Good morning, Jonesboro.

The First United Methodist Church of Jonesboro will host a Pet Blessing event on Sunday, October 5 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the church parking lot at the corner of Union Street and Matthews Avenue—animals will receive a personal blessing and a small gift while donations for the Northeast Arkansas Humane Society are accepted.

First United Methodist Church of Jonesboro is hosting a Pet Blessing event on Oct.

5 from 2 to 3 p.m. in the parking lot at Union Street and Matthews Avenue—residents may bring leashed pets, photos, or stuffed animals for a blessing and donate needed supplies for the Northeast Arkansas Humane Society.

Marybeth Byrd, an American Idol and The Voice finalist, performed a free outdoor concert at the Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library on Sept.

19 and drew community members who sat on lawn chairs and blankets—enjoying classic hits and modern songs. The library said more concerts will be planned as part of its campaign to celebrate local stories.

Bradbury Art Museum will host monthly artist talks with live drawing demonstrations and discussions as part of its fall exhibitions—Shelby Shadwell will speak on Sept.

29 at 4:15 p.m., Chenxi Gao will present on Oct. 31 from 4:15 to 5 p.m., and Somayeh Faal will hold a talk and opening on Nov. 13 from 4 to 7 p.m. The events will take place on campus at Fowler Center and nearby venues.

Power outages hit Region 8 on Friday morning as storms moved through the area.

Craighead Electric Cooperative and Entergy Arkansas reported outages ranging from 1 to 569—affecting several communities.

Governor Sanders announced on September 9 that health insurance plans for 308,662 Arkansans managed by Centene and Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield will see premium increases reduced by 35.8% compared to earlier proposals—new rates will take effect January 1st.

Jonesboro Fire Chief Marty Hamrick explained that when drivers see emergency vehicles with flashing lights & sirens they must pull over or slow down so first responders can reach scenes quickly.

He added that those who cannot move over should stop to let traffic pass as required by Arkansas’s Move Over law.

Justice of the Peace Garrett Barnes announced his re-election for District 2 and will host a town hall on October 2 at 5:30 p.m. at the Craighead County Library—residents can enjoy free refreshments while Barnes discusses improvements for local government and community services.

St. Bernards Healthcare hosted its annual Men’s Health Day free screening event in Jonesboro on Friday as part of Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, offering prostate cancer screenings at the St. Bernards Auditorium—early detection may make treatment easier.

Westside beat Riverview on September 19th in a high school football game—local teams showed strong effort throughout the contest.

Former Arkansas coach Danny Ford warned the Razorbacks today to be ready for a hard game as they face Memphis at 11 a.m. Ford said Memphis will play with great effort and reminded everyone of past close contests (using his experience with tough teams).

Tobymac & Mercyme Concert

7-8:30 p.m. — First National Bank Arena — Ticket information available — Experience the dynamic sounds of TobyMac and MercyMe at a night of inspiring music.

A-State Red Wolves Volleyball vs Southern Miss

12:00 – 2:30 p.m. — Arkansas State University Gym — Tickets available — Watch the A-State Red Wolves take on Southern Miss in an exciting volleyball match.