May 2023

It’s not every holiday or weekend that Americans have the opportunity to show appreciation or demonstrate community service, especially when it comes to military veterans. This past Saturday morning, May 27 as the sun graced the lawn of the Corning Cemetery at 8 a.m., resourceful veterans were prepared to tackle the task of placing U.S. flags on veterans’ graves, alone if necessary, in honor of Memorial Day. After all, they’ve had much harder rows to hoe in their years of dutiful service to their country and comrades. The veterans from the Rapert-Poynor Post #8347 were pleasantly surprised to be greeted by 25-30 volunteers to assist them in placing flags on the graves of military service personnel that morning.

Lois Wright has been modeling respect for elders, and family togetherness for several years with her grandchildren, Sawyer, Gage, Eli, Talli, and Mattany Wright. It is an annual tradition for Wright and her grands as they head out with cleaning supplies and water to pay respect to their ancestors in area cemeteries as they clean their headstones. It’s a lesson in life that her grandchildren will never forget that will also supply a fond memory of time spent with their grandmother and each other.

Shane Neill, 2023 graduate of Corning High School, was awarded a Provost’s Academic Excellence Scholarship from UALR. The award amount is $4,000 for tuition and fees and $4,000 for on-campus housing for a total of $8,000 per year up to four years.

Candy Taylor, Vocational Resource Educator in the Poplar Bluff R-1 School District has been selected as Poplar Bluff Technical Career Center Teacher of the Year. Taylor has 32 years of teaching experience working with special education students with Individual Education Plans and with students with 504s. Prior to teaching in the Poplar Bluff R-1 School District, Candy taught in the Rector, Piggott, and Corning school districts in Arkansas, and in the Doniphan school district in Missouri.

Peach Orchard Volunteer Fire Department responded to a fire on Highway 90 at the north edge of the city of Peach Orchard at 12:39 p.m. on Tuesday, May 30th. Clay County 911 received the call from Soina Burgess, who reported a structure fire near CR 216.

The Mississippi Mudcatters hit the old river on Tuesday, May 30 and came back with a haul of 20 fish totaling over 200 lbs. Pictured left to right are: Dennis Haines, Glen Young and Dalton Fields.