Stories from Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Autumn Grooms and Randy Cockrell of Trumann welcomed twins to their family on April 23. Stacy weighed four pounds and fifteen ounces with Kasey weighing six pounds. The twins join siblings Leona, Hannah, Sophia, Zander and Isabella. Grandparents are Annie McDaniel and Theresa Holmes. Great Grandparent is Lovern Morgan...

Mrs. Jewel Smith Rouse of Trumann departed this life on Friday, May 1, 2020 at St. Bernards Medical Center in Jonesboro, Ark. at the age of 85 years, 5 months and 22 days. Mrs. Rouse was born Friday, November 9, 1934 in Lepanto and lived most of her life in Trumann. She was a housewife and of the Baptist faith. She was preceded in death by her husband, Grady Rouse, one daughter, Barbara Ann Rouse, two sisters, three brothers and her parents, Wiley and Clara Evans Smith...

Sarah Ann Tacker and Bryson Ross Horton of Brookland welcomed their first child, Brenna Finley-Rose Horton, on April 28. Brenna was born at 5:47 p.m. and weighed six pounds and 11 ounces. Grandparents are Christal Tacker, Jeffery Tacker, Shana Horton and Jeremy Horton. Great-grandparents are Nola Takcer, Paula Horton and Johnny Parker,...

Mosquitos are beginning to emerge, although they aren’t carrying you off in swarms just yet. I am going to list some ways to try and prevent that from happening. With the Zika virus a huge news focus as of late, it’s important to remember that no local mosquito borne Zika case has been reported in the USA. ...

The Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas received a $25,000 grant from the Mid-South COVID-19 Regional Response Fund, managed by the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis. The grant will support the Food Bank’s efforts to distribute emergency food boxes in response to the coronavirus pandemic...

Tomatoes are easy to grow, and just a few plants will usually provide more than enough at harvest for most families. According to the U.S Department of Agriculture, four out of five people prefer tomatoes over any other homegrown vegetable. Today 95 percent of all American gardeners grow tomatoes; they are the most popular garden vegetable in Arkansas. Tomatoes rank number one in terms of their contribution of nutrients to the American diet...

Donald D. Walton, 46, Trumann was arrested this last Monday in Jonesboro. Meth, various pills and a shotgun were found in Walton's truck. Jonesboro Police Officer Cody Howard pulled Walton over due to his license plate being obstructed. Howard noticed that Walton was extremely nervous and a check showed he had a prior drug arrest. Officer Evan Henry and his K9 ran the vehicle and the dog alerted to the presence of narcotics...

Paden McDougle, 24, of Jonesboro was arrested this past Friday morning after a woman reported that he had molested her younger sister. The alleged incident happened on April 28 when McDougle and his fiance were spending the night at a home in Harrisburg. McDougle was arrested by Poinsett County sheriff deputies...

As of 7:25 a.m. this morning, according to the ADH website, there were: 3,525 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Arkansas, 2,091 recoveries, 1,434 active cases, 83 deaths, 89 currently hospitalized, 16 currently on ventilators, 261 total nursing home residents/148 staff members infected (32 nursing home deaths), 285 healthcare workers infected, 56,431 people total have been tested and 52,906 people have tested negative...

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for awarding $8,190,367 in Community Development Block Grant funding to Arkansas to support the prevention, preparation and response to the coronavirus pandemic. “This funding provides additional relief to the state and local governments as they respond to the increasing needs of communities during this pandemic. These resources will help better serve Arkansans in need,” members said...

Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Dr. Nate Smith, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Health, update the public at 1:30 p.m. on the state’s response to the coronavirus, including the latest cases of COVID-19 and deaths. Dr. Smith said Northeast Arkansas and Southwest Arkansas have seen the largest increase in cases recently, pointing out Jonesboro and the West Memphis area and in Northeast Texarkana in Southwest Arkansas. ...

Construction work to improve State Highway 1 requires lane closures in Harrisburg, according to Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) officials. Weather permitting, crews will begin asphalt work on State Highway 1 in Harrisburg Thursday, May 7, between the intersection of State Highway 14 and the Poinsett County/Cross County line. ...

Residents of a White Hall neighborhood had an early awakening Sunday morning as authorities responded to a call about a large black bear that had climbed into a tree nearby and had to be removed. Mark Hooks, wildlife management supervisor for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, said the best course of action during similar situations is to clear an area and allow a bear to come down on its own, but that was not an option in this case...

More golden rainbow trout have been stocked in the White River system below Bull Shoals Lake dam. About 500 of the rainbow trout that have a color variation making them appear a bright golden yellow were part of a shipment of 10,000 rainbow trout stocked Monday from the access here to other points upriver toward the dam...

“It's one of the simplest items on our list — just a piece of bent wire, sometimes sporting a barb on the end. But throughout modern human history, the fish hook has proven to be one of our most dependable tools. Fishing allows us to eat, without the danger of hunting or the hard work of farming.”...