Stories by John Worthen

  • Quorum Court meets to go over tight '16 budget

    PINE BLUFF -- The Jefferson County Quorum Court will meet at 5:30 p.m. today to hash out the 2016 budget, which will be one of the tightest in many years, offi…

    by John Worthen December 21, 2015

  • Family seeks information on slaying

    PINE BLUFF -- The family of a slain University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff student is offering a $10,000 reward for information about his death.

    by John Worthen December 14, 2015

  • A King again hails UAPB class

    The Rev. Bernice King, the youngest child of slain civil-rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., offered words of praise, encouragement and advice to the fall gr…

    by John Worthen December 12, 2015

  • Teacher of the year named

    STUTTGART -- Meghan Ables' fellow teachers at Stuttgart High School used a fairly simple ruse to help surprise her with the 2016 Arkansas Teacher of the Year A…

    by John Worthen December 8, 2015

  • Hampton ballot all but bare

    Only one of Hampton's six aldermen filed to run for re-election in next year's municipal election. The rest missed the deadline, and no one else filed.

    by John Worthen December 6, 2015

  • Improvements to Pine Bluff sewer system underway

    PINE BLUFF -- Pine Bluff resident Jack Walker stood outside his home on a recent afternoon and watched as workers performed maintenance on the city's sewer sys…

    by John Worthen November 27, 2015

  • Bank will form plan for Pine Bluff

    PINE BLUFF -- Simmons First National Bank executives announced Monday that they will form a strategic plan for Pine Bluff that is designed to grow the city's s…

    by John Worthen November 24, 2015

  • 5 file for Pine Bluff mayoral race

    PINE BLUFF -- Five candidates, including incumbent Mayor Debe Hollingsworth, will vie for Pine Bluff's top political job in 2016.

    by John Worthen November 23, 2015

  • Murder suspect gets trial date in escape

    The man accused of killing a Camden grocery-store clerk will face a December trial date in his September jail escape, according to the 13th Judicial Circuit pr…

    by John Worthen November 13, 2015

  • Pine Bluff weighs raising hotel tax

    PINE BLUFF -- Pine Bluff officials are considering whether to raise the city's hotel tax by 1 percentage point, with proceeds going to the parks and recreation…

    by John Worthen November 9, 2015

  • Holiday display's wiring pilfered

    PINE BLUFF -- Organizers of the Enchanted Land of Lights event at Pine Bluff's Regional Park said someone recently caused more than $3,000 in damage to the att…

    by John Worthen November 3, 2015

  • Mayor urges PB to follow 5-year plan

    PINE BLUFF -- Pine Bluff Mayor Debe Hollingsworth is approaching her city's new five-year strategic plan as a must-do list.

    by John Worthen October 12, 2015

  • PB mayor hopes to reopen Main Street within weeks

    PINE BLUFF -- Mayor Debe Hollingsworth said work to clear debris from collapsed buildings and reopen Main Street between Fourth and Fifth avenues has gained st…

    by John Worthen October 5, 2015

  • UAPB gets $500,000 for math program

    The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff has received a three-year, $500,000 grant that school officials say will reshape the mathematics program.

    by John Worthen October 2, 2015

  • New fence goes up at PB jail

    PINE BLUFF -- Jefferson County jail officials are building a metal security fence around the facility in an effort to reduce the amount of contraband that make…

    by John Worthen September 28, 2015

  • Clerk faces 15 counts; prosecutor studying 4

    A special prosecutor assigned to the case against Jefferson County Clerk Patricia Royal Johnson said Friday during a pretrial hearing that four theft of proper…

    by John Worthen September 26, 2015

  • $500,000 bid by Pine Bluff for hotel is spurned

    The owner of a closed downtown Pine Bluff hotel that's attached to the convention center has formally rejected the city's offer to buy his property for $500,00…

    by John Worthen September 24, 2015

  • Deputy who told police of pistol theft arrested

    A deputy with the Jefferson County sheriff's office was arrested this week over what authorities said was a false police report stating that his service weapon…

    by John Worthen September 16, 2015

  • Murder suspect recaptured

    A capital murder suspect who authorities said had been on the run since fleeing a Ouachita County sheriff's van Wednesday was captured without incident Monday …

    by John Worthen September 15, 2015

  • Fordyce veteran, 95, receives six overdue medals

    RISON -- Surrounded by family members, dozens of friends and well-wishers, Cordy A. Ramer Jr. of Fordyce received six long-overdue medals Wednesday afternoon f…

    by John Worthen September 8, 2015

  • Art League helps fill a cultural void in PB

    When the Pine Bluff Symphony closed its doors earlier this year due to financial reasons, many in the city were afraid a cultural vacuum was forming.

    by John Worthen September 7, 2015

  • Henderson to build on first 125 years

    Kathy Ramsey vividly remembers the first time she kissed a boy -- under a huge oak tree at Henderson State University.

    by John Worthen September 6, 2015

  • Pine Bluff notebook

    Alderman plans bid for county treasurer PINE BLUFF -- Third-term Pine Bluff Alderman George Stepps has announced that he will run for Jefferson County treasure…

    by John Worthen September 5, 2015

  • White Hall math teacher arrested on drug charge

    A White Hall math teacher who also coaches soccer and tennis for the school district was arrested Thursday as part of a drug operation after an undercover offi…

    by John Worthen August 29, 2015

  • 'Chase passion,' actress tells UAPB students

    America may know her best as the precocious Rudy Huxtable on "The Cosby Show," where, for eight seasons in the 1980s and early 1990s, she captured hearts as an…

    by John Worthen August 28, 2015

  • PB building owner gets fined for defying order

    The owner of a partially collapsed downtown Pine Bluff building was fined $1,000 Wednesday for defying the city's orders to tear down or repair the structure a…

    by John Worthen August 27, 2015

  • Police database to aid community

    PINE BLUFF -- When Randy Jenkins' elderly mother fell last year, he didn't find out until more than 24 hours later.

    by John Worthen August 24, 2015

  • Vietnam veteran finally gets medal

    Melvin Fields went back to war and came home again Thursday morning -- if only in his mind. But this time, he walked away with a hard-earned medal that was nev…

    by John Worthen August 21, 2015

  • Pine Bluff debris being cleared

    Trudy Jones smiled one afternoon last week as she watched workers clearing debris from two downtown Pine Bluff buildings that have sat collapsed for months.

    by John Worthen August 17, 2015

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