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KINGSLAND - Mayor Sharon Crosby told the Kingsland City Council last Thursday that City Attorney Thomas Burns believes there is "about an 80 percent chance" the city could annex the new Dollar General store into the city limits without having to go through a petition process.While the entry into the parking lot of the new Dollar General store is within the Kingsland city limits, the store itself is outside the city limits, which means the city does not collect any sales tax revenue from the business.The only local sales tax collected at the Kingsland store is for the county, which is 3.25 percent. The sales tax for the City of Kingsland is 1 percent.According to a map of Kingsland, the city limits boundary goes due south from the southwest corner of the Hwy. 79/ Hwy. 189 intersection. It includes only a few feet of property west of the Hwy. 189 just south of the intersection."We desperately need the money," Crosby said in an interview after the meeting.The mayor said she and Burns were attending a meeting together when he looked over the annexation procedures that were published by the Arkansas Municipal League, which is an organization that assists cities with legal matters.While many annexations require a petition of the land owners within the targeted area, state law also provides a way a city can issue an ordinance to annex a piece of property that adjoins the city limits. Crosby said Burns told her he felt about "80 percent" sure the city could use the ordinance method, but he wanted to research it further before giving a definitive answer. Crosby said she hoped to have Burns at last week's Kingsland City Council meeting, but he was ill and unable to attend.Even though the store itself sits outside the Kingsland city limits, Crosby said the city provides both water and sewer service to the business.Crosby said in a separate interview that her intent is to only an-nex the Dollar General property, and it would not include any residential property.Originally, the…

RISON - A Rison convenience store that was heavily damaged by a fire last year following a burglary is expected to open soon after being closed for about 11 months, the new operator of the store has announced.Uday Gaddam, who will be operating the store, said he expects inventory for the remodeled store to arrive this week, allowing him to re-open the store after being closed for nearly a year. Rison Fire Chief Alan Parnell reported last year that firefighters responded to a call at 5:03 a.m. Sunday, June 11, 2023, at the Rison One Stop located at the corner of Magnolia (Hwy. 35) and Pine Street in Rison.Parnell said firefighters were able to access the fire through the back door, but the fire had destroyed the inside of the building before it could be extinguished. He said it appeared the fire had been burning for some time by the time the fire department arrived. Parnell described the interior of the building as a total loss.Gary Young, chief deputy for the Cleveland County Sheriff's Department, said some items were found missing from inside the store which prompted an investigation. The sheriff's department subsequently arrested Heidi Cash and Kristal Kirkpatrick, both of Rison,and Justin Wright of Warren, and charged them with commercial burglary, theft of property, and arson.The store has been completely rebuilt inside since the fire, and the outside of the building has been improved with new paint and trim work.Renovations to the building include an expanded kitchen area and a larger counter space at the front, and new lighting has been installed throughout. Gaddam said he will have dine-in seating available inside the store, and is also considering the possibility of adding refrigerator space for fresh produce along the back wall.Gaddam said the store will continue to offer a hot deli as before, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner items including daily lunch specials and pizza. He already had some promotional pieces advertising "combo" specials attached to…

Mayor Crosby Informs Council West Saline Board Votes Against Merger. KINGSLAND - After learning that the city will not be consolidating its water operations with any other providers, the Kingsland City Council approved a motion to hire someone to shut off water service to delinquent customers while also discussing raising the connect fee for new customers.Meanwhile, the council also approved Mayor Sharon Crosby's request to rescind her letter of resignation she submitted last month, and the council unanimously accepted her decision to rescind it.Crosby told the council that it was her intentions to step down and let the city council appoint someone to complete her term. However, she learned that state law requires the city to hold a special election to replace her since she had more than a year left in her term. Rather than force the city to incur that expense of a special election, she said she decided to stay instead.At the start of last Thursday's regular monthly council meeting, Crosby said Kaleb Parker, the water operator for the West Saline Water Users Association, informed her that the West Saline board had voted not to pursue a possible merger with the City of Kingsland to combine water services.West Saline, Outside Kingsland and the City of Kingsland has held a series of meetings to discuss the possibility of merging the three water systems into one. Crosby said Parker cited that the debt that the City of Kingsland is currently has with its water and wastewater departments was a factor in the West Saline board's decision. The mayor, however, pointed out that the city alone would still be responsible for that debt regardless of a merger.Several West Saline water customers expressed their opposition to the proposed merger during a public meeting held in March at the New Edinburg Community Center. Many attending that meeting were concerned that West Saline customers could end up paying off Kingsland's debt if the city was unable to continuing making its payments.Crosby said there are no other plans to merge with another water…

WARREN, Ark. – The Williams Cemetery Association has announced that their annual meeting will take place on May 18, 2024, at 11:00 am. The gathering will be held at Wagnon Church in Warren, Arkansas. Attendees can expect a comprehensive agenda that includes reports on the cemetery’s condition, financial updates,...

BRINGING 'HATCHET' TO LIFE - Corrie Coates, director of dining services for the Cleveland County School District, met with 5th graders from Rison Elementary last week to simulate some of the foods that the main character from the book 'Hatchet' would eat. The book is about a boy who is stranded in the Canadian wilderness. Mrs. April Matthews, their teacher, asked Coates to cook some of the food from the book. She served them "fool bird," which is actually ruffed grouse in the story, by preparing some chicken wings over a open flame while also serving them turtle eggs. (regular boiled eggs, soaked in tea) and allowing them to taste some raspberries since they are featured prominently in the book.

The following is a direct re-print of the Warren Arrest & Confinement Record from the Warren, Arkansas Police Department. All people listed are innocent until proven guilty. Donald W Withers, Jr. / 1436 Hwy 160 W Jersey / DOB 6-28-00 / FTA Warrant on 4-22-24 Demario Blueford / 116 N...

WARREN, Ark. – The Warren High School Chapter of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) showcased their talents and skills at the 2023-2024 FBLA State Conference held in Little Rock, Arkansas. The conference, a gathering of young business enthusiasts from across the state, provided a platform for students to demonstrate their business acumen and compete in various events.

WARREN, Ark. – Southeast Arkansas Community Based Education Center (SEACBEC) took 35 high school students from Warren, Hermitage, and Woodlawn to compete at the Arkansas SkillsUSA State Leadership Conference located in Hot Springs, Arkansas on April 15-17, 2024. SEACBEC had students competing from all five programs: Computer Science, Construction, Criminal Justice, Medical, and Welding. Students that compete must be members of the SkillsUSA student organization. Prior to the conference, all competitors had to take a knowledge based test and then competed based on their performance at state. With over 1,600 students competing at this year’s state conference, SEACBEC brought home medals in four competitions.

JUNCTION CITY - Woodlawn had the tying run at third in the top of the seventh but Rison's Josey Edwards got a fly ball to end the game as the Lady Wildcats held on to edge the Lady Bears, 5-4, in the 8-2A District Tournament championship game Saturday afternoon at Junction City.Both teams will advance to play in the Class 2A South Region Tournament this Thursday, May 2, at Parkers Chapel.Rison, 15-4 overall and the no. 1 seed from the 8-2A, will take on the Foreman Lady Gators (56 overall), the no. 4 seed from the 7-2A, at 3 p.m. Thursday.Woodlawn, 17-8 overall and the no. 2 seed from the 8-2A, will face the Acorn Lady Tigers (9-7 overall), the no. 3 seed from the 7-2A, at 12:30 p.m. Thursday.The Lady Wildcats went into the district tournament as the top seed after knocking off the Lady Bears, 10-5, in the regular season finale at Woodlawn. Both teams finished the season with 5-1 records but Rison earned the top seed by winning the head-tohead matchup. Woodlawn was the no. 2 seed.This battle between the Cleveland County rivals played out much different than their previous encounter on April 19. In that game, Rison led by as many as eight runs before Woodlawn made a late push.The Lady Bears took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first when Madi West singled to lead off the game and then scored on Jaci Hoyt's one-out double. The Lady 'Cats answered with two runs using a two-out single by Carlese Johnson and a follow-up triple by MacKenzie King to plate two runs and give Rison a 2-1 lead.Woodlawn tied it with a run in the top of the second. Macy Harrison walked to start the inning and Lily White was then hit by a pitch to put two on. Harrison moved to third on a passed ball and then tagged up to score a run on Erin West's fly to right, tying the game 2-2.The Lady 'Cats again responded in the bottom of the second as Layne Potter and Breanna Taylor delivered back-toback RBI singls, both coming with two out, as Rison went back on top, 4-2.Woodlawn made it a one-run game in…

The Bradley County Medical Center met for its monthly board meeting on Thursday, April 25, to discuss regular business. The meeting was opened with a presentation from Wipfli’s Audit Firm in which they discussed the hospital’s audit from the fiscal year that ended in September of 2023. The firm presented a series of financial numbers to the board including a financial analysis of the entire fiscal year.

The Rotary Club of Warren met for its weekly gathering Tuesday, April 30 inside the Fellowship Hall at First Methodist Church. Junior Rotarian Jacob Puterbaugh from Warren High School gave his speech to kick the program off. Puterbaugh was the last Junior Rotarian of the year and the Rotary Club wishes all of them the best in their future endeavors.

Carson, we are so proud of you and can’t wait to see what the future holds for you. We have no doubt you’re going to do amazing things. Just remember, keep God first in all that you do. We love you so much. Love, Mom, Dad, Eva, Mimi,...

There is a potential for severe weather coming into the area as Arkansas heads into the last weekend in April.

WARREN, Ark. – The Warren Jr. Lady Jacks recently competed in the 8-4A District Track Meet held on April 15, 2024, bringing home the District Championship. Among the standout athletes representing the Warren Jr. Lady Jacks were:. This Lumberjack Game Report is brought to you by:. Allison Mondragon. Alaina...

The Lady Panthers will play the winner of Sparkman-Grissom in the 7A Area 7 Championship.

WARREN, Ark. – In an exciting announcement from the Arkansas Sports Network (ASN) on Sunday, April 28, it was revealed that the Warren Lumberjacks will clash with the Elkins Elks in the highly anticipated ASN Football Classic. This electrifying event is scheduled to take place on Friday, September 13, 2024, at Thone Stadium and Burkle Field located at Arkansas Tech University.

Genesis Garay, of Hermitage, recently was accepted into the masters program at Duke University to obtain her masters in Biomedical Engineering. Garay applied to 5 different masters programs, including Johns Hopkins, Rice, Boston University, and Georgia Tech. She was accepted into all five, but has chosen to attend Duke. She is the daughter of Jose Garay and Ela Ramirez of Hermitage. Genesis is a graduate of Hermitage High School and Arkansas Tech University.