This is Jenny Whisnant’s second year with Mammoth Spring School District and her first year of fulfilling the role of superintendent at the school. Before spending last year as Mammoth Spring Elementary Principal, Whisnant taught in Missouri for more than 20 years...

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. ...

Alton R-IV School District will welcome Chris Walker as the school resource officer beginning the 2019-2020 school year. Walker obtained an Associate of Science in Administration of Justice from College of the Canyons in California and attended academies in Alabama, California and Washington...

Thayer alum, Miranda Webber, is working on fulfilling a partnership with Wycliffe Bible Translators, one that will enable her to travel to Africa on a mission trip. Wycliffe is an organization that seeks to provide education, as well as Bibles, for everyone in their language. Webber is seeking to raise funds to help cover the mission trip with expenses through partnering with her for the program...

Jordan Alford’s talents in basketball led to amazing high school career which was followed by many in the area, not just Thayer residents. The 2015 THS graduate continued her love of the game and continued to show off her skills at Columbia College in Columbia, Mo. Her first season with the Cougars was the 2016-17 season, and didn’t go as planned. She had a setback with a blown ACL, but when she came back on the court, she was stronger than ever...

Located between Koshkonong and Rover, is the farm of the 2019 Oregon County Farm Family, Bill and Barb Threlkeld. While visiting with the family on a hot July day, The South Missourian News was given a glimpse into the tradition of responsibility and work ethic handed down through generations...

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. ...

On Sunday, July 28, Hirsch Feed & Farm Supply in Thayer had property stolen. A box trailer has been recovered, however; there are items which haven’t been recovered. The suspect arrived at 2307 hours and was at the location for approximately four and a half hours loading the stolen property. He damaged the box trailer leaving at approximately 0430 hours...

The City of Koshkonong recently acquired ownership of the Koshkonong Museum. To learn more about the history of Koshkonong, Mayor George Hunt and The South Missourian News visited with Koshkonong residents Charles and Mary Lee Pease on a tour of how the town was in the late 1930s and early 1940s...

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...

A large group lined up to await the 9 a.m. opening of the Thayer Elementary School doors to gather school supplies for the upcoming school year on Thursday, Aug.1. During this year’s event, 400 backpacks full of school supplies were handed out. Not only did students receive a backpack and school supplies, they also had many great stations to stop by including vision screening provided by Walmart. ...

Jordan Kantola has been busy painting her first mural in Spring Dipper Ice Cream Parlor for approximately two weeks. After hearing Spring Dipper owner Neil McWilliams would like to have a mural painted on the back wall in the restaurant, Kantola’s dad suggested she take on the task...

A car show and fish fry will be held at Alton Senior Center on Saturday, Aug. 10. from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., visitors will have the opportunity to admire area vintage cars. Registration fee is $10 and will begin at 9 a.m. Judging will be held at 1 p.m. and trophies for first, second and third will be awarded...

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. ...

On Thursday, July 26, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced that his office was suing an Oregon County dog breeder for continued violations of the Animal Care Facilities Act and the absence of a valid ACFA license. In multiple Department of Agriculture inspections dating back to November of 2017, Cedar Ridge Australians was found to have dogs with thin body condition and wounds, improper shelter and shade accommodations, a buildup of feces and debris in enclosures, debris and algae filled water, and more. ...

The Izard County Fair & Livestock Show will be held Aug. 5-10. The beauty pageants will be held prior to fair week on Saturday, Aug. 3 at the John E. Miller Auditorium at Ozarka College. The pageants begin at 2 p.m. The talent show will also be held in the same location at 2 p.m...

Tony Martin is known to many as a familiar friendly face at Town and Country in Salem. His ability to put a smile on a person’s face with a joke or one of his beautifully told stories are a couple of things he is known for. Now, you can add sunflower farmer to that list...

The Salem City Council met on Thursday, July 25, at the Salem City Hall. Mayor Daniel Busch called the meeting to order with a quorum present. Mayor Busch presented the financial report which was reviewed and approved. A comment was made that the financials looked “pretty good”...

The 100th Fulton County Fair was one for the books! July 22-27 was a week full of busy activities, contests, having fun with family and reminiscing on the fairs held in Fulton County over the years. Fulton County Fair is known to be one of the best county fairs in the area. ...

The City of Koshkonong held their regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, July 23. Council approved the July meeting agenda, June minutes, June financials, year end financials, and bills paid and to be paid. Also approved was the budget for the 2019-2020 fiscal year...

Couch R-I School has been awarded 40 gallons of paint, valued at $800, through the Painting a Brighter Future program. Larry Forschler, owner of Forschler’s True Value in Thayer, explained once the grant is awarded, the school informs him of what they want, it is then ordered, and he mixes the color for them...

Bear sightings in Oregon County are rare. However, with an increase in bear population in Missouri comes the possibility of an encounter. In recent years, Missouri Department of Conservation has focused on monitoring female cub production and survival so the state population may be estimated with the Black Bear Management Plan implemented in 2008...

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...

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...