• Familiar face, visitor wins PJ 5K titles

    Familiar and not-so-familiar faces led the way at the PJ 5K Friday night.
    Emily Carroll won the women’s division at the annual benefit for cancer research. The senior-to-be at Melbourne High School, a consistent winner in road races and in high school cross country and track and field meets, finished the 5-kilometer course in 20 minutes, 19.62 seconds.
    Jesse Littlefield, a visitor from Bonita Springs, Fla., won the men’s division in 18:05.87.
    The race starts and finishes in front of Eagle Mountain Magnet.

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  • New teams, familiar favorites competing in 43rd canoe race

    Several new teams are expected to participate in The National Invitational White River Canoe Race and they’re congregating in Bull Shoals this afternoon.
    The 43rd edition of the event began today with registration and boat inspections at the Bull Shoals State Park. Tonight, the racers will get their fill of much-needed carbohydrates with a spaghetti dinner and they’ll begin burning off the extra calories Thursday morning as the first of eight stages begins.

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  • News of other days

    Editor’s note: This column ran previously in the Guard on Aug. 2, 1996.

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  • Heavy rains close roads

    Flash flood warnings from the National Weather Service were dead-on Tuesday night.
    Glen Willis, coordinator for the Independence County Office of Emergency Management, said he had received reports from across the county that from 4 to 5 inches of rain fell throughout the day.
    He also said there were 25-30 flash flood spots across the county that required roads to be closed temporarily.
    “From about 6 to 10:30 p.m. was a pretty rough time,” Willis said.

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  • Col. Don Bice

    Col. Don L. Bice, 78, of Batesville died Tuesday, July 21, 2009, in a Little Rock hospital.
    The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Friday at Roller-Crouch Funeral Home Chapel in Batesville.
    Visitation will be from 10 to 11 a.m. Friday.
    ———
    www.rollerfuneralhomes.com

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  • Wanda Shelly

    ASH FLAT — Wanda Faye Shelly, 87, of Ash Flat died Monday, July 20, 2009.
    Born Sept. 23, 1921, in Ash Flat, she was the daughter of Oscar and Clara Lou Martin Gibbins. She worked as a secretary in Washington, D.C., was a Red Cross volunteer in Italy during the late 1950s, worked for Sharp County North-central Arkansas Development Council and was a homemaker. She was a lifelong member of Ash Flat Church of Christ.

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  • J.P. Penter

    TRUMANN — J.P. Penter, 82, of Trumann died Monday, July 20, 2009, in a Jonesboro hospital.
    Born in Trumann, he was the son of Jess and Mary Birdie Upton Penter. He was a lifetime resident of Trumann. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army. He was a farmer and enjoyed fishing and hunting. He was a member of Trumann American Legion and was of the Baptist faith.

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  • Steve Milligan

    RUSSELLVILLE — Owen Steve Milligan, 89, of Russellville died Tuesday, July 21, 2009, in a Russellville hospital.
    Born May 24, 1920, in Batesville, he was the son of George and Lucy Milligan. He served in the military during World War II, having been a member of the 101st Airborne before moving to the 182nd Field Artillery. He was a member of Patton’s Third Army and fought in the Battle of the Bulge.

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  • Letha Killian

    CAVE CITY — Letha Killian, 91, of Cave City died Tuesday, July 21, 2009, in a Batesville nursing home.
    She was born Sept. 5, 1917, at Garrettsbluff, Texas. She had lived in Oklahoma, California and Paris, Texas, and had lived the past eight years in Cave City. She was a homemaker and enjoyed flowers and animals. She was of the Christian faith.

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  • Jace Freeman

    SMITHVILLE — Jace Paul Freeman, 11, of Smithville died Sunday, July 19, 2009, in a Little Rock hospital.
    Born July 23, 1997, in Newport, he was the son of Archie Lee Freeman and Tammy Michele Huskey Freeman. He was a seventh-grade student in the Hillcrest School District. He enjoyed being outdoors, swimming, watching professional wrestling, playing video games, drawing, sketching and listening to rap music. His favorite rapper was Eminem.

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  • Board races develop

    While incumbent Deborah Frazier will hold onto her Position 1 spot on the Midland School Board, James Brandon Bowren will challenge incumbent James Grider for Position 2, making it the only school board race to develop in Independence County as of Friday’s noon deadline.
    Both positions carry four-year terms.
    Write-in candidates had until noon today  to file, County Clerk Karen Wooldridge said.
    At Southside, Vonda Crowl has filed for an at-large, five-year term position to replace board member Gary Mize.

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  • Author to sign book Saturday

    Wade Rivers really does live his name.
    He lives by a river and has to wade it on more than one occasion, particularly when his part of the state received 20 inches of rain in 20 days.
    Born in Oklahoma, Rivers was raised in Arkansas and now lives in west Arkansas, where he enjoys the passions of his life: the rivers, God, his family and writing.
    Rivers has written his first novel, entitled “Y City,” published by The P3 Press in Dallas. The book takes place in the land he loves, surrounded by the rivers and lakes of the Ouachita Mountains.

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