As the Monticello community met for the annual Easter Community Service recently, many familiar faces were present.

There was a new face, who was introduced as a part of the program, to sing “How Great Thou Art”, before the message.

Sarah Beth Pippen, the worship leader at Immanuel Baptist Church,  then led the room into worship, as she followed with a strong, spirit-filled rendition of the old, familiar hymn.

MLive recently spoke with Sarah Beth, as a part of our One Monticello Life series.

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Hall of Fame inductees for 2013 include
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At their recent Drew Central school board meeting, the board heard a report from Katie Taylor about her recent trip to Washington DC, as well as her plans to expand her service project “Pack of Hope” to more DC students in need.

Monday night, members of our local veterans organizations met with Boy Scout Troop 67, to teach them flag etiquette for the retiring (burning) of worn US flags.  The VFW, DAV, and American Legion were represented.

The process is educational and patriotic.

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An Ordinance to amend the hours liquor can be served in private clubs in the city limits of Monticello was presented to the City Council at the Council’s meeting Thursday evening.

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KATV, channel 7 recently had viewer’s poll to honor active seniors as a part of the “Full of Life” campaign.

Cleo Young, a longtime Monticello resident was featured on the most recent installment of the series.

Click here for the video link from KATV.

Several of Mrs. Cleo’s family and church family were present for the taping of the segment.

At Monday’s Quorum Court meeting, Judge Robert Akin brought up the matter of what to do about the tree on the north side of the courthouse. There is concern that the tree will cause foundation damage to the courthouse, and one recommendation was that the tree be removed.

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Chuck Dovixh, with AETN, recently held a preview of the completed footage from the upcoming Bayou Bartholomew documentary scheduled to be broadcast on Thursday.

The interest history of “the Bayou” was discussed.  It had as many as 96 steamships traveling its waters, coming as far upstream as Baxter.  It also supported the early log-rafting industry, supplying logs to downstream sawmills

Bayou Bartholomew is the 3rd most diversified waterway in the US , with 117 species of fish in it.

The Drew Central safety and security task force met Monday night to receive updates on the suggestions that were made at their earlier meeting.

Topics covered included doors, locks, playgrounds, among several others areas.

After a year and a half of consideration, the Monticello City Council has accepted the Mt. Zion water association into the Monticello city water system.

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Approximately a dozen logging and construction contractors attended the Drew County Quorum Court meeting, Monday night, after hearing rumors about the county’s proposed “heavy use access permits”, that included fines and potentially jail time as penalties for it’s violation.

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An Arkansas Game & Fish representative spoke at Monday night’s Quorum Court meeting about the potential opening of a boat ramp, on HWY 277 on Bayou Bartholomew.

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The new Sadie Johnson Community Center is scheduled to hold it’s grand opening Sunday, April 14 at 3 pm.

You can call City Hall, beginning April 1, to reserve the building for dates on or after April 15.

The Monticello parks and rec. committee, at their Tuesday meeting, set for rental fees for the next facility.

To rent the new structure will cost you…….

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Metal handles on cans shoud face street.

The City of Monticello apologizes for any inconveniences caused in the process to convert from bag pick up to cart pick up for solid waste.

Instructions and map of pick-up days are attached to each new can.

Only the new cans will be picked up by the trash truck. (except for Ward 4 residents who don’t have the new recepticles, yet)

Every address with a cart will be picked up one day a week and those days are based off of the voting wards; ward one will be picked up every Monday, ward two on Tuesday, ward three on Thursday and ward four on Friday. If you don’t know which ward you live in, please call 367-3415.

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The Drew Central Elementary Safety Team met Monday evening, to discuss a wide range of security and safety issues.

An espicially interesting part of the meeting was when Laura Kaminicki, a Drew Central 3rd grade parent, also a former Jonesboro resident from the time of that city’s March 24, 1998 massacre at Westside Middle School, described some of that school’s physical charistics.

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