Stories from Friday, November 1, 2013

JONESBORO -- The Gosnell Junior Pirates lost their final game of the season, 12-6, Thursday night on a windy and rainy field at Valley View. The Junior Pirates finish the year with a 6-3 record and 4-3 in the 3-4A conference. No details were available at press time...

The Blytheville Junior Chickasaws returned to their winning ways Thursday night thanks to a 36-16 win over the Paragould Rams at a soggy and windy Haley Field. The game was delayed with 1:30 left in the third quarter, and the Chickasaws leading 28-6 because of inclement weather including a tornado warning for Mississippi County...

Once again, I, The Great Fitzini, Seer of Seers, Prognosticator of Prognosticators, Sage of Sages and Sports Prophet Extraordinaire, am back for another day of predicting this week's prep football games. It was another struggle last week. I went 3-1 last week on my prep picks but remained in a tie for second in the Pigskin Panel. I dropped my second straight fantasy league game thanks to nearly 100 points between -- gulp -- Jordy Nelson and the Bengals defense...

Mrs. Wanda Lee Tatum, 87, of Manila, passed from this life Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2013, at the Manila Nursing Center.

Anna Lee and Blythe Elise Sanders, twin daughters of Christopher and Sara Sanders were born Oct. 8, 2013, and died October 8, 2013.

Mrs. Edith Fitzgerald Cooke, 79, of Steele, Mo., died Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2013, at Heritage Square in Blytheville after a brief illness.

The Red Sox didn't hit much in the 2013 World Series, but the Cardinals hit less. Therefore they got beat in six.

Photographer Rigel Keffer is the Arts Council of Mississippi County's featured artist for the month of November at The Ritz Civic Center, located in downtown Blytheville.

After a close encounter while heading to shelter, a Caraway woman and her family survived the storms that blew through the area Thursday evening, thanks to the help of some neighbors who opened their home in a time of need.

A motion was passed in this week's Quorum Court budgeting meeting for the county to again take legal action against the city of Blytheville over past due jail fees.

In a letter to Blytheville Mayor James Sanders, City Attorney Mike Bearden recommended that, as soon as possible, the city reimburse former Mayor Barrett Harrison $8,381.30 -- tax refund money that the Internal Revenue Service apparently applied to the city's IRS debt.

Second Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney Scott Ellington announced Friday that the criminal investigation into the City of Blytheville's failure to pay $2 million in payroll tax withholdings has been closed with no evidence to conclude criminal wrongdoing.