News

In the Jan. 20 COVID-19 report, Blytheville Mayor James Sanders reported 197 active cases in Mississippi County, down from 261 in the previous week. At press time Friday, there were 210 active cases in the county and 4,992 total cases, with 103 reported deaths...

In their Jan. 19 Zoom meeting, the Blytheville City Council voted to amend the resolution passed giving city employees bonuses. Originally the resolution would give full-time employees a one-time bonus of $1,000, while the part-time employees would receive $500. Realizing that only seven employees make up the city’s part-time staff, the council decided to lift their bonus to $1,000 as well...

Buffalo Island Central School board addressed issues with virtual learning Thursday evening and formulated plans for a special called open board meeting soon. “Our students are struggling,” said Assistant High School Principal Mark Hurst. “Many parents won’t send the students back. We need them back and they need to be here. We have come to value the importance of teachers more and more.”...

Rep. Monte Hodges (D-Blytheville) has been elected president of the Arkansas Legislative Black Caucus. Hodges is in his fifth term in the Arkansas House. “I’m honored to have been elected as President of the ALBC,” Hodges said. “I look forward to working with my colleagues and building on the already great work started by past leadership.”...

Manila Mayor Wayne Wagner is starting his 11th year in office serving as mayor of Manila and said 2020 was a challenging year. “2020 was a strange and different year, but all employees pulled together,” Mayor Wagner said. “Those who were full-time got paid if they were out with the virus.  Everyone covered for each other and the work got done.”...

Mississippi County Personnel and Finance Committees met on Tuesday afternoon prior to the first 2021 regular quorum court meeting, which is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 26. Personnel committee chairman Rick Ash opened the first meeting with only one item on the agenda, an  ordinance allowing the county to conduct business with Mailboxes and Beyond...

Mississippi County Hospital System CEO Chris Raymer said, like most healthcare facilities, the hospital has faced challenges with staffing and transportation during the Covid-19 pandemic. During his report to the MCHS board Monday, Raymer said since the onset of the pandemic, there have been 40 employees miss time with Covid-19, and the hospital has admitted 472 patients who were positive...

Leachville Mayor Rodney Robertson and city council members welcomed newly elected member Mitchell Lasater to the first city council meeting of 2021. All council members, Lasater, Paul Wildy, Keith Evans, Richie Pace, Lisa Baldridge and Michael Webster, were present...

The third round of loans from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is underway and applications may be accepted until March 31, 2021. PPP was originally  launched in the Spring of 2020 as part of the federal government’s Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) to provide economic relief to American small businesses impacted by the global Covid-19 pandemic...

Blytheville celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day with its second annual car parade starting at the city’s historic Greyhound Bus Station and going through downtown Blytheville. The parade personified King Jr.’s famous words, “Hate can not drive out hate, only love can do that.”...

In their Jan. 12 meeting the Blytheville finance committee agreed to grant a $1,000 bonus for full-time city employees and a $500 bonus for part-time city employees. These checks were made possible through the CARES Act for coronavirus relief. City finance director John Callens said the act reimbursed the wages of first responders, due to them being on the front line against COVID-19, adding a total of $618,000 to the city’s general fund...

The Gosnell City Council met via Zoom Tuesday evening and among the items discussed was potentially purchasing a fire truck. The council discussed the 2021 budget, and councilman Richard Brown suggested purchasing the fire truck. He told the council about a 2006 Ferrara HME Pumper that is 95 percent equiped...

Lisa Sitz, Lake City clerk, is doing double duty as she was appointed by city council members to fill the mayor’s position until a special election is held March 9. The mayor’s position was left vacant when former Mayor Jon Milligan resigned at the end of 2020. Milligan won his bid for a seat in the House of Representatives and is representing the people at the state level...

Mississippi County Planning and Development Committee met for their first meeting of 2021 on Thursday morning. Justice Michael White presided in the absence of Chairman Neil Burge. Justice White welcomed newly elected members Cecil McDonald, Tobye McClanahan and Aaron Fleeman...

During Blytheville Mayor James Sanders’ weekly COVID-19 Zoom meeting Wednesday, Dr. Valencia Andrews-Pirtle reported that staff of the Blytheville School District will receive the vaccine on Jan. 27 and staff of the Gosnell School District will be vaccinated on Jan. 28 at their respective high schools...

Mark Crabtree, owner of Drive Automotive Sales, donated a new Stihl 271 chainsaw to the Manila Fire Department. Crabtree reached out to Sonny Dill, assistant fire chief of the Manila Fire Department, saying he would like to make a donation. “He asked me how he could help and what is something that would be a great help to our department,” Dill said. ...

Manila City Council members reconvened on Thursday evening to finish a lengthy agenda started on Monday which was  the first meeting of the 2021 year. Mayor Wayne Wagner, along with council members Dale Murphy, Wendell Poteet, Jason Baltimore, Donnie Wagner and Steven Milligan were present. Councilman William Barnhart was absent...

Blytheville police released SkyCop footage of the 2.8 magnitude earthquake that shook Blytheville and Gosnell on Friday afternoon. The epicenter was near the Blytheville water tower. The SkyCop footage is from 10th and Highland in Blytheville...

In their Jan. 11 Zoom committee meetings, the Blytheville City Council discussed the possibility of meeting in person moving forward. Councilman Matt Perrin vouched for putting an end to the online meetings, however under the governor’s new directive any venue hall would have an audience limit of 10...

During a special meeting Monday night, the Blytheville School Board debated, then ultimately accepted Blytheville superintendent Bobby Ashley's recommendation to host the regional basketball tournament. According to Ashley, Blytheville is the only team in its region that has bid on the tournament, which is expected to be played at the brand new state-of-the-art Chickasaw Arena next month, pending final approval Thursday by the Arkansas Activities Association...

Mississippi County Justice of the Peace Michael White presided at the swearing-in ceremony for the three re-elected Manila City Council members at the Monday, Jan. 11, meeting. Council members sworn in were Donnie Wagner, William Barnhart and Dale Murphy...

Riverside basketball coach Buster Campbell added another milestone to his storied career, picking up victory number 900 with a 65-39 win over Northeast Arkansas Christian Home Educators Monday, Jan. 3, at Lake City. Campbell, who is in his 45th season as the Rebel head coach, has averaged 20 wins per year during his career. Campbell became just the eighth head coach in Arkansas history to record 900 wins, joining Northeast Arkansas legends Morgan Gilbert and Bob Paynter in the 900 club...

Mississippi County Judge John Alan Nelson welcomed newly elected members, along with returning justices, to an organizational meeting held on Friday, Jan. 8, in Burdette. He also introduced the new County Attorney, Jacob Holmes. Judge Nelson said he is looking forward to an exciting year for the county with three large projects underway and more in the wings...

The Armorel School District will likely be one of only a handful of Arkansas districts required to return funding to the state as part of the equalization law. Monday night, superintendent Tiffany Morgan told the board the district has already exceeded the projected revenue for the fiscal year, which ends June 30...

Manila Junior High School recently won first place in Fall 2020 competition of  The Stock Market Game, which is sponsored by Economics Arkansas. The young men finished first out of 49 teams in the state and 10th out of 967 teams across the country. Team members are Spencer Stutts, Kohner Gann, Hayden Edgin and Clayton Hawkins. Teacher Heath Hawkins expressed his congratulations to the team...

Several local pharmacies are among those that will be administering Covid-19 vaccine shots, including Delta Drug in Manila, Rose Pharmacy in Blytheville and Southern Pharmacy in Leachville in Mississippi County, and Southern Pharmacy in Craighead County and Poinsett County, and McFarlin Pharmacy in Monette...

In the latest COVID-19 update, Mayor James Sanders was joined by Jermey Jackson of Delta Drug in Manila and Mississippi County Office of Emergency Management Director Wayne Reynolds to further discuss the vaccination process. Currently, Delta Drug in Manila, Rose Pharmacy in Blytheville and Southern Pharmacy in Leachville are managing the vaccines and directing the process for vaccinating the county...

With many individual and team achievements this year within the Gosnell Girls’ golf program, the most prominent may be junior Aspen Austin’s qualification to the 2021 National High School Golf Invitational. In just two years of playing the sport, Austin has accomplished numerous milestones. ...

Blytheville’s Main Street received an artistic touch Dec. 5 after the Blytheville greeting card mural was completed at the pocket park. The project was completed at no cost to the city, according to Blytheville’s Park and Recreation director Cody Slay, thanks to the sponsorship of Nucor-Yamato Steel. It was also printed and installed by Hinson Signs directly onto metal to ensure its longevity...

In addition to the state minimum wage increase, employees in the city of Blytheville will receive a 3 percent raise in 2021 as part of the city’s budget. “This year’s been a trying year,” city finance director John Callens said. “In some areas we’ve come in way down but our tax revenues have held up much better than a lot of areas. ...

Minimum wage increased to $11 an hour on Jan. 1, a $1 per hour hike from 2020. Leachville Mayor Rodney Robertson said it will mean an increase to a few part-time city  employees but will have no affect on any of the full-time employees. He said he did not think the increase in minimum wage will have much of an  impact on the city but it might be difficult for small businesses...

The Armorel School District is in the process of interviewing candidates for the district’s nurse opening, according to superintendent Tiffany Morgan. The Armorel School Board is scheduled to meet at 5:30 p.m., Monday. Former school nurse Wanda Lamon was terminated on Dec. ...

The Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame has announced six individuals will be inducted during 2021 due to their leadership and service to the state’s largest business sector. The newest class represents agriculture education, the seed industry, agri-business, row-crop production, agricultural/political advocacy, timber management, plus agricultural research and outreach...

The 2020 NEA Town Courier Headliner of the Year is the National Cold War Center, located at the former Eaker Air Force Base. The award is given each year in recognition of contributions toward positive headlines in the Blytheville/Buffalo Island area...

Audrey Booth Williams of Manila recently was crowned Ms. Arkansas Wheelchair and will be representing her state. Ms. Arkansas Wheelchair Competition was held Nov. 7, 2020. She will go on to compete in Ms. Wheelchair America in 2021. This will be the 50th year for Ms. Wheelchair America competition  and Arkansas has been competing since 1974...

In the early morning hours on Christmas Day, two men with warrants for 1st Degree murder were arrested by members of the Dyer County Sheriff’s Office in connection with an incident involving a Blytheville man, 46-year-old Christopher S. Randolph, that took place at a bar located in Steele, on Christmas Eve...

Blytheville police have made an arrest in Sunday's slaying of 19-year-old Quashawn Chandler of Blytheville on East Rose. According to Capt. John Frazier, the BPD CID commander, at approximately 8:30 a.m., Tuesday, patrol officers arrested 21-year-old Lashadrick Dunn at his residence on a warrant for Murder in the 1st degree. ...

Rhonda Hodges Ministries, an outreach empowerment ministry for women, held its first "Warm For the Winter" hats and gloves drive. The event was held at the RHM office (537 North 10th street) in the MR&J PLAZA, formerly known as 10th Street plaza, on Dec. 10, from 3:30-6 p.m...

On Sunday, at approximately 9:45 a.m., officers of the Blytheville Police Department responded to the 500 block of East Cherry in reference to a person that had been shot. On arrival officers located 19-year-old Quashawn Chandler of Blytheville who had been shot. Chandler was transported to the Great River Medical Emergency Room in Blytheville AR where he died as a result of his injuries...

Blytheville police and Arkansas State troopers are working a multiple-car accident on Air Base Highway Christmas Eve. At 6:45 p.m. Thursday, police were still on the scene and traffic backed up. According to Blytheville police chief Ross Thompson, preliminary reports indicate there were four or five vehicles involved. The extent of the injuries isn’t known at this time...

Students in the Buffalo Island Central High School EAST Initiative program created a 3D printed prosthetic hand for Mrs. Patty Qualls, a BIC elementary teacher. The project was started by Alex Talavera in 2017. Kathleen Roblero and Andy Perez continued the project during the school year of 2019-2020. They almost had the project completed when school shut down because of the Coronavirus...

A storm caused power outages in the Blytheville area Wednesday night. Some lines and poles were downed by the winds, including in the area of Highway 151 and Highway 18 near Nibco, according to Blytheville assistant police chief Ricky Jefferson. Poles and lines at Holland and Main and Elm and Locust were also damaged, he said. That left a number without power...

The Leachville City Council held their December meeting on Monday, Dec. 14, with Mayor Rodney Robertson presiding. The council members voted to show their appreciation to the employees with an extra check for hazardous pay for working through the pandemic this year...

The number of COVID-19 cases remains high in Mississippi County, though the numbers did drop from 401 active cases last Wednesday to 343 as of Tuesday morning. Thus far, there have been 4,072 cases, with 3,637 recoveries and 91 deaths in Mississippi County...

The Mississippi County Quorum Court held a called meeting Thursday at the Osceola courthouse. Eight of the 11 justices were in attendance either in person or virtually. Present were Justices Rick Ash, Fred Fleeman, Bobby Hinton, Betty Hepler, Molly Jackson, Bill Nelson, Howard Norvell and Michael White...

Lake City Council approved bonuses, accepted water/sewer audit, approved employee raises, declared a vacancy in the mayor's position, appointed an interim mayor, added to the police policy, and voted to purchase new vehicles at the Dec. 14 meeting. Lake City Mayor Jon Milligan presided over the final meeting of the year and his last one to serve as mayor. Milligan recently won a run-off election to serve as Arkansas State Representative...

Children are able to go home with a few extra books this holiday season thanks to the Massey-Brown Foundation. In the past week, kids at the Mississippi County EOC Head Start program received up to five or six books each in an effort to spark early interest in reading...

Mississippi County Hospital System began administering the COVID-19 vaccine Thursday. According to MCHS CEO Chris Raymer, the local hospital received 80 doses on Wednesday, and he’s hopeful more will arrive soon for the remainder of the 400 employees...

BIC Board of Directors completed their six hours of Arkansas Department of Education required training on Monday and Thursday of this week, with total participating. Following Thursday’s 4-7 p.m. virtual class, the board held its monthly business meeting...

The Community Christmas Concert 2020 fundraiser for the Butterfly House, Transitional Living Home for Women in Manila, has been modified due to the rapidly rising numbers of COVID-19 infections in Northeast Arkansas. "The Arkansas Department of Health and the CDC are warning against any public gatherings at this time, especially in a hot spot, like our community/region," Danna Scott Deaton, Butterfly House executive director, said. ...