Stories from Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Recent reports from the Blytheville Police Department:

Mrs. Mable Earline Sims, 68, of Lepanto, died Sunday, April 15, 2012, in Little Rock.

Mrs. Marlue Rhoades Robertson, 80, of Paragould, and a former resident of Gosnell, passed from this life Saturday, April 14, 2012, at the Arkansas Methodist Medical Center in Paragould.

Mr. Wilburn Grant Lovelady, 87, of Leachville, passed from this life, Sunday, April 15, 2012, at St. Bernards Medical Center in Jonesboro.

April Lynn Manley Love, 31, of Luxora, died Monday, April 16, 2012, in Jonesboro.

Mr. Nelson Cox, 82, of Blytheville, passed from this life Saturday, April 14, 2012, at Heritage Square Nursing Center in Blytheville.

Mr. William Ray Carr passed from this life Saturday, April 14, 2012, in Kennett, Mo.

Mr. Vernie H. "Mutt" Carmichael, 87, of Leachville, passed away Sunday, April 15, 2012, at his home.

Did you ever pick up a book almost as an after-thought and find it is one of the best reading experiences you have ever had? This was the case for me with a children's non-fiction work I stumbled across by accident, while researching something else.

The Blytheville Courier News received 13 total awards -- including second place for General Excellence -- at Saturday's annual awards ceremony conducted by the Arkansas Associated Press Managing Editors.

Nine-foot-tall giant puppets will take the stage of the Ritz Theater when the classic "The Musical Tale of Peter Rabbit" is performed at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 24.

All elected officials offices in Mississippi County finished the first quarter of 2012 under budget, according to Justice Michael White, chair of the Quorum Court's Finance Committee.

The Blytheville Chickasaws dropped a 5-2 decision to Rivercrest Monday at the Blytheville Youth Sportsplex. Josh Pankey and DeCarlos Rainey had Blytheville's only two hits. Blytheville (1-17, 0-8 5A-East) is scheduled to host Forrest City at 4 p.m. today at the Blytheville Youth Sportsplex...

The 2012 Cal Ripken League opened their season Monday night at the Blytheville Youth Sportsplex. Rookie League, Minor League and Major League all had season openers with more set for Tuesday night. Here's a roundup of the action. MAJOR LEAGUE Henson Fire 7, Rotary 4...

ARMOREL -- For three innings, the Bay Yellowjackets had the Armorel Tigers in an unfamiliar position Monday night -- trailing in a 1A-3 East matchup. "We found a way to win it," said longtime Tiger head coach Charlie Brown. "It's always good to get a conference win but I think this was particularly good for our team. We haven't been behind in the conference this year. We showed ourselves that we can pick ourselves up and comeback after being down. It just brought us one step closer to our goal."...

It's been nearly two weeks since Blytheville head basketball coach David Hixson announced his retirement from the coaching scene and the search continues for his replacement. While the deadline to submit an applications is listed as April 27, the former coach and current athletic director said that the process is gaining speed...

Mr. Vernie H. "Mutt" Carmichael, 87, of Leachville, passed away early Sunday, April 15, 2012, at his home. Born at El Paso, Ark., he was the son of the late Archie and Onie Taylor Carmichael and had lived in the Leachville area for the past 70 years...

Wanda Lee Higginbotham, 78, of Cardwell, Mo., widow of Jerry Higginbotham, died Tuesday, April 10, 2012, at the Twin Rivers Regional Medical Center in Kennett. Born at Strawberry, Ark., she was the daughter of the late R.E. ...

Hazel Jeanette Kelley, 73, of Manila, widow of Birlie "Bud" Kelley, died Friday, April 13, 2012, at the NEA Baptist Hospital in Jonesboro. Born at Hattieville, Ark., she was the daughter of the late William P. ...

Jessie "Floyd" McElroy, 71, of Monette, died Sunday, April 8, 2012, at the Flo & Phil Jones Hospice House in Jonesboro. Born at Egypt, Ark., he was the son of the late Eugene and Dorothy Hathcoat McElroy and had been a Monette resident since 1972. He was a retired employee of Masner Farms in Monette...

Mrs. Norma Jean Hulen, 87, of Warm Springs Ark., died Sunday, April 15, 2012, at Pocahontas. Born Sept. 22, 1924 in Warm Springs, she was the daughter of the late General Lee and Sophie Cook Stout and had been a long-time area resident. Mrs. Hulen was of the Baptist faith and enjoyed gardening and quilting...

Wilburn Grant Lovelady, age 87 of Leachville, passed from this life, Sunday April 15, 2012, at St. Bernards Medical Center in Jonesboro. A lifelong Leachville resident, he was the son of the late Rufus and Marie Roberts Lovelady and a 1944 graduate of Leachville High School. ...

Manila swept past three conference foes last week to improve their record to 7-5 overall while upping their league mark to 5-4 in 3A-3 conference baseball action. The Lions began the week with a 13-6 victory Monday afternoon at Piggott. Manila used a nine run fifth inning to blow the game open against the Mohawks...

Buffalo Island Central plated five late inning runs, breaking a 3-3 tie en route to an 8-3 victory over rival Riverside in 2A-3 conference baseball action Monday afternoon at Lake City...

Buffalo Island Central Lady Mustangs completed a perfect week with a 6-3 victory over Riverside Friday afternoon at Lake City. The victories improved BIC to 11-1 overall and 10-1 in 2A-3 conference play...

Blake Carr, Manila High School senior, will be taking his golf skills to the college level. Blake signed a letter of intent Thursday afternoon to play golf for the University of Arkansas Monticello (UAM)...

Savanah Stewart, 2008 graduate of Buffalo Island Central, was honored during the 2012 Convocation of Scholars at Arkansas State University as the top graduating BA chemistry major. While enrolled at ASU, Savanah has been involved in the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority, serving as vice president of Scholarship, founded the Pre-Dental Club, and served as captain of the Diamond Dolls for the ASU Red Wolves Baseball team. ...

Camp Rock The Musical will be presented by the Foundation of Arts 7 p.m. Saturday, April 21, and Monday, April 23; at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 22, at the Foundation of Arts, 115 East Monroe Ave., Jonesboro...

The Manila High School Class of 1962 will hold their 50 year reunion starting at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 26, 2012, at the Manila Depot Center, 105 West Dewey Street. There will be a potluck luncheon (dishes ready to serve or finger foods)...

In the music area of the Buffalo Island Museum is an instrument that you don't see very often. It is an Oscar Schmidt autoharp. The autoharp is a chorded zither. It is a musical stringed instrument with a wooden body having a series of chord bars attached to a damper. ...

Dwight Tosh is one of two Republican candidates and three Democratic candidates seeking the position of Craighead County sheriff. Tosh is a Craighead County native. He retired from the Arkansas State Police in 2005 after 37 years. ...

Trevor Drury, a senior at Buffalo Island Central High School, took second place in state competition with his science project in the computer science division. His project won first place at the regional science competition held at Arkansas State University...

Boyd and Bonnie Estes of Mammoth Spring announce the upcoming 26th annual Cousins and Friends Reunion set for Saturday, July 7. It will begin at 10 a.m. at the First Baptist Church of Cherokee Village Family Life Center (south entrance), 175 Spur...

The Caraway city council met in short session on Thursday, April 12, and reviewed several reports, filled a Parks Committee vacancy, and purchased police car equipment. "A special announcement was made April 2 in New Orleans," Mayor Barry Riley said. ...

Arkansas Mission of Mercy will hold its sixth annual free dental clinic in Northeast Arkansas. The huge clinic will be held at ASU Convocation Center in Jonesboro on April 27-28 starting at 6 a.m. Over 900 volunteers will give their time and talent to allow 2,000 Arkansans to receive near a million dollars worth of care...

Fishing With Friends will be held from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., Saturday, April 21, at Mallard Youth Lake for children up to the sixth grade. Rain date will be April 28. The event is sponsored by Manila First Baptist Church...

Rector is once again bringing internationally-known, world-class artists to the Rector stage in a concert to benefit the RHS Helping Hands Foundation. This year's concert, set for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 3, will include Jimmy Fortune, the talented tenor beloved by many for his 21 years of performing with the world famous Statler Brothers and his solo releases; Jason Crabb, a breakthrough gospel and country performer and Grammy award winner, and the wildly popular bluegrass artists Dailey & Vincent, who got a standing ovation and thunderous applause at the first Johnny Cash Music Festival in Jonesboro and repeated standing ovations in two previous appearances in Rector.. ...

There will be a Peaches for Kids benefit luncheon for St. Jude, Shriners, and LeBonheur Children's Hospital. It will consist of sandwiches, chips, peach cobbler and ice cream. Manila Business Women will serve the lunch at the Manila Depot Center from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, May 3...

Riverside Clothing II Class, under the direction Tracey Haas, is taking their skills to the next level of helping others. Ms. Haas helped write the framework for the pilot Clothing II and Riverside is one of six high schools offering the Clothing II course in Arkansas...

Bud Moxley of Monette has been appointed by Governor Mike Beebe to serve a four year term on the Criminal Detention Facility Review Committee, Judicial District 2. Moxley served in law enforcement for 15 years with 12 years as Craighead County Eastern District Deputy Sheriff...

Manila High School students received facts on the consequences of drinking and driving on Monday morning in conjunction with prom week. Jason Kaufman, safety coordinator with Farm Bureau, was the guest speaker for the assembly. Also present were Sherry Felts, Farm Bureau Women's Committee, and Mark Bryles with Mississippi County Farm Bureau...