Stories from Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Recent reports from the Blytheville Police Department:

Mrs. Vista Finley passed away Thursday May 10, 2012, at the Flo and Phil Jones Hospice House in Jonesboro. She was born Sept. 12, 1919 in Evening Shade, Ark., the daughter of the late Dotson and Anna Metcalf. ...

Thomas Edward Lynn, 83, of Paragould, passed from this life, Friday May 4, 2012, at the Flo and Phil Jones Hospice House in Jonesboro. Born in Caraway, he was the son of the late Thomas Earl and Cora Lee Roe Lynn, was a 1945 graduate of Manila High School, and had served in the U.S. ...

Rodney Lee Riggs, 51, of Manila, passed from this life, Monday, May 7, 2012, at the University of Arkansas for Medical Science Medical Center in Little Rock following a couragous battle with leukemia. ...

Lena Belle Rotton Ed.D (Dean Rotton), 80, of Nixa, Mo., passed away Monday, May 7, 2012, after a protracted fight with Alzheimer's. She was born Sept. 9, 1931, in Monette Ark., the only daughter of Bruce and Lena Belle Spencer. She was married to Cliff Rotton Aug. 12, 1950, and from their marriage came two sons...

Mrs. Youvonna Kay Stull, 57, of Manila, Ark., died Friday, May 11, 2012, at the Flo and Phil Jones Hospice House, Jonesboro, Ark. Mrs. Stull was born Aug. 23, 1954, in Caraway, Ark., to the late Alfred and Martha Boatner Staggs. She was of the Baptist faith, loved her grandchildren, camping, and going to Tunica...

Mr. Loren Wilson Vore, 87, of Leachville, passed from this life, early Saturday, May 12, 2012, at St. Bernards Medical Center in Jonesboro. Born at Dunkirk, Ind., he was the son of the late Homer and Minnie Blankenbaker Vore and was raised in Red Key, Ind. ...

Buffalo Island Central's Lady Mustangs plated three runs in the top of the seventh inning and held on to beat Bigelow 5-2 Saturday afternoon at Junction City. The win propels BIC into the Class 2A State Championship game where they will meet Junction City Saturday morning at Lady Razorback Field in Fayetteville...

Brady Jones belted a game winning single off the right field wall to lift Manila to a thrilling 6-5 victory over Rivercrest in the finals of the 3A Region 3 Tournament Tuesday afternoon at Tuckerman. Jones drilled a 1-1 pitch that sailed over the right fielder's head, scoring Dylan Wycoff to give the Lions the regional title...

Arkansas Basketball Coach Mike Anderson told a crowd of more than 300 Razorback faithful of his lofty goals for the program Monday night, May 7, during the Mississippi County Razorback Club Banquet at the Manila Airport Center...

Lauren (Dowless) Cherry is the new Administrator at Lakeside Nursing Center in Lake City. Lauren received a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Arkansas State University...

Buffalo Island Museum is displaying an Avon collectible exhibit May through June. The Avon Company was founded by David H. McConnell in 1886. He sold books door-to-door and decided to offer free perfume as an incentive to buy his books. ...

The Caraway Park Commission hosted the annual youth fishing rodeo on Saturday, May 5 with 79 young people registered. In addition to plenty of fish to be caught, drawings were held throughout the day for prizes...

Art Slaton of Manila is among the veterans that remember well the end of World War II and the long years and lives it took to get there. Slaton was called to service (drafted) in August of 1942. ...

Mr. Bobby Lewis Morgan, 66, of Lepanto, died of a brain aneurysm Sunday, May 13, 2012, at the Flo and Phil Jones Hospice House in Jonesboro.

Mr. William Eugene Duck, 86, of Wilson entered into rest Sunday, May 13, 2012, in Osceola.

The Kiwanis Club had another successful Fishing Rodeo. We are very thankful for all the parents and grandparents for bringing the 200-plus young people to fish Saturday. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission stocked the pond with catfish especially for this event...

A number of years ago, my ex-husband's mother died. This in itself was not unusual, although she was fairly young, in her early 60s. What was notable was that it was only two days before she passed, after she had been in a coma for weeks, when she was finally diagnosed with something she knew she had for most of her life: Lupus.

Main Street Blytheville is expected to start accepting applications for the position of executive director, which will be vacant after Friday.

Saturday's Kiwanis Fishing Rodeo is being called a success.

Local nursing homes are celebrating National Nursing Home Week.

2012 property tax collections are down by more than a half a million dollars compared to the same time last year, according to Armorel Superintendent Bruce Young.

On Monday afternoon, members of the Mississippi County Quorum Court's Finance Committee, in conjunction with the Court's Police, Fire and Safety Committee, authorized Mississippi County Judge Randy Carney to initiate legal action against the city of Blytheville regarding its delinquent jail fee debt.

It took nine innings to decide Monday night's Cal Ripken Major League matchup between Crosskno Farms and Kiwanis. The starting pitchers -- Matt Wyatt for Crosskno Farms and Duncan Jones for Kiwanis -- pitched to a 2-2 tie after six complete innings...

The Armorel Tigers will get a chance to defend their 1A state championship on Saturday. They'll take on the Midland Mustangs at 3 p.m. on Saturday at the University of Arkansas' Baum Stadium in Fayetteville. Win or lose, what longtime head coach Charlie Brown has accomplished with his little school by the river can never be taken away...