Alas, Mike Huckabee did not learn the most salient political lesson of the last 50 years, one that Richard M. Nixon and Bill Clinton grasped too late: Confronted with an embarrassing lapse in judgment or behavior, tell the unvarnished truth right away and put it behind you. Lies are apt to be exposed and prolong the agony.
Huckabee had to know from the outset that the Wayne Dumond Affair would follow him on the presidential campaign. Every governor who runs for higher office fears the Willie Horton in his past, and nearly every chief executive has one if he has ever exercised his clemency power. Horton was the convict furloughed by the state of Massachusetts who went on to commit fresh crimes. Republican commercials on Horton helped defeat Gov. Michael Dukakis and elevate the first George Bush to the presidency in 1988.
Dumond, the rapist whom Huckabee fought to release from prison and who then went on to murder in Missouri, need not have hurt Huckabee much. The former governor could say, as he at least implied on an occasion or two, that he was deeply saddened by the mistake and the horror it caused. All governors exercise some mercy from time to time, and few there are whose judgment have been unerring.
For a year into his long-shot presidential campaign, Huckabee was given a bye by the media and the other candidates. He was free to make what he could of his 10-year record as governor because he would not be challenged and no one but locals cared to test his claims against the truth of his record. His climb in the polls and the sudden ardor for his candidacy by media commentators changed that.
Last week, they began to ask him about Dumond and he took the course of Nixon and Clinton and so many others. He stretched the truth and then flat-out lied. This week, as the issue gained momentum, he blamed his predecessors, Jim Guy Tucker and Bill Clinton. Yes, Bill Clinton, who became the object of a right-wing furor because he would not commute Dumond’s sentence. They said he wouldn’t do it because Dumond’s victim was a distant cousin of Clinton.
When Tucker became acting governor, he did reduce Dumond’s sentence but made no effort to free him. Even before he became governor, Huckabee publicly took up Dumond’s cause and promised the rapist’s wife that one of his first acts would be to see justice done for the poor man. He doubted Dumond’s guilt but felt anyway that he had been punished enough.
Then this week he blamed Dumond’s release and his crime spree in Missouri on Bill Clinton! He went on Fox News to lay out the story. Governors don’t parole people, he explained, but parole boards do. “The people who made that decision were all appointees of Jim Guy Tucker and Bill Clinton, who, in fact, commuted his sentence and made him eligible for parole.”
He admitted this week that he had met with the parole board — an unprecedented occurrence — but he did not remember what he or they said. Two parole board members said Huckabee pressured them to parole Dumond. He gave one of the board members a big state job.
The Associated Press reported Thursday that Huckabee acknowledged having once favored Dumond’s release but said — this is astonishing — that when he found out that Dumond would not be supervised on parole he changed his mind, opposed his release and tried to stop it by refusing to further commute the sentence.
Never tell a story in public when your own written words put the lie to it.
On the day of Dumond’s parole in 1997, Gov. Huckabee issued this statement: “I concur with the board’s action and hope the lives of all those involved can move forward. The action of the board accomplishes what I sought to do in considering an earlier request for commutation ....”
He was opposed to parole?
Huckabee also sent this letter to Dumond, which became public: “Dear Wayne, I have reviewed your applications for executive clemency, specifically a commutation and/or pardon.... My desire is that you be released from prison. I feel now that parole is the best way for your reintegration into society .... Therefore, after careful consideration ... I have denied your applications.”
Now he seeks to use the denial of commutation as evidence that he opposed Dumond’s release when the fact was that he had achieved the goal in another way, by persuading the state board to parole him.
Once more: Do not run from your record or the truth, governor. There is much good in that record, and people will not hold the bad against you if you are honest about it.
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Thursday, November 01, 2007
SPORTS >>Cabot ladies ousted from state by Har-Ber
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
The Har-Ber Lady Wildcats proved to be the most impressive five-seed ever witnessed Tuesday afternoon during the first round of the 7A state volleyball tournament at the Cabot High School gymnasium. Har-Ber downed the host Lady Panthers in straight games, 25-14, 31-29 and 25-23 to advance to today’s quarterfinals against No. 1 seed Fort Smith Southside.
The Lady Panthers had more experience on the court, but the overall size advantage of the younger Har-Ber team would be enough to make up for the lesser experience on its side of the court. Cabot actually carried the momentum for most of the second game, but the Lady Wildcats captured the final two points of the game with a kill by sophomore outside hitter Holly Huffman and a net error by the Lady Panthers to close out the long frame.
The third game would also be led by the Lady Panthers most of the way. Cabot looked to be in good shape to avoid the shutout in game three, building up a comfortable 17-12 lead. Har-Ber had some struggles catching back up, but would finally catch the Lady Panthers to tie the score at 23 before closing the match with a block by Martha Swearington to reach 25.
The Lady Panthers rushed out to an early lead in game one, but it would not last past the fifth point. Kailey Bain served out to start the match for Har-Ber, giving the Lady Panthers the lead. An ace for senior defender Ashton Seidl put Cabot up by two, and Katie Mantione followed that with the first kill of the match for a 3-0 lead for the Lady Panthers early.
For a squad that features eight sophomores, two seniors and only one junior, the Lady Wildcats possessed a staggering amount of talent and discipline. The Lady Panthers, who played solidly themselves with the exception of a few miscues at the net, could only make adjustments throughout the match to try and compensate for the size disadvantage.
Cabot ended up with looks that it had not tried throughout much of the regular season, including the move of senior hitter Morgan Young into the libero position for much of game two, and the biggest surprise was the leading scorer for the Lady Panthers in the final game.
Senior Janell Reando made her mark over the last three years as the Lady Panthers’ assist leader, but she would walk out of the CHS gym after her final match as the top scorer for Cabot in the last half of the match. Reando, the second smallest of the Cabot starters at 5’8”, seemed to be the only Lady Panther who could get under the ruthless blocking of the Har-Ber front line. Young and fellow senior Katie Mantione had productive outings at the net, but the Lady Wildcat blocking duo of Crystal Bain and Swearington sent away numerous kill attempts by Cabot.
Har-Ber went on the offensive for the rest of game one after capturing the lead at 6-5, shutting down Cabot scoring opportunities at the net. Kirsti Hesseltine scored a tip, a kill and a block within a matter of six points to start the swing of momentum heavily in the Lady Wildcats’ favor.
The intensity in game two proved to make the lack of excitement in the first game a non-issue. The lead would change hands six times, causing the score to go far beyond the standard 25 points to claim a win. Instead, an out on Har-Ber tied the score at 24 all instead of handing the win to the Lady Wildcats, and Cabot would take the lead with a kill by Sarah Fuller that was assisted by Bianca Reando. Mantione would play a part in the point as well, faking a set up for a kill on the left side while Reando prepared to set. The Har-Ber defense adjusted in anticipation of a big strike from Mantione, but instead found themselves completely out of position when Reando’s short pass to Fuller was immediately drilled into the floor over the middle of the net. This would give the Lady Panthers a 25-24 lead, but a kill by Swearington tied the game yet again.
Har-Ber ended up with the lead again, but a block by Seidl tied it at 29 all. Huffman got perhaps the most vital point of the game on a kill that went out, but was tipped by Cabot to give the Lady Wildcats game point.
Mantione led the Panthers with eight kills, three blocks and one tip. Young added five kills, one block and three aces, and Janell Reando finished with six kills and two tips. For Har-Ber, Swearington led with seven kills, two tips, two blocks and two aces. Courtney Bell added six kills and an ace, while Hesseltine finished with four blocks, three kills and a tip.
The Lady Wildcats advance to today’s semifinal round at CHS, with a noon match with Fort Smith Southside, the No. 1 seed out of the 7A-West. The Lady Panthers finished out the season with a record of 14-10.
Leader sportswriter
The Har-Ber Lady Wildcats proved to be the most impressive five-seed ever witnessed Tuesday afternoon during the first round of the 7A state volleyball tournament at the Cabot High School gymnasium. Har-Ber downed the host Lady Panthers in straight games, 25-14, 31-29 and 25-23 to advance to today’s quarterfinals against No. 1 seed Fort Smith Southside.
The Lady Panthers had more experience on the court, but the overall size advantage of the younger Har-Ber team would be enough to make up for the lesser experience on its side of the court. Cabot actually carried the momentum for most of the second game, but the Lady Wildcats captured the final two points of the game with a kill by sophomore outside hitter Holly Huffman and a net error by the Lady Panthers to close out the long frame.
The third game would also be led by the Lady Panthers most of the way. Cabot looked to be in good shape to avoid the shutout in game three, building up a comfortable 17-12 lead. Har-Ber had some struggles catching back up, but would finally catch the Lady Panthers to tie the score at 23 before closing the match with a block by Martha Swearington to reach 25.
The Lady Panthers rushed out to an early lead in game one, but it would not last past the fifth point. Kailey Bain served out to start the match for Har-Ber, giving the Lady Panthers the lead. An ace for senior defender Ashton Seidl put Cabot up by two, and Katie Mantione followed that with the first kill of the match for a 3-0 lead for the Lady Panthers early.
For a squad that features eight sophomores, two seniors and only one junior, the Lady Wildcats possessed a staggering amount of talent and discipline. The Lady Panthers, who played solidly themselves with the exception of a few miscues at the net, could only make adjustments throughout the match to try and compensate for the size disadvantage.
Cabot ended up with looks that it had not tried throughout much of the regular season, including the move of senior hitter Morgan Young into the libero position for much of game two, and the biggest surprise was the leading scorer for the Lady Panthers in the final game.
Senior Janell Reando made her mark over the last three years as the Lady Panthers’ assist leader, but she would walk out of the CHS gym after her final match as the top scorer for Cabot in the last half of the match. Reando, the second smallest of the Cabot starters at 5’8”, seemed to be the only Lady Panther who could get under the ruthless blocking of the Har-Ber front line. Young and fellow senior Katie Mantione had productive outings at the net, but the Lady Wildcat blocking duo of Crystal Bain and Swearington sent away numerous kill attempts by Cabot.
Har-Ber went on the offensive for the rest of game one after capturing the lead at 6-5, shutting down Cabot scoring opportunities at the net. Kirsti Hesseltine scored a tip, a kill and a block within a matter of six points to start the swing of momentum heavily in the Lady Wildcats’ favor.
The intensity in game two proved to make the lack of excitement in the first game a non-issue. The lead would change hands six times, causing the score to go far beyond the standard 25 points to claim a win. Instead, an out on Har-Ber tied the score at 24 all instead of handing the win to the Lady Wildcats, and Cabot would take the lead with a kill by Sarah Fuller that was assisted by Bianca Reando. Mantione would play a part in the point as well, faking a set up for a kill on the left side while Reando prepared to set. The Har-Ber defense adjusted in anticipation of a big strike from Mantione, but instead found themselves completely out of position when Reando’s short pass to Fuller was immediately drilled into the floor over the middle of the net. This would give the Lady Panthers a 25-24 lead, but a kill by Swearington tied the game yet again.
Har-Ber ended up with the lead again, but a block by Seidl tied it at 29 all. Huffman got perhaps the most vital point of the game on a kill that went out, but was tipped by Cabot to give the Lady Wildcats game point.
Mantione led the Panthers with eight kills, three blocks and one tip. Young added five kills, one block and three aces, and Janell Reando finished with six kills and two tips. For Har-Ber, Swearington led with seven kills, two tips, two blocks and two aces. Courtney Bell added six kills and an ace, while Hesseltine finished with four blocks, three kills and a tip.
The Lady Wildcats advance to today’s semifinal round at CHS, with a noon match with Fort Smith Southside, the No. 1 seed out of the 7A-West. The Lady Panthers finished out the season with a record of 14-10.
SPORTS >>Devils, Pats battle for state
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The Jacksonville Red Devils have a second season on the line when they host the Marion Patriots this Friday night at Jan Crow Stadium. In fact, both teams do. With the first three playoff spots from the 6A-East Conference already taken, and three teams already eliminated from playoff contention, Jacksonville and Marion stand, left to battle it out for the right to advance to the playoffs. The winner plays next Friday, the loser turns in gear on Monday. In that sense, this is week one of the playoffs for these two teams.
Jacksonville lost to West Memphis last week by a score of 36-8, but it wasn’t that bad. The Blue Devils led just 8-0 at halftime, and 22-8 at the end of the third quarter when depth and superior size finally wore the Red Devils down.
It was toughest battle any team in the conference had given West Memphis all season, and the most points scored by a conference team against the vaunted Blue Devil defense which has shut out five of its seven league opponents.
Jacksonville coach Mark Whatley believes the same kind of effort this week should spell good news for his squad.
“If we get the same effort and improve our execution, we can live to play another week,” Whatley said. “Our effort was there. I thought the defense played its guts out. This team had been mercy-ruling people by halftime and we held ‘em to eight points. They finally worse us down and once again, we missed some opportunities here and there that could have been game changers that just didn’t finish. If we can finish those, we’ll be alright.”
Jacksonville’s offensive line also did an outstanding job, holding the ferocious Blue Devil pass rush without a sack the entire game.
Still Whatley would like to see some things improve within the passing game.
“The line did a great job for us,” Whatley said. “We still had some pass sort of sail on us. We dropped a few, didn’t finish some routes. The execution just has to get better. I don’t question the effort. When we can get that kind of effort to go along with execution we ought to do pretty well. There wasn’t one thing to point to, we shared in the wealth and the famine.”
Marion has been inconsistent this season as well. They are coming off a big win over Jonesboro and should bring some momentum into Pulaski County. Running back ?? has stepped up of late and become a major weapon for the Mark Uhiren coached Patriots.
“He’s one of those cats that gets in the crease, then he’s got that other gear he’ll shoot right on by you,” Whatley said.
“They’re going to do a lot of blocking down, kicking out to get that back in the creases and let him roll. We’re going to have to contain him if we’re going to have a chance.”
While containing ?? is a big key, Whatley isn’t as concerned with the defense.
“They’ve played their guts out,” Whatley said. “To me they’ve played above their heads and given us opportunities to win ball games. They’re buying into technique and doing what coach (defensive coordinator Rick) Russell asks them to do, the front four especially are doing a tremendous job.”
Leader sports editor
The Jacksonville Red Devils have a second season on the line when they host the Marion Patriots this Friday night at Jan Crow Stadium. In fact, both teams do. With the first three playoff spots from the 6A-East Conference already taken, and three teams already eliminated from playoff contention, Jacksonville and Marion stand, left to battle it out for the right to advance to the playoffs. The winner plays next Friday, the loser turns in gear on Monday. In that sense, this is week one of the playoffs for these two teams.
Jacksonville lost to West Memphis last week by a score of 36-8, but it wasn’t that bad. The Blue Devils led just 8-0 at halftime, and 22-8 at the end of the third quarter when depth and superior size finally wore the Red Devils down.
It was toughest battle any team in the conference had given West Memphis all season, and the most points scored by a conference team against the vaunted Blue Devil defense which has shut out five of its seven league opponents.
Jacksonville coach Mark Whatley believes the same kind of effort this week should spell good news for his squad.
“If we get the same effort and improve our execution, we can live to play another week,” Whatley said. “Our effort was there. I thought the defense played its guts out. This team had been mercy-ruling people by halftime and we held ‘em to eight points. They finally worse us down and once again, we missed some opportunities here and there that could have been game changers that just didn’t finish. If we can finish those, we’ll be alright.”
Jacksonville’s offensive line also did an outstanding job, holding the ferocious Blue Devil pass rush without a sack the entire game.
Still Whatley would like to see some things improve within the passing game.
“The line did a great job for us,” Whatley said. “We still had some pass sort of sail on us. We dropped a few, didn’t finish some routes. The execution just has to get better. I don’t question the effort. When we can get that kind of effort to go along with execution we ought to do pretty well. There wasn’t one thing to point to, we shared in the wealth and the famine.”
Marion has been inconsistent this season as well. They are coming off a big win over Jonesboro and should bring some momentum into Pulaski County. Running back ?? has stepped up of late and become a major weapon for the Mark Uhiren coached Patriots.
“He’s one of those cats that gets in the crease, then he’s got that other gear he’ll shoot right on by you,” Whatley said.
“They’re going to do a lot of blocking down, kicking out to get that back in the creases and let him roll. We’re going to have to contain him if we’re going to have a chance.”
While containing ?? is a big key, Whatley isn’t as concerned with the defense.
“They’ve played their guts out,” Whatley said. “To me they’ve played above their heads and given us opportunities to win ball games. They’re buying into technique and doing what coach (defensive coordinator Rick) Russell asks them to do, the front four especially are doing a tremendous job.”
SPORTS >>Beebe fighting to stay at home
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The Beebe Badgers and Batesville Pioneers can’t win a conference championship, but their matchup this Friday night at Bro Irwin Stadium is about as big as a regular-season closer can be without a league title on the line.
The two teams are 5-1 in league play, each with a close loss to undefeated Blytheville. That means that Friday’s game is for second place, and more importantly, a home game for the first round of the Class 5A state playoffs.
Beebe coach John Shannon was glad to see his team improve its game last week in a 28-6 win over Nettleton, but knows that Batesville is the best team his squad has faced other than Blytheville.
The Pioneers lost a one-point thriller to the Chickasaws two weeks ago, and have clobbered all other league opponents.
Their weapons are numerous, and their schemes are complex.
“They are big, got some speed and they’re very well coached,” Shannon said of the Pioneers. “That’s the thing that stands out most to me is how well coached they are.”
Shannon and his staff recognized on film that Batesville does a few things his team will have to be able to recognize before the ball is snapped.
“They don’t run a lot of different plays, but they line up in a lot of different formations,” Shannon said. “They try to get you to line up wrong and then they have the angle on you. Their running back (Tim Hughes) is one of those shifty kids that seems to give us some trouble, so we’d better be able to recognize formations and get in the right spot to stop ‘em.”
Conversely, Batesville coach Dave King is impressed with how physical the Badgers play football. Beebe’s offensive and defensive lines stand out to the head Pioneer.
“I would say up front Beebe is about as good as anyone we’ve seen,” King said. “Offensively and defensively the front line is one of their biggest strengths. They come off that ball low and hard. If you’re not ready to step up and get ready to get in someone’s mustache, you’re going to get lost in the clouds against Beebe because that’s what they do. That’s something I hope our guys will be ready for. We’re trying to make sure they know it, but you never know until they get out there.”
King’s own offensive line has improved by leaps and bounds since the beginning of the year. The Pioneers struggled to beat Searcy, and managed just seven points against Newport in an early-season loss. Since then, the offensive numbers have increased dramatically, and Batesville has blown out its last several conquered foes.
“They’re getting better,” King said of his offensive line. “None of them started last year, so they were all new to it, but they’ve gotten better. Slowly but surely they’ve improved all year long.”
Shannon lost a starting offensive lineman last week, but was pleased with Jason Smith, who stepped in for ?? Wooten and did a good job at guard. Overall, Shannon was pleased with the improvement his team showed since a lackluster effort against Greene County Tech a week earlier.
“It was a lot better,” Shannon said. “I feel like we moved the ball extremely well. We should have had two more touchdowns in the second half. We dropped the ball a couple of times and that cost us, but overall offensive execution was pretty good.”
Shannon was also pleased with the defense.
“The defense got back to playing like they had earlier,” Shannon said. “Nettleton was rolling. They’d been putting up 400 yards or more and over 40 points a game, and we held them to less than 200, so that was good to see.”
Shannon’s praise for King’s system was reciprocated. The head Pioneer expects a very tough game this Friday.
“They’re very well coached and look to be very excited about the position they are in,” King said. “They’re playing with a lot of confidence. It should be a battle.”
Leader sports editor
The Beebe Badgers and Batesville Pioneers can’t win a conference championship, but their matchup this Friday night at Bro Irwin Stadium is about as big as a regular-season closer can be without a league title on the line.
The two teams are 5-1 in league play, each with a close loss to undefeated Blytheville. That means that Friday’s game is for second place, and more importantly, a home game for the first round of the Class 5A state playoffs.
Beebe coach John Shannon was glad to see his team improve its game last week in a 28-6 win over Nettleton, but knows that Batesville is the best team his squad has faced other than Blytheville.
The Pioneers lost a one-point thriller to the Chickasaws two weeks ago, and have clobbered all other league opponents.
Their weapons are numerous, and their schemes are complex.
“They are big, got some speed and they’re very well coached,” Shannon said of the Pioneers. “That’s the thing that stands out most to me is how well coached they are.”
Shannon and his staff recognized on film that Batesville does a few things his team will have to be able to recognize before the ball is snapped.
“They don’t run a lot of different plays, but they line up in a lot of different formations,” Shannon said. “They try to get you to line up wrong and then they have the angle on you. Their running back (Tim Hughes) is one of those shifty kids that seems to give us some trouble, so we’d better be able to recognize formations and get in the right spot to stop ‘em.”
Conversely, Batesville coach Dave King is impressed with how physical the Badgers play football. Beebe’s offensive and defensive lines stand out to the head Pioneer.
“I would say up front Beebe is about as good as anyone we’ve seen,” King said. “Offensively and defensively the front line is one of their biggest strengths. They come off that ball low and hard. If you’re not ready to step up and get ready to get in someone’s mustache, you’re going to get lost in the clouds against Beebe because that’s what they do. That’s something I hope our guys will be ready for. We’re trying to make sure they know it, but you never know until they get out there.”
King’s own offensive line has improved by leaps and bounds since the beginning of the year. The Pioneers struggled to beat Searcy, and managed just seven points against Newport in an early-season loss. Since then, the offensive numbers have increased dramatically, and Batesville has blown out its last several conquered foes.
“They’re getting better,” King said of his offensive line. “None of them started last year, so they were all new to it, but they’ve gotten better. Slowly but surely they’ve improved all year long.”
Shannon lost a starting offensive lineman last week, but was pleased with Jason Smith, who stepped in for ?? Wooten and did a good job at guard. Overall, Shannon was pleased with the improvement his team showed since a lackluster effort against Greene County Tech a week earlier.
“It was a lot better,” Shannon said. “I feel like we moved the ball extremely well. We should have had two more touchdowns in the second half. We dropped the ball a couple of times and that cost us, but overall offensive execution was pretty good.”
Shannon was also pleased with the defense.
“The defense got back to playing like they had earlier,” Shannon said. “Nettleton was rolling. They’d been putting up 400 yards or more and over 40 points a game, and we held them to less than 200, so that was good to see.”
Shannon’s praise for King’s system was reciprocated. The head Pioneer expects a very tough game this Friday.
“They’re very well coached and look to be very excited about the position they are in,” King said. “They’re playing with a lot of confidence. It should be a battle.”
EDITORIALS>>Agency watch
The Bush administration makes you wonder sometimes who the government is looking out for, the victim or the perpetrator. Nancy A. Nord, the chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, sent Congress what can only be described as shocking letters last week. She opposed reform legislation by Sens. Mark Pryor of Arkansas and Daniel K. Inouye of Hawaii that seeks to strengthen the moribund agency’s ability to protect Americans from unsafe products from abroad and home.
The White House, which put Ms. Nord in charge of consumer safety, intends to send an even more forceful letter to Congress about the bill. The public already enjoys too much protection from the bullied manufacturers from China, India and elsewhere, the White House seems to think.
A mere shadow of what it was a quarter-century ago, the agency can’t keep up with all the products, from toys to tools, that flood the market. Its budget has been shrinking sharply for years and it has few employees left to conduct safety tests on products — about half the number it had in the 1980s. The product market since then has exploded to $614 billion a year. Even with the commission’s weak staff, in the past two months alone more than 13 million toys were recalled after tests showed lead levels nearly 200 times the safety limit, a good measure of the problem. Pryor’s bill would ban lead from toys, which Nord opposed.
Pryor, chairman of the consumer affairs subcommittee of the Senate Commerce Committee, wants to restore the agency’s watchdog authority by doubling its tiny budget to $141 million, expanding its inspection capacity, toughening the penalties for violating safety standards and strengthening protections for whistleblowers in industry.
None of that is needed, Nord said, and she strongly objected to the legislation. Some business groups and manufacturers have opposed some of the reforms, but the agency director went well beyond their objections. Pryor was mystified. The agency wanted more money, he observed, but no more authority to do anything with it.
But who, really, should be surprised. President Bush and Vice President Cheney populated all these regulatory agencies in the Commerce and Interior departments with people from the industries that they regulated, often lobbyists for offending industries. In Nord’s case, she was an official at the U. S. Chamber of Commerce, which opposes significant government regulation of manufacturers, and a lawyer for Eastman Kodak.
When you put the fox in charge of the hen house, don’t expect. . . Well, you know how it goes.
The White House, which put Ms. Nord in charge of consumer safety, intends to send an even more forceful letter to Congress about the bill. The public already enjoys too much protection from the bullied manufacturers from China, India and elsewhere, the White House seems to think.
A mere shadow of what it was a quarter-century ago, the agency can’t keep up with all the products, from toys to tools, that flood the market. Its budget has been shrinking sharply for years and it has few employees left to conduct safety tests on products — about half the number it had in the 1980s. The product market since then has exploded to $614 billion a year. Even with the commission’s weak staff, in the past two months alone more than 13 million toys were recalled after tests showed lead levels nearly 200 times the safety limit, a good measure of the problem. Pryor’s bill would ban lead from toys, which Nord opposed.
Pryor, chairman of the consumer affairs subcommittee of the Senate Commerce Committee, wants to restore the agency’s watchdog authority by doubling its tiny budget to $141 million, expanding its inspection capacity, toughening the penalties for violating safety standards and strengthening protections for whistleblowers in industry.
None of that is needed, Nord said, and she strongly objected to the legislation. Some business groups and manufacturers have opposed some of the reforms, but the agency director went well beyond their objections. Pryor was mystified. The agency wanted more money, he observed, but no more authority to do anything with it.
But who, really, should be surprised. President Bush and Vice President Cheney populated all these regulatory agencies in the Commerce and Interior departments with people from the industries that they regulated, often lobbyists for offending industries. In Nord’s case, she was an official at the U. S. Chamber of Commerce, which opposes significant government regulation of manufacturers, and a lawyer for Eastman Kodak.
When you put the fox in charge of the hen house, don’t expect. . . Well, you know how it goes.
EDITORIALS>>Texas pushes FOI envelope
Ordinarily, we do not look to Texas for either wise jurisprudence or ethical example, but we hope other venues, including the Arkansas Supreme Court, will ponder a ruling by a state district judge at Dallas. She said that the city government must release emails, including those written on a personal computer, if they relate to the government’s business.
Regardless of the platform used to conduct the government’s business, whether it is a government computer or someone’s personal computer or cell phone, it is still government business and the public has a right to examine them, Judge Gena Slaughter ruled.
Twenty-two months ago, The Dallas Morning News requested emails from city officials’ personal email accounts when it spotted holes in official correspondence about a $6.3 million tax abatement for a downtown corporate headquarters that the city handed Hunt Consolidated. Texas, like other states (Arkansas among them), is giving away the store to companies that say they will build a facility in the city or else threaten to leave and go elsewhere if they are not given subsidies or heavy tax benefits. Government officials and the companies don’t like people prying for the details.
City economic development officials released only the “public” documents about the deal under the state’s freedom of information act and asserted that messages about the transactions on an official’s BlackBerry and private email account were her private business and off limits to the press or the public. The judge said no and struck a blow for transparency in government business.
The Arkansas Supreme Court has suddenly turned squeamish about the public’s right to know. It ruled 4 to 3 this summer that even messages on government computers and email accounts might be kept secret if the government official was merely taking care of some untidy personal affairs — let’s say an illicit sexual affair with an official who was doing business with the county government. The court said a trial judge needed to examine the disputed personal emails in that or any other case to see if any of them could actually affect the public’s business.
The judge in that case, Mary Ann McGowan, looked at the steamy messages and said, yes, nearly every one of them affected public business in some way by the very fact that they were done on taxpayers’ equipment and time and the exchanges were between partners in government transactions. But the Supreme Court’s incongruous precedent still stands.
For once, we should look to Texas for ethical guidance.
Regardless of the platform used to conduct the government’s business, whether it is a government computer or someone’s personal computer or cell phone, it is still government business and the public has a right to examine them, Judge Gena Slaughter ruled.
Twenty-two months ago, The Dallas Morning News requested emails from city officials’ personal email accounts when it spotted holes in official correspondence about a $6.3 million tax abatement for a downtown corporate headquarters that the city handed Hunt Consolidated. Texas, like other states (Arkansas among them), is giving away the store to companies that say they will build a facility in the city or else threaten to leave and go elsewhere if they are not given subsidies or heavy tax benefits. Government officials and the companies don’t like people prying for the details.
City economic development officials released only the “public” documents about the deal under the state’s freedom of information act and asserted that messages about the transactions on an official’s BlackBerry and private email account were her private business and off limits to the press or the public. The judge said no and struck a blow for transparency in government business.
The Arkansas Supreme Court has suddenly turned squeamish about the public’s right to know. It ruled 4 to 3 this summer that even messages on government computers and email accounts might be kept secret if the government official was merely taking care of some untidy personal affairs — let’s say an illicit sexual affair with an official who was doing business with the county government. The court said a trial judge needed to examine the disputed personal emails in that or any other case to see if any of them could actually affect the public’s business.
The judge in that case, Mary Ann McGowan, looked at the steamy messages and said, yes, nearly every one of them affected public business in some way by the very fact that they were done on taxpayers’ equipment and time and the exchanges were between partners in government transactions. But the Supreme Court’s incongruous precedent still stands.
For once, we should look to Texas for ethical guidance.
OBITUARIES >> 10-31-07
Lois Price, 101
Lois Glover Price, 101, died Oct. 26.
She was born in Lonoke County Aug. 26, 1906, the daughter of the late Maude and Charlie Fawcett.
She grew up in the Bethlehem community north of Lonoke and was a member of the Bethlehem Methodist Church for most of her life.
She had been a resident of Golden Years Manor in Lonoke for the past six years.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 65 years, Roy H. Glover, Sr.
Also preceding her in death were three brothers, Otis, C.A., and Benny Fawcett and one sister, Leola Kea; as well as, Otto Price to whom she was married for 10 years.
Survivors include two sons, Roy H. Glover, Jr. and wife Rosemary of North Little Rock and Robert L. “Bobby” Glover and wife Willie of Lonoke; seven grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren and seven great-great grandchildren; two sisters, Opal Wilken of Clearwater, Fla., and Dorothy Olmstead of Tupelo, Miss.
She had a 30-year-plus working career including Gus Blass Department Store, Kempner’s Department Store, manager of Mexico Chiquita on Prothro Junction and Hank’s Dog House Oyster Bar in Little Rock. She and Roy owned and operated the ESSO service station on Prothro Junction in North Little Rock for 12 years.
Her favorite pastime was fishing for crappie with her family. Family was the most important thing to her. She loved to cook and taught her family to cook. She loved to work in her garden and with her flowers. She loved to travel.
Funeral services were Oct. 29 at Lonoke First United Methodist Church by Pastor Steve Brizzi and Jerry Nipper, pastor of the Bethlehem Methodist Church. Burial was in Salem Cemetery in Lonoke County.
Memorial donations can be made to Bethlehem Methodist Church, 2540 Bethlehem Road, Lonoke, Ark. 72086 or First United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 152, Lonoke, Ark. 72086.
Mamie Anderson
Mamie Sue Anderson, 65, of Cabot died Sunday, Oct. 28.
She was born Oct. 28, 1942 in Lonoke to the late Edward and Willie Johnson.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by four siblings: E.L. Johnson, J.B. Johnson, Pat Johnson and Freddie Johnson.
She was a member of AFL-CIO and of the Pentecostal faith. She loved bowling and playing bingo.
She is survived by her husband, James Anderson of Cabot; children, Ray Anderson and wife Christy of North Little Rock and Pam Hudson and husband Robert of Russellville; brothers, Larry Johnson of Klamath Falls, Oregon and Johnny Johnson of San Dimas, Calif.; six grandchildren, Amber Fletcher, Blair Anderson, Melissa Hudson, Heather Anderson, Nick Hudson and Ryan Anderson; and two great-grandchildren, Hailey and David Fletcher.
Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 31 in the chapel of Moore’s Cabot Funeral Home. Burial will follow in Mt. Carmel Cemetery in Cabot.
Margurene Jones
Margurene “Marge” Jones, 89, of Hot Springs died Oct. 27.
She was born Nov. 26, 1917 at Butlerville to Homer and Lucy Glover Baldwin.
She was preceded in death by her husband Floyd Jones; her parents and a brother, Daniel Baldwin.
She is survived by two sons, Robert Jones and wife Marilyn of Mabank, Texas, David Jones and wife Melissa of Cabot; granddaughter, Kristie Jones of Lubbock, Texas and brother, Oris Baldwin of Fort Worth, Texas.
Family will receive friends from 10 a.m. until noon Monday, Nov. 5 at Westbrook Funeral Home in Beebe with graveside service to follow at 2 p.m. in Hebron Cemetery at Carlisle.
George Dodd
George Dodd, 79, of Cabot went to be with the Lord Oct. 27.
He was born Aug. 16, 1928, in Cabot to Ed and Josie Bazzel Dodd.
He was retired from the Little Rock Air Force Base Civil Service as Roads and Grounds Superintendent and served his country in the Marine Corps.
He was a member of Campground Union Church, where he served as Sunday school teacher for many years.
He was preceded in death by a son, Mike Dodd.
He is survived by his wife, Patsy Dodd; son, John Dodd and wife Coby of Cabot; daughter, Loretta Johnson and husband Steve of Florida; six grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; two brothers, Calvin Dodd and Frank Dodd, both of Cabot; three sisters, Ella Mae Pennington of Ward, Louise Rhodes of St. Charles, Mo. and Rose Eads of Oklahoma.
Funeral was Oct. 30 at Westbrook Funeral Home in Beebe with burial in Hicks Cemetery. Memorials may be made to Arkansas Hospice, 3022 Hwy. 367 S., Cabot, Ark. 72023.
Lois Glover Price, 101, died Oct. 26.
She was born in Lonoke County Aug. 26, 1906, the daughter of the late Maude and Charlie Fawcett.
She grew up in the Bethlehem community north of Lonoke and was a member of the Bethlehem Methodist Church for most of her life.
She had been a resident of Golden Years Manor in Lonoke for the past six years.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 65 years, Roy H. Glover, Sr.
Also preceding her in death were three brothers, Otis, C.A., and Benny Fawcett and one sister, Leola Kea; as well as, Otto Price to whom she was married for 10 years.
Survivors include two sons, Roy H. Glover, Jr. and wife Rosemary of North Little Rock and Robert L. “Bobby” Glover and wife Willie of Lonoke; seven grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren and seven great-great grandchildren; two sisters, Opal Wilken of Clearwater, Fla., and Dorothy Olmstead of Tupelo, Miss.
She had a 30-year-plus working career including Gus Blass Department Store, Kempner’s Department Store, manager of Mexico Chiquita on Prothro Junction and Hank’s Dog House Oyster Bar in Little Rock. She and Roy owned and operated the ESSO service station on Prothro Junction in North Little Rock for 12 years.
Her favorite pastime was fishing for crappie with her family. Family was the most important thing to her. She loved to cook and taught her family to cook. She loved to work in her garden and with her flowers. She loved to travel.
Funeral services were Oct. 29 at Lonoke First United Methodist Church by Pastor Steve Brizzi and Jerry Nipper, pastor of the Bethlehem Methodist Church. Burial was in Salem Cemetery in Lonoke County.
Memorial donations can be made to Bethlehem Methodist Church, 2540 Bethlehem Road, Lonoke, Ark. 72086 or First United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 152, Lonoke, Ark. 72086.
Mamie Anderson
Mamie Sue Anderson, 65, of Cabot died Sunday, Oct. 28.
She was born Oct. 28, 1942 in Lonoke to the late Edward and Willie Johnson.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by four siblings: E.L. Johnson, J.B. Johnson, Pat Johnson and Freddie Johnson.
She was a member of AFL-CIO and of the Pentecostal faith. She loved bowling and playing bingo.
She is survived by her husband, James Anderson of Cabot; children, Ray Anderson and wife Christy of North Little Rock and Pam Hudson and husband Robert of Russellville; brothers, Larry Johnson of Klamath Falls, Oregon and Johnny Johnson of San Dimas, Calif.; six grandchildren, Amber Fletcher, Blair Anderson, Melissa Hudson, Heather Anderson, Nick Hudson and Ryan Anderson; and two great-grandchildren, Hailey and David Fletcher.
Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 31 in the chapel of Moore’s Cabot Funeral Home. Burial will follow in Mt. Carmel Cemetery in Cabot.
Margurene Jones
Margurene “Marge” Jones, 89, of Hot Springs died Oct. 27.
She was born Nov. 26, 1917 at Butlerville to Homer and Lucy Glover Baldwin.
She was preceded in death by her husband Floyd Jones; her parents and a brother, Daniel Baldwin.
She is survived by two sons, Robert Jones and wife Marilyn of Mabank, Texas, David Jones and wife Melissa of Cabot; granddaughter, Kristie Jones of Lubbock, Texas and brother, Oris Baldwin of Fort Worth, Texas.
Family will receive friends from 10 a.m. until noon Monday, Nov. 5 at Westbrook Funeral Home in Beebe with graveside service to follow at 2 p.m. in Hebron Cemetery at Carlisle.
George Dodd
George Dodd, 79, of Cabot went to be with the Lord Oct. 27.
He was born Aug. 16, 1928, in Cabot to Ed and Josie Bazzel Dodd.
He was retired from the Little Rock Air Force Base Civil Service as Roads and Grounds Superintendent and served his country in the Marine Corps.
He was a member of Campground Union Church, where he served as Sunday school teacher for many years.
He was preceded in death by a son, Mike Dodd.
He is survived by his wife, Patsy Dodd; son, John Dodd and wife Coby of Cabot; daughter, Loretta Johnson and husband Steve of Florida; six grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; two brothers, Calvin Dodd and Frank Dodd, both of Cabot; three sisters, Ella Mae Pennington of Ward, Louise Rhodes of St. Charles, Mo. and Rose Eads of Oklahoma.
Funeral was Oct. 30 at Westbrook Funeral Home in Beebe with burial in Hicks Cemetery. Memorials may be made to Arkansas Hospice, 3022 Hwy. 367 S., Cabot, Ark. 72023.
TOP STORY >>Cabot looks at ’08 budget
By JOAN MCCOY
Leader staff writer
Cabot Mayor Eddie Joe Williams presented council members Monday night with an $8.2 million proposed budget for 2008 that includes a $4,000 salary increase for uniformed employees to keep them from leaving for better paying jobs and a 5 percent increase for non-uniformed employees.
The proposed spending plan also includes $150,000 for five new patrol cars, to enlarge the fleet by two and replace the three that no longer run.
Of the expected $8.2 million income, which is essentially the same as 2007, the mayor expects to spend $7.7 million. The balance of $500,000 would be broken down to revenue investment, $300,000; vehicle and equipment savings $60,000; and carryover to 2009, $169,000.
The mayor passed out copies of his budget to council members at the end of a three-and-a- half hour meeting in which the council agreed upon a new city insurance carrier and also passed an ordinance redistributing the city’s property tax revenue to find the $50,000 needed in 2008 to subsidize MEMS, which provides ambulance service to the city.
He declined to comment about his budget until after the council members meet in a budget committee next week to discuss it. However, the attached forward talked about where the city was when he took office in January and where he hopes to take it in the next three years.
“The city faced tremendous financial challenges in 2007,” the mayor wrote. “The cash balances report showed the city to have $57,170. The outstanding invoices from 2006 totaled near $500,000. Because of deficit spending … each department head was instructed to reduce their budget by 10 percent. Capital expenditures were paid using a loan for which we’ll be making payments for the next five years. This will not happen again using our improved methods of managing city money.
“Through deducing the budget and the department heads and employees’ watchful eyes on expenditures, the city will carry over $400,000 from 2007 and also saved $700,000 in the general fund and $164,000 in the street fund for a total of $864,000.”
Williams also wrote in the forward to his budget that public works will set aside $120,000 in 2008 that could be used either for street overlay or to bring sanitation services in house. And he announced that he wants to give raises to department heads based on merit and asked the council to approve a pot of money for that purpose not to exceed the equivalent of a 5 percent increase for department heads, about $10,000.
“I will distribute that money …based on performance reviews,” the mayor wrote.
The mayor did say that he met extensively with his department heads during the budget-making process and their letters of recommendation were attached to the proposal that the council members received.
Fire Chief Phil Robinson said he was “especially appreciative of the mayor’s plan to increase the pay of police officers and firefighters.”
Police Chief Jackie Davis said he appreciated the proposed salary increases and the new patrol cars.
“I know that you realize that most of the officers who are leaving are seeking higher pay elsewhere,” Davis wrote to the mayor. “As I have stated before, I would rather keep well-qualified officers versus simply more numbers and turnover.”
Leader staff writer
Cabot Mayor Eddie Joe Williams presented council members Monday night with an $8.2 million proposed budget for 2008 that includes a $4,000 salary increase for uniformed employees to keep them from leaving for better paying jobs and a 5 percent increase for non-uniformed employees.
The proposed spending plan also includes $150,000 for five new patrol cars, to enlarge the fleet by two and replace the three that no longer run.
Of the expected $8.2 million income, which is essentially the same as 2007, the mayor expects to spend $7.7 million. The balance of $500,000 would be broken down to revenue investment, $300,000; vehicle and equipment savings $60,000; and carryover to 2009, $169,000.
The mayor passed out copies of his budget to council members at the end of a three-and-a- half hour meeting in which the council agreed upon a new city insurance carrier and also passed an ordinance redistributing the city’s property tax revenue to find the $50,000 needed in 2008 to subsidize MEMS, which provides ambulance service to the city.
He declined to comment about his budget until after the council members meet in a budget committee next week to discuss it. However, the attached forward talked about where the city was when he took office in January and where he hopes to take it in the next three years.
“The city faced tremendous financial challenges in 2007,” the mayor wrote. “The cash balances report showed the city to have $57,170. The outstanding invoices from 2006 totaled near $500,000. Because of deficit spending … each department head was instructed to reduce their budget by 10 percent. Capital expenditures were paid using a loan for which we’ll be making payments for the next five years. This will not happen again using our improved methods of managing city money.
“Through deducing the budget and the department heads and employees’ watchful eyes on expenditures, the city will carry over $400,000 from 2007 and also saved $700,000 in the general fund and $164,000 in the street fund for a total of $864,000.”
Williams also wrote in the forward to his budget that public works will set aside $120,000 in 2008 that could be used either for street overlay or to bring sanitation services in house. And he announced that he wants to give raises to department heads based on merit and asked the council to approve a pot of money for that purpose not to exceed the equivalent of a 5 percent increase for department heads, about $10,000.
“I will distribute that money …based on performance reviews,” the mayor wrote.
The mayor did say that he met extensively with his department heads during the budget-making process and their letters of recommendation were attached to the proposal that the council members received.
Fire Chief Phil Robinson said he was “especially appreciative of the mayor’s plan to increase the pay of police officers and firefighters.”
Police Chief Jackie Davis said he appreciated the proposed salary increases and the new patrol cars.
“I know that you realize that most of the officers who are leaving are seeking higher pay elsewhere,” Davis wrote to the mayor. “As I have stated before, I would rather keep well-qualified officers versus simply more numbers and turnover.”
TOP STORY >>Filing helps separation
By JOHN HOFHEIMER
Leader senior staff writer
Jacksonville-area residents could be one step closer to realizing the goal of a separate school district.
With a day to spare, the Pulaski County Special School District on Monday filed a motion seeking unitary school status in time to qualify for as much as $250,000 in legal-fee reimbursement.
District Judge Bill Wilson ruled previously that Jacksonville could not have its own district until PCSSD was unitary—that is, in compliance with its existing desegregation agreements.
The goal of the desegregation agreements was to create school districts with racially balanced enrollment at each school and with equal opportunity as evidenced by diverse representation among teachers, employees, sports teams, discipline and academic achievement.
The motion, filed for PCSSD by Sam Jones in U.S. District Court at Little Rock, states that the district “has complied with or is in substantial compliance with” the 2000 desegregation plan and should be declared unitary and released from federal court supervision.
It was state Rep. Will Bond, D-Jacksonville, who drafted and championed legislation encouraging the North Little Rock School District and PCSSD to seek unitary status after 25 years by dangling the carrot of reimbursement of legal fees and by promising continuation of the state’s large desegregation contribution for as long as seven years.
Wilson ruled that the Little Rock District was unitary in February and the North Little Rock District, already ruled partially unitary, filed for release in September.
“I think it’s time,” Bond said Tuesday. “We feel that with Little Rock already granted unitary status and North Little Rock already filed and Pulaski requesting—now is an opportunity for the court to end this case or put it on track in the very near future.”
Bond’s bill also states that districts must be ruled unitary by Wilson on or before June 14 to qualify for the money, but state law doesn’t have the authority to make Wilson rule by that date, Jones said.
“He is absolutely not bound by the legislature,” said Jones of Wilson. “I’m trying to harmonize the legislature with the prerogatives of the court,” he added.
“The legislature’s been pretty aggressive over the past couple years to (encourage districts to seek) unitary status,” Bond said.
Over the past 25 years, the state has spent more than $750 million on the three districts—money no other districts in the state receive, Bond said.
“Right now, the state contributes about $60 million a year toward desegregation (of the three districts),” he said.
Jones said the district, which voted in August to seek full unitary status, is essentially in compliance in all areas mentioned in Plan 2000, although his motion cites only three.
Jones said he talked recently with civil rights lawyer John Walker, who “has not indicated that he will support the filing.”
Walker is the lawyer representing the Joshua Interveners—parents of black students in the districts. He has regularly opposed settlements or findings of unitary status.
Currently Walker has asked the U.S. Justice Department to intervene in the matter of discipline, which he says seems to target black male students in the district without sufficient remedy from PCSSD.
Jones said Wilson had the authority to bypass or ignore the Justice Department’s investigation in making his ruling, but could just as easily ask for a report from the department or yield to it.
Plan 2000 states that the ideal racial composition for interdistrict schools would be close to 50 percent black, 50 percent white and that the districts would recruit students, teachers and administrators to seek racial balance.
Jones and PCSSD say the district has done this.
District resources are to be allocated equitably among the schools.
“Federal judicial supervision over the facets of the operation of a school system was never intended to extend beyond the time required to remedy the effects of past intentional discrimination,” Jones argues in his brief to the court.
Jones says the district is unitary in student assignment to schools.
“Only four of the school district’s elementary schools feature a black-student enrollment outside (the 20 percent to 51 percent) range,” he wrote.
Only Mills High School, among the district’s secondary schools, fails to fit in the targeted racial range, meaning that altogether, only five of the district’s 36 schools are out of compliance with enrollment guidelines.
The district argues that it hasn’t altered attendance zones and that any change in the racial composition of a school is because of “private decisions” of district patrons.
Jones argues that because of the influx of money and state guidance for school facilities caused by the Lake View decision, all school facilities are being upgraded.
“Once a school district is declared unitary and in compliance with the Constitution, the jurisdiction of the federal district court is ended,” Jones wrote.
He said the district had made a good-faith effort and was in “substantial compliance” with its own Plan 2000.
Jones said it is now up to Wilson to set the court calendar for various hearings, motions and arguments.
Leader senior staff writer
Jacksonville-area residents could be one step closer to realizing the goal of a separate school district.
With a day to spare, the Pulaski County Special School District on Monday filed a motion seeking unitary school status in time to qualify for as much as $250,000 in legal-fee reimbursement.
District Judge Bill Wilson ruled previously that Jacksonville could not have its own district until PCSSD was unitary—that is, in compliance with its existing desegregation agreements.
The goal of the desegregation agreements was to create school districts with racially balanced enrollment at each school and with equal opportunity as evidenced by diverse representation among teachers, employees, sports teams, discipline and academic achievement.
The motion, filed for PCSSD by Sam Jones in U.S. District Court at Little Rock, states that the district “has complied with or is in substantial compliance with” the 2000 desegregation plan and should be declared unitary and released from federal court supervision.
It was state Rep. Will Bond, D-Jacksonville, who drafted and championed legislation encouraging the North Little Rock School District and PCSSD to seek unitary status after 25 years by dangling the carrot of reimbursement of legal fees and by promising continuation of the state’s large desegregation contribution for as long as seven years.
Wilson ruled that the Little Rock District was unitary in February and the North Little Rock District, already ruled partially unitary, filed for release in September.
“I think it’s time,” Bond said Tuesday. “We feel that with Little Rock already granted unitary status and North Little Rock already filed and Pulaski requesting—now is an opportunity for the court to end this case or put it on track in the very near future.”
Bond’s bill also states that districts must be ruled unitary by Wilson on or before June 14 to qualify for the money, but state law doesn’t have the authority to make Wilson rule by that date, Jones said.
“He is absolutely not bound by the legislature,” said Jones of Wilson. “I’m trying to harmonize the legislature with the prerogatives of the court,” he added.
“The legislature’s been pretty aggressive over the past couple years to (encourage districts to seek) unitary status,” Bond said.
Over the past 25 years, the state has spent more than $750 million on the three districts—money no other districts in the state receive, Bond said.
“Right now, the state contributes about $60 million a year toward desegregation (of the three districts),” he said.
Jones said the district, which voted in August to seek full unitary status, is essentially in compliance in all areas mentioned in Plan 2000, although his motion cites only three.
Jones said he talked recently with civil rights lawyer John Walker, who “has not indicated that he will support the filing.”
Walker is the lawyer representing the Joshua Interveners—parents of black students in the districts. He has regularly opposed settlements or findings of unitary status.
Currently Walker has asked the U.S. Justice Department to intervene in the matter of discipline, which he says seems to target black male students in the district without sufficient remedy from PCSSD.
Jones said Wilson had the authority to bypass or ignore the Justice Department’s investigation in making his ruling, but could just as easily ask for a report from the department or yield to it.
Plan 2000 states that the ideal racial composition for interdistrict schools would be close to 50 percent black, 50 percent white and that the districts would recruit students, teachers and administrators to seek racial balance.
Jones and PCSSD say the district has done this.
District resources are to be allocated equitably among the schools.
“Federal judicial supervision over the facets of the operation of a school system was never intended to extend beyond the time required to remedy the effects of past intentional discrimination,” Jones argues in his brief to the court.
Jones says the district is unitary in student assignment to schools.
“Only four of the school district’s elementary schools feature a black-student enrollment outside (the 20 percent to 51 percent) range,” he wrote.
Only Mills High School, among the district’s secondary schools, fails to fit in the targeted racial range, meaning that altogether, only five of the district’s 36 schools are out of compliance with enrollment guidelines.
The district argues that it hasn’t altered attendance zones and that any change in the racial composition of a school is because of “private decisions” of district patrons.
Jones argues that because of the influx of money and state guidance for school facilities caused by the Lake View decision, all school facilities are being upgraded.
“Once a school district is declared unitary and in compliance with the Constitution, the jurisdiction of the federal district court is ended,” Jones wrote.
He said the district had made a good-faith effort and was in “substantial compliance” with its own Plan 2000.
Jones said it is now up to Wilson to set the court calendar for various hearings, motions and arguments.
TOP STORY >>Sidewalks still out of compliance
By JOAN MCCOY
Leader staff writer
Cabot’s public buildings meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act, but in many cases the sidewalks around them don’t and there was no plan to remedy that situation until now.
Mayor Eddie Joe Williams said since the city was visited three months ago by six representatives of the U.S. Department of Justice, he and members of his staff have developed a five-year plan to bring city sidewalks into compliance.
Not only were the city sidewalks not cut and ramped for wheelchair access or painted and textured for the visually impaired, in many cases sidewalks are non-existent. So the plan for the next five years is to build ramps where needed, repair some sidewalks and build sidewalks where needed so that residents who want to walk have sidewalk access to such buildings as city hall, the community center, post office, library and senior citizens center.
Williams said the city will spend $15,000 this year to build a sidewalk from Locust Street to the new community center.
The city council voted last year to build that sidewalk, but there was no money in the general fund to do so. Next year the plan is to spend about $25,000 to install about 20 handicap sidewalk accesses.
Williams told a committee of council members recently that sticking to the plan is essential to eventually making the city ADA compliant.
He said his office will always listen to residents’ complaints and make notes about areas that need work. But if, for example, an area is scheduled for work in the third year of the five-year plan, that work won’t be done ahead of schedule regardless of complaints.
Leader staff writer
Cabot’s public buildings meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act, but in many cases the sidewalks around them don’t and there was no plan to remedy that situation until now.
Mayor Eddie Joe Williams said since the city was visited three months ago by six representatives of the U.S. Department of Justice, he and members of his staff have developed a five-year plan to bring city sidewalks into compliance.
Not only were the city sidewalks not cut and ramped for wheelchair access or painted and textured for the visually impaired, in many cases sidewalks are non-existent. So the plan for the next five years is to build ramps where needed, repair some sidewalks and build sidewalks where needed so that residents who want to walk have sidewalk access to such buildings as city hall, the community center, post office, library and senior citizens center.
Williams said the city will spend $15,000 this year to build a sidewalk from Locust Street to the new community center.
The city council voted last year to build that sidewalk, but there was no money in the general fund to do so. Next year the plan is to spend about $25,000 to install about 20 handicap sidewalk accesses.
Williams told a committee of council members recently that sticking to the plan is essential to eventually making the city ADA compliant.
He said his office will always listen to residents’ complaints and make notes about areas that need work. But if, for example, an area is scheduled for work in the third year of the five-year plan, that work won’t be done ahead of schedule regardless of complaints.
TOP STORY >>Sheriff makes plea for jail beds
By JOHN HOFHEIMER
Leader senior staff writer
After Pulaski County’s three failed attempts to pass a dedicated quarter-cent sales tax to fix and run the jail, two county officials have decided to pass the hat instead.
If the 12,088 people who voted for the tax increase in September 2006 each donated $10.91 to a sequestered public safety fund, the county could fix the roof and mechanical systems at the old jail, moving one step closer to increasing capacity to 1,130 prisoners, as it was a few years ago, Sheriff Doc Holladay and Treasurer Debra Buckner said.
In announcing a new “First Step” program to reporters Tuesday in a decrepit part of the old jail, they said donations would be tax deductible.
Even if the building were fixed, it would require an annual appropriation of about $3 million to staff the increased capacity and feed and care for the inmates, Holladay said.
The goal for the fund is $988,503, Buckner said, but the county already has $856,575 in the fund, leaving a balance of $131,928. Or, Holladay said, if 1,000 people each donated $131.93, the goal could be reached.
“That’s (equivalent) to one trip to (the mega toy store),” Buckner said.
The two officials said they hoped to raise the money by the end of this year. Each put a check for $131.93 into a blue envelope designated for the account, along with $5,000 from a business owner who asked not to be identified.
“First Step is very proactive,” Buckner said.
County residents have voted down three attempts in recent years to raise taxes to expand the jail—or even to increase its capacity to what it once was.
“After three turndowns, we need to do what we can,” said Holladay.
Buckner said the money would be placed into a sequestered account, where it could be used only for jail improvements.
She noted that one finding of the UALR study concerning the jail and the county was that residents don’t have great faith in officials.
“I’m a career banker, you can trust me,” she said.
“We need a dedicated sales tax,” Buckner added, “but we’re not waiting.”
She said even people who didn’t think prisoners deserved a decent place to live should consider that it is also the workplace for jailers.
She said just as some people “support the troops even though they don’t support the war,” taxpayers should donate to support the deputies if not the inmates.
To get a blue envelope to make a donation, people can go by the treasurer’s office at 201 S. Broadway or the sheriff’s office on Woodrow Street at the detention center in Little Rock.
The public can also request envelopes by calling the sheriff’s office at 340-7055 or the treasurer’s office at 340-8345.
Leader senior staff writer
After Pulaski County’s three failed attempts to pass a dedicated quarter-cent sales tax to fix and run the jail, two county officials have decided to pass the hat instead.
If the 12,088 people who voted for the tax increase in September 2006 each donated $10.91 to a sequestered public safety fund, the county could fix the roof and mechanical systems at the old jail, moving one step closer to increasing capacity to 1,130 prisoners, as it was a few years ago, Sheriff Doc Holladay and Treasurer Debra Buckner said.
In announcing a new “First Step” program to reporters Tuesday in a decrepit part of the old jail, they said donations would be tax deductible.
Even if the building were fixed, it would require an annual appropriation of about $3 million to staff the increased capacity and feed and care for the inmates, Holladay said.
The goal for the fund is $988,503, Buckner said, but the county already has $856,575 in the fund, leaving a balance of $131,928. Or, Holladay said, if 1,000 people each donated $131.93, the goal could be reached.
“That’s (equivalent) to one trip to (the mega toy store),” Buckner said.
The two officials said they hoped to raise the money by the end of this year. Each put a check for $131.93 into a blue envelope designated for the account, along with $5,000 from a business owner who asked not to be identified.
“First Step is very proactive,” Buckner said.
County residents have voted down three attempts in recent years to raise taxes to expand the jail—or even to increase its capacity to what it once was.
“After three turndowns, we need to do what we can,” said Holladay.
Buckner said the money would be placed into a sequestered account, where it could be used only for jail improvements.
She noted that one finding of the UALR study concerning the jail and the county was that residents don’t have great faith in officials.
“I’m a career banker, you can trust me,” she said.
“We need a dedicated sales tax,” Buckner added, “but we’re not waiting.”
She said even people who didn’t think prisoners deserved a decent place to live should consider that it is also the workplace for jailers.
She said just as some people “support the troops even though they don’t support the war,” taxpayers should donate to support the deputies if not the inmates.
To get a blue envelope to make a donation, people can go by the treasurer’s office at 201 S. Broadway or the sheriff’s office on Woodrow Street at the detention center in Little Rock.
The public can also request envelopes by calling the sheriff’s office at 340-7055 or the treasurer’s office at 340-8345.
TOP STORY >>Air base: We'll get housing finished
By JOHN HOFHEIMER
Leader senior staff writer
A new contractor could restart construction by next summer on the stalled housing-privatization project at Little Rock Air Force Base, Brig. General Rowayne Schatz told nearly 100 base residents at a Monday night town meeting.
Schatz said the new project would likely be less ambitious than the original, aiming at 659 new and remodeled homes instead of the 1,200 new and remodeled homes specified in the contract won by Carabetta Enterprises and Shaw Infrastructure in August 2004.
American Eagle Communities LLC—a Carabetta-Shaw company managed by Carabetta—should have completed 125 new homes by now, according to the general, but only 25 were finished when the bondholders on the $127 million project shut the job down in May.
They refused to release any more funds on a project behind schedule with cost overruns of perhaps 50 percent, Schatz said.
He said four potential developers, representatives of Shaw Infrastructure, the base and the bondholders toured the project last Thursday.
Carabetta Enterprises, the managing partner for the failed privatization efforts at LRAFB, Patrick, Hansom and Moody Air Force bases, is trying to sell the projects, the general said.
Carabetta sent no company representative to that tour, deferring to Shaw Infrastructure, its partner.
Schatz said that two of the four developers interested in bidding on the job had been successful with other privatization projects.
He said the optimum timeline would see a new deal concluded by the end of November, with construction ready to start next summer.
TWO-YEAR WAIT
Of occupancy of new structures, he suggested, “not tomorrow, not at Christmas, not next summer, but the summer after that.”
Monday night’s town meeting was intended to update interested base housing residents and also served as an opportunity for them to air gripes about bad conditions in the current base housing.
Schatz said that although American Eagle Communities owns the development, maintenance and management contract for the next 50 years, it is the bondholders who are driving the process.
The Air Force has input, but not a lot of control in the process at this point, he said.
This is not just another contract, where the base has leverage over the developers, Schatz said.
American Eagle works for the investors—the bondholders—and the lease agreement, not the wing commander, drives the project.
Some of the unpaid subcontractors have suggested that the Air Force needs to step in and pay them, but the Air Force is not a party to the agreement between the developer and the contractors, the general said.
He said that it was a misconception that American Eagle is getting nearly $1 million a month in rents. He said the money goes into a “lockbox” controlled by the bondholders.
The existing homes were conveyed to American Eagle. The Air Force owns the property, but not the houses built upon it.
“By law, no government funds may be spent on their operation, maintenance or construction,” he said.
Schatz did seem to promise some intervention where families were living in dangerous or questionable situations.
RESIDENTS COMPLAIN
Many of the occupants voiced complaints about various problems in the housing, which is 50 years old, ranging from insect infestations to exposed wiring and continually leaking or breaking pipes.
For now, American Eagle Com-munities still manages the onbase housing.
Dennis LaPorte was brought in last week as the new project manager, and he told residents to call him or his maintenance manager with any problems.
Angela Weaver, the wife of a National Guardsman just returned from Kuwait, complained about exposed wiring, mold, water damage and termite and other insect infestation.
Members and families of the National Guard and of retirees are allowed to rent homes on base from American Eagle because there are more houses than families wanting to live in them.
Leader senior staff writer
A new contractor could restart construction by next summer on the stalled housing-privatization project at Little Rock Air Force Base, Brig. General Rowayne Schatz told nearly 100 base residents at a Monday night town meeting.
Schatz said the new project would likely be less ambitious than the original, aiming at 659 new and remodeled homes instead of the 1,200 new and remodeled homes specified in the contract won by Carabetta Enterprises and Shaw Infrastructure in August 2004.
American Eagle Communities LLC—a Carabetta-Shaw company managed by Carabetta—should have completed 125 new homes by now, according to the general, but only 25 were finished when the bondholders on the $127 million project shut the job down in May.
They refused to release any more funds on a project behind schedule with cost overruns of perhaps 50 percent, Schatz said.
He said four potential developers, representatives of Shaw Infrastructure, the base and the bondholders toured the project last Thursday.
Carabetta Enterprises, the managing partner for the failed privatization efforts at LRAFB, Patrick, Hansom and Moody Air Force bases, is trying to sell the projects, the general said.
Carabetta sent no company representative to that tour, deferring to Shaw Infrastructure, its partner.
Schatz said that two of the four developers interested in bidding on the job had been successful with other privatization projects.
He said the optimum timeline would see a new deal concluded by the end of November, with construction ready to start next summer.
TWO-YEAR WAIT
Of occupancy of new structures, he suggested, “not tomorrow, not at Christmas, not next summer, but the summer after that.”
Monday night’s town meeting was intended to update interested base housing residents and also served as an opportunity for them to air gripes about bad conditions in the current base housing.
Schatz said that although American Eagle Communities owns the development, maintenance and management contract for the next 50 years, it is the bondholders who are driving the process.
The Air Force has input, but not a lot of control in the process at this point, he said.
This is not just another contract, where the base has leverage over the developers, Schatz said.
American Eagle works for the investors—the bondholders—and the lease agreement, not the wing commander, drives the project.
Some of the unpaid subcontractors have suggested that the Air Force needs to step in and pay them, but the Air Force is not a party to the agreement between the developer and the contractors, the general said.
He said that it was a misconception that American Eagle is getting nearly $1 million a month in rents. He said the money goes into a “lockbox” controlled by the bondholders.
The existing homes were conveyed to American Eagle. The Air Force owns the property, but not the houses built upon it.
“By law, no government funds may be spent on their operation, maintenance or construction,” he said.
Schatz did seem to promise some intervention where families were living in dangerous or questionable situations.
RESIDENTS COMPLAIN
Many of the occupants voiced complaints about various problems in the housing, which is 50 years old, ranging from insect infestations to exposed wiring and continually leaking or breaking pipes.
For now, American Eagle Com-munities still manages the onbase housing.
Dennis LaPorte was brought in last week as the new project manager, and he told residents to call him or his maintenance manager with any problems.
Angela Weaver, the wife of a National Guardsman just returned from Kuwait, complained about exposed wiring, mold, water damage and termite and other insect infestation.
Members and families of the National Guard and of retirees are allowed to rent homes on base from American Eagle because there are more houses than families wanting to live in them.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
SPORTS >>Jackrabbit defense too much for ’Birds
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
A goal-line stand by the Lonoke defense late in the third quarter kept the Jackrabbits in the hunt for the 4A-2 Conference title, as the Jackrabbits held off Stuttgart 24-19 Friday night at James B. Abraham Field.
A score by the Ricebirds at that point would have put them up by two scores, but the ’Rabbits’ defense stood tall on fourth and inches at their own goal line. Stuttgart senior quarterback Seth Allison, who had proved to be tough for Lonoke to contain all night, tried a sneak for the score, but was met at the line by a swarm of purple jerseys to keep the Jackrabbits within one point at 19-18.
A blocked punt by Lance Jackson in the middle of the fourth quarter set up Lonoke with good field position on what would become the winning drive. Sophomore quarterback Jacob Taylor found Clarence Harris for a 28-yard touchdown pass with 6:24 left in the game to put the Jackrabbits back on top after losing the lead early on in the second half.
The Lonoke defense would have to contain the Ricebirds two more times, but it was up to the task.
The Jackrabbits forced a fourth down and 6 at the Stuttgart 47, and the Ricebirds lined up to punt. Instead of going to punter Nick Konecny, the ball was snapped to running back Tim Reams, who was in the up back position. Reams had several strong runs on the night, but this would not be one of them, as Brandon Smith and Kiefer Vaughn met him behind the line, forcing a turnover on downs.
Stuttgart had one final chance in the final 2:34 of the game, but couldn’t generate enough passing to steal the win. The Ricebirds took their final shot on fourth and 10 at the Lonoke 42-yard line, but Tad Hearington knocked Allison’s pass out of the air to secure the win for the Jackrabbits.
“We knew all week long that the defense would have to step up and be the difference in the game,” Lonoke coach Jeff Jones said. “We let them out on a few plays with some missed tackles and missed assignments that shouldn’t have happened in the first half. We challenged them at halftime and they came out and did an outstanding job for us.”
The big story on the night offensively for Lonoke was the on-field prowess of sophomore QB Taylor, who was playing in what was easily the biggest game of his life. He finished the game with 11 completions on 14 pass attempts for 183 yards and two touchdowns. Jones was not surprised by Taylor’s performance, or his confidence back in the pocket.
“That’s just Jacob’s nature,” Jones said. “He’s a laid back kid by nature. Last week against Marianna, we just stuck him in there, and he showed a lot of promise, but the pressure wasn’t really on us. We felt like we had something there, but we weren’t too sure. That’s why we went with Clarence early; we were trying to settle him down. He came off the bench and had a great game.”
Harris went under center during the Jackrabbits opening drive in the first quarter, and led the Lonoke offense into Stuttgart territory quickly. A 13-yard scramble by Harris put the ball at the Stuttgart 25-yard line. Harris then found Daniel Smith on a 24-yard pass play that gave the Jackrabbits first and goal at the 1. Smith’s grab was a spectacular one, keeping the tips of his toes just inside the line beside the right pylon to pull the ball in just before going out of bounds. Harris plowed into the end zone behind the Lonoke offensive line to put the ‘Rabbits on the board first with 6:20 left in the first quarter. Smith’s extra point attempt was too low, and the score would remain 6-0.
Stuttgart answered quickly, with a 40-yard touchdown run by Reams with 4:23 left in the opening quarter. Allison was stopped on a keep for the two-point try by Jackson and Terrance Miller to keep the score tied at 6 all.
Taylor began to see the field on his second drive at quarterback, connecting on three passes, one to Michael Howard and two to Smith, including a nine-yard touchdown toss on fourth and goal at the Stuttgart 9-yard line with 8:42 left in the first half. The score was set up with an earlier connection from Taylor to Smith good for 21 yards and a first down at the Ricebirds’ 8-yard line. A false start penalty pushed Lonoke back on its two-point attempt, and the ‘Rabbits were not able to convert.
Stuttgart would grab the lead in the middle of the second quarter on an 18-yard touchdown keeper from Allison. Konecny added the extra point, putting the Ricebirds up 13-12.
Lonoke would not go into the locker room trailing. The Jackrabbits took possession at their own 35-yard line, and a pair of runs by Harris took the ball to the 43. A holding call pushed the ball back 10 yards, but Lonoke got the yardage back on the following play. Taylor found Smith up the middle for a 15 yard pass play, to give the ‘Rabbits a first and 10 at the Lonoke 48.
Howard handled things from there, pulling in a 52-yard touchdown pass from Taylor on the following play when Stuttgart defender Reams fell as the ball was delivered. Howard pulled in the pass and strolled the rest of the way in for the score to make the halftime score 18-13 Lonoke.
Stuttgart’s final score of the night came on a 16-yard touchdown pass by Allison with 4:39 left in the third quarter. Allison put the Ricebirds in winning position on the next Lonoke drive when he intercepted a Taylor pass to give Stuttgart first and 10 at the Lonoke 22-yard line.
Allison would then put the ball in the red zone on a 15-yard scramble, but the Jackrabbit defense stood tall, stopping the Ricebirds QB just inches short of a score.
Harris’ 28-yard catch for the winning score was simply par for the course for the all-purpose junior standout, who had scores as both quarterback and receiver during the game.
Harris finished the game with 18 carries for 87 yards and one touchdown. He also had four receptions for 53 yards and another touchdown. Brandon Smith carried 10 times for 43 yards. Daniel Smith had six receptions for 104 yards and a touchdown and one fumble turnover. Howard finished with four receptions for 54 yards and a touchdown. The Jackrabbits finished with 358 total offensive yards. For Stuttgart, Allison had 16 carries for 134 yards and a touchdown, along with 8 of 17 pass completions for 84 yards and a touchdown.
Lonoke is now 7-2 overall and 6-0 in the 4A-2 Conference. They will play Newport, a winner over Heber Springs Friday night for the league title. Stuttgart fell to 7-2 overall and 4-2 in conference.
Leader sportswriter
A goal-line stand by the Lonoke defense late in the third quarter kept the Jackrabbits in the hunt for the 4A-2 Conference title, as the Jackrabbits held off Stuttgart 24-19 Friday night at James B. Abraham Field.
A score by the Ricebirds at that point would have put them up by two scores, but the ’Rabbits’ defense stood tall on fourth and inches at their own goal line. Stuttgart senior quarterback Seth Allison, who had proved to be tough for Lonoke to contain all night, tried a sneak for the score, but was met at the line by a swarm of purple jerseys to keep the Jackrabbits within one point at 19-18.
A blocked punt by Lance Jackson in the middle of the fourth quarter set up Lonoke with good field position on what would become the winning drive. Sophomore quarterback Jacob Taylor found Clarence Harris for a 28-yard touchdown pass with 6:24 left in the game to put the Jackrabbits back on top after losing the lead early on in the second half.
The Lonoke defense would have to contain the Ricebirds two more times, but it was up to the task.
The Jackrabbits forced a fourth down and 6 at the Stuttgart 47, and the Ricebirds lined up to punt. Instead of going to punter Nick Konecny, the ball was snapped to running back Tim Reams, who was in the up back position. Reams had several strong runs on the night, but this would not be one of them, as Brandon Smith and Kiefer Vaughn met him behind the line, forcing a turnover on downs.
Stuttgart had one final chance in the final 2:34 of the game, but couldn’t generate enough passing to steal the win. The Ricebirds took their final shot on fourth and 10 at the Lonoke 42-yard line, but Tad Hearington knocked Allison’s pass out of the air to secure the win for the Jackrabbits.
“We knew all week long that the defense would have to step up and be the difference in the game,” Lonoke coach Jeff Jones said. “We let them out on a few plays with some missed tackles and missed assignments that shouldn’t have happened in the first half. We challenged them at halftime and they came out and did an outstanding job for us.”
The big story on the night offensively for Lonoke was the on-field prowess of sophomore QB Taylor, who was playing in what was easily the biggest game of his life. He finished the game with 11 completions on 14 pass attempts for 183 yards and two touchdowns. Jones was not surprised by Taylor’s performance, or his confidence back in the pocket.
“That’s just Jacob’s nature,” Jones said. “He’s a laid back kid by nature. Last week against Marianna, we just stuck him in there, and he showed a lot of promise, but the pressure wasn’t really on us. We felt like we had something there, but we weren’t too sure. That’s why we went with Clarence early; we were trying to settle him down. He came off the bench and had a great game.”
Harris went under center during the Jackrabbits opening drive in the first quarter, and led the Lonoke offense into Stuttgart territory quickly. A 13-yard scramble by Harris put the ball at the Stuttgart 25-yard line. Harris then found Daniel Smith on a 24-yard pass play that gave the Jackrabbits first and goal at the 1. Smith’s grab was a spectacular one, keeping the tips of his toes just inside the line beside the right pylon to pull the ball in just before going out of bounds. Harris plowed into the end zone behind the Lonoke offensive line to put the ‘Rabbits on the board first with 6:20 left in the first quarter. Smith’s extra point attempt was too low, and the score would remain 6-0.
Stuttgart answered quickly, with a 40-yard touchdown run by Reams with 4:23 left in the opening quarter. Allison was stopped on a keep for the two-point try by Jackson and Terrance Miller to keep the score tied at 6 all.
Taylor began to see the field on his second drive at quarterback, connecting on three passes, one to Michael Howard and two to Smith, including a nine-yard touchdown toss on fourth and goal at the Stuttgart 9-yard line with 8:42 left in the first half. The score was set up with an earlier connection from Taylor to Smith good for 21 yards and a first down at the Ricebirds’ 8-yard line. A false start penalty pushed Lonoke back on its two-point attempt, and the ‘Rabbits were not able to convert.
Stuttgart would grab the lead in the middle of the second quarter on an 18-yard touchdown keeper from Allison. Konecny added the extra point, putting the Ricebirds up 13-12.
Lonoke would not go into the locker room trailing. The Jackrabbits took possession at their own 35-yard line, and a pair of runs by Harris took the ball to the 43. A holding call pushed the ball back 10 yards, but Lonoke got the yardage back on the following play. Taylor found Smith up the middle for a 15 yard pass play, to give the ‘Rabbits a first and 10 at the Lonoke 48.
Howard handled things from there, pulling in a 52-yard touchdown pass from Taylor on the following play when Stuttgart defender Reams fell as the ball was delivered. Howard pulled in the pass and strolled the rest of the way in for the score to make the halftime score 18-13 Lonoke.
Stuttgart’s final score of the night came on a 16-yard touchdown pass by Allison with 4:39 left in the third quarter. Allison put the Ricebirds in winning position on the next Lonoke drive when he intercepted a Taylor pass to give Stuttgart first and 10 at the Lonoke 22-yard line.
Allison would then put the ball in the red zone on a 15-yard scramble, but the Jackrabbit defense stood tall, stopping the Ricebirds QB just inches short of a score.
Harris’ 28-yard catch for the winning score was simply par for the course for the all-purpose junior standout, who had scores as both quarterback and receiver during the game.
Harris finished the game with 18 carries for 87 yards and one touchdown. He also had four receptions for 53 yards and another touchdown. Brandon Smith carried 10 times for 43 yards. Daniel Smith had six receptions for 104 yards and a touchdown and one fumble turnover. Howard finished with four receptions for 54 yards and a touchdown. The Jackrabbits finished with 358 total offensive yards. For Stuttgart, Allison had 16 carries for 134 yards and a touchdown, along with 8 of 17 pass completions for 84 yards and a touchdown.
Lonoke is now 7-2 overall and 6-0 in the 4A-2 Conference. They will play Newport, a winner over Heber Springs Friday night for the league title. Stuttgart fell to 7-2 overall and 4-2 in conference.
SPORTS >>Badgers get lead, hold off Raiders
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The Beebe Badgers played themselves into at least a three seed with a 28-6 victory on the road at Nettleton Friday night. The Badgers and Raiders met up with playoff seeds on the line, and Beebe walked away with a big victory.
The game wasn’t without its concerns. The Badgers turned the ball over three times on fumbles, but a 28-point margin just one play into the second half was much more than the home team could overcome.
The Badgers struck early, scoring on the game’s opening possession. James Anderson converted a third and long with a 34-yard gain to the Nettleton 22-yard line to keep the drive alive. A few snaps later, fullback Sammy Williams scored from the 7-yard line to put the Badgers up by a touchdown. Roger Glaude hit the extra point to make it 7-0 with 9:29 left in the first quarter.
Glaude then picked off a Nettleton pass, but Beebe gave it back when quarterback Charlie Spakes fumbled while Beebe was driving.
The defense held and forced the Raiders to punt, and Beebe’s Joe Barrick blocked it to set the Badgers up with great field position at the Raider 17. Beebe took advantage of the short field. On the very next play, and the very first play of the second quarter, Kyle Williams rumbled 17 yards for the second touchdown of the game. Glaude added the extra point and Beebe led with 11:52 remaining in the half.
The Badger defense forced another Nettleton punt, and Beebe put together its best drive of the game. The drive almost stalled deep in Raider territory, but Anderson got just enough on fourth and two from the 22 to keep the drive alive. Four plays later, Josh Turner scored from eight yards out to make it a three-score game with 5:55 left in the half.
That’s the way the score remained for the rest of the half, but it changed quickly once the second half began.
On the first play of the half, Nettleton fumbled and linebacker Chris Blundell scooped it up and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown. Glaude’s extra point capped Beebe’s scoring in the game and gave the Badgers a 28-0 lead with 11:50 left in the third quarter.
Nettleton receiver Matt Akers caught a pass from quarterback Blake Johnson from 11 yards out midway through the fourth quarter to set the final margin.
Beebe finished with 285 total yards on offense. Sammy Williams led the way with 114 yards on 29 carries. Anderson picked up 57 yards on just five carries.
The win lifted the Badgers to 8-1 overall and 5-1 inside the 5A-East Conference.
The Badgers will play Batesville at home next week with a two seed and a first-round home playoff game on the line.
Leader sports editor
The Beebe Badgers played themselves into at least a three seed with a 28-6 victory on the road at Nettleton Friday night. The Badgers and Raiders met up with playoff seeds on the line, and Beebe walked away with a big victory.
The game wasn’t without its concerns. The Badgers turned the ball over three times on fumbles, but a 28-point margin just one play into the second half was much more than the home team could overcome.
The Badgers struck early, scoring on the game’s opening possession. James Anderson converted a third and long with a 34-yard gain to the Nettleton 22-yard line to keep the drive alive. A few snaps later, fullback Sammy Williams scored from the 7-yard line to put the Badgers up by a touchdown. Roger Glaude hit the extra point to make it 7-0 with 9:29 left in the first quarter.
Glaude then picked off a Nettleton pass, but Beebe gave it back when quarterback Charlie Spakes fumbled while Beebe was driving.
The defense held and forced the Raiders to punt, and Beebe’s Joe Barrick blocked it to set the Badgers up with great field position at the Raider 17. Beebe took advantage of the short field. On the very next play, and the very first play of the second quarter, Kyle Williams rumbled 17 yards for the second touchdown of the game. Glaude added the extra point and Beebe led with 11:52 remaining in the half.
The Badger defense forced another Nettleton punt, and Beebe put together its best drive of the game. The drive almost stalled deep in Raider territory, but Anderson got just enough on fourth and two from the 22 to keep the drive alive. Four plays later, Josh Turner scored from eight yards out to make it a three-score game with 5:55 left in the half.
That’s the way the score remained for the rest of the half, but it changed quickly once the second half began.
On the first play of the half, Nettleton fumbled and linebacker Chris Blundell scooped it up and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown. Glaude’s extra point capped Beebe’s scoring in the game and gave the Badgers a 28-0 lead with 11:50 left in the third quarter.
Nettleton receiver Matt Akers caught a pass from quarterback Blake Johnson from 11 yards out midway through the fourth quarter to set the final margin.
Beebe finished with 285 total yards on offense. Sammy Williams led the way with 114 yards on 29 carries. Anderson picked up 57 yards on just five carries.
The win lifted the Badgers to 8-1 overall and 5-1 inside the 5A-East Conference.
The Badgers will play Batesville at home next week with a two seed and a first-round home playoff game on the line.
SPORTS >>Cabot falls short to Zebras
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
Missed conversions after touchdowns told the story Friday night at Panther Stadium. Cabot rallied from a 27-7 halftime deficit against Pine Bluff, only to fall 27-25 when fullback Michael James was upended at the 1-yard line with 48 seconds remaining on a two-point attempt that would have tied the game. The attempt came after a James seven-yard run that capped off a 12-play, 46-yard drive and gave the Panthers their third unanswered touchdown of the half.
It was Cabot’s fifth possession of the half that was completely dominated by the Panthers in every aspect except plays after touchdowns.
Cabot’s keep-away brand of football worked to perfection, as the Panthers held the ball for 19 minutes and eight seconds of the final 24 minutes.
Cabot still put the ball on the ground, and none was more crucial than one with 5:30 left in the game. On second and five from the Pine Bluff 8-yard line, James fumbled after a 2-yard gain and the Zebras recovered on the their own 6.
Two plays later, linebacker Spencer Neumann intercepted a Claude Johnson pass at the 46 to set up the Panthers’ final touchdown drive.
Trailing 27-7 at halftime, the Panthers took the opening possession and went 77 yards in 17 plays and used over seven minutes of the clock. The drive ended on a quarterback keeper by Jeremy Wilson for 4 yards and the score. The extra point attempt was no good and left the Panthers trailing 27-13.
Pine Bluff went three and out on its next possession. On third and five, defensive end Callen Boris sacked Zebra quarterback Jarvis Mayo for a 4-yard loss and forced a punt.
Cabot took over on its 30 and went 11 plays, but a 9-yard loss on third and 5, and an illegal procedure penalty left the Panthers with fourth and 19 on the 34. Cabot tried a throwback to the opposite field, but the Zebra defense snuffed it out and stopped the play after just a 1-yard gain by Les McGregor.
The Zebras took over and went backwards. New quarterback Claude Johnson was dropped for a 4-yard loss on first down, and threw incomplete on second down. On third and 14, he slipped and fell while trying to escape pressure for a loss of nine yards. A short punt set Cabot up at the Pine Bluff 47, and Wilson covered all that distance on the very first snap of the drive.
Wilson kept on the option to the left side, and raced untouched for 47 yards and the score. Cabot set up for another extra point, but Pine Bluff jumped off sides, moving the ball inside the 2-yard line. Cabot opted to go for two from that distance, but James was stopped short, leaving the score 27-19 with 10:11 left in the game.
Pine Bluff got its first and only first down of the half on its next possession. The Zebras were one yard short of another first down and faced third and one at the Panther 40. They went for it all on third down, but the pass was knocked down in the end zone by Cabot senior Hunter Hess. On fourth down, senior L.J. Tarrant exploded through the line of scrimmage and blew up a draw play, nailing tailback Christian Owens as soon as he took the handoff for a 4-yard loss to give the Panthers possession and set up the drive that ended with the fumble inside the 10.
The first 24 minutes belonged to the Zebras. Cabot could not find an answer for the Pine Bluff passing game, even when Pine Bluff had to have big yardage. The Mayo to Jonathan Frasier connection was virtually unstoppable in the first half.
On their first possession, the Zebras converted a third and 19 when Mayo and Frasier hooked up for the first time for 29 yards to the Cabot 3. Owens stepped it in from there to give Pine Bluff a 7-0 lead with 8:01 left in the first quarter.
Cabot got 14 yards on its first play, but punted after three more plays and gave Pine Bluff the ball at its own 18.
Facing third and nine, Mayo and Frasier hooked up again, this time for 33 yards to the Cabot 48. On first down, Owens broke loose for a 45-yard gain to the 5-yard line. Pine Bluff was called for clipping on first down to set up first and goal from the 16. An incomplete pass was followed by a sack by Boris that set up fourth and goal from the 24. That’s when Mayo and Fraiser hooked up again. Another jump ball to the corner was won by Frasier for the score and a two-touchdown Pine Bluff lead with 2:47 left in the first quarter.
Cabot fumbled on the first play of its next possession, and Pine Bluff covered it on the Cabot 37. This time the Zebras tried to pull out another third and long, but senior Michael Reitz picked off the pass on the Cabot 11.
Cabot drove out to the 36, where it had to punt on fourth and nine.
The punt put Pine Bluff on its own 32, and it covered all that distance in one play. Predictably, it was another Mayo to Frasier connection, this time it was on jump ball. Mayo faked his defender into biting on hitch and ran alone down the left sideline, where Mayo’s pass hit him in stride for the score. The extra point made it 21-0 with 9:16 left in the first half.
Cabot got good field position when Neumann returned the kickoff 46 yards to the Pine Bluff 44, and scored in nine plays to make it 21-7 with 5:14 left in the half. Wesley Sowell got the payoff from six yards out.
Pine Bluff took the ensuing kickoff to the Cabot 49, but another clipping penalty backed it up to the 40. From there, three Mayo completions to three different receivers put the Zebras back up by three scores. The final pass was to Kelsey Collins and covered 23 yards. The extra point was no good, and Pine Bluff never threatened to score again.
Cabot put together another good drive, and had first down at the Pine Bluff 24 with 44 seconds and all three timeouts left, but Wilson fumbled the ball and Pine Bluff covered it and ran out the clock to end the half.
Statistically, the two halves look like two different games.
Pine Bluff finished with 293 total yards, with 291 coming in the first half. Cabot picked up 402 total yards, with 137 in the first half and 265 in the second.
Mayo finished with eight completions in 11 attempts for 219 yards and three touchdowns. Frasier had five receptions for 168 yards and two scores, all in the first half.
James led all rushers with 36 carries for 164 yards, including 25 carries for 114 in the second half. Wilson carried 15 times for 127 yards, 123 of which came in the second half.
The loss drops the Panthers to 6-3 overall and 3-3 in conference play, while Pine Bluff improved to 1-1-7 and 1-5 in league play.
Cabot will travel to Russellville next Thursday while Pine Bluff battles North Little Rock, another upset winner. The Wildcats got their first conference win of the season, upsetting top-ranked Bryant.
Leader sports editor
Missed conversions after touchdowns told the story Friday night at Panther Stadium. Cabot rallied from a 27-7 halftime deficit against Pine Bluff, only to fall 27-25 when fullback Michael James was upended at the 1-yard line with 48 seconds remaining on a two-point attempt that would have tied the game. The attempt came after a James seven-yard run that capped off a 12-play, 46-yard drive and gave the Panthers their third unanswered touchdown of the half.
It was Cabot’s fifth possession of the half that was completely dominated by the Panthers in every aspect except plays after touchdowns.
Cabot’s keep-away brand of football worked to perfection, as the Panthers held the ball for 19 minutes and eight seconds of the final 24 minutes.
Cabot still put the ball on the ground, and none was more crucial than one with 5:30 left in the game. On second and five from the Pine Bluff 8-yard line, James fumbled after a 2-yard gain and the Zebras recovered on the their own 6.
Two plays later, linebacker Spencer Neumann intercepted a Claude Johnson pass at the 46 to set up the Panthers’ final touchdown drive.
Trailing 27-7 at halftime, the Panthers took the opening possession and went 77 yards in 17 plays and used over seven minutes of the clock. The drive ended on a quarterback keeper by Jeremy Wilson for 4 yards and the score. The extra point attempt was no good and left the Panthers trailing 27-13.
Pine Bluff went three and out on its next possession. On third and five, defensive end Callen Boris sacked Zebra quarterback Jarvis Mayo for a 4-yard loss and forced a punt.
Cabot took over on its 30 and went 11 plays, but a 9-yard loss on third and 5, and an illegal procedure penalty left the Panthers with fourth and 19 on the 34. Cabot tried a throwback to the opposite field, but the Zebra defense snuffed it out and stopped the play after just a 1-yard gain by Les McGregor.
The Zebras took over and went backwards. New quarterback Claude Johnson was dropped for a 4-yard loss on first down, and threw incomplete on second down. On third and 14, he slipped and fell while trying to escape pressure for a loss of nine yards. A short punt set Cabot up at the Pine Bluff 47, and Wilson covered all that distance on the very first snap of the drive.
Wilson kept on the option to the left side, and raced untouched for 47 yards and the score. Cabot set up for another extra point, but Pine Bluff jumped off sides, moving the ball inside the 2-yard line. Cabot opted to go for two from that distance, but James was stopped short, leaving the score 27-19 with 10:11 left in the game.
Pine Bluff got its first and only first down of the half on its next possession. The Zebras were one yard short of another first down and faced third and one at the Panther 40. They went for it all on third down, but the pass was knocked down in the end zone by Cabot senior Hunter Hess. On fourth down, senior L.J. Tarrant exploded through the line of scrimmage and blew up a draw play, nailing tailback Christian Owens as soon as he took the handoff for a 4-yard loss to give the Panthers possession and set up the drive that ended with the fumble inside the 10.
The first 24 minutes belonged to the Zebras. Cabot could not find an answer for the Pine Bluff passing game, even when Pine Bluff had to have big yardage. The Mayo to Jonathan Frasier connection was virtually unstoppable in the first half.
On their first possession, the Zebras converted a third and 19 when Mayo and Frasier hooked up for the first time for 29 yards to the Cabot 3. Owens stepped it in from there to give Pine Bluff a 7-0 lead with 8:01 left in the first quarter.
Cabot got 14 yards on its first play, but punted after three more plays and gave Pine Bluff the ball at its own 18.
Facing third and nine, Mayo and Frasier hooked up again, this time for 33 yards to the Cabot 48. On first down, Owens broke loose for a 45-yard gain to the 5-yard line. Pine Bluff was called for clipping on first down to set up first and goal from the 16. An incomplete pass was followed by a sack by Boris that set up fourth and goal from the 24. That’s when Mayo and Fraiser hooked up again. Another jump ball to the corner was won by Frasier for the score and a two-touchdown Pine Bluff lead with 2:47 left in the first quarter.
Cabot fumbled on the first play of its next possession, and Pine Bluff covered it on the Cabot 37. This time the Zebras tried to pull out another third and long, but senior Michael Reitz picked off the pass on the Cabot 11.
Cabot drove out to the 36, where it had to punt on fourth and nine.
The punt put Pine Bluff on its own 32, and it covered all that distance in one play. Predictably, it was another Mayo to Frasier connection, this time it was on jump ball. Mayo faked his defender into biting on hitch and ran alone down the left sideline, where Mayo’s pass hit him in stride for the score. The extra point made it 21-0 with 9:16 left in the first half.
Cabot got good field position when Neumann returned the kickoff 46 yards to the Pine Bluff 44, and scored in nine plays to make it 21-7 with 5:14 left in the half. Wesley Sowell got the payoff from six yards out.
Pine Bluff took the ensuing kickoff to the Cabot 49, but another clipping penalty backed it up to the 40. From there, three Mayo completions to three different receivers put the Zebras back up by three scores. The final pass was to Kelsey Collins and covered 23 yards. The extra point was no good, and Pine Bluff never threatened to score again.
Cabot put together another good drive, and had first down at the Pine Bluff 24 with 44 seconds and all three timeouts left, but Wilson fumbled the ball and Pine Bluff covered it and ran out the clock to end the half.
Statistically, the two halves look like two different games.
Pine Bluff finished with 293 total yards, with 291 coming in the first half. Cabot picked up 402 total yards, with 137 in the first half and 265 in the second.
Mayo finished with eight completions in 11 attempts for 219 yards and three touchdowns. Frasier had five receptions for 168 yards and two scores, all in the first half.
James led all rushers with 36 carries for 164 yards, including 25 carries for 114 in the second half. Wilson carried 15 times for 127 yards, 123 of which came in the second half.
The loss drops the Panthers to 6-3 overall and 3-3 in conference play, while Pine Bluff improved to 1-1-7 and 1-5 in league play.
Cabot will travel to Russellville next Thursday while Pine Bluff battles North Little Rock, another upset winner. The Wildcats got their first conference win of the season, upsetting top-ranked Bryant.
EDITORIALS>>Huck keeps moving up
It was a good-news, bad-news week for Mike Huckabee, who is beginning to be more than a favorite-son candidate for president.
The Rasmussen daily tracking poll Friday elevated him to fourth place among the Republican candidates, a little ahead of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and not far behind Sen. John McCain.
The front-runners, Rudy Giuliani and Fred Thompson, are not that far ahead.
Huckabee, who remains far, far behind the pack in fundraising, has all along said if he could only get into fourth place . . . If this poll is to be believed, he’s finally there.
The bad news? It was expected. Now that he is a contender, his record and not just his presidential campaign patter is getting some attention.
The right-wing columnist John Fund of the Wall Street Journal wrote an unflattering piece about our man’s tax-and-spend record in Arkansas.
Huckabee is not the true-blue conservative he claims to be for many audiences now, Fund said.
Another pundit, who once wrote editorials for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in Huckbee’s first term as governor, contested Huckabee’s conservative bona-tides. It will soon be a chorus.
His record has been both Huck-abee’s strength and his Achilles’ heel, as we have had occasion to observe.
He is one of the most liberal governors in Arkansas history, having accounted for more tax increases than any other and having enlarged state government more than any other.
He has exorbitantly inflated his record as a tax-cutter on the stump and now that will catch up with him.
But we continue to believe that if he will shoot straight with the Republican constituencies, his record and his moderate views on such things as immigration and government health assistance could make him the party’s best opponent to Sen. Hillary Clinton, the expected Democratic nominee. That is not the conventional wisdom, but it will be his best pitch.
Ernie Dumas writes editorials for The Leader.
The Rasmussen daily tracking poll Friday elevated him to fourth place among the Republican candidates, a little ahead of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and not far behind Sen. John McCain.
The front-runners, Rudy Giuliani and Fred Thompson, are not that far ahead.
Huckabee, who remains far, far behind the pack in fundraising, has all along said if he could only get into fourth place . . . If this poll is to be believed, he’s finally there.
The bad news? It was expected. Now that he is a contender, his record and not just his presidential campaign patter is getting some attention.
The right-wing columnist John Fund of the Wall Street Journal wrote an unflattering piece about our man’s tax-and-spend record in Arkansas.
Huckabee is not the true-blue conservative he claims to be for many audiences now, Fund said.
Another pundit, who once wrote editorials for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in Huckbee’s first term as governor, contested Huckabee’s conservative bona-tides. It will soon be a chorus.
His record has been both Huck-abee’s strength and his Achilles’ heel, as we have had occasion to observe.
He is one of the most liberal governors in Arkansas history, having accounted for more tax increases than any other and having enlarged state government more than any other.
He has exorbitantly inflated his record as a tax-cutter on the stump and now that will catch up with him.
But we continue to believe that if he will shoot straight with the Republican constituencies, his record and his moderate views on such things as immigration and government health assistance could make him the party’s best opponent to Sen. Hillary Clinton, the expected Democratic nominee. That is not the conventional wisdom, but it will be his best pitch.
Ernie Dumas writes editorials for The Leader.
EDITORIALS>>Support Fallfest
This year’s Sherwood Fallfest had everything a town could have wanted in a festival except attendance.
It is probably the best non-attended festival in Arkansas.
The festival rivals most other festivals in the state with the number and variety of vendors. There was plenty of food to choose from and most of it local and relatively inexpensive. Plus, the weather was exquisite.
The entertainment was all homegrown and all excellent. And 90 percent of Sherwood missed it. Sure people can say there was a lot going on that Saturday—and there was. The Race for the Cure, the Hogs on radio winning their first SEC game and the final weekend of the state fair.
But pick any week in October and there’s a lot going on. The argument doesn’t wash. Not only were there people missing, so was half the city’s leadership. It’s not a requirement that aldermen are there, but it would be nice if they showed people they physically support city activities.
Alderman Marina Brooks was there, working all day as a volunteer, on a bum foot. Aldermen Sheila Sulcer and Butch Davis were also there for a large chunk of the day. Mayor Virginia Hillman was there, too, visiting with everyone and she even emceed the cutest kids and karaoke contests—but that’s less than half of the city’s leadership. Did we miss anyone else?
Too much work went into the festival for such a small turnout. Very few vendors made money and soon they will stop coming and then people will show up and say, “Hey, I thought this was a good festival.”
It was and is, but the city may have to look at the return it’s getting for all of its work and effort.
The city put forth the effort, the activities and vendors—now the residents have to do their part—and participate.
—Rick Kron
It is probably the best non-attended festival in Arkansas.
The festival rivals most other festivals in the state with the number and variety of vendors. There was plenty of food to choose from and most of it local and relatively inexpensive. Plus, the weather was exquisite.
The entertainment was all homegrown and all excellent. And 90 percent of Sherwood missed it. Sure people can say there was a lot going on that Saturday—and there was. The Race for the Cure, the Hogs on radio winning their first SEC game and the final weekend of the state fair.
But pick any week in October and there’s a lot going on. The argument doesn’t wash. Not only were there people missing, so was half the city’s leadership. It’s not a requirement that aldermen are there, but it would be nice if they showed people they physically support city activities.
Alderman Marina Brooks was there, working all day as a volunteer, on a bum foot. Aldermen Sheila Sulcer and Butch Davis were also there for a large chunk of the day. Mayor Virginia Hillman was there, too, visiting with everyone and she even emceed the cutest kids and karaoke contests—but that’s less than half of the city’s leadership. Did we miss anyone else?
Too much work went into the festival for such a small turnout. Very few vendors made money and soon they will stop coming and then people will show up and say, “Hey, I thought this was a good festival.”
It was and is, but the city may have to look at the return it’s getting for all of its work and effort.
The city put forth the effort, the activities and vendors—now the residents have to do their part—and participate.
—Rick Kron
EDITORIALS>>Resurrecting a straw man
Straw men never go out of fashion in the American political system. Whenever there is a need for a crisis to move the populace in the desired direction, someone finds a straw man. The Family Council, which is closely aligned with Republican politics, found a straw man — gay people marrying or rearing and corrupting children — a few years ago and resurrects him every two years in time to stampede voters into the Republican ranks. The party really doesn’t need it and some in the party resent it.
The Family Council is trying to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot to prevent the adoption of children by unmarried households or the assignment of foster children to a gay parent or parents. Attorney General Dustin McDaniel said the proposal could not be circulated for signatures because it was worded in a way that would get it stricken from the ballot.
Then he approved a revised initiative that was modeled on his criticisms. But McDaniel announced that while the new proposal would pass constitutional muster, he opposed it. Gov. Beebe also said it was needlessly punitive and created fresh problems in the adoption or foster care of abandoned, neglected and mistreated children. He would vote against it, too, if it reached the ballot next year.
Before beginning the circulation of petitions to put the amendment on the ballot, the Family Council changed it again last week to include the statement that it was in the best interest of children in need of adoption or foster care that they be in homes only of people who were not “cohabiting.” All the research suggests that children are just as apt to get good care in cohabiting homes. Good parents and bad parents come in all sizes and compositions. This all began several years ago when a committee appointed by Gov. Mike Huckabee dictated that the state’s foster-care division stop placing foster children in homes where there was a gay parent or a gay person lived. The Arkansas Supreme Court said the ban was unconstitutional because the committee exceeded the power given it by the legislature. A Family Council bill in the legislature this spring sought to reinstate the ban, but it was defeated. The proposed constitutional amendment is another shot at the same target.
Initiated proposals that target homosexuals stir up some although not all evangelical conservatives and they gin up the turnout at elections, which as the 2004 election in Arkansas and other states showed tends to benefit Republican candidates.
There is a crisis in the care of neglected and troubled children, but the prospect of a gay or unmarried couple gaining custody is not it. The crisis is the great shortage of willing and caring parents of any variety. Children are stacked into the homes of people who are willing to take them for the few dollars that the state pays them per child. The foster-care program has been beset with scandals of abuse and neglect in foster homes year after year. Why would you put even a few willing and caring adults off limits?
Gov. Beebe, a cautious and conservative man, said the child-care professionals worked hard to place children in nurturing homes wherever they could find them and that their hands should not be tied further.
“We should not undermine the current deliberative system and replace it with a rigid, blanket policy that does not allow full consideration for the circumstances of each child,” he said. What a sound policy that is.
But we will hear in the election season next year that God does not want children reared even for a day in anything but a duly married household no matter how mean or uncaring it is and that you had better get to the polls to prevent it. Something tells us voters are wising up to such stratagems.
The Family Council is trying to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot to prevent the adoption of children by unmarried households or the assignment of foster children to a gay parent or parents. Attorney General Dustin McDaniel said the proposal could not be circulated for signatures because it was worded in a way that would get it stricken from the ballot.
Then he approved a revised initiative that was modeled on his criticisms. But McDaniel announced that while the new proposal would pass constitutional muster, he opposed it. Gov. Beebe also said it was needlessly punitive and created fresh problems in the adoption or foster care of abandoned, neglected and mistreated children. He would vote against it, too, if it reached the ballot next year.
Before beginning the circulation of petitions to put the amendment on the ballot, the Family Council changed it again last week to include the statement that it was in the best interest of children in need of adoption or foster care that they be in homes only of people who were not “cohabiting.” All the research suggests that children are just as apt to get good care in cohabiting homes. Good parents and bad parents come in all sizes and compositions. This all began several years ago when a committee appointed by Gov. Mike Huckabee dictated that the state’s foster-care division stop placing foster children in homes where there was a gay parent or a gay person lived. The Arkansas Supreme Court said the ban was unconstitutional because the committee exceeded the power given it by the legislature. A Family Council bill in the legislature this spring sought to reinstate the ban, but it was defeated. The proposed constitutional amendment is another shot at the same target.
Initiated proposals that target homosexuals stir up some although not all evangelical conservatives and they gin up the turnout at elections, which as the 2004 election in Arkansas and other states showed tends to benefit Republican candidates.
There is a crisis in the care of neglected and troubled children, but the prospect of a gay or unmarried couple gaining custody is not it. The crisis is the great shortage of willing and caring parents of any variety. Children are stacked into the homes of people who are willing to take them for the few dollars that the state pays them per child. The foster-care program has been beset with scandals of abuse and neglect in foster homes year after year. Why would you put even a few willing and caring adults off limits?
Gov. Beebe, a cautious and conservative man, said the child-care professionals worked hard to place children in nurturing homes wherever they could find them and that their hands should not be tied further.
“We should not undermine the current deliberative system and replace it with a rigid, blanket policy that does not allow full consideration for the circumstances of each child,” he said. What a sound policy that is.
But we will hear in the election season next year that God does not want children reared even for a day in anything but a duly married household no matter how mean or uncaring it is and that you had better get to the polls to prevent it. Something tells us voters are wising up to such stratagems.
OBITUARIES >> 10-27-07
Jake Wheeler
Jake Wheeler, 55, of Beebe died Oct. 25. He was born April 18, 1952, at Hazen to James and Bettye Perry Wheeler.
He was retired from Community Bank as a collections officer.
He is survived by two daughters, Joy and husband Doug McIntire of Peoria, Ill. and Jennifer Wheeler of Cabot; two granddaughters, Courtney and Abigail McIntire of Peoria, Ill.; one brother, Bobby Wheeler of Jacksonville; and two sisters, Melinda Gore of Lonoke and Lisa Johnson of McRae.
Family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 28 at Westbrook Funeral Home in Beebe.
Funeral will be at 2:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 29 at the funeral home with burial in Hazen Cemetery.
Nora Massey
Nora Friedrich Massey, 94, of Beebe died Oct. 25. Nora was born Feb. 12, 1913, at Gerard, Kan., and moved to Arkansas at the age of four.
She was retired from Redmond Motors and Franklin Electric, and was a member of Stoney Point Methodist Church.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 60 years, Coleman Massey; her parents, John and Myrtle Friedrich; and by her twin sister, Cora Richards; sister, Pearl Woods and by baby brother, John, Jr. Friedrich.
She is survived by one daughter, Mary Ann and husband Larry Massey; grandson, Mitch Helms; great-grandsons, Chanc Helms and C. J. Shireman, all of Beebe; granddaughter, Mellissa and husband Ricky Deese of North Little Rock; grandson, Dennis and wife Jackie Shireman; great-granddaughters, Denise and Brianna Shireman and great-grandson Casey Shireman, all of Marion; one sister, Johnell Mitchell of Little Rock; nephew Robert and wife June Richards and their daughter, Robin of Beebe; other nephews and nieces, Bruce Mitchell and Denna Mitchell, Ruth Beck and J. R. Woods.
Family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27 at Westbrook Funeral Home in Beebe.
Funeral will be at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 28 at the funeral home with burial in Stoney Point Cemetery.
Lilburn Autry Jr.
Lilburn Hardy “L.H.” Autry, Jr., 78, died Oct. 25 after a long and courageous battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
He was born March 25, 1929 in Burdette. He was a dedicated teacher and educator and a devoted public servant his entire professional career.
He was a counselor of the disabled at Hot Springs Rehabilitation Center. He also was director of Rehab Services for the Blind for the state of Arkansas. He continued his career at the University of Oklahoma as Director of a Management Training Program in Continuing Education.
He was an extremely creative man; an artist and musician who loved to play and hear music. He enjoyed painting and loved to give his artwork to friends and family. He spent hours working in his shop and could build or fix anything. He loved feeding the birds and his pets always held a special place in his heart. He was a member of Lonoke Baptist Church and loved to be around friends and family.
He was preceded in death by his parents, L.H. Autry, Sr. and Lucile Autry and an infant daughter, Dianne.
Survivors include his wife of 56 years, Betty Autry of Lonoke; children, Rosanne Florence and husband Michael of Lonoke, David Autry and wife Colleen of New York City; sister, Mollie Rose Molnar and husband Gene of Springfield, Mo.; granddaughter, Megan Florence of Lonoke, numerous cousins and many beloved family friends.
A memorial service will be held Monday, Oct. 29 at 2 p.m. at Lonoke Baptist Church. Burial will follow in Lonoke Cemetery. The family will receive friends Sunday, Oct. 28 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Boyd Funeral Home in Lonoke.
In lieu of flowers the family requests memorial donations be made to the Arkansas Alzheimer’s Association, 10411 W. Markham, Ste. 130, Little Rock, Ark., 72205 or the Lonoke Scholarship Foundation, 221 W. Holly, Lonoke, Ark., 72086 or a charity of your choice.
Frances Sykes Jr.
Frances J. Sykes, Jr., 72, of Jacksonville died Oct. 24.
He was born July 5, 1935 in New Orleans, La.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Hazel Mae Sykes; his sisters, Mary L. Mitchell and Elaine Butts and a brother, Billy Richmond.
He proudly served in the Air Force during the Korean and Vietnam wars and was a flight instructor for load masters and retired after 24 years.
He was a volunteer at Jacksonville High School, a member of Saint Jude the Apostle Catholic Church and was the most caring and giving man you could ever meet.
He is survived by four daughters Melody Neff of Arizona, Leta Cribb of North Little Rock, Cathy Peters of Jacksonville and Shelia Occhino of Arizona; and a son, Mark Sykes of Vilonia as well as two step-sons Rod Steinsick and Frank Steinsick and step-daughter Tina Connelly, all of North Little Rock; three sisters, Rita Blancher of Virginia, Teresa Spretz and Clare Rapp, both of Louisiana; 18 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.
A funeral mass for Sykes was Oct. 26 at Saint Jude the Apostle Catholic Church in Jacksonville with Father Les Farley officiating.
Entombment followed in Chapel Hill Mausoleum. Funeral arrangements were under the direction of Moore’s Jacksonville Funeral Home.
Alfred Allison
Alfred Allison, 92, of Sheridan formerly of Beebe, went to be with the Lord Oct. 23. He was born Dec. 30, 1914, in Lonoke County to William and Elsie Allison.
He leaves to cherish his memories three daughters, Barbara Shellnut and husband Ralph of Sheridan, Mary Best and husband Berl of Branson, Mo., and Ann Hartline of Springfield, Mo.; four grandchildren, Kathy Frost and husband Darrell of Booneville, Carol Crump and husband Jim of Knoxville, Karen Best of Branson, Mo., and Ed Smoot of Phoenix, Ariz.; five step-grandchildren, Darrin Shellnut and wife Tamara of Beebe, Dana Moore and husband Jeff of Bauxite, Dewayne Shellnut of Sheridan, Adam Crump of Mt. Vernon, Ill., and Melissa Crump of Carbondale, Ill.; three great-grandchildren, Joshua Frost of Jackson, Tenn., Lindsey Andrews and husband Ben of Russellville and Corey Martone of Knoxville; eight step-great-grandchildren, D.J. Shellnut of Livingston, La., Dixie Shaffer and husband Michael of Searcy, Sean Keen and Scotty Shellnut of Sheridan, Zachary and Haley Moore of Bauxite, and Dallas and Shelby Carson of Beebe; one great-great-grandchild, Kylie Frost of Jackson, Tenn.; two brothers, David Allison of Xenia, Ill., and Billy Allison of Reading, Pa.; one sister, Ida Atterberry of Flatrock, Ill.; many beloved nieces and nephews and wonderful care-givers, Evelyn Rutherford and Carol Ham.
Funeral services were Oct. 26 at Beebe First Assembly of God. Funeral arrangements were by Westbrook Funeral Home in Beebe.
Charles Franks
Charles Thomas “Tommy” Franks, 59, of Lonoke died Oct. 23 at Lonoke.
He was born April 3, 1948 in Dyess. He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Kathy Thomason Franks; one daughter, Lesley Ann Faulkner of Little Rock; twin sons, John Phillip Franks and his wife Kristy, and Joseph Bartley Franks of Lonoke; three grandchildren, Kylie Smith and twins Karson and Kate Franks; his mother and stepfather, Emil and James Blackard of Lonoke; three sisters, Peggy Bewley of Scott, Mary Moore of Ward, and Carol Ann Scott of Lonoke; one brother, Craig Blackard of Lonoke; three nieces and five nephews; two great nieces; two great nephews and his beloved terrier, Jack.
Tommy was a graduate of Little Rock Central High School. He was proud of his profession as a journeyman lineman, beginning his career with Arkansas Power and Light Co. (forerunner to Entergy).
After marriage, he and his wife dairy farmed in the Wattensaw community for several years.
For the past 10 years, he has worked for Diversified Electric Contractors in various areas of California.
In 1999, he was chosen to be the lineman picked from California to go to Chicago for “bare hand” training.
Tommy was devoted to his family, loved adventure, was an avid reader, a talented wood worker and an inventor.
One of his interests was dirt track racing. A number of years ago he rebuilt a car and drove it from Arkansas to California.
He became a grandfather recently and was known as “Grumpy.” A tall, handsome man, Tommy was known among his wife’s family as “The Marlboro Man.”
Funeral services were Oct. 25 at Wattensaw Baptist Church in Lonoke; interment followed at Wattensaw Cemetery.
Pallbearers were Craig Blackard, Michael Franks, Larry Cash, Danny Hazelwood, Bob Trickey and Randy Zeps. Honorary pallbearers were John Franks, Joe Franks, Tom Browning, Wade Finley and Bill Trickey.
Memorials may be made to Wattensaw Cemetery, c/o Neal Colclasure, 3700 Hwy. 31 N., Lonoke, Ark. 72086. Funeral arrangements were by Westbrook Funeral Home in Beebe.
Jake Wheeler, 55, of Beebe died Oct. 25. He was born April 18, 1952, at Hazen to James and Bettye Perry Wheeler.
He was retired from Community Bank as a collections officer.
He is survived by two daughters, Joy and husband Doug McIntire of Peoria, Ill. and Jennifer Wheeler of Cabot; two granddaughters, Courtney and Abigail McIntire of Peoria, Ill.; one brother, Bobby Wheeler of Jacksonville; and two sisters, Melinda Gore of Lonoke and Lisa Johnson of McRae.
Family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 28 at Westbrook Funeral Home in Beebe.
Funeral will be at 2:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 29 at the funeral home with burial in Hazen Cemetery.
Nora Massey
Nora Friedrich Massey, 94, of Beebe died Oct. 25. Nora was born Feb. 12, 1913, at Gerard, Kan., and moved to Arkansas at the age of four.
She was retired from Redmond Motors and Franklin Electric, and was a member of Stoney Point Methodist Church.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 60 years, Coleman Massey; her parents, John and Myrtle Friedrich; and by her twin sister, Cora Richards; sister, Pearl Woods and by baby brother, John, Jr. Friedrich.
She is survived by one daughter, Mary Ann and husband Larry Massey; grandson, Mitch Helms; great-grandsons, Chanc Helms and C. J. Shireman, all of Beebe; granddaughter, Mellissa and husband Ricky Deese of North Little Rock; grandson, Dennis and wife Jackie Shireman; great-granddaughters, Denise and Brianna Shireman and great-grandson Casey Shireman, all of Marion; one sister, Johnell Mitchell of Little Rock; nephew Robert and wife June Richards and their daughter, Robin of Beebe; other nephews and nieces, Bruce Mitchell and Denna Mitchell, Ruth Beck and J. R. Woods.
Family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27 at Westbrook Funeral Home in Beebe.
Funeral will be at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 28 at the funeral home with burial in Stoney Point Cemetery.
Lilburn Autry Jr.
Lilburn Hardy “L.H.” Autry, Jr., 78, died Oct. 25 after a long and courageous battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
He was born March 25, 1929 in Burdette. He was a dedicated teacher and educator and a devoted public servant his entire professional career.
He was a counselor of the disabled at Hot Springs Rehabilitation Center. He also was director of Rehab Services for the Blind for the state of Arkansas. He continued his career at the University of Oklahoma as Director of a Management Training Program in Continuing Education.
He was an extremely creative man; an artist and musician who loved to play and hear music. He enjoyed painting and loved to give his artwork to friends and family. He spent hours working in his shop and could build or fix anything. He loved feeding the birds and his pets always held a special place in his heart. He was a member of Lonoke Baptist Church and loved to be around friends and family.
He was preceded in death by his parents, L.H. Autry, Sr. and Lucile Autry and an infant daughter, Dianne.
Survivors include his wife of 56 years, Betty Autry of Lonoke; children, Rosanne Florence and husband Michael of Lonoke, David Autry and wife Colleen of New York City; sister, Mollie Rose Molnar and husband Gene of Springfield, Mo.; granddaughter, Megan Florence of Lonoke, numerous cousins and many beloved family friends.
A memorial service will be held Monday, Oct. 29 at 2 p.m. at Lonoke Baptist Church. Burial will follow in Lonoke Cemetery. The family will receive friends Sunday, Oct. 28 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Boyd Funeral Home in Lonoke.
In lieu of flowers the family requests memorial donations be made to the Arkansas Alzheimer’s Association, 10411 W. Markham, Ste. 130, Little Rock, Ark., 72205 or the Lonoke Scholarship Foundation, 221 W. Holly, Lonoke, Ark., 72086 or a charity of your choice.
Frances Sykes Jr.
Frances J. Sykes, Jr., 72, of Jacksonville died Oct. 24.
He was born July 5, 1935 in New Orleans, La.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Hazel Mae Sykes; his sisters, Mary L. Mitchell and Elaine Butts and a brother, Billy Richmond.
He proudly served in the Air Force during the Korean and Vietnam wars and was a flight instructor for load masters and retired after 24 years.
He was a volunteer at Jacksonville High School, a member of Saint Jude the Apostle Catholic Church and was the most caring and giving man you could ever meet.
He is survived by four daughters Melody Neff of Arizona, Leta Cribb of North Little Rock, Cathy Peters of Jacksonville and Shelia Occhino of Arizona; and a son, Mark Sykes of Vilonia as well as two step-sons Rod Steinsick and Frank Steinsick and step-daughter Tina Connelly, all of North Little Rock; three sisters, Rita Blancher of Virginia, Teresa Spretz and Clare Rapp, both of Louisiana; 18 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.
A funeral mass for Sykes was Oct. 26 at Saint Jude the Apostle Catholic Church in Jacksonville with Father Les Farley officiating.
Entombment followed in Chapel Hill Mausoleum. Funeral arrangements were under the direction of Moore’s Jacksonville Funeral Home.
Alfred Allison
Alfred Allison, 92, of Sheridan formerly of Beebe, went to be with the Lord Oct. 23. He was born Dec. 30, 1914, in Lonoke County to William and Elsie Allison.
He leaves to cherish his memories three daughters, Barbara Shellnut and husband Ralph of Sheridan, Mary Best and husband Berl of Branson, Mo., and Ann Hartline of Springfield, Mo.; four grandchildren, Kathy Frost and husband Darrell of Booneville, Carol Crump and husband Jim of Knoxville, Karen Best of Branson, Mo., and Ed Smoot of Phoenix, Ariz.; five step-grandchildren, Darrin Shellnut and wife Tamara of Beebe, Dana Moore and husband Jeff of Bauxite, Dewayne Shellnut of Sheridan, Adam Crump of Mt. Vernon, Ill., and Melissa Crump of Carbondale, Ill.; three great-grandchildren, Joshua Frost of Jackson, Tenn., Lindsey Andrews and husband Ben of Russellville and Corey Martone of Knoxville; eight step-great-grandchildren, D.J. Shellnut of Livingston, La., Dixie Shaffer and husband Michael of Searcy, Sean Keen and Scotty Shellnut of Sheridan, Zachary and Haley Moore of Bauxite, and Dallas and Shelby Carson of Beebe; one great-great-grandchild, Kylie Frost of Jackson, Tenn.; two brothers, David Allison of Xenia, Ill., and Billy Allison of Reading, Pa.; one sister, Ida Atterberry of Flatrock, Ill.; many beloved nieces and nephews and wonderful care-givers, Evelyn Rutherford and Carol Ham.
Funeral services were Oct. 26 at Beebe First Assembly of God. Funeral arrangements were by Westbrook Funeral Home in Beebe.
Charles Franks
Charles Thomas “Tommy” Franks, 59, of Lonoke died Oct. 23 at Lonoke.
He was born April 3, 1948 in Dyess. He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Kathy Thomason Franks; one daughter, Lesley Ann Faulkner of Little Rock; twin sons, John Phillip Franks and his wife Kristy, and Joseph Bartley Franks of Lonoke; three grandchildren, Kylie Smith and twins Karson and Kate Franks; his mother and stepfather, Emil and James Blackard of Lonoke; three sisters, Peggy Bewley of Scott, Mary Moore of Ward, and Carol Ann Scott of Lonoke; one brother, Craig Blackard of Lonoke; three nieces and five nephews; two great nieces; two great nephews and his beloved terrier, Jack.
Tommy was a graduate of Little Rock Central High School. He was proud of his profession as a journeyman lineman, beginning his career with Arkansas Power and Light Co. (forerunner to Entergy).
After marriage, he and his wife dairy farmed in the Wattensaw community for several years.
For the past 10 years, he has worked for Diversified Electric Contractors in various areas of California.
In 1999, he was chosen to be the lineman picked from California to go to Chicago for “bare hand” training.
Tommy was devoted to his family, loved adventure, was an avid reader, a talented wood worker and an inventor.
One of his interests was dirt track racing. A number of years ago he rebuilt a car and drove it from Arkansas to California.
He became a grandfather recently and was known as “Grumpy.” A tall, handsome man, Tommy was known among his wife’s family as “The Marlboro Man.”
Funeral services were Oct. 25 at Wattensaw Baptist Church in Lonoke; interment followed at Wattensaw Cemetery.
Pallbearers were Craig Blackard, Michael Franks, Larry Cash, Danny Hazelwood, Bob Trickey and Randy Zeps. Honorary pallbearers were John Franks, Joe Franks, Tom Browning, Wade Finley and Bill Trickey.
Memorials may be made to Wattensaw Cemetery, c/o Neal Colclasure, 3700 Hwy. 31 N., Lonoke, Ark. 72086. Funeral arrangements were by Westbrook Funeral Home in Beebe.
TOP STORY >>Move to expel mayor from GOP abandoned
By JOAN MCCOY
Leader staff writer
Cabot Mayor Eddie Joe Williams and Alderman Ken Williams have been cleared of the charge by another member of the Lonoke County Republican Committee that they intentionally worked against the party.
If they had not been cleared, their memberships in the local committee could have been taken away. But officials at the state level say that would not prevent them from running for office as Republicans.
Robert Horn, chairman of the Lonoke County Republican Committee, said expulsion at the local level would mean at the most that candidates would not have local party members working for them and at the worst; they could have local party members working against them.
After interviewing the two elected Cabot city officials Monday night, a panel of three members of the county committee concluded that the complaint filed by Carl Schmidt was without merit. The complained stemmed from Mayor Williams’ and Alderman Williams’ support for non-partisan elections in Cabot, where Republicans stand a better chance of being elected than Democrats or independents, because most residents vote Republican.
Horn said he was disappointed that the issue was made public and that he hopes it is over.
“(The panel) voted unanimously to not remove them,” Horn said. “It’s a simple matter; they just concluded that those actions did not merit removal from committee.”
About 20 or so of the 83 members of the Lonoke County Republican Committee attended the July city council meeting in which the council voted 5-2 for non-partisan elections that would require all candidates for office in Cabot to run as independents.
Those local Republicans included members who also belong to the Republican Assembly, a more conservative arm of the party that is sometimes at odds with other committee members. But one Republican Committee member told the city council that although the two sides are often divided, they were together on the issue of partisan elections. Residents have a right to know the values of the people running for public office they said.
But the council members who voted for non-partisan elections said national issues like abortion, gun control and homosexuality were not a part of city government.
They said they wanted residents to get to know the candidates rather than voting based on party affiliation. And they wanted qualified candidates.
The elephant in the room that council members only hinted at was City Attorney Jim Taylor who set up residency in Cabot and ran as a Republican, winning easily over Clint McGue, the independent incumbent with 15 or so years of experience as a city attorney. Taylor, who worked mostly in accounting, had no experience in city government.
Alderman Williams voted for the resolution and Mayor Williams would not veto it even though he was under pressure to do so.
The council members who supported non-partisan elections also pointed out that since most Cabot residents vote Republican, candidates could switch parties just to get elected. The presence of an “R” beside a name on a ballot was no real indication of a candidate’s values, they said.
Alderman Williams said after the panel reached its unanimous decision that he believed he had been given a fair hearing and he was glad the matter had been resolved.
Williams said he would not bow to pressure to vote against non-partisan elections because the Lonoke County Republican Committee had never adopted any policy in support of party elections.
In fact, he said, he had never seen the party take a stand on any city issue before the July resolution for non-partisan elections. As for the 20 or so Republicans who attended the July meeting, they were committee members the same as him with no authority from the party to make demands, he said.
Mayor Williams said his record this year as mayor shows that he is a good Republican despite his stand on partisan elections.
“We’ve reduced the size of government and we now have a substantial savings account,” he said. “I stand for family values and I’m fiscally conservative. I’m all the things you think of as Republican.”
Asked how the Democrats would deal with a similar issue, Democratic Party of Arkansas Chairman Bill Gwatney issued this statement:
“The Democratic Party of Arkansas welcomes those with divergent viewpoints, and believes it is our differences that make us stronger. To those who are removed from the Republican Party in Lonoke County, please come visit with us if you would like to be involved with a party that appreciates varying points of view, and does not disavow those who act on their convictions even if it is not in lock-step with their party’s leadership.”
Leader staff writer
Cabot Mayor Eddie Joe Williams and Alderman Ken Williams have been cleared of the charge by another member of the Lonoke County Republican Committee that they intentionally worked against the party.
If they had not been cleared, their memberships in the local committee could have been taken away. But officials at the state level say that would not prevent them from running for office as Republicans.
Robert Horn, chairman of the Lonoke County Republican Committee, said expulsion at the local level would mean at the most that candidates would not have local party members working for them and at the worst; they could have local party members working against them.
After interviewing the two elected Cabot city officials Monday night, a panel of three members of the county committee concluded that the complaint filed by Carl Schmidt was without merit. The complained stemmed from Mayor Williams’ and Alderman Williams’ support for non-partisan elections in Cabot, where Republicans stand a better chance of being elected than Democrats or independents, because most residents vote Republican.
Horn said he was disappointed that the issue was made public and that he hopes it is over.
“(The panel) voted unanimously to not remove them,” Horn said. “It’s a simple matter; they just concluded that those actions did not merit removal from committee.”
About 20 or so of the 83 members of the Lonoke County Republican Committee attended the July city council meeting in which the council voted 5-2 for non-partisan elections that would require all candidates for office in Cabot to run as independents.
Those local Republicans included members who also belong to the Republican Assembly, a more conservative arm of the party that is sometimes at odds with other committee members. But one Republican Committee member told the city council that although the two sides are often divided, they were together on the issue of partisan elections. Residents have a right to know the values of the people running for public office they said.
But the council members who voted for non-partisan elections said national issues like abortion, gun control and homosexuality were not a part of city government.
They said they wanted residents to get to know the candidates rather than voting based on party affiliation. And they wanted qualified candidates.
The elephant in the room that council members only hinted at was City Attorney Jim Taylor who set up residency in Cabot and ran as a Republican, winning easily over Clint McGue, the independent incumbent with 15 or so years of experience as a city attorney. Taylor, who worked mostly in accounting, had no experience in city government.
Alderman Williams voted for the resolution and Mayor Williams would not veto it even though he was under pressure to do so.
The council members who supported non-partisan elections also pointed out that since most Cabot residents vote Republican, candidates could switch parties just to get elected. The presence of an “R” beside a name on a ballot was no real indication of a candidate’s values, they said.
Alderman Williams said after the panel reached its unanimous decision that he believed he had been given a fair hearing and he was glad the matter had been resolved.
Williams said he would not bow to pressure to vote against non-partisan elections because the Lonoke County Republican Committee had never adopted any policy in support of party elections.
In fact, he said, he had never seen the party take a stand on any city issue before the July resolution for non-partisan elections. As for the 20 or so Republicans who attended the July meeting, they were committee members the same as him with no authority from the party to make demands, he said.
Mayor Williams said his record this year as mayor shows that he is a good Republican despite his stand on partisan elections.
“We’ve reduced the size of government and we now have a substantial savings account,” he said. “I stand for family values and I’m fiscally conservative. I’m all the things you think of as Republican.”
Asked how the Democrats would deal with a similar issue, Democratic Party of Arkansas Chairman Bill Gwatney issued this statement:
“The Democratic Party of Arkansas welcomes those with divergent viewpoints, and believes it is our differences that make us stronger. To those who are removed from the Republican Party in Lonoke County, please come visit with us if you would like to be involved with a party that appreciates varying points of view, and does not disavow those who act on their convictions even if it is not in lock-step with their party’s leadership.”
TOP STORY >>Lonoke celebrates its history
By ALIYA FELDMAN
Leader staff writer
Historians visited the Lonoke Community Center Tuesday in a treasure hunt for the state’s rich artistic heritage, and local residents brought them several valuable items to add to the state’s collection. What began as the Historic Arkansas Museum’s preparing pre-Civil War museum houses soon culminated into the uncovering of a wealth of Arkansas arts.
The Historic Arkansas Museum is locating decorative, mechanical and fine art produced by Arkansas artists and artisans from 1700 to 1950. The museum’s research team is traveling across the state in search of original works of art, photography, furniture, handmade silver, firearms, quilts, pottery and other art objects believed to have been made in the state to be collected for future volumes of the Arkansas Made book series.
“We discovered more than one treasure to consider for the books,” Swannee Bennett, chief curator of the Historic Arkansas Museum, said of the Lonoke visit.
Suzanne Gross Marks, president of the Lonoke Historical Society, brought an afghan quilt she sewed in 1944.
She said her family has been in Lonoke six generations, and her great-great grandfather Issac Hicks laid out Lonoke. She said Hicks also ran a safe house for Native Americans crossing through Arkansas on the Trail of Tears. Marks said they stopped there for food and water on their long trek.
“I want people to know that they can work with their hands,” the 83-year-old Marks said, noting that she built her house in Lonoke in 1963, painting the rooms and handmaking her tiles.
Lonoke resident Lynn Fletcher brought in two quilts made by each of her grandmothers. One has names of four generations of family members sewn into it. Her husband Alex brought in photographs that hang in his accounting office in Lonoke: one of school children that Bennett thought might be from 1890 to 1895 and another of a Lonoke baseball team he thought to be from 1910 to 1915.
The Lonoke Historical Society publishes its own book every year and will be meeting at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Lonoke County Museum.
Bennett and his staff researched every page of Arkansas newspapers printed between 1819 and 1870 for the first two volumes of “Arkansas Made: A Survey of the Decorative, Mechanical and Fine Art Produced in Arkansas, 1819-1870” published by University of Arkansas Press.
“The curators also surveyed the census records for the same period along with business directories, personal correspondence, journals and diaries,” Bennett said.
“The new research continues to examine census and newspaper records, along with personal correspondence, journals and diaries, most of which we find in public collections, like the state archives [Arkansas History Commission],” Bennett said. “However, we occasionally have the good fortune to find letters and journals in private hands which furnish us with a great deal of information about life and work at a particular time in Arkansas history.”
He said the museum wants to record the state’s cultural and artistic history to “understand more about the creative legacy in Arkansas. Arkansas is oftentimes viewed in history as backwards, rustic and unsophisticated,” but he said, “we have a fine tradition of quilt-making and fine arts.”
Bennett said researching quilt-making history is difficult. “It was not generally an occupation that got a mention in the census or in newspaper advertisements,” Bennett said. “I suspect when a woman is listed under an occupation as a ‘seamstress,’ that this line of work might include making quilts.”
Quilts made by Arkansas women are the largest part of decorative and functional art that has survived to date. An 1849 journal entry in the UALR archives documents quilt-maker Everard Dickinson, from near the north fork of the White River: “The men gather the wheat, while the Women quilt… and the young men can get a chance maybe to hug and kiss the Galls [girls]….”
The museum encourages all Arkansans who may have an original family heirloom created in Arkansas to contact the research office. The staff will document the heirlooms and will not keep them. For more information, contact the Historic Arkansas Museum at 501-580-5237 or 501-324-9376.
Leader staff writer
Historians visited the Lonoke Community Center Tuesday in a treasure hunt for the state’s rich artistic heritage, and local residents brought them several valuable items to add to the state’s collection. What began as the Historic Arkansas Museum’s preparing pre-Civil War museum houses soon culminated into the uncovering of a wealth of Arkansas arts.
The Historic Arkansas Museum is locating decorative, mechanical and fine art produced by Arkansas artists and artisans from 1700 to 1950. The museum’s research team is traveling across the state in search of original works of art, photography, furniture, handmade silver, firearms, quilts, pottery and other art objects believed to have been made in the state to be collected for future volumes of the Arkansas Made book series.
“We discovered more than one treasure to consider for the books,” Swannee Bennett, chief curator of the Historic Arkansas Museum, said of the Lonoke visit.
Suzanne Gross Marks, president of the Lonoke Historical Society, brought an afghan quilt she sewed in 1944.
She said her family has been in Lonoke six generations, and her great-great grandfather Issac Hicks laid out Lonoke. She said Hicks also ran a safe house for Native Americans crossing through Arkansas on the Trail of Tears. Marks said they stopped there for food and water on their long trek.
“I want people to know that they can work with their hands,” the 83-year-old Marks said, noting that she built her house in Lonoke in 1963, painting the rooms and handmaking her tiles.
Lonoke resident Lynn Fletcher brought in two quilts made by each of her grandmothers. One has names of four generations of family members sewn into it. Her husband Alex brought in photographs that hang in his accounting office in Lonoke: one of school children that Bennett thought might be from 1890 to 1895 and another of a Lonoke baseball team he thought to be from 1910 to 1915.
The Lonoke Historical Society publishes its own book every year and will be meeting at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Lonoke County Museum.
Bennett and his staff researched every page of Arkansas newspapers printed between 1819 and 1870 for the first two volumes of “Arkansas Made: A Survey of the Decorative, Mechanical and Fine Art Produced in Arkansas, 1819-1870” published by University of Arkansas Press.
“The curators also surveyed the census records for the same period along with business directories, personal correspondence, journals and diaries,” Bennett said.
“The new research continues to examine census and newspaper records, along with personal correspondence, journals and diaries, most of which we find in public collections, like the state archives [Arkansas History Commission],” Bennett said. “However, we occasionally have the good fortune to find letters and journals in private hands which furnish us with a great deal of information about life and work at a particular time in Arkansas history.”
He said the museum wants to record the state’s cultural and artistic history to “understand more about the creative legacy in Arkansas. Arkansas is oftentimes viewed in history as backwards, rustic and unsophisticated,” but he said, “we have a fine tradition of quilt-making and fine arts.”
Bennett said researching quilt-making history is difficult. “It was not generally an occupation that got a mention in the census or in newspaper advertisements,” Bennett said. “I suspect when a woman is listed under an occupation as a ‘seamstress,’ that this line of work might include making quilts.”
Quilts made by Arkansas women are the largest part of decorative and functional art that has survived to date. An 1849 journal entry in the UALR archives documents quilt-maker Everard Dickinson, from near the north fork of the White River: “The men gather the wheat, while the Women quilt… and the young men can get a chance maybe to hug and kiss the Galls [girls]….”
The museum encourages all Arkansans who may have an original family heirloom created in Arkansas to contact the research office. The staff will document the heirlooms and will not keep them. For more information, contact the Historic Arkansas Museum at 501-580-5237 or 501-324-9376.
TOP STORY >>Decline triggers criticism of PCSSD
By JOHN HOFHEIMER
Leader senior staff writer
White parents appear to be abandoning Jacksonville, particularly the Boys Middle School, where 50 fewer white students are enrolled this year than last, according to official 2007-2008 enrollment figures released this month by the state Education Department this week.
Overall, the school’s enrollment declined by 48 students. That means that white enrollment at the predominantly black, all-boys middle school declined 26 percent from last year. Enrollment for the entire boys middle school is down 11 percent. Whites now account for just over one-third of the enrollment there.
“This puts an exclamation mark on the need for new facilities,” said state Rep. Will Bond, D-Jacksonville.
“We need to break ground on a new facility in the next six to eight months. We need to talk to the parents of the elementary school students and see what they need to have in that school. We need to look at the curriculum and the way the schools are set up,” he said.
“Everybody has opinions, but very seldom do people get the data,” Bond said. “The decline shows something is wrong here. Enrollment has declined over the last 19 years pretty consistently, a lot faster than the rest of the county.
Enrollment at PCSSD schools declined to 17,395, down 361 students from last year.
That’s a 2 percent de-cline overall in a district that has steadily lost enrollment over the past few years.
The district suffered a nearly 5 percent decline in enrollment of white students, this at a time when it seems poised to ask for release from federal court oversight and the desegregation agreement.
The school board meets in special session at 5 p.m. Monday, just two days in advance of the Oct. 31 deadline to file for unitary school status and qualify for attorney’s fees.
The 361-student decline in enrollment at Pulaski County Special School District from last year to this includes the loss of 128 students in Jacksonville, Zone 6, where 3,228 students are enrolled.
Zone 6 schools are Jacksonville High School, both Jacksonville Middle Schools, Jacksonville Elementary School, Pinewood and Murrell Taylor Elementary schools.
The decline will cost PCSSD more than $2 million in state minimum foundation aid.
Those Jacksonville schools serve less than 20 percent of the students in the district, but sustained more than a third of PCSSD’s total enrollment losses.
Thirty-five percent of the decline in PCSSD enrollment is attributable to the decline of white students attending Zone 6 schools.
“It shows a trend that’s been going on since 1989,” said Bond. “Pulaski County has been losing enrollment and Jacksonville’s been losing quicker than the rest of the county.
“You have a slew of young families leaving or choosing not to put their kids in the schools,” Bond said. “We’ve been trying to correct that and haven’t made a lot of headway yet.”
People are moving out of the city, said middle school Principal Mike Nellums. “They are building on the other side of the freeway, which gives them an opportunity to go to Northwood.
“We can stem that movement by providing quality education,” he said. “Some parents aren’t into gender-based education.”
He said Jacksonville’s poor facilities contribute to the problem. He said proportionately, discipline problems are no more frequent at his school.
Jacksonville Middle School for Boys is the only one not under academic distress. “All our test scores improved last year—every grade level in every subject matter,” he said.
“Ours is a 50-plus-year-old building,” he said. “We’re doing the best we can with what we have.”
Nellums said he hopes with the audio-visual program started at the middle school, it will grow into a communications-magnet school.
Students classified as neither black nor white account for just 5 percent of the district’s enrollment.
Hispanics, Asians and Pacific Islanders account for most of those. Those groups had slight increases in enrollment.
The district has 8,822 white students, 7,641 black students, 611 Hispanic students, 284 Asian or Pacific Islanders and 37 American Indians or Alaskan natives.
ZONE 6 ENROLLMENT
Of the 3,228 students enrolled in Zone 6 schools this year, 1,300 are white.
Here’s the Zone 5 2007-2008 enrollment break-down with percent of increase or decline rounded off:
Jacksonville Elementary—542 students, down 10 (-2 percent) from last year with 329 black students and 160 white students.
Jacksonville Girls Middle School—405 students, down 35 (-8 percent) with 225 black students and 169 white students.
Jacksonville Boys Middle School—378 students, down 48 (-11 percent) with 224 black students and 139 white students.
Jacksonville High School—1,089 students, down 25 (-2 percent) with 544 black students and 499 white students.
Pinewood Elementary—390 students, down 14 (-4 percent) with 205 black students and 168 white students.
Murrell Taylor Elementary—434 students, up 4 (+1 percent) with 257 black students and 165 white students.
ZONE 5 ENROLLMENT
Of the 3,063 students enrolled in Zone 5 schools this year, 959 are black. Enrollment is down 62 students.
Here’s the Zone 5 2007-2008 enrollment break-down with percent of increase or decline rounded off:
Bayou Meto Elementary—362 students, down 32 (-8 percent) with 10 black students and 331 white students.
Warren Dupree Elementary—310 students, down 12 (-4 percent) with 138 black students and 153 white students. This is an 11 percent decline in the number of white students.
Tolleson Elementary—297 students, same as last year, with 108 black students and 164 white students. This is a 9 percent decline in the number of white students.
Cato Elementary—316 students, down 13 (-4 percent) with 103 black students and 193 white students. This is a 9 percent decline in the number of black students.
Arnold Drive Elementary—226 students, up 10 (+5 percent) with 79 black students and 122 white students.
Northwood Middle School —632 students, down 22 (-3 percent) with 233 black students and 368 white students.
North Pulaski High School —920 students, up 7 (+1 percent) with 367 black students and 527 white students.
ZONE 4 ENROLLMENT
Of the 2,317 students enrolled in area Zone 4 schools this year, a decline of 50 from last year. Just over half are white.
Here’s the Zone 4 2007-2008 enrollment break-down with percent of increase or decline rounded off:
Sherwood Elementary—377 students, down 23 (-6 percent) with 158 black students and 208 white students.
That’s a decline of 9 percent among white students.
Sylvan Hills Elementary—354 students, down 5 (-1 percent) with 136 black students and 204 white students.
Sylvan Hills Middle School—667 students, up 14 (+2 percent) with 310 black students and 323 white students.
Sylvan Hills High School—919 students, down 36 (-4 percent) with 418 black students and 468 white students.
LONOKE SCHOOL DISTRICT
The Lonoke School District, with 1,832 students, saw an enrollment decline of seven since the 2006-2007 school year, costing the district about $40,000 in state minimum foundation aid.
Lonoke Primary School enrollment of 422 students dropped 17 from last year, including an 8 percent decrease in the number of white students and a 13 percent increase in the number of black students.
Lonoke Elementary School’s enrollment grew by five to 422 students, an increase of 1 percent.
Lonoke Middle School enrollment grew by 16 students to 432. That includes a 41 percent increase in the number of Hispanic students to 24.
Lonoke High School dropped by 11 students to 556.
Cabot School District
The Cabot School District has an official enrollment of 9,245 students this school year, a figure that continues to increase each year.
There are 3,734 students among the district’s eight elementary schools, an increase of 83 students from last school year.
At the middle school, there are a total of 1,420 students among two middle schools; last year there were 1,406 fifth- and sixth-graders in Cabot.
The junior high population grew by 97 to 2,231 students, an increase of 1 percent.
Cabot High School also saw an increase in population, adding an additional 208 students for this school year, bringing the grand total to 1,861 10th- through 12th-graders.
Beebe School District
Enrollment growth in the Beebe School District has slowed from the 2006-07 school year, which had an increase of 140 students.
This year, enrollment is 3,119 students, up 86 from last year’s 3,033.
Leader senior staff writer
White parents appear to be abandoning Jacksonville, particularly the Boys Middle School, where 50 fewer white students are enrolled this year than last, according to official 2007-2008 enrollment figures released this month by the state Education Department this week.
Overall, the school’s enrollment declined by 48 students. That means that white enrollment at the predominantly black, all-boys middle school declined 26 percent from last year. Enrollment for the entire boys middle school is down 11 percent. Whites now account for just over one-third of the enrollment there.
“This puts an exclamation mark on the need for new facilities,” said state Rep. Will Bond, D-Jacksonville.
“We need to break ground on a new facility in the next six to eight months. We need to talk to the parents of the elementary school students and see what they need to have in that school. We need to look at the curriculum and the way the schools are set up,” he said.
“Everybody has opinions, but very seldom do people get the data,” Bond said. “The decline shows something is wrong here. Enrollment has declined over the last 19 years pretty consistently, a lot faster than the rest of the county.
Enrollment at PCSSD schools declined to 17,395, down 361 students from last year.
That’s a 2 percent de-cline overall in a district that has steadily lost enrollment over the past few years.
The district suffered a nearly 5 percent decline in enrollment of white students, this at a time when it seems poised to ask for release from federal court oversight and the desegregation agreement.
The school board meets in special session at 5 p.m. Monday, just two days in advance of the Oct. 31 deadline to file for unitary school status and qualify for attorney’s fees.
The 361-student decline in enrollment at Pulaski County Special School District from last year to this includes the loss of 128 students in Jacksonville, Zone 6, where 3,228 students are enrolled.
Zone 6 schools are Jacksonville High School, both Jacksonville Middle Schools, Jacksonville Elementary School, Pinewood and Murrell Taylor Elementary schools.
The decline will cost PCSSD more than $2 million in state minimum foundation aid.
Those Jacksonville schools serve less than 20 percent of the students in the district, but sustained more than a third of PCSSD’s total enrollment losses.
Thirty-five percent of the decline in PCSSD enrollment is attributable to the decline of white students attending Zone 6 schools.
“It shows a trend that’s been going on since 1989,” said Bond. “Pulaski County has been losing enrollment and Jacksonville’s been losing quicker than the rest of the county.
“You have a slew of young families leaving or choosing not to put their kids in the schools,” Bond said. “We’ve been trying to correct that and haven’t made a lot of headway yet.”
People are moving out of the city, said middle school Principal Mike Nellums. “They are building on the other side of the freeway, which gives them an opportunity to go to Northwood.
“We can stem that movement by providing quality education,” he said. “Some parents aren’t into gender-based education.”
He said Jacksonville’s poor facilities contribute to the problem. He said proportionately, discipline problems are no more frequent at his school.
Jacksonville Middle School for Boys is the only one not under academic distress. “All our test scores improved last year—every grade level in every subject matter,” he said.
“Ours is a 50-plus-year-old building,” he said. “We’re doing the best we can with what we have.”
Nellums said he hopes with the audio-visual program started at the middle school, it will grow into a communications-magnet school.
Students classified as neither black nor white account for just 5 percent of the district’s enrollment.
Hispanics, Asians and Pacific Islanders account for most of those. Those groups had slight increases in enrollment.
The district has 8,822 white students, 7,641 black students, 611 Hispanic students, 284 Asian or Pacific Islanders and 37 American Indians or Alaskan natives.
ZONE 6 ENROLLMENT
Of the 3,228 students enrolled in Zone 6 schools this year, 1,300 are white.
Here’s the Zone 5 2007-2008 enrollment break-down with percent of increase or decline rounded off:
Jacksonville Elementary—542 students, down 10 (-2 percent) from last year with 329 black students and 160 white students.
Jacksonville Girls Middle School—405 students, down 35 (-8 percent) with 225 black students and 169 white students.
Jacksonville Boys Middle School—378 students, down 48 (-11 percent) with 224 black students and 139 white students.
Jacksonville High School—1,089 students, down 25 (-2 percent) with 544 black students and 499 white students.
Pinewood Elementary—390 students, down 14 (-4 percent) with 205 black students and 168 white students.
Murrell Taylor Elementary—434 students, up 4 (+1 percent) with 257 black students and 165 white students.
ZONE 5 ENROLLMENT
Of the 3,063 students enrolled in Zone 5 schools this year, 959 are black. Enrollment is down 62 students.
Here’s the Zone 5 2007-2008 enrollment break-down with percent of increase or decline rounded off:
Bayou Meto Elementary—362 students, down 32 (-8 percent) with 10 black students and 331 white students.
Warren Dupree Elementary—310 students, down 12 (-4 percent) with 138 black students and 153 white students. This is an 11 percent decline in the number of white students.
Tolleson Elementary—297 students, same as last year, with 108 black students and 164 white students. This is a 9 percent decline in the number of white students.
Cato Elementary—316 students, down 13 (-4 percent) with 103 black students and 193 white students. This is a 9 percent decline in the number of black students.
Arnold Drive Elementary—226 students, up 10 (+5 percent) with 79 black students and 122 white students.
Northwood Middle School —632 students, down 22 (-3 percent) with 233 black students and 368 white students.
North Pulaski High School —920 students, up 7 (+1 percent) with 367 black students and 527 white students.
ZONE 4 ENROLLMENT
Of the 2,317 students enrolled in area Zone 4 schools this year, a decline of 50 from last year. Just over half are white.
Here’s the Zone 4 2007-2008 enrollment break-down with percent of increase or decline rounded off:
Sherwood Elementary—377 students, down 23 (-6 percent) with 158 black students and 208 white students.
That’s a decline of 9 percent among white students.
Sylvan Hills Elementary—354 students, down 5 (-1 percent) with 136 black students and 204 white students.
Sylvan Hills Middle School—667 students, up 14 (+2 percent) with 310 black students and 323 white students.
Sylvan Hills High School—919 students, down 36 (-4 percent) with 418 black students and 468 white students.
LONOKE SCHOOL DISTRICT
The Lonoke School District, with 1,832 students, saw an enrollment decline of seven since the 2006-2007 school year, costing the district about $40,000 in state minimum foundation aid.
Lonoke Primary School enrollment of 422 students dropped 17 from last year, including an 8 percent decrease in the number of white students and a 13 percent increase in the number of black students.
Lonoke Elementary School’s enrollment grew by five to 422 students, an increase of 1 percent.
Lonoke Middle School enrollment grew by 16 students to 432. That includes a 41 percent increase in the number of Hispanic students to 24.
Lonoke High School dropped by 11 students to 556.
Cabot School District
The Cabot School District has an official enrollment of 9,245 students this school year, a figure that continues to increase each year.
There are 3,734 students among the district’s eight elementary schools, an increase of 83 students from last school year.
At the middle school, there are a total of 1,420 students among two middle schools; last year there were 1,406 fifth- and sixth-graders in Cabot.
The junior high population grew by 97 to 2,231 students, an increase of 1 percent.
Cabot High School also saw an increase in population, adding an additional 208 students for this school year, bringing the grand total to 1,861 10th- through 12th-graders.
Beebe School District
Enrollment growth in the Beebe School District has slowed from the 2006-07 school year, which had an increase of 140 students.
This year, enrollment is 3,119 students, up 86 from last year’s 3,033.
TOP STORY >>Student growth expands in Cabot
By HEATHER HARTSELL
Leader staff writer
What, in your opinion, are the two greatest challenges facing the still-growing Cabot School District over the next 10 years?
That was one of three homework questions Superintendent Dr. Tony Thurman posed to a new focus group Friday during the first of many meetings to come as the district keeps adding more students, putting it in the top fourth in growth and seventh in size in the state.
“We are at a crossroads in the district,” Thurman told the group of about 30 community members, parents and former school board members. “We need your input as to what direction our patrons feel would be the best way to go.”
Friday’s meeting topic was facilities and growth; future meetings will focus on providing feedback to board members on funding, curriculum, technology and school safety.
The focus group will meet periodically for the rest of the school year and it is Thurman’s objective to have a group each year that provides input to the district.
“We need people from outside, with children or grandchildren in the district, teachers in the district, those that have been part of the district for many years and have a vested interest in what happens in Cabot schools, and we want to hear from you – the good and the bad, that’s why you were chosen,” Thurman said.
The district’s official enrollment numbers for this year in its 14 schools show a student population of 9,245 – an increase of over 2,000 students over 10 years.
Assuming an annual increase of 3 percent, Cabot’s student population is projected to hit 10,405 students five years from now.
By 2017, using the yearly 3 percent increase, the population is expected to be over the 12,000 mark.
“Three percent is with the current trends and we have every reason to believe this trend will stay in place as long as we continue to offer a quality product and we still have places for people to live,” Thurman said.
Knowing the projected population figures, there is no doubt the district will eventually have to expand its facilities – be it additional classrooms added at existing schools, or construction of a new school – ideas Thurman hopes his focus group will provide input on.
Of the eight elementary schools, only three — Central, Westside and Stagecoach — have the space to add additional classrooms if needed.
“These three are the only ones really with the land available to add four, five or six classes more,” Thurman said.
The others are either as full as they need to get, have commercial property surrounding them or would cause too many traffic problems if expanded.
At the middle school level, both Middle School South and Middle School North still have room for growth.
With a maximum capacity at each school of 1,200 students, MSS is currently at 738 and MSN is at 682.
The junior high campuses are much closer to reaching their maximum capacity of 1,200 students each; Junior High South has a current population of 1,025 and Junior High North, currently at the high school campus due to last August’s electrical fire, has 1,141 students.
With the projected 3 percent increase, the junior highs will be even closer to maximum capacity by next school year and could be over the limit in three years.
Cabot has a good school district, Thurman said, but it must face many challenges that lay ahead to remain a very good school district, especially with the market place of options for students getting more aggressive.
Thurman said that while people might still move to Cabot, there are now other educational options for students, citing a virtual high school with online classes and no base location as an example.
“There are a lot of challenges to keep up with what is happening with our students,” he said.
“Our board members want to know what you think,” Thurman told the focus group, adding he would be as transparent as possible in giving out information during the meetings so patrons would know what the district is dealing with.
Leader staff writer
What, in your opinion, are the two greatest challenges facing the still-growing Cabot School District over the next 10 years?
That was one of three homework questions Superintendent Dr. Tony Thurman posed to a new focus group Friday during the first of many meetings to come as the district keeps adding more students, putting it in the top fourth in growth and seventh in size in the state.
“We are at a crossroads in the district,” Thurman told the group of about 30 community members, parents and former school board members. “We need your input as to what direction our patrons feel would be the best way to go.”
Friday’s meeting topic was facilities and growth; future meetings will focus on providing feedback to board members on funding, curriculum, technology and school safety.
The focus group will meet periodically for the rest of the school year and it is Thurman’s objective to have a group each year that provides input to the district.
“We need people from outside, with children or grandchildren in the district, teachers in the district, those that have been part of the district for many years and have a vested interest in what happens in Cabot schools, and we want to hear from you – the good and the bad, that’s why you were chosen,” Thurman said.
The district’s official enrollment numbers for this year in its 14 schools show a student population of 9,245 – an increase of over 2,000 students over 10 years.
Assuming an annual increase of 3 percent, Cabot’s student population is projected to hit 10,405 students five years from now.
By 2017, using the yearly 3 percent increase, the population is expected to be over the 12,000 mark.
“Three percent is with the current trends and we have every reason to believe this trend will stay in place as long as we continue to offer a quality product and we still have places for people to live,” Thurman said.
Knowing the projected population figures, there is no doubt the district will eventually have to expand its facilities – be it additional classrooms added at existing schools, or construction of a new school – ideas Thurman hopes his focus group will provide input on.
Of the eight elementary schools, only three — Central, Westside and Stagecoach — have the space to add additional classrooms if needed.
“These three are the only ones really with the land available to add four, five or six classes more,” Thurman said.
The others are either as full as they need to get, have commercial property surrounding them or would cause too many traffic problems if expanded.
At the middle school level, both Middle School South and Middle School North still have room for growth.
With a maximum capacity at each school of 1,200 students, MSS is currently at 738 and MSN is at 682.
The junior high campuses are much closer to reaching their maximum capacity of 1,200 students each; Junior High South has a current population of 1,025 and Junior High North, currently at the high school campus due to last August’s electrical fire, has 1,141 students.
With the projected 3 percent increase, the junior highs will be even closer to maximum capacity by next school year and could be over the limit in three years.
Cabot has a good school district, Thurman said, but it must face many challenges that lay ahead to remain a very good school district, especially with the market place of options for students getting more aggressive.
Thurman said that while people might still move to Cabot, there are now other educational options for students, citing a virtual high school with online classes and no base location as an example.
“There are a lot of challenges to keep up with what is happening with our students,” he said.
“Our board members want to know what you think,” Thurman told the focus group, adding he would be as transparent as possible in giving out information during the meetings so patrons would know what the district is dealing with.
TOP STORY >>Big check for Guard
By HEATHER HARTSELL
Leader staff writer
Arkansas Army National Guard members from F Company, 2nd Battalion, 153rd Foreign Support Company, who are serving full-time in Cabot in temporary shelters, have always received tremendous support from the Cabot community.
Witnessing Gov. Mike Beebe present a $100,000 check to the city Thursday to help pay for the land on Hwy. 367 that will house their 34,000-square-foot permanent armory location only sealed the deal.
“There’s no doubt in my mind, from the day we stepped foot here, even in the rental facility, that it (a permanent location) was going to happen. It was just a matter of letting it run its course,” Capt. Isaac Shields, F Company commander, said.
“The overwhelming support all the people and vendors have given has shown us that Cabot does want us here and will help us help them,” he said, adding, “they understand that we’re here for them.”
Construction of the new Cabot readiness center, which will be the headquarters for the unit, will cost approximately $8 million, all of it eligible for federal funding within the next five years, said Brig. Gen. Larry Haltom, deputy adjutant general for the Arkansas Army National Guard.
The Guard’s goal is to have the new facility constructed by 2010. Its temporary headquarters are nearby.
“This project is the number one priority on the Guard’s long-range facilities plan,” Haltom said.
“The funds to purchase the land is just one step in the process and hopefully it (construction of the actual armory) won’t be eight years later, but it won’t happen tomorrow either,” he said.
Cabot Mayor Eddie Joe Williams had asked Beebe for $100,000 from his discretionary fund to help pay for the 15.5 acres in the industrial park on Hwy. 367 where the armory will be built, but the amount of the check was not known until Thursday’s ceremony at the Cabot community center.
Beebe said the check, almost all of it coming from tax dollars, is a marriage of two “spectacular” things – the community and the troops.
“This marriage between the city and National Guard is appropriate and one we all honor, so we celebrate by providing this check,” the governor said.
“It’s a marriage we are all proud of,” he added. And with the possibility of federal funds helping in the construction, Beebe said the new armory will allow the unit to train in an enhanced facility.
“It also gives easy access to the soldiers and their families, is more convenient, and the updated aspects of today’s armory allow for a bit more sophisticated training than the armories of yesterday,” the govenor said.
The state has not built a new armory since September 2005, when a $4.25 million facility went up in Warren.
As members of the Guard, soldiers can choose where they want to work and which unit they want to be in, Shields said.
“This is an incredible unit and an incredible community. I think it speaks volumes about the community to have so many come from out of state to be here, that this is where they want to work,” he said.
While many soldiers assigned to F Company live in and around the Cabot and Beebe area, others, like Shields, live out of state; he lives in Oklahoma.
F Company’s primary mission is to support the infantry battalion. With a working/fighting force of 127 soldiers, the company is comprised of mechanics, welders, truck drivers and other support personnel using approximately 120 pieces of equipment.
Leader staff writer
Arkansas Army National Guard members from F Company, 2nd Battalion, 153rd Foreign Support Company, who are serving full-time in Cabot in temporary shelters, have always received tremendous support from the Cabot community.
Witnessing Gov. Mike Beebe present a $100,000 check to the city Thursday to help pay for the land on Hwy. 367 that will house their 34,000-square-foot permanent armory location only sealed the deal.
“There’s no doubt in my mind, from the day we stepped foot here, even in the rental facility, that it (a permanent location) was going to happen. It was just a matter of letting it run its course,” Capt. Isaac Shields, F Company commander, said.
“The overwhelming support all the people and vendors have given has shown us that Cabot does want us here and will help us help them,” he said, adding, “they understand that we’re here for them.”
Construction of the new Cabot readiness center, which will be the headquarters for the unit, will cost approximately $8 million, all of it eligible for federal funding within the next five years, said Brig. Gen. Larry Haltom, deputy adjutant general for the Arkansas Army National Guard.
The Guard’s goal is to have the new facility constructed by 2010. Its temporary headquarters are nearby.
“This project is the number one priority on the Guard’s long-range facilities plan,” Haltom said.
“The funds to purchase the land is just one step in the process and hopefully it (construction of the actual armory) won’t be eight years later, but it won’t happen tomorrow either,” he said.
Cabot Mayor Eddie Joe Williams had asked Beebe for $100,000 from his discretionary fund to help pay for the 15.5 acres in the industrial park on Hwy. 367 where the armory will be built, but the amount of the check was not known until Thursday’s ceremony at the Cabot community center.
Beebe said the check, almost all of it coming from tax dollars, is a marriage of two “spectacular” things – the community and the troops.
“This marriage between the city and National Guard is appropriate and one we all honor, so we celebrate by providing this check,” the governor said.
“It’s a marriage we are all proud of,” he added. And with the possibility of federal funds helping in the construction, Beebe said the new armory will allow the unit to train in an enhanced facility.
“It also gives easy access to the soldiers and their families, is more convenient, and the updated aspects of today’s armory allow for a bit more sophisticated training than the armories of yesterday,” the govenor said.
The state has not built a new armory since September 2005, when a $4.25 million facility went up in Warren.
As members of the Guard, soldiers can choose where they want to work and which unit they want to be in, Shields said.
“This is an incredible unit and an incredible community. I think it speaks volumes about the community to have so many come from out of state to be here, that this is where they want to work,” he said.
While many soldiers assigned to F Company live in and around the Cabot and Beebe area, others, like Shields, live out of state; he lives in Oklahoma.
F Company’s primary mission is to support the infantry battalion. With a working/fighting force of 127 soldiers, the company is comprised of mechanics, welders, truck drivers and other support personnel using approximately 120 pieces of equipment.
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