Stories from Wednesday, October 4, 2017

A potential conference champion could be decided this coming Friday, when the Gosnell Pirates travel to Trumann and face the undefeated Wildcats. 3-4A heavyweights Gosnell (2-3) and Trumann (5-0) are currently tied for first in the league standings with 2-0 conference records...

The Blytheville Chickasaws were inches away from a chance at their first 5A-East win of the season last Friday night, when they fumbled at the goal line in a seven-point loss to Nettleton. The Chicks (1-4, 0-2 5A-East) will try again for their first league win this Friday when they host Greene County Tech (2-3, 0-2 5A-East)) on homecoming at the newly renovated Haley Field...

For the second time since May, the Quorum Court Finance Committee has discussed resuming payments to the City of Blytheville — the District Court fees it owes. In May only Justices Michael White and Howard Norvell advocated resuming payment, but this time the entire committee agreed...

The Mississippi County Quorum Court Finance Committee continued its annual budgetary process Monday afternoon and addressed submitted budgets for all of the Sheriff’s accounts (Sheriff’s Department and Jail), the County Clerk, the Circuit Clerk, the Assessor, Circuit Judge Dan Ritchey, the Health Department and the office of Public Defender. Multiple departments requested salary increases for their employees...

During a budget meeting of the Mississippi County Quorum Court’s Finance Committee Monday, it was discovered that the county is missing out on a significant amount of tax revenue from area industries such as the county’s steel mills and their ancillary industries that were part of the “payment in lieu of taxes” (PILOT) economic development incentive program...

It’s time for America to do something about its gun problem. Those who consider themselves right-wingers will tell you “guns don’t kill people, people kill people.” Strangely, when someone is killed with a firearm you say that they have been shot not that they have been “peopled.” Ignoring that 59 people did not die Sunday because a man threw knives out of the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Hotel; they died because Stephen Paddock aimed a gun out of the hotel window and opened fire onto a crowd of innocent civilians. ...