Paragould Podcast

Coach Kevin Gill has coached at GCT and Paragould Schools locally. His teams had multiple state title appearances and one win (as Ridgecrest Schools). In this extended episode, time flew by as we talked about so much more than sports. Relationships are vital to a healthy life. 

Trey Stafford got his start in Radio back when he was 9 years old in Marked Tree, AR. His local station wasn't giving enough updates on the school, so he filled the void and hasn't looked back since. This very entertaining episode details out Stafford's journey through radio to becoming one of the (if not the) most recognizable voices in Northeast Arkansas Radio. 

Judge Goodson has been involved in many high profile cases in Northeast Arkansas over the last 30+ years including the conspiracy to commit murder of the Jones family and the West Memphis Three! He shares about what it's like to be a judge and some about his upbringing in Black Oak, AR where he knew celebrities Jim Dandy and John Grisham!

This week's guests are Brent and Amanda Waugh from John 3:16 Ministries! John 3:16 has been a place where many people in Paragould have found freedom from addiction and substance abuse. Their story is a powerful one and they hope the transformation they've both experienced individually can inspire anyone currently in addiction to find help and hope.

Dan Stidham was assigned the task of defending Jessie Misskelly Jr., one of the accused in the famous West Memphis 3 murders. For the last nine years, he has been working on a memoir about his time defending Misskelly and why he's still passionate about defending his client. 

Have you ever wondered what it takes to run a jail the size of Greene County's? Who would even be in charge of that operation? When Sheriff Brad Snyder took over, he insisted that Sheila Robertson follow him from the Paragould Police Department because she had more then proven her ability to organize well! Listen to this episode to hear about all the aspects of running a jail that you never though...

Kenny Hall Jr. is a veteran who has a passion for serving our community. He now serves with the Paragould Police Department as a School Resource Officer within the Paragould School District. In our conversation we talked about poverty, parenting, and many of the dangers kids in our community are facing in and out of school. Kenny has a contagious passion for reaching underprivileged children in ou...

Brooksie is one of the most well known names in real estate in Paragould, AR. She has been a part of the sale of hundreds and hundreds of homes and along with Pete Cancilla founded Image Realty 14 years ago. Listen to this episode to learn about her grit and mindset to become one of the most successful realtors in NEA. 

As a local fireman for 14 years, Jeremy knows what it means to do hard things, to expect pain in order to achieve your goal. So, when he set out to run the Arkansas Traveller 100 mile race through the Ouachita National Forest this fall, he was prepared to push through one of the most difficult physical competitions there is. Listen to this week's episode as we hear about Jeremy's story and his wor...

Leigh Blythe and Shauna Hitt play an important role in our communities fight for mental health and victory over substance abuse. Leigh volunteers as the President of the Greene County Mental Health and Substance Abuse Coalition. Shauna is the Coordinator and Case Manager for 100 Families. Together and with the help of many other local organizations they are fight for families in Greene County in t...

Randy Phillips became the head football coach at PHS this year after a few years of success in Trumann. He is already seeing early signs of success at the beginning of his tenure and is looking towards the foundational building of his program from pee-wees up to Sr's. Coach Phillips joined the show to talk about faith, football, putting players first, how to handle loss and adversity, and so much...

Dr. Brent Reddick serves our community as a Veterinarian at Linwood Animal Hospital. Day in and day out he and his team help save the lives of cats and dogs in Paragould and last year they were critical to saving the life of Jared's pet dog, Ranger. 

How did Haag Brown become the premier real estate developer in Northeast Arkansas in the last 20 years? Josh Brown joined the show to talk about the hard work behind the scenes that brings a national retailer or restaurant to the area. 

This episode took some fun twists and turns! We got to interview Lance Blythe from the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service. That's a mouthful, and the amazing services they provide our community is even bigger! We brought Lance in to talk about the incredible opportunities available to local citizens and even uncovered the history of his three year stint to...

This is a very important episode! Human Trafficking is an extremely sad reality that is present within Northeast Arkansas. This summer alone an illicit massage parlor in Blytheville was shut down and the owner arrested for Human Trafficking. Hope Found exists to put an end to it. Megan Brown joined us on the show to talk about the realities of Human Trafficking, what you can do if you've found you...

After 18 years in her own addiction cycle, Sunny McMinn's life was radically transformed. At the end of her struggle with drugs and alcohol, she came to a realization that would change our region. She saw that one major failure of the recovery process was that when addicts get out of rehab, the closest community they have are fellow addicts. This community welcomes addicts out of recovery back wit...

Jason Cottingham has always had a strong desire to help others. This led him to be an EMT, Paramedic, SWAT Medic, and eventually a Trauma RN. During the Covid Pandemic, he took his hobby of competing in BBQ competitions and made it a new calling in life. Trauma Hogs serves up some of the best BBQ in the region and is recognized nationally. Jason joined the show to talk BBQ and much more. Be sure t...

Tony Rama moved from Sicily, Italy to the United States following tragedy. He was 16 years old, had $20 to his name, and spoke very little English. Through unimaginable dedication and hard work, he went from unpaid dishwasher to part-owner of a successful restaurant in Boston. Then he fell in love with the people and the pace of life in Arkansas and decided to open Avanzare Italian Dining in Parag...

Jeff Conaway joined the show to talk with us about his time as a player and coach at Greene County Tech. During our conversation we also talk about Jeff’s time at Shiloh Christian and how he ended up in Orlando, Florida where he now serves as the Head Coach and Associate Athletics Director at The First Academy. This is a great episode on leadership, learning from our mistakes, the importance of re...

Since 2017, Jimmy Gazaway has been serving in the Arkansas House of Representatives. Before that he served in various positions throughout Northeast Arkansas. Most notably now, he was one of the primary leaders in passing the Protect Arkansas Act, which has the potential to reform much of the criminal justice system. 

What's the most evil you've faced in your life? It would be difficult to come close to the suffering experienced by millions of Jews during WWII, including both of Al Bromberg's parents. Listen as Al gives us a personal account of what took place nearly 100 years ago and how that made him into the man he is today. 

Juniper Tree Meadery is a unique offering to Northeast Arkansas. Located on hwy 358, just west of the 412 bypass, this peaceful location attracts lovers of the honey based mead. Lynn Childers has been playing with wine making for decades, since he was a biology student. Now, he and his wife enjoy crafting creative award winning mead (honey based wine). They're looking to expand their location in t...

Dr. Vern Ann Shotts has been taking care of children in Greene County for decades. She was the first female physician in Greene County history. On top of that, her father owned the three Big Star locations in Paragould and she shares with us what it is about Big Star that seemed to produce some of the most successful citizens to come out of Paragould. 

Several years ago, Brandon King bragged on his wife's pie making skills online. Not long after, they were selling hundreds of pies. In 2019, they opened their first brick-and-mortar building for Southern Confections, which sits directly next door to IV Kings Coffee. This is a premier spot to get fresh baked goods and excellent coffee because their passion is excellence and they are never in a hurr...

Just after 4am on February 17, 1930, residents all over Greene County were awakened by a sonic boom and bright light. Many went outside to see what was happening. The celestial event caused people to worry that nearby towns were destroyed by whatever flew out of the sky. Over the days and weeks to follow, three meteorites were discovered in fields around the south side of Paragould. The largest ha...