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Hardy News
Local news for Hardy, AR continually updated from thousands of sources on the web.
- Judge continues water-theft case
A judge Monday continued the court case of a man accused of failing to pay the city of Hardy thousands of dollars for water service, according to the Sharp County Circuit Clerka s office.
- Water case comes to boil, faces court in Sharp County
When Clifton Johnson appears in Sharp County court Monday to face felony theft charges, Sam Oakley plans to be sitting in the gallery close enough for Johnson to see him.
- Taking a look back at 2008
While 2008 will be remembered in Sharp County for the devastation many endured throughout the February tornado and the floods of March, there are many good things that happened as well.
- Water pipes still run dry; County makes arrest, but taps still dry in Hardy development
LITTLE ROCK - Water was cut off on Oct. 10 to about 20 households in the Biggers Bluff development outside Hardy, and despite efforts that have addressed the cause of the problem, a solution still feels far away for residents who have now gone nine weeks without water. Biggers Bluff water manager Clifton Johnson is accused of collecting money from Biggers Bluff residents for the water payment but never turning these payments over to the city of Hardy, the source of water services. After about two years of nonpayment, he owed the city $21,712. Sharp County Sheriff's investigators looked into bank records and found that Johnson had received enough money from the residents to pay the bill at various times but never had. Instead, statements showed he spent money on personal items. They arrested him on Nov. 20, and he posted bond the same day. His arraignment date has been set for Monday, Jan. 5. He is charged with theft by deception for taking the water payments from Biggers Bluff residents and theft of services for not paying the city. Both are class B felonies. Detective Sgt. Mike Counts worked on the case. "We've done what we can," Counts said. "We let him know we're not going to put up with him treating them this way. After we did the work to track all of this down (Johnson's bank records), there's no doubt in my mind that it was a theft. He was just deceiving those people, and that had to stop." Counts said: "Some of them have dropped wells, some of them can't because they don't have the money. We've done what we can by making sure he doesn't get away with it. The judge can press him and order him to pay restitution, but there's no guarantee they would ever get the money. Even if he does pay it, there'll still be no water. Everyone's just in a bind." Biggers Bluff residents filed a complaint with the Sheriff's Office, and Counts said that they interviewed and collected documentation from about 10 different Biggers Bluff families to make sure residents had paid their bills. "They paid all their money to have the water, and then he took their checks and it all went to him," Counts said. "We tracked all the checks, and they all went to him. The account was in his name, and we checked where he was spending money, and he was spending it on himself, not the bill."
- Where There's a Will
by Anthony Childress CASH - It's up to Will. And that means there's a way. For the past three years 16-year-old Will Keedy has organized the Christmas parade here, as well as overseen judging for the holiday lighting contest, something he said comes from a passion for community activism. "I went to my uncle four years ago, when he was on our City Council at the time, and told him I wanted us to have a Christmas parade," Keedy said. "So I decided to get a parade going and have people decorate their houses with lights and displays and do a contest. He told me he didn't know if we'd have much of a crowd, but we did."
- Johnson Arrested Two Counts Felony Theft
Johnson, manager of the Biggers Bluff water system, was arrested Nov. 20. Sharp County bench warrants were issued for the arrest of Johnson on Nov. 20; he was arrested the same day. The charges against Johnson are theft of property and theft of services, both class B felonies. Johnson, who has been managing the water system for Biggers Bluff, stopped making regular payments to the city of Hardy for water use in 2005. The residents of Biggers Bluff, unaware of this situation, continued making payments to Johnson. The city of Hardy took action for the debt owed to them by shutting off the water supply to Biggers Bluff Oct. 10. This action left close to 20 families without water. The debt owed to the city of Hardy by Johnson is $21,712. Several of the residents of Biggers Bluff willingly gave investigators their canceled checks and records of payment for their water bills. The prosecutor's office subpoenaed Johnson's bank records from FNBC.
- Citizen voices concerns to council
"I suggest that you look over the budget with a fine tooth comb," Pat Just, a Cherokee Village citizen, told the Cherokee Village City Council during their regular meeting Nov.
- Duped buyers to get back $11,495 lost in land deal
By Amy Upshaw LITTLE ROCK - Pat and Billy Mann will finally recoup the money they paid fugitive developer Wayne Watkins for land he didn't really own. The Arkansas Real Estate Commission awarded the family $11,495.25 on Tuesday, marking the latest step in the Manns' three-year fight to recover money they felt Watkins stole from them. "I'm so thankful this is over, and I feel for the people who haven't accomplished this yet," Pat Mann said after a commission hearing. The commission also revoked Watkins' real estate license and fined him $3,000 - the maximum under law - for accepting the Manns' money and giving them a fraudulent deed. The Manns are among an unknown number of people who lost money to Watkins. They are the first of his customers to gain a hearing before the com-mission. Only one other family has requested a hearing, though more than two dozen have complained about Watkins to the attorney general's office.
- Watkins' drama continues
The Hardy City Council voted unanimously to cut off the water supply to Biggers Bluff due to an outstanding debt.
- Jobless rate at 14-year high as losses continue: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance
The U.S. unemployment rate shot to a 14-1/2 year high last month as employers slashed jobs by an unexpectedly steep 240,000, suggesting President-elect Barack Obama will face a deep recession when he takes ...
- KAIT - Biggers Bluff Water: Living Along a River Without Running Water...
Some residents along Spring River seem to have a problem. They live along a river, but can't seem to get any water to their homes.
- Bill unpaid; fugitive-tied community taps go dry
The city of Hardy shut off water Tuesday morning to Biggers Bluff Corp., a real-estate company started by fugitive Sharp County developer Wayne Watkins and now managed by one of his associates. The result: dry faucets in 20 homes and a business and at up to 1, 000 campsites along the Spring River. Biggers Bluff operator Clifton Johnson, Watkins and two others are co-defendants in a lawsuit filed by the attorney general in June alleging that the four violated Arkansas' Deceptive Trade Practices Act. Johnson, who has been supplying Hardy water to his customers for years, stopped making regular payments to Hardy two years ago. ...
- Funny videos
Don_n_Michigan said in the Hardy Forum: Click on link below,and tell me how many of you can do this???I can haha Best one I ever put on here.. http://amazingacts.blogspot.com:80/2008/07/dont-try-this-at-home.html
- Are women smarter than men
Don_n_Michigan said in the Hardy Forum: Tell me women are not smart...If you can not laugh about these short jokes,you must live alone.. WIFE VS. HUSBAND A couple drove down a country road for several miles, not saying a word. An earlier discussion had led to an argument and neither of them wanted to concede their position. As they passed a barnyard of mules, goats, and pigs, the husband asked sarcastically, 'Relatives of yours?' 'Yep,' the wife replied, 'in-laws.' A husband read an article to his wife about how many words women use a day... 30,000 to a man's 15,000. The wife replied, 'The reason has to be because we have to repeat everything to men.. The husband then turned to his wife and asked, 'What?' CREATION A man said to his wife one day, 'I don't know how you can be so stupid and so beautiful all at the same time. 'The wife responded, 'Allow me to explain. God made me beautiful so you would be attracted to me; God made me stupid so I would be attracted to you ! WOMEN'S REVENGE 'Cash, check or charge?' I asked, after folding items the woman wished to purchase. As she fumbled for her wallet , I noticed a remote control for a television set in her purse. 'So, do you always carry your TV remote?' I asked. 'No,' she replied, 'but my husband refused to come shopping with me, and I figured this was the most evil thing I could do to him legally.' Today is the best day of your life,so smile. Don
- Clifton Johnson, Virgil Griffin Served with AG Suit Alleging Violations of Deceptive Trade Practices
LITTLE ROCK - Associates of fugitive developer Wayne Watkins have begun filing responses to a lawsuit filed by Attorney General Dustin Mc-Daniel in June. McDaniel named Watkins, his cousin Virgil Griffin and Watkins' business associates Clifton Johnson and Howard Baswell as defendants in his suit, alleging that they violated the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act by engaging in "a concerted scheme to knowingly deceive both consumer purchasers and banks." All of the defendants besidesWatkins, who is believed to be in Mexico, have been served. Donna Goodwin, who held his power of attorney, was served on July 11 - nearly a month after the lawsuit was filed in Sharp County. After the suit was filed but before Goodwin was served, she resigned her power of attorney using Watkins' longtime lawyer Larry Kissee. Watkins signed documents giving Goodwin the power in Nov. 2001. In December 2006, Watkins granted his cousin, Virgil Griffin, power of attorney and thenextended the powers in May 2007, months after Watkins reportedly left the country. Since then, Griffin has used the power of attorney to transfer Watkins' property into his name and to a family-owned company. Griffin filed his response to the attorney general suit on July 15 denying all allegations. This article was published Wednesday, July 30, 2008. Arkansas, Pages 13 on 07/30/2008
- Pair Reclaim Lost Land; Griffin Successful Bidder; Baswell Attends
At an auction Thursday, the commissioner of state lands sought to collect $ 16, 000 in unpaid property taxes owed on land linked to developer Wayne Watkins, but at the end of the sale, the state had netted only ...
- Fugitive's ex-resort back in business - Watkins' Beach Club has new name, new manager, new policies
HARDY - After fugitive developer Wayne Watkins fled to Mexico nearly two years ago, his Spring River Beach Club fell into disrepair and closed after more than 20 years of operation. It's now reopened under new management, with a new name and no obvious affiliation with Watkins. That nonaffiliation extends to the lifetime Beach Club memberships for which some property owners paid Watkins thousands of dollars. Those folks will have to pay admission, says Terry Houltzhouser, manager of what is now called Sunterra. Houltzhouser said he decided to lease the Beach Club, clean parts of it up and turn it into something for everyone after driving by the shuttered property last ...
- Suit against developer seen as likely to grow, additional defendants possible
The Arkansas attorney general's office said this week that its lawsuit against Sharp County developer Wayne Watkins will likely expand and could take years to wind its way through the system.
- Help
Don_n_Michigan said in the Hardy Forum: If anyone needs any help,we will be back down to the park in 3 weeks. The reason I am saying that,I need to know what tools to bring. You can e-mail me at: ww8ns@charter.net Or call me at: eight one zero 6868444 A motorhome was just put in block 6.It belongs to Scott and Terry.. Don
Hardy Classifieds
Local classifieds for Hardy, AR
City DescriptionHardy is a city in Sharp and Fulton counties in the U.S. state of Arkansas. The population was 578 at the 2000 census.
Hardy is located at 36°19′14″N 91°28′50″W / 36.32056, -91.48056 (36.320553, -91.480645).
The Spring River, which begins in Mammoth Spring, Arkansas, flows through Hardy. The Spring River flows into the Black River, which flows into the White River, and the White River eventually flows into the Mississippi River.
U.S. Highway 63 is the main highway which runs through the town. In its course through Arkansas, Highway 63 runs from the Missouri State Line at Mammoth Spring to connect with Interstate 55 near Gilmore, Arkansas.
When roads were poor and travel much more difficult than today, Hardy was one of two county seats of Sharp County. The other was Evening Shade. In 1963, Ash Flat was named the county seat, and Hardy and Evening Shade lost that designation.
Hardy is served by the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Railroad. Formerly, the railroad through Hardy was part of the Frisco (St. Louis-San Francisco Railroad) which had about 5,000 miles of trackage, and served Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida. In 1980, ... Read MoreCity Contained By:Timezones:Size:
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