Cave Closure Order Exempts One in Area

Several groups worked through the weekend to gather signatures for their respective ballot initiatives before the deadline to submit petitions today. Governor Beebe prepares to make his final foreign trade mission during his term in office, and Blanchard Springs Caverns in Stone County is the only cave owned and operated by the U.S. Forest Service that remains open despite a cave closure order aimed at preventing the spread of White Nose Syndrome.