Stories from Friday, April 20, 2012

BERRYVILLE -- The Green Forest School Board late Thursday voted 5 to 2 to hire Dr. Matt Summers as their new superintendent of schools. Summers will start is new position in July. After the meeting, board members Jerry Carlton and Jerry King asked that it be made public that they were the "no" votes and that they were in favor of hiring interim superintendent Andrea Martin for the position...

Josephine was born to Casper and Amanda (Smith) Fox in Northgate (East of Cowdrey) on Oct. 15, 1914 and passed away in Eureka Springs, AR, Apr. 12, 2012 at 97. She married Robert K. (Bert) Willford on Apr. 20, 1935 in Walden. She and Bert opened Monarch Garage (later known as Willford Motors); she was the bookkeeper for the garage, Cowdrey Fire Department, Cowdrey Power and Light Company, school board member for two years, Election Board for 35 years as Judge and one year as Secretary. ...

Wendy Renee Luv, 50, of Rogers, passed away Apr. 12, 2012, at her home. She was born May 12, 1961, in Harrison, to Sharon Petree Carlile and Billy James Summers. She was the office manager for Dynasty Transportation and enjoyed crafts, shopping, fishing, and especially spending time with her family...

GREEN FOREST -- The Green Forest School Board on Monday voted 4-3 to rezone the district without holding new elections for school board positions. The changes are being requested due to growth in Green Forest's population. However, it is unclear whether Green Forest's plans to redistrict without holding new board member elections is technically legal, and memos from two top state education officials advise that new elections for all board members are required under the law...

HOLIDAY ISLAND -- Holiday Island Commissioners looked at the Marketing Committee's plan submitted by Commissioner Linda Graves at their Monday work session. The plan presents a "SWOT" (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis of the community, outlines its mission, goals and objectives and offers several action items. Expenses are slated to come in just under $30,000 for this year...

BERRYVILLE -- Benjamin Leeroy Reagan, 24, wanted in connection to a stabbing that occurred March 30, turned himself in to authorities on Monday. Reagan, charged with second-degree battery, is alleged to have stabbed 44-year-old Jon Patrick Stingley at a friend's house in Oak Grove...

Dawson Stice works on the soil to ready it for planting in the "Little Sprouts" children's community garden at First Christian Church in Berryville. He is the son of David and Jill Stice of Berryville. Many local residents will be marking Earth Day this weekend, which is officially on Sunday, April 22. ...

Robert Grisham, 84, of Yellville was killed last Friday night when a Subaru driven by his son, Steven Grisham, 51, of Springdale, ran off U.S. 412 in south Carroll County. According to Arkansas State Police, the eastbound vehicle crossed the fogline three miles east of Osage, overcorrected, traveled across the westbound lane, down an embankment and struck a drainage culvert...

The following people were booked into the Carroll County Detention Center April 12 through April 18: April 12 John Joseph Ledkins, 27, St. Joseph, Mo., was booked in for failure to appear. Nathan Allen Merchant, 25, Berryville, was booked in for out of state warrants...

Janice Jowers, a resident of Alma, AR, was born Oct. 13, 1958 in Brownfield, TX, a daughter of James M. and Anna Mae (Johnson) Jowers. She departed this life Monday, Apr. 16, 2012 in Van Buren, AR, at the age of 53. She is survived by her mother, Anna Mae Jowers of Brownfield, TX; one son, Jeremy Powell of Sidney, MT; daughter, Christal Powell of Alma, AR; one brother, Robert Jowers of Brownfield, TX; three sisters, Patricia Pursen of Portales, NM, Linda Wilson of Berryville, AR, Donna Benton of Brownfield, TX; five grandchildren, Alissa Powell, Amen Powell, Asher Powell, Jeremy Powell, Roman Hallbrook; several aunts and uncles and several nieces and nephews, and a special friend, J.R. ...

Maud Frances Brunk, 84, of Green Forest, AR, passed away Wednesday, Apr. 18, 2012 at St. John's Mercy Hospital in Springfield, MO. The daughter of Floyd Day and Chloe Edna (Campbell) Morgan was born Feb. 14, 1928 in Hamilton, OH. She had worked at Tysons before her retirement. She loved gardening and rock hunting...

Pastor Gene Gilmore (Lawrence Gene Gilmore), a resident of Eureka Springs, AR, was born Feb. 2, 1946 in Parsons, KS, a son of Roy Richard and Vivian Avis (Snider) Gilmore. He departed this life Sunday, Apr. 15, 2012 in Eureka Springs, at the age of 66 years...

CARROLL COUNTY -- Athletes across Carroll County and the district, region and state have played their respective sports, working hard for their team and school, trying to "be all they can be," to paraphrase the Army's recruitment slogan. And at the end of the season many young people will be honored with awards, recognizing them as among the best in various areas within the state high school athletic program...

KANSAS CITY -- They may not keep records for this but it might qualify for one if the Brute Nationals wrestling meet gave is some thought. Three Berryville brothers -- Garrett, Colton, and Caleb Record -- traveled five hours to Kansas City to wrestle in the prestigious event. They finished first or second or third in their respective weight classifications...

BERRYVILLE -- "For the first time in history we've beat Shiloh Christian," said Lady Bobcat soccer coach Doug Scheel of last Tuesday's game. It was a hard-fought game that ended in a 2--2 tie and was settled in a tie-breaker shootout. Coach Scheel said that he had a plan for playing the Shiloh Saints. "If the ball got to their best play we doubled her." And it worked. She did score the two for the Saints but "she didn't score as much as she would have," Scheel said...