Stories from Wednesday, December 26, 2012

The 2012 high school football season was as unpredictable as ever. Blytheville and Gosnell both were under the leadership of new head coaches, Osceola moved down a classification and joined Rivercrest in the 3-3A, the Colts looked to get back to championship contending form and Manila looked to take a step forward in coach Castor's second year. ...

The Buffalo Island Central School Board met Monday, Dec. 17, discussing several topics. Each building principal reported to the board about test results and efforts in progress to improve scores in their respective buildings...

The Manila School Board Facilities Committee met Tuesday afternoon to discuss possible future construction plans. The committee is made up of Board President Danny Robbins, Board members Tracey Reinhart and Tommy Wagner, and Superintendent Pam Castor. The committee was appointed by the board at the December meeting...

Manila's Lady Lions opened this year's Northeast Arkansas Invitational Tournament with a convincing 67-40 victory over Tuckerman Thursday afternoon at the Convocation Center in Jonesboro...

Manila rallied from a 27 point first half deficit for an improbable 68-67 come from behind victory over Portageville, Mo., Tuesday night at Manila...

George Junior Miller, 80, of Jonesboro, died Sunday Dec. 23, 2012, at NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital in Jonesboro.

Mrs. Amanda Renee Maddox, 37, of Lepanto, died Sunday at South Mississippi County Regional Medical Center in Osceola.

Manila Masonic Lodge 588 held installation of officers Monday evening, Dec. 17. Pictured are, from left: David Hutton, master of ceremonies; Carl Brooks, junior deacon; Jimmy Veach, senior deacon; David Keys, senior deacon; Woodrow Henry, chaplain; Eugene Dobbins, secretary; Dan Robbins, Treasurer; William Barnhart, Junior Deacon; Jeremy Bennett, master; R.A. ...

I had not intended on sending another letter so soon, but felt compelled to do so. The reason being that as one takes notice of the world, they see a world where bad things are always seeming to happen to good people, young and old. I'm not sure if this is really so, or that it makes the news more than what it would if the bad things happened to those perceived as bad...

It has been nearly two weeks since the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn., when 27 lives were snuffed from our world in a matter of minutes.

With cold weather finally settling in and the possibility of an icy winter in long-range forecasts, there are some steps experts say citizens should take in order to avoid property damage in the event of winter storms.

Manila Senior Citizens Center held a Christmas party Tuesday morning with games, refreshments, and prizes. Activity chairman Carol Yarbro expressed her appreciation to the area merchants for donating prizes for the event. Door prizes were donated from Farmers Market, Fred's, Sonic, LaCascada Restaurant, Circle Inn, and Subway...

A winter storm system moved across the Mid-South late Tuesday night and early this morning, covering the Blytheville area in a blanket of snow and leaving many homes in the dark.

Manila Senior Citizens Center was busy on Wednesday as the seniors and guests enjoyed a Christmas potluck luncheon. Manila Mayor Wayne Wagner and members of the city council provided chicken and the members all brought a variety of holiday foods to share...

Manila Mayor Wayne Wagner opened the Dec. 17 meeting with a message of good things happening in the community. He discussed the progress of the new baseball field, the swimming pool project underway, beautification committee plans, clean-up efforts and more...

Caraway Senior Center Executive Director Cleffie Gipson has collected quilting squares from each Center participant for years and just completed a finished quilt for display. "Friends at our Center embroidered or had someone embroider their names on quilt squares for this quilt," Gipson said. ...

Mr. Thomas Lee Gardner, 66, of Blytheville, went to be with the Lord early Tuesday morning, Dec. 25, 2012.