MENA - The City of Mena Annual Spring Clean-Up is scheduled for Tuesday, May 7, 2013 through Monday, May 13, 2013. City trucks will pick up items you want to dispose of at no charge. However, there are certain regulations we have to follow in order that the pick up will run smoothly.
This Clean-up service is free for residences within the City limits of Mena only.
Materials will not be picked up unless they are placed at the curb-side and separated.
It is very important to separate any items that your want to keep away from those items that are to be discarded. (Such as trash cans)
The following items cannot be picked up: tires, concrete, brick, rocks, dirt, shingles, batteries, and construction debris.
Please separate your items to be discarded into 5 distinct piles as follows:
1. Furniture—couches, chairs, T.V., window frames, etc.
2. Household trash—paper items, etc. (Please place trash cans that you wish to keep to one side, so that they will not be disposed of inadvertently)
3. Metal material—hot water heaters, stoves, appliances, etc.
4. Yard wastes—tree limbs, shrubs, grass, etc.
New - it is required that all yard debris such as small limbs, gum balls, and leaves be placed in garbage bags.
The Mena Street Department will begin pick up in the Northwest part of the city and work their way across town following the same routes as Southern Disposal. Trucks will run 1 to 3 days after the day of your normal trash pick-up. The response to this Clean-Up is usually overwhelming, so please be patient if the trucks are running somewhat behind the posted schedule; however, each route will only be covered one time. It is not necessary to call City Hall in order to receive this service.
RMCC breaks ground on new Ouachita Center
After officially announcing the construction plans and expected timelines on April 1 for the three projects on Rich Mountain Community College’s campus, the first steps were taken to get the construction officially underway last Wednesday. With the necessary parties already secured for designing and constructing these projects, the construction phase was deemed underway earlier this month, but a groundbreaking ceremony on the new Ouachita Center last Wednesday afternoon literally got the first bit of dirt moving.
RMCC is going to be experiencing two renovation projects and one new construction project, and with the turning of the dirt, the wheels are in motion.
Arnold takes plea for Shady Grove fires
Ben Arnold appeared in court at the Polk County Court House Monday morning, but instead of facing a jury trail for his involvement in a series of structure fires in the Shady Grove community in the summer of 2011, Arnold elected to plead guilty for his actions.
If Arnold had faced the verdict of a jury trial, he could have received a maximum sentence of 36 years in prison, but instead he elected to plead guilty. For his involvement of setting up colleague Seth Wolf to start the fires, Arnold is charged with four counts solicitation to commit criminal mischief, and of those, three are class C Felony charges, and the other is a Class D Felony Charge. The value of the four structures that burned determined the felony level of the charge.
Tweet by Rep. Bell results in national responses
In the world we live in today, social media and the convenience of online communications makes getting a point across to the mass public easier than ever. With this, it also makes opportunities easier to find out when the general public doesn’t approve of the message or comment that you chose to send out.
State Representative Nate Bell (R-Mena), is no stranger to posting comments, views, input, and opinions on the biggest stages of social media, and the comment he posted this past Friday morning resulted in shockwaves beyond the borders of Polk and Montgomery County, and far beyond the Arkansas state line.
King receives 40-year sentence from jury for drugs
A Mena man has been sentenced to a 40-year sentence in prison after appearing in court last Thursday for a trial jury, stemming drug charges from a November arrest.
Joe King, age 30 of Mena, was given two 20-year sentences to run concurrently, for a total of 40 years in prison after the jury ruled in his trial last Thursday.
Polk County to participate in drug take-back initiative this Saturday
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has scheduled its fifth nationwide Prescription Drug Take-Back Initiative, which will take place this Saturday, April 27. Polk County will be joining in on the effort and participating in this event.
The local event where residents can drop off their unused, unwanted, or expired prescription drugs and medications will be at the Polk County Court House front lawn on Saturday, April 27, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
These drugs and medications are collected and properly disposed of, and by getting them out local homes, it helps eliminate a potential source of medication abuse, as well as future drug abuse and crimes.
Polk County also offers the opportunity for area residents to drop off their unwanted prescriptions and medications at the dispatch center, and this service is available 24/7 to anyone wishing to properly dispose of their prescriptions in a safe and effective way.
American Cancer Society paints Mena purple for Relay For Life
Mena - The American Cancer Society is offering an opportunity for the people of Polk County to show their awareness and support in the fight against cancer from April 29 – May 10 as we Paint the Town Purple.
To show their support of the fight against cancer, Mena is joining over 5,000 communities in the U.S. in Painting the Town Purple. Communities Paint the Town Purple and show their support of Relay For Life by such activities as putting up purple-themed displays in storefronts, painting the porch lights purple or swapping out for a purple one, or selecting a day for everyone to wear purple.
For more information about how to participate in painting your town purple or volunteering for the Relay For Life of Polk County, call event chair Crystal Mos at 1-479-234-2525 or visit www.relayforlife.org/polkar
This year’s Relay For Life event in Polk County will be held at Janssen Park on May 10th starting at 6:00 p.m. Plan on coming out for a fun evening as we celebrate our survivors, enjoy great entertainment, eat some wonderful food and make a difference in the fight against cancer.
If weather does not allow for the Relay to be at Janssen Park, alternate plans will be to have it at the CMA Iron Mountain facility.
The American Cancer Society saves lives and creates more birthdays by helping people stay well, by helping people get well, by finding cures and by fighting back. For more information, contact the American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345 or visit us at cancer.org.
Art Shurley retires after 20 years of service with Mena Parks Department
Arthur Shurley worked his final day for the City of Mena Parks Department this week, putting in exactly 20 years of service to the city’s parks and other areas of the department’s responsibility.
Art’s first day with the parks department was April 23, 1993, and when he decided to wrap up his long career, he made April 23, 2013 his final day. Exactly 20 years of service, and those two decades included plenty of memories.
HSO yard sale set for next weekend
The Humane Society of the Ouachitas is planning their Spring Rummage Sale for Saturday, May 4, from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and in preparing for the event, they would love to have your used household items, clean and in good condition for their sale.
Anyone who has items to donate may take them to the shelter on Polk 50, Tuesday through Saturday, between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., or call Imelda at 479-437-3122 for pick up or other drop off locations. No clothing, please. Tax deductible receipts are available.
This is one of HSO’s big fundraisers for the year, so they really appreciate the donations.
Also, if anyone is willing to help in any way, many hands make the work lighter. The HSO could use help to haul, sort, price and work at the sale. They will be setting up on May 2 and 3, and again, the sale will be Saturday May 4, 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Please contact Imelda at 437-3122 or email her at: ifbarker@hotmail.com so she can put you on our ‘helpers’ list to help any or all days.
For the Full Articles, please pick up the April 25th issue of The Mena Star
In our lives, there are many things that make us recognizable for who we are. Sometimes it’s for being in the family that we are, sometimes it’s for a collaboration of all the things we’ve done in our life to this point, and sometimes people are known for one moment or one event.
Musicians or bands sometimes get one song that makes them famous, then never produce another hit. These people become what’s known as “one-hit wonders”. While that may not be the best category to be in for a musician, it does still represent fame for something, and that’s what we remember them for. Apr 25, 2013, 14:48
