For the Fulton County Master Gardeners to further beautification and education projects in Fulton County, BBQ meals will be served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday, April 20 at the Hickinbotham-Miller Building at the Fulton County Fairgrounds in Salem. Advanced tickets are $7 and at the door tickets are $8. For more information, contact Becci Bartz (870-371-2204) or Debbie Moore (870-291-2145)...

Representative Fran Cavenaugh traveled to Sharp County April 12 to present three departments each with a check for $500.

On Wednesday, April 11 Harp’s Grocery Store donated $1,500 to Thayer Rural Fire Department and Mammoth Spring Fire Department.

Reelected officials were sworn in at the Thayer Council meeting held on Tuesday, April 10. Before doing so, the agenda was amended to appoint a replacement council member. The council approved the acceptance of the certified elections results provided by Oregon County Clerk Tracy Bridges...

On Friday, April 13 area emergency personnel partnered to present to Alton High School students the dangers and consequences of intoxicated driving. Oregon County Sheriff’s Office, Alton Police Department, Alton Fire Department, Oregon County Ambulance District, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Oregon County Coroner Tom Clary and Air Evac partnered during this impactful and emotional event in which three teenagers depicted possible repercussions of one bad decision...

There has been concerns about a public service announcement made by the Oregon County Ambulance District concerning a new helicopter service to cover the area. According to the announcement, “there are two aeromedical services providing services in Oregon County.” These are Air Evac and Survival Flight. ...

Mammoth Spring Chamber of Commerce met on Thursday, April 12 at Shorty’s Barbecue to discuss business and upcoming events for the area. Members of the chamber gave updates on events they have taking place. Charles Vaughan advised people to wait to post plants because of the cold weather the area has experienced. ...

Alton Chamber of Commerce met on Thursday, April 12 to discuss business and upcoming events. After approving the minutes from the previous meeting and the treasurer’s report, members voted on the T-shirt design for this year’s Walnut Festival. Designs were submitted from Alton High School. It was also decided first and second place recipients would receive prizes, $25 for first place and $15 for second place...

Walking into the Train Depot Museum located within Mammoth Spring State is like stepping back in time. It was built in 1886 in the Queen Anne style and features many interesting artifacts that tell of a time gone by and of the rich history of the area...

Fulton County Ambulance EMTs, Steven Burkhart and Kasey Newman, were the recipients of a special award recently. Air Evac went to Fulton County Hospital on April 11 to present Burkhart and Newman with the Air Evac Rescue of the Quarter Award. Jack Bates, Program Director for Air Evac-1, spoke about what the Air Evac Rescue of the Quarter Award means and why Burkhart and Newman received this award...

Controlled burns can be beneficial in destroying under-brush in fields and killing off unwanted insects, such as ticks. However, if done in poor conditions such as hot-dry weather or windy conditions, the controlled burn can quickly escalate into something much worse, a wild fire...

Tuesday, April 3 Izard County Quorum Court met for their regular monthly meeting at the Izard County Courthouse. An appropriation ordinance, road update and senior citizen update were items on the agenda. The court members discussed an appropriation ordinance for personnel services, compensation, maintenance operation and other necessary functions of county government. After a discussion about budgeted items, justices voted in favor of the ordinance...

A group of 49 admirable individuals aspire to make a positive impact in their communities and have shown they are prepared for what it takes to be a police officer. Black River Technical College (BRTC) Law Enforcement Training Academy (LETA) Graduation took place on April 13, at 1 p.m. This formal graduation included a variety of meaningful speeches by different individuals who all have one thing in common, their love and appreciation for law enforcement...

Historical places throughout every location are fading away as time goes by and individuals often don’t realize the importance of recognizing and restoring historical buildings, which results in places being forgotten. The remembrance of historical buildings and locations fade out after generation and generation, as new buildings are made and locations are sold off. ...

George Harris, longstanding volunteer and community member of Cherokee Village, passed away April 10. Harris is fondly remembered by his friends, community members and those who he came in contact with. During his time in Cherokee Village, George became deeply involved in city government, volunteer organizations and community events...

A new opportunity is now available to the residents of Hardy in the form of a community garden fondly known as Yum Yum Alley. According to alderman and project coordinator Laura Smith, plots in the garden will be free to the public and she said she believes it will also boost attendance at the Hardy Farmer’s Market later this year...

Comfort Keepers is a ministry of Highland Assembly of God and spear-headed by Lauren Siebert, who has come up with another way of helping the community. Comfort Keepers began as a form of assistance for those struggling during the winter or summer months. The organization provides fans for the summer months and space heaters for the winter months, to those who request one or the other, or have shown a need...

In August of 2016, Lauren Gray released a single called Woman in Black. This was the beginning of something new for her career. Although her stint on American Idol placed Gray in the limelight for a time, she had been pouring her heart and soul into her art long before the world knew her name...

The Arkansas Arts Center Artmobile is coming to Town Center in Cherokee Village April 30 to May 4. This years theme is “A Feast for the Eyes”, and Graycen Bigger, community developer for Cherokee Village, explained the theme revolves around food. “During the day, the Highland School District will have access to this Monday through Friday and on Thursday night, May 3, we will do a community event for it. ...

In January of this year, Sharp County resident Kim Melton, received the call every parent dreads. She was notified that her 21-year-old son, Carson, had passed away while out jogging. Although specifics were not given, Carson’s heart stopped, and those who initially responded to the call were not equipped to restart his heart...

Have you ever wanted to have an impact on someone from another country? Amy Rodola, area representative with the International Student Exchange, said her organization is currently seeking host families for foreign exchange students to be placed with...

The Evening Shade Community Events group and Evening Shade Fire Department will host a joint fundraising event at the Evening Shade School Gym April 28. According to Penny Wolfe, Evening Shade Community Events board member, the funds raised from the BBQ dinner and bingo games will be divided between the two entities...

A new volunteer organization has formed in Sharp County with the purposeof assisting with or creating projects to better the community. According to Katherine Crider, founder of the Volunteer Hardy organization, the recently formed group consists of about 10 individuals who are looking for opportunities to serve...

The Highland Rebel Theater will hold their spring musical production of Spamalot, April 27 and 28 beginning at 7 p.m., in the Highland High School Cafeteria. A matinee perfomance will be held April 29 at 2:30 p.m. According to John Smith, drama teacher for Highland High School, the students have been working on the production since January of this year...

A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Thursday, April 5 at Thayer High School to kick off the upcoming remodel for the district. Construction will include expanding the current building to make room for the growing school, in which construction fencing will be going up soon and work will begin within the next two weeks...

Alton City Council held their regular monthly meeting on Monday, April 9, during which elected officials were sworn in. Early in the meeting, the Methodist Church presented the Alton Police Department with a check for over $1,000, which was made possible through a recent fundraiser they held...

The 4th annual Grizzly Mania is scheduled for Friday, April 13, from 5 to 8:30 p.m., and is lined up to be the biggest one yet. Originating four years ago, the event is organized by Debbie Cabrales and all proceeds go toward the Thayer Prom Lock-in...

Instead of holding a mock car accident this year, UNITE Arrive Alive Tour was presented at Thayer High School co-sponsored by Thayer, Alton and Koshkonong Schools. This is a high-tech simulator used to educate youth of the dangers of drinking and driving by providing the opportunity for participants to realize consequences of impaired driving...

The Ozarka College Foundation hosted their annual Spring Gala on April 5. The “Bridge to Opportunity” took place inside of the Student Services Center, located at Ozarka College in Melbourne The extravagant event not only brought people together, but also helped raise money for a good cause. Proceeds from the Gala support the foundation in its effort to provide necessary resources for students to receive life changing education at Ozarka College...

Fulton County Quorum Court met for their regular monthly meeting on April 9. The appropriation of funds for the Tri-County Recycling grant, 2017 transfer and appropriation clean up and the second reading of personnel policy ordinance were topics on the agenda...

A press released issued by Fulton County Sheriff Al Roork informed of a manhunt which occurred near Viola on Wednesday, April 4, at 4:30 p.m. Fulton County Sheriff’s Department Sergeant William Fawcett, encountered two men on a 4-wheeler on Mount Calm Road. He asked the two men for their identification and both men complied...

The Tri-County Economic Development Commission, which consists of members from the individual commissions in Sharp, Fulton and Izard Counties, held a meeting April 2 at Ozarka College in Melbourne. A welcome was given by meeting host and Izard County Judge Eric Smith. Smith began by explaining the purpose of the Tri-County Economic Development Commission, which is to create a solid partnership between the three counties in order to be more enticing to incoming industries...

More than 300 people graduated from the Cooking Matters at the Store day recently held at Walmart in Ash Flat. According to Shirley Clark, Chief Programs Officer at the Food Bank of North Central Arkansas, the program was designed to help educate shoppers on ways to eat healthier and better understand their food...

On April 4, a warrant of arrest was issued for Alden Freeman Davis after an incident which occurred March 29 just before 11 a.m. Sharp County Deputy Mike Graddy was dispatched to Bush Run Road in reference to a UTV accident involving a horse. When Graddy arrived on scene, he saw a medical helicopter was preparing to land at the Wirth Fire Department...

Two men from Sharp County were arrested April 1 after a routine traffic stop yielded a defaced firearm. According to a report from the Hardy Police Department, Officer Justin Simpkins performed a stop for no tags. Inside the vehicle were Richard Houghton, 45, of Cherokee Village and Wayne Houghton, 30, of Hardy...

Many young individuals spend much of their time indoors playing video games. Children and teenagers often don’t go outside and enjoy the simpler things in life. Tom and Teresa Trett, at Hole in the Wall Ranch in Viola strive to change that and provide people of all ages the enjoyment of the outdoors and ranching activities...

There were many Easter celebrations held throughout the area in which numerous people showed up to endure the windy weather to visit with the Easter bunny, play games and hunt eggs. Area Free Will Baptist Churches: Byrd, Garfield and Myrtle sponsored the annual Easter Egg Hunt held at Couch School for area children on Saturday, March 31...

Volunteers from the Master’s Ranch and Christian Academy assisted Thayer residents, Ken and Doris Brown, with placing flags at the Veterans Memorial Park in downtown Thayer. These flags were hung temporarily in honor of National Vietnam War Veterans Day observed on Wednesday, March 29...

Living in rural area, many of us may often have a false sense of safety. However, this is not always the case as a local woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, discussed her experience of being followed in Walmart. By being aware of her surroundings and realizing a suspicious man was following her, she was able to avoid contact with the man and safely make it home...

Congressman Jason Smith made a special visit to the Thomasville Library on Tuesday, March 27. Located in the Thomasville Community Center, Smith stopped by to help replace what was lost in the devastating floods that occurred at the end of April 2017. He brought with him books from the Library of Congress for the local library...

The Salem Chamber of Commerce met for their regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, March 28 at noon inside the Hickinbotham-Miller Exhibit Building. Lunch was available for $5, with all proceeds going to St. Jude’s. Infinity Hearing Center was a guest speaker and also provided free hearing screenings to the public. ...

On March 29, Salem City Council met for their regular monthly meeting at 7 p.m. Minutes of the previous meeting, review of the financial report, department reports, old business and new business were topics on the agenda. The minutes for the previous meeting and financials were passed...

The Ash Flat City Council voted to fill the position of the full time officer for the city’s police department during their regular meeting March 27. After a brief executive session, the council announced the position would be filled by Steve Powell and Powell would begin working full time during the next available shift...

A large group of city officials, educators and community members gathered at Ozarka College in Ash Flat on March 28 to attend the first of three in a series for the Ash Flat Childhood Hunger Summit. The event was hosted by the Food Bank of North Central Arkansas [FBNCA] and their partners...

Imagine traveling to a community you know very little about, in order to be handed the keys to your new home you’ve never been inside of. This is exactly what happened for Brad and Danielle Dorman, as they traveled to Ash Flat March 29 to be gifted their new home...

The Farm Service Agency in Ash Flat has a new executive director as they welcome Blake Jefferson. Jefferson, 28, is originally from Yellville, Ark., in Marion County. Raised on the family farm in Crooked Creek, he graduated from Yellville High School in 2008. After graduating high school, Jefferson attended college at Arkansas Tech, graduating in 2012 with a degree in Bachelors of Science in Agricultural Business...