River Valley Radio

Pope County jail officials say mental-health needs are becoming a growing issue inside the detention center. Capt. Rowdy Sweet told county officials the jail is seeing more inmates dealing with mental-health concerns, addiction and withdrawal — and officers are often the ones left trying to manage situations they aren’t licensed to handle. The county is now looking at expanded mental-health servic...

Good news for local communities! Pope County could soon be distributing new AEDs to Atkins, Dover, Hector, Pottsville and Russellville after receiving grant funding from Arvest Bank. AEDs can be lifesaving during sudden cardiac emergencies — and having updated equipment nearby can make a huge difference when seconds count.

Deja vu? A proposed incentive tied to a future Texas Roadhouse project in Russellville is headed back to the full City Council with a recommendation for approval. The $58,810 agreement would reimburse Russellville TR LLC for eligible site-development costs. Supporters say the city could recover that amount in less than a year through new sales-tax revenue, while critics have questioned whether eco...

Russellville’s new recycling drop-off center is getting closer to opening. The bins are in place at 1801 S. Knoxville Ave., but city officials say they’re still waiting on a few final pieces for the gate before the site can officially open. Once it’s ready, the city plans to roll out an education campaign showing what can — and can’t — go in the recycling bins. Glass recycling will also be availab...

Good news on Prairie Creek: bridge components are now being installed, and Russellville officials say the project is still moving toward a goal of finishing before school starts. City leaders also talked about traffic headaches downtown, especially around Commerce and Main, while Parkway remains closed. Public Works says they’re still adjusting the signal timing and working through the detour issu...

Russellville officials are considering a temporary data center committee and a moratorium on data center projects through Jan. 1, 2028. Mayor Fred Teague emphasized there is no current data center project before the city. Council members say the proposal is about setting “guardrails” now, before any company comes forward.

The Texas Roadhouse incentive agreement got a 4-2 vote from the Russellville City Council — not enough for a final approval. Mayor Fred Teague said he hopes the developers bring the item back in July, when the two members absent Thursday would be in attendance. But the developer says it is up against a property-closing deadline. Read what happened at Thursday’s meeting: https://www.rivervalleyradi...

💛 “Let’s build a support system to help you know that you aren’t alone.” For new and expecting moms, postpartum depression and anxiety can make hard moments feel permanent. They are not. We spoke with Christy Renfroe of ChoiceCare about free local support for River Valley families — and about the Safe Haven Baby Box at Russellville Fire Station No. 3, a private emergency option meant to protect n...

Johnny Story talks with Bill Teeter about the District 44 runoff election set for June 30th.

Johnny Story talks with Nikki Phillips about the District 44 runoff election.

River Valley Radio's Misty Hale talked with Dr. Luke Lovins after the June 9 Russellville School Board meeting about the board's 3-3 deadlock on appointing a member to fill its open board seat.

Johnny Story interviews Mark Martin from Entergy about the power outage in East Russellville on June 9.

Nikki Phillips told Johnny Story Monday that she intends to bow out of the runoff election set for June 30 against Bill Teeter. “If you win, you fill just the last part of the year, and I think that that would be a disservice to Bill.” Phillips said Teeter worked hard in the race and that she wants him to have the opportunity to begin learning the job during the interim period. “At the end of the...

Johnny Story interviewed each of the candidates running for the District 44 House of Representatives seat in the upcoming special election. He sat down with Brent Boland, Wes Freeman, Nikki Phillips and Bill Teeter over the course of several weeks. Here are those interviews.

Russellville and Pope County could soon team up on the city’s planned recycling facility on South Knoxville Avenue. ♻️ City leaders will consider an agreement Thursday that would split future operating costs for the facility, along with a grant tied to recycling signs and educational materials. Also on the agenda: a Texas Roadhouse development agreement, drainage projects, parks purchases and tenn...

The conversation over downtown Russellville parking continued Wednesday night, this time with merchants, property owners and city officials talking through what a possible two-hour parking plan would actually take to make work. Misty Hale talks with Yanci Walker, a pharmacist at C&D Drug Store who has helped organize and build consensus around the issue.

In this episode, Misty Hale talks with Ashley Mooney, child nutrition specialist for the Russellville School District, about the district’s summer meal program and how it helps families keep kids fed while school is out. Mooney explains who qualifies, how the pickup sites work, why families need to register in advance, what kinds of meals children will receive and why parents should not feel guilt...

The Dover City Council raised water rates at its May meeting, but the increase was less than its normal annual increase. We talk with Mayor Roger Lee about that and an upcoming council vacancy.

Former Arkansas Tech women’s basketball coach Dave Wilbers is stepping back onto the court, this time with the Russellville Lady Cyclones. On this episode of the River Valley Breakfast Show, Grant Merrill talks with Wilbers about why the Russellville job caught his attention after retirement, the memories his family has tied to Russellville High School, and what excites him about building the girl...

Do you live near Lake Dardanelle, have a dock, use the shoreline, or just care about how the lake is managed? The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is holding a public workshop today on its proposed Lake Dardanelle Shoreline Management Plan update. This is the rulebook for things like private docks, shoreline paths, vegetation clearing and protected areas around the lake. The meeting is come-and-go fro...

POTTSVILLE, Ark. — A water leak that started just after midnight Sunday left parts of Pottsville with low pressure before city crews found and repaired a damaged six-inch main later that day, Mayor Dusty Gray said. Gray said he was contacted about the issue around 4 a.m. Sunday. He got on his side-by-side and began driving around town looking for the source of the leak while also getting city staf...

Dr. Dana Tribble is bringing the perspective of both a parent and an educator to the Dardanelle School Board after being appointed to the seat she is also seeking in a November runoff election. Tribble was recently appointed to Position 1 on the Dardanelle School Board after the seat became vacant because of a resignation. She had already run for the position earlier this year, receiving 49.7% of...

Today, we’re talking about a criminal case out of Johnson County that sounds, at first, like an insurance fraud trial. But it is wrapped inside a much larger story. A husband found dead in a Harmony home. A death certificate that calls it a homicide. A mother-in-law later found unconscious beside an alleged confession note. A house fire eight months later. And now, a Johnson County jury has answer...