January 3, 2018

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January 3, 2018

THE POLK COUNTY

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1168 Hwy 71 S • Mena, AR 71953 • 479-243-9600 ...............................................................................................................................................................................

Your DAILY News Sources: KENA 104.1 FM & MyPulseNews.com

Welcome 2018 with a Wave and a Smile!

Mena Council Approves Budget for 2018

BY MELANIE WADE • news@mypulsenews.com

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. In the case of one local photographer, Mandy Parks, her picture has so far been worth more than 165,000 views and over 44,000 shares on social media network, Facebook. Her picture and caption of a local farmer/ eteran n i ell ent iral’ and captured the hearts of thousands around the globe. In her post, Parks says it best, “The other night I was at a session in front of this old barn. A man walked out, r n e st l n’t n er stand what I saw in the old barn worthy enough to take pictures of it e sai it’s l ilt it in t e ’s a ter ret rne r t e war. I cut down the trees, made the boards and built it so I would have a place for my hay that I raked it a pit r ’ at a e e love this barn even more! I asked him if I could take his picture and he just couldnt understand why I would want that. If Mr. John only knew that one day, pictures will be the only proof that barns like this and men like him were really built that tough. #MERICA” Look for a feature on Mandy Parks Photography in an upcoming edition of the Pulse.

PHOTO BY MANDY PARKS

Mena C ity C ouncil recently p assed O rd inance 2 2 8 2 ap p roving their p roj ected 2 0 1 8 b ud g et. The city’ s g eneral f und account has an exp ected $ 2 ,5 2 9 ,7 4 7 in revenue w ith allocated exp end itures reaching just $ 0,000 shy of that figure at $ , 8 ,5 .

The city’ s revenue comes f rom various sources w ith the larg est b eing city sales tax, w hich is exp ected to b ring $ 1 .4 million to the city’ s cof f ers. Franchise taxe s are b ud g eted to b ring around CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

Drug Court Program Graduates Prove Success of Program

BY MELANIE WADE • news@mypulsenews.com For many, b eg inning a new year comes w ith resolutions to become a better person, to lose weight, to be more financially sound , b ut f or tw o P olk C ounty w omen, starting 2 0 1 8 means the b eg inning of a new lease on lif e – a lif e w ithout the use and ad d iction of d rug s.

K eena R elaf ord and S unya D oming uez, b oth of Mena, are more than p roud to say that 2 0 1 8 is b eg inning w ith a g reat start CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

Flu Season in Full Bloom Across the State

BY MELANIE WADE • news@mypulsenews.com The A rka nsas D ep artment of H ealth is now rep orting that 1 2 Arkansans have died as a result of influenza this season and P olk C ounty is one of f ew in the state to not b e a hot zo ne of the illness. owever, the introduction of flu to an area can come q uickl y and w ith the f ollow ing of several tip s, can b e comb ated to CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

See pages 12-13

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Locals Attend 83rd Farm Bureau State Convention

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olk C ounty Farm B ureau memb ers w ere among more than 1 ,0 0 0 w ho recently attend ed A rka nsas Farm B ureau’ s 8 3 rd state convention in L ittle R ock. C onvention activities includ ed ad d resses b y G ov. A sa H utchinson and A rk ansas Farm B ureau P resid ent R and y V each. C ounties w ere honored f or their accomp lishments d uring the p ast year and d eleg ates voted on f ormal recommend ations sub mitted b y counties f or inclusion in the org aniza tion’ s p olicy.

Pictured are: (back row left to right) Josh Yates, County President Allen Stewart, Luke Alston and Tony Hooper. (Front row left to right) Deedee Alston, Ronney Fields, Carol Fields and Drey Alston.

Reisig Releases 8th Book in “Key West” Series L

ocal author Michael R eisig has j ust released his latest novel — the eig hth b ook in his “ R oad to K ey W est” series. R eisig says this new one has rap id ly b ecome a B est S eller f or him - hitting the top 1 ,0 0 0 b ooks in A mazo n’ s six million of f ering s only tw o d ays af ter it’ s release.

In A W ild R oad to K ey W est, once ag ain, The H ole I n The C oral W all G ang is w rap p ed in a w ild ad venture – f rom S outh Florid a to S outh A merica, and b ack ag ain.

D iamond s and emerald s, a lost city inf used b y a treasure and an ancient race, a secret cave w ith a timeless messag e, ruthless b and its, j ung le I nd ians, and nef arious cow b oys are all p art of this non- stop roller coaster rid e.

This ad venture includ es the g ang ’ s new g uid e, A rturio – a V enezu elan outb ack op p ortunist w ho has a mild ob session w ith R ussian R oulette? O r P assi, the lustf ul j ung le w itch w ho j ust can’ t make up her mind ?

R eisig has b een w riting p rof essionally f or 2 0 years. H e is a f ormer C arib b ean ad venturer turned new sp ap er ed itor, aw ard - w inning columnist, and b est- selling novelist. H e is one of the area’ s most p rominent novelists and his b ooks are req uested of ten at local stores. You can find them on Amazon.com.

Same location for over 45 years

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January 3, 2018

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Senator Larry Teague Recognized with the Advocate of Justice Award

L I TTL E R O C K – The A rk ansas P rosecuting A ttorneys A ssociation recog niz ed S enator L arry Teag ue w ith the A d vocate of J ustice A w ard f or his w ork in sup p ort of victims of crime and p rosecution ef f orts d uring the 9 1 st G eneral A ssemb ly. Teag ue received the aw ard at the A ssociation’ s E lected P rosecutor B oard Meeting , held on D ecemb er 8 , 01 , at the Pulaski County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office in L ittle R ock .

S enator Teag ue rep resents S enate D istrict 1 0 , w hich is comp rised of H ow ard , Montg omery, P ik e and P olk C ounties, and p arts of C lark , H emp stead , N evad a and S evier C ounties. H e has b een a S tate S enator since 2 0 0 9 and serves as C hairman of J oint B ud g et.

PHOTO: (From Left) Bryan Chesshir, Senator Larry Teague, Christi McQueen and Blake Batson

January 6, 2016

Police Dept. Creates Safe Meeting Zone A s online p urchases f rom p ersonal ind ivid uals increases, so d oes the risk of meeting unsavory characters. To comb at the g row ing issue, a saf e meeting z one is b eing created at the Mena P olice D ep artment. P olice C hief B rand on Martin said f or those w ho shop and b uy items online f rom p laces such as Faceb ook or C raig ’ s L ist and are unf amiliar w ith the p erson f rom w hich they are p urchasing the items, it creates a saf e p lace to meet.

I t can also b e used f or p arents w ho ex chang e their child ren f or visitation p lans.

The saf e meeting z one is b eing created in an area j ust across f rom the p olice d ep artment on D eQ ueen S treet. The area w ill b e mark ed w ith sig ns so that others w on’ t p ark in the section. The saf e meeting z one w ill b e monitored constantly as the d ep artment has also up g rad ed their security system. E ig ht cameras now monitor the exterior of the police station and are watched by officers sitting inside. Martin said the d evelop ments are another step in creating a saf er environment f or the citiz ens of Mena.

H ealthy C onnections, I nc. of f ers comp etitive p ay w ith p aid vacation, emp loyee p aid insurance active w ithin 3 0 d ays, 4 0 1 K , vacation & sick leave time, d iscounted Med ical and D ental services f or emp loyee and f amily.

D on’ t miss the op p ortunity to j oin our g row ing team.

We are currently hiring for the following positions:

Lab Technician - Mena • LPN - Mena • Phlebotomist - Mena H C I is a non- p rof it org aniz ation p rovid ing med ical, d ental and other social services to the citiz ens of this area. P lease ap p ly b y email w ith a letter of interest and resume to ap p ly@ healthy- connections.org . N o p hone calls p lease.

HCI is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Provider.

For complete job descriptions and a full list of available jobs please visit

www.healthy-connections.org.

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. .January . . . . . . . .3,. .2018 ....................................................................................................................

Weekly Publication

Smallwood Announced as Realtor of the Year; New Board Inducted

BY MELANIE WADE • news@mypulsenews.com

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eb ecca S mallw ood of Mena/ R eMax R eal E state w as named the 2 0 1 7 R ealtor of the Y ear at the Mena B oard of R ealtors C hristmas P arty held on D ecemb er 1 2 , at Mena Mountain R esort. S mallw ood is p art of Team S mallw ood , along w ith her husb and , K evin, and the p air have sp ent several years in the w orld of real estate. S mallw ood w as honored to receive the aw ard . ( P ictured lef t) The attend ing g roup w as also honored to host state R ealtors A ssociation P resid ent, Maurice Taylor, w ho talke d of the exp ansion of real estate and g row ing marke ts. A s p art of the f estivities, U nion B ank of Mena w as recog nize d as the 01 Affiliate of the Year and was received by Tim R og ers of U nion B ank ( p ictured ab ove rig ht) .

L ater in the evening , K evin S mallw ood w as announced as the next P resid ent of the Mena A rea B oard of R ealtors A ssociation. O ther incoming B oard Memb ers are: L e- A nn H olmes as V ice P resid ent; Marion Titsw orth, S ecretary; B etsy B usch, Treasurer; A mand a W arring ton, D irector – 1 Y ear; C atherine Miller, D irector – 2 Y ears; and C hristy Titsw orth, D irector – 3 Y ears. Maurice Taylor, their honored g uest, also ind ucted the org aniza tion’ s incoming b oard memb ers. ( P ictured b elow ) The Mena A rea B oard of R ealtors is a g roup of ind ivid uals w ho w ere chartered in 1 9 8 8 and averag e b etw een 3 7 and 5 2 memb ers. They serve all of P olk C ounty, p arts of Scott and Montgomery Counties in Arkansas, and parts of McCurtain and eflore C ounties in O kl ahoma. To learn more ab out their org aniza tion, g o to http : / / w w w .menarealtorb oard .org / .

Wednesday Evening

Kids Eat FREE from Buffet

when parents choose buffet

Alston & Marshall Graduate Cattlemen’s Leadership Program

L ocal cattlemen L uke A lston and A aron Marshall recently comp leted a year long lead ership p rog ram that will benefit their fellow county farmers and memb ers of the C attlemens A ssociation b y w ay of kn ow led g e and resources.

The Y oung C attlemen’ s L ead ership C lass ( Y C L C ) is an A C A p rog ram. For the comp lete story, visit: MyP ulseN ew s.com.

Sunday after 5pm

Hamburger, Cheeseburger or BLT $5.00

Drink not included

FAMILY RESTAURANT • FRIENDLY SERVICE 6am-9pm • 7 days a week • Breakfast Buffet Daily 804 Hwy. 71 North • Call 479-394-4702 Take out orders welcome. • Catering Available.

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January 3, 2018

Weekly Publication

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Bicycles for Christmas B

rand on and B rid g ett Martin and a f ew anonymous d onors have g otten tog ether f or the second year to b ring C hristmas hap p iness to some of Mena’ s youth b y w ay of b icycles. I n total, 3 1 , b icycles and tricycles w ere p urchased to b e d elivered b y S anta’ s help ers in b lue - Mena P olice Officers.

B rid g ett Martin said the b icycles encourag e outd oor activity and exe rcise. “ I like the id ea of p romoting exe rcise.

I t p romotes health and w ellness and the b icycles g ive the ki d s an outlet f or that.”

Veterans Award Students, Honor Public Servants

BY MELANIE WADE • news@mypulsenews.com

atri t’s en inners Veteran Eddie Cross.

ates

it

T

ell an

2017 Voice of Democracy Winners: Thompson, Logan, Goss.

Start the New Year with New Vision Take the first step on the road to recovery. New Vision provides safe stabilization and withdrawal symptom management in collaboration with the hospital’s nurses and medical director.

Adults 18 and older can seek treatment for addictions to prescription pain killers, heroin, alcohol and certain other drugs at Mena Regional Health System. Patients are admitted for a short stay (usually 3-5 days) then provided a discharge plan that connects them with continuing care in the community.

For additional information, contact

Ashley George or Kelsie Jaggers at 479-243-2280.

he local b ranch of the V eterans of Foreig n W ars recently aw ard ed the w inners of their P atriot’ s P en and V oice of D emocracy contests, as w ell as honoring their local P ub lic S ervants of the Y ear.

The V oice of D emocracy and P atriot’ s P en p rog rams are an annual nationw id e scholarship p rog rams sp onsored b y the V FW . The V oice of D emocracy is an aud io- essay contest f or hig h school stud ents in g rad es 9 - 1 2 . The p rog ram annually p rovid es more than $ 2 .3 million in scholarship s.

O n the local level, C hristop her Thomp son of Mena H ig h S chool w on and received a $ 6 0 0 cash p rize . H e w ill move on to the state comp etition level w ith hop es to w in and move on to the national level. C oming in second p lace w as L ind sey L og an of Mena H ig h S chool w ho received a $ 5 0 0 cash p rize . Third p lace w as aw ard ed to Make nna G oss of A corn H ig h S chool w ho received $ 4 0 0 .

The P atriot’ s P en contest is an essay contest held f or stud ents in 6 th throug h 8 th g rad es. L ocally, A llison B ates of Mena Middle School was awarded first place, winning a p rize of $ 4 0 0 . B renna S mith of Mena Mid d le S chool w on second p lace and a check f or $ 3 0 0 . C oming in third w as A very P ow ell of Mena Mid d le S chool w inning $ 2 0 0 .

A lso at the meeting , the V FW honored their P ub lic S ervants of the Y ear. C hief D ep uty of the P olk C ounty S herif f ’ s D ep artment, R and y Je w ell, w as honored w ith the L aw E nforcement Officer of the Year aw ard . D an H ostetler w as g iven the Firefighter of the Year aw ard and Tony B aug hman w as g iven the E MS W orke r of the Y ear.

A nd , last b ut not least, f or her p atriotic sp irit and eng ag ing stud ents in the classroom, Mrs. K aren P arnell of Mena H ig h S chool w as aw ard ed the V FW Teacher of the Y ear A w ard .

January 6, 2016

2017 Veteran Public Servants of the Year: Parnell, Jewell, Baughman. Hostetler not pictured.

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. . January . . . . . . . .3, . . 2018 ....................................................................................................................

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Graduates

CONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE

having comp leted and g rad uated the P olk C ounty D rug C ourt P rog ram in D ecemb er 2 0 1 7 . A nd thoug h the p air’ s p aths eq ually led them to g rad uate tog ether and they each kn ow much ab out the other’ s strug g les, their stories are much d if f erent – d if f erent f rom each other and d if f erent f rom w hat the g eneral p ub lic b elieves ab out the histories of d rug ad d icts.

A s w ith almost anything , there is a g eneral misconcep tion b y most ab out the reasons p eop le b ecome ad d icted to d rug s.

Many b elieve child ab use, ad d icted f amily memb ers, and low income situations are the main f actors in a p erson b ecoming ad d icted themselves; how ever, w ith R elaf ord and D oming uez, neither of their ad d ictions stemmed f rom those f actors, p roving that d rug ad d iction can imp act anyone, w ithout d iscrimination.

For R elaf ord , her d rug of choice w as methamp hetamine, or ‘ meth’ , as it is commonly kn ow n. S he ad mits that she came f rom a g ood f amily, a g ood home. “ I w as a sing le mother, g oing to school, w orki ng , and I j ust d id n’ t have the energ y to clean my house.” A ‘ f riend ’ saw her strug g le and introd uced her to methamp hetamine. The d rug g ave R elaf ord the energ y she needed, but what she didn’t expect was the grip it would gain on her and the fight it would take to get away from it.

I n 2 0 1 3 , at j ust 2 1 years of ag e, she f ound herself arrested on d rug charg es and f acing j ail time. A s is the case w ith many, she w as of f ered d rug court f rom the start. “ W hen you’ re f acing j ail time or d rug court, you take the d rug court,” said R elaf ord .

D ominig uez’ s story d if f ers a b it. Married w ith child ren, she and her husb and w ere raising their f amily tog ether and f or several years, no one kn ew she had a p rob lem – a p rob lem that b eg an w ith leg ally p rescrib ed op ioid med ications. “ The problem didn’t start until 010 and I got diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and was on pain meds for five years,” she exp lained . “ I n 2 0 1 0 I w ound up on p rob ation and f rom there, it escalated .”

I n 2 0 1 5 , D ominig uez f ound herself w ith a choice – g o to p rison or take d rug court. “ Y ou’ d rather take d rug court than g o to p rison, w hich everyone d oes.”

A ccord ing to the A rka nsas Ju d iciary C ouncil, there are now 3 9 d rug court p rog rams f unctioning throug hout the state of A rk ansas. S ome are p re- ad j ud ication venues w hile others are p ost- ad j ud ication; some are a comb ination of b oth. D rug court p rog rams are an interd iscip linary, non- ad versarial j ud icial p rocess f or d iverting an of f end er w ho has a d emonstrated d ep end ence on alcohol or an illicit d rug , into a strenuous treatment p rog ram that includ es f req uent d rug testing , req uired emp loyment, treatment and counseling and reg ular court ap p earances to monitor p rog ram comp liance. D rug courts are typ ically staf f ed b y a team consisting of the j ud g e and court staf f , a p rosecutor, a p ub lic d ef end er or p rivate attorney rep resenting the offender, a probation or parole officer and drug counselor. Treatment services are provided through community p rovid ers and most treatment p rog rams last an averag e of eig hteen months.

That’ s w here R elaf ord and D ominig uez’ s stories cross, neither w as ab le to comp lete the p rog ram in the normal eig hteen month period. Instead, elaford took five years to complete the program and Dominiguez took four years, but both persisted and b oth attrib ute much of their success to the sup p ort system they have throug h the p rog ram.

B oth w omen w ere sent to p rison d uring the p rog ram, w hich is w hat hap p ens w hen you f ail d rug screening s or other p rog ram criteria. R elaf ord lost custod y of her d aug hter d uring the p rocess and D ominig uez g ave b irth to her son w hile in p rison. “ I g ot sent of f b ecause I w as j ust trying to b eat the system,” D oming uez exp lained . “ I f ound out I w as p reg nant b ef ore I g ot sent of f . I t w as scary f or me, my ki d s, my husb and .” I t w as scary having a b ab y in p rison and you sp end a coup le of hours with him and he gets taken away,” she said through tears. “I wasn’t there for him the first three months of his life, my in- law s w ere there f or him… that w hole exp erience took a toll on us all.”

S ome may ask w hy the p air w ere g iven so many chances d uring the p rog ram – w hy they w ere allow ed to take f our to five years to complete. The answer is simple success rate. And many, such as drug counselor, Steven Free, believe that p utting f orth the ef f ort f or as long as it take s to b ring success is the only w ay to comb at the ad d iction. That is w hat the d rug court p rovid es, a system of sup p ort mad e up of caring , comp assionate counselors, law enf orcement, p rosecutors, and CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

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Relaford is pictured above with Judge Jerry Ryan at her graduation of the program. Dominiguez pictured below following the success of her program goals.

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•394-1938• Owner: Stacy & Julie Nash

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January 3, 2018

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Budget

CONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE

$ 3 0 5 ,0 0 0 and county sales tax is b ud g eted to includ e around $ 3 4 0 ,0 0 0 .

G eneral f und exp end itures includ e the Mena P olice D ep artment w ho has a $ 1 ,0 9 7 ,0 6 1 b ud g et; the Mena Fire D ep artment w ith a $ 3 1 4 ,9 9 7 b ud g et; ad ministrative costs of $ 4 7 0 ,7 6 4 ; and several smaller d ep artments includ ing $ 8 ,2 8 1 f or the Mena/ P olk S enior C itiz en’ s C enter, $ 5 9 ,7 6 4 f or the C od e E nf orcement office, $ , 8 for the Animal Control Department, $ 6 8 ,6 6 1 f or D istrict C ourt O p erations, $ 1 8 ,0 9 3 f or the Mena D ep ot, $ 1 8 ,4 7 2 f or McMillan P ark, and $ 2 5 9 ,4 6 7 f or the city’ s crow n j ew el, Ja nssen P ark.

The Mena S treet Fund is a sep arate account f rom the G eneral Fund and exp ects j ust over $ 1 million d ollars in revenue w ith all b ut $ 1 ,7 0 0 allocated . The S treet D ep artment’ s revenue of $ 1 ,0 7 1 ,4 2 5 w ill mostly come f rom the sp ecial county sales tax f und w ith $ 4 2 8 ,0 0 0 exp ected .

D uring the D ecemb er 2 0 1 7 meeting of Mena’ s C ity Council, Andy Brown, longtime member of the Council, commend ed Mayor G eorg e McK ee and C ity Treasurer L ind a R exr oad f or the hard w ork in creating the b ud g et and said he f eels the b ud g et “ is in g ood hand s.”

Copies of Mena’s City Budget can be picked up at C ity H all d uring normal hours of op eration.

Graduates

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

j ud g es. I n P olk C ounty, Ju d g e Je rry R yan p resid es over the p rog ram. H e too, show s care and comp assion f or the memb ers of d rug court. They each ap p ear b ef ore him once a month f or a review . D uring that time, Ju d g e R yan g enuinely asks each one how they are doing or if they need more help, whether finding a job, finding a ride to counseling, and he praises them w hen they d o g ood . For each p erson that ‘ p hases up ’ to the next level of the p rog ram d uring review , he cong ratulates them with a big smile and a gift. For graduates, it’s a celebration. When both elaford and Dominguez graduated, everyone in the p rog ram, f rom the of f end ers to the law enf orcement, clap p ed , g ave hig h p raise, and w ere truly hap p y f or them. I t’ s a step in the rig ht d irection.

The p rog ram w orks on one step at a time instead of req uiring too many d emand s and causing a p erson to f eel as if they are drowning from the beginning. During a recent court review day, Prosecuting Attorney Andy iner spoke of one p erson currently in the b eg inning stag es of the p rog ram. “ The g irl has never had a d river’ s license or a j ob . I f she gets both of those and keeps a job six months, I consider that a success.” And all the while, each person is learning to b ecome clean, sob er, and a p rod uctive memb er of society. R iner also g ave hig h p raise of the counseling team and Ju d g e R yan. “ They sp eak to them like they are normal p eop le.”

Follow ing g rad uation, and elated S unya tried to g ive others encourag ement to stick w ith the p rog ram, even if they are f acing j ail time. “ I ’ m j ust g ratef ul f or g etting sent of f . I d id n’ t w ant to, b ut I need ed it. I ’ m b ack w orki ng and I ’ m b ack in the community; that f eels g ood ,” she smiled . Ju d g e R yan told her, “ Y our j oy seems to b e contag ious.”

R elaf ord is also b ack in the community. S he also w orks f ull time and is g lad to have some normalcy b ack in her lif e.

After her second stint in prison during her time in drug court, elaford was stunned to come back to Polk County and find that there were no longer any Narcotics Anonymous groups available. er counselor, Steven Free, said she was instrumental in re-launching a new NA group. They meet at the old bus barn next to the Crossing Church.

U p on her g rad uation, R elaf ord also ad d ressed the rest of the p rog ram attend ees, “ For those of you that are still here… don’t give up. We all deserve more than we put ourselves and our families through.”

Ju d g e R yan also stated that this year has b een a g ood year f or those in d rug court. “ This is p rob ab ly the b est g roup yet. We’ve had the most promotions this year. You folks are an inspiration.”

Flu

479-216-2055

** Locally Owned **

CONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE

reduce the impact. ast week, Arkansas reported “Widespread” activity to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC for geographic spread of influenza, and “ igh” or 10 10 for Influenza like Illness I I intensity. Since October 1, 01 , over ,000 positive influenza tests have been reported to the AD online database by health care providers. 0 counties in Arkansas have reported influenza cases.

The P ulse reached out to the local hosp ital to see the imp act in P olk C ounty. “ The influenza virus has been widespread this season. At Mena egional ealth System, 3 4 p atients tested p ositive f or the virus, several of those b eing ad mitted d ue to comp lications with the illness. Mena Medical Associates, a division of Mena egional ealth S ystem, rep orted 8 7 p ositive results throug h D ecemb er 3 1 . This rep ort show s only a fraction of flu cases in Polk County considering many individuals endure the illness without consulting w ith a d octor f or med ical d iag noses,” said S onya Maye, MR H S Marke ting / P ub lic R elations D irector.

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obituaries

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.January . . . . . . . .3,. .2018 .....................................................................................................................

Weekly Publication

MARY ELAINE CHRISTENSEN

Mary E laine C hristensen, ag e 7 4 of H atfield, Arkansas, died Thursday, D ecemb er 2 8 , 2 0 1 7 at her home surrounded by her loving family. She was born on Friday, uly 1 , 1 to Floyd Watlington and Marie Walker Watlington in Memphis, Tennessee.

Mary worked for the De ueen-Mena Educational Cooperative as a icensed Speech- anguage Pathologist for 1 years.

She was a pastor’s wife for 0 years and was actively involved in every aspect of ministry. She loved teaching kids and adults the b asics of the C hristian f aith. S he w as a member of the Christ’s Church of Cove, Arkansas. Mary’s primary profession and greatest joy was being a homemaker for her husband and six children. She loved her family, looked forward to visiting them in various locations, and went on many adventures with her grandchildren. Mary was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend and will be missed by all who knew her.

She was preceded in death by her parents.

Mary is survived by her husband, iley Christensen of atfield, Arkansas three sons and their wives, Cody Christensen and Tammy of Boise, Idaho, ory Christensen and April of Streator, Illinois, and ocky Christensen and Emily of Moberly, Missouri three daughters and their husbands, Melinda Ericson and Edward of Siloam Springs, Arkansas, aren ames and Greg of Clarendon, Arkansas, and ameesha Williams and Allen of ogers, Arkansas one sister and her wife, Ginny Watlington and Mindi of Denver, Colorado, twenty-three grandchildren, one great grandchild, and a host of other relatives and friends.

A funeral service was held Saturday, December 0, 01 at 11 00 A.M. at the Christ’s Church Cove at Cove, Arkansas.

Interment followed at the Pleasant ill Cemetery at atfield, Arkansas. Visitation was Friday, December , 01 from 00-8 00 P.M. at the Christ’s Church Cove, Arkansas. Arrangements are entrusted to Bowser Family Funeral ome in Mena, Arkansas.

Pallbearers were Cody Christensen, ory Christensen, ocky Christensen, Allen Williams, Greg ames, and Edward Ericson, III. Online Guestbook www.bowserffh.com

BRENDA L. ALLEN Brenda . Allen, age 0, of Mena, Arkansas, passed away Saturday, December , 01 in

ot Springs.

She was born une 8, 1 5 in Mena, Arkansas to the late uther S. Willis and the late Ellen McCravens Willis. She was happily married to her husband of years, ohnnie Allen. Brenda worked for Aalf’s for 15 years and was a member of the Gospel ight ouse Church in Waldron, Arkansas.

She loved her church family, and was always eager to help where it was needed. She had a most loving and forgiving heart, which could be mirrored in her favorite scripture, Philippians 1 , “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.” Brenda was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend and she will be greatly missed.

She is survived by husband, ohnnie Allen of the home son, Steve Allen and wife enea daughter, essica Austin and husband ohnny grandchildren, Dakota Allen and arrett Smith sisters, ayne ichmond and husband Gary, Marilyn Bain and husband immy and inda Watts and husband J erry.

She was preceded in death by her parents, uther and Ellen Willis, a brother, Bobby Willis, and a granddaughter, Breanna Allen.

Funeral services were held Thursday, December 8, 01 at 11 00 a.m. at the Beasley Wood Chapel with Brother Scott ones and Brother e oy Bass officiating.

Interment followed in Owens Chapel Cemetery under the direction of the Beasley Wood Funeral ome.

Pallbearers were Gary ichmond, immy Bain, Billy Watts, Bill ohnston, Charles Edger, and Eric Bain.

Arrangements were made under the direction of the Beasley Wood Funeral ome of Mena.

RANDY FARMER

sas.

andy Farmer, age , of Mena, passed away Friday, December , 01 in Mena, Arkan-

e was born August 1, 1 51 in Fayetteville, Arkansas to the late ohn David Farmer and ola Tucker Farmer. andy was retired from og omes where he worked for years. e also drove a truck for PCDC for years. e was a very talented wood crafts-

man and beautifully designed and made caskets locally for several years. Through his thoughtful nature, he gave away just as many as he sold. e also had a knack for fixing things, always wanting to help those in need.

Although andy loved all of his grandchildren equally, he truly enjoyed his youngest who he called “his little man” and who will be lost without his Grandpaw. andy Turner was his “side kick” and was considered more of a b rother than a b rother- in- law . H e loved hunting with his hunting buddies Teil and ack and fishing with his fishing buddie arry. e was an animal lover and out of the goodness of his heart was always bringing them home. andy was known for his kind ways and willingness to help and will be dearly missed by all who knew him.

Survivors are wife, Tommie o Farmer of the home daughters, Maranda Mc enie of Cabot, Arkansas, Tiffany olland of Goldsboro, North Carolina step-daughter, Debbie Secrest of Fort Worth, Texas step-son, Edmond . Powell of Mena, Arkansas brothers, B. A. Farmer of Mannford, Oklahoma, Douglas Farmer of Mannsford, Oklahoma, Cloyed Farmer of Cleveland, Oklahoma brother-in-law, andy . Turner of Mena, Arkansas. e was preceded in death by his parents, sisters, Wilma Faye Nash and ita Ann Turner, and brother, ohn Davis Farmer.

Graveside service was Tuesday, anuary , 018 at 00 p.m. at Pinecrest Memorial Park under the direction of Beasley Wood Funeral ome of Mena.

Online obituary at www.beasleywoodfuneralhome.com

EARL F. HALE On December , 2 0 1 7 E arl F. H ale, the ‘old Medicare recipient from De alb out on FM 18 0,’ rode West with God in an M M alf-Track telling im to ‘double clutch it’ as they left this world and headed toward the Pearly Gates.

Born December 18, 1 , Earl was raised near Fort Smith.

The youngest of seven children of Charles and Tennessee Smith ale im uth McGehee Bill arold Elsie oss and Inez Wiley , Earl lived a long, often difficult, yet full and ‘prosperous’ life.

Follow ing the loss of his mother, E arl struggled to finish the eighth grade although, he often claimed he had to quit school in the third grade ‘cause he couldn’t get up in time to shave and catch the bus .

With the .S. in the midst of the Great De-

pression, Earl joined the Civil Conservation Corps CCC at age 1 and served at the Shady ake CCC Camp near Mena. On a random, weekend liberty in town, he met the love of his life Betty o Titsworth, daughter of ud and Elsie Titsworth. Their love affair was put on hold in early 1 when, like most young men of his generation, Earl joined the Army and fought with the Corps in Normandy, Northern France, hineland, and Austria as part of Patton’s Third Army.

After ‘the Big War’ ended in 1 5, Earl returned home to Arkansas a decorated veteran and married Betty o a.k.a. ‘Bo’ . nable to find work in Arkansas, he and Betty moved to the iverside area of California and started their life together. Tough, strong, honest, and hard working, Earl quickly found a job at the Mira oma uartermaster Depot where he eventually worked his way up to Chief of Security. It was during this time that their children inda Eilers husband Walt of Fayetteville, A , and G. Allen ale wife ensey of Arlington, T , were born.

When Betty’s father’s health declined, Earl and his family eagerly returned to Arkansas in 1 55 where he purchased the Nunley Grocery and Service Station from his father-in-law, ud. Earl and Betty successfully ran the store at Nunley for the next twelve years. e kept a dollar bill framed above the cash register. When asked if that was the first dollar he had made, he’d reply, “No, it’s the first dollar that I took in. I still haven’t made a dollar.” To make ends meet, Earl hauled hay in the summer said you needed two things to haul hay - a strong back and a weak mind cut firewood in the winter and worked part time as a substitute mail carrier on ural oute 1. e borrowed $ 000 from nion Bank and purchased 1 0 acres near Nunley, where he and his best friend ee Sikes built a small, -bedroom frame house replete with indoor plumbing . It was there that Earl raised his family, a couple of horses, and a few head of cattle. A God-fearing man, Earl and his family regularly attended and worshiped at the Salem Baptist Church. Earl joined the Dallas Masonic odge 1 8 in Mena in the early- 0’s and served multiple terms as Master of the odge.

When he wasn’t appointed to a permanent position with the Mena Post Office in the late 0’s, Earl saw the window closing on his opportunity to reinstate his career in civil service. Determined to make a better life for himself and his family, he took a blue-collar job at ed iver Army Arsenal near Texarkana. Tired and weary after a year of driving 100 miles each way from Mena to ed iver, the family once again uprooted and moved to the Arkansas side of Texarkana.

obituaries

January 3, 2018

Weekly Publication

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Earl used to say that if you want to find ago when he was able to hold his newborn, motorcycles. The highlight he enjoyed most WILLIAM Tex as, g o W est ‘ till you smell it; then S outh g reat- g rand son B o. was playing with his grandchildren. e was FREDRICK ‘ till you step in it. H e step p ed in it; out of With the love and assistance of his carea loving husband, father, grandfather, brothit and finally back in it. They moved to the giver uanita Moore, Earl was able to mainer and f riend .

HAMM Texas side of Texarkana in 1 1 then back to Mena for a couple of years then to New Boston and finally to Malta couldn’t stand big cities where he lived until his retirement from ed iver in 1 8 with 0 years of civil service.

After Betty’s untimely death in 1 8 and alone for the first time in nearly 5 years, he moved one final time to his ‘mansion on a hill’ outside of De alb on FM 18 0. Earl embraced retirement and the Texas persona. e loved wide open spaces, hard work, getting up early, tractors, zero turn mowers, dogs, cowboy hats, full-quill ostrich boots, real country music both listening and playing , running, crossword puzzles, riddles, gardening, garage sales, guns, pocket knives, and women with big hair not necessarily in that order ! appily retired for 0 years, when asked how he was, Earl always said, “Doing great!” sually followed by, “The ord sure has been good to me!”

Although his mantra in life was ‘Early to bed and early to rise....,’ when asked recently w hat he w as d oing the f ollow ing d ay, E arl replied, “Nothing! And I may not start that ‘til noon!”

E arl w as a larg er than lif e hero to many, but especially to his two grandchildren udd ale of Dallas and Bekah ale Pollock husband Tyler and great-grandson Bo Michael of Ft Worth. Growing up, udd and Bekah spent their summers with ‘Bo’ and ‘PawPaw’ riding ATV’s and checkin’ the cows. udd and Bekah were never more proud of their grandfather than when they along with Earl’s entire surviving family accompanied him to Normandy on the 0th Anniversary of D-Day where he and other WWII veterans were honored at a ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial.

Earl was thrilled and blessed a few months

tain his d ig nity and remained at his home until he entered the C IST S St. Michael ospital on December 11. ust days after his 5th birthday, Earl died peacefully with his children at his side at ospice of Texarkana.

The family will receive guests on Thursday, anuary , 018 at 00 a.m. at ueen Wilhelmina State Park odge, 8 A -88, Mena, A located 1 miles west of Mena on Talimena National Scenic Byway . A Celebration of Earl’s ife will follow at 10 00 a.m. at the odge with Brother ohn Watts officiating. Interment with full military honors will be at 00 p.m. in the Fort Smith National Cemetery, 5 S th St, Fort Smith, A 01.

Memorial Donations in memory of Earl can be made to ospice of Texarkana on line at hospiceoftexarkana.org or to the niversity of Arkansas for Medical Sciences AMS Winthrop P. ockefeller Cancer Institute on line at cancer.uams.edu.

As we start 018, Earl would have told us to, “ ave a ‘Prosperous New Year’ and admonished us to “Be careful, W ATEVE you do.”

KENNETH EDWARD COOK Mr. enneth Edward Cook, age 0 of Mena, Arkansas passed away Tuesday, December , 01 in Mena. e was born on uly 1 , 1 5 in ouston, Texas to Charles E.Cook and une B. Bloomer Cook. enneth was married to aren ughes Cook. e was a truck driver by profession. enneth was baptized in 015 into St. Agnes Catholic Church. e enjoyed reading books, listening to music and riding

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e is survived by wife, aren Cook of Mena, Arkansas sons, Alex Cook of Mena, Arkansas, obert Cook and wife Crystal of Cove, Arkansas, Sean Cook and wife aura of Wichita, ansas daughter, ennifer Pearce and husband Michael of Mena, Arkansas grandchildren, Grayson and Garrett Cook of Cove, Arkansas, Cadance, iley and Owen Cook of Wichita, ansas, Abbigale, Tinley and ucas Pearce of Mena, Arkansas sisters, Greta Cook of Mena, Arkansas, Patricia Miner of Mena, Arkansas. e was preceded in death by his parents, Charles and une Cook, and a sister, Pamela ewitt.

Mr. Cook was sent for cremation under the direction of the Beasley Wood Funeral H ome of Mena.

DONNIE RAY HARVEY Donnie ay arvey, age , of Grenada, Mississip p i, p assed aw ay Friday, December 15, 01 in Fort Smith, Arkansas. e was born uly 8, 1 in West Plains, Missouri to the late enry Frances arvey and Clarestine May “Chun” ones.

Donnie was a truck driver by profession delivering mail and also moved mobile homes.

Survivors are sons, Duane arvey and wife Shelly of Mena, Arkansas and Brian arvey and wife Mandy of Mena, Arkansas daughters, im McCool of Cleveland, Mississippi, Melissa Coleman of Cleveland, Mississippi, eannie ester and husband Mike of Grenada, Mississippi grandchildren, Dustin Coleman, Preslie McCool, Suede Ferri, Phoebe Ferri, Noah Ferri, Owen ester, Brynn arvey, Connor arvey, Parker arvey and aizen arvey first cousins, Valinda Allen of Bremerton, Washington, Sherry Foster of Tacoma, Washington, and ohnny Sibley of Bullhead City, Nevada. e was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Sharon Ann “Young” arvey, and sisters, Darlene ones and Dianne Maytubby Donnie was sent for cremation under the direction of the Beasley-Wood Funeral H ome.

A Memorial Service in Mississippi will be announced at a later date.

Online obituary at www.beasleywoodfuneralhome.com

William “Freddy” Fredrick amm, r., age of Mena, Arkansas, passed away Tuesday, December 1 , 01 in ot Springs, Arkansas. e was born in eavener, Oklahoma on September 0, 1 to William Fredrick amm, Sr. and Fern Elizabeth Shupert amm. Mr. amm was married to Diane .

Tobias amm for years. e worked as a truck driver in the transport business for 50 years. Mr. Freddy drove school bus and his kids, the most precious cargo he ever carried, thought of him as “Grandpa.” e enjoyed playing dominos with his buddies, Malcom, Mickey, Dennis and Don. is favorite television shows were Star Trek, Fox News and anything with ohn Wayne.

Freddy liked to build things in his own “unique” way. e was a great humanitarian, alw ays w illing to help those in need . W hen asked by his son, “why do you always carry a pocket knife” he replied, “to cut seats belts if I need to.” Most of all he loved spoiling his wife anyway he could. Freddy was a loving and kind husband, father, grandpaw, brother and friend to all. e is survived by wife, Diane . amm of Mena, Arkansas sons, William S. amm and wife Christine of Coupeville, Washington, Timothy A . H amm and w if e S haw na of Siloam Springs, Arkansas daughter, Dawn Dianne ea and husband Billy of Mena, Arkansas grandchildren, Mark amm of California, Samantha and Shawn amm of Alaska, Will and Toby amm of Coupeville, Washington, Moriah, Malachi and illian ea of Mena, Arkansas brothers, Derell amm and Margaret of California, David amm of Arizona sisters, Pat Smith of Fouke, Arkansas, Esther app and husband Wendell of Mena, Arkansas. e was preceded in death by his parents, Fred and Fern amm, and a brother, Billy ames amm.

Celebration of ife and ove was Wednesday, December , 01 at 10 00 a.m. at Salem Baptist Church in Nunley with Brother Steve Ellison and Brother ack Schoeppey officiating under the direction of the Beasley Wood Funeral ome of Mena.

Memorials may be made to nion Bank benefit account for William Fredrick amm, r.

January 6, 2016

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January 3, 2018

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SAU Inducts Students into the Teacher Education Program

A G N O L I A , A R - - S outhern A rka nsas U niversity recently ind ucted 5 3 stud ents into the Teacher E d ucation P rog ram.

Future ed ucators f rom this area w ho w ere honored includ ed : C heyenne B ell, of C ove, is a j unior A g ricultural E d ucation maj or.

Michelle C ox , of Mena, is a senior E lementary E d ucation ( K - 6 ) maj or.

Ja mie G rasman, of Mena, is a j unior E lementary E d ucation ( K - 6 ) maj or.

C harlotte K eeler, of C ove, is a j unior E lementary E d ucation ( K - 6 ) maj or.

Tif f anie K elems, of Mena, is a j unior E lementary E d ucation ( K - 6 ) maj or.

Je rusha Ted d er, of Mena, is a j unior E lementary E d ucation ( K - 6 ) maj or.

The S A U C olleg e of E d ucation ( C O E ) held the Teacher E d ucation I nd uction C eremony on N ovemb er 1 3 , 2 0 1 7 . S tud ents w ere recog nize d f or meeting the p rog ram’ s entrance req uirements over the p ast year and w ere f ormally ad mitted into the C O E .

Je remiah W illiams, an S A U alumnus and outstand ing ed ucator, p rovid ed a motivational messag e f or ind uctees, their g uests, and the S A U f aculty and staf f w ho w ere in attend ance. A recep tion, mad e p ossib le b y S A U ’ s E d ucation R enew al Z one, w as p rovid ed f or all attend ees f ollow ing the ceremony.

For more inf ormation ab out the Teacher E d ucation p rog ram or the C olleg e of E d ucation, visit http s: / / w eb .saumag .ed u/ ed ucation/ .

Wickes Elementary Star Students

JANUARY 8-15, 2018 MONDAY:

COSSATOT RIVER LUNCH: ELEMENTARY: BBQ CHICKEN, CHICKEN FRIED STEAK, WHEAT ROLLS, BLACKEYE PEAS, FRUIT, SALAD BAR, MILK. HIGH SCHOOL: CHOICE: PIZZA. MENA LUNCH: ELEMENTARY: MEATLOAF, GRAVY, MASHED POTATOES, CHICKEN SANDWICH, FRENCH FRIES, HAM CHEF SALAD, SUN BUTTER AND JELLY SANDWICH. MIDDLE SCHOOL: CHICKEN FRIED STEAK, MASHED POTATOES, HAMBURGER/CHEESE, CHICKEN TENDERS, HAM OR TURKEY SUB, HAM CHEF SALAD. HIGH SCHOOL: CHICKEN FRIED STEAK, HAM/CHEESE MELT, BUFFALO CHICKEN CALZONE, PEPPERONI OR CHEESE PIZZA.

TUESDAY:

COSSATOT RIVER LUNCH: ELEMENTARY: BEEF ENCHILADA, PIZZA, SPANISH RICE, CORN, FRUIT, SALAD BAR, MILK. HIGH SCHOOL: CHOICE: BEEF TACOS. MENA LUNCH: ELEMENTARY: POPCORN CHICKEN BOWL, HAMBURGER, HAM COBB SALAD, SUN BUTTER AND JELLY SANDWICH. MIDDLE SCHOOL: POPCORN CHICKEN BOWL, CHICKEN SANDWICH, CORN DOG, TURKEY SUB, CHICKEN SALAD SANDWICH, HAM, TURKEY COBB SALAD. HIGH SCHOOL: POPCORN CHICKEN BOWL, CORN DOG, BACON CHEESEBURGER, SAUSAGE/JALAPENO PIZZA, CHEESE PIZZA, TACO, NACHOS, BURRITO.

WEDNESDAY:

COSSATOT RIVER LUNCH: ELEMENTARY: TERIYAKI GLAZED CHICKEN, SWEET & SOUR CHICKEN, FRIED RIVE, STEAMED BROCCOLI, FRUIT, SALAD BAR, MILK. HIGH SCHOOL: CHOICE: PIZZA. MENA LUNCH: ELEMENTARY: CHILI, CHICKEN TENDERS, HOT ROLL, TURKEY CHEF SALAD, SUN BUTTER AND JELLY SANDWICH. MIDDLE SCHOOL: CHILI, HAMBURGER/CHEESE, CHICKEN TENDERS, HAM/TURKEY SUB, TURKEY CHEF SALAD. HIGH SCHOOL: CHILI, HOT DOG, CHICKEN PARMESAN, FLATBREAD SANDWICH, SAUSAGE OR CHEESE PIZZA, TACO, NACHOS, BURRITO.

THURSDAY:

COSSATOT RIVER LUNCH: ELEMENTARY: CHICKEN ALFREDO, SPAGHETTI W. MEAT SAUCE, BREADSTICK, STEAMED VEGETABLES, FRUIT, SALAD BAR, MILK HIGH SCHOOL: CHOICE: PIZZA. MENA LUNCH: ELEMENTARY: BEEF NACHOS BITES, TORTILLA CHIPS, GRILLED CHEESE, HAM CHEF, SALAD, SUN BUTTER AND JELLY SANDWICH. MIDDLE SCHOOL: PEPPER STEAK, CHICKEN SANDWICH, FISH SANDWICH, HAM SUB, CHICKEN SALAD SANDWICH, POPCORN CHICKEN SALAD. HIGH SCHOOL: PEPPER STEAK, NACHOS, BUFFALO CHICKEN SANDWICH, GRILLED CHEESE, CHICKEN RANCH CLUB, PIZZA.

W

icke s E lementary S tar S tud ents f or the month of N ovemb er 2 0 1 7 have b een selected . P ictured are: Front R ow ( l- r) : Jo sh Farring er, V anessa H ernand ez, S mitty B axt er, J azl ynn H ackw orth, D arvin R oj as, B rylee Frachiseur, and Y arel C ortes.

Mid d le R ow ( l- r) R oze na H unt, E lianna V illarreal, N evaeh W atson, A sp en Jo hnson, and L exi G entry. B ack R ow ( l- r) K evin A g uilar, C od ey H ill, N ad elyn R uiz, D af ne A vila, and G reg ory D elg ad o. N ot P ictured : I saak Trinid ad

ALL SCHOOL LUNCH MENUS ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE AT MYPULSENEWS.COM

FRIDAY: COSSATOT RIVER LUNCH: ELEMENTARY: TURKEY & CHEESE SANDWICH, MAXARONI & CHEESE W/ HAM, STEAMED CARROTS, FRUIT, SALAD BAR, MILK. HIGH SCHOOL: CHOICE: PIZZA. MENA LUNCH: ELEMENTARY: CHEESE PIZZA, HOT DOG, BROCCOLI, RED PEPPER STRIPS, HAM PIZZA SALAD, SUN BUTTER AND JELLY SANDWICH. MIDDLE SCHOOL: CHICKEN ALFREDO, HAMBURGER/CHEESE, CHICKEN TENDERS, HAM OR TURKEY SUB, HAM PIZZA SALAD. HIGH SCHOOL: CHICKEN ALFREDO, FISH SANDWICH, MEAT LOVERS PIZZA, NACHOS, TACOS, BURRITO. This weekly info proudly sponsored by:

GEORGE S. DAVIS STATE FARM AGENT SINCE 1964

Insurance with a name you know STATE FARM INSURANCE 624 Sherwood Avenue, Mena, AR

479.394.4521 Res. 479.394.1895

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HHE 5th Graders Make a Difference for Residents

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school

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if th g rad e stud ents at H olly H arshman E lementary S chool sp ent several w eek s g athering items f or nursing home resid ents as p art of their # H H E d if f erencemak ers p rog ram. H H E teacher A mand a P osey said , “ W e’ ve w ork ed really hard and have a d if f erent theme every nine w eek s and this nine w eek s it w as to sup p ort our nursing home resid ents.”

To help , the stud ents vow ed to g ather as many hats, g loves, and b lank ets as they could to d onate to nursing home resid ents. S tud ents also each craf ted hand mad e C hristmas card s as w ell.

O n W ed nesd ay, D ecemb er 2 0 , w ith g if ts in hand , the stud ents literally marched their w ay f rom H olly H arshman E lemenatry to R ich Mountain N ursing and R ehab ilitation C enter to d istrib ute their d onations. S everal of the stud ents remark ed how it mad e them “ f eel g ood ” to b e ab le to g ive the g if ts to resid ents and that “ it’ s b etter to g ive than g et at C hristmas.” The j oy of the stud ents that w ere g iving and of the resid ents that w ere receiving w as ap p arent b y their b ig smiles. The resid ents ap p reciated their ef f orts and also enj oyed the C hristmas C arols the stud ents sang .

Koppein Wins Mena School District NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC BEE Mov es O ne St ep C loser t o $50,000 C

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ollege Sc holarship

January 6, 2016

b i K op p ein, a 5 th g rad e stud ent at H olly H arshman E lementary S chool, w on the school comp etition of the N ational G eog rap hic B ee on D ecemb er 5 , 2 0 1 7 and a chance at a $ 5 0 ,0 0 0 colleg e scholarship . The school B ee, at w hich stud ents answ ered q uestions on g eography, was the first round in the 0th annual National Geographic Bee, a geography competition designed to inspire and reward students’ curiosity ab out the w orld .

Thousands of schools around the nited States and in the five .S. territories are participating in the 018 National Geographic Bee. The school champ ions, includ ing A b i K op p ein, w ill tak e a q ualif ying test; up to 1 0 0 of the top scorers on that test in each state w ill then b e eligible to compete in their state Bee on April , 018. The National Geographic Society w ill p rovid e an all- ex p enses p aid trip to W ashing ton, D .C ., f or state w inners to p articipate in the Bee national championship rounds May 0- , 018. The first place national champ ion w ill receive a $ 5 0 ,0 0 0 colleg e scholarship , a lif etime memb ership in the S ociety includ ing a sub scrip tion to N ational G eog rap hic mag az ine, and an all- ex p enses- p aid L ind b lad ex p ed ition to the G alap ag os I sland s ab oard the new N ational G eog rap hic E nd eavour 1 1 .Travel f or the trip is provided by indblad Expeditions and National Geographic. Second- and-third-place finishers will receive $ 5,000 and $ 1 0 ,0 0 0 colleg e scholarship s, resp ectively.

National Geographic will air the final round of the National Geographic Bee Championship in May 018. It will air later on public television stations check local television listings for dates and times. This year marks the 0th anniversary of the National Geographic Bee. The National Geographic Society developed the National Geographic Bee in 1 8 Pictured above are the Finalists: Hudson Vacca (secin resp onse to concern ab out the lack of g eog rap hic k now led g e among young p eop le in the U nited S tates. O ver three n pla e i ppein rst pla e an ri in n decades, 1,58 state champions have traveled to D.C. to participate in the finals and more than $1.5 million in college (third place). scholarship money has b een aw ard ed to w inners of the comp etition b y the N ational G eog rap hic S ociety.

E veryone can test their g eog rap hy k now led g e w ith the ex citing G eo B ee Q uiz , an online g eog rap hy q uiz at w w w .nationalg eog rap hic.org / b ee/ stud y/ q uiz , w hich p oses 10 new questions a day and with the National Geographic Geo uiz Alexa skill, which releases six new questions a day. In honor of the 0th anniversary of the Bee, National Geographic has also published an updated National Geographic Bee book ” ow to Ace the National Geographic Bee Official Study Guide, 5th Edition, “ by S tep hen C unha.

The National Geographic Society is a leading nonprofit that invests in bold people and transformative ideas in the fields of exploration, scientific research, storytelling and ed ucation. Throug h our g rants and p rog rams, w e asp ire to create a community of chang e, ad vancing k ey insig hts ab out our p lanet and p rob ing some of the most pressing scientific questions of our time while ensuring that the next generation is armed with geographic knowledge and global understanding. Our goal is measurable imp act: f urthering ex p loration and ed ucating p eop le around the w orld to insp ire solutions f or the g reater g ood . For more inf ormation, visit w w w .nationalg eog rap hic.org .

CONTACT Principal Tamara Smart at - 151

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THE POLK COUNTY PULSE

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January 3, 2018

t’s always been our tradition for the first issue of the New Year to republish the Top 10 stories of the year in a special “Year in Review” edition as determined by the editor. After we launched MyPulseNews.com, we decided we could select the Top 10 stories based on the highest numbers the story had been viewed and sadly, we found that they were always “negative” stories involving criminals, fatalities, vehicle accidents, etc. When asked, readers always respond that they prefer positive stories but our basic human instinct seems to always navigate the other way, regardless of our best intentions.

2017 was no different, and for us, we found ourselves covering tragedies unlike any tragedies we had ever covered, when we were forced to report on the county’s first quadruple homicide. The Top 4 most viewed stories stemmed from developments from that story as this community grappled with one discovery after another for five long days before ultimately having to come to terms with one of the most horrific crimes the county had ever seen.

In a case that rocked the entire community to its core though, the true character of its people emerged. Support poured in for the law enforcement... complete strangers to the victims gathered in mass at a prayer vigil, all seeking some sense of peace and answers of how something so heinous could happen in our small, close knit community.

The same occurred following the devastating tornado of 2009. Everyone seemed to forget political or religious affiliations and neighbors helped neighbors clean up and eventually rebuild. It could be argued that certain parts of our quaint town are now better than they were prior to that devastating evening in April. Who would have thought that first night that we would eventually have close to 300 volunteers, including 911 survivors and New York City firefighters, pour into our small rural corner of the Ouachitas, rebuilding houses, a 4H Community Center, and allow Mena to be part of stitching the National 911 Flag that now hangs in the 911 Memorial Museum? It wasn’t without a price.

Yes, journalism is reporting both the good and bad, but a ‘Year in Review’ can focus on what defines us as a community in its darkest days.

In 2017, our local law enforcement worked diligently fighting the same meth and opioid epidemic that embraces us as a nation. And, it’s not just in prosecuting those cases, it’s in enabling second chances for those who demonstrate the determination and obedience to earn it through the drug court program. It’s about making presentations at local schools, hosting ‘Drug Take Back’ events, and dedicated deputies and prosecutors who protect and serve a community in which they are proud to call home and are personally invested.

This same law enforcement quickly responded following the church shooting in Sutherland Springs, Tex. by offering a class for local church groups on increasing security as we watched our neighbors in Texas cope with an unthinkable crime.

They also had the daunting task in 2017, like other years, of delivering heartbreaking news to next of kin following motorcycle and vehicle crashes, suicides, overdoses, and on and on.

Polk County is blessed with very active veterans organizations, who work tirelessly each year honoring our veterans, raising money for scholarships, caring for those in nursing homes, promoting patriotism among the youth, and placing flags, just to name a few. In 2017, Mena was selected as a site for “The Wall that Heals,” a replica of the Vietnam War Memorial. It provided an overwhelming visual, for many who may not have otherwise had the opportunity, of the tremendous cost of human life in war.

January 3, 2018

THE POLK COUNTY PULSE

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Our community has seen its share of changes in the financial industry that by year-end, resulted in Arvest purchasing Bear State Bank (formerly First National Bank).

County traditions with festivals, parades, and fireworks were all celebrated together, and newer ones continued to grow. Mena’s reviving downtown and growing tourism industry continue to reap the benefits of group efforts such as the Arkansas Regional Coalition of the Ouachitas (ARCO).

The interior of Mena’s City Hall was willfully being updated and remodeled before the ceiling collapsed and forced the City to expand it’s renovation efforts but upon completion, a historical building will not only be preserved but will give a progressive and updated impression to first time visitors.

The medical community saw its share of changes and additions. An additional walk-in care clinic, First Care Family Health and Walk-In Clinic, now located in the former VA Clinic on Hwy 71 next to Arvest, has opened and gives residents another resource for their healthcare. A brand new VA Clinic opened on Morrow Avenue and Healthy Connections, Inc. expanded to now include pharmaceutical services.

The educational systems of Polk County are evolving as well. Two of Mena’s three public school systems broke ground on multi-million capital improvements. Louise Durham Elementary is currently undergoing an $8 million, 16,000 s.f. expansion and renovation. The Ouachita River School District broke ground on the Acorn Campus on a nearly $2 million 10,000 s.f. cafetorium. No millage increases were requested, and the district is able to pay cash for the project with no financing, thanks in part to state facilities partnership funds. And to further help students, the Harvest of Hope Radiothon, hosted by Pulse Multi-Media and the Mena Lioness/Lions organization, over $18,000 was raised to help supplement meals for food insecure children of our county. Rich Mountain Community College was adopted into the University of Arkansas system and after decades of giving residents opportunities to improve themselves and their standard of living, the institution that has become an integral cornerstone of our county further increased those opportunities and now bears the name University of Arkansas – Rich Mountain.

History was also made when a Polk County family, the Luke and Deedee Alston Family of Holly Springs Homestead, was named for the first time in the award’s 70 years, as Arkansas Farm Family of the Year.

Polk County is certainly a faith-based community. Yes, we have our share of troubles, but for literally every need I’m aware that we have, there is a local church or ministry working to meet the need, not just in the face of the tragedy, but 365 days a year. From 9th Street Ministries, to Fresh Start Pregnancy Resource Center, to the annual Tootsie Roll Drive or The Crossing’s Service Weekend, efforts such as these are made throughout the year to serve the vulnerable and suffering, from youth to elderly.

The landscape of Mena and its surrounding communities continues to change and evolve with new and emerging businesses and the closures of others. What defines a community are the core values of the people that call it home, and regardless of whether it is in good times or bad, the commonalities and connection we all share as life-long residents or new transplants is working together genuinely trying to make it a better place now and for future generations who will also call Polk County home.

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Thursday, 1/4 • 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. – Humane Society of the Ouachitas is open at 366 Polk Road 50.

• 10:30 a.m. – Gator & Friends will be performing at The Mena Senior Center.

• 11:30 a.m. – Rotary Club of Mena/Polk County meets at Papa’s Me ican Caf . Contact ue Cavner at 234-5844 or Linda Rowe at 234-2575 for more info.

• 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. - The Cove Branch of the Polk County Library is open.

• 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. – Salvation Army Family Store helps families with utilities.

• 5:00 p.m. - 9th Street Ministries will have a free dinner and fellowship in the 9th Street Ministries building.

• 5:30 p.m. – Weight Watchers meets at Dallas venue Baptist Church amily ife Center. Call 479-234-2297 for more information.

• 5:30 p.m. – Alcoholics Anonymous women’s meeting at the BC Club across from Chopping Bloc , 59 Hwy, 7 , ., Mena. 479-2 -4 0 or 479-243-0297.

• 6:00 p.m. – Disabled American Veterans & Auxiliary meeting and potluck.

Meeting follows dinner, merican egion at eteran’s ar at corn.

• 6:00 p.m. – Live Country, Bluegrass and Gospel music in the Daisy Room at Janssen ve lorist.

• 7:00 p.m. – Big Fork RVFD Business Meeting & Training will be at the Fire Station.

• 7:00 p.m. – Alcoholics Anonymous at the BC Club across from Chopping Bloc , 59 Hwy 7 , ., Mena. 479-2 -4 0 or 479-243-0297.

• 7:00 p.m. – Narcotics Anonymous meets at the old bus barn ne t The Crossing Church.

• 7:00 p.m. – The Ink RVFD Business Meeting & Training will be at the community building.

• 7:30 p.m. – Dallas Masonic Lodge #128 meets at the Mena Lodge located in the Old ost Office by anssen ar .

Friday, 1/5 • 8:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. – Road tests are given at the Morrow treet Housing uthority Community Room unless the roads are wet. ritten tests are given at 00 p.m.

• 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. – Humane Society of the Ouachitas is open at 366 Polk Road 50.

• 12:00 p.m. – The Lions Meetings are held in the ions Club House on Highway 7 outh.

• 7:00 p.m. – Narcotics Anonymous meets at the old bus barn ne t The Cross-

ing Church.

• 7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. – Gator & Friends will play at the Hatfield uditorium. otluc , 50 50, and door prizes.

• 8:00 p.m. – Alcoholics Anonymous at the BC Club across from Chopping Bloc , 59 Hwy 7 , ., Mena. 479-2 -4 0 or 479-243-0297.

• 9:30 p.m. – Karaoke Contest at Fraternal Order of the Eagles, 309 Hwy. 7 North. 5 Entry fee. Must be 2 years old.

Saturday, 1/6 • 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. – Humane Society of the Ouachitas is open at 366 Polk Road 50.

• 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. – Fibers Arts Group meets at Mena Art Gallery.

• 1:00 p.m. – There will be an M.S.A.A. upport roup meeting in Room 5 at RMCC. • 6:00 p.m. – Gospel Singing at the Little Hope Baptist Church near ine Ridge with dinner following.

• 6:00 p.m. – PCVO Bingo at American Legion Building, Hwy 7 N., corn.

• 8:00 p.m. – Alcoholics Anonymous at the BC Club across from Chopping Bloc , 59 Hwy 7 ., Mena. 479-243-0297 or 479-2 -4 0 .

Sunday, 1/7 • 2:00 p.m. – Alcoholics Anonymous at the BC Club across from Chopping Bloc , 59 Hwy 7 , ., Mena. 479-2 -4 0 or 479-243-0297.

• 3:00 p.m. – Worship service is held at Sulpher Springs Church.

• 5:00 p.m. – United Methodist Youth Group at the First United Methodist Church in Mena.

Monday, 1/8 • 12:00 – 5:00 p.m. – The Cove Branch Library will be open.

• 1:30 p.m. – Polk County Genealogical Society will meet at the Polk County Library.

• p e irp rt C issi n’s meeting will be held at the UA-Rich Mountain Boardroom in the pencer Building, 00 College Drive.

• 6:00 p.m. – PCVO Bingo at American Legion Building, Hwy 7 N., corn.

• 6:00 p.m. – Democratic Party of Polk County meets at apa’s Me ican Caf .

Anyone interested is welcome. You do not have to be a member.

• 6:30 p.m. – Boy Scouts of America Troop 92 meets at First United Methodist Church. Everyone is welcome.

• 7:00 p.m. – Alcoholics Anonymous at the BC Club across from Chopping Bloc , 59 Hwy 7 , ., Mena. 479-2 -4 0 or 479-243-0297.

• 7:00 p.m. – Narcotics Anonymous

meets at the old bus barn ne t The Crossing Church.

• 7:00 p.m. – Mena Elks Lodge meeting. ll El s are invited to attend.

• 7:30 p.m. – Mountain Meadow Chapter #22 Order of the Eastern Star will meet at the Mountain Meadow Masonic odge Hall in Hatfield.

Tuesday, 1/9 • 8:00 a.m. – The Reynolds Gardner C nity en’s rea ast at the First United Methodist Church in Mena.

• 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. – Polk County Family Mission is open in the 9th treet Ministries Building.

• 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. – Humane Society of the Ouachitas is open at 366 Polk Road 50.

• 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. – “Art Day” at Mena rt allery, 07 Mena t. Bring your current project and work with other artists.

• p p e at el Branch Library will be open.

• 5:00 p.m. – T.O.P.S. will meet in the nion Ban Community Room for weighins, followed by a meeting.

• 6:00 p.m. – Home Front Warriors CMA Chapter 377 Bible tudy at the imetree Restaurant. ublic is invited.

• 5:00 p.m. – Country and Gospel music is played at the ol County Housing uthority Community Room.

• 6:00 p.m. – American Legion Post 18 potluc dinner, at eteran’s ar in corn, with meeting to follow at 7 p.m.

• 6:30 p.m. – Shady Fire and Rescue District 10 will meet at the Shady Community Center.

• 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. – Bluegrass music at Morrow treet Housing uthority Community Room.

• 7:00 p.m. – Al-Anon for the families of addicts and alcoholics meet at the BC Club.

• 7:00 p.m. – The Dallas Valley R.V.F.D. will meet for training at the Firehouse.

• 7:00 p.m. – The Acorn Fire and Rescue will meet at the Fire Department.

• 7:00 p.m. – The Wickes V.F.W. Post #10484 will meet at the Wickes Community Center.

• 8:00 p.m. – Alcoholics Anonymous meeting at irst nited Methodist Church, 9th ort rthur. 479-234-2 7 or 479234-3043.

Wednesday, 1/10 • 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. – Humane Society of the Ouachitas is open at 366 Polk Road 50.

2:00 p.m. - The Emergency warning sirens will be tested in Mena.

• 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. – The Polk County Library Cove Branch is open.

• 12:00 p.m. – Quality of Life Outreach meeting at avilla Restaurant.

• 5:45 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. – The Mena First United Methodist Church Kidz will meet.

• 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. – The Southside Church of God Warriors for Christ will meet.

• 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. – Regeneration Youth Ministries at Mena Church of God Hwy East.

• 6:15 p.m. – Dallas Avenue Baptist Church hosts Discovery ids indergarten Thru 5th Grade; Collide Youth Ministry th Thru 2th rades and dult Bible Study.

• 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. – Trek and Varsity for Middle and High chool students at race Bible Church, 9 Hwy 7 N. Mena. ll rea Middle and High chool students are welcome.

• 7:00 p.m. – Alcoholics Anonymous at the BC Club across from Chopping Bloc , 59 Hwy 7 , ., Mena. 479-2 -4 0 or 479-243-0297.

• 7:00 p.m. – Inquiry Classes into the Catholic Faith will be held in the St. Thomas House at t. gnes Catholic Church, 203 th treet, and continue through Easter 20 . No cost or obligation, anyone interested is invited. Call 479-394- 0 7 for more information.

• THE SON LIGHTERS IN ACTION Card hop, at 3 7 Highway est, will be closed for winter brea until anuary .

BEATS

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January 3, 2018

THE POLK COUNTY PULSE

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citizen of the year

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Weekly Publication

COL. [RET.] Billy R. Wood – Duty, Honor, and Country

BY LEANN DILBECK

editor@mypulsenews.com

Published on N ov em ber 8, 2017

S

ome heroes w ear cap es… others w ear comb at b oots. C O L . [ R E T] B illy R . W ood emb od ies all that mak es this nation g reat… a love of country, G od , and f amily. H e d oesn’ t consid er himself a hero in any sense of the w ord b ut he d oes consid er himself b lessed .

C O L . [ R E T] B illy R . W ood w as b orn in A d a, O k la. in 1 9 4 4 . H is f amily lived in P olk C ounty b etw een 1 9 5 5 - 1 9 5 7 , and W ood attend ed 6 th and 7 th g rad e in Mena. H is f ather w as a p artner in S mith- W ood Mining , w here he had a mang anese mining op eration and mill on B rushy C reek b y E ag le Mountain.

W ood rememb ers clearly those imp ressionab le years and d escrib ed it as “ the g reatest” time in his lif e. The f amily lived in a g reen rent house where the Sun Country Inn stands today. Wood remembers fondly fishing in the creek w here the “ old d rive- in” used to b e ( w here W end y’ s/ B ask in R ob b ins stand s tod ay.) H e rememb ers R od g ers S aw mill and b uying milk f or 5 0 cents a g allon in the rock house on H w y 7 1 . “ My f ather taug ht me to d rive a b ull d oz er w hen I was 11 and I got to set fire to dynamite what boy wouldn’t enjoy that ” e and his f amily attend ed the First U nited Method ist C hurch and W ood w as also in the B oy S couts.

E ventually, W ood g rad uated b ack in A d a, O k la. H e, lik e many young men at that ag e, thoug ht he had it “ roug h” at home. H e w ent to colleg e and maintained a 1 .8 G P A his f reshmen year w hile occasionally attend ing classes, w ork ing , and b eing in his rock ‘ n roll b and . H e had a “ typ ical f ather, son, teenag er d isag reement” and chose to enlist in the U .S . A rmy at the tend er ag e of 1 7 . “ I t w asn’ t very long af ter I had b een throug h B asic Training that I realiz ed I d id n’ t have it roug h at home… at all. My p arents w ere g reat. My f ather w as d umb , af terall.”

E x celling as a sold ier, W ood ’ s scores land ed him an op p ortunity to g rad uate from the .S. Army’s Field Artillery Officer Candidate School in 1 5. e attended .S. Army Officer otary Wing Aviator Course at Fort Wolters, Tex. and Fort R uck er, A la., g rad uating in J une 1 9 6 6 .

A chieving the rank of First L ieutenant, W ood w as assig ned to V ietnam, w ith the 1st Air CAV’s A Battery 0th Aerial ocket Artillery nit at An he, flying -1C gunships. In early 1 , he flew -1D slicks with the 1 th Assault elicopter Company ui Nhon and Duc Pho. W ood sp eak s humb ly of his service d uring the V ietnam W ar and said he w as b lessed w ith a w ond erf ul memory. “ I rememb er g oing to V ietnam and I rememb er coming home… and very f ew thing s in b etw een. Those of us w ho have served in comb at, d id and saw many horrib le thing s.” B ut W ood ref uses to f ocus on the horrors of the w ar. “ V ietnam is one of the most b eautif ul countries I ’ ve ever seen. The people are just like you and me but totally different the language, their religion, their culture, their p riorities. A lthoug h w e thoug ht w e w ere there to help them, to g ive them a d emocracy, it w as imp ossib le. O ur O riental enemy, N orth V ietnam and the V iet C ong , could outlast us. W e k illed thousand s of them, b ut there w ere millions of rep lacements w aiting to step in the unend ing b attle. The A merican p eop le were not in support of this war and were unwilling to sacrifice enough to defeat the communist. W e lost 5 8 ,1 4 8 men and w omen d uring the w ar in V ietnam. O ne more U .S . sold ier d ying w as too many. The N orth V ietnamese, the V iet C ong , and the S outh V ietnamese suf f ered over 1 ,3 0 0 ,0 0 0 d eaths d uring this w ar. The N orth w as willing to lose many, many more. ater, I served in the 1 th Assault elicopter Company at ui Nhon and Duc Pho in 1 .” Wood explained it was a lift company that transp orted sold iers, p ick ing up an inf antry comp any or b attalion, and inserting them into a new location or land ing z one. “ W hen w e g ot home to the states, some folks would ask ‘what was it like to fly helicopters in Vietnam ’ Wood explained, “One of the most difficult things in life is to be truthful about oneself or your feelings or w hat you’ ve d one. My resp onse w as alw ays simp le, ‘ Flying helicop ters is hours up on hours of sheer b ored om mark ed b y moments of stark terror.’ The truth is you can actually see the enemy’ s 5 0 calib er b ullets and tracers as they z oom up p ast you. Y ou not only see them… b ut hear them also… then you try not to. E ach morning af ter a combat assault mission briefing, we’d walk to the ‘flight line,’ almost as if walking into a casino. The crew chief for that helicopter was already there getting it ready CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

January 3, 2018

citizen of the year

Weekly Publication

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COL. [RET.] Billy R. Wood

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

to fly and he’d be there working on it late into the night should we return later. Each combat assault was like a ussian roulette. One bullet is placed into the gun you spend the cylinder you don’t know if you’ll be back tonight or not. iving life to the fullest is the biggest high anyone can experience.”

Wood and his wife, Carolyn, share four grandchildren. “Three are in college and one is a starving actor in New York City. When one of the three boys was in high school, he had an assignment in a Civics class to interview a war veteran and he chose me. e asked ‘Grandpa, what did you do in the Vietnam War ’ Once again, my answer was simple, ‘Not much! I just flew the infantry soldiers to and from work.’” ot ev ery one w ho lost t heir lif e in V iet In uly 1 8, Wood retired from active duty as a full colonel, having served 8 years in the .S. Army. Wood flew both helicopters and airplanes in the Army and was a nam , died t here. D y ing i s so easy . L iv ing is t he -1 “ uey” helicopter instructor pilot. e also holds Type ating S-58 Airline Transhard par t . I am not luck y but I am ex t rem ely port ating AT , Commercial, Multi-Engine, Instrument, Flight Instructor civilian FAA blessed t o be aliv e t oday . I ’ m v ery pr oud t o ratings.

Wood earned his Bachelors of Science degree in Aviation from Southeastern Oklahohav e serv ed 28 1 / 2 y ears in t he U .S A rm y , ma State niversity and a Master’s of Science degree in Natural and Applied Science Oklahoma State niversity. In May 1 8, he was inducted into the .S. Army’s Field Artillery also V iet nam , and all around t he gl obe. A nd, from Officer Candidate School all of Fame at Fort Sill, Okla.

Today, Wood enjoys touring the nited States and Canada with his wife Carolyn on their onda y es, I w ould do it agai n.”

Weeklybeen Publication Gold contiguous state in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Wing . . . . . motorcycle. . . . . . . . . . . .Wood . . . . . .will . . . proudly . . . . . . . tell . . . .you . . . that . . . . he . . . has . . . . . . . . . to . . every ... the .S. They enjoy singing in the choir at the First nited Methodist Church. They have taught Sunday School and Wood is active in the Methodist Men’s group as well. e also enjoys woodworking, where he builds furniture and handicap ramps for those in need in the community.

Wood is also active in the American egion and is a member of the Polk County “ onor Guard”, which is made up of members from American egion, VFW, DAV, and Marine Corps eague. “We attend funeral and graveside services for military veterans of Polk County and render military honors, which include folding and presenting the Stars and Stripes American Flag.”

November , Wood was inducted into a second all of Fame, the seventh January 6, 2016 class of the Arkansas Military Veterans all of Fame. The ceremony was held at the Embassy Suites in ittle ock. Wood was presented a special medallion by .S. Senator ohn Boozman and was joined by over 0 of their close friends and It is with great sadness to announce that one of our providers, family.

Debra Tooker, will be leaving our practice on January 5, 2018.

Wood was nominated by his good friend and fellow veteran ET CAPT. Bob Our clinic would like to wish her all the best in her future endeavors.

Young. e and Young work together putting out the American Flags on National If you require continuing care for Family Practice and Pediatric needs, Flag olidays ten times a year. e and Young also enjoy touring the .S. on their our practice has other fine physicians available to you. We will be able motorcycles. to provide the services you may require without interruption.

With his decorations, world travel, and recognitions, some might call him Our clinic includes Family Care physicians Dr. Lochala and Jeff Ulmer, “lucky,” but Wood considers himself “blessed.” “Not everyone who lost their life in P.A.-C, and our Pediatric physicians Dr. Beckel and Kelley Dotson, Vietnam, died there. Dying is so easy. iving is the hard part. I am not lucky but I APRN. You may call our office at 479-394-7301 to make an appointam extremely blessed to be alive today. I’m very proud to have served 8 years in the .S. Army, also in Vietnam, and all around the globe. And, yes, I would do it ment. all again.”

In the event you plan to transfer your care to a physician in another ohn 15 1 “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life medical practice, you will need to complete and sign a medical record for his friends.” release form, which may be obtained at our office.

Please be assured that Mountain View Clinic and our highly qualified and dedicated team of physicians are committed to providing you with outstanding care and service.

“ N

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THE POLK COUNTY PULSE

. . .January . . . . . . . .3,. .2018 ...................................................................................................................

Weekly Publication

police

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The following information was received from Polk County law enforcement agencies. The charges against those arrested are allegations and the cases are still pending in the courts.

Individuals charged and whose names appear in this column may submit documentation to us at a later date that the charges have been dismissed, or that they have been found innocent, and we will include that information in this space in a timely manner.

Mena Police Department December 17, 2017 A Mena man reported that he had been slapped several times by another local man. No charges have been filed.

December 18, 2017 Report was made of a local man setting up a utility account with someone else’s personal information. Case pending.

Brandon Everett, 28, of Mena was arrested on a warrant for battery and disorderly conduct from the Mena Police Department.

December 19, 2017 A Mena woman reported that her

neighbors had stolen her cell phone. No charges have been filed at this time.

A 13-year- old Vandervoort boy was charged with theft of property (shoplifting) after officers responded to a call at a local retail store. The case was referred to juvenile authorities.

December 20,2017 Report was taken regarding windows being broken out of a building at a local gasoline distribution site. Case is pending further investigation.

December 21, 2017 No reports on file.

December 22,2017 Roger Burton, 29, of Hatfield was served an outstanding warrant.

A local woman reported that her husband had physically attacked her. Case is pending further investigation and location and interview of suspect.

December 23, 2017 Frankie Lee Cox, 56, of Mena was arrested on an outstanding warrant.

Heather Smith, 44, of Mena was charged with theft of property (shoplifting) after officers received a call from a local retail store.

December 24, 2017 Norman Ray Morgan, 53, of Hatfield was charged with DWI and driving on a suspended driver’s license. The arrest followed a call to a vehicle with two men passed out in the seat. Also charged with public intoxication was Gerald Aleshire, 20, of Mena.

Report was taken of someone stealing gasoline from vehicles at a local service organization office. Case is pending.

A local women reported that someone had stolen clothes from a dryer at a local laundromat. Case is pending.

December 25, 2017 Report was made of a verbal domestic dispute between a local man and woman.

Neither wished to press charges.

December 26, 2017 Bradley Brumfield, 27, of Mena was charged with driving on a suspended driver’s license.

Officers recovered a 20-dollar counterfeit bill had been received at a local bank.

Case pending.

Employees reported theft of gasoline from vehicles at a local business. Case is pending further investigation.

December 27, 2017 A local man reported that the tires on his vehicle had been slashed. Case is pending location and interview of suspect.

A local woman reported that a man against whom she had an order of protection is harassing her.Case has been forwarded to the prosecuting attorney’s office for review and possible issuance of a warrant.

A women reported receiving threatening calls from her estranged husband.

Case is pending.

December 28, 2017 Report was taken regarding a dog having been stolen. Case is pending location and interview of suspect.

December 29, 2017 Robert Schmidt, 23, of Mena was arrested on a warrant from the Mena Police Department.

December 30, 2017 Dale Eugene Odonnal, 47, of Mena was charged with DWI, possession of drug paraphernalia, careless driving, and no driver’s license. The arrest followed a traffic stop.

Weekly Publication

arts

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Artists’ Garage Sale M

BY BARBARA M. TOBIAS

ena Art Gallery will have its annual Artists’ Garage Sale during anuary 018. You will find work exclusively by local artists in all media, but that is just the beginning it is also a time when artists bring in art supplies. It gives the artist a chance to clear out unused supplies and gives the rest of us an opportunity to pick up supplies to try something new at very little expense.

If you are an artist who has decided to switch from oils to watercolors or watercolors to oils, for that matter , you can find a market here and clear up your studio space at the same time. If you have always wanted to try a new medium, here’s your chance to do that without straining the budget. Or if you just want to try your hand at creating artwork, chances are that you can find the supplies you need to start here.

Don’t quite know what to do with those supplies yet Bring them to the Tuesday Art Day at the gallery. Artists of all skill levels come and go between 11 am and pm, each working on whatever project they prefer and all willing to help beginners learn.

Entries for the show should be brought to the gallery between 10 am and pm on Tuesday, anuary . You can find entry forms and more information at www.MenaArtGallery. org or you can call the gallery at - 880 during regular gallery hours 11 am to pm Tuesdays and 10 am to pm Wednesdays through Saturdays.

January 3, 2018

Weekly Publication

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POLK COUNTY BIRTHS AT MENA REGIONAL HEALTH SYSTEM Brooke and Jonathan Maechler, of Mena, are the proud parents of a baby boy, born on December 19, 2017.

Brittany Jegstrup and Colt Irons, of Lockesburg, are the proud parents of a baby boy, born on December 19th.

Katie and Leonardo Ruvalcaba, of Waldron, are the proud parents of a baby boy, born on December 21st.

Malinda and Trey Broomfield, of Waldron, are the proud parents of a baby boy, born on December 22nd.

Ericka Ross, of Mena, is the proud mother of a baby girl, born on December 23rd.

Freedom Bawden and George Broach, of Wickes, are the proud parents of a baby boy, born on December 26th.

Corey Howard, of Mena, is the proud mother of a baby girl, born on December 26th.

Rachael Roach and Caleb Smith, of Hodgen, OK, are the proud parents of a baby boy, born on December 29th.

Family Fitness

F

BY LEANN DILBECK

editor@mypulsenews.com

itness and health alw ays top the new year’ s head lines and resolutions. G ym memb ership s sharp ly increase as p eop le mak e a year long commitment to ex ercise and imp rove their overall p hysical health… sad ly, the year long commitment most of the time results in a month long commitment b ef ore it b eg ins w aning as other p riorities seem to seep in.

Today’s families seem to have that same struggle. eeping the overall ‘fitness of the family’ is a b attle b etw een w ork commitments and unf org iving school sched ules, p ractices, g ames, etc. A s the p op ularity of traveling sp orts teams increases, so d oes the w eek end long tournaments. Then there’ s the ever- g row ing p op ularity that not only suck s our k id s’ attention b ut also seems to b e sed ucing much of the p arents time in our ever- continuing ef f ort to k eep up w ith w here everyone is g oing or eating or celeb rating w ith.

Mayb e w e w ould all b e more successf ul in our ef f orts to ex ercise and eat healthier if w e committed to d o it as a f amily? A lso, g iving the f amily more q uality time tog ether, w hich can imp rove our mental and emotional health?

And, where does our spiritual health fit in to this overall picture sually, the back seat when it should be in the driver’s seat! Taking five minutes at the end of the day to say prayers as a f amily, and if you’ re even more amb itious, starting your d ay w ith a q uick f amily p rayer… ask ing f or help on an alg eb ra test or G od ’ s f avor on an insp ection… can d o w ond ers f or a f amily’ s overall fitness!

In the coming year, as all the distractions and ‘noise’ seem to fill every quiet moment of a f amily’ s lif e, k eep the f amily’ s eyes f ocused on G od and b uild the rest of the sched ule never sacrificing time with im or time together and watch how the minutes of a day seem to multiply and you become a victor in the battle of finding a healthy balance.

January 6, 2016

CUTEST PET PIC

R escue K it t ens

Carl an i ele a sen’s es e Kitties. Try “herding” these cats around!

Williams Medical Clinic, L.L.C.

LICENSED RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL CONTRACTOR

403-E N. Morrow St., Mena, AR 71953

479-243-9024

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Please share your favorite photo of your pet. You may drop it off or mail it to: The Polk County Pulse 1168 Hwy 71 S. • Mena, AR 71953 or email: e.rowell@mypulsenews.com

This week’s Cutest Pet Pic made possible by your friends at:

Dr. Robert S. Williams, M.D. All Major Insurance Accepted

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CONCRETE, DECORATIVE CONCRETE, PATIO COVERS, CARPORTS, SHADE Omit the 800 number and STRUCTURES,the RETAINING WALLS, e-mail address and RVsubstitute COVERS.

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the bottom, capitalize the JAMES EARL TURNER (479) 234-6244 M in (479) Mena, 243-5549 the R in ERIC TURNER Real & the E in Estate.

MENA REAL ESTATE

Farrell & Sharon Cole

The Cole Team

816 S. Mena St. Mena, AR 71953 Office: (479) 394-5000 www.FarrellCole.com www.MenaRealEstate.com

20

THE POLK COUNTY PULSE

January 3, 2018

by local 2nd graders from Vandervoort Elementary

A special supplement of

Vandervoort Elementary:

M s . C a ld r o n ’s C la s s : Cheyann: It Means to me that G od is Love. G od is the Christmas. Christmas is G od’ s brtoday.

Beaudy Lile: Joy too remember Jesus and G od and love others.

Feleena K. Shores: Jesus Birthday. Family present snow Abagayl: It means to me that its Jesus Birthday! ! !

Faith: Because it is Jesus Birthday. It is a time to be happy. And to be Thankful.

Shilda Taylor: That Jesus was born!

Jay Moss: Love and Jesus’ birthday and giving Charlee: fimily frends and Jesus Tristan: Spend time with our family freinds.

Chelsea: love and famlye and G od Conner: family get togethers Jakub: opening presents M r s . S e lle r s ’ C la s s : Kodab: Jesus deid on the cros and presents to.

And Jesus was bron on Chrismas and spind time we my famly to famly and my brother five and cody and cookies.

Laymon B: Christmas means a lot to me because my famly gather’ s at my NaNa’ s and P appol’ s hous to eat and open presits and get stufft.

Joseph B: I like to spen time with my dads and I like to trow snow.

Brody C: Christmas means many things like spending time with famiy. And geting good food

and geting video games and toys. Christmas means having hot choclate and pies. Looking at decoratitions.

Adan G: It feels good especally when I get to drink hot coco. We get to open presents and get coolst stuf and decorate a chrismas tree and make ornaments.

Madison J: happyness and to be loveed and playing in the snow and Hot choloate and frinds and family.

Jacee M: On Christmos we selebrat Jesus’ birthday we get to go to my nanny’ s feast. Christmos maks me feal happy. My mom maks cookys for Santa Claus. I like to look at the snow flakes.

Pantera M: To me Christmas means time with family and play in snow.

Ottawa S: I git to visit with my gramol and my grapol and I get to play in the snow.

Trinity S: Chirstmas is a exciting time of year it means to me… my Mom always makes her hot chocolate it is homemade! We play a Chirstmas game. The game is we get a hat and then we get tollit paper balls. We see how many we can get in the hat! Mom makes yummy Chirstmas pancakes! We sing Christmas sangs! Chirstmas is Jesus’ s birthday. We wake up in the morning with presents! Merry Chirstmas!

Temperance B: Jesuses birth day spending time with my elf prinses eating snow cones. Hot coco deckerating the Christmas tree. Makeing cookes for Santa. Laing out carrots for the reander. And spending time with family.

January 3, 2018

Weekly Publication

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Legislature Year in Review CONTRIBUTED BY STATE SENATOR LARRY TEAGUE

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ITT E OC The past year has been eventful for state government, and the d evelop ment that may have the most p ositive long term imp act f or the A rka nsas economy w as p assag e b y the leg islature of a $50 million-a-year tax cut for low income families.

Act 8 of 01 will lower state income taxes for everyone whose income is less than $ 2 1 ,0 0 0 a year. P eop le w hose annual incomes are below $ , 00 will be taken off the income tax rolls completely.

An analysis by the Bureau of egislative esearch estimates that Act 8 will reduce taxes for 1, , 15 Arkansas residents.

The legislature also eliminated state income taxes for retired veterans.

Act 1 1 of 01 exempts military retirement from state income taxes.

A b out 2 9 ,0 0 0 A rka nsas veterans served long enoug h to q ualif y f or retirement benefits, and Act 1 1 will save them about $1 . million a year.

Both tax reductions are expected to improve the Arkansas economy in various ways. First, much of the tax savings will be spent on groceries, housing and necessities instead of going into the state treasure. Secondly, state economists expect the tax cut for veterans to make Arkansas an attractive location for military retirees. If locations in Arkansas attract more veterans, those communities will benefit from their expertise and w illing ness to serve.

Act 5, also passed by the legislature earlier this year, exempts sales taxes for manufacturers when they purchase equipment for repairs and replacement of parts. It sunsets an existing tax incentive program known as InvestArk. The tax exemption will be phased in, beginning uly 1, 2 0 1 8 .

The savings to manufacturers will begin accumulating in 0 0, when the loss of InvestArk is more than offset by the sales tax exemption. In Fiscal Year 0 0 the savings to manufacturers will be $ 0,000, but they w ill increase rap id ly and in 2 0 2 3 w ill b e more than $ 1 2 .3 million a year.

B ecause A rk ansas had ap p roved a med ical marij uana amend ment in N ovemb er of 2 0 1 6 , the leg islature had to create f rom scratch a totally new reg ulatory system. L aw make rs w anted to make sure that marij uana w ould b e p rescrib ed and sold hand led like a med ication, and they also w anted to make sure that the amend ment w ould not b ecome a g atew ay allow ing easier access to recreational use of illeg al d rug s.

In all, the legislature considered 51 bills and enacted 5 that implement aspects of the medical marijuana amendment. There will be dispensaries and five growers that will open for business in 018.

Act 1 1 of 01 was a priority of business leaders because it clarifies the leg al p osition of emp loyers in civil law suits. U nd er the act, sup ervisors acting on their own are not considered employers. The legal result is that law suits ag ainst emp loyers w ill not b e p ursued und er the categ ory of hate crimes. The act creates a one-year limit in which discrimination and retaliation suits can be filed against employers.

Act of 01 is another priority of business leaders. It lowers the base wage on which employers pay unemployment insurance taxes, from $1 ,000 to $10,000. The change will save Arkansas businesses ab out $ 5 0 million a year. A ct 7 3 4 also shortens f rom 2 0 to 1 6 w eeks the length of time someone may receive unemployment insurance benefits.

New Acts to be Enacted in 2018 CONTRIBUTED BY STATE REPRESENTATIVE JOHN MADDOX

W

at the capitol

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hen a b ill is p assed in the state leg islature, if it d oes not have an emerg ency clause, it w ill take ef f ect 9 0 d ays af ter w e ad j ourn. B ut there are occasions w hen a specific date is written into the bill. This year, we passed several bills that will take effect anuary 1, 018. These impact everything from taxes to school buses.

B elow are a numb er of the acts b eing enacted in the new year: Act 1 1 exempts military retirement and survivor benefits from income tax. This legislation also defines unemployment compensation as gross income for purposes of taxation.

Act 1 requires reports from political action committees, exploratory committees, and independent expenditure committees or individuals to be filed electronically. This legislation also designates the Arkansas Ethics Commission to approve the format and permits paper filing in certain circumstances.

A ct 3 7 5 req uires that a school b us that is p urchased new or leased af ter Ja nuary 1 , b e eq uip p ed with seat belts if a petition signed by at least 10 of a school district’s qualified electors is submitted and voted up on at the annual school election.

A ct 9 1 0 sets the d ate of annual school elections to b e the d ate of the p ref erential p rimary election or the g eneral election.

One section of the Criminal ustice Efficiency and Safety Act Act regarding sentencing g uid elines also take s ef f ect on Ja nuary 1 , 2 0 1 8 .

You can find a full summary of all the legislation passed in 01 at www.arkansashouse.org. If the leg islation take s ef f ect in 2 0 1 8 it is w ritten in the d escrip tion of the b ill.

The General Assembly will convene for the Fiscal Session on February 1 , 018. Budget hearings b eg in on Ja nuary 9 . W e w ill continue to up d ate you throug hout 2 0 1 8 .

Arkansan Confirmed to Lead DRA

January 6, 20

CONTRIBUTED BY STATE SENATOR JOHN BOOZMAN

W

AS INGTON The .S. Senate unanimously voted to confirm Chris Caldwell to serve as the Federal Co-Chairman of the Delta egional Authority D A .

Caldwell, a seventh-generation Arkansan and member of .S. Senator ohn Boozman’s staff, was nominated to lead the D A by President Trump earlier this year. aised on a cattle ranch in Central Arkansas, he currently resides in ittle ock where he has been serving as the Director of Special Projects on Boozman s Senate staff.

“Chris brings so much to the table. e s a tenacious, committed public servant who has a strong sense of duty to the region. e understands what it takes to bring economic growth to our communities and will excel in this role. I truly believe that great things are in store for the entire delta region with Chris at the helm of the D A, Boozman said.

The D A a federal-state partnership that works to improve regional economic opportunity in the Mississippi iver Delta egion is led by a board comprised of the Federal Co-Chairman and the governors of Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, entucky, ouisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee.

Caldwell has extensive experience in political campaigns, most recently managing Boozman s successful reelection campaign. e has also served on several other campaigns including Governor Mike uckabee s 008 presidential bid and Senator Tim utchinson s 00 campaign.

B eyond his p olitical and g overnment service, C ald w ell has held various roles in the p rivate sector and is an active volunteer in his community. e graduated with a B.A. in Communications from the niversity of Arkansas s . William Fulbright School.

. . .January . . . . . . . .3,. .2018 ...................................................................................................................

business of the year

22

Weekly Publication

Silver Screen - A Great Movie Watching Experience Published on March 22, 2017

M

BY LOGAN MCCOURTNEY

ovies are a favorite past time for many families, a time to laugh and eat great snacks together. Many couples have experienced their first date watching a movie together after dinner. The laughter and cackling of small children watching their favorite movie is priceless. All these memories and many more are what makes watching movies so great.

A few years ago, the Silver Screens sat empty, but somewhere in Mena a vision was developing. Deanna and Buddy Ayres, along with business partner Greg Davis, purchased the land and building and began to remodel the theater. Deanna and Buddy grew up and lived in Mena and have continued to work and raise their family in the area. After working in aviation since she was 18, Deanna was looking to make a change and the theater was what she was envisioning. “I was looking to make a change and I love movies. I thought what better job could I want,” explains Deanna. The theater was sitting empty and was in need of a lot of work, but she saw it for what it could be again. “It was the plan I had in mind when I thought about making a change. Buddy thought I was crazy and still probably does,” says Deanna laughing.

Deanna has always been a movie buff, she loves everything about movies. “My favorite movie is still The Notebook, but I just love watching movies. It’s something you can do together with friends or family,” Deanna says.

It seems natural that she would be a good fit to manage and oversee the theater. For anyone that comes to see a movie, they will notice some considerable differences about the building. One of the more fun and impressive changes are the ‘uniforms’ of the workers. “We wanted to go with a 50’s theme, so all the girls and guys wear white button up shirts and black pants just like they would have then. Even our movie posters that decorate the walls are from that era,” explains Deanna. The 50’s theme can be seen throughout the theater, from the ticket booth in the front, to the checkered tiles in the lobby, it has all been done to give a face lift to the theater.

Many changes have been made, not only to make the building better, but to also make the movie experience better for everyone involved. One of the things that can first be noticed when you walk in is the concession area. Television screens have the menus scrolling through for easy readability and then more televisions play movie trailers while you wait. No matter who is coming to the movies with you, there will be snacks for every taste. “We have candy for the kids, but we also have White Castle burgers, pizza, chicken, and much more!” Deanna and Buddy also wanted to make sure that their food prices were reasonable. “We traveled to other theaters to see what they were doing and compared prices.

We wanted to give people the best food for their money.” So much of the changes made to the theater were with movie watchers’ comforts and preferences.

Deanna wanted to make Silver Screen a premier movie theater for people in Polk County to be proud of and so many new things have been added. One of those things that she is most excited about is the second floor of the theater. In the past, the second floor was storage, but now it has been turned into a space that any movie watcher would love to be a part of. “We wanted to create a place where people could come and take their movie watching experience to a whole new level. A VIP room has been created for people to come and watch the movie while they kick back in recliners and couches,” says Deanna. The VIP room is for members only, a small cost for the wonderful experience. “A year-long membership is only $50. Not only do you get to watch the movie on the couches, but you can have one of our waitresses bring your snacks and food to you. You can’t beat that,” says Deanna excitedly. There is also a bistro room upstairs equipped with televisions that could be used for birthday parties or even meetings as well. The second level is an experience that is well worth looking into for any avid movie fan!

Silver Screen in Mena is a movie watching experience that will be great for the whole family. “We did everything we could to make this great. We are daily cleaning the theater, keeping it clean for everyone coming in. More compliments have been given about our staff and that makes me happy.” The theater will for sure exceed expectations and make movie viewers want to return. “I am so grateful to manage the staff we have and to run this theater. It has been so great, we have received thank-you notes for opening the theater again. That makes it all worth it.”

When Deanna and Buddy decided to open the theater, they did more than open doors to a building, they opened doors for families, friends, and couples to enjoy the entertainment and fun of a good movie. “Mena needs this, we need a good theater where family and friends can come.” For more information about services provided, movies playing, or show times, check out Silver Screen at www.menatheater.com or on their Facebook page, Silver Screen Theater.

Weekly Publication

UP TO 20 WORDS - $4 PER WEEK, $0.25 EACH ADDITIONAL WORD • BORDER $1 • ALL CLASSIFIEDS MUST BE PREPAID.

Ad deadline is 12 p.m. on Monday. Payment is due with ad. Publishing and distributing 8,000 copies weekly.

J&N Dozer- Trackhoe, Backhoe, Dump Truck, Ponds, Pads, Clearing, Roads, Hauling, Rich Top Soil, Fill Dirt, Shale, Gravel. Dozer operator Randy Egger, over 30 years’ e perience. e appreciate your Business Call 479-234-1357 TFN Brodix, Inc. is accepting applications for an e perienced CNC Machine Operator. Applications may be pic ed up at the Brodi office, located at 30 Maple in Mena, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through riday. Competitive starting wages with benefits available. Notice to applicants: Screening tests for alcohol and illegal drug use may be required before hiring and during your employment. 1/10 LPN Position: Mena Manor is accepting applications for a full-time LPN Position. Please apply in person at 100 9th Street. 1/3

classifieds

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . January . . . . . . . .3, . . 2018 ......

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J&L Café. Ne t to Boo tore. herwood ve. Tues – Sun Open, 8am – 3pm. Closed Mondays. Salad bar weekly. Soup & chili homemade. Breakfast – lunch.

Sandwiches. 1/3

Daniel’s Carpentry and Painting, home repair, decks, privacy fences, fence rows, underpinning, etc. Also lawn and garden work. Call 479216-1101 or 479-216-2299. 1/3

Yard Mowing, weed eating, bush hogging, handyman services, power washing, garden plowing and tilling.

Have tractor with implements for larger jobs. Also chainsaw work. Bill Duff. Call 479-216-5204. 1/10

Clean and comfortable housing since 1969, No Pets. . Ray Maria’s MH ar and Rentals. Hwy 7 North, Mena, AR. 479-216-3085 TFN

Dugan Lawn Care all and inter services. hrub and hedged trimming, ower bed cleanup, leaf clean up gutter clean out, brush hogging, light driveway repair, property cleanup, and light tree removal. Residential and commercial services. 479-394-2699. TFN

F.M. Dix Foundry is accepting applications for general labor positions. Applications may be picked up at the office, 30 Maple ve. in Mena, from 00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Competitive starting wages with benefits available. Notice to applicants Screening tests for alcohol and illegal drug use may be required before hiring and during your employment.

1/10

We’re A:WAYS on at MyPulseNews.com KENA 104.1 & KQOR 105.3 January 6, 2016 Assessor’s Notice A FRIENDLY REMINDER TO ASSESS FOR 2018 You Can Assess Beginning January 2nd, 2018 through May 31st, 2018 to avoid a 10% late assessment penalty Personal Property Required BY LAW to be assessed, but not limited to: Airplanes All Vehicles --- Cars, Trucks, SUVs Four Wheelers/Motorcycles Boats --- Houseboats/Trailers Jet Ski/Trailers Travel Trailers/Campers Tractors & Farm Equipment Livestock --- Cattle & Horses (Any Herd Animal) Utility, Cargo, Livestock, Car Hauler Trailers Motorhomes Heavy Equipment --- Backhoe, Bulldozer, Logging Equipment, etc.

Business Inventory, Equipment, Furniture & Fixtures Business Office Equipment including Home Based Businesses

Real Estate --- Taxpayers responsibility BY LAW to report: New Construction Any Remodeling or Additions to Real Estate should be reported

In Person:

Ways to Assess:

507 Church Ave Mena, AR 71953

Online:

www.scoutassess.com

By Phone: 479-394-8121

Thank You, Jovan Thomas, Assessor

24

THE POLK COUNTY PULSE

January 3, 2018

...to all of our loyal customers for your business in 2017!

We look forward to serving you in

entry hevrolet

www.GentryChevyInc.com

1027 Hwy 70 East De Queen, AR 1-800-649-9929