Four local artisans will be featured on upcoming episodes of “Handcrafted America,” which airs on Friday nights on the INSP channel. Owen Rein will be featured in the episode on Friday, Jan. 6; Jerry Lovenstein (pictured) on Jan. 13; and Paul Gillam Jr. and Sr. on Jan. 20. Now in its second season, “Handcrafted America” highlights the work of traditional craftsmen across the country. Hosted by Jill Wagner, ...

Grave markers often show individuality, creativity and personality of the persons interred at the site, inspiring an interest among those who are drawn to cemeteries for comforting memories or to conduct genealogical research. During her years doing extensive research and recording census in local cemeteries, Freda Massey visited 135 burial places in Stone County, many of which are family plots and some are ...

[caption id="attachment_2443" align="aligncenter" width="308"] LOS ANGELES - FEB 5: Bobby Batson at the 24th Annual MovieGuide Awards at the Universal Hilton Hotel on February 5, 2016 in Los Angeles, CA[/caption] Bobby Batson, 8-year-old actor, has secured his newest role as Dax Dash in TNT’s latest drama, “Good Behavior.” Batson will make his television debut alongside actress Michelle Dockery, who played ...

“Some people rescue puppies; he rescues pump organs,” says Marshia Vance of her husband, Jack, who has rescued, restored and repurposed more than a dozen of the antiques into functional desks. Jack took up an interest in woodworking during his high school days in Mountain View. The interest simmered until he completed more than 28 years of military service and then retired from a civilian career. The Vances ...

A master smith knifemaker for 30 years and a revered instructor of the craft, local knifemaker Jim Crowell received a special honor recently when he was inducted into the American Bladesmith Society Hall of Fame. Always a craftsman of one kind of another, Crowell said he enjoys making things and was drawn to knifemaking after moving to Stone County during the late 1970s. “I have always liked working with my ...

A semi-circle of chairs awaits anyone who wants to take a turn stepping onto the welcoming rug in front of a row of microphones, facing the chairs and tables where other friends, family and neighbors gather to listen. The biweekly musical at Pleasant Grove Community Center is about to begin when two visitors stroll in. They are quickly welcomed and invited to share in the refreshments offered in the kitchen ...

Local resident Darren Waddles served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland last week. See the July 27, 2016 issue for the feature story. ...

Paul Miller was born 100 years ago on July 4, in a small community called Bethlehem, located five miles from Judsonia. He was born during WWI and was raised on a farm with his two brothers, where his family raised cotton and strawberries. He attended a one-room schoolhouse, and at age 14 left home to finish high school in Beebe. While in school, he paid $9-10 a month for room and board. After graduating fro ...

“This is so hard. I still call it my office,” Linda Archer said about retiring from White River Area Agency on Aging, after working for the agency for 37 years. In 1979, Linda opened a Stone County office for the agency, providing in-home services with the goal of keeping people living at home, where they are the happiest, she said. She previously worked for NADC for a short time, providing in-home services ...

Abbie Decker Rucker, Curt Decker, Masato Inoue and Mavis Decker were reunited recently, 37 years after the Decker family hosted Inoue in their home. Inoue was a college students who spent three months in Stone County in 1979 with three different host families. See more in the April 27, 2016 issue. ...