Ledger Email Addresses Changing Effective Immediately
Effective at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18, the primary email addresses for the Ashley County Ledger will all change.
HSD Board Picks Jim Hargis for Vacant Seat
The Hamburg School Board has a new and an old member at the same time after the board voted during a special meeting on Monday night, June 29, to name Jimmy Hargis to fill a vacancy. John Byrd resigned from the board after he moved out of the attendance zone he represented. The board accepted Byrd's resignation Monday night and then voted unanimously for Hargis to fill the seat. Mike Hartley was the only other person mentioned during the discussion. The board members apparently felt that Hargis was familiar with the district and what is going on from his prior service and so selected him. The appointment is good only until the school elections in September when the seat will be up for a one year term. Hargis served on the board for several years until his wife was selected as elementary dean of students when he resigned. She is no longer in that position.
Crossett Board Reviews Handbook Working, Hires Staff, Oks Stipends
In a five minute special Crossett School Board meeting on Monday night, June 29, members viewed the final wording of a policy change as it will appear in the 2009-10 parent/student handbook, approved increased stipends for additional duties, and hired several certified staff members.
Max Dyson Takes Over As Head of Hamburg Schools this Wednesday
After six years as the Hampton School District Superintendent, Max Dyson takes the post as Hamburg's Superintendent of Schools on Wednesday of this week, and he is looking forward to the challenge.
Ark. Supreme Court Overturns Verdict In Crowder Murder Case
The Arkansas Supreme Court reversed and remanded the 2008 capital murder and kidnaping convictions and sentence of a Desha County man in a split decision released by the court on Thursday, June 25.
Hamburg Native’s Ph. D. Dissertation May Help Farmers with Choices of Urea Fertilizer
Rice farmers in Arkansas may eventually be able to more effectively choose a polymer-coated urea fertilizer as a result of the graduate studies of a Hamburg native. Bobby Golden, son of Ricky and June Golden and the husband of Olivia Ladd Golden, recently graduated from the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville's Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences with a Doctor of Philosophy degree with his dissertation focusing on Nitrogen release.
Authorities Seeking Public Help in Finding Former Wilmot Resident
The Ashley County Sheriff's Department is seeking assistance from the public in locating a man sought for questioning by authorities in California.
State Police Seek Help in Locating Discount Store Burglar
A series of discount store burglaries across four states has led to the Arkansas State Police joining with other law nforcement jurisdictions to investigate the crimes and attempt to identify any suspects.
County Judge Bans Outdoor Burning, Fireworks
(Updated) The celebration of Independence Day on Saturday may be a quiet one this year unless there is rain or unless a person attends the annual fireworks show sponsored by First National Bank of Crossett Saturday night.
Hamburg’s Council Discusses Possibility of Annexing Areas Left Out of City Boundaries
With only about eight months left before the next official census on April 1, 2010, the members of the Hamburg City Council on Monday night June 22, discussed the possibility of annexing areas to the city which are now in rural parts of Ashley County even though those areas receive city services.
Crossett’s Council Adjusts Budget To Provide for Ambulance Equipment
Adjusting the budget and an update on the purchase of a garbage truck took up most of Crossett's City Council meeting held on Monday night, June 15.
New Seat Belt Law Effective Next Tuesday; No Belt Is Primary Offense
Beginning June 30, Arkansas' seat belt law changes to permit a law enforcement traffic stop based on the primary violation of a motor vehicle driver or front-seat passenger who is not buckled-up. Arkansas becomes the 27th state to enact primary seat belt legislation.
ACMC Hosts Summer Programs for Junior & High School Students
Ashley County Medical Center completed its annual Medical Applications of Science for Health (MASH) and Community Health Action in Medical Public Service (CHAMPS) programs recently.
Hamburg School Board Decides to Hire Construction Manager, Adopts Policies
The regular meeting of the Hamburg School Board on Monday night, June 15, marked the last meeting for Marilyn Chambers to serve the district as the interim superintendent, a post she has been holding for the past eleven months. Max Dyson will take over as the new superintendent on July 1. The board considered a number of items in the regular meeting Monday, including one left over from a previous meeting.
Greg Johnson to Take Over as Head Coach for Eagles
In a special board meeting Thursday night, June 11, Crossett School Board members approved the hiring of Greg Johnson as head football coach at the high school on a 240 day contract. With board president Robert Cornelius and member Raymond Blair absent, the board hired Johnson following a thirty minute interview in executive session and days after the board accepted the resignation of Todd Ledford, head football coach and athletic director. Ledford's resignation will be effective June 30.
Crossett Board Reviews Plans for New Wellness Center at Anderson
Proposed floor plans for the Anderson Wellness Center, a proposed budget for the stimulus funds, presentations, bids, and renewals were addressed during Crossett School Board's regular meeting held on Monday night, June 8.
Justices Approve Financing Agreement for County Judge
The Ashley County Quorum Court's regular meeting on Tuesday, June 9, was a routine one with only a few action items on the agenda.
Interim Estimates Indicate Population of Ashley County, South Arkansas Decreasing
With the 2010 census only about ten months away, population estimates for Ashley County, as well as other Southern Arkansas counties, show that the area's population is continuing its downward trend. The population estimates come from the U. S. Census Bureau's "Annual Estimates for the Resident Population of the Counties of Arkansas: April 1, 2000, to July 1, 2008."
Hamburg School Attendance Up In Spite of County’s Loss of Population
Even though the population of Ashley County has been showing a general decline since the last census on April 1, 2000, the enrollment of the Hamburg School District has increased almost every year since then.
Hamburg’s Board Finalizes Plans For Stimulus Funding
The Hamburg School Board, in a special meeting at noon on Monday, June 8, approved an outline for the expenditure of federal and state stimulus funds and also finalized plans for building projects. And as part of the building plans, the board also in effect discussed the reorganization of the district into a middle school and high school rather than junior high and high school.
Three County School Board Seats Up For Election this Fall
Three seats, two in Hamburg and one in Crossett, will be up for grabs in the September 15 school board election.
60 Year Old Cypress ‘Culvert’ Still Effective, Local Logger Discovers
In the years shortly after World War II, John W. Spivey was just starting his timber business and was putting out logs on Big Bearhouse Creek in southern Drew County near where the Bearhouse Plaza Deer Camp is located.
Aldermen Question Legal Defense Fee, Change Rule to Call Meetings
The Hamburg City Council, in its regular meeting held on Tuesday, May 25, because of the observance of Memorial Day on Monday, approved an ordinance allowing council members or the mayor to call special sessions, discussed an appropriation for the Hamburg Area Chamber of Commere and voted to pay $3,000 to the legal defense fund of the Arkansas Municipal League for the cost of defending an EEOC complaint.
County’s Tax Delinquent Land Sale Nets $31,992
Commissioner of State Lands Mark Wilcox conducted an auction of Ashley County tax-delinquent properties recently at the courthouse in Hamburg. A total of 14 interested bidders attended the sale, which is held annually by the state to dispose of land on which the taxes have been past due over four years. The state land office reported the sale of eight parcels collecting $31,922.33 in revenue for Ashley County and state government.
Crossett Airport Approved For $107,024 Grant For Runway Rehabilitation
U.S. Representative Mike Ross (AR-04) along with U.S. Senators Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor Friday announced that the City of Crossett will receive $107,025 from the Department of Transportation to help complete the rehabilitation of a runway and connecting taxiway at Z. M. "Jack" Stell Field in Crossett.
Crossett Chamber's Annual Buddy Bass Tournament Postponed
Faced with challenges of Mother Nature, the Crossett Area Chamber of Commerce has been forced to reschedule their annual Buddy Bass Tournament. “Due to the excessively high water levels which create both added safety risks and logistical issues, the Crossett Area Chamber of Commerce has opted to officially postpone the 24th Annual Buddy Bass Tournament from its originally set date of Saturday, June 6. The new date for the tournament will be Saturday, August 22, allowing ample time for water levels to return to normal,” states tournament director and current Chamber board president Sylvia White.
Hamburg’s Seniors Receive Scholarships Worth over $904,000
Graduation time came for the Hamburg High School Class of 2009 on Thursday, May 21. The class, smaller than normal, had only 90 graduates. And, even though a light rain shower moved through the area during the middle of the program, the festivities continued unabated.
HSD Gets Good News from State on Building Projects
The Hamburg School District received a letter this past week approving changes in the district's request for state assistance for planned building programs. A letter from Douglas C. Eaton, Director of Arkansas Public Academic Facilities and Transportation, confirmed a conversation with Marilyn Chambers, the Hamburg superintendent of schools, in which the state reversed itself.
Eagle Ministries Distributes Food for First Time from New Building in Wilmot
Eagle Family Ministry and community volunteers met with drivers of the Feed the Children truck in Wilmot to distribute non-perishable food items in the newly constructed pantry on Thursday, April 16.
