NEWS HEADLINES FOR 1205-14

THE SPIRIT OF THE HOLIDAYS IS ALIVE AND WELL IN THE VALLEY... THE CITY STREETS WERE LINED WITH SPECTATORS THURSDAY NIGHT, AND EVEN THE WEATHER COOPERATED, AS THE ANNUAL CHRISTMAS PARADE WAS HELD.  KICKING-OFF THE FESTIVITIES, THE LIGHTING OF THE COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS TREE, ON THE GREEN AT ARVEST BANK. IN MORRILTON, MORE THAN TWO DOZEN GROUPS, BUSINESSES, CHURCHES, ORGANIZATIONS WERE ON HAND FOR THE THEIR ANNUAL CHRISTMAS PARADE.

##

 

WHILE POTTSVILLE AND DARDANELLE'S ANNUAL CHRISTMAS PARADES HAVE BEEN RESCHEDULED FOR EARLY NEXT WEEK,  THERE'S STILL PLENTY OF HOLIDAY ACTIVITY THIS WEEKEND. SATURDAY AFTERNOON IN HECTOR, THEIR ANNUAL CHRISTMAS PARADE IS PLANNED FOR A 2 P/M START.  THIS YEAR'S THEME IS "OLD TIME CHRISTMAS". ALSO ON TAP SATURDAY... THE ANNUAL OLA CHRISTMAS -PARADE IS SCHEDULED FOR 5 P/M, DOWNTOWN AND THE THE CLARKSVILLE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ANNUAL "LIGHT UP THE SQUARE" EVENT AND CHRISTMAS PARADE. THAT EVENT BEGINS AT 5 P/M WITH A LIGHTING CEREMONY AT THE JOHNSON COUNTY COURTHOUSE, AND THE PARADE TO FOLLOW AT 6 P/M. PERRY COUNTY WILL ALSO HOLD ITS ANNUAL CHRISTMAS PARADE SATURDAY NIGHT IN PERRYVILLE.

##

Here is the latest Arkansas news from The Associated Press…Here is the latest Arkansas news from The Associated Press

    

     JONESBORO, Ark. (AP) - A Sedgwick woman has been sentenced to 37 years in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree murder in the stabbing death of a man in Craighead County. Twenty-six-year-old Elizabeth McKnatt entered the plea yesterday as part of a deal with prosecutors. McKnatt and 23-year-old David Ferguson were charged in the January stabbing death of Silva Joe Fry.

 

     LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Arkansas lawmakers are set to hear consultants' recommendations for improving the state's lottery. The Arkansas Lottery Commission Legislative Oversight Committee will hear a report today from Camelot Global Services, which was hired to review the lottery's operations. The amount of money the lottery has raised for scholarships has declined over the past two fiscal years.

 

     LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - The Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department says the outside lanes of a section of Interstate 630 in Little Rock will be closed for pavement research over the weekend. Crews will be taking core samples from the roadway as the department prepares for future widening of the interstate. The lanes will be closed during the day tomorrow and Sunday.

 

 

NEWS HEADLINES FOR 1202-14

YELL COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICIALS SAY TWO INDIVIDUALS, MISSING WHILE ON A HUNTING TRIP HAVE BEEN LOCATED AND BOTH ARE SAFE.  AUTHORITIES RELEASED INFORMATION TUESDAY MORNING ABOUT  15 YEAR OLD BRANDON BRUHN AND 42-YEAR OLD TONY MORAN

##

DARDANELLE CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS APPROVED AN ANNUAL CONTRACT BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE ALLIANCE AND BREIFLY DISCUSSED 2015 BUDGET DISCUSSIONS DURING THEIR DECEMBER MEETING LAST (MON.) NIGHT.  THAT CONTRACT WITH THE ARKANSAS VALLEY ALLIANCE FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WAS IN THE AMOUNT OF 25-HUNDRED DOLLARS, AND CONTINUES THE CITY'S PARTICIPATION IN THE ALLIANCE OVER A NUMBER OF YEARS.  ALDERMEN WERE INFORMED THAT DARDANELLE'S DUES TO THAT ENITITY ARE SOME OF THE LOWEST PAID BY AREA CITIES INVOLVED.  MAYOR CAROLYN McGEE TOOK TIME TO UPDATE THE COUNCIL ON THE CURRENT 2015 BUDGETING PROCESS. AT THIS TIME, THE PROPOSED 2015 GENERAL FUND REVENUE IS APPROXIMATELY 2.5-MILLION DOLLARS, WITH A WATER REVENUE AT 1.9-MILLION, STREET FUND OF 668-THOUSAND DOLLARS AND SEWER FUND OF 390-THOUSAND. IN OTHER MATTERS, THE COUNCIL HONORED LONG TIME PLANNING COMMISSION MEMBER KENT TALLENT, WITH A PLAQUE FOR 20-YEARS OF SERVICE.

##

 

ON TODAY'S (TUES.) MEETING AGENDA, DOVER CITY COUNCIL WILL MEET FOR A 6 P/M SESSION, AND ATKINS PLANNING COMMISSION HAS A 7 P/M DECEMBER MEETING.  BOTH WILL BE HELD IN THEIR RESPECTIVE CITY HALL FACILITIES.

##

 

WEDNESDAY, RUSSELLVILLE'S AIRPORT COMMISSION WILL BE CONDUCTING AN AIRPORT MASTER PLAN UPDATE, TO REVIEW PRESENT AIRPORT CONDITIONS AND PROJECT FUTURE GROWTH.  WEDNESDAY'S MEETING IS SET FOR 4 P/M, IN THE AIRPORT TERMINAL CONFERENCE ROOM.

##

 

BOND HAS BEEN SET AT 5-THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR A 21-YEAR OLD WHITE FEMALE SUSPECT, ARRESTED BY RUSSELLVILLE POLICE ON BURGLARY, BREAKING AND ENTERING AND THEFT CHARGES.  THE SUSPECT, IDENTIFIED AS EMILY SHIPLEY, APPEARED ON MONDAY BEFORE POPE COUNTY DISTRICT JUDGE DON BOURNE.  ALSO APPEARED IN COURT WAS A 40-YEAR OLD WHITE FEMALE, IDENTIFIED AS LATISHA HOLLAND, BEING HELD ON THEFT OF PROPERTY CHARGES.  JUDGE BOURNE FOUND PROBABLE CAUSE TO HOLD BOTH SUSPECTS OVER FOR A JANUARY 5th, 2015 PLEA AND ARRAIGNMENT IN POPE COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT.

##

NEWS HEADLINES FOR 1201-14

TULSA, Okla. (AP) - A cold front moving across Oklahoma into Arkansas is expected to be followed by light freezing rain and freezing drizzle in northeastern Oklahoma through north-central Arkansas. The National Weather Service said temperatures are expected to fall into the 20s to lower 30s through Monday morning and the rain and drizzle could leave roads, bridges and overpasses slick and hazardous.

 

AUTHORITIES SAY NO INJURIES RESULTED FROM A BARN FIRE THAT OCCURRED LATE SUNDAY NIGHT IN THE 93-HUNDRED BLOCK OF U.S. HIGHWAY 64 NEAR ATKINS.  FIREFIGHTERS WERE DISPATCHED JUST AFTER 11 P/M, WITH SMOKE SHOWING UPON THEIR ARRIVAL.  THAT BLAZE WAS QUICKLY EXTENGUISHED, AND UNITS RETURNED TO SERVICE.  CAUSE OF THE FIRE AND DETAILS ON THE AMOUNT OF DAMAGE WAS NOT READILY AVAILABLE.

 

DANVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT UNITS WERE DISPATCHED TO AN OUT OF CONTROL BRUSH FIRE ON SUNDAY MORNING.  FIREFIGHTERS WERE CALLED TO THE SCENE OF THE BLAZE AT 7th AND CLEVELAND STREETS, WHERE THEY BROUGHT THE FIRE UNDER CONTROL WITHIN ABOUT 25-MINUTES.  NO INJURIES RESULTED AS A RESULT OF THE BLAZE.  NO POSSIBLE DAMAGE INFORMATION WAS AVAILABLE.

##

 

TODAY (MON.) WILL BE THE DEADLINE FOR A HOLIDAY SHORTENED WEEK, DURING WHICH CANDIDATES INTERESTED IN THE ARKANSAS STATE SENATE DISTRICT 16 SEAT COULD FILE FOR THAT POST.  OUTGOING ARKANSAS GOVERNOR MIKE BEEBE HAS SET A SPECIAL ELECTION FOR APRIL 14TH TO FILL THE VACANT STATE SENATE SEAT THAT HAD BEEN HELD BY MICHAEL LAMOREUX OF RUSSELLVILLE. AS OF WEDNESDAY, ONLY STAN BERRY OF DOVER AND GREG STANDRIDGE OF RUSSELLVILLE HAD FILED. PRIMARY ELECTIONS FOR THE SEAT WILL BE HELD JANUARY 13TH, WITH RUNOFFS SET FOR FEBRUARY 10TH IF REQUIRED.

##

 

SCHOOL OFFICIALS IN SEVERAL ARKANSAS DISTRICTS, INCLUDING SOME IN THE VALLEY, ARE LOOKING FOR WAYS TO REPLACE THE PENDING LOSS OF A PROGRAM THAT PROVIDES FOOD TO NEEDY STUDENTS. THE ARKANSAS RICE DEPOT TOLD DISTRICTS IN JOHNSON, LOGAN, SCOTT CRAWFORD, FRANKLIN, AND SEBASTIAN COUNTIES THAT THE PROGRAM PROVIDING FOOD FOR STUDENTS TO TAKE HOME EACH WEEKEND WILL END JANUARY 1ST. THE TIMES RECORD REPORTS THAT THE RICE DEPOT SAID IN AN EMAIL THAT IT'S FOCUSING ON INCREASING THE IMPACT OF ITS FOOD DISTRIBUTION AND THAT IT CONSIDERED THE AVAILABILITY OF OTHER HUNGER RELIEF ORGANIZATIONS IN THOSE AREAS. LAMAR SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT ROY HESTER SAID THE PROGRAM FOR THE APPROXIMATELY 100 STUDENTS IN HIS DISTRICT WHO RECEIVE IT COSTS ABOUT $300 A WEEK. OTHER SCHOOLS ARE TURNING TO LOCAL GROUPS SUCH AS CHURCHES FOR HELP.

##