By TODD TRAUB
Leader sports editor
It remains to be seen which area football teams are still standing by the time the state playoffs roll around, but it’s clear those in the 7A/6A classifications are going to have to brush up on their math to find out where they rank.
In a wrinkle designed to improve the geography of the large-school conferences while maintaining competitive balance, the Arkansas Activities Association implemented a playoff points system to go with its latest round of realignment.
The 32 largest teams in the state have been grouped geographically with an end-of-season ranking system to determine playoff seeding.
That means 6A and 7A schools like Cabot, Jacksonville and Searcy have been thrown together under the same conference banners for the regular season but will split up for separate playoffs at the season’s end.
Jacksonville and Searcy, of the 6A, will have to play a 7A power like West Memphis in the 7A/6A-East regular season, while 6A schools Russellville and Van Buren must play 7A Cabot in the 7A/6A-Central. The West will include only 7A teams and the South will be all 6A.
“We’re playing the same conference, the playoffs is where it’s affected,” Cabot coach Mike Malham said.
The playoff points system for 7A teams in the Central and East awards 10 points for a conference victory and one additional point for each opponent’s conference victory. The total points are divided by the number of conference games (7) to determine a team’s power ranking.
The 7A teams from the Central and East will be grouped together with the top six, based on their power rating, making the playoffs, and the top two earning first-round byes.
“Until they get all that squared away, I don’t know how else to do it; it’s not really fair,” Malham said.
Malham’s beef is that a team like West Memphis, which has moved up to 7A and mercy-ruled most of its 6A-East opponents on the way to last year’s playoffs, will play primarily 6A opponents during the regular season and cruise to a No. 1 seed.
“With West Memphis, a 7A school playing in a 6A conference and the points system, probably, we’re fighting each other in this conference week after week battling it out for a second seed,” Malham said.
Cabot, Malham pointed out, will be playing mostly 7A schools returning from what was a highly competitive 7A-Central Conference last year. The Panthers went 9-1 to win the 7A-Central in 2009.
“West Memphis doesn’t have anybody to challenge them over there,” Malham said. “In fact, if they’d put that points system in last year, we wouldn’t have been a No. 1 seed, we would have been a two seed and West Memphis would have had the one seed.”
The 7A-West will simply rank teams based on their conference play and send the top six to the postseason, as will the 6A-South.
The points system for the 6A teams playing in the hybrid conferences differs from those used by the 7A teams.
Points will be awarded for all games and not just conference matchups. A 6A team earns 10 points for a victory and five for a tie, regardless of an opponent’s classification, and a one-point bonus is awarded for each 7A team played, conference or non-conference, as well as for an out-of-state opponent that plays in that state’s largest classification.
“To be honest with you, you kind of like to know where you stand and what to expect,” Searcy coach Tim Harper said. “But we have a situation with these power ratings that even your non-conference games figures into it. So basically there are no off weeks.”
Some 6A schools are jumping at the chance to collect points by tougher scheduling. Jonesboro, Jacksonville’s and Searcy’s opponent in the 7A/6A-East, played five 5A schools last year but picked up non-conference games this year against 7A Conway and Fayetteville.
While the current 7A/6A system is based on geography, Harper said it hasn’t really solved all travel issues and it’s a system that can still be manipulated.
“I’d like to see it based more on enrollment like it’s supposed to be and not travel,” Harper said. “I think that is being used as an excuse; you still have teams pretty much traveling the length of the state to play ball games. I think it’s another way to get what you want.”
The realignment and points system, though designed to maintain balance, have also fueled the argument the state simply has too many football classifications (six) for one of its size. Arkansas only has 16 teams in 7A for example, and that’s the smallest classification group of any state in the union.
Comparably sized states like Mississippi and Kansas have 32 in their large-school classes.
“I’d like to see some things fixed. But at the same time, I don’t necessarily want to go back to a 32-team class 5A either,” Harper said. “I don’t want to play the Cabots and North Little Rocks every week, because they should win every time. It’s like putting up a 12-year-old to fight a 6-year-old, the odds are going to be in his favor.”
Don’t count on the current alignment and points system to last, however. School populations will change, balances of power will shift, and the high school football landscape will likely change again by 2012.
“Maybe they’ll have it figured out by the next two-year cycle,” Malham said.
Friday, August 13, 2010
SPORTS>>Teams face new opponents as conferences change
By TODD TRAUB
Leader sports editor
It remains to be seen which area football teams are still standing by the time the state playoffs roll around, but it’s clear those in the 7A/6A classifications are going to have to brush up on their math to find out where they rank.
In a wrinkle designed to improve the geography of the large-school conferences while maintaining competitive balance, the Arkansas Activities Association implemented a playoff points system to go with its latest round of realignment.
The 32 largest teams in the state have been grouped geographically with an end-of-season ranking system to determine playoff seeding.
That means 6A and 7A schools like Cabot, Jacksonville and Searcy have been thrown together under the same conference banners for the regular season but will split up for separate playoffs at the season’s end.
Jacksonville and Searcy, of the 6A, will have to play a 7A power like West Memphis in the 7A/6A-East regular season, while 6A schools Russellville and Van Buren must play 7A Cabot in the 7A/6A-Central. The West will include only 7A teams and the South will be all 6A.
“We’re playing the same conference, the playoffs is where it’s affected,” Cabot coach Mike Malham said.
The playoff points system for 7A teams in the Central and East awards 10 points for a conference victory and one additional point for each opponent’s conference victory. The total points are divided by the number of conference games (7) to determine a team’s power ranking.
The 7A teams from the Central and East will be grouped together with the top six, based on their power rating, making the playoffs, and the top two earning first-round byes.
“Until they get all that squared away, I don’t know how else to do it; it’s not really fair,” Malham said.
Malham’s beef is that a team like West Memphis, which has moved up to 7A and mercy-ruled most of its 6A-East opponents on the way to last year’s playoffs, will play primarily 6A opponents during the regular season and cruise to a No. 1 seed.
“With West Memphis, a 7A school playing in a 6A conference and the points system, probably, we’re fighting each other in this conference week after week battling it out for a second seed,” Malham said.
Cabot, Malham pointed out, will be playing mostly 7A schools returning from what was a highly competitive 7A-Central Conference last year. The Panthers went 9-1 to win the 7A-Central in 2009.
“West Memphis doesn’t have anybody to challenge them over there,” Malham said. “In fact, if they’d put that points system in last year, we wouldn’t have been a No. 1 seed, we would have been a two seed and West Memphis would have had the one seed.”
The 7A-West will simply rank teams based on their conference play and send the top six to the postseason, as will the 6A-South.
The points system for the 6A teams playing in the hybrid conferences differs from those used by the 7A teams.
Points will be awarded for all games and not just conference matchups. A 6A team earns 10 points for a victory and five for a tie, regardless of an opponent’s classification, and a one-point bonus is awarded for each 7A team played, conference or non-conference, as well as for an out-of-state opponent that plays in that state’s largest classification.
“To be honest with you, you kind of like to know where you stand and what to expect,” Searcy coach Tim Harper said. “But we have a situation with these power ratings that even your non-conference games figures into it. So basically there are no off weeks.”
Some 6A schools are jumping at the chance to collect points by tougher scheduling. Jonesboro, Jacksonville’s and Searcy’s opponent in the 7A/6A-East, played five 5A schools last year but picked up non-conference games this year against 7A Conway and Fayetteville.
While the current 7A/6A system is based on geography, Harper said it hasn’t really solved all travel issues and it’s a system that can still be manipulated.
“I’d like to see it based more on enrollment like it’s supposed to be and not travel,” Harper said. “I think that is being used as an excuse; you still have teams pretty much traveling the length of the state to play ball games. I think it’s another way to get what you want.”
The realignment and points system, though designed to maintain balance, have also fueled the argument the state simply has too many football classifications (six) for one of its size. Arkansas only has 16 teams in 7A for example, and that’s the smallest classification group of any state in the union.
Comparably sized states like Mississippi and Kansas have 32 in their large-school classes.
“I’d like to see some things fixed. But at the same time, I don’t necessarily want to go back to a 32-team class 5A either,” Harper said. “I don’t want to play the Cabots and North Little Rocks every week, because they should win every time. It’s like putting up a 12-year-old to fight a 6-year-old, the odds are going to be in his favor.”
Don’t count on the current alignment and points system to last, however. School populations will change, balances of power will shift, and the high school football landscape will likely change again by 2012.
“Maybe they’ll have it figured out by the next two-year cycle,” Malham said.
Leader sports editor
It remains to be seen which area football teams are still standing by the time the state playoffs roll around, but it’s clear those in the 7A/6A classifications are going to have to brush up on their math to find out where they rank.
In a wrinkle designed to improve the geography of the large-school conferences while maintaining competitive balance, the Arkansas Activities Association implemented a playoff points system to go with its latest round of realignment.
The 32 largest teams in the state have been grouped geographically with an end-of-season ranking system to determine playoff seeding.
That means 6A and 7A schools like Cabot, Jacksonville and Searcy have been thrown together under the same conference banners for the regular season but will split up for separate playoffs at the season’s end.
Jacksonville and Searcy, of the 6A, will have to play a 7A power like West Memphis in the 7A/6A-East regular season, while 6A schools Russellville and Van Buren must play 7A Cabot in the 7A/6A-Central. The West will include only 7A teams and the South will be all 6A.
“We’re playing the same conference, the playoffs is where it’s affected,” Cabot coach Mike Malham said.
The playoff points system for 7A teams in the Central and East awards 10 points for a conference victory and one additional point for each opponent’s conference victory. The total points are divided by the number of conference games (7) to determine a team’s power ranking.
The 7A teams from the Central and East will be grouped together with the top six, based on their power rating, making the playoffs, and the top two earning first-round byes.
“Until they get all that squared away, I don’t know how else to do it; it’s not really fair,” Malham said.
Malham’s beef is that a team like West Memphis, which has moved up to 7A and mercy-ruled most of its 6A-East opponents on the way to last year’s playoffs, will play primarily 6A opponents during the regular season and cruise to a No. 1 seed.
“With West Memphis, a 7A school playing in a 6A conference and the points system, probably, we’re fighting each other in this conference week after week battling it out for a second seed,” Malham said.
Cabot, Malham pointed out, will be playing mostly 7A schools returning from what was a highly competitive 7A-Central Conference last year. The Panthers went 9-1 to win the 7A-Central in 2009.
“West Memphis doesn’t have anybody to challenge them over there,” Malham said. “In fact, if they’d put that points system in last year, we wouldn’t have been a No. 1 seed, we would have been a two seed and West Memphis would have had the one seed.”
The 7A-West will simply rank teams based on their conference play and send the top six to the postseason, as will the 6A-South.
The points system for the 6A teams playing in the hybrid conferences differs from those used by the 7A teams.
Points will be awarded for all games and not just conference matchups. A 6A team earns 10 points for a victory and five for a tie, regardless of an opponent’s classification, and a one-point bonus is awarded for each 7A team played, conference or non-conference, as well as for an out-of-state opponent that plays in that state’s largest classification.
“To be honest with you, you kind of like to know where you stand and what to expect,” Searcy coach Tim Harper said. “But we have a situation with these power ratings that even your non-conference games figures into it. So basically there are no off weeks.”
Some 6A schools are jumping at the chance to collect points by tougher scheduling. Jonesboro, Jacksonville’s and Searcy’s opponent in the 7A/6A-East, played five 5A schools last year but picked up non-conference games this year against 7A Conway and Fayetteville.
While the current 7A/6A system is based on geography, Harper said it hasn’t really solved all travel issues and it’s a system that can still be manipulated.
“I’d like to see it based more on enrollment like it’s supposed to be and not travel,” Harper said. “I think that is being used as an excuse; you still have teams pretty much traveling the length of the state to play ball games. I think it’s another way to get what you want.”
The realignment and points system, though designed to maintain balance, have also fueled the argument the state simply has too many football classifications (six) for one of its size. Arkansas only has 16 teams in 7A for example, and that’s the smallest classification group of any state in the union.
Comparably sized states like Mississippi and Kansas have 32 in their large-school classes.
“I’d like to see some things fixed. But at the same time, I don’t necessarily want to go back to a 32-team class 5A either,” Harper said. “I don’t want to play the Cabots and North Little Rocks every week, because they should win every time. It’s like putting up a 12-year-old to fight a 6-year-old, the odds are going to be in his favor.”
Don’t count on the current alignment and points system to last, however. School populations will change, balances of power will shift, and the high school football landscape will likely change again by 2012.
“Maybe they’ll have it figured out by the next two-year cycle,” Malham said.
SPORTS>>Raiders add some fun to daily routine
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
Riverview coach Stuart Hill is not too concerned about his players falling into a routine, as long as improvement is part of that routine.
The Raiders coaching staff has done its part in breaking up the monotony of August practices with a free “fun day” on Friday, but Hill believes his players understand the importance of the daily grind.
“The kids know there’s still a lot of hard work ahead of us,” Hill said. “We have to keep that sense of urgency to get better.
That’s our plan right now.”
Week 2 started a little shaky for the Raiders with a lackluster session Monday. But business picked up enough beginning Tuesday that Hill felt comfortable deeming the week an overall success.
“Monday, we struggled with the heat,” Hill said. “But we’re starting toput it all together. The running game has not come along as fast as I wanted it to, but we’re also starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel there.”
The running game is only part of the rebuilding process for the offense. Replacing five empty slots on the line has also been a priority for Hill and the staff.
“There’s not much experience there, but they’re picking up on things,” Hill said. “Their biggest problem is that they’re trying to think too much. When you can’t rely on instinct, you lose some of your aggressiveness.”
With question marks surrounding the running game, Riverview’s receiving corps may play more of a role than it has the first two seasons since the Raiders started the varsity program.
Hill said Jordan Daniels has showed potential, and McKenzie Jones is a running back that will also be used at receiver. Clay
Decker has also shown improvement at receiver.
“We’re still young out there,” Hill said. “There’s not a lot of speed there, but 7-on-7 helped us out.”
As for junior quarterback Josh Roach, who beat out sophomore candidate Cole Butler for the starting job, Hill is looking for him to improve in some of his fundamentals, but said a good arm is already in place.
“Josh is doing good,” Hill said. “He’s coming along well. He needs to improve some on his footwork, but he’s an extremely accurate passer.”
Injuries have not been a problem for Riverview. With the exception of the typical bumps and bruises that any coach can expect this time of year, Hill said the squad was okay.
The new has begun to wear off now that the Raiders are preparing for their third season of varsity football. And with all of the worries of having a start-up program out of the way, Hill and his staff can focus more on those day-to-day worries, namely finding the remaining pieces of the starting-lineup puzzle.
“Like I said, Monday was kind of a down day, but aside from that, things have been going well,” Hill said. “We’re improving every day. There are still question marks out there — we know who’s going to be where for the most part, and we’re learning new things every session.”
Leader sportswriter
Riverview coach Stuart Hill is not too concerned about his players falling into a routine, as long as improvement is part of that routine.
The Raiders coaching staff has done its part in breaking up the monotony of August practices with a free “fun day” on Friday, but Hill believes his players understand the importance of the daily grind.
“The kids know there’s still a lot of hard work ahead of us,” Hill said. “We have to keep that sense of urgency to get better.
That’s our plan right now.”
Week 2 started a little shaky for the Raiders with a lackluster session Monday. But business picked up enough beginning Tuesday that Hill felt comfortable deeming the week an overall success.
“Monday, we struggled with the heat,” Hill said. “But we’re starting toput it all together. The running game has not come along as fast as I wanted it to, but we’re also starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel there.”
The running game is only part of the rebuilding process for the offense. Replacing five empty slots on the line has also been a priority for Hill and the staff.
“There’s not much experience there, but they’re picking up on things,” Hill said. “Their biggest problem is that they’re trying to think too much. When you can’t rely on instinct, you lose some of your aggressiveness.”
With question marks surrounding the running game, Riverview’s receiving corps may play more of a role than it has the first two seasons since the Raiders started the varsity program.
Hill said Jordan Daniels has showed potential, and McKenzie Jones is a running back that will also be used at receiver. Clay
Decker has also shown improvement at receiver.
“We’re still young out there,” Hill said. “There’s not a lot of speed there, but 7-on-7 helped us out.”
As for junior quarterback Josh Roach, who beat out sophomore candidate Cole Butler for the starting job, Hill is looking for him to improve in some of his fundamentals, but said a good arm is already in place.
“Josh is doing good,” Hill said. “He’s coming along well. He needs to improve some on his footwork, but he’s an extremely accurate passer.”
Injuries have not been a problem for Riverview. With the exception of the typical bumps and bruises that any coach can expect this time of year, Hill said the squad was okay.
The new has begun to wear off now that the Raiders are preparing for their third season of varsity football. And with all of the worries of having a start-up program out of the way, Hill and his staff can focus more on those day-to-day worries, namely finding the remaining pieces of the starting-lineup puzzle.
“Like I said, Monday was kind of a down day, but aside from that, things have been going well,” Hill said. “We’re improving every day. There are still question marks out there — we know who’s going to be where for the most part, and we’re learning new things every session.”
SPORTS>>Raiders add some fun to daily routine
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
Riverview coach Stuart Hill is not too concerned about his players falling into a routine, as long as improvement is part of that routine.
The Raiders coaching staff has done its part in breaking up the monotony of August practices with a free “fun day” on Friday, but Hill believes his players understand the importance of the daily grind.
“The kids know there’s still a lot of hard work ahead of us,” Hill said. “We have to keep that sense of urgency to get better.
That’s our plan right now.”
Week 2 started a little shaky for the Raiders with a lackluster session Monday. But business picked up enough beginning Tuesday that Hill felt comfortable deeming the week an overall success.
“Monday, we struggled with the heat,” Hill said. “But we’re starting toput it all together. The running game has not come along as fast as I wanted it to, but we’re also starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel there.”
The running game is only part of the rebuilding process for the offense. Replacing five empty slots on the line has also been a priority for Hill and the staff.
“There’s not much experience there, but they’re picking up on things,” Hill said. “Their biggest problem is that they’re trying to think too much. When you can’t rely on instinct, you lose some of your aggressiveness.”
With question marks surrounding the running game, Riverview’s receiving corps may play more of a role than it has the first two seasons since the Raiders started the varsity program.
Hill said Jordan Daniels has showed potential, and McKenzie Jones is a running back that will also be used at receiver. Clay
Decker has also shown improvement at receiver.
“We’re still young out there,” Hill said. “There’s not a lot of speed there, but 7-on-7 helped us out.”
As for junior quarterback Josh Roach, who beat out sophomore candidate Cole Butler for the starting job, Hill is looking for him to improve in some of his fundamentals, but said a good arm is already in place.
“Josh is doing good,” Hill said. “He’s coming along well. He needs to improve some on his footwork, but he’s an extremely accurate passer.”
Injuries have not been a problem for Riverview. With the exception of the typical bumps and bruises that any coach can expect this time of year, Hill said the squad was okay.
The new has begun to wear off now that the Raiders are preparing for their third season of varsity football. And with all of the worries of having a start-up program out of the way, Hill and his staff can focus more on those day-to-day worries, namely finding the remaining pieces of the starting-lineup puzzle.
“Like I said, Monday was kind of a down day, but aside from that, things have been going well,” Hill said. “We’re improving every day. There are still question marks out there — we know who’s going to be where for the most part, and we’re learning new things every session.”
Leader sportswriter
Riverview coach Stuart Hill is not too concerned about his players falling into a routine, as long as improvement is part of that routine.
The Raiders coaching staff has done its part in breaking up the monotony of August practices with a free “fun day” on Friday, but Hill believes his players understand the importance of the daily grind.
“The kids know there’s still a lot of hard work ahead of us,” Hill said. “We have to keep that sense of urgency to get better.
That’s our plan right now.”
Week 2 started a little shaky for the Raiders with a lackluster session Monday. But business picked up enough beginning Tuesday that Hill felt comfortable deeming the week an overall success.
“Monday, we struggled with the heat,” Hill said. “But we’re starting toput it all together. The running game has not come along as fast as I wanted it to, but we’re also starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel there.”
The running game is only part of the rebuilding process for the offense. Replacing five empty slots on the line has also been a priority for Hill and the staff.
“There’s not much experience there, but they’re picking up on things,” Hill said. “Their biggest problem is that they’re trying to think too much. When you can’t rely on instinct, you lose some of your aggressiveness.”
With question marks surrounding the running game, Riverview’s receiving corps may play more of a role than it has the first two seasons since the Raiders started the varsity program.
Hill said Jordan Daniels has showed potential, and McKenzie Jones is a running back that will also be used at receiver. Clay
Decker has also shown improvement at receiver.
“We’re still young out there,” Hill said. “There’s not a lot of speed there, but 7-on-7 helped us out.”
As for junior quarterback Josh Roach, who beat out sophomore candidate Cole Butler for the starting job, Hill is looking for him to improve in some of his fundamentals, but said a good arm is already in place.
“Josh is doing good,” Hill said. “He’s coming along well. He needs to improve some on his footwork, but he’s an extremely accurate passer.”
Injuries have not been a problem for Riverview. With the exception of the typical bumps and bruises that any coach can expect this time of year, Hill said the squad was okay.
The new has begun to wear off now that the Raiders are preparing for their third season of varsity football. And with all of the worries of having a start-up program out of the way, Hill and his staff can focus more on those day-to-day worries, namely finding the remaining pieces of the starting-lineup puzzle.
“Like I said, Monday was kind of a down day, but aside from that, things have been going well,” Hill said. “We’re improving every day. There are still question marks out there — we know who’s going to be where for the most part, and we’re learning new things every session.”
SPORTS>>Lions take their time to prepare for season
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
Searcy coach Tim Harper is anxious for the season to start, but by no means in a hurry.
The Lions have taken slow but steady strides in the first two weeks of August football practice. Most of the offensive and defensive schemes have been installed, and the methodical approach has the Lions game ready with plenty of time for fine-tuning.
“We probably have about 90 percent installed on both sides,” Harper said. “We’re working on a few stunt packages for our defense, but we’re pretty much ready to go. We have all of our special teams in. We feel like we could play today if we needed to, so we’re feeling good where that’s concerned.”
Harper was pleased with the improvements made by his offensive skill players, and said the defensive line was the only trouble spot during the week. The second-year coach would like to see more effort made towards conditioning by the defensive interior.
Otherwise, things are on schedule.
“Our practices have been going great,” Harper said. “There hasn’t been any problems, just what I feel like have been good August practices. To be honest with you, we’re about to the point where we’re going to get tired of hitting on each other soon.”
The Lions are hoping to make their second straight trip to the Class 6A playoffs after ending a five-year postseason drought in 2009. Searcy, 4-7, won more games last season than the previous four combined.
Harper credited much of last year’s improvement to his players’ work ethic during spring practice, summer 7-on-7 games and weightlifting, as well as the two-a-days practices.
He said the effort this August has been just as good, even with the much hotter temperatures compared to a year ago.
Heat precautions have been a major focus, although the Lions experienced their second heat-related illness when sophomore linebacker Bradley Root became sick following a practice early in the week.
It was not serious and Root recovered, but was held out for the rest of the week as a precaution. Senior linebacker Charlie Birmingham passed out from heat exhaustion during the first week of practice and was taken to a local hospital for intravenous fluids, but he returned to practice Monday and has had no further complications.
“The kids have been super,” Harper said. “They’ve been hydrating themselves better. I think after the one scare, everyone started taking it a little more serious. We did have one more heat illness, but practicing more in the evenings this week has helped us.”
With one more full week of practice remaining before intramural and scrimmage games, Harper wants to take the time to further critique his team.
“We’re trying to get things to the point of perfection rather than just installing things.” Harper said. “And we try to manage in a way to where no one gets injured.”
Leader sportswriter
Searcy coach Tim Harper is anxious for the season to start, but by no means in a hurry.
The Lions have taken slow but steady strides in the first two weeks of August football practice. Most of the offensive and defensive schemes have been installed, and the methodical approach has the Lions game ready with plenty of time for fine-tuning.
“We probably have about 90 percent installed on both sides,” Harper said. “We’re working on a few stunt packages for our defense, but we’re pretty much ready to go. We have all of our special teams in. We feel like we could play today if we needed to, so we’re feeling good where that’s concerned.”
Harper was pleased with the improvements made by his offensive skill players, and said the defensive line was the only trouble spot during the week. The second-year coach would like to see more effort made towards conditioning by the defensive interior.
Otherwise, things are on schedule.
“Our practices have been going great,” Harper said. “There hasn’t been any problems, just what I feel like have been good August practices. To be honest with you, we’re about to the point where we’re going to get tired of hitting on each other soon.”
The Lions are hoping to make their second straight trip to the Class 6A playoffs after ending a five-year postseason drought in 2009. Searcy, 4-7, won more games last season than the previous four combined.
Harper credited much of last year’s improvement to his players’ work ethic during spring practice, summer 7-on-7 games and weightlifting, as well as the two-a-days practices.
He said the effort this August has been just as good, even with the much hotter temperatures compared to a year ago.
Heat precautions have been a major focus, although the Lions experienced their second heat-related illness when sophomore linebacker Bradley Root became sick following a practice early in the week.
It was not serious and Root recovered, but was held out for the rest of the week as a precaution. Senior linebacker Charlie Birmingham passed out from heat exhaustion during the first week of practice and was taken to a local hospital for intravenous fluids, but he returned to practice Monday and has had no further complications.
“The kids have been super,” Harper said. “They’ve been hydrating themselves better. I think after the one scare, everyone started taking it a little more serious. We did have one more heat illness, but practicing more in the evenings this week has helped us.”
With one more full week of practice remaining before intramural and scrimmage games, Harper wants to take the time to further critique his team.
“We’re trying to get things to the point of perfection rather than just installing things.” Harper said. “And we try to manage in a way to where no one gets injured.”
SPORTS>>Lions take their time to prepare for season
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
Searcy coach Tim Harper is anxious for the season to start, but by no means in a hurry.
The Lions have taken slow but steady strides in the first two weeks of August football practice. Most of the offensive and defensive schemes have been installed, and the methodical approach has the Lions game ready with plenty of time for fine-tuning.
“We probably have about 90 percent installed on both sides,” Harper said. “We’re working on a few stunt packages for our defense, but we’re pretty much ready to go. We have all of our special teams in. We feel like we could play today if we needed to, so we’re feeling good where that’s concerned.”
Harper was pleased with the improvements made by his offensive skill players, and said the defensive line was the only trouble spot during the week. The second-year coach would like to see more effort made towards conditioning by the defensive interior.
Otherwise, things are on schedule.
“Our practices have been going great,” Harper said. “There hasn’t been any problems, just what I feel like have been good August practices. To be honest with you, we’re about to the point where we’re going to get tired of hitting on each other soon.”
The Lions are hoping to make their second straight trip to the Class 6A playoffs after ending a five-year postseason drought in 2009. Searcy, 4-7, won more games last season than the previous four combined.
Harper credited much of last year’s improvement to his players’ work ethic during spring practice, summer 7-on-7 games and weightlifting, as well as the two-a-days practices.
He said the effort this August has been just as good, even with the much hotter temperatures compared to a year ago.
Heat precautions have been a major focus, although the Lions experienced their second heat-related illness when sophomore linebacker Bradley Root became sick following a practice early in the week.
It was not serious and Root recovered, but was held out for the rest of the week as a precaution. Senior linebacker Charlie Birmingham passed out from heat exhaustion during the first week of practice and was taken to a local hospital for intravenous fluids, but he returned to practice Monday and has had no further complications.
“The kids have been super,” Harper said. “They’ve been hydrating themselves better. I think after the one scare, everyone started taking it a little more serious. We did have one more heat illness, but practicing more in the evenings this week has helped us.”
With one more full week of practice remaining before intramural and scrimmage games, Harper wants to take the time to further critique his team.
“We’re trying to get things to the point of perfection rather than just installing things.” Harper said. “And we try to manage in a way to where no one gets injured.”
Leader sportswriter
Searcy coach Tim Harper is anxious for the season to start, but by no means in a hurry.
The Lions have taken slow but steady strides in the first two weeks of August football practice. Most of the offensive and defensive schemes have been installed, and the methodical approach has the Lions game ready with plenty of time for fine-tuning.
“We probably have about 90 percent installed on both sides,” Harper said. “We’re working on a few stunt packages for our defense, but we’re pretty much ready to go. We have all of our special teams in. We feel like we could play today if we needed to, so we’re feeling good where that’s concerned.”
Harper was pleased with the improvements made by his offensive skill players, and said the defensive line was the only trouble spot during the week. The second-year coach would like to see more effort made towards conditioning by the defensive interior.
Otherwise, things are on schedule.
“Our practices have been going great,” Harper said. “There hasn’t been any problems, just what I feel like have been good August practices. To be honest with you, we’re about to the point where we’re going to get tired of hitting on each other soon.”
The Lions are hoping to make their second straight trip to the Class 6A playoffs after ending a five-year postseason drought in 2009. Searcy, 4-7, won more games last season than the previous four combined.
Harper credited much of last year’s improvement to his players’ work ethic during spring practice, summer 7-on-7 games and weightlifting, as well as the two-a-days practices.
He said the effort this August has been just as good, even with the much hotter temperatures compared to a year ago.
Heat precautions have been a major focus, although the Lions experienced their second heat-related illness when sophomore linebacker Bradley Root became sick following a practice early in the week.
It was not serious and Root recovered, but was held out for the rest of the week as a precaution. Senior linebacker Charlie Birmingham passed out from heat exhaustion during the first week of practice and was taken to a local hospital for intravenous fluids, but he returned to practice Monday and has had no further complications.
“The kids have been super,” Harper said. “They’ve been hydrating themselves better. I think after the one scare, everyone started taking it a little more serious. We did have one more heat illness, but practicing more in the evenings this week has helped us.”
With one more full week of practice remaining before intramural and scrimmage games, Harper wants to take the time to further critique his team.
“We’re trying to get things to the point of perfection rather than just installing things.” Harper said. “And we try to manage in a way to where no one gets injured.”
SPORTS>>Wildcats looking for more success
By TODD TRAUB
Leader sports editor
There isn’t much reason to change things at Harding Academy.
The only thing the Wildcats would like to do differently this year is play one more game — and finish with a healthy Seth Keese at quarterback.
Keese was injured on the third play of Harding Academy’s state semifinal loss to eventual 3A champion Fountain Lake last year.
He is fully rehabilitated and the Wildcats are favored to repeat as the 2-3A Conference champions this season.
“We’re pretty much sticking with what we did last year,” coach Roddy Mote said. “We always have a little wrinkle here or there but as far as offense and defense and a broad scheme, it’s all the same. Get in the Spread and run the ball and get in the Spread and throw it and hopefully play fast defense and tackle well and create turnovers.”
Mote said 33 players reported for the start of practice, a group that includes Keese, the all-state selection who passed for 2,480 yards and 22 touchdowns and rushed for 909 yards and 14 scores.
Keese was injured on a late hit out of bounds during last year’s playoff against Fountain Lake, Harding Academy’s season-opening opponent this year.
“He’s done a good jobrehabilitating that,” Mote said. “You don’t even know that he’s missed a step and he’s a lot more seasoned than he was a year ago.”
In the playoffs, Fountain Lake handed Harding Academy its worst and only loss of the season, 42-10. Subtract that game and the offensively prolific Wildcats outscored their opponents 455-180 in 2009.
Those numbers, a winning tradition and the return of Keese go a long way toward explaining Harding’s status as the 2-3A favorite. Harding Academy has won seven conference and four state championships, the last in 2002.
The team lost 12 seniors, including all-state receiver Tyler Gentry, who had 47 receptions for 935 yards and 11 touchdowns.
The Wildcats lost an additional 762 receiving yards when James Dillard, Jon Ford and Will Hardin also graduated, but there are still plenty of targets for Keese.
Tyler Curtis is the leading returning receiver after catching 20 passed for 325 yards and three touchdowns. Running back Ben Lecrone caught 17 passes for 195 yards and rushed 119 times for 784 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Harding Academy also returns eight defensive starters from a unit that allowed 17 points a game to lead the conference last year.
At safety, Keese led the team with 96 tackles and had two interceptions and three forced fumbles last year. Inside linebacker Jace Davis was second with 73 tackles and nose guard Jake Wells had 30 tackles, six for losses.
“Every senior class that comes through, they have high expectations,” Mote said. “It’s not any different this year. I don’t know about any unfinished business but they’re excited.”
With that kind of talent on the roster, Mote understands why certain publications would pick the Wildcats first. If they were voting, the Wildcats would probably choose themselves, he said.
“Those are our expectations,” Mote said. “That’s why you play. I don’t think it’s going to happen if you don’t expect it to happen. I know our kids will play hard and we’ll compete and obviously as a coach you hope it works out and you hope you can meet those expectations.
“But it’s not any pressure or anything like that.”
Leader sports editor
There isn’t much reason to change things at Harding Academy.
The only thing the Wildcats would like to do differently this year is play one more game — and finish with a healthy Seth Keese at quarterback.
Keese was injured on the third play of Harding Academy’s state semifinal loss to eventual 3A champion Fountain Lake last year.
He is fully rehabilitated and the Wildcats are favored to repeat as the 2-3A Conference champions this season.
“We’re pretty much sticking with what we did last year,” coach Roddy Mote said. “We always have a little wrinkle here or there but as far as offense and defense and a broad scheme, it’s all the same. Get in the Spread and run the ball and get in the Spread and throw it and hopefully play fast defense and tackle well and create turnovers.”
Mote said 33 players reported for the start of practice, a group that includes Keese, the all-state selection who passed for 2,480 yards and 22 touchdowns and rushed for 909 yards and 14 scores.
Keese was injured on a late hit out of bounds during last year’s playoff against Fountain Lake, Harding Academy’s season-opening opponent this year.
“He’s done a good jobrehabilitating that,” Mote said. “You don’t even know that he’s missed a step and he’s a lot more seasoned than he was a year ago.”
In the playoffs, Fountain Lake handed Harding Academy its worst and only loss of the season, 42-10. Subtract that game and the offensively prolific Wildcats outscored their opponents 455-180 in 2009.
Those numbers, a winning tradition and the return of Keese go a long way toward explaining Harding’s status as the 2-3A favorite. Harding Academy has won seven conference and four state championships, the last in 2002.
The team lost 12 seniors, including all-state receiver Tyler Gentry, who had 47 receptions for 935 yards and 11 touchdowns.
The Wildcats lost an additional 762 receiving yards when James Dillard, Jon Ford and Will Hardin also graduated, but there are still plenty of targets for Keese.
Tyler Curtis is the leading returning receiver after catching 20 passed for 325 yards and three touchdowns. Running back Ben Lecrone caught 17 passes for 195 yards and rushed 119 times for 784 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Harding Academy also returns eight defensive starters from a unit that allowed 17 points a game to lead the conference last year.
At safety, Keese led the team with 96 tackles and had two interceptions and three forced fumbles last year. Inside linebacker Jace Davis was second with 73 tackles and nose guard Jake Wells had 30 tackles, six for losses.
“Every senior class that comes through, they have high expectations,” Mote said. “It’s not any different this year. I don’t know about any unfinished business but they’re excited.”
With that kind of talent on the roster, Mote understands why certain publications would pick the Wildcats first. If they were voting, the Wildcats would probably choose themselves, he said.
“Those are our expectations,” Mote said. “That’s why you play. I don’t think it’s going to happen if you don’t expect it to happen. I know our kids will play hard and we’ll compete and obviously as a coach you hope it works out and you hope you can meet those expectations.
“But it’s not any pressure or anything like that.”
SPORTS>>Beebe off to strong start for most part
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
The good news for Beebe players heading into the second week of August football camp was the Badgers’ daily schedule being cut from two sessions a day to one.
The bad news was the one daily session fell in the sweltering afternoon heat.
“The kids are working real hard, and we know it’s hot, but for the most part, we’ve handled the heat real well,” coach John Shannon said. “We’ve had to move all of our practices back to 3:30 because of all the teacher’s meetings, and that’s made it a little tough on us, because that’s the hottest part of the day.”
To compensate, Shannon shifted practice time to 7-11 a.m. Friday, and he deemed the second week a success despite Monday’s sluggish start and an irksome performance that led a disgusted Shannon to send the whole team home early Thursday.
The afternoon storm that rolled through southern White County on Tuesday provided some relief from the heat, and Shannon said the team didn’t have a fall-off when the sun returned Wednesday afternoon.
The Badgers ended the first week with a morning special-teams practice today before dismissing until Monday.
“Giving them that much time off and then coming back, they’re a little sluggish, and they were on Monday for sure,” Shannon said. “The rest of the week has been good. The kids are working hard, and we feel like we’re on pace if not a little ahead of schedule from where we want to be this year.”
One advantage Shannon has found in dealing with the triple-digit temperatures has been the chance to see which players tend to fight through adversity. With much of the groundwork for this season done in spring practice and early summer, improving on the small things is top chore for the Badgers.
“We’re just looking for consistency, especially on the offensive side of the ball,” Shannon said. “The offensive linemen getting off at the same time, ourhandoffs are smooth, our throwing and catching are smooth, just consistency. On defense, we’re working on things like hitting the right gap, being in the right place at the right time and making sure we have our reads down.”
Beebe also started working on special teams during the second week and will use today’s practice to make sure everyone understands the assignments.
Last year’s 3-7 season was the worst of Shannon’s three, and it was the first time the Badgers did not reach the postseason under his leadership. But a larger pool of experienced upperclassmen provides the numbers and knowledge Shannon is hoping to see.
“This time last year, we were so young with not a whole lot of seniors,” Shannon said.
“It was hard to get kids to a point where it was reaction and not having to stop and think about it. One thing we really stressed starting in the offseason was our work ethic — not dreading it but coming prepared, and the kids have bought into it.”
The only significant injury in the first two weeks was a separated shoulder for junior cornerback Brandon Fuller. But Fuller should be able to return before the start of the season and could potentially be back in time for the scrimmage game jamboree at Harding Academy Aug. 24 against Harding Academy and Trumann.
Leader sportswriter
The good news for Beebe players heading into the second week of August football camp was the Badgers’ daily schedule being cut from two sessions a day to one.
The bad news was the one daily session fell in the sweltering afternoon heat.
“The kids are working real hard, and we know it’s hot, but for the most part, we’ve handled the heat real well,” coach John Shannon said. “We’ve had to move all of our practices back to 3:30 because of all the teacher’s meetings, and that’s made it a little tough on us, because that’s the hottest part of the day.”
To compensate, Shannon shifted practice time to 7-11 a.m. Friday, and he deemed the second week a success despite Monday’s sluggish start and an irksome performance that led a disgusted Shannon to send the whole team home early Thursday.
The afternoon storm that rolled through southern White County on Tuesday provided some relief from the heat, and Shannon said the team didn’t have a fall-off when the sun returned Wednesday afternoon.
The Badgers ended the first week with a morning special-teams practice today before dismissing until Monday.
“Giving them that much time off and then coming back, they’re a little sluggish, and they were on Monday for sure,” Shannon said. “The rest of the week has been good. The kids are working hard, and we feel like we’re on pace if not a little ahead of schedule from where we want to be this year.”
One advantage Shannon has found in dealing with the triple-digit temperatures has been the chance to see which players tend to fight through adversity. With much of the groundwork for this season done in spring practice and early summer, improving on the small things is top chore for the Badgers.
“We’re just looking for consistency, especially on the offensive side of the ball,” Shannon said. “The offensive linemen getting off at the same time, ourhandoffs are smooth, our throwing and catching are smooth, just consistency. On defense, we’re working on things like hitting the right gap, being in the right place at the right time and making sure we have our reads down.”
Beebe also started working on special teams during the second week and will use today’s practice to make sure everyone understands the assignments.
Last year’s 3-7 season was the worst of Shannon’s three, and it was the first time the Badgers did not reach the postseason under his leadership. But a larger pool of experienced upperclassmen provides the numbers and knowledge Shannon is hoping to see.
“This time last year, we were so young with not a whole lot of seniors,” Shannon said.
“It was hard to get kids to a point where it was reaction and not having to stop and think about it. One thing we really stressed starting in the offseason was our work ethic — not dreading it but coming prepared, and the kids have bought into it.”
The only significant injury in the first two weeks was a separated shoulder for junior cornerback Brandon Fuller. But Fuller should be able to return before the start of the season and could potentially be back in time for the scrimmage game jamboree at Harding Academy Aug. 24 against Harding Academy and Trumann.
EDITORIAL >>Candidates against pork
Utter the words “earmarks,” “federal spending” or “pork barrel” and everyone’s blood pressure rises, which accounts for some irrational political behavior in 2010. Sensing the great public concern about the mushrooming national debt and the anger over absurd earmarks like the Alaskan “Bridge to Nowhere,” the Republican leadership in Congress recommends that the party’s candidates this year vow not to do earmarks for their districts or states. Polls show that it is a big winner.
All the Arkansas candidates have obliged. Rep. John Boozman of Rogers, the party’s nominee for the U. S. Senate, promises to forego any earmarks for Arkansas, although he is vague about whether that is forever or only until the public mood changes.
Tim Griffin, the GOP candidate for Congress from the Second District, says he won’t ask for federal dollars for any project in his district.
There is nothing irrational about the public alarm over budget deficits that are running at $1.3 trillion a year and will stay in that territory until the economy strengthens and Congress faces up to the need for more revenues and restraint. It will take both. But that is different from declaring unilateral disarmament for your district or state, which is what Boozman and Griffin are doing. Earmarks are not going to end, and shouldn’t, and any congressman who says he won’t seek help for his district is doing his people a great disservice. Or lying.
Until this year, Boozman was the busiest earmark champion in the Arkansas delegation. For nearly 10 years he has flooded the media with news releases announcing federal dollars for projects in northwest Arkansas. His predecessor, John Paul Hammerschmidt, was one of Congress’ greediest members, bringing home tens of millions of dollars of assistance every year, for the construction of superhighways (Interstate 540 from Alma to Bella Vista, the John Paul Hammerschmidt Highway), bridges, parks, river and sanitation projects and medical facilities. Together, Hammerschmidt, Boozman and Arkansas’ senators, principally Dale Bumpers and Blanche Lincoln, turned northwest Arkansas into one of the most economically vibrant regions in the country.
Rep. Vic Snyder has not done badly in the Second District. In 13 years, he has earmarked $120 million for projects at and around Little Rock Air Force Base and other military facilities in Pulaski County, which have had a huge economic impact on the community. Two years ago, he obtained $10.6 million to match Jacksonville city funds to build a college education facility outside the base to serve military personnel and civilians.
Owing partly to federal funds secured by Snyder and the state’s senators going back 20 years, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences has become a world-class hospital and research center.
Tim Griffin says there will be no more help for the air base or the Second District if he is elected. Let them spend that money in Iowa, Connecticut or California.
You would be hard pressed to find a single piece of “pork barrel” in Arkansas that would not stand strict scrutiny for its social and economic value.
If your party was responsible for the two most famous boondoggles of the era, the Alaskan Bridge to Nowhere and the domed tropical rainforest in Iowa, perhaps you would be distancing yourself from earmarks, too. Congress had earmarked $398 million for the bridge from little Ketchikan, Alaska, to Gravina Island, where 50 people lived and commuted by ferry. Public outrage over Sen. Ted Stevens’ and Rep. Don Young’s project caused Congress to halt funding in 2006, although Gov. Sarah Palin took the money already sent to the state for the bridge and built a superhighway to nowhere instead of returning it to the treasury.
The author of the giant domed tropical rainforest on the Iowa plains was Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, the top Republican on Senate Finance.
Those projects turned public opinion around on earmarks. Formerly, what you brought home from Washington was the biggest factor in re-election.
It should never have been so, and the back- scratching system made the federal capital-improvement system easy to abuse.
Congress last year swore off and under pressure from President Obama has introduced both restraint and logic. A senior congressman from Alaska does not automatically get federal dollars for anything he proposes. There is a standard of national scrutiny.
Sen. Lincoln says she will not stop seeking money for Arkansas projects because the state does not compete with states like California, Georgia and many others for defense contracts and other public works. Earmarks — a tiny part of the federal budget — are the only way for Arkansas to get a small share.
Rep. Boozman, we suspect, does not have his heart in it. His office tells local governments beseeching his help that he can’t do it this year because of his pledge to the Republican leadership to campaign on the no-earmarks pledge and that they should go to Sen. Lincoln to get it done.
All the Arkansas candidates have obliged. Rep. John Boozman of Rogers, the party’s nominee for the U. S. Senate, promises to forego any earmarks for Arkansas, although he is vague about whether that is forever or only until the public mood changes.
Tim Griffin, the GOP candidate for Congress from the Second District, says he won’t ask for federal dollars for any project in his district.
There is nothing irrational about the public alarm over budget deficits that are running at $1.3 trillion a year and will stay in that territory until the economy strengthens and Congress faces up to the need for more revenues and restraint. It will take both. But that is different from declaring unilateral disarmament for your district or state, which is what Boozman and Griffin are doing. Earmarks are not going to end, and shouldn’t, and any congressman who says he won’t seek help for his district is doing his people a great disservice. Or lying.
Until this year, Boozman was the busiest earmark champion in the Arkansas delegation. For nearly 10 years he has flooded the media with news releases announcing federal dollars for projects in northwest Arkansas. His predecessor, John Paul Hammerschmidt, was one of Congress’ greediest members, bringing home tens of millions of dollars of assistance every year, for the construction of superhighways (Interstate 540 from Alma to Bella Vista, the John Paul Hammerschmidt Highway), bridges, parks, river and sanitation projects and medical facilities. Together, Hammerschmidt, Boozman and Arkansas’ senators, principally Dale Bumpers and Blanche Lincoln, turned northwest Arkansas into one of the most economically vibrant regions in the country.
Rep. Vic Snyder has not done badly in the Second District. In 13 years, he has earmarked $120 million for projects at and around Little Rock Air Force Base and other military facilities in Pulaski County, which have had a huge economic impact on the community. Two years ago, he obtained $10.6 million to match Jacksonville city funds to build a college education facility outside the base to serve military personnel and civilians.
Owing partly to federal funds secured by Snyder and the state’s senators going back 20 years, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences has become a world-class hospital and research center.
Tim Griffin says there will be no more help for the air base or the Second District if he is elected. Let them spend that money in Iowa, Connecticut or California.
You would be hard pressed to find a single piece of “pork barrel” in Arkansas that would not stand strict scrutiny for its social and economic value.
If your party was responsible for the two most famous boondoggles of the era, the Alaskan Bridge to Nowhere and the domed tropical rainforest in Iowa, perhaps you would be distancing yourself from earmarks, too. Congress had earmarked $398 million for the bridge from little Ketchikan, Alaska, to Gravina Island, where 50 people lived and commuted by ferry. Public outrage over Sen. Ted Stevens’ and Rep. Don Young’s project caused Congress to halt funding in 2006, although Gov. Sarah Palin took the money already sent to the state for the bridge and built a superhighway to nowhere instead of returning it to the treasury.
The author of the giant domed tropical rainforest on the Iowa plains was Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, the top Republican on Senate Finance.
Those projects turned public opinion around on earmarks. Formerly, what you brought home from Washington was the biggest factor in re-election.
It should never have been so, and the back- scratching system made the federal capital-improvement system easy to abuse.
Congress last year swore off and under pressure from President Obama has introduced both restraint and logic. A senior congressman from Alaska does not automatically get federal dollars for anything he proposes. There is a standard of national scrutiny.
Sen. Lincoln says she will not stop seeking money for Arkansas projects because the state does not compete with states like California, Georgia and many others for defense contracts and other public works. Earmarks — a tiny part of the federal budget — are the only way for Arkansas to get a small share.
Rep. Boozman, we suspect, does not have his heart in it. His office tells local governments beseeching his help that he can’t do it this year because of his pledge to the Republican leadership to campaign on the no-earmarks pledge and that they should go to Sen. Lincoln to get it done.
TOP STORY > >City officials visit Ft. Smith for ideas
By PEGGY KENYON
Special to The Leader
On a bus heading for Fort Smith on Thursday, Jacksonville leaders looked for ways to rebuild their city’s blighted areas from the ground up.
“The trip reaffirmed to me that what I wanted to do by replacing old homes with new ones is a doable project,” said Jacksonville Mayor Gary Fletcher.
At the same time, Fletcher’s trip made him thankful for being a mayor from a smaller city with smaller housing challenges. He said Fort Smith is three to four times bigger than Jacksonville.
The tour took Jacksonville officials to Fort Smith’s Ragon housing development, which included razing between 40 and 50 houses at a time.
Fletcher wants to raze three dilapidated houses in the Sunnyside Addition and construct two houses on the three lots.
The Jacksonville Housing Authority is also seeking federal grant money to build new houses in the Meadows Subdivision in the Cloverdale Road area off Hwy. 161 South.
Jim Durham, head of city administration, said about 55 brick houses could be built in the Meadows Subdivision for around $10 million.
Durham said $750,000 of a $1 million grant will be earmarked for the Sunnyside Addition’s revitalization project, and the remaining $250,000 is set aside for a sewer project to meet the needs of the JHA’s Meadows housing project.
“The Arkansas Finance Devel-opment Authority must approve our application,” said Phil Nix, Jacksonville Housing Authority executive director. “We’re still in the infant stages and this could be a stir that may not come to pass.”
Competition appears to be stiff for such grants. So far, 38 applications are seeking approval from that agency, according to Nix.
Nix said if the funding is approved, he plans to announce the project’s specifications and guidelines to qualify for those new homes.
While in Fort Smith, Fletcher saw a new home with all appliances listed for $98,000, which an individual making $28,000 a year could purchase. One detail could deter such a purchase.
“You’d have to have an almost perfect credit rating,” Fletcher said.
Despite that hurdle, Fletcher mused about the differences between renting and home ownership.
He believes an individual who is purchasing a home develops more “self-pride” in maintaining the house as well as its property.
Ideas will be definitely flowing from this Fort Smith bus trip, he said.
Another type of neighborhood, which is not a usual sight for Jacksonville residents, caught Fletcher’s eye during the tour. It was a mixture of two-story duplexes and single-family houses in the same area. He thought it could work well in Jacksonville.
Durham found new ways to apply for grants, including joining with Cabot and Sherwood when applying for a grant. Fort Smith’s Vice Mayor Gary Campbell told the visitors, “Rising tides raise all ships.”
Special to The Leader
On a bus heading for Fort Smith on Thursday, Jacksonville leaders looked for ways to rebuild their city’s blighted areas from the ground up.
“The trip reaffirmed to me that what I wanted to do by replacing old homes with new ones is a doable project,” said Jacksonville Mayor Gary Fletcher.
At the same time, Fletcher’s trip made him thankful for being a mayor from a smaller city with smaller housing challenges. He said Fort Smith is three to four times bigger than Jacksonville.
The tour took Jacksonville officials to Fort Smith’s Ragon housing development, which included razing between 40 and 50 houses at a time.
Fletcher wants to raze three dilapidated houses in the Sunnyside Addition and construct two houses on the three lots.
The Jacksonville Housing Authority is also seeking federal grant money to build new houses in the Meadows Subdivision in the Cloverdale Road area off Hwy. 161 South.
Jim Durham, head of city administration, said about 55 brick houses could be built in the Meadows Subdivision for around $10 million.
Durham said $750,000 of a $1 million grant will be earmarked for the Sunnyside Addition’s revitalization project, and the remaining $250,000 is set aside for a sewer project to meet the needs of the JHA’s Meadows housing project.
“The Arkansas Finance Devel-opment Authority must approve our application,” said Phil Nix, Jacksonville Housing Authority executive director. “We’re still in the infant stages and this could be a stir that may not come to pass.”
Competition appears to be stiff for such grants. So far, 38 applications are seeking approval from that agency, according to Nix.
Nix said if the funding is approved, he plans to announce the project’s specifications and guidelines to qualify for those new homes.
While in Fort Smith, Fletcher saw a new home with all appliances listed for $98,000, which an individual making $28,000 a year could purchase. One detail could deter such a purchase.
“You’d have to have an almost perfect credit rating,” Fletcher said.
Despite that hurdle, Fletcher mused about the differences between renting and home ownership.
He believes an individual who is purchasing a home develops more “self-pride” in maintaining the house as well as its property.
Ideas will be definitely flowing from this Fort Smith bus trip, he said.
Another type of neighborhood, which is not a usual sight for Jacksonville residents, caught Fletcher’s eye during the tour. It was a mixture of two-story duplexes and single-family houses in the same area. He thought it could work well in Jacksonville.
Durham found new ways to apply for grants, including joining with Cabot and Sherwood when applying for a grant. Fort Smith’s Vice Mayor Gary Campbell told the visitors, “Rising tides raise all ships.”
TOP STORY > >School bell rings earlier and later
By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
Pulaski County Special School Dis-trict elementary students will now start their school day later than they did last year, while middle school and high school students will start earlier.
According to Tim Clark, president of the PCSSD Board of Education, elementary students will now have a later start time, while middle- and high-school students’ start times will be earlier.
The new schedule will lengthen the school day by 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the afternoon.
Some students will be getting on a bus as early as 6 a.m. with the new schedule.
When schools open for students on Thursday, classes will start at 8:30 a.m. for elementary students and end around 4 p.m. — making their school day 30 minutes longer.
Older students will start 7:30 a.m. and get out an hour earlier, around 3 p.m. — provided an injunction filed by the teachers union isn’t acted on before school starts.
This is opposite from what the board decided at its meeting last week.
Deb Roush, spokeswoman for the district, said parents were upset with the idea of an early start time for elementary students, and the district listened and reversed the times.
“We have been reviewing our options related to our bell schedules for months, and there was much to consider including bus routes, costs and the fact that we had our youngest students having to get up so early,” said Tim Clark, president of the PCSSD school board.
“One of the biggest changes is that elementary students, who will now start at approximately 8:30 a.m., will be able to be dropped off as early as 7:30 a.m. for breakfast,” he said. “This will accommodate our parents who have to be at work by 8 a.m.”
Depending on the particular elementary school, the day will end between 3:50 and 4:05 p.m.
Clark said after-school programs for elementary students will be offered until 4:30 p.m. to allow parents extra time to pick up their students.
Charles Hopson, the district’s superintendent, said the extra time in the morning and afternoon will be used for enrichment and intervention opportunities.
“Yes, there will be a cost associated with putting staff in place to provide supervision and additional educational opportunities.
But if we’re going to put students first, this is what we need to do,” Hopson said.
The district’s middle and high schools will now begin classes at 7:30 a.m., with doors opening at 7 a.m. for breakfast, Hopson said. Depending on the school, the day will end between 2:55 and 3:05 p.m.
“This will help our older students who have to work in the afternoons or have after-school activities,” he added.
The change in the bell schedule will not lengthen the school day for teachers, Marty Nix, president of the Pulaski Association of Classroom Teachers, pointed out.
“This is a parent issue that will affect students and teachers’ ability to teach effectively,” she said.
Hopson said he understands these changes are being made close to the start of school.
“We have been exploring every possibility related to scheduling options. These are complicated, logistical issues that involve many aspects of the district. The bottom line is, at the end of the day, we have done what is in the best interest of our kids.”
Bus schedules will be available early next week on the district’s website, www.pcssd.org.
Leader staff writer
Pulaski County Special School Dis-trict elementary students will now start their school day later than they did last year, while middle school and high school students will start earlier.
According to Tim Clark, president of the PCSSD Board of Education, elementary students will now have a later start time, while middle- and high-school students’ start times will be earlier.
The new schedule will lengthen the school day by 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the afternoon.
Some students will be getting on a bus as early as 6 a.m. with the new schedule.
When schools open for students on Thursday, classes will start at 8:30 a.m. for elementary students and end around 4 p.m. — making their school day 30 minutes longer.
Older students will start 7:30 a.m. and get out an hour earlier, around 3 p.m. — provided an injunction filed by the teachers union isn’t acted on before school starts.
This is opposite from what the board decided at its meeting last week.
Deb Roush, spokeswoman for the district, said parents were upset with the idea of an early start time for elementary students, and the district listened and reversed the times.
“We have been reviewing our options related to our bell schedules for months, and there was much to consider including bus routes, costs and the fact that we had our youngest students having to get up so early,” said Tim Clark, president of the PCSSD school board.
“One of the biggest changes is that elementary students, who will now start at approximately 8:30 a.m., will be able to be dropped off as early as 7:30 a.m. for breakfast,” he said. “This will accommodate our parents who have to be at work by 8 a.m.”
Depending on the particular elementary school, the day will end between 3:50 and 4:05 p.m.
Clark said after-school programs for elementary students will be offered until 4:30 p.m. to allow parents extra time to pick up their students.
Charles Hopson, the district’s superintendent, said the extra time in the morning and afternoon will be used for enrichment and intervention opportunities.
“Yes, there will be a cost associated with putting staff in place to provide supervision and additional educational opportunities.
But if we’re going to put students first, this is what we need to do,” Hopson said.
The district’s middle and high schools will now begin classes at 7:30 a.m., with doors opening at 7 a.m. for breakfast, Hopson said. Depending on the school, the day will end between 2:55 and 3:05 p.m.
“This will help our older students who have to work in the afternoons or have after-school activities,” he added.
The change in the bell schedule will not lengthen the school day for teachers, Marty Nix, president of the Pulaski Association of Classroom Teachers, pointed out.
“This is a parent issue that will affect students and teachers’ ability to teach effectively,” she said.
Hopson said he understands these changes are being made close to the start of school.
“We have been exploring every possibility related to scheduling options. These are complicated, logistical issues that involve many aspects of the district. The bottom line is, at the end of the day, we have done what is in the best interest of our kids.”
Bus schedules will be available early next week on the district’s website, www.pcssd.org.
TOP STORY > >Wing boss given new challenge Wing boss given new challenge
By JOHN HOFHEIMER
Leader senior staff writer
When Col. C.K. Hyde relinquishes command of the 314th Air Education Wing to Col. Mark Czelusta on Aug. 20, he’s headed to Randolph Air Force Base at San Antonio, where he will serve as deputy director of intelligence, operations and nuclear integration for flying training.
Czelusta, who was previously posted at Little Rock Air Force Base, most recently was the commander of the 386th Expeditionary Operations Group. He leads a team of approximately 190 airmen providing combat airlift, airborne electronic attack and operations support capabilities for operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
“Czelusta will make a great member of Team Little Rock Family,” Hyde predicted.
He said his successor will face great challenges, but “I couldn’t be more confident, and I’m glad to hand off to a great combat warrior like Mark Czelusta.
“The center of tactical airlift is Little Rock Air Force Base,” Hyde said Thursday. “This is corporate headquarters for tactical combat delivery.
“The 314th has a great legacy of combat,” said Hyde, and the wing teaches C-130 airmen to “fly, fight and win.”
Every combat delivery mission traces back to the 314th Air Education and Training Wing, which trains the crews and maintainers of virtually all U.S. military C-130s and those of most allies, including 38 countries.
And be-cause of the training at Little Rock, the C-130s respond to humanitarian crises like nobody else.
For his new job, he’ll oversee air education and training “in pretty much every weapons system that we own. We do survival training. We do training for our missile crews. We do training for our special operations forces, for our fighter forces, for our mobility forces. My job will be looking over that vast enterprise of training that our Air Force needs to sustain the forces that we have and bring on line the training that we need for the future force structure that our nation is investing in,” Hyde said.
“We will be training to be successful against thinking and adaptive enemies — thinking and looking ahead, making sure our training meets the war-fighter needs.
“I’m excited about getting there and being a part of that enterprise. My job will be the flying-training portion, just what I’ve done here, but here I’ve had one small portion, the C-130 flying portion,” the colonel said.
At Randolph, he’ll be involved in all of the flying training, “making sure that it’s modern, that it’s relevant and that it delivers the capacity that we need to meet the demands of our current and future wars.”
The amount of training in recent years has doubled, Hyde said.
The nature of the training has changed because both the new and revamped aircraft and today’s recruits are different. “We excel at modern and relevant training,” he said. “Recruits are still patriotic, but they are part of the digital generation.”
Modern training takes advantage of that technology, Hyde said.
Technology has taken some of the training out of the planes and put it in flight simulators, saving the Air Force about $17 million a year.
As the number of state-of-the-art C-130Js assigned to the 314th doubles from seven to 14 by 2015, the Air Force Reserve and the National Guard will train airmen on legacy C-130Hs and the “new” C-130AMP, legacy planes remade with digital cockpits nearly identical to the C-130.
AMP stands for aviation- modernization program, and it changes legacy C-130 cockpits from analog to digital, with modern navigation and communication like that on the C-130Js.
The mission for training always changes as aircraft fleets change and as requirements change. The Air Force is increasing the J-model fleet significantly over the next five years.
Most of the active-duty operational forces will transition to J-models. That mission is rapidly growing, and the 314th will train exclusively for C-130Js.
Demand has increased for the capability for that airframe and its crews, according to the colonel.
“Our legacy fleet is gradually converting to the AMP configuration. The majority will be in reserve component,” he explained.
Legacy training—including the AMP planes—will transition to Reserve and National Guard, Hyde said.
The goal is to do this with no decrease in quality, or quantity, to support the operational forces and the air fighting commanders.
“The family all enjoyed the base and the community,” he said, noting that the community was very supportive of the base and airmen and “embraced and welcomed us and we made some life-long friends here.”
“The community here goes the extra mile,” Hyde said, “to build relationships that last beyond the assignments here.
“C-130 people love coming here,” he said. “It’s coming back to family.”
He said he had enjoyed getting out and seeing the parks and natural attractions in Arkansas. His older son, Robert, just graduated from North Pulaski High School as its salutatorian and is a cadet at West Point this fall.
His other son, George, has had a positive experience here as well, he said.
“The 314th’s missions and airmen have done great things for our Air Force,” Hyde said. The 314th and the 189th Air Wing of the Arkansas National Guard have provided the best C-130 training in the world and the partnership has been “one of the great things about the command,” he said.
He said those two wings had “a laser-like focus on the training mission. Warfare is always a team effort.”
Although here for only about two years, Hyde has served with three commanders of the Air Mobility Wing here—Brig. Gen.
Rowayne Schatz, Col. Greg Otey and the Col. Mike Minihan, who just took command of the 19th Airlift Wing on Aug. 2.
Hyde’s new job “is making sure we take advantage of the vast combat experience that our Air Force has. We’re the most combat-experienced force in the Air Force probably since World War II.
“I’ll be overseeing it all and working at the integration of it. It’s a big job,” he said, but “I’ll have a lot of help.”
Leader senior staff writer
When Col. C.K. Hyde relinquishes command of the 314th Air Education Wing to Col. Mark Czelusta on Aug. 20, he’s headed to Randolph Air Force Base at San Antonio, where he will serve as deputy director of intelligence, operations and nuclear integration for flying training.
Czelusta, who was previously posted at Little Rock Air Force Base, most recently was the commander of the 386th Expeditionary Operations Group. He leads a team of approximately 190 airmen providing combat airlift, airborne electronic attack and operations support capabilities for operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
“Czelusta will make a great member of Team Little Rock Family,” Hyde predicted.
He said his successor will face great challenges, but “I couldn’t be more confident, and I’m glad to hand off to a great combat warrior like Mark Czelusta.
“The center of tactical airlift is Little Rock Air Force Base,” Hyde said Thursday. “This is corporate headquarters for tactical combat delivery.
“The 314th has a great legacy of combat,” said Hyde, and the wing teaches C-130 airmen to “fly, fight and win.”
Every combat delivery mission traces back to the 314th Air Education and Training Wing, which trains the crews and maintainers of virtually all U.S. military C-130s and those of most allies, including 38 countries.
And be-cause of the training at Little Rock, the C-130s respond to humanitarian crises like nobody else.
For his new job, he’ll oversee air education and training “in pretty much every weapons system that we own. We do survival training. We do training for our missile crews. We do training for our special operations forces, for our fighter forces, for our mobility forces. My job will be looking over that vast enterprise of training that our Air Force needs to sustain the forces that we have and bring on line the training that we need for the future force structure that our nation is investing in,” Hyde said.
“We will be training to be successful against thinking and adaptive enemies — thinking and looking ahead, making sure our training meets the war-fighter needs.
“I’m excited about getting there and being a part of that enterprise. My job will be the flying-training portion, just what I’ve done here, but here I’ve had one small portion, the C-130 flying portion,” the colonel said.
At Randolph, he’ll be involved in all of the flying training, “making sure that it’s modern, that it’s relevant and that it delivers the capacity that we need to meet the demands of our current and future wars.”
The amount of training in recent years has doubled, Hyde said.
The nature of the training has changed because both the new and revamped aircraft and today’s recruits are different. “We excel at modern and relevant training,” he said. “Recruits are still patriotic, but they are part of the digital generation.”
Modern training takes advantage of that technology, Hyde said.
Technology has taken some of the training out of the planes and put it in flight simulators, saving the Air Force about $17 million a year.
As the number of state-of-the-art C-130Js assigned to the 314th doubles from seven to 14 by 2015, the Air Force Reserve and the National Guard will train airmen on legacy C-130Hs and the “new” C-130AMP, legacy planes remade with digital cockpits nearly identical to the C-130.
AMP stands for aviation- modernization program, and it changes legacy C-130 cockpits from analog to digital, with modern navigation and communication like that on the C-130Js.
The mission for training always changes as aircraft fleets change and as requirements change. The Air Force is increasing the J-model fleet significantly over the next five years.
Most of the active-duty operational forces will transition to J-models. That mission is rapidly growing, and the 314th will train exclusively for C-130Js.
Demand has increased for the capability for that airframe and its crews, according to the colonel.
“Our legacy fleet is gradually converting to the AMP configuration. The majority will be in reserve component,” he explained.
Legacy training—including the AMP planes—will transition to Reserve and National Guard, Hyde said.
The goal is to do this with no decrease in quality, or quantity, to support the operational forces and the air fighting commanders.
“The family all enjoyed the base and the community,” he said, noting that the community was very supportive of the base and airmen and “embraced and welcomed us and we made some life-long friends here.”
“The community here goes the extra mile,” Hyde said, “to build relationships that last beyond the assignments here.
“C-130 people love coming here,” he said. “It’s coming back to family.”
He said he had enjoyed getting out and seeing the parks and natural attractions in Arkansas. His older son, Robert, just graduated from North Pulaski High School as its salutatorian and is a cadet at West Point this fall.
His other son, George, has had a positive experience here as well, he said.
“The 314th’s missions and airmen have done great things for our Air Force,” Hyde said. The 314th and the 189th Air Wing of the Arkansas National Guard have provided the best C-130 training in the world and the partnership has been “one of the great things about the command,” he said.
He said those two wings had “a laser-like focus on the training mission. Warfare is always a team effort.”
Although here for only about two years, Hyde has served with three commanders of the Air Mobility Wing here—Brig. Gen.
Rowayne Schatz, Col. Greg Otey and the Col. Mike Minihan, who just took command of the 19th Airlift Wing on Aug. 2.
Hyde’s new job “is making sure we take advantage of the vast combat experience that our Air Force has. We’re the most combat-experienced force in the Air Force probably since World War II.
“I’ll be overseeing it all and working at the integration of it. It’s a big job,” he said, but “I’ll have a lot of help.”
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
EDITORIAL >>Hire a good lawyer
Everyone stands equal before the law, as we all know, but if you can hire an expensive attorney you stand a little taller.
We never had a problem with the principle of Gideon v. Wainwright, the U. S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision establishing that poor people who face serious criminal charges have the right to a lawyer paid for by the state. It is the implementation that sometimes baffles us. Two recent and quite different cases in Arkansas were especially nettlesome. They will cost the taxpayers heavily and the cause of justice was not advanced.
Abdulhakim Mujahid Mu-hammad was accused of murdering a Conway man and wounding a Jacksonville man in an attack at an Army recruiting office last year. Muhammad’s family hired a crack criminal lawyer at Memphis to defend him, and early this year the lawyer wanted to be paid for his work by the state Public Defender Com-mission, which supplies lawyers for defendants who can’t afford a lawyer. But, of course, he wants to be paid much more than the state public defenders would.
The Supreme Court said in May that the law’s the law and the Public Defender Commission will have to do it, even though it may come close to bankrupting the agency. Muhammad wants to fire his lawyer.
Now comes the case of County Judge David Bisbee in the solidly Republican bailiwick of Benton County. Bisbee, a former Republican state senator (and quite a good one, in our judgment), was charged with three misdemeanors for trying to feather his own nest in the county office. He rejected a low bid for a county building and hired his own construction company to do the work. Bisbee hired Asa Hutchinson, the former congressman and unsuccessful Republican candidate for the U. S. Senate, attorney general and governor (2006), to represent him. It was a good move. Hutchinson came up with a novel and successful defense. He produced the revelation in court that Judge Bisbee was illiterate — he truly never learned to read or write — so that he could claim ignorance of the ethics law that he had flouted. Apparently, Bisbee never read a one of those thousands of bills on which he voted while he was in the state Senate and the leader of the Republican caucus. The Republican jury acquitted him.
Bisbee asked the court to order taxpayers to pay Hutchinson’s fees, which came to $73,044.85. The Public Defender Commission pays private lawyers $90 to $110 an hour to defend people who get the death penalty, but Bisbee’s lawyer wanted $400 an hour to defend misdemeanor charges. Normally, Hutchinson said, he charges $775 an hour, but he gave his friend Bisbee a special rate.
The special judge who heard the case ruled that since Judge Bisbee had been acquitted of the charges, he was entitled to have the taxpayers pay his legal bills. But the judge, John Cole, did whittle them down to $50,145. Bisbee said he was happy that the taxpayers will save him $50,000 and that he would negotiate with Asa on the rest.
Ignorance is not only bliss; with a good lawyer it can be remunerative.
Ernie Dumas writes editorials for The Leader.
We never had a problem with the principle of Gideon v. Wainwright, the U. S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision establishing that poor people who face serious criminal charges have the right to a lawyer paid for by the state. It is the implementation that sometimes baffles us. Two recent and quite different cases in Arkansas were especially nettlesome. They will cost the taxpayers heavily and the cause of justice was not advanced.
Abdulhakim Mujahid Mu-hammad was accused of murdering a Conway man and wounding a Jacksonville man in an attack at an Army recruiting office last year. Muhammad’s family hired a crack criminal lawyer at Memphis to defend him, and early this year the lawyer wanted to be paid for his work by the state Public Defender Com-mission, which supplies lawyers for defendants who can’t afford a lawyer. But, of course, he wants to be paid much more than the state public defenders would.
The Supreme Court said in May that the law’s the law and the Public Defender Commission will have to do it, even though it may come close to bankrupting the agency. Muhammad wants to fire his lawyer.
Now comes the case of County Judge David Bisbee in the solidly Republican bailiwick of Benton County. Bisbee, a former Republican state senator (and quite a good one, in our judgment), was charged with three misdemeanors for trying to feather his own nest in the county office. He rejected a low bid for a county building and hired his own construction company to do the work. Bisbee hired Asa Hutchinson, the former congressman and unsuccessful Republican candidate for the U. S. Senate, attorney general and governor (2006), to represent him. It was a good move. Hutchinson came up with a novel and successful defense. He produced the revelation in court that Judge Bisbee was illiterate — he truly never learned to read or write — so that he could claim ignorance of the ethics law that he had flouted. Apparently, Bisbee never read a one of those thousands of bills on which he voted while he was in the state Senate and the leader of the Republican caucus. The Republican jury acquitted him.
Bisbee asked the court to order taxpayers to pay Hutchinson’s fees, which came to $73,044.85. The Public Defender Commission pays private lawyers $90 to $110 an hour to defend people who get the death penalty, but Bisbee’s lawyer wanted $400 an hour to defend misdemeanor charges. Normally, Hutchinson said, he charges $775 an hour, but he gave his friend Bisbee a special rate.
The special judge who heard the case ruled that since Judge Bisbee had been acquitted of the charges, he was entitled to have the taxpayers pay his legal bills. But the judge, John Cole, did whittle them down to $50,145. Bisbee said he was happy that the taxpayers will save him $50,000 and that he would negotiate with Asa on the rest.
Ignorance is not only bliss; with a good lawyer it can be remunerative.
Ernie Dumas writes editorials for The Leader.
EDITORIAL >>High hopes for Hopson
“I am an agent for change,” Charles Hopson said when he came from Portland, Ore., to interview for the PCSSD superintendent’s job in February, and since his hire, he’s done nothing to dissuade us.
He’s lengthened the elementary-school day—a change the reliably uncooperative leadership of the Pulaski Association of Classroom Teachers is trying to scuttle in court or on the picket lines—and he brought in some of his own people to streamline operations, a consultant in human resources and a race-in-schools consultant to try to minimize the disparities academically, in discipline and otherwise.
This school district has settled on a series of superintendents who simply weren’t up to the immense challenges, and plainly said the largest of those is to lead the divided and divisive school board, not to be jerked about by it.
There are essentially two models for running a school district and sad to say, the less democratic seems the best fit for this district right now—that is, if the guy or gal at the top is smart, creative, dedicated and inspired, and so far, we think perhaps Hopson is that guy.
This is still the Hopson honeymoon, but privately some board members are already grousing: “Hey, he works for us, we don’t work for him.”
It seems almost inevitable that he will be caught up in the blood sport that is PCSSD politics, but Hopson has installed his elements of his own team.
He’s brought in a technology expert from Portland.
He’s brought in a former lieutenant colonel as director of operations—the job he held in the military.
Hopson has hired a human-resources consultant and hired the author of “Courageous Conversation in Race” to hold workshops for his cabinet on the challenges of race in education.
Hopson is said to be very skilled at bringing people together, a calm and thoughtful man willing to listen to suggestions.
Those skills will be put to the test.
“He empowers people,” said one employee. “It’s part of the culture he’s fostering.”
Hopson is the professional here. Board members bank or own restaurant franchises or run small shops, work at Walmart, or assist airmen learning to fly C-130s on flight simulators at Little Rock Air Force Base.
But none are professional educators.
If all the dogs on a sled team pulled to a different point of the compass, ignoring the direction of the driver, the sled might go nowhere, or it might be pulled into a chasm or ripped asunder. Where it’s not going is the destination.
But when the driver sets a course and the team pulls together, the sled can reach its destination, directly and more quickly.
In some school districts—take Cabot and Lonoke, for instance—the superintendent leads and the board follows, questioning, offering alternatives and ultimately making the decisions.
Lonoke has for the past decade, first Sharron Havens and now John Tackett, set the agenda, presented a range of options, answered questions and gave the board the tools it needed to do the job. In turn, the board has given the superintendent the tools he needs to do the job.
Tackett has brought new ideas—most recently a pilot program using modified smart phones as handheld computers for all ninth-graders.
The superintendent is the professional educator. The other guys are farmers or bankers or businessmen.
None of the board members in Lonoke thinks he knows more about educating or leading a school district than the superintendent.
Then there’s PCSSD, where the board members seem to view professional educating, creativity and leadership as challenges to their authority.
This is a board largely comprising bullies intent upon getting their way, building schools in their own zones, securing contracts for their friends and who support the superintendent only as long as he supports their individual ambitions.
This is a board where the members see the superintendent only as an instrument of their collective will. And for the past few years, seldom has that will been collective.
Only a board as divisive and vindictive as this one could make the strident teachers’ union sympathetic.
We have a situation here where both the teachers’ union and the board are likely to see the progressive new superintendent as a threat to their power.
The only way to save this dysfunctional district is to get everyone pulling in the same direction, with the superintendent in the driver’s seat.
With apologies to John Lennon, all we are saying is give Charles a chance.
He’s lengthened the elementary-school day—a change the reliably uncooperative leadership of the Pulaski Association of Classroom Teachers is trying to scuttle in court or on the picket lines—and he brought in some of his own people to streamline operations, a consultant in human resources and a race-in-schools consultant to try to minimize the disparities academically, in discipline and otherwise.
This school district has settled on a series of superintendents who simply weren’t up to the immense challenges, and plainly said the largest of those is to lead the divided and divisive school board, not to be jerked about by it.
There are essentially two models for running a school district and sad to say, the less democratic seems the best fit for this district right now—that is, if the guy or gal at the top is smart, creative, dedicated and inspired, and so far, we think perhaps Hopson is that guy.
This is still the Hopson honeymoon, but privately some board members are already grousing: “Hey, he works for us, we don’t work for him.”
It seems almost inevitable that he will be caught up in the blood sport that is PCSSD politics, but Hopson has installed his elements of his own team.
He’s brought in a technology expert from Portland.
He’s brought in a former lieutenant colonel as director of operations—the job he held in the military.
Hopson has hired a human-resources consultant and hired the author of “Courageous Conversation in Race” to hold workshops for his cabinet on the challenges of race in education.
Hopson is said to be very skilled at bringing people together, a calm and thoughtful man willing to listen to suggestions.
Those skills will be put to the test.
“He empowers people,” said one employee. “It’s part of the culture he’s fostering.”
Hopson is the professional here. Board members bank or own restaurant franchises or run small shops, work at Walmart, or assist airmen learning to fly C-130s on flight simulators at Little Rock Air Force Base.
But none are professional educators.
If all the dogs on a sled team pulled to a different point of the compass, ignoring the direction of the driver, the sled might go nowhere, or it might be pulled into a chasm or ripped asunder. Where it’s not going is the destination.
But when the driver sets a course and the team pulls together, the sled can reach its destination, directly and more quickly.
In some school districts—take Cabot and Lonoke, for instance—the superintendent leads and the board follows, questioning, offering alternatives and ultimately making the decisions.
Lonoke has for the past decade, first Sharron Havens and now John Tackett, set the agenda, presented a range of options, answered questions and gave the board the tools it needed to do the job. In turn, the board has given the superintendent the tools he needs to do the job.
Tackett has brought new ideas—most recently a pilot program using modified smart phones as handheld computers for all ninth-graders.
The superintendent is the professional educator. The other guys are farmers or bankers or businessmen.
None of the board members in Lonoke thinks he knows more about educating or leading a school district than the superintendent.
Then there’s PCSSD, where the board members seem to view professional educating, creativity and leadership as challenges to their authority.
This is a board largely comprising bullies intent upon getting their way, building schools in their own zones, securing contracts for their friends and who support the superintendent only as long as he supports their individual ambitions.
This is a board where the members see the superintendent only as an instrument of their collective will. And for the past few years, seldom has that will been collective.
Only a board as divisive and vindictive as this one could make the strident teachers’ union sympathetic.
We have a situation here where both the teachers’ union and the board are likely to see the progressive new superintendent as a threat to their power.
The only way to save this dysfunctional district is to get everyone pulling in the same direction, with the superintendent in the driver’s seat.
With apologies to John Lennon, all we are saying is give Charles a chance.
TOP STORY > >Ancient lessons return to Cabot
By JOAN MCCOY
Leader staff writer
Although her work year hasn’t officially started, Cabot art teacher Katherine Karkkainen was on the job Monday at Junior High North. She had spent most of June in China and she was decorating her classroom with some of the things she brought back.
There was Chinese fabric for her bulletin board, a picture of a peasant wedding for the wall and brass letters in Chinese that stand for happiness and longevity.
“With our trade relations, it’s important that we understand their culture,” Karkkainen said.
Karkkainen was one of 14 teachers from across the state that made the trip arranged by UALR’s Global Program which paid most of the expenses with a grant from the Freeman Foundation. For about $700, she spent three weeks immersed in a culture that dates back 5,000 years.
Asked about the major differences she observed between the Chinese and Americans, Karkkainen said the expectations of the people were very different.
The cramming she did on China’s history and culture helped, she said, but did not completely prepare her for what she saw.
With populations of 20 million or so, “the cities are humongous,” she said, and very crowded. The apartments are tiny and almost everyone walks or uses public transportation because a car license can cost as much as $6,000.
Outside Beijing, where the Great Wall is located, she visited a remote farming village where Heifer Project International is working to alleviate poverty.
The residents were very welcoming and proud to show their two-room homes, complete with a large wooden platform that was the bed for the whole family, straw and mud jars for storing grain and large open-fire cooking pots, she said.
“We are a very wealthy country,” she said. “Even though we may be lower, middle income, we have so much and I probably will bring that to my students’ attention.”
In Chengdu, where the teachers visited classrooms, students and teachers cut short their vacation at the Dragon Boat Festival for the opportunity to visit with the Americans and practice their English.
“They were all out on holiday and they came in just for us,” Karkkainen said. “Can you imagine that happening here?”
Her trip included a stop in Shanghai for the World Expo and a visit to Wu Garden. In Chengdu, she saw the panda research and breeding facility. In Xian, she saw the Grand Mosque and the terracotta soldiers that were buried with Ginshi Huangdi, China’s first emperor.
And they traveled into the Himalayas to visit Zhongdian, which was renamed Shangri La for marketing purposes.
She was amused by the way the Chinese have embraced American culture. They have McDonald’s and Walmart and they play American rock music from the 80’s in some of their night clubs. Even the mannequins in their department stores were Anglo-Saxon, she said.
If the people gave her pause to reconsider exactly how much someone needs to be happy, it was the art that took her breath away, she said.
“It was like a wonderland because of all the art,” she said. “Everywhere you went there was art painted last week and sculptures from 5,000 years ago. For an art teacher, it was like candy land.”
Leader staff writer
Although her work year hasn’t officially started, Cabot art teacher Katherine Karkkainen was on the job Monday at Junior High North. She had spent most of June in China and she was decorating her classroom with some of the things she brought back.
There was Chinese fabric for her bulletin board, a picture of a peasant wedding for the wall and brass letters in Chinese that stand for happiness and longevity.
“With our trade relations, it’s important that we understand their culture,” Karkkainen said.
Karkkainen was one of 14 teachers from across the state that made the trip arranged by UALR’s Global Program which paid most of the expenses with a grant from the Freeman Foundation. For about $700, she spent three weeks immersed in a culture that dates back 5,000 years.
Asked about the major differences she observed between the Chinese and Americans, Karkkainen said the expectations of the people were very different.
The cramming she did on China’s history and culture helped, she said, but did not completely prepare her for what she saw.
With populations of 20 million or so, “the cities are humongous,” she said, and very crowded. The apartments are tiny and almost everyone walks or uses public transportation because a car license can cost as much as $6,000.
Outside Beijing, where the Great Wall is located, she visited a remote farming village where Heifer Project International is working to alleviate poverty.
The residents were very welcoming and proud to show their two-room homes, complete with a large wooden platform that was the bed for the whole family, straw and mud jars for storing grain and large open-fire cooking pots, she said.
“We are a very wealthy country,” she said. “Even though we may be lower, middle income, we have so much and I probably will bring that to my students’ attention.”
In Chengdu, where the teachers visited classrooms, students and teachers cut short their vacation at the Dragon Boat Festival for the opportunity to visit with the Americans and practice their English.
“They were all out on holiday and they came in just for us,” Karkkainen said. “Can you imagine that happening here?”
Her trip included a stop in Shanghai for the World Expo and a visit to Wu Garden. In Chengdu, she saw the panda research and breeding facility. In Xian, she saw the Grand Mosque and the terracotta soldiers that were buried with Ginshi Huangdi, China’s first emperor.
And they traveled into the Himalayas to visit Zhongdian, which was renamed Shangri La for marketing purposes.
She was amused by the way the Chinese have embraced American culture. They have McDonald’s and Walmart and they play American rock music from the 80’s in some of their night clubs. Even the mannequins in their department stores were Anglo-Saxon, she said.
If the people gave her pause to reconsider exactly how much someone needs to be happy, it was the art that took her breath away, she said.
“It was like a wonderland because of all the art,” she said. “Everywhere you went there was art painted last week and sculptures from 5,000 years ago. For an art teacher, it was like candy land.”
TOP STORY > >Strike possible over teachers’ hours in PCSSD
By NANCY DOCKTER
Leader staff writer
Union leaders say that “many options” will be considered, including going on strike, when members meet Thursday to decide how to respond to the new bell schedule that will affect elementary schools in Pulaski County Special School District when school resumes Aug. 19.
At its monthly meeting last night, the PCSSD School Board discussed the revised bell schedule – which sets the start and end of the school day as well as bus pick-up times – and chose to proceed with the revised schedule, as recommended by Superintendent Charles Hopson.
After the meeting, Marty Nix, president of PulaskiPulaski Association of Classroom Teachers, would not say specifically if teachers might strike to challenge the new schedule, which in effect violates the existing contract the district has with its teachers. It forces teachers to now hold preparation periods during the lengthened school day rather than before or after the student day as their contract allows.
The new schedule will lengthen the school day by 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the afternoon. Some students will be getting on a bus as early as 6 a.m. with the new schedule.
Former Acting Superintend-ent Rob McGill in May had proposed the new schedule, but it has never come to a board vote. At the time, the majority of the board believed that the contract was no longer in effect and that the schedule had to be revised to comply with state law, which mandates teacher planning periods to be part of the school day.
Since then, Pulaski County Circuit Court Judge Tim Fox has ruled – for a second time – that the district’s contract with teachers is in effect and must be followed.
The change in the bell schedule will not lengthen the school day for teachers, Nix pointed out. “This is a parent issue that will affect students and teachers’ ability to teach effectively.”
Not only will students start the day earlier, some will be eating lunch at 10:30 in the morning. “Then they go to recess and then sit in class for hours at a time,” Nix said. “This is supposed to be good for student learning. I don’t think so.”
“The bell schedule affects thousands of people in the community,” parent Mollie Clower told the board. “Therefore, it is the district’s obligation to inform both parents and teachers and give them a chance to voice any concerns about such a change as well as explain the plan to administer the change prior to making such a change permanent.”
Clower’s two daughters, who attend Baker Elementary School, now catch the bus at 7 a.m., but with the new schedule will have that will change to 6:30.
“The new bell schedule will require them to wait in the dark for 157 days out of 179 days of school. The earlier time is not going to make smarter students, but fatigued students.,” she said.
“It will not be unreasonable students will be at bus stop at 6 o’clock,” PCSSD transportation director Brad Montgomery affirmed.
Teachers last week filed a class-action injunction against the district for changing the schedule, contending it is a violation of their contract. The prep period was also shortened by five minutes, from 40 to 45 minutes, as stipulated in the contract.
Those violations are “just the tip of the iceberg,” Nix said of the revised bell schedule. “There have been so many violations to the contract, I couldn’t even name them all,” Nix said. “According to every ruling from the court, the PNA is still in effect. That is not something that can be interpreted differently. It is totally unambiguous.”
Hopson said he would “let our legal team explore that,” when asked if he had any concerns that the revised bell schedule was violating an existing contract.
Hopson said he thought the new schedule was good for students, because it would mean an additional 200 minutes per week for instruction.
“Those minutes are necessary to address academic disparities as well as enrichment for TAG (talented and gifted) students,” Hopson said.
Hopson said that to revert to the old schedule so close to the start of school could be a burden for parents who have already made accommodations to the new one, but that “nothing is set in stone.”
The schedule change does not affect secondary schools because those teachers already had their prep period during the day.
Board member Gwen Williams spoke against the new bell schedule because of complaints from parents and because the change violates the current teacher contract.
Williams reminded the board that all certified staff should have 10 days to review any proposed policy change before a board vote. “That has not happened.”
Board president Tim Clark said he has gotten calls from lots of parents complaining about the bell schedule change.
“A whole lot of families are trying to renegotiate their morning hours, some will have to take off work earlier,” Clark said.
Clark said he favored Hopson working with the transportation department to refine the schedule to minimize impacts on families.
Williams said she was “still in awe that the district would not follow a judge’s order. “We have got to come together as a district or we won’t have a district. We have got to sit down and talk about and work this thing out. The contract and PNA is in effect.
Look into your hearts and do the right thing. In want school to open next week.”
During the board comment period, Bill Vasquez encouraged his fellow board members to take a couple of hours to read the existing agreement and become familiar with it.
“It affects the lives of 18,000 students, 4,000 employees and 2 and a half million taxpayers,” Vasquez.
Vasquez also spoke against the revised bell schedule.
“We are putting them in the dark for an extra month,” Vasquez noted. “In rural areas, there are no street lights or sidewalks.”
In other board business, board member Danny Gililland was elected to represent the board in continuing negotiations between the district and PACT on matters regarding the current contract. The vote was 4-3, splitting along lines either favoring continued union recognition or not.
District and union leaders are to set a date soon for when to resume negotiations.
Leader staff writer
Union leaders say that “many options” will be considered, including going on strike, when members meet Thursday to decide how to respond to the new bell schedule that will affect elementary schools in Pulaski County Special School District when school resumes Aug. 19.
At its monthly meeting last night, the PCSSD School Board discussed the revised bell schedule – which sets the start and end of the school day as well as bus pick-up times – and chose to proceed with the revised schedule, as recommended by Superintendent Charles Hopson.
After the meeting, Marty Nix, president of PulaskiPulaski Association of Classroom Teachers, would not say specifically if teachers might strike to challenge the new schedule, which in effect violates the existing contract the district has with its teachers. It forces teachers to now hold preparation periods during the lengthened school day rather than before or after the student day as their contract allows.
The new schedule will lengthen the school day by 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the afternoon. Some students will be getting on a bus as early as 6 a.m. with the new schedule.
Former Acting Superintend-ent Rob McGill in May had proposed the new schedule, but it has never come to a board vote. At the time, the majority of the board believed that the contract was no longer in effect and that the schedule had to be revised to comply with state law, which mandates teacher planning periods to be part of the school day.
Since then, Pulaski County Circuit Court Judge Tim Fox has ruled – for a second time – that the district’s contract with teachers is in effect and must be followed.
The change in the bell schedule will not lengthen the school day for teachers, Nix pointed out. “This is a parent issue that will affect students and teachers’ ability to teach effectively.”
Not only will students start the day earlier, some will be eating lunch at 10:30 in the morning. “Then they go to recess and then sit in class for hours at a time,” Nix said. “This is supposed to be good for student learning. I don’t think so.”
“The bell schedule affects thousands of people in the community,” parent Mollie Clower told the board. “Therefore, it is the district’s obligation to inform both parents and teachers and give them a chance to voice any concerns about such a change as well as explain the plan to administer the change prior to making such a change permanent.”
Clower’s two daughters, who attend Baker Elementary School, now catch the bus at 7 a.m., but with the new schedule will have that will change to 6:30.
“The new bell schedule will require them to wait in the dark for 157 days out of 179 days of school. The earlier time is not going to make smarter students, but fatigued students.,” she said.
“It will not be unreasonable students will be at bus stop at 6 o’clock,” PCSSD transportation director Brad Montgomery affirmed.
Teachers last week filed a class-action injunction against the district for changing the schedule, contending it is a violation of their contract. The prep period was also shortened by five minutes, from 40 to 45 minutes, as stipulated in the contract.
Those violations are “just the tip of the iceberg,” Nix said of the revised bell schedule. “There have been so many violations to the contract, I couldn’t even name them all,” Nix said. “According to every ruling from the court, the PNA is still in effect. That is not something that can be interpreted differently. It is totally unambiguous.”
Hopson said he would “let our legal team explore that,” when asked if he had any concerns that the revised bell schedule was violating an existing contract.
Hopson said he thought the new schedule was good for students, because it would mean an additional 200 minutes per week for instruction.
“Those minutes are necessary to address academic disparities as well as enrichment for TAG (talented and gifted) students,” Hopson said.
Hopson said that to revert to the old schedule so close to the start of school could be a burden for parents who have already made accommodations to the new one, but that “nothing is set in stone.”
The schedule change does not affect secondary schools because those teachers already had their prep period during the day.
Board member Gwen Williams spoke against the new bell schedule because of complaints from parents and because the change violates the current teacher contract.
Williams reminded the board that all certified staff should have 10 days to review any proposed policy change before a board vote. “That has not happened.”
Board president Tim Clark said he has gotten calls from lots of parents complaining about the bell schedule change.
“A whole lot of families are trying to renegotiate their morning hours, some will have to take off work earlier,” Clark said.
Clark said he favored Hopson working with the transportation department to refine the schedule to minimize impacts on families.
Williams said she was “still in awe that the district would not follow a judge’s order. “We have got to come together as a district or we won’t have a district. We have got to sit down and talk about and work this thing out. The contract and PNA is in effect.
Look into your hearts and do the right thing. In want school to open next week.”
During the board comment period, Bill Vasquez encouraged his fellow board members to take a couple of hours to read the existing agreement and become familiar with it.
“It affects the lives of 18,000 students, 4,000 employees and 2 and a half million taxpayers,” Vasquez.
Vasquez also spoke against the revised bell schedule.
“We are putting them in the dark for an extra month,” Vasquez noted. “In rural areas, there are no street lights or sidewalks.”
In other board business, board member Danny Gililland was elected to represent the board in continuing negotiations between the district and PACT on matters regarding the current contract. The vote was 4-3, splitting along lines either favoring continued union recognition or not.
District and union leaders are to set a date soon for when to resume negotiations.
TOP STORY > >Strike possible over teachers’ hours in PCSSD
By NANCY DOCKTER
Leader staff writer
Union leaders say that “many options” will be considered, including going on strike, when members meet Thursday to decide how to respond to the new bell schedule that will affect elementary schools in Pulaski County Special School District when school resumes Aug. 19.
At its monthly meeting last night, the PCSSD School Board discussed the revised bell schedule – which sets the start and end of the school day as well as bus pick-up times – and chose to proceed with the revised schedule, as recommended by Superintendent Charles Hopson.
After the meeting, Marty Nix, president of PulaskiPulaski Association of Classroom Teachers, would not say specifically if teachers might strike to challenge the new schedule, which in effect violates the existing contract the district has with its teachers. It forces teachers to now hold preparation periods during the lengthened school day rather than before or after the student day as their contract allows.
The new schedule will lengthen the school day by 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the afternoon. Some students will be getting on a bus as early as 6 a.m. with the new schedule.
Former Acting Superintend-ent Rob McGill in May had proposed the new schedule, but it has never come to a board vote. At the time, the majority of the board believed that the contract was no longer in effect and that the schedule had to be revised to comply with state law, which mandates teacher planning periods to be part of the school day.
Since then, Pulaski County Circuit Court Judge Tim Fox has ruled – for a second time – that the district’s contract with teachers is in effect and must be followed.
The change in the bell schedule will not lengthen the school day for teachers, Nix pointed out. “This is a parent issue that will affect students and teachers’ ability to teach effectively.”
Not only will students start the day earlier, some will be eating lunch at 10:30 in the morning. “Then they go to recess and then sit in class for hours at a time,” Nix said. “This is supposed to be good for student learning. I don’t think so.”
“The bell schedule affects thousands of people in the community,” parent Mollie Clower told the board. “Therefore, it is the district’s obligation to inform both parents and teachers and give them a chance to voice any concerns about such a change as well as explain the plan to administer the change prior to making such a change permanent.”
Clower’s two daughters, who attend Baker Elementary School, now catch the bus at 7 a.m., but with the new schedule will have that will change to 6:30.
“The new bell schedule will require them to wait in the dark for 157 days out of 179 days of school. The earlier time is not going to make smarter students, but fatigued students.,” she said.
“It will not be unreasonable students will be at bus stop at 6 o’clock,” PCSSD transportation director Brad Montgomery affirmed.
Teachers last week filed a class-action injunction against the district for changing the schedule, contending it is a violation of their contract. The prep period was also shortened by five minutes, from 40 to 45 minutes, as stipulated in the contract.
Those violations are “just the tip of the iceberg,” Nix said of the revised bell schedule. “There have been so many violations to the contract, I couldn’t even name them all,” Nix said. “According to every ruling from the court, the PNA is still in effect. That is not something that can be interpreted differently. It is totally unambiguous.”
Hopson said he would “let our legal team explore that,” when asked if he had any concerns that the revised bell schedule was violating an existing contract.
Hopson said he thought the new schedule was good for students, because it would mean an additional 200 minutes per week for instruction.
“Those minutes are necessary to address academic disparities as well as enrichment for TAG (talented and gifted) students,” Hopson said.
Hopson said that to revert to the old schedule so close to the start of school could be a burden for parents who have already made accommodations to the new one, but that “nothing is set in stone.”
The schedule change does not affect secondary schools because those teachers already had their prep period during the day.
Board member Gwen Williams spoke against the new bell schedule because of complaints from parents and because the change violates the current teacher contract.
Williams reminded the board that all certified staff should have 10 days to review any proposed policy change before a board vote. “That has not happened.”
Board president Tim Clark said he has gotten calls from lots of parents complaining about the bell schedule change.
“A whole lot of families are trying to renegotiate their morning hours, some will have to take off work earlier,” Clark said.
Clark said he favored Hopson working with the transportation department to refine the schedule to minimize impacts on families.
Williams said she was “still in awe that the district would not follow a judge’s order. “We have got to come together as a district or we won’t have a district. We have got to sit down and talk about and work this thing out. The contract and PNA is in effect.
Look into your hearts and do the right thing. In want school to open next week.”
During the board comment period, Bill Vasquez encouraged his fellow board members to take a couple of hours to read the existing agreement and become familiar with it.
“It affects the lives of 18,000 students, 4,000 employees and 2 and a half million taxpayers,” Vasquez.
Vasquez also spoke against the revised bell schedule.
“We are putting them in the dark for an extra month,” Vasquez noted. “In rural areas, there are no street lights or sidewalks.”
In other board business, board member Danny Gililland was elected to represent the board in continuing negotiations between the district and PACT on matters regarding the current contract. The vote was 4-3, splitting along lines either favoring continued union recognition or not.
District and union leaders are to set a date soon for when to resume negotiations.
Leader staff writer
Union leaders say that “many options” will be considered, including going on strike, when members meet Thursday to decide how to respond to the new bell schedule that will affect elementary schools in Pulaski County Special School District when school resumes Aug. 19.
At its monthly meeting last night, the PCSSD School Board discussed the revised bell schedule – which sets the start and end of the school day as well as bus pick-up times – and chose to proceed with the revised schedule, as recommended by Superintendent Charles Hopson.
After the meeting, Marty Nix, president of PulaskiPulaski Association of Classroom Teachers, would not say specifically if teachers might strike to challenge the new schedule, which in effect violates the existing contract the district has with its teachers. It forces teachers to now hold preparation periods during the lengthened school day rather than before or after the student day as their contract allows.
The new schedule will lengthen the school day by 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the afternoon. Some students will be getting on a bus as early as 6 a.m. with the new schedule.
Former Acting Superintend-ent Rob McGill in May had proposed the new schedule, but it has never come to a board vote. At the time, the majority of the board believed that the contract was no longer in effect and that the schedule had to be revised to comply with state law, which mandates teacher planning periods to be part of the school day.
Since then, Pulaski County Circuit Court Judge Tim Fox has ruled – for a second time – that the district’s contract with teachers is in effect and must be followed.
The change in the bell schedule will not lengthen the school day for teachers, Nix pointed out. “This is a parent issue that will affect students and teachers’ ability to teach effectively.”
Not only will students start the day earlier, some will be eating lunch at 10:30 in the morning. “Then they go to recess and then sit in class for hours at a time,” Nix said. “This is supposed to be good for student learning. I don’t think so.”
“The bell schedule affects thousands of people in the community,” parent Mollie Clower told the board. “Therefore, it is the district’s obligation to inform both parents and teachers and give them a chance to voice any concerns about such a change as well as explain the plan to administer the change prior to making such a change permanent.”
Clower’s two daughters, who attend Baker Elementary School, now catch the bus at 7 a.m., but with the new schedule will have that will change to 6:30.
“The new bell schedule will require them to wait in the dark for 157 days out of 179 days of school. The earlier time is not going to make smarter students, but fatigued students.,” she said.
“It will not be unreasonable students will be at bus stop at 6 o’clock,” PCSSD transportation director Brad Montgomery affirmed.
Teachers last week filed a class-action injunction against the district for changing the schedule, contending it is a violation of their contract. The prep period was also shortened by five minutes, from 40 to 45 minutes, as stipulated in the contract.
Those violations are “just the tip of the iceberg,” Nix said of the revised bell schedule. “There have been so many violations to the contract, I couldn’t even name them all,” Nix said. “According to every ruling from the court, the PNA is still in effect. That is not something that can be interpreted differently. It is totally unambiguous.”
Hopson said he would “let our legal team explore that,” when asked if he had any concerns that the revised bell schedule was violating an existing contract.
Hopson said he thought the new schedule was good for students, because it would mean an additional 200 minutes per week for instruction.
“Those minutes are necessary to address academic disparities as well as enrichment for TAG (talented and gifted) students,” Hopson said.
Hopson said that to revert to the old schedule so close to the start of school could be a burden for parents who have already made accommodations to the new one, but that “nothing is set in stone.”
The schedule change does not affect secondary schools because those teachers already had their prep period during the day.
Board member Gwen Williams spoke against the new bell schedule because of complaints from parents and because the change violates the current teacher contract.
Williams reminded the board that all certified staff should have 10 days to review any proposed policy change before a board vote. “That has not happened.”
Board president Tim Clark said he has gotten calls from lots of parents complaining about the bell schedule change.
“A whole lot of families are trying to renegotiate their morning hours, some will have to take off work earlier,” Clark said.
Clark said he favored Hopson working with the transportation department to refine the schedule to minimize impacts on families.
Williams said she was “still in awe that the district would not follow a judge’s order. “We have got to come together as a district or we won’t have a district. We have got to sit down and talk about and work this thing out. The contract and PNA is in effect.
Look into your hearts and do the right thing. In want school to open next week.”
During the board comment period, Bill Vasquez encouraged his fellow board members to take a couple of hours to read the existing agreement and become familiar with it.
“It affects the lives of 18,000 students, 4,000 employees and 2 and a half million taxpayers,” Vasquez.
Vasquez also spoke against the revised bell schedule.
“We are putting them in the dark for an extra month,” Vasquez noted. “In rural areas, there are no street lights or sidewalks.”
In other board business, board member Danny Gililland was elected to represent the board in continuing negotiations between the district and PACT on matters regarding the current contract. The vote was 4-3, splitting along lines either favoring continued union recognition or not.
District and union leaders are to set a date soon for when to resume negotiations.
TOP STORY > >J’Accuse: Smearing of general
By GARRICK FELDMAN
Leader executive editor
Air Force Gen. John D. Lavelle, who died more than 30 years ago, after he was falsely accused of insubordination, is a four-star general again.
President Obama last week restored the two stars that were stripped away from Lavelle in 1972, after the Nixon White House drummed him out of the Air Force for bombing North Vietnamese targets that were supposedly off-limits.
The media had portrayedLavelle as a rogue general who was running his own bombing campaign without approval from the White House and covering up those missions.
The controversy became known as the Lavelle Affair.
When the bombing campaign was exposed in the media, Lavelle was made the fall guy. After congressional hearings, he was demoted two ranks, to major general, and drummed out of the Air Force.
In fact, Nixon himself had ordered the bombings, but when the coverup was exposed, Tricky Dick made Lavelle take the fall.
It was one of the worst military scandals in U.S. history, entirely hatched in the White House, so you know Nixon had a hand in it.
Ever an officer and a gentleman, Lavelle accepted responsibility and took his punishment, although he’d tell reporters who asked that he was doing the White House’s bidding.
With the release of more Nixon tapes and a confession by former Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird, we now know what really happened: Nixon had ordered the bombing of some 20 North Vietnamese missile batteries even if they posed no danger to our pilots.
Why couldn’t our pilots target the missile sites?
Nixon and Henry Kissinger, his national security chief, had made a deal during peace negotiations with the North Vietnamese to ease up on the bombing campaign, unless our forces felt threatened.
But Nixon secretly sent word to Lavelle, the commander of air operations in Vietnam, that he could bomb anywhere he felt like it, so the general obliged.
Nixon, although devious as ever, felt some guilt about framing Lavelle. That didn’t bother Kissinger, who was probably in on the doublecross.
“I just don’t want him to be made a goat, goddamnit,” Nixon told Kissinger on the once-secret tapes. “It’s just a hell of a damn.
And it’s a bad rap for him, Henry.”
Kissinger, having helped wreck a general’s good name and career, said, “I think this will go away.”
But 35 years later, Laird told two writers for Air Force Magazine that Lavelle had done exactly what he was told: “The new orders permitted hitting anti-aircraft installations and other dangerous targets if spotted on their missions, whether they were activated or not,” Laird told retired Lt. Gen. Aloysius Casey and his son Patrick Casey, who wrote the Air Force Magazine article three years ago.
So even after that finding, it’s taken all these years to right a wrong. Lavelle was too much of a gentleman to fight to get his rank back, but when reporters asked him about Vietnam, he’d tell them he was doing what was expected of him.
Under different circumstances, he could have become Air Force chief of staff and perhaps even chairman of the joint chiefs.
But Nixon, Kissin-ger and Laird made sure that didn’t happen. What’s worse, his enemies in the military who resented his success in three wars didn’t mind seeing him punished for something he didn’t do.
A veteran of the Second World War, as well as the Korea and Vietnam conflicts, Lavelle was a brilliant military strategist who played by the rules set down by his superiors.
Lavelle died in 1979 at the age of 62, a broken man.
His son, John D. Lavelle, Jr. said, “In the end, I think he found comfort in knowing that what he did saved some airmen’s lives, and that was worth more to him than four stars.”
His friends and family stood behind him and helped clear his name and recovered the stars that Nixon and Kissinger took from him.
Like Col. Alfred Dreyfus in France before him, Gen. Lavelle was the victim of a miscarriage of military justice that took years to correct.
Dreyfus, released from Devil’s Island after 12 years of incarceration, saw justice triumph many years after he was falsely accused of spying for the Germans.
Lavelle wasn’t imprisoned, but he didn’t live long enough to see himself exonerated. His 91-year-old widow, Mary Jo, should accept the stars that the cabal in the Nixon White House stole from her husband so long ago.
Leader executive editor
Air Force Gen. John D. Lavelle, who died more than 30 years ago, after he was falsely accused of insubordination, is a four-star general again.
President Obama last week restored the two stars that were stripped away from Lavelle in 1972, after the Nixon White House drummed him out of the Air Force for bombing North Vietnamese targets that were supposedly off-limits.
The media had portrayedLavelle as a rogue general who was running his own bombing campaign without approval from the White House and covering up those missions.
The controversy became known as the Lavelle Affair.
When the bombing campaign was exposed in the media, Lavelle was made the fall guy. After congressional hearings, he was demoted two ranks, to major general, and drummed out of the Air Force.
In fact, Nixon himself had ordered the bombings, but when the coverup was exposed, Tricky Dick made Lavelle take the fall.
It was one of the worst military scandals in U.S. history, entirely hatched in the White House, so you know Nixon had a hand in it.
Ever an officer and a gentleman, Lavelle accepted responsibility and took his punishment, although he’d tell reporters who asked that he was doing the White House’s bidding.
With the release of more Nixon tapes and a confession by former Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird, we now know what really happened: Nixon had ordered the bombing of some 20 North Vietnamese missile batteries even if they posed no danger to our pilots.
Why couldn’t our pilots target the missile sites?
Nixon and Henry Kissinger, his national security chief, had made a deal during peace negotiations with the North Vietnamese to ease up on the bombing campaign, unless our forces felt threatened.
But Nixon secretly sent word to Lavelle, the commander of air operations in Vietnam, that he could bomb anywhere he felt like it, so the general obliged.
Nixon, although devious as ever, felt some guilt about framing Lavelle. That didn’t bother Kissinger, who was probably in on the doublecross.
“I just don’t want him to be made a goat, goddamnit,” Nixon told Kissinger on the once-secret tapes. “It’s just a hell of a damn.
And it’s a bad rap for him, Henry.”
Kissinger, having helped wreck a general’s good name and career, said, “I think this will go away.”
But 35 years later, Laird told two writers for Air Force Magazine that Lavelle had done exactly what he was told: “The new orders permitted hitting anti-aircraft installations and other dangerous targets if spotted on their missions, whether they were activated or not,” Laird told retired Lt. Gen. Aloysius Casey and his son Patrick Casey, who wrote the Air Force Magazine article three years ago.
So even after that finding, it’s taken all these years to right a wrong. Lavelle was too much of a gentleman to fight to get his rank back, but when reporters asked him about Vietnam, he’d tell them he was doing what was expected of him.
Under different circumstances, he could have become Air Force chief of staff and perhaps even chairman of the joint chiefs.
But Nixon, Kissin-ger and Laird made sure that didn’t happen. What’s worse, his enemies in the military who resented his success in three wars didn’t mind seeing him punished for something he didn’t do.
A veteran of the Second World War, as well as the Korea and Vietnam conflicts, Lavelle was a brilliant military strategist who played by the rules set down by his superiors.
Lavelle died in 1979 at the age of 62, a broken man.
His son, John D. Lavelle, Jr. said, “In the end, I think he found comfort in knowing that what he did saved some airmen’s lives, and that was worth more to him than four stars.”
His friends and family stood behind him and helped clear his name and recovered the stars that Nixon and Kissinger took from him.
Like Col. Alfred Dreyfus in France before him, Gen. Lavelle was the victim of a miscarriage of military justice that took years to correct.
Dreyfus, released from Devil’s Island after 12 years of incarceration, saw justice triumph many years after he was falsely accused of spying for the Germans.
Lavelle wasn’t imprisoned, but he didn’t live long enough to see himself exonerated. His 91-year-old widow, Mary Jo, should accept the stars that the cabal in the Nixon White House stole from her husband so long ago.
TOP STORY > >Departments respond to fires
By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
A thunderstorm that rolled through Pulaski and Lonoke counties Tuesday afternoon averaged about 100 lightning strikes every four minutes and started at least two house fires.
CS and Z Fire Department responded to a house fire caused by a lightning strike off Poppy Lane, near Kerr Station Road, just outside Cabot.
South Bend, Ward, Cabot and Tri Community fire departments also sent tankers and firefighters to help battle the fire.
CS and Z Fire Chief Carl Stracener said when his department initially got the call around 3:30 p.m., dispatch said it was a grass fire, but when the two trucks of firefighters rolled up at the scene, it turned out to be a two-story home fully engulfed in flames and smoke.
“We couldn’t save it. It went fast,” he said. A couple lived in the home and wasn’t injured.
“The husband was sitting in a chair when the lightning struck, and the smoke caused him to get out in a hurry,” the chief explained.
Stracener said it looked like lightning hit the satellite dish and quickly followed the wiring all through the house.
At 7:30 p.m., the firefighters were still on the scene putting out hotspots.
Sherwood firefighters responded to three possible lightning strikes Tuesday afternoon but were able to confirm only one at 906 Dyson where damage was minimal.
Sean Clarke with the National Weather Service said the storm seemed to get worse as it moved northeast. It only dropped a trace of rain at Adams Field in Little Rock, 0.84 of an inch at North Little Rock (a new daily record for Aug. 10) and two to three inches in the Lonoke area.
He said the storm, at its peak, was producing 100 or more lightning strikes every four minutes. He said that count included cloud to cloud as well as cloud to ground hits.
The storms cooled off temperatures that were approaching triple digits. Area temperatures were 10 to 15 degrees cooler once the storm passed.
Leader staff writer
A thunderstorm that rolled through Pulaski and Lonoke counties Tuesday afternoon averaged about 100 lightning strikes every four minutes and started at least two house fires.
CS and Z Fire Department responded to a house fire caused by a lightning strike off Poppy Lane, near Kerr Station Road, just outside Cabot.
South Bend, Ward, Cabot and Tri Community fire departments also sent tankers and firefighters to help battle the fire.
CS and Z Fire Chief Carl Stracener said when his department initially got the call around 3:30 p.m., dispatch said it was a grass fire, but when the two trucks of firefighters rolled up at the scene, it turned out to be a two-story home fully engulfed in flames and smoke.
“We couldn’t save it. It went fast,” he said. A couple lived in the home and wasn’t injured.
“The husband was sitting in a chair when the lightning struck, and the smoke caused him to get out in a hurry,” the chief explained.
Stracener said it looked like lightning hit the satellite dish and quickly followed the wiring all through the house.
At 7:30 p.m., the firefighters were still on the scene putting out hotspots.
Sherwood firefighters responded to three possible lightning strikes Tuesday afternoon but were able to confirm only one at 906 Dyson where damage was minimal.
Sean Clarke with the National Weather Service said the storm seemed to get worse as it moved northeast. It only dropped a trace of rain at Adams Field in Little Rock, 0.84 of an inch at North Little Rock (a new daily record for Aug. 10) and two to three inches in the Lonoke area.
He said the storm, at its peak, was producing 100 or more lightning strikes every four minutes. He said that count included cloud to cloud as well as cloud to ground hits.
The storms cooled off temperatures that were approaching triple digits. Area temperatures were 10 to 15 degrees cooler once the storm passed.
TOP STORY > >Departments respond to fires
By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
A thunderstorm that rolled through Pulaski and Lonoke counties Tuesday afternoon averaged about 100 lightning strikes every four minutes and started at least two house fires.
CS and Z Fire Department responded to a house fire caused by a lightning strike off Poppy Lane, near Kerr Station Road, just outside Cabot.
South Bend, Ward, Cabot and Tri Community fire departments also sent tankers and firefighters to help battle the fire.
CS and Z Fire Chief Carl Stracener said when his department initially got the call around 3:30 p.m., dispatch said it was a grass fire, but when the two trucks of firefighters rolled up at the scene, it turned out to be a two-story home fully engulfed in flames and smoke.
“We couldn’t save it. It went fast,” he said. A couple lived in the home and wasn’t injured.
“The husband was sitting in a chair when the lightning struck, and the smoke caused him to get out in a hurry,” the chief explained.
Stracener said it looked like lightning hit the satellite dish and quickly followed the wiring all through the house.
At 7:30 p.m., the firefighters were still on the scene putting out hotspots.
Sherwood firefighters responded to three possible lightning strikes Tuesday afternoon but were able to confirm only one at 906 Dyson where damage was minimal.
Sean Clarke with the National Weather Service said the storm seemed to get worse as it moved northeast. It only dropped a trace of rain at Adams Field in Little Rock, 0.84 of an inch at North Little Rock (a new daily record for Aug. 10) and two to three inches in the Lonoke area.
He said the storm, at its peak, was producing 100 or more lightning strikes every four minutes. He said that count included cloud to cloud as well as cloud to ground hits.
The storms cooled off temperatures that were approaching triple digits. Area temperatures were 10 to 15 degrees cooler once the storm passed.
Leader staff writer
A thunderstorm that rolled through Pulaski and Lonoke counties Tuesday afternoon averaged about 100 lightning strikes every four minutes and started at least two house fires.
CS and Z Fire Department responded to a house fire caused by a lightning strike off Poppy Lane, near Kerr Station Road, just outside Cabot.
South Bend, Ward, Cabot and Tri Community fire departments also sent tankers and firefighters to help battle the fire.
CS and Z Fire Chief Carl Stracener said when his department initially got the call around 3:30 p.m., dispatch said it was a grass fire, but when the two trucks of firefighters rolled up at the scene, it turned out to be a two-story home fully engulfed in flames and smoke.
“We couldn’t save it. It went fast,” he said. A couple lived in the home and wasn’t injured.
“The husband was sitting in a chair when the lightning struck, and the smoke caused him to get out in a hurry,” the chief explained.
Stracener said it looked like lightning hit the satellite dish and quickly followed the wiring all through the house.
At 7:30 p.m., the firefighters were still on the scene putting out hotspots.
Sherwood firefighters responded to three possible lightning strikes Tuesday afternoon but were able to confirm only one at 906 Dyson where damage was minimal.
Sean Clarke with the National Weather Service said the storm seemed to get worse as it moved northeast. It only dropped a trace of rain at Adams Field in Little Rock, 0.84 of an inch at North Little Rock (a new daily record for Aug. 10) and two to three inches in the Lonoke area.
He said the storm, at its peak, was producing 100 or more lightning strikes every four minutes. He said that count included cloud to cloud as well as cloud to ground hits.
The storms cooled off temperatures that were approaching triple digits. Area temperatures were 10 to 15 degrees cooler once the storm passed.
TOP STORY > >New commander shares optimism
By JOHN HOFHEIMER
Leader senior staff writer
A change of command at Little Rock Air Force Base is usually a pretty seamless affair, maybe never more so than when Col. Greg Otey passed the 19th Airlift Wing’s guidon to Col. Mike Minihan on Aug. 2.
Two big, affable men who have worked together and even slept in the same tent while serving as commanders in “the sandbox,” they are friends, Minihan said Tuesday.
Otey left after 19 months for a Pentagon assignment as division chief at Air Force headquarters.
Although Otey serves the joint chiefs, he is not part of the Joint Command that Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Mon-day proposed to abolish.
Minihan said he has spent the last week immersed in the different aspects of thebase. “The enthusiasm and pride (here) are nothing short of inspirational,” he said. “These young kids really know how to get the job done.”
HERK DRIVER
He said “herk drivers” always like to come back to Little Rock Air Force Base and he was thrilled to learn that the community had won the Abilene Trophy for 2009 as the most supportive Air Mobility Wing community.
He said now everybody in the AMC knows what a great community this is.
Minihan is impressed with growth in the area and on the base, including the new Joint Education Center, which Jacksonville residents taxed themselves to help pay for.
30 DAYS LEARNING
Minihan said he would spend the first 30 days learning the people, environment and mission.
“I don’t anticipate any large changes,” he said. “The wing has proven itself time and again.”
After that, he said he would put his own leadership style in action, “but along the same battle lines (as Otey) — mission, people, family and fun.”
It was obvious during the change-of-command ceremony that a great deal of friendship and respect exist between the two men.
“I met Col. Otey in 1993 (moving from) Pope Air Force Base to Little Rock. In 2003, we deployed and worked together. He was the squadron commander and I was one of his operations officers. We slept in the same tent. He was a phenomenal mentor.
He’s partially responsible for my being here.”
HEART OF A TEACHER
He called Otey “a gracious leader with the heart of a teacher.”
Minihan lived in Sherwood prior to assignment to base housing and married the former Ashley Mixon while here. They have three children, Adair, Mikey and Marley, and is the son of (Ret.) Lt. Gen. Kenneth and Barbara Minihan.
The three Minihan children go to school in Little Rock. Adair, the oldest, will be a sophomore at Little Rock Central, Mikey, 11, will attend the Lisa Academy North and Marley, 6, is going into first grade at the Lisa Academy.
“We are big fans of public schools,” he said, but particularly with Adair, wanted to assure a smooth transition when the family leaves in two years, to her senior year at some as-of-yet unknown location. “My daughter is on her eighth school, he said.
“I want to carry on where the Oteys left off,” he said. “I want to partner with the local community and provide a world class education for the sons and daughters of airmen.”
BEAT CANCER HERE
A marriage wasn’t the only life-changing event for Minihan when he first came to Little Rock AFB.
He learned to fly the C-130 Hercules and how to lead here, and he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer by a flight surgeon at what was then the base hospital.
He underwent two operations and radiation treatments here and recovered from the cancer.
As far as personal challenges, Minihan said he’d been “out of the C-130 business for four years, three with the Army and with the Strategic Air Command. Here I’ll get back in the tactical airlift business.”
Challenges facing the wing are increased mission set and infrastructure, including base housing.
Problems with privatization of housing plagued the base until Hunt-Pinnacle bought the contract from a failed developer.
“I’m going to be paying a lot of attention there,” he said.
He described the existing partnership with the 314th Air Education Wing and the National Guard’s 189th Air Wing as “thriving.”
“It is an honor to be here, to not only serve with the airmen — and when I say airmen, I’m talking active duty, Reserve, Guard, civilians, contractors, retirees — to serve here again is just a real treat for me — to partner with an award-wining community to make sure our airmen have everything they need to thrive,” Minihan said.
“I look forward to carrying the ball forward, where Col. Otey left off,” he said. “And to spending two long years enjoying my time here at Little Rock.”
Leader senior staff writer
A change of command at Little Rock Air Force Base is usually a pretty seamless affair, maybe never more so than when Col. Greg Otey passed the 19th Airlift Wing’s guidon to Col. Mike Minihan on Aug. 2.
Two big, affable men who have worked together and even slept in the same tent while serving as commanders in “the sandbox,” they are friends, Minihan said Tuesday.
Otey left after 19 months for a Pentagon assignment as division chief at Air Force headquarters.
Although Otey serves the joint chiefs, he is not part of the Joint Command that Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Mon-day proposed to abolish.
Minihan said he has spent the last week immersed in the different aspects of thebase. “The enthusiasm and pride (here) are nothing short of inspirational,” he said. “These young kids really know how to get the job done.”
HERK DRIVER
He said “herk drivers” always like to come back to Little Rock Air Force Base and he was thrilled to learn that the community had won the Abilene Trophy for 2009 as the most supportive Air Mobility Wing community.
He said now everybody in the AMC knows what a great community this is.
Minihan is impressed with growth in the area and on the base, including the new Joint Education Center, which Jacksonville residents taxed themselves to help pay for.
30 DAYS LEARNING
Minihan said he would spend the first 30 days learning the people, environment and mission.
“I don’t anticipate any large changes,” he said. “The wing has proven itself time and again.”
After that, he said he would put his own leadership style in action, “but along the same battle lines (as Otey) — mission, people, family and fun.”
It was obvious during the change-of-command ceremony that a great deal of friendship and respect exist between the two men.
“I met Col. Otey in 1993 (moving from) Pope Air Force Base to Little Rock. In 2003, we deployed and worked together. He was the squadron commander and I was one of his operations officers. We slept in the same tent. He was a phenomenal mentor.
He’s partially responsible for my being here.”
HEART OF A TEACHER
He called Otey “a gracious leader with the heart of a teacher.”
Minihan lived in Sherwood prior to assignment to base housing and married the former Ashley Mixon while here. They have three children, Adair, Mikey and Marley, and is the son of (Ret.) Lt. Gen. Kenneth and Barbara Minihan.
The three Minihan children go to school in Little Rock. Adair, the oldest, will be a sophomore at Little Rock Central, Mikey, 11, will attend the Lisa Academy North and Marley, 6, is going into first grade at the Lisa Academy.
“We are big fans of public schools,” he said, but particularly with Adair, wanted to assure a smooth transition when the family leaves in two years, to her senior year at some as-of-yet unknown location. “My daughter is on her eighth school, he said.
“I want to carry on where the Oteys left off,” he said. “I want to partner with the local community and provide a world class education for the sons and daughters of airmen.”
BEAT CANCER HERE
A marriage wasn’t the only life-changing event for Minihan when he first came to Little Rock AFB.
He learned to fly the C-130 Hercules and how to lead here, and he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer by a flight surgeon at what was then the base hospital.
He underwent two operations and radiation treatments here and recovered from the cancer.
As far as personal challenges, Minihan said he’d been “out of the C-130 business for four years, three with the Army and with the Strategic Air Command. Here I’ll get back in the tactical airlift business.”
Challenges facing the wing are increased mission set and infrastructure, including base housing.
Problems with privatization of housing plagued the base until Hunt-Pinnacle bought the contract from a failed developer.
“I’m going to be paying a lot of attention there,” he said.
He described the existing partnership with the 314th Air Education Wing and the National Guard’s 189th Air Wing as “thriving.”
“It is an honor to be here, to not only serve with the airmen — and when I say airmen, I’m talking active duty, Reserve, Guard, civilians, contractors, retirees — to serve here again is just a real treat for me — to partner with an award-wining community to make sure our airmen have everything they need to thrive,” Minihan said.
“I look forward to carrying the ball forward, where Col. Otey left off,” he said. “And to spending two long years enjoying my time here at Little Rock.”
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
SPORTS>>Summertime still beckons despite heat
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
“Oh, it’s not that hot out there — you’re just being a teeny baby.”
Those were the words from my grandma Bill to me about 30 years ago. It was the summer of 1980, I was seven years old, and yes, it was HOT outside.
But my dear old grandmother was right. I stayed in the heat, drank plenty of Kool-aid (we had no idea what Gatorade was in Floyd back in those days) and got acclimated enough to enjoy an adventure-filled summer of getting beaten up by my brother
Mike and being chased across the yard by my water pistol-wielding cousins.
Ah, the good times — the painful, humiliating good times we had.
I bring that up to remind you that in spite of the triple-digit temperatures we are currently experiencing, the window for getting outdoors and pursuing summertime fun is quickly closing. Before you know it, October will be here with its chilly mornings and evenings, and out will come the jackets and long-sleeve shirts.
Some people can’t get out because of health conditions, which is completely understandable. But for those of you who are sequestered indoors 24 hours a day simply because you don’t want to get hot, refer back to the first line of this column.
There’s plenty to do outside, and some of it can even be done in the shade.
The most obvious activity is fishing. Now, I’m no expert angler. In fact, I have about as much luck with fishing as Leader sports editor Todd Traub has with women.
But then again, I’ve never had a rainbow trout call the police on me and file a restraining order, so maybe it’s not quite that bad.
There are plenty of places to fish in this area, and plenty of different types of fish to pursue. Leader sales executive John Henderson, our resident fishing expert, recommends finding places for fishing which have brushy areas, and also said the end of the month will be good for catfish.
If trout fishing is more your style, the Little Red River is a great year-round getaway.
But fishing can also be done after cooler weather sets in. For me, summer is all about swimming at the lake.
Now, in my younger days, that meant a trip to Greers Ferry Lake in Heber Springs, but more recently, I’ve enjoyed semi-frequent trips to Indian Lake here in the Cabot area. It’s closer, less crowded, and now you can even eat a home-cooked breakfast on the deck of the owner’s house.
If the lake is not your style, there are also plenty of public pools in the area. That’s more for the kiddos, but the Jacksonville Community Center also has a pool that people of all ages use, and that one is even indoors.
Another of my favorite summertime activities is hiking, but that one is only for the bravest of souls.
This activity, more than any of the others listed above, requires a bit of precaution simply because it is easy to get stranded without water or communication. I strongly suggest places specifically designed for hiking such as Sugarloaf or Pinnacle mountains.
Those walks in the deep country can end in misfortune, and if you inadvertently end up on the wrong person’s property, it can end with someone playing a banjo while his buddy encourages you to make livestock sounds. Talk about your summertime blues!
Someone less adventurous but still fitness oriented can simply go to any of the area high schools and walk on their tracks. You might even get to take in a morning or afternoon football practice if you time it right.
But that’s only scratching the surface.
Space does not permit me to get into those cutthroat badminton tournaments going on across central Arkansas, not to mention the Jacksonville Sand Volleyball League. That is a recreation league, which plays volleyball matches at Foxwood every Wednesday night, and is run by none other than Steve Evans from Jacksonville Guitar.
So, if you happen to get burned out on volleyball, you could always ask Steve about the times he met Willie Nelson or that goofy Elvis impersonator guy.
But whatever you do, get out there and enjoy the summertime we have left. Because this last month or so of sleeveless-shirt, flip-flop wearing, dive board-springing weather will be gone before you know it.
Leader sportswriter
“Oh, it’s not that hot out there — you’re just being a teeny baby.”
Those were the words from my grandma Bill to me about 30 years ago. It was the summer of 1980, I was seven years old, and yes, it was HOT outside.
But my dear old grandmother was right. I stayed in the heat, drank plenty of Kool-aid (we had no idea what Gatorade was in Floyd back in those days) and got acclimated enough to enjoy an adventure-filled summer of getting beaten up by my brother
Mike and being chased across the yard by my water pistol-wielding cousins.
Ah, the good times — the painful, humiliating good times we had.
I bring that up to remind you that in spite of the triple-digit temperatures we are currently experiencing, the window for getting outdoors and pursuing summertime fun is quickly closing. Before you know it, October will be here with its chilly mornings and evenings, and out will come the jackets and long-sleeve shirts.
Some people can’t get out because of health conditions, which is completely understandable. But for those of you who are sequestered indoors 24 hours a day simply because you don’t want to get hot, refer back to the first line of this column.
There’s plenty to do outside, and some of it can even be done in the shade.
The most obvious activity is fishing. Now, I’m no expert angler. In fact, I have about as much luck with fishing as Leader sports editor Todd Traub has with women.
But then again, I’ve never had a rainbow trout call the police on me and file a restraining order, so maybe it’s not quite that bad.
There are plenty of places to fish in this area, and plenty of different types of fish to pursue. Leader sales executive John Henderson, our resident fishing expert, recommends finding places for fishing which have brushy areas, and also said the end of the month will be good for catfish.
If trout fishing is more your style, the Little Red River is a great year-round getaway.
But fishing can also be done after cooler weather sets in. For me, summer is all about swimming at the lake.
Now, in my younger days, that meant a trip to Greers Ferry Lake in Heber Springs, but more recently, I’ve enjoyed semi-frequent trips to Indian Lake here in the Cabot area. It’s closer, less crowded, and now you can even eat a home-cooked breakfast on the deck of the owner’s house.
If the lake is not your style, there are also plenty of public pools in the area. That’s more for the kiddos, but the Jacksonville Community Center also has a pool that people of all ages use, and that one is even indoors.
Another of my favorite summertime activities is hiking, but that one is only for the bravest of souls.
This activity, more than any of the others listed above, requires a bit of precaution simply because it is easy to get stranded without water or communication. I strongly suggest places specifically designed for hiking such as Sugarloaf or Pinnacle mountains.
Those walks in the deep country can end in misfortune, and if you inadvertently end up on the wrong person’s property, it can end with someone playing a banjo while his buddy encourages you to make livestock sounds. Talk about your summertime blues!
Someone less adventurous but still fitness oriented can simply go to any of the area high schools and walk on their tracks. You might even get to take in a morning or afternoon football practice if you time it right.
But that’s only scratching the surface.
Space does not permit me to get into those cutthroat badminton tournaments going on across central Arkansas, not to mention the Jacksonville Sand Volleyball League. That is a recreation league, which plays volleyball matches at Foxwood every Wednesday night, and is run by none other than Steve Evans from Jacksonville Guitar.
So, if you happen to get burned out on volleyball, you could always ask Steve about the times he met Willie Nelson or that goofy Elvis impersonator guy.
But whatever you do, get out there and enjoy the summertime we have left. Because this last month or so of sleeveless-shirt, flip-flop wearing, dive board-springing weather will be gone before you know it.
SPORTS>>Running back not a worry for Devils
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
Jacksonville’s second week of August practice has exceeded new coach Rick Russell’s expectations.
But Russell said there is still plenty of work to be done with the start of the season now less than three weeks away. The Devils have one full scrimmage under their belts, with plenty more to go in the coming week.
“It’s been better than I expected,” Russell said. “That heat, we had to be cautious with them and give them frequent breaks, but the effort, the intensity and concentration has been real good. I thought we had a real successful first week.”
The Red Devils have managed the heat well, with the exception of some scary moments for Fletcher Berkley, who had a couple of heat-related spells but has been treated and made a full recovery.
“It’s been a toll on everyone — it’s been a toll on me, it’s tough,” Russell said. “Yesterday until about 11, it was all go. And then it just seemed like it hit us all in the top of the head.”
In a new wrinkle, the Red Devils have two female players on the roster. Juniors Sarah Moncrief, a lineman, and Taylor Ruple, a kicker, have been practicing with the team since the first of August.
Moncrief, an advanced-placement student and transfer from North Pulaski, has been trying out for spots on the offensive and defensive line. Russell recruited Ruple, a standout on the Lady Red Devils’ soccer team, to try out for junior-varsity kicking duties this season.
“We heard she could kick, and we talked to her,” Russell said. “If they want to play, we’re going to take every precaution to get them out there. And the guys have really helped the situation.
“There were some concerns early with how the logistics of it would work — dress facilities and all this stuff, but we worked all that out, and everything’s going good.”
Russell said the defense has installed about 60 to 70 percent of its formations and plays. There are still a lot of vacant spots, which Russell said would be filled once everyone is evaluated and put at the most suitable spot.
“We’ve got a pretty good idea,” Russell said. “We’ve only had one major scrimmage. We’re getting a picture on defense of where the guys are fitting. Right now, we’ve got a strong safety that might be better at free safety, or an inside linebacker that might be a better outside linebacker, or vice-versa.
“That’s what we’re really trying to put the pieces together right now, putting them in the right positions based on their athletic ability.”
One position that appears set is running back. With proven seniors Antwon Mosby and John Johnson returning, as well as some talented underclassmen, the ground attack appears to be in good shape as the Red Devils transition from the Spread to a run-oriented offense.
“The offensive backfield, right now, is kind of by committee,” Russell said. “That’s a good thing to have, but it’s hard for coaches to figure out what player fits in which group.”
Leader sportswriter
Jacksonville’s second week of August practice has exceeded new coach Rick Russell’s expectations.
But Russell said there is still plenty of work to be done with the start of the season now less than three weeks away. The Devils have one full scrimmage under their belts, with plenty more to go in the coming week.
“It’s been better than I expected,” Russell said. “That heat, we had to be cautious with them and give them frequent breaks, but the effort, the intensity and concentration has been real good. I thought we had a real successful first week.”
The Red Devils have managed the heat well, with the exception of some scary moments for Fletcher Berkley, who had a couple of heat-related spells but has been treated and made a full recovery.
“It’s been a toll on everyone — it’s been a toll on me, it’s tough,” Russell said. “Yesterday until about 11, it was all go. And then it just seemed like it hit us all in the top of the head.”
In a new wrinkle, the Red Devils have two female players on the roster. Juniors Sarah Moncrief, a lineman, and Taylor Ruple, a kicker, have been practicing with the team since the first of August.
Moncrief, an advanced-placement student and transfer from North Pulaski, has been trying out for spots on the offensive and defensive line. Russell recruited Ruple, a standout on the Lady Red Devils’ soccer team, to try out for junior-varsity kicking duties this season.
“We heard she could kick, and we talked to her,” Russell said. “If they want to play, we’re going to take every precaution to get them out there. And the guys have really helped the situation.
“There were some concerns early with how the logistics of it would work — dress facilities and all this stuff, but we worked all that out, and everything’s going good.”
Russell said the defense has installed about 60 to 70 percent of its formations and plays. There are still a lot of vacant spots, which Russell said would be filled once everyone is evaluated and put at the most suitable spot.
“We’ve got a pretty good idea,” Russell said. “We’ve only had one major scrimmage. We’re getting a picture on defense of where the guys are fitting. Right now, we’ve got a strong safety that might be better at free safety, or an inside linebacker that might be a better outside linebacker, or vice-versa.
“That’s what we’re really trying to put the pieces together right now, putting them in the right positions based on their athletic ability.”
One position that appears set is running back. With proven seniors Antwon Mosby and John Johnson returning, as well as some talented underclassmen, the ground attack appears to be in good shape as the Red Devils transition from the Spread to a run-oriented offense.
“The offensive backfield, right now, is kind of by committee,” Russell said. “That’s a good thing to have, but it’s hard for coaches to figure out what player fits in which group.”
SPORTS>>Running back not a worry for Devils
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
Jacksonville’s second week of August practice has exceeded new coach Rick Russell’s expectations.
But Russell said there is still plenty of work to be done with the start of the season now less than three weeks away. The Devils have one full scrimmage under their belts, with plenty more to go in the coming week.
“It’s been better than I expected,” Russell said. “That heat, we had to be cautious with them and give them frequent breaks, but the effort, the intensity and concentration has been real good. I thought we had a real successful first week.”
The Red Devils have managed the heat well, with the exception of some scary moments for Fletcher Berkley, who had a couple of heat-related spells but has been treated and made a full recovery.
“It’s been a toll on everyone — it’s been a toll on me, it’s tough,” Russell said. “Yesterday until about 11, it was all go. And then it just seemed like it hit us all in the top of the head.”
In a new wrinkle, the Red Devils have two female players on the roster. Juniors Sarah Moncrief, a lineman, and Taylor Ruple, a kicker, have been practicing with the team since the first of August.
Moncrief, an advanced-placement student and transfer from North Pulaski, has been trying out for spots on the offensive and defensive line. Russell recruited Ruple, a standout on the Lady Red Devils’ soccer team, to try out for junior-varsity kicking duties this season.
“We heard she could kick, and we talked to her,” Russell said. “If they want to play, we’re going to take every precaution to get them out there. And the guys have really helped the situation.
“There were some concerns early with how the logistics of it would work — dress facilities and all this stuff, but we worked all that out, and everything’s going good.”
Russell said the defense has installed about 60 to 70 percent of its formations and plays. There are still a lot of vacant spots, which Russell said would be filled once everyone is evaluated and put at the most suitable spot.
“We’ve got a pretty good idea,” Russell said. “We’ve only had one major scrimmage. We’re getting a picture on defense of where the guys are fitting. Right now, we’ve got a strong safety that might be better at free safety, or an inside linebacker that might be a better outside linebacker, or vice-versa.
“That’s what we’re really trying to put the pieces together right now, putting them in the right positions based on their athletic ability.”
One position that appears set is running back. With proven seniors Antwon Mosby and John Johnson returning, as well as some talented underclassmen, the ground attack appears to be in good shape as the Red Devils transition from the Spread to a run-oriented offense.
“The offensive backfield, right now, is kind of by committee,” Russell said. “That’s a good thing to have, but it’s hard for coaches to figure out what player fits in which group.”
Leader sportswriter
Jacksonville’s second week of August practice has exceeded new coach Rick Russell’s expectations.
But Russell said there is still plenty of work to be done with the start of the season now less than three weeks away. The Devils have one full scrimmage under their belts, with plenty more to go in the coming week.
“It’s been better than I expected,” Russell said. “That heat, we had to be cautious with them and give them frequent breaks, but the effort, the intensity and concentration has been real good. I thought we had a real successful first week.”
The Red Devils have managed the heat well, with the exception of some scary moments for Fletcher Berkley, who had a couple of heat-related spells but has been treated and made a full recovery.
“It’s been a toll on everyone — it’s been a toll on me, it’s tough,” Russell said. “Yesterday until about 11, it was all go. And then it just seemed like it hit us all in the top of the head.”
In a new wrinkle, the Red Devils have two female players on the roster. Juniors Sarah Moncrief, a lineman, and Taylor Ruple, a kicker, have been practicing with the team since the first of August.
Moncrief, an advanced-placement student and transfer from North Pulaski, has been trying out for spots on the offensive and defensive line. Russell recruited Ruple, a standout on the Lady Red Devils’ soccer team, to try out for junior-varsity kicking duties this season.
“We heard she could kick, and we talked to her,” Russell said. “If they want to play, we’re going to take every precaution to get them out there. And the guys have really helped the situation.
“There were some concerns early with how the logistics of it would work — dress facilities and all this stuff, but we worked all that out, and everything’s going good.”
Russell said the defense has installed about 60 to 70 percent of its formations and plays. There are still a lot of vacant spots, which Russell said would be filled once everyone is evaluated and put at the most suitable spot.
“We’ve got a pretty good idea,” Russell said. “We’ve only had one major scrimmage. We’re getting a picture on defense of where the guys are fitting. Right now, we’ve got a strong safety that might be better at free safety, or an inside linebacker that might be a better outside linebacker, or vice-versa.
“That’s what we’re really trying to put the pieces together right now, putting them in the right positions based on their athletic ability.”
One position that appears set is running back. With proven seniors Antwon Mosby and John Johnson returning, as well as some talented underclassmen, the ground attack appears to be in good shape as the Red Devils transition from the Spread to a run-oriented offense.
“The offensive backfield, right now, is kind of by committee,” Russell said. “That’s a good thing to have, but it’s hard for coaches to figure out what player fits in which group.”
SPORTS>>Limited supply of experience prime concern for Bears coach
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
Sylvan Hills’ tradition in athletics is pretty widely known.
But the feeling of leading a program steeped in tradition has escaped Bears coach Jim Withrow in the first week-and-a-half of August practice.
“It’s just like having an expansion team,” Withrow said of his inexperienced group. “There’s a lot of talent, just not that much experience. I like the group that we have, but right now, we’re just trying to get better from one practice to the next. We were a lot better on Friday than we were on Monday.”
Withrow made strides last week in his task of virtually rebuilding the offense and replacing the entire linebacker group from a year ago. Leading quarterback candidate Michael Maddox shone in the Friday afternoon scrimmage, as did fullback Greg Atchinson.
Maddox’s highlight was a deep completion to Anthony Featherston.
The defense has made strides of its own, but is still behind compared to the offense.
“Offensively, we executed better,” Withrow said. “As far as the defense, just getting lined up is half the battle right now. And that’s a long and tedious process.”
The Bears relied heavily on their defense to carry them through a number of close, low-scoring games last year, but with all four linebackers from 2009 now gone, the middle has been the main focus of rebuilding.
“That makes it tough,” Withrow said. “One of the things when you have guys for a number of years is that you just expect them to be there. You forget that you’re going to have to replace them at some point.
“I like the guys we have in there right now — they’ve got good speed, strong guys and good athletes. Once they settle in and get some experience under their belts, we’ll be a lot better.”
The corps consists of a trio of juniors, including inside linebackers Demarcus Willis and Trey Sims. Outside linebacker Willie Johnson is the third junior and is joined by senior Nate Clark.
And there is good depth developing behind the starters. Offensive starters Justin Cook and Greg Atchinson will back up Johnson and Clark at outside linebacker, though Withrow wants to limit the amount of time they defense.
Withrow is working a pair of sophomores to back up the inside and said those players are also making progress.
The plan this week was for a scrimmage to test the first team defense Tuesday and the first offensive group Thursday. As far as the wrinkles Withrow is adding, he said the basics are what it’s all about until the players get more experience and a better feel of what to expect on Friday nights.
“If we get on the bus the right way and don’t leave anyone at home, I’m giving everyone high fives,” Withrow said. “Our numbers are good, and I like the direction we are headed, so if we don’t panic early on, we should be in good shape.”
The Bears will hold Thursday practice from 5-7 p.m. and Friday from 4-6 p.m. because of teachers’ meetings earlier on those days.
Leader sportswriter
Sylvan Hills’ tradition in athletics is pretty widely known.
But the feeling of leading a program steeped in tradition has escaped Bears coach Jim Withrow in the first week-and-a-half of August practice.
“It’s just like having an expansion team,” Withrow said of his inexperienced group. “There’s a lot of talent, just not that much experience. I like the group that we have, but right now, we’re just trying to get better from one practice to the next. We were a lot better on Friday than we were on Monday.”
Withrow made strides last week in his task of virtually rebuilding the offense and replacing the entire linebacker group from a year ago. Leading quarterback candidate Michael Maddox shone in the Friday afternoon scrimmage, as did fullback Greg Atchinson.
Maddox’s highlight was a deep completion to Anthony Featherston.
The defense has made strides of its own, but is still behind compared to the offense.
“Offensively, we executed better,” Withrow said. “As far as the defense, just getting lined up is half the battle right now. And that’s a long and tedious process.”
The Bears relied heavily on their defense to carry them through a number of close, low-scoring games last year, but with all four linebackers from 2009 now gone, the middle has been the main focus of rebuilding.
“That makes it tough,” Withrow said. “One of the things when you have guys for a number of years is that you just expect them to be there. You forget that you’re going to have to replace them at some point.
“I like the guys we have in there right now — they’ve got good speed, strong guys and good athletes. Once they settle in and get some experience under their belts, we’ll be a lot better.”
The corps consists of a trio of juniors, including inside linebackers Demarcus Willis and Trey Sims. Outside linebacker Willie Johnson is the third junior and is joined by senior Nate Clark.
And there is good depth developing behind the starters. Offensive starters Justin Cook and Greg Atchinson will back up Johnson and Clark at outside linebacker, though Withrow wants to limit the amount of time they defense.
Withrow is working a pair of sophomores to back up the inside and said those players are also making progress.
The plan this week was for a scrimmage to test the first team defense Tuesday and the first offensive group Thursday. As far as the wrinkles Withrow is adding, he said the basics are what it’s all about until the players get more experience and a better feel of what to expect on Friday nights.
“If we get on the bus the right way and don’t leave anyone at home, I’m giving everyone high fives,” Withrow said. “Our numbers are good, and I like the direction we are headed, so if we don’t panic early on, we should be in good shape.”
The Bears will hold Thursday practice from 5-7 p.m. and Friday from 4-6 p.m. because of teachers’ meetings earlier on those days.
SPORTS>>Quarterbacks dueling at Lonoke
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
A shorter practice at Lonoke on Tuesday did not make for less activity.
In fact, it may have been one of the most productive days in the first two weeks of August camp for the Jackrabbits.
Head coach Doug Bost and the Lonoke staff held an abbreviated practice Tuesday morning before they were scheduled to take part in teachers’ meetings on the Harding University campus in Searcy.
Things concluded with a brief running drill just after 10 a.m., but the squad found plenty of time for two separate offensive drills and considerable special-teams work.
“This is the first day we’ve worked on special teams,” Bost said. “We went a good hour and 20 minutes, and went through every aspect of special teams. We know how important that is.
“We give kids a chance who maybe aren’t playing offense or defense, but have been working hard and showing us they want to play. We try to find a spot for them on special teams, so today was a good day to work on that.”
Lonoke’s trio of tailback candidates practiced handoff plays while the receivers caught passes from dueling quarterbacks Logan Dewhitt and Tarrell Watson.
“We’ve got a good quarterback battle going on,” Bost said. “We’re switching them in and out, so we’ll see how that plays out.
One does one thing good, and the other doessomething else good, and that’s why I’m giving them a fair share of reps here.
“It’s just even right now, I don’t know.”
One of the tallest orders for Bost has been to replace all-state tailback Brandon Smith. Juniors Keli Bryant and T.J. Scott, and sophomore Dre Offord have all spent time in that spot, and Bost said all three have excelled and that he has not ruled out the possibility of rotating all three.
There will not be a similar rotation at quarterback, however. Bost said one of the two would eventually earn the starting job before camp is over because he wants to give the starter time to get in synch with the receivers. But with the entire offensive scheme in place and 90 percent of the defense, the ’Rabbits are almost at the fine-tuning stage.
“We got the whole offense in after today,” Bost said. “We’ve got three weeks before we play, now it’s just keep running, doing the reps over and over and get everybody used to it.”
T.J. Scott, along with his duties at running back, will serve as place kicker for the Jackrabbits.
He was solid in short distance field-goal drills Tuesday, hitting 7 of 8 attempts from both hash marks and the middle of the field.
“The thing we’re really working hard with him this year is if we can get him to kick it in the end zone,” Bost said. “That’s a 60-yard kick, that’s tough, but he’s got plenty of power. He’s really practiced his field goals; we feel good about that.”
Lonoke almost got through the first week of practice injury free, but senior receiver Scott Smith broke his collarbone making an athletic catch in the final 10 minutes of Friday’s practice.
“It was a beautiful catch, but he broke his collarbone,” Bost said. “He’s going to be out five weeks, so we’re expecting him to be ready to play the third game against McGehee. I know it’s disappointing to him, but he knows it’s five weeks and he’s back in the game, so he’ll be alright.”
Leader sportswriter
A shorter practice at Lonoke on Tuesday did not make for less activity.
In fact, it may have been one of the most productive days in the first two weeks of August camp for the Jackrabbits.
Head coach Doug Bost and the Lonoke staff held an abbreviated practice Tuesday morning before they were scheduled to take part in teachers’ meetings on the Harding University campus in Searcy.
Things concluded with a brief running drill just after 10 a.m., but the squad found plenty of time for two separate offensive drills and considerable special-teams work.
“This is the first day we’ve worked on special teams,” Bost said. “We went a good hour and 20 minutes, and went through every aspect of special teams. We know how important that is.
“We give kids a chance who maybe aren’t playing offense or defense, but have been working hard and showing us they want to play. We try to find a spot for them on special teams, so today was a good day to work on that.”
Lonoke’s trio of tailback candidates practiced handoff plays while the receivers caught passes from dueling quarterbacks Logan Dewhitt and Tarrell Watson.
“We’ve got a good quarterback battle going on,” Bost said. “We’re switching them in and out, so we’ll see how that plays out.
One does one thing good, and the other doessomething else good, and that’s why I’m giving them a fair share of reps here.
“It’s just even right now, I don’t know.”
One of the tallest orders for Bost has been to replace all-state tailback Brandon Smith. Juniors Keli Bryant and T.J. Scott, and sophomore Dre Offord have all spent time in that spot, and Bost said all three have excelled and that he has not ruled out the possibility of rotating all three.
There will not be a similar rotation at quarterback, however. Bost said one of the two would eventually earn the starting job before camp is over because he wants to give the starter time to get in synch with the receivers. But with the entire offensive scheme in place and 90 percent of the defense, the ’Rabbits are almost at the fine-tuning stage.
“We got the whole offense in after today,” Bost said. “We’ve got three weeks before we play, now it’s just keep running, doing the reps over and over and get everybody used to it.”
T.J. Scott, along with his duties at running back, will serve as place kicker for the Jackrabbits.
He was solid in short distance field-goal drills Tuesday, hitting 7 of 8 attempts from both hash marks and the middle of the field.
“The thing we’re really working hard with him this year is if we can get him to kick it in the end zone,” Bost said. “That’s a 60-yard kick, that’s tough, but he’s got plenty of power. He’s really practiced his field goals; we feel good about that.”
Lonoke almost got through the first week of practice injury free, but senior receiver Scott Smith broke his collarbone making an athletic catch in the final 10 minutes of Friday’s practice.
“It was a beautiful catch, but he broke his collarbone,” Bost said. “He’s going to be out five weeks, so we’re expecting him to be ready to play the third game against McGehee. I know it’s disappointing to him, but he knows it’s five weeks and he’s back in the game, so he’ll be alright.”
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