An important part of the election cycle took place on Nov. 19 when members elected to serve in Arkansas’ 95th General Assembly gathered in the House Chamber for an Organizational Meeting. 

The Madison County Solid Waste Department budget projected increases for 2025 include adding a full-time employee and replacing a deteriorating portable building at the South County site at St. Paul.

Questions over approving the River Meadows Subdivision located in the floodplain at the intersection of State Highway 16 and State Highway 295 complicated a Nov. 26 County Planning Board meeting.

Amanda Born had no sooner been appointed as Madison County Treasurer by the quorum court than she had to deal with attempts to defraud the county of checks payable.

Safeguards prevented two separate checks issued recently by Madison County Treasurer Amanda Born from being cashed or deposited after they were stolen, whitewashed, and altered.

Huntsville was recently recognized as Community of the Year by the Arkansas Floodplain Management Association (AFMA) in conjunction with the Department of Agriculture — Natural Resources Division.

Health care is an increasingly complex landscape to navigate, but that is even more true when access to medical care is scarce, as is the case in so many rural areas of Arkansas and across our country.

The governor proposed a balanced budget for legislators to consider during the 2025 session when they set spending levels for state government agencies.

Favors death penalty Dear editor:   Life without parole, a woman killed a pregnant mother to be and cut her baby out of the womb and the baby died. A man killed two teenage girls …

One of the most pleasant surprises — an event I wasn’t aware of prior to coming to work in Madison County was the 17th annual “Cruz’n the Square” on Oct. 5.

Rickey Howard Gifford, 67, of Huntsville; passed away Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, at Circle of Life Hospice in Springdale. 

Terry Wayne “Bud” Cline, 69, of Kingston; passed away Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, at Meadowview Healthcare and Rehab, Huntsville. 

Gloria “Kay” Harris of Fayetteville, Ark., previously of Berryville, Ark., went to be with her Lord and Savior on Nov. 22, 2024. 

Claude Russell Osborn, 84, of Witter; departed this world on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, at his home. 

Congratulations to Mesa Villines and Caleb Edgmon for getting All-Tournament in the Lead Hill Junior High Basketball Tournament this past week.

The Madison County Athletic Hall of Fame 2025 will be honoring some great representatives of sports from the past. 

Some things Tommy Tice purposely doesn’t keep track of. Tice can’t tell you how many of his 300 career wins as an Arkansas high school football coach came at Huntsville where he …

Huntsville picked up wins against Ozark and Lincoln, sandwiched around a loss to Dardanelle last week.

Huntsville wrestlers saw their first competition with four boys and three girls placing in a JV tournament hosted by Springdale Har-Ber on Nov. 22.

Huntsville lost to Ozark in a conference game, then defeated Mountainburg, and lost to Lincoln in boys basketball action last week.