Stories from Saturday, April 13, 2019

Tuesday afternoon, the Gosnell High School library was packed as teammates, friends, faculty and Devin Jones’ family members watched on as Jones signed his national letter of intent to play football at the University of Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Kentucky...

Last Friday, Blytheville Chickasaw explosive receiver and return man Corey Weatherspoon signed his national letter of intent to play with Coffeyville Community College in Coffeyville, Kansas. Chickasaw head coach Ben Fisher said that Weatherspoon going to a community college will help him advance to the next level...

GOSNELL— The Gosnell Lady Pirates defeated Rivercrest 5-4 Thursday. The Lady Pirates were led offensively by Callie Robinson (2-4 with a run scored), Alyssa Griffin ( 2-3), Cannon Leigh Curtis (1-2 with a run scored), Madison Stockman (1-3 with a run scored), Kaylee Miller (1-3 with a run scored) and Julie Martinez (1-3 with a run scored)...

Thursday night, the Armorel Tigers outhit the Marion Patriots seven to six but the Patriots came away victorious 6-2. The Tigers led 1-0 after the first and held the lead until the fourth inning when the Patriots posted three runs. After the fifth inning, AHS trailed 4-2. The Pats would score a run in both the sixth and seventh innings to come away with a 6-2 victory...

Riverside picked up a pair of 11-1 victories in high school softball action Monday and Tuesday at Lake City. The Lady Rebels battered Buffalo Island Central in 2A-3 conference play Monday before hammering Armorel Tuesday. Riverside put together a seven run second inning in their win over the Lady Mustangs. Riverside out-hit BIC 12-1...

Buffalo Island Central cruised to an 8-1 victory over Marmaduke in 2A-3 conference baseball action Tuesday at Monette. BIC took a 1-0 lead after the first inning before the Greyhounds pushed across a run in the top of the second to tie the game. BIC answered with a run of their own in the bottom of the inning to go ahead 2-1. The Mustangs scored three times in the third and tacked on three more in the fifth to pull away for the win...

Manila shut out Hoxie 14-0 in 3A-3 baseball action Tuesday at Lion Field. The Lions exploded for nine runs in the first inning. Manila tacked on four more in the third and added a single run in the fourth. The Lions out-hit the Mustangs 7-2. Hoxie committed five errors. Michael Parker went the distance, throwing a two-hit shutout, striking out six and walking two...

By TRENT FLETCHER NEA Town Courier Manila traveled to Wilson Tuesday afternoon for a doubleheader matchup with the Rivercrest Lady Colts. The Lady Lions won the opener 8-4 before Rivercrest bounced back to take the nightcap 22-0. Olivia May picked up the win in the first game, working five innings, allowing four runs, two earned, while scattering nine hits. ...

After being witness to the last two animal control meetings, I can't help but feel a bit sick to my stomach when hearing about this dysfunction between the Blytheville Humane Society and the Blytheville Animal Control. Ever since I've worked at the paper it has seems that the two groups have been unable or unwilling to work together for various reasons and I think that it is time for that to end...

The Ritz Commission met on Monday for its third meeting since being appointed earlier this year. Though the commission discussed several key issues, the biggest issue on the table concerned it agreeing to a contract for rental of the facility. "This contract can only be drawn up between the commission and the renter. ...

Because Blytheville Assistant Police Chief Ricky Jefferson was unable to attend Monday’s Code Enforcement Committee meeting, the board met again the next day to address conditions at the city animal shelter and other issues. After Jefferson gave his montly report, Councilwoman Barbara Brothers began...

Blytheville Police Chief Ross Thompson recently spoke to the Police and Fire Committee on the continued effort to add sign-on bonuses to the department's budget. In his report to the board, Thompson said that the department would offer a $5,000 sign-on bonus to certified lateral transfer officers with three or more years experience...

Caraway City Council reviewed upcoming plans for improvements and necessary increases during the meeting Thursday evening. The city has been awarded a matching Justice Assistance Grant of $2,300 for use in purchasing a replacement camera for police car. The city has reactivated their Dunns account, which is required for receipt of the grant...

The Mississippi County Quorum Court met Tuesday night in a special session and passed the ordinance that authorized the issuance of sales and use tax bonds for the purpose of financing all or a portion of the cost of capital improvements. The bonds issued were $17,635,000 by Stephens Inc. ...