A lot happened in Hempstead County in 2025, but we have settled on five stories we’ve covered that will stay with us most and which deserve a second look:
On April 1st, began the collection of a total one-cent sales tax, called by proponents the Hope for the Future initiative and approved by Hope voters in November of 2024, which will help fund a new Hope Fire Department Headquarters, improvements at the Hope Parks and the building of a new aquatic and recreation center. During the year, the Hope City Board took on the tasks of providing design firms with instructions to incorporate into plans for the building of the new Hope Fire Department, a splashpad at Northside Park (now under construction and expected to be complete by April 2026) and the new aquatic and recreation center. The splashpad is expected to be completed this winter and then opened in the late spring.
Events organized by the Hope-Hempstead County Chamber of Commerce and by Hope Parks and Recreation garnered high attendance this year. The celebration of Hope’s Sesquicentennial April 13th included live music, free burgers and the opening of a time capsule (which turned out to contain many letters written by past Hope leaders in 1975) and a fireworks display. The Hope Watermelon Festival, which took place August 7-9, drew a six percent increase in attendance and closed with unforgettable performances by the Lead Singers of Rock, former singers from Boston and Chicago. (This writer took a spill there on a mechanical bull.) The Independence Day gathering at Hope Municipal Airport also gathered lots of visitors of all ages to hear music, patronize the vendors, play in the Kids’ Zone and watch the nighttime fireworks.
Candidates announced their intention to run for major county offices this year. In July Hempstead County Sheriff James Singleton announced his intention to retire, opening that position up for the first race without an incumbent since 2010. Two candidates have emerged who will be on the Republican primary ballot March 3, 2026, Justin Crane, who is a Hempstead County Sheriff’s Deputy and Jesus Coronado, a detective with the Hope Police Department. County Judge Jerry Crane announced he was running for another term in that position. Hope Street Department Superintendent Kennth Harvel is also running for the office. Both will appear on the March 3rd Republican Primary ballot. For a look at all candidates running for county office see this document from the Hempstead County Clerk.
After considering a number of potential sites for the new Hope Fire Department, the City Board settled on two choices, the 1000 block of South Main in a place currently occupied by a dry-cleaners’ business and the 600 block of East Third, where the former Village Shopping Center now is. In a meeting May 20th, the board voted to allow City Manager J.R. Wilson to pursue the East Third location. After asbestos-testing of the buildings still standing there, which will be demolished to make room, and after EPA testing, the board found the location to be one it could use without inordinate abatement expenses. When the owners of the property agreed to sell it to the city for a discount, the board opted in an October 21st meeting to go ahead with the purchase for $100,000.
On December 18th at a Hempstead Hall luncheon, it was announced by Anna Powell, Executive Director of Hempstead County Economic Development Corporation that the county and Hope had attained the Competitive Community Initiative (CCI) Designation from the Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC). This designation, Powell said, "tells industry, site developers, investors, and consultants that Hempstead County is ready. We are ready to compete, ready to grow, and ready to support creation and private investment." Clint O'Neal, Executive Director of AEDC, said, "When a company wants to look around the country for a best site to do business, they care about de-risking the evaluation process," and CCI status, shared by only nine other cities in Arkansas now, allows a company to do just that.
This story has additional reporting by April Lovette.