Villager Journal

History was made at the Highland School District April 17 as Governor Asa Hutchinson became the first governor to visit the school’s high school campus. Hutchinson was to be the keynote speaker for an assembly regarding the importance of computer science and coding...

Aly Phillips, 8-year-old second grade student at Cherokee Elementary, received the surprise of a lifetime on Saturday, April 21. Following the beauty pageant sponsored by Highland FBLA, Magen Clouse, Aly’s mother, drove her unknowing daughter to the Ash Flat Church of Christ Family Life Center to be surprised by her closest friends and family members, and of course Make a Wish volunteers...

The Highland School District is gearing up for their end of year District Art Show. The grand opening taking place May 1 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the A.L. Hutson Center, and will remain open through May 6, ending with the spring band concert. According to Dewana McIntosh, art teacher for Highland High School, this marks the 20th year of the art show and therefore will be treated as a look back show...

The Highland Business Association held a meeting at the Artisan Steakhouse and Grill April 17 to discuss ways to revive the business community in Highland and to find solutions for issues the businesses are facing. Early in the meeting, a discussion was sparked regarding the loss of several businesses in the City of Highland in a short period of time...

A Williford man is facing felony charges of sexual indecency with a child after reports state he propositioned a 12-year-old female child. According to a report from the Sharp County Sheriff’s Department, Dennis M. Evans, 50, was taken into custody after the family of the victim reported the incident to the police...

The Spring River Area Chamber of Commerce held their monthly meeting April 17 at Biggers Bluff in Hardy. Laura Lute with New Beginnings Pregnancy Center in Ash Flat, was the speaker for the meeting and updated those in attendance on the progress, expansion and future plans of the center...

Are you sick and tired of feeling sick and tired? If so, you are invited to attend the upcoming Spring Into Heath Seminar slated for April 28 from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the Hardy Senior Center. According to Christina Shaw, event coordinator, the theme for the seminar is “Wellness from the Inside Out” and those who attend will be educated about aspects of their heath they may not be aware even existed...

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

Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett today announced that USDA is accepting applications for grants to use broadband e-Connectivity to improve access to health care and educational services in rural communities. “Under Secretary Perdue’s leadership, USDA is tackling e-Connectivity as a foundational issue for rural communities because it affects everything from business opportunities to adequate health care access,” Hazlett said. ...

Orchard owners interested in pecan cultivation will have an opportunity to learn staring with the May 5 Arkansas Pecan Growers Association annual education meeting and farm tour being presented by the APGA and the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture...

A Vegetable Production meeting aimed at vegetable farmers is set for Tuesday, April 24, at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) S.J. Parker 1890 Extension Complex Auditorium. The meeting begins at 9 a.m. and ends at 1:30 p.m. after lunch...

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...

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...

Scammers are taking to the streets to con homeowners, convincing unknowing and trusting Arkansans to make costly repairs that are not needed. Worse, these criminals may demand payment up front for promised work that they have no intention of completing...

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...

The Sharp County Office of Emergency Management hosted a tabletop exercise regarding outbreaks at Ozarka College in Ash Flat March 27. The three part exercise began with a plausible scenario in which a soldier returning home is seated next to an individual on a plane who is feverish and continually coughing...

The Sharp County Sheriff’s Department and surrounding agencies are actively searching for a man wanted in conjunction with a shooting which occurred March 23 in Cave City. According to a Sharp County Bench Warrant, Jessie Leon Hutchins, 44, of Cave City, allegedly shot the victim two times with a shotgun...

A Cherokee Village man is facing charges of endangering the welfare of a minor in the first degree and assault on a family or household member in the first degree after, assaulting a juvenile boy less than five years in age. According to a report from the Cherokee Village Police Department, Michael Mennen, 35, was taken into custody following an investigation about an incident which occurred at Mennen’s home...

Hardy firefighters have worked to complete a large-scale wildfire prevention effort across their fire district with the Arkansas Forestry Commission (AFC) and Firewise USA. As part of recognition requirements, Hardy crew members completed wildfire safety assessment surveys on structures in their fire district and developed a Community Wildfire Preparedness Plan, which outlines wildfire mitigation projects and concerns in the next three-year window (residents may request a copy)...

The Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) is rolling out vital records services to all local health units in all counties. By the end of this year, all health units should be able to process same-day, in-person requests for birth certificates and death certificates in most cases...

Five women of faith from the Light in the Wilderness church in Ash Flat are preparing for a mission trip and missionary DeAnna Jones said the women are trying to raise funds for their trip after a change in plans for their destination. “We originally thought we would be going to Durban, South Africa but there were some changes that came up and so we regrouped and contacted One Hope International which is the organization that we do our missions trip with,” Jones said. ...

The Cherokee Village City Council held their regular council meeting March 15 at which the mayor updated the council on grants, department reports and more. During the mayor’s report, Mayor Russell Stokes told the council the city had received a payment from the Suburban Improvement District and was pleased to announce the amount was slightly higher than the 2017 payment...

The Spring River Area Chamber of Commerce held their March general meeting March 20 at Rebel Time Out in Highland. There were two speakers for the meeting with the first being Taylor Rains, who works as a career coach at Highland High School and also as the children’s pastor at Highland Assembly of God...

A two vehicle accident in Cherokee Village March 17 ended in flames and injuries on Okmulgee Drive after Lee Smith, 40, of Thayer Mo., crossed the center line in his 2003 beige Lincoln, striking Chad Campbell’s, 44 of Jonesboro, gold Chevy Suburban in the driver’s side front door...

In the coming months, you may notice some work being done at the Old Hardy Gym as the city begins renovation of the lower level in order to place a workout room which will be available to the community. According to Hardy Mayor Jason Jackson, exercise equipment and materials have been donated to the city in order to create the workout space for which $10 monthly memberships will be sold. The funds will be used to make improvements to the upper level of the facility...

The Quad Cities Rotary Club will hold their sixth annual Bingo Madness fundraising event April12 at 6 p.m., at the Highland Elks Lodge in Cherokee Village. Admission to the event is $15 for general admission and prizes for the winner of each round of bingo...

The Sharp County Fair Fundraising Committee are now accepting applications for the first Sharp County Junk-N-Jam to be held at the Sharp County Fairgrounds in Ash Flat April 21. According to Chelsea Conway, member of the fundraising committee, the event will not only raise funds for fair related projects, but will also benefit vendors who purchase booth space to attend...

Local musician Doug Driesel, who works professionally as Doug Deforest, has been placed in the top five in several categories and is a final candidate for the first ever Arkansas Country Music Awards. According to Driesel, the awards are the brain child of Charles Haymes, who after time in the music industry realized Arkansas was one of the few states that did not have it’s own awards, until now that is...

The City of Cherokee Village has successfully installed the first of two storm sirens which will be used to warn the public of serve weather in the future. According to David Woods, Office of Emergency Management Director for the city, the first phase of the project was completed March 13 with the first siren being installed on Conasagua Road in Cherokee Village...

The Sharp County Quorum Court held an intense debate during their regular scheduled March 13 as to whether or not the court was in compliance with the Arkansas state statute 14-14-1205. The issue was brought to the court by J.P. Everette McGuire, who cited the statute which states justices of the peace can not be paid a salary but rather per diem...

Those who utilize the walking path located inside the A.L. Hutson Memorial Center will soon notice changes as the Highland School District works to improve security in the district. According to John Sinclair, key cards will soon be issued to walkers who wish to gain access to the facility...

The community is invited to attend a Hunger Alliance Summit meeting March 28 at 9 a.m., at Ozarka College in Ash Flat. The summit is part of a grant process which will provide 100 families of the Highland School District with food for the remainder of the year, as well as, offer educational courses in cooking, nutrition awareness and best practices for purchasing food...