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Hospitals react to rapid rise in COVID-19 cases (7/27/21)At least one hospital in Northwest Arkansas is making changes in light of the increasing number of COVID-19 infections in the region and across the state, while another is continuing on the same path chosen last April. In a news release issued last week, Birch Wright, the chief operating officer and administrator for Fayetteville-based Washington Regional Medical System, said the healthcare system would be moving to Phase 2 of its “COVID-19 Surge Plan.”... -
Man, 51, drowns in Table Rock near Enon (7/27/21)A Boone County man drowned last week in Table Rock Lake in Carroll County, authorities said. Divers recovered the body of George Davidson, 51, of Omaha on the morning of Wednesday, July 21. According to a Facebook post by Oak Grove Fire & Rescue, the department was notified by the Omaha fire department at 9:08 p.m. Tuesday, July 20, that an individual did not surface after swimming in the lake. The incident occurred near Highway 311 at Enon...
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CCN publisher honored for distinguished service (7/27/21)Carroll County Newspapers publisher Bob Moore was presented with the Arkansas Press Association’s Distinguished Service Award in recognition of his 43-year newspaper career on Thursday, July 22, during the association’s annual convention. Moore began his career as an advertising representative in Berryville before serving as general manager of the Camden News and ad director for WEHCO Media newspapers in south Arkansas. ... -
Carroll County News wins APA’s top award (7/27/21)For the fourth time in the past five years, the Carroll County News has been awarded first place for general excellence among medium weeklies in the Arkansas Press Association’s annual Better Newspaper Contest. CCN also earned the top honor for medium weeklies in 2017, 2018 and 2020. The awards were announced Friday, July 23, at the conclusion of the press association’s annual convention, which was held virtually for the second consecutive year because of the COVID-19 pandemic... -
CAPC hires Dawson as tourism director (7/27/21)The Eureka Springs Advertising and Promotion Commission has a new tourism director. At a special called meeting on Wednesday, July 21, the commission agreed to hire Madison Dawson at a salary of $60,000 per year with a moving allowance up to $2,500... -
Berryville board delays virtual academy (7/27/21)Plans for the Berryville School District’s new virtual academy have been put on hold. The district board voted last week not to offer the program during the 2021-2022 school year, a decision that superintendent Owen Powell said was made in the interest of feasibility... -
Berryville council suspends bidding on square renovation (7/27/21)The Berryville City Council voted last Tuesday to suspend the bidding process in relation to various elements required to complete the renovation process already underway on the downtown square. “A lot of things like the benches and fountain and everything you get up there, you can’t really spec them out to bid,” said Mayor Tim McKinney. “And then our construction manager, like on concrete finishing and brick and all that, he’s out shopping around. That’s the reason behind all this.”... -
Green Forest board approves new content-filtering system for computers (7/27/21)The Green Forest School District board voted last week to approve the purchase of a GoGuardian content-filtering system to be used on all district computers. “It’s a program that allows us to better track what [web content] our kids are on, not only here at school, but also on our devices that go home, which we feel like is going to be a bigger item in the future,” said superintendent Matt Summers. ... -
Eureka Spring’s Ott appointed to Municipal League advisory panel (7/27/21)Eureka Springs City Council member Bill Ott has been appointed to the Arkansas Municipal League’s Advisory Council for Economic Development for 2021-2022. The purpose of the advisory council is to allow municipalities to get together and discuss their mutual programs and advise the municipal league’s staff and executive committee as to the types of services and policies they would like to pursue... -
CAPC OKs additional $13K for Folk Fest (7/27/21)The Eureka Springs City Advertising and Promotion Commission is spending a little more money on this year’s Folk Festival. At a special called meeting on Monday afternoon, the commission heard from event promoter Nancy Paddock. Paddock said another promoter has already booked a show for Saturday night in the Auditorium, so she’s working on securing shows on Thursday and Friday... -
Pets of the Week (7/27/21)This week is a special week. Instead of one Pet of the Week, we have 25! -
Eureka Springs hospital commission OKs $67K for new flooring (7/27/21)Facility improvements at the Eureka Springs Hospital are underfoot. On July 19, the Eureka Springs Hospital Commission heard from CEO Angie Shaw about needed repairs to the flooring in all patient care areas. Chairman Tyson Burden kicked off the discussion, saying the floors in the newer part of the hospital have worn down over time. Burden noted that the newer part of the hospital is still 50 years old... -
COVID-19 numbers rising; active cases in Carroll County reach 102 (7/20/21)The number of active cases of COVID-19 in Carroll County is once again on the rise, topping 100 for the first time since February’s late winter spike. On Monday, the Arkansas Department of Health reported 102 active cases of the novel coronavirus in Carroll County, a number that includes 30 new cases in the past week...
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Golden Anniversary: Berryville, Tyson Foods celebrate 50 years (7/20/21)The Greater Berryville Chamber of Commerce and the City of Berryville last week hosted a special reception honoring Tyson Foods for its 50-year presence in the community. The event, held Wednesday, July 14, at the Berryville Community Center, was intended to spotlight Tyson’s community involvement over the past half-century, not just as an employer, but also as a good corporate citizen... -
Eureka Springs council considers broadband options (7/20/21)The city of Eureka Springs is looking into ways to bring a better internet connection to residents. On Monday night, planning commissioner Ferguson Stewart told the Eureka Springs City Council that there are grant opportunities to provide broadband access citywide. Stewart said the city of Berryville received a similar grant earlier this year. He asked the council to research the details behind the statewide grant program... -
Clark donates $50K to Berryville Library (7/20/21)Longtime Berryville resident Wayne Clark recently pledged $50,000 toward the Berryville Library Building Project. In a recent meeting with library leadership, Clark said he and his late wife, Janet, have always been strong supporters of the library, but Clark felt his family could do more to see this project become a reality for Berryville. ... -
CAPC interviews tourism director candidate (7/20/21)The Eureka Springs City Advertising and Promotion Commission held a special meeting Monday, June 12, to interview Madison Dawson, the first of two candidates interested in becoming tourism director. Chairman Jeff Carter explained that Dawson had been in Eureka Springs for the past two days, saying she was given free rein to eat, shop and explore everything the city has to offer. It was important to the commission, Carter said, for Dawson to “experience Eureka on her own.”... -
School district plans for clear backpacks (7/20/21)The Eureka Springs School District will require students to bring clear backpacks to school beginning in the 2021-2022 school year. Superintendent Bryan Pruitt said the clear backpack policy is district-wide and meant to keep everyone at the school safe. According to a post on the Eureka Springs Schools Facebook page, students are issued Chromebooks at school so there are minimal items needed to go to and from the building should a student choose not to carry a backpack... -
Berryville’s ‘Stuff the Bus’ campaign in full swing (7/20/21)There may be no actual bus involved, but the Berryville School District is still in the midst of its annual “Stuff the Bus” event. In the past, the events have allowed county residents to assist with purchasing school supplies for local students. Nowadays, the school district is able to provide students with most of the necessary supplies — paper, pencils, crayons and all the usual items — leaving just a few small gaps, ones that Bright Futures Berryville hopes to fill... -
Pet of the Week: Queen Shadra (7/20/21)This week’s Pet of the Week is Queen Shadra of Spring Street. -
Berryville High marching band sets summer practice schedule (7/20/21)The Berryville High School band is ready to kick it into high gear after a year of COVID-19 restrictions, says band director Doug Blevins. Summer practice for the band will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, July 26, and Tuesday, July 27, in the Fine Arts building on the middle school campus for pre-selected student leaders and the color guard... -
Giving Tree grants available for Carroll County nonprofits (7/20/21)Nonprofits in Carroll County can go to arcf.org/givingtree to apply online for Fall Giving Tree Grants through Carroll County Community Foundation, an affiliate of Arkansas Community Foundation. Applications must be submitted online by Aug. 15. “Since our affiliate was formed in 2001, we’ve awarded over $1.4 million in grants to benefit Carroll County,” said Janell Robertson, executive director of the Carroll County Community Foundation. “That makes this 20th anniversary something to celebrate!”...
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Community center asks Eureka Springs board to donate facility (7/20/21)The Eureka Springs Community Center Foundation is hoping to take full ownership of its property in the near future. On Monday, July 12, foundation representatives gave a presentation to the Eureka Springs School Board, asking the board to donate the old high school campus to the community center. Foundation chairwoman Debbie Davis said the community center and the school board have the same goals... -
Crescent, Basin Park hotels resume COVID-19 protocols (7/20/21)Effective Monday, July 19, the Crescent and Basin Park hotels have returned to COVID-19 safety protocols. According to a news release, the protocols have been reinstated because of a dramatic increase in the daily number of new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in Carroll County and the state of Arkansas as a whole. The protocols include mask and sanitizing stations being reinstalled at the hotel entryways, as well as COVID-19 warning signs... -
William G. Summers (7/15/21)William “Bill” G. Summers was born in Russellville, Arkansas, on January 16, 1932, and left this world on July 8, 2021, at the age of 89. He was born the son of Viola Summers. Bill is survived by his son and daughter in law, Billy and Shelley Summers, three granddaughters Ashley and Lauren Summers and Caitlin Simaan, grandson in law Alex Simaan, three grandsons Brandon (Kate) and Dalton Jacobs and Garrett Summers, great granddaughter Ana Summers, brother John Summers, nephews Jimmy (Paula) Evans, Johnny (Jason) Summers nieces Kim (Sue Ann Jones), Kristie (Joe) Prokop, Dottie Summers, Sheri (Todd) Gatherum, Tammy Hall and a host of great nieces, great nephews, cousins, friends and neighbors that were like family.. ... -
Two brothers die in accident on local farm (7/13/21)1Two Carroll County siblings died and a third was injured Saturday during an accident resulting from a cattle roundup on a family farm north of Green Forest. According to Ted Hostetler, a team leader for the Mennonite Disaster Services Search and Rescue team and on-scene incident commander, Alex Hostetler, 20, and his brother, Layne, 15, died while trying to extricate a straggler steer from a pond on the 1,000-acre farm owned by their father, Louis Hostetler. ... -
Under investigation: Passion Play removes activist group’s banner (7/13/21)The Christ of the Ozarks Statue, a Eureka Springs tourist attraction famous for its larger-than-life size, gained new notoriety Friday morning after activist group Indecline placed a banner reading “God Bless Abortions” across the statue’s 65-foot wingspan... -
Reagan caught in Missouri (7/13/21)The armed fugitive who fired on Carroll County deputies before fleeing through the woods in northern Carroll County was captured June 8 after a three-week manhunt that spanned three counties and two states. Benjamin Leeray Reagan, 33, of Lampe, Mo., was taken into custody last week after a brief standoff with deputies from the Barry and Stone County (Mo.) sheriff’s departments... -
Mercy requires vaccinations for all employees (7/13/21)All employees at Mercy Health hospitals and clinics — including those in Carroll County — will be required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine beginning Sept. 30. The announcement of the new requirement came last week as the new Delta variant of COVID-19 continues to spread rapidly in Missouri, where Mercy has hospitals and clinics in Joplin, Springfield, St. ...
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Berryville council congratulates McKinney on AML post (7/13/21)Berryville Mayor Tim McKinney was greeted with mild fanfare during the regular meeting of the Berryville City Council on Tuesday, July 6, as council members congratulated him on his recent election as president of the Arkansas Municipal League. McKinney was absent during the previous meeting of the council on June 15 because he was attending the the league’s annual meeting in Little Rock, where he was sworn in...
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Pet of the Week: Minh (7/13/21)This week’s Pet of the Week is Minh. -
CAPC votes for third time to re-appoint Carter (7/13/21)The Eureka Springs City Advertising and Promotion Commission voted for a third time to reappoint chairman Jeff Carter to Position 1 at a special called meeting on Thursday, July 8. The commission previously voted on June 30 to reappoint Carter, the second vote on the same issue. ...
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CAPC turmoil: Attorney threatens legal action against Satori (7/13/21)An attorney representing Eureka Springs City Advertising and Promotion Commission chairman Jeff Carter recently sent a cease and desist letter to former mayor Beau Satori, alleging that Satori has made “defamatory statements” about Carter and his wife, Heather... -
Officers arrest fugitive Reagan in Missouri (7/7/21)Benjamin Reagan, the armed fugitive who opened fire on two Carroll County deputies more than three weeks ago, has been arrested in Missouri. According to Carroll County Sheriff’s Office chief deputy Maj. Jerry Williams, Reagan was taken into custody by officers in Stone County, Mo., after a multi-state, multi-agency searched ended in a standoff Wednesday afternoon... -
Free again on house arrest: Accused killer has bond revoked (7/6/21)A Berryville man who is charged with first-degree murder along with two other defendants in connection with a 2018 slaying near Eureka Springs had his bond revoked last month but was subsequently released on house arrest. Charles Ky Hanna, 32, is one of three men charged in the stabbing death of Christopher Alvard, whose body was discovered by sheriff’s deputies inside his home near Eureka Springs on Feb. 8, 2018. Alvard’s dog also was stabbed to death, according to a probable cause affidavit... -
Fun on the Fourth (7/6/21)Bella Biggerstaff (left) and Piper Nunez get ready for Fire on the Mountain 2021 with their own fireworks as their families join others to watch the annual celebration of patriotism. -
Linker gets probation in plea deal (7/6/21)Joseph Linker, a former Eureka Springs resident who was arrested more than two years ago and charged with raping his live-in girlfriend, pleaded guilty recently to an amended charge of second-degree battery and was sentenced to six years of supervised probation... -
City council considers changes to make streets safer (7/6/21)For the third consecutive meeting, the Eureka Springs Council heard from resident Jack Byrne about ways to make the streets safer on Monday night. Byrne spoke during public comments, offering a proposal for changes on Douglas, Flint and Jackson streets. ... -
Hanging up his stethoscope: Spurgin retires after 33-year career in Berryville (7/6/21)For a new doctor in a small town, building a successful practice takes time, effort and dedication. For family medicine specialist Dr. Randal Spurgin, it took a lot of years and more than a few late nights. There was also the occasional baby. “Medicine was different in those days,” said Spurgin, 66, who celebrated his retirement Wednesday, June 30, with a reception at the Mercy Hospital Family Clinic in Berryville, where he practiced for 33 years. ... -
Happy campers: Summer youth program features STEAM-based fun (7/6/21)For the past four weeks, the Eureka Springs Community Center has immersed local kids in art projects, science experiments, a basketball skills camp and many other activities. But if you ask the kids enrolled in the community center’s Summer Youth Program, the best part is the friendships... -
Berryville Summer Reading Program kicks off (7/6/21)“With over 500 participants already registered for this year’s Summer Reading Program, it feels great to see things at the Berryville Library returning somewhat back to normal,” said library director Julie Hall. The Reading Gone Wild! Summer Reading Program began June 7 and will go through July 30. ... -
Inaugural Storywalk newest addition to Ice Cream Social (7/6/21)How would you like to go on an adventure and help raise money for the Berryville Library Building Fund all at the same time? As part of the 35th Annual Berryville Ice Cream Social presented by Tyson, the traditional 5K will be replaced this year with a fun and adventurous one-mile fundraising walk put on by the Friends of the Berryville Library in which the entire family can participate together or as individuals... -
Pet of the Week: Ebony (7/6/21)This week’s Pet of the Week is sweet, sweet Ebony. -
Main Street Eureka Springs receives $25K AHPP grant (7/6/21)Main Street Eureka Springs was awarded a $25,000 grant from the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program (AHPP), which oversees Main Street Arkansas, at a grant ceremony in Argenta Plaza in North Little Rock on June 11. Grants are awarded annually to designated Main Street and Downtown Network programs, ranging from $3,000 to $25,000. That means Main Street Eureka Springs received the highest amount possible... -
New Chamber Member (7/6/21)The Greater Berryville Area Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to welcome a new member Tuesday, June 29, 2020. -
Opera in the Ozarks (7/6/21)Opera in the Ozarks held its opening night on Friday, July 2, performing Donizetti’s Lucia Di Lammermoor, an operatic tragedy. -
Detention Center Garden (7/6/21)Inmates at the Carroll County Detention Center have doubled the size of the garden this year and focused on vegetables that will yield the best harvest.
