Stories from Friday, May 18, 2012

Recent reports from the Blytheville Police Department:

Friday morning, it was unclear how much longer Blytheville Primary School Principal Veda Struble would be in her position.

The Blytheville Courier News prints an average of 16 pages a day, very rarely less than 14, very rarely more than 18, and the original Goss Community installed when the new Courier building was built in 1971 was big enough to run 20 pages.

Christian McKinney is a little "less than pleased" as Bob Tarter talks to the sixth-graders about "Mitch" the Burmese python during his program about wild animals Thursday morning. Tarter's Natural History Educational Company of the Mid-South has been to the Blytheville Public Schools for the last nine years...

A new math curriculum was adopted Thursday night by members of the Gosnell School Board, which administrators believe will be helpful in the district's transition to Common Core in kindergarten through the eighth grade.

Nucor Corporation announced Thursday that it has signed a Stock Purchase Agreement to acquire the membership interests of Skyline Steel LLC and its subsidiaries from ArcelorMittal, for approximately $605 million.

The Main Street Blytheville board president Tobye McClanahan announced Thursday that the position of executive director for Main Street Blytheville is now open to applicants, with hopes of filling the vacancy by August.

Here's a wrap up of the Cal Ripken League and youth softball league action from Thursday night at the Blytheville Youth Sportsplex. ROOKIE LEAGUE Rotan Planting 6, Plum Point 5 Trailing, 5-3, in the bottom of the third inning, Rotan Planting scored three runs over the final three innings and held on for a 6-5 win over Plum Point...

In February, Armorel Tiger Ty Wagganer and Midland Mustang pitcher Drew Forsten participated in a baseball camp at Arkansas State University. Fortsen ask Wagganer how he thought his team was going to be this year. Wagganer told Fortson that the two junior hurlers would be on the mound at Baum Stadium in May as their respective squads would determine the 1A state championship...

The Blytheville Chickasaws held their annual Maroon and White game Thursday night at the BHS practice field.

More than two months after voters approved a temporary 1-cent sales tax to pay the multi-million payroll tax debt, the city of Blytheville is still trying to work out a repayment plan with the Internal Revenue Service.

This week's Pet of the Week at the Blytheville Humane Society is "Precious," an adult female Italian Greyhound/Whippet mix. Precious is a sweet, calm and good girl who is cat- and kid-friendly. She is house-trained up-to-date with routine shots. For more information, call the Humane Society at 870-838-5512 or send email to humanesocietyofblytheville@hotmail.com.

Blytheville is rapidly dying and it doesn't have to be. There are some very simple actions that can be taken at no cost to save a wonderful historical city with very good credentials. Some simple actions are offered in good faith as follows: School problem and loss of population. Solution: Combine Armorel, Gosnell and Blytheville school systems. The federal government solved the Little Rock School system by filing a lawsuit and won. Problem disappeared...