EVENTS >> 1-5-11

MISS GREATER JAKSONVILLE  PAGEANT SET FOR  JAN.29

The Miss Greater Jacksonville Pageant and the Miss Greater Jacksonville Outstanding Teen Pageant will be held Saturday, Jan. 29 at the Jacksonville Community Center.

The deadline to enter is Jan. 21.

Miss Greater Jacksonville contestants must be between the ages of 17 and 24.

Outstanding Teen contestants must be at least 13 years old by the date of the state pageant or no older than 17 and must not be a senior in high school.

Other contests will include baby miss for children under 18 months old; toddler miss for children between the ages of 19 and 35 months old; wee miss for 3- to 4-year-olds; tiny miss for 5- and 6-year-olds; little miss for 7- to 9-year-olds and petite miss for 10- to 12-year-olds. Each competition includes beauty with optional talent and photogenic portions. For details, call Sharon at 501-982-3898.

CABOT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE'S BANQUET IS JAN.21

Cabot Chamber of Commerce will host its annual membership banquet at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 21 at Cabot Junior High North. The guest speaker for this event will be Walt Coleman, an NFL referee. Tickets are $25 per person or $225 for a table of eight. To make a reservation, e-mail chamber@cabotcc.org or call 501-843-2136.

Awards for the chamber’s member of the year and business of the year will be presented. The chamber is accepting nominations till Jan. 7. 

SCHOOL CLOSINGS TO BE DISCUSSED

The Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce will host its next education committee meeting from 3 to 5 p.m. Monday at the community center, 5 Municipal Drive. Derek Scott, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel and director of operations for Pulaski County Special School District, will speak.

He is expected to answer questions about a proposal to realign Jacksonville/north Pulaski County schools, possibly resulting in construction of a new middle school and a new elementary school and educating ninth- and 10th-graders at North Pulaski High School and the 11th- and 12th-graders at Jacksonville High School.

The PCSSD board authorized Scott to visit communities to discuss plans to consolidate, close and build new schools.

Under the proposal, Jacksonville High School would be partially replaced with a new $45 million building. North Pulaski High School would be closed, and students would be moved to the new high school. The meeting is open to the public.

Jacksonville chamber to hold banquet Jan. 27

The Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual banquet at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan 27 at the community center. For ticket information, call 501-982-1511.

UAMS offers free mammograms in Lonoke Jan. 19

The UAMS MammoVan, a mobile mammography unit operated by the University of Arkansas, will be in Lonoke Wednesday, Jan. 19 to offer mammograms for area women.

The free service will be provided at the Lonoke Community Center, 1355 W. Front St., from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. For information about the MammoVan’s schedule or to determine elligibility, call the UAMS Cancer Control Department at 800-259-8794.

 Results also will be sent to each patient’s primary-care physician. If the mammogram shows a potential abnormality, the patient will be referred for follow-up to the appropriate services.

 The unit is handicap accessible.

Classes to be held on Christian movement

First Baptist Church of Cabot will begin a 15-week course on Tuesday, Jan. 18. The program is titled “Prespectives on the World Christian Movement.” Classes will meet from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesdays. Each class is taught by a different instructor. The first class is free.

For details, call Bonne Jensen at 501-941-0561, e-mail her at bonnej2000@yahoo.com, or visit www.perspectives.org.

The church is located at 204 N. Third St.

Blood drive planned Monday at Cabot Church 

A community blood drive will be held in Cabot from 1 to 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 10 at First Baptist Church, 204 North 3rd St., room 111. For more information, call Harland Crumb 501-843-5987.

TOP STORY >> Mayor wants ’70s growth

IN SHORT: Expansion will mean better services, but critics are not convinced.

By Garrick Feldman
Leader executive editor

Jacksonville Mayor Gary Fletcher wants the city to grow again and has made it a top priority to annex 2,400 acres north of town, along with a smaller area off Hwy. 61 South.

Both city and rural residents will decide the fate of the proposal on Nov. 2.

Fletcher, who is running unopposed for re-election, said the annexation plans, along with an effort to land the state fair off Hwy. 161 South, are part of his administration’s goal to return Jacksonville to its glory days in the 1970s, when it was the fastest-growing town in Arkansas.

“Jacksonville has a lot of opportunities, but it will take money to realize them,” Fletcher said.

When business prospects look at a Google map of the city, he said, they realize there’s no place to build except in less-traveled areas such as Marshall Road between Main Street and the air base.
While many rural residents are against annexation because they don’t want to live in town, Fletcher said in an interview this week that the area near the air base is where the city should grow.

The annexed area would bring the city about $1.5 million in annual revenues, which would provide services not only to the affected area but also would pay for better, more up-to-date services for all residents, he said.

Fletcher mentioned a digital 911 emergency-communications network to replace the city’s antiquated system, which would cost $1.9 million. An automated garbage system would reduce manpower, which would reduce payroll and workers’ compensation costs.

He wants to see new homes built there and encourage new businesses such as national restaurant chains to move in.

“We’re hypersensitive to the needs of the people in the proposed annexed area,” the mayor said.

A committee is considering letting residents there keep their rural lifestyle — barns and horses and hunting and leaf burning.

But, he said, referring to the vociferous critics of annexation, “The loud ones often get the attention.”

Terry Weatherford is one of the rural residents who has spoken out quietly against the annexation plans.

He calls the proposal “a force-march situation” since rural residents are outnumbered 10-1 and have little chance of winning at the ballot box.

Weatherford says he has no problem with Jacksonville annexing the corridor along Hwy. 67/167, which “would solve Jacksonville’s revenue problems” since that’s where most of the businesses are located. “But leave the rest of us alone.”

Weatherford says the rest of the area is rural and much of it is in a floodplain.

“There are drainage issues,” he said. “Six hundred acres are in swamp land.

“Jacksonville hasn’t told us what it would cost to build a fire station,” he continued, “and provide police protection.”

People in the area are rural types set in their ways.

“There are seven and eight cars on some properties,” he said. “What will the city do with them?”
Fletcher said a group called Soaring Opportunities for Jacksonville has been formed to promote the annexation. Former Rep. Pat Bond is the group’s treasurer.

“This election is about the future of Jacksonville,” Fletcher said. “This election is about what people want Jacksonville to look like in five years. Jacksonville has a chance to excel in this recession. Most cities are playing it safe. We don’t want to be stagnant.”

“It excites me when people come to Jacksonville,” the mayor said.

He said 7,000 people visit the Memphis Flea Market in the old Walmart. Thousands more go to the gun and knife shows. More events are planned there.

“This is a time to grow,” Fletcher said. “Momentum dictates everything. This is a golden opportunity for our people.”

TOP STORY >> Budget is $69.3M for Cabot schools

IN SHORT: District has $6.1 million surplus, will spend nearly $2 million more.

By Joan McCoy
Leader staff writer

The Cabot School Board approved a $69.3 million operating budget for the 2010-2011 school year Tuesday night, up from $67.4 million last year.

The budget includes an anticipated carryover of $6.1 million to start the 2011-2012 school year. Tina Wiley, district comptroller, said the carryover is important because the first money from the state doesn’t come in until the end of August and the district needs money for salaries and other expenses until then.

The budget does not yet include anything for salary increases, although Dr. Tony Thurman, school superintendent, said those are coming.

“We are still waiting on first-quarter enrollment numbers to be final so that we can have a more accurate estimate of our growth funding. This funding amount will have a major bearing on the amount of raises that we can provide for staff,” Thurman said.

Wiley said for the past two years, the district has given pay raises that added $1,000 to the base pay of all teachers. Classified staff such as custodians and cafeteria workers received pay increases of 30 cents an hour for an overall increase of $378 to $600, depending upon hours worked.

The eight-page budget the board passed was not broken down to show expenditures such as individual salaries. However, in response to questions from The Leader, Wiley said Thurman is paid $155,000 not counting benefits. Starting teachers are paid $37,475 and teachers with master’s degrees plus 12 hours with 26 years of experience are paid $58,695.

A pie graph in the budget shows that 67 percent of the school district’s income is from the state and 33 percent is local money.

On the expenditure side, 51 percent goes to certified salaries, 14 percent to classified salaries and 16 percent to benefits which means 81 percent of the budget is for personnel. The balance pays utilities and services at 4 percent, supplies at 9 percent, equipment at 2 percent and debt payments at 4 percent.

“Since the majority of our expense is in salaries, it helps very little to try to keep costs down by cutting down on supplies,” Wiley said.

In addition to salaries, the budget includes $7 million for maintenance and operation and $3.3 million for transportation. The district now runs 90 bus routes and more could be added.

The carryover for 2009-2010 was 8.1 percent of the total budget. The anticipated carryover this year is 8.8 percent. Thurman said the state doesn’t require a specific carryover but likes to see between 6 and 10 percent. In 2007, the carryover was down to 4.8 percent. But it has been increasing ever since and now it is well within the acceptable range.

TOP STORY >> Going digital, despite critics

IN SHORT: Although much maligned, PCSSD relies on new technology for efficiency.

By John Hofheimer
Leader senior staff writer

Accurate tracking of district assets, including textbooks, good communication between administrators, board members and patrons, and transparency are among the many challenges facing Supt. Charles Hopson’s new administration at Pulaski County Special School District.

Hopson believes that technology can help address those issues. Toward that end, he brought Derrick Brown with him from Portland, Ore., as his chief technology officer to help make informed choices on technology.

Brown says he’s already found efficiencies in technology—some of which will require initial investment—which may save the district money in the long run.

iPads For BOARD

Hopson is seldom seen without his Apple iPad, and now the district has purchased 20 iPads—that’s $12,580—one for each school board member and one for each member of his cabinet.
The iPads are blocked from importing and running recreational or other applications (apps) such as iTunes and games.

What they will do is allow school board members and administrators to get and send e-mail to each other and to parents and other patrons, and to track those e-mails.

A parent complaining about a leaky classroom roof can e-mail his or her board member who can forward that email to Col. Derek Scott, who is executive director of operations, Brown explained.
Through new school board specific eBOARDsolutions, all also will have searchable access to minutes of the school board meetings, school policies, the school calendar and other documents, Brown said.

“The iPads will have email capability and real-time availability,” he said. “The biggest advantage is to the patrons.”

The board members, administrators and cabinet members receiving the iPads must sign a two-page user guideline.

The district had purchased laptop computers for the board members and cabinet members, but some board members don’t have access to high-speed Internet at home and because in the past board members Mildred Tatum and Gwen Williams had run up hundreds of dollars worth of use and roaming fees on Blackberry-type phones the district paid for, a district policy prohibits paying for board member smartphones.

Brown said the iPads cost $629 each with a $15 a month data fee. The iPads will work both on wireless Internet signals, or where there is none, on cellular phone signals, which are pretty much everywhere.

The previously purchased laptops will replace the next laptops that would have been purchased for general use in the district.

The iPads should connect automatically with the wireless Internet at the PCSSD Central Office, which is where the board meetings are held. “Phone calls are great,” Brown said, “but where is the documentation? All our board members go to our schools. If they see something in their schools, they have a tool in their hand to report problems. Send an email. It’s traceable and trackable.”

BOOKS V. iPads?

The teachers’ union and their allies are critical of the purchase of iPads at a time when the district has only recently emerged from fiscal distress and when not all students have all the books they need.

Students will have the necessary textbooks soon, according to Communications Director Deborah Roush. “It’s not a financial issue,” she said, but rather an issue of reorganization and communication.

For instance, some schools may not have enough eighth-grade math books, while others may have stacks of excess in the storage room. That’s exactly the kind of thing that can be better tracked with the use of iPads or through computer programs, Roush said Monday.

“We have a (data base) inventory system for the libraries,” Brown said. “We can scan books in and out. It’s a logistical challenge, but we can do that with the textbooks,” he said.

It will require district personnel and volunteers in the near future to go room-by-room and closet-by-closet throughout the district and log the number of books available and where they are.

DIGITAL COMMITTMENT

Before Hopson was hired, the district already had purchased Web-based digital school board communication software and laptop computers with which to use it, but now that Hopson has his team in place, board members are being trained to use both the iPad and the new dedicated school board software, Brown said Tuesday.

“In March the board decided to go green,” Brown said. “They wanted to go away from the thick binder (of monthly board meeting agenda books) and they purchased eBOARDsolutions.”

So the board already had committed to a first-year licensing fee of $24,325 to allow the digital communication, plus a one-year renewal option for $6,000, Brown said.

“Right now, we can’t print enough (inch-thick agenda books) for everyone,” Brown said. “How do we run a district of this magnitude—a $250 million business?”

“I ask myself, ‘How do I best meet the needs of the superintendent and the board?’” Brown said. “I’m asking the process questions. How do we do what we say we’re going to do? Let’s get all the right stakeholders around the table and let’s figure the total cost of ownership. How does it affect teaching and learning or keeping information up to date?”

PRINTER/COPIER STANDARDIZATION

“We’re doing printer/copier assessment,” he said. “We have printing capabilities in all our offices, but it’s a hodgepodge. They each had a budget and bought what they thought they needed. The toner runs out and there’s no money in the budget. Or it breaks.

“We’ve pulled in two global venders to determine the needs. Then we’ll send out requests for proposals. We want a plan that is sustainable and standardized.”

Brown said they did that for 87 schools in the Portland district from which he and Hopson came.
Right now, the district has several different makes and types of printers spread across the district, each taking its own kind of ink cartridges and service and repair.

Computers, printers and other such things will likely be bought under state purchasing agreements.

“We want to know the total cost of ownership and the return on investment. Venders will bring information back to us.”

Brown is putting all administrators and employees with district-owned and paid cell phones on the same plan with the same company.

“We did an assessment with (Chief Financial Officer Anita Farver) and found a considerable amount of roaming charges. Every phone wasn’t on the same plan. With Verizon, we’re consolidating our phones, deciding who needed phones, and we are reducing costs by about $15,000 annually,” Brown said.

eBOARDsolutions software, once in use, will allow district personnel to pull together agenda packets and supporting information much more quickly.

The public and the board can more quickly find historical information without requiring time and effort of school personnel.

TOP STORY >> Hopson upbeat after years of strife

IN SHORT: Superintendent says he can work with new board members and union,
as well as legislators who want accountability.

By Garrick Feldman and John Hofheimer
Leader staff writers

With the election this week of two union-backed school board members, the Pulaski County Special School District Board is likely to rescind its illegal decision to oust the teachers union as collective bargaining agent for the teachers at its next meeting on Oct. 12.

But freshly minted Superintendent Charles Hopson, in an interview with The Leader, says he anticipates no problems working with the unions.

Hopson says he wants an open and transparent administration and toward that end has been meeting with teachers in each board zone, writing a column for the district’s webpage and meeting with representatives of the teachers union.

In the exclusive interview Thursday, Hopson also said the next new school “has to be in the Jacksonville area,” perhaps at Little Rock Air Force Base to replace the decrepit but high-achieving Arnold Drive Elementary School, as well as nearby Tolleson Elementary.

“We can’t keep doing things the way things have been done in the past and expect a different outcome,” Hopson said.

He promised to end the cycle of “inertia and complacency” and make improvements throughout the district.

PCSSD has been losing students for decades, has struggled financially and has failed to meet state standards, but Hopson is promising a turnaround.

“We have a long way to go and a short time to get there,” he acknowledged.

“The district has the potential to be a leader in the state for setting world-class standards,” the superintendent said.

“This district was the largest and wealthiest and most progressive in the state until 1989, when I left Northwood Middle School. It was a new school, one of the most modern in the state. I visited it recently and was stunned how neglected it is. It doesn’t need to be that way.”

WELCOMES OVERSIGHT

Hopson said he welcomes what is likely to be a prolonged period of oversight by the state Bureau of Legislative Audit, in light of the district’s poor history of record keeping, financial management and other issues.

The Bureau of Legislative Audit earlier this year discovered the unauthorized purchase, theft and sale of about $439,000 worth of school property, thousands of dollars in improper travel reimbursement of current school board members Gwen Williams and Mildred Tatum, overpayment of former Supt. James Sharpe and poor oversight of other financial matters.

As a direct result of that, the state Board of Education “pre-warned” the Pulaski County Special School District that it could be headed again for fiscal distress.

“I can see why the public would be outraged by these expenditures,” Hopson said.

NEW BOARD

Gloria Lawrence of Sher-wood and Tom Stuthard of Jacksonville, both supported by the Pulaski Association of Classroom Teachers and the Pulaski Association of Support Staff replaced union opponents Charlie Wood and Danny Gililland.

Both Lawrence and Stuthard said they were very clear about their roles as policy makers, Hopson said.

“Both were very supportive of the direction we’re taking the district,” he added, and “have a very positive reaction toward the appointments I’ve made.”

Despite recent hires of well-paid non-educators such as Chief Technology Officer Derrick Brown and Chief Operations Officer Col. Derek Scott, Hopson said he believes he’s cut the administrative salary-budget line by about $100,000 by combining and eliminating some jobs.
He said their expertise is already saving the district money.

He said Brown and Scott are experienced experts in their fields and will make the district better and more efficient. “The success rests with people I bring in that will support the vision I have for this district,” Hopson said.

FACILITES PROFESSIONAL

Scott is retired career Air Force officer with years of experience overseeing the maintenance and construction of facilities.

Since he was hired this summer, he’s been assessing district facilities and directing repairs and maintenance. He’s expected to save the district a lot of money in the future serving as construction manager on new construction, Hopson has said.

And the schools would not be in the sorry condition they are if attention had been paid to them throughout the years.

Hopson said instruction needed to drive school design.

Technology not only drives instructional matters, but helps track district finances, according to Hopson. He said Brown had already saved the district thousands of dollars even while purchasing iPads for board members and administrators to use.

He said in the future, teacher and administrator evaluations could be done and filed online, as well as state assessments.

Hopson wants to explore other ideas, such as selling sponsorships for sports stadiums.
When the district needed 50 additional buses, instead of purchasing them for about $4 million to $5 million, the district leased them for $300,000.

Most of those buses were necessary because the board agreed to change the bell schedule for the secondary schools.

HOPSON’S VISION

My vision is “for every student to leave prepared to enter a rigorous post-secondary experience and to be able to compete at a world-class level,” he said.

To achieve that, it may be necessary to lengthen the school day or even the school year, ideas guaranteed to be unpopular with the unions and many parents.

“We have the shortest school day and year of any first-world country,” he said.

Regarding a new school for Jacksonville—a decision ultimately in the board’s bailiwick—Hopson said Arnold Drive managed to be one of the three best schools in the state while operating in a rundown building.

“People don’t understand some of the great things happening despite challenges with the facilities,” he said.

That school is located on the Air Force base, and the Air Force has offered land for a new school.
But he said when the time comes, he would invite Jacksonville residents to help make that decision.

Promising future

“This is a district with great promise,” the superintendent said. “You can see the promise of what it can be.”

PCSSD is where Portland was 15 years ago, Hopson said, promising to make the same kind of progress here as in his previous job. “It’s been an adreneline rush. I look forward to going to work,” Hopson said.

TOP STORY >> Cabot, Beebe National Merit semifinalists

By JOAN McCOY
Leader staff writer

Eleven high school seniors from Cabot and one from Beebe are among the 144 Arkansas seniors recently named National Merit Scholarship semifinalists.

The 11 students from Cabot and one from Beebe are among 16,000 who scored high enough to be named semifinalists. The designation makes the students eligible for about 8,400 National Merit Scholarships worth $36 million.

In Arkansas, only Little Rock with 42 and Fayetteville with 18 had more National Merit semifinalists than Cabot. Conway had 12, but one was a home-schooled student.

The semifinalists from Cabot are Layne M. Bernardo, Alyssa C. Cantrell, Anthony B. Cardillo, William D. Carman, Jeffrey L. Graham, William J. Otter, Carson T. Patterson, Bradley R. Puder, Kevan T. Sharp, Hayden D. Summerhill and Kaitlyn N. Thomas.

The semifinalist from Beebe is Bernard R. Smith.

Dr. Belinda Shook, superintendent of Beebe Schools, said this week that she had been Smith’s elementary principal.

“I always knew Bernard was a smart kid,” Shook said. “We’re proud of him.”

Carla Choate, a counselor at Beebe High School, said she is completing paperwork to help meet eligibility requirements for Smith to become a National Merit scholar.

“This is fairly unusual,” Choate said. “We don’t have one every year.”

Melissa Elliott, director of gifted and AP programs at Cabot, says a rigorous curriculum beginning in middle school combined with opportunities for students to prepare for high-stakes tests is the secret to Cabot’s success.

“The semifinalists are the highest-scoring students for each state, and they represent less than 1 percent of the nation’s high school juniors,” Elliott said.

“We ranked third in the state this year with our 11 semifinalists,” she said. “The insistence on a rigorous curriculum throughout the district is perhaps the most important and direct factor in our success.

“Our district is cognizant of the necessary components needed to achieve higher scores, and we are doing everything possible to ensure that students who desire to improve their scores have every opportunity to do so.

“Though high-stake exams are most often associated with our secondary schools, the foundation starts in our elementary schools and is reinforced at our middle-level buildings by staff that have high expectations for students and instill a work ethic required for them to be successful,” she said.

Last year, about 1.5 million high school juniors became part of the scholarship program by taking the 2009 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

TOP STORY: More warnings for PCSSD

IN SHORT: Troubled school district takes steps in reaction to “early indicators” of fiscal distress.

By John Hofheimer
Leader senior staff writer

The discovery earlier this year by the state Bureau of Legislative Audit of unauthorized purchases and sales of about $439,000 of school property, improper reimbursements of some school board members, overpayment of former Supt. James Sharpe and poor oversight of other financial matters has prompted the state Board of Education to “pre-warn” the Pulaski County Special School District that it could be headed again for fiscal distress.

The state is required to warn every district by Aug. 31 if it has found “early indicators of fiscal distress.”

The specific indicators for PCSSD were: State or federal audit exceptions or violations and failure to comply with state law governing purchasing or bid requirements. The district has already taken action on several problems.

“I learned about the early indicators of fiscal distress last week at…a meeting with Bill Golf, assistant (Arkansas Education Department) commissioner for finance,” the district’s chief financial officer said Friday.

“The early indicators of fiscal distress mirror the issues listed in the legislative audit report,” said Anita Farver, the PCSSD chief financial officer.

“In my opinion, we just need to comply with district, state and federal policies at all times, with all fund sources, on all expenditures without deviation.

“Tracking expenditures was an issue,” Farver said. “This issue is being corrected with our financial data base being moved to the state server. All expenditures are now processed through the Arkansas Public School Computer Network.”

The state Education Depart-ment put PCSSD in fiscal distress in 2005, from which the district emerged in 2007 after careful oversight by the state.

At that time, the district’s reserves had run unacceptably low.

This time, the district is being warned that it has not been sufficiently careful with its money.
The state legislative audit found that about $430,000 worth of district equipment was ordered, then sold by its mechanical systems supervisor, James Diemer, who subsequently pleaded guilty to theft of property.

In addition, school board members Mildred Tatum and Gwen Williams and former school board member Pam Roberts were found to have billed the district for reimbursement for non-reimbursable items, such as theater tickets.

Tatum over-billed the district by $2,788, Williams by $619 and Roberts by $270.

As recently as the Sept. 14 meeting, the board was considering taking action on measures intended to further tighten its own financial oversight, things which Farver says will not only help satisfy the Legislative Audit Bureau, but also the concerns of the Education Department.

The board unanimously approved revisions of the district’s business-procedure manual regarding out-of-district travel, local travel reimbursement and perhaps most importantly, prohibiting blanket purchase orders.

Instead, every purchase order will be submitted and approved individually, Farver said. A blanket order was defined as “written authorization in the form of a purchase order for a department or departments to purchase indefinite quantities of goods and or services from a specific vendor for a specified period of time, usually one year.”

The board is also considering an agreement with U.S. Bank for “procurement cards.”

The proposal, by Farver, would automate the procurement process to reduce unauthorized spending, slash administrative costs and enable the district to better manage purchasing by analyzing spending patterns.

They would be issued at the cabinet level during the first year of implementation to be used for approved purchases.

The board also voted to discontinue the practice of cash advances for out-of-district travel for board members to insure accountability.

TOP STORY >> Gas suit could trim taxes for schools

IN SHORT: Couple goes to court to keep their wells from being assessed at a higher rate.

By JOAN McCOY
Leader staff writer

As the ages of lawsuits go, the one filed in April by a White County couple to stop the county from assessing their property at a higher value and collecting additional taxes because it has gas wells is still in its infancy.

The couple’s attorney has asked for a judge to decide the case’s merits without a trial and the judge hasn’t done that. Neither has the judge declared it a class-action suit as the couple requested or dismissed it as the county tax assessor and collector have asked.

So when the Beebe School Board voted earlier this month to oppose the suit four months after it was filed in circuit court, it did so in plenty of time to have its position considered.

And that position, said Dr. Belinda Shook, is that the district needs whatever tax money is available.

“I owe that to the staff and students,” Shook said. “I’m supposed to look out for them. That’s my job.”

Kenneth Joe and Mary May, through their attorney Richard Mays of Heber Springs, filed suit April 1 saying the tax is an illegal exaction for several reasons: Since the property tax is assessed on the land before the gas is removed, taxing the royalties is a double tax. The gas companies pay a severance tax, so the gas is being taxed twice. The property owners pay an income tax on the royalties, so the assessment is a double tax. And besides, the assessment is not an accurate reflection of the royalties being paid to property owners. It is too high.

Contacted this week, White County Assessor Debra Lang said she is simply following state law.
She’s been assessing land with gas wells at a higher value since the wells started producing in 2006.

“I’m just doing my job,” she said, adding, “And don’t think I didn’t ask at the state level before I started. This is a lot more work for us.”

Lang said she sees no real difference between farm land and land with mineral royalties.
“We assess agricultural land based on the value of the crop,” she said.

“Gas is a crop, more or less. The land has more value because it has a product,” she added. The assessment is based on gas production and that production is subject to tax, she said. The assessment is based on actual numbers from the gas companies, Lang said. If production goes down, so will the tax assessment.

Shook said she doesn’t know exactly how much will come to the Beebe School District from the gas royalty assessment. Each district gets only the tax from gas production in its district.

But schools are counting on every dollar they can get to make it through the recession.

Currently, Floyd is the only area in the Beebe School District with gas wells, but the district wants any additional property-tax revenue it can get from that area or any other that might be developed inside the district.

TOP STORY >> FBI report lists area crime rate

IN SHORT: Jacksonville and Beebe are the most violent per capita, while Austin and Searcy are the safest, according to recently released 2009 data.

By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer

Along Hwy. 67/167 in central Arkansas, Beebe is the most violent city per capita to live in followed by Jacksonville, according to recently released FBI statistics for 2009.

Austin is the safest, followed by Searcy, according to the report. Most communities have seen an increase in crime.

The report tracks violent crimes at the city, county and state levels. Violent crimes include murder, rape and sexual assault, robbery and aggravated assault. The report also lists property crimes, burglary, larceny and theft, motor vehicle theft and arson.

Arkansas averages 5.1 violent crimes per 1,000 residents, based on the FBI figures. This is up 3.4 percent from 2008.

Area cities over the state average include Beebe with eight violent crimes per 1,000 residents, Jacksonville at 7.5 violent crimes per 1,000, Lonoke had six violent crimes per 1,000 people, Sherwood was at 5.9 violent crimes per 1,000 and Ward at 5.3 per thousand residents.

Only Austin and Searcy were below the state average.

Austin had a skimpy .4 violent crimes per 1,000 residents, Searcy was at three violent crimes per thousand people and Cabot had 3.2 violent crimes per 1000 residents.

In fact, your chances of being a violent-crime victim in Beebe is about 20 times greater than in Austin.

Beebe also had the most murders in 2009—three. Sherwood was the only other city in the area to have a murder in 2009—it had one.

Going from worst to best, Beebe (population 7,096) had 58 violent crimes in 2009, including three murders, six rapes or sexual assaults, one robbery and 48 aggravated assaults, up from 2008. The city also had 310 property crimes, 135 burglaries, 155 larcenies or thefts, 20 vehicle thefts and one arson.

Jacksonville (pop. 31,480) had 235 violent crimes in 2009, including 17 rapes or sexual assaults, 38 robberies and 180 aggravated assaults, which are down from 2008.

The city also had 1,473 property crimes, 369 burglaries, 1,036 larcenies or thefts, 68 vehicle thefts and 10 arsons. The city had no murders in 2009.

Lonoke (pop. 4,636) had 28 violent crimes in 2009, including two rapes or sexual assaults, two robberies and 24 aggravated assaults, up from 2008.

The city also had 209 property crimes, 66 burglaries, 140 larcenies or thefts and three vehicle thefts. The city had no murders.

Sherwood (pop. 24,888) had 148 violent crimes, including one murder, six rapes or sexual assaults, 21 robberies and 120 aggravated assaults, which are up from 2008.

The city also had 1.096 property crimes, 239 burglaries, 782 larcenies or thefts, 75 stolen vehicles and two arsons.

Ward (pop. 4,086) had 22 violent crimes, including one rape or sexual assault, one robbery and 20 aggravated assaults, down slightly from 2008. The city also had 117 property crimes, 38 burglaries, 78 larcenies or thefts, one vehicle theft and no arsons. Ward had no murders for the year.

Cabot (pop. 24,766) had 81 violent crimes in 2009, including 12 rapes or sexual assaults, six robberies and 63 aggravated assaults, up from 2008. The city also had 810 property crimes, 329 burglaries, 461 larcenies or thefts and 20 stolen vehicles.

The city had no murders or arsons in 2009.

Searcy (pop. 22,647) had 70 violent crimes in 2009, including seven rapes or sexual assaults, 14 robberies and 49 aggravated assaults, up from 2008. The city also had 1,203 property crimes, 426 burglaries, 737 larcenies or thefts, 40 stolen vehicles and six arsons.

Austin (pop. 2,054) had just one violent crime for all of 2009 and it was an aggravated assault.
The city also had 19 property crimes, nine burglaries, eight larcenies or thefts and two motor-vehicle thefts. In 2008, the city had no violent crimes.

TOP STORY >> Board sees 2 veterans booted out by voters

IN SHORT: Lawrence and Stuthard oust Wood and Gililland from PCSSD, tilting power toward teachers union.

By JOHN HOFHEIMER
Leader senior staff writer

The Pulaski Association of Classroom Teachers and the Pulaski Association of Support Staff won big Tuesday in the Pulaski County Special School District school board election, replacing two anti-union incumbents with candidates of their own choosing.

Former teacher Gloria Lawrence defeated Charlie Wood for the Zone 4 Sherwood seat 1,080-364, while Tom Stuthard defeated Danny Gililland 515-367 to represent Zone 5 in northwest Jacksonville and north Pulaski County.

The unions needed to pick up only one seat to shift the balance of power and thus effectively put a stop to the heated and expensive effort to decertify the unions as the collective bargaining agents for the district’s employees.

Both Wood and Gililland served one term on the board and worked to decertify the unions.
Lawrence taught 23 years at Sylvan Hills Middle School, where she was a PACT member. She retired in June. She ran in support of PACT.

Stuthard, a Jacksonville resident, campaigned on change. He wants to curb spending and is amenable to firing bad teachers.

He’s an Air Force veteran. His wife is a district teacher and a union member. They are parents of two PCSSD graduates. He is a postal worker.

SPORTS: Beebe, Paragould still seek success

By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter

The start of conference play this week could not come at a better time for Beebe or Paragould.
The Badgers and Rams are both 0-3, but the losing streak ends for someone when Paragould visits Bro Erwin Stadium to start 5A-East Conference play on Friday.

“Both of us are wanting that first win of the year,” Beebe coach John Shannon said. “Plus it’s the first conference game, so it’s a big ballgame in more ways than one. Hopefully we can do better this week and come out with some fire and win it.”

Last week’s result against Vilonia was similar to Beebe’s opener at Greenbrier in which the Badgers kept it close through the first three quarters only to watch the game slip from their grasp in the final minutes.

Beebe was also in position to beat Lonoke in Week 2 until the Jackrabbits rallied for two scores in the final six minutes to steal the victory.

“It’s like the defense goes out and gets a stop and the offense doesn’t do anything, or the offense scores and then the defense gives up something,” Shannon said. “Some of it has been not having the right personnel in at the time. A lot of it is the mental aspect that we’ve got to be able to have each other’s back.

“Hopefully, we can finish it this week.”

Lonoke used all-purpose player Darius Scott to come from behind and beat Beebe two weeks ago, but that experience could be a benefit to the Badgers this week when the defense contends with Rams senior Chance Sugg.

Sugg is similar to Scott in size, speed and abilities. He can play multiple receiver spots, as well as tailback and quarterback, and picked up over 2,000 all-purpose yards last season.

The three early losses exposed some areas needing improvement for Beebe, but there have also been flashes of the team Shannon wants to see.

“We’d like to have a win, but we’ve gotten better each week,” Shannon said. “I feel pretty good about things, but there are some things we’re going to have to do like tackle better. It seems like every time we get something going, we have a turnover or a costly penalty.

“We’ve played well for three quarters, we just haven’t put it together.”

Paragould is one of two teams picked to finish lower than Beebe, which is No. 6 in Hooten’s preseason conference polls. Paragould was picked seventh and Nettleton eighth.

But Beebe’s and Paragould’s combined 0-6 record has set the stage for a fight to gain not just confidence, but also valuable points in the apparently balanced 5A Southeast.

“That’s what I’ve been preaching to the kids is that in the big scheme of things, it doesn’t mean a lot.” Shannon said. You always want to get that win, but now the games are counting for right now.”

OBITUARIES >> 09-22-10

WENDI SNELL

Wendi Michelle Hall Snell, 36, of Jacksonville lost her battle with chiari malformation on Sept. 18.

Waiting in heaven were her grandparents, L. G. Teague (Grandpa) and Ivy (Granddaddy) and Alice Hall (Nanny Mutt).

She leaves to cherish her memory, her husband, Joel Snell; her precious daughters, Emily Grace and Olivia Clare; parents, Billy and Pam Hall; grandparents, Larry “Dubby” and June Bonham (Nanny Cokie); sister and best friend, Misty Cagle and her husband Brian, and nephews, Brice and Brady. She is also survived by her mother-in-law, Janice Snell; two brother-in-laws, Robert and his wife Misty Snell, and Lee and his wife Wendy Michelle Snell, and niece and nephews, Kaylan, Nathan, and Hayden.

Wendi graduated with honors from Jacksonville High School and received her teaching degree from the University of Central Arkansas. While teaching, she continued her education and received her masters degree. She received the Bobby G. Lester Excellence in Education Award.
At Murrell Taylor, where she was a math specialist, she was on the leadership team, a member of the Arkansas Leadership Academy Team Institute, a member of National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, a member of National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics, a member of the Pulaski County Math Curriculum Team, and conducted professional development for Pulaski County Special School District.

She was one of two founding sponsors of Murrell Taylor Student Council and a member of Murrell Taylor PTA.

Wendi’s goals in life were getting married, having children and teaching school. She achieved all of these goals with unwavering love and giving. Wendi was the go-to girl at Murrell Taylor, touching each and every teacher and student whom she came into contact with.

Wendi’s right arm was her mom. They were almost inseparable, especially during Wendi’s failing health.

Thirty-six years was not enough for someone with a heart as big as hers. Her legacy will continue to touch many more lives as her organs have been donated so that others can have a better life.

In lieu of flowers, the family asked donations be sent to the Wendi Snell Memorial Fund at Murrell Taylor Elementary School, 1401 Murrell Taylor Drive, Jacksonville, Ark. 72076.

Heartfelt thanks to Dr. Ron Fewell, Dr. Redding, her neurosurgeon, the Baptist Health family, and the Aurora team for their care and concern.

Visitation was Sept. 21, at Second Baptist Church in Jacksonville. Funeral service with celebration of Wendi’s life will be at Second Baptist Church at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 22. Interment following in Mt. Carmel Cemetery in Cabot.

Family requests for all to sign her guestbook. Visit www.woodbeanfh.com.

Arrangements by Wood Bean Family Memorial Center, 2620 W Main St., Jacksonville, Ark. 72076 (501) 982-3400.

BARBARA REED

Barbara Hamilton Reed, 74, of Winter Haven, Fla., lost her battle with cancer Sept. 16.

She was born Sept. 16, 1936. She graduated from Lonoke High School, received a bachelor’s of science degree from Louisiana State University and a master’s degree in physics with honors from Purdue University.

During her early career, she did research, lectured and taught government personnel radiation nuclear physics and worked in a number of other countries for the United States.
After teaching 19 years in the Sarasota, Fla., high schools, she retired to Winter Haven, Fla., was an avid water-sports participant, and enjoyed traveling to all continents. She was a lifelong Methodist.

She was preceded in death by her parents, James B. and Jewel Hamilton Reed, and is survived by three cousins and her extended family in Florida, the Fred McCoy’s of Auburndale and many friends and ex-students who benefited from her knowledge.

The funeral will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 28 Lonoke Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Good Shepherd Hospice, 105 Arneson Ave., Auburndale, Fla. 33823. Arrangements are by Boyd Funeral Home in Lonoke.

IRENE McCOLLUM

Irene M. “Rene” McCollum, 85, of Jacksonville passed away Sept. 18.

She was born on April 23, 1925, in Morehouse, Mo., to Frank and Ida Elder.

Mom was certified as an airline stewardess, nurse and beautician, but her job in life was a full-time wife, mother, grandmother and Christian servant. Until her final days, her motto was “If God gives me the day, He gives it for service to Him.”

She worked faithfully even to the age of 84 with people of all ages in her church. Most will remember her as “Miss Huggie,” since her mission became to hug everyone she came near, to show the outpouring of God’s love to all.

She was a member of First Baptist Church of Jacksonville.

She is survived by her son, James D. Carr Sr. of Jacksonville; her daughter, Rebecca Hardwick and her husband John of Jacksonville; her stepsons, Bill McCollum and his wife Betty of Lenexa, Kan., Bobby McCollum and his wife Mary of Dallas; 10 grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husbands, James O. Carr, William Howell, and Robert McCollum, two sisters and two brothers.

The funeral was Sept. 21 at First Baptist Church of Jacksonville. Burial was in Mayflower Cemetery.

Memorials may be made to the First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, 401 N. First St. Jacksonville, Ark. 72076 or Pet Angels of Jacksonville, 217 S. Redmond Road, Jacksonville, Ark. 72076.

Arrangements were by North Little Rock Funeral Home.

SPORTS: Lonoke finally at home

By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter

It’s doubtful Lonoke coach Doug Bost would ever agree to wear ruby slippers.

But his sentiments this week are much like Dorothy’s when she uttered the memorable phrase from the “Wizard of Oz” — “There’s no place like home.”

Lonoke will end a streak of seven road games dating to last November when the Jackrabbits open 2-4A Conference play against Heber Springs at James B. Abraham Stadium on Friday.

The Jackrabbits (3-0) were technically the home team in their season opener against Star City, but the Hooten’s Kickoff Classic game was held at Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

The last real home game for Lonoke was in the first round of last year’s 4A playoffs when the Jackrabbits manhandled Clarksville 48-21 to start off a four-game postseason streak that took them to the 4A state championship game against Shiloh Christian at War Memorial Stadium.

“We’re excited about it,” Bost said. “We’re looking for a lot of energy. At McGehee last week, there just wasn’t a lot of intensity. We’re looking forward to being at home, having a full crowd and to hear the band playing It’s always good to have your first home game of the year.”

Heber Springs (2-1) started the season with a 34-6 blowout of Mountain View before stunning 3A powerhouse Harding Academy 28-14 in Week 2.

The Panthers suffered their first loss Friday against former conference foe Bald Knob, 34-16.

“They’re a well coached football team,” Bost said. “Their strength appears to be their offensive and defensive lines — they’ve got some big old boys up there.”

The biggest key to victory for the Jackrabbits defensively will be containment of junior tailback Markeyvus Mays.

The 5-11, 175-pound junior has speed similar to former Panther running back Braylon Mitchell, who is now a redshirt freshman at the University of Arkansas.

“He has 600 yards of rushing in three games, so he’s someone we will have to key in on when they have the football,” Bost said of Mays. “He’s probably the fastest back we’ve seen so far. We have to contain him and not let him outside, make him run between the tackles.”

Things look more promising for Lonoke’s offense with senior quarterback Logan DeWhitt back. DeWhitt left the first two games early with injuries to his left shoulder, but went the distance against McGehee last week with the help of a brace that helps keep his shoulder in place when he makes contact with other players or the ground.

DeWhitt finished 12 of 23 for 189 yards, three touchdowns and one interception against McGehee.

Senior receiver Darius Scott also put up big numbers, but in a category many would not expect. Scott had 14 carries for 118 yards and a touchdown, with two receptions for 25 yards.

Scott, listed as an outside receiver, is also DeWhitt’s backup at quarterback, but he finished the McGehee game at tailback after starter Keli Bryant was banged up.

“He’s our leading rusher right now,” Bost said. “A lot of those yards he gets when he’s at quarterback, but we can also put him in a speed motion. When someone gets dinged up, he goes to tailback.

“He played four positions last week — inside receiver, outside receiver, quarterback and tailback. The kid knows four different positions; I like that.”

Another senior, Blake Dill, ended up with the best receiving numbers last week with 6 catches for 73 yards and three touchdowns.

Defensively, Jeremiah Griffin led with 11 tackles, while Wes Plummer had 10 and linebacker T.J. Scott had nine.

SPORTS: Dogfight the goal for Bears

By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter

Coach Jim Withrow wants to see Sylvan Hills play with a little more “dog.”

It’s a reference to consistently playing with enthusiasm, but with the White Hall Bulldogs coming to Bill Blackwood Field on Friday to open 5A-Southeast Conference play, Withrow’s comments become more timely.

“They’re always physical up front,” Withrow said. “We’ve got to go in with a mentality knowing it’s going to be a little bit tougher, but if we don’t understand that now, we won’t ever understand it.

“We’ve got to play with a little bit of dog in us and start getting after it. Playing hard one down and taking the next two off doesn’t work. If we can figure that out, we have a chance to win some games. If we don’t figure that out, then we’ll be running in quicksand the rest of the year.”

The Bulldogs (0-3) were picked to finish in the top half of the conference after a 9-3 season and a trip to the second round of the playoffs last year. But they have lost all of their first three games by a touchdown or less.

White Hall started the season with a 22-15 loss to Hot Springs Lakeside before a 17-13 loss to Stuttgart in Week 2 and a 16-15 loss at Sheridan last week.

“They look like they’re searching for an identity,” Withrow said. “You hope that you can take advantage of them struggling — hopefully it will take another week for them to straighten it all out. But their running back, Richardson, he’s the real deal.”

Senior A.J. Richardson, 5-10, 180 pounds, rushed for over 1,200 yards last year and is listed as one of the fastest players in the conference with a 40-yard dash time of 4.4 seconds.

“There’s no doubt, it’s time to rise to the challenge,” Withrow said. “He’s a good back; it’s time we somehow stop the run and get more physical.”

Stopping the run was something Sylvan Hills struggled with last week against Little Rock Parkview and dynamic senior Chris McClendon, who scored four times.

The Patriots went on to win 42-7 to put the Bears 1-2 in the non-conference portion of the schedule. Sylvan Hills lost in similar fashion to Vilonia to start the season before picking up its first victory at Little Rock Christian in Week 2.

“I think it helps us to understand how hard you have to play and what it takes to win,” Withrow said. “Our learning curve was maybe a little faster than what most people go through, but I kind of felt like we took a step back last week. I hope we give out a better effort this week.”

There are always unknowns going into conference play, but one thing Withrow is banking on is for Friday’s result to carry his team a long way — in either direction.

“I think this is the most important game we’ll play all year,” Withrow said. “We need to get in there and give ourselves a chance. A win will be huge. To come out 1-0 in conference takes a little of the heat off of you, to come out 0-1, you’re up against the wall.”

SPORTS: Cabot heads for key tussle with Conway

By TODD TRAUB
Leader sports editor

In the Mike Malham rankings, this week’s opponent Conway isn’t too far behind last week’s opponent Springdale Har-Ber.

Malham, Cabot’s coach, leads the Panthers into their 7A/6A-Central conference opener at Conway this week. While Har-Ber, which beat Cabot 28-10 on Friday, is the No. 1 team in the state and ranked in several national polls, Malham said Conway, No. 2 statewide, has potential to be just as good.

“They look pretty good,” he said. “They’re very good on offense. In fact I don’t know if they’re not as good or better than Har-Ber. They got skill people pretty much running around everywhere.”

Har-Ber scored on its first three possessions Friday night but Cabot kept pace until the offense stalled in the third quarter.

Malham said a handful of plays, or plays not made, may have made the difference.

In the first half the Panthers appeared to make a stop on two different third down plays, a tackle at the line of scrimmage and a sack, but each time the ball carrier escaped for a first down leading to a score. Malham also pointed out a holding call that went against Cabot in the second half and likely cost the Panthers a touchdown.

“Just a little play here or there can make a big difference in a ballgame,” Malham said. “Stat-wise we had about 280 yards offense, which isn’t that bad, and they had about 320 so it wasn’t that big a difference.”

Malham, who had to replace 14 starters this season, was more encouraged than discouraged by the Panthers’ performance Friday.

“We hung in there toe to toe with them anyway,” he said. “And in the third quarter we didn’t do very much. All in all I’m not disappointed. I think we’re getting a little better each week.”

Cabot scored all of its points in the first half on two sustained drives. The first lasted 15 plays and ended with Jesus Marquez’s field goal and the second went 14 plays and ended with Zach Craig’s three-yard keeper up the middle that cut it to 14-10.

Marquez was kicking in placed of Logan Spry, who played in the defensive backfield but didn’t kick because of a pulled stomach muscle.

“Stats don’t win games for you but I think our kids competed well against what’s supposed to be the best team in the state,” Malham said.

Malham said Friday’s game could impact the conference race for the rest of the season. If Cabot doesn’t beat Conway, averaging almost 48 points a game, Malham isn’t sure who else in the 7A/6A-Central will.

“I will say this — it could be for all the marbles Friday night,” Malham said. “If we don’t win Friday night, they may run the table and we’ll be chasing them all year long.”

Malham said it’s hard to say which high schools are truly best in the nation, but after taking a look at Conway’s work out of the Spread, he is pretty certain the Wampus Cats deserve to be ranked up there with Har-Ber in the state.

“That’s just a tossup. There’s so many teams around the country,” Malham said of Har-Ber’s national rankings. “I can see why they’re picked No. 1 in Arkansas. I can see now why they’ve got Conway No. 2. They can play.”

Malham likes his teams’ chances at Conway if the players produce the same effort they showed against Har-Ber, and make the sure tackles when they have the chance.

“We played some good defense at times and then we’re not thinking very good sometimes,” Malham said. “You’ve got to be able to stop the run and you’ve got to be able to control the ball on offense and we really didn’t stop the run very well against Har-Ber.”

SPORTS: Falcons on road to battle Cougars

By TOOD TRAUB
Leader sports editor

North Pulaski will be trying to make up for a backward step or two when it opens 5A-Southeast Conference play at West Helena this week.

The Falcons were shut out in their opener at Searcy, showed signs off offensive life in a 36-12 loss to Pulaski Oak Grove, but failed to reach the end zone in last week’s 14-3 loss to Little Rock Christian.

Part of the problem was a thumb injury to starting quarterback Shyheim Barron that forced the Falcons to go to backup Marvin Davis.

“That didn’t help,” coach Terrod Hatcher said. “It was a coaching mistake and we didn’t have our backups ready to play. That’s a coaching loss right there.”

Hatcher set out to correct the situation during the week, getting Davis more repetitions in practice while awaiting a doctor’s decision on Barron. If cleared to play, Barron will line up at running back and in the secondary.

“There’s no way we can’t have him on the field,” Hatcher said. “And it actually might help us because it frees him up and he’s going to start as safety this week so it’s going to help us defensively.”

North Pulaski’s only points last week came on Spencer Johnston’s first-quarter field goal while Falcons quarterback Marvin Davis threw an interception that led to a touchdown and was sacked on third and 15 after North Pulaski had crossed midfield.

North Pulaski twice got inside the Christian 5 and came away with no points.

The Falcons’ defense, meanwhile, had its moments as it kept the team in the game.

Schyler Spencer sacked Logan Hays to end one scoring threat and the Falcons got an interception that led to Johnston’s field goal. North Pulaski grabbed two turnovers in the first half and Christian only ran five plays in Falcons’ territory in the first two quarters.

But offensively, Hatcher said, the team went backward.

“We had good plays,” Hatcher said. “We had a couple big ones get away from us and that’s what we can’t let happen when conference starts.”

After playing at home just once in the opening three-game stretch, North Pulaski (0-3) hits the road again to play West Helena.

“We’re not focused on where we’re playing,” Hatcher said. “We’re just trying to get where we need to be and playing football. We’re just focused on conference and we think we can shock a few people and actually pull it together come conference time.”

West Helena is picked to finish second behind 5A-Southeast favorite Watson Chapel. West Helena went 6-5 and reached the playoffs last season, bowing out in the first round to Pulaski Academy.

West Helena has a strong-armed quarterback in Markeith Jacobs, 5-10, 175 pounds, and a power back in DeKeathan Williams, 6-2, 200. Coach Russell Smith has touted receiver Aubrey Garner, 6-3, 195, as one of the best in the state.

SPORTS: Jacksonville Ready for close-up

By TODD TRAUB
Leader sports editor

The Jacksonville Red Devils are always trying to put on a good show.

This time the show will be televised.

For the second time in three weeks Jacksonville is stepping out of the traditional Friday night routine, this time playing Mountain Home in the 7A/6A-East Conference opener in a Thursday night game to be broadcast on statewide commercial television.

Jacksonville is at Jan Crow Stadium for the first time this season, and coach Rick Russell said the Red Devils, on a two-game winning streak, are more excited about playing at home — and about opening conference play — than they are about having their exploits aired on KARZ-TV.

“This week we won’t talk about the TV,” Russell said. “We’ll talk about Mountain Home and what we have to do to beat them.”

Jacksonville is no stranger to the bright lights. The Red Devils played Cabot on a Tuesday to open last season, and the game was the first to be commercially broadcast statewide in Arkansas.

This year’s season opener was also against Cabot, also on a Tuesday night, and was part of the fanfare of the four-game, Arkansas High School Kickoff Classic at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.

“We’re excited to get conference started,” Russell said of this week’s game. “It’s our first home game is what we’re really excited about.”

The Thursday kickoff means the Red Devils are on an accelerated-preparation schedule. Jacksonville combined its Monday and Tuesday workouts into one practice Monday, and was holding its Wednesday workout Tuesday.

“I think playing that first Tuesday against Cabot helped us understand what we have to do to adjust our schedule,” Russell said.

The pace hasn’t given the players much time to think about how they will look on TV, and while Russell was happy to talk up the game in the preseason to build excitement, he said he doesn’t have to do that now.

“I think it’s going to be a motivational factor in that we want to execute and play well,” he said.
The Red Devils at least look like they’re ready for their close-up. Jacksonville, in its first year under Russell, has already done what it took all of last season to accomplish — win two games.
After losing to Cabot in the season opener, the Red Devils posted a 34-10 victory at Benton and on Friday they won 42-21 at Hot Springs.

“We’ve played really well,” Russell said. “I think we’ve competed for 48 minutes and the effort was there.”

The Hot Springs victory featured Jacksonville’s most complete offensive performance to date.
Behind quarterback Logan Perry, the Red Devils passed for 205 yards and they rushed for 238.
Perry kept for 107 rushing yards and accounted for all of the passing yardage. He completed five passes each to D’Vone McClure and Jamison Williams, who had 90 and 91 receiving yards, respectively.

Russell praised his coaching staff, including the spotters in the booth, for their work with the offense.

“We have four or five guys up in the box talking to the offensive coaches, telling us where the hot spots are and the creases are,” Russell said.

Jacksonville is hoping to pack Jan Crow with its “White out,” promotion, in which fans are encouraged to wear white in a takeoff of the NFL’s broadcast blackouts when games are not sold out.

Athletic director Jerry Wilson said all middle school and elementary school children will be admitted free if accompanied by an adult with a paid admission.

EVENTS >> 09-22-10

Highway banquet is Tuesday in Cabot

Cabot will hold its third annual Arkansas State Highway banquet at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday at First Baptist Church, 204 N. Third St. The dinner is sponsored by Cabot Chamber of Commerce’s Economic Development Committee.

The event gives city officals and residents an opportunity to discuss improvement plans to the area’s roads.

Dinner will be served at 7 p.m. Cabot High School’s Forensics Department will entertain.
Tickets are $25 or $200 for a table of seven. Call 501-843-2136.

Helicopter pilot to speak in Jacksonville on Thursday

The Jacksonville Museum of Military History, 100 Veterans Circle, will host a roundtable discussion at 6:30 p.m. Thursday with two helicopter pilots who served in Vietnam.

Bill Mulcahy was in the Navy and served three tours in Vietnam flying with the Vietnamese Air Force, the U.S. Army and the Navy’s only helicopter gunship squadron in Vietnam. In addition to serving in Vietnam, Mulcahy also wrote the operation order for the Apollo 13 mission.

Joining Mulcahy will be Jim Grant, a helicopter pilot who served two tours in Vietnam. Grant served with the 3rd Brigade, 7th Cavalry of the First Air Cavalry flying H-13’s as a scout pilot. While in Vietnam, Grant was shot up twice, shot down twice and crashed once.

Jacksonville church to celebrate its new thrift store

God’s Holy House Church, 607 W. Main St. in Jacksonville, has opened a thirft store to benefit the church’s programs. The store is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. It accepts donations. The store also provides temporary tatoos 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every Saturday. To celebrate the occasion, the church will hold a concert at noon Saturday. For more information, call 501-291-5925.

Lonoke County Fair kicks off Thursday with parade

The 2010 Lonoke County Fair and Livestock Show is under way at the Lonoke County Fairgrounds, Hwy. 89. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the event.

A parade will be held at 5 p.m. Thursday and a Red Neck Rodeo jackpot-speed event will be held at 7:30 at the fairgrounds. Bullnanza is set for 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. A crosscut saw contest will be held at noon Saturday and a youth talent show follows at 1 p.m. The Lonoke County fair queen will be crowned at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Cabot Cleanup is Saturday, volunteers are sought

Cabot Fall Cleanup has been set for 9 a.m. to noon Saturday. Volunteers are needed to help collect litter from the city’s streets.

The event is sponsored by Cabot City Beautiful, and held in conjunction with the Great Arkansas Cleanup.

Cabot residents, community groups and businesses are welcome to participate. To register or for more information, call 501-920-2122 or email cabotbeautiful@yahoo.com.

Lonoke County Republicans hold Lincoln Day lunch

The Lonoke County Republican Committee will hold its annual Lincoln Day event at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 2 in the Cabot Middle School North cafeteria, 38 Spirit Drive. The group usually hosts a dinner for Lincoln Day, but in order to schedule U.S. Senate candidate Rep. John Boozman and 1st District congressional candidate Rick Crawford as speakers, it will instead be held at lunchtime. Tickets are available in advance or at the door until 11:30 a.m. The cost is $30, $50 for couples or $200 for a table. For more information, call 501-743-1400.

EDITORIAL: Character vs. deceit

Tim Griffin, who seems to be coasting to a seat in the House of Representatives from central Arkansas, must have blanched when he saw that the W. H. Bowen School of Law at Little Rock had invited five of the fired Republican U. S. attorneys to come discuss the politicization of the Justice Department. Griffin is running as a new face who is going to Washington to clean it up.

Hardly anyone in the district knows that he spent a decade in Washington as a political operative whose job was to tear down Democratic candidates and officeholders, first as an investigator for a Republican congressman, then for the Republican National Committee and finally for the White House political director, Karl Rove. Nor do many know of his pivotal role in the U. S. attorneys scandal.

Griffin, using his White House connections, managed to get Bud Cummins, the U. S. attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, fired so that he could get the job for a few months and build his résumé for a run for Congress. He did not suspect that Cummins’ dismissal and the firing of eight other U. S. attorneys who had not pleased the White House political office would blow up into a scandal that would force the resignation of the attorney general of the United States.

Rove arranged for Griffin to be appointed U. S. attorney under a provision hidden in USA Patriot Act amendments that allowed him to escape questioning and confirmation by the Senate, the only U. S. attorney ever to be appointed in that way. U. S. Sen. Mark Pryor intended to question him about his role in the removal of Democratic voters from the rolls in Florida in the 2004 presidential election. (Griffin told Pryor in a private conversation monitored by the Justice Department that if the voter “caging” happened, higher-ups had made the decision to do it.)

Griffin cannot be relieved at what transpired at the law school. Cummins adhered to the party rule that a good Republican does not speak ill of another who is running for office against a Democrat. Cummins refused to talk about Griffin or say whether he would vote for Griffin, his Democratic opponent Joyce Elliott or skip that race.

“He had a role and I think it’s been documented in the investigation,” Cummins said. “I don’t really have anything to add.” He was talking about the investigative report on the firings by the inspector general of the Justice Department two years ago. It detailed Griffin’s conniving to get Cummins’ job. Officials in the Justice Department and the White House said Griffin told them Cummins was known to be lazy, although the Justice Department ranked Cummins among its top five prosecutors. Justice Department officials eventually acknowledged that Cummins was not fired because he was doing a poor job, as they first announced, but to make room for Griffin.

Another of the fired prosecutors, Paul Charlton of Arizona, was not as discreet as Cummins. Charlton and Carol Lam of California, who spoke at the law school, were fired shortly after they began investigations of a couple of crooked congressmen who happened to be Republicans with close ties to the White House. Congressman Randall “Duke” Cunning-ham of California would eventually go to prison. Congressman Richard “Rick” Renzi of Arizona was indicted on 35 counts of fraud but has not stood trial. President Bush and Vice President Cheney had gone to Arizona to campaign for Renzi, and the White House apparently was miffed that a Republican they had appointed was trying to send another Republican to prison.

Charlton seemed to be madder about Cummins’ mistreatment than his own.

“I’ve seen the video in which Mr. Griffin wept as he said he no longer felt that public service was worthwhile, and it struck me as more than ironic that he was in that state of mind after he had essentially destroyed Bud Cummins’ chance to stay in office as U.S. attorney, even though Bud was doing a terrific job,” Charlton said. “He had slandered Bud while he was a U.S. attorney and used his position with Karl Rove to move Bud out of office. Bud handled it very much like a gentleman and with a great deal of grace, and I don’t think I could say the same of Mr. Griffin.”

The Arizonan had kept abreast of Tim Griffin’s career since the prosecutor fiasco. He said Griffin had lied about the number of cases he had prosecuted and the number of felony jury trials he had worked in the Army’s Judge Advocate General Corps. He said it did not speak well of the man’s character.

“I think how many prosecutions and felony jury trials you’ve had means something, especially for anyone who wants to take the job of U.S. attorney,” Charlton said. “If you misrepresent that, then you need to be held to account for that.”

Truth and courage mean something, too, if you are asking to be the people’s representative in Washington. Cummins and Charlton remind us of Griffin’s one failing as a candidate. It is not his ideas — they are rote Republican — but his refusal to answer questions about the U. S. attorney episode or his activities during his 10-year career inside Washington politics. He waves questions aside by saying that he only wants to talk about the future. The past, they say, is prologue.

SPORTS >> Patriots roll over Bears on big night from back

IN SHORT: McClendon scores four rushing touchdowns to lead LR Parkview past Sylvan Hills.

By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter

The Little Rock Parkview Patriots cruised their way to a 42-7 victory over Sylvan Hills on Friday to hand the Bears their second loss of the season.

The Patriots (2-1) got a four-touchdown performance out of senior running back Chris McClendon and triggered the 35-point sportsmanship/timing rule against the Bears (1-2) early in the fourth quarter.

The rule calls for the clock to run almost continually when a team takes a lead of 35 points or better.

“When they got off the bus, we looked at each other and said ‘This ain’t good,’ ” Sylvan Hills coach Jim Withrow said. “We could not match them physically; we were out there with as many as five or six sophomores on defense at one point. They are an impressive group physically.”

Bears quarterback J.D. Miller engineered Sylvan Hills’ only scoring drive in the fourth quarter by moving the ball with timely pass plays, while running back Willie Johnson capped off the series with a 25-yard touchdown run with less than eight minutes left to play.

“I think it’s a good wake-up call,” Withrow said. “We had four sophomores and two guys who didn’t play last year out there on defense. They weren’t playing bad, but I think they realized how physical the game is.”

Parkview scored on the first play from scrimmage with a swing pass that caught the blitzing Bears defense off guard and turned into a 65-yard touchdown.

Sylvan Hills did not capitalize on a big opportunity in the second quarter when a long pass play from Miller to Anthony Featherston ended with the Patriots stripping Featherstone of the ball deep in Patriots territory.

The youthful Bears opened with a loss to Vilonia then rebounded to take a road victory at Little Rock Christian.

“I don’t like to look at the negative without considering the positive,” Withrow said. “We’ll look at this as a learning experience and go from there. I think we’ll get better as we go along. We had some young guys who made plays tonight, and who were in position to make plays.”

SPORTS >> Red Devils’ balancing act beats Trojans

IN SHORT: Jacksonville gets 205 yards in the air and 238 on the ground to win.

By BOB WISENER
Special to The Leader

HOT SPRINGS — Hot Springs did what its coach asked Friday night, but it wasn’t enough to stop Jacksonville.

The Red Devils put a balanced attack to work and beat Hot Springs 42-21, taking their second consecutive victory under new coach Rick Russell. The Red Devils (2-1) won just two games overall last season.

First-year Hot Springs coach Chris Vereen asked for fundamentally sound football on both sides of the line and a focus on assignments. He also wanted to see the Trojans convert their energy in practice to a game night performance at Holt Memorial Field.
Hot Springs improved in most areas, gaining 429 yards, but turned the ball over six times in a 42-21 home loss, dropping to 0-3. Jacksonville totaled 443 yards, 205 passing and 238 rushing.

Quarterback Logan Perry carried six times for 107 yards and completed 12 of passes for 205 yards. D’Vone McClure had five catches for 90 yards and Jamison Williams had five for 91.

“I honestly felt like we were good for four quarters tonight,” said Vereen, whose team lost to Pulaski Robinson 42-21 and Glen Rose 32-14 in the first two weeks.

“The effort was there the entire night and we ended up with over 400 yards of total offense,” Vereen said. “We moved the football, the kids played hard and we didn’t give up when we got down.

“The kids fought all night long, and that is also one thing we liked about the first two games. We got effort for four quarters. You can’t have over 400 yards of total offense against Jacksonville and not have effort — but goodness gracious, the turnovers.”

Jacksonville scored on its first possession, with McClure breaking loose for a 26-yard run to cap a 53-yard, seven-play drive. Aaron Shore’s extra-point attempt sailed wide, leaving it 6-0 with 5:08 off the clock.

Chris Hughes plunged one yard for a tying touchdown and Andrew Ellars kicked to put the Trojans ahead, 7-6, with under the two minutes to go in the first half.

Jacksonville responded with a four-play, 73-yard scoring drive for a 12-7 halftime lead. Perry threw for 41 yards on the possession and ran the last 17 yards for the score.

Jacksonville quickly scored 16 points early in the third quarter for a 28-7 lead.

On second and 30, Perry broke loose up the middle for 75 yards and then hit McClure on a two-point pass. Sophomore Shaquille Davis ran 13 yards for the other touchdown and passed to McClure for two points.

Hot Springs pulled within 28-14 on Hughes’ 12-yard run and Ellars’ extra point with 6:23 left, but Jacksonville settled matters with a pair of touchdowns and conversions.
Following an interception, Christopher Woods scored from 21 yards out with 4:56 left. Brandon Brockman later returned a fumble 90 yards, with Shore’s point after making it 42-14.

Rolando Johnson ran 73 yards for Hot Springs’ final touchdown and Ellars kicked the extra point.

“You can’t win football games turning the ball over like we did tonight,” Vereen said. “When you look and you have 400 yards of total offense, and you have 21 points to show for it, that’s not very good.

“Anyway you look at it, at worst, every 80 yards of offense should equal a score, and a lot of times less than that.

“It just all goes back to the turnovers. That’s the bottom line.”

Hughes led the Trojans with 98 yards on 16 carries and Johnson added 92 on 13 carries.
Quarterback D’Andre Hood completed five of 12 passes for 128 yards and one interception. Tyree Sampson had three catches for 105 yards.