Stories from Wednesday, January 5, 2005

Pity the pastor whose congregation is unmotivated. Visiting the sick, cleaning the toilet, replacing light bulbs, printing the church bulletin, mowing the lawn, and the many other tasks of keeping a church up and running combine with counseling, sermon preparation, and the other myriad pastoral duties to create work that would take one person working 24/7 to accomplish ---- at best...

United Methodist Churches of Shell Knob, Cassville, and Eagle Rock, Mo., Berryville, Eureka Springs, Green Forest and other local UMC locations have joined United Methodist Disaster Relief Ministries in collecting donations to aid victims of the terrible Southern Asia "Tsunami" disaster...

The character of Barney Fife, as portrayed by Larry Delawder, will be at Towering Oaks Church, 1150 Highway 62 West, Berryville, in the 10:30 a.m. services on Sunday, Jan. 9. Since six years of age, DeLawder has used his God-given musical talents, performing first with his family and now in the Lost in the '50s Show in Branson, Mo...

2004 was a big year for Eureka Springs. The city was rocked by political controversies and several departures of public figures. Several major capital projects got underway, despite pressures at City Hall. The city also saw an influx of new talent and new ideas when several films were shot here and new enterprises such as the Starlite Cinema and flea market were opened and the Balm of Life arch was brought back to Basin Park...

What was the most important story in Carroll County during 2004? That's a subjective call. It seemed that hardly a week passed that law enforcement officers in the county and its cities weren't busting up meth labs -- 40 all told by the end of the year. That's a big story, because it affects so many members of our communities in so many ways...

BERRYVILLE ---- Two suspected thieves spent New Year's Day in jail after five Berryville officers responded to an alarm at Williams Ford Tractor on Dec. 31 at 9:54 p.m.. Chief Dave Muniz said, "We had a really quick response time, and Officer Daniel Crawford was first on the scene. He noticed a large whole in the fence, and as other officers arrived, including Sgt. Shannon Pearson, Kevin Disheroon, and reservists Bob Bouly and Rob Wintercorn arrived, the suspects were taken into custody...

GREEN FOREST ---- Homeowners within five miles of town, or within 1,000 feet of any fire hydrant, should realize a reduction in fire insurance rates soon. Fire Chief Chris Trask announced at Monday's agenda setting meeting that the fire department earned an ISO rating of 4, remarkable for a town the size of Green Forest...

Carroll County had more than its share of crime in 2004, led by the makers and users of meth. And the county faced daunting tasks as it dealt with serious budget problems, a state legislature bent on blaming agriculture for water pollution and the fear of losing continuity from the early departure of County Judge Ed Robertson...

Although no one showed up to the last meeting of the year of the Holiday Island Planning Commission (HIPC), commissioners took action to reverse a decision they had made Dec. 17 and held discussions on other issues. During the meeting of the 17th, Kenneth Robertson, representing Stout Construction, requested a permit to build a 2,400-square-foot garage at 1 Deer Run Drive for property owners Marvin and Suzanne Williams. The garage is to be a metal building...

One person was transferred to a local hospital and another airlifted to Springdale early Friday afternoon after a head-on collision on Highway 62 West, west of Eureka Springs. Arkansas State Police Trooper Chad Hipps said a vehicle driven by Karen Flores of Neosho, Mo., was traveling westbound on Highway 62 near the Crest Restaurant, when it crossed the center line...

It isn't common for a third-grader to be willing to cut her hair to help others, but Sabrina Wages hasn't had the usual third-grader's experiences. Sabrina said her grandmother, Kathy Ambrose, of Eagle Rock, Mo., first told her about Locks of Love, a non-profit group that makes wigs for needy children using donated hair...

Inspiration Point first responders rescued a teenager who had fallen through thin ice Monday after the 17-year-old youth had tried to save his dog. "Harley" the boxer got himself into the bind by chasing birds, and the young dog ended up stranded on a tiny island in a pond at his home near Beaver Lake...

Possible confrontations regarding the county's support of Ozark Regional Transit service and raises for Prosecutor Tony Rogers' staff failed to materialize as the Carroll County Quorum Court held its final meeting of the year Wednesday morning. At the start of the meeting, Justice of the Peace Eva Reeve recapped the recommendation of the insurance committee, praising "the newspaper" for its description of the program, which appeared in the Dec. ...

Friends and family are invited to celebrate with "Uncle Morris" Overacre as he celebrates his 100th birthday on Jan. 9 with a lunch to be served in the Pioneer Room of Carroll Electric Cooperative from noon to 3 p.m. Overacre was born on Jan. 10, 1905, and grew up on the family farm in the Farmer Community south of Berryville. He now lives with his nephew, Joe Snow, of Berryville...