Lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Join Lead Hill FFA for their Annual free Community “Basketball and BBQ” at Friday the 18.

Today, Monday, I went back 53 years ago in 1971 when Gardner Dairy Queen opened up. I hadn’t stop there in a long time and the word is out that it is up for sale and I went and had a chili burrito and mushroom. I use to go there in my younger days. It was good to stop in there. My dad Wilmer Jones use to take his grandson Kevin there. Remember the good old days.

We have several events happening in the Hilltop and Compton communities in the next few weeks. The Hilltop Community is having the chili cook-off this evening (Saturday) at 5:00 p.m. Bring a pot of chili or some sides and come enjoy the evening to support the Hilltop Community Building Fund.

VAN BUREN — Two former Crawford County sheriff’s deputies were sentenced for using unlawful force on a man they arrested. Levi White, 34, was sentenced yesterday to 63 months in prison, and Zackary King, 28, was sentenced today to 12 months in prison.

On Tuesday, October 8, an Arkansas Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigation led to the arrest of a Harrison man for 50 counts of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), among other charges.

YELLVILLE — Mark Lee is a patrol sergeant with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. The department has a staff of 22, according to Lee. The officer has been with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office for over 5 years, starting his career with Marion County in August of 2019 as a jailer in the detention center, and then hitting the road in November of 2020.

Tuesday, Oct. 15, is the deadline for Arkansas residents to pay their property taxes. Any taxes paid after that date will have a penalty added to the amount.

LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission has partnered with Nativ, a leading Arkansas-based outdoor apparel brand, to launch a limited edition collection of apparel benefitting the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation.

JASPER — In a Sept. 30 press release from the Newton County Sheriff's Office, Sheriff Glenn Wheeler said on Saturday Sept. 28, his office was notified of a domestic dispute in which a man had allegedly threatened to kill a female and produced a gun. The female was able to get away and run to a neighboring house to call for help.

Enough time has passed since the last train order was issued by the Harrison Dispatcher to M&A trains that many of our readers may not have much information about how the railroad ran trains both directions over a single main line track without having collisions and delays. For those old heads that dispatched and ran the M&NA trains today’s systems would seem like pure magic. Even in my own railroad career there have been many seminal changes that have occurred and we’ve had to embrace a lot of new technology. Much of that technology has enhanced not only the safety of train operations but also the safety of those of us who maintain and construct the track and bridges out on the line. Much of the “old ways” are now long gone (try to find a telegraph operator familiar with Railroad Morse Code these days!). So let’s go back to the year 1930 and see how they did it.

North Arkansas Regional Medical Center (NARMC) hosted an open house exhibit of a Da Vinci XI Robotic Surgery System this week. The hospital excitedly shared that they now offer their patients access to advanced surgical care from highly trained surgeons who can utilize the machine. “We are equipping our medical team with the most cutting-edge tools available to ensure the best possible outcomes for our patients,” the organization asserts.

Creekside Community Center's grand opening and open house will be held on Saturday, Oct. 12, beginning at 10 a.m. Members of the community will have the opportunity to explore the property — including having a swim in the pool, playing ball on the courts, trying out the E-sports rooms or the golf simulator.