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A 300-pound Villager who stands 6 feet 4 inches tall has been sentenced after stalking a resident’s grandson he met through an online dating application. Russell Edward Thompson, 54, of the Village of Springdale, has been placed on probation for three years after pleading no contest last month in Sumter County Court to charges of burglary and theft. A charge of stalking, a charge of criminal mischief and two additional counts of theft were dismissed as part of the plea deal. A man who was living with his 73-year-old grandmother in Village of Santo Domingo met Thompson through an online...

Officials at Zion National Park are grappling with unprecedented amounts of graffiti throughout the park as visitors continue to flock to the canyon. Fagergren said that rangers are dealing with a twofold problem as they try to manage the graffiti. First, the park is seeing a new type of visitor, one who may have never visited a national park before and may only be venturing out as a result of being cooped up due to the pandemic. They are different visitors than we normally get,” Fagergren said, adding that many of them don’t have the same affinity for public lands...

A Springdale man faces multiple alcohol- and violence-related charges after allegedly kicking law officials and later using his shirt to flood his jail cell. According to a preliminary report obtained from the Huntsville Police Department, Jonathan David Perrodin, 33, faces charges of second degree battery on a law enforcement officer, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, DWI, refusal to submit to a chemical test, resisting arrest, driving without proof of insurance, speeding and drinking on a highway. According to the report, Perrodin was pulled over at approximately 1:22 a.m. Sunday after allegedly driving 35 miles per hour in a...

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol says the body of a 22-year-old man has been recovered and a second man is missing after the two went duck hunting and their boat capsized. Patrol Capt. Paul Timmons confirmed Monday that rescuers discovered the body of Chase Marland from Kaw Lake in northern Oklahoma. A second man, 29-year-old Craig Strickland of Springdale, Arkansas, was still missing.

Country singer Craig Strickland is missing just days after a friend posted an ominous tweet that foreshadowed their disappearance. "In case we don't come back, @BackroadCRAIG and I are going right through Winter Storm Goliath to kill ducks in Oklahoma. #IntoTheStorm," Chase Morland, who was on the road with Strickland, tweeted late Saturday. SNIP On Monday, Backroad Anthem, the band that Strickland sings in, revealed that Morland had been found dead. "Everyone please say special prayers for the family of Chase Morland," they wrote on Facebook. "They were very close friends and it is such a heartbreaking loss. Randy Strickland...

A school bus driver is out of the driver’s seat following a video that has been viewed thousands of times. The woman who shot the video says the bus driver constantly runs through stop signs with children from Springdale Elementary School on board. One day, she decided to record what happened on the route and posted it to social media. “I can’t believe someone would have that type of position and that responsibility and neglect it,” Rhonda Brown-Jones told WLWT. “That makes me scared. It makes me frightened because they have other people’s children in their hands and we expect...

Jeannie Burlsworth, Founder and Chairman of Secure Arkansas, is hosting two town hall meetings in Northwest Arkansas which are open to the public and will focus on the impact of illegal immigration on the taxpayers of Arkansas. The first meeting will be held at the Rogers Public Library Monday, August 18 at 6:30 p.m. in the RPL Community Room. The second meeting will be at the Jones Center for Families in Springdale on Tuesday, August 19 at 6:30 p.m. in the Chapel. Jeannie Burlsworth said, "Are you tired of illegal aliens unfairly benefiting from the privileges of citizenship in Arkansas?...

An Arkansas day care teacher is charged with raping a 4-year-old girl during nap time. Police say the incident was caught on closed-circuit video, 4029tv.com reports. Cesar Monarrez, 18, was a part-time employee at the Royal Children's Academy and had worked there for about three or four months. According to an arrest warrant, the alleged victim told authorities on Feb. 5 how Monarrez had touched her inappropriately. The girl told police her privates were burning because "Bubba" touched her with a knife inside his pocket, 4029tv.com reports. Police identified Bubba as Monarrez, and investigators said video shows him pushing his...

SPRINGDALE, Ark. -- A Springdale day care teacher raped a 4-year-old girl in an incident caught on tape, police said. Cesar Monarrez, 18, had worked at the Royal Children's Academy part-time for about three or four months, officials said. According to an arrest warrant for Monarrez, the alleged victim described how he inappropriately touched her. She told authorities that her privates were burning because "Bubba" touched her with a knife inside his pocket. Police identified Bubba as Monarrez, and investigators said closed-circuit video shows him pushing his hands beneath the girl's waistband while she was asleep. Monarrez has been charged...

The medical community is warning the public: a leprosy outbreak in Springdale could blossom into an epidemic, if something isn't done soon. Doctors say at least nine cases of leprosy have been confirmed in Springdale. Local doctors say they would be shocked by even one case of leprosy in their entire career, so they say something must be done soon, in order to stop leprosy's spread. Springdale MD Jennifer Bingham says, "my initial response was: I am shocked. I am shocked we are seeing this. It's a true reason to be very worried." Medical specialists say the Marshall Islands have...

SPRINGDALE - The Arkansas Department of Health in Little Rock says some Northwest Arkansas doctors have wrong information that's leading them to fears of leprosy cases

LITTLE ROCK -- The people of the Republic of the Marshall Islands are among the unhealthiest people in the world. An estimated 6,000-8,000 Marshallese immigrants live in Springdale, AR. and the surrounding areas, of whom 867 are children enrolled in the Springdale School District, Pritchard told the House and Senate Interim Committees on Public Health, Welfare and Labor.Deputy State Health Officer Dr. Joe Bates testified that between 2000 and 2005, Northwest Arkansas had nine cases of congenital syphilis, six of which involved Marshallese; 38 people with infectious syphilis, 21 of whom were Marshallese; and nine cases of leprosy, all Marshallese....

Apr 25, 7:36 PM EDT Ark. Hispanic groups plan rallies, not boycott, for May 1 By DANIEL CONNOLLY Associated Press Writer LITTLE ROCK (AP) -- Demonstrations in favor of giving illegal immigrants a chance at legal status are scheduled in De Queen, Little Rock and Springdale next Monday, three weeks after rallies in those cities attracted thousands of people. But some organizers in Arkansas say they won't support calls by national groups for immigrants to show their economic power Monday by not working or shopping. "We are not supporting or against that (boycott)," said Margarita Solorzano, one of the organizers...

http://www.jimholt.us/email/Radio%20Ad.mp3 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1214231/posts _______ Wednesday, tonight at the Flying Saucer at 7:00pm a voter registration event. What: Little Rock Marvin Parks for Congress September Meetup When: Thursday, September 16 at 7:00PM Where: Denny's 4300 S University Ave Little Rock AR 72204 501-562-5651 ___ THERE WILL BE A MEETING THURSDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 16, 2004, 7-9 P.M. AT JIM HOLT''S CAMPAIGN HEADQUARTERS, 11500 RODNEY PARHAM BEHIND THE BURGER KING. DRIVE THROUGH THE BURGER KING PARKING LOT. HEADQUARTERS IS ON THE 2ND FLOOR AND THERE WILL BE A BIG SIGN OUT FRONT. RECRUIT ANYONE WHO WANTS TO HELP. WE ALSO NEED TO BORROW OFFICE...