Villager Journal

Sharp and Fulton county voters made their way to the polls Aug. 13 to cast their vote, for or against, the retention of five mills and addition of four mills for the Highland School District. Late that evening, the results were in and in total, the millage was voted down with 701 residents against and 503 for the millage...

The Cherokee Village City Council met Aug. 15 The meeting opened with a request from Councilman Steve Thompson to discuss using Delta Paving to do work to some of the side approaches into the Village to be added to the agenda The item was added. Under public comments regarding agenda items, Peter Martin expressed his concern that information was not made available about the “grant” item listed on the agenda...

The Sharp County Quorum Court held their regular meeting Aug. 12 and passed a resolution announcing the vacancy for Justice of the Peace District 5. The meeting began with the county treasurer’s report. Judge Gene Moore announced sales tax collections were up for the month...

What started as a fender bender Aug. 17, later landed a Sharp County man in the hospital. According to reports from the Highland Police Department, Officer Jeff Hamilton was on shift just before midnight when he was dispatched to KFC/ Taco Bell for a two vehicle accident. ...

A Sharp County woman is facing multiple felony charges after she was found to be in possession of approximately four ounces of methamphetamine. According to a report from the Ash Flat Police Department, on Aug. 7 officers were dispatched to the Dollar Tree in Ash Flat in regards to a subject identified as Kimberly Shackelford, 28, of Hardy...

Former Sharp County Reserve Officer John Huffmaster, 22, of Williford, was arrested and charged with theft of property, a class D felony Aug. 14. According to an affidavit for warrant of arrest from the Sharp County Clerk’s Office, the charges stem from an investigation beginning May 2...

According to a report from the Arkansas State Police, a one vehicle accident claimed the life of a Hardy resident Aug. 14. At approximately 7:45 p.m., emergency responders were alerted a one vehicle accident had occurred on the fringe of Sharp County near Lawrence County. It was reported the driver of the vehicle, Larry Ratliff, 76, of Hardy, had been ejected from the vehicle...

The Ash Flat City Council held its regular council meeting Aug. 13 and voted to begin accepting bids for repairs to the damaged city sidewalk on Main Street near the New Beginnings Pregnancy Center. The meeting began with department reports with the first given by Fire Chief Stacey Horton...

As the result of an investigation which began in June, Fulton County Judge Jim Kendrick was charged with theft of property, a class D felony. Earlier this summer, Fulton County Sheriff Al Roork received a complaint from a taxpayer involving Judge Kendrick using county resources to make repairs to his personal driveway. ...

Fulton County Sheriff Al Roork was heard on a local radio station across the county and surrounding areas on Wednesday, Aug. 7, warning individuals responsible for the senseless and criminal acts committed at the Mammoth Spring Fire Department. The night of Monday, Aug. ...

Clarence G. Platz, 36, of Monette. Ark., was arrested and received several charges Aug. 4 after he continued to make sexual advances toward a 14-year-old female victim. According to a report from the Sharp County Sheriff’s Department, Sharp County Deputy Marc Boyd received a call from Sharp County Sheriff Mark Counts about a man at the Sharp County Fairgrounds following young girls and making people uncomfortable...

Fall Faculty Conference will bring members of the academic community together Wednesday, Aug. 14 to formally start the 2019-20 year at Arkansas State University. Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Alan Utter will welcome the faculty to the conference, which is hosted each year by the Division of Academic Affairs and Research. Utter, who assumed his current role with A-State on July 1, also will conclude the morning’s activities with a presentation...

Antique and Classic Car Show will be held Saturday, Aug. 31 at Mammoth Spring State Park. The event is free to the public. Gates open at 9 a.m. and judging starts at 11 a.m. Show car entry fee is $25 and exhibiting fee is $5. There will be tons of awards and door prizes. Tickets will be available at registration. Dash plagues will be given to the first 50 registrants. First, second and third place trophies will be given out as well as People’s Choice, Farthest Distance and Best of Show...

School is back in session. We are all getting into our new routines. Well, be sure to leave room for the Arts Center of North Arkansas (ACNA) in your plans. On Thursday, Aug. 15, we will have a social gathering for our members from 5 to 7 p.m. Bring a snack and come have fun with us! Our studio will be open on Saturday, Aug. ...

Molly Harrington, 20, of Evening Shade, is Ash Flat Library’s Featured Artist of the Month for August. “I have been drawing for as long as I can remember. As a child, I was constantly rereading and gazing at my compendium book of Batman comics, ‘Batman: From the 30s to the 70s’. ...

John Biegel, with Kairos Prison Ministry [KPM], a “lay-led, interdenominational Christian ministry in which men and women volunteers bring Christ’s love and forgiveness to prisoners and their families.” Biegel said the word Kairos, is a Greek word translating to “God’s special time”...

A one vehicle accident claimed the life of a Williford man and injured a woman from Horseshoe Bend on Peace Valley Road in Ash Flat Aug. 5. According to a release from the Sharp County Sheriff’s Department, dispatch received a call of the accident near Agnos Road...

When looking at certain aspects of the system, it can feel overwhelming when looking into foster care and adoption. Omer Overbay, Community Engagement Specialist with the Arkansas Department of Human Services for Area 8, covering Clay, Craighead, Fulton, Green, Izard, Lawrence, Mississippi, Randolph and Sharp counties spent a few minutes with Areawide Media to help clear up some of the confusion and find the facts...

Hardy City Council held their regular meeting Aug. 6 during which, the council voted to allow Director of Department Safety Tamara Taylor to open a special account and begin raising funds for a K9 unit. The meeting began with approval of the minutes of several special meetings which had taken place since July...

Results of a four month remodel at Mammoth Spring State Park Welcome Center were revealed at a special ribbon cutting ceremony held on Thursday, Aug.1. “Arkansas State Parks recently completed a major welcome center restroom renovation at Mammoth Spring State Park. Roughly $60,000 was spent on the project that began in early April and was completed July 31. This project was possible because of the 1/8 cent conservation tax that helps to fund improvements to Arkansas State Parks...

Arraignment for Rebecca O’Donnell, the suspect in custody for the murder of Linda Collins, was held before Judge David Goodson at the Randolph County Courthouse in Pocahontas July 30 during which Third Judicial Prosecuting Attorney Henry Boyce announced he intends to seek the death penalty if O’Donnell is found guilty of capital murder...

Several changes have recently taken place at the Sharp County Sheriff’s Department including the promotions of Cham Buchanan and Aaron Presser. Buchanan began working with the department in 2010 as a jailer. In 2011, she made the transition to dispatch and over time worked to become Sharp County 911 coordinator...

With a servant’s heart, it can be difficult to see an issue and not work to try to improve that issue, which is why Shane Russell and other familiar faces employed by the City of Highland have, outside of the scope of their employment, joined the animal rescue efforts of the Wiles Animal Rescue Shelter...

United Way of Northcentral Arkansas (UWNCA) expanded to include Sharp County some time in 2016, but according to Executive Director Kimberly Tucker and board member John Kunkel, the group is looking to raise awareness. “The way our United Way works, we are under the worldwide umbrella in the fact we can use their name, but that is as far as it goes. ...

If it is true, you are what you eat, then seafood lovers could be in for a shock. Highland 2010 graduate, Stephanie (Shaw) Holbert, has dedicated her adult life to the study of the effects toxins, toxicants and contaminants have on marine mammals, as well as, the impact they have on humans. ...

National Immunization Awareness Month is an annual observance held in August to highlight the importance of vaccination for people of all ages, Linda Inmon, Extension specialist for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB), said. It is also a good time to make sure children receive their vaccinations before the school year...

The Sharp County Fair is currently going on (July 29 – Aug. 2), and this 80th year event calendar is filled with fun activities for everyone. From livestock shows, carnival, and evening events, the Sharp County Fair will is a must visit this week. Gate admission gets you in to all events: Tuesday and Wednesday $4 adults/$2 ages 5 – 12, Thursday – Saturday $8 adults/$5 ages 5 – 12, 4 and under FREE all week...

Highland Police Chief Shane Russell would like to remind the public the 2020 census workers will be out and about going door to door in the Sharp County area in the coming days and weeks. Typically, the census is used to take a “head count” of residents in each state. Accurate answers to census questions are especially important as they have a direct correlation to the amount of funding given back to each state...

Approximately one week after the most recent Sharp County Quorum Court meeting, Justice of the Peace for District 5 Tony Vaughn, submitted his letter of resignation from the court effective July 17. Vaughn said his resignation followed a meeting during which his family’s company, primarily owned by his wife, Dianne Clemmons, was one of two viable sealed bids submitted to do the foundation work for the construction of the new jail...

The Highland School District will hold a special election Aug. 13 with two issues being placed before the voters who reside within the district. The first issue will be to retain five mills currently being paid which will come to an end in 2023. The second will be to request an additional four mills to be used for new construction and repairs to many of the school’s facilities...

For more than a decade, the City of Highland has requested the Arkansas Highway Department lower the speed limit through the city from 55 to 45. During the July City Council meeting, Mayor Russell Truitt told the council he had been in contact with the Arkansas Highway Department to request a speed study...

Before graduating from Highland High School, Creston Duncan made up his mind he wanted to enter law enforcement and serve as a positive influence for his peers. After graduation, he earned his associates degree from Ozarka College in Criminal Justice and Corrections...

Arkansas-based Crow-Burlingame – one of the largest Bumper-to-Bumper affiliates in the country and a leader in the replacement auto parts industry – celebrates 100-years in business. From its humble beginnings on Little Rock’s West Fourth Street where friends William Robert Crow and J.G. Burlingame opened their first location back in 1919, the company has grown into the third largest privately-owned automotive parts distribution business in the United States...

It’s the first day of school. The bus pulls up to Highland Middle School. The doors on the bus open. Kids from 11 to 14 years of age are eagerly waiting for their turn to exit and begin their new semester of school. Many of these kids are sporting brand new clothes, a fresh pair of kicks, new backpacks filled with mechanical pencils and fancy notebooks. They have their hair fixed just so, they are almost teenagers after all, and their looks are important to them at this age...

After more than 25 years of service, Community Service Coordinator Bob Gott has retired, making way for the newly hired coordinator Brian Watson. Watson was raised in Salem and has remained in the tri-county area most of his life. For the last several years, he has served as the manager for Tri-County Recycling Center...

Fountain Place will hold a Summer Senior Expo July 26 from 9:30 until 3:30 p.m. A Christian retirement community, located at 2 Chickasha Drive in Cherokee Village, Fountain Place would like to invite all area seniors to attend. The event will include free health screenings provided by members of the Fulton County Hospital, informational booths and seminars from local businesses and organizations in the area and more...

There is a new face in a familiar place in Cherokee Village. Although she has been employed for approximately a month by the City of Cherokee Village, Carolyn Parks is the new shelter manager and Animal Control Officer for Cherokee Village. With an extensive history in animal control, Parks said she was pleased to be selected for the position...

It was a somber day in Stone County and surrounding communities, Thursday, July 18. Mike Stephen, a 20 year law enforcement veteran, Army veteran and Pineville Fire Chief, was killed in an officer involved shooting. According to Arkansas State Police Public Information Specialist Bill Sadler, Stephen responded to a call which was received around 8 a.m., on Flag Road, nearly 20 miles outside of Mountain View. ...

The Cherokee Village City Council met July 18 and during their regular meeting voted to approve several large appropriations to help the city’s police, fire and code enforcement offices operate more smoothly. The meeting opened with a request from Councilman Les Covington who requested an executive session be added to the agenda...

Art is timeless. It is powerful and can change the way people think just by simply viewing the work of others. It may not be the Trevi Fountain, but when Rilee Morgan was given an assignment earlier this year to complete an art project, what he would ultimately create, has the ability to be just as impactful...

Country music superstars Mark Chesnutt and group Shenandoah will perform at this year’s Cave City Watermelon Festival; Shenandoah on Friday, July 26, at 8 p.m. on the Bank of Cave City Main Stage and Chesnutt on Saturday, July 27, at 8:30 p.m. on the Bank of Cave City Main Stage...

The Sharp County Quorum Court regularly scheduled meeting July 8. Tension was in the air as the court discussed whether or not to accept a bid for work regarding the jail. The meeting opened with the County Treasurer’s Report. Treasurer Wanda Girtman told the court the county was “back in the black” on sales tax and provided some promising news...

Carlos Lopopolo, owner of Southwestern Treasurers, a Native American and leather working shop in Hardy, is working to open a mustang preserve in Ravenden Springs using the profits raised through the items he sells in his shop. The preserve will be one of many to be established by Lopopolo and the first in this portion of Arkansas...

In Sharp County, food insecurity and poverty rates are among some of the highest in the state. On any given day, local food banks and other resources are made available to those in need, including area blessing boxes. The blessing boxes are established in various locations around the county, and are filled by who ever will for others to come and take what they need...