News

Spent the week fighting the heat and visiting by phone with friends. Talked to Woodie Metherin.

Good morning one and all. Hope this finds you well, healthy and happy.

Go figure They say that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results. By THAT definition, what I did this week was not insane. I have friends who seem to be working from a different definition because they would argue that it was. Along with the other injuries and complaints this summer, my back went out like never before.

August 26, 2024, 10:30 AM 511 Zack Road, Marshall Space limited; call to reserve a spot. For more information call the Extension office: 870-- 448-3981 .

ANNUAL STRAWBERRY PRODUCTION PROGRAM September 11, 2024, 6 PM 201 Factory Road, Marshall Learn about annual strawberry production for the home gardener with trash bag gardening. For more information call the Extension office: 870-- 448-3981 .

A new disease for cattle in our part of the country has been discovered to be present here in Searcy County. The disease is Theilaria orientalis ikeda. It is carried by the Asian Long Horn Tick, and is a blood parasite. The symptoms are similar to Anaplasmosis which is carried by the same tick but is a different disease. If you would like to learn more about this disease you can go to The Arkansas Department of Agriculture website and search Asian Longhorn Tick Resources or call your Searcy County University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture County Extension Agent at 870-4483981.

The Searcy County Historical Society will meet at 7:00 pm on Friday, August 23 at the First Christian Church. Ralph S. Wilcox, National Register & Survey Coordinator and Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer for the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, will give the program. He will talk about three things. First, an overview of the National Register of Historic Places program in Arkansas and what the process is for listing a property on the National Register. Second, talk briefly about two National Register nominations that are currently in process for properties in Searcy County. Third, talk about Truscon buildings, which are a brand of prefabricated building that were manufactured in Youngstown, Ohio, between the 1910s and 1930s. Marshall actually has the largest Truscon Building in the state, and he guesses that Truscon Buildings are not well known in Searcy County.

The recent auction of tax-delinquent properties in Boone, Marion, Newton and Searcy counties raised over $232 thousand dollars, the Commissioner of State Lands announced. The regional auction drew 38 registered bidders, who purchased 79 of 81 parcels for $232,561.38 Results were as follows: • Boone County: 63 parcels offered; 61 parcels sold; $82,196.64 total; $14,770.69 taxes collected • Marion County: 14 parcels offered; 14 parcels sold; $107,064.74 total; $10,879.00 taxes collected • Newton County: 0 parcels offered • Searcy County: 4 parcels offered; 4 parcels sold; $43,300.00 total; $3,526.08 taxes collected The auctions offered real estate parcels with taxes delinquent since 2019.

– I Thessalonians 5:16-18 As we continue to explore Cozahome Road this week, we go further down the road to visit the only official earth ship in Arkansas. I’m not talking about an alien spaceship. It is actually a home built on 80 acres in Marion County (Cozahome Road crosses the county line, so Searcy and Marion Counties work together to maintain roads.) This unique home is found on Schnauzer Lane that turns off Cozahome Road. It is a beautiful drive, but the road is narrow, gravel, and cleverly concealed in the thick trees. An earth ship is defined as a sustainable house made of recycled objects such as tires and colored glass bottles, as well as natural items like clay, rocks, and dirt. Your vision of this home using these construction products probably isn’t beautiful. I assure you that it is a true work of art. Decorated in the southwest style with lots of native Indian input, it is vibrant and very welcoming. Accomplishing this build is not for the faint of heart. It took fourteen years to fully complete their labor of love. One process called ‘pounding’ makes the tires into insulated building blocks when cardboard, clay, rocks, and dirt are hammered tightly into them with hammers. There are thousands of them in this 4,400 square foot home so this job was quite a feat! The walls are three feet thick. There is no air conditioner in the home and no conventional electricity. They use propane generators and solar energy to run fans and lighting. It was amazingly cool with just a small fan. Once the tires are pounded, they are completely encased with a plaster concrete called EAFS (from Germany and is fireproof) so they are totally resistant to fire, bugs, and any rot or decay. In fact, the residents told me that one of their favorite things about their home is that it is impervious to almost anything nature throws at them.