Stories from Saturday, June 21, 2014

I remember Walker Park, when I first moved here, 44 years ago, and how excited the children were that they had a park to enjoy.

The Blytheville Police Department has arrested Shawn "Too-Short" Jefferson in connection with at least one of a string of Main Street burglaries that occurred back in May thanks to a tip on Jefferson's involvement in the crime. Jefferson was taken into custody on June 1 and charged with a number of misdemeanor offenses including fleeing, refusal to submit to arrest, loitering and public intoxication after he was noticed by officers trying to get into a vehicle parked at 2nd and Ash Streets...

With mosquito season here, Vector Disease Control is encouraging residents to make sure any items holding stagnant water stay emptied. Buckets with stagnant water or tarps with puddles can breed mosquitoes. Unused bird baths, unkept swimming pools, low areas, ruts, gutters full of silt, overgrown areas and trash piles with containers can cause issues as well. Some simple preventive measures include filling in a low area with dirt and drilling a hole in a tire swing and even a trash can...

The Walker Park pool opened on Thursday with more than 90 swimming that first day and another 200 Friday, according to Parks and Recreation director Elroy Brown.

Recent heavy rains have put a damper on local crop harvests and preparations, but Mississippi County Extension Service agent Ray Benson said with a little cooperation from the weather area farmers should still see good crops at season's end. It's a busy time for local farmers, many of whom are currently working on this year's wheat harvest, along with planting double-crop soy beans, fertilizing and irrigating cotton, irrigating corn and flooding rice. ...

Recent reports from the Blytheville Police Department: Michael King, 19, of Blytheville, was taken into custody and charged with possession of a controlled substance. Officers responded to Carolyn Street in reference to residential burglary. Stolen were a 42-inch television valued at $400, a Google Chrome laptop valued at $300 and a Samsung Galaxy S3 valued at $100...

Mrs. Eunice Morgan Ray, 91, went to be with the Lord Monday, June 16, 2014. She was born Sept. 9, 1922, to John Morgan and Grace Penion Morgan Smith. In addition to her parents, she was also preceded in death by her husband, Freddie B. Ray, who she married on October 9, 1936; one son Thomas H. Ray; three grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren...

Mrs. Maeunice Henderson Johnson, 66, of Blytheville died Thursday, June 19, 2014 at Methodist Central Hospital in Memphis. She was born in Batesville, Miss. and the family moved here when she was very young. She attended Harrison High School. She rededicated her life to Christ under Dr. Arthur Hunt at Hunt Memorial Cathedral of Faith...

Mrs. Betty Black Geeslin, 85, of Blytheville passed from this life on Saturday, June 21, 2014 at her home. Born to Farnsworth and Kathleen Black in Memphis, she had lived most of her life in Blytheville. Betty was a retired school teacher from the Blytheville School System and an active member of the First United Methodist Church where she and husband T.E. Geeslin were the first to be married in the existing Church Building...

Mr. Bobby Joe Battles, 82, of Steele, Mo., died Thursday, June 19, 2014, at NEA Baptist Hospital in Jonesboro.