Stories from Friday, April 17, 2020

Eleanor Puckett Fears, 88, of Theodosia, Mo., formerly of Leachville and Paragould, passed from this life Wednesday, April 15, 2020, at the home of her daughter in Theodosia. Born in Swifton and raised in Leachville, she was a 1949 graduate of Leachville High School and had been a longtime Mississippi County librarian serving at the Leachville branch. ...

Manila Mayor Wayne Wagner and council  members met at the city park on Thursday evening to review floor plans for a new concession stand that will serve both the waterpark/pool and the city park. Council members Jason Baltimore, Dale Murphy, Wendell Poteet, and Donnie Wagner, along with parks/recreation director Darrell Birmingham, looked over the concession stand plans, progress on the pool expansion, dugouts, new playground equipment and work being done on Building 100 (a recreational building equipped with batting cages, etc.). ...

The National Recreation and Park Association (NPRA) made a statement on March 30 about “temporarily closing” playgrounds and play structures during the COVID-19 pandemic. The NPRA states this effort is to reduce community spread of the COVID-19. The city of Blytheville posted on its Facebook page recently, “As you enter city parks, you will notice all playground equipment has been taped off to help slow the spread of COVID-19. ...