Arkansas
Arkansas parish hit by multiple vandalism incidents
CNA Newsroom, Jul 26, 2024 / 14:20 pm
Police are investigating after a parish in Arkansas was struck by three vandalism incidents in recent months, including the destruction of a statue of Mary on the parish grounds.
Father Joseph Chan, the pastor at St. Leo Church in Hartford, Arkansas, told CNA that the incidents of vandalism began early last year. The parish is part of the Diocese of Little Rock.
“The first was on February 26, 2023,” he said. “Our St. Leo sign and notification board had words/letters removed/jumbled to reflect body parts; for example, the letter ‘M’ was removed from the word ‘Mass’.”
“The second was on March 10, 2024, which involved graffiti to our sacristy door,” the pastor said. “Sprayed was a racial slur commonly directed towards African Americans.”
The most recent incident occurred on July 13. “Toppled to the ground were an angel and Mary statues,” Chan said. “Mary’s neck was broken. The statue of Jesus was seemingly untouched.”
“All three incidents happened within 18 months,” the priest noted.
Law enforcement is investigating the crimes.
“Police were notified but no suspects were identified tied to the vandalism to our knowledge,” Chan said.
The pastor said parishioners have suffered “sadness” over the incidents.
Mary Radley, a parishioner of the church, told the Arkansas Catholic this week that the parish has “filed with our insurance company to see how much money we will have to repair the damage.”
Chan, meanwhile, told the local outlet that “all parishes should have some sort of safeguards against vandalism,” but ”because it is the work of evil, prayer is the best antidote.”
Multiple Catholic parishes and holy sites have suffered vandalism in the U.S. in recent months and years.
A statue of the Blessed Mother in a prayer garden on the grounds of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception was damaged by an assailant earlier this year.
Catholic churches, schools, and cemeteries throughout the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, meanwhile, were targeted by pro-abortion vandalism ahead of a major statewide vote on abortion laws.
Catholic facilities in Texas and Colorado were also targeted last year with vandalism.
(Story continues below)
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Florida Sen. Marco Rubio told EWTN News in March that the numerous attacks against Catholic churches are “not a focus or [has] the attention of [the Biden administration] or this Justice Department.”
“They can’t find a single person or any of these people that were responsible for these, what is a pretty concerted effort to attack Catholic churches in America,” Rubio said.
Daniel Payne is a senior editor at Catholic News Agency. He previously worked at the College Fix and Just the News. He lives in Virginia with his family.
It’s been a bone-dry year in Arkansas. It’s now the 7th driest year on record in Little Rock since record-keeping began in 1875, as of April 20.
24 days so far this year in Little Rock have received measurable rainfall. 12 days received a trace amount of rain, meaning there were no rainfall measurements to report (it was too little to record), as it was just a sprinkle or a few spits.
Only 4 days have received an inch or more of rain so far this year. Those occurred on April 4, March 7, February 14, and January 24. January’s “rain” was really winter precipitation.
April is usually the rainiest month of the year in Arkansas. In Little Rock, April on average receives 5.59 inches of rainfall. So far this April, as of April 20, Little Rock has only recorded 1.17″ of rain for the month.
The rainfall deficit over the last 6 months is well over a foot for much of Arkansas, including Little Rock, North Little Rock, Pine Bluff, and Harrison.
Spring is the rainy season, and summer is the dry season. If rain isn’t recorded soon, the drought will persist into the summer. In fact, the latest seasonal drought outlook shows that while some areas of Arkansas could see improvements, the drought continues into July.
To fully end the drought, parts of central and northeast Arkansas need more than 25 inches of rain over the next 3 months. Parts of northwest Arkansas need between 15 and 20 inches of rain over the next 3 months. The rest of the state needs between 20 and 25 inches of rain over the next 3 months. All of this rain would need to be received slowly, not all at one time.
The odds of receiving this much rain slowly over the next 3 months are very low.
The Arkansas Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at Sunday, April 19, 2026 results for each game:
Winning Cash 3 numbers from April 19 drawing
Evening: 5-3-2
Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash 4 numbers from April 19 drawing
Evening: 7-5-4-8
Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Natural State Jackpot numbers from April 19 drawing
02-07-17-20-23
Check Natural State Jackpot payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from April 19 drawing
32-42-52-53-55, Bonus: 05
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Arkansas Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Cash 3 Midday: 12:59 p.m. CT daily except Sunday.
- Cash 3 Evening: 6:59 p.m. CT daily.
- Cash 4 Midday: 12:59 p.m. CT daily except Sunday.
- Cash 4 Evening: 6:59 p.m. CT daily.
- Lucky For Life: 9:30 p.m. CT daily.
- Natural State Jackpot: 8 p.m. CT daily except Sunday.
- LOTTO: 9 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Arkansas editor. You can send feedback using this form.
BENTON, Ark. (KATV) — Saline County residents got a fresh boost earlier today when the Central Arkansas Development Council hosted its third Fresh Market event in the county, handing out about 300 bags of fresh produce free of charge.
The council, described as the largest community action agency in Arkansas, said the event is part of its ongoing effort to address food insecurity in the state and expand access to healthy food options.
“What we’re here to do is we’re here to be what our community needs us to be,” Randy Morris, CEO of Central Arkansas Development Council, said. “We are here to serve our mission, which is to alleviate the causes and conditions of poverty, to help vulnerable populations achieve their potential and to build strong communities in Arkansas through community action.”
The council also said it was rewarded funds by the government to host an emergency food drive that will happen soon.
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