Stories from Tuesday, December 30, 2003

Brian L. King, of Ritter Seed Company in Marked Tree, was among other Certified Public Accountants and attorneys who attended the Arkansas Society of Certified Public Accountants Thirty-Eighth Annual Federal Tax Institute, held Dec. 11-12, at the Doubletree Hotel in Little Rock, Arkansas. King is a member of the Arkansas Society of Certified Public Accountants...

Tribune Sports Staff Going into this past week's NEA tournament, both the Marked Tree senior boys and girls basketball teams were coming off strong wins against conference foe Earle, with the boys team picking up a 45-43 victory over Cave City (the number eight seed in the 3A-4A-5A Division of the NEA) recently...

Tribune Sports Staff Going into this year's Northeast Arkansas Invitational Basketball Tournament at ASU, many of the so-called experts believed that the EPC Warriors were slighted in receiving a number two seed in the senior boys 3A-4A-5A tournament. Yet, the Warriors have exceeded expectations as they reached the finals of the tournament with a 51-34 victory over number three seed Jonesboro Monday night...

Ellen Nell Wilson, 81, of Marion died Friday, December 26, 2003, at Johnson Hobson Nursing Home at Marion. She was a retired from American Greeting and a member of St. John Missionary Baptist Church of Osceola and Mother's Board. Survivors include three sons, Woodrow Wilson Jr. ...

Billie Ann Ward, 87, of Marked Tree died Tuesday, December 23, 2003, at Methodist Central Hospital in Memphis. A homemaker, she was a member of Trinity Baptist Church. Survivors include two sisters, Grace Barry of Memphis and Tommie M. Pruett of Trumann...

Creadora Thompson, 81, of Parkin died Wednesday, December 24, 2003, at St. Vincent's Hospital in Little Rock. A farmer, he was a member of Trinity Baptist Church in Marked Tree and the Marked Tree Masonic Lodge. Survivors include his wife, Pauline Crook Thompson of Parkin; three sons, Tommy Thompson of Burdette and Jimmy Thompson and Ronnie Thompson, both of Marked Tree; two daughters, Gloria Cox of Fulton, Ky., and Donna West of Marked Tree; six sisters, Gaulena Higgins, Connie Brown and Jo Ella Sitz, all of Marked Tree, Lucille Ray of Alma, Lorine Whitney of Fairfield, Calif., and Patsy Wallen of Atlanta; three brothers, Gene Thompson of Parkin, Billy Thompson of Marked Tree and Wayne Thompson of Alma; 10 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.. ...

Lucille Whitten Taylor, 90, formerly of Tyronza, died Saturday, December 20, 2003, at Senatobia Convalescent Center. Manager of dry goods store and grocery store, she was a member of Friendship Baptist Church in Charleston. She was preceded in death by her husband Marion Walter Taylor...

Robert "Bobby Joe" Joe Huffins, 40, of Fisher, died Saturday, December 27, 2003, in Newport. He was a farmer and was of the Baptist belief. Survivors include his wife, Linda Mae Huffins of Bradford, Fla.; his mother, Francis Huffins of Fisher; two sisters, Emily Huffins of Batesville and Shelly Huffins of Fisher; seven brothers, Jason Huffins, Richard Huffins and Dennis Huffins, all of Fisher, Jimmy Huffins and Frank Huffins, both of Newport, and Johnny Huffins and Ted Huffins, both of Coldwater.. ...

Patricia Marie Hosley, 29, of Osceola, died Saturday, December 27, 2003. She worked as a dietitian and was a member of Eagle Wright Baptist Church. Survivors include her husband, Tony Boyd of Osceola; her parents, Fred Hosley Jr. of North Little Rock and Dorothy Hosley of Osceola; her grandmother, Scott Anna Branch of Osceola; four sisters, Annette Yankaway, Lucy Selvy and Stephanie Buford, all of Osceola, and Catrisa Hosley of Missouri; and two brothers, Issac Hosley of Little Rock and Phillip Ray Yankaway of Las Vegas.. ...

Thomas Jefferson "Pop" Hatcher, 74, of Paragould died Saturday, December 20, 2003, at Greene Acres Nursing Home in Paragould. Born at Osceola, he lived most of his life in the Trumann area before moving to Paragould four years ago. He was retired from the Singer Co. of Trumann and was a member of the Black Oak Baptist Church...

Walter L. Biggers, 76, of Trumann, died Monday, December 29, 2003 at his residence. Born in Weleetka, Okla., he had lived in Trumann for the last 26 years and was formerly of Michigan. He was a steel mill worker, a member of the Teamsters Union and was of the Pentecostal belief...

Winter has arrived along with higher utility bills, and Crowley's Ridge Development Council's Human Services offices in Northeast Arkansas will begin accepting applications for utility bill payment assistance on January 12, 2004. Through the Regular Assistance Home Energy Assistance Program (commonly referred to as LIHEAP) services, qualified applicants may receive help in paying the high utility bills that come with the seasonal temperatures of winter and summer. ...

The Marked Tree Police Department announced this week that they are investigating a burglary, with vandalism at the Marked Tree Elementary School. According to Det. Mark Robinson of the Marked Tree Police Department, on Dec. 27, 2003 at around 5:00 p.m., Patl. ...

The year 2003 has been an exciting, important and tragic year for residents in Lepanto, Marked Tree and Tyronza. The year started with new beginnings, as mayors and city council members in three towns were sworn into office; continued with new arrivals (Bill's Fresh Market, construction of I-555) and where residents said goodbyes to family members who are currently serving in Iraq. The following is a compilation of the first three months of 2003, seen through the eyes of the Tri-City Tribune...

Tribune News Director A special session looking into reforming Arkansas' educational system has not created a clear consensus into solving the issue, said a local legislator. On a telephone interview from the state Capitol in Little Rock on Tuesday, State Representative Wayne Nichols (D-Marked Tree) told the Tri-City Tribune that there has been a lot of discussion into the issue, but there has been no consensus among lawmakers at the session. ...

Special to the Tribune I will begin by saying that I met Kohn Bray in the fall of 1943. Even though this was the time of our first acquaintance, I had heard of his background long beforehand. At the time that we met, I was attending school at Turrell High School and playing six-man football there...

Tribune News Director A Marked Tree family received word this weekend that a member of their family was injured last weekend in Iraq, due to a roadside bomb. Marked Tree resident Reatha Sparks told the Tri-City Tribune that her son, Spec. Darryl Sparks was injured Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m., Iraq time in a convoy of vehicles traveling near Karbala in the center of the country. ...

Brad Godwin, son of J. T. and Sharon Godwin grew up in Batesville where he attended kindergarten through 12th grade and then earned a bachelors degree in agriculture education from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. His first job out of college was teaching agriculture at Marked Tree High School. He continued to teach there for seven years while attending ASU at night earning a masters degree...

Saturday, Dec. 20 2003 NEA Tournament at Arkansas State University Boys Games AAA-AAAA-AAAAA Harrisburg 67, Valley View 59 Highland 49, Trumann 28 A-AA Biggers-Reyno 54, Black Rock 47 River Valley 54, Maynard 32 Salem 57, Swifton 54 Tuckerman 57, Ridgefield Christian 43...