The Weekly Vista
Youth Council introduces students to civic government
The Bella Vista Youth Council is all about teaching youngsters the inner workings of civic government. The group of seven local high school students meet each month to tour a different aspect of government. “Basically, the goal is for them to become...
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Blue Blood Drive for Fallen Officers held Jan. 5
The Blue Blood Drive for Fallen Officers was held Jan. 5 at the Bella Vista Police Department. Community Blood Center of the Ozarks and the Arkansas chapter of Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.) combined forces for Blue Blood Drives in the...
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Library of Things getting more inventory
The Bella Vista Public Library’s Library of Things is widely used, with new items having recently arrived and more to come soon. Sally Carroll, event services coordinator for the library, said, “We’re always trying to add to it. It’s a growing thing....
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City gets $2.1M for creek project
BENTONVILLE — The city is set to spend just more than $4.9 million to remove the damaged Lake Bella Vista dam and restore Little Sugar Creek. The City Council voted 6-2 on Dec. 22 to accept a more than $2.1 million grant from the Walton Family...
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Noel Post Office stamps Christmas cards in winter wonderland
NOEL, Mo. — The smell of cookies and winter-themed scents linger in the Noel Post Office to greet visitors who enter to find volunteers helping Postmaster Patty Coggin stamp Christmas cards. The stamps these cards receive aren’t just for decoration....
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Animal shelter has Christmas cards, 2026 pet calendars
Residents may support the Bella Vista Animal Shelter this holiday season by purchasing a card or a calendar. The Christmas card program is called Santa Paws, and each card mailed by the shelter will inform the recipient that a donation was made in...
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Oz Trails Bike Park to open summer 2026
The Oz Trails Bike Park at U.S. Highway 71 and Mercy Way is set to open in the summer of 2026. Oz Trails Bike Park will be the first chairlift-served bike park in the region, with more than 30 trails for riders of all skill levels and a variety of...
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Heroes Ranch serves veterans, first responders
At Heroes Ranch just north of the state line in Jane, Mo., veterans and first responders are welcome to transform “struggle into strength” with Sheep Dog Impact Assistance. Retired Marine Sgt. Maj. Lance Nutt, who founded Sheep Dog in 2010, explained...
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Pantry gives Thanksgiving turkeys
Oasis Food Pantry at Village Bible Church gave away frozen turkeys for Thanksgiving on Nov. 19. Vehicles were lined up from the back of the church where the food pantry is located, wrapping around the church, all the way to the entrance of the parking...
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Veterans Day lauded as ‘living reminder’ of freedom
BELLA VISTA — Bella Vista Mayor John Flynn told veterans Nov. 11 their service has written the story of America’s strength and their legacy continues every single day. Flynn was one of the speakers during the Veterans Day program at the Wall of Honor....
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Finding the value in antiques
Everything has it’s value, but sometimes finding that value is the most difficult task. Enter Allison Taylor, a certified antiques dealer and appraiser in Bella Vista. Taylor owns and operates Allie’s Antiques & Appraisals, and can help when trying...
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St. Bernard’s ladies prepare for bazaar
The St. Bernard’s Women’s Club 38th Annual Holiday Bazaar will be 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 8 at the parish hall. Proceeds from the event will go to charity. Patty Carter, who co-chairs the event with Jane Mollicone, said the ladies gather at the parish...
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Carleton hopes to bring joy with paintings
Connie Carleton has received awards for her artwork and had it published in magazines, but she creates art in hopes of bringing people joy when they see it. Carleton is among the artists whose work is on display at the Wishing Spring Gallery on West...
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County panel approves Bella Vista water tower project
BENTONVILLE — The Bella Vista Property Owners Association can move forward with a project to add capacity to its water system to accommodate future growth in the city. The Benton County Planning Board voted 4-0 Wednesday to approve the site plan for a...
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Tree dedicated in memory of Anderson at city hall
A new tree at city hall will be a permanent reminder of the contributions of the city’s first mayor, Frank Anderson. The city dedicated the tree Oct. 8 during a brief ceremony with members of Anderson’s family present, city employees and members of...
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Highlands back open to rave reviews
After more than six months closed down for maintenance, the Highlands Golf Course in Bella Vista is back open, and receiving great reviews. The course was shut down March 1 to replace all of the fairway grass from Bermuda to zoysia. The course...
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Ryan advocates for home care regulation Scams and fraud
October is Financial Exploitation Awareness Month, and Jacklyn Ryan of Springdale is an advocate for senior care who has worked toward regulation in the home care industry. Ryan said when her father fell and broke his hip, she was referred to an...
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Bella Vista Fire Department Kids Day back this year!
Back again this year, the Bella Vista Fire Department invites kids of all ages to join firefighters for its family-friendly Kids Day. The event is set for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, at the Bella Vista Fire Department Training Center, 7...
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Bentonville snags $3.5 million grant for trail project
BENTONVILLE — Cyclists and pedestrians coming into the city from Bella Vista or vice versa via the Razorback Greenway will have a safer, more sustainable way to get to their destination thanks to a grant of up to about $3.5 million. The City Council...
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Bentonville accepts artist’s compromise
BENTONVILLE — The City Council decided Aug. 26 to keep a mural with modifications proposed to address concerns expressed about the piece since it was finished. Chris Sooter, Gayatri Agnew, Bill Burckart and Aubrey Patterson voted in favor of...
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2.2K Walk to end veteran suicide includes raffle
Bella Vista American Legion Post 341 is hosting its second annual 2.2K walk to raise money in the fight to end veteran suicide from 9 a.m.-noon Sept. 27. The walk takes place on the closed portion of Berksdale Golf Course, just north of Arvest Bank...
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New dog gives local teen hope with medical issues
Bella Vista teen Aly Blades just met her new best friend last week. That friend being a 10-week old Bernedoodle named Despereaux — a cross between a Bernese mountain dog and a poodle — that will now be her lifeline in dealing with a myriad of medical...
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Mid-August start estimated for trail relocation
BENTONVILLE — The city will start relocating part of the Razorback Greenway later this month to improve connectivity and safety. David Wright, parks director, estimated Wednesday that construction on the project will begin around Aug. 15 and last...
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Golf FORE Charity to tee off
The Bella Vista Foundation and Bella Vista Property Owners Association are working in unison to host the third annual Golf FORE Charity event to raise money for local charities. The event will be held Wednesday, Aug. 13, with a silent auction to take...
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Alice L. Walton School of Medicine opens
BENTONVILLE — The Alice L. Walton School of Medicine welcomed its first students July 14 with plans to teach a different approach to treating patients. The whole health approach ensures before students ever treat an illness, they treat the person...
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Gravette set to celebrate 132nd anniversary
at gravettear.com. Race fees are $30 for adults and $15 for youth 15 years and younger. Proceeds from the event will benefit Bright Futures. The farmers market, also at Old Town Park, will be open during its regular hours of 8 a.m. to noon. The...
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Radio club holds annual field day event in Metfield Park
Bella Vista Mayor John Flynn read a city proclamation regarding the benefits of amateur radio and then made one of the first long-distance contacts of the field day event, speaking with another radio operator across the country. Visitors saw firsthand...
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Highlands Methodist Church welcomes new pastor
Rick Sitton is the new pastor at Highlands Methodist Church, and he is looking forward to meeting the congregation. This year is his 40th year in the ministry. He started his ministry as a student pastor while attending Asbury Theological Seminary in...
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POA welcomes new marketing manager
When looking for a new face to lead its marketing department, the Bella Vista Property Owner Association found an avid outdoorsman with a lengthy track record in the industry. Larry Fleury took the reins in early April and has eased into his new role...
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Soldier killed in D-Day invasion is laid to rest
GRAVETTE — It took more than 80 years, but a soldier from Gravette was finally returned home and laid to rest June 9. The remains of U.S. Army Pvt. Rodger Dean Andrews, who died in the D-Day Normandy invasion during World II, were buried Monday next...
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Van Hefty’s essay featured in inspirational book
For many people, their dogs are considered part of the family. Jillian Van Hefty never especially wanted a dog, until she met Layla — the perfect dog. The local writer had an essay about her dog published recently in “Chicken Soup for the Soul: What I...
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Sculpture moved to library
“Marilyn Monroe,” the abstract sculpture donated to the city of Bella Vista by the late artist Larry Pogue of St. Louis, has been permanently moved to the Bella Vista Public Library. It is located along Dickens Place, adjacent to the recently-built...
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POA assessment increase will go to voters
The Bella Vista Property Owners Association presented its assessment increase campaign at its annual Meeting of Members at the Bella Vista Country Club on May 20. Association CEO Tom Judson outlined the assessment, explaining the benefits of an...
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Recreational fishing slowed by early-season weather
With a historic amount of rainfall that has already deluged Benton County this year, the spring and summer fishing season is feeling the full effects — from a hobbyist and business aspect. “This business is so weather-related,” said Reese Jones,...
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City issues record number of new home permits
The building boom in Bella Vista hit an all-time high in April with 91 new residential home permits being granted by the city. “It’s obviously been on the rise for some time now, and it doesn’t show any signs of slowing down,” Bella Vista...
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Couple addresses council over violation
A Bella Vista couple addressed the City Council at its April 28 meeting, disputing a violation they received concerning a fence they had put in the previous fall. James Miller and Agnes Gallo, who reside at 33 Melanie Circle, each spoke during the...
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Salyers wins award at state chili cook off
Bob Salyers took his chances in a statewide event at Holiday Island on April 12 and brought home a second place people’s choice award. The event was the ninth Arkansas State Chili Championship sanctioned by the International Chili Society. Proceeds...
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PC approves Dollar General development
The Bella Vista Planning Commission on April 14 unanimously approved a large-scale development for a Dollar General outside the city limits. The business will be near the city’s northeast corner. Planning Commissioners approved the development...
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Report: Vacancies low in Northwest
Northwest Arkansas’ supply of new leasable, vacant commercial real estate is in such demand that it’s absorbed almost as fast as it can be built, according to the Skyline Report released April 8. The vacancy rate in the second half of 2024 fell to...
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PC discusses waivers at workshop
The Bella Vista Planning Commission discussed multiple waivers at an April 3 workshop. The commissioners looked at a waiver to improve a second non-conforming gravel driveway at 96 Melanie Drive, according to a staff report prepared by Conner LaRue,...
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Benton County supports tax reallocation bill
BENTONVILLE — The Benton County Quorum Court has officially backed proposed state legislation that, if passed, would provide an avenue for the county to collect more sales tax revenue. The Quorum Court voted 13-0 March 27 to approve a resolution in...
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BGC program focuses on healthy decision making
Staff members at the Bella Vista Unit of the Benton County Boys and Girls Club are trying to set children up for success by teaching them social emotional skills through a program called Smart Moves. Shannon Schultheis, lead staff at the unit, said...
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PC approves variances for OZ Trails Bike Park
Development plans for the OZ Trails Bike Park in Bella Vista are moving ahead, although some residents have concerns. The Bella Vista Board of Zoning Adjustment and Planning Commission on March 10 approved three variances for the large-scale...
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Open house event held for Oz Trails Bike Park
An open house informing the public about the future OZ Trails Bike Park was held March 5 at Linebarger Lodge in Bella Vista, drawing more than 1,000 guests in three hours. Plans for the region’s first chairlift-served bike park, to be located along...
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Bella Vista Community TV taking new direction
Bella Vista Community Television, a nonprofit organization run by volunteers, has been serving Bella Vista since 1984 and now wishes to celebrate some new developments. The organization’s new president, Terry Sage, said, “We’re trying to reach out to...
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Wife of Gravette firefighter from BV talks recovery
Shelby Shambles received a call about 3:30 p.m. Jan. 29 for which she couldn’t prepare. A nurse at Freeman Hospital West in Joplin, Mo., informed her that her husband, Tylor Shambles, had been life-flighted to the hospital after being injured in a...
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Litter control volunteers work for beautification
Neon yellow vests dotted the side of U.S. Highway 71 recently as a large group of volunteers came together to pick up litter in Bella Vista. Bella Vista Litter Patrol, a Facebook group that has about 300 members, according to its founder, Wendy...
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Friends of Library to continue after eviction
The president of the Bella Vista Friends of the Library and the former manager of the Encore Bookstore, which was evicted from the Bella Vista Public Library, say the Friends of the Library will continue raising funds for the library even without the...
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Quilts of Valor presentation demonstrates support, love
Just like Catherine Roberts, founder of the Quilts of Valor Foundation (QOVF), members of the Calico Cut-Ups (CCU) Quilt Guild of Bella Vista feel a need to give back to those who’ve served the nation, and to address the despair of those service...
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New staff join association’s Rec & Wellness department
New staff members recently joined the Recreation & Wellness department of the Bella Vista Property Owners Association. This as Joan Glubczynski, longtime department director, prepares to retire next month. Glubczynski introduced some of the new hires,...
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City hall project ongoing; expected to end mid-year
Completion of the new Bella Vista City Hall administrative offices is now estimated for mid2025. Cassi Lapp, communications director for the city, said recently, “The exterior of the new administration offices for city and fire is nearly complete,...
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County to improve 32.8 miles of roads in 2025
The Benton County Road Department plans to improve 32.8 miles of existing roads at a cost just over $2 million this year, including an overlay and maintenance project on McNelly Road between Bella Vista and Pea Ridge. The department also plans to work...
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Phillips speaks on Battle of Chickamauga at CWRT
At the year’s first meeting of the Bella Vista Civil War Round Table on Jan. 2, Dale Phillips, vice president of the organization, spoke on the Battle of Chickamauga. He said many historians look on the historical event as a twoday battle, but he...
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Russell-Holmes returns to BV as POA tennis pro
Kelli Russell-Holmes has taken on a new position at Kingsdale Tennis Center, but by no means is she a stranger to Bella Vista. The head tennis professional at Kingsdale got her first taste of being competitive in her sport years ago under Bella...
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Mayor to serve on commission
Mayor John Flynn will replace outgoing City Council member Doug Fowler on the Bella Vista Advertising and Promotion Commission, effective Jan. 1, but the appointment was not approved unanimously by the council on Dec. 16. During the regular meeting,...
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Sieg holds book drive for Little Free Libraries
Little Freddie and his grandmother, Ann Sieg, sat reading a book about life under the sea. It was more than a nice photo. Sieg said she is on a mission to make kids better readers. She shared an online source that said research shows children who are...
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Former police chief to retire from public service
“I became chief right after the city incorporated,” Jim Wozniak, Bella Vista’s first police chief, said. Wozniak, who was serving as chief deputy for the Benton County Sheriff’s Office, took over as the city’s police chief in 2007 and served in that...
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Hatley’s paintings inspired by nature
Gerald Hatley’s passion for his art is like a burning fire and a pursuit that won’t let him sleep until he has satisfied it. A watercolorist with paintings on display at the Wishing Spring Gallery on West McNelly Road, Hatley said he began painting as...
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Snow drops out of race, endorses Harp for ward
Bella Vista City Council Member Jerry Snow is stepping away from his reelection campaign and is asking residents to vote for his challenger Travis Harp in the Ward 1, Position 1 runoff election. Snow didn’t go into details about why he decided to drop...
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Radio club wins first place at national Field Day event
With over 2,500 radio contacts and 103 attendees, Bella Vista Radio Club has been awarded first place in the nation in the competitive Class A division of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) Field Day. The results of the annual event in June are...
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Newport wins Ward 2; runoff set for Wards 1, 3
Shea Newport will be sworn in as the new Ward 2, Position 1 Bella Vista City Council Member in January after winning the Nov. 5 election by a vote of 8,268 (52%) over 7,696 (48%) received by Jeremy Bridges in the two-person race. Newport will be...
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Time capsule contents found in suspect vehicle
The contents of a time capsule stolen from the Bella Vista Historical Museum on Oct. 26 were recovered early Saturday morning, Nov. 2 and have since been returned the museum. The items were discovered in a duffel bag located in a white Ford Flex...
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POA holds tour of Tanyard Creek golf practice facility
The Bella Vista Property Owners Association hosted a tour of the renovated Tanyard Creek Practice Center on Oct. 22. Graham Kornmeyer, director of golf maintenance, showed guests the individual hitting bays of the driving range overlooking the target...
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Northwest Arkansas Festival hosts makers
A variety of arts and crafts vendors were on hand at the Northwest Arkansas Festival on Oct. 17. The event was held Oct. 17-19 on Forest Hills Boulevard. Mary Haller of Eureka Springs was showing her canvas artwork at the festival. “My process is...
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Red carpet gala set for Wonderland Cave film
A feature film about Wonderland Cave in the 1930s is moving ahead and writer/director/ actress Krista Bradley of Bella Vista is holding a red carpet gala next week to raise funds for the project and give supporters a better idea of what the movie is...
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Support ride Sunday for teenager battling cancer
Elijah High, 14, of Bella Vista, spent the last year going through treatments for brain cancer. Recently his family learned his tumor has grown and he is now going through chemo and radiation treatments again at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in...
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Scholarship recipients present to BV Garden Club
Recipients of the Dorothy Wallace Scholarship spoke Sept. 25 at a meeting of the Bella Vista Garden Club, informing the members of how they used the funds the club raised. Virginia Halman of the club’s scholarship committee said there is a great...
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