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Arkansas official says state unsure when Rogers Revenue Office will reopen after being closed due to storm damage | Arkansas Democrat Gazette

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Arkansas official says state unsure when Rogers Revenue Office will reopen after being closed due to storm damage | Arkansas Democrat Gazette


ROGERS — State officials can’t say when the revenue office in Rogers will reopen, but they apologize ahead of time for the longer wait at the other four revenue offices in Benton County.

The Rogers location at 2117 W. Walnut St. has been closed since storms damaged the roof May 26, said Scott Hardin. Hardin is spokesman for the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, which oversees the state’s revenue offices.

The department does not have a planned date to reopen the office but is monitoring the progress of repairs daily, Hardin said. He added the state plans to open the office as soon as possible but wants to ensure customers have a great experience when it does.

Driver’s license and vehicle registrations are among the services handled at state revenue offices. The closure of the Rogers location has caused an increase in traffic at other locations in the region, Hardin said. He added the Bentonville office has stayed open two hours later on multiple days to be able to process the remaining customers in the building.

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Jackie Scott, a Rogers resident, said when she visited the Bentonville office last month, the room was crowded and every window was in use with employees working nonstop.

Melody Kwok, communications director for Benton County, said the closure of the Rogers location has added “stress and strain” on the Bentonville office.

In addition to state revenue office operations, the Rogers building houses various county services. State and county services are on opposite sides of the divided building.

County services in the Rogers building reopened July 8. The Rogers site is the main location for the county assessor and county collector and has a satellite office for the county clerk.

Kwok said people often come in looking for state services in the county’s portion of the Rogers office. County employees provide the inquiring residents information on the open revenue offices in the region when that occurs, she said.

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The county’s landlord installed a temporary roof, replaced air conditioning units and broken exterior glass and made other repairs needed after the storm, Kwok said. Air quality in the office was found to be normal according to an air quality test the county requested, she said.

A permanent roof is being installed and will take several weeks to complete, Kwok said.

There are 134 revenue offices in Arkansas, Hardin said. According to Benton County’s Facebook page, the other Benton County revenue office locations are in Bentonville, Gravette, Siloam Springs and Decatur.

Rogers Revenue Office employees have been reassigned to Bentonville until Rogers opens to help decrease wait times, Hardin said. He said the Bentonville location is ranked among the busiest in Arkansas, and the state will reassign employees of other offices in the region during the days when wait times increase.

“I think the loss of the Rogers office has put a strain on surrounding offices,” said Elaine Pasley, a Bella Vista resident.

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She said she has always used the Gravette office because it usually has a shorter wait time. She said she went a couple of weeks ago, and the office had wait times of more than two hours.

Morgan Harris, a Pea Ridge resident, said he chose to go to the Gravette office after he saw the line at the Bentonville office “snaked through” the entire building. He said he still waited two hours at Gravette to be helped.

A wide variety of revenue office services are available online, Hardin said. Examples include ordering a replacement license, registering a vehicle, ordering a personalized license plate, checking the status of a title and renewing car tags.

The Finance and Administration Department will provide updates regarding the Rogers office on its social media channels as they are available, Hardin said.

    The Benton County Rogers Office is seen on Thursday, July 18, 2024, in Rogers. The location has been closed from storm damage over Memorial Day Weekend. Visit nwaonline.com/photo for today’s photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Caleb Grieger)
 
 

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Alternate revenue office locations

Bentonville 

Address: 2401 S.W. D St., Suite 3

Phone: 479-273-2724

Gravette 

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Address: 901 First Ave. S.W., Suite C

Phone: 479-787-5912

Siloam Springs 

Address: 707 S. Lincoln, Suite A

Phone: 479-524-3182

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Decatur 

Address: Municipal Hall, 310 Maple St.

Phone: 479-752-3912

Source: Benton County

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Arkansas football gets commitment of Tulane transfer Jahiem “Joker” Johnson | Whole Hog Sports

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Arkansas football gets commitment of Tulane transfer Jahiem “Joker” Johnson | Whole Hog Sports





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Arkansas football: More Razorbacks, including Starzyk, hit transfer portal | Arkansas Democrat Gazette

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Arkansas football: More Razorbacks, including Starzyk, hit transfer portal | Arkansas Democrat Gazette


FAYETTEVILLE — The signing of two kickers out of the NCAA transfer portal by the University of Arkansas on Sunday came into clearer focus late that night when highly touted freshman Scott Starzyk announced via social media he was entering the portal.

Starzyk was joined on Monday by defensive tackle Kevin Oatis as the considerable exodus continued for first-year Coach Ryan Silverfield.

The Razorbacks have as many as 30 scholarship players in the portal, and a small handful have already announced their destinations.

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The portal period opened on Friday and it will stay open through Jan. 16. The most recent announcements came from receivers Kam Shanks and Krosse Johnson and defensive back Quentavius Scandrett on Saturday, then long snapper Ashton Ngo, defensive back Ahkhari Johnson and Starzyk on Sunday.

“I’m officially in the NCAA transfer portal,” Starzyk posted to X late Sunday. “Thank you to all the fans at Arkansas for a great year. And thank you to the staff who have supported me during my time at the university.”

Arkansas landed Tennessee transfer Max Gilbert out of the portal on Sunday as well as Braeden McAlister, a kickoff specialist, from Georgia State.

Gilbert, a rising junior from Memphis, made 14 of 19 field goals (73.7%) this season, with a long of 53 yards. He has made 34 of 45 (75.6%) through two years as a starter.

Starzyk, the No. 1 kicker of the 2025 class by Kohl’s Kicking, had a strong freshman season while leading Arkansas with 89 points. The 5-10, 172-pounder from The Woodlands, Texas, made 14 of 18 field goals (77.8%) and converted all 47 of his extra-point tries. He was 2 of 3 from 50-plus yards, including a make from 53 yards on his first career field goal in the opener against Alabama A&M.

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With senior punter Devin Bale out of eligibility, the Razorbacks will lose a large chunk of their key special teams performers. Bale and Blake Ford, who is also in the portal, shared kickoff duties. Starzyk did all the place kicking and Ngo all the snapping, while Shanks was the Hogs’ top punt returner and running back Rodney Hill the lead kickoff returner.

Razorback transfers with known commitments are offensive line starter E’Marion Harris, a former standout at Joe T. Robinson who is expected to sign with Oklahoma, defensive end Justus Boone (Wisconsin), defensive tackle Ian Geffrard (Texas) and linebacker Tavion Wallace (Kentucky).



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New Board of Corrections appointments spark criticism over backgrounds, experience | Arkansas Democrat Gazette

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New Board of Corrections appointments spark criticism over backgrounds, experience | Arkansas Democrat Gazette


Brett Barrouquere

bbarrouquere@adgnewsroom.com

Brett Barrouquere is a staff writer with the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. A reporter and editor for more than 30 years, he’s worked a little bit of everywhere, mainly in the South. His most recent stop before Arkansas was in Baltimore, Maryland, as a night and breaking news editor. He’s a New Orleans native and has two daughters.

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