The coronavirus has claimed the life of a former mayor in Northeast Arkansas.
KAIT reports that longtime Osceola mayor Dickie Kennemore passed away on Saturday.
Since early November, Kennemore had been battling COVID-19 - the disease caused by the coronavirus.
Osceola is in Mississippi County, which has the 5th most active cases in Northeast Arkansas at 368, as of Sunday. 3,516 total confirmed and probable cases have been reported, along with 85 deaths.
Kennemore served as Osceola’s mayor for 28 years. He was defeated in the 2018 election by Sally L. Wilson.
Community members remembered Kennemore as a 'caring person'. Elizabeth Fuller told KAIT that Kennemore once paid an elderly person's power bill.
Meanwhile, Craighead County continues to lead the region in active and new infections.
On Sunday, the Arkansas Department of Health reported that Craighead had the 3rd highest number of new cases reported at 78.
COVID-related hospitalizations in Northeast Arkansas are around 201, which is about 20% of the region's total staff bed capacity of 1,001. 38 of those patients are in the ICU, while 26 are on ventilators.
