By RICK BUTLER
Leader football writer
SEARCY – After stumbling their way through a horrid first half, the Harding Academy Wildcats gave the upstart Pottsville Apaches a big dose of reality in the final two quarters here at First Security Stadium on Friday night. Harding Academy scored 41 points in the second half, overcoming a 21-6 halftime deficit to advance in the Class AAA state playoffs with a 47-28 victory.
It was the first playoff game ever for Pottsville, which finished the season at 7-4. Harding Academy, which improved to 9-2, will travel to meet Shiloh Christian, the top-ranked team in Class AAA, next Friday night in Springdale.
Shiloh Christian eliminated Harding Academy, 40-7, last season in a state semifinal game en route to the Class AAA state title. The Saints had a first-round bye on Friday night.
Trailing 21-6, Harding Academy junior quarterback Matt Lincoln completed 17-of-19 second-half passes for 167 yards and led the Wildcats to six touchdowns in their final seven possessions. Lincoln opened the second half with six completions to four different receivers, setting up J.T. Fisher’s eight-yard scoring run. Lincoln then hit Chase Gentry for a 2-point conversion to cut the Apaches’ lead to 21-14.
Pottsville, the third-seed from the 4-3A Conference, failed to pick up a first down and the Wildcats began another march. Dee Gibbs’ leaping grab of a 28-yard Lincoln pass set up Ty Finley’s 15-yard run. With his placekicker Robbie Dillard sidelined, Harding Academy head coach Tommy Shoemaker elected to go for two. Lincoln’s pass to Lance Carr was broken up, leaving HA trailing, 21-20, with 4:17 left in the third quarter.
Pottsville wasn’t quite finished, however. The Apaches used a 37-yard run by Jonathan Huffman to set up a 22-yard scoring strike from quarterback Josh Falls to tight end Chace Warren. Ory Lee’s PAT kick pushed the Apaches’ lead to 28-20 with 3:22 left in the quarter.
It would be the last spark for upset-minded Pottsville, though. The Harding Academy defense, which played on its heels against a tough running game in the first half, upped the intensity to start the third quarter and held the Apaches to just 94 second-half yards.
“I think us getting the quick score to start the second half really helped the defense,” Shoemaker said. “That pumped everybody up – especially the defense. We knew we had to score to start the second half.”
Lincoln’s only mistake of the second half came on the Wildcats’ next possession when his errant pass was picked off by Huffman. Three plays later, though, Harding Academy’s Braxton Bennett recovered his second fumble of the night.
Consecutive passes to Gentry, who finished with 9 catches for 121 yards, set up Fisher’s second TD run, from 10 yards out. Lincoln scrambled for the 2-point conversion, tying the game at 28 with 11:06 to play.
After another Pottsville punt was forced, the Wildcats used a 12-play drive to set up Finley’s second TD run, a 3-yarder with 5:08 left for a 34-28 lead.
Moments later, Gibbs fell on a poor Pottsville pitch and Gentry ran in from 26 yards on the first play from scrimmage, pushing the lead to 40-28. Gentry picked up another rushing score with 1:43 to play after the Wildcats took over after holding the Apaches on 4th-and-15 from their own 10.
“Chase made some big plays for us,” Shoemaker said. “It’s the first year he’s ever played football and he has really come on for us.”
After a dominating first half performance, Pottsville coach Bryan Rust saw the handwriting on the wall when the Wildcats’ offense hit high gear.
“We just wore down,” Rust said. “We’ve done this a few times in big games this year. We don’t have the type of offense where you can turn the ball over and stay in games.”
Rust had high praise for his team’s big season, though.
“Our guys came a long way this year,” Rust said. “We started before the season started talking about going to the playoffs. It’s something these kids have dreamed about and they accomplished that. They can be proud.”
The Apaches gave their fans plenty to be proud of in the first half. Unfazed by Harding Academy’s playoff tradition, Pottsville controlled the ball almost the entire first quarter, allowing the Wildcats just 10 offensive plays.
On their second possession, the Apaches worked the clock methodically and moved 50 yards in 11 plays before fullback Jacob Irwin bulled his way into the end zone from six yards for a 7-0 lead.
Harding Academy cut the lead to 7-6 two possessions later when Lincoln hit Finley on a 40-yard touchdown pass. Midway through the second quarter, Pottsville’s Mark Scott batted a Lincoln pass into the air, where teammate Justin Robertson grabbed it and went 35 yards for a touchdown and a 14-6 lead.
Following another Wildcat punt, the Apaches pushed the lead to 21-6 when Falls connected with Will Vodrazka for 25 yards, then ran the final 18 to score with 1:21 left in the half.
“They ran us up and down the field in the first half,” Shoemaker said. “They were ready to play.”
Shoemaker’s task now is one he’s familiar with. The Wildcats have faced Shiloh Christian teams in the playoffs on two other occasions and haven’t come close to beating the Saints yet.
“It’s a great challenge and we’re looking forward to it,” he said. “We’re going to go there expecting to win.”
Lincoln finished 22-of-33 for 267 yards for Harding Academy. He completed passes to 10 different receivers. Gentry was also the team’s leading rusher, carrying 5 times for 48 yards.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
SPORTS >>SH Bears strike quick, hold off late rally by El Dorado
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
The Bears found the best defense for the Wildcats’ stellar comeback Friday night at Bill Blackwood Field during the fourth quarter of Sylvan Hills’ first-round 6A playoff game.
It was their offense.
Hillside survived a brutal final 12 minutes from El Dorado to take a 28-21 win by eating up the last 6:41 off the clock after the Wildcats pulled to within one score with a nine-yard run by junior tailback Justin Billings. Hunter Miller and Lawrence Hodges did most of the stick moving for the SH offense, and the final drive would be no different.
The duo put up 170 yards of the Bears offense, with Miller rushing 24 times for 96 yards, while Hodges ran 15 times for 74 yards. Junior fullback Hodges shook off a shoulder injury in the third quarter to complete the game, taking four straight handoffs from QB Miller to start out the Bears’ final drive. His four rushes took the ball from the Sylvan Hills’ 39-yard line to the El Dorado 36, and would get the call once again after a Miller scramble for three yards gave the Bears second and seven at the Wildcats’ 33-yard line.
The Bears got down to the El Dorado 22-yard line with 1:11 left in the game. Facing fourth down and five, Miller took a rare trip to the air for the first down. The plan worked, as junior Devin Shaw snuck through the Wildcats’ secondary to find a wide-open spot in the middle of the field, and Miller hit him between the numbers for a first down and goal at the El Dorado 4-yard line. The Wildcats had used up all of their time outs up to that point trying to put a stop to the Sylvan Hills drive, and backup QB Jordan Spears took a knee on the final two plays.
“We did what we had to do to win,” Sylvan Hills coach Jim Withrow said after the game. “I knew they would come back on us, but I think for our offensive line, especially our seniors, we kept hanging in there and finished it off.”
Withrow believes the on-field leadership of his senior quarterback was one major difference in the game, just as it has been most of the season.
“It’s huge,” Withrow said. “Whenever you have a solid quarterback leading you on the field, you can ride it a long way, and we’ve been riding it for seven weeks now.”
Miller, despite making some of the biggest offensive plays in the game along with a number of stops in the secondary, was content to chalk the win up to good team football.
“I just wanted to come out and play hard,” Miller said after the game. “We played a great game; the backs did good, the line did good, and the defense played great. We just had a good game the whole way around.”
In typical SH style, the Bears dominated the first half to jump out to a 21-7 halftime lead. The opening drive of the game resulted in a score, when Miller broke free on a 45-yard run to set up first and goal for the Bears at the El Dorado 4-yard line. Miller tried to punch it in on the following play, but only gained a yard. Hodges got the call on the next play, and busted up the gut for the three-yard TD run at the 9:12 mark of the first quarter. Stephan Kettle knocked down the extra-point to give Sylvan Hills and early 7-0 advantage.
The Bears’ defense held El Dorado to a single first down on the Wildcats’ opening drive, but a good punt sent Sylvan Hills back to its own 16-yard line to start the next drive. Miller would get that field position back and then some on the third play of the drive with a slant pass to Deonte Davis that was taken for a 56-yard gain all the way down to the El Dorado 25.
Miller took over on the ground from there, with four rushes totaling 25 yards, capped off with a two-yard sneak into the end zone with 2:03 left in the opening quarter. Kettle was perfect again on the PAT, and the Bears went up two scores at 14-0.
The SH defense’s only major first-half slip came in the final two minutes of the second quarter, when Wildcats receiver Clay Murphy slipped past the Bears’ coverage for a 40-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Jeremy Gill with 2:21 left until intermission.
The Bears would not go to the locker room without momentum, however. Two big pass plays from Miller were all that was needed for one more score before the break. The first one, a 34-yard toss to Shaw, took the ball down to the Wildcats’ 45-yard line, and perhaps the play of the game two downs later when sophomore Juliean Broner came down with a 45-yard pass from Miller into double-coverage. Broner pulled in the rocket from Miller and bullied his way across the goal line just as the buzzer sounded for the score.
The Bears continued to dominate both lines of scrimmage all through the third quarter, but the start to the final quarter would change the game altogether. The Wildcats had struggled to put offense together all night, but found new life at the beginning of the final period when a 37-yard pass play to Marcus Parker set up a one-yard touchdown keeper by Gill with 11:42 left in the game.
The El Dorado defense stepped up on the next drive, holding the Bears at midfield to force a punt with 9:03 left in the game. The Wildcats’ offense went back to work, and would quickly drive back into the SH red-zone before Billings took it in on a six-yard run with 6:43 left to play.
Miller, aside from his two rushing TDs, also threw for 176 yards and a touchdown with six completions on eight attempts. For El Dorado, Parker led the way offensively with five receptions for 60 yards.
Sylvan Hills’ record improves to 7-4 on the year with the win. El Dorado’s final record ended up at 6-5.
The Bears will travel to Pearcy for the quarterfinal round of the 6A state playoffs to face West No. 1 seed Lake Hamilton. The Wolves advanced with a 37-7 win over Marion.
Leader sportswriter
The Bears found the best defense for the Wildcats’ stellar comeback Friday night at Bill Blackwood Field during the fourth quarter of Sylvan Hills’ first-round 6A playoff game.
It was their offense.
Hillside survived a brutal final 12 minutes from El Dorado to take a 28-21 win by eating up the last 6:41 off the clock after the Wildcats pulled to within one score with a nine-yard run by junior tailback Justin Billings. Hunter Miller and Lawrence Hodges did most of the stick moving for the SH offense, and the final drive would be no different.
The duo put up 170 yards of the Bears offense, with Miller rushing 24 times for 96 yards, while Hodges ran 15 times for 74 yards. Junior fullback Hodges shook off a shoulder injury in the third quarter to complete the game, taking four straight handoffs from QB Miller to start out the Bears’ final drive. His four rushes took the ball from the Sylvan Hills’ 39-yard line to the El Dorado 36, and would get the call once again after a Miller scramble for three yards gave the Bears second and seven at the Wildcats’ 33-yard line.
The Bears got down to the El Dorado 22-yard line with 1:11 left in the game. Facing fourth down and five, Miller took a rare trip to the air for the first down. The plan worked, as junior Devin Shaw snuck through the Wildcats’ secondary to find a wide-open spot in the middle of the field, and Miller hit him between the numbers for a first down and goal at the El Dorado 4-yard line. The Wildcats had used up all of their time outs up to that point trying to put a stop to the Sylvan Hills drive, and backup QB Jordan Spears took a knee on the final two plays.
“We did what we had to do to win,” Sylvan Hills coach Jim Withrow said after the game. “I knew they would come back on us, but I think for our offensive line, especially our seniors, we kept hanging in there and finished it off.”
Withrow believes the on-field leadership of his senior quarterback was one major difference in the game, just as it has been most of the season.
“It’s huge,” Withrow said. “Whenever you have a solid quarterback leading you on the field, you can ride it a long way, and we’ve been riding it for seven weeks now.”
Miller, despite making some of the biggest offensive plays in the game along with a number of stops in the secondary, was content to chalk the win up to good team football.
“I just wanted to come out and play hard,” Miller said after the game. “We played a great game; the backs did good, the line did good, and the defense played great. We just had a good game the whole way around.”
In typical SH style, the Bears dominated the first half to jump out to a 21-7 halftime lead. The opening drive of the game resulted in a score, when Miller broke free on a 45-yard run to set up first and goal for the Bears at the El Dorado 4-yard line. Miller tried to punch it in on the following play, but only gained a yard. Hodges got the call on the next play, and busted up the gut for the three-yard TD run at the 9:12 mark of the first quarter. Stephan Kettle knocked down the extra-point to give Sylvan Hills and early 7-0 advantage.
The Bears’ defense held El Dorado to a single first down on the Wildcats’ opening drive, but a good punt sent Sylvan Hills back to its own 16-yard line to start the next drive. Miller would get that field position back and then some on the third play of the drive with a slant pass to Deonte Davis that was taken for a 56-yard gain all the way down to the El Dorado 25.
Miller took over on the ground from there, with four rushes totaling 25 yards, capped off with a two-yard sneak into the end zone with 2:03 left in the opening quarter. Kettle was perfect again on the PAT, and the Bears went up two scores at 14-0.
The SH defense’s only major first-half slip came in the final two minutes of the second quarter, when Wildcats receiver Clay Murphy slipped past the Bears’ coverage for a 40-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Jeremy Gill with 2:21 left until intermission.
The Bears would not go to the locker room without momentum, however. Two big pass plays from Miller were all that was needed for one more score before the break. The first one, a 34-yard toss to Shaw, took the ball down to the Wildcats’ 45-yard line, and perhaps the play of the game two downs later when sophomore Juliean Broner came down with a 45-yard pass from Miller into double-coverage. Broner pulled in the rocket from Miller and bullied his way across the goal line just as the buzzer sounded for the score.
The Bears continued to dominate both lines of scrimmage all through the third quarter, but the start to the final quarter would change the game altogether. The Wildcats had struggled to put offense together all night, but found new life at the beginning of the final period when a 37-yard pass play to Marcus Parker set up a one-yard touchdown keeper by Gill with 11:42 left in the game.
The El Dorado defense stepped up on the next drive, holding the Bears at midfield to force a punt with 9:03 left in the game. The Wildcats’ offense went back to work, and would quickly drive back into the SH red-zone before Billings took it in on a six-yard run with 6:43 left to play.
Miller, aside from his two rushing TDs, also threw for 176 yards and a touchdown with six completions on eight attempts. For El Dorado, Parker led the way offensively with five receptions for 60 yards.
Sylvan Hills’ record improves to 7-4 on the year with the win. El Dorado’s final record ended up at 6-5.
The Bears will travel to Pearcy for the quarterfinal round of the 6A state playoffs to face West No. 1 seed Lake Hamilton. The Wolves advanced with a 37-7 win over Marion.
SPORTS >>Loss sends Panthers home
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
SPRINGDALE — The Cabot Panthers’ season came to a close Friday night when they lost 35-14 to Har-Ber High School in Springdale.
The same two things that have plagued Cabot all season got it again Friday. The Wildcats scored with big plays over the top, and Cabot turned the ball over deep in opposing territory.
Cabot turned it over on downs twice inside the Har-Ber 20-yard line, and lost one fumble and interception inside the Wildcat 10.
“We just couldn’t stop the big play over the top,” Cabot coach Mike Malham said. “We knew they were going to do it, and they still made the plays on us. That’s a very good offense.”
Just like last week, Cabot gave up an easy touchdown to start the game, but unlike last week, were unable to answer. The Panthers gave up a 61-yard drive and score in less than three minutes to open the game. The drive saw Har-Ber convert a fourth and 9 from the Cabot 15. Two plays and an off-side penalty later, Wildcat quarterback Patrick Calcagni kept for the final yard for the score.
After a Cabot 10-play drive netted 31 yards, the Panthers punted, and it was more big plays for the Wildcats.
The punt by Wesley Sowell pinned Har-Ber on its own 5-yard line, but the Wildcats got out of the shadow of the end zone on the second play.
That’s when running back Derek Brinker broke loose for 25 yards out to the 33.
After that Har-Ber converted the first of three third downs of the drive, the last being a 17-yard hookup from Calcagni to Steven Walters on third and 9. That put the Wildcats on the Cabot 40. From there, Calcagni found Josh Fohner for 40 yards and the score. The extra point made it 14-0 with 1:04 left in the first quarter.
Cabot went 15 plays down to the Har-Ber 20 on its next drive, but stalled there on downs. The Wildcats turned right around and scored again with a series of big plays. After converting on another third down, the Wildcats connected for 30 yards, but it was called back for holding. Running back Ethan Morris lost three yards on first and 2, but on seond and 25, Fohner caught a 29-yard pass with a diving grab for first down at the 49.
Brinker then picked up 11 yards on the ground for a first down at the Cabot 40. Morris then caught a 40-yard pass in double coverage for the third touchdown of the game.
The extra point made it 21-0 with 2:24 left in the first half.
Cabot drove down the field through the air, but with time running out, the drive ended on with three straight incomplete passes from the Har-Ber 14-yard line.
The Panthers dominated the line of scrimmage and time of possession in the second half, but two turnovers inside the Har-Ber 10-yard line did in their first two drives.
On the opening drive of the half, Cabot drove to the Wildcat 8, but Michael James fumbled and Har-Ber recovered.
The Cabot defense got its only stop of the game on the next drive, forcing a 33-yard field goal attempt that was wide left.
The Panthers drove down the field again, only to throw an interception on the 7-yard line. It was an interception that Har-Ber linebacker Houston Pruitt retruned 93 yards for the score. With 10 minutes left in the game, Har-Ber led 28-0.
Cabot then put together a drive, and scored before it got inside the 10. With the help fo two personal foul penalties on Har-Ber, Cabot had first down at the Wildcat 20. From there, halfback Jordan Carlisle busted up the middle for 20 yards and the score.
The extra point was good, making it 28-7 with 7:10 left in the game.
It took the Wildcats less than a minute to answer. On the second play of the drive, Steven Walters caught a 47-yard touchdown pass to make it 35-7.
The Panthers answered again, but Carlisle’s 35-yard jaunt up the middle was little more than a consolation. With only two minutes remaining.
James finished the game with 162 yards on 35 carries. Carllisle had 75 yards and two touchdowns.
The Panthers finish the season 7-4 overall.
Leader sports editor
SPRINGDALE — The Cabot Panthers’ season came to a close Friday night when they lost 35-14 to Har-Ber High School in Springdale.
The same two things that have plagued Cabot all season got it again Friday. The Wildcats scored with big plays over the top, and Cabot turned the ball over deep in opposing territory.
Cabot turned it over on downs twice inside the Har-Ber 20-yard line, and lost one fumble and interception inside the Wildcat 10.
“We just couldn’t stop the big play over the top,” Cabot coach Mike Malham said. “We knew they were going to do it, and they still made the plays on us. That’s a very good offense.”
Just like last week, Cabot gave up an easy touchdown to start the game, but unlike last week, were unable to answer. The Panthers gave up a 61-yard drive and score in less than three minutes to open the game. The drive saw Har-Ber convert a fourth and 9 from the Cabot 15. Two plays and an off-side penalty later, Wildcat quarterback Patrick Calcagni kept for the final yard for the score.
After a Cabot 10-play drive netted 31 yards, the Panthers punted, and it was more big plays for the Wildcats.
The punt by Wesley Sowell pinned Har-Ber on its own 5-yard line, but the Wildcats got out of the shadow of the end zone on the second play.
That’s when running back Derek Brinker broke loose for 25 yards out to the 33.
After that Har-Ber converted the first of three third downs of the drive, the last being a 17-yard hookup from Calcagni to Steven Walters on third and 9. That put the Wildcats on the Cabot 40. From there, Calcagni found Josh Fohner for 40 yards and the score. The extra point made it 14-0 with 1:04 left in the first quarter.
Cabot went 15 plays down to the Har-Ber 20 on its next drive, but stalled there on downs. The Wildcats turned right around and scored again with a series of big plays. After converting on another third down, the Wildcats connected for 30 yards, but it was called back for holding. Running back Ethan Morris lost three yards on first and 2, but on seond and 25, Fohner caught a 29-yard pass with a diving grab for first down at the 49.
Brinker then picked up 11 yards on the ground for a first down at the Cabot 40. Morris then caught a 40-yard pass in double coverage for the third touchdown of the game.
The extra point made it 21-0 with 2:24 left in the first half.
Cabot drove down the field through the air, but with time running out, the drive ended on with three straight incomplete passes from the Har-Ber 14-yard line.
The Panthers dominated the line of scrimmage and time of possession in the second half, but two turnovers inside the Har-Ber 10-yard line did in their first two drives.
On the opening drive of the half, Cabot drove to the Wildcat 8, but Michael James fumbled and Har-Ber recovered.
The Cabot defense got its only stop of the game on the next drive, forcing a 33-yard field goal attempt that was wide left.
The Panthers drove down the field again, only to throw an interception on the 7-yard line. It was an interception that Har-Ber linebacker Houston Pruitt retruned 93 yards for the score. With 10 minutes left in the game, Har-Ber led 28-0.
Cabot then put together a drive, and scored before it got inside the 10. With the help fo two personal foul penalties on Har-Ber, Cabot had first down at the Wildcat 20. From there, halfback Jordan Carlisle busted up the middle for 20 yards and the score.
The extra point was good, making it 28-7 with 7:10 left in the game.
It took the Wildcats less than a minute to answer. On the second play of the drive, Steven Walters caught a 47-yard touchdown pass to make it 35-7.
The Panthers answered again, but Carlisle’s 35-yard jaunt up the middle was little more than a consolation. With only two minutes remaining.
James finished the game with 162 yards on 35 carries. Carllisle had 75 yards and two touchdowns.
The Panthers finish the season 7-4 overall.
OBITUARIES >> 11-10-07
Sylvia Mitchell
Sylvia Maxwell Mitchell, 70, of Jacksonville died Nov. 6.
She was born Nov. 16, 1936 in Dumfries, Scotland, to the late Robert and Elizabeth Maxwell.
She was also preceded in death by her husband, Samuel Mitchell and stepfather, Jack Williams.
She retired after working 25 years for First Arkansas Bank and Trust. She was a member of The Church of England and also the Business and Professional Women and The English Ladies organizations.
Survivors include her daughter, Catherine Mitchell-Buzbee and husband Richard of Little Rock; son, Mark Mitchell and wife Judy of Santa Fe, Texas; three sisters, Aileen McQueen and husband Jackie of Dumfries, Scotland, Moria Young and husband Heston of Danville, Ky., Sharon Adams and husband Phillip of Margate, England; five brothers, Ian Williams and wife Janet of Burchington, England, Max Williams and wife Doreen of Margate, Ronnie Williams and wife Carol of Ramsgate, England, Dennis Williams and wife Maureen of Durham, England, and Gordon Williams of Bristol, England; three granddaughters, Melissa, Megan and Erin Mitchell; two step-granddaughters, Amanda and Jodi Carr; three great-grandchildren, Eric Teague, Cameron Kirschner, and James Theiler.
She will be missed by everyone at First Arkansas Bank and Trust and by her special friends, Carl Wayne and Maureen Wilmouth, Cathy Erickson and Susan Erickson.
Memorial services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 10 in the chapel of Moore’s Jacksonville Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Garvan Woodland Gardens in Hot Springs.
William Jennings
William Dale Jennings, 36, died Nov. 8. He is survived by one son, Joseph Reese Jennings of Lonoke; his parents, Dale and Kathy Jennings of Lonoke, and one sister, Laura Jennings of Little Rock, and many other relatives and friends.
Funeral services will be at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10 at Concord United Methodist Church with burial in Concord Cemetery in Lonoke. Funeral arrangements are by Boyd Funeral Home in Lonoke.
Richard Hummel
Richard Hummel, 81, of Jacksonville went to join his loving wife Yvonne in the presence of the Lord Nov. 8 in North Little Rock.
He was born August 6, 1926 in Port Clinton, Pa., to the late Herbert and Irma Hummel.
He proudly served his country in both the Navy as a radio operator and a flier and the Air Force as a Russian linguist and in personnel management.
He was a member of the Lions Club, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4509, NCOA and the American Legion. He was of the Episcopal faith.
Survivors include his son, Adrian Hummel of Jacksonville; daughter, Elizabeth Ann Hummel of Conway; brother, Herbert Hummel Jr. and wife Sally; nieces, Lynn and Robin and one nephew, Stevie.
Memorial services will be at 2 p.m. Monday, Nov. 12 at Victory Baptist Church in Jacksonville with Rev. Dale Scott officiating.
Edna Blanchard
Edna M. Blanchard, 87, of Jacksonville died Nov. 4. She was born Jan. 15, 1920 in Mauldin, Mass., to the late John and Mary Jane Smith.
She was a secretary for Melrose Wakefield hospital before retiring.
She is survived by her husband of 54 years, Richard E. Blanchard; two sons, Richard W. and Robert Blanchard and wife Jackie; three grandchildren, Rachel, Joshua and Cassandra.
Funeral services will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 12 at Moore’s Jacksonville Funeral Home. Burial will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 14 at Puritan Lawn Cemetery in Peabody, Mass.
Paul McDonald
Paul McDonald, 84, of Russellville, died Nov. 3 at Spring Creek Living Center in Cabot.
He was born May 28, 1923 in Hardin, Ill.
He is survived by Bobbie Mahan of Pottsville; sons, George of North Little Rock and Kevin of Rogers; daughters Jetta Roberg of Cabot and Linda Sims of Fayetteville; stepchildren Frank Mahan of Pottsville and Debbie Loyd of Lake Jackson, Texas; seven grandchildren, and two step-grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to Camp Quality of Arkansas, P.O. Box 15718, Little Rock, Ark. 72231-5718.
Sylvia Maxwell Mitchell, 70, of Jacksonville died Nov. 6.
She was born Nov. 16, 1936 in Dumfries, Scotland, to the late Robert and Elizabeth Maxwell.
She was also preceded in death by her husband, Samuel Mitchell and stepfather, Jack Williams.
She retired after working 25 years for First Arkansas Bank and Trust. She was a member of The Church of England and also the Business and Professional Women and The English Ladies organizations.
Survivors include her daughter, Catherine Mitchell-Buzbee and husband Richard of Little Rock; son, Mark Mitchell and wife Judy of Santa Fe, Texas; three sisters, Aileen McQueen and husband Jackie of Dumfries, Scotland, Moria Young and husband Heston of Danville, Ky., Sharon Adams and husband Phillip of Margate, England; five brothers, Ian Williams and wife Janet of Burchington, England, Max Williams and wife Doreen of Margate, Ronnie Williams and wife Carol of Ramsgate, England, Dennis Williams and wife Maureen of Durham, England, and Gordon Williams of Bristol, England; three granddaughters, Melissa, Megan and Erin Mitchell; two step-granddaughters, Amanda and Jodi Carr; three great-grandchildren, Eric Teague, Cameron Kirschner, and James Theiler.
She will be missed by everyone at First Arkansas Bank and Trust and by her special friends, Carl Wayne and Maureen Wilmouth, Cathy Erickson and Susan Erickson.
Memorial services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 10 in the chapel of Moore’s Jacksonville Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Garvan Woodland Gardens in Hot Springs.
William Jennings
William Dale Jennings, 36, died Nov. 8. He is survived by one son, Joseph Reese Jennings of Lonoke; his parents, Dale and Kathy Jennings of Lonoke, and one sister, Laura Jennings of Little Rock, and many other relatives and friends.
Funeral services will be at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10 at Concord United Methodist Church with burial in Concord Cemetery in Lonoke. Funeral arrangements are by Boyd Funeral Home in Lonoke.
Richard Hummel
Richard Hummel, 81, of Jacksonville went to join his loving wife Yvonne in the presence of the Lord Nov. 8 in North Little Rock.
He was born August 6, 1926 in Port Clinton, Pa., to the late Herbert and Irma Hummel.
He proudly served his country in both the Navy as a radio operator and a flier and the Air Force as a Russian linguist and in personnel management.
He was a member of the Lions Club, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4509, NCOA and the American Legion. He was of the Episcopal faith.
Survivors include his son, Adrian Hummel of Jacksonville; daughter, Elizabeth Ann Hummel of Conway; brother, Herbert Hummel Jr. and wife Sally; nieces, Lynn and Robin and one nephew, Stevie.
Memorial services will be at 2 p.m. Monday, Nov. 12 at Victory Baptist Church in Jacksonville with Rev. Dale Scott officiating.
Edna Blanchard
Edna M. Blanchard, 87, of Jacksonville died Nov. 4. She was born Jan. 15, 1920 in Mauldin, Mass., to the late John and Mary Jane Smith.
She was a secretary for Melrose Wakefield hospital before retiring.
She is survived by her husband of 54 years, Richard E. Blanchard; two sons, Richard W. and Robert Blanchard and wife Jackie; three grandchildren, Rachel, Joshua and Cassandra.
Funeral services will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 12 at Moore’s Jacksonville Funeral Home. Burial will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 14 at Puritan Lawn Cemetery in Peabody, Mass.
Paul McDonald
Paul McDonald, 84, of Russellville, died Nov. 3 at Spring Creek Living Center in Cabot.
He was born May 28, 1923 in Hardin, Ill.
He is survived by Bobbie Mahan of Pottsville; sons, George of North Little Rock and Kevin of Rogers; daughters Jetta Roberg of Cabot and Linda Sims of Fayetteville; stepchildren Frank Mahan of Pottsville and Debbie Loyd of Lake Jackson, Texas; seven grandchildren, and two step-grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to Camp Quality of Arkansas, P.O. Box 15718, Little Rock, Ark. 72231-5718.
EDITORIALS>>Gas tax for schools
Pick almost any issue between Mike Beebe and the good Republican Sheffield Nelson and the governor in our sights would own the higher ground. But on how to use a severance tax on natural gas Nelson is right and Beebe the shortsighted one.
Both view the state’s historical refusal to tax the production of Arkansas’ rich veins of natural gas as a shame, and the governor seems willing to ask the voters to do what the legislature finds it impossible to do, levy a tax on the big exploration companies comparable to what other states collect.
Beebe wants to first see if the companies will negotiate and agree on a reasonable tax and help push it through the legislature. That will not happen, although Sheffield Nelson’s initiative proposal will give them a compelling incentive to come to the table. Nelson is going to circulate petitions to put a 7 percent tax on the wellhead price of gas, the rate in neighboring Oklahoma, on the general-election ballot next year.
Arkansas now collects three-tenths of a penny for each thousand cubic feet, which is hardly even a nuisance. Texas imposes 7.5 percent.
Nelson, however, wants to dedicate the revenue — upwards of $100 million a year and climbing at the 7 percent rate — to higher education and Beebe wants to spend it on highways. He won’t support Nelson’s initiative next year unless he changes it to divert the money to the Highway Department. Beebe said he believed that Nelson, being a good man, would come around to his side.
Let us hope instead that it is the governor who sees the light. Arkansas, the nation and most of the individual states have always paid for highways with user taxes, that is, fees collected from those who use them and roughly in proportion to the extent that they use them and damage them.
Thus, we build and maintain our roads and bridges with state motor-fuel taxes, vehicle-registration fees and a variety of smaller levies connected with transportation — some $600 million a year in all — and a portion of the fuel taxes collected by Uncle Sam that match the money that we collect. We have resisted efforts by the transportation interests from time to time to take sources of revenue for the schools and other services and divert them to the highway program.
That policy has worked well, especially for highways, even in a state that has a higher per-capita highway burden than most states because of the state’s rural and widely dispersed system of roads. Fewer motorists are paying for more highway miles than in, say, New Jersey.
Nevertheless, Arkansas’ highway system, though not the best, ranks far better in comparison with other states than does its public schools, or for that matter its colleges, its health care or its services to the elderly and needy. We have fewer college graduates in our workforce than any other state. If we are truly interested in economic development, as Nelson points out, that has to be a larger factor than the condition of our highways.
It is true, as Beebe says, that motor-fuel tax receipts are not climbing as fast as road construction costs in spite of the fast-rising number of vehicles on the roads. Increasing fuel efficiency in new vehicles means that people are buying less fuel per mile traveled, which means that they are paying fewer taxes per trip. Our motor-fuel taxes are tied to volume, not to price. We do not have a sales tax on gasoline or diesel. So people are paying less in taxes per trip, and a steadily declining share of what we spend on traveling are going to maintain and improve the roads.
When the state needs to undertake a major highway-building program, road-user taxes are still the most prudent way to do it. The lack of a fair impost on the giant rigs that cause most of the damage to the Interstate and primary roads and bridges remains the state’s biggest failing. The late Henry Gray, highway director deluxe, tried vainly for many years to get a reasonable tax on those 80,000-pound behemoths to cover a fraction of their road damage. Now that would be a worthy fight for Gov. Beebe.
Meantime, let us hope that he enlists in the fight to raise the opportunities for children by dedicating a severance tax to a college education for everyone who wants it.
Both view the state’s historical refusal to tax the production of Arkansas’ rich veins of natural gas as a shame, and the governor seems willing to ask the voters to do what the legislature finds it impossible to do, levy a tax on the big exploration companies comparable to what other states collect.
Beebe wants to first see if the companies will negotiate and agree on a reasonable tax and help push it through the legislature. That will not happen, although Sheffield Nelson’s initiative proposal will give them a compelling incentive to come to the table. Nelson is going to circulate petitions to put a 7 percent tax on the wellhead price of gas, the rate in neighboring Oklahoma, on the general-election ballot next year.
Arkansas now collects three-tenths of a penny for each thousand cubic feet, which is hardly even a nuisance. Texas imposes 7.5 percent.
Nelson, however, wants to dedicate the revenue — upwards of $100 million a year and climbing at the 7 percent rate — to higher education and Beebe wants to spend it on highways. He won’t support Nelson’s initiative next year unless he changes it to divert the money to the Highway Department. Beebe said he believed that Nelson, being a good man, would come around to his side.
Let us hope instead that it is the governor who sees the light. Arkansas, the nation and most of the individual states have always paid for highways with user taxes, that is, fees collected from those who use them and roughly in proportion to the extent that they use them and damage them.
Thus, we build and maintain our roads and bridges with state motor-fuel taxes, vehicle-registration fees and a variety of smaller levies connected with transportation — some $600 million a year in all — and a portion of the fuel taxes collected by Uncle Sam that match the money that we collect. We have resisted efforts by the transportation interests from time to time to take sources of revenue for the schools and other services and divert them to the highway program.
That policy has worked well, especially for highways, even in a state that has a higher per-capita highway burden than most states because of the state’s rural and widely dispersed system of roads. Fewer motorists are paying for more highway miles than in, say, New Jersey.
Nevertheless, Arkansas’ highway system, though not the best, ranks far better in comparison with other states than does its public schools, or for that matter its colleges, its health care or its services to the elderly and needy. We have fewer college graduates in our workforce than any other state. If we are truly interested in economic development, as Nelson points out, that has to be a larger factor than the condition of our highways.
It is true, as Beebe says, that motor-fuel tax receipts are not climbing as fast as road construction costs in spite of the fast-rising number of vehicles on the roads. Increasing fuel efficiency in new vehicles means that people are buying less fuel per mile traveled, which means that they are paying fewer taxes per trip. Our motor-fuel taxes are tied to volume, not to price. We do not have a sales tax on gasoline or diesel. So people are paying less in taxes per trip, and a steadily declining share of what we spend on traveling are going to maintain and improve the roads.
When the state needs to undertake a major highway-building program, road-user taxes are still the most prudent way to do it. The lack of a fair impost on the giant rigs that cause most of the damage to the Interstate and primary roads and bridges remains the state’s biggest failing. The late Henry Gray, highway director deluxe, tried vainly for many years to get a reasonable tax on those 80,000-pound behemoths to cover a fraction of their road damage. Now that would be a worthy fight for Gov. Beebe.
Meantime, let us hope that he enlists in the fight to raise the opportunities for children by dedicating a severance tax to a college education for everyone who wants it.
TOP STORY >>Day care center opens after meningitis scare
By ALIYA FELDMAN
Leader staff writer
A Jacksonville day care center is now open after a brief closure earlier this week when a child from the school died. The Department of Health is conducting an infectious disease investigation and parents are getting their children tested for meningitis.
The cause of the death of the child who attended First Care For Children in Jacksonville is not yet known.
“The autopsy has not returned anything,” Ed Barham, spokesman for the Department of Health, said Thursday. “We didn’t close down the day care center,” Barham said of the school’s day-long closure on Thursday. He said the center voluntarily closed.
Children were in attendance Friday, the center’s director Laura Sanden said.
“We typically treat close contacts with people who have become sick according to their signs and symptoms, especially in the case of someone who can’t communicate what the symptoms are,” Barham said.
The school takes care of infants as young as six weeks old and is run by First Baptist Church.
Jacksonville residents who came in close contact with the child are being treated as if they have meningitis.
Symptoms will be treated until lab results are returned, Barham said.
The Department of Health treats suspected infectious disease cases when a doctor or hospital reports them to the state. Often, infectious diseases are never reported because they are treated effectively, Barham said, negating any need for state intervention.
“(A) doctor will treat with antibiotics. There might not be lab results ever available. In the case of several infectious diseases, modern drug therapy is used,” Barham said.
People who have come in contact with a patient who has an infectious disease, such as meningitis, tuberculosis or whooping cough, can be treated with antibiotics so that the disease can be contained.
“Once we’ve conducted the investigation and made systematic contact with all…close contacts, generally immediate family, once we’ve done that and made contact and given drugs they need to take, then the thing you do next is you look at results and find out what happened, then the case can be closed,” Barham said.
He said the department investigates infectious disease “every day, it’s routine.”
"If people have not been in contact with us because of this event, they do not have to be afraid,” Barham said.
“Then we are confident that they are not in danger from this particular event,” he said.
A meningitis vaccine is available, but is only given to adolescents.
In Arkansas, vaccines against polio, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, rubeola (red measles) and rubella (German measles) are required for children to enter school. Children may be exempt from these vaccinations for medical or religious reasons.
Leader staff writer
A Jacksonville day care center is now open after a brief closure earlier this week when a child from the school died. The Department of Health is conducting an infectious disease investigation and parents are getting their children tested for meningitis.
The cause of the death of the child who attended First Care For Children in Jacksonville is not yet known.
“The autopsy has not returned anything,” Ed Barham, spokesman for the Department of Health, said Thursday. “We didn’t close down the day care center,” Barham said of the school’s day-long closure on Thursday. He said the center voluntarily closed.
Children were in attendance Friday, the center’s director Laura Sanden said.
“We typically treat close contacts with people who have become sick according to their signs and symptoms, especially in the case of someone who can’t communicate what the symptoms are,” Barham said.
The school takes care of infants as young as six weeks old and is run by First Baptist Church.
Jacksonville residents who came in close contact with the child are being treated as if they have meningitis.
Symptoms will be treated until lab results are returned, Barham said.
The Department of Health treats suspected infectious disease cases when a doctor or hospital reports them to the state. Often, infectious diseases are never reported because they are treated effectively, Barham said, negating any need for state intervention.
“(A) doctor will treat with antibiotics. There might not be lab results ever available. In the case of several infectious diseases, modern drug therapy is used,” Barham said.
People who have come in contact with a patient who has an infectious disease, such as meningitis, tuberculosis or whooping cough, can be treated with antibiotics so that the disease can be contained.
“Once we’ve conducted the investigation and made systematic contact with all…close contacts, generally immediate family, once we’ve done that and made contact and given drugs they need to take, then the thing you do next is you look at results and find out what happened, then the case can be closed,” Barham said.
He said the department investigates infectious disease “every day, it’s routine.”
"If people have not been in contact with us because of this event, they do not have to be afraid,” Barham said.
“Then we are confident that they are not in danger from this particular event,” he said.
A meningitis vaccine is available, but is only given to adolescents.
In Arkansas, vaccines against polio, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, rubeola (red measles) and rubella (German measles) are required for children to enter school. Children may be exempt from these vaccinations for medical or religious reasons.
TOP STORY >>Gunshots killed suspect, coroner’s report says
By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
Bryant Cross, 18, of McAlmont, whose body was found Oct. 23 behind a Sherwood home on Highway 107, died of gunshot wounds in the upper torso, according to a report released by the Pulaski County coroner.
Cross’ body was found in a creek about 12 hours after he and LaMarcus Dunn, 18, of North Little Rock, supposedly tried to burglarize the home.
The homeowner, Larry Staley, shot at the burglars as they attempted to gain entry about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday. Sherwood police arrived on scene about the same time, receiving a call from Staley’s wife. Police, along with canine, searched the area where the two suspects were last seen and found nothing.
Staley’s wife found Cross about 1 p.m. that day.
Cross was shot twice—once in the upper torso and once in the elbow, according to information released by the coroner.
The coroner has sent his findings and evidence to the Arkansas Crime Lab. The lab will try to determine if Staley shot Cross. Authorities have confiscated all of Staley’s guns for comparison purposes.
Also, Officer Ryan Baker, with the Sherwood Police Department, said his department has completed its investigation of the attempted burglary and shooting and has turned over their information to the prosecuting attorney to determine if any charges will be filed against Staley and if additional charges will be filed against Dunn.
Sherwood police have already charged Dunn with criminal trespass (a Class C misdemeanor) and attempted theft of property (a Class C felony).
Bond was set at $1,870, which Dunn has posted.
Staley admits to shooting at the suspects, but didn’t know if he had hit one. He also told the police that he shot in a direction different than where the body was found.
The attempted break-in was the fifth time in about 18 months the Staleys have been burglars’ targets. It’s also the second time Staley fired at would-be thieves.
This latest incident has caused the Staleys to put the 3.5-acre property up for sale.
“We just don’t feel safe here anymore,” Staley said.
Leader staff writer
Bryant Cross, 18, of McAlmont, whose body was found Oct. 23 behind a Sherwood home on Highway 107, died of gunshot wounds in the upper torso, according to a report released by the Pulaski County coroner.
Cross’ body was found in a creek about 12 hours after he and LaMarcus Dunn, 18, of North Little Rock, supposedly tried to burglarize the home.
The homeowner, Larry Staley, shot at the burglars as they attempted to gain entry about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday. Sherwood police arrived on scene about the same time, receiving a call from Staley’s wife. Police, along with canine, searched the area where the two suspects were last seen and found nothing.
Staley’s wife found Cross about 1 p.m. that day.
Cross was shot twice—once in the upper torso and once in the elbow, according to information released by the coroner.
The coroner has sent his findings and evidence to the Arkansas Crime Lab. The lab will try to determine if Staley shot Cross. Authorities have confiscated all of Staley’s guns for comparison purposes.
Also, Officer Ryan Baker, with the Sherwood Police Department, said his department has completed its investigation of the attempted burglary and shooting and has turned over their information to the prosecuting attorney to determine if any charges will be filed against Staley and if additional charges will be filed against Dunn.
Sherwood police have already charged Dunn with criminal trespass (a Class C misdemeanor) and attempted theft of property (a Class C felony).
Bond was set at $1,870, which Dunn has posted.
Staley admits to shooting at the suspects, but didn’t know if he had hit one. He also told the police that he shot in a direction different than where the body was found.
The attempted break-in was the fifth time in about 18 months the Staleys have been burglars’ targets. It’s also the second time Staley fired at would-be thieves.
This latest incident has caused the Staleys to put the 3.5-acre property up for sale.
“We just don’t feel safe here anymore,” Staley said.
TOP STORY >>Pilot’s son survives after swallowing toy with 'date-rape drug'
A Jacksonville toddler is back home from Arkansas Children’s Hospital after snapping out of a coma hours after he swallowed beads from a toxic toy set imported from China.
Shelby Esses, the 20-month-old toddler’s mother, said Thursday she knew her son Jacob was ill when he began to stumble, seemed drunk and started vomiting on Oct. 30.
Jacob fell down and was limp after getting into his older sister’s Aqua Dots, a Chinese-made toy recalled Wednesday by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. “And that’s when we knew what he had eaten and that things were pretty bad,” she told ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
The toddler passed out when the beads’ coating metabolized into a chemical compound known as the “date-rape drug.”
“I thought he was going to die. I didn’t want to tell my kids that, of course, but I thought he was going to die,” said Esses, whose son swallowed a handful of Spin Master Aqua Dots the day before Halloween. “It was horrible.”
For a time, he slipped out of consciousness — waking up only to vomit.
“I thought that the Aqua Dots had to have done something, but I wasn’t sure because I didn’t think they were toxic. There was no warning on the box that said they were toxic. It just said that they were a choking hazard,” the child’s mother said.
Jack’s father, 1st Lt. Jonathan Esses, is training to pilot C-130 planes at Little Rock Air Force Base in Jacksonville. He is assigned to the 714th Training Squadron, which is part of the 314th Operations Group.
Two children in the U.S. and four in Australia were hospitalized after swallowing the beads.
Dr. Matt Jaeger, of Arkansas Children’s Hospital, treated the child and said he was very worried when he saw him. The hospital started tests and performed a head scan, but within hours the boy recovered.
“He got better so fast we ended up letting him go home,” Jaeger said. Scientists say a chemical coating on the beads, when ingested, metabolizes into gamma hydroxy butyrate, the so-called date-rape drug.
The compound can induce unconsciousness, seizures, drowsiness, coma and death.
“It was pretty dramatic,” the doctor told ABC. “He was unconscious in this coma for about six hours. And then over the course of just a few minutes, went from being completely asleep to wide awake and playing like nothing ever happened.”
“He was out for about six hours and he woke up just kind of on his own and within minutes was back to his normal self. He was just happy and yelling and wanting to get out of the hospital and causing a stir, all of the nurses wanted to come see him,” Shelby Esses said.
Before the child returned home, his father crawled around on the carpet to make sure every Aqua Dot was out of the house. Jaeger said Shelby Esse tracked down toy components and provided them to the hospital lab, which later identified the chemical.
Retailer Toys “R” Us issued a “stop sale” for Aqua Dots on Tuesday in its North American stores and on its Web site after it learned of the news.
Spin Master Aqua Dots can be arranged into designs and then fused together when sprayed with water. Australia-based Moose Enterprises distributes the toys in 40 countries.
Peter Mahon, a spokesman for Moose Enterprises, said the company was conducting an internal investigation to determine how the chemical came to be included in the beads, which are made at a factory in Shenzhen in China’s Guangdong Province.
He said “ingredients were switched at the point of manufacture without Moose’s knowledge.” He declined to give the name of the factory, saying it was “not appropriate” at this time.
“Really the main thing we’re doing is concentrating our efforts on making people aware that children shouldn’t be playing with these products and getting them back,” Mahon said in a telephone interview.
In Australia, the toy was named toy of the year at an industry function. But the toys, known as Bindeez in that country, were ordered off store shelves on Tuesday when officials learned that a 2-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl were hospitalized after swallowing the beads.
A 19-month-old and an 18-month-old also were being treated.Since the spring, toy companies have recalled millions of Chinese-made goods worldwide. Products including Barbie doll accessories and toy cars were pulled off shelves because of concerns about lead paint or tiny detachable magnets that could be swallowed.
A company spokeswoman for Moose Enterprises’ Hong Kong office said Aqua Dots production was outsourced to a mainland Chinese factory. She refused to elaborate and referred all further requests for comment to the company’s head office in Australia.
Last week, the government announced an export ban on more than 700 toy factories in the region because of shoddy products.
The toys were supposed to be made using 1,5-pentanediol, a nontoxic compound found in glue, but instead contained the harmful 1,4-butanediol, which is widely used in cleaners and plastics.
The Food and Drug Administration in 1999 declared the chemical a Class I Health Hazard, meaning it can cause life-threatening harm. Both chemicals are manufactured in China and elsewhere, including by major multinational companies, and are also marketed over the Internet.
It’s not clear why 1,4-butanediol was substituted, though there is a significant price difference.
The Chinese online trading platform ChemNet China lists the price of 1,4 butanediol at between about $1,350-$2,800 per metric ton, while the price for 1,5-pentanediol is about $9,700 per metric ton.
Versions of the toy seized in Hong Kong were being tested Thursday, a customs official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of policy.
If the tests come back positive for the chemical, suppliers of the toy in Hong Kong could face a year in jail and fines of $12,877, she said. A spokeswoman for the CPSC said Thursday that parents should heed the warning against using the product.
“If a child ingests them, the glue turns into a toxic substance and it’s very serious,” Julie Vallese, a spokeswoman for the CPSC, said on CBS’ “Early Show.” “We want parents very much to heed this warning.”
Associated Press writers Peggy Harris in Little Rock, Meraiah Foley in Sydney, Australia, and Dikky Sinn in Hong Kong contributed to this report.
Shelby Esses, the 20-month-old toddler’s mother, said Thursday she knew her son Jacob was ill when he began to stumble, seemed drunk and started vomiting on Oct. 30.
Jacob fell down and was limp after getting into his older sister’s Aqua Dots, a Chinese-made toy recalled Wednesday by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. “And that’s when we knew what he had eaten and that things were pretty bad,” she told ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
The toddler passed out when the beads’ coating metabolized into a chemical compound known as the “date-rape drug.”
“I thought he was going to die. I didn’t want to tell my kids that, of course, but I thought he was going to die,” said Esses, whose son swallowed a handful of Spin Master Aqua Dots the day before Halloween. “It was horrible.”
For a time, he slipped out of consciousness — waking up only to vomit.
“I thought that the Aqua Dots had to have done something, but I wasn’t sure because I didn’t think they were toxic. There was no warning on the box that said they were toxic. It just said that they were a choking hazard,” the child’s mother said.
Jack’s father, 1st Lt. Jonathan Esses, is training to pilot C-130 planes at Little Rock Air Force Base in Jacksonville. He is assigned to the 714th Training Squadron, which is part of the 314th Operations Group.
Two children in the U.S. and four in Australia were hospitalized after swallowing the beads.
Dr. Matt Jaeger, of Arkansas Children’s Hospital, treated the child and said he was very worried when he saw him. The hospital started tests and performed a head scan, but within hours the boy recovered.
“He got better so fast we ended up letting him go home,” Jaeger said. Scientists say a chemical coating on the beads, when ingested, metabolizes into gamma hydroxy butyrate, the so-called date-rape drug.
The compound can induce unconsciousness, seizures, drowsiness, coma and death.
“It was pretty dramatic,” the doctor told ABC. “He was unconscious in this coma for about six hours. And then over the course of just a few minutes, went from being completely asleep to wide awake and playing like nothing ever happened.”
“He was out for about six hours and he woke up just kind of on his own and within minutes was back to his normal self. He was just happy and yelling and wanting to get out of the hospital and causing a stir, all of the nurses wanted to come see him,” Shelby Esses said.
Before the child returned home, his father crawled around on the carpet to make sure every Aqua Dot was out of the house. Jaeger said Shelby Esse tracked down toy components and provided them to the hospital lab, which later identified the chemical.
Retailer Toys “R” Us issued a “stop sale” for Aqua Dots on Tuesday in its North American stores and on its Web site after it learned of the news.
Spin Master Aqua Dots can be arranged into designs and then fused together when sprayed with water. Australia-based Moose Enterprises distributes the toys in 40 countries.
Peter Mahon, a spokesman for Moose Enterprises, said the company was conducting an internal investigation to determine how the chemical came to be included in the beads, which are made at a factory in Shenzhen in China’s Guangdong Province.
He said “ingredients were switched at the point of manufacture without Moose’s knowledge.” He declined to give the name of the factory, saying it was “not appropriate” at this time.
“Really the main thing we’re doing is concentrating our efforts on making people aware that children shouldn’t be playing with these products and getting them back,” Mahon said in a telephone interview.
In Australia, the toy was named toy of the year at an industry function. But the toys, known as Bindeez in that country, were ordered off store shelves on Tuesday when officials learned that a 2-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl were hospitalized after swallowing the beads.
A 19-month-old and an 18-month-old also were being treated.Since the spring, toy companies have recalled millions of Chinese-made goods worldwide. Products including Barbie doll accessories and toy cars were pulled off shelves because of concerns about lead paint or tiny detachable magnets that could be swallowed.
A company spokeswoman for Moose Enterprises’ Hong Kong office said Aqua Dots production was outsourced to a mainland Chinese factory. She refused to elaborate and referred all further requests for comment to the company’s head office in Australia.
Last week, the government announced an export ban on more than 700 toy factories in the region because of shoddy products.
The toys were supposed to be made using 1,5-pentanediol, a nontoxic compound found in glue, but instead contained the harmful 1,4-butanediol, which is widely used in cleaners and plastics.
The Food and Drug Administration in 1999 declared the chemical a Class I Health Hazard, meaning it can cause life-threatening harm. Both chemicals are manufactured in China and elsewhere, including by major multinational companies, and are also marketed over the Internet.
It’s not clear why 1,4-butanediol was substituted, though there is a significant price difference.
The Chinese online trading platform ChemNet China lists the price of 1,4 butanediol at between about $1,350-$2,800 per metric ton, while the price for 1,5-pentanediol is about $9,700 per metric ton.
Versions of the toy seized in Hong Kong were being tested Thursday, a customs official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of policy.
If the tests come back positive for the chemical, suppliers of the toy in Hong Kong could face a year in jail and fines of $12,877, she said. A spokeswoman for the CPSC said Thursday that parents should heed the warning against using the product.
“If a child ingests them, the glue turns into a toxic substance and it’s very serious,” Julie Vallese, a spokeswoman for the CPSC, said on CBS’ “Early Show.” “We want parents very much to heed this warning.”
Associated Press writers Peggy Harris in Little Rock, Meraiah Foley in Sydney, Australia, and Dikky Sinn in Hong Kong contributed to this report.
TOP STORY >>Projects still waits for funds as Pentagon budget stalls
By JOHN HOFHEIMER
Leader senior staff writer
Nearly $10 million earmarked for the Jacksonville/Little Rock Air Force Base Joint Education Center, which seemed imminent as recently as Wednesday afternoon, is still on hold in the U.S. Senate, with the balance of the $37 billion Military Construction and Veterans Affairs appropriations bill.
In all, passage of about $50 million in central Arkansas military construction has been delayed but not derailed by Senate Republicans, according to Arkansas Sen. Blanche Lincoln.
The Jacksonville/Little Rock Air Force Base Joint Education Center is still likely to receive $9.8 million, base runway repair will likely receive another $9.8 million and the new Cabot National Guard Armory is still expected to receive $840,000, according to Lincoln.
The balance of the local money is intended for projects at Camp Robinson.
The Senate did pass Thursday the 2008 Defense Appropriations Act, including a military pay raise.
But not the 2008 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs bill, which emerged from the joint conference committee attached to the funding for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Education appropriations, but Senate Republicans insisted on separating the military appropriation, Lincoln said.
“Late (Thursday), the Senate was unable to move forward to consider the full package,” Lincoln said. The Senate did approve the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education appropriations—passed this week by the House—in effect sending the military construction and Veterans Affairs appropriations back to the conference committee for approval.
NOT IN JEOPARDY
“The president has not indicated that he would veto the military- construction bill,” said a Lincoln spokesman. “Our Arkansas priorities in that bill are not in jeopardy.”
Lincoln said that it was unfortunate that on the eve of Veterans Day, Congress was unable to pass a bill expanding spending for veterans affairs and the military.
She said that 25 million Americans, including about 286,000 Arkansans, had served in the armed forces and characterized the care they require as “increasingly complex.”
FINGERS CROSSED
“We’ll keep our fingers crossed that it gets approved,” Jacksonville Mayor Tommy Swaim said Thursday. “It has some important funding for Arkansas, not only for the base but also for Camp Robinson,” Swaim said.
“I hope the problem is procedural, the runway work needs to be done and the Joint Education Center is important not only to the base but to the community.”
The bill includes the largest increase in the Veterans Affairs appropriations, Lincoln said.
Lincoln, Sen. Mark Pryor, Cong. Vic Snyder, Cong. Mike Ross and Cong. Marion Berry all have worked to ensure these Arkansas projects.
EDUCATION CENTER
Originally slated to be 80,000 square feet, inflation has reduced the facility to about 55,000 square feet with a price tag of about $15 million. Jacksonville has set aside $5 million from a dedicated tax passed by residents in 2003 to pay the city’s share of the cost.
Heightened security restrictions have limited civilian access to military bases, including the old, now inadequate facility on base.
The new one is planned to be “outside the wire” at the base, approximately at the intersection of Vandenberg and John Harden Drive. Arkansas State University will operate the new facility, providing a wider selection of academic programs to active duty and reserve military personnel, their dependents and interested civilians. Other Arkansas colleges and university systems would also have access to the courses and curriculum provided at this location.
RUNWAY REPAIR
The airfield, constructed in 1955, is in a state of deterioration, which could adversely affect combat readiness and may endanger aircrew lives and aircraft assets. The funding allows the airfield to repair deteriorated runway and shoulder pavements, remove or eliminate airfield obstructions, replace runway lighting, and reorganize instrument guidance and navigation systems.
READINESS CENTER
A new National Guard center in Cabot will be about 30,000 square feet, which will include an assembly area, administrative office space, supply and storage areas, classrooms, kitchen, parking and a maintenance training bay.
Cabot Mayor Eddie Joe Williams had hoped to announce Friday during a Veterans Day ceremony at Veterans Park that Congress had approved the $840,000 to begin work on an $8 million armory (now called a readiness center).
Instead, he told the group of about 50 that had gathered for the event that Cong. Marion Berry had assured him the funding to start the project had passed the House and that it should soon pass the Senate.
“We feel like we’ll break ground by this time next year,” the mayor said.
BRAC
No funding was earmarked but as a result of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure process, Arkansas is slated to receive funding to modernize the aerospace ground equipment and engine facility at Little Rock Air Force Base.
Also in the bill is $1.9 million for an urban assault course at Camp Robinson, $5.5 million to protect from terrorists an ammunition-supply point on the camp and $18.4 million for a GED training facility sitting on 4.5 acres at Camp Robinson.
Locally, the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education appropriations included $1 million for the Clinton School of Public Service in Little Rock, $1.4 million for a new Thyroid Diagnostic Center and other programs at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
DEFENSE BILL
Congress Thursday finalized FY2008 Department of Defense Appropriations Act with funding for several projects critical to Arkansas’ military installations, research institutions and defense contractors, according to members of the Arkansas delegation.
The members of the delegation said they are pleased the bill includes a 3.5 percent pay raise for military personnel, an additional $70 million to better meet the medical needs of wounded service members, $11.6 billion for body armor and mine-resistant vehicles, $980 million to equip the National Guard and Reserve forces and $2.6 billion to provide military families with the immediate need for more counselors, teachers and child care providers.
The House of Representatives passed the final version of the legislation Thursday. Following Senate passage expected this week, the legislation will head to the president for his signature.
LOCAL MONEY
Locally, this bill included $2.5 million for Camp Robinson, for meteorological information to help munitions accurately and precisely hit their targets, $1.2 million to develop “a combination of nanostructures and electrical charges” to safely retrofit aircraft with a deicing mechanisms and $1.6 million for the surgical wound disinfection and biological agents — $1.6 million for Exoxemis, Inc. to research and test wound and surgical site decontamination to prevent infection.
“Arkansas’ military installations and defense industry continue to contribute significantly to our nation’s security,” said Pryor.
“Every day thousands of Arkansas men and women in uniform courageously serve in combat zones, while many more here at home find innovative ways to make our troops safer and more effective. These projects are wise investments that will ensure our servicemen and women have the very best resources they need in order to accomplish their mission,” he said.
“Our troops and families deserve this strong bipartisan vote for this important defense funding,” said Snyder.
Leader senior staff writer
Nearly $10 million earmarked for the Jacksonville/Little Rock Air Force Base Joint Education Center, which seemed imminent as recently as Wednesday afternoon, is still on hold in the U.S. Senate, with the balance of the $37 billion Military Construction and Veterans Affairs appropriations bill.
In all, passage of about $50 million in central Arkansas military construction has been delayed but not derailed by Senate Republicans, according to Arkansas Sen. Blanche Lincoln.
The Jacksonville/Little Rock Air Force Base Joint Education Center is still likely to receive $9.8 million, base runway repair will likely receive another $9.8 million and the new Cabot National Guard Armory is still expected to receive $840,000, according to Lincoln.
The balance of the local money is intended for projects at Camp Robinson.
The Senate did pass Thursday the 2008 Defense Appropriations Act, including a military pay raise.
But not the 2008 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs bill, which emerged from the joint conference committee attached to the funding for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Education appropriations, but Senate Republicans insisted on separating the military appropriation, Lincoln said.
“Late (Thursday), the Senate was unable to move forward to consider the full package,” Lincoln said. The Senate did approve the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education appropriations—passed this week by the House—in effect sending the military construction and Veterans Affairs appropriations back to the conference committee for approval.
NOT IN JEOPARDY
“The president has not indicated that he would veto the military- construction bill,” said a Lincoln spokesman. “Our Arkansas priorities in that bill are not in jeopardy.”
Lincoln said that it was unfortunate that on the eve of Veterans Day, Congress was unable to pass a bill expanding spending for veterans affairs and the military.
She said that 25 million Americans, including about 286,000 Arkansans, had served in the armed forces and characterized the care they require as “increasingly complex.”
FINGERS CROSSED
“We’ll keep our fingers crossed that it gets approved,” Jacksonville Mayor Tommy Swaim said Thursday. “It has some important funding for Arkansas, not only for the base but also for Camp Robinson,” Swaim said.
“I hope the problem is procedural, the runway work needs to be done and the Joint Education Center is important not only to the base but to the community.”
The bill includes the largest increase in the Veterans Affairs appropriations, Lincoln said.
Lincoln, Sen. Mark Pryor, Cong. Vic Snyder, Cong. Mike Ross and Cong. Marion Berry all have worked to ensure these Arkansas projects.
EDUCATION CENTER
Originally slated to be 80,000 square feet, inflation has reduced the facility to about 55,000 square feet with a price tag of about $15 million. Jacksonville has set aside $5 million from a dedicated tax passed by residents in 2003 to pay the city’s share of the cost.
Heightened security restrictions have limited civilian access to military bases, including the old, now inadequate facility on base.
The new one is planned to be “outside the wire” at the base, approximately at the intersection of Vandenberg and John Harden Drive. Arkansas State University will operate the new facility, providing a wider selection of academic programs to active duty and reserve military personnel, their dependents and interested civilians. Other Arkansas colleges and university systems would also have access to the courses and curriculum provided at this location.
RUNWAY REPAIR
The airfield, constructed in 1955, is in a state of deterioration, which could adversely affect combat readiness and may endanger aircrew lives and aircraft assets. The funding allows the airfield to repair deteriorated runway and shoulder pavements, remove or eliminate airfield obstructions, replace runway lighting, and reorganize instrument guidance and navigation systems.
READINESS CENTER
A new National Guard center in Cabot will be about 30,000 square feet, which will include an assembly area, administrative office space, supply and storage areas, classrooms, kitchen, parking and a maintenance training bay.
Cabot Mayor Eddie Joe Williams had hoped to announce Friday during a Veterans Day ceremony at Veterans Park that Congress had approved the $840,000 to begin work on an $8 million armory (now called a readiness center).
Instead, he told the group of about 50 that had gathered for the event that Cong. Marion Berry had assured him the funding to start the project had passed the House and that it should soon pass the Senate.
“We feel like we’ll break ground by this time next year,” the mayor said.
BRAC
No funding was earmarked but as a result of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure process, Arkansas is slated to receive funding to modernize the aerospace ground equipment and engine facility at Little Rock Air Force Base.
Also in the bill is $1.9 million for an urban assault course at Camp Robinson, $5.5 million to protect from terrorists an ammunition-supply point on the camp and $18.4 million for a GED training facility sitting on 4.5 acres at Camp Robinson.
Locally, the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education appropriations included $1 million for the Clinton School of Public Service in Little Rock, $1.4 million for a new Thyroid Diagnostic Center and other programs at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
DEFENSE BILL
Congress Thursday finalized FY2008 Department of Defense Appropriations Act with funding for several projects critical to Arkansas’ military installations, research institutions and defense contractors, according to members of the Arkansas delegation.
The members of the delegation said they are pleased the bill includes a 3.5 percent pay raise for military personnel, an additional $70 million to better meet the medical needs of wounded service members, $11.6 billion for body armor and mine-resistant vehicles, $980 million to equip the National Guard and Reserve forces and $2.6 billion to provide military families with the immediate need for more counselors, teachers and child care providers.
The House of Representatives passed the final version of the legislation Thursday. Following Senate passage expected this week, the legislation will head to the president for his signature.
LOCAL MONEY
Locally, this bill included $2.5 million for Camp Robinson, for meteorological information to help munitions accurately and precisely hit their targets, $1.2 million to develop “a combination of nanostructures and electrical charges” to safely retrofit aircraft with a deicing mechanisms and $1.6 million for the surgical wound disinfection and biological agents — $1.6 million for Exoxemis, Inc. to research and test wound and surgical site decontamination to prevent infection.
“Arkansas’ military installations and defense industry continue to contribute significantly to our nation’s security,” said Pryor.
“Every day thousands of Arkansas men and women in uniform courageously serve in combat zones, while many more here at home find innovative ways to make our troops safer and more effective. These projects are wise investments that will ensure our servicemen and women have the very best resources they need in order to accomplish their mission,” he said.
“Our troops and families deserve this strong bipartisan vote for this important defense funding,” said Snyder.
TOP STORY >>Veterans recognized in area ceremonies
By JOAN MCCOY AND ALIYA FELDMAN
Leader staff writers
Some area communities have already celebrated Veterans Day with ceremonies, while others will do it this holiday weekend.
In Cabot, the day was sunny with only a mild breeze stirring, but the atmosphere was somber for the Veterans’ Day service held Friday morning in front of monuments displaying the names of many who have served in the armed forces.
The flags were lowered to half mast in honor of those who gave their lives in war and the key speakers from the American Legion, which hosted the event, talked about the apathy toward veterans’ sacrifices that is pervasive in today’s society.
“America is blessed because millions of men and women realized and still realize that nothing in their lives is as important as defending this nation,” said Vernon Bynum, American Legion state commander.
“For many veterans, it is important enough to endure separations from their families, miss the births of their children, freeze in sub-zero and endure 100-plus-degree temperatures, bake in wild jungles, lose limbs and, far too often, lose their lives.
“Sadly, their deeds are frequently unappreciated,” he said.
Allen Miller, American Legion Post 71 service officer and the master of ceremony for the service, called for a mandatory two years in military service for all young people, so when they are older and perhaps serving as lawmakers, they will understand what it is like to be a veteran. “We veterans and our friends can no longer be seduced by shining speeches on patriotic holidays,” Miller said.
Quoting President John F. Kennedy, he said, “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live them.”
Allan Wagner, a Vietnam veteran who has attended Veterans Day ceremonies for many years, said he does so because “it is important to honor these men who gave it all.”
“I like that saying, ‘There were a few who gave a lot for many,’” Wagner said. “I feel like it’s the least we can do.”
The Veterans Park property where the memorial took place was purchased in 1946. In 2000, monuments were erected there to honor the 105 Cabot War Veterans Memorial Association that purchased the Veterans Park property and to commemorate veterans who chose to have their names placed there to signify their duty to our country.
Other cities have scheduled Veterans Day ceremonies this weekend and early next week.
Beebe
American Legion Post 91 will hold a Veterans Day Ceremony at the Veterans Memorial across from the ASU-Beebe campus Monday at 11 a.m. Participants are welcome to enjoy snacks and refreshments at Beebe City Hall after the ceremony is over.
For more information call John at 593-1090. Beebe city and chamber offices will be closed Monday. Garbage pickup will be one day late.
Jacksonville
The military museum will show a film at 3:30 p.m. Sunday about a former LRAFB commander’s escape from the jungle after he was shot down by a Japanese fighter during World War II.
“Slightly Injured…Please Advise” is the story of Col. Charles O’ Sullivan’s crash-landing his P-38 in New Guinea in 1943 and the month he spent trying to escape.
Director and producer Josh Baxter and O’Sullivan will be on hand to answer questions after the film. Admission is $5, which will go toward future programs at the museum. For more information, call 241-1943.
In observance of the holiday, city offices will be closed. Garbage collection will be delayed one day.
Sherwood
A ceremony to honor veterans will take place at Sherwood Rotary Club’s Veterans Memorial at 1111 West Maryland Avenue Sunday at 2 p.m., when a wreath will be placed.
There will also be a battle re-enactment by the Trans Mississippi Volunteer Infantry of Pine Bluff replete with two canons and simulated gunfire. Sherwood Mayor Virginia Hillman, Alderman Butch Davis and decorated war veteran Walter Barnhardt are scheduled to attend.
The ceremony will include a prayer, the singing of the National Anthem, placing of the wreath, words from Hillman, roll call of the bricks purchased in 2007 and ending with echoing Taps.
The ceremony will be the first held at the memorial that was dedicated on Memorial Day last year. The memorial consists of engraved bricks, which were purchased by family and friends of war veterans. A display of the U.S., Arkansas and P.O.W./M.I.A. flags will be illuminated in the evening.
“We have 50 more bricks to add to the existing ones on the memorial,” Alderman Butch Davis said, adding, “The memorial will be a continually growing project for the Rotary Club and city of Sherwood.”
Bricks to add to the next phase of the memorial may be purchased for $100.
For more information or to purchase a brick, contact Alderman Butch Davis at 416-7577 or 835-3909.
Searcy
In Searcy, a Veterans Day ceremony will be held on the east side of the White County Courthouse. VFW Post 2330 and American Legion Post 457 will both participate in the ceremony.
Lincoln Ladies will provide music and veteran Lt. Travis Goodwin will speak.
The White County Courthouse will be closed.
In other closures, the Lonoke County Courthouse will not be open Monday. No change in garbage collection is expected in Cabot, Lonoke, Ward or Austin.
Leader staff writers
Some area communities have already celebrated Veterans Day with ceremonies, while others will do it this holiday weekend.
In Cabot, the day was sunny with only a mild breeze stirring, but the atmosphere was somber for the Veterans’ Day service held Friday morning in front of monuments displaying the names of many who have served in the armed forces.
The flags were lowered to half mast in honor of those who gave their lives in war and the key speakers from the American Legion, which hosted the event, talked about the apathy toward veterans’ sacrifices that is pervasive in today’s society.
“America is blessed because millions of men and women realized and still realize that nothing in their lives is as important as defending this nation,” said Vernon Bynum, American Legion state commander.
“For many veterans, it is important enough to endure separations from their families, miss the births of their children, freeze in sub-zero and endure 100-plus-degree temperatures, bake in wild jungles, lose limbs and, far too often, lose their lives.
“Sadly, their deeds are frequently unappreciated,” he said.
Allen Miller, American Legion Post 71 service officer and the master of ceremony for the service, called for a mandatory two years in military service for all young people, so when they are older and perhaps serving as lawmakers, they will understand what it is like to be a veteran. “We veterans and our friends can no longer be seduced by shining speeches on patriotic holidays,” Miller said.
Quoting President John F. Kennedy, he said, “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live them.”
Allan Wagner, a Vietnam veteran who has attended Veterans Day ceremonies for many years, said he does so because “it is important to honor these men who gave it all.”
“I like that saying, ‘There were a few who gave a lot for many,’” Wagner said. “I feel like it’s the least we can do.”
The Veterans Park property where the memorial took place was purchased in 1946. In 2000, monuments were erected there to honor the 105 Cabot War Veterans Memorial Association that purchased the Veterans Park property and to commemorate veterans who chose to have their names placed there to signify their duty to our country.
Other cities have scheduled Veterans Day ceremonies this weekend and early next week.
Beebe
American Legion Post 91 will hold a Veterans Day Ceremony at the Veterans Memorial across from the ASU-Beebe campus Monday at 11 a.m. Participants are welcome to enjoy snacks and refreshments at Beebe City Hall after the ceremony is over.
For more information call John at 593-1090. Beebe city and chamber offices will be closed Monday. Garbage pickup will be one day late.
Jacksonville
The military museum will show a film at 3:30 p.m. Sunday about a former LRAFB commander’s escape from the jungle after he was shot down by a Japanese fighter during World War II.
“Slightly Injured…Please Advise” is the story of Col. Charles O’ Sullivan’s crash-landing his P-38 in New Guinea in 1943 and the month he spent trying to escape.
Director and producer Josh Baxter and O’Sullivan will be on hand to answer questions after the film. Admission is $5, which will go toward future programs at the museum. For more information, call 241-1943.
In observance of the holiday, city offices will be closed. Garbage collection will be delayed one day.
Sherwood
A ceremony to honor veterans will take place at Sherwood Rotary Club’s Veterans Memorial at 1111 West Maryland Avenue Sunday at 2 p.m., when a wreath will be placed.
There will also be a battle re-enactment by the Trans Mississippi Volunteer Infantry of Pine Bluff replete with two canons and simulated gunfire. Sherwood Mayor Virginia Hillman, Alderman Butch Davis and decorated war veteran Walter Barnhardt are scheduled to attend.
The ceremony will include a prayer, the singing of the National Anthem, placing of the wreath, words from Hillman, roll call of the bricks purchased in 2007 and ending with echoing Taps.
The ceremony will be the first held at the memorial that was dedicated on Memorial Day last year. The memorial consists of engraved bricks, which were purchased by family and friends of war veterans. A display of the U.S., Arkansas and P.O.W./M.I.A. flags will be illuminated in the evening.
“We have 50 more bricks to add to the existing ones on the memorial,” Alderman Butch Davis said, adding, “The memorial will be a continually growing project for the Rotary Club and city of Sherwood.”
Bricks to add to the next phase of the memorial may be purchased for $100.
For more information or to purchase a brick, contact Alderman Butch Davis at 416-7577 or 835-3909.
Searcy
In Searcy, a Veterans Day ceremony will be held on the east side of the White County Courthouse. VFW Post 2330 and American Legion Post 457 will both participate in the ceremony.
Lincoln Ladies will provide music and veteran Lt. Travis Goodwin will speak.
The White County Courthouse will be closed.
In other closures, the Lonoke County Courthouse will not be open Monday. No change in garbage collection is expected in Cabot, Lonoke, Ward or Austin.
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
SPORTS >>Badgers, Bulldogs unfamiliar
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
John Shannon’s Beebe Badgers and Rick Jones’ Greenwood Bulldogs run two completely different offenses. The Badgers run a tight, low, compact dead- T formation, while Jones’ two-time defending state champion Bulldogs spread it out and throw the ball about 90 percent of the time.
That made it interesting when both coaches described their team’s experience against the other’s system. Neither team has played against anyone that runs quite what the other runs, but when describing the closest thing they’ve seen, both said precisely, “The closest we’ve seen is Vilonia.”
Huh?
It is actually true. Vilonia started the season running the spread offense, but went back to the double wing that it had run the previous few years at about the mid-point of the season.
The Eagles spread it out against Beebe, and ran the wing against Greenwood.
The initial confusion aside, neither team has really faced a good comparison to what Beebe will be facing this Friday night near the Oklahoma border.
“Vilonia ran out of it a lot more than Greenwood does,” Shannon said. “Greenwood goes downfield with it quite a bit. They throw it probably 85 to 90 percent of the time.”
Jones remarked, “They run that double wing and try to confuse you. Beebe just lines up and runs right at you. It’s a very manly style of football. You’d better be ready for a fight.”
Another ironic similarity between the two coaches’ keys is that both harped on maintaining assignments.
“You have to be physical and try to match how physical they are,” Jones said. “You also have to be where you’re supposed to be. You can’t get out of position or get blown off the ball.”
Being blown off the ball is one of Jones’ biggest concerns. He has his scout team simulating Beebe’s offense, but knows it won’t match Beebe’s style.
“That’s the thing that’s so unique about what they do,” Jones said. “Pad level is so important, and it’s a chore trying to make our guys understand just how low they’ll be coming off that ball. It’s very difficult. They present a ton of trouble for you.”
While Jones is impressed with Beebe’s line, he’s also impressed with the running backs.
“The whole offense executes so well. When I watch tapes, they blow you off the ball, but the backs run so hard. They hit the hole hard, and they don’t need a whole lot of hole to get good yardage on you. They always seem to fall forward, and a 5-10 guy falling forward is two more yards. They’re well coached and we’re expecting a battle.”
Beebe looks at Greenwood’s team and doesn’t see any major mismatches. The Badgers size up fairly evenly with the favored Bulldogs, much more evenly than they did against at least one of the team’s that beat them.
“I don’t see any big mismatches anywhere,” Shannon said. “They’re not as big as Blytheville, but I don’t know if anybody out there is. If there is a team out there bigger than them, I don’t want to see ‘em. Greenwood has good size, and good speed, but I don’t think we’re overmatched anywhere. I think it’s going to come down to which team executes the best.”
Execution is something the Badgers didn’t do well at times in last week’s 23-20 loss to Batesville, a game that came down to a field goal with nine seconds left that lifted the Pioneers to victory.
Beebe lost two fumbles in that game that led directly to Batesville points. That, according to Shannon, must be eliminated for his team to win Friday.
“We’ve got to hang onto the ball,” Shannon said. “We shot ourselves in the foot a couple of times. We’ve got to quit beating ourselves.
Shannon is under no illusion that his team will completely shut down the high-powered Greenwood offense. He does think his team can minimize Greenwood’s chances to score.
If we hang onto the ball, keep their offense off the field and score every time we’ve got, we’ve got a good chance,” Shannon said. “I don’t know if you can stop that offense, but you can slow them down. It’s sort of a situation where our best defense could be our offense.”
Greenwood has enjoyed a pair of easy first-round playoff games the last two seasons. Jones isn’t expecting that this week.
“This is a two versus a three, so I don’t think there’s much difference,” Jones said. “The last two years we were a one against a four. I know in our league there wasn’t much difference between one and five. I know they took Batesville to the wire and we had all we wanted of them last year. This is going to be a tough game.”
Jones thinks his team could make it easier if it finally hits its stride, but he isn’t sure when that will take place.
“I just get a sense that we haven’t hit but on about six cylinders this year instead of eight,” Jones said. “Now is the time to change that. You have to go into these playoff games with an urgency and a sense of finality. Hopefully we can do that and starting playing well.”
Leader sports editor
John Shannon’s Beebe Badgers and Rick Jones’ Greenwood Bulldogs run two completely different offenses. The Badgers run a tight, low, compact dead- T formation, while Jones’ two-time defending state champion Bulldogs spread it out and throw the ball about 90 percent of the time.
That made it interesting when both coaches described their team’s experience against the other’s system. Neither team has played against anyone that runs quite what the other runs, but when describing the closest thing they’ve seen, both said precisely, “The closest we’ve seen is Vilonia.”
Huh?
It is actually true. Vilonia started the season running the spread offense, but went back to the double wing that it had run the previous few years at about the mid-point of the season.
The Eagles spread it out against Beebe, and ran the wing against Greenwood.
The initial confusion aside, neither team has really faced a good comparison to what Beebe will be facing this Friday night near the Oklahoma border.
“Vilonia ran out of it a lot more than Greenwood does,” Shannon said. “Greenwood goes downfield with it quite a bit. They throw it probably 85 to 90 percent of the time.”
Jones remarked, “They run that double wing and try to confuse you. Beebe just lines up and runs right at you. It’s a very manly style of football. You’d better be ready for a fight.”
Another ironic similarity between the two coaches’ keys is that both harped on maintaining assignments.
“You have to be physical and try to match how physical they are,” Jones said. “You also have to be where you’re supposed to be. You can’t get out of position or get blown off the ball.”
Being blown off the ball is one of Jones’ biggest concerns. He has his scout team simulating Beebe’s offense, but knows it won’t match Beebe’s style.
“That’s the thing that’s so unique about what they do,” Jones said. “Pad level is so important, and it’s a chore trying to make our guys understand just how low they’ll be coming off that ball. It’s very difficult. They present a ton of trouble for you.”
While Jones is impressed with Beebe’s line, he’s also impressed with the running backs.
“The whole offense executes so well. When I watch tapes, they blow you off the ball, but the backs run so hard. They hit the hole hard, and they don’t need a whole lot of hole to get good yardage on you. They always seem to fall forward, and a 5-10 guy falling forward is two more yards. They’re well coached and we’re expecting a battle.”
Beebe looks at Greenwood’s team and doesn’t see any major mismatches. The Badgers size up fairly evenly with the favored Bulldogs, much more evenly than they did against at least one of the team’s that beat them.
“I don’t see any big mismatches anywhere,” Shannon said. “They’re not as big as Blytheville, but I don’t know if anybody out there is. If there is a team out there bigger than them, I don’t want to see ‘em. Greenwood has good size, and good speed, but I don’t think we’re overmatched anywhere. I think it’s going to come down to which team executes the best.”
Execution is something the Badgers didn’t do well at times in last week’s 23-20 loss to Batesville, a game that came down to a field goal with nine seconds left that lifted the Pioneers to victory.
Beebe lost two fumbles in that game that led directly to Batesville points. That, according to Shannon, must be eliminated for his team to win Friday.
“We’ve got to hang onto the ball,” Shannon said. “We shot ourselves in the foot a couple of times. We’ve got to quit beating ourselves.
Shannon is under no illusion that his team will completely shut down the high-powered Greenwood offense. He does think his team can minimize Greenwood’s chances to score.
If we hang onto the ball, keep their offense off the field and score every time we’ve got, we’ve got a good chance,” Shannon said. “I don’t know if you can stop that offense, but you can slow them down. It’s sort of a situation where our best defense could be our offense.”
Greenwood has enjoyed a pair of easy first-round playoff games the last two seasons. Jones isn’t expecting that this week.
“This is a two versus a three, so I don’t think there’s much difference,” Jones said. “The last two years we were a one against a four. I know in our league there wasn’t much difference between one and five. I know they took Batesville to the wire and we had all we wanted of them last year. This is going to be a tough game.”
Jones thinks his team could make it easier if it finally hits its stride, but he isn’t sure when that will take place.
“I just get a sense that we haven’t hit but on about six cylinders this year instead of eight,” Jones said. “Now is the time to change that. You have to go into these playoff games with an urgency and a sense of finality. Hopefully we can do that and starting playing well.”
SPORTS >>Another season of hoops underway
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The annual Jacksonville preseason basketball jamboree turned out to be a good one for the host team. It involved several teams from the local area and Mountain Home. North Pulaski also took part in the event, along with McClellan, Central and LR Parkview.
While the Red Devils impressed their head coach, the Falcons did not, at least offensively.
North Pulaski started Saturday’s event against Mountain Home. Each team played one half of basketball against two other teams. Final scores were kept, but winning and losing weren’t what coaches were concerned with.
NP lost its halves, falling 25-23 to the Bombers, then losing 21-20 to Little Rock Central.
The Falcon defense gave both teams fits, but the offense wasn’t what head Falcon Raymond Cooper was wanting to see.
“I liked the two teams we played because we got to see two totally different styles,” Cooper said. “And we didn’t handle either one of them that well.”
The big and physical Bombers overpowered the small Falcons early, while Central’s pressure caused some problems for the NP offense.
“I told the guys how physical they (the Bombers) were going to be, but they didn’t realize it until they got out there,” Cooper said. “They were setting screens and being real physical and weren’t getting through them. We were just running into them and stopping. I think we got a little overwhelmed with that early. I liked that we came back late. That was something for us to build off of.”
North Pulaski fell behind 13-4 in the first quarter. They made a furious charge in the second quarter, but lackluster free-throw shooting ultimately cost them a win. NP took a brief two-point lead, but when the Bombers fouled, the Falcons couldn’t make them pay.
NP hit just four of 12 foul shots against Mountain Home, and three of nine against Central.
Against the Tigers, NP again found itself in an early hole, though not as big as against Mountain Home. The Tigers jumped ahead 11-5 before NP again charged late only to come up short.
“We did not execute our press break one time,” Cooper said. “Our press offense looked more like a fire drill than an offense. I was pretty disappointed in that. I did like our defensive pressure. We were out of position a few times, but the defensive effort was good.”
The lack of offensive execution showed in the scores.
“Forty-three points is not enough for what we do,” Cooper said. “If we’re held to 43 points, that’s not going to win us many games. We need to be up in the 60s.”
Jacksonville almost got into the 60s in its first half against McClellan, scoring 54 points, but only winning by four.
The Red Devils lost 36-24 to Parkview to close the night, but head coach Vic Joyner was pleased with his team’s overall effort.
“The first five I put out there did better than I expected on offense,” Joyner said. “Considering I’ve shortened practices and they haven’t had as much time to prepare, I was pleased with how they played.”
Jacksonville cruised to a big lead over the Lions before letting up and allowing a late comeback. Against Parkview, Jacksonville led by six until midway through the second half. That’s when the Patriots charged and took over the game.
“We didn’t sub a lot so we basically ran out of gas,” Joyner said. “We competed well. We got a little lackadaisical on defense at times, and I think a couple of the younger ones got a little nervous, but we competed and we executed the offense better than I expected.”
The highlight of the night came on a baseline drive and dunk by Red Devil point guard Terrell Eskridge. Eskridge took his man off the dribble, drove baseline and slammed it home against Parkview’s center.
“That shocked me to death,” Joyner said. “It shocked everybody in there. I’ve been watching that kid try to dunk every day in practice for two years, and he’s never done it. It really shocked that big man he dunked on.”
Along with the starting five of Terrell Eskridge, Cortrell Eskridge, Antonion Roy, Quentin Miles and DeShone McClure, Joyner said junior guard Allen Kirby did a good job off the bench.
“The starting five and Allen Kirby played pretty well,” Joyner said. “We’ve got some other guys on the bench that aren’t ready yet. Hopefully some of them will have a chance to step up and show us they can get in there.”
Leader sports editor
The annual Jacksonville preseason basketball jamboree turned out to be a good one for the host team. It involved several teams from the local area and Mountain Home. North Pulaski also took part in the event, along with McClellan, Central and LR Parkview.
While the Red Devils impressed their head coach, the Falcons did not, at least offensively.
North Pulaski started Saturday’s event against Mountain Home. Each team played one half of basketball against two other teams. Final scores were kept, but winning and losing weren’t what coaches were concerned with.
NP lost its halves, falling 25-23 to the Bombers, then losing 21-20 to Little Rock Central.
The Falcon defense gave both teams fits, but the offense wasn’t what head Falcon Raymond Cooper was wanting to see.
“I liked the two teams we played because we got to see two totally different styles,” Cooper said. “And we didn’t handle either one of them that well.”
The big and physical Bombers overpowered the small Falcons early, while Central’s pressure caused some problems for the NP offense.
“I told the guys how physical they (the Bombers) were going to be, but they didn’t realize it until they got out there,” Cooper said. “They were setting screens and being real physical and weren’t getting through them. We were just running into them and stopping. I think we got a little overwhelmed with that early. I liked that we came back late. That was something for us to build off of.”
North Pulaski fell behind 13-4 in the first quarter. They made a furious charge in the second quarter, but lackluster free-throw shooting ultimately cost them a win. NP took a brief two-point lead, but when the Bombers fouled, the Falcons couldn’t make them pay.
NP hit just four of 12 foul shots against Mountain Home, and three of nine against Central.
Against the Tigers, NP again found itself in an early hole, though not as big as against Mountain Home. The Tigers jumped ahead 11-5 before NP again charged late only to come up short.
“We did not execute our press break one time,” Cooper said. “Our press offense looked more like a fire drill than an offense. I was pretty disappointed in that. I did like our defensive pressure. We were out of position a few times, but the defensive effort was good.”
The lack of offensive execution showed in the scores.
“Forty-three points is not enough for what we do,” Cooper said. “If we’re held to 43 points, that’s not going to win us many games. We need to be up in the 60s.”
Jacksonville almost got into the 60s in its first half against McClellan, scoring 54 points, but only winning by four.
The Red Devils lost 36-24 to Parkview to close the night, but head coach Vic Joyner was pleased with his team’s overall effort.
“The first five I put out there did better than I expected on offense,” Joyner said. “Considering I’ve shortened practices and they haven’t had as much time to prepare, I was pleased with how they played.”
Jacksonville cruised to a big lead over the Lions before letting up and allowing a late comeback. Against Parkview, Jacksonville led by six until midway through the second half. That’s when the Patriots charged and took over the game.
“We didn’t sub a lot so we basically ran out of gas,” Joyner said. “We competed well. We got a little lackadaisical on defense at times, and I think a couple of the younger ones got a little nervous, but we competed and we executed the offense better than I expected.”
The highlight of the night came on a baseline drive and dunk by Red Devil point guard Terrell Eskridge. Eskridge took his man off the dribble, drove baseline and slammed it home against Parkview’s center.
“That shocked me to death,” Joyner said. “It shocked everybody in there. I’ve been watching that kid try to dunk every day in practice for two years, and he’s never done it. It really shocked that big man he dunked on.”
Along with the starting five of Terrell Eskridge, Cortrell Eskridge, Antonion Roy, Quentin Miles and DeShone McClure, Joyner said junior guard Allen Kirby did a good job off the bench.
“The starting five and Allen Kirby played pretty well,” Joyner said. “We’ve got some other guys on the bench that aren’t ready yet. Hopefully some of them will have a chance to step up and show us they can get in there.”
SPORTS >>Har-Ber expects challenges
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The Cabot Panthers will make their first appearance in the state football playoffs in three seasons when they travel to Springdale to take on Har-Ber High School, the West co-champion and No. 1 seed. Har-Ber, named for local philanthropists Harvey and Bernice Jones, tied with Bentonville for the league title, but won the top seed by virtue of beating the Tigers head-to-head.
There is little about the Cabot Panthers that the Wildcats are familiar with, but the game against Bentonville might have been their most significant tell-tale.
Har-Ber beat Bentonville, the West’s most prolific running team, 24-21, but still gave up a lot of yards on the ground. That fact, and the fact that Cabot’s running style is not very similar to Bentonville’s, concerns head Wildcat Chris Wood.
“It’s a big challenge for us to prepare for that offense,” Wood said. “It’s difficult to simulate. As hard as we try and as hard as the scout team tries to simulate it, you can’t really do it like Cabot is going to do it. Most teams we play are in a two-point on the line. They’re lining up foot-to-foot, coming off low; it’s just almost impossible to simulate.”
Conversely, Cabot has seen some spread this season, but likely not as efficiently as Har-Ber runs it.
Wood quarterbacked the spread for one of Gus Malzahn’s state championship teams at Shiloh Christian, and no one has really stopped the Wildcat offense this season. Their two losses were their season opener against Lawton, Okla., and week seven 16-12 loss to Fort Smith Northside. Northside did the best defensive job of the Wildcats, and did it mostly with defensive speed.
Cabot doesn’t have the same kind of speed, so head Panther Mike Malham and defensive coordinator Randall Black have the task of finding other ways to stop the Wildcats.
Mimicking its own efforts in the second and third quarters against Russellville would help the Panthers. Mimicking their effort in the middle quarters would spell a long night.
Cabot gave up just seven of Russellville’s 42 points on the second and third quarters, and 35 in the first and fourth combined.
“I thought the defense played well in spots,” Cabot coach Mike Malham said of the Russellville game. “Really after the first quarter they came back when turnovers came into play. That’s what we’re really going to have to be careful about. We can’t afford to turn the ball over.”
The offense has never looked better than it did last week. Cabot gained 525 yards, mostly on the ground. A number not even Malham ever expected.
“That kind of shocked me,” Malham said. “If we can move the ball and not put it on the ground, we’ve got a chance. The second half against Bryant is really the only time I remember us not moving it at all. The rest of the time, we either turned it over, or fumbled it and lost yardage, or got a penalty. We were always doing something to stop ourselves. That one half, though, we didn’t move it. Hopefully we’ll be able to move it and keep it away from them.”
The injury report from Cabot is getting a little better. Tight end Blake Carter was expected to miss last week’s game, but was able to suit up and caught a 24-yard touchdown pass.
Ethan Coffee came back at linebacker. Sophomore Alex Bray played well in his place. He was hurt and missed the second half last week, but is expected to play this week. His replacement in the second half last week, sophomore Jared Maxwell, played well also.
Sophomore defensive back Joe Bryant could play this week. That would be a big help, but as of Monday, Malham wasn’t counting on it.
“It’s getting a little better,” Malham said. “If Bryant comes back we’ll be able to get Neumann off safety and back at linebacker. Right now though we’re going to have to move forward like he’s not going to be there.”
One of the biggest concers for Malham is Har-Ber’s experience. It’s a senior-dominated team that has been playing together since the school’s inception three seasons ago. This is their first year to make the playoffs, but teams full of seniors are always dangerous.
“They’ve played together for three years now,” Malham said. “They work pretty well together. Any time you’re the number one team in the west, you’re supposed to be the best there is. You come out of there No. 1, you’ve got to be pretty good.”
While Malham lauded Har-Ber’s strengths, Wood reciprocated the praise. The head Wildcat wouldn’t even acknowledge that his team is the favorite.
“It’s a one-and-four matchup but it’s one of those deals where I don’t think we’re the favorite in this kind of situation,” Wood said. “We won a conference championship, but that’s out the door now. Cabot’s a tradition-rich program. We’re trying to create tradition but I think from that standpoint, I’d have to give the advantage to Cabot.”
Leader sports editor
The Cabot Panthers will make their first appearance in the state football playoffs in three seasons when they travel to Springdale to take on Har-Ber High School, the West co-champion and No. 1 seed. Har-Ber, named for local philanthropists Harvey and Bernice Jones, tied with Bentonville for the league title, but won the top seed by virtue of beating the Tigers head-to-head.
There is little about the Cabot Panthers that the Wildcats are familiar with, but the game against Bentonville might have been their most significant tell-tale.
Har-Ber beat Bentonville, the West’s most prolific running team, 24-21, but still gave up a lot of yards on the ground. That fact, and the fact that Cabot’s running style is not very similar to Bentonville’s, concerns head Wildcat Chris Wood.
“It’s a big challenge for us to prepare for that offense,” Wood said. “It’s difficult to simulate. As hard as we try and as hard as the scout team tries to simulate it, you can’t really do it like Cabot is going to do it. Most teams we play are in a two-point on the line. They’re lining up foot-to-foot, coming off low; it’s just almost impossible to simulate.”
Conversely, Cabot has seen some spread this season, but likely not as efficiently as Har-Ber runs it.
Wood quarterbacked the spread for one of Gus Malzahn’s state championship teams at Shiloh Christian, and no one has really stopped the Wildcat offense this season. Their two losses were their season opener against Lawton, Okla., and week seven 16-12 loss to Fort Smith Northside. Northside did the best defensive job of the Wildcats, and did it mostly with defensive speed.
Cabot doesn’t have the same kind of speed, so head Panther Mike Malham and defensive coordinator Randall Black have the task of finding other ways to stop the Wildcats.
Mimicking its own efforts in the second and third quarters against Russellville would help the Panthers. Mimicking their effort in the middle quarters would spell a long night.
Cabot gave up just seven of Russellville’s 42 points on the second and third quarters, and 35 in the first and fourth combined.
“I thought the defense played well in spots,” Cabot coach Mike Malham said of the Russellville game. “Really after the first quarter they came back when turnovers came into play. That’s what we’re really going to have to be careful about. We can’t afford to turn the ball over.”
The offense has never looked better than it did last week. Cabot gained 525 yards, mostly on the ground. A number not even Malham ever expected.
“That kind of shocked me,” Malham said. “If we can move the ball and not put it on the ground, we’ve got a chance. The second half against Bryant is really the only time I remember us not moving it at all. The rest of the time, we either turned it over, or fumbled it and lost yardage, or got a penalty. We were always doing something to stop ourselves. That one half, though, we didn’t move it. Hopefully we’ll be able to move it and keep it away from them.”
The injury report from Cabot is getting a little better. Tight end Blake Carter was expected to miss last week’s game, but was able to suit up and caught a 24-yard touchdown pass.
Ethan Coffee came back at linebacker. Sophomore Alex Bray played well in his place. He was hurt and missed the second half last week, but is expected to play this week. His replacement in the second half last week, sophomore Jared Maxwell, played well also.
Sophomore defensive back Joe Bryant could play this week. That would be a big help, but as of Monday, Malham wasn’t counting on it.
“It’s getting a little better,” Malham said. “If Bryant comes back we’ll be able to get Neumann off safety and back at linebacker. Right now though we’re going to have to move forward like he’s not going to be there.”
One of the biggest concers for Malham is Har-Ber’s experience. It’s a senior-dominated team that has been playing together since the school’s inception three seasons ago. This is their first year to make the playoffs, but teams full of seniors are always dangerous.
“They’ve played together for three years now,” Malham said. “They work pretty well together. Any time you’re the number one team in the west, you’re supposed to be the best there is. You come out of there No. 1, you’ve got to be pretty good.”
While Malham lauded Har-Ber’s strengths, Wood reciprocated the praise. The head Wildcat wouldn’t even acknowledge that his team is the favorite.
“It’s a one-and-four matchup but it’s one of those deals where I don’t think we’re the favorite in this kind of situation,” Wood said. “We won a conference championship, but that’s out the door now. Cabot’s a tradition-rich program. We’re trying to create tradition but I think from that standpoint, I’d have to give the advantage to Cabot.”
EDITORIALS>>Letters: Help our schools
To the editor:
I just read the Nov. 3 letter to the editor from a concerned parent regarding the situation in Jacksonville’s schools. The letter made some references to the Jacksonville World Class Education Organization and the recent report on the student enrollment numbers in the PCSSD. I encourage that parent to contact the Jacksonville WCEO to better understand its purpose.
The Jacksonville WCEO is an organization of concerned citizens and parents committed to a quality world-class educational environment for all of Jacksonville’s students.
The Jacksonville WCEO has been meeting and working for students in Jacksonville long before this report came out. That re-port was not a product of the Jacksonville WCEO; it was from the Arkansas Department of Education. Of the decline in enrollment in PCSSD, 190 students out of 361 left out of Jacksonville. That is 53 percent of the total district-wide loss. That is the most revealing number from the report. What the PCSSD is going to do about it should be the concern from the citizens of Jacksonville. It does not matter what color they are, we are losing students.
All Jacksonville schools are in trouble. Our building facilities are old and the majority of them need to be replaced completely. While Jacksonville is in the PCSSD we have no choice but to work with the district. Is it a realistic goal that PCSSD is going to replace all the schools in Jacksonville immediately? No. The Jacksonville WCEO decided that a focused effort on one project was the best way to get anything accomplished. We felt as a group that the middle schools were the best place to start. Both the boys and girls campuses need replacement. There are other school facilities in Jacksonville in worse shape, but they do not affect as many families in Jacksonville as the middle schools do.
When approached about the concept of gender specific schools, Jacksonville was promised a new multi-million dollar media center/cafeteria building that would have plans for expansion for classrooms for both the boys and girls to be built between the schools with readily available grant money. Architectural renderings were passed out, promises were made, and hopes were renewed.
The PCSSD failed to deliver once again. We have great administrators and teachers in those schools. They are doing a great job with what they have, but they deserve better. Jacksonville deserves better.
Daniel Gray
Jacksonville World Class Education Organization
I just read the Nov. 3 letter to the editor from a concerned parent regarding the situation in Jacksonville’s schools. The letter made some references to the Jacksonville World Class Education Organization and the recent report on the student enrollment numbers in the PCSSD. I encourage that parent to contact the Jacksonville WCEO to better understand its purpose.
The Jacksonville WCEO is an organization of concerned citizens and parents committed to a quality world-class educational environment for all of Jacksonville’s students.
The Jacksonville WCEO has been meeting and working for students in Jacksonville long before this report came out. That re-port was not a product of the Jacksonville WCEO; it was from the Arkansas Department of Education. Of the decline in enrollment in PCSSD, 190 students out of 361 left out of Jacksonville. That is 53 percent of the total district-wide loss. That is the most revealing number from the report. What the PCSSD is going to do about it should be the concern from the citizens of Jacksonville. It does not matter what color they are, we are losing students.
All Jacksonville schools are in trouble. Our building facilities are old and the majority of them need to be replaced completely. While Jacksonville is in the PCSSD we have no choice but to work with the district. Is it a realistic goal that PCSSD is going to replace all the schools in Jacksonville immediately? No. The Jacksonville WCEO decided that a focused effort on one project was the best way to get anything accomplished. We felt as a group that the middle schools were the best place to start. Both the boys and girls campuses need replacement. There are other school facilities in Jacksonville in worse shape, but they do not affect as many families in Jacksonville as the middle schools do.
When approached about the concept of gender specific schools, Jacksonville was promised a new multi-million dollar media center/cafeteria building that would have plans for expansion for classrooms for both the boys and girls to be built between the schools with readily available grant money. Architectural renderings were passed out, promises were made, and hopes were renewed.
The PCSSD failed to deliver once again. We have great administrators and teachers in those schools. They are doing a great job with what they have, but they deserve better. Jacksonville deserves better.
Daniel Gray
Jacksonville World Class Education Organization
EDITORIALS>>A profile in courage
The brave on the battlefield will find their heroism acknowledged by medals and commendations, but unusual courage in politics may have to wait on the accumulation of time and wisdom for its recognition. That was the case for Ray S. Smith Jr., who died last weekend at the age of 83.
Smith served for a generation in the state House of Representatives from Hot Springs. He was a tireless champion of good government, education and progressive taxation and, for most of his career, a remarkably effective one. When Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller’s mammoth program of income, sales and excise taxes collapsed in 1969, Smith, who knew the House’s possibilities better than anyone, cobbled together a modest program to save state services and maneuvered it through the legislature.
But Ray Smith’s public character was tested and formed a decade earlier in the most dangerous time in which someone could serve in public life in the 20th century. It was during the integration crisis at Little Rock in 1958 and Gov. Orval E. Faubus, who had achieved demigod status, had summoned the legislature to a special session to give him dictatorial powers over the public schools of Arkansas. He wanted authority to block the desegregation of schools wherever he wanted: to close schools that the courts ordered desegregated and move tax funds to private all-white schools. (He would use the power almost instantly to close all the high schools in Little Rock, but the courts blocked him from funding a white private school with tax dollars.) With rebel yells ringing across the House chamber, the legislature passed the program easily. The key bill passed the House and Senate by a combined vote of 127 to 1.
Young Ray Smith was the one.
On other bills to enforce segregation and punish teachers and anyone on a public payroll who might have different ideas, two or three others occasionally joined Smith. His votes at the time were not viewed as heroic but obstinate. The abiding fear was that voters would turn on any dissenter. But Smith, a World War II veteran, knew something about danger. He had been in Hot Springs when the returning veterans, led by Sid McMath, threw out the corrupt political machine. Hot Springs voters never punished Smith. He went on to serve 28 years.
His bravery and independence would not go unpunished at the Capitol. In 1965 nearly all the members of the House had signed pledges making him the speaker for the 1965-66 General Assembly, a ritual that goes on every two years. But Faubus would not have the man who had bearded him with his votes presiding over the House while he was governor. On the first day of the session, a score of House members stared solemnly at their desks as they pushed the button to renege on their word and elect the man that Faubus had put up at the last minute. Some went to Smith and asked his forgiveness. Smith would be elected speaker unanimously six years later when Dale Bumpers became governor.
Thus was Ray Smith not left a prophet without honor in his own tribe. He retired with the high estimation of his colleagues. But there was never a public acknowledgement that at the most pivotal moment of the century for the state, one man and one only of those charged with the duty did the right thing.
Smith served for a generation in the state House of Representatives from Hot Springs. He was a tireless champion of good government, education and progressive taxation and, for most of his career, a remarkably effective one. When Gov. Winthrop Rockefeller’s mammoth program of income, sales and excise taxes collapsed in 1969, Smith, who knew the House’s possibilities better than anyone, cobbled together a modest program to save state services and maneuvered it through the legislature.
But Ray Smith’s public character was tested and formed a decade earlier in the most dangerous time in which someone could serve in public life in the 20th century. It was during the integration crisis at Little Rock in 1958 and Gov. Orval E. Faubus, who had achieved demigod status, had summoned the legislature to a special session to give him dictatorial powers over the public schools of Arkansas. He wanted authority to block the desegregation of schools wherever he wanted: to close schools that the courts ordered desegregated and move tax funds to private all-white schools. (He would use the power almost instantly to close all the high schools in Little Rock, but the courts blocked him from funding a white private school with tax dollars.) With rebel yells ringing across the House chamber, the legislature passed the program easily. The key bill passed the House and Senate by a combined vote of 127 to 1.
Young Ray Smith was the one.
On other bills to enforce segregation and punish teachers and anyone on a public payroll who might have different ideas, two or three others occasionally joined Smith. His votes at the time were not viewed as heroic but obstinate. The abiding fear was that voters would turn on any dissenter. But Smith, a World War II veteran, knew something about danger. He had been in Hot Springs when the returning veterans, led by Sid McMath, threw out the corrupt political machine. Hot Springs voters never punished Smith. He went on to serve 28 years.
His bravery and independence would not go unpunished at the Capitol. In 1965 nearly all the members of the House had signed pledges making him the speaker for the 1965-66 General Assembly, a ritual that goes on every two years. But Faubus would not have the man who had bearded him with his votes presiding over the House while he was governor. On the first day of the session, a score of House members stared solemnly at their desks as they pushed the button to renege on their word and elect the man that Faubus had put up at the last minute. Some went to Smith and asked his forgiveness. Smith would be elected speaker unanimously six years later when Dale Bumpers became governor.
Thus was Ray Smith not left a prophet without honor in his own tribe. He retired with the high estimation of his colleagues. But there was never a public acknowledgement that at the most pivotal moment of the century for the state, one man and one only of those charged with the duty did the right thing.
EDITORIALS>>Nelson’s severance tax
The last time we heard from Sheffield Nelson he was helping the Bush-Cheney re-election effort in Arkansas and working closely with his best political friend, Mike Huckabee, who put him on the state Game and Fish Commission. Nelson was the Republican candidate for governor twice, in 1990 and 1994, and the Republican national committeeman from Arkansas, and he fed the campaign to undermine President Clinton.
But it was an earlier version of the longtime politico who surfaced last week. Nelson announced that he was heading an effort to put an initiated act on the 2008 ballot to impose a 7 percent severance tax on natural gas to provide college scholarships and otherwise raise the quality of higher education in Arkansas.
Some will remember Nelson from the 1970s and 1980s when at age 30 he was one of the youngest CEOs of a major corporation in America, Arkansas Louisiana Gas Co. He broke ranks with the rest of the energy industry and called for the state to impose a real severance tax on natural gas. Arkansas is the only gas-producing state that does not tax gas at the wellhead. Well, it does levy a microscopic tax that is no more than a nuisance for the exploration companies.
Nelson said it was a shame that the state put heavy taxes on families but did not ask profitable exploration companies to pay the public for taking a vanishing resource that could never be recaptured. Gov. Bill Clinton proposed a modest tax to support education in 1983 and Nelson testified for it in the legislature, but it failed.
Gov. Beebe says he will ask the legislature in 2009 to pass a tax that he hopes the big energy companies will agree on. If they don’t, he will support an initiated act to do it in November 2010. Nelson said it was pointless to wait. Waiting will cost college students $100 million or more. He is drafting an act that would levy a tax at about the average collected in the nearby gas-producing states, which is 7 percent. Texas has the highest tax, 7.5 percent. Nelson will organize a petition drive to put the measure on the November 2008 ballot.
The point that Nelson made to lawmakers in 1983 to brace their political will is even truer today. Most of the gas produced in Arkansas, particularly in the Fayetteville shale play, is piped out of the state and if end users — say, factories in the Ohio River Valley — wind up paying the tax, the burden will not be Arkansans’. Our kids, for once, would reap the benefits. We hope Nelson’s drive will prove more fruitful than all his elective pursuits. His purpose is nobler, so perhaps better results can be expected.
Ernie Dumas writes editorials for The Leader.
But it was an earlier version of the longtime politico who surfaced last week. Nelson announced that he was heading an effort to put an initiated act on the 2008 ballot to impose a 7 percent severance tax on natural gas to provide college scholarships and otherwise raise the quality of higher education in Arkansas.
Some will remember Nelson from the 1970s and 1980s when at age 30 he was one of the youngest CEOs of a major corporation in America, Arkansas Louisiana Gas Co. He broke ranks with the rest of the energy industry and called for the state to impose a real severance tax on natural gas. Arkansas is the only gas-producing state that does not tax gas at the wellhead. Well, it does levy a microscopic tax that is no more than a nuisance for the exploration companies.
Nelson said it was a shame that the state put heavy taxes on families but did not ask profitable exploration companies to pay the public for taking a vanishing resource that could never be recaptured. Gov. Bill Clinton proposed a modest tax to support education in 1983 and Nelson testified for it in the legislature, but it failed.
Gov. Beebe says he will ask the legislature in 2009 to pass a tax that he hopes the big energy companies will agree on. If they don’t, he will support an initiated act to do it in November 2010. Nelson said it was pointless to wait. Waiting will cost college students $100 million or more. He is drafting an act that would levy a tax at about the average collected in the nearby gas-producing states, which is 7 percent. Texas has the highest tax, 7.5 percent. Nelson will organize a petition drive to put the measure on the November 2008 ballot.
The point that Nelson made to lawmakers in 1983 to brace their political will is even truer today. Most of the gas produced in Arkansas, particularly in the Fayetteville shale play, is piped out of the state and if end users — say, factories in the Ohio River Valley — wind up paying the tax, the burden will not be Arkansans’. Our kids, for once, would reap the benefits. We hope Nelson’s drive will prove more fruitful than all his elective pursuits. His purpose is nobler, so perhaps better results can be expected.
Ernie Dumas writes editorials for The Leader.
OBITUARIES >> 11-07-07
Lorrain Deal
Lorrain Leah Groce Deal, 99, of Beebe, died Nov. 6.
She was born Nov. 1, 1908, at Carlisle to Homer and Nettie Oldenhouse Groce.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Gus Deal; her parents, brothers and sisters.
She is survived by several nieces and nephews.
Family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7 at Westbrook Funeral Home in Beebe.
Graveside services will be at 2 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 8 at Roselawn Memorial Park in Little Rock.
Bessie Mathews
Bessie Mae Brown Mathews, 88, departed this earthly life peacefully Nov. 1 at the home of her twin sister, Tressie Fay Barker.
She was born Sept. 17, 1919 to Jessie and Ivy Brown in Cabot.
She spent many memorable years with her siblings, growing up on the family farm.
Even though she had health problems to overcome, she never let that stop her from accomplishing her goals and having a great sense of humor.
She was valedictorian of Midway High School’s graduating class of 1937.
She attended Beebe Junior College for two years, and began her teaching career at Midway High School.
When the Second World War was declared, she chose to join the Women’s Army Corp.
After training in the United States she was sent to the China-Burma-India Theater and served in India until the end of the war.
When she returned to Arkansas, she completed her education at Arkansas State Teachers College, becoming the only family member to graduate from college.
Her first job was in the Gravette Arkansas School District.
After leaving there, she taught in the Cabot, Pulaski County and North Little Rock School Districts.
“Miss Brown”, as she was known to her many students, taught for over 20 years.
When she finally met the love of her life, George Mathews, she then retired to help her husband with his business.
She also loved gardening.
She was preceded in death by her husband, George Mathews and siblings, Lee, Len, Alice, Jessie “Bill,” Ed “Shorty,” Flora and Marion Brown.
She is survived by Tressie Barker, Bert Brown and Mary Lyons.
She leaves behind many family members and caregivers who loved her dearly.
The family would like to thank Hospice of the Valley and Homecare in Phoenix, Ariz. Everyone did an excellent job in taking care of our “Bessie Girl.”
They will all miss her “spunky spirit.”
There will be a viewing from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 9 at Moore’s Cabot Funeral Home.
Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10 at the funeral home.
William Taylor
William Grant Taylor, Jr., 49, passed away Nov. 3.
He was a member of Russell Chapel Nazarene Church.
He was preceded in death by a son, James Owen Taylor and two brothers, Anthony Taylor and James David Taylor.
Survivors include his wife, Teresa Humphrey Taylor; four children, Niki Taylor, William Taylor III and Angie Stanley, all of Cabot and Billy Wayne Taylor of Calif.; his mother, Nancy Romine of Jacksonville; father and step-mother, William “Dub” Taylor, Sr. and wife Patsy of Cabot; two sisters, Nancy Rena Hightower and Amanda Midkiff, both of Cabot; two step-brothers, William Lloyd Taylor and Glen Dwayne Taylor, both of Cabot, and six grandchildren.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7 at Russell Chapel Nazarene Church in Cabot with burial in Pleasant Hill Cemetery.
Funeral arrangements are by Boyd Funeral Home of Lonoke.
Ruthel Kyle
Ruthel Kyle, 90, of Cabot, died Oct. 30 at Des Arc Nursing and Rehab.
She was born Sept. 4, 1917, at Dermott (Chicot County), to Albert Clinton and Maude Collins Abernathy.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Wes H. Kyle, Sr. and three brothers, Harley, Everett and Clyde Abernathy.
She is survived by one son, Wes Kyle, Jr. and wife Helen of Cabot; one granddaughter, one grandson, two step-grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild and several nieces and nephews.
A memorial service was held at McRae United Methodist Church Friday, Nov. 2 at 6 p.m.
Marceil Anderson
Marceil Anderson, 92, longtime resident of Little Rock, passed away in Searcy Nov. 2.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Paul R. Anderson; parents, Wesley Johnson and Bertha Dickson Johnson Collie; and longtime best friend, Cecil Suitt.
She is survived by a daughter, Marylin Dandridge of Searcy and son, Gary Anderson and wife Pam of Little Rock; five grandchildren, Angela Elder of Searcy, Beverly Beck of East End, Shanna O’Neal and husband Keith of Cabot, Tracy Fisher and husband Tommy of Redfield and Brian Anderson; seven great-grandchildren, Charlie and Jason Beck, Nicole and Blake Elder, Meagan O’Neal, Brayden and Shelby Fisher and Julia Anderson and a host of other friends and relatives.
Funeral services to celebrate her life were Nov. 5 at Grace Fellowship in Cabot.
Burial was in Sumner Cemetery in Cabot. Funeral services were by Moore’s Cabot Funeral Home.
Lorrain Leah Groce Deal, 99, of Beebe, died Nov. 6.
She was born Nov. 1, 1908, at Carlisle to Homer and Nettie Oldenhouse Groce.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Gus Deal; her parents, brothers and sisters.
She is survived by several nieces and nephews.
Family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7 at Westbrook Funeral Home in Beebe.
Graveside services will be at 2 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 8 at Roselawn Memorial Park in Little Rock.
Bessie Mathews
Bessie Mae Brown Mathews, 88, departed this earthly life peacefully Nov. 1 at the home of her twin sister, Tressie Fay Barker.
She was born Sept. 17, 1919 to Jessie and Ivy Brown in Cabot.
She spent many memorable years with her siblings, growing up on the family farm.
Even though she had health problems to overcome, she never let that stop her from accomplishing her goals and having a great sense of humor.
She was valedictorian of Midway High School’s graduating class of 1937.
She attended Beebe Junior College for two years, and began her teaching career at Midway High School.
When the Second World War was declared, she chose to join the Women’s Army Corp.
After training in the United States she was sent to the China-Burma-India Theater and served in India until the end of the war.
When she returned to Arkansas, she completed her education at Arkansas State Teachers College, becoming the only family member to graduate from college.
Her first job was in the Gravette Arkansas School District.
After leaving there, she taught in the Cabot, Pulaski County and North Little Rock School Districts.
“Miss Brown”, as she was known to her many students, taught for over 20 years.
When she finally met the love of her life, George Mathews, she then retired to help her husband with his business.
She also loved gardening.
She was preceded in death by her husband, George Mathews and siblings, Lee, Len, Alice, Jessie “Bill,” Ed “Shorty,” Flora and Marion Brown.
She is survived by Tressie Barker, Bert Brown and Mary Lyons.
She leaves behind many family members and caregivers who loved her dearly.
The family would like to thank Hospice of the Valley and Homecare in Phoenix, Ariz. Everyone did an excellent job in taking care of our “Bessie Girl.”
They will all miss her “spunky spirit.”
There will be a viewing from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 9 at Moore’s Cabot Funeral Home.
Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10 at the funeral home.
William Taylor
William Grant Taylor, Jr., 49, passed away Nov. 3.
He was a member of Russell Chapel Nazarene Church.
He was preceded in death by a son, James Owen Taylor and two brothers, Anthony Taylor and James David Taylor.
Survivors include his wife, Teresa Humphrey Taylor; four children, Niki Taylor, William Taylor III and Angie Stanley, all of Cabot and Billy Wayne Taylor of Calif.; his mother, Nancy Romine of Jacksonville; father and step-mother, William “Dub” Taylor, Sr. and wife Patsy of Cabot; two sisters, Nancy Rena Hightower and Amanda Midkiff, both of Cabot; two step-brothers, William Lloyd Taylor and Glen Dwayne Taylor, both of Cabot, and six grandchildren.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7 at Russell Chapel Nazarene Church in Cabot with burial in Pleasant Hill Cemetery.
Funeral arrangements are by Boyd Funeral Home of Lonoke.
Ruthel Kyle
Ruthel Kyle, 90, of Cabot, died Oct. 30 at Des Arc Nursing and Rehab.
She was born Sept. 4, 1917, at Dermott (Chicot County), to Albert Clinton and Maude Collins Abernathy.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Wes H. Kyle, Sr. and three brothers, Harley, Everett and Clyde Abernathy.
She is survived by one son, Wes Kyle, Jr. and wife Helen of Cabot; one granddaughter, one grandson, two step-grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild and several nieces and nephews.
A memorial service was held at McRae United Methodist Church Friday, Nov. 2 at 6 p.m.
Marceil Anderson
Marceil Anderson, 92, longtime resident of Little Rock, passed away in Searcy Nov. 2.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Paul R. Anderson; parents, Wesley Johnson and Bertha Dickson Johnson Collie; and longtime best friend, Cecil Suitt.
She is survived by a daughter, Marylin Dandridge of Searcy and son, Gary Anderson and wife Pam of Little Rock; five grandchildren, Angela Elder of Searcy, Beverly Beck of East End, Shanna O’Neal and husband Keith of Cabot, Tracy Fisher and husband Tommy of Redfield and Brian Anderson; seven great-grandchildren, Charlie and Jason Beck, Nicole and Blake Elder, Meagan O’Neal, Brayden and Shelby Fisher and Julia Anderson and a host of other friends and relatives.
Funeral services to celebrate her life were Nov. 5 at Grace Fellowship in Cabot.
Burial was in Sumner Cemetery in Cabot. Funeral services were by Moore’s Cabot Funeral Home.
TOP STORY >>Veteran has to travel out of state for treatment
By ALIYA FELDMAN
Leader staff writer
After traveling from his home in Jacksonville to the VA Hospital in Jackson, Miss., for 40 radiation treatments that began three years ago, Gary Gilmore isn’t cancer free and is still unable to work. He says the Veterans Administration cut his disability benefits even though he planned on depending on its care when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, a result of being exposed to Agent Orange when he served in Vietnam in 1972.
“I love the United States, but I cannot stand the government,” the 66-year-old former soldier said.
“It’s unreal how they treat the veterans. If we have Agent Orange, we should be paid 100 percent,” said Gilmore, who also served for 12 years in the Army after Vietnam.
The VA ranks disabilities by percentage. Gilmore has what the VA considers a 20-percent disability because his cancer is considered to be in remission. He received disability benefits in full, or 100 percent, upon diagnosis. Gilmore said that even though he underwent his last radiation treatment two years ago, tests show his cancer increasing.
Dr. Margie Scott, chief of staff of Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, said radiation therapy is not available in Little Rock. Scott said if the central Arkansas VA does not provide a service, treatment is always sought in the VA system first if the patient is willing and able to travel for care. If the patient is unable to travel, Scott said therapy could be done in a local private hospital. “We always check for VA resources first,” Scott said, adding that the VA wants to keep costs low. “We want to take care of as many patients as possible,” she said.
Scott said Arkansas VA hospitals take patients from Oklahoma, Mississippi, Louisiana and Missouri who need surgery and mental-health care, particularly post-traumatic stress disorder.
Officials in Washington say they are trying to do more to help the 268,000 veterans who live in Arkansas. One office with 124 employees handles disability compensation and pension benefits, survivors’ benefits, vocational rehabilitation and counseling. The Little Rock office authorizes more than $45 million each month in pension and compensation payments.
Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., helped pass legislation increasing the VA budget by $70 million so that more claims processors can be hired.
Lincoln said disabilities claims grew 39 percent from 2000 to 2006, creating a backlog of 400,000 claims. The average time to process a claim is nearly six months. Lincoln also wants to end the Pentagon’s practice of subtracting veterans’ disability payments from their entire pension amount.
She has proposed an amendment to a century-old law that would give veterans who cannot work at all due to a service-connected disability their full pensions and disability pay.
In 2004, Congress agreed to a 10-year phase-in of concurrent receipt to all veterans who are 50 to 100 percent disabled. She said she wants immediate compensation given to veterans.
When Vietnam veteran Jerry Bowan sees $440 less each month in his veterans’ benefit check, he said it means the Pentagon has more money to spend on the war in Iraq. He served in Vietnam twice and was in the Army for 26 years. Because he had skin cancer, not a combat-duty related injury, he does not qualify for concurrent receipt, so the Pentagon deducts his disability compensation from his veterans’ pension.
“For the vast majority of us, disability did not occur in combat duty,” he said. He cannot prove that filling sand bags in the blazing Vietnamese sun caused his skin cancer because he also chopped cotton near Newport as a teenager. Still, the VA ruled that his disability was caused during combat.
“The VA will always rule on the side of a veteran,” he said. “I think the VA is very considerate to say we will always rule in favor of a veteran.
“But if a veteran has a service-connected disability, the Pentagon won’t let you have that retirement money,” he said. “When they take my money they have more money to spend in Iraq,” he said.
Rep. Marion Berry, who sits on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, recently urged President Bush to fix problems facing the VA.
“As task forces and commissions from various agencies devote considerable resources to finding better ways to help the men and women who have served, time passes and veterans continue to go without care,” Berry wrote in a recent letter to the president.
Leader staff writer
After traveling from his home in Jacksonville to the VA Hospital in Jackson, Miss., for 40 radiation treatments that began three years ago, Gary Gilmore isn’t cancer free and is still unable to work. He says the Veterans Administration cut his disability benefits even though he planned on depending on its care when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, a result of being exposed to Agent Orange when he served in Vietnam in 1972.
“I love the United States, but I cannot stand the government,” the 66-year-old former soldier said.
“It’s unreal how they treat the veterans. If we have Agent Orange, we should be paid 100 percent,” said Gilmore, who also served for 12 years in the Army after Vietnam.
The VA ranks disabilities by percentage. Gilmore has what the VA considers a 20-percent disability because his cancer is considered to be in remission. He received disability benefits in full, or 100 percent, upon diagnosis. Gilmore said that even though he underwent his last radiation treatment two years ago, tests show his cancer increasing.
Dr. Margie Scott, chief of staff of Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, said radiation therapy is not available in Little Rock. Scott said if the central Arkansas VA does not provide a service, treatment is always sought in the VA system first if the patient is willing and able to travel for care. If the patient is unable to travel, Scott said therapy could be done in a local private hospital. “We always check for VA resources first,” Scott said, adding that the VA wants to keep costs low. “We want to take care of as many patients as possible,” she said.
Scott said Arkansas VA hospitals take patients from Oklahoma, Mississippi, Louisiana and Missouri who need surgery and mental-health care, particularly post-traumatic stress disorder.
Officials in Washington say they are trying to do more to help the 268,000 veterans who live in Arkansas. One office with 124 employees handles disability compensation and pension benefits, survivors’ benefits, vocational rehabilitation and counseling. The Little Rock office authorizes more than $45 million each month in pension and compensation payments.
Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., helped pass legislation increasing the VA budget by $70 million so that more claims processors can be hired.
Lincoln said disabilities claims grew 39 percent from 2000 to 2006, creating a backlog of 400,000 claims. The average time to process a claim is nearly six months. Lincoln also wants to end the Pentagon’s practice of subtracting veterans’ disability payments from their entire pension amount.
She has proposed an amendment to a century-old law that would give veterans who cannot work at all due to a service-connected disability their full pensions and disability pay.
In 2004, Congress agreed to a 10-year phase-in of concurrent receipt to all veterans who are 50 to 100 percent disabled. She said she wants immediate compensation given to veterans.
When Vietnam veteran Jerry Bowan sees $440 less each month in his veterans’ benefit check, he said it means the Pentagon has more money to spend on the war in Iraq. He served in Vietnam twice and was in the Army for 26 years. Because he had skin cancer, not a combat-duty related injury, he does not qualify for concurrent receipt, so the Pentagon deducts his disability compensation from his veterans’ pension.
“For the vast majority of us, disability did not occur in combat duty,” he said. He cannot prove that filling sand bags in the blazing Vietnamese sun caused his skin cancer because he also chopped cotton near Newport as a teenager. Still, the VA ruled that his disability was caused during combat.
“The VA will always rule on the side of a veteran,” he said. “I think the VA is very considerate to say we will always rule in favor of a veteran.
“But if a veteran has a service-connected disability, the Pentagon won’t let you have that retirement money,” he said. “When they take my money they have more money to spend in Iraq,” he said.
Rep. Marion Berry, who sits on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, recently urged President Bush to fix problems facing the VA.
“As task forces and commissions from various agencies devote considerable resources to finding better ways to help the men and women who have served, time passes and veterans continue to go without care,” Berry wrote in a recent letter to the president.
TOP STORY >>Judge calling it quits
By JOAN MCCOY
Leader staff writer
Lonoke County Circuit Judge Lance L. Hanshaw announced Monday that he will not be a candidate for re-election in 2008, saying he wants to give prospective candidates time to consider running for his position.
Hanshaw, who has served as the Division One circuit judge in the 23rd Judicial District since 1991, said he will complete the present term that ends Dec. 31, 2008. At 69 with almost 30 years on the bench, he says it is time he stepped down.
“I could probably run one more term, but I would be 76 years old when it ended,” he said.
Although candidates for circuit judge may begin raising money for their campaigns in two weeks for the May 2008 election, so far, only one has officially announced.
Sandy Huckabee, Han-shaw’s son-in-law, has announced for the Division Three seat now held by Barbara Elmore, who was appointed by the governor in July when the Division Three seat was created. Elmore cannot run for another term in that position. Division Two Judge Phillip Whiteaker is running for re-election.
Although Elmore has not formally announced, she said Tuesday that she will run for Hanshaw’s position. “I’ve heard that Chuck Graham (a deputy prosecutor for more than five years) is running but he doesn’t know for what. A judge has to be decisive,” she said. “I’m running for Division One.”
“It’s not that I can’t decide; it’s just a little early in the process,” Graham said. “It’s either (Division) One or (Division) Three. I’m certainly running.”
Graham spoke to The Leader while he was on vacation. He said he would make his announcement when he returns in about two weeks. Whiteaker, who has been unopposed since he won over Cabot District Judge Joe O’Bryan 11 years ago, said Tuesday that he intends to run again and that he will make his formal announcement in about a week and a half. He said he hopes he will be unopposed for this election.
Lonoke County Prosecutor Lona McCastlain also has been listed among the likely candidates for circuit judge, but she has not announced.
The judicial elections are non-partisan. Candidates get on the ballot either by a petition of 3 percent of the voters in the last governor’s race or by paying a filing fee of $5,248.
Candidates may begin collecting signatures for petitions on Dec. 2. The petitions must be submitted to the secretary of state between noon Jan. 17 and noon Jan 31. Filing fees are due between noon March 3 and noon March 10.
“I want to thank the great citizens of Lonoke County for having the confidence in me to elect me to this office and then support me in such a way that I have not had opponents during my time on the bench,” Hanshaw said in the press release announcing his decision. “It has been an honor and privilege to serve the people of this county. It has been my goal to be fair, impartial and unbiased, and I believe I have accomplished that goal. Thank you, Lonoke County.”
Admitted to the bar in 1962, Hanshaw clerked for Supreme Court Chief Justice Carlton Harris prior to joining the Air Force as an attorney in the Judge Advocate General’s office. He also served in the Arkansas attorney general’s office before entering private law practice in Little Rock in 1968.
Elected Lonoke County Circuit Judge in 1990, Hanshaw had previously served as district judge (formerly called municipal judge) in Cabot, Austin, Ward and Lonoke for a total of 12 years and had been engaged in the private practice of law in Cabot since 1977.
While on the bench, he was named Outstanding Arkansas Trial Judge of the Year.
Hanshaw said he has had high-profile cases like that of infamous child rapist Jack Walls, the murder of high school student Rodney Spence of Cabot and a ritualistic murder in a cemetery. But it has been the cases involving children that he has found heartbreaking, he said. He plans to travel with his wife Leann when his term ends and spend time with his six grandchildren, three of whom live in Texas. But he is not leaving the bench altogether. Retirement brings an opportunity to serve as special judge in other judicial districts and Hanshaw says he intends to be on the list when one is needed.
Leader staff writer
Lonoke County Circuit Judge Lance L. Hanshaw announced Monday that he will not be a candidate for re-election in 2008, saying he wants to give prospective candidates time to consider running for his position.
Hanshaw, who has served as the Division One circuit judge in the 23rd Judicial District since 1991, said he will complete the present term that ends Dec. 31, 2008. At 69 with almost 30 years on the bench, he says it is time he stepped down.
“I could probably run one more term, but I would be 76 years old when it ended,” he said.
Although candidates for circuit judge may begin raising money for their campaigns in two weeks for the May 2008 election, so far, only one has officially announced.
Sandy Huckabee, Han-shaw’s son-in-law, has announced for the Division Three seat now held by Barbara Elmore, who was appointed by the governor in July when the Division Three seat was created. Elmore cannot run for another term in that position. Division Two Judge Phillip Whiteaker is running for re-election.
Although Elmore has not formally announced, she said Tuesday that she will run for Hanshaw’s position. “I’ve heard that Chuck Graham (a deputy prosecutor for more than five years) is running but he doesn’t know for what. A judge has to be decisive,” she said. “I’m running for Division One.”
“It’s not that I can’t decide; it’s just a little early in the process,” Graham said. “It’s either (Division) One or (Division) Three. I’m certainly running.”
Graham spoke to The Leader while he was on vacation. He said he would make his announcement when he returns in about two weeks. Whiteaker, who has been unopposed since he won over Cabot District Judge Joe O’Bryan 11 years ago, said Tuesday that he intends to run again and that he will make his formal announcement in about a week and a half. He said he hopes he will be unopposed for this election.
Lonoke County Prosecutor Lona McCastlain also has been listed among the likely candidates for circuit judge, but she has not announced.
The judicial elections are non-partisan. Candidates get on the ballot either by a petition of 3 percent of the voters in the last governor’s race or by paying a filing fee of $5,248.
Candidates may begin collecting signatures for petitions on Dec. 2. The petitions must be submitted to the secretary of state between noon Jan. 17 and noon Jan 31. Filing fees are due between noon March 3 and noon March 10.
“I want to thank the great citizens of Lonoke County for having the confidence in me to elect me to this office and then support me in such a way that I have not had opponents during my time on the bench,” Hanshaw said in the press release announcing his decision. “It has been an honor and privilege to serve the people of this county. It has been my goal to be fair, impartial and unbiased, and I believe I have accomplished that goal. Thank you, Lonoke County.”
Admitted to the bar in 1962, Hanshaw clerked for Supreme Court Chief Justice Carlton Harris prior to joining the Air Force as an attorney in the Judge Advocate General’s office. He also served in the Arkansas attorney general’s office before entering private law practice in Little Rock in 1968.
Elected Lonoke County Circuit Judge in 1990, Hanshaw had previously served as district judge (formerly called municipal judge) in Cabot, Austin, Ward and Lonoke for a total of 12 years and had been engaged in the private practice of law in Cabot since 1977.
While on the bench, he was named Outstanding Arkansas Trial Judge of the Year.
Hanshaw said he has had high-profile cases like that of infamous child rapist Jack Walls, the murder of high school student Rodney Spence of Cabot and a ritualistic murder in a cemetery. But it has been the cases involving children that he has found heartbreaking, he said. He plans to travel with his wife Leann when his term ends and spend time with his six grandchildren, three of whom live in Texas. But he is not leaving the bench altogether. Retirement brings an opportunity to serve as special judge in other judicial districts and Hanshaw says he intends to be on the list when one is needed.
TOP STORY >>Warning: identities get taken
By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
Identity theft is the fastest-growing crime in America, and Jacksonville has seen its share of it, according to Police Chief Robert Baker.
Baker updated aldermen on the crime statistics at their council meeting Thursday night.
The chief said in the past five years, across the country, identity theft has cost businesses $48 billion and consumers $5 billion.
“There were 10 million victims last year alone,” Baker said.
He added that so far this year in Jacksonville, there have been 63 reports of theft or fraudulent use of credit cards, 142 cases of counterfeit currency, checks or money orders, 14 fraudulent Internet transactions and seven thefts by deception or use of closed accounts.
The department has cleared more than 50 percent of those cases and about 10 percent remain open. The chief said that half of identity thefts are victims of credit card fraud.
“In about 26 percent of the cases, the victim knew who misused their personal information,” Baker said.
He added that 9 percent of the time the thief was a family member or relative, while 6 percent of the time it was someone who worked with the victim.
The chief said many times the thieves get someone’s personal information from stealing files at work, school or a bank, stealing a wallet or purse, stealing mail or sending an email requesting personal information.
Thieves will also Dumpster dive, shoulder surf, bribe employees for information, go phishing on the Internet, hack into computer files or run credit card scams, according to the chief.
Once thieves get personal information they can use the victim’s credit cards, get more credit cards, forge checks, obtain bank accounts and even get personal, student, car or mortgage loans—all in the victim’s name.
This can ruin the victim’s credit and even cause a victim to be arrested on bad check or fraud charges.
“And often it takes months or years for the victim to discover the fraudulent bills and debt,” the chief said.
So how can people protect themselves from identity theft?
The chief offered the following tips:
Secure personal information in the home from others.
Limit the amount of personal information on checks.
Photocopy documents normally carried in wallets and purses.
Do not give out personal information over the phone, Internet or through the mail.
Keep computer virus protection updated.
Never use a Social Security number as a password.
Avoid contests requiring personal information.
Baker said that victims of actual identity theft or even attempted theft need to contact the police and file a report. Victims need a copy of the report to show to financial institutions and credit companies.
“Notify each creditor where the identity thief committed fraud by phone to get stops put on the accounts and then follow up in writing,” the chief said.
Leader staff writer
Identity theft is the fastest-growing crime in America, and Jacksonville has seen its share of it, according to Police Chief Robert Baker.
Baker updated aldermen on the crime statistics at their council meeting Thursday night.
The chief said in the past five years, across the country, identity theft has cost businesses $48 billion and consumers $5 billion.
“There were 10 million victims last year alone,” Baker said.
He added that so far this year in Jacksonville, there have been 63 reports of theft or fraudulent use of credit cards, 142 cases of counterfeit currency, checks or money orders, 14 fraudulent Internet transactions and seven thefts by deception or use of closed accounts.
The department has cleared more than 50 percent of those cases and about 10 percent remain open. The chief said that half of identity thefts are victims of credit card fraud.
“In about 26 percent of the cases, the victim knew who misused their personal information,” Baker said.
He added that 9 percent of the time the thief was a family member or relative, while 6 percent of the time it was someone who worked with the victim.
The chief said many times the thieves get someone’s personal information from stealing files at work, school or a bank, stealing a wallet or purse, stealing mail or sending an email requesting personal information.
Thieves will also Dumpster dive, shoulder surf, bribe employees for information, go phishing on the Internet, hack into computer files or run credit card scams, according to the chief.
Once thieves get personal information they can use the victim’s credit cards, get more credit cards, forge checks, obtain bank accounts and even get personal, student, car or mortgage loans—all in the victim’s name.
This can ruin the victim’s credit and even cause a victim to be arrested on bad check or fraud charges.
“And often it takes months or years for the victim to discover the fraudulent bills and debt,” the chief said.
So how can people protect themselves from identity theft?
The chief offered the following tips:
Secure personal information in the home from others.
Limit the amount of personal information on checks.
Photocopy documents normally carried in wallets and purses.
Do not give out personal information over the phone, Internet or through the mail.
Keep computer virus protection updated.
Never use a Social Security number as a password.
Avoid contests requiring personal information.
Baker said that victims of actual identity theft or even attempted theft need to contact the police and file a report. Victims need a copy of the report to show to financial institutions and credit companies.
“Notify each creditor where the identity thief committed fraud by phone to get stops put on the accounts and then follow up in writing,” the chief said.
TOP STORY >>Backers cry out for new schools
By JOHN HOFHEIMER & GARRICK FELDMAN
Leader staff writers
As Jacksonville schools continue to lose students, many of them to Cabot and other nearby districts, community leaders said Tuesday that losses can only be stopped if new schools are built.
Danny Gilliland, a Pulaski County Special School Board member who represents parts of Jacksonville, told members of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce that they must get behind their schools, otherwise there’s no guarantee they will survive.
“I’m amazed by the number of Jacksonville (area) leaders who don’t have their kids in the system,” Gililland said.
Gililland told the meeting at the community center that he had trouble finding employees for his Popeye’s restaurants who could read, count change and speak good English.
He said that people in the community and in the business community needed to support and fight to keep the district, “otherwise you’re asking for the community to die.”
“Common sense does not prevail on a regular basis on that school board,” he said when asked if the board would put the Jacksonville Middle School buildings on the 10-year facilities master plan.
A new group called Jacksonville World Class Education Organization is pushing to replace the city’s aging schools, some of them 50 years or older. The Jacksonville Education Foundation is also working to improve the schools.
“The Jacksonville Education Foundation hopes to hire a part-time director by the end of the year to focus efforts on improving education in Jacksonville-area schools,” former state Rep. Pat Bond said Monday.
“What we need is someone to keep us all going in the same direction,” said Bond, president of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce.
That person will gather and disseminate information, stay in touch with the school board, administration and other players involved in public education in Jacksonville.
Echoing Gilliland’s warnings, Bond decried an education system that made it difficult for her husband, Tommy, to hire qualified engineers.
Also addressing the chamber’s annual education luncheon was Bill Vasquez, Jacksonville’s newest representative on the Pulaski County Special School District Board, who, along with Gilliland, pledged his support for adding Jacksonville’s middle schools to the district’s 10-year facilities master plan.
The school board members said they thought the idea had broad board support and could be approved at the January meeting.
Jacksonville activists, who have been foiled for more than 20 years in their efforts to carve a stand-alone school district from the far-flung PCSSD, have broadened their approach to improve area schools and facilities here without waiting for a separate district.
The district filed in federal district court Oct. 29 for unitary status, which could clear the way for a Jacksonville district.
Bond said she was frustrated by people asking why the chamber was involved in school issues, and some of the activists said they were disappointed by the response.
“It’s only the number-one economic issue that drives any community. Everyone who makes a dollar in this community has an interest,” she said.
“The city stands ready to help with financing,” said Jacksonville Mayor Tommy Swaim, provided that the district would commit those funds to the Jacksonville area.
He said passing a bond issue supported by a dedicated sales tax could raise funds.
Swaim said earlier efforts to fund a computer lab in local schools was rebuffed by the district, which said it couldn’t guarantee that the computers would stay in Jacksonville.
Jacksonville has a good history of passing taxes if the residents understand how their community would benefit, most recently the tax to pay for the new public library.
Vasquez said public education in Pulaski County is a half-billion-dollar-a-year industry, perhaps three-quarters of a billion dollars if you include private schools.
Changes are coming, he said.
“Ninety percent of the classrooms in this county my grandmother would be comfortable in. My son, with a $600 (iPhone) has more technology in his back pocket than some schools.”
With public and private schools, distance learning and home schooling, education is changing from a monopoly to a competitive model, he said.
“The challenge is how to become dynamic in a competitive market place to meet the needs of your children,” he said.
The World Class Organization of Jacksonville, the newly formed group dedicated to improving Jacksonville area schools regardless of the district they are in, showed the video it made of the poor conditions of facilities in the area.
“The realization is that the middle school facility is really in trouble,” according to Pat O’Brien, the Pulaski County circuit/county clerk and himself a former PCSSD board member.
It was formed because “we wanted to fight for our community,” he said.
Said O’Brien, “There’s hope. We’re not giving up.”
The wrapup speaker was state Rep. Will Bond, who not only took over his mother’s place in the state Legislature five years ago, but also her devotion to education issues.
Bond said that even if on the district’s 10-year facilities master plan, the state would only pay 13 percent of the cost of building new middle schools, but that without inclusion on the list, the project could receive no state funding.
But the slide in enrollment will make it even more difficult to replace old schools — many of them are less than half full — although he said Arnold Drive Elementary School on the base could be combined with nearby Tolleson Elementary, with a new school built on the periphery of the base.
The district is losing its middle class, Bond said, pointing out that 70 percent of the middle school students receive reduced or free lunches.
Leader staff writers
As Jacksonville schools continue to lose students, many of them to Cabot and other nearby districts, community leaders said Tuesday that losses can only be stopped if new schools are built.
Danny Gilliland, a Pulaski County Special School Board member who represents parts of Jacksonville, told members of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce that they must get behind their schools, otherwise there’s no guarantee they will survive.
“I’m amazed by the number of Jacksonville (area) leaders who don’t have their kids in the system,” Gililland said.
Gililland told the meeting at the community center that he had trouble finding employees for his Popeye’s restaurants who could read, count change and speak good English.
He said that people in the community and in the business community needed to support and fight to keep the district, “otherwise you’re asking for the community to die.”
“Common sense does not prevail on a regular basis on that school board,” he said when asked if the board would put the Jacksonville Middle School buildings on the 10-year facilities master plan.
A new group called Jacksonville World Class Education Organization is pushing to replace the city’s aging schools, some of them 50 years or older. The Jacksonville Education Foundation is also working to improve the schools.
“The Jacksonville Education Foundation hopes to hire a part-time director by the end of the year to focus efforts on improving education in Jacksonville-area schools,” former state Rep. Pat Bond said Monday.
“What we need is someone to keep us all going in the same direction,” said Bond, president of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce.
That person will gather and disseminate information, stay in touch with the school board, administration and other players involved in public education in Jacksonville.
Echoing Gilliland’s warnings, Bond decried an education system that made it difficult for her husband, Tommy, to hire qualified engineers.
Also addressing the chamber’s annual education luncheon was Bill Vasquez, Jacksonville’s newest representative on the Pulaski County Special School District Board, who, along with Gilliland, pledged his support for adding Jacksonville’s middle schools to the district’s 10-year facilities master plan.
The school board members said they thought the idea had broad board support and could be approved at the January meeting.
Jacksonville activists, who have been foiled for more than 20 years in their efforts to carve a stand-alone school district from the far-flung PCSSD, have broadened their approach to improve area schools and facilities here without waiting for a separate district.
The district filed in federal district court Oct. 29 for unitary status, which could clear the way for a Jacksonville district.
Bond said she was frustrated by people asking why the chamber was involved in school issues, and some of the activists said they were disappointed by the response.
“It’s only the number-one economic issue that drives any community. Everyone who makes a dollar in this community has an interest,” she said.
“The city stands ready to help with financing,” said Jacksonville Mayor Tommy Swaim, provided that the district would commit those funds to the Jacksonville area.
He said passing a bond issue supported by a dedicated sales tax could raise funds.
Swaim said earlier efforts to fund a computer lab in local schools was rebuffed by the district, which said it couldn’t guarantee that the computers would stay in Jacksonville.
Jacksonville has a good history of passing taxes if the residents understand how their community would benefit, most recently the tax to pay for the new public library.
Vasquez said public education in Pulaski County is a half-billion-dollar-a-year industry, perhaps three-quarters of a billion dollars if you include private schools.
Changes are coming, he said.
“Ninety percent of the classrooms in this county my grandmother would be comfortable in. My son, with a $600 (iPhone) has more technology in his back pocket than some schools.”
With public and private schools, distance learning and home schooling, education is changing from a monopoly to a competitive model, he said.
“The challenge is how to become dynamic in a competitive market place to meet the needs of your children,” he said.
The World Class Organization of Jacksonville, the newly formed group dedicated to improving Jacksonville area schools regardless of the district they are in, showed the video it made of the poor conditions of facilities in the area.
“The realization is that the middle school facility is really in trouble,” according to Pat O’Brien, the Pulaski County circuit/county clerk and himself a former PCSSD board member.
It was formed because “we wanted to fight for our community,” he said.
Said O’Brien, “There’s hope. We’re not giving up.”
The wrapup speaker was state Rep. Will Bond, who not only took over his mother’s place in the state Legislature five years ago, but also her devotion to education issues.
Bond said that even if on the district’s 10-year facilities master plan, the state would only pay 13 percent of the cost of building new middle schools, but that without inclusion on the list, the project could receive no state funding.
But the slide in enrollment will make it even more difficult to replace old schools — many of them are less than half full — although he said Arnold Drive Elementary School on the base could be combined with nearby Tolleson Elementary, with a new school built on the periphery of the base.
The district is losing its middle class, Bond said, pointing out that 70 percent of the middle school students receive reduced or free lunches.
TOP STORY >>Taking over ANG command
By HEATHER HARTSELL
Leader staff writer
Col. James R. Summers of Sherwood assumed command of the Arkansas Air National Guard’s 189th Airlift Wing from Col. Travis D. Balch of Vilonia during a change of command Saturday at Little Rock Air Force Base, home to the ANG’s 189th.
Balch will be filling the Arkansas Air National Guard’s chief of staff position at the state’s Joint Force Headquarters.
Summers, a command pilot with more than 9,100 hours in various military aircraft, had been serving as the wing’s vice-commander since last August.
Thanking Maj. Gen. William Wofford, adjutant general of the Arkansas National Guard, and Brig. Gen. Riley Porter, assistant adjutant general of Arkansas ANG at LRAFB, for their vote of confidence that will allow him to serve as the wing commander, Summers also credited Balch for leaving behind a strong unit.
“I know that due to Col. Balch’s strong leadership, the wing has a solid foundation on which to continue its tradition of success and to build a winning team for the 2008 ORI (Operational Readiness Inspection),” Summers said. He also addressed the 850 airmen, those in attendance and the 88 currently deployed, that make up the 189th AW.
“The fact that you have chosen to wear the uniform and do the job you do indicates that you are a true patriot,” Summers said. “But the ultimate measure of our success as a unit will be judged by our ability to safely and effectively execute our mission in support of national and state objectives. I look forward to working with you as we meet future challenges.
“I consider it a great honor and privilege to be allowed to continue to serve with the most highly skilled, highly trained and highly motivated group of individuals in the Air National Guard,” Summers added.
He joined the Arkansas ANG’s 154th Training Squadron in 1991 as an instructor pilot.
In 1999, he became the 189th Maintenance Squadron commander, and in 2002 he was named the 189th Operations Group commander.
While serving as vice commander, he was second in command of the wing and assisted Balch in the tactical employment, administration and training of all units within the 189th AW.
Leader staff writer
Col. James R. Summers of Sherwood assumed command of the Arkansas Air National Guard’s 189th Airlift Wing from Col. Travis D. Balch of Vilonia during a change of command Saturday at Little Rock Air Force Base, home to the ANG’s 189th.
Balch will be filling the Arkansas Air National Guard’s chief of staff position at the state’s Joint Force Headquarters.
Summers, a command pilot with more than 9,100 hours in various military aircraft, had been serving as the wing’s vice-commander since last August.
Thanking Maj. Gen. William Wofford, adjutant general of the Arkansas National Guard, and Brig. Gen. Riley Porter, assistant adjutant general of Arkansas ANG at LRAFB, for their vote of confidence that will allow him to serve as the wing commander, Summers also credited Balch for leaving behind a strong unit.
“I know that due to Col. Balch’s strong leadership, the wing has a solid foundation on which to continue its tradition of success and to build a winning team for the 2008 ORI (Operational Readiness Inspection),” Summers said. He also addressed the 850 airmen, those in attendance and the 88 currently deployed, that make up the 189th AW.
“The fact that you have chosen to wear the uniform and do the job you do indicates that you are a true patriot,” Summers said. “But the ultimate measure of our success as a unit will be judged by our ability to safely and effectively execute our mission in support of national and state objectives. I look forward to working with you as we meet future challenges.
“I consider it a great honor and privilege to be allowed to continue to serve with the most highly skilled, highly trained and highly motivated group of individuals in the Air National Guard,” Summers added.
He joined the Arkansas ANG’s 154th Training Squadron in 1991 as an instructor pilot.
In 1999, he became the 189th Maintenance Squadron commander, and in 2002 he was named the 189th Operations Group commander.
While serving as vice commander, he was second in command of the wing and assisted Balch in the tactical employment, administration and training of all units within the 189th AW.
TOP STORY >>Growth in Cabot costing one city
By JOHN HOFHEIMER
Leader senior staff writer
There are 67 fewer white students attending Jacksonville middle schools this year than last, and 33 more white students attending the Cabot middle schools.
Recent growth in Cabot has outpaced growth in Jacksonville, and there are those who say that Jacksonville’s loss is Cabot’s gain.
Although the state Education Department has not yet released enough data to support the conclusion that students fleeing Jacksonville middle schools landed in the nearly all-white Cabot middle schools, the numbers don’t refute the long-held theory that area parents are locating in the Cabot district or moving their children to qualify for Cabot schools, schools elsewhere, private schools or in some cases are home schooling their children.
There is plenty of anecdotal evidence of such an enrollment shift.
“The vast majority of new enrollment comes from people moving into this area, and they research where they want to live,” said Jim Dalton, assistant superintendent of Cabot schools.
“Most are being transferred into the (Little Rock Air Force) base or the metropolitan area and they research the schools,” Dalton said. “One of our middle schools is recognized as one of the top 14 schools in the state.”
That school was recognized Friday by the state Education Department as a higher performing school based on state ACTAAP exams.
“It’s not as much flight as selection of location when they come,” Dalton said. State school assignment guidelines make it difficult or impossible for white students to transfer from Jacksonville schools, perceived by many as dangerous, decrepit and educationally inadequate — unless parents submit a home address in the Cabot district.
Cabot Middle School South increased its enrollment of white students this year by 61—a 10 percent increase from last year’s 625.
The number of black students in the district remained the same at 14. Cabot Middle School North did not fare as well, losing 28 white students—a 4 percent decrease. The number of black middle school students dropped from eight to five.
At Jacksonville’s Boys Middle School, enrollment among white male students for the 2007-2008 school year declined by 50 — a 26 percent decline compared to last year.
At the Jacksonville Girls Middle School, enrollment dropped by 8 percent, 35 students fewer this school year than last.
That school lost 11 black students and 17 white students.
“This puts an exclamation mark on the need for new facilities,” said Bond. Some long-time advocates for Jacksonville areas schools say the sorry condition of Jacksonville facilities — the middle schools in particular — are driving a migration out of the district and they are lobbying the board again for a new middle school to be included on the 10-year master facilities plan.
The group wants to raise or find money for new Jacksonville Middle School facilities.
State Rep. Will Bond, a Jacksonville school activist, says the district needs to break ground for a new facility in the next six to eight months.
Leader senior staff writer
There are 67 fewer white students attending Jacksonville middle schools this year than last, and 33 more white students attending the Cabot middle schools.
Recent growth in Cabot has outpaced growth in Jacksonville, and there are those who say that Jacksonville’s loss is Cabot’s gain.
Although the state Education Department has not yet released enough data to support the conclusion that students fleeing Jacksonville middle schools landed in the nearly all-white Cabot middle schools, the numbers don’t refute the long-held theory that area parents are locating in the Cabot district or moving their children to qualify for Cabot schools, schools elsewhere, private schools or in some cases are home schooling their children.
There is plenty of anecdotal evidence of such an enrollment shift.
“The vast majority of new enrollment comes from people moving into this area, and they research where they want to live,” said Jim Dalton, assistant superintendent of Cabot schools.
“Most are being transferred into the (Little Rock Air Force) base or the metropolitan area and they research the schools,” Dalton said. “One of our middle schools is recognized as one of the top 14 schools in the state.”
That school was recognized Friday by the state Education Department as a higher performing school based on state ACTAAP exams.
“It’s not as much flight as selection of location when they come,” Dalton said. State school assignment guidelines make it difficult or impossible for white students to transfer from Jacksonville schools, perceived by many as dangerous, decrepit and educationally inadequate — unless parents submit a home address in the Cabot district.
Cabot Middle School South increased its enrollment of white students this year by 61—a 10 percent increase from last year’s 625.
The number of black students in the district remained the same at 14. Cabot Middle School North did not fare as well, losing 28 white students—a 4 percent decrease. The number of black middle school students dropped from eight to five.
At Jacksonville’s Boys Middle School, enrollment among white male students for the 2007-2008 school year declined by 50 — a 26 percent decline compared to last year.
At the Jacksonville Girls Middle School, enrollment dropped by 8 percent, 35 students fewer this school year than last.
That school lost 11 black students and 17 white students.
“This puts an exclamation mark on the need for new facilities,” said Bond. Some long-time advocates for Jacksonville areas schools say the sorry condition of Jacksonville facilities — the middle schools in particular — are driving a migration out of the district and they are lobbying the board again for a new middle school to be included on the 10-year master facilities plan.
The group wants to raise or find money for new Jacksonville Middle School facilities.
State Rep. Will Bond, a Jacksonville school activist, says the district needs to break ground for a new facility in the next six to eight months.
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