Stories by Caitlan Butler

Strong-Huttig hosting open house for STAR Academy The Strong-Huttig School District is inviting the community to an open house event for its STAR Academy, a program introduced for the district's seventh and eighth graders this school year. "Basically... December 5, 2022

UCAPS struggling to keep up with growing animal population In spite of their best efforts, the Union County Animal Protection Society is having a very hard time keeping up with the stray animal population in the county, one of the nonprofit's board members to... December 4, 2022

Library Board meeting cancelled until further notice The Union County Public Library System's Board of Directors will not meet on Dec. 6, Board President Ken Goudy said. The meeting's cancellation was announced in a post on the Barton Library's Facebook... December 3, 2022

Treasurer's Office back online; cyber attack under investigation The Union County Treasurer's Office is back up and running after a cyberattack forced county officials to halt use of some technology earlier this month. Apprentice Information Systems, Inc., a techno... December 1, 2022

Local taxes unchanged The taxes to be levied by Union County on real and personal property owned by residents in 2022 won't be any higher or lower than they were in 2021, per an ordinance passed by the county Quorum Court ... November 28, 2022

County considering new rule for trash pick-up The Union County Quorum Court discussed ways to prevent roadside trash from building up on local highways during their regular meeting this month, and will likely take action on a proposal from County... November 27, 2022

New dispatch center could be ready by late 2023 It will take about a year, but the work to consolidate the two 911 dispatch centers in Union County will soon be underway, County Judge Mike Loftin told Justices of the Peace during a regular Quorum C... November 26, 2022

Worship service postponed A worship service that was scheduled for this evening has been postponed. Myrtis Hooks, organizer of the concert, said that due to a death in her family, she has been called out of town today. A new d... November 25, 2022

Bond set at $30K for shooting suspect Bond was set for shooting suspect Thomas Jerry, 71, at $30,000, cash or corporate surety, late Wednesday afternoon. Jerry is facing felony charges of first-degree battery following a roadside shooting... November 25, 2022

[email protected]'s doors close [email protected] has held its final evening service, the restaurant announced in a post on its Facebook page Wednesday."Even though our time in El Dorado has come to an end, we are grateful for the f... November 24, 2022

Downtown businesses offering Black Friday sales tonight After enjoying a Thanksgiving meal with family today, local residents are invited to get a jump-start on their holiday shopping in downtown El Dorado. Downtown businesses will open this evening from 8... November 24, 2022

One in custody following roadside shooting; victim stable One suspect is in custody following a roadside shooting incident that occurred Wednesday morning.Thomas Jerry, 71, faces felony charges of first-degree battery and early Wednesday afternoon was awaiti... November 23, 2022

Fire safety important at holiday time Thanksgiving is fast approaching, and El Dorado Fire Department Chief Chad Mosby is urging the community to take steps to stay safe in the kitchen and outdoors.According to the National Fire Protectio... November 23, 2022

Children's librarian fired from Barton Library Karla Nelson, longtime children's librarian at the Barton Library, was fired from her position last week.Michael O'Connell, executive director of the Union County Public Library System, confir... November 22, 2022

Louisiana man spots bears while deer hunting in Huttig A Louisiana man recently had to share a deer he hunted in Huttig with a family of black bears. Jerry Sepulvado, of Calhoun, Louisiana, is a member of the LaPere hunting club in Union County. He knew l... November 20, 2022

Criminal investigation opened into alleged attack on ASP officer by Strong football player State police are investigating an alleged attack on a special agent of the Arkansas State Police by a Strong High School football player. ASP Public Information Officer Bill Sadler said Thursday that ... November 18, 2022

PHOTO: Whataburger opens for business Whataburger opened its doors to customers on Tuesday. The Texas-based fast food restaurant is known for its hamburgers. Construction of the local franchise has been ongoing since June, when a groundbr... November 17, 2022

Worship service aimed at bringing community together In many ways, it's been a dark year for El Dorado. Homicides are up, the COVID pandemic continues and political division seems unending. Myrtis Hooks, an El Dorado native and member of the El Dorado H... November 17, 2022

Local firefighters helping fight wildfires in Kentucky Two Union County men spent their weekends helping firefighters in Kentucky battle wildfires that have burned more than 15,000 acres of land since Oct. 1. According to a press release issued by the Ark... November 16, 2022

Interfaith food pantry seeking community's support The Interfaith Help Services food pantry has been providing assistance for families in Union County for 30 years, but with inflation at an all-time high, the nonprofit is having a harder time every mo... November 13, 2022

Thurber's tail: How not to name a puppy! By Tom Purcell Friends turned on friends. Family members spoke ill of other family members. Strangers on social media wrote posts that are unprintable in most newspapers. That's what happened 21 month... November 12, 2022

Treasurer's office goes low-tech after security breach The Union County Treasurer's office was possibly cyber-attacked last weekend in what might have been an attempt to interfere in the midterm elections, Jody Cunningham, incoming treasurer and current a... November 12, 2022

Library millage fails with less than 30% of vote Voters rejected the Union County Public Library System's bid to increase its funding with a .6 mill increase on Tuesday, with fewer than a third of voters casting ballots in favor of the millage. The ... November 11, 2022

Brock wins Smackover mayoral race Republican Donald Brock has won the race to serve as Mayor of Smackover, besting incumbent Mayor Bobby Neal, D, as well as Independent Donald Hopkins. Brock, who currently serves on the Union County Q... November 10, 2022

Polk keeps Quorum Court seat; Hamaker newest JP Incumbent Justice of the Peace Cecil Polk, D, will continue to serve on the Union County Quorum Court following Tuesday's General Election, and Republican Phillip Hamaker will join the body as Dis... November 9, 2022

Issue with absentee ballots slows counting; voters report long waits Another election has passed, and between early, absentee and Election Day voting, Union County residents showed up in droves to make sure their voices were heard.But, it seems, no election would be co... November 8, 2022

Second concession kiosk likely not ready til next year The Union County Quorum Court learned last month that one of two concessions kiosks at the El Dorado-Union County Recreation Complex won't be ready to begin serving customers from until next year. Dis... November 6, 2022

Veterans Day observation planned for Friday The American Legion Post 10 will present a Veterans Day observance ceremony in downtown El Dorado on the holiday, which this year falls on Friday, Nov. 11 . Jerry Earnest, an officer at Post 10, said ... November 6, 2022

Marine turned firefighter talks about service Morgan Jones always knew he wanted to join the military. The Marine Corps veteran said he decided early on that he would join up after hearing his grandfather Gene's stories about his time serving dur... November 6, 2022

County to put solar project up for bids Union County Judge Mike Loftin announced last month that he planned to put a solar energy project for the county out for bids. The announcement followed two presentations from representatives of McKin... November 5, 2022

County officials working to craft '23 budget The Union County Quorum Court will consider a proposal for the 2023 operating budget next month, and last month, they got a preview of what next year's budget might look like. During their regular mon... November 4, 2022

The painful story of John Fetterman's embarrassing debate By Salena Zito EXPORT, Pennsylvania -- For the first time in this election cycle, most of the people sitting around the restaurant bar casually watching the debate saw the depth of the effects of the ... November 4, 2022

Firefighters testing hydrants to keep residents' insurance rates low Blue, sunny skies and a fall breeze evidently make for the perfect days to test out some of the city's 800-plus fire hydrants, as El Dorado firefighters did on Wednesday. Local residents may have noti... November 3, 2022

Burn ban lifted; Loftin still urges caution Union County Judge Mike Loftin on Monday lifted the burn ban the county had been under since Oct. 4, but local residents are still urged to be careful if burning outdoors.A brief press release issued ... November 1, 2022

Little Rock woman's books added to ESD, Mahony libraries The El Dorado School District and South Arkansas Community College will soon be adding two new books to their catalogs courtesy of Little Rock author Phyllis Hodges. "Girl Power" and "8 Years of Unfor... October 31, 2022

First Financial raises over $52K for United Way; VP gets pie in the face Helping others is its own reward, but First Financial Bank Executive Vice President Craig Mobley got an extra treat following the bank's recent fundraiser for United Way of Union County. On Friday, th... October 30, 2022

Sandy Gross is helping girls and boys with cancer feel like princesses and pirates "When Corrie was dying, I would stand by her bed and she said, 'Promise me my babies will know who I was and that I loved them, and that you'll help other people with cancer the way people have helped... October 30, 2022

New Treasurer appointed, sworn in The Union County Quorum Court briefly convened Friday morning to appoint a new Treasurer to serve the county for the rest of the year. Before the new Treasurer could be voted on and sworn in, Justices... October 29, 2022

Quorum Court to appoint new Treasurer The Union County Quorum Court will hold a specially-called meeting today to appoint a new Treasurer.Lexie Kelley, who was appointed to the position in May following former Treasurer Debbie Ray's r... October 28, 2022

Exhibit transforms history museum into turn-of-the-century funeral parlor Historic preservation takes on a whole new meaning in the South Arkansas Historical Preservation Society's temporary exhibit showcasing antiquated embalming and funeral equipment.Dr. Tommy Lester,... October 27, 2022

County awarded nearly $200K over 2 years Union County has been awarded nearly $100,000 through a provision of the American Rescue Plan, Justices of the Peace learned during their monthly Quorum Court meeting last week.Jody Cunningham, admini... October 26, 2022

Record number of Americans have bank accounts, gov't says By KEN SWEETAP Business WriterNEW YORK (AP) -- The number of Americans who do not have a bank account fell to a record low last year, as the proliferation of online-only banks and an improving economy... October 26, 2022

Early voting starts today Early voting for the 2022 general election starts today, and will continue through Monday, Nov. 7, the day before Election Day.All early voting will take place at the El Dorado Municipal Auditorium, 1... October 24, 2022

Quorum Court unanimously approves Christmas bonuses The Union County Quorum Court met Thursday, and one item on the agenda was Christmas bonuses for county employees. Finance committee chair and Justice of the Peace for District 1 Mike Dumas introduced... October 23, 2022

Local candidates share their views ahead of early voting, Election Day Another election is upon us, and this year, local residents across Union County will have the opportunity to choose the top executives in their municipalities, along with city council members, justice... October 22, 2022

Editor's note: Ballot will have two county clerk candidates, but one has dropped out A second candidate for the position of Union County Clerk, Crystal Osgood, withdrew from the race in September, citing a new job at her daughter's school.Because the ballots for this election had ... October 22, 2022

Metal detectors, bag searches implemented at EHS The El Dorado School District is stepping up campus security following a weapon-related incident Thursday that resulted in an El Dorado High School student's arrest. According to a statement from Supe... October 22, 2022

SAAC breaks ground as renovations begin The South Arkansas Arts Center officially broke ground on the multi-million dollar "Reaching Higher" facility renovations that the nonprofit began fundraising for in June. Construction on the arts cen... October 21, 2022

Twitter secrets By John Stossel I love Twitter. I love it because when I joined, I "followed" people, so I get to learn what they think. I also learn what the crowd thinks, and sometimes I get breaking news. Hooray f... October 20, 2022

HealthWorks marks 20 years in community HealthWorks Fitness Center celebrated its 20th anniversary on Tuesday, highlighting the two decades that have passed since the YMCA transitioned to SHARE Foundation ownership and all the changes that ... October 19, 2022

Stories by Caitlan Butler

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