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Local and Regional News 052826

 

FC School Board

 

The Forrest City School District Board held a special called meeting Wednesday night (5/27) at Stewart Elementary School.

 

During the meeting, the board voted unanimously to approve the contract of Superintendent Dr. Zrano Bowles. No details regarding the contract were discussed publicly during the meeting.

 

Also during the meeting, Dr. Zrano Bowles informed the board that there has been considerable discussion from the community concerning school uniforms for the upcoming school year.

 

He told the board that he wished to table those discussions and possibly continue conversations with the community regarding uniforms for the 27-28 school year.

 

The discussion comes after weeks of public conversation and community feedback concerning the possibility of uniforms returning to the Forrest City School District.

 

At the beginning of the meeting, board members immediately entered into an executive session to discuss personnel matters.

 

The board remained in executive session for approximately two hours before returning to open session. Once back in public session, no action was taken regarding the executive session discussions.

 

The board also voted on additional personnel matters, which were approved by a six-to-one vote. Board member Mrs. Annie Norman cast the lone vote against the personnel recommendations.

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Report submitted by Miles J. Kimble, KXJK News.

 

 

Officer Involved Shooting

 

Officials with the Arkansas State Police are investigating an an officer-involved shooting near Pinnacle Mountain State Park. (Channel 3, Memphis)

 

Pulaski County Dispatch received a call about a medical emergency at 6:15 p.m. Monday (5/25) at a home on State Highway 300 in Roland. Emergency responders arrived at the scene where they found a man with head injuries.

 

Responders began treatment, but then saw a man nearby holding a large machete. They called for law enforcement and withdrew.

 

Three Arkansas State Park Rangers were the first to arrive at the rural home, where they found 31-year-old Matthew Garrett of Judsonia holding a machete.

 

Garrett reportedly moved toward the rangers with the machete and was shot. He died at the scene.

 

ASP Criminal Investigation Unit agents will investigate the incident and turn the findings over to the Pulaski County Prosecuting Attorney to determine if use of force was justified.

 

 

Ark Fire Fatalities Increase

 

The state fire marshal’s office reports that fire fatalities in Arkansas this year have already surpassed the total number of fire-related deaths at this time in 2025. (DG)

 

The state on Wednesday reported 28 total deaths so far this year, compared with 27 that were reported on the same date last year.

 

Emergency management officials say that although fires are widespread throughout the state, the majority of deaths have taken place across Central Arkansas.

 

Officials say “the lack of working smoke alarms continues to be one of the most significant and preventable factors in deadly residential fires.”

 

State officials are urging Arkansans to act now by installing smoke alarms, testing them monthly, and replacing batteries as needed.

 

Experts say working smoke alarms can cut the risk of dying in a home fire by half.

 

The release also revealed that only only 14% of households involved in fatal fires in 2025 had working smoke alarms installed.

 

Those in need of assistance, resources or access to a free smoke detector are urged to contact their local fire department or emergency management office.

 

 

Spencer Murder Case Update

 

Attorneys for Aaron Spencer, the Lonoke County candidate for sheriff charged with murder, have again asked for the case to be thrown out, arguing that Lonoke County deputies acted in bad faith and lost critical evidence. (DG)

 

If Special Circuit Judge Ralph Wilson won't dismiss the case, the filing asks him to permit special jury instructions addressing the missing SD card from a dash camera in the truck of Michael Fosler, the man Spencer shot Oct. 8, 2024.

 

Attorneys argue that a Lonoke County investigator’s handling of the dash camera and its SD card resulted in its loss and that his violations of evidence policy and failure to document the loss until months after the shooting impeded Spencer's ability to get a fair trial.

 

After his arrest, Spencer, who says he killed Fosler to defend himself and his 14-year-old daughter, announced he was running for sheriff of Lonoke County. He defeated incumbent Sheriff John Staley in the Republican primary in March and will face Democrat Brian Mitchell Sr. in the November general election.

 

At the time of his death, Fosler was out on bond while awaiting trial on multiple charges of sexual offenses against children and was under a no-contact order.

 

Spencer's attorneys have said his teen daughter was abused by Fosler and that he spurned the no-contact order to meet with her, including on the night Spencer shot him.

 

Spencer's trial is set to begin June 22.

 

 

Ark Rice Update

 

Rice planting in Arkansas is winding down and recent rainfall provided a ray of hope for farmers, but persistent drought and rising fuel prices could strain budgets heading into summer's heavy irrigation season. (DG)

 

Some farmers already had to flush their rice fields during the recent drought -- a more costly task this year.

 

Extension rice agronomist Jarrod Hardke said" that producers have had to flush more rice fields this year than any in recent memory”.

 

Brandy Carroll, director of commodity activities and market information at Arkansas Farm Bureau, says that "flushing the rice uses very expensive diesel to pump the water across the field," adding that "every time you turn on those pumps, your crop gets more expensive."

 

Arkansas farmers planted 1.3 million acres of rice last year and projected to have 1 million acres this year, a significant decline from the 1.4 million rice acres planted in the state in 2024.

 

The U.S. Drought Monitor, updated on Thursdays, shows 63% of the state is in extreme drought and 19% of the state is in exceptional drought. The worst of the drought is happening across eastern Arkansas.

 

Officials say the state “would need the average 6 or 6.5 inches of rainfall in June and July, plus an additional 8 inches of rain on top of that to get out of current drought conditions.

 

 

Ark Tax Scam

 

The Arkansas AG’s office reports that fraudsters are circulating fake tax notices that urge Arkansans to pay steep upfront fees for relief services. (Channel 8, Jonesboro)

 

Attorney General Tim Griffin said the letters claim consumers owe back taxes or could face tax liens, wage garnishments, or other penalties if they don’t pay.

 

Scammers pressure victims to pay large upfront fees for these supposed tax relief services. Many also falsely claim to work for the IRS.

 

Arkansans should respond in the following ways:

 

--Do not call the number listed on the letter

--Do not share personal, banking, or financial information

--Do not make payments before verifying the company is legitimate

--Verify your tax status directly with the IRS or the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration

 

For more information, contact the Attorney General’s office at 501-682-2007 or visit the website ArkansasAG.gov.

 

 

Ark Mobile ID Available

 

The Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration announced on Wednesday that Arkansans can now add their driver’s license and state ID to Apple Wallet. (DG)

 

Officials say “this provides an important integration into your phones, so that your mobile ID will reside in the same place that you have your digital credit cards and your boarding passes.”

 

Additionally, starting this fall, mobile IDs in Apple Wallet can be used at University of Arkansas arenas and athletic stadiums.

 

Officials said that Arkansans will still need to carry their physical IDs.

 

 

Foster Care Awareness

 

Cross County Judge Lynn Blake and St. Francis County Judge Craig Jones have joined with officials of The CALL to recognize May as Foster Care Awareness Month. (Wynne Progress)

 

The CALL in Arkansas, which is active in all 75 counties, is a Christian nonprofit that works with the state’s foster care system to recruit, train, and support foster and adoptive families to care for children in foster care.

 

Foster Care Awareness Month was established in 1988 to raise awareness about children in foster care, the need for foster families, and those who support them, including foster parents, caseworkers, CASA volunteers, and advocates.

 

Ronni Schwantz serves as the affiliate director for The CALL in Cross and St. Francis counties. More information about the organization is available online.

 

 

FC City Pride Program

 

The City of Forrest City is now accepting applications for the City Pride Summer Youth Program.

 

The program will offer daily activities for children age 5 through college age, with activities each weekday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. starting June 8th and continuing through July 6th.

 

Participants will enjoy games, crafts and activities while learning conflict resolution, proper etiquette and basic life skills.

 

There is also an employment component to the program for area youth ranging from 9th grade to college age.

 

Applications may be picked up at City Hall, Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.

 

 

Events

 

--The annual Tri-County Fair in Marvell is underway with carnival activities continuing through Saturday (5/30). Everyone’s invited to come out and enjoy games, fair food and rides for all ages. Check out the Tri-County Fair Facebook page for a complete list of activities.

 

--Nourish Mobile will be distributing fresh produce Thursday (5/28) from 2-3 p.m. at First Baptist Church at 507 N. Rosser Street in Forrest City.

 

--The Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) and Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) will conduct a community input meeting Thursday (5/28) from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. to gather feedback from the community on the proposed rehabilitation plans for the Highway 49 Mississippi River Bridge in Phillips County.

 

--The Center for Exceptional Families invites the commuity to a free Toolkit Training workshop, Monday, June 1st at 4 p.m. at the Forrest City Public Library.

The event will be hosted by Parent Mentor Keith Watson. You will receive a free toolkit just for attending.

 

--Bishop Theodis Cochran Jr. and Trinity All Nations Church in Memphis will host their Fellowship Conference, “Armed for the Battle”, June 3-5. The conference will feature morning sessions from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., noon sessions from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. and evening sessions starting at 7 p.m. Registration will continue through Sunday (5/31) at 11:59 p.m. Call 870-519-1168 for more information.

 

--Women in Transition to Glory Services, Inc., will host their Annual Men’s and Women’s Workshop/Luncheon, Saturday, June 13th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Woodruff Electric in Forrest City. There is no registration fee, but donations are welcome. Call Director Ivy Graham at 870-261-5411 or visit their Facebook page for more information. Ms. Graham is scheduled to be our guest on the Morning Show interview Friday, June 12th, at 7:32 a.m.

 

--The ABC Preschool at Lincoln in Forrest City is currently accepting applications for the upcoming 2026-27 school year. Parents and guardians looking to enroll their children can pick up and submit application packets Monday through Friday at the preschool, located at 149 North Water Street. For more information, contact the ABC Preschool at 870-261-1807.

 

--The Nineveh Temple Church Family is pleased to offer free snacks and lunch for school-age children every Sunday at 208 W. Broadway in Forrest City. Participants should arrive by 10 a.m. For more information, call 888-215-4513.

 

 

Obits

 

--Funeral service for Mr. Kenneth “Bae-Bae” Tubbs, 59, of Marion, formerly of Forrest City, will be Saturday (5/30) at 11 a.m. at Salem Missionary Baptist Church, with burial following at Casteel Cemetery. Visitation will be Friday from 3:00 until 5:00 at Miles Mortuary, which is in charge of the arrangements.

 

 

Sports

 

--Arkansas Baseball--

 

The Arkansas baseball team will play a familiar opponent first in the NCAA Tournament. (DG)

 

The Razorbacks (39-20) are the No. 2 seed at the Lawrence Regional and are scheduled to play No. 3 seed Missouri State (34-19) Friday (5/29) at 5 p.m. at Kansas’ Hoglund Ballpark.

 

Big 12 champion Kansas (42-16) is the regional host and will play Coastal Athletic Association champion Northeastern (38-20) on Friday at noon.

 

The winners and losers of Friday’s games will play Saturday, and the regional champion will be determined by next Monday.

 

Arkansas and Missouri State split their regular-season series. The Bears defeated the Razorbacks 15-14 in 10 innings on March 31 in Springfield, while Arkansas got a 12-4 victory in the rematch April 21 in Fayetteville.

 

Arkansas and Missouri State are in the same regional for the fourth time since the NCAA went to its 64-team format in 1999.

 

The Bears have a 5-4 record against the Razorbacks in the postseason.

 

The winner of the Lawrence Regional will play the winner of the Atlanta Regional in the super regional round. No. 2 overall national seed Georgia Tech will host that regional, which also includes Oklahoma, The Citadel and UIC.

 

--Arkansas Softball--

 

Arkansas softball is slated to begin its stay at the Women’s College World Series with a game against Nebraska tonight (Thursday) at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN2.

 

The Razorbacks (47-11) and Cornhuskers (51-6) will play the fourth game of the World Series Opening Day at Devon Park in Oklahoma City. They are on the same side of the bracket as Alabama and UCLA, which are scheduled to play at 6 p.m.

 

Other teams making the trip to OKC are Mississippi State, Texas Tech, Tennessee and Texas.

 

The eight teams at the Women’s College World Series are split into two double-elimination brackets. The winner of each bracket will meet in a best-of-three championship series June 3-5.

 

--Ark Football Schedule Questioned--

 

Arkansas football released kickoff times for the first three games of the Ryan Silverfield era Wednesday, and athletics director Hunter Yurachek was not happy. (DG)

 

The Razorbacks will open the season at home against North Alabama at 3:15 p.m. Sept. 5. Arkansas then travels to face Utah for the first time in program history on Sept. 12, with the west-coast game kicking off at 9:15 p.m. Central.

 

Then, on Sept. 19, Arkansas hosts Georgia at 11 a.m.

 

Yurachek said in a statement that he was "extremely concerned and displeased about the recently released kickoff times for our football program ... and the impact it will have on the well-being of our student-athletes."

 

He said after the late kickoff at Utah, Arkansas would be expected to return to campus at 6 a.m. the following day, then play a morning game six days later.

 

He said that "the assigned schedule will cost our student-athletes nearly a full day of rest and recovery," adding that "this is not simply a competitive disadvantage — it is a genuine welfare issue for the young men who represent our program and contribute greatly to the bottom line of our television partners.

 

Yurachek said he had formally requested for the SEC and ESPN to "aggressively" pursue changes to the kickoff times in those weeks. He added that "the focus must be on the well-being of the game's participants, not the bottom line of our media partner."

 

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said the league provides input but ESPN has autonomy on matters of scheduling changes.

 

--Ark Basketball News--

 

CBS Sports reports that Arkansas men’s basketball wing Billy Richmond will be returning to the Razorbacks.

 

The news agency initially reported that Richmond was going to remain in the NBA Draft, then reported 22 minutes later that he had "switched course" to come back to Arkansas.

 

Richmond previously announced that he was testing the draft waters while maintaining his collegiate eligibility. The NBA Draft is set for June 23-24 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The deadline to withdraw and maintain college eligibility was Wednesday.

 

Richmond was on the SEC All-Defense Team this season. He averaged 11.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game as a sophomore.

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Red Cross Blood Drive

 

The American Red Cross calls on people to schedule their blood donation appointments now to help local medical centers stay ready and respond quickly to emergencies.

 

To book your time to donate, visit RedCrossBlood.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS or use the Red Cross Blood Donor App.

 

Those who come to give by May 31, 2026, will receive an oversized Red Cross beach towel, while supplies last.

 

All who come to give during the month of June will receive a $15 e-gift card to a merchant of their choice, plus be automatically entered for a chance to win one of two $7,500 gift cards. See RedCrossBlood.org/June for details.

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Upcoming blood donation opportunities include:

 

St. Francis County

--June 4th, 12 p.m. - 5 p.m., First United Methodist Church in Forrest City

 

 

FCSD Summer Meals Program

 

The Forrest City School District Summer Meals Program is underway.

 

Meals will be served at the Forrest City High School Cafeteria on the following dates:

--May 26th through June 4th (Monday-Thursday)

--June 8th through July 7th (Monday-Friday)

 

Meals will be served at the Central Elementary School Cafeteria, June 1st through July 13th (Monday-Friday)

 

Breakfast will be served from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. and lunch will be served from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at both locations.

 

Both sites will be closed Friday, July 3rd in observance of the Independence Day holiday.

 

Contact the Forrest City School District Child Nutrition Department at 870-633-5668 for more information.

 

 

UA-EACC Golf Tournament

 

On Monday, June 8th, University of Arkansas-East Arkansas Community College will host the fifteenth annual UA-EACC Golf Tournament at the Forrest City Country Club’s 18-hole course to benefit the UA-EACC Foundation.

 

This year’s co-sponsors for the tournament are Arkansas Concrete Co., Boar’s Head, and Forrest City Medical Center. Hole sponsorships are still available.

 

The tournament will follow a 4-person scramble format. Entrants in the tournament may form their own teams or enter individually. Single entries will be assigned to a team and teams will be flighted after the round.

 

The number of flights will be determined by the number of entries. Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three teams in each flight.

 

A lunch buffet will be provided and check-in for players will begin at 11:30 a.m. The shotgun start begins at 1:00 p.m.

 

The entry fee for players will be $125 for each player or $500 for each team of four payable to the UA-EACC Foundation.

 

All entries may be dropped off at the UA-EACC Fine Arts Center or mailed to the UA-EACC Foundation at 1700 Newcastle Road, Forrest City, AR 72335.

 

To ensure a tee time, register by Wednesday, June 3rd. Registration forms are available online at UAEACC.edu or by calling 870-633-4480, ext. 352.

 

Hole-in-One Contests on three par threes, a Putting Contest with a potential $5,000 cash prize, additional competitions on various holes, and other miscellaneous prizes will be available during the tournament. ‘Closest to the Pin’ contests on three holes will be sponsored by SFC Farm Bureau.

 

For more information about the UA-EACC Golf Tournament, contact Niki Jones at 870-633-4480 ext. 352.

 

 

​Seat Belt Campaign

 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is urging drivers to buckle up as part of the ongoing “Click It or Ticket” seat belt safety campaign.

 

Area state, county and city law enforcement officers will be participating in the national high-visibility “Click-it-or-Ticket” seat belt enforcement effort, which runs now through May 31st.

 

In 2024, there were 9,758 unbuckled passenger vehicle occupants killed in traffic crashes. The national seat belt use rate in 2024 was 91.2%. Officials say the other 8.8% still need to be reminded that seat belts save lives.

 

Participating law enforcement agencies will be taking a no-excuses approach to seat belt law enforcement, writing citations day and night during the campaign.

 

One of the focuses of the campaign is nighttime enforcement. Safety data shows that 56% of unrestrained occupant fatalities happen between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.

 

For more information on the “Click It or Ticket” seat belt high-visibility enforcement campaign, please visit NHTSA.gov/ClickIt.

 

 

Eakas Job Openings

 

The Eakas Arkansas Corporation in Wynne is now hiring.

 

Job openings include:

 

--Production workers for 1st, 2nd and 3rd shifts

--Fabricator for 1st shift

 

Apply online at www.eakas.com or pick up an application in the front lobby at the Eakas location at 2000 South Falls Blvd in Wynne.

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​​​​​FC Community Events

 

The City of Forrest City will host its 3rd Annual Health Fair on August 6th and is looking for healthcare vendors to participate.

 

The event is a great opportunity for healthcare providers, wellness organizations, and community resources to connect with residents, share important health information, and offer services that promote healthier living.

 

Any healthcare vendor that’s interested in participating should call City Hall at 870-633-1315 for more information on how to secure a spot.

 

 

​​​​​Lincoln Reunion Planned

 

The Maroon & Gold National Alumni Association, Inc., announces that the 2026 Lincoln School Reunion will held the weekend of June 5-7.

 

Reunion letters with complete information have been mailed out to all former Lincoln alumni.

 

For current information on the Lincoln Family, call Delores Morelon at 870-633-2676 or visit the Lincoln website at www.fclhstigers.ning.com.

 

 

Jacks Hiring for FC Location

 

The Jack’s restaurant chain is now hiring for all positions for their new location in Forrest City.

 

Interested parties can apply online at WorkAtJacks.com.

 

The Forrest City Jack’s location is set to open in July 2026.​​​​​​