News

Marion County Sheriff Gregg Alexander reports the arrest of Kathleen Smith (39 Years of Age) of Mountain Home, in connection with recent mail thefts in Marion County. A joint investigation by the Sheriff’s Office, Mountain Home Police Department, and the Gassville Police Department resulted in charges against Smith.

I was walking along a wooded ridge top trail years ago when a young fox squirrel fell from a limb above me and landed with a thud not more than ten feet from my boots. He didn’t waste any time leaving but he would have been a goner if I had wanted to shoot him. I just couldn’t do it. The little rascal had hidden in that treetop well enough to keep me from seeing him, but his curiosity had caused him to lose his balance and his dignity at the same time. As I walked on down the trail he sat on the limb of a nearby oak and barked at me. In my younger years I would have been less forgiving of that kind of insolence, and he would have ended up in a potful of dumplings.

Several concerned Marion County residents attended the May 22 meeting of the Marion County Regional Airport Board, its first meeting since the recent arrest of longtime Board Treasurer Doug Starkey. Charged with felony theft of property and abuse of office, Starkey’s arrest came after an investigation by the Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division uncovered over $117,000 in Airport funds allegedly taken by Starkey. The investigation was commenced at the request of the 14th Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney David Ethredge.