Dr. Charles Hicks

Southeast Arkansas medical professionals and administrators shared anecdotes about the late Dr. Charles Hicks Friday morning when Chicot Memorial Medical Center’s emergency suite was dedicated in his memory. Hicks, who practiced medicine in Southeast Arkansas over a span of more than four decades, worked in the emergency room at Chicot Memorial Medical Center for many years and was the chief of staff at the Lake Village hospital for several years. He died in 2010 at the age of 75. Read the rest of this post

District 9 state House candidates Sheilla Lampkin and Gary Meggs fielded questions at the Southeast Arkansas Cornerstone Coalition’s economic-themed political forum Thursday night. Lampkin, a Democrat who is currently serving as the District 10 state representative, is seeking her party’s nomination for the newly reorganized District 9 seat. Meggs, a Republican, is the director of bands at the University of Arkansas at Monticello. He will face the Democratic nominee in the November general election. Democratic candidate Robert Cornelious of Crossett did not attend the forum. Both Lampkin and Meggs are from Monticello. Read the rest of this post

A Monticello man fleeing Bradley County law enforcement officers was killed Wednesday afternoon in an accident on U.S. 278 at Wilmar when he lost control of his car and hit an oncoming SUV. Read the rest of this post

A lengthy investigation funded by the Drew County Sheriff’s Office and Monticello Police Department has resulted in the arrest of seven men suspected of drug crimes, according to a news release from 10th Judicial District Drug Task Force supervising agent Jason Akers.

More arrests are expected.

“Targets of the investigation were developed through information from Monticello Police and the Drew County Sheriff’s Department,” Akers said. “Of the suspects being sought, all but one of arrest warrants is for delivery of cocaine or crack cocaine. One suspect is being sought after for charges of delivery of prescription narcotics. Read the rest of this post

The University of Arkansas at Monticello named 139 students to the Chancellor’s List for the spring semester and another 295 students to the Dean’s List, according to Dr. Debbie Bryant, registrar. Selection to the Chancellor’s List requires a grade point average of 4.0 on at least 12 semester hours of course credit at the 1000-4000 level. The Dean’s List requires a grade point average of 3.5 or higher, also on at least 12 semester hours of course credit at the 1000-4000 level. The following list includes Chancellor’s and Dean’s list students from Ashley, Bradley, Chicot, Desha, Drew and Lincoln counties: Read the rest of this post

Polling sites for the May 22 Democrat and Republican primary and non partisan judicial election in Ashley County have been released by the Ashley County Election Commission. The polls will be open from 7:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. on election day. Early voting continues through May 21 at the Ashley County Courthouse in Hamburg and the Crossett Economic Development Building at 125 Main St. in Crossett. Early voting hours are from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. through Friday, 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Saturday, and from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Monday, May 21.
Election Day Polling Sites Read the rest of this post

Eddie and Leona McBryde Eubanks, of Drew County, will be honored on May 26 with a reception and dance in recognition of their 50th wedding anniversary. The reception will be held at Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Drew County from 4:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. The dance will be held at the Valley pavilion from 7 p.m. until 10 p.m.

The Southeast Arkansas Cornerstone Coalition will sponsor the first Southeast Arkansas Regional Economic Development Candidates Forum Thursday night at the Drew Central School District auditorium in Monticello. Read the rest of this post

The Gould High School Combined Class Reunion will be held in Gould on May 25-27. Students from the classes of 1970-1972, regardless of whether they graduated, are invited.

Coach Johnny Hendrix, longtime coach of Gould High School’s basketball program who is currently the head basketball coach at Dumas High School, will be the keynote speaker during the reunion banquet at 7 p.m. May 26 at the Ramada Inn in Pine Bluff. Read the rest of this post

Ashley County early voter

Early voting totals are up in two Southeast Arkansas counties, about average in three, and down in one.

Beginning the second week of early voting, Desha and Lincoln counties are both up from the last primary, Bradley and Chicot County totals are about average, Drew County, which has had the highest number of early voters, is on par with the numbers in the last primary, but up considerably from the 2008 primary, while the Ashley County voting total appears to be a little low.

Early voting totals through 3:30 p.m. Monday, the first day of the second week of the 2-week early voting period: Read the rest of this post

Mike Ross

U.S. Rep. Mike Ross announced Monday that he will not run for governor next year. Instead, he will be joining the Little Rock-based Southwest Power Pool as its senior vice president for government affairs and public relations when his U.S. house term ends in January.

“I’ve received a lot of encouragement and given serious consideration to seeking the office of Governor of Arkansas in 2014, a race that will begin early next year,” Ross said. “However, after a lot of prayer and reflection, I have decided that I will not be a candidate for Governor in 2014.” Read the rest of this post

The 29th Annual Dermott Crawfish Festival will be held this weekend, May 18-19, in downtown Dermott. The 2-day food and music festival includes live music, crawfish dinners, arts and crafts, free train and fire truck rides for children, a carnival, a pancake breakfast, dog show, bingo, the World’s largest pinball machine. the McDermott Flying Machine Exhibit, the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission aquarium, and cash drawings throughout the day Saturday.

Live entertainment includes Stony Pony, Jack Rabbit Slims, the I-69 Band, the Prison Band, Dermott Youth Choir, and the Hackett Gospel Group. Read the rest of this post

Drew County Republican Party chairman Diana Harton said there seems to be some confusion about the upcoming May primary elections. “We currently have two primaries underway, the Democrat primary and the Republican Primary,” she said. “After observing, and also getting a few phone calls I would like to clear up the confusion.”

Arkansas is an open primary state, meaning that voters may choose either primary when they go to their polling site. Read the rest of this post

Jeff Carr

A 45-year-old Crossett man was killed Saturday in a single-vehicle crash in Morehouse Parish, La.

Jeff Carr, 45, of Crossett was killed when his eastbound 2001 BMW Z3 ran off the roadway while Carr was attempting to exit a left-hand curve on Louisiana 142 milepost 2.6 in Morehouse Parish. Read the rest of the story at Magnolia Reporter.

The 2012 Little Miss Pink Tomato pageant 2012 will be held at 2:30 p.m. on June 9, at the Warren Cultural Center, during the 56th Bradley County Pink Tomato Festival. Registration deadline for the pageant has been set for June 1. Applications are available at the Bradley County Chamber of Commerce office in Warren. Eligible participants must be 4 or 5 years of age on June 1 and live in Bradley, Dallas, Drew, Calhoun, Cleveland, Union, Ashley or Lincoln County. Entry fee for the pageant is $25. Read the rest of this post

A group calling itself the “TEA Party Express” conducted a rally in Hot Springs last week when it endorsed Tom Cotton, a Republican candidate for U.S. Representative for Arkansas’ 4th Congressional District. That group is not in any way affiliated with the Southeast Arkansas TEA Party, according to a Southeast Arkansas TEA Party news release. Read the rest of this post

Jan West, Sue Johnson, Terri Wolfe, Diane Mazanti, and Connie Mullis (Beth Thurman, not pictured).

Six members of the William F.Slemons Chapter 977 of the United Daughters of the Confederacy met May 10 in the home of Terri Wolfe to plan their July marker-dedication trip to Tullahomah, Tenn. where they will place an Arkansas marker in the Tullahomah Confederate Cemetery. All of the other Southern states which had Confederate soldiers interred there have markers, but Arkansas does not. For this reason, the UDC raised money among their chapter members to pay for a marker to be placed there.  As a result, there will be a marker-dedication ceremony in July, and the chapter members plan to attend this ceremony.  Plans were made for the group’s part in the event.  They are working with the UDC and SCV members from the town of Tullahomah on the program.

The body of U.S. Army Master Sgt. Gregory Childs who died in Afghanistan on May 4 returned home to Southeast Arkansas on a small jet Friday morning. Childs, 38, of Warren died of a non-combat related illness in Kabul, according to U.S. Rep. Mike Ross.

Childs’ flag-draped casket arrived at Monticello Municipal Airport at 9:30 a.m. Family members were waiting at the airport along with numerous area residents, veterans, servicemen and women, and law enforcement officers. Read the rest of this post

Christopher Darden

One of the three juveniles charged in the March stabbing of a Drew County man is now facing charges in Independence County where he reportedly stabbed a jailer at the White River Juvenile Detention Facility with a broomstick handle fashioned into a weapon, according to Drew County Sheriff Mark Gober. Read the rest of this post

A high speed chase at the end of Jordan Drive resulted in a suspect crashing his vehicle into a tree and fleeing on foot on the grounds of Centers for Youth and Families.  The children and staff were provided an opportunity to observe first hand  the swift response and professional teamwork that provided a positive outcome, according to Karen Walker, program manager at The Centers for Youth and Families. ”Centers for Youth and Families would like to thank Game and Fish, DTF, Monticello Police Department, State Police and Drew County Sheriff’s Department for working together to ensure the safety and well being of our employees and children,” Walker said.
- Photo courtesy Karen Walker.

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta announced today that the President has nominated Army Reserve Col. Leanne P. Burch, of Monticello, for appointment to the rank of brigadier general and assignment as chief judge (individual mobilization augmentee), U.S. Army Legal Services Agency, Arlington, Va. Burch is currently serving as commander (troop program unit), 22nd Legal Support Organization, Grand Prairie, Texas.

Reginald Glover

To Reginald Glover, the University of Arkansas at Monticello – and Arkansas A&M before it – have always seemed like part of his extended family.

Glover, a retired banking executive, long-time volunteer fund-raiser and all-around booster for the university, is UAM’s 50th Distinguished Alumnus. Glover will be honored during commencement exercises this Friday at Steelman Fieldhouse.

“I can’t begin to tell you how much this means to me,” said Glover. “I love this university and attribute most of the success I’ve had in life to this place. When I went to school here in the 1950s, we were like a family. We borrowed clothes from each other, like a brother or sister would.  Very few of us had automobiles so we lived and stayed on campus. You knew everyone and everyone knew you.” Read the rest of this post

Seark Concert Association Board

From left, seated, Brandon Hogg, vice president; Rebecca Copico, treasurer; Esbeida Higginbotham, secretary; Susan Akin, president; and Susan Musick. From left, standing, Baker Peebles, David King, LaWanda Gray, Sara Wall, Robyn Copico, Greggory C. Nettles, Kim Pigott, Glenda Smith, Fritz Hudson, and Orlando Jones. Not pictured: board members Linda Tabor, Renee Treadwell, and Alicia Whitaker, and support staff Carolyn Howell, University of Arkansas at Monticello representative and liaison; and Murray Claycomb, legal counsel. The board was elected during the Seark Concert Association’s annual membership dinner on May 3.

Master Sgt. Gregory Childs

A soldier from Warren based at Fort Belvoir in Northern Virginia died Friday in Afghanistan, according to a U.S. Department of Defense news release.

The news release, issued Monday, said 38-year-old Army Master Sgt. Gregory L. Childs of Warren died Friday in Kabul but did not say how he died. However, a release from U.S. Rep. Mike Ross said that according to initial reports, he died from non-combat-related illness. Read the rest of this post

Patty Wooten, Seark Today

Predicting election results and voter turnout may be a fool’s game, but I suspect there will be a good voter turnout in Southeast Arkansas this year. Presidential election years always have a better turnout but several additional factors come into play this election year. More groups, communities and organizations are sponsoring candidate forums to learn more about the candidates, the Southeast Arkansas TEA Party has become quite active generating voter interest in the election, and the Republican Party has become more active in Southeast Arkansas, particularly in Drew County where there is about 10 Republicans running for various offices.

Moreover, there is a full slate of candidates for county judge in counties where the incumbents are not seeking re-election. Ashley and Desha counties each have four Democrats on the ballot for county judge while Drew County has three candidates and Lincoln County has two. Bradley County Judge Keith Neely and Chicot County Judge Mack Ball are unopposed in their re-election bids.

Read the rest of this post

Emily Fendley

Emily Fendley, a Monticello High School freshman, received an honorable mention in the Arkansas Art Center Young Artist award competition which showcases artwork by Arkansas students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Works in a huge variety of media are juried by Arkansas art educators and a juror selects a “Best of Class” and two “Honorable Mentions” for each grade. Monetary awards are provided to each winner’s school. Each year, selections from the exhibition travel to schools and other venues in Arkansas as part of the Arts Center’s State Services program. Fendley’s art work is on display at the Arkansas Art Center in Little Rock. Her art teacher is Kim Wilson, the Arkansas Teacher of the Year.

The Bradley County Job and Resource Fair has been set for May 10 at the Immanuel Baptist Church Life Center in Warren from 10 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. The event will include two new resources this year. A state Department of Workforce mobile van with computers to help individuals with job searches and resumé preparation and the state Department of Human Services Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) van. Read the rest of this post

Fourth Congressional District candidate John Cowart will speak to Drew County Republicans Tuesday, May 8 in the hospitality room of the Holiday Inn from noon until 1 p.m. Cowart, a native of Texarkana, has worked as a school teacher, served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Marines, and is currently a Texarkana police officer. He is seeking the Republican nomination to congress in Arkansas’ Fourth US Congressional District. “I am committed to protecting working class Americans and putting government in its constitutional place,” Cowart said. Anyone who is interested in hearing him speak is invited to attend. The cost of lunch is $5 per person.

The Possum Valley community will host a meet-n-greet for Drew County political candidates at the Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Possum Valley on May 12, 7 p.m.

Candidates will be given a limited time to speak followed by a question and answer session. Light refreshments will be served afterwards, giving candidates time to meet and mingle with constituents. Read the rest of this post

Charles Roberts, Republican candidate for the District 10 state House seat, will speak at the May 14 Southeast Arkansas TEA Party meeting. The meeting will be held in Monticello at the Living Word Fellowship on U.S. 425 South, in the south end of the building which houses Cowboy’s Restaurant. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. and is open to the public.

Morgan Nall

Morgan Nall, a Drew Central High School sophomore, has been nominated as alternate to the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY) World Leadership Congress in Chicago. Nall was nominated for the Arkansas HOBY Leadership Congress through Drew Central at a leadership meeting in Bentoville earlier this month when she was selected from a field of 164 participants across the state. Read the rest of this post

Students planning to take classes during the first summer session at any of the three University of Arkansas at Monticello campuses may register Friday, May 25 or Tuesday, May 29 according to Dr. Debbie Bryant, UAM registrar. Students may also register May 30 but will incur a $25 late registration fee. Read the rest of this post

The Chicot County Sheriff’s Office and State Police are pursuing a number of leads in the death of Chicot County Tax Collector Nell Johnson who was found in her home Thursday afternoon with blunt force trauma to her head, according to Chicot County Sheriff Ron Nichols. Read the rest of this post