Stories from Thursday, September 15, 2011

Miss Shannon Gabrielle Meeks and J. P. Bishop, Jr. will exchange wedding vows Friday, Sept. 16, at 6 p.m. in a private ceremony. The bride-elect is the daughter of L.J. and Danene Meeks of Trumann. The groom's parents are J.P. and Patsy Bishop of Lepanto.

Emilee Ellen Engelken and Matthew Thomas Gill are to wed, Sept. 24, 2011, in Harrisburg. Emilee is the daughter of Jodie and Robert Martinez of Joplin, Mo., and Jeffrey and Stephanie Engelken of Anna, Texas. She is the granddaughter of Fred and Barbara Engelken of Jonesboro, Martha and Kirk Blount of Carthage, Mo., and Jim and Beverly Backerman of Huntsville. She is a graduate of Jonesboro High School. Matthew is the son of Cindy and D'wayne Fries of Marked Tree and Tim and T.J. Gill of Trumann. He is the grandson of Thomas (Buddy) and Lois Parham of Marion and Bill and Betty Gill of Tyronza. Matt has been a lifelong resident of Marked Tree and is a graduate of Marked Tree High School. Emilee is currently in school working on her degree in Art Education and Matthew is currently working at Lowe's in Joplin. The couple will reside in Carthage after the wedding.

Four-year-old Ethan McIntyre has been fascinated by garbage trucks for at least two years. According to his parents, Hunter and Jayme McIntyre, he has never missed a trash collection day. When driving to Jonesboro from their home in Wynne, he always asks to drive through the Delta Environmental parking lot so that he can get a look at his favorite vehicles on the road. Recently, Ethan celebrated his fourth birthday in an unusual way. He was given his first ride in a garbage truck by the employees of Delta Environmental. Ethan had a great time while riding and was also given a Delta Environmental toy truck and lunchbox by the staff. Ethan also reportedly distributed Delta Environmental themed party favors to guests at his birthday party. According to his parents, the family now has a life-long garbage truck memory!

TRUMANN -- Mrs. Leona Brock, 97, of Trumann died Thursday, Sept. 8, 2011, at Craighead Nursing Center in Jonesboro, Ark. She was born and had lived her lifetime in Trumann. Mrs. Brock was the oldest remaining member of Freer Baptist Church in Trumann. She was preceded in death by her husband, Rufus M. Brock; two brothers, Floyd and Ernest Richards; six sisters, Elmer Ballard, Emma Adams, Myrtle Martin, Irene Edwards, Inez Allen and Lorene Richards, and her parents, Ernest and Melissia Richards. Mrs. Brock was a loving mother and grandmother who enjoyed time spent with family and friends. She was an avid reader and enjoyed working crossword puzzles. In the last years, one of her greatest joys was being with her great-great-grandchildren. Mrs. Brock (Momma/Nanny) gave to her family an abundance of love and left many loving and kind memories. Survivors include one daughter, Dorcas Wyatt and husband Hershel of Trumann; two grandchildren, Pam Castille and Carrie Hendrix and husband Steve; three great-grandchildren, Jodi Richardson and husband Ronnie, Wyatt Kenley and wife Micha, and Julia Nicole Castille; and two great-great-grandchildren, Connor and Chloe Richardson. Graveside service was Saturday morning at 11 a.m. in Jonesboro Memorial Park Cemetery with Rev. Larry Loggins officiating. Burial followed in Jonesboro Memorial Park Cemetery in Jonesboro, Ark. Pallbearers were Wyatt Kenley, Pam Castille, Michael Adams, Gary Martin, Ronnie Adams, and Steve Hendrix. Visitation was Friday from 5 until 7 p.m. at Thompson Funeral Home in Trumann, Ark. An online register book can be signed at www.thompsonfuneralhome.net

There will be a battle of the decades at the Lepanto Terrapin Derby First Annual Kick-Ball Tournament. The event will take place at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 1, at the Lepanto Sports Complex. Competing teams are Class of 1960-69, Class of 1970-79, Class of 1980-89, Class of 1990-99, Class of 2000-10 and Class of 2011. The charge is $10 per person, with 12-15 on each team. For more information, persons may contact Wilma Pierce at 870-919-3604 or Tammy Betts at 870-919-2399.

Kara Lynn Byars, 2008 graduate of the University of Central Arkansas and Juris Doctor with honors from UALR Bowen School of Law in May 2011, recently completed the Arkansas Bar Exam and was sworn in as a licensed attorney by Circuit Judge Larry Boling on Sept. 8. She will be practicing law in Harrisburg with the law firm of Tiner and Cobb.

Girl Scout recruitment will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 20, at the United Methodist Church, 220 North Pine Street in Trumann. For more information, persons may contact Terri Dunham at 273-6048.

Secretary of Agriculture, Thomas J. Vilsack, approved all 75 counties in Arkansas as a primary disaster area due to the combined effects of hail, high winds, flooding, widespread drought and excessive heat that occurred on April 1, 2011, and continuing. This designation makes farm operators in primary counties eligible to be considered for assistance from FSA, provided eligibility requirements are met. This assistance includes FSA emergency loans and the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments Program, which was approved as part of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008. FSA will consider each application on its own merit by taking into account the extent of losses, security available, and repayment ability. Farmers and ranchers in the disaster area have until May 7, 2012, to apply for the loans to help cover part of their actual losses. To be eligible, producers must have suffered a physical loss or at least a 30 percent loss of normal production in a single enterprise, be able to repay the loan and any other loans, be unable to obtain credit elsewhere, and have adequate security. Additional information regarding eligibility and other loan requirements may be obtained by contacting the local FSA county office. The U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or familial status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs). Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audio tape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202)720-2600 (voice and TTD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TTD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

The Marked Tree Delta Cotton Pickin' Jubilee, sponsored by the Marked Tree Fire Dept., is scheduled Saturday, Sept. 24. Here is the schedule of events: 6 a.m. -- Pancake Breakfast, Masonic Lodge 7:30 a.m. -- Peggy Bankston Walk/Run Registration. 8 a.m. -- Peggy Bankston Walk/Run, Marked Tree Rotary. 10 a.m. -- Welcome, Mayor Wayne Nichols; Marked Tree High ROTC, arts and crafts, food booths open; pony rides, Three Rivers Livestock; petting zoo, First Delta Bank; helicopter rides; giant slide, MTHS Class of 2012; Loud Mouth Dunk Tank, MT Fire Dept.; mechanical bull rides. 10:30 a.m. -- Money Walk, Make-A-Wish. 11 a.m. Duck Race, Marked Tree Booster Club. 11:30 a.m. -- Money Walk, Make-A-Wish. 12 p.m. -- winners of bar-b-que contest announced; Wheelbarrow of Fortune Drawing, Marked Tree Rotary. 12:30 p.m. -- Money Walk, Make-A-Wish. 1 p.m. Bull Frog Race, Marked Tree Fire Dept. 1:30-2:15 p.m. -- Rick Kimery Band, Trinity Baptist Church; winner announced for $100 drawing, Marked Tree Library. 1:30 p.m. -- Money Walk, Make-A-Wish. 3-4:30 p.m. -- Yesterday, A Tribute to the Beatles Band. 6 p.m. -- Meet and Greet Classmates, Marked Tree Cafeteria. 6:30-8 p.m. -- Reunion of the MT Indians, MT Class of '71 Reunion Host. 9-? -- Reunion Dance at Armory for everyone with the Lance McDaniel Band, $10 per person at the door.

In conjunction with the Cotton Pickin' Jubilee, Judy Byran Webb will be in concert at the Marked Tree High School Auditorium at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24. All proceeds go to the Marked Tree Senior Class. "Come join us for a fun-filled night of music from every decade," a spokesman said. "If you like Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Patsy Cline, Shania Twain, and many others, you will love this show." Tickets will be on sale from members of the Senior Class, or persons may contact Carolyn Wages or Bobbie Pharis. Tickets are $5.

Little Rock -- The Great Arkansas Treasure Hunt is underway and State Auditor Charlie Daniels hopes to track down 58,000 Arkansans with abandoned cash, stocks, bonds, jewelry and other assets that were recently turned over to his office under Arkansas' Unclaimed Property Program. Unclaimed property reported to the State Auditor's office for 2011 totals $22.8 million, with an additional $150 million from previous years still waiting to be found. The Great Arkansas Treasure Hunt is an annual awareness program conducted by the Auditor of State to help reunite unclaimed property owners with their lost assets. The 2011 list of unclaimed property will be published in newspapers across the state beginning on Sept. 19, but Arkansans can search the Auditor's website anytime at http://e2ma.net/go/10704346003/3894768/109474707/42558/goto:http://www.auditor.ar.gov/>www.auditor.ar.gov. "Property usually comes to our office because the original owner has moved or died," Daniels said. "Tracking down an owner without a current address can be challenging, so we remind people to check their local newspaper listings and search our website. With nearly 600,000 names on the list, there's a good chance we could have property belonging to you." Arkansas law requires businesses and government organizations to report abandoned property to the Auditor of State after the property remains unclaimed for a specified period of time, usually 1-5 years. Unclaimed property can include things like credit balances, security deposits, utility refunds, stocks, bonds, cash and even mineral royalties. Once the property is turned over to the Auditor of State, it remains in trust for the original owner or the owner's heirs to come forward and claim. Since the program's inception, the Auditor of State has returned over $82 million to original owners of unclaimed property. Items making their way to the auditor's unclaimed property vault this year include collections of Mexican gold coins, Morgan Silver Dollars, foreign currency and bundles of cash. In one safe deposit box, staff discovered a collection of Ty Beanie Babies. For now, these remain secured in the unclaimed property vault along with countless other coins, jewelry, personal papers and other interesting and unusual abandoned items that have accumulated over the years. Search for unclaimed property or learn more about filing a claim by visiting www.auditor.ar.gov. For questions about the claims process, call 1-800-CLAIM-IT or send an email to claimit@auditor.ar.gov.

A fundraiser will be held this weekend to help raise money for Harrisburg veterans to rebuild their American Legion post, which was destroyed by fire in June. The spaghetti lunch will be held fro 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17, at the Past Times Bar and Grill, 117 N. Main. Live music will be provided by the Country Legends Wolf Pack Band.

Nancy Fergus, Trio Program coordinator for Poinsett and Mississippi counties, was guest speaker for the Marked Tree Rotary Club last week. She talked about many of the Trio programs, including Educational Opportunity Centers, which is the program she works with. Trio began in 1965 when Congress created a series of programs to help Americans overcome class and social barriers to a higher education. Trio programs are geared toward low-income and first generation students and were originally called Special Programs for Students from Disadvantaged Backgrounds. Most of them were authorized in the Higher Education Act of 1965 and subsequent amendments. Fergus has been working with Trio for the past 11 years and said the programs are federally-funded for first generation individuals. The programs include Upward Bound, which prepares high school students and veterans for success in post secondary education; Talent Search, which prepares and assists high school students with applying for financial aid and college admission; Student Support Services, which helps low-income and first generation college students and individuals with disabilities graduate from college; Veterans Upward Bound, which helps veterans make the transition to postsecondary education; Educational Opportunity Center, which helps low-income and first generation students gain college admission and find financial assistance; Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program, which prepares low-income, first generation college students for doctoral study; and Upward Bound Math/Science, which prepares high school students for college programs that lead to careers in math and science. Fergus said her office is in Osceola, but their program is non-college specific. "I help them enroll in whatever college they want," Fergus said. "I encourage students to stay locally because it's good for our area and so they don't wind up with huge debts they'll never be able to pay off." She also works with many of high school drop-outs, getting them enrolled for the GED, and works with high schools in the area to get students to plan early for deadlines. "It's very rewarding," she said. "We're seeing a lot of progress. We're getting a lot of people into GED programs, and some of them are going on to college." Fergus formerly was a teacher and said it is rewarding to see students she taught going to college and obtaining a postsecondary education.

Mary Smith, wife of the late Dr. Vestal Smith, was sworn in on Monday after she offered to fill out her husband's term as alderman on the Marked Tree City Council. Before she was nominated to serve the rest of his term, a proclamation was read that recognized her husband's service to the community. She was then presented with the certificate recognizing his service. "He was a great asset to our community," Mayor Wayne Nichols said of Dr. Smith. "We're all going to miss him." The mayor nominated Mary Smith to serve the rest of his term, saying she had offered to accept the position, and the council voted unanimously in favor. In other business, the council: --Heard from representatives regarding bids for a two-year lease on a sanitation truck and accepted the bid from Bluff City for $156,441. The current lease runs out in February. --Accepted a bid to install a new tornado siren from SafetyCom for $22,266.04. Mayor Nichols said the city has a 50/50 matching $15,000 grant --Heard an update on the playground equipment. The mayor said the city accepted a bid of $64,000, which leaves some grant money to buy additional equipment. A committee of four was formed to decide what new equipment would be added to the plans. After that, work on the playground can begin. --Heard an update on the sports complex lawsuit. The city settled the dispute with Associated Engineers out of court.

Marked Tree journalism students recently launched the school's first online newspaper "Avox: The Student Voice of Marked Tree." Students felt the name was appropriate because one of their goals for the paper is to get their perspective across. "If you want to know about Marked Tree, this is the group you come to," said Jim Mayers, who teaches the two Journalism/Annual Staff sections involved in the publication. The paper will cover school events -- both for the high school and elementary -- and articles on sports and clubs. The paper also features an opinions page with letters to the editors, a Quote of the Week, and announcements which people can subscribe to and have sent to their phone. Students hope to add more sections as the paper grows, such as polls and a history page. Soon after the website was launched, English sections expressed their interest in having fiction and poetry published in the paper. Last week, the Avox Creative Corner went up and is currently showcasing student poetry. Students said two of their goals in starting the online paper were to have a place to get current school news and to be eco-friendly at the same time. Students on the paper staff are also on the annual staff. "Coach Wright and I were talking and saw two problems we could solve," Mayers said. "We needed a school newspaper and we needed a better annual." He said that combining the newspaper staff and annual staff made sense because the responsibilities of the projects dovetailed into one another. "They're doing the work to write articles about the school, and that helps the annual out. The knowledge they put into this adds to the annual." The staff of 12 students each write two articles a week, which are due on Friday. They submit the stories to Mayers, who posts them in the appropriate categories on the site. Mayers said that, as the paper grows, a student will be in charge of each section and that, eventually, the paper can be run entirely by students outside of class. "Ideally, this will grow to be too big for me to proof," Mayers said. "The more this is done by students, the better." Mayers said the best way to access the website is to do a Google search for the paper's name "Avox: The Student Voice of Marked Tree." Avox comes from the Latin root "vox," which means "voice." "That's truly what this is," Mayers said. "The student voice of Marked Tree."

National Back To Church Sunday, a cross-denominational movement to reverse declining church attendance and encourage everyone to revisit congregational life, will be celebrated Sept. 18 across the country. Lending his voice to this year's event is Texas Rangers all-star Josh Hamilton, the 2010 American League Championship Series MVP who credits his comeback from drug addiction and suspension from the game to his faith and church. "God's word tells us to spur one another on toward love and good deeds, and not give up meeting together," Hamilton said. "We are to walk through life with other believers. My family and I have found that church is a wonderful way to do this, so I encourage you to join thousands of Americans as they go back to church on National Back To Church Sunday." National Back To Church Sunday has become the single largest community outreach in the nation with 10,000 churches expected to participate in 2011. This event reignites the power of personal invitation to empower church members to bring the community back to church. This year's event will be held the second Sunday after Labor Day to accommodate more churches. Since the initiative began in 2009, National Back To Church Sunday has seen increased success with church members inviting more than 1.4 million family members, friends, neighbors and co-workers to special services last year. Some 3,800 churches participated in 2010, reporting an average 26 percent increase in weekly attendance. Outreach Inc. is offering valuable tools in its 2011 church kit including: an updated campaign planning guide, new suggested sermons, new promotional video, new graphics and widgets for church websites or social media, invitations and posters, a preparedness assessment, and suggested follow-up sermons and small group materials. These and other special promotional materials, including church postcards, banners, bulletin shells and personal invitations, are available at http://www.backtochurch.com/store. National Back To Church Sunday was launched in response to a 2008 study by LifeWay Research and the North American Mission Board of 15,000 adults that found that 67 percent of Americans say a personal invitation from a family member would be effective in getting them to visit a church. Sixty-three percent say an invitation from a friend or neighbor would likely get them to respond. "We found that the effectiveness of the invitation was often tied to its form: the more personal, the more effective," said Philip Nation, ministry development director of LifeWay Research. "We were encouraged by the response and feedback from churches that participated in National Back to Church Sunday last year," said Eric Abel, vice president of marketing for Outreach, Inc. "Creating ways to empower church members to reach out to their friends and neighbors is exciting. And we are looking forward to this event continuing to gain momentum." An interactive Facebook page is available at http://www.facebook.com/backtochurch, and a list of participating churches is available at http://www.backtochurch.com/roster. When churches register their participation, their names and locations are added to the roster, allowing unchurched people to easily find a church to attend on that special Sunday. Outreach, Inc. (http://www.outreach.com) is the largest provider of outreach products and services in North America, including "Outreach" magazine, a leading publication for church leaders worldwide. The company was launched in 1996 with the mission of empowering Christian churches to reach their communities for Jesus Christ. Outreach, Inc., endeavors to create a network of churches and ministries working together to invite and connect every person in America to a Bible-believing church, and ultimately, into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

There are new benefits available for all people with Medicare, whether one chooses Original Medicare or a Medicare Advantage plan. Persons can take advantage of Open Enrollment and may be able to save money, get better coverage, or both. Starting this year, Open Enrollment begins Oct. 15 and goes through Dec. 7, seven full weeks. This ensures Medicare has enough time to process choices, so coverage can begin without interruption Jan. 1, 2012. Persons may call the local East Arkansas Area Agency on Aging at 870-483-2532 or toll free 1-800-467-3278. Persons also may check with East Arkansas Area Agency on Aging anytime throughout the year to determine eligibility for Low Income Subsidy which helps pay for premiums and co-pays. Counselors will help apply for Low Income Subsidy.

Volunteers visited Marked Tree Elementary School last week to read to children as part of a statewide project in remembrance of 9/11. City clerk Pam Wright visited John Kelly's classroom Wednesday to read "Clifford Fire House Dog." On Thursday, Ms. Ivy from the Marked Tree Senior Life Center read "The Giving Tree," courtesy of Ms. Arnold. Gail Nichols read "Even Firefighters Hug Their Mom" on Friday. The 9/11 Remembrance Project was arranged by the East Arkansas Area Agency on Aging in partnership with the Arkansas Association of Senior Corps Directors and was made possible through a grant from the Hands On Network. The project saw volunteers visiting with school children and to read from books about everyday heroes such as firemen and police in remembrance of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice after the attacks of September 11, 2001. Fifty school districts statewide participated in the project.

The Trumann City Council made a slight revision to the dog ordinance recently passed and adopted two more ordinances regarding new ward boundaries and police reports in a meeting Tuesday night. The Council's amendment to ordinance #499 regarding vicious or dangerous animals makes a slight change to the section regarding grandfathering, specifically I-3, in order to meet criteria for people to get insurance. The change now states that an owner of a pit bull or other vicious or dangerous animal shall pay a license fee of $100 per year along with furnishing proof of liability insurance not less than $100,000 to the city clerk. Owners must supply both in order to license animals. Previously, only the license fee was required. In other business, the council: * Adopted an ordinance providing for new ward boundaries to distribute voters more equally. By law, this must be done after every Census. * Adopted an ordinance allowing the Trumann Police Department to collect a fee of $10 for a copy of an incident or arrest report. Exceptions to this rule include victims of an incident. The fee was already being collected under an accident report statute, but having an ordinance will comply with auditors. * Passed a resolution authorizing the Police Chief to apply for a JAG Grant for $50,000 to buy police cars and equipment. JAG is a rural grant through the Department of Finance.

According to police, two men shot each other at a residence on Ash Street in Lepanto shortly after 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9, while police were providing security at a football game there. One victim was shot two times, and the other was shot once. Both were transported to The Med in Memphis with non-life-threatening injuries. As of press time, police have not released the names of the individuals involved.

The Tyronza City Council heard an update from Emily Glover Tuesday, Sept. 13, on potential grants for the library and fire department. Glover has volunteered to work on grants. One grant could be used to build a freestanding structure next the fire department to house ambulances. The grant Glover has been working on would fund the project 100 percent, which would come to around $37,000. The other grant Glover talked about would fund construction of a library on the site where a funeral home used to be before it burned. She said one goal in the project is to save the old drug store floor and use it in the library, if possible, or incorporate it into the brickwork as a mosaic. The library grant would be for $150,000. Glover also said EPC school is donating two computers and some tables to the library. The grant proposals are due in November, but application for these grants cannot be made during the same cycle. Glover said the fire department project is more cut and dry, while the library project will need more funding. She will continue to work on the grant proposals, look for other grant opportunities, and present everything at next month's meeting so the council can vote on a plan. In old business, the council adopted an ordinance to increase water deposits to $100 per user for all users to protect against unpaid bills. The ordinance affects only new customers and does not affect those who have already paid their deposits. The council also voted unanimously to buy a carport that will be set up behind the police station. The carport will hold one car and will cost $595 plus tax. In the event of a storm, one police car will be protected in the carport, Police Chief Tony Turner can have one at his home, and an older car can be used around town if needed so the newer ones do not get damaged. The council also heard from a concerned citizen regarding abandoned property next to her property. The abandoned property is structurally unsound and a potential health hazard, she said. The city is looking into what can legally be done with the property. Mayor Marion Bearden also announced a Block Party is scheduled Oct. 4 in the city park.