2025Blytheville mayoral candidate announcesBishop R.L to announce his plans to be a candidate for mayor for the city of Blytheville.Bishop R.L to announce his plans to be a candidate for mayor for the city of Blytheville Bishop Jones has served on the city council For over three decades he has served the people of Blytheville He said ministering to the people has been the driving force in his life and career He was born in Hughes and raised in Benton Harbor Jones has been a pastor since the age of 11 and has been with the Bethlehem Temple Church Family at 1800 West McHaney for 45 years The original location was on South 10th Street and David Lane He has been involved in all aspects of the city throughout the years being active in projects such as neighborhood watches and other beneficial projects “I have enjoyed serving the people of Blytheville and appreciate their support each election for city council but it is time for me to move forward,” Jones said “I’ve been on the city council for a long time and the people know and approve of my leadership People will come back to Blytheville and it will be like it once was “I want to say at the start of my campaign all the city employees working for the city will remain They will be able to continue working for the city “I have an infrastructure plan for the city I have experts who will come here and help us move the city forward We will work with the police department to fight crime We will do everything we can do to see that happen “I also have a plan for the senior citizens “I promise I will continue to work hard for all of the citizens of Blytheville as I have for the past 35 years passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on May 1 Harold attended the University of Arkansas and is a graduate of the College of Engineering with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering he returned to Blytheville and entered the family concrete construction and building material sales business Wright was a Rotarian since 1980 and was President of the Blytheville Club in 1988 He served on the District Conference Committee The GSE Committee and as a Governor Representative He was deeply honored to have been elected to serve District 6150 as District Governor in 1992 He was a longtime member of the First United Methodist Church in Blytheville Paul United Methodist Church and he is currently a member at the First Baptist Church in Gainesville reading and his beloved Arkansas Razorbacks He is survived by his sister Patti Deen and brother-in-law Wayne B Darsey and Sadie Wright and Lucy Micheal Haynes The family will have a private Celebration of Life If you would like to donate in memory of Harold please do so to The Rotary Foundation online at Rotary.org or One Rotary Center Those wishing to send online condolences to the family may do so at littledavenport.com Little & Davenport Funeral Home and Crematory Georgia 30501 is in charge of arrangements by Jeff Della Rosa ([email protected]) August 28, 2024 6:36 pm 350 views  manufacturing and petroleum-related industries have contributed to the overall economic strength of some of the top micropolitan areas in Arkansas Bentonville-based Heartland Forward a policy think-and-do tank working as a resource for states and communities to advance the economic success in the middle of the country It ranked the economic performance of 527 U.S comprising cities with a population between 10,000 and 50,000 More than 27 million Americans live in these areas was ranked the top micropolitan area in the United States yet they play a crucial role in America’s economy,” said Ross DeVol “Our report shows how these innovative communities are thriving offering a blueprint for other small cities.” Many of the micropolitans “benefit from robust manufacturing industries that serve as a source for well-paying jobs and technological innovation,” according to a news release Blytheville and Magnolia are manufacturing hubs employing thousands of highly skilled workers with competitive wages contributing significantly to the state’s economy.” the highest of any micropolitan area in the state Blytheville is the largest city in Mississippi County Blytheville benefits from its proximity to Watco’s Blytheville Marine Terminal a barge-and-rail terminal on the Mississippi River specializing in transporting bulk fertilizer Blytheville is also home to the steel-recycling giant Nucor Steel and has seen significant steel-related investments Arkansas Northeastern College is helping to attract these investments as companies can partner with the college to develop workforce training programs to train highly skilled workers The report also shows that a strong manufacturing presence in Magnolia has helped to raise average annual pay by 19% and real GDP by 13.3% over five years the processing of various heavy metals found in the area has contributed to interest and investment in Magnolia recently announced an expansion of its bromine-processing operations new techniques for lithium extraction for electric vehicle batteries led ExxonMobil to acquire land in the region with plans to build a lithium production facility micropolitans by analyzing economic indicators The methodology examines short-term (2021-2022) and medium-term (2017-2022) growth focusing on metrics like young-firm employment and knowledge intensity our analysis of the economic conditions of micropolitans helps public policymakers businesses and researchers plan strategically drive sustainable growth and foster resilience in these vital communities,” said Jackson Li a report author and research associate at Heartland Forward Arkansas headlines delivered to you on demand Blytheville athletic director McKenzie Pierce immediately started to search for his successor The wait for that successor lasted two months The Blytheville School District announced Wednesday on Facebook that Roderick Stinson will be the new head coach of the Chickasaws Stinson was a superstar running back at Pine Bluff High School rushing for more than 2,000 yards and helping the Zebras win three consecutive Class 4A titles (1993-95) Stinson played for the Arkansas Razorbacks for four seasons (1997-2000) where he picked up 487 yards on the ground and three touchdowns Stinson joined the Arkansas coaching staff as a strength and conditioning graduate assistant He returned to Pine Bluff in 2003 as a junior high coach before joining the high school staff in 2006 Stinson was the offensive coordinator for the Zebras for three seasons before being named the head coach of Hall High School in Little Rock in 2011 Stinson was in Little Rock for one season before returning once again to Pine Bluff helping the Zebras win 6A state titles in 2014 and 2015 Stinson succeeded Bobby Bolding as Pine Bluff's head coach Stinson stepped down from the Zebras in 2021 after going 10-19 in three seasons He joined Marion's coaching staff in 2022 and helped the team reach the state playoffs in 2022 To get live updates on your phone — as well as follow your favorite teams and top games — you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App | Download Android App CHRIS GAYChris Gay is a 2024 graduate of Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia first as a broadcaster and later as a writer Chris worked as a scout/reporter with Arkansas Prep Girls Hoops and soon thereafter he began working as a broadcaster with Natural State Sports Network He began contributing to High School On SI in 2025 © 2025 ABG-SI LLC - SPORTS ILLUSTRATED IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ABG-SI LLC The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit If you or someone you know has a gambling problem crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInBLYTHEVILLE (WMC) - The Blytheville Police Department is investigating a deadly shooting that took place overnight BPD says that officers got a call about multiple shots fired in the 1000 block of South 16th Street at 11:30 p.m Police arrived to find a red passenger car with multiple bullet holes Anyone with information is asked to call the Blytheville Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division at 870-762-0400 Click here to sign up for our newsletter Click here to report a spelling or grammar error KARK Join us as the incredibly talented Ms. Arkansas, Cynthia Rudd shares her journey from the Apollo to Las Vegas and reveals what’s next for this rising comedy star Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" these are the actual most popular baby names so far in 2025 Whether it’s a short vacation or they’re jetting off to begin their career show the future traveler you care with a meaningful graduation gift National Teacher Appreciation Week begins May 5 take advantage of these freebies and deals Follow @ARStyleShow Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – Oct 2024 – A Blytheville doctor’s license has been suspended following allegations of sexual contact with his staff.adButlerLazyLoad("3787233994286459090",100,["707873","707873","707873"],"177037"); The Arkansas State Medical Board suspended Dr in an emergency order of suspension for allegedly violating the Medical Practices Act and Board Regulations the Arkansas State Medical Board received a complaint The video shows Diffine engaging in sexual contact with staff members Diffine performing sexual acts with a staff member while other staff members were present and watching Diffine walking throughout the clinic naked,” the order said.adButlerLazyLoad("655428498176045610",100,["707873","707873","707873"],"177037"); 6 to determine if Diffine violated the Medical Practices Act Diffine’s license was temporarily suspended by the state medical board for overprescribing drugs to patients the board dismissed the charges after finding no proof of the allegations.adButlerLazyLoad("1620664179914314944",100,["707873","707873","707873"],"177037"); Hope Found of Northeast Arkansas is inviting the community to ride against human trafficking in June with its annual outdoor event breeds and sizes are available through area animal rescues and shelters as well as opportunities to help homeless animals through foster programs and help with fundraisers and other family-friendly activities The most outstanding graduating students in the College of Liberal Arts and Communication were recognized during Arkansas State University’s Convocation of Scholars ARDOT will host a public involvement meeting on Thursday to discuss the proposed widening of Highway 91 west of County Road 132 to West Parker Road in Jonesboro Copenhaver brings revised franchise tax funded revenue bond proposal back Be sure you have your GPS enabled and try again   BLYTHEVILLE — More than 150 Arkansas State Troopers were part of a major arrest operation in Mississippi County today joining with approximately 350 federal agents in the culmination of a two-year long investigation involving alleged drug and guns crimes centered in the Blytheville and Osceola areas United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas Special Agent in Charge of the Little Rock Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Prosecuting Attorney for the Second Judicial District of Arkansas announced today the simultaneous unsealing of 40 federal indictments charging 70 defendants in a major operation aimed at curbing drug trafficking and gun violence in Blytheville and Mississippi County The indictments were returned by the Grand Jury on August 5 and were unsealed today following a coordinated roundup of the charged defendants   The Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation with a goal to target steadily increasing drug and gun crime in Mississippi County Early Tuesday morning 574 law enforcement officers helped execute the arrest warrants in a targeted takedown that resulted in the arrests of 50 defendants on various federal firearm and drug charges including eleven defendants who were already in state custody Most of the defendants are residents of Blytheville (see attachment for complete list of defendants and charges) Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas five years ago I made a commitment to help clean up the Arkansas Delta,” Thyer said “It has been evident for some time that drugs and guns are overrunning the entire Arkansas Delta in general Today’s operation is a signal to those criminals that the law enforcement community at all levels will find you and stop you Our collective goal is to return these communities to their law-abiding citizens And while the 40 indictments announced today are a huge step toward this goal our commitment to helping our friends in this part of the state will continue long after today.” agents with the FBI and Second Judicial District Drug Task Force coordinated more than 160 controlled purchases of drugs and/or firearms resulting in the acquisition of more than 19 pounds of methamphetamine and 89 illegally possessed firearms more than 10 ounces of crack cocaine was purchased in the investigation A majority of the 70 defendants are convicted felons “The arrests that were carried out today show our unwavering determination to disrupt violent gang activity and dismantle illegal sales of firearms and drugs in our state,” Resch said which includes 40 indictments and 70 defendants combined with the 72 arrests during Delta Blues and the 24 arrests during Delta Crossroads represent the significant commitment of the FBI and the USAO to target violent criminals in eastern Arkansas We appreciate the concentrated efforts made by our partners the Blytheville and Osceola Police Departments “On behalf of our local law enforcement agencies and the cities of Blytheville and Osceola Attorney Chris Thyer and FBI Special Agent In Charge David Resch for their commitment to help the good people of Mississippi County take back our community from those destroying it with crime and violence,” prosecuting attorney Ellington said Deputy Prosecutor Corey Seats and all the officers of the Second Judicial District Drug Task Force worked hard in conjunction with FBI Special Agent Ed Jernigan to make this operation successful Chief Ross Thompson and Chief David Gladden deserve thanks for their continued support of the Task Force Cleaning up this community begins with holding people accountable for their actions with the help of the FBI and the Arkansas State Police we took a big step toward taking back our community from the thugs and criminals who choose to sell drugs and guns rather than contribute to it in a positive manner.” This is the third major operation centered in Mississippi County that the United States Attorney’s office for the Eastern District has been involved in since 2013 the Grand Jury returned seven indictments naming 19 defendants the Grand Jury returned an indictment naming 25 defendants Delta Blues was an operation centered in Helena-West Helena and Delta Crossroads was centered in West Memphis All indictments included multiple drug charges “This type of investigation shows the great teamwork and commitment of the federal and the Arkansas State Police in combating drug and gun trafficking in the State of Arkansas,” Arkansas State Police Colonel Bill Bryant said “All of these agencies combined their assets and resources to disrupt and dismantle these drug trafficking organizations.” “The role of IRS CI (Criminal Investigation) in narcotics investigations is to follow the money so we can financially disrupt and dismantle major drug trafficking organizations,” said Christopher A “We are proud to work with our law enforcement partners by providing our financial investigative expertise Today’s enforcement actions are an example of how the various law enforcement agencies in this district work together to stop the flow of illegal drugs into our communities.” The counts in today’s unsealed indictments include conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine use of a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime and use of a telephone to facilitate a drug trafficking crime Those arrested today will be arraigned in federal court in Little Rock before United States Magistrate Judge Joe J Defendants already in custody will be arraigned on August 27 in partnership with the 2nd Judicial District Drug Task Force which includes officers from the Blytheville Police Department the Osceola Police Department and the Mississippi County Sheriff’s Office Agencies assisting in today’s arrest operation include the Arkansas State Police the Arkansas National Guard Counter Drug Unit the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force (SEMO DTF) and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations The 40 indictments are being prosecuted by a team of multiple Assistant United States Attorneys A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty Severe Weather: Donate to the Arkansas Disaster Relief Program A shooting late Wednesday in Blytheville left a person dead a news release from police in that city states policing and breaking news for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette his articles focus primarily on crime and law enforcement efforts in Pulaski County although he reports on other parts of the state as well This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Northwest Arkansas Newspapers LLC Material from the Associated Press is Copyright © 2025 audio and/or video material shall not be published rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and noncommercial use The AP will not be held liable for any delays errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing Interim leaders of the KIPP Delta Public Schools charter system on Thursday assured the Arkansas Board of Education that deficiencies that led to placing the system's accreditation on probation.. Support journalism that digs deeper into topics that matter most to Arkansans. Donate today to preserve the quality and integrity of local journalism. This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Oh that's good at least we have some people So this is an article that was taken out of the local newspaper right after the base in 1987 The Boss of the Blytheville Air Force Base's 97th Bomb Wing had reference the Alert Crew Readiness Facility - That mound multi-mouthed structure that sits far from another mound So what you have here in the lower left is the burmed embankment for the alert center and just less than half a mile south of that is the old Chickasaw mound for a mound building of Mississippi Indians during that period It was renamed in 1989 in hopes that the renaming of the base to be Eaker would help save the base from Brack So this is just a little bit of Blytheville So the Blytheville Air Force Base Alert Center and Alert Apron was constructed as part of a national expansion of the strategic air command facilities across the United States and its territories to help in creating a program to safeguard nuclear deterrents Though arriving late to the strategic air command's bomber alert program the Blytheville Air Alert Center and Alert Pad provided another installation that was able to augment SAC's already strong ability to establish a one-third strike force to provide counterattacks within 15 minutes It is through the constant efforts of SAC and its airmen of the bomber fleet was considered the backbone of the SAC deterrent posture For almost 34 years the area was the distinction of being the highest security chunks of concrete imaginable The Blytheville Air Force Base SAC alert area is located east of the southern end of the runway situated at the center of the fenced area long the alert parking area A taxi way to the southern end of the apron joins the Blytheville Air Force Base Alert area to the main runway which allows bombers and tankers with the quickest access to that runway Positioned around the apron are the crew readiness center also known as the Mole Hole or the Alert facility also known as the Christmas Tree or Chevron The security police entry control building These guys that were stationed out here were here seven days a week 24/7 waiting for the clocks then to go off to go over the North Pole at that point in time So these guys had everything possible to maintain a somewhat normal life So that's why you had the swimming pool and the basketball court Located adjacent to the Alert area is the weapon's storage area This area contains the berm storage igloos along with the security and guard fence in the entrapment area The third area located within the current Blytheville Air Force Base Historic district Now the service members that were out here did not call it the family visitation center they colloquially named this the family planning area The family visitation area was constructed between the middle of the 1970s through the middle of the 1980s and it provided a place for families and aircrew to see their husbands and fathers during their alert rotation The combination of these three areas being intact is almost unprecedented at any other site throughout the United States The Alert facility and Alert Pad has been razed to make way for many of the alert facilities on many of the active bases and those that have been de-activated The former Blytheville/ Eaker Air Force Base has been a very intact area making it a great place to try to interpret life at this point and time for the men and families who sacrificed years living under the auspice of the Cold War The Blytheville Air Force Base was constructed beginning in May of 1942 So the entire base was constructed in very little time As a twin-engine aircraft base for bomber pilots the war in Europe was over and there was little need for so many bombers and the base was then de-activated By 1953 to 1955 there was no question that TAC would be stationed out of the newly reactivated base In July of 1955 the United States Air Force reassigned the Blytheville Air Force Base to the Tactical Air Command the Air Force had realized the B-57 was not a good plane for low level bombing runs It quickly decided to discontinue this from the Air Force which left the newly opened base without a plane to fly the report was submitted by the United States Air Force that would transfer the Blytheville Air Force Base from TAC to the Strategic Air Command Fifteen B-52's and a squadron of aerial tankers would be replacing the B-57 The national register nomination for the historic district says this combination of nuclear armed submarines and bombers would become known as the Triad of Deterrence." The bombers would be eventually on alert and house the crew readiness facility and the bombers would be housed out on the Apron It would become the cornerstone of the deterrence and help keep the Soviet Union at arm's length Eventually the United States turned to SAC as the center-point of the nuclear bomber program for the Triad of Deterrence and its alert program Again it is noted in the original session that it stands to reason that the brunt of an initial attack would be directed against SAC the price they would have to pay for aggression that would be unacceptable to them unless they needed to succeed in preventing SAC strike force to be launched no matter what means they had to employ to stop it a sizeable percentage of SAC strike force would be in the air with a counterattack within minutes of the initial aggression They would have to think twice before undertaking such an aggressive maneuver As part of the retrofitting of the base from TAC to SAC new infrastructure was needed to align within SAC's new mission These new buildings included the Alert Crew Readiness Facility SAC alert facilities were composed of two major parts the bomber alert facility which held the crews in the Alert Apron itself where the aircraft were constantly on stand-by The development of the crew right next to the facilities was in response to the Killian Report there we go… 1954 to assess the nation's ability to deter the attacks by the Soviet Union One suggestion made in the report was to disperse bombers across the United States and have pilots and crew members prepare to fly immediately in response to a Soviet attack Maintaining such readiness required that an aircraft be positioned along the run-way and that the pilots and crews would be housed in a nearby facility In early 1950s SAC officials studied different flight line configurations to help with the best possible facilitating a quick launch of the bombers Originally designers planned to do a standard stub plan which you see there in the middle of Shepard However due to the reduced time timing to take off for the stub design It's really hard to take a B-52 and make it go at a 90 degree angle so it was never really able to meet its 15 minute take-off rule in order to get that going but they later decided on the Christmas Tree or Herringbone design The style apron that would recognize SAC's alert aprons overall When combined with the close location of the crew readiness building the 90 degree style would still remain at a few bases and MAC all would be inactivated due to restructuring This inactivation of SAC in September of 1991 and the consistent questions about the retiring of the B-52 fleet which is still in existence and heavily used is all but closed the books on the Air Force activity at Blytheville Air Force Base A glimmer of hope began again as word spread about a potential addition of a MX Rail Garrison Ultimately the plan fell through following cuts to defense budgets with talks between the Soviet Union and United States continuing Then Congress also began to focus on the retirement of the B-52 The bomber and the expansion of a new B-1 bomber was about to take off At the time the retirement talks were going on Blytheville Air Force was continually told that they would remain open and there would be a shoe-in for the B-1 bomber This reassurance from members of Congress from other states eased the anxiety of the civilians of Blytheville the plan fell through and the base closed in 1992 Following the base re-alignment and closure at Eaker or Blytheville Air Force Base which was an economically depressed rural region without a firm economic structure that it continually backed the base for over 40 years more lip service was paid to try to define services that would help operate out of the former base following the election of Bill Clinton for the reopening of the base This left a large amount of animosity and hatred towards the Air Force Base and the federal government and the continual promises that were made and broken over the ensuing decade Though underlying distrust and activities still circle around the Air Force Base like the B-52s and KC-135s which used to be stationed out there There is a new strong push to recognize the service of the former Blytheville Air Force Base And the latest effort was spear-headed by several local activists that wanted to see the Alert facility and the Alert Pad reused The Arkansas Historic Preservation Program was contacted about promoting the history of the site and staff members with the National Historic Landmark Program had been out at the site looking at a potential national historic landmark for the site the National Register staff suggested that a national register nomination be done first in hopes of building that argument for a national historic landmark grants sort of hinge on national register listing So we'll see how that all sort of planned out And it was decided to go with that process and it included a process to make the Alert Pad a museum with the visitation center being the guest offices with a tour of the magazine and storage area for munitions This area was officially listed to the National Register on January 26 of 2018 At the same time of the nomination was in process other big events were already developing to help highlight the efforts being made to resurrect parts of the base that were very special to those that lived out there One such effort was the rededication of the Linebacker II Memorial and the flag plaza which you can sort of see here in the lower left It got a new paint job and some new restoration six hundred people out there for this rededication community members and families of Linebacker II those that didn't come back from Vietnam during that period is there to do a groundbreaking for the HULK 46 Memorial on the Memorial plaza The hard feelings and bad blood that once existed in mass throughout the city of Blytheville towards the former base is starting to wash off The HULK 46 Memorial is being designed by Washington State University students and their design and engineering program who was a member of the HULK 46 that did not come back from Desert Storm So the students are looking at it as a we're giving back to the community and the community is looking at it as people are wanting to take interest in what we have here And this is a photo of the HULK 46 design that the students at Washington State University have put together Following the acceptance of the National Register Nomination group was spearheading the preservation efforts it's an architecture historic preservation and planning company out of Columbus The plan would be given to the Arkansas Aeroplex and is used for planning and restoration for here on out So a lot of this information from here is their sort of design plan As part of the conversation in the functioning of the museum space This just happens to be the Entrapment Area Hardline Designs proposed it being done with steps of priorities It must be stated that the three main areas the first one being the Alert Center itself which is building 1225 However much of the work of the conversion of the site circulates around the Alert Center and the Alert Pad itself Hardline Designs designated this priority one due to the initial need for both funds and foot traffic Hardline is suggesting that the exterior of the building be cleaned and made sufficient repairs to this space The entry gate is also a very highly secure area would love to be able to get that going again But Hardline Designs was also very focused on the fact that we have pot holes in this area So it was sort of lower down on my priorities list The entry control gate is directly connected to the Entrapment Area itself and both people and vehicles would be able to travel into this to get into the museum itself A lot of the removal that we would have to do would just be cleaning up around the site from vandals along with a lot of the vegetation The exterior of the Alert Center is going to take far more funds than the Entry Control area The funds are sought to help seal up the building with the largest portion [Inaudible] have done wonders on forcing issues into energy efficient windows at this place is going to be about a $500,000 renovation project with most of that being roof and exterior repair After gaining foot traffic and helping with rehabilitation of the Alert building itself the next priority would go to the family visitation center so we're trying to put that back to the way it looked originally With the Alert Center rehabilitated the main draw would then be sustaining at the time funds and generating the facility to help rehabilitate in priority four with the family visitation center This just happens to be the plan of 1985 when they did an addition and sort of help with that lay out Some of the big parts would be adding a living room and some facilities to help fixing that up to help look like it did while it was being used This is going to roughly cost about $1.8 million in order to get this up and going The final priority is priority number five along with the exterior lighting in order to keep vandals out The building would like to take a little more The master control tower is still a site that has at least three phases that could work One is just getting people to get to the tower another one would be able to let them get up into the tower and another one would be having the controls fixed We used to have them functional inside that tower there is actually a Coca-Cola distribution center out of there because those are what stored the nuclear weapons is roughly going to be around $4 million to put this storage area back to the way they really wanted it to go at that point in time There's a difference between wants and needs My opinion is that Hardline Design's perimeter fencing would be one of those that would really need to go up in order to keep vandals out and showing a priority to the folks that around there that there's something going on and to keep little vagrants out of the site costs associated with the project is again shown that the vision statement of HaThe rdline Designs that Blytheville welcome center along I-55 reports that the most commonly asked question by visitors is whether there is anything to see at the old Air Force Base Former workers stationed at the base often drive through the Aeroplex to look at the buildings and where they used to live It is a source of fascination because it's both off limits while they were there for 45 years Many of the residents who lived within the base were didn't know exactly what was going on within this very secure area is to create a space that allows visitors to both learn about the experience of the frontline domestic defense during the Cold War The question of funding of the project will forever be discussed.. And what do we know for the first time since 1992 the citizens of Blytheville are starting to come around on the idea of cashing in on this great concrete resource This economically depressed area is looking for ways to capitalize on surrounding tourist designation and will be lacked the projects to bring the tourists and tourists' dollars An entire doctorate program in Heritage Studies is located at Arkansas State University and could be a great resource to help garner attention for this site Another great resource that could be garnered is the attention from other sites Other great resources primed to help recognize the work that's going on at the ones that we've already heard from today Though it may be unrealistic to ask the citizens of Blytheville to pay for the renovations for the former Alert Base we need to know that the community is completely behind this project and the renovations We've seen it come through with the Federal government and lots of Fortune 500 companies that have come and gone do not promise things that you cannot provide on Is that the first people that are going to come through this door are going to have that lasting impression that's going to make or break the museum once it gets up and going And that's one of the things we talked about last week in an envisioning session was how are we going to make those great first impressions now and sort of have the community behind this from day one and further funding opportunities before the site really ever gets up and starts flying who actually showed up on Christmas Eve 1987 “The general public is really not aware of the crews' alert commitment.. We need to impress upon the minds of the American public that we are proud of our job motivation and job satisfaction and because of this we are not merely pieces of the Department of Defense Speaker 1: With all the concerns that you have about the community accepting what you're doing with all this last week almost everything was completely outdated as of last week when we put on an envisioning session especially with a project that's not funded by the state This is just a lot of folks trying to get behind this to get this to work But it's changing that mindset that is a problem because they had been left behind for so long that it's going to be a slow process Speaker 2: I run the Ronald Reagan Minuteman site up in North Dakota there was a lot of similar things going on there There was a lot of promises about to do something better and there's a motivation involved right now about a new museum in Lincoln but other features of aviation in Nebraska a possible name might become the National Cold War Museum Not being involved in it and being more on the state side as just the historian for the project sometimes I get left out of that discussion So I walked into the envisioning session last week and they're like we're going to go take it past just talking about the bombers and the KC-135s that sat on alert out here and take it one step farther Sort of had the idea that if you're going to go talking about more of a national scope on the Cold War itself with the focus being the B-52 and the KC-135 And we sort of tossed around the idea that if you're going to talk about the Cold War And we brought in some exhibitors to talk about but bringing in perspectives from the KGB and some of the Soviet Union in order to get that contrast on both sides I can't say that it's going to happen just yet Speaker 2: Well with another major part of the argument is basically that Damascus [inaudible 00:26:27] Travis Ratermann: That would be an interesting take on that But they are so far away that trying to get the two to be connected without doing some serious heritage tourism in order to catch those sites We had 17 other Titan II sites within Arkansas I went out and explored all of those within the last six and there's no access to get into those sites without owner permission Speaker 3: I always thought that the sign out at the gate that said "Peace is our Profession" was a Kubrick thing But if you could capitalize on that and if they have an old theater there I think you could get some fundraising going the Los Alamos Historical Society had a group of actors give the Reykjavik production a reading but that also was the meeting between Reagan and Gorbachev So maybe involve your cultural people to also educate Travis: We sort of have the same problem that Wyoming has in that everything's stripped out of the inside of the building Working with our folks in section 106 side of the office Little Rock Air Force Base still has theirs; it didn't last very long as a SAC base before it transitioned over to TAC They came to us not so long ago and said that they wanted to raze their building And so we sort of worked out an agreement that the Air Fort in Blytheville we get first dibs on anything to come out of sacrifice and anything else that may be in there that we could use and so we have a signed MOA with them looking at taking stuff out of their building before they raze it Because they are disappearing at a very fast rate off many of our Air Force bases So we're a little more pristine in that nature Travis Ratermann is the Survey Historian for the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program in Historic Preservation from Southeast Missouri State University and a M.S in Historic Preservation from Ball State University Travis is involved with reviewing Residential and Commercial District Surveys from throughout the state Travis gathers information by surveying the property and researching historical records of the property to determine its authenticity and historical significance His main focus is on documenting Arkansas’ current and former military installation including: Fort Chaffee Blytheville Air Force Base and former Shumaker Naval Ammunition Depot Read other articles from this symposium, Preserving U.S. Military Heritage World War II to the Cold War, or learn more about the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training Download the NPS app to navigate the parks on the go Declining student enrollment in the Blytheville School District split votes taken by the district’s eight-member School Board and frequent turnover in the system’s leadership have drawn the attention of.. by Payton Dhooge I Kaelin Clay I Isley Gooden LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — A Cold War center in Blytheville has its sights set on future development while honoring stories of the past The National Cold War Center has just announced a partnership with the prestigious Woodrow Wilson Center of the Smithsonian Institution Liz Smith of the National Cold War Center and Dr Christian Ostermann of the Woodrow Wilson Center of the Smithsonian Institution spoke with Little Rock ARC about the partnership The Blytheville School District is making improvements in leadership district and state education leaders said Thursday..