‘County’ Category
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A Citizen Journalist in Tonitown
0November 7, 2012 by wcobserver
Tonitown is in western Washington county. So why, one might ask is the Washington County Observer which serves the south part be interested in why happens over there. Two reasons. First the size of the town and nature of the issues that are confronting their citizens are similar to those in West Fork. They also dissolved their independent water commissions in the past election, they have had city clerk problems and are struggling with police funding problems. But also, we want to showcase an excellent example of local citizen journalism written by Sunny Hinshaw, a retired veterinarian who is active in city politics and sends out a monthly newsletter. We applaud this effort and hope perhaps it will inspire others to write and share their observations of their town. Sharing information, observing and participating in ones town is vital to the well being of any community. Tontitown News November 4, 2012 Volume # 17 Dear Citizens, I will start this TTN with a reminder that the City Council Meeting has been moved from the 1st Tuesday meeting date to Wednesday due to Election Day this month. Time and place are still the same, 7 PM at City Hall. …
Read More...Category County | Tags: citizen journalism, Tonitown
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County Cleanup Ordinance Passes
0April 17, 2012 by Jack Suntrup
The Quorum Court on Thursday passed an ordinance that will allow the county to clean up properties deemed “unsightly and unsanitary” by a county judge. According to the ordinance, if a complaint is made, the landowner will be given 30 days to clean the land. If the property is not cleaned within that time period, the county will do the job, billing the landowner. Though rules and ordinances have been made in the past, this will give the county the power to go in and clean up the property, county attorney George Butler said. The 30-day grace period was designed to give landowners notice, Butler said. “[Going onto a property], the intention is for that to be the last resort,” he said. The ordinance passed unanimously, but JP Tom Lundstrum had reservations about the bill only affecting land not zoned for agriculture. Butler said that wording was already state law, according to the City Wire. With cities like Fayetteville and Springdale already enforcing similar laws, giving the county an enforcement mechanism was necessary, JP Barbara Fitzpatrick said in an interview before the vote. “For the benefit of the entire community there are laws that say if it’s visible from the …
Read More...Category County, News | Tags: clean up, Washington County
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Trailblazing: Progress with Area Routes Connecting Many, If Not All, Residents
0March 15, 2012 by Jack Suntrup
WASHINGTON COUNTY – Progress is being made on the 36-mile long Razorback Greenway trail system, officials said. The trail system is meant to act as a “spine” to existing trails, connecting Bentonville, Rogers, Lowell, Spring- dale, Johnson and Fayetteville, said John McLarty, Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Committee Chairman. When all is said and done, various entities will have spent around $38 million on the project, with $15 million coming from federal stimulus funds. The Walton Family Foundation matched $3.75 million initially and will provide an additional $1.25 million for additional expenses, McLarty said. The initial $20 million will cover a 16-mile stretch of the trail from Lake Fayetteville to the New Hope Road in Rogers. Tentatively, $10 million more will come from the Walton Foundation and municipal funds. Local officials plan to launch a fundraising operation to collect the final $8 million. A 14-mile stretch near Crystal Bridges in Bentonville has already been completed. The project was put into jeopardy last year when congressional Republicans tried to strip out funding. This year, congressional leaders may try again, but the funds are expected to come in in June. The bidding process will start this month, McLarty said. Regardless, local business owners anticipate …
Read More...Category County, News | Tags: Razorback Greenway trail system, trails
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Democrat JPs To Square Off in Primary
4March 15, 2012 by wcobserver
WASHINGTON COUNTY – Local Democratic candidates are going to be busy this election season. Candidates for county, state and national positions were required to file their intent to run by March 1 and Justice of the Peace races will see several Democrats go head-to- head in the primaries.
Read More...Category County, Elections 2012, News | Tags: Elections 2012, Justices of the Peace
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Spanish Speakers Still Without Voter Registration Forms
0February 28, 2012 by Jack Suntrup
Partisan proxy wars concerning the 2012 election process are underway. Spanish-speaking citizens in Northwest Arkansas are still without up-to-date voter registration forms, said Maria Hicks, the Vice Chair of the Third District Democrat Hispanic Caucus. The oversight is causing confusion and could be in violation of the Federal Voting Rights Act and the Arkansas Constitution. “They’re not available … they have no forms in Spanish,” said Hicks, who is running for Washington County Justice of the Peace, District 7. “I was just there today and they said they were working on getting me the Spanish one. I told them it was a violation of the state constitution and they were surprised by that.” When Hicks had the same problem on Feb. 27, she said she called the Secretary of State’s office and was told that they were working on translating a new version. “They are going to be made available,” said Alex Reed, a spokesman for the Secretary of State. “What the issue was was they made some changes with the voter registration application, and so we’re working on getting them translated. But we are going to make them available and going to make them available shortly.” Though there are …
Read More...Category County, Elections 2012, News | Tags: Democrats Hispanic Caucus, Elections 2012, Maria Hicks, politics
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