Stories from Saturday, July 31, 2021

Blytheville Primary School was recently recognized by Solution Tree for its sustained success in raising student achievement. The Blytheville Primary School’s successful implementation of the Professional Learning Communities at Work® process was a major contributing factor in the improved achievement of its students, according to Solution Tree...

The Blytheville School Board is planning a special meeting for 6 p.m., Monday, to discuss the process for interviewing superintendent candidates and the roof at the ALE building. Board member Desmond Hammett has also requested other items be added to the agenda...

Mississippi County Quorum Court worked through a lengthy agenda Tuesday at the July  meeting, approving several measures and hearing reports. Mississippi County Judge John Alan Nelson presided at the meeting with nine of the 11 Justices present. Justices present included Rick Ash, Cecil McDonald, Harbans Mangat, Betty Hepler, Michael White, Tobye McClanahan, Neil Burge, JoAnn Henton and Reggie Cullom. Justices not present were Aaron Fleeman and Molly Jackson...

With the recent surge of COVID-19 cases across the state, Blytheville Mayor James Sanders has resumed his weekly briefings every Wednesday at 3 p.m. Sanders reported 109 active cases in the county on July 28, as compared to just 18 in his June 2 briefing. Surrounding counties are also seeing the increase with 706 active cases in Craighead County, 240 in Greene, 118 in Poinsett and 101 in Crittenden County...

Early voting for the special election to extend the half-cent sales and use tax for economic development in Mississippi County will begin on Tuesday, Aug. 3, and run through Monday, Aug. 9. Early voting will be held from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m at the Osceola Courthouse, 200 West Hale Ave.; Mississippi County Election Center, 509 North Fifth Street, Blytheville; and Manila Depot Center, 105 Dewey, Manila...

Manila area early voting for the extention of the economic development tax will begin Tuesday, Aug. 3, at the Depot Center, 105 Dewey, in Manila. Voting was originally planned to take place at the Airport Community Center but due to no air conditioning, the voting site has been moved to the Depot. Citizens will be voting for or against extending  the existing Mississippi County one-half cent sales tax for industrial development...

The push is on for renewal of the Mississippi County half-cent sales tax, known locally as the economic development sales tax, and as with all things community, opinions are wildly varied across the area. I support the tax, both personally and in my job as director of the local chamber of commerce. I support it so strongly, in fact, that I have yet to hear one valid point for opposing it...

There is a song that goes something like — “Don’t worry, be happy.” It is a catchy little tune and the message makes perfect sense but getting rid of worry is not an easy task for some of us. I come by my “worry habits” honestly. My grandmother was a worrier and my mother is a worrier. I suppose that makes me a third generation worrier...