Ouachita River School District recognizes Acorn and Oden SROs

Submitted by Tammy L. Young

In recognition of National School Resource Officer Appreciation, Ouachita River School

Local students named to Dean’s List in U of A’s Fulbright College

of the Oden campus. Referencing the National Association of School Resource Officers, “The SRO assignment is unique within the law enforcement profession. These officers fill a three-part role, serving as informal mentors or counselors, law educators and law enforcement officers to support the students and communities they serve. They are valuable and essential members of the education community who deserve unwavering respect and support from the public in the pursuit of keeping schools and students safe.”

FAYETTEVILLE, AR (02/27/2023) — Local students were named to the Fall 2022 Dean’s List in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas.

To qualify for the Dean’s List, the following local students achieved at least a 3.75 gradepoint average for the semester while completing at least 12 credit hours.

• Lakelin Ashley of Mena

• Cathlene Holmes of Mena ral sciences and social sciences. Learn more about Fulbright College at fulbright.uark.edu .

District express their gratitude for the leadership and service to Officer Duane Harvey of the Acorn campus and Officer Josh Hackney

“These students are the very best of Fulbright College,” said Kathryn Sloan, interim dean. “This achievement demonstrates their academic excellence and commitment to our mission of peace through education. It’s an honor to recognize these outstanding students who made the Dean’s List and who make Fulbright College, the University of Arkansas, and their hometowns incredibly proud.”

“I’d be remiss not to also recognize the family, friends and Fulbright College faculty and staff who support these students - and all of our students - in their education journey,” Sloan added. “It’s the support of these individuals who make the dream of higher education a reality for our students, and we’re grateful for their influence and support.”

More than 8,000 students call Fulbright College home with areas of study and research across the fine arts, humanities, natu -

About the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences: The Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences is the largest and most academically diverse unit on campus with three schools, 16 departments and numerous academic programs and research centers. The college provides the majority of the core curriculum for all University of Arkansas students. Get the inside scoop on all things Fulbright College by subscribing to the digital Fulbright REVIEW publication.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas’ flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas’ economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the top U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the natio. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research News

The Polk County Disabled American Veterans and Auxiliary will be holding their monthly meeting on Thursday, March 2, at Veterans Park in Acorn. Potluck is at 6 p.m. with meetings to follow.

Narcotics Anonymous meet at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Monday, noon-1 p.m. on Wednesday, 7 p.m. on Thursday, 7 p.m. on Friday, and 6 p.m. on Saturday at the old bus barn at the Crossing Church. For information call Erica at (479) 234-5289 or Candice at (501) 356-8300.

Stop Smoking Seminar-quitting nicotine for good. Free 10-night seminar, weeknights at 5:30, March 6-17, the Farm House, 819 Mena St. No sign-up required. For more info call (816) 304-4676.

The Polk County Democrats will be meeting on March 13 at PaPa’s Mexican Café, 1317 Hwy 71 S., Mena. Meeting starts 6:30 p.m. Come early to eat and socialize with other Democrats. New to Polk County? You are welcome to join us. Any questions? Call Linda G. Johnson at (479) 234-7966. Hope to see you there.

The Polk County Housing Authority has Rental Vouchers available. They are also in need of Applicants and Landlords. Contact them at 509 S. Morrow, Mena, (479) 394-1565 or polkarhousing.com

The Hatfield Branch Library is open every Tuesday and Friday from noon-4 p.m. The library is located at 121 Cemetery Rd. (old Agri building) in Hatfield.

GriefShare continues to meet every Thursday from 10 a.m.-noon at First Presby -

Around Town

terian Church Mena for anyone in the community who is grieving the loss of a loved one.

The Cove Branch Library is open Monday and Thursday from noon-5 p.m. The Library is located next to Cove Town Hall at 5568 Hwy. 71 S.

The Mena/Polk County Senior Center will have The Gator and Friends band performing in Mena every Thursday, 10:30-11:30 a.m.

The Center has an exercise class on Mondays and Thursdays, 9:30-10:30 a.m. Contact Trena Looney with questions, (479) 394-5459.

The Cossatot Senior Center in Wickes has meals and activities for seniors. If you need to make delivery arrangements or changes call (870) 385-2373.

The Polk County Social Seniors will meet at Stillwell Restaurant on 301 W. Stillwell, De Queen, Arkansas, on March 14 at noon. New to Polk County? Come and meet with other social seniors and have fun. Any questions ? Contract Linda Johnson at (956) 241-2633. Bring a friend or more and enjoy socializing and eating.

Hatfield First Baptist Church

“Shepherd’s Closet” Open Wednesdays, 10 a.m.Noon. Large selection of good, used clothing & a limited supply of non-perishable food items. Free to anyone in need.

Alcoholics Anonymous meet at The Crossing Church, 3 p.m., Sundays; at 5 p.m., Tuesdays; and at 8 p.m. Saturdays at the old bus barn. For information call (479) 234-8366 or (479) 216-3786.

The Food Pantry at the Mena Seventh Day Adventist Church is open every first and third Monday of each month, 4-6 p.m., located at Fair Grounds Road. For more information, call (479) 437-4018.

American Legion meets every 2nd Tuesday at the Legion Hall in Acorn. Potluck at 6 p.m., meeting follows.

Come play Bingo, Saturdays and Mondays, starts at 6 p.m., doors open at 4 p.m.

Reynolds Gardner Community Men’s Breakfast every Tuesday, First United Methodist Church, Mena, 8 a.m. (full breakfast for small donation). All men from the community are invited to attend.

Alcoholics Anonymous meet at 7 p.m. Fridays at the First United Methodist Church, 9th & Port Arthur. Discussion/Book Study for information call (479) 243-0297.

Bluegrass Jam Session is open to musicians and fans alike. Bring your instruments for an unplugged session to the Daisy Room (behind Janssen’s Avenue Florist & Gifts) the first and third Thursdays of each month, starting at 6:30 p.m. Free event. Some snacks are provided.

It’s easy to have your event listed in Around Town, which will be read on radio stations KENA and KQOR daily. Simply send your Around Town announcement to news@ mypulsenews.com or call (479) 243-9600 and let us know about your event! To have it in the Polk County Pulse newspaper, we need to know by FIVE on FRIDAY. We look forward to continuing to serve the community!

NSDAR to award Shirley Manning

The James K Polk Chapter, NSDAR, will honor Shirley Manning, posthumously, with the Woman in American History Award, on Saturday, March 11, in the Community Room of the Polk County Library. The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m.

Manning was instrumental in rescuing the abandoned Norman High School and organizing the Norman High School Preservation Program, Inc. (NHPP). She spent 12 years as the force behind raising funds to restore the Montgomery County building and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 16, 2002. The old school and its campus continue to be a center piece in the town of Norman.

Shirley was a prolific writer, historian and a dedicated genealogist, composing more than 20 books. She loved to visit with residents of Polk and Montgomery Counties to get their stories. She relayed many of these stories in a magazine she published for several years called the Mountain Signal.

A reception will follow the award ceremony.

OLT early spring offerings

Submitted by Julie Ulmer

Everyone is excited about the warmer days and daffodils popping up, which means spring is not far away Ouachita Little Theatre (OLT) has been working to bring you entertainment in the coming months.

After a very successful run of the comedy, “You Can’t Take It With You,” OLT has recently held auditions for the spring musical, “Little Shop of Horrors” by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. Directed locally by Alex Night, the cast will be announced shortly. Shows are scheduled for May 12-14, and May 19-21.

Some very exciting news is that Lana Gail and her band, including radio DJ “Tex McWestern” is performing a musical show, “The Women of Country Music.” Gail will put on a professional concert stylizing the vocals of famous women throughout the country music genre, including performers from the 1930s through modern day.

Mena Assistant Fire Chief Hankins retiring

Assistant Fire Chief Charles Hankins of the Mena Fire Department is retiring from the fire service.

Hankins grew up in Pine Bluff with his family, including his father, Dan, his mother Virginia and his brother John. He became familiar with the fire service as a child with his parents being founding members of the Highway 15 South Fire Department. Both Dan and Virginia were celebrated for their work in the fire service and contributions to their district during their lifetime and afterward. Hankins continued in these footsteps with his service as a volunteer firefighter as soon as he was of age.

He went on to be hired on with the Pine Bluff Fire Department and later the Conway Fire Department where he met and married his wife of 14 years, Keisha.

In 2013, following the birth of their first child, Charles and Keisha moved to Keisha’s hometown where Charles would continue with service by volunteering at Shady Grove Fire Department and Mena Fire Department (MFD) while continuing work at Conway Fire Department.

In 2017 he was hired as the MFD assistant chief. Completing his 21 years of being a fulltime firefighter and a total of 27 years as a volunteer, Hankins will retire from the fire service March 1. He looks forward to focusing his time on his family, now consisting of his wife, Keisha, and his two daughters, Kaylee and Bella.

Charles stated, “He is thankful for the opportunity to serve the community of Mena. It has been my honor.”

Mena Fire Chief Steve Egger stated, “It has been an honor and privilege working with Charles for these nine years. He has served the department and community with Honor, Courage, Dedication, and Sacrifice. He will be missed within the department but our team has all gained a good friend and we wish him and his precious family the best.”

The shows are scheduled for March 31 and April 1 at 7:30 p.m., and April 2 at 2:30 p.m. Reserved tickets will be available online at oltmena.com or drop by the OLT office at 610 Mena St. during regular office hours.

Nominees for the Benson awards have been announced in the OLT February newsletter which can be found on the OLT Facebook page or the website at oltmena. com. Short videos of performances are available online by going to oltmena.com. This is to assist members in their selections for Benson Award recipients.

Voting is for OLT members only and will take place online March 1-29. If members require a paper ballot, they may be picked up in person at the OLT office or contact OLT to have one mailed to you.

You still have time to become a member, so check out the website to see how you can join the fun and cast your vote for your favorite shows and the people who produced them.