Stories from Tuesday, January 14, 2014

CARROLL COUNTY -- Sheriff Bob Grudek has communicated with the mayors and police chiefs that his office will soon cease to offer free services through the Arkansas Criminal Information Center. ACIC services include entering and deleting warrants from the database, entering and deleting stolen property, validations and after-hours criminal record checks. The sheriff has written correspondence to Mayor Charles Reece indicating he will end the services to Green Forest on Feb. 1...

Carlene Ratchford Gilliland, age 80 of Harrison, AR passed from this life on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2014 at Baptist Health Medical Center in Little Rock, AR. She was born on Jan. 1, 1934 to Carl Ratchford and Madge (Horton) Ratchford. Carlene worked for many years in banks in Marshall and Berryville before retiring from Regions Bank in Harrison...

Bobbie L. Grigg, 83, of Hot Springs, born Feb. 23, 1930, passed away peacefully with her daughter at her side on Jan. 9, 2014. She was preceded in death by her husband, Carl Grigg; and brother, John Royce. Bobbie is survived by her daughter, Vicki Newman of Alexandria, VA. She is also survived by grandson, Jason (Julie) Newman, of Burke, VA; sister-in-law, Dottie Royce of Benton, AR; and special friend and neighbor, Harold Hager of Hot Springs Village...

Cooper Doss, a 14-year-old Berryville 8th-grader, enjoys the warm weather by practice his skateboard moves. After weeks of snow, ice and frigid thermometer readings, Carroll Countians were ready for relief. And they got it this past weekend, taking advantage of the mid-to-upper-50s weather...

Henderson State University Henderson State University has announced the students listed on the Dean's List and Honor Roll for the Fall 2013 semester. Abbie D. Brown, an honor undergraduate from Eureka Springs, has made the list. To be named to the Dean's List, a student must have achieved a 4.0 grade point average for the entire semester. To make the Honor Roll, a student must have received at least a 3.5 grade point average for the semester...

BERRYVILLE -- The City Council has approved the installation of an additional streetlight on Hanna Street. A request for the streetlight was submitted to the council by resident Dee Standlee. "I think it's justified," Mayor Tim McKinney said of the request...

BERRYVILLE -- The first judicial appearances of the six individuals arrested in Green Forest and charged with possession of drugs, paraphernalia and intent to deliver have begun. At least four of them began the pre-trial process as of Monday, Jan. 13...

GREEN FOREST -- The city's library has a new director. Tiffany Newton started in the position of Green Forest library director on Monday, as former director Johnice Dominick will move to her new position as library administrator for the Carroll and Madison Library System...

Two suspects have been arrested in connection with the kidnapping of a McDonald County, Mo., woman from her home Jan. 3. The two men involved are brothers. Mathew Jeffrey Miller, 21, of Cassville, Mo., was arrested Jan. 8 and is in jail in Barry County. Michael Miller, 26, of Eagle Rock, Mo., fled the state and was arrested in Pittsburgh, Penn., on Jan. 9, where he is being held on a separate felony assault charge...

GREEN FOREST -- The city council approved the 2014 budget during their last meeting on Monday, Jan. 13. The total general fund budget is just over $1.1 million. After Mayor Charles Reece gave a state of the city update for 2013, the council briefly reviewed then approved the budget, which allowed the city government to continue running...

The beneficiary of the St. James Episcopal Church women's group's 47th Silver Tea this year is Clear Spring School, who is celebrating its 40th anniversary. More than 250 people attended the twice-postponed event, said Lucilla Garrett. ...

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Senators Mark Pryor and John Hoeven today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has agreed to enact permanent changes to the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program requirements in response to their demands...

Performers from Elite Dance Studios performed at the Talent on Parade Dance Spectacular on Nov. 30 at The Auditorium in Eureka Springs. Competitors included 20 dance studios from five states. Faced with some serious competition, an Elite contingent scored well with the judges, both on and off the stage...

MAUMELLE -- Berryville's Garrett Record improved to 8-2 after posting a 4-2 mark in Maumelle on Saturday as the Bobcats claimed nine wins in the match. Will Rozell collected two wins, Lorenzo Lara won twice and Griffin Payne posted a victory for the Cats, who return home to host a dual meet tonight against Gentry...

WEST FORK -- Green Forest dropped a 57-48 outing to West Fork on Friday, opening the 1-3A Conference schedule with a loss. Clayton Watson led the Tigers with 13 points, Gavin Nelson added 11 and Daulton Coffey had 10 in the losing effort. The Tigers (2-9, 0-1) rallied from a 15 point third-period deficit to close the scoring gap to two points midway through the final stanza. But the home standing Tigers (10-4, 1-0) staved off the threat by connecting from the charity stripe down the stretch...

EUREKA SPRINGS -- Eureka Springs coach Jamie Green saw what a difference a day makes. After watching the Lady Highlanders compete well in a 48-27 loss to Union Christian on Friday, Green watched mercifully from the bench as Johnson County Westside pinned a 52-9 loss on the same squad on Saturday...

WEST FORK -- Green Forest fell to 5-9 overall and 0-1 in 1-3A Conference with a 60-25 loss to West Fork on Friday. The Lady Tigers trailed 13-5 after the opening frame as both teams struggled to find the bottom of the basket. But West Fork (8-5, 1-0) rattled off 28 points in the second quarter and rattled Green Forest in the process...

BERRYVILLE -- Berryville dropped a pair of 1-4A Conference outings last week, including a 61-58 overtime decision to Pea Ridge on Friday, to fall to 7-7 overall and 1-3 in league action. The Bobcats suffered a 73-60 loss at Gravette on Saturday, sending Berryville to its fourth consecutive loss, despite relinquishing just 19 points to the Lions leading scorer, Terence Pierce...

EUREKA SPRINGS -- Eureka Springs coach Brian Rambo repeated it to himself following Saturday's shootout win over Johnson County Westside. "86 to 80...86, 80," he said from the quiet confines of his office at Highlander Arena. "Nobody guarded a soul."...

BERRYVILLE -- Britni Smith returned to the Berryville lineup last week and led the Lady Bobcats to a pair of 1-4A Conference wins. Smith, who missed nearly a month of the season after having surgery in mid-December, scored 19 points in her first game back, a 70-41 win over Pea Ridge on Friday, and 15 in an 84-58 win over Gravette on Saturday...