Progress 2023: ‘We’re so glad you could join us…’

By Ralph Hardin

Evening Times Editor

Another year and we’re all still here… and by “we” I don’t just mean the Evening Times. I mean all of you, our readers and our community. Let’s admit it, it has not been an easy past few years.

About this time a year ago when we were putting our annual Progress edition out, it was still a time of uncertainty. We were still dealing with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Full disclosure, we did not actually put out a Progress edition in 2020 due to the aforementioned pandemic, but this year’s version marks 44 years since the Times first put out a Progress section, and although I was alive back then, I was only five years old so I don’t remember it.

So much has changed in the years since that first Progress section rolled off the presses. The world is much more different from the world of even 10 years ago so 25 or 40 years… or even since the 66 years since the first edition of the Evening Times came out… time marches on and change is inevitable. “Progress” is defined as “forward or onward movement toward a destination or goal.” And for years now, Crittenden County has made great progress, if not in search of a particular destination, at least toward a goal of improving the quality of life for its residents.

In the year that has passed since our 2022 Progress edition, there has been plenty of, well, progress in our community.

Businesses have come and gone. Some of our favorite people are no longer with us. We have seen growth in some industries but in others we have seen closures and loss.

Our local schools continue to be a source of pride for our community and you can learn about just some of the growth and change that our schools have seen in the last year, including a major investment by the West Memphis School District to build new schools with state-ofthe- art features and the Marion School District investing equally major funds to improving its already existing facilities and take bold new steps toward the future with 21st centuryminded educational ideas. Our schools now put an emphasis on such modern learning practices such as science and mathematics, robotics, esports and more.

Crittenden County continues to embrace change through continued solid leadership and forward-thinking people in those roles.

We have a new mayor in Marion. Tracy Brick has taken the helm of the city after Frank Barton chose not to seek another term.

Oh, and you might have heard about the new mayor in Earle. Jaylen Smith, a 19-year-old college freshman has become a bit of a media sensation since winning that seat, vacated by Sherman Smith at the end of his term.

West Memphis mayor Marco McClendon was re-elected. He has pledged to keep the community on a #winnigstreak over the next four years. with an initiative to upgrade nearly all of its municipal buildings, starting this past year with new fire stations and a new multimedia library and learning center.

All across Crittenden County you see growth.

The Crawfordsville community has expanded its popular Hometown Festival and added more events to the calendar.

ASU Mid-South continues to grow via new programs and courses of study, giving local and regional residents a chance at a higher education or learning a trade without breaking the bank or leaving the area.

Who knows what additional “progress” we’ll see in 2023?