Stories from Saturday, February 1, 2020

All in all we have (so far) had a very mild winter. We have rarely dipped below the freezing mark a few days here and there. A few flurries have crossed our paths but nothing major. We have had a lot of fog in the mornings. This may be (depending on what we have ahead) one for the records...

Today is the first day of Black History Month. Being a black person in this country is a struggle that goes beyond anyone else’s understanding. Although we have made a lot of strides towards progression, hate and prejudice still overtake us, especially here in the South...

Ben Turner scored 18 of his game high 26 points in the pivotal fourth quarter, helping Trumann defeat Manila 54-45 in a key 3A-3 senior boys battle Tuesday night at Wildcat Gymnasium. The Lions did bounce back on Thursday night with a 63-55 win over Osceola...

CORNING-- The Gosnell Pirates were on the road Tuesday night where they defeated 3A-3 conference opponent the Corning Bobcats, 52 -40. GHS jumped out to a 12-7 lead in the first quarter and never looked back as they led 21- 15 at the half. Gosnell added to their lead by outscoring the Bobcats 15-10 in the third quarter...

ARMOREL — Thursday night, the Armorel Tigers hosted 1A-3 Conference foe the Ridgefield Christian Warriors in an emotional night. Members of the Armorel community wore pink in support of teammate and junior Tiger Ethan Martin, who passed away last Saturday. The Tigers were defeated 66-44...

MANILA — A six-point swing early in the fourth quarter, helped the Manila Lions overcome a determined Osceola Seminole squad, in the Lions 63-55 Conference 3A-3 victory Thursday at the Lions Den. Osceola would take the early lead, going up 8-3, as senior Greg Hooks, Jr. scored 8 points in the period. But the Lions would rally to take a 14-12 lead after one period on Daley Belew’s three-ball right before the buzzer...

Tobye McClanahan announced her plans to run for Justice of the Peace, District 4. “My family has owned and operated multiple businesses in Mississippi County for 35-plus years and we've invested in multiple housing and commercial properties, so I'm personally vested in Mississippi County's growth and prosperity,’ McClanahan said. ...

Every year, roughly 2 million students take the ACT college entrance exam. Less than one-half of 1 percent of them earn a perfect score. Riya Mittal, a junior at KIPP Blytheville Collegiate High School, is now in that number, having scored a perfect 36 on the test in December...

Manila Mayor Wayne Wagner gave the required annual State of the City Address at the January meeting held Wednesday evening. “Each year the state requires mayors around the state to give a report as to the state of their cities,” Wagner said. “This year is an exciting time for the city of Manila. ...

OSCEOLA — Tuesday night, the Mississippi County Quorum Court heard from Economic Developer Clif Chitwood and Great River Economic Development Foundation (GREDF) board member Lisa John-Adams on the hiring of a new position for $87,500 for external vice president and promoting Tamika Jenkins to internal vice president, which is a total of $150,000 for Great River Economic Development employee expenses...

Blytheville Police Chief Ross Thompson applauded the BPD’s Criminal Investigations Division for its diligence in investigating the slaying of 23-year-old Kevondre Williams, who was shot in the head and found lying in a ditch concealed in a blanket and carpet on South Elm Street in August...