Stories from Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Concerned Citizens of Blytheville will host a candidates forum at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, at the Ritz Civic Center.

The Friends of the NRA will hold its inaugural Mississippi County Friends of the NRA Dinner at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 9, at the Blytheville Country Club.

Helen L. Faulkner, 90 of Caraway, passed away Saturday, Aug. 23, 2014 at St. Bernards Medical Center. She was born Jan. 16, 1924, in Caraway to the late James and Elzie Stone. She and her husband farmed for many years in the Caraway area and their cattle farm near Brookland. Mrs. Helen was a member of the Caraway First Baptist Church...

Carl Owen Beck, Jr. age 62, of Manila, died Sunday August 24, 2014 at his home. Funeral arrangements are incomplete and will be announced by Howard Funeral Service of Manila. Guest register at http://www.howardfuneralservice.com/...

Jonesboro -- Robert "Eddie" Edward Rolland, 61, passed away Monday, Aug. 25, 2014, at St. Bernards Medical Center. He was born July 12, 1953, in Flint, Mich. Eddie served his country proudly in the United States Air Force. He was an auctioneer for Leele's Market and loved everybody and never met a stranger. He will be remembered as a loving husband, son, father and grandfather...

Thomas Wayne Steen, 76, of Marked Tree, passed away Sunday, Aug. 17, 2014, at the Flo and Phil Jones Hospice House in Jonesboro. Mr. Steen was born May 7, 1938, to the late William Clay and Bertie Mae James Steen in Corinth, Miss. He was of the Baptist faith and enjoyed fishing...

Floyd Stone, 65, of Manila passed away Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2014, at his home. Mr. Stone was born July 14, 1949, in Manila to Bennie and Loretta Starkey Stone. He enjoyed making duck calls and riding motorcycles...

The City of Lake City Water Audit for the year ending May 31 was reviewed by council members at the monthly meeting held Monday, Aug. 18. Mayor Jon Milligan noted that during this year's Legislative Audit the salaries of the mayor and clerk must be shown in the minutes because the budget is now done by resolution and not by ordinance. ...

Leachville High School classmates and city officials met last week to make plans for the upcoming Leachville Centennial Celebration slated for July 4, 2015. The planning committee is spearheaded by Leachville Mayor Shelia Spurlock and Alumni Chairman Barbara Lloyd. ...

The Leachville City Council looked at three bids for a new tornado siren to be purchased with grant funds during its regular meeting Aug. 18. Mayor Sheila Spurlock told the council the city has been approved for a $10,000 grant, which the council would like to use to put an additional tornado siren up in the city. ...

Buffalo Island Central golfers completed a team sweep of both their matches last week. The Mustang boys won a five-team match Monday afternoon at the Big Lake Country Club in Manila before taking another five-team event Tuesday afternoon at the Trumann Country Club...

Krystal Parker, 2014 Manila High School graduate, accepted a $1,000 scholarship from Southern Bancorp presented by Dan Robbins, president of the Manila branch. Krystal will be attending Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia. ...

In the kitchen area of the Buffalo Island Museum in Monette is an antique deLaval cream separator from the early 1920s. It is made of cast iron and very heavy. It is missing the bowls with the pouring spouts that were probably made of aluminum...

Manila City Council members, Mayor Wayne Wagner and City Attorney Wes Wagner reviewed a copy Aug. 18 of the agreement with the highway department on state highways becoming part of the city streets. Manila will incorporate the present state highway area that will be left after the new widened Highway 18 is complete...

Manila School Board members viewed a rendering of a high school building built on the present location of the school campus. John Mixon, architect, was asked by board members to prepare and submit the building as it would look if it is built on the existing property...

The home of Frank and Val Smithee was chosen as August Monette Yard of the Month. A special recognition ceremony was held at 2 p.m. Monday, Aug. 18. City Beautification Committee member Jessica Hurst presented the Smithees with a commemorative certificate, which read "The home of Frank and Val Smithee has been recognized as having the most beautifully landscaped and manicured yard in the entire Monette Community for the month of August 2014." Member Leigh Gathright presented the Smithees with a hanging basket of Wandering Jew.. ...

Billy and Lilly Anderson received the August Yard of the Month award at Lake City for their beautiful flowers and well kept yard. Billy does most of the gardening and yard work. They are both retired and enjoy working in their yard...

The fourth annual Baby Basic Golf Tournament was held Friday, Aug. 15, at the Big Lake Country Club in Manila with 17 teams participating in the three man scramble. The tournament, sponsored by Brandi and Bob Hurst, is a benefit providing diapers to help working families who are on fixed incomes...

As city leaders ponder how to spend the $500,000 parks and recreation CD, I hope they'll keep in mind how the money got there in the first place. Several years earlier, the citizens built a top-notch facility -- the Blytheville Youth Sportsplex. By all accounts, the Sportsplex was proving its worth year in and year out by drawing big tournaments and serving hundreds of local children participating in baseball, softball and soccer...

The city of Blytheville will not apply for a 50/50 matching grant from the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism's Outdoor Recreation Grant Program, after the proposal died in committee, Tuesday night. Following a discussion in the Finance and Purchasing Committee, Councilman John Musgraves motioned to send the grant request to the City Council, but neither of the other two members -- Councilman Tommy Abbott or Councilman Kevin Snow -- seconded in the motion...

The 2015 budgeting process will soon begin for the Finance Committee of the Mississippi County Quorum Court; Justice Michael White told the court at their Tuesday night meeting that budgeting will begin in just five weeks, and continue through the fall.