Local Digest
Salvation Army to begin taking Christmas bell ringer applications
EL DORADO – The Salvation Army in El Dorado will begin taking applications for bell ringers at The Salvation Army in El Dorado for Union, Calhoun and Ouachita county residents. Those applying for bell ringers should go in person to the Salvation Army Office, 419 S. Madison Ave., in El Dorado. Applications will not be taken over the telephone. The minimum age of applicant is 18 years old and a valid photo identification card is needed at time of application, according to Lt. Charles Smith with the Salvation Army.
The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church established in 1865, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination for 130 years in the United States. Nearly 30 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through the broadest array of social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged children. Eighty-two cents of every dollar spent is used to carry out those services in 5,000 communities nationwide. For more information, go to www.salvationarmyusa.org.
Abortion survivor to speak during Annual Hannah banquet
EL DORADO – Claire Culwell, an abortion survivor, will tell her story at the 13th Annual Hannah Pregnancy Resource Center Banquet to be held at 6:30 p.m. today at College Avenue Church of Christ, 1817 College Ave., El Dorado. On her website, Culwell said she found out she was affected by abortion about three years ago. “This changed my life. I had walked into the Coalition for Life, wondering what their organization provided and five months later, I met my birth mother, who told me my life is a miracle.”
To hear more about Culwell’s life, which she describes as a “testimony that there are wonderful alternatives to abortion,” contact the HPRC at 870862-1317. Hannah PRC is a nonprofit center that offers a variety of free services to those who find themselves with an unplanned pregnancy. Services include a free pregnancy test, an ultrasound, parenting classes, a baby boutique, post abortive counseling and more.
For more information, call 870-862-1317. A freewill offering will be taken to support the work of Hannah PRC. All proceeds go directly to all services provided at the center, according to Jennifer Davis, director.
Barton Library to close on Saturday
EL DORADO – The Barton Library in El Dorado will be closed on Saturday in honor of the Murphy USA Classic college football game. For more information, contact Laura Cleveland at 870-8635447.
Master Gardeners plan tree workshop
EL DORADO – Union County Master Gardeners will be offering a Tree Identification Workshop with Dr. Eric Sundell from 2 until 4 p.m. on Sunday, in conjunction with Autumn at the Arboretum at the South Arkansas Arboretum.
Sundell, who is retired from the University of Arkansas at Monticello, offers workshops on Arkansas trees and illustrated lectures on Arkansas’ wild plants to groups like the Arkansas Audubon Society, Arkansas Master Naturalists and Master Gardeners, according to Barbie Luther, local Master Gardener.
Sundell edited the recently revised color edition of “Trees of Arkansas,” by the Arkansas Forestry Commission. Sundell will work with participants in identifying trees in the South Arkansas Arboretum.
The workshop is open to both children and adults who are interested in learning more about identifying trees. Copies of “Trees of Arkansas” will be available for purchase for $5. Master Gardeners will be on hand to assist Sundell and answer general gardening questions.
The South Arkansas Arboretum is operated by South Arkansas Community College and Autumn at the Arboretum is a free event with music, refreshments and pumpkin decorating for children (a fee is collected).
For more information about the tree workshop or Union County Master Gardeners, contact Luther at ucmastergardener@suddenlink.net.
Bargains for You begins
Bargains for You on Highway 82 will begin today and continue Friday and Saturday. The multi-city sale will be held from daylight until dark each day and will stretch 80 miles from Magnolia to Crossett and Hamburg along the U.S. 82 corridor. Bargains for You — part swap meet, part yard sale, part flea market — is sponsored by the Union County Antique Association.
Larry Anderson, president of the UCADA, said spaces in El Dorado will be concentrated in the U.S. 82B/ Hillsboro loop.
For more information, call Anderson at 870-875-1444 or 870-866-8165. Also, visit the Bargains For You Facebook page.
Quorum Court to meet
EL DORADO — The Union County Quorum Court will hold a regular meeting at 10 a.m. today in Courtroom 1 on the third floor of the Union County Courthouse. Justices of the Peace are expected to review 2017 budget proposals that include a 5 percent pay raise for county employees.
City Council consideirng funding request
EL DORADO — The El Dorado City Council will consider a $500,000 funding request during a regular meeting at 5:30 p.m. today in the Council Chamber of City Hall.
The El Dorado Works Board previously approved the amount from the city’s one-cent economic development tax for the construction of a new street for an additional ingress/egress for El Dorado High School and to help relieve traffic congestion in the area of Timberlane and Hillsboro, particularly when classes are dismissed for the day.
The proposed street will be 2,270 feet and will connect the north side of the EHS campus to West Hillsboro/ U.S. 82-B between First Assembly of God church and Mini Storage of El Dorado.
Also on the council’s agenda is a request from Union County officials for the city to pay a $200,000 flat rate to cover the daily costs of city inmates who are housed in the Union County Jail.
Negotiations and discussions about the matter have been ongoing between the city and county, with the city offering a $162,000 rate, a reduction from the current budget of $232,000 from the El Dorado Police Department. The rate averages to $50 per inmate, per day, and does not include costs after defendants are convicted and sentenced to jail for misdemeanor offenses — costs the city is now paying. On Tuesday, the Union County Finance Committee asked for $200,000.
Also are recommendations for appointments to the city’s airport commission — Bob Watson, Craig Smart, and Gary Harrell — and the planning and zoning commission — Gaven Ballinger.