Stories from Wednesday, January 2, 2013

In a ceremony at the Farm Bureau Center in Little Rock on Dec. 19, Arkansas Farm Bureau President Randy Veach (center) of Manila received a certificate of appreciation from D.B. Hill III (left), vice president of the Arkansas Good Roads Transportation Council, and Stanley Hill, a board member on the council...

Recent reports from the Blytheville Police Department:

Mrs. Mary S. Seals Taylor, 82, of Selmer, Tenn., formerly of Blytheville, passed from this life Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012, at Hardin County Medical Center in Savannah, Tenn.

Mr. Christopher Lee Stone, 37, of Wilson, suffered a fatal heart attack Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012.

Mrs. Eleanora Pew, 71, of Hot Springs, formerly of Blytheville, departed this life Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012, at Heritage of Hot Springs Health and Rehab Center.

Michael "Bud" Bryan Jones, 20, of Osceola, died Dec. 28, 2012, in Osceola.

Mr. Donnie Ray Hall, 66, of Monette, died Saturday Dec. 29, 2012, at his home.

Mrs. Gertrude F. Church, 96, of Blytheville, formerly of Lincoln, Neb., passed from this life Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012, at Great River Medical Center in Blytheville.

Mr. Steven Mark (Steve) Bryles, 55, of Little Rock and Blytheville, passed away Friday, Dec. 28, 2012, at Baptist Hospital in Little Rock after a valiant battle with esophageal cancer.

Mrs. Tonya Beth Birster, 55, of Blytheville died Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012, in Blytheville.

How do you, how could you, ever find the words to thank a community of heroes who worked to rescue our son, Frank McCarty, and his friend Justin Martin from the depths of a huge grain bin? The heroes put themselves in extreme danger without thought of their own safety to save these two men. They never stopped. They never slowed down and many were continuously giving us updates and trying to comfort our fears...

The new year is here, and with each passing day, I get closer and closer to becoming a father.

Blytheville Waterworks has gained EPA approval to increase its storage of chemicals used in the treatment of water for the city, according to general manager Gary Phillips.

For the second year in a row, the city's ongoing crusade to resolve its multi-million dollar payroll tax to the IRS ranked as the top local news story of the year, as voted on by the CN staff.

In early April, Blytheville head basketball coach and current athletic director David Hixson stepped down from his basketball duties after 28 seasons. Hixson hired Ashdown's Jeff Flanigan to replace him on the sidelines at Blytheville. Hixson's departure appeared to set off a chain reaction in the county as over the next three months, five other coaching vacancies over three schools were filled after resignations. The coaching changes topped the local sports stories in 2012...