News

By Marcus McClain NEA Town Courier The Blytheville City Council accepted a youth employment grant of more than $139,000 during their June 21 meeting. With this grant, the city will have the opportunity to employ 30 youth within the city, ranging from ages 16-20. The six-week program is scheduled to begin June 30 and extend to August 6. Various job opportunities to develop the soft skills needed in all industries will be available for $12/hour and a 32 hour work week...

By Marcus McClain NEA Town Courier Arkansas Northeastern College held its first graduating class from the Upskill, Reskill program on Wednesday. The program provided the opportunity for residents to advance general computer management skills, along with generational and cultural competencies...

By REVIS BLAYLOCK NEA Town Courier Mississippi County Planning and Development Committee approved sending several appropriation requests to the full court at the Thursday meeting. Justice Michael White opened the meeting welcoming the many guests including Blytheville Mayor James Sanders and Osceola Mayor Sally Longo Wilson...

By REVIS BLAYLOCK NEA Town Courier Andrew Fleeman, owner of Live Oak Development, has a goal to bring back downtown Manila, one building at a time. He is investing time and money in an effort to restore the nearly 100 year old buildings he has purchased...

By Marcus McClain NEA Town Courier The Armorel School Board discussed the payback funds to the Arkansas Department of Education during their June 20 meeting. The district was required to pay $104,622 back to the state department due to the overpayment of funds in excess of the 98 percent of the uniform rate of tax during the 2021 school year. ...

Jerry Tucker, Jr., 30, of Blytheville, and Samantha Brown, 32, Manila, were arrested at the Super 8 Motel and now face a long list of charges. Tucker and Brown have both been charged with possession of a controlled substance with purpose to deliver (methamphetamine), possession of a controlled substance with purpose to deliver (marijuana), possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a firearm by certain person, possession of defaced firearm, simultaneously possession of drugs and firearm and endangering the welfare of a minor.. ...

Past and present Ash Street business owners join together to celebrate the area’s history as the Juneteenth committee recognized it as the Historic Black Ash Street District. Oratorical competition winners Andrew Bowens, Ahmad Turner and Demetrius Goings presented facts on the street’s importance to the community dating back to 1903 with Pilgrim Rest Missionary Baptist Church. ...

By SANDRA BRAND NEA Town Courier Editor One term mayor Teresa Walker announced officially at Tuesday night’s Gosnell City Council meeting she will not be seeking re-election. Walker told the NEA Town Courier Wednesday morning she is a diabetic and will not seek re-election due to health concerns...

By Marcus McClain NEA Town Courier Youth in the city of Blytheville could have the opportunity to expand their resumes due to a grant awarded to the city. In Tuesday’s finance committee, Melissa Logan of the mayor’s office announced the city received the Delta Plus Youth Grant...

By REVIS BLAYLOCK NEA Town Courier Manila School Board members accepted the resignations of four teachers at the June meeting on Thursday. Following an executive session to discuss personnel, Superintendent Jason Evers recommended accepting the retirement resignation of Melody Caban, reading/language teacher. Caban has been with the district for 29 years and expressed her appreciation to the board and the district in a letter read by Evers...

By Marcus McClain NEA Town Courier Police Chief Ross Thompson recommended that the city seek an ordinance clarifying what constitutes a block/house party during the police committee meeting on June 14. “A block party is generally defined as a neighborhood or geographically designated area where the neighbors in that area are participating. We’ve seen some recently where it’s just one house in the neighborhood,” Thompson said...

The City of Blytheville has announced new hours of operation for the city pool, located at Walker Park. The pool will be open from 12-5 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. The city would like to remind anyone using the pool no guns or weapons are allowed and horseplay will not be tolerated. Only clear bags and backpacks will be allowed...

By Marcus McClain - NEA Town Courier The state of Blytheville’s animal shelter was the focus of Monday's monthly committee meetings for the city of Blytheville. The animal control committee discussed councilman Matt Perrin’s visit to the shelter on Monday, May 30 around 10:40 that morning. ...

A Keiser man lost his life in a two-vehicle accident near Etowah. Tannar Miles, 37, formerly of Trumann, was killed Thursday evening around 6:52 p.m. The accident occurred when a 2021 Ford vehicle turned in front of Miles, causing him to lose control, striking the front portion of the Ford vehicle...

Approximately 50 Arkansas National Guard Soldiers from Alpha Company, 2-149 Aviation Regiment and Det. 2, Co. B, 777th Aviation Support Battalion will depart for premobilization training and then will be deployed to the Central Command area of operations in Southwest Asia...

By STEVE KNOX Osceola Times In response to a few questions raised regarding differences in numbers reported in the Town Courier’s article on school choice in the June 9 edition, the following information should clear up any differences in the totals reported...

Early voting in the run-off election for the Manila School Board Position 6 began Tuesday morning with Kristi Neal and Brooke Chipman on the ballot. Early voting will continue until Friday, June 17, from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Polls will not be open on Saturday or Sunday, but will reopen on Monday, June 20...

By REVIS BLAYLOCK NEA Town Courier The Manila City Council met in a special called meeting Friday to accept the resignation of its police chief. The council accepted the resignation of Manila Chief of Police Chris Hill with council member Wendell Poteet presiding in the absence of Mayor Wayne Wagner...

By SANDRA BRAND NEA Town Courier Editor A Blytheville man was arrested in connection with a shooting Thursday, June 2 at a residence at Broadway and East Union in Osceola. Jordan Harvey, 18, of Blytheville, has been arrested and charged with two counts of first degree battery, eight counts of endangering the welfare of a minor and minor in possession of a firearm...

By Marcus McClain NEA Town Courier Mississippi County will host its eighth annual Juneteenth Celebration through the upcoming week. The committee will host events throughout the week leading up to the holiday’s specific date, June 19. The holiday commemorates the freeing of the last slaves in Galveston, Texas in 1865, who were held in bondage for nearly three years after the emancipation proclamation...

By Marcus McClain NEA Town Courier Blytheville Councilman Matt Perrin brought attention to the state of the city’s animal shelter on May 30 through a social media post. He stated that on a trip to the shelter, he viewed kennels with what he believed to be several days worth of fecal matter...

By MARCUS McCLAIN - NEA Town Courier Blytheville officers arrested Albert Wilson, 38, and Ashley Jones, 35, and each will face felony abuse of corpse charges following a miscarriage on Sunday. Officers were dispatched to East Moultrie at approximately 6:15 p.m. ...

By REVIS BLAYLOCK NEA Town Courier Mississippi County law enforcement are on the search for a Manila woman, Heather Hitchcock, 34. Hitchcock managed to steal and flee in a police vehicle on Thursday night after being taken into custody. According to the county sheriff’s department report, Hitchcock was observed by an off duty deputy sitting in the passenger seat of a gold Chevrolet truck that was westbound toward Manila. Hitchcock was known to have active felony warrants for her arrest...

By Marcus McClain Blytheville officers arrested Albert Wilson, 38, and Ashley Jones, 35, and each will face felony abuse of corpse charges following a miscarriage on Sunday. Officers were dispatched to East Moultrie at approximately 6:15 p.m. on Sunday where the deceased child was located in a toilet. Witnesses told officers that the child was born at approximately 7:30 a.m. Jones was transported to the Great River Medical Center and later arrested after being discharged on Tuesday...

A Blytheville man was arrested in connection with a shooting Thursday, June 2 at a residence at Broadway and East Union in Osceola. Jordan Harvey, 18, of Blytheville, has been arrested and charged with two counts of first degree battery, eight counts of endangering the welfare of a minor and minor in possession of a firearm...

By STEVE KNOX Osceola Times The impact of school choice, changes in instructional schedules and even the lingering effects of Mother Nature are having a serious impact on public school districts in Mississippi and Poinsett Counties. Mississippi County has six public districts with those being Armorel, Blytheville, Gosnell, Manila, Osceola and Rivercrest. Poinsett County has four public school districts with those being East Poinsett County, Harrisburg, Marked Tree and Trumann...

Mississippi County Arkansas Economic Opportunity Commission will distribute CSFP 60 Plus commodities to people who are already receiving the food. Everyone is asked to remain in their vehicles and show their ID. The food will be placed in their vehicle...

There will be a change in the start time for the Blytheville sanitation pickup through the summer months. Green cans will be picked up beginning at 7 a.m. instead of the current start of 8 a.m. This schedule will begin Monday, June 20, and run through Sept. 6...

By REVIS BLAYLOCK NEA Town Courier Riverside School Board June meeting opened with the election of new officers. Board members elected for the year include Greg Smith, president; Brooks Hatch, vice president; and Rob Kinkade, secretary. President Smith then presided over the meeting with the review of the financial report, accepting resignations and approving requests for school choice students...

There will be a run-off election for Position 6 on the Manila School Board between candidates Brooke Chipman and Kristi Neal. Chipman received 290 votes with Neal receiving 266 in the May election. Early voting will be held June 14-20 from 9 a.m. -4:30 p.m. Polls will not be open on Saturday...

Due to a mechanical problem, the Manila water park/pool opening has been delayed. The pool was scheduled to open on Tuesday, but due to a pump going out, opening day had to be rescheduled. City staff said the parts have been ordered and once the repairs are made, it will open as quickly as possible...

By REVIS BLAYLOCK NEA Town Courier Mississippi County Judge John Alan Nelson updated justices on roads and bridges at a committee meeting on Wednesday afternoon. Judge Nelson said the truck traffic will be increasing. He said bids for property across from Love’s Truck Stop will be made as there is an interest from a truck stop in addition to another truck stop just north of there...

Thanks to donors’ generosity, 24 single parents across Arkansas received endowed scholarships for the Spring 2022 semester. The flexible scholarship of up to $1,200 helps single parents pay for the biggest financial obstacles to obtaining a degree that can lead to a career with family-supporting wages...

Jerry Goff has been named the head band director for the Chickasaw Marching Band with the Blytheville School District. Goff, of Trumann, is a recent graduate of Arkansas State University where he received a bachelor’s degree in music education. He participated in The Sound of the Natural State, Symphonic Winds, Concert Band, Howler’s Pep Band, and the A-State Trumpet Ensemble while at A-State...

Representatives from Blacks Hills Energy, Hollie Echols and Brian Hollis, presented a donation to Blytheville code enforcement officer Janice Erby-Smith on May 24. The donation will contribute to the Adopt-A-Block program, seeking to clean and beautify the city. Citizens, families, organizations, etc can reach the code enforcement office at 870-763-4733 to sign up for the program...

A 50 star American Flag was given to the Herman Davis American Legion Post 197 in Manila. The donor of the flag said he found it in a house they had purchased. The flag was folded and placed in a plastic cover with the name Elliot Gentry, Cobol, Mo., on the cover. Post Commander Gregg Roll said the flag will be added to the other veteran’s memorabilia they try to preserve...

By SANDRA BRAND - NEA Town Courier Editor Twenty-one young soldiers from Mississippi County were killed while serving their country in the Vietnam Conflict. These heroes are remembered on the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington D.C. •PFC E2 Joel Crockett, an 18-year-old teenager from Osceola, was a hostile ground casualty of war. ...

Blytheville police officers responded to a terroristic act against a property May 22 at 1820 Jackson Street. Shots were fired into the residence and the victim stated she was inside the residence at the time of the shooting. Police reported that the residence window was struck leading into a child’s bedroom. However, it did not go all the way through. Police reported that the bullet appeared to go through the door of a storage area prior to striking the window...

By Marcus McClain NEA Town Courier A total of 2,962 ballots were cast in during the primary elections in Mississippi County. Early voting accounted for 1,397 ballots, while an additional 1,540 were cast on election day and 25 votes were cast absentee. The unofficial results in the county were as follows:...

By STEVE KNOX - Osceola Times The Mississippi County Quorum Court failed to pass an ordinance which would have paid legal fees related to the Live Here, Work Here program during its monthly meeting Tuesday at the Osceola Courthouse. The County Finance Committee had passed and sent an appropriation totaling $19,000 to the full court at its May 16 meeting. ...

By Marcus McClain NEA Town Courier Sierra Group Roofing and Solar is expanding and has announced a new headquarters to be located in Blytheville on May 25. The 11,000 square foot facility is a $1.6 million investment into the city and is expected to create 40 full time jobs to the area. ...

The strong winds on Friday came through the area leaving broken limbs and outside furniture tossed around. This tree on Dixon Street in Manila was broken with a limb blocking the street. Entergy arrived on Friday clearing the lines from the debris and Manila city workers removed the tree limb on Saturday clearing the street...

By Marcus McClain NEA Town Courier In a special meeting via Zoom, the Blytheville City Council approved a payment of $19,084 to councilman John Mayberry for damages to the building of Free4Real Bail Bond Company on May 23. Mayberry previously explained that a water leak caused damages to the building and led to the floor becoming extremely soft and unsafe. In the previous committee meeting, finance and waterwokrs director John Callens explained why the responsibility fell on the city...

By REVIS BLAYLOCK NEA Town Courier Following a short executive session at the May 19 Manila School Board meeting, the board voted to fill several positions. Superintendent Jason Evers recommended hiring Amy Wallace as high school teacher and volleyball coach; Haley Henderson, high school English teacher; Gavin Brailsford, high school math teacher; and Jessica Shepard Redman, special education teacher...

By Marcus McClain NEA Town Courier The Blytheville School Board announced that three seniors from the graduating class will be receiving a full ride scholarship to Philander Smith College in Little Rock. Superintendent Veronica Perkins shared that at a rural education conference she was able to visit with the college president, Roderick Smothers...

Two separate vehicle accidents on Highway 18 claimed the life of two and injured four others on Wednesday night. According to the Arkansas Police accident report, the first accident happened at 9:30 p.m. on State Highway 18/Roseland. The driver, listed as unknown, was taken to the Great River Medical Center morgue...

By Marcus McClain NEA Town Courier The Blytheville City Council approved an ordinance amending city regulations for privileged licenses during their May 17 meeting. Under the new amendment, the violation fine minimums were raised from $25 to $50, with a maximum of $500. Additionally, each day of violation can be deemed a separate offense. In the event that the city council sees fit to revoke a license, the city collector is authorized to serve notice to the licensee on the council’s intentions...

By REVIS BLAYLOCK NEA Town Courier Gregg Roll, commander of the Manila American Legion Herman Davis Post 197 read a proclamation at last week’s Manila City Council meeting to rename the middle bridge over Big Lake, the Herman Davis Memorial Bridge. Herman Davis is a World War I hero. ...

The Mississippi County Library System has announced registration for the 2022 Summer Reading Program is now open. Children can earn points by reading books, writing reviews, attending events and participating in library programs to win prizes. This year’s theme is Oceans of Possibilities...

Two separate vehicle accidents on Highway 18 claimed the life of two and injured four others on Wednesday night. According to the Arkansas Police accident report, the first accident happened at 9:30 p.m. on State Highway 18/Roseland. The driver, listed as unknown, was taken to the Great River Medical Center morgue...