Stories from Tuesday, March 12, 2019

Mary Frances Bowers Murphy, 83, of Blytheville went to be with her Lord on Saturday morning with her loving family surrounding her. She was born in Keiser to Edgar and Rennie Sprayberry Bowers on April 18, 1935. She was a member of Immanuel Baptist Church until it recently closed...

Riverside’s Lady Rebels broke a 4-4 tie with Marmaduke, scoring seven times in the bottom of the sixth inning and went on to down the Lady Greyhounds 11-4 in high school softball action Monday at Lake City. Katie Towery, who banged out four hits on the day, cracked the go-ahead RBI single, giving Riverside a 5-4 edge. The Lady Rebels would tack on six more runs before the inning was over to blow the game open...

Manila roared past Gosnell 11-1 in high school baseball action Monday at Lion Field. The Lions scored three runs in the second and added two-spots in the third and fourth innings before capping off the afternoon plating four more runs in the sixth. Manila out-hit the visitors 9-5...

On Saturday, March 9, 2019, Mylas C. Jeffers Jr. died at his home in Blytheville. Mylas was born June 1, 1942, in Forrest City to M.C. and F.M. Jeffers. He graduated from Lincoln High School, earned a Bachelor Degree from the AM&N College (UAPB), earned the MSE in Counselor Education, and did further study at the University of Memphis. ...

Benjamin Gordon, Sr. of Jonesboro was born Nov. 8, 1947 in Blytheville to the late Eddie Long, Sr. and the late Velma Sue Love Gordon. He was a United States Marine Corps veteran, was retired from Maverick Factory, was a retired custodian for the Blytheville School district and was a quarterback for the Harrison High football team. Mr. Gordon passed away on March 7, 2019 at his home in Jonesboro at the age of 71...

Pamela Diane Higgins Armstrong of Gosnell was born Dec. 9, 1958 in Blytheville to the late Billy Higgins and the late Mary Kathryn Ball Higgins. She was a homemaker and a member of Clear Lake Baptist Church. Mrs. Armstrong passed away on March 8, 2019 at the Great River Medical Center in Blytheville at the age of 60...

Priscilla Rene Aldridge of Blytheville was born June 13, 1981, in Clermont, Fla., to Beatrice Aldridge Reed. She was a housekeeper and a member of Pleasant Ridge M.B. Church. Ms. Aldridge passed away on March 6, 2019, at Great River Medical Center in Blytheville at the age of 37...

Shenekia Dabreil Williams Carter, 30, of Osceola passed away March 5, 2019, at SMC Medical Center in Osceola. She was a full time student. Mrs. Carter was born June 7, 1988, in Blytheville to Alvin Charles Williams and Felecia Logan Williams. She was preceded in death by her father and one sister, Shatrina Danielle Vornes...

Dulin Fulks, 85, of Gosnell, passed away Sunday, March 10, 2019, at St. Bernards Medical Center in Jonesboro. Dulin was born to Thomas Aaron and Minnie Maybell Trantham Fulks in Stone County, Arkansas. He was the founder of Fulks Auto Salvage and a lifelong resident of Gosnell. ...

Clarence Smith, 80, of Sedgewick, passed away March 11, 2019, at Lexington Place in Jonesboro. He was a farmer and of the Baptist faith. Mr. Smith was born Nov. 30, 1938 in Muscle Shoals, Ala., to Frank and Maudie Strickland Smith. He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Mary Melinda Smith; four brothers, Homer Smith, Sam Smith, Rex Smith and Earl Smith; and three sisters, Merl Hood, Shirley Ward and Minnie Brown...

Monday night, Blytheville assistant police chief Ricky Jefferson reported that lighting projects are continuing throughout the city. The next two lighting projects will be from 6th and Highland to Division and Highland and from Highland and 10th to Moultrie...

The Gosnell School Board approved a two percent raise for both Classified and Certified employees on Monday evening. Pending approval from the Personnel Policy Committee, administrators would receive a $500 bump on the base pay and two percent raise; certified employees would earn a $300 or $500 hike on the base depending on their education level and two percent raise...

Blytheville businessman and Arkansas State Police Foundation board member Don Houseworth hosted the first ASP fundraiser in Mississippi County on Friday evening, raising more than $50,000 for the Hearts for Heroes program. Soft music played in the background as guests enjoyed a nice steak dinner, before opening their hearts and wallets to state troopers at the Blytheville Holiday Inn, which is owned by Houseworth...