Stories from Wednesday, February 2, 2005

Striving to be a great citizen in her community is all in a days work for Marion Bearden. Others have taken note of her tireless work as mayor of Tyronza. She was recently voted to be Tyronza's Citizen of the Year. Bearden, who was quite bashful about the matter, said she was surprised by the announcement...

The East Poinsett County senior girls basketball team entered last week's games, going on the road to face a tough Cross County team and an equally tough Earle team in district play. And EPC picked up two key victories on the way to capturing the 3AA-South regular season senior girls title with a 67-41 victory over Cross County and a 74-51 victory over Earle...

Mon., Jan 24 Senior Boys Earle 82, Cross County 37 Senior Girls Bay 50, BIC 48 Gosnell 38, Harrisburg 34 Marmaduke 53, Walnut Ridge 34 Rector 57, Riverside 39 Rivercrest 67, Osceola 35 Valley View 58, Highland 57 (OT) Junior Boys Earle 60, Cross County 24...

Tribune Sports Staff The successful 2004 season for the East Poinsett County senior high football team has led to two of its players and head coach receiving post-season honors. The Arkansas Activities Association recently announced that EPC players Brandon Sturdivant and Eric Evans, along with EPC Head Coach Mark Courtney will represent the East in the Arkansas High School Football All-Star Game in Fayetteville June 24. ...

The Marked Tree senior boys and senior girls basketball teams went into last week's games, facing two tough teams both in and out of district play. And Marked Tree had tough losses as they lost to Earle in senior boys and senior girls action, yet picked up a victory in senior boys action against Cotton Plant...

Janie Brown, 49, of Dyess died Friday, Jan. 28, at NEA Medical Center in Jonesboro. A factory worker, she attended Red Oak Baptist Church. Survivors include her parents, Hollis Chandler and Esther Louise Mortenson Brown; two sisters: Sharon Gann of Lepanto and Phillis Springer of Dyess; and four brothers: Albert Brown of North Little Rock, Paul Brown of Lepanto, Tony Brown of Desha and Pete Brown of Lepanto...

Edward Leon Harrell, 64, of Osceola died Jan. 27, at his residence. Born at Etowah, he farmed and was a member of Etowah Pentecostal Church of God. Survivors include his wife: Dorothy Harrell; three sons:Frank Bitner and Curtis Bitner, both of Garden Point, and Douglas Bitner of Brickeys; five daughters: Tiffany Bennett and Robin Frost, both of Etowah, Angela Harrell of Georgia, Patsy Sue Janen of Evart, Mich., and Michelle Bitner of Primeville, Ore.; two brothers: James Richard Harrell of Bowman, Ga., and Nathan Lee Harrell of Manila; and three grandchildren.. ...

Kim Russell Ryals, 48, of Marked Tree died Sunday, Jan. 30, at his home. He was a Marine Corps veteran and of the Baptist belief. Survivors include his wife, Susan Maddox Ryals of Marked Tree; three daughters, Hayley Ryals of Marked Tree, Kari Fletcher of Harrisburg and Niki Mashburn of Jacksonville, Fla.; his father, Eddie Ryals of Marked Tree; and one grandchild, Ali Beth Fletcher...

Each year, students audition for the honor of being an All-Region Band member. Three students from the Marked Tree band program earned a position in the Region VIII Senior High All-Region Band and one student in the junior high All-Region Band. They earned membership by competing against other musicians from Northeast Arkansas regardless of the size of the school or program...

The Poinsett County Sheriff's Department announced Monday the arrests of four individuals on criminal charges in separate cases. According to Poinsett County Sheriff Larry Mills, on Jan. 25, 2005 at around 5 p.m., officials with the Poinsett County Sheriff's Department received a telephone call in reference to an operating crystal methamphetamine lab on Glasgow Road, near Trumann. ...

The Lepanto Police Department announced Tuesday morning the arrest of a Lepanto man on drug charges, stemming from a traffic stop. According to Police Chief Raymond Oakes, on Jan. 29, at around 2:25 a.m., Officer Chad Henderson conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle in Lepanto for failure to use a turn signal. ...

Tribune News Staff Saving taxpayer money and consolidating services versus jeopardizing public safety and putting lives at risk. Those were the two main arguments made both for and against last Thursday night as residents from Lepanto, Marked Tree and Tyronza met in Tyronza to discuss the possibility of consolidating police dispatching services for Lepanto, Marked Tree and Tyronza...

Tribune News Staff In a special meeting last Tuesday night, the Lepanto City Council voted 7-0, with one absent to approve the 2005 operating budget for the city, six days before a deadline of Feb. 1 to approve the city's budget, according to state law...

Carla Sue Benson, 59, of Harrisburg passed away on Jan. 16, 2005 at NEA Medical Center of Jonesboro of natural causes. She was born in Hoxie and had lived in Harrisburg for the past 26 years and was formerly of Jonesboro. She was an auditor for UPS and of the Baptist faith. She was preceded in death by her parents, Carl and Allie Guess Whittaker...

Nellie Jane Blalock Johnston, 85, of Jonesboro passed away Monday, Jan. 31, 2005 at St. Bernard's Medical Center in Jonesboro. She was a homemaker, a school teacher and worked for the Craighead County Social Services where she served as Director from 1968 until her retirement in 1982...

Willie Ray "Billy" Reese, 68, of Harrisburg passed away on Thursday, Jan. 27, 2005 at the family residence in Harrisburg of natural causes. He was born in Trumann and had lived most of his life in the Harrisburg and Trumann area. He was a retired deputy sheriff for Poinsett County and school bus driver for the Weiner School district, veteran of the US Army serving in the Korean War and of the Pentecostal faith...

D. Wade Harlan, 89, of Sedona, Ariz. died Sunday, Jan. 23, at his residence. Born in O'Kean, he was a former resident of Trumann and had moved to Sedona in the 1940s. He served in the Marines in the Aleutian Islands and Okinawa during World War II and was a retired accountant for the state of Arizona. He was a past master of Thunderbird Masonic Lodge No. 48, past president of Phoenix South Mountain Lions Club and a member of Sedona United Methodist Church...

Fans who were trickling into the Wildcats' den late Friday afternoon anticipating the start of a Trumann-Manila senior high game at 7 p.m., got an unexpected treat. It came in the form of as good a junior high game as they are likely to see anywhere when the Wildkittens defeated the Manila Lion Cubs, 34-32, on a last-second shot by Justin Combs...

Tuesday, Jan. 25, wasn't a good night for the Trumann Wildcats. They went to Osceola (7-9, 6-4) and not only lost to the Seminoles, 82-51, but also lost their leading scorer, Clay McClung, to a turned ankle. "We played pretty well the first quarter and just after the half," coach Gary McClung said. "After that, I guess we just thought we would quit."...

Little Rock, Ark. -- The Natural Resources Conservation Service will hold five public listening sessions statewide to get feedback on updating the national Environmental Quality Incentives Program priorities. "The EQIP final rule requires NRCS to periodically review and update the priorities utilizing input from the public and affected stakeholders to ensure the program continues to address national resource needs," said Kalven L. Trice, state conservationist...

The first meeting of the Trumann Tree City board was Thursday, January 27 at the conference room in the Mayor's Office. This board was established through the efforts of the Parks and Recreation Department, the Trumann City Council and Trumann Mayor Ronnie Harrison. This board was also formed as a compliance of the Tree City USA application submitted in December...

Trumann High School is a hosting a Parents Make a Difference Night from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 8 in the High School cafeteria. Science fair projects will also be on display. The night is for students and parents in grades 7 -- 12.

Focus invites everyone to the 2nd annual Focus and Families Fancy Dress Ball. The celebration is scheduled from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 11 at the Trumann Recreational Complex at the Sports Center on Pecan Grove Road in Trumann. There is no charge to attend. Donations will be accepted to acquire a new piece of furniture the center...

The Trumann First Assembly of God is having a Revival featuring Evangelist Patrick Kimberland. Service times will be 7 p.m. Feb. 6 -- 8 and 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 9.

A new interactive web page has been launched featuring 10 years of cotton growing research results from trials using the latest advanced agricultural technology at the Judd Hill Plantation in Poinsett County, Arkansas. The new web page located at www.juddhillplantation.org gives a detailed account of cotton growing research history on the 4,000-acre farm and provides specific results for yield, length, strength, uniformity and turnout percentage. ...

Joseph Norman Bowen, 17038 Kasinger Ln. was arrested by Ptl. Paul Keith on Jan. 29. He was charged with battery 2nd degree on a police officer, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, domestic abuse battery III and 2nd offense possession prohibited articles in jail...

"Why is my gas bill so high?" was a popular question for Keith Cragg, Marketing Consultant for Centerpoint Entergy Arkla when he made a recent visit to the Trumann Lions Club. In answer to the question he said each person's case was different, but that the gas company didn't charge customer's anymore for gas than the company buys it for. He said they make their money in the transportation of the gas to each customer...

Boom! Boom! Boom! This has become a familiar sound around Trumann as residents try to get rid of the bothersome black birds that seem to take over the treetops. Some citizens on Hwy 463 South have taken to using a gas canon set on a thirty second interval timer each day at five, it seems to be helping...

"Harrisburg came out shooting well," Bay coach Bob Harpole said of the Lady Hornets' team after their game last Thursday night at AAA Harrisburg. The words were in kind deference to their opponents, though, as the Lady Jackets manhandled the outmanned Hornets (3-14), 59-45, in a non-conference win...