Pine Bluff Commercial

07/19/2025

A 36-year-old man was found dead in a yard on Friday afternoon, and police are treating the case as a homicide, according to a news release from the Pine Bluff Police Department.

The man was found about 3:21 p.m. when police went to the scene at 1212 S. Spruce St.

He has been identified as Marquis Avery.

A 36-year-old man was found dead in a yard on Friday afternoon, and police are treating the case as a homicide, according to a news release from the Pine Bluff Police Department.

07/19/2025

🚨 WANTED FOR CAPITAL MURDER 🚨

The Pine Bluff Police Department is actively searching for Michael King Jr., a suspect wanted in connection with a homicide that occurred on July 18, 2025, around 3:21 pm, at 1212 S. Spruce Street.

🔴 Suspect Information:
• Name: Michael King Jr.
• Race/Sex: Black Male
• Age: 37
• Height/Weight: 5’9” / 200 lbs
• Possibly driving: Red 2025 Hyundai Sonata
• Arkansas Tag: 891TWJ

Mr. King is wanted for Capital Murder following the fatal shooting of 36-year-old Markee Avery, who was found deceased outside the residence from an apparent gunshot wound.

⚠️ Mr. King should be considered armed and dangerous. Do NOT approach him.

📞 If you have any information on his whereabouts, please contact the Pine Bluff Police Department Detective Division at 870-730-2090, the tip line at 870-730-2106, or the dispatch center at 870-541-5300.

07/19/2025

If Ernie Murry has adopted a characteristic from his University of Arkansas basketball coach, it’s the attitude that “Don’t nobody outwork me!”

“You’re smarter than me? Maybe that’s true, but you can’t outwork me,” Nolan Richardson said to a full Pine Bluff Convention Center ballroom Thursday night. “You got more degrees than a thermometer … you can’t outwork me. … When I look at Ernie, I know that nobody’s going to outwork him. That’s a very high quality to have.

“Don’t cry. Just work.”

Richardson and many of Murry’s friends gathered to roast and toast a member of Arkansas’ 1990 NCAA Final Four team at a fundraising dinner for Students of Achievement & Responsibility (SOAR), a social enrichment and academic development program for Pine Bluff youths. SOAR, which started from a $1 million grant by the McGeorge family in honor of Pine Bluff Sand and Gravel’s 100th anniversary in 2013, operates at First Methodist Church on Sixth Avenue.

If Ernie Murry has adopted a characteristic from his University of Arkansas basketball coach, it’s the attitude that “Don’t nobody outwork me!”

07/18/2025

Editor's note: This is the first of three stories on the Rotary Club of West Pine Bluff's 10th annual Hooten's Arkansas Football kickoff luncheon, held Thursday at the Pine Bluff Country Club.

Messages of hope and faith pe*****te within the Pine Bluff High School football program daily.

Senior linebacker Kevin Pope shared "faith" as his word of the day, and fourth-year Coach Micheal Williams shared a scripture from Isaiah that ends with: "... by His stripes we are healed," a fitting message for the Zebras who, like players and coaches from other southeast Arkansas high school and college teams, congregated inside the Pine Bluff Country Club ballroom Thursday. The luncheon featured Hooten's writer Barry Groomes, who offered insight into the state of football in Arkansas.

Editor's note: This is the first of three stories on the Rotary Club of West Pine Bluff's 10th annual Hooten's Arkansas Football kickoff luncheon, held Thursday at the Pine Bluff Country Club.

07/17/2025

As Alonzo Hampton prepares for his third season as the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff head football coach, he summarized his message to this year's team in one word: Finish.

"We were close in a lot of games," Hampton said Wednesday at SWAC Media Day. "This year has been an emphasis on being tough, being able to finish the drive, being able to finish the end of the game, and just being able to finish all the way around as a program. Academically, athletically, being able to grow your bodies in the weight room. On the football field, we've been really close. So now, our motto is 'Finish.' Finish everything that we do."

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – As Alonzo Hampton prepares for his third season as the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff head football coach, he summarized his message to this year's team in one word: Finish.

07/17/2025

The Pine Bluff Police Department is seeking to finalize a contract to install more cameras across the city.

Speaking at a Pine Bluff Small Business Association luncheon at Leon's Catfish and Shrimp on Wednesday, PBPD Capt. Jason Howard said the city has some cameras that are about to be installed, with more likely to be acquired through a contract with Motorola. Department leaders are meeting with the tech company Thursday in hopes of signing a deal, Howard indicated.

The Pine Bluff Police Department is seeking to finalize a contract to install more cameras across the city.

07/16/2025

The latest Pine Bluff Police Department crime statistics show a downward trend in several key categories, including homicide, with total reported crime down 10% year-over-year at the end of June.

The number of crimes reported in June totaled 268, down from 297 in June 2024, according to police statistics.

Year-to-date crimes at the end of June totaled 1,407, a decrease of more than 58%.

The latest Pine Bluff Police Department crime statistics show a downward trend in several key categories, including homicide, with total reported crime down 10% year-over-year at the end of June.

07/15/2025

Since Alonzo Hampton was hired as the head coach at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, he has said UAPB's special teams need to be special.

Last season, the Golden Lions were one of the most accurate kicking teams in the SWAC but struggled to produce effective punts or kickoffs. A mix of returning players and new signees will look to enhance the third side of the ball this fall.

The Golden Lions were one of five teams to make every extra point they attempted last season, and their 36 PATs were the most among the tied teams. The only SWAC teams to make more PATs than UAPB were Jackson State, which made 60 of 61, and Alabama A&M, which made 42 of 43.

Since Alonzo Hampton was hired as the head coach at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, he has said UAPB's special teams need to be special.

07/15/2025

The Pine Bluff Police Department continues its active search for Joynell Brandon, who was last seen on May 13, 2025, in the area of University Ave.

Our detectives are working diligently and following every lead. We ask the public to please come forward with ANY information, no matter how small, that could help locate her.

This is not just an investigation. This is about a mother, a loved one, a member of our community. We want Joynell's family to know we haven't stopped searching, and we won't stop until answers are found!

If you know anything about Joynell's whereabouts, please contact:
* Detective Office Tip Line: 870-730-2106
* Detective Office: 870-730-2090
* Dispatch Center: 870-541-5300

Your voice could make the difference.
Please share and help bring Joynell home safely.

07/14/2025

Jefferson County Quorum Court Meeting

07/14/2025

Watson Chapel School District Board meeting