After the winter we’ve just had, Polk County Master Gardeners, like so many folks, are eager to “get their hands in the dirt.” Their efforts are tuned to preparations for their annual spring Plant Sale. April includes numerous potting days, as they dig healthy plants from their own yards and…
The legislature has begun budget hearings in preparation for the 2022 fiscal session, which begins on February 14.
A November 2021 Gallup poll identified inflation as one of the top five most important issues for Americans. This is no surprise considering the price increases we’re facing for everyday essentials. Each month, our dollars stretch less and too many are forced to make difficult decisions abou…
Pre-fiscal budget hearings began this week with the Governor outlining his balanced budget proposal calling for a 3.3% increase in spending.
Local members of the Mena Area Board of Realtors (MABR) attended The Arkansas Realtors Association’s REALTOR® Leadership Retreat at Heifer International in Little Rock January 10th. The leadership retreat provided an excellent speaker panel and interactive learning. Ending the event on Janu…
Acorn Elementary and High Schools will “kick-off” a week of outdoor learning beginning on Monday, January 17, 2022 as part of the National School Choice Week celebrations. The week’s themes will include: Project Wild, where students will learn about Arkansas wildlife; Project Learning Tree, …
In a tradition that dates back to the mid-1880’s, UA Rich Mountain held its pinning ceremony for the college’s RN Classes of 2020 and 2021 on Thursday, December 2 in the Ouachita Center on campus. The time-honored pinning ceremony signifies membership in a proud and loyal society of nurses. …
Melanie Wade has been named the new Mena Polk County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director beginning January 10. Wade brings with her extensive experience in event planning, communications, and a strong spirit of community volunteerism.
Mayor Seth Smith, proclaimed November 2020 as NATIONAL HOSPICE MONTH in the city of Mena on Monday, Nov. 2. Smith encourages the support and participation of all citizens in learning more about the hospice concept of care for the elderly, disabled and infirm. Pictured: (Back L to R) Tom Patt…
Hello! My name is Travis. I am debonair looking 8 year old. Hardly anyone ever believes my age. What can I say? I am a handsome guy, who still loves to play. I am energetic but I really enjoy the low- key lifestyle as well. You want lay around and love on me? I will stay as long as you will.…
Badges or boots? Which side will you choose during this year's blood drive?
June saw one of the busiest housing markets for 2020 in Arkansas. With interest rates low, now is the time to buy a new house! However, buying a house can get expensive. Want to save cash where you can?
Travelers can now stop at an Arkansas Welcome Center for trip planning advice, tourism information and the opportunity to stretch their legs while on the road. After temporarily closing March 20 to prevent the spread of COVID-19, The Natural State’s Welcome Centers are once again open to the…
What am I doing? Sitting in my comfy chair, feet propped up, watching TV. This requires no real investment on my part. I can consciously pay attention or doze off, which ever is most appealing.
OLT Welcomes Patrons Back to “Movie Night!”
Today’s guest column is written by Kathy Fettke is co-CEO of Real Wealth Network and bestselling author of Retire Rich with Rentals. She is an active real estate investor, licensed real estate agent, and former mortgage broker, specializing in helping people build multi-million-dollar real e…
Susceptible – “likely or liable to be influenced or harmed by a particular thing.” Take note, it said “harmed.”
Beauty shops and barber shops open. Turtle Cover Spa opens. Restaurants open with limited inside seating. Tourists are arriving. This is supposed to be good news, right? I mean our economy is a tourist economy so we need those tourists, don't we? And heaven knows we need our hair cut.
God asked a lot of pointed questions in the Bible. Those questions are worthy of our attention. Isaiah chapter 6 opens by giving us a date, the year that King Uzziah died, about 740 B.C. We are not told for certain, but it appears that Isaiah is in The Temple worshipping. That is always a…
"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
On December 7, 1941, Japanese forces staged a surprise attack on the American naval fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. In a two-hour attack, Japanese planes sank or damaged 18 warships and destroyed 164 aircraft. Over 2,400 servicemen and civilians lost their lives. The very next day, the United…
By chapter nine, the last chapter of Amos, God is through delivering His promises of judgment and punishment to His chosen people. The window of opportunity for repentance and restoration has closed. There is a lesson there for us. Do not presume upon the goodness, mercy, and grace of God…
The front range was glistening with fresh snow as we traveled north out of Denver. Well over a foot of snow had recently blanketed the area. My mind drifted back to the many winters I spent along the front range. During my twenty years in the area, I lived in Dacono, Frederick, Erie, and Lov…
Spring is approaching! The first day of Spring is on March 19 this year! With Spring comes new life, new growth, and new opportunity. This year, I highly encourage you to incorporate more green in your life! Gardening, hiking, and spending time outdoors are just a few great ways to recalibra…
My head felt like someone had shaken it until it bruised inside. My throat was so sore that it was hard to swallow. I alternated between feeling like I would burst into flames and intense chills. I couldn’t remember when I had felt this bad. When I first started feeling sick, I was returning…
After many months of searching her lineage back to an American Revolutionary War Patriot, Brenda Cunningham finally found the proof she needed for DAR membership. Both Brenda and her daughter, Amanda, became members of the James K. Polk Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution last Oct…
What is your favorite season? I've always been a big fan of spring. There is nothing like the anticipation of springtime after three long months of winter. Crisp air, budding trees, greening grass, and blooming flowers make spring an amazing time. I have never liked winter. Short days and co…
Our Mena Community Chorus is part of a concert at UA Rich Mountain on Thursday, February 13th, the day before Valentine‘s Day, a day of love. Last Monday, at our rehearsal, our director, Stephanie Tapley, requested that we send her photos of ourselves with those we love, to be shown as a ba…
Clothes are expensive. That’s just a fact. The heavier duty they are, the pricier they are, especially jeans. So when our clothes start to wear and tear, I have to get a little creative to make them last as long as they can. I’m very glad that my mother taught me skills on the farm as a chil…
The little red-haired girl crept to the back of the hallway and sat with her back against the door of the linen closet. The soaring music of the movie had started, and the story scrolled up the screen of the 19-inch Zenith television. A tiny silver spacecraft races through space while being …
Amos was an uneducated farmer, but the Lord called him to perform the function of a prophet. His prophetic words recorded in Amos 3 ought to inspire us and motivate us to heed what the Lord says. Chapter 3 begins with the Lord reminding the nation of Israel that He had chosen them to be H…
“A fist kissed his chin as a knee was raised into his stomach. Someone grabbed a handful of hair and yanked his head backwards twisting his neck; another fist and another fist crushing his nose, loosening his teeth. He wrenched free from his brothers only to collapse double-over to the groun…
Happy New Year! Although I can’t believe 2020 is here already, I am excited to see what the New Year has to offer. Many folks will be thinking on the same thing this week: New Years resolutions. Some common resolutions include losing weight, toning up, setting financial goals, or picking up …
Another year has arrived. It is a time of celebration for the present, of reflection for the past, and of hope for the future. In some areas, the beginning of the year marks new laws going into effect or the inauguration of some local officials. And it also means some retailers are now we…
The young man stood at the counter, ordering a gallon of paint. “I need a gallon of synthetic enamel for a 1971 Oldsmobile,” he said to the man behind the counter. “It is brown, and the paint code is 68.”
Amos was a shepherd and grower of sycamore figs. He lived in the southern kingdom of Judah, not far from Jerusalem. God sent him to the northern kingdom of Israel with a message of judgment because the people had rejected God and turned to idols. Amos began with pronouncements of judgme…
Ahaziah, son of Ahab and Jezebel, reigned for about two years as the king of Israel. Ahaziah was a worshipper of Baal and a doer of wickedness just like his parents. Apparently, he was very, very wicked, because Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, had his work destroyed by the Lord simply because…
The air was heavy, and thick clouds blotted out stars. The Hyundai’s headlights seemed to disappear as they tried to illuminate the jet-black highway. My granddaughter and I were up and on the road before dawn. She had spent a week with us, but now we were on our way to her home in Louisiana…
Ahab, king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, were planning a joint attack against Benhadad at Ramoth-Gilead. Jehoshaphat wisely suggested that they inquire of Jehovah first. Ahab gathered his 400 prophets, who seem to be more aligned with Baal than Jehovah. They were most aligne…
“The priests will carry the Ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth. As soon as their feet touch the water, the flow of water will be cut off upstream, and the river will stand up like a wall.”
Mrs. Langford stood in front of the class lecturing on whatever poem we were studying that day. But my mind was miles away. I was interested in space, science, sports, and that one particular beautiful blonde girl. “Old poetry was boring,” I thought. My grade in the class reflected my intere…
Cautiously moving forward, he loosened his sword belt allowing it to fall to the ground. Then uneasily, he worried at first with one sandal and then the next. Unarmed and barefooted, he made his approach toward the God of all creation. The God that spoke the worlds into existence, hung the s…
The sunshine felt good as we headed down the trail on a crisp November afternoon. Leaves drifted down in the light breeze, and soft muted fall colors were all around us. The light of the sun filtered through the tree foliage on each side of the trail. I was finally on the trail to Whitaker P…
The wicked King Ahab, in control of the whole country, began to covet the vineyard of a man named Naboth. Ahab offered to purchase the vineyard, but Naboth refused the offer because it was the inheritance of his ancestors. Ahab decided to pout, and he pouted so effectively that his wicked…
Do you know anyone who talks too much? Do you ever talk too much yourself? Has talking too much ever brought trouble on anyone you know? I must confess that I have to answer yes to all three questions. Solomon and the Holy Spirit point out this problem in Ecclesiastes 10. We ought to …
The older Chevy van pulled into my driveway as I was installing a windshield. The van’s owner, Tom, climbed out of the van and came over to talk with me. He was having a problem with the windshield and wanted to see what we could do about it. We discussed the issue and scheduled a time to wo…
“It doesn’t make any sense. Our farm is here. Our house is here. All of your son’s friends are here,” he insisted as he slammed their bedroom door. “It’s not time to move. We don’t just up and leave. What about all of our hard work?” Her husband was angry and short sighted, but she knew he w…
Gripping a shard of broken pottery, he picked at his festering sores. He was seated in the ashes of yesterday’s disappointments surrounded by the hopelessness of another waning day. Yesterday looked like today which resembled tomorrow. His family was destroyed. His wealth was depleted. His r…
A gray streak shot across the driveway as I pulled my shop truck up to the door of my business. “What was that,” I thought, as I got out of my truck and unlocked the door. It was time to open my shop for the day. I had a very busy day scheduled and was in a hurry to get started. As I turned …
False pride and rebellion against authority cause many of our problems. Adam and Eve rebelled against God’s clear command. I have inherited that bent toward rebellion and not only am I inclined to rebel, sadly I do rebel. It is a sad fact of human nature, that when someone tells us what t…
Standing by himself, he tugged at his clothing trying somehow to just disappear. Abandoned and alone, fear choked out faith and depression robbed him of reason. He had fled a defeated foe and was hiding from an imagined fate. He was running from the Queen. The prophet of old was hiding in a cave.
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