Stories from Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Weather tops '09 headlines (12/30/09)
Needless to say 2009 will go down in local history as a year dominated by weather news. The once-in-a-century ice storm of late January and early February ushered in the year with a vengeance. The following months brought with them flooding, and a much wetter-than-average summer. ...

EBC auction, and gift giveaway helps spread holiday cheer (12/30/09)
Emmanuel Baptist Church minister Kevin Murray recently developed an idea for making Christmas better for dozens of local families. Working with volunteer church members, the hastily-arranged plan called for an auction of donated items. ...

FBC cantata (12/30/09)
Gary Wright (left) and FBC pastor Robert Welborn perform during the church's Christmas cantata. The program wasentitled "God Speaking" and was presented Sunday, Dec 20. Organizers reported that a good crowd truned out for the event, which was staged at the church. (photo courtesy Frank Staples)...

Lions Club and Santa (12/30/09)
Members of the Piggott Lions Club joined forces with the local office of the Department of Human Services and Santa Claus to provide Christmas for several area children in the past week. With the help of Justin Oliver, club members reported that Santa Claus picked up the gifts and arranged for their delivery. ...

Magnolia manor singing (12/30/09)
A holiday sing-a-long was held Thursday, Dec. 24 at Magnolia Manor in Piggott with over 40 people in attendance. Organizers offered their thanks to all the volunteers for making it such a perfect Christmas Eve. (photo provided)...

It happened here, years ago (12/30/09)
As we begin the fourth year of this feature column here are a few reminders. The news items are reported as they were presented at the time, and may include misspelled words or other mistakes. Importance of content is usually based on where the story appeared originally, or in light of any long term impact. ...

Guidance for 2010 (12/30/09)
A friend from Batesville emailed a handbook of 39 rules for 2010. The rules deal with health, personality, society and life. I can't begin to list all 39 rules but I will mention those that sparked my interest...

Charles Thomas Bratcher (12/30/09)
Charles Thomas Bratcher of Sikeston, Mo., formerly of Piggott, passed away December 25, 2009, in Cape Girardeau, Mo. He was born in Piggott on October 10, 1946. He was preceded in death by his parents, D.H. Bratcher and Mildred Bratcher...