News

Black River Technical College (BRTC), in collaboration with the Eddie Mae Herron Center, will hold a Black History Month event entitled “An Introduction to Arkansas Musicians” on Thursday, February 29. Showtimes will be 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. The event will be held in the Randolph County Development Center on the Pocahontas BRTC campus, located at 1410 Hwy. 304 East.

The deadline to file for the mayoral race in Pocahontas is today at noon. Candidates must submit their paperwork to the Randolph County Clerk to be on the ballot. The race follows the passing of Mayor Keith Sutton on Dec. 24, leaving a vacancy in the nonpartisan position. As of Friday, Feb. 9, the sole contender is current Mayor Keith Futrell. For further details, reach out to the clerk’s office at 870892-5822.

The Randolph County Chamber board of directors is still searching for an executive director. Those interested in the position can contact Mike Thompson at mike.thompson68@yahoo.com or call him at 870--

When I was growing up in the early 1980s, we had a weekly newspaper in our town. There was a woman assigned to cover our little neighborhood. I remember hercallingeachweektoask my mother what was new in our family. Did Jeremy make the honor roll this quarter? Had we gone on vacation recently? Did we get a new pet? She would take this information from anyone in the neighborhood who was willing to share it and would write a column each week. When the paper came out on Wednesdays, my mother was always excited to read what was going on in the neighborhood. Everyone on our street knew each other. We played outside with the kids every day until dusk. My parents were in a bowling league with our neighbors. We had a block party in the street in the summer. When a new family moved in everyone welcomed them and introduced themselves. I guess you could say it was a great community.

Scott Mitchell, age 56, of Warm Springs; possession of meth, possession of drug paraphernalia Crystal Heckman, age 54, of Pocahontas; possession of drug paraphernalia, FTA warrant Juanita January, age 41, of Pocahontas; no data James Stafford, age 41, of Pocahontas; possession of drug paraphernalia Wesley Minton, age 45, of Pocahontas; driving while license cancelled, suspended or revoked- Class U (M), No seatbelt-Class U-V Charles Ragsdell, age 60, of Pocahontas; possession of drug paraphernalia- methamphetamine/ cocaine Kevin Sullivan, age 51, of Jonesboro; hold for another county Trevor Cates, age 28, of Pocahontas; failure to appear (M) Raymond Martin, age 61, of Biggers; possession of drug paraphernalia- methamphetamine/ cocaine Shane Glasco, age 53, of Pocahontas; driving while license suspended or revoked pursuant to omnibus DWI ACT (M)

Pocahontas and Randolph County are gearing up for a solar spectacle as the North American Total Solar Eclipse graces the skies on Apr. 8. Positioned almost in the line of complete totality, Pocahontas anticipates experiencing four minutes and four seconds of darkness, one of the lengthiest durations in the state. With expectations of over 20,000 visitors flocking to witness this phenomenon, the city is bracing for an influx of guests.

The natural world is wondrous to behold. In a given day, there is no shortage of events to capture human attention and imagination, and such occurrences are free of charge.

Except for Pocahontas, which will experience four minutes and four seconds of totality, the following are other places in Arkansas where you can enjoy the eclipse. All of the Arkansas towns listed below are in the path of totality for the 2024 solar eclipse, which cuts a wide swath through the middle of Arkansas. Each has its own personality and attractions that make it a town worth visiting. Make one of them your hub to watch the eclipse so you can stay and play from dark to day. Each city offers a variety of things to do before and after the big eclipse moment.