A one-vehicle accident on Highway 5 North the afternoon of March 26 took the life of Ashley K. Mrsny, 24, of Mountain Home. According to State Trooper Lance W. Coffman, investigating officer, Mrsny was northbound on Highway 5 near Optimus when her Toyota car ran off the roadway and overturned around 1:45 p.m. She was pronounced dead at the scene by Coroner Allen Propher. From the March 29, 2017 issue. ...

A late winter snow covered the landscape with 3-4 inches on the afternoon and evening of March 11, creating picturesque views. See the March 15, 2017 issue for more photos. ...

A committee of Stone County Quorum Court members met Friday with Stone County Judge Stacey Avey, prison warden Stephen Williams of the North Central Unit in Calico Rock, and members of the community at Sugarloaf Fire Tower to discuss the county’s role in preserving the site and restoring it to the point it could be made available to the public. County officials are considering entering into a long-term agre ...

The mangled sections of Ozark National Forest landscape along Highway 5 between Mountain View and Calico Rock will not be ugly for long, says Jim McCoy, Sylamore District Ranger. McCoy said last week that he hopes the public will be patient as a habitat restoration project progresses. The 12-year project, now in its fourth year, is designed to restore habitat for the endangered Indiana bat and will transfor ...

A teenager was found safe early Monday morning after being lost in the national forest for about seven hours. At least 100 people were involved in the search for 17-year-old Aspen Lane of Mountain View. Stone County Sheriff Lance Bonds said Aspen and her mother, Amber Despain, and a friend were hiking in the forest, having entered from Hwy. 5 North around 4:30 Sunday afternoon. Aspen had walked ahead and wa ...

Victoria A. Dycus, 29, and James Hagen Glenn, 31, were both arraigned Jan. 12 on charges of murder in the first degree over the Nov. 19 death of 4-year-old Skylar Shellstrom. Dycus pleaded not guilty at her arraignment and Glenn, who waived arraignment, also pleaded not guilty. Each had a pretrial hearing set for July 6 and jury trial set for Sept. 27. The two are being held at the Stone County Jail, each o ...

Two men were transported by ambulance after this accident Jan. 6 on snow-covered Highway 5 North. See details in the Jan. 11, 2017 issue. ...

City officials had mixed reactions to a request to allow firearms in city parks, and the council voted to table the issue for further research. Jack Abrahamson and Ken Borgenheimer addressed the council during its Dec. 27 meeting, requesting that the signs prohibiting weapons in the parks be removed. They believe concealed carry should be allowed in the parks, as long as no other laws are being violated. Th ...

Two people have been arrested and charged with first degree murder in connection with the Nov. 19 death of 4-year-old Skylar Shellstrom. The child’s mother, 29-year-old Victoria Dycus, and James Hagen Glenn, 31, were charged by 16th Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney Don McSpadden. Bond was set at $1 million each. Under Arkansas law, “A person commits murder in the first degree if the person knowingly c ...

UPDATE from Dec. 7 issue: The Nov. 19 death of 4-year-old Skylar Shellstrom has been ruled a homicide following an autopsy report listing the cause of death as blunt force trauma, according to Stone County Sheriff Lance Bonds. The report also listed multiple bruises and contusions in various stages of healing. Bonds said his department continues to assist the Arkansas State Police with the investigation, an ...