He is Optimus Prime. And he lives in Fulton, Ark. The famous blue- and red-flamed truck won hearts in 2007’s hit movie “Transformers” as leader of the Autobot invasion. But with the Decepticons defeated, Optimus transformed into a wrecker and found a day job. Red River Wrecker go... Continue reading ->

HEMPSTEAD COUNTY, Ark.—Inspired by his late uncle, T.J. Connell, at age 13, decided to be a preacher. His family was surprised but supportive. He was told by others that he must have been mistaken, that God wouldn’t have called someone like T.J. to the ministry. “My special-educa... Continue reading ->

An event hosted at Dunbar Elementary School by the Greater Texarkana Branch of the NAACP used various art formats to convey the great civil rights leader’s message—racial justice. “He intensified my belief in people and intensified my desire to be somebody,” said Dan Haskins... Continue reading ->

A 40-minute interview with Texarkana College President James Henry Russell is airing at 7:20 a.m. today on KTXK, 91.5 on the FM dial. Russell will discuss the college’s financial difficulties. Russell is interviewed by KTXK General Manager Steve Mitchell and Texarkana Gazette Editor Les Mino... Continue reading ->

Cheryl Jones, a Salvation Army bell-ringer, lifted the spirits of many as she sang outside Hobby Lobby for weeks leading up to the holiday season. And then one day she was gone. Officials would later learn Jones had an aneurysm while sleeping and was flown from Texarkana to a Dallas hospital. Cus... Continue reading ->

Hands embrace and heads bow as prayers collide with the Sunday morning air. More than 100 people circle around a group of motorcycles and prepare for church.  “They have an idea, a preconceived notion, that it’s all about the motorcycles,” said Matthew Butler, pastor. “... Continue reading ->

Hundreds of protestors walk Saturday afternoon along Griffin Street in downtown Dallas in support of the Occupy Wall Street movement.  Staff photo by Christena Dowsett. Continue reading ->

In some circles, allemande left or do-si-do may seem passé, but to a square dancer they’re basic moves that help contribute to an enjoyable pastime, one combining fun, fellowship and old-fashioned exercise. An American tradition with strong folk and social dancing roots, square dancing... Continue reading ->

The 67th annual Four States Fair & Rodeo concluded this weekend after being in town for 10 days. Four States Fairgrounds Vice President Lisa Barr said about 100 vendors, 37 rides and four to five attractions filled the fair and rodeo compound. About 85,000 people attended last year’s event... Continue reading ->

Staff photos by Christena Dowsett   Continue reading ->

LINDEN, Texas—Smoke from a four-day-old fire loomed over Cass County Wednesday as more evacuations were ordered south of Linden near the Marion County line. More resources, including tanker planes, made available Wednesday hopefully will go a long way in knocking out the relentless blaze, sai... Continue reading ->

Army Specialist Thomas Jay Castle received perhaps the most direct evidence of what he risked his life for while recently serving overseas. More than a dozen small children hugged Castle, one at a time, at the First Biker’s Church while the congregation there honored him with a wounded warrio... Continue reading ->

After a year in Iraq, Army First Lt. Anthony D. Burks was welcomed home Sunday evening at a downtown Texarkana reception. Burks provided convoy support as a gun truck platoon leader and after nine months in Iraq was installed as second in command for his company of about 180 people. In the year he... Continue reading ->

A DeKalb, Texas, man suspected of shooting a schoolteacher was arrested on indictment warrants Friday night. Bowie County Sheriff James Prince said Windell Bishop was arrested at his home and charged with one count of indecent exposure, aggravated assault with bodily injury and five counts of deadl... Continue reading ->

A 16-year-old girl has confessed to killing a Redwater mother and her two children. The girl’s arrest comes a little more than three months after Amanda Prewett Doss, 34, and her children, Texas Johnson, 8, and Guinevere Doss, 11, were killed May 11 in their home outside Redwater. The home w... Continue reading ->

David Orr’s peach salsa beat out 35 others Saturday to be named best salsa in the Ark-La-Tex. Orr mixed peaches from Nashville, Ark., with regular homemade salsa for his winning recipe in a competition at Farmers’ Market in downtown Texarkana, Texas. “It was really my first time... Continue reading ->

Monday morning at 2:30 a.m., a Texarkana Gazette newspaper rack was removed from DeLaughter’s Grocery Store in Redwater, Texas. A video recorder caught two individuals loading the newspaper rack into their car.  If you can identify either of the individuals in these images, please contac... Continue reading ->

Monday morning at 2:30 a.m., a Texarkana Gazette newspaper rack was removed from DeLaughter's Grocery Store, located off U.S. Highway 67, in Redwater, Texas. A video recorder caught two individuals loading the newspaper rack into their car.  If you can identify either of the individuals in t... Continue reading ->

PEEL, Ark.—A tugboat retired last month from the last ferry operation in Arkansas may now return to its former home in Doddridge, Ark. The Spring Bank tug was one of two carrying vehicles across Bull Shoals Lake, just 5 miles south of the Arkansas/Missouri line. The Peel ferry runs 365 days a... Continue reading ->

The past is never truly erased if it lives and breathes in an old photograph.  Photographs—you know, the kind you actually hold in your hand rather than flip through on a smartphone—have a way of bringing the past to the present, as if those moments caught and suspended in time som... Continue reading ->

IDABEL, Okla.—A big white cowboy hat, a trusty steed, a good heart and a song to sing—that was Gene Autry, a performer who first found fame and fortune as a “singing cowboy” in the 1930s. For 12-year-old Albert Frazier, the image of Autry gliding across an Idabel cinema scre... Continue reading ->

WASHINGTON, Ark.—Feel a need to dig in the dirt? The upcoming “Big Dig” at Historic Washington State Park pairs professional archaeologists and enthusiasts for a cause deep down in the ground. It’s a bit of history to uncover. The Arkansas Archeological Society is organizin... Continue reading ->

Staff photo by Evan Lewis. Swimmers are seen near the the end of the first leg of the Four States Triathlon Sunday morning at Wright Patman Lake in Texarkana, Texas. In its 15th year, the race included 142 participants. Continue reading ->

Staff photo by Christena Dowsett. Buster Griffin competes in the boys 50 meter dash at the Special Olympics Wednesday afternoon in New Boston, Texas. More than 300 students and about 15 schools or communities participated in Alford’s Athletes Carson’s Crossings 2011 Bowie County Special... Continue reading ->

Staff photo by Adam Sacasa. Working with teachers and members of the Texarkana Poets Society, Liberty-Eylau students took the stage Thursday for the third annual Liberty-Eylau High School Slam Poetry Contest, hosted by the English Department. Split up into traditional, oral interpretation and slam... Continue reading ->

Digging through the dirt to recover age-old flower bulbs is a dirty job, but somebody’s got to do it. That somebody is EdWalker Parker, who makes a living off remnants of Texarkana’s living history. Parker operates Southern Belle Blooms, a business that blossomed in 2004 when he decide... Continue reading ->

Photo by Adam Sacasa. Amid the blooming flowers and diamond hunters at the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Ark., a group of photographers honed their skills during Saturday’s Spring Photography in the Park workshop. Park Interpreter Waymon Cox and photographer Velvet Counts hos... Continue reading ->

Staff photo by Evan Lewis Patrons wait in line for concessions Friday, March 18, at the Morris Theater in Daingerfield, Texas. The small venue has been entertaining area residents for 73 years. In a market where many family-owned businesses are fading away, see how this historic theater is still... Continue reading ->

 Patrons wait in line for concessions March 18 at the Morris Theater in Daingerfield, Texas. The small venue has been entertaining area residents for 73 years. In a market where many family-owned businesses are fading away, this historic theater is still thriving. See related video at texarkana... Continue reading ->

A Portland, Maine, woman’s cross country charity run brought her right through downtown Texarkana on Tuesday. Running for a cause, Zoe Romano, 23, is halfway through a more than 2,500-mile journey that began in Huntington Beach, Calif., and is slated to end in Charleston, S.C. Romano began... Continue reading ->

Staff photo by Adam Sacasa. Liberty-Eylau senior Shanetria Thomas and junior Jarrion Lawson are not only two of the top track and field athletes in the area but a force on the national stage as well. Last year, Thomas was the Class 3A 200-meter dash champion at the UIL Texas State Track & Field... Continue reading ->

Staff photo by Christena Dowsett n Twenty-five wagons and about 50 horseback riders participated in the sixth annual wagon trail ride Friday afternoon. All proceeds from the ride benefit the Arkansas Children’s Hospital. The group stopped in Mandeville, Ark., for lunch along U.S. Highway 67. Continue reading ->

About 35 people participated in a community clean-up effort Saturday morning in Texarkana, Ark. Life House Ministries along with a sister church, Magnolia Baptist Church from Hattiesburg, Miss., spent the morning picking up trash along the streets in an effort to spread community pride. Continue reading ->

“And death makes equal the high and low.” —John Heywood, European poet   He died in an abandoned building on a frigid winter night, identity unknown. She died at the side of her longtime boyfriend in the home the two of them shared. The one thing they had in common was tha... Continue reading ->

Staff photo by Christena Dowsett. Regulars of Dave’s Skatepark in Texarkana, Texas, spend the afternoon skating and practicing tricks. Owner Dave Hanson said skateboarding changed his life when he was a child and wants to share that opportunity with the next generation. Hanson took over ownership of... Continue reading ->