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Cass County Judge Travis Ransom presented members of the Garden Literacy Library in Kildare a $2,500 literacy grant to support the development of the library.

Grant awarded to Garden Literacy Library in Kildare

Grant awarded to Garden Literacy Library in Kildare

Wed, 02/11/2026 - 5:00am

On Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, at 2 p.m., community members gathered at the Kildare Community Center to celebrate a meaningful step forward for local literacy and learning. During the gathering, Cass County Judge Travis Ransom presented a $2,500 literacy grant to support the development of the Garden Literacy Library, a community- centered initiative rooted in reading, growing, and shared local stories.

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The longtime buddies who both once raced to see which one could get to a fire first or fry the most fish for the fire department are Otis Loper, left, and Floyd Kirkland.The two have more than 100 years of service to the VFD at the time of this picture in

In the 1960s, volunteers raised the money to purchase the Atlanta Fire Department’s first rescue vehicle. That’s Fire Chief Dan Davidson (at right) presenting the keys to Mayor Lawson McKelvey. Not everyone is identified in this picture, but shown, kn

The importance of volunteers

Wed, 02/11/2026 - 5:00am

The service of emergency personnel called upon to aid citizens in recent bad weather is reason to remember that today’s first responders were once volunteers.

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Bridget Green Smith Photos by Casey Williams and Raydeen Edwards

Cass County candidates attend Meet and Greet

Wed, 02/11/2026 - 5:00am

Cass County candidates attend Meet and Greet

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SWEPCO Feeds Communities

Wed, 02/11/2026 - 5:00am

SWEPCO crews swarmed into southern Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas as Winter Storm Fern hit, setting up base camps to feed and house thousands of line and forestry workers in Texarkana, Longview, Shreveport and Natchitoches over the weekend.

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Healthcare Express delivers Valentine’s Day cards

Wed, 02/11/2026 - 5:00am

Every Valentine’s season, teams from Healthcare Express step away from the clinic and into the community to deliver handmade Valentine’s Day cards to residents in local nursing homes — a tradition that has become one of the organization’s most meaningful annual activities.

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Grant awarded to Garden Literacy Library in Kildare

The importance of volunteers

Cass County candidates attend Meet and Greet

SWEPCO Feeds Communities

Healthcare Express delivers Valentine’s Day cards

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