We will be editing this page on a regular basis. If you want updates about your business included, please email them to director@newportaredc.org and we will add them to the list. For restaurants, please visit the restaurant page under the Press section.

Business Information

Arkansas Department of Workforce Services:  The Newport-DWS office will be servicing the public by email and telephone. Should a person need to file for unemployment benefits they can apply online at: ezarc.adws.arkansas.gov and then contact the office at 870-523-3641, so that claims can be processed. Due to the safety of the public and the staff, we will continue service through email and telephone. If information is needed, please contact at 870-523-3641.

Arkansas State University-Newport:  The safety of Arkansas State University-Newport students, faculty, staff and visitors is our top priority, and the institution is closely monitoring the Coronavirus/COVID-19 outbreak and following protocols as set forth in our emergency response plan. In response to the most recent events, ASU-Newport is moving all class instruction to an online & remote forum starting March 16 and ending April 3. While no members of our community have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the institution is preparing for the potential of local transmission, aligning its prevention and preparation efforts with guidance from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO) and the Arkansas Department of Health. Prior to April 3, ASUN administration will reassess the threat of COVID-19 to our community. ASUN continues to vigilantly monitor and respond to any information regarding COVID-19. Our priority is the health and safety of the ASU-Newport community. Regular updates are being provided to all students and employees, as well as community members, at www.asun.edu/coronavirus. This will serve as the most up-to-date source for information during this time. If you need immediate assistance, please visit www.asun.edu/contact to find a full list of email addresses for your particular needs. ASUN appreciates your understanding as we work to navigate this fluid situation.

STUDENTS-FREE groceries this week at ASU-Newport! The Bread of Life Mobile Food Pantry will move to a drive-thru model to help support students during this time! Please follow the instructions, and come by and get groceries on Thursday, March 19.

Chiropractic Health Clinic:  We are staying open as essential health care providers. Chiropractic care can help with migraines, headaches, neck pain, back pain, and joint pain in shoulder, knee, elbow, wrist, etc. We are taking precautions for the safety of our patients by spacing out patient appointments, allowing patients to wait in their car, and sanitizing all frequently touched surfaces. We are open Tuesday and Thursday, 9am – 1pm and 3pm – 5pm. Appointments can be made by calling (870) 523-2225. We are still accepting new patients of all ages.

City of Newport:  All City of Newport buildings close to the public. City Hall is available by phone from 9 am to 1 pm; garbage will be picked up on the regular schedule; the NEDC/Chamber are available by phone, email and social media during regular business hours.

Custom Eyes Vision Care:  By recommendation of the CDC in an effort to reduce the transmission of COVID-19, we will be suspending all routine eye care effective Thursday March 19, 2020. The office will remain staffed as scheduled but will be closed to walk-in traffic. We will reopen for normal business hours and services Monday March 30, 2020. All patients scheduled during this effective period are encouraged to keep their appointment commitments as they are either on monitored treatment plans or are in need of post-operative care and/or instruction. As always, our office will be accessible for eye and/or vision related emergencies during this time. We ask that you please call our office prior to arrival at (870) 523-3333 so as to be given instructions for admittance. We apologize for an inconvenience this may cause but for the sake of the public health and in the interest for what is right, we feel this is.

Darling Pharmacy: Effective today, Monday, March 16th, our front door will be closed to the public until further notice in order to protect the wellness of our staff and our customers. WE WILL CONTINUE TO BE OPEN DURING OUR REGULAR BUSINESS HOURS. We encourage you to use our drive-thru window and call ahead for curbside service or delivery. We will continue to accept UPS packages. Darling’s Fine Things will remain open. Feel free to download the Darling Pharmacy app in the App Store to your smart phone and place your refill orders anytime 24 hours a day. You may also submit your refill request on our website www.darlingpharmacy.com. As always, anything in the store is available for your purchase during regular business hours. We want to take every precaution necessary to keep our staff, our customers and our community well as best we can so that we can all get back to living our normal lives as soon as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you, but just think of it as showing some extra love and upping our customer service game to you for the time being. We appreciate each of you very much. Let’s all do our best to stay healthy and thriving and keep shining our community’s bright light of goodness.

Vanessa Falwell’s Office: We planned to stay closed for two weeks, but we just can’t do it apparently. We have some exciting news….we plan to start telemedicine visits for our patients starting this Friday. Maybe before, but for now, we are planning for Friday. These visits keep both you and us safer. These visits can be used for acute illness, as well as routine refills, etc. We ask that you have a working thermometer at home for these visits, and we also urge you to have a blood pressure cuff. These visits will be cash pay only for now, but we will make them affordable. For more information, call the clinic tomorrow at 870-217-4071. Nina Steele Amee Tanksley Mckenzie Sparks Lauren Kimberling.

Field’s Heating and Air Conditioning:  We are staying open to service units in the home. We will wear masks during our visits to protect our employees and our customers. The office number may not be answered when you call but leave a message and we will return your call as soon as we can.

First Baptist Church Newport: First Baptist Church of Newport is not gathering for worship until further notice. Please follow our online services.

First United Methodist Church Newport:  We will not be having an in person worship service for the next two weeks. We will re-evaluate after that time, because the situation with Covid-19 is shifting rapidly. More details are being shared in an email today about our reasoning and how to stay connected. We will have videos, live Facebook worship and devotional on Sunday and several times throughout the weeks. Please encourage others in the church and our community to like our Facebook page so they can join in the videos and online worship. Also please message or email us if you are not getting church emails so we can get your correct email added to the list Please call and check on people. Stay connected and reach out.

Freeman Office Supply: Freeman Office Equipment is currently open normal hours, M-F, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. We will still be making deliveries, as usual. However, if you wish to have your deliveries dropped at an alternate location, or prefer to pick up curbside, please let us know and we will be happy to accommodate you.  Please know we are working diligently to maintain a safe environment for both our customers and our employees. If you have any questions, please call us at 870-523-2762. 

Harris Ford:  COVID-19 is affecting all of us and what we know as normal, everyday living. With that said, there is still a need for reliable transportation. To assist in keeping you safe and your mind at ease, we are offering these services to enhance your experience with us during this time: Sales – you can buy a vehicle without coming into the store. Call or email s regarding your vehicle of interest. We will offer virtual walk-arounds and phone appraisals will be availalbe. We will mail or deliver the paperwork right to you. Service – We will pick up and deliver your vehicle. Parts – Phone orders and delivery will be available. This too will pass.

Holden Avenue Church of Christ:  We will ONLY have a 10:00 AM worship service tomorrow. We will NOT have Bible class, Sunday night services, or Wednesday night Bible study. We will continue to meet like this until further notice. Like we said last week, if you are sick with fever, running nose, coughing, etc., please stay home and get well. For the time being, let’s love one another from a distance and avoid hugging, handshaking, and even fist-bumping. Please take care of yourself and may God bless you all.

IberiaBank:  Starting Friday, March 20th, many IBERIABANK branches including the Newport branch will move to drive-thru only service for the time being. If you have a need that requires you to be inside the branch please call 870-523-3611 to set an appointment.

IMAD:  Due to the overwhelming response of our elderly community health needs the IMAD Organization has partnered with some of our local nurses and medical professionals to assist our elderly in this time of need. If you know of any of our elders that are home and need medical attention or just simple check ups please contact IMAD. We have professional nurses that will make house calls to accommodate their immediate needs. Some of our elders are home alone and are more vulnerable to this Coronavirus pandemic. If you’re a licensed medical professional that have some extra time and would like to assist in this critical time of need please feel free to join us in our efforts. It takes all of us to band together as one community to take care of one another. We’ve identified the problems now We’re looking for solutions ladies and gentlemen. please Share with family and friends. Contact call or text 870-664-6643.

IMAD: The IMAD Organization has teamed up with the Newport Special School District and Aramark to assist with feeding our students during this week of the Coronavirus Pandemic. This is a critical week for some of our students and their families. IMAD will be providing both of our facilities as pick up sites for meals. Aramark will be providing meals for the Newport Special School district to help distribute via bus routes and at both NHS and NES campuses. Please help spread the word throughout our communities.

Tuesday March 17th – Friday March 20th

Sites:

NHS Cafeteria: 9am

NES Cafeteria: 9am

IMAD Village Community Center 10am

IMAD Village Central 10am

Immanuel Baptist Church:  Immanuel Baptist Church is only having morning and evening service no Sunday school, discipleship training or Wednesday night.

Jackson County Courthouse:  NOTICE: Due to the proximity of COVID-19 to counties surrounding Jackson County, the Jackson County Courthouse will close to ALL public activity until further notice. Please feel free to utilize any of the online services available. You may call the following offices for help:

Jackson County Judge (870) 523-7400
Jackson County Clerk (870) 523-7420
Jackson Co Circuit Clerk (870) 523-7423
Jackson County Treasurer (870) 523-7401
Jackson County Collector (870) 523-7413
Jackson County Assessor (870) 523-7410

Jackson County Library:  The Jackson County Library is closed until March 30th. Library card holders can access over 30,000 materials through the Libby by OverDrive app. Anything checked out in March has been automatically renewed.

Jackson County School District: The Jackson County School District will be closed this week March 16 thru March 20th, due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. These 5 days will be AMI days. The following week March 23rd thru March 27, we will be out due to Spring Break. The next day of school, as it stands, will be Monday March 30th. Aramark will be serving breakfast and lunch for free to the students this week Monday thru Friday. It will be a grab and go meal.

You can pickup the meals at the following locations starting Tuesday March 17th, there will be a change in the meal distribution.

Tuckerman Elementary School Carline

Swifton Middle School bus dropoff

Grubbs Park

Breakfast from 8-9, Lunch from 11-12:30.

There will be a bus running the Tuckerman and Campbell Station City Routes delivering lunch and the next day’s breakfast together. The bus will be running these routes from 10 until 12 in the morning, if you’re in these areas, please be watching for the bus.

Jackson’s Funeral Homes:  The National Funeral Director’s Association and the Arkansas Funeral Directors Association have very strongly recommended that funeral gatherings be limited to immediate family. We respectfully ask for your cooperation. If you feel you must attend a non-family member’s service, please keep the recommended distance between yourself and others you encounter. Very soon we will be live streaming services so you may pay your respects. Also, we offer an online guest register that our families will have access to and will know you are thinking of them. No one believes in the importance of remembering a life well lived more than the Jackson Family, the Jackson’s Funeral Homes Family, and the Thompson-Wilson Funeral Homes Family. We pray for a swift and speedy end to this crisis and pray for the good health of our family and friends. We will update you all with our restrictions as we are advised. As always, we are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If we can be of assistance to you in any way, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Jacksonport State Park:  Visitor Center is closed and all park programs are cancelled until after May 13th.

Dr. Kelly McKinney’s Office: We are not seeing non-emergency patients at this time at the request of the Governor, the Arkansas State Dental Association, and the Arkansas Dept of Health. But we are still here for you if you have a dental emergency! Just give our office a call at (870)523-6574.

Merchants and Planters Bank:  Bank lobbies are open, however, they are asking everyone who can to use the drive-thrus, ATMS, online and mobile banking options or to call the bank for safe and convenient ways to do your banking.

Merchants and Planters Insurance:  M&P Insurance is here to help protect you from life’s uncertainties. And in these uncertain times, the health, safety, and well-being of our customers, employees and community members are our top priority. We want to be sure that we are following all of the precautionary methods recommended by the CDC and the WHO. We also want to assure our customers that we are taking these measures. Fortunately, we live in an age where 99% of our business can be conducted electronically. Communications can be held with our agents via telephone, text, email or even FaceTime. We also utilize an electronic signature service through DocuSign. With all the technology we have available to assist our customers, at this time and until further notice, we will be restricting our office space to our employees. Our thought is that this will give us the ability to remain healthy to serve you and assist our community in trying to reduce the spread of COVID 19. We hope you understand that this move is not one we enjoy announcing because our customer interaction and personal touch is something we pride ourselves on. For those customers that need to pay their bill via cash or check, we will have a drop box located in front of our office and we will check this box twice a day. We hope you understand our concern for everyone’s safety and no one more than us looks forward to being able to again serve you face to face. This too shall pass! If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach us at 870.523.6771 or mpi@mpinsureme.com.

Newport High School:  From Mr. Brett Bunch – Superintendent Due to the statewide closure of schools the following plan will be implemented for the Newport Special School District.  No students are to attend school from Monday March 16 to Friday March 27.  AMI work has been distributed for the week. If your student has work or supplies at the school they will need you may come to either school tomorrow between the hours of 7:30 and 1:30 to pick it up.  If you or your child are showing signs of sickness please stay home.  Meals will be served at both campuses tomorrow and the remainder of the week from 7:30 till 8:30am and 11:30 till 12:30. Students currently enrolled in PreK-12 can eat at either campus. Tuesday through Friday the district will begin delivering breakfast and lunch on bus routes starting at 9:00am please beware the bus will stop at regular stops and deliver grab and go meals. The cafeterias at both campuses will also have grab and go meals available for those that can make it to the schools. We ask that you not remain on campus when you get your meals. Any and all school events for the next two weeks have been cancelled including Elementary Parent Teacher Conferences and High School Talent Show.

Postmaster Spirits:  Postmaster Spirits will be making be making Hand Sanitizer to be picked up at the distillery later this week. Bring your own container!

Regions Bank:  At Regions, our core values focus on putting people first and doing what’s right. Our top priority is the well-being of our customers, our associates and the communities we serve. With so much attention on #coronavirus (#COVID19), we want to assure you we are taking extensive steps to help ensure your health and safety when you visit any of our locations. We continue to follow recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for cleaning our branches regularly, and we are closely monitoring CDC reports for updates on coronavirus and how it might impact our communities. As we become aware of new information about coronavirus, we will be sure to let you know. You can also find the latest updates at CDC.gov.

Bank Outside the Branch: As a reminder, Regions offers several ways to access your accounts and meet your banking needs without visiting a branch, including: Online and Mobile Banking – Check balances, pay bills and transfer funds. You can also deposit checks with our Regions Mobile app: https://www.regions.com/digital-banking. ATMs – Get cash, transfer funds and check balances. Also, deposit and cash checks at a Regions DepositSmart ATM or speak to a live representative at a Video Banking ATM: https://www.regions.com/Locator. Assistance Programs: If you experience a severe financial hardship as a result of the coronavirus event, we are here to help. For mortgage payment assistance: 1-800-748-9498 or visit regions.com/loan help. For other consumer or small business loan/credit card payment assistance: 1-866-298-1113 or visit https://www.regions.com/disaster_recovery/loan_assistance.rf

Remmel Church:  No public services until further announcement.

Unity Health Harris Medical Center: Unity Health Harris Medical Center will be limiting access to our facilities and anyone who enters must be screened for coronavirus symptoms through questionnaire and temperature check. In order to protect our patients and staff, we ask that you limit visitors to one per patient in the New Life Center, Emergency Department, Outpatient Surgery and during clinic visits ONLY. No other visitors will be allowed. When possible, please have your visitor remain in the vehicle rather than entering the building. The following entrances will be open for screening to allow access to the building:

Unity Health Harris Medical Center – ER entrance

OB/GYN Clinic – front door

1117 McLain Clinics- front entrance by iCareRX pharmacy

1200 McLain Clinics- front sliding door entrance

Also note that the ATM located inside our ER will not be in service during this time. Please use the North Branch location.

Village Creek Baptist Church:  VCBC is going to online services for the next two weeks. I am grateful for our pastor and elders who prayerfully made this tough decision! The leaders in our country have asked that we not gather in large groups over the next few weeks, and they are submitting to that authority.

Walmart Newport:  Starting 3/19 store hours will change. The store will open at 7 am and close at 8:30 pm until further notice. We know our older customers could be more vulnerable to the coronavirus and to better support them, Walmart is offering special shopping hours. From March 24 through April 28, Walmart stores will host an hour-long senior shopping event every Tuesday for customers aged 60 and older. This will start one hour before the store opens. Our Pharmacies and Vision Centers will also be open during this time. Auto Care will be temporarily closed starting March 19th.

Walmart Newport Pharmacy:  Our pharmacy is open and ready to serve you! Over the next few weeks, please remember we offer a convenient pharmacy drive thru for prescription drop off and pick up. It is located on the north side of our building. In addition to prescription medications, we will be happy to retrieve over-the-counter items from the pharmacy area for you to purchase through the drive thru. If you are 60 or older, pregnant, have a chronic health condition, or are experiencing cold and cough symptoms, we encourage you to utilize this service. Thank you for your patience, and we look forward to caring for you and your family.

White River Health System:  In accordance with the social distancing recommendations provided by the CDC, many upcoming WRHS community events will be canceled. These cancellations will be updated frequently on our website. https://www.whiteriverhealthsystem.com/. All White River Health System facilities are open. We are providing emergency care, inpatient care, and outpatient tests and procedures. To protect our patients and employees, every one entering our facilities will be screened for the presence of fever and asked about recent travel.