Terry Hobbs, the step-father of Stevie Branch, released the following statement Wednesday about the release of the West Memphis 3:

I will never be able to find words to come close to expressing the constant and deep pain of the last 18 years.  So many people’s lives were drug into a living nightmare with the death of those three little boys, May 5, 1993.  The cost of suffering that unbelievable loss which has been paid by the families of all those involved, victims and accused, can never be counted, and the rumors and accusations that have flown ever since that day have torn lives and families apart.  I am one of those who continue to pay that cost, but there are many, many others and my heart goes out to them.  From the very beginning until this moment state and local officials has reassured me at every turn of the case there has never been one speck of interest in me as a suspect.

Do you look at the beggars on Memphis street corners or do you avert your eyes? Yes, some are crack heads trying to hustle for the next rock or alcoholics trying to rustle up some cash for the ten thousandth trip to oblivion. But others are people that just need a break.

Last week, Tom Lewis took a look at a panhandler working the concrete median at busy Park Ave. and Ridgeway while driving by. Tom kept on driving. The big, bearded bear of a man says he made it about a mile before the heart tugging condition of the pauper turned him around.

“His walk had an unusual gait and he had a deformity,” Lewis said, “so I had to go back and learn this man’s story.”

Marion local, Amy Taylor will be competing to represent Arkansas in the 2012 Miss USA Pageant.

Amy is a college graduate with a Bachelor’s in Radiological Sciences. She is currently pursuing her nursing degree and is interested in making a difference.

The pageant will take place in Bentonville, AR, January 6-8. Taylor is hoping to gain the support of her hometown before heading to Bentonville. She is looking for local sponsors and community support. To learn more about Amy or to lend your support, visit her fund-raising site here.