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The Monticello High School Band presented its spring concert Tuesday night, performing several pieces before ending with Atlantis: The Lost Continent, Rob Rob Romeyn’s powerful piece that brings the mysterious lost civilization of Atlantis to life in music. The music begins calmly, depicting a beautiful sunrise over the island in the Atlantic Ocean that existed more than 11,000 years ago. The music develops as the fateful day ensues, reaching a stunning climax as Atlantis was swallowed by the sea.

The Monticello High School Band recently won first division superior ratings in all categories at the concert assessment in Sheridan and was the sweepstakes winner, the highest award a band can receive. It was the fourth consecutive year the band was the sweepstakes winner.  Read the rest of this post

John Lipton’s influence on public policy in Arkansas can be seen and felt all over the state.

Elected to 12 consecutive terms in the Arkansas House of Representatives, Lipton is a former Speaker of the House and was once one of the most powerful members of the General Assembly. He is a former chairman of the Arkansas Highway Commission, friend and confidante of governors, senators and a President of the United States.

It was Lipton who brought the Southeast Arkansas Community-Based Education Center and the Southeast Arkansas Human Development Center to Warren. It was Lipton who was instrumental in the construction of a bridge over Moro Bay that bears his name. It was Lipton who helped secure federal highway designations for U.S. 278 and U.S. 63 as well as the continuation of Interstate 530 south to eventually serve as a connector to Interstate 69.

And it was Lipton, along with Rodney Slater, the late Jerry Bookout, and then-Governor Bill Clinton, who turned a four-hour meeting at the Capitol Hotel in Little Rock into the creation of the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship Program.  Read the rest of this post

Capt. Ronald Feeser is the son of Ronnie and Debbie Feeser of Drew County.

It is difficult to compare any other career requiring a deeper understanding of humility and service than that of a military chaplain.

Putting others before themselves is more than a select set of core ethos, it’s a literal job requirement. Not only do chaplains commit their service to a denominational higher-power, they honor an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States and preserve the religious freedoms of service members regardless of their religious alignment. Read the rest of this post

Tiny Thai Place recently opened in the old Cowboys’ restaurant on U.S. Highway 278 west of Monticello.

“Thai Paul” Phurisri prepares everything from scratch as the “One Man Show” providing Southeast Arkansas with Thai food, so cook times often approach 30 minutes. Still people return to wait as he cooks to order for lunch and dinner, usually Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 3 p.m., then from 5-8 p.m. He also cooks Sunday for lunch.

The Thailand native can cook for 30-50 people an hour, depending on what’s ordered. Where he once changed the menu daily, now he features a regular menu with occasional additions.

C’mon in My Kitchen Read the rest of this post

Wesley Chapel Church, by Daniel Coston

Daniel Coston’s art will be featured March 8 through April 27 at Cantrell Gallery in Little Rock where he will present Structures II, his paintings of structures that dot the Southeast Arkansas landscape.

The Fayetteville artist was born in Monticello where his art can be seen in many businesses and homes.

“Since college, I have always noticed when I left one area and entered another one, the houses would change architecturally,” Coston said. “Having spent a decade in Delaware, I got used to houses that had a different shape from what I was familiar with growing up in south Arkansas. When I came back to Arkansas, I was more acutely aware of the shape of homes here compared to Delaware. Read the rest of this post

For several years now, I’ve watched those dedicated individuals brave the frigid February water in Weevil Pond to raise money for Special Olympics. So this year, I decided to do it myself. Friday night at 8 p.m. I dove into Weevil Pond to help Karen Caldwell and her husband, Jason, by taking one of their 24 plunges.

I can’t attest to the water temperature on Saturday but I can assure you that water was freezing Friday night. While it was cold – very cold, getting my feet stuck in the mud was even worse. My feet began to sink into the mud causing me to lose balance and fall back into the water as I turned to walk back toward the pond bank. Read the rest of this post

SCHS art students: Allie Sirois, Dominique Smith, (back row) Morgan Taylor, Haley Bishop, Deja Thomas and Deon Smith.

When you see teapots that look like animals, aliens, and humans you know that you have gone down the rabbit hole and are now part of a mad tea party.  Students in Roger Darren High’s Art II class at Star City High School recently designed and sculpted teapots as part of a lesson in ceramics. Read the rest of this post

If driving through Dumas it would be hard to miss the name of the 7-year-old Central Elementary School student who was injured last Thursday in a snow skiing accident in Colorado. Ryan Smith’s name is everywhere. It’s on business marquees, in store windows, and on residents’ lawns. It’s even etched into farmland. His name has also gone viral on social networking sites like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Ryan Smith

Ryan, the son of Jason and Melissa Smith, of Dumas, was injured when he hit a tree while snow skiing with his family in Telluride, Colorado last week. Initially, he was unresponsive but has improved. He is now able to feed himself and is walking, according to Fara Free Bottoms, a counselor at Ryan’s elementary school and the person who started the “Rallying for Ryan” support campaign. Read the rest of this post

One day the paper from the publication you are holding may be transformed into an original work of art. Students in Roger Darren High‘s Art II classes at Star City High School recently recycled old newspapers into original three-dimensional works of art as part of a sculpture lesson. Read the rest of this post

Photo courtesy of Great Race

Southeast Arkansas vintage car aficionados are in for a big treat this summer when The Great Race stops for lunch in Monticello. The Great Race, the world’s premiere old car rally, is expected to bring 100 antique automobiles to downtown Monticello on June 27 for the $150,000 event.

The 2013 Hemmings Motor News Great Race, presented by Hagerty, starts on June 22 in St. Paul, Minn., as part of a “Back to the 50s” car show. It will then weave its way down the Mississippi River toward the Gulf of Mexico through 10 states, crossing the river a dozen times before the finish in Mobile, Ala., on June 30. Read the rest of this post

Kay Craig Malan, an avid birder in Drew County, spotted a pair of White-tailed Kites Saturday just off Sixteenth Section Road. These small hawks are not typically seen in Arkansas but are common in northwest Africa, southern Asia, the East Indies, Arabia, and on west coast of the United States and in parts of Mexico.

After snapping the photo, Malan submitted it to whatbird.com for positive identification. The web site confirmed that her birds were indeed White-tailed Kites.

Photo courtesy of Andrew Bentz, LD Media

Southeast Arkansas residents experienced Saturday night what many said was the largest halo around the moon they had ever seen. Social media sites were buzzing about it, many sharing photos and discussing what kind of weather change is in store for us. The photo on the left is the lunar halo as seen from Monticello Saturday night. The photo was provided by Andrew Benz of LD Media. Read the rest of this post

Santa was in Monticello Saturday and he didn’t arrive on a sleigh. He drove a police cruiser. Monticello police officers got to play Santa Saturday morning when they took 23 children from low-income families to Walmart for a Christmas shopping spree. It was the first of what Monticello Police Chief Eddy Deaton hopes will be an annual event. Read the rest of this post

Jimmy Potter

Drew County Justice of the Peace Jimmy Potter walked out of the Drew Courthouse Monday night symbolically ending three decades of continuous public service on the quorum court. Potter, whose final term effectively ends at midnight on December 31, is currently the second longest-serving elected county official in Drew County. Only Drew County Coroner Charles Fred Dearman, who has served 41 years, has served longer than Potter. Read the rest of this post

Hollwood filmaker and South Arkansas native Derrick Sims has released a new trailer of his movie Come Morning, filmed last year in South Arkansas. The movie was selected for world premiere at the Austin Film Festival in October. It it the story of a man, his grandson, and the hunting accident that changed their lives. Sims discussed the movie, growing up in South Arkansas, and his other film projects in a June 11, 2011 interview with Seark Today.

There was a lot of things going on in Monticello Tuesday including the annual Christmas parade and candlelight tour of the Drew County Historical Museum. Parade-goers lined Main Street to experience the sights and sounds of Christmas. Brightly lit themed-floats depicting Christmas carols traveled down Main Street from First Baptist Church, around the town square, past the Drew County Courthouse where election workers were preparing for a runoff election. The parade disbanded at the museum, where the Drew County Historical Society provided guided tours and served hot cider and cookies.

Parade entry winners were: Read the rest of this post