By JOAN McCOY
Leader staff writer
The meeting room and hallways at the administrative office for Cabot schools were full for a Wednesday night hearing of the the school board, which decided Suzanne Proctor would not get to keep her job as principal at Northside Elementary School be-cause she went out of state for several days without telling anyone.
Two Cabot police officers stood against the wall inside the boardroom to keep the peace after one officer reported overhearing in the crowd that there would be trouble if the board ruled against the principal.
Teachers, parents and even a few students were on hand to hear the fate of the woman they described as going far beyond job requirements to see to the needs of students and parents.
Some, including Proctor’s attorney, Charles Finkenbinder, complained that Proctor re-quested an open public hearing and she didn’t get that since her supporters were forced to stand outside.
It took about six hours of opening statements from lawyers and testimony from witnesses and almost an hour of deliberation for the board to reach its decision.
They voted unanimouslyagainst Proctor and upheld Dr. Tony Thurman’s decision as superintendent to fire her.
“We must hold our administrators to the highest level of accountability,” board president Dean Martin said of the decision.
Proctor’s attorney said he would likely file an appeal in circuit court within two weeks.
Proctor’s offense was undisputed:
She left her job for three days around the Memorial Day holiday: Sept. 1, Sept. 2 and Sept. 6. She went without asking, even though she knew she was required to tell Thurman if she was out of her building for six hours or more.
She went on a vacation, even though she knew the assistant principal would also be away.
She left her building without an official in charge, except for a veteran counselor and classroom teachers. But Proctor said, “I didn’t abandon the children or their parents. I have a very capable staff.”
Where she “messed up,” she said was in not telling Thurman she was leaving.
The question the board had to answer, her attorney said during his opening statement, was what should happen next.
“Does the board have to trash her career or can they do something else?” Finkenbinder asked. “Can they back the superintendent and still preserve her career?
“She is an exemplary, effective principal,” he said. “There were a number of options, but the district chose the harshest one.
“She made a mistake. It was an error in judgment. She should have known better and something should be done, but not termination,” the lawyer said.
Thurman learned on Sept. 6 that Proctor was out of her building when K-6 curriculum director, Dr. Harold Jeffcoat, stopped by for a classroom walk-through and reported her absence.
It was during his interview with Proctor after she returned on Sept. 7 that Thurman said he learned that she was away during the one-year anniversary of her husband’s death.
If she had told him she needed time off even though the assistant principal was also scheduled off, he would have found a way to cover her building and granted her request, he testified.
“Why could you have not done that?” Clint McGue, attorney for the district, asked Proctor.
“I wish I knew,” Proctor said. “I made a mistake. I made a terrible mistake.”
Although the specific reason for the termination was that Proctor left her building unattended, Thurman testified that he could no longer trust Proctor because she wasn’t completely truthful with him when she returned, and he believed she had told some of her staff not to cooperate with him during his investigation—even though she was told to not contact any of them during her suspension.
Plus, she had no regard for rules and procedures, he said.
McGue said that Proctor was not grieving on the one-year anniversary of her husband’s death but on a beach in Florida.
Thurman testified that her explanation for leaving was that she needed some time off.
Testimony from two employees revealed that she was with a friend named Bobby, and that she had not appeared to be grieving or distraught before she left.
McGue pointed out that her trip with her friend was originally scheduled for a week earlier, which was not the anniversary of her husband’s death and she had planned that trip without asking for time off either.
Thurman said it was obvious that the parents love Proctor, he said, “She put her own personal wants above the needs of the district.”
“There is no way to make a decision that bad seem right,” he said.
“I can think of no good reason why any principal entrusted with so many kids would think it’s OK to just leave,” he said.
Two parents testified for Proctor, telling the board what she did may have been wrong but that her staff was capable of taking care of emergencies. And they wanted her to stay.
Chad Hale said he never heard anyone say anything bad about Proctor. She helped his son who was being bullied, Hale said.
Mike Lambert said she always helped him with his sons’ issues.
“I always leave feeling better,” Lambert said.
Proctor should be disciplined but not discharged, he said.
“If she instills the right qualities in her staff, she can be a good leader even if she’s not there,” he said.
But the highest praise came from Cindy Stinnett, Proctor’s secretary.
Stinnett denied claims that Proctor was out of the office frequently for beauty appointments and noted that Proctor’s glitzy appearance was only a fraction of the person she is.
Proctor often worked through lunch, on weekends and evenings, she said. But where she stood out the most was with the students.
“Kids go to her office just to get hugs,” Stinnett said. “She genuinely loves those kids and they know it. They love her.”
“Do other principals love their kids?” McGue asked.
“I’m sure they do, but they surely don’t show it like she does,” Stinnett said.
Although she didn’t give a reason for not telling Thurman that she was taking personal days, Proctor maintained that grief was the motivation. Her husband died in September 2010 and she coped by working.
By March she said she was beginning to feel like she would get through it. But as the anniversary approached she felt like she had to get away.
As for going with a male companion, she turned to the audience and said there was not a woman in the room who wouldn’t have done the same thing.
“I didn’t want to be home alone wallowing in self-pity,” she said.
Thurman said Proctor’s contract ended Wednesday night with the board’s decision. However, she is entitled to pay for any accrued vacation, sick leave or personal leave.
Michele French, the former principal at Ward Elementary, has been filling in at Northside since Proctor was suspended with pay on Sept. 8 and will continue there indefinitely.
When asked if considering the swell of support for Proctor if he has had second thoughts about firing her instead of opting for a lesser punishment, Thurman said, “We considered every option for punishment in regard to the actions of Ms. Proctor but ultimately felt that termination was most appropriate.”
As for the support from the parents, Thurman said the district administration expects all its principals to build that sort of relationship within their school community.
Thurman explained Friday why the overflow crowd couldn’t get into the hearing room:
“My response...in regard to complaints that they weren’t allowed into the hearing...We’ve had a couple complaint calls regarding the fact that not everyone had a seat inside the boardroom during the hearing,” he said.
“We have held every previous termination hearing in the same location. Ms. Proctor has attended many meetings including a termination hearing in this room and was aware of how many it could accommodate and was notified of exactly where it would be held well in advance.
“Neither Ms. Proctor nor her attorney notified the district that they were requesting the meeting be held in an alternate location as to provide every person with a seat that chose to attend. The district would have certainly moved the meeting had a request been received,” Thurman said.
“We made it a priority to make sure the media was provided the opportunity to be present since this would guarantee the validity of an open meeting and ensure the story would be presented to the public,” Thurman said.
Friday, October 14, 2011
TOP STORY > >PCSSD says it’s getting a lot better
By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
The Pulaski County Special School District’s population is up, technology is improving and progress is being made, but Dr. Jerry Guess, the superintendent, said Thursday the district would more than likely remain under state control for two full years—the maximum allowed.
But what Jacksonville resident Rizelle Aaron wanted to know and asked the superintendent was simply, “Who is really running things? Are you in charge, or is Dr. Tom Kimbrell (the state education commissioner) telling you what to do?”
Aaron was one of just a handful of parents and teachers at the district’s annual report to the public in the district’s board room off Dixon Street in Little Rock.
Guess said the report is usually given at a board meeting, but since PCSSD doesn’t have a board he was presenting the information himself. “It’s a privilege and pleasure to give this report,” Guess said. “We’re off to a very good startfor this school year.”
He said the number of students has increased. “Our last count of students, Pre-K to 12, is 17,700. That’s up considerable. I’m glad patrons are returning and seeing that we are offering high-quality education.”
Guess said the meeting was to inform the public on the direction of the district, give an update on test scores and discuss any regulation changes.
In answering Aaron’s question, Guess said the board appoints or hires the superintendent to manage the district’s day-to-day operations.
“Since this district has no school board, Dr. Kimbrell is the school board and he has given me the opportunity to run the day-to-day operations,” said Guess who consults with Kimbrell often.
“Believe me when I say, I have enough responsibility to scare the dickens out of me,” Guess said.
Going through his eight-page report, Guess reminded everyone that the district was placed in fiscal distress by the state, which removed the seven-member board and the former superintendent on June 20.
Guess was hired by Kimbrell, on a one-year contract. “I hope it will be longer,” Guess said. Dr. Don Stewart was brought in as a consultant to provide technical assistance and oversight. William Goff, a certified pubic accounting working in the Arkansas Department of Education was recently named the new chief finance officer.
Guess said that the PCSSD “may remain in fiscal distress and operate with Dr. Kimbrell as its board of education for up to two years.”
Among the positives or improvements that Guess cited were that all schools were fully accredited, and the district had refurbished or refreshed 4,000 computers to advance the district’s technology level, test scores had met standards on test scores for the first time in years and if it can do it again this year the district will be out of school improvement.
“We’ll still have some schools on the improvement list, but the district will be out,” he said.
He said a “big piece of our success” has been increased and improved staff development. Guess said the district was “engaged in an aggressive campaign to implement the new state Common Core standards.”
Guess said the district’s website has been revamped and had 1.6 million hits since April, and that the district has 6,000 friends on Facebook.
He boasted the district opening a high school in Maumelle and a middle school in Sherwood. Guess said everyone involved in the design and construction of the new Sherwood school did a great job. “We’ve had no problems,” he said.
But while he celebrated those two new schools and an elementary school the district opened in Chenal three years ago, not all is rosy with facilities.
“PCSSD facilities average 41 years old with the oldest being built in 1952. As the schools age, the district is experiencing an accelerated rate of system failure. In addition to the stressed infrastructure, many facilities require construction projects in order to comply the Americans with Disabilities Act,” he said.
Guess said to streamline operations, Jacksonville Elementary was closed and the STAR Academy, which was at Jacksonville Middle School, was moved to the high school.
The city of Jacksonville has expressed interest in the closed elementary school and has met with Guess. “It’s a closed school and I’m happy to see Jacksonville express an interest in using it,” the superintendent said. He said he will look at options and consider what is best for the district.
Dr. Robert Clowers, executive director of academic accountability, gave an overview of state and federal mandated test scores. He said the district was improving and doing well at the elementary level, but relatively flat in the middle schools and on the juniorliteracy test.
“We need to do better,” he said, adding that the district was vigorously looking for ways to improve.
Leader staff writer
The Pulaski County Special School District’s population is up, technology is improving and progress is being made, but Dr. Jerry Guess, the superintendent, said Thursday the district would more than likely remain under state control for two full years—the maximum allowed.
But what Jacksonville resident Rizelle Aaron wanted to know and asked the superintendent was simply, “Who is really running things? Are you in charge, or is Dr. Tom Kimbrell (the state education commissioner) telling you what to do?”
Aaron was one of just a handful of parents and teachers at the district’s annual report to the public in the district’s board room off Dixon Street in Little Rock.
Guess said the report is usually given at a board meeting, but since PCSSD doesn’t have a board he was presenting the information himself. “It’s a privilege and pleasure to give this report,” Guess said. “We’re off to a very good startfor this school year.”
He said the number of students has increased. “Our last count of students, Pre-K to 12, is 17,700. That’s up considerable. I’m glad patrons are returning and seeing that we are offering high-quality education.”
Guess said the meeting was to inform the public on the direction of the district, give an update on test scores and discuss any regulation changes.
In answering Aaron’s question, Guess said the board appoints or hires the superintendent to manage the district’s day-to-day operations.
“Since this district has no school board, Dr. Kimbrell is the school board and he has given me the opportunity to run the day-to-day operations,” said Guess who consults with Kimbrell often.
“Believe me when I say, I have enough responsibility to scare the dickens out of me,” Guess said.
Going through his eight-page report, Guess reminded everyone that the district was placed in fiscal distress by the state, which removed the seven-member board and the former superintendent on June 20.
Guess was hired by Kimbrell, on a one-year contract. “I hope it will be longer,” Guess said. Dr. Don Stewart was brought in as a consultant to provide technical assistance and oversight. William Goff, a certified pubic accounting working in the Arkansas Department of Education was recently named the new chief finance officer.
Guess said that the PCSSD “may remain in fiscal distress and operate with Dr. Kimbrell as its board of education for up to two years.”
Among the positives or improvements that Guess cited were that all schools were fully accredited, and the district had refurbished or refreshed 4,000 computers to advance the district’s technology level, test scores had met standards on test scores for the first time in years and if it can do it again this year the district will be out of school improvement.
“We’ll still have some schools on the improvement list, but the district will be out,” he said.
He said a “big piece of our success” has been increased and improved staff development. Guess said the district was “engaged in an aggressive campaign to implement the new state Common Core standards.”
Guess said the district’s website has been revamped and had 1.6 million hits since April, and that the district has 6,000 friends on Facebook.
He boasted the district opening a high school in Maumelle and a middle school in Sherwood. Guess said everyone involved in the design and construction of the new Sherwood school did a great job. “We’ve had no problems,” he said.
But while he celebrated those two new schools and an elementary school the district opened in Chenal three years ago, not all is rosy with facilities.
“PCSSD facilities average 41 years old with the oldest being built in 1952. As the schools age, the district is experiencing an accelerated rate of system failure. In addition to the stressed infrastructure, many facilities require construction projects in order to comply the Americans with Disabilities Act,” he said.
Guess said to streamline operations, Jacksonville Elementary was closed and the STAR Academy, which was at Jacksonville Middle School, was moved to the high school.
The city of Jacksonville has expressed interest in the closed elementary school and has met with Guess. “It’s a closed school and I’m happy to see Jacksonville express an interest in using it,” the superintendent said. He said he will look at options and consider what is best for the district.
Dr. Robert Clowers, executive director of academic accountability, gave an overview of state and federal mandated test scores. He said the district was improving and doing well at the elementary level, but relatively flat in the middle schools and on the juniorliteracy test.
“We need to do better,” he said, adding that the district was vigorously looking for ways to improve.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
TOP STORY >> Ward raises meter fees to pay for water project
By SARAH CAMPBELL
Leader staff writer
Ward City Council on Monday approved a $5 monthly water meter fee to begin paying off loans that will fund the almost two-decade-old Lonoke-White Water Project to bring water to Central Arkansas from Greers Ferry Lake.
That comes out to $2,100 from each customer over the 35-year-loan period, Mayor Art Brooke said. He added that no one could build a well and draw water for less than that. The fee is not tied to water usage.
In September, it was announced that the project would finally be constructed using borrowed money from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission. The USDA will loan $24.5 million at 4.25 percent interest or lower and ANRC will loan $25.7 million at 4.5 percent interest or lower, Woody Bryant, the project manager who has seen several financing plans fall through, told The Leader.
The cities and water associations that are part of the project include Jacksonville, Ward, North Pulaski Water, Beebe, Austin, Furlow, Grand Prairie Bayou Two and Vilonia.
Attempts to fund the project in the past have failed because the money was to have come from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, but EPA money can’t be used for projects where the need is not immediate.
The water associations and cities that will benefit from the Lonoke-White Project have enough water for their immediate needs. The project is to take care of growth and to conserve ground water.
The $25 million or so that will be ARNC’s part of the funding will come from bonds backed by the state.
If both the USDA and ARNC agree that the project can move forward without the design and right-of-way acquisitions for the newest members—Beebe, Jacksonville, Vilonia and Furlow—then the parts of the project, such as the intake and main pipeline that have been ready for construction for almost a decade, can be bid.
If agencies supplying the financing want the entire project ready to go before any of it is started, then it will be ready to bid in about six months, Bryant said last month.
The council agreed to table a controversial parking ordinance and hold more committee meetings to come up with a workable solution to residents parking on the street and causing problems with others’ access to the roads and their driveways.
Brooke said the ordinance wouldn’t work because the language is confusing and it cites state laws that can change frequently.
Alderman Jeff Shaver said, “Cities aren’t forthcoming with parking ordinances. You’re (Brooke) right, it’s a headache.”
Alderman John Staley told the council that it wasn’t enough to just ask people nicely not to park on the street because they are not polite back and tell policemen they will do what they want to do.
Brooke said after the vote, “I want to thank you guys for the work you’ve put into this. I can see where this has turned into a monster.”
The council also voted on two candidates to fill a vacancy and then welcomed Lee Schoonover to the council.
Schoonover retired from the Army Corp of Engineers. He has lived in Ward for about 35 years.
Schoonover told the council that he was on the city’s first planning commission, has worked with numerous cities and mayors, has collaborated with City Engineer Tim Lemons on projects, he knows budgeting, coached baseball and took Ward’s children to Cabot to play football.
He said he was a mentor to children, recently arranged for speakers to go to local schools to discuss the importance of democracy and wants to continue serving the city and its children on the council.
The council urged his opponent, firefighter Bobby Tarno, to seek a position on the council when one becomes available.
Members also voted to accept the lowest bid for improvements to the Peyton Street Fire Station driveway. The bid was $56,497 from Dawson Asphalt and Sealing and the council’s approval is contingent on references for the company being checked because the city has not worked with Dawson. The project can now be started before wet weather arrives and it will be constructed in 45 days.
Lemons told the council he was meeting with the Arkansas Highway Department right-of-way director Tuesday and hoped to receive authorization to putt the safe routes to schools project out for bids.
He said additional information requested for a grant application to fund Hwy. 367/319 intersection improvements have been submitted. The city is waiting to see if a grant will be awarded.
The contractor for the new Stagecoach water tank should begin foundation work between Oct. 15 and Nov. 7 and the city also may have the opportunity to lease antenna space to cell service providers, Lemons continued.
Leader staff writer
Ward City Council on Monday approved a $5 monthly water meter fee to begin paying off loans that will fund the almost two-decade-old Lonoke-White Water Project to bring water to Central Arkansas from Greers Ferry Lake.
That comes out to $2,100 from each customer over the 35-year-loan period, Mayor Art Brooke said. He added that no one could build a well and draw water for less than that. The fee is not tied to water usage.
In September, it was announced that the project would finally be constructed using borrowed money from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission. The USDA will loan $24.5 million at 4.25 percent interest or lower and ANRC will loan $25.7 million at 4.5 percent interest or lower, Woody Bryant, the project manager who has seen several financing plans fall through, told The Leader.
The cities and water associations that are part of the project include Jacksonville, Ward, North Pulaski Water, Beebe, Austin, Furlow, Grand Prairie Bayou Two and Vilonia.
Attempts to fund the project in the past have failed because the money was to have come from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, but EPA money can’t be used for projects where the need is not immediate.
The water associations and cities that will benefit from the Lonoke-White Project have enough water for their immediate needs. The project is to take care of growth and to conserve ground water.
The $25 million or so that will be ARNC’s part of the funding will come from bonds backed by the state.
If both the USDA and ARNC agree that the project can move forward without the design and right-of-way acquisitions for the newest members—Beebe, Jacksonville, Vilonia and Furlow—then the parts of the project, such as the intake and main pipeline that have been ready for construction for almost a decade, can be bid.
If agencies supplying the financing want the entire project ready to go before any of it is started, then it will be ready to bid in about six months, Bryant said last month.
The council agreed to table a controversial parking ordinance and hold more committee meetings to come up with a workable solution to residents parking on the street and causing problems with others’ access to the roads and their driveways.
Brooke said the ordinance wouldn’t work because the language is confusing and it cites state laws that can change frequently.
Alderman Jeff Shaver said, “Cities aren’t forthcoming with parking ordinances. You’re (Brooke) right, it’s a headache.”
Alderman John Staley told the council that it wasn’t enough to just ask people nicely not to park on the street because they are not polite back and tell policemen they will do what they want to do.
Brooke said after the vote, “I want to thank you guys for the work you’ve put into this. I can see where this has turned into a monster.”
The council also voted on two candidates to fill a vacancy and then welcomed Lee Schoonover to the council.
Schoonover retired from the Army Corp of Engineers. He has lived in Ward for about 35 years.
Schoonover told the council that he was on the city’s first planning commission, has worked with numerous cities and mayors, has collaborated with City Engineer Tim Lemons on projects, he knows budgeting, coached baseball and took Ward’s children to Cabot to play football.
He said he was a mentor to children, recently arranged for speakers to go to local schools to discuss the importance of democracy and wants to continue serving the city and its children on the council.
The council urged his opponent, firefighter Bobby Tarno, to seek a position on the council when one becomes available.
Members also voted to accept the lowest bid for improvements to the Peyton Street Fire Station driveway. The bid was $56,497 from Dawson Asphalt and Sealing and the council’s approval is contingent on references for the company being checked because the city has not worked with Dawson. The project can now be started before wet weather arrives and it will be constructed in 45 days.
Lemons told the council he was meeting with the Arkansas Highway Department right-of-way director Tuesday and hoped to receive authorization to putt the safe routes to schools project out for bids.
He said additional information requested for a grant application to fund Hwy. 367/319 intersection improvements have been submitted. The city is waiting to see if a grant will be awarded.
The contractor for the new Stagecoach water tank should begin foundation work between Oct. 15 and Nov. 7 and the city also may have the opportunity to lease antenna space to cell service providers, Lemons continued.
EDITORIAL >> Who wants gridlock?
Gov. Mike Beebe made a few off-the-cuff remarks last week at a Lions Club meeting that ought to resonate with everyone interested in good government, regardless of their political persuasion. He worried that the Arkansas Capitol might become like Washington, where party hatreds have begun to produce gridlock that prevents the government from doing the people’s business.
The partisan bitterness in Washington began a quarter-century ago and has now reached its zenith—make that its nadir—where even casual friendships between members of the opposing parties are forbidden and any effort at collaboration is punished. The rivalry nearly caused the government to renege on its debts for the first time since the War of 1812, and it has impaired the nation’s ability to rise from the economic abyss created by the financial collapse of 2008.
So who likes Washington, and who wants to see the example replicated at Little Rock? Well, Lt. Gov. Mark Darr sort of likes the idea, but, really, who else?
Beebe’s little homily should have brought nothing but cheers, but it got condemnation instead. The Republican leader of the House of Representatives, though he and his party had not been fingered by the governor, protested that Republicans had not been partisan at all beyond raising some new ideas and that Beebe was just wrong. Beebe had said the Senate had worked through disagreements amicably, although the partisan division there was about the same as in the House of Representatives. Republicans are three members shy of a majority in the Senate and seven short in the House. But the House got bitterly partisan and Beebe said it “scared” him. He said it was the governor’s job to get legislators to overcome their natural partisan jealousies and solve problems.
Then the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette weighed in. Its lead editorial Tuesday castigated Beebe for wanting harmony and collaboration. Beebe is just scared of Republicans and their emerging force in the legislature, the paper said. It implied that Beebe longed for the good old days when Democrats ran everything without dissent and the governor could demagogue the race issue whenever he needed to be re-elected. The paper insinuated that Democrats now are left to scare people about Hispanics rather than blacks. Our recollection is that this was not a Democratic but Republican tactic, although the GOP’s peerless leader, Mike Huckabee, never subscribed to it.
John Burris of Harrison, the House Republican leader, said he never detected partisanship in the lower chamber. Let’s remind him of one example.
Republicans everywhere, as far as we can tell, oppose the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the big health-insurance reformation law that Congress enacted in 2009, which is perfectly proper. Three Republican U.S. senators had been working with Democrats to craft a bipartisan bill based on the Republican health bills of the 1970s and ’90s and the system adopted in Massachusetts under Gov. Mitt Romney. They were ordered by party leaders to retreat and leave it as a Democratic bill. Not one Republican voted to allow the bill to even come to a vote in either house.
A central provision of the law is the creation of insurance exchanges where individuals and businesses can go in each state to buy a private insurance policy that fits their needs and pocketbook. But Republicans, mainly in the House, have blocked any effort by the state to set up its exchange despite pleas from the governor, the medical establishment, the state surgeon general and the state chamber of commerce. If Arkansas does not set up its own exchange, businesses and individuals without insurance will have to shop for a policy on a federal exchange—in Washington—where the premiums might be more expensive and the rules harder to live by.
The obstruction has only one objective—to make the new system unendurable for Arkansans if that is possible, simply because if it works Democrats might get credit. Nothing the Arkansas legislature does, on the exchanges or anything else about the federal law, will have the slightest effect on whether any or all of the provisions of the law go into effect. That is in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court—and the Congress if it so chooses. But the Republicans can make things much harder and costlier for the people of Arkansas by forcing them to go to Washington to satisfy their needs. Maybe they will then get mad at Democrats. That seems to be the hope.
Does that qualify as needless and pointless partisanship? Only a few years ago such obstructionism was unheard of, by either party. Remember only five or six years ago, a Republican governor was getting nearly everything he sought from an overwhelmingly Democratic legislature. Huckabee frequently complained about the Democrats, but they worked through nearly every one of their differences.
Which way do you think is better?
—Ernie Dumas
The partisan bitterness in Washington began a quarter-century ago and has now reached its zenith—make that its nadir—where even casual friendships between members of the opposing parties are forbidden and any effort at collaboration is punished. The rivalry nearly caused the government to renege on its debts for the first time since the War of 1812, and it has impaired the nation’s ability to rise from the economic abyss created by the financial collapse of 2008.
So who likes Washington, and who wants to see the example replicated at Little Rock? Well, Lt. Gov. Mark Darr sort of likes the idea, but, really, who else?
Beebe’s little homily should have brought nothing but cheers, but it got condemnation instead. The Republican leader of the House of Representatives, though he and his party had not been fingered by the governor, protested that Republicans had not been partisan at all beyond raising some new ideas and that Beebe was just wrong. Beebe had said the Senate had worked through disagreements amicably, although the partisan division there was about the same as in the House of Representatives. Republicans are three members shy of a majority in the Senate and seven short in the House. But the House got bitterly partisan and Beebe said it “scared” him. He said it was the governor’s job to get legislators to overcome their natural partisan jealousies and solve problems.
Then the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette weighed in. Its lead editorial Tuesday castigated Beebe for wanting harmony and collaboration. Beebe is just scared of Republicans and their emerging force in the legislature, the paper said. It implied that Beebe longed for the good old days when Democrats ran everything without dissent and the governor could demagogue the race issue whenever he needed to be re-elected. The paper insinuated that Democrats now are left to scare people about Hispanics rather than blacks. Our recollection is that this was not a Democratic but Republican tactic, although the GOP’s peerless leader, Mike Huckabee, never subscribed to it.
John Burris of Harrison, the House Republican leader, said he never detected partisanship in the lower chamber. Let’s remind him of one example.
Republicans everywhere, as far as we can tell, oppose the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the big health-insurance reformation law that Congress enacted in 2009, which is perfectly proper. Three Republican U.S. senators had been working with Democrats to craft a bipartisan bill based on the Republican health bills of the 1970s and ’90s and the system adopted in Massachusetts under Gov. Mitt Romney. They were ordered by party leaders to retreat and leave it as a Democratic bill. Not one Republican voted to allow the bill to even come to a vote in either house.
A central provision of the law is the creation of insurance exchanges where individuals and businesses can go in each state to buy a private insurance policy that fits their needs and pocketbook. But Republicans, mainly in the House, have blocked any effort by the state to set up its exchange despite pleas from the governor, the medical establishment, the state surgeon general and the state chamber of commerce. If Arkansas does not set up its own exchange, businesses and individuals without insurance will have to shop for a policy on a federal exchange—in Washington—where the premiums might be more expensive and the rules harder to live by.
The obstruction has only one objective—to make the new system unendurable for Arkansans if that is possible, simply because if it works Democrats might get credit. Nothing the Arkansas legislature does, on the exchanges or anything else about the federal law, will have the slightest effect on whether any or all of the provisions of the law go into effect. That is in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court—and the Congress if it so chooses. But the Republicans can make things much harder and costlier for the people of Arkansas by forcing them to go to Washington to satisfy their needs. Maybe they will then get mad at Democrats. That seems to be the hope.
Does that qualify as needless and pointless partisanship? Only a few years ago such obstructionism was unheard of, by either party. Remember only five or six years ago, a Republican governor was getting nearly everything he sought from an overwhelmingly Democratic legislature. Huckabee frequently complained about the Democrats, but they worked through nearly every one of their differences.
Which way do you think is better?
—Ernie Dumas
TOP STORY >> Hopson: Betrayed by state in ouster
By GARRICK FELDMAN
Leader executive editor
Charles Hopson, the ousted superintendent of the Pulaski County Special School District, is still bitter about the way he was dismissed when the state took over the failing district in June.
He thought he had a good working relationship with state education commissioner, Tom Kimbrell, who, Hopson says, urged him in 2010 to take the superintendent’s job and assured him a state takeover was unlikely.
Seth Blomeley, a spokesman for Kimbrell, says, “That is false.”
Hopson has filed a $500,000 federal lawsuit against the state and the school district for voiding the last two years of his three-year contract. He was paid $242,000 a year, plus some benefits.
TOLD TO CLEAR OUT HIS DESK
As soon as he was fired and the school board dissolved, Hopson says agents from the state Education Department showed up at his office and humiliated him by telling Hopson “to clear out his desk and to leave immediately,” according to his lawsuit, which also seeks unspecified punitive damages.
A Prescott native, Hopson was hired as PCSSD superintendent in April 2010. He was among four finalists for the post.
Hopson, who has Jacksonville roots, is the son of a minister and school cook for the Pulaski County schools. His mother, Lucy Hopson, lives in Sherwood.
He worked for two years as a special education teacher at then-Northwood Junior High in PCSSD.
Hopson, who lives in Oregon, is in Arkansas visiting relatives. He found time for an interview and visited the King Biscuit Blues Festival last weekend in Helena, where his wife’s family lives.
Defendants in the suit include Gov. Mike Beebe, who approved Hopson’s firing; Jerry Guess, the interim PCSSD superintendent who succeeded Hopson, and Kimbrell.
Hopson, who was previously deputy superintendent in the Portland, Ore., schools, says he didn’t want the PCSSD job at first. He says he relented after the education commissioner told him to come back home.
NO BASIS FOR LAWSUIT
In an answer to Hopson’s lawsuit, the Education Department denies these allegations. “These claims are false. Defendant Kimbrell provided no such assurances to Hopson,” the state said in its response.
The state says that instead of filing a lawsuit, Hopson should have worked toward improving the district and avoiding a takeover. The state points out that PCSSD “was not identified as in fiscal distress until March 30, 2011; nine months after this alleged conversation occurred.
“During that time, Hopson had the opportunity to not only repair the conditions leading to the fiscal distress determination, but also to learn all of the true (sic) facts of the PCSSD’s fiscal problems existing as of July 2010, and the actions taken in the district (including by Hopson himself) that lead to the fiscal distress identification nine months later and state assumption of control of the district two months after that.”
The state argues Hopson’s contract was voided after the takeover and it can’t be sued anyway because of “sovereign immunity.”
SOUGHT REASSURANCE FROM KIMBRELL
Hopson claims he called Kimbrell after receiving an anonymous call warning Hopson against taking the job because of the rumored takeover.
According to the lawsuit, “Kimbrell gave plaintiff to understand that the department did not have the ability to successfully take over and run the PCSSD…. He stated that the Department of Education was without resources sufficient to undertake the running of the Pulaski County Special School District. Kimbrell explained that (Hopson) should not be concerned to take his job.”
“Based upon the representations of defendant PCSSD and Kimbrell…, he agreed to take the post,” the lawsuit says.
“Kimbrell reassured the plaintiff that he would be safe in taking the position,” the lawsuit alleges, “even though the PCSSD had been identified as a potentially ‘fiscally distressed’ district.”
Hopson recalls receiving “a faxed letter from Kimbrell before signing my contract that the district was being identified for fiscal distress. I also received a call from a former superintendent warning me to think twice before coming because of a possible takeover and the validity of my contract if that occurred.”
“I called the commissioner about the letter and the phone call,” he told us. “I also called Tim Clark, the board president, about my hesitancy to move my family across country with the fiscal-distress designation.
OFFICIAL IMPLIED JOB WAS SAFE
“The commissioner implied in his conversation with me that ADE did not have the resources to take over the district, but would work with me if I still decided to come to help the district. I believed in the promise and potential of the board and district. I did not back out of my commitment to sign the contract, but I did request more safeguards be negotiated into the contract to protect my family.”
Hopson thinks he’s being blamed for decades of failure, even though he had the job for just a year.
TAKEOVER FELT LIKE PRISON
“The biggest regret from my year as superintendent was that I genuinely thought my relationship with the commissioner and ADE was established around support and assistance. I directed the cabinet to give them full access to both the good and the ugly within the district so we could work cooperatively with them to right the ship.
“I had gone to a state board meeting only days before the takeover to thank the commissioner and the state board for their partnership with PCSSD. I was exposed June 20th to a commissioner and department I did not recognize. It left me feeling that the entire relationship that year was nothing more than trickery and deception to gain my trust for this moment.
“June 20th was the extreme opposite of the supportive, courteous, and helpful tone I had enjoyed with ADE up to that date when the commissioner came to my office with state troopers like I was a common criminal.”
HOPSON SAYS HE TRIED HIS BEST
“Lord knows I tried my best to get the ball rolling to improve conditions in the district, but (the state Education Department) and politics emerged as my biggest hurdles,” he told us.
“They evidently have a better plan, and I wish them the best, but I will not allow them to harm my family by disavowing my contract,” Hopson told us. “I was far from perfect, but I would rather go down in a fight to the end than simply be politically correct and promote the status quo of failure.”
“No family of a superintendent in this state or country —which essentially makes such huge sacrifices so we can do this work — should be subject to the tremendous harm and damage of not having the protection of a contract related to the high risk in this occupation,” Hopson told us.
“I can respect and honor the decision by the commissioner to go in a different direction, but I will not allow anyone to hurt or jeopardize the living standards of my family,” he added.
SHOULD HE HAVE HEEDED WARNINGS?
“The thoughts running through my mind at that time were I left Oregon after 20 years to come back to my native state to be treated like an inmate. Maybe I should have really heeded that call I received from the former PCSSD superintendent warning me of the risk of a takeover and to think twice before signing on the dotted line.
“Despite the feelings of regret about ADE, had I to do it over again, I still would have come for the original board of seven that hired me. The cause was right and there was great opportunity in the challenges for the students of PCSSD.
“I am blessed by having been a part of this 11-month experience as superintendent of PCSSD.”
He knows there’s talk about breaking up the school district. “Whether Jacksonville splits or stays with the district, I just hope the best comes out of this for the students,” Hopson said.
He’s optimistic about his future and thinks he’ll land another superintendent’s job elsewhere. “I was highly recruited for large urban superintendent slots across the country before accepting PCSSD,” he said. “I have reconnected with that network and my name is currently in two large national urban searches.”
Leader executive editor
Charles Hopson, the ousted superintendent of the Pulaski County Special School District, is still bitter about the way he was dismissed when the state took over the failing district in June.
He thought he had a good working relationship with state education commissioner, Tom Kimbrell, who, Hopson says, urged him in 2010 to take the superintendent’s job and assured him a state takeover was unlikely.
Seth Blomeley, a spokesman for Kimbrell, says, “That is false.”
Hopson has filed a $500,000 federal lawsuit against the state and the school district for voiding the last two years of his three-year contract. He was paid $242,000 a year, plus some benefits.
TOLD TO CLEAR OUT HIS DESK
As soon as he was fired and the school board dissolved, Hopson says agents from the state Education Department showed up at his office and humiliated him by telling Hopson “to clear out his desk and to leave immediately,” according to his lawsuit, which also seeks unspecified punitive damages.
A Prescott native, Hopson was hired as PCSSD superintendent in April 2010. He was among four finalists for the post.
Hopson, who has Jacksonville roots, is the son of a minister and school cook for the Pulaski County schools. His mother, Lucy Hopson, lives in Sherwood.
He worked for two years as a special education teacher at then-Northwood Junior High in PCSSD.
Hopson, who lives in Oregon, is in Arkansas visiting relatives. He found time for an interview and visited the King Biscuit Blues Festival last weekend in Helena, where his wife’s family lives.
Defendants in the suit include Gov. Mike Beebe, who approved Hopson’s firing; Jerry Guess, the interim PCSSD superintendent who succeeded Hopson, and Kimbrell.
Hopson, who was previously deputy superintendent in the Portland, Ore., schools, says he didn’t want the PCSSD job at first. He says he relented after the education commissioner told him to come back home.
NO BASIS FOR LAWSUIT
In an answer to Hopson’s lawsuit, the Education Department denies these allegations. “These claims are false. Defendant Kimbrell provided no such assurances to Hopson,” the state said in its response.
The state says that instead of filing a lawsuit, Hopson should have worked toward improving the district and avoiding a takeover. The state points out that PCSSD “was not identified as in fiscal distress until March 30, 2011; nine months after this alleged conversation occurred.
“During that time, Hopson had the opportunity to not only repair the conditions leading to the fiscal distress determination, but also to learn all of the true (sic) facts of the PCSSD’s fiscal problems existing as of July 2010, and the actions taken in the district (including by Hopson himself) that lead to the fiscal distress identification nine months later and state assumption of control of the district two months after that.”
The state argues Hopson’s contract was voided after the takeover and it can’t be sued anyway because of “sovereign immunity.”
SOUGHT REASSURANCE FROM KIMBRELL
Hopson claims he called Kimbrell after receiving an anonymous call warning Hopson against taking the job because of the rumored takeover.
According to the lawsuit, “Kimbrell gave plaintiff to understand that the department did not have the ability to successfully take over and run the PCSSD…. He stated that the Department of Education was without resources sufficient to undertake the running of the Pulaski County Special School District. Kimbrell explained that (Hopson) should not be concerned to take his job.”
“Based upon the representations of defendant PCSSD and Kimbrell…, he agreed to take the post,” the lawsuit says.
“Kimbrell reassured the plaintiff that he would be safe in taking the position,” the lawsuit alleges, “even though the PCSSD had been identified as a potentially ‘fiscally distressed’ district.”
Hopson recalls receiving “a faxed letter from Kimbrell before signing my contract that the district was being identified for fiscal distress. I also received a call from a former superintendent warning me to think twice before coming because of a possible takeover and the validity of my contract if that occurred.”
“I called the commissioner about the letter and the phone call,” he told us. “I also called Tim Clark, the board president, about my hesitancy to move my family across country with the fiscal-distress designation.
OFFICIAL IMPLIED JOB WAS SAFE
“The commissioner implied in his conversation with me that ADE did not have the resources to take over the district, but would work with me if I still decided to come to help the district. I believed in the promise and potential of the board and district. I did not back out of my commitment to sign the contract, but I did request more safeguards be negotiated into the contract to protect my family.”
Hopson thinks he’s being blamed for decades of failure, even though he had the job for just a year.
TAKEOVER FELT LIKE PRISON
“The biggest regret from my year as superintendent was that I genuinely thought my relationship with the commissioner and ADE was established around support and assistance. I directed the cabinet to give them full access to both the good and the ugly within the district so we could work cooperatively with them to right the ship.
“I had gone to a state board meeting only days before the takeover to thank the commissioner and the state board for their partnership with PCSSD. I was exposed June 20th to a commissioner and department I did not recognize. It left me feeling that the entire relationship that year was nothing more than trickery and deception to gain my trust for this moment.
“June 20th was the extreme opposite of the supportive, courteous, and helpful tone I had enjoyed with ADE up to that date when the commissioner came to my office with state troopers like I was a common criminal.”
HOPSON SAYS HE TRIED HIS BEST
“Lord knows I tried my best to get the ball rolling to improve conditions in the district, but (the state Education Department) and politics emerged as my biggest hurdles,” he told us.
“They evidently have a better plan, and I wish them the best, but I will not allow them to harm my family by disavowing my contract,” Hopson told us. “I was far from perfect, but I would rather go down in a fight to the end than simply be politically correct and promote the status quo of failure.”
“No family of a superintendent in this state or country —which essentially makes such huge sacrifices so we can do this work — should be subject to the tremendous harm and damage of not having the protection of a contract related to the high risk in this occupation,” Hopson told us.
“I can respect and honor the decision by the commissioner to go in a different direction, but I will not allow anyone to hurt or jeopardize the living standards of my family,” he added.
SHOULD HE HAVE HEEDED WARNINGS?
“The thoughts running through my mind at that time were I left Oregon after 20 years to come back to my native state to be treated like an inmate. Maybe I should have really heeded that call I received from the former PCSSD superintendent warning me of the risk of a takeover and to think twice before signing on the dotted line.
“Despite the feelings of regret about ADE, had I to do it over again, I still would have come for the original board of seven that hired me. The cause was right and there was great opportunity in the challenges for the students of PCSSD.
“I am blessed by having been a part of this 11-month experience as superintendent of PCSSD.”
He knows there’s talk about breaking up the school district. “Whether Jacksonville splits or stays with the district, I just hope the best comes out of this for the students,” Hopson said.
He’s optimistic about his future and thinks he’ll land another superintendent’s job elsewhere. “I was highly recruited for large urban superintendent slots across the country before accepting PCSSD,” he said. “I have reconnected with that network and my name is currently in two large national urban searches.”
TOP STORY >> Group pushes school choice to raise scores
By SARAH CAMPBELL
Leader staff writer
Charter schools are helping children in Pulaski County receive a good education despite interference from the Little Rock and North Little Rock school districts, according to Luke Gordy, executive director of the Arkansans for Education Reform Foundation.
Gordy spoke to the Sherwood Rotary Club last week about local education efforts.
He focused on how charter schools are helping Pulaski County’s children receive a good education and how North Little Rock and Little Rock School Districts are hindering what the foundation stands for.
“We are strong believers in choice,” Gordy said.
He said the foundation doesn’t care about the delivery method — public, private, homeschooling — but it wants high-quality education for Arkansas students, which is often not found in traditional public schools.
Gordy said integration issues sometimes get in the way of the foundation’s objectives. He told the club that a judge has said, “My black child doesn’t have to sit next to a white kid for a good education.”
The reason the Little Rock and North Little Rock districts filed the lawsuit against charter schools is because they want the $70 million in desegregation funds to keep flowing into county schools, Gordy said. About $40 million of that funding goes to Little Rock schools.
“If we made decisions based on what is right for the children, we would make the right one every time. That doesn’t happen very often,” he added.
Little Rock’s argument in the lawsuit is that it’s trying to support minority students, which are being disproportionally served in the public school system, Gordy said.
He told Rotary Club members that the charter school in East End has 4,000 children on the waiting list to enroll. That means people aren’t happy with public school education and think charter schools are providing better quality education, Gordy added.
Another option for high-quality education are public magnet schools, but those require a 50-50 ratio of black and white students and 70 percent of those on the waiting list for such schools are black, he said.
Gordy said Arkansas is one of the few states where research shows charter schools have outperformed public schools.
“The teacher is the primary single element in the classroom,” Gordy said. One advantage of charter schools is that they can hire teachers who have professional experience in a field but not necessarily a teaching certificate, while public schools require such a certificate.
A Rotary Club member asked if there was any statically information on neighborhood schools vs. big school districts like Pulaski County. Gordy directed members to look at http://www.bushcenter.com.
Both Sherwood and Jacksonville have expressed interest in splitting from Pulaski County Special School District and forming their own districts of “neighborhood schools.”
When asked about the difference between charter schools and public schools, Gordy explained that a charter school contracts with the state Education Department. A charter school is public once it is approved. It can waive some requirements, such as hiring teachers that aren’t certified or licensed. It can also be closed down by the state if it decides to take its charter, or contract, away.
A Rotary member said bureaucrats like big school districts because fewer outsiders can penetrate their ranks. Other members agreed.
Gordy was asked about a voucher system coming to Arkansas. He said the state isn’t ready but the foundation has been talking about that for the past seven years. A voucher system is one in which parents get a voucher for the cost of a student’s education and they can bring that to whatever school they want their children to attend.
Several countries use vouchers. “That’s getting into something we’re not ready to tackle yet,” Gordy said.
He added that charter schools, while contracted by the state to have a certain number of students, could go back and ask the state permission to grow and enroll more students.
Gordy said children are not to blame for their poor test scores. “Parents have low expectations. It’s not the kids who are under-performing. Kids will rise to the occasion.”
Leader staff writer
Charter schools are helping children in Pulaski County receive a good education despite interference from the Little Rock and North Little Rock school districts, according to Luke Gordy, executive director of the Arkansans for Education Reform Foundation.
Gordy spoke to the Sherwood Rotary Club last week about local education efforts.
He focused on how charter schools are helping Pulaski County’s children receive a good education and how North Little Rock and Little Rock School Districts are hindering what the foundation stands for.
“We are strong believers in choice,” Gordy said.
He said the foundation doesn’t care about the delivery method — public, private, homeschooling — but it wants high-quality education for Arkansas students, which is often not found in traditional public schools.
Gordy said integration issues sometimes get in the way of the foundation’s objectives. He told the club that a judge has said, “My black child doesn’t have to sit next to a white kid for a good education.”
The reason the Little Rock and North Little Rock districts filed the lawsuit against charter schools is because they want the $70 million in desegregation funds to keep flowing into county schools, Gordy said. About $40 million of that funding goes to Little Rock schools.
“If we made decisions based on what is right for the children, we would make the right one every time. That doesn’t happen very often,” he added.
Little Rock’s argument in the lawsuit is that it’s trying to support minority students, which are being disproportionally served in the public school system, Gordy said.
He told Rotary Club members that the charter school in East End has 4,000 children on the waiting list to enroll. That means people aren’t happy with public school education and think charter schools are providing better quality education, Gordy added.
Another option for high-quality education are public magnet schools, but those require a 50-50 ratio of black and white students and 70 percent of those on the waiting list for such schools are black, he said.
Gordy said Arkansas is one of the few states where research shows charter schools have outperformed public schools.
“The teacher is the primary single element in the classroom,” Gordy said. One advantage of charter schools is that they can hire teachers who have professional experience in a field but not necessarily a teaching certificate, while public schools require such a certificate.
A Rotary Club member asked if there was any statically information on neighborhood schools vs. big school districts like Pulaski County. Gordy directed members to look at http://www.bushcenter.com.
Both Sherwood and Jacksonville have expressed interest in splitting from Pulaski County Special School District and forming their own districts of “neighborhood schools.”
When asked about the difference between charter schools and public schools, Gordy explained that a charter school contracts with the state Education Department. A charter school is public once it is approved. It can waive some requirements, such as hiring teachers that aren’t certified or licensed. It can also be closed down by the state if it decides to take its charter, or contract, away.
A Rotary member said bureaucrats like big school districts because fewer outsiders can penetrate their ranks. Other members agreed.
Gordy was asked about a voucher system coming to Arkansas. He said the state isn’t ready but the foundation has been talking about that for the past seven years. A voucher system is one in which parents get a voucher for the cost of a student’s education and they can bring that to whatever school they want their children to attend.
Several countries use vouchers. “That’s getting into something we’re not ready to tackle yet,” Gordy said.
He added that charter schools, while contracted by the state to have a certain number of students, could go back and ask the state permission to grow and enroll more students.
Gordy said children are not to blame for their poor test scores. “Parents have low expectations. It’s not the kids who are under-performing. Kids will rise to the occasion.”
SPORTS >> Beebe wins 5A East title
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
Beebe doubled up on team tennis championships in the 5A East Conference this year. The Badgers’ boys and girls team won the league title last week with 17 points apiece, each team finishing well ahead of second-place Nettleton.
The Nettleton boys scored 11 team points while the Lady Raiders scored nine.
“Everyone played really, really well,” Beebe tennis coach Carla Choate said. “We had 10 players earn points for us, so it really was a team effort and they’re all going to state.”
The Lady Badgers swept the top two positions in girls’ singles. Sarah White won the singles championship, just getting past teammate Madeline Poe for the title.
Partners Casey DeRoche and Annlee Glass took second in girls doubles, while Sarah McDaniel and Chloe Breckenridge too fourth in girls doubles. Than Kersey and Ben Groves won boys doubles. Jared Aschbrenner finished as boys singles runner up, while KJ Maples took third in boys singles.
The class 5A state tournament is Oct. 17 and 18 at Hot Springs Lakeside. The host school will be one of the favorites heading into the tournament.
“They have a really strong team,” Choate said. “Greenwood is also always very good. It will be a great tournament.”
Leader sports editor
Beebe doubled up on team tennis championships in the 5A East Conference this year. The Badgers’ boys and girls team won the league title last week with 17 points apiece, each team finishing well ahead of second-place Nettleton.
The Nettleton boys scored 11 team points while the Lady Raiders scored nine.
“Everyone played really, really well,” Beebe tennis coach Carla Choate said. “We had 10 players earn points for us, so it really was a team effort and they’re all going to state.”
The Lady Badgers swept the top two positions in girls’ singles. Sarah White won the singles championship, just getting past teammate Madeline Poe for the title.
Partners Casey DeRoche and Annlee Glass took second in girls doubles, while Sarah McDaniel and Chloe Breckenridge too fourth in girls doubles. Than Kersey and Ben Groves won boys doubles. Jared Aschbrenner finished as boys singles runner up, while KJ Maples took third in boys singles.
The class 5A state tournament is Oct. 17 and 18 at Hot Springs Lakeside. The host school will be one of the favorites heading into the tournament.
“They have a really strong team,” Choate said. “Greenwood is also always very good. It will be a great tournament.”
SPORTS >> Schedule gets tough for Bison
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
Carlisle’s 6-2A Conference schedule kicked up a notch last week with the first of three local rivalry games, starting with England. The Bison passed that test, winning 30-14 over the Lions. That theme continues this week when Des Arc visits Fred C. Hardke Field.
The Eagles, under first-year coach Dustin Prescott, are down somewhat this season by their standards with a 3-3 overall record, but their 2-1 conference record makes them 6-2A contenders just the same. Des Arc opened league play with a 38-8 loss to Hazen, but recovered the following week with a close 34-30 win over England. The Eagles kept themselves in the conference hunt last week with a 45-20 victory over struggling Palestine-Wheatley.
“They’re a young group, but coach Prescott has those guys getting better and better each week,” Carlisle coach Scott Waymire said. “Des Arc is one of those teams that is going to compete on every snap. We’re going to have our hands full.”
The Bison were in somewhat unfamiliar territory last week against an England team that kept it close through the first half. Carlisle led 8-7 at the half, a big contrast from its first two conference games in which the Bison had all but mercy ruled their opponents by the break.
“It was a tough ballgame,” Waymire said. “They did a good job of keeping the ball out of our hands.”
That scenario could play out again this week against Des Arc, which is now a triple-option team under Prescott. It is a scheme that can be centered on ball control, but the Eagles have also been quite productive the past two weeks scoring a combined 75 points.
But for Waymire, the rivalry aspect takes precedent.
“It’s a big rivalry game,” Waymire said. “You don’t have to worry about records or any of that to get up for Des Arc. They’ve been in every ballgame, and they’re peaking at the right time. It should be a great night for high-school football.”
With most of the Bison’s easy conference tests behind them in the first two weeks of league play with big wins over Marvell and Clarendon, only Palestine-Wheatley remains next week and Hughes in Week 9. But for this week, and the regular-season finale at Hazen, those local rivalry matchups will also be the determining factors in the Class 2A playoff seedings. The Hornets are also unbeaten in conference up to this point, and with Clarendon, Marvell and England remaining on their schedule leading up to the Week 10 showdown with the Bison it could come down to a battle between unbeaten teams to decide it all at the end.
“There’s so much ball left to be played,” Waymire said. “And we have some hard games coming up. We just have to go one game at a time. We want to take care of Des Arc this week. We can’t look ahead.”
Leader sportswriter
Carlisle’s 6-2A Conference schedule kicked up a notch last week with the first of three local rivalry games, starting with England. The Bison passed that test, winning 30-14 over the Lions. That theme continues this week when Des Arc visits Fred C. Hardke Field.
The Eagles, under first-year coach Dustin Prescott, are down somewhat this season by their standards with a 3-3 overall record, but their 2-1 conference record makes them 6-2A contenders just the same. Des Arc opened league play with a 38-8 loss to Hazen, but recovered the following week with a close 34-30 win over England. The Eagles kept themselves in the conference hunt last week with a 45-20 victory over struggling Palestine-Wheatley.
“They’re a young group, but coach Prescott has those guys getting better and better each week,” Carlisle coach Scott Waymire said. “Des Arc is one of those teams that is going to compete on every snap. We’re going to have our hands full.”
The Bison were in somewhat unfamiliar territory last week against an England team that kept it close through the first half. Carlisle led 8-7 at the half, a big contrast from its first two conference games in which the Bison had all but mercy ruled their opponents by the break.
“It was a tough ballgame,” Waymire said. “They did a good job of keeping the ball out of our hands.”
That scenario could play out again this week against Des Arc, which is now a triple-option team under Prescott. It is a scheme that can be centered on ball control, but the Eagles have also been quite productive the past two weeks scoring a combined 75 points.
But for Waymire, the rivalry aspect takes precedent.
“It’s a big rivalry game,” Waymire said. “You don’t have to worry about records or any of that to get up for Des Arc. They’ve been in every ballgame, and they’re peaking at the right time. It should be a great night for high-school football.”
With most of the Bison’s easy conference tests behind them in the first two weeks of league play with big wins over Marvell and Clarendon, only Palestine-Wheatley remains next week and Hughes in Week 9. But for this week, and the regular-season finale at Hazen, those local rivalry matchups will also be the determining factors in the Class 2A playoff seedings. The Hornets are also unbeaten in conference up to this point, and with Clarendon, Marvell and England remaining on their schedule leading up to the Week 10 showdown with the Bison it could come down to a battle between unbeaten teams to decide it all at the end.
“There’s so much ball left to be played,” Waymire said. “And we have some hard games coming up. We just have to go one game at a time. We want to take care of Des Arc this week. We can’t look ahead.”
SPORTS >> Falcons, Bears still eye playoffs
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
Local teams collide this week when Sylvan Hills makes the brief journey up Hwy. 107, onto Jacksonville Cutoff and up Harris Road to Falcon Stadium for a 5A-Southeast Conference game against winless North Pulaski. The neighboring rivals haven’t put together a pretty season so far, but each still has at least an outside shot at the playoffs.
Sylvan Hills, 2-1 in league play, is sitting much prettier than the winless Falcons. North Pulaski faced the toughest portion of its conference schedule in the first three weeks. With the Bears, Mills and Crossett coming up, wins in all three games still give the Falcons a shot at their first playoff appearance in school history.
The Bears improved to 2-1 in conference play last week with a 13-12 victory over Crossett in a game where Sylvan Hills sputtered on offense until the final minute. The Bears went 76 yards in just over a minute to keep the Eagles winless. The win was similar to Sylvan Hills’ narrow 7-6 victory over Mills University Studies the week before.
The Falcons have competed hard despite final scores that do not necessarily indicate how well they have played at times.
North Pulaski, 0-6 overall under first-year coach Teodis Ingram, lost 30-7 to West Helena Central to start its 5A-Southeast Conference schedule before falling 40-14 to Watson Chapel and 49-14 on the road last week at White Hall.
“The games we’ve seen, they’ve played hard,” Sylvan Hills coach Jim Withrow said. “They have some smaller guys on defense this year, but they’re real fast to the ball. They played well against White Hall. I think the score looked worse than what it actually was.
“They look good from what we’ve seen. They’re well coached, they get to the ball fast on defense, and their tailback (Derrick Hart) looks pretty good.”
For the Bears’ offense, junior quarterback J.D. Miller has become the X-factor. Miller sustained a shoulder injury the week before the Mills game, and was limited to hand offs.
That was also the situation for most of the game against Crossett last week, but with the Bears trailing 12-7 late with no timeouts, Miller dug down and led a scoring charge in which he went 5 for 7 for 76 yards, including a 6-yard strike to senior receiver Anthony Featherstone in the end zone with five seconds remaining.
A healthy Miller could spell trouble for North Pulaski, but a limited Miller could make the Bears one dimensional again this week.
“Who knows?” Withrow said. “We want to try and mix it up a little bit – get some play action in there. We don’t know how much he can actually throw. It all depends on his shoulder. I think if he can get in there and mix it up, we’ll be okay.”
Both teams have had their issues with losing key personnel to injuries. Senior fullback Willie Frazier returned to the lineup for North Pulaski last week after spending time off for a hamstring injury, but the Falcons didn’t have Hart in the loss to White Hall, and he’s still questionable for this week.
The Bears have lost players to injuries and discipline issues, but found a spark last week in sophomore running back Quincy Flowers, who looked solid running on a number of sweep plays against Crossett.
“He’s one of these guys that’s worked hard all year,” Withrow said. “He’s a good athlete, and he’s taken advantage of some of the injuries we’ve had. He’s done a fantastic job playing defense and special teams also.”
Although the Falcons are winless this season and have not beaten Sylvan Hills on the gridiron since the two teams entered the same conference in 2008, Withrow is in no mood to underestimate anyone after a couple of near losses the past two weeks. “I don’t take anyone lightly,” Withrow said. “We’ve won two games by one point in the last minute the last two weeks – we’re not taking anything lightly.”
Leader sportswriter
Local teams collide this week when Sylvan Hills makes the brief journey up Hwy. 107, onto Jacksonville Cutoff and up Harris Road to Falcon Stadium for a 5A-Southeast Conference game against winless North Pulaski. The neighboring rivals haven’t put together a pretty season so far, but each still has at least an outside shot at the playoffs.
Sylvan Hills, 2-1 in league play, is sitting much prettier than the winless Falcons. North Pulaski faced the toughest portion of its conference schedule in the first three weeks. With the Bears, Mills and Crossett coming up, wins in all three games still give the Falcons a shot at their first playoff appearance in school history.
The Bears improved to 2-1 in conference play last week with a 13-12 victory over Crossett in a game where Sylvan Hills sputtered on offense until the final minute. The Bears went 76 yards in just over a minute to keep the Eagles winless. The win was similar to Sylvan Hills’ narrow 7-6 victory over Mills University Studies the week before.
The Falcons have competed hard despite final scores that do not necessarily indicate how well they have played at times.
North Pulaski, 0-6 overall under first-year coach Teodis Ingram, lost 30-7 to West Helena Central to start its 5A-Southeast Conference schedule before falling 40-14 to Watson Chapel and 49-14 on the road last week at White Hall.
“The games we’ve seen, they’ve played hard,” Sylvan Hills coach Jim Withrow said. “They have some smaller guys on defense this year, but they’re real fast to the ball. They played well against White Hall. I think the score looked worse than what it actually was.
“They look good from what we’ve seen. They’re well coached, they get to the ball fast on defense, and their tailback (Derrick Hart) looks pretty good.”
For the Bears’ offense, junior quarterback J.D. Miller has become the X-factor. Miller sustained a shoulder injury the week before the Mills game, and was limited to hand offs.
That was also the situation for most of the game against Crossett last week, but with the Bears trailing 12-7 late with no timeouts, Miller dug down and led a scoring charge in which he went 5 for 7 for 76 yards, including a 6-yard strike to senior receiver Anthony Featherstone in the end zone with five seconds remaining.
A healthy Miller could spell trouble for North Pulaski, but a limited Miller could make the Bears one dimensional again this week.
“Who knows?” Withrow said. “We want to try and mix it up a little bit – get some play action in there. We don’t know how much he can actually throw. It all depends on his shoulder. I think if he can get in there and mix it up, we’ll be okay.”
Both teams have had their issues with losing key personnel to injuries. Senior fullback Willie Frazier returned to the lineup for North Pulaski last week after spending time off for a hamstring injury, but the Falcons didn’t have Hart in the loss to White Hall, and he’s still questionable for this week.
The Bears have lost players to injuries and discipline issues, but found a spark last week in sophomore running back Quincy Flowers, who looked solid running on a number of sweep plays against Crossett.
“He’s one of these guys that’s worked hard all year,” Withrow said. “He’s a good athlete, and he’s taken advantage of some of the injuries we’ve had. He’s done a fantastic job playing defense and special teams also.”
Although the Falcons are winless this season and have not beaten Sylvan Hills on the gridiron since the two teams entered the same conference in 2008, Withrow is in no mood to underestimate anyone after a couple of near losses the past two weeks. “I don’t take anyone lightly,” Withrow said. “We’ve won two games by one point in the last minute the last two weeks – we’re not taking anything lightly.”
SPORTS >> Devils, Lions meet with a lot on the line
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
Jacksonville makes a short trip to Searcy this Friday to face a team bent on revenge. The Red Devils won 12-7 last year over a Searcy team that rolled into Jacksonville with a new coach and a lot of confidence from already having more wins than in previous seasons.
This year, the Lions are 4-2, which is one win more than this time last season, and enter this week’s game after a valiant comeback effort last Friday in a 34-24 loss to West Memphis. Jacksonville is 2-1 in league play while Searcy is 1-2. This game will be huge in determining seedings for the class 6A state playoffs.
Jacksonville coach Rick Russell believes his squad is going to catch Searcy at its best.
“I think they’re going to come into this game really focused,” Russell said. “I think they really expected to come in here and get a win last year, and they still have that motivating them.”
Searcy at its best, at least offensively, will be difficult to stop. The Lions have averaged 34.7 points per game this season, and have done it with a multitude of schemes. The main difference between this year’s Lions and last year’s is this year the team is running the ball much more often out of power sets. That’s forcing teams to scheme to stop the power running game, and opening things up for talented quarterback Desmond Stegall’s strong throwing game.
“Offensively they’ve been a machine,” Russell said. “They have a very big offensive line, and their linemen are moving a lot better than we’ve seen in the past. Plus, they’ve got a 6-foot-5, 230-pound tight end that can move and catch the ball.”
Russell said he’s seen film from Searcy’s games against Parkview and West Memphis, and each game highlights a different strength in the offense.
“Against Parkview, they controlled the line of scrimmage and ran the football,” Russell said. “West Memphis matched up with them a lot better. They attacked the line of scrimmage, so Searcy threw it a lot more. They had success doing both.”
And when there is pressure on the quarterback, Stegall is one of the best quarterbacks in the state, throwing and running.
“The thing about him is he has all the tools,” Russell said. Jacksonville is used to facing dual-threat quarterbacks. Mountain Home and Jonesboro also have very talented quarterbacks, and for the most part, Jacksonville has contained them well.
The Red Devils shut out Mountain Home, then held Jonesboro’s vaunted offense to just seven points for the first 35 minutes of the game. Suddenly the Hurricane scored 27 in the last 13 minutes to steal the win.
Still, Russell believes his defense can contain Stegall as well as it has other, similar quarterbacks.
“We’re not going to be able to go toe-to-toe with them on the line,” Russell said. “We have some stunts. We’re going to have to utilize our quickness and play very sound technique. We’ve got two guys on our line who are really quick, so we’re going to have to try to take advantage of that.”
Last week, Jacksonville enjoyed great play from a few sophomores who have worked their way into the main rotation. Russell was especially pleased with performances by Jacob Price at linebacker, Darrelle White at tackle and Titus O’Neal at defensive end.
“They all played some very productive reps for us Friday night,” Russell said. “I told everybody this week there are no starters. We have group one and group two, and we’re going to start competing in practice for the chance to play. When they get that chance, it’s all about what they do with it.”
Jacksonville may need a few junior varsity players to step up their game. Several starters are nursing injuries. None have been determined out for Friday yet, but some extra depth would be helpful.
“This has been really physical football in the 6A East this year,” Russell said. “Everybody has gotten bigger and stronger. It’s been a tough few weeks. We’ve got a lot of guys banged up, but that’s just football. We’re going to keep working.”
Leader sports editor
Jacksonville makes a short trip to Searcy this Friday to face a team bent on revenge. The Red Devils won 12-7 last year over a Searcy team that rolled into Jacksonville with a new coach and a lot of confidence from already having more wins than in previous seasons.
This year, the Lions are 4-2, which is one win more than this time last season, and enter this week’s game after a valiant comeback effort last Friday in a 34-24 loss to West Memphis. Jacksonville is 2-1 in league play while Searcy is 1-2. This game will be huge in determining seedings for the class 6A state playoffs.
Jacksonville coach Rick Russell believes his squad is going to catch Searcy at its best.
“I think they’re going to come into this game really focused,” Russell said. “I think they really expected to come in here and get a win last year, and they still have that motivating them.”
Searcy at its best, at least offensively, will be difficult to stop. The Lions have averaged 34.7 points per game this season, and have done it with a multitude of schemes. The main difference between this year’s Lions and last year’s is this year the team is running the ball much more often out of power sets. That’s forcing teams to scheme to stop the power running game, and opening things up for talented quarterback Desmond Stegall’s strong throwing game.
“Offensively they’ve been a machine,” Russell said. “They have a very big offensive line, and their linemen are moving a lot better than we’ve seen in the past. Plus, they’ve got a 6-foot-5, 230-pound tight end that can move and catch the ball.”
Russell said he’s seen film from Searcy’s games against Parkview and West Memphis, and each game highlights a different strength in the offense.
“Against Parkview, they controlled the line of scrimmage and ran the football,” Russell said. “West Memphis matched up with them a lot better. They attacked the line of scrimmage, so Searcy threw it a lot more. They had success doing both.”
And when there is pressure on the quarterback, Stegall is one of the best quarterbacks in the state, throwing and running.
“The thing about him is he has all the tools,” Russell said. Jacksonville is used to facing dual-threat quarterbacks. Mountain Home and Jonesboro also have very talented quarterbacks, and for the most part, Jacksonville has contained them well.
The Red Devils shut out Mountain Home, then held Jonesboro’s vaunted offense to just seven points for the first 35 minutes of the game. Suddenly the Hurricane scored 27 in the last 13 minutes to steal the win.
Still, Russell believes his defense can contain Stegall as well as it has other, similar quarterbacks.
“We’re not going to be able to go toe-to-toe with them on the line,” Russell said. “We have some stunts. We’re going to have to utilize our quickness and play very sound technique. We’ve got two guys on our line who are really quick, so we’re going to have to try to take advantage of that.”
Last week, Jacksonville enjoyed great play from a few sophomores who have worked their way into the main rotation. Russell was especially pleased with performances by Jacob Price at linebacker, Darrelle White at tackle and Titus O’Neal at defensive end.
“They all played some very productive reps for us Friday night,” Russell said. “I told everybody this week there are no starters. We have group one and group two, and we’re going to start competing in practice for the chance to play. When they get that chance, it’s all about what they do with it.”
Jacksonville may need a few junior varsity players to step up their game. Several starters are nursing injuries. None have been determined out for Friday yet, but some extra depth would be helpful.
“This has been really physical football in the 6A East this year,” Russell said. “Everybody has gotten bigger and stronger. It’s been a tough few weeks. We’ve got a lot of guys banged up, but that’s just football. We’re going to keep working.”
SPORTS >> Cabot ladies beat Lake Hamilton
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The Cabot Lady Panthers got a long-awaited win Saturday at the Conway Midseason Invitational tournament. The Cabot ladies opened pool play with a 2-0 win over Lake Hamilton by scores of 25-17 and 25-21.
In their other pool games, the Lady Panthers split two sets with Springdale high, winning game one 25-14, then losing game two 23-25.
In the final round of pool play, class 4A powerhouse Valley View beat Cabot 25-14 and 25-18.
The Lady Panthers lost a coin toss with Russellville to see which team would advance to the gold bracket of tournament play. The coin toss made Cabot the top seed in the sliver bracket, where it played its second match in three days against North Little Rock. The Charging Lady Wildcats won again 25-18 and 25-21, but it was much closer than the conference match the two teams played two days earlier.
Cabot coach Deanna Campbell said there was a logical explanation for the better performances in Saturday’s tournament.
“It was the first time in six matches we had the same lineup on the court for two matches in a row,” Campbell said. “We’ve had so many injuries and sicknesses, we just haven’t been able to keep a consistent lineup on the floor.”
It was strong service games that led Cabot to wins in its first three sets of the tournament.
Against Lake Hamilton, sophomore Bailee Uhiren scored eight points on serve in each of the two games. Her classmate Lakin Best also got eight points on serve in game one, and five more in game two.
“That’s 16 of our 25 points right there from two players,” Campbell said. “Both of them were serving very strong for us. It was encouraging to see.”
Taylor Bitely, also a sophomore, joined the effort, scoring five points on serve in game two against the Lady Wolves.
Cabot has lost two players for the rest of the season, including starting junior setter Brylee Staten.
Senior Kori Maloy has stepped in to fill the role of setter, and showed significant improvement in the Conway tournament.
“It’s been tough because Brylee was our most consistent player and also our most experienced,” Campbell said. “Kori has worked hard and learned a lot of things about playing the position, and you could see some of those things she learned taking place on the court. It’s just been about adjustments for us all season with so many new players and so many players missing matches.”
Campbell hopes playing eight games over the weekend with the same lineup will pay dividends as the end of conference play approaches with Cabot still searching for its first win.
“I think we’re definitely improving,” Campbell said. “I knew it was going to be like this but that doesn’t make it any easier to watch happen. These young players are very talented but they are just sophomores and they haven’t even been through a real offseason yet. I’m very excited about next season because I think we’re going to see a totally different team.”
Leader sports editor
The Cabot Lady Panthers got a long-awaited win Saturday at the Conway Midseason Invitational tournament. The Cabot ladies opened pool play with a 2-0 win over Lake Hamilton by scores of 25-17 and 25-21.
In their other pool games, the Lady Panthers split two sets with Springdale high, winning game one 25-14, then losing game two 23-25.
In the final round of pool play, class 4A powerhouse Valley View beat Cabot 25-14 and 25-18.
The Lady Panthers lost a coin toss with Russellville to see which team would advance to the gold bracket of tournament play. The coin toss made Cabot the top seed in the sliver bracket, where it played its second match in three days against North Little Rock. The Charging Lady Wildcats won again 25-18 and 25-21, but it was much closer than the conference match the two teams played two days earlier.
Cabot coach Deanna Campbell said there was a logical explanation for the better performances in Saturday’s tournament.
“It was the first time in six matches we had the same lineup on the court for two matches in a row,” Campbell said. “We’ve had so many injuries and sicknesses, we just haven’t been able to keep a consistent lineup on the floor.”
It was strong service games that led Cabot to wins in its first three sets of the tournament.
Against Lake Hamilton, sophomore Bailee Uhiren scored eight points on serve in each of the two games. Her classmate Lakin Best also got eight points on serve in game one, and five more in game two.
“That’s 16 of our 25 points right there from two players,” Campbell said. “Both of them were serving very strong for us. It was encouraging to see.”
Taylor Bitely, also a sophomore, joined the effort, scoring five points on serve in game two against the Lady Wolves.
Cabot has lost two players for the rest of the season, including starting junior setter Brylee Staten.
Senior Kori Maloy has stepped in to fill the role of setter, and showed significant improvement in the Conway tournament.
“It’s been tough because Brylee was our most consistent player and also our most experienced,” Campbell said. “Kori has worked hard and learned a lot of things about playing the position, and you could see some of those things she learned taking place on the court. It’s just been about adjustments for us all season with so many new players and so many players missing matches.”
Campbell hopes playing eight games over the weekend with the same lineup will pay dividends as the end of conference play approaches with Cabot still searching for its first win.
“I think we’re definitely improving,” Campbell said. “I knew it was going to be like this but that doesn’t make it any easier to watch happen. These young players are very talented but they are just sophomores and they haven’t even been through a real offseason yet. I’m very excited about next season because I think we’re going to see a totally different team.”
Saturday, October 08, 2011
SPORTS>>Red zone miscues foil Beebe
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
Beebe came up short on three separate trips to the red zone and fell to Wynne in a 12-0 shutout at Yellowjacket Stadium on Friday.
The Badgers (4-2, 2-1) had their opportunities during a third quarter in which they dominated time of possession, but the Yellowjackets (5-1, 3-0) did not break after bending on defense most of the second half.
“We played an outstanding game on defense,” Beebe coach John Shannon said. “We came in with a great plan on defense and the kids executed that plan. But offense, I don’t know, I mean, we just couldn’t punch it through.
“We had opportunity after opportunity, but we had a penalty here and messed a block up there. You can throw out every excuse in the world, but the bottom line is that we didn’t get the job done.”
The Badgers reached the Wynne 5-yard line on their opening drive of the second half before they eventually stalled on downs. But they forced the ’Jackets to go three and out, and took their next drive all the way to the 3-yard line before a string of penalties backed them up and took them out of scoring position.
Marquez Turner was Wynne’s go-to guy on offense with 12 carries for 59 yards and four receptions for 28 yards, and scored the first of the Yellowjackets’ two touchdowns on a three-yard run with 14 seconds left in the first quarter.
There was no other score until the ’Jackets defense intercepted Beebe senior quarterback Dustin Stallnacker and returned it 20 yards to set the final margin.
Wynne had 164 passing yards and 36 rushing yards, while the Badgers had 177 total yards on 53 team rushes, led by Stallnacker’s 14 carries for 62 yards.
Beebe hosts Blytheville next week.
Leader sportswriter
Beebe came up short on three separate trips to the red zone and fell to Wynne in a 12-0 shutout at Yellowjacket Stadium on Friday.
The Badgers (4-2, 2-1) had their opportunities during a third quarter in which they dominated time of possession, but the Yellowjackets (5-1, 3-0) did not break after bending on defense most of the second half.
“We played an outstanding game on defense,” Beebe coach John Shannon said. “We came in with a great plan on defense and the kids executed that plan. But offense, I don’t know, I mean, we just couldn’t punch it through.
“We had opportunity after opportunity, but we had a penalty here and messed a block up there. You can throw out every excuse in the world, but the bottom line is that we didn’t get the job done.”
The Badgers reached the Wynne 5-yard line on their opening drive of the second half before they eventually stalled on downs. But they forced the ’Jackets to go three and out, and took their next drive all the way to the 3-yard line before a string of penalties backed them up and took them out of scoring position.
Marquez Turner was Wynne’s go-to guy on offense with 12 carries for 59 yards and four receptions for 28 yards, and scored the first of the Yellowjackets’ two touchdowns on a three-yard run with 14 seconds left in the first quarter.
There was no other score until the ’Jackets defense intercepted Beebe senior quarterback Dustin Stallnacker and returned it 20 yards to set the final margin.
Wynne had 164 passing yards and 36 rushing yards, while the Badgers had 177 total yards on 53 team rushes, led by Stallnacker’s 14 carries for 62 yards.
Beebe hosts Blytheville next week.
SPORTS>>Bears turn certain defeat into last-second victory
ByJASON KING
Leader sportswriter
It was a brutally ugly game with a strange ending, but victory was nonetheless sweet for Sylvan Hills as the Bears scored in the final five seconds of play to overtake winless Crossett 13-12 at Bill Blackwood Field on Friday.
Junior quarterback J.D. Miller connected with senior receiver Anthony Featherstone for a six-yard touchdown pass with five seconds left on the clock to give the Bears their only lead of the game. The miracle drive capped a game riddled with penalties and turnovers for both sides.
The Bears (3-3, 2-1) were out of timeouts and without the ball inside two minutes as the Eagles (0-6, 0-3) kept the ball on the ground trying to protect a 12-7 lead. But Sylvan Hills finally caught a break when Eagles running back Orlando Robinson put the ball on the turf and sophomore cornerback Garrett Barham recovered for the Bears at his own 24-yard line with 1:07 left to play.
The Bears had been inconsistent on offense all night and kept the ball mostly on the ground. But Miller, who had just gotten clearance to throw the football from his doctor earlier Friday afternoon, went 5 for 7 on the final drive for all 76 of the required yards.
Featherstone was the recipient of three of those passes, including the one that mattered most.
“We just keep playing,” Sylvan Hills coach Jim Withrow said. “We have a bunch of kids with character – they’re good kids. Some of them may not be great football players, but we’ve got enough talent, Featherstone and some of those other ones, that make great plays. I’ve never been a part of anything like that.”
Featherstone was the Bears’ lifeblood on defense most of the night with a pair of key interceptions that ended significant threats from the Crossett offense, including the Eagles’ opening drive that made its way to the Sylvan Hills’ 33.
“Anthony’s a college guy; there’s no doubt about it,” Withrow said of Featherstone. “He’s a college guy, and he makes plays. That was an unbelievable catch at the end.”
Miller managed the clock well for the Bears down the stretch with a spike following a first down pass to Featherstone that set Sylvan Hills up at the Crossett 28-yard line with 32 seconds to go, and the Bears got further assistance from an unlikely source in the Eagles’ coaching staff, which called two timeouts in the final 22 seconds.
One of those timeouts followed a pass to Jalen West that gave the Bears a first down at the Crossett 12-yard line in the middle of the field with 17 seconds remaining.
“Victory is still sweet,” Withrow said. “We got a break. They turned the ball over. If you play hard, breaks will come your way. We haven’t had any breaks – but we finally got one. I’m proud of the kids for sticking with it, because it paid off.”
The Eagles scored first on a 31-yard run by Robinson with 2:34 left in the first quarter, and Crossett doubled their lead with 10:28 left to play in the first half on a 47-yard pass play from quarterback River Johnson to Jarron Boston. But faulty special teams play for the Eagles that included a missed extra-point attempt following the first score and an incomplete two-point conversion pass following the next touchdown ultimately led to their demise.
Sylvan Hills also cut it close on its score to end the first half when Jaleel Henson punched it in from a yard out with 26 seconds remaining. The drive, as was the case with just about every other possession for each team, was halted, backed up, advanced and backed up again with yellow markers.
But the biggest for Sylvan Hills came on a pass-interference call on a long attempt from Miller to Featherstone that gave the Bears a first down at the Crossett 15-yard line. They caught another break when the Eagles were called offsides on the next play. Demarcus Willis got the ball next to the goal with a seven-yard run followed by a two-yard run before Henson finished it.
Though it was no big deal at the time, sophomore kicker Philip Wood then successfully converted the point-after kick, which eventually became the point that made the difference.
Miller was 9 for 12 passing for 113 yards and a touchdown. Henson led the ground attack for Sylvan Hills with 16 carries for 71 yards. The Bears had 268 yards offense.
For Crossett, Johnson was 12 for 18 passing for 198 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. The Eagles finished with 266 total yards.
The Bears will make the brief trip up Highway 107 next week to play another winless team in North Pulaski while Crossett will travel to Mills.
Leader sportswriter
It was a brutally ugly game with a strange ending, but victory was nonetheless sweet for Sylvan Hills as the Bears scored in the final five seconds of play to overtake winless Crossett 13-12 at Bill Blackwood Field on Friday.
Junior quarterback J.D. Miller connected with senior receiver Anthony Featherstone for a six-yard touchdown pass with five seconds left on the clock to give the Bears their only lead of the game. The miracle drive capped a game riddled with penalties and turnovers for both sides.
The Bears (3-3, 2-1) were out of timeouts and without the ball inside two minutes as the Eagles (0-6, 0-3) kept the ball on the ground trying to protect a 12-7 lead. But Sylvan Hills finally caught a break when Eagles running back Orlando Robinson put the ball on the turf and sophomore cornerback Garrett Barham recovered for the Bears at his own 24-yard line with 1:07 left to play.
The Bears had been inconsistent on offense all night and kept the ball mostly on the ground. But Miller, who had just gotten clearance to throw the football from his doctor earlier Friday afternoon, went 5 for 7 on the final drive for all 76 of the required yards.
Featherstone was the recipient of three of those passes, including the one that mattered most.
“We just keep playing,” Sylvan Hills coach Jim Withrow said. “We have a bunch of kids with character – they’re good kids. Some of them may not be great football players, but we’ve got enough talent, Featherstone and some of those other ones, that make great plays. I’ve never been a part of anything like that.”
Featherstone was the Bears’ lifeblood on defense most of the night with a pair of key interceptions that ended significant threats from the Crossett offense, including the Eagles’ opening drive that made its way to the Sylvan Hills’ 33.
“Anthony’s a college guy; there’s no doubt about it,” Withrow said of Featherstone. “He’s a college guy, and he makes plays. That was an unbelievable catch at the end.”
Miller managed the clock well for the Bears down the stretch with a spike following a first down pass to Featherstone that set Sylvan Hills up at the Crossett 28-yard line with 32 seconds to go, and the Bears got further assistance from an unlikely source in the Eagles’ coaching staff, which called two timeouts in the final 22 seconds.
One of those timeouts followed a pass to Jalen West that gave the Bears a first down at the Crossett 12-yard line in the middle of the field with 17 seconds remaining.
“Victory is still sweet,” Withrow said. “We got a break. They turned the ball over. If you play hard, breaks will come your way. We haven’t had any breaks – but we finally got one. I’m proud of the kids for sticking with it, because it paid off.”
The Eagles scored first on a 31-yard run by Robinson with 2:34 left in the first quarter, and Crossett doubled their lead with 10:28 left to play in the first half on a 47-yard pass play from quarterback River Johnson to Jarron Boston. But faulty special teams play for the Eagles that included a missed extra-point attempt following the first score and an incomplete two-point conversion pass following the next touchdown ultimately led to their demise.
Sylvan Hills also cut it close on its score to end the first half when Jaleel Henson punched it in from a yard out with 26 seconds remaining. The drive, as was the case with just about every other possession for each team, was halted, backed up, advanced and backed up again with yellow markers.
But the biggest for Sylvan Hills came on a pass-interference call on a long attempt from Miller to Featherstone that gave the Bears a first down at the Crossett 15-yard line. They caught another break when the Eagles were called offsides on the next play. Demarcus Willis got the ball next to the goal with a seven-yard run followed by a two-yard run before Henson finished it.
Though it was no big deal at the time, sophomore kicker Philip Wood then successfully converted the point-after kick, which eventually became the point that made the difference.
Miller was 9 for 12 passing for 113 yards and a touchdown. Henson led the ground attack for Sylvan Hills with 16 carries for 71 yards. The Bears had 268 yards offense.
For Crossett, Johnson was 12 for 18 passing for 198 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. The Eagles finished with 266 total yards.
The Bears will make the brief trip up Highway 107 next week to play another winless team in North Pulaski while Crossett will travel to Mills.
SPORTS>>Wildcats hammer Panthers
By JOHNNY RAY LAKE
Special to The Leader
The Charging Wildcats of North Little Rock started the week talking about living up to its potential after blowing a big lead last week against Conway. They ended the week by finally doing so, and it was bad timing for Cabot. North Little Rock capped off their Homecoming festivities Friday night with 48-0 rout of the Panthers.
After a quiet first quarter in which neither offense could get in the end zone, the Wildcats scored at will the rest of the way.
Cabot (1-5) opened the game with an impressive 12-play drive that took them to the Wildcat 22. But on fourth and two, the Panthers were stopped a yard short and turned the ball over on downs. Unfortunately for the Panthers, this would be a reoccurring theme throughout the game as Cabot finished 1 of 8 on fourth down conversions — all with less than 3 yards to convert.
North Little Rock (4-2) was not only stout on fourth down, they also recovered three fumbles by the Panthers. With the Wildcats leading 6-0 in the second quarter, Cabot once again tried to cap another 12-play drive with some points. But on third and two on the Wildcat 40-yard line, Cabot running back Ian Thompson was stripped of the ball and North Little Rock recovered.
On second and six from their own 36-yard line, Wildcat quarterback Kaylon Cooper found fullback Deon Tidwell for a short pass which Tidwell rambled for 63 yards down to the Panther 1-yard line. Cooper took it in from there, and the successful 2-point conversion made it 14-0 North Little Rock with 1:52 remaining in the first half.
After the ensuing kickoff, Cabot once again lost another turnover, this one on first down. Two plays later, Cooper found tight end Cameron Williams for yet another quick score, and with 1:08 left in the first half, the Wildcats had a commanding 21 point lead.
Cabot kicked off to the Wildcats to open the second half, and the Panther’s Zach Launius tried to get Cabot back in the game by making an impressive strip of the Wildcat return man, giving the Panthers a first down on the Wildcat 25-yard line. But three plays later, on fourth down, Cabot quarterback Zach Craig was intercepted on the Wildcat 7-yard line. North Little Rock then drove 93 yards in 12 plays to make it 28-0 with 6:10 left in the third quarter.
North Little Rock scored on the final three possessions, evoking the mercy rule with 20 seconds left in the third quarter. For the Panthers, their final three drives of the game ended when they failed to convert three fourth down conversions.
Wildcat quarterback Kaylon Cooper was an offensive threat with both his arms and legs, as he was virtually unstoppable the final three quarters of play. Cooper ended the night with 77 yards rushing, and finished an impressive 13 of 16 passing for 243 yards. His four touchdowns included one rushing and three passing.
North Little Rock finished with 536 offensive yards, while holding the Panthers to 216 total yards. For the Wildcats, quarterback Cooper and running back Kendall Williams both had 77 rushing yards to lead the team. North Little Rock ended with 293 yards on the ground.
Deon Tidwell had 121 of the Wildcats 243 passing yards, with two going for scores. The Wildcats travel across town to face Little Rock Catholic next week.
For the Panthers, quarterback Craig had 38 of the Panthers 109 yards rushing, and he added another 77 yards through the air. The Panthers hope to celebrate their homecoming next week as they face off against the Little Rock Central.
Special to The Leader
The Charging Wildcats of North Little Rock started the week talking about living up to its potential after blowing a big lead last week against Conway. They ended the week by finally doing so, and it was bad timing for Cabot. North Little Rock capped off their Homecoming festivities Friday night with 48-0 rout of the Panthers.
After a quiet first quarter in which neither offense could get in the end zone, the Wildcats scored at will the rest of the way.
Cabot (1-5) opened the game with an impressive 12-play drive that took them to the Wildcat 22. But on fourth and two, the Panthers were stopped a yard short and turned the ball over on downs. Unfortunately for the Panthers, this would be a reoccurring theme throughout the game as Cabot finished 1 of 8 on fourth down conversions — all with less than 3 yards to convert.
North Little Rock (4-2) was not only stout on fourth down, they also recovered three fumbles by the Panthers. With the Wildcats leading 6-0 in the second quarter, Cabot once again tried to cap another 12-play drive with some points. But on third and two on the Wildcat 40-yard line, Cabot running back Ian Thompson was stripped of the ball and North Little Rock recovered.
On second and six from their own 36-yard line, Wildcat quarterback Kaylon Cooper found fullback Deon Tidwell for a short pass which Tidwell rambled for 63 yards down to the Panther 1-yard line. Cooper took it in from there, and the successful 2-point conversion made it 14-0 North Little Rock with 1:52 remaining in the first half.
After the ensuing kickoff, Cabot once again lost another turnover, this one on first down. Two plays later, Cooper found tight end Cameron Williams for yet another quick score, and with 1:08 left in the first half, the Wildcats had a commanding 21 point lead.
Cabot kicked off to the Wildcats to open the second half, and the Panther’s Zach Launius tried to get Cabot back in the game by making an impressive strip of the Wildcat return man, giving the Panthers a first down on the Wildcat 25-yard line. But three plays later, on fourth down, Cabot quarterback Zach Craig was intercepted on the Wildcat 7-yard line. North Little Rock then drove 93 yards in 12 plays to make it 28-0 with 6:10 left in the third quarter.
North Little Rock scored on the final three possessions, evoking the mercy rule with 20 seconds left in the third quarter. For the Panthers, their final three drives of the game ended when they failed to convert three fourth down conversions.
Wildcat quarterback Kaylon Cooper was an offensive threat with both his arms and legs, as he was virtually unstoppable the final three quarters of play. Cooper ended the night with 77 yards rushing, and finished an impressive 13 of 16 passing for 243 yards. His four touchdowns included one rushing and three passing.
North Little Rock finished with 536 offensive yards, while holding the Panthers to 216 total yards. For the Wildcats, quarterback Cooper and running back Kendall Williams both had 77 rushing yards to lead the team. North Little Rock ended with 293 yards on the ground.
Deon Tidwell had 121 of the Wildcats 243 passing yards, with two going for scores. The Wildcats travel across town to face Little Rock Catholic next week.
For the Panthers, quarterback Craig had 38 of the Panthers 109 yards rushing, and he added another 77 yards through the air. The Panthers hope to celebrate their homecoming next week as they face off against the Little Rock Central.
SPORTS>>North Pulaski earns big win
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
Consistent serving was the only advantage North Pulaski had over visiting Beebe, but it was enough for the Lady Falcons to win a vital 5A-Southeast Conference match in four games, 25-23, 25-23, 22-25, 27-25 at the Falcons Nest on Tuesday.
Beebe matched the Lady Falcons pound for pound in sets and spikes, but the Lady Badgers’ struggles at the service line, as well as receiving serves, proved to be their unraveling.
“They made us work hard the last two sets,” North Pulaski coach Ben Belton said. “They’re a scrappy bunch – their players are smart and they are well coached, obviously, but I’m proud of my girls. This was a game we had to win, and we needed to win.”
The Lady Badgers actually edged North Pulaski when it came to blocks and kills with 38 kills, led by hard-hitting junior Stephanie Pollnow with 20, and eight team blocks, including six from senior Emily Epperson. But Beebe gave up 23 aces to the Lady Falcons while coming away with only five of their own for the match.
North Pulaski’s best answer for Pollnow’s dominance at the net was senior Shelby Floyd, who led the Lady Falcons with 12 kills. It was also Floyd’s six aces with four more from Kelsey Locklin that proved to be the difference in the closely-contested matchup.
The Lady Falcons had 30 team kills and three blocks.
“Shelby is by far playing to the best of her ability,” Belton said. “I don’t care where she is or what she is doing, she’s playing as hard as she possibly can. She’s our strength, and we should be building around that.”
The Lady Falcons cruised through game four and built a 20-15 lead before the Lady Badgers showed their resilience and fought back to tie it at 22. A kill by Pollnow gave Beebe a brief 24-23 lead, but North Pulaski ended the threat of a fifth game with a kill by Locklin and a tipped kill by Kelsey Whitmore at match point to put Beebe away.
“When you’re 20-16, you’re supposed to finish,” Belton said. “And you turn around and let them right back in, and have to fight to win. I don’t like that mentality. That frustrates me. I don’t know what to do about it, but it frustrates me.”
Pollnow’s hitting and Epperson’s blocking allowed the Lady Badgers to control the third game most of the way, with solid setting from sophomore Madison Richey and senior Morgan Henry. Liz Wood also got in on the action when it came to setting up Pollnow, who used her superior size efficiently at the net with a number of strikes that the Lady Falcons were unable to defend.
A Lesslie Colbert kill gave the Lady Badgers game point at 24-20, and Pollnow bagged it for Beebe three points later with another kill.
“They didn’t get frustrated and give up,” Belton said. “They didn’t lose all of their confidence. They showed we can still come through adversity and battle back. We have to do the right things the entire time, and not take that break.”
Floyd and Whitmore handled the majority of the hitting duties from the left side for North Pulaski depending on the rotation at the time, while junior Stevie Hughes and Locklin took care of most of the offerings to the middle from Beebe. Emily Long also had a solid night setting, as most of her setups led to Hughes’ six kills. The Lady Falcons also had strong contributions from Casey Mullens and Meagan Chargaulaf.
For Beebe, Richey had eight kills and two aces while Colbert finished with six kills.
With their conference record now at 2-5, the Lady Falcons are a game behind fourth-place CAC, with another matchup between the two teams left to go. As for the Lady Badgers, they will have to win out and have help from other teams’ misfortune in order to reach postseason play.
Leader sportswriter
Consistent serving was the only advantage North Pulaski had over visiting Beebe, but it was enough for the Lady Falcons to win a vital 5A-Southeast Conference match in four games, 25-23, 25-23, 22-25, 27-25 at the Falcons Nest on Tuesday.
Beebe matched the Lady Falcons pound for pound in sets and spikes, but the Lady Badgers’ struggles at the service line, as well as receiving serves, proved to be their unraveling.
“They made us work hard the last two sets,” North Pulaski coach Ben Belton said. “They’re a scrappy bunch – their players are smart and they are well coached, obviously, but I’m proud of my girls. This was a game we had to win, and we needed to win.”
The Lady Badgers actually edged North Pulaski when it came to blocks and kills with 38 kills, led by hard-hitting junior Stephanie Pollnow with 20, and eight team blocks, including six from senior Emily Epperson. But Beebe gave up 23 aces to the Lady Falcons while coming away with only five of their own for the match.
North Pulaski’s best answer for Pollnow’s dominance at the net was senior Shelby Floyd, who led the Lady Falcons with 12 kills. It was also Floyd’s six aces with four more from Kelsey Locklin that proved to be the difference in the closely-contested matchup.
The Lady Falcons had 30 team kills and three blocks.
“Shelby is by far playing to the best of her ability,” Belton said. “I don’t care where she is or what she is doing, she’s playing as hard as she possibly can. She’s our strength, and we should be building around that.”
The Lady Falcons cruised through game four and built a 20-15 lead before the Lady Badgers showed their resilience and fought back to tie it at 22. A kill by Pollnow gave Beebe a brief 24-23 lead, but North Pulaski ended the threat of a fifth game with a kill by Locklin and a tipped kill by Kelsey Whitmore at match point to put Beebe away.
“When you’re 20-16, you’re supposed to finish,” Belton said. “And you turn around and let them right back in, and have to fight to win. I don’t like that mentality. That frustrates me. I don’t know what to do about it, but it frustrates me.”
Pollnow’s hitting and Epperson’s blocking allowed the Lady Badgers to control the third game most of the way, with solid setting from sophomore Madison Richey and senior Morgan Henry. Liz Wood also got in on the action when it came to setting up Pollnow, who used her superior size efficiently at the net with a number of strikes that the Lady Falcons were unable to defend.
A Lesslie Colbert kill gave the Lady Badgers game point at 24-20, and Pollnow bagged it for Beebe three points later with another kill.
“They didn’t get frustrated and give up,” Belton said. “They didn’t lose all of their confidence. They showed we can still come through adversity and battle back. We have to do the right things the entire time, and not take that break.”
Floyd and Whitmore handled the majority of the hitting duties from the left side for North Pulaski depending on the rotation at the time, while junior Stevie Hughes and Locklin took care of most of the offerings to the middle from Beebe. Emily Long also had a solid night setting, as most of her setups led to Hughes’ six kills. The Lady Falcons also had strong contributions from Casey Mullens and Meagan Chargaulaf.
For Beebe, Richey had eight kills and two aces while Colbert finished with six kills.
With their conference record now at 2-5, the Lady Falcons are a game behind fourth-place CAC, with another matchup between the two teams left to go. As for the Lady Badgers, they will have to win out and have help from other teams’ misfortune in order to reach postseason play.
SPORTS>>Jacksonville comes on late, saves game
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
It’s a tradition at Jacksonville home games for various fireworks and cannons to go off after a Red Devil touchdown. The big cannons were on hand at Jan Crow Stadium for Jacksonville’s homecoming game against Little Rock Hall, but they were virtually silent for the first half. Things finally got louder in the second half, as the Red Devils were able to score three touchdowns and secure a 26-13 victory over the Warriors.
The game wasn’t decided until the very end. Hall led 13-12 late in the fourth quarter and Jacksonville faced fourth down and eight on the Hall 17-yard line.
After a timeout to talk about the play, Red Devil quarterback Tirrell Brown hit receiver Brandon Brockman at the 4-yard line. Brockman took a big hit after the catch, stayed on his feet and waltzed into the end zone to give the Red Devils an 18-13 lead with 4:13 left in the game.
“We had to have that,” Jacksonville coach Rick Russell said. “Brandon Brockman made a great play for us. Tirrell Brown got the ball to him. We had to have it and we found a way to make a play.”
Hall got a personal foul penalty on the ensuing kickoff and started from its own 29. After a false start penalty, two incomplete passes and a high snap, the Warriors faced fourth and 27 from their own 12. The fourth- down pass was also incomplete and Jacksonville took over from there with 2:42 left.
After a delay of game penalty, Brown hit Kevin Richardson at the 2-yard line, then handed off to D’vone McClure for the final touchdown of the game. McClure also converted the two points, setting the final margin with 1:56 on the clock.
The head Devil wasn’t very pleased with the offense in the first half, but got his team’s attention at halftime. Jacksonville took the ball to start the second half and marched 52 yards in four plays to take a 12-7 lead in the game.
“We just talked about execution, holding our blocks and just doing things the right way,” Russell said.
Neither team could get any offense going until Jacksonville finally scored with 1:24 left in the first quarter. In that drive, Jacksonville needed just four plays to go 68 yards, with Brown hitting Jacarius Jordan up the middle for a 44-yard scoring strike.
The bad news; after a great defensive effort, the Red Devils let Hall march down the field and score with 25 seconds to go, and went into intermission trailing 7-6.
Russell bragged on his defense and took the blame for the touchdown at the end of the half.
“I made some bad calls and gave them opportunities to get down the field on us,” Russell said. “Otherwise I thought our defense played really well. I was very proud of their effort tonight.”
Hall took the lead early in the fourth quarter. One play after McClure picked off a Hall pass, Hall’s own Geraud Peoples stepped in front of a Brown pass and returned it 47 yards for a touchdown.
The extra point was no good, giving Hall a 13-12 lead with 11:32 left in the game.
Turnovers played a big role in the game. Hall had four and Jacksonville three, but People’s touchdown was the only turnover that either team was able to turn into points.
Jacksonville junior Aaron Smith intercepted two Warrior passes.
“We saw their quarterback, saw how he played, how he throws the ball. We kind of knew Aaron was going to have a good game,” Russell said. “He’s a great athlete and he made plays defensively for us.”
Overall it was not an impressive offensive game for either team. Dropped passes were the story for Jacksonville, while bad shotgun snaps cost Hall dozens of yards.
“Concentration and execution, that’s what dropped passes are about,” Russell said. “We had some early where we score if we make the catch. Just do things in the proper order.”
The Red Devils compiled 272 total yards while Hall picked up only 139. The Warriors got 48 of their 60 total second-half yards on the final drive when Jacksonville began playing with a soft cushion.
Brown completed 14 of 28 pass attempts for 194 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.
Junior Kevin Richardson had 106 all purpose yards. He had four catches for 65 yards and a touchdown, and four carries for 41 yards. Jordan made three catches for 60 yards and a score.
The Red Devils, now 3-3 overall and 2-1 in conference play, go on the road next week to face the Searcy Lions. The Lions lost 34-24 on Friday to West Memphis.
Leader sports editor
It’s a tradition at Jacksonville home games for various fireworks and cannons to go off after a Red Devil touchdown. The big cannons were on hand at Jan Crow Stadium for Jacksonville’s homecoming game against Little Rock Hall, but they were virtually silent for the first half. Things finally got louder in the second half, as the Red Devils were able to score three touchdowns and secure a 26-13 victory over the Warriors.
The game wasn’t decided until the very end. Hall led 13-12 late in the fourth quarter and Jacksonville faced fourth down and eight on the Hall 17-yard line.
After a timeout to talk about the play, Red Devil quarterback Tirrell Brown hit receiver Brandon Brockman at the 4-yard line. Brockman took a big hit after the catch, stayed on his feet and waltzed into the end zone to give the Red Devils an 18-13 lead with 4:13 left in the game.
“We had to have that,” Jacksonville coach Rick Russell said. “Brandon Brockman made a great play for us. Tirrell Brown got the ball to him. We had to have it and we found a way to make a play.”
Hall got a personal foul penalty on the ensuing kickoff and started from its own 29. After a false start penalty, two incomplete passes and a high snap, the Warriors faced fourth and 27 from their own 12. The fourth- down pass was also incomplete and Jacksonville took over from there with 2:42 left.
After a delay of game penalty, Brown hit Kevin Richardson at the 2-yard line, then handed off to D’vone McClure for the final touchdown of the game. McClure also converted the two points, setting the final margin with 1:56 on the clock.
The head Devil wasn’t very pleased with the offense in the first half, but got his team’s attention at halftime. Jacksonville took the ball to start the second half and marched 52 yards in four plays to take a 12-7 lead in the game.
“We just talked about execution, holding our blocks and just doing things the right way,” Russell said.
Neither team could get any offense going until Jacksonville finally scored with 1:24 left in the first quarter. In that drive, Jacksonville needed just four plays to go 68 yards, with Brown hitting Jacarius Jordan up the middle for a 44-yard scoring strike.
The bad news; after a great defensive effort, the Red Devils let Hall march down the field and score with 25 seconds to go, and went into intermission trailing 7-6.
Russell bragged on his defense and took the blame for the touchdown at the end of the half.
“I made some bad calls and gave them opportunities to get down the field on us,” Russell said. “Otherwise I thought our defense played really well. I was very proud of their effort tonight.”
Hall took the lead early in the fourth quarter. One play after McClure picked off a Hall pass, Hall’s own Geraud Peoples stepped in front of a Brown pass and returned it 47 yards for a touchdown.
The extra point was no good, giving Hall a 13-12 lead with 11:32 left in the game.
Turnovers played a big role in the game. Hall had four and Jacksonville three, but People’s touchdown was the only turnover that either team was able to turn into points.
Jacksonville junior Aaron Smith intercepted two Warrior passes.
“We saw their quarterback, saw how he played, how he throws the ball. We kind of knew Aaron was going to have a good game,” Russell said. “He’s a great athlete and he made plays defensively for us.”
Overall it was not an impressive offensive game for either team. Dropped passes were the story for Jacksonville, while bad shotgun snaps cost Hall dozens of yards.
“Concentration and execution, that’s what dropped passes are about,” Russell said. “We had some early where we score if we make the catch. Just do things in the proper order.”
The Red Devils compiled 272 total yards while Hall picked up only 139. The Warriors got 48 of their 60 total second-half yards on the final drive when Jacksonville began playing with a soft cushion.
Brown completed 14 of 28 pass attempts for 194 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.
Junior Kevin Richardson had 106 all purpose yards. He had four catches for 65 yards and a touchdown, and four carries for 41 yards. Jordan made three catches for 60 yards and a score.
The Red Devils, now 3-3 overall and 2-1 in conference play, go on the road next week to face the Searcy Lions. The Lions lost 34-24 on Friday to West Memphis.
Friday, October 07, 2011
EDITORIAL >>Strange bedfellows
Three months before the first test with actual Republican voters in New Hampshire, Mitt Romney has cultivated an air of inevitability although history suggests that it is far, far too early. Republican politicians are climbing on what they hope is a bandwagon, and a few of them are baffling.
Our own congressman, Tim Griffin, and the new lieutenant governor, Mark Darr, announced Wednesday that they were supporting Romney, and Griffin apparently will chair his campaign in Arkansas. Only a few weeks ago, Griffin was touting Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who is favored to win the Arkansas primary next spring. Perry’s bumbling performance in the presidential debates, when he made everyone else on stage look like Demosthenes, clearly sapped his momentum, but it is too soon to write him off.
How Griffin and Darr, of all people, could align themselves with Romney must be mystifying to conservative voters. Romney owns the most liberal record of any candidate in the race and the record stretches back over two decades.
Throughout the 1990s, when he was climbing the Massachusetts political ladder, Romney argued forcefully for a woman’s right to have an abortion, defended Roe v. Wade, the landmark abortion decision, championed the rights of gays, including civil unions, sympathized with the plight of illegal immigrants (he even hired some of them), favored a ban on some guns, supported minimum-wage laws, fought for higher taxes on corporations and, finally, pushed through a universal health-insurance law in Massachusetts that became the template for the national law that Republicans now loathe.
Of course, Romney began to reverse himself on all those issues in 2006 when he began to prepare for a campaign for president and had to appeal to voters in the South and Midwest. He still defends his health-insurance law, which requires people in Massachusetts to purchase insurance, but says he doesn’t think it is right for the rest of the country. He doesn’t advocate repeal of his law but promises to try to repeal the national version of it.
That has been Romney’s big obstacle, which he has not yet overcome. Republican voters—well, voters of every stripe—wonder who is the real Romney or if he holds any core values at all. We suspect that he still has to close the deal with enough Republican voters to collect his party’s nomination.
If Tim Griffin holds a single view on the issues of the day with the pre-’06 Mitt Romney, we don’t know what it would be. We don’t know Mark Darr’s position on all those questions except health insurance, but we would be surprised if, like Griffin, he shares any ideology with the pre-’06 Romney.
In the same remarks endorsing Romney, Darr condemned the president’s health-insurance law because it requires people without insurance to buy coverage with government help if they earn more than 400 percent of the poverty line. No one pointed out that his man Romney’s signal achievement in public office is a law that does essentially the same thing.
But we think we understand Griffin’s gamble. He faces a difficult re-election in Arkansas next fall. Last year, he rode the widespread unpopularity of Barack Obama to victory. Helped by a tide of commercials from independent groups, he linked his Democratic opponent, a black female state senator, to the president and won. It is risky for Griffin to yoke himself so closely and so early to the man he expects to be the nominee, but it helps him pose as a leading foe of Obama, who may well be elected president but who will not scratch 43 percent in Griffin’s district. Griffin will run against Obama, not whoever the Democrats nominate for Congress.
It may prove to be a shrewd strategy. If Romney implodes from all his internal contradictions, it will not be so good. He will be the man who sided with the Republican who was most like Barack Obama.
Consider Griffin’s statement endorsing Mitt Romney. It begins not with “Mitt Romney. . .” but “President Obama’s policies. . .” Is that a clue about his purpose? Griffin said Obama’s policies had been “categorical failures” and he blamed him for high unemployment, the deficits and the regulatory burden on businesses. And he wasn’t quite truthful about it.
“Our deficits are growing,” he declared. Actually, the deficits are shrinking, although not so much that we should be heartened. But they are NOT growing. The last budget deficit of the George W. Bush administration was $1.41 trillion, slightly more than Bush’s budget office forecast two months before he left office. Some try to blame a little of that on Obama’s stimulus program, but stimulus spending did not really kick in until the new fiscal year that began Oct. 1, 2009.
Obama’s first budget, 2010, ended with a deficit of $1.29 trillion. The budget for the year that ended last week was $1.28 trillion in the red. $1.41 trillion to $1.29 trillion to $1.28 trillion—that is not growth but a downward trend, small as it is.
In politics, that is not called an untruth but merely spin. Mitt Romney at least can appreciate his young Arkansas votary’s mastery of the technique.
Our own congressman, Tim Griffin, and the new lieutenant governor, Mark Darr, announced Wednesday that they were supporting Romney, and Griffin apparently will chair his campaign in Arkansas. Only a few weeks ago, Griffin was touting Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who is favored to win the Arkansas primary next spring. Perry’s bumbling performance in the presidential debates, when he made everyone else on stage look like Demosthenes, clearly sapped his momentum, but it is too soon to write him off.
How Griffin and Darr, of all people, could align themselves with Romney must be mystifying to conservative voters. Romney owns the most liberal record of any candidate in the race and the record stretches back over two decades.
Throughout the 1990s, when he was climbing the Massachusetts political ladder, Romney argued forcefully for a woman’s right to have an abortion, defended Roe v. Wade, the landmark abortion decision, championed the rights of gays, including civil unions, sympathized with the plight of illegal immigrants (he even hired some of them), favored a ban on some guns, supported minimum-wage laws, fought for higher taxes on corporations and, finally, pushed through a universal health-insurance law in Massachusetts that became the template for the national law that Republicans now loathe.
Of course, Romney began to reverse himself on all those issues in 2006 when he began to prepare for a campaign for president and had to appeal to voters in the South and Midwest. He still defends his health-insurance law, which requires people in Massachusetts to purchase insurance, but says he doesn’t think it is right for the rest of the country. He doesn’t advocate repeal of his law but promises to try to repeal the national version of it.
That has been Romney’s big obstacle, which he has not yet overcome. Republican voters—well, voters of every stripe—wonder who is the real Romney or if he holds any core values at all. We suspect that he still has to close the deal with enough Republican voters to collect his party’s nomination.
If Tim Griffin holds a single view on the issues of the day with the pre-’06 Mitt Romney, we don’t know what it would be. We don’t know Mark Darr’s position on all those questions except health insurance, but we would be surprised if, like Griffin, he shares any ideology with the pre-’06 Romney.
In the same remarks endorsing Romney, Darr condemned the president’s health-insurance law because it requires people without insurance to buy coverage with government help if they earn more than 400 percent of the poverty line. No one pointed out that his man Romney’s signal achievement in public office is a law that does essentially the same thing.
But we think we understand Griffin’s gamble. He faces a difficult re-election in Arkansas next fall. Last year, he rode the widespread unpopularity of Barack Obama to victory. Helped by a tide of commercials from independent groups, he linked his Democratic opponent, a black female state senator, to the president and won. It is risky for Griffin to yoke himself so closely and so early to the man he expects to be the nominee, but it helps him pose as a leading foe of Obama, who may well be elected president but who will not scratch 43 percent in Griffin’s district. Griffin will run against Obama, not whoever the Democrats nominate for Congress.
It may prove to be a shrewd strategy. If Romney implodes from all his internal contradictions, it will not be so good. He will be the man who sided with the Republican who was most like Barack Obama.
Consider Griffin’s statement endorsing Mitt Romney. It begins not with “Mitt Romney. . .” but “President Obama’s policies. . .” Is that a clue about his purpose? Griffin said Obama’s policies had been “categorical failures” and he blamed him for high unemployment, the deficits and the regulatory burden on businesses. And he wasn’t quite truthful about it.
“Our deficits are growing,” he declared. Actually, the deficits are shrinking, although not so much that we should be heartened. But they are NOT growing. The last budget deficit of the George W. Bush administration was $1.41 trillion, slightly more than Bush’s budget office forecast two months before he left office. Some try to blame a little of that on Obama’s stimulus program, but stimulus spending did not really kick in until the new fiscal year that began Oct. 1, 2009.
Obama’s first budget, 2010, ended with a deficit of $1.29 trillion. The budget for the year that ended last week was $1.28 trillion in the red. $1.41 trillion to $1.29 trillion to $1.28 trillion—that is not growth but a downward trend, small as it is.
In politics, that is not called an untruth but merely spin. Mitt Romney at least can appreciate his young Arkansas votary’s mastery of the technique.
TOP STORY > >Flu shots available at clinic in Cabot
The Lonoke and Cabot County Health Units will provide seasonal flu shots from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21 at the Cabot Veterans Park Community Center, 508 N. Lincoln St. in Cabot.
The Lonoke and Cabot County Health Units are among local health units statewide that are participating in mass flu vaccination clinics beginning the last week of October. The clinic is not limited to residents of Lonoke County, said Milton Garris, administrator of the health units in Cabot and Lonoke in a press release.
The mass flu clinic is a daylong event to immunize as many people as possible. Arkansas Department of Health staff, health professionals and volunteers work as a team to provide the vaccine.
Lonoke County Health Officer Dr. Steve Fiedorek said, “Everyone over the age of 6 months should get flu vaccine. Flu can be a serious illness and we lose roughly 23,600 Americans to complications from flu each year. It’s important for Lonoke County citizens to get their flu vaccine. If you have insurance, the state Health Department will ask your insurance company to pay for the cost of giving the vaccine. If you do not have insurance or your insurance company does not pay, the vaccine will be no charge to you.”
Flu vaccination is not mandatory, but is highly recommended for anyone 6 months and older, he said.
According to the release, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatricians recommend that all children aged 6 months and older receive seasonal flu vaccine every year.
In addition to causing illness, seasonal flu causes children to miss school and their parents to miss work.
Flu is a sickness that infects the nose, throat and lungs and is caused by the influenza virus. If you’re young and healthy, the flu vaccine may be 70 to 90 percent effective in preventing illness.
Children 8 years and younger who have never received seasonal flu vaccine before will need a second dose of flu vaccine for full protection. Parents will need to contact a local ADH health unit or health care provider, see if vaccine is available and take their children in for a second dose four weeks after the first vaccine.
Over the last 50 years, flu vaccines have been shown to be safe, according to the release.
All flu vaccines are made the same way. An average of 100 million doses of influenza vaccine have been used in the United States each year, and flu vaccines have an excellent safety record.
Reactions to flu vaccines might include a mild soreness and redness near the site of the shot and perhaps a little fever or slight headache. The nasal spray flu vaccine side effects may include runny nose, headache and wheezing. The flu vaccine cannot give you the flu.
There are very few medical reasons not to get the flu vaccine. They include life threatening reactions such as anaphylaxis to a previous dose of flu vaccine or eggs or Guillain-Barre syndrome. Persons with a non-life threatening egg allergy may be vaccinated, but need to see a doctor specializing in allergies.
Influenza symptoms include fever over 100 degrees, headache, extreme fatigue, sore throat, muscle aches, dry cough, runny or stuffy nose and occasionally stomach symptoms such as nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.
The influenza virus is spread through coughing or sneezing and by touching a hard surface with the virus on it and then touching the nose or mouth. The best way to prevent the flu is to get vaccinated each year.
For more information, go to www.healthy.arkansas.gov or www.flu.gov .
The Lonoke and Cabot County Health Units are among local health units statewide that are participating in mass flu vaccination clinics beginning the last week of October. The clinic is not limited to residents of Lonoke County, said Milton Garris, administrator of the health units in Cabot and Lonoke in a press release.
The mass flu clinic is a daylong event to immunize as many people as possible. Arkansas Department of Health staff, health professionals and volunteers work as a team to provide the vaccine.
Lonoke County Health Officer Dr. Steve Fiedorek said, “Everyone over the age of 6 months should get flu vaccine. Flu can be a serious illness and we lose roughly 23,600 Americans to complications from flu each year. It’s important for Lonoke County citizens to get their flu vaccine. If you have insurance, the state Health Department will ask your insurance company to pay for the cost of giving the vaccine. If you do not have insurance or your insurance company does not pay, the vaccine will be no charge to you.”
Flu vaccination is not mandatory, but is highly recommended for anyone 6 months and older, he said.
According to the release, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatricians recommend that all children aged 6 months and older receive seasonal flu vaccine every year.
In addition to causing illness, seasonal flu causes children to miss school and their parents to miss work.
Flu is a sickness that infects the nose, throat and lungs and is caused by the influenza virus. If you’re young and healthy, the flu vaccine may be 70 to 90 percent effective in preventing illness.
Children 8 years and younger who have never received seasonal flu vaccine before will need a second dose of flu vaccine for full protection. Parents will need to contact a local ADH health unit or health care provider, see if vaccine is available and take their children in for a second dose four weeks after the first vaccine.
Over the last 50 years, flu vaccines have been shown to be safe, according to the release.
All flu vaccines are made the same way. An average of 100 million doses of influenza vaccine have been used in the United States each year, and flu vaccines have an excellent safety record.
Reactions to flu vaccines might include a mild soreness and redness near the site of the shot and perhaps a little fever or slight headache. The nasal spray flu vaccine side effects may include runny nose, headache and wheezing. The flu vaccine cannot give you the flu.
There are very few medical reasons not to get the flu vaccine. They include life threatening reactions such as anaphylaxis to a previous dose of flu vaccine or eggs or Guillain-Barre syndrome. Persons with a non-life threatening egg allergy may be vaccinated, but need to see a doctor specializing in allergies.
Influenza symptoms include fever over 100 degrees, headache, extreme fatigue, sore throat, muscle aches, dry cough, runny or stuffy nose and occasionally stomach symptoms such as nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.
The influenza virus is spread through coughing or sneezing and by touching a hard surface with the virus on it and then touching the nose or mouth. The best way to prevent the flu is to get vaccinated each year.
For more information, go to www.healthy.arkansas.gov or www.flu.gov .
TOP STORY > >Principal is back on job
By SARAH CAMPBELL
Leader staff writer
The reinstatement of Lonoke High School’s principal was met with approval from people who knew, but were not told, why he was suspended with pay on Aug. 25.
Officials kept silent until now about the reason for Phynaus Wilson’s suspension pending school board action. But an unconfirmed rumor that circulated in the small town via Facebook proved true.
The rumor was that Superintendent John Tackett asked Wilson to let outside consultants observe classes at the high school and the two disagreed on bringing in those consultants.
The district’s lawyer, Donn Mixon, released a statement Wednesday explaining that Tackett has withdrawn his recommendation to the school board that Wilson be terminated for refusing to cooperate with the district’s school-improvement consultant.
Wilson, who has spent 24 of his 34-year career in education serving the district and worked his way up from coaching to administration, told faculty Wednesday that he was suspended for refusing to work with a consulting firm the superintendent had recommended.
Wilson told the faculty Wed-nesday, “I have greatly admired the strong foundation and positive environment the district provides for the students, parents, employees and community it serves…I was wrong in refusing to work with the consultant as directed by Dr. Tackett.
“These actions were regrettable and I take full responsibility for them. Based on my unqualified commitment to fully implement the policies of the board and Dr. Tackett’s directives to the best of my ability, Dr. Tackett and I have agreed that I will return to Lonoke High School as principal, effective immediately.”
The community was shocked months by Wilson’s suspension. Students protested, demanding his return to the school. Many residents turned to Facebook as an outlet for their reaction to the shake-up.
The info section for a Face-book page titled “Front Street Lonoke” read, “Since the news about Coach Wilson broke, a lot of discussion took place. Some were at church, some were on the telephone, and a great deal happened on a few of the Facebook pages that were started in support of Coach Wilson. It seemed most people were in favor of bringing back Coach Wilson.
“However, when the topic turned to Dr. Tackett, disagreements arose, and pages were either closed, or disagreeing posts (along with their authors) were deleted. That won’t happen here. Feel free to talk about what’s going on in our town. Just try to keep it respectful.”
Responses to his reinstatement posted on the page include, “The problem was that when you work a job, no matter the job, you have to follow directions, period. There is always a higher power, especially around the school house. As I have said many times in the past, these folks need our prayers,” and “Maybe the almighty superintendent wont be so quick in the future to try to fire people just because they don’t agree with him.”
Other posts read, “Yeah! It will be good to have him back!” and “Yay!!!! way to go Wilson.”
The only negative comment said, “Too bad.”
Wilson’s argument against working with the firm was that the school had made improvements in student achievement over the last few years.
The district has been on the state’s school improvement list for four years.
Lonoke’s Bench-mark scores for algebra and biology have dropped significantly over the past five years, while literacy scores have skyrocketed and geometry has stayed the same.
Forty percent of Lonoke students scored proficient or advanced in biology for 2009, but that dropped to 27 percent in 2010 and to 22 percent this year. Algebra was up and down, going from 69 percent scoring advanced or proficient in 2009 to 79 percent in 2010 and 63 percent this year.
Meanwhile, 49 percent scored advanced or proficient in literacy for 2009. That score went up to 64 percent in 2010 and is at 71 percent now.
Advanced and proficient geometry scores were 66 percent in 2009, 70 percent in 2010 and are at 68 percent this year.
The school board held a special meeting for personnel on Aug. 22, days before the suspension was announced. Members went into executive decision, but did not vote on a personnel-related decision.
They voted to move forward with the current school-improvement process. Tackett explained that for the past three years the district has used L&M Educational Consulting of Florida to train administrators and building leaders on how to observe classroom instruction and give productive feedback.
The district is revising its school-improvement plan, which must be turned in to the state Education Department this month, Tackett said.
Posts made on the page after the news of his suspension broke also claimed teachers were told to keep quiet. One response to a reporter asking for someone to go on record with a reason for the action stated, “Under threat of suspension? Hmmmmm... No free speech here.”
Another sentiment echoed online and in the city was frustration at being kept in the dark.
Mixon, the district’s attorney, issued a statement then that read, “I have directed the administration of the district not to share any further information about this matter. The reasons for this action are not subject to the Freedom of Information Act until such time as the school board action is completed.”
The statement also said Wilson had 30 days to request a hearing before the board, which he could have requested be public or private, but any vote by the board would be public information. Neither school board action nor a hearing will be necessary now.
Leader staff writer
The reinstatement of Lonoke High School’s principal was met with approval from people who knew, but were not told, why he was suspended with pay on Aug. 25.
Officials kept silent until now about the reason for Phynaus Wilson’s suspension pending school board action. But an unconfirmed rumor that circulated in the small town via Facebook proved true.
The rumor was that Superintendent John Tackett asked Wilson to let outside consultants observe classes at the high school and the two disagreed on bringing in those consultants.
The district’s lawyer, Donn Mixon, released a statement Wednesday explaining that Tackett has withdrawn his recommendation to the school board that Wilson be terminated for refusing to cooperate with the district’s school-improvement consultant.
Wilson, who has spent 24 of his 34-year career in education serving the district and worked his way up from coaching to administration, told faculty Wednesday that he was suspended for refusing to work with a consulting firm the superintendent had recommended.
Wilson told the faculty Wed-nesday, “I have greatly admired the strong foundation and positive environment the district provides for the students, parents, employees and community it serves…I was wrong in refusing to work with the consultant as directed by Dr. Tackett.
“These actions were regrettable and I take full responsibility for them. Based on my unqualified commitment to fully implement the policies of the board and Dr. Tackett’s directives to the best of my ability, Dr. Tackett and I have agreed that I will return to Lonoke High School as principal, effective immediately.”
The community was shocked months by Wilson’s suspension. Students protested, demanding his return to the school. Many residents turned to Facebook as an outlet for their reaction to the shake-up.
The info section for a Face-book page titled “Front Street Lonoke” read, “Since the news about Coach Wilson broke, a lot of discussion took place. Some were at church, some were on the telephone, and a great deal happened on a few of the Facebook pages that were started in support of Coach Wilson. It seemed most people were in favor of bringing back Coach Wilson.
“However, when the topic turned to Dr. Tackett, disagreements arose, and pages were either closed, or disagreeing posts (along with their authors) were deleted. That won’t happen here. Feel free to talk about what’s going on in our town. Just try to keep it respectful.”
Responses to his reinstatement posted on the page include, “The problem was that when you work a job, no matter the job, you have to follow directions, period. There is always a higher power, especially around the school house. As I have said many times in the past, these folks need our prayers,” and “Maybe the almighty superintendent wont be so quick in the future to try to fire people just because they don’t agree with him.”
Other posts read, “Yeah! It will be good to have him back!” and “Yay!!!! way to go Wilson.”
The only negative comment said, “Too bad.”
Wilson’s argument against working with the firm was that the school had made improvements in student achievement over the last few years.
The district has been on the state’s school improvement list for four years.
Lonoke’s Bench-mark scores for algebra and biology have dropped significantly over the past five years, while literacy scores have skyrocketed and geometry has stayed the same.
Forty percent of Lonoke students scored proficient or advanced in biology for 2009, but that dropped to 27 percent in 2010 and to 22 percent this year. Algebra was up and down, going from 69 percent scoring advanced or proficient in 2009 to 79 percent in 2010 and 63 percent this year.
Meanwhile, 49 percent scored advanced or proficient in literacy for 2009. That score went up to 64 percent in 2010 and is at 71 percent now.
Advanced and proficient geometry scores were 66 percent in 2009, 70 percent in 2010 and are at 68 percent this year.
The school board held a special meeting for personnel on Aug. 22, days before the suspension was announced. Members went into executive decision, but did not vote on a personnel-related decision.
They voted to move forward with the current school-improvement process. Tackett explained that for the past three years the district has used L&M Educational Consulting of Florida to train administrators and building leaders on how to observe classroom instruction and give productive feedback.
The district is revising its school-improvement plan, which must be turned in to the state Education Department this month, Tackett said.
Posts made on the page after the news of his suspension broke also claimed teachers were told to keep quiet. One response to a reporter asking for someone to go on record with a reason for the action stated, “Under threat of suspension? Hmmmmm... No free speech here.”
Another sentiment echoed online and in the city was frustration at being kept in the dark.
Mixon, the district’s attorney, issued a statement then that read, “I have directed the administration of the district not to share any further information about this matter. The reasons for this action are not subject to the Freedom of Information Act until such time as the school board action is completed.”
The statement also said Wilson had 30 days to request a hearing before the board, which he could have requested be public or private, but any vote by the board would be public information. Neither school board action nor a hearing will be necessary now.
TOP STORY > >Sherwood recycling will start on March 1
By SARAH CAMPBELL
Leader staff writer
Sherwood City Council members voted unanimously at a special meeting Thursday to approve an agreement to establish curbside recycling.
Garbage rates will go up by $2.76 a month to cover the city’s cost of participating in the countywide program through an agreement with Pulaski County’s Regional Recycling and Waste Reduction District.
Recyclables will be picked up every other week and the tentative start date for the service is March 1.
“Our residents are looking forward to this,” Mayor Virginia Hillman told the council.
When the rate increase was brought up, she explained that Sherwood subsidizes garbage rates. She said the city has the lowest rates in the county right now.
John Roberts, the district’s executive director, and Wayne Rathbun, business director for Waste Management, fielded questions about the agreement for 30 minutes before the vote.
Rathbun said, “People are looking at green communities. This is a huge step toward Sherwood being a green community.”
One alderman asked how much residents would pay into the program. Rathbun said Waste Management is investing $11 million — $5 million in containers, $2 million in automatic trucks and $4 million to renovate its recycling center into a state-of-the-art facility by using asingle-stream process — into the program for Little Rock, North Little Rock and Sherwood, the three cities enrolled in curbside recycling. Waste Management hopes the rate increase will recoup that investment as well as cover operating cost for actually providing the service.
Rathbun said the reduction of trash going to the landfill might be a little less than the 26,000-ton decrease North Little Rock saw after it joined the program because Sherwood has fewer households than North Little Rock.
Once curbside recycling is in place, two 15-year-old sites—one at East Kiehl Avenue and Lois Lane and one across from The Greens at North Hills on Hwy. 107, where recycled material can be dropped off—will be closed immediately after the program is implemented.
One concern voiced was that elderly or disabled residents might not be able to haul the new 65-gallon cans to the curb. The containers can hold 175 pounds of recyclables.
Roberts assured the council that Waste Management workers could come to the resident’s door, get the can, empty it and return it. The city already has a list of people who require that service for their regular trash pick-up, Hillman said, and Sherwood could share that information with the company.
Another point discussed was the incentive program available to residents who recycle. They can go to a website, enter their zip code and get coupons for local stores and restaurants.
The number of coupons unlocked goes up as the tons of recycled goods increases in their area.
Alderman Ken Keplinger was critical of those “Think Green Rewards.” He said, “I understand we have to have a carrot. But I think our residents would like a discount on their rates instead of what they can find in the back of the phone book.”
Hillman said the incentive program has been successful for other cities. That program costs 25 cents per household each month. Waste Management and the district will each pay half to implement “Think Green Rewards.”
Residents will pay nothing into the rewards program and the cost to the company and district totals $250,000.
Keplinger also asked why the seven-year agreement term was so long. Rathbun said the length of the contract keeps rates lower.
One issue discussed was whether this would eliminate the option of recycling for residents living in apartments.
A solution to that was asking apartment complexes to get an on-site recycling bin.
The curbside program accepts all plastics including children’s toys, newsprint, magazines, junk mail, phone books, aluminum and other metals, cardboard and glass.
Leader staff writer
Sherwood City Council members voted unanimously at a special meeting Thursday to approve an agreement to establish curbside recycling.
Garbage rates will go up by $2.76 a month to cover the city’s cost of participating in the countywide program through an agreement with Pulaski County’s Regional Recycling and Waste Reduction District.
Recyclables will be picked up every other week and the tentative start date for the service is March 1.
“Our residents are looking forward to this,” Mayor Virginia Hillman told the council.
When the rate increase was brought up, she explained that Sherwood subsidizes garbage rates. She said the city has the lowest rates in the county right now.
John Roberts, the district’s executive director, and Wayne Rathbun, business director for Waste Management, fielded questions about the agreement for 30 minutes before the vote.
Rathbun said, “People are looking at green communities. This is a huge step toward Sherwood being a green community.”
One alderman asked how much residents would pay into the program. Rathbun said Waste Management is investing $11 million — $5 million in containers, $2 million in automatic trucks and $4 million to renovate its recycling center into a state-of-the-art facility by using asingle-stream process — into the program for Little Rock, North Little Rock and Sherwood, the three cities enrolled in curbside recycling. Waste Management hopes the rate increase will recoup that investment as well as cover operating cost for actually providing the service.
Rathbun said the reduction of trash going to the landfill might be a little less than the 26,000-ton decrease North Little Rock saw after it joined the program because Sherwood has fewer households than North Little Rock.
Once curbside recycling is in place, two 15-year-old sites—one at East Kiehl Avenue and Lois Lane and one across from The Greens at North Hills on Hwy. 107, where recycled material can be dropped off—will be closed immediately after the program is implemented.
One concern voiced was that elderly or disabled residents might not be able to haul the new 65-gallon cans to the curb. The containers can hold 175 pounds of recyclables.
Roberts assured the council that Waste Management workers could come to the resident’s door, get the can, empty it and return it. The city already has a list of people who require that service for their regular trash pick-up, Hillman said, and Sherwood could share that information with the company.
Another point discussed was the incentive program available to residents who recycle. They can go to a website, enter their zip code and get coupons for local stores and restaurants.
The number of coupons unlocked goes up as the tons of recycled goods increases in their area.
Alderman Ken Keplinger was critical of those “Think Green Rewards.” He said, “I understand we have to have a carrot. But I think our residents would like a discount on their rates instead of what they can find in the back of the phone book.”
Hillman said the incentive program has been successful for other cities. That program costs 25 cents per household each month. Waste Management and the district will each pay half to implement “Think Green Rewards.”
Residents will pay nothing into the rewards program and the cost to the company and district totals $250,000.
Keplinger also asked why the seven-year agreement term was so long. Rathbun said the length of the contract keeps rates lower.
One issue discussed was whether this would eliminate the option of recycling for residents living in apartments.
A solution to that was asking apartment complexes to get an on-site recycling bin.
The curbside program accepts all plastics including children’s toys, newsprint, magazines, junk mail, phone books, aluminum and other metals, cardboard and glass.
TOP STORY > >City services in one place
By SARAH CAMPBELL
Leader staff writer
Jacksonville has moved its street department to`the old Vertac plant property off Marshall Road where a sprawling law-enforcement complex is going up.
The public safety building, plus the training grounds, cost $8.8 million. That doesn’t include what was spent to move the street department into a 40,000-square-foot metal-roofed building that was already located on the property.
In addition, $250,000 was spent completing a road to the new street department building, setting up a parking lot, putting electrical wiring for lighting, furnishing the break room for employees and enclosing about 7,000 feet of the building to house offices and a workshop with heat and air. Much of the work was done inhouse said Public Works director Jimmy Oakley.
The main advantage of the new building over the old one off Odes Street is that it is on a hill, is much larger and offers a covered area to store equipment.
“It (the old building) was smaller. We were outgrowing it,” said street department superintendent Hal Toney, adding that the old department was built in the 1970s.
The old building had several feet of water inside after the last two major floods in the area. But the new building won’t flood because of its high elevation. The floor of the building is level with some other roofs on the property.
Storing equipment undercover, protected from weather conditions, makes it last longer, said street department superintendent Hal Toney.
The old department was too small and equipment had to be left outside unprotected from the elements.
The planned break room for the new facility will be able to hold about 50 people and can be used as a training area for that many too, Oakley said.
A glance from the new street department offers a birds-eye view of where the new public safety facility will be.
The city held a groundbreaking ceremony last week for the building that will house the new police department, 911 center and safe room.
Jacksonville is spending $6 million to construct the 37,000-square-foot public-safety facility.
The construction will be funded through a $3.55 million loan—$1.2 million left over from building the training center, $650,000 federal safe room grant, $400,000 the city had set aside to move the 911 center to the training site and $350,000 the city had to build a climate-controlled evidence room for the police department.
Originally, the city had set aside $4 million to build the training grounds. The bid for construction came in at $2.8 million, leaving $1.2 million to be used on the new public safety building.
The new building will house an evidence room, 911 center, safe room and police department personnel.
The 3,000-square-foot safe room will double as training classrooms through the use of temporary room dividers.
Mayor Gary Fletcher expects construction to take about 15 months.
Some of the new tax revenue generated by the two miles along Hwy. 67/167 North recently annexed into Jacksonville will be used to cover the debt.
That revenue will also be used to install utilities.
The original bid for the construction of the new public-safety building was $6.8 million, said Director of Administration Jim Durham. The city value engineered that down to $5.7 million. Value engineering is a process in which the price of some things can be reduced.
Durham used the example of replacing a state-of-the-art generator with one that is less expensive but still suits the needs of the building.
He said cities are only allowed to value engineer the price down by 20 percent. Jacksonville value engineered $1.1 million out of the bid for the public-safety building.
That resulted in a cost of $5.7 million for the facility, he said.
Because there are unanticipated costs with any project, the city added $300,000 to its loan to cover such expenses, which results in the overall figure of $6 million for the public-safety building project, Durham explained.
The public-safety building, the training grounds and the street department are joining the city’s recycling center at 1300 Marshall Road, which opened in January 2000.
The recycling program was established in the 1990s. It generates $100,000 from the sale of 1.3 million pounds of materials, Oakley said.
The program used to receive about 1 million pounds but it’s grown since the awareness of “going green” has gone up, Oakley said.
The center is open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays to accept tires, electronics, large cardboard pieces, motor oil, florescent light bulbs and antifreeze. It accepts other items 24 hours a day seven days a week.
Three employees work for the center, Oakley said. Two process materials and a third is the driver who picks up recyclables left curbside. A broker works for the city to locate the highest prices mills will pay for the unprocessed goods.
Leader staff writer
Jacksonville has moved its street department to`the old Vertac plant property off Marshall Road where a sprawling law-enforcement complex is going up.
The public safety building, plus the training grounds, cost $8.8 million. That doesn’t include what was spent to move the street department into a 40,000-square-foot metal-roofed building that was already located on the property.
In addition, $250,000 was spent completing a road to the new street department building, setting up a parking lot, putting electrical wiring for lighting, furnishing the break room for employees and enclosing about 7,000 feet of the building to house offices and a workshop with heat and air. Much of the work was done inhouse said Public Works director Jimmy Oakley.
The main advantage of the new building over the old one off Odes Street is that it is on a hill, is much larger and offers a covered area to store equipment.
“It (the old building) was smaller. We were outgrowing it,” said street department superintendent Hal Toney, adding that the old department was built in the 1970s.
The old building had several feet of water inside after the last two major floods in the area. But the new building won’t flood because of its high elevation. The floor of the building is level with some other roofs on the property.
Storing equipment undercover, protected from weather conditions, makes it last longer, said street department superintendent Hal Toney.
The old department was too small and equipment had to be left outside unprotected from the elements.
The planned break room for the new facility will be able to hold about 50 people and can be used as a training area for that many too, Oakley said.
A glance from the new street department offers a birds-eye view of where the new public safety facility will be.
The city held a groundbreaking ceremony last week for the building that will house the new police department, 911 center and safe room.
Jacksonville is spending $6 million to construct the 37,000-square-foot public-safety facility.
The construction will be funded through a $3.55 million loan—$1.2 million left over from building the training center, $650,000 federal safe room grant, $400,000 the city had set aside to move the 911 center to the training site and $350,000 the city had to build a climate-controlled evidence room for the police department.
Originally, the city had set aside $4 million to build the training grounds. The bid for construction came in at $2.8 million, leaving $1.2 million to be used on the new public safety building.
The new building will house an evidence room, 911 center, safe room and police department personnel.
The 3,000-square-foot safe room will double as training classrooms through the use of temporary room dividers.
Mayor Gary Fletcher expects construction to take about 15 months.
Some of the new tax revenue generated by the two miles along Hwy. 67/167 North recently annexed into Jacksonville will be used to cover the debt.
That revenue will also be used to install utilities.
The original bid for the construction of the new public-safety building was $6.8 million, said Director of Administration Jim Durham. The city value engineered that down to $5.7 million. Value engineering is a process in which the price of some things can be reduced.
Durham used the example of replacing a state-of-the-art generator with one that is less expensive but still suits the needs of the building.
He said cities are only allowed to value engineer the price down by 20 percent. Jacksonville value engineered $1.1 million out of the bid for the public-safety building.
That resulted in a cost of $5.7 million for the facility, he said.
Because there are unanticipated costs with any project, the city added $300,000 to its loan to cover such expenses, which results in the overall figure of $6 million for the public-safety building project, Durham explained.
The public-safety building, the training grounds and the street department are joining the city’s recycling center at 1300 Marshall Road, which opened in January 2000.
The recycling program was established in the 1990s. It generates $100,000 from the sale of 1.3 million pounds of materials, Oakley said.
The program used to receive about 1 million pounds but it’s grown since the awareness of “going green” has gone up, Oakley said.
The center is open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays to accept tires, electronics, large cardboard pieces, motor oil, florescent light bulbs and antifreeze. It accepts other items 24 hours a day seven days a week.
Three employees work for the center, Oakley said. Two process materials and a third is the driver who picks up recyclables left curbside. A broker works for the city to locate the highest prices mills will pay for the unprocessed goods.
Tuesday, October 04, 2011
TOP STORY >> Designers snub Civil War buffs
By GARRICK FELDMAN
Leader executive editor
Earlier this year, a couple of interior designers from Europe named Simon Davies and Tomas Cederlund came here for an episode of their show “Home Takeover” on the Oprah Winfrey Network.
There was a great deal of excitement when the show’s campy hosts, or the “Lords of Fabulousness,” arrived here in February. But then they disappointed some Civil War buffs who re-enacted the Battle of Reed’s Bridge, which wound up on the cutting room floor.
Davies and Cederlund redid Wanda and Don Cook’s Christmas-themed home in Furlow, which was filled with thousands of Coca-Cola memorabilia. They dubbed their home “50s and Christmas,” where it’s always Dec. 25 and Eisenhower is president.
“I love the Christmas theme and I just love red and green,” Wanda told the decorators, who gave her kitchen a stylish new look in less than a week.
I would have left the place alone and turned it into a museum and built the Cooks a new home. But the show doesn’t have that kind of budget.
Davies and Cederlund are supposed to be Swedish, but they sound British. They remind you of the old BBC cooking show “Two Fat Ladies,” who were much funnier.
“Home Takeover,” which is now on permanent hiatus, didn’t have much of an audience — OWN has one of the smallest ratings on cable television, averaging only about 200,000 viewers on a good day.
Davies and Cederlund made a detour at the Reed’s Bridge Civil War site because Wanda Cook is a member of the American Red Hat Society.
The ladies dressed up and watched a re-enactment, but the scene wasn’t used. (You can see the outtake on OWN’s website.)
Members of the Reed’s Bridge Battlefield Preservation Society aren’t too happy about that since they were asked to put on their uniforms and invited the decorators to join them in the re-enactment on Super Bowl Sunday.
Instead, the segment included lots of trailer jokes about Arkansas, which is surprising since Oprah grew up poor in Mississippi.
Steve Shore of the Reed’s Bridge Society remembers being called to be on “Home Takeover.”
“At first I was excited,” he said recently. “It was very short notice to get a lot of people together on Super Bowl Sunday for a two- or three-hour event.”
Although there was snow on the ground when the TV crew called, Shore continued, “that did not affect their decision to film ‘a re-enactment of a re-enactment’ in the snow, when the battle happened in the heat of August 1863.”
“I put out the word, and as it turns out, four cannons arrived, along with approximately 60 re-enactors.”
“We knew nothing about what they wanted to film, so everyone was asked to bring two uniforms. Maybe we would film all Confederates attacking from one direction......and then change uniforms and have the Yankees attacking in the opposite direction?
“Who knows? When the film crew arrived, we learned that they wanted to dress up the two television personalities of a TV show that was to be on the OWN Network in April.”
Shore helped Davies and Cederlund change into uniforms inside one of the log cabins at the battlefield. The designers goofed around the battlefield and even played dead. But they obviously couldn’t work the scene into the show.
“To make a long story short,” Shore continued, “the show did not come out in April. In fact, it did not come out all summer. Recently, the episode was aired that we were to be in, but we were cut out of it.
One of our local re-enactors found a link of the event on the OWN Network website.”
“I gave these guys musket training, drill and commands,” Shore went on. “They did not want to listen once we were on the field. I gave them a lot of information about the original battle and the importance of the battlefield.
“I don’t know how this will be accepted by the re-enactment community, but I hope we did not harm the overall perception,” Shore said. “I do know I didn’t appreciate them driving up and making the comment, ‘Here’s a bunch of crazies!’”
There’s a lesson here somewhere: Don’t do Civil War re-enactments for guys with British accents and don’t ask them to decorate battlefields, even if they’ll do it for free.
Leader executive editor
Earlier this year, a couple of interior designers from Europe named Simon Davies and Tomas Cederlund came here for an episode of their show “Home Takeover” on the Oprah Winfrey Network.
There was a great deal of excitement when the show’s campy hosts, or the “Lords of Fabulousness,” arrived here in February. But then they disappointed some Civil War buffs who re-enacted the Battle of Reed’s Bridge, which wound up on the cutting room floor.
Davies and Cederlund redid Wanda and Don Cook’s Christmas-themed home in Furlow, which was filled with thousands of Coca-Cola memorabilia. They dubbed their home “50s and Christmas,” where it’s always Dec. 25 and Eisenhower is president.
“I love the Christmas theme and I just love red and green,” Wanda told the decorators, who gave her kitchen a stylish new look in less than a week.
I would have left the place alone and turned it into a museum and built the Cooks a new home. But the show doesn’t have that kind of budget.
Davies and Cederlund are supposed to be Swedish, but they sound British. They remind you of the old BBC cooking show “Two Fat Ladies,” who were much funnier.
“Home Takeover,” which is now on permanent hiatus, didn’t have much of an audience — OWN has one of the smallest ratings on cable television, averaging only about 200,000 viewers on a good day.
Davies and Cederlund made a detour at the Reed’s Bridge Civil War site because Wanda Cook is a member of the American Red Hat Society.
The ladies dressed up and watched a re-enactment, but the scene wasn’t used. (You can see the outtake on OWN’s website.)
Members of the Reed’s Bridge Battlefield Preservation Society aren’t too happy about that since they were asked to put on their uniforms and invited the decorators to join them in the re-enactment on Super Bowl Sunday.
Instead, the segment included lots of trailer jokes about Arkansas, which is surprising since Oprah grew up poor in Mississippi.
Steve Shore of the Reed’s Bridge Society remembers being called to be on “Home Takeover.”
“At first I was excited,” he said recently. “It was very short notice to get a lot of people together on Super Bowl Sunday for a two- or three-hour event.”
Although there was snow on the ground when the TV crew called, Shore continued, “that did not affect their decision to film ‘a re-enactment of a re-enactment’ in the snow, when the battle happened in the heat of August 1863.”
“I put out the word, and as it turns out, four cannons arrived, along with approximately 60 re-enactors.”
“We knew nothing about what they wanted to film, so everyone was asked to bring two uniforms. Maybe we would film all Confederates attacking from one direction......and then change uniforms and have the Yankees attacking in the opposite direction?
“Who knows? When the film crew arrived, we learned that they wanted to dress up the two television personalities of a TV show that was to be on the OWN Network in April.”
Shore helped Davies and Cederlund change into uniforms inside one of the log cabins at the battlefield. The designers goofed around the battlefield and even played dead. But they obviously couldn’t work the scene into the show.
“To make a long story short,” Shore continued, “the show did not come out in April. In fact, it did not come out all summer. Recently, the episode was aired that we were to be in, but we were cut out of it.
One of our local re-enactors found a link of the event on the OWN Network website.”
“I gave these guys musket training, drill and commands,” Shore went on. “They did not want to listen once we were on the field. I gave them a lot of information about the original battle and the importance of the battlefield.
“I don’t know how this will be accepted by the re-enactment community, but I hope we did not harm the overall perception,” Shore said. “I do know I didn’t appreciate them driving up and making the comment, ‘Here’s a bunch of crazies!’”
There’s a lesson here somewhere: Don’t do Civil War re-enactments for guys with British accents and don’t ask them to decorate battlefields, even if they’ll do it for free.
EDITORIAL >> Insurance exchanges
The Arkansas Republican Party, or at least its legislative branch, declared that when the people’s best interests collide with the party’s, the party’s must prevail. Not in exactly those words, but that was the simple message in Republican legislators’ veto of state health-insurance exchanges.
Even the GOP’s reliable ally, the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce, could not prevail on the lawmakers to give Arkansas businesses and individuals the advantage of buying from Arkansas-run exchanges rather than from the federal government’s. No, they said, you will buy insurance through Washington, not Little Rock, no matter if it is more expensive and troublesome.
There is an unmistakable element of childish spite in the Republican stance. Everyone knows that Republicans opposed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, which they call “Obamacare.” That is fine. Lots of people don’t like insurance reform at all, many dislike certain features of the law and others would have achieved universal coverage some other way, perhaps by expanding Medicare and Medicaid to cover everyone.
But blocking the creation of insurance exchanges in Arkansas will have no effect on whether the law is implemented in Arkansas. Absolutely none. It is simple posturing, another chance to jab an unpopular president and link Arkansas Democrats to him. The GOP lawmakers hope that people won’t catch on that they are not protecting them from the insurance mandate but simply forcing them to go to Washington for insurance under whatever rules and at whatever premiums the federal bureaucrats determine are workable nationally.
The most controversial feature of the law is its requirement that people who do not have health insurance but can afford it with some government help buy a plan from one of the insurance companies or else pay a small penalty. Each state can set up an exchange where insurance companies would offer a range of group plans that are tailored to fit the requirement of the law and that state’s particular needs. If a state chooses not to set up an exchange, individuals and businesses in that state will buy plans from a national exchange.
Businesses pleaded with Gov. Beebe to request a federal grant before last week’s deadline to put together a state exchange. Beebe wanted to do it, but he told them that Republicans had blocked legislation to set up a state exchange in the regular legislative session and he was not going to defy them. Without some expression of bipartisan support he was not going to do it.
Randy Zook, the director of the State Chamber of Commerce, explained why he wanted his Republican friends to get over their pique and support the state exchange and why he was disappointed they repulsed him.
“We just think it would be better to have an exchange governed and managed by folks in Arkansas than be forced to deal with bureaucrats in Washington,” he said.
Rep. John Burris, the Republican leader of the Arkansas House, said the party considered setting up an exchange pointless until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on whether the Affordable Care Act is constitutional, likely next spring or summer. Never mind that when the court rules it will be too late under the law for Arkansas to start building its exchange.
Three appellate courts have ruled on the act. Two upheld its constitutionality and one upheld all of it except the mandate that people buy insurance or pay a penalty. The third court, in Georgia, ruled, 2 to 1, that the mandate exceeded Congress’ power under the Constitution’s commerce clause. That decision, by the way, was written by a judge whose daughter, a member of Congress, was a leading opponent of the Affordable Care Act. Some people would have recused.
Even if the Supreme Court upholds that court’s decision that the mandate is void, which court observers view as unlikely, the rest of the law will be implemented. That includes the exchanges. Businesses and people would still be able to buy insurance through the exchanges and would have a powerful incentive to do so: cheaper policies than are now available because everyone would be in a group plan much like the plans of large employers, and also government help with the premiums if your income is below 400 percent of the poverty line.
In Arkansas, the Republican Party wants you to deal solely with the hated federal government when that happens. We thought that was contrary to the party’s core philosophy. But let us hazard a guess. When it is all implemented in 2014, the Republican leadership will loudly lament that businesses and individuals have to deal with Washington bureaucrats rather than their friendly neighbors in Little Rock.
Even the GOP’s reliable ally, the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce, could not prevail on the lawmakers to give Arkansas businesses and individuals the advantage of buying from Arkansas-run exchanges rather than from the federal government’s. No, they said, you will buy insurance through Washington, not Little Rock, no matter if it is more expensive and troublesome.
There is an unmistakable element of childish spite in the Republican stance. Everyone knows that Republicans opposed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, which they call “Obamacare.” That is fine. Lots of people don’t like insurance reform at all, many dislike certain features of the law and others would have achieved universal coverage some other way, perhaps by expanding Medicare and Medicaid to cover everyone.
But blocking the creation of insurance exchanges in Arkansas will have no effect on whether the law is implemented in Arkansas. Absolutely none. It is simple posturing, another chance to jab an unpopular president and link Arkansas Democrats to him. The GOP lawmakers hope that people won’t catch on that they are not protecting them from the insurance mandate but simply forcing them to go to Washington for insurance under whatever rules and at whatever premiums the federal bureaucrats determine are workable nationally.
The most controversial feature of the law is its requirement that people who do not have health insurance but can afford it with some government help buy a plan from one of the insurance companies or else pay a small penalty. Each state can set up an exchange where insurance companies would offer a range of group plans that are tailored to fit the requirement of the law and that state’s particular needs. If a state chooses not to set up an exchange, individuals and businesses in that state will buy plans from a national exchange.
Businesses pleaded with Gov. Beebe to request a federal grant before last week’s deadline to put together a state exchange. Beebe wanted to do it, but he told them that Republicans had blocked legislation to set up a state exchange in the regular legislative session and he was not going to defy them. Without some expression of bipartisan support he was not going to do it.
Randy Zook, the director of the State Chamber of Commerce, explained why he wanted his Republican friends to get over their pique and support the state exchange and why he was disappointed they repulsed him.
“We just think it would be better to have an exchange governed and managed by folks in Arkansas than be forced to deal with bureaucrats in Washington,” he said.
Rep. John Burris, the Republican leader of the Arkansas House, said the party considered setting up an exchange pointless until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on whether the Affordable Care Act is constitutional, likely next spring or summer. Never mind that when the court rules it will be too late under the law for Arkansas to start building its exchange.
Three appellate courts have ruled on the act. Two upheld its constitutionality and one upheld all of it except the mandate that people buy insurance or pay a penalty. The third court, in Georgia, ruled, 2 to 1, that the mandate exceeded Congress’ power under the Constitution’s commerce clause. That decision, by the way, was written by a judge whose daughter, a member of Congress, was a leading opponent of the Affordable Care Act. Some people would have recused.
Even if the Supreme Court upholds that court’s decision that the mandate is void, which court observers view as unlikely, the rest of the law will be implemented. That includes the exchanges. Businesses and people would still be able to buy insurance through the exchanges and would have a powerful incentive to do so: cheaper policies than are now available because everyone would be in a group plan much like the plans of large employers, and also government help with the premiums if your income is below 400 percent of the poverty line.
In Arkansas, the Republican Party wants you to deal solely with the hated federal government when that happens. We thought that was contrary to the party’s core philosophy. But let us hazard a guess. When it is all implemented in 2014, the Republican leadership will loudly lament that businesses and individuals have to deal with Washington bureaucrats rather than their friendly neighbors in Little Rock.
TOP STORY >> Celebration marks rise after tornado
Cabot Fest is Saturday in downtown Cabot. The free festival, which began as a way for the community to come together two years after the deadly tornado of 1976, is celebrating its 34th year.
Saturday’s events run from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. A carnival which opens at 6 p.m. Friday behind city hall will kick off the festival.
Armbands for unlimited rides are good on Friday. They are $12 in advance at the chamber of commerce office or $15 Friday night.
On Saturday, the fun begins early with the Cabot Lions Club pancake breakfast from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the First Baptist Church fellowship hall. The Lions Club will be serving all-you-can eat pancakes, sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, juice and milk. The cost is $5 for adults and $2 for children 10 years old and younger. All proceeds benefit the Cabot Lions Clubs and the programs they support.
Miss Arkansas Kristen Glover will perform at 10 a.m. during the opening ceremony. She will be followed by Next Generation at 11:30 a.m., the Hallelujah Harmony Quartet at 12:30 p.m., School Boy Humor at 1:30 p.m., Highland Sky at 2:30 p.m., Adam Hambrick at 3:30 p.m. and county musician Tyler Farr will close out at 5 p.m. Farr has a released the single “Camouflage.” He was born and raised in Garden City, Mo.
“Cabot Fest is one of Arkansas’ premier festivals. It is a family friendly atmosphere with great food and entertainment. It brings thousands to the city to celebrate the rebirth of the city. It is the largest event the chamber holds,” chamber director Billye Everett said.
An estimated 160 booths are expected to set up for Cabot Fest, with 10 food vendors offering fair food favorites such as cupcakes and Mexican cuisine.
United Freestyle Stunt Team from Texas will amaze the crowd with BMX freestyle bike, in-line skates and skateboard stunts at 11 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m.
The cricket-spitting contest will be back this year, so is the rock climbing wall. The Junior Auxiliary of Cabot’s Miss Cabot Fest pageant begins at 9 a.m. in the Cabot Community Theater, 204 N. First St. The Cabot Christian Club car show has expanded to the First Security Bank and Centennial Bank parking lots to allow more room to show vehicles.
The Kids Zone will have four inflatable playgrounds, two more than last year. The chamber will have free face painting and balloon artist Jesse Trimble of Cabot will be entertaining youngster with her talents.
The Cabot Church of Christ is sponsoring a baby changing station at the Kids Zone. The church is providing diapers, wipes and changing station in a private station.
No pets are allowed at Cabot Fest.
Schedule of Events
FRIDAY
6 p.m. carnival (behind city hall
SATURDAY
6 to 10 a.m. Lions Club pancake breakfast at First Baptist Church
9 a.m. Miss Cabot Fest Pageant
10 a.m. Miss Arkansas performs
11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. United Freestyle Stunt Team
11:30 a.m. Next Generation performs
12:30 p.m. Hallelujah Harmony Quartet
1:30 p.m. School Boy Humor performs
2:30 p.m. Highland Sky performs
3:30 p.m. Adam Hambrick performs
5 p.m. Tyler Farr performs
Saturday’s events run from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. A carnival which opens at 6 p.m. Friday behind city hall will kick off the festival.
Armbands for unlimited rides are good on Friday. They are $12 in advance at the chamber of commerce office or $15 Friday night.
On Saturday, the fun begins early with the Cabot Lions Club pancake breakfast from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the First Baptist Church fellowship hall. The Lions Club will be serving all-you-can eat pancakes, sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, juice and milk. The cost is $5 for adults and $2 for children 10 years old and younger. All proceeds benefit the Cabot Lions Clubs and the programs they support.
Miss Arkansas Kristen Glover will perform at 10 a.m. during the opening ceremony. She will be followed by Next Generation at 11:30 a.m., the Hallelujah Harmony Quartet at 12:30 p.m., School Boy Humor at 1:30 p.m., Highland Sky at 2:30 p.m., Adam Hambrick at 3:30 p.m. and county musician Tyler Farr will close out at 5 p.m. Farr has a released the single “Camouflage.” He was born and raised in Garden City, Mo.
“Cabot Fest is one of Arkansas’ premier festivals. It is a family friendly atmosphere with great food and entertainment. It brings thousands to the city to celebrate the rebirth of the city. It is the largest event the chamber holds,” chamber director Billye Everett said.
An estimated 160 booths are expected to set up for Cabot Fest, with 10 food vendors offering fair food favorites such as cupcakes and Mexican cuisine.
United Freestyle Stunt Team from Texas will amaze the crowd with BMX freestyle bike, in-line skates and skateboard stunts at 11 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m.
The cricket-spitting contest will be back this year, so is the rock climbing wall. The Junior Auxiliary of Cabot’s Miss Cabot Fest pageant begins at 9 a.m. in the Cabot Community Theater, 204 N. First St. The Cabot Christian Club car show has expanded to the First Security Bank and Centennial Bank parking lots to allow more room to show vehicles.
The Kids Zone will have four inflatable playgrounds, two more than last year. The chamber will have free face painting and balloon artist Jesse Trimble of Cabot will be entertaining youngster with her talents.
The Cabot Church of Christ is sponsoring a baby changing station at the Kids Zone. The church is providing diapers, wipes and changing station in a private station.
No pets are allowed at Cabot Fest.
Schedule of Events
FRIDAY
6 p.m. carnival (behind city hall
SATURDAY
6 to 10 a.m. Lions Club pancake breakfast at First Baptist Church
9 a.m. Miss Cabot Fest Pageant
10 a.m. Miss Arkansas performs
11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. United Freestyle Stunt Team
11:30 a.m. Next Generation performs
12:30 p.m. Hallelujah Harmony Quartet
1:30 p.m. School Boy Humor performs
2:30 p.m. Highland Sky performs
3:30 p.m. Adam Hambrick performs
5 p.m. Tyler Farr performs
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