Stories from Friday, May 27, 2011

The Three Rivers Baseball Bash is scheduled for May 27-29 at the Marked Tree Sports Complex. Entry for the tournament, which will use modified Little League rules, is $150 per team. Age divisions include eight and under, 10 and under and 12 and under. Teams will hit their own baseballs. Persons seeking additional information may call Tommy McCrary at 375-4647.

The Arkansas Activities Association announced this week the list of baseball and softball players chosen as All-State selections. The list highlights some of the most talented players in the state of Arkansas. Local selections in baseball were Anthony Rusher of Trumann and Jagger McCrary and Gunner Pitts of Marked Tree. The AAA also announced this week the list of senior athletes named as participants in the Arkansas All-Star competitions. Area baseball players selected to the East All-Star team are Ethan Malone of Marked Tree and Anthony Rusher of Trumann.

Trumann High School football started one-a-day practices this week, donning full pads in preparation for the start of gridiron action this fall. Practice is from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. every day through the end of school. Two-a-days will start Aug. 1. The morning practices will be from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and afternoon scrimmages will be from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m. "Things are going well at the spring practices," head coach Greg White said. "We currently have 35 out right now and expect a few after baseball season is over. We had a slow start last year, but ended up third in our district. We are looking to be real competitive in our district, if we can stay healthy."

The Marked Tree Indians accomplished one of the most successful baseball seasons not only in Arkansas for 2011, but in the history of the school. Advancing all the way to the Class 2A State Tournament semifinals, the Indians were a force to be reckoned with on the diamond. Marked Tree put together a stellar 26-5 overall record for the season. In fact, the Indians rode a 19-game winning streak into the state tournament. Amassing so many consecutive wins a rare feat in high school baseball, a sport in which literally anything is possible. The tumultuous nature of the game was apparent during the planned district tournament. Much of the state was blasted by torrential rains, resulting in severe flooding in many areas. The rain-soaked conditions resulted in the cancellation of the championship of the district event. Marked Tree, who was leading Marmaduke 5-1 when the championship contest was halted due to rainfall, advanced to the regional tournament as the top seed in 2A-3. Proving they were worthy of their selection, the Indians marched through the 2A North Regional Tournament. Marked Tree emerged as regional champions, rolling through the competition. In the first round, the Indians blasted White County Central 29-2. T.J. Laster belted three homeruns with nine RBIs in the three-inning contest to pace the Indians. Walnut Ridge was the next to fall to Marked Tree, succumbing 14-7 in the semifinals. Ethan Malone homered twice in the victory. The Indians outshined Salem 8-2 in the regional championship. Laster was 2-3 with two RBIs at the plate and struck out 10 on the mound in a complete game effort. At the state tournament in White Hall, Marked Tree started strong with an 11-1 win over Poyen in the first round. In the semifinals, the Indians fell 6-1 to Parkers Chapel, who went on to claim the 2A state championship. Throughout the season, the Indians were able to count on strong performances from their talented lineup. A talented group of hitters including Laster, Gunner Pitts, Malone, Jagger McCrary, Zach Bond, Ryan Cottrell, Taylor Wages and Brandon Adamson routinely came through for Marked Tree. Strong pitching was a hallmark for the club. Malone, McCrary and Laster were three starting hurlers any team in the state would welcome to their roster with open arms. The year was not without adversity. Early in the season, Adamson went down with an ACL injury which kept him sidelined for much of the year. The first baseman was able to come back and make an impact in the postseason run. Laster was hindered by an elbow injury which limited his time on the mound near the end of the regular season.

Burleson, Texas formerly of Blytheville, Ar. passed away Sunday, March 27, 2011 after a short battle with cancer. Memorial Service Sunday 05/29/11, 2 p.m. at Blackwater Church of God, CR 474, Manila, Ar. 72442. Jimmy worked as a truck driver at Osceola Foods until moving to the Fort Worth, Texas area in 1983. He was a driver with Walmart Sams Dist. Ctr. at Desoto, Texas. Survivors; Wife of 42 years Katha Brown Hathcock, sons, Jeff Hathcock and wife Tracy, Mike Hathcock and wife Tatiana, grandsons Tanner and Tristan Hathcock of Fort Worth, Texas, sisters Louise and Martha , brother John Ham of Bassett, Ar.

TRUMANN - Mrs. Katherine Jane James, 86, of Trumann died Sunday, May 22, 2011, at St. Elizabeth's Place in Jonesboro, Ark. She was born in Lilbourn, Mo., and lived most of her lifetime in Trumann. Mrs. James was a cashier at Hammell's grocery store and enjoyed flower gardening. She was also a member of the American Legion and a veteran of the U.S. Army serving in World War II. Mrs. James was preceded in death by her husband, Orin John James Jr.; two brothers, Robert and Merlin Hammell, and her parents, Elmer and Mary Hammell. Survivors include one son, Johnny "O.J." James of Trumann; two daughters, Carolyn Kempton of Gilroy, Calif., and Bonnie Reed of Choudrant, La.; five grandchildren, Kevin James, Dabnie James, Jessica James, Michael Goodman and Katherine Reed, and one great-grandson, Jack Paul Cook. Funeral service was at 10 a.m. Thursday, May 26, in the chapel of Thompson Funeral Home in Trumann with Rev. Billy Barnhill officiating. Burial followed in Jonesboro Memorial Park Cemetery in Jonesboro, Ark. Visitation was Wednesday evening from 5 to 7 p.m. at Thompson Funeral Home. An online register book can be signed at www.thompsonfuneralhome.net.

TRUMANN - Mrs. Lorene Lansdell, 80, of Trumann died Friday, May 20, 2011, at the Flo & Phil Jones Hospice House in Jonesboro, Ark. She was born in and had lived most of her life in Trumann. "Mrs. Lorene" had an in-home daycare where she helped raise many children from Trumann. She enjoyed flowers and watching birds. She was preceded in death by her husband, J.C. Lansdell; her parents, Albert Teague and Mildred Christina (Deckelman), and a son-in-law, DeWayne Walker. Survivors include one son, Keith Lansdell, and one daughter, Donna Walker, both of Trumann; three grandchildren, Brandy Pratt and Clay and Tyler Lansdell; six great-grandchildren, Katie, Elizabeth, Dillon, Jaxon and Cynthia Lansdell and Kyra Pratt; two brothers, Bill and Junior Teague, and four sisters, Gladys Smithson, Eveyln Penter, Carol Montgomery and Kay Jenkerson. Funeral service was at 10 a.m. Monday, May 23, in the chapel of Thompson Funeral Home in Trumann with Bro. Larry Loggins officiating. Burial followed at Jonesboro Memorial Park Cemetery in Jonesboro, Ark., with Thompson Funeral Home of Trumann in charge of arrangements. Pallbearers were Jimmy Richardson, Richard Woodruff, Bill Wagner, Robert Bufford and Dennis Penter Jr. Honorary pallbearers were Bill Cook, Henry Secrease, Junior Roach, James Taylor, Frank Bufford and her nephews. Visitation was Sunday from 4 to 6 p.m. at Thompson Funeral Home. The family requests that those who want to make donations consider the Flo and Phil Hospice House in Jonesboro. An online register book can be signed at www.thompsonfuneralhome.net.

Helen Louise Morrisett, 84, of Marked Tree, Ark., passed away Sunday, May 22, 2011, at St. Bernards Regional Medical Center in Jonesboro, Ark. She was a member of Marked Tree First United Methodist Church and was a member of the Beta Sigma Phi Organization. She was preceded in death by her mother, Christine Morgan; her father, William Allan Liggett, Sr.; her husband, Tommy Morrisett, and her brother, William Allan Liggett, Jr. She is survived by her son, Allan Morrisett of Marked Tree; two daughters, Terri Clayton of Payneway and Carolyn Herring of Marked Tree; seven grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren. Memorials may be sent to the American Diabetes Association, 5583 Murray Rd. #200A, Memphis, TN 38119-0887, or to Marked Tree First United Methodist Church at 304 Frisco Street, Marked Tree, AR 72365. Visitation was May 24 at the Marked Tree United Methodist Church. The graveside service was May 25, 2011, in the Marked Tree Cemetery with interment following. Online guestbook is www.rollerfuneralhomes.com.

The Festival on the Ridge is a Harrisburg annual event and one of the largest attractions to the city. It will take place June 4 and will include vendors from around the area. Mark Weston, who is helping with festival efforts said, "We've just had four new vendors sign up and this year we have a lot of good vendors. They are mostly food this year, but we do have some merchandise vendors as well." Also attending the Festival on the Ridge will be BMX from Oklahoma, the Trumann fire department's smokehouse and Arkansas' own Sonny Burgess. Activities start at 7 a.m. and continue through 7 p.m. "We're looking forward to a great lineup," said Weston.

One of the most fun and exciting things at Exploration Camp 2011 will be painting mural scenes for a play Friday, June 24. Exploration Camp will be held at the ASU-Newport Technical Center in Marked Tree starting June 20. The camp is open to children ages 7 to 11 and will be from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. each day. David Morgan, an art instructor at ASU-Newport and ASU-Newport Technical Center in Marked Tree, will be helping with the painting of the murals. He has over 20 years of painting experience and participated in the camp last year. Besides David Morgan, Sharon Lowery of the U of A Cooperative Extension Service will be helping at the camp doing demonstrations and helping create kaleidoscopes. Bill Stanley, renowned woodworker of the Marked Tree area, will be sharing his skills with the campers two times during the week. On Tuesday, Keith Steele will be bringing his horses. Those who are interested in learning new things and creating new things are invited to join in the fun June 20-24 at the Marked Tree campus of ASU-Newport. Those who want more information may contact Allison King, Exploration Camp co-chair, at 870-358-8617 or check out the Exploration Camp facebook page at www.facebook.com/pages/Exploration_Camp.

Lake Poinsett State Park will host a horse-riding event for children from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 28, in the park. The cost is $3 to ride the horses and kettle corn will be provided. All of the horses are kid-broken and extremely gentle. The park is located on Highway 163 just outside of Harrisburg. Those who want more information on Lake Poinsett State Park may visit the park website at www.arkansasstateparks.com/lakepoinsett/.

This summer, Trumann High School is providing an opportunity for students to make up credit for failed classes. Summer credit recovery classes will be held from 8 a.m. to 12 noon Monday through Friday at Trumann High School, beginning June 13. If enough students sign up and teachers are available, credit recovery will be offered in math, English, history and science. There is no charge for this service. Those who want more information may contact Kevin Beaumont at (870) 483-5301.

Wood Ford's program, Drive One for School, raised $6,000 for Trumann High School. The event took place April 16 and with each car that was driven, up to 300 cars, Wood Ford donated $20. "There were 371 cars that were test driven that day," said Clark Secrease, general manager of Wood Ford in Trumann. "So we ended up giving the school the full amount of $6,000." Since 2007, Wood Ford has sponsored this program with local schools and over $5 million has been donated to schools across the county through the program. There have been over 275,000 cars test driven since the program started. "Harrisburg was the last school who participated," said Secrease. "And we will be going to Riverside school this fall. We are hoping to come back to every school within a three year time period. "We couldn't have done this without the students and faculty," said Secrease. "They helped us get the word out and were very involved with the program."

Kathy Evans spoke Thursday, May 19, to the Trumann Rotary Club about Lake Poinsett State Park. The meeting was held at Couch's BBQ. Evans, assistant superintendent at the park, said Lake Poinsett State Park was founded in 1963 and holds a 640-acre lake. In its beginnings, the park only had one person on staff. "It was a quiet park for a long time," said Evans. "For awhile, there really weren't many events for the community to participate in." Today, however, the park is beginning to grow. In fact, last month, a new superintendent, Vickie Tremble, was hired. "She has a lot of experience," said Evans, taking in account that Tremble has worked for other state parks throughout her life, "and is great with teaching children. We're looking forward to her being here." The park has grown tremendously throughout the last few years, adding more and more recreational opportunities for the community to enjoy. The lake itself contains multiple boat ramps and plenty of crappie, bass and catfish fishing. "We have one of the healthiest lakes in the area," said Evans. "The lake is so healthy that we no longer have to stock it with fish." There are 29 campsites located on the park and one pavilion that is screened in. The pavilion can be used for anything from church gatherings to family reunions. There is also a 1.1-mile hiking trail around the lake. "We are planning to add another trail that will go through the woods located in the park," said Evans. "We hope to have that finished by next year." The park also includes picnic and play areas. Park attendees can even rent a kayak, canoe or fishing boat to take out on the lake. The park also offers fishing equipment, both to rent and buy. Evans explained that one of her main duties as assistant superintendent is to be an interpreter. "When someone asks me what language I interpret, I normally answer 'English, and some Arkansan,'" said Evans. "As an interpreter, I'm more of an educator." Staffers interpret the history and culture of the land, the significance of the nature surrounding park visitors and even facts and figures about native animals and plants. "The park offers a lot of workshops and classes," said Evans. One popular workshop is the Dutch oven workshop. During the class, participants learn how to cook an entire meal in a cast-iron Dutch oven. There is even an advanced workshop for those who have been through the first, offering more recipes and techniques. "We do a lot of school education," said Evans. "Kids love the animal programs we do and, with these programs, we teach a lot of local history. All of this is free to the schools. State taxes go to help pay for the education programs we provide." Lake Poinsett State Park also works closely with local Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts to help them earn badges and with other scout projects. The park offers many activities for children throughout the year. One event coming up is a horse-riding day, where children can ride kid-broken horses, with the safety of a bike helmet, in a corral. This event will take place at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 28. The cost is $3 per child and includes unlimited horseback riding and a bag of kettle-cooked popcorn.

The Marked Tree Rotary Club presented its Rotary Scholarship last week to a Marked Tree High School student. Brittaney Williams is the scholarship recipient. She also spoke to the Rotary Club about herself. She was ranked fifth in her class, has a GPA of 3.7 and made a 24 on the ACT. Williams said she plans to attend the University of Central Arkansas in Conway and hopes to later transfer to Spelman College in Atlanta. "I'm majoring in biology/pre-med," she said. "I want to be a pediatric endocrinologist and work in Africa helping little babies." Williams said that because of the expense of Spelman College, she plans on getting some courses under her belt at UCA first before transferring. "UCA is close to home, but not too far away." She joked that ASU is "too close for my mama to get to." Williams' other scholarships include a Walmart Scholarship, Arkansas Lottery Scholarship and a Project Pump Scholarship. She said she liked leadership activities and was Class Vice President and JROTC Battalion Commander. When asked which course in school was the hardest for her, Williams said it was probably art. "I love math and science. They just come naturally. History's good, too. I like seeing where people messed up." She also held down two jobs while in high school -- one at Bright Beginnings Learning Center and the other at Subway. She said she plans to keep one for the summer while she takes some summer courses at ASU. Williams starts at UCA in the fall.

Petetea Okimosh is an artist who recently moved to the Bay area with his wife. He also is one of the few remaining full-blooded members of the Menominee Indian tribe. Okimosh is part of the Thunder Clan and at one time worked for the sawmill on the Menominee reservation in Wisconsin. After hurting his back, Okimosh began to explore his art hobby. Along the walls of Okimosh's home, there is bright art hanging. Circles filled with colors, shapes and meaning beyond what is seen. Each piece holds significance, as each piece is made for a specific person. "When someone wants me to make something for them, I ask them to come over so we can talk," said Okimosh. He has them bring a circle, made of most any material, and one cherished item they would like in the piece. "I like to speak to that person, to get to know them," said Okimosh. "Later, I will have a vision or dream about them." These dreams are what inspire Okimosh's art. His art looks similar to what is commonly known as the "dream catcher," but Okimosh says what he creates is known as a "medicine shield." "The medicine shield has to do with spirituality," said Okimosh. "I try to give balance in different areas of life -- emotion, physical, mental, spiritual." There is a theme of animal spirit that runs through each piece that is hung on the wall, whether it is shown through an owl claw, a hawk feather or a painting of a turtle. The circle of life, represented in red, yellow, white and black, is inspiration for many of his works. Each color is substantial, as they each symbolize multiple ideas and feelings, separate, but working together to create something whole. Okimosh also creates elaborate walking canes and decorative staffs. He even designs intricate woodwork drawings through woodburning. He designed a wooden chest for his wife. Some of the wooden boxes he has created are vibrant in color and some retain their natural wood nature. "I want to have a small woodshop one day so I can do more with the woodburnings and carvings." Okimosh said. Okimosh is anishi naaba, or original people. He is recognized as an elder, spiritual leader and teacher among the Menominee. Okimosh's roots are seen through his artwork. He holds a deep respect for the nature that surrounds him, and for that respect, nature provides him the opportunity for great art, through both material and inspiration.

This summer aspiring writers have the opportunity to find peace and quiet in the very place Ernest Hemingway wrote parts of his novel "A Farewell to Arms." The summer 2011 Hemingway-Pfeiffer Creative Writers' Retreat for adults is scheduled for June 20-24. Retreats are held in the Educational Center and Hemingway Barn-Studio and offer participants the opportunity to work on personal creative writing under the direction of a professional mentor...

The wrestling benefit May 21 for Chad Henderson, Lepanto's Chief of Police, raised over $2,000 for him and his family. A large crowd attended the event in the Lepanto High School gym. Headlining the night was Lepanto's own Jeff Miles. Other wrestlers included Big Daddy LaFonce, Heavyweight Champion Frankie Tucker, Officer Hudson, Hillbilly, Chris Steel, East Coast Bad Boyz, Luxora Hustlers, Hambones and many other fan favorites. The event consisted of five separate matches. During the last match a referee was knocked out and Jeff Miles had to step into the ring to help out. One move led to another and soon enough Miles was lying face down on the mat. The brawl began to grow and soon every wrestler was out in the ring. After moments of fighting, the scuffle spread to the edge of the crowd. As the swings began to soften, a roar erupted from the audience. "Five more minutes, five more minutes, five more minutes," the chants went on. Encouraged and still raging, the wrestlers gave the crowd what they asked for. Many who attended were surprised and impressed at the showmanship that the night brought. During the intermission, Chad Henderson spoke, thanking those who came out to support both him and his family. There was also a bake sale at the wrestling match that brought in some money. Cakes and baked goods were auctioned off and given away in a drawing. On April 5, Henderson had his appendix removed. He returned to the hospital April 15 due to a serious infection. "His kidneys were shutting down," said Henderson's wife, Casey. "He was in the ICU for 10 days, then in a regular room for four." Henderson has lost over 65 pounds since he bacame ill in April. The Hendersons now have to travel to Jonesboro every week so Chad can receive dialysis. "I have dialysis three days a week in Jonesboro," said Henderson. "Each dialysis visit takes about four hours. We don't know yet how long I'll have to do this." Jeff Miles, the man behind the organization of the wrestling benefit and good friend of Henderson said, "We believe prayer is going to change that though." If anyone would like to make an additional donation to the Henderson family they may send a check to P.O. Box 13, Chad and Casey's personal mailing address.

Casey A. Cravens, of Trumann, was arrested Wednesday, May 25, on one count of breaking and entering, seven counts of forgery and seven counts of theft of property. The arresting officer was Erik Willbanks. On Monday, May 23, a complaint was made to the Trumann Police Department that some business checks had been stolen from a resident's mailbox and that the suspect had passed several checks within the city of Trumann. The man whose checks were stolen listed Cravens as the suspect. Three local businesses, gave statements saying that they had received forged checks from Cravens, using the victim's account. All of the checks were written between May 21 and May 25. On Wednesday, Craven's was confronted with evidence by Trumann police and admitted to stealing the checks from the victim's mailbox, forging the victim's name and passing them on to local businesses. District Judge Ron Hunter has set Cravens' bond at $25,000.