Stories from Tuesday, November 27, 2012

INDIANAPOLIS -- Ten high school athletic directors will be inducted into the fourth Hall of Fame class of the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) December 18, in San Antonio, Texas, during banquet festivities at the 43rd annual National Athletic Directors Conference co-sponsored by the NIAAA and the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS)...

BERRYVILLE -- The Veteran Retraining Assistance Program, proposed by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, is offering up to a year's worth of educational assistance to veterans that qualify for benefits. Paul Boss, Carroll County's new Veterans Service Officer, wants to inform local vets about educational benefits offered to them by the government...

EUREKA SPRINGS -- Shopping in Eureka Springs is always fun, but from Nov. 30 to Dec. 8, it will become magical. The annual Eureka Springs Christmas Festival is fun for the whole family and filled with special moments to make memories that last a lifetime...

HOLIDAY ISLAND -- The desperate-sounding email came from local Holiday Island property owner Mariellen Griffith. She said she was in Spain with her cousin, who was suffering from a kidney disorder and needed a transplant right away to save her life...

BERRYVILLE -- The Berryville Police Department hopes to increase the size of its force 50 percent by 2013 -- without increasing the city payroll by a dime. The savings are possible because the potential recruits are all volunteers. Police Chief Dave Muniz said seven men were currently training to become volunteer officers, known as "reserve" officers...

EUREKA SPRINGS -- Award-winning fiber artist Cheri Yarborough, who has just announced the publication of her book of 28 crochet patterns, will hold a book signing on Dec. 8. The patterns in her book are based on inspirations from Eureka Springs and the Northwest Arkansas area and is titled "Inspirations for Crochet." The pieces she has created are modeled by Eureka Springs area residents and shows off the picturesque beauty our area has to share...

HOLIDAY ISLAND -- In its overview of the proposed 2013 budget Monday, Holiday Island commissioners discussed how they might reduce the debt service on the wastewater treatment plant, which currently stands at $365,896 per year. That payment comes from two sources: assessments and sewer billing. Of the two, sewer billing generates one and half times the amount assessments does...

CARROLL COUNTY -- For the first time, Carroll County Sheriff Bob Grudek has publicly urged County Judge Sam Barr to move forward with a proposed study of county salaries. His comments came at the beginning of a Nov. 16 meeting of the Quorum Court. "I feel that that study would be beneficial to all the county employees," Grudek told the court, "especially to the Sheriff's Office."...

BERRYVILLE -- The Arkansas Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control is considering whether to allow the Wal Mart Supercenter in Berryville to sell beer and wine. ABC Director Michael Langley said he planned to announce his decision at the ABC Board of Director's first meeting of 2013, on the third Wednesday in January. The board will then decide whether to accept or reject his recommendation...

FAYETTEVILLE -- Older farmers spend a higher percentage of their time operating heavy machinery, raising their risk of serious injury, according to a study released recently by the University of Alberta. The study, published in the November issue of the "American Journal of Industrial Medicine," found that as farmers age, they turn to less physically strenuous work such as operating machinery. ...

FAYETTEVILLE -- The winter forecast for landlocked Arkansas depends in large part on the temperature of the equatorial waters in the Pacific Ocean. If the water is warmer than normal for several months, these El Nino conditions generally mean a cool, wet winter in the southern U.S. When the water is cool, La Nina generally brings milder and drier winters here...

EUREKA SPRINGS -- The annual Elks Hoop Shoot will be held at noon on Jan 12, 2013, at the Eureka Springs Middle School gymnasium. The hoop shoot is a free-throw shooting contest for boys and girls ages 8-13. Participants from Berryville, Cassville, Eureka Springs, Green Forest and Huntsville are expected to compete in three age groups -- 8-9, 10-11 and 12-13...

OMAHA -- Eureka Springs dropped to 5-4 overall following a 38-33 loss to Yellville-Summit in the opening round of the Omaha Border Classic on Monday. Josh Premeau led the Highlanders with 15 points, Jake McClung added nine, Tanner Allee had six and Dalton Johnson chipped in three...

OMAHA -- Berryville improved to 2-1 Monday night with a 75-46 win over Lead Hill in the first round of the Omaha Border Classic. Britni Smith poured in a game-high 19 points, pulled down five rebounds and swiped five steals to lead the Lady Bobcats to their second straight win...

BERRYVILLE -- There will be a lot of bull in Berryville this weekend as the National Federation of Professional Bullriders brings its show to the Carroll County Fairgrounds. The Saturday showdown is a benefit for Green Forest's Jimmy Bishop, a longtime businessman in the cattle industry. ...