January 2022

The Corning Chamber of Commerce held its first luncheon since March 2020 on Monday, Jan. 10 at the Parkview Restaurant in Corning. The organization halted the luncheons due to the pandemic. As the Chamber resumes their luncheons, as in the past, each meeting will be held in a local restaurant and will feature a guest speaker who will share information with attendees. There is a change to the date of the meetings to the second Monday of the month at 11:30 a.m.

The Omicron variant of Covid-19 has quickly spread across Arkansas and its spread is creeping into Clay County with Covid-19 cases having increased from 58 active cases two weeks ago on Dec. 28 to 173 cases on Monday, Jan. 10 reaching 195 on Tuesday, Jan. 11. Dr. Thompson, President of the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement (ACHI) said he believes there are a couple factors that are impacting the fast spread of the Omicron virus in Arkansas. “We’re all tired of it. I mean, number one, and also, I think while we had heard about the Omicron variant, it’s only in the last couple of weeks that we’re experiencing how much more infectious it is. It really is uncontrolled spread through communities. And, I think, you know, folks are coming off the holidays, not fully aware how dangerous this is. I mean, we’ve got more than 1,000 folks in the hospital today and we’ve had more than 175 deaths just since New Year’s.”

A reception was held on Monday, Dec. 27 at the Eastern District Courthouse in Piggott for Clay County Clerk Pat Poole to commemorate her retirement. Poole acquired a vast knowledge about county business over her nearly 34 years in the office and was known for her professionalism. Brande Boyd, who has worked in the county clerk office for six years will serve as county clerk until Poole’s term ends Dec. 31, 2022.