Stories from Tuesday, September 26, 2017

Cole Manning gashed the Manila defense for 200 yards and four touchdowns to lead Walnut Ridge to a 32-8 victory over the Lions in junior high football action Thursday night. Manning got the Bobcats on the board with just 1:03 left in the first quarter, scoring on a 35-yard dash. Manning added the two-point conversion to give Walnut Ridge an 8-0 lead...

It looked as though Manila was headed for its fourth straight defeat, as the Lions trailed Walnut Ridge 20-12 entering the fourth quarter of Friday night’s 3A-3 conference showdown at Lion Field. But Manila put together a spirited fourth quarter rally to post a thrilling 36-20 come from behind victory over the Bobcats, giving the Lions their first victory of the season...

Manila Junior High Boys Cross Country Team took the championship title at Paragould's Race on the Ridge on Tuesday, Sept. 19. It is the third consecutive year for the Manila Junior High Team to win the Race on the Ridge. Manila was one of 10 teams from across the area participating in the event...

Manila Lion Brett Carter, 11th grader, earned the Player of the Week award presented by JP Baugher with Farm Bureau. Coach Jerry Castor selected Carter as Player of Game 3. "He is a player," Coach Castor said. Carter had a good game against Brookland to earn the honors. Carter recovered a fumble, caught two passes for 33 yards, and made a 30 yard touchdown. Carter was given the Game 3 keepsake football provided by Mr. Baugher...

Buffalo Island Central captured its sixth straight 2A-2 district golf championship Monday afternoon at the Cherokee Village South Course. The Mustangs fired a winning score of 244 to outdistance second place Salem by a whopping 57 strokes. Marmaduke came in third with a 302 score. All three teams qualified for the Class 2 A State Tournament...

Lake City Council voted unanimously to approve an ordinance on the third reading regarding the raising of chickens during the Monday, Sept. 18, meeting. The number of chickens are limited and restrictions do apply for anyone raising chickens in the city limits...

Manila School Board reviewed options for a door control access/camera system, heard principal reports, acted on transfer requests, hired a teacher/assistant coach, and accepted the resignation of a board member at the Sept. 21 meeting. Representatives from Progressive Technologies and Blue Skies addressed the council on the equipment, installation, maintenance, access control, camera system and cost for the new high school...

“To serve 16 years for our school district is really quite, I don’t know if you want to say an ordeal, it probably has been an ordeal at times but it’s quite an accomplishment for this district,” Gaylon Taylor, Buffalo Island Central superintendent, said...

The annual Big Lake Chili Cook-off was the topic of discussion at the Manila Lions Club meeting on Wednesday. The Chili Cook-off will be held Saturday, Oct. 7. Vendors and chili teams will set up along Dewey Street. Anyone interested in having a booth or a cooking team can contact any Lion Club member. Forms are available at Southern Bancorp and TC Restaurant in Manila...

The Leachville City Council received reports from the fire and water department as well as discussing plans for the theatre and for the school to repair damages to the park when they met at the regularly scheduled Sept. 19 meeting. The fire department, represented by Fire Chief Drake Brown, was the first to be heard by the council. Brown said the fire department was in need of a new computer...

Rodney Robertson was elected the new mayor of Leachville with 296 votes. Robertson has been serving on the city council since January. The Leachville mayoral position became vacant when Mayor Ralph Wells died in May. Alderwoman Lisa Baldridge was selected by the council to serve as interim mayor until the election...

The deadline to add a name to the Lake City Veterans Memorial is Oct. 31. All veterans from the Lake City surrounding areas are welcome, including Lester, Lunsford, Black Oak, Dixie, Schugtown, Needham, etc.  All branches of the services including National Guard and Coast Guard are being added. Veterans from the past, current, living and deceased will be listed on the memorial.  ...

Southern Pharmacy is the new name for six pharmacies owned and operated by Kenny Lomax, and his son and daughter-in-law, Kyle and Kass Lomax. Monette Discount Drug was the first in the family business and was established in 1974 by Kenny Lomax. Kyle said he grew up in the business and followed in his dad's career choice...

Cadyn Qualls, a senior at Buffalo Island Central High School, was recently crowned 2017 Miss Northeast Arkansas District Fair Queen at the Brookland High School Auditorium. Qualls, the 17-year-old daughter of Jeff and Stacey Qualls of Monette, also won the Overall Best Interview Award. She will represent the NEA District Fair at the Arkansas State Fair Queen Pageant in Little Rock in October...

The annual Monette Night Out at the Park was held Monday, Sept. 18, at the city park with entertainment, food, drawings and games. Mayor Jerry “Chub” Qualls opened the evening welcoming everyone. “The Night Out is a time for the community to come together and fellowship,” Mayor Qualls said...

Sherwood -- Nora Lee McGaughey, 93, passed away Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017, in Little Rock. She was born July 6, 1924, in Melbourne to the late Albert and Nora Pinkston Bishop. She lived most of her life in the Dixie area, she moved to Sherwood in 2011. Mrs. Nora was of the Methodist faith and a homemaker. She will be remembered as a loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother...

According to Criminal Investigations Department Captain Robb Rounsavall, Mississippi County Sheriff’s Department deputies were called to a Clear Lake location on Highway 148 around 12:30 p.m. Monday afternoon as a result of an area farmer finding the dead body of a black male...

Mr. Bennie Ousley, 90, of Blytheville passed peacefully Monday morning, September 25, 2017 at the Flo and Phil Jones Hospice House in Jonesboro. Born March 23, 1927 in Armorel, Bennie was the son of Houston and Ellen Inge Ousley. He was of the Baptist faith and retired from Myers Bakery...

Mr. Eric Reed, was born on August 13, 1966 to Freddie Lee and Leola Reed in Blytheville. Eric departed this life on Sunday, September 24, 2017 at his home in Blytheville, at the age of 51. He was preceded in death by his parents. Eric leaves to cherish his loving memories, six sisters, Debra Feemmster, Linda Northern, Dorothy Northern, Stacey Reed, Barbra Reed, all of Blytheville, and Teresa Northern of Jonesboro; five brothers, Benny Northern, Jr., Danny Reed, Clyde Reed, Amos Reed and Larry Johnson, all of Blytheville; his step father, Bennie Northern, Sr. ...

MSGT Dick Wilson (ret.) of Keiser, passed away Saturday, September 23, 2017 at NEA Hospital of Jonesboro. He was born to the late Woodrow and Ozeal Wilson on December 16, 1940 in Lilbourn, Missouri. Dick served in the United States Air Force for twenty years and twenty-two days as a flight engineer and served in Vietnam...

The Blytheville Chickasaws will look to play on their newly renovated home turf on Friday when they are set to face a 5A-East opponent, the Nettleton Raiders. The Raiders enter the week five matchup against the Chickasaws after defeating the Batesville Pioneers, 48-2,1 last Friday...

After opening the 4A-3 season off with a dominating 41-0 shutout over the Brookland BearcatS last Friday night at J.W. Rea Field, Coach Brandon Barbaree’s Gosnell Pirates (1-3, 1-0) will make over a two-hour trip on Friday to face the winless Cave City Cavemen...

Most schools are always looking for new ways to improve — whether it be new technology, a change in education, or a new program. Recently, Blytheville Middle School started a Lego Robotics team. This year’s competition is called Hydrodynamics and focuses on four parts. ...