As we move closer to January 1 and 2023, let’s take a look back at some of the biggest news stories of 2022 on Saline River Chronicle. From fires, trials, to the Courthouse renovation project, 2022 was a year of ups and downs, as all tend to be. SRC saw another big year of growth with over 285,000 readers visiting the site. Here are some of the top stories they read:
- March 30, 2022 – Warren High School Fire – Undoubtably one of the biggest stories of the year was the March 30 Warren High School fire. Breaking out in the late afternoon hours of that Wednesday in March, the fire engulfed the entire auxiliary gym on the north end of the building, and numerous part of the rest of the building were damaged by smoke and water. Saline River Chronicle arrived quickly on the scene and live-streamed the firefighting efforts by the Warren Fire Department, Bradley County Rural, Banks Fire, as well as the Monticello Fire Department, which proved critical in Warren’s High School being salvageable. Since that March day, students have been attending class in temperary structures on campus as the building is repaired. To read our original report CLICK HERE. Around 58 thousand people have watched the live-streamed video of the fire to-date. Even more read the full reporting on SRC.
- October 22, 2022-Forest Fire Near Warren – One of the other big stories of the year was the October wildfire just west of Warren. The fire began during a major period of drought in South Arkansas, and required the superb effort of local firemen and state personnel to extinguish. To read the first reporting SRC posted on the fire CLICK HERE.
- May 20, 2022 – Man with Warren ties charged in shooting of Kingsland water tower – In one of the more bizarre articles to ever find its way onto SRC, an incident of a man vandalizing the Kingsland Johnny Cash water tower made one of the top read articles of 2022. CLICK HERE to read the orginal report.
- February 20, 2022 – Over 20 South Arkansas Family Dollar stores closed after FDA investigation finds live and dead rodents and more at West Memphis distribution facility – Another really odd story that made one of the most read list of the past year was the temporary closure of the several area Family Dollar stores due to the discovery of rodents and rodent activity at a distribution center in West Memphis. After an FDA investigation found over 1,100 dead rodents following a fumigation of the distribution center in West Memphis in January of 2022, a large number of Family Dollar stores were shut down for a period of time. That included the Warren, Crossett, Fordyce, Hamburg, Hampton, Monticello, and Star City locations, as well as many others. Read the full article by CLICKING HERE.
- October 3, 2022 – Three people flown to Little Rock after firetruck and ATV collide – In early October three individuals were med-flighted to Little Rock after a crash involving a firetruck and a side-by-side ATV on Bradley 238 near Banks, a quarter of a mile north of Mobley Branch. Read the full article by CLICKING HERE.
- November 4, 2022 – Three people arrested on controlled substance with intent charges – One of the top viewed stories on SRC for 2022 involved the arrest of three locals on drug and gun related charges. To read the original reporting, CLICK HERE.
- April 12, 2022 – Former Warren School employee arrested for rape – Unfortunately one of the top stories of 2022 involved the arrest of a former Warren School employee, Kaitlyn Raines, on two counts of rape and computer exploitation of a child. To read the original report, CLICK HERE.
- August 31, 2022 – Antario Gilbert found guilty of 2nd degree murder in 2021 shooting death of Shaun Ingram – Another top story that sadly impacted the community was the murder of local man Shaun Ingram. In late August SRC reported a guilty verdict for his killer, Antario Gilbert. Gilbert received a 30 year prison sentence. He is eligible for parole in seven and a half years. To read the story CLICK HERE.
- June 16, 2022 – Banks woman reported missing – This case remains unsolved the SRC provided an update report in December of 2022. Martha Bradford of Banks was last seen Wednesday, June 15 near her home in the Blue Springs community nearly Bradley 11 North. To read the full original report, CLICK HERE. Our follow-up report in December was also one of our top read stories of 2022. To read it, CLICK HERE.
- December 19, 2022 – Courthouse bell tower in place – To round out our top stories of 2022, we end it on a positive note. A project that was nearly a full year in the making, Bradley County’s historic Courthouse tower was hoisted back into place after an extensive restoration process. To read the original report, CLICK HERE.
Editor’s Note: The above articles are not in any particular order. They are the most read articles of 2022. We plan on writing a separate article prior to January 1 detailing some of Bradley County’s most positive and inspirational articles of the year.
