By SARAH CAMPBELL
Leader staff writer
James Beard award-winning Chef Maneet Chauhan of Food Network’s “Chopped” dazzled North Pulaski High School culinary students Thursday, but told them they could be stars, too.
“One of the most important things (for kids to know) is to never let your passion for this industry go and be true to yourself. I am where I am because of my teachers, people who showed me the right way. If I can give back in any way, I will,” she said.
Jacksonville and Little Rock were stops on the celebrity chefs 21 cities in 30 days tour to encourage ProStart’s aspiring chefs attending high schools nationwide and debut her new cook book, “Flavors of My World: A Culinary Tour Through 25 Countries.”
Chauhan has partnered with ProStart — a program the develops the best and brightest talent to secure the future of the restaurant and food service industry — to judge the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation’s student cooking contests in the cities she visits.
Student Randall Roach won the 40-minute competition held at the student-run Simply Delicious restaurant with his cornbread-encrusted rainbow trout, butterbean polenta and chow chow.
The three North Pulaski students who competed were told to make contemporary American cuisine.
Roach won a $500 knife set and a copy of Chauhan’s book.
The chowchow was his grandmother’s recipe. Roach said she inspired him to become a chef with a restaurant worthy of Michelin stars.
His grandmother died couple of years ago, he said.
“After she passed away, I thought cooking was the best way to be close to her. It’s how we communicate with each other in our house, (through) cooking,” Roach said.
Chauhan told Roach she could see him achieving those Michelin stars in the future.
The stars are a ranking system used by the Michelin guide, which publishes editions in 23 countries and is one of the best-selling restaurant guides in the world.
Just one star is very prestigious while two, three or more are very rare. Less than 100 restaurants in the world earned two stars in 2009 and only about two dozen were honored with three that year.
Roach could also be one of the three finalists selected to compete for a trip to Washington and a day of cooking with one of the featured chefs on the White House Chef Tour.
The finalists will be announced during the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show in Chicago May 18-21.
Chauhan said, “It’s incredible to see the amount of zeal in these young kids.”
The chef noted that she was shocked and pleased when an 11-year-old girl she met at a book signing told her she wanted to specialize in molecular gastronomy. That is a subdiscipline of food science that seeks to look into and explain how ingredients change physically and chemically during cooking.
Food and travel writer Doug Singer, co-author of Chauhan’s book, is accompanying her on the tour. He also judged the NPHS competition.
“There is this whole generation of kids that have embraced food as a cultural experience. We have a very bright future as a country from a culinary perspective” Singer said.
He would tell aspiring chefs, “Just keep doing what you’re doing. Do it for the right reasons and success will come. Don’t do it to be successful. Do it because you love it.”
Chauhan, as a judge, was looking to “just see the creativity, the mentality.”
She said, “To me, cooking is like life. It’s all about evolution.”
Techniques can be taught, Chauhan added.
Roach was up against two other members of his four-person culinary team. The team won at the state level and advanced to the National ProStart Invitational held April 19-21 in Baltimore, which they didn’t place in.
Jacob Mosely prepared lamb chops with risotto, a red wine reduction sauce and shitake mushrooms. He also wants to become a chef.
“I like the challenges it throws at me. If something’s not right I have to think on my feet,” Mosely said.
Tiffani Yarberry, who hasn’t chosen a career yet, made oven-roasted shrimp with garlic chips and spicy pico de gallo.
“I like it because it brings new opportunities to see different cultures and it’s a lot of fun,” she said.
Chauhan — in a ponytail, jeans and a flowing bright pink and purple shirt — was in and out of the Simply Delicious kitchen smiling and asking the three students questions about their dishes.
She told them, after announcing the winner, “That was fantastic. You actually made me hungry. These dishes were excellent. I see a very bright future for all of you.”
Chauhan also offered advice on all three meals.
She told Yarberry the pico de gallo needed something extra. “Keep in mind each and every complement needs to be, by itself, spectacular,” Chauhan said.
The chef suggested Mosely use rice instead of risotto because risotto takes so long to prepare correctly. “It’s a labor of love,” she explained.
But he was complimented on getting the lamb medium-rare and for adding a splash of color to his presentation with broccoli.
Roach was told the addition of a Granny Smith apple to his cole slaw side would have made his meal better.
Chauhan invited this Leader reporter to travel to the high school on her bus and speak with her one-on-one.
She is from India and lives in New York.
Chauhan is married and has a 20-month-old daughter she hates being away from.
The chef’s first teachers were her parents. Her mother was a master of traditional Indian dishes while her father created desserts.
They used to say “I was born with a ladle in my hand,” Chauhan noted. “I like to eat good food, that’s why I cook,” she continued.
When complimented for being humble, the chef said, “It’s much easier to be down to earth. I prefer to put all my effort into cooking.”
Before traveling to the high school in her bus, Mayor Gary Fletcher presented Chauhan with a key to the city at America’s Best Value Inn.
She said, “It’s such a heartwarming feeling. This is one of the greatest honors I’ve ever received. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I’ve just been overwhelmed by the warmth and hospitality. I love the people (of Jacksonville). That’s what really makes the day.”
Friday, April 26, 2013
TOP STORY >> State to pay little to help schools here
By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
More than 90 school districts are splitting $130 million in state money to help with new construction and remodeling, but only three area districts are reaping any of the benefits.
No money is going to either Cabot or the Pulaski County School District. The Little Rock School District won’t be getting any of this money either.
The Lonoke School District is slated to get $1.1 million to replace the heating and air system in the primary school; Beebe School District is getting $12,941 to install safety equipment in the middle school; and the England School District is set to get $116,400 to replace the roof at its high school’s fine arts building and another $15,500 to upgrade the lighting at its elementary and high school.
All total, that comes not much more than $1.11 million.
So where is the money going?
The North Little Rock School District, undergoing a major renovation, construction and consolidation plan is getting about $4 million.
Bryant School District is getting about $10.8 million, while Benton is slated for $170,000.
The single largest outlay is just over $15 million to the Bentonville School District for a new high school, followed by $5.7 million to the Brookland School District for a new middle school and $5.3 million to the Melbourne School District for a new elementary school.
The $130 million in state funding is expected to help complete 177 school projects across the state this next year. But the state still has more than $200 million worth of need projects on its 2013-2015 academic facilities approved project list.
Leader staff writer
More than 90 school districts are splitting $130 million in state money to help with new construction and remodeling, but only three area districts are reaping any of the benefits.
No money is going to either Cabot or the Pulaski County School District. The Little Rock School District won’t be getting any of this money either.
The Lonoke School District is slated to get $1.1 million to replace the heating and air system in the primary school; Beebe School District is getting $12,941 to install safety equipment in the middle school; and the England School District is set to get $116,400 to replace the roof at its high school’s fine arts building and another $15,500 to upgrade the lighting at its elementary and high school.
All total, that comes not much more than $1.11 million.
So where is the money going?
The North Little Rock School District, undergoing a major renovation, construction and consolidation plan is getting about $4 million.
Bryant School District is getting about $10.8 million, while Benton is slated for $170,000.
The single largest outlay is just over $15 million to the Bentonville School District for a new high school, followed by $5.7 million to the Brookland School District for a new middle school and $5.3 million to the Melbourne School District for a new elementary school.
The $130 million in state funding is expected to help complete 177 school projects across the state this next year. But the state still has more than $200 million worth of need projects on its 2013-2015 academic facilities approved project list.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
EDITORIAL >> Terrorists elude FBI
The terrorist attacks in Boston last week were our nation’s fifth intelligence failure since 9/11. Even though the FBI had received warnings about the perpetrators in advance, they eluded capture until after they killed and injured scores of Americans.
One of those terrorists hit close to home in June 2009, when Carlos Bledsoe of Memphis (aka : Abdul Hakim Mujahid Muhammad) shot and killed Pvt. William Long, 23, of Conway and seriously wounded Pvt. Quinton Ezeagwula, 18, of Jacksonville while they were standing in front of an Army recruiting station in west Little Rock. The FBI knew about Bledsoe’s meetings with al Qaeda in Yemen, yet he made his way to Little Rock and gunned down the two young recruiters, one of them paying the ultimate price.
A few months later, Maj. Nidal Malik Hassan, 39, an Army psychiatrist, killed 13 people and injured dozens of others at Fort Hood, Texas. He was supposed to go to Iraq, but he told several people that no Muslim should fight along Christians and Jews against other Muslims.
There’s a similar pattern in every attack: The perpetrators meet up with radical elements overseas or at their local mosques. Complaints are made about their erratic behavior, but the FBI, lacking more evidence against a possible threat, can’t make an arrest until it’s too late.
Bledsoe should have been picked up in Memphis months before the Little Rock shooting. He’s serving a life sentence.
The Tsarnaev clan, the ethnic Chechens who immigrated here a decade ago, brought with them a culture that was crushed after years of wars with the Russians who ruled over them
Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, the ringleader of the Boston terror attacks, was on the FBI’s radar, especially after the Russian intelligence services warned the U.S. last year about Tsarnaev’s trip to his native Dagestan in the north Caucuses. It’s a hotbed of terror where he could have learned how to make explosives. It’s amazing he was allowed to return.
Russia has wiped out the Islamic separatist movement in the region, but they’re always on the lookout for trouble. Not long ago, Russians killed a local terrorist whose video Tsarnaev had posted on his YouTube channel.
Tsarnaev returned to Boston, but he couldn’t become a U.S. citizen after he beat his girlfriend, which isn’t a big deal back home. He should have been deported right away. Immigrants have been kicked out for lesser crimes.
His brother, Dzhokhar, 19, who set off one of the bombs, is just as depraved and ruthless. After they were cornered by police Thursday night, he tried to run over his brother with a stolen SUV. Tamerlan had explosives strapped around his body, but they didn’t go off. He died in a hail of police bullets.
Dzokhar, who was found hiding in a boat Friday night, was close to death but has made a rapid recovery at Beth Israel Hospital and is cooperating with police. He’s accused of setting off weapons of mass destruction and is facing capital murder charges for killing a child and two young women at the marathon and a campus police officer. The survivors who lost their limbs will present compelling testimony at Tsarnaev’s trial.
No one is accusing the FBI of doing a lousy job when it comes to fighting terrorism. The bureau has prevented hundreds of potential attacks, but stricter guidelines could prevent future Tsarnaevs, Carlos Bledsoes and Maj. Hassans from killing more Americans.
Terrorists will continue to target us even if 99 percent of them are stopped in hopes that one of them will succeed. Perhaps the FBI should hire 1,000 more agents and watch out for troublemakers who are as deranged as the Tsarnaev clan — sequestration be damned.
One of those terrorists hit close to home in June 2009, when Carlos Bledsoe of Memphis (aka : Abdul Hakim Mujahid Muhammad) shot and killed Pvt. William Long, 23, of Conway and seriously wounded Pvt. Quinton Ezeagwula, 18, of Jacksonville while they were standing in front of an Army recruiting station in west Little Rock. The FBI knew about Bledsoe’s meetings with al Qaeda in Yemen, yet he made his way to Little Rock and gunned down the two young recruiters, one of them paying the ultimate price.
A few months later, Maj. Nidal Malik Hassan, 39, an Army psychiatrist, killed 13 people and injured dozens of others at Fort Hood, Texas. He was supposed to go to Iraq, but he told several people that no Muslim should fight along Christians and Jews against other Muslims.
There’s a similar pattern in every attack: The perpetrators meet up with radical elements overseas or at their local mosques. Complaints are made about their erratic behavior, but the FBI, lacking more evidence against a possible threat, can’t make an arrest until it’s too late.
Bledsoe should have been picked up in Memphis months before the Little Rock shooting. He’s serving a life sentence.
The Tsarnaev clan, the ethnic Chechens who immigrated here a decade ago, brought with them a culture that was crushed after years of wars with the Russians who ruled over them
Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, the ringleader of the Boston terror attacks, was on the FBI’s radar, especially after the Russian intelligence services warned the U.S. last year about Tsarnaev’s trip to his native Dagestan in the north Caucuses. It’s a hotbed of terror where he could have learned how to make explosives. It’s amazing he was allowed to return.
Russia has wiped out the Islamic separatist movement in the region, but they’re always on the lookout for trouble. Not long ago, Russians killed a local terrorist whose video Tsarnaev had posted on his YouTube channel.
Tsarnaev returned to Boston, but he couldn’t become a U.S. citizen after he beat his girlfriend, which isn’t a big deal back home. He should have been deported right away. Immigrants have been kicked out for lesser crimes.
His brother, Dzhokhar, 19, who set off one of the bombs, is just as depraved and ruthless. After they were cornered by police Thursday night, he tried to run over his brother with a stolen SUV. Tamerlan had explosives strapped around his body, but they didn’t go off. He died in a hail of police bullets.
Dzokhar, who was found hiding in a boat Friday night, was close to death but has made a rapid recovery at Beth Israel Hospital and is cooperating with police. He’s accused of setting off weapons of mass destruction and is facing capital murder charges for killing a child and two young women at the marathon and a campus police officer. The survivors who lost their limbs will present compelling testimony at Tsarnaev’s trial.
No one is accusing the FBI of doing a lousy job when it comes to fighting terrorism. The bureau has prevented hundreds of potential attacks, but stricter guidelines could prevent future Tsarnaevs, Carlos Bledsoes and Maj. Hassans from killing more Americans.
Terrorists will continue to target us even if 99 percent of them are stopped in hopes that one of them will succeed. Perhaps the FBI should hire 1,000 more agents and watch out for troublemakers who are as deranged as the Tsarnaev clan — sequestration be damned.
TOP STORY >> Projects will get funding by state
By JOHN HOFHEIMER
Leader senior staff writer
House Speaker Davy Carter (R-Cabot), Sen. Pro Temp-elect Jonathan Dismang (R-Beebe) and Rep. Mark Perry (D-Jacksonville) were on hand Tuesday to witness Gov. Mike Beebe sign the private-option healthcare insurance into law.
All three said they had not yet decided how to spend the general improvement funds allocated to them.
Perry, who in the past has channeled money to Reed’s Bridge Civil War historic site, the Jacksonville Senior Center and the Boys and Girls Club, will have $300,000 to allocate this year as a third-term representative. First- and second-term representatives are allocated $225,000, Perry said.
As a senator, Dismang will have $1 million.
Carter, who gets credit — or the blame — for orchestrating passage of the private-option bill sponsored by Rep. John Burris (R-Harrison), has been subject to speculation that he would seek the Republican nomination as governor in 2014.
Asked Tuesday after the signing ceremony whether he would run, Carter said, “I’m going to go home and get my mind clear.”
“But that’s not no,” he was asked.
“That was not no. I’m thinking about it,” Carter said.
Among those the governor singled out for their efforts in passing the private-option answer to Medicaid expansion — part of President Obama’s Affordable Care Act — were Carter, Dismang, Burris and Sen. Pro Tem Michael Lamoureux (R-Russellville), Sen. David Sanders (R-Little Rock), Sen. Paul Bookout (D-Jonesboro) and Sen. Larry Teague (D-Nashville).
He also said hard work by the Department of Human Services and the Department of Finance and Administration had made the private-option plan possible.
“They provided a ton of background and a ton of work,” Beebe said.
“This is a victory for all of us,” the governor said.
Beebe said he and legislative leaders met early and, instead of fighting over Medicaid expansion per se, they began to explore cracks in the law that eventually developed into the private-option plan.
“We knew in November that there was some potential…for a private option on a limited basis,” Beebe said.
He told Republican leaders he would fight for it with Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius in Washington if they would support it back home.
“My recollection is different than the governor’s,” Dismang said after the signing. “We were being presented with an all-or-nothing federal approach to extending Medicaid here in Arkansas and it was quite a journey to getting private option to put in those conservative principles we wanted in the law — no easy task.”
There was no way Republicans and some skittish Democrats were going to pull together a three-quarter super majority needed to expand Medicaid, but, with no major missteps, expanding health insurance coverage to 250,000 low-income Arkansans was possible.
It was passed last week by one vote in the Senate and two votes in the House.
“We didn’t have anything to spare,” Dismang said.
Of the $140 million in tax cuts, Beebe said he told lawmakers he couldn’t support that “unless we can pay for them.”
“Both of those leaders (Lamoureaux and Carter) provided extraordinary leadership,” the governor said.
Beebe said he believed the state can afford the $10 million in 2014 tax cuts and the $86 million cuts in 2015. “We can pay through Medicaid-option opportunities, creating savings in other areas,” he said.
“But they better be careful what they are doing in 2016,” Beebe warned. “If their assumptions aren’t right, they have about $40 million in tax cuts too much.”
Beebe said he accomplished everything he wanted to accomplish this session, but he didn’t get everything he wanted.
“They could take a lesson from this 1,000 miles away in Washington, D.C.,” he said of the bi-partisan effort.
Leader senior staff writer
House Speaker Davy Carter (R-Cabot), Sen. Pro Temp-elect Jonathan Dismang (R-Beebe) and Rep. Mark Perry (D-Jacksonville) were on hand Tuesday to witness Gov. Mike Beebe sign the private-option healthcare insurance into law.
All three said they had not yet decided how to spend the general improvement funds allocated to them.
Perry, who in the past has channeled money to Reed’s Bridge Civil War historic site, the Jacksonville Senior Center and the Boys and Girls Club, will have $300,000 to allocate this year as a third-term representative. First- and second-term representatives are allocated $225,000, Perry said.
As a senator, Dismang will have $1 million.
Carter, who gets credit — or the blame — for orchestrating passage of the private-option bill sponsored by Rep. John Burris (R-Harrison), has been subject to speculation that he would seek the Republican nomination as governor in 2014.
Asked Tuesday after the signing ceremony whether he would run, Carter said, “I’m going to go home and get my mind clear.”
“But that’s not no,” he was asked.
“That was not no. I’m thinking about it,” Carter said.
Among those the governor singled out for their efforts in passing the private-option answer to Medicaid expansion — part of President Obama’s Affordable Care Act — were Carter, Dismang, Burris and Sen. Pro Tem Michael Lamoureux (R-Russellville), Sen. David Sanders (R-Little Rock), Sen. Paul Bookout (D-Jonesboro) and Sen. Larry Teague (D-Nashville).
He also said hard work by the Department of Human Services and the Department of Finance and Administration had made the private-option plan possible.
“They provided a ton of background and a ton of work,” Beebe said.
“This is a victory for all of us,” the governor said.
Beebe said he and legislative leaders met early and, instead of fighting over Medicaid expansion per se, they began to explore cracks in the law that eventually developed into the private-option plan.
“We knew in November that there was some potential…for a private option on a limited basis,” Beebe said.
He told Republican leaders he would fight for it with Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius in Washington if they would support it back home.
“My recollection is different than the governor’s,” Dismang said after the signing. “We were being presented with an all-or-nothing federal approach to extending Medicaid here in Arkansas and it was quite a journey to getting private option to put in those conservative principles we wanted in the law — no easy task.”
There was no way Republicans and some skittish Democrats were going to pull together a three-quarter super majority needed to expand Medicaid, but, with no major missteps, expanding health insurance coverage to 250,000 low-income Arkansans was possible.
It was passed last week by one vote in the Senate and two votes in the House.
“We didn’t have anything to spare,” Dismang said.
Of the $140 million in tax cuts, Beebe said he told lawmakers he couldn’t support that “unless we can pay for them.”
“Both of those leaders (Lamoureaux and Carter) provided extraordinary leadership,” the governor said.
Beebe said he believed the state can afford the $10 million in 2014 tax cuts and the $86 million cuts in 2015. “We can pay through Medicaid-option opportunities, creating savings in other areas,” he said.
“But they better be careful what they are doing in 2016,” Beebe warned. “If their assumptions aren’t right, they have about $40 million in tax cuts too much.”
Beebe said he accomplished everything he wanted to accomplish this session, but he didn’t get everything he wanted.
“They could take a lesson from this 1,000 miles away in Washington, D.C.,” he said of the bi-partisan effort.
TOP STORY >> City’s 65th anniversary
By SARAH CAMPBELL
Leader staff writer
Nearly 150 people squeezed into seats and along the walls of the Jack Evans Senior Citizens Center on Monday for the first Sherwood Heritage Day to celebrate the city’s 65th birthday.
A Sherwood flag was flying proudly over the nation’s Capitol in Washington to commemorate the celebration, said Jason McGehee, a representative from Rep. Tim Griffin’s (R-Little Rock) office.
The crowd reacted to his announcement with awe.
The speakers — founding mother Amy Sanders and founding father Bernard Olds — stole the show next. Although he didn’t speak, Ron Duran, another founder, also attended the event.
Darrell Brown, chairman of the Sherwood History and Heritage Commission and the driving force behind Monday’s event, said, “The Duran name is synonymous with Sherwood (and) 95 percent of the memorabilia we have on display is from Ron Duran.”
As Sanders approached the microphone, the audience rose to its feet and clapped boisterously.
She said, “This was definitely a good place to grow up.”
Sanders told everyone in the room who was born before 1947 to raise their hands. Then she asked them if they remembered what they were doing on May 1 of that year.
Sanders was living in a small apartment with her young daughter. There was a housing shortage at the time and World War II had just ended.
Sanders said people always want to do better when they have children. That is one reason she started looking for a house.
The home she found was one of just a few built in the Sylvan Hills community.
Sanders said her family was so excited about living there that they moved in two weeks before the house had electricity and water.
They paid $100 up front and $4,500 total.
Each neighbor had two, three or four kids, Sanders said.
Her children were active in extracurricular activities at the high school, but they didn’t have cell phones back then.
The used a pay phone at a business close to the school to call and let Sanders know when they needed to be picked up.
“We never had to worry about their safety and that was a good thing,” she said.
Olds told the audience that he was a rural mailman.
“I got roped into a lot of things because I knew everybody,” he joked.
Olds said one of those things was circulating the petition to incorporate Sherwood as a city.
Mayor Virginia Hillman and the commission chairman surprised Sanders, Olds and Duran with keys to the city.
Sanders said she recalled that the first key to the city was made of wood.
The three city founders then blew out the candles on one of Sherwood’s two birthday cakes.
Brown began the festivities by reading a proclamation signed by Gov. Mike Beebe and Secretary of State Mark Martin.
The governor declared Monday to be Sherwood Heritage Day statewide.
The proclamation said families began settling in the area now known as Sherwood in the early 1900s and briefly described the city’s history.
The small farming community got running water from the three springs on the Koehler property in 1923. Electricity was available to households in 1925.
When Sherwood was incorporated on April 22, 1948, its population was 714.
The city was 2,754 strong the next year.
That population tripled to more than 10,000 residents between 1970 and 1980.
The latest count, according to the 2011 census, is almost 30,000.
Sherwood has 17 parks, a 10-acre sports complex, two recreational facilities, an active senior citizens center and year-round programs for youth of all ages, the proclamation reads.
It also said reaching this 65-year milestone is “a testament to its appeal as a place to raise families and develop the strong bonds that define community.”
Brown also introduced Tim Riley, a representative from Sen. John Boozman’s (R-Ark.) office.
Riley read a letter from the senator. It said, “Sherwood has come a long way. You have created a community to be proud of.”
Boozman is a “history buff,” Riley noted. His letter also mentioned how the city’s first speed limit was 25 mph, which everyone in the room laughed about.
Brown even joked about that still being the speed limit because he’s always getting pulled over for breaking it.
Riley said the senator encourages residents to take the time to get the stories told by the city’s founders in writing or on video so they can be shared at Sherwood’s 100th birthday celebration.
Leader staff writer
Nearly 150 people squeezed into seats and along the walls of the Jack Evans Senior Citizens Center on Monday for the first Sherwood Heritage Day to celebrate the city’s 65th birthday.
A Sherwood flag was flying proudly over the nation’s Capitol in Washington to commemorate the celebration, said Jason McGehee, a representative from Rep. Tim Griffin’s (R-Little Rock) office.
The crowd reacted to his announcement with awe.
The speakers — founding mother Amy Sanders and founding father Bernard Olds — stole the show next. Although he didn’t speak, Ron Duran, another founder, also attended the event.
Darrell Brown, chairman of the Sherwood History and Heritage Commission and the driving force behind Monday’s event, said, “The Duran name is synonymous with Sherwood (and) 95 percent of the memorabilia we have on display is from Ron Duran.”
As Sanders approached the microphone, the audience rose to its feet and clapped boisterously.
She said, “This was definitely a good place to grow up.”
Sanders told everyone in the room who was born before 1947 to raise their hands. Then she asked them if they remembered what they were doing on May 1 of that year.
Sanders was living in a small apartment with her young daughter. There was a housing shortage at the time and World War II had just ended.
Sanders said people always want to do better when they have children. That is one reason she started looking for a house.
The home she found was one of just a few built in the Sylvan Hills community.
Sanders said her family was so excited about living there that they moved in two weeks before the house had electricity and water.
They paid $100 up front and $4,500 total.
Each neighbor had two, three or four kids, Sanders said.
Her children were active in extracurricular activities at the high school, but they didn’t have cell phones back then.
The used a pay phone at a business close to the school to call and let Sanders know when they needed to be picked up.
“We never had to worry about their safety and that was a good thing,” she said.
Olds told the audience that he was a rural mailman.
“I got roped into a lot of things because I knew everybody,” he joked.
Olds said one of those things was circulating the petition to incorporate Sherwood as a city.
Mayor Virginia Hillman and the commission chairman surprised Sanders, Olds and Duran with keys to the city.
Sanders said she recalled that the first key to the city was made of wood.
The three city founders then blew out the candles on one of Sherwood’s two birthday cakes.
Brown began the festivities by reading a proclamation signed by Gov. Mike Beebe and Secretary of State Mark Martin.
The governor declared Monday to be Sherwood Heritage Day statewide.
The proclamation said families began settling in the area now known as Sherwood in the early 1900s and briefly described the city’s history.
The small farming community got running water from the three springs on the Koehler property in 1923. Electricity was available to households in 1925.
When Sherwood was incorporated on April 22, 1948, its population was 714.
The city was 2,754 strong the next year.
That population tripled to more than 10,000 residents between 1970 and 1980.
The latest count, according to the 2011 census, is almost 30,000.
Sherwood has 17 parks, a 10-acre sports complex, two recreational facilities, an active senior citizens center and year-round programs for youth of all ages, the proclamation reads.
It also said reaching this 65-year milestone is “a testament to its appeal as a place to raise families and develop the strong bonds that define community.”
Brown also introduced Tim Riley, a representative from Sen. John Boozman’s (R-Ark.) office.
Riley read a letter from the senator. It said, “Sherwood has come a long way. You have created a community to be proud of.”
Boozman is a “history buff,” Riley noted. His letter also mentioned how the city’s first speed limit was 25 mph, which everyone in the room laughed about.
Brown even joked about that still being the speed limit because he’s always getting pulled over for breaking it.
Riley said the senator encourages residents to take the time to get the stories told by the city’s founders in writing or on video so they can be shared at Sherwood’s 100th birthday celebration.
TOP STORY >> Sherwood wants split from PCSSD
By SARAH CAMPBELL
Leader staff writer
The Sherwood City Council voted on Monday to form a committee that will study the feasibility of an independent school district.
Critics have said Sher-wood’s enrollment is too low to break away, but maybe they’re wrong.
State law requires any new district to have at least 4,000 students and the district it is breaking away from must have at least 4,000 students. Pulaski County Special School District has more than 17,000 students.
Sherwood’s schools —Cato Elementary, Oakbrook Elementary, Sherwood Elementary, Sylvan Hills Elementary, Northwood Middle, Sylvan Hills Middle and Sylvan Hills High — have an enrollment of 4,497. That is according to the most recent count released by PCSSD on March 14.
A Sherwood district would also be 43.6 percent black, which is within the acceptable federal range for desegregation.
That is important because PCSSD has yet to achieve unitary status — meaning it is not considered fully integrated.
Any new district would have to receive approval from the federal court to split from PCSSD, which is 45.4 percent black, according to the March 14 count.
Alderman Mary Jo Heye asked at the council meeting how many people would be on the committee researching what Sherwood needs to do to form its own district.
The mayor said she would like to see at least five, but no more than nine, members.
Heye said, “I’m personally so excited. Nothing can affect our economic future more than being able to control the quality of our education.”
The council is seeking volunteers to serve on the committee. Residents are also encouraged to suggest people who would be a valuable members of the group.
Alderman Mike Sanders will represent the council on the committee. He was the only council member with a child who attends a PCSSD school.
Sanders’ son is a freshman at Sylvan Hills High School.
Steve Jordan, whose daughter is a senior at the high school, has volunteered to be a parent representative on the committee.
Alderman Marina Brooks said a resident asked her if the city was spending money on the study.
Mayor Virginia Hillman said the city is not using any funds to conduct the study.
She continued, “There’s a lot of interest. It’s a progressive thing. It’s something we owe to our kids and their parents.”
Former Pulaski County Clerk Pat O’Brien, a member of the Jacksonville/North Pulaski Education Corps — the group pushing for an independent district in Jacksonville — has said the courts would not allow Sherwood to break away because PCSSD just built the $31.5 million Sylvan Hills Middle School, which opened in 2011.
The district has been under federal court supervision for decades. That will end when it is declared unitary.
When it is released from court oversight, PCSSD stands to lose between $17 million and $20 million it receives in desegregation money for programs like majority to minority transfers.
After the meeting, Jordan said, “It’s not going to be fast. It’s not going to be easy. But it’s the perfect time because (PCSSD is) in disarray.”
The state took over the district in June 2011, dismissing the school board and firing then-superintendent Charles Hopson.
Superintendent Jerry Guess replaced Hopson. State Education Commissioner Tom Kimbrell is acting as a one-man school board.
A law that passed recently allows the arrangement to continue for three more years.
Since then, Maumelle has announced its intention to look into getting an independent school district.
O’Brien has said, aside from the fact there is a new high school there, the city doesn’t have enough students and wouldn’t be able to comply with desegregation requirements because it is too white.
Unlike Sherwood and Maumelle, which are in the early stages of getting their own districts, the Jacksonville/North Pulaski Education Corps is nearing its goal.
The group is collecting signatures on a petition that would put to a vote whether the city should have its own school district.
Jacksonville could split from PCSSD as soon as this fall.
All of the city’s six feasibility studies have shown there is community support for a new district, it would have an adequate tax base and revenue, and it would not upset desegregation issues being monitored by the federal court.
According to the March 14 enrollment count, schools in the proposed district’s boundaries — Homer Adkins Preschool, Bayou Meto Elementary, Murrell Taylor Elementary, Pinewood Elementary, Tolleson Elementary, Arnold Drive Elementary, Warren Dupree Elementary, Jacksonville Mid-dle, Jacksonville High School and North Pulaski High School — have 4,655 students, more than required by state law to separate from PCSSD.
According to that count, a Jacksonville school district would be 50 percent black.
If both Jacksonville and Sherwood split from PCSSD, the district would be left with 8,615 students and 43.9 percent of that enrollment would be black.
That is also within the acceptable range for desegregation.
Leader staff writer
The Sherwood City Council voted on Monday to form a committee that will study the feasibility of an independent school district.
Critics have said Sher-wood’s enrollment is too low to break away, but maybe they’re wrong.
State law requires any new district to have at least 4,000 students and the district it is breaking away from must have at least 4,000 students. Pulaski County Special School District has more than 17,000 students.
Sherwood’s schools —Cato Elementary, Oakbrook Elementary, Sherwood Elementary, Sylvan Hills Elementary, Northwood Middle, Sylvan Hills Middle and Sylvan Hills High — have an enrollment of 4,497. That is according to the most recent count released by PCSSD on March 14.
A Sherwood district would also be 43.6 percent black, which is within the acceptable federal range for desegregation.
That is important because PCSSD has yet to achieve unitary status — meaning it is not considered fully integrated.
Any new district would have to receive approval from the federal court to split from PCSSD, which is 45.4 percent black, according to the March 14 count.
Alderman Mary Jo Heye asked at the council meeting how many people would be on the committee researching what Sherwood needs to do to form its own district.
The mayor said she would like to see at least five, but no more than nine, members.
Heye said, “I’m personally so excited. Nothing can affect our economic future more than being able to control the quality of our education.”
The council is seeking volunteers to serve on the committee. Residents are also encouraged to suggest people who would be a valuable members of the group.
Alderman Mike Sanders will represent the council on the committee. He was the only council member with a child who attends a PCSSD school.
Sanders’ son is a freshman at Sylvan Hills High School.
Steve Jordan, whose daughter is a senior at the high school, has volunteered to be a parent representative on the committee.
Alderman Marina Brooks said a resident asked her if the city was spending money on the study.
Mayor Virginia Hillman said the city is not using any funds to conduct the study.
She continued, “There’s a lot of interest. It’s a progressive thing. It’s something we owe to our kids and their parents.”
Former Pulaski County Clerk Pat O’Brien, a member of the Jacksonville/North Pulaski Education Corps — the group pushing for an independent district in Jacksonville — has said the courts would not allow Sherwood to break away because PCSSD just built the $31.5 million Sylvan Hills Middle School, which opened in 2011.
The district has been under federal court supervision for decades. That will end when it is declared unitary.
When it is released from court oversight, PCSSD stands to lose between $17 million and $20 million it receives in desegregation money for programs like majority to minority transfers.
After the meeting, Jordan said, “It’s not going to be fast. It’s not going to be easy. But it’s the perfect time because (PCSSD is) in disarray.”
The state took over the district in June 2011, dismissing the school board and firing then-superintendent Charles Hopson.
Superintendent Jerry Guess replaced Hopson. State Education Commissioner Tom Kimbrell is acting as a one-man school board.
A law that passed recently allows the arrangement to continue for three more years.
Since then, Maumelle has announced its intention to look into getting an independent school district.
O’Brien has said, aside from the fact there is a new high school there, the city doesn’t have enough students and wouldn’t be able to comply with desegregation requirements because it is too white.
Unlike Sherwood and Maumelle, which are in the early stages of getting their own districts, the Jacksonville/North Pulaski Education Corps is nearing its goal.
The group is collecting signatures on a petition that would put to a vote whether the city should have its own school district.
Jacksonville could split from PCSSD as soon as this fall.
All of the city’s six feasibility studies have shown there is community support for a new district, it would have an adequate tax base and revenue, and it would not upset desegregation issues being monitored by the federal court.
According to the March 14 enrollment count, schools in the proposed district’s boundaries — Homer Adkins Preschool, Bayou Meto Elementary, Murrell Taylor Elementary, Pinewood Elementary, Tolleson Elementary, Arnold Drive Elementary, Warren Dupree Elementary, Jacksonville Mid-dle, Jacksonville High School and North Pulaski High School — have 4,655 students, more than required by state law to separate from PCSSD.
According to that count, a Jacksonville school district would be 50 percent black.
If both Jacksonville and Sherwood split from PCSSD, the district would be left with 8,615 students and 43.9 percent of that enrollment would be black.
That is also within the acceptable range for desegregation.
SPORTS STORY >> Lady Bears second in River City Rivalry
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
The River City Rivalry tournament was set up as a small yet competitive tournament, and with three of the four teams in the girls bracket finishing 2-1 through two days of round-robin play, it lived up to its name with Maumelle claiming the championship on a points tiebreaker.
Sylvan Hills entered the tournament as host and defending champions, but a 5-0 loss to the Lady Hornets in the late Friday game was enough of a setback that left the Lady Bears a point shy when everything was tallied. The tournament started out on a strong note for Sylvan Hills with a 2-0 shutout win over a tough Batesville team on Friday afternoon, and the Lady Bears closed out tournament play with a 3-0 victory over Mills University Studies. Things became complicated when Batesville downed Maumelle 2-1 on Saturday, but the Lady Hornets scored the most points of anyone through three games to hold the tiebreaker, with Sylvan Hills claiming second and Batesville taking a close third.
“It was a very good weekend,” Lady Bears coach Nate Persson said. “I thought we played outstanding, even in the 5-0 loss we had to Maumelle, we still had some great individual efforts and as a team, we also played well. I told them it was the best I’ve ever felt after taking a 5-0 thrashing.”
The original format called for the tournament to begin on Thursday evening, but stormy weather forced the schedule to be changed to a two-day event, with all teams playing two 60-minute games on Friday before switching back to traditional 80-minute games for Saturday.
The Lady Bears came up short on repeating as tournament champs, but swept the individual honors as junior forward Abi Persson was voted outstanding player of the tournament and senior Naomi Gregory was selected by the coaches as outstanding goalkeeper. Michaela Pinegar and Caylyn Fulton were selected to the all-tournament team.
Persson and Fulton each scored in the opener against Batesville, while Shelby Brown led the defensive charge in the first half. Prior personal commitments took Brown off the field for the second half, forcing coach Persson to adjust defensively.
“We put a lot of effort into that game,” Persson said. “There’s no doubt we were tired after that one. We had to keep our starters in most of that game.”
The Lady Hornets focused much of their defensive efforts against Abi Persson in the second game and found ways to keep the junior standout from scoring, primarily by defending in numbers.
“It was really a tale of who played the toughest,” Persson said. “One thing that really juiced them up was that they know Abi from club soccer. They did everything they could to clog her, they had five deep defending against her.”
The Lady Bears recovered enough by Saturday morning to end the tournament on a winning note with a 3-0 shutout over Mills. Abi Persson scored two goals while Fulton added the other goal, as Sylvan Hills used its bench to get through the match.
Leader sportswriter
The River City Rivalry tournament was set up as a small yet competitive tournament, and with three of the four teams in the girls bracket finishing 2-1 through two days of round-robin play, it lived up to its name with Maumelle claiming the championship on a points tiebreaker.
Sylvan Hills entered the tournament as host and defending champions, but a 5-0 loss to the Lady Hornets in the late Friday game was enough of a setback that left the Lady Bears a point shy when everything was tallied. The tournament started out on a strong note for Sylvan Hills with a 2-0 shutout win over a tough Batesville team on Friday afternoon, and the Lady Bears closed out tournament play with a 3-0 victory over Mills University Studies. Things became complicated when Batesville downed Maumelle 2-1 on Saturday, but the Lady Hornets scored the most points of anyone through three games to hold the tiebreaker, with Sylvan Hills claiming second and Batesville taking a close third.
“It was a very good weekend,” Lady Bears coach Nate Persson said. “I thought we played outstanding, even in the 5-0 loss we had to Maumelle, we still had some great individual efforts and as a team, we also played well. I told them it was the best I’ve ever felt after taking a 5-0 thrashing.”
The original format called for the tournament to begin on Thursday evening, but stormy weather forced the schedule to be changed to a two-day event, with all teams playing two 60-minute games on Friday before switching back to traditional 80-minute games for Saturday.
The Lady Bears came up short on repeating as tournament champs, but swept the individual honors as junior forward Abi Persson was voted outstanding player of the tournament and senior Naomi Gregory was selected by the coaches as outstanding goalkeeper. Michaela Pinegar and Caylyn Fulton were selected to the all-tournament team.
Persson and Fulton each scored in the opener against Batesville, while Shelby Brown led the defensive charge in the first half. Prior personal commitments took Brown off the field for the second half, forcing coach Persson to adjust defensively.
“We put a lot of effort into that game,” Persson said. “There’s no doubt we were tired after that one. We had to keep our starters in most of that game.”
The Lady Hornets focused much of their defensive efforts against Abi Persson in the second game and found ways to keep the junior standout from scoring, primarily by defending in numbers.
“It was really a tale of who played the toughest,” Persson said. “One thing that really juiced them up was that they know Abi from club soccer. They did everything they could to clog her, they had five deep defending against her.”
The Lady Bears recovered enough by Saturday morning to end the tournament on a winning note with a 3-0 shutout over Mills. Abi Persson scored two goals while Fulton added the other goal, as Sylvan Hills used its bench to get through the match.
SPORTS STORY >> Lady ’Rabs earn share of 4A-2 title
By GRAHAM POWELL
Leader sportswriter
With Friday’s 6-4 win over Clinton, the Lady Jackrabbits’ softball team earned a share of the 4A-2 Conference championship. They continued their winning ways on Monday with a 9-3 win over 2A-6 Conference champion Hazen in the final game of the season at the Lonoke softball field.
Lonoke (14-4, 5-1) shares the conference title with Heber Springs and Southside-Batesville, who are the only other teams to finish their conference schedule with one loss. Due to point differentials, the Lady Jackrabbits will enter the District Tournament on Friday as the No. 2 seed.
“It’s a perfect triangle,” said Lady Jackrabbits coach Laura Park. “We all had one loss, so when it came to points, Southside beat us and Heber in points. So Southside is the one seed. Heber and us were tied on points, but we’re the two seed because head-to-head we beat Heber.”
Ace pitcher Hannah Murray ended her final home game Monday with a win, pitching all seven innings, recording four strikeouts while giving up just three hits. A couple of infield errors allowed Hazen (10-7, 9-1) to put runners in scoring position in the first inning, and the Lady Hornets took a 1-0 lead on a ground ball by cleanup hitter Mikah Shelman.
The Lady ‘Rabbits responded in the bottom of the first with a two-out, RBI-single to the right-field gap by Jessy Lewis. Jasalyn Truelove scored on the play after getting on base earlier in the inning with an infield single.
Murray and the Lady ‘Rabbit defense held the Lady Hornets scoreless in the second inning, and scored four runs in the latter part of the inning to take a 5-1 lead. Candy James scored Lonoke’s second run of the game, and leadoff hitter Charley Jo Chesney drove in runs three and four with a standup double to right centerfield.
Jarrelyn McCall and Kayley Dozier scored on the play to put Lonoke up 4-1. Truelove sent Chesney across the plate the next at bat with a single up the middle. The Lady ‘Rabbits added another run in the third before Hazen scored two in the fourth, which cut the margin to 6-3.
The score remained 6-3 until Lonoke added three runs in the sixth to gain its largest lead of the afternoon. Murray started the inning with a single to the right-field gap. Her courtesy runner, Kelsey Holder, scored the next at bat on a triple to deep right centerfield by cleanup hitter Katelyn James.
A ground ball to shortstop by Lewis allowed James to score Lonoke’s eighth run of the game. Haylee Whitehurst reached on an E4 the next at bat, and scored the final run on an infield single by Courtney McGowan.
Park was happy to see her team get the win, but with District Tournament play beginning Friday, she would like to see her team play with more urgency to put games away, as well as eliminating mental mistakes that could be costly in the postseason.
“I have confidence in these girls,” Park said. “I know what they can do. I know what they’re capable of, and I guess maybe I’m the eternal optimist sometimes, thinking it’s always going to turn out OK. We have to quit leaving runners stranded, and I think the other night at Clinton we left seven runners on in the first two innings.
“We’ve just got to quit that. We have to be able to put the ball down and put it in play, advance some runners, and get some scores early on. But we also have to work on being smart base runners. That was obvious today. We made several running errors that a team at this level shouldn’t be making.”
Lady ‘Rabbit seniors Murray, McGowan and Katelyn James all recorded base hits in their final home game. Murray and Truelove each had two hits, while McGowan, Katelyn James, Chesney, Lewis and Dozier had a hit apiece.
Lonoke will play the winner of the Clinton/Pine Bluff Dollarway game in the second round of the District Tournament at 6 p.m. Friday at Heber Springs.
Leader sportswriter
With Friday’s 6-4 win over Clinton, the Lady Jackrabbits’ softball team earned a share of the 4A-2 Conference championship. They continued their winning ways on Monday with a 9-3 win over 2A-6 Conference champion Hazen in the final game of the season at the Lonoke softball field.
Lonoke (14-4, 5-1) shares the conference title with Heber Springs and Southside-Batesville, who are the only other teams to finish their conference schedule with one loss. Due to point differentials, the Lady Jackrabbits will enter the District Tournament on Friday as the No. 2 seed.
“It’s a perfect triangle,” said Lady Jackrabbits coach Laura Park. “We all had one loss, so when it came to points, Southside beat us and Heber in points. So Southside is the one seed. Heber and us were tied on points, but we’re the two seed because head-to-head we beat Heber.”
Ace pitcher Hannah Murray ended her final home game Monday with a win, pitching all seven innings, recording four strikeouts while giving up just three hits. A couple of infield errors allowed Hazen (10-7, 9-1) to put runners in scoring position in the first inning, and the Lady Hornets took a 1-0 lead on a ground ball by cleanup hitter Mikah Shelman.
The Lady ‘Rabbits responded in the bottom of the first with a two-out, RBI-single to the right-field gap by Jessy Lewis. Jasalyn Truelove scored on the play after getting on base earlier in the inning with an infield single.
Murray and the Lady ‘Rabbit defense held the Lady Hornets scoreless in the second inning, and scored four runs in the latter part of the inning to take a 5-1 lead. Candy James scored Lonoke’s second run of the game, and leadoff hitter Charley Jo Chesney drove in runs three and four with a standup double to right centerfield.
Jarrelyn McCall and Kayley Dozier scored on the play to put Lonoke up 4-1. Truelove sent Chesney across the plate the next at bat with a single up the middle. The Lady ‘Rabbits added another run in the third before Hazen scored two in the fourth, which cut the margin to 6-3.
The score remained 6-3 until Lonoke added three runs in the sixth to gain its largest lead of the afternoon. Murray started the inning with a single to the right-field gap. Her courtesy runner, Kelsey Holder, scored the next at bat on a triple to deep right centerfield by cleanup hitter Katelyn James.
A ground ball to shortstop by Lewis allowed James to score Lonoke’s eighth run of the game. Haylee Whitehurst reached on an E4 the next at bat, and scored the final run on an infield single by Courtney McGowan.
Park was happy to see her team get the win, but with District Tournament play beginning Friday, she would like to see her team play with more urgency to put games away, as well as eliminating mental mistakes that could be costly in the postseason.
“I have confidence in these girls,” Park said. “I know what they can do. I know what they’re capable of, and I guess maybe I’m the eternal optimist sometimes, thinking it’s always going to turn out OK. We have to quit leaving runners stranded, and I think the other night at Clinton we left seven runners on in the first two innings.
“We’ve just got to quit that. We have to be able to put the ball down and put it in play, advance some runners, and get some scores early on. But we also have to work on being smart base runners. That was obvious today. We made several running errors that a team at this level shouldn’t be making.”
Lady ‘Rabbit seniors Murray, McGowan and Katelyn James all recorded base hits in their final home game. Murray and Truelove each had two hits, while McGowan, Katelyn James, Chesney, Lewis and Dozier had a hit apiece.
Lonoke will play the winner of the Clinton/Pine Bluff Dollarway game in the second round of the District Tournament at 6 p.m. Friday at Heber Springs.
SPORTS STORY >> North Pulaski drills Mills
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
It’s been a long time coming, but now it’s here, North Pulaski’s first wins in 5A Central baseball action. The victories came Tuesday at Dupree Park as the Falcons swept Mills 13-3 and 16-2. The Falcons piled up 11 hits in game one and 12 in game two to go along with many walks and several errors by the Comets.
“We finally got to play two-straight scheduled games without something being canceled or rained out,” North Pulaski coach Michael Dean said. “Our timing has been off because we haven’t played consistently. Tonight we got our timing down a little better. It wasn’t just the same guys tonight getting all the hits. We hit the ball pretty well all the way down the lineup.”
North Pulaski scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning of game one to take a 3-1 lead. After a scoreless second inning, Mills added two in the top of the third to tie the game. It stayed tied until the bottom of the fourth, when North Pulaski got the first of two-straight five-run innings to end the game on the sportsmanship rule.
Cleanup hitter Austin Allen ended the game with a walk-off, two-run home run.
“He’s just been killing it,” Dean said of his senior centerfielder. “He’s the best player around that nobody knows about. He’s having a great year.”
The game-ending shot was Allen’s sixth home run of the season. He went 2 for 2 with three runs batted in and four runs scored. He walked twice. His twin brother Troy Allen also went 2 for 2 with a triple, two walks and three runs scored.
Nathan Crews, Fred Thomas, Billy Rogers, Ean Collie, Hunter McPherson and Alex Broadwell each finished with one base hit. Broadwell also got the win on the mound, throwing five innings, giving up four hits while striking out seven.
In game two, he was one of five Falcons to get multiple base hits. Thomas led the way in the 16-2 nightcap, going 3 for 4. Broadwell, Crews, Austin Allen and McPherson each got two base hits, while Jacob Aloi added one single to the tally. Troy Allen finished with no official at bats, but was hit three times, walked once and scored three runs.
“That guy just gets on base,” Dean said of Troy Allen. “He just finds a way to get on base. Whether it’s getting a hit, drawing or walk or taking a pitch.”
North Pulaski, playing as the visiting team in game two, scored five runs in the top of the first inning to quickly take command.
They added a run in the top of the third before Mills posted two in the bottom half. The Falcons then scored three in the fourth and seven in the fifth to set the final margin.
North Pulaski drew 11 walks to go with the 12 base hits in the nightcap. Austin Allen walked once, finishing the night 4 for 5 with one home run, three RBIs and six runs scored. He is now 25 of 37 at the plate this year for a .676 batting average. In eight conference games, he is 11 of 15 for a .733 average.
“That’s been against the best teams in the conference too,” Dean said. “We’ve played Little Rock Christian, Pulaski Academy and Jacksonville, and those are all playoff teams with good pitching.”
T.J. Waters got the win on the mound in game two for the Falcons.
North Pulaski (4-11, 2-6) hosts Helena-West Helena Central on Thursday to makeup a rained out game from last week.
Leader sports editor
It’s been a long time coming, but now it’s here, North Pulaski’s first wins in 5A Central baseball action. The victories came Tuesday at Dupree Park as the Falcons swept Mills 13-3 and 16-2. The Falcons piled up 11 hits in game one and 12 in game two to go along with many walks and several errors by the Comets.
“We finally got to play two-straight scheduled games without something being canceled or rained out,” North Pulaski coach Michael Dean said. “Our timing has been off because we haven’t played consistently. Tonight we got our timing down a little better. It wasn’t just the same guys tonight getting all the hits. We hit the ball pretty well all the way down the lineup.”
North Pulaski scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning of game one to take a 3-1 lead. After a scoreless second inning, Mills added two in the top of the third to tie the game. It stayed tied until the bottom of the fourth, when North Pulaski got the first of two-straight five-run innings to end the game on the sportsmanship rule.
Cleanup hitter Austin Allen ended the game with a walk-off, two-run home run.
“He’s just been killing it,” Dean said of his senior centerfielder. “He’s the best player around that nobody knows about. He’s having a great year.”
The game-ending shot was Allen’s sixth home run of the season. He went 2 for 2 with three runs batted in and four runs scored. He walked twice. His twin brother Troy Allen also went 2 for 2 with a triple, two walks and three runs scored.
Nathan Crews, Fred Thomas, Billy Rogers, Ean Collie, Hunter McPherson and Alex Broadwell each finished with one base hit. Broadwell also got the win on the mound, throwing five innings, giving up four hits while striking out seven.
In game two, he was one of five Falcons to get multiple base hits. Thomas led the way in the 16-2 nightcap, going 3 for 4. Broadwell, Crews, Austin Allen and McPherson each got two base hits, while Jacob Aloi added one single to the tally. Troy Allen finished with no official at bats, but was hit three times, walked once and scored three runs.
“That guy just gets on base,” Dean said of Troy Allen. “He just finds a way to get on base. Whether it’s getting a hit, drawing or walk or taking a pitch.”
North Pulaski, playing as the visiting team in game two, scored five runs in the top of the first inning to quickly take command.
They added a run in the top of the third before Mills posted two in the bottom half. The Falcons then scored three in the fourth and seven in the fifth to set the final margin.
North Pulaski drew 11 walks to go with the 12 base hits in the nightcap. Austin Allen walked once, finishing the night 4 for 5 with one home run, three RBIs and six runs scored. He is now 25 of 37 at the plate this year for a .676 batting average. In eight conference games, he is 11 of 15 for a .733 average.
“That’s been against the best teams in the conference too,” Dean said. “We’ve played Little Rock Christian, Pulaski Academy and Jacksonville, and those are all playoff teams with good pitching.”
T.J. Waters got the win on the mound in game two for the Falcons.
North Pulaski (4-11, 2-6) hosts Helena-West Helena Central on Thursday to makeup a rained out game from last week.
SPORT STORY >> Cabot South third in CAJHC
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
Bryant was the host site for the Central Arkansas Junior High Conference track meet on Friday, with all four Cabot teams, including North Junior High boys and girls and South Junior High boys and girls, taking part.
Cabot Junior High South boys had the best finish of all the local teams, finishing third in the event with 88 points while Cabot North finished fifth with 56 points. Lake Hamilton won the meet with 134.5 points to runner up Bryant’s 94 points.
North’s Evan Hooper won the 100-meter dash with a time of 11:59, barely defeating South sprinter Mark Odom, who came a close second just one-one hundredth of a second behind. Hooper was also victorious in the 200-meter dash with a winning time of 23.47, and first in the 400-meter run with a time of 52.18. Odom went on to get a win for South in the 110-meter hurdles with a winning time of 15.69, well in front of South teammate and second-place finisher Ethan Holland, who recorded a 17.86. South’s Braden Jarnigan was sixth with a time of 18.93.
Odom made it a sweep of the hurdles with a victory in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 42.71.
The South relay team of Braden Barnes, Jarrod Barnes, Jarnigan and Odom took third place in the 4X100 event with a time of 47.22. The North team of Rocky Burke, Brock Bottorff, Kolton Eads and Hooper finished second in the 4X400 relay.
In field events, South’s Barnes claimed third in the high jump with a height of 5-4. South teammate Braxton Burton was also third in the pole vault with a height of 10-6. South’s Jess Reed finished sixth in the pole vault with a 9-0 and teammate Dylan Smith was credited for seventh with the same height. Barnes was sixth in the triple jump with a distance of 35-3.
Hooper added a fourth event victory with a 20-3 distance in the long jump, while South’s Brandon Jones finished third in the shot put with a distance of 43-1.5. North’s Brett Locke was seventh in the shot put with a 40-3.25.
On the girls’ side, North was fourth overall with 64 points while South finished sixth with 35.33 points. Lake Hamilton made it a sweep with a score of 196.5 on the girls’ side, while Conway Blue finished second with 157 points and Bryant in third with 73.5 points.
Amalie Gunn of Cabot South finished third in the 100-meter dash with a time of 13.62 and was third in the 200-meter event with a 28.34. North’s Miranda Walker finished fifth in the 100-meter dash with a time of 13.70, and was third in the 200-meter dash with a 28.37. Walker also took fourth place in the long-jump field event with a distance of 14-10, and was second in the triple jump with a distance of 31-4.5. Tristan Edgar won the 800-meter run for North with a winning time of 2:34.77, while South’s Casey Gore was sixth with a time of 2:46.02. South’s Samantha Nickell finished fourth in the 1,600-meter run with a time of 6:10.57 while Ashley Gore finished fifth in the event with a 6:12.70 time, and Casey Gore was eighth with a time of 6:20.46 for South.
The South relay team of Hannah Ringgold, Regan Campbell, Gunn and Joey Long finished fourth in the 4X100-meter relay with a time of 55.21, one place in front of the North team of Walker, Edgar, Sydney Shumate and Jenny Bond, who took fifth with a time of 56.24.
The South team of Long, Gore, Gunn and Ashley Chandler finished fifth in the 4X400 relay with a time of 4:49.71. The South team of Ashley Gore, Casey Gore, Melanie Abbott and Chloe Thompson finished third in the 4X800 relay with an 11:00.51 time.
Odom was sixth in the pole vault with a height of 6-9 for North while Shutmate was eighth with a 6-9 leap. North’s Elaine Helpenstill was seventh in the shot put with a distance of 27-8, and also finished seventh in the discus throw with a toss of 60-9.
Leader sportswriter
Bryant was the host site for the Central Arkansas Junior High Conference track meet on Friday, with all four Cabot teams, including North Junior High boys and girls and South Junior High boys and girls, taking part.
Cabot Junior High South boys had the best finish of all the local teams, finishing third in the event with 88 points while Cabot North finished fifth with 56 points. Lake Hamilton won the meet with 134.5 points to runner up Bryant’s 94 points.
North’s Evan Hooper won the 100-meter dash with a time of 11:59, barely defeating South sprinter Mark Odom, who came a close second just one-one hundredth of a second behind. Hooper was also victorious in the 200-meter dash with a winning time of 23.47, and first in the 400-meter run with a time of 52.18. Odom went on to get a win for South in the 110-meter hurdles with a winning time of 15.69, well in front of South teammate and second-place finisher Ethan Holland, who recorded a 17.86. South’s Braden Jarnigan was sixth with a time of 18.93.
Odom made it a sweep of the hurdles with a victory in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 42.71.
The South relay team of Braden Barnes, Jarrod Barnes, Jarnigan and Odom took third place in the 4X100 event with a time of 47.22. The North team of Rocky Burke, Brock Bottorff, Kolton Eads and Hooper finished second in the 4X400 relay.
In field events, South’s Barnes claimed third in the high jump with a height of 5-4. South teammate Braxton Burton was also third in the pole vault with a height of 10-6. South’s Jess Reed finished sixth in the pole vault with a 9-0 and teammate Dylan Smith was credited for seventh with the same height. Barnes was sixth in the triple jump with a distance of 35-3.
Hooper added a fourth event victory with a 20-3 distance in the long jump, while South’s Brandon Jones finished third in the shot put with a distance of 43-1.5. North’s Brett Locke was seventh in the shot put with a 40-3.25.
On the girls’ side, North was fourth overall with 64 points while South finished sixth with 35.33 points. Lake Hamilton made it a sweep with a score of 196.5 on the girls’ side, while Conway Blue finished second with 157 points and Bryant in third with 73.5 points.
Amalie Gunn of Cabot South finished third in the 100-meter dash with a time of 13.62 and was third in the 200-meter event with a 28.34. North’s Miranda Walker finished fifth in the 100-meter dash with a time of 13.70, and was third in the 200-meter dash with a 28.37. Walker also took fourth place in the long-jump field event with a distance of 14-10, and was second in the triple jump with a distance of 31-4.5. Tristan Edgar won the 800-meter run for North with a winning time of 2:34.77, while South’s Casey Gore was sixth with a time of 2:46.02. South’s Samantha Nickell finished fourth in the 1,600-meter run with a time of 6:10.57 while Ashley Gore finished fifth in the event with a 6:12.70 time, and Casey Gore was eighth with a time of 6:20.46 for South.
The South relay team of Hannah Ringgold, Regan Campbell, Gunn and Joey Long finished fourth in the 4X100-meter relay with a time of 55.21, one place in front of the North team of Walker, Edgar, Sydney Shumate and Jenny Bond, who took fifth with a time of 56.24.
The South team of Long, Gore, Gunn and Ashley Chandler finished fifth in the 4X400 relay with a time of 4:49.71. The South team of Ashley Gore, Casey Gore, Melanie Abbott and Chloe Thompson finished third in the 4X800 relay with an 11:00.51 time.
Odom was sixth in the pole vault with a height of 6-9 for North while Shutmate was eighth with a 6-9 leap. North’s Elaine Helpenstill was seventh in the shot put with a distance of 27-8, and also finished seventh in the discus throw with a toss of 60-9.
SPORTS STORY >> Devils get solid win over Tigers
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The Jacksonville Red Devils posted a solid nonconference win on Monday, beating Little Rock Central 3-1 at Dupree Park. The win was especially important because it was a bounce-back effort after a miserable outing last Friday at Spiro, Okla. The Spiro Bulldogs beat Jacksonville 10-0 on Friday in six innings during the Red Devils annual weekend trip to Baum Stadium to take in a Razorback baseball game.
“It was like night and day,” Jacksonville coach Larry Burrows said Monday of how his team performed in its last two outings. “Producing runs has been our struggle all year. We’re going to play good defense and we’re going to throw strikes, but we didn’t even do that on Friday. We came back and played like we’re supposed to play today. I just wish we could’ve scored more. Three runs is going to be enough occasionally, but really three runs is not enough. We left a few opportunities to score out there. We’ve got to be more productive when we get runners on base.”
While run production has been weak this year, the Red Devil bats are swinging better than they have been. Recent games have seen the base hits increase in number, though runs scored has not picked up as much.
“We’re swinging it better than we were, there’s no doubt about that,” Burrows said. “We’ve got a lot of guys whose batting averages are going up. We’re just not seeing a lot more runs. What we have to do now is find a way to get those key base hits when guys are on. We’re definitely getting better, we’re just not getting the clutch hits yet.”
Kaleb Reeves was one player who was dialed in on Monday. Reeves finished 3 for 4 with a double off the wall down the right field line. That shot scored Derek St. Clair, who had walked with one out and stolen second base, and gave the Red Devils a 2-1 lead in the third inning.
Jacksonville left two runners in scoring position in the fourth inning, but added a run in the fifth on a strange play. St. Clair, Reeves and Blake Perry hit consecutive, one-out singles to load the bases. Greg Jones then popped up to second base.
The ball was just beyond the infield dirt, and the Tiger second baseman let it drop in front of him. No clear signal of the infield fly rule was given by the umpires, creating uncertainty among the base runners whether the rule was in effect. St. Clair broke for home and got caught in a rundown, but scored after an errant throw during the chase.
Central protested that it should have been a force out at home, but the umpire ruled it an infield fly, which means all force-outs are negated.
It was the second time in as many innings that a coach had words for the field umpire. Reeves was called out on a pick-off throw to second base after his double, a play in which he easily beat the throw back to the bag.
St. Clair started on the mound and got the win in three innings of work. He gave up two hits and one run. James Tucker threw the fourth and fifth innings, giving up four hits but working his way out a tight jam in the fourth.
Reeves took the mound for the final two innings, giving up just one hit.
Jacksonville (9-11, 7-3) hosts Mills in a 5A-Central doubleheader on Thursday at Dupree Park.
Leader sports editor
The Jacksonville Red Devils posted a solid nonconference win on Monday, beating Little Rock Central 3-1 at Dupree Park. The win was especially important because it was a bounce-back effort after a miserable outing last Friday at Spiro, Okla. The Spiro Bulldogs beat Jacksonville 10-0 on Friday in six innings during the Red Devils annual weekend trip to Baum Stadium to take in a Razorback baseball game.
“It was like night and day,” Jacksonville coach Larry Burrows said Monday of how his team performed in its last two outings. “Producing runs has been our struggle all year. We’re going to play good defense and we’re going to throw strikes, but we didn’t even do that on Friday. We came back and played like we’re supposed to play today. I just wish we could’ve scored more. Three runs is going to be enough occasionally, but really three runs is not enough. We left a few opportunities to score out there. We’ve got to be more productive when we get runners on base.”
While run production has been weak this year, the Red Devil bats are swinging better than they have been. Recent games have seen the base hits increase in number, though runs scored has not picked up as much.
“We’re swinging it better than we were, there’s no doubt about that,” Burrows said. “We’ve got a lot of guys whose batting averages are going up. We’re just not seeing a lot more runs. What we have to do now is find a way to get those key base hits when guys are on. We’re definitely getting better, we’re just not getting the clutch hits yet.”
Kaleb Reeves was one player who was dialed in on Monday. Reeves finished 3 for 4 with a double off the wall down the right field line. That shot scored Derek St. Clair, who had walked with one out and stolen second base, and gave the Red Devils a 2-1 lead in the third inning.
Jacksonville left two runners in scoring position in the fourth inning, but added a run in the fifth on a strange play. St. Clair, Reeves and Blake Perry hit consecutive, one-out singles to load the bases. Greg Jones then popped up to second base.
The ball was just beyond the infield dirt, and the Tiger second baseman let it drop in front of him. No clear signal of the infield fly rule was given by the umpires, creating uncertainty among the base runners whether the rule was in effect. St. Clair broke for home and got caught in a rundown, but scored after an errant throw during the chase.
Central protested that it should have been a force out at home, but the umpire ruled it an infield fly, which means all force-outs are negated.
It was the second time in as many innings that a coach had words for the field umpire. Reeves was called out on a pick-off throw to second base after his double, a play in which he easily beat the throw back to the bag.
St. Clair started on the mound and got the win in three innings of work. He gave up two hits and one run. James Tucker threw the fourth and fifth innings, giving up four hits but working his way out a tight jam in the fourth.
Reeves took the mound for the final two innings, giving up just one hit.
Jacksonville (9-11, 7-3) hosts Mills in a 5A-Central doubleheader on Thursday at Dupree Park.
Saturday, April 20, 2013
EDITORIAL >> School elections still unchanged
A lot of money went into an unsuccessful campaign in the legislature to change school elections from September to election day in November. The theory was that moving the elections to when more people turn out to vote would make it more difficult to raise millage rates to spend on public schools.
The charter schools and big foundations were supposedly putting serious money behind the effort, but it failed mostly because school superintendents hated the idea.
The Arkansas Associ-ation of Educational Administrators, the Arkansas School Boards Association and the Arkansas Education Association opposed the bill. School superintendents in particular lobbied against the bill, and they were persuasive enough to kill the bill.
School superintendents are most often the community leaders who are respected and admired and are paid as well as doctors, lawyers and bankers.
Superintendents are more respected than the newspaper editors who editorialized in favor of the bill.
Special interests op-posed to public schools were pushing the bill too hard, which was another reason it failed. Superintendents and their boards like school elections in September, and we do, too, just as we like primaries in the spring. Voting two or three times a year might be too much of a bother for some people, but we don’t mind it all: Elections remind us of who we are and what we believe in and give us hope that maybe the people we vote for can make a difference for the better.
Unfortunately, residents in the Pulaski County Special School District cannot vote this year for a school board, which remains inactive while the district is under state supervision. But if you live in Lonoke or White counties, don’t forget to vote Sept. 17 for your school board.
—Garrick Feldman
The charter schools and big foundations were supposedly putting serious money behind the effort, but it failed mostly because school superintendents hated the idea.
The Arkansas Associ-ation of Educational Administrators, the Arkansas School Boards Association and the Arkansas Education Association opposed the bill. School superintendents in particular lobbied against the bill, and they were persuasive enough to kill the bill.
School superintendents are most often the community leaders who are respected and admired and are paid as well as doctors, lawyers and bankers.
Superintendents are more respected than the newspaper editors who editorialized in favor of the bill.
Special interests op-posed to public schools were pushing the bill too hard, which was another reason it failed. Superintendents and their boards like school elections in September, and we do, too, just as we like primaries in the spring. Voting two or three times a year might be too much of a bother for some people, but we don’t mind it all: Elections remind us of who we are and what we believe in and give us hope that maybe the people we vote for can make a difference for the better.
Unfortunately, residents in the Pulaski County Special School District cannot vote this year for a school board, which remains inactive while the district is under state supervision. But if you live in Lonoke or White counties, don’t forget to vote Sept. 17 for your school board.
—Garrick Feldman
EDITORIAL >> A good vote in the Senate
The state Senate and House this week overwhelmingly approved a plan that will expand health-insurance coverage to the working poor.
The innovative program, funded through Medicaid with the participation of private insurers, will cover 250,000 Arkansans who do not now qualify for Medicaid. The Arkansas Hospital Association, seeking relief from having to write off millions of dollars in uncollected debts, successfully lobbied lawmakers who were reluctant to support the federally funded program, which will pay all the premiums for three years and 90 percent after that.
It’s a good deal all around, which is why a rock-ribbed conservative like Sen. Eddie Joe Williams (R-Cabot) helped put the measure on top. It will help local hospitals, small businesses and thousands of workers, who can stay healthy on the job under the new plan.
Local legislators, with a couple of exceptions, helped their communities and showed their independence from outside pressure groups.
The innovative program, funded through Medicaid with the participation of private insurers, will cover 250,000 Arkansans who do not now qualify for Medicaid. The Arkansas Hospital Association, seeking relief from having to write off millions of dollars in uncollected debts, successfully lobbied lawmakers who were reluctant to support the federally funded program, which will pay all the premiums for three years and 90 percent after that.
It’s a good deal all around, which is why a rock-ribbed conservative like Sen. Eddie Joe Williams (R-Cabot) helped put the measure on top. It will help local hospitals, small businesses and thousands of workers, who can stay healthy on the job under the new plan.
Local legislators, with a couple of exceptions, helped their communities and showed their independence from outside pressure groups.
EDITORIAL >> Terrorists in our midst
Critics of U.S. immigration policies will cite the terrorist attacks in Boston as more evidence that it’s difficult to keep track of potential troublemakers who move to our country.
The young Tsarnaev brothers, who killed and maimed several people at the Boston Marathon on Monday and a campus policeman at a nearby college campus Thursday night, benefited from America’s generous immigration policies but viciously turned on a nation that welcomed them from the turmoil in the former Soviet republics.
Their families had moved around a lot, settling for a while in Kyrgyzstan, where Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, was born. He wore the dark cap in the much-publicized video near the finish line. He was killed Thursday night in a showdown with police after his brother, Dzhokhar, 19, apparently ran over him in a stolen SUV. The teen, who was born in Dagestan, wore a white cap in the marathon video. He was shown wearing a gray hoodie at a convenience store holdup Thursday night, apparently after the pair had run out of food and water. He was taken into custody Friday night.
Authorities are probably questioning their relatives, who a decade earlier had moved to Massachusetts and Maryland. The extended family had escaped the war in predominately Muslim Chechnya, which was fighting for independence from Russia. Investigators will want to know if the terrorists’ families alerted authorities when the suspects’ pictures were publicized Thursday. If the relatives remained quiet, their immigration status could come up for review and they could be deported back to Chechnya or to wherever they came from.
The young Tsarnaev brothers, who killed and maimed several people at the Boston Marathon on Monday and a campus policeman at a nearby college campus Thursday night, benefited from America’s generous immigration policies but viciously turned on a nation that welcomed them from the turmoil in the former Soviet republics.
Their families had moved around a lot, settling for a while in Kyrgyzstan, where Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, was born. He wore the dark cap in the much-publicized video near the finish line. He was killed Thursday night in a showdown with police after his brother, Dzhokhar, 19, apparently ran over him in a stolen SUV. The teen, who was born in Dagestan, wore a white cap in the marathon video. He was shown wearing a gray hoodie at a convenience store holdup Thursday night, apparently after the pair had run out of food and water. He was taken into custody Friday night.
Authorities are probably questioning their relatives, who a decade earlier had moved to Massachusetts and Maryland. The extended family had escaped the war in predominately Muslim Chechnya, which was fighting for independence from Russia. Investigators will want to know if the terrorists’ families alerted authorities when the suspects’ pictures were publicized Thursday. If the relatives remained quiet, their immigration status could come up for review and they could be deported back to Chechnya or to wherever they came from.
TOP STORY >> LRAFB airmen save life, leg
By CAPT. TRISTAN HINDERLITER
451st Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – On the battlefield of northern Afghanistan in late March, an Air Force combat controller was shot by the enemy through the right thigh, opening up a large wound and fracturing his femur. The airman was rushed to a hospital at Mazar-e Sharif, where he was operated on in an effort to save his leg and his life.
With limited medical resources at the base, doctors there knew he would need to be quickly evacuated to receive more advanced care.
Meanwhile, a C-130J aeromedical evacuation flight out of Kandahar Airfield, dubbed “Bandage 33,” was in the air over northwest Afghanistan. It was a routine mission to pick up patients from remote forward operating bases and transport them to Bagram Airfield, the main hub for providing medical care in the country.
The 772nd Expeditionary Airlift Squadron crew, led by Capt. Ryan Thornton, the aircraft commander, had already made two stops when they received an urgent message over the Dynamic Retasking Capability, a sophisticated new communications technology in the aircraft.
The message: divert immediately to Mazar-e Sharif to evacuate a high-priority patient. There were no other details, so Thornton and the crew didn’t know what to expect.
In addition to Thornton, the crew consisted of Capt. Eric Jones, the co-pilot, and loadmasters Tech. Sgt. Brian Commodore and Airman 1st Class Anastasia McCorkle — all deployed from Little Rock Air Force Base.
Since it was an aeromedical evacuation flight mission, they also had a five-person medical team aboard led by Capt. Adriana Valadez, the mission’s medical crew director and a flight nurse with the 651st Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron.
The evacuation team also included Lt. Col. Kathleen Sprague, a flight nurse, and medical technicians Master Sgt. John Kley, Staff Sgt. Julian Williams and Senior Airman Amanda Pena.
When the aircraft landed, the young combat controller was brought out to the jet in an ambulance, having been operated on just hours earlier. Despite the extent of his injuries, he was categorized as “urgent but stable,” and the crew took off with orders to continue their original flight plan, which included a stop at one more forward operating base before heading to Bagram.
Once airborne, however, the patient’s condition deteriorated rapidly. He started to bleed from his gunshot wound, and his blood pressure dropped.
“I told the pilot, ‘we have to go straight to Bagram,’” said Valadez, a reservist deployed from Joint Base San Antionio-Lackland and a trauma nurse at San Antonio Military Medical Center in her civilian job.
“At that point we were worried about saving his leg and making sure he was hemodynamically stable,” she said. “We knew he needed to go straight back to surgery to figure out why he was bleeding and that he needed to get to a higher level of care very quickly.”
Unfortunately, the crew’s orders were to continue to the next forward operating base, and conventional means of communications were unable to reach their command and control element to request authorization to go straight to Bagram. The dynamic retasking capability, however, allowed them to successfully communicate that they were heading directly to Bagram to try to save their patient.
The flight — which normally takes well over an hour — took just 42 minutes.
“We were max blast all the way there,” Jones said. “That’s the closest thing I think we’ll ever get to driving an ambulance. You call ‘urgent medevac’ over the radio and they part the Red Sea for you. All the traffic gets out of your way.”
In the back of the aircraft, Valadez and her team worked on the combat controller, attempting to control his bleeding. Valadez remained standing next to him during landing, applying pressure to the wound, and continued to work on him as he was transferred from the jet to the ambulance and all the way to the emergency room.
The injured combat controller went straight to surgery. He lived, and the medical team was able to save his leg.
“It was truly one team up there,” Valadez said. “Both pilots and the loadmasters were great. When it became an emergency situation, everyone pulled together. Everyone knew their roles and was able to help out whatever way they could.”
The mission was a great example of an aircrew and AE team working together to accomplish the mission and save a life, said Lt. Col. Sean Barden, 772nd EAS director of operations.
“I’m really proud of the entire crew,” he said. “It’s great to see what a difference our aeromedical evacuation mission makes for folks who are wounded on the battlefield. It’s rewarding to know that our teamwork and use of technology made such a big difference for one of our fellow airmen.”
451st Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – On the battlefield of northern Afghanistan in late March, an Air Force combat controller was shot by the enemy through the right thigh, opening up a large wound and fracturing his femur. The airman was rushed to a hospital at Mazar-e Sharif, where he was operated on in an effort to save his leg and his life.
With limited medical resources at the base, doctors there knew he would need to be quickly evacuated to receive more advanced care.
Meanwhile, a C-130J aeromedical evacuation flight out of Kandahar Airfield, dubbed “Bandage 33,” was in the air over northwest Afghanistan. It was a routine mission to pick up patients from remote forward operating bases and transport them to Bagram Airfield, the main hub for providing medical care in the country.
The 772nd Expeditionary Airlift Squadron crew, led by Capt. Ryan Thornton, the aircraft commander, had already made two stops when they received an urgent message over the Dynamic Retasking Capability, a sophisticated new communications technology in the aircraft.
The message: divert immediately to Mazar-e Sharif to evacuate a high-priority patient. There were no other details, so Thornton and the crew didn’t know what to expect.
In addition to Thornton, the crew consisted of Capt. Eric Jones, the co-pilot, and loadmasters Tech. Sgt. Brian Commodore and Airman 1st Class Anastasia McCorkle — all deployed from Little Rock Air Force Base.
Since it was an aeromedical evacuation flight mission, they also had a five-person medical team aboard led by Capt. Adriana Valadez, the mission’s medical crew director and a flight nurse with the 651st Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron.
The evacuation team also included Lt. Col. Kathleen Sprague, a flight nurse, and medical technicians Master Sgt. John Kley, Staff Sgt. Julian Williams and Senior Airman Amanda Pena.
When the aircraft landed, the young combat controller was brought out to the jet in an ambulance, having been operated on just hours earlier. Despite the extent of his injuries, he was categorized as “urgent but stable,” and the crew took off with orders to continue their original flight plan, which included a stop at one more forward operating base before heading to Bagram.
Once airborne, however, the patient’s condition deteriorated rapidly. He started to bleed from his gunshot wound, and his blood pressure dropped.
“I told the pilot, ‘we have to go straight to Bagram,’” said Valadez, a reservist deployed from Joint Base San Antionio-Lackland and a trauma nurse at San Antonio Military Medical Center in her civilian job.
“At that point we were worried about saving his leg and making sure he was hemodynamically stable,” she said. “We knew he needed to go straight back to surgery to figure out why he was bleeding and that he needed to get to a higher level of care very quickly.”
Unfortunately, the crew’s orders were to continue to the next forward operating base, and conventional means of communications were unable to reach their command and control element to request authorization to go straight to Bagram. The dynamic retasking capability, however, allowed them to successfully communicate that they were heading directly to Bagram to try to save their patient.
The flight — which normally takes well over an hour — took just 42 minutes.
“We were max blast all the way there,” Jones said. “That’s the closest thing I think we’ll ever get to driving an ambulance. You call ‘urgent medevac’ over the radio and they part the Red Sea for you. All the traffic gets out of your way.”
In the back of the aircraft, Valadez and her team worked on the combat controller, attempting to control his bleeding. Valadez remained standing next to him during landing, applying pressure to the wound, and continued to work on him as he was transferred from the jet to the ambulance and all the way to the emergency room.
The injured combat controller went straight to surgery. He lived, and the medical team was able to save his leg.
“It was truly one team up there,” Valadez said. “Both pilots and the loadmasters were great. When it became an emergency situation, everyone pulled together. Everyone knew their roles and was able to help out whatever way they could.”
The mission was a great example of an aircrew and AE team working together to accomplish the mission and save a life, said Lt. Col. Sean Barden, 772nd EAS director of operations.
“I’m really proud of the entire crew,” he said. “It’s great to see what a difference our aeromedical evacuation mission makes for folks who are wounded on the battlefield. It’s rewarding to know that our teamwork and use of technology made such a big difference for one of our fellow airmen.”
TOP STORY >> Father of the Bride comes to Cabot
By SARAH CAMPBELL
Leader staff writer
Most fathers look at their daughters and see a child in pigtails — not a woman —no matter how old their daughter is.
That doesn’t change when the daughter falls in love and gets married.
Stanley Banks, played by Tim Sopel in the Cabot Community Theatre’s upcoming rendition of “Father of the Bride,” is a typical dad stressed by wedding plans and watching his little girl grow up.
“He’s happy. He’s enraged. He’s a jokester. He’s going crazy. He’s the full range of emotions,” Sopel says about his character.
The play premieres at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Other show dates are April 27 and 28 and May 3-5.
Dinner is served at 6:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays with the play starting at 7:30. Sunday performances are show only beginning at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $25 for an adult dinner and show, $15 for an adult show only, $15 for a child dinner and $10 for a child show only. Call 501-941-2266 to reserve a seat.
“Father of the Bride” is based on the 1950 film of the same name.
Sopel said he relates to his role because he has three daughters and one of them is just four years older than the bride in the play.
“It’s really hilarious. It’s a great collection of humorous characters and it deals with weddings, which everyone has touched in some way,” Sopel said.
He added, with a chuckle, “(Stanley Banks is) kind of like my father. My father is a screamer.”
Sopel acts with the Royal Players in Benton. He said “Father of the Bride” director Doug Morris was in one of their productions and he is returning the favor.
Hali Free is starring in the show as 21-year-old Kay Banks, the bride.
She is a first-timer on the Cabot stage, but has been acting for years.
“It has been a blast. One of the things about it is there is always a fraternity among cast members. Every time you do a show you extend your family,” Free said.
She recently graduated from the University of Central Arkansas in Conway.
Free identifies with her character to a point.
“We’re both kind of really high-strung. We both like to shop. But she gets a lot angrier than I do,” she said.
Free continued, “(The audience) will have a great time and a lot of laughs.”
Cecilia Wilson, who plays Ellie Banks, the bride’s mother, said, “I am absolutely in love with old comedies. It’s so fun, a more innocent time. I think people can relate to it even if they didn’t grow up in the ‘50s.”
The cast also includes Brian Roberson as Buckley, the groom; Ryan Hoyle as Ben, one of the bride’s brothers; Justin Foust as Tommy, another of the bride’s brothers; Mathew Turner as Buzz, Macy Long as Peggy, Catherine Jaye as Delilah, Deiona McKnight as Miss Bellany, John Twyford as Massoula, Audie Waterson as Joe, Jimma Hampton as Mrs. Pulitzki, Terrence Ricks as Red, Doug Morris as Pete and Addison Bennett as Tim’s girl.
Leader staff writer
Most fathers look at their daughters and see a child in pigtails — not a woman —no matter how old their daughter is.
That doesn’t change when the daughter falls in love and gets married.
Stanley Banks, played by Tim Sopel in the Cabot Community Theatre’s upcoming rendition of “Father of the Bride,” is a typical dad stressed by wedding plans and watching his little girl grow up.
“He’s happy. He’s enraged. He’s a jokester. He’s going crazy. He’s the full range of emotions,” Sopel says about his character.
The play premieres at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Other show dates are April 27 and 28 and May 3-5.
Dinner is served at 6:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays with the play starting at 7:30. Sunday performances are show only beginning at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $25 for an adult dinner and show, $15 for an adult show only, $15 for a child dinner and $10 for a child show only. Call 501-941-2266 to reserve a seat.
“Father of the Bride” is based on the 1950 film of the same name.
Sopel said he relates to his role because he has three daughters and one of them is just four years older than the bride in the play.
“It’s really hilarious. It’s a great collection of humorous characters and it deals with weddings, which everyone has touched in some way,” Sopel said.
He added, with a chuckle, “(Stanley Banks is) kind of like my father. My father is a screamer.”
Sopel acts with the Royal Players in Benton. He said “Father of the Bride” director Doug Morris was in one of their productions and he is returning the favor.
Hali Free is starring in the show as 21-year-old Kay Banks, the bride.
She is a first-timer on the Cabot stage, but has been acting for years.
“It has been a blast. One of the things about it is there is always a fraternity among cast members. Every time you do a show you extend your family,” Free said.
She recently graduated from the University of Central Arkansas in Conway.
Free identifies with her character to a point.
“We’re both kind of really high-strung. We both like to shop. But she gets a lot angrier than I do,” she said.
Free continued, “(The audience) will have a great time and a lot of laughs.”
Cecilia Wilson, who plays Ellie Banks, the bride’s mother, said, “I am absolutely in love with old comedies. It’s so fun, a more innocent time. I think people can relate to it even if they didn’t grow up in the ‘50s.”
The cast also includes Brian Roberson as Buckley, the groom; Ryan Hoyle as Ben, one of the bride’s brothers; Justin Foust as Tommy, another of the bride’s brothers; Mathew Turner as Buzz, Macy Long as Peggy, Catherine Jaye as Delilah, Deiona McKnight as Miss Bellany, John Twyford as Massoula, Audie Waterson as Joe, Jimma Hampton as Mrs. Pulitzki, Terrence Ricks as Red, Doug Morris as Pete and Addison Bennett as Tim’s girl.
TOP STORY >> Bayou Meto irrigation on front burner
By JOHN HOFHEIMER
Leader senior staff writer
President Barack Obama’s proposed 2013 budget includes $5 million for the Bayou Meto irrigation, habitat and flood control project and members of Arkansas’ congressional delegation are trying to get another $23 million to get power to the new pumping stations and water to the first farmers via the Indian Bayou.
That’s according to Gene Sullivan, Bayou Meto Basin project director.
“It’s not nearly enough, but this is the first time we’ve seen the money in the budget,” he said about the $5 million. “It’s just a starting place. It goes to Congress. If it’s in the budget and increases, it’s not earmarking.”
The pumping stations at Scott and Reydell (Jefferson County) are nearing completion. The Scott pumping station will move 1,750 cubic feet of water per second from the Arkansas River into the system. That’s enough water to fill 40 in-ground backyard swimming pools a minute. The Reydell pumps, for flood control purposes, will put water back in the river.
The Bayou Meto Basin Project includes portions of Lonoke, Jefferson, Prairie, Arkansas and Pulaski counties.
The entire project, which would irrigate about 267,000acres needs another $600 million, Sullivan said Friday, but the first half of that can be irrigated for less by putting water in Indian Bayou, Salt Bayou and Bayou Meto.
Money for the three-year plan constructs the inlet channel from the river to the Marion Berry Pump Station at Scott, builds an outlet structure to the first canal, pays for electrical substation and transmission lines and constructs more canals.
The off-farm component involves pumping the water from the Arkansas River into a 465 miles of pipeline, 107 miles of new canals and 132 miles of existing streams and ditches, moving the water to where the farmers can hook onto it.
The area covered by the Bayou Meto project is currently irrigated by 2,600 wells.
Forty of 50 Lonoke County irrigation wells studied by the U.S. Geological Survey declined between March 2008 and March 2012, as much as 12 feet, but most often between two and four feet.
So with the aquifer being drawn down by irrigation pumps in recent years faster than it can recharge, and with the cost of pumping irrigation water from below the ground cutting into revenues, farmers look wistfully toward the Arkansas River, where the plan to divert tons of water into ditches, streams, pipes, canals and ponds, mostly for irrigation purposes, is hostage to the economy and to politicians who would cut government spending to the bone.
If the project is funded at about $28 million this year, it can pump water through a canal and into Indian Bayou, Sullivan said. Farmers near the bayou can then irrigate and fill their irrigation ponds from the bayou, relieving pressure on those steadily falling aquifers, from which they otherwise pump, especially during summer and times of drought.
Last year, the project was not directly funded, but the Army Corp of Engineers, which has program oversight, moved $5 million to it to keep it going--at the behest of senators Sen. Mark Pryor and Sen. John Boozman.
Otherwise the project would have been mothballed at a cost of $500,000.
“Pryor is kind of the lead man, but (the whole delegation) is supportive. We’ll be meeting with each one,” he said. “Boozman and (Cong. Steve)Womack are on appropriation committees, we’re in (Cong. Rick) Crawford’s district and the pump station is in (Cong. Tim) Griffin’s district.”
“We need money to get water into the basin, so we can begin selling water and protecting the aquifer,” Sullivan said.
The first farmers to get water when the pumping starts will because those along a stream, down past England and to the lower end of the project.
In her last term as senator, Blanche Lincoln got a $37 million appropriation that funded pump station construction.
Leader senior staff writer
President Barack Obama’s proposed 2013 budget includes $5 million for the Bayou Meto irrigation, habitat and flood control project and members of Arkansas’ congressional delegation are trying to get another $23 million to get power to the new pumping stations and water to the first farmers via the Indian Bayou.
That’s according to Gene Sullivan, Bayou Meto Basin project director.
“It’s not nearly enough, but this is the first time we’ve seen the money in the budget,” he said about the $5 million. “It’s just a starting place. It goes to Congress. If it’s in the budget and increases, it’s not earmarking.”
The pumping stations at Scott and Reydell (Jefferson County) are nearing completion. The Scott pumping station will move 1,750 cubic feet of water per second from the Arkansas River into the system. That’s enough water to fill 40 in-ground backyard swimming pools a minute. The Reydell pumps, for flood control purposes, will put water back in the river.
The Bayou Meto Basin Project includes portions of Lonoke, Jefferson, Prairie, Arkansas and Pulaski counties.
The entire project, which would irrigate about 267,000acres needs another $600 million, Sullivan said Friday, but the first half of that can be irrigated for less by putting water in Indian Bayou, Salt Bayou and Bayou Meto.
Money for the three-year plan constructs the inlet channel from the river to the Marion Berry Pump Station at Scott, builds an outlet structure to the first canal, pays for electrical substation and transmission lines and constructs more canals.
The off-farm component involves pumping the water from the Arkansas River into a 465 miles of pipeline, 107 miles of new canals and 132 miles of existing streams and ditches, moving the water to where the farmers can hook onto it.
The area covered by the Bayou Meto project is currently irrigated by 2,600 wells.
Forty of 50 Lonoke County irrigation wells studied by the U.S. Geological Survey declined between March 2008 and March 2012, as much as 12 feet, but most often between two and four feet.
So with the aquifer being drawn down by irrigation pumps in recent years faster than it can recharge, and with the cost of pumping irrigation water from below the ground cutting into revenues, farmers look wistfully toward the Arkansas River, where the plan to divert tons of water into ditches, streams, pipes, canals and ponds, mostly for irrigation purposes, is hostage to the economy and to politicians who would cut government spending to the bone.
If the project is funded at about $28 million this year, it can pump water through a canal and into Indian Bayou, Sullivan said. Farmers near the bayou can then irrigate and fill their irrigation ponds from the bayou, relieving pressure on those steadily falling aquifers, from which they otherwise pump, especially during summer and times of drought.
Last year, the project was not directly funded, but the Army Corp of Engineers, which has program oversight, moved $5 million to it to keep it going--at the behest of senators Sen. Mark Pryor and Sen. John Boozman.
Otherwise the project would have been mothballed at a cost of $500,000.
“Pryor is kind of the lead man, but (the whole delegation) is supportive. We’ll be meeting with each one,” he said. “Boozman and (Cong. Steve)Womack are on appropriation committees, we’re in (Cong. Rick) Crawford’s district and the pump station is in (Cong. Tim) Griffin’s district.”
“We need money to get water into the basin, so we can begin selling water and protecting the aquifer,” Sullivan said.
The first farmers to get water when the pumping starts will because those along a stream, down past England and to the lower end of the project.
In her last term as senator, Blanche Lincoln got a $37 million appropriation that funded pump station construction.
SPORTS STORY >> Panthers sweep out West Memphis
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
West Memphis led briefly in game one before crumbling, then rallied late in game two but fell apart again as the Cabot Panthers picked up two more conference wins Tuesday to extend their overall winning streak to six games. Cabot swept the Blue Devils 14-4 and 9-2 to move to 6-4 in league play and put themselves in good position to make the playoffs with four conference games remaining.
“That’s what you want to do is start playing your best ball in late April and hopefully keep it going in the state tournament in May,” Cabot coach Jay Fitch said. “We’re hitting the ball the best we have all year. Riley Knudsen is in our four hole and he’s crushing it for us right now. But you look at the way this thing is set up and eight wins might not get you in this. That’s a little frustrating to think about, but we still have a lot of work cut out for us.”
The Blue Devils scored two runs in the top of the third and one in the top of the fourth to take a 3-2 lead in game one. The Panthers responded with three runs in the bottom of the fourth, then blew the game open in the fifth inning.
Cabot got seven runs off four hits and four walks to take a 12-3 lead and assume control of the game. West Memphis got one back in the top of the sixth, but Cabot scored two in the bottom of the same frame to end the game on the sportsmanship rule.
The Panthers took a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning of game two, but after a pitching change, couldn’t get much offense going.
Cabot pitcher Zachary Patterson breezed through innings one, two, four and five, pitching three-up, three-down ball in all four frames. But West Memphis scored twice in the third inning to cut the Panthers’ lead in half.
Patterson walked Blue Devil seven-hole hitter Ryan McNabb to start the third. He struck out the next batter, but speedy nine-hole hitter Bryce Hamrick reached on a bunt single. One wild pitch and one passed ball scored McNabb. Hamrick moved to second on the wild pitch and stole third base. He also scored on the stolen base when the throw from home sailed into left field.
West Memphis relief pitcher Gray Fenter kept the Panthers off balance at the plate through six innings and the Blue Devils started to mount a rally in the bottom of the sixth to threaten to tie the game.
Hamrick led off by again reaching on a bunt single. Patterson then walked leadoff hitter Tyler Crouch to put two on with no outs.
Fitch pulled Patterson and put Knudsen on the mound. He got two-hole hitter Harrison Cole to pop up a bunt down the first baseline, that came down and hit Cole in the back as he was running to first base for the first out of the inning.
Knudsen then used the spaghetti move to coax Hamrick into breaking for third base before Knudsen was committed to home plate. A run down ensued and Hamrick was thrown out at third.
“That was a huge out for us,” Fitch said. “They were threatening and had their best hitters coming up. That was a great move and the right time by Riley. He’s really been playing well lately.”
Fenter then grounded out to first base to end the rally, and Cabot added five runs in the top of the seventh to blow the game open.
Cole Thomas led off with a walk and Ryan Logan reached on an error at first base. Casey Vaughan tripled to drive in two runs and Knudsen singled to drive in Vaughan. Kason Kimbrell reached on an error at shortstop that scored Knudsen. Dustin Morris then hit a deep fly ball to right field that was dropped, allowing Kimbrell to score and set the final margin.
In the two games combined, Knudsen went 5 for 6 with two walks, two doubles and four RBIs. Vaughan and Morris each had two base hits in game two.
Though Cabot is playing well, Fitch is still hesitant to get too confident.
“All year long we’ve been a team that would play great and then not play so well,” Fitch said. “We challenged them after sweeping Central. I told them they had the potential to be really good, but they have to start putting good games back to back. They’ve really responded since then and hopefully it will continue. We have a really tough road trip ahead at Jonesboro, and Searcy after that. So we’ve got some really quality baseball teams up ahead of us.”
Leader sports editor
West Memphis led briefly in game one before crumbling, then rallied late in game two but fell apart again as the Cabot Panthers picked up two more conference wins Tuesday to extend their overall winning streak to six games. Cabot swept the Blue Devils 14-4 and 9-2 to move to 6-4 in league play and put themselves in good position to make the playoffs with four conference games remaining.
“That’s what you want to do is start playing your best ball in late April and hopefully keep it going in the state tournament in May,” Cabot coach Jay Fitch said. “We’re hitting the ball the best we have all year. Riley Knudsen is in our four hole and he’s crushing it for us right now. But you look at the way this thing is set up and eight wins might not get you in this. That’s a little frustrating to think about, but we still have a lot of work cut out for us.”
The Blue Devils scored two runs in the top of the third and one in the top of the fourth to take a 3-2 lead in game one. The Panthers responded with three runs in the bottom of the fourth, then blew the game open in the fifth inning.
Cabot got seven runs off four hits and four walks to take a 12-3 lead and assume control of the game. West Memphis got one back in the top of the sixth, but Cabot scored two in the bottom of the same frame to end the game on the sportsmanship rule.
The Panthers took a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning of game two, but after a pitching change, couldn’t get much offense going.
Cabot pitcher Zachary Patterson breezed through innings one, two, four and five, pitching three-up, three-down ball in all four frames. But West Memphis scored twice in the third inning to cut the Panthers’ lead in half.
Patterson walked Blue Devil seven-hole hitter Ryan McNabb to start the third. He struck out the next batter, but speedy nine-hole hitter Bryce Hamrick reached on a bunt single. One wild pitch and one passed ball scored McNabb. Hamrick moved to second on the wild pitch and stole third base. He also scored on the stolen base when the throw from home sailed into left field.
West Memphis relief pitcher Gray Fenter kept the Panthers off balance at the plate through six innings and the Blue Devils started to mount a rally in the bottom of the sixth to threaten to tie the game.
Hamrick led off by again reaching on a bunt single. Patterson then walked leadoff hitter Tyler Crouch to put two on with no outs.
Fitch pulled Patterson and put Knudsen on the mound. He got two-hole hitter Harrison Cole to pop up a bunt down the first baseline, that came down and hit Cole in the back as he was running to first base for the first out of the inning.
Knudsen then used the spaghetti move to coax Hamrick into breaking for third base before Knudsen was committed to home plate. A run down ensued and Hamrick was thrown out at third.
“That was a huge out for us,” Fitch said. “They were threatening and had their best hitters coming up. That was a great move and the right time by Riley. He’s really been playing well lately.”
Fenter then grounded out to first base to end the rally, and Cabot added five runs in the top of the seventh to blow the game open.
Cole Thomas led off with a walk and Ryan Logan reached on an error at first base. Casey Vaughan tripled to drive in two runs and Knudsen singled to drive in Vaughan. Kason Kimbrell reached on an error at shortstop that scored Knudsen. Dustin Morris then hit a deep fly ball to right field that was dropped, allowing Kimbrell to score and set the final margin.
In the two games combined, Knudsen went 5 for 6 with two walks, two doubles and four RBIs. Vaughan and Morris each had two base hits in game two.
Though Cabot is playing well, Fitch is still hesitant to get too confident.
“All year long we’ve been a team that would play great and then not play so well,” Fitch said. “We challenged them after sweeping Central. I told them they had the potential to be really good, but they have to start putting good games back to back. They’ve really responded since then and hopefully it will continue. We have a really tough road trip ahead at Jonesboro, and Searcy after that. So we’ve got some really quality baseball teams up ahead of us.”
SPORTS STORY >> Lady Badgers step into first in conference
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
Attaining the 5A East Conference championship became closer within reach for the Beebe Lady Badgers after a two-game sweep of Nettleton on the road Wednesday. Beebe downed the Lady Raiders 5-1 in the first game, but had trouble putting its foes away during the nightcap in a 9-8 thriller that went eight innings.
The Lady Raiders came into the twin bill leading the league with a perfect 8-0 record with Beebe a game back at 7-1. Winning the opener set up a short-lived tie between the two teams before the Lady Badgers took first place outright with the victory in game 2.
“They have the best-hitting group of anyone in our conference,” Lady Badgers coach Eric Chambers said. “We had seven errors in the second game, which is not really typical for us, but it was kind of sloppy for both teams on the defensive side.”
Nettleton took a 7-6 lead into the final inning before the Lady Badgers were able to tie the game. The Lady Raiders scored a run in the top of the eighth inning to make it 8-7 before Beebe retired the side.
Beebe sophomore pitcher Ellie Reaves reached on a bunt in the bottom of the eighth, and senior Annlee Glass loaded the bases with another bunt. That put freshman Baylee Halford at the plate, and Halford sent in the tying run with a hit to second base. Nettleton tried for the force out at the plate but was unsuccessful.
Nettleton then retired one batter before sophomore Calah Hill hit it to shortstop, and the Lady Raiders once again failed to make a play on the ball.
Beebe (19-3, 9-1) has Bates-ville and Blytheville left on its league schedule while the Lady Raiders still have to face Paragould and perennial powerhouse Wynne.
“We’ve already played the top three or four teams in the conference,” Chambers said. “If we can take care of Batesville and Blytheville, we can win conference. We have one starting freshman and one junior, and the rest are sophomores. Most of the girls started last year, so we’re young, but we’re also kind of old.”
The Badgers baseball team split with Nettleton on Wednesday, winning 3-2 in the first game before falling 10-0 in a lopsided shutout.
Jared Aschbrenner took the win on the mound in game one for Beebe, as the Badgers scored a run in the top of the first inning, and added another in the second to answer both of the Raiders’ runs in the bottom of the first. The game remained tied until the top of the fifth when Beebe drove in the winning score.
Ace pitcher Ethan Moore took the victory on the mound for the Raiders in the second game with a one-hitter performance, and also led his team at the plate with a game-high three hits. Nettleton had 13 total hits.
The Raiders went up 2-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning, and took total control one frame later with seven more runs for a commanding 9-0 lead. Nettleton added one final run in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Leader sportswriter
Attaining the 5A East Conference championship became closer within reach for the Beebe Lady Badgers after a two-game sweep of Nettleton on the road Wednesday. Beebe downed the Lady Raiders 5-1 in the first game, but had trouble putting its foes away during the nightcap in a 9-8 thriller that went eight innings.
The Lady Raiders came into the twin bill leading the league with a perfect 8-0 record with Beebe a game back at 7-1. Winning the opener set up a short-lived tie between the two teams before the Lady Badgers took first place outright with the victory in game 2.
“They have the best-hitting group of anyone in our conference,” Lady Badgers coach Eric Chambers said. “We had seven errors in the second game, which is not really typical for us, but it was kind of sloppy for both teams on the defensive side.”
Nettleton took a 7-6 lead into the final inning before the Lady Badgers were able to tie the game. The Lady Raiders scored a run in the top of the eighth inning to make it 8-7 before Beebe retired the side.
Beebe sophomore pitcher Ellie Reaves reached on a bunt in the bottom of the eighth, and senior Annlee Glass loaded the bases with another bunt. That put freshman Baylee Halford at the plate, and Halford sent in the tying run with a hit to second base. Nettleton tried for the force out at the plate but was unsuccessful.
Nettleton then retired one batter before sophomore Calah Hill hit it to shortstop, and the Lady Raiders once again failed to make a play on the ball.
Beebe (19-3, 9-1) has Bates-ville and Blytheville left on its league schedule while the Lady Raiders still have to face Paragould and perennial powerhouse Wynne.
“We’ve already played the top three or four teams in the conference,” Chambers said. “If we can take care of Batesville and Blytheville, we can win conference. We have one starting freshman and one junior, and the rest are sophomores. Most of the girls started last year, so we’re young, but we’re also kind of old.”
The Badgers baseball team split with Nettleton on Wednesday, winning 3-2 in the first game before falling 10-0 in a lopsided shutout.
Jared Aschbrenner took the win on the mound in game one for Beebe, as the Badgers scored a run in the top of the first inning, and added another in the second to answer both of the Raiders’ runs in the bottom of the first. The game remained tied until the top of the fifth when Beebe drove in the winning score.
Ace pitcher Ethan Moore took the victory on the mound for the Raiders in the second game with a one-hitter performance, and also led his team at the plate with a game-high three hits. Nettleton had 13 total hits.
The Raiders went up 2-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning, and took total control one frame later with seven more runs for a commanding 9-0 lead. Nettleton added one final run in the bottom of the eighth inning.
SPORTS STORY >> Jackson finally makes it official
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
Months after a press conference announcing her intention to play college basketball at the University of Arkansas, Jacksonville standout Jessica Jackson finally made it official Friday morning, signing her NCAA letter of intent with the Razorback women’s team.
Jackson never publicly wavered in her commitment to Arkansas, but questions began swirling when coaches from other schools began showing up at Jacksonville home games in mid-season. Oklahoma State was the first school that turned up in central Arkansas. Jackson finally admitted Friday that she did begin to think she’d held the press conference in November too hastily. She said the University of Texas and Texas A and M were the two schools she was seriously considering, especially A and M.
“As the season went on these other coaches were still calling and coming and I started to get to know them,” Jackson said. “I just started thinking I should’ve left my options open. I really started liking some of those coaches and those schools. Coach (Gary) Blair (A and M) coached at Arkansas when they went to the final four. He just won a national championship, and they were on me in ninth grade. I think they were the second one to offer me a scholarship.”
In her career, Jackson was named to the state tournament All-Tournament team three times, was a McDonald’s All-American finalist and made the Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Association All-American team.
Her high-school coach Katrina Mimms said she’s also been a phenomenal teammate.
“She’s been a big prospect since I first got her in ninth grade,” Mimms said. “But she’s always been a team player. She could’ve gone out and scored 30 every night if she’d wanted to, and if we needed her to do that, she did it. But she also knew she had a pretty good team around her and didn’t always have to do everything. Sometimes though, I think she was a little bit too unselfish.”
The four-time All-Conference, two-time All-State and 2013 state tournament MVP fell back on her original commitment because of proximity to family and a lifelong love of the Hogs.
“I really wanted to stay close to my dad so him and my family could see me play,” Jackson said. “I’ve always been a fan of Arkansas too. I want to be a part of getting Arkansas women’s basketball to where teams like Texas and Texas A and M are at.”
Leader sports editor
Months after a press conference announcing her intention to play college basketball at the University of Arkansas, Jacksonville standout Jessica Jackson finally made it official Friday morning, signing her NCAA letter of intent with the Razorback women’s team.
Jackson never publicly wavered in her commitment to Arkansas, but questions began swirling when coaches from other schools began showing up at Jacksonville home games in mid-season. Oklahoma State was the first school that turned up in central Arkansas. Jackson finally admitted Friday that she did begin to think she’d held the press conference in November too hastily. She said the University of Texas and Texas A and M were the two schools she was seriously considering, especially A and M.
“As the season went on these other coaches were still calling and coming and I started to get to know them,” Jackson said. “I just started thinking I should’ve left my options open. I really started liking some of those coaches and those schools. Coach (Gary) Blair (A and M) coached at Arkansas when they went to the final four. He just won a national championship, and they were on me in ninth grade. I think they were the second one to offer me a scholarship.”
In her career, Jackson was named to the state tournament All-Tournament team three times, was a McDonald’s All-American finalist and made the Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Association All-American team.
Her high-school coach Katrina Mimms said she’s also been a phenomenal teammate.
“She’s been a big prospect since I first got her in ninth grade,” Mimms said. “But she’s always been a team player. She could’ve gone out and scored 30 every night if she’d wanted to, and if we needed her to do that, she did it. But she also knew she had a pretty good team around her and didn’t always have to do everything. Sometimes though, I think she was a little bit too unselfish.”
The four-time All-Conference, two-time All-State and 2013 state tournament MVP fell back on her original commitment because of proximity to family and a lifelong love of the Hogs.
“I really wanted to stay close to my dad so him and my family could see me play,” Jackson said. “I’ve always been a fan of Arkansas too. I want to be a part of getting Arkansas women’s basketball to where teams like Texas and Texas A and M are at.”
SPORTS STORY >> Jacksonville steals split with LRCA
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
Already assured of a spot in the class 5A state tournament, the Jacksonville Red Devils kept open the possibility of two or three seed after splitting a pair of 5A-Central games with Little Rock Christian on Wednesday in Little Rock.
The Warriors won game one 2-0 while Jacksonville came from behind to steal the nightcap 5-4 with a tw0-out, three-run rally.
The Red Devils’ win also did Sylvan Hills a great service, leaving the Bears alone at the top of the conference standings.
LRCA entered the game tied with Sylvan Hills inthe league standings at 7-1. The two teams had split their regular-season meetings, but the Warriors held the tiebreaker. If Sylvan Hills wins out, it will be the outright champions.
For Jacksonville, the split means it could still realistically finish anywhere from second to fourth place in conference play.
“There’s still a lot of baseball left,” Jacksonville assistant coach Jeremiah Clennon said. “Pulaski Academy still has to play us and Sylvan Hills. Those four games are going to say a lot so there’s still some shaking up that’s going to take place.”
On Wednesday, the Red Devils managed just three scattered hits in the game-one loss, though there were opportunities to score thanks to walks and Warrior errors.
“We really could’ve won both of those games, we just didn’t get it done with the bats,” Clennon said. “The pitching was great in both games. (Derek) St. Clair did a great job on the mound. We just didn’t do much offensively.”
The sophomore St. Clair threw six innings, giving up just four hits while striking out five, hitting two batters and walking two. Both of Little Rock Christian Academy’s runs were earned.
Fellow sophomore James Tucker gave up eight hits in seven innings of work in game two. He also gave up two earned runs.
The Warriors scored three runs in the top of the second inning and held that margin until the bottom of the sixth when Jacksonville finally cut into it.
With one out, Courtland McDonald got things rolling with the first of three-straight singles. St. Clair and Kaleb Reeves also singled, with Reeves’ hit driving in McDonald. Two batters later with two outs, Greg Jones singled to score St. Clair and make it 3-2.
Little Rock Christian added one run in the top of the seventh, but Jacksonville’s last inning rally allowed the Red Devils steal the win.
Ryan Mallison started the bottom of the last inning with a single to right-centerfield. But things looked bleak for Jacksonville when the next two batters up struck out. McDonald then doubled to put two runners in scoring position. St. Clair singled to score Mallison and make it 4-3. Reeves then hit the game-winning, two-RBI double to end the game.
Reeves finished 3 for 4 with a double and three RBIs. Jones, St. Clair and McDonald had two hits each while D.J. Scott added a base hit to the Red Devils total.
Jacksonville (8-10, 7-3) travels to Spiro, Okla., today and will host Maumelle in nonconference play on Monday. The Red Devils get back to league play Thursday in a home doubleheader against Mills.
Leader sports editor
Already assured of a spot in the class 5A state tournament, the Jacksonville Red Devils kept open the possibility of two or three seed after splitting a pair of 5A-Central games with Little Rock Christian on Wednesday in Little Rock.
The Warriors won game one 2-0 while Jacksonville came from behind to steal the nightcap 5-4 with a tw0-out, three-run rally.
The Red Devils’ win also did Sylvan Hills a great service, leaving the Bears alone at the top of the conference standings.
LRCA entered the game tied with Sylvan Hills inthe league standings at 7-1. The two teams had split their regular-season meetings, but the Warriors held the tiebreaker. If Sylvan Hills wins out, it will be the outright champions.
For Jacksonville, the split means it could still realistically finish anywhere from second to fourth place in conference play.
“There’s still a lot of baseball left,” Jacksonville assistant coach Jeremiah Clennon said. “Pulaski Academy still has to play us and Sylvan Hills. Those four games are going to say a lot so there’s still some shaking up that’s going to take place.”
On Wednesday, the Red Devils managed just three scattered hits in the game-one loss, though there were opportunities to score thanks to walks and Warrior errors.
“We really could’ve won both of those games, we just didn’t get it done with the bats,” Clennon said. “The pitching was great in both games. (Derek) St. Clair did a great job on the mound. We just didn’t do much offensively.”
The sophomore St. Clair threw six innings, giving up just four hits while striking out five, hitting two batters and walking two. Both of Little Rock Christian Academy’s runs were earned.
Fellow sophomore James Tucker gave up eight hits in seven innings of work in game two. He also gave up two earned runs.
The Warriors scored three runs in the top of the second inning and held that margin until the bottom of the sixth when Jacksonville finally cut into it.
With one out, Courtland McDonald got things rolling with the first of three-straight singles. St. Clair and Kaleb Reeves also singled, with Reeves’ hit driving in McDonald. Two batters later with two outs, Greg Jones singled to score St. Clair and make it 3-2.
Little Rock Christian added one run in the top of the seventh, but Jacksonville’s last inning rally allowed the Red Devils steal the win.
Ryan Mallison started the bottom of the last inning with a single to right-centerfield. But things looked bleak for Jacksonville when the next two batters up struck out. McDonald then doubled to put two runners in scoring position. St. Clair singled to score Mallison and make it 4-3. Reeves then hit the game-winning, two-RBI double to end the game.
Reeves finished 3 for 4 with a double and three RBIs. Jones, St. Clair and McDonald had two hits each while D.J. Scott added a base hit to the Red Devils total.
Jacksonville (8-10, 7-3) travels to Spiro, Okla., today and will host Maumelle in nonconference play on Monday. The Red Devils get back to league play Thursday in a home doubleheader against Mills.
SPORTS STORY >> Cabot girls still improving
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
Thought it’s not a conference rivalry, Bryant has become a measuring rod and a target for the Lady Panther track team this year, and the Cabot girls inch closer and closer with each new meet. The Lady Hornets beat Cabot once again on Tuesday at the Walmart Invitational at Panther Stadium, but they did it by their smallest margin to date.
The Bryant girls finished with 169 points in the 10-team event that was smaller than originally scheduled because the first date of April 2 was postponed. Cabot took second place with 151 points, eight points closer than the margin from last Friday at Russellville.
The Cabot boys turned in a good performance as well, finishing third place with 79 points behind Conway and Bryant, who scored 146 and 128 respectively.
Familiar names littered the leader boards for the Lady Panthers, with sophomore twins Tori and Lexi Weeks excelling in sprints and jumping events, and sophomore Micah Huckabee continuing to become a force in distance races.
Huckabee easily won the 1600 with a time of 5:38.94, almost 11 seconds ahead of second-place Talyn Billins of Bryant. Cabot junior Marlene Sheehan also finished in the points in the 1600, taking fifth place in 6:01.72. Sheehan got her first win of the year though in the 3200. Her time of 12:53.09 beat Mount St. Mary’s Andrea Nunez-Garcia by five seconds. Sheehan’s teammate Meagan Duncan took third in the event to give Cabot 16 points in the race.
Huckabee was beaten in the 800 by Bryant’s Melinda Murdock and settled for second place. Cabot junior Seaton Howard took seventh in the event for two points.
The twins, as they’ve done several times this year, finished in the top two spots in the pole vault. Tori went a season’s best 12-7 for first place while Lexi cleared 11-6, a full 18 inches higher than third place Catherine Sales of Jonesboro.
Cabot’s Ladaysha Evans joined Lexi Weeks in the points in the 100-meter dash. Weeks finished fifth and Evans eighth behind winner Tamara Kuyinendall of Little Rock Central. Lexi Weeks also took third place in the 200-meter dash behind Bryant’s Feniece Boone and Jonesboro’s Dawnta Dobbins.
Evans and Lexi Weeks finished in seventh and second-place in the long jump. Weeks leaped 17-8, just one inch shy of winner Alexis Royal of Bryant, while Evans went 16-2. The top two were the same in the triple jump, with Royal’s 36-8 beating Lexi Weeks’ 34-3 1/2. Rochelle Mallory also did well in the triple jump for Cabot, leaping 30-2 1/2 for fifth place and four points.
Carlee Wright and Haley Buford took second and fourth in the shot put. Wright’s second-place toss of 30-9 was still more than five feet short of Jonesboro’s Raquel Williams’ 35-10. Buford took second in the discus, and was just a foot shy of first with a fling of 93-6. Joydai Graves of West Memphis won that event.
Rachael Hall finished seventh to earn two points for Cabot in the 100-meter hurdles. Tori Weeks and Mallory finished third and fourth in the 300 hurdles, again behind Bryant’s Royal.
Cabot’s Courtney Briswalter finished fourth in the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:06.69. Bryant’s Boone left the field behind in that event with a time of 58.19.
Despite the success in the sprints, Cabot’s 4x100 relay team of the Weeks sisters, Evans and Mallory still has some work to do to catch Bryant.
The Lady Hornet team finished in 48.71 seconds, but the excitement was for second place. Cabot took second and earned the eight points, but two, three and four all finished within .9 seconds of each other. Huckabee replaced Mallory to make up the 4x400 relay team, which also finished second, this time a full eight seconds behind Little Rock Central’s 4:03.55. The Cabot team of Sheehan, Lexi Morrison, Duncan and Howard took third in the 4x800 behind Bryant and Conway.
The high jump was the only event in which the Lady Panthers failed to score.
Like he’s done in nearly every race this year, Conway’s Brandon Cox won the boys 100-meter dash, but he was pushed like never before on Tuesday.
Cox beat Central’s Tre James by 1/100th of a second, finishing in 10.98. Cabot’s Layton Alley took fourth and earned five points with a time of 11.37. Alley scored a point in the 200-meter dash as well, finishing in eighth place.
The Panthers put two runners in the points in the 400 meters. Zach Launius took second place behind Bryant’s John Winn, while John Sowden was seventh.
The Panthers, which has had successful sprint relay teams this year, did not enter a 4x100 relay team on Tuesday.
Senior Clay Killingsworth took sixth for Cabot in the 800 meters but the Panthers were shut out of the points in the 1600 and 3200.
Hayden Richey took second for Cabot in the grueling 300-meter hurdles and fifth in the 110 hurdles. Teammate and fellow junior A.J. McClean took fifth in the 300 hurdles.
Cabot’s 4x400 relay team of Sowden, Seth Hoggard, Jaylen Hemphill and Launius took second place behind Bryant. The team of Killingsworth, Sowden, Hillegas and Logan Boyer won the 4x800 relay by more than 11 seconds with a time of 8:58.02.
Senior Peter Seyler finished fourth for Cabot in the high jump while Cody Evans was sixth. Richey took third in the pole vault, clearing 11-6. Searcy’s Camron Stalnaker won with a vault of 13-6 while Bryant’s Justin Combs took second at 13-0.
Juniors Aaron Henry and Keith Pledger went fifth and sixth in the shot put while Pledger also took fifth in the discus.
Leader sports editor
Thought it’s not a conference rivalry, Bryant has become a measuring rod and a target for the Lady Panther track team this year, and the Cabot girls inch closer and closer with each new meet. The Lady Hornets beat Cabot once again on Tuesday at the Walmart Invitational at Panther Stadium, but they did it by their smallest margin to date.
The Bryant girls finished with 169 points in the 10-team event that was smaller than originally scheduled because the first date of April 2 was postponed. Cabot took second place with 151 points, eight points closer than the margin from last Friday at Russellville.
The Cabot boys turned in a good performance as well, finishing third place with 79 points behind Conway and Bryant, who scored 146 and 128 respectively.
Familiar names littered the leader boards for the Lady Panthers, with sophomore twins Tori and Lexi Weeks excelling in sprints and jumping events, and sophomore Micah Huckabee continuing to become a force in distance races.
Huckabee easily won the 1600 with a time of 5:38.94, almost 11 seconds ahead of second-place Talyn Billins of Bryant. Cabot junior Marlene Sheehan also finished in the points in the 1600, taking fifth place in 6:01.72. Sheehan got her first win of the year though in the 3200. Her time of 12:53.09 beat Mount St. Mary’s Andrea Nunez-Garcia by five seconds. Sheehan’s teammate Meagan Duncan took third in the event to give Cabot 16 points in the race.
Huckabee was beaten in the 800 by Bryant’s Melinda Murdock and settled for second place. Cabot junior Seaton Howard took seventh in the event for two points.
The twins, as they’ve done several times this year, finished in the top two spots in the pole vault. Tori went a season’s best 12-7 for first place while Lexi cleared 11-6, a full 18 inches higher than third place Catherine Sales of Jonesboro.
Cabot’s Ladaysha Evans joined Lexi Weeks in the points in the 100-meter dash. Weeks finished fifth and Evans eighth behind winner Tamara Kuyinendall of Little Rock Central. Lexi Weeks also took third place in the 200-meter dash behind Bryant’s Feniece Boone and Jonesboro’s Dawnta Dobbins.
Evans and Lexi Weeks finished in seventh and second-place in the long jump. Weeks leaped 17-8, just one inch shy of winner Alexis Royal of Bryant, while Evans went 16-2. The top two were the same in the triple jump, with Royal’s 36-8 beating Lexi Weeks’ 34-3 1/2. Rochelle Mallory also did well in the triple jump for Cabot, leaping 30-2 1/2 for fifth place and four points.
Carlee Wright and Haley Buford took second and fourth in the shot put. Wright’s second-place toss of 30-9 was still more than five feet short of Jonesboro’s Raquel Williams’ 35-10. Buford took second in the discus, and was just a foot shy of first with a fling of 93-6. Joydai Graves of West Memphis won that event.
Rachael Hall finished seventh to earn two points for Cabot in the 100-meter hurdles. Tori Weeks and Mallory finished third and fourth in the 300 hurdles, again behind Bryant’s Royal.
Cabot’s Courtney Briswalter finished fourth in the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:06.69. Bryant’s Boone left the field behind in that event with a time of 58.19.
Despite the success in the sprints, Cabot’s 4x100 relay team of the Weeks sisters, Evans and Mallory still has some work to do to catch Bryant.
The Lady Hornet team finished in 48.71 seconds, but the excitement was for second place. Cabot took second and earned the eight points, but two, three and four all finished within .9 seconds of each other. Huckabee replaced Mallory to make up the 4x400 relay team, which also finished second, this time a full eight seconds behind Little Rock Central’s 4:03.55. The Cabot team of Sheehan, Lexi Morrison, Duncan and Howard took third in the 4x800 behind Bryant and Conway.
The high jump was the only event in which the Lady Panthers failed to score.
Like he’s done in nearly every race this year, Conway’s Brandon Cox won the boys 100-meter dash, but he was pushed like never before on Tuesday.
Cox beat Central’s Tre James by 1/100th of a second, finishing in 10.98. Cabot’s Layton Alley took fourth and earned five points with a time of 11.37. Alley scored a point in the 200-meter dash as well, finishing in eighth place.
The Panthers put two runners in the points in the 400 meters. Zach Launius took second place behind Bryant’s John Winn, while John Sowden was seventh.
The Panthers, which has had successful sprint relay teams this year, did not enter a 4x100 relay team on Tuesday.
Senior Clay Killingsworth took sixth for Cabot in the 800 meters but the Panthers were shut out of the points in the 1600 and 3200.
Hayden Richey took second for Cabot in the grueling 300-meter hurdles and fifth in the 110 hurdles. Teammate and fellow junior A.J. McClean took fifth in the 300 hurdles.
Cabot’s 4x400 relay team of Sowden, Seth Hoggard, Jaylen Hemphill and Launius took second place behind Bryant. The team of Killingsworth, Sowden, Hillegas and Logan Boyer won the 4x800 relay by more than 11 seconds with a time of 8:58.02.
Senior Peter Seyler finished fourth for Cabot in the high jump while Cody Evans was sixth. Richey took third in the pole vault, clearing 11-6. Searcy’s Camron Stalnaker won with a vault of 13-6 while Bryant’s Justin Combs took second at 13-0.
Juniors Aaron Henry and Keith Pledger went fifth and sixth in the shot put while Pledger also took fifth in the discus.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
EDITORIAL >> Robert McCord, a great journalist
Robert S. McCord, who passed away in North Little Rock over the weekend at the age of 84, was a crusading newspaper editor who pushed for passage of the state’s Freedom of Information Act in 1967. He was then the publisher of the North Little Rock Times, which fought Mayor Casey Laman’s political machine and its policy of excluding reporters from meetings where officials made policy.
Laman challenged the FOI Act, which the state Supreme Court upheld unanimously. Officials still attempted to meet in secret, but if they’re caught violating the FOI Act, they could go to jail, thanks to the courage of Bob McCord, a real gentlemen and a mentor to young journalists.
A deeply religious person, he almost never said anything bad about anybody. There were politicians and a few journalists he disliked, but he didn’t dwell on the negative. He was a soft-spoken son of the South, a native of Camden, who grew up in North Little Rock. He was a gifted photographer who took pictures for the Arkansas Democrat during the Second World War when he was still a teenager and the men in their 20s were off to war.
He graduated from the University of Arkansas, where he edited the Arkansas Traveler, in 1951 and returned to the Democrat and stayed for several years until he bought the North Little Rock Times in the late 1950s and turned it into a first-class paper.
A decade later, he ran the Democrat’s editorial page with distinction and later became its executive editor. He left as the newspaper war with the Arkansas Gazette heated up, but he joined the Gazette a few years later as an associate editor and worked there for a decade before the paper shut down.
He was from the old school who gave us advice when we asked and always had a kind word for The Leader. We’re glad we knew him and mourn his loss.
Laman challenged the FOI Act, which the state Supreme Court upheld unanimously. Officials still attempted to meet in secret, but if they’re caught violating the FOI Act, they could go to jail, thanks to the courage of Bob McCord, a real gentlemen and a mentor to young journalists.
A deeply religious person, he almost never said anything bad about anybody. There were politicians and a few journalists he disliked, but he didn’t dwell on the negative. He was a soft-spoken son of the South, a native of Camden, who grew up in North Little Rock. He was a gifted photographer who took pictures for the Arkansas Democrat during the Second World War when he was still a teenager and the men in their 20s were off to war.
He graduated from the University of Arkansas, where he edited the Arkansas Traveler, in 1951 and returned to the Democrat and stayed for several years until he bought the North Little Rock Times in the late 1950s and turned it into a first-class paper.
A decade later, he ran the Democrat’s editorial page with distinction and later became its executive editor. He left as the newspaper war with the Arkansas Gazette heated up, but he joined the Gazette a few years later as an associate editor and worked there for a decade before the paper shut down.
He was from the old school who gave us advice when we asked and always had a kind word for The Leader. We’re glad we knew him and mourn his loss.
EDITORIAL >> Expansion gets closer
After pressure from Gov. Mike Beebe and Speaker Davy Carter (R-Cabot), a supermajority of the House of Representatives on Tuesday approved, by a vote of 77-23, a Medicaid expansion program that will insure some 250,000 working poor in Arkansas.
The first vote failed on Monday, but continued pressure from the governor and Carter put the bill over the top. Their political skills have pushed the innovative private option forward, and today it will be up to the Senate, where it is still short of a couple of votes, to approve funding the bill and send it to Beebe for his signature.
The federal government will fund the extension in its entirety for the next three years and 90 percent after that — or about $650 million, which a poor state like Arkansas (or any state) could not afford to give up. It would have been foolish to turn the money away. The Arkansas Hospital Association and several business groups pushed for enactment of the innovative program, which offers recipients a private option and gets them off Medicaid. All Democrats in the House supported the private option.
Rep. Joe Farrer (R-Austin) was one of the few holdouts against expansion in the House. Farrer is a physical therapist at North Metro Medical Center in Jacksonville but insists the struggling hospital won’t benefit much from the expansion, even though it writes off millions of dollars a year in services to uninsured patients.
Sen. Jonathan Dismang (R-Searcy), who will be the next Senate majority leader, supports the program. He listened to his constituents, including employees at White County Regional Medical Center, which will soon treat thousands of working poor who qualify for the private option if the Senate, too, approves funding.
Dr. Joe Thompson, Arkansas’ surgeon general, also deserves credit for passage of the new law. He met frequently with legislators and community leader to convince them that Arkansas could not refuse millions of dollars in federal funds to help improve the health of our working poor. He estimated the new insurance plan will help improve health care, save the lives of thousands of Arkansans a year and offer a lifeline to many small hospitals.
Congratulations to Gov. Beebe, Speaker Carter, Dr. Thompson and all the fine legislators who had the courage to do the right thing for our working poor. The Senate is the last remaining hurdle, which can be overcome if Sen. Eddie Joe Williams (R-Cabot), Sen. Jane English (R-North Little Rock) and others who have opposed the private option switch their votes and support the overburdened hospitals and small businesses in their districts. It could be the most important vote of their political careers.
The first vote failed on Monday, but continued pressure from the governor and Carter put the bill over the top. Their political skills have pushed the innovative private option forward, and today it will be up to the Senate, where it is still short of a couple of votes, to approve funding the bill and send it to Beebe for his signature.
The federal government will fund the extension in its entirety for the next three years and 90 percent after that — or about $650 million, which a poor state like Arkansas (or any state) could not afford to give up. It would have been foolish to turn the money away. The Arkansas Hospital Association and several business groups pushed for enactment of the innovative program, which offers recipients a private option and gets them off Medicaid. All Democrats in the House supported the private option.
Rep. Joe Farrer (R-Austin) was one of the few holdouts against expansion in the House. Farrer is a physical therapist at North Metro Medical Center in Jacksonville but insists the struggling hospital won’t benefit much from the expansion, even though it writes off millions of dollars a year in services to uninsured patients.
Sen. Jonathan Dismang (R-Searcy), who will be the next Senate majority leader, supports the program. He listened to his constituents, including employees at White County Regional Medical Center, which will soon treat thousands of working poor who qualify for the private option if the Senate, too, approves funding.
Dr. Joe Thompson, Arkansas’ surgeon general, also deserves credit for passage of the new law. He met frequently with legislators and community leader to convince them that Arkansas could not refuse millions of dollars in federal funds to help improve the health of our working poor. He estimated the new insurance plan will help improve health care, save the lives of thousands of Arkansans a year and offer a lifeline to many small hospitals.
Congratulations to Gov. Beebe, Speaker Carter, Dr. Thompson and all the fine legislators who had the courage to do the right thing for our working poor. The Senate is the last remaining hurdle, which can be overcome if Sen. Eddie Joe Williams (R-Cabot), Sen. Jane English (R-North Little Rock) and others who have opposed the private option switch their votes and support the overburdened hospitals and small businesses in their districts. It could be the most important vote of their political careers.
TOP STORY >> Here she is, Miss Jacksonville ’59
By SARAH CAMPBELL
Leader staff writer
Inner and outer beauty radiate from Shirlee Walker, the third Miss Jacksonville, who was crowned in 1959.
The former Shirley Be Dora was still a teenager and thought she didn’t fit the part of a pageant contestant.
But the people in her life thought otherwise.
“There is nothing more permanent in your life than the people who helped form your character,” Walker said.
She was working at a dress shop for a “glamorous” woman named Mary Moak when the third Miss Jacksonville pageant was organized.
Moak had been a supermodel in New York City, Walker explained. Walker’s boss convinced the teenager to make a try at the title.
Walker said Moak taught her how to walk, talk and encouraged her to sing “My Heart Belongs to Daddy” for the talent section.
“I was so stunned that night when they crowned me. You know how people burst into tears? I didn’t. It was a shock to tell you the truth because I never considered myself a pretty girl,” Walker said.
She continued, “Every girl should apply. Even if you feel ugly, go out there and try out. I would tell that person (who is thinking about competing) she has a lot of opportunities if you win the contest to better your life and to take advantage of every single thing.”
Walker added, “Your beauty comes from within. That glow will show on your face because it’s who you are.”
This year’s pageant was held in February, but Walker said she hopes she can participate in the next Miss Jacksonville competition. Next year will be the event’s 57-year anniversary.
Walker’s lifetime of experiences began with the evening she became Miss Jacksonville. It opened up opportunities she never would have had without the title.
One of those, Walker remembered, was cutting the ribbon to open Hwy. 67/167.
“It was such an honor to be there,” she recalled.
Walker said being Miss Jacksonville taught her a lot about herself and gave her skills that she used for the rest of her life.
She noted, “It gives you self confidence, a lot of self confidence. It gives you business sense because you have to pick and choose any contracts that come to you.”
Walker was a model for Wonder Bread, Coppertone and the Bowman Boat Company.
She competed in the Miss Arkansas pageant too, where she experienced one of her most embarrassing moments.
Walker described how the heel of her shoe got stuck in the carpet at the end of the runway during the introductions. She had to yank the shoe from the carpet to leave the stage.
But Walker turned the horrifying problem into a comical one. She held up the shoe, smiling and waving to the crowd. They laughed and the show went on.
Walker also reminisced about performing a song and dance as Miss Jacksonville at the officers club on Little Rock Air Force Base during a benefit show.
She met her future husband, Capt. Eric Walker, there. She said he told her, “You don’t know it yet, but I’m going to marry you.”
The captain was the only one who came close to asking her for a date while she was Miss Jacksonville, Walker said.
She joked about how the city would always have to call the high school to get her an escort to events.
Walker attended her high school reunion 10 years ago. She said one of her classmates told her he always wanted to ask her out. He said he didn’t because, he thought “someone as pretty as you would always be busy.”
Walker now lives in San Francisco, but she visits Jacksonville every year to visit her aunt and celebrate her aunt’s birthday.
Walker was born in Alexandria, Calif., but moved to Little Rock when she was 6 years old. She attended Central High School until it closed for a time because of the integration crisis.
Walker enrolled at Jacksonville High School as a junior after that.
Her family moved to a house on Martin Street in Jacksonville when her father opened a shoe shop in the city. He decided he didn’t want to commute from Little Rock.
The move made the teenage Walker happy because she was dating Biff Grimes, then-JHS quarterback. The two met at a football game where Grimes approached Walker and said, “I think I’m in love with you.”
Grimes broke up with Walker soon after the move because he fell in love with a younger girl, who he married later, Walker said. The two are still married today.
So, there she was, the new girl who didn’t know anyone other than an ex-boyfriend. Then there was the Miss Jacksonville competition.
“Everything started with the pageant for me. It gave me the incentive. I’m proud of who I am,” Walker said.
She and her husband were married in 1960. The couple settled in Saratoga, Calif., because of Eric Walker’s job as a pilot for Trans World Airlines.
He passed away in 1990 after having a stroke.
Walker has a son, Steven Walker, and three grandsons, ages 5, 2 and 1. They live in San Diego, Calif.
She earned a Bachelor of Science in interior design from San Jose State University in California. Walker also earned credits for a master’s in architecture, but didn’t finish that degree.
Walker opened a firm that offered drawings of building designs and obtained permits for customers.
She passed a three-day test to earn the certification required to do that kind of work in California. Walker was one of the first to earn the certification, she proudly noted.
Her firm worked on several vineyards and the dwellings of some famous people. Walker said one of the homes she helped with was built for a well-known San Francisco 49ers quarterback, but she couldn’t share the name because she signed a nondisclosure agreement.
Walker also worked with 49er Ronnie Lott’s foundation.
The foundation organized the San Jose project for homeless women and children. Many of the people the shelter helped were victims of abuse, Walker said.
The homeless women were given 90 days at the shelter before they were required to search for jobs in order to stay.
Walker’s committee taught the women how to dress for interviews, fill out applications and balance their checkbooks.
She was also an advocate for a 9-year-old girl. Walker would take the foster child to court when she needed to go.
The girl had been raped by her grandfather and four uncles. At the age of 16, the girl was able to leave the foster care system.
She went to live with her father, who had cleaned himself up through a drug rehabilitation program. So, the girl’s story had a happy ending, Walker said.
Walker is also a member of the Association of University Women and of the American Society of Interior Designers, which helps young people who want to get into that field.
Leader staff writer
Inner and outer beauty radiate from Shirlee Walker, the third Miss Jacksonville, who was crowned in 1959.
The former Shirley Be Dora was still a teenager and thought she didn’t fit the part of a pageant contestant.
But the people in her life thought otherwise.
“There is nothing more permanent in your life than the people who helped form your character,” Walker said.
She was working at a dress shop for a “glamorous” woman named Mary Moak when the third Miss Jacksonville pageant was organized.
Moak had been a supermodel in New York City, Walker explained. Walker’s boss convinced the teenager to make a try at the title.
Walker said Moak taught her how to walk, talk and encouraged her to sing “My Heart Belongs to Daddy” for the talent section.
“I was so stunned that night when they crowned me. You know how people burst into tears? I didn’t. It was a shock to tell you the truth because I never considered myself a pretty girl,” Walker said.
She continued, “Every girl should apply. Even if you feel ugly, go out there and try out. I would tell that person (who is thinking about competing) she has a lot of opportunities if you win the contest to better your life and to take advantage of every single thing.”
Walker added, “Your beauty comes from within. That glow will show on your face because it’s who you are.”
This year’s pageant was held in February, but Walker said she hopes she can participate in the next Miss Jacksonville competition. Next year will be the event’s 57-year anniversary.
Walker’s lifetime of experiences began with the evening she became Miss Jacksonville. It opened up opportunities she never would have had without the title.
One of those, Walker remembered, was cutting the ribbon to open Hwy. 67/167.
“It was such an honor to be there,” she recalled.
Walker said being Miss Jacksonville taught her a lot about herself and gave her skills that she used for the rest of her life.
She noted, “It gives you self confidence, a lot of self confidence. It gives you business sense because you have to pick and choose any contracts that come to you.”
Walker was a model for Wonder Bread, Coppertone and the Bowman Boat Company.
She competed in the Miss Arkansas pageant too, where she experienced one of her most embarrassing moments.
Walker described how the heel of her shoe got stuck in the carpet at the end of the runway during the introductions. She had to yank the shoe from the carpet to leave the stage.
But Walker turned the horrifying problem into a comical one. She held up the shoe, smiling and waving to the crowd. They laughed and the show went on.
Walker also reminisced about performing a song and dance as Miss Jacksonville at the officers club on Little Rock Air Force Base during a benefit show.
She met her future husband, Capt. Eric Walker, there. She said he told her, “You don’t know it yet, but I’m going to marry you.”
The captain was the only one who came close to asking her for a date while she was Miss Jacksonville, Walker said.
She joked about how the city would always have to call the high school to get her an escort to events.
Walker attended her high school reunion 10 years ago. She said one of her classmates told her he always wanted to ask her out. He said he didn’t because, he thought “someone as pretty as you would always be busy.”
Walker now lives in San Francisco, but she visits Jacksonville every year to visit her aunt and celebrate her aunt’s birthday.
Walker was born in Alexandria, Calif., but moved to Little Rock when she was 6 years old. She attended Central High School until it closed for a time because of the integration crisis.
Walker enrolled at Jacksonville High School as a junior after that.
Her family moved to a house on Martin Street in Jacksonville when her father opened a shoe shop in the city. He decided he didn’t want to commute from Little Rock.
The move made the teenage Walker happy because she was dating Biff Grimes, then-JHS quarterback. The two met at a football game where Grimes approached Walker and said, “I think I’m in love with you.”
Grimes broke up with Walker soon after the move because he fell in love with a younger girl, who he married later, Walker said. The two are still married today.
So, there she was, the new girl who didn’t know anyone other than an ex-boyfriend. Then there was the Miss Jacksonville competition.
“Everything started with the pageant for me. It gave me the incentive. I’m proud of who I am,” Walker said.
She and her husband were married in 1960. The couple settled in Saratoga, Calif., because of Eric Walker’s job as a pilot for Trans World Airlines.
He passed away in 1990 after having a stroke.
Walker has a son, Steven Walker, and three grandsons, ages 5, 2 and 1. They live in San Diego, Calif.
She earned a Bachelor of Science in interior design from San Jose State University in California. Walker also earned credits for a master’s in architecture, but didn’t finish that degree.
Walker opened a firm that offered drawings of building designs and obtained permits for customers.
She passed a three-day test to earn the certification required to do that kind of work in California. Walker was one of the first to earn the certification, she proudly noted.
Her firm worked on several vineyards and the dwellings of some famous people. Walker said one of the homes she helped with was built for a well-known San Francisco 49ers quarterback, but she couldn’t share the name because she signed a nondisclosure agreement.
Walker also worked with 49er Ronnie Lott’s foundation.
The foundation organized the San Jose project for homeless women and children. Many of the people the shelter helped were victims of abuse, Walker said.
The homeless women were given 90 days at the shelter before they were required to search for jobs in order to stay.
Walker’s committee taught the women how to dress for interviews, fill out applications and balance their checkbooks.
She was also an advocate for a 9-year-old girl. Walker would take the foster child to court when she needed to go.
The girl had been raped by her grandfather and four uncles. At the age of 16, the girl was able to leave the foster care system.
She went to live with her father, who had cleaned himself up through a drug rehabilitation program. So, the girl’s story had a happy ending, Walker said.
Walker is also a member of the Association of University Women and of the American Society of Interior Designers, which helps young people who want to get into that field.
TOP STORY >> Bad business decisions or affinity scam?
By JOAN McCOY
Leader staff writer
Back when building was booming and mortgages were easy to come by, two local men started buying fixer-uppers with the intention of remodeling and selling them.
They brought in investors to buy homes in Jacksonville, North Little Rock, Little Rock and Cabot. They are now in bankruptcy and owe local banks and other creditors hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The story of the failure of that venture was told this week in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, detailing the problems of former Air Force pilot Grant Exton and Jason Wilkinson, a CPA, two-time president of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce and recent candidate for Lonoke County sheriff.
Both men, who lived in Austin, have filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy, which could relieve them of their debt. Wilkinson filed in January in Durham, N.C., where he is living with his wife and children.
Exton filed in Little Rock earlier this month.
According to their petitions, Exton and his wife have assets including their $519,000 home totaling $671,110 and debt totaling $5.4 million, while Wilkinson and his wife have assets including their $568,000 home that total $698,000 and $5.2 million in debt.
But their debt doesn’t include the debt of the investors who were willing to sign mortgages to buy more houses for Exton and Wilkinson to rehab in exchange for part of the profit, mortgages that they must now pay since G&K Home Solutions LLC, the company Exton and Wilkinson ran, has failed.
Bankruptcy might be only the beginning of their problems since investigation for fraud by federal agencies is ongoing. But at its heart, it was a tale of ambition and misplaced trust that smacked of a type of scheme known as affinity fraud.
Many of those investors were connected to Little Rock Air Force Base like Exton and went to church together. They have been left holding $15 million in mortgages that many of them signed without looking at the property. They felt a connection to Exton, which is a key component in affinity fraud.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission describes affinity fraud as investment scams that prey upon members of identifiable groups and that the fraudsters either are or pretend to be part of that group.
“These scams exploit the trust and friendship that exist in groups of people who have something in common. Because of the tight-knit structure of many groups, it can be difficult for regulators or law enforcement officials to detect an affinity scam,” the Securities and Exchange Commission warns on its website.
To avoid affinity fraud, “check out everything — no matter how trustworthy the person seems who brings the investment opportunity to your attention,” the commission advises.
At this point, the only thing that is certain is that Wilkinson and Exton failed in business and they are trying to overcome their financial difficulties through bankruptcy.
The evidence is written in their petitions, filed Jan. 29 and April 4.
Their creditors include Arvest Bank, Bank of the Ozarks, Centennial Bank, CitiBank, First Arkansas Bank and Trust, One Banc, Regions Financial and Southern Bank.
Gary Boldt is also listed in the bankruptcy petition. He was an investor who loaned Wilkinson and Exton money outright to buy a business in Little Rock and was not repaid.
Leader staff writer
Back when building was booming and mortgages were easy to come by, two local men started buying fixer-uppers with the intention of remodeling and selling them.
They brought in investors to buy homes in Jacksonville, North Little Rock, Little Rock and Cabot. They are now in bankruptcy and owe local banks and other creditors hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The story of the failure of that venture was told this week in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, detailing the problems of former Air Force pilot Grant Exton and Jason Wilkinson, a CPA, two-time president of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce and recent candidate for Lonoke County sheriff.
Both men, who lived in Austin, have filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy, which could relieve them of their debt. Wilkinson filed in January in Durham, N.C., where he is living with his wife and children.
Exton filed in Little Rock earlier this month.
According to their petitions, Exton and his wife have assets including their $519,000 home totaling $671,110 and debt totaling $5.4 million, while Wilkinson and his wife have assets including their $568,000 home that total $698,000 and $5.2 million in debt.
But their debt doesn’t include the debt of the investors who were willing to sign mortgages to buy more houses for Exton and Wilkinson to rehab in exchange for part of the profit, mortgages that they must now pay since G&K Home Solutions LLC, the company Exton and Wilkinson ran, has failed.
Bankruptcy might be only the beginning of their problems since investigation for fraud by federal agencies is ongoing. But at its heart, it was a tale of ambition and misplaced trust that smacked of a type of scheme known as affinity fraud.
Many of those investors were connected to Little Rock Air Force Base like Exton and went to church together. They have been left holding $15 million in mortgages that many of them signed without looking at the property. They felt a connection to Exton, which is a key component in affinity fraud.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission describes affinity fraud as investment scams that prey upon members of identifiable groups and that the fraudsters either are or pretend to be part of that group.
“These scams exploit the trust and friendship that exist in groups of people who have something in common. Because of the tight-knit structure of many groups, it can be difficult for regulators or law enforcement officials to detect an affinity scam,” the Securities and Exchange Commission warns on its website.
To avoid affinity fraud, “check out everything — no matter how trustworthy the person seems who brings the investment opportunity to your attention,” the commission advises.
At this point, the only thing that is certain is that Wilkinson and Exton failed in business and they are trying to overcome their financial difficulties through bankruptcy.
The evidence is written in their petitions, filed Jan. 29 and April 4.
Their creditors include Arvest Bank, Bank of the Ozarks, Centennial Bank, CitiBank, First Arkansas Bank and Trust, One Banc, Regions Financial and Southern Bank.
Gary Boldt is also listed in the bankruptcy petition. He was an investor who loaned Wilkinson and Exton money outright to buy a business in Little Rock and was not repaid.
TOP STORY >> Carter gets more votes on Medicaid
By JOHN HOFHEIMER
Leader senior staff writer
Eight lawmakers switched their votes on House Bill 1143 overnight as the House, on Tuesday, approved the appropriation of federal funds for the private insurance option to Medicaid expansion.
Some lawmakers may have had a change of heart or bowed to constituents, while Gov. Mike Beebe and House Speaker Davy Carter (R-Cabot) may have twisted an arm or two.
The bill, which needed 75 votes, got 77, advancing the likelihood of healthcare insurance for about 250,000 working poor between the ages of 18 and 65.
On the Senate side, vote counters say the private option bill has 26 votes going into today’s probable showdown, but needs one more.
If 27 of the 35 senators vote for the measure today, then Gov. Beebe has promised to sign it into law. The plan is billed as an innovative alternative to Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion that could provide a road map for other states struggling with the issue.
“Leadership is trying hard to pass this,” Rep. Jim Nickels (D-Sherwood) said Tuesday evening.
Beebe got Health and Human Services Director Kathleen Sebelius’ blessing for the private option.
If there’s anything Arkansas Republicans like less than Medicaid, it’s Obamacare — the Affordable Care Act — out of which Medicaid expansion was born. But by letting federal Medicaid funds pay for premiums and covering residents through private health insurance companies instead, Republicans had just enough distance and cover to promote or vote for the law.
As an appropriations bill, it needs 75 votes —three-quarters of the 100 representatives — but had only 69 after Monday’s first vote, with 28 nays and three voting “present” or not voting.
Rep. Patti Julian (D-North Little Rock) gave credit for passage of the bill to small rural hospitals, which were busy on the phones lobbying for it. Some claimed it was a matter of life and death for their hospitals.
Rep. Doug House (R-North Little Rock) said he had answered more than 1,000 e-mails on the issue. He says he’s a staunch opponent of Obama-care and fears Obama’s policy will cause the collapse of the federal government before the policy can be replaced.
“The national debt is $17 trillion and rising,” House said. But he wants to keep the small hospitals running until then.
With the exception of Rep. Joe Farrer (R-Austin), all area state representatives — Democrats as well as Republicans — voted Tuesday for the appropriation.
They included Democrats Julian, Nickels, Rep. Mark Perry of Jacksonville and Rep. Walls McCrary of Lonoke, as well as House Speaker Carter, a Republican.
Carter kept other important bills like Big River Steel and a $150 million tax cut bottled up behind the healthcare bill, “encouraging” members to pass the appropriation bill so they could move on to the others, some observers said.
“At the end of the day, the choice for the private option was the best choice on the table,” Carter said in a statement. “It saves our small businesses from over $25 million worth of penalties. It also prevents our Medicaid rolls from increasing.”
“I’m also very pleased that we passed over $150 million worth of tax cuts on the House floor. These include reducing the state income tax, increasing the standard deduction, reducing the tax on capital gains, reducing the sales tax on energy for manufacturing, and reducing the sales tax on groceries if budget conditions allow. If these measures are enacted, every single Arkansan will see the positive impact next year,” he said.
Carter also praised the appropriation measure supporting the Big River Steel project. The enabling legislation passed last week outlines the incentives to bring a $1.1 billion investment to Mississippi County.
Construction is expected to begin late this year.
“This bill decides whether Arkansas creates jobs or loses them, whether our people get access to health care or not, and whether our federal tax dollars come back to Arkansas or instead go to other states,” according to the Democratic caucus.
“This has been a long and carefully discussed plan that both sides agree is the best option for Arkansans. The private-option plan ensures that about 250,000 citizens have the choices they want and the coverage they deserve starting January 1, 2015,” Carter added.
“This is a major step forward in getting the private option fully implemented and developed,” Perry said. “Arkansas is going to lead the nation.”
Leader senior staff writer
Eight lawmakers switched their votes on House Bill 1143 overnight as the House, on Tuesday, approved the appropriation of federal funds for the private insurance option to Medicaid expansion.
Some lawmakers may have had a change of heart or bowed to constituents, while Gov. Mike Beebe and House Speaker Davy Carter (R-Cabot) may have twisted an arm or two.
The bill, which needed 75 votes, got 77, advancing the likelihood of healthcare insurance for about 250,000 working poor between the ages of 18 and 65.
On the Senate side, vote counters say the private option bill has 26 votes going into today’s probable showdown, but needs one more.
If 27 of the 35 senators vote for the measure today, then Gov. Beebe has promised to sign it into law. The plan is billed as an innovative alternative to Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion that could provide a road map for other states struggling with the issue.
“Leadership is trying hard to pass this,” Rep. Jim Nickels (D-Sherwood) said Tuesday evening.
Beebe got Health and Human Services Director Kathleen Sebelius’ blessing for the private option.
If there’s anything Arkansas Republicans like less than Medicaid, it’s Obamacare — the Affordable Care Act — out of which Medicaid expansion was born. But by letting federal Medicaid funds pay for premiums and covering residents through private health insurance companies instead, Republicans had just enough distance and cover to promote or vote for the law.
As an appropriations bill, it needs 75 votes —three-quarters of the 100 representatives — but had only 69 after Monday’s first vote, with 28 nays and three voting “present” or not voting.
Rep. Patti Julian (D-North Little Rock) gave credit for passage of the bill to small rural hospitals, which were busy on the phones lobbying for it. Some claimed it was a matter of life and death for their hospitals.
Rep. Doug House (R-North Little Rock) said he had answered more than 1,000 e-mails on the issue. He says he’s a staunch opponent of Obama-care and fears Obama’s policy will cause the collapse of the federal government before the policy can be replaced.
“The national debt is $17 trillion and rising,” House said. But he wants to keep the small hospitals running until then.
With the exception of Rep. Joe Farrer (R-Austin), all area state representatives — Democrats as well as Republicans — voted Tuesday for the appropriation.
They included Democrats Julian, Nickels, Rep. Mark Perry of Jacksonville and Rep. Walls McCrary of Lonoke, as well as House Speaker Carter, a Republican.
Carter kept other important bills like Big River Steel and a $150 million tax cut bottled up behind the healthcare bill, “encouraging” members to pass the appropriation bill so they could move on to the others, some observers said.
“At the end of the day, the choice for the private option was the best choice on the table,” Carter said in a statement. “It saves our small businesses from over $25 million worth of penalties. It also prevents our Medicaid rolls from increasing.”
“I’m also very pleased that we passed over $150 million worth of tax cuts on the House floor. These include reducing the state income tax, increasing the standard deduction, reducing the tax on capital gains, reducing the sales tax on energy for manufacturing, and reducing the sales tax on groceries if budget conditions allow. If these measures are enacted, every single Arkansan will see the positive impact next year,” he said.
Carter also praised the appropriation measure supporting the Big River Steel project. The enabling legislation passed last week outlines the incentives to bring a $1.1 billion investment to Mississippi County.
Construction is expected to begin late this year.
“This bill decides whether Arkansas creates jobs or loses them, whether our people get access to health care or not, and whether our federal tax dollars come back to Arkansas or instead go to other states,” according to the Democratic caucus.
“This has been a long and carefully discussed plan that both sides agree is the best option for Arkansans. The private-option plan ensures that about 250,000 citizens have the choices they want and the coverage they deserve starting January 1, 2015,” Carter added.
“This is a major step forward in getting the private option fully implemented and developed,” Perry said. “Arkansas is going to lead the nation.”
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