Stories from Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Riverside Lady Rebels tipped off the new basketball season by thrashing Armorel 77-20 Friday night at Armorel. Freshman Beaner Hoffman poured in a game high 24 points in her high school debut to lead all scorers. Teammate Grace Puckett pumped in 23 more for the Lady Rebels, while Briley Douglas and Lotti Hoffman added 11 and 10 points respectively...

Riverside opened its 2018-2019 basketball season, splitting a pair of games Thursday and Friday nights. The Rebels dropped a 61-46 decision Thursday night to Viola. The Longhorns held a 40-39 edge heading into the fourth quarter, but outscored Riverside 21-7 in the final frame to pull away for the win...

Manila Junior Lions hosted the Hoxie Mustangs Thursday night in conference action. Quaterback Tanner Miller struck first for the Lions offense with a design trick play resulting in a wide open Jackson Roddy for a Manila touchdown. Overton's two point conversion gave the Lions a 8-0 lead with 4:28 to play in the first quater...

Manila School Board worked through a short agenda Thursday, Oct. 18, raising reimbursements, approving resolutions to conduct business and discussing the attendance incentive. Superintendent Jason Evers requested the board consider raising the reimbursements for meals while on school business from $29 a day to $40 a day and the mileage reimbursement from 40 cents a mile to 42 cents a mile...

Buffalo Island School Board met on Thursday, Oct. 18, to review federal budget funding, announce new high school building move-in dates, and hire two security officers for the elementary school in Leachville. Director of Elementary Education Dr. Kima Stewart and High School Principal Randy Rose gave detail reports on federal budget funding and updates on new facilities on the Leachville and Monette campuses...

Leachville City Council voted to take steps to proclaim Leachville as a Purple Heart City; approved end of year bonuses, authorized the police department to sell old guns, announced the Christmas parade date at the Oct. 15 regular meeting. Mayor Rodney Robertson introduced Gregg Roll, commander of American Legion Post 197 in Manila, who invited Leachville to become a Purple Heart City...

Rev. Robert White and his wife, Nancy, will celebrate 30 years of ministry at the 1st United Pentecostal Church in Manila with special services on Saturday, Oct. 27, and Sunday, Oct. 28. The church is located on 615 Alma Street. The milestone event will begin at 7 p.m. Saturday night with Keith Stokes of Wilson serving as guest speaker. Dinner will follow the service. A slide show spanning three decades will be shown. The Life Center gymnasium will be opened for young people to play games...

Manila East Initiative students will be preserving history through live interviews with area veterans as they take on the Veterans History Project (VHP). Video interviews will be submitted to the Library of Congress. VHP’s mission is to collect, preserve and make accessible the accounts of American veterans so future generations may hear directly from the men and women who served...

MANILA – Arvest Bank hosted an open house event for customers and prospective customers Oct. 15 to learn more about the bank’s suite of products and services. As part of the open house, and as a new member of the Manila community, Arvest associates presented a donation to the Riverside and Manila School Districts in the amount of $500 each. ...

Benjamin Luther Atkinson, 82, of Leachville, died Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018, at Arkansas Methodist Medical Center in Paragould. Born in Jonesboro to the late Chester and Mary Mellard Atkinson, he was raised in Hardy and was a 1954 graduate of Hardy High School.  He attended Arkansas State University and later served two years in the U.S. ...

Virginia Ann Eauclaire of Blytheville was born October 17, 1943 in Traverse City MI to the late Simon Lamie and the late Irene Lamie. She was a homemaker. Mrs. Eauclaire passed away on October 18, 2018 in Gosnell at the age of 75. She is preceded in death by her parents, her husband Bud Eauclaire, two brothers John Lamie and Velmore Lamie, her twin sister Ruthie and her sister Dee Scott...

Daniel Joseph(Joey) George, 38, of Osceola died October 11, 2018 in Osceola. He was a salesman. Mr. George was born July 4, 1980 in Memphis to Danny and Candace George. He was preceded in death by his grandparents Joe Schenk, Louis George, and Olivia George...

Mary Jane Adair, 71, of Marked Tree passed away Friday, October 19, 2018. She was born December 20, 1946 to Carl and Ruby Townson of Dyess. She was of the Baptist faith, a giving and loving person that loved reading, sewing, and spending time with her family and friends. She was a former employee of E. R. Moore Company and sold cosmetics for many years...

Janet Denise Johnson Mendez, 57, of Gosnell passed away on October 17, 2018 in NEA Baptist Hospital in Jonesboro. She was born in Blytheville on June 26, 1961 to Earnest “Big Boy” Johnson and Evelyn Ann Russell Johnson. Janet graduated from Blytheville High School in 1979. She was a homemaker and enjoyed being there for her family...

Mr. James Richard Tapley, age 80, of Chapel Hill, TN, passed away on Tuesday, October 16, 2018, at his home. He was born in Vivian, Louisiana, to his parents Edwin Tapley and Annabelle Miller Tapley. Mr. Tapley worked as a mechanical engineer all of his life. He loved his family dearly...

Kimble Jeanette Smith, age 86, went home to be with the Lord Monday, October 22, 2018 at Monette Manor Nursing Home in Monette. Kimble was born in Greenville, Mississippi to Kelsey and Clara Allen Edwards. She worked at the First Baptist Church daycare in the nursery and two year old room for over 15 years. She was a member of New Providence Baptist Church in Buckeye. Kimble loved her family and spending time with them...

The Arkansas Ethics Commission is investigating at least one ethics complaint filed against Mississippi County Clerk Janice Currie, who is accused of campaigning at the county courthouses. On Sept. 25, Gosnell resident James Welspom filed a complaint that alleges Currie passed out literature and yard signs at the Blytheville courthouse and “in her official capacity asked a member of the Mississippi County Quorum Court to vote for her and chief deputy Susan Goff-McCormick.”...

Cleaner Safer Blytheville will be having its fall cleanup Saturday. Organizers ask everyone to meet at 1914 West Cherry Street at 7:30 a.m. and the cleanup will start at 8 am. At that time volunteers will be given safety gear and instructions. Please bring rakes, weed eaters, etc. Don't forget to put your name on all of the equipment you bring. There will be a tire container on hand for citizens to bring old tires for disposal. Lunch will be served at noon...