Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – Another year is on the books, and the team at JonesboroRightNow is taking a look back at the stories from the past year.
JRN launched at the beginning of April 2024, and since then, we’ve covered breaking news, crime, local features, local politics, and more. We passed four million page views this year.
During all of this, we’ve continued to provide free, local news to you, your family, and your friends. Below are some of the most engaging stories of the last year. We’ve divided them into three categories: top five stories based on views (non-crime); top five articles as chosen by the team at JRN; and top five crime stories based on views.
We leave 2025 thankful for the opportunity to inform our local community and bring these stories to light. Below we’ve provided the first few paragraphs of each article, a link to the full article, and any related stories. Staff picks also include commentary on why the story was chosen for inclusion on this list.
Top Viewed Stories of 2025
(non-crime)
Missing swimmer in Florida has ties to Jonesboro (published June 13)
A ten-year-old girl with ties to Northeast Arkansas is missing on the Gulf Coast after an apparent swimming accident.
Multiple agencies have been searching and are continuing to search today for Trinity Eslinger. According to a post on the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page, Eslinger was last seen in the water around 7:30 PM last night between Osteen Beach and Norriego Point in Destin.
“We are keeping her and her family in our thoughts and prayers during this incredibly difficult time. May they feel the support and love of the entire community as rescue teams continue their efforts.”
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| RELATED: GoFundMe started for family of swimmer (published June 14) | What happened to Trinity? (published June 15) | Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office calls off search for missing swimmer with Jonesboro ties (published June 18)
Tornadoes slam through Northeast Arkansas (published Mar. 15)
Tornadoes and severe thunderstorms hit Arkansas hard on Friday night as a deep low-pressure system moving through Kansas and Missouri pulled an area of instability through Arkansas.
One storm containing a tornado tracked from Northwest of Mountain View across Melbourne, Ash Flat and into Randolph County. Storm damage was reported in the Ash Flat community through Cherokee Village, into Hardy and Ravenden Springs. That same storm caused extensive damage and at least one fatality at Poplar Bluff, MO.
A second storm formed west of Batesville and struck the Cave City community. Mayor Jonas Anderson declared a “state of emergency” in Cave City and announced a “dusk to dawn curfew” until further notice. He said there is damage and destruction throughout the city. A cell phone tower was destroyed limiting communication. At least five were injured, three taken to the hospital according to Anderson.
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| RELATED: Craighead County communities ravaged by tornadoes (published April 3)
Multiple fatalities in accident near Lake City (published Dec. 5)
Arkansas State Police and multiple emergency responders were on the scene of what social media posts described as a “really bad accident” Friday night near Lake City.
The accident happened east of the St. Francis River bridge on Highway 18 east of Lake City just before 7 p.m. Traffic in both directions was blocked.
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| RELATED: Police Report: 2 killed, 5 injured in Lake City Accident (published Dec. 7) | Lake City Mayor issues apology (published Dec. 8)
More restaurants headed to Jonesboro, records show (published Sept. 5)
Arkansas Department of Health records suggest Jonesboro is about to land four additional restaurants.
Online records indicate Stonebridge Construction submitted a health department plumbing project application for a Jack in the Box. The record shows the address for the restaurant as 1207 Parker Road. The address reflects the location of the former Rodeo Mexican Grill.
The Health Department received the plumbing application on Aug. 5, approved and completed it on Aug. 19.
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| RELATED: Site work begins on future Jonesboro Raising Cane’s (published Nov. 17) | Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux coming to Jonesboro (published Nov. 18) | Work continuing on upcoming Golden Chick restaurant in Jonesboro (published Dec. 4)
Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Festival announces music lineup (published Aug. 20)
The smell of smoked perfection, the sound of live music, and two days of free family-friendly fun are coming back to Downtown Jonesboro Friday and Saturday, Sept. 26-27.
The 2025 Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Festival, presented by the Jonesboro Advertising and Promotion Commission, features an action-packed lineup of entertainment, the First National Bank KCBS Arkansas State Barbecue Championship, food trucks, retail vendors, and more.
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| RELATED: Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Festival updates (published Sept. 24) | BBQ Fest still on schedule (published Sept. 26) | Large crowds attend BBQ and Music Festival (published Sept. 28)
2025 Staff Picks
“Dad put a ball in my hands soon as I could walk” (published Mar. 15)
Destinee Rogers’ journey from a town of 400 people to the Head Coach of Women’s Basketball at Arkansas State University has involved three main ingredients: God, family, and a basketball.
“Basketball is my life. It’s taken me places I could have never dreamed of,” Rogers said. “I’m just a little kid from Strong, Arkansas who gets to say that she was the first-ever head coach to take Arkansas State Women’s Basketball to the NCAA tournament. I think that’s pretty cool.”
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| PICKED BY Trey Stafford, President and General Manager, Jonesboro Media Group: “I loved interviewing Coach Rogers before the team left for the NCAA Tournament game against UConn. I had been to the Sun Belt Tournament in Pensacola and watched the Red Wolves defeat a very cocky team from James Madison to win the championship. I was embarrassed because I had not seen the women play a game until the tournament. And I became an instant fan of Coach Destinee, her team, and her story. Listening to her tell her story was so intriguing that I sometimes forgot that I was interviewing her and forgot to take notes on what she said. It was a great story to tell.”
Meet Blake Nichols, maker of model Jonesboro cars (published July 2)
A City of Jonesboro Code Enforcement employee by day, 50-year-old Blake Nichols runs his own business on the side: making 1/64 size model cars of Jonesboro vehicles.
Nichols makes model cars of various government and company vehicles, including local law enforcement, EMS, Lowe’s, and City of Jonesboro vehicles. All cars are made in a room in his home, where he keeps all his tools, paint, stickers with different Jonesboro agency logos, and a miniature city whose streets are bustling with his model vehicles.
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| PICKED BY Rachel Rudd, Chief Reporter, JonesboroRightNow: “This was such a fun story to work on, mostly because I got to sit down with someone super interesting and see his process of making these model cars in motion. You hear of model car makers all the time, but the fact that this was so Jonesboro-oriented made this extra special and a delight to write.”
Who is the “The Dancing Man” of Jonesboro? (published Dec. 15)
Locals may not know Ozzy Neil Rose by name, but they may recognize him as “The Dancing Man” they see around town.
He can be found dancing down a Jonesboro sidewalk or on his social media pages, where he goes by the name “Lunatic Fringe.” Rose, 58, said he is just trying to spread some daily cheer as he struts down the street listening to his favorite music.
Born in Paragould and raised in Trumann, Rose has seen his share of challenges over the course of his life. He served his country in the U.S. Army National Guard. He’s also seen a significant amount of loss, including both his wife and sister, the first to a surgery gone wrong, the second to cancer. And, he lost over half of his promising rock band in a fiery crash.
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| PICKED BY Tarah Richardson, Editor-in-Chief, JonesboroRight Now: “Love him or hate him, Mr. Rose is a visible figure here in Jonesboro. He’s someone we’ve all seen on multiple occasions, and if you were like me when you saw him, you might have thought, “What’s the DEAL with that guy?” Fortunately, we’re in the business of answering questions like that. I was excited to assign this feature to a seasoned storyteller, Nena Zimmer, then sit back to watch as she brought out his story. It’s one of the first of many local features I’m blessed to be a part of telling and, as such, is extra special to me.
Task force recommends Washington Avenue location for E-911 Center (published Oct. 21)
Members of the City of Jonesboro Capital Improvement Bonds Task Force unanimously decided on their recommendation for the location of a proposed new E-911/Real Time Crime Center.
The task force, which is chaired by city council member Brian Emison and has council members Chris Moore, John Street, Chris Gibson and Joe Hafner as members, has been in talks over the past few months to recommend the center’s location.
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| PICKED BY Rachel Rudd, Chief Reporter, JonesboroRightNow: I know this has been a big issue in Jonesboro for a few years now. It was interesting to follow the back and forth on this in the months leading up to the final decision.
Potential Traffic Delay: JET Transfer Center at Caraway and Matthews (published Nov. 20)
An SUV was seen to have hit a blockade at the JET Transfer Center at Caraway and Matthews. Crews were responding to remove the vehicle as of this post.
UPDATE (11/20/25; 2:49 p.m.) – According to E-911 dispatch logs provided to JRN, the vehicle hit a pole and turned over. While speaking with dispatch, the caller stopped answering questions.
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| PICKED BY Tarah Richardson, Editor-in-Chief, JonesboroRightNow: This was not a hard-hitting news story; it was really just a heads-up to our local drivers, and so it may seem out of place on this list of features. However, I loved this little story for two reasons. The first reason is the comments on Facebook. Since no one was injured, the comments added levity to the serious business of news. The second reason I chose this story was the collaboration from our team. Two of our media advisors, Josh Wilcoxson and Tim Smith, sent in photos of the wreck, and multiple others made us aware of it. This allowed our team here at JonesboroRightNow to push out the information to our readers. That level of teamwork is essential to a news organization, and I loved seeing it on this story.
Top Viewed Crime Stories of 2025
Jonesboro school director given $250K bond, accused of leading ‘makeshift child fight club’ (published April 21)
Craighead County Prosecuting Attorney Sonia Hagood said a Jonesboro school director orchestrated what she described as a “makeshift child fight club” following the emergence of video evidence.
On April 21, Craighead County Judge David Boling found probable cause to charge 50-year-old Mary Tracy Morrison, owner and director of The Delta Institute for the Developing Brain and the Engage program, with permitting child abuse.
Morrison was arrested on Monday, along with three of her employees: Michael Bean, 38; Kristin Danielle Bell, 36; and Kathrine Mae Lipscomb, 45. The arrests came after video of an incident at the school surfaced.
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Jonesboro company owners arrested on multiple felony charges (published Oct. 30)
Two company owners were arrested Thursday morning on multiple felony charges, the Jonesboro Police Department announced.
According to a JPD news release, William (Zach) Herron and Melissa Herron were arrested on charges of continuing a criminal enterprise, a Class Y felony, theft of $25,000 or more, a Class B felony, theft of services of $25,000 or more, a Class B felony, and obtaining a signature by deception, a Class D felony.
JPD received numerous reports in October that All-Star Solutions of Jonesboro had not completed paid services, the release said.
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Ex-employee accused of using company credit cards for nearly $1M in personal business expenses (published May 28)
Deputies arrested a Trumann woman after they said she used credit cards from her former employer to pay nearly a million dollars’ worth of utilities and other items for her own business in Jonesboro.
Judge Barbara Halsey found probable cause May 28 to charge 52-year-old Jennifer Renee Latham with theft of $25,000 or more (all others), fraudulent use of a credit or debit card over $25,000, and criminal use of property.
According to the affidavit, on May 12, the owner of Valley View Agri contacted the Craighead County Sheriff’s Office about a former employee, Latham, stealing nearly $1 million from his business.
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Investigators: Jonesboro couple found with gallons of liquid DMT, 900+ pounds of powder in drug bust (published Aug. 8)
A Jonesboro couple faces a host of felony charges after investigators said they found a massive drug stash during a probation search, including gallons of liquid DMT and nearly 1,000 grams of DMT powder.
According to an affidavit, on Aug. 6, investigators with the Jonesboro Police Department’s Street Crimes Unit responded to the 2200 block of Shoshoni Drive for two suspects: 26-year-old Akyra Zakyia Alston-Stegall and 45-year-old Michael Derrick Alston.
“Michael is known to investigators to be on suspended stance with a search waiver on file and Akyra is known to investigators to be on active supervision with a search waiver on file,” the document said.
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Jonesboro parks director under investigation from Department of Justice (published Dec. 2)
The U.S. Department of Justice Tuesday morning began investigating the Jonesboro Parks and Recreation Department director, Danny Kapales.
Jonesboro Mayor Harold Copenhaver said in a news release that the city is fully cooperating with the investigation and will continue to do so for the duration.
“Mr. Kapales was immediately placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of this investigation,” the release said.
Assistant Jim Stearns will be the acting Parks Director until further notice. Due to the ongoing investigation, the city will be making no further comments on the matter.
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| RELATED: Kapales investigation “financial in nature;” Jonesboro to serve as trustee for City Stars (published Dec. 5)