Latest news with #BobTharp
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Decatur pool free to residents all summer
DECATUR, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — The Decatur Public Swimming Pool will open for the 2025 season on Monday, June 2 — and will be free to enter all summer. Located at 408 Pool St, Decatur, AR, the pool's opening day hours are from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Attendees can receive free hot dogs and trees while supplies last, according to Decatur mayor Bob Tharp. One year later: Decatur residents reflect on progress after tornado Admission will also be free for the entire season, supported by contributions from local businesses and residents who aided 2024 tornado recovery efforts. The pool's summer hours will be Monday through Saturday, from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Those interested in hosting pool parties can contact the city at 479-752-3912 for reservations. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
One year later: Decatur residents reflect on progress after tornado
DECATUR, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Memorial Day marks one year since an EF-3 tornado ravaged the small town of Decatur. On Monday, residents spent the day reflecting on the progress they have made toward recovery. 'We're celebrating and remembering a day that was terrible a year ago. We had just gone through the tornado, devastation on the east side, west side, south side of town, and we didn't know what to do,' Bob Tharp, the Mayor of Decatur, said. 'There's a lot of healing yet to be done.' One resident, Rita Wilkins, has lived in Decatur for nearly thirty years. During the event, she recalled the unexpected hardship her family had faced over the past two years. She says that first, it was a house fire in November of 2023. 'With the house fire, we lost a lot. We lost our home that we'd had for over 30 years. We had built the home in '89, and so it was devastating to lose that and to start over at our age,' Wilkins said. A look at Rogers one year after deadly tornado Wilkins says that after the fire, there was not much left. However, they picked up what was salvageable and packed it away in a shed on their property, in preparation for the day they'd rebuild. Yet just a couple of months later, the EF-3 tornado took all that remained. 'We had stored everything in like a shed there, like a garage. So, it actually took the roof off of that and destroyed that, and then it destroyed two of our chicken houses we had as well,' Wilkins said. The damage to the Wilkins' property can still be seen one year later, but she says there's one thing that's kept her family standing. 'Jesus. Faith… Just the strong faith that I have, I believe we're going to get through it. I mean, it's going to take some time still,' Wilkins said. The event concluded with Mayor Tharp reading a proclamation of remembrance. Residents impacted by the tornado were also invited to take home a tree seedling to replace their lost trees. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Decatur wastewater treatment plant hit with tariffs
DECATUR, Ark. (KNWA/FOX24) — Decatur is feeling the effects of new tariffs on Chinese imports being carried out by the White House in the form of a 145% increase on parts needed at their wastewater treatment plant. The city uses a unique filtration system involving membranes, which helps filter the water at the plant. The filters are made in Japan and then shipped to China for processing before they make their way to the United States. Siloam Springs police discuss Dogwood Festival terroristic threat arrest The city had an original budget of $6 million set aside for the updates. Decatur Mayor Bob Tharp said that because of the tariffs, the city is now over budget. 'We didn't realize that there were tariffs on those membranes, the original purchase, until all of the tariffs that's been done recently. So, what's going to happen is we're going to spend $2.5 million more out of that ($6 million) because of tariffs,' Tharp said. Because the city is now over budget, Tharp reached out to President Donald Trump to get financial relief. He has yet to hear back from the White House. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
