Stories from Friday, August 11, 2017

Mayflower -- Dr. Amanda Copeland, 88, passed away peacefully at her home Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2017. She was born Aug. 13, 1928, in Craighead County, Arkansas, to the late Walker and Elsie Baldridge. She earned her doctorate in education and went on to teach at Nettleton High School in Jonesboro from 1960 to 1970. ...

Mrs. Jeanitta Bell Collins of Lepanto, passed away on August 9, 2017 in Osceola at the age of 59. She was a homemaker and a member of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ in Carrolls Corner. Mrs. Collins is survived by her husband, Ricky Collins of Lepanto; one son, Ricky Edward (Liz Slack) Richards of Lepanto; one daughter, Tonya (Bryan) Holt of Lepanto; two sisters, Connie Richards and Brenda Robison, both of Lepanto; four grandchildren, Paige Collins, Brooke Collins, Kristen Hall and Bailey Holt, all of Lepanto; and three great-grandchildren, Jaxxon Cruz, Kennedy Cruz and Braxton Green, all of Lepanto.. ...

Judge Randall Lyn Carney, age 57, of Osceola, went to be with the Lord at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee on Wednesday, August 9, 2017. He was born on September 28, 1959 in Blytheville, Arkansas to Tommy and Mabelee Lunsford Carney. He was a member of First Baptist Church in Osceola, Arkansas. He attended schools in Blytheville, Arkansas, Marked Tree, Arkansas, Sadler, Texas and Glendale, California. He graduated from Glendale High School in Springfield, Missouri in 1978. He loved sports, especially football and basketball, and he played both while in junior high and high school. He was an avid Oakland Raiders fan, and pursued an ongoing rivalry with his twin brother, who is a Kansas City Chiefs fan.

On Monday, the Blytheville, Gosnell and Armorel School District will be back in session. At Blytheville alone, more than 1,100 sudents will ride the school bus each day. The Blytheville School District’s Director of Transporation, Carolyn Barnes, said her department’s slogan is “STOP ON RED!” as she offered several bus safety tips to consider...

The following are reports from the Blytheville Police Department. — Police investigated a domestic assault in the 500 block of Madison. — Officers took a criminal mischief report in the 300 block of North Hollywood. The offender cut the victim’s tires...

ACT 2! Community Theatre will be presenting “The Wizard of Oz,” which is their annual kids’ production, on Saturday, August 12 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, August 13 at 2 p.m. at the Ritz Theater in Blytheville. This will be the ninth annual children’s production under the direction of Candie Groves and J.D. Harris, and the performers are local actors from throughout Mississippi County and the Bootheel of Missouri...