Stories from Friday, March 16, 2018

The Green Forest School District is doing everything it can to keep its students and staff safe. The Green Forest School Board unanimously voted at its Monday meeting to approve both the hiring of additional school resource officers (SRO) and the creation of a security force composed of staff members serving as registered commissioned security guards...

The Eureka Springs School Board is considering hiring a school resource officer (SRO). Superintendent Bryan Pruitt said the board began discussion on the subject at its Monday meeting in light of the recent school shooting in Florida and the arrest of a Eureka Springs student over alleged threats...

Carroll County Judge Sam Barr has issued a burn ban for the county. “Due to the extremely dry conditions, Carroll County is currently under a burn ban and all outdoor burning of any kind is strictly prohibited until further notice,” Barr said in a memorandum issued Thursday...

The Eureka Springs City Council doesn’t see a need for another taxi service in the city. On Monday night, the council heard from Billy Deathridge of Ambassador Transportation Services about his desire to operate a taxi in Eureka Springs. Deathridge said he’d only want to put one car in the city, saying he’d hire a local person for the job. Alderwoman Mickey Schneider asked him how thoroughly he researched the city before coming to the meeting...

Berryville fourth-graders put their persuasive writing skills to good use Monday night, convincing the Berryville School Board to approve a solution for their playground’s flooding problem. Fourth-graders Freeman Eastwood, Hailey Johnson, Alyssa Sutton and AC Cavillo explained the intermediate school playground’s flooding problem and presented a solution, saying Kirk Powell is willing to donate his labor and equipment to help fix the playground. ...

Firefighting crews were on scene Thursday at a fire off of Arkansas Highway 311 near County Road 663, according to Oak Grove Fire & Rescue. As of Thursday afternoon, the fire was 100 percent contained, according to a post on the Oak Grove Fire & Rescue Facebook page...

Breanne Davis defeated Robert Bailey on Tuesday in a runoff election to determine the Republican nominee to fill a vacant seat in the state Senate. Unofficial results from the Arkansas Secretary of State’s office show Davis receiving 4,264 votes (55.3 percent) for the District 16 while Bailey received 3,451 (44.7 percent)...

Some 20 miles south of Belfast, Northern Ireland, is the Ulster village of Downpatrick. It has 10,000 residents, two dozen pubs (in a number of which I have had the pleasure of chugging a few pints), and one massive, glorious church: Down Cathedral. Built on a holy hill once used by the druids, transformed into a monastery and finally a church, it is also the traditional burial site of Ireland’s most revered saint: Patrick...

Gage Gustavus, center, was the recipient of the Berryville High School CTE Student of the Month award for March. Gage was nominated by the faculty for his enthusiasm and cooperation in always being available to assist. He is a two-way completer in Agri. ...

The entire staff of the Green Forest School District will get a raise. The Green Forest School Board voted at its Monday meeting to approve a $750 salary increase to the base for all certified and classified employees for the 2018-19 school year. Superintendent Matt Summers said this will impact approximately 190 employees. The financial impact of adding a $750 raise to the base, including step increments, will be approximately $319,000, he said...

The Green Forest Class of 1968 will celebrate its 50th Anniversary Reunion on Friday, March 30, and Saturday, March 31, in Green Forest with several planned events. The celebration will kick off on Friday evening with a drop-in special gathering to be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Jim’s Drive Inn in Green Forest...

The Berryville Community Center (BCC) is actively seeking responsible teens and adults as volunteers to assist the staff at the front desk. Being a volunteer gives you the feel-good feeling of giving back to your community, and just a few hours a month are worth their weight in gold to the community center. Volunteers are the lifeblood of the center and vital to keeping membership rates as some of the lowest in the nation...

BONNIE MAE COLLINS, of Harrison, Arkansas was born December 11, 1926 in Allfriend, Arkansas, daughter of Booker Euclyde and Bessie Grace (Smith) Allred. She departed this life Friday, March 16, 2018 in Harrison, Arkansas at the age of 91 years. She is survived by her children, daughter, Judy Addis and husband, Tim of Harrison, Arkansas; son, Larry Collins and wife, Carri of Yukon, Oklahoma; sister, Mary Powell and husband, Donnie of Nashville, Arkansas; grandson, Scott Matthews and wife, Kristin of Platte City, Missouri; grandson, Derrick Collins of Springfield, Missouri; two great grandchildren, Ben and Koryne Matthews; brother-in-law, Fay Collins and wife, Shirley of Manteca, California; two sisters-in-law, Janell Allred of Knob Noster, Missouri; Edna Layton of California;; numerous nieces, nephews, other relatives and a host of friends.. ...