Monticello Live

The Arkansas National Guard Delta Company 39th Brigade Support Battalion will be leaving during the next few days, to be stationed in Shelby, Mississippi, before being deployed to duty in Iraq.

The total planned time of deployment is set to be one year, which will begin upon their arrival at the base in Mississippi.

 The unit will leaving at different times beginning with the first group departing later this week, with the final departure expected to leave on January 8.

Keep checking back here on MonticelloLive.com for updates as they become available. 

The EZ Mart, located on HWY 425 south, was the location of an armed robbery, early Monday morning just before 4 a.m.

Reports indicate that the store’s security video camera shows a black male, approximately 5 foot, 10 inches tall, wearing a mask, armed with a shotgun appears to have been alone in the hold-up.

The robber arrived and fled on foot.

The investigation is being conducted by the Monticello Police Dept.

Young’s Bar-B-Q has meant “lunch” to Monticello residents for decades.   The local restaurant has been chosen as Monticello’s “Best Bar-B-Q” for 7 years by the voters in the local newspaper, as well as having won “Best Lunch Buffet” and “Best Country Cooking” several times, along the way.

Sharon’s mom & dad, Ben & Cleo Young, sold Bar-B-Q out of their grocery store from 1954 until 1983.

In 1989, Sharon and her husband Billy Joe Hancock, re-opened “Young’s Bar-B-Q”.  They ran their ”take out only” business in the back of the building, where Mr. Ben’s Bar-B-Q pit had remained.

In 1996, they moved the business into the front of the building, and opened a full service restaurant.  In July of 2003, the business burned and closed for a brief time.  But the Hancocks decided to close their laundromat operation, and moved the restaurant, complete with their famous buffet, into the newer building next door.  After a complete remodeling process, and a new kitchen, “Young’s Bar-B-Q with Country Buffet” re-opened in October of that same year.

When most people think of Young’s, they think of it’s owner, and daily hostess, Sharon Hancock.  She’s always there, with a “How are you doing, today?”, or her cheerful, “Ya’ll come back!”  She’s open every weekday for lunch, as well as Sunday lunch buffet.  They also serve catfish, fried shrimp, and BBQ ribs on Friday nights.

When I asked Sharon how she ended up in the restaurant business, she replied, “Well, I was 9 when we moved into the store………….”

She said that the best part of her job is pleasing folks.  “Full people are happy people.”

Sharon was born and raised in Monticello, and graduated from Monticello High School.

“I’ve been married to Billy Joe all my life”, she added with a smile.  Billy Joe served in the U.S. Army until 1962, and was stationed in Germany for a part of that time.

They have 2 sons, Mike, who works at the Pine Bluff Arsenal, and Steve, who is now part-owner of the restaurant, and handles the inventory and catering, as well as doing all of the B-B-Qing.

The Hancock’s have 3 grandchildren: Jake (age 17), Laura (age 14), and Somer (age 13).

Saron’s response to the usual “Get to know” type questions included:

Hobbies-Painting, especially Santa portraits and birdhouses.  (Her Christmas present from her husband was painting classes.)

Pets-”He has pets. They’re all his”.

Restaurant-She smiled, no response was needed. 

Favorite phrase-”‘Have a good day’ seems to say it all.”

TV show-Paula Dean’s Cooking Show, on the Food Network.

Favorite actor-Richard Gere.

Favorite movie-Sweet Home Alabama.

 Favorite music-Country.

Favorite author-James Patterson (mysteries).

Favorite sports teams-Billies, Pirates, Weevils.

In closing, Sharon considers herself a, ”Plain old, what you see is what you get” type of person, but that’s the kind of person, business, and cooking that keeps so many Monticello people coming back for lunch. 

Thanks, Sharon Hancock, for sharing your One Monticello Life.

To read other editions of One Monticello Life, Click here.

As we take this time to spend with family and friends, let’s stop to thank the Lord above for the gift he gave to the world that Christmas morning, so many years ago.

May God bless you.

Joe & Sue Burgess

MonticelloLive.com

John Carter, shown here during an emergency drill a few months ago at Drew Central Schools, is an agent of the 10th Judicial District’s Drug Task Force.

John began his law enforcement career with the Monticello Police Dept., where he remained for 4 years, until November of this year.  He had originally been a member for the Monticello Fire Dept. (he’s still a volunteer firefighter), and when Lt. Eddie Deaton suggested he become a member of the Police Auxiliary Unit, he soon became a full-time officer.

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James Green Jr., of Monticello, was recently arrested by the Monticello Police Dept.

Green was charged with rape, kidnapping, and terroristic threatening.

Green is still being held in the County Detention Facility.

At the Chamber of Commerce/MEDC banquet recently, Deborah Jones, Drew Central School District’s 6th grade math & literacy teacher, was announced as the district’s “Teacher of the Year”.

Mrs. Jones has been a teacher for 34 years.  She began teaching at Selma for 5 years, then moved to the Drew Central district, when Selma consolidated with them.

Her high school principal was Mrs. Sadie Johnson, and then Larry Johnston.

Deborah was born in a small town in Texas, called El Campo.  Her family moved to Arkansas, when her father, who was a mechanic, was asked to move here, by his boss, who owned land in Arkansas.

She attended school at Selma, which only went to the 8th grade, and then graduated from the Drew High School.

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Drew County Courthouse

(This week’s One Monticello Life was not authored by me, but was instead the introduction speach given by Anna Koonce, 2007 Woman of the Year, announcing this year’s honoree.) 

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Mr. Jimmy Orrell, of HWY 278 E was seen giving one of his neighbors a ride this week in a vehicle that can be also be powered by corn (or hay).

Police investigators are looking at the possibility of additional victims in a sexual assault case after a Warren man was charged with sexual assault of a minor and reveals to police he works around children for a living.

The Department of Human Services and state police led Warren Police Department detectives to Ronnie Lopez.  Detectives have only a story from one child victim of alleged sexual abuse, but detectives say the background of Lopez, 35, could lead to more charges.

Lopez is free as of Wednesday night on $25,000 bail after being charged with sexual assault of a child under the age of 14.

“According to Mr. Lopez he does work around underage children and juveniles,” says detective Shaun Hildreth with Warren P.D.

Lopez told investigators he works at the Day Spring Behavioral Health Services in Monticello.  Police say it’s a center for troubled teens.

Reports indicate Lopez is a former employee of the Vera Lloyd Presbyterian Home in Monticello.

For more information on this story, click here to go to the Fox 16 News site

The Monticello-Drew County Chamber of Commerce held it’a annual awards banquet Tuesday night.

The keynote speaker for the event was Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe.

Gov. Beebe recognized many of the state legislators present, and mention many of the specific local projects that they had been helpful in causing to take place here in southeast Arkansas.

He also emphasized the possibility of the area becoming “the Silicone Valley of Bio-Fuels”, by entering the Cellulosic Gasoline.

Governor Beebe discussed how important this corner of the state is to the overall well-being of the state, and commented that “what is good for one area in the state, is good for the entire state.”

Sheilla Lampkin, shown here accepting her plaque, accompanied by her husband, Judge Damon Lampkin.  As UAM Chancellor Jack Lassiter and Governor Mike Beebe listen to her comments.

Pastor Al Womack, of First Assembly of God Church is shown here with his award.  Pastor Al was at the event for the invocation, and did not know he was going to receive the honor.

Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe was the guest speaker at a conference at the Drew Central Auditorium Tuesday afternoon.

The Governor answered questions from students.  Topics included education, taxes, and algebra. 

Beebe told the students, “Roughly 70% of all general revenue tax dollars goes to fund some form of education.”

Other noteworthy statements he made included, “We’re not just competing with our neighbors anymore, we’re competing with the rest of the world,” and “Southeast Arkansas has suffered a significant loss over the last 20 years, because of loss of jobs, mechanization, and the need for less labor.”

Gov. Beebe also told the group about, ”An opportunity to go into a new type of industry, Cellusic Gasoline.  Cellusic gasoline is made from tree tops, tree stumps, and rice straw.”  

The Governor said that the technology is out there, and that currently the process is underway to make this process financially feasible, “Putting money into the pockets of Arkansas farmers and timber people, instead of into the pockets of OPEC countries.”  

As I was trying to decide who would be a good choice for last week’s One Monticello Life, I was driving through town.  One of the first people that I saw putting up Christmas lights was Sara Hartness.  She has lived in this same house for 18 years.

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