TOP STORY >> Fletcher, Elliott make runoff for mayor

By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer

Two veteran Jacksonville aldermen will face each other in a runoff on June 2 for the mayor’s seat after none of the candidates received more than 50 percent of the vote in Tuesday’s special election.

Alderman Gary Fletcher led the six-candidate field, garnering 952 votes, or 39 percent, followed by Alderman Kenny Elliott with 789 votes, or 32 percent.

Farm Bureau manager Jody Urquhart was a distant third with 305 votes, or 13 percent, followed by developer Tommy Dupree at 215 votes, or 8 percent, then real estate agent Beckie Brooks with 155 votes, or 6 percent.Randy “Doc” Rhodd garnered 16 votes, less than 1 percent. (See editorial, p. 8A.)

In all 2,434 votes were cast, with 715 of those ballots coming from early voting and 14 from absentee ballots.

The special election to replace the retiring Mayor Tommy Swaim on July 1 has cost about $14,000.

Fletcher said he was very grateful that he made the run-off. “We had good people working for us. It was heartwarming to see the confidence the voters put in me,” he said.

“We’re running against the establishment,” he said. “We were the underdog.”

Although he raised the most money in the campaign, most of his contributions were in small amounts, Fletcher said.

Fletcher said he’s looking forward to continuing to talk to people and get his message out.

He believes both he and Elliott made the runoff because of their leadership skills, “and that’s what people are looking for.”

He added, “But we both have very distinct and different views for the future.”

Elliott said it’s been a good race up to this point and wants to continue the positive tone of the race through the next three weeks. “I’ve also got to thank everyone for their support and thank the other candidates for their efforts,” he said.

“I’m looking forward to getting more into the issues and talking to the people and hopefully getting enough votes to turn things around,” he said.

Both Elliott and Fletcher will get a chance to get into the issues during a mayoral candidate debate sponsored by the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce.

The debate will be at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the community center.

Urquhart, who finished third, said, “It didn’t go my way, but I did win in a way, finishing third in my first race.”

He said, “The two guys moving will get just 18 months to get things going, and they will need to focus on education right off the get-go.”

Urquhart promised to work with the next mayor to help him be the best mayor possible.

Dupree said he tossed his hat into the race because some issues need to be brought out and discussed.

“You win some and lose some, and the voters didn’t want me,” he said, but he was still glad for the opportunity and a chance to be heard.

Brooks sent her congratulations to Fletcher and Elliott. Like Dupree, Brooks said she was happy that she was able to bring out some of the issues that where important to her.

“I feel very good about my campaign,” she said. “But it disappoints me that we had a lower-than-expected turnout.”

Rhodd said, “Obviously I didn’t do well, and don’t know what my next move may be. I might just go fishing.”

Rhodd did say he got a call Tuesday night from Elliot and promised to support him in the runoff.

Elliott, 56, is a Jacksonville native and has been an alderman since 1996 and is the coordinator of energy management for the Pulaski County Special School District.

He is married and has one daughter, twin sons and two granddaughters.

Fletcher, 54, has been a Jacksonville resident since 1968 and has been on the council since 1978 and is president of Fletcher Homes, a residential homebuilding company. He is married and has two children and five grandchildren.

Elliott has said that schools are the No. 1 concern.

“We have a common interest in our children’s education, and we must all work together on this issue,” he said.

Fletcher agrees that the schools are a top issue.

“Until the county school district gets out of the courts, which will happen soon, no one can do anything. But when it gets out, the mayor needs to take the lead role. It can be likened to a bad marriage, and the mayor will have to work through the divorce proceedings,” he said.

EDITORIAL >> Lottery commission gets down to work

The state lottery commission is off and running and at this happy stage it seems to be doing things right — make that, saying the right things.

Ray H. Thornton, the most prominent of the nine appointees to the commission, was elected chairman. The former attorney general, congressman, university president and Supreme Court justice said the commission was going to do everything — everything! — out in the open. That is, there will be no private promises of jobs, no closed-door bidding, no side deals, not even any private negotiations. The public will know everything they do and exactly why and how they do it.

That is good to hear and it is important that the commission live up to the standard. A lottery is not like creating just any new state agency. Lotteries are state-operated gambling and by their nature are ethically perilous undertakings. There is great wealth to be made, and we are not talking about the people who win the Lotto jackpot but the people who run the lottery.

The people who are chosen as the lottery director and internal auditor will receive huge salaries and benefits, compared at least with other state employees — three or four times what the governor earns and even more than what Lu Hardin got his board to pay him at the University of Central Arkansas.

The salary maximums that the legislature appropriated for the jobs are inexcusably high, but the sponsors said they wanted to get someone really good. We are unconvinced that the big bucks get that done, but we will see.

One of the commission’s early critical acts will be choosing the lottery vendor, or vendors. It will be the vendors’ lottery. Once chosen, and maybe even before, the vendors will have a role in nearly everything the lottery does.

The companies often are involved in writing the laws creating lotteries. The Arkansas law was written entirely behind closed doors, but the lawmakers assured us they did it independently of the big gaming companies.

American lotteries are an oligopoly. Two companies, Scientific Games Corp. and Gtech Holdings, now do nearly all the lottery business in the United States and in much of the world.

They have a hammerlock on the business. They are simultaneously ruthless competitors and shameless partners. There have been allegations in court of Gtech bribing its way into contracts with state lotteries, but the company says those were questionable practices by rogue employees — sort of like the rogue soldiers who tortured at Abu Ghraib — and at any rate the problems are past.

The companies have more or less divided the market with Gtech concentrating on making, selling and operating online lottery systems while Scientific Games specializes in creating and making instant lottery tickets. Arkansas may wind up contracting with both.

The commission will hire an advertising firm to drum up lottery sales, and the agencies are gearing up to win that lucrative contract. If the lottery is to produce the revenue for college scholarships that its sponsors and promoters claim, there will have to be a relentless commercial effort to create an unquenchable desire of people to play and find their fortunes. At least the contracting must be accomplished with a stern regard for efficiency and accountability.

There are other dangers. Oddly, the constitutional amendment authorizing the lottery specified that the money generated by the lottery would not go into the state treasury but into private accounts, which could mean the public will not have the transparency and safeguards associated with the treasury, where every dollar is audited before and after its expenditure. The lottery commission will need to see that the same scrutiny and accountability will follow the private banking.

Then there is the legislature. The lottery law authorized a committee of legislators to look over the shoulders of the commissioners. It has the appearance of extra accountability but it is more apt to mean the opposite.

A couple of legislators on the monitoring committee wanted to make every commission decision subject to approval by the legislators, which would violate the separation-of-powers doctrine. We worry that the lottery will become an employment agency for former legislators.

This lottery business will bear the public’s careful attention. There are inherent evils in any form of gambling, no less when it is controlled by the government than when it is a private enterprise, and we need to see that the good far outweighs them.

—Ernie Dumas

EDITORIAL >> Fletcher, Elliott in June runoff

Alderman Gary Fletcher and Alderman Kenny Elliott received the most votes in yesterday’s Jacksonville mayoral election and are headed for a runoff on June 2.

The outcome was hardly a surprise — they’re probably the best known of all the candidates, and the only ones with experience in city government. Fletcher, the top vote-getter, appears to have the best organization, and was ably assisted by Jacksonville businessman and former alderman Jim Durham.

Fletcher has portrayed himself as the insurgent candidate who would bring sweeping changes to city government.

Former city manager Murice Green is running Elliott’s campaign, which has relied on support from the mayor and several aldermen.

Fletcher and Elliott have appeared at several public forums during the campaign, and they will have another chance to make their case before the voters at a candidates’ forum at 6:30 p.m. next Tuesday at the Jacksonville Community Center.

The event should be well attended and will give voters a good opportunity to judge the candidates’ strengths and weaknesses and could decide the election.

This is Jacksonville’s first real contested mayoral race in 23 years, so there’s no excuse for voter apathy. The runoff will determine the city’s future for years to come.

SPORTS >> Friendly foes

By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter

BFF stands for best friends forever in the busy world of teenagers. Cabot High School seniors Marissa De La Paz and Reilly McAtee consider themselves BFFs, and insist that becoming rivals at the college level will do nothing to change that.

Both are heading to the Sun Belt Conference, but while McAtee will become a Lady Red Wolf at Arkansas State this fall, De La Paz will run track at UALR.

All of that, of course, can wait with the 7A state track meet looming this Saturday at Conway High School.

De La Paz qualified for the 4x800 along with McAtee, and will run in the 1,600-meter and 3,200-meter events, while McAtee won the 800 meter at the 7A Central meet and will compete in that as well as the 1,600 on Saturday Both will also run in the 4x800-meter relay.

“We’ve been saying that it’s going to be UALR, ASU, and then us,” said McAtee, referring to the school meets that the two will be a part of starting next spring.

“Those two have been together since the eighth grade in one form or another,” said Lady Panther track coach Leon White. “They’ve either competed against each other or run together. They are very close friends. I feel like it’s going to be hard on both of them going different ways for college; it’s going to be hard for them not to be together anymore.

“It’s kind of the same thing for me. I’ve coached them both for five years now. We’ve become so close that it’s going to be like losing family in a way.”

It is a friendship that has blossomed only in the past two years, though both have been a part of the Cabot track program since junior high. McAtee began in the seventh grade at Cabot South and De La Paz started running for Cabot North in the eighth grade.

McAtee was forced to sit out her sophomore year to recover from surgery to correct compartment syndrome in her calves. During that time, De La Paz quickly made a name for herself in the Panther track and cross-country programs, earning all conference honors.

She also made all state her junior year with conference meet wins in the 1,600-meter and 3,200-meter events, just as McAtee was getting back up to speed. While both have had strong senior campaigns, it has been McAtee who set a school and 7A Central Conference record in the 800-meter run at last week’s conference meet.

“Those two have switched roles,” said White. “Reilly spent her sophomore and junior years recovering from injuries. This year has been Reilly’s year. She’s had the better overall year, but Marissa has been solid every year she has been here. She was a triple-winner last year. She won the 800, the mile and the two-mile, and that has never been done before here at Cabot.”

McAtee has spent her life in Cabot, while De La Paz, an Air Force kid, has seen the world in her 18 years. Born in Spain, De La Paz and her five siblings have also lived in Japan for two years, as well as in Ohio and Maryland, before parents Lori and Conrad moved them south to Arkansas.

“I’ve blended in well,” De La Paz said. “It was kind of nice knowing that we weren’t going to have to start over again somewhere else. We actually talked about moving at one time, and that was kind of scary because I like Arkansas a lot.”

Her best showing this season was a third-place finish in the 800-meter run at the Central meet last week. She chalks up not having a win to tougher competition this season, but is far from ready to throw in the towel on her high-school career.

“I’ve learned to never give up through running track,” said De La Paz. “I’ve learned to motivate myself and be responsible, but the biggest thing I’ve gained is the special relationships with my teammates, and with coach White.”

It is clear the two girls think highly of their coach. It is just as evident that the admiration is reciprocated.

“If I told somebody what I wanted in future girls for this team, I would tell them to be just like Reilly McAtee and Marissa De La Paz,” said White. “They are both dependable and work hard all the time. If I ask them to do something out on the track, they try their best to do it. They have been great models for future runners here.”

Both lived somewhat in the shadows of high-profile long-distance runner Emily Carpenter last year, but upon Carpenter’s graduation and subsequent departure to college in Texas in the spring of ’08, De La Paz and McAtee became the big dogs.

Going to opposing junior high schools across town and a lack of familiarity with one another as sophomores made for a bit of rivalry, but sharing the spotlight and leadership duties in their final season has not been a problem for either.

Before becoming a track athlete, McAtee was an avid soccer player.

“That made me realize that I liked running,” she said. “I thought I was a sprinter at first, but coach White made me realize that I was a long distance runner.”

Both received offers from UCA, and even discussed the possibility of rooming together and becoming teammates on the Sugar Bear track team. Both ultimately decided that their friendship was strong enough to renew their old rivalry at opposing schools.

“Our senior year has been really fun,” said De La Paz. “Reilly and I have become closer and bonded. Pretty much everything has happened the way I hoped it would. It went by really fast.”

What once was a rivalry is now a bonded friendship, but the competitive spirit still lingers on the track, according to McAtee. Yet it is a healthy and mutually beneficial competitiveness.

“Even on days that are supposed to be slow, we still push each other,” said McAtee. “Without her pushing me, sometimes I realize I’m not doing as good. We are like each other’s support system.”

Going separate ways will not harm their relationship in the least, they say.

“We will stay best friends,” said McAtee. “We are like sisters. Marissa’s mom is like my mom number two.”

“I will still need Reilly,” De La Paz said.

SPORTS >> A right decision made by AAA on private schools

By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter

Let’s see how this turns out. The Arkansas Activities Association is proposing a change in its current classifications to separate private schools from public schools in state tournament play in all sports starting this fall. This, after private schools Shiloh Christian Academy in Springdale and metro-area school Pulaski Academy ran away with state football titles back in December, and a host of private schools dominated their classifications in the spring sports that concluded last week.

But the privateers are unhappy.

“How will this prepare them for life?” one privateer protested. “The job market is not separated into those who went to public schools and those who went to private, so why do this now?”

The answer to that question is simple.

In the job market, you will not have a Shiloh Christian that unnecessarily makes 84 copies of a memo that was only supposed to be passed out to 14 people. In the job market, you will not have a Pulaski Academy that hires 10 more presidents and general managers to oversee operations than every other company in its field. In the job market, you will not have a firm that names its headquarters “Billionaire’s Stadium.”

And hopefully, when your kid enters adulthood and the job market, his or her boss will not be nearly as arrogant as Shiloh head football coach and athletic director Josh Floyd, who called off the dogs to the tune of an 84-14 win over Clarksville in the second round of the playoffs last November.

Yeah, if the proposal passes its scheduled August vote, most of us will shout “hooray!” because we might never have to witness the “Saints” plow another helpless county school on their way to their 55th straight state title, or whatever the count is up to now. Now their victims will be schools like Episcopal and Subiaco Academy.

It will also affect us here locally. Harding Academy, which is always competitive in all sports, but never what you would call dominant, would be subjected to this private school playoff system. When I ran my column last fall about the need for a private school league, I was inundated with e-mails, phone calls and face-to-face meetings with Wildcat parents and faculty, some of whom were upset that I mentioned their school in the same breath as Shiloh Christian and Pulaski Academy.

“We play by the rules, and we can’t control it if there are others who don’t and get by with it,” was the main protest lodged by the HA faithful. That was a valid point that I had not considered.

But the way I see it, schools like Harding Academy or Little Rock Catholic will have a lot more clout and will be listened to far more earnestly than a Clarksville or a Berryville when they begin to complain about the odds stacked in Shiloh Christian’s or Pulaski Academy’s favor.

We’ve been down that road one too many times.

We’ll just have to wait and see. But when the Bruins and Saints square off for the private league state football championship for the 17th consecutive year, the folks over on Richards Road in North Little Rock might finally perk up and say, “Hey, now wait just a minute here.”

SPORTS >> Badgers finish up spring

By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter

There were 50 potential players who turned out for spring practice at Beebe High School in the final week of April and first week of May. Head coach John Shannon, who will be entering his third year at the helm this fall, said he was pleased with the progress made during the two weeks of scrimmages.

“It went pretty well,” said Shannon. “We had to replace so many kids who left, but we got better each and every day. We found a lot of pieces to the puzzle, but there are still a lot more we have to find.”

In his first two years as Beebe coach, Shannon has led the Badgers to a 17-6 record and playoff berths in both the ’07 and ’08 seasons. Beebe finished runner-up to Monticello in its first-ever 5A-Southeast Conference campaign last year, and won its first postseason game in six years with a 35-22 decision over former 5A-East foe Blytheville.

The Badgers lost a number of key seniors, including the entire offensive backfield. Shannon and the coaching staff are faced with the task of replacing all-state fullback Sammy Williams, who rushed for 2,940 yards and scored 42 touchdowns during his tenure at Beebe.

They also lost quarterback Roger Glaude and halfback Brandon Pursell. Scott Gowen at quarterback and Victor Howel at running back stepped up during the spring sessions to lay early claim to those spots this fall, and junior-to-be Colby Taylor will also see plenty of playing time come September, according to Shannon.

There was also considerable size lost at the line due to graduation, but Shannon said most of that size could be replaced in the fall. He mentioned offensive lineman Dillon Jones and defensive lineman William Conley as two that had a good spring. Jones will be a senior in the fall and Conley a junior.

“We almost have as much size as last year,” said Shannon. “We’re not quite as big as we were last year, but not too far from it. We also have quite a few freshmen moving up next year, so there will still be some spots that we won’t know about until the fall.”

Beebe will participate in a team camp at Conway High School on June 8-9.

TOP STORY >> Base gets another C-130J

Gen. Arthur J. Lichte, commander of Air Mobility Command, on Wednesday delivered the 13th of 16 C-130J Super Hercules assigned to the 19th Airlift Wing at Little Rock Air Force Base.

The aircraft will be assigned to the 41st Airlift Squadron, the first active-duty combat C-130J squadron in the Air Force. Three more C-130Js should arrive here this year.

Col. Greg Otey, commander of the 19th Airlift Wing, Jacksonville Mayor Tommy Swaim, Cabot Mayor Eddie Joe Williams and Jacksonville banker Larry Wilson were on the flightline when the plane landed at the base on Wednesday.

The base could get as many as 35 C-130Js in the next few years. They cost about $55 million each.

The planes take off and land on shorter runways and can accomplish their missions more quickly than the older C-130s that are assigned to LRAFB.

The 314th Airlift Wing at the base has an additional seven C-130Js to train all U.S. military crews flying or maintaining that plane, as well as crews from allies around the world.

The air base flies many of the C-130Js to Afghanistan and Iraq, where the planes have saved numerous lives since the need to use ground transportation is greatly reduced.

“This is my first C-130J delivery, and I have been looking forward to this great opportunity,” said Lichte, who is based at AMC headquarters at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., before he took off from Marietta, Ga., where the aircraft is manufactured by Lockheed Martin. “And we [the Air Force] couldn’t have done it without you [Lockheed Martin] and the great leadership of this organization along with the hard work of each individual on the floor who builds these aircraft each and every day.”

When landing, Lichte said, “It’s appropriate that you have so many of the civilian community leaders here today because it is a team. Everyone works together to accomplish the mission, none harder than the men and women at Little Rock that spend the time away from home doing the mission that you ask us to do, you the American people.

“So today it’s with great pride and respect that I bring this aircraft home,” the general said.

“As we gather at the home of C-130 combat airlift, it’s only fitting this combat aircraft be delivered to the Rock,” said Otey. “Home to a team of professionals that provide our nation’s Air Force with unrivaled C-130 combat airlift.

“It’s also fitting this J model be delivered to a community that is the finest military community in America; one that truly understands and appreciates our airmen and Team Little Rock’s contributions and service to our nation. A community that never stops supporting the future of our great Air Force and what’s only the very best for our airmen,” said Otey.

“At the Rock, we have built the foundation to train and deploy the world’s finest C-130 combat airlifters and the infrastructure and training programs to provide America unmatched airlift capability well into the future,” Otey said.

The C-130J has been selected by 11 countries with 173 delivered of the 263 ordered to date.

Worldwide, the C-130J fleet has accumulated more than 500,000 flight hours.

The Combat Airlifter contributed to this report.

TOP STORY >> Air Guard gets first black colonel

By CHRISTY HENDRICKS
Leader staff writer

“I have mixed emotions about it,” Col. Ronald McDaniel, 189th Maintenance Group commander, said of being the first African American full-time em-ployee promoted to colonel in the Arkansas Air National Guard.

His wife, Shirley, pinned on the colonel’s eagle in a ceremony last Saturday at Little Rock Air Force Base. He is the first African American to command the 189th Maintenance Group since the 189th Airlift Wing began in 1925.

“We’ve been a mixed organization for some time,” he said. African Americans weren’t allowed to join the ANG until the early 1970s. “I’m proud to be a leader in this organization. I plan on doing everything I can to be a good role model (for minorities).

“I love this organization,” McDaniel says. “It’s been very good to me.

“You get into a forced pattern of behavior and decide that’s the way to go,” he continued.

McDaniel began his military career in 1972, when he enlisted in the Air Force. He was assigned to the 314th Medical Squadron at LRAFB.

In February 1979, the then staff sergeant separated from the Air Force and joined the Arkansas Air National Guard’s 189th Medical Squadron.

In 1984, McDaniel was commissioned as a consolidated aircraft maintenance officer.

“At the time, we were flying KC-135 tanker, a jet airplane that refueled airplanes in flight,” he says. He was considered a part-time, or “traditional Guardsman,” in 1986 when C-130Es came to the base.

In 1994, McDaniel transferred from his job with the Postal Service to full-time in the Guard.

McDaniel is active in the community, serving as a board member for various organizations such as Service to Mankind (Sertoma), Jacksonville Senior Center, Jacksonville Towers and Worley’s Place. He has been a Sertoma member of since 1984.

Joining the group gave him the opportunity to help the community. He said Tommy Dupree talked him into joining the club.

He says it got him “involved in youth football.” He’s been a member of the club for about 15 years.

The club, along with the Jacksonville Walmart Supercenter, holds the Sam Hoover 3-on-3-basketball tournament annually. McDaniel helps to coordinate both the youth football and the 3-on-3 tournaments.

T.P. White recommended McDaniel to the board.

“Sertoma provided me with the opportunity to be confident with my abilities,” he says. “That has been the emphasis for some of the accomplishments that I have had.”

He has been named the Service to Mankind person of the year in the past.

“I really enjoy…working with the two different age groups,” McDaniel said of the organizations he’s active in. “I get around, I meet a lot of people.”

McDaniel, who was born and raised in Crossett, says a lot of relatives and friends from his hometown were on hand for his pinning ceremony.

“I was really touched,” he said. He says it gave them the opportunity to see that “I’m still the same person that I was and always will be.”

McDaniel leads approximately 175 airmen, both enlisted and officers. “Our job is to make sure the airplanes are ready for flight,” he said adding, “Most of our planes were built in 1962 and 1963.”

The group has 11 planes – nine permanent planes and two inventory planes to help with its mission.

“We’re really fortunate,” McDaniel says of the 189th Maintenance Group. “Most of our folks are hometown and have a lot of experience with working on planes.”

McDaniel has been in Jacksonville since 1972 and says there are “some wonderful people that I have met over the years. I think this is where I’m supposed to be.”

McDaniel says he follows the old adage of “free your heart from hatred, your mind from worry, live simply, expect little, give much.”

McDaniel and his wife will celebrate their 37th wedding anniversary on Tuesday.

He is the father of Orlando McDaniel, Rolanda Shanell Paham and Ronald W. McDaniel II.

McDaniel is the grandfather of four.

TOP STORY >> Lee’s appeal rejected, case in federal court

By GARRICK FELDMAN
Leader editor-in-chief

A Jacksonville death-row inmate who went on a crime spree in the late 1980s and early 1990s lost an appeal Thursday before the state’s highest court.

The Supreme Court upheld the death sentence of Ledell Lee, 43, who was sentenced to die for the Feb. 9, 1993, beating and strangling death of Debra Reese, 26, in the Sunnyside addition, where he had attacked several other women.

Lee had argued that his lawyers didn’t present witnesses he wanted at a hearing, had conflicts of interest regarding his case and failed to hire a death-penalty expert to advise them.

His case is now in federal court, where the attorney general’s office is defending his conviction.

When Lee exhausts his federal appeals, Gov. Mike Beebe is expected to set an execution date for Lee.

He was also convicted of raping two Jacksonville women and was tried for the murder of Christine Lewis, the daughter of the late Alderman Robert Lewis. Lee was also suspected of killing a Jacksonville prostitute and dumping her body in a shed near the railroad tracks.

Lewis, 22, was abducted from her Sunnyside home in November 1989 as her 3-year-old child watched. She was raped and strangled and her body dumped in the closet of an abandoned home.

The jury could not agree on a verdict in that trial, but prosecutors decided not to retry him when he received the death sentence in the Reese case and was convicted for raping two women. DNA evidence tied Lee to the murders and rapes.

Reese was struck 36 times with a tire tool her husband gave her for protection while he was out of town on a truck driving job. Lee, who had just been paroled after serving time for burglary, was arrested an hour after the murder when witnesses reported seeing him walking the street.

A 1994 trial resulted in mistrial when it was discovered that a relative of Lee’s was on the jury. In 1995, a prosecutor offered a chilling description of Lee as a multiple rapist who hunted victims in Jacksonville.

Lee’s lawyer asked the jury to consider “who are we then to say” when someone dies.

The prosecutor later replied: “I will tell you who we are — we are the hunted.’’

The jury deliberated two hours before agreeing to the death sentence.

In an opinion Thursday, Justice Robert L. Brown noted that Lee’s lawyer later testified that he didn’t hear the prosecutor’s remarks. Though the remarks likely were inflammatory, Brown said they wouldn’t have changed the outcome of the case.

“The jury ... heard testimony of the violent nature of the Reese murder during the penalty phase and also heard testimony that Lee had raped three different women,” Brown wrote.

In dismissing Lee’s other points, Brown wrote that defense lawyers are allowed to use their discretion in deciding which witnesses to present in a case. Brown said there wasn’t any convincing evidence that hiring a specialist for his case would have changed its outcome.

Brown also said Lee 0didn’t show that his lawyers failed him by not asking for an independent analysis of DNA samples. At a later hearing, Brown noted his lawyer said he didn’t think anyone other than the FBI could conduct such tests in the early ’90s.

Lee’s appeal is one of a series he’s filed since his sentencing. Previously, Lee won a rehearing on a portion of his case after showing his lawyer suffered from substance abuse problems and likely was intoxicated during one portion of his trial.

However, other appeals over victim’s impact statements and other issues pertaining to his trial have failed.

Lee is being held at the state’s Varner Unit.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

TOP STORY >> Allen: ‘I have the best fans in the world’

By CHRISTY HENDRICKS
Leader staff writer

“You’re going to get hungry if you eat ice for lunch,” said “American Idol” Kris Allen, who was referring to the chants of “we eat ice” coming from the hundreds of fans who were on hand to see him perform at the Riverfest Amphitheater in Little Rock. The fans were referring to “American Idol” judge Simon Cowell’s remark that Allen’s performance last week was “like eating ice for lunch.”

Allen, formerly of Jacksonville, found out Wednesday he made it into the top three on the show.

Chris and Susan Rodriquez of Conway were “completely excited.”

“We both jumped up and down,” says Chris. “I did the famous ‘Tiger Woods fist pump.

“It’s good to know he’s gonna come home and see his family and friends,” said Chris Thursday. The two met in kindergarten at Murrell Taylor Elementary School in Jacksonville and have been best friends ever since. Family friend Mary Twitty said it was like sitting on “pins and needles” waiting for results to be announced Wednesday.

Allen took the stage at the amphitheater shortly before noon Friday. “I feel like I have the best fans in the world,” he said. “I’ve been to this place a lot and never seen this many people here. You guys are why I’m here.”

Allen, running on around three hours of sleep, was amazed at the turnout. “This is crazy,” he said. “A few months ago you didn’t even know my name. You guys are great.”

The remaining ‘idols’ will perform two songs Tuesday, a judges’ choice and personal choice. Earlier Friday morning, Allen was notified that “Apologize” by One Republic is his judges’ choice song. “I think it’s going to be awesome,” he said. Allen would not reveal his personal choice, but said it was definitely going to be a surprise.

Before his performance, Allen was given a plaque from the city of Little Rock, proclaiming Friday, May 8 Kris Allen Day. “I never thought that I’d have my own day,” he said. “This is nuts.”

Allen performed three songs, “She Works Hard for the Money,” “Falling Slowly” and “All She Wants to Do is Dance.”

He thanked his supporters numerous times and told the younger people in the crowd that they were “welcome for a reason not to go to school today.”

“American Idol” had a camera crew on hand, recording Allen’s performance and getting many shots of the overwhelmingly supportive crowd. After his appearance in Little Rock, Allen headed to Conway for two performances and his hometown parade. The top three were flown home Thursday evening and were thrown hometown parades.

The Riverfest audience consisted of fans from across the state, including Camden, Perryville and Benton, bearing signs and shirts proclaiming their love of Kris Allen.

“Wow is all I can say,” said Sgt. E5 Susan Mumaus of Ward, with the Arkansas Army National Guard. “I left work to come here. People support us and we should support them.”

“It was awesome,” said Kelly Mize of Cabot. “It’s amazing how humble he is.”

“I love Kris Allen,” said 3-year-old Mallory Cole, of Benton.

When he arrived in Arkansas on Thursday evening, Allen was presented a key to the city of Jacksonville. The remaining ‘idols’ will perform at 7 p.m. Tuesday night on Fox. The results show will be at 8 p.m. Wednesday, also on Fox.

TOP STORY >> Jacksonville goes to polls

By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer

More than 600 people have cast their votes for a new Jacksonville mayor through early voting and absentee ballots, but thousands more are waiting until Tuesday.

Tuesday is the big day. The six candidates — Beckie Brooks, Tommy Dupree, Kenny Elliott, Gary Fletcher, Randy “Doc” Rhodd and Jody Urquhart, vying to replace retiring Mayor Tommy Swaim — are out gathering last minute support.

Brooks, 68, married a Jacksonville native, has made the city her home since 1964. The couple has two sons and six grandchildren. Brooks operates her own real estate company.

Dupree, 71, is a lifelong resident of Jacksonville. He has been in business in Jacksonville since 1963, primarily developing and building residential and commercial property. He has three children and eight grandchildren.

Elliott, 56, is a native of Jacksonville and has been an alderman since 1996 and is the coordinator of energy management for the Pulaski County Special School District. He is married and has one daughter, twin sons and two granddaughters.

Fletcher, 54, has been a resident of Jacksonville since 1968 and has been on the council since 1978. He is president of Fletcher Homes, a residential homebuilding company. He is married and has two children and five grandchildren.

Rhodd, 46, is the president of the Family Motorcycle Ministry. He is married and has four children.

Urquhart, 36, is married and has one child. He is a lifelong resident of Jacksonville and is district manager for Arkansas Farm Bureau.

All candidates took time to answer some final questions on their stances, what they think is best for Jacksonville and why they should get your vote. Their responses are listed alphabetically below.

The Leader: Now that you’ve been out campaigning, what is the No. 1 concern of the residents and how do you plan to attack it?

Brooks: The No. 1 concern of the citizens I have spoken with is our education system.  Over and over people ask, “What are we going to do about our schools?” 

As a former teacher, I know we must break with Pulaski County Special School District, and the sooner the better. 

We must address the physical conditions of our schools, even if we have to build and lease back until we get our own schools and we must have Jacksonville people making decisions for Jacksonville students and schools. 

Dupree: The lack of growth in the city over the past several years.

I would work toward growing our tourism industry and I would initiate an aggressive advertising campaign to promote both growth in commercial and residential areas.

Elliott: The schools are the No. 1 concern and we have a common interest that we must all work together on this issue. The questions I have been asked the most are what I will do for economic development and how to get more citizens involved in the community.

We must work on economic development to sustain our existing businesses, attract new businesses, restaurants, and jobs as well as to fill the vacant buildings in Jacksonville. I feel the city and chamber of commerce need to work together to support our businesses and maintain a business friendly environment. I will work to put a package together to attract new businesses to our city.

I will encourage community involvement and establish a volunteerism committee to use the many resources we have in Jacksonville.

Fletcher: Obviously the schools. Until the county school district gets out of the courts, which will happen soon, no one can do anything. But when it gets out, the mayor needs to take the lead role. It can be likened to a bad marriage and the mayor will have to work through the divorce proceedings.

It also seems more knocking on doors I do, the more I find that people want the town to be cleaned up and fixed up.

Keeping the doctors and hospital here are also a big concern. It’s about the people and what’s best for them. We can’t lose sight of the elderly and the sick. We are in the people business. Hopefully the problem has been worked out and we now need to nurture the relationship between the doctor and the hospital and have it strengthen.

Rhodd: The No. 1 concern among residents is the Graham Road closure. I want to work with residents to comprise a plan to resolve the closure. This has gone on for a long time.

Urquhart: Providing quality educational opportunities in a safe environment for our students remains one of the top concerns of our citizens.

I will immediately begin working with our council to gain their support to begin building a plan together to change the course of education in our city despite the path Pulaski County Special School District has sent us down.

We must, as a community, change the perception people visiting Jacksonville have on our community when they see our schools. We can no longer afford to wait for court decisions or attorneys to sort it out. May 12 is the day we have to truly change direction.

The Leader: Does the dumping of the gas shale wastes at Two Pine Landfill concern you and do you have a plan to attack it?

Brooks: The gas shale must meet Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality and Waste Management’s standards as a non-hazardous waste before it can be placed in Two Pine Landfill.  

I believe problems arise from the delays in unloading the gas shale waste.  The delays cost small companies and cities as their vehicles wait for hours to unload.  My solution is efficient scheduling, possibly night and/or weekend delivery and processing of the shale waste. 

Dupree: We need to follow the advice of ADEQ as to the safety factor of the waste and support their decision accordingly.

Elliott: The dumping of gas shale waste does concern me and I will look into this and see what options the city has to either prevent the dumping or make sure that there is no chance of contamination, bad odors or any other negative impact to the citizens of Jacksonville.

I will look at the ADEQ permits and check to see why Little Rock prevented the dumping at their landfill. We must make sure that no toxic wastes that could pose a threat to Jacksonville are being put into the landfill.

Fletcher: I’ve got deep battle scars from Vertac and I don’t want anymore. I’ve met with the city attorney a couple times already and I’ve asked him to prepare an ordinance to ban all toxic waste from the landfill. We’ve learned from history, Vertac caused us setbacks and stagnation.

We’ve got to nip this in the bud quickly, especially since Little Rock has banned it. The waste has got to go somewhere, and right now we are the closest. I hope to have ordinance by the next council meeting to ban anything toxic or hazard. We don’t need the perception that the landfill, in our city, has that kind of waste.

Rhodd: I believe the dumping of gas-shale waste in Two Pine Landfill needs to be stopped and delivered to a facility that is set up for it.

Urquhart: Yes, it concerns me. Knowing that the city of Little Rock has already turned the sludge away, because of odors and unknowns truly bothers me.

As mayor, I will want to know exactly what they are bringing into the city limits and I will want to know without a doubt that we have nothing to be concerned about or they should find somewhere else to go. In no way should there be the potential for our city to have to deal with cleaning up someone else’s shortfalls, because they want to have an extra revenue source. We have been there and done that.

It all comes down to perception for me. It is the responsibility of Two Pine and the producers of the waste to educate the public and ensure its environmental soundness. If they can’t do that, then they need to go somewhere else. Jacksonville is through being everyone’s dumping ground.

The Leader: Has anything surprised you during your campaign?

Brooks: I have been surprised by the lack of streetlights in some parts of town. I have also been surprised by the number of people who have asked me about “term limits” for city officials.

Dupree: I’ve had no surprises.

Elliott: I think the candidates and citizens have a lot of common interests in continuing to make Jacksonville a great place to live even though we have different ideas and approaches. The citizens are willing to get involved in helping with the issues.

Fletcher: The biggest surprise, a pleasant one, is how well we’ve been received door-to-door. I’ve been in the political arena for 30 years and in that time you are going to make some people mad. I’ve hit about 80 percent of the homes and expected to be called on the carpet for something that I voted for or did 20 years ago, but I haven’t.

Knocking on the first door was hard, but the smiles and receptions have pumped me up and makes it hard to stop knocking on doors.

Rhodd: Yes, the anger from the Sunnyside addition residents towards the city of Jacksonville.

Urquhart: The interest the citizens of Jacksonville have in selecting the right person to run this city, based on vision, passion and a true ability to lead.

The Leader: What will make Jacksonville a better place for residents and for visitors?

Brooks: Enthusiastic, energized, involved citizens will make Jacksonville a better place for residents and for visitors. The people are the heart of our city. Newcomers and visitors feel that heartbeat within minutes of arriving in Jacksonville, and the stronger the heartbeat — the stronger the city!

Dupree: We need to work with and promote Keep Jacksonville Beautiful projects. We also need to promote and encourage neighborhood crime watches in all areas of the city. I also think the creation of a public safety commission for the fire, police and emergency medical services will be a plus for the city.

Elliott: We must have a clean and safe city with good schools to educate our children and grandchildren. Our citizens must feel safe and secure whether they are at home, at school, in parks or on the streets of Jacksonville. As mayor I will see that the police and fire Departments have the resources needed to reduce crime and provide us a safe city.

I am committed to doing everything I can to improve the schools in Jacksonville. I will establish a housing committee to develop a plan to improve housing and address aging housing such as Sunnyside Addition.

Fletcher: The things I’ve been running on. My ultimate goal is for Jacksonville to become the place for families to come and live. I’m trying to get people to look at the school problem as half full, rather than half empty.

We are going to be on the ground floor of establishing a new district and building the foundation of what we want for our children. It’s going to be an exciting time. When the opportunity comes, people need to be involved We also need to establish ourselves as a senior retirement capital of central Arkansas with recreation, shopping and activities for this group.

I’d put our military museum up to anything in Little Rock and it still has a lot of potential to grow. The canoe stream trail is also new and exciting. I’ve been told and agree that we need to bring more entertainment like a bowling alley, a theater or something to keep people here.

Rhodd: I want to make Jacksonville a better place for residents and visitors by improving the city’s image and revitalizing the entire city.

Urquhart: This race has built new excitement in our community.

The vision of new leadership and a new direction has offered our citizens a look into the future. We must continue to build on the momentum from this race, the steps taken forward to finally getting a district of our own, our beautiful new library, our 6A state champion basketball Devils and 5A state runner-up falcons, and run with it.

The pieces of our puzzle are beginning to fall into place and if we all continue to build on this momentum and work together we can put Jacksonville back on the move in central Arkansas.

The Leader: What is the one thing you want voters to know about you before they mark their ballots?

Brooks: I want citizens to know that I am a God-fearing, God-loving, born-again Christian, that I love my country, my family, my home and this town!  I will strive to listen and give my very best to lead all the citizens of Jacksonville to an even brighter future.

Dupree: I have worked over the years as a civil servant in different organizations for the betterment of the city of Jacksonville. The job of mayor to me is a position of employment by and for the citizens of Jacksonville and I will do my best to be an outstanding employee.

Elliott: I am running for mayor because I love Jacksonville and as mayor I look forward to the opportunity to serve the citizens of Jacksonville. I feel that I have the experience, leadership and dedication to lead Jacksonville.

I will commit all my resources to provide a high quality of life for our citizens, military and businesses while striving to have clean, safe, orderly growth and change. I believe we must have a plan for where Jacksonville wants to be in five years and 10 years. I believe in honesty, hard work and treating others as you would like to be treated.

Fletcher: I don’t think there’s been anybody to run for this office that has more experience, history, knowledge of the city and a clearer vision of the future for this city than myself. I not only have a love, but a passion and a drive to bring that future about. I’m prepared as any person can be. Jacksonville’s ready for me and I’m ready for Jacksonville and you put us together and it spells success.

Rhodd: I am a man who has strong beliefs and I am 100 percent for the people of the city. The people are who make this city survive.

This election is not about those of us who are running for the mayor’s office, it’s about the people. The people must be heard. They are tired of the same ole, same ole. It’s time for a change.

Urquhart: My interest in serving as the next mayor of Jacksonville is about our citizens, it’s not about me.

I have no hidden agenda. I have a complete lack of respect for underhanded back door politics, where only few people gain from important decisions that affect the rest of our lives.

I have prided myself in running a clean and healthy campaign, to sell my vision and motivate the citizens of our city. I do not like dirty campaigns, especially when the candidates all get along so well, but a few of the people in the background are selling trash and conspiracies. This race is about the health of our community, not individual personalities.

I am here for all the residents of our community, to build on our current successes, to offer new ideas and a new vision to shift the course of our city.

It is time for our light to shine brighter than ever before throughout this great state.

My office will always have open minds, open hearts and open doors.

EDITORIAL >> Jacksonville to pick mayor

Jacksonville voters have gone to the polls this week to cast their ballots early for next week’s crucial mayor election. If you haven’t done it yet, you can vote Monday in downtown Little Rock near the courthouse and, of course, on Tuesday in Jacksonville.

Polls will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. A list of polling places appears on p. 7A.

This is a critical election, the first real contested mayoral race in 23 years. There is an impressive list candidates on the ballot, and for the second time in this campaign, The Leader has interviewed them. (You can read the interviews online.) Study their answers, consider the issues and decide who would best lead this city into the next decade.

We have our own personal favorites, but today we urge you to cast a ballot for the best candidate to move the city forward. A runoff is likely on June 2, but until then, don’t miss this opportunity to help decide the course Jacksonville will take.

See you at the polls.

EDITORIAL >> Arkansas institution to end with school

The people at tiny Gillett in Arkansas County raised the stakes considerably in their battle to preserve the little high school, which has slumped to an enrollment of 88. If the high school goes, the Gillett Coon Supper may vanish, too, and who is willing to bear the blame for that cultural catastrophe?

No Arkansas politician certainly, although every one of them in his private sanctum is muttering, “Thank God.”

Gillett was one of those tiny school districts that were consolidated as a result of the school reorganization law that that the legislature passed in 2004. Now the DeWitt School District says it is wasteful to try to maintain a viable high school at Gillett with so few students, and the high school is to be closed and the students transported to De Witt. That is a process that affected tens of thousands of rural Arkansas kids the past 50 years, nearly all of them for the better.

The papers and television have carried stirring lamentations from parents, students and townspeople about what the loss of the high school and its athletic teams, the Wolves, will mean to the town. No one mentions the richer curriculum that will be available to the youngsters next fall.

The threat of ending the Coon Supper is supposed to give the school people at DeWitt pause. The Coon Supper has been a fixture on the political stump circuit since 1947. Townspeople cook up hundreds of raccoons, sans skin, and politicians come from the four corners of the state in January to be seen and meet before the election season begins.

The supper raises money for the athletic teams and is thrown in the gymnasium. It is a serious faux pas for a statewide politician to miss it, even if his job is not on the ballot that year. For generations, the Gillett Coon Supper was one of three such political feasts that politicians were expected to attend if they did not want to be shut out in the local precincts. The others were the Mount Nebo Chicken Fry at Dardanelle and the Pink Tomato Festival at Warren. At each one you were expected to be seen engorging on the local specialty.

Ripe pink tomatoes and fried chicken were one thing, but boiled raccoon quite another. Some politicians always made a serious effort to get down a helping of coon without retching; others made only a pretense, moving the meat around on their paper plates until they could ditch it in the trash bins. Bill Clinton said that forcing down boiled coon in front of a grinning crowd made every other ordeal in his political life — facing down Newt Gingrich and the Republican majority after the Democratic catastrophe in 1994, impeachment — seem like a cakewalk.

No politician will honestly plead for the coon supper to continue, but something tells us that, high school or no high school, the Gillett Coon Supper will still be with us, at least until climate change drives the critters to cooler climes. Then it may be the armadillo’s turn. — Ernie Dumas

SPORTS >> Lady Lions fall short in tourney

By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter

FAYETTEVILLE – A three-peat was not meant to be on Friday.

That was most evident when the tying goal for Searcy by Kerry Moon with an assist from McKenzie Clark with 3:21 left to play was negated on an offside call.

The result was Mountain Home hanging on for a 2-1 win over the Lady Lions at Ladyback Soccer Field on Friday afternoon in the 6A state soccer finals.

The Lady Bombers (16-3-1) got their initial lead at the 12-minute mark of the second half on a side shot by Hannah Osmon, and went up 2-0 on a penalty kick by midfielder Kirsten Peterson six minutes later.

Searcy (15-6-2) got its only score of the match at the 19-minute mark of the second half on a free kick by Clark that was assisted by Chloe Birdwell, and attacked furiously into the final five minutes, but the Lady Lions’ spirits were deflated when Moon’s goal was waved off.

“The grass was wet, but that’s no excuse, because they played on the same field,” said Lady Lions coach Larry Stamps. “We always start out slow for some reason. Today was the same thing. We are usually a second-half team against this team, but it didn’t work out today.”

The Lady Lions tied Mountain Home and lost in their two 6A-East Conference matches during the season.

The Lady Lions controlled the ball through the first 20 minutes of the first half for the most part, but came up short on five shots on goal by Clark, and a free kick by Birdwell at the 32:57 mark. Mountain Home began to press in the latter stages of the half, but found getting past Searcy goalkeeper Larysa Rowley a tough task.

Rowley stopped eight shots total in the first half, the majority of which came from speedy Lady Bombers freshman forward Nicole Bolt.

Bolt got dangerously close in the final three minutes with a drive up the middle, but Rowley was able to stop the shot despite losing her footing.

It was Searcy’s third finals appearance in as many years. Stamps, in his first year as head coach of the Lady Lions soccer team, said he expects to make more trips to the finals in the coming years.

“We have parents who take these kids to ballgames all the time,” said Stamps. “And that’s one of the biggest things, that’s why our program is so successful. They do that when they’re young, so when I get them, it’s a piece of cake then.”

For Mountain Home coach Debbie Atkinson, the championship came in her team’s first trip to the state finals after falling to Jonesboro last year in the semis.

“They played hard for each other,” said Atkinson. “We were a team all the way from October. This is a team victory. Our seniors have worked so hard, and I am so proud of them.”

SPORTS >> Lions nail down three-peat feat

By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter

FAYETTEVILLE – Searcy’s third-straight 6A state championship was hard won. In a very physical match, endurance was the team’s key component.

The Lions survived to beat 6A-East Conference foe Mountain Home 3-0 in a match Friday that was stopped three different times for injuries, including a harsh collision between Mountain Home goalkeeper Jake Bolt and Searcy junior Trey Oliveto in the sixth minute of the second half.

It came down to a trio of scattered Searcy goals, first by sophomore forward Steven Seitz in the first nine minutes of the game with the second goal coming from senior Jordan Smith less than two minutes later.

Senior defender Brandon West scored the final goal for the Lions in the 26th minute of the second half to earn MVP honors, as the Lions (20-0-2) coasted to their third-straight 6A title on Friday at Ladyback Soccer Field. It was the second straight year that they met the Bombers (15-4-1) in the state championship match.

“Our main objective was to come out and establish a game in our favor,” said Lions coach Bronco King. “And we did that. We kind of set the tone for how we were going to play. Plus the wet turf here, judging the ball and all of those things kind of had something to do with it also, but we were fortunate to get those goals there in the first half also.”

The game was full of physical play, resulting in two yellow cards shown to Mountain Home, and a red card given to Bombers midfielder Jake Strother in the 11th minute of the second half.

That physicality turned scary early in the second half, when Oliveto went for a shot at the goal at the same time that MH goalkeeper Bolt went diving for the save. The result was Oliveto’s knee meeting the back of Bolt’s head. Bolt went down and had to be carted off on a stretcher.

“It seemed like once Jake got hurt, we didn’t pick it back up for a while,” said Bombers coach Bryan Mattox. “Then we got the red card, and it seemed like things just went down hill from there. They deserve it. (Searcy) is a great team. To win three in a row, that takes something special.”

Searcy finished with eight shots on goal and eight corner kicks, while the Bombers had four shots on goal and three corner kicks.

“It feels pretty good, because we’ve had a bull’s eye on our chest all year long,” said King. “People have given us their best shot. The kids didn’t need much talking to for them to get ready every game. They knew that they were going to be marked.”

SPORTS >> Fifth-inning breakdown dooms Lions

By KELLY FENTON
Leader sports editor

FAYETTEVILLE – It was a fifth inning the Searcy Lions will forever want to purge from their memories.

After busting through a scoreless tie Friday to take a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning, the bottom fell out for the Lions in the form of two errors, two walks and three doubles. The Benton Panthers parlayed all of that into a five-run fifth inning and went on to claim the 6A championship with an 8-5 win on Friday afternoon at Baum Stadium.

It was Benton’s first-ever state baseball crown as they finished the season 28-2.

“Offensively, we had some opportunities early that we didn’t take advantage of,” said Searcy coach Clay McCammon, whose Lions finished the season 21-5. “In the fifth, we had a couple of breakdowns that hurt us and then Benton came up with some big hits.

“It’s disappointing, but the kids played hard. I’m proud of our seniors and I’m proud of our team.”

In a game in which pitching was dominant, Searcy’s two runs in the fourth put them in prime position to claim its first-ever state baseball title.

But just like that, sophomore starter Dillon Howard, who entered the fifth inning allowing just two hits and fanning six, couldn’t find the plate. His first 10 offerings in the inning were balls, and that was just the beginning of Searcy’s troubles.

“I think Dillon got a little winded out there,” McCammon said. Dillon threw 72 pitches in the contest. “It was kind of humid and that may have been a factor.”

With two on and no one out, Drew McCurry tried to bunt the runners over, but popped it up but in no man’s land behind the pitcher’s mound. Still, Howard scooped it up and had an easy force at third. But he threw wild as a run came in to make it 2-1.

Howard left in favor of reliever Jonathan Luthe, who was greeted with an Ashton Wilson double into the gap in right center that put Benton up 3-2. One out later, Lee Richardson’s shot to right hit the yellow piping and stayed in play, but it was good for a double and a 4-2 Panther lead. For good measure, Chase Southworth lined a double into the left field corner and Benton went up 5-2.

Reliever Zach Langley came in to put out the fire with a pair of strikeouts but the damage was done.

That inning temporarily took all the starch out of the Lions’ sails as Benton reliever Colby Roberts set them down in order in fifth and sixth innings.

Benton added three runs in the seventh and they turned out to be the difference as Searcy gamely tried to rally in the bottom half of the inning. Trailing 8-2, Jordan Bradley, Luthe and Mac Ellis all singled to load the bases. An error on the Benton second baseman scored a run and Zach Langley lined a two-run single to center and, suddenly, the Panther lead was down to 8-5 and the tying run was at the plate, still with just one out.

But relief pitcher Nathan Pirl got Preston Tarkington to bounce back to the mound. Tate Ruddell grounded out to the third baseman to end it.

“That’s been our team all year long,” McCammon said. “They’re not going to quit. We’ve been behind before and I think they really believed they had a chance. I’m proud of them for not giving up.”

Searcy finished with four errors, though as it turned out, only one of Benton’s eight runs was unearned.

After squandering a bases-loaded, no-outs opportunity in the third, the Lions finally opened the scoring in the fourth.

Langley beat out an infield hit. With two outs, Cody Perry ripped a single to left and Langley was able to slide around the tag of Panther catcher Cole Durham as Searcy took a 1-0 lead. Perry, who took second on the throw home, scored on Bradley’s looping single to left.

An inning earlier, walks to Perry and Bradley sandwiched around an infield single by Nick Ginardi loaded the bases with no one out and chased Panther starter Ashton Wilson. But reliever Roberts got Luthe on a pop up and Ellis on a fielder’s choice force at the plate.

Howard then sent a slow roller that got under the glove of the charging third baseman. But shortstop Justin Mills scooped it and threw on the run, just getting Howard when Richardson made a great scoop of the low throw.

Each team had nine hits, though Benton had five doubles and a triple while it was all singles for Searcy. Bradley, Luthe and Langley had two hits apiece. Howard took the loss, despite giving up only two hits and striking out six over four-plus innings.

Colby Roberts, the game’s MVP, got the win in relief, though he allowed seven hits and four earned runs over 4 1/3 innings.

“We lose eight seniors who all contributed in some way or another,” said McCammon. “But we started three sophomores and a junior so we’ll have a good nucleus coming back.”

SPORTS >> Lady Panthers fall

By KELLY FENTON
Leader sports editor

It’s hard enough knowing you were a run or two away from a berth in the state championship. It’s extra difficult when you know you should have won the game.

The Cabot Lady Panthers committed a base running mistake that may have cost them a run and committed a pair of errors that gave a run to North Little Rock in a 3-2 loss in the 7A state semifinals on Wednesday at the Sherwood Sports Complex.

“They had a good run,” said Cabot head coach Becky Steward, whose Lady Panthers finished 21-7. “No one expected us to be here. They expected a Fayetteville-North Little Rock matchup.

“We’ll be back.”

The Lady Panthers, the No. 4 seed out of the Central Conference, were making a bid for their first state final appearance since 2000 and twice enjoyed leads in the contest. But Allie Shelton erased that second lead with a home run in the fourth inning that tied the game at 2. North Little Rock took its only lead of the game when Hannah Escovedo grounded a sharp single just under the glove of Cabot second baseman Kristi Flesher with two outs in the sixth to bring home what proved to be the winning run from second base.

“Kristi (just about got to it),” Steward said. “A half step to either side. (Escovedo) had hit it to this side (on an earlier single) but she took it back between Kristi and the bag. Things happen for a reason.”

It was a game of patterns for the Lady Panthers, who went 1-2-3 in the second, fourth and sixth innings and got two singles in each of the first, third and fifth. Doubles by Cherie Barfield and Jenny Evans produced a 1-0 Cabot lead after half an inning.

But Cabot’s only two errors of the game came in the bottom half of the inning and it allowed the Lady Wildcats to tie it.

A hit batter to open the frame followed by a pair of throwing errors made it 1-1. North Little Rock’s bid to take the lead was thwarted when Becca Bakalekos made a diving catch of a soft liner in center field with runners at second and third.

Cabot reclaimed the lead in the third, but may have missed an opportunity for more. Jordan Reed’s sinking line drive got past North Little Rock’s diving center fielder for a double and Bakalekos followed with a line single to left. Bakalekos stole second, but thinking the ball had been foul tipped, headed back to first base. She was declared out.

“(Bakalekos) said their second baseman said ‘foul ball,’” Steward explained. “She said the shortstop repeated ‘foul ball,’ and she was walking back and heard (the umpire) say ‘foul ball.’ But that’s neither here nor there. They took advantage of their base runners and we didn’t.”

Cabot was able to get a run home in the inning when Barfield grounded out to second to score Reed and put the Lady Panthers up 2-1.

Barfield was marching along on the mound, retiring 10 in a row until Shelton stepped to the plate with two outs in the fourth.

The tall right-hander hit a long drive to left-center and Cabot left fielder Brooke Taylor nearly made the play on it as she crashed through the temporary fence.

Cabot had a chance to answer back in the fifth. Chelsea Conrade laced a single to right to start things off. One out later, Jordan Reed hit it right on the button but right at the North Little Rock center fielder. With two outs, Bakalekos lined a pitch into left to put the go-ahead run into scoring position. But Barfield tapped back to the third baseman to end the threat.

The Lady Panthers then went in order in the sixth and seventh innings as the Lady Wildcats advanced to the title game on Saturday at noon, when they’ll take on Bryant.

“The errors (in the first inning) I don’t think hurt us,” Steward said. “We jumped on them 1-0 and we believed all year long that if we score first, we’re going to win. They believed that going into the very last inning.”

Cabot out-hit North Little Rock 6-3, but two walks, a hit batter and two errors helped the cause of the Lady Wildcats, who committed no errors and issued no walks in the contest.

Bakalekos had two hits, while Barfield, Evans, Conrade and Jordan Reed had one apiece.

Barfield struck out three and allowed three hits.

TOP STORY >> Pupils get recycling lesson

By NANCY DOCKTER
Leader staff writer

At the tender ages of 9 and 10, a select group of Cabot public school students are being challenged to think about the future well-being of planet Earth.

As part of an instructional unit introduced this January, all third- and fourth-graders in the district’s gifted and talented program took an in-depth look at lifestyle habits and professions that help the environment and conserve natural resources. They were asked to consider, “If we don’t do these things today, what will our world be like in the future?”

Teachers and the educational specialist for the Cabot schools’ gifted and talented program, Melissa Elliott, spent most of last year developing the material for the ecological-awareness unit. Their vision is that their charges – tomorrow’s leaders – will be inspired to become stewards of the Earth.

The unit included Internet research on the three R’s of conservation – reducing, reusing and recycling; making an edible landfill to understand its composition and environmental risks; and reading and writing about a “green” job of choice.

The culmination was taking the morning of April 24 to visit the Jacksonville Recycling Center and adjoining recycling park on Marshall Road.

Students got an up-close look at the workings of the center and learned how materials pulled from the waste stream can be recycled for a myriad of uses.

The park was developed through the efforts of Keep Jacksonville Beautiful and the city of Jacksonville. It has educational displays on composting, a disc golf course, picnic tables and pavilion and a series of plaques about the uses of recycled goods, for which Entergy provided funding.

After returning to school, students were asked to share what they learned from the unit of study and the field trip. Here are what some Magness Creek Elementary School students had to say:

“Before I toured the recycling center, I did not know how bad landfills could be. I really did not think one little person could make a difference. Knowing that one person can make a difference has changed my life and my feelings about recycling.” ­— Avery Elliott, age 10

“What I learned from my field trip is how destructive people can be to our planet in such a short period of time. I wish everyone knew how much damage they cause the Earth by their actions. I wish they would change their actions. If we don’t make these changes, then our future could see us living on a big trash ball.” — Dalton Ailey, age 10

“I learned that it is NOT a sacrifice to switch to compact fluorescent bulbs; in fact, it will lower your light bill. And, it is NOT a sacrifice to take a recycling bin to the curb. I hope people will make a difference by changing their behaviors ... please!” — Lauren Whitmire, age 10

“The Jacksonville Recycling Center really does do great deeds for the Earth and the public. You can even get free mulch made from recycled yard waste. Overall, this trip really changed my mind and I think inspired us all of the little things we can all do to go green.” ­—Elizabeth Rushing, age 10

“I had no idea that the Jacksonville Recycling Center could recycle so many things! I am thinking about getting my family to take all of the extra garbage that we can’t recycle in Cabot to the Jacksonville Recycling Center. I wish my town would recycle as much as Jacksonville.” ­— Brandon Weidling, age 10

“The most important thing that I learned from my green field trip was that you can compost almost anything. If people would compost things more often then landfills would not be as big. It is no sacrifice to use the composted dirt for gardening. The flowers are even prettier in it than from planting soil you buy at the store.” ­— Christen Johnson, age 9

“The most interesting thing I learned is that it takes 700 years for plastic to break down. It was surprising to learn about how we are trashing our own Earth. So, please, help by living by the three R’s: reduce, reuse, recycle. — Victoria Clinton, age 9

“I would tell others that our generation is about throwing away everything. I would also say that we should all get a bin for recycling and start doing our part.” —Manjunath Bettadapura, age 9

TOP STORY >> Sheriff probes brawl at Pickthorne

By JOAN McCOY
Leader staff writer

Lonoke County sheriff’s deputies are looking for teenagers who were involved in a fight Sunday night at Lake Pickthorne.

The fight left about a dozen Jacksonville teenagers injured when a fist fight with Cabot teenagers at Lake Pickthorne turned more violent after the Cabot teens left and returned armed with bricks, metal bars and at least one knife.

Lt. Jim Kulesa of the Lonoke County Sheriff’s Office, said deputies were called after the fight was over and the Jacksonville teens had gathered at a friend’s house where they realized that some of their injuries required medical treatment.

He and other deputies interviewed a group of about 30 parents and teens in the parking lot at North Metro Medical Center in Jacksonville.

One boy who said he was struck in the face with an iron bar while trying to help a friend to his feet was hospitalized. A girl who said she was struck by a pickup in the parking lot was not hospitalized.

The injuries for the whole group included broken bones.

Kulesa said investigators think the fight had been brewing since Friday and may have started with text messages.

The Cabot teens were white and the Jacksonville teens were both black and white, he said. But although some racial slurs were reportedly used, the incident did not appear to be racially motivated.

The Jacksonville teens said they believed the fight was over when the Cabot teens left, Kulesa said, but then they came back with reinforcement and weapons.

The teens’ story was corroborated by spots of blood in the parking lot at the lake, as well as broken glass and weapons, he said. A knife, pieces of bricks and metal bars were found at the scene. Two vehicles were heavily damaged.

Kulesa said some of the suspects have been identified and arrests will be made when the investigation is completed.

“I have directed a full investigation into this incident,” Sheriff Jim Roberson said. “We have identified some of the suspects involved in this incident and will proceed until everyone involved is identified. This type of violence and behavior cannot and will not be tolerated in Lonoke County.”

Cpl. Dennis Sanderson and De-puty Brandon McKiever also helped with the investigation.

TOP STORY >> New Cabot church welcomes singer

By CHRISTY HENDRICKS
Leader staff writer

The congregation at eight-week-old Abundant Blessings Church in Cabot had a special treat Sunday morning.

Not only was founder Dr. Randy Caldwell present, but Michael Sarver of “American Idol” joined in the praise and worship service.

Sarver, a native of Jasper, Texas, agreed to stop in at the new church after longtime friend Caldwell called him. “We just figured we’d have a good time for God,” Sarver said.

“I always remember those who encouraged me. He was one of them,” he said of Caldwell.
Sarver performed an energetic and impressive praise and worship service before Caldwell’s sermon. “I am what I am because of Jesus Christ,” Sarver proclaimed during the service.

The 27-year-old former oil rig worker says he auditioned for American Idol “mostly because of my sister-in-law.”

He says she had always wanted to audition. So Sarver, his wife and sister-in-law made their way to Phoenix, Ariz. Sarver got a ticket to Hollywood, but his sister-in-law didn’t.

“She’s the biggest supporter in the world,” he says of his sister-in-law.

“‘American Idol’ was a journey that I’ll never forget,” he says. “I grew as a singer. I grew as an artist, but I also grew as a person.” Sarver made the top 10, but was voted out during Motown week last March.

Sarver says his first experience in Cabot was meeting so many friendly people.

The second was the eating fried chicken at Crossroads Café. “There’s fried chicken, and then there’s FRIED CHICKEN,” he said. Sarver joked that the friendly people are lucky that he met them before finding out about the chicken.

After enjoying his meal, Sarver, Dr. Caldwell and others from the church went bowling Saturday evening. “We’ve had fun,” he says of his Cabot visit.

Sarver also met some family members for the first time in person. His wife has grandparents, aunts and uncles that live in the area.

He says the No. 1 thing he noticed first about Arkansas native Kris Allen is that “he was a man of God. I have an automatic bond with those.

“I think it’s very special what (Jacksonville native) Kris Allen has brought to ‘American Idol,’” he says. Sarver and Allen, along with the rest of the “American Idol” top 10, will make a stop at Alltel Arena on July 25.

Tickets go on sale Saturday.

Sarver predicts that the Little Rock stop of the tour will be big. “Houston’s mad because they’re not getting the tour,” he says.

If you tune in to the results show at 8 tonight, you can see if Allen makes the next round.

Abundant Blessings Church meets at 10 a.m. each Sunday in Cabot Junior High South’s cafeteria.

Allen was born and raised in Jacksonville and now lives in Conway with his wife, Katy. He is the son of Neil and Kim Allen of Maumelle, formerly of Jacksonville. His grandparents, Charles and Linda Wood, still live in Jacksonville.

TOP STORY >> Scholarship winners honored at annual banquet

By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer

The Cabot Scholarship Foundation gave out its first scholarship in 1992. For this school year, nearly 40 scholarships totaling about $38,000 were awarded through the foundation.

Scholarship winners were honored last week at the foundation’s annual fund-raising dinner.

The purpose of the foundation is to encourage and recognize academic excellence at Cabot High School.

Scholarships are made available to CHS seniors who have achieved academic excellence and who have demonstrated a desire to continue their education at the college or university level.

Funds come from individuals, civic clubs, groups and businesses. The scholarships often honor former teachers or a loved one.

Many scholarships such as the Carolyn Mann and Carolyn Park scholarships had been awarded long before the formation of the scholarship foundation, but are now given out through the foundation.

Scholarship winners include:

– Hayden Balgavy, winner of the $1,000 Cabot Centennial Scholarship.

– Erica Roberg and Melissa Franchek, winners of the $1,500 Carolyn Mann scholarships.

– Kelsey Sparks, winner of the $1,250 Carolyn Park Scholarship.

– Linda Gault, winner of the $1,000 Cabot Area Home Builders Association Scholarship.

– Nathan Byrnes, winner of the $1,000 Mike Malham Jr. Scholarship.

– David (D.J.) Glover, winner of the $1,500 Luther and Frances Rea Memorial Scholarship.

– Seth Mayfield, winner of the $1,000 Pamela Roberts-Smith Scholarship.

– James Santiago, winner of the $1,000 Mayor Willie and Gene Ray Scholarship.

– Rebecca Breeding, winner of the $1,000 Warren and Sandra Knight Scholarship.

– Alex Eanes, winner of the $1,500 Paula B. Green Memorial Scholarship.

– Lindsey Sled, winner of the $1,000 Charley Templeton Memorial Scholarship.

– Kayla Miller, winner of the Lance and Leann Hanshaw Servant-Leader Scholarship.

– Kristin Hopkins, winner of the $1,000 Jake P. and Judy Lowman Scholarship.

– Jack Bridges, winner of the $500 Regions Bank Scholarship.

– Korey Hendrix, James Miller and William Peckat, winners of the $500 Dr. Martha Ray Internship scholarships.

– Haley White, winner of the $1,000 Jeraldine Brown Scholarship.

– Brittany Einhorn, winner of the $1,000 Frances Holt Wittenberg Scholarship.

– Jacob Cervantes, winner of the $500 James D. Frederick Memorial Scholarship.

– Judy Pitts, winner of the $1,000 Nell and Thompson Barnwell Scholarship.

– Lindsey Grisham, winner of the $500 Cabot Fine Arts Council Scholarship.

– Terence Thornton, winner of the Cabot Junior High South Junior Honor Society Scholarship.

– Ethan Robson, winner of the $500 Scott Foltz Memorial Scholarship.

– Ashley Bartels, winner of the $1,000 Junior Auxiliary of Cabot Scholarship.

– William Hafner, winner of the $1,000 Jason Allan Moore Memorial Scholarship.

– Shelbie McCoy, winner of the $1,000 Cabot Panther Education Foundation Scholarship.

– Laura Foltz, $1,000 winner of the P.E.O. Chapter DL Scholarship.

– Nicklaus Benton, winner of the $500 Cabot Chamber of Commerce Scholarship.

– Blake Kaplon, winner of the $2,000 1st Lt. Tom Martin Memorial Scholarship.

– Denver Disotell, winner of the $500 Chris Robertson Memorial Scholarship.

– Carrie Lieblong, winner of the $500 Daniel Carron Memorial Scholarship.

– Melissa VanScoy, winner of the $1,500 Utley Brothers Scholarship.

– Taylor Hill, winner of the $500 Imagine Paul Mitchell Partner School Cosmetology Scholarship.

– Jordan Kinder, winner of the $600 Cabot AARP Scholarship.

– Shelby Robinson, winner of the $2,000 Centennial Bank Scholarship.

– Jordan Murdoch, winner of the $1,000 Cabot School Employees Scholarship.

– Patrick McFadden, winner of the $2,000 Kent and Karen Knight Scholarship.

Cabot Scholarship Foundation chairman John Thompson also recognized other major scholarship winners whose awards did not come through the foundation. Those students included:

– Shelby Davis and Sydney Rasch, winners of the $10,000 National Merit Finalists Award. The award is paid out over four years.

– Daniel Davis, Shelby Davis, Chad Hankins, Chase Henrichs, Lindsay Hoggart, Erin Larsen, Seth Mayfield, Sydney Rasch and Kristin Sumler, all winners of the $10,000 Governor’s Distinguished Award. The award is paid out over four years.

– Shelby Davis and Chad Hankins, winners of the $50,000 Honors College Fellowship. The award is paid out over four years.

– Chad Hankins, winner of the $12,000 State Farm scholarship. The award is paid out over four years.

EDITORIAL >> Lu could do no wrong

Will there ever again be a week or even a couple of days without more bad news about the University of Central Arkansas, where the redoubtable Lu Hardin once reigned as president and promoter? The Arkansas Democrat Gazette, which has marked the sparrow’s fall at the college since the disclosures last summer that Hardin had arranged an illegal bonus for himself, carried a report last week of a legislative audit of the university that detailed a litany of illegal or imprudent financial activities undertaken on Hardin’s watch or in the cleanup after his resignation.

We have some sympathy for the university, which now cannot escape the glare of the media for everything that happens, from the smallest misjudgment to the serious scandals surrounding Hardin’s fiduciary conduct. Having once been lavishly overpraised, Lu Hardin and the hapless university that became associated with him now experience the slings and arrows of overwrought attention and criticism. One usually follows the other. For three years Hardin and his relentless promotions of the school were the subject of glowing stories and lavish editorials in the Democrat Gazette, for some of the same things that have since gotten the school and Hardin in trouble.

Six months before the storm, on Nov. 17, 2007, the newspaper gushed about Hardin’s use of state funds for scholarships, which exceeded the law. The law needs to be changed, the Democrat Gazette said, and it implied that other universities ought to emulate him. Lu grabs a lot of publicity, the paper said, “But he’s doing it for his school, and, more to the point, he knows what he’s doing.”

A year earlier, the editor praised him for spending millions of taxpayer dollars on commercials for the school, which a Republican lawmaker had criticized as a misuse of state funds. Hardin came by the newspaper’s office to explain his side. Effused the paper’s editorial page the next day:

“Lu is a rarity: an ex-politician-turned academic you actually like to see coming. He’s plain Arkansas nice and has a Southerner’s native sense of when to stop talking and head for the exit. Boy, is under-staying one’s welcome ever a disappearing act.”

Lu Hardin could do no wrong.

He began to believe it.

Any corner that he cut was for the cause: a bigger university, better athletic programs, the school’s reputation as a center of learning. All the great publicity proved that he deserved much better pay, and that was his undoing. He wrote a memo to the board of trustees over the names of three inferior administrators justifying a big bonus for himself. That discovery ended the man’s elaborate charade, and the newspapers that had praised him so lavishly, notably the Democrat Gazette, turned on him and the school with a vengeance. The stories and the editorials have been relentless: the school’s fudging a little on the use of state funds for athletes, the lavishing of scholarships on students who had connections with the president but no other discernible claim on them, and on and on.

The legislative audit, which is conducted every two years, may have been his undoing anyway, but the auditors this time knew where to look. They questioned the legality of the $300,000 bonus paid to the president, later returned, and the nearly $1 million that the board settled on him as a buyout when it was clear that he had to resign. Some of that was returned and the university found private sources for the payment besides state funds.

Mostly, it was Hardin and his people cutting corners to do what they wanted to do even if it violated state law or the university’s own policies. Hardin took the school into the highest NCAA athletic division, a costly proposition, and funds were too scarce to do it. They found ways.

They wanted to pay the head football coach more than the state appropriation allowed so they washed state tax funds through an advertising agency back into the university’s quasi-private foundation, which cut the checks totaling $82,500 to the coach. Officially, the university was paying an advertising agency for services rendered.

But it was all, you see, for the good of the university, and the laws were in the way. It’s what a “plain Arkansas nice” guy would do — if you keep telling him he’s doing marvelous things.

Ernie Dumas writes editorials for The Leader

EDITORIAL >> PCSSD must be more open

The Pulaski County Special School District’s Board, which has arrogantly thumbed its nose at the state Freedom of Information Act, got some bad news during executive session Wednesday—it shouldn’t have been in executive session.

An attorney for the Arkansas Association of School Boards, phoned for his opinion during an executive session, told the board it takes more than uttering the word “personnel” to allow a board to go into executive session.

The board is sometimes in such a hurry to conduct the public’s business in private that it goes into executive session without even voting—just a motion, a second and a stampede for the back room.

It has done that three times at least.

This newspaper and one other have repeatedly warned the board that it was in violation of the FOI, but the board claims that its lawyer, Jay Bequette, says the board was right.

Now, we like Bequette, but the board hires and fires him (and in recent months it’s done both), and we don’t remember a time he couldn’t find a rationalization for letting the board do whatever it wanted—sort of the Alberto Gonzales of the PCSSD.

So far the board hasn’t resorted to waterboarding, as far as we know.

Whether the board members actually believed that all you had to do to meet in private is to utter the word “personnel” in the motion for executive session, or just hide behind that word, they were wrong and now they know.

Board member Mildred Tatum first refused to go into the session, saying it was illegal and she wouldn’t participate, then decided that someone had to witness the transgressions.

It was Danny Gililland who challenged Board President Tim Clark on the issue and the two men called the association lawyer from the office of the superintendent.

A school board may go into executive session only to hire, fire or discipline personnel.

For instance, the board may go into executive session to fire a teacher who comes to work drunk or a coach who struck a student or to pick between several qualified candidates for a promotion.

Good luck getting rid of a drunken teacher, by the way, if he or she is a member of the teachers’ union.

The board may not go into executive session to discuss whether or not to reduce the number of vice principals in the system, or to discuss where to make cuts in the budget, or whether or not to change board policy or the student handbook, or much of anything else.

There is an exception for discussing the purchase of real estate.

Otherwise ­— Hire. Fire. Discipline. Period.

We continue to have high hopes for interim Superintendent Rob McGill, but he needs to distance himself from his primary benefactor, Tim Clark. There have been a couple of times daylight has appeared between the two on issues at board meetings, but the perception, and perhaps the reality, is that Clark is much too involved in the day-to-day operations of the district and too familiar with the inside of the superintendent’s office.

Assert yourself, Mr. McGill.

EDITORIAL >> Ban shale waste at Two Pine

The Jacksonville City Council should follow the lead of the Little Rock City Board of Directors and ban the dumping of natural gas waste at the local landfill.

Little Rock acted last week after residents complained about the diesel odor coming out of the landfill operated by BFI, but now Jacksonville’s Two Pine Landfill is the destination of choice for waste byproducts hauled in from the Fayetteville Shale north of here.

As Aliya Feldman has been reporting exclusively in The Leader, Two Pine received 225,969 tons of the oil-contaminated waste from January 2008 to February this year. After a short break, the shipment of such wastes resumed once again. Last Wednesday alone — the day after Little Rock banned such materials — Two Pine took in 25 loads, totaling between an estimated 125 to 500 tons of the toxic petroleum byproduct.

Until last week, when the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality banned the practice, the landfill had dumped the waste on top of the growing mounds, which are more susceptible to runoffs. Two Pine now buries the waste under the soil, which is still legal, although the state banned the practice for a while back in the 1990s.

Little Rock would not even allow BFI to bury the gas waste and banned its importation altogether. So now Two Pine gets a good chunk of that material, along with landfills in Pine Bluff, Hazen and DeWitt.

Aliya Feldman reports on today’s front page that Arkansas Reclamation Company of Beebe, which has been dumping waste at those landfills, has been fined by ADEQ for unsafe practices.

The Jacksonville City Council, which meets Thursday, should summon its courage and ban natural gas waste from Two Pine Landfill. That kind of hazardous waste does not belong in a city dump.

SPORTS >> CAC stuns Sylvan Hills, denies Bears chance for repeat

By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter

HOT SPRINGS – Bryce Biggerstaff had his revenge on Sylvan Hills when it counted the most.

Biggerstaff, who was tagged out at the plate by Bears starting pitcher Jordan Spears in the top of the second inning to negate the first potential run for Central Arkansas Christian, came on in relief of Mustang starter Ian Bryan in the bottom of the fifth inning on Tuesday in the 5A semifinals.

He helped stop the Sylvan Hills rally at two runs, and struck out the final three batters in the seventh to secure a 3-2 win for CAC for a berth in the 5A state championship game today at Baum Stadium in Fayetteville.

CAC (20-8) broke a scoreless game in the top of the fifth with three runs, and outlasted a Bears’ comeback on the bottom side to deny a repeat for last year’s Class 6A state champs.

“CAC did a great job,” said Bears coach Denny Tipton. “They kept us off balance. We really didn’t have that many opportunities.

They just beat us today. When we had the opportunities, we didn’t get the gain. We had some chances there at the end, we just didn’t get it done. Our expectations were high. Our goal was to win; we didn’t get it done, so give CAC all the credit.”

The Bears (32-4) used three from their bullpen. Spears was relieved by senior shortstop Justin Treece in the top of the third inning, who gave way to Blake Evans to begin the sixth inning. Starter Spears was feast or famine, as he gave up three walks and two hits, but struck out four. Treece gave up a walk in the third, two more in the fourth, but held CAC without a hit during that time. That changed in the fifth, when the Mustangs got him for three hits and three walks, resulting in three scores.

Senior second baseman D.J. Baxendale began the Bears’ rally in the fifth with a walk, followed by a base-on-balls to freshman catcher Blake Baxendale. D.J. had to wait through a pair of pop outs before scoring on a single by right fielder Michael Maddox.

Blake scored on a double steal that caught Maddox between first and second, ending Sylvan Hills’ turn after two runs.

Only one other Bear made it on after that.

Biggerstaff replaced Bryan after Maddox’ single, and sent the Bears three up and three down in the sixth. Nathan Eller led off the bottom of the seventh with a single to left center, but the CAC ace dug deep to fan both Baxendales and Spears to prevent the tying run from coming across.

The decisive top of the fifth for the Mustangs started with a single by Bryan, who was caught on a fielder’s choice by John Edwards for the first out. Andrew Pellcey walked to put runners at first and second. One out later, Biggerstaff doubled to score Edwards for the first run of the game. Geno Jameson was then intentionally walked, and Blake Leisenring singled to plate Pellcey to make it 2-0 and load the bases for the Mustangs.

Treece walked Brock Ashford to give Biggerstaff the free trip across for what turned out to be the winning run.

The Mustangs’ first opportunity came in the top of the second. Biggerstaff walked to start the frame, and advanced on a single by Jameson. Leisenring then doubled to send Biggerstaff around the diamond. The throw from left field was off the mark at the plate, but Blake Baxendale recovered and tossed to Spears at the plate, who got the tag just in time to prevent the run.

Sylvan Hills’ only other hit of the game was a bloop single by Eric McKinney in the bottom of the third with two outs, but he was picked off by Bryan.

In all, the Bears gave up six hits, 10 walks and committed two errors. Spears, Treece and Evans combined for 10 strikeouts.

Bryan gave up two hits and two walks while fanning three for CAC, while Biggerstaff allowed only one hit while striking out three.

CAC will take on Harrison, a 7-6 semis winner over Little Rock Christian, today at Baum Stadium at 5:30 p.m.

The Bears advanced in Monday’s quarterfinal round with a 5-2 win over Greenbrier. The Panthers struck first with a pair of runs in the top of the second inning, but a base-clearing double by Ty Van Schoyck on the bottom side cleared the bases and put the Bears up 3-2. D.J. Baxendale scored on a double steal in the bottom of the fifth inning before Michael Maddox set the final margin with an RBI single later in the same frame.