El Dorado News-Times (VCID - Camden News)

Back-The-Kids Campaign 2026

The Boys and Girls Club of Union County is holding their annual Back-The-Kids Campaign to better support the youth of Union County. The Boys and Girls Club serves 4,358 children across Union County, and this campaign helps fund programs and services...

Filing period begins in July for independents seeking city offices

The filing period is more than three months away for independent candidates who plan to run without party affiliation for city offices in Union County for the General Election in November. The filing period begins at noon July 20 and will end at noon...

Standard Lithium employees receive Patriot Award

Two workers at Standard Lithium received the Patriot Award on Wednesday after being nominated by their employee Jackson Gray, who serves in the National Guard. Terrie James, a volunteer with Arkansas Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, pinned...

Oil prices plunge, stock futures jump amid ceasefire deal

NEW YORK — Oil prices plunged and U.S. stock futures jumped after President Donald Trump held off on his threat of devastating attacks on Iran. U.S. crude oil futures fell more than 15%. Futures for the S&P 500 were up 2.2% as of 8:05 p.m. ET, while...

Murmil Heights college and career fair

The month of March was full of opportunities for Murmil Heights Education Center students, colleges and businesses came down to show students what their lives can be after high school. Every year the school puts on a college and career fair for their...

Pope Leo urges peace in first Easter Mass as Christians celebrate

VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV celebrated his first Easter Mass as pontiff with a call Sunday to lay down arms and seek peace to global conflicts through dialogue, but he departed from a tradition of listing the world’s woes by name in the Urbi et Orbi...

Artemis II astronauts more than halfway to the moon

HOUSTON — Now more than halfway to the moon, the Artemis II astronauts were toasted by Canada on Saturday as they prepared for their historic lunar fly-around to push deeper into space than even the Apollo astronauts. On the downside, their toilet was...

Smackover Police Chief reports no fatalities after truck fire

A truck carrying oil was reported on fire at around 8 a.m. on Friday morning in front of Taylor Tire in Smackover. Smackover Chief of Police Aplin said he heard an explosion just before 8:30 a.m., and when he reported the explosion to dispatch, he was...

Meet Me at Court Easter basket giveaway to continue past holiday

Today is Good Friday and Meet Me at the Court is in the midst of its annual Easter basket giveaway, with distributions expected to continue past Easter. Veronica Bailey, president and founder of MMC — a nonprofit, community-service organization —,...

Fire destroys local apartment building, displaces residents

An early morning fire at a local apartment complex has left nearly two dozen people displaced and an El Dorado firefighter with minor injuries. The El Dorado Fire Department responded at 2:24 a.m. Monday to a report of a structure fire at Oakhurst...

Blippi one of several events set for April 11

Popular children’s character Blippi is returning to El Dorado next month with a live show that will include singing, dancing and interactive fun. The Be Like Blippi Tour! is making a stop at 2 p.m. April 11 in the First Financial Music Hall at MAD...

Residents in South Arkansas gather for No Kings protest

Residents of Columbia, Ouachita and Union counties joined together on Saturday to protest in El Dorado as part of the third No Kings Day. An estimated 60 to 70 people showed up to the El Dorado No Kings protest, with other protests in Arkansas being...

SAAC celebrates milestone collaboration with Rumors and Special Anniversary Event

The South Arkansas Arts Center (SAAC) will present “Rumors” by Neil Simon April 10–12 and April 16–18 in the Callaway Theatre. Generously sponsored by Murphy-Pitard Jewelers and All About Flowers, this fast-paced farce promises an evening, or...

City tracking collaborative projects with SouthArk

El Dorado city officials recently took action on agreements between the city and South Arkansas College for a pair of collaborative projects. Earlier this month, the El Dorado City Council and El Dorado Wins Board approved a funding request of...

First responders meet and greet

Playscape welcomed first responders to its stomping grounds Friday, giving children in the community a chance to interact with them. Local police officers and firefighters greeted children with hugs, handshakes and photos during their meet and greet....

Cotton asks federal officials to let farmers use tax-exempt off-road diesel fuel on roads

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., wants the federal government to temporarily pause penalties for using off-road diesel for on-road use as fuel prices rise amid the ongoing Iran war. Cotton, of Little Rock, sent a letter Thursday to Treasury...

Lockheed to ramp up output amid new agreement

The Department of War, in partnership with Lockheed Martin, announced a framework agreement to quadruple the production of seekers for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptor and to accelerate the production of the Precision Strike...

Dirt Friends hosts garden activity at Playscape

Children put their little shovels to work Monday at Playscape during a garden activity with Dirt Friends Garden Group. Dirt Friends, a nonprofit organization in El Dorado that plants flowers across town to create a colorful city, shared their...

United for a purpose to feed

Organizations and local leaders joined forces Monday at the Salvation Army, to make lunches for the annual Spring Feed. Spring Feed is one of the food programs the Salvation Army does for children in the community during Spring Break. Volunteers...

Jester voices support for SAVE America Act as lawmakers in Washington push through debate

WASHINGTON — Arkansas Secretary of State Cole Jester is backing congressional Republicans’ elections measure as the Senate GOP plans to continue their standstill over the proposal for the foreseeable future. President Donald Trump has demanded...

Entergy addresses El Dorado concerns

Complaints and questions regarding streetlight outages, how to report them and response times for repairs have once again reared their heads, prompting the El Dorado City Council to reach out to an Entergy official. DeQuante Moore, customer service...

Federal law enforcement program working to combat Arkansas gun crimes

Violent crime — particularly gun crimes — have been a persistent and growing problem for Arkansas law enforcement. Several Arkansas cities — including Little Rock, North Little Rock, Pine Bluff, Helena-West Helena, West Memphis, to name a few — have...

New construction on the way for The Newton House

The Newton House celebrated a new project on Thursday. The Newton House is an historic museum that was built by Matthew Rainey, El Dorado’s first settler. This building has served as a gathering place for the community, hosting tours, weddings,...

State panel advances contract to provide ‘roadmap’ for Arkansas lithium

While many expect Arkansas to become a major lithium producer in the years to come, exactly what role it will play in the global market has yet to be determined. To help bring some clarity to that question, a panel of state legislators issued a...

UAMS chancellor visits SARH

UAMS Chancellor Dr. C. Lowry Barnes visited South Arkansas Regional Hospital on Thursday in advance of plans to create a Family Practice Residency program at SARH. Dr. Barnes, who grew up in Arkansas, is the first chancellor of the university to not...

Extreme Youth Prevention annual summit held this week in El Dorado

Extreme Youth Prevention held its annual Youth Summit on Tuesday at the El Dorado Conference Center. Students from all over Union County broke off into small groups and attended workshops on drug abuse, mental health, vaping and internet safety....

State poultry industry faced estimated $200M in damages from winter storm

A study from the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture found the state poultry industry sustained an estimated $200 million in poultry house damages after the winter storm in January. The extension’s report, released on March 3, found...

Spring is beginning to show its colors

As Spring time approaches, flowers are beginning to make their grand entrance. On the downtown square there are plenty of colorful flower beds along the sidewalk for locals to admire.

El Dorado Film Festival announces award winners

That’s a wrap on the 10th El Dorado Film Festival (EDFF)! EDFF Executive Director Alexander Jeffery and EDFF Chair Tamra Corley Davis announced the winners of the 2026 lineup in a ceremony at the South Arkansas Arts Center (SAAC) on Sunday, March...

SHARE scholarships support future healthcare professionals

Since its founding 30 years ago, the SHARE Foundation has been awarding scholarships to students who are working toward careers in healthcare. Interested students can submit applications for scholarships for the summer through March 15. There are...

Rain, storms expected through midweek in South Arkansas

Rain is expected to persist through much of the weekend and into midweek across South Arkansas, with periods of showers and thunderstorms and the potential for heavy rainfall, according to the National Weather Service. Jason Hansford, a senior...

South Arkansas eXtreme Prevention Summit feted

Registration is open for the South Arkansas eXtreme Prevention Summit, which will be held from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. May 5 in the El Dorado Conference Center. Presented by the SHARE Foundation eXtreme Prevention program, the regional conference will...

Weekend storms could bring 2 to 4 inches of rain to region

Showers and thunderstorms are expected to return to South Arkansas late Friday, bringing a weekend of slightly cooler temperatures and the potential for heavy rainfall and localized flooding, according to the National Weather Service. The rain could...

City working to address traffic safety issue near school

The El Dorado City Council brought back its public comment period during a regular meeting last week and the first topic that was introduced pertained to a traffic-safety issue near a local school. Only one local resident took advantage of the...

EFD responds to storage shed fire

El Dorado Fire Department responded to a structure fire on Monday afternoon on Hawthorne Ave. The fire was reported to emergency services by neighbors who said it was in a storage building behind the residence and was not connected with...

Iran vows revenge after leader’s death, trades strikes with Israel in widening war

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran vowed revenge Sunday after the killing of its supreme leader and traded strikes with Israel as part of a widening war prompted by a surprise U.S. and Israeli bombardment. The U.S. military said three service members...

Iran’s supreme leader is dead, Trump says

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A major attack launched by Israel and the United States killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, President Donald Trump said Saturday, announcing an assassination that he said gave Iranians their “greatest...

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth visits Camden

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth visited the L3Harris Technologies Camden site on Friday as part of his nationwide “Arsenal of Freedom” tour, highlighting the importance of American manufacturing capacity in strengthening the defense industrial base and...

Archery in Schools State Championship slated for March 6-7

Well over 1,900 students from fourth grade to high school seniors will take aim at the Hot Springs Convention Center and Bank OZK Arena March 6-7 in the 18th annual Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Archery in the Schools State Championship. Student...

Post-State of the Union sales job begins now for president

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has delivered the State of the Union. Now the challenge for him is to make that message stick. His address Tuesday was a declaration of pride in the achievements of his still-young second term, as he boasted of an...

EHS Drama presents Anastasia

What does it mean to not know who you are? What would you do to find out? Join Troupe 42 and El Dorado High School Drama for their winter musical “Anastasia” and watch as Anya navigates these difficult questions, with performances at 7 p.m. on March 5...

Hugh Goodwin Elementary holds annual History Parade

Students at Hugh Goodwin Elementary School brought history to life on Friday during the school’s annual History Parade, an event that continues to grow in enthusiasm and community spirit each year. Dressed as influential figures from American and world...

U.S.: Huckabee’s comments on Israel taken out of context

TEL AVIV, Israel — An uproar continued Sunday after the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, said Israel has a right to much of the Middle East, as more Arab and Muslim countries objected and the U.S. said his comments were taken out of...

President says he’ll raise tariffs to 15 percent after Supreme Court ruling

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Saturday that he wants a global tariff of 15%, up from 10% he had announced a day earlier after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down many of the far-reaching taxes on imports that he had imposed over the last...

Gas leak prompts street closure in downtown El Dorado

A gas leak was reported on North Hill Avenue in downtown El Dorado on Friday morning. The El Dorado Fire Department arrived on scene at 10:49 a.m. at the corner of Main Street and North Hill Avenue for the reported leak and blocked off North Hill...

Mary Jo Crosley’s 100th birthday party

Tuesday was a celebration at Hudson Memorial Nursing Home for Mary Jo Crosley, who turned 100 years old. Once a month, Hudson Memorial hosts birthday parties for all of its residents to recognize their milestones. Mary Jo was born Feb. 19, 1926, in...

Hugh Goodwin Elementary students craft oversized flag

Hugh Goodwin Elementary children are expanding their creativity with local artist Lisa Tarver on what it means to be artistically different for their upcoming project. Tarver is an Arts in Education instructor with the South Arkansas Arts Center,...

Beat the lines

Tuesday was the kick off to early voting in the Union County and will last for the next two weeks leading up to the official primary election day vote. Early voting gives residents a chance to cast their ballots ahead of Election Day, offering more...

City to relocate workshops for public works, water

City workshops that serve street, sanitation and water/ wastewater operations could have a new home come fall. The El Dorado City Council has voted to purchase property just off Industrial Road — 199 Means Drive — to relocate the city shop on Martin...

Early voting starts Tuesday for primary elections

Early voting begins and polls open at 8 a.m. Tuesday for the 2026 Preferential Primary Election in Union County. County election commissioners have said they are working to ensure that vote centers are prepared and the county electorate is armed with...

Nomination process ongoing for First Financial nonprofit award

So far, so good. First Financial Bank is accepting nominations for their annual Nonprofit Excellence Award ceremony that recognizes the work of nonprofits in Union County. Amber Murphy, who is the vice president of marketing for First Financial Bank,...

Visitors at Crater of Diamonds State Park find 6.03-carat yellow diamond

MURFREESBORO, Ark. — A pair of veteran gem-hunters recently made a remarkable find at Crater of Diamonds State Park. Jack Pearadin, 35, of Nashville, Arkansas, and Michael Schumacher, 43, of Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin, have visited the park countless...

Thousands of third-graders could be held back under LEARNS rule

John Crawford is sounding an alarm he fears some parents aren’t heeding: Thousands of third-graders in Arkansas could be forced to repeat the grade next school year. A mixed response “tells me that some of my parents don’t understand the...

Area man arrested after hourslong standoff and overnight manhunt

A Ouachita County man is in custody following an hourslong standoff Tuesday and a manhunt that stretched into the following day. David Davenport was arrested around 11 a.m. Wednesday after being spotted crossing a clearing in Calhoun County, according...

Arts center celebrates regional photography with Viewfinder exhibition

The South Arkansas Arts Center (SAAC) invites the public to a special artist reception on Thursday, February 12, from 5:30–7:00 PM, celebrating its newest exhibitions presented by the SAAC Visual Arts Committee. The reception is free and open to...

Soul Fest to celebrate 25th anniversary

For a quarter of a century, Michael “Mr. Mike” Jackson has been giving El Dorado the blues. South Arkansas Soul Fest, presented by Mr. Mike’s Productions, will celebrate its 25th anniversary on April 18 at the Union County Fairgrounds. Gates open at...

Soft companion makes a big impact for area foster children

Madison Hannah received a surprise visit from the owners of Xander Community and Lavendar Life Company on Wednesday — a company that donates plush bunnies to children in foster care after every purchase. Owners Vic and Vickie Bennet, began their...

Top Arkansas elected officials report gifts including trips to Israel, elsewhere

Israel was the destination of choice for Arkansas’ top politicians with the governor, senate president pro tempore and speaker of the house all making trips to the country last year. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and House Speaker Brian Evans, R-Cabot,...

Krewe of Mary Lou returns for eighth year to support women in recovery

Michael Rice, owner of FayRay’s restaurant, will host the Krewe of Mary Lou Mardi Gras-theme parade Feb. 8 in honor of his late daughter, Mary Lou Rice. Mary Lou lost her life after struggling with heroin addiction, and because of her love for Mardi...

Boozman, Cotton introduce Shepherd to Senate Judiciary Committee

Sens. John Boozman and Tom Cotton of Arkansas introduced circuit judge John Thomas Shepherd to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. During the introduction, the two voiced their support for his nomination to the U.S. District Court for the...

House passes bill to end the partial government shutdown

WASHINGTON — The House on Tuesday passed a roughly $1.2 trillion spending package to end the partial government shutdown, sending the measure to President Donald Trump and setting the stage for a debate in Congress over Homeland Security funding. The...

Punxsutawney Phil predicts 6 more weeks of wintry weather

PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (AP) — Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of wintry weather Monday, a forecast sure to disappoint many after what’s already been a long, cold season across large parts of the United States. His annual prediction and...

Contour expected to begin service in city March 16

Area residents can now begin booking commercial flights out of South Arkansas Regional Airport at Goodwin Fields. Contour Airlines has begun selling tickets in preparation to begin service March 16 as the area’s new Alternative Essential Air Service...

Last week’s winter storm through the eyes of those in Union County

After Winter Storm Fern left Union County blanketed in ice, sleet and a little snow, we asked you to send in your best photos. And you didn’t disappoint. We got to see baby’s first snow, dogs leaping through frozen yards and neighbors bundled up and...

Mad To Me Cafe feeds local students

Mad to Me Cafe fed students in downtown Smackover on Thursday as schools remained closed due to icy roads. Chicken strips, spaghetti and mac and cheese — Mad To Me Cafe served a buffet for students in the Smackover-Norphlet area to ensure they had a...

Revved up for wintry mix

Tails of Winter

In these submitted photos to the News-Times, pets are shown making the most of the wintry weather in Union County after Winter Storm Fern coated the region in sleet and ice over the weekend. In El Dorado, where sleet totaled around 2 inches with a...

City ties 86-year-old cold record during winter storm

While most of the attention during Winter Storm Fern went to areas north of South Arkansas, the Golden Triangle didn’t exactly escape the mess. Over the weekend, sleet and ice rolled into region, coating roads, yards and windshields across Union,...

Vintage sewing machines from the 1800s featured in ‘Stitches in Time’ exhibit

Vintage sewing machines, some dating from the mid1800s, will be featured in the “Stitches in Time” exhibit in the Union Museum of History and Art, from February 3 through 27 at 211 N. Main Street, Farmerville. The collection will be on loan from Tara...