Paragould Podcast

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...

Liz Nelson began running in her early 30s and didn't run her first marathon until she was 37. Now, she has completed 21 marathons and counting, including the six most respected marathons in the world (Boston, Chicago, New York, Berlin, London, and Tokyo), a feat that only 11,000 people in history have ever accomplished. The amazing part of her story, is her supernatural grit and drive to push thro...

Mike Woodside could write insightful & engaging books about many different topics, including science, engineering, and history. He has a natural curiosity and childlike wonder about the world that is contagious. That is what made him one of the favorite teachers in his years at PHS and GCT, 26 years in total. Listen today to hear some of his amazing stories. 

Since he was a kid being raised by his grandparents George and Bonnie Ray at their famous Dragstrip, Tyler Russom has known he wanted to do this forever. He's been chasing his dreams for years now and operates one of the oldest drag strips in the United States. 

From mowing yards and shining shoes in Downtown Paragould in the 1970s to leading multi-billion dollar companies, Chris Brengard is full of experience and wisdom about how to achieve the highest levels of success. In this episode, you can hear how Chris got to the position to start US Renal Care, which went on to have over 700 locations. Chris literally could (and at times maybe should have) live...

With a new official role and new official last name, Sonia F. Hagood joined the show to tell us what life is like as our district attorney. She discusses the issues we face in the legal system and shares stories about her experience of working as defense and prosecuting attorney on murder trials. 

One of the most well known names in all of NEA, Ryan Vaughn joins the podcast again. He first joined us back in February 2021 when our podcast was brand new, so we have some new stories, new insights, and a whole lot of laughs. 

Having worked at DQ since 1992, Phillip Sutton has a lot of experience with the restaurant that has been in the same location for over 70 years. In this episode, you'll hear some of the leadership principles Phillip has learned along the way, interesting history on the restaurant that has seen seven decades of Paragould history, and probably get a bit hungry for a burger and Oreo Blizzard. 

Danny Ford grew up on the East side of Paragould, attending Greene County Tech. After marrying his wife, Gail, and graduating from Arkansas State, he began working for his father-in-law, Glen Sain. He started as a car washer, eventually moving up to sales until Mr. Sain asked him to buy the original Rector dealership from him in 1983. Since then, Danny has gone on purchase car lots in Kennet, MO a...

In 1979, Clifton Garmrath's grandfather took a chance on his grandson when he loaned him $3,000 to buy a box of cardboard cards with pictures of baseball players on them. Within six weeks, Clifton had paid his grandfather back running Arkansas' first ever sports card shop in the Center Hill area of Paragould, AR. Decades later, Clifton has more stories to tell than we have time to record. He has h...

Being born with a rare birth defect called Klippel-Feil Syndrome has not deterred Trevor Thomas from proving to the world, and more importantly to himself, that he is capable of beating the odds. Though he could have been coddled to protect him from harm, his parents rarely treated Trevor differently than any other kid. This led him to being a star soccer player, but after college he felt his conf...

A 25+ year veteran in law enforcement, Brad Snyder joins the podcast for the third time. This visit he shares with us about his first few months as the new Greene County Sheriff and some of the lessons he is learning along the way. Brad shares with us a bit about what it looked like to run for office and what changes he's seen in his few several weeks on the job. Repeat guests are always great, bu...

For 31 years, Chuck Long worked in game and fish careers, most notably as the Regional Educator for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Even though he retired last year, his passion for educating our community about hunting, fishing, and all of the nature around us has not wavered. To hear some amazing stories about how beneficial nature is to our personal growth, listen and share! 

Founded in 2018, Arrows Behavior Therapy and Consulting aims to serve families in education and therapy for individuals on the Autism Spectrum. For over 20 years, Miranda Cavaness has been passionate about kids on the Autism Spectrum. Serving 125 learners at Arrows, they develop individualized learning plans and set socially valid goals so that these young people can thrive in our society! Their p...