The Sentinel-Record
I. Granger McDaniel, Sid Vicious to be inducted into Arkansas Walk of Fame
Architect Irven Granger McDaniel and professional wrestler Sid Eudy will be inducted into the Arkansas Walk of Fame at 11 a.m. Saturday at Hot Springs Transportation Depot, 100 Broadway Terrace. McDaniel joins architects E. Fay Jones and Edward Durell...
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Arkansas Walk of Fame keeps Michael Todd honor as Hot Springs considers revoking key to city
There are no plans to remove arm wrestling champion Michael Todd’s name from the Arkansas Walk of Fame according to its chairman, but Hot Springs city officials are considering taking back his key to the city following renewed attention to his 1996...
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Treatment alone won’t end homelessness, local providers say
People who complete addiction treatment in Hot Springs can end up back on the street with nowhere to live, local service providers say, as the Trump administration shifts federal homelessness funding toward treatment and temporary housing. Chris...
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State expands college aid, credit options for students
Arkansas high school students have more opportunities to earn college credit and qualify for thousands of dollars in scholarships under recent changes to state financial aid programs through the Arkansas ACCESS Act. The changes include expanded...
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Changing landscape:
MOUNTAIN VALLEY — Greater Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce Interim President and CEO Cole McCaskill said Mountain Valley has changed a great deal since he was a child helping run a roadside tourist stand. “This community has grown tremendously since...
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Berlinger, Richen honored for films that challenge injustice
The Hot Springs Documentary Film Institute honored Joe Berlinger with the Brent Renaud Career Achievement Award on Sunday and Yoruba Richen with the Impact Award on Monday during the 35th Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival at the Arlington Resort...
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‘Movers and Shakers’
Editor’s note: Garland County is home to many people who work to meet the needs of others in the community. They often appear in The Sentinel-Record in connection with community events, but coverage typically focuses on the events rather than the...
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Film, birding festivals partner for two-part session
Cinema 2, located in Conference Room C of the Arlington Hotel Resort and Spa, was filled with people wanting to get a glimpse at a pair of raptors brought by the Little Rock Zoo on the second day of the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival. The...
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‘Wild Inside’ opens 35th documentary film festival
Film enthusiasts filled the Oaklawn Event Center for the opening night of the 35th Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival on Friday as director Penny Lane’s “Wild Inside” celebrated the life of Eurasian eagle-owl, Flaco, and what occurred after he...
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Opening night
Attendees at the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival raise their glasses of champagne to toast the start of the 35th annual festival, which started Friday and runs through Oct. 17. The opening night gala film, “Wild Inside,” was shown following the...
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Property tax collections reach $74.8M ahead of Oct. 15 deadline
Nearly 60% of the $128.5 million billed to Garland County property owners in February had been collected a week before the Oct. 15 payment deadline, according to a report from the county tax collector’s office. The report showed $74.8 million had been...
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Garland County tests election equipment as early voting nears
The Garland County Election Commission tested voting equipment Wednesday in advance of the Nov. 3 general election. Arranged in rows and columns, the 112 touchscreens, which will be used for the 13 days of early voting that starts Oct. 19 and on...
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UA officials: NPC would keep tuition control in merger
National Park College would continue setting its own tuition rates and could gain new transfer and academic opportunities if it joins the University of Arkansas System, system officials said Tuesday, but final authority over major college decisions...
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Officials OK resolution to name roundabout, send to quorum court
A resolution to name the roundabout at the intersection of the Martin Luther King Jr. Expressway and Highways 5 and 7 after a local veteran will be sent to the Garland County Quorum Court after its Public Health, Welfare and Safety Committee approved...
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Davey receives honorable mention for Glenn ‘Sonny’ Cox Award
When Sydni Davey walked into work recently, she had no idea she would be getting an honorable mention for the state’s top award for public safety communications. Garland County’s deputy director of communications and the head of the county’s 911...
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Hot Springs film festival marks 35 years with 88 films
The Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival will return Friday for its 35th year, bringing nine days of feature films and shorts to the Arlington Resort Hotel and Spa while adding two new programs. The Documentary Roundtable, scheduled for 7:30 p.m....
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One month after contract expiration, BCBS, CHI St. Vincent still negotiating
A month has passed since CHI St. Vincent and Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield were unable to reach an agreement to extend the contract between the hospital system and the state’s largest insurer, but negotiations are still ongoing, both groups confirmed...
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Abilities Unlimited marks 65 years
Abilities Unlimited Inc. celebrated its 65th anniversary with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday at its main facility, 530 Mountain Pine Road. The nonprofit organization, established in 1961, supports individuals with disabilities and special needs,...
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New Buckstaff management hopes to retain current staff
The new concessionaire for the Buckstaff Bath House said the facility’s current staff will be invited to stay on after the transition on Jan. 1, 2027. “Our goal would never be to turn over the staff,” Tom Kloss, the national director of operations for...
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‘Failure is an option’: CMS students learn by solving problems
Cutter Morning Star junior Andrew Howanietz has spent weeks designing, testing and redesigning a 3D-printed storage device that could make everyday life a little easier for people who use wheelchairs or walkers. The device includes a phone holder and...
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Voter registration deadline for November election set for Monday
Arkansas voters who want to cast their ballot in the Nov. 3 general election have until this Monday to register. Applications postmarked or submitted in person at the county clerk’s office after Oct. 5 will not be accepted. The state election code...
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3rd annual Hispanic Heritage Festival set for Saturday
The third annual Hispanic Heritage Festival is set for Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Hot Springs Farmers’ Market, 121 Orange St. Ouachita Behavioral Health and Wellness is hosting the event in partnership with the Farmers’ Market. Community...
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Gold Star sister keeps Vietnam pilot’s memory alive
More than 50 years after her brother died while serving in Vietnam, Joan Francois still cannot hear taps without thinking of a rainy Arkansas funeral and the flag placed in her mother’s hands. Francois was 13 when her brother, Army 1st Lt. Dexter Bush...
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Food truck festival brings vendors from multiple states to downtown HS
The third annual Spa City Food Truck Festival continues today as various food trucks and other vendors gather in downtown Hot Springs. Organizer Megan Weatherford said 36 food trucks and 25 tent vendors are selling their items at the festival, which...
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NPC merger talks with UA System advance as key questions emerge
National Park College is moving forward with talks about joining the University of Arkansas System, as college leaders begin gathering information about what a merger could mean for employees, students and local control. NPC President Wade Derden told...
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NPC opens Metalworks facility, expands welding training space
National Park College officially opened its new 16,000-square-foot Metalworks facility Wednesday with a grand opening ceremony and ribbon-cutting, giving welding students more room to train and expanding the college’s capacity to prepare workers for...
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Hot Springs opens first splash pad at Park Avenue park
The Hot Springs Park and Recreation Department, in partnership with the Park Avenue Community Association, held the opening ceremony for the city’s first ever splash pad Tuesday at David F. Watkins Memorial Park, 811 Park Ave. The splash pad is free...
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Opportunity Zone nominations shift focus to rural, residential areas of county
The Hot Springs Metro Partnership nominated three census tracts outside of downtown for the Opportunity Zone program, reflecting a push to steer federal tax incentives toward areas local officials say have not seen the same level of...
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Scars and Stripes to hold Veteran Stand Down event Oct. 2-3
Scars and Stripes, a local veteran services organization, will be holding an event for homeless veterans on Oct. 2-3 at the Hot Springs Community Resource Center, 109 Hobson Ave. Veteran Stand Down, which is funded by a noncompetitive grant from the...
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6 Garland County schools earn nearly $194,000 in state awards
Six Garland County schools will share nearly $194,000 in state awards after qualifying for Arkansas’ new Gem Schools program, adding another measure of local academic performance to school letter grades released a day earlier. The Arkansas Department...
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‘Labor of love’
The fifth annual Big Steam Blues & Roots Music Festival will return to downtown Hot Springs Sept. 25-26, bringing two days of free live music, about 40 food trucks and expanded entertainment beyond the festival’s main stage at Hill Wheatley...
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Mid-America Science Museum to host STEM career fair for students
Mid-America Science Museum has invited local students in grades eighth to 10th to the third annual STEM Works career fair on Sept. 25 in the Hall of Wonder. They will have the opportunity to meet with companies, businesses and organizations to learn...
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Dry conditions, heat put strain on county fire departments’ resources
While there has been some rain over the past week, local fire chiefs are in agreement that it has not been enough. According to the National Weather Service in North Little Rock, 1.35 inches of rain was recorded at Hot Springs Memorial Field in the...
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School security expert: Technology only works if doors stay secured
A school can spend heavily on cameras, electronic locks and access-control systems, but a single propped-open side door can undermine it all, a school security specialist told Arkansas facilities leaders Tuesday in Hot Springs. Chris Thorman, vice...
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GC Opportunity Zone nominations focus on areas outside downtown
One downtown census tract was among the four Opportunity Zone nominations the Hot Springs Metro Partnership submitted to the governor’s office. According to the list of Garland County nominations the Arkansas Economic Development Commission provided,...
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Tikes, Trikes and Trails rolls into Velocity Park Saturday
The public is invited to join Hot Springs Park and Recreation on Saturday for the fall Tikes, Trikes and Trails event, set for noon to 2 p.m. at Velocity Park, 325 Valley St. The program is held in partnership with Hot Springs Bicycle Touring Company,...
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Fair closed on Monday, but livestock activity will be busy all week
The Garland County Fair will be active most of next week, with different livestock shows scheduled for Tuesday through Friday. The fairgrounds will be closed to the public on Monday for Creative Arts judging as well as a Horticulture check-in and a...
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Bones returns home with $50K literacy boost
MOUNTAIN PINE — National radio personality Bobby Bones returned to his former school Friday, bringing a $50,000 literacy donation and more than 700 books for students to take home. Bones, a Mountain Pine alumnus and host of the nationally syndicated...
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25 years later
Twenty-five years ago today, Romeo Lopez was a normal 19-year-old living in Queens and working at the Strand Bookstore Annex, 95 Fulton St., in Manhattan. Now, Lopez is starting to come to terms with the post-traumatic stress disorder that stemmed...
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Veterans Memorial has new monument dedicated to the war on terrorism
A monument that has been in the works for approximately five years was finally installed at the Garland County Veterans Memorial and Military Park Wednesday morning. The three-part monument is dedicated to those who served in the military during the...
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Hot Springs wastewater upgrades end Gulpha Basin sewer spills
The city of Hot Springs said $54 million in improvements ratepayers are financing in the Gulpha Creek Basin have ended overflows in that area of the wastewater collection system. Residential ratepayers inside the city have been paying $29.48 a month...
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Garland County Fair gets underway Thursday
The Garland County Fair and Livestock Show will kick off Thursday, and Garland County Fair Association president Joe Turner said there should be something for everyone at the fair. The Garland County Fair will continue through Sept. 19. Arm bands are...
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NPC prepares short-term programs for Workforce Pell expansion
National Park College is reshaping its short-term job training programs to give more students access to financial aid as new federal and state funding options expand. College leaders say Workforce Pell, a new federal program that extends Pell Grant...
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ArDOT conducting study on possible speed limit change at Airport, Sunshine roads
Traffic along Airport Road near Sunshine Road could start moving slower depending on the results of a study by the Arkansas Department of Transportation. Garland County Judge Darryl Mahoney said a citizen had requested the speed limit around the...
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Wildfires complicated by wind, dry conditions
Multiple fire departments spent hours battling a pair of unrelated wildfires in the county Wednesday and Thursday, and Garland County’s deputy director of emergency management said the dry conditions and winds contributed to the spread. Piney Fire...
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NPC explores merger with UA System
National Park College took the first step Thursday toward a possible merger with the University of Arkansas System, a move college leaders say could expand degree options and resources for students but would place legal and financial control of NPC...
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Oliva says waiver could cut compliance costs for schools
Arkansas education officials hope a newly approved federal waiver will allow school districts to spend less time meeting federal requirements and more of their federal money directly on students, state Education Secretary Jacob Oliva said...
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Power of the Card offers discounts, freebies to library cardholders in September
Garland County Library has partnered with other Central Arkansas libraries and select businesses to offer discounts and special promotions to library cardholders for the month of September. Central Arkansas Library System, North Little Rock Public...
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‘Feed his sheep’
HOT SPRINGS VILLAGE — Faith Fellowship Food Pantry provides food to an average of 4,000 to 5,000 people each month through its warehouse and partner organizations, according to pantry Director DeDee Phillips. The pantry, located at 3213 N. Highway 7,...
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New NPC program builds paths to outdoor careers
National Park College’s new outdoor recreation program is giving students a flexible path to careers in parks, tourism, trail systems and other outdoor fields through hands-on training and stackable credentials. Christina Gump, the program’s new...
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New simulator gives NPC nurses hands-on OB training
National Park College nursing students can now practice delivering babies and handling life-threatening childbirth emergencies before facing them with real patients, as access to local obstetrics training becomes more limited. NPC showcased its new...
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‘One-stop shop’:
High school seniors in Arkansas can now apply to up to five participating colleges for free through a single online portal designed to make the application process easier to navigate. The Arkansas ACCESS Portal, recently launched statewide, gives...
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The Friends of Lake Ouachita receive USACE national award for second time
The Friends of Lake Ouachita organization made history by becoming the first United States Army Corps of Engineers partner organization to be presented the Excellence in Partnership Award for a second time. FOLO was honored by the USACE for their...
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Banquet honors area Black churches
Resilience was the overarching theme of the sixth annual Hot Springs Community Health Banquet and Recognition Dinner last week, a point that was driven home by the six Black churches honored during the event. The sold-out event honored the community’s...
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Singer-songwriter, festival organizer Agus makes Hot Springs his home
Editor’s note: Garland County is home to many people who work to meet the needs of others in the community. They often appear in The Sentinel-Record in connection with community events, but coverage typically focuses on the events rather than the...
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Herron steps into a new role, honored by Tri-Lakes CASA board
After 16 years of working in multiple roles with Tri-Lakes CASA, Suzanne Herron has left the organization and stepped into a new role at Abilities Unlimited. Herron, who has served as the executive director of Tri-Lakes CASA since 2021, is the new...
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Hot Springs says new water plant pays dividends during hot, dry spell
The Hot Springs regional water system’s two active treatment plants have capacity to spare despite producing about 20 million gallons a day on average during July and the first three weeks of August. City Manager Bill Burrough told the Hot Springs...
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City affirms commitment to Flock contract amid debate over privacy concerns
As debate over automated license plate readers spreads nationally and across Arkansas, Hot Springs officials say the city is not backing away from its contract with Flock Safety. The Atlanta-based surveillance hardware and software company operates a...
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Candidates draw for ballot order in Nov. 3 election
Positions for what the county’s top election official said will be the largest ballot Garland County has ever had were drawn Friday at the Election Commission Building. Candidates drew numbered PingPong balls to determine the order of their names on...
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County judge to rule on library tax petition this week
Garland County residents will find out later this week if a proposal for a millage increase for the Garland County Library will be on the November ballot, which already is the longest in recent history. Garland County Election Commission...
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AG’s office says city of HS contractor not subject to FOIA
Board meetings of the city of Hot Springs’ contractor for summer and after school youth programming are not open to the public in the opinion of the state attorney general’s office. Assistant Attorney General William R. Olson said in an opinion he...
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