Villager Journal

U of A System Division of Agriculture Did you receive a packet of seeds or some trinket that you didn’t order? The Arkansas Department of Agriculture is asking Arkansans to let the department know if they received unsolicited packages in the mail. Anyone receiving packages of seeds that they did not order should contact Arkansas Plant Industries Division at 501-225-1598, or by email: Paul.shell@agriculture.arkansas.gov or Mark.stoll@agriculture.arkansas.gov...

Zeta Omicron Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi and the Fulton County Fair will submit a plan to the Arkansas Health Department to have the Fulton County Fair Pageants in September. With the size of the Salem Civic Center, that guideline can be achieved. Officials feel the pageants can be approved because of the size of the civic center and the number of entrances for the facility. The tentative date is Sept. 12 and all pageants will be held on that day...

There is no question 2020 has been a difficult year for much of the world’s population. From economic uncertainties to famine, it can be difficult to find positivity, but did you know, August is Happiness Happens Month? Not only that, but did you know there is a Secret Society of Happy People (SOHP)... that’s not so secret?...

Highland Fire Chief Kal Dienst said due to the cooperation of the Highland Public Water Authority and work by the department, he recently received notification that the city’s ISO rating had dropped from a seven to a five, following this year’s inspection...

You’ve had a few rough months. It’s 2020, which has come to mean pandemic and lockdowns and  distancing. You’re thankful to still have a job and income. But this year has become a monster of added stress, so you’ve lost focus and have let a few things slip by...

The Ozark Acres Suburban Improvement District held their regular meeting July 21. Prior to the opening of the meeting, a 30 minute property owner comment session took place. The meeting then began with the reading and correction of minutes and a report by Deputy Ashton Hester...

Approximately 25 percent of property owners across Sharp County received letters recently informing them their property taxes had been increased, however; this is not unique to Sharp County. According to Kathy Nix, the letters were a result of a state mandated reappraisal which takes place twice per decade...

The Cherokee Village Lions Club celebrated the placement of their first bench recently. The granite bench, located at the Cherokee Village Community Park adjacent to city hall has been a project in the making according to Cherokee Village Lions Club President Marc Herring...

Evening Shade resident John Kunkel is one of the Sharp County COVID-19 patients. Hoping to shed light on the seriousness of coronavirus, Kunkel has been sharing his coronavirus journey through social media. Using social media might not be everyone's “niche”, however; for Kunkel, he is hoping his painful, and ongoing experience, will open the minds of some. Social media is also therapeutic for Kunkel...

To the citizens of Fulton County: During this time of the COVID-19 crisis, some people have felt the need to try and defraud the government and commit identity theft on some of our citizens. The individuals are attempting to obtain unemployment benefits through identity theft. ...

The Cherokee Village Suburban Improvement District held its regular meeting July 20. Following the approval of the agenda and June meeting minutes, the commissioners discussed old business. “Our first item is the ISO rating,” Joe Waggoner said. “Our ISO rating went from a five to a four. This will be good news from an insurance aspect. Also, I’ve observed a lot of action with the fire department and the water department out jointly and separately checking flow.”...

Fulton County Hospital CEO Curren Everett recently reviewed some statistical information with Areawide Media and how the hospital has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Luckily, very minimal changes have been made in the staffing of FCH. However, Everett said overall, the pandemic has hurt the hospital. ...

The Highland City Council held its regular meeting July 14. Following the approval of the previous meeting’s minutes and the agenda, Mayor Russell Truitt presented the fire department report. “We had a fairly quiet month. We have been running mostly medical calls, again and he’s allowing them to run the calls,” Truitt said. “They have been working with the water department and as you notice if you look at a hydrant when you go by, there are decals on the fire hydrants.”...

The Ash Flat City Council held its regular meeting July 14. The first order of business was to approve the minutes from the regular meeting held June 9 as well as a special meeting held June 16. During the special meeting held June 16, the council voted to approve a partnership with the Northeast Arkansas Regional Intermodal to have tanks removed from the Cherokee Frame property in order to proceed with an Environmental Site Assessment...

The 2020 Sharp County Farm Family is the Davis Family, of Williford. James, Christy and Hayden, along with Austin, Amanda, Brinley Jo, Alexis and Allie; are true examples of what it takes to make a successful farming operation, all while keeping it in the family...

The construction of a new bridge in Fulton County is quickly approaching as the state prepares to accept bids to replace the Humphries Ford/Camp Kerl Bridge located on Bluff Road/9 Mile Ridge Road. According to Fulton County Judge Gary Clayton, he recently spoke with project leaders about the project...

The Cherokee Village Suburban Improvement District held its regular meeting July 20. Following the approval of the agenda and June meeting minutes, the commissioners discussed old business. “Our first item is the ISO rating,” Joe Waggoner said. “Our ISO rating went from a five to a four. This will be good news from an insurance aspect. Also, I’ve observed a lot of action with the fire department and the water department out jointly and separately checking flow.”...

The Highland School District will hold a special election Sept. 8 for millage retention for the Highland School District. According to Superintendent Don Sharp, the special election is not to request an increase, but rather to retain what the district currently has...

The Sharp County Quorum Court held its regular meeting July 13 during which, a resolution to petition to rezone a property within the corporate limits of the City of Ash Flat. Under reports, County Treasurer Wanda Girtman told the court sales tax was still holding steady...

In 2016, Arkansans made their way to the polls to cast their ballots for many issues, one of which was whether or not the citizenry was interested in seeing medical marijuana dispensaries and grow facilities be allowed to operate within the state. Following a majority vote to allow for the implementation, the Medical Marijuana Commission (MMC) was formed and began creating some of the strictest regulations among states which allow for the use of Medical Marijuana...

The construction of a new bridge in Fulton County is quickly approaching as the state prepares to accept bids to replace the Humphries Ford/Camp Kerl Bridge located on Bluff Road/9 Mile Ridge Road. According to Fulton County Judge Gary Clayton, he recently spoke with project leaders about the project...

In 2016, Arkansans made their way to the polls to cast their ballots for many issues, one of which was whether or not the citizenry was interested in seeing medical marijuana dispensaries and grow facilities be allowed to operate within the state. Following a majority vote to allow for the implementation, the Medical Marijuana Commission (MMC) was formed and began creating some of the strictest regulations among states which allow for the use of Medical Marijuana...

Arkansans who may have concerns about going to the polls this November while the health crisis continues can make plans now to ensure their vote counts. Arkansas law allows voters to request absentee ballots if they will be “unavoidably absent” on Election Day or if they have illnesses or physical disabilities. ...

The City of Cherokee Village is pleased to announce that the community has been selected for a competitive National Endowment of the Arts matching grant. The $100,000 award will be utilized to launch the first phase of community master planning to benefit community and economic development over the next 18 months...

Highland High School is pleased to announce the achievement of Level 1 certification in Marzano High Reliability Schools™. Level 1 certification means Highland High School has created a “Safe, Supportive, and Collaborative Culture,” which is the foundation for every level that follows. Without such a culture, student achievement will be compromised. Day-to-day school operations are addressed and evaluated in Level 1...

On Thursday, July 16, Governor Asa Hutchison issued Executive Order 20-43, requiring the public to wear face coverings when out in public. There has been much controversy surrounding the topic of masks. Regardless of public opinion, the order is in place effective Monday, July 20 and the following information was released during the governor’s daily COVID-19 briefing July 16...

The Cherokee Village City Council held its regular meeting Thursday July 16. The meeting opened with a moment of prayer, approval of a revised agenda and approval of the minutes from the June meeting the council moved on to correspondence, financial report and the mayors report...

Cherokee Village resident and World War II Air Force veteran Don Blackwell will soon celebrate his 100th birthday. Though the pandemic put a stop to plans being made for a large community celebration, his daughter, Kathi Blackwell, is still working to ensure her father’s 100th is one for the books...

The Hardy City Council held its regular meeting July 7. Councilman Bruce Thurow provided the Advertising and Promotions Commission report. “We met on June 22. Under financial reports, the operating account stands at approximately $38,900 and the capitol reserve account stands at roughly $50,950,” Thurow said. ...

Christopher Robert Miller, 45, of Trumann and Jessica Armstrong, 30, of unknown, are facing multiple charges following a series of altercations taking place July 4 in Hardy. According to a report from the Hardy Police Department, officers were dispatched to a local hotel in Hardy at approximately 10 a.m., following a complaint from Miller who stated there was a dog locked in the back of a vehicle outside of the hotel he was staying. ...

Comfort Keepers Ministry Inc. (CKM) has re-launched their cool summers project as they have purchased 50 fans to be given to those who need relief from the heat. According to Lauren Siebert, president of CKM, 2020 has been a year of growth for the organization...

The Highland School District released the back-to school guidelines which will be followed for the 2020/2021 upcoming school year. According to information posted on the district’s Facebook page released July 9, the district will follow the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) guidelines, as well as the Arkansas Ready for Learning report issued by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in planning for the upcoming school year...

The City of Cherokee Village has finally received the results of the recent Insurance Services Office Inspection (ISO) and Fire Captain Kal Dienst said the news is good. “Our last inspection was about five years ago,” Dienst said. “We have made a lot of progress to make sure we have the right equipment. ...

It has been just over three weeks since the discovery of a large sinkhole at High Falls on the Spring River which claimed the life of a woman from Paragould. Immediately following the recovery efforts, signage was placed ahead of the sinkhole on the river to warn river goers of the danger. ...

The severe thunderstorms this past week upset the stripers. Fishing was very good until Thursday (July 2) due to the lighting storm we had Wednesday afternoon (July 1). That storm changed the bite from good to poor and the fish get in a funk and become inactive. It takes several days to see a change...

The Network of Community Options, Inc. Board of Directors meets on the fourth Wednesday during the months of February, April, June, August, October and December at 2:30 p.m. The meeting is held at the office of Rodney Downing, CPA, located at 971 Hwy 62/ 412 in Ash Flat. Upcoming meetings: Aug. 26; Oct. 28; Dec. 23 (alternative date may be selected); Feb. 24, 2021; April 28, 2021 and June 23, 2021...

The Spring River Area Chamber of Commerce would like to invite our members and the public to a Blue Ribbon Welcome for new member Ck Contracting Solutions on Thursday, July 9 at 12 noon at the SRACC office, located at 119 E. Main St. in Hardy (inside Ruby’s next to Thompson Memorial park and public restrooms)...

Protect Yourself Against Financial Scammers It’s unfortunate, but true: During this period of economic uncertainty, one of the busiest “industries” has been financial scamming. But it goes on even during normal times, too, so you’ll want to know what to look for, and how to defend yourself...

As the state began a new fiscal year this week, we received some good news about the state budget. The fiscal year for the state budget always ends on June 30 and begins on July 1. While general revenue for Fiscal Year 2020 was $168 million less than the year before, it was $369 million above what economic forecasters predicted in the wake of the health emergency...

Maxine Huckabee, 84, of Poughkeepsie, Ark., died June 28 at her home. Arrangements are under the direction of Qualls Funeral Home in Cave City. Thomas P. Caudel, 89, formerly of Mammoth Spring, Ark., died June 30. Arrangements are under the direction of Bowlin-Cantriel Funeral Services in California, Mo...

Tragedy struck on the Spring River July 4 after a man from Jonesboro entered the water and did not resurface. According to a report from Sharp County Coroner Renee Clay-Circle, the second drowning of the year took place in Sharp County near Vfalls below River Bend Park. The drowning did not take place at the falls but rather in open water...

Despite having to cancel the 2020 Fulton County Fair as the community knows it, volunteers and Fulton County Fair Manager Carolyn Lewis have found ways to still celebrate. The junior livestock shows will still be held, although a little differently. The concert featuring former Voice contestants is also “on” but with restrictions...

The Sharp County Library Board held its regular quarterly meeting July 1 at the Hardy Civic Center. The meeting opened with a discussion regarding corrections to the special meeting held May 6. Chairperson Marilyn Bishoff spoke about issues which had occurred during a breakdown in communication concerning public access to wireless internet...

Logan Moore, a life time resident of Sharp County and certified self defense instructor, will be offering free self defense classes to churches in the Sharp, Fulton and Izard County areas. Raised in Williford, Moore graduated in 2007 just prior to the consolidation of the Williford High School...

The Hardy History Association held its regular meeting July 2 at the Hardy Civic Center. The meeting opened with a welcome from President Darlene Wilson and an introduction of the board members who were present for the meeting. As the last board meeting was not open to the public, Wilson provided an update of the happenings of the meeting...

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...