Stories from Thursday, May 31, 2001

Several concerned citizens gathered in the Marked Tree High School Library for a special school board meeting Tuesday night where they learned that Marked Tree School Board approved a recommendation from Superintendent Gary Masters to keep the ROTC program for at least one more year...

Odessa Mallard Leggett died Friday, May 25, at Rock Island, Iowa. A graveside service was held at Rock Island. Leggett was a schoolteacher in Lepanto for several years. She is survived by a sister, Carrine Masbey and a nephew, Johnny Masbey of Rock Island, Iowa...

As you probably know, the U.S. House and U.S. Senate recently passed a 10 year, $1.35 trillion tax cut by strong margins. The House vote was 240-154 and the Senate vote was 58-38. The tax cut will put much needed money into the hands of the American people, by reducing tax rates, expanding tax credits for children, eliminating both the marriage penalty and death tax, and will spur investment for retirement and education plans. ...

I'm sure all of you readers out there have families. Families these days are defined in many ways. My immediate family consists of my fiance (Chuck), myself, two dogs, (Cheyenne and Freddie Leigh) and a cat (Lily). Since I am only 23-years-old, have no children and have never been married, I think of my pets as my children. ...

I woke this morning with my mind, heart and soul set on freedom, sang by the Marked Tree Fourth Grade Choir under the direction of Mrs. Vicki Stoddard, on Monday night (May 21). Our elementary school celebrated Memorial Day on fine fashion. The third grade joined in with a remembrance of Francis Scott Key, who was an attorney. ...

I was a little late starting this column because I had two things to do first. Number one I sent a letter to the Pope nominating Jim Jeffords for sainthood. I also sent a sympathy note to Trent Loft. One of the best things about the sift of power in the Senate is that we won't have to see Loft, the Brylcream Junkie, on TV as much. I swear, you couldn't mess up his hair if you slapped him in the head with a 2x4...

Isn't it strange, we have to read an item to awaken us to the reality that, "We've got the Best." First, take a good look at Poinsett County. Oh! There's no big, big cities, but there are lots of nice friendly towns. Have you ever been to Whitehall? Well give yourself a treat. Drive over to the Bacon Hotel, it's on the National Register...

The Marked Tree Police Department made a DWI arrest, on an area man, earlier this month. On the night of May 21, 2001, the Marked Tree Police Dept. received a call from an individual, saying that Todd E. Maness, 40, of Marked Tree was at his sister's home, on Hwy. ...

The routine patrol of a Marked Tree police officer, last Thursday night, led to the confiscation of over 30 grams of pseudoephedrine and the arrest of a Paragould man. On May 25, 2001, at approximately 12:30 a.m., Officer Jeremy Bond of the Marked Tree Police Department was on routine patrol on U.S. ...

Monday Brother Carl Chandler held a church service for the residents. That afternoon the residents practiced for the Olympics. They are entering the beanbag toss, the horseshoe throw, the softball throw and the wheelchair races. Tuesday the residents exercised with music and then had refreshments. During the afternoon hours they played bingo with Mrs. Ada Lorsbach winning the cover-all game...

We want to thank everyone who had extra duty last week answering the phone and going the "extra mile" in my absence. Thanks go out to Betty Cockrell, Letha Overby, Pat Lee, Lounez Poskey, Gladys Young, Blanche Watts, Mary Jo Lemons, Helen Shinault, Willene Garner and Inez Chapple; I really appreciate all their hard work...

Some fuzzy areas remain in the administration of Arkansas' new $300 property tax credit to homeowners, according to Poinsett County Assessor Johnny Rye, Jr. "So many different combinations of property ownership exist," he said. "Just as one example, you might buy a house in Jonesboro which the previous owner had a $300 exemption for, but it is a second for you. The guidelines haven't been set on crediting part-year exemptions."...

After spending the last six years of his career in Marked Tree as an instructor for the ROTC program, Colonel Billy Thompson is ending his 42-year career with the U.S. Army. This time he is retiring for good. He became an ROTC instructor after retiring from Fort Hood, Texas. He said, "I wanted to come home. Someone told me 'you've been an instructor before, you should look into ROTC.' So I did."...

Essie L. Bryor, 92, of Trumann died Wednesday, May 23 at St. Bernard's Medical Center in Jonesboro of heart failure. She was a retired cosmetologist and a member of the First Baptist Church of Lepanto. She was formerly of Lepanto, and for the past two years lived in Trumann at Plantation Homes...