Clarksville received signs from the Arbor Day Foundation on Tuesday, March 12, showcasing its achievement of 20 years as a Tree City USA designated city. Attending the presentation were (front) Jackie English; (back row, from left) Keaton Phillips, Arkansas Forestry Commission; Ben Stepp, Terry Curtis, Jacob Bradley, and Mayor David Reider. The requirements to be…

by Stephanie Baker The community eclipse planning meeting on Wednesday, March 13, marked 26 days until the total solar eclipse, when much of Johnson County will experience three minutes and 29 seconds of darkness and the moon passes in front of the sun. The meeting was led by Johnson County Director of Emergency Management Rickey…

by Janice Penix The Clarksville City Council approved Mayor David Rieder’s nominations of two new members to the city’s utility commission following the recent resignations of two commissioners. CCU Commissioners Bill Hill and Mike Bean resigned their positions, according to a memo from Rieder to the Council dated March 2024. No reason for the resignations…

The Scranton Opportunity School Alternative Education Program has received a grant from Arkansas Game and Fish to build fishing rods from the base up.  Staff from Arkansas Game and Fish, along with Curtis Varnell from the Guy Fenter Educational Coop, will provide educational workshops to teach important concepts regarding aquaculture, fishery management and stewardship of…

by Stephanie Baker The Lamar School Board met in regular session on Monday, March 11, and heard a statement from Randy James, a citizen concerned about Board transparency regarding the resignation of former superintendent David Tollett. In his address to the Board, James said, “I’ve lived in this district all my life. I have never…

by Stephanie Baker The Feb. 28 community eclipse meeting marked the 40-day countdown to the Total Social Eclipse. Director of Emergency Management Rickey Casey presented a list of problem areas collected from reports of cities that were in the path of the 2017 total eclipse. These areas included traffic, fuel shortages, lack of cell service,…

The Johnson County Christian Alliance met March 1 with local leaders to discuss the needs facing the Westside School District and Coal Hill, Hartman, and Hunt communities. Twenty-five pastors and community leaders met at Coal Hill City Hall for a time of prayer for their community, and to discuss how the local churches have been…

by Stephanie Baker  Safe Haven celebrated the grand opening of its Community Crisis Center on Thursday, Feb. 15. Since 2019, the organization has grown considerably, branching out to better meet the needs of Johnson County. The organization now provides a recovery residence home for women, the first NARR-certified in the state. “Our absolute goal is…

  PROGRAM RECOGNIZED–Lamar Middle School alternative learning environment (ALE) and math teachers were recognized at the Arkansas Association of Alternative Education (AAAE) Leadership Day at the state Capitol on Feb. 13. It was the third consecutive year the Lamar program was recognized for high achievement on ACT Aspire math assessments. Attending the leadership day to…

In the Lamar School Board meeting on Feb. 12, Marc Lawrence presented a letter declaring his resignation. In his letter Lawrence states: “I would like to express in the most sincere way possible what an honor it is to serve and work with the amazing people of the Lamar School District. I ran for this…