Stories from Thursday, September 10, 2015

Nearly all Main Street business owners possess strong opinions regarding whether or not voters should pass a new one percent permanent Sales and Use Tax in Blytheville. Owners expressed their love for Blytheville Tuesday afternoon, but they also said they love their customers and the businesses they have worked so hard to build, and fear that an even higher sales tax might drive their customers away...

A Blytheville man lost his life in a one-car accident in Hope, Ark. Wednesday morning. According to the Arkansas State Police Report, Kenneth L. Deason, 57, was traveling in a 2012 Volvo TTL on Highway 29 around 7:15 a.m. Wednesday, when he traveled off the east side of the roadway and struck several trees...

Leachville -- Victor Lavaughn Wilmoth passed from this life on Sept. 1, 2015, at 65 years of age. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. He was preceded in death by his parents, Lee Roy Wilmoth and Anna Mae Wilmoth of Arbyrd, Mo.; his wife, Betty June Wilmoth of Leachville; a brother, Kenneth Wilmoth of Arbryd, Mo...

By AARON FITZPATRICK Blytheville Courier News The Gosnell Pirates finally open the 2015 football season Friday night on the road at Osceola. The Pirates had an open week the first week of the season when last year's week one opponent, Harding Academy, decided to go another direction...

By AARON FITZPATRICK Blytheville Courier News The Blytheville Chickasaws 2015 home opener is Friday against the 7A West Memphis Blue Devils at Haley Field. Both teams come into the game undefeated in the young season. The Chicks are coming in off an inspiring 44-0 shutout over longtime rival, Osceola while the Blue Devils defeated 5A-East Forrest City, 41-6...

Once again, it is I, the Great Fitzini, Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators, back again for another week of my prep football picks. Blytheville shutting out a rival and a two touchdown win for Manila highlighted week one. Here's how week two will play out. Again, I bring a 100 percent guarantee of being right or wrong...

Patsy Hubble Wasson, 73, of Monette, passed away Monday, Sept. 7, 2015. She was born Jan. 8, 1942, in Childress to the late Lacy "Red" and Edith Howerton Hubble. Mrs. Wasson was a retired furniture and appliance store owner. She loved bingo, gospel music and watching her grandchildren. She will be remembered as a loving mother, grandmother and friend...

Have you heard the story about the Chickasaw Chief, an eccentric Blytheville Doctor with a beard that touched the ground, and a few hundred German Prisoners of War? History can be fascinating, but it can also be lost. When it is lost, it is FOREVER lost...

I am pretty sure that about right now the morale of the City of Blytheville is kinda low. In the last few months I have seen ....kind like the movie title, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly in our city. I would have to favor the bad & ugly much more lately in Blytheville...

I was a little disturbed when I read the opinion in the paper attacking Mr Atwell. It is pretty obvious to me that the person who is doing the attacking is obviously mad about the school choice decision. How about instead of attacking him,go back to college and get your degree in school administration and take his job and do it better. ...

Randy Boswell, president of Energex, explained Thursday that Atlas Tube in Blytheville will be moving to idle status by the end of September but would not be closing completely. "Obviously this is a tough decision," Boswell said. "We did idle the plant in April but we did not expect to be down more than 30 days. We expect this to be longer. We will idle the equipment by the end of September. This is temporary."...

*Editor's note: This letter is both a response to a column by Shannon Spears published on Aug. 29, and to a recent local event. To the Editor: You wrote in August about showing up to leap tall buildings! I want to say that the Courier community has answered that call! All around people are working in their circles of influence to work for the greater good. ...

To the Editor: I am still in a state of shock and shaking as I write this. Why, Because my 8-year-old grandson just had a pistol (cocked) held to his head by a couple of wanna-be teenage gangsta's robbing my Daughter-in-law in her drive-way!!! Does she live in a high crime area???. No!! (Country Club-Eastgate area)!! Thankfully an alert neighbor called 911 with a description of their car. These cowardly "Gangstas" will probably be caught...

Emery Kaylynn Foley, 5 week old baby girl of Spencer and Morgan Emery Foley of Lake City, passed from this life on Monday, Sept. 7, 2015, at NEA Baptist Hospital. Emery was born into this world on Aug. 2, 2015, in Jonesboro, and even though her life was short on this earth the love she received from her family would last many life times...