Stories from Tuesday, August 22, 2017

A Berryville man is among nine people who were arrested on federal charges last week after a lengthy investigation of alleged drug trafficking in several counties in north Arkansas. Four other individuals were arrested on state charges in Carroll County during a widespread operation on Thursday, and two more have since been charged as well...

Kids now have even more space to play at the Berryville Community Center (BCC). The Berryville Parks and Recreation Department held a grand opening for the new playground, Janet’s Playground, on Saturday. Mayor Tim McKinney welcomed everyone to the playground dedication, thanking parks department director Joe Scott and the community center staff for putting the project together...

The Greater Berryville Area Chamber of Commerce is expanding its community development team. The chamber has hired April Reed, a former marketing consultant with KHOZ Radio in Harrison, as its new director of marketing. Although this will be her first job in Berryville, Reed said she has loved the community for many years, even serving on the Ice Cream Social Planning Committee...

Some Carroll County residents may soon have a new option for television service. John Strode, vice president of external affairs for Ritter Communications, addressed the Carroll County Quorum Court on Monday night. Strode told the quorum court that Ritter Communications, which currently provides cable television and high-speed internet services in the city of Alpena, is preparing to extend those services into unincorporated areas of the county...

Berryville Middle School students Issy Knapik and Alyssa Reed made history this summer, becoming the first Berryville students to compete at the National History Day competition at the University of Maryland in College Park, Md. National History Day is a nonprofit education organization based in College Park, Md., that offers year-long academic programs that engage more than a half million middle and high school students around the world annually in conducting original research on historical topics of interest. ...

Patients have spoken, resulting in five-star satisfaction ratings for only 215 hospitals nationwide – and Mercy Hospital Berryville is one of them.  “Our small hospital is on the national stage once again,” said Doug Stroemel, Mercy Hospital Berryville administrator. “From the moment you arrive to the time you’re back on your feet, our proud and proven team is making a major impact on rural care.”...

Regular readers of this column know I am obsessed with my yellow tabby cat BJ. BJ is adorable, loving and kind … basically everything you would want in a friend. The best part is we never fight. BJ can’t speak English, but he does talk to me regularly...

This letter to the editor is in response to the Aug. 15 letter “Concerned for Holiday Island.” I have heard many opinions that are very similar to those expressed by Mr. Irwin; examples include: “the board is incompetent,” “they are only concerned with the golf courses” “HISID is going broke,” and my favorite one is that the board somehow squandered away a $3 million surplus. All of these would be very concerning allegations, but only if they were true...

The Holiday Island Art Guild assembled a local Louvre for its 29th Annual Art Show, inviting artists and guests to an “Evening in Paris.” The makeshift museum was held in the Holiday Island Country Club Ballroom from Thursday, Aug. 17, to Sunday, Aug. ...

The Third Judicial District Court will offer an amnesty program that allows those with outstanding warrants for overdue fines and failure to appear to make arrangements to get back on track with the court with no additional penalties, the court said in a press release...

Gerald “Jerry” Eric Nichols, of Berryville, Arkansas was born February 5, 1963 in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, son of Michael Garth Nichols and Linda Claire (Scitterly) Moody. He departed this life Monday, August 21, 2017, in Berryville, Arkansas at the age of 54 years...

The lights will shine bright for the Berryville Bobcats on Friday night when they take part in the Purple and Gold game. First-year coach Doug Shott is excited to see his team react to live, in-game situations. "We are ready," Shott said. "We are tired of practice. We are ready to get the lights turned on. I think they are ready to hit somebody other than themselves, but this is the best we can do right now."...

The Green Forest volleyball team held a benefit match Thursday evening at Flippin. Coach Trista Killingsworth is excited to see how her team performs under pressure. "I know where I'm putting everybody, but I'm excited to see how the girls perform together," Killingsworth said. ...

Numbers have been a concern from the opening of fall camp for the Green Forest Tiger football team. That is why coach Bobby Bishop has been pleased to see a number of players show up for the first time this week. "It didn't look as bad as it did last week," Bishop said. "We have picked up a couple of kids every day this week, the first three days anyway. I think I had 32 dressed out this morning."...

Aug. 10 • Anthony Rae Belisle, 34, Holiday Island, was booked on revocation of a suspended sentence. • Carissa Gale Burns, 37, Eureka Springs, was booked on failure to pay. • Colt Emitt Clark, 27, Berryville, was booked on theft of property, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia...