Stories from Friday, September 6, 2013

Recent reports from the Blytheville Police Department:

JONESBORO--The Gosnell boys golf team finished second behind Valley View in a four-team match Thursday afternoon at Ridgepointe Country Club. Valley View shot a 118 to lead all teams with Gosnell shooting a 148. Steven Smith finished second overall with a 39. Will Rose (50), Nick Gibbins (59) and Andrew Scott (59) finished the scoring for the Pirates...

MANILA -- The Gosnell Junior Pirates got their season off to a good start Thursday night. Coming off an unbeaten 2012 season, the visiting Junior Pirates recorded a convincing, 34-16, win over Manila in the season opener for both teams. The 7th grade Pirates also won, 30-6...

OSCEOLA--The Blytheville Junior Chickasaws began the 2013 season where they left off in 2012 --with another win. The Junior Chicks (1-0) traveled to Osceola (0-1) and defeated the Junior Seminoles, 36-6. The win runs the Junior Chicks winning streak to 10 games going back to last year...

Once again, I, The Great Fitzini, Seer of Seers, Prognosticator of Prognosticators, Sage of Sages and Sports Prophet Extraordinaire, is back for another year of predicting this year's prep football games. As always, I offer a 100 percent guarantee of being either right or wrong...

Mr. Billy J. "Dibo" Chism, 80, of Luxora, died Friday, Sept. 5, 2013, at Methodist Hospital in Memphis.

It seems summer has just arrived as the sun seemed to stay behind rain clouds for most of July and August while the temperatures rarely made it out of the 80s.

A number of Blytheville residents expressed concern over their water bills during Thursday's Airport and Utilities Committee meeting, and City Councilman R.L. Jones has once again tied himself to the issue concerning the billing process at Blytheville Water Works.

Blytheville Head Football Coach Vince McCrosky will not be at Friday night's season opener against Osceola. According to Blytheville Athletic Director David Hixson, McCrosky is on a medical leave of absence. He has not been at school this week.

After notifying members that 22 seasonal workers have been laid off, Blytheville Parks and Recreation Director Elroy Brown successfully lobbied for a bush hog during Thursday night's Parks and Recreation Committee meeting.

According to Mississippi County Sheriff Dale Cook, a preliminary autopsy report revealed that strangulation and drowning were the causes of death for 11-year-old Jessica Williams of Gosnell, who was found dead last week on East County Road 122.

The actions of Blytheville Police Officer Stephen Sigman have been found to be justifiable in the May 18 shooting that resulted in the death of 30-year-old Terrance Dawson.

FORREST CITY -- Gosnell knew one of the keys to beating Forrest City in their season opening game on Friday was to put pressure -- a lot of it --on Mustang senior quarterback Ethan Adams and make sure senior wide receiver Joseph Tripp was covered. Try as they did all game to separate the two returning All-State players from a year ago, Adams and Tripp still found a way to hook up through the air -- three times for scores -- as Forrest City was able to hold off the Pirates 27-14 at Sam Smith Stadium.. ...