Marianna Courier-Index

08/21/2026

Your hometown news is here.

Inside this week:

• Lee High School graduate Alahna Edwards earns the Governor’s Distinguished Scholarship

• Haynes resolution makes Lee County 100% Pro-Life

• Arkansas State Police investigation leads to a 20-year sentence in a Lee County homicide

• UADA researcher examines the economic prospects of AI data centers in rural communities

• Red Cross representative speaks to the Rotary Club of Marianna

• Arkansas officials discuss continued health coverage for those affected by Medicaid expansion changes

08/19/2026

🎓 Scholarship Success for Lee High!

Lee High School Class of 2026 graduate Alahna Edwards has earned the prestigious Governor’s Distinguished Scholarship, worth up to $20,000 over four years.

Edwards, who also completed an associate degree while still in high school, will attend the University of Central Arkansas this fall and major in biology.

Read more about this outstanding Lee High graduate online now and in print this week!

08/17/2026

🚨 Only ONE day left! Tomorrow is the last day to register for Fall 2026 classes at PCCUA!
🕗 8:00 AM–6:00 PM
📍 Helena: Meet in A110
📍 DeWitt & Stuttgart: Meet with your advisor
Don’t wait—your future starts here! ❤️💙

08/17/2026

PCCUA is a two-year college in Eastern Arkansas offering degrees, certificates, and workforce training in Helena-West Helena, DeWitt, and Stuttgart. Apply now.

08/15/2026

FIRST FRIDAY NIGHT FINALS

Benton Academy 52, Lee Academy 12

The 2026 high school football season is officially underway.

08/14/2026

08/14/2026

Your hometown news is here.

This week’s edition of The Courier-Index is available now at newsstands across Marianna!

Inside this week:

• New American and Arkansas flags delivered to Lee County schools

• Students head back to school across Lee County

• Municipal election ballot set in Lee County, with mayoral races leading the November election

• Watermelons and Arkansas politics collide at the Hope Watermelon Festival

• Three Ridge Runners earn NJCAA Academic All-American honors

• Extension experts share the science behind electrolytes and alkaline water

Pick up your copy today! To start your subscription, call 870-228-1541.

08/13/2026

Just a handful of tables remain for this year's Press Freedom Gala – to reserve yours, visit arkansaspress.org/product/table-of-8-for-gala/

Email [email protected] for information on sponsorship opportunities.

08/12/2026

Have you ever looked at your phone, seen a name you couldn't bring yourself to call, or started an email you never sent?

Maybe somewhere there is still an empty chair, an unfinished letter, or a conversation that has not happened yet.

Not every relationship reaches its Genesis 45 moment on this side of eternity. Some reconciliations cannot be rushed. But our hearts don't have to stay locked while we wait.

This week's religion column, "An Unexpected Special Guest," reflects on Joseph's reunion with his brothers and an unforgettable moment from Nelson Mandela's inauguration to remind us that reconciliation often begins with hospitality before it begins with words.

When God provides the opportunity, don't be afraid to make the phone call, send the email, or set another place at the table.

You just may discover that the unexpected special guest has been part of His plan all along.

Read this week's column in the Courier-Index and let me know what unexpected guest God has placed on your heart.

“You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.” — Genesis 50:20Somewhere in a phone, there is a number still saved but hasn’t been dialed...

08/12/2026

BREAKING: Lee County Becomes 100% Pro-Life

The City of Haynes became the final incorporated community in Lee County to declare itself Pro-Life Tuesday night.

During its Aug. 11 meeting, the Haynes City Council approved a resolution declaring Haynes a Pro-Life City and affirming its commitment to protecting life from conception until natural death.

With the passage of the Haynes resolution, Lee County and all of its incorporated cities and towns have now adopted Pro-Life resolutions.

The Lee County Quorum Court declared Lee County a Pro-Life County in 2021, and communities across the county have followed in the years since.

More on Lee County’s Pro-Life movement in this week’s Courier-Index.