JUNE 12, 2019
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THE POLK COUNTY 1168 Hwy 71 S • Mena, AR 71953 • 479-243-9600
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Lost Hiker Found Safe in Ouachita National Forest By Sam Jordan & Staff Reporters (MENA) What started out to be a day hike turned out to be an incredible story of survival! Joshua McClatchy of Texas was rescued late Friday night about four miles off the Buckeye Trail in Southeast Polk
County after a six day search. Rescuers, who had to sprint down a 2.7 mile route and then roped down a dangerous mountain to rescue him, Crews finally reached McClatchy at 11:44pm Friday
-See Hiker, continued pg. 8
UA-RM Plans To Expand Campus Structures With $7.5 Million Projects
Joshua McClatchy who was lost in the Ouachita National Forest for nearly a week, being loaded into an awaiting ambulance after being resuced in the Ouachita National Forest. Submitted photo.
By Sam Jordan (MENA) The University of Arkansas – Rich Mountain will be undertaking a few projects that will see four new buildings and one existing building that will see renovations and an addition. Doctor Phillip Wilson, Chancellor of the University announced on Tuesday evening of the upcoming projects “that will be transformative” in nature and take the university to a more competitive level with other similar schools in the University of Arkansas system. The $7.5 million student housing building will see four buildings that will comprise of 102 beds and that will also include studio apartments, a community room and laundry area. The four buildings will provide 37,268 square feet of space.
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Building “A” will provide thirty-two beds. Building “B” will house thirty-four beds, with two studio apartments. Building “C” will house forty-two beds, with two studio apartments. Each building will will have two floors of space. The only difference will be that Building A and B, will be constructed as four, two story structures. Building C will be five, two story structures. The community / laundry room area will be in a separate one story building. The Ode Maddox Building will see over 5200 square feet of renovations, in addition to a 3210 square foot expansion to that building. The buildings will be located behind the Ouachita Center, on the Western end of the campus.
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42nd Annual Lum & Abner Festival In The Books (MENA) The 42nd Annual Lum and Abner Festival is in the books and plans are already underway for the 43rd event, after a week or so of much needed rest, if that’s possible. Organizers were happy with the great weather and the large turnout of visitors from near and far for the event sponsored by the Mena A & P Commission. Commission member James Earl Turner stated on Saturday afternoon “that you couldn’t ask for a better atmosphere” for the biggest event of the year in the county. Mena Mayor Seth Smith also echoed
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those same sentiments and was encouraged by the numerous individuals that he met that were from out of town. Mena / Polk County Chamber of Commerce’s Executive Director Ashley Smith and her staff and host of volunteers worked extremely hard at making sure that the event went off without a hitch. Smith had contingencies in place, in the remote chance of rain that was initially forecasted for Friday night. But, Mother Nature was on the side of Smith and the commission.
-See Festival, continued pg. 8
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