News

The Poinsett County Quorum Court met in regular session this past Monday at the Poinsett County Detention Center. All members were in attendance for the meeting. After a lengthy discussion on whether to buy or lease eight road graders was the biggest issue on the agenda for the court. ...

This week I will discuss some common methods of pruning and staking your tomato plants to make them more productive and easier to care for. By staking or caging tomatoes it helps to keep the vines and fruit off the ground. Pruning helps to stimulate early fruit maturity...

Poinsett County had three students graduate from Honors College at Arkansas State University on May 7. Students Graduating in Honors have completed a minimum of 18 credit hours in Honors coursework and are graduating with a 3.50 or higher cumulative grade point average. ...

A benefit walk for Apraxia and Speech Awareness is set for Saturday morning, May 15, from 9 a.m to 11 a.m. at the City Park in Harrisburg. Everyone is invited to come out and walk and donations will be accepted

U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) praised Arkansas teachers last week during National Teacher Appreciation Week. Boozman made a stop at Harrisburg School District this past Friday for one of his stops of visiting schools across the state. “It is clear that educators are in a class by themselves when it comes to resilience. ...

Allinia Star Franklin, 23, of Weiner was arrested on May 5 in Jonesboro and charged with aggravated assault and terroristic threatening. Franklin threatened to stab a couple. The Jonesboro Police Department responded to a call with a person having a knife on Union Street. ...

Dillon Harbison of Harrisburg is facing an attempted murder charge after he struck a man on a motorcycle with his vehicle late Wednesday night. Cody Raby of Harrisburg was the rider of the motorcycled and had to be airlifted from the scene to a local hospital due to his injuries...

With the rain and rising temperatures. We have a recipe for rapid grass growth. This means mowing season will be in full swing shortly. Many people are injured or killed each year in mower related accidents. Below are some tips for maintaining your lawn more easily and safely. Be careful out there and have a safe mowing season...

According to GasBuddy.com’s Patrick De Haan, we should likely expect gas to hit three dollars a gallon. For the second straight week, the national average price of gasoline has risen, posting a 0.7 cent per gallon rise from a week ago to $2.89 per gallon today according to GasBuddy data compiled from more than 11 million individual price reports covering over 150,000 gas stations across the country. ...

EPC’s school campuses in Lepanto and Tyronza are ready for the National Day of Prayer on Thursday, May 6. The Lepanto campus will hold prayer on the football field at 8:00 a.m. (weather permitting, gym if raining) and the Tyronza campus will have prayer at 2:00 p.m. on the playground (weather permitting, gym if raining)...

Early voting for the May 18th Annual School Election will begin Tuesday, May 11, 2021 at the Poinsett County Annex Building located at 110 N. East Street, Harrisburg (across from the Courthouse). The school districts having their elections in May are East Poinsett County (EPC) School District, Marked Tree School District and Trumann School District. ...

There will be a public testing of the voting equipment and media that will be used during the May Annual School Election this afternoon at 4:00 p.m. in the Poinsett County Annex Building located at 110 N East Street (across the street from the courthouse). Everyone is invited to attend...

Trumann Police Chief Jon Redman said that over the past several weeks, the Trumann Animal Control has seen an increase in dogs wandering the streets. Animal Control Officer Sergeant Shane Blagg works with several fostering and animal adoption organizations to ensure that dogs are placed in a good home. ...

The Trumann City Council met in regular session on Tuesday, April 20, 2021, at 6:00 pm in the courtroom on Melton Avenue. Council members Brett Parker and Dwight England were absent. In unfinished business, the sanitation ordinance which was read in its entirety at the March, 2021 meeting, council member Peggy Greenwell moved to suspend the rules and read the ordinance by title only for the second and third readings. ...

Donald D. Brister of Lepanto was arrested this past Saturday in Jonesboro for holding his wife, Kimberly Brister of Harrisburg, against her will. It was reported by witnesses that Brister struck his wife in the face several times before she tried to walk away. Brister then dragged his wife back to the house before the couple got into a vehicle together and drove off. Kimberly Brister said she tried to get out of the vehicle several times before they were stopped on East Johnson Avenue...

A quality fishing pond requires a balance in size and abundance of predator species, usually largemouth bass, and their prey, most commonly bluegill. A pond owner or manager needs to have a basic understanding of the size range and species composition in the pond to maintain quality fishing. ...

Terry Flowers, Literacy Specialist for the Trumann School District, was the guest speaker at the Trumann Lions Club’s meeting last Wednesday in Trumann. Flowers was an assistant principal for two years at the middle school before stepping into this new role for the district. Flowers was excited to tell the club about the $150,000 grant that was received, which is to be split over two years...

The Trumann School District School Board held their regularly scheduled meeting on March 8 with all board members being present. In new business, the board approved the Policy Updates for sections 3 and 8 as recommended by ASBA and TSD Licensed and Classified Personnel Policy Committees, approved the purchase of a 77 passenger school bus (low bid), approved the purchase of 300 TI-84 Graphing Calculators for the high school math students (classwork and assessments) from EAI Education (lowest quote), approved the purchase of directional signage without metal posts and Pre-K signage not to exceed $15,000.00 over what we already spent with the approved vendor, approved payment to Steiling Architecture for architectural fees for TMS Gym Systems Replacement project, approved the purchase of document cameras (TES) from CDW-G (TIPS/TAPS vendor) and approved the purchase of iStation online learning program (TES/TMS).. ...

Tomatoes are easy to grow, and just a few plants will usually provide more than enough at harvest for most families. According to the U.S Department of Agriculture, four out of five people prefer tomatoes over any other homegrown vegetable. Today 95 percent of all American gardeners grow tomatoes; they are the most popular garden vegetable in Arkansas. Tomatoes rank number one in terms of their contribution of nutrients to the American diet...

Harrisburg School Board met in regular session Monday, April 12, 2021 in the Central Office board room. All school board members were present. The board went into executive session at 5:12 p.m. and returned at 7:21 p.m. The board approved the following, to hire John Grayson as the Army Instructor for the Harrisburg JR ROTC program, Jordan Hicks (Maintenance/Groundskeeper) be terminated as an employee of the Harrisburg School District, hire Tucker Beakely as a part time maintenance and grounds keeper, hire Paula Wright, full time, working as a custodian, bus monitor, and additionally helping with other District needs, rehire Teressa Loughary, Betty Caughron, James Williams, Walter Jackson, Karen Duncan, Jeremy Williams, Bill Lowry, Paul Peters, Twila Chatman, Jimmy Carter, Adam Timze, Daniel Howton, and Radius Baker as bus drivers and to rehire the following bus monitors: Don Lovell, Eddie Correa, Gail Costner, Holly Rolland, Lester Armstrong, Pula Wright, Renee Williams, Stephanie Camp, Cheryl Williams, and Samantha Russell. ...

The thought of a four day school week just doesn’t seem feasible to the four schools in Poinsett County. After an area school announced that their school board would discuss the issues at their next school board meeting, the PCDT reached out to the superintendents of the county schools for their responses...

Patrolman David Davison of the Trumann Police Department was one of 37 officers who successfully completed Basic Police Training Course 2021-A at the BRTC Law Enforcement Training Academy in Pocahontas. The Basic Police Training program is a course of study consisting of 593 hours of classroom and lab experience as accredited by the Arkansas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training (CLEST). ...

Mallory Jordan became the bride of Jason Black on March 6, 2021 when the couple wed at The Glass Factory in downtown Jonesboro. Mallory is a native of Weiner and graduated from Weiner High School in 2010. She completed her bachelor's degree in 2014 from the University of Arkansas. ...

A BOLO (Be On Look Out) was issued at 10:30 this morning for 87 year old Ruth Smith who had walked away from her house on Third Street. Within 30 minutes the alert was canceled when Smith was found safe.

Paden McDougle will spend the next 10 years in prison after Circuit Judge sentenced him to 120 months in the Arkansas Department of Corrections for second degree sexual assault. McDougle claimed he was coerced into performing the acts when he was arrested on May 1, 2020. The child told detectives McDougle touched her multiple times and, at one point, told her: “What happens between us, stays between us.”...

Like drunk driving, drugged driving is impaired driving, which means it is illegal in all 50 States Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C. Whether the drug is obtained legally or illegally, driving while drug-impaired poses a threat to the driver, vehicle passengers, and other road users...

An arrest was made on a Jonesboro man after a pursuit on Interstate 555 (I-555) in Poinsett County this past Wednesday evening. LaQuinton Lauderdale, 24, of Jonesboro was arrested by the Poinsett County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) when the pursuit ended in the Payneway/Marked Tree area...

The Tribute Quartet is set to perform at Lighthouse Victory Baptist Church on May 14, 2021 as part of the Gospel Singing Series. Since 2006, multi-award winning and multi-Dove Award nominated recording artist Tribute Quartet has become one of the country’s most dynamic, beloved and sought after male quartets in all of gospel music. ...

The Poinsett County Quorum Court met this past Monday in regular session at the annex building in Harrisburg. The council approved two ordinances, the first being to allow purchases at Glissen’s Service Station, Inc. in Harrisburg and the second was authorizing a lump sum extra compensation during 2020 in recognition of service during the COVID-19 pandemic. The court also approved an Appropriations and Transfers Ordinance totaling $29,414.72...

The Poinsett County Board of Election Commissioners has announced that Logic and Accuracy Testing (L&A) will be performed on the voting equipment and media that will be used during the upcoming May Annual School Election beginning on April 20 and a public meeting to demonstrate and test the same will be held on Monday, May 3, 2021 at 4:00 p.m. ...

With the announcement of a nearby school going to offer virtual learning to some of their students next year, the Poinsett County Democrat Tribune reached out to the four school superintendents in Poinsett County about what their schools have planned looking ahead to next year...

Home gardening is a great way to get fresh produce and in many cases an excellent way to get out of the house and relax after work. Now if it would just quit raining and dry up some, we’ll be able to get back the tillers back running. April is one of the best months to plant, since you can basically plant every crop. ...

A Poinsett County woman will have a May 28 court date after Craighead County deputies say she purposely crashed a vehicle with her and her child into a tree. Christin Leeann Helms, 30, of Harrisburg was arrested this past Friday on suspicion of criminal attempt to commit 1st-degree murder in the case...

The Trumann Fire Department has earned a rare license to save lives. The Arkansas Department of Health recently awarded the TFD its Advanced Response Service EMS Service license. Only 10 such services exist in the state. What makes it even rarer, Trumann is one of just five services that are exclusively fire department based, with no ambulances. ...

Ground broken on new learning park.

The Trumann Lions Club met for the first time since the pandemic began and the group heard from two of the eight delegates going to Boys’ and Girls’ State and also heard from a student who will attend Governor’s School. Boys’ and Girls’ State will be held virtually as the delegates will meet at Trumann High School to participate. Governor’s School will attend in person for the whole month of July...

Representative Johnny Rye donates flags to city of Lepanto.

The 2021 Black River Technical College (BRTC) LETA Class A was proud to contribute to the Arkansas Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS) Organization on Friday April 9 via a post on the schools’ Facebook page. Every year Andrea Schmidt, representative of COPS, speaks to the BRTC LETA cadets to honor the memory of her husband, officer Jonathan Schmidt who fell in the line of duty while serving with the Trumann Police Department. ...

A third suspect in connection with a body found last week in a ditch in Poinsett County is expected to appear in court Monday as more details are released in the case. Buddy Cantrell, 30, of Harrisburg, surrendered to authorities this past Friday morning after an investigation by Poinsett County deputies...

Harold Blackwood was honored by county officials.

A Trumann Police Department press release said that a victim of what was thought to be a one-vehicle accident was found to have been shot upon further investigation. The police department was called at approximately 1:56 a.m. this past Monday to the scene of a one-vehicle accident on Highway 69 near Heroes Lane. ...

The United State Department of Agriculture Veterinary Services has confirmed that a domestic rabbit in northeast Arkansas was tested for rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV-2) with a positive test result. Additional histopathology test results are still pending...

Marked Tree Superintendent Matt Wright announced on Sunday, March 28, that district would follow CDC guidelines and enforce masks on campus. “Masks, along with the other procedures that we’ve put in place, [have] worked to help keep our kids safe,” Wright said...

The Trumann Police Department will join law enforcement agencies nationwide April 8-12, 2021, to remind drivers about the dangers and consequences of texting and distracted driving. This annual campaign is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) national U Drive. U Text. U Pay. high-visibility enforcement effort...

The Poinsett County Cooperative Extension Service in Harrisburg is expanding with the addition of a new learning park adjacent to the office located at 302 North Main Street. According to Craig Allen, staff chair, the park will not only provide an outdoor classroom for youth and adult programs, it will also provide an additional greenspace for local residents...

Arkansas State University recently announced the names of students that were include on the fall 2020 dean’s list. The list includes students who earned a grade point average of 3.6 to 3.99 for the semester. Poinsett County had 30 students on the list...

Corey McCullon, who was arrested in November 2019 on suspicion of first-degree murder, aggravated residential burglary, terroristic act, possession of firearms by certain persons and terroristic threatening first-degree in the death of Keshia Criglar, had his current bond revoked and a new bond set this past Friday during his appearance in Craighead County Court...

Gary Mann, 64, of Harrisburg was arrested on April 1 at his home on charges of distributing/possessing/viewing subject matter depicting sexual conduct involving a child. The Jonesboro Internet Crimes against Children Division along with the Poinsett County Sheriff’s Office made the arrest. A search warrant of the suspect’s home found he had been downloading and sharing hundreds of sexually explicit photos and videos of children as young as 12 years old...

Angela Flippo, a 1989 graduate of Trumann High School, will become the new Director of the Joy Ring Student Success Center at Williams Baptist University after having served as the VP for Enrollment Management. She worked in the admissions office at Williams for two decades before stepping away but then returning to her vice president’s role in 2018...

Kimberly McDaniel Coulter of Trumann was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and DWI charges after she backed a vehicle over her mother, Linda McDaniel. Trumann police officers responded to a call this past Thursday about a person who had been struck by a vehicle in the 200 block of East Speedway Street. Later in the day it was found out by officers that Coulter was intoxicated at the time of the accident. McDaniel died of her injuries...