Helping people enrich their lives

BY LYNN ATKINS Staff Writer lynna@nwanews.com

Volunteers at the Literacy Council of Benton County don’t know the meaning of the word “bored.” There’s always something else to learn, volunteer Betty Pierce said, or someone else to help. - Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Tea time : There are 40 different kinds of tea available by the pot or cup

BY LYNN ATKINS Staff Writer lynna@nwanews.com

When Mary Wohlford bought the historic building in downtown Rogers, she planned to convert the entire upstairs into office space, but people kept asking her about a former business that had operated there for years. As she went in and out of the building people would stop her to ask the same question. Others made their way up the narrow front stairs to ask, “When will the tea room reopen?” Although she has some experience in restaurant management, Wohlford wasn’t planning to revisit that former career. But people just kept asking. Finally she realized that the building needed a restaurant and she started making plans. - Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Adventure camps teach stewardship

BY LYNN ATKINS Staff Writer lynna@nwanews.com

There’s still time to sign up for an adventure camp that will teach campers about the natural world around them. The Ozark Natural Science Center Summer Camp Program grows a little every year. - Wednesday, May 14, 2008

OBITUARIES

Luther Odell Black Luther Odell Black, 86, of Pea Ridge, Ark., died Wednesday, April 30, 2008, in Pea Ridge. He was born Dec. 13, 1921, in Bradford, Ark., to Lee Black and Erna Rice Black. He was baptized on Jan. 1, 1971, as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, and until his health became worse, he served full time as a minister of Jehovah for 19 years. He was also a self-employed plumber and truck driver. He was a member of the Sugar Creek Congregation of the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses. He was preceded in death by a son, Joe Black, in 1975. Survivors include his wife, Loretta Pohl Black; three sons, Luther Ray Black of Rogers, Ark., Lee Odell Black of Almagordo, N.M., and James Luther Black of Combs, Ark.; three daughters, Maydelle Bayona of Rogers, Margaret Henschell of Penticton, British Columbia, Canada, and Beth Ann Fields of Avoca, Ark.; a stepdaughter, Michellene Marret of Prairie Grove, Ark.; 16 grandchildren ; and 16 great-grandchildren. A memorial service was held Saturday, May 10, at the Kingdom Ha - Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Bits of History : Flooding woes lessened by construction of White River dams

GAYE BLAND

With the possible exception of the coming of the railroads, nothing has affected the history of northwest Arkansas as much as the building of Beaver Dam. Before the dam was built, the White River followed a twisting channel through northwest Arkansas. In our area, the river had so many bends that oldtimers told a story about two hunters who paddled all day, only to find themselves still within walking distance of home the next morning. In the four decades since the dam’s construction, this area has changed from a region of small towns surrounded by farms into a rapidly-growing metropolitan area. Local residents think about Beaver Lake largely in terms of its immediate benefits to those of us who live in this area — an ample supply of water, a source of hydroelectric power and a place to boat, fish and swim. - Wednesday, May 14, 2008