Stories from Thursday, March 5, 2009

Roy Belle Adams of Lake St. Louis, Mo. died on Dec. 25, 2008, at the age of 79. Devoted wife of George Adams; dear daughter of the late Roy Wyatt and the late Maggie Bell Wyatt; loving mother of Loretta (Dennis) Beard and Becky (Greg) Shearer; dear sister of Eunice Jane Wyatt; cherished grandmother of Scott (Amy) Wilson, Deana (Keavin) Blount, Joshua (Kristy) Shearer, Heather (Darren) Ambro, W. ...

Sharron Kay "Sybie" DeFord Wray was born on Tuesday, June 27, 1950, daughter of Bob and Wanda Benson DeFord. Wray died Feb. 25, 2009 at NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital in Jonesboro, at the age of 58 years 7 months and 29 days. ...

Bay advanced to last year's Class 2A State Tournament, but didn't claim any championships along the way and lost in the tournament's first round. Yellowjacket coach Brad Brannen promised his team they would return to this year's state tournament, and the players set some goals of their own...

Bay fell short of reaching their goal of a state tournament appearance, dropping a 51-39 decision Friday night in the regional semi-finals to Mammoth Spring before succumbing to Viola 54-32 in the consolation game Saturday afternoon at Bay...

Jordan Ferguson poured in a game high 28 points, including 11 in overtime to lead Bay to a 70-65 come from behind victory over Calico Rock in the first round of the Class 1A-Region 2 basketball tournament Thursday night at Bay...

Bay overwhelmed Norfork with a big first quarter and went on to defeat Black Rock 74-47 to claim the Class 1A-Region 2 Basketball Championship Saturday night before a capacity crowd on their own home floor...

Mike Dungan will never forget the floor at the "old" Trumann High Gymnasium. Unlike modern day basketball arenas which have cushioning underneath the flooring, the one in Trumann is solid concrete. There's not a dead spot anywhere on the court. "If anybody remembers anything about Trumann's gym it will be the floor," Dungan said. ...

A tough defense by Lonoke ended the Lady Wildcats hopes of making it to the state championship. The Lady Jackrabbits sent Trumann to a quick 68-34 exit last Wednesday in the first round of the Class 4A east Regional Basketball Tournament in Heber Springs...

I've often commented in this space about my dismay that young people aren't reading as much any more. Well, now comes word that, in some schools, teaching cursive writing may be heading toward extinction too. Great! So now not only are our kids not reading, they can't even write any more...

When I started this column, I vowed never to write so much about religion or politics and looking back I have done a little of both. Well, today is no different. Many of you watched the president's state of the union address a few nights ago on TV. ...

Have you ever lost your car keys and found them in the freezer or discovered you put the milk in the cabinet with the cereal? Lately I've discovered myself doing those sorts of things and it's driving me crazy! I think it's because things have been extra busy and hectic for me...

Keith and April Mincy were tired of the foul smell coming from the city's drainage ditch which runs along Pine Ave. The sewer-like stench could be smelled from one end of the block to the other. When they took their concern to the city council on Feb. 10, they were told the cause of the smell was due to a broken sewer pipe and that it had been fixed...

Anthony Patterson, 32, isn't a board member of the Trumann Chamber of Commerce because he enjoys any prestige it might bring. Rather, he sees it as an opportunity to bless others as he has been blessed. It was because of this selfless attitude of service that Patterson was named the Outstanding Chamber Board member at the chamber's banquet Feb. 19...

Special education supervisor Teresa Hendrix said she was surprised when her name was announced as Educator of the Year by the Trumann Chamber of Commerce. The announcement came during the group's annual banquet Feb. 19...

When the Trumann Chamber of Commerce considered their choices for the 2009 Business of the Year Award, the looked for a business that had been a longstanding part of the community -- a business that gave back...

Jerry McKinney knew something was up when his son Chris told him he had to go to the annual Chamber of Commerce banquet. McKinney had gone to them in the past but hadn't been to one in the last couple of years. "He just said 'you need to go.' No explanation," McKinney said. "I knew there was something going on. But nobody told me and I didn't know what it was."...

There were five ministers in Betty Payne's living room when she received the news 41 years ago that her husband Jim had been killed in Vietnam. The people of Trumann rallied around her and her two young sons, Nate, who was nine years old at the time, and Ben who was four...

The Lady Warriors of East Poinsett County advanced with ease in the first round of the 2A-North Region Tournament at Newark last Wednesday, topping Midland 60-32. While coach Bobby Lewallen and his squad have seen numerous gimmick defenses during their dominant run of the past several years, Midland coach Rick McKinney tried something a little different. ...

NEWARK -- Melbourne showed EPC just why they are ranked as one of the top two teams in the state in the 2A division Monday night in the 2A North Regional championship game by blasting the Warriors 71-50 largely on the strength of Bearkatz superstar Spencer Caraway who finished the game with 23 points...