Page 26 - Rex Nelson News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

I took on a pickup in Atlanta, and the truck won.

The south Arkansas woods were filled with gunfire on that spring day in 1864 as Confederate troops ambushed a Union foraging expedition at a place called Poison Spring. In a war known for its atrocities, another occurred here when Black Union troops were killed by Confederate soldiers after they had surrendered.

In retrospect, it's clear that former Pulaski County Judge Floyd G."Buddy" Villines was a visionary. Villines was county judge for 24 years, serving until the end of 2014. He was a master at combining federal, state, county and municipal funds to achieve common goals.

It's fitting that Shelley Short, president and CEO of the Arkadelphia Regional Economic Development Alliance, is ordering something sweet with her coffee during our meeting at JavaPrimo in downtown Arkadelphia. After all, Short's organization has been proclaiming that this part of the state offers "the sweet life."

Chuck Ambrose, chancellor of Henderson State University at Arkadelphia, is impressed by the resilience of his students.