Monticello native Ronnie Adcock has held several jobs over his lifetime. From gravel trains to pawn shops and a wrecker service, he hopes to add Drew County Sheriff to his resume this year.

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“I really thought I was done that day, and even though this person was very irate and taking it out on me, I still managed to get my job done correctly and it didn’t sway me from getting things done in the office.”

Cheri Norris grew up the oldest of three siblings, and said she had a great time doing family activities like roller skating, having picnics, and playing at the lake. At the age of five she moved from Southeast Arkansas up to Michigan with her mom, Betty Maloney.

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UAM Graduation Processional, 1st Session from MonticelloLive on Vimeo.

UAM Graduation Processional, 2nd Session from MonticelloLive on Vimeo.

UAM Graduation, Presentaton of Diplomas, 1st Session from MonticelloLive on Vimeo.

UAM Graduation, Presentaton of Diplomas, 2nd Session from MonticelloLive on Vimeo.

UAM Graduation, Welcome Statements from MonticelloLive on Vimeo.

UAM Graduation, Distinguished Alumnus, Reginald Glover from MonticelloLive on Vimeo.

UAM Graduation, Provost David Ray Honored from MonticelloLive on Vimeo.

UAM Graduation Recessional, 1st Session from MonticelloLive on Vimeo.

UAM Graduation Recessional, 2nd Session from MonticelloLive on Vimeo.

MLive’s Mandy Moss sat down and visited with all 3 county collector candidates, this week.

Now you can join in on their conversations, as all 3 are featured in this week’s triple edition of One Monticello Life.

The photo above was taken at their Barkada Community Candidates Forum.

“I was born and raised on same property we’re living on now. This 180 acres of land has never been bought or sold, it was homesteaded by my family. It goes back to my Great Great Granddaddy. I’m the 5th generation farming this land.” – Thad Mitchell

Thad and Nikki Mitchell, along with their six year old son, Colton, have settled on the family land to continue with the farming tradition and raise their family. This year, they have been selected as Farm Family of the Year for Drew County.

Thad and Nikki’s farming business largely consists of raising Bermuda grass for hay, along with some Alfalfa, and producing eggs for Tyson Foods.

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MonticelloLive’s video coverage was mentioned twice during the city council meeting, once by a Parks Commissioner and once by the mayor.

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MonticelloLive has an Eater tradition of honoring Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for us by featuring a special One Monticello Life, written by a local pastor, on Easter Sunday, each year.  This year we present ONE EXTRA-ORDINARY LIFE by Larry Doggett, of Fountain of Life Christian Center, the speaker at tonight’s Community Easter Service.

The extra-ordinary life that I write about today is about a man called, Jesus, who is also known as the Son of God, and also, Christ–the anointed One of God, and the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Growing up in the Bible belt, I have heard about Jesus all of my life. There are many things that I could share and here are some from A through Z about this extra-ordinary life of Jesus.

The life of Jesus is extra-ordinary for His:
Authenticity. Jesus is Emanuel, God with us. Matthew 1:23
Behavior. Jesus was and is sinless, the living Son of God. 1-Peter 2:21-25
Creation & Cause Jesus is the creator of all things and the abundant life giver. Colossians 1:16, John 10:10
Death: Jesus said that no man would take His life for He gave it for us. John 10:11,15-18
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The Supreme Court of Arkansas denied a petition from a Drew County man convicted of capital murder and agravated robbery to reinvest jurisdiction in the trial court to consider a petition for writ of error Coram Nobis, last week.

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At Monday night’s Farm Bureau board meeting, where county judge and county sheriff candidates addressed the group, Ronnie Adcock announced that as of 3:30 pm, this afternoon (Tuesday), he would be out of the towing and tire business.

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“I worked as a vet for two months in Lake Charles, LA. I hated it, and was convinced I didn’t want to be a vet. “– Dr. Rocky Lindsey

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– “I went down to Grand Central Station and got pizza for me and DiGiovanni, and we went to the elevator. I was dressed in my urban attire… and these two suits walked up and they looked at us and then backed out and left. It was weird because you could tell they were scared of us because of what we were wearing. I think they thought I was going to rob them. “ – Andrew (LilDru) Bentz

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In the game of golf, a “do over” on the tee shot is often called a “mulligan”.

Around 8 am, Tuesday morning, the driver of this Volkswagen certainly needed a “do over” as the vehicle lost control as it topped Country Club Hill, crashed through a fence, narrowly missing a power pole, before flipping, and finally coming to rest between a group of trees (on the sidewalk near the 9th hole of the golf course). 

According to reports, the driver was not injured.

A neighbor told MLive, in 17 years living nearby, she has seen 8 major wrecks near that hill and intersectin.

MPD and DCSO worked the accident,  C&L Wrecker towed the VW.

From Leamington, Ontario, Canada all the way to Southeast Arkansas has been quite the journey for Ryan Copico. Ryan’s life began in Canada, where he was born on January 12, 1976. His parents are Ruben and Rowena Copico, originally from the Philippines.

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Change your light bulbs. Not just when they burn out. Exchange any incandescent bulbs for compact fluorescents. You will use only 30% of the energy and still get just as much light.

Look for the Energy Star logo. The symbol designates appliances that are energy-efficient. If you purchase only those that are certified, you may pay more initially for these items. Over time, however, you’ll save on energy bills while helping the environment.

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“When you’re working with special needs, they’re giving you the best they’ve got. When you think of everyday people, you’ve got people that aren’t giving their best, they know they’re not, and they’re okay with it.” – Karen Caldwell

"AJ Huffman joined the Caldwell's team at the 2011 Polar Plunge.

On June 25, 1967 in Heidelberg, Germany, Morris and Gertrud Donham welcomed their youngest child into the world. As they counted her ten fingers and ten toes, they likely wondered what her future would hold. What would she do with her life? What impact would this child have on the people she encountered? Today, citizens of Monticello, AR are thankful for the daughter they raised and the blessings she has spent her life pouring out to others.

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This week’s One Monticello Life story features a member of our community that has been mentioned to MLive as a good candidate for recognition more times than any other. She is well known throughout the entire city, yet she isn’t a politician, doctor, lawyer, or in the public spotlight at all.

MLive recently received an email from a local business leader saying, “I went through the Taco Bell drive-thru today and realized that for a very long time, I have heard this sweet little voice take my order, and how nice she always is, and I took the time to thank her for a job well done.

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Eddy Deaton has a new title at the Monticello Police Department as of January 2012… Chief Deaton. He takes his future goals for the department very seriously.

 “I want to make the Monticello Police Department one of the best departments in the state. I want the officers to have the most updated training and equipment out there. I want to see all law enforcement agencies working together to accomplish a common goal of professional enforcement of the law, and community involvement, to aid in preventing and stopping crime.”

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Sheila Gardner and Kim Wilson, Monticello & Statewide Teacher of the Year, at the Awards Banquet

At the MEDC / Chamber of Commerce Awards Banquet, each school district honored one teacher as their “Teacher of the Year.”

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Tom Henry of the Montongo community recently brought a copy of a northwest Arkansas newspaper to church with him.

“That’s my granddaughter”, Tom said with pride.  

After reading the article printed in The Times of Northeast Benton County, written by Annette Beard, it was plain to see that he had a reason to be proud.

“I can’t believe I get paid to do this,” the 23-year-old Air Force second lieutenant said of flying.

Kristin Henry earned her bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., in 2010, and is now stationed at Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Okla. There, she is in the process of earning her wings – becoming a military-rated pilot.

In high school, when most teen-aged girls were getting their driver’s license, worrying about proms and their first car, Kristin had earned both her visual and instrumental pilot’s licenses.

Click here for the full story from “The Times” / NWAonline.com.

2011 brought with it many headlines that affected our lives.   Some simply stirred our interest, while others changed the way we live.

MonticelloLive is posting the top 40 headlines of 2011, based on pageviews, video plays, and amount of public conversation that the stories inspired.

While we are reminiscing, here are links to the 2009 Headlines and the 2010 Headlines- The Year in Review.

The Local Economy

2011 brought with it many changes in Monticello’s business climate.  In August, SeaArk Marine announced their closing as of this month (SeaArk Boats remains unaffected by this change).  Last month, Drew County Speedway told of their operations ceasing, as well.  Larry’a Pizza, Topps Pizza, and other businesses closed during the year.

Even while experiencing the loss of several employers, and several dozen jobs, Monticello still remains one of the “brighter” spots in southeast Arkansas, based on the number of businesses that either started, expanded, hired more workers, were purchased by new owners, or added important equipment.  Each of these entities showed a commitment to their employees, and their intentions to remain a part of Monticello’s future.

Those  75   businesses, industries, and organizations include…..
(Hold mouse over image to view business identity)