El Dorado News-Times
Boozman bullish paid leave bill to be mulled
WASHINGTON — Arkansas’ senior U.S. senator suggested that lawmakers could consider legislation on paid leave after the midterm elections. Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., worked with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., on introducing the More Paid Leave for...
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Free screening of literacy documentary planned in Camden
To help raise awareness about illiteracy in South Arkansas, the Literacy Coalition of South-Central Arkansas is continuing its documentary-screening and panel discussion series. “Sentenced: A Call-to-Action”, an immersive documentary that takes an...
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Xi says he’ll see Trump again soon as he wraps up U.S. visit
WASHINGTON — Chinese President Xi Jinping wrapped up his state visit to Washington on Friday by announcing that he will meet President Donald Trump two more times before the end of the year, doubling the number of face-to-face discussions between the...
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Netanyahu calls claims of genocide in Gaza ‘the biggest lie of the century’
Accusations of Israeli genocide in Gaza are not only false but “the biggest lie of the century,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told world leaders Thursday in a speech that asserted his nation’s right to wage war against Iran — and was not heard by...
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Stocks slide on worries about inflation
NEW YORK — Pressure from the U.S. bond market hit a new level on Wall Street Wednesday after a strong report on the economy raised worries about inflation, while oil prices halted their slide. The squeeze caused U.S. stocks to sink. The S&P 500 fell...
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President Trump: U.S. and Iranian officials met, shortly after warning
UNITED NATIONS — President Donald Trump said U.S. and Iranian officials met Tuesday, shortly after threatening in his address to the U.N. General Assembly that he may “annihilate” the Islamic Republic if a deal isn’t reached soon to end the nearly...
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Wildfire in Calhoun County still burning
A fire that threatened areas of Highland Industrial Park is now at 85% containment, an official said. “We have a little bit of interior burning still. We’re trying to get that buttoned up before we get a a weather change tomorrow,” said Robert Murphy,...
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An Israeli is shot dead in the occupied West Bank
An Israeli was fatally shot in the occupied West Bank, while Israel’s military said it killed a man who attempted to ram his vehicle into troops elsewhere in the Palestinian territory. Meanwhile, Iran’s top diplomat will stop in Qatar on his way to...
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El Dorado students ready for Union County Livestock Show
For the members of El Dorado’s Future Farmers of America program, it’s showtime. The Union County Fair Livestock Show will be held Tuesday and Wednesday at the fairgrounds with several events set for later in the week. “Some of them have been working...
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Highland Industrial Park thanks crews, community as Bunker Fire containment reaches 75%
With the Bunker Fire now 75% contained, Highland Industrial Park is thanking the firefighters, emergency personnel and community members who have helped protect the park and surrounding areas. The fire had burned just over 2,800 acres, according to...
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Calhoun County wildfire remains 65% contained
The Bunker Fire in Calhoun County remains 65% contained as of Thursday, officials said. “We have good lines around the fire, but there’s still several hot spots in there,” Arkansas State Forester Kyle Cunningham said. “In the days following the...
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Official: Calhoun County wildfire 65% contained as of Wednesday
The wildfire near Highland Industrial Park in Camden was 65% contained Wednesday morning, according to the Arkansas Forestry Division. Around 20 to 25 first responders were continuing to contain the fire Wednesday as the flames have spread across...
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Officials: Calhoun County fire 35% contained
CALHOUN COUNTY, Ark. — A wildfire burning near Highland Industrial Park in Calhoun County that forced evacuations and has drawn a growing response from state and local agencies is 35% contained. The fire was originally estimated at 2,338 acres. Crews...
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Texas landowners ask a court to stop Trump’s Big Bend wall plans
MARFA, Texas — Landowners, ranchers and business owners in the Big Bend region of Texas along with a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the region’s landscape and heritage are suing to stop the Trump administration’s plans to build a wall...
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Iranian cargo ship is struck and talks between Tehran and its neighbors are postponed
CAIRO — An Iranian cargo vessel was struck early Sunday off Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media said, and a plan by Tehran to brief neighboring countries on its contested efforts to manage shipping in the strait was...
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Westerman: Data centers could be a benefit if handled properly
Data centers have drawn growing opposition over electricity and water use, utility costs, noise and their effect on communities. But U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman believes the centers are getting a “bad rap.” Westerman, R-Hot Springs, said Wednesday data...
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‘I’m in trouble’: Eyewitness recalls how historic Manhattan church became sanctuary, beacon of hope on 9/11
FOREMAN — Under the gaze of approximately 200 students, the Rev. Stuart Hoke wove a narrative of memories and spiritual realizations as an eyewitness of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks in New York City. Hoke asked for grace before beginning his...
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Smithsonian marks 25th anniversary of 9/11 with a display of rare artifacts
WASHINGTON — The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History is honoring the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks this week with displays of dozens of rarely seen objects that tell the story of that day in personal terms. The exhibit,...
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Rubio calls Ecuador an ‘aggressive’ partner in the U.S. counterdrug push
QUITO, Ecuador — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio hailed Ecuador on Wednesday as being the most “aggressive” partner in the Trump administration’s push to crack down on drug trafficking and transnational criminal groups in the Western...
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Trump honors 9/11 victims at the Ellipse, pledging to ‘never forget’
WASHINGTON — Nearly a quarter century after a day “etched forever into the memories of Americans,” President Donald Trump honored the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on Tuesday by vowing to “never forget.” The event at the Ellipse was...
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SouthArk Outdoor Expo set for Saturday
The SouthArk Outdoor Expo 2026 is set for Saturday at the El Dorado Conference Center, 311 S. West Ave., and the community is invited to celebrate all things outdoors. Entering its 27th year, the expo is an annual fundraiser that is presented by the...
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Iran claims a strike on a U.S. ship in the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. denies it
CAIRO — Iran said Sunday it struck an unmanned U.S. vessel trying to enter the Strait of Hormuz, a claim that the U.S. military dismissed as a “total lie.” The purported attack came a day after the U.S. military said forces struck three Iranian oil...
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Local chamber looks to build on business recruitment momentum
The El Dorado-Union County Chamber of Commerce is working with seven active state recruitment and expansion projects, has helped support 201 new jobs and is putting more attention on housing, infrastructure, health care and workforce needs. Chamber...
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Clancy jury foreperson says they’re deadlocked over 1 juror
PLYMOUTH, Mass. — The deadlocked jury in the Lindsay Clancy trial went home without a verdict Thursday in a dramatic sixth day of deliberations. Her defense lawyer told the judge that the panel’s foreperson said in a note that a single juror won’t...
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Edouard drenches Texas, downs trees
PORT ARTHUR, Texas — The former Tropical Storm Edouard weakened into a depression but dumped nearly 2 feet of rain in some places, flooded roads and knocked down trees Wednesday in parts of Texas as it slowly moved north. Schools and municipal offices...
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Possibility of floods as Edouard makes land fall on Gulf Coast
Rain fell Tuesday across parts of Texas and Louisiana as Tropical Storm Edouard made landfall near the border between the two states, bringing the possibility of flooding, the National Hurricane Center warned. The storm came ashore near Johnson Bayou,...
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Intermediate School project is progressing toward ’27 completion
Construction on the new El Dorado Intermediate School is transitioning from major projects to interior finishes, according to the school district. The facility being constructed where the former high school once stood is slated to host classes for...
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US officials: Missile stocks in Europe ‘beyond critical’ due to Iran war
WASHINGTON — The U.S. military is experiencing a “beyond critical” shortage of advanced missile interceptors in Europe largely driven by President Donald Trump’s war with Iran, a U.S. defense official in Europe and a NATO official told The Associated...
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Bond market may be resetting expectations about the U.S.A.
WASHINGTON — U.S. debt hasn’t been further downgraded, breakeven rates on inflation-protected bonds haven’t spiked, and the cost of insuring against a federal default hasn’t skyrocketed, signs that most investors still see U.S. bonds as a largely...
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Dolly Parton, music star, actor and beloved figure who spanned generations, has died at 80
Dolly Parton, the country music icon whose soaring vibrato vocals, poignant songwriting and sparkling costumes defined her rise from a log cabin in the Tennessee mountains to the height of stardom and acclaim, has died. She was 80 years old. Known for...
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Little basking in success of UAM’s trap shooting team’s debut season
El Dorado native Brody Little has long had a passion for the outdoors and hunting. However, it wasn’t until last year that he found an outlet to put all that he has learned on display. Little, who recently finished his freshman year at...
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Pentagon pressures expanding defense industry in South Arkansas
South Arkansas defense industry heavyweights Lockheed Martin and L3 Harris were working to expand weapons production well before the Pentagon ordered industry leaders to detail plans to speed up their assembly lines. Deputy Defense Secretary Steve...
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SAAC presents Four Seasons at Richland Creek Farm
Artist Maria Botti Villegas is hosting a “Harvest Season” Mixed Media Drawing & Painting Workshop for the third installment in her ‘Four Seasons at Richland Creek Farm’ series on September 19 from 9:45 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.. The workshop starts at Richland...
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‘Potentially historic heatwave’ could expose Arkansans to more widespread heat illnesses
Arkansas could face what forecasters are calling a “potentially historic heat wave,” bringing sustained dangerous heat. Temperatures in the Little Rock area will reach 100 degrees on Thursday, with triple digit temperatures expected for at least 10...
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Mayflower joins other Arkansas cities in stopping use of Flock devices
Mayflower has become the second Central Arkansas city in the last week to ditch its Flock Safety license plate readers. Interim Police Chief Brittany Byrd announced Monday that after “evaluating the capabilities” of the cameras, Mayflower will...
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Silver Screen Series returns to El Dorado
The South Arkansas Historical Preservation Society (SAHPS) has announced the return of its Silver Screen Series in a news release this week. The Silver Screen Series is dedicated to “showcasing timeless Hollywood classics from the remarkable film...
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Houthis claim attacks on Saudi oil facility and Yemeni port, and other Mideast news
Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels on Sunday struck a government-held port on the country’s Red Sea coast, killing several people and deepening fears over threats to strategic Middle East shipping routes and a potential return to civil war. They also...
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SouthArk welcomes students to Howard Hall
In June 2024, Murphy Oil Corporation announced a $10 million charitable gift to South Arkansas College to help start funding for a residence hall and a baseball stadium. Just over two years later, the first of the new facilities was officially...
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Firm says sites in Camden, region could support new nuclear reactors
Locations in southwest and Central Arkansas are best suited for new nuclear reactors, according to a study presented Thursday to the legislature’s Joint Energy Committee. Brian Meadors, an attorney with Maryland-based EXCEL Services Corp., told the...
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Governor launches process to replace McCollum as legislator, but county judge candidacy still stands
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders will ask Republicans and Democrats to choose candidates for a special election to fill former state Rep. Austin McCollum’s unexpired term in the state House, which ends Jan. 11. McCollum resigned Wednesday following his...
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PCI celebrates 45-year anniversary
Polyethylene Containers, Inc. (PCI) held an anniversary celebration for the company’s 45th anniversary on Wednesday. The celebration included remarks from the current CEO, Walter Tyson, COO Stephen D. Kelley, Vice President Mark Childs, as well as...
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New World Screwworm has been confirmed in Texas and New Mexico
New World screwworm (NWS) has been confirmed in 42 domestic animal cases across Texas and New Mexico as of mid-July and Arkansas sheep and goat producers are being asked to treat this as an active and evolving threat. According to a news release from...
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Boozman joins bipartisan push to expand access to paid leave
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., has joined a bipartisan effort on Capitol Hill to expand access to paid leave. Boozman, of Rogers, and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., introduced the More Paid Leave for More Americans Act last month,...
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Ex-superintendent appeals suspension
A former superintendent of the Fouke School District is appealing a three-year suspension of his teaching license that cited ethics violations including personal relationships with students. In a suit filed Wednesday in Pulaski County Circuit Court,...
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Winning with Lillian
There is no such thing as taking it easy for Lillian Geurin. In June, Geurin was elected National Beta Club Vice President, which came on the heels of her election to Arkansas State Vice President in January. “I enjoy it,” Geurin said. “I feel like...
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Ballet camp performs ‘The Spirit of the Tides’
The South Arkansas Arts Center held the Ballet Camp production of The Spirit of the Tides at 5:30 pm on Friday evening. The ballet featured music and characters from Moana, telling this well-loved story through dance. The production was directed by...
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Camden named in nuclear feasibility study
The Camden area has been identified as one of six locations in Arkansas that could potentially support a nuclear power plant, according to a feasibility study authorized by the Arkansas Legislature. The study found that an area near Camden has an...
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Candidate filing underway for municipal races in Union County
The filing period for municipal elections opened at noon Wednesday, and three Union County residents were at the head of the line to file as candidates for city government offices in the November election. Nathan Rainey, running for El Dorado City...
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Swamp Angel Ministries to host Retired Ministers Day
More than a quarter-century ago, David Bush went to a prayer meeting and, throughout the night, kept meeting retired ministers and pastors. “I knew I was supposed to do something for them,” he said. Thus were born Swamp Angel Ministries and Arkansas...
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Work requirement expected to cause 10% increase in average cost of coverage under Arkansas’ Medicaid expansion program
The work requirement that will take effect for Arkansas’ Medicaid expansion program on Jan. 1 will not only decrease enrollment in the program but increase the average cost of providing coverage to those who remain, the state Department of Human...
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As Trump boosts nuclear power, regulators seek to eliminate a longstanding radiation safety rule
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is proposing to eliminate a foundational safety principle that has for 50 years minimized the radiation people in the United States are exposed to and that has been adopted around the world. Currently, facilities such...
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Local state Civics Bee winner launches community book campaign
Jai Durvasula is preparing to travel to Washington, D.C., this October to represent Arkansas in the National Civics Bee following his win at the state Civics Bee in June. Durvasula, a rising eighth grader at Barton Junior High School in El Dorado,...
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Paradox CTO promises no increase to cost of electricity with data center buildout
Jeffery Harris, Chief Technology Officer of Paradox Infrastructure and Z Squared, spoke to the Quorum Court last week and assured them their planned data center would not raise electricity rates, but help in building the infrastructure in the area for...
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Trump expands a voluntary pledge to protect consumers from high utility bills from AI data centers
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday had governors and electricity companies join a voluntary pledge to shield U.S. consumers from higher utility bills from data centers — a sign of how the artificial intelligence build-out has become a...
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Touch-A-Truck this Saturday
United Way of Union County is joining forces with The Salvation Army and Walmart to host the free 2026 Touch-A-Truck event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. this Saturday at the El Dorado Walmart, 2730 N. West Ave., on the Garden Center side. Families are invited...
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SAAC announces Annie KIDS cast for Penguin Project Production
The South Arkansas Arts Center (SAAC) announces the cast for this year’s Penguin Project Summer Camp production of Annie, KIDS. Camp will take place July 20–24, culminating in a performance at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, July 24. Directed by Lynn Gunter,...
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Arkansas’ 8.81% food stamp error rate has state facing multimillion-dollar federal penalty
There is good and bad news for Arkansas when it comes to how it runs the program for federal food assistance. The good news is that a recent report from the federal government shows Arkansas’ error rate for payments made under the Supplemental...
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U.S. strikes Iran over troop deaths
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The United States launched more airstrikes at Iran on Sunday in response to the killing of U.S. troops, and Iran fired missiles toward Jordan that risked widening the conflict into neighboring Israel. Step by step, the...
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Number of children served by state program falls 32% after cuts
A Cabot daycare center on Friday joined the dozens of Arkansas childcare facilities that have closed down since the Arkansas Department of Education cut payments last fall for a program serving low-income families. Beth Flippo, the executive director...
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Final presentation of Boomtown Days 2026 set for Saturday
The third and final installment of Boomtown Days 2026 is set for 5:30 to 8 p.m. today in Downtown El Dorado. Admission is free, and the event will include festival food, live music and plenty of family-friendly activities, organizers said. Terry...
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Gov. Sanders, experts comment on regional lithium industry at Texarkana conference
TEXARKANA, Texas — Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Wednesday said Arkansas is positioned to become a national leader in the lithium industry, telling business leaders the state’s deposits could transform its economy while reducing U.S. dependence on...
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US reimposes blockade and steps up strikes as Iran threatens to halt energy exports
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. reimposed a naval blockade on Iran and intensified its airstrike campaign Wednesday in retaliation for Tehran’s attacks on ships trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. The American strikes hit an...
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Trump backs away from plan to charge fees in the Strait of Hormuz
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday backtracked on plans to charge ships for using the Strait of Hormuz, saying Gulf countries would instead invest in the United States. Another wave of U.S. strikes on Iran, and Iranian...
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Arkansas' ban on food stamps for candy, sodas goes well for retailers, but customers voice irritation
More than a week after the rollout of Arkansas' ban on using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits to purchase candy and soft drinks, retailers had reported few hiccups. The reviews from at least some shoppers were less positive,...
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Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally and foreign policy hawk, dies after a brief illness
WASHINGTON — Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of President Donald Trump’s closest allies in Congress who traveled the globe to advocate for a more aggressive U.S. foreign policy, has died after a “brief and sudden illness,” his office said. He was 71. The...
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