Stories from Saturday, September 10, 2011

The Arkansas State Highway Commission has opened bids for improvements to roadways in Mississippi County, according to commission Vice Chairman John Ed Regenold of Armorel.

Here are Friday's high school football scores from around Arkansas.

WILSON- The Rivercrest Colts rode the strength of a suffocating defensive effort and solid special teams play to overwhelm a depleted Osceola Seminoles squad by a final score of 34-6 Friday at the "Cotton Patch" in Wilson. The Colts victory, evens the all-time series between the two South County rivals at 20 wins each...

WEST MEMPHIS--It's not often that a team can feel like it's won after a loss. But such is the case after the Blytheville Chickasaws, 28-14, loss to the 7A West Memphis Blue Devils, Friday night. "We won everywhere except the scoreboard. Especially in the second half," said Chicks head coach Maurice Moody who was an assistant coach for the Blue Devils before taking the job in Blytheville. ...

An estimated 800-1,000 participated in the Cleaner, Safer Blytheville campaign, Saturday morning. Volunteers tackled some overgrown blocks on the west end of Blytheville, working from about 8 a.m. until noon. Afterwards, they met back at Cypress Park, where they initially gathered, for hotdogs, drinks and fellowship. Volunteers ranged for bankers and local industry brass to the common person...

GOSNELL -- During its 55-19 home-opening win over Kennett Friday night, Gosnell had a sobering reminder why concussions have garnered so much attention lately. With the mercy clock rolling in the closing seconds of the third quarter, Marcus Mullins ducked his head on tackle attempt. Instead of taking down Kennett's Darius Warren on a 70-yard touchdown run, the sophomore defensive back slammed into teammate Jacob Westmoreland's thigh, suffering a concussion on the play...

Nellie Marie Bowman Mrs. Nellie Marie Bowman, 74, of Blytheville, passed away Friday, Sept. 9., 2011, at Heritage Square Nursing Center. Mrs. Bowman was born Oct. 6, 1936, in Beverly, Kan., to Fred Vaupel and Nell Armburster Vaupel. Mrs. Bowman was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Charles O. Bowman; her son, Brian Bowman; and her sister, Phyllis Vaupel...

Boyce T. Driskill Mr. Boyce T. Driskill, 67, of Luxora, died Thursday, Sept. 8, 2011, at his home. Born in Keiser to Malcolm and Elzie Driskill, he worked for American Greetings for 20 years and also for Hays Supermarkets in Blytheville and Osceola. He retired from Cyro, with over 20 years of service and was of the Church of Christ faith. Boyce was a former member of the United States National Guard. He loved his family and friends and was especially proud of his grandchildren...

NEEDS TO GO SUNDAY ... CAN RUN INSIDE Blytheville Courier News The Act 2! community theater group will be holding auditions for its next radio play, "The Wolf-Man" by Blytheville's own Ken Jackson. Auditions will be held from 6-8 Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at The Ritz Civic Center, 306 W. Main Street in downtown Blytheville. The show will be performed on Saturday, Oct. 1...

Heading over to Downtown Deli for a sandwich or getting your hair cut at Jagger Macguire's may have more of an impact on the community than people often realize. Supporting these locally owned and operated businesses is vital to the propagation of a successful economy in Mississippi County and the overall growth of the area...