Tag Archives: Mountain Home

ASU System Reports Preliminary Fall Total Enrollment Growth

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Picture and story by ASU System.

LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas State University System institutions reported strong 11th-day preliminary fall total enrollment growth of 7.6% with multiple record-setting performances, System President Dr. Brendan Kelly announced today.

“Six of our seven campuses had an overall enrollment increase, including record enrollment for A-State and an extraordinary upswing for Henderson,” Kelly said. “Our two-year institutions also attracted more students as workforce training programs grew. I appreciate the work of our teams across the ASU System to seek out and meet the needs of students and Arkansas employers.”

Total ASU System preliminary 11th-day enrollment was 30,339, up 2,132 students or 7.6% compared with official final enrollment of 28,207 in fall 2024. Full-time equivalent totals were up 7.2%.

Kelly noted that the traditional 11th-day enrollment measure, while positive for the ASU System, has become antiquated in today’s higher education environment because it doesn’t reflect collective enrollment throughout the year.

“Our campuses are enrolling and serving new students almost every week through online and non-credit training programs,” he said. “And ASU-Newport is piloting an initiative for eight-week general education courses that simply doesn’t align with the traditional reporting periods. The ASU System’s ultimate service numbers throughout the year are substantially higher.”

Arkansas State led the growth for the system with a record 17,926 students – a 7.4% increase of 1,239 over last fall’s record of 16,687. First-year students totaled 2,222, a 12% rise over last year, and include 1,764 Arkansans – who make up 79% of the class and represent a 30% increase from a year ago.

“This class is a clear sign that Arkansas families see A-State as their home for opportunity,” A-State Chancellor Todd Shields said. “It means they believe in what we are building here, and they trust this institution to shape their future and strengthen our home state.”

A-State on-campus enrollment grew by 7.8% while online program enrollment is up 6.7%. The A-State total also includes 1,053 students at Campus Queretaro in Mexico, which is a 10% increase over fall 2024.

Total preliminary enrollment at Henderson climbed 9.9% to 2,258, up 203 students from the fall 2024 total of 2,055. The number of first-time freshmen jumped 46% to 572 compared with 391 a year ago while transfer students were up 32% to 196 compared with 149.

“The Reddie Spirit is alive and well on campus as we welcome our returning students and the largest freshman class in six years,” Henderson Chancellor Trey Berry said. “Our faculty, staff, alumni and friends are committed to the success of our students, and it is inspiring to see the growth and tremendous energy throughout our campus community.”

Leading the way for the system’s two-year institutions in the fall reporting are ASU-Beebe with 3,588 students, which is an 9.5% increase over 3,277 last fall; ASU-Newport with 2,118 students, a 13.4% increase over 1,868; ASU-Mountain Home with 1,318, a 0.2% increase over 1,315; and ASU Mid-South with 1,180, a 15.5% increase over 1,022. ASU Three Rivers reported 1,951 students, a 1.6% decrease from 1,983.

The two-year institutions and A-State reported robust growth in high school concurrent credit enrollment with 5,650 students as the ASU System works with the state’s high schools to fulfill goals outlined in the Arkansas ACCESS Act.

Grocery store offers all-natural foods

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By Melissa A. Palumbo
Delta Digital News Service

MOUNTAIN HOME – Local grocery store Truck Patch offers bulk foods and spices, all-natural beauty products and plant-based meals. 

Named after small farmers’ markets from the 1800s, the Truck Patch grocery store opened May 23, 2010 in Mountain Home. From there, the store added a larger Jonesboro location.

“We don’t currently have plans for another location, but we’re always open to expand,” said Mountain Home Manager Virginia Embry. 

Truck Patch sells ingredients by bulk, allowing customers to bring their own reusable jars, bags and containers with which to shop. 

Tori Forkum, assistant manager at the Truck Patch Jonesboro, said they tare the container before the customer shops. 

“You can bring your own jar and we weigh it,” she said. “Then we take the weight of the container off the final price.”

Many ingredients cost less to to buy in bulk than in individually packaged portions, such as spices and grains.

Olivia Simpson, an employee who works in the kitchen at the Jonesboro location, suggests reusable glass bottles and jars to cut back on waste.

“Buy bulk and ditch plastic,” she said. “Use glass whenever you can.”

The store carries plastic-free, plant-based and biodegradable household products. Products made from plants have a lower environmental impact than hard plastics made from oil, and paper packaging decomposes much faster than plastic wrapping. 

They also sell pet products, like biodegradable doggie bags, organic treats and food.

Truck Patch focuses not only on reducing plastic packaging, but also increasing healthy eating. Employees at Truck Patch help customers find ingredients to suit any diet, from vegan to paleo. They also help those with allergies, diabetes and other health needs find appropriate meals.

“Our staff is well versed in different diets, and we are more than happy to help,” Embry said.

Camron Collins began working at Truck Patch as a cashier about four months ago. He said he was drawn to his job because of his interest in health-conscious eating and reducing environmental impact.
“When we started damaging our environment, it was fast,” he said. “We’re starting to revert that now. It took a lifetime to realize it, but we’re a force.”

Truck Patch strives for zero-waste within the business and community, according to Embry. Because of the large population of farmers in the area, the Mountain Home location established a composting system. 

“We are considerably smaller than the Jonesboro location, but we do pack a big punch,” Embry said. 

The Truck Patch Jonesboro plans to carry composting supplies in the future.

When the Jonesboro location opened in 2015, the Stem and Spoon Cafe was added within the store. The cafe offers a variety of sandwiches, salads, sides and drinks. All the ingredients Truck Patch uses stay organic and hormone-free.

“We use ingredients from the store,” Forkum said. “The kitchen workers will ‘grocery shop’ for the cafe.”

To avoid waste, fruits and vegetables that aren’t as pretty as the rest are turned into smoothies. Food that doesn’t sell is often given to employees.

“We don’t throw anything away,” Embry said. 

Editor’s Note: Photos by Melissa Palumbo.

Sheriff: Offenders Treat Prison As ‘Revolving Door’

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By Jorge Quiquivix
Delta Digital News Service

MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark. – One of the main problems in Arkansas’ judicial system is prison overcrowding. While many work to fix the issue, an Arkansas sheriff explained who is reaping the benefits of this situation.

Baxter County Sheriff John Montgomery said repeat offenders take advantage of the efforts to decrease the prison population. As a mid-sized county, Montgomery said the number of repeat offenders is drastic.

“We’ve had people paroled from prison who have already been to prison three, five, eight, 11, 15 times. I believe that it’s almost just like a revolving door,” he said. “They’re letting them out so fast that there’s no deterrent. They’re out hurting society and committing new crimes against the citizens of this state.”

According to findings from a 2012 release cohort by the Arkansas Department of Correction, 53 percent of the inmates released in 2012 returned to jail in three years.

He said when the prison fills, some of the inmates get housed in county jails. It puts a strain on county jails across Arkansas including those in the Delta, which has him begging for help.

“Please! You got to get them out of there because I got them sleeping on the floor or whatever the case may be,” he said. “So the prisons are under a lot of pressure to create bed space. How they are creating it is by kicking folks out early.”

Solomon Graves, public information officer and legislative liaison for the Arkansas Department of Corrections, released a statewide population report that states Arkansas has 1,340 inmates backed up in county jails.

“We also have 336 inmates housed in a Texas facility,” Graves said.

The population report states even the ADC facilities have more inmates than the capacity listed.

Following the Council of State Governments report in April 2015, a bipartisan Legislative Criminal Justice Oversight Task Force was formed to combat the overcrowding. Montgomery said he feels the task force did a lot of great work, but none of it reflected what he suggested when he testified before them in Little Rock.

“When I cornered them and asked if their recommendations were done, would they still need more prison beds and they said yes. Yet, none of that was a part of the recommendations,” he said. “The department requested funding for 576 beds. As of now, we have not received any indication that we will receive the necessary funding.”

Graves said prison overcrowding could be lessened with the passage of Senate Bill 136, which has been proposed in this year’s legislative session.

“The department is supportive of the reforms in SB136,” he said. “The reforms within that bill will help to divert low-level offenders to Community Correction Centers, thereby freeing up prison beds while maintaining the public’s safety.”

That could also set up a way for repeat offenders to not cheat the system. However, Montgomery said Arkansas should look at how Missouri is fighting its ever-growing population system.

According to the Missouri General Assembly, if an offender has already been in prison once then the offender must now serve 40 percent of their sentence. Those who have been in prison twice before would have to serve 50 percent of their sentence. Those who have three or more previous prison sentences must serve at least 80 percent of their sentence.

State Sen. Bryan King filed Senate Bill 177 in this year’s session. It would require someone who’s been sentenced three or more times to serve at least 80 percent of their sentence in Arkansas.

Montgomery said King’s bill may not pass because it should be staggered more like Missouri’s law.

“But I very much agree with his thinking,” he said. “He is like us. He is sick and tired of the repeat offenders that continue to get in and out of prison over and over again.”