Stories from Friday, March 23, 2012

TRUMANN - Mr. Toney Dewayne Busby, 44, of Trumann died Thursday, March 15, 2012, at the family residence. Mr. Busby was born and was a lifetime resident of Trumann. He was a retired employee of the Craighead County Sheriff's Department, former editor of the Trumann Democrat and was a member of the Northeast Arkansas Baptist Church in Trumann...

Dr. James Phillip Morgan, DC, of Marked Tree, formerly of Memphis, departed this life Sunday morning, March 18, 2012, at his home, at the age of 70. He was born Oct. 6, 1941, in Memphis, Tenn., the son of Ira Morgan and Mildred Tramble Morgan. He received his bachelor's degree from Memphis State and his doctorate in Chiropractic Medicine from Logan College in St. Louis, Mo. He practiced in Memphis, Tenn., his entire career at Morgan Chiropractic Clinic...

Harrisburg--Bernice Gardner Killingsworth White, of Harrisburg, Ark., departed this life Thursday, March 8, 2012, at her home at the age of 90. She was born April 16, 1921, the daughter of Cad Gardner, Sr., and Nettie Austin Gardner. At the age of four her Aunt Hattie Gardner taught Bernice to sew. ...

Rob Rash, chief executive officer and chief engineer of the St. Francis Levee District of Arkansas, spoke Wednesday, March 14, at the Marked Tree Rotary meeting. Rash gave a brief overview of the current standing of the levee district, specifically since the floods of last year...

After holding a public meeting to listen to concerns and ideas regarding how to pay for animal control to take care of the stray dog problem in Lepanto, the city council voted unanimously to pass an ordinance that will add a $1.25 fee to the water bill...

Poinsett County Sheriff Larry Mills says a man suspected of committing a string of recent burglaries in several counties between Feb. 3 and March 19 has been arrested. On March 19, the Sheriff's department was notified by the Jonesboro Police Department that an unknown person driving a gray minivan was caught burglarizing a house and that the van could possibly be headed toward the Trumann/Marked Tree area on Highway 63...

The Marked Tree Chamber of Commerce held its annual banquet Tuesday evening, March 20. In a packed room at the United Methodist Church, representitives from the Poinsett County Historical Society gave tips to preserving family photos and urged those in attendance to write down their family histories for submission in the Society's forthcoming volume, "Poinsett County, Arkansas: History & Families, Vol II."...

As we celebrate Women's History Month, this reporter had the chance to talk with Coach Barbara Wilburn of Marked Tree High School. Wilburn is the head coach of the boys basketball teams, a position most won't find filled by a female. Wilburn was born in Forrest City and grew up with five sisters and two brothers. She got her drive from a very competitive family. She played sports from peewee through four years with the Arkansas State Lady Indians...

Claudine Posey was 14 years old when she joined the Marked Tree Indians girls basketball team in 1944. At the time, she had no idea she would be part of a team that would hit a four-year-long winning streak. During the time she played with the team, from 1944-1948, they won a total of 126 games in a row...

Lisa Gean starts her day early. On duty at 5 a.m. for a 12-hour shift which covers 800 square miles, Gean is Poinsett County's second female deputy in known history. Gean is straight-forward and unapologetic. She cites her desire to enter into law enforcement as a "natural transition" after leaving the United States Marine Corps in 1985...