Archive - 2013
February 25th
A Benton police officer has been terminated after a recent DWI arrest.
Heath Curtis Ward, 32, of Benton was hired by the Benton Police Department more than two years ago as a patrol officer.
On Feb. 9, at 1:50 a.m., Ward was reportedly stopped by Bryant Officer Jon Haydon on Interstate 30 near the Springhill overpass for speeding, failing to use turn signals for lane changes and swerving between lanes.
Bryant High School student Hannah Patterson spent several weeks prior to the start of her junior year wielding a pickaxe and shovel, going on safari, sampling goat's blood, and avoiding poisonous trees.
While not a typical summer vacation for a 17 year old, Hannah said she loved every minute of her community service trip to Tanzania, Africa, and plans to move there after college.
Hannah had been searching online for a scholarship-funded trip to take. She expected the experiences that did not cost anything would not be elaborate. At best, she hoped for a train ride or something, she said.
Hear the words "piano bar" and the image that comes to mind is an establishment featuring a talented musician, entertaining from a piano setting.
Oftentimes the artist both sings and plays tunes requested by the customers.
There's another connotation for piano bar locally, however. This is the result of an unusual creation of Brandon Hughes, an employee of the Habitat ReStore in Benton.
February 24th
Benton police are requesting the help of the public to locate a 16-year-old boy.
Tristian “Dusty” Higgins reportedly recently ran away from Rivendell Behavioral Health Services in Benton and has not been located. He is described as white, 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighing 150 pounds with hazel eyes and blonde hair. Higgins was last seen wearing a gray hoodie-style jacket, blue jeans, and white tennis shoes. He is believed to be traveling on foot in the Central Arkansas area.
February 22nd
ARKADELPHIA - After winning the 7-4A district tournament, the Bauxite Lady Miners rolled into the South Region Regional tournament as the No. 2 seed with a chance to make history.
After a tough first half, the Lady Miners took control and blew past Dumas 51-41 in the opening round, advancing to the 4A state tournament for the first time since joining the conference in 2011. Bauxite made state in 2010 when it was a member of the 5-3A.
Authorities told The Saline Courier today that a man accused of breaking into a home in Benton, attacking the occupants and fleeing in their vehicle early Thursday has been taken into custody.
Daphne M. "Jean" Nissen, 88, of Bryant passed away Thursday, Feb. 14. She was born Feb. 10, 1925 in Sydney, Australia.Â
Mrs. Nissen was preceded in death by her parents, William and Ellen Rice; her husband, Orval Eric “Bud” Nissen; and a daughter, Daphne Pearl Tudor.
She is survived by her son, Gary Nissen of Marshfield, Mo.; a daughter, Sue Lawson of Bryant; eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at noon Saturday, Feb. 23, at Ashby Funeral Home in Benton.
Online guest book: www.ashbyfuneralhome.com.
BENTON - The Benton High School Panther swim team was in the water Tuesday evening for one of the last practices they will have before the Arkansas State Swim and Dive meet on Saturday after the boys finished third (246 points) in the South District Meet championship on Friday, Feb. 8, and the girls (142.5) finished fifth. This is the first official year for the team as a part of the Benton High School athletics department, even though there has been a swim team representing the Benton Panthers for the last six years.
The Bryant Hornet swim team finished their 2012-2013 swim season at the South District Championship held earlier this month at Bishop Park. At the conclusion of the meet, the Hornets and Lady Hornets finished in first place and were named the South District champions for the fourth year in a row. The Hornets scored 418 points at the meet, with second-place Magnolia coming in with 260 points and third-place Benton with 246. The Lady Hornets finished with 474 points to second-place Magnolia's 259 points.
February 21st
A Saline County couple were victims of a home invasion early Thursday and authorities are searching for a Texas man who has been identified as a suspect.
Derek Dione Wilkerson, 41, of Mesquite, Texas, was last seen driving away from the scene in the victims' vehicle, a 2004 white Ford Mustang convertible with a tan top and license plate number 416RAM.
