Newport is a beautiful city nestled in the heart of Northeast Arkansas. With a population of around 8,000, this city is home to many families and a number of growing businesses. We have a special emphasis on education and work hard to keep Jackson County Schools ranked among the leading schools in Arkansas.  If you are relocating to Newport for business or a student studying at Arkansas State University (Go Red Wolves!), we are here to assist you with all the information you need.  You will find information about real estate, local commerce, great restaurants, night life, and more here in Newport’s leading online guide.

Arkansas has a hidden treasure that sits along the beautiful White River called Newport.  The city is settled in the place where Native American tribes such as the Choctaw and Quapaw originally made their home.  Newport is settled in a great location within an easy drive of both of Arkansas’ big cities.  It is only 50 miles from Jonesboro and 90 miles from the capital, Little Rock.

Newport is not a new city by any stretch.  It was first incorporated in the 1870’s, but it originated many years before the Civil War.  The White River brought people to Newport in the beginning. As steamboats came through it was the natural place to settle a town.  Around 1892, it was deemed as the Jackson County seat and it continued to prosper through the early 1900’s.  Railroads were soon added which brought more people into the small town and soon it became home to various general stores, hotels, banks, saloons, and even an opera house.  With its location at the White River, Newport blossomed as the leading distributor of fresh pearls.  People from around the country ordered pearl buttons from Newport.

The city experienced continued growth in the early twentieth century and in 1942, it became home to military base.  Within ten years, Newport was set apart as one of the wealthiest cities in the country.  With such wealth situated in one location, Sam Walton moved to Newport to open his first retail store which he called a “Ben Franklin Five-and-Dime”  As you might know, Sam Walton later became the founder of Wal-Mart.  The Wal-Mart Empire is one of Newport’s major claims to fame today.

If you visit Newport today, you will find that the city is more beautiful than ever.  It maintains its unique history with monuments and museums which make it a great vacation spot for history lovers.  You can visit the Jackson Port State Park and the Jackson Memorial Museum of Funeral Service for a unique historical perspective on the events of the twentieth century.  You can also enjoy hunting or fishing along the White River or buy some of Newport’s famous pearls in one of the many city shops.  Newport is a beautiful city in the heart of Arkansas that has a unique history that played a significant role in the development of the United States as we know it today.

Newport is a town with a rich history that dates back to the early 1800’s when the city first began.  While it was once the home to multiple Native American tribes, it soon became a growing city that served as the Jackson County seat.  With steam boats traveling the White River and new railroads constructed through the town, entrepreneurs viewed Newport as the perfect place to open shops and saloons. In the 1940’s, a man named Sam Walton moved to Newport to start a retail store that he called “Ben Franklin’s Five-and-Dime”.  That was the beginning of what we know as Wal-Mart.

Sam Walton had big dreams when he opened his first store in Newport in 1945.  He leased a 5,000 square foot building for $25,000 and beat the odds to develop a very successful retail company.  Soon, the concept of multiple stores caused Walton to expand his business and open more stores in other cities around the United States.  The name was changed to Wal-Mart and people loved the concept of a one stop shop with greater variety than the typical Mass General Stores could ever offer.

If you are reading this article from any city in the United States, it is likely that you have a Wal-Mart store in your area.  There are currently 709 stores scattered across the United States and the average store spans over 100,000 square feet.  Wal-Mart offers unparalleled employment opportunities with around 225 associates working in each location.  That adds up to nearly 160,000 individuals working in Wal-Mart stores not including the many corporate employees.

In the last ten years, Wal-Mart has expanded its concept to include several variations of its original idea.  The first Wal-Mart model sold clothes, beauty items, electronics, toys, jewelry, among other items.  New Wal-Mart Supercenters are twice as large as the typical stores, averaging 185,000 square feet and employing a minimum of 350 associates at each location.  Currently there are 2,907 of these Supercenters in addition to the 709 original Wal-Mart stores.

As you can see, Newport played an important role in the development of the United States as we know it.  Can you imagine how different things would be if you couldn’t run out to Wal-Mart when you needed groceries, clothing, batteries, or electronics?  Sam Walton’s Wal-Mart will always be the claim to fame for the beautiful town of Newport, Arkansas.

A mother of a rising sophomore in Newport, Arkansas went before the school board asking if there would be the possibility to homeschool her child for a couple a days a week for an hour and half in a Pre-AP Algebra 2 class. This mother as well as mothers for ten other students wanted to see this be a possibility.

The mother stated that certified teachers would teach the class and the student’s families would be responsible fully for any financial needs for the class. She did ask that the school would accept the grade and add to their child’s school transcripts. The students would also take the state mandated exam in the subject as well.

The parents are concerned that the school will not give their rising sophomores adequate teaching in the subject in their school district so asking for the alternative was the next best thing. They want their child to have the best education possible.

The board was intrigued by the idea but had many concerns. The board stated that it would not be fair not to offer the class to all students, especially those not able to pay for class.

They also told the mother that in the State of Arkansas you either send your child to an education learning center or you home school there is not a way to have both. Also noted was that allowing this privilege would result in a revenue loss for the school district as well.

The board was set in it’s decision to not allow this alternative class but they feel the parents concerns. The parents are disappointed in the way the board shot down the idea.

I was talking with my husband tonight about our bucket list. We’ve been trying to form a bucket list for a few years now, but distractions and other obligations inevitably prevent us from creating a good list. One of the suggestions we came up with for our list was to see every state. That of course led into which states we really had no idea about. The shortlist was Vermont, Idaho, Iowa, and Arkansas. We came to the conclusion that we knew enough about Vermont that if we were to go we’d be getting maple syrup and going skiing.

If we went to Idaho we would reenact scenes from Napoleon Dynamite. Iowa made us rethink visiting every state, but that had more to do with my first experience with flat farmland than anything. Then there was Arkansas. So here’s what an outsider knows about Arkansas. I fear to think what an outsider might say about North Carolina. North Carolina is first in basketball and lung cancer.

Arkansas is home to former President Bill Clinton. I saw his house once on a PBS special. Looks a lot like our house. Small, nothing fancy. I appreciate that. Arkansas is the former home to Jed Clampet and the Beverly Hillbillies. Again, nice people. So far Arkansas has nice people and oil, black gold, Texas tea….sorry, couldn’t resist. Arkansas is the former home to Billy Ray Cyrus. Ok, nice people, had oil, and rocks a mullet. Arkansas is the natural state. We like natural things in our home. In fact we try to go green or all natural whenever possible. So, let’s recap. Arkansas has nice people, oil, mullets, and they are all natural. I think we need to go to Arkansas!

With all this talk today about being “green” and being kind to the environment – people are always looking for ways to waste less and conserve more. Here are a few places you can make some changes to be a little nicer to the planet this year.

1. Reusable shopping bags. We all have them – hundreds of plastic shopping bags crumpled up and stuffed into another bag – just waiting to be re-used as a garbage can liner or to hold a dirty diaper – but have you considered doing away with them altogether and using cloth, canvas, or some other reusable tote to do your shopping? Some stores will even give a discount if you bring in your own shopping bags.

2. Install a water purifier. There are hundreds of thousands of plastic water bottles clogging our landfills today- by purchasing and installing a water purifier onto your kitchen faucet and drinking from a reusable bottle, less waste goes in the trash, and you still get great tasting water.

3. Consider the purchase of a hybrid vehicle. Hybrid cars run off of a combination of gasoline and battery power. Some concept cars can run in all electric mode all of the time, or in a combination mode as a fuel cells car if you choose. Hybrid and electric vehicles emit less harmful pollutants into the air, which is better for the environment. In some areas, electric cars are beginning to soar in popularity – more and more cities are installing charging docks for the electric car or electric scooter, making them more of a viable purchase option. If you aren’t up for buying a brand new vehicle, consider make a car conversion to electric using a kit.

4. Cloth diapers- if you have small children, you know the biggest expense is diapers, hands down. The average family can spend $2000 (or more!) on diapers and wipes from birth to potty training. One way to combat the cost of that necessary expense is to use cloth diapers. We have used cloth diapers on our son since he was 2 weeks old, and we have come to prefer it over disposables. In addition to the money we’re saving, we’re not clogging our trash can, and a landfill, with dirty diapers! Today’s cloth diapers are not the ones our moms and grandmas used – they are easy to use, and to launder, and we have been very happy with our investment in them!

5. Consider a high efficiency washer and dryer. High efficiency washing machines get clothes cleaner using less water, and less detergent. If you’re a family who does lots of laundry, you want a washer that will hold up to lots of use without astronomical operating costs. Many who have switched to HE machines say they have lowered their electric and water costs each month since they have switched.

There are all kinds of ways you can make simple switches to be kinder to Planet Earth. Hopefully this list has gotten the wheels turning on other things you can do in your own life to be a little more green this year.

I’ll admit that visiting a funeral home is not something I ever look forward to doing, and I never thought that such a thing as a funeral home museum could even possibly exist, much less that I would ever be touring it. It turns out that just such a museum does exist and it is located in Newport, Arkansas which happened to be where my family decided to have the family reunion last summer. For some reason my husband really wanted to go to the museum and since he wasn’t complaining (much) about having to spend the entire week surrounded by my family members, I agreed to go with him.

It turns out that the museum was a lot more interesting than I ever would have thought possible. The museum, which is called Jackson Memorial Museum of Funeral Service, is not nearly as creepy or macabre as I thought it would be. In fact it was quite fascinating. Anyone who is fascinated with history should definitely make an effort to swing by and see it the next time you are in Arkansas.

I never realized how interesting the history of funeral homes really can be. I have never stopped to think about how differently we, as a culture, handle death and burials now, as opposed to how things were done a hundred years ago. Technology really has made a difference.

After looking at the antique coffins that the museum was using in their displays I’m a little envious of the people who got to actually be buried in the. I always assumed that people were just buried in a pine box, but I was wrong. Some of the caskets, especially the old brass ones, are true works of art.

One of the great things about the part of Arkansas where my family resides is that the sporting events are amazing, which is convenient since I happen to love sports. When I was younger I spent a considerable amount of time going to college and professional sporting events. Now that I am a dad, I find myself driving my kids from one of their own games to the next. Last fall my son’s football team even won the state championship.

I love watching my kids play, but I am not nearly as crazy about the amount of down time I have once I get to the games. I swear that it seems like my kids and I run around like a bunch of chickens with their head cut off only to get to the location of the game and spend hours waiting. The boredom was driving me mad.

When I am at home and watching sports on television, I used to play bingo online during the commercial breaks. I loved the fact that I could play UK bingo, at the same time that I was also watching the Razorbacks dominate on the football field. I remember sitting in many bleachers, freezing, and thinking that the time would go much faster if I just play bingo games while I waited for the game to finally get underway.

Now I can. The best online bingo websites now have an application that I can download to my iPod and cell phone. As long as I can get a decent wireless connection, the apps make it possible for me to play bonus bingo games while I wait for my kids to take the field. It is amazing how much faster the time passes now that I can play bingo games while I wait.

I am trying to get my kids interested in being able to play bingo games. There are so many great things that they will get from bingo games. A recent study was done and it turned out that bingo did more to improve mental agility that games like chess and backgammon. Playing the game on a regular basis will help improve their short term memories and also improve their ability to recognize changes in the world that they live in. I have discovered that seeing my kids playing bingo is almost as exciting as watching them storm onto the football field or basketball court.

Susan was the product of a rough life. Her parents had died in a fire when she was just a baby. She was always referred to by her grandparents as a miracle to everyone. She had been found amongst the ruins of their home by a fireman. It was only when he picked her up that he realized she had survived the fire. Covered in soot her burns were hidden well. It was the love of her grandparents that nursed her back to health, pouring themselves into her little life, willing her to fight.

As time went by, her wounds began to heal, but the scars remained. Her grandfather taught her to ride horses and she hid behind her riding abilities to hide the pain she felt. Although she could not remember her parents, she felt their absence. Her grandparents were growing older,  and she spent more time taking care of them, than them her. She loved them, but longed for a life with parents like her peers from school held.

She hid her scars at all costs. Children had been cruel with their remarks over the years. Her sixteenth birthday brought the death of her grandfather. She found him in the barn when he never made it home for dinner. His loss brought back feelings she had long suppressed and she threw herself even further into her riding.

In her last year of high school she threw herself on her horse after a hard day at school. She could not bear the taunts any longer. She never even spoke to her grandmother leaving only her bag on the front steps and the missing horse as a sign of her homecoming. She rode hard and took no notice to the sun setting on the horizon. It was then that her life changed. Her horse lost his footing in the thick dark fog of the evening. She was thrown down onto a rock. She remembers nothing past falling, she woke up in a hospital.

Newport, Arkansas became her home after that. Her aged grandmother could no longer care for her. Relatives moved her into a nursing home and Susan was sent to Arkansas where she could receive advanced medical care. Her scars from her burns added to her complications of paralysis.

A hospital volunteer, about the same age as Susan took a genuine interest in Susan. She brought an old laptop from home so that Susan could play games online. Candy showed Susan all of her favorite websites like Fluffy Favorites and the girls slowly began to share a friendship. Therapy was hard and Susan would come back to her room and play landmarkbingo and no deposit bingo sites. Candy would offer Susan some friendly competition which kept the conversations flowing and Susan’s spirits up.

After month of rehab it was realized that Susan had no place to go. Home was no longer an option, as she could not live alone. Candy’s parents had recently built on an addition at their home, and they extended an invitation for Susan to come and live with them. For the first time, Susan felt like she was part of a family. Between therapy sessions and family game nights, Susan played all her favorite no deposit bingo sites. She even joined an online bingo league where the money went to help children who had lost their parents at a young age. Susan continued to play her favorites like wow bingo and landmarkbingo. Her life had not worked out the way she had hoped, but she was going to be alright.

I’ve been lifelong friends with a couple of guys here in Newport and we get together every week for a ‘boy’s night out’ to unwind and catch up. Last month we were talking about how the women in our lives don’t appreciate our tradition and the steadily increasing cost to eat out and then do a movie or go to the casino. We started looking for something new, something different, that we could do at home instead of going out that would be entertaining.

With just a little research, we discovered online betting!  While Newport, Arkansas has a casino in town, the men of Newport no longer have to leave home to place our bets! This is just as easy as can be. Now that we have found a solution and stay home more, our wives and girlfriends don’t mind us getting together so much. We still eat out but then rotate each time to one of our places or we can even bet together from our individual homes! All we need is our laptops and internet connections and we are set to go!

These days online betting isn’t just your standard poker game or blackjack. We found there is also betting online for sports of all types. There is NFL betting, cricket betting, horse racing and other types of sports betting too. Trying your hand at online sports betting is easy. Basically, you pick your sport, decide what you want to bet on what you think the outcome of the sporting event will be and hope you win. There are limitless sites available where you can place your bets online in many categories.

The sports betting  hobby isn’t new but now the internet has made it possible for everyone to get in on the action whether you have access to a casino or not. We made a few mistakes in the beginning and learned a few lessons. After taking a step back we did some investigating and learned to avoid the scams and find good quality game sites. We also did a lot of research and read reviews to find the most respected sites. Then we looked over the websites themselves to see payment methods, bonuses and betting options for the players.

Some of us found out the hard way to stick to betting on what we know. Cricket betting was fun but not knowing a lot about the sport or how it’s played lost us a few dollars. We had some beginner’s luck but online betting is still a form of gambling so there’s never a guarantee you will win. Each time we get together we set aside $20 or $30 for betting so we don’t go overboard but have a good time. Betting what we can afford keeps it entertaining and betting together helps keep us from getting addicted to betting online.  If you are interested in a new hobby, check out these links and try out sports betting sites for yourself!

• Learn the basics of online betting Canada rules and regulations at this site.
• Get the latest sports betting news ranging from NFL football betting to cricket betting here.
• Before you start betting online, read reviews here to avoid scams.
• If you and your buddies are looking for MMA betting online sites, look no further than this site.

Newport is a growing city where people can enjoy the slow paced lifestyle that only Arkansas can offer.  As more people move into the city, contractors are staying busy with new construction projects throughout the year.  The real estate market around the country has been slow over the past few years, but in Newport things are still holding steady.  Newport contractors are making special upgrades to the new homes to make them more appealing to buyers.  This seems to be making a world of difference in the percentage of homes that sell quickly.

Builders have learned to incorporate little touches of luxury to every home, including starter homes.  Bathrooms in most starter homes are characteristically small with an undersized tub crammed in with a basic toilet and porcelain sink.  Home owners are always looking for something extra when choosing their new house so builders have been taking a special interest in bathroom upgrades such as hot tubs and spas.

By adding extras like whirlpool tubs and saunas, you can make a very basic house seem extravagant.  Contractors have started incorporating larger bathrooms in the floor plans and slightly reducing the size of bedrooms to accommodate these extras.  Home owners don’t seem to notice the difference in the room sizes, but they always notice the gorgeous air bath as soon as they walk in.  This is the major selling point in a home on most occasions.

For smaller houses, contractors are using corner bathtubs which save space and still allow for a beautiful whirlpool.  While these additions might seem expensive, the housing prices have not increased significantly over the past five years.  Home builders are able to add these features by doing some careful research and finding wholesale dealers to provide their hot tubs at a discounted rate when they buy multiple units at each sale.

You can also find wholesale bathtubs to increase the resell value of your home by looking on the internet.  There are multiple dealers that will offer builder prices to home owners.  You just have to know where to find them.  If you are looking for hot tubs Madison is the place you should start your search.  Look online for Madison hot tubs and enjoy the savings and the luxurious tubs that have Newport home owners happy to be at home.

Insurance is expensive. The sheer amount of money that you spend each year for things like home insurance and motor trader insurance and health insurance is kind of scary. The only times these policies ever seem like a good deal is when you have an accident and have a reason to make a claim. The last thing you want to do is pay more money for your various insurance policies than you absolutely have to.

It does not matter if you are dealing with motor trader insurance or home owners insurance, you always want to be comparing the policy that you currently have with the policies that are available from other insurance companies. If you have rental properties, you want to routinely compare landlords building insurance. One of the easiest ways to compare landlords building insurance as well as other types of insurance policies is by going online. You can use an electoral roll search free to get a list of companies who offer the type of insurance plans that you are looking for.

Make sure you check out each company’s policy concerning multiple coverage discounts. Some companies will allow you to combine all of your various insurance policies to receive a significant discount on your annual premiums.  You should also ask for discounts for having a clean driving record or for having a great credit score.

Getting a lower price on a new insurance policy should not be your only concern. You want to make sure that the company you are dealing with is legitimate. You can check for insurance scams and find tips for identifying a good insurance dealer by using the internet to get free legal advice UK.  The web is a great resource when you need legal guidance on a budget.  You can usually find the answers you need for free when you get online.

Take a cue from the residents of Newport and look online to save money on your insurance policies.  Compare rates and policy details before you make any big decisions.  Don’t forget to ask for discounts and use the internet to avoid scams and find the insurance company that will be the best fit for you.

News reports have been filled with stories about K2 incense in the past few months and residents of Newport, Arkansas are chiming in.  While some have criticized K2 as being a synthetic marijuana product, law makers maintain that some forms of K2 are completely legal when used properly.  Newport residents have been using K2 herbal incense for months and the majority of citizens have enjoyed it.  They have shared many stories of how K2 has been a positive addition to their lives.  Here is what a few of them had to say.

Kathy L. first tried K2 Ultra after her sister called her from Maryland to recommend it.  “I got online and did some research and I found that K2 was not harmful and it could make a real difference for people with a lot of stress.  I ordered the K2 Ultra and I have been using it in my home for several weeks.  At the end of a long day at work, I look forward to coming home to the aroma of K2 Blonde which helps me to relax and enjoy my down time.”

Jeremy B. has been using K2 since he first encountered it in Little Rock on a business trip.  “We went out to dinner one night at this little hippie pizza joint and we noticed an amazing scent as soon as we walked in.  We asked the waitress about it and she told us that they used K2 Citron to keep the restaurant smelling good and help their customers relax.  When I got home to Newport, I got online to buy K2 incense for my own home.  I use K2 Summit almost daily.”

Sarah Y. was suspicious of K2 at first. “I couldn’t believe that a synthetic form of marijuana was really legal or safe.  I started reading about it though and I found out that as long as you avoid fake K2 incense, it is totally harmless.  You can find the real K2 online.”

Sarah provided us with this list of links for those who are interested in locating authentic K2 incense:

• Visit this site to explore the various K2 spice scents including K2 Ultra, K2 Passion Fruit, K2 Sex, K2 Citron, and K2 Blonde.
• Buy K2 online on this site to get the real stuff and avoid fake spice smoke and other K2 knock offs.
• Check out the K2 affiliate program at this link to save money on your K2 purchases.

Smokers in Newport were outraged when the city’s restaurants began to ban smoking.  Today, you are only allowed to smoke outdoors in Newport and many of the outdoor areas are also labeled with signs that say, “No Smoking”.  As it became virtually impossible for smokers to leave home without having nicotine withdrawals, Newport’s smokers discovered the best electronic cigarettes that allow them to smoke anywhere, even in non-smoking areas.

When you use an electronic cigarette, you eliminate the harmful smoke associated with traditional cigarettes.  There is no smell and the smoke is only a slight vapor that no one will be bothered by.  Even people who have a spouse or children with allergies to cigarette smoke can use electronic cigarettes.  By eliminating the smoke, you take away all risks to those around you.  With that in mind, it is perfectly legal to smoke e-cigarettes anywhere, even inside your favorite restaurants or movie theaters.  If the management gives you hard time, you should be prepared to explain that you are not smoking a regular cigarette.  The citizens of Newport often carry a pamphlet that explains the difference so they can continue smoking without being hassled by business owners.

Another advantage of using Premium electronic cigarettes is that you can enjoy various flavors.  You can select cartridges in all kinds of fun options ranging from Chocolate to Menthol or Wild Cherry.  You can also reduce the cost of your smoking habit by using a Premium coupon code when you order online.  When you read electronic cigarette reviews, you can often find great electronic cigarette coupons that will save you even more money on your next purchase of refills.

If you are tired of craving a cigarette every time you leave home, follow the lead of smokers in Newport and give the best electronic cigarettes a try.  Make sure you sign up for the best electronic cigarettes affiliate programs so you can get additional savings by referring your other smoking friends.  Read online reviews to determine which brand is right for you and then enjoy your cigarettes where ever you go.

Newport, Arkansas is a popular city that is loved by its residents and people around the world.  At first glance, it might not appear to be much, but with a little exploration you will find that it is a place of great historic significance for the United States. Let’s examine just a few of the reasons why people love Newport.

1. Newport is the Home of Wal-Mart

Every normal red-blooded American has shopped at Wal-Mart at some point.  This chain of discount stores has thousands of locations across the United States where people can shop for everything from groceries to clothes and electronics in one convenient location.  Wal-Mart was founded by Sam Walton on the streets of Newport in the 1940’s.  It was originally called “Ben Franklin’s Five-and-Dime” and later it became Wal-Mart.

2. Newport is Rich in History

This city has a rich history that is significant for several reasons.  You can learn a lot about the Native Americans by visiting Newport because it was home to several tribes in the 1800’s.  The town also served as the Jackson County seat and grew into the busy city it is today as steamboats and railroads brought settlers.  You can visit several great historical landmarks and museums in Newport.

3. Newport is a Golfer’s Paradise

If you love to play golf, Newport is the perfect place to live.  People love the beautiful greens at the Newport Country Club and Village Creek Golf Inc.  Both of these courses are busy year round and carry a great reputation among locals and visitors to Arkansas.

4. Newport is Home to the Iron Mountain Depot

Railroads are a large part of the city history and Newport has done a great job at preserving its past.  When the town first started growing, railroads were built through the middle and this caused many new stores, saloons, and banks to move to the area.  You can visit the Iron Mountain Depot and learn more about the old railroads and tour the fully restored train depot from 1902.

These are just a few of the many reasons that people love to live and play in Newport.  Visit the city today to explore the sites and learn more about this historical gem in the heart of Arkansas.