News

Three more Carroll County residents have died from complications related to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Arkansas Department of Health, and Berryville School District superintendent Owen Powell confirmed Monday that a teacher in the district has died...

A former Eureka Springs resident who faces charges in several pending criminal cases is back behind bars at the Carroll County Detention Center after a judge ruled that he violated conditions of his release on bail. Sebastian Valentino, 50, was one of three people arrested after a standoff with officers from the Carroll County Special Response Team in September 2019 in Eureka Springs. ...

The Berryville City Council last week debated changes to the city’s existing liquor ordinance. According to Mayor Tim McKinney, a proposed amendment is necessary to bring the ordinance in line with recent changes proposed by the state Alcohol Beverage Control board...

While many hospitals across the country are struggling to deal with another surge of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic — particularly rural hospitals, where beds and staff are limited and space for transfers is limited — Carroll County’s two largest healthcare facilities are weathering the storm without any major problems and are rapidly completing the process of vaccinating their staff against the novel coronavirus...

The Connect 4 board of directors heard some good news during its quarterly meeting on Thursday, Jan. 7.  The technical education program, a cooperative effort between the various school districts in Carroll County and several local businesses and manufacturers, is doing well in its third year, with 55 students enrolled —28 from Green Forest, 21 from Berryville and six from Eureka Springs — with 16 participating in paid apprenticeship programs where they are earning between $11 and $18 an hour. ...

After adopting out 437 animals in 2020, Good Shepherd Humane Society has plans to create new programs to help local animals in 2021. Cole Wakefield, director of animal operations, said he’s working to create a community cat program. The program would be focused in Eureka Springs, Wakefield said, but would expand throughout Carroll County “with the goal of building a cat support community.” Wakefield said a group of volunteers will help save cats through the trap-and-release program, where feral cats are caught, spayed or neutered and released back into their environment.. ...

The Eureka Springs Parks and Recreation Commission has a lot of work to do in 2021, and interim director Scott Miskiel said his team is ready for that challenge. Miskiel, who was named interim director last October after the firing of former director Justin Huss, said he’s working on getting parks finances in order. ...

The Carroll County Quorum Court will push its monthly meetings back by an hour for the next two years.

According to numbers released by the Arkansas Department of Health on Monday morning, there were 123 new cases of COVID-19 in the county since last week, with no additional deaths attributed to the novel coronavirus and more than 130 reported recoveries.

An undisclosed number of Carroll County turkey growers have been informed that their contracts with Butterball LLC will be canceled within 90 days.

For the past 40 years, Pastor Keith Butler and his wife, Carol, have served the community through their leadership at Church on the Hill in Berryville.

A Green Forest man who was arrested in August 2019 after allegedly threatening a circuit court judge suffers from mental disease but has the capacity to understand the legal proceedings against him and to effectively assist in his defense, according to a doctor who examined him last month.

Eureka Springs resident McKinley Weems spent a good chunk of his life building things, tearing things down, and finding new uses for the odd bits and bobs left over.  On Saturday, Jan. 2, he celebrated his 100th birthday.  The most well-known project Weems worked on was the Christ of the Ozarks statue on Magnetic Mountain near his hometown. The 67-foot-tall statue — which turns 55 this year — has an arm span of 65 feet and is the largest depiction of Jesus in the United States. ...

The Eureka Springs City Auditorium recently received a $73,707.45 grant through the Arkansas Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Rick Bright, finance director for the city advertising and promotion commission, said he heard about the grant just before Jan. 1. There was additional funding available through the CARES Act, Bright said, that needed to be spent before the year ended. Bright said the grant specifically targeted convention centers and auditoriums...

Scott Miskiel, interim director of the Eureka Springs Parks and Recreation Department, met for more than two hours on Wednesday, Dec. 23, with parks commissioner Kevin Ruehle and grounds and natural resources manager Dave Renko to review preliminary budget figures for 2021.

The Eureka Springs Community Center unveiled its new outdoor walking trail in early December, and it’s already become a popular part of the facility.

Carroll County reached a new mark Monday morning with a cumulative total of 2,000 COVID-19 cases, along with 30 total deaths — including two in the past week — attributed to the novel coronavirus. The increases come two weeks after the first shipment of vaccine arrived in the county on Dec. 18, with doses administered to healthcare workers at hospitals in Berryville and Eureka Springs...

Two Carroll County cities were among more than 20 honored last week when they were named 2020 Trendsetter Cities by Arkansas Business.  The annual honors, designed to honor cities who are leaders in innovative programs and initiatives for improvement and growth, were presented in six categories for city improvement projects, ranging from Education & Workforce Development, Infrastructure/Water, and Environmental/Green Management Practices to Wellness & Fitness, Public Safety and Tourism Development/Creative Culture. . ...

The Carroll County Quorum Court approved the county’s 2021 budget at its regular meeting on Monday, Dec. 21, by a vote of 10-0. The budget ordinance, which received its second and third readings at the Dec. 21 meeting, projects the county’s 2021 general fund revenue at approximately $5.78 million, with projected expenditures of approximately $5.66 million. The budget projects road fund revenues of approximately $3.41 million with projected expenditures of approximately $3.3 million...

Some time ago, an upset Carroll County resident walked into the circuit clerk’s office and, after speaking with the clerk, demanded to know, “Who is your boss?” The clerk replied simply, “You are.” Ramona Wilson, who’ll be 71 next month, likes to tell that story. After 48 years serving the people of Carroll County — including the past 22 as circuit clerk, it’s still one of her favorites...

The Carroll County Senior Activity and Wellness Center is serving more clients than ever because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Center director Christina Butler reported that the pandemic has impacted the number of meals served through the program. “The volume of meals we serve has definitely gone up,” Butler said...