Stories from Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Recent reports from the Blytheville Police Department:

I received in the mail a "Notice of Real Estate Value Change" the other day and was shocked to see how much my property has increased in value from 2011 to 2012, which of course will change the amount of property taxes I will owe in 2013. The reason I was shocked was it went up almost 10 percent in one year and I have done nothing to my property to add value to it in the last couple of years. I know the housing market can't be that great right now in this county...

Everybody loves the Olympics, right? Well, mostly everybody. Whether its the Winter Games, or the Summer Games, there's something uniquely positive about the Olympics that sets it apart from everything else.

A Manila man was killed Sunday night during a crash on Highway 77, south of Manila.

The Mississippi County Hospital System recently borrowed approximately $300,000 from Mississippi County to make the system's IGT transfer payment. The money is expected to be repaid by July 27.

Three new physicians are beginning work in the area for Mississippi County Hospital Systems, with one more set to begin before year's end.

Mississippi County is at a "stalemate" with the city of Blytheville when it comes to communicating about its ongoing lawsuit over delinquent jail fees, according to Justice Michael White, chairman of the Quorum Court's Finance Committee.

Those wishing to file for municipal office for this fall's elections can do so at the County Clerk's office beginning Friday.

Mr. Terry L. Donner, of Bartow, Fla., died of Alzheimer's Thursday, July 5, 2012 at LRMC. He was 74. He was born in Manila, Ark., Aug. 20, 1937, and was a resident of Lake Wales and Bartow, Fla., since leaving Arkansas in 1959. He was a mechanic for Florida's Natural in Lake Wales for 44 years, retiring in 2004...

Dorothy Lynn Karnes Hower, 89, of Little Rock, formerly of Blytheville, passed from this life Tuesday, July 24, 2012.

Houston Eugene "Gene" Hamilton, 66, of Manila, passed from this life Sunday July 22, 2012 in Blytheville. Born at New Ark, Ark., he was the son of the late Roy Enoch and Mable Mae Hodges Hamilton. ...

Breeonna Elohcin Shirley, 6, of Paragould entered into rest Friday, July 13, 2012, in Paragould. Born Nov. 29, 2005, in Blytheville, Ark., to Ronney Leon Shirley, Jr. and Kayla Nichole Humble, she was a kindergarten student at Greene County Tech...

Kenneth Gene "Baldy" Wilmoth, age 74, of Arbyrd, Mo., was reunited with his loved ones Sunday, July 22, 2012, at the home of his daughter in Farmington, Mo. Born in the Hollywood, Mo., Community, he was a lifelong Arbyrd area resident. ...

Blanche Threlkeld Bibb, 80, passed away Sunday, July 8, 2012, at her home. She was born Dec. 5, 1931, at Manila to the late Reed and Ora Threlkeld. Blanche was a homemaker and a member of the Mt. ...

Jerry Lynn Halsey, Sr., 64, of Jonesboro, died Sunday, July 22, 2012, at his home. Jerry was born in Jonesboro and lived many years in Monette before moving to Jonesboro in 1988. He was a farmer for 41 years and also owned and operated Ima's of Blytheville from 1978-1982. ...

In addition to the fine, the football team is banned from any postseason games for the next four years; all wins between 1998 and 2011 are vacated; and the number of scholarships the program can give out dropped form 25 to 15. Once again, the NCAA got it wrong...

Buffalo Island Central Buffalo Island Central Schools will open for classes Monday, Aug. 20, 2012, at 7:55 a.m. The route buses will run at approximately the same time as last year, bus routes will remain the same...

Monette City Council accepted the resignation of Police Officer Brandon Womack, who has accepted a position at the Craighead County Sheriff's office, when the council met Monday, July 16. ...

All council members, Linda Donovan, Larry "Whiz" Davis, Donnie Wagner, Dale Murphy, Tony Hawkins and Jason Baltimore, were present for the Monday, July 16, meeting. Manila Mayor Wayne Wagner called the meeting to order with a lengthy agenda to work through...

Sherry Bunch Pratt thought of a unique idea for the annual Bunch family reunion auction and expressed her appreciation to Ellen White of Manila for making it happen. Sherry is the youngest of 12 children of the late George and Grace Bunch. ...

A new acquisition at the Buffalo Island Museum is a replica of an old country general store. It was donated by Fred Dowless who purchased it 20 years ago at the Memphis Flea Market. It is almost four feet long with a bench and old stove on the porch. It has old signs on the outside walls and is made with a tin roof and wood from an old barn...

Ray Benson with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture's Mississippi County Extension Service, encourages growers of the importance of making economical end of season management decisions for this year's cotton crop...

Leachville classes of 1959 and 1960 enjoyed a reunion at the Arkansas Northeastern College facility on Saturday in conjunction with the Leachville Watermelon Festival. The group of Leachville Lions always enjoys getting together. The Watermelon Festival gave them a good reason to come home, catch up and eat watermelon...

Kristen Stutts announced plans to seek Position 2 on the Manila School Board. She is married to Jared Stutts. They have one son, Spencer, who is going in the first grade, and she has a bonus daughter, Libby, who is a fifth grader...

Leachville held its annual Watermelon Festival on Saturday, July 21, with games, booths, entertainment, food, and much more. The high temperatures did not stop the activities including a watermelon eating contest, a watermelon seed spitting contest, a cake walk, a bubble blowing contest, Karoke, a hula hoop contest, limbo, a horseshoe tournament, basketball hoop shoots and much more...

Monda Hutchison, Buffalo Island Central High School business teacher and Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) adviser, was the recipient of the 2012 Arkansas Career Guidance Association Teacher of the Year Award...

The capital murder trial of Jerry D. Lard got underway at the Greene County Courthouse in Paragould Friday after a four and a half day long process to seat a jury. Lard, 37, is accused of the April 12, 2011, shooting death of Trumann police officer Jonathan Schmidt. ...

Mrs. Elnora Bonds, 79, died Friday, July 20, 2012, in Jonesboro.