Stories by Marvin Richards

SouthArk course fee initiative to lower class costs for students South Arkansas Community College President Dr. Bentley Wallace led a budget and finance committee meeting Friday, with two main agenda items discussed: proposed course fee changes and the non-renewal ... January 15, 2021

Garner voices opposition to hate crimes legislation, Shepherd says he looks forward to dialogue on topic State Sen. Trent Garner (R-El Dorado) is part of the GOP majority in the state legislature looking to defeat a proposed hate crime bill. The bill on the floor would impose up to 20% additional jail t... January 13, 2021

Polyethylene Containers readying for present and beyond Polyethylene Containers, Inc. (PCI) of El Dorado is set to expand its facilities into the old Cooper Tire facility and recently acquired Rehrig Pacific’s product line. PCI products are manufactured u... January 13, 2021

Local man expresses concerns about non-enforcement of mask mandate A Walmart spokesperson asked what local law enforcement’s stance on enforcing the state’s mandate on face masks and COVID-19 guidelines was after questions arose about the local store’s enforcement of... January 10, 2021

Arkansas officials respond to Capitol Hill riots Wednesday’s riots on Capitol Hill by supporters of President Donald Trump have been described by top federal lawmakers, including Senate Majority and Minority leaders Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Chuck ... January 7, 2021

Gordmans no longer locating in El Dorado Plans to transition the Stage retail store that was formerly housed at the Mellor Park Mall into a Gordmans “off-price” fashion store are off after the parent company, Stage Stores, Inc., was purchase... January 5, 2021

Local indoor venues are ready for revised ADH directive Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced a revision to the Arkansas Department of Health’s public health directive regarding indoor venues recently. Venues like the Murphy’s Art District (MAD) and the South Ark... December 30, 2020

Local food banks tackle growing hunger Food insecurity is growing nationwide as the rate of unemployment steadily rises amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), currently, adults ... December 26, 2020

Nursing homes, health care facilities focused on making holiday season special Senior citizens have been one of the hardest hit demographics during the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to some of residents’ vulnerabilities like age and underlying health conditions, nursing homes have had ... December 23, 2020

LifeShare hoping Xbox giveaway will help during holiday season The LifeShare Blood Center will be conducting three separate drawings to give blood donors a chance to win an Xbox Series X. The first drawing took place Monday, with two more planned for today and W... December 21, 2020

HOPE Landing alumna makes sure all can experience magic on ice Madison Livingston, a former student at HOPE Landing, raised $1,255 in 13 hours on Facebook to throw three ice skating parties at the Murphy’s Art District’s (MAD) ice skating rink over three days for... December 20, 2020

Students, teachers recognized at El Dorado School Board meeting The El Dorado School Board held their last regular monthly meeting of 2020 on Dec. 14. A great chunk of the meeting focused on highlighting both the student and staff achievements of Washington Middle... December 20, 2020

VIDEO: MCSA receives its first batch of COVID-19 vaccines for frontline workers The Medical Center of South Arkansas (MCSA) received its first batch of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday morning, Dec. 17. Pfizer started rolling out the vaccine for distribution across the coun... December 17, 2020

ESD goes green: El Dorado School Board commits to 28-year contract for solar power The El Dorado School Board met Monday, where among other agenda items, they considered a proposal to go green with a solar power project devised by the energy company Entegrity. Entegrity, based in L... December 15, 2020

SAAC production of ‘Love Letters’ are also ‘life letters’ for viewers The South Arkansas Arts Center’s production of “Love Letters” by A.R. Gurney will hit the stage on Dec. 18. The show will be held on Dec. 18 and 19 at 7:30 p.m. and Dec. 20 at 2:30 p.m. at SAAC. Ticke... December 11, 2020