Years ago, technical schools were often viewed as secondary alternatives to traditional four-year universities. Those who earned two-year associate degrees or certificates to work in some manufacturing trade were thought of not having the discipline or educational prowess to earn…
Kenneth Heard
Pictured above: A collector on eBay is asking $2,499 for a Topps Pete Rose No. 580 baseball card. The 1970 Topps Pete Rose No. 580 baseball card was a popular one when I was a kid in northern Minnesota. It…
I saw on the news the other night a story about a man who was cheated out of nearly half a million dollars by an internet romance scam. Some raven-haired beauty overseas contacted a 55-year-old guy through social media to…
Go into any Walmart, Target, Kroger, 7-Eleven or CVS store, and notice the way the items are displayed on the shelves. There may be shirts next to socks, Lucky Charms beside Froot Loops or cough medicines by pain relievers. Bottles…
Jianfeng Xu, a professor of biomolecular engineering at the Arkansas Biosciences Institute on the Arkansas State University campus in Jonesboro is creating a medicine to treat inflammatory bowel disease. He needed to test the medication on mice though, and because…
Pictured above: The King Opera House is a 132-year-old performance theater in downtown Van Buren. (Photos provided) The King Opera House, a 132-year-old performance theater in the heart of Van Buren, could have become just another vacant building with historical…
As the Jonesboro bureau reporter for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for nearly 20 years, I traveled much of the northeast corner of the state, working on stories. One of the benefits of those voyages was finding quaint, off-the-beaten-path places to grab…
After a strong fourth quarter, state economic leaders are expecting to continue projects in 2024 that accommodate population growth, lure more industries and further the financial successes seen by the state. Major projects for this year include renovations to the…
Pictured above: A drone’s eye view of a UA soybean patch in eastern Arkansas. Drones help enhance aspects of farming. (Photos provided) Farmers seem to have a love-hate relationship with advances in agricultural technology that incorporate GPS, computer software and…
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Jaylen Smith, A Mayor Like No Other: Earle’s Young Leader Not A Typical Civic Authority
Pictured above: Jaylen Smith is the youngest African American to be elected mayor in U.S. history. (Kenneth Heard) Jaylen Smith starts his days like most 19-year-olds. He wakes up at his parents’ home, eats breakfast, worries about the college…