News

The death toll attributed to COVID-19 in Carroll County continues to rise, with one additional death reported since last week, bringing the total to 34. According to data released by the Arkansas Department of Health on Tuesday morning, there have been 2,408 cases of the novel coronavirus reported in the county since the pandemic began, including 2,070 lab-confirmed cases. As of Tuesday, 2,209 were classified as “recovered” and 165 were still considered “active.”...

The Eureka Springs Parks and Recreation Commission met for a special called meeting on Jan. 11 to change the list of authorized check signers. Chairwoman Ruth Hager said the commission would need to remove former director Justin Huss, as well as a few former commissioners including Christian Super who resigned earlier this month. The commission would need to add interim director Scott Miskiel and new commissioners to the list, Hager said...

Eureka Springs coach Brian Rambo says his Highlanders are determined to make the best of some tough circumstances this season. Such was the case last week when Eureka Springs beat Yellville-Summit 44-34 for a big conference win on the Panthers’ home court on Tuesday, Jan. 12...

The Eureka Springs City Advertising and Promotion Commission hasn’t paid special events coordinator Tracy Johnson in weeks. While some commissioners say Johnson agreed to transition from contract to full-time work last November, others say Johnson was never hired for the full-time position. Chairwoman Carol Wright said at the commission’s Jan. 13 workshop that the commission would need to call a special meeting to consider hiring Johnson for the position...

The Eureka Springs City Council approved the city’s 2021 budget at its regular meeting Monday night. Mayor Butch Berry kicked off the discussion by explaining that all the new council members received a copy of the budget. He said the budget is “strictly a budget.”...

The Eureka Springs School Board is extending its leave for staff members affected by COVID-19. On Monday night, Superintendent Bryan Pruitt explained that the district received state aid to cover 10 days of COVID-19 leave per staff member in 2020. Pruitt said that aid expired on Dec. 19 but has been extended in 2021 through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Pruitt asked the board to approve the extended leave and the board unanimously agreed to do so...

The Connect 4 board of directors heard some good news during its quarterly meeting on Thursday, Jan. 7.  The technical education program, a cooperative effort between the various school districts in Carroll County and several local businesses and manufacturers, is doing well in its third year, with 55 students enrolled —28 from Green Forest, 21 from Berryville and six from Eureka Springs — with 16 participating in paid apprenticeship programs where they are earning between $11 and $18 an hour. ...

While many hospitals across the country are struggling to deal with another surge of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic — particularly rural hospitals, where beds and staff are limited and space for transfers is limited — Carroll County’s two largest healthcare facilities are weathering the storm without any major problems and are rapidly completing the process of vaccinating their staff against the novel coronavirus...

The Eureka Springs Parks and Recreation Commission has a lot of work to do in 2021, and interim director Scott Miskiel said his team is ready for that challenge. Miskiel, who was named interim director last October after the firing of former director Justin Huss, said he’s working on getting parks finances in order. ...

According to numbers released by the Arkansas Department of Health on Tuesday morning, there were 127 new cases of COVID-19 in the county since last week, with no additional deaths attributed to the novel coronavirus and nearly 130 additional reported recoveries...

The Carroll County Quorum Court will push its monthly meetings back by an hour for the next two years. The court voted 8-1 Monday night to hold its regular meetings at 6 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month. Prosecuting Attorney Tony Rogers had asked the court to consider another day of the week because Mondays are busy days for prosecutors in criminal court and the courtroom of the Carroll County Eastern District Courthouse in Berryville — where the quorum court normally meets — is sometimes not available on Monday nights.. ...

After adopting out 437 animals in 2020, Good Shepherd Humane Society has plans to create new programs to help local animals in 2021. Cole Wakefield, director of animal operations, said he’s working to create a community cat program. The program would be focused in Eureka Springs, Wakefield said, but would expand throughout Carroll County “with the goal of building a cat support community.” Wakefield said a group of volunteers will help save cats through the trap-and-release program, where feral cats are caught, spayed or neutered and released back into their environment.. ...

McKinley Weems spent a good chunk of his life building things, tearing things down, and finding new uses for the odd bits and bobs left over.  On Saturday, Jan. 2, he celebrated his 100th birthday.  The most well-known project Weems, of Eureka Springs, worked on was the Christ of the Ozarks statue on Magnetic Mountain near his hometown. The 67-foot-tall statue — which turns 55 this year — has an arm span of 65 feet and is the largest depiction of Jesus in the United States. ...

The Eureka Springs City Auditorium recently received a $73,707.45 grant through the Arkansas Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Rick Bright, finance director for the city advertising and promotion commission, said he heard about the grant just before Jan. 1. There was additional funding available through the CARES Act, Bright said, that needed to be spent before the year ended. Bright said the grant specifically targeted convention centers and auditoriums...

Two Carroll County cities were among more than 20 honored last week when they were named 2020 Trendsetter Cities by Arkansas Business.  The annual awards, designed to honor cities who are leaders in innovative programs and initiatives for improvement and growth, were presented in six categories for city improvement projects, ranging from Education & Workforce Development, Infrastructure/Water, and Environmental/Green Management Practices to Wellness & Fitness, Public Safety and Tourism Development/Creative Culture. . ...

Carroll County reached a new mark Tuesday morning with a cumulative total of 2,006 COVID-19 cases, along with 30 total deaths — including two in the past week — attributed to the novel coronavirus.   The increases come two weeks after the first shipment of vaccine arrived in the county on Dec. 18, with doses administered to healthcare workers at hospitals in Eureka Springs and Berryville.  ...

Since the COVID-19 pandemic started early this year, local foods banks have served Carroll County residents in need. That’s one thing that will stay the same going into 2021, several food bank representatives reported. _Flint Street Fellowship_ Karen Timm, executive director of Flint Street Fellowship Food Bank in Eureka Springs, said the food bank is still open from 10 a.m. ...

The Eureka Springs Community Center unveiled its new outdoor walking trail in early December, and it’s already become a popular part of the facility. Activities director Cat Luna said the trail is a quarter-mile long and 6 feet wide with a mostly concrete, level surface. ...

Scott Miskiel, interim director of the Eureka Springs Parks and Recreation Department, met for more than two hours on Wednesday, Dec. 23, with parks commissioner Kevin Ruehle and grounds and natural resources manager Dave Renko to review preliminary budget figures for 2021...