Stories from Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Blytheville Courier News ARMOREL-Trailing 5-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning, the Armorel Lady Tigers exploded for eight runs in the inning and held on for a 10-8 win over the Piggott Lady Mohawks Monday night. Madison Beal started for the Lady Tigers. Beal allowed five unearned runs on one hit in two innings. Katie Weld was credited with the win allowing three runs on three hits while striking out eight in five innings of relief work...

Gary Don "GD" Hurst, 55, of Caraway passed from this life Sunday, March 27, 2016, at St. Bernards Medical Center after a brave and courageous year-long battle with cancer. He was born May 27, 1960, in Caraway to Matt Hurst and the late Gouilda Dunkerson Hurst. ...

Marc Taylor is the new police chief in Leachville. He started his duties as chief on Thursday, March 24. The Malvern native has a lot of experience in law enforcement. "I'm excited for the opportunity to serve the people of Leachville," he said. ...

The following are reports from the Blytheville Police Department. -- Police took a report of a missing license plate in the 800 block of East Main. -- Officers took a general information report of a possible statutory rape in the 800 block of Lauderdale...

Leachville City Council adopted resolution 2016-2 for the amendment of the 2015 budget at the March 21 council meeting. The amendments made to the budget were for the adjustment of the revenues and expenditures of the general, street, water, Melody Theater and fire protection funds...

Tanner Smith, 2010 graduate of Manila High School, recently had a film screened at the Royal Film Festival in Benton. Tanner's film, "Project Pleiades" was shown Saturday, March 19, as one of the festival's selections of Arkansas Made Narrative Shorts...

Easter came to life Sunday morning in Leachville as the People of Praise United Pentecostal Church youth group reenacted Jesus' mile walk carrying the cross. This is the second annual Easter Walk for the group. Participants walked down Main Street to the church sharing the message of Jesus with the community. (photos provided)...

Kaley Jordan Poe of Leachville and Mark Lewis "MJ" Emery, Jr. of Lake City will exchange vows at 5 p.m. Saturday, April 16, at Stan Jones Lodge in Alicia. The bride-elect is the daughter of Tracy and Dana Poe of Leachville. She is the granddaughter of James Lee and Jill Poe and Alfrieda Cagle and the late Claud Cagle of Leachville...

Hernando, Miss. Barbara "Bobbie" Harris, 62, of Hernando, Miss., passed away at her home March 27, 2016. She was a member of Longview Point Baptist Church in Hernando, Miss. She was preceded in death by her sons, Terry Rogers and Donald Terry...

William "Petro" Reese, 71, of Steele, Mo., passed away Sunday, March 27, 2016 at his home. Born to Eules and Juanita (Lee) Reese, William was a retired truck driver and of the Baptist faith. He was a member of Bethany Baptist Church. William served his country honorably in the United States Army during the Vietnam War. Mr. Reese enjoyed watching sports, especially football. He loved spending time with his family and dogs. William was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather...

Mr. Jesse Thomas "Tommy" Groves, 76, of Osceola and a lifetime resident of Mississippi County, died Sunday, March 27, 2016 in Blytheville. Born June 15, 1939 at O'Donnell Bend, Ark. to the late Pete Groves and the late Virginia Orie McClain, he was a member of the Lions Club and a member of the First Assembly of God in Osceola...

Mr. Michael L. Savage, 62, of Blytheville, died Saturday, March 26, 2016 at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Memphis. Michael was born in Blytheville on Nov. 20, 1953, the son of Frank Savage and Hazel Dean Savage. He was educated in the Blytheville Public School system, attended Mississippi County Community College, was a veteran and a graduate of the Blytheville Cosmetology College. He also thoroughly enjoyed his work...

Janice Kay Welch, 60, of Blytheville, passed away Sunday, March 27, 2016 at Great River Medical Center in Blytheville. Born to William and Juanita (Knight) McMinn, Janice was a homemaker. She loved to raise calves and create designs on clothing with "pretty punch." Janice loved to play with her grandchildren, they were her whole world...

Johnnie Alice Raspberry Trotter, 85, of Jasper, Ala. and formerly of Blytheville, passed away Saturday, March 26, 2016 at Ridgewood Nursing Home in Jasper. Born to Delmer and Anner (Palmer) Raspberry, Johnnie was a homemaker and was of the Baptist faith. ...

Marguerite Helen Crane, 89, of Paris, Tenn., died March 28, 2016 at home. Born March 20, 1927 in Three Rivers, Mich., she was a member of First Baptist Church in Paris. She worked as a secretary and bookkeeper for Lake Associates Realtors, Bass Realty and McDonald Aircraft, all in St. Louis, and was active in the P.T.A., a volunteer at Henry Co. Medical Center, and a sunday school teacher...

Mrs. Dorothy May Perry Janet, 82, of Blytheville, died March 25, 2016, at St. Bernard's Hospital in Jonesboro. She was born February 4, 1934 to Elva and Ruth Vaughn Perry in Senath, Mo. She was the granddaughter of Andrew Jefferson and Estella Jane Neighbors Vaughn of Senath and Joseph Cleveland and Verdie Evergreen Bishop Perry of Campbell, MO...

Katherine "Kathy" Irene Highland, 62, of Caraway, passed from this life Sunday, March 27, 2016 at her home. Born in St. Louis, she was the daughter of the late Eugene and Florence Evans Reed and had been a longtime Caraway resident. She was a retired Certified Nursing Assistant having worked at several area nursing homes...

Harold Dean Morgan, Sr., 81, of Huntingdon, Tenn., formerly of Manila, passed from this life Friday March 25, 2016 at the Jackson-Madison Hospital in Jackson, Tenn. Born in Manila, he was the son of the late Connie and Victoria McCrackin Morgan and had lived in Arkansas and Missouri several years before making his home in Tennessee nine years ago. Although he worked in construction for several years, the occupation he loved the most was farming in Marianna and Harrisburg, Ark...

Blytheville Public Schools District Superintendent Richard Atwill told the school board during their Monday night meeting that one of the crucial things that the districts need is "families to help our children," explaining that as a district, almost a seventh of the population is in state care and in need of foster families...

Tamika Jenkins of the Mississippi County Economic Development Area was the featured speaker at the bi-monthly Mississippi County Mayor's lunch Tuesday, held at the Gosnell Community Center. Jenkins informed the mayors of the need for the county to become "Work Ready certified." She said that when site consultants approach them about finding locations for new industries or businesses, they ask about infrastructure, the work force and workforce training partnerships...

Blytheville Courier News TRUMANN-The Gosnell Pirates survived a seventh inning rally and held off the host Trumann Wildcats, 5-3, in game one of a 3-4A double header Tuesday night. The two teams entered the game tied for first in the 3-4A with 5-1 league records...

MARION-The Armorel Tigers defeated the Marion Patriots, 8-2, Tuesday night. Jared Wyatt allowed two runs on three hits in four innings of work to get the win. Nash Winters pithched three scoreless innings in relief for the save. Armorel scored a run in each of the first and second innings, five in the fourth and one more in the fifth...

Blytheville Courier News TRUMANN-The Gosnell Pirates took over sole possession of first place in the 3-4A conference Tuesday night against the Trumann Wildcats. After winning the opening game, 5-3, the Pirates trounced the Wildcats, 10-0 in game two...

Legendary Gosnell head boys basketball coach Danny Williams is retiring at the end of the school year. "Danny Williams, I talked to him today, has 46 years in education retiring...he is retiring everything as of now [effective the end of the school year]. He did volunteer to work half a day for us if we need it and we won't know that until the future," Gosnell Superintendent Bonard Mace said during the Gosnell School Board meeting Monday evening...

The Finance Committee of the Blytheville City Council held a special meeting Tuesday afternoon and approved $35,000 in expenditures to once again extend funding for Thunder Bayou Golf Links (TB), this time through April 30. If approved by the full council Wednesday afternoon, this extension will bring the total expenditures for TB from Jan. 1 through April 30 to $154,000...