HELENA-WEST HELENA, Ark. — Residents of an east Arkansas town have been without running water for the past two weeks after the state was hit by below-freezing temperatures, and the outage has forced them to line up for bottled water, fill up jugs or take showers at a truck brought in by the state.
The outage affecting about 1,400 residents of Helena-West Helena is the second in the past year for the small town 52 miles (84 kilometers) southwest of Memphis, Tennessee, located along the Mississippi River.
The town faced a similar crisis last summer, when the same part of the city was without water in June.
Local officials are racing to fix leaks throughout the city and restore water to residents, but they say they’re facing the longer term challenge of overhauling a system with an infrastructure that dates back decades.
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“The issues we’re facing now have been building up for decades,” said John Edwards, a former state lawmaker and executive director of an industrial park who’s been tapped by the mayor to assist in responding to the water crisis.
The outages are affecting one of two water systems for Helena-West Helena, which was two separate cities until 2006. One of the wells serving the system failed during the winter weather that hit the state, under pressure from leaks and dripping pipes.
“It’s hit or miss,” Russell Hall, director of the Phillips County Office of Emergency Management said. “One house might have halfway decent pressure, and another house might have a trickle, depending on gravity and other things.”
George Jackson fills up one gallon water jugs, while other Phillips County employees distribute water for people without water Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024, in Helena, Arkansas. AP
The state National Guard has brought in a water truck to provide potable water, and a 16-stall portable shower was brought in for residents to use. Each day, distribution sites for the water have seen a steady line of people filling up on water to use for their homes.
“It’s very difficult when you get up in the morning and you can’t take a bath, you can’t shower,” Mack Williams, 59, said as he picked up bottled water from a county distribution site. “You’ve got five, six, seven, eight people in the house, it’s very difficult.”
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Gerald Jennings has been using a yellow bucket to catch rainwater to boil, then use to bathe and flush toilets. He said he knows of others doing the same thing.
Phillips County fill one gallon jugs as other employees distribute water for people without water. AP
“I’ve got to use what nature gave me, which was the rain,” the 58-year-old retiree said as he stood outside his home. “We got lucky that it was raining during this particular time.”
Laprece Stayton, a 40-year-old beautician, was picking up water at a distribution site. She said she had running water at her house, but it was low pressure and coming out “a little yellow, a little discolored.” She’s boiling water or not using it at all.
She said she was doing ok because she feels she is not affected as badly as other people and that she did not blame any single person for the issues.
“It’s no one’s fault,” she said. “If you have a car, you can’t keep a car for 60 years without having wear and tear on it. Pipes are going to have wear and tear on them.”
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Phillips County brought in a Mobile Shower unit. AP
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders last week urged a state commission to expedite a $100,000 emergency loan for the city to refurbish two wells and replace valves in the city’s water system. The Arkansas Natural Resources Commission has since approved what is the second $100,000 loan the panel has issued the city since last year’s crisis.
Sanders called the loan “part of my administration’s larger efforts to help the city refurbish its water system and prevent future system failures.”
Hall, the county’s Emergency Management director, said he doesn’t know when the water will be restored. He said citizens in general have been understanding of the emergency water distribution process.
Jonathan McDowell, with the National Guard, helps Phillips County employees distribute water. AP
“I’m sure that people are frustrated,” Hall said. “Three-quarters of my 911 dispatchers do not have water at their house right now. They have to come to work and still have to go through with their daily lives.”
The bigger question facing the city is how much the long-term fix to its water system will cost, and who will pay for it. Edwards said it would cost about $5 million to fix the failed well and make fixes to the water plant and other wells that would help keep the city from landing in the same crisis in six months.
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The city’s water outage comes as other towns face problems with their aging water infrastructures. Several other cities faced water shortages in Arkansas during the winter storm. And in neighboring Tennessee, the rural town of Mason was without water for a week after freezing temperatures broke pipes and caused leaks in its neglected system.
Residents in three rural communities in far eastern Kentucky along the Virginia border have also been without water for more than a week after freezing weather.
“What’s happening here can and will happen in other places,” said Edwards, the director of an industrial park assisting during the water crisis. “We’ve got a lot of utilities in this state that have aging problems, and I hope this will be a cautionary tale for what officials in other communities can do to avoid being in this circumstance.”
LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — Dr. Shirin Saeidi, former director of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville’s Center for Middle East Studies, has officially been fired following alleged pro-Iranian regime stances and anti-Israel remarks.
Saeidi was given a warning letter in July from the Dean of the Fulbright College, Brian Raines, after she allegedly used the school’s letterhead to campaign for the release of Hamid Nouri, who was convicted by a Swedish court in 2022 for ordering the execution of thousands of political prisoners at Gohardasht Prison in 1988.
Saeidi was suspended in December 2025 following posts on X in support of Palestine and former Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, referenced in the letter sent to Saeidi.
Raines expressed that her posts could be harmful to the university, especially its Israeli and Jewish students.
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I am very concerned by your repeated statement that Israel, a nation recognized by the United States, must be ‘dismantled’, including being ‘dismantled by international forces,’” Raines wrote. “This could be taken as advocacy for a military invasion and destruction of a U.S. ally, which is not similar to criticism that would be voiced against any other nation.
Such statements are likely to create a chilling effect on many Israelis or Jews considering involvement with our Middle East Studies Program, and others, as well,” Raines added. “It also undermines any perception of our program as a scholarly and objective source of research and information rather than indoctrination.
I am also concerned that your actions reflect lack of judgement and are requiring repreated involvement from my office, creating unnecessary controversy and distracting from other university priorities.
Saeidi’s X account is suspended, and previous posts cannot be found.
Raines said that her actions could “undercut any notion of diverse intellectual opportunity when it comes to one of the most important political issues in the Middle East.”
In February 2026, the University of Arkansas Faculty Committee on Appointment, Promotion and Tenure voted unanimously to restore Saeidi to her position as associate professor of political science at the university.
Despite the unanimous vote, on March 30, UofA President, Dr. Jay Silveria, overruled the unanimous decision, terminating Saeidi effective immediately.
In his written response, Silveria cited concerns that the university could lose funding as a result of Saeidi’s comments.
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I am also concerned that the University could suffer a reduction or elimination of funding under Ark. Code Ann. 6-16-2004 if its responses to antisemitism are determined to be inadequate,” Silveria wrote. “Moreover, other institutions of higher education have endured funding losses at the federal level due to their insufficient responses to antisemitism under Title VI. Such an outcome could be devastating to the University of Arkansas—not just disruptive.
Saeidi and her legal team are expected to appeal the decision.
The game is scheduled to begin Thursday at 6 p.m. at Plainsman Park (6,300) in Auburn, Alabama.
RECORDS
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Arkansas: 19-11, 4-5 SEC
Auburn: 20-8, 4-5 SEC
STREAKS
Arkansas: Lost 4
Auburn: Lost 4
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LAST 10 GAMES
Arkansas: 5-5
Auburn: 4-6
COACHES
Arkansas: Dave Van Horn — 952-483 in 24th season at Arkansas and 1,272-640 in 32nd season overall in Division I.
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Auburn: Butch Thompson — 344-240-1 in 11th season at Auburn and overall in Division I.
SERIES HISTORY
Arkansas leads 56-50
LAST MEETING
Auburn defeated Arkansas 8-6 on March 23, 2024, in Auburn to salvage a game in a 2-1 series loss.
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TELEVISION
The game will be televised by ESPN2 and can be accessed on WatchESPN.com and via the ESPN app (subscriber login required). Richard Cross (play-by-play) and Jensen Lewis (analyst) will call the game.
RADIO
Phil Elson (play-by-play) will call the game on the Razorback Sports Network, which can be accessed through local FM and AM affiliates, via the Arkansas Razorbacks Gameday app, via the Varsity Network app or on ArkansasRazorbacks.com. Blackouts may apply.
FORECAST
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According to the National Weather Service, Thursday will be partly cloudy with a high of 83 degrees and a low of 62 in Auburn. Southeast winds will be around 5 mph.
STARTING PITCHERS
Arkansas: RHP Gabe Gaeckle (3-2, 3.58 ERA, 1.53 WHIP in 32 2/3 innings).
Auburn: RHP Andreas Alvarez (4-1, 0.85 ERA, 0.99 WHIP in 31 2/3 innings).
TEAM COMPARISONS
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Earned Run Avg.: Arkansas 4.02; Auburn 3.06
WHIP: Arkansas 1.24; Auburn 1.11
Scoring Avg.: Arkansas 7.30; Auburn 6.46
Batting Avg.: Arkansas .281; Auburn .285
Opp. Batting Avg.: Arkansas .230; Auburn .218
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Slugging Pct.: Arkansas .483; Auburn .426
On-Base Pct.: Arkansas .382; Auburn .399
OPS: Arkansas .865; Auburn .825
Fielding Pct.: Arkansas .977; Auburn .974
Run Differential: Arkansas +3.00; Auburn +2.89
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RPI: Arkansas 66; Auburn 4
SOS: Arkansas 48; Auburn 1
WHAT TO KNOW
• The Tigers are ranked 11th and the Razorbacks are ranked 16th in the USA Today Baseball Coaches Poll.
• Arkansas is 2-2 on the road. Auburn is 13-4 at home.
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• This is the first of three games between the Razorbacks and the Tigers. They are scheduled to play Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m.
MORE FROM WHOLEHOGSPORTS
• Arkansas baseball’s record streak as a ranked team might be in jeopardy ahead of Auburn series
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders today announced the fifth installment of Faces of Arkansas, a monthly series highlighting Arkansans whose portraits and stories are displayed at the entrance to the Governor’s office as a reminder of who the Governor and her team serve every day: the people of Arkansas. The series was launched to keep the focus of public service rooted in the individuals and communities that make the state what it is.
Each month, a different Arkansan is featured through a written profile, portrait photography, and a short video, with their framed photo hanging inside the Capitol. Selections are based on individuals who make Arkansas function — whether by serving as the heartbeat of their local communities, overcoming obstacles to achieve their dreams, or playing an essential role in their industry.
This installment features Jolinda Bryant, of Conway, Department of Human Services Fiscal Support Specialist.
Jolinda Bryant at her office at Conway Human Development Center. Photo credit: Will Newton.
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Jolinda Bryant – I Just Do It
For nearly 60 years, Jolinda Bryant has made the same drive to work. Two miles there. Two miles home.
It is a detail she offers the way she talks about most things: plainly, without trying to make too much of them. But in many ways, that steady routine says everything about her. For decades, Bryant has shown up to the Conway Human Development Center with the same sense of purpose that first brought her there in 1966: to do her job well, to help where she is needed, and to keep going.
“I’ve always worked,” she said. “It’s just my way of life.”
This week marks 60 years of service for Bryant, a milestone she will officially reach on April 2nd.
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Bryant is currently the State of Arkansas’ longest-tenured employee, having spent nearly six decades in public service, all at the same center, all rooted in commitment to the local families needing assistance.
She serves as a fiscal support specialist for the Department of Human Services in Conway, where her work keeps the daily operations of the center moving, from balancing accounts to reconciling statements to assisting wherever the office needs her. But her story is not one she tells in terms of titles or milestones. She tells it in habits. In responsibilities. In the simple discipline of doing what needs to be done.
At her desk, Bryant still keeps a handwritten book to track part of her daily work. When the numbers match and everything balances, she writes one short note beside the day’s entry: “BAL.” Then she closes the book and starts again the next day.
Bryant came to Conway as a teenager and graduated from vocational school after high school, where she learned the skills that would help shape her career: shorthand, typing, adding machines, and the basics of office work. College was out of reach at the time, so she got to work. After marrying her husband, Rob, at 19, she knew she needed a job. Through a connection to the personnel director at what was then called the Arkansas Children’s Colony, she got an interview and has been there ever since.
Over the years, she has worked through sweeping changes in both the workplace and the world around it. She started with typewriters and handwritten ledgers. She watched the center evolve, its systems modernize, and its leadership change through multiple administrations, superintendents, and business managers. She saw the move from paper to computers, even if, as she puts it, that transition was “a terrible adjustment” at first.
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“I hate computers,” she said with a laugh. “I can’t help it.” Still, she adapted, as she always has. That same willingness to step in wherever needed became the hallmark of her career. For 22 years, Bryant also served as acting supervisor for the center’s switchboard, on top of her regular duties, often without extra pay. She worked nights, weekends, and long shifts when necessary. Even after officially retiring for a brief period in 2005, she returned after just two months. During that time away, she still came in after hours to help keep the books balanced.
“I felt like I still had some work ethic in me,” she said.
That instinct – to keep helping, to keep showing up – runs through every part of her story.
Bryant describes herself as a people person, someone who can strike up a conversation anywhere and leave knowing someone’s life story. At work, that has meant more than just balancing numbers. It has meant checking in on coworkers, filling in when others are out, helping staff through hard times, and making herself available whenever someone needs a hand.
“I just want to be a help,” she said. “Just for people to know, hey, I’m here if you need me.”
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That spirit has made her a steady presence in the office, but also in the lives of the people around her. Outside of work, Bryant has taught two-year-olds in Sunday school for roughly 45 years. She has watched generations of children grow up, get married, and start families of their own. She speaks about those years the same way she speaks about her work life: as a natural extension of who she is.
She does not seem especially interested in being celebrated. More than once, Bryant brushed aside the attention that comes with recognition, insisting she is “just a plain Jane person” who loves her job.
But spend a few minutes with her, and that description begins to shift. She is quick to tell a story, quicker to ask about yours, the kind of person who rarely meets a stranger and rarely leaves a conversation without knowing something about the person in front of her. When asked what it means to stand out after 60 years of service, she answered simply: “You don’t do it for such as this. You do it because you have a passion for what you do.”
That may be exactly why her story resonates.
In an age that often prizes movement, reinvention, and visibility, Bryant’s life offers a quieter example of purpose: staying, serving, and finding meaning not in the spotlight, but in usefulness. Her career has been built not on spectacle, but on consistency. On the belief that even the work people do not always see still matters deeply.
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She never speaks of time the way others might.
“No, it does not seem at all,” she said when asked whether 60 years feels like a long time. “I never think about length of time. I don’t. I just do it.”
As long as she is able, Bryant says she plans to continue coming in. There is still work to do. Still people to help. Still another day’s balance to check. For nearly 60 years, Arkansas has had Jolinda Bryant quietly at work in Conway – steady, dependable, and just doing what she has always done.
