BY PAUL PETERSON and PEG KENYON
Leader staff writers
IN SHORT: Resident, alderman speak out on crime in neighborhood and all of Jacksonville
For bubbles and basketball, children and adults came together for the Sunnyside Addition Commun-ity Outreach and Awareness Day at Galloway Park in Jacksonville recently.
Helping out People Everywhere (HOPE) Community Development Corporation sponsored the event and Theresa Watson, director of the City of Jacksonville Community Development, showed her support for making the Sunnyside addition a better place to live. After several attempts, Watson sculpted a balloon into the shape of the dog. Adults painted butterflies on the faces of children.
Two men — one a white city alderman and a black Sunnyside addition resident — attending the weekend event agreed homeownership is pivotal in making it a more stable neighborhood. However, Eric Applewhite says after living in St. Louis, the Sunnyside addition feels like living in Mayberry, the fictional, quiet town in the Andy Griffith television show.
“People here are real nice and friendly,” Applewhite said.
Several other Sunnyside residents who live near Applewhite are also purchasing their homes. These neighbors watch out for each other, he explained. City alderman Kenny Elliott agreed with this assessment. “Crime seems to follow rental areas,” Elliott said. Before the event, Watson indicated that rental property ex-ceeds homeownership within the Sunnyside addition.
“The majority ... 59 percent is rental and 41 percent is homeownership,” Watson said.
There are loans available, but Watson says, “The key point is an investor … that’s the piece lacking.”
Watson warns it will take patience to revamp the Sunnyside addition so no major displacement of people will occur. She also mentioned there is a need for a multi-housing complex to built within the area because of small lot sizes. There are 495 lots in the area.
Watson believes the area has unjustly gotten a bad reputation. “You’ve got crime everywhere,” she said.
On Monday, Capt. Charley Jenkins, public information officer for Jacksonville Police Department, said he believes thefts and burglaries are the most troublesome criminal activities in the Sunnyside addition. Since Jan. 1, police investigated theft-related crimes ranging from larceny to residential burglaries, according to a call-sheet document released by JPD officials.
However, violent crimes often occur in the Sunnyside neighborhood nearby Galloway Park. Since Jan. 1, an armed robbery, a gunshot wound, an aggravated assault in-volving a firearm, a domestic dispute, vandalism and a juvenile dispute were among the calls worked by local police officers in the 100 block of Galloway Circle. Between March 16 and March 23, police also responded to a fight in progress and a stabbing in the same block.
On Pike Avenue, about 17 disturbance calls ranging from noise complaints to domestic disputes have been phoned into the police department so far this year. However, Roosevelt Road experienced three drug-related incidents while Pike Avenue listed one. Meanwhile, Galloway Circle registered two drug-related calls to the police. The document indicated none for Jaxon Circle and Jaxon Street.
“Sunnyside may be more attractive to criminals, but I don’t think you could confine crime to just one particular area,” Jenkins said. “Crime occurs over the entire social-economic areas of the city.”
Overall, Jenkins says burglaries and thefts are a concern in the Sunnyside Addition because of less homeownership and more renters, which come and go. He also mentioned there are fewer burglar alarms installed in houses, and taller shrubbery, which shields thieves.
On Central Avenue, however, police received only one theft-related incident since the beginning of this year. The document listed this as a theft from an automobile. On Victory Circle, there were no theft-related activities listed, but Union Avenue was the location of three larceny incidents between Feb. 10 and March 23.
Although some residents are reluctant to discuss neighborhood problems, others are willing, provided they remain anonymous, due to retaliation against ‘snitches.’
One individual, a male who calls himself ‘Larry,’ who withheld his age and occupation, expressed his sentiments regarding the past and current environment of Sunnyside.
Discussing the once non-existent patrolling of the neighborhood, Larry said the situation has improved remarkably. “Oh well, I noticed for a couple weeks recently that patrols have stepped up a bit,” he said. “Especially the last two weeks. Before that, they’d come if you call them. I call them quite a bit. We have a pretty bad drug problem in the neighborhood. There’s lots of it here.”
Jacksonville alderman Reedie Ray agreed that the police department has increased its presence in the Sunnyside addition, as has the alderman himself. “I’ve patrolled the area myself a couple of times lately,” he said. “Everything was quiet. Me and the police chief talk all the time. They’re on top of it. They’ve got Lee Street on dope surveillance now, and even got me on camera when I drove through there three times, real slow.”
As for Larry, perhaps what concerns him most of all is the safety and well-being of his family members and close friends, some of whom have decided to sell their property and relocate.
“I’ve lived most of my life here. I’ve been in this area almost 20 years,” Larry said. “My son’s been robbed about three times. I have a daughter who had a little bit of trouble once. It was just some young girls in a gang trying to fight her years ago.”
The situation was so bad, Larry said, that young children showed no qualms about kicking in doors of homes looking for money made from outdoor yard sales.
“About three or four years ago, when we were selling sodas from our front yard, some little boy robbed us,” Larry said. “He took our money we made. We weren’t the only ones to have that happen to us. Police found a trail of coins leading to the park. His older sibling was just picked up for armed robbery. They’ll kick your doors open and try to break in if they think you have anything. The last time I contacted police was over a domestic dispute. A friend of mine was on drugs real bad. I’ve also got family a member on drugs real bad, too, but she’s locked up. Most of Sunnyside’s problems are definitely drug related.”
Among the more saddening aspects of such living conditions include the hazards of reporting crime. Larry, like others in Sunny-side, has experienced danger for his vigilance.
“I’ve seen quite a bit of retaliation,” he said. “They got a thing about snitches. They want to kill them. Once people get a grudge against you, they hold them after that.”
And what about the former neighborhood association that has since faded into non-existence?
“There was a neighborhood association,” Larry said. “I knew the president. She’s moving. She’s selling the house and leaving the neighborhood. There have been times when drug activity went on right down the road from the police substation, when police were actually there. All this took place on the same street as the substation. It’s been there for several years, but the drug people don’t care that it’s not really open. It’s been there for five or six years. It’s even been robbed before.”
Larry believes some sort of court-ordered rehabilitation could possibly do some good. “We don’t have anything like that in Jacksonville,” he said. “I’ve seen some evil, mean stuff, like people stealing from their momma’s house and leaving her nothing to pay bills with.”
What Larry also cites as a major cause for concern is sporadic gang activity. “I see them regularly mostly in the evening,” he said. “We’ve had a bad gang problem. I had a real young boy tell me all of them have guns. He had one, too. I see some of them. Sometimes young boys sell drugs to older men, and the older men can’t pay for it, so the boys get real mean and real disrespectful. Gang activity is starting up out of nowhere. One drug house moves out and another one moves in.”
As often is the case, where drug activity prevails, dead bodies are likely to follow. “There’s a lot of unsolved murders in neighborhood,” Larry said. “And they don’t like snitches.” Referring to vigilante retaliation not uncommon in drug-infested areas, Larry compared it to street justice overseas. “It’s sort of like in Africa,” he said, “where they take the ones who snitch and hook a rubber tire around their necks and burn it up. And we’re African descendants. It’s the same type of mentality, punishing the poor to make to make it look like they’ve done something wrong. But dealers start taking on attitudes as mafia and big drug lords in movies. And people are scared. It’s a real bad thing. In rap songs, snitches are considered worse than the person doing the crime.”
Larry said keeping one’s mouth shut is similar to taking out a life insurance policy. “I went to prison to visit a friend of mine and was talking to a person there who’s got a son doing 10 years for robbery in Pine Bluff,” he said. “The son was shot for being with the actual robbers and got time for it. They were never caught. And the parent told me, ‘but at least he didn’t snitch.”’
The root of such degradation, as Larry sees it, is simple: crack cocaine, the key factor of a cause-and-effect relationship that breeds monsters and perversion. “Even the old people are getting evil,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of 20-year users in this neighborhood. They can’t stop and don’t want to stop. And their children are just as evil. It’s perversion like I’ve never seen. I know a lady who said her kids smoke crack with her boyfriend.”
Larry sighed and said regretfully, “That’s just the generation we’re coming to, and it’s getting worse. Someone can be hollering for help and neighbors just ignore it. They’re afraid. We can’t even depend on neighbors anymore. It’s hard to sleep at night. You might wake up any time with someone in your house looking for money or jewelry. People have turned in to fiends, monsters. You know, for Easter, kids used to get a new dress, hunt for eggs and candy. Kids don’t get nothing now. I’m a member of a church, but very few people come to church. But at Christmas, there’s hundreds. I’ve never lived where the whole neighborhood doesn’t want to come to church.”
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
EDITORIAL >> Ratepayers still shafted
Here is some shocking news: The state Public Service Commission says it lacks confidence that Arkansas homeowners will be spared having to help pay the electricity bills of people and industries in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. It wants some assurances from Entergy Arkansas, the subsidiary of Entergy Corp., that costs are not going to be shifted from those states to Arkansas.
If Entergy gives the regulators that assurance, we hope they get it in writing and require a bond.
Arkansas ratepayers have subsidized Mississippi and Louisiana to the tune of $3 billion over the past 20 years, and it seems likely that even bigger bills are on the way.
Arkansas lacked the political clout to prevent it two decades ago, when energy regulators for President Reagan and the federal courts said Arkansans had to help bear the electricity costs for their southern neighbors. The state is in an even worse predicament today.
Some foggy history is needed. Back in 1978, the young governor-elect, Bill Clinton, discovered that a document called the “system agreement” obligated the subsidiaries of the big electricity holding company Middle South (now Entergy) to share new capacity costs. Arkansas had spent hundreds of millions of dollars converting from oil and gas to nuclear and coal to generate electricity.
Arkansas ratepayers bore higher bills to pay for the conversion. By 1978, Mississippi and Louisiana were starting to build the hugely expensive nuclear plants, and Arkansas was expected to pay a big share of those expenses under the system agreement, although it ordinarily would not need any of the electricity that the plants — Grand Gulf in Mississippi and Waterford in Louisiana — would produce.
Under pressure from Gov. Clinton and later Gov. Frank White, the Arkansas subsidiary wiggled out of the agreement, but the Federal Energy Regulatory Com-mission under Reagan and then the federal courts put Arkansas back in. It was obligated through homeowner rates to pay 36 percent of the costs of new nuclear plants to the south of us.
More expensive plants are on their way as the Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas subsidiaries move away from expensive oil and gas generation.
Arkansas generation and capacity costs will now become much lower, and Louisiana is petitioning to have them equalized across the states by requiring higher payments from Arkansas. Entergy Arkansas announced six months ago that it was going to leave the system agreement no later than 2013. The Public Service Commission wants assurances that Arkansas ratepayers will be protected in the interim.
We can only hope that Entergy will do that, but how can it divine what federal regulators and federal courts will do?
Back in 1982, Gov. Frank White, Republican to the core, talked menacingly about having the state condemn the Arkansas electric utility and operate it as a public power company, like North Little Rock’s municipal utility, to avoid paying Louisiana’s bills.
Gov. Huckabee is not going to do that, we predict, but it might help if he threw his now inconsiderable weight around with the Republican administration in Washington as Bill Clinton was unable to do in the ’80s. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission could give assurances that Entergy Arkansas cannot.
If Entergy gives the regulators that assurance, we hope they get it in writing and require a bond.
Arkansas ratepayers have subsidized Mississippi and Louisiana to the tune of $3 billion over the past 20 years, and it seems likely that even bigger bills are on the way.
Arkansas lacked the political clout to prevent it two decades ago, when energy regulators for President Reagan and the federal courts said Arkansans had to help bear the electricity costs for their southern neighbors. The state is in an even worse predicament today.
Some foggy history is needed. Back in 1978, the young governor-elect, Bill Clinton, discovered that a document called the “system agreement” obligated the subsidiaries of the big electricity holding company Middle South (now Entergy) to share new capacity costs. Arkansas had spent hundreds of millions of dollars converting from oil and gas to nuclear and coal to generate electricity.
Arkansas ratepayers bore higher bills to pay for the conversion. By 1978, Mississippi and Louisiana were starting to build the hugely expensive nuclear plants, and Arkansas was expected to pay a big share of those expenses under the system agreement, although it ordinarily would not need any of the electricity that the plants — Grand Gulf in Mississippi and Waterford in Louisiana — would produce.
Under pressure from Gov. Clinton and later Gov. Frank White, the Arkansas subsidiary wiggled out of the agreement, but the Federal Energy Regulatory Com-mission under Reagan and then the federal courts put Arkansas back in. It was obligated through homeowner rates to pay 36 percent of the costs of new nuclear plants to the south of us.
More expensive plants are on their way as the Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas subsidiaries move away from expensive oil and gas generation.
Arkansas generation and capacity costs will now become much lower, and Louisiana is petitioning to have them equalized across the states by requiring higher payments from Arkansas. Entergy Arkansas announced six months ago that it was going to leave the system agreement no later than 2013. The Public Service Commission wants assurances that Arkansas ratepayers will be protected in the interim.
We can only hope that Entergy will do that, but how can it divine what federal regulators and federal courts will do?
Back in 1982, Gov. Frank White, Republican to the core, talked menacingly about having the state condemn the Arkansas electric utility and operate it as a public power company, like North Little Rock’s municipal utility, to avoid paying Louisiana’s bills.
Gov. Huckabee is not going to do that, we predict, but it might help if he threw his now inconsiderable weight around with the Republican administration in Washington as Bill Clinton was unable to do in the ’80s. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission could give assurances that Entergy Arkansas cannot.
NEIGHBORS >> Space Camp
BY SARA GREENE
Leader staff writer
IN SHORT: Students at space camp learn about all forms of flight -- even those that end up in a tree.
Last week marked the 10th annual Junior Space Camp held at Southside Elementary in Cabot.
“They’ll keep coming back to Junior Space Camp as long as it’s offered,” said Joe Mullins, father of Justin, 9, and Presley, 7.
“I liked space camp because we made a vest, a helmet with a bunch of stickers and because we used Coke bottles and sacks,” Presley wrote in an essay about Junior Space Camp.
The weeklong camp offered either morning or afternoon sessions for about 40 kindergarten through fourth-grade students who used the opportunity to learn about planets, constellations, life in space and the history of flight through a variety of hands-on activities.
For example, while learning about how meteors and comets pick up space debris while traveling, students used scoops of ice to represent the comets and toppings such as candy sprinkles, marshmallows, cherries and nuts to represent forms of space debris.
“My favorite part of Junior Space Camp was when we made ice cream (meteors) out of nuts, cherries, syrup and marshmallows,” said Greer King, 7.
For other projects, students put together balsa-wood airplanes and made model rockets out of cardboard and empty plastic soda bottles.
“I made a vest out of a sack and Coke bottles. We pretended it was a space mobility unit,” wrote Spenser Mull, 8.
Garrett Pace, 8, and Joshua Bennett, 9, said their favorite project was making “moon mud” out of glue, water, Borax and food coloring. Jay King, nine-and-a-half, preferred making a star hanger. Star hangers are mobiles made out of straws, paper and paper clips.
“I was the first one to figure it out,” King said.
Bill Johnson and Jim Ault of Mid-Arkansas Radio Control Flyers and the Academy of Model Aeronautics talked to the children about model airplanes and the basics of how airplanes work while flying diesel and electric model airplanes behind the school. Johnson and Ault have been conducting the demonstration at Junior Space Camp for the past five years.
“We made new and extraordinary friends and helped people along the way,” said Victoria Glockzin, 8.
Cade Goreley, 9, wrote that he enjoyed learning about Planet X, a recently discovered planet beyond Pluto.
Members of the Cabot Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, led by Col. Bobby Coe, met with the students to discuss building functional model rockets. They followed the discussion with the launch of several model rockets.
“I like space camp because I like space and science,” said Kirk Woodward, 8. Although the focus of the camp is science the lessons involve all aspects of learning including math, literacy and creativity.
“I’m a big promoter of math and science for girls and I see more girls attending Junior Space Camp every year,” said organizer Terry Donham, a kindergarten teacher at Southside Elementary.
Leader staff writer
IN SHORT: Students at space camp learn about all forms of flight -- even those that end up in a tree.
Last week marked the 10th annual Junior Space Camp held at Southside Elementary in Cabot.
“They’ll keep coming back to Junior Space Camp as long as it’s offered,” said Joe Mullins, father of Justin, 9, and Presley, 7.
“I liked space camp because we made a vest, a helmet with a bunch of stickers and because we used Coke bottles and sacks,” Presley wrote in an essay about Junior Space Camp.
The weeklong camp offered either morning or afternoon sessions for about 40 kindergarten through fourth-grade students who used the opportunity to learn about planets, constellations, life in space and the history of flight through a variety of hands-on activities.
For example, while learning about how meteors and comets pick up space debris while traveling, students used scoops of ice to represent the comets and toppings such as candy sprinkles, marshmallows, cherries and nuts to represent forms of space debris.
“My favorite part of Junior Space Camp was when we made ice cream (meteors) out of nuts, cherries, syrup and marshmallows,” said Greer King, 7.
For other projects, students put together balsa-wood airplanes and made model rockets out of cardboard and empty plastic soda bottles.
“I made a vest out of a sack and Coke bottles. We pretended it was a space mobility unit,” wrote Spenser Mull, 8.
Garrett Pace, 8, and Joshua Bennett, 9, said their favorite project was making “moon mud” out of glue, water, Borax and food coloring. Jay King, nine-and-a-half, preferred making a star hanger. Star hangers are mobiles made out of straws, paper and paper clips.
“I was the first one to figure it out,” King said.
Bill Johnson and Jim Ault of Mid-Arkansas Radio Control Flyers and the Academy of Model Aeronautics talked to the children about model airplanes and the basics of how airplanes work while flying diesel and electric model airplanes behind the school. Johnson and Ault have been conducting the demonstration at Junior Space Camp for the past five years.
“We made new and extraordinary friends and helped people along the way,” said Victoria Glockzin, 8.
Cade Goreley, 9, wrote that he enjoyed learning about Planet X, a recently discovered planet beyond Pluto.
Members of the Cabot Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, led by Col. Bobby Coe, met with the students to discuss building functional model rockets. They followed the discussion with the launch of several model rockets.
“I like space camp because I like space and science,” said Kirk Woodward, 8. Although the focus of the camp is science the lessons involve all aspects of learning including math, literacy and creativity.
“I’m a big promoter of math and science for girls and I see more girls attending Junior Space Camp every year,” said organizer Terry Donham, a kindergarten teacher at Southside Elementary.
OPINION >> Drafted Hogs should succeed
BY NATE ALLEN
Leader columnist
IN SHORT: Pitcher Daryle Maday and catcher Blake Parker have what it takes to make it as professional players.
FAYETTEVILLE – Don’t be shocked if pitcher Daryl Maday and catcher-third baseman Blake Parker fare well professionally after three years of up-and-down Razorback baseball careers.
The two Razorbacks were drafted as juniors in the recent Major League draft, Parker by the Cubs, and Maday by the Giants, and have already signed to report to rookie league teams.
Neither approached collegiate stardom, though Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn always believed Parker, so strong of arm and versatile that he could catch, play third and the outfield, had superstar potential. Van Horn and pitching coach Dave Jorn always believed Maday had one of the most lively arms of their pitchers on hand.
Maday began showing that lively arm to strong benefit late in the year, ironically not long after a fan at the monthly Swatter’s Club booster luncheon questioned Van Horn for ever pitching him with a game on the line
Fayetteville’s Parker was an enigma. A spring never started without Van Horn predicting greatness, but then Parker’s potential only getting glimpsed in flashes.
Possibly some of Parker’s problems stemmed from never getting to be more than a backup catcher. Catcher is his position of pro potential, but he usually got used elsewhere. Catcher Brady Toops in 2004 and Brian Walker in 2005 and 2006 simply were too good to be dislodged. Walker is a Razorback again for 2007 and not about to be budged from the backstop.
So the change of scenery with a real chance to catch could do wonders for Parker.
Maday and Parker could become just the latest testimony that the best college players don’t necessarily make the best pros but some collegians with modest college stats, do.
It happens in many sports.
Tim Sherrill is a classic example. A lefthanded pitcher from Harrison during the Norm DeBriyn era, Sherrill couldn’t crack the Razorbacks’ Southwest Conference rotation while lettering on great Arkansas teams in 1986 and ’87.
But Sherrill wound up pitching 18 National League games for St. Louis in 1990 and ‘91.
Among those elected to the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor are many of superb collegiate accomplishment who never got a whiff of the pros.
A MEMORABLE PRINCETON MOMENT
For this writer, the highlight of the NCAA Baseball Regional Arkansas hosted came during a Princeton postgame press conference.
Princeton coach Scott Bradley, whose two starting pitchers in defeat threw better than anyone else in victory, said, “Don’t think for a minute that because we’re Princeton and our kids are expected to go straight to Wall Street, that if they got the opportunity to play professional baseball they wouldn’t put that degree on hold for awhile.”
Ah, authentic Ivy League honesty.
Contrast that to the pseudo-Ivy League pretentious pap perpetrated by the NCAA. You know, those commercials of self-important, alleged student-athletes bragging how deep and complicated they are and that nearly all of them will turn pro in something other than sports.
Yeah, most will be turn pro in something other than sports, and that’s fine. They should.
But there’s that little backhand connotation in the commercial- hinting to cast a condescending air about those who do turn pro in sports. Funny, but those same schools that make up the NCAA sure relish those student-athletes become pro athletes as rich alums the institutions of higher learning beg to “give something back.”
Just another bit of hypocrisy from the organization hypocritically on the warpath against Indian tribal names for team nicknames on one hand, while with the other often legislating to make it more difficult for disadvantaged minorities to qualify.
Leader columnist
IN SHORT: Pitcher Daryle Maday and catcher Blake Parker have what it takes to make it as professional players.
FAYETTEVILLE – Don’t be shocked if pitcher Daryl Maday and catcher-third baseman Blake Parker fare well professionally after three years of up-and-down Razorback baseball careers.
The two Razorbacks were drafted as juniors in the recent Major League draft, Parker by the Cubs, and Maday by the Giants, and have already signed to report to rookie league teams.
Neither approached collegiate stardom, though Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn always believed Parker, so strong of arm and versatile that he could catch, play third and the outfield, had superstar potential. Van Horn and pitching coach Dave Jorn always believed Maday had one of the most lively arms of their pitchers on hand.
Maday began showing that lively arm to strong benefit late in the year, ironically not long after a fan at the monthly Swatter’s Club booster luncheon questioned Van Horn for ever pitching him with a game on the line
Fayetteville’s Parker was an enigma. A spring never started without Van Horn predicting greatness, but then Parker’s potential only getting glimpsed in flashes.
Possibly some of Parker’s problems stemmed from never getting to be more than a backup catcher. Catcher is his position of pro potential, but he usually got used elsewhere. Catcher Brady Toops in 2004 and Brian Walker in 2005 and 2006 simply were too good to be dislodged. Walker is a Razorback again for 2007 and not about to be budged from the backstop.
So the change of scenery with a real chance to catch could do wonders for Parker.
Maday and Parker could become just the latest testimony that the best college players don’t necessarily make the best pros but some collegians with modest college stats, do.
It happens in many sports.
Tim Sherrill is a classic example. A lefthanded pitcher from Harrison during the Norm DeBriyn era, Sherrill couldn’t crack the Razorbacks’ Southwest Conference rotation while lettering on great Arkansas teams in 1986 and ’87.
But Sherrill wound up pitching 18 National League games for St. Louis in 1990 and ‘91.
Among those elected to the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor are many of superb collegiate accomplishment who never got a whiff of the pros.
A MEMORABLE PRINCETON MOMENT
For this writer, the highlight of the NCAA Baseball Regional Arkansas hosted came during a Princeton postgame press conference.
Princeton coach Scott Bradley, whose two starting pitchers in defeat threw better than anyone else in victory, said, “Don’t think for a minute that because we’re Princeton and our kids are expected to go straight to Wall Street, that if they got the opportunity to play professional baseball they wouldn’t put that degree on hold for awhile.”
Ah, authentic Ivy League honesty.
Contrast that to the pseudo-Ivy League pretentious pap perpetrated by the NCAA. You know, those commercials of self-important, alleged student-athletes bragging how deep and complicated they are and that nearly all of them will turn pro in something other than sports.
Yeah, most will be turn pro in something other than sports, and that’s fine. They should.
But there’s that little backhand connotation in the commercial- hinting to cast a condescending air about those who do turn pro in sports. Funny, but those same schools that make up the NCAA sure relish those student-athletes become pro athletes as rich alums the institutions of higher learning beg to “give something back.”
Just another bit of hypocrisy from the organization hypocritically on the warpath against Indian tribal names for team nicknames on one hand, while with the other often legislating to make it more difficult for disadvantaged minorities to qualify.
SPORTS >> Piranhas growth expected to accelerate soon
BY RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
IN SHORT: The Cabot Piranhas are struggling with numbers, but the coming new pool should change that.
The Cabot Piranhas swim team, which competes in the Central Arkansas Swim League, has had decent start to the season so far. After two meets, the Piranhas are still searching for their first win, but have reasons to be hopeful. The Cabot team has yet to take its full team of about 100 swimmers to a meet, and sees lots of opportunity for point totals to increase when the whole team is together.
Cabot coach Debbie Skidmore is also pooling a team that now lacks a few of its top point-getters from a year ago.
“All the kids from the high school team went to Searcy,” Skidmore said. “They’re swimming up there in the USA league, which is a higher level of competition. They should really excel up there and improve a lot.”
Skidmore, who has been coaching the Piranhas since their inception nine years ago, now has something big to be excited about. The team is getting an official-size, indoor pool to practice and compete in once Cabot’s new community center is completed.
It’s something for which Skidmore and supporters of the Piranhas have lobbied for years, and it should be completed this November. That means the 2007 Piranhas will finally have a home pool.
“I’m just thrilled about it,” Skidmore said. “It should really help us grow a lot. Right now we don’t have the facilities to compete with the other teams in our league. That hurts us with our numbers. The largest teams in our league have close to 200 swimmers. Once we’re in the new facility, I believe we’ll start seeing participation numbers really pick up.”
This year, Cabot still has plenty of strong swimmers. Dylan and Megan Owens are a sibling duo that always scores high for the Piranhas. Michael Rakoski is one of the fastest swimmers on the team. He was missed in week one against Sherwood, but won every event in his division last week against Maumelle.
Faith Blair has been a top scorer for a few years for the Piranhas, she is now competing and scoring well in the 12-under girls division.
Vicki and Alice Lovellette are another pair of siblings that perform well each week for the team.
The Piranhas lost one third of their only trio of siblings when Jared Santiago, the oldest of three Santiago brothers, quit this year due to other commitments.
His younger brothers James and John still enjoy plenty of success each week.
Skidmore also mentioned some swimmers that have im-proved dramatically over the past year.
Twelve-under girls’ swimmer Emma Fulham has moved up into the silver division of most events, as has 10-year-old Frances Mc-Fadden.
“We really have a lot of kids that are moving right on up,” Skidmore said.
“One of the greatest things to see as a coach is the kids that didn’t just jump right out of the gate as fast swimmers really showing that improvement. We have some that are doing that now.”
Cabot will swim this Saturday against the Otter Creek Otters. The following week is an off week for the CASL teams.
Cabot will finally get to host its own meet on July 8 at the Jacksonville Community Center against Bryant.
Leader sports editor
IN SHORT: The Cabot Piranhas are struggling with numbers, but the coming new pool should change that.
The Cabot Piranhas swim team, which competes in the Central Arkansas Swim League, has had decent start to the season so far. After two meets, the Piranhas are still searching for their first win, but have reasons to be hopeful. The Cabot team has yet to take its full team of about 100 swimmers to a meet, and sees lots of opportunity for point totals to increase when the whole team is together.
Cabot coach Debbie Skidmore is also pooling a team that now lacks a few of its top point-getters from a year ago.
“All the kids from the high school team went to Searcy,” Skidmore said. “They’re swimming up there in the USA league, which is a higher level of competition. They should really excel up there and improve a lot.”
Skidmore, who has been coaching the Piranhas since their inception nine years ago, now has something big to be excited about. The team is getting an official-size, indoor pool to practice and compete in once Cabot’s new community center is completed.
It’s something for which Skidmore and supporters of the Piranhas have lobbied for years, and it should be completed this November. That means the 2007 Piranhas will finally have a home pool.
“I’m just thrilled about it,” Skidmore said. “It should really help us grow a lot. Right now we don’t have the facilities to compete with the other teams in our league. That hurts us with our numbers. The largest teams in our league have close to 200 swimmers. Once we’re in the new facility, I believe we’ll start seeing participation numbers really pick up.”
This year, Cabot still has plenty of strong swimmers. Dylan and Megan Owens are a sibling duo that always scores high for the Piranhas. Michael Rakoski is one of the fastest swimmers on the team. He was missed in week one against Sherwood, but won every event in his division last week against Maumelle.
Faith Blair has been a top scorer for a few years for the Piranhas, she is now competing and scoring well in the 12-under girls division.
Vicki and Alice Lovellette are another pair of siblings that perform well each week for the team.
The Piranhas lost one third of their only trio of siblings when Jared Santiago, the oldest of three Santiago brothers, quit this year due to other commitments.
His younger brothers James and John still enjoy plenty of success each week.
Skidmore also mentioned some swimmers that have im-proved dramatically over the past year.
Twelve-under girls’ swimmer Emma Fulham has moved up into the silver division of most events, as has 10-year-old Frances Mc-Fadden.
“We really have a lot of kids that are moving right on up,” Skidmore said.
“One of the greatest things to see as a coach is the kids that didn’t just jump right out of the gate as fast swimmers really showing that improvement. We have some that are doing that now.”
Cabot will swim this Saturday against the Otter Creek Otters. The following week is an off week for the CASL teams.
Cabot will finally get to host its own meet on July 8 at the Jacksonville Community Center against Bryant.
SPORTS >> Santiago’s more than swimmers to Cabot
BY JASON KING
Leader staff writer
IN SHORT: Jared, James and John Santiago are decorated swimmers for the Cabot Piranhas, but offer much more to their town.
The Santiago brothers of Cabot are a part of the fastest-growing sport in the area, competitive swimming. Two of the three brothers are currently members of the Cabot Piranhas Central Arakansas Swim League team, and also swim for the Little Rock Dolphins USA league team.
Oldest brother Jared, 16, swam for the Piranhas and Dolphins the last three years, but is currently on what he refers to as a ‘temporary retirement’. He took this summer off from swimming to seek employment, and to prepare for a hiking adventure in New Mexico later this summer.
The middle brother, James, 14, is the most accomplished of the talented trio. He has reached gold-level times in every category within his age group, and has put down times that are comparable to swimmers in higher age brackets.
The youngest, John, 11, is a gold-level swimmer in every category except for the butterfly, which he holds a silver time.
James and John have already taken part in two CASL meets for the Piranhas this summer, with strong results in the first meet, but less-than-satisfactory results in the last meet at Lonoke.
“This year has been going good, except for the last meet,” John said. “I think I just had an off day.”
“There were several good swimmers there; we knew they were going to give John a run for his money,” Jared added.
For the Santiagos, swimming is a big part of their lives, but doesn’t hold a candle to their interest in their community. They also participate in the Boy Scouts, and attend Cabot United Methodist Church. The brothers also take part in community cleanups in the area.
Jared is currently taking part in vacation Bible school in the mornings, while James and John are practicing hard for the Piranhas’ next meet. Among other hobbies, the boys enjoy role-playing video games and paintball.
Though well-rehearsed in the art of being kids, the boys are also tuned in to their futures. Jared has narrowed his college interests down to the University of Arkansas or Texas A & M, with an interest in dentistry.
James also wants to pursue the medical field as a pediatrician, and has his heart set on the possibility of becoming an Aggie as well.
Even young John has a sense of what he might want to do upon high school graduation. He says he would like to major in science and become a scientist.
All three have the grades to easily pursue those fields. Jared and James being members of the Honor Society at CHS.
For two teenage boys and one pre-teen, the Santiagos have a wonderful repose with each other. While most siblings fight for attention, and sometimes just to be fighting, the boys prefer to take light-hearted verbal jabs at each other. John catches the majority of the teasing being the youngest, but takes it all in stride with a big smile, and even the occasional comeback.
“He doesn’t have much of an option but to take it,” Jared said jokingly. “He’s the youngest, so he’s our main target.”
The Santiagos have lived in the Cabot area for 11 years now. Their father, Frank, is retired from the Air Force. Their mom, Melissa, is a pharmacist at the V.A. in Little Rock. Frank relocated the family to Cabot from Virginia, after a brief stay in Arkansas before that.
Among reasons that swimming has been beneficial to them, Jared lists discipline and focus. James says he likes it for its strength building, and because “it’s just fun to win.” John says he likes swimming with his friends from school, and meeting new friends from other schools at the swim meets.
Debbie Skidmore has been coach of the Santiagos since they joined up with the Piranhas. Skidmore spoke highly of the boys’ work ethic, and love of the sport.
“I’ve seen them have a passion for swimming,” Skidmore said. “They are very good at keeping their focus, you never have to tell them anything twice. They have that inner drive, and they know what is expected of them.”
The boys’ mottos sum up their feelings about swimming and their desire for improvement. John says, “Hard work always pays off,” and James’ creedo is: “Even if you win, try harder next time.”
If you attend a Central Arkansas Swim League meet this summer, chances are there will be a Santiago brother there, waiting for their turn to dive into the lane and compete.
Leader staff writer
IN SHORT: Jared, James and John Santiago are decorated swimmers for the Cabot Piranhas, but offer much more to their town.
The Santiago brothers of Cabot are a part of the fastest-growing sport in the area, competitive swimming. Two of the three brothers are currently members of the Cabot Piranhas Central Arakansas Swim League team, and also swim for the Little Rock Dolphins USA league team.
Oldest brother Jared, 16, swam for the Piranhas and Dolphins the last three years, but is currently on what he refers to as a ‘temporary retirement’. He took this summer off from swimming to seek employment, and to prepare for a hiking adventure in New Mexico later this summer.
The middle brother, James, 14, is the most accomplished of the talented trio. He has reached gold-level times in every category within his age group, and has put down times that are comparable to swimmers in higher age brackets.
The youngest, John, 11, is a gold-level swimmer in every category except for the butterfly, which he holds a silver time.
James and John have already taken part in two CASL meets for the Piranhas this summer, with strong results in the first meet, but less-than-satisfactory results in the last meet at Lonoke.
“This year has been going good, except for the last meet,” John said. “I think I just had an off day.”
“There were several good swimmers there; we knew they were going to give John a run for his money,” Jared added.
For the Santiagos, swimming is a big part of their lives, but doesn’t hold a candle to their interest in their community. They also participate in the Boy Scouts, and attend Cabot United Methodist Church. The brothers also take part in community cleanups in the area.
Jared is currently taking part in vacation Bible school in the mornings, while James and John are practicing hard for the Piranhas’ next meet. Among other hobbies, the boys enjoy role-playing video games and paintball.
Though well-rehearsed in the art of being kids, the boys are also tuned in to their futures. Jared has narrowed his college interests down to the University of Arkansas or Texas A & M, with an interest in dentistry.
James also wants to pursue the medical field as a pediatrician, and has his heart set on the possibility of becoming an Aggie as well.
Even young John has a sense of what he might want to do upon high school graduation. He says he would like to major in science and become a scientist.
All three have the grades to easily pursue those fields. Jared and James being members of the Honor Society at CHS.
For two teenage boys and one pre-teen, the Santiagos have a wonderful repose with each other. While most siblings fight for attention, and sometimes just to be fighting, the boys prefer to take light-hearted verbal jabs at each other. John catches the majority of the teasing being the youngest, but takes it all in stride with a big smile, and even the occasional comeback.
“He doesn’t have much of an option but to take it,” Jared said jokingly. “He’s the youngest, so he’s our main target.”
The Santiagos have lived in the Cabot area for 11 years now. Their father, Frank, is retired from the Air Force. Their mom, Melissa, is a pharmacist at the V.A. in Little Rock. Frank relocated the family to Cabot from Virginia, after a brief stay in Arkansas before that.
Among reasons that swimming has been beneficial to them, Jared lists discipline and focus. James says he likes it for its strength building, and because “it’s just fun to win.” John says he likes swimming with his friends from school, and meeting new friends from other schools at the swim meets.
Debbie Skidmore has been coach of the Santiagos since they joined up with the Piranhas. Skidmore spoke highly of the boys’ work ethic, and love of the sport.
“I’ve seen them have a passion for swimming,” Skidmore said. “They are very good at keeping their focus, you never have to tell them anything twice. They have that inner drive, and they know what is expected of them.”
The boys’ mottos sum up their feelings about swimming and their desire for improvement. John says, “Hard work always pays off,” and James’ creedo is: “Even if you win, try harder next time.”
If you attend a Central Arkansas Swim League meet this summer, chances are there will be a Santiago brother there, waiting for their turn to dive into the lane and compete.
SPORTS >> Bruins split at Twin Lakes
BY RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
IN SHORT: The Sylvan Hills AAA team split two games in Mountain Home over the weekend in the Brooks Robinson Twin Lakes Classic.
The Sylvan Hills Bruins AAA team won one, lost one and had one rained out over the weekend in the Brooks Robinson Twin Lakes Classic in Mountain Home.
Sylvan Hills opened the tournament by suffering a 10-2 loss to Eureka, Missouri, but bounced back by trouncing Pontotoc, Miss., 13-5 in the second game of pool play.
A win in its third game would have moved Sylvan Hills into bracket play, but the game was rained out and the Bruins lost out on the tiebreaker rule.
“The first tiebreaker was runs allowed, and we gave up too many runs in that first game,” Sylvan Hills coach Mike Bromley said. “That’s been a problem all year. We’re hitting really well, but we’re not loaded down with pitching and we’ve been making too many errors.”
In the second game, the Bruins came out of the gates on fire, scoring four runs on five hits in the first inning. They added to that lead with some power in the second inning. Taylor Roark hit a solo home run with no outs. A few batters later, Jarrett Boles mashed a grand slam to give the Bruins a 9-0 lead after just two innings.
Sylvan Hills pitcher Carter Lance kept Pontotoc off balance most of the game, but hiccupped in the third inning and gave up five runs.
Three were earned as the north Mississippi team picked up four singles, a double and walked twice in the inning. There was also an error with two outs that one single and the double followed to give the visitors two extra runs.
Despite the big inning for Pontotoc, the game was still destined to end on the run rule.
Sylvan Hills scored four more runs in the bottom of the third to push the lead back to the run-rule limit of eight runs.
Lance aided his own cause with a two-run home run in that inning, and Sylvan Hills led 13-5.
Lance steadied himself in the fourth and fifth innings. The Bruins failed to score in the fourth, and didn’t have to bat in the bottom of the fifth due to the eight-run lead after five innings.
Lance gave up eight hits in the game, but threw a three hitter over the other four innings. He walked three and struck out eight Pontotoc batters.
Roark and Boles led the way at the plate, each picking up three hits and one home run.
Boles racked up five RBIs in the game. Tony Pavan also added two hits for the Bruins, who totaled 13 hits in the game.
The weekend’s totals left the Bruins with an 18-5 record. They hosted North Little Rock last night after Leader deadlines.
On Thursday, they will begin play in the Sheridan Wooden Bat Classic that runs through the weekend.
The Sylvan Hills A team will also be in action this week. They also faced North Little Rock last night, and will travel to Benton tonight and to Heber Springs on Thursday. They will close the week with a doubleheader at Hot Springs Saturday.
The Bryant Black Sox won the Brooks Robinson tournament, winning 13-2 in the final game.
Leader sports editor
IN SHORT: The Sylvan Hills AAA team split two games in Mountain Home over the weekend in the Brooks Robinson Twin Lakes Classic.
The Sylvan Hills Bruins AAA team won one, lost one and had one rained out over the weekend in the Brooks Robinson Twin Lakes Classic in Mountain Home.
Sylvan Hills opened the tournament by suffering a 10-2 loss to Eureka, Missouri, but bounced back by trouncing Pontotoc, Miss., 13-5 in the second game of pool play.
A win in its third game would have moved Sylvan Hills into bracket play, but the game was rained out and the Bruins lost out on the tiebreaker rule.
“The first tiebreaker was runs allowed, and we gave up too many runs in that first game,” Sylvan Hills coach Mike Bromley said. “That’s been a problem all year. We’re hitting really well, but we’re not loaded down with pitching and we’ve been making too many errors.”
In the second game, the Bruins came out of the gates on fire, scoring four runs on five hits in the first inning. They added to that lead with some power in the second inning. Taylor Roark hit a solo home run with no outs. A few batters later, Jarrett Boles mashed a grand slam to give the Bruins a 9-0 lead after just two innings.
Sylvan Hills pitcher Carter Lance kept Pontotoc off balance most of the game, but hiccupped in the third inning and gave up five runs.
Three were earned as the north Mississippi team picked up four singles, a double and walked twice in the inning. There was also an error with two outs that one single and the double followed to give the visitors two extra runs.
Despite the big inning for Pontotoc, the game was still destined to end on the run rule.
Sylvan Hills scored four more runs in the bottom of the third to push the lead back to the run-rule limit of eight runs.
Lance aided his own cause with a two-run home run in that inning, and Sylvan Hills led 13-5.
Lance steadied himself in the fourth and fifth innings. The Bruins failed to score in the fourth, and didn’t have to bat in the bottom of the fifth due to the eight-run lead after five innings.
Lance gave up eight hits in the game, but threw a three hitter over the other four innings. He walked three and struck out eight Pontotoc batters.
Roark and Boles led the way at the plate, each picking up three hits and one home run.
Boles racked up five RBIs in the game. Tony Pavan also added two hits for the Bruins, who totaled 13 hits in the game.
The weekend’s totals left the Bruins with an 18-5 record. They hosted North Little Rock last night after Leader deadlines.
On Thursday, they will begin play in the Sheridan Wooden Bat Classic that runs through the weekend.
The Sylvan Hills A team will also be in action this week. They also faced North Little Rock last night, and will travel to Benton tonight and to Heber Springs on Thursday. They will close the week with a doubleheader at Hot Springs Saturday.
The Bryant Black Sox won the Brooks Robinson tournament, winning 13-2 in the final game.
Friday, June 16, 2006
TOP STORY>> Veteran alderman dead at 70
By Rick Kron
Leader staff writer
IN SHORT: Robert Lewis, losing a battle with cancer, served on the Jacksonville City Council for 22 years and had just filed to run again.
Jacksonville Alderman Robert Lewis, 70, died Tuesday morning after a long battle with cancer.
To many, his death was a surprise as Lewis, who had ups and downs in his fight for life, felt well enough to file about two weeks ago for another term on the city council.
Visitation will be Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Griffin-Leggett Rest Hills Memorial Park on Landers Road. His funeral will be 10 a.m. Thursday at McArthur Assembly of God.
Alderman Terry Sansing, who represented Ward 2, along with Lewis called him “statesmanlike.”
“We knew he was sick, but kept expecting him to get better. News of his death was a shock,” Sansing said. He called Lewis a very dignified man. “He was deliberate and level headed. He didn’t seek the limelight and when he spoke on the council, we all listened.”
Lewis was first elected to the city council in November 1982, taking the oath of office in January 1983 and served until his death—22 years and 6 months.
When Lewis was elected, he was Jacksonville’s first black alderman. He said issues facing Jacksonville never were black versus white issues. “Our government has been very cooperative across the board,” he said in a recent interview, “No heated black or white issues.”
“It’s been a great loss for us,” said Mayor Tommy Swaim. “Lewis was very conscientious and hard-working.”
In 2002 when the mayor broke the news to the council that Lewis was undergoing treatment for lung cancer, prayers were with him. Lewis said then that “the doctors don’t know the origin of the cancer, but are positive. I’m looking at the positive side. The good master is on my side.”
“He was a wonderful man and served the city well,” said Fredrick Gentry, a former Jacksonville alderman.
“I learned a lot from him when I ran against him in 1996.”
When Lewis, a Louisiana native, retired as a technical sergeant from the Air Force in 1975, he and his wife liked Jacksonville so well they decided to stay. “I enjoyed it while I was there,” he said of Air Force life, “but I don’t miss it.”
By 1986, he had discovered some problems with his adopted hometown, issues like streets, drainage and sidewalks. He ran for city council and was elected.
While issues have come and gone, streets, drainage and sidewalks continued to be concerns that stayed with Lewis.
“We put a lot of sidewalks around the city in school areas,” Lewis said. “It takes the walkers out of the streets. Drainage problems — water backing up into people’s homes — are pretty well taken care of by now,” he said when he ran for reelection in 2002. But he always pushed for the city to do more in those areas.
Fighting crime and pushing education were also important to Lewis and his wife, the former Lendy M. Neal. Lewis and his wife were married for 48 years. They raised six of their own children, including a daughter, who was raped and murdered about 15 years ago. They adopted her two young children and raised them also.
Lewis said that raising his grandchildren gave him an appreciation of the issues facing youngsters and their parents.
“It gives you insight and keeps you abreast of things needed in the city,” said Lewis.
Lewis also spent several years as assistant pastor of Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church.
Lewis is a graduate of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. He also worked as a substitute teacher and a full-time para-educator at several Jacksonville schools.
Leader staff writer
IN SHORT: Robert Lewis, losing a battle with cancer, served on the Jacksonville City Council for 22 years and had just filed to run again.
Jacksonville Alderman Robert Lewis, 70, died Tuesday morning after a long battle with cancer.
To many, his death was a surprise as Lewis, who had ups and downs in his fight for life, felt well enough to file about two weeks ago for another term on the city council.
Visitation will be Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Griffin-Leggett Rest Hills Memorial Park on Landers Road. His funeral will be 10 a.m. Thursday at McArthur Assembly of God.
Alderman Terry Sansing, who represented Ward 2, along with Lewis called him “statesmanlike.”
“We knew he was sick, but kept expecting him to get better. News of his death was a shock,” Sansing said. He called Lewis a very dignified man. “He was deliberate and level headed. He didn’t seek the limelight and when he spoke on the council, we all listened.”
Lewis was first elected to the city council in November 1982, taking the oath of office in January 1983 and served until his death—22 years and 6 months.
When Lewis was elected, he was Jacksonville’s first black alderman. He said issues facing Jacksonville never were black versus white issues. “Our government has been very cooperative across the board,” he said in a recent interview, “No heated black or white issues.”
“It’s been a great loss for us,” said Mayor Tommy Swaim. “Lewis was very conscientious and hard-working.”
In 2002 when the mayor broke the news to the council that Lewis was undergoing treatment for lung cancer, prayers were with him. Lewis said then that “the doctors don’t know the origin of the cancer, but are positive. I’m looking at the positive side. The good master is on my side.”
“He was a wonderful man and served the city well,” said Fredrick Gentry, a former Jacksonville alderman.
“I learned a lot from him when I ran against him in 1996.”
When Lewis, a Louisiana native, retired as a technical sergeant from the Air Force in 1975, he and his wife liked Jacksonville so well they decided to stay. “I enjoyed it while I was there,” he said of Air Force life, “but I don’t miss it.”
By 1986, he had discovered some problems with his adopted hometown, issues like streets, drainage and sidewalks. He ran for city council and was elected.
While issues have come and gone, streets, drainage and sidewalks continued to be concerns that stayed with Lewis.
“We put a lot of sidewalks around the city in school areas,” Lewis said. “It takes the walkers out of the streets. Drainage problems — water backing up into people’s homes — are pretty well taken care of by now,” he said when he ran for reelection in 2002. But he always pushed for the city to do more in those areas.
Fighting crime and pushing education were also important to Lewis and his wife, the former Lendy M. Neal. Lewis and his wife were married for 48 years. They raised six of their own children, including a daughter, who was raped and murdered about 15 years ago. They adopted her two young children and raised them also.
Lewis said that raising his grandchildren gave him an appreciation of the issues facing youngsters and their parents.
“It gives you insight and keeps you abreast of things needed in the city,” said Lewis.
Lewis also spent several years as assistant pastor of Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church.
Lewis is a graduate of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. He also worked as a substitute teacher and a full-time para-educator at several Jacksonville schools.
TOP STORY>> PCSSD silent on possible pupil abuse
By John Hofheimer
Leader staff writer
IN SHORT: The PCSSD refuses to comment on allegations that a Jacksonville band teacher choked and hit a young boy in his class and has acted inappropriately with young students in the past.
Is the Pulaski County Special School District covering up for a teacher alleged to have have struck and choked an 11-year-old boy student in March—a teacher who has kept his job despite allegations previously of inappropriate behavior with young female students?
Donna Easter says band instructor Mark Bailey choked her son and hit him in the chest on March 20 and the following day, her husband filed a report with the Jacksonville Police Department.
But neither the school principal nor the PCSSD officials would confirm that the incident occurred, had been investigated or whether or not the Bailey had been disciplined—or even if he was still employed by the district.
“If we did have something with Mr. Bailey, that would be a personnel issue and I wouldn’t be at liberty to confirm or deny that,” said Rhonda Harnish, director of certified personnel, Thursday afternoon.
She would neither confirm nor deny that Bailey had been disciplined, that such an attack had been reported to the school or even whether there had been an investigation or hearing.
Neither would Jacksonville Boys Middle School Principal Mike Nellums discuss the matter. Asked if he knew of the alleged attack and reports that Bailey had been placed on leave with pay as a result, Nellums said, “I can neither confirm nor deny those reports.”
He confirmed that he did have two band teachers, Eddie Paul and Mark Bailey. He said Eddie Paul would return next year, but would neither confirm nor deny that Bailey had been transferred or fired. No one answered the phone at a number listed for Mark Bailey in Vilonia Friday afternoon.
Another mother, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Bailey should have been “run out of the district and the profession a long time ago” for inappropriate behavior with young girl students.
Two years ago, she said, her daughter and two other young girls went into Bailey’s classroom to get some candy from his desk. “He got one of the little girls and placed her head in his crotch,” according to the mother. Bailey also used to tickle her daughter, she said.
The woman met for two hours, she said, with the principal and vice principal and with Bailey, who “wouldn’t say whether he had ever been accused of inappropriate be-havior previously.”
All that came out of that meeting was a new “no-touching, no hugging policy,” said the mother. No discipline. “In my opinion, the girls were being sexually harassed,” she said.
She added that the Jacksonville police wouldn’t follow up because it “was not sexual,” and that SCAN wouldn’t get involved because there was no police investigation.
“He does not belong in the classroom,” she insisted.
She said recent talk in the community about Bailey’s most recent alleged abuse—hitting the boy—has reminded people of the earlier allegations. According to the March 21 report filed with the Jacksonville Police Department by the boy’s guardian, Carl Easter, Bailey told the boy to sit down, grabbed him in the throat and hit him in the chest.
Donna Easter put it like this: “He choked my son, slammed him in a chair and popped him in the chest.”
“I don’t know why the teacher did him like that. He hasn’t had any other problems. He’s 11 and real small for his age.”
Easter said the Jacksonville police never investigated and the State Police apparently found insufficient basis for charges.
The officer taking the report noted no injuries.
A Jacksonville police spokesman said the report had been turned over to detectives, who had forwarded it to John Huggins, the local prosecutor. Huggins was in court Friday afternoon, but his boss, Pulaski County Prosecutor Larry Jegley, said he wasn’t aware of any report forwarded to his office.
“Nobody cares,” Donna Easter said. If there was a hearing or investigation—and school officials won’t say—no one let Easter or her son know, she said. She added that PCSSD Superintendent James Sharpe didn’t return her call.
Leader staff writer
IN SHORT: The PCSSD refuses to comment on allegations that a Jacksonville band teacher choked and hit a young boy in his class and has acted inappropriately with young students in the past.
Is the Pulaski County Special School District covering up for a teacher alleged to have have struck and choked an 11-year-old boy student in March—a teacher who has kept his job despite allegations previously of inappropriate behavior with young female students?
Donna Easter says band instructor Mark Bailey choked her son and hit him in the chest on March 20 and the following day, her husband filed a report with the Jacksonville Police Department.
But neither the school principal nor the PCSSD officials would confirm that the incident occurred, had been investigated or whether or not the Bailey had been disciplined—or even if he was still employed by the district.
“If we did have something with Mr. Bailey, that would be a personnel issue and I wouldn’t be at liberty to confirm or deny that,” said Rhonda Harnish, director of certified personnel, Thursday afternoon.
She would neither confirm nor deny that Bailey had been disciplined, that such an attack had been reported to the school or even whether there had been an investigation or hearing.
Neither would Jacksonville Boys Middle School Principal Mike Nellums discuss the matter. Asked if he knew of the alleged attack and reports that Bailey had been placed on leave with pay as a result, Nellums said, “I can neither confirm nor deny those reports.”
He confirmed that he did have two band teachers, Eddie Paul and Mark Bailey. He said Eddie Paul would return next year, but would neither confirm nor deny that Bailey had been transferred or fired. No one answered the phone at a number listed for Mark Bailey in Vilonia Friday afternoon.
Another mother, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Bailey should have been “run out of the district and the profession a long time ago” for inappropriate behavior with young girl students.
Two years ago, she said, her daughter and two other young girls went into Bailey’s classroom to get some candy from his desk. “He got one of the little girls and placed her head in his crotch,” according to the mother. Bailey also used to tickle her daughter, she said.
The woman met for two hours, she said, with the principal and vice principal and with Bailey, who “wouldn’t say whether he had ever been accused of inappropriate be-havior previously.”
All that came out of that meeting was a new “no-touching, no hugging policy,” said the mother. No discipline. “In my opinion, the girls were being sexually harassed,” she said.
She added that the Jacksonville police wouldn’t follow up because it “was not sexual,” and that SCAN wouldn’t get involved because there was no police investigation.
“He does not belong in the classroom,” she insisted.
She said recent talk in the community about Bailey’s most recent alleged abuse—hitting the boy—has reminded people of the earlier allegations. According to the March 21 report filed with the Jacksonville Police Department by the boy’s guardian, Carl Easter, Bailey told the boy to sit down, grabbed him in the throat and hit him in the chest.
Donna Easter put it like this: “He choked my son, slammed him in a chair and popped him in the chest.”
“I don’t know why the teacher did him like that. He hasn’t had any other problems. He’s 11 and real small for his age.”
Easter said the Jacksonville police never investigated and the State Police apparently found insufficient basis for charges.
The officer taking the report noted no injuries.
A Jacksonville police spokesman said the report had been turned over to detectives, who had forwarded it to John Huggins, the local prosecutor. Huggins was in court Friday afternoon, but his boss, Pulaski County Prosecutor Larry Jegley, said he wasn’t aware of any report forwarded to his office.
“Nobody cares,” Donna Easter said. If there was a hearing or investigation—and school officials won’t say—no one let Easter or her son know, she said. She added that PCSSD Superintendent James Sharpe didn’t return her call.
TOP STORY>> Cabot, county in deal
By Joan McCoy
Leader staff writer
IN SHORT: Lonoke County will help replace some of the city’s old bridges in exchange for help with road building.
An ordinance on hold since March to allow the county to replace seven worn, narrow bridges on First Street that lead to a ballpark in Cabot in exchange for the city helping the county build two roads that could help with traffic congestion in the city will go before the council again Monday. But this time Alderman Odis Waymack, one of its sponsors, believes he has the answer to one of the questions that has been holding up passage: Will the round culverts County Judge Charlie Troutman plans to use be large enough?
The answer, a qualified “yes,” came from an engineering that is costing Waymack $2,300.
The ordinance that the council could finally vote on Monday night says the county will charge the city $75,000 to replace the bridges with culverts, and the city will contribute $400,000 toward the construction of two roads.
One of those roads was started last fall. It will join Highway 5 to Hwy. 89 West and will provide a route to the new Wal-Mart without fighting downtown traffic, but it will likely not be completed this year without help from the city.
The city had planned to spend $750,000 to replace the narrow bridges with box culverts that would allow the street to be widened into a main artery when funds become available later. Trout-man’s man wouldn’t allow for future widening of the road, which has been a sticking point for Alderman David Polantz, who has said the city must start planning better for the future.
According to a water flow study conducted by Adam Whitlow, Troutman’s plans for five of the seven bridges are adequate for the water that would flow through them. The sixth bridge would need to be replaced with four-foot culverts instead of three-foot.
But plans for the seventh, the one closest to the downtown area, are inadequate. That bridge would need to be replaced with either six, four-foot round culverts or two, four-foot by seven-foot box culverts.
Whitlow based his findings on a drainage study that had already been completed by the city.
That study is at the center of a freedom of information controversy between Mayor Stubby Stumbaugh and Alderman Waymack.
Waymack was turned away for Cabot Public Works when he asked for the drainage study. Employees said he had to go through the mayor to get it. Waymack refused to call the mayor about it and filed a lawsuit instead.
Stumbaugh says no law was violated because Waymack never said he was requesting the study under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act. And if he wasn’t re-questing it under the FOIA, then it was a simple request for information that should have been made of the mayor, and not city employees, who have too much work to do to be bothered by council members. The case has not been heard by a judge.
Leader staff writer
IN SHORT: Lonoke County will help replace some of the city’s old bridges in exchange for help with road building.
An ordinance on hold since March to allow the county to replace seven worn, narrow bridges on First Street that lead to a ballpark in Cabot in exchange for the city helping the county build two roads that could help with traffic congestion in the city will go before the council again Monday. But this time Alderman Odis Waymack, one of its sponsors, believes he has the answer to one of the questions that has been holding up passage: Will the round culverts County Judge Charlie Troutman plans to use be large enough?
The answer, a qualified “yes,” came from an engineering that is costing Waymack $2,300.
The ordinance that the council could finally vote on Monday night says the county will charge the city $75,000 to replace the bridges with culverts, and the city will contribute $400,000 toward the construction of two roads.
One of those roads was started last fall. It will join Highway 5 to Hwy. 89 West and will provide a route to the new Wal-Mart without fighting downtown traffic, but it will likely not be completed this year without help from the city.
The city had planned to spend $750,000 to replace the narrow bridges with box culverts that would allow the street to be widened into a main artery when funds become available later. Trout-man’s man wouldn’t allow for future widening of the road, which has been a sticking point for Alderman David Polantz, who has said the city must start planning better for the future.
According to a water flow study conducted by Adam Whitlow, Troutman’s plans for five of the seven bridges are adequate for the water that would flow through them. The sixth bridge would need to be replaced with four-foot culverts instead of three-foot.
But plans for the seventh, the one closest to the downtown area, are inadequate. That bridge would need to be replaced with either six, four-foot round culverts or two, four-foot by seven-foot box culverts.
Whitlow based his findings on a drainage study that had already been completed by the city.
That study is at the center of a freedom of information controversy between Mayor Stubby Stumbaugh and Alderman Waymack.
Waymack was turned away for Cabot Public Works when he asked for the drainage study. Employees said he had to go through the mayor to get it. Waymack refused to call the mayor about it and filed a lawsuit instead.
Stumbaugh says no law was violated because Waymack never said he was requesting the study under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act. And if he wasn’t re-questing it under the FOIA, then it was a simple request for information that should have been made of the mayor, and not city employees, who have too much work to do to be bothered by council members. The case has not been heard by a judge.
TOP STORY>> Judge to decide dispute
By Rick Kron
Leader staff writer
IN SHORT: Sherwood and Jacksonville are at odds over a proposed annexation.
Jacksonville’s planning commission has join the city council fighting Sherwood’s plans to annex about 2,000 acres of land west of Jacksonville and south of Little Rock Air Force Base.
Jacksonville’s planning commission voted unanimously Monday to side with the city council opposing Sherwood’s quest to annex the land.
Pulaski County Judge Buddy Villines will review Sherwood’s request, along with Jacksonville opposition at a hearing set for 10:45 a.m. Tuesday in Pulaski County Quorum Court chambers in Little Rock.
The Jacksonville City Council voted earlier this month to oppose the proposed annexation of unincorporated land east of Bayou Meto, which serves as a “natural boundary” between the cities of Jacksonville and Sherwood, and as far north as one mile behind Little Rock Air Force Base.
Sherwood proposed the annexation after receiving a petition from four major landowners in the area. The annexation would bring their lands into the city but make islands out of two residential subdivisions off Highway 107, near Hatcher Road and Bobbitt Lane.
Sherwood City Engineer Mike Clayton said the annexation is by petition, meaning its voluntary.
“Those landowners are choosing to join are city. They all have developments in our city already and we have a good relationship with them.”
He said that he would hope that the residential island would also petition to join the city.
Jacksonville’s Resolution 594, opposing annexation of “certain real property” into Sherwood, maintains that Jacksonville has planning jurisdiction over the proposed boundaries, including master plans by water and wastewater utilities.
The resolution deems the proposed annexation as “neither productive nor beneficial.” Sherwood has not sought to annex the land.
One major issue concerning Jacksonville, according to City Engineer Jay Whisker, is the fact that the federal government has charged Jacksonville with maintaining low density and special building requirements in lands extending about a mile from the end of the base runway.
Part of the land Sherwood is looking to annex is in this aircraft- safety zone.
Whisker has said that how well a city cooperates with the federal government in maintaining minimal development outside the runways to prevent major loss of life or property in case of aircraft accidents is something that is looked at when base closures are considered.
Jacksonville is one of the few cities that have followed the federal recommendations, according to Whisker.
“The air base is just as important to us,” Clayton said, “and we wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize it.”
On the other issue, Whisker said it has always been Jacksonville’s plans to provide water to that area and it already has lines out there that would service much of the area.
Citing a 20-year study by Jacksonville water and wastewater officials, council members agreed that the city could provide water and sewer service to the tracts of land with the water plant currently in operation, and that Sherwood would face difficulty providing water and sewer services because of a large land ridge within and outside of proposed annexation boundaries.
Leader staff writer
IN SHORT: Sherwood and Jacksonville are at odds over a proposed annexation.
Jacksonville’s planning commission has join the city council fighting Sherwood’s plans to annex about 2,000 acres of land west of Jacksonville and south of Little Rock Air Force Base.
Jacksonville’s planning commission voted unanimously Monday to side with the city council opposing Sherwood’s quest to annex the land.
Pulaski County Judge Buddy Villines will review Sherwood’s request, along with Jacksonville opposition at a hearing set for 10:45 a.m. Tuesday in Pulaski County Quorum Court chambers in Little Rock.
The Jacksonville City Council voted earlier this month to oppose the proposed annexation of unincorporated land east of Bayou Meto, which serves as a “natural boundary” between the cities of Jacksonville and Sherwood, and as far north as one mile behind Little Rock Air Force Base.
Sherwood proposed the annexation after receiving a petition from four major landowners in the area. The annexation would bring their lands into the city but make islands out of two residential subdivisions off Highway 107, near Hatcher Road and Bobbitt Lane.
Sherwood City Engineer Mike Clayton said the annexation is by petition, meaning its voluntary.
“Those landowners are choosing to join are city. They all have developments in our city already and we have a good relationship with them.”
He said that he would hope that the residential island would also petition to join the city.
Jacksonville’s Resolution 594, opposing annexation of “certain real property” into Sherwood, maintains that Jacksonville has planning jurisdiction over the proposed boundaries, including master plans by water and wastewater utilities.
The resolution deems the proposed annexation as “neither productive nor beneficial.” Sherwood has not sought to annex the land.
One major issue concerning Jacksonville, according to City Engineer Jay Whisker, is the fact that the federal government has charged Jacksonville with maintaining low density and special building requirements in lands extending about a mile from the end of the base runway.
Part of the land Sherwood is looking to annex is in this aircraft- safety zone.
Whisker has said that how well a city cooperates with the federal government in maintaining minimal development outside the runways to prevent major loss of life or property in case of aircraft accidents is something that is looked at when base closures are considered.
Jacksonville is one of the few cities that have followed the federal recommendations, according to Whisker.
“The air base is just as important to us,” Clayton said, “and we wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize it.”
On the other issue, Whisker said it has always been Jacksonville’s plans to provide water to that area and it already has lines out there that would service much of the area.
Citing a 20-year study by Jacksonville water and wastewater officials, council members agreed that the city could provide water and sewer service to the tracts of land with the water plant currently in operation, and that Sherwood would face difficulty providing water and sewer services because of a large land ridge within and outside of proposed annexation boundaries.
TOP STORY>> More votes show up
By John Hofheimer
Leader staff writer
IN SHORT: Following numerous voting woes and problems with new electronic equipment, the quorum court might appoint a part-time coordinator to assist the election commission.
Wayne McGee went to bed Tuesday night thinking voters had elected next mayor of Lonoke—no Republicans or independents filed for the November general election—by a margin of 483 to 270 over Jim Parks, and that’s what this newspaper and local television and radio announced.
“We left (the Lonoke County Courthouse) between 11 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.,” said McGee and he thought the official but uncertified vote was the 483-270.
But this is not “Dewey-defeats-Truman” story.
McGee awoke to discover that he was still the winner, but the actual count was 630 votes to 360. The election commission will meet Monday to certify the election results.
But the runoff election ran quite smoothly compared to the actual primary, where the various new touch screen IvoTronic voting machines and the optical scanner were programmed incorrectly by the contractor, ES&S, both prior to the election and again when after votes could not be correctly counted.
Votes were finally counted in the May 23 primary on May 27.
HIRE COORDINATOR?
At Thursday night’s Lonoke County Quorum Court meeting, JP Joe Gunther said he would propose at the July meeting that the county hire a part-time election coordinator to help the three-member election commission.
Gunther said other counties were hiring coordinators, and that while he thought the Lonoke County Election Commission did the best job possible under the circumstances, that it was time to hire a professional to take some of the burden off them.
Of the 29 Lonoke County polling places, the only local runoffs were for Lonoke Mayor (four precincts) and Lonoke Township constable (two precincts.)
Voters at all other polling places could weigh in only on statewide Democratic runoffs for attorney general, lieutenant governor and treasurer.
ORDER DISCRETIONARY
The county election commission has discretion to count ballot boxes in whatever order they choose, according to Tim Humphries, lawyer for Secretary of State Charlie Daniels. So the Lonoke Election Commission could have counted the four Lonoke boxes early in the evening and nearly all the 65 people lingering in the courthouse halls might have known who the new mayor was and headed to the house by maybe 9 p.m.
So why were the Lonoke boxes not the first or among the first counted? “That’s not our way of doing things,” said county election commission chairperson Jean Mc-Canliss. “We count the boxes as they come in.” She said that a couple of Lonoke polling places ran short of ballots and had to use ballots with different code numbers, which then had to be separated.”
She said polling places had paperwork to finish after the polls.
LARGE TURNOUT
The overall vote total in the Lonoke precincts was quite high for a primary runoff, with nearly as many people voting in the runoff as in the May 23 primary. In that primary, 1,053 voters filled in ballots for Lonoke mayor, while 990 voted in Tuesday’s runoff. McGee said Parks has called to congratulate him and offer any assistance after McGee takes office in January. “I don’t have any changes in mind for sure,” said McGee of city employees. “I’m happy with the people that we have.”
Leader staff writer
IN SHORT: Following numerous voting woes and problems with new electronic equipment, the quorum court might appoint a part-time coordinator to assist the election commission.
Wayne McGee went to bed Tuesday night thinking voters had elected next mayor of Lonoke—no Republicans or independents filed for the November general election—by a margin of 483 to 270 over Jim Parks, and that’s what this newspaper and local television and radio announced.
“We left (the Lonoke County Courthouse) between 11 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.,” said McGee and he thought the official but uncertified vote was the 483-270.
But this is not “Dewey-defeats-Truman” story.
McGee awoke to discover that he was still the winner, but the actual count was 630 votes to 360. The election commission will meet Monday to certify the election results.
But the runoff election ran quite smoothly compared to the actual primary, where the various new touch screen IvoTronic voting machines and the optical scanner were programmed incorrectly by the contractor, ES&S, both prior to the election and again when after votes could not be correctly counted.
Votes were finally counted in the May 23 primary on May 27.
HIRE COORDINATOR?
At Thursday night’s Lonoke County Quorum Court meeting, JP Joe Gunther said he would propose at the July meeting that the county hire a part-time election coordinator to help the three-member election commission.
Gunther said other counties were hiring coordinators, and that while he thought the Lonoke County Election Commission did the best job possible under the circumstances, that it was time to hire a professional to take some of the burden off them.
Of the 29 Lonoke County polling places, the only local runoffs were for Lonoke Mayor (four precincts) and Lonoke Township constable (two precincts.)
Voters at all other polling places could weigh in only on statewide Democratic runoffs for attorney general, lieutenant governor and treasurer.
ORDER DISCRETIONARY
The county election commission has discretion to count ballot boxes in whatever order they choose, according to Tim Humphries, lawyer for Secretary of State Charlie Daniels. So the Lonoke Election Commission could have counted the four Lonoke boxes early in the evening and nearly all the 65 people lingering in the courthouse halls might have known who the new mayor was and headed to the house by maybe 9 p.m.
So why were the Lonoke boxes not the first or among the first counted? “That’s not our way of doing things,” said county election commission chairperson Jean Mc-Canliss. “We count the boxes as they come in.” She said that a couple of Lonoke polling places ran short of ballots and had to use ballots with different code numbers, which then had to be separated.”
She said polling places had paperwork to finish after the polls.
LARGE TURNOUT
The overall vote total in the Lonoke precincts was quite high for a primary runoff, with nearly as many people voting in the runoff as in the May 23 primary. In that primary, 1,053 voters filled in ballots for Lonoke mayor, while 990 voted in Tuesday’s runoff. McGee said Parks has called to congratulate him and offer any assistance after McGee takes office in January. “I don’t have any changes in mind for sure,” said McGee of city employees. “I’m happy with the people that we have.”
TOP STORY>> Official implies city may get own district
By John Hofheimer
Leader staff writer
IN SHORT: Jacksonville-area parents got yet another indication Thursday that a long-sought-after Jacksonville School District may be in the cards.
Consultant William Gordon Thursday stopped an inch shy of telling The Leader he would recommend creation of a standalone Jacksonville school district when he submits his report, due June 30.
Gordon said that the $244,000 study, called for by special language state Rep. Will Bond, D-Jacksonville, inserted in the state Education Department Budget last year, will be turned in on time to Kenneth James.
“I am going to brief the commissioner of education on the report in draft form next week,” he said. “After some feedback from the commissioner, from Bond and (state Rep. Linda Chesterfield, D-Little Rock) we will fine tune it,” he said.
“He’s the guy who signed our contract,” Gordon said of James. “If we’re going to shock him, we’re going to shock him privately,” Gordon said.
The proposed Jacksonville District, a goal of some area leaders for nearly 20 years, could have around 7,000 students and be among the 15 largest school districts in the state.
The state hired William Gordon Associates of Saluda, N.C. to study realignment of the three public school districts in Pulaski County–Little Rock, North Little Rock and Pulaski County Special– which are inextricably joined by a 20-year-old school desegregation agreement.
The consulting team looked at the feasibility of dividing up PCSSD among four districts including North Little Rock and Little Rock and two proposed districts: Jack-sonville and a district south of the Arkansas River.
There is speculation that Gordon Associates will recommend four districts—the tree in existence plus Jacksonville.
Currently, PCSSD has about 18,000 students, North Little Rock has about 12,000 and Little Rock has 24,000.
Another part of the group’s final report will be finding a way for the districts to be released from the court-ordered school desegregation agreement since each has met most or all of its conditions.
Gordon Associates is also charged with presenting a plan to get the districts off unitary school status—that is, released from the agreement and separated.
“When all is said and done a couple issues still have to be ad-dressed—(especially) the desegregation of all three districts.
“The judge has been very clear on that,” Gordon said. “He won’t do anything until all the districts are unitary.”
Gordon said there was more work to be done. “I understand that the parties are talking to one another,” he added.
Bond, the man who set the study in motion, said James is leaning toward recommending a Jacksonville school district but leaving all the others in existence, including the Pulaski County Special School District, of which Jacksonville area schools are currently a part.
“Until the final report, I don’t want to affect their final decision,” said Bond. “When we get a hard copy June 30, we’re hopeful.”
Bond said the 2008-2009 school year would be the soonest a stand-alone Jacksonville district might exist. “That’s at least a year and a half and we still have federal court issues. Plus, there may need to be some enabling legislation.”
Bond said that once it has Gordon’s report, the state Education Department could decide not to act. “The legislature will have access to the report,” he said. “I guess it could act.”
Bond said ending the desegregation agreement with Circuit Judge Bill Wilson’s approval could have statewide significance, since the state is currently required to fund the agreement to the tune of about $58 million a year.
Leader staff writer
IN SHORT: Jacksonville-area parents got yet another indication Thursday that a long-sought-after Jacksonville School District may be in the cards.
Consultant William Gordon Thursday stopped an inch shy of telling The Leader he would recommend creation of a standalone Jacksonville school district when he submits his report, due June 30.
Gordon said that the $244,000 study, called for by special language state Rep. Will Bond, D-Jacksonville, inserted in the state Education Department Budget last year, will be turned in on time to Kenneth James.
“I am going to brief the commissioner of education on the report in draft form next week,” he said. “After some feedback from the commissioner, from Bond and (state Rep. Linda Chesterfield, D-Little Rock) we will fine tune it,” he said.
“He’s the guy who signed our contract,” Gordon said of James. “If we’re going to shock him, we’re going to shock him privately,” Gordon said.
The proposed Jacksonville District, a goal of some area leaders for nearly 20 years, could have around 7,000 students and be among the 15 largest school districts in the state.
The state hired William Gordon Associates of Saluda, N.C. to study realignment of the three public school districts in Pulaski County–Little Rock, North Little Rock and Pulaski County Special– which are inextricably joined by a 20-year-old school desegregation agreement.
The consulting team looked at the feasibility of dividing up PCSSD among four districts including North Little Rock and Little Rock and two proposed districts: Jack-sonville and a district south of the Arkansas River.
There is speculation that Gordon Associates will recommend four districts—the tree in existence plus Jacksonville.
Currently, PCSSD has about 18,000 students, North Little Rock has about 12,000 and Little Rock has 24,000.
Another part of the group’s final report will be finding a way for the districts to be released from the court-ordered school desegregation agreement since each has met most or all of its conditions.
Gordon Associates is also charged with presenting a plan to get the districts off unitary school status—that is, released from the agreement and separated.
“When all is said and done a couple issues still have to be ad-dressed—(especially) the desegregation of all three districts.
“The judge has been very clear on that,” Gordon said. “He won’t do anything until all the districts are unitary.”
Gordon said there was more work to be done. “I understand that the parties are talking to one another,” he added.
Bond, the man who set the study in motion, said James is leaning toward recommending a Jacksonville school district but leaving all the others in existence, including the Pulaski County Special School District, of which Jacksonville area schools are currently a part.
“Until the final report, I don’t want to affect their final decision,” said Bond. “When we get a hard copy June 30, we’re hopeful.”
Bond said the 2008-2009 school year would be the soonest a stand-alone Jacksonville district might exist. “That’s at least a year and a half and we still have federal court issues. Plus, there may need to be some enabling legislation.”
Bond said that once it has Gordon’s report, the state Education Department could decide not to act. “The legislature will have access to the report,” he said. “I guess it could act.”
Bond said ending the desegregation agreement with Circuit Judge Bill Wilson’s approval could have statewide significance, since the state is currently required to fund the agreement to the tune of about $58 million a year.
SATURDAY EDITORIAL>> The Lord as your co-pilot
Providence dealt mercifully with Gov. Huckabee last week when one of the twin engines of the Cessna Citation that was ferrying him, his wife, daughter and aides to a political gathering in North Carolina conked out near Chattanooga.
The pilot landed the jet with one engine, got the plane repaired and then carried him on to North Carolina for his (presidential) campaign speech. Huckabee shared his close call with spellbound North Carolina Republicans and the whole thing attracted national attention.
The Lord works in wondrous ways.
But could the divine purpose be something besides saving the governor’s life so that he can become president?
The governor’s miraculous escape attracted the attention of people over at the Arkansas Times, who were curious about the airplane because the paper has been scolding the governor for using Arkansas State Police aircraft, property of Arkansas taxpayers, for personal and political travel the past few years. All that Huckabee would say was that it was not a State Police plane.
But through reports at the Chattanooga airport, the newspaper traced the airplane to New Hampshire, where it was registered to the name of a company domiciled in that state that has won a series of contracts with the Arkansas Department of Human Services under Gov. Huckabee.
The 2006 contract is for about $8.5 million. The payment is for housing and ministering to troubled youngsters at a religious camp called The Lord’s Ranch in rural Randolph County near the Missouri border. The Lord’s Ranch, some of you may remember, has had a turbulent relationship with the state government for more than 15 years, but it has gotten better and better since Huckabee took over in 1996. An $8.5 million annual contract suggests that the relationship has progressed beautifully.
Now the governor’s providential flight is looking less divine. Ethical and legal questions abound. Was The Lord’s Ranch properly reimbursed for the trip (chartering a Citation SII ordinarily costs $1,500 to $1,900 an hour) or was it a gift to the governor? State law bars people who do not have a family or long-standing relationship with a state official from making gifts of more than $100 to him or else it becomes an unlawful payment for his public duties.
The Associated Press put the question to Huckabee Thursday. He said there was no problem and that he was always careful to avoid conflicts of interest with outfits that did business with the government he runs. Southeastern Asset Management, the outfit that owns The Lord’s Ranch, gave the jet trip, he explained, as an in-kind contribution to his political-action committee, Hope for America, which he incorporated in Virginia. So, you see, it’s perfectly all right. There is no quid pro quo, no back scratching.
No, these little arrangements are never all right, no matter what committee you run them through and no matter if the governor is Huckabee, Bill Clinton or George W. Bush.
Would Southeastern Management be flying the governor around the country to political gatherings (Huckabee acknowledged that this might not be the first instance) if it was not doing a handsome amount of business with the Huckabee administration? To ask the question is to answer it.
Gov. Huckabee said he never approaches The Lord’s Ranch people or others to fly him around the country. But how do they find out when he is going to a political event somewhere and wants a free ride? The answer must be divine providence.
Sixteen years ago, in response to widespread concern about abuse and neglect at child-care facilities, the state Child Care Review Board revoked The Lord’s Ranch’s license for numerous violations of state rules, including improper restraints of children.
The board subsequently gave it a provisional license, but in 1994 the ranch refused to allow state inspectors in, and in 1996 the state cited the home for compliance problems with health and safety standards.
After Huckabee became governor, he appointed the manager of the ranch to the Child Welfare Agency Review Board, where he still serves, and the home’s psychiatric director to the state Psychology Board. With the governor’s assistance, the ranch is now in good standing with the agency and won its first state Medicaid contract in 2000.
The contract has grown from $140,460 in 2000 to $8.5 million. Coincidence: Between 1996 and 2000 Lord’s Ranch officials gave $8,650 to Huckabee’s campaigns for governor. They gave to his wife’s campaign for secretary of state and to the Arkansas Republican Party.
And here’s another coincidence: Next week, a legislative committee will probe concerns about billing and undue influence on juvenile judges by The Lord’s Ranch and a few other “faith-based” providers of children’s services to have children diagnosed and sent to those facilities.
But someone checked and found that more than a third of the legislative committee members, like the governor, have received contributions from Lord’s Ranch officials.
Don’t you love state government?
The pilot landed the jet with one engine, got the plane repaired and then carried him on to North Carolina for his (presidential) campaign speech. Huckabee shared his close call with spellbound North Carolina Republicans and the whole thing attracted national attention.
The Lord works in wondrous ways.
But could the divine purpose be something besides saving the governor’s life so that he can become president?
The governor’s miraculous escape attracted the attention of people over at the Arkansas Times, who were curious about the airplane because the paper has been scolding the governor for using Arkansas State Police aircraft, property of Arkansas taxpayers, for personal and political travel the past few years. All that Huckabee would say was that it was not a State Police plane.
But through reports at the Chattanooga airport, the newspaper traced the airplane to New Hampshire, where it was registered to the name of a company domiciled in that state that has won a series of contracts with the Arkansas Department of Human Services under Gov. Huckabee.
The 2006 contract is for about $8.5 million. The payment is for housing and ministering to troubled youngsters at a religious camp called The Lord’s Ranch in rural Randolph County near the Missouri border. The Lord’s Ranch, some of you may remember, has had a turbulent relationship with the state government for more than 15 years, but it has gotten better and better since Huckabee took over in 1996. An $8.5 million annual contract suggests that the relationship has progressed beautifully.
Now the governor’s providential flight is looking less divine. Ethical and legal questions abound. Was The Lord’s Ranch properly reimbursed for the trip (chartering a Citation SII ordinarily costs $1,500 to $1,900 an hour) or was it a gift to the governor? State law bars people who do not have a family or long-standing relationship with a state official from making gifts of more than $100 to him or else it becomes an unlawful payment for his public duties.
The Associated Press put the question to Huckabee Thursday. He said there was no problem and that he was always careful to avoid conflicts of interest with outfits that did business with the government he runs. Southeastern Asset Management, the outfit that owns The Lord’s Ranch, gave the jet trip, he explained, as an in-kind contribution to his political-action committee, Hope for America, which he incorporated in Virginia. So, you see, it’s perfectly all right. There is no quid pro quo, no back scratching.
No, these little arrangements are never all right, no matter what committee you run them through and no matter if the governor is Huckabee, Bill Clinton or George W. Bush.
Would Southeastern Management be flying the governor around the country to political gatherings (Huckabee acknowledged that this might not be the first instance) if it was not doing a handsome amount of business with the Huckabee administration? To ask the question is to answer it.
Gov. Huckabee said he never approaches The Lord’s Ranch people or others to fly him around the country. But how do they find out when he is going to a political event somewhere and wants a free ride? The answer must be divine providence.
Sixteen years ago, in response to widespread concern about abuse and neglect at child-care facilities, the state Child Care Review Board revoked The Lord’s Ranch’s license for numerous violations of state rules, including improper restraints of children.
The board subsequently gave it a provisional license, but in 1994 the ranch refused to allow state inspectors in, and in 1996 the state cited the home for compliance problems with health and safety standards.
After Huckabee became governor, he appointed the manager of the ranch to the Child Welfare Agency Review Board, where he still serves, and the home’s psychiatric director to the state Psychology Board. With the governor’s assistance, the ranch is now in good standing with the agency and won its first state Medicaid contract in 2000.
The contract has grown from $140,460 in 2000 to $8.5 million. Coincidence: Between 1996 and 2000 Lord’s Ranch officials gave $8,650 to Huckabee’s campaigns for governor. They gave to his wife’s campaign for secretary of state and to the Arkansas Republican Party.
And here’s another coincidence: Next week, a legislative committee will probe concerns about billing and undue influence on juvenile judges by The Lord’s Ranch and a few other “faith-based” providers of children’s services to have children diagnosed and sent to those facilities.
But someone checked and found that more than a third of the legislative committee members, like the governor, have received contributions from Lord’s Ranch officials.
Don’t you love state government?
OBITUARIES
Annie Bell Tucker
Annie Bell Tucker, 67, of Jacksonville, died June 14.
She was born March 22, 1939, in Liberty to the late William W. and Roxie Taylor Hill. She was also preceded in death by her husband, Kenneth A. Tucker, Sr. Annie was a member of McArthur Assembly of God. Survivors include her three children, Kenneth A. Tucker Jr. and his wife Ruth Ann of Cabot, Gleason Tucker and his wife Lena of Lonoke and Roxie Wright and her husband Michael of Jacksonville; three sisters, Mary Hardcastle of Jacksonville, Addie Grasby of North Little Rock and Barbara Crawford of Sacramento, Calif.; a brother, Rev. Milburn “Pint” Hill of Cabot; seven grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. She will be missed by her extended karaoke family.
Funeral services are 3 p.m., today at Moore’s Funeral Home Chapel in Jacksonville with Rev. John McKay officiating. Interment will follow at Arkansas Memorial Gardens in North Little Rock. Funeral arrangements are under direction of Moore’s Jacksonville Funeral Home.
James Wood
James Roger Wood, 52, of El Paso, died June 12. He was born Aug. 19, 1953, at Little Rock to James M. and Pauline Marie Wood. He graduated from North Little Rock High and attended ASU-Beebe, where he was an honor student. He was a welder - steel fabricator. He is survived by his father, James M. Wood of El Paso; his brother, Gary W. Wood of North Little Rock; four aunts, Mary Lou Hopkins of Little Rock, Norma R. Weeks of North Little Rock, Brenda Hefner of Haughton, La., and Ada Stephens of Smithville, Mo. He was preceded in death by his mother and his aunt, Glenda D. Lyle.
Funeral services were held Friday at Westbrook Funeral Home with burial in Hawthicket Cemetery, Mt. Vernon. Officiant, Rev. Freddie Dulaney. Pallbearers, Joe Baldwin, Randy Lyle, Jerry Tindall, Lloyd Patterson and Richard Austin.
Geneva Crump
Geneva L. Crump, 88, of Ward, was called home June 15. She was born Nov. 29, 1917, at Ward, to John Kindred and Elora E. Wilson Jack-son. She was preceded in death by her only child, George K. Crump, her parents, three brothers and four sisters.
She is survived by her husband of 69 years, Royce Crump of the home; granddaughters Kinley and Hayley Crump; a grandson, Colton Crump, all of Cabot; daughter-in-law Vicki Crump of Cabot; sister Maysel Wilson of Lonoke; in-laws Gene and Ann Sutton of Fordyce; and a host of nieces and nephews.
Family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. today at Westbrook Funeral Home, Beebe. Funeral will be 2 p.m. Sunday at Westbrook Funeral Home, with burial in Sylvania Cemetery.
Memorials may be made to Greenwood Missionary Baptist Church Building Fund, 11228 Hwy. 38 E., Ward, Ark. 72176.
James Hudson
James Harold Hudson, 86, of Jacksonville, died June 15 in Little Rock. He was born Dec. 7, 1919, in Bruno to the late John Claude Hudson and Lora Keeter. He was also preceded in death by his wife, Ruby Padgett Hudson; daughters, Joann and Brenda; son, Bobby; and grandson, butch Murry.
Survivors include his son Billy H. Hudson and wife Brenda; two daughters, Onita Murry and Pamela Hudson; seven grandchildren, Tammy, Robin, Jimmy, Danny, Tasha, Donna and Ray Jr.; and many great-grandchildren.
Funeral services are 10 a.m., Monday at Moore’s Funeral Home Chapel in Jacksonville with Bro. Ray Smith and Rev. Howard Winkler officiating.
Interment will follow at Pinecrest Cemetery in Alexander. Visitation is 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home. Funeral arrangements are under direction of Moore’s Jacksonville Funeral Home.
Raymond Chandler
Raymond Chandler, 89, of Jacksonville passed away June 14. He was born Nov. 29, 1916, in Clovis, N.M. He was a retired farmer and mechanic and a Methodist. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Dollie; son Jack; three daughters Shirley Sena, formerly of Sherwood, Lenora and Barbara; 13 grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren and four great-great grandchildren.
Graveside services will be 11 a.m. Saturday at Lost Corner Cemetery near Cleveland in Conway County. Arrangements by Huson Funeral Home.
Harold Kohnert
Lt. Col. USAF (Ret.) Harold A. Kohnert, 86, entered into rest in Las Vegas, Nev., June 10, 2006.
He is survived by his wife, Lois of Las Vegas, Nev.; and daughters, Arjyra Jarie Stedman-Ebert of Manteo, N.C., Jana Kohnert and Hallie Ridenbaugh, both of Las Vegas, Nev. He was born and raised in Melrose, Wisc., the youngest of five children. He was a graduate of the Milwaukee School of Engineering. He served in the Air Force for 26 years. His achievements included numerous World War II and peace time medals. He was a pilot for the B-26, T-33, C-119 and B47, command pilot and squadron commander for the missile wing at Little Rock Air Force Base.
After his Air Force retirement in 1967 from LRAFB, he was a real estate broker for 25 years. His strong work ethic, love of God, country, family and friends will be remembered and cherished by all who knew him.
He will be laid to rest at the Arkansas State Veteran’s Cemetery in Sherwood. Donations can be made to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation.
Annie Bell Tucker, 67, of Jacksonville, died June 14.
She was born March 22, 1939, in Liberty to the late William W. and Roxie Taylor Hill. She was also preceded in death by her husband, Kenneth A. Tucker, Sr. Annie was a member of McArthur Assembly of God. Survivors include her three children, Kenneth A. Tucker Jr. and his wife Ruth Ann of Cabot, Gleason Tucker and his wife Lena of Lonoke and Roxie Wright and her husband Michael of Jacksonville; three sisters, Mary Hardcastle of Jacksonville, Addie Grasby of North Little Rock and Barbara Crawford of Sacramento, Calif.; a brother, Rev. Milburn “Pint” Hill of Cabot; seven grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. She will be missed by her extended karaoke family.
Funeral services are 3 p.m., today at Moore’s Funeral Home Chapel in Jacksonville with Rev. John McKay officiating. Interment will follow at Arkansas Memorial Gardens in North Little Rock. Funeral arrangements are under direction of Moore’s Jacksonville Funeral Home.
James Wood
James Roger Wood, 52, of El Paso, died June 12. He was born Aug. 19, 1953, at Little Rock to James M. and Pauline Marie Wood. He graduated from North Little Rock High and attended ASU-Beebe, where he was an honor student. He was a welder - steel fabricator. He is survived by his father, James M. Wood of El Paso; his brother, Gary W. Wood of North Little Rock; four aunts, Mary Lou Hopkins of Little Rock, Norma R. Weeks of North Little Rock, Brenda Hefner of Haughton, La., and Ada Stephens of Smithville, Mo. He was preceded in death by his mother and his aunt, Glenda D. Lyle.
Funeral services were held Friday at Westbrook Funeral Home with burial in Hawthicket Cemetery, Mt. Vernon. Officiant, Rev. Freddie Dulaney. Pallbearers, Joe Baldwin, Randy Lyle, Jerry Tindall, Lloyd Patterson and Richard Austin.
Geneva Crump
Geneva L. Crump, 88, of Ward, was called home June 15. She was born Nov. 29, 1917, at Ward, to John Kindred and Elora E. Wilson Jack-son. She was preceded in death by her only child, George K. Crump, her parents, three brothers and four sisters.
She is survived by her husband of 69 years, Royce Crump of the home; granddaughters Kinley and Hayley Crump; a grandson, Colton Crump, all of Cabot; daughter-in-law Vicki Crump of Cabot; sister Maysel Wilson of Lonoke; in-laws Gene and Ann Sutton of Fordyce; and a host of nieces and nephews.
Family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. today at Westbrook Funeral Home, Beebe. Funeral will be 2 p.m. Sunday at Westbrook Funeral Home, with burial in Sylvania Cemetery.
Memorials may be made to Greenwood Missionary Baptist Church Building Fund, 11228 Hwy. 38 E., Ward, Ark. 72176.
James Hudson
James Harold Hudson, 86, of Jacksonville, died June 15 in Little Rock. He was born Dec. 7, 1919, in Bruno to the late John Claude Hudson and Lora Keeter. He was also preceded in death by his wife, Ruby Padgett Hudson; daughters, Joann and Brenda; son, Bobby; and grandson, butch Murry.
Survivors include his son Billy H. Hudson and wife Brenda; two daughters, Onita Murry and Pamela Hudson; seven grandchildren, Tammy, Robin, Jimmy, Danny, Tasha, Donna and Ray Jr.; and many great-grandchildren.
Funeral services are 10 a.m., Monday at Moore’s Funeral Home Chapel in Jacksonville with Bro. Ray Smith and Rev. Howard Winkler officiating.
Interment will follow at Pinecrest Cemetery in Alexander. Visitation is 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home. Funeral arrangements are under direction of Moore’s Jacksonville Funeral Home.
Raymond Chandler
Raymond Chandler, 89, of Jacksonville passed away June 14. He was born Nov. 29, 1916, in Clovis, N.M. He was a retired farmer and mechanic and a Methodist. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Dollie; son Jack; three daughters Shirley Sena, formerly of Sherwood, Lenora and Barbara; 13 grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren and four great-great grandchildren.
Graveside services will be 11 a.m. Saturday at Lost Corner Cemetery near Cleveland in Conway County. Arrangements by Huson Funeral Home.
Harold Kohnert
Lt. Col. USAF (Ret.) Harold A. Kohnert, 86, entered into rest in Las Vegas, Nev., June 10, 2006.
He is survived by his wife, Lois of Las Vegas, Nev.; and daughters, Arjyra Jarie Stedman-Ebert of Manteo, N.C., Jana Kohnert and Hallie Ridenbaugh, both of Las Vegas, Nev. He was born and raised in Melrose, Wisc., the youngest of five children. He was a graduate of the Milwaukee School of Engineering. He served in the Air Force for 26 years. His achievements included numerous World War II and peace time medals. He was a pilot for the B-26, T-33, C-119 and B47, command pilot and squadron commander for the missile wing at Little Rock Air Force Base.
After his Air Force retirement in 1967 from LRAFB, he was a real estate broker for 25 years. His strong work ethic, love of God, country, family and friends will be remembered and cherished by all who knew him.
He will be laid to rest at the Arkansas State Veteran’s Cemetery in Sherwood. Donations can be made to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation.
SPORTS>> Panther Stadium is getting new turf
By Ray Benton
Leader sports editor
IN SHORT: Meeting held on Wednesday to discuss ways to raise money for new football field surface.
There’s now an addendum to the overhaul in progress at Cabot High School. The football stadium, which just completed its first season with a new field house and jumbotron scoreboard, will be adding an artificial playing surface, replacing the notoriously poor surface that’s currently in place.
The proposal carries a price tag of $650,000, and includes resurfacing of the track that surrounds the field. A meeting was held Wednesday morning to discuss ways to pay off the debt incurred for buying the surface.
Cabot athletic director Johnny White says little was accomplished Wednesday in regards to exactly how the money will be raised, but it was productive in that it opened dialogue in a positive manner.
“We want to set up a foundation that people can donate to in order to pay for this,” White said. “We didn’t really get that far with this meeting, but I had two people donate $1,000 dollars. We made it clear this was not a decision based just on football. This will help our entire athletic department and band, and we want the community to use this field too.”
Maintenance of the natural- grass surface that currently exists costs about $10,000 a year, meaning the new surface may never pay for itself.
The need for “field turf” as it’s commonly called, according to Cabot athletic director Johnny White, goes beyond financial matters.
“That one field is used for everything,” White said. “We work our rear ends off over the summer to get that thing looking like a finely manicured golf course, and by October, it’s a mess the rest of the year. It never gets an off-week during football season. One of the junior-high teams uses it every Thursday. High school games are Friday. We have to schedule a great majority of our JV games away just because of the surface. The soccer teams have to do that as well.”
White says football isn’t the only school consideration for the turf. The band currently has to practice elsewhere, and carry that practice over to the field during games.
“The band is 100 percent behind this,” White said. “They’re having to practice on half a field and that makes it difficult for them. They’d be able to use it for practices. Even the baseball team could go out there, even after a downpour, and have outdoor practice.”
Supporters of the surface also stressed how significantly it could affect the parks and recreation department.
“We want the community to use this field,” White said. “We want city-league games to be played here. We’re looking at bringing in some soccer events. Right now we have about 300 people that come through those gates to walk the track every night. Right now we encourage people to stay off the field, but with this surface, people can bring their kids and they can get out there and play. This is going to benefit the community as a whole and we want the community to get behind this and help support it. We want this thing to be used. You’re not going to wear it out by using it. Sun damage and such is what wears it out. But they’re made to last 10-15 years. Kids that are in first grade right now will be using this thing in high school.”
Supporters are hopeful that the field can be ready for use by the opening of the 2007 football season. Cabot Junior High North plays against Cabot Junior High South on August 31, and that is the tentative and hopeful inaugural event for the surface.
“According to the companies that bid this job, it takes a good 35 days to get in there and get this type of thing done, so we need to get started on it very soon. That game between our two junior highs would be a great way to open the new field.”
Leader sports editor
IN SHORT: Meeting held on Wednesday to discuss ways to raise money for new football field surface.
There’s now an addendum to the overhaul in progress at Cabot High School. The football stadium, which just completed its first season with a new field house and jumbotron scoreboard, will be adding an artificial playing surface, replacing the notoriously poor surface that’s currently in place.
The proposal carries a price tag of $650,000, and includes resurfacing of the track that surrounds the field. A meeting was held Wednesday morning to discuss ways to pay off the debt incurred for buying the surface.
Cabot athletic director Johnny White says little was accomplished Wednesday in regards to exactly how the money will be raised, but it was productive in that it opened dialogue in a positive manner.
“We want to set up a foundation that people can donate to in order to pay for this,” White said. “We didn’t really get that far with this meeting, but I had two people donate $1,000 dollars. We made it clear this was not a decision based just on football. This will help our entire athletic department and band, and we want the community to use this field too.”
Maintenance of the natural- grass surface that currently exists costs about $10,000 a year, meaning the new surface may never pay for itself.
The need for “field turf” as it’s commonly called, according to Cabot athletic director Johnny White, goes beyond financial matters.
“That one field is used for everything,” White said. “We work our rear ends off over the summer to get that thing looking like a finely manicured golf course, and by October, it’s a mess the rest of the year. It never gets an off-week during football season. One of the junior-high teams uses it every Thursday. High school games are Friday. We have to schedule a great majority of our JV games away just because of the surface. The soccer teams have to do that as well.”
White says football isn’t the only school consideration for the turf. The band currently has to practice elsewhere, and carry that practice over to the field during games.
“The band is 100 percent behind this,” White said. “They’re having to practice on half a field and that makes it difficult for them. They’d be able to use it for practices. Even the baseball team could go out there, even after a downpour, and have outdoor practice.”
Supporters of the surface also stressed how significantly it could affect the parks and recreation department.
“We want the community to use this field,” White said. “We want city-league games to be played here. We’re looking at bringing in some soccer events. Right now we have about 300 people that come through those gates to walk the track every night. Right now we encourage people to stay off the field, but with this surface, people can bring their kids and they can get out there and play. This is going to benefit the community as a whole and we want the community to get behind this and help support it. We want this thing to be used. You’re not going to wear it out by using it. Sun damage and such is what wears it out. But they’re made to last 10-15 years. Kids that are in first grade right now will be using this thing in high school.”
Supporters are hopeful that the field can be ready for use by the opening of the 2007 football season. Cabot Junior High North plays against Cabot Junior High South on August 31, and that is the tentative and hopeful inaugural event for the surface.
“According to the companies that bid this job, it takes a good 35 days to get in there and get this type of thing done, so we need to get started on it very soon. That game between our two junior highs would be a great way to open the new field.”
SPORTS>> Red Devil leading scorer signs with SW Iowa State
By Jason King
Leader sports writer
IN SHORT: Jacksonville guard Lavar Neely signed on to continue his basketball career in the Hawkeye state.
Jacksonville High School graduate Lavar Neely signed his letter of intent to play basketball at Southwest Iowa St. Wednesday afternoon at the Boys and Girls club in Jacksonville.
Neely was an offensive leader on the Red Devils team last year, averaging 25.3 points per game, along with 4.3 steals per game and 3.3 assists per game. His efforts over the season helped Jacksonville earn a No. 3 seed to the state playoffs. One of Neely’s most impressive performances came against eventual state runners-up Jonesboro in Jack-sonville’s second conference game against the Hurricane in Jonesboro. Neely came away with over 30 points in the game to lead the upset-win.
Neely planned on waiting for the results of his SATs before making any commitments initially, but took the offer for SWIS to prepare for the next level in plenty of time.
Members and staff of the boys and girls club assembled in the gym shortly after 3:30 to watch Neely, a product of the boys club, sign for his scholarship. Neely’s family and several members of Jacksonville High School’s faculty were on hand for the signing as well.
Red Devils basketball coach Victor Joyner briefly spoke to the young members of the boys and girls club before the signing, emphasizing the importance of making the right decisions.
“It basically comes down to you choosing between making the right decisions or the wrong ones,” Joyner told the kids. “Lavar has made the right decisions, and now you see him here, signing a scholarship. That means someone else is going to pay the bill for him to go to school. If he had made the wrong decisions on the court and in the classroom, he wouldn’t be sitting in front of you all today.”
Lavar grew up attending the Boys club on Graham Road. Director Larry Colvert has been at the Jacksonville Boys and Girls Club for 20 years now, acting as club director for the last 13 years.
Colvert remembers Neely well from his days at the club, and stated that not a lot has changed from those days up until now.
“He was a hustler,” Colvert said. “I knew he had the talent to play for the high school back then. He never complained about anything, he just got in there and hustled. He was a star in basketball and football as far as I’m concerned.”
Neely was a standout receiver for the Red Devils football team, but basketball is his game of choice.
Almost all of the tapes sent off to colleges were basketball highlights, with interest coming from other schools in Iowa, along with a couple of letters from Texas schools.
“I didn’t send off many football tapes,” Neely said. “I feel like I did pretty good in both sports, but I just chose basketball.
“(Southwest Iowa) saw me on tape and asked me to come up there. I just want to further my career and keep playing.”
Joyner was pleased that the signing was attended by several of the boys and girls club members. Joyner took the opportunity of Neely’s signing to reach out to the youths, and show them all of the opportunities available.
“That’s why we wanted to have this here at the boys club,” Joyner said. “So these younger kids can see that there are a lot of other things out there besides being out on those streets and getting into trouble.
“I commend the staff here at the boys club. They work very diligently with these kids day-in and day-out.
“Lavar and I butted heads a little bit at first, he was a little high-strung. But eventually, he bought into a whole new system.
He had less time than a lot of the other guys because of football, so he basically had two weeks to adapt to a whole new program. I think it made him a better player.”
Leader sports writer
IN SHORT: Jacksonville guard Lavar Neely signed on to continue his basketball career in the Hawkeye state.
Jacksonville High School graduate Lavar Neely signed his letter of intent to play basketball at Southwest Iowa St. Wednesday afternoon at the Boys and Girls club in Jacksonville.
Neely was an offensive leader on the Red Devils team last year, averaging 25.3 points per game, along with 4.3 steals per game and 3.3 assists per game. His efforts over the season helped Jacksonville earn a No. 3 seed to the state playoffs. One of Neely’s most impressive performances came against eventual state runners-up Jonesboro in Jack-sonville’s second conference game against the Hurricane in Jonesboro. Neely came away with over 30 points in the game to lead the upset-win.
Neely planned on waiting for the results of his SATs before making any commitments initially, but took the offer for SWIS to prepare for the next level in plenty of time.
Members and staff of the boys and girls club assembled in the gym shortly after 3:30 to watch Neely, a product of the boys club, sign for his scholarship. Neely’s family and several members of Jacksonville High School’s faculty were on hand for the signing as well.
Red Devils basketball coach Victor Joyner briefly spoke to the young members of the boys and girls club before the signing, emphasizing the importance of making the right decisions.
“It basically comes down to you choosing between making the right decisions or the wrong ones,” Joyner told the kids. “Lavar has made the right decisions, and now you see him here, signing a scholarship. That means someone else is going to pay the bill for him to go to school. If he had made the wrong decisions on the court and in the classroom, he wouldn’t be sitting in front of you all today.”
Lavar grew up attending the Boys club on Graham Road. Director Larry Colvert has been at the Jacksonville Boys and Girls Club for 20 years now, acting as club director for the last 13 years.
Colvert remembers Neely well from his days at the club, and stated that not a lot has changed from those days up until now.
“He was a hustler,” Colvert said. “I knew he had the talent to play for the high school back then. He never complained about anything, he just got in there and hustled. He was a star in basketball and football as far as I’m concerned.”
Neely was a standout receiver for the Red Devils football team, but basketball is his game of choice.
Almost all of the tapes sent off to colleges were basketball highlights, with interest coming from other schools in Iowa, along with a couple of letters from Texas schools.
“I didn’t send off many football tapes,” Neely said. “I feel like I did pretty good in both sports, but I just chose basketball.
“(Southwest Iowa) saw me on tape and asked me to come up there. I just want to further my career and keep playing.”
Joyner was pleased that the signing was attended by several of the boys and girls club members. Joyner took the opportunity of Neely’s signing to reach out to the youths, and show them all of the opportunities available.
“That’s why we wanted to have this here at the boys club,” Joyner said. “So these younger kids can see that there are a lot of other things out there besides being out on those streets and getting into trouble.
“I commend the staff here at the boys club. They work very diligently with these kids day-in and day-out.
“Lavar and I butted heads a little bit at first, he was a little high-strung. But eventually, he bought into a whole new system.
He had less time than a lot of the other guys because of football, so he basically had two weeks to adapt to a whole new program. I think it made him a better player.”
SPORTS>> Kids enjoy learning from Brits
By Jason King
Leader sports writer
IN SHORT: Area youths were schooled in British-style soccer by coaches from England last week at the JSA camp.
The Jacksonville Soccer Association held its annual Challenger Sports British Soccer Camp last week at Dupree Park.
The sessions were split into morning and evening groups, with students getting one-on-one training from soccer coaches from the United Kingdom.
The camp was attended by 38 local youths, with over half in the 6-to-10-year-old category. There were a total of 23 kids in the 6-10 group, three in the little kickers program (4-5) and 12 in the advanced group (12-18).
The advanced group met for both morning and evening sessions, totaling six hours of training daily. The morning groups spent the first half of each day working on technical skills such as ball handling, and one-on-one training from coaches Simon Noakes and Chris Gardner.
Noakes is 19 years old and fresh out of high school; Gardner is a 20-year veteran of semi-pro soccer in England. The duo made a good instructing team, with Noakes working with the younger players and Gardner training the older kids.
The second half of the morning was spent playing mock World Cup matches. The players were divided into teams and given the name of a World Cup team.
The team that was designated as the home team also named the practice field the corresponding stadium name with their particular team.
The British team renamed their field ‘Wembley Stadium’, and the German team changed the Dupree field to ‘Sancero Field’.
Camp organizer Kimberly Rogers says the week was a huge success, and was impressed with the British instructors.
“The kids really seem to like the challenge,” Rogers said. “Some of the kids, especially the advanced, were going home with sore feet. That means they were working them pretty good. The younger kids really love coach Simon. I would say overall that the camp went very well.”
This is my second year with Challenger Sports,” British club trainer Chris Gardner said. “They are trying to supply every club with a British coach to help their progress in fundamentals. They are also taking American crews to England right now, so the program is really getting off the ground.
JSA is also preparing for registration of the fall league. Registration dates will be June 24, July 15, 22 and 29 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Jacksonville Community Center.
For more information, contact Tina Harris at 941-3588.
Leader sports writer
IN SHORT: Area youths were schooled in British-style soccer by coaches from England last week at the JSA camp.
The Jacksonville Soccer Association held its annual Challenger Sports British Soccer Camp last week at Dupree Park.
The sessions were split into morning and evening groups, with students getting one-on-one training from soccer coaches from the United Kingdom.
The camp was attended by 38 local youths, with over half in the 6-to-10-year-old category. There were a total of 23 kids in the 6-10 group, three in the little kickers program (4-5) and 12 in the advanced group (12-18).
The advanced group met for both morning and evening sessions, totaling six hours of training daily. The morning groups spent the first half of each day working on technical skills such as ball handling, and one-on-one training from coaches Simon Noakes and Chris Gardner.
Noakes is 19 years old and fresh out of high school; Gardner is a 20-year veteran of semi-pro soccer in England. The duo made a good instructing team, with Noakes working with the younger players and Gardner training the older kids.
The second half of the morning was spent playing mock World Cup matches. The players were divided into teams and given the name of a World Cup team.
The team that was designated as the home team also named the practice field the corresponding stadium name with their particular team.
The British team renamed their field ‘Wembley Stadium’, and the German team changed the Dupree field to ‘Sancero Field’.
Camp organizer Kimberly Rogers says the week was a huge success, and was impressed with the British instructors.
“The kids really seem to like the challenge,” Rogers said. “Some of the kids, especially the advanced, were going home with sore feet. That means they were working them pretty good. The younger kids really love coach Simon. I would say overall that the camp went very well.”
This is my second year with Challenger Sports,” British club trainer Chris Gardner said. “They are trying to supply every club with a British coach to help their progress in fundamentals. They are also taking American crews to England right now, so the program is really getting off the ground.
JSA is also preparing for registration of the fall league. Registration dates will be June 24, July 15, 22 and 29 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Jacksonville Community Center.
For more information, contact Tina Harris at 941-3588.
SPORTS>> Three consecutive: Sylvan Hills AAA team beats Jacksonville for the third time
By Ray Benton
Leader sports editor
IN SHORT: The Gwatney Chevrolet team came up just short after mounting a huge comeback Wednesday night against the Sylvan Hills Bruins.
Sylvan Hills’ Class AAA team beat Jacksonville for the third time this season Wednesday night in Sherwood, but the Gwatney Chevrolet team made things a lot tougher than in the first two meetings. After the Bruins posted 16-5 and 7-0 victories over Jacksonville in the first two games, they needed a run in the bottom of the final inning to take an 8-7 victory in Wednesday’s game that was postponed from Tuesday.
“We got way behind right off the bat, but we didn’t quit and we almost won the thing,” Jacksonville coach Bob Hicking-botham said. “I was glad to see that they didn’t just quit. We’ve had some problems with that from our younger kids, but these guys know it’s not over just because you get behind.”
With the score tied at 7-7 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Sylvan Hills took back the lead and got the win with its first two batters. Ross Bogard led off with a double, and scored on a game-winning single by Ryan Wood.
Jacksonville scored first in the top of the first when leadoff hitter Josh Mansfield singled and scored two batters later on an RBI hit by Trey Smith.
Smith continued to hit well throughout the game, but struggled on the mound and didn’t make it out of the first inning.
Sylvan Hills scored seven runs in the bottom of the first to take a commanding 7-1 lead.
The rally started with one out when Austin Gwatney singled to left field. Grant Garlington then walked and Smith got the second out by forcing Chase Elder to fly out to left field.
That’s when things began to unravel for Smith and the rest of the Chevy boys. Tony Pavon reached on an error at third base that also scored Gwatney to tie the game. Jerry Lawson and Jarrett Boles hit back-to-back singles. Ross Bogard and Wood drew back-to-back walks, with Wood picking up an RBI for driving in Lawson. Roark came back up in the leadoff position to drive in two runs with a single to right field. Gwatney singled, this time to centerfield, to drive in the sixth run of the inning, and another error off of the bat of Garlington allowed the seventh run to score.
Casey Winstead took the mound and got Elder to ground out to first base to end the inning.
From there, Jacksonville began chipping away at its six-run deficit, finally tying the game in the fifth inning.
The Chevy boys got one back in the third inning. Neil Hatcher singled to lead off the inning. Smith then hit into a fielder’s choice, but the throw from shortstop to second was off target, allowing Hatcher to take third base. Kyle West then singled to make it a 7-2 ballgame.
In the fourth inning, Mansfield walked and scored on another error at shortstop after a Hatcher ground ball.
Jacksonville tied it with four runs in the fifth. Blake Mattison struck out, but reached on a passed ball. Brandon Clements then hit a home run over the wall in left field to cut the margin to two runs. Will Peeples then reached on an error at first base and Tyler Uptergrove walked. Shane Graham then doubled to score Peeples. Mansfield followed that with a double that scored Uptergrove to tie the game.
The game’s outcome leaves Sylvan Hills with a record of 11-4 while Jacksonville dropped to 2-6. Sylvan Hills is competing in a tournament in Mountain Home this weekend. Jacksonville takes a short trip north to face Cabot at 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
Leader sports editor
IN SHORT: The Gwatney Chevrolet team came up just short after mounting a huge comeback Wednesday night against the Sylvan Hills Bruins.
Sylvan Hills’ Class AAA team beat Jacksonville for the third time this season Wednesday night in Sherwood, but the Gwatney Chevrolet team made things a lot tougher than in the first two meetings. After the Bruins posted 16-5 and 7-0 victories over Jacksonville in the first two games, they needed a run in the bottom of the final inning to take an 8-7 victory in Wednesday’s game that was postponed from Tuesday.
“We got way behind right off the bat, but we didn’t quit and we almost won the thing,” Jacksonville coach Bob Hicking-botham said. “I was glad to see that they didn’t just quit. We’ve had some problems with that from our younger kids, but these guys know it’s not over just because you get behind.”
With the score tied at 7-7 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Sylvan Hills took back the lead and got the win with its first two batters. Ross Bogard led off with a double, and scored on a game-winning single by Ryan Wood.
Jacksonville scored first in the top of the first when leadoff hitter Josh Mansfield singled and scored two batters later on an RBI hit by Trey Smith.
Smith continued to hit well throughout the game, but struggled on the mound and didn’t make it out of the first inning.
Sylvan Hills scored seven runs in the bottom of the first to take a commanding 7-1 lead.
The rally started with one out when Austin Gwatney singled to left field. Grant Garlington then walked and Smith got the second out by forcing Chase Elder to fly out to left field.
That’s when things began to unravel for Smith and the rest of the Chevy boys. Tony Pavon reached on an error at third base that also scored Gwatney to tie the game. Jerry Lawson and Jarrett Boles hit back-to-back singles. Ross Bogard and Wood drew back-to-back walks, with Wood picking up an RBI for driving in Lawson. Roark came back up in the leadoff position to drive in two runs with a single to right field. Gwatney singled, this time to centerfield, to drive in the sixth run of the inning, and another error off of the bat of Garlington allowed the seventh run to score.
Casey Winstead took the mound and got Elder to ground out to first base to end the inning.
From there, Jacksonville began chipping away at its six-run deficit, finally tying the game in the fifth inning.
The Chevy boys got one back in the third inning. Neil Hatcher singled to lead off the inning. Smith then hit into a fielder’s choice, but the throw from shortstop to second was off target, allowing Hatcher to take third base. Kyle West then singled to make it a 7-2 ballgame.
In the fourth inning, Mansfield walked and scored on another error at shortstop after a Hatcher ground ball.
Jacksonville tied it with four runs in the fifth. Blake Mattison struck out, but reached on a passed ball. Brandon Clements then hit a home run over the wall in left field to cut the margin to two runs. Will Peeples then reached on an error at first base and Tyler Uptergrove walked. Shane Graham then doubled to score Peeples. Mansfield followed that with a double that scored Uptergrove to tie the game.
The game’s outcome leaves Sylvan Hills with a record of 11-4 while Jacksonville dropped to 2-6. Sylvan Hills is competing in a tournament in Mountain Home this weekend. Jacksonville takes a short trip north to face Cabot at 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
SPORTS>> Cabot downed in three straight
By Jason King
Leader sports writer
IN SHORT: The Home Depot team struggled through three losses this week, falling to Sylvan Hills, Little Rock ASO and Russellville.
It was not a kind week for the Cabot Home Depot AAA American Legion team. Three games saw three losses for Cabot. After a close 2-0 shutout at the hands of Sylvan Hills to start out the week, Cabot hosted LRAE/Catholic on Tuesday and Russellville Thursday.
Catholic handed them a 9-1 loss Tuesday, followed by a five-inning run-ruled 10-1 loss at the hands of Russellville Thursday.
The only score for Home Depot in Tuesday’s game against LRAE came from lead-off batter Corey Wade. Wade opened for Cabot by reaching with a walk, and would be driven home with an RBI from Sam Bates. Catholic led 2-1 after the first inning, and would slowly build on that lead for the remainder of the contest.
A single from Colin Fuller in the second inning and a double for Daryl Murphy in the fifth inning were the only two hits allowed by winning Catholic pitcher Joseph Glanery. Bates took the loss for Cabot as one of three pitchers for Home Depot in the game.
Thursday’s game with Russell-ville would be even uglier. The game looked like it would be evenly matched in the opening inning. Each team went four batters deep during their turn in the first, and both would come away with a hit.
Josh Boger got the first hit off starting Cabot pitcher Colin Fuller in the top of the first, hopping it to right field for a single. Cabot’s three-hole hitter would also hit in the opening inning. Bates sent a shot of his own to right for the single, but was left on a pop-up from Chris Gross to end the inning.
The top of the second and top of the fourth would be the innings of doom for Cabot. Russellville took a big early lead with five runs in the second, and followed that with five more in the fourth to put the game into run-rule status.
After easily handling the first batters in the Russellville lineup to start the game, Fuller struggled in the second. Lead-off batter Josh Williams came away with a huge triple to centerfield to put a run in position right away. A single by Garrett Hill scored Williams, followed by a walk and another single to load the bases for the Cogswell Motors team with only one out.
An error allowed the first run to score, followed by a double to center from Boger to score Caleb McGee and Lucas Cox. Before it was over, Russellville had racked up a 5-0 lead over Cabot.
Fuller looked better during the third inning, allowing no hits or runs in the inning. The Russellville bats heated up once again for the fourth inning, however. Four hits, two errors and a passed ball allowed five more Russellville runs to score, putting them to a commanding 10-0 lead.
Although not its best performance at the plate this season, Cabot refused to be shutout in the game. Home Depot took advantage of a pair of Russellville errors in the bottom of the fourth to put their only run of the evening up on the board.
Gross reached with an error at second base, and was driven in for the run when Fuller hit a fly into center that was missed. Gross’ run would end hopes of a Russellville shutout, but was not enough to avoid the run-rule.
Cabot loaded the bases in the fifth inning, but Russellville made a solid play at the plate off a bunt from Justin Free to avoid another score.
Cabot finished the game with one run, two hits and five errors. The losses give the Home Depot team records of 3-5 in AAA action and 6-10 overall. Cabot will host Jacksonville at the Brian Conrade Sports Complex Sunday at 2:30 p.m. in AAA action.
Leader sports writer
IN SHORT: The Home Depot team struggled through three losses this week, falling to Sylvan Hills, Little Rock ASO and Russellville.
It was not a kind week for the Cabot Home Depot AAA American Legion team. Three games saw three losses for Cabot. After a close 2-0 shutout at the hands of Sylvan Hills to start out the week, Cabot hosted LRAE/Catholic on Tuesday and Russellville Thursday.
Catholic handed them a 9-1 loss Tuesday, followed by a five-inning run-ruled 10-1 loss at the hands of Russellville Thursday.
The only score for Home Depot in Tuesday’s game against LRAE came from lead-off batter Corey Wade. Wade opened for Cabot by reaching with a walk, and would be driven home with an RBI from Sam Bates. Catholic led 2-1 after the first inning, and would slowly build on that lead for the remainder of the contest.
A single from Colin Fuller in the second inning and a double for Daryl Murphy in the fifth inning were the only two hits allowed by winning Catholic pitcher Joseph Glanery. Bates took the loss for Cabot as one of three pitchers for Home Depot in the game.
Thursday’s game with Russell-ville would be even uglier. The game looked like it would be evenly matched in the opening inning. Each team went four batters deep during their turn in the first, and both would come away with a hit.
Josh Boger got the first hit off starting Cabot pitcher Colin Fuller in the top of the first, hopping it to right field for a single. Cabot’s three-hole hitter would also hit in the opening inning. Bates sent a shot of his own to right for the single, but was left on a pop-up from Chris Gross to end the inning.
The top of the second and top of the fourth would be the innings of doom for Cabot. Russellville took a big early lead with five runs in the second, and followed that with five more in the fourth to put the game into run-rule status.
After easily handling the first batters in the Russellville lineup to start the game, Fuller struggled in the second. Lead-off batter Josh Williams came away with a huge triple to centerfield to put a run in position right away. A single by Garrett Hill scored Williams, followed by a walk and another single to load the bases for the Cogswell Motors team with only one out.
An error allowed the first run to score, followed by a double to center from Boger to score Caleb McGee and Lucas Cox. Before it was over, Russellville had racked up a 5-0 lead over Cabot.
Fuller looked better during the third inning, allowing no hits or runs in the inning. The Russellville bats heated up once again for the fourth inning, however. Four hits, two errors and a passed ball allowed five more Russellville runs to score, putting them to a commanding 10-0 lead.
Although not its best performance at the plate this season, Cabot refused to be shutout in the game. Home Depot took advantage of a pair of Russellville errors in the bottom of the fourth to put their only run of the evening up on the board.
Gross reached with an error at second base, and was driven in for the run when Fuller hit a fly into center that was missed. Gross’ run would end hopes of a Russellville shutout, but was not enough to avoid the run-rule.
Cabot loaded the bases in the fifth inning, but Russellville made a solid play at the plate off a bunt from Justin Free to avoid another score.
Cabot finished the game with one run, two hits and five errors. The losses give the Home Depot team records of 3-5 in AAA action and 6-10 overall. Cabot will host Jacksonville at the Brian Conrade Sports Complex Sunday at 2:30 p.m. in AAA action.
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