Stories from Wednesday, January 5, 2022

A Manila man was killed in a Craighead County crash around 6:52 p.m., on New Year’s Day near Highway 18 and Highway 135. Bobby Benson Towery, 53, of Manila perished when his 2008 Chevrolet Silverado was struck by a 2019 Dodge Ram being driven by 36-year-old Christopher Allen Ellis of Brookland, who was also injured in the crash, along with his passenger 40-year-old Jennifer McDorman of Paragould...

The Mississippi County Regional Chamber of Commerce heads into 2022 with its new name and a new board of directors. Sam Jackson, Senior VP at Farmers Bank & Trust, begins a one-year tenure as president, serving with president-elect Brad Harrison, who is president of Mississippi County Electric Coop...

Riverside School Board president Greg Douglas was recognized as an Outstanding Board Member by the Arkansas School Board Association the Jan. 3 meeting. The award is given  for 25 hours of in-service credit. Superintendent Jeff Priest expressed his appreciation to Douglas and presented him with a certificate and pin...

Blytheville’s quest for a fourth straight conference title is off to a fast start after a 55-35 win over Valley View on Jan. 3 in Chickasaw Arena. The win pushed their average margin of victory in conference to 24.5 points per game this season, and it advanced their overall win streak to seven games...

Mary Louise Williams, 74, of Manila, passed from this life Friday, Dec. 31, 2021, at Flo and Phil Jones Hospice House in Jonesboro. The daughter of the late Walter Scott and Ollie Mae Roger Williams, Mary was a lifelong resident of Manila and a 1965 graduate of Manila High School.  After working in area factories she worked several years as a door greeter at Walmart.  An avid reader, Mary also enjoyed attending church. She was a member of Soul's Harbour Trinity Pentecostal Holiness Church in Manila. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her daughter, Melissa Williams; brother, "Buddy" Williams; sister, Geraldine Dillard; and a beloved niece, Tammy Carter.. ...