Stories from Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Mrs. Faith Spears White was born in Akron, Ohio in 1928, and devoted her life and love to the service of God’s Kingdom and her family the whole of her 89 years, until she went home to glory on October 14, 2017 in Peoria, Arizona. She leaves to cherish her memory her son, Steve Spears and wife Teri; daughter, Judi Boyd and husband Randall; two deceased infant sons, David Lamar Spears and Daniel Joseph Spears; two sisters, Lane Scott and Martha (Jerry) Jones; four grandchildren, Shane (Teryn) Spears, Shannon Spears, Jacob Boyd, and Rebecca (Tyler) Boyd Wilson; and six great-grandchildren, Steven Seth Spears, Tenney Eli Spears, Ben Zachariah Spears, Levi Samuel Spears, Zoe Faith Harris, and Scarlett Faith Wilson.. ...

Mr. Sanio “Patrick” Robinson was born April 3, 1980 to Sallie Robinson and Elma Cuble. He departed this life on Saturday, October 14, 2017, at Methodist Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee age the age of 37. He was preceded in death by his mother, Sallie Robinson...

Janet LaNell Copeland, 65, of Manila, passed from this life Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017, at Great River Medical Center in Blytheville. Born at Manila, she was the daughter of the late Robert and Daisy Emerick Parsley and had been a lifelong Manila resident. A 1970 graduate of Manila High School she later attended Cotton Boll Vocational Technical Institute in Burdette. She was a retired bus driver for the Manila School District...

Mrs. Aretha Smiler was born January 8, 1963 in Osceola to the late Arthur Arnold, Sr. and Annie Braggs. She was called home to glory on October 16, 2017 at the Flo and Phil Jones Hospice House in Jonesboro at the age of 54. Her parents preceded her in death...

Manila Senior Lion Trey Hicks, offensive and defensive player, was named Player of the Week, Game 7, for the Manila/Piggott game. Presenting Trey with the Game 7 football is J.P. Baugher, agent with Manila Farm Bureau.

Osceola scored four second quarter touchdowns in route to a 34-0 shutout over Manila in 3A-3 conference football action Friday night at Seminole Field. The victory left Osceola in sole possession of first place in the conference. The two teams battled to a scoreless first quarter before Osceola got on the board with 8:44 remaining in the first half on a Derrell Brown two-yard touchdown plunge. The point after put the ‘Noles on top 7-0...

Riverside Lady Rebels opened their 2017 basketball season with a 46-36 victory over the defending Class 1A State Champion Lady Yellowjackets Friday night at Bay. Riverside fell behind 3-0 but roared back with a 15-0 run, thanks to three pointers by Whitney Wagganor, Brittney Sain and Bailey Fisher. Bay scored the last four points of the quarter to close to within 15-7. The Lady Rebels pushed their lead to double digits in the second period and closed the half with a 28-16 advantage...

Riverside principal Jason Durham presents a basketball to Haven Robertson, commenorating her 1,000 career points.

Riverside’s Abby Brickell and Hattie Milligan came away with state runner-up honors in the Class 3A State Tennis Tournament held last week at Burns Park in North Little Rock. The Lady Rebel tandem began tournament play with straight set wins in the first round as well as the quarterfinals. Brickell and Milligan defeated Tori Bradford and Emily Hodge of Clinton 6-2, 6-1, in first round action, before upending Cara Johnson and Maggie Couch of Corning, 6-1, 6-1, in quarterfinal play...

Bethany Baptist Church will hold a winter coat give-a-way from 10 a.m. until noon Saturday, Oct. 28. Anyone needing a winter coat can come by Bethany Baptist Church, Highway 18, Manila, on Saturday. Free coats for the entire family will be available. To receive a coat, recipients must be present, including children and adults...

Recently Leachville has seen the election of new mayor, Rodney Robertson. However, with Robertson’s election came a vacancy on the city council. This month at the recent city council meeting the council filled the vacancy via appointment. The council appointed Paul Wildy as the newest city council member...

Members of the Manila School Board elected officers at the Oct. 19 meeting voting Jeremy Jackson, president; Tracey Reinhart, vice president; and Monte Middleton, secretary. Outgoing President Reinhart expressed his appreciation for the opportunity to serve as president of the board...

Kaula Sparks and Luke McLaughlin will exchange wedding vows at 4 p.m. Nov. 4 at Adams Estate in Leachville. A reception will follow the ceremony. The bride-to-be is the daughter of Regina Dewitt of Blytheville. The groom-elect is the son of Jim and Aimee McLaughlin of Manila...

LITTLE ROCK Governor Asa Hutchinson, AEDC Executive Director Mike Preston, AEDC Executive Vice President of Operations Amy Fecher and Rural Services Director Alex Johnston presented $246,225 to 21 rural communities selected for funding through the Rural Services Rural Community Grant Program for Fiscal Year 2018. The grant awards were distributed Oct. 10 at an awards ceremony held in the Governor’s Conference Room at the Arkansas State Capitol...

A special service was held Oct. 11 to dedicate the Prairie Cemetery, east of Lunsford on Craighead County Road 812. Work on the overgrown cemetery began Feb. 4 and was spearheaded by Brenda and Donnie Hutcheson of Lake City. Together they undertook a campaign to restore it and find the names of people buried there...

Mr. Jacky Harold Davis was born October 25, 1953 in Osceola to the late Obadiah Davis and the late Myrt Cunningham Davis. He was a retired truck driver and a member of Bethlehem Baptist Church. Mr. Davis passed away on October 19, 2017 at Arlington Cove Nursing Home in Trumann at the age of 63...

Mr. Joseph Harvell, Sr. was born June 24, 1945 in Gurdon to the late Thad Harvell and the late Dora Stephens Harvell. He was of the Baptist faith and a steel worker. Mr. Harvell passed away on October 20, 2017 at his home in Blytheville at the age of 72...

Mr. Herman Lesley Aultman of Blytheville was born on August 10, 1935 in Eldridge, Alabama to the late Joseph Aultman and Carrie Tucker Aultman. He was a member of Wellspring Church in Blytheville. He was the former owner and operator of Ed’s Catfish House in Blytheville for more than 30 years and a resident of Blytheville for more than 36 years. Mr. Aultman passed away on October 24, 2017 at Baptist East in Memphis, Tennessee at the age of 82...

The Blytheville City Council met in special session Tuesday evening to amend the city’s 2017 budget, unanimously authorizing $150,000 to be moved from “Street Repair Surplus” to “Street Repairs” in order to fund the two contracts they approved during their regular monthly meeting on October 17...

The following are reports from the Blytheville Police Department. — Police took a criminal mischief report in the 1600 block of Hearn. — Police investigated a domestic battery report in the 1700 block of Chickasawba. According to the report, the offenders struck the victims with a large stick and a steel sewer drain lid during an altercation...