Stories from Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Leroy Washington Lockhart, 69, of Joiner, passed away Dec. 1, 2023, at his home. He was born May 11, 1954, in Joiner to John and Cora Lee Washington Lockhart. He worked for Viskase for 23 years, retired in 2017 and was a member of First Baptist Church in Joiner. Mr. Lockhart was preceded in death by his parents, John and Cora Lockhart; six brothers, Ossie Love, Vernon Love, Sylvester Lockhart, Roosevelt Lockhart, John Lockhart Jr., Shelley Lockhart; and one sister, Ruthie Sykes...

Thomas Eugene “Tommy” DePriest Jr., resident of Lake City, departed this life on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023, at St. Francis Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., at the age of 60. Thomas was born in Alton, Ill., on Oct. 9, 1963, the son of Thomas Eugene DePriest Sr. and Margaret (Ball) DePriest...

On Friday, Dec. 1, Elbert Thomas, Jr., 34, was taken into custody for warrants that stemmed from the Nov. 22 shooting death of Erica Chew, 42, of Blytheville. Thomas was arraigned in Blytheville District Court on Dec. 4, where Judge Shannon Langston set bond at $500,000 cash and set a circuit court date for Jan. 18, 2024...

The Giving Tree, one of the 10 trees sponsored by businesses and individuals, is sponsored by Me & My Sister and the Union Mission. Gifts of gloves are on the tree for those who need them. Everyone is invited to vote for their favorite tree on the Main Street Blytheville page...

Barry Zekelman, Executive Chairman and CEO of Zekelman Industries, recently announced a new Loyalty Awards program to celebrate the contributions, knowledge, and experience of company teammates. Under the new Loyalty Awards, employees of all Zekelman Industries companies will receive special payments when they complete their 5th, 10th, 20th, and 30th years of employment without a break in service...

Manila Class of 2025 held a Biscuits with Santa event on Saturday morning at the Manila Airport Center. Santa was joined by Buddy the Elf who also visited with the children and helped Santa greet and meet the children In addition to breakfast, pictures with Santa and visiting with Buddy, children enjoyed creating Christmas ornaments. Face painting was also a popular stop of the morning...

Grover Cleveland Skaggs, 93, of Leachville, passed from this life Monday, Dec. 4, 2023, at the Flo and Phil Jones Hospice House in Jonesboro. Born in Marked Tree, he was the son of the late James W. and Sally Bailey Skaggs and had been a longtime area resident. ...