By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
Local golfers and potential club members may see a familiar face taking care of things at Southern Oaks Country Club in Jacksonville. Dustin Ralston is Southern Oaks’ new general manager and head golf professional. His first day was April 1. Ralston was previously head golf pro at Greystone Country Club in Cabot. He worked there for 15 years from 1995 to 2010.
He still lives in the Greystone subdivision with his wife Kathy, and children Hogan, 10, and Hannah, 5.
From a family with deep roots in the competitive and business side of the sport, and after nearly three years away from golf altogether, Ralston started missing it at a hall of fame ceremony in which his father, Bob Ralston, was honored.
“My dad was inducted in the PGA south-central section hall of fame,” Ralston said. “Being at that ceremony, seeing all my old buddies, I really started missing it. When I left golf I was happy with what I was moving into, but that event is what really made me want to get back into it.”
As fate would have it, a few months after getting the itch to return to the sport, Ralston heard about the opening at Southern Oaks in March. He sent his resume in on a Tuesday, interviewed on Wednesday and accepted the position on Thursday.
“I have really enjoyed it,” Ralston said of his two weeks at SOCC. “The biggest difference here is that this is a fully private club, whereas at Greystone we were dealing more with the public. We’re a small club right now so as manager I’m the one that takes care of just about everything, but in other ways this is easier than working the public courses.”
While Ralston takes care of “almost” everything, he’s not the course superintendent. That job belongs to Bo Baracus, who in just two weeks Ralston believes is one of the best.
“He is phenomenal,” Ralston said of Baracus. “He’s been here a long time and he knows this course like probably no one else. I’ve not even had a chance to play it, but Bo has taken me around on it and we’ve got a really great course here.”
Ralston’s ties to golf are strong. His father Bob played on the PGA tour and seniors’ tour. He won hundreds of south-central section events. He’s been head golf pro at Maumelle and the Belvedere Golf Resort at Hot Springs, where Dustin grew up attending Fountain Lake High School. While never winning a national PGA event, Bob Ralston won hundreds of south-central section tournaments and is also in the Arkansas Golf Hall of Fame.
Dustin’s brother Heath was a golf pro for many years and played professionally. Dustin is also brother-in law to Glen Day, one of Arkansas’ most successful professional golfers.
“I’ve just been around it my whole life and I love the game and everything about it,” Ralston said. “I’ve been fortunate enough to be around it at a very high level.”
Though Dustin didn’t reach the same level of success as some family members as a player, he has done his job as golf pro very well.
He was named Arkansas’ Golf Professional of the Year in 2003 and 2006.
Dustin was a successful high-school golfer and went on to play competitively at the collegiate level at Arkansas State University. That’s where he developed the desire to get into the instruction and management side of the sport.
“To be honest I just knew I wasn’t good enough to keep moving up in the sport,” Ralston said. “It’s absolutely nuts how good those guys are and how good you have to be to really excel and be successful at this game. But I love playing and I love being a part of golf. And I’m very happy to be at Southern Oaks.”
The club has grown considerably since last summer, the first under the new management. Membership is up from 125 last year to between 195 and 200 full members, with 15 new members joining so far this month. There are approximately 80 social members. A full membership for an individual is $145 per month and family memberships are $165. Memberships for active military are only $99 per month.
The club swimming pool will open on Memorial Day weekend.
“We’ve got a lot going on here for the next few months and into summer,” Ralston said. “If anyone wants to check it out, they can just come right on by and see me.”
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
SPORTS STORY >> Cabot ladies earn shutout over ’Canes
By GRAHAM POWELL
Leader sportswriter
The Lady Panther softball team made the most of its 7A/6A East Conference makeup game against Jonesboro as it dominated the Lady Hurricanes 9-0 Monday at the Cabot softball complex.
Cabot (10-11, 4-5) totaled 16 hits in the game while Lady Panthers’ sophomore pitcher Kaitlyn Thompson gave up just two hits, one walk, and struck out seven Jonesboro (9-8, 2-4) batters in the complete game performance.
“We got some timely hits,” said Lady Panthers coach Chris Cope. “We had a big fourth inning and a big sixth inning, and kind of took care of business. Kaitlyn Thompson did a good job of keeping the hitters off balance, and then we made some good defensive plays throughout the game as well.”
Senior catcher Taylor Anderson scored the first run for the Lady Panthers in the third inning, but the fourth inning was when they began to light up the scoreboard. Cabot scored four runs in the inning, the first of which was scored by Thompson.
Molly Wood scored Cabot’s third run after reaching base earlier in the inning with the first of her three singles. Macee Abbott and Shauna Attendorn scored the final two runs of the fourth for the Lady Panthers. Abbott reached base on a walk and Attendorn reached on a double.
The Lady Panthers cooled down offensively in the fifth inning, but picked up where they left off at the plate in the sixth with another four-run rally. Three-hole hitter Heather Hill reached base on a fielder’s choice before scoring the first of Cabot’s four runs in the inning, which put the home team up 6-0.
Cleanup hitter Brandyn Vines hit a double the next at bat and later scored the seventh run of the game for the Lady Panthers. Lane Justus and Rachel Allgood followed with base hits, and scored the final two runs of the evening.
The Lady Panthers have steadily gotten better through each game since the start of the season. In many of the team’s early defeats, errors and untimely hits were the cause of them being on the losing side of things. But those miscues are steadily decreasing with each game, which is something Cope hopes will continue as the end of the regular season approaches.
“We are improving every game,” Cope said. “We got some good hits. We swung the bat well. As the game went on we had to make an adjustment with the (Jonesboro) pitcher, but our defense is stepping up big time. We turned a double play. That’s our second one in two games.
“We had two good catches at the fence. So defensively it’s picking up and that’s where we were shaky at times.”
Wood and Abbott led the Lady Panthers with three hits apiece. Vines, Thompson and Hill had two hits each, while Anderson, Attendorn, Allgood and Justus had a hit apiece.
The Lady Panthers continued 7A/6A East play yesterday at home against West Memphis, and will travel to Marion tomorrow for another conference game, which starts at 5 p.m.
Leader sportswriter
The Lady Panther softball team made the most of its 7A/6A East Conference makeup game against Jonesboro as it dominated the Lady Hurricanes 9-0 Monday at the Cabot softball complex.
Cabot (10-11, 4-5) totaled 16 hits in the game while Lady Panthers’ sophomore pitcher Kaitlyn Thompson gave up just two hits, one walk, and struck out seven Jonesboro (9-8, 2-4) batters in the complete game performance.
“We got some timely hits,” said Lady Panthers coach Chris Cope. “We had a big fourth inning and a big sixth inning, and kind of took care of business. Kaitlyn Thompson did a good job of keeping the hitters off balance, and then we made some good defensive plays throughout the game as well.”
Senior catcher Taylor Anderson scored the first run for the Lady Panthers in the third inning, but the fourth inning was when they began to light up the scoreboard. Cabot scored four runs in the inning, the first of which was scored by Thompson.
Molly Wood scored Cabot’s third run after reaching base earlier in the inning with the first of her three singles. Macee Abbott and Shauna Attendorn scored the final two runs of the fourth for the Lady Panthers. Abbott reached base on a walk and Attendorn reached on a double.
The Lady Panthers cooled down offensively in the fifth inning, but picked up where they left off at the plate in the sixth with another four-run rally. Three-hole hitter Heather Hill reached base on a fielder’s choice before scoring the first of Cabot’s four runs in the inning, which put the home team up 6-0.
Cleanup hitter Brandyn Vines hit a double the next at bat and later scored the seventh run of the game for the Lady Panthers. Lane Justus and Rachel Allgood followed with base hits, and scored the final two runs of the evening.
The Lady Panthers have steadily gotten better through each game since the start of the season. In many of the team’s early defeats, errors and untimely hits were the cause of them being on the losing side of things. But those miscues are steadily decreasing with each game, which is something Cope hopes will continue as the end of the regular season approaches.
“We are improving every game,” Cope said. “We got some good hits. We swung the bat well. As the game went on we had to make an adjustment with the (Jonesboro) pitcher, but our defense is stepping up big time. We turned a double play. That’s our second one in two games.
“We had two good catches at the fence. So defensively it’s picking up and that’s where we were shaky at times.”
Wood and Abbott led the Lady Panthers with three hits apiece. Vines, Thompson and Hill had two hits each, while Anderson, Attendorn, Allgood and Justus had a hit apiece.
The Lady Panthers continued 7A/6A East play yesterday at home against West Memphis, and will travel to Marion tomorrow for another conference game, which starts at 5 p.m.
SPORTS STORY >> Ramblers down Lady Red Devils
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The Rose Bud softball team gave Jacksonville the ramblin’ blues Monday after beating the Lady Devils 4-2 at Dupree Park. Lady Rambler pitcher Dana Naquin threw a complete-game three hitter while striking out 13 Lady Red Devils and walking three.
Only one of the six total runs scored were earned, but Rose Bud also won 1-0, getting an earned run across the plate in the sixth inning to take a 4-0 lead.
The first three runs of the game were unearned, two in the first and one in the third for the Lady Ramblers (9-6).
“That’s sort of been our Achilles Heel all year is unearned runs,” Jacksonville coach Barry Hickingbotham said. “We give up three unearned and lose 4-2. I guess it’s sort of a learning curve because we’re so young. We’re in the process of learning how valuable every out is. We’re learning that you can’t relax until that third out is made.”
After retiring the first two batters, Jacksonville freshman pitcher Kimberly House gave up a single to Naquin. She then got Marissa Holland to pop up to second base, but Bailey Jones dropped it. Naquin was on the move on contact and got all the way around the bases on the error and Holland stopped at first base. She moved to second base on a passed ball by freshman backup catcher Lauren Shillcutt. Rose Bud’s Tess Capps then singled to left field to score Holland and give Rose Bud a 2-0 lead.
“To go to that next level and be a really, really good team, those are the kinds of mistakes we’re going to have to eliminate,” Hickingbotham said. “They’re playing hard, they’re trying and they’re giving great effort. We just have to learn to keep that focus and not let those simple mistakes happen, because they cost you.”
House struck out the side in the second inning, sandwiching two singles between the second and third strikeout. Holland got a hit and a stolen base with one out in the third inning for Rose Bud. She moved to third on a ground ball and scored on a wild pitch to make it 3-0.
Naquin fanned the side twice, once in the second inning and again in the fourth, but Jacksonville had opportunities in other frames. The Lady Red Devils got two in scoring position with one out in the bottom of the first when some luck broke Rose Bud’s way. Cleanup hitter Mailani Walker ripped a hard line drive with the runners in scoring position, but ripped it straight to second base for the second out. Shyrel McKinney then struck out looking on a borderline strike in the lower-outside portion of the zone.
Jacksonville got the leadoff hitter on in the fourth inning when Kimley Burrows walked. Shillcutt struck out. Nine-hole hitter Keke Alcorn hit a deep fly ball to right field for the second out and Sacha Richardson grounded out to first base to end the threat.
Jacksonville got two on with nobody out in the fifth inning. Morgan Lloyd reached on an error at first base and House walked. Walker laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to move the runners into scoring position, but Naquin struck out the next two batters to get out of the jam.
Rose Bud’s only earned run came when Capps singled, stole second and moved to third on a groundout. Paige Passmore then grounded to first for a sacrifice and an RBI.
Jacksonville rallied in the bottom of the seventh, scoring two runs on one hit and two errors. Burrows led off and reached on an error at second base. Shillcut sacrificed her to second with a groundout. Alcorn then singled to left field to score Burrows. She broke for second when the throw went home to get Burrows. Rose Bud catcher Destiny Naquin didn’t bother trying to apply the tag, instead catching and immediately throwing to second to try to gun down Alcorn, but her throw was high and went though three levels of players. It went over the second baseman, was missed in the air by the shortstop backing up the play, and rolled past the centerfielder all the way to the fence, allowing Alcorn to score standing up and set the final margin. Richardson flew out on the next at bat and Lloyd became the 13th strikeout victim to end the game.
“We’re just not getting that two-out base hit,” Hickingbotham said. “Really good pitchers like this one, we’re having trouble catching up to it. We have to get better and just putting the ball in play. We want to put pressure on people and to do that you have to have people on base.”
Jacksonville, (9-9, 6-2) gets back to conference action today at Little Rock Christian Academy.
Leader sports editor
The Rose Bud softball team gave Jacksonville the ramblin’ blues Monday after beating the Lady Devils 4-2 at Dupree Park. Lady Rambler pitcher Dana Naquin threw a complete-game three hitter while striking out 13 Lady Red Devils and walking three.
Only one of the six total runs scored were earned, but Rose Bud also won 1-0, getting an earned run across the plate in the sixth inning to take a 4-0 lead.
The first three runs of the game were unearned, two in the first and one in the third for the Lady Ramblers (9-6).
“That’s sort of been our Achilles Heel all year is unearned runs,” Jacksonville coach Barry Hickingbotham said. “We give up three unearned and lose 4-2. I guess it’s sort of a learning curve because we’re so young. We’re in the process of learning how valuable every out is. We’re learning that you can’t relax until that third out is made.”
After retiring the first two batters, Jacksonville freshman pitcher Kimberly House gave up a single to Naquin. She then got Marissa Holland to pop up to second base, but Bailey Jones dropped it. Naquin was on the move on contact and got all the way around the bases on the error and Holland stopped at first base. She moved to second base on a passed ball by freshman backup catcher Lauren Shillcutt. Rose Bud’s Tess Capps then singled to left field to score Holland and give Rose Bud a 2-0 lead.
“To go to that next level and be a really, really good team, those are the kinds of mistakes we’re going to have to eliminate,” Hickingbotham said. “They’re playing hard, they’re trying and they’re giving great effort. We just have to learn to keep that focus and not let those simple mistakes happen, because they cost you.”
House struck out the side in the second inning, sandwiching two singles between the second and third strikeout. Holland got a hit and a stolen base with one out in the third inning for Rose Bud. She moved to third on a ground ball and scored on a wild pitch to make it 3-0.
Naquin fanned the side twice, once in the second inning and again in the fourth, but Jacksonville had opportunities in other frames. The Lady Red Devils got two in scoring position with one out in the bottom of the first when some luck broke Rose Bud’s way. Cleanup hitter Mailani Walker ripped a hard line drive with the runners in scoring position, but ripped it straight to second base for the second out. Shyrel McKinney then struck out looking on a borderline strike in the lower-outside portion of the zone.
Jacksonville got the leadoff hitter on in the fourth inning when Kimley Burrows walked. Shillcutt struck out. Nine-hole hitter Keke Alcorn hit a deep fly ball to right field for the second out and Sacha Richardson grounded out to first base to end the threat.
Jacksonville got two on with nobody out in the fifth inning. Morgan Lloyd reached on an error at first base and House walked. Walker laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to move the runners into scoring position, but Naquin struck out the next two batters to get out of the jam.
Rose Bud’s only earned run came when Capps singled, stole second and moved to third on a groundout. Paige Passmore then grounded to first for a sacrifice and an RBI.
Jacksonville rallied in the bottom of the seventh, scoring two runs on one hit and two errors. Burrows led off and reached on an error at second base. Shillcut sacrificed her to second with a groundout. Alcorn then singled to left field to score Burrows. She broke for second when the throw went home to get Burrows. Rose Bud catcher Destiny Naquin didn’t bother trying to apply the tag, instead catching and immediately throwing to second to try to gun down Alcorn, but her throw was high and went though three levels of players. It went over the second baseman, was missed in the air by the shortstop backing up the play, and rolled past the centerfielder all the way to the fence, allowing Alcorn to score standing up and set the final margin. Richardson flew out on the next at bat and Lloyd became the 13th strikeout victim to end the game.
“We’re just not getting that two-out base hit,” Hickingbotham said. “Really good pitchers like this one, we’re having trouble catching up to it. We have to get better and just putting the ball in play. We want to put pressure on people and to do that you have to have people on base.”
Jacksonville, (9-9, 6-2) gets back to conference action today at Little Rock Christian Academy.
SPORTS STORY >> N. Pulaski can’t hold early lead at Lonoke
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
A strong start by North Pulaski did not hold up as Lonoke quickly overcame an early deficit and turned it around completely in a 14-6 nonconference rout at Lonoke Park on Friday.
Lonoke senior Blake Gooden went 3 for 3 and was a single away from hitting for the cycle during the Jackrabbits’ comeback victory over the fast-starting Falcons.
The Jackrabbits (13-6) celebrated senior night by starting all upperclassmen, and the Falcons took advantage of a rusty Reid McKenzie on the mound to start the top of the first inning. McKenzie walked the first three batters before giving up a grand slam home run to North Pulaski cleanup hitter Austin Allen for a 4-0 Falcon lead.
Guy Halbert took over for McKenzie and also walked four batters, leading to one more run for North Pulaski, but by the end of the first inning, the Jackrabbits had rallied to take an 8-5 lead.
“With it being senior night, we wanted to start all of our seniors,” Lonoke coach Darrick Lowery said. “We’ve got nine this year, so we got everybody out there. We pitched Reid out there, he hasn’t pitched a ton this year. We wanted to get him at least a couple of innings in there, obviously it wasn’t his day, that happens. We brought Guy in, and he did a good job of holding it together for us, and we finally got our bats going.”
North Pulaski starting pitcher T.J. Waters started out on the right path in the bottom of the first by retiring Lonoke leadoff Shane Pepper with a groundout to shortstop and striking out Essick Shephard for two fast outs, but it didn’t take long for the Jackrabbits to figure out Waters’ unconventional southpaw-sidearm delivery. The next four Lonoke batters recorded hits before a hit-by-pitch, walk and two more hits.
Senior Blake Gooden started things off with a triple to right center, followed by a single for Halbert that scored Gooden. Madison James then doubled to center to drive in Halbert, and Zack Risner doubled to score James, cutting the lead to 5-3. McKenzie was hit by a pitch and Garrett Spears walked to load the bases.
Dustyn Perkins kept things going for Lonoke from the bottom of the order with a single grounder to center that scored Risner and McKenzie to tie the game, and Pepper’s single to right scored Spears to give Lonoke its first and only lead at 6-5. An infield error on Shephard’s grounder allowed Perkins to come home, while Pepper stole his way to third and rushed the plate when North Pulaski tried to make a play at second against a steal by Shephard to give the Jackrabbits an 8-5 lead.
Lonoke added two more runs in the bottom of the third inning, and North Pulaski scored in the top of the fourth inning when Billy Crews was hit by a Halbert offering to reach first. Crews advanced on a single by Austin Allen and a walk for Troy Allen that loaded the bases against fresh Lonoke pitcher Christian James, and finally came home when Billy Rogers hit an infield single to make it 10-6. Austin Allen also tried to reach home on the play, but was tagged out at the plate by catcher Madison James.
“It’s special, especially since we have such a big group of seniors,” Lowery said of the dramatic win on senior night. “I’ve had these guys since they were ninth graders, that was my first year here, so it’s extra special to me to have them all the way through. We definitely wanted to get a win for them.”
Gooden pulled off the biggest hit of the night in the bottom of the fourth inning for Lonoke when he sent a fast grounder up the middle with Pepper and Shephard both on base. Allen misplayed the ball in centerfield and had to give chase, which allowed Gooden to use his fast footwork to go all the way around for an inside-the-park home run, giving Lonoke a commanding 14-6 lead.
“It’s pretty rare,” Lowery said. “I saw it get by the centerfielder, and I knew he would have a chance. They weren’t able to get to it quickly, so I knew he would have a chance at it. He’s definitely got some speed, he had a triple earlier in the game. Anything is possible with him, because he’s going to hustle out of the box and get what he can get.”
Gooden finished with a home run, triple, double and three RBIs. Halbert was 2 for 3 with a double. For North Pulaski, Austin Allen was 2 for 3 with a home run and four RBIs.
Leader sportswriter
A strong start by North Pulaski did not hold up as Lonoke quickly overcame an early deficit and turned it around completely in a 14-6 nonconference rout at Lonoke Park on Friday.
Lonoke senior Blake Gooden went 3 for 3 and was a single away from hitting for the cycle during the Jackrabbits’ comeback victory over the fast-starting Falcons.
The Jackrabbits (13-6) celebrated senior night by starting all upperclassmen, and the Falcons took advantage of a rusty Reid McKenzie on the mound to start the top of the first inning. McKenzie walked the first three batters before giving up a grand slam home run to North Pulaski cleanup hitter Austin Allen for a 4-0 Falcon lead.
Guy Halbert took over for McKenzie and also walked four batters, leading to one more run for North Pulaski, but by the end of the first inning, the Jackrabbits had rallied to take an 8-5 lead.
“With it being senior night, we wanted to start all of our seniors,” Lonoke coach Darrick Lowery said. “We’ve got nine this year, so we got everybody out there. We pitched Reid out there, he hasn’t pitched a ton this year. We wanted to get him at least a couple of innings in there, obviously it wasn’t his day, that happens. We brought Guy in, and he did a good job of holding it together for us, and we finally got our bats going.”
North Pulaski starting pitcher T.J. Waters started out on the right path in the bottom of the first by retiring Lonoke leadoff Shane Pepper with a groundout to shortstop and striking out Essick Shephard for two fast outs, but it didn’t take long for the Jackrabbits to figure out Waters’ unconventional southpaw-sidearm delivery. The next four Lonoke batters recorded hits before a hit-by-pitch, walk and two more hits.
Senior Blake Gooden started things off with a triple to right center, followed by a single for Halbert that scored Gooden. Madison James then doubled to center to drive in Halbert, and Zack Risner doubled to score James, cutting the lead to 5-3. McKenzie was hit by a pitch and Garrett Spears walked to load the bases.
Dustyn Perkins kept things going for Lonoke from the bottom of the order with a single grounder to center that scored Risner and McKenzie to tie the game, and Pepper’s single to right scored Spears to give Lonoke its first and only lead at 6-5. An infield error on Shephard’s grounder allowed Perkins to come home, while Pepper stole his way to third and rushed the plate when North Pulaski tried to make a play at second against a steal by Shephard to give the Jackrabbits an 8-5 lead.
Lonoke added two more runs in the bottom of the third inning, and North Pulaski scored in the top of the fourth inning when Billy Crews was hit by a Halbert offering to reach first. Crews advanced on a single by Austin Allen and a walk for Troy Allen that loaded the bases against fresh Lonoke pitcher Christian James, and finally came home when Billy Rogers hit an infield single to make it 10-6. Austin Allen also tried to reach home on the play, but was tagged out at the plate by catcher Madison James.
“It’s special, especially since we have such a big group of seniors,” Lowery said of the dramatic win on senior night. “I’ve had these guys since they were ninth graders, that was my first year here, so it’s extra special to me to have them all the way through. We definitely wanted to get a win for them.”
Gooden pulled off the biggest hit of the night in the bottom of the fourth inning for Lonoke when he sent a fast grounder up the middle with Pepper and Shephard both on base. Allen misplayed the ball in centerfield and had to give chase, which allowed Gooden to use his fast footwork to go all the way around for an inside-the-park home run, giving Lonoke a commanding 14-6 lead.
“It’s pretty rare,” Lowery said. “I saw it get by the centerfielder, and I knew he would have a chance. They weren’t able to get to it quickly, so I knew he would have a chance at it. He’s definitely got some speed, he had a triple earlier in the game. Anything is possible with him, because he’s going to hustle out of the box and get what he can get.”
Gooden finished with a home run, triple, double and three RBIs. Halbert was 2 for 3 with a double. For North Pulaski, Austin Allen was 2 for 3 with a home run and four RBIs.
SPORTS STORY >> Sylvan Hills is still rolling
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The Sylvan Hills Bears capped their best week of the season with a 12-2 win over class 6A Searcy at the Sherwood Sports Complex on Friday. The day before, the Bears beat 6A’s No. 1 ranked team, Benton. And earlier in the week reeled off two easy conference wins over Helena-West Helena Central.
“We’re playing pretty good,” Sylvan Hills coach Denny Tipton said. “We beat two very good teams. Benton and Searcy are very strong programs. Any time you beat those two back-to-back, that’s a good week.”
The Bears (12-7) also found some power against the Lions. Sylvan Hills did not have a home run this season, but hit two on Friday. Senior pitcher J.D. Miller also turned in another dominant performance on the mound, pitching six innings, striking out 12 and giving up just three hits.
“He’s always had the stuff,” Tipton said of Miller. “He’s right up there with any of my other top guys I’ve had in the past. He’s always had great breaking stuff, always thrown hard with good movement. He’s shown flashes of it his whole career, like the way he went up to Jonesboro last year and dominated. His only deal has been consistency. He’s had some control problems in the past and when he didn’t stay ahead, he could become erratic. This year he’s been extremely consistent and he’s been dominant. You take out his first inning of the year, since then he’s been as good as anyone else around. He’s solved those control problems.”
Sylvan Hills built an early lead with four runs in the bottom of the second inning, but Searcy answered with its two runs in the top of the third.
It was the bottom of the third when the Bears introduced the long ball to the 2013 season.
Chase Imoff started things off with a solo home run to left field. After a Brandon Baioni single, T.J. Burrow went opposite field for a two-run homer and a 6-2 Sylvan Hills lead.
“Chase’s homer was our team’s first all year,” Tipton said. “Then we get our second one the same inning. I like the way we’re swinging the bats right now.” Burrow got another RBI in the fourth inning when he singled to score Miller.
Back-to-back doubles produced three more runs in the fifth inning. Jacob White and Blake Maddox each singled. Charlie Roberts then doubled to score both runners, and Miller doubled to score Roberts for an 11-2 lead.
Sylvan Hills enacted the mercy rule in the bottom of the sixth when Burrow was hit by a pitch, Reid Fawcett singled and Hunter Heslep singled to score Burrow.
After a slow start to the season that saw two bad losses and a few close losses, Tipton isn’t surprised to see his team playing so well.
“Really I didn’t think we would struggle as much early as we did,” Tipton said. “I thought we would play good defense and I thought our pitching would be pretty good. Our nonconference schedule, I think I could put up against anybody’s out there, and we still have some tough ones left. I feel like whoever we play, we have a chance to win the way we’re playing right now.”
Sylvan Hills doesn’t play again until a 5A-Central doubleheader at Little Rock McClellan on Thursday.
Leader sports editor
The Sylvan Hills Bears capped their best week of the season with a 12-2 win over class 6A Searcy at the Sherwood Sports Complex on Friday. The day before, the Bears beat 6A’s No. 1 ranked team, Benton. And earlier in the week reeled off two easy conference wins over Helena-West Helena Central.
“We’re playing pretty good,” Sylvan Hills coach Denny Tipton said. “We beat two very good teams. Benton and Searcy are very strong programs. Any time you beat those two back-to-back, that’s a good week.”
The Bears (12-7) also found some power against the Lions. Sylvan Hills did not have a home run this season, but hit two on Friday. Senior pitcher J.D. Miller also turned in another dominant performance on the mound, pitching six innings, striking out 12 and giving up just three hits.
“He’s always had the stuff,” Tipton said of Miller. “He’s right up there with any of my other top guys I’ve had in the past. He’s always had great breaking stuff, always thrown hard with good movement. He’s shown flashes of it his whole career, like the way he went up to Jonesboro last year and dominated. His only deal has been consistency. He’s had some control problems in the past and when he didn’t stay ahead, he could become erratic. This year he’s been extremely consistent and he’s been dominant. You take out his first inning of the year, since then he’s been as good as anyone else around. He’s solved those control problems.”
Sylvan Hills built an early lead with four runs in the bottom of the second inning, but Searcy answered with its two runs in the top of the third.
It was the bottom of the third when the Bears introduced the long ball to the 2013 season.
Chase Imoff started things off with a solo home run to left field. After a Brandon Baioni single, T.J. Burrow went opposite field for a two-run homer and a 6-2 Sylvan Hills lead.
“Chase’s homer was our team’s first all year,” Tipton said. “Then we get our second one the same inning. I like the way we’re swinging the bats right now.” Burrow got another RBI in the fourth inning when he singled to score Miller.
Back-to-back doubles produced three more runs in the fifth inning. Jacob White and Blake Maddox each singled. Charlie Roberts then doubled to score both runners, and Miller doubled to score Roberts for an 11-2 lead.
Sylvan Hills enacted the mercy rule in the bottom of the sixth when Burrow was hit by a pitch, Reid Fawcett singled and Hunter Heslep singled to score Burrow.
After a slow start to the season that saw two bad losses and a few close losses, Tipton isn’t surprised to see his team playing so well.
“Really I didn’t think we would struggle as much early as we did,” Tipton said. “I thought we would play good defense and I thought our pitching would be pretty good. Our nonconference schedule, I think I could put up against anybody’s out there, and we still have some tough ones left. I feel like whoever we play, we have a chance to win the way we’re playing right now.”
Sylvan Hills doesn’t play again until a 5A-Central doubleheader at Little Rock McClellan on Thursday.
Monday, April 15, 2013
TOP STORY >> Jacksonville native heads hospital
David R. Fox is the new president of St. Vincent North in Sherwood. Fox replaces Tim Osterholm, who accepted a position as vice president and chief people officer at St. Vincent.
In addition to his responsibilities as president of St. Vincent North, Fox is a member of the St. Vincent Health System strategy team and President’s Council. He was most recently vice president of clinical and emergency services at Baptist Health in Little Rock.
Fox, who grew up in Jacksonville, earned a bachelor’s degree in general science at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway and a master’s degree in business administration at Oklahoma City University in Tulsa.
Fox began his health-care career as a nuclear medicine technologist. He has served in leadership positions at Northwest Texas Hospital in Amarillo and at Saint Francis Hospital in Tulsa.
His list of health-care accomplishments includes leading strategic and quality initiatives, overseeing large capital projects, patient satisfaction and enhancing relationships with physicians.
Fox is affiliated with the American College of Healthcare Executives and serves on the board of directors of the American Healthcare Radiology Administrators Association.
His philanthropic, community and charitable activities include the American Heart Association Arkansas Heart Ball, the Salvation Army, United Way, Catholic Charities, St. Joseph’s House, Upward Children’s at local churches and the American Red Cross.
Fox and his wife, Kristie, have seven children. He and his family are parishioners of Christ the King Catholic Church in Little Rock, where he has served as confirmation director since 2007 and was elected to the parish council in 2013.
In addition to his responsibilities as president of St. Vincent North, Fox is a member of the St. Vincent Health System strategy team and President’s Council. He was most recently vice president of clinical and emergency services at Baptist Health in Little Rock.
Fox, who grew up in Jacksonville, earned a bachelor’s degree in general science at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway and a master’s degree in business administration at Oklahoma City University in Tulsa.
Fox began his health-care career as a nuclear medicine technologist. He has served in leadership positions at Northwest Texas Hospital in Amarillo and at Saint Francis Hospital in Tulsa.
His list of health-care accomplishments includes leading strategic and quality initiatives, overseeing large capital projects, patient satisfaction and enhancing relationships with physicians.
Fox is affiliated with the American College of Healthcare Executives and serves on the board of directors of the American Healthcare Radiology Administrators Association.
His philanthropic, community and charitable activities include the American Heart Association Arkansas Heart Ball, the Salvation Army, United Way, Catholic Charities, St. Joseph’s House, Upward Children’s at local churches and the American Red Cross.
Fox and his wife, Kristie, have seven children. He and his family are parishioners of Christ the King Catholic Church in Little Rock, where he has served as confirmation director since 2007 and was elected to the parish council in 2013.
TOP STORY >> She succeeds in man's world
By SARAH CAMPBELL
Leader staff writer
Joy Kinman, the first female Jacksonville water commissioner, says, “I’ve always been in a man’s world” and that she is excited about serving her community alongside her male counterparts.
“They are some of the most fantastic people. I feel very honored,” she said.
Kinman is serving out the rest of the eight-year term Alderman James Bolden III was previously appointed to. He left the commission after being elected to the city council in November.
Kinman said she is planning to apply for the position again after Bolden’s term expires on April 20, 2017.
“At that point, I’ll be getting into the meat of it,” she said.
Kinman applied for the commission when she learned there was an opening.
She said, “I have always wanted to serve my community, and this was a chance to do that. I do not mind hard work. I do not mind learning.”
Kinman, who officially joined the commission last week, says she is ecstatic to be part of the group while several of its projects are in their final stages.
Jacksonville Waterworks is a member of the Lonoke-White Public Water Authority, which is building a $57 million system to bring water from Greers Ferry Lake to their customers.
Money for the project will come from the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission and the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Other members of the authority are Austin, Beebe, Furlow, Grand Prairie/Bayou Two, North Pulaski, Vilonia and Ward. The cities have raised their rates to pay back the USDA’s and ANRC’s long-term loans.
Jacksonville Waterworks is also negotiating a contract to take over maintenance of the water system of Little Rock Air Force Base.
The city has supplied water to LRAFB since it opened in 1955, but the base’s civil engineering group has maintained the pipes and valves since then.
The department’s offer to service the base’s water system will have to be approved by the Department of Defense. It could take several months to finalize the contract.
The department is raising a new 3,000-gallon water tower at Hwy. 107 and General Samuels Road in May. It will service LRAFB and the Base Meadows subdivision off base.
The new tower will replace a 5,000-gallon in-ground tank on Harris Road.
Commission chairman Jim Peacock said the department didn’t need 5,000 gallons for customers in that area, but had the tank with that capacity and used it.
He said it makes better economic sense to not waste water by putting in the lower-capacity tower, which will also increase water pressure in that area.
Kinman said, “I came in at a time when it’s all in action. I am excited for our city.”
She spent 20 years working in fire restoration before joining her husband’s home building company in 1969.
Kinman moved to Jacksonville from Hernando, Miss., in 1976.
She says she decided to live here after she met “the love of her life,” Dave Kinman.
The two met while Kinman was visiting her sister, who was stationed at Little Rock Air Force Base.
The couple had three sons, ages 36, 28 and 26.
Kinman’s husband passed away from heart complications a little more than a year ago.
She says the best way to cope with her loss is to keep his business alive.
Kinman lives in the Oak Ridge subdivision off Maddox Road. She estimates that she built 75 percent of the houses there.
Constructing someone’s dream home is no small feat, Kinman said.
“The goal is for them to be as happy the last day as they are on the first. My customers become my friends,” Kinman said.
Leader staff writer
Joy Kinman, the first female Jacksonville water commissioner, says, “I’ve always been in a man’s world” and that she is excited about serving her community alongside her male counterparts.
“They are some of the most fantastic people. I feel very honored,” she said.
Kinman is serving out the rest of the eight-year term Alderman James Bolden III was previously appointed to. He left the commission after being elected to the city council in November.
Kinman said she is planning to apply for the position again after Bolden’s term expires on April 20, 2017.
“At that point, I’ll be getting into the meat of it,” she said.
Kinman applied for the commission when she learned there was an opening.
She said, “I have always wanted to serve my community, and this was a chance to do that. I do not mind hard work. I do not mind learning.”
Kinman, who officially joined the commission last week, says she is ecstatic to be part of the group while several of its projects are in their final stages.
Jacksonville Waterworks is a member of the Lonoke-White Public Water Authority, which is building a $57 million system to bring water from Greers Ferry Lake to their customers.
Money for the project will come from the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission and the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Other members of the authority are Austin, Beebe, Furlow, Grand Prairie/Bayou Two, North Pulaski, Vilonia and Ward. The cities have raised their rates to pay back the USDA’s and ANRC’s long-term loans.
Jacksonville Waterworks is also negotiating a contract to take over maintenance of the water system of Little Rock Air Force Base.
The city has supplied water to LRAFB since it opened in 1955, but the base’s civil engineering group has maintained the pipes and valves since then.
The department’s offer to service the base’s water system will have to be approved by the Department of Defense. It could take several months to finalize the contract.
The department is raising a new 3,000-gallon water tower at Hwy. 107 and General Samuels Road in May. It will service LRAFB and the Base Meadows subdivision off base.
The new tower will replace a 5,000-gallon in-ground tank on Harris Road.
Commission chairman Jim Peacock said the department didn’t need 5,000 gallons for customers in that area, but had the tank with that capacity and used it.
He said it makes better economic sense to not waste water by putting in the lower-capacity tower, which will also increase water pressure in that area.
Kinman said, “I came in at a time when it’s all in action. I am excited for our city.”
She spent 20 years working in fire restoration before joining her husband’s home building company in 1969.
Kinman moved to Jacksonville from Hernando, Miss., in 1976.
She says she decided to live here after she met “the love of her life,” Dave Kinman.
The two met while Kinman was visiting her sister, who was stationed at Little Rock Air Force Base.
The couple had three sons, ages 36, 28 and 26.
Kinman’s husband passed away from heart complications a little more than a year ago.
She says the best way to cope with her loss is to keep his business alive.
Kinman lives in the Oak Ridge subdivision off Maddox Road. She estimates that she built 75 percent of the houses there.
Constructing someone’s dream home is no small feat, Kinman said.
“The goal is for them to be as happy the last day as they are on the first. My customers become my friends,” Kinman said.
TOP STORY >> Exxon is told pipeline can't run near lake
By JOAN McCOY
Leader staff writer
Just like they said they would after the oil spill in Mayflower, the board of directors that runs Central Arkansas Water has asked ExxonMobil to move the 20-inch line that runs 13.5 miles through the Lake Maumelle watershed.
They want the line moved within five years, but in the meantime, they want ExxonMobil to tell them what caused the Mayflower rupture and to prove to them the line won’t rupture inside the Maumelle watershed.
CAW serves 17 cities and communities, including Jacksonville and Cabot. Currently, Jacksonville gets about 60 percent of its water from CAW while Cabot gets only 20 percent. Most of Cabot’s water comes from wells.
The request to move the pipeline is in the form of a board resolution passed Thursday with the title “Resolution requesting ExxonMobil to provide detailed action plans to Central Arkansas Water (CAW) outlining immediate and short-term spill risk reduction measures as well as a long-term plan for the relocation of the oil pipeline outside of the watershed and that the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration require said actions by ExxonMobil.”
The resolution declares that the 20-inch Pegasus line “poses significant risks to the quality and safety of the drinking water for 400,000 Central Arkansans.”
The board asks ExxonMobil to present CAW with details about the cause of the rupture at Mayflower and a thorough evaluation of the portion of the line that bisects the Maumelle watershed.
The Leader received a copy of the resolution from John Tynan, CAW watershed protection manager, who was responding to a request for updates on CAW’s concerns about the line.
Tynan said Lake Maumelle supplies about two-thirds of the water used by CAW and that in an emergency Lake Winona and other sources could supply the system for two or three days.
“The evaluation should demonstrate that the pipeline within the Lake Maumelle watershed is free of any defect or flaw that would compromise the integrity of the pipe or that may have contributed to the Mayflower rupture,” according to the resolution.
The resolution asks the Pipeline and Hazardous Mate-rials Safety Administration to require ExxonMobil to comply with CAW’s requests which include that ExxonMobil should, within six months, prepare a report detailing the relocation of the pipeline.
The resolution also asks ExxonMobil to implement within the next year a wide range of risk-mitigation activities in the watershed, including but not limited, to “response plan updates, notification improvements, more frequent monitoring activities, additional training for local emergency responders, additional response materials and equipment, pipeline redundancy and integrity improvements and other efforts requested by CAW and other federal, state and local emergency response agencies.”
Leader staff writer
Just like they said they would after the oil spill in Mayflower, the board of directors that runs Central Arkansas Water has asked ExxonMobil to move the 20-inch line that runs 13.5 miles through the Lake Maumelle watershed.
They want the line moved within five years, but in the meantime, they want ExxonMobil to tell them what caused the Mayflower rupture and to prove to them the line won’t rupture inside the Maumelle watershed.
CAW serves 17 cities and communities, including Jacksonville and Cabot. Currently, Jacksonville gets about 60 percent of its water from CAW while Cabot gets only 20 percent. Most of Cabot’s water comes from wells.
The request to move the pipeline is in the form of a board resolution passed Thursday with the title “Resolution requesting ExxonMobil to provide detailed action plans to Central Arkansas Water (CAW) outlining immediate and short-term spill risk reduction measures as well as a long-term plan for the relocation of the oil pipeline outside of the watershed and that the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration require said actions by ExxonMobil.”
The resolution declares that the 20-inch Pegasus line “poses significant risks to the quality and safety of the drinking water for 400,000 Central Arkansans.”
The board asks ExxonMobil to present CAW with details about the cause of the rupture at Mayflower and a thorough evaluation of the portion of the line that bisects the Maumelle watershed.
The Leader received a copy of the resolution from John Tynan, CAW watershed protection manager, who was responding to a request for updates on CAW’s concerns about the line.
Tynan said Lake Maumelle supplies about two-thirds of the water used by CAW and that in an emergency Lake Winona and other sources could supply the system for two or three days.
“The evaluation should demonstrate that the pipeline within the Lake Maumelle watershed is free of any defect or flaw that would compromise the integrity of the pipe or that may have contributed to the Mayflower rupture,” according to the resolution.
The resolution asks the Pipeline and Hazardous Mate-rials Safety Administration to require ExxonMobil to comply with CAW’s requests which include that ExxonMobil should, within six months, prepare a report detailing the relocation of the pipeline.
The resolution also asks ExxonMobil to implement within the next year a wide range of risk-mitigation activities in the watershed, including but not limited, to “response plan updates, notification improvements, more frequent monitoring activities, additional training for local emergency responders, additional response materials and equipment, pipeline redundancy and integrity improvements and other efforts requested by CAW and other federal, state and local emergency response agencies.”
EDITORIAL >> Sequester must end
By Air Force Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Mark D. Shackelford
Special to The Leader
The President, congressional leaders of both parties and senior military leaders all agreed: Sequestration should never happen. Yet here we are, one month in. Two critical questions arise: Is sequestration really that bad for national security? And what, if anything, should the government do about it?
To answer the first question: Yes. As then-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said last month, the automatic cut in the Pentagon’s budget—$500 billion over nine years—will “hollow the military” and mire it in the “most serious readiness crisis” in a decade. These effects, taking hold gradually, will last years into the future.
Some people don’t want to believe this. They look at U.S. defense spending—roughly $647 billion annually—and wonder what’s the big deal about “trimming” less than 10 percent from a budget that dwarfs the combined military budgets of our foes.
Comparisons to others’ military spending are misleading. North Korea and Iran, for example, spend much less, but their spending focuses on developing specific military capabilities that pose a huge strategic threat to the U.S. It’s much less expensive to pursue a purely offensive military posture, driven by aggressive policies. Additionally, the U.S. has made security commitments to numerous allies—obligations that other nations simply do not have.
Washington must recognize that it is not asking the military to do less. As rogue regimes from North Korea to Iran to Syria edge ever closer to administration-defined “red lines,” the odds increase that our servicemen and women will be asked to do more. Yet sequestration insists that they do more with less. That is the best recipe for the hollow force.
This crisis adds up to a simple truth: It’s expensive to build and maintain a global military posture capable of deterring conflict in the first place and assuring the defeat of aggression if it should occur. There is a cost to placing a premium on American lives, including those of our warfighters.
Moreover, the sequester was specifically designed to impose as much harm as possible on the Pentagon. The idea was to create a spending reduction so grotesquely irresponsible that Congress and the President would be forced to produce a reasonable alternative for cutting $1 trillion from the entire federal budget. But reasonable alternatives are in short supply in Washington, and the Pentagon is stuck with oversized, indiscriminate, uniform-percentage reductions in every single program, project, and activity.
These cuts are biting into meat rather than fat because they come on top of several previous cuts. In the Obama Administration’s first term, Secretaries Robert Gates and Leon Panetta eliminated $1 trillion dollars from defense. Sequestration cuts therefore necessitate reduced procurement (fewer airplanes, ships, missiles and tanks), deferred construction (of military schools, runway maintenance, and family housing) and foregone training (essential for optimal preparedness).
Sequestration’s need-blind cuts produce a sad irony: The spending reductions create inefficiencies rather than eliminate them. For example, the Pentagon will place civilian workers on unpaid furloughs. This includes not just the people who repair weapons systems, creating a costly deferred-maintenance problem, but the people who audit the Pentagon’s performance to make sure programs operate efficiently.
Additionally, many procurement programs require full funding to achieve efficiencies of scale. With only partial funding available, production of items such as satellites and ships must be delayed or, in some cases, eliminated altogether. Production delays create more—not fewer—inefficiencies.
So, what should Washington do about this self-generated mess? The continuing resolution signed into law last week was a much-needed stopgap, giving Defense Department leadership both funding and flexibility. But the continuing resolution leaves the sequester cuts still in place: Undoing sequestration must come next.
The President and Congress must find common ground to undo sequestration’s deleterious effects on defense in the short term while resolving to restore funding to needed levels in the longer term. Savings should not come at the cost of readiness. And Washington must not let the federal spending crisis precipitate a national-security crisis.
Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Mark D. Shackelford served as the Military Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition. Rebeccah Heinrichs, a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation, specializing in national defense policy, contributed to this article, which first appeared on AOL Defense.
Special to The Leader
The President, congressional leaders of both parties and senior military leaders all agreed: Sequestration should never happen. Yet here we are, one month in. Two critical questions arise: Is sequestration really that bad for national security? And what, if anything, should the government do about it?
To answer the first question: Yes. As then-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said last month, the automatic cut in the Pentagon’s budget—$500 billion over nine years—will “hollow the military” and mire it in the “most serious readiness crisis” in a decade. These effects, taking hold gradually, will last years into the future.
Some people don’t want to believe this. They look at U.S. defense spending—roughly $647 billion annually—and wonder what’s the big deal about “trimming” less than 10 percent from a budget that dwarfs the combined military budgets of our foes.
Comparisons to others’ military spending are misleading. North Korea and Iran, for example, spend much less, but their spending focuses on developing specific military capabilities that pose a huge strategic threat to the U.S. It’s much less expensive to pursue a purely offensive military posture, driven by aggressive policies. Additionally, the U.S. has made security commitments to numerous allies—obligations that other nations simply do not have.
Washington must recognize that it is not asking the military to do less. As rogue regimes from North Korea to Iran to Syria edge ever closer to administration-defined “red lines,” the odds increase that our servicemen and women will be asked to do more. Yet sequestration insists that they do more with less. That is the best recipe for the hollow force.
This crisis adds up to a simple truth: It’s expensive to build and maintain a global military posture capable of deterring conflict in the first place and assuring the defeat of aggression if it should occur. There is a cost to placing a premium on American lives, including those of our warfighters.
Moreover, the sequester was specifically designed to impose as much harm as possible on the Pentagon. The idea was to create a spending reduction so grotesquely irresponsible that Congress and the President would be forced to produce a reasonable alternative for cutting $1 trillion from the entire federal budget. But reasonable alternatives are in short supply in Washington, and the Pentagon is stuck with oversized, indiscriminate, uniform-percentage reductions in every single program, project, and activity.
These cuts are biting into meat rather than fat because they come on top of several previous cuts. In the Obama Administration’s first term, Secretaries Robert Gates and Leon Panetta eliminated $1 trillion dollars from defense. Sequestration cuts therefore necessitate reduced procurement (fewer airplanes, ships, missiles and tanks), deferred construction (of military schools, runway maintenance, and family housing) and foregone training (essential for optimal preparedness).
Sequestration’s need-blind cuts produce a sad irony: The spending reductions create inefficiencies rather than eliminate them. For example, the Pentagon will place civilian workers on unpaid furloughs. This includes not just the people who repair weapons systems, creating a costly deferred-maintenance problem, but the people who audit the Pentagon’s performance to make sure programs operate efficiently.
Additionally, many procurement programs require full funding to achieve efficiencies of scale. With only partial funding available, production of items such as satellites and ships must be delayed or, in some cases, eliminated altogether. Production delays create more—not fewer—inefficiencies.
So, what should Washington do about this self-generated mess? The continuing resolution signed into law last week was a much-needed stopgap, giving Defense Department leadership both funding and flexibility. But the continuing resolution leaves the sequester cuts still in place: Undoing sequestration must come next.
The President and Congress must find common ground to undo sequestration’s deleterious effects on defense in the short term while resolving to restore funding to needed levels in the longer term. Savings should not come at the cost of readiness. And Washington must not let the federal spending crisis precipitate a national-security crisis.
•
Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Mark D. Shackelford served as the Military Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition. Rebeccah Heinrichs, a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation, specializing in national defense policy, contributed to this article, which first appeared on AOL Defense.
SPORTS >> Lonoke girls go deep in three wins
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The Lonoke softball team has been a good hitting team all season, but hasn’t been known for the long ball.
That changed this week as the Lady Jackrabbits put on a vulgar display of power, hitting three home runs in as many games and reeling off three big wins over Hazen, DeWitt and Stuttgart.
Jacelyn Truelove got the team’s first roundtrip of the season on Monday, highlighting a 13-0 nonconference rout of Hazen. In a rain-shortened 7-1 victory over DeWitt on Tuesday, pitcher Hannah Murray went yard for the team’s second homer of the year.
On Thursday in conference play, leadoff hitter Charley Jo Chesney sent the first pitch of the game skyward and over the fence in straightaway centerfield in a 4-0 victory over the Lady Ricebirds.
We’ve had a lot of confidence in this lineup’s ability to hit all season,” Lonoke coach Laura Park said. “We tell them to just put the bat on the ball and put the ball in play, and they’ve done a good job of doing what we ask them to do. And when they relax, keep their eye on the ball and swing at good pitches, good things happen.”
Truelove followed Chesney’s home run with an infield single and scored on an RBI double to left field by Murray to give Lonoke a quick 2-0 lead.
While the Lady Jackrabbits would add a couple of insurance runs later in the game, the home run was all Murray needed. She gave up just two hits, hit one batter and walked one while striking out seven in the shutout.
She hit the first batter she faced, then got a fielder’s choice grounder and a 4-6-3 double play to end the first inning. Stuttgart cleanup hitter Jamie Maddox got Stuttgart’s first base hit to start the second inning, but Murray finished things off with a pair of strikeouts and a groundball out.
Lonoke got another run in the bottom of the second when nine-hole hitter Candace James single to right field and got all the way to third when the right fielder slipped in wet outfield. Chesney then doubled to right to score James.
Lonoke had a good opportunity to score in the third inning, but Haylee Whitehurst missed a hit-and-run signal and Jessy Lewis was thrown out at second base. Whitehurst then singled to right field but didn’t make it around before the third out.
Another good scoring opportunity went unfulfilled in the fourth for Lonoke, but this time it was just great defense by the Lady Ricebirds. James doubled down the right field line with one out. Chesney then hit a scorching groundball to shortstop. The stop was made and Chesney was thrown out at first. James went for third on the throw, but the relay from first to third was perfectly placed right into James’ sliding line for a 6-3-5 double play.
Lonoke went hitless in the fifth, but added one more in the sixth when Lindsey Roland singled to centerfield and James doubled to left to drive her in.
Leader sports editor
The Lonoke softball team has been a good hitting team all season, but hasn’t been known for the long ball.
That changed this week as the Lady Jackrabbits put on a vulgar display of power, hitting three home runs in as many games and reeling off three big wins over Hazen, DeWitt and Stuttgart.
Jacelyn Truelove got the team’s first roundtrip of the season on Monday, highlighting a 13-0 nonconference rout of Hazen. In a rain-shortened 7-1 victory over DeWitt on Tuesday, pitcher Hannah Murray went yard for the team’s second homer of the year.
On Thursday in conference play, leadoff hitter Charley Jo Chesney sent the first pitch of the game skyward and over the fence in straightaway centerfield in a 4-0 victory over the Lady Ricebirds.
We’ve had a lot of confidence in this lineup’s ability to hit all season,” Lonoke coach Laura Park said. “We tell them to just put the bat on the ball and put the ball in play, and they’ve done a good job of doing what we ask them to do. And when they relax, keep their eye on the ball and swing at good pitches, good things happen.”
Truelove followed Chesney’s home run with an infield single and scored on an RBI double to left field by Murray to give Lonoke a quick 2-0 lead.
While the Lady Jackrabbits would add a couple of insurance runs later in the game, the home run was all Murray needed. She gave up just two hits, hit one batter and walked one while striking out seven in the shutout.
She hit the first batter she faced, then got a fielder’s choice grounder and a 4-6-3 double play to end the first inning. Stuttgart cleanup hitter Jamie Maddox got Stuttgart’s first base hit to start the second inning, but Murray finished things off with a pair of strikeouts and a groundball out.
Lonoke got another run in the bottom of the second when nine-hole hitter Candace James single to right field and got all the way to third when the right fielder slipped in wet outfield. Chesney then doubled to right to score James.
Lonoke had a good opportunity to score in the third inning, but Haylee Whitehurst missed a hit-and-run signal and Jessy Lewis was thrown out at second base. Whitehurst then singled to right field but didn’t make it around before the third out.
Another good scoring opportunity went unfulfilled in the fourth for Lonoke, but this time it was just great defense by the Lady Ricebirds. James doubled down the right field line with one out. Chesney then hit a scorching groundball to shortstop. The stop was made and Chesney was thrown out at first. James went for third on the throw, but the relay from first to third was perfectly placed right into James’ sliding line for a 6-3-5 double play.
Lonoke went hitless in the fifth, but added one more in the sixth when Lindsey Roland singled to centerfield and James doubled to left to drive her in.
SPORTS >> NLR boys first, Cabot girls rising
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The North Little Rock boys track team got its first big win of the season, taking first place in the Wampus Cat Relays at Conway High School on Thursday. The Charging Wildcats scored 155.5 points to easily outpoint the host team, which scored 117. The Cabot boys were a distant third with 68 points while Little Rock Central and Benton rounded out the top five.
The Cabot girls had one of their best outings of the season, but lost again to the Bryant Lady Hornets, though Thursday’s results show the Lady Panthers might be inching closer. Bryant won with 148.5 points, but Cabot was close behind with 126. Little Rock Central took third in the girls while Conway and Vilonia took fourth and fifth. North Little Rock girls were sixth with 49.5 points.
“We are closing the gap,” Cabot assistant track coach Chris Beavert said. “We’re looking forward to our meet Tuesday. Our girls want to put on a show. There should be some great weather, fast times and good performances.”
Conway’s Brandon Cox won the 100-meter dash like he has in every meet this year, but North Little Rock’s Altee Tenpenny turned in his best performance of the season with a second-place finish. Cabot’s Jordan Burke, who has beaten Tenpenny twice this year and has been Cabot’s best sprinter, had an off day, finishing in 11.9 and out of the points. Cabot still got points in the race as junior Zach Launius took third. North Little Rock’s Rodney Bryson was fourth and Sylvan Hills’ Quincy Flowers remains among the top sprinters with a sixth-place finish.
Kavin Alexander won the 200-meter dash for the Wildcats while Launius took third in that event as well.
North Little Rock sprinters also won the 4x100 relay while Cabot won the 4x400. The Wildcat team of Martinez Butler, Alexander, Tenpenny and Bryson finished with a time of 42.74. Cabot’s Burke, Launius, Seth Hoggard and Layton Alley finished third with a 44.05 time.
Burke, Hoggard, Launius and John Snowden finished the 4x400 in 3:33.24, just ahead of Central’s 3:33.91 and at least five seconds ahead of everyone else, a somewhat surprising feat since Cabot finished out of the points in the 400-meter race.
Kaleb Jones got a second-place finish for North Little Rock in the 800-meter race.
North Little Rock picked up 16 points in the 110 hurdles. Martavious Strozier won the event while Ed’Zemien Lyons was third. Lyons also won the high jump while teammate Marquez Jones took second place points with the same leap of 5-9.
Another Wildcat duo brought home 18 points in the 300 hurdles. Brad Agee just beat out teammate Anthony Louden by a half second with a time of 42.40.
Hoggard took second in the long jump behind Greenbrier’s Seth Peters, and Butler won the triple jump for North Little Rock by bounding 46-1.
North Little Rock also won the shot put with Marcus Lindsey’s throw of 46-5 1/2. Cabot’s Keith Pledger was fourth at 42-2 1/4.
Beavert says the boys are also getting better.
“The boys are steadily improving and we’re figuring out who’s going to dig bait or fish,” Beavert said. “We should see some great performances from the guys as well, especially the seniors.”
Cabot’s Lexi and Tori Weeks brought home many of the Lady Panthers’ points. The sophomore duo finished one and two again in the pole vault. Tori Weeks went 12 feet while Lexi cleared 11-6. Both have gone well over 12 feet this year, but Thursday’s lower effort was still two-and-a-half feet better than third place.
Tori Weeks also took second in the triple jump behind Bryant’s dominant Alexis Royal, but was within 15 inches of Royal in Thursday’s meet. Teammate Rochelle Mallory was eighth for a point. Lexi Weeks was second in the long jump and Cabot’s Ladaysha Evans was sixth. Lexi was second in the 400-meter race just a half second behind Central’s Jasmine Blunt, who finished in 1:00.52. Lexi also got a single point for taking eighth place in the 200-meter dash. Tori took third in the 300 hurdles while Mallory was fifth. Rachael Hall and Mallory took seventh and eighth in the 100-meter hurdles. Tori was also on Cabot’s second-place 4x100 relay team along with Evans, Mallory and Hall. They finished nearly two seconds behind Bryant’s winning time of 50.08. Both sisters joined up with Evans and Marlene Sheehan to finish second in the 4x400 relay, but again finishing more than 10 seconds behind Bryant’s winning time of 4:05.35.
Sophomore Micah Huckabee swept the distance races. She won the 3200 with a time of 12:20.52. Her teammate Meagan Duncan finished fourth for five points. Huckabee won the 1600 with a 5:29.43 time. Sheehan earned a point by finishing eighth.
Buford Haley threw the discus 95-3 for a first-place finish. Carlee Wright took fifth in the shot put while Buford was sixth.
The Cabot teams will host their annual Panther relays on Tuesday. It was originally scheduled for April 2 but was postponed due to bad weather.
Leader sports editor
The North Little Rock boys track team got its first big win of the season, taking first place in the Wampus Cat Relays at Conway High School on Thursday. The Charging Wildcats scored 155.5 points to easily outpoint the host team, which scored 117. The Cabot boys were a distant third with 68 points while Little Rock Central and Benton rounded out the top five.
The Cabot girls had one of their best outings of the season, but lost again to the Bryant Lady Hornets, though Thursday’s results show the Lady Panthers might be inching closer. Bryant won with 148.5 points, but Cabot was close behind with 126. Little Rock Central took third in the girls while Conway and Vilonia took fourth and fifth. North Little Rock girls were sixth with 49.5 points.
“We are closing the gap,” Cabot assistant track coach Chris Beavert said. “We’re looking forward to our meet Tuesday. Our girls want to put on a show. There should be some great weather, fast times and good performances.”
Conway’s Brandon Cox won the 100-meter dash like he has in every meet this year, but North Little Rock’s Altee Tenpenny turned in his best performance of the season with a second-place finish. Cabot’s Jordan Burke, who has beaten Tenpenny twice this year and has been Cabot’s best sprinter, had an off day, finishing in 11.9 and out of the points. Cabot still got points in the race as junior Zach Launius took third. North Little Rock’s Rodney Bryson was fourth and Sylvan Hills’ Quincy Flowers remains among the top sprinters with a sixth-place finish.
Kavin Alexander won the 200-meter dash for the Wildcats while Launius took third in that event as well.
North Little Rock sprinters also won the 4x100 relay while Cabot won the 4x400. The Wildcat team of Martinez Butler, Alexander, Tenpenny and Bryson finished with a time of 42.74. Cabot’s Burke, Launius, Seth Hoggard and Layton Alley finished third with a 44.05 time.
Burke, Hoggard, Launius and John Snowden finished the 4x400 in 3:33.24, just ahead of Central’s 3:33.91 and at least five seconds ahead of everyone else, a somewhat surprising feat since Cabot finished out of the points in the 400-meter race.
Kaleb Jones got a second-place finish for North Little Rock in the 800-meter race.
North Little Rock picked up 16 points in the 110 hurdles. Martavious Strozier won the event while Ed’Zemien Lyons was third. Lyons also won the high jump while teammate Marquez Jones took second place points with the same leap of 5-9.
Another Wildcat duo brought home 18 points in the 300 hurdles. Brad Agee just beat out teammate Anthony Louden by a half second with a time of 42.40.
Hoggard took second in the long jump behind Greenbrier’s Seth Peters, and Butler won the triple jump for North Little Rock by bounding 46-1.
North Little Rock also won the shot put with Marcus Lindsey’s throw of 46-5 1/2. Cabot’s Keith Pledger was fourth at 42-2 1/4.
Beavert says the boys are also getting better.
“The boys are steadily improving and we’re figuring out who’s going to dig bait or fish,” Beavert said. “We should see some great performances from the guys as well, especially the seniors.”
Cabot’s Lexi and Tori Weeks brought home many of the Lady Panthers’ points. The sophomore duo finished one and two again in the pole vault. Tori Weeks went 12 feet while Lexi cleared 11-6. Both have gone well over 12 feet this year, but Thursday’s lower effort was still two-and-a-half feet better than third place.
Tori Weeks also took second in the triple jump behind Bryant’s dominant Alexis Royal, but was within 15 inches of Royal in Thursday’s meet. Teammate Rochelle Mallory was eighth for a point. Lexi Weeks was second in the long jump and Cabot’s Ladaysha Evans was sixth. Lexi was second in the 400-meter race just a half second behind Central’s Jasmine Blunt, who finished in 1:00.52. Lexi also got a single point for taking eighth place in the 200-meter dash. Tori took third in the 300 hurdles while Mallory was fifth. Rachael Hall and Mallory took seventh and eighth in the 100-meter hurdles. Tori was also on Cabot’s second-place 4x100 relay team along with Evans, Mallory and Hall. They finished nearly two seconds behind Bryant’s winning time of 50.08. Both sisters joined up with Evans and Marlene Sheehan to finish second in the 4x400 relay, but again finishing more than 10 seconds behind Bryant’s winning time of 4:05.35.
Sophomore Micah Huckabee swept the distance races. She won the 3200 with a time of 12:20.52. Her teammate Meagan Duncan finished fourth for five points. Huckabee won the 1600 with a 5:29.43 time. Sheehan earned a point by finishing eighth.
Buford Haley threw the discus 95-3 for a first-place finish. Carlee Wright took fifth in the shot put while Buford was sixth.
The Cabot teams will host their annual Panther relays on Tuesday. It was originally scheduled for April 2 but was postponed due to bad weather.
SPORTS >> Cabot shocks Tigers, sweeps
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
It was an epic ten-inning battle followed by a not-so-epic walk fest, but at the end of the night, both games were close victories for Cabot as the Panthers turned their 7A/6A East Conference season around with 6-5 and 11-9 wins over visiting Little Rock Central on Tuesday.
The opener went almost four hours as the Panthers finally pulled out the victory in the bottom of the tenth inning with a single up the middle by Kason Kimbrell that scored Ryan Logan and Landon James, while the Panthers had to hold off a rallying Central team in the bottom of the seventh inning of the nightcap. Cabot led 11-5 heading into the final frame and went through three pitchers to finally put their guests away.
“I’m really proud of how the kids stepped up,” Panthers coach Jay Fitch said. “We were basically playing without four of our starters, so we had some young kids step up and play really well against what is probably one of the best pitching staffs in the state. The second game was a crazy game. That is one of the tightest strike zones I have ever seen in high-school baseball. We had twenty-plus walks in that one.”
The first game ended in a 3-3 tie through seven innings to force the game to continue into extra innings. Theo Mitchell singled and then scored for Central in the top of the eighth, but the Panthers answered in the bottom of the eighth as Logan walked and later scored on a double to deep centerfield by Riley Knudsen, who eventually took the win on the mound after relieving Adam Hicks, who took over for starter Logan in regulation.
No one scored in the ninth, and it looked as if Central took over momentum in the top of the tenth when Tigers junior and Vanderbilt commit Joey Abraham cranked a solo home-run shot over the left field wall to give Central a 5-4 lead.
“There at the end, one of the best players in the state hits a humongous home run,” Fitch said. “So, for a team that’s still a fairly young team to come out there and respond was huge. We were able to load the bases, and Kason Kimbrell has been swinging good the last couple of weeks. We knew it was going to be close at the plate, so I told them that if it was close, I was sending them so be ready.”
Logan led off the bottom of the tenth with a single to left, and advanced on a walk for Knudsen. James came in as a courtesy runner for Knudsen, and Coleman McAtee loaded the bases when he beat the throw to first from shortstop on a grounder. That put Kimbrell up with bases loaded and one out, and Kimbrell came through with a ripper between second and shortstop, as Fitch sent both Logan and James in. James reached home in plenty of time to beat the throw from left three hours and 40 minutes after the game started.
The victories improved the Panthers’ record to 10-9 overall and 4-4 in the 7A/6A East Conference. Fitch said the big wins could help his team build momentum with the final stretch of league play just ahead.
“That’s what we’re hoping,” Fitch said. “What I want to do is challenge the younger players. We really want to be consistent, and obviously, we want to finish as high as we can in conference, because anything can happen once you reach state.”
Cabot hosted Beebe in nonconference action last night after Leader deadlines.
Leader sportswriter
It was an epic ten-inning battle followed by a not-so-epic walk fest, but at the end of the night, both games were close victories for Cabot as the Panthers turned their 7A/6A East Conference season around with 6-5 and 11-9 wins over visiting Little Rock Central on Tuesday.
The opener went almost four hours as the Panthers finally pulled out the victory in the bottom of the tenth inning with a single up the middle by Kason Kimbrell that scored Ryan Logan and Landon James, while the Panthers had to hold off a rallying Central team in the bottom of the seventh inning of the nightcap. Cabot led 11-5 heading into the final frame and went through three pitchers to finally put their guests away.
“I’m really proud of how the kids stepped up,” Panthers coach Jay Fitch said. “We were basically playing without four of our starters, so we had some young kids step up and play really well against what is probably one of the best pitching staffs in the state. The second game was a crazy game. That is one of the tightest strike zones I have ever seen in high-school baseball. We had twenty-plus walks in that one.”
The first game ended in a 3-3 tie through seven innings to force the game to continue into extra innings. Theo Mitchell singled and then scored for Central in the top of the eighth, but the Panthers answered in the bottom of the eighth as Logan walked and later scored on a double to deep centerfield by Riley Knudsen, who eventually took the win on the mound after relieving Adam Hicks, who took over for starter Logan in regulation.
No one scored in the ninth, and it looked as if Central took over momentum in the top of the tenth when Tigers junior and Vanderbilt commit Joey Abraham cranked a solo home-run shot over the left field wall to give Central a 5-4 lead.
“There at the end, one of the best players in the state hits a humongous home run,” Fitch said. “So, for a team that’s still a fairly young team to come out there and respond was huge. We were able to load the bases, and Kason Kimbrell has been swinging good the last couple of weeks. We knew it was going to be close at the plate, so I told them that if it was close, I was sending them so be ready.”
Logan led off the bottom of the tenth with a single to left, and advanced on a walk for Knudsen. James came in as a courtesy runner for Knudsen, and Coleman McAtee loaded the bases when he beat the throw to first from shortstop on a grounder. That put Kimbrell up with bases loaded and one out, and Kimbrell came through with a ripper between second and shortstop, as Fitch sent both Logan and James in. James reached home in plenty of time to beat the throw from left three hours and 40 minutes after the game started.
The victories improved the Panthers’ record to 10-9 overall and 4-4 in the 7A/6A East Conference. Fitch said the big wins could help his team build momentum with the final stretch of league play just ahead.
“That’s what we’re hoping,” Fitch said. “What I want to do is challenge the younger players. We really want to be consistent, and obviously, we want to finish as high as we can in conference, because anything can happen once you reach state.”
Cabot hosted Beebe in nonconference action last night after Leader deadlines.
SPORTS >> Lady devil stands out as All-Star
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
Jacksonville’s own Jessica Jackson had the best game of anyone on her team in the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association All-American game last Saturday in New Orleans, but was overlooked for team MVP, which went to Nia Coffey of Minneapolis.
Jackson’s Team Purple lost the game 74-70 to Team Black, which was led by another central Arkansas product, Hall High’s Tyler Scaife, who was given the Black MVP award.
Scaife scored 17 points to lead Team Black. She also had four rebounds and two assists. Jackson was better than Coffey in every statistical category. She led Team Purple in minutes played, points (15) rebounds (8) and blocked shots (2). Coffey finished with 12 points, three rebounds and one steal.
Jackson’s high-school coach, Katrina Mimms, was displeased that Jackson’s effort didn’t get the recognition it deserved.
“It didn’t make any sense to me,” Mimms, who was at the game, said. “You can’t say after one game she was the best player out there, but she had the best game that night. Maybe they just didn’t want two girls from the same state to get both of them. I don’t know.”
Despite the snub, Jackson said she had a great time and enjoyed the whole experience.
“I’ll just let coach Mimms comment on that,” (the MVP award) Jackson said. “It was great to get to play with the top girls, being on the floor in a game where everybody is really good. I actually got a little tired, but I thought my performance was good.”
Jackson got her first rebound 32 seconds into the game, and got on the scoreboard with two free throws at the 17:27 mark to pull team Purple to within 8-6. The two teams substituted five for five at the 15-minute mark, and team Black began to pull away, taking a 32-24 lead before the starters came back in with 10 minutes left in the first half.
Jackson answered quickly, hitting a three pointer with 9:15 remaining to make it 32-27. After two minutes without a score, team Black scored four straight to take it’s biggest lead of the game.
This time it was team Purple’s backups that put together a nice run, closing a nine-point deficit to 44-42 by halftime.
Scaife and Jackson scored eight straight points to start the second half. Scaife scored quickly to give Black a four-point lead, but Jackson answered just 11 seconds later. Only eight seconds after that, Scaife’s pull-up jumper made it 48-44, but Jackson drained a three pointer to make it 48-47 with 17:52 remaining. After two missed shots by team Black, Coffey scored with 17:30 remaining to give team Purple its first lead of the game.
It didn’t last long. Team Black went on a 9-0 run to take a 57-49 lead with 12:44 left in the game. After team Purple finally broke a nearly six-minute scoring drought at 11:47, team Black scored another five straight to take its biggest lead of the game at 62-51.
Coffey hit a three pointer with 10:18 left to make it 62-54 and team Purple began to slowly climb back into contention.
Jackson scored again with 8:40 remaining to make it 63-58, but Scaife went on a tear once team Purple pulled within 63-60. The Rutgers signee scored team Black’s next six points, giving her team a 69-60 lead with 6:13 left in the game.
Team Purple still wasn’t finished. It went on its best run of the game, scoring seven straight to pull within two with 3:54 left. Team Black then scored four straight before Jackson got an old-fashioned three-point play with 1:51 remaining to make it 73-70. After completing the three-point play, Jackson was pulled for the final two minutes. It was the last bucket of the game and the last points scored by team Purple.
Leader sports editor
Jacksonville’s own Jessica Jackson had the best game of anyone on her team in the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association All-American game last Saturday in New Orleans, but was overlooked for team MVP, which went to Nia Coffey of Minneapolis.
Jackson’s Team Purple lost the game 74-70 to Team Black, which was led by another central Arkansas product, Hall High’s Tyler Scaife, who was given the Black MVP award.
Scaife scored 17 points to lead Team Black. She also had four rebounds and two assists. Jackson was better than Coffey in every statistical category. She led Team Purple in minutes played, points (15) rebounds (8) and blocked shots (2). Coffey finished with 12 points, three rebounds and one steal.
Jackson’s high-school coach, Katrina Mimms, was displeased that Jackson’s effort didn’t get the recognition it deserved.
“It didn’t make any sense to me,” Mimms, who was at the game, said. “You can’t say after one game she was the best player out there, but she had the best game that night. Maybe they just didn’t want two girls from the same state to get both of them. I don’t know.”
Despite the snub, Jackson said she had a great time and enjoyed the whole experience.
“I’ll just let coach Mimms comment on that,” (the MVP award) Jackson said. “It was great to get to play with the top girls, being on the floor in a game where everybody is really good. I actually got a little tired, but I thought my performance was good.”
Jackson got her first rebound 32 seconds into the game, and got on the scoreboard with two free throws at the 17:27 mark to pull team Purple to within 8-6. The two teams substituted five for five at the 15-minute mark, and team Black began to pull away, taking a 32-24 lead before the starters came back in with 10 minutes left in the first half.
Jackson answered quickly, hitting a three pointer with 9:15 remaining to make it 32-27. After two minutes without a score, team Black scored four straight to take it’s biggest lead of the game.
This time it was team Purple’s backups that put together a nice run, closing a nine-point deficit to 44-42 by halftime.
Scaife and Jackson scored eight straight points to start the second half. Scaife scored quickly to give Black a four-point lead, but Jackson answered just 11 seconds later. Only eight seconds after that, Scaife’s pull-up jumper made it 48-44, but Jackson drained a three pointer to make it 48-47 with 17:52 remaining. After two missed shots by team Black, Coffey scored with 17:30 remaining to give team Purple its first lead of the game.
It didn’t last long. Team Black went on a 9-0 run to take a 57-49 lead with 12:44 left in the game. After team Purple finally broke a nearly six-minute scoring drought at 11:47, team Black scored another five straight to take its biggest lead of the game at 62-51.
Coffey hit a three pointer with 10:18 left to make it 62-54 and team Purple began to slowly climb back into contention.
Jackson scored again with 8:40 remaining to make it 63-58, but Scaife went on a tear once team Purple pulled within 63-60. The Rutgers signee scored team Black’s next six points, giving her team a 69-60 lead with 6:13 left in the game.
Team Purple still wasn’t finished. It went on its best run of the game, scoring seven straight to pull within two with 3:54 left. Team Black then scored four straight before Jackson got an old-fashioned three-point play with 1:51 remaining to make it 73-70. After completing the three-point play, Jackson was pulled for the final two minutes. It was the last bucket of the game and the last points scored by team Purple.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
TOP STORY >> Moving oil line seen as priority
By JOAN McCOY
Leader staff writer
The 20-inch pipeline that broke March 29 and spilled Canadian tar sand crude oil into a Mayflower community would have been underneath Lake Maumelle if Little Rock Water, the predecessor of Central Arkansas Water, hadn’t moved it in 1957 when the lake was built.
But the line still runs for 13.5 miles through the Lake Maumelle watershed along a path that includes the northern border of the lake and underneath the Maumelle River and Reece, Yount and Bungle creeks, which feed the lake.
That break is not expected to impact Lake Maumelle, but CAW is concerned about what could happen and will ask ExxonMobil to move its line.
CAW has about 400,000 customers in central Arkansas. It serves Little Rock and North Little Rock, which combined its water departments to form CAW. CAW also provides water to North Pulaski Waterworks and the cities of Jacksonville and Cabot. Two-thirds of the water comes from Lake Maumelle.
Jacksonville buys about 60 percent of its water from CAW while Cabot still gets most of its water from wells and buys about 20 percent from CAW.
John Tynan, CAW watershed protection manager, said Friday that ExxonMobil has been very cooperative with CAW in the past over its concerns about possible contamination of the lake in the event of a break. ExxonMobil has even participated in exercises to test the effectiveness of a risk management plan completed in May 2010.
But the only way to ensure the area’s water supply isn’t contaminated by an oil spill from the line is to move the line out of the 88,000-acre Lake Maumelle watershed, Tynan said. CAW doesn’t expect an immediate affirmative response, he continued.
But what the request will do is get the conversation started between CAW, ExxonMobil and what CAW assumes will be a myriad of agencies required to participate. Until they ask, they won’t know who will have to eventually get involved, Tynan said.
If the water from Lake Maumelle could not be used, Tynan said Lake Winona would supply the system for two or three days under average conditions.
But, he pointed out, a spill of any type in the watershed doesn’t necessarily mean that the water from Lake Maumelle would be unusable. The risk management plan would be initiated at the first sign of trouble.
“As part of this plan, we would contact the appropriate CAW staff and state and local emergency response agencies,” Tynan said. “We would then work to contain the spill as close to the rupture site as possible. Finally, we would begin sampling in the area of the spill, at our intake, and in our treated water to determine what contaminants, if any, were present.”
He continued, “Treatment may or may not be affected by a spill in the watershed, depending on the size of the spill, its transport in the watershed and the proximity to our intake structure.”
Tynan said, “Conventional water treatment used by CAW will remove a limited amount of some materials from the water. Some chemical modifications may be made to improve treatment of oil and associated components, but our treatment facilities are not specifically designed to remove significant amounts of oil and associated compounds,” he said.
Leader staff writer
The 20-inch pipeline that broke March 29 and spilled Canadian tar sand crude oil into a Mayflower community would have been underneath Lake Maumelle if Little Rock Water, the predecessor of Central Arkansas Water, hadn’t moved it in 1957 when the lake was built.
But the line still runs for 13.5 miles through the Lake Maumelle watershed along a path that includes the northern border of the lake and underneath the Maumelle River and Reece, Yount and Bungle creeks, which feed the lake.
That break is not expected to impact Lake Maumelle, but CAW is concerned about what could happen and will ask ExxonMobil to move its line.
CAW has about 400,000 customers in central Arkansas. It serves Little Rock and North Little Rock, which combined its water departments to form CAW. CAW also provides water to North Pulaski Waterworks and the cities of Jacksonville and Cabot. Two-thirds of the water comes from Lake Maumelle.
Jacksonville buys about 60 percent of its water from CAW while Cabot still gets most of its water from wells and buys about 20 percent from CAW.
John Tynan, CAW watershed protection manager, said Friday that ExxonMobil has been very cooperative with CAW in the past over its concerns about possible contamination of the lake in the event of a break. ExxonMobil has even participated in exercises to test the effectiveness of a risk management plan completed in May 2010.
But the only way to ensure the area’s water supply isn’t contaminated by an oil spill from the line is to move the line out of the 88,000-acre Lake Maumelle watershed, Tynan said. CAW doesn’t expect an immediate affirmative response, he continued.
But what the request will do is get the conversation started between CAW, ExxonMobil and what CAW assumes will be a myriad of agencies required to participate. Until they ask, they won’t know who will have to eventually get involved, Tynan said.
If the water from Lake Maumelle could not be used, Tynan said Lake Winona would supply the system for two or three days under average conditions.
But, he pointed out, a spill of any type in the watershed doesn’t necessarily mean that the water from Lake Maumelle would be unusable. The risk management plan would be initiated at the first sign of trouble.
“As part of this plan, we would contact the appropriate CAW staff and state and local emergency response agencies,” Tynan said. “We would then work to contain the spill as close to the rupture site as possible. Finally, we would begin sampling in the area of the spill, at our intake, and in our treated water to determine what contaminants, if any, were present.”
He continued, “Treatment may or may not be affected by a spill in the watershed, depending on the size of the spill, its transport in the watershed and the proximity to our intake structure.”
Tynan said, “Conventional water treatment used by CAW will remove a limited amount of some materials from the water. Some chemical modifications may be made to improve treatment of oil and associated components, but our treatment facilities are not specifically designed to remove significant amounts of oil and associated compounds,” he said.
TOP STORY >> Operation ends lifetime of pain
By SARAH CAMPBELL
Leader staffwriter
In less than an hour on Friday, an innovative surgery performed at St. Vincent North in Sherwood ended a lifetime of pain for 72-year-old Patty Howle of Hot Springs.
Since she was 16, Howle suffered from round-the-clock gastro-esophageal reflux disease, commonly known as acid reflux.
Acid reflux disease occurs when a weak muscle repeatedly allows the contents of a patient’s stomach to back up into the esophagus and cause heartburn symptoms.
Symptoms can include a burning feeling in the chest, chest pain, burning in the throat, difficulty swallowing, a feeling of food sticking in the middle of the chest or throat, chronic cough, sore throat, chronic hoarseness, stomach discomfort and regurgitation.
Howle said before her surgery, “I am excited. I’ve had every symptom in the world. People have been saying, ‘I’ll see how you do, and I’ll get it done.’”
Her rescuer from the affliction was Dr. Dan Lister. He inserted a ring of magnetic titanium beads with a diameter of about an inch — when the ring isn’t stretched.
Howle said, “After meeting him, there was hope.”
Lister is the only surgeon in the state trained for what is called the LINX Reflux Management System procedure.
During the surgery, the LINX ring is implanted around the lower end of the esophagus to strengthen the weak muscle.
During the surgery, Lister’s eyes never strayed from the monitors displaying Howle’s esphogus. She was unconscious for the 40-minute procedure.
The LINX ring expands to allow food into the stomach and contracts to prevent acid from coming back up into the esophagus.
Lister said Howle is not alone. He said 40 percent of adults in the United States have acid reflux.
The surgeon became dedicated to curing the disease through surgery in 2010 because “reflux is such a huge problem and affects so many people.”
Lister noted that acid reflux causes pneumonia, asthma and even esophageal cancer.
Of patients who are diagnosed with esophageal cancer, only 15 percent are still alive after five years, he said.
There are two types of esophageal cancer, Lister explained. The first is related to smoking and drinking.
But the second type is related to acid reflux. The number of patients diagnosed with that type has increased 700 percent since 1973, he added.
Most of the people who suffer from acid reflux take over-the-counter or prescription drugs to treat it, Lister continued.
But the pills available don’t cure the disease, the surgeon explained. All they do is reduce acid in order to treat the symptoms.
He called the innovative LINX surgery “ingenious.” The procedure is minimally invasive, patients can eat any kind of food immediately, they experience instantaneous relief and recover rapidly, Lister said. He noted that it is an outpatient surgery.
Lister continued, “It’s less manipulating, less dissection of the tissue. It’s beautifully simple. This surgery is going to revolutionize reflux surgery.”
There are two other surgical options for a patient suffering from acid reflux.
The first has been around since the mid-1970s, Lister said. He explained that it involves taking the upper part of the patient’s stomach and wrapping it around the muscle between the esophagus and the stomach.
But this option works unnaturally well, Lister said.
“It’s better than what God gave you,” he noted. While it cures acid reflux, the surgery’s side effects include not being able to vomit or belch, gas buildup and difficulty swallowing.
Recovery is also four to six weeks and a special diet of soft foods is required until the patient’s body heals.
Another option is the TIF surgery when a device made of thermoplastic polymer is used instead of the LINX ring.
Howle said she looked at getting the TIF, but learned that the TIF device doesn’t flex.
Lister said LINX is more similar to the first surgery in its effectiveness. But the LINX procedure doesn’t come with the side effects that have discouraged those who suffer from chronic acid reflux from having surgery rather than dealing with daily doses of acid-reducing drugs.
Leader staffwriter
In less than an hour on Friday, an innovative surgery performed at St. Vincent North in Sherwood ended a lifetime of pain for 72-year-old Patty Howle of Hot Springs.
Since she was 16, Howle suffered from round-the-clock gastro-esophageal reflux disease, commonly known as acid reflux.
Acid reflux disease occurs when a weak muscle repeatedly allows the contents of a patient’s stomach to back up into the esophagus and cause heartburn symptoms.
Symptoms can include a burning feeling in the chest, chest pain, burning in the throat, difficulty swallowing, a feeling of food sticking in the middle of the chest or throat, chronic cough, sore throat, chronic hoarseness, stomach discomfort and regurgitation.
Howle said before her surgery, “I am excited. I’ve had every symptom in the world. People have been saying, ‘I’ll see how you do, and I’ll get it done.’”
Her rescuer from the affliction was Dr. Dan Lister. He inserted a ring of magnetic titanium beads with a diameter of about an inch — when the ring isn’t stretched.
Howle said, “After meeting him, there was hope.”
Lister is the only surgeon in the state trained for what is called the LINX Reflux Management System procedure.
During the surgery, the LINX ring is implanted around the lower end of the esophagus to strengthen the weak muscle.
During the surgery, Lister’s eyes never strayed from the monitors displaying Howle’s esphogus. She was unconscious for the 40-minute procedure.
The LINX ring expands to allow food into the stomach and contracts to prevent acid from coming back up into the esophagus.
Lister said Howle is not alone. He said 40 percent of adults in the United States have acid reflux.
The surgeon became dedicated to curing the disease through surgery in 2010 because “reflux is such a huge problem and affects so many people.”
Lister noted that acid reflux causes pneumonia, asthma and even esophageal cancer.
Of patients who are diagnosed with esophageal cancer, only 15 percent are still alive after five years, he said.
There are two types of esophageal cancer, Lister explained. The first is related to smoking and drinking.
But the second type is related to acid reflux. The number of patients diagnosed with that type has increased 700 percent since 1973, he added.
Most of the people who suffer from acid reflux take over-the-counter or prescription drugs to treat it, Lister continued.
But the pills available don’t cure the disease, the surgeon explained. All they do is reduce acid in order to treat the symptoms.
He called the innovative LINX surgery “ingenious.” The procedure is minimally invasive, patients can eat any kind of food immediately, they experience instantaneous relief and recover rapidly, Lister said. He noted that it is an outpatient surgery.
Lister continued, “It’s less manipulating, less dissection of the tissue. It’s beautifully simple. This surgery is going to revolutionize reflux surgery.”
There are two other surgical options for a patient suffering from acid reflux.
The first has been around since the mid-1970s, Lister said. He explained that it involves taking the upper part of the patient’s stomach and wrapping it around the muscle between the esophagus and the stomach.
But this option works unnaturally well, Lister said.
“It’s better than what God gave you,” he noted. While it cures acid reflux, the surgery’s side effects include not being able to vomit or belch, gas buildup and difficulty swallowing.
Recovery is also four to six weeks and a special diet of soft foods is required until the patient’s body heals.
Another option is the TIF surgery when a device made of thermoplastic polymer is used instead of the LINX ring.
Howle said she looked at getting the TIF, but learned that the TIF device doesn’t flex.
Lister said LINX is more similar to the first surgery in its effectiveness. But the LINX procedure doesn’t come with the side effects that have discouraged those who suffer from chronic acid reflux from having surgery rather than dealing with daily doses of acid-reducing drugs.
TOP STORY >> Parade honors veterans of an unpopular war
By RICK KRON
Leader staffwriter
The sun shone down and a solid breeze whipped flags to attention as marching units, local Scout groups, various veteran groups, motorcycles and military vehicles paraded down Jacksonville’s Main Street on Saturday afternoon honoring Vietnam veterans.
Hundreds lined the street, many sitting, smiling and pointing, some waving, and one, Roger Henderson, decked out in a black Vietnam veteran hat and a black leather jacket with three lines emblazoned on the back: “9th Infantry Division, Combat wounded, Old Reliable,” stood solemnly through the entire event.
Henderson, 64, was just 20 years old when he was sent to the swamps and rice paddies of the Mekong Delta in 1969. He was married a week before he shipped out.
“It was funny,” he said. “Here I was in the Army, going to Vietnam and I needed my mother’s signature to get married.”
His bride-to-be, at 18, didn’t need permission. “Good thing his mother liked me,” quipped Henderson’s wife, Penny.
That was the good, actually the great, before the bad.
Henderson shipped off to Vietnam as part of the Army’s 9th Infantry Division in the Mekong.
On his 21st birthday, about halfway through with his tour, Henderson was working point, out front, for his platoon when shots rang out. He caught two in the chest and one in the shoulder. The fire aimed at Henderson allowed the rest of the platoon to take cover and evasive action.
He was pulled to safety and then spent time in hospitals in Vietnam and Japan before being shipped to Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, and given a medical discharge.
Henderson, who was raised around the Scott area and now lives in Cabot, said there were no parades or welcome homes when he and his fellow veterans returned.
“You wouldn’t wear a hat like I have on now or even wear your uniform. It wasn’t so bad in Arkansas, but in some states men were getting harassed just because they had short hair,” he recalled.
Almost 44 years later, the veteran still has physical pain from the injury and doesn’t like to talk about his time there. He received the Purple Heart and the bronze star for his service in Vietnam. Those medals, and pictures of him back then, are proudly displayed in the living room over the television.
“We see it everyday,” his wife said “And we are so proud of him.” That proud group includes a daughter, a son and four grandchildren. Henderson’s daughter, Tammy, married a military man who has already spent a year in Iraq.
Henderson, who missed last year’s inaugural parade, said he heard about this one at the Veterans of Foreign Wars post.
As a unit of Marines marched by, ending the parade, Henderson said it was good to see. His wife called it emotional, adding that a number of Vietnam reunions the couple have attended helped her understand better what her husband went through.
As solemn of an event as it was for Henderson, a Boy Scout troop from Little Rock Air Force Base passing out fans and small American flags, liked the parade for much different reasons than Henderson.
Gavyn Rudquist, Dominique Aricpe and Alex Dahn, all 11 years old, enjoyed the motorcycle calvacade with the veterans the best. Aricpe added it was great seeing all the military guys, especially the Marines.
When asked about the Vietnam War, long before their time, Rudquist, who is thinking of joining the military, said he knew many people came back in wheelchairs and crutches. Aricpe said he heard it was a bad war.
The parade, which lasted about 30 minutes, had about 20 groups in it, including the LRAFB Honor Guard, parade marshal John Mohler, who earned three Purple Hearts during multiple tours in Vietnam, the Rolling Thunder and Combat Veterans motorcycle club, the David D. Terry Jr. chapter of the Air Force Association, which sponsored a decorated truck, and then there was a truck and trailer by A Veteran’s Best Friend, a nonprofit dedicated to using service dogs to help Vietnam veterans lead normal lives.
Also in the parade were the 40-student Watson Chapel High School Junior ROTC marching group, a three-car convey of veterans sponsored by the Ira C. Eaker chapter of the Distinguished Flying Cross Society, dozens of members of Girl Scout Troops 6395, 6061, 6498, 6096 and 6255, an Army hummer from the Jacksonville Museum of Military History and a traveling wall with names of those from the area who died in Vietnam, sponsored by First Arkansas Bank and Trust.
Others in the parade included a decorated truck from VFW Post 4548 in Jacksonville, a truck sponsored by the local Daughters of the American Revolution and the Children of the American Revolution, a truck sponsored by Crain Ford driven by Vietnam veteran Glen Boyd, 50 marching airmen from the 19th Airlift Wing and 314th Airlift Wing at LRAFB, a 13-vehicle convey from the Arkansas Military Vehicle Preservation Association, three vehicles sponsored by American Legion, Post 74 and 20 marching Marines attending the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training at LRAFB.
Leader staffwriter
The sun shone down and a solid breeze whipped flags to attention as marching units, local Scout groups, various veteran groups, motorcycles and military vehicles paraded down Jacksonville’s Main Street on Saturday afternoon honoring Vietnam veterans.
Hundreds lined the street, many sitting, smiling and pointing, some waving, and one, Roger Henderson, decked out in a black Vietnam veteran hat and a black leather jacket with three lines emblazoned on the back: “9th Infantry Division, Combat wounded, Old Reliable,” stood solemnly through the entire event.
Henderson, 64, was just 20 years old when he was sent to the swamps and rice paddies of the Mekong Delta in 1969. He was married a week before he shipped out.
“It was funny,” he said. “Here I was in the Army, going to Vietnam and I needed my mother’s signature to get married.”
His bride-to-be, at 18, didn’t need permission. “Good thing his mother liked me,” quipped Henderson’s wife, Penny.
That was the good, actually the great, before the bad.
Henderson shipped off to Vietnam as part of the Army’s 9th Infantry Division in the Mekong.
On his 21st birthday, about halfway through with his tour, Henderson was working point, out front, for his platoon when shots rang out. He caught two in the chest and one in the shoulder. The fire aimed at Henderson allowed the rest of the platoon to take cover and evasive action.
He was pulled to safety and then spent time in hospitals in Vietnam and Japan before being shipped to Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, and given a medical discharge.
Henderson, who was raised around the Scott area and now lives in Cabot, said there were no parades or welcome homes when he and his fellow veterans returned.
“You wouldn’t wear a hat like I have on now or even wear your uniform. It wasn’t so bad in Arkansas, but in some states men were getting harassed just because they had short hair,” he recalled.
Almost 44 years later, the veteran still has physical pain from the injury and doesn’t like to talk about his time there. He received the Purple Heart and the bronze star for his service in Vietnam. Those medals, and pictures of him back then, are proudly displayed in the living room over the television.
“We see it everyday,” his wife said “And we are so proud of him.” That proud group includes a daughter, a son and four grandchildren. Henderson’s daughter, Tammy, married a military man who has already spent a year in Iraq.
Henderson, who missed last year’s inaugural parade, said he heard about this one at the Veterans of Foreign Wars post.
As a unit of Marines marched by, ending the parade, Henderson said it was good to see. His wife called it emotional, adding that a number of Vietnam reunions the couple have attended helped her understand better what her husband went through.
As solemn of an event as it was for Henderson, a Boy Scout troop from Little Rock Air Force Base passing out fans and small American flags, liked the parade for much different reasons than Henderson.
Gavyn Rudquist, Dominique Aricpe and Alex Dahn, all 11 years old, enjoyed the motorcycle calvacade with the veterans the best. Aricpe added it was great seeing all the military guys, especially the Marines.
When asked about the Vietnam War, long before their time, Rudquist, who is thinking of joining the military, said he knew many people came back in wheelchairs and crutches. Aricpe said he heard it was a bad war.
The parade, which lasted about 30 minutes, had about 20 groups in it, including the LRAFB Honor Guard, parade marshal John Mohler, who earned three Purple Hearts during multiple tours in Vietnam, the Rolling Thunder and Combat Veterans motorcycle club, the David D. Terry Jr. chapter of the Air Force Association, which sponsored a decorated truck, and then there was a truck and trailer by A Veteran’s Best Friend, a nonprofit dedicated to using service dogs to help Vietnam veterans lead normal lives.
Also in the parade were the 40-student Watson Chapel High School Junior ROTC marching group, a three-car convey of veterans sponsored by the Ira C. Eaker chapter of the Distinguished Flying Cross Society, dozens of members of Girl Scout Troops 6395, 6061, 6498, 6096 and 6255, an Army hummer from the Jacksonville Museum of Military History and a traveling wall with names of those from the area who died in Vietnam, sponsored by First Arkansas Bank and Trust.
Others in the parade included a decorated truck from VFW Post 4548 in Jacksonville, a truck sponsored by the local Daughters of the American Revolution and the Children of the American Revolution, a truck sponsored by Crain Ford driven by Vietnam veteran Glen Boyd, 50 marching airmen from the 19th Airlift Wing and 314th Airlift Wing at LRAFB, a 13-vehicle convey from the Arkansas Military Vehicle Preservation Association, three vehicles sponsored by American Legion, Post 74 and 20 marching Marines attending the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training at LRAFB.
EDITORIAL >> Expansion has benefits
There’s a good chance Arkansas will lead a pioneering program that will expand Medicaid coverage for the state’s working poor. After much opposition in the legislature, the so-called private insurance option has passed several hurdles in recent days and goes for a vote in the House of Representatives on Thursday.
Passage of an historic private option bill will benefit 250,000 working poor and many small hospitals that will be reimbursed for services they now write off as charity care. Although the expansion is to be be funded through federal funds, private insurance companies will be responsible for the program.
The private insurance option bill passed the Senate last week and sailed through a House committee on Tuesday. Sen. Jonathan Dismang (R-Searcy) and House Speaker Davy Carter (R-Cabot) support the private option, which the federal government would fully fund for three years, after which the state pays just 10 percent of the cost.
The private insurance option will reduce Medicaid rolls, but Arkansas will still receive hundreds of millions of dollars from Washington to fund the program, much like highway funds that no state can afford to reject. As Gov. Mike Beebe told us last week, if we reject the money, “that’s like telling the federal government we want our transportation money sent to California.”
Dismang and Carter see Medicaid expansion as an economic issue that will not only benefit Arkansans but also our struggling local hospitals whose emergency rooms are swamped with people who have no insurance. Hospitals cannot offer huge amounts of charity care indefinitely.
It was surprising to see Sen. Eddie Joe Williams (R-Cabot) and Sen. Jane English (R-North Little Rock) vote against the expansion last Friday, even though several hospitals in their districts will receive millions in compensation from the program.
According to the state Human Services Department, Medicaid expansion will pump $151 million into the state’s economy in fiscal 2015, $176 million in fiscal 2016 and $146 million in fiscal 2017. By fiscal 2021, the state will pay less than $11 million for the expansion.
If House Bill 1143 is approved this week, it will mean a $670 million boost to the state’s economy over 10 years. For a poor state like ours, it makes no financial sense to reject the private option — although when it comes to our legislature, you might as well expect the unexpected.
This long session has had its good days and its bad days. The low points have included passage of a $125 million corporate welfare package for a dubious steel mill in Mississippi County, which passed with very little debate.
It was also sad to see Sen. English and Sen. Jon Woods (R-Springdale) co-sponsor a bill that would allow payday lenders to return.
Say it ain’t so, Jane. Why would you enable these bloodsuckers who are trying to sneak back into Arkansas? We got rid of them once, and let’s not allow them back into our great state.
Senate Bill 900 may be the worst legislation of this session. Let it slink into oblivion.
Passage of an historic private option bill will benefit 250,000 working poor and many small hospitals that will be reimbursed for services they now write off as charity care. Although the expansion is to be be funded through federal funds, private insurance companies will be responsible for the program.
The private insurance option bill passed the Senate last week and sailed through a House committee on Tuesday. Sen. Jonathan Dismang (R-Searcy) and House Speaker Davy Carter (R-Cabot) support the private option, which the federal government would fully fund for three years, after which the state pays just 10 percent of the cost.
The private insurance option will reduce Medicaid rolls, but Arkansas will still receive hundreds of millions of dollars from Washington to fund the program, much like highway funds that no state can afford to reject. As Gov. Mike Beebe told us last week, if we reject the money, “that’s like telling the federal government we want our transportation money sent to California.”
Dismang and Carter see Medicaid expansion as an economic issue that will not only benefit Arkansans but also our struggling local hospitals whose emergency rooms are swamped with people who have no insurance. Hospitals cannot offer huge amounts of charity care indefinitely.
It was surprising to see Sen. Eddie Joe Williams (R-Cabot) and Sen. Jane English (R-North Little Rock) vote against the expansion last Friday, even though several hospitals in their districts will receive millions in compensation from the program.
According to the state Human Services Department, Medicaid expansion will pump $151 million into the state’s economy in fiscal 2015, $176 million in fiscal 2016 and $146 million in fiscal 2017. By fiscal 2021, the state will pay less than $11 million for the expansion.
If House Bill 1143 is approved this week, it will mean a $670 million boost to the state’s economy over 10 years. For a poor state like ours, it makes no financial sense to reject the private option — although when it comes to our legislature, you might as well expect the unexpected.
This long session has had its good days and its bad days. The low points have included passage of a $125 million corporate welfare package for a dubious steel mill in Mississippi County, which passed with very little debate.
It was also sad to see Sen. English and Sen. Jon Woods (R-Springdale) co-sponsor a bill that would allow payday lenders to return.
Say it ain’t so, Jane. Why would you enable these bloodsuckers who are trying to sneak back into Arkansas? We got rid of them once, and let’s not allow them back into our great state.
Senate Bill 900 may be the worst legislation of this session. Let it slink into oblivion.
SPORTS STORY >> Sylvan Hills ladies sweep Jacksonville in big series
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The Sylvan Hills Lady Bears moved into sole possession of first place in the 5A Central standings with a doubleheader sweep of Jacksonville on Monday. Both teams entered the contest with perfect 4-0 marks in league play, but Sylvan Hills got a no hitter from sophomore hurler Tyra Williams in a 7-1 victory in game one, then won game two 4-1 to take the sweep at Sherwood Sports Complex.
Jacksonville played most of the game shorthanded, as both corner infielders were injured and left the game. First baseman Coyja Hood left with an eye injury in the second inning and third baseman Shyrel McKinney suffered an injured wrist when Sylvan Hills centerfielder Brittney Hubbird slid into her during a close play at third.
While Williams was dominant on the mound in game one, giving up no earned runs and striking out 14, she was responsible for Jacksonville’s lone run.
She hit eight-hole hitter Morgan Lloyd to lead off the sixth inning. Zylah Richardson then lined out back to Williams, who alertly threw to first to try to double up Lloyd, but her throw was off line, allowing the base runner to trot safely to second base.
Leadoff hitter Sacha Richardson bunted to move the runner to third, but she was also safe when Williams’ throw to first was in the dirt and rolled past the bag. That allowed Lloyd to score, making it 3-1 in the top of the sixth.
But Sylvan Hills (13-3, 6-0) had yet to have its best inning at the plate. Jacksonville pitcher Kimberly House had not been as dominant as Williams, but she had not given up an earned run through five innings. That changed in the sixth when the Lady Bears finally began to find its timing against the tall freshman.
Taylor Yoeman and Callie Cavender got back-to-back singles to lead things off, but Yoeman overran second base on Cavender’s hit, and was tagged out in a rundown. The Lady Bears’ nine-hole hitter along with leadoff hitter Brittney Hubbird drew back-to-back walks to load the bases. Ashley Broadway then grounded to second base where Jacksonville’s Bailey Jones went for the force out at home, but Cavender just beat the throw to make it 4-1 and give the Lady Bears their first earned run of the game.
House fanned Jordie Flippo for the second out, but Williams, Jeana Canady and Jenna Hoogeveen hit three consecutive singles to score three runs and set the final margin.
Jacksonville got two runners on in the top of the seventh, but were unable to get a run across the plate.
Williams threw all seven innings, giving up no hits while striking out 14, walking three and hitting one batter. She was also outstanding at the plate, going 3 for 4 with three runs batted in.
She was almost 4 for 4 with four RBIs. In the first inning, Hubbird walked to lead things off and moved to third on a stolen base and a sacrifice grounder. Williams then hit a soft blooper to third base where McKinney made a good play by stretching to get the ball in her glove, but it bounced out when she hit the ground.
Sylvan Hills’ next two runs were also unearned. With two outs, Flippo hit a deep fly ball to centerfield. Lloyd was underneath it in plenty of time, but dropped what should have been the third out. Williams and Canady then got back-to-back RBI base hits to make it 3-0.
It wasn’t all bad news for Jacksonville. The Lady Red Devils closed the weekend with a victory over a Beebe junior varsity team that entered the Beebe-Cabot tournament after Jonesboro-Westside failed to show up. The Lady Devils lost two close games earlier in the day on Saturday before handling the Lady Badgers 4-0.
Leader sports editor
The Sylvan Hills Lady Bears moved into sole possession of first place in the 5A Central standings with a doubleheader sweep of Jacksonville on Monday. Both teams entered the contest with perfect 4-0 marks in league play, but Sylvan Hills got a no hitter from sophomore hurler Tyra Williams in a 7-1 victory in game one, then won game two 4-1 to take the sweep at Sherwood Sports Complex.
Jacksonville played most of the game shorthanded, as both corner infielders were injured and left the game. First baseman Coyja Hood left with an eye injury in the second inning and third baseman Shyrel McKinney suffered an injured wrist when Sylvan Hills centerfielder Brittney Hubbird slid into her during a close play at third.
While Williams was dominant on the mound in game one, giving up no earned runs and striking out 14, she was responsible for Jacksonville’s lone run.
She hit eight-hole hitter Morgan Lloyd to lead off the sixth inning. Zylah Richardson then lined out back to Williams, who alertly threw to first to try to double up Lloyd, but her throw was off line, allowing the base runner to trot safely to second base.
Leadoff hitter Sacha Richardson bunted to move the runner to third, but she was also safe when Williams’ throw to first was in the dirt and rolled past the bag. That allowed Lloyd to score, making it 3-1 in the top of the sixth.
But Sylvan Hills (13-3, 6-0) had yet to have its best inning at the plate. Jacksonville pitcher Kimberly House had not been as dominant as Williams, but she had not given up an earned run through five innings. That changed in the sixth when the Lady Bears finally began to find its timing against the tall freshman.
Taylor Yoeman and Callie Cavender got back-to-back singles to lead things off, but Yoeman overran second base on Cavender’s hit, and was tagged out in a rundown. The Lady Bears’ nine-hole hitter along with leadoff hitter Brittney Hubbird drew back-to-back walks to load the bases. Ashley Broadway then grounded to second base where Jacksonville’s Bailey Jones went for the force out at home, but Cavender just beat the throw to make it 4-1 and give the Lady Bears their first earned run of the game.
House fanned Jordie Flippo for the second out, but Williams, Jeana Canady and Jenna Hoogeveen hit three consecutive singles to score three runs and set the final margin.
Jacksonville got two runners on in the top of the seventh, but were unable to get a run across the plate.
Williams threw all seven innings, giving up no hits while striking out 14, walking three and hitting one batter. She was also outstanding at the plate, going 3 for 4 with three runs batted in.
She was almost 4 for 4 with four RBIs. In the first inning, Hubbird walked to lead things off and moved to third on a stolen base and a sacrifice grounder. Williams then hit a soft blooper to third base where McKinney made a good play by stretching to get the ball in her glove, but it bounced out when she hit the ground.
Sylvan Hills’ next two runs were also unearned. With two outs, Flippo hit a deep fly ball to centerfield. Lloyd was underneath it in plenty of time, but dropped what should have been the third out. Williams and Canady then got back-to-back RBI base hits to make it 3-0.
It wasn’t all bad news for Jacksonville. The Lady Red Devils closed the weekend with a victory over a Beebe junior varsity team that entered the Beebe-Cabot tournament after Jonesboro-Westside failed to show up. The Lady Devils lost two close games earlier in the day on Saturday before handling the Lady Badgers 4-0.
SPORTS STORY >> Badger record holders recognized
By GRAHAM POWELL
Leader staffwriter
During Friday’s annual Beebe Badger Relays, a ceremony was held commemorating the school record-holders of Beebe High School’s track and field events. The majority of the school’s record-holders were present for the ceremonial event, which included various age groups, some of which are current members of the Badger and Lady Badger track teams.
The longest standing records in either the boys’ or girls’ division are held by Bobby Pruitt, who set school records in both the 800-meter run and the 1600-meter run in 1967.
Pruitt’s record 800-meter time of 1:58.00 and 1600-meter time of 4:19.60 have stood the test of time, and still mean a lot to him to this day according to his wife, Kim Pruitt, who was there to represent her husband, who was out of state for a softball tournament.
“He was very disappointed that he couldn’t be here, but he wanted someone in the family to be here for him,” Kim Pruitt said. “Track’s always been an important part of his life. He went on and ran at the University of Arkansas and held the mile record there for several years. He ran a 4:07.00 in college and continues to run today and be very active.
“(The record) means a lot to him, but he encourages athletes to do their best and he looks forward to one day that he can be here and see someone break the record. He wants them to do their best, and he says ‘records are meant to be broken.’”
Tony Lockhart, who went on to play football at the University of Arkansas after his high school career, was also part of the ceremony. His four records have stood since 1997. He is the school record-holder in the 400-meter dash, the 200-meter dash, the 110-meter hurdles, and he shares the 100-meter dash record with his younger brother, Dwayne Lockhart, as both timed in at 10.71.
Dwayne Lockhart tied his brother’s record in the 100-meter dash in 2003, and he also set the long jump record that year with a length of 23-9.
Also honored in the boys’ individual events was 300-meter hurdles record-holder Benji Lindsey (1982), 3200-meter record-holder Chris Roberts (2006), high jump record-holder James Anderson (2008), triple jump record-holder Dayton Scott (2012), pole vault record-holder Reese Totty (2011), cross country 5K record-holder Jacob Hendricks, and shot put and discus record-holder William Dismang (1996).
The 4x100-meter relay team of Dane Grant, Shane Smith, D.J. Jones and Aaron Raney set the school record that stands today in 1994 with a time of 44.8. Grant, Jones, Raney and Bennie Pickens set the 4x200-meter relay record the year before that with a 1:34.2 time.
In 1991, the 4x400-meter record was set by Mark Bivens, Chris Ulsperger, Jason Loyd and John Greer, and last year, the 4x800-meter relay team of John Diaz, Jake Schlenker, K.J. Maples and Austin Dupio set the school record and won the state championship with a time of 8:09.86.
Diaz and Schlenker are both on the Badger track team this year, and reflected on what it was like to not only win state in the respective event last year, but to also set the school record in the process.
“It felt really good,” Diaz said. “We found out about it at (the state) track meet. It was a bit of a shock to us. It was a surprise to us that we came in first overall (at state), but we knew that we had a strong 4x800 team.”
“The first thing was winning state,” Schlenker said. “That was what made us happy in the first place. But as far as breaking that record, I kind of couldn’t believe it, because that wasn’t really our goal. We kind of thought that was out of reach at the beginning of the year, but we got it.”
Nearly all of the relay record-holders in the girls’ division were in attendance. The 4x400-meter team of Sandy Hansen, Lesley Rose Smith, K.C. Cagle and Beth Huffstickler set the record in 1982 with a time of 4:04.47.
Geraldine Fuller, Diana Alexander Layrock, and Sharonda Harris are all part of two record-holding relay teams. Those three along with Tanya Skasick set the 4x100-meter mark in 1988 with a time of 50.8. The trio also holds the record in the 4x200-meter relay, along with Carolyn Harris, with a time of 1:48, which was also set in 1988.
Alexander is also the Lady Badgers’ high jump record-holder with a height of 5-6. In 2000, the 4x800-meter team of Jordan Burns, Katrina Tucker, Amanda Sexton and Cari Allen set the school record with a time of 10:04.11.
Allen is currently the Lady Badgers’ track coach, but is now known as coach Rector, and she encourages her current 4x800-meter team to push themselves to challenge the time her team set more than a decade ago.
“Back then it was called the 3200-meter relay,” Rector said. “At that time we were the top-placing group at the Meet of Champs that was from Beebe. I’ve coached the Beebe girls since 2006, and each year I want them to beat my time. I would love to see some girls that I coach beat that time.”
Current Lady Badger track standout Madison Richey holds two school records. Her 3733 point total in the heptathlon last year was good for the school record in that event, as well as her triple jump length of 34-5, which was also set in 2012.
Alicia Allen’s cross country 5K time of 21:58.46 was set in 2006 and still stands to this day. Nita Young holds three school records that were all set in 1981. She holds records in the 100-meter hurdles, the 200-meter dash, and the long jump.
Jordan Kelly’s time of 12.72 set the school mark in the 100-meter dash in 2007. Brandy Ballard (1999) still holds the time for the grueling 300-meter hurdles with a time 45.54. Hansen also holds the mark for the 400-meter dash with a 60.50 time.
Jordan Burns set the 800-meter dash record in 2000 with a time of 2:28.38. In the distance races, Taylor Brock set the 1600-meter record, timing in at 5:51.64, and Tracie Blair holds the 3200-meter record with a time of 12:52.83, both of which were set in 2007.
Sharon Griggs set the shot put record in 1990 with a distance of 36-8. Jennifer Reeder holds the discus record with a distance of 118-1, which was set in 1999, and Alexis Miguel’s 2011 pole vault clearing of 9-2 is the school record in that event.
Leader staffwriter
During Friday’s annual Beebe Badger Relays, a ceremony was held commemorating the school record-holders of Beebe High School’s track and field events. The majority of the school’s record-holders were present for the ceremonial event, which included various age groups, some of which are current members of the Badger and Lady Badger track teams.
The longest standing records in either the boys’ or girls’ division are held by Bobby Pruitt, who set school records in both the 800-meter run and the 1600-meter run in 1967.
Pruitt’s record 800-meter time of 1:58.00 and 1600-meter time of 4:19.60 have stood the test of time, and still mean a lot to him to this day according to his wife, Kim Pruitt, who was there to represent her husband, who was out of state for a softball tournament.
“He was very disappointed that he couldn’t be here, but he wanted someone in the family to be here for him,” Kim Pruitt said. “Track’s always been an important part of his life. He went on and ran at the University of Arkansas and held the mile record there for several years. He ran a 4:07.00 in college and continues to run today and be very active.
“(The record) means a lot to him, but he encourages athletes to do their best and he looks forward to one day that he can be here and see someone break the record. He wants them to do their best, and he says ‘records are meant to be broken.’”
Tony Lockhart, who went on to play football at the University of Arkansas after his high school career, was also part of the ceremony. His four records have stood since 1997. He is the school record-holder in the 400-meter dash, the 200-meter dash, the 110-meter hurdles, and he shares the 100-meter dash record with his younger brother, Dwayne Lockhart, as both timed in at 10.71.
Dwayne Lockhart tied his brother’s record in the 100-meter dash in 2003, and he also set the long jump record that year with a length of 23-9.
Also honored in the boys’ individual events was 300-meter hurdles record-holder Benji Lindsey (1982), 3200-meter record-holder Chris Roberts (2006), high jump record-holder James Anderson (2008), triple jump record-holder Dayton Scott (2012), pole vault record-holder Reese Totty (2011), cross country 5K record-holder Jacob Hendricks, and shot put and discus record-holder William Dismang (1996).
The 4x100-meter relay team of Dane Grant, Shane Smith, D.J. Jones and Aaron Raney set the school record that stands today in 1994 with a time of 44.8. Grant, Jones, Raney and Bennie Pickens set the 4x200-meter relay record the year before that with a 1:34.2 time.
In 1991, the 4x400-meter record was set by Mark Bivens, Chris Ulsperger, Jason Loyd and John Greer, and last year, the 4x800-meter relay team of John Diaz, Jake Schlenker, K.J. Maples and Austin Dupio set the school record and won the state championship with a time of 8:09.86.
Diaz and Schlenker are both on the Badger track team this year, and reflected on what it was like to not only win state in the respective event last year, but to also set the school record in the process.
“It felt really good,” Diaz said. “We found out about it at (the state) track meet. It was a bit of a shock to us. It was a surprise to us that we came in first overall (at state), but we knew that we had a strong 4x800 team.”
“The first thing was winning state,” Schlenker said. “That was what made us happy in the first place. But as far as breaking that record, I kind of couldn’t believe it, because that wasn’t really our goal. We kind of thought that was out of reach at the beginning of the year, but we got it.”
Nearly all of the relay record-holders in the girls’ division were in attendance. The 4x400-meter team of Sandy Hansen, Lesley Rose Smith, K.C. Cagle and Beth Huffstickler set the record in 1982 with a time of 4:04.47.
Geraldine Fuller, Diana Alexander Layrock, and Sharonda Harris are all part of two record-holding relay teams. Those three along with Tanya Skasick set the 4x100-meter mark in 1988 with a time of 50.8. The trio also holds the record in the 4x200-meter relay, along with Carolyn Harris, with a time of 1:48, which was also set in 1988.
Alexander is also the Lady Badgers’ high jump record-holder with a height of 5-6. In 2000, the 4x800-meter team of Jordan Burns, Katrina Tucker, Amanda Sexton and Cari Allen set the school record with a time of 10:04.11.
Allen is currently the Lady Badgers’ track coach, but is now known as coach Rector, and she encourages her current 4x800-meter team to push themselves to challenge the time her team set more than a decade ago.
“Back then it was called the 3200-meter relay,” Rector said. “At that time we were the top-placing group at the Meet of Champs that was from Beebe. I’ve coached the Beebe girls since 2006, and each year I want them to beat my time. I would love to see some girls that I coach beat that time.”
Current Lady Badger track standout Madison Richey holds two school records. Her 3733 point total in the heptathlon last year was good for the school record in that event, as well as her triple jump length of 34-5, which was also set in 2012.
Alicia Allen’s cross country 5K time of 21:58.46 was set in 2006 and still stands to this day. Nita Young holds three school records that were all set in 1981. She holds records in the 100-meter hurdles, the 200-meter dash, and the long jump.
Jordan Kelly’s time of 12.72 set the school mark in the 100-meter dash in 2007. Brandy Ballard (1999) still holds the time for the grueling 300-meter hurdles with a time 45.54. Hansen also holds the mark for the 400-meter dash with a 60.50 time.
Jordan Burns set the 800-meter dash record in 2000 with a time of 2:28.38. In the distance races, Taylor Brock set the 1600-meter record, timing in at 5:51.64, and Tracie Blair holds the 3200-meter record with a time of 12:52.83, both of which were set in 2007.
Sharon Griggs set the shot put record in 1990 with a distance of 36-8. Jennifer Reeder holds the discus record with a distance of 118-1, which was set in 1999, and Alexis Miguel’s 2011 pole vault clearing of 9-2 is the school record in that event.
SPORTS STORY >> Beebe girls, boys finish in top three
By GRAHAM POWELL
Leader sportswriter
Beebe, Lonoke, Jacksonville and North Pulaski all participated in Friday’s Beebe Badger Relays which was dominated by members of the 5A East Conference.
The Lady Badgers finished in second place with 70 points, 15 points behind first place Blytheville. The Badgers also finished with 70 points which was good for third place behind overall winner Greene County Tech, and second-place Nettleton.
The Lonoke boys also had a strong showing as they finished fifth overall with 44 points. Sprinter Eric Williams provided six of those points as he finished third overall in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.57. Fellow Jackrabbit sprinter Brent Sims finished seventh with a time of 11.73.
Williams also placed in the 200-meter run, finishing sixth overall with a time of 23.93. Jacksonville’s Danial Curly placed seventh in the run, finishing with a time of 23.99.
Beebe’s Hunter Plante gave the Badgers five points in the 400-meter run with a time of 54.61, which was good enough for a fourth-place finish. Caleb Bailey of Lonoke finished sixth in the event with a time of 55.29.
The hosts Badgers dominated the 800-meter run. John Diaz won the event with a time of 2:08.43, and Jake Schlenker finished third with a 2:10.39 time. Jeffrey Norwood of Lonoke placed fifth with a time of 2:11.45, and North Pulaski’s Cedric Grant finished seventh with a 2:17.84 time.
“They’re real special just because, it’s one thing to have kids that are good at what they do, but they work hard for what they get,” said Beebe boys coach Mark Pinkerton about Diaz and Schlenker. “They have great attitudes and they’ve earned their success.”
Lonoke’s Tykel Gray took second in the 1600-meter run with a time of 5:00.66. Allen Kirk of Beebe finished third, timing in at 5:02.22. Kirk also ran the 3200-meter, finishing third with a time of 11:15.51.
The Lonoke 4x100-meter relay team of Williams, Sims, D.J. Burton and Blake Mack finished second and one tenth of a second from qualifying for the state meet with a time of 44.30. To qualify for the state meet in the 4x100-meter relay, a time of 44.20 is needed.
“The guys were pretty bummed about that,” said Lonoke boys coach Tim Scarborough, “but, you know, we’ll have one more opportunity when we go to Heber Springs the week before district. So hopefully we can get some good weather and we can go ahead and pull that off.”
Beebe took second in the 4x400-meter relay with a time of 3:43.46. Lonoke finished fifth with a time of 3:59.53, and North Pulaski’s time of 4:12.96 was good for seventh place. The respective schools also placed the same in the 4x800-meter relay.
A.J. Christiansen of Beebe won the high jump with a jump of 6-3. The win qualifies Christiansen for the state meet. Jacksonville’s Curly placed sixth in the event with a jump of 6-0. Beebe picked up additional points in the pole vault thanks to Brandon Lercher’s 11-9 clearing, which was good for second place.
Curly and Lonoke’s Williams tied for fourth place in the triple jump at 40-4. Mack placed seventh in the event at 40-1. North Pulaski sophomore David Jackson won the shot put with a throw of 45-1. Beebe’s Race Payne finished fifth in the event with a throw of 40-9.
In the discus, Beebe took three spots in the placing. Jared Gowen finished second with a throw of 119-1. Jackson Snelson finished fourth with a throw of 107-9, and Jessie Crisco finished fifth with a distance of 106-5.
In the girls’ division, Beebe’s Madison Richey placed in every one of her events. Richey won the long jump with a length of 15-8 1/2. She placed second in the high jump, clearing 5-0, fifth in the triple jump with a length of 32-5, and fifth in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 17.73.
“She’s always strong in the overall (points),” said Lady Badgers coach Cari Rector of Richey. “She was third best in the overall (individual) high-points.”
Rector was also happy with her 4x800-meter relay team, which won with a time of 10:55.74, as well as freshman Taylor McGraw, who won the 800-meter run with a time of 2:36.41.
“I was really proud of them,” Rector said of her relay team. “They had a good time there. Taylor McGraw won the 800, and she’s a ninth-grader. She’s done really well. This is her second track meet. We had a good showing in all the relays, and I was very pleased.”
The Lady Badgers also placed in every other relay event. They placed second in the 4x100 relay with a time of 52.57, and third in the 4x400, with a time of 4:33.57. Katie McGraw and Erin Langley placed sixth and seventh overall in the 400-meter run. Katie McGraw finished with a time of 1:09.83, while Langley finished in 1:10.62.
Rachel Treece, also from Beebe, placed in the 800-meter run, finishing eighth with a time of 2:46.16. Lonoke’s Haiden Jeter took sixth in the event, timing in at 2:44.04. Jamie Jackson was fourth in the grueling 300-meter hurdles, clocking in a 50.93 time for the Lady Badgers.
Cecily Brock and Sydnye Shuttleworth added the final points for the Lady Badgers by taking sixth and seventh in the 3200-meter run. Brock timed in at 14:37.73 and Shuttleworth finished in 14:47.68. North Pulaski’s Meghan Crimmins also placed with a time of 14:57.53, which was good for eighth.
Leader sportswriter
Beebe, Lonoke, Jacksonville and North Pulaski all participated in Friday’s Beebe Badger Relays which was dominated by members of the 5A East Conference.
The Lady Badgers finished in second place with 70 points, 15 points behind first place Blytheville. The Badgers also finished with 70 points which was good for third place behind overall winner Greene County Tech, and second-place Nettleton.
The Lonoke boys also had a strong showing as they finished fifth overall with 44 points. Sprinter Eric Williams provided six of those points as he finished third overall in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.57. Fellow Jackrabbit sprinter Brent Sims finished seventh with a time of 11.73.
Williams also placed in the 200-meter run, finishing sixth overall with a time of 23.93. Jacksonville’s Danial Curly placed seventh in the run, finishing with a time of 23.99.
Beebe’s Hunter Plante gave the Badgers five points in the 400-meter run with a time of 54.61, which was good enough for a fourth-place finish. Caleb Bailey of Lonoke finished sixth in the event with a time of 55.29.
The hosts Badgers dominated the 800-meter run. John Diaz won the event with a time of 2:08.43, and Jake Schlenker finished third with a 2:10.39 time. Jeffrey Norwood of Lonoke placed fifth with a time of 2:11.45, and North Pulaski’s Cedric Grant finished seventh with a 2:17.84 time.
“They’re real special just because, it’s one thing to have kids that are good at what they do, but they work hard for what they get,” said Beebe boys coach Mark Pinkerton about Diaz and Schlenker. “They have great attitudes and they’ve earned their success.”
Lonoke’s Tykel Gray took second in the 1600-meter run with a time of 5:00.66. Allen Kirk of Beebe finished third, timing in at 5:02.22. Kirk also ran the 3200-meter, finishing third with a time of 11:15.51.
The Lonoke 4x100-meter relay team of Williams, Sims, D.J. Burton and Blake Mack finished second and one tenth of a second from qualifying for the state meet with a time of 44.30. To qualify for the state meet in the 4x100-meter relay, a time of 44.20 is needed.
“The guys were pretty bummed about that,” said Lonoke boys coach Tim Scarborough, “but, you know, we’ll have one more opportunity when we go to Heber Springs the week before district. So hopefully we can get some good weather and we can go ahead and pull that off.”
Beebe took second in the 4x400-meter relay with a time of 3:43.46. Lonoke finished fifth with a time of 3:59.53, and North Pulaski’s time of 4:12.96 was good for seventh place. The respective schools also placed the same in the 4x800-meter relay.
A.J. Christiansen of Beebe won the high jump with a jump of 6-3. The win qualifies Christiansen for the state meet. Jacksonville’s Curly placed sixth in the event with a jump of 6-0. Beebe picked up additional points in the pole vault thanks to Brandon Lercher’s 11-9 clearing, which was good for second place.
Curly and Lonoke’s Williams tied for fourth place in the triple jump at 40-4. Mack placed seventh in the event at 40-1. North Pulaski sophomore David Jackson won the shot put with a throw of 45-1. Beebe’s Race Payne finished fifth in the event with a throw of 40-9.
In the discus, Beebe took three spots in the placing. Jared Gowen finished second with a throw of 119-1. Jackson Snelson finished fourth with a throw of 107-9, and Jessie Crisco finished fifth with a distance of 106-5.
In the girls’ division, Beebe’s Madison Richey placed in every one of her events. Richey won the long jump with a length of 15-8 1/2. She placed second in the high jump, clearing 5-0, fifth in the triple jump with a length of 32-5, and fifth in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 17.73.
“She’s always strong in the overall (points),” said Lady Badgers coach Cari Rector of Richey. “She was third best in the overall (individual) high-points.”
Rector was also happy with her 4x800-meter relay team, which won with a time of 10:55.74, as well as freshman Taylor McGraw, who won the 800-meter run with a time of 2:36.41.
“I was really proud of them,” Rector said of her relay team. “They had a good time there. Taylor McGraw won the 800, and she’s a ninth-grader. She’s done really well. This is her second track meet. We had a good showing in all the relays, and I was very pleased.”
The Lady Badgers also placed in every other relay event. They placed second in the 4x100 relay with a time of 52.57, and third in the 4x400, with a time of 4:33.57. Katie McGraw and Erin Langley placed sixth and seventh overall in the 400-meter run. Katie McGraw finished with a time of 1:09.83, while Langley finished in 1:10.62.
Rachel Treece, also from Beebe, placed in the 800-meter run, finishing eighth with a time of 2:46.16. Lonoke’s Haiden Jeter took sixth in the event, timing in at 2:44.04. Jamie Jackson was fourth in the grueling 300-meter hurdles, clocking in a 50.93 time for the Lady Badgers.
Cecily Brock and Sydnye Shuttleworth added the final points for the Lady Badgers by taking sixth and seventh in the 3200-meter run. Brock timed in at 14:37.73 and Shuttleworth finished in 14:47.68. North Pulaski’s Meghan Crimmins also placed with a time of 14:57.53, which was good for eighth.
SPORTS STORY >> Wildcats nip Bears in nine
By GRAHAM POWELL
Leader sportswriter
It took nine innings, but North Little Rock came back from a five-run deficit to beat the scrappy Sylvan Hills Bears 7-6 on Saturday in a nonconference game at the Sherwood Sports Complex.
Neither team was able to score in the first inning, but three costly errors by the Charging Wildcats (12-2, 4-0) in the bottom of the second resulted in a five-run inning for the Bears (8-7, 5-1).
Jacob White and TJ Burrow started the inning with singles, and Nathan Thomas walked to put the home team in a bases loaded situation with no outs. Connor Poteet then came to the plate and hit a routine grounder to shortstop.
The NLR shortstop threw to second base for the force out, but the second baseman couldn’t make the catch, and as a result, all three runs scored and Poteet wound up at second base. Reid Fawcett was next up, and he hit a ground ball to the second baseman, but the throw to first was out of reach, and Poteet scored with ease to give the Bears a 4-0 lead.
Leadoff hitter Brandon Baioni was next up and he reached on an E6 as the NLR shortstop’s throw to first was also out of the first baseman’s reach. Fawcett went to third on the bad throw. With runners at the corners, Baioni took off for second, but found himself caught in a rundown.
However, he was able to distract the NLR infield long enough to allow Fawcett to score from third to give Sylvan Hills a 5-0 lead.
Preston Oberling and Alex Gosser scored for the Charging Wildcats in the third. Oberling was hit by a pitch at thestart of the inning, and scored later on when Chandler Thompson’s grounder to first base was too hot to handle. Spencer Byrd drove in Gosser the next at bat with a single to the left field gap, cutting the Bears’ lead to 5-2.
White scored Sylvan Hills’ final run in the fifth as Thomas hit a slow roller in front of home plate. Thomas was narrowly thrown out on the play, but White scored from second base as he hustled his way home, giving the Bears a 6-2 cushion.
Sylvan Hills’ sophomore pitcher Hunter Heslep was pulled after walking his fourth batter of the game in the top of the sixth. He was solid through five innings of work, striking out five while giving up just three hits in his time on the mound, but NLR adjusted well to the pitching change.
Two-straight Charging Wildcats were walked in Heslep’s relief and with the momentum on their side, the Wildcats, class 7A’s No. 2 ranked team, racked up four runs in the sixth to tie the game at 6-6.
“He threw great,” said Sylvan Hills coach Denny Tipton of Heslep’s performance on the mound. “We put a sophomore out against the No. 2 team in (class) 7A. He goes out there and competes and pitches well, well enough to win. But, you know, we helped them out that one inning with a bunch of walks and a few errors.
“Of course they helped us out in the second inning. It was kind of like who is trying to give (the game) away at times. But, you know, we just came out on the short end of the stick.”
Jake Sandefur was hit by a pitch in the top of the ninth to lead off the inning, and scored what ended up being the winning run as Paul Morris hit a ground ball to shortstop with two outs. As Morris hustled to first base, the throw to first was short, and the first baseman was unable to hang on to the backhand scoop, which allowed Sandefur to set the final score.
North Little Rock threw five different pitchers in the game. Dillon Howell, the fifth pitcher to take the mound for the Wildcats, got the win as he pitched the sixth inning on. He struck out four Sylvan Hills’ batters in his time on the mound.
The game also had its share of controversy, especially in the eyes of North Little Rock coach Randy Sandefur. Gosser started the eighth inning with a single up the middle, and Howell hit into a fielder’s choice at second base the next at bat. Howell was initially ruled safe, but was later called out because of runner’s interference by Gosser as Sylvan Hills tried to turn the double play.
Sandefur argued the call, and was ejected from the game one-batter later for expressing his discontent with the call.
“They ruled that the catcher (Gosser) came in and when he slid, he went through the player,” Sandefur explained. “Well the player needs to be on the bag. What bothers me is the umpire calls (Gosser) out, calls (Howell) safe. Then coach (Tipton) goes out there and all of a sudden it’s a different story. I don’t buy that.”
In the bottom part of the inning, Gosser was ejected from the game as he prevented a Sylvan Hills’ base runner from running him over at the plate, which also prevented the Bears from scoring the game-winning run.
“I thought our pitchers did really well,” Sandefur said. “We threw a bunch of them today. It’s sad that Alex Gosser got ejected. I don’t agree with that call. The (Sylvan Hills) guy was coming in standing up, so what are we supposed to do? So we’re going to have to go into our next conference game Tuesday missing two or three guys.
“And it’s unfortunate I was ejected, but if we did that 10 times and the play was in question, I would’ve been out there 10 times. That was not right. It was wrong. The umpires aren’t supposed to be seen. It’s the kids. I just don’t think (the officials) did an adequate job. Should I have been ejected? Yes. I wasn’t trying to get ejected, but I was fighting for our kids.”
Byrd, Sandefur, Gosser, Howell, Morris and Gray each had a hit for NLR. Charlie Roberts and White had two hits apiece for Sylvan Hills, while JD Miller, Burrow and Fawcett each had a hit.
Leader sportswriter
It took nine innings, but North Little Rock came back from a five-run deficit to beat the scrappy Sylvan Hills Bears 7-6 on Saturday in a nonconference game at the Sherwood Sports Complex.
Neither team was able to score in the first inning, but three costly errors by the Charging Wildcats (12-2, 4-0) in the bottom of the second resulted in a five-run inning for the Bears (8-7, 5-1).
Jacob White and TJ Burrow started the inning with singles, and Nathan Thomas walked to put the home team in a bases loaded situation with no outs. Connor Poteet then came to the plate and hit a routine grounder to shortstop.
The NLR shortstop threw to second base for the force out, but the second baseman couldn’t make the catch, and as a result, all three runs scored and Poteet wound up at second base. Reid Fawcett was next up, and he hit a ground ball to the second baseman, but the throw to first was out of reach, and Poteet scored with ease to give the Bears a 4-0 lead.
Leadoff hitter Brandon Baioni was next up and he reached on an E6 as the NLR shortstop’s throw to first was also out of the first baseman’s reach. Fawcett went to third on the bad throw. With runners at the corners, Baioni took off for second, but found himself caught in a rundown.
However, he was able to distract the NLR infield long enough to allow Fawcett to score from third to give Sylvan Hills a 5-0 lead.
Preston Oberling and Alex Gosser scored for the Charging Wildcats in the third. Oberling was hit by a pitch at thestart of the inning, and scored later on when Chandler Thompson’s grounder to first base was too hot to handle. Spencer Byrd drove in Gosser the next at bat with a single to the left field gap, cutting the Bears’ lead to 5-2.
White scored Sylvan Hills’ final run in the fifth as Thomas hit a slow roller in front of home plate. Thomas was narrowly thrown out on the play, but White scored from second base as he hustled his way home, giving the Bears a 6-2 cushion.
Sylvan Hills’ sophomore pitcher Hunter Heslep was pulled after walking his fourth batter of the game in the top of the sixth. He was solid through five innings of work, striking out five while giving up just three hits in his time on the mound, but NLR adjusted well to the pitching change.
Two-straight Charging Wildcats were walked in Heslep’s relief and with the momentum on their side, the Wildcats, class 7A’s No. 2 ranked team, racked up four runs in the sixth to tie the game at 6-6.
“He threw great,” said Sylvan Hills coach Denny Tipton of Heslep’s performance on the mound. “We put a sophomore out against the No. 2 team in (class) 7A. He goes out there and competes and pitches well, well enough to win. But, you know, we helped them out that one inning with a bunch of walks and a few errors.
“Of course they helped us out in the second inning. It was kind of like who is trying to give (the game) away at times. But, you know, we just came out on the short end of the stick.”
Jake Sandefur was hit by a pitch in the top of the ninth to lead off the inning, and scored what ended up being the winning run as Paul Morris hit a ground ball to shortstop with two outs. As Morris hustled to first base, the throw to first was short, and the first baseman was unable to hang on to the backhand scoop, which allowed Sandefur to set the final score.
North Little Rock threw five different pitchers in the game. Dillon Howell, the fifth pitcher to take the mound for the Wildcats, got the win as he pitched the sixth inning on. He struck out four Sylvan Hills’ batters in his time on the mound.
The game also had its share of controversy, especially in the eyes of North Little Rock coach Randy Sandefur. Gosser started the eighth inning with a single up the middle, and Howell hit into a fielder’s choice at second base the next at bat. Howell was initially ruled safe, but was later called out because of runner’s interference by Gosser as Sylvan Hills tried to turn the double play.
Sandefur argued the call, and was ejected from the game one-batter later for expressing his discontent with the call.
“They ruled that the catcher (Gosser) came in and when he slid, he went through the player,” Sandefur explained. “Well the player needs to be on the bag. What bothers me is the umpire calls (Gosser) out, calls (Howell) safe. Then coach (Tipton) goes out there and all of a sudden it’s a different story. I don’t buy that.”
In the bottom part of the inning, Gosser was ejected from the game as he prevented a Sylvan Hills’ base runner from running him over at the plate, which also prevented the Bears from scoring the game-winning run.
“I thought our pitchers did really well,” Sandefur said. “We threw a bunch of them today. It’s sad that Alex Gosser got ejected. I don’t agree with that call. The (Sylvan Hills) guy was coming in standing up, so what are we supposed to do? So we’re going to have to go into our next conference game Tuesday missing two or three guys.
“And it’s unfortunate I was ejected, but if we did that 10 times and the play was in question, I would’ve been out there 10 times. That was not right. It was wrong. The umpires aren’t supposed to be seen. It’s the kids. I just don’t think (the officials) did an adequate job. Should I have been ejected? Yes. I wasn’t trying to get ejected, but I was fighting for our kids.”
Byrd, Sandefur, Gosser, Howell, Morris and Gray each had a hit for NLR. Charlie Roberts and White had two hits apiece for Sylvan Hills, while JD Miller, Burrow and Fawcett each had a hit.
SPORTS STORY >> Beebe girls clip Cabot, win tourney
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
Sophomore power ruled the hour on Saturday as Beebe took home first place in its own Beebe/Cabot Invitational softball tournament with a 1-0 victory over Cabot in what amounted to stellar defensive efforts from both clubs during the championship game at Gillam Fields.
The format called for Beebe to host the games in the top half of the bracket with Cabot playing host to the games in the lower bracket. That led to the two hosts meeting at Beebe to decide the winner for the second straight season, and a closely-contested final that required a bit of luck on Beebe’s part to get a runner home.
The game was still scoreless entering the bottom of the sixth inning when sophomore Mackenzie Bingham sent an infield grounder directly over second base, causing the ball to take a wild hop and allow freshman Baylee Halford to reach the plate for the only score of the game. Halford singled with a line drive between third base and shortstop to lead off the bottom of the sixth and advanced to third on a grounder by junior Madelyn Poe.
“For both teams, we saw a lot of different pitching speeds,” Beebe coach Eric Chambers said. “There were a lot of different types of pitchers today, so coming out and hitting the ball all over the place just isn’t going to happen. Those close games just came down to a couple of mistakes here and there, and we were lucky to get a big base hit from Mackenzie Bingham there in the sixth inning after we got a couple of girls on. In fast-pitch softball, 1-0 is about normal for good teams.
“We got a little lucky there, but we needed some breaks really after we got called out a couple of times and we weren’t sure if we were out or not, but anyhow, yeah, it worked out for us.”
The final turned into a pitchers’ duel between sophomores as Cabot’s Kaitlyn Thompson matched Beebe standout Ellie Reaves blow for blow through seven innings. In fact, Thompson allowed only three hits to Reaves’ four, but an error at third and a hit-by-pitch for Beebe batter Calah Hill in the bottom of the sixth created the only scoring opportunity for either side. Reaves also helped herself inside the circle with seven strikeouts while Beebe’s defense went error free.
Reaves got into a bit of a pickle in the top of the second inning when Lady Panthers junior Brandyn Vines singled to second to lead off and advanced to second with a steal. Reaves struck out two batters before sophomore third baseman Courtney Shepard ended the threat with an unassisted fielder’s-choice play for the third out.
“We’re starting one junior, Madelyn Poe, and she did a good job at shortstop today,” Chambers said. “We have all sophomores except for one freshman, so we’re young, and they did a really good job today. We had one bad inning against Trumann where I felt like we didn’t make some good decisions, but other than that, I felt like they played really well.”
The semifinal victory over Trumann appeared to be in the bag early with Beebe taking a fast 3-0 lead and adding to its advantage in the top of the fourth inning with a hit by Poe that scored Mackenzie Free. Shepard and Courtney Caldwell added two runs in the top of the sixth before Trumann got its first score. Bingham put the Lady Badgers’ final score up in the top of the seventh, as Trumann made it 7-2 in the bottom of the seventh and threatened to come back all the way by loading the bases with one out.
“I told them let’s use this to ride, because we’ve got a big week coming up,” Chambers said. “We’ve got Harding Academy, then we play at Paragould for a doubleheader, then at Wynne on Thursday, we had to move that game, so I said let’s ride this thing.
“And it’s good to win your own tournament. That’s twice now we’ve hosted it, and it’s good to win it, makes everybody feel good.”
Cabot got a bye in the first-round when Jonesboro Westside failed to show. They moved to the semifinals to play Nettleton after the Lady Raiders beat Dardanelle 6-4. The Lady Panthers trounced Nettleton 16-0, scoring 11 runs in the top of the fifth inning to blow the game wide open.
Tuesday, April 09, 2013
TOP STORY >> Neville's nostalgic doo wop CD
By GARRICK FELDMAN
Leader Publisher
The Grammy Award-winning singer Aaron Neville has a nice new CD out on the venerable Blue Note label, “My True Story,” which is the New Orleans singer’s tribute to doo wop.
Although it was recorded in studios in New York and New Orleans, the relaxed session has a live feel to it. Neville and the band — which includes the Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards and Greg Leisz on guitar, Tony Scherr on bass and others — sound as if they’re playing after hours in a small club in the French Quarter. It’s genuine downhome music as Neville sings such classics as “Money Honey,” “Ruby Baby,” “My True Story,” “Ting a Ling,” “Gypsy Woman,” “Be My Baby,” “Tears on My Pillow,” “Under the Boardwalk,” “Work with Me Annie,” “This Magic Moment,” ending with Jesse Belvin’s “Goodnight, My Love.”
(Belvin died in a car wreck in Hope in 1960 at the age of 27 after appearing at the first integrated concert with Sam Cooke in Little Rock, which the future music critic Robert Palmer attended as a teenager.)
Blue Note has gone well beyond its jazz roots with the signing of Neville, Norah Jones and other pop artists. But Blue Note has not forgotten its roots and continues to issue terrific jazz.
Among its recent releases is Wayne Shorter’s “Without a Net” (reviewed here Feb. 16), a live recording of the 79-year-old saxophonist’s recent concerts in Europe and Los Angeles, which sound as good as his classic Blue Note recordings from the 1960s.
Blue Note, the world’s most famous jazz label, started in 1939 by two young refugees from Germany, Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff, has recorded the giants of jazz, from Albert Ammons to Thelonious Monk, from John Coltrane to Horace Silver.
The label made just one record with Coltrane, “Blue Trane,” in 1957, which kicked off his most creative period with Lee Morgan, Curtis Fuller, Kenny Drew, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones (although Coltrane made several fine Blue Note records as a sideman).
After he recorded “Blue Trane,” Coltrane left Blue Note for Atlantic Records and Impulse. He died in 1967, leaving behind his widow Alice and a baby they named for Ravi Shankar, the Indian sitarist. Ravi Coltrane has grown into a major jazz artist and has released his own recording from Blue Note, “Spirit Fiction,” where he plays tenor and alto saxophone. Along with his young band, he’s joined by Geri Allen on piano and tenor player Joe Lovano.
Ravi’s dad would have been proud.
The younger Coltrane has a sound that is as fresh as his father’s when he first came on the scene 65 years ago. Building on the history of modern jazz that his dad helped create, Ravi Coltrane has the good fortune to play alongside Joe Lovano. Much of “Spirit Fiction” consists of duets with Coltrane and Lovano. You have to listen closely to tell the two apart as the older musician inspires the younger Coltrane to play his best.
Lovano’s sound is as accomplished as any saxophone player of our time. His “From the Soul” from 1991 is a modern masterpiece and gets a crown rating from the Penguin Guide to Jazz CDs. It ranks up there with another great saxophone player’s late Blue Note CD, Joe Henderson’s “Live at the Village Vanguard,” which also gets a crown rating in the Penguin guide.
Lovano, who has recorded prolifically for Blue Note, has a new CD out called “Cross Culture” with the Grammy Award-winning bassist Esperanza Spalding, West African guitarist and fellow Blue Note artist Lionel Loueke, James Weidman on piano and Otis Brown III and Francisco Mela on drums.
The sound is superb and the musicianship is classic Blue Note.
Leader Publisher
The Grammy Award-winning singer Aaron Neville has a nice new CD out on the venerable Blue Note label, “My True Story,” which is the New Orleans singer’s tribute to doo wop.
Although it was recorded in studios in New York and New Orleans, the relaxed session has a live feel to it. Neville and the band — which includes the Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards and Greg Leisz on guitar, Tony Scherr on bass and others — sound as if they’re playing after hours in a small club in the French Quarter. It’s genuine downhome music as Neville sings such classics as “Money Honey,” “Ruby Baby,” “My True Story,” “Ting a Ling,” “Gypsy Woman,” “Be My Baby,” “Tears on My Pillow,” “Under the Boardwalk,” “Work with Me Annie,” “This Magic Moment,” ending with Jesse Belvin’s “Goodnight, My Love.”
Aaron Neville's "My True Story"
is his latest from Blue Note.
(Belvin died in a car wreck in Hope in 1960 at the age of 27 after appearing at the first integrated concert with Sam Cooke in Little Rock, which the future music critic Robert Palmer attended as a teenager.)
Blue Note has gone well beyond its jazz roots with the signing of Neville, Norah Jones and other pop artists. But Blue Note has not forgotten its roots and continues to issue terrific jazz.
Among its recent releases is Wayne Shorter’s “Without a Net” (reviewed here Feb. 16), a live recording of the 79-year-old saxophonist’s recent concerts in Europe and Los Angeles, which sound as good as his classic Blue Note recordings from the 1960s.
Blue Note, the world’s most famous jazz label, started in 1939 by two young refugees from Germany, Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff, has recorded the giants of jazz, from Albert Ammons to Thelonious Monk, from John Coltrane to Horace Silver.
The label made just one record with Coltrane, “Blue Trane,” in 1957, which kicked off his most creative period with Lee Morgan, Curtis Fuller, Kenny Drew, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones (although Coltrane made several fine Blue Note records as a sideman).
After he recorded “Blue Trane,” Coltrane left Blue Note for Atlantic Records and Impulse. He died in 1967, leaving behind his widow Alice and a baby they named for Ravi Shankar, the Indian sitarist. Ravi Coltrane has grown into a major jazz artist and has released his own recording from Blue Note, “Spirit Fiction,” where he plays tenor and alto saxophone. Along with his young band, he’s joined by Geri Allen on piano and tenor player Joe Lovano.
Ravi’s dad would have been proud.
The younger Coltrane has a sound that is as fresh as his father’s when he first came on the scene 65 years ago. Building on the history of modern jazz that his dad helped create, Ravi Coltrane has the good fortune to play alongside Joe Lovano. Much of “Spirit Fiction” consists of duets with Coltrane and Lovano. You have to listen closely to tell the two apart as the older musician inspires the younger Coltrane to play his best.
Lovano’s sound is as accomplished as any saxophone player of our time. His “From the Soul” from 1991 is a modern masterpiece and gets a crown rating from the Penguin Guide to Jazz CDs. It ranks up there with another great saxophone player’s late Blue Note CD, Joe Henderson’s “Live at the Village Vanguard,” which also gets a crown rating in the Penguin guide.
Lovano, who has recorded prolifically for Blue Note, has a new CD out called “Cross Culture” with the Grammy Award-winning bassist Esperanza Spalding, West African guitarist and fellow Blue Note artist Lionel Loueke, James Weidman on piano and Otis Brown III and Francisco Mela on drums.
The sound is superb and the musicianship is classic Blue Note.
Monday, April 08, 2013
TOP STORY >> Williams, English against expansion
By JOHN HOFHEIMER
Leader senior staff writer
The private-option healthcare alternative to Medicaid expansion passed the Senate Friday morning.
Although the bill enabling private-option health insurance for 250,000 working class Arkansans passed 24-9 in the Senate, it may be in trouble. While that vote is sufficient to pass the enabling legislation on to the House, it would not meet the three-quarters threshold to pass an appropriations bill to fund it.
The appropriations bill must be approved by 27 of the 35 senators and 75 of the 100 state representatives.
Among those voting against the bill were Senators Jane English (R-North Little Rock) and Eddie Joe Williams (R-Cabot). All Senate Democrats voted for the bill, sponsored by Sen. Jonathan Dismang (R-Searcy) and supported by the governor.
So unless three more votes can be found in the Senate, private option healthcare insurance may not pass this session.
It is possible that arms could be twisted, or that voting against the enabling legislation would give political cover to those Republicans who could claim at the next general election to have voted against the bill, while still authorizing the appropriation. Or some may be using their votes for leverage on tax cut proposals they favor.
NO HORSE TRADES
Asked Friday afternoon about the chances of passing the appropriations bill for the private option Dismang said, “I’m not going to try to handicap how folks will vote. I don’t horse trade.”
“I gave them as much information as possible. I’ve not asked for votes on this bill, we’ve discussed the impacts on the state.
“We’ll be considering the identical House bill about next week,” said state Rep. Mark Perry, D-Jacksonville. He said that there might be some senators holding out until they get a couple of bills passed they want in a tax package.
Perry said the House would consider an identical house bill HB1143 “probably next week.”
“We’re going to have a compromise on a package of tax cuts in exchange for the (private) option,” Perry said. “We’re working on that right now.”
“The biggest hurdle for this expanded insurance coverage is the passage of a bill allowing us to spend the federal money for the private option in Arkansas,” Beebe said in his weekly radio address.
“That type of appropriation measure requires 75-percent approval from both houses of the General Assembly. It is not an easy threshold to reach, and we continue to share information and work to convince more and more of our lawmakers that this is the best option for our working poor. In order to take full advantage of the money made available to us, this decision must occur in these final weeks of the legislative session.”
The bill allows the state Department of Human Services to set up a program to use federal Medicaid expansion dollars to pay for private health care coverage under the federal government’s Affordable Care Act, often called Obamacare.
A LOT OF E-MAIL
“I’ve been answering a lot of e-mail from 9 p.m. until 3 this morning,” according to Rep. Douglas House (R-North Little Rock). Private option is “the lesser of evils,” he said.
By going the private route instead of just expanding Medicaid, the state can cut out a lot of fraud, waste and cruelty. He called the existing Medicaid program “a walking disaster.”
Rural and small town hospitals — including North Metro at Jacksonville — are faced with going under unless Medicaid expansion or the private option go into effect.
“North Metro is comfortable either way,” he said. “Rural hospitals are telling us they will go bankrupt within a year,” without some sort of help, House said.
Hospitals in Searcy, Conway, Batesville, Fort Smith and Jonesboro have said that without help, they will have to merge or close.
“Obamacare is like a bad disease we’ve inherited,” he said. “Let’s make the best of a bad situation.
He said the current private-option proposal is a testimony to bipartisan cooperation. “It’s so encouraging. Gov. Beebe has been magnificent.”
“I read the proposal,” said state Rep. Patti Julian (D-North Little Rock). “It’s pretty much what you’d expect…very dry.”
She said the bill was includes a lot of definitions and authority, but no money.
“It’s up to the insurance department to set up the policies,” she said. “We’re just moving forward with the framework.”
SHRINKS MEDICAID
“I voted against the measure because of concerns about the long-term costs and because many of my constituents oppose it,” Sen. Williams said Friday.
Arkansas would be the first state in the union to propose a private option model for the uninsured. The option would provide them private health insurance rather than adding them to government Medicaid rolls.
However, rather than simply expand the Medicaid program, the Senate voted to use federal funds to pay for private health insurance for low-income families.
“The Arkansas Medicaid program will shrink because SB 1020 will transfer low-income families and others covered by government Medicaid to a private insurance carrier,” Williams said.
Meanwhile, this week, tax cut legislation advanced in both chambers of the General Assembly.
The House Committee on Revenue and Taxation advanced HB 1585 to reduce state income taxes. It would cut the state’s 7 percent income tax rate to 6.875 percent on taxable income of $44,000 and above. The 7 percent rate now applies to taxable income of $34,000 and up.
The current 6 percent rate applies to taxable income from $20,400 to $33,999 and HB 1585 would apply it to taxable incomes of $20,400 to $43,999. It would become effective for tax year 2014.
The bill would reduce state general revenue by $28.6 million in fiscal year 2014 and $57.2 million in fiscal 2015, according to the state Department of Financial Administration.
Also, the committee advanced HB 1966 to lower capital gains taxes. It would create a 70 percent exemption for any net capital gains and Arkansas-based businesses after Jan. 1, 2014.
Leader senior staff writer
The private-option healthcare alternative to Medicaid expansion passed the Senate Friday morning.
Although the bill enabling private-option health insurance for 250,000 working class Arkansans passed 24-9 in the Senate, it may be in trouble. While that vote is sufficient to pass the enabling legislation on to the House, it would not meet the three-quarters threshold to pass an appropriations bill to fund it.
The appropriations bill must be approved by 27 of the 35 senators and 75 of the 100 state representatives.
Among those voting against the bill were Senators Jane English (R-North Little Rock) and Eddie Joe Williams (R-Cabot). All Senate Democrats voted for the bill, sponsored by Sen. Jonathan Dismang (R-Searcy) and supported by the governor.
So unless three more votes can be found in the Senate, private option healthcare insurance may not pass this session.
It is possible that arms could be twisted, or that voting against the enabling legislation would give political cover to those Republicans who could claim at the next general election to have voted against the bill, while still authorizing the appropriation. Or some may be using their votes for leverage on tax cut proposals they favor.
NO HORSE TRADES
Asked Friday afternoon about the chances of passing the appropriations bill for the private option Dismang said, “I’m not going to try to handicap how folks will vote. I don’t horse trade.”
“I gave them as much information as possible. I’ve not asked for votes on this bill, we’ve discussed the impacts on the state.
“We’ll be considering the identical House bill about next week,” said state Rep. Mark Perry, D-Jacksonville. He said that there might be some senators holding out until they get a couple of bills passed they want in a tax package.
Perry said the House would consider an identical house bill HB1143 “probably next week.”
“We’re going to have a compromise on a package of tax cuts in exchange for the (private) option,” Perry said. “We’re working on that right now.”
“The biggest hurdle for this expanded insurance coverage is the passage of a bill allowing us to spend the federal money for the private option in Arkansas,” Beebe said in his weekly radio address.
“That type of appropriation measure requires 75-percent approval from both houses of the General Assembly. It is not an easy threshold to reach, and we continue to share information and work to convince more and more of our lawmakers that this is the best option for our working poor. In order to take full advantage of the money made available to us, this decision must occur in these final weeks of the legislative session.”
The bill allows the state Department of Human Services to set up a program to use federal Medicaid expansion dollars to pay for private health care coverage under the federal government’s Affordable Care Act, often called Obamacare.
A LOT OF E-MAIL
“I’ve been answering a lot of e-mail from 9 p.m. until 3 this morning,” according to Rep. Douglas House (R-North Little Rock). Private option is “the lesser of evils,” he said.
By going the private route instead of just expanding Medicaid, the state can cut out a lot of fraud, waste and cruelty. He called the existing Medicaid program “a walking disaster.”
Rural and small town hospitals — including North Metro at Jacksonville — are faced with going under unless Medicaid expansion or the private option go into effect.
“North Metro is comfortable either way,” he said. “Rural hospitals are telling us they will go bankrupt within a year,” without some sort of help, House said.
Hospitals in Searcy, Conway, Batesville, Fort Smith and Jonesboro have said that without help, they will have to merge or close.
“Obamacare is like a bad disease we’ve inherited,” he said. “Let’s make the best of a bad situation.
He said the current private-option proposal is a testimony to bipartisan cooperation. “It’s so encouraging. Gov. Beebe has been magnificent.”
“I read the proposal,” said state Rep. Patti Julian (D-North Little Rock). “It’s pretty much what you’d expect…very dry.”
She said the bill was includes a lot of definitions and authority, but no money.
“It’s up to the insurance department to set up the policies,” she said. “We’re just moving forward with the framework.”
SHRINKS MEDICAID
“I voted against the measure because of concerns about the long-term costs and because many of my constituents oppose it,” Sen. Williams said Friday.
Arkansas would be the first state in the union to propose a private option model for the uninsured. The option would provide them private health insurance rather than adding them to government Medicaid rolls.
However, rather than simply expand the Medicaid program, the Senate voted to use federal funds to pay for private health insurance for low-income families.
“The Arkansas Medicaid program will shrink because SB 1020 will transfer low-income families and others covered by government Medicaid to a private insurance carrier,” Williams said.
Meanwhile, this week, tax cut legislation advanced in both chambers of the General Assembly.
The House Committee on Revenue and Taxation advanced HB 1585 to reduce state income taxes. It would cut the state’s 7 percent income tax rate to 6.875 percent on taxable income of $44,000 and above. The 7 percent rate now applies to taxable income of $34,000 and up.
The current 6 percent rate applies to taxable income from $20,400 to $33,999 and HB 1585 would apply it to taxable incomes of $20,400 to $43,999. It would become effective for tax year 2014.
The bill would reduce state general revenue by $28.6 million in fiscal year 2014 and $57.2 million in fiscal 2015, according to the state Department of Financial Administration.
Also, the committee advanced HB 1966 to lower capital gains taxes. It would create a 70 percent exemption for any net capital gains and Arkansas-based businesses after Jan. 1, 2014.
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