Stories from Wednesday, August 8, 2001

Democrat Editor After waiting about a year, Cedar Park Elementary School and the Trumann School District finally received a federal grant recently worth $1.6 million for afterschool and adult learning programs. The 21st Community Learning Center grant provides Trumann with money for an afterschool Y.M.C.A. program and trade classes put on by Arkansas State University Technical Institute (Marked Tree) at the Trumann school...

Democrat Editor BAY- Bay will soon have no more water worries, according to mayor Linda Watts. Monday night, Watts told the Bay City Council, which had a rare only three members present at the meeting, the city's water problems stemmed from a bad filter. She also said the city would replace the second filter, which is currently in good shape, to insure the problem doesn't happen again...

The petition deadline for position four of the Trumann School Board of Directors was Monday, and according to the Poinsett County Clerk's office only one candidate filed. Nancy Walters chose to seek re-election of the post, which is up for grabs on Sept. 18...

Democrat Editor A Jonesboro native is finding a home in Trumann as the city's interim Parks and Recreation Department director. Sharron Turman, a Nettleton High School grad and Arkansas State University alumni, takes over the position after being involved in the Jonesboro softball program since the 1970s...

Democrat Editor A longtime Trumann High School teacher spoke to the Lions Club last Wednesday about a technological venture, which brings back the past and pioneers the future. Oliver Hinds, who teaches Spainish and speech at the school, gave an animated speech to the group on an online production of THS yearbooks spanning from 1943 to 2000. ...

Opal L. Whitfield, 89, was born April 24, 1912 and died Monday Aug. 6, 2001 at Rose Care Nursing Center in Trumann of natural causes. Whitfield was born in Lake City and had lived in Trumann since 1922. She was a housewife and farmer. She wrote and had published two books of poetry, "Thoughts of Hope" and Living Parables in Verse" and was a member of the Maple Grove Baptist Church where she taught the Adult Ladies Sunday School class for many years. ...

Democrat Editor Area youths will kick off a new sport this fall at the Trumann Sports Complex. The complex is offering for the first time in Trumann a youth soccer program for boys and girls, which includes leagues six and under, eight and under and 10 and under...