Paragould Podcast

Tim Fitzgerald has refereed basketball for local high school basketball up to Division 1. He had the opportunity to ref games with Ja Morant in college and reffed Austin Reaves first collegiate game at Wichita State. Furthermore, he is passionate about financial health in families through his work at Benjamin Edwards Investments and volunteering in his church. 

Black River Technical College has been growing in recent years and Brad Baine joined us to talk about why that is and how every citizen in Paragould can partake in some of the awesome classes they offer on their campus or at the new GIN in Downtown Paragould. 

People say often that Greene County is progressing in a lot of positive ways. This new position to ensure employees of the county are being cared for is just another way we can highlight that Paragould is a great place to live! In this episode we meet Lexy Allbritton and learn how her role is serving the employees of the county.

Bob Branch's stories of Paragould and Greene County history are so beloved that our fans have asked for more! So in a unique turn of events, Mr. Branch has returned to the studio for the second time in one month! In this episode, he gives us 10 snapshots of life growing up in Paragould during the Great Depression era, as well as what it was like to have himself and several brothers fight in wars overseas. 

Touring with artists like CeeLo Green, Kacey Musgraves, Sam Smith, and many others, Nathan Stone has been privileged to travel the world and see the finest cities. However, as he faced kidney failure at the end of 2023, Nathan grew to appreciate the value of relationships with family and friends in ways he never did before because he always assumed he has plenty of time. This episode is very special as Nathan is one of Jared's long-time friends, from their days starting the band The Williford Project to working together at FBC Paragould. 

Many Americans love dogs! How can we have a happy dog? Blake Bristow shares about how his training of K9 units at BlueStreak K9 produces happy dogs because they are obedient dogs. 

Brian Shiro is a Paragould native whose extensive accomplishments include working for NASA, NOAA, and is currently the Deputy Director of United States Geological Survey Geological Hazards Science Center. If that sounds like a mouthful, no worries as Brian helps us understand how his study of earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanos are important to the future of Mars exploration. 

Twice Brian has been classified as highly qualified to become an astronaut and a project he worked on years ago was used in the Mars InSight mission that recently completed its mission. We also talked running and how he became an Eagle Scout!

Bob Branch joined us for a third time to share about the history of how Greene County, AR was settled. He shares about Benjamin Crowley, and lesser known figure: Isaac Brookfield. Crowley settled West of the Mississippi following the War of 1812 to acquire 160 acres of land. 

Lt. Buster Sexton is a lead detective with the Paragould Police Department. He is passionate about providing a safe space for his family and yours in Paragould. In this episode we talk with Buster about what it looks like to be a detective in Paragould, how many cases they work per year, and what we can do to help protect our own children.