Stories from Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Roach Conveyors requested and received approval from the Trumann City Council to expand its manufacturing facility located in Trumann. This will be the eighth major expansion for the company since it was founded in 1953. Roach Conveyor plans the expansion as part of a five year ongoing project. Construction at the site is expected to start by February. The stand alone facility will be fully operational in August 2006...

An 18 year old male was arrested on Jan. 9 by Det. Jerry Foster, Ptl. Gary Swift and Ptl. Justin Hooton. He was charged with burglary, theft and possession of drug paraphernalia. According to police reports the male broke into the Trumann High School and took money from the JROTC room and palm pilots from other locations...

The Maple Grove EHC met Monday, Jan. 9 in the fellowship hall of the church with twelve members present. The group enjoyed a pot luck lunch before the meeting. Wanda Moss, club president, called the meeting to order. The thought of the month, "For attractive lips, speak words of kindness. ...

The Trumann Band will be selling Boston butts and ribs from Tuesday, Jan. 17 until Monday, Jan. 30. The butts will be cooked by the River City Spice Company of Blytheville. Prices are $25 for butts and $18 for a slab of ribs. They can be picked up from 9 a.m. until noon on Saturday, Feb. 4 at the band room. They will also be having a bake sale on the same day in the band room...

The Trumann High School Band has been invited to perform at the All American Music Festival in Orlando, Fla. during spring break. This is a thrilling opportunity for these students to attend such an exciting event. Any and all donations to make the trip possible for the students would be greatly appreciated...

A PAT meeting will be conducted at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 25 at the Trumann Recreation Center. The meeting will begin at 9:30 a.m. This meeting will allow private applicators to receive a license to purchase restricted use pesticides for five years. ...

Joe Rennicke, 56, of Weiner is the third person to announce his intentions to seek the State Representative seat now held by Wayne Nichols of Marked Tree. Rennicke, a native of Weiner, is co-owner of RB Farms and Duckwater Farms, Inc. and farms with his brother Ken in Poinsett, Jackson and Cross Counties...

Poinsett County Sheriff and Collector Larry Mills said Tuesday that he will seek re-election in the May Democratic Primary. Mills, 47, is currently serving his fifth term of office. Mills said drugs and thefts remain the top priorities and the Poinsett County Sheriff's Office will continue to pursue drug dealers, methamphetamine manufacturers and thieves. A reduction in drug offenses means less in general crime, as they are closely related, he said...

Trumann Central Elementary will host a Scholastic Book Fair from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each day of Jan. 23 - Jan. 30. The book fair will feature a family night from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 30. Door prizes will be given out during family night. The book fair will feature a wide range of age-appropriate books, including mystery and adventure novels, fantasy trilogies, sports guides, cookbooks and the latest bestsellers from more than 150 publishers. ...

Bay Chief of Police Kenneth Walker reported the closing of a string of vehicle break-ins. In December several vehicle break-ins were reported in the city of Bay and in the county surrounding the city. Phillip Hancock and Josh Keith Thompson of Paragould were both arrested last week...

(Editor's note: This is the last in a four part series reviewing 2005.) Oct. 5 The official grand opening of the Trumann Skate Park was Saturday, Oct. 8. The park is located on the corner of Cedar and Magnolia Streets and featured state of the art Skatewave modular skate park equipment. Dorian Tucker, professional skateboarder and skate park designer from San Diego, Calif. was on hand to provide a skate demonstration...

Poinsett County Circuit Clerk, Claudia Mathews, released the following names drawn as prospective jurors for the January February session of Poinsett County Circuit Court Criminal Division with Judge Victor Hill of West Memphis presiding. Jurors are to report to the Poinsett County Courthouse in Harrisburg at 9:15 a.m. ...

The Trumann City Council voted unanimously to authorize a memorandum of intent between the City of Trumann and Roach Manufacturing for revenue bonds. Roach is planning to begin construction in Feb. on a new 160,000 square foot expansion. The new expansion is expected to be fully operational by the third quarter of this year. The increase would increase the employee base by more than 20%...

The Northeast Arkansas Flyfishers will have their first Saturday tie-a-thon of 2006 on Saturday, Jan. 28 at the Crowley's Ridge Nature Center. The nature center is located at 600 E. Lawson Road in Jonesboro. Fly tying will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. All club members and the public are invited to tie or learn how to tie flies...