titans won the Nea Baseball Bash recently in Paragould. The Titans went 4-0 with victories over teams from bothMissouri and Arkansas. The team outscored their opponents 36-9 in winning first place in the USSSA 9AA division. ...

NEA Storm recently placed first in the 2009 Mid South USSSA Super NIT 10AA Division in Southaven, Miss. They received a berth to the Elite 32 World Series at Disney Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla. Players pictured are: Front - Braden Overman, Tyler Swaim, Dax Hurst, Blake Hall, Preston Nichols, Matthew Fraser. ...

Manila Mayor Clifford Veach updated council members on the ice storm debris clean-up at the regular May meeting. Veach reported a total cost of $268,000. "Everything has been submitted to FEMA," Mayor Veach said. "We should be able to report exactly how we came out at the next meeting."...

Area residents braved the wind and the rain Sunday to pay honor to American soldiers buried at the Monette Cemetery. Members of the Monette American Legion hosted the tribute and posted flags along Monette's Drew Avenue...

Area residents braved the wind and the rain Sunday to pay honor to American soldiers buried at the Monette Cemetery. Members of the Monette American Legion hosted the tribute and posted flags along Monette's Drew Avenue...

A lawsuit may be necessary to collect more than $20,000 owed by the city of Blytheville to Mississippi County for housing inmates, according to the chairman of the Mississippi County Quorum Court's Police, Fire and Safety Committee. In a committee meeting Wednesday afternoon, Justice Donnie McDaniel, chairman of the committee, told fellow justices that the city of Blytheville is disputing a debt of $21,300...

Three Mississippi County residents were arrested recently on drug charges, according to the second Judicial Drug Task Force, Mississippi County Unit. On May 1, Drug Task Force officers received information that Jessie Miller Jr., of Osceola, was in possession of a large amount of crack cocaine. Officers from the Osceola Police Department, Mississippi County Sheriff's Department, and Second Judicial Drug Task Force spotted Miller in a red vehicle on Quinn Street in Osceola...

A Blytheville man is facing charges of burglary and criminal mischief after he allegedly broke into a residence and destroyed some property according to police. Devion Spencer, 24, is accused of breaking into the home of Erica Bailey in the 2300 block of Marguerite Sunday afternoon and damaging several items of furniture inside the home and also causing damage to Bailey's vehicle...