When it comes to a Veteran in the United States of America, honor and recognition are due daily for those who have defended this country through military service. For local resident and Veteran Newton Clement, last Friday was a once-in-a-lifetime ceremony of honor and recognition as he was officially presented the medals of honor he earned while fighting in World War II right at 70 years ago.
Colonel Steve Gray from Senator John Boozman’s office traveled to Mena, where the ceremony for Celement was held Friday afternoon at the Cornerstone Church in Mena. Gray gave a formal presentation about the history of American’s war involvement from the end of World War I up to the present day, then transitioned into the honoring of Clement with medals that have been due to him for many decades.
Gray presented Clement with the Combat Infantry Badge, the Bronze Star, the Humanitarian Service Medal, the Philippine Liberation Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, and a World War II Honorable Service Lapel Button. When the medals were officially awarded to their rightful honor, it was a priceless moment of better late than never.
For the Full Article, please pick up the February 16th issue of The Mena Star
Ordinances approved for Mena parks, animal
licensing
After months of discussions, public meetings, and numerous committee meetings, new ordinances involving the Mena parks, as well as animal licensing have been approved, but not completely on the votes of the city council.
Of the two ordinances involving regulations and guidelines with the parks has taken the longest to reach this point of approval, and even upon the final vote, the city council members were split. Mena Mayor George McKee was the deciding vote to break the tie, thus approving the new ordinance that sets new guidelines for the parks in Mena.
The new ordinance for Janssen Park, McMillan Park, Aubrey Tapley Park, and the Depot Park prescribes hours of use, discusses the allowing of bikes and skateboards, dogs in the parks, designated smoking areas, and the fines that will be given if any of the regulations are violated.
For the Full Article, please pick up the February 16th issue of The Mena Star
Polar Plunge raises over $6,000 for Special Olympics
With the first annual local Polar Bear Plunge set for this past Saturday, it was only fitting that the weather take a plunge of its own into more winter-like conditions. The colder air made the conditions more appropriate for what would be expected from a Polar Bear Plunge, but the end results were all the same. The event, coordinated by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the office of County Judge Brandon Ellison, and Robbie Hines of Southwest EMS, raised a total of $6,096 that will go entirely to support the Special Olympics of Arkansas.
With air temperatures in the low 30’s at Lake Wilhelmina, and a water temperature of 44-degrees Saturday afternoon, Sheriff Mike Godfrey reported that there were 45 participants who took the plunge, and approximately 200 spectators were on hand to watch. Of the $6,096 raised, it came from a variety of pledges in the weeks leading up to the event.
For the Full Article, please pick up the February 16th issue of The Mena Star
RMCC to host Congressional
Republican Primary Debate
MENA - Rich Mountain Community College will be the host site for the 4th District Congressional Republican Party Primary Debate on Monday evening, February 20, beginning at 7:00 p.m.
The debate will be held in the St. John Library, on the RMCC main campus. The public is highly encouraged to attend this event
Two killed in Hwy 88 accident
A two-vehicle accident Tuesday morning on Highway 88 west of Pine Ridge in Montgomery County resulted in two fatalities and injuries to one of the drivers.
The accident occurred around 7:30 a.m. on Highway 88 when Polk County resident Savannah Todd was traveling eastbound in a Mitsubishi car, and the other vehicle with two unnamed people was traveling westbound. According to Arkansas State Trooper Chris Spurling, who is the investigating officer for the accident, the westbound car lost control and crossed over the highway’s centerline and was traveling sideways in the eastbound lane in the path of Todd’s vehicle.
Todd’s vehicle hit the car in the passenger side, and Todd’s car came to a stop in the eastbound lane, while the other car came to a stop on the southside shoulder off the highway and proceeded to catch on fire due to a ruptured gas tank.
For the Full Article, please pick up the February 16th issue of The Mena Star
MRHS hires Orthopedic Surgeon, plans reception for new General Surgeon
Mena Regional Health System CEO Tim Bowen announced at Tuesday night’s Mena City Council meeting that the hospital commission has approved the hiring of Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Kent Schnetzler.
The hiring of Dr. Schnetzler will establish an orthopedic program in Mena for the first time in over six years. Dr. Schnetzler will begin in Mena on March 5, and is expected to start seeing patients on March 6.
He will be moving to Mena from Hot Springs where he has been working as an orthopedic surgeon at National Park. MRHS will be his second location to practice orthopedic surgery, having only had one other practice before now.
For the Full Article, please pick up the February 16th issue of The Mena Star
If you blinked you just might have missed it. That’s a little exaggerated, but if you hibernated in bed all day Monday, then you definitely missed it. I’m referring to our glimpse of winter that came and went through Polk County earlier this week. After a strange winter that has seen mild to warm temperatures, occasional needs for a jacket and rarely a coat, and hardly a threat of any snow, it was nice that we at least saw something that resembled winter while it was in fact still the winter season.
When faced with the random questions of “would you rather be hot or cold?”, my answer would honestly be that I’d rather be comfortable. But if I had to choose, then I’m one of the people who would rather be cold than hot. Now I’m not a fan of extreme cold or suffocating heat, but in general I’d rather be cold than hot. When conditions are cold, you can keep adding layers of clothing, or keep piling on the blankets until you find a level of comfort and warmth. When conditions are hot, there’s really only so much of your clothing you can take off, and taking a dip in the pool or river is a temporary relief from the angry heat, so it seems to me that heat is harder to get away from.
I’m in the fan club of preferring chilly conditions in my bedroom when sleeping at night, and am not a stranger to having a fan on during the sub-freezing nights of the winter. I call that “good sleeping weather”.
