Villager Journal

Patch is a young male kitty, mostly white with gray stripes. Cute and playful, he will be the best 10 pounds you’ve ever gained! Come and visit the Cherokee Village Animal Control and find a wonderful friend who will love you no matter what. Call 870-994-4445 for more information...

There are many Easter activities for residents to enjoy this weekend. Following is a list of activities. The annual KKountry 95 Easter Egg Hunt will be held Friday, April 19 at 2 p.m. at the Alton ball field. There will be more than 1,000 eggs filled with candy and prizes. The event is for children ages 12 and under. Live bunnies will also be given away. KKountry 95 will broadcast live from noon to 2 p.m...

The “This is How I Fight my Battles Benefit” for Brenda Wright will be held at the Abundant Life Church on FM 101 Road April 27 from 2 to 4 p.m. According to AK Barnes, fellow church member and partial event organizer, the event will be a spaghetti dinner fundraiser with all of the proceeds being given to Brenda and her husband Lemar...

There will be no shortage of things to do in the Spring River area April 20, but if you’re looking for a day of food and fun, and something new, the first ever Arkansas Pie Festival will be held in Cherokee Village at Town Center from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m...

The 8th annual Art Extravaganza Tour D’Art is slated to take place April 18 from 8:30 a.m. until 8 p.m. at Ozarka College in Melbourne. According to Tena Rosse, president of the Friends of the Library, this year’s event will feature music, art and more...

The Spring River Shrine Club is hosting the first ever Lake Omaha Hook, Line and Sinker Bass Classic. It will be held May 4, and fishers will participate from 6 a.m., to 2 p.m. and be competing for a total of $1,750 in prizes. According to Doug Driesel with the Shrine Club, the Shrine Club in Cherokee Village was formed during the same time frame as the Village itself...

The Ash Flat City Council held their regular meeting April 19. During his report, Fire Chief Stacey Horton told the council the department received a FireWise grant for $2,500 and received a kit from the Arkansas Forestry Commission which consisted of 10 wild-lands jump suits, two back pack blowers and some special rakes designed for fighting fires. The department had 40 calls for service since the last meeting...

State Conservationist Mike Sullivan announced applications are being accepted through May 17 for a National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI) in a portion of Fulton County, Ark. Using funds from the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will provide technical and financial assistance to producers to install conservation practices in the Greasy Creek-Strawberry Watershed to improve water quality...

The Quad Cities Rotary Club is selling chances to win tickets to the upcoming Cardinals vs. Chicago Cubs game which will be held June 1 in at Busch Stadium in St. Louis MO. According to Ethan Barnes, the Quad Cities Rotary Club as well as other clubs in the district, will be selling tickets and half of the funds raised will be used to support the local organization...

The Spring River Area Chamber of Commerce (SRACC) and the Quad Cities Rotary Club will be hosting their annual Spring River Open in Cherokee Village. According to Ethan Barnes, President of the SRACC, the tournament is used as a fundraising event and the proceeds are split equally between the chamber and rotary club in order to continue community projects each organization carries out through the year...

The in Little Rock and Fayetteville in April and May. Successful completion of the testing school will result in the issuance of a Private Blood Tester’s license to test for Pullorum-Typhoid of Poultry. The Little Rock school will be April 24 at the U of A Cooperative Extension Service Auditorium at 2301 South University in Little Rock. Registration for the Little Rock school will begin at 8:20 a.m. and class will start at 8:30 a.m...

Arkansas Agriculture’s Forestry Commission is now accepting applications for the 2019 Shade Trees on Playgrounds (STOP) program through May 3, for schools needing additional shade on playgrounds. Selected schools will receive five shade trees, mulch, watering supplies, and planting guidelines. Officials with the Arkansas Forestry Commission (AFC) will help plant the trees during a ceremony with students in the fall. The STOP program application and program guidelines can be found here...

The Delta Regional Authority (DRA) has announced the timeline for the 2019 Federal Grant Program, States Economic Development Assistance Program (SEDAP). Applications are now being accepted to the Local Planning and Development District. The White River Planning and Development District (WRPDD) coordinates the DRA funding for the following counties: Fulton, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Sharp, Stone, Van Buren, White and Woodruff. ...

Gary Paxson, President and CEO of White River Health System (WRHS), recently announced the selection of four Vice-President (VP) officers within the system. Mr. Paxson selected Lindsey Castleberry as VP of Human Resources & General Counsel; Jeff Reifsteck as Assistant VP & Chief Information Officer; Jody Smotherman as VP of Community Engagement; and Dr. Chris Steel as VP & Chief Quality Officer...

Scam artists are hiding online pretending to sell domestic pets, but instead are taking the consumer’s money without turning over a new fluffy friend. Often, these ads are found on free buy-and-sell websites and use especially endearing photos of the animal they have no intention of sending, or may not even own...

The Center on Aging-Northeast in Jonesboro, a program of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), is offering Walk With Ease classes at no cost to participants starting April 22 every Monday, Thursday and Friday from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Southwest Church of Christ, 1601 James St. in Jonesboro...

The 40th annual Health Fair & Expo presented by Baxter Regional Medical Center, KTLO, Classic Hits & The Boot is Wednesday, April 24, 7:30 a.m. – 7 p.m. at the Baxter County Fairgrounds in Mountain Home. Free blood sugar, cholesterol, PSA and HbA1c tests will be offered (until 1 p.m. ...

During a ceremony in the governor’s office Wednesday, Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed Senate Bill 397. The bill creates an Arkansas Game and Fish Commission resident disabled veterans license that includes a lifetime combination hunting and fishing license, a lifetime Arkansas duck stamp and an Arkansas trout stamp...

April is National Fresh Celery Month, and Arkansans can mark the occasion by taking advantage of the vegetable’s special flavor when cooking soups, stews, pot roasts or vegetable stocks, Marilyn Burch, Extension associate-foods and nutrition for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB), said...

Nature can be a force to be reckoned with, aside from natural disasters which occur sporadically throughout the year, there are also day to day challenges mother nature can throw our way. In Arkansas, pollen, pests, wasps, ants and other unwanted “visitors” have come early this year...

In today’s society, it can be difficult to find the time to slow down. It can also be difficult to find or make the time to exercise, pay attention to what is going on in one’s body and also to really acknowledge thoughts or feelings that may be tugging for attention...

According to statistics from the United Health Foundation, tobacco use among adults has decreased over the last decade, however; the percentage of users age 18 to 44 in rural America, is still much higher than the national average. Individuals with an income of below $25,000 in Arkansas who use tobacco products are 10 percent higher above the national average at nearly 40 percent...

What began as an off the cuff community mealtime event is now entering it’s fourth year in existence. Each Wednesday, community members, friends, volunteers and guests gather at the Hardy United Methodist Church for fellowship and to eat together during the weekly Souper Wednesday event...

Bill Russell, Darrell Taylor and Kurt Bratcher are the three men who run and operate the Hardy Barber Shop, located on Main Street – where a barber shop has been in Hardy for nearly 100 years, where Russell has been in business for nearly 60 years and where Russell and Taylor have been in business together for nearly 50 years...

The investigation as to whether a Hardy police officer was justified to use his firearm during an incident March 22 has come to an end. According to a letter sent to Wendall Jines of the Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division April 2 by Third Judicial Prosecutor Henry Boyce, Officer Dallas Montgomery’s actions have been determined to be justified...

Pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports in the nation and recently, several members of the Cherokee Village Pickleball team traveled to the Mid-South Regional tournament in Denton Texas, not only bringing home the gold, but also qualifying to compete in the national tournament later this year...

How time flies. What started as three months of “filling in” became a 10-year anniversary surprise celebration April 2 as a large crowd gathered at the Mission of Hope in Hardy to throw a party for director Julia Baldridge. “Keith Mince Moyer was my husband and he was diagnosed with cancer in 2003 [passing away in 2014]. ...

What began as misdemeanor shopping charges for a Sharp County man quickly escalated after a strange series of events. On April 4, Christopher Cone, 32, of Cherokee Village, was caught by police in Highland after authorities had been contacted regarding a case of shoplifting...

According to a report from the Highland Police Department, John Paul English, 30, of Cherokee Village, is facing multiple felony charges after he tried to prevent a woman from seeking help from a local domestic violence prevention center. On March 28, the victim and her children were trying to elude English and contacted the police after English hit her vehicle with his...

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The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Research and Extension will be offering two events which will be open to the public. According to Chelsea Conway, Sharp County FCS Agent, a free diabetes class, “Know Your Numbers” will be held April 8 at Ozarka College in Ash Flat from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m...

Joey Dewayne Robbins, 38, was sentenced to more than 50 years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections March 25 before Circuit Judge Harold Erwin. In June of 2018, Robbins received the following charges: 51 counts of rape, a class Y felony; 60 counts engaging children in sexually explicit conduct for use in visual or print media, a class B felony and sexual assault in the second degree, a class B felony...

For several months, Ash Flat Library Manager Susan Funnell has been discussing ways to help bring exposure to the talent that exists in the Spring River and surrounding areas. Recently, she launched a new program at the library which will allow artists from all walks of life to showcase their talent...

The Sharp County Fair Board held their regular meeting March 26. The meeting lasted approximately three hours and Fair Adviser Chelsea Conway said the meeting was productive as the committee prepares to kick off the 80th annual Sharp County Fair later this summer...

The Cherokee Village City Council honored officer Bryan Buchanan and reserve officer Tom Swiatkowski March 28, for their role in saving the life of an individual during an incident weeks prior. The two officers were presented with a plaque of appreciation by Mayor Russell Stokes and recognized for their service...

After more than 30 years in education, Highland High School (HHS) Principal Annette Scribner announced she will be retiring following the cessation of the Spring semester. “This is my thirty-fourth year in education. I stated out as a business teacher and I worked my way into a technology coordinator’s position. ...

Two Highland Middle School sixth grade students, Taci Humphries and Baron Gilmore, received special recognition during the nine-weeks awards ceremony March 29. In addition to receiving several awards for his achievements in social studies, math, and the National Physical Fitness award, Gilmore, a visually impaired student, also received recognition for placing third in the Arkansas Regional Braille Challenge held at the Arkansas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Little Rock earlier this year.. ...

Tri-County Farm & Ranch and W.R.D. Entertainment present the second annual Ozarks Sports & Outdoor Expo on Saturday, March 30 at the Fulton County Fairgrounds in Salem. The Fulton County Fair Association and the Salem Chamber of Commerce have a full day of events planned for all ages. Over 65 vendors will be located in the Salem Civic Center and on the Fulton County Fairgrounds...

Jarod Casady, of Cherokee Village, a member of Boy Scout Troop 639, and his fellow Scout members recently built and donated six picnic tables to the Fulton County Fair Association for use at the fairgrounds and for events at the Salem Civic Center. Scout leader Sean Sanders coordinated the construction of the tables and the group and their leaders spent Saturday building the tables and they were delivered to the fairgrounds Sunday afternoon. ...

The month of March has hammered the Spring River area with heavy rains and some flooding, but out of control fires have also been an issue. The weekend of March 16, multiple fires were set across northern Sharp County some resulting in the loss of structures and other properties and many resulting in the need of a fire department’s aid once the fires had spread out of control...

The Spring River Area Chamber of Commerce (SRACC) held their regular meeting March 19 at the Spring River Innovation Hub in Cherokee Village. The meeting opened with introductions of the chamber’s newest members, Pam and Jimmy Fair with Fair Auto Body...

Thanks to the efforts of Mary Whelan, grant writer for the City of Cherokee Village, the Cherokee Village Animal Shelter has received a second grant from Petco which will allow for several improvements to be made. According to Whelan, the first grant was written and obtained in 2017 and was used to help make improvements to the cat houses, fencing, food and more...

An officer involved shooting in Sharp County has landed suspect Jesse Hope, 19, in the hospital. According to a release from the Arkansas State Police, early in the morning hours of March 22, a multi-jurisdictional high speed pursuit ended with shots fired...

The Highland TNT Gymnastics team competed in the Arkansas State Level III Gymnastics Tournament in Little Rock recently and returned home with several team members placing. According to Coach Todd Conforth, three of the girls who are part of the team qualified to compete at the state level...

The Spring River Area Chamber of Commerce (SRACC) is sponsoring a Spring Treasure Hunt to kick off the 2019 Shop Local campaign. According to SRACC Executive Director, Kari Hollis, the hunt will take place March 27 through April 17. To participate, pickup an entry form at Daily Deals at 115 Hwy 62/412 West in Ash Flat or the SRACC office and visit 12 of the 20 SRACC member businesses listed between March 27 and April 17 to be entered into drawings for one of three prize packages...

Michael Bailey is not your typical high school student, although he is capable in many areas, he suffers from a disease known as Arthrogryphosis, which translates to crooked joints. A “Wheels of Independence” fundraiser will be held for Bailey at the Cave City Gym, Saturday March 23 beginning at 4 p.m. with food served at 5 p.m...

Sharp County officials held a meeting with the Arkansas Jail Standards Committee March 14 to discuss the progress and planning of the proposed plans for a new facility in Sharp County. The controversial issue of whether or not to pass a 3/4 cent sales tax to pay for a new jail facility was placed before the Sharp County voters in November 2018. ...