Stories from Thursday, June 4, 2015

The NBA Finals begin Thursday night. It's been over a week since either Cleveland or Golden State played a game. The historically long time off has allowed for plenty of "filler" conversations to take place. One in particular has been hitting the airwaves with authority. LeBron vs. Jordan...

Clara Reynolds, 89, of Caraway, died Monday, June 1, 2015, at St. Bernards Medical Center in Jonesboro. Born at Grider, she was the daughter of the late Daniel and Fannie Goble Carpenter. She was a homemaker and of the Baptist faith...

The world of journalism exists in a constant state of flux, and indeed, the very definition of the profession has expanded in our current digital age. With social media sites, blogs, magazines, and online-only news sources adding their voices to the traditional newspapers and television stations, consumers find themselves living in a constant whirlwind of media output. ...

To the Editor, I'm writing to share my thoughts on the proposed Plains and Eastern Clean Line transmission project. I'm writing you as a citizen of Pope County. Perhaps most importantly, I'm writing you as a grandfather in Pope County. I understand that this project has a few people in our county upset and I know where they're coming from. ...

To the Editor: I read the article in the Blytheville Courier in which County Judge Randy Carney is pushing for 15 to 20 million dollars for a single county courthouse. Based on the results the city and county governments have achieved over the last 25 years or so I think a more appropriate facility would be a multi hole old fashioned outhouse. ...

To the Editor: While I commend the county's Quorum Court for seeking to save county funds allocated to the Senior Citizens program, I am aghast at the story in today's paper regarding the combination of two positions. If the bookkeeper and director of the program are one and the same person, where are the checks and balances on funds? It would be very easy for a dishonest person to misappropriate funds and simply list them as a legitimate expense in the ledger. ...

Louise Gipson, 84 of Benton, passed away Wednesday, June 3, 2015, surrounded by her family. She was born December 28, 1930 in Jonesboro, Arkansas, to the family of Orville Quill Coleman and Lucy Futrell Coleman. Prior to moving to Benton she was a long time resident of Blytheville and was a charter member of Fairview Baptist Church were she served as church pianist and was involved in many other church ministries. She was retired from Alco and later served as a hospital volunteer...

By TOM HENRY Blytheville Courier News The Mississippi County Coalition for a Tobacco Free Arkansas's "Body and Soul" program recently purchased two Husquavarna DRT 900 Rototillers valued at $800 each. The tillers were purchased through a grant from the Arkansas Cancer Coalition to help maintain and prepare community gardens...

Blytheville Courier News A 62-year-old Blytheville man is behind bars, following a stabbing Wednesday night in the 900 block of South Division. Police arrested Clester Bills in connection with the incident. When police arrived, the victim was favoring his left side and bent over at the waist, suffering from a stab wound in his lower left chest area...

SEC Arkansas, SEC Primary TOM HENRY Last Friday, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson-R signed SB-8, sponsored by Sen. Gary Stubblefield, R-Brach, which moves primary and nonpartisan judicial selections from May 20 to March 1 next year. This allows Arkansas to join a bloc of southern states in what is being called the "SEC Primary". This moniker, of course, alludes to the Southeastern Conference...

By TOM HENRY Blytheville Courier News Gov. Asa Hutchinson gave final approval Monday to the closure of seven Arkansas National Guard armories across the state, including the one in Blytheville. It was announced in early May that the National Guard intended to give ownership of the Blytheville armory to the city free of charge, with no limitations on how it could be used in the future...