Archive - News Article
July 27th, 2012
"This is between the residents of Bauxite and Mayor McMahan, not between him and me," says Debbi Purifoy, who is leading an effort to recall McMahan.
Purifoy has gathered approximately 130 signatures from residents in Bauxite (population 438) who apparently agree with her when she says, "We need to save this town before it's too late."
July 26th
Bauxite Mayor Johnny McMahan soon will hit the campaign trail as his name will appear on the November ballot two and a half years earlier than expected.
Resident and former Alderman Debbie Purifoy successfully led a petition drive to recall the mayor after collecting more than 100 signatures in Bauxite.
On Wednesday, Saline County Election Coordinator Linda Montalvo told The Saline Courier, "the signatures have been verified. It is a good petition."
The Bryant City Council is scheduled tonight to resume discussion of a city sign ordinance.
In late 2011 and early 2012, unsuccessful attempts were made to draft an ordinance that would draw all parties' agreement and the issue was tabled.
Chris Madison, city attorney for Bryant, plans to ask the council to resume the discussion in tonight's meeting. The ordinance is scheduled for the first of its three required readings.
Beware, thiefs in Benton. After the recent arrests of four people for property crimes, the Benton Police Department has decided to lay down a plan of action to significantly lower all crimes.
"Since June 1 there have been 134 cases of theft, burglary and breaking-and-entering crimes in the city of Benton. These incidents have not gone unnoticed and the Benton Police Department is pushing back against this trend using various resources," Lt. Kevin Russell said.
Residents might have noticed more officers in more places, and that is all part of the design.
July 25th
An Alexander man accused of downloading hundreds of images of child pornography to a home computer pleaded not guilty in Benton District Court on Tuesday.
Facing 236 counts of possessing child pornography and one count of attempting to influence a public official, 69-year-old John Darrell Green is set to appear before Saline County Circuit Judge Gary Arnold on Aug. 13, at which time atrial date could be. Green was arrested at his home on May 30 and as of press time, remains in the Saline County jail under a $150,000 sheriff’s bond.
The Alexander Police Department is updating its procedure for cataloging police reports. Soon, all accident and incident reports will be placed on computer systems, Alexander Police Chief Horace Walter said.
Walter said he was happy to “finally” implement the new system. Well before Walter’s administration began in 2010, officer reports were hand-placed into filing cabinets, but now they can go straight into the database. All the reports put in the database will also be put on a backup system.
Benton City Council members on Monday night heard the second reading of an ordinance that would prohibit the discharge of residential and industrial waste from commercial haulers into the wastewater treatment plant.
Efforts to present the ordinance on both its second and third readings were not successful Monday night.
The ordinance is scheduled for the final reading at the next council meeting. At that time, the council members will take an actual vote on the document.
July 22nd
During a thunderstorm on July 6, Benton resident Sharon Witham noticed that a canopy in her backyard was being whipped around. She feared it would blow over toward a neighbor's home, so she dashed out the door, grabbed one of the canopy's metal poles and began to "mash it down."
Witham said it then occurred to her that having metal in her hand probably wasn't a good idea.
"I had that pole in my hand and I thought, 'I better let that go,'" she said. "All of a sudden I saw light out of the corner of my eyes, I was knocked backward and I heard a bang. It sounded like dynamite exploding."
July 14th
The reality is that at any moment any person can hold any number of victims inside public facilities hostage, or worse, could even harm or kill any number of those victims.
One needs to remember that these situations haven't just taken place in California or Columbine High School in Colorado. Just several miles down the road from Saline County, two young boys shot several children on the grounds of the Westside Middle School in Jonesboro on March 24, 1998. Four children and one adult lost their lives on that day.
An evening out is a pleasant experience for most people, but area residents have an opportunity to enjoy such an event while supporting a worthy cause.
The event is called "Dining for Dex" and is a benefit for Dexter McDade, the not-quite-one-month-old child of Jerred and Alexis McDade of Tull. The baby currently is hospitalized at Arkansas Children's Hospital.
Friends of the family have planned a benefit pasta dinner to assist the family with the overwhelming costs of Dexter's medical bills.
