One of the things newspapers provide is a first draft of history. With 2014 just about over, we offer a look back at the first draft from Jan. 1 through June 30.
Below are some of the important stories readers of Westside Eagle Observer learned in the first half of 2014.
The second half of the year, July 1 through today, is set to publish in next week's newspaper.
JANUARY 1
Decatur Fire Chief David Flynt turned in his resignation effective Jan. 1, citing personal reasons for his departure. Flynt continued as a volunteer firefighter for Decatur. The City Council approved Flynt's resignation and appointed Assistant Fire Chief Jerome Luker as Decatur's new fire chief. The mayor and council members each praised Flynt for his service to the community in building the Decatur Volunteer Fire Department to its current level of operations. Flynt, a 23-year veteran of the Decatur Fire Department, had been chief for the past eight years.
JANUARY 8
A four- to five-inch snowfall Sunday, coupled with subzero temperatures, forced cancellation of schools in the area Monday and Tuesday of the week, the day schools were expected to resume after the lengthy Christmas break. The temperature dipped to minus 7 degrees Monday morning. Roads, streets and highways were covered with a layer of ice under snow, making travel treacherous. Police reported no serious accidents but some minor accidents and many vehicles which slid off into ditches. Added to the five or more days canceled because of weather conditions in December, officials were scrambling to adjust schedules to meet the 178 days required by the Arkansas Dept. of Education.
JANUARY 15
A wood stove was thought to be the source of a fire which destroyed the home of Chris Chamberlain on Taylor Orchard Road in Gentry on the previous Thursday night. Fire departments were called to the home shortly before midnight on Thursday, according to Vester Cripps, Gentry's fire chief. The home was destroyed by the late-night blaze, but the home's two residents escaped without injury. A second structure-fire call went out on Friday morning in Highfill, on Fourth Street just south of the city park, for a fire which was believed to have been caused by lightning. Firefighters from Highfill, Gentry, Centerton and Cave Springs responded to the fire which was located in the kitchen of the home. In addition to damage there, the rest of the home suffered smoke damage. The home's occupant was not hurt in the fire.
JANUARY 22
Kristin Flesner, a senior at Gentry High School, was crowned basketball homecoming queen at coronation ceremonies at the school on the previous Friday night.
JANUARY 29
Gentry police department logs listed the report of a big cat in the southwest part of the city near Taylor's Orchard called in by Frank Holzkamper Sr., who lives and owns a business in Gentry. Holzkamper hunts deer in the area under a special Arkansas Game and Fish Commission permit to help control deer numbers on certain agricultural lands. According to Holzkamper, he and his wife Sharon were out scouting for deer in the area of Marion Lee and Taylor Orchard roads close to dusk on Jan. 22 and had watched a number of deer enter the orchard when they saw what he believed was a big cat. "We were out scouting for deer on Wednesday night and saw 12 deer run into Taylor's Orchard. A couple of minutes later, we saw one coming back out. When my wife looked at it through binoculars, it wasn't a deer but a huge cat like a panther, cougar or mountain lion."
FEBRUARY 5
Club members gathered on Tired Iron of the Ozarks' showgrounds on Thursday afternoon to wait for a train. Yes, you read it correctly, a train! They waited for the delivery of a 1943 switch-engine locomotive donated to the club by Southwestern Electric Power Co., a subsidiary of American Electric Power. The small locomotive had been used to move train cars at the Flint Creek Power Plant, but was no longer needed there, so SWEPCO donated it to the Tired Iron of the Ozarks, a club which refurbishes old engines, tractors and machines of yesteryear and shows them at its two annual shows, one in April and the other in September. The switch locomotive, which stands 12 feet tall and weighs 25 tons, was loaded by crane onto a lowboy trailer and pulled by truck to the club showgrounds, where it was unloaded and set down on railroad ties. A large crane, owned and operated by Multi-Craft Contractors, lifted the switch engine from the lowboy trailer, allowing the trailer to be pulled out from under the locomotive. The locomotive was then lowered onto the ties which were put in place after the trailer was moved.
FEBRUARY 12
A Bentonville man was injured on the morning of Feb. 2 when the vehicle he was driving left ice-covered Arkansas Highway 72 east in Gravette and plunged into Old Town Park. Dan J. Dykema was listed as the driver of an eastbound pickup when it careened across the pavement and plunged down the steep embankment, finally coming to rest in the creek bed at the bottom of the park. The accident, which occurred about 10:45 a.m., trapped the lone occupant inside the smashed cab. After he was extricated by Gravette rescue personnel, he was transported to Northwest Medical Center in Bentonville.
FEBRUARY 26
The Decatur boys basketball team won trophies for being the 2A 4West district champions and for being the runners up in the district tournament at Eureka Springs. The Gravette School Board also approved a measure to place before voters a plan to build a new Gravette Elementary School in Bella Vista. (The measure was defeated in the September election.)
MARCH 5
Any hopes that winter would go quietly away and springtime weather would arrive with the coming of March were dashed when warm temperatures plummeted below the freezing mark and rain turned to freezing rain, sleet and then snow. When all was done on the previous Monday morning, about 3 inches of snow covered another 1/2 to 3/4 inches of ice and sleet, making roads somewhat treacherous for travel and commutes to work. Schools across the west side of Benton County were closed on Monday and Tuesday due to slippery road conditions which made many bus routes too dangerous to transport students. The additional snow days further eroded the days left of spring break for many students.
MARCH 12
"The Shoes of Hayim" was filmed in Gravette on the previous weekend. The film crew included a 2013 honor graduate from Gravette High School, Zak Heald. Zak, a resident of Bella Vista, was attending John Brown University in Siloam Springs.
Fire destroyed the home of Leland Dale Dannels at 19091 Bill Young Road, near Siloam Springs, on Thursday. The Gallatin, Siloam Springs, Gentry and Highfill fire departments responded to the blaze which was reported about noon on Thursday. A chimney was about all that remained of the home when firefighters extinguished the flames. Fire crews were called back to the fire on Friday morning because the flames in the burnt-out home had rekindled. Dannels, who is a Vietnam veteran, and his daughter lived in the house but were away from home at the time of the fire. Neighbors spotted the blaze and called 911, but the single-story home was fully engulfed by the time fire crews arrived on the scene. Two small dogs and a cat, family pets, were in the house and did not escape the flames.
MARCH 19
Funding in the amount of a quarter-million dollars was awarded the city of Gravette to fund several street improvement projects, according to Mayor Byron Warren. The announcement came from the Arkansas Highway Department State Aid Street Program, with money allocated from the one-quarter-cent temporary sales tax approved by state voters last year. The tax authorized issuing bonds for interstate highway improvements. The Bella Vista bypass is also benefiting from the funds, a portion of which goes to counties and cities throughout the state.
The city of Decatur acquired two tracts of land adjacent to Edmiston Park for additional parking at the recreational area. The deal was finalized and announced at the March 10 city council meeting. The city purchased the land from Chambers Bank for $40,000, half of which was funded by a grant acquired in July on Decatur's behalf by Mary Lou Slinkard, state representative for District 92.
MARCH 26
In a high-scoring duel on the previous Monday, the Lady Lions came away with a win over the Lady Pioneers, 13-11.
APRIL 2
In an effort to avoid ending the 2013-14 school year in Decatur on Memorial Day due to missed snow days, a proposal was drafted recommending the last day of school be May 23. To do so, the school board adopted a proposal to attend school on Saturday, April 26, instead of on Memorial Day.
APRIL 9
A business that has been part of Gravette since its beginning, more than a century ago, announced it was closing its doors. Marvin's Grocery Store announced it was in the process of closing its store in Gravette after operating it for more than 20 years. The Marvin's chain of stores purchased the business from the McAllister family in 1989.
Arvest Bank announced that a new branch facility will soon be coming to Gentry. The new bank building was to be located on the same lot as the current location, at 320 East Main Street, and the current location would remain operational throughout construction of the new branch. (Groundbreaking took place in May. The new facility opened for business just before Christmas, and the old facility was removed to make way for parking space.)
It was two and a half years in the making, but the Decatur School District finally acquired the last puzzle piece needed to begin construction of a new safe room/physical activity room. The new 5,200-square-foot facility will be located on the west side of Northside Elementary School and has the maximum capacity of 780 people and four wheelchairs. When completed, the safe room/physical activity room will serve as a designated community storm shelter for Decatur and the surrounding area.
APRIL 23
A written note found in the girls restroom at Gravette High School the previous Thursday resulted in a search of the building by Gravette police, assisted by an explosive detection dog from the Bentonville Police Department. According to Gravette superintendent of schools Richard Page the note read that a bomb was located in the Performing Arts Center. School had already been dismissed for the day and the school evacuation policy was not necessary. A thorough search of the building turned up nothing. Utilizing its communication system to parents and students, they were advised the building had been declared safe. School classes resumed on schedule Friday.
APRIL 30
What may have been the beginnings of a small tornado forming at the west edge of Gravette Thursday afternoon dissipated as it passed through a heavily wooded area on the north side of the city. But the freakish wind demolished a small outbuilding, scattered debris over a wide area, lifted two trampolines -- one into a field, the other into a tree -- and caused minor roof and trim damage to several residences.
It was announced that Decatur High School would have a new face at the helm for the 2014-15 school year. Toby Conrad was hired as high school and middle school principal. Conrad came to Decatur from the Macksville, Kan., school district where he served as the high school principal, grades 9-12.
Work on the environmental controls retrofit project was well underway at Flint Creek Power Plant in Gentry, with new equipment to be operational by June 1, 2016. Many footings had been poured and several forms were in place to pour concrete pads and foundations for the additions to the power plant structure.
MAY 7
Speeches, fire trucks, fire safety instruction and good food were used to mark the 100th birthday of the Gentry Volunteer Fire Department. The day was an enjoyable one for firefighters and their families and for others -- especially the children -- who came out to enjoy the special celebration. Children were shown the fire trucks and educated about fire safety. Many had their pictures taken on or beside a fire truck. Children were given junior firefighter helmets and badges. And all who came out had opportunity to enjoy a grilled lunch and visit with fire department members.
MAY 14
It was announced that the business office of the Westside Eagle Observer in Gravette would close May 28 and move operations to the Siloam Springs Herald-Leader at 101 N. Mount Olive St. in Siloam Springs. The Westside Eagle Observer continued publishing on its regular schedule, covering the important events in and around Gentry, Decatur and Gravette. Closing the office and consolidating business operations was done to improve the paper's financial position, according to the newspaper's publisher, Kent Marts.
MAY 21
Walmart announced May 19 the opening of a new Walmart Express at 154 E. Roller, the current location of the old Decatur General Store building. Walmart planned to demolish the old structures on the site and replace them with a new 12,000-square-foot building. The Walmart Express facility will feature a full grocery department, a bakery and deli, a pharmacy offering $4 generic prescriptions, a health and beauty supplies section, a selection of household items and a gas station. The new store is set to open next week.
May 28
Robert "Dodie" Evans, longtime Gravette resident and newspaper editor who also served numerous terms as a Benton County justice of the peace, was honored on Memorial Day with a plaque and a flag flown over the nation's capitol, presented by U.S. Congressman Steve Womack.
At Gentry's Wild Wilderness Safari, a white bison cow nursed her own calf and the fawn of a Père David's Deer. The deer fawn, about 10 days old, seemed to adopt the bison herd, and the bison cows adopted the fawn as well, allowing it to nurse alongside their bison calves.
JUNE 4
A Decatur science and math teacher didn't want students to quit reading and learning over the summer months, so she came up with a plan to make that possible by setting up and operating a mobile library in Decatur. Jacque Smith and her two daughters drove around town in a red pickup truck operating a mobile library. Smith acquired the use of the farm pickup truck from her parents and obtained many trays of books she carried in the truck through book donations, leftover teacher supply funds, the Decatur PTO, Decatur State Bank and from the annual book fair.
A Gentry man drowned during a fishing trip on the Illinois River about 3 miles east of Siloam Springs. Benton County Dive Team members found the body of Timothy Clements, 18, at 9:05 a.m., Saturday, about 200 yards down river from where the incident occurred, according to Daniel Oxford, Benton County coroner. Oxford labeled the death an "accidental drowning."
JUNE 11
Robert "Dodie" Evans, who had worked in the newspaper industry for more than 60 years, retired effective May 31, 2014. Dodie retired as editor emeritus of the Westside Eagle Observer, the paper created in 2012 with the combination of the Gentry Courier-Journal, the Decatur Herald and his newspaper, the Gravette News-Herald. The News-Herald was his because he owned it for many years. A drop-in reception marking his retirement was held June 12 at the Bank of Gravett Community Room, in Gravette.
Two new businesses opened last spring in the 200 block of East Main Street in Gentry -- one a custom boot and saddle shop, the other a second-hand store featuring furniture and home decor. Cowboy & Co., owned and operated by John and Miranda Stamps, is located at 213 E. Main St., and John was at work making a new pair of boots and repairing a saddle. The new business, which opened May 12, features custom-made boots and saddles and also retails a variety of horse tack, some made by John or Miranda and some through other suppliers. John said they have just about everything anyone would need in the way of tack. Just across the street from Cowboy & Co. is Fancy That, a new business located at 208 East Main St. The business features vintage furniture and home decor items. The business, which opened in early March, is owned and operated by Kay Taylor, Link Taylor and Lisa Taylor. The store showrooms are filled with repurposed furniture and decorative vintage items to spruce up a room or an entire home.
In Decatur, June Walls, along with members of her family and her friends, launched green balloons with attached messages into the air June 2 from her home in Decatur. Walls, survivor of a massive heart attack, held the ceremony in honor of the donor who gave her a new heart and a new life.
JUNE 18
A Siloam Springs couple recently reopened a bed and breakfast in a three-story Victorian-style home, just south of Gentry. Apple Crest Inn includes five theme rooms and a carriage house suite. The home at 12758 Arkansas Highway 59 was built in 1998. Terry and Diann Meythaler are its new owners.
JUNE 25
Sophia Asencio-Porter, a cheerleader and a 2014 graduate of Gentry High School, was killed when the car she was driving collided head-on with a tractor-trailer truck on Arkansas Highway 59, just south of Gentry. According to a release from the Arkansas State Police, Asencio-Porter, 18, was driving northbound on Arkansas 59 at approximately 4:30 a.m. in a 1997 Nissan Maxima. Her car, according to the state police, crossed the center turning lane and both southbound lanes just south of Arkotex Road and was struck head-on by a southbound Simmons Foods tractor-trailer truck.
General News on 12/31/2014