Archive - Feb 2012 - News Article
February 13th
Funeral is scheduled Tuesday for a longtime Benton physician who died Friday.
The service for Dr. John D. Wright will take place at 2 p.m. at Benton's First Baptist Church, where Dr. Wright was an active member.
He was a deacon of the congregation and taught Sunday School there for 56 years.
Dr. Wright practiced medicine for 50 years and was on the active medical staff of Saline Memorial Hospital during that period.
Tonya Shelnutt, fourth-floor nurse manager at SMH, who worked closely with Dr. Wright, remembered him fondly today.
February 10th
Lifetime Benton resident and community leader
Gwendolynne Louise âPudâ Troutt Webb died Wednesday. She was 81.
Mrs. Webb, the daughter of the late George L. and Lucille Cox Troutt, came from a prominent Benton family. Her father served as mayor of Benton during the 1950s.
Among the family's residences was the two-story maroon brick structure at the corner of North Main and Cross streets, which for many years served as offices for the Benton Courier.
February 9th
The leadership Benton Mayor David Mattingly displayed in his first year in office earned him a coveted honor Tuesday night: 2011 Citizen of the Year.
The award was presented at the annual Benton Area Chamber of Commerce Banquet.
Other top honors announced at the event included:
â˘Volunteer of the Year, Ray Baggett.
â˘Ambassador of the Year, J.J. Bruton.
â˘Top Recruiter of the Year, Kim Minnix.
â˘Business Student of the Year, Myra Cloud.
Gary James, executive director of the chamber, announced all of the winners.
February 8th
The four finalists for superintendent of the Benton School District are scheduled for interviews with the school board Monday, Feb. 13.
If the board can meet its optimum goal, a decision on the district's chief administrator could be made Monday night, according to Jeff Morrow, board president.
Morrow said the interviews are to be held in the recently renovated high school library facility that now is serving as a district professional development center.
The interviews will begin at 2 p.m. and will take place every two hours, Morrow said.
The order for the interviews will be:
February 7th
Matt Burks
It was a cold, rainy night on Jan. 24 when a 21-year-old man parked his vehicle on top of Crystal Lake Road, headlights off and engine revving. About 9 p.m., the young man made a decision that would affect more people than he could have known at that moment.
The speed was unknown, the reasons are still today unknown, and unknown to him at that moment was that an angel of mercy was about to bestow upon what he believed would be the last moments of life. He pushed down the accelerator, raced down hill, turned the wheel and ramped the vehicle into Crystal Lake.
Officials have spruced up the inside of the Saline County Courthouse with a new television monitor that will help aide visitors to specific courtrooms.
What defines greatness? What earns a football coach âcoach of the yearâ honors?
Wins and losses? Championship rings and banners? What if someone said that a high school football coach was awarded the title after posting a losing record?Would you believe it?
What if someone said the coach missed nearly all of preseason action because of heart surgery at the age of 77 and didnât see his team play until its final scrimmage before opening week while sitting in the press box? Would that coach be worthy of the top honor as a coach?
February 6th
A Saline County man and three Little Rock men have been arrested in connection with a Jan. 30 shooting in Alexander that put two of the four men in area hospitals.
Arrested were:
â˘Joshua Green, 32, of Little Rock, who faces charges of tampering with evidence, hindering apprehension, and two counts of attempted capital murder. As of press time, he remains in the Saline County jail on a $100,000 bond.
Mindy is a dog with a mission.
The young beagle is the special canine resident of Southern Trace Rehabilitation in Bryant, where she not only brings joy to her owner but to other residents who share her routine and her life.
Once lost or abandoned, Mindy was rescued by Marion Mork's grandson.
That was about three years ago, said Mork, who has been a resident of the Bryant rehab facility for the past several months.
"My grandson was going to find a home for Mindy, but I decided that I wanted her, so she first came to live with me," she said.
