The raging controversy over this week’s cover of The New Yorker is a better allegory for this presidential campaign than all the rest of the paranoia and insanity that governed its ups and downs.
Both the John McCain and Barack Obama campaigns condemned the magazine for the cover and there were calls for a nationwide boycott of the magazine and its advertisers. The cover, which was typical of thousands of satirical cartoons that have draped the great magazine’s front since its inception in the 1920s, portrayed Sen. Obama and his wife as Middle Eastern terrorists.
Many people, though probably few of the magazine’s sophisticated clientele, thought it an insult of the likely next president of the United States and his wife and believed that it was designed to harm his candidacy. It may indeed have that effect, but if the artist and the magazine had a political motive at all it was almost certainly exactly the opposite. The cover satirized the right-wing campaign to demonize the couple as secret radical Muslims bent upon harming the country.
Satire is The New Yorker’s stock in trade, and its covers and interior cartoons have been lampooning the social order and political puffery with such regularity that it is dull and almost conformist. The July 21 cover is a pictorial counterpart to any of a score of Stephen Colbert shows on the Comedy Channel. Colbert’s schtick is to pretend that he embraces even the most absurd right-wing dogma as he tears into authors and liberal intellects who consent to come on the show and engage in fierce tongue-in-cheek combat with him. But no one calls for Colbert to be banished for the deadpan bigotry that falls from his lips.
The studio audience howls. Everyone there and presumably the national audience understand the real message.
New Yorker readers will have the same appreciation for the ridiculous. The controversy spreads the cover to a much wider and less discerning audience, some of whom may view it as confirmation of the dastardly rumors spread by political enemies of the Democratic nominee for president. But satire always carries such risks. There no doubt were people who believed that Jonathan Swift, whose pamphlet “A Modest Proposal” was published in 1729, advocated that poor Irish families boil their year-old babies for food. Three hundred years should not have left us less cosmopolitan.
-—Ernie Dumas
Friday, July 18, 2008
EDITORIAL >>Hardin saga continues
Lu Hardin, the ubiquitous president of the University of Central Arkansas, sent a check to his college’s comptroller this week returning the $300,000 that the school’s trustees gave him illegally, or at least the part that had not been sent to Washington and Little Rock to settle tax obligations on the gift. So he has paid his debt to society, as they say in the correctional world, and all is well that end’s well, right?
Hardin has indeed paid a steep price for a cascading series of misjudgments that were not altogether his own because the unbelievable attention showered on the mistakes have blemished his reputation. Hardin hopes to run for governor in 2014, or earlier or else for the U. S. Senate if the stars are aligned right, and this has hurt. Hardin must have been astonished at the mammoth coverage that his secret bonuses received in the media, which had been nothing but adulatory for years. By returning the money before all the legal questions about it were settled, he opted to try to stifle the controversy rather than await its finale.
The coverage, which did seem excessive (football coaches get much sweeter deals than he did), was in direct proportion to his own eternal quest for publicity. He has starred in TV commercials promoting his university, which helped make UCA the most visible and fastest-growing campus in the state and Lu Hardin the most familiar figure in higher education. So he can hardly complain about sensational coverage of the bonus and the attendant misjudgments.
Hardin in fact has not complained, and he has been almost embarrassing in the depth of his apologies and the fullness of his acknowledgement of error. But he had to be because his dissembling had been so thorough and so indefensible. When reporters had asked him about rumors that he had gotten a big pay raise at a secret meeting of the university trustees in May he roundly denied it. When the deal was finally confirmed he tried to explain the fib by saying that the $300,000 check was technically not a pay raise but an early payment of deferred compensation and that it had come from private, not public, funds.
But it was a pay raise and it came from public funds.
Hardin has been unusually contrite, apologizing to the media for his deceptions and to the faculty and students of his school for his mistakes. The latter was an essential step because while he was getting a $300,000 bonus, on top of his $250,000 annual compensation, students were assessed higher tuition, faculty benefits were reduced and no faculty pay increase was scheduled for the new school term.
The law was broken in more ways than we can count, although the attorney general has yet to specify them. The Freedom of Information Act was flouted for sure, along with the fiscal laws regulating the dispensation of university funds. Perhaps the state’s ethics statutes were breached as well in the private provision of gifts to a public servant for the performance of his official duties beyond his appropriated compensation.
With the largest bonus returned, not much else needs to be extracted from Lu Hardin or the board for the trustees’ illegal conduct and Hardin’s dissembling. Lu Hardin’s contrition seems to be sincere and complete, and restoration of the $300,000 to the college seems to satisfy the public interest, except this: No one has yet acknowledged the extent to which it was all unlawful. A comprehensive opinion from the attorney general will help, and both the board and the president need to acknowledge that this was more than a series of poorly informed and reasoned decisions.
Hardin has indeed paid a steep price for a cascading series of misjudgments that were not altogether his own because the unbelievable attention showered on the mistakes have blemished his reputation. Hardin hopes to run for governor in 2014, or earlier or else for the U. S. Senate if the stars are aligned right, and this has hurt. Hardin must have been astonished at the mammoth coverage that his secret bonuses received in the media, which had been nothing but adulatory for years. By returning the money before all the legal questions about it were settled, he opted to try to stifle the controversy rather than await its finale.
The coverage, which did seem excessive (football coaches get much sweeter deals than he did), was in direct proportion to his own eternal quest for publicity. He has starred in TV commercials promoting his university, which helped make UCA the most visible and fastest-growing campus in the state and Lu Hardin the most familiar figure in higher education. So he can hardly complain about sensational coverage of the bonus and the attendant misjudgments.
Hardin in fact has not complained, and he has been almost embarrassing in the depth of his apologies and the fullness of his acknowledgement of error. But he had to be because his dissembling had been so thorough and so indefensible. When reporters had asked him about rumors that he had gotten a big pay raise at a secret meeting of the university trustees in May he roundly denied it. When the deal was finally confirmed he tried to explain the fib by saying that the $300,000 check was technically not a pay raise but an early payment of deferred compensation and that it had come from private, not public, funds.
But it was a pay raise and it came from public funds.
Hardin has been unusually contrite, apologizing to the media for his deceptions and to the faculty and students of his school for his mistakes. The latter was an essential step because while he was getting a $300,000 bonus, on top of his $250,000 annual compensation, students were assessed higher tuition, faculty benefits were reduced and no faculty pay increase was scheduled for the new school term.
The law was broken in more ways than we can count, although the attorney general has yet to specify them. The Freedom of Information Act was flouted for sure, along with the fiscal laws regulating the dispensation of university funds. Perhaps the state’s ethics statutes were breached as well in the private provision of gifts to a public servant for the performance of his official duties beyond his appropriated compensation.
With the largest bonus returned, not much else needs to be extracted from Lu Hardin or the board for the trustees’ illegal conduct and Hardin’s dissembling. Lu Hardin’s contrition seems to be sincere and complete, and restoration of the $300,000 to the college seems to satisfy the public interest, except this: No one has yet acknowledged the extent to which it was all unlawful. A comprehensive opinion from the attorney general will help, and both the board and the president need to acknowledge that this was more than a series of poorly informed and reasoned decisions.
TOP STORY > >North Belt only lacks $347M to complete
By JOHN HOFHEIMER
Leader senior staff writer
The path through Sherwood for completion of the North Belt Loop has been chosen, but it will take about $347 million to set it in stone—or concrete in this case.
The state Highway and Transpor-tation Department has made the final environmental impact statement concerning the loop’s path through Sherwood available for final review, but “assuming we don’t receive any showstoppers, we can apply to the Federal Highway Administration for a final record of decision,” according to Randy Ort, department spokesman. After that, the department can begin engineering and acquisition of right of way—if it can just find the money.
The environmental statement is available for review at the city halls and public libraries of Sherwood, Jack-sonville and North Little Rock.
Additionally, a review copy is available at the Metroplan office at 501 W. Markham in Little Rock, the Pulaski County Administration Building at 201 S. Broadway in Little Rock and the AHTD District 6 office at 8900 Mabelvale Pike in Little Rock.
Comments about the document should be sent to the AHTD Environmental Division, P.O. Box 2261, Little Rock, Ark. 72203-2261, by Aug. 18.
Of the $347 million estimated cost, $320 million would be for construction, $14.8 million for right of way, $10.9 million for utilities and $1 million for relocation costs.
While no money has been identified to build the project, there is $4 million available to begin purchasing right of way, according to Richard Magee, deputy director of Metroplan.
While the North Belt Loop was one of two major projects in the state that could conceivably be financed by making it a toll road, that is not currently being contemplated, Ort said.
Magee said the Metroplan board approved the preferred alignment through Sherwood some time ago.
He said completion of the North Belt Loop would help alleviate congestion on Hwy. 67 and I-40. While the number of vehicles expected to divert to the loop wasn’t that great, much of it would be during rush hour, where the impact could be significant.
For instance, by 2030, without the loop, daily traffic on I-40 near Crystal Hill would be about 89,000 vehicles per day, but with construction of the loop, it is estimated to be about 83,000.
Traffic in 2030 on Hwy. 107 south of the North Belt would decrease slightly, according to computer modeling, but north, between the loop and the back gate of Little Rock Air Force Base, it would increase about 6,000 trips a day.
Traffic south of the loop on Hwy. 67/167 is estimated to decrease about 6,000 trips a day as well.
Traffic on Main Street, west of Redmond Road, is anticipated to be about 10 percent less than it would be without the North Belt Loop.
The $347 million total represents a 26 percent increase from the estimate of $275.8 million in 2006, according to the documents.
Once all comments have been received and evaluated, an application will be submitted to the FHWA for a record of decision, the final approval concerning the location of the facility. The record of decision is the final approval needed to proceed to the next stage of project development, the survey and design work. Additional public meetings will be held during the design phase. There is no timetable for construction at this time.
Right now the route is a 200-ft. wide line on a map, according to Ort, and once the real engineering begins and right-of-way is determined, the department will have a better idea of the number of homes and other structures have to be relocated, he said.
Preliminary estimates are that unbuilt section of the loop, between Hwy. 67/167 and I-40 at Crystal Hill,f3fff3 could cause displacement of 29 residential owners at a cost of $750,000, of four residential tenants at a cost of $40,000, nine businesses at a cost of $180,000, services and others costs for a total of $1.07 million, according to the document.
The entire 12.7-mile segment would require conversion of 707 acres of right of way, according to the environemental statement.
The route east from I-40 at Crystal Hill was described like this:
From the western end of the proposed project at Interstate 40, the Preferred Alternative goes to the northeast through the Crystal Hill community to an interchange at Hwy. 365.
From there, it continues to the northeast into Camp Robinson, passing to the southeast of the Camp Robinson Army Airfield.
Briefly turning to the southeast then east, the route passes to the north of Engineers Lake before turning to the northeast again to cross Batesville Pike just to the north of Maryland Avenue and the North Little Rock Municipal Airport.
Part of the Preferred Alter-native includes relocating a portion of Batesville Pike outside Camp Robinson.
From the Batesville Pike interchange, the preferred alternative continues northeast, to the west of Wayside Drive and crosses Kellogg Acres Road just to the north of the intersection with Oakdale Road. It continues east just north of Oakdale Road and then southeast with an interchange proposed at Highway 107.
The preferred alternative turns to the northeast when crossing Fears Lake and back to the southeast, crossing Oneida Street before connecting with the Hwy. 67 interchange.
Leader senior staff writer
The path through Sherwood for completion of the North Belt Loop has been chosen, but it will take about $347 million to set it in stone—or concrete in this case.
The state Highway and Transpor-tation Department has made the final environmental impact statement concerning the loop’s path through Sherwood available for final review, but “assuming we don’t receive any showstoppers, we can apply to the Federal Highway Administration for a final record of decision,” according to Randy Ort, department spokesman. After that, the department can begin engineering and acquisition of right of way—if it can just find the money.
The environmental statement is available for review at the city halls and public libraries of Sherwood, Jack-sonville and North Little Rock.
Additionally, a review copy is available at the Metroplan office at 501 W. Markham in Little Rock, the Pulaski County Administration Building at 201 S. Broadway in Little Rock and the AHTD District 6 office at 8900 Mabelvale Pike in Little Rock.
Comments about the document should be sent to the AHTD Environmental Division, P.O. Box 2261, Little Rock, Ark. 72203-2261, by Aug. 18.
Of the $347 million estimated cost, $320 million would be for construction, $14.8 million for right of way, $10.9 million for utilities and $1 million for relocation costs.
While no money has been identified to build the project, there is $4 million available to begin purchasing right of way, according to Richard Magee, deputy director of Metroplan.
While the North Belt Loop was one of two major projects in the state that could conceivably be financed by making it a toll road, that is not currently being contemplated, Ort said.
Magee said the Metroplan board approved the preferred alignment through Sherwood some time ago.
He said completion of the North Belt Loop would help alleviate congestion on Hwy. 67 and I-40. While the number of vehicles expected to divert to the loop wasn’t that great, much of it would be during rush hour, where the impact could be significant.
For instance, by 2030, without the loop, daily traffic on I-40 near Crystal Hill would be about 89,000 vehicles per day, but with construction of the loop, it is estimated to be about 83,000.
Traffic in 2030 on Hwy. 107 south of the North Belt would decrease slightly, according to computer modeling, but north, between the loop and the back gate of Little Rock Air Force Base, it would increase about 6,000 trips a day.
Traffic south of the loop on Hwy. 67/167 is estimated to decrease about 6,000 trips a day as well.
Traffic on Main Street, west of Redmond Road, is anticipated to be about 10 percent less than it would be without the North Belt Loop.
The $347 million total represents a 26 percent increase from the estimate of $275.8 million in 2006, according to the documents.
Once all comments have been received and evaluated, an application will be submitted to the FHWA for a record of decision, the final approval concerning the location of the facility. The record of decision is the final approval needed to proceed to the next stage of project development, the survey and design work. Additional public meetings will be held during the design phase. There is no timetable for construction at this time.
Right now the route is a 200-ft. wide line on a map, according to Ort, and once the real engineering begins and right-of-way is determined, the department will have a better idea of the number of homes and other structures have to be relocated, he said.
Preliminary estimates are that unbuilt section of the loop, between Hwy. 67/167 and I-40 at Crystal Hill,f3fff3 could cause displacement of 29 residential owners at a cost of $750,000, of four residential tenants at a cost of $40,000, nine businesses at a cost of $180,000, services and others costs for a total of $1.07 million, according to the document.
The entire 12.7-mile segment would require conversion of 707 acres of right of way, according to the environemental statement.
The route east from I-40 at Crystal Hill was described like this:
From the western end of the proposed project at Interstate 40, the Preferred Alternative goes to the northeast through the Crystal Hill community to an interchange at Hwy. 365.
From there, it continues to the northeast into Camp Robinson, passing to the southeast of the Camp Robinson Army Airfield.
Briefly turning to the southeast then east, the route passes to the north of Engineers Lake before turning to the northeast again to cross Batesville Pike just to the north of Maryland Avenue and the North Little Rock Municipal Airport.
Part of the Preferred Alter-native includes relocating a portion of Batesville Pike outside Camp Robinson.
From the Batesville Pike interchange, the preferred alternative continues northeast, to the west of Wayside Drive and crosses Kellogg Acres Road just to the north of the intersection with Oakdale Road. It continues east just north of Oakdale Road and then southeast with an interchange proposed at Highway 107.
The preferred alternative turns to the northeast when crossing Fears Lake and back to the southeast, crossing Oneida Street before connecting with the Hwy. 67 interchange.
TOP STORY > >North Belt only lacks $347M to complete
By JOHN HOFHEIMER
Leader senior staff writer
The path through Sherwood for completion of the North Belt Loop has been chosen, but it will take about $347 million to set it in stone—or concrete in this case.
The state Highway and Transpor-tation Department has made the final environmental impact statement concerning the loop’s path through Sherwood available for final review, but “assuming we don’t receive any showstoppers, we can apply to the Federal Highway Administration for a final record of decision,” according to Randy Ort, department spokesman. After that, the department can begin engineering and acquisition of right of way—if it can just find the money.
The environmental statement is available for review at the city halls and public libraries of Sherwood, Jack-sonville and North Little Rock.
Additionally, a review copy is available at the Metroplan office at 501 W. Markham in Little Rock, the Pulaski County Administration Building at 201 S. Broadway in Little Rock and the AHTD District 6 office at 8900 Mabelvale Pike in Little Rock.
Comments about the document should be sent to the AHTD Environmental Division, P.O. Box 2261, Little Rock, Ark. 72203-2261, by Aug. 18.
Of the $347 million estimated cost, $320 million would be for construction, $14.8 million for right of way, $10.9 million for utilities and $1 million for relocation costs.
While no money has been identified to build the project, there is $4 million available to begin purchasing right of way, according to Richard Magee, deputy director of Metroplan.
While the North Belt Loop was one of two major projects in the state that could conceivably be financed by making it a toll road, that is not currently being contemplated, Ort said.
Magee said the Metroplan board approved the preferred alignment through Sherwood some time ago.
He said completion of the North Belt Loop would help alleviate congestion on Hwy. 67 and I-40. While the number of vehicles expected to divert to the loop wasn’t that great, much of it would be during rush hour, where the impact could be significant.
For instance, by 2030, without the loop, daily traffic on I-40 near Crystal Hill would be about 89,000 vehicles per day, but with construction of the loop, it is estimated to be about 83,000.
Traffic in 2030 on Hwy. 107 south of the North Belt would decrease slightly, according to computer modeling, but north, between the loop and the back gate of Little Rock Air Force Base, it would increase about 6,000 trips a day.
Traffic south of the loop on Hwy. 67/167 is estimated to decrease about 6,000 trips a day as well.
Traffic on Main Street, west of Redmond Road, is anticipated to be about 10 percent less than it would be without the North Belt Loop.
The $347 million total represents a 26 percent increase from the estimate of $275.8 million in 2006, according to the documents.
Once all comments have been received and evaluated, an application will be submitted to the FHWA for a record of decision, the final approval concerning the location of the facility. The record of decision is the final approval needed to proceed to the next stage of project development, the survey and design work. Additional public meetings will be held during the design phase. There is no timetable for construction at this time.
Right now the route is a 200-ft. wide line on a map, according to Ort, and once the real engineering begins and right-of-way is determined, the department will have a better idea of the number of homes and other structures have to be relocated, he said.
Preliminary estimates are that unbuilt section of the loop, between Hwy. 67/167 and I-40 at Crystal Hill,f3fff3 could cause displacement of 29 residential owners at a cost of $750,000, of four residential tenants at a cost of $40,000, nine businesses at a cost of $180,000, services and others costs for a total of $1.07 million, according to the document.
The entire 12.7-mile segment would require conversion of 707 acres of right of way, according to the environemental statement.
The route east from I-40 at Crystal Hill was described like this:
From the western end of the proposed project at Interstate 40, the Preferred Alternative goes to the northeast through the Crystal Hill community to an interchange at Hwy. 365.
From there, it continues to the northeast into Camp Robinson, passing to the southeast of the Camp Robinson Army Airfield.
Briefly turning to the southeast then east, the route passes to the north of Engineers Lake before turning to the northeast again to cross Batesville Pike just to the north of Maryland Avenue and the North Little Rock Municipal Airport.
Part of the Preferred Alter-native includes relocating a portion of Batesville Pike outside Camp Robinson.
From the Batesville Pike interchange, the preferred alternative continues northeast, to the west of Wayside Drive and crosses Kellogg Acres Road just to the north of the intersection with Oakdale Road. It continues east just north of Oakdale Road and then southeast with an interchange proposed at Highway 107.
The preferred alternative turns to the northeast when crossing Fears Lake and back to the southeast, crossing Oneida Street before connecting with the Hwy. 67 interchange.
Leader senior staff writer
The path through Sherwood for completion of the North Belt Loop has been chosen, but it will take about $347 million to set it in stone—or concrete in this case.
The state Highway and Transpor-tation Department has made the final environmental impact statement concerning the loop’s path through Sherwood available for final review, but “assuming we don’t receive any showstoppers, we can apply to the Federal Highway Administration for a final record of decision,” according to Randy Ort, department spokesman. After that, the department can begin engineering and acquisition of right of way—if it can just find the money.
The environmental statement is available for review at the city halls and public libraries of Sherwood, Jack-sonville and North Little Rock.
Additionally, a review copy is available at the Metroplan office at 501 W. Markham in Little Rock, the Pulaski County Administration Building at 201 S. Broadway in Little Rock and the AHTD District 6 office at 8900 Mabelvale Pike in Little Rock.
Comments about the document should be sent to the AHTD Environmental Division, P.O. Box 2261, Little Rock, Ark. 72203-2261, by Aug. 18.
Of the $347 million estimated cost, $320 million would be for construction, $14.8 million for right of way, $10.9 million for utilities and $1 million for relocation costs.
While no money has been identified to build the project, there is $4 million available to begin purchasing right of way, according to Richard Magee, deputy director of Metroplan.
While the North Belt Loop was one of two major projects in the state that could conceivably be financed by making it a toll road, that is not currently being contemplated, Ort said.
Magee said the Metroplan board approved the preferred alignment through Sherwood some time ago.
He said completion of the North Belt Loop would help alleviate congestion on Hwy. 67 and I-40. While the number of vehicles expected to divert to the loop wasn’t that great, much of it would be during rush hour, where the impact could be significant.
For instance, by 2030, without the loop, daily traffic on I-40 near Crystal Hill would be about 89,000 vehicles per day, but with construction of the loop, it is estimated to be about 83,000.
Traffic in 2030 on Hwy. 107 south of the North Belt would decrease slightly, according to computer modeling, but north, between the loop and the back gate of Little Rock Air Force Base, it would increase about 6,000 trips a day.
Traffic south of the loop on Hwy. 67/167 is estimated to decrease about 6,000 trips a day as well.
Traffic on Main Street, west of Redmond Road, is anticipated to be about 10 percent less than it would be without the North Belt Loop.
The $347 million total represents a 26 percent increase from the estimate of $275.8 million in 2006, according to the documents.
Once all comments have been received and evaluated, an application will be submitted to the FHWA for a record of decision, the final approval concerning the location of the facility. The record of decision is the final approval needed to proceed to the next stage of project development, the survey and design work. Additional public meetings will be held during the design phase. There is no timetable for construction at this time.
Right now the route is a 200-ft. wide line on a map, according to Ort, and once the real engineering begins and right-of-way is determined, the department will have a better idea of the number of homes and other structures have to be relocated, he said.
Preliminary estimates are that unbuilt section of the loop, between Hwy. 67/167 and I-40 at Crystal Hill,f3fff3 could cause displacement of 29 residential owners at a cost of $750,000, of four residential tenants at a cost of $40,000, nine businesses at a cost of $180,000, services and others costs for a total of $1.07 million, according to the document.
The entire 12.7-mile segment would require conversion of 707 acres of right of way, according to the environemental statement.
The route east from I-40 at Crystal Hill was described like this:
From the western end of the proposed project at Interstate 40, the Preferred Alternative goes to the northeast through the Crystal Hill community to an interchange at Hwy. 365.
From there, it continues to the northeast into Camp Robinson, passing to the southeast of the Camp Robinson Army Airfield.
Briefly turning to the southeast then east, the route passes to the north of Engineers Lake before turning to the northeast again to cross Batesville Pike just to the north of Maryland Avenue and the North Little Rock Municipal Airport.
Part of the Preferred Alter-native includes relocating a portion of Batesville Pike outside Camp Robinson.
From the Batesville Pike interchange, the preferred alternative continues northeast, to the west of Wayside Drive and crosses Kellogg Acres Road just to the north of the intersection with Oakdale Road. It continues east just north of Oakdale Road and then southeast with an interchange proposed at Highway 107.
The preferred alternative turns to the northeast when crossing Fears Lake and back to the southeast, crossing Oneida Street before connecting with the Hwy. 67 interchange.
TOP STORY > >Colonel gets plaudits for leading base
By GARRICK FELDMAN
Leader publisher
Richard E. Pluchinsky of Jacksonville, the retired Air Force colonel who was the base commander at Little Rock Air Force Base from 1989-91, was buried on Friday with full military honors at Arkansas State Veterans Cemetery in North Little Rock.
An honor guard from Little Rock Air Force Base also paid homage to Col. Pluchinsky at a memorial service at Jacksonville Funeral Home.
Pluchinsky, who passed away on Tuesday at the age of 68, was assigned to Little Rock Air Force Base three times. He did two tours of duty in Vietnam and served in the first Gulf War in 1991.
Pluchinsky, who was a C-130 pilot, had flown 1,000 hours of combat in Southeast Asia.
At the memorial service, Ron Swann, a former civilian employee at Little Rock Air Force Base, recalled working with Pluchinsky, saying, “He was a hands-on person.”
“He was not afraid to work,” Swann said. “He played hard. He expected you to work hard.”
Pluchinsky decided to stay in Jacksonville when he retired from the Air Force.
A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., he would talk about growing up in the crowded city and how kids made their own fun in the streets not far from where Mae West, Mel Brooks and Alan King were born.
He recalled swimming as a kid in the polluted East River between Manhattan and Brooklyn, near the old Diamond Sugar factory, which is being turned into luxury apartments.
An only child, he grew up in modest circumstances, but he attended LaSalle Military Academy on Long Island, N.Y., and graduated from Villanova University in 1962 with a degree in economics.
After completing officer-training school, he trained as a pilot at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia in 1965 and was assigned to Lockborn Air Force Base in Ohio as a C-130 pilot.
Pluchinsky went to Okinawa at the end of 1965 and flew airlift missions in South Vietnam, as well as night missions over North Vietnam and Laos. He returned to fly more missions there until 1973, when he became a reconnaissance staff officer in Guam supervising Strategic Air Command reconnaissance activities in the western Pacific. He was assigned to Little Rock Air Force
Base in 1974 and returned in 1978, when he was given command of the 314th Avionics Maintenance Squadron.
Pluchinsky completed Air War College in May 1981 and was assigned to Mobility Air Command headquarters as chief of the War and Mobility Plans Division and deputy chief of staff for logistics.
He transferred to Air Force headquarters at the Pentagon in August 1984 as chief of the logistics plans and operations division.
The colonel then was named deputy commander of the 314th Combat Support Group and then became base commander.
Pluchinsky played a key role in Operation Desert Shield in 1991, when he helped plan the flight of 16 C-130 transport planes from the 314th Tactical Airlift Wing at the Jacksonville air base.
According to a New York Times report, “A total of 575 crew members and maintenance personnel are stationed in the United Arab Emirates, including additional support personnel sent from Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington.
“The crews and support personnel are living in lines of drab, air-conditioned trailer structures. The structures were assembled within 48 hours on a strip near the runway.
“An Air Force planner, Col. Richard E. Pluchinsky, said that when the first members of the unit arrived, they slept in a huge hangar open to the desert air. There are still not enough trailers for all the men and woman, so some of them sleep in an air-conditioned lounge, crammed, the colonel said, ‘Body, body, body on the floor.’”
Col. Pluchinsky was never at a loss for words, and he always got the job done.
Leader publisher
Richard E. Pluchinsky of Jacksonville, the retired Air Force colonel who was the base commander at Little Rock Air Force Base from 1989-91, was buried on Friday with full military honors at Arkansas State Veterans Cemetery in North Little Rock.
An honor guard from Little Rock Air Force Base also paid homage to Col. Pluchinsky at a memorial service at Jacksonville Funeral Home.
Pluchinsky, who passed away on Tuesday at the age of 68, was assigned to Little Rock Air Force Base three times. He did two tours of duty in Vietnam and served in the first Gulf War in 1991.
Pluchinsky, who was a C-130 pilot, had flown 1,000 hours of combat in Southeast Asia.
At the memorial service, Ron Swann, a former civilian employee at Little Rock Air Force Base, recalled working with Pluchinsky, saying, “He was a hands-on person.”
“He was not afraid to work,” Swann said. “He played hard. He expected you to work hard.”
Pluchinsky decided to stay in Jacksonville when he retired from the Air Force.
A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., he would talk about growing up in the crowded city and how kids made their own fun in the streets not far from where Mae West, Mel Brooks and Alan King were born.
He recalled swimming as a kid in the polluted East River between Manhattan and Brooklyn, near the old Diamond Sugar factory, which is being turned into luxury apartments.
An only child, he grew up in modest circumstances, but he attended LaSalle Military Academy on Long Island, N.Y., and graduated from Villanova University in 1962 with a degree in economics.
After completing officer-training school, he trained as a pilot at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia in 1965 and was assigned to Lockborn Air Force Base in Ohio as a C-130 pilot.
Pluchinsky went to Okinawa at the end of 1965 and flew airlift missions in South Vietnam, as well as night missions over North Vietnam and Laos. He returned to fly more missions there until 1973, when he became a reconnaissance staff officer in Guam supervising Strategic Air Command reconnaissance activities in the western Pacific. He was assigned to Little Rock Air Force
Base in 1974 and returned in 1978, when he was given command of the 314th Avionics Maintenance Squadron.
Pluchinsky completed Air War College in May 1981 and was assigned to Mobility Air Command headquarters as chief of the War and Mobility Plans Division and deputy chief of staff for logistics.
He transferred to Air Force headquarters at the Pentagon in August 1984 as chief of the logistics plans and operations division.
The colonel then was named deputy commander of the 314th Combat Support Group and then became base commander.
Pluchinsky played a key role in Operation Desert Shield in 1991, when he helped plan the flight of 16 C-130 transport planes from the 314th Tactical Airlift Wing at the Jacksonville air base.
According to a New York Times report, “A total of 575 crew members and maintenance personnel are stationed in the United Arab Emirates, including additional support personnel sent from Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington.
“The crews and support personnel are living in lines of drab, air-conditioned trailer structures. The structures were assembled within 48 hours on a strip near the runway.
“An Air Force planner, Col. Richard E. Pluchinsky, said that when the first members of the unit arrived, they slept in a huge hangar open to the desert air. There are still not enough trailers for all the men and woman, so some of them sleep in an air-conditioned lounge, crammed, the colonel said, ‘Body, body, body on the floor.’”
Col. Pluchinsky was never at a loss for words, and he always got the job done.
TOP STORY > >Colonel gets plaudits for leading base
By GARRICK FELDMAN
Leader publisher
Richard E. Pluchinsky of Jacksonville, the retired Air Force colonel who was the base commander at Little Rock Air Force Base from 1989-91, was buried on Friday with full military honors at Arkansas State Veterans Cemetery in North Little Rock.
An honor guard from Little Rock Air Force Base also paid homage to Col. Pluchinsky at a memorial service at Jacksonville Funeral Home.
Pluchinsky, who passed away on Tuesday at the age of 68, was assigned to Little Rock Air Force Base three times. He did two tours of duty in Vietnam and served in the first Gulf War in 1991.
Pluchinsky, who was a C-130 pilot, had flown 1,000 hours of combat in Southeast Asia.
At the memorial service, Ron Swann, a former civilian employee at Little Rock Air Force Base, recalled working with Pluchinsky, saying, “He was a hands-on person.”
“He was not afraid to work,” Swann said. “He played hard. He expected you to work hard.”
Pluchinsky decided to stay in Jacksonville when he retired from the Air Force.
A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., he would talk about growing up in the crowded city and how kids made their own fun in the streets not far from where Mae West, Mel Brooks and Alan King were born.
He recalled swimming as a kid in the polluted East River between Manhattan and Brooklyn, near the old Diamond Sugar factory, which is being turned into luxury apartments.
An only child, he grew up in modest circumstances, but he attended LaSalle Military Academy on Long Island, N.Y., and graduated from Villanova University in 1962 with a degree in economics.
After completing officer-training school, he trained as a pilot at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia in 1965 and was assigned to Lockborn Air Force Base in Ohio as a C-130 pilot.
Pluchinsky went to Okinawa at the end of 1965 and flew airlift missions in South Vietnam, as well as night missions over North Vietnam and Laos. He returned to fly more missions there until 1973, when he became a reconnaissance staff officer in Guam supervising Strategic Air Command reconnaissance activities in the western Pacific. He was assigned to Little Rock Air Force
Base in 1974 and returned in 1978, when he was given command of the 314th Avionics Maintenance Squadron.
Pluchinsky completed Air War College in May 1981 and was assigned to Mobility Air Command headquarters as chief of the War and Mobility Plans Division and deputy chief of staff for logistics.
He transferred to Air Force headquarters at the Pentagon in August 1984 as chief of the logistics plans and operations division.
The colonel then was named deputy commander of the 314th Combat Support Group and then became base commander.
Pluchinsky played a key role in Operation Desert Shield in 1991, when he helped plan the flight of 16 C-130 transport planes from the 314th Tactical Airlift Wing at the Jacksonville air base.
According to a New York Times report, “A total of 575 crew members and maintenance personnel are stationed in the United Arab Emirates, including additional support personnel sent from Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington.
“The crews and support personnel are living in lines of drab, air-conditioned trailer structures. The structures were assembled within 48 hours on a strip near the runway.
“An Air Force planner, Col. Richard E. Pluchinsky, said that when the first members of the unit arrived, they slept in a huge hangar open to the desert air. There are still not enough trailers for all the men and woman, so some of them sleep in an air-conditioned lounge, crammed, the colonel said, ‘Body, body, body on the floor.’”
Col. Pluchinsky was never at a loss for words, and he always got the job done.
Leader publisher
Richard E. Pluchinsky of Jacksonville, the retired Air Force colonel who was the base commander at Little Rock Air Force Base from 1989-91, was buried on Friday with full military honors at Arkansas State Veterans Cemetery in North Little Rock.
An honor guard from Little Rock Air Force Base also paid homage to Col. Pluchinsky at a memorial service at Jacksonville Funeral Home.
Pluchinsky, who passed away on Tuesday at the age of 68, was assigned to Little Rock Air Force Base three times. He did two tours of duty in Vietnam and served in the first Gulf War in 1991.
Pluchinsky, who was a C-130 pilot, had flown 1,000 hours of combat in Southeast Asia.
At the memorial service, Ron Swann, a former civilian employee at Little Rock Air Force Base, recalled working with Pluchinsky, saying, “He was a hands-on person.”
“He was not afraid to work,” Swann said. “He played hard. He expected you to work hard.”
Pluchinsky decided to stay in Jacksonville when he retired from the Air Force.
A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., he would talk about growing up in the crowded city and how kids made their own fun in the streets not far from where Mae West, Mel Brooks and Alan King were born.
He recalled swimming as a kid in the polluted East River between Manhattan and Brooklyn, near the old Diamond Sugar factory, which is being turned into luxury apartments.
An only child, he grew up in modest circumstances, but he attended LaSalle Military Academy on Long Island, N.Y., and graduated from Villanova University in 1962 with a degree in economics.
After completing officer-training school, he trained as a pilot at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia in 1965 and was assigned to Lockborn Air Force Base in Ohio as a C-130 pilot.
Pluchinsky went to Okinawa at the end of 1965 and flew airlift missions in South Vietnam, as well as night missions over North Vietnam and Laos. He returned to fly more missions there until 1973, when he became a reconnaissance staff officer in Guam supervising Strategic Air Command reconnaissance activities in the western Pacific. He was assigned to Little Rock Air Force
Base in 1974 and returned in 1978, when he was given command of the 314th Avionics Maintenance Squadron.
Pluchinsky completed Air War College in May 1981 and was assigned to Mobility Air Command headquarters as chief of the War and Mobility Plans Division and deputy chief of staff for logistics.
He transferred to Air Force headquarters at the Pentagon in August 1984 as chief of the logistics plans and operations division.
The colonel then was named deputy commander of the 314th Combat Support Group and then became base commander.
Pluchinsky played a key role in Operation Desert Shield in 1991, when he helped plan the flight of 16 C-130 transport planes from the 314th Tactical Airlift Wing at the Jacksonville air base.
According to a New York Times report, “A total of 575 crew members and maintenance personnel are stationed in the United Arab Emirates, including additional support personnel sent from Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington.
“The crews and support personnel are living in lines of drab, air-conditioned trailer structures. The structures were assembled within 48 hours on a strip near the runway.
“An Air Force planner, Col. Richard E. Pluchinsky, said that when the first members of the unit arrived, they slept in a huge hangar open to the desert air. There are still not enough trailers for all the men and woman, so some of them sleep in an air-conditioned lounge, crammed, the colonel said, ‘Body, body, body on the floor.’”
Col. Pluchinsky was never at a loss for words, and he always got the job done.
TOP STORY > >Cabot farmers pioneer selling crops to public
By CHUCK BARTELS
Associated Press business writer
A new state effort is getting underway to encourage consumers to do business with Arkansas farmers and to bring more growers into the agritourism industry.
The Arkansas Agritourism Initiative is designed to help consumers find local vendors as well as farms that offer tours or other attractions. Organizers have a Web site that helps promote the industry through the state’s tourism department and other avenues — www.arkagritourism.org.
The groups are also encouraging more farmers to branch into retail.
“If they really believe in what they are doing and want to share their experiences on the farm with others, it may be the right move,” said Joe Foster, program coordinator with the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute at Petit Jean Mountain and one of the initiative organizers. A farmer taking on a venture with the public will have to be prepared to adopt a new perspective, said Larry Odom of Holland Bottoms Farm in Cabot.
“We offer flavor and freshness,” Odom said as he stood among crates of just-picked peaches, tomatoes and okra at his roadside produce business on Arkansas 321. “But you’re also marketing the whole farm and you’re marketing yourself. That is not to be overlooked.”
Odom, 64, who has a math degree, said he had not had a day off since April and does not expect to have one until the stand closes for the season in August.
Tom Ellison, marketing director for the Arkansas Agriculture Department, said farmers have to be sure adding a tourism component would improve the overall business, especially considering the need to make physical improvements and perhaps adding staff.
“You have to decide if you have a story there to tell that people will want to come see,” Ellison said.
Bob Barnhill, 77, who also operates a Cabot-area farm and produce stand, said his target market is people with extra pocket money, not folks doing their primary food shopping.
“We’re here to sell to people who have disposable income,” Barnhill said. “It’s a different world than Wal-Mart.”
To compete against Wal-Mart and other retailers, agritourism businesses have to offer special touches not available in the city, Foster said.
“In Arkansas, more and more people are living in urban areas and we’re losing sight of the rich agricultural heritage in the state,” Foster said. “These businesses bridge the gap between rural and urban life here in Arkansas.’’
One challenge for farmers who open their gates to the public is the cost of insurance. That was enough to lead Barnhill to stop offering hay rides, instead focusing on sales only. Foster said updating insurance is among investments that can include adding restrooms, shady sitting areas and facilities for refreshments. Other agencies and groups backing the effort include the Arkansas Farm Bureau and the National Agricultural Law Center. The state Agriculture Department already maintains a Web site for producers who sell to the public — www.naturallyarkansas.org — but said the new site will have greater reach.
The notion of agritourism goes beyond U-pick farms and hay rides. Farmers markets, on-site farm sales, horse riding, ranching, fish farm tours and even leasing east Arkansas farmland during duck season all fit the category.
The Arkansas Agritourism Initiative aims to bring them together on the Web site and help the industry grow by promoting it with all the state’s other attractions. Donna Perrin of the Arkansas Parks and Tourism Department said the agency is offering hospitality programs geared specifically to farmers. She said the department is advising farmers on how they can increase revenue.
For instance, advertising on the Internet is essential, accepting credit cards accommodates customers who want to make big purchases, keeping events listings current helps draw patrons and being open during advertised hours is critical for sustaining business.
“People don’t want to pull up to a closed gate where there’s a big dog that doesn’t welcome you,’’ Perrin said. “They won’t want to get out of the car.’’
Ellison said agritourism businesses can grow as the industry builds momentum. If there are several different attractions open in an area, a family will be more likely to invest the time and gas money in a day trip than if there is only one operation, he said.
“The main goal is to bring more people to your farm,’’ Ellison said.
Odom, pausing from helping fill a large order of peaches for a farmers market, said anyone willing to make the commitment should give it a try.
Associated Press business writer
A new state effort is getting underway to encourage consumers to do business with Arkansas farmers and to bring more growers into the agritourism industry.
The Arkansas Agritourism Initiative is designed to help consumers find local vendors as well as farms that offer tours or other attractions. Organizers have a Web site that helps promote the industry through the state’s tourism department and other avenues — www.arkagritourism.org.
The groups are also encouraging more farmers to branch into retail.
“If they really believe in what they are doing and want to share their experiences on the farm with others, it may be the right move,” said Joe Foster, program coordinator with the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute at Petit Jean Mountain and one of the initiative organizers. A farmer taking on a venture with the public will have to be prepared to adopt a new perspective, said Larry Odom of Holland Bottoms Farm in Cabot.
“We offer flavor and freshness,” Odom said as he stood among crates of just-picked peaches, tomatoes and okra at his roadside produce business on Arkansas 321. “But you’re also marketing the whole farm and you’re marketing yourself. That is not to be overlooked.”
Odom, 64, who has a math degree, said he had not had a day off since April and does not expect to have one until the stand closes for the season in August.
Tom Ellison, marketing director for the Arkansas Agriculture Department, said farmers have to be sure adding a tourism component would improve the overall business, especially considering the need to make physical improvements and perhaps adding staff.
“You have to decide if you have a story there to tell that people will want to come see,” Ellison said.
Bob Barnhill, 77, who also operates a Cabot-area farm and produce stand, said his target market is people with extra pocket money, not folks doing their primary food shopping.
“We’re here to sell to people who have disposable income,” Barnhill said. “It’s a different world than Wal-Mart.”
To compete against Wal-Mart and other retailers, agritourism businesses have to offer special touches not available in the city, Foster said.
“In Arkansas, more and more people are living in urban areas and we’re losing sight of the rich agricultural heritage in the state,” Foster said. “These businesses bridge the gap between rural and urban life here in Arkansas.’’
One challenge for farmers who open their gates to the public is the cost of insurance. That was enough to lead Barnhill to stop offering hay rides, instead focusing on sales only. Foster said updating insurance is among investments that can include adding restrooms, shady sitting areas and facilities for refreshments. Other agencies and groups backing the effort include the Arkansas Farm Bureau and the National Agricultural Law Center. The state Agriculture Department already maintains a Web site for producers who sell to the public — www.naturallyarkansas.org — but said the new site will have greater reach.
The notion of agritourism goes beyond U-pick farms and hay rides. Farmers markets, on-site farm sales, horse riding, ranching, fish farm tours and even leasing east Arkansas farmland during duck season all fit the category.
The Arkansas Agritourism Initiative aims to bring them together on the Web site and help the industry grow by promoting it with all the state’s other attractions. Donna Perrin of the Arkansas Parks and Tourism Department said the agency is offering hospitality programs geared specifically to farmers. She said the department is advising farmers on how they can increase revenue.
For instance, advertising on the Internet is essential, accepting credit cards accommodates customers who want to make big purchases, keeping events listings current helps draw patrons and being open during advertised hours is critical for sustaining business.
“People don’t want to pull up to a closed gate where there’s a big dog that doesn’t welcome you,’’ Perrin said. “They won’t want to get out of the car.’’
Ellison said agritourism businesses can grow as the industry builds momentum. If there are several different attractions open in an area, a family will be more likely to invest the time and gas money in a day trip than if there is only one operation, he said.
“The main goal is to bring more people to your farm,’’ Ellison said.
Odom, pausing from helping fill a large order of peaches for a farmers market, said anyone willing to make the commitment should give it a try.
TOP STORY > >Sales taxes will hit many areas
By JOAN McCOY
Leader staff writer
Three new taxes go into effect in Lonoke County on Oct. 1 — a county-wide penny sales tax to pay for a new jail that will be collected for one year only, a 1 percent tax in Austin that was passed to cash in on a new state law that says tax is collected at the point of delivery and a .25 percent tax in Carlisle that will be used for general improvements and to cover city expenses.
The additional taxes will increase Lonoke County’s tax to 2 percent and Carlisle’s to 1.25 percent. However, Oct. 1 will be the first time a sales tax will be collected in Austin.
The new county jail tax is expected to raise $5.5 million to $6 million before it sunsets a year after collection begins. The jail it will pay for is expected to house 140 inmates compared to 70 in the existing jail.
CARLISLE BONDS
In Carlisle, the .25 percent tax that voters narrowly approved had been collected to pay off bonds for water and sewer improvements. That tax ended when the bonds were retired this year, but city residents voted to allow it to be collected again to help pay the costs of running the city. The new .25 percent tax does not have a sunset clause.
Austin Mayor Bernie Chamber-lain said the city’s new 1 percent tax will pay for much needed improvements all over the city, such as the completion of a fire station, street repair and new cars for the police department.
Like other parts of northern Lonoke County, Austin is growing. The city has annexed several subdivisions and issues about 50 building permits a year.
Since Austin has no building- supply stores, all building materials for those houses are delivered and since a new state law went into effect Jan. 1, Austin has lost money on every load.
The point-of-delivery law that several states have passed is aimed at catalog and internet businesses which have not necessarily collected sales tax in the past.
But it also affects the “brick and mortar” businesses like furniture stores and lumber supply stores that often deliver the merchandise outside the cities where they are located.
COUNTY JAIL
County Judge Charlie Trout-man says he hopes the jail can be built using mostly inmate labor on loan from the state Correction Department or with the help of Act 309 trustee laborers.
County officials have sought for years an alternative to the overcrowded, inadequate and dangerous jail first built in 1972 and remodeled in 1992.
It was designed for 40 inmates. With additions, its current capacity is 72 beds and frequently holds more than 90 inmates with a high of 98.
The Public Policy Center of the Agriculture Extension Service found the current jail lacking or inadequate in the following areas:
No central control format, with doors facing every direction.n
No sally port, an enclosed area for loading prisoners in and out of the jail
Electrical and plumbing are in poor operating condition, according to Sheriff Jim Roberson.
The lock system is outdated.
The jail is unsanitary and unsafe for prisoners and employees.
The camera monitoring system is “considered poor.”
Female cells, designed for seven sometimes hold 15.
overcrowded, unsafe conditions have resulted in multi-million dollar lawsuits.
Leader staff writer
Three new taxes go into effect in Lonoke County on Oct. 1 — a county-wide penny sales tax to pay for a new jail that will be collected for one year only, a 1 percent tax in Austin that was passed to cash in on a new state law that says tax is collected at the point of delivery and a .25 percent tax in Carlisle that will be used for general improvements and to cover city expenses.
The additional taxes will increase Lonoke County’s tax to 2 percent and Carlisle’s to 1.25 percent. However, Oct. 1 will be the first time a sales tax will be collected in Austin.
The new county jail tax is expected to raise $5.5 million to $6 million before it sunsets a year after collection begins. The jail it will pay for is expected to house 140 inmates compared to 70 in the existing jail.
CARLISLE BONDS
In Carlisle, the .25 percent tax that voters narrowly approved had been collected to pay off bonds for water and sewer improvements. That tax ended when the bonds were retired this year, but city residents voted to allow it to be collected again to help pay the costs of running the city. The new .25 percent tax does not have a sunset clause.
Austin Mayor Bernie Chamber-lain said the city’s new 1 percent tax will pay for much needed improvements all over the city, such as the completion of a fire station, street repair and new cars for the police department.
Like other parts of northern Lonoke County, Austin is growing. The city has annexed several subdivisions and issues about 50 building permits a year.
Since Austin has no building- supply stores, all building materials for those houses are delivered and since a new state law went into effect Jan. 1, Austin has lost money on every load.
The point-of-delivery law that several states have passed is aimed at catalog and internet businesses which have not necessarily collected sales tax in the past.
But it also affects the “brick and mortar” businesses like furniture stores and lumber supply stores that often deliver the merchandise outside the cities where they are located.
COUNTY JAIL
County Judge Charlie Trout-man says he hopes the jail can be built using mostly inmate labor on loan from the state Correction Department or with the help of Act 309 trustee laborers.
County officials have sought for years an alternative to the overcrowded, inadequate and dangerous jail first built in 1972 and remodeled in 1992.
It was designed for 40 inmates. With additions, its current capacity is 72 beds and frequently holds more than 90 inmates with a high of 98.
The Public Policy Center of the Agriculture Extension Service found the current jail lacking or inadequate in the following areas:
No central control format, with doors facing every direction.n
No sally port, an enclosed area for loading prisoners in and out of the jail
Electrical and plumbing are in poor operating condition, according to Sheriff Jim Roberson.
The lock system is outdated.
The jail is unsanitary and unsafe for prisoners and employees.
The camera monitoring system is “considered poor.”
Female cells, designed for seven sometimes hold 15.
overcrowded, unsafe conditions have resulted in multi-million dollar lawsuits.
TOP STORY > >Hospital has survival plan
By NANCY DOCKTER
Leader staff writer
Establishing an after-hours clinic at North Metro Medical Center is under consideration by hospital leadership as a way to lessen the demand on the hospital’s emergency services and provide a more affordable care option.
However, no definite timeframe has been set for a decision about the after-hours clinic or provision of other services at North Metro into the future, according to Mike Wilson, a member of the medical center board of directors.
“The hospital is not in a desperate situation, but a situation of concern,” he said. “The hospital is not broke, and it is not going to close tomorrow.”
During the last 11 months, emergency room (ER) visits at North Metro have increased 8 percent, compared to reporting for the same months of the year in 2006-07.
For 2007-08, the ER has seen an average of 1,788 patients each month, which means an average of 66 patients each day. In 2006-07, the monthly average was 1,936 patients or 60 on average each day.
The medical center’s CEO, Scott Landrum, attributes the intensifying demand on emergency services to the rising number of people without health insurance coverage, especially among the population served by North Metro. He said many people rely on the hospital’s ER for conditions that could well be treated at a doctor’s office, but folks without insurance come there because they won’t be turned away. And then there are those cases, such as a sick child on the weekend, that wind up in the
ER because no doctor’s office is open.
In reference to the pressure on ER services at North Metro as well as the other two, closest hospitals with ER services (Baptist North in North Little Rock and St. Vincent North in Sherwood), Landrum said, “All three of us are overwhelmed.”
Wilson is clear-spoken about what he sees as the hospital’s priorities. “We as a board have got to be cognizant of our duty to the hospital and community to maintain that facility,” Wilson said. “The board is determined to keep it open. We will have the ER available and, we hope, after-hours care for minor things.”
Wilson was complimentary of the strides made by Landrum, who became North Metro’s CEO a year ago. “He has done a good job for us,” Wilson said. “The hospital is more accessible and looking nicer for the public and the doctors. Things are going much better with customer relations, with improved patient care.”
Hospital operations are now more cost-efficient, thanks to Land-rum’s “keen attention to detail, where every nickel counts,” Wilson said, but that has not been enough to fully cure the institution’s financial ills. “We are in a tough competitive situation,” Wilson said. “The squeeze is on us as with all other hospitals, most of them anyway.”
The reality is that present revenue streams are not enough to support all the services that the hospital currently provides, so something has to give, he said.
“The greatest difficulty is that Medicare, Medicaid and TriCare are not sufficient to have a 110 percent, all-service hospital. It is just not working and that is true for others, too,” Wilson said, alluding to other hospitals.
He encourages members of the community to offer their thoughts about future direction of the hospital.
“The board would welcome any suggestions or comments that your readers or the public may have,” he said.
Leader staff writer
Establishing an after-hours clinic at North Metro Medical Center is under consideration by hospital leadership as a way to lessen the demand on the hospital’s emergency services and provide a more affordable care option.
However, no definite timeframe has been set for a decision about the after-hours clinic or provision of other services at North Metro into the future, according to Mike Wilson, a member of the medical center board of directors.
“The hospital is not in a desperate situation, but a situation of concern,” he said. “The hospital is not broke, and it is not going to close tomorrow.”
During the last 11 months, emergency room (ER) visits at North Metro have increased 8 percent, compared to reporting for the same months of the year in 2006-07.
For 2007-08, the ER has seen an average of 1,788 patients each month, which means an average of 66 patients each day. In 2006-07, the monthly average was 1,936 patients or 60 on average each day.
The medical center’s CEO, Scott Landrum, attributes the intensifying demand on emergency services to the rising number of people without health insurance coverage, especially among the population served by North Metro. He said many people rely on the hospital’s ER for conditions that could well be treated at a doctor’s office, but folks without insurance come there because they won’t be turned away. And then there are those cases, such as a sick child on the weekend, that wind up in the
ER because no doctor’s office is open.
In reference to the pressure on ER services at North Metro as well as the other two, closest hospitals with ER services (Baptist North in North Little Rock and St. Vincent North in Sherwood), Landrum said, “All three of us are overwhelmed.”
Wilson is clear-spoken about what he sees as the hospital’s priorities. “We as a board have got to be cognizant of our duty to the hospital and community to maintain that facility,” Wilson said. “The board is determined to keep it open. We will have the ER available and, we hope, after-hours care for minor things.”
Wilson was complimentary of the strides made by Landrum, who became North Metro’s CEO a year ago. “He has done a good job for us,” Wilson said. “The hospital is more accessible and looking nicer for the public and the doctors. Things are going much better with customer relations, with improved patient care.”
Hospital operations are now more cost-efficient, thanks to Land-rum’s “keen attention to detail, where every nickel counts,” Wilson said, but that has not been enough to fully cure the institution’s financial ills. “We are in a tough competitive situation,” Wilson said. “The squeeze is on us as with all other hospitals, most of them anyway.”
The reality is that present revenue streams are not enough to support all the services that the hospital currently provides, so something has to give, he said.
“The greatest difficulty is that Medicare, Medicaid and TriCare are not sufficient to have a 110 percent, all-service hospital. It is just not working and that is true for others, too,” Wilson said, alluding to other hospitals.
He encourages members of the community to offer their thoughts about future direction of the hospital.
“The board would welcome any suggestions or comments that your readers or the public may have,” he said.
SPORTS>> Sharks, Piranhas, Sharkrockets in Meet of Champs
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
Another season of the Central Arkansas Swim League will come to a conclusion today with the annual Meet of Champs at UALR.
The Sherwood Sharks recently wrapped up their fifth consecutive CASL title by going undefeated in five meets, and the Cabot Piranhas qualified 75 of 97 swimmers for the annual crown-jewel event after finishing the year with four meet wins.
Cabot coach Debbie Skidmore says her kids should be ready today, and that her younger swimmers are stronger than ever.
“We’ve doubled up on our practices,” Skidmore said. “The kids have really been working hard — we had a scrimmage at Harding the other day against their kids. We had a lot more gold swimmers this year, especially with our younger kids.”
Tyce Wright, Colin Owens and Alex Layman are four 6-under swimmers that Skidmore expects to do well at the meet, along with 7-8 year-old swimmer Elaine Helpenstill. Frances McFadden is a gold-level 11-12 swimmer that has also had a strong season to qualify for the MOC.
In the upper age brackets, the Santiago brothers, Jared, James and John, are perennial contenders at the Meet of Champs, as are 15-18 swimmers Josh Ellis and Ken Harness. Faith Blair and Sara Pavich are gold and silver level swimmers respectively in the butterfly for the oldest age group, with 13-14 swimmers Megan Owens, Ashley Weaver and Emma Fulham all reaching gold level in the backstroke.
Sherwood Sharks’ parent rep Mary Jo Heye said expectations are high as always for Sharks swimmers heading into today’s event. She says that while the younger swimmers are especially good, there is no particular age group that dominates over another, but rather gender.
“Our 6-under kids are absolutely outstanding,” Heye said. “It’s all due to the excellent coaching we have. We fill out the categories really well, but our boys are stronger than the girls, competition-wise.”
The Sharks have won every Meet of Champs since 2004, and hope to make it five in a row this year. More than 50 Sharks qualified for the Meet of Champs, including 6-under standout Anna Jaworski. Jaworski has won every event she has participated in this season, and has set two Harmon Pool records. Joseph Potts is another 6-under swimmer that will be trying to break three Meet of Champs records after breaking as many records at Harmon.
Thomas Heye and Christopher Heye are qualified for multiple events at the Meet of Champs, as is Delaney Haralson and breaststroke ace Sheridan Arnold.
Leader sportswriter
Another season of the Central Arkansas Swim League will come to a conclusion today with the annual Meet of Champs at UALR.
The Sherwood Sharks recently wrapped up their fifth consecutive CASL title by going undefeated in five meets, and the Cabot Piranhas qualified 75 of 97 swimmers for the annual crown-jewel event after finishing the year with four meet wins.
Cabot coach Debbie Skidmore says her kids should be ready today, and that her younger swimmers are stronger than ever.
“We’ve doubled up on our practices,” Skidmore said. “The kids have really been working hard — we had a scrimmage at Harding the other day against their kids. We had a lot more gold swimmers this year, especially with our younger kids.”
Tyce Wright, Colin Owens and Alex Layman are four 6-under swimmers that Skidmore expects to do well at the meet, along with 7-8 year-old swimmer Elaine Helpenstill. Frances McFadden is a gold-level 11-12 swimmer that has also had a strong season to qualify for the MOC.
In the upper age brackets, the Santiago brothers, Jared, James and John, are perennial contenders at the Meet of Champs, as are 15-18 swimmers Josh Ellis and Ken Harness. Faith Blair and Sara Pavich are gold and silver level swimmers respectively in the butterfly for the oldest age group, with 13-14 swimmers Megan Owens, Ashley Weaver and Emma Fulham all reaching gold level in the backstroke.
Sherwood Sharks’ parent rep Mary Jo Heye said expectations are high as always for Sharks swimmers heading into today’s event. She says that while the younger swimmers are especially good, there is no particular age group that dominates over another, but rather gender.
“Our 6-under kids are absolutely outstanding,” Heye said. “It’s all due to the excellent coaching we have. We fill out the categories really well, but our boys are stronger than the girls, competition-wise.”
The Sharks have won every Meet of Champs since 2004, and hope to make it five in a row this year. More than 50 Sharks qualified for the Meet of Champs, including 6-under standout Anna Jaworski. Jaworski has won every event she has participated in this season, and has set two Harmon Pool records. Joseph Potts is another 6-under swimmer that will be trying to break three Meet of Champs records after breaking as many records at Harmon.
Thomas Heye and Christopher Heye are qualified for multiple events at the Meet of Champs, as is Delaney Haralson and breaststroke ace Sheridan Arnold.
SPORTS>> Sharks, Piranhas, Sharkrockets in Meet of Champs
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
Another season of the Central Arkansas Swim League will come to a conclusion today with the annual Meet of Champs at UALR.
The Sherwood Sharks recently wrapped up their fifth consecutive CASL title by going undefeated in five meets, and the Cabot Piranhas qualified 75 of 97 swimmers for the annual crown-jewel event after finishing the year with four meet wins.
Cabot coach Debbie Skidmore says her kids should be ready today, and that her younger swimmers are stronger than ever.
“We’ve doubled up on our practices,” Skidmore said. “The kids have really been working hard — we had a scrimmage at Harding the other day against their kids. We had a lot more gold swimmers this year, especially with our younger kids.”
Tyce Wright, Colin Owens and Alex Layman are four 6-under swimmers that Skidmore expects to do well at the meet, along with 7-8 year-old swimmer Elaine Helpenstill. Frances McFadden is a gold-level 11-12 swimmer that has also had a strong season to qualify for the MOC.
In the upper age brackets, the Santiago brothers, Jared, James and John, are perennial contenders at the Meet of Champs, as are 15-18 swimmers Josh Ellis and Ken Harness. Faith Blair and Sara Pavich are gold and silver level swimmers respectively in the butterfly for the oldest age group, with 13-14 swimmers Megan Owens, Ashley Weaver and Emma Fulham all reaching gold level in the backstroke.
Sherwood Sharks’ parent rep Mary Jo Heye said expectations are high as always for Sharks swimmers heading into today’s event. She says that while the younger swimmers are especially good, there is no particular age group that dominates over another, but rather gender.
“Our 6-under kids are absolutely outstanding,” Heye said. “It’s all due to the excellent coaching we have. We fill out the categories really well, but our boys are stronger than the girls, competition-wise.”
The Sharks have won every Meet of Champs since 2004, and hope to make it five in a row this year. More than 50 Sharks qualified for the Meet of Champs, including 6-under standout Anna Jaworski. Jaworski has won every event she has participated in this season, and has set two Harmon Pool records. Joseph Potts is another 6-under swimmer that will be trying to break three Meet of Champs records after breaking as many records at Harmon.
Thomas Heye and Christopher Heye are qualified for multiple events at the Meet of Champs, as is Delaney Haralson and breaststroke ace Sheridan Arnold.
Leader sportswriter
Another season of the Central Arkansas Swim League will come to a conclusion today with the annual Meet of Champs at UALR.
The Sherwood Sharks recently wrapped up their fifth consecutive CASL title by going undefeated in five meets, and the Cabot Piranhas qualified 75 of 97 swimmers for the annual crown-jewel event after finishing the year with four meet wins.
Cabot coach Debbie Skidmore says her kids should be ready today, and that her younger swimmers are stronger than ever.
“We’ve doubled up on our practices,” Skidmore said. “The kids have really been working hard — we had a scrimmage at Harding the other day against their kids. We had a lot more gold swimmers this year, especially with our younger kids.”
Tyce Wright, Colin Owens and Alex Layman are four 6-under swimmers that Skidmore expects to do well at the meet, along with 7-8 year-old swimmer Elaine Helpenstill. Frances McFadden is a gold-level 11-12 swimmer that has also had a strong season to qualify for the MOC.
In the upper age brackets, the Santiago brothers, Jared, James and John, are perennial contenders at the Meet of Champs, as are 15-18 swimmers Josh Ellis and Ken Harness. Faith Blair and Sara Pavich are gold and silver level swimmers respectively in the butterfly for the oldest age group, with 13-14 swimmers Megan Owens, Ashley Weaver and Emma Fulham all reaching gold level in the backstroke.
Sherwood Sharks’ parent rep Mary Jo Heye said expectations are high as always for Sharks swimmers heading into today’s event. She says that while the younger swimmers are especially good, there is no particular age group that dominates over another, but rather gender.
“Our 6-under kids are absolutely outstanding,” Heye said. “It’s all due to the excellent coaching we have. We fill out the categories really well, but our boys are stronger than the girls, competition-wise.”
The Sharks have won every Meet of Champs since 2004, and hope to make it five in a row this year. More than 50 Sharks qualified for the Meet of Champs, including 6-under standout Anna Jaworski. Jaworski has won every event she has participated in this season, and has set two Harmon Pool records. Joseph Potts is another 6-under swimmer that will be trying to break three Meet of Champs records after breaking as many records at Harmon.
Thomas Heye and Christopher Heye are qualified for multiple events at the Meet of Champs, as is Delaney Haralson and breaststroke ace Sheridan Arnold.
SPORTS>> Bryant’s 7th-inning RBI allows Cabot to hang on
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
BATESVILLE — Cabot Community Bank will live to see another day.
Powell Bryant delivered a 2-out, walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh to beat Bryant, 3-2, in an elimination game at the American Legion junior state tournament on Friday morning.
Cabot, the No. 1 seed from Zone 3, fell into the loser’s bracket after losing 3-2 in the opening round to Little Rock Continental on Thursday. Cabot will take on Friday evening’s Jacksonville-Batesville loser today at 4 p.m.
Andrew Reynolds reached on an error to start the Cabot seventh on Friday. Courtesy runner Brandon Surdam moved to second on Chase Thompson’s sacrifice before Matt Evans was intentionally walked.
Joe Bryant sent a potential inning-ending double-play ball to short but it was booted, leaving the winning run 90 feet away with just one out.
“As fast as Joe is, it would have taken an unbelievable play to double thim up, but it would have definitely been one out at second,” Cabot head coach Andy Runyan said.
Cole Nicholson popped out, but Powell Bryant lined the game-winner into right-center.
“It just couldn’t happen to a better kid,” Runyan said. “He struggled a little bit yesterday and came up in big situations and didn’t hit it very well. He put a lot of pressure on himself and was down on himself pretty good.
“But that’s the thing about our kids, they’re good a sloughing off stuff like that and he swung the bat good today.”
It was a see-saw battle, with Bryant taking a 1-0 lead in the second on a double, a sacrifice and a groundout.
Community Bank tied it in the third when Thompson walked, stole second and came in on Joe Bryant’s single. Cabot went ahead in the fourth on doubles by Powell Bryant and Matt Turner.
But Bryant knotted it with an unearned run in the fifth. Tyler Erickson left the game for C.J. Jacoby in a move Runyan said he probably wouldn’t have made if his team wasn’t facing elimination.
“It was a tight game at that point and Bryant had their big hitter up,” Runyan said about the switch. “It was nothing Tyler did wrong, I just wanted to change it up a little bit. They’re both opposite-end pitchers.”
As a result, Jacoby, who also worked in Thursday’s game, will not get the start today. Cole Nicholson will take the mound for Cabot.
Bryant left the bases loaded in the fifth when Jacoby recorded a strikeout and a soft liner to second. Cabot had its own opportunity in the bottom half after walks to Evans and Nicholson, but Evans was gunned down at third base to end the inning.
On Thursday, a bloop single by Little Rock Continental Express’ Drew Tullos in the bottom of the seventh inning sent Cabot into the loser’s bracket.
The game started out promising enough for Cabot, with Matt Evans and Joe Bryant leading off with singles in the top of the first inning. A groundout by Powell Bryant from the cleanup spot sent Evans in for the score to give Community Bank a 1-0 lead, but that would be their last run until the seventh.
In that time, CEI starting pitcher Drew Tullos clamped down on the Cabot bats after getting off to a shaky start. Community Bank scattered hits along the way, including a single by Andrew Reynolds in the top of the second inning and a single from Cole Nicholson in the third.
Team CEI took the lead in the bottom of the second, loading the bases on two walks and a Justin Williams’ single. A groundout and a passed ball put CEI on top 2-1.
Evans started out on the mound for Cabot, and went all the way to the bottom of the sixth inning before Jacoby relieved him. Evans gave up a double to Tyler Hays at the start of the inning, but Jacoby came in and retired three of the next four batters to keep Community Bank within one.
Matthew Turner belted a triple into deep left to set up the tying run in the seventh, but a groundout and a strikeout followed, leaving Evans with a do-or-die situation at the plate.
Evans found the Tullos’ offering he wanted with a 1-2 count, and sent a groundball to third. The throw to first was bad, allowing Evans to reach safely and Turner to come in with the tying run.
Leader sportswriter
BATESVILLE — Cabot Community Bank will live to see another day.
Powell Bryant delivered a 2-out, walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh to beat Bryant, 3-2, in an elimination game at the American Legion junior state tournament on Friday morning.
Cabot, the No. 1 seed from Zone 3, fell into the loser’s bracket after losing 3-2 in the opening round to Little Rock Continental on Thursday. Cabot will take on Friday evening’s Jacksonville-Batesville loser today at 4 p.m.
Andrew Reynolds reached on an error to start the Cabot seventh on Friday. Courtesy runner Brandon Surdam moved to second on Chase Thompson’s sacrifice before Matt Evans was intentionally walked.
Joe Bryant sent a potential inning-ending double-play ball to short but it was booted, leaving the winning run 90 feet away with just one out.
“As fast as Joe is, it would have taken an unbelievable play to double thim up, but it would have definitely been one out at second,” Cabot head coach Andy Runyan said.
Cole Nicholson popped out, but Powell Bryant lined the game-winner into right-center.
“It just couldn’t happen to a better kid,” Runyan said. “He struggled a little bit yesterday and came up in big situations and didn’t hit it very well. He put a lot of pressure on himself and was down on himself pretty good.
“But that’s the thing about our kids, they’re good a sloughing off stuff like that and he swung the bat good today.”
It was a see-saw battle, with Bryant taking a 1-0 lead in the second on a double, a sacrifice and a groundout.
Community Bank tied it in the third when Thompson walked, stole second and came in on Joe Bryant’s single. Cabot went ahead in the fourth on doubles by Powell Bryant and Matt Turner.
But Bryant knotted it with an unearned run in the fifth. Tyler Erickson left the game for C.J. Jacoby in a move Runyan said he probably wouldn’t have made if his team wasn’t facing elimination.
“It was a tight game at that point and Bryant had their big hitter up,” Runyan said about the switch. “It was nothing Tyler did wrong, I just wanted to change it up a little bit. They’re both opposite-end pitchers.”
As a result, Jacoby, who also worked in Thursday’s game, will not get the start today. Cole Nicholson will take the mound for Cabot.
Bryant left the bases loaded in the fifth when Jacoby recorded a strikeout and a soft liner to second. Cabot had its own opportunity in the bottom half after walks to Evans and Nicholson, but Evans was gunned down at third base to end the inning.
On Thursday, a bloop single by Little Rock Continental Express’ Drew Tullos in the bottom of the seventh inning sent Cabot into the loser’s bracket.
The game started out promising enough for Cabot, with Matt Evans and Joe Bryant leading off with singles in the top of the first inning. A groundout by Powell Bryant from the cleanup spot sent Evans in for the score to give Community Bank a 1-0 lead, but that would be their last run until the seventh.
In that time, CEI starting pitcher Drew Tullos clamped down on the Cabot bats after getting off to a shaky start. Community Bank scattered hits along the way, including a single by Andrew Reynolds in the top of the second inning and a single from Cole Nicholson in the third.
Team CEI took the lead in the bottom of the second, loading the bases on two walks and a Justin Williams’ single. A groundout and a passed ball put CEI on top 2-1.
Evans started out on the mound for Cabot, and went all the way to the bottom of the sixth inning before Jacoby relieved him. Evans gave up a double to Tyler Hays at the start of the inning, but Jacoby came in and retired three of the next four batters to keep Community Bank within one.
Matthew Turner belted a triple into deep left to set up the tying run in the seventh, but a groundout and a strikeout followed, leaving Evans with a do-or-die situation at the plate.
Evans found the Tullos’ offering he wanted with a 1-2 count, and sent a groundball to third. The throw to first was bad, allowing Evans to reach safely and Turner to come in with the tying run.
SPORTS>> Bryant’s 7th-inning RBI allows Cabot to hang on
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
BATESVILLE — Cabot Community Bank will live to see another day.
Powell Bryant delivered a 2-out, walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh to beat Bryant, 3-2, in an elimination game at the American Legion junior state tournament on Friday morning.
Cabot, the No. 1 seed from Zone 3, fell into the loser’s bracket after losing 3-2 in the opening round to Little Rock Continental on Thursday. Cabot will take on Friday evening’s Jacksonville-Batesville loser today at 4 p.m.
Andrew Reynolds reached on an error to start the Cabot seventh on Friday. Courtesy runner Brandon Surdam moved to second on Chase Thompson’s sacrifice before Matt Evans was intentionally walked.
Joe Bryant sent a potential inning-ending double-play ball to short but it was booted, leaving the winning run 90 feet away with just one out.
“As fast as Joe is, it would have taken an unbelievable play to double thim up, but it would have definitely been one out at second,” Cabot head coach Andy Runyan said.
Cole Nicholson popped out, but Powell Bryant lined the game-winner into right-center.
“It just couldn’t happen to a better kid,” Runyan said. “He struggled a little bit yesterday and came up in big situations and didn’t hit it very well. He put a lot of pressure on himself and was down on himself pretty good.
“But that’s the thing about our kids, they’re good a sloughing off stuff like that and he swung the bat good today.”
It was a see-saw battle, with Bryant taking a 1-0 lead in the second on a double, a sacrifice and a groundout.
Community Bank tied it in the third when Thompson walked, stole second and came in on Joe Bryant’s single. Cabot went ahead in the fourth on doubles by Powell Bryant and Matt Turner.
But Bryant knotted it with an unearned run in the fifth. Tyler Erickson left the game for C.J. Jacoby in a move Runyan said he probably wouldn’t have made if his team wasn’t facing elimination.
“It was a tight game at that point and Bryant had their big hitter up,” Runyan said about the switch. “It was nothing Tyler did wrong, I just wanted to change it up a little bit. They’re both opposite-end pitchers.”
As a result, Jacoby, who also worked in Thursday’s game, will not get the start today. Cole Nicholson will take the mound for Cabot.
Bryant left the bases loaded in the fifth when Jacoby recorded a strikeout and a soft liner to second. Cabot had its own opportunity in the bottom half after walks to Evans and Nicholson, but Evans was gunned down at third base to end the inning.
On Thursday, a bloop single by Little Rock Continental Express’ Drew Tullos in the bottom of the seventh inning sent Cabot into the loser’s bracket.
The game started out promising enough for Cabot, with Matt Evans and Joe Bryant leading off with singles in the top of the first inning. A groundout by Powell Bryant from the cleanup spot sent Evans in for the score to give Community Bank a 1-0 lead, but that would be their last run until the seventh.
In that time, CEI starting pitcher Drew Tullos clamped down on the Cabot bats after getting off to a shaky start. Community Bank scattered hits along the way, including a single by Andrew Reynolds in the top of the second inning and a single from Cole Nicholson in the third.
Team CEI took the lead in the bottom of the second, loading the bases on two walks and a Justin Williams’ single. A groundout and a passed ball put CEI on top 2-1.
Evans started out on the mound for Cabot, and went all the way to the bottom of the sixth inning before Jacoby relieved him. Evans gave up a double to Tyler Hays at the start of the inning, but Jacoby came in and retired three of the next four batters to keep Community Bank within one.
Matthew Turner belted a triple into deep left to set up the tying run in the seventh, but a groundout and a strikeout followed, leaving Evans with a do-or-die situation at the plate.
Evans found the Tullos’ offering he wanted with a 1-2 count, and sent a groundball to third. The throw to first was bad, allowing Evans to reach safely and Turner to come in with the tying run.
Leader sportswriter
BATESVILLE — Cabot Community Bank will live to see another day.
Powell Bryant delivered a 2-out, walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh to beat Bryant, 3-2, in an elimination game at the American Legion junior state tournament on Friday morning.
Cabot, the No. 1 seed from Zone 3, fell into the loser’s bracket after losing 3-2 in the opening round to Little Rock Continental on Thursday. Cabot will take on Friday evening’s Jacksonville-Batesville loser today at 4 p.m.
Andrew Reynolds reached on an error to start the Cabot seventh on Friday. Courtesy runner Brandon Surdam moved to second on Chase Thompson’s sacrifice before Matt Evans was intentionally walked.
Joe Bryant sent a potential inning-ending double-play ball to short but it was booted, leaving the winning run 90 feet away with just one out.
“As fast as Joe is, it would have taken an unbelievable play to double thim up, but it would have definitely been one out at second,” Cabot head coach Andy Runyan said.
Cole Nicholson popped out, but Powell Bryant lined the game-winner into right-center.
“It just couldn’t happen to a better kid,” Runyan said. “He struggled a little bit yesterday and came up in big situations and didn’t hit it very well. He put a lot of pressure on himself and was down on himself pretty good.
“But that’s the thing about our kids, they’re good a sloughing off stuff like that and he swung the bat good today.”
It was a see-saw battle, with Bryant taking a 1-0 lead in the second on a double, a sacrifice and a groundout.
Community Bank tied it in the third when Thompson walked, stole second and came in on Joe Bryant’s single. Cabot went ahead in the fourth on doubles by Powell Bryant and Matt Turner.
But Bryant knotted it with an unearned run in the fifth. Tyler Erickson left the game for C.J. Jacoby in a move Runyan said he probably wouldn’t have made if his team wasn’t facing elimination.
“It was a tight game at that point and Bryant had their big hitter up,” Runyan said about the switch. “It was nothing Tyler did wrong, I just wanted to change it up a little bit. They’re both opposite-end pitchers.”
As a result, Jacoby, who also worked in Thursday’s game, will not get the start today. Cole Nicholson will take the mound for Cabot.
Bryant left the bases loaded in the fifth when Jacoby recorded a strikeout and a soft liner to second. Cabot had its own opportunity in the bottom half after walks to Evans and Nicholson, but Evans was gunned down at third base to end the inning.
On Thursday, a bloop single by Little Rock Continental Express’ Drew Tullos in the bottom of the seventh inning sent Cabot into the loser’s bracket.
The game started out promising enough for Cabot, with Matt Evans and Joe Bryant leading off with singles in the top of the first inning. A groundout by Powell Bryant from the cleanup spot sent Evans in for the score to give Community Bank a 1-0 lead, but that would be their last run until the seventh.
In that time, CEI starting pitcher Drew Tullos clamped down on the Cabot bats after getting off to a shaky start. Community Bank scattered hits along the way, including a single by Andrew Reynolds in the top of the second inning and a single from Cole Nicholson in the third.
Team CEI took the lead in the bottom of the second, loading the bases on two walks and a Justin Williams’ single. A groundout and a passed ball put CEI on top 2-1.
Evans started out on the mound for Cabot, and went all the way to the bottom of the sixth inning before Jacoby relieved him. Evans gave up a double to Tyler Hays at the start of the inning, but Jacoby came in and retired three of the next four batters to keep Community Bank within one.
Matthew Turner belted a triple into deep left to set up the tying run in the seventh, but a groundout and a strikeout followed, leaving Evans with a do-or-die situation at the plate.
Evans found the Tullos’ offering he wanted with a 1-2 count, and sent a groundball to third. The throw to first was bad, allowing Evans to reach safely and Turner to come in with the tying run.
SPORTS>> Gwatney advances on clutch hit
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
BATESVILLE — Patrick Castleberry’s RBI double to left field in the bottom of the fifth plated the two runners necessary for Jacksonville Gwatney Chevrolet to claim a 5-3 win over Texarkana in the first round of the American Legion junior state tournament on Thursday at Batesville North Sports Complex.
The first inning was eerily similar for each team at the plate. Both leadoff batters were retired before the next three hitters reached and scored.
Kenny Spencer got a one-out single for Texarkana, followed by walks to Josh Stringfellow and Matt Warner loaded the bases. All three eventually came across.
Jacksonville turned a double play to stop the bleeding after that, but still needed to answer on the bottom side.
They did just that.
Terrell Brown was the first to reach for Gwatney, followed by walks for Matt McAnally and Castleberry to load the bases. Jarod Toney was walked after that to score Brown. Hayden Simpson delivered the big blow of the inning with a 2-run double to tie the game. Toney was out at the plate trying to score on the play.
Both teams went three up and three down for the second and third innings as the defenses began to settle in. Warner struck out the side in the third.
Gwatney squandered a great opportunity in the bottom of the fourth inning. The Chevy boys had loaded bases with only one out when Daniel Thurman grounded into a double play to third.
More opportunities for Gwatney came in the bottom of the fifth, and this time, the Chevy boys cashed in. A.J. Allen led off with a single to left. Brown was hit by a pitch, which brought Castleberry to the plate with one out.
Castleberry put it right in the middle of the gap between shortstop and second into left center, as Allen and Brown came around to score.
“I wanted to take the ball the other way,” Castleberry said. “But I got a pitch inside, so I decided to pull it. We just wanted to get through the first round and get into the winner’s bracket. We just need to keep hitting the ball like we have been.”
Gwatney manager Bob Hickingbotham says his team has picked the perfect time in the season to peak.
“It was a good defensive ballgame; we didn’t make any mistakes really,” Hickingbotham said. “We had one error in the infield, but it really didn’t hurt.
“We had a little confidence in the game, we beat Texarkana earlier in the year, and we knew they were good — they won their half. We have a chance to play against another one of our teams in North Little Rock if they can get by the hosts tonight, and that was a little bit of incentive, but these guys want to win. I don’t see anybody out there who isn’t playing like they want to win.”
Thurman relieved winning pitcher Tom Sanders for the final two innings, and finished strong to pick up the save. Thurman gave up a walk and a single in the top of the seventh, but also struck out two before Toney sealed the win with an unassisted play at first.
Brown and Castleberry each scored two runs for Gwatney Chevrolet. Gwatney played Batesville in the winner’s bracket last night after Leader deadlines.
Leader sportswriter
BATESVILLE — Patrick Castleberry’s RBI double to left field in the bottom of the fifth plated the two runners necessary for Jacksonville Gwatney Chevrolet to claim a 5-3 win over Texarkana in the first round of the American Legion junior state tournament on Thursday at Batesville North Sports Complex.
The first inning was eerily similar for each team at the plate. Both leadoff batters were retired before the next three hitters reached and scored.
Kenny Spencer got a one-out single for Texarkana, followed by walks to Josh Stringfellow and Matt Warner loaded the bases. All three eventually came across.
Jacksonville turned a double play to stop the bleeding after that, but still needed to answer on the bottom side.
They did just that.
Terrell Brown was the first to reach for Gwatney, followed by walks for Matt McAnally and Castleberry to load the bases. Jarod Toney was walked after that to score Brown. Hayden Simpson delivered the big blow of the inning with a 2-run double to tie the game. Toney was out at the plate trying to score on the play.
Both teams went three up and three down for the second and third innings as the defenses began to settle in. Warner struck out the side in the third.
Gwatney squandered a great opportunity in the bottom of the fourth inning. The Chevy boys had loaded bases with only one out when Daniel Thurman grounded into a double play to third.
More opportunities for Gwatney came in the bottom of the fifth, and this time, the Chevy boys cashed in. A.J. Allen led off with a single to left. Brown was hit by a pitch, which brought Castleberry to the plate with one out.
Castleberry put it right in the middle of the gap between shortstop and second into left center, as Allen and Brown came around to score.
“I wanted to take the ball the other way,” Castleberry said. “But I got a pitch inside, so I decided to pull it. We just wanted to get through the first round and get into the winner’s bracket. We just need to keep hitting the ball like we have been.”
Gwatney manager Bob Hickingbotham says his team has picked the perfect time in the season to peak.
“It was a good defensive ballgame; we didn’t make any mistakes really,” Hickingbotham said. “We had one error in the infield, but it really didn’t hurt.
“We had a little confidence in the game, we beat Texarkana earlier in the year, and we knew they were good — they won their half. We have a chance to play against another one of our teams in North Little Rock if they can get by the hosts tonight, and that was a little bit of incentive, but these guys want to win. I don’t see anybody out there who isn’t playing like they want to win.”
Thurman relieved winning pitcher Tom Sanders for the final two innings, and finished strong to pick up the save. Thurman gave up a walk and a single in the top of the seventh, but also struck out two before Toney sealed the win with an unassisted play at first.
Brown and Castleberry each scored two runs for Gwatney Chevrolet. Gwatney played Batesville in the winner’s bracket last night after Leader deadlines.
SPORTS>> It’s in the Cards
By KELLY FENTON
Leader sports editor
The Sylvan Hills Cardinal All-Stars finally broke through and won the biggest tournament yet.
After finishing second in a pair of earlier tournaments, and third at state, Sylvan Hills ran the table at the Cal Ripken 5-6-year-old Southwest Regional at Cabot this week to take home the title.
“They were tickled to death because it was the first tournament they’d won,” said head coach Randy Hindman. “And this was the biggest one.”
Sylvan Hills avenged a loss to the Cabot Rage in the state tournament by hanging on for a 17-10 win on Tuesday night to win the regional. The victory was secured in the top of the fifth inning after Grant Shahan and James Raley reached base and Alex Phillips got a base hit to end it (in T-ball, a team can score only six runs in one inning and that made the score 17-10 with just one inning left).
Hindman chalked up his team’s breakthrough after so many close calls to consistent hitting, defense and lots of repetition drills in the week leading up to the regional.
“We really worked on base running,” he said. “They learned when to tag up and run because in the regular season, most fly balls aren’t caught. But when you get to the All-Stars, they all can catch. So they learned about base running.
“Also, we’d been playing on a lot smaller field and the bigger fields (at the regional) meant a lot of our hits to the outfield were going for doubles and triples instead of singles.”
Sylvan Hills jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first inning of the title game. Bryce Overman doubled, Luke Hindman tripled and Drew Martin singled. Nick Reeves followed with a double and MacKenzie Burks a single.
But Cabot answered with four of its own, getting singles from Tanner Leonard, Austin Scritchfield, Zack Edmondson and Canon Collet and a double from Graham Turner to take a 4-3 lead after one.
Hindman and Phillips doubled and Jordan McCuin, Overman, and Raley singled in the Cardinals’ 6-run second as they claimed the lead for good.
But the Rage was not through by any means, scoring four more in the second to close the game to 9-8. Kobe Heagerty, Blayse Quarnstrom, Peyton Johnson and Scritchfield all singled and Logan Stephens added a double in the inning.
In the third, Nick Reeves singled and scored to make it 10-8, but the cushion grew to eight when Sylvan Hills plated six more in the fourth. Phillips, McCuin, Hindman, Martin and Reeves singled and Overman doubled.
Cabot stayed alive with two in the bottom half after a double by Gunner Sewell and a triple by Heagerty, but Sylvan Hills’ run in the fifth ended it.
Defense, Hindman stressed, is the key to winning games at the T-Ball level, and the Cardinals were outstanding throughout their 7-0 run through the 21-team tournament. Their biggest win — and their best defensive effort — came in the winner’s bracket finals against an Orange Grove, Mississippi, team that had never lost a game since the team was put together.
“They were telling us this team was 80-something and 0,” Hindman said. “And they scored seven runs in the first two innings on us.”
The Cardinals stuck with them and trailed only 7-5, and Mississippi managed only two more runs over the final three innings and Sylvan Hills rallied for a 10-9 win with a run in the last inning.
“We held teams scoreless in several innings in the tournament,” Hindman said. “That was the difference.”
Hindman said the games with the Cabot Rage and the Cabot Panthers have always been good ones, with the series about even.
The Rage won the state tournament, while the Panthers beat the Cardinals twice at state to eliminate them. The Rage advanced to the finals on Tuesday by outlasting Mississippi, 17-16 in the semifinals.
There is no World Series at the T-Ball level or, Hindman said, “We’d be going.”
Luke Hindman won the homerun derby, beating out 20 others during the event at the opening ceremonies on July 10.
Leader sports editor
The Sylvan Hills Cardinal All-Stars finally broke through and won the biggest tournament yet.
After finishing second in a pair of earlier tournaments, and third at state, Sylvan Hills ran the table at the Cal Ripken 5-6-year-old Southwest Regional at Cabot this week to take home the title.
“They were tickled to death because it was the first tournament they’d won,” said head coach Randy Hindman. “And this was the biggest one.”
Sylvan Hills avenged a loss to the Cabot Rage in the state tournament by hanging on for a 17-10 win on Tuesday night to win the regional. The victory was secured in the top of the fifth inning after Grant Shahan and James Raley reached base and Alex Phillips got a base hit to end it (in T-ball, a team can score only six runs in one inning and that made the score 17-10 with just one inning left).
Hindman chalked up his team’s breakthrough after so many close calls to consistent hitting, defense and lots of repetition drills in the week leading up to the regional.
“We really worked on base running,” he said. “They learned when to tag up and run because in the regular season, most fly balls aren’t caught. But when you get to the All-Stars, they all can catch. So they learned about base running.
“Also, we’d been playing on a lot smaller field and the bigger fields (at the regional) meant a lot of our hits to the outfield were going for doubles and triples instead of singles.”
Sylvan Hills jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first inning of the title game. Bryce Overman doubled, Luke Hindman tripled and Drew Martin singled. Nick Reeves followed with a double and MacKenzie Burks a single.
But Cabot answered with four of its own, getting singles from Tanner Leonard, Austin Scritchfield, Zack Edmondson and Canon Collet and a double from Graham Turner to take a 4-3 lead after one.
Hindman and Phillips doubled and Jordan McCuin, Overman, and Raley singled in the Cardinals’ 6-run second as they claimed the lead for good.
But the Rage was not through by any means, scoring four more in the second to close the game to 9-8. Kobe Heagerty, Blayse Quarnstrom, Peyton Johnson and Scritchfield all singled and Logan Stephens added a double in the inning.
In the third, Nick Reeves singled and scored to make it 10-8, but the cushion grew to eight when Sylvan Hills plated six more in the fourth. Phillips, McCuin, Hindman, Martin and Reeves singled and Overman doubled.
Cabot stayed alive with two in the bottom half after a double by Gunner Sewell and a triple by Heagerty, but Sylvan Hills’ run in the fifth ended it.
Defense, Hindman stressed, is the key to winning games at the T-Ball level, and the Cardinals were outstanding throughout their 7-0 run through the 21-team tournament. Their biggest win — and their best defensive effort — came in the winner’s bracket finals against an Orange Grove, Mississippi, team that had never lost a game since the team was put together.
“They were telling us this team was 80-something and 0,” Hindman said. “And they scored seven runs in the first two innings on us.”
The Cardinals stuck with them and trailed only 7-5, and Mississippi managed only two more runs over the final three innings and Sylvan Hills rallied for a 10-9 win with a run in the last inning.
“We held teams scoreless in several innings in the tournament,” Hindman said. “That was the difference.”
Hindman said the games with the Cabot Rage and the Cabot Panthers have always been good ones, with the series about even.
The Rage won the state tournament, while the Panthers beat the Cardinals twice at state to eliminate them. The Rage advanced to the finals on Tuesday by outlasting Mississippi, 17-16 in the semifinals.
There is no World Series at the T-Ball level or, Hindman said, “We’d be going.”
Luke Hindman won the homerun derby, beating out 20 others during the event at the opening ceremonies on July 10.
SPORTS>> It’s in the Cards
By KELLY FENTON
Leader sports editor
The Sylvan Hills Cardinal All-Stars finally broke through and won the biggest tournament yet.
After finishing second in a pair of earlier tournaments, and third at state, Sylvan Hills ran the table at the Cal Ripken 5-6-year-old Southwest Regional at Cabot this week to take home the title.
“They were tickled to death because it was the first tournament they’d won,” said head coach Randy Hindman. “And this was the biggest one.”
Sylvan Hills avenged a loss to the Cabot Rage in the state tournament by hanging on for a 17-10 win on Tuesday night to win the regional. The victory was secured in the top of the fifth inning after Grant Shahan and James Raley reached base and Alex Phillips got a base hit to end it (in T-ball, a team can score only six runs in one inning and that made the score 17-10 with just one inning left).
Hindman chalked up his team’s breakthrough after so many close calls to consistent hitting, defense and lots of repetition drills in the week leading up to the regional.
“We really worked on base running,” he said. “They learned when to tag up and run because in the regular season, most fly balls aren’t caught. But when you get to the All-Stars, they all can catch. So they learned about base running.
“Also, we’d been playing on a lot smaller field and the bigger fields (at the regional) meant a lot of our hits to the outfield were going for doubles and triples instead of singles.”
Sylvan Hills jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first inning of the title game. Bryce Overman doubled, Luke Hindman tripled and Drew Martin singled. Nick Reeves followed with a double and MacKenzie Burks a single.
But Cabot answered with four of its own, getting singles from Tanner Leonard, Austin Scritchfield, Zack Edmondson and Canon Collet and a double from Graham Turner to take a 4-3 lead after one.
Hindman and Phillips doubled and Jordan McCuin, Overman, and Raley singled in the Cardinals’ 6-run second as they claimed the lead for good.
But the Rage was not through by any means, scoring four more in the second to close the game to 9-8. Kobe Heagerty, Blayse Quarnstrom, Peyton Johnson and Scritchfield all singled and Logan Stephens added a double in the inning.
In the third, Nick Reeves singled and scored to make it 10-8, but the cushion grew to eight when Sylvan Hills plated six more in the fourth. Phillips, McCuin, Hindman, Martin and Reeves singled and Overman doubled.
Cabot stayed alive with two in the bottom half after a double by Gunner Sewell and a triple by Heagerty, but Sylvan Hills’ run in the fifth ended it.
Defense, Hindman stressed, is the key to winning games at the T-Ball level, and the Cardinals were outstanding throughout their 7-0 run through the 21-team tournament. Their biggest win — and their best defensive effort — came in the winner’s bracket finals against an Orange Grove, Mississippi, team that had never lost a game since the team was put together.
“They were telling us this team was 80-something and 0,” Hindman said. “And they scored seven runs in the first two innings on us.”
The Cardinals stuck with them and trailed only 7-5, and Mississippi managed only two more runs over the final three innings and Sylvan Hills rallied for a 10-9 win with a run in the last inning.
“We held teams scoreless in several innings in the tournament,” Hindman said. “That was the difference.”
Hindman said the games with the Cabot Rage and the Cabot Panthers have always been good ones, with the series about even.
The Rage won the state tournament, while the Panthers beat the Cardinals twice at state to eliminate them. The Rage advanced to the finals on Tuesday by outlasting Mississippi, 17-16 in the semifinals.
There is no World Series at the T-Ball level or, Hindman said, “We’d be going.”
Luke Hindman won the homerun derby, beating out 20 others during the event at the opening ceremonies on July 10.
Leader sports editor
The Sylvan Hills Cardinal All-Stars finally broke through and won the biggest tournament yet.
After finishing second in a pair of earlier tournaments, and third at state, Sylvan Hills ran the table at the Cal Ripken 5-6-year-old Southwest Regional at Cabot this week to take home the title.
“They were tickled to death because it was the first tournament they’d won,” said head coach Randy Hindman. “And this was the biggest one.”
Sylvan Hills avenged a loss to the Cabot Rage in the state tournament by hanging on for a 17-10 win on Tuesday night to win the regional. The victory was secured in the top of the fifth inning after Grant Shahan and James Raley reached base and Alex Phillips got a base hit to end it (in T-ball, a team can score only six runs in one inning and that made the score 17-10 with just one inning left).
Hindman chalked up his team’s breakthrough after so many close calls to consistent hitting, defense and lots of repetition drills in the week leading up to the regional.
“We really worked on base running,” he said. “They learned when to tag up and run because in the regular season, most fly balls aren’t caught. But when you get to the All-Stars, they all can catch. So they learned about base running.
“Also, we’d been playing on a lot smaller field and the bigger fields (at the regional) meant a lot of our hits to the outfield were going for doubles and triples instead of singles.”
Sylvan Hills jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first inning of the title game. Bryce Overman doubled, Luke Hindman tripled and Drew Martin singled. Nick Reeves followed with a double and MacKenzie Burks a single.
But Cabot answered with four of its own, getting singles from Tanner Leonard, Austin Scritchfield, Zack Edmondson and Canon Collet and a double from Graham Turner to take a 4-3 lead after one.
Hindman and Phillips doubled and Jordan McCuin, Overman, and Raley singled in the Cardinals’ 6-run second as they claimed the lead for good.
But the Rage was not through by any means, scoring four more in the second to close the game to 9-8. Kobe Heagerty, Blayse Quarnstrom, Peyton Johnson and Scritchfield all singled and Logan Stephens added a double in the inning.
In the third, Nick Reeves singled and scored to make it 10-8, but the cushion grew to eight when Sylvan Hills plated six more in the fourth. Phillips, McCuin, Hindman, Martin and Reeves singled and Overman doubled.
Cabot stayed alive with two in the bottom half after a double by Gunner Sewell and a triple by Heagerty, but Sylvan Hills’ run in the fifth ended it.
Defense, Hindman stressed, is the key to winning games at the T-Ball level, and the Cardinals were outstanding throughout their 7-0 run through the 21-team tournament. Their biggest win — and their best defensive effort — came in the winner’s bracket finals against an Orange Grove, Mississippi, team that had never lost a game since the team was put together.
“They were telling us this team was 80-something and 0,” Hindman said. “And they scored seven runs in the first two innings on us.”
The Cardinals stuck with them and trailed only 7-5, and Mississippi managed only two more runs over the final three innings and Sylvan Hills rallied for a 10-9 win with a run in the last inning.
“We held teams scoreless in several innings in the tournament,” Hindman said. “That was the difference.”
Hindman said the games with the Cabot Rage and the Cabot Panthers have always been good ones, with the series about even.
The Rage won the state tournament, while the Panthers beat the Cardinals twice at state to eliminate them. The Rage advanced to the finals on Tuesday by outlasting Mississippi, 17-16 in the semifinals.
There is no World Series at the T-Ball level or, Hindman said, “We’d be going.”
Luke Hindman won the homerun derby, beating out 20 others during the event at the opening ceremonies on July 10.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
EDITORIAL >>State naming rights
Arkansas was rocked last week by the nasty controversy over someone’s removal of a plastic sign over the entrance to the banquet room at the Governor’s Mansion that had said “Janet M. Huckabee Grand Hall.” In the ancient tradition of editorial writers everywhere, we now march upon the field of battle to shoot the wounded.
It turned out that Gov. Mike Beebe himself directed that the letters be removed in the midst of a little painting and redecoration because he said the plastic sign was not aesthetic, not because he wanted to slight the previous first lady or first couple. A bronze plaque identifying the room as the Janet M. Huckabee Grand Hall still stands at the outside entrance.
When they entered the mansion in 1996, the Huckabees found the old official dwelling, built during the late tenure of Gov. Sid McMath 60 years ago, too small and down at the heels. They did not think it was suitable for entertaining in the grand manner expected of a governor, so they presided over elaborate renovations and expansions, ending with the construction of the high-ceilinged banquet room that extends into the landscaped grounds on the south side of the Mansion. It’s a popular place for dinners and galas.
The Huckabees weighed in on the matter, just a little huffily as they are wont to do. The former governor and presidential candidate said that he and Janet never tried to get rid of the small bust of Bill Clinton that was placed there after the 40th (and 42nd) governor went off to be president of the United States or the little plaque in the gardens outside erected by a women’s group dedicating a small grove of trees to Betty Tucker, wife of the 43d governor.
Then there was the controversy over what to call the room since the mansion administrator said the minutes of the Governor’s Mansion Com-mission, a group of Huckabee friends, never noted the official naming of the room after Mrs. Huckabee. He said people tended to call it just “the grand hall.” Beebe said people could call it whatever they wanted.
Or we can ignore political sensibilities and call it nothing. It’s only a room in the governor’s official dwelling.
The silly brouhaha reminds us ruefully of the former governor’s most unseemly trait — well, one of them. That was the hunger for heraldry. The ancient patriarchs used to erect monuments to themselves, but it is considered tacky for our rulers to name edifices for themselves. We can recall only one governor in our history doing so. In the last of his 12 years in office, 1966, Gov. Orval E. Faubus’s state Mental Health Board (duly appointed by him) named the new mental hospital after him, the Orval E. Faubus Administrative and Intensive Treatment Center.
But Mike Huckabee thought he was deserving and any recognition that his administration could accord him to be quite appropriate. His friends on the state Game and Fish Commission alone named a lake and a nature center after him and another nature center after his wife. Perhaps it was deserved. He helped raise your taxes to pay for the projects.
On the other hand, how does the John Q. Taxpayer Nature Center sound?
—Ernie Dumas
It turned out that Gov. Mike Beebe himself directed that the letters be removed in the midst of a little painting and redecoration because he said the plastic sign was not aesthetic, not because he wanted to slight the previous first lady or first couple. A bronze plaque identifying the room as the Janet M. Huckabee Grand Hall still stands at the outside entrance.
When they entered the mansion in 1996, the Huckabees found the old official dwelling, built during the late tenure of Gov. Sid McMath 60 years ago, too small and down at the heels. They did not think it was suitable for entertaining in the grand manner expected of a governor, so they presided over elaborate renovations and expansions, ending with the construction of the high-ceilinged banquet room that extends into the landscaped grounds on the south side of the Mansion. It’s a popular place for dinners and galas.
The Huckabees weighed in on the matter, just a little huffily as they are wont to do. The former governor and presidential candidate said that he and Janet never tried to get rid of the small bust of Bill Clinton that was placed there after the 40th (and 42nd) governor went off to be president of the United States or the little plaque in the gardens outside erected by a women’s group dedicating a small grove of trees to Betty Tucker, wife of the 43d governor.
Then there was the controversy over what to call the room since the mansion administrator said the minutes of the Governor’s Mansion Com-mission, a group of Huckabee friends, never noted the official naming of the room after Mrs. Huckabee. He said people tended to call it just “the grand hall.” Beebe said people could call it whatever they wanted.
Or we can ignore political sensibilities and call it nothing. It’s only a room in the governor’s official dwelling.
The silly brouhaha reminds us ruefully of the former governor’s most unseemly trait — well, one of them. That was the hunger for heraldry. The ancient patriarchs used to erect monuments to themselves, but it is considered tacky for our rulers to name edifices for themselves. We can recall only one governor in our history doing so. In the last of his 12 years in office, 1966, Gov. Orval E. Faubus’s state Mental Health Board (duly appointed by him) named the new mental hospital after him, the Orval E. Faubus Administrative and Intensive Treatment Center.
But Mike Huckabee thought he was deserving and any recognition that his administration could accord him to be quite appropriate. His friends on the state Game and Fish Commission alone named a lake and a nature center after him and another nature center after his wife. Perhaps it was deserved. He helped raise your taxes to pay for the projects.
On the other hand, how does the John Q. Taxpayer Nature Center sound?
—Ernie Dumas
EDITORIAL >>Veto override helps state
President Bush yesterday vetoed the bill shielding Medicare payments to doctors, and even he must have been praying that Congress would overrides the veto and save him and the country from his folly. By nightfall, they had done just that. The House of Representatives passed the bill again within hours of the veto — by a whopping 383 to 41 — and the Senate, where Republicans stand more solidly with the president, rebuked him by a vote of 70-26.
Arkansas has more at stake than perhaps any place in the land. That is because health care for the elderly in this poor rural state is more marginal than in almost any state and physicians already tend to be paid less for Medicare treatment than affluent areas. If the president’s veto were sustained, payment rates to doctors would have been slashed another 10 percent, and more physicians would elect not to take Medicare cases. More rural hospitals and clinics would have vanished.
Bush was almost apologetic about his veto. He regretted that reimbursement for physician care would be reduced but the remedy in the bill, he said, was irresponsible. What he meant was that it scaled back the foolish ideological gimmick that he imposed on Medicare in 2002 when Republicans had solid control of Congress. That gimmick produced the fiscal crisis that in turn would cut doctor payments.
The president never liked the idea of government-guaranteed health care for the elderly, a legacy of our own Congressman Wilbur D. Mills, when he chaired the Ways and Means Committee. So the 2002 law sought to give big insurance companies a role and a chance to make big profits off the program. It created private “Medicare Advantage” plans that would be administered by the insurance companies. To lure people away from traditional Medicare the Advantage plans offered more benefits, and the government would shell out much more of your tax money for patient treatment in those plans. It guaranteed the companies a handsome profit, but the Advantage plans cost the government 17 percent more than for care under traditional Medicare.
The law also inserted a trigger. When total Medicare expenditures exceeded targets, as they obviously would do as more people opted out of low-cost Medicare for the high-cost private plans, then reimbursement rates to doctors would be reduced automatically. To the cynical, it seemed a surefire way to wreck Medicare over time by driving away physicians and starving rural hospitals. And that is precisely where it is headed.
The new law prevents the payment cut by reducing the huge subsidy for insurance companies. The president wants the companies to keep those subsidies.
While it was a Democratic initiative, let it be recorded that the votes were a bipartisan expression of faith in the Medicare program, one of the most successful government initiatives in our history. And it should not be lost on anyone that every member of the Arkansas delegation, Republican and Democrats alike, did the right thing and prevented another tragedy at the hands of this misguided president.
Arkansas has more at stake than perhaps any place in the land. That is because health care for the elderly in this poor rural state is more marginal than in almost any state and physicians already tend to be paid less for Medicare treatment than affluent areas. If the president’s veto were sustained, payment rates to doctors would have been slashed another 10 percent, and more physicians would elect not to take Medicare cases. More rural hospitals and clinics would have vanished.
Bush was almost apologetic about his veto. He regretted that reimbursement for physician care would be reduced but the remedy in the bill, he said, was irresponsible. What he meant was that it scaled back the foolish ideological gimmick that he imposed on Medicare in 2002 when Republicans had solid control of Congress. That gimmick produced the fiscal crisis that in turn would cut doctor payments.
The president never liked the idea of government-guaranteed health care for the elderly, a legacy of our own Congressman Wilbur D. Mills, when he chaired the Ways and Means Committee. So the 2002 law sought to give big insurance companies a role and a chance to make big profits off the program. It created private “Medicare Advantage” plans that would be administered by the insurance companies. To lure people away from traditional Medicare the Advantage plans offered more benefits, and the government would shell out much more of your tax money for patient treatment in those plans. It guaranteed the companies a handsome profit, but the Advantage plans cost the government 17 percent more than for care under traditional Medicare.
The law also inserted a trigger. When total Medicare expenditures exceeded targets, as they obviously would do as more people opted out of low-cost Medicare for the high-cost private plans, then reimbursement rates to doctors would be reduced automatically. To the cynical, it seemed a surefire way to wreck Medicare over time by driving away physicians and starving rural hospitals. And that is precisely where it is headed.
The new law prevents the payment cut by reducing the huge subsidy for insurance companies. The president wants the companies to keep those subsidies.
While it was a Democratic initiative, let it be recorded that the votes were a bipartisan expression of faith in the Medicare program, one of the most successful government initiatives in our history. And it should not be lost on anyone that every member of the Arkansas delegation, Republican and Democrats alike, did the right thing and prevented another tragedy at the hands of this misguided president.
TOP STORY > >Gravel Ridge developer outraged
By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
Developer Greg Heslep made it clear at the Sherwood Planning Commission meeting last week that he was not happy that his two development plans north of Gravel Ridge were pulled because the proper paperwork wasn’t filed.
Two other Gravel Ridge projects were pulled, while two others were approved.
“I’m appalled that you are holding up a multi-million-dollar project,” he barked.
“I supported annexation from day one. I initiated this annex ation (of 2,000 acres north of Gravel Ridge). I’m developing my property as we speak. Why should I wait for the city?”
Heslep was upset that the commission pulled his two projects from the agenda and that the city planner Dwight Pattison had recommended that the commission hold off on and rezoning projects in Gravel Ridge until the land- use plan and rezoning map was updated to include Sherwood’s two recent annexations—most of Gravel Ridge and the 2,000 acres north of it.
When an area is annexed into a city, all of the annexed area reverts to an R-1 (single-family home) zoning, then the city must make adjustments based on what kind of businesses and multi-family units are in the annexed area while keeping the integrity of the overall plan and growth for the city.
“You need to be prepared. I shouldn’t have to wait. You should have already done a land-use plan,” Heslep said.
Feeling he was being picked on, Heslep called the action, “just an excuse” not to deal with his property. City Attorney Stephen Cobb made it clear that Heslep’s two projects and two of those submitted by Kenny Meckfessel were pulled because the requirements spelled out by state law were not followed.
Sherwood Mayor Virginia Hillman said the city has to follow the state requirements or it opens itself and the developer to possible lawsuits. The city is already entangled in four major litigation issues.Heslep was on the planning-commission agenda seeking approval to rezone part of his acreage on the east side of Hwy. 107, north of Gravel Ridge and south of the Bayou Meto Creek, from R-1 to R-3 for apartments and another section from R-1 to C-4 for heavy commercial. The only areas currently zoned C-4 in Sherwood are the frontage roads along Hwy. 67/167.
Heslep said he had this all worked out with the former mayor and also implied that in meetings with Hillman that his projects were to be fast-tracked. Both Heslep and Meckfessel have corrected the paperwork problems and it is now up to the planning commission to call a special meeting or have the developers wait until the next meeting scheduled for Aug. 12.
Heslep voiced the majority of his opposed after planning commission chairman Freddie Hudson announced to the audience that the items were being pulled. Most of the audience had objections to either Heslep’s or Meckfessel’s plans, but left after the items were pulled.
Heslep argued for his plans to be put back on the agenda, saying that the residents weren’t at the meeting to oppose him, but Meckfessel.
Meckfessel was seeking R-3 (multi-family) rezoning for 2146 Hatcher Road and 7225 Jacksonville Cut-Off.
He planned to put a 56-unit complex on Jacksonville Cut-Off next to a daycare there. A number of residents were at the meeting in opposition of this apartment plan.
Commissioner Wayne Smith agreed with the city planner about deferring projects. “We’ve got a lot of apartment requests and it would be good to defer these requests until the land use is in place.”
But later in the meeting he said, “We shouldn’t hold up developers based on our inactivity.”
The city planner said he would have a land-use plan and rezoning map ready for review for the next commission meeting.
Once the commission approves the land-use plan and rezoning map, the council will have to review and approve it.
“It could take 45 to 60 days,” Pattison said.
Heslep still wanted to know who was going to cover the $6,000 to $8,000 in interest he’ll have to pay on his projects while the city works on the map and plan.
The commission did approve two Gravel Ridge projects presented by Minton Engineering.
One was to rezone a lot of land near Hwy. 107 and Hatcher Road from R-1 to C-3 (commercial) and then rezone the land behind that R-2 for duplexes and triplexes.
The commission approved the two requests because the county had already approved the project and work was ongoing. All the streets and utilities had been installed in the multi-family area.
Leader staff writer
Developer Greg Heslep made it clear at the Sherwood Planning Commission meeting last week that he was not happy that his two development plans north of Gravel Ridge were pulled because the proper paperwork wasn’t filed.
Two other Gravel Ridge projects were pulled, while two others were approved.
“I’m appalled that you are holding up a multi-million-dollar project,” he barked.
“I supported annexation from day one. I initiated this annex ation (of 2,000 acres north of Gravel Ridge). I’m developing my property as we speak. Why should I wait for the city?”
Heslep was upset that the commission pulled his two projects from the agenda and that the city planner Dwight Pattison had recommended that the commission hold off on and rezoning projects in Gravel Ridge until the land- use plan and rezoning map was updated to include Sherwood’s two recent annexations—most of Gravel Ridge and the 2,000 acres north of it.
When an area is annexed into a city, all of the annexed area reverts to an R-1 (single-family home) zoning, then the city must make adjustments based on what kind of businesses and multi-family units are in the annexed area while keeping the integrity of the overall plan and growth for the city.
“You need to be prepared. I shouldn’t have to wait. You should have already done a land-use plan,” Heslep said.
Feeling he was being picked on, Heslep called the action, “just an excuse” not to deal with his property. City Attorney Stephen Cobb made it clear that Heslep’s two projects and two of those submitted by Kenny Meckfessel were pulled because the requirements spelled out by state law were not followed.
Sherwood Mayor Virginia Hillman said the city has to follow the state requirements or it opens itself and the developer to possible lawsuits. The city is already entangled in four major litigation issues.Heslep was on the planning-commission agenda seeking approval to rezone part of his acreage on the east side of Hwy. 107, north of Gravel Ridge and south of the Bayou Meto Creek, from R-1 to R-3 for apartments and another section from R-1 to C-4 for heavy commercial. The only areas currently zoned C-4 in Sherwood are the frontage roads along Hwy. 67/167.
Heslep said he had this all worked out with the former mayor and also implied that in meetings with Hillman that his projects were to be fast-tracked. Both Heslep and Meckfessel have corrected the paperwork problems and it is now up to the planning commission to call a special meeting or have the developers wait until the next meeting scheduled for Aug. 12.
Heslep voiced the majority of his opposed after planning commission chairman Freddie Hudson announced to the audience that the items were being pulled. Most of the audience had objections to either Heslep’s or Meckfessel’s plans, but left after the items were pulled.
Heslep argued for his plans to be put back on the agenda, saying that the residents weren’t at the meeting to oppose him, but Meckfessel.
Meckfessel was seeking R-3 (multi-family) rezoning for 2146 Hatcher Road and 7225 Jacksonville Cut-Off.
He planned to put a 56-unit complex on Jacksonville Cut-Off next to a daycare there. A number of residents were at the meeting in opposition of this apartment plan.
Commissioner Wayne Smith agreed with the city planner about deferring projects. “We’ve got a lot of apartment requests and it would be good to defer these requests until the land use is in place.”
But later in the meeting he said, “We shouldn’t hold up developers based on our inactivity.”
The city planner said he would have a land-use plan and rezoning map ready for review for the next commission meeting.
Once the commission approves the land-use plan and rezoning map, the council will have to review and approve it.
“It could take 45 to 60 days,” Pattison said.
Heslep still wanted to know who was going to cover the $6,000 to $8,000 in interest he’ll have to pay on his projects while the city works on the map and plan.
The commission did approve two Gravel Ridge projects presented by Minton Engineering.
One was to rezone a lot of land near Hwy. 107 and Hatcher Road from R-1 to C-3 (commercial) and then rezone the land behind that R-2 for duplexes and triplexes.
The commission approved the two requests because the county had already approved the project and work was ongoing. All the streets and utilities had been installed in the multi-family area.
TOP STORY > >Gravel Ridge developer outraged
By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
Developer Greg Heslep made it clear at the Sherwood Planning Commission meeting last week that he was not happy that his two development plans north of Gravel Ridge were pulled because the proper paperwork wasn’t filed.
Two other Gravel Ridge projects were pulled, while two others were approved.
“I’m appalled that you are holding up a multi-million-dollar project,” he barked.
“I supported annexation from day one. I initiated this annex ation (of 2,000 acres north of Gravel Ridge). I’m developing my property as we speak. Why should I wait for the city?”
Heslep was upset that the commission pulled his two projects from the agenda and that the city planner Dwight Pattison had recommended that the commission hold off on and rezoning projects in Gravel Ridge until the land- use plan and rezoning map was updated to include Sherwood’s two recent annexations—most of Gravel Ridge and the 2,000 acres north of it.
When an area is annexed into a city, all of the annexed area reverts to an R-1 (single-family home) zoning, then the city must make adjustments based on what kind of businesses and multi-family units are in the annexed area while keeping the integrity of the overall plan and growth for the city.
“You need to be prepared. I shouldn’t have to wait. You should have already done a land-use plan,” Heslep said.
Feeling he was being picked on, Heslep called the action, “just an excuse” not to deal with his property. City Attorney Stephen Cobb made it clear that Heslep’s two projects and two of those submitted by Kenny Meckfessel were pulled because the requirements spelled out by state law were not followed.
Sherwood Mayor Virginia Hillman said the city has to follow the state requirements or it opens itself and the developer to possible lawsuits. The city is already entangled in four major litigation issues.Heslep was on the planning-commission agenda seeking approval to rezone part of his acreage on the east side of Hwy. 107, north of Gravel Ridge and south of the Bayou Meto Creek, from R-1 to R-3 for apartments and another section from R-1 to C-4 for heavy commercial. The only areas currently zoned C-4 in Sherwood are the frontage roads along Hwy. 67/167.
Heslep said he had this all worked out with the former mayor and also implied that in meetings with Hillman that his projects were to be fast-tracked. Both Heslep and Meckfessel have corrected the paperwork problems and it is now up to the planning commission to call a special meeting or have the developers wait until the next meeting scheduled for Aug. 12.
Heslep voiced the majority of his opposed after planning commission chairman Freddie Hudson announced to the audience that the items were being pulled. Most of the audience had objections to either Heslep’s or Meckfessel’s plans, but left after the items were pulled.
Heslep argued for his plans to be put back on the agenda, saying that the residents weren’t at the meeting to oppose him, but Meckfessel.
Meckfessel was seeking R-3 (multi-family) rezoning for 2146 Hatcher Road and 7225 Jacksonville Cut-Off.
He planned to put a 56-unit complex on Jacksonville Cut-Off next to a daycare there. A number of residents were at the meeting in opposition of this apartment plan.
Commissioner Wayne Smith agreed with the city planner about deferring projects. “We’ve got a lot of apartment requests and it would be good to defer these requests until the land use is in place.”
But later in the meeting he said, “We shouldn’t hold up developers based on our inactivity.”
The city planner said he would have a land-use plan and rezoning map ready for review for the next commission meeting.
Once the commission approves the land-use plan and rezoning map, the council will have to review and approve it.
“It could take 45 to 60 days,” Pattison said.
Heslep still wanted to know who was going to cover the $6,000 to $8,000 in interest he’ll have to pay on his projects while the city works on the map and plan.
The commission did approve two Gravel Ridge projects presented by Minton Engineering.
One was to rezone a lot of land near Hwy. 107 and Hatcher Road from R-1 to C-3 (commercial) and then rezone the land behind that R-2 for duplexes and triplexes.
The commission approved the two requests because the county had already approved the project and work was ongoing. All the streets and utilities had been installed in the multi-family area.
Leader staff writer
Developer Greg Heslep made it clear at the Sherwood Planning Commission meeting last week that he was not happy that his two development plans north of Gravel Ridge were pulled because the proper paperwork wasn’t filed.
Two other Gravel Ridge projects were pulled, while two others were approved.
“I’m appalled that you are holding up a multi-million-dollar project,” he barked.
“I supported annexation from day one. I initiated this annex ation (of 2,000 acres north of Gravel Ridge). I’m developing my property as we speak. Why should I wait for the city?”
Heslep was upset that the commission pulled his two projects from the agenda and that the city planner Dwight Pattison had recommended that the commission hold off on and rezoning projects in Gravel Ridge until the land- use plan and rezoning map was updated to include Sherwood’s two recent annexations—most of Gravel Ridge and the 2,000 acres north of it.
When an area is annexed into a city, all of the annexed area reverts to an R-1 (single-family home) zoning, then the city must make adjustments based on what kind of businesses and multi-family units are in the annexed area while keeping the integrity of the overall plan and growth for the city.
“You need to be prepared. I shouldn’t have to wait. You should have already done a land-use plan,” Heslep said.
Feeling he was being picked on, Heslep called the action, “just an excuse” not to deal with his property. City Attorney Stephen Cobb made it clear that Heslep’s two projects and two of those submitted by Kenny Meckfessel were pulled because the requirements spelled out by state law were not followed.
Sherwood Mayor Virginia Hillman said the city has to follow the state requirements or it opens itself and the developer to possible lawsuits. The city is already entangled in four major litigation issues.Heslep was on the planning-commission agenda seeking approval to rezone part of his acreage on the east side of Hwy. 107, north of Gravel Ridge and south of the Bayou Meto Creek, from R-1 to R-3 for apartments and another section from R-1 to C-4 for heavy commercial. The only areas currently zoned C-4 in Sherwood are the frontage roads along Hwy. 67/167.
Heslep said he had this all worked out with the former mayor and also implied that in meetings with Hillman that his projects were to be fast-tracked. Both Heslep and Meckfessel have corrected the paperwork problems and it is now up to the planning commission to call a special meeting or have the developers wait until the next meeting scheduled for Aug. 12.
Heslep voiced the majority of his opposed after planning commission chairman Freddie Hudson announced to the audience that the items were being pulled. Most of the audience had objections to either Heslep’s or Meckfessel’s plans, but left after the items were pulled.
Heslep argued for his plans to be put back on the agenda, saying that the residents weren’t at the meeting to oppose him, but Meckfessel.
Meckfessel was seeking R-3 (multi-family) rezoning for 2146 Hatcher Road and 7225 Jacksonville Cut-Off.
He planned to put a 56-unit complex on Jacksonville Cut-Off next to a daycare there. A number of residents were at the meeting in opposition of this apartment plan.
Commissioner Wayne Smith agreed with the city planner about deferring projects. “We’ve got a lot of apartment requests and it would be good to defer these requests until the land use is in place.”
But later in the meeting he said, “We shouldn’t hold up developers based on our inactivity.”
The city planner said he would have a land-use plan and rezoning map ready for review for the next commission meeting.
Once the commission approves the land-use plan and rezoning map, the council will have to review and approve it.
“It could take 45 to 60 days,” Pattison said.
Heslep still wanted to know who was going to cover the $6,000 to $8,000 in interest he’ll have to pay on his projects while the city works on the map and plan.
The commission did approve two Gravel Ridge projects presented by Minton Engineering.
One was to rezone a lot of land near Hwy. 107 and Hatcher Road from R-1 to C-3 (commercial) and then rezone the land behind that R-2 for duplexes and triplexes.
The commission approved the two requests because the county had already approved the project and work was ongoing. All the streets and utilities had been installed in the multi-family area.
TOP STORY > >Hospital will stay open, officials say
By NANCY DOCKTER
Leader staff writer
Amid persistent rumors that North Metro Regional Medical Center is on the verge of closing, Jacksonville Mayor Tommy Swaim, who also serves as chairman of the hospital’s board of directors, issued a statement Tuesday saying emphatically that the facility will remain open.
Scott Landrum, the medical center’s CEO, this week also denied that there is any truth to the talk around town and among hospital employees that the city-owned hospital, which has served the greater Jacksonville community since the 1960s, is going to shut its doors, despite persistent financial troubles.
“There is no intent to close this hospital,” Landrum said in a lengthy interview, in which he candidly discussed current challenges the hospital faces. “The board members are very adamant about this hospital continuing.”
Landrum said that one critical question up for review by the board is whether the hospital should continue as an acute-care provider, as it has done historically, or become a “specialty hospital.”
Change is possible also for the hospital’s relationship with the physicians who provide services at the hospital-owned outpatient clinics in Jacksonville and Cabot. Landrum would not provide details of any proposals or negotiations other than to say that the current “employee model” is under review and that a decision about a “partnership” is expected in about two months.
To the same point, Swaim stated: “…the board is in the process of evaluating possible relationships with other health-care providers in the area, both public and private. No commitments have been made and none will be entered into, if at all, until thorough consideration is given to the long-term needs of patients, physicians, employees and the community at large.”
Landrum was hired a year ago as hospital administrator to solve its persistent financial problems. Since he came on board full-time in July 2007, the medical center has undergone a thorough sprucing up inside and out, taken a new name, modified how floor nursing care is delivered, made changes in nursing leadership, added services and in Landrum’s words, “put some teeth in the customer-service program.”
Still, with all the changes, Landrum calls the north Pulaski County health care market the “most difficult marketing situation” he has encountered in his 28-year career in hospital administration.
Competing with two larger hospitals within a 10-minute drive is the main problem, according to Landrum. Both Baptist North and St. Vincent North have lots of marketing resources, which help attract the kind of patient mix that translates into a healthy revenue stream.
In contrast, Landrum contends, North Metro serves a higher percentage of patients either without health-care coverage or who have Medicare, Medicaid or Tricare insurance. These insurance programs reimburse for services at a lower rate than do private companies.
For every dollar of services provided by North Metro, the return currently is about 36 cents. Landrum wants to see that improved.
“I would like that to be 55 cents per dollar – that is a good number for a hospital,” he said.
Leader staff writer
Amid persistent rumors that North Metro Regional Medical Center is on the verge of closing, Jacksonville Mayor Tommy Swaim, who also serves as chairman of the hospital’s board of directors, issued a statement Tuesday saying emphatically that the facility will remain open.
Scott Landrum, the medical center’s CEO, this week also denied that there is any truth to the talk around town and among hospital employees that the city-owned hospital, which has served the greater Jacksonville community since the 1960s, is going to shut its doors, despite persistent financial troubles.
“There is no intent to close this hospital,” Landrum said in a lengthy interview, in which he candidly discussed current challenges the hospital faces. “The board members are very adamant about this hospital continuing.”
Landrum said that one critical question up for review by the board is whether the hospital should continue as an acute-care provider, as it has done historically, or become a “specialty hospital.”
Change is possible also for the hospital’s relationship with the physicians who provide services at the hospital-owned outpatient clinics in Jacksonville and Cabot. Landrum would not provide details of any proposals or negotiations other than to say that the current “employee model” is under review and that a decision about a “partnership” is expected in about two months.
To the same point, Swaim stated: “…the board is in the process of evaluating possible relationships with other health-care providers in the area, both public and private. No commitments have been made and none will be entered into, if at all, until thorough consideration is given to the long-term needs of patients, physicians, employees and the community at large.”
Landrum was hired a year ago as hospital administrator to solve its persistent financial problems. Since he came on board full-time in July 2007, the medical center has undergone a thorough sprucing up inside and out, taken a new name, modified how floor nursing care is delivered, made changes in nursing leadership, added services and in Landrum’s words, “put some teeth in the customer-service program.”
Still, with all the changes, Landrum calls the north Pulaski County health care market the “most difficult marketing situation” he has encountered in his 28-year career in hospital administration.
Competing with two larger hospitals within a 10-minute drive is the main problem, according to Landrum. Both Baptist North and St. Vincent North have lots of marketing resources, which help attract the kind of patient mix that translates into a healthy revenue stream.
In contrast, Landrum contends, North Metro serves a higher percentage of patients either without health-care coverage or who have Medicare, Medicaid or Tricare insurance. These insurance programs reimburse for services at a lower rate than do private companies.
For every dollar of services provided by North Metro, the return currently is about 36 cents. Landrum wants to see that improved.
“I would like that to be 55 cents per dollar – that is a good number for a hospital,” he said.
TOP STORY > >Hospital will stay open, officials say
By NANCY DOCKTER
Leader staff writer
Amid persistent rumors that North Metro Regional Medical Center is on the verge of closing, Jacksonville Mayor Tommy Swaim, who also serves as chairman of the hospital’s board of directors, issued a statement Tuesday saying emphatically that the facility will remain open.
Scott Landrum, the medical center’s CEO, this week also denied that there is any truth to the talk around town and among hospital employees that the city-owned hospital, which has served the greater Jacksonville community since the 1960s, is going to shut its doors, despite persistent financial troubles.
“There is no intent to close this hospital,” Landrum said in a lengthy interview, in which he candidly discussed current challenges the hospital faces. “The board members are very adamant about this hospital continuing.”
Landrum said that one critical question up for review by the board is whether the hospital should continue as an acute-care provider, as it has done historically, or become a “specialty hospital.”
Change is possible also for the hospital’s relationship with the physicians who provide services at the hospital-owned outpatient clinics in Jacksonville and Cabot. Landrum would not provide details of any proposals or negotiations other than to say that the current “employee model” is under review and that a decision about a “partnership” is expected in about two months.
To the same point, Swaim stated: “…the board is in the process of evaluating possible relationships with other health-care providers in the area, both public and private. No commitments have been made and none will be entered into, if at all, until thorough consideration is given to the long-term needs of patients, physicians, employees and the community at large.”
Landrum was hired a year ago as hospital administrator to solve its persistent financial problems. Since he came on board full-time in July 2007, the medical center has undergone a thorough sprucing up inside and out, taken a new name, modified how floor nursing care is delivered, made changes in nursing leadership, added services and in Landrum’s words, “put some teeth in the customer-service program.”
Still, with all the changes, Landrum calls the north Pulaski County health care market the “most difficult marketing situation” he has encountered in his 28-year career in hospital administration.
Competing with two larger hospitals within a 10-minute drive is the main problem, according to Landrum. Both Baptist North and St. Vincent North have lots of marketing resources, which help attract the kind of patient mix that translates into a healthy revenue stream.
In contrast, Landrum contends, North Metro serves a higher percentage of patients either without health-care coverage or who have Medicare, Medicaid or Tricare insurance. These insurance programs reimburse for services at a lower rate than do private companies.
For every dollar of services provided by North Metro, the return currently is about 36 cents. Landrum wants to see that improved.
“I would like that to be 55 cents per dollar – that is a good number for a hospital,” he said.
Leader staff writer
Amid persistent rumors that North Metro Regional Medical Center is on the verge of closing, Jacksonville Mayor Tommy Swaim, who also serves as chairman of the hospital’s board of directors, issued a statement Tuesday saying emphatically that the facility will remain open.
Scott Landrum, the medical center’s CEO, this week also denied that there is any truth to the talk around town and among hospital employees that the city-owned hospital, which has served the greater Jacksonville community since the 1960s, is going to shut its doors, despite persistent financial troubles.
“There is no intent to close this hospital,” Landrum said in a lengthy interview, in which he candidly discussed current challenges the hospital faces. “The board members are very adamant about this hospital continuing.”
Landrum said that one critical question up for review by the board is whether the hospital should continue as an acute-care provider, as it has done historically, or become a “specialty hospital.”
Change is possible also for the hospital’s relationship with the physicians who provide services at the hospital-owned outpatient clinics in Jacksonville and Cabot. Landrum would not provide details of any proposals or negotiations other than to say that the current “employee model” is under review and that a decision about a “partnership” is expected in about two months.
To the same point, Swaim stated: “…the board is in the process of evaluating possible relationships with other health-care providers in the area, both public and private. No commitments have been made and none will be entered into, if at all, until thorough consideration is given to the long-term needs of patients, physicians, employees and the community at large.”
Landrum was hired a year ago as hospital administrator to solve its persistent financial problems. Since he came on board full-time in July 2007, the medical center has undergone a thorough sprucing up inside and out, taken a new name, modified how floor nursing care is delivered, made changes in nursing leadership, added services and in Landrum’s words, “put some teeth in the customer-service program.”
Still, with all the changes, Landrum calls the north Pulaski County health care market the “most difficult marketing situation” he has encountered in his 28-year career in hospital administration.
Competing with two larger hospitals within a 10-minute drive is the main problem, according to Landrum. Both Baptist North and St. Vincent North have lots of marketing resources, which help attract the kind of patient mix that translates into a healthy revenue stream.
In contrast, Landrum contends, North Metro serves a higher percentage of patients either without health-care coverage or who have Medicare, Medicaid or Tricare insurance. These insurance programs reimburse for services at a lower rate than do private companies.
For every dollar of services provided by North Metro, the return currently is about 36 cents. Landrum wants to see that improved.
“I would like that to be 55 cents per dollar – that is a good number for a hospital,” he said.
TOP STORY > >Literacy tests raise concern
By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
As well as area students are doing in algebra and geometry, the opposite is true in literacy.
Recent test scores show 34 to 71 percent of area high school juniors don’t have the literacy skills required to graduate. Based on the scores, three out of 10 Cabot juniors don’t have the reading and writing skills they need and, even worse, seven out of 10 juniors at Jacksonville High School don’t have the necessary literacy skills to be juniors.
Only 51 percent of the state’s juniors scored proficient or advanced in state-mandated tests. Scoring proficient or advanced means a student is at or above grade level in literacy.
All state high school students are given the literacy test, as part of the No Child Left Behind Act, in April of their junior year to assess their reading, writing and grammar skills. Based on scores, students are considered advanced, proficient, basic or below basic.
All students are supposed to be scoring advanced or proficient by the end of the 2013-2014 school year according to federal mandates.
No school is at 100 percent yet. The Arkansas School of Mathematics and Science in Hot Springs is 99 percent proficient or better, followed by Taylor High School in the Emerson School District, at 87 percent proficient or better.
Dr. Ken James, commissioner of education, said, “I’m glad that we still have more than half of our students scoring proficient and above, but we know there are tweaks we need to make to improve literacy scores.”
Julie Thompson, a spokesman for the state Education Department, said the literacy scores are not where they should be nationwide.
“It’s an unfortunate trend,” she said. The state’s Education Department is not only looking at the test, but also the instruction.
“It seems we stop teaching reading in the elementary school and it needs to continue through,” Thompson said.
Locally, Cabot High School juniors did the best, followed by Beebe and Searcy. On the other end were Jacksonville, Carlisle and North Pulaski high schools.
Of the 539 Cabot juniors tested, 66 percent scored proficient or advanced, meaning that 193 Cabot juniors, a year away from graduation, are not reading or writing at grade level.
In both Beebe and Searcy, 61 percent of the juniors scored proficient or better. After Beebe and Searcy, the scores fall dramatically.
Lonoke only had 47 percent of its juniors score proficient or advanced, meaning 73 of the school’s 141 juniors are not on grade level in literacy.
At Cabot’s Academic Center for Excellence, just 47 percent of the juniors are proficient and none are advanced. Of Sylvan Hill High School’s 221 juniors, only 45 percent scored proficient or advanced, and at North Pulaski, just 37 percent of the juniors were proficient or better.
Of the 245 juniors at Jackson-ville High School, only 29 percent are proficient or advanced, meaning that 175 juniors, or about three-fourths, are lacking in literacy skills.
Leader staff writer
As well as area students are doing in algebra and geometry, the opposite is true in literacy.
Recent test scores show 34 to 71 percent of area high school juniors don’t have the literacy skills required to graduate. Based on the scores, three out of 10 Cabot juniors don’t have the reading and writing skills they need and, even worse, seven out of 10 juniors at Jacksonville High School don’t have the necessary literacy skills to be juniors.
Only 51 percent of the state’s juniors scored proficient or advanced in state-mandated tests. Scoring proficient or advanced means a student is at or above grade level in literacy.
All state high school students are given the literacy test, as part of the No Child Left Behind Act, in April of their junior year to assess their reading, writing and grammar skills. Based on scores, students are considered advanced, proficient, basic or below basic.
All students are supposed to be scoring advanced or proficient by the end of the 2013-2014 school year according to federal mandates.
No school is at 100 percent yet. The Arkansas School of Mathematics and Science in Hot Springs is 99 percent proficient or better, followed by Taylor High School in the Emerson School District, at 87 percent proficient or better.
Dr. Ken James, commissioner of education, said, “I’m glad that we still have more than half of our students scoring proficient and above, but we know there are tweaks we need to make to improve literacy scores.”
Julie Thompson, a spokesman for the state Education Department, said the literacy scores are not where they should be nationwide.
“It’s an unfortunate trend,” she said. The state’s Education Department is not only looking at the test, but also the instruction.
“It seems we stop teaching reading in the elementary school and it needs to continue through,” Thompson said.
Locally, Cabot High School juniors did the best, followed by Beebe and Searcy. On the other end were Jacksonville, Carlisle and North Pulaski high schools.
Of the 539 Cabot juniors tested, 66 percent scored proficient or advanced, meaning that 193 Cabot juniors, a year away from graduation, are not reading or writing at grade level.
In both Beebe and Searcy, 61 percent of the juniors scored proficient or better. After Beebe and Searcy, the scores fall dramatically.
Lonoke only had 47 percent of its juniors score proficient or advanced, meaning 73 of the school’s 141 juniors are not on grade level in literacy.
At Cabot’s Academic Center for Excellence, just 47 percent of the juniors are proficient and none are advanced. Of Sylvan Hill High School’s 221 juniors, only 45 percent scored proficient or advanced, and at North Pulaski, just 37 percent of the juniors were proficient or better.
Of the 245 juniors at Jackson-ville High School, only 29 percent are proficient or advanced, meaning that 175 juniors, or about three-fourths, are lacking in literacy skills.
TOP STORY > >Literacy tests raise concern
By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
As well as area students are doing in algebra and geometry, the opposite is true in literacy.
Recent test scores show 34 to 71 percent of area high school juniors don’t have the literacy skills required to graduate. Based on the scores, three out of 10 Cabot juniors don’t have the reading and writing skills they need and, even worse, seven out of 10 juniors at Jacksonville High School don’t have the necessary literacy skills to be juniors.
Only 51 percent of the state’s juniors scored proficient or advanced in state-mandated tests. Scoring proficient or advanced means a student is at or above grade level in literacy.
All state high school students are given the literacy test, as part of the No Child Left Behind Act, in April of their junior year to assess their reading, writing and grammar skills. Based on scores, students are considered advanced, proficient, basic or below basic.
All students are supposed to be scoring advanced or proficient by the end of the 2013-2014 school year according to federal mandates.
No school is at 100 percent yet. The Arkansas School of Mathematics and Science in Hot Springs is 99 percent proficient or better, followed by Taylor High School in the Emerson School District, at 87 percent proficient or better.
Dr. Ken James, commissioner of education, said, “I’m glad that we still have more than half of our students scoring proficient and above, but we know there are tweaks we need to make to improve literacy scores.”
Julie Thompson, a spokesman for the state Education Department, said the literacy scores are not where they should be nationwide.
“It’s an unfortunate trend,” she said. The state’s Education Department is not only looking at the test, but also the instruction.
“It seems we stop teaching reading in the elementary school and it needs to continue through,” Thompson said.
Locally, Cabot High School juniors did the best, followed by Beebe and Searcy. On the other end were Jacksonville, Carlisle and North Pulaski high schools.
Of the 539 Cabot juniors tested, 66 percent scored proficient or advanced, meaning that 193 Cabot juniors, a year away from graduation, are not reading or writing at grade level.
In both Beebe and Searcy, 61 percent of the juniors scored proficient or better. After Beebe and Searcy, the scores fall dramatically.
Lonoke only had 47 percent of its juniors score proficient or advanced, meaning 73 of the school’s 141 juniors are not on grade level in literacy.
At Cabot’s Academic Center for Excellence, just 47 percent of the juniors are proficient and none are advanced. Of Sylvan Hill High School’s 221 juniors, only 45 percent scored proficient or advanced, and at North Pulaski, just 37 percent of the juniors were proficient or better.
Of the 245 juniors at Jackson-ville High School, only 29 percent are proficient or advanced, meaning that 175 juniors, or about three-fourths, are lacking in literacy skills.
Leader staff writer
As well as area students are doing in algebra and geometry, the opposite is true in literacy.
Recent test scores show 34 to 71 percent of area high school juniors don’t have the literacy skills required to graduate. Based on the scores, three out of 10 Cabot juniors don’t have the reading and writing skills they need and, even worse, seven out of 10 juniors at Jacksonville High School don’t have the necessary literacy skills to be juniors.
Only 51 percent of the state’s juniors scored proficient or advanced in state-mandated tests. Scoring proficient or advanced means a student is at or above grade level in literacy.
All state high school students are given the literacy test, as part of the No Child Left Behind Act, in April of their junior year to assess their reading, writing and grammar skills. Based on scores, students are considered advanced, proficient, basic or below basic.
All students are supposed to be scoring advanced or proficient by the end of the 2013-2014 school year according to federal mandates.
No school is at 100 percent yet. The Arkansas School of Mathematics and Science in Hot Springs is 99 percent proficient or better, followed by Taylor High School in the Emerson School District, at 87 percent proficient or better.
Dr. Ken James, commissioner of education, said, “I’m glad that we still have more than half of our students scoring proficient and above, but we know there are tweaks we need to make to improve literacy scores.”
Julie Thompson, a spokesman for the state Education Department, said the literacy scores are not where they should be nationwide.
“It’s an unfortunate trend,” she said. The state’s Education Department is not only looking at the test, but also the instruction.
“It seems we stop teaching reading in the elementary school and it needs to continue through,” Thompson said.
Locally, Cabot High School juniors did the best, followed by Beebe and Searcy. On the other end were Jacksonville, Carlisle and North Pulaski high schools.
Of the 539 Cabot juniors tested, 66 percent scored proficient or advanced, meaning that 193 Cabot juniors, a year away from graduation, are not reading or writing at grade level.
In both Beebe and Searcy, 61 percent of the juniors scored proficient or better. After Beebe and Searcy, the scores fall dramatically.
Lonoke only had 47 percent of its juniors score proficient or advanced, meaning 73 of the school’s 141 juniors are not on grade level in literacy.
At Cabot’s Academic Center for Excellence, just 47 percent of the juniors are proficient and none are advanced. Of Sylvan Hill High School’s 221 juniors, only 45 percent scored proficient or advanced, and at North Pulaski, just 37 percent of the juniors were proficient or better.
Of the 245 juniors at Jackson-ville High School, only 29 percent are proficient or advanced, meaning that 175 juniors, or about three-fourths, are lacking in literacy skills.
TOP STORY > >Cabot, Ward talk water
By JOAN McCOY
Leader staff writer
The Cabot Water and Wastewater Commission, which has voiced concern in the past month about other water systems operating inside city limits, took the first step Monday toward buying Ward water customers who live in Cabot.
Ward Mayor Art Brooke said during the Monday Ward Council meeting that he told Cabot officials Ward’s customers in Cabot could be bought for $17.5 million.
“They didn’t think that was outrageous,” Brooke told the council. “They’re not going to buy it, but they didn’t think it was outrageous.”
That price is up from the $10 million price he quoted in 2000, Brooke said.
Brooke told his city council that he met earlier that day with Cabot Mayor Eddie Joe Williams, Tim Joyner, general manager of Cabot WaterWorks, and Bill Cypert, secretary and spokesman for Cabot Water and Wastewater Commission, and that negotiations would continue. None of the council members voiced any objection to selling part of the Ward water system.
Contacted Tuesday, Joyner said WaterWorks hopes to eventually purchase all the customers inside Cabot who currently belong to other water associations or cities.
Exactly how many Ward water customers live in Cabot is unclear. Deborah Staley, who runs the water billing office in Ward, said she keeps track of Ward’s 3,000 customers by where they are located in the system, not by city boundaries.
Joyner said he knows of at least 45 Cabot residents who are billed by Cabot for sewer and Ward for water. But Cypert said there could be as many as 500-700 Ward water customers inside Cabot because some of them have septic tanks and don’t require sewer.
These are some of the areas in Cabot that could be part of negotiations: Diedrich Lane, Mary Lynn Circle, Kingwood and Castle Heights.
Although the Cabot commissioners admit that one issue is territory — that they want Cabot WaterWorks to provide water and sewer to all Cabot residents — Cypert said the real concern is fire protection.
The areas served by Ward have several “high-dollar homes,” he said, and the rural water lines there could be too small for adequate fire protection.
Cypert said Cabot wants to test the Ward lines, and that Brooke hasn’t said no.
As for buying the lines inside Cabot, Cypert said the Monday meeting was simply to start the conversation.
“The ball is in their court,” he said. “We made it clear that we’re not aggressive, that we just want to clean it up and get it in our city.”
In other business, the Ward Council City passed resolutions necessary for a nonprofit group to apply for state grants to build a youth center on the city hall grounds.
The council also approved an annexation that brought two subdivisions — Golden Meadows on the corner of Wilson Loop and Moon and Nan’s Place off Ray Sowell Road — into the city.
Potentially 60-80 homes could be built in the two subdivisions, and council members said they were concerned that a dozen had been built before the annexation and that meant the city lost sales tax revenue from the building material.
Alderman Charlie Gasteneau gave the other council members a proposed ordinance to regulate sexually-oriented businesses and asked that they study it for discussion in August.
The ordinance is the same one Cabot has already passed and that Beebe Mayor Mike Robertson has said his council should look at also. “This is the city of Cabot’s ordinance with Cabot changed to Ward,” Gasteneau told the council.
Leader staff writer
The Cabot Water and Wastewater Commission, which has voiced concern in the past month about other water systems operating inside city limits, took the first step Monday toward buying Ward water customers who live in Cabot.
Ward Mayor Art Brooke said during the Monday Ward Council meeting that he told Cabot officials Ward’s customers in Cabot could be bought for $17.5 million.
“They didn’t think that was outrageous,” Brooke told the council. “They’re not going to buy it, but they didn’t think it was outrageous.”
That price is up from the $10 million price he quoted in 2000, Brooke said.
Brooke told his city council that he met earlier that day with Cabot Mayor Eddie Joe Williams, Tim Joyner, general manager of Cabot WaterWorks, and Bill Cypert, secretary and spokesman for Cabot Water and Wastewater Commission, and that negotiations would continue. None of the council members voiced any objection to selling part of the Ward water system.
Contacted Tuesday, Joyner said WaterWorks hopes to eventually purchase all the customers inside Cabot who currently belong to other water associations or cities.
Exactly how many Ward water customers live in Cabot is unclear. Deborah Staley, who runs the water billing office in Ward, said she keeps track of Ward’s 3,000 customers by where they are located in the system, not by city boundaries.
Joyner said he knows of at least 45 Cabot residents who are billed by Cabot for sewer and Ward for water. But Cypert said there could be as many as 500-700 Ward water customers inside Cabot because some of them have septic tanks and don’t require sewer.
These are some of the areas in Cabot that could be part of negotiations: Diedrich Lane, Mary Lynn Circle, Kingwood and Castle Heights.
Although the Cabot commissioners admit that one issue is territory — that they want Cabot WaterWorks to provide water and sewer to all Cabot residents — Cypert said the real concern is fire protection.
The areas served by Ward have several “high-dollar homes,” he said, and the rural water lines there could be too small for adequate fire protection.
Cypert said Cabot wants to test the Ward lines, and that Brooke hasn’t said no.
As for buying the lines inside Cabot, Cypert said the Monday meeting was simply to start the conversation.
“The ball is in their court,” he said. “We made it clear that we’re not aggressive, that we just want to clean it up and get it in our city.”
In other business, the Ward Council City passed resolutions necessary for a nonprofit group to apply for state grants to build a youth center on the city hall grounds.
The council also approved an annexation that brought two subdivisions — Golden Meadows on the corner of Wilson Loop and Moon and Nan’s Place off Ray Sowell Road — into the city.
Potentially 60-80 homes could be built in the two subdivisions, and council members said they were concerned that a dozen had been built before the annexation and that meant the city lost sales tax revenue from the building material.
Alderman Charlie Gasteneau gave the other council members a proposed ordinance to regulate sexually-oriented businesses and asked that they study it for discussion in August.
The ordinance is the same one Cabot has already passed and that Beebe Mayor Mike Robertson has said his council should look at also. “This is the city of Cabot’s ordinance with Cabot changed to Ward,” Gasteneau told the council.
TOP STORY > >Newspaper wins top honors from Press Association
The Leader garnered nine top awards, including best large weekly in the state, in the recent Arkansas Press Association contest.
“Strong story coverage and an active editorial page make this paper fun to read. Artwork and graphics make the front page pop,” said one judge as the paper was awarded general excellence in the large-weekly category.
The locally owned family paper has a 21-year reputation of covering news and events in Jacksonville, Sherwood, Cabot, Beebe, Lonoke and the surrounding area, including Little Rock Air Force Base.
Besides winning the general-excellence award for the best large weekly, The Leader captured eight first-place awards, five second-place awards, one third-place and two honorable mentions.
Reporter John Hofheimer took first place in in-depth reporting with his articles on the Campbell trials and tribulations. Former Lonoke Police Chief Jay Campbell and his wife, Kelly, were charged on multiple drug, burglary and sex counts. Jay Campbell is serving a 40-year sentence and his wife is in prison for 20 years.
“Strong, solid court reporting. I’m sure readers couldn’t wait until the next issue,” commented the judges.
Hofheimer also took first place in the investigative-reporting category with his articles on the base-housing fiasco. Little Rock Air Force Base turned over the maintenance and rebuilding of its base housing to a private firm which went bankrupt, leaving numerous local subcontractors in a financial lurch and the future of the base housing on hold.
Hofheimer also won the coveted I.F. Stone award for his incisive series on base housing, using the Freedom of Information Act to get access to business documents and court re-cords in several states. The award is named after the crusading journalist who inspired generations of young reporters, including Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.
First place in coverage of politics went to Hofheimer and Joan McCoy. The judges called it “far and away the best entry.”
The judges added that the coverage “goes beyond meetings and elections to give hard-hitting political news.”
Hofheimer, McCoy, Rick Kron and publisher Garrick Feldman took first place in coverage of business and agriculture. “Good variety with clear and concise writing. Stories are played well throughout the paper,” the judges said.
First-place honors for the coverage of education also went to Hofheimer, Kron and Feldman.
“The stories go beyond the surface to show reasons behind problems in local schools,” one judge said.
Creative editor and The Leader’s page designer Christy Hendricks took first place in sports-page layout and design. “A very nice layout with excellent use of photos, especially the action shots. Good work,” the judges said.
Hendricks is largely responsible for the “look” of The Leader, the paper’s typography, style and overall design.
Photographer David Scolli took first place in the single sports-action photograph with his photo entitled “Track standouts.”
The paper garnered second place for its community coverage.
Other second-place awards went to Hofheimer for his editorial “Housing mess hurts air base;” Feldman for his general-interest column, “How city wiped out vet’s investment;” sports writer Jason King for his sports news story, “It’s over, NP beats Tech,” and Scolli for his single-sports feature photograph, “Lady Jackrabbit.”
Of Hofheimer’s editorial, the judges said, “A great example of what a community newspaper is supposed to do with an editorial.”
Feldman’s column on the vet whose property was greatly devalued by a poor decision on the city’s part, the judges remarked, showed “aggressive support of the little guy.”
King also grabbed a third-place award for his sports feature story, “Mild-mannered hero.”
Honorable mentions went to former sports editor Ray Benton for his sports column, “AAA has mess with new class,” and Scolli for his single-feature photo entitled “Play-ground fun.”
Current Leader sports editor Kelly Fenton won four awards while at the Searcy Daily Citizen. He took first place in sports column writing with “Diary from the press box,” first place in sports features with his story “Rookie no more” and second place with his sports news story “Elm Street celebration.” He also received honorable mention in sports news writing.
Fenton joined The Leader in January and since then has been an inspiration and role model for King, whose writing has improved steadily.
“Strong story coverage and an active editorial page make this paper fun to read. Artwork and graphics make the front page pop,” said one judge as the paper was awarded general excellence in the large-weekly category.
The locally owned family paper has a 21-year reputation of covering news and events in Jacksonville, Sherwood, Cabot, Beebe, Lonoke and the surrounding area, including Little Rock Air Force Base.
Besides winning the general-excellence award for the best large weekly, The Leader captured eight first-place awards, five second-place awards, one third-place and two honorable mentions.
Reporter John Hofheimer took first place in in-depth reporting with his articles on the Campbell trials and tribulations. Former Lonoke Police Chief Jay Campbell and his wife, Kelly, were charged on multiple drug, burglary and sex counts. Jay Campbell is serving a 40-year sentence and his wife is in prison for 20 years.
“Strong, solid court reporting. I’m sure readers couldn’t wait until the next issue,” commented the judges.
Hofheimer also took first place in the investigative-reporting category with his articles on the base-housing fiasco. Little Rock Air Force Base turned over the maintenance and rebuilding of its base housing to a private firm which went bankrupt, leaving numerous local subcontractors in a financial lurch and the future of the base housing on hold.
Hofheimer also won the coveted I.F. Stone award for his incisive series on base housing, using the Freedom of Information Act to get access to business documents and court re-cords in several states. The award is named after the crusading journalist who inspired generations of young reporters, including Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.
First place in coverage of politics went to Hofheimer and Joan McCoy. The judges called it “far and away the best entry.”
The judges added that the coverage “goes beyond meetings and elections to give hard-hitting political news.”
Hofheimer, McCoy, Rick Kron and publisher Garrick Feldman took first place in coverage of business and agriculture. “Good variety with clear and concise writing. Stories are played well throughout the paper,” the judges said.
First-place honors for the coverage of education also went to Hofheimer, Kron and Feldman.
“The stories go beyond the surface to show reasons behind problems in local schools,” one judge said.
Creative editor and The Leader’s page designer Christy Hendricks took first place in sports-page layout and design. “A very nice layout with excellent use of photos, especially the action shots. Good work,” the judges said.
Hendricks is largely responsible for the “look” of The Leader, the paper’s typography, style and overall design.
Photographer David Scolli took first place in the single sports-action photograph with his photo entitled “Track standouts.”
The paper garnered second place for its community coverage.
Other second-place awards went to Hofheimer for his editorial “Housing mess hurts air base;” Feldman for his general-interest column, “How city wiped out vet’s investment;” sports writer Jason King for his sports news story, “It’s over, NP beats Tech,” and Scolli for his single-sports feature photograph, “Lady Jackrabbit.”
Of Hofheimer’s editorial, the judges said, “A great example of what a community newspaper is supposed to do with an editorial.”
Feldman’s column on the vet whose property was greatly devalued by a poor decision on the city’s part, the judges remarked, showed “aggressive support of the little guy.”
King also grabbed a third-place award for his sports feature story, “Mild-mannered hero.”
Honorable mentions went to former sports editor Ray Benton for his sports column, “AAA has mess with new class,” and Scolli for his single-feature photo entitled “Play-ground fun.”
Current Leader sports editor Kelly Fenton won four awards while at the Searcy Daily Citizen. He took first place in sports column writing with “Diary from the press box,” first place in sports features with his story “Rookie no more” and second place with his sports news story “Elm Street celebration.” He also received honorable mention in sports news writing.
Fenton joined The Leader in January and since then has been an inspiration and role model for King, whose writing has improved steadily.
TOP STORY > >Students know their math
By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
When it comes to understanding the formulas, rules and applications of algebra, all the algebra I students at Ahlf Junior High in Searcy are advanced. In fact the school is only one of five in the state where all the algebra students scored advanced on this year’s end-of-course exams.
In the realm of geometry, students at Cabot Junior High North and South are 100 percent proficient or advanced. At Cabot North 92 percent of the students scored advanced on the geometry end-of-course exam, making them the fifth best in the state. The rest of the school’s geometry students scored proficient. Cabot South, at 85 percent scoring advanced, is the 11th best in the state.
Junior high and high school students, throughout the state, completing algebra I or geometry in the 2007-2008 school year had to take the state mandated end-of-course exams as part of the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
Based on scores, students are considered ad-vanced (the rough equivalent of an A), proficient (the equivalent of a B), basic (the equivalent of a C) and below basic.
Of the 35,602 students across the state taking the algebra I exam, 66 percent were proficient or advanced. Twelve area schools bested that state average of 66 percent.
Of the 33,875 students taking the geometry exam, 60 percent scored proficient or advanced. Seven area schools outperformed the state in this skill.
CABOT
As a district, Cabot had 80 percent of its students at proficient or advanced in algebra and 75 percent in geometry.
In algebra I, Cabot Junior High South had the best results with 88 percent of its algebra students scoring proficient or advanced. Cabot North had 79 percent, the high school was at 59 percent proficient or advanced, and at the Academic Center for Excellence only 35 percent of its algebra students scored proficient or better.
In geometry, both junior highs had 100 percent of its students scoring proficient or advanced. At the high school, 75 percent of the geometry students made the grade and 65 percent did the same at the Academic Center of Excellence.
PCSSD
Jacksonville and Sherwood are part of the Pulaski County Special School District and the district had 36 percent of its algebra I students score proficient or advanced and 49 percent of its geometry students do the same.
Northwood and Sylvan Hills middle schools beat the state average, along with the boys campus of the Jacksonville Middle School.
Northwood and Sylvan Hills both had 81 percent of its Algebra I students score proficient or advanced, while the JMS boys campus had 75 percent of its students make the cut. Algebra students on the girls campus of JMS had 55 percent proficient or better, while Sylvan Hills High School was 48 percent proficient or better and at North Pulaski High School 43 percent made the grade.
At Jacksonville High School just 24 percent of the algebra I students scored proficient or advanced. The geometry scores were equally poor at JHS with just 25 percent of the students scoring proficient or advanced.
Both Sylvan Hills and North Pulaski high schools were also below the state average in geometry. Sylvan Hills had 41 percent of its geometry students score proficient or advanced, while NPHS had 39 percent make the cut.
LONOKE
Lonoke was well above the state average in algebra I, but below in geometry. At Lonoke Middle School 90 percent of the algebra I students were proficient or advanced and at the high school level, 79 percent were proficient or better. In geometry the number of proficient or better fell to 47 percent.
BEEBE
Junior high students did better than the state average in algebra and high school students did likewise in geometry, but high school students taking the algebra exam didn’t fare well. Out of the 162 Beebe Junior High students taking the Algebra I exams, 81 percent were proficient or advanced. At the high school level that fell to just 38 percent. Out of 307 Beebe High School geometry students, 72 percent scored proficient or better.
SEARCY
Searcy students did well on both math exams. All 42 algebra I students at Ahlf Junior High scored advanced, while 95 percent of the high schoolers taking the exam scored proficient or advanced. In geometry, 89 percent of the students were proficient or advanced.
ENGLAND
England students beat the state in both the algebra and geometry exams.
At England Middle School, 91 percent of the algebra students were proficient or advanced, while at the high school 75 percent did likewise. In geometry, 61 percent of England High School students scored proficient or better.
CARLISLE
Carlisle fell slightly below the state average in both algebra and geometry.
In algebra, 56 percent of the students scored proficient or advanced, 54 percent did the same in geometry.
Leader staff writer
When it comes to understanding the formulas, rules and applications of algebra, all the algebra I students at Ahlf Junior High in Searcy are advanced. In fact the school is only one of five in the state where all the algebra students scored advanced on this year’s end-of-course exams.
In the realm of geometry, students at Cabot Junior High North and South are 100 percent proficient or advanced. At Cabot North 92 percent of the students scored advanced on the geometry end-of-course exam, making them the fifth best in the state. The rest of the school’s geometry students scored proficient. Cabot South, at 85 percent scoring advanced, is the 11th best in the state.
Junior high and high school students, throughout the state, completing algebra I or geometry in the 2007-2008 school year had to take the state mandated end-of-course exams as part of the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
Based on scores, students are considered ad-vanced (the rough equivalent of an A), proficient (the equivalent of a B), basic (the equivalent of a C) and below basic.
Of the 35,602 students across the state taking the algebra I exam, 66 percent were proficient or advanced. Twelve area schools bested that state average of 66 percent.
Of the 33,875 students taking the geometry exam, 60 percent scored proficient or advanced. Seven area schools outperformed the state in this skill.
CABOT
As a district, Cabot had 80 percent of its students at proficient or advanced in algebra and 75 percent in geometry.
In algebra I, Cabot Junior High South had the best results with 88 percent of its algebra students scoring proficient or advanced. Cabot North had 79 percent, the high school was at 59 percent proficient or advanced, and at the Academic Center for Excellence only 35 percent of its algebra students scored proficient or better.
In geometry, both junior highs had 100 percent of its students scoring proficient or advanced. At the high school, 75 percent of the geometry students made the grade and 65 percent did the same at the Academic Center of Excellence.
PCSSD
Jacksonville and Sherwood are part of the Pulaski County Special School District and the district had 36 percent of its algebra I students score proficient or advanced and 49 percent of its geometry students do the same.
Northwood and Sylvan Hills middle schools beat the state average, along with the boys campus of the Jacksonville Middle School.
Northwood and Sylvan Hills both had 81 percent of its Algebra I students score proficient or advanced, while the JMS boys campus had 75 percent of its students make the cut. Algebra students on the girls campus of JMS had 55 percent proficient or better, while Sylvan Hills High School was 48 percent proficient or better and at North Pulaski High School 43 percent made the grade.
At Jacksonville High School just 24 percent of the algebra I students scored proficient or advanced. The geometry scores were equally poor at JHS with just 25 percent of the students scoring proficient or advanced.
Both Sylvan Hills and North Pulaski high schools were also below the state average in geometry. Sylvan Hills had 41 percent of its geometry students score proficient or advanced, while NPHS had 39 percent make the cut.
LONOKE
Lonoke was well above the state average in algebra I, but below in geometry. At Lonoke Middle School 90 percent of the algebra I students were proficient or advanced and at the high school level, 79 percent were proficient or better. In geometry the number of proficient or better fell to 47 percent.
BEEBE
Junior high students did better than the state average in algebra and high school students did likewise in geometry, but high school students taking the algebra exam didn’t fare well. Out of the 162 Beebe Junior High students taking the Algebra I exams, 81 percent were proficient or advanced. At the high school level that fell to just 38 percent. Out of 307 Beebe High School geometry students, 72 percent scored proficient or better.
SEARCY
Searcy students did well on both math exams. All 42 algebra I students at Ahlf Junior High scored advanced, while 95 percent of the high schoolers taking the exam scored proficient or advanced. In geometry, 89 percent of the students were proficient or advanced.
ENGLAND
England students beat the state in both the algebra and geometry exams.
At England Middle School, 91 percent of the algebra students were proficient or advanced, while at the high school 75 percent did likewise. In geometry, 61 percent of England High School students scored proficient or better.
CARLISLE
Carlisle fell slightly below the state average in both algebra and geometry.
In algebra, 56 percent of the students scored proficient or advanced, 54 percent did the same in geometry.
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