TOP STORY > >In Cabot, planning a priority to Cypert

By JOAN MCCOY

Leader staff writer

Bill Cypert, who won the runoff election for Cabot mayor last week against former Mayor Stubby Stumbaugh, is getting ready for his new job.

He has resigned as the minister of music at Mountain Springs Baptist Church and he is officially off the Cabot Water and Wastewater Commission on Jan. 1, when he will be sworn in as mayor.

“I’m clearing my calendar and commitments so I can be a full-time mayor,” Cypert said Monday night.

Cypert left for deer camp to relax after the election, but he was back in Cabot to meet with Mayor Eddie Joe Williams on Sunday afternoon. Cypert said he will continue to work on projects that Williams won’t have time to complete before he starts his new job as state senator: a new fire station in the Greystone-Magness Creek area and a right-turn lane on Willie Ray Drive at Hwy. 89.

He has asked Williams for a copy of the proposed 2011 budget as well as the latest 2010 financial report and budget variance. From what he has heard from attending budget and personnel committe meetings, Cypert said he sees no reason the 2011 budget can’t be passed during the December council meeting.

Now 68 years old, Cypert retired from Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield as head of planning for technology strategy and procurement.

He said he is humbled by the unexpected 71 percent of the votes he received in the runoff two days before Thanksgiving in which almost 3,000 votes were cast.

“I wasn’t expecting that much in total and I wasn’t expecting that margin,” Cypert said. “I am humbled and thankful.

“I think the voters set the tone for what they expect in the next four years and I’m ready. As you know, I love a challenge,” he said.

Cypert said he wants information about all the various departments such as how many employees, a copy of the employee handbook and policies. With those in hand, he will begin meeting with department heads.

Cypert said he will keep all the department heads: Jackie Davis in the police department, Phil Robinson in the fire department and Jerrel Maxwell in public works, but he will need two new employees in the mayor’s office, an administrative assistant and an operations director.

Kay Waters, the interim operations director, will be replaced, and Lisa Wilson, Williams’ assistant, is transferring to the clerk-treasurer’s office.

“I’ll probably upgrade both positions,” Cypert said. “I’ll add responsibilities and expectations.”

Williams has advertised the position of operations director and taken several resumes. Cypert said after he completes his job description for the position, he will go through the resumes and decide if anyone is qualified. He may choose from those applications or he may not, he said.

Aside from filling those two positions, the incoming mayor said there will be few changes when he takes over – at least for a while.

“I will take office in a quiet fashion,” he said. “After the first quarter I may make some changes. There will be no surprises.”

As with Williams, traffic will be a priority with Cypert who said he will use the 2007 traffic study as a basis for a long-range plan (hopefully adopted by the council) to build new roads over the next 25 to 50 years to keep the traffic moving.

“I would hope by July, I would have a strategic plan that everyone could buy into,” he said.

Drainage also will be a priority, he said. He would like to identify all the drainage basins, pinpoint the problems in each and address the problems.

He said he wants the city to be run like a business the same way Cabot WaterWorks is run.

Although the mayor has no control over Cabot WaterWorks, parks or the planning commission, Cypert said he believes the mayor does have influence. And he will encourage the planning commission and parks to develop long range plans like Cabot Water and Wastewater Commission has developed for Cabot WaterWorks.

TOP STORY > >Shredding dustup before high court

By Stephen Steed

Special to The Leader

The 17 Pulaski County circuit judges overstepped their authority two weeks ago when they ordered Pulaski County Circuit Clerk Pat O’Brien to stop shredding papers as part of his effort to digitalize courthouse records, O’Brien said in an appeal filed Monday with the Arkansas Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court told the attorney general’s office, which is representing the 17 judges, to file an answer to O’Brien’s appeal by noon Wednesday.

O’Brien said by telephone later Monday that he hopes the state’s high court will address the issue in the short time remaining before O’Brien leaves office in January.

“There’s something of a 10-day rule mentioned (in the court’s administrative proceedings), but really it’s up to the discretion of the court,” O’Brien said. The holiday season makes a small window even smaller.

All 17 judges joined in two separate but identical orders issued on Nov. 12 and Nov. 15 ordering O’Brien to “cease and desist” shredding paper documents as they’re converted to electronic files. That has been a two-year project of O’Brien and his staff. It has cost about $425,000 so far but will save the county some $1.5 million over the next 10 years in storage costs, he has said.

The judges maintain they’re not against digitalizing court documents and moving to a “paperless” society. They have contended — in news accounts and in private meetings with O’Brien the past three months — that a few kinks need to be worked out of the system before paper paper documents are shredded.

O’Brien said he has tried to address the judges’ concerns but believes the process is working fine. He resumed shredding paper documents in November after a short break of not doing it, at the request of Circuit Judge Vann Smith.

Once he resumed, the judges in a rare order signed by all 17, told him to stop.

O’Brien’s writ to the Supreme Court says the judges “took the extraordinary step” of preventing the clerk’s office from carrying out its duties as allowed by Arkansas law and by authority of the Supreme Court.

The filing also says the judges “have overstepped their authority and breached the separation-of-powers doctrine between the judicial branch and the executive branch of government.”

“Essentially (circuit clerk) has been enjoined from doing his job,” O’Brien said in his appeal, asking the court to grant him an immediate oral hearing to make his case in the two orders of Nov. 12 and 15. The 17 circuit judges cited their “inherent authority over the operation of the courts” as legal reason for the cease-and-desist order to O’Brien and his staff.

O’Brien’s writ says the circuit judges cited no state law or court precedent in reaching that conclusion.

TOP STORY > >Hopson takes heat from teachers

By JOHN HOFHEIMER

Leader senior staff writer

Against the wishes of Superintendent Charles Hopson, the Pulaski County Special School Board decided Tuesday evening to have a budget and contract workshop Dec. 13, then consider the long-overdue contracts and raises for teachers and support staff at the regular meeting the next night.

Hopson, who called Tuesday night’s special meeting to clarify his role and that of the board, had hoped to hold consideration of the contracts until the January meeting, devoting the December meeting to the sorry state of district facilities and a framework for new construction, renovation and repairs

.

Hopson opened saying he wanted to dispel rumors. “This is not a meeting to announce my resignation. We’re moving forward. We have tremendous challenges, including facilities and the (likely) phaseout of desegregation funding.”

But the Pulaski Association of Classroom Teachers and the Pulaski Association of Support Staff and their supporters on the board said the employees had waited long enough.

Board member Gwen Williams said it was time to resolve the issue of teacher contracts. “Some of the things being perceived in public—(Hopson needs to) sit down with (PACT president) Marty Nix and (PASS pPresident) Emry Chesterfield and have an honest conversation with them. There’s still a lack of trust out there.

“I would like to see contracts on the December board meeting,” she added. Hopson said he wasn’t sure the district had enough money for the raises negotiators for the unions and the district were talking about—2 percent for next year and 3 percent the following year.

Nix challenged Hopson’s contention, saying there was $1 million for additional buses to accommodate Hopson’s new bell schedule and a quarter of a million dollars for consultants to help the district deal with issues of race and also with long-range strategic planning.

“All complain that the central office is swelling since we got out of fiscal distress,” board president Bill Vasquez said.

He recommended going back to the staffing plan adopted but not implemented at that time because more funds became available. The district then had 19,000 students but now has 16,500, he said, requiring fewer administrators and perhaps fewer schools.

“We had $20 million worth of identifiable cuts,” Vasquez said. “All we need is about three or four million. Pick your poison.”

Vasquez set the Dec. 13 workshop and asked that the district’s negotiator, Deputy Superintendent Paul Brewer, facilities director Col. Derrick Scott and Chief Financial Officer Anita Farver be prepared to answer financial questions for the board.

Board members Sandra Sawyer and Mildred Tatum, both of whom will be out of town for the workshop, had suggested holding the issue for January.

Farver told board member Gloria Lawrence that there already was about a 1.5 percent pay increase built into next year’s budget. She said it would cost the district about $600,000 per percent to pay for any raises.

Several board members said they were unhappy that they found out about the trip eight district representatives were making to China this week came from a leak and inquiries from reporters.

The Confucius Institute’s UCA branch arranged the trip for several Arkansas school districts interested in teaching Mandarin Chinese. The district’s share of the cost is about $3,400, but the board members said they thought they should have been informed about the program.

Hopson said it comes under his responsibilities as the district’s educational leader.

Vasquez said the board would decide at the December meeting whether or not to approve the contracts, and if cuts had to be made to afford the raises, where those cuts would be made.

SPORTS>> Editor still not ready to eat his words over Hogs, yet

By TODD TRAUB

Leader sports editor

Less than a year ago, I took a little heat when I wrote in this space that as long as the Arkansas Razorbacks play in the SEC, the best they can hope for is an average 7.5 victories a year and a decent bowl game.

Actually, I took heat because I was defending former coach Houston Nutt against his un-grateful critics. I felt and still feel that, personality and personal baggage aside, Nutt did his utmost for Arkansas and left the program better than when he found it.

The two people who read my column didn’t like what I had to say that much. One declared I would be eating my words after the Razorbacks won a national championship and quarterback Ryan Mallett took the Heisman trophy this year.

Well, those things aren’t happening, but after Saturday’s latest thriller between Arkansas and LSU in Little Rock, I’m still willing to nibble a few syllables. Because as it stands the 10-2 Razorbacks and third-year coach Bobby Petrino have exceeded that 7.5 average and are looking at a REALLY good bowl this year.

At the very least, maybe we can all move on now and forget about Nutt — until his Ole Miss Rebels play the Hogs again next season anyway.

On Saturday, the Razor-backs knocked off the No. 5 Tigers 31-23 in War Memorial Stadium and kept up that tradition (begun under a certain former coach we have agreed to forget) of giving LSU fits when they play in the Capital City.

It wasn’t the 2002 Miracle on Markham, which Matt Jones won with his 31-yard touchdown pass to DeCori Birming-ham with nine seconds left. Nor was it the 2008 Miracle on Markham II, which Casey Dick won with a 24-yard touchdown pass to London Crawford on fourth and one with 22 seconds left.

Last week’s game was mildly less exciting only because Mallett turned in his biggest play, with a huge assist from receiver Cobi Hamilton, at the end of the first half instead of the second.

By the way, what’s up with all these receivers’ names anyway? DeCori, London, Cobi? Did these guys have movie stars for parents or something?

Anyway, Mallett hooked up with Hamilton on the sideline and Hamilton turned it into an 80-yard scoring play with no time left for the 21-14 halftime lead. The play was a companion piece to the 85-yard, Mallett-to-Hamilton scoring completion posted earlier in the second quarter.

It was still a nail-biter for the most part — LSU was within 21-20 at one point — but the scoring ended with a field goal by the Tigers’ Josh Jasper with 4:11 left.

And when the sun rose over the BCS landscape Monday, Arkansas had risen to No. 7, an all-time high, in the composite rankings that sort of help determine the national champion.

Yes, the Razorbacks still have their red pig noses plastered against the glass as they look in on the top four Auburn, Oregon, TCU and Stanford. But, though not in the national championship picture, Arkansas can expect a far better postseason trip than last year’s jaunt down Interstate 40 to Memphis and the Liberty Bowl against East Carolina.

Several people are kicking around the idea of the Sugar Bowl. And why not? The Hogs earned it.

They earned it by finding some defense and a running game to go with the high-powered offense led by Mallett. And they earned it with a six-game winning streak that included

victories over quality, SEC opponents like Mississippi State, South Carolina and LSU.

Arkansas’ two losses were to Alabama, No. 1 at the time, and current No. 1 Auburn, which rallied from 24-0 to beat Alabama 28-27 on Friday in what may be the game of the year.

That victory, by the way, certainly speaks to the quality of the SEC, which seems to hold a bowl game somewhere every week.

It also speaks to Arkansas’ accomplishments and proves if you can win in the SEC you will likely be playing for something special early in the new year.

Unfortunately, the Hogs’ defense was mostly MIA in the 65-43 loss to Auburn even as Mallett was lighting up the scoreboard.

And it was Mallett who can pass the ball 80 yards on a dime yet couldn’t toss it away out of bounds when he threw a critical interception against Alabama.

That play, and an end zone interception in the same game, probably cost Mallett his chance at the Heisman.

It all goes to show just how few mistakes a team can afford each week in the SEC. But I give Arkansas its due credit and I will happily swallow a few words.

It’s a nice change of pace from leftover turkey.

SPORTS>>Lady Red Devils are young but talented

By JASON KING

Leader sportswriter

Early success for the Jacksonville Lady Red Devils has come thanks to an inside job.

The Lady Red Devils (2-0) are sporting a bigger look this year, which has led to victories over Little Rock McClellan and struggling North Pulaski.

But the size and talent coach Katrina Mimms has on this year’s team doesn’t just show potential for success this year. With underclassmen, including two freshmen, taking all of the starting spots, it could be the beginning of a prosperous run for Jacksonville.

“We’re also trying to develop more kids,” said Mimms the fourth-year coach who will lead the Lady Devils in this week’s Mills Invitational. “We’re hoping there are some more kids who can come on and do a good job for us.”

Jessica Jackson leads a talented sophomore group that includes post players Coya Hood and Melissa Miller. Jackson started as a freshman and has had serious interest from major NCAA Division I college programs before she ever took to the court in a varsity uniform.

Despite her youth, Jackson had the burden of being the Lady Red Devils primary points producer last season. But she has found good support early this year with inside help from Hood and Miller, and 6-0 junior transfer Nicole Burnett has also been an asset inside.

“We have not shot well from the outside, but we’ve done a good job inside,” Mimms said. “We’ve been able to score in the paint pretty well. It’s definitely been our strength.”

Senior Vonsay Evans suffered an early knee injury and was scheduled for an MRI this week to determine its seriousness.

That leaves guard Chyna Davis as the lone senior able to play pending the outcome of Evans’ examination.

In one of the two games Mimms started three sophomores and two freshmen. In all, there are two freshmen — Tiffany Smith and Sacha Richardson, seven sophomores, four juniors and two seniors.

“We’re extremely young; we know that,” Mimms said.

Jackson is putting up big numbers again as a sophomore, but not just in the scoring column.

She led with 17 rebounds against North Pulaski, and has also led in assists the first two games.

“Jessica has done a good job of distributing the ball,” Mimms said.

“With all the defenses collapsing on her, she pretty much knows she can find Melissa or Nicole Bennett.”

Jackson’s passing has helped Miller score 12 and 10 points, respectively, in the first two games. Hood and Bennett have also scored a 10 or more points each night.

The Lady Red Devils were scheduled to play McClellan to open the Mills Invitational then had to play a regular season game against Cabot before returning to the tournament today.

That should give Mimms a chance to see the results of the team’s new strength and conditioning program.

“That’s three days in a row of playing games,” Mimms said. “That’s going to be a challenge for us. It’s going to test our conditioning and let us know where we are as a team.”

SPORTS>>Cobras returning to scene of loss seeking revenge

By JASON KING

Leader sportswriter

Fountain Lake travels to Searcy to face the Harding Academy Wildcats at First Security Stadium on Friday.

Again.

The 3A state semifinal game is not only a repeat of this year’s season opener; it is a repeat of last year’s semifinal won by eventual state champion Fountain Lake. Friday’s winner earns a trip to the state championship game at War Memorial Stadium on Dec. 11.

Harding Academy (11-1) earned the No. 1 seed from the 2-3A Conference and sat out the first week of the playoffs with a bye before hammering Bald Knob 41-14 in the second round. That put the Wildcats into the quarterfinals with another home game against Rison, which Harding Academy won 35-6 on Friday.

Fountain Lake (9-4) ended Harding Academy’s season last year when the Cobras won 42-10 and went on to defeat Prescott in the state championship game to finish with a 14-1 record.

The Wildcats got their revenge to open this season with a 28-20 victory that was not nearly as close as the final score indicated.

The Cobras have won nine of their past 10 games after starting the season 0-3, a skid that included the Harding Academy loss. Fountain Lake fell in its two remaining non-conference games, 28-7 to Booneville and 34-21 to Hot Springs Lakeside the following week.

But once conference play got underway, the Cobras rose to their tradition and went 6-1, losing only to eventual 5-3A Conference champion Glen Rose.

“We are a different team from the beginning of the season,” Fountain Lake coach Tommy Gilleran said.

“We had some injuries, and some personnel problems. Four of the guys starting for us then are not on the team now, so we’re a totally different team.”

Gilleran hopes Friday is a repeat of last year’s semifinal and not the season opener and agreed Harding Academy and Fountain Lake have developed a rivalry in a short time.

“We put them out last year, and I’m sure they’d love to put us out this year,” Gilleran said. “They were real fired up when we played earlier this year; probably more than we were.”

Senior running back Mark Macon has led the Cobras with 128 carries for 1,074 yards. Senior quarterback Coleman Crawford has had a season comparable to that of Keese with 52 completions on 85 attempts for 1,527 yards, 18 touchdowns and only four interceptions.

For the Wildcats, whose only loss came against Heber Springs in Week 2, this season has been business as usual. Harding Academy ended its non-conference run with a defensively dominated 8-6 victory over former 6-2A Conference rival Des Arc.

Harding Academy swept the conference for the second straight season, winning every game by at least three scores. The Wildcats wrapped up the championship two weeks early with a 37-7 victory over cross-town rival Riverview in Week 8.

Senior quarterback Seth Keese, who has started since his sophomore year, surpassed the 9,000 mark for career total yardage last week against Rison. Keese scored four of the Wildcats’ five touchdowns on rushes of two yards or less, and had 16 carries for 86 yards.

Keese was also 14 of 18 passing for 182 yards.

Keese has led the Wildcats with a balanced attack all season. He has completed 154 of 240 attempts for 2,024 yards and 17 touchdowns with only four interceptions and a completion percentage of 64.17.

He has rushed 132 times for 1,088 yards and 20 more touchdowns, giving him a total of 27 touchdowns and 3,112 all-purpose yards.

The Fountain Lake series has been significant in Keese’s career.

He tore his anterior cruciate ligament on the third play of last year’s semifinal and, though he continued to try to play, he was limited. Keese skipped basketball as he spent most of the offseason rehabilitating.

But Keese returned in top form for this season’s opener with a four-touchdown performance as he went 12 of 17 passing for 147 yards and two scores, along with eight carries for another 151 yards.

SPORTS>>Short runs, big result

By JASON KING

Leader sportswriter

Seth Keese has completed his share of big passes and had his share of rushes for big gains, but it was a quartet of short-yardage runs for Harding Academy’s senior quarterback that made the biggest difference Friday.

Keese led the Wildcats to a 35-6 victory over Rison in the quarterfinal round of the 3A state playoffs Friday at First Security Stadium. Keese had 182 yards passing rushed for 86 yards and four touchdowns to go over the 9,000-yards mark for his career.

Harding Academy (11-1) will play host to defending 3A champion Fountain Lake, a 44-21 quarterfinal winner over Mansfield, on Friday for a chance to advance to the state finals at War Memorial Stadium on Dec. 11.

Friday’s game was scoreless through the first quarter and into the second before Keese got the first of his four short-yardage touchdown runs with less than seven minutes left until halftime.

Keese capped off a 70-yard drive with a two-yard run up the middle.

Senior kicker Josh Spears added the first of his five extra-point kicks to give Harding Academy a 7-0 lead.

Rison (11-2) answered with a touchdown run by halfback Rock Caldwell, but Keese found the end zone again before the half, this time on a one-yard keeper to give Harding Academy a 14-6 lead at the break.

But Rison was not able to keep pace in a second half that was controlled by Harding Academy.

Caldwell, Rison’s longtime standout halfback, finished with 23 carries for 150 yards, but less than 20 of those came in the second half. Harding Academy’s defense clamped down in the final two quarters and gave up only one first down while capitalizing on Rison mistakes.

The biggest miscue for Rison came midway through the third quarter when Keese jumped on a fumble inside the Rison 35-yard line.

Harding Academy pushed the ball inside the 5, where again Keese called his own number on another one-yard run that put the Wildcats ahead 28-6.

Harding Academy’s first drive of the second half took a little longer, as Keese led the offense 80 yards in 13 plays and capped off the possession with his third short scoring run.

Senior tailback Ben Lecrone set the final margin for Harding Academy with a 25-yard touchdown run to start the fourth quarter. Lecrone finished with 14 carries for 121 yards.

Keese rushed 16 times for his yardage and completed 14 of 18 passes for 182 yards with one interception.

Senior receiver Jay Bona was Keese’s most frequent target with six catches for 55 yards, while classmate Corey Guymon had four catches for 45 yards.

Senior wide receiver Tyler Curtis made the most of his two receptions as he totaled 67 yards that included a 41-yard catch on third and long during Harding Academy’s long scoring drive.