Stories from Thursday, July 31, 2003

At 7 p.m. on Thursday, August 7, the Lepanto Fire Department will open bids for their new fire station at Lepanto City Hall. Mik'l and Dan'l Portis donated 125x125 feet for the site. The new 7,200 square foot fire station will have four bays for fire trucks, a large meeting room and office space. "Once the bid is approved, it should be a complete building by February of 2004," said Fire Chief Damon Tyler. "It will be something we can be proud of," said Tyler...

Five players from the Marked Tree Babe Ruth program recently participated in a series of post-season tournaments in Northwest Arkansas. On July 18,19 and 20, Andy Lung, William Ruthven, Mike Scott, Jeffrey Thompson and Ron Thompson played for All-Star teams in tournaments at Pea Ridge and Harrison. ...

Bettye Jeanne Vaughn Stramaglio died on July 25, 2003. She was born in Augusta, Ark. on June 28, 1928 and resided in Marked Tree; Long Beach, Calif.; Downey, Calif.; Joshua Tree, Calif.; and Yucca Valley, Calif. She retired from Honeywill Ink of Gardena, Calif. after 25 years of service...

Lee Thomas "L.T." Smith, 79, of Trumann died Tuesday, July 29, 2003 at St. Bernard's Medical Center. Born in Weona, he was an Army veteran and had lived in Trumann before moving to Memphis in 1967. He was an Army veteran and was retired from Fred's Dollar Store. He returned to Trumann in 1996 and was a member of Melton Avenue Church of Christ...

Funeral services for Carl Lee Moorman, 78, of Lepanto, who died Sunday, July 27, 2003 at St. Bernard's Medical Center, were held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, July 30 in the chapel of Murphy Funeral Home in Lepanto. Jim Duffel officiated, and burial followed in Potter Memorial Cemetery...

Bulah Howard, 99, of Lepanto died Monday, July 21, 2003 at her residence. She was a homemaker and a member of First Baptist Church of Lepanto. Survivors include one son, James Lee Howard of Lepanto; two daughters, Merhalie Harris of Memphis and Birdie Devers of Lepanto; one sister, Ollie Williams of Denver; several grandchildren; and several great-grandchildren...

Larry Joe Easley, 52, of Williston, Tenn., formerly of Sherwood, Ark. died Tuesday, July 29, 2003 at his home in Williston. Born April 12, 1951 at Harrisburg, he was the son of James Howard Easley and Shirley Mae (Denton) Easley. He was a construction worker...

Ray Hugh Burks, 64, of Tyronza died Friday, July 25, 2003 at his residence. Born in Tyronza, he was a farm worker and was of the Methodist belief. Survivors include a brother, Marion Burks of Tyronza. He was preceded in death by his parents, Ruby Parrish and Brody Burks, and a brother, George "Billy" Burks...

Willie Bruce Bell Sr., 62, of Blytheville died Wednesday, July 23, 2003 at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Blytheville. Born in Wilson, he worked as a taxi cab driver and was a member of St. Matthews Spiritual Temple Church in Blytheville. Survivors include his wife, Elnora Wilson Bell of Blytheville; seven daughters, Jennifer Bell of Little Rock, Elizabeth Johnson of Gosnell and Julia Franklin, Mary Russell, Ruthie Bell, Dorothy Brooks and Michelle Bell, all of Blytheville; five sons, Willie James Bell and Troy Bell, both of Blytheville, Bernard Bell of Caruthersville, Mo., Cleotha Bell of Gosnell and Paul Bell of Jackson, Tenn.; four sisters, Elizabeth Warner, Martha Crain and Amy Wilson, all of Blytheville, and Jean Dunegan of Osceola; a brother, Jack Bell of Blytheville; and 28 grandchildren.. ...

The Melody Theatre in Leachville presents "The Big Creek Band," at 7 p.m. on Saturday, August 2. Tickets are $5 and $3. This group is from Jonesboro, they play country and blue grass. This is the first time for this band to perform at the Melody. Performers are George Hinds, bass; Mary Jackson, vocals; Dennis Mathes, vocals, lead steel guitar and doboro; Sonny Ackerman, guitar; and Noah Kee, drums...

Poinsett County has the potential for growth and improved infrastructure as a result of actions taken by the county government in recent months, says Poinsett County Judge Doyle Hillis. Hillis, who was elected last year, told the Tri-City Tribune last week that Poinsett County will work in the next few months to repair existing roads using new equipment and use money from the federal government to repair county roads and land, due to the May storms that ravaged Poinsett County and Northeast Arkansas.. ...

While Northeast Arkansas has been known as a hotbed for severe weather in the last few months, the East Poinsett County School District has worked to provide for the safety of their students and area residents with the construction of four safety rooms being built...

Construction of Bill's Fresh Market on Highway 63 in Marked Tree is in its final stages. Bill Orr, also owner of Bill's Fresh Market in Jonesboro, said the supermarket will employ 40-45 people. Wally Orr said that the store could open as soon as the second week in September...

This year's Rotary International theme is "Lend a Hand," and that is what Rotary District 6150 Governor Sam Chaffin challenged Marked Tree Rotarians to do during his visit to the club here last week. Chaffin, an Industrial Engineer from Little Rock, is responsible for visiting more than 30 clubs that make up District 6150, which includes Marked Tree...

A Marked Tree couple, who specialize in tax issues met with a local organization Tuesday to discuss that organization's attempts to become a tax-exempt organization. Noah and Sally Hazel of Marked Tree spoke at the monthly meeting of the Lepanto Citizens for Progress Tuesday night and gave the organization an overview on becoming a charitable, tax-exempt organization...

Law enforcement officials in the Tri-Cities area will be out in full force Aug. 5 to celebrate the National Night Out on Crime that will be celebrated throughout the United States. Both the Marked Tree and Tyronza Police Departments have events scheduled for the night, starting at 6 p.m. ...

With only seven months under her belt as mayor of Tyronza, Marion Bearden has a lot to say about progress in the town. While changing a reputation is a large task, Bearden certainly has taken great leaps in putting a new spin on Tyronza. Now a town with festivals and parades, Bearden and the City Council are in the beginning stages of applying for designation as an Arkansas Community of Excellence (ACE) and planning for growth...

Some news from the world of sports, for the week ending August 1, 2003: Armstrong wins fifth Tour de France: Lance Armstrong of the United States picked up his fifth Tour de France Sunday, with a win in the final stage of the race. The race, a 23-day, 2,125 mile event, featured Armstrong along with runner-up Jan Ullrich and third place racer Alexandre Vinokourov battled through two countries for the crown. ...