Stories from Wednesday, February 22, 2006

"Revenue is down and our expenses are up," said Gary Masters, superintendent of Marked Tree Schools, at the school board meeting held Monday night. Masters said high gas prices have put a crunch on the school's budget this year. "Our heating bill was $18,000 in December and $13,000 in December," Masters told the board...

The Northeast Arkansas Football League (NEAFL) announced that registration for adult flag football is now open. Anyone 16 years old and over are eligible to play. All games will be held in Marked Tree on the high school practice field. The rules and regulations will be explained to every athlete prior to the rest game of the season. Three referees will officiate every game...

Tribune Sports Staff The Lady Indians received a bye for the first round of the 3AA District Tournament which began last Monday in Marked Tree. They didn't take the court until Tuesday to meet the winner of the Cross County-Turrell game, two teams they had defeated handily during the season...

Tribune Sports Staff For the second year in a row, the EPC Lady Warriors met the Earle lady Bulldogs in the final of the 3AA District Tournament last Friday night. And like last year, EPC came up the winner, 69-64, in the game which was played in Marked Tree...

Tribune Sports Staff Coach Betty Burge had nothing to say after the Lady Indians' semi-final, 64-31, loss to the Lady Earle Bulldogs last Thursday night. Of course there wasn't much to be said about a game in which Marked Tree's second bucket didn't come until the final buzzer was sounding to end the first period. It was, at least, a patented Rudy Martin 3-pointer to give the Lady Tribe five points at the break...

Tribune Sports Staff The Indians played the last game of the season in their home gym last Tuesday as the Turrell Rockets took Marked Tree out of their game plan early and went on to dominate their quarter final 3AA District Tournament game, 82-71...

Myrtle Wilma White, 85, of Kalamazoo, formerly of Trumann, died Tuesday, Feb. 14 at Borgess Hosptial in Kalamazoo. She was a homemaker and a member of Liberty Baptist Church. She was preceded in death by her husband, Buster White; two sons: John White and Mike White; one granddaughter, Debbie Moe; her parents, Walter and Ola Qualls; three brothers and two sisters...

Mary Louise Terry, 62, of Beebe, died Monday, Feb. 13 at Beebe Retirement Home. Terry was preceded in death by her husband, Rev. Billy Terry, and her mother, Elsie Heirld. Formerly of Lepanto, Terry was active in the Lepanto Senior Life Center and attended the First Assembly of God church prior to moving in the Beebe retirement home. ...

Roxie Mildred Rice, 77, of Lepanto died Monday, Feb. 6 at her residence. She was a homemaker and a member of the Church of God. She was preceded in death by her daughter-in-law, Judy Rice; her parents; one sister; three brothers; three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren...

Linda Rhinehart, 61, of Marked Tree died Monday, Feb. 20 at St. Bernards Hospital in Jonesboro. Survivors include her husband Donald Rhinehart of Marked Tree; four daughters, Sherry McWilliams of West Point, Miss., Nell Moore of Jonesboro, Melissa Rhinehart and Diane Becht, both of Marked Tree; two sons: Ronnie Rhinehart of Marked Tree and Donald Rhinehart Jr. ...

Georgia Inez Creecy, 67, of Trumann died Friday, Feb. 17, at the NEA Medical Center in Jonesboro. She was born in Paris, had lived in Trumann for the past 46 years and was formerly of Marked Tree. She was a retired employee of the Singer Company and worked at C & C Auto Sales after her retirement and was of the Pentecostal faith...

Tribune Editor There's no feeling quite like seeing an old friend. Just ask the four ladies who are organizing a reunion of workers from the Lepanto Garment Factory. They are eagerly awaiting the event which will take place on Saturday, Feb. 25 at the Harvest Grill in Lepanto...

Five members of the Taylor family made their way to Lepanto on Friday to do a benelevant act and ended up getting a real taste of Arkansas hospitality plus a bitter dose of Old Man Winter. Sam and Homer Taylor, of Houston, along with Dwight, Keith and Brandon Taylor, of Madisonville, left Texas on Thursday afternoon and drove all night to get to Lepanto to install a new heating and cooling system in the cities newest tourist attraction, "The Painted House." The house was used as a movie prop for the movie made about John Grisham's novel, by the same name. ...

The Tyronza City Council discussed a concern brought up by Judge Steve Inboden about a city ordinance and the vicious dog ordinance at its meeting last Tuesday. According to the city's attorney, Noyl Houston, Judge Inboden expressed concern over the ordinance in place addressing fines for hazardous driving for commercial vehicles. According to Houston, the city is limited to not more than $500 or double for each repetition of the offence...

Courtesy of the Modern News A group composed primarily of county, city and school officials were on hand last Friday morning, Feb. 10 to get an overview of the county's new Road Centerline Mapping Project that is now being developed by VillaGIS, Inc. of Hollister, Mo...

The East Poinsett County School Board met in regular session last week in Lepanto to discuss and decide on many pertinent issues including a day care program, distance learning bell schedule proposal, student activity insurance and hiring of principals...

As if the spikes in utility charges haven't posed a serious-enough threat to the pocketbooks and safety of the low-income in our area, now old man winter throws another challenge their way in the form of an arctic front, complete with frozen precipitation...

Poinsett County Circuit Clerk, Claudia Mathews, released the following names drawn as prospective petit jurors for the February / March 2006 session of Poinsett County Circuit Court Civil Division. Judge John Fogleman of Marion will be presiding. Jurors are instructed to report to the Poinsett County Courthouse in Harrisburg on Monday, Feb. ...

Joshua Robison, 19, of Trumann died from injuries he received early Saturday, Feb. 11. Also in the vehicle with him were Weston Moon and Cody Cagle, both of Trumann.

Mary Lou Smith Carroll, 62, of Trumann died Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2006 at Trumann. She was born June 18, 1943, the daughter of Archie and Ollie Smith. She was a homemaker. Carroll enjoyed gardening, decorating her home, reading her recipe books, cooking, shopping, birds, long walks and spending time with her family...

Bernice Moss, 76, of Harrisburg, died Thursday, Feb. 16, 2006 at Jonesboro. She was born on May 7, 1929 at McCormick. She was a former waitress and restaurant owner and loved spending time in her flower gardens. She also loved to sew. She was preceded in death by her parents, Amos Moss and Alta Rosetta Moss and one son, Larry Traynom...

Georgia Inez Creecy, 67, of Trumann died Friday, Feb. 17, at the NEA Medical Center in Jonesboro. She was born in Paris, had lived in Trumann for the past 46 years and was formerly of Marked Tree. She was a retired employee of the Singer Company and worked at C & C Auto Sales after her retirement and was of the Pentecostal faith...

Joshua Lynn "Joshie" Robison, 19, of Trumann, died Saturday, Feb. 18, 2006 from injuries received from a one car accident near Trumann. Robison was born in Jonesboro and was a lifetime resident of Trumann. He was a 2005 graduate of Trumann High School, an employee of Roach Manufacturing in Trumann and a member of the First Christian Church...

Linda Knaper, 52, of Hot Springs died, Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2006. She was born on April 23, 1953 in Jonesboro. She was preceded in death by her parents, John A. McCarty and Dorothy McCarty and one sister, Janis Dupuis. She is survived by one son, Wade Knaper of Hot Springs; two daughters, Leslie Collier and her husband, Michael of Hot Springs and Leann Knaper of Hot Springs; two brothers, Roger McCarty of Trumann and Mike McCarty of Arlington, Tex. and a number of other relatives...

Paul Cecil Cook, 82, of Caraway died Friday, Feb. 17, 2006 at St. Bernards Medical Center in Jonesboro. Cook was born in Wilburton, Okla., had lived in Caraway for the past five years and was formerly of Trumann. Cook was a retired farm laborer and of the Baptist faith...

Myrtle Wilma White, 85, of Kalamazoo, formerly of Trumann, died Tuesday, Feb. 14 at Borgess Hosptial in Kalamazoo. She was a homemaker and a member of Liberty Baptist Church. She was preceded in death by her husband, Buster White; two sons: John White and Mike White; one granddaughter, Debbie Moe; her parents, Walter and Ola Qualls; three brothers and two sisters...

Like Trumann, Heber Springs finished the regular season in second place in its conference, the 2AAA. Also like Trumann, Heber Springs had their only game in the conference tournament to finish third. Unlike Trumann, however, Heber Springs had a losing record coming into the first round of the AAA Region II Tournament in Pocahontas, 10-13 to 16-8. ...

The Northeast Arkansas Football League (NEAFL) announced that registration for adult flag football is now open. Anyone 16 years old and over are eligible to play. All games will be held in Marked Tree on the high school practice field. The rules and regulations will be explained to every athlete prior to the rest game of the season. Three referees will officiate every game...

Trumann had played well enough during the season to finish second in the conference and, as a result, gain byes all the way to the semi-final game of the 3AAA District Tournament last Friday at Harrisburg. Sometimes this is good because it gives a team a chance to recuperate from any problems that might have cropped up. Sometimes, though, it is a distinct disadvantage, because the team with the bye may get "cold" before they can take the court again against someone other than themselves...

First Baptist Church in Trumann is sponsoring a Shoot for the Son basketball skill camp each Saturday in March. The camp is available for all kids in first through fourth grades. It will consist of basketball skill drills and bible devotional time. The camp will conclude on March 25 with a hot dog lunch for players and their families...

Poinsett County Circuit Clerk, Claudia Mathews, released the following names drawn as prospective petit jurors for the February / March 2006 session of Poinsett County Circuit Court Civil Division. Judge John Fogleman of Marion will be presiding. Jurors are instructed to report to the Poinsett County Courthouse in Harrisburg on Monday, Feb. ...

As if the spikes in utility charges haven't posed a serious-enough threat to the pocketbooks and safety of the low-income in our area, now old man winter throws another challenge their way in the form of an arctic front, complete with frozen precipitation...

Shannon Bruner of Trumann is working to start a Pregnancy Care Center in Trumann. The center will be a faith based, non profit organization designed to be an evangelistic arm of the church. Bruner said she hopes the center will be an outreach ministry of many local churches. It will be placed in a neutral setting to be accessible and appealing to the general public...

The Trumann School District invited Larisa Potashova and Alimova Ludmilila, both of Russia, to a special reception to discuss educational differences and similarities between the countries. Potashova is from a Moscow University and Ludmilila is from Omsk, a large city in Siberial...

The Jonesboro Disabled Veterans, chapter 26, invites veterans to take advantage of a free van ride to the VA Hospital in Memphis. The van runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays each week. The van picks up veterans in Trumann at 6:45 a.m. at the Shell Station on Hwy 69 in Trumann and at 7 a.m. at McDonald's in Marked Tree...

Carolyn Wages of Marked Tree recently announced her candidacy for Poinsett County Treasurer. Wages is a lifetime resident of Marked Tree. She and her husband Jerry have two sons, Michael and Richie, and one grandson, Taylor. Wages is very active in her community. ...

Michael White, 286 Eastside Gardens, was arrested on Feb. 15 by Ptl. Paul Keith. He was charged with possession of a controlled substance (meth), carrying a prohibited weapon and possession of drug paraphernalia. Dennis Davis, 516 Christy, was arrested on Feb. 15 in the same incident...

The THS class of 1996 will have its second planning meeting for the class reunion at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 7 at Couch's BBQ in Trumann. All class members who want to help are invited to attend. Those seeking more information may call Grant Henley at 926-6856 or Carin Roberts McClung at 483-3571 or e-mail carinmcclung@hotmail.com...

A Poinsett County Coalition Meeting is set for 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 27 at Central Elementary School. The agenda of the meeting is to go over last months minutes, introduce new members and discuss potential members, discuss the teen pregnancy rate in Poinsett county, brain storm for solutions to help drug addicted parents, form sub-committees and schedule the next meeting...

Marine Corps Pvt. Michael A. Comatser, son of Carol A. and Michael A. Comatser of Trumann recently completed 12 weeks of basic training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, Calif. designed to challenge new Marine recruits both physically and mentally...

In response to a growing demand for expanded calling options, CenturyTel announced two new optional unlimited calling plans for its customers surrounding the Jonesboro metro area. The announcement was made at a lunch meeting in Trumann last Tuesday. Mayors and other community leaders from surrounding towns attended the announcement...

"I want to take this time to announce I will be seeking another term as Mayor of Trumann," said Mayor Ronnie Harrison at last week's city council meeting. The mayor also gave his state of the city report that is given each year during the second city council meeting of the year. In the report the presiding mayor gives an update on the city, what improvements were made over the last year and what improvements are set for the future...

The Bank of Trumann, in conjunction with TJ Raney, sponsored the first in a series of financial seminars. Matt Emanuel with AIG in Memphis presented a short program on retirement options offered by his company. When thinking about retiremement, people generally have two concerns. They worry about having enough money to live on once retired. They are also concerned about keeping pace with the rising cost of living...