Paragould Podcast

Jerry Ballew joins us to talk about his fascinating journey that ultimately landed him in Paragould. After hanging out in the barber shops of Brooklyn, NY, moving to Houston, TX, spending time on an oil rig in the Gulf, and working as a private security contractor in Afghanistan, it was MMA that eventually brought him to our city.

Jerry's incredible journey is guaranteed to inspire you to make the most of the life you've been given. 

On Wednesday, December 29, 1909, James Henry Trammell walked into the Elk Cafe in downtown Paragould. After getting into an argument with  Charles Gragg, Trammell pulled a gun, shot, and killed Gragg. He immediately headed west to evade police, and from there the story gets really interesting.

You will not want to miss one minute of award-winning historian Erik Wright as he uncovers a mystery that leads from Paragould, to Memphis, San Francisco, and even Sydney, Australia!

Donis Hamilton is a retired attorney who moved to Paragould over 55 years ago. Since that time, Donis has served on the airport commission and has played a major role in the development of Leadership Paragould, the 412 bridge project, and more.

He even gets into the sticky subject of buying access to politicians. This is an episode you won't want to miss!

Joe Wessell: Track starter for the SEC, advocate for the Collins Theater, retired banker, and a Paragould original.

Wes & Sydney Watts moved to Paragould just over a year ago and have fallen in love with the city--especially the sense of community here. Wes & Sydney are both attorneys who met each other in law school.

Sydney grew up on a cotton farm near Rector and has a real heart to provide rural Arkansans and farmers access to the legal services they need. Wes is originally from Jonesboro and knew that he wanted to be a lawyer by the time he was in the 6th grade--either that or the first baseman for the St Louis Cardinals.

Sonia Fonticiella is the owner of Fonticeilla Law, PLLC in Paragould and has been practicing law for 13 years. She has served as a deputy public defender for Craighead County and an Assistant Federal Public Defender.

But Sonia is not defined solely by her career. She is a mother of six and a very active member of our community, and her passion for life and family really comes through. If you are a fan of criminal law, you will really enjoy this episode!

No one knows the history of Paragould like Bob Branch. A retired attorney, Bob has lived in Paragould for over 9 decades, and his knowledge and story-telling ability are second to none. This is the episode we have been trying for so long to create. We hope you will enjoy it.

Brad Snyder's 25-year law enforcement career began with the Greene County Sheriff's Department in 1997 before moving to the Paragould Police Department. Now he is running for Sheriff.