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Grand Prairie basketball (See p. 6.)
Volume 119 Number 4 - USPS 225-680
Serving all of Prairie County and the Grand Prairie
Wednesday, February 5, 2020
Community Events Calendar Thursday February 6 White River Irrigation District Board Meeting 10:00a.m. Train Depot Friday February 7 Hazen Hornets @ Maumelle Charter 4:30p.m. 7B, JB, SG, SB Carlisle Bisons @ Poyen 4:30p.m. 7G, JB, SG, SB Thursday February 6 GFWC Elsie McCain/Ruth Barrett Fox Club joint meeting with exchange Students Swillwy Lodge, 2328 Hwy 249 Monday February 10 Blood Drive Hazen Methodist Church 3:00p.m.-6:00p.m.
Tuesday February 11 Quorum Counrt Meeting annex Building in Des Arc 6:00 p.m.
Thursday February 13 DeValls Bluff City Council Meeting 6:00 p.m. City Hall Monday February 17 President Day City & County offices are closed
Community events brought to you by Hazen Chamber of Commerce and the
Please call F&M Bank (255-3042) or The Grand Prairie Herald (255-4538) to list events.
John and Rick Dodson, nominators, are pictured with Becky Young, Gaylon Hale, Stanley Young, and judge Kat Robinson. Murry’s Restaurant in Hazen has been selected as a finalist in the Department of Arkansas Heritage’s Food Hall of Fame for 2020. Stanley and Becky Young and daughters, Gaylon Hale and Yolanda Young were given the news at a presentation held on Monday,
January 27, at the Arkansas Heritage Department. Murry’s was nominated by the Rita, Rick, and John Dodson of Des Arc, regulars at the restaurant. Eligible restaurants must be owned and operated in Arkansas and must have been in business for
at least 25 years. Each year, three honorees are inducted. Admittance into the Arkansas Food Hall of Fame is recognition for those long-standing restaurants that have become legendary attractions in Arkansas. Murry’s has been a central
Arkansas favorite for decades, and people from all over the state and beyond travel many miles just to eat there. Another favorite Grand Prairie restaurant, Craigs in DeValls Bluff, was chosen for the Food Hall of Fame last year. The final selection for the
Food Hall of Fame will be made by a blue-ribbon panel of judges selected by the Arkansas Food Hall of Fame Committee, and the winners will be announced on Monday, February 24, at Robinson Auditorium in Little Rock. This is the 4th year for the event.
City of Des Arc receives $50,000 grant for park The Secretary of the Department of Arkansas Parks, Heritage and Tourism presented Des Arc Mayor Jim Garth and Tanya Childers with Central Arkansas Planning a check for $50,000.00 to refurbish/repair existing restrooms, install new play equipment, and improve site landscaping at Des Arc City Park. More than $2 million dollars in grants were handed out to 29 communities improve outdoor recreation. Arkansas State Parks held a reception for the recipients of
Cabinet Secretary of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism Stacy Hurst (center) presents Mayor Jim Garth (left) and Tanya Childers of CAPDD (right) with the Des Arc park grant check.
the FUN Park Grant and Outdoor Recreation Matching Grant Programs at the Department of Heritage. The mission of this grant program is to advocate for public outdoor recreation throughout Arkansas by providing local communities with planning and financial assistance. Arkansas State Parks offer two different grant programs, Matching Grants, and FUN Park Grants. Both are intended to assist cities and counties to improve outdoor recreation within their local communities.
Turner receives Guard Reserve of the Year award Congratulations to Des Arc native SFC Autumn Brown Turner from E Company’s 239th BEB for winning the 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT) Active Guard Reserve of the Year Award. SFC Turner was attending a military school, so SSG Taylor accepted the award on her behalf. The 39th IBCT is the largest major command in the state and is headquartered on Camp Robinson. The 39th IBCT consists of 44% of the state’s Army National Guard strength and employs 11% of the state’s
SSG Taylor accepts the AGR of the Year Award for SFC Autumn Turner.
Army National Guard fulltime workforce. The 39th IBCT has units located in 37 communities in Arkansas and Nebraska and Missouri. The 39th is primarily an infantry brigade organized to provide wartime missions in maneuver, field artillery, reconnaissance, intelligence, engineering and medical operations as well as maintenance, signal support and transportation activities. The 39th is prepared to support state emergency operations by assisting with road clearing, search and rescue, security, flood response and other natu-
Boothe hired as new Hazen Schools superintendent Donnie Boothe, of Hazen, has been hired to be the next superintendent for the Hazen School District at the January 27 meeting of the Hazen School Board. All of the board members were present with the exception of Richie Ingle, who was absent. The official resignation of the present superintendent, William Crowder, was accepted before the board went into executive session for one and one half hours to interview Boothe for the position. Boothe is a lifelong resident of Hazen and presently is serving the Stuttgart School District as the high school principal. In other business, Mark Price and Tiffany Glover, the high school and elementary school principals respectively, told the board that their schools had been accredited for another year by the Arkansas Department of Education. Price informed the board that his building had received an
they do well on the IStation tests. When asked by Vicki Skarda about the “Capturing Kids Hearts” program, Glover said, “Overall, it’s made a big difference.” She said that
some classes now have student greeters, and she hopes that her staff will continue through the second year of training this summer. Superintendent Bill Crowder presented the
calendar for the 2020-21 school year for a vote. The calendar is voted on by the district staff members, and it passed by a large number of votes. (Continued on page 3.)
Donnie Boothe Arkansas Game and Fish Commission grant for the school’s archery program in the amount of $2942.34. The grant will provide supplies and equipment for the newly organized activity. Price also said that senior priviledges have begun, and that seniors in good standing will be leaving the campus during lunch. Glover announced the PTO cookie dough sale, and said that the PTO plans to make a game room for students to use if
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