News

Richard Palmer Portis, M.D., 79, Little Rock, March 31. Dr.

The 2024 December count of 153,423 mallards in the Arkansas Delta region was almost double the total from the same time last year but was still well below the 2009-2024 December long-term average in estimates made from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s December Aerial Survey, conducted Dec. 9-13.

Derwood Brett, 76, Mount Ida, June 16. Brett got his start in the advertising department at the Minden Press Herald while studying journalism at Louisiana Tech University.

It began to rain lightly at first. But from the dark clouds building to the northwest, I knew what was coming.

Sidney Craig Woodall, 86, Malvern, May 22. Woodall started as a carrier for the Malvern Daily Record at age 11. At age 15 he worked for Malvern Amusement Company as a projectionist, and later served as assistant manager for the Ritz Theater, the Joy Theater and Malvern Drivein Theater, and the Sunset Drive-in Theater in Hot Springs. Around 1956 he returned to the Malvern Daily Record, working in circulation for a short time, after which he was promoted to advertising manager, a position he held for 23 years. He left the Daily Record to become advertising coordinator for Gibson’s Discount/ Kirchoff Stores, Inc. He then worked as an assistant manager at Davis Lumber Company for 17 years, until his retirement in 2002.

Baxter Health is proud to welcome Jamie Leach, LMSW, as the Behavioral Health and Community Relations Specialist. Jamie brings a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to supporting the mental and emotional well-being of our community.

Baxter Health is pleased to welcome Debra Wilhite, APRN, to Baxter Health Cardiovascular Clinic. She is a board-certified nurse practitioner practicing alongside Dr. Zaid Alirhayim, Dr. Michael Camp, Dr. Akihiro Kobayashi, Dr. Jamon Pruitt, Dr. Patrick Tobbia, Dr. Otis Warr, and nurse practitioners Denise Beeson and Leah Fountain.

Peggy June Barentine, 88, Jacksonville, June 1.The mother of APA Director of Operations Terri Cobb, Barentine married her high school sweetheart, Buford Barentine on May 27, 1955. She retired from Dillard’s Department Store after working many years in mortgage banking and was a former member of the North Little Rock chapter of Beta Sigma Phi.

The December board meeting of the Ozark Mountain School District was held at the Western Grove School where the board reviewed many different issues and proposals. Superintendent Jeff Lewis presented issues of personnel, petition for transfer of students, an AR DOT right-of-way at the Western Grove school location, E-Rate funding, and grants that were issued being the Professional Learning Grant, $18,000, McKinney-Vento Homeless Grant, $15,000, and the High Impact Tutoring Grant, $28,234 with the total grant money of $61,234.