– A Russellville man is facing charges after a reported truck theft the Logan County Sheriff’s Office responded at 5:30 a.m Sunday the the area of Morgantown Road and Anderson Store Road regarding a vehicle blocking the roadway deputies say they were notified the vehicle was driving through fences and gates Authorities say they were later told one caller advised surveillance video showed an individual stealing their truck and returning it with heavy front end damage Deputies say it appeared that the truck had hit an animal before it was returned authorities say they saw heavy damage to an iron gate Authorities say he showed signs of being manifestly under the influence of a controlled substance Belcher is charged with second-degree burglary theft by unlawful taking or disposition all others between $10,000 and $1,000,000 first-degree criminal mischief and public intoxication – controlled substance (excludes alcohol)  Watch WNKY Live The Arkansas Tech University College of Arts and Humanities hosted its spring 2025 awards and recognition reception at Witherspoon Hall on Thursday dean of the ATU College of Arts and Humanities The following individuals received college-wide awards (scroll to the bottom of the page for a Flickr gallery with more photographs): associate professor of political scienceSylvia Cooper graduate and international admissions executive assistant Staff Award for Distinguished ServiceAbigail Butler visiting lecturer of French and systems librarian Mentor Award for Distinguished Student AdvisingDr Members of the ATU College of Arts and Humanities faculty who reached service milestones during the 2024-25 academic year and those who achieved promotions during 2024-25 were also honored Learn more about the ATU College of Arts and Humanities at www.atu.edu/humanities TECH ACTION The students were excited as we transcended the trail from the parking lot to the wetlands below 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Arkansas Newspapers LLC Material from the Associated Press is Copyright © 2025 audio and/or video material shall not be published rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored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 Russellville — Russellville High School hosted the first ever Central State 8 Conference Championships for Track and Field On the girls side Harrisburg won the title For the boys New Bloomfield took first place This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Arkansas Democrat-Gazette The 2025 baseball season came to an end for the Russellville Golden Tigers with a series loss to the American Christian Academy Patriots in the second round of the AHSAA Class 5A playoffs The best-of-three series began a day late after wet field conditions at RHS forced games one and two to be played on Saturday instead of Friday American Christian Academy took game one by a 15-2 score in five innings The Golden Tigers then bounced back and kept their season alive with a 5-3 victory in game two In front of a packed stadium at RHS on Monday the Patriots won the deciding game three by a score of 5-3 ACA outhit Russellville 16-6 in game one and held a 12-0 lead going into the bottom of the fourth inning when the Golden Tigers scored their two runs of the contest Brennon Thorpe had a hit and both Russellville RBIs Brayden Entrekin added two hits for RHS while Ty Willis Neyland Baker and Brayden Hatton also hit safely Entrekin got the start on the mound and went four innings before Coltan Oliver entered the game for one inning of relief American Christian hit five home runs during the series opener including two by standout centerfielder Eric Hines Russellville’s Ty Engelthaler pitched a complete game and got a playoff win for the second-straight week by defeating ACA in game two of the series The right-hander allowed six hits versus American Christian and struck out seven Patriots The two teams were tied 3-3 until the Golden Tigers scored twice in the top half of the fifth inning when Tripp Cleveland singled and two runs scored Cleveland had three RBIs during the win and Brennon Thorpe added a two-run home run that came during the game’s third inning Neyland Baker and Engelthaler added doubles to Russellville’s hit column Game three was an intense battle with the season on the line for both teams ACA got a first inning home run from Hines to take the early advantage but Russellville answered with three runs in the bottom half of the frame ACA retook the lead with five runs in the third and the Patriots added three additional runs during the top of the fourth to go up 9-3 The RHS team full of competitors then scored twice in the bottom of the fourth and a last inning comeback attempt that produced two runs fell just short after the Golden Tigers pulled to within two Russellville had the winning run at the plate with runners on first and second with one out in the seventh but a double play turned by the ACA infield ended the game six Russellville defensive errors were costly for the Golden Tigers including three during the third inning American Christian had four errors during the contest Caleb Hawkins had two hits for RHS including a two-run home run Brayden Entrekin led the team with three hits including a double Cleveland added two hits while Hatton and Engelthaler had one hit apiece Hatton got the start on the mound for Russellville and went three innings Cleveland worked the final four innings in relief Russellville ended the season with a 25-12 record while ACA improved to 29-13 The Patriots will play Scottsboro in round three PHOTO BY BRANNON KING – Caleb Hawkins of Russellville watches the ball fly over the fence for a home run against the Patriots PHOTO BY BRANNON KING – Ty Willis is at the plate for Russellville during the playoff series with American Christian and website in this browser for the next time I comment Russellville-based organic recycling company Denali Water Solutions has acquired Wallace Farm a composting business with two facilities in North Carolina totaling 237 acres The acquisition is meant to strengthen Denali's organic collection operation in the Southeast Wallace's two sites mean that Denali now operates 26 composting sites in the United States The Wallace acreage recycles food waste and other organics into compost The farm started recycling operations on its land 30 years ago "This is an exciting next chapter for Wallace Farm," the farm's president Eric Wallace said in a statement Founded in 2014 in Russellville as a spinoff of Terra Renewal Services Denali is the largest organic recycling company in the country Its work involves disposing of and recycling waste The organic recycling market is projected to reach $51.11 million by 2029 recently celebrated 54 company drivers that achieved two three and four million miles driven without a preventable accident The Lowell-based company recognized its drivers and their families during its annual Million Mile Celebration at its headquarters on Wednesday said when the company talks about the "best of the best" it is in reference to the drivers celebrated at the event "Last year we surpassed our own company safety record set in 2023 for reducing (Department of Transportation) preventable accidents," he said humbled and honored that they choose to drive with J.B It takes a driver between 7 and 10 years to achieve one million safe miles The new class of drivers means Hunt has employed more than 5,000 drivers that reached at least one million safe miles Hunt's million mile drivers' names are etched into the Million Mile Wall at corporate headquarters Arkansas Index increases 3.16 to end day at 832.60 a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state "The S&P 500 posted an eighth consecutive day of gains led by the information technology sector following strong quarterly earnings which boosted investor sentiment," said Leon Lants The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec 1/41Homewood at Mountain Brook Playoff Soccer.st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By AL.com ReportsSecond-ranked Mountain Brook knocked off Class 6A No 1 Homewood at home on Tuesday with a 3-1 win to advance to the AHSAA quarterfinals against No we have to get ready on a short turnaround to play Gardendale on Thursday.” RELATED: AHSAA coaches soccer poll: One change for final regular season rankings The Spartans jumped to a 2-0 first-half lead and led 3-0 before a late goal from the Patriots Davis Echols put Mountain Brook (22-3-2) on top with a goal in the 15th minute Carson Hahn followed that with a goal in the 38th minute for a 2-0 margin at the half Harris Burson added the third Mountain Brook goal in the 55th minute Homewood (20-4-1) avoided the shutout with a Cooper Gillis goal in the 72nd minute Mountain Brook goalkeeper Griffin Lamkin had several saves on the night Russellville advanced to the second round of the Class 5A playoffs with a road victory over Westminster Christian on Tuesday Russellville will face Scottsboro or Guntersville in the third round of the playoffs The host Wildcats led 1-0 at halftime before the Golden Tigers used three second-half goals to seal the win John Mark Steele had the lone goal for Westminster in the loss Tyler Lucas scored on a corner kick four minutes into the game as Fairhope defeated No 9 Baker 1-0 in the first round of the 7A playoffs Lucas’ corner kick hooked past Hornets keeper Naith Allen and the Pirates held on for the shut out Mauricio Valdes scored for the Warriors in the victory 5 Westminster Christian blanked Priceville on Tuesday to advance to the third round of the Class 5A soccer playoffs The Wildcats will face Arab or Guntersville in the next round of the playoffs Eighth-grader Carson Heater led the Wildcats with three goals for a hat trick in the win scoring all of her goals in the second half while Ava Martinez had a pair of her own for Westminster Alex Menin and Gabby Dean also scored for the Wildcats in the home win Martinez and Menin had three assists each for Westminster Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/1/2025) © 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us) The material on this site may not be reproduced except with the prior written permission of Advance Local Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site YouTube's privacy policy is available here and YouTube's terms of service is available here Ad Choices Christian County took advantage of three wild pitches and three Russellville errors to build a four-run advantage on Monday and held off the Lady Panthers down the stretch to pick up a 4-2 victory The Lady Colonels made it 1-0 in the first when Avery Adcock came home on a wild pitch and Adcock took two bases on a Russellville error to double the lead in the third Adcock was opportunistic on the basepaths again in the fourth when another Lady Panther miscue turned her single into a pair of runs to stretch the lead to 4-0 Christian County’s Jordan Turner cruised through the first four frames and recorded the first two outs in the fifth before running into trouble and the Lady Panthers pushed a couple of runs across on an RBI double by Ja’eda Poindexter and a run-scoring single from Rylee Grayson Russellville used three straight singles to load the bases with one out in the sixth and the Lady Colonels brought on Alyssa Petterson in relief of Turner the Lady Colonels picked off both runners at the corners on the same play to end the inning Petterson then sat down the Lady Panthers in order in the bottom of the seventh to seal the win Turner earned the victory after allowing two earned runs on six hits with a strikeout and two walks Petterson gave up a single hit with a strikeout over one and two-thirds to pick up a save and Chloe Almy and Talyn Ezell each had two hits for the Lady Colonels Christian County improved to 12-10 ahead of a trip to Webster County on Tuesday Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Your request has been blocked by our security system due to potential security concerns Please contact us for assistance (KATV) — In a vote that took place April 21 the Russellville School District (RSD) Board of Education has voted Dr Luke Lovins to fulfill the role as district superintendent Education Partners led in the effort to help find RSD's most qualified candidate to serve at the helm Lovins' arrival comes after a comprehensive engagement stage that the district partook in to refine its vision The recruitment search for candidates occurred over the course February and March of 2025 previously serving as superintendent for the Rose Bud School District from 2018-2020 Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInRUSSELLVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) - A firefighter with the Russellville Fire Department has been terminated following his arrest in connection to a child trafficking operation At the Russellville City Council meeting on Monday Mayor David Grissom said the council terminated Donald DeVaney’s employment with the fire department According to WAFF’s newspaper partner, The Times Daily, DeVaney has been with the Russellville Fire Department for nearly 20 years DeVaney is charged with two counts of Human Trafficking 1st Degree two counts of Electronic Solicitation of a Child and two counts of Traveling to Meet a Minor for an Unlawful Sex Act DeVaney was arrested along with eight others on similar charges related to human trafficking in Limestone County Click Here to Subscribe on YouTube: Watch the latest WAFF 48 news sports & weather videos on our YouTube channel 1908: “Dear Mamma and Poppa and sister […] I got to LR all ok Now Mama please do not cry for I had to stop crying.” The card’s spotlight was of Pope County’s high school in a year when the average Arkansas teacher earned about $260 for a 100-day school year Send questions or comments to Arkansas Postcard Past Ray Hanley is a retired health care and IT executive producer of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's "Postcard Past" feature and author of 20 Arkansas history books The owner of a Russellville business that was raided is suing the city and the police department for access to the search warrant materials that led to the raid LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — The owner of a Russellville business that was raided is suing the city and the police department for access to the search warrant materials that led to the raid According to court documents filed on February 7 Terry McCurter is asking that the search warrant papers and the inventory of items seized be returned to the Pope County Circuit Clerk and made a public record the Circuit Court of Pope County signed three search warrants for businesses at 1228 & 2008 West Main Street and 418 South Knoxville in Russellville for the local police department One of the targets of the warrants was McCurter's business the city ordered his businesses to shut down the day after the raid McCurter says he wasn't given an explanation why no one has been charged in the searches and seizures at his businesses in Russellville McCurter filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to gain access to the search warrant affidavits with the police citing that it was under investigation McCurter argues that the 'under investigation' claim is not valid claiming that his business has been labeled an 'illicit massage parlor' by the media following a press conference about Operation Obscured Vision the city of Russellville stated "This court did seal all of the records that are subject to Plaintiff's FOIA request under the FOIA on January 25 2025" 3 days before McCurter's FOIA request to the city The orders sealing the records are still in effect Court documents state that McCurter would possibly be in contempt of the Court's Orders if they released the records The city also asked the court that the police department be dismissed from the case A Russellville police department detective statement is included in their evidence (KATV) — A Russellville native has hit a milestone in his recovery after suffering a traumatic brain injury 21-year-old Ben Whorton has been in the ICU at UAMS for seven weeks until yesterday when he was stable enough to be transported to a world-renowned trauma center in Houston to receive specialized treatment Ben’s family breathed a small sigh of relief as they got the green light to get Ben transported to TIRR Memorial Hermann Rehab Center It was only weeks ago that his condition painted a different picture "Those weeks we kind of spent precariously hanging onto life somewhat where we had lung issues that were life-threatening," said Amy Whorton Ben was injured in a duck hunting accident He suffered a traumatic brain injury that almost cost him his life as they have seen gradual improvement and signs of response "He likes Chapstick," said Greg Whorton "We put Chapstick on his lips and he rubs his lips together He had to meet these certain requirements they consider to be medically stable and we are so grateful to be here.” A Facebook group called Ben’s Army has taken a life of its own reaching 24 thousand followers with friends and strangers all sending prayers Ben’s way The group is even reaching young students from other states who’ve sent their well wishes in the form of homemade cards The Whorton family is holding tight to that support as they begin the next phase in this ordeal: bringing Ben out of his coma "They will actually get him out of bed and put him in a wheelchair and that is part of the waking up process," said Whorton "It has been amazing and certainly lifted our spirits and helped strengthen our faith.” Ben will have three hours of therapy daily Ben's parents said his condition has remained stable the community has raised over 90,000 for the Whorton family (KATV) — A Facebook group of prayer warriors has been formed for a Russellville native who is fighting for his life after suffering a traumatic brain injury 21-year-old Ben Whorton and his friends went on a routine hunting trip early that morning but for Ben’s loved ones "He had his back to the direction of travel," said Greg Whorton "They bent down to go under a bridge and Ben raised up a little too soon and the bridge caught him in the back of the head.” His girlfriend Macie Petty felt something was wrong and texted him at 9:04 a.m It is when she received a phone call that she knew why he never answered "Like the love of your life is fighting for his life," said Petty Just completely distraught and didn’t even know what to say to the guy who called me doctors told his family that Ben making it through this injury would be a miracle but a few days in they said the doctors came back with different results; results that were promising A renewed hope that they believed sparked from a Facebook group created by Ben's sister called 'Ben’s Army' filled with people all over the country praying for Ben’s recovery "It feels like God is just wrapping his arms around us and comforting us," said Amy Whorton "That is what those prayers feel like We are trying to live in reality but in reality Ben’s Army has reached over 21,000 followers across the country and they hope the prayers keep working to bring the vibrant "Ben is truly the most amazing person I have ever met in my life," said Petty and he makes me the happiest girl in the world The Whortons said that once the doctors can get Ben stable they are planning to transport him to Houston at the Hermann Memorial Hospital to receive the best care for brain injuries in the country Doctors said they estimate this to happen in a week or two If you would like to donate to help Ben and his family, click here Ashland — Southern Boone Baseball sent its fans home happy with the 6-2 win against Russellville Monday night The Eagles scored four runs in the first two innings of the game Southern Boone advanced to 13-6 on the season Check out Monday's highlights and local scores in the video above How to watch Alabama high school girls soccer: Westminster vs April 25Data SkriveRussellville High School travels to face Westminster Christian Academy on Friday How to watch Russellville vs. Westminster girls soccerRussellville and Westminster will hit the field on Friday, April 25, at 5:30 p.m. CT. Don't miss out on any of the action with NFHS Network The NFHS Network gives you access to live high school sports around the country Follow your favorite team and never miss a game Want to track your alma mater, local team or family member's school throughout the playoffs? NFHS Network has high school girls soccer streaming live plus on-demand replays and highlights of all the action from thousands of schools across America Watch Westminster vs. Russellville on NFHS Network! All NFHS Network events are available to watch online at and through the NFHS Network Mobile Apps for iOS and Android and TV Apps for ROKU (KATV) — Russellville Mayor Fred Teague released a statement on Thursday after multiple raids were performed on massage locations across the city There have been reports of similar raids across the state The Attorney General's Office said that more information will be released tomorrow The Hopkins County Central Lady Storm appeared to be on the verge of ending their two-game losing skid Thursday night the Russellville Lady Panthers said “not so fast my friend.” The Lady Panthers came up with six runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to overcome a two-run deficit and take a 9-5 win Hopkins County Central had taken a 5-3 lead into the bottom of the fifth only to see the Lady Panther bats bust out five hits The Lady Storm did not help themselves any with a couple of errors during the rally Chloe Penrod got the big inning started for Russellville with a home run to centerfield with one out Five other Central players had one hit each for the night Cadence Allen was 1-2 with 2 RBIs and a run scored Emily Ballard got the start in the circle for the Lady Storm The difference turned out to be in the field where Hopkins County Central was charged with five errors A former Russellville student was killed March 26 in a shooting at the Southern Oaks Village apartments in Florence was found outside an apartment building toward the back of the complex when police arrived after receiving a 911 call at 4:11 p.m Calvert was a former student at Russellville city school system before transferring to Colbert Heights High School in Lexington Florence Police are investigating the shooting “While detectives were on the scene (of the shooting) another involved individual came to the police department to speak with detectives,” Florence Police Sgt “During their investigation it was learned that the deceased and another juvenile (the one arrested Thursday) planned to rob,” another individual The juvenile who came to the Florence Department was arrested at 3 a.m He has been charged with murder and first-degree robbery because the shooting death occurred during the attempted robbery His court hearing was held Thursday afternoon The alleged victim of the robbery has not been charged LEIGHTON — Support services and extra counselors are at Colbert Heights High School this week as students and faculty grieve over the death of eighth-grade student Ryland Calvert Superintendent Nathan Fuller said Calvert’s family confirmed that he was shot and killed Wednesday in Florence Fuller called Calvert “a beloved member” of the Colbert Heights family and said the school district is doing what it can to simultaneously offer support to his family and respect their privacy during this time “We want to do everything we can to support our students and our staff,” Fuller said “This is a terrible and delicate situation and we want to make sure we … help them through it “This is not going to go away on Monday Fuller said Riverbend Mental Health services will be on campus which helps young people deal with grief and trauma Counselors from other Colbert County Schools will also spend time at Colbert Heights and several local pastors and church organizations will be available “We will certainly offer students the opportunity to do whatever they feel like they need to do whether that’s to get together in a large group a small group or one-on-one,” Fuller said and then some plans will change based on what we hear from students “We will make adjustments as needed to best support our students.” Fuller said he was in touch with Calvert’s family to assure the district’s release of information aligned with their wishes and he said that he will continue to work closely with them to be aware of service arrangements so that Colbert Heights can plan additional supports for students and staff accordingly Broadway Off-Broadway Off-Off Broadway Cabaret Dance Opera Classical Music Minneapolis / St. Paul Connecticut Atlanta Chicago Los Angeles Central New York WEST END UK Regional Canada Australia / New Zealand Europe Asia Latin America Africa / Middle East TV/Movies Music The Main Thing Comedy Trio end their 13 year run May 10 After more than 50 years of making each other—and all of us—laugh (not to mention staying married through it all) they've brought their quick wit and brilliant storytelling to Arkansas audiences at The Joint Comedy Theater in North Little Rock It’s the end of an era… and the beginning of what I can only imagine will be a joyful retirement filled with coffee and debating over who’s actually the funnier one (spoiler: it’s a tie) they’re going out with a bang in THE ELVIS OF RUSSELLVILLE Grab your tickets and let them know just how much they’re loved—and how deeply they’ll be missed Arkansas is buzzing with excitement—local singing sensation Country Wayne Conaway (Steve) just might hit the big time When a record executive rolls into town (Brett Ihler) Wayne sets his sights on scoring a recording deal showering him with free drinks and food—even though no one’s quite sure what the food is… or when it was actually made As the whole town gets swept up in Wayne’s dreams of stardom and side-splitting surprises at every turn and full-blown Fertle Family madness you won’t want to miss THE ELVIS OF RUSSELLVILLE brings in all of your favorite characters—Mom Fertle (Vicki) the perpetually confused Earl (Brett Ihler) the crowd favorite: the endlessly quotable Doc Moore (also Steve) but four unforgettable appearances during the show gospel-style harmonies to honky-tonk hilarity—there's something for every musical taste all performed with jaw-dropping vocal talent and comedic timing that’s just plain brilliant The talent on that stage is off the charts and the chemistry between the cast makes every zany twist even more fun It's a laugh-a-minute farewell you’ll be talking about long after the final curtain call Steve says it’s possible they may return on occasion The audience had some thoughts on that as well “I love coming see Steve, Vicki and Brett. We have been fans for a long time, and they will be missed,” Donna Garner of Benton said Hannah Downs of Little Rock agreed with Garner’s sentiment We have been blessed to have world class talent in our reach So, what happens to The Joint after the Farells close out? According to the website calendar, there are only events going on through the middle of May, so..... I guess time will tell. To follow along with this wonderful venue, keep an eye on their website at https://www.thejointargenta.com.   Before the internet — and even before the days when you could dial up a hotline and hear a stranger describe their dream date — finding love meant doing something truly daring: talking to people face to face! Soulful and unapologetic in their storytelling, the Arts and Science Center for Southeast Arkansas and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff teamed up for their first-ever collaboration on The Color Purple, which ran from April 9–13. function closestickysocial(){document.getElementById("foxsocial").style.display="none";}@media(max-width:1024px){.most-popular,.video-row{display:block;margin-top:25px}}Videos and exclusive discounts on tickets to your favorite shows © 2025 - Copyright Wisdom Digital Media, all rights reserved. Privacy Policy – First responders were at the scene of a tractor-trailer rollover Friday morning in Logan County According to the Russellville Police Department for an injury accident at the intersection of 68 East and the Bypass police say a Martin Trucking tractor-trailer had rolled over into the westbound lane of the intersection when its cargo of large logs spilled into the roadway This led to both eastbound and westbound lanes being blocked The driver of the tractor-trailer was transported by Logan County EMS with non-life threatening injuries The intersection was shut down for roughly two hours The Russellville Police Department was assisted by KSP