Stories from Wednesday, December 8, 2004

Tribune News Staff Area residents got into the Christmas season last Saturday night as residents gathered in Tyronza for the 2004 Tyronza Christmas Parade. In the parade, which stretched down Main St. on a cold Saturday night, area residents, along with several churches and public officials participated in the parade, which the planning process started in October and November of this year. ...

Mon., Nov. 29 Senior Boys Camden Fairview 62, EPC 43 Senior Girls EPC 63, P-W 59 Piggott 84, Maynard 77 Junior Girls EPC 50, P-W 32 Pre-Holiday Tournament at Westside Senior Girls Trumann 64, Nettleton 42 Junior Girls Trumann 41, Rector 24 Westside 37, Bay 33...

Tribune Sports Staff It was a different road for both the Marked Tree and East Poinsett County junior and senior girls basketball teams, as both schools participated in the 2004 Gerald Jennings Holiday Invitational Tournament. At the tournament, held in Manila and formerly named the Tri-County Tournament, both schools received lower seeds in the tournament than expected, but both battled against larger schools. ...

Tribune Sports Staff The East Poinsett County senior boys basketball team entered last week's games with key victories over former conference foes Gosnell and Rivercrest and had a plan to take a week off, going into a tournament at Cross County and opening district play against Marked Tree Tuesday night...

Tribune Sports Staff For those who say that basketball, in its purest form is a thing of the past, those who remember that time missed a complex, defensive matchup Monday night as the Valley View Blazers faced the host Marked Tree Indians in the first round of the Gerald Jennings Holiday Invitational Tournament at Marked Tree...

Gary Ray Fuller Sr., 54, of Tyronza died Friday, Nov. 26, at Elvis Presley Trauma Center in Memphis. Born in Tyronza, he was a carpenter and of the Baptist faith. Survivors include two sons, Gary Fuller Jr., of Marked Tree and Jeff Fuller of Albion, Mich.; two daughters, Tammy Fuller of Albion and Melissa Fuller of Athens, Ala.; three sisters, Peggy Gean of Tyronza, Doris Shettleworth of Dyer and Shirley Stewart of Melbrook, Ala.; two brothers, Bobby Fuller of Mulberry and Jimmy Fuller of Victorville, Calif.; and six grandchildren.. ...

Shawn Dale Isaacs, 27, of Lepanto died Thursday, Dec. 2, at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Osceola. Survivors include his parents, Winford Dale and Beverly Isaacs of Lepanto; a brother, Jayme Ray Isaacs of Lepanto; and his maternal grandmother, Lawanda Towns of Beebe...

Dorothy Maybell Kilgore, 69, of Trumann died Tuesday, Nov. 30, in Monticello. Born in Walnut, Miss., she was a homemaker and member of Church of the Lord Jesus Christ in Trumann. Survivors include her husband, Willie Kilgore of Trumann; one daughter, Dottie Joe Trantham of Monticello; two sons, Roy Kilgore and James Kilgore, both of Trumann; one sister, Faye Mack of Trumann; 11 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren...

Bernis B. Franks, 84, of Tyronza died Thursday, Dec. 2, at Crittenden Memorial Hospital in West Memphis. He attended First Baptist Church of Tyronza and was a retired farmer. Survivors include his wife, Clara Jane Franks of the home; three sons, Bernis A. ...

Peggy Jean Cassels, 50, of Tyronza died Thursday, Dec. 2, at St. Bernard's Medical Center at Jonesboro. A lifetime resident of the Black Oak community, she worked with the Northeast Arkansas Humane Society and was a waitress at Travelair Restaurant at Marked Tree for many years...

(Editor's Note: At the request of its readers, the Tri-City Tribune is publishing a history of 9-1-1. The Quorum Court will vote on the future of the emergency system in its regular meeting this Monday. Information in this article was obtained from Gayland King of West Memphis, www.911dispatch.com and www.newcom911.org)...

Tribune News Staff Officials with a panel charged with looking into school facilities in the state of Arkansas announced last weekend that both East Poinsett County and Marked Tree will have to pay for at least $10 million combined in improvements in the next five years, based on an assessment of buildings at both schools...

The Tyronza City Park is well under construction. The pavilion is completed and work on the walking track will begin when drier weather comes this spring. The only thing that seems to be missing is the trees. Tyronza Mayor Marion Bearden said that the city has completed a landscaping design with the help of Dr. ...

Christmas parades are an exciting time of year for everyone. Children bundle up in their warmest clothes and hope to find a chance to visit with Santa. Adults stand on the sidelines and secretly hope to catch a piece of candy themselves. It is a time of joyful celebration of the holiday season...

Once again it's time for the annual Men's March and Conference. The event will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 11 at the Pentecostal Temple Church of God in Christ. The march will begin at the church, which is located at the intersection of Chicago and Carson St. in Marked Tree, and will go to the pavilion at city hall. A rally will be held at the pavilion and participants will return to the church at noon for a free lunch...

The Marked Tree Police Department and the Poinsett County Sheriff's Department announced Monday the arrest of two Marked Tree residents on drug charges, stemming from a joint operation between the two agencies. According to Poinsett County Sheriff Larry Mills and Det. ...

The observant actions of an off-duty Tyronza fire fighter and two Tyronza police officers provided the difference last Tuesday as the three helped to catch an Ohio couple accused of robbing a bank in Marion. According to officials with both the Marion and Tyronza Police Department, last Tuesday at around 2:20 p.m., Tommy Baine of the Tyronza Fire Department was on his way to work in Marion, when he heard on his radio in his vehicle a description of a vehicle, a Jeep Wrangler and two individuals who alleged robbed a bank in Marion that afternoon. ...

Tribune News Staff In a victory for the prosecution, Poinsett County Circuit Court Judge David Laser overturned a motion by defense attorneys for former Marked Tree High School Dean of Students Rob Jennings to dismiss 22 of the 23 counts against Jennings, for alleged sexual misconduct while employed by the school...

Cady Jordan McNamara, 15, of Jonesboro died Saturday, Dec. 4, 2004 at Jonesboro. She was a sophomore student at Jonesboro High School, where she was active in Key Club, Spanish Club, Art Club and Fellowship of Christian Students. She attended Cornerstone United Methodist Church...

The Ducks Unlimited membership banquet is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 10 at the Trumann Sports Complex on Pecan Grove Lane. The doors will open at 6:30 p.m., dinner will be at 7 p.m. and the auction will follow at 8 p.m. Individual price is $30, $50 for couples and $15 for greenwings. The meal is being catered by Couch's BBQ...

The Crowley's Ridge Development Council (CRDC) Board of Directors will meet for its annual Christmas session at 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 16, at the Holiday Inn in Jonesboro at the corner of Caraway Road and Phillips Drive. Board members from the eight-county CRDC service area, CRDC staff and guests will gather at that time to act on matters affecting the numerous community service programs supported by the agency and to enjoy the regular year-end holiday dinner and party...

The annual Trumann Christmas Dinner will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Christmas Day at the Old Community House in Trumann. The dinner is provided free of charge and everyone is welcome to attend. Carry outs will be available. For more information call 483-6912 or 926-0136...

Care giving for an elderly loved one, friend or family member, although very rewarding can at times be difficult. Caring for a loved one can often take a toll on a caregiver both physically and emotionally. It helps to know that you are not alone. The East Arkansas Area Agency on Aging will have a Caregiver Support group from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 20 at the Trumann Chamber of Commerce conference room, located in the Mayor's office...

Reba Vuncannon's first grade students have been working on the five stages of the writing process -- prewriting, drafting, revising, editing and publishing -- and wrote the following stories about Santa. Santa had a bad day because his reindeers were sick, and he couldn't go back to the North Pole...

Andrea Raeann Schmidt of Trumann, a senior at Arkansas State University, has been named to the 2004 edition of Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. Schmidt is majoring in biology in the College of Sciences and Mathematics at ASU. Dr. Les Wyatt, president of the university, and deans of the various colleges recognized award winners at a ceremony that was held Monday, Nov. 29, at the Student Union...

Recently, a grant check was presented to Trumann Chamber Director Jackie Ross by Barbara Merrick of Entergy's Teamwork Arkansas. The grant is to assist in providing community leaders and government officials of Trumann with a training program to learn advanced skills at leading the town in activities to improve the economy of Trumann...

In an effort to bring holiday cheer members of the Trumann American Legion decorated the Veterans Memorial Park on the corner of Main and Hwy 463 with lights, greenery and a reindeer pulled sled taking off from the Honest John missal, or rocket ship as it is commonly referred to...

Carol Mae Lackey, 83, of Trumann died Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2004 at NEA Medical Center in Jonesboro. Born in Cairo, Ill., she lived in Trumann for the past 63 years. A former employee of the Singer Co. in Trumann, she was a member of First United Methodist Church in Trumann, a former member of the United Methodist Women, church financial secretary and Sunday school teacher. She was a charter member of Century Arts and Civic Club...

Dennis Ray Guthrie, 45, of Trumann died Thursday, Dec. 2, 2004 at St. Bernard's Medical Center in Jonesboro. Born in Harrisburg, he had lived most of his life in Trumann, was a self-employed heating and air serviceman and a member of Parkview Baptist Church...

Dorothy Maybell Kilgore, 69, of Trumann died Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2004 in Monticello. Born in Walnut, Miss., she was a homemaker and member of Church of the Lord Jesus Christ in Trumann. Survivors include her husband, Willie Kilgore of Trumann; one daughter, Dottie Joe Trantham of Monticello; two sons, Roy Kilgore and James Kilgore, both of Trumann; one sister, Faye Mack of Trumann; 11 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren...

Kathryn G. Marshall, 90, of Jonesboro died Monday, Nov. 29, 2004 at St. Bernard's Medical Center. Born in Trumann, she was a homemaker and of the Baptist belief. Survivors include one daughter, Ann Marshall of Jonesboro; one grandchild and one great-grandchild...

Sonya Deanne Mott, 27, of Trumann passed away on Dec. 1, 2004 from injuries received in an auto accident on Hwy 63 in Trumann. She was born in Jonesboro and had lived most of her lifetime in Trumann. She was a 1996 graduate of Trumann High School, a legal secretary and member of the Full Gospel Tabernacle Church...