Happy New Year 2023! Like this time every year it is the beginnings of new ideas, personal resolutions, and new starts. Dumas started the new year with a new Dumas Clarion Publisher, after Rick Wright retired on December 30, 2022, and four new city officials and a new sheriff were sworn in this week. I hope that 2023 will bring new opportunities to continue improving Dumas for its residents and community.
This week Mayor Price Bubba Boney, Sr., Council-member Linda Weatherford, Ward 2 Position 2, and Council-member Tironeka Brown, Ward 3 Position 2, and Mitch Grant as the new Desha County Sheriff, Desha County Constable Dennis Blankenship were sworn in and will begin their serving their community in their positions. Council-member Kenneth Daniels, Ward 4, Position 2, Council-member Jared May, Ward 1, Position 2, City Attorney Brooks Gill and Dumas City Clerk Norma Eldridge spoke their oath as re-elected officials. I wish these elected community representatives a prosperous new year.
For those who may not know me, my name is Linna Jones and I am the new Dumas Clarion Publisher. Some may know me as the newspaper lady, the picture lady or the camera lady. I have lost track of the nicknames. You can say I started at the bottom here at the Clarion. I started at the Clarion with a internship required for my Journalism college course at the University of Arkansas at Monticello.
I greatly appreciate Mr. Terry Hawkins giving me the chance in 2009. After 2009, I covered stories, worked as a photographer and worked as an inserter. As was written in the December 28 issue, I began full time in the production department in 2016 and worked in several other departments since them.
Since working at the Clarion, I have enjoyed getting to know the people that can be found in Dumas.
I know I have some big shoes to fill and I will do my best to serve Dumas.
