The El Dorado Office Depot, 1601 North West Ave., was partially flooded this morning after a water line ruptured in the ceiling. An employee who answered the phone at the store said that more than half of the business was flooded.
••UPDATE••
The store will reopen at 9 a.m. Saturday.
A Union County dump truck overturned outside the headquarters of Noalmark Broadcasting at the corner of North West Avenue and 19th Street Wednesday afternoon, spilling its load onto the building and causing significant structural damage.
No one was injured. Look for more in Thursday’s News-Times.
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The National Weather Service in Shreveport, La., has issued a winter storm warning for Union County until 4 p.m. Friday.
Click here for the latest.
From the National Weather Service in Shreveport, La.:
A winter weather advisory has been issued for South Arkansas through 4 p.m. Friday. Snowfall is expected to begin this afternoon, and overnight, snowfall amounts could total several inches.
Accumulation will first occur on grassy areas and bridges, then on some roadways overnight, according to the NWS.
Early Friday morning commutes could be hazardous, the NWS warns.
Two major events are scheduled for this evening, and as of now, officials say both are going on as planned.
The Mercy Me concert will be held at 7:30 p.m. at the El Dorado Municipal Auditorium, and the South Arkansas Community College Lecture Series, featuring motivational speaker Bill Strickland, kicks off at 7 p.m. at the SouthArk Gymnasium.
Click here for the latest forecast from the NWS.
El Dorado Police Chief Ricky Roberts said that bones found Tuesday at a location off of East Main will be sent to the state crime lab for identification. An EPD investigation team spent the day Wednesday at the site collecting evidence.
Along with bones, Roberts said a shirt was also found.
The exact location of the remains is being withheld due to the ongoing investigation.
Police said a man and his grandson made the grisly discovery and called 911. Look for more in Thursday’s News-Times.
More than 1,000 customers are without power. No details available at this time. Entergy says they are investigating.
**UPDATE** Most customers have power restored, according to the Entergy outage map online. The map shows that a few customers in Lisbon, Mt. Holly and on Mt. Holly Road and Eighth Street in El Dorado are still without power.
**UPDATE 2** The Entergy online map is now indicating that there are still as many as 1,000 customers without power in El Dorado.
**UPDATE 3** Bill Luther, Entergy spokesman, said that officials replaced a fuse at the west substation, but it blew again. “We are still investigating the problem,” he said.
Click here for the Entergy outage map for the latest.
NexGen BioMass, a company that plans to produce wood pellets for stoves in Europe, announced today that it will create 150 permanent jobs at the former Georgia Pacific plant on Junction City Highway.
The facility will begin operations next year with 50 employees and will hire additional workers as production ramps up, according to Robby Hanry, CEO of NexGen BioMass.
Look for more in Friday’s News-Times.
Photo Credit: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/STEVE KEESEE
Information gathered Sunday morning from friends and those close to the Mahony family indicated that Mahony,70, succumbed to the cancer that he had bravely battled for years.
Look for more details in coming issues of the News-Times. Mahony, who had served in both the Arkansas House and Senate, was a leader in education issues throughout his 36-year political career. Afterward, he served as a trusted advisor on many issues facing Arkansas. He will be greatly missed.
Union County Justice of the Peace John Baine said Sunday of Mahony: “He was a class act that made politics fun and interesting, and someone that was always dedicated to better the public. He will be deeply missed by all that knew him.”
Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe issued the following statement Sunday:
“Jodie Mahony never quit. As a legislator, he fought until the end for causes important to him and to the betterment of Arkansans. When term limits dictated that he could no longer serve, Jodie joined the House staff and remained a key advisor on education issues.
“And when the doctors said that cancer had won, Jodie fought and stayed with us far longer than anyone expected. To his final days, you could find Jodie in the Capitol, still upbeat, still working the halls, and still fighting. Arkansas has lost an outstanding man who exemplifies public service in our State. ”
Quotes will be pouring in over the next few days, no doubt.
Click here for the Arkansas Times’ coverage of Mahony’s death, and still more quotes about Mahony’s life.
Visitation will be from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday at Young’s Funeral Directors, 508 Champagnolle in El Dorado. The memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at First Presbyterian Church, with a reception to follow in the Fellowship Hall.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Joseph K. Mahony II Scholarship Fund at the South Arkansas Community College Foundation, 300 South West Avenue, El Dorado, AR 71730, or the First Presbyterian Church of El Dorado, 300 East Main, 71730.
A line of severe storms produced unconfirmed tornados Thursday afternoon in the area of Cairo and Mount Holly in western Union County. Several homes were damaged, and numerous trees were reported down.
In Calhoun and Ouachita counties, damage was reported in Bearden and East Camden.
A tree down at Cleveland and Elm streets in downtown El Dorado
I have been out taking photos and surveying damage from this morning’s storms. Expect photos and updates throughout the day.
Forgive the delay, but this blog is a one-man show most of the time.
What we know so far: Power outages are being reported all over the county — 9,000 in Union County so far. The South Arkansas Art’s Center has major roof damage, and there are a few homes with roof damage.
Junction City High School’s principal is reporting that the campus is currently without power.
**UPDATE**
I didn’t have time to do as much updating on the storm as I wanted today. I was out in it for most of the day. Looks like the South Arkansas Art’s Center is continuing with their regularly scheduled performances, and most schools were back in session Friday afternoon. I’d say the county fared pretty well, considering.
Late Friday afternoon, we heard reports of significant damage on Ebenezer Road in the Strong area.
Townsend
After a search that lasted nearly 36 hours, a man considered by authorities to be the prime suspect in the Sunday murder of a 70-year-old Strong man turned himself in to Union County sheriff’s deputies Tuesday.
Charles Gregory Townsend, 23, of 1408 N. Highland, El Dorado, was arrested on a warrant for murder in connection with the death of Strong resident Earl K. Smith, who was shot twice Sunday night in what Union County Sheriff Ken Jones is calling an armed robbery.
Townsend is being held in the Union County Jail on a $1 million cash only bond. Look for more in Wednesday’s News-Times.
That is, if the U.S. government approves the deal. According to the Wall Street Journal, Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. agreed to sell 64% of new common stock to Brazilian beef giant JBS SA for $800 million plus debt, taking the second-largest U.S. chicken processor out of bankruptcy.
Click here for more.
A fire Friday night destroyed the old Waldo School building, which hasn’t been used in several years. The cause of the fire is unknown.
The footage above was sent to me by a friend from her iPhone. Several fire trucks assisted in fighting the fire.
Jack Reynolds, who was convicted Friday after pleading no contest to a felony charge of aggravated assault, was asked to step down from the El Dorado Water and Sewer Commission on Monday, per a request by Mayor Mike Dumas.
Above, Reynolds is shown walking with his wife and attorney into the courtroom Friday. Photo by John Worthen.
Look for more in Tuesday’s edition of the News-Times
Justice of the Peace Jack Reynolds pleaded no contest Friday to one count of aggravated assault. He is now considered a felon and must relinquish his position on the Union County Quorum Court.
He received five years probation and a $3,000 fine.
Look for more in Saturday’s News-Times.
**NOTE** I captured the above photo inside the courtroom with my camera phone. Reynolds, far left, is addressing special judge Ted Capeheart.
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