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Hornets and Eagles win Friday. (Pictures on page 8. )
Volume 117 Number 46 - USPS 225-680
Serving all of Prairie County, Arkansas
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
2018 Rice Festival Community to be on October 27 Events Calendar
Wednesday September 26 White River Irrigation District Board of Directors Meeting District Office 207 East Front St. Hazen 9:00am Thursday September 27 Distribution of Commodities First United Methodist Church in Hazen 10:00am- 12:00pm Hazen Junior Hornets VS Brinkley Tigers Hornet Field 7:00pm Hazen Junior Eagles VS Carlisle Bisons Bison Field 7:00pm Friday September 28 Hazen Hornets VS Brinkley Lions Tiger Field 7:00pm Des Arc Eagles VS Carlisle Bisons Eagle Field 7:00pm Monday October 1 Chamber of Commerce Meeting BancorpSouth Hazen 6:30pm -7:30pm Monday October 8 Columbus Day City and County offices will be closed Tuesday October 9 Quorum Counrt Meeting Annex Building Des Arc 6:00pm 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.
The 42nd Annual Grand Prairie Rice Festival will be October 27 in the east city park beginning at 10:00 a.m. with the traditional antique tractor parade. There will be great entertainment throughout the day featuring the I-40 East Band and Chase Mauk and the Steezy Street Band. Also in the lineup are Brian and Terri Kinder presenting a rollicking, good time concert for kids. Raptor Rehab of Arkansas will be presenting a popular program featuring injured birds of prey that are being rehabilitated at their facility.
The second annual talent show is scheduled at 1:30 and is open to all ages. First prize $250, second prize $150 and third prize $75. Registration forms for the talent show are available at Farmers & Merchants Bank and BancorpSouth in Hazen and must be turned in by October 5. All in all, it will be a great morning and afternoon of family fun and entertainment. For information regarding the festival or about setting up a booth or activity, call David or Sandy at Farmers & Merchants Bank 870-255-3042 during business hours.
Burned-out car found by Sheriff’s Department
PCSD recovers stolen vehicle by Leah VanHouten Prairie County Sheriff Department (PCSD) Criminal Investigation Division employee and PCSD Deputies recovered a stolen vehicle at 8:49 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 19. The vehicle was burned and found by an individual, "who stated that he found the burned up vehicle on the Briley Farm and requested that a deputy come out and make a report."
The witness did not know or recognize the vehicle, "The license plate (and vehicle) was reported stolen out of White County Sheriff's Department (WCSD) on Sept. 19 at 8:13 a.m.," according to the PCSD incident report. The investigation is being handed over to the WCSD, since the vehicle was reported stolen from their county.
2018 Angel Tree donations sought The Department of Human Services will be sponsoring the 2018 Angel Tree for Prairie County. Applications can be picked up at the Prairie County Department of Human Services. Applications will be accepted 10/01/18 – 10/31/18. Applications received after this date will not be accepted. Each family will be interviewed and determined to meet guidelines in order to be eligible for the Angel Tree. We are also asking for your support by either adopting an angel or donating to the Angel Tree Project. The angels can be found on one of the Christmas trees located in our local banks at Hazen and Des Arc the Monday
after Thanksgiving. We also need donations to assist in buying for angels that are not selected from the tree. If you would like to help with this project please contact Kelly Chapman at 870998-2581 ext 114. Donations can be made in the form of a check made payable to the DCO Community Cash Account, Department of Human Services. Thank you for supporting the Angel Tree Project and making Christmas merrier for the children in our county that are less fortunate. Without the help of persons like you, Christmas would be a sad time for some of the children in our county.
KTHV 11 anchor Craig O’Neill read to children at the Des Arc Library on Thursday morning, September 20. Over 70 students and adults attended the event.
Des Arc Council approves rezoning for craft distillery At the monthly Des Arc City Council meeting on September 18th, an ordinance was approved to rezone property located at 2702 Main Street from R1 Residential to I-1 Industrial. The property owner, William C. Harris, requested the zoning change in order to start a craft distillery business, which will produce wine and spirits for shipment. Attending the meeting were Mayor Jim Garth, Recorder/Treasurer Chrisana Knupp and Council Members Jodie Mayher, Welton Robinson, Steve Bryan, Ray McVay, Janice Huffstickler and Anna Beth Fisher. The council also approved an ordinance
authorizing the use of grant funds from the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management to replace/refurbish a wastewater lift station. Engineer Richard Penn provided plans and specifications for the project to development bid documents. A bid was accepted from Big Creek Contractors from Heber Springs for the total amount of $159,488. Work on the project will start right away with an approximate completion date of October 30th. A resolution was approved setting the city’s millage tax rate at 5 mills. The council approved a request from Mandy Barnes, Executive Director of the Des Arc Housing Authority to
appoint Tyler Cox to the board of commissioners. Cox will replace Sharon Brown for a five year term. Mayor Jim Garth reported that a request was made for the city to open an account at Farmers and Merchants Bank to accept donations for building a pavilion at Lakeside Cemetery. It is estimated that the structure will cost $25,000. The council approved the request. The Police Department reported 10 traffic tickets issued, 7 misdemeanor charges and 4 felony charges filed. Animal Control reported that 5 dogs picked up, 2 of which were returned to owners and 2 warnings issued.
Quorum Court discusses 2017 state audit of county A letter from the Prosecuting Attorney of the seventeenth Judicial District of Arkansas Rebecca Reed McCoy concerning the 2017 audit of county finances and other reports was the main order of business at the Prairie County Quorum Court meeting held on Tuesday, September 11. Present at the meeting were Aldermen Ronald Eans, Lawrence Holloway, Dennis Tipton, Gary King, Lucas Childress, Bobby Willeford, and County Clerk Gaylon Hale. Judge Mike Skarda presided over the meeting. The auditors noted an issue with a $1000 donation made by the county to the Arkansas Children’s Hospital which, while a “technical violation of the Arkansas Constitution regarding political subdivisions’ appropriation of money” according to the letter, was praised as a donation to a “noble endeavor.”
The second area of concern was the donation of sick leave to a former employee of the Sheriff’s Department. Although sufficient time was donated to cover the claimed hours, the county “did not have a policy authorizing the transfer/donation of sick leave hours or vacation hours to other county employees.” The county now has a policy in place for leave sharing. Skarda told the court that County Attorney Eric Kennedy will need to revise the partnership agreement that the county has with the Des Arc and Hazen School Districts concerning the School Resource Officers. The county will pay one third of the salaries for these officers, but will not be responsible for paying any overtime. Skarda told the aldermen that the county had purchased a 2011 Equinox for Sandra Patterson, the OEM, so that the county truck
that she has been driving can be used in the southern end of the county. Skarda also said that the county had received a bid of $99,000 from Red Stone for the new parking lot to be built at the White river Landing. The court allocated $124,000 in grant money for the project at the August meeting. He also asked that the elected officials get their budgett into his office by the middle of October. Skarda wants to give county employees a raise if possible. Prairie County Treasurer Tamara Dabney reported that the balance for County General Fund was $27,386.03 at the end of August. The balance for the County Road Fund was $275,639.59. The amounts of the 2018 general sales taxes and road improvement sales taxes are both down from the 2017 sales taxes taken in during the same period.
Hazen City Council hears property purchase request The Hazen City Council heard a request to purchase three acres of city property located near Interstate 40 at the council’s regularly held meeting, Thursday, September 20. Present were Councilmembers Tim Juola, Clevella Mosby, Rick Wiggins, Barbara Rogers, RecorderTreasurer David Hardke, and Mayor David Duch. Bryce Sims told the
group that he would like to build a 40’x50’ barbeque restaurant on the city property, and offered $10,000 an acre for the land, for a total of $30,000. The establishment, which would be called “Pig Dad’s Restaurant” would employ nine waitresses, three dishwashers, and three cooks according to Sims. (Continued on p. 4)
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