Stories from Thursday, October 9, 2008

Cameron Argo was crowned queen of the Terrapin Derby last Saturday. She sold 3,523 tickets, more than any other queen in the 78 year history of the event. Natalie Morrow sold 2,663 tickets to win first alternate and Samantha Tacker won second alternate with 380 tickets sold. Brittany Wilson sold 362 tickets to win third alternate and Zyonna Anderson was named runner-up.

James Edward Butcher, Jr., 60, of Marked Tree died Saturday, Oct. 4, at his residence. He was a veteran of the Vietnam War. He was preceded in death by his parents, Eudell and Dovie Kent. Survivors include his wife, Brenda Robbins Butcher of Marked Tree; three sons, Lucan Jim Butcher of Three Rivers, Mich., Sparky Edward Robbins of Elk Hart, Ind., Lance Q. ...

Virginia Layman, 74, of Tyronza, died Sunday, Oct. 5, at her residence in Tyronza. She was a member of the First Baptist Church of Tyronza and owned and operated a clothing store. Survivors include two sons, Lynn Layman, Jr., of Imperial, Mo. ...

Mary Elizabeth Morrisett, 54, of Marked Tree died Saturday, Oct. 4 at St. Bernard's Medical Center. She was a member of the Church of God, a singer and a musician. She was preceded in death by her husbands, Bert Busch and Garner Morrisett, Jr; her parents Eudell and Dovie Kent; her brother, Buddy Kent and two sisters...

Virginia Juanita Rogers, 86, died Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2008 at her residence in Marked Tree. Born Sept. 27, 1922, she was of the Methodist faith. She was an avid homemaker for her family and assisted with the family candy, vending and photography business. ...

EPC School Board members plan to look in to purchasing video cameras for the Tyronza and Lepanto campuses. The board met Monday night and heard reports on the costs for the cameras as well as security during a lockdown. Adding cameras to the campuses is expected to cost about $50,000 to $60,000...

The City of Marked Tree will hold a fall cleanup Oct. 20 -- 24. The following is a list of "dos" and "don'ts" for making Marked Tree the most attractive hometown in the USA. "You should make every effort to gather up all trash and debris during this time frame, as there will be no charge to you for this service during this week," said Mayor Dixon Chandler. ...

2008 Arkansas Rice festival to kicks off Saturday The 2008 Arkansas Rice Festival will kick off at 10 a.m. on Saturday in Weiner. Opening ceremonies will start at 10 a.m. on the Main Stage followed by a parade at 11 a.m...

"Service above self" is the motto of the Rotary Club, something the Marked Tree chapter takes very seriously. The club recently reached out to children in Lepanto, Marked Tree and Tyronza by donating a student dictionary to every third grader in the three towns. ...

"They were the biggest and most physical team we've played so far." Those words by coach Brian Weathers fairly well summed up the battle his EPC junior Warriors had at Salem last Thursday night. By the time it was over, the Warriors had to use two kickoff returns and a trick play to get enough points to defeat the junior Greyhounds, 28-24...

The Junior Indians got back on the winning track by downing Walnut Ridge 22-0 last Thursday at Marked Tree. "After the game the week before, we challenged our kids." Said coach Matt Wright. "These guys have a lot of talent and a lot of ability. And so they took up the challenge we gave them and came out and played some good ball."...

I'm sure most of my readers who deeply love their Cardinals are grinning ear to ear to see their rival team come crashing down. But from the other side of the fence it was deeply excruciating. Last week I wrote about when the Cubs played the Diamondbacks last year. ...

In 1992, layman Jerry Frear Jr. was brainstorming with church colleagues about how they might be able to encourage their pastor. He was in view of the calendar and saw Groundhog Day approaching. He said "Now if they can recognize a groundhog, why not a preacher?" So the month of October somehow was designated as Clergy Appreciation Month and the 2nd Sunday of October as Clergy Appreciation Day...

When you are a newspaper editor, complaints are just part of the job. I have learned over the years to graciously and humbly admit when I make mistakes and try my best to make up for those mistakes whenever possible...

As I sit here watching the economy slowly swirl down the crapper, even after the bailout passed, I'm still trying to figure out how much $700billion is. I am also coming to realize that that money is just part of what this program will cost when it is done...