News

The Eureka Springs City Council is looking to change the way the city handles private property repairs and cleanup. On Monday night, the council considered a proposed ordinance allowing the city to collect money for cleaning up private property areas that need it. The proposed ordinance says the city may file a lien against the property to do the work, requiring a public hearing where the cost of the work would be determined...

With the Christmas tree lights twinkling in the background Ozarks Chorale director Beth Withey conducts a number at the holiday concert Saturday at the Auditorium.

The Eureka Springs School Board voted Monday to approve an update to the miscellaneous duties salary schedule. Superintendent Bryan Pruitt said the update will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2019, and will raise the bus driver training rate from $8.50 per hour to $9.25 per hour, the substitute rate from $65 per day to $70 per day and the long-term substitute for certified staff rate from $102 per day to $120 per day...

Dec. 3 12:14 p.m. — An officer responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle, but it was gone on arrival. 12:30 p.m. — An officer responded for an accident report. 12:36 p.m. — Carroll County Dispatch requested an officer to respond for a one-vehicle accident with no injuries. An officer responded and took a report...

The ladies of St. James Episcopal Church sipped tea for a good cause at the 52nd annual Silver Tea on Thursday, Dec. 6, at the Crescent Hotel. This year, all proceeds from the event went to A Cup of Love Ministry. David Vanselow, a member of St. James, reported Monday that 350-400 people attended the tea, raising more than $4,000 for A Cup of Love. Kathy McCoy, chairwoman of this year’s tea, said she was happy to donate so much money to the ministry...

Local civic leaders filled the Eureka Springs City Auditorium on Tuesday, Dec. 4, for a workshop on Robert’s Rules of Order. City council member Bob Thomas, who called for the workshop earlier this year, introduced featured speaker Stacey McCullough. McCullough is the director of community and economic development for the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, Thomas said, and she’s held many programs on leadership over the years...

Ryan Sanchez’s mission as the first-year head coach for the Eureka Springs Lady Highlanders is nothing less than completely rebuilding a program. So far, so good. A 52-36 victory over visiting Decatur on Tuesday night improved the Lady Highlanders’ record to 11-9 this season. It was Eureka Springs’ fourth consecutive victory and improved the Lady Highlanders’ record to 3-0 in the 2A-1 conference. That’s quite a turnaround for a team that went a combined 9-77 over the past three seasons...

The Eureka Springs Highlanders stumbled a bit last week, losing a conference game Friday at Flippin. But the Highlanders were back at home Tuesday night, and back to themselves. Led by 22 points from senior guard Garrett Cross, the Highlanders defeated Decatur 51-29...

The Holiday Island Hikers explore the Passion Play Trails on Monday, Dec. 3, in a hike that included a little unplanned bushwhacking. ‘It was fun, and that’s all that counts,’ said Daniel Kees.

Ziggy (No. F18-0052) is an absolutely gorgeous male cat, approximately 7 years old. He has stunning blue eyes and a winning personality. He needs an owner willing to provide canned food. He is an inside-only kitty that loves to play and will bring joy and positive energy to his new home. ...

This week’s Citizen of the Week is Kathy McCoy. McCoy served as the co-chair for this year’s Silver Tea, an event hosted by St. James Episcopal Church benefiting local nonprofits. This year, proceeds from the tea went to A Cup of Love Ministry. To nominate someone for Citizen of the Week, email Samantha Jones at Citizen.Editor.Eureka@gmail.com...

The Eureka Springs Farmers’ Market is now observing winter hours. Your stalwart farmers will be at the Eureka Springs Community Center at 44 Kingshighway from 9 a.m. to noon on Thursdays only. The market will resume its regular season hours (8 a.m. to 1 p.m. ...

The Eureka Springs Marching Band is finishing 2018 with big news, and even bigger plans for the rest of the school year. Band director Barry Milner reported last week that the Eureka Springs Fraternal Order of Police donated $500 for new uniforms, something he’s hoped would happen for years now. Milner said the band already had concert uniforms, because the group plays concerts frequently...

Some Carroll County employees will be receiving salary increases in 2019 in an effort to remedy disparities in pay between employees performing similar duties, and all hourly employees of the county will get a raise of 70 cents an hour — provided their department heads submit the proper paperwork...

Nov. 26 2:03 p.m. — Officers initiated a stop for traffic violations and arrested a subject on an outstanding Eureka Springs warrant. 10:05 p.m. — An officer conducted a traffic stop and arrested a subject for driving on a suspended license. Nov. 27...

Thanks to Island Airco, Good Shepherd Humane Society is completing a major infrastructure project this week. Bobby Deaton and Travis Clark, who work with Island Airco, said they’ve been working to completely upgrade the HVAC system at the shelter, which houses up to 80 animals at a time. Deaton said he’s been familiar with the shelter’s deteriorating HVAC system for a while, saying it was time to step up and help...

The Eureka Springs City Council met with Mayor Butch Berry and finance director Lonnie Clark on Monday afternoon to discuss the city’s proposed 2019 budget. Clark said the proposed budget looks good on his end. “I think it’s a really conservative and very good budget myself,” Clark said. “When you look through everything, there are a lot of increases.”...

A severe thunderstorm hit Carroll County on the night of Friday, Nov. 30, resulting in fallen trees and damage from high winds. Carroll County Judge Sam Barr said there was no major damage to county property. He said an awning in front of the courthouse was torn down by the wind, and there was some damage at the Carroll County Airport...

The Carroll County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Monday that it is investigating a weekend shooting but few details were available by press time. Sheriff Randy Mayfield said the victim was shot by a friend using a .22-caliber gun. Mayfield said the victim was shot in the abdomen and his wound was not life-threatening. Mayfield said the suspect left the scene before emergency personnel arrived...

Pickles (No. C15-0006) is a female Lab mix, approximately 4.5 years old. She knows how to walk on a leash and can sit on command. She is a very energetic and playful dog. The boy dog she currently has a crush on is getting adopted. We know she'll be lonely when he leaves, so we're hoping to find a home for Miss Pickles soon. She is spayed and has her shots. ...

James “Rusty” Rusterholz is this week’s Citizen of the Week. Rusterholz is the president of the Eureka Springs Fraternal Order of Police and recently oversaw two donations to the Eureka Springs School District: $500 for the Eureka Springs Health Benefit Fund, which helps families in need of care, and $500 for band uniforms. Rusterholz is also the school resource officer...

Harry Meyer is starting his term on the Eureka Springs City Council a little early. On Monday night, the council voted to appoint Meyer to the Ward 3, Position 2 seat after the resignation of alderwoman Kristi Kendrick. Alderwoman Melissa Greene suggested appointing Meyer to the open position, saying he’d be serving on the council in a month anyway. Meyer won the seat over Eric Knowles in the general election Nov. 6...

Holiday Island Rotary Club members Nita Holley, Dean Schuttlefield, Boyce Williams, and Nile Carrothers pack food bags at the Flint Street Food Bank for its Backpacks for Kids program. The food bags contain nonperishable food that is sent home with low-income Eureka Springs students to provide food for weekends. The Rotary Club meets at 8 a.m. each Friday at the Holiday Island Elks Club...

Nov. 19 1:19 p.m. — A caller advised her vehicle had been hit in a parking lot overnight. 2:21 p.m. — A caller advised of a dog dumped in the dog park. Officers were unable to get close to the dog. The animal control officer was notified of the situation and contacted the dog park caretakers...

The Eureka Springs Parks and Recreation Commission voted Nov. 20 to give end-of-the-year bonuses to all full-time staff. Parks director Justin Huss said the 1-percent bonuses are exactly what the commission approved last year, and commissioner Steven Foster asked if part-time employees receive similar benefits...

Jason F. Tennant, president and chief lending officer at Cornerstone Bank, has announced the promotion of George Purvis to the position of vice president/facilities director and special assets/appraisal coordinator for the bank. “George has been an asset and ambassador for our bank as he has shown his commitment and is most deserving of this promotion,” Tennant said...

The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow is accepting submissions for the winter edition of eMerge, an online literary magazine featuring articles, stories, poems, photos and recipes from Writers’ Colony alumni and local writers and artists. The guidelines to apply are: prose should be limited to 2,500 words, poetry should be limited to three double-spaced pages, photos should be high-resolution, plays should be limited to 10 minutes when read aloud and the contributor bio should be limited to 250 words with links to the author’s site along with a small black and white photo.. ...

Alexis Jayroe is the Eureka Springs Rotary Club’s Student of the Month for October 2018. The daughter of Amanda and Jesse Agrestro, Jayroe maintains a 3.8 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society and Renaissance. She has received pins in choir, band, English 10 and Algebra 2. ...

The Carroll County Airport will get a little more funding from the county than originally planned. The Carroll County Quorum Court’s Joint Budget and Finance Committee decided at a meeting Monday afternoon to increase the county’s 2019 appropriation to the county airport commission to $50,000. ...

Longtime chairman Michael Merry is resigning from the Eureka Springs Hospital Commission. Merry announced his resignation Nov. 19, saying he’s been with the commission for 14 years. Merry said Mayor Butch Berry asked him to stay on the commission a little longer last year while negotiating hospital renovations with Allegiance Healthcare Management. Berry recently asked him to step down as part of a plan to turn over leadership on all city commissions, Merry said...

December will be filled with holiday festivities for everyone in the Eureka Springs area. The Christmas season kicks off at 6 p.m. this Friday, Nov. 30, with the Eureka Springs Christmas Parade of Lights. Lineup will begin at 5 p.m. The theme for this year’s parade is ‘A Vintage Christmas.’ All area bands, groups, businesses and individuals are welcome to come and join in the fun. ...

Ashlynn Lockhart of Holiday Island, a freshman musical theatre student at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, was a semifinalist in freshman women and lower college music theatre at the 2018 Southern Region Conference and Student Auditions held at Northwestern Louisiana University in Natchitoches, La. ...

Bratty Cakes (No. F18-0006) is a sweet 1-year-old kitty that is forever bonded with her protector Wesley. They must be adopted together. She looks up at you with pleading little eyes, unsure but interested. She loves to play with toy mice and her ribbon toy. ...

This week’s Citizen of the Week is Ramona Capps. Capps was nominated by Jay Wilks, who said he found out during rehearsal for Jimmy James’ show at The Aud that there was no spotlight operator for the show. “Knowing Ramona’s background in stage lighting, I called her and she dropped her plans and her seat for the show,” Wilks said. “She went right to The Aud and ran the spotlight for Jimmy’s show flawlessly!”...

It’s tradition at Eureka Springs High School to provide Thanksgiving baskets for local families in need, but that almost didn’t happen this year. “Normally we have a group on campus who sponsors this event, and we realized we hadn’t heard anything about it,” said teacher Adam Louderback. “We had less than two weeks to pull it together. We couldn’t do a proper food drive, so we just started throwing money at it.”...

The 2018 Silver Tea will herald in the Christmas season from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 6, at the Crescent Hotel. The English-style “high tea” is hosted by St. James Episcopal Church and features ladies and gentlemen in colorful Victorian fashion or more eclectic, colorful attire. There will be tables laden with pastries, tea, cookies and sandwiches — and tea poured from antique silver service by the ladies of St. James...

For 30 consecutive years, area scouts have been serving the needs of the Eureka Springs community with the annual Scouting for Food event. Scoutmaster Bruce Bieschke and troop committee leader Carole Bieschke said the Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, their families and leaders of Eureka Springs spend roughly 500 hours each year on the food drive...

The Eureka Springs Parks and Recreation Commission is making it even more tempting to ride the downhill mountain bike trails at Lake Leatherwood City Park. At a special meeting Nov. 8, the commission agreed to work with local company Shuttlebug to offer a shuttle service Nov. ...

When it comes to the city’s infrastructure, Eureka Springs is keeping its head above the water. The Eureka Springs City Council heard from public works director Dwayne Allen on Thursday, Nov. 15, about the water audit completed in October. The audit covered 42.5 miles of water line and pinpointed nine major previously undiscovered leaks, Allen said, and very few leaks on the customer side of the meters...

The Eureka Springs City Advertising and Promotion Commission approved its 2019 budget on Wednesday, Nov. 14, but the decision didn’t come without debate. Events coordinator Andy Green spoke to the commission about its Oct. 24 workshop, where he was asked to come up with a plan for next year’s special events under $200,000. Green said he has been working with director Mike Maloney and finance director Rick Bright to figure out how The Auditorium could sustain itself...

The Arkansas School Recognition Program has awarded Eureka Springs High School a grant of $19,042.56. High school principal David Gilmore said the grant is a result of the school's high test scores and higher-than-average graduation rate. He said the school’s graduation rate is at 89.74 percent, beating the state average of 87.97, and the school is 11th in the state when it comes to test scores...

The Eureka Springs Garden Club recently named the Gardens of the Season winners. --- ---...