Villager Journal

Amy Rodola, an independent TK for Matilda Jane Clothing and Gateway Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) have partnered to provide new pajamas, socks and underwear for abused/neglected children in the Third Judicial District. According to Rodola, the Pajamas for a Purpose Drive, will provide children in the district with items which will not only bring comfort, but are also in short supply at times for children in the foster system...

Spring River Adult and Child Services (SACS) in partnership with Comfort Keepers Ministry Inc., the Spring River Innovation Hub and the Spring River Area Chamber of Commerce kicked off the first in a series of produce distributions June 27. According to Brinda Israel, executive director for SACS, each Saturday morning for the next several weeks, 10 produce boxes will be given out on a first come first served basis at the Spring River Farmers Market at Town Center in Cherokee Village...

The Spring River Innovation Hub Board of Directors and the Sharp County Community Foundation Board of Directors are pleased to announce that Hazelle Whited has been named Executive Director for both organizations. Whited, who lives in Sharp County, is a marketing and business management professional with more than twenty years of experience in small business development...

Former Fulton County Chief Deputy John Cawvey was the subject of a recent investigation completed by 16th Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney Eric Hance’s office. Hance said the facts developed throughout the case were “not as strongly suggestive of theft as the allegations in the original report.” No charges were filed on Cawvey, as a result of the investigation...

The Arkansas State Police issued a statement June 26, that they had been asked to conduct an investigation involving the use of deadly force by several law enforcement officers during an altercation near Hardy. The incident occurred June 24 after officers responded to a call at approximately 6:45 p.m...

As summer arrives, the owners of Rebel Nutrition located at the Highland Shopping Center in Highland, have been gearing up to give back to the community as they prepare for a Flip Flops for Summer event. According to co-owner Jolene Billingsley, several hundred pairs of flip flops have been purchased and will be given away July 12 at the store’s location between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m...

The Cherokee Village Suburban Improvement District (SID) held its regular meeting June 15. Commissioners Jim Best, Joe Waggoner and Ron Patterson were present as well as David Webb, manger of the SID. Following the approval of minutes and the agenda, the commission moved on to old business...

The Cherokee Village City Council held its regular meeting June 18 during which the primary topics of discussion were the proposed trash ordinance and application for a trails grant. Following the approval of previous meeting minutes and the agenda, public comments regarding agenda items were held...

The recovery efforts for a woman from Paragould who was knocked off her flotation device and into the Spring River has come to an end. The incident began on Sunday, June 21, when witnesses placed a 911 call to Sharp County Dispatch at approximately 3:45 p.m., stating a woman had gone under the water on a set of falls near Bobo Drive in Hardy and had not resurfaced...

This week, the House Aging, Children and Youth, Legislative and Military Affairs Committee reviewed the 2019 Annual Report from Arkansas State Police Crimes Against Children Division. This report along with the quarterly reports from the Department of Human Services’ Division of Children and Family Services (DCFS) are difficult to review but necessary in guiding our decisions of where to place resources...

The Ash Flat City Council held its regular meeting June 9 during which the council revisited the discussion concerning a water extension request, the establishment of a dog park and more. Following the approval of the agenda and previous month’s minutes, department reports were presented...

The Sharp County Quorum Court held its regular meeting June 8. The first order of business following reports was to appoint Bess Farris and Nina Thornton to the Sharp County Library Board. Later in the meeting the appointments were challenged by a member of the public and the matter was deferred to the county attorney for clarification...

Although it has been a few weeks since the City of Cherokee Village reopened its weekly recycling events, Village Pride member and City Councilman Jerry Adams said it was a record week. “It was the first recycling day we’d had in about two months because of the virus and the weather. ...

A level three sex offender in Cherokee Village is currently facing multiple misdemeanor and felony charges including the charge of rape following an incident which took place May 31. According to an affidavit for warrant of arrest, officer Bryan Buchanan responded to a call regarding Joseph Pearson, 34, and an incident in which he was involved...

Karley Berkheiser, 24, of Batesville and Jordan Bunch, 25, of Cave City, were placed under arrest May 30, and are facing felony charges after police received a report of a small child who had been severely beaten. The charges stem from an incident May 30 after Deputy Skyler Blunt was contacted by a couple in Cave City...

The Cherokee Village Police Department recently welcomed a new officer, Derrick Times. Born and raised in Memphis, following his high school graduation, he entered the military. While serving, he was injured and was honorably discharged. “I always knew I wanted to be in law enforcement. ...

The Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts recognized students for their academic achievements during its annual Honors Convocation on May 23. Departmental and special awards as well as recognition for other student achievements are announced at the annual spring semester event. This year’s convocation was held virtually, and it was followed by a virtual commencement, the first in the school’s history...

Arkansas PBS is addressing race relations and protests in the state and beyond in special programming beginning Friday, June 5, at 7:30 p.m. with the network’s flagship public affairs program, “Arkansas Week.” Host Steve Barnes and guests will discuss race relations as anger and despair – and a demand for change – spread across Arkansas and the world. ...

Farm and ranch planning can often be stressful. One way to help reduce this stress is to use an enterprise budget, Dr. Henry English, director, Small Farm Program at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, said. An enterprise budget is a key component to a business plan that can be used to assist a producer in determining the economic feasibility of a proposed venture...

Although the Strawberry River Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution have not been able to hold a meeting since February, the organization has still been issuing important information. Observing patriotic holidays and traditions are essential to the organization...

Steven Z. Oberbeck, 35, of Conway, Mo., was arrested by the Cherokee Village Police Department on May 24 and is facing three felony charges and one misdemeanor. Ptl. Bryan Buchanan with CVPD, was patrolling the area of the old hospital when he located a parked vehicle near the commercial property that has been burglarized recently. ...

Three ordinances were passed at the most recently held Hardy City Council meeting on Tuesday, June 2. The May and June meetings have been held at the Hardy Civic Center in order to practice social distancing, staying within the CDC and health department’s recommendations...

North Arkansas Electric Cooperative members re-elected Larry Goodwin and Dennis Wiles to six-year terms on the NAEC Board of Directors. Goodwin represents members in Sharp County and ran unopposed. Wiles represents members in Izard County and ran against Phyllis Wolfe...

This is the time of the year when North Arkansas Electric Cooperative is typically gearing up for its large and well attended Annual Meeting. As nearly all events have cancelled statewide, NAEC put the health and safety of its members and employees first and has followed suit...

The Sharp County Courthouse is now open to the public, with limited access. On Tuesday, May 26, Judge Gene Moore said the courthouse was ready for business to return to some state of normalcy. Sharp County Courthouse followed the directives closely, and closed their doors to the public mid-March. ...

Sharp County Coroner and Highland School Board member Renee Clay-Circle has spent the last several weeks keeping local residents informed about the COVID-19 pandemic and how the state of Arkansas is being affected. Clay-Circle provides daily updates on her Facebook page following Governor Asa Hutchinson’s daily briefing regarding the virus...

The Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) reminds drivers to “know before you go” and visit IDriveArkansas.com before traveling during the holiday season. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommend you stay home as much as possible during the Coronavirus pandemic, but if you choose to travel there are several things to consider before you go. ...

A successful food business starts with a great idea, but turning an idea into a profitable product requires much more. The Cooperative Extension Service, part of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, has numerous resources for entrepreneurs — from access to certified kitchens for manufacturing to help with business planning and recipe scaling...

The Sharp Library Board held its quarterly meeting May 6 at the Hardy Library. Following the reading and approval of minutes from the January regular meeting and February special meeting, the board moved on to the agenda at hand. The first order of business was to discuss the proposal and sample for updated bylaws...

The Highland City Council held its regular meeting May 12. Mayor Russell Truitt said overall there was not much to discuss, however; the city’s fire chief, Kal Dienst had placed a request for an additional fire hydrant. “Kal put in a request for another hydrant through public water. They gave us a quote and he wanted it behind the station so the trucks could be filled without being by the street,” Truitt said. “The quote was for $3,566.41. That is for future references.”...

The Ash Flat City Council held their regular monthly meeting May 12. During which, vehicle bids and a water extension request were discussed. Fire Chief Stacey Horton was first in line to deliver his report to the council. Horton said his report was from April 9 to May 6, during which he said he ordered four sets of turnouts to replace outdated sets...

The Sharp County Quorum Court held its April and May regular meetings May 11. Having no unfinished business, per request by the county treasurer and circuit clerk, reports from April were postponed until discussion reached the May updates. The court discussed a vote to pass an ordinance to amend ordinance 2019-9 for the calendar year 2019...

On May 11, John Kunkel, announced details about the One Community Cares Caravan. The parade of more than 70 vehicles was led by Sharp County Coroner Renee Clay-Circle. “We are blessed to live in a community that supports each other during difficult times. ...

The Cherokee Village City Council held its regular meeting July 30. Following the approval of minutes and the financial report, Mayor Russell Stokes spoke about revenue and gave an update on a grant from the National Arts Foundation. “Our revenue has shown a minor decline. ...

The deadline for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) Classic applications to be considered for funding in fiscal year 2020 is June 12. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) plans to invest up to $725 million for new enrollments, contract extensions, and renewals in fiscal year 2020. ...

Since the beginning of this health emergency, more than 60,000 tests for COVID-19 have been conducted in Arkansas. While testing was initially limited, the capacity at commercial labs has increased significantly resulting in shortened turnaround times...

Numerous articles have been written warning about the risk of an invasive insect known as the Asian Giant Hornet but also referred to as the “Murder Hornet” and it discovery in the United States. According to Jerry Musick with Musick Pest Control in Highland, the hornets are larger than average however; it is possible to eradicate them as he had an encounter with a nest approximately four years ago...

Hardy City Council held its first regular meeting since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic May 5. As no meeting was held in April, the council approved the meeting minutes from the March 3 meeting and moved on to the next agenda item which was department reports...

In an effort to create a safe way for members of the community to gather, socialize and worship, members of the Viola Baptist Church and community recently started participating in Tailgate Taco Tuesdays. According to Craig Golden, pastor of Viola Baptist Church, he began looking for opportunities and ways for people to safely gather and spend time socializing during the pandemic...

Two modern day cattle rustlers have been placed under arrest in Sharp County after stealing more than 20 head of cattle from two different auction yards. According to an affidavit from the Sharp County Sheriff’s Department, the arrest of Aaron Davis, 35, and Jessica Davis, 38 of Nacogdoches, Texas, stemmed from an incident occurring at the Ash Flat Livestock Barn in Ash Flat April 10...

On Saturday, May 2, Justin Buckley, 27, made the drive from his home in Benton to Melbourne for a visit with family; his sister, brother in law, their children and to spend some time with his own children. “He and my son were very close, I can still see them playing in the yard,” Amanda Tiernan, Buckley’s sister said...

On March 18, the Community Foundation activated the COVID-19 Relief Fund to offer rapid response grants give a necessary and quick injection of funds to those nonprofits serving on the front lines of pandemic relief. On Sunday, April 5, at his daily COVID-19 press conference, where he was joined by Arkansas Community Foundation President and CEO Heather Larkin, Governor Asa Hutchinson declared Arkansas Community Foundation’s COVID-19 Relief Fund the best choice for pandemic relief donations in the state. ...

The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution has three objectives which are Historic Preservation, Education and Patriotism. The National Defense Committee strives to preserve our American heritage of freedom, to protect the U.S. Constitution, and to ensure the survival of our national sovereignty. ...

Treasurer of State Dennis Milligan is encouraging families to talk to their children about money and finances. Milligan announced his financial education initiative “Educate Your Financial Future,” to commemorate Financial Literacy Month, which occurs each year in April. The new initiative will focus on teaching children in grades pre-K through 12th about saving money and spending wisely...

The Highland School Board held a special meeting April 28 to discuss food service, graduation and more. According to Superintendent Don Sharp, a primary focus of the meeting was to discuss whether or not the district should outsource its food service to a private food service vending company...

Fulton County was notified on Thursday, April 23, of its first positive COVID-19 test result. The Arkansas Department of Health contacted Fulton County Judge Jim Bicker April 23 with notification of a positive COVID-19 test in Fulton County. “There was little additional information given at that time. ...

The Highland School District held another in a series of public Facebook forums April 29. As with previous weeks, Superintendent Don Sharp began with a greeting to the public and a thanks to the hardworking staff members of the Highland School District before opening up the floor for a question and answer session...

Fulton County was notified on Thursday, April 23, of its first positive COVID-19 test result. The Arkansas Department of Health contacted Fulton County Judge Jim Bicker April 23 with notification of a positive COVID-19 test in Fulton County. “There was little additional information given at that time. ...