Arkansas State News

MacArthur Museum receives recognition at Statewide Museum Conference

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 17:30:35 +0000

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History has been recognized with an award at the Arkansas Museums Association annual business meeting held online.

The museum received the Outstanding Achievement in Education award for its youth literacy program, the Reading Brigade.

The Brigade serves students in Pre-K through fifth grade. The lessons consist of reading a book aloud with students that relate to U.S. Military History followed by other activities that meet the common core standards in literacy.

Those activities include crafts, drawing, character analysis, and plot mapping as well as many others.

In the past year, they have expanded programs including an invitation to a new school. Last year the program had over 11,000 students through the Little Rock School District, Little Rock Parks and Recreation Summer Playground program.

The museum program coordinator, Reveille Isgrig, is working currently to bring the Reading Brigade into the virtual world by online programming during COVID.

The museum opened in May of 2001 and it seeks to educate local, state, national, and international visitors about Arkansas’s military heritage. It is operated under the City of Little Rock’s Parks and Recreation Department.

For more information click here.

Natural gas line catches fire in Fort Smith

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 17:14:27 +0000

UPDATE: Crews are still working to determine what caused the gas line to bust.

Fred Kirkwood is the chief customer officer with the Arkansas-Oklahoma gas company.

He said the fire happened near the First National Bank.

He said thanks to the quick action taken by firefighters and police, they were able to contain the fire which resulted in no major property damage. He also said no one was hurt.

“Because of that leadership and coordination we were able to work together to protect the public’s safety and address the situation,” he said.

Kirkwood said as a precautionary measure, 20 customers has their gas services shut off, most of which have been restored today.

ORIGINAL STORY:

FORT SMITH, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — A natural gas line busted in Fort Smith and caught fire, said Capt. Ethan Millard with the Fort Smith Fire Department.

The fire at Massard Road and Zero Street near the First National Bank in Fort Smith broke out around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Millard said there are no known injuries at this time.

Fort Smith Police are blocking the area off to traffic. The gas company is working to shutoff the gas line feeding the fire.

According to a Facebook post by Sebastian County Emergency Management, staff are actively going to sites near by to make sure lines are shutoff and stabilized as this large fire continues, but is contained.

Mandolyn Hilbern who lives near the area describes the noise as “an airplane taking off, or high pressure winds.”

This story is developing.

Natural gas line catches fire in Fort Smith

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 17:13:01 +0000

UPDATE: Crews are still working to determine what caused the gas line to bust.

Fred Kirkwood is the chief customer officer with the Arkansas-Oklahoma gas company.

He said the fire happened near the First National Bank.

He said thanks to the quick action taken by firefighters and police, they were able to contain the fire which resulted in no major property damage. He also said no one was hurt.

“Because of that leadership and coordination we were able to work together to protect the public’s safety and address the situation,” he said.

Kirkwood said as a precautionary measure, 20 customers has their gas services shut off, most of which have been restored today.

ORIGINAL STORY:

FORT SMITH, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — A natural gas line busted in Fort Smith and caught fire, said Capt. Ethan Millard with the Fort Smith Fire Department.

The fire at Massard Road and Zero Street near the First National Bank in Fort Smith broke out around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Millard said there are no known injuries at this time.

Fort Smith Police are blocking the area off to traffic. The gas company is working to shutoff the gas line feeding the fire.

Mandolyn Hilbern who lives near the area describes the noise as “an airplane taking off, or high pressure winds.”

This story is developing.

Searcy firefighters save cats in need of oxygen

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 16:29:26 +0000

SEARCY, Ark. — The Searcy Fire Department is thanking the Searcy Animal Clinic and County Medical Equipment for a donation of life-saving equipment for animals.

Firefighters with the Searcy Fire Department were able to save three cats that were in a house fire last week that desperately needed oxygen.

Way to go!

Searcy firefighters save cats in need of oxygen

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 16:28:22 +0000

SEARCY, Ark. — The Searcy Fire Department is thanking the Searcy Animal Clinic and County Medical Equipment for a donation of life-saving equipment for animals.

Firefighters with the Searcy Fire Department were able to save three cats that were in a house fire last week that desperately needed oxygen.

Way to go!

World’s Championship Duck Calling Contest & Wings Over the Prairie Festival postponed to Thanksgiving weekend

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 16:23:32 +0000

STUTTGART, Ark. — The World Championship Duck Calling Contest and Wings Over the Prairie Festival will be hosted Thanksgiving Weekend in Downtown Stuttgart.

The organizers of this event say they have been closely monitoring COVID and based on the degree of uncertainty they made the decision to postpones the festival to Thanksgiving weekend (scheduled for November 21-28, 2010)

People who have already qualified for the World’s Championship will automatically qualify for the 2021 World’s Championship. 2020 was scheduled to be a year for the Champion of Champions contest as well as the Senior World’s Contest. These will now be held in 2021.

The Duck Gumbo Cook-off and Queen Mallard Pageants will also be held in 2021.

For more information click here or go to stuttgartarkansas.org.

World’s Championship Duck Calling Contest & Wings Over the Prairie Festival postponed to Thanksgiving weekend

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 16:22:09 +0000

STUTTGART, Ark. — The World Championship Duck Calling Contest and Wings Over the Prairie Festival will be hosted Thanksgiving Weekend in Downtown Stuttgart.

The Duck Gumbo Cook-off and Queen Mallard Pageants will also be held in 2021.

For more information click here or go to stuttgartarkansas.org.

Springdale police search for runaway 14-year-old

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 16:09:56 +0000

SPRINGDALE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — The Springdale Police Department is asking for the public’s help finding a ‘runaway’ 14-year-old girl.

Melinda Gillespie, 14, was last seen on Sunday, September 13 at approximately 11 p.m. at her home in Springdale.

She is 5 feet, 3 inches tall and approximately 145 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.

According to police, Gillespie has a medical condition that requires medication, and it is unknown if she took any with her when she left her residence.

Police say they have no reason to believe Melinda was “taken or being held against her will.”

If you have any information about her whereabouts, please call the Springdale Police Department at (479) 751-4542, or the Criminal Investigation Division at (479) 750-8139.

Springdale police search for runaway 14-year-old

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 16:08:56 +0000

SPRINGDALE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — The Springdale Police Department is asking for the public’s help finding a ‘runaway’ 14-year-old girl.

Melinda Gillespie, 14, was last seen on Sunday, September 13 at approximately 11 p.m. at her home in Springdale.

She is 5 feet, 3 inches tall and approximately 145 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.

According to police, Gillespie has a medical condition that requires medication, and it is unknown if she took any with her when she left her residence.

Police say they have no reason to believe Melinda was “taken or being held against her will.”

If you have any information about her whereabouts, please call the Springdale Police Department at (479) 751-4542, or the Criminal Investigation Division at (479) 750-8139.

Rape suspect crashes head-on with deputy during multi-county pursuit, deputy hurt

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 16:07:47 +0000

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — The Madison County Sheriff’s Office and Fayetteville Police were involved in a pursuit early Friday morning.

Fayetteville officers were asked to follow up on a rape suspect in the 4200 block of Valley Lake drive around midnight after a shots heard call but didn’t find anyone.

Police then received info that the suspect was in Fayetteville. Fayetteville Police located the suspect Jonathan Jerrell, Jr., 25, around 3:45 a.m. when an officer got into a pursuit that headed towards Madison County.

Jonathan Jerrell, Jr., 25

Madison County Sheriff Rick Evans said Fayetteville Police alerted the Sheriff’s Office that officers were in pursuit and headed toward the county.

Once the suspect entered Madison County, deputies took over.

Evans said the suspect was headed east down Highway 412 when Jerrell entered the westbound lane crashing head-on with a Madison County deputy around 4:30 a.m near Huntsville.

Evans said the crash happened on the front passenger side of the deputies vehicle.

Both Jerrell and the deputy were taken to a nearby hospital to be checked out, according to Evans.

The deputy suffered minor injuries and the suspect was treated and taken to the Washington County Jail.

“The deputy was bruised up,” Evans said. “He’s going to be okay.”

Both the suspect’s vehicle and the deputies cruiser are held in an impound lot and the incident is still under investigation.

Rape suspect crashes head-on with deputy during multi-county pursuit, deputy hurt

Fri, 18 Sep 2020 16:05:25 +0000