Stories from Saturday, December 5, 2020

In his Wednesday COVID-19 update, Blytheville Mayor James Sanders reported an increase of 31 active coronavirus cases in Mississippi County since his last report on Nov. 25th. Additionally, Blytheville Police Chief Ross Thompson reported there are 220 active locations in the county and approximately 80 in the Blytheville area. Active locations are defined any place where an active case has been detected. However, it is possible for one active location to consist of more than one positive case...

For many students, going from a traditional classroom to learning from home can be a real challenge. Arkansas’ Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has partnered with Graduation Alliance to provide an extra layer of support for students in grades K-12 and their families who might be struggling with these changes. The Blytheville School District has partnered with Engage Arkansas and the Graduation Alliance to provide more support for virtual students who are struggling...

Manila Superintendent Jason Evers said the first semester has definitely been a challenge for the school district.  “We had hopes that we would see a significant decline in COVID related numbers this week, but overall we still have around 100 out for quarantine, and 10 of those are actual positive cases from staff and students,” Evers said. ...

Following an executive session Thursday night, the Armorel School Board voted unanimously to terminate Armorel School District nurse Wanda Lamon. Lamon requested the hearing, but did not attend. Board members waited several minutes for her to arrive before going into executive session...

The American Red Cross is hoping to fight Sickle Cell Disease with a blood drive from 12:30-5:30 p.m., Thursday and Friday, at Pilgrim Rest M.B. Church Fellowship Hall, 809 East Main, in Blytheville. The Red Cross is urging local residents to donate, especially African Americans and Latinos whose antigens work best in blood transfusions of sickle cell patients...

Andrew Barks, ninth grade student at Manila High School, has always had a heart for giving and sharing. He also enjoys decorating for Christmas with his grandfather Andy Flannigan. This year Andrew decided to get the best of both with a little extra Christmas lighting complete with Christmas music for people to enjoy and turn it into a fundraiser for the Manila Food Pantry...