Stories from Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Palmer family honored as top county farmers (06/24/09)
A large crowd gathered Wednesday at Holly Island to celebrate the naming of Bret and Terry Palmer as the 2009 Clay County Farm Family. The father and son partnership also is nominated for recognition at the state level...

Talented artist earns HH award (06/24/09)
Joabou Mitchell is the 2009 recipient of the Rector High School Helping Hands Foundation scholarship. The scholarship provides $5,000 annually and is renewable for four years. Through her scholarship, her participation earlier this year in a Helping Hands Foundation art show and her knowledge of the foundation's purpose, Mitchell says she has a great appreciation for Helping Hands.. ...

Phillips charged with drug, theft offenses (06/24/09)
Former Marmaduke mayor Byron Phillips was arrested Tuesday, June 16, following an investigation of alleged crimes he reportedly committed while in office. Phillips, 42, was arrested on class B felony charges of two counts of delivery of a controlled substance, three counts of class D felony breaking or entering, one count class B felony theft of property and two counts of class A misdemeanor theft of property.. ...

Picnic returns to Marmaduke (06/24/09)
It's picnic time in Marmaduke, and residents are excited their community's big event is making a return this year for the first time since a violent tornado devastated the town in April 2006. The picnic will be held Friday, June 26, and Saturday, June 27, at the city's park. ...

Rector receives $39,000 state grant for historic project (06/24/09)
A major step forward for the renovation of Rector's historic old jail and water office on Main Street has been accomplished with the recent announcement that the city has received a $39,076 grant from the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program...

Concert tickets going quickly (06/24/09)
The excitement that is building for the second annual Rector Helping Hands Concert was highly evident as event committee chairman Gregg Sain gave an update Tuesday of last week to the Rector Lions Club...

Rector native celebrates publishing of first book (06/24/09)
A native of the Rector area recently celebrated the publishing of her first book. Marie Chadwick Wayland, now of Mountain Home, collected several poems she has been writing for many years into the compilation "Come Walk With Me."...

Kids College coming to Rector (06/24/09)
The deadline for enrollment has been extended to June 26 for Rector Kids College. There are still several openings for the sessions, which will be held at the NEA Innovative Training Center in Down town Rector and the Rector Community Center. The event is Monday through Thursday, June 29 through July 2...

Conflict forces cancellation for Russ Taff (06/24/09)
After multiple Grammy winner Russ Taff performed at last year's first Rector High School Helping Hands Foundation benefit concert, he immediately told organizers he wanted to return again this year. He had a great time, he said, and he wanted to continue to help the many temporarily disadvantaged students who benefit from the Foundation's work...

Heat wave affects region (06/24/09)
Dangerously high temperatures over the last few days, combined with a high dewpoint, have produced a heat index which has soared well over 100 degrees and made life outdoors miserable -- if not almost impossible...

Quite a challenge for small towns (06/24/09)
Smaller communities across the country have been facing survivability issues in recent years and those in Northeast Arkansas are no exception. Speakers at an economic forum in Jonesboro noted that growth numbers for the booming northwest corridor somewhat skewer the statistics for the state -- making it appear Arkansas (one of the most rural of states) is doing a bit better than is the reality.. ...

Sonnets by Maynard Lee Sisler (06/24/09)
Fathers
Fathers know where to locate a band-aid Whenever puppy-love may hit the skids. They also know how to handle their kids When their best efforts are not making the grade They know how to win -- and suffer their losses...

Joyce Ann Sparks (06/24/09)
Joyce Sparks, 74, of Rector passed away at her residence on June 16, 2009, after a courageous fight with cancer. Joyce was born on May 5, 1935, in Clay County to the late Charles and Cora (Caldwell) Faught. She was a lady with many interests. She...

Wayne Fielder (06/24/09)
Wayne Fielder, 78, of Beebe, formerly of Rector, died Monday, June 15. He was born July 8, 1930, to the late Orla and Lola Fielder. Also preceding him in death was one brother, Ron Fielder. Survivors include his wife, Mellov Fielder; one daughter, Patricia Carroll (Mark); three granddaughters, Elizabeth Carroll of Little Rock, Meredith Howard (Roger), and Leah Carroll; one great-granddaughter, Gillian Howard; one great-grandson, James Howard, all of Beebe; three brothers, Bill and James Fielder of Rector, Rex Fielder of West Memphis; three sisters, Phyllis Echkoff of St. ...

I love you emails (06/24/09)
My daughter and I email each other a lot. She lives in a nearby town so we often email our goodnights. We give a capsule message about our activities of the day. Then we end the emails with "I love you."...