Stories from Wednesday, June 18, 2014

First National Bank's Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Paul T. Combs to their board of directors. Combs is president of Baker Implement Company, a family-owned farm equipment dealership with 11 locations in Southeast Missouri and Northeast Arkansas. He is also president of Combs Farming Company and Sunrise Land Company...

ACT 2! Community Theatre will be holding open auditions for "Charlotte's Web," Saturday, June 21 from 2-4 p.m., Monday, June 23 from 6-8 p.m., and Thursday, June 26 from 6-8 p.m. at the Ritz Theater in Blytheville. This will be the sixth annual children's production under the direction of Candie Groves and J.D. Harris. Their past productions have included A Little Princess, Pinocchio, Alice in Wonderland, The Velveteen Rabbit, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory...

JONESBORO -- The Ernest and Anna Ritter Family Endowment Fund recently donated $40,000 to the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas (FBNEA) located in Jonesboro. The money will be used to support the Core Food Distribution Program in Mississippi, Cross, Poinsett and Craighead counties. ...

While Mississippi County Judge Randy Carney's administrative assistant, Terri Brassfield, has been appointed acting judge by the Governor, the assignation is only for one particular part of official court duties. According to Mike Gibson, Osceola attorney who requested the assignment in Carney's absence due to illness, Brassfield was needed as an official of the court to sign documents for some road closings related to the Big River Steel project. ...

The Kinder Morgan Foundation presented The Arts Council of Mississippi County with a Grant Award of $2,000 in support of the 2014-15 Educational Programming.

Tuesday night, Blytheville Parks and Recreation director Elroy Brown told the Blytheville City Council that Williams Park will be a priority when the city applies for the Arkansas Outdoor Recreation 50/50 matching grant. Earlier that day, Amanda Jones, the project officer and environmental review coordinator for the outdoor grant program, toured the local parks and offered feedback on what the grant will and won't cover. ...

Northeast Mississippi County Water Association is lobbying against Blytheville's proposed wholesale water rate hike, saying the move would hurt rural customers. The company's assistant manager, Erin Langston-Carrington, also warned the Blytheville City Council Tuesday night that the city could lose one of its biggest wholesale customers by doubling the rate to $2.50 per 1,000 gallons...

The trial for 43-year-old murder suspect Jimmy Northern is slated to begin today, with Circuit Court Judge Cindy Thyer on the bench. Northern is being charged with the December 2012 murder of 23-year-old David Thomas Essig. The trial was previously scheduled to kick off back in March, but was pushed back to June to give prosecutors time to bring in a key witness to the alleged crime...

Mr. Roosevelt J. Bennett, 81, of Manila, died Monday, June 16, 2014m at St. Bernards Medical Center in Jonesboro. Born in Manila, he was the son of the late Olen and Ruth Bennett and had been a lifelong area resident. A career Marine, he proudly served in the Korean and Vietnam Wars. ...

Mrs. Virginia Myrick Huffman, 97, of Richmond, Va., formerly of Blytheville, died May 21, 2014. Born in Blytheville, she grew up in Memphis and lived most of her life in Blytheville. She graduated from Hutchison School in Memphis and Blue Mountain College in Mississippi. She was always interested in learning and served as a substitute teacher in Blytheville, and was a member of several groups...

Mississippi County, the city of Osceola, and Great River Economic Foundation, Inc., have filed suit seeking relief from a Freedom of Information request made against them by William C. Bird III with Dover Dixon Horne PLLC. The suit filed Tuesday in the Circuit Court of Mississippi County. The county, city, and Great River state that they are preparing responses to Bird's initial FOIA requests made June 9 and 10 requesting all records related to the Big River Steel project be turned over to him...

OSCEOLA -- All students who participate in Arkansas Activities Association programs at Osceola High School will now be subject to drug testing. The Osceola School Board voted Monday night, June 9, to drug test all athletes and students participating in AAA sanctioned sports, cheerleadering, and clubs such as FBLA and FFA...

The Charles Strong Recreation Center in Luxora is hosting a men's and women's basketball tournament Saturday, June 28. The team fee for men is $100 and for women it is $75. The deadline for registration is June 24. For more information, or to obtain a registration form, contact Demoine Brown at 822-0149, Da'Monique Brown at 824-9402, or Lee Charles Brown at 658-7252...

A fatal wreck near Big Lake early Wednesday morning had eastbound and westbound traffic backed up for most of the morning while crews cleared the area where the incident took place.