News

Alyssa Follas is a pillar in the betterment of the youth within our community. She is a Court Appointed Special Advocate dedicated to the CASA organization. As Charity Speed explains, "Not only is she a top tier teacher for the West Memphis School District, but she is also an amazing and committed volunteer to CASA of the Arkansas Delta - a [nonprofit] organization that advocates for the abused and neglected children currently in the foster care system."... Read more

TaNiyah Bailey is a model teenager and student in our community. At Marion High School, she is a member of the basketball team, the HOSA club, the FBLA club, and the National Honor Society. She was also selected as a delegate for the Congress of Future Medical Leaders and the Bridge Builder Program for 2 years in a row. She also owns her own custom chocolate covered strawberry business, named Shine with Niyah, and is celebrating 10 years of being a local girl scout this year. “She has consistently demonstrated a deep passion for learning and a strong work ethic. In addition, she is highly organized, responsible, and consistently submits high - quality work that reflects exceptional analytical skills and critical thinking skills,” as explained by Miss Bailey’s nominator.
TaNiyah is originally from Jonesboro, Arkansas, and in the 5 years that she has lived here, she has exhibited model behavior, especially in our community. She was involved in the Crittenden County Hygiene Closet, the Little Food Pantry, Ornaments for Families in Transition, Birthday Boxes for foster care, and much more! She also received proclamation from Mayor Marco McClendon in 2022 for her outspoken encouragement to young people to vote, when eligible. Her favorite event is the hygiene closet, as she says, “It’s the simple things that we sometimes take for granted. I want to thank my mom, Twana Bailey, Ms. Sharon Craig, and Mrs. Kendra Phillips for the idea and making it happen. The teachers are so happy.” Taniyah also explained how her mom has always been there for her and her brother and that her mom is who makes her the influential and generous young lady she is today.
“Thank you to all the people that have pushed me to succeed. I am proud of my village.”
-TaNiyah Bailey... Read more

Dr. Chasity Dean - Anthony is a force in multiple areas of our community. She was formerly employed at East Junior High School and is now a Curriculum Specialist at Arkansas State University at Mid - South, an Associate Professor at the College of Education at Western Governors University, a co - owner of DCA Realty, and co - founder and executive director of Producing Outstanding People, where she serves as the foundHER and leadHER of the G.I.R.L.S. Christian Ladies SistHERhood. As Tamara Weatherspoon, one of the 10 people who nominated Dr. Dean - Anthony, “Chasity ALWAYS does for our community. With free webinar for information on home buying to build up the community. She has an organization to build Christian sisterhood and the organization builds the community within itself but also has a facet where the organization do various community projects to give back. Plus she has been in the education field for a very long time and have brought up so many from young to old.” It is clear that this powerful, impactful, and driven woman has clearly made a significant difference in our community.
Dr. Chasity is from Hughes, Arkansas and was raised by Alexander Dean Jr and Fannie Stewart Dean, who started, pastored, and grew a local church congregation and taught her and her siblings the importance of serving within their congregational, local, state, and national communities. With this upbringing and the motto that “To serve God is to serve others”, Dr. Dean - Anthony began her inspiration path in 2015 when she began her nonprofit that served the youth of this community by started a free afterschool program on Tuesdays at Old St. Paul Church that has now grown into a program that operates in 2 school districts with 5 individual sites staffed with highly qualified teachers, licensed therapists, behavior interventionalists, and admin staff. This program also birthed the Women’s EmpowHERment and GIRLS Christian Ladies sistHERhood programs that now has a powerful conglomerate of women from all walks of life who are continuously giving to the community in a multitude of ways. Furthermore, in 2018, Dr. Dean - Anthony and her husband organized a political facet to their nonprofit through the Coalition for a Quality Crittenden County that aims to inform, educate, register, and mobilize citizens in the county and to create a free platform to those interested in serving in elected office to connect with the people of our community. Finally, in 2020, Dr. Chasity and her husband started their black family-owned real estate brokerage in Crittenden County to advocate for black home ownership and generational wealth through property ownership, as she has reported that the black population is one of the last races in America to own homes and is one of the lowest socioeconomic classes in the nation. It is no doubt that through these endeavors and much more that Dr. Chasity Anthony is truly a community leader that looks out and is dedicating to serving this community.
“I’m just grateful to be able to serve and positively impact, influence, and uplift my community. Thank you for this recognition and for those who nominated me!”
-Dr. Chasity Dean - Anthony... Read more

Treshauna Lark is a special person in our community. She is an HR Specialist for the City of West Memphis, a board member for Good Neighbor - Love Center, and a member of the 2023 Crittenden County Leadership class. She has helped our community in a multitude of ways by putting in countless hours of volunteer and community service work, physically and mentally. “Treshauna has helped to execute a number of project in the West Memphis Community. She does so with a smile and an energetic voice. She has participated in clean - up projects, back to school events, Easter events, and school fun days! It’s not always the person in the camera that makes the biggest impact, but people like Treshauna who do the leg work to make the events successful,” as exclaimed by Tawana Bailey, Treshauna’s dear friend.
Treshauna is originally from Blytheville, Arkansas, and has been a resident in the Marion/West Memphis area for the past 17 years. She got her started at the City of West Memphis when she was hired as the Criminal Investigation Division Secretary at just 21 years old. She then quickly got the opportunity to become the Chief of Police Secretary where she then started assisting the Community Outreach Department with city events on the weekends. Then, 5 years ago, she met Tawana Bailey, who inspired her to come out of her shell and start being the change that this community needed by giving back through numerous city events. Thanks to her former boss, Chief of Police Donald Oakes, Twana Bailey, and her best friend, her mom, Patricia Lark, Treshauna Lark is the influential, giving, and confident person she is today.
“A lot of people often ask me what they can do to be more involved in the community and I always encourage them to just show up. You don’t have to work anywhere specific or be a part of a special organization to help make a difference. Just simply showing up and helping anywhere there’s a need will always make an amazing impact in the long run.”
-Treshauna Lark... Read more

Lori Wilson is the director at Mending Hearts Child Safety Center, and has taken it to a completely different level. As exclaimed by Debbie Holmes, “Under her leadership, Mending Hearts has purchased their own building, made medical exams for abused children available, [and] counseling at the facility and advocacy available. She cares about the community and cares that our children have the best available services available when they need it the most.”
Lori Wilson, born in Roswell, New Mexico and a resident of Crittenden County for over 40 years, got her start in her career as a volunteer for children in the foster care system through an organization called CASA. With her learned advocacy skills from Mary Beth Luibel, the founder of the CASA program, her own childhood experiences, and the unconditional love and support of her father, Lori Wilson has become a truly influential person of our community by protecting and comforting the most vulnerable part of this community: our children.
“As adults, it is our responsibility to protect the children in our community. If you know of, are made aware of, witness or suspect that a child is being abused, please stand up and do the right thing and call the Arkansas Child Abuse Hotline at 844-SAVE-A-CHILD or call local law enforcement.”
- Lori Wilson... Read more

Check out the new Arkansas.gov website, offering a variety of resources and information for residents!... Read more

Tune into President Biden's State of the Union Address Tonight at 9pm, est!... Read more

Check out these informative articles on understanding the factors of labor shortages in America!... Read more

This page captures the trends on job openings, labor force participation, quit rates, and more, for a quick understanding of the state of the workforce. Take a look behind the numbers at what is causing the worker shortage and learn which states and industries have been impacted the most.... Read more

Finance expert and small business owner Stephanie Sims says now is the time to take a deep look into your small business’ finances and prepare for economic uncertainty.... Read more

Check out this video from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and U.S. Department of State's 2022 IV CEO Summit. A panel of experts discussed how businesses can build back better supply chains after the recent stoppages and disruptions.... Read more

Check out this article from the Center of Budget & Policy Priorities (updated 11/7/22). This chart book tracks the pandemic economy, looking at both the macroeconomics (economic growth, employment, wages, and prices) and how different demographic groups have fared.... Read more