Stories from Wednesday, October 28, 2015

In every community in the United States, on average, one in seven people struggle to have enough to eat and this has a big impact on many children. For many children in the Ozarks, the only meals they have to eat are the ones that are provided at school. This is a concern because many of these children do not have anything to eat when they go home on the weekend...

Waste has a negative impact on the environment and in order to avoid possible pollution it is important to recycle. Recycling is important in order to conserve raw materials and to help protect natural resources. It also helps to improve the appearance and condition of the environment because without a recycling center, unwanted and unused recyclable materials are often dumped...

Michael Amick, of Myrtle, was charged with second degree murder and arson in the murder/house fire of his grandmother-in-law, Leona Maxine Vaughn. The incident occurred in December 2008, he was convicted in July 2011 and is currently awaiting a re-trial, after the Missouri Supreme Court unanimously ruled to overturn his conviction in June of this year...

Michael Amick, of Myrtle, was charged with second degree murder and arson in the murder/house fire of his grandmother-in-law, Leona Maxine Vaughn. The incident occurred in December 2008, he was convicted in July 2011 and is currently awaiting a re-trial, after the Missouri Supreme Court unanimously ruled to overturn his conviction in June of this year...

In an ongoing conflict over a land purchase to be made by the Department of Natural Resources in Oregon County many state representatives and citizens gathered to further discuss the topic. Lieutenant Governor of Missouri Peter Kinder, an eighth generation resident of southern Missouri, held a "Town Hall Meeting" at the West Plains Civic Center in West Plains on Tuesday, Oct. ...

Several arrests were made in relation to a local burglary earlier this month. On Oct. 3 at approximately 2:15 a.m., Salem Chief of Police Shad Overman was called to assist Salem Police Officer Terry Walker with a burglary that occurred at the residence of Sarah Smith. ...

Fulton County Judge Darrell Zimmer sat down recently with The News to give an update on several projects the county is working on. Several roads have been repaired and several are in the process of being repaired. Due to the ever changing weather conditions, the process has become difficult. ...

Staff members from the Fulton County Hospital recently went through training courses through the Rural Trauma Team (RTTDC®) and AR Saves programs. According to the curriculum, RTTDC® was developed by Rural Trauma Committee of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma. ...

Christi Mills was a beloved teacher, caring friend and to her husband Rick, a country angel. Mills taught at Cherokee Elementary school for 33 years. With hundreds of students who have come and gone, many lives have been touched by Mills. "She was a special person, she knew how to love everyone and make people feel important. Rick always called her his country angel and she really was. She was just one of those angels we have here on earth," said Mills' cousin, Monica Wiles...

Among all of the months set aside to raise awareness for different causes, October is Fire Prevention Month. Fire Safety Awareness week was Oct. 4 through Oct. 10, so needless to say the local fire departments have been busy making their way around to schools and daycares in the area to share with youngsters the importance of fire safety and fire prevention...

On Wednesday, Oct. 21 at approximately 5:09 a.m., the Cherokee Village Police Department was dispatched to Highway 175, at the Sharp/Fulton County line. When the responding officer arrived on the scene and spoke to the 911 caller, the witness said while driving west on Hwy. 175, they had to swerve into the east bound lane to avoid something in the road. The caller believed it to be a person. They pulled over and called 911...

Food Bank of North Central Arkansas partnered with Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance and Sharp County Community Foundation to host a Cooking Matters event at Ash Flat Wal-Mart on Friday, Oct. 23. The partners offered a $10 grocery gift card to customers who took the challenge. The main goal of the challenge was to educate people on ways to shop more strategically and how to choose healthier foods on a budget...