Stories from Friday, December 15, 2023

BLYTHEVILLE — Friday morning, Blytheville Mayor Melissa Logan confirmed to the NEA Town Courier that Blytheville Police Chief Ross Thompson has been placed on administrative leave. Logan stated the Mayor’s office didn’t have a comment, but would let the NEA Town Courier know, “as things develop.”...

Billy Wayne Ball Sr., 86, of Cherokee Village, passed away Dec. 12, 2023, at White River Medical Center in Batesville. He was born Aug. 10, 1937, in El Dorado. Billy became an avid hunter and fisherman and loved sports, especially football and basketball. ...

Danny Brown, 77, of Piggott, passed away Dec. 12, 2023, at St. Bernards Medical Center in Jonesboro. He was born May 2, 1946, in Manila, and was the son of the late Charles Edward and Bessie (Curnutt) Brown. Danny was united in marriage to Judy Settlemoir on Jan. 25, 1976, and she preceded him in death on Jan. 30, 2007. He was also preceded in death by his two sisters, Cappie and Bernice...

Gerald Edward Hill, 71, of Osceola, passed away Dec. 9, 2023, At Regional One Medical Center, in Memphis, Tenn. He was born Sept. 3, 1952, in Osceola, to Bilbo and Essie Hill. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by four brothers and three sisters...

Helen Wilson Sweat, 94, of Blytheville, died Friday, Dec. 15, 2023, in Gosnell Health and Rehab in Gosnell. Helen was born in Mantee, Miss., to Dell and Grace Buck Wilson. Helen came to Blytheville in 1948 to work at the old Blytheville Hospital as an LPN until she married in 1950. ...

By REVIS BLAYLOCK NEA Town Courier Jeremy Jackson, a Manila pharmacist, loves a challenge and never gives up. Crossing the finish line at his recent 100-mile run proves his determination. Running in the flat country of northeast Arkansas did not deter him from returning to The Spirit of Syllamo Adventure Run in Mountain View in the Ozark National Forest for the third year. This year’s run was held on Dec. 9-10...

By REVIS BLAYLOCK NEA Town Courier The Manila School Board held the last regular meeting of the year on Wednesday evening discussing sick day donation. Following a lengthy executive session for personnel, no action was taken. Superintendent Jason Evers discussed creating a new policy for transferring sick leave for employees with catastrophic illness or injuries. ...

Officers with the Manila Police Department conducted a traffic stop on Dec. 12, near the corner of Beauchamp and Lake Streets. Operating the ATV was 51-year-old Anthony David Kirk of Manila. Kirk was on active probation and searched by officers where they recovered 2.7 grams of suspected methamphetamine in Kirk's pocket. He was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance and operating an ATV on the roadway...

Mark Key, director of Blytheville Public Works, has announced the Christmas/New Year sanitation schedule. The week of Dec. 18 through Dec. 22, all routes will be picked up on the regular schedule. Dec. 25-26 – Closed for the Christmas Holiday. Wednesday, Dec. 27 – Monday and Tuesday routes will be picked up...

Vivian Delorce Etheridge, 94 of Spring Lake, Mich., passed away Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023, at home. She was born March 22, 1929, in Leachville, to the late William and Nancy (Ballard) Woods. Delorce married James Etheridge on July 3, 1946, in Leachville. ...

Lorraine Seals, 59, of Osceola, passed away Dec. 5, 2023, at St. Bernards Medical Center in Jonesboro. She was a homemaker. Miss Seals was born March 12, 1964, in Keiser to Norwood Seals and Rosetta Young. She was preceded in death by her parents and one brother, Calvin Seals...

ASP’s Criminal Investigation Division arrested a Texarkana, Texas, man on Thursday, December 7, 2023, in connection with a hit-and-run pedestrian fatality that occurred on U.S. Highway 82 on March 9, 2023. Joseph Curtis Miller, 85, of Springhill, Louisiana, was visiting family in Arkansas when he was struck and killed...

ENGLAND -- A 22-year-old has been arrested for the July murder of a Pulaski County man. England Police Department asked Arkansas State Police (ASP) to investigate the shooting death of 34-year-old Justin Williams and two other individuals who were shot at the corner of South Main and Nichols streets in England on July 1...

After nearly 33 years, Rick Allen Headley, 48, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in Fulton County Circuit Court on Monday, Dec. 11, in the 1991 death of Sabrina Underwood. He was sentenced to 40 years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections. “We will never give up on finding justice for families like the Underwood’s, who still suffer the pain of Sabrina’s absence,” said ASP Colonel Mike Hagar. “Today, we pray for peace for those who remember and love Sabrina.”...

December 12, 2023 – It’s hard to have a happy holiday when you’re arrested for drunk driving. Keep the season merry and bright by following the law and refusing to drink and drive. During this busy winter holiday season, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is teaming up with Arkansas law enforcement to urge drivers to think twice before drinking and driving. ...

Zachary David Tennyson was born Dec. 31, 1985, in Blytheville. He died December 4, 2023, in Columbia, Mo., having made his home with the rest of his family in Columbia for 10 years. Although he was aged 37 years, he claimed he was much younger, as his birthdays had obviously been “stolen by Christmas and New Years Eve” every year of his life. ...