Archive - Aug 2012 - News Article
August 9th
The book of Job says, “The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.” That scripture could not be any more heartfelt than it was Wednesday at 4 p.m. The words “He has passed” still ring though my head.
August 8th
A Bauxite man is scheduled to appear in Benton District Court today for a bond hearing after being arrested on Monday for allegedly raping a 16-year-old boy multiple times, authorities said.
Jonathan Solomon, 20, who is affiliated with the Army National Guard, is facing three counts of rape, three counts of sodomy and terroristic threatening. The victim reportedly told Bauxite police that the rape began when he was 15.
Annie Demirel of Massachusetts spent several weeks in Bryant searching for cat that escaped from her carrier on June 24 when Demirel was getting ready to leave Cracker Barrel.
Though she hadn't given up hope, Demirel's finances were depleted and she left the local area Friday.
Three days later the lost cat was rescued by personnel of the Hampton Inn.
Mike Burton, general manager, said motel staff have been feeding the cat for several days, but didn't connect the animal with Demirel's lost pet.
By
Matt Burks and Josh Briggs
About 15 acres of woodland property in the Sardis/Bauxite area of the county were destroyed by fire Tuesday, but firefighters from multiple agencies kept the flames from spreading to nearby homes.
Sardis Fire Department volunteers first responded to an area at Childress Road and Birmingham Loop just before 2 p.m. Tuesday and quickly called for backup.
Other responding agencies were Bauxite, Bryant and Northeast fire departments. The Arkansas Forestry Commission also brought tractors and backhoes and used them to plow dirt lines between the endangered homes and the wildfire.
August 7th
Mother-daughter team, Linda Best and Darla Self, opened Express Your Self: Interiors, Gifts and Apparel, at 611 Office Park Dr. in Bryant, nine years ago. What started three years before in a booth at David Claiborne in west Little Rock had developed into a booming business, and the two needed a bigger space. Now, shoppers from Bryant, Benton and all around, including Little Rock, Conway and Sheridan, come to Express Your Self to purchase fun, trendy clothes and home accessories.
When Mark and Tina Fitzhugh walked past the cages of dogs available for adoption at Benton Animal Control and Adoption Center, they were looking for a companion for themselves as well as their dog, Reggie????
Mark Fitzhugh said the selection process wasn't difficult "because she picked us."
"She started barking and barking, like she was begging us to choose her," Mark Fitzhugh said.
That was the easy part, he said.
Then he found out that adopting the dog required an $81 adoption fee, and that was more than the couple's budget could accommodate.
The owner of Wayne's World in Bryant died Monday of what authorities determined to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Bryant police said 68-year-old Wayne Price was found inside his business shortly before 1 p.m.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Price was facing four counts of sexual solicitation and two counts of felony delivery of schedule I or II controlled substance for an arrest in April for allegedly soliciting sex with three women and a juvenile female, and giving the juvenile numerous Xanax pills.
Mysaline.com creator and blogger Shelli Russell has announced she is seeking a position on the Bryant City Council this November. She will vie for the Ward 3, Position 1 seat currently held by Adrian Henley.
Russell said her main goal is to bring the people on the council together.
"There's been a lot of controversy lately," she said.
And Russell has not been able to stay completely above the fray.
Earlier this year, Henley and two other aldermen filed a lawsuit against six unnamed bloggers who use Russell's website, mysaline.com. The aldermen say the bloggers have defamed them.
August 2nd
A body found in a section of the Ouachita National Forest on Sunday has been identified as that of a missing Jacksonville woman, but the cause of death for Jackie Hibbs has yet to be determined, authorities said.
Hibbs, 29, had been reported missing on July 19 by the Perry County Sheriff's Office. Authorities said she was last seen alive in the Lake Sylvia area. Her body was discovered Sunday on the Saline County side of the national forest by a person who was preparing for the hunting season.
At any time of the day on Wednesday, hundreds of people could be found gathered in and around Chick-fil-A in Bryant.
Lines to enter the restaurant stretched past the corner of the building. Drive-through lanes looped around and behind the parking lot, joining up with the street beside the restaurant. Parking spilled over into the Lowe’s lot, often filling the majority of the spaces. Police officers directed traffic all day.
