By JOHN HOFHEIMER
Leader senior staff writer
For the second time in just over a year, an accident has torn up the old-style Hwy. 67/167 southbound overpass railing at Main Street in Jacksonville.
This time, no one was killed or injured.
Although the replacement guardrail was knocked into the street below in a recent one-car accident, it may not be correct to say that it failed.
The 1999 Pontiac Grand Am driven by Britney Davenport, 21, of Cabot hit the guardrail at 10:24 a.m
May 11, but remained on the road, according to Capt. Gloria Weakland, commander of Troop A, State Police. “My car pulled to the right, and I couldn’t get it to pull back,” Davenport told the investigating officer.
The report lists failure to maintain control and careless and prohibited driving as factors in the accident, but Davenport was not cited, Weakland said.
Road conditions included daylight and a dry, clear road with no defects on the roadway. Davenport was not ejected from the vehicle when its right front struck the guardrail. There were no injuries, Weakland said.
Repairs began Monday and could continue for another day or two, according to state Highway and Transportation Department spokesmen, who say it is not practical to put the newer, concrete barriers on the old bridge. In the meantime, at least one Jacksonville resident says she fears driving under the overpass on Main Street, afraid a passing vehicle will knock a heavy orange barrel down onto her.
In February 2006, a gravel truck driven by Donald Ray Watkins, 36, of Ward, slammed into a line of stopped traffic on the overpass, driving two vehicles through the same guardrail and landing among them on the street below.
Jerry Justice, 34, of Ward was killed in that accident and four others were hospitalized.
Watkins has been charged with four misdemeanors—negligent homicide and three counts of third-degree battery—in connection with the incident, according to Rob Berry, deputy Pulaski County prosecutor.In addition, there is “lots of civil stuff pending,” Berry said.
Watkins, represented by Mark Hampton, is slated for a pretrial hearing May 30, according to Berry. Highway and Transportation Department spokesman Glenn Bolick said that as highway widening continues northward, eventually the twin overpasses at Main Street would be replaced with wider, better overpasses. There is tentatively $32 million earmarked to widen Hwy. 67-167 from south of Redmond Road to north of Vandenberg, according to the official Metroplan 2030 long-term transportation plan.
That would include new, wider overpasses at Main Street and at James Street as well as the widening of Hwy. 67/167 sometime before 2030. The State Crime Lab reported that Watkins had had Diazepam, Nordiazpam and Trazodone in his blood. The report noted that the quantities in Watkins’ blood were “consistent with values widely considered to be normal or therapeutic.”
The report did not say whether or not the quantities in question could have impaired Watkins’ driving and contributed to the accident. A pharmacist who asked not to be identified said that Diazepam—a generic Valium — and Trazodone used together could be “really sedating,” and should not be taken at the same time. Each would carry a warning not to operate heavy equipment or machinery, the pharmacist said.
The Nordiazepam was the Diazepam that had already been metabolized, said the pharmacist.Trazodone is an antidepressant used for sleep or for pain control.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
TOP STORY >>Ex-mayor prepares to fight if charges are filed
By JOAN MCCOY
Leader staff writer
Although the FBI will not confirm that former Cabot Mayor Stubby Stumbaugh is at the center of a public-corruption probe that has lasted almost two years, sources at city hall say an investigator has talked to several employees, including the current mayor, budget manager and city clerk.
Stumbaugh is expected to put up a vigorous fight if charges are filed.
The investigation started when the city hired USI-Arkansas to design a multi-million water project, which included upgrades to the system and a connection to Central Arkansas Water, which will supply the city with reliable lake water.
USI, the parent company of USI-Arkansas, was under investigation at that time for bribing public officials, and the president and vice president of the parent company have since been convicted in federal court. Sources say the investigation into Stumbaugh’s administration will not be closed until after Sohan P. Singh, president of USI, is sentenced, presumably because the severity of the sentence could depend upon how much information he gives the FBI about his company’s business practices.
Singh was scheduled for sentencingin March. Officials with USI Arkansas say they’re no loner with the parent company.
The FBI has seized the computers used by the former mayor and his public works director and several city documents, including bank statements for the general fund and the water department, which was not run by a commission until 2006, the last year Stumbaugh was in office.
Stumbaugh, who denies any wrongdoing, also is gathering information. City records show he made requests for documents under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act on April 13, April 18 and April 26. His requests include documents related to the selection process for hiring USI-Arkansas for both the water project and the sewer treatment plant.
He also has requested and received personnel information on the budget manager, who is now under the city clerk but was the finance director under the mayor when Stumbaugh was in office. And he has requested documents pertaining to the city’s current contract for garbage and yard wastes with IESI.IESI was awarded the contract the first time after Stumbaugh took office more that four years ago, but did not bid when it was time to renew the contract.
Stumbaugh, who was hired by IESI after he left office in December, told the council last July that all the bids were too high and he threw them out and re-bid the contract.
Jerry Lester with L&L Services, which had the contract before IESI, complained in July before the council approved the new contract that the bidding was unfair because IESI knew what the others bid and bid less. Stumbaugh said then that IESI did not receive proper notification that it was time to bid the contract again.
Since The Leader wrote in April about the FBI investigation, the IESI employees who ran the operation in Cabot have been fired, but W.J. Grammer, the general manager, said Tuesday that his termination had nothing to do with the FBI investigation.
Instead, Grammer said he was fired because he didn’t have authorization to re-hire a former employee who was needed to clean up the yard wastes that were collecting in April along Cabot streets.
Grammer said Mayor Eddie Joe Williams was pressuring him to clean up the mess and he didn’t have enough workers to get it done. Stumbaugh, who was hired for his public relations skills, pitched in, Grammer said, but he needed another driver and hired the only one available. His superiors were upset that he hired the driver without their approval and fired him.
Don Smith, the district manager for IESI, confirmed that Grammer was fired for re-hiring the driver.
“He tried to slip him in on us,” Smith said, adding that the company has a policy against re-hiring because employees who leave and come back several times cost the company too much.
Smith said Grammer also was fired because his work was unacceptable. Grammer has been replaced by Craig Kirchhoff, he said. Smith said since Kirchhoff took over the city is cleaner.
Smith said he knew nothing about the investigation until he read about it in the paper and no agents have contacted him. Stumbaugh was hired in an effort to obtain more municipal contracts, he said.
Leader staff writer
Although the FBI will not confirm that former Cabot Mayor Stubby Stumbaugh is at the center of a public-corruption probe that has lasted almost two years, sources at city hall say an investigator has talked to several employees, including the current mayor, budget manager and city clerk.
Stumbaugh is expected to put up a vigorous fight if charges are filed.
The investigation started when the city hired USI-Arkansas to design a multi-million water project, which included upgrades to the system and a connection to Central Arkansas Water, which will supply the city with reliable lake water.
USI, the parent company of USI-Arkansas, was under investigation at that time for bribing public officials, and the president and vice president of the parent company have since been convicted in federal court. Sources say the investigation into Stumbaugh’s administration will not be closed until after Sohan P. Singh, president of USI, is sentenced, presumably because the severity of the sentence could depend upon how much information he gives the FBI about his company’s business practices.
Singh was scheduled for sentencingin March. Officials with USI Arkansas say they’re no loner with the parent company.
The FBI has seized the computers used by the former mayor and his public works director and several city documents, including bank statements for the general fund and the water department, which was not run by a commission until 2006, the last year Stumbaugh was in office.
Stumbaugh, who denies any wrongdoing, also is gathering information. City records show he made requests for documents under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act on April 13, April 18 and April 26. His requests include documents related to the selection process for hiring USI-Arkansas for both the water project and the sewer treatment plant.
He also has requested and received personnel information on the budget manager, who is now under the city clerk but was the finance director under the mayor when Stumbaugh was in office. And he has requested documents pertaining to the city’s current contract for garbage and yard wastes with IESI.IESI was awarded the contract the first time after Stumbaugh took office more that four years ago, but did not bid when it was time to renew the contract.
Stumbaugh, who was hired by IESI after he left office in December, told the council last July that all the bids were too high and he threw them out and re-bid the contract.
Jerry Lester with L&L Services, which had the contract before IESI, complained in July before the council approved the new contract that the bidding was unfair because IESI knew what the others bid and bid less. Stumbaugh said then that IESI did not receive proper notification that it was time to bid the contract again.
Since The Leader wrote in April about the FBI investigation, the IESI employees who ran the operation in Cabot have been fired, but W.J. Grammer, the general manager, said Tuesday that his termination had nothing to do with the FBI investigation.
Instead, Grammer said he was fired because he didn’t have authorization to re-hire a former employee who was needed to clean up the yard wastes that were collecting in April along Cabot streets.
Grammer said Mayor Eddie Joe Williams was pressuring him to clean up the mess and he didn’t have enough workers to get it done. Stumbaugh, who was hired for his public relations skills, pitched in, Grammer said, but he needed another driver and hired the only one available. His superiors were upset that he hired the driver without their approval and fired him.
Don Smith, the district manager for IESI, confirmed that Grammer was fired for re-hiring the driver.
“He tried to slip him in on us,” Smith said, adding that the company has a policy against re-hiring because employees who leave and come back several times cost the company too much.
Smith said Grammer also was fired because his work was unacceptable. Grammer has been replaced by Craig Kirchhoff, he said. Smith said since Kirchhoff took over the city is cleaner.
Smith said he knew nothing about the investigation until he read about it in the paper and no agents have contacted him. Stumbaugh was hired in an effort to obtain more municipal contracts, he said.
TOP STORY >>Graduation day for area seniors
By HEATHER HARTSELL
Leader staff writer
More than 760 seniors graduated Friday night from Cabot, Beebe and Lonoke high schools, and about 550 more will graduate this weekend from Jacksonville, North Pulaski and Sylvan Hills high schools as commencement ceremonies are taking place in the area.
Cabot’s 480-plus graduates walked at Alltel Arena in North Little Rock with more than 7,000 family and friends watching the ceremony.
John C. Thompson, chairman of the Cabot Scholarship Foundation and Cabot alumni, was the community representative for the evening’s ceremony and told graduates to move their Class of 2007 tassel from the left to the right, marking their transition from high school into the real world.
Heather Bodiford and Sarah Coggins graduated at the head of Cabot’s class as co-valedictorians; Sondra Grinnis was the salutatorian. Cabot had a total of 13 high honor graduates, including Bodiford, Coggins and Grinnis, and 86 honor graduates.
Lonoke High School graduated 113 seniors at the Lonoke football stadium. Jason Barnes and Jonathan Tackett led the LHS Class of 2007 as co-valedictorians; Logan Danielsen was salutatorian. Lonoke had nine other honor graduates. At Beebe, out of a total of 170 graduates, 167 walked during Fri-day’s commencement. Brittney Bass and Katie McIlwain led the Beebe High School Class of 2007 as valedictorian and salutatorian; there were 18 other honor graduates.
Jacksonville, North Pulaski and Sylvan Hills high school seniors will graduate this week. Seniors at JHS will graduate at 7 p.m. Friday at the JHS football stadium. Jacksonville’s class of 2007 co-valedictorians are LaRae Brown and John Wilkins, salutatorian is Christopher Copeland; there are 13 other honor graduates at JHS.
Sylvan Hills’ seniors will graduate at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at the Jack Stephens Center located at the north side of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock campus. Valedictorian Andrew Reynolds and salutatorian Caroline Borden, with 15 other honor graduates, lead the class.
North Pulaski’s commencement will be at 7 p.m. Saturday; North Pulaski’s ceremony will also take place at the Stephens Center at UALR. Sarah Watson, valedictorian, and Charles Gervasini, salutatorian, lead their graduating class; there are 14 additional honor graduates in North Pulaski’s Class of 2007. Searcy’s Class of 2007 graduated May 12.
Leader staff writer
More than 760 seniors graduated Friday night from Cabot, Beebe and Lonoke high schools, and about 550 more will graduate this weekend from Jacksonville, North Pulaski and Sylvan Hills high schools as commencement ceremonies are taking place in the area.
Cabot’s 480-plus graduates walked at Alltel Arena in North Little Rock with more than 7,000 family and friends watching the ceremony.
John C. Thompson, chairman of the Cabot Scholarship Foundation and Cabot alumni, was the community representative for the evening’s ceremony and told graduates to move their Class of 2007 tassel from the left to the right, marking their transition from high school into the real world.
Heather Bodiford and Sarah Coggins graduated at the head of Cabot’s class as co-valedictorians; Sondra Grinnis was the salutatorian. Cabot had a total of 13 high honor graduates, including Bodiford, Coggins and Grinnis, and 86 honor graduates.
Lonoke High School graduated 113 seniors at the Lonoke football stadium. Jason Barnes and Jonathan Tackett led the LHS Class of 2007 as co-valedictorians; Logan Danielsen was salutatorian. Lonoke had nine other honor graduates. At Beebe, out of a total of 170 graduates, 167 walked during Fri-day’s commencement. Brittney Bass and Katie McIlwain led the Beebe High School Class of 2007 as valedictorian and salutatorian; there were 18 other honor graduates.
Jacksonville, North Pulaski and Sylvan Hills high school seniors will graduate this week. Seniors at JHS will graduate at 7 p.m. Friday at the JHS football stadium. Jacksonville’s class of 2007 co-valedictorians are LaRae Brown and John Wilkins, salutatorian is Christopher Copeland; there are 13 other honor graduates at JHS.
Sylvan Hills’ seniors will graduate at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at the Jack Stephens Center located at the north side of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock campus. Valedictorian Andrew Reynolds and salutatorian Caroline Borden, with 15 other honor graduates, lead the class.
North Pulaski’s commencement will be at 7 p.m. Saturday; North Pulaski’s ceremony will also take place at the Stephens Center at UALR. Sarah Watson, valedictorian, and Charles Gervasini, salutatorian, lead their graduating class; there are 14 additional honor graduates in North Pulaski’s Class of 2007. Searcy’s Class of 2007 graduated May 12.
TOP STORY >>City has 20 days to reply to suit
By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
Sherwood placed a moratorium on any development plans for the North Hills Country Club to get the sale price lowered and more time to get an appraisal, according to an appeal filed Friday by the owners of the facility. Sherwood has 20 days, about June 8, to respond to the appeal, and then the issue could end up in court.
“We are studying the complaint,” said City Attorney Steve Cobb, “and will make the appropriate response in a timely manner.”
In the meantime the condition of the golf course deteriorates as very little landscape and maintenance work is being done to the property since it officially closed earlier this month.
Jim Rodgers and Thomas Eanes, owners of the North Hills Country Club, believe that Sherwood’s building moratorium killed their $5.1 million sale of the course and that the city may only offer up to $1.7 million for the 106-acre facility. The appeal asks Pulaski County Circuit Court Judge Tim Fox to reverse the city resolution and declare it “to be void and of no force and effect.”
The appeal names the city, the mayor and all eight aldermen as defendants.
According to the appeal, the city discussed and voted on the resolution April 23 even though it was not on the original agenda. The resolution called for a “six-month moratorium on the filing of applications for rezonings, subdivision plats and for the issuance of building permits for the area known as North Hills Country Club.”
The Sherwood City Council voted 8-0 to approve the resolution.
The owners’ attorney Stuart Hankins, in the appeal, called the resolution “arbitrary, capricious, unreasonable, unlawful, oppressive and discriminatory.”
The appeal states the city’s actions were improper because it only applies to “the North Hills Country Club property, and no other property or property owner in the City of Sherwood is affected by it.”
Sherwood approved a building moratorium once before to stop the construction of an apartment complex. That builder filed a lawsuit, and the city pulled the moratorium.
This moratorium, according to the appeal, “effectively stops all development and pending or potential sales of the North Hills Country Club property in an unlawful attempt to cause termination of the real estate sales contract for the unlawful purpose of helping to obtain a direct economic benefit in the lowering of the sales price for the City’s intention of acquiring the North Hills Country Club property for use as a municipal facility.”
Hankins wrote in the appeal that the owners had entered into a written agreement with Ron Campbell and Roy Marples to buy the acreage for $5.1 million. Campbell and Marples envisioned turning the property into a gated high-end development of single-family homes.
“The closing of the country club and the sale of North Hills Country Club property to developers were motivating factors in the City’s adoption of the moratorium resolution,” the appeal claims.
The appeal also claims that the moratorium “effectively grants the city a free option to purchase the North Hills Country Club property for six months while the city decides whether or not to condemn the property presumably based upon the conclusions of a feasibility study and an appraisal of the property.”
Hankins said the moratorium is “unlawful because its stated purpose exceeds the statutory power granted to cities to condemn property.”
Leader staff writer
Sherwood placed a moratorium on any development plans for the North Hills Country Club to get the sale price lowered and more time to get an appraisal, according to an appeal filed Friday by the owners of the facility. Sherwood has 20 days, about June 8, to respond to the appeal, and then the issue could end up in court.
“We are studying the complaint,” said City Attorney Steve Cobb, “and will make the appropriate response in a timely manner.”
In the meantime the condition of the golf course deteriorates as very little landscape and maintenance work is being done to the property since it officially closed earlier this month.
Jim Rodgers and Thomas Eanes, owners of the North Hills Country Club, believe that Sherwood’s building moratorium killed their $5.1 million sale of the course and that the city may only offer up to $1.7 million for the 106-acre facility. The appeal asks Pulaski County Circuit Court Judge Tim Fox to reverse the city resolution and declare it “to be void and of no force and effect.”
The appeal names the city, the mayor and all eight aldermen as defendants.
According to the appeal, the city discussed and voted on the resolution April 23 even though it was not on the original agenda. The resolution called for a “six-month moratorium on the filing of applications for rezonings, subdivision plats and for the issuance of building permits for the area known as North Hills Country Club.”
The Sherwood City Council voted 8-0 to approve the resolution.
The owners’ attorney Stuart Hankins, in the appeal, called the resolution “arbitrary, capricious, unreasonable, unlawful, oppressive and discriminatory.”
The appeal states the city’s actions were improper because it only applies to “the North Hills Country Club property, and no other property or property owner in the City of Sherwood is affected by it.”
Sherwood approved a building moratorium once before to stop the construction of an apartment complex. That builder filed a lawsuit, and the city pulled the moratorium.
This moratorium, according to the appeal, “effectively stops all development and pending or potential sales of the North Hills Country Club property in an unlawful attempt to cause termination of the real estate sales contract for the unlawful purpose of helping to obtain a direct economic benefit in the lowering of the sales price for the City’s intention of acquiring the North Hills Country Club property for use as a municipal facility.”
Hankins wrote in the appeal that the owners had entered into a written agreement with Ron Campbell and Roy Marples to buy the acreage for $5.1 million. Campbell and Marples envisioned turning the property into a gated high-end development of single-family homes.
“The closing of the country club and the sale of North Hills Country Club property to developers were motivating factors in the City’s adoption of the moratorium resolution,” the appeal claims.
The appeal also claims that the moratorium “effectively grants the city a free option to purchase the North Hills Country Club property for six months while the city decides whether or not to condemn the property presumably based upon the conclusions of a feasibility study and an appraisal of the property.”
Hankins said the moratorium is “unlawful because its stated purpose exceeds the statutory power granted to cities to condemn property.”
Monday, May 21, 2007
SPORTS >>Cabot enjoys early success from offense
IN SHORT: Good size on the offensive line and quarterback play has led to a productive spring session for the Panther offense.
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
Little changed with personnel for the Cabot Panthers from day one to day four of spring football practice. The Panthers took Friday off and will finish their last day of practice in full pads on Monday. While the players leading the way on day one are still doing so, the coaching staff has seen improvement from the whole team in the way of execution.
As coaches always hope is the case, the team has steadily progressed since day one.
“The players are all about where we were Monday, but they’re learning and doing all right,” Cabot head coach Mike Malham said. “I think they look pretty good and getting a lot done, so we’re pretty pleased with that aspect. We’re going to be young and we’ve still got a long way to go, but they’re learning.”
While little changed with personnel, a little did change. Most changes were due to minor injuries. Sophomore Seth Bloomberg got all the repetitions at quarterback on Thursday. Junior Nathan Byrnes tweaked his knee on Wednesday and was kept out of practice Thursday.
Junior Chris Bayles took over some reps at halfback. ?? James, who started spring drills at halfback, also suffered a minor sting and sat out.
“Bayles looked pretty good running the ball,” Malham said. “He’s not very big. He’s about the same as Carlisle, but they both have decent speed, so I think we’re going to be all right there. We’ve got a little depth at halfback.”
Bloomberg broke some long runs and went the distance a couple of times in scrimmage. The sophomore made good reads and drew praise from the coach, and so did the line that opened the holes.
“Bloomberg looked pretty good,” Malham said. “He made good reads and broke some plays. Burns looked pretty good when he was in there too. Of course our offensive line has got some big guys up there for a change and that sure has helped. It’s a young group and they’ve got a lot to learn, but they’re pretty hard-nosed. The ones up front are pretty good, but there’s not much depth right now. We need some guys to step up and be ready to go in case we get anybody hurt because one injury messes up a lot of things.”
If the offense is dominating the scrimmages, that of course means the defense is struggling, but some of that has to do with injuries and inexperience.
Neither of last year’s starting defensive ends played Thursday. Daniel Hillenburg is nursing an injury. His counterpart at the other end last year moved to Tennessee.
Size also was part of the equation in the offense’s success.
“We’ve got the defense out-sized by far,” Malham said. They’ve got 200-pounders going up against 280-pounders. They’re going to see a lot of that this year, but not really anybody doing what we do. We’re going to see a lot more wide spread stuff, but they’ve still got their work cut out for them. I see some good things on defense. They are getting some things done and making progress. There’s just a lot of sophomores that have all the tools that are just going to have to get ready.”
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
Little changed with personnel for the Cabot Panthers from day one to day four of spring football practice. The Panthers took Friday off and will finish their last day of practice in full pads on Monday. While the players leading the way on day one are still doing so, the coaching staff has seen improvement from the whole team in the way of execution.
As coaches always hope is the case, the team has steadily progressed since day one.
“The players are all about where we were Monday, but they’re learning and doing all right,” Cabot head coach Mike Malham said. “I think they look pretty good and getting a lot done, so we’re pretty pleased with that aspect. We’re going to be young and we’ve still got a long way to go, but they’re learning.”
While little changed with personnel, a little did change. Most changes were due to minor injuries. Sophomore Seth Bloomberg got all the repetitions at quarterback on Thursday. Junior Nathan Byrnes tweaked his knee on Wednesday and was kept out of practice Thursday.
Junior Chris Bayles took over some reps at halfback. ?? James, who started spring drills at halfback, also suffered a minor sting and sat out.
“Bayles looked pretty good running the ball,” Malham said. “He’s not very big. He’s about the same as Carlisle, but they both have decent speed, so I think we’re going to be all right there. We’ve got a little depth at halfback.”
Bloomberg broke some long runs and went the distance a couple of times in scrimmage. The sophomore made good reads and drew praise from the coach, and so did the line that opened the holes.
“Bloomberg looked pretty good,” Malham said. “He made good reads and broke some plays. Burns looked pretty good when he was in there too. Of course our offensive line has got some big guys up there for a change and that sure has helped. It’s a young group and they’ve got a lot to learn, but they’re pretty hard-nosed. The ones up front are pretty good, but there’s not much depth right now. We need some guys to step up and be ready to go in case we get anybody hurt because one injury messes up a lot of things.”
If the offense is dominating the scrimmages, that of course means the defense is struggling, but some of that has to do with injuries and inexperience.
Neither of last year’s starting defensive ends played Thursday. Daniel Hillenburg is nursing an injury. His counterpart at the other end last year moved to Tennessee.
Size also was part of the equation in the offense’s success.
“We’ve got the defense out-sized by far,” Malham said. They’ve got 200-pounders going up against 280-pounders. They’re going to see a lot of that this year, but not really anybody doing what we do. We’re going to see a lot more wide spread stuff, but they’ve still got their work cut out for them. I see some good things on defense. They are getting some things done and making progress. There’s just a lot of sophomores that have all the tools that are just going to have to get ready.”
SPORTS >>SH Bears learning new coach's way
IN SHORT: The 2007 Sylvan Hills football team turned out in strong numbers for the first week of spring practice; the first under new head coach Jim Withrow, formerly of Mills.
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
The Jim Withrow era of Sylvan Hills football is now officially underway with the first week of spring practice this past week, although it hasn’t taken off quite as quickly as the new head Bear would like.
The numbers were strong for the Bears, with close to 65 players turning out for the spring drills. The players only got one day of non-pad practice in. Lightning on Tuesday cancelled the final prep day, but Withrow says the lost day is nothing compared to the task of installing a whole new team strategy.
“We’re making progress, but it’s baby steps right now,” Withrow said. “It’s a new coach, a new system, but we’re getting through it. The good thing about it is that they are good kids, and good kids will always make it through, but we have a long, long ways to go.”
Most of the Thursday practice was a full-on scrimmage between first team offenses and defenses, with the second-team defense also seeing significant time. While the offense looked shaky at times, both defensive units seemed to be strong in the linebacker department. The defensive line was green on its timing, jumping on quarterback Hunter Miller’s snap counts on a number of occasions, a penalty that was met with a number of grass drills for the guilty party.
“We’re at the point right now where we’re feeling sorry for ourselves a little bit,” Withrow said. “We’re kind of uninspired. We have to come out every day and work hard, and then that will translate into a new attitude. It’s just going to take a little time.”
One major element of the slow start is five starting seniors for next year who are currently out hurt. Unable to use any kind of data from the previous season, Withrow says the injuries will prevent him from getting a complete look at the abilities and chemistry of his new squad.
“If I had been here before, I would feel better about it,” Withrow said. “But I need to see everybody. That’s just what we’re dealt, and we have to live with it, but the positive thing about it is it gives us a chance to see some guys that we may not have got a look at.”
Withrow says all in all that the offense seems to be picking up the new system pretty well, and was particularly complimentary of the offensive line, and the work they have put in during the off season.
One thing Withrow is trying to accomplish with the new plan is to keep the skill players from having to go both ways on Friday nights, particularly quarterback Miller.
“He’s probably going to play more at quarterback than he is on defense until we get to the conference,” Withrow said. “In this offense, we’re asking him to do a lot, so it’s just going to be tough for him to play both ways all the time.”
The staff was happy with the numbers that turned out for the spring sessions, but Withrow says he would like to see the numbers even higher.
“I would like for us to be around 80 players,” Withrow said. “If we could get that, then we could go with a varsity group and a JV group, and eventually go with possibly a JV and a sophomore team. That’s all it is right now, is a depth game for us. As it stands now, we would have five or six kids that would have to play both ways, and you just can’t do that. If you lose one player, you are essentially losing two positions.
“We’re trying to get to the point where we use about 20-25 players a game. If we can get to that point, I think we’ll be okay.”
The plan for the remaining days of spring practice will be to touch on everything at least once before school dismisses for the summer, and fine tune the system starting in August.
“We’ll hit the special teams some tomorrow,” Withrow said. “When we leave next Friday, we want everything in place. It may not be well executed, but we want everyone knowing where they’re going. We just want to get the plan out there, and we can clean up the execution this summer.”
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
The Jim Withrow era of Sylvan Hills football is now officially underway with the first week of spring practice this past week, although it hasn’t taken off quite as quickly as the new head Bear would like.
The numbers were strong for the Bears, with close to 65 players turning out for the spring drills. The players only got one day of non-pad practice in. Lightning on Tuesday cancelled the final prep day, but Withrow says the lost day is nothing compared to the task of installing a whole new team strategy.
“We’re making progress, but it’s baby steps right now,” Withrow said. “It’s a new coach, a new system, but we’re getting through it. The good thing about it is that they are good kids, and good kids will always make it through, but we have a long, long ways to go.”
Most of the Thursday practice was a full-on scrimmage between first team offenses and defenses, with the second-team defense also seeing significant time. While the offense looked shaky at times, both defensive units seemed to be strong in the linebacker department. The defensive line was green on its timing, jumping on quarterback Hunter Miller’s snap counts on a number of occasions, a penalty that was met with a number of grass drills for the guilty party.
“We’re at the point right now where we’re feeling sorry for ourselves a little bit,” Withrow said. “We’re kind of uninspired. We have to come out every day and work hard, and then that will translate into a new attitude. It’s just going to take a little time.”
One major element of the slow start is five starting seniors for next year who are currently out hurt. Unable to use any kind of data from the previous season, Withrow says the injuries will prevent him from getting a complete look at the abilities and chemistry of his new squad.
“If I had been here before, I would feel better about it,” Withrow said. “But I need to see everybody. That’s just what we’re dealt, and we have to live with it, but the positive thing about it is it gives us a chance to see some guys that we may not have got a look at.”
Withrow says all in all that the offense seems to be picking up the new system pretty well, and was particularly complimentary of the offensive line, and the work they have put in during the off season.
One thing Withrow is trying to accomplish with the new plan is to keep the skill players from having to go both ways on Friday nights, particularly quarterback Miller.
“He’s probably going to play more at quarterback than he is on defense until we get to the conference,” Withrow said. “In this offense, we’re asking him to do a lot, so it’s just going to be tough for him to play both ways all the time.”
The staff was happy with the numbers that turned out for the spring sessions, but Withrow says he would like to see the numbers even higher.
“I would like for us to be around 80 players,” Withrow said. “If we could get that, then we could go with a varsity group and a JV group, and eventually go with possibly a JV and a sophomore team. That’s all it is right now, is a depth game for us. As it stands now, we would have five or six kids that would have to play both ways, and you just can’t do that. If you lose one player, you are essentially losing two positions.
“We’re trying to get to the point where we use about 20-25 players a game. If we can get to that point, I think we’ll be okay.”
The plan for the remaining days of spring practice will be to touch on everything at least once before school dismisses for the summer, and fine tune the system starting in August.
“We’ll hit the special teams some tomorrow,” Withrow said. “When we leave next Friday, we want everything in place. It may not be well executed, but we want everyone knowing where they’re going. We just want to get the plan out there, and we can clean up the execution this summer.”
SPORTS >>Beebe springs into dead T
IN SHORT: New Badger head coach John Shannon brings his experience as Cabot offensive coach to Beebe, along with the set.
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
After four days of spring practice, including two in full pads, the new-look Beebe Badgers have taken some long strides in learning the new offense of new coach John Shannon.
The Beebe players aren’t going through just any old adjustment that typically comes with a new coach. They’re attempting to vault the entire spectrum of offenses, going from the widest of wide-open spread formations that was employed by exited coach Cam Prock, to the tightly compact dead T offense utilized by Shannon.
In just two days of full contact, Shannon has seen progress, but what he’s most excited about is the team’s willingness.
“I’m very pleased with the effort we’re getting from the kids,” Shannon said. “They are making progress. The first group has already picked up on what we want them to do. They’re making the right calls at the line of scrimmage, so that tells me that they’re listening and learning. We have a long way to go though on technique, and that’s just going to take repetition.”
Repetition is the perfect word to describe the first few days of practice. The team broke up into one group of linemen and two groups of backs, and repeated the same drills over and over and over trying to hone the unique technique involved in running the dead-T option and blocking schemes.
Shannon, who was a lineman in high school and college and coached offensive line at Cabot the last several years, worked mostly with the linemen in drills, and has been pleased so far.
“They’re working hard,” Shannon said. “They’re used to pass blocking all the time, and this is totally different. We’re trying to teach them to run block, which is a lot of staying low and plowing forward, and they’re just not used to that, but they’re improving. As long as they’re willing to keep working hard, we’re going to keep improving. It’s something new that we need to keep doing over and over and over.”
One thing Shannon did like was the size on his line.
“I’m very pleased with our size,” Shannon said. “We don’t really have any monsters over there, but we’ve got some tall kids that are solid. There’s definitely a lot to work with athletically on the lines.”
Shannon says it’s still too early to say much about an overall depth chart, but did say the offensive skill players are starting to come into focus.
Roger Glaude and Charlie Spakes are working with the first-team offense. Luke Gardner, Sammy Williams and Kyle Williams have gotten most of the first-team reps in the three running back positions.
“The rest of the positions, it’s still just a little too early to talk about,” Shannon said. “Nothing is really set completely. We’ve got a lot to look at between now and summer. A lot could change. We’re still looking for a lot of people to step up, but I like where we’re at right now.”
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
After four days of spring practice, including two in full pads, the new-look Beebe Badgers have taken some long strides in learning the new offense of new coach John Shannon.
The Beebe players aren’t going through just any old adjustment that typically comes with a new coach. They’re attempting to vault the entire spectrum of offenses, going from the widest of wide-open spread formations that was employed by exited coach Cam Prock, to the tightly compact dead T offense utilized by Shannon.
In just two days of full contact, Shannon has seen progress, but what he’s most excited about is the team’s willingness.
“I’m very pleased with the effort we’re getting from the kids,” Shannon said. “They are making progress. The first group has already picked up on what we want them to do. They’re making the right calls at the line of scrimmage, so that tells me that they’re listening and learning. We have a long way to go though on technique, and that’s just going to take repetition.”
Repetition is the perfect word to describe the first few days of practice. The team broke up into one group of linemen and two groups of backs, and repeated the same drills over and over and over trying to hone the unique technique involved in running the dead-T option and blocking schemes.
Shannon, who was a lineman in high school and college and coached offensive line at Cabot the last several years, worked mostly with the linemen in drills, and has been pleased so far.
“They’re working hard,” Shannon said. “They’re used to pass blocking all the time, and this is totally different. We’re trying to teach them to run block, which is a lot of staying low and plowing forward, and they’re just not used to that, but they’re improving. As long as they’re willing to keep working hard, we’re going to keep improving. It’s something new that we need to keep doing over and over and over.”
One thing Shannon did like was the size on his line.
“I’m very pleased with our size,” Shannon said. “We don’t really have any monsters over there, but we’ve got some tall kids that are solid. There’s definitely a lot to work with athletically on the lines.”
Shannon says it’s still too early to say much about an overall depth chart, but did say the offensive skill players are starting to come into focus.
Roger Glaude and Charlie Spakes are working with the first-team offense. Luke Gardner, Sammy Williams and Kyle Williams have gotten most of the first-team reps in the three running back positions.
“The rest of the positions, it’s still just a little too early to talk about,” Shannon said. “Nothing is really set completely. We’ve got a lot to look at between now and summer. A lot could change. We’re still looking for a lot of people to step up, but I like where we’re at right now.”
EDITORIALS>>Welcome back, Col. Schatz
The 314th Airlift Wing has a new commander, but Col. Rowayne A. Schatz is no stranger to these parts. A decade ago, he commanded the 50th Airlift Squadron at the base, where the squadron was voted the best in Air Mobility Command.
Col. Schatz has distinguished himself with every assignment before getting his next promotion. He’s been selected to receive his first star, so soon you’ll be able to call him Gen. Schatz.
He has held several important positions, from Scott Air Force Base in Illinois, to Yokota Air Base in Japan, from McChord Air Force Base in Washington state to U.S. Central Command in the Middle East.
An outstanding C-130 pilot and instructor, Col. Schatz combines flying and management skills that have earned him his plum assignment as commander of the 314 Airlift Wing.
The Air Force sends us the best, as Maj. Gen. Irv Halter, commander of the 19th Air Force, who officiated at Wednesday’s change-of-command ceremony, pointed out. The general praised Col. Schatz as a top-notch Air Mobility expert who is a natural to lead the wing to greater heights.
“Wayne is no stranger to the C-130 and Little Rock. This provides the wing an unusual advantage…He knows this mission and he knows this community. Minimum spin up required, he’s ready to roll,” Halter said.
“We have great confidence in you,” Halter told Schatz. “We have given you one of our toughest units at a pivotal time, and we could think of no one that is better for this job.”
With that kind of endorsement, it’s no surprise that Col. Schatz now leads the men and women of Little Rock Air Force Base. Welcome back!
Col. Schatz has distinguished himself with every assignment before getting his next promotion. He’s been selected to receive his first star, so soon you’ll be able to call him Gen. Schatz.
He has held several important positions, from Scott Air Force Base in Illinois, to Yokota Air Base in Japan, from McChord Air Force Base in Washington state to U.S. Central Command in the Middle East.
An outstanding C-130 pilot and instructor, Col. Schatz combines flying and management skills that have earned him his plum assignment as commander of the 314 Airlift Wing.
The Air Force sends us the best, as Maj. Gen. Irv Halter, commander of the 19th Air Force, who officiated at Wednesday’s change-of-command ceremony, pointed out. The general praised Col. Schatz as a top-notch Air Mobility expert who is a natural to lead the wing to greater heights.
“Wayne is no stranger to the C-130 and Little Rock. This provides the wing an unusual advantage…He knows this mission and he knows this community. Minimum spin up required, he’s ready to roll,” Halter said.
“We have great confidence in you,” Halter told Schatz. “We have given you one of our toughest units at a pivotal time, and we could think of no one that is better for this job.”
With that kind of endorsement, it’s no surprise that Col. Schatz now leads the men and women of Little Rock Air Force Base. Welcome back!
EDITORIALS>>A preacher's legacy
If a pastor is God’s vicar on earth, his life ought to be measured by the number of souls that he saved or at least by his effort. By that assessment, Rev. Jerry Falwell, who died suddenly on Tuesday, would have to have been deemed a successful pastor because the vast church and television audience that his rich voice and promotional skills developed must have reached lots of lost sinners.
We can never be quite sure of that effect, but we are quite sure that his legacy is larger and very different from that. Falwell certainly believed that it was, and the reaction to his death — the fulsome or polite encomiums in the mainstream media and the ridicule in the blogging world — attests to it.
Jerry Falwell never believed Edmund Burke’s dictum that politics and the pulpit had little in agreement. “No sound ought to be heard in the church but the healing voice of Christian charity,” the great conservative statesman wrote to a member of the National Assembly in 1791.
Pastor Falwell did more than anyone else besides perhaps his friend and follower Pat Robertson to secularize religion, which is one of the central developments of our era. He delivered to the Republican Party in the United States its biggest favor or its biggest curse, depending on your view, by pronouncing the GOP to be God’s Own Party. He and Robertson embraced the Republican Party and its leaders unflinchingly, and the party over his generation refashioned itself into the Falwell mold — the scourge of abortion, homosexuals and women’s rights and the government enforcer of religious doctrine.
He placed his church’s and God’s stamp on whatever initiative a Republican president or the party leaders undertook: repeal of the tax on vast inheritances, repeal of taxes on investment income, opposition to the minimum wage and, of course, support for both invasions of Iraq.
What the George W. Bush administration carefully only hinted — that Saddam Hussein had something to do with the 9/11 attacks — Rev. Falwell stated as fact although that connection never materialized and President Bush would insist that he had never suggested that the dictator had anything to do with the attacks.
Occasionally, his exuberance or vitriol embarrassed the president as when he said that the United States deserved the 9/11 attacks. God was punishing the United States for its immoral drift, Rev. Falwell said, by continuing “to lift the curtain and allow the enemies of America to give us probably what we deserve.” He said God was furious at the American Civil Liberties Union, the People for the American Way and federal courts and suggested that He took His fury out on the victims in the World Trade Center.
The worldwide scourge of AIDS, the preacher said, was God’s punishment to homosexuals although the disease touched millions, including children, who did not engage in homosexual sex. He suggested that HIV sufferers should be herded into compounds and quarantined like infected cattle or lepers.
He delivered all his screeds with biblical certitude and never made corrections for factual errors or missteps but only explanations as when to tamp down the fury over his 9/11 remarks, saying that he did not intend to shift blame from the terrorists.
His skills and his message brought him greater influence and wealth than any clergyman of the 20th century. He altered the politics of his time. Whether he advanced the faith or merely gave it a heartless face is another matter. That judgment is not left to us.
We can never be quite sure of that effect, but we are quite sure that his legacy is larger and very different from that. Falwell certainly believed that it was, and the reaction to his death — the fulsome or polite encomiums in the mainstream media and the ridicule in the blogging world — attests to it.
Jerry Falwell never believed Edmund Burke’s dictum that politics and the pulpit had little in agreement. “No sound ought to be heard in the church but the healing voice of Christian charity,” the great conservative statesman wrote to a member of the National Assembly in 1791.
Pastor Falwell did more than anyone else besides perhaps his friend and follower Pat Robertson to secularize religion, which is one of the central developments of our era. He delivered to the Republican Party in the United States its biggest favor or its biggest curse, depending on your view, by pronouncing the GOP to be God’s Own Party. He and Robertson embraced the Republican Party and its leaders unflinchingly, and the party over his generation refashioned itself into the Falwell mold — the scourge of abortion, homosexuals and women’s rights and the government enforcer of religious doctrine.
He placed his church’s and God’s stamp on whatever initiative a Republican president or the party leaders undertook: repeal of the tax on vast inheritances, repeal of taxes on investment income, opposition to the minimum wage and, of course, support for both invasions of Iraq.
What the George W. Bush administration carefully only hinted — that Saddam Hussein had something to do with the 9/11 attacks — Rev. Falwell stated as fact although that connection never materialized and President Bush would insist that he had never suggested that the dictator had anything to do with the attacks.
Occasionally, his exuberance or vitriol embarrassed the president as when he said that the United States deserved the 9/11 attacks. God was punishing the United States for its immoral drift, Rev. Falwell said, by continuing “to lift the curtain and allow the enemies of America to give us probably what we deserve.” He said God was furious at the American Civil Liberties Union, the People for the American Way and federal courts and suggested that He took His fury out on the victims in the World Trade Center.
The worldwide scourge of AIDS, the preacher said, was God’s punishment to homosexuals although the disease touched millions, including children, who did not engage in homosexual sex. He suggested that HIV sufferers should be herded into compounds and quarantined like infected cattle or lepers.
He delivered all his screeds with biblical certitude and never made corrections for factual errors or missteps but only explanations as when to tamp down the fury over his 9/11 remarks, saying that he did not intend to shift blame from the terrorists.
His skills and his message brought him greater influence and wealth than any clergyman of the 20th century. He altered the politics of his time. Whether he advanced the faith or merely gave it a heartless face is another matter. That judgment is not left to us.
OBITUARIES >> 05-19-07
Robert Sharp
Robert Lee Sharp, 82, of Cabot, formerly of Kansas City, Kansas, passed away on May 17. He was born Sept. 23, 1924 to the late John C. and Violet A. Sharp.
He was a soldier in the Navy and fought in the Second World War.
He was also preceded in death by his wife, Geraldine Wilcox Sharp and one half brother, John Sharp.
Survivors include his only son, Ron Sharp and his wife Sheila of Ward; two grandchildren, Brian Sharp of Folsom, Calif. and Amy Sharp of Vacaville, Calif.; and three great-grandchildren, Brianna Sharp, Brennon Sharp and Alanna Castillo.
Graveside services will be held at 2 p.m. Monday, May 21 at Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens in Kansas City, Kansas.
Funeral arrangements are by Thomas Funeral Service in Cabot.
Billy Shelton
Billy Ray Shelton, 79, of Jacksonville, passed away May 14. He was born Sept. 30, 1927 in Jacksonville to John and Zola Shelton.
He retired after 26 years with AFCO Steel, and opened his own business Superior LP Supply in Little Rock. After retiring from Superior LP Supply, he dabbled in real estate and enjoyed his family and friends.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Sarah Frances Shelton, and two grandchildren, Robert Keith Williamson II and Claire Olea Fisher.
He is survived by one brother, Virgil Shelton of Little Rock; one daughter, Linda and husband Bob of Cumby, Texas; three sons, Kenneth and wife Mary, Billy and wife Debbie, and Steven, all of Lonoke; 14 grandchildren, Ann Marie Wright, Laura Riddle, Kathy Brewington, Shauna Fisher, Juliana Ross, Keith Shelton, Kelli Ann Ash, Bradley Shelton, Craig Shelton, Cory Shelton, Ross Shelton, Lynle Shelton, Blake Shelton and Brent Shelton; and 18 great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 19 at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Jacksonville with burial in Chapel Hill Memorial Park in Jacksonville. Funeral arrangements are by Moore’s Jacksonville Funeral Home.
Sam Rawe
Sam Joseph Rawe, 80, of Cabot passed away May 16.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Veda Rose Rawe; father, Joe and stepmother, Alice Rawe; and sister, Ethel Loyer.
He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Delsie; sons, Andy and wife Cherryl and Mike and wife Tina; daughter, Ramona; seven grandchildren, Phillip, Joey, Tommie Jo, Jessica, Jodi, Magan and Jill; seven great-grandchildren, Zac, Rachel, Kassey, Abby, Christopher, Raelyn and Taylor. He is also survived by his sisters, Mabel Luszcz Alexander, Nellie Cleveland and Alice Faye McKenzie; and brothers, C.A. Rawe and John Rawe.
Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 19 at Old Austin United Methodist Church with burial in Old Austin Cemetery. Funeral arrangements are by Westbrook Funeral Home at Beebe.
Phillip Thomas
Phillip I. Thomas, 19, of Sherwood, went home to be with the Lord May 14 in Nashville, Tenn. He was born April 15, 1988 to Robert and Adrienne Brown Thomas in Fayetteville, N.C.
Phillip was a mechanic for Maverick Transportation, friend, brother, and son.
Survivors include his parents of Sherwood; brothers, Jamar Stone of Decatur, Ga., Robert Thomas and wife Kimberly, Steven Thomas, and Benjamin Thomas; sisters, Alicia Thomas and Lorienne Thomas all of Sherwood; two nieces, Jaylin and Alexa as well as many other family and friends.
A going-home celebration will be held in Phillip’s honor at 11 a.m. Monday, May 21 at the Base Chapel on the Little Rock Air Force Base.
Visitation will be from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 19 at Moore’s Jacksonville Funeral Home.
Thomas Dunlap
Thomas Jefferson Dunlap, 38, formerly of Cabot, joined his loved ones in heaven from his Auburn, Wash., home on May 16.
Thomas was born March 30, 1969 in Clarksville to Diane Painter Dunlap Schmidt and the late Thomas Laser Dunlap.
He was also preceded in death by his sister, Laser Dunlap.
Survivors include his beloved, Rita Cederblom; his mother and stepfather, Bryan Schmidt; brothers, Michael Dunlap, Jacob Schmidt, and Sean Cheney; sisters, Dawn Charlton, Jenny Boster, Jaime Aistrup, and Jill Schmidt; grandmother, Ruth Painter; niece, Alexis and nephews, Joey, Colin, Sam, Gabriel and Elijah.
Funeral services will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday, May 22 at Moore’s Funeral Home in Jacksonville.
Burial will follow in Sumner Cemetery in Cabot. Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, May 21 at the funeral home.
LaVerne Wallace
LaVerne “Bud” Wallace Sr., 79, of Sherwood, formerly of Jacksonville passed away May 16.
Bud was a regular attendee of the Jacksonville Senior Citizen Center where he loved to play dominoes and bingo.
He was preceded in death by one son, LaVerne Culwell Wallace, Jr., of Fulton, Mo.
He is survived by five children, Cindy Tyson of Sherwood, Connie and husband Jim Waller, Ronald Wallace, John Wallace and Jimmy and wife Pauline Wallace all of Fulton, Mo.; five grandchildren; one great-grandchild; and one brother Ed Wallace of Mexico, Mo.
Visitation will be from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, May 20 between at Griffin Leggett Rest Hills Funeral Home in North Little Rock.
Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. on Monday, May 21 at the funeral home. The family would like to sincerely thank Arkansas Hospice for all the loving care and support the staff their provided during Mr. Wallace’s illness.
Shirley Polk
Shirley Lee Polk, 71 of Jacksonville passed away May 15. She was born May 14, 1936 in Newport to the late Earnest and Anna Ice Goins. She was also preceded in death by her husband, Audrey Polk and a sister.
Survivors include her son, Allen Polk; daughter, Tracy Sears and husband Steve; four grandchildren, James, Justin, Aber, and Jacob Sears; and a brother, Donald Goins. Memorial services were May 16 in Moore’s Funeral Home Chapel in Jacksonville.
Robert Lee Sharp, 82, of Cabot, formerly of Kansas City, Kansas, passed away on May 17. He was born Sept. 23, 1924 to the late John C. and Violet A. Sharp.
He was a soldier in the Navy and fought in the Second World War.
He was also preceded in death by his wife, Geraldine Wilcox Sharp and one half brother, John Sharp.
Survivors include his only son, Ron Sharp and his wife Sheila of Ward; two grandchildren, Brian Sharp of Folsom, Calif. and Amy Sharp of Vacaville, Calif.; and three great-grandchildren, Brianna Sharp, Brennon Sharp and Alanna Castillo.
Graveside services will be held at 2 p.m. Monday, May 21 at Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens in Kansas City, Kansas.
Funeral arrangements are by Thomas Funeral Service in Cabot.
Billy Shelton
Billy Ray Shelton, 79, of Jacksonville, passed away May 14. He was born Sept. 30, 1927 in Jacksonville to John and Zola Shelton.
He retired after 26 years with AFCO Steel, and opened his own business Superior LP Supply in Little Rock. After retiring from Superior LP Supply, he dabbled in real estate and enjoyed his family and friends.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Sarah Frances Shelton, and two grandchildren, Robert Keith Williamson II and Claire Olea Fisher.
He is survived by one brother, Virgil Shelton of Little Rock; one daughter, Linda and husband Bob of Cumby, Texas; three sons, Kenneth and wife Mary, Billy and wife Debbie, and Steven, all of Lonoke; 14 grandchildren, Ann Marie Wright, Laura Riddle, Kathy Brewington, Shauna Fisher, Juliana Ross, Keith Shelton, Kelli Ann Ash, Bradley Shelton, Craig Shelton, Cory Shelton, Ross Shelton, Lynle Shelton, Blake Shelton and Brent Shelton; and 18 great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 19 at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Jacksonville with burial in Chapel Hill Memorial Park in Jacksonville. Funeral arrangements are by Moore’s Jacksonville Funeral Home.
Sam Rawe
Sam Joseph Rawe, 80, of Cabot passed away May 16.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Veda Rose Rawe; father, Joe and stepmother, Alice Rawe; and sister, Ethel Loyer.
He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Delsie; sons, Andy and wife Cherryl and Mike and wife Tina; daughter, Ramona; seven grandchildren, Phillip, Joey, Tommie Jo, Jessica, Jodi, Magan and Jill; seven great-grandchildren, Zac, Rachel, Kassey, Abby, Christopher, Raelyn and Taylor. He is also survived by his sisters, Mabel Luszcz Alexander, Nellie Cleveland and Alice Faye McKenzie; and brothers, C.A. Rawe and John Rawe.
Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 19 at Old Austin United Methodist Church with burial in Old Austin Cemetery. Funeral arrangements are by Westbrook Funeral Home at Beebe.
Phillip Thomas
Phillip I. Thomas, 19, of Sherwood, went home to be with the Lord May 14 in Nashville, Tenn. He was born April 15, 1988 to Robert and Adrienne Brown Thomas in Fayetteville, N.C.
Phillip was a mechanic for Maverick Transportation, friend, brother, and son.
Survivors include his parents of Sherwood; brothers, Jamar Stone of Decatur, Ga., Robert Thomas and wife Kimberly, Steven Thomas, and Benjamin Thomas; sisters, Alicia Thomas and Lorienne Thomas all of Sherwood; two nieces, Jaylin and Alexa as well as many other family and friends.
A going-home celebration will be held in Phillip’s honor at 11 a.m. Monday, May 21 at the Base Chapel on the Little Rock Air Force Base.
Visitation will be from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 19 at Moore’s Jacksonville Funeral Home.
Thomas Dunlap
Thomas Jefferson Dunlap, 38, formerly of Cabot, joined his loved ones in heaven from his Auburn, Wash., home on May 16.
Thomas was born March 30, 1969 in Clarksville to Diane Painter Dunlap Schmidt and the late Thomas Laser Dunlap.
He was also preceded in death by his sister, Laser Dunlap.
Survivors include his beloved, Rita Cederblom; his mother and stepfather, Bryan Schmidt; brothers, Michael Dunlap, Jacob Schmidt, and Sean Cheney; sisters, Dawn Charlton, Jenny Boster, Jaime Aistrup, and Jill Schmidt; grandmother, Ruth Painter; niece, Alexis and nephews, Joey, Colin, Sam, Gabriel and Elijah.
Funeral services will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday, May 22 at Moore’s Funeral Home in Jacksonville.
Burial will follow in Sumner Cemetery in Cabot. Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, May 21 at the funeral home.
LaVerne Wallace
LaVerne “Bud” Wallace Sr., 79, of Sherwood, formerly of Jacksonville passed away May 16.
Bud was a regular attendee of the Jacksonville Senior Citizen Center where he loved to play dominoes and bingo.
He was preceded in death by one son, LaVerne Culwell Wallace, Jr., of Fulton, Mo.
He is survived by five children, Cindy Tyson of Sherwood, Connie and husband Jim Waller, Ronald Wallace, John Wallace and Jimmy and wife Pauline Wallace all of Fulton, Mo.; five grandchildren; one great-grandchild; and one brother Ed Wallace of Mexico, Mo.
Visitation will be from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, May 20 between at Griffin Leggett Rest Hills Funeral Home in North Little Rock.
Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. on Monday, May 21 at the funeral home. The family would like to sincerely thank Arkansas Hospice for all the loving care and support the staff their provided during Mr. Wallace’s illness.
Shirley Polk
Shirley Lee Polk, 71 of Jacksonville passed away May 15. She was born May 14, 1936 in Newport to the late Earnest and Anna Ice Goins. She was also preceded in death by her husband, Audrey Polk and a sister.
Survivors include her son, Allen Polk; daughter, Tracy Sears and husband Steve; four grandchildren, James, Justin, Aber, and Jacob Sears; and a brother, Donald Goins. Memorial services were May 16 in Moore’s Funeral Home Chapel in Jacksonville.
EVENTS>>Spring 2007
Lonoke County 4-H is sponsoring a day camp Tuesday and Wednesday, June 19-20. This day camp is designed to provide an introduction to shooting sports. The two-day event will involve hands-on demonstrations and classroom education. At the end of the second day, you will have earned your Arkansas Game and Fish Commission hunter education card. (You must pass a test in order to earn the card.)
The camp will include archery skills and games; pellet rifle skills and games; fishing education; hunter education certification; all equipment provided; introduction to 4-H Shooting Sports and conservation education.
Space is limited, so be sure and to contact the Lonoke County Extension Service for an application. This will be first come – first serve. Cost of the camp is $30 before May 15 and $40 after that day. You must sign up by June 12.
The camp will be held at the UAPB Farm on Hwy. 31 North from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. Pack a sack lunch for both days. Drinks and snacks will be sold to the campers.
If you have any questions, contact Keith Perkins at 501-676-3124.
The 2007 Lonoke County Lincoln Day Dinner will be held Saturday, June 9 in the Cabot High School cafeteria. Bill Vickery, political consultant and radio talk show host, will be the featured speaker. The program will start at 7 p.m. with dinner being served at 7:15 p.m.
Tickets are $30 each, $50 per couple, $200 for table of eight. Contact Johnie Benefield at 843-3147 for more information.
The South Bend Firefighters Association will have its monthly family breakfast, 8 to 10 a.m. June 9 at Station 1 located at 4414 Highway 294, Jacksonville. The event is free, but donations are accepted.
Evangelistic Ministries Church in Jacksonville will be holding a Community Homeownership Workshop Saturday, June 30 at the church.
The event will begin at 9 a.m. and end at 1 p.m. It is aimed at those who would like to own their own homes.
For more information or to register for the workshop, call 985-3067.
The Cabot High School Class of 1987 will hold its 20-year reunion in October. The two-day event will kick off Friday, Oct. 12 at the Cabot Panther homecoming football game and will continue with a dinner in Little Rock on Saturday, Oct. 13. For more information, class members can contact Lisa (Young) Lee at CabotHigh87@yahoo.com or visit the official class website at www.CabotHigh87.com.
Children all over Cabot will be selling lemonade from stands Saturday as part of Lemonade and Love, a Cabot United Methodist Church’s Senior High Sunday School Class fundraiser for abused and neglected children who are housed at the Open Arms Shelter.
“We are challenging the youth and children in other Lonoke County churches to sell lemonade at stands all over the county on Saturday. We are asking kids to sell cups of lemonade for donations to the activity fund at Open Arms Shelter,” Marley Huckabee, who organized the event aloong with Jared Santiago.
“We are trying to get kids excited about helping other kids,” she said.
Lebanon homecoming scheduled for June 10
The Lebanon Cemetery Association invites you to attend the annual homecoming at the Lebanon Cemetery Pavilion on Sunday, June 10. The morning activities will begin with a memorial service at 10:45 a.m. A potluck dinner will start at noon, followed by an afternoon of singing and fellowship.
If you are not able to attend and would like to make a donation toward cemetery maintenance, please mail your contribution to Lebanon Cemetery Association, P. O. Box 74, McRae, Ark., 72102.
Annual construction appreciation fair scheduled
The second annual construction appreciation fair sponsored by the Cabot Area Homebuilders Association will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday at the Richie Road ball park. In case of rain, participants should go to the basketball complex.
Many representatives will be on-site. For more information contact Bill O’Brien at 843-3067 or Fayon Haynes at 941-8159.
Lonoke County Lincoln Day Dinner set June 9
The 2007 Lonoke County Lincoln Day Dinner will be June 9 in the Cabot High School cafeteria. Bill Vickery, political consultant and radio talk show host, will be the featured speaker. The program will start at 7 p.m. with dinner being served at 7:15 p.m. Tickets are $30 each, $50 per couple, $200 for table of eight. Contact Johnie Benefield at 843-3147 for more information.
Firefighters breakfast slated for next Saturday
The SouthBend Firefighters Association will have its monthly family breakfast from 8 to 10 a.m. June 9 at Station 1, located at 4414 Hwy. 294, Jacksonville. The event is free, but donations are accepted.
Kung-fu fundraiser for Jacksonville library
To help raise funds for the new Jacksonville Esther D. Nixon Library, an evening of Chinese Kung-fu performances will take place at the Unique Connection Center beginning at 7:30 p.m. June 9. Mayor Tommy Swaim and Bobby Roberts, director of Central Arkansas Library System, will be the guests of honor.
There will be 20 masters performing. Tickets are on sale at Unique Furniture and Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce. For more information, call Sue Khoo at 501-985-8888 or 501-786-1798.
Exploratory forum for Cabot parade scheduled
The sixth installment of an exploratory forum to have a Cabot Christmas parade will be held at noon June 14. The meeting will be held at the Veterans Park Community Center and lunch will be provided. Items to discuss include a route and line-up, funding, invitations and mailings, non-profit status and community Christmas tree.
For more information call 501-920-2122
Cabot Chamber to hold an open house June 21
Cabot Chamber of Commerce will have an open house June 21 at their new location, 110 S. First St. This event will take place from 4 to 6 p.m.
Alzheimer’s caregivers support group will meet
The Jacksonville Alzheimer’s Caregivers Support Group will be meeting at 7 p.m. June 21 at Rebsamen Medical Center in the Education Building. This group provides caregivers with a private session for personal questions to professional advisors and seasoned caregivers.
Interested participants can share ideas and express concerns in order to gain helpful information. For more information contact Priscilla Pittman at 224-0021 or Col. Norman at 912-0614.
Register now for 4-H sewing, baking day camp
The Lonoke County Cooperative Extension Service, 2001 Hwy. 70 East in Lonoke, will be the site for a 4-H sponsored ‘Adventures in Baking and Sewing’ Day Camp June 25 through 29.
This day camp will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Youth ages nine- to 19-years-old will learn basic hand sewing, basic baking techniques, and how to operate a sewing machine. They will practice these techniques by making a quilt and baking various foods. Cost is $60 before June 4 and $75 after; call Carolyn Burns at 501-676-3124 for an application or questions. Space is limited, so call soon.
The quilts will be suitable to enter in the county fair in September. They can easily duplicate the baked goods to also enter in the fair, if they would like. There will also be games and experiments for fun and to reinforce what they are learning. Youth will need to bring a sewing machine and basic sewing supplies, plus the fabric for their quilt. There are several machines available for use on a first-come, first-served basis.
Cost is $60 before June 4 and $75 after. Please call Carolyn Burns for an application or questions. Space is limited, so call soon.
The camp will include archery skills and games; pellet rifle skills and games; fishing education; hunter education certification; all equipment provided; introduction to 4-H Shooting Sports and conservation education.
Space is limited, so be sure and to contact the Lonoke County Extension Service for an application. This will be first come – first serve. Cost of the camp is $30 before May 15 and $40 after that day. You must sign up by June 12.
The camp will be held at the UAPB Farm on Hwy. 31 North from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. Pack a sack lunch for both days. Drinks and snacks will be sold to the campers.
If you have any questions, contact Keith Perkins at 501-676-3124.
The 2007 Lonoke County Lincoln Day Dinner will be held Saturday, June 9 in the Cabot High School cafeteria. Bill Vickery, political consultant and radio talk show host, will be the featured speaker. The program will start at 7 p.m. with dinner being served at 7:15 p.m.
Tickets are $30 each, $50 per couple, $200 for table of eight. Contact Johnie Benefield at 843-3147 for more information.
The South Bend Firefighters Association will have its monthly family breakfast, 8 to 10 a.m. June 9 at Station 1 located at 4414 Highway 294, Jacksonville. The event is free, but donations are accepted.
Evangelistic Ministries Church in Jacksonville will be holding a Community Homeownership Workshop Saturday, June 30 at the church.
The event will begin at 9 a.m. and end at 1 p.m. It is aimed at those who would like to own their own homes.
For more information or to register for the workshop, call 985-3067.
The Cabot High School Class of 1987 will hold its 20-year reunion in October. The two-day event will kick off Friday, Oct. 12 at the Cabot Panther homecoming football game and will continue with a dinner in Little Rock on Saturday, Oct. 13. For more information, class members can contact Lisa (Young) Lee at CabotHigh87@yahoo.com or visit the official class website at www.CabotHigh87.com.
Children all over Cabot will be selling lemonade from stands Saturday as part of Lemonade and Love, a Cabot United Methodist Church’s Senior High Sunday School Class fundraiser for abused and neglected children who are housed at the Open Arms Shelter.
“We are challenging the youth and children in other Lonoke County churches to sell lemonade at stands all over the county on Saturday. We are asking kids to sell cups of lemonade for donations to the activity fund at Open Arms Shelter,” Marley Huckabee, who organized the event aloong with Jared Santiago.
“We are trying to get kids excited about helping other kids,” she said.
Lebanon homecoming scheduled for June 10
The Lebanon Cemetery Association invites you to attend the annual homecoming at the Lebanon Cemetery Pavilion on Sunday, June 10. The morning activities will begin with a memorial service at 10:45 a.m. A potluck dinner will start at noon, followed by an afternoon of singing and fellowship.
If you are not able to attend and would like to make a donation toward cemetery maintenance, please mail your contribution to Lebanon Cemetery Association, P. O. Box 74, McRae, Ark., 72102.
Annual construction appreciation fair scheduled
The second annual construction appreciation fair sponsored by the Cabot Area Homebuilders Association will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday at the Richie Road ball park. In case of rain, participants should go to the basketball complex.
Many representatives will be on-site. For more information contact Bill O’Brien at 843-3067 or Fayon Haynes at 941-8159.
Lonoke County Lincoln Day Dinner set June 9
The 2007 Lonoke County Lincoln Day Dinner will be June 9 in the Cabot High School cafeteria. Bill Vickery, political consultant and radio talk show host, will be the featured speaker. The program will start at 7 p.m. with dinner being served at 7:15 p.m. Tickets are $30 each, $50 per couple, $200 for table of eight. Contact Johnie Benefield at 843-3147 for more information.
Firefighters breakfast slated for next Saturday
The SouthBend Firefighters Association will have its monthly family breakfast from 8 to 10 a.m. June 9 at Station 1, located at 4414 Hwy. 294, Jacksonville. The event is free, but donations are accepted.
Kung-fu fundraiser for Jacksonville library
To help raise funds for the new Jacksonville Esther D. Nixon Library, an evening of Chinese Kung-fu performances will take place at the Unique Connection Center beginning at 7:30 p.m. June 9. Mayor Tommy Swaim and Bobby Roberts, director of Central Arkansas Library System, will be the guests of honor.
There will be 20 masters performing. Tickets are on sale at Unique Furniture and Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce. For more information, call Sue Khoo at 501-985-8888 or 501-786-1798.
Exploratory forum for Cabot parade scheduled
The sixth installment of an exploratory forum to have a Cabot Christmas parade will be held at noon June 14. The meeting will be held at the Veterans Park Community Center and lunch will be provided. Items to discuss include a route and line-up, funding, invitations and mailings, non-profit status and community Christmas tree.
For more information call 501-920-2122
Cabot Chamber to hold an open house June 21
Cabot Chamber of Commerce will have an open house June 21 at their new location, 110 S. First St. This event will take place from 4 to 6 p.m.
Alzheimer’s caregivers support group will meet
The Jacksonville Alzheimer’s Caregivers Support Group will be meeting at 7 p.m. June 21 at Rebsamen Medical Center in the Education Building. This group provides caregivers with a private session for personal questions to professional advisors and seasoned caregivers.
Interested participants can share ideas and express concerns in order to gain helpful information. For more information contact Priscilla Pittman at 224-0021 or Col. Norman at 912-0614.
Register now for 4-H sewing, baking day camp
The Lonoke County Cooperative Extension Service, 2001 Hwy. 70 East in Lonoke, will be the site for a 4-H sponsored ‘Adventures in Baking and Sewing’ Day Camp June 25 through 29.
This day camp will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Youth ages nine- to 19-years-old will learn basic hand sewing, basic baking techniques, and how to operate a sewing machine. They will practice these techniques by making a quilt and baking various foods. Cost is $60 before June 4 and $75 after; call Carolyn Burns at 501-676-3124 for an application or questions. Space is limited, so call soon.
The quilts will be suitable to enter in the county fair in September. They can easily duplicate the baked goods to also enter in the fair, if they would like. There will also be games and experiments for fun and to reinforce what they are learning. Youth will need to bring a sewing machine and basic sewing supplies, plus the fabric for their quilt. There are several machines available for use on a first-come, first-served basis.
Cost is $60 before June 4 and $75 after. Please call Carolyn Burns for an application or questions. Space is limited, so call soon.
TOP STORY >>City takes bite out of pit bulls
IN SHORT: Jacksonville ordinance will allow current owners to keep dogs if they comply with rules, but others must stay out.
By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
After an hour of raucous debate that included police to help quell the exchange of heated words and to escort at least three people out of the council meeting, Jacksonville aldermen voted unanimously to ban pit bulls from the city.
Pit bulls, according to a local vet, are the number one breed in Jacksonville.
No emergency clause was passed, so the new ordinance won’t take effect for 30 days.
Jacksonville’s actions follow Lonoke, which banned the breed last week.
Alderman Bob Stroud, who sponsored the ban, told the standing-room-only crowd, “Personally, I’d rather there not be another pit bull on this earth than to have a child maimed, hurt or attacked.”
Stroud did emphasize to the crowd, many of whom are pit bull owners, that “we are not going to come and take your dog. This ordinance has a grandfather clause.”
The ordinance bans all pit bulls, most bulldogs or any mixed breed that is predominantly pit bull. The bull terrier breed was dropped from the ban and will still be allowed.
According to the ordinance, the only time a pit bull or bull dog may be brought into the city after the ordinance goes into effect is for veterinary care, special-event dog shows sanctioned by the city or for use by law- enforcement or military personnel as part of their duties.
Banned dogs already in the city will be allowed to stay if the owner can show proof that the animal was licensed before the new ordinance going into effect, has proof of rabies vaccination and the owner is at least 21—and then has the dog spayed or neutered, registered and has a licensed veterinarian implant a computer chip into the animal for identification and to help track them.
Alderman Terry Sansing voiced concern over banning the breed. “I do not believe you can paint the entire breed as a problem. Before pit bulls topped the list of concerns, it was the chow and before that the Doberman pinscher. If we need to do something, let’s penalize the bad owners,” Sansing said.
“Dogs are personal property, and the property owner is the one responsible,” he added.
Stroud reiterated that he was “not worried about the breed, only worried about people.”
AGAINST THE BAN
Dr. Lee Misak, a local veterinarian, said he had a number of problems with the proposed ban.
“First off, what defines a mixed pit bull? Any large breed dog that doesn’t look like a collie could fit the definition. And who determines if the dog is a pit bull mix?” he asked.
Misak said that, in general, he was against the banning off any specific breed of dog “as are a number of national organizations, including the Humane Society.”
The vet said that 90 percent of the pit bulls he sees are friendly and the owners are responsible. “This breed,” he said, “seems to be divided into two factions—excellent dogs and fighters.”
He said that because it is the most popular breed in the city, it was only natural that it would be involved in the most bites. “We are punishing the responsible owner here. There will always be some bad dogs out there, no matter the breed.”
Those in the audience against the ban, which was the clear majority, had a chance to speak before the aldermen voted on the ban.
Lynn Tanner — who threatened to break an alderman’s neck if he wrote down his address and told the mayor that he and the council were never properly elected — said the council was threatening him because he took the responsibility to love a pit bull. Tanner interrupted numerous aldermen and disputed the meeting to a point where police nearly handcuffed him.
“This man alone makes me want to vote to ban this dog,” Aldermen Reedie Ray said.
Resident Amanda Erickson said that there needed to be an exception for the responsible owners of the dogs. Another resident said she had been around pit bulls all her life and never had a problem. “You mean to tell me that I can shoot a person who breaks into my house, but my dog can’t bite them?” she asked.
Dawn House, who owns a pit bull, a German shepherd and a Rottweiler, said she had problems with the ban “when every other dog has the ability to hurt or maim.”
“I rather leave my daughter with pit bulls than some of the poodles I’ve seen,” she said.
FOR THE BAN
Stroud asked a number of residents who had been attacked or had someone in their family attacked by pit bulls to speak.
Tim Hamby told about the pit bull that attacked his 12-year-old son three years ago.
“It was the neighbor’s dog. My son had played with dog before. On this Saturday morning my son was in the street playing football with the neighbor kids when this pit jumped over two fences and attacked him. The dog pounced and knocked my son down three different times. He needed 33 stitches. It scares me to think what if that was my 5-year-old daughter out there,” Hamby said.
“My question is why are we arguing over a dog? My kids are more important than an animal,” he said.
Jerry Bryant said his next-door neighbor moved out because of a pit bull in the neighborhood and the people who moved into that house brought with them a pit bull and two other large dogs.
“I have a privacy fence between that yard and mine. Every time I go out into the backyard those dogs rush the fence. They have tried to burrow under. Quite frankly, it scares me. I’ve lived here peacefully and securely for 35 years, and now I’m scared,” he said.
Myra Clary told the council about a time six years ago that a pit bull got into her yard and killed her little dog in just four minutes.
Three months ago another pit bull showed up and tried to attack her new dogs, and just recently she helped a woman in the neighborhood who was attacked by that same pit bull.
“My dogs were barking like crazy and when I looked outside a woman was pinned down by a pit bull and the dog had the woman’s little dog in her mouth,” she explained.
Clary quickly went out and helped the woman.
Patti Jones, from the North Little Rock animal control department, told aldermen and those in the chambers that if the ban were not passed things would just get worse. “As other cities ban the dog, they will come here and into the county,” she said.
Jones said there was currently a 13-year-old boy in the hospital recovering from wounds he received in a pit bull attack in the county.
She said that when North Little Rock banned the breed two years ago the ordinance had a grandfather clause in it too. “At the time we had about 4,000 pit bulls in the city, only 211 were registered after the ban went into effect. “Those other dogs had to go somewhere,” she said.
FINAL VOTE
Before relenting and voting for the ban, Sansing had two concerns. The first was for military people who transferred to Little Rock Air Force Base. “Do they have to get base housing or lose their pets?”
“Yes,” Mayor Tommy Swaim said. “Once the ordinance takes effect no pit bulls will be allowed to move into the city.”
Sansing also felt the ordinance discriminated against the responsible owners. “We are asking them to micro-chip their dog and have the pet spayed or neutered. It’s not fair that they should have those out-of-pocket expenses,” he said.
Alderman Gary Fletcher asked the council to table the ordinance until the next meeting.
“It’s clear that a lot of people want to speak and we should give them time to call and talk to us,” he said.
He made a motion to delay the vote, but no one seconded the motion, so his request failed.
Fletcher suggested the delay even though he said he was “turned off by the rudeness displayed by many people in the audience. As an alderman I have taken an oath to look after the safety, health and welfare of the people of Jacksonville,” he said.
On the final vote, all aldermen voted for the ban.
By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
After an hour of raucous debate that included police to help quell the exchange of heated words and to escort at least three people out of the council meeting, Jacksonville aldermen voted unanimously to ban pit bulls from the city.
Pit bulls, according to a local vet, are the number one breed in Jacksonville.
No emergency clause was passed, so the new ordinance won’t take effect for 30 days.
Jacksonville’s actions follow Lonoke, which banned the breed last week.
Alderman Bob Stroud, who sponsored the ban, told the standing-room-only crowd, “Personally, I’d rather there not be another pit bull on this earth than to have a child maimed, hurt or attacked.”
Stroud did emphasize to the crowd, many of whom are pit bull owners, that “we are not going to come and take your dog. This ordinance has a grandfather clause.”
The ordinance bans all pit bulls, most bulldogs or any mixed breed that is predominantly pit bull. The bull terrier breed was dropped from the ban and will still be allowed.
According to the ordinance, the only time a pit bull or bull dog may be brought into the city after the ordinance goes into effect is for veterinary care, special-event dog shows sanctioned by the city or for use by law- enforcement or military personnel as part of their duties.
Banned dogs already in the city will be allowed to stay if the owner can show proof that the animal was licensed before the new ordinance going into effect, has proof of rabies vaccination and the owner is at least 21—and then has the dog spayed or neutered, registered and has a licensed veterinarian implant a computer chip into the animal for identification and to help track them.
Alderman Terry Sansing voiced concern over banning the breed. “I do not believe you can paint the entire breed as a problem. Before pit bulls topped the list of concerns, it was the chow and before that the Doberman pinscher. If we need to do something, let’s penalize the bad owners,” Sansing said.
“Dogs are personal property, and the property owner is the one responsible,” he added.
Stroud reiterated that he was “not worried about the breed, only worried about people.”
AGAINST THE BAN
Dr. Lee Misak, a local veterinarian, said he had a number of problems with the proposed ban.
“First off, what defines a mixed pit bull? Any large breed dog that doesn’t look like a collie could fit the definition. And who determines if the dog is a pit bull mix?” he asked.
Misak said that, in general, he was against the banning off any specific breed of dog “as are a number of national organizations, including the Humane Society.”
The vet said that 90 percent of the pit bulls he sees are friendly and the owners are responsible. “This breed,” he said, “seems to be divided into two factions—excellent dogs and fighters.”
He said that because it is the most popular breed in the city, it was only natural that it would be involved in the most bites. “We are punishing the responsible owner here. There will always be some bad dogs out there, no matter the breed.”
Those in the audience against the ban, which was the clear majority, had a chance to speak before the aldermen voted on the ban.
Lynn Tanner — who threatened to break an alderman’s neck if he wrote down his address and told the mayor that he and the council were never properly elected — said the council was threatening him because he took the responsibility to love a pit bull. Tanner interrupted numerous aldermen and disputed the meeting to a point where police nearly handcuffed him.
“This man alone makes me want to vote to ban this dog,” Aldermen Reedie Ray said.
Resident Amanda Erickson said that there needed to be an exception for the responsible owners of the dogs. Another resident said she had been around pit bulls all her life and never had a problem. “You mean to tell me that I can shoot a person who breaks into my house, but my dog can’t bite them?” she asked.
Dawn House, who owns a pit bull, a German shepherd and a Rottweiler, said she had problems with the ban “when every other dog has the ability to hurt or maim.”
“I rather leave my daughter with pit bulls than some of the poodles I’ve seen,” she said.
FOR THE BAN
Stroud asked a number of residents who had been attacked or had someone in their family attacked by pit bulls to speak.
Tim Hamby told about the pit bull that attacked his 12-year-old son three years ago.
“It was the neighbor’s dog. My son had played with dog before. On this Saturday morning my son was in the street playing football with the neighbor kids when this pit jumped over two fences and attacked him. The dog pounced and knocked my son down three different times. He needed 33 stitches. It scares me to think what if that was my 5-year-old daughter out there,” Hamby said.
“My question is why are we arguing over a dog? My kids are more important than an animal,” he said.
Jerry Bryant said his next-door neighbor moved out because of a pit bull in the neighborhood and the people who moved into that house brought with them a pit bull and two other large dogs.
“I have a privacy fence between that yard and mine. Every time I go out into the backyard those dogs rush the fence. They have tried to burrow under. Quite frankly, it scares me. I’ve lived here peacefully and securely for 35 years, and now I’m scared,” he said.
Myra Clary told the council about a time six years ago that a pit bull got into her yard and killed her little dog in just four minutes.
Three months ago another pit bull showed up and tried to attack her new dogs, and just recently she helped a woman in the neighborhood who was attacked by that same pit bull.
“My dogs were barking like crazy and when I looked outside a woman was pinned down by a pit bull and the dog had the woman’s little dog in her mouth,” she explained.
Clary quickly went out and helped the woman.
Patti Jones, from the North Little Rock animal control department, told aldermen and those in the chambers that if the ban were not passed things would just get worse. “As other cities ban the dog, they will come here and into the county,” she said.
Jones said there was currently a 13-year-old boy in the hospital recovering from wounds he received in a pit bull attack in the county.
She said that when North Little Rock banned the breed two years ago the ordinance had a grandfather clause in it too. “At the time we had about 4,000 pit bulls in the city, only 211 were registered after the ban went into effect. “Those other dogs had to go somewhere,” she said.
FINAL VOTE
Before relenting and voting for the ban, Sansing had two concerns. The first was for military people who transferred to Little Rock Air Force Base. “Do they have to get base housing or lose their pets?”
“Yes,” Mayor Tommy Swaim said. “Once the ordinance takes effect no pit bulls will be allowed to move into the city.”
Sansing also felt the ordinance discriminated against the responsible owners. “We are asking them to micro-chip their dog and have the pet spayed or neutered. It’s not fair that they should have those out-of-pocket expenses,” he said.
Alderman Gary Fletcher asked the council to table the ordinance until the next meeting.
“It’s clear that a lot of people want to speak and we should give them time to call and talk to us,” he said.
He made a motion to delay the vote, but no one seconded the motion, so his request failed.
Fletcher suggested the delay even though he said he was “turned off by the rudeness displayed by many people in the audience. As an alderman I have taken an oath to look after the safety, health and welfare of the people of Jacksonville,” he said.
On the final vote, all aldermen voted for the ban.
TOP STORY >>Cabot district: Don't blame us
By JOAN MCCOY
Leader staff writer
Cabot School District is fighting back after an article in a Little Rock newspaper seemed to imply that district officials were responsible for the mismanagement of a federal grant for the state’s special-education program.
Dr. Frank Holman, school superintendent, handed out a letter during a school board meeting this week that not only denied any wrongdoing on the part of the school district but also said the school district stopped acting as a fiscal agent for the special-education grant because the state employees who ran the programs did not provide proper documentation to pay the bills.
“The article said (the state) pulled the grant. That’s not true,” Holman said in a later interview. “We dissolved it.”
Julie Thompson, spokesman for the Department of Education, said Friday after reviewing Holman’s open letter that if there was any confusion, it did not start with the Department of Education.
Thompson pointed out that a Department of Education employee was fired because of the irregularities.
“At no time did we say (the school districts) were responsible,” Thompson said. “We have not held the districts responsible and never intimated that they were.”
Jonesboro School District also was used to funnel federal money into state special education programs. The article that appeared last weekend in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette said state auditors had discovered the Cabot School District made $25,554 in questionable travel disbursements to employees of the Department of Education’s special education unit.
Additionally, the school district allowed the director of the unit’s state improvement grant office to purchase about $17,000 worth of books and materials he had written himself.
Holman explained to The Leader that the federal money used for special education programs across the state can’t be administered by the Arkansas Department of Education. The programs are run by the state, but the money to pay for them must be funneled through school districts or educational cooperatives.
Essentially, Cabot cut the checks to pay the bills but had no oversight of the programs or the employees and no control over how the money was spent. The only compensation the district received for that service was the salary paid to the half-time employee who paid the bills, Holman said.
Holman’s open letter to state officials and school patrons says in part: “Our district has worked with the Arkansas Special Education Resource Center (ASERC) for almost 10 years and served only as a paying or fiscal agent. We did not supervise any of the employees or evaluate them for performance.
“We had several issues with the approval process the State Department was using and had communicated the concerns to (them) several times and in fact requested a meeting to discuss better accountability and payment processes. We met with them in Little Rock on at least two occasions to rectify the concerns and for a while things would be better.
“We had also brought to the State Department of Education Special Education Division’s attention a concern of a grantee being allowed to profit from the sale of their materials and was assured that there was not any conflict of interest involved.
“We did sever any ties with the ASERC division of the State Department of Education last year due to a concern of not having full accountability and lack of follow-up on their part. We have cooperated with the auditors and been assured we were not being blamed in any of the auditors’ concerns but were the fiscal agent with signed-off invoices by the State Department of Education.
“We are appalled and alarmed about the article in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette with Cabot District’s name being used over and over when in fact we were the ones that had brought this to the department’s attention and alerted them to a lack of accountability that they chose to ignore.”
Holman said the district has not been a funnel for grant money since June 30, 2006. Jonesboro also is out of the program. The work the school districts did for the state is now performed by educational cooperatives in Helena, Gillham, Monticello and Arkadelphia.
Leader staff writer
Cabot School District is fighting back after an article in a Little Rock newspaper seemed to imply that district officials were responsible for the mismanagement of a federal grant for the state’s special-education program.
Dr. Frank Holman, school superintendent, handed out a letter during a school board meeting this week that not only denied any wrongdoing on the part of the school district but also said the school district stopped acting as a fiscal agent for the special-education grant because the state employees who ran the programs did not provide proper documentation to pay the bills.
“The article said (the state) pulled the grant. That’s not true,” Holman said in a later interview. “We dissolved it.”
Julie Thompson, spokesman for the Department of Education, said Friday after reviewing Holman’s open letter that if there was any confusion, it did not start with the Department of Education.
Thompson pointed out that a Department of Education employee was fired because of the irregularities.
“At no time did we say (the school districts) were responsible,” Thompson said. “We have not held the districts responsible and never intimated that they were.”
Jonesboro School District also was used to funnel federal money into state special education programs. The article that appeared last weekend in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette said state auditors had discovered the Cabot School District made $25,554 in questionable travel disbursements to employees of the Department of Education’s special education unit.
Additionally, the school district allowed the director of the unit’s state improvement grant office to purchase about $17,000 worth of books and materials he had written himself.
Holman explained to The Leader that the federal money used for special education programs across the state can’t be administered by the Arkansas Department of Education. The programs are run by the state, but the money to pay for them must be funneled through school districts or educational cooperatives.
Essentially, Cabot cut the checks to pay the bills but had no oversight of the programs or the employees and no control over how the money was spent. The only compensation the district received for that service was the salary paid to the half-time employee who paid the bills, Holman said.
Holman’s open letter to state officials and school patrons says in part: “Our district has worked with the Arkansas Special Education Resource Center (ASERC) for almost 10 years and served only as a paying or fiscal agent. We did not supervise any of the employees or evaluate them for performance.
“We had several issues with the approval process the State Department was using and had communicated the concerns to (them) several times and in fact requested a meeting to discuss better accountability and payment processes. We met with them in Little Rock on at least two occasions to rectify the concerns and for a while things would be better.
“We had also brought to the State Department of Education Special Education Division’s attention a concern of a grantee being allowed to profit from the sale of their materials and was assured that there was not any conflict of interest involved.
“We did sever any ties with the ASERC division of the State Department of Education last year due to a concern of not having full accountability and lack of follow-up on their part. We have cooperated with the auditors and been assured we were not being blamed in any of the auditors’ concerns but were the fiscal agent with signed-off invoices by the State Department of Education.
“We are appalled and alarmed about the article in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette with Cabot District’s name being used over and over when in fact we were the ones that had brought this to the department’s attention and alerted them to a lack of accountability that they chose to ignore.”
Holman said the district has not been a funnel for grant money since June 30, 2006. Jonesboro also is out of the program. The work the school districts did for the state is now performed by educational cooperatives in Helena, Gillham, Monticello and Arkadelphia.
TOP STORY >>ACE school honored in U.S. capital
By HEATHER HARTSELL
Leader staff writer
Cabot’s charter school, the Academic Center of Excellence (ACE), has been recognized as a national charter school of the year by the Center of Education Reform, the nation’s premiere education-reform group.
Representatives from the program, including June Elliott, the school district’s director of federal programs, who wrote the charter for the school three years ago, were honored recently at a reception in Washington.
The Cabot School Board learned about the school’s honor during the regular meeting earlier this month.
The ACE was selected from among about 4,000 charter schools across the nation serving 1.5 million students. The ACE has 200 students and a waiting list of 35, but this fall the charter school will move from the old school administration building to the top floor of old Community Bank building owned by the city.
The ACE has received state approval to increase enrollment from 200 to 500 for grades 5-12, and Elliott says the new accommodations in the old bank building will provide the space needed to expand.
Elliott said the school is graduating 47 seniors this year who will walk Friday night with the seniors from the high school.
The school works because it gives students what they need, she said.
“The charter schools are innovative,” she said. “We designed them for students who don’t fit the regular high school, who don’t fit the regular junior high.”
Elliott says the ACE teaches the three Rs, rigor, relevance and relationship.
The program includes distance learning, projects and online work. Students work at their own pace with flexible hours, some as many as 60 hours a week.
“ACE has served as a model for customizing the educational opportunities for our students in the district,” Dr. Frank Holman, Cabot superintendent, said during the board meeting. “We have a model of high-quality learning for all children and it has saved many from dropping out or losing interest in school,” he said.
All charter schools in the country were eligible for the honor the ACE received. Elliott said the elimination process started with a survey and followed by a more in-depth questionnaire. Then the Center of Education Reform went online and researched the Cabot school before selecting it.
Evaluation of the schools proceeded along four themes: achievement, planning and execution, satisfaction, and policies and programs. Each theme included 12 additional criteria, such as improvement over time; percentage of at-risk students served, meeting mission and goals, and parental involvement.
Leader staff writer
Cabot’s charter school, the Academic Center of Excellence (ACE), has been recognized as a national charter school of the year by the Center of Education Reform, the nation’s premiere education-reform group.
Representatives from the program, including June Elliott, the school district’s director of federal programs, who wrote the charter for the school three years ago, were honored recently at a reception in Washington.
The Cabot School Board learned about the school’s honor during the regular meeting earlier this month.
The ACE was selected from among about 4,000 charter schools across the nation serving 1.5 million students. The ACE has 200 students and a waiting list of 35, but this fall the charter school will move from the old school administration building to the top floor of old Community Bank building owned by the city.
The ACE has received state approval to increase enrollment from 200 to 500 for grades 5-12, and Elliott says the new accommodations in the old bank building will provide the space needed to expand.
Elliott said the school is graduating 47 seniors this year who will walk Friday night with the seniors from the high school.
The school works because it gives students what they need, she said.
“The charter schools are innovative,” she said. “We designed them for students who don’t fit the regular high school, who don’t fit the regular junior high.”
Elliott says the ACE teaches the three Rs, rigor, relevance and relationship.
The program includes distance learning, projects and online work. Students work at their own pace with flexible hours, some as many as 60 hours a week.
“ACE has served as a model for customizing the educational opportunities for our students in the district,” Dr. Frank Holman, Cabot superintendent, said during the board meeting. “We have a model of high-quality learning for all children and it has saved many from dropping out or losing interest in school,” he said.
All charter schools in the country were eligible for the honor the ACE received. Elliott said the elimination process started with a survey and followed by a more in-depth questionnaire. Then the Center of Education Reform went online and researched the Cabot school before selecting it.
Evaluation of the schools proceeded along four themes: achievement, planning and execution, satisfaction, and policies and programs. Each theme included 12 additional criteria, such as improvement over time; percentage of at-risk students served, meeting mission and goals, and parental involvement.
TOP STORY >>Gas reaches record high
By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
Gasoline prices didn’t just break the $3 mark over the last few days; prices zoomed right past that barrier, marking a record for the state.
According to the American Automobile Association, the state average is $3.03 for a gallon of unleaded gasoline, up 25 cents from a month ago, but it’s hard to find a station in the local area at or below that price. One of the cheapest was the U.S. Fuels station on James Street at $2.99—but that was late Thursday night. A survey of local stations showed the average price for a gallon of unleaded gasoline in Jacksonville is at $3.15, while Cabot and Sherwood average about the same. Expect more price increases this summer.
The rising cost of crude oil—now over $70 a barrel—has been listed a contributing factor, along with a breakdown of a Louisiana refinery, but mostly, according to AAA, its supply and demand.
Most oil experts do not see the prices slowing down or retreating anytime during the upcoming summer months.
With Arkansas now above the $3 mark, that leaves only 13 states with averages below the $3 mark. Tennessee and Mississippi have the lowest average per gallon of unleaded at $2.94, followed by Louisiana at $2.95.
Nationally, the average is $3.13 per gallon, with California at $3.46 and Washington at $3.44.
In Arkansas, Texarkana had the lowest average at $2.92 according to an AAA survey, followed by Pine Bluff at $3.00 a gallon and Little Rock-North Little Rock area at $3.02, even though some stations were pushing unleaded gas for $3.25 a gallon.
Northwest Arkansas is at $3.25 and Ft. Smith is selling unleaded gasoline at an average of $3.20 per gallon. For the local averages, the Leader surveyed eight gas stations in Cabot, and nine in Jacksonville and Sherwood.
Leader staff writer
Gasoline prices didn’t just break the $3 mark over the last few days; prices zoomed right past that barrier, marking a record for the state.
According to the American Automobile Association, the state average is $3.03 for a gallon of unleaded gasoline, up 25 cents from a month ago, but it’s hard to find a station in the local area at or below that price. One of the cheapest was the U.S. Fuels station on James Street at $2.99—but that was late Thursday night. A survey of local stations showed the average price for a gallon of unleaded gasoline in Jacksonville is at $3.15, while Cabot and Sherwood average about the same. Expect more price increases this summer.
The rising cost of crude oil—now over $70 a barrel—has been listed a contributing factor, along with a breakdown of a Louisiana refinery, but mostly, according to AAA, its supply and demand.
Most oil experts do not see the prices slowing down or retreating anytime during the upcoming summer months.
With Arkansas now above the $3 mark, that leaves only 13 states with averages below the $3 mark. Tennessee and Mississippi have the lowest average per gallon of unleaded at $2.94, followed by Louisiana at $2.95.
Nationally, the average is $3.13 per gallon, with California at $3.46 and Washington at $3.44.
In Arkansas, Texarkana had the lowest average at $2.92 according to an AAA survey, followed by Pine Bluff at $3.00 a gallon and Little Rock-North Little Rock area at $3.02, even though some stations were pushing unleaded gas for $3.25 a gallon.
Northwest Arkansas is at $3.25 and Ft. Smith is selling unleaded gasoline at an average of $3.20 per gallon. For the local averages, the Leader surveyed eight gas stations in Cabot, and nine in Jacksonville and Sherwood.
TOP STORY >>From principal to super
IN SHORT: New Cabot superintendent stays focused before he takes on new job.
By HEATHER HARTSELL
Leader staff writer
Dr. Tony Thurman has a little more than a month before his title changes from principal of Cabot High School to superintendent of Cabot Public Schools and until then, he’s soaking up all he can from Dr. Frank Holman, Cabot’s outgoing superintendent.
The Cabot school board selected Thurman Tuesday night in a 6-1 vote as the next chief of Cabot schools, filling the void left when Holman announced his resignation back in March.
“At this point, I’m focused on working with Dr. Holman on the transition and doing great things for the students in our district,” Thurman said.
His appointment as superintendent means the district must now find a new principal for CHS, the position Thurman has held for the past four years.
The search for the next high school principal has already started with the district advertising the position both in-district and across the state.
“We have a very short time line for applications since we would like to fill this position as quickly as possible. The transition at the high school will be as important as the transition at the district level,” the new chief of schools said.
Thurman will be involved in the selection of his replacement at the high school.
“We have great things happening in our school and I want to ensure that the next individual understands the long-term goals and relates well to the students, parents and staff,” he said.
The majority of his teachers, people he calls friends and family and not coworkers, were present at the school board meeting to show their support.
And although they will miss him now at the high school, they felt he was the right choice for the district and will do great things to advance Cabot schools.
Thurman already has goals in mind to continue the tradition of educational excellence that has been Cabot’s earmark.
“We have a great community. We continue to grow and while we are becoming a large school district in terms of size, I want to make sure that we never lose that sense of community and family within the district,” he said.
“The ‘No Child Left Behind’ Act has changed the way that we do business in education,” he said.
“This focus on accountability is welcome but we can never forget that we must also focus on the heart of each child. We work in partnership with the home to guide our students in making positive decisions each day,” Thurman added.
There are also facility issues that must be addressed in Cabot’s near future.
“Growth brings major challenges. Cabot is a residential community with little to no industrial base to support the tax structure,” he said.
“We must work together as a school and community to address these issues and continue to provide the resources and facilities that we expect,” Thurman explained, adding, “Dr. Holman has us focused on the future; this will not change.”
As the next chief of schools, Thurman will make between $135,000 and $175,000 each of the three years of his initial contract that begins July 1 when he takes administrative control of the 9,000-strong district.
A $5,000 moving allowance was also to be given to the new superintendent, but because Thurman is already planted in the district, he told the board he did not need it.
“The school board has been very good to me. I do not want or need the moving allowance since I plan on remaining in Cabot for a long time,” he said. “We are happy in our present location and I agree with the board that the $5,000 could go to better use in the district since I am already established,” Thurman said.
Thurman, as principal of CHS, graduated his last class of Cabot seniors Friday at Alltel Arena.
He has many more graduations in his future as superintendent of Cabot schools.
School board president David Hipp was the lone opposed vote in Tuesday’s decision.
Although he voted against the rest of the board, Hipp said his decision would not affect his ability to work with Thurman in the future.
“I will join the board to support Dr. Thurman and the work he will be tasked to do. We will have a unified effort to keep Cabot schools on the cutting edge of excellence and providing an educational opportunity for our children in the Cabot School District,” Hipp said.
By HEATHER HARTSELL
Leader staff writer
Dr. Tony Thurman has a little more than a month before his title changes from principal of Cabot High School to superintendent of Cabot Public Schools and until then, he’s soaking up all he can from Dr. Frank Holman, Cabot’s outgoing superintendent.
The Cabot school board selected Thurman Tuesday night in a 6-1 vote as the next chief of Cabot schools, filling the void left when Holman announced his resignation back in March.
“At this point, I’m focused on working with Dr. Holman on the transition and doing great things for the students in our district,” Thurman said.
His appointment as superintendent means the district must now find a new principal for CHS, the position Thurman has held for the past four years.
The search for the next high school principal has already started with the district advertising the position both in-district and across the state.
“We have a very short time line for applications since we would like to fill this position as quickly as possible. The transition at the high school will be as important as the transition at the district level,” the new chief of schools said.
Thurman will be involved in the selection of his replacement at the high school.
“We have great things happening in our school and I want to ensure that the next individual understands the long-term goals and relates well to the students, parents and staff,” he said.
The majority of his teachers, people he calls friends and family and not coworkers, were present at the school board meeting to show their support.
And although they will miss him now at the high school, they felt he was the right choice for the district and will do great things to advance Cabot schools.
Thurman already has goals in mind to continue the tradition of educational excellence that has been Cabot’s earmark.
“We have a great community. We continue to grow and while we are becoming a large school district in terms of size, I want to make sure that we never lose that sense of community and family within the district,” he said.
“The ‘No Child Left Behind’ Act has changed the way that we do business in education,” he said.
“This focus on accountability is welcome but we can never forget that we must also focus on the heart of each child. We work in partnership with the home to guide our students in making positive decisions each day,” Thurman added.
There are also facility issues that must be addressed in Cabot’s near future.
“Growth brings major challenges. Cabot is a residential community with little to no industrial base to support the tax structure,” he said.
“We must work together as a school and community to address these issues and continue to provide the resources and facilities that we expect,” Thurman explained, adding, “Dr. Holman has us focused on the future; this will not change.”
As the next chief of schools, Thurman will make between $135,000 and $175,000 each of the three years of his initial contract that begins July 1 when he takes administrative control of the 9,000-strong district.
A $5,000 moving allowance was also to be given to the new superintendent, but because Thurman is already planted in the district, he told the board he did not need it.
“The school board has been very good to me. I do not want or need the moving allowance since I plan on remaining in Cabot for a long time,” he said. “We are happy in our present location and I agree with the board that the $5,000 could go to better use in the district since I am already established,” Thurman said.
Thurman, as principal of CHS, graduated his last class of Cabot seniors Friday at Alltel Arena.
He has many more graduations in his future as superintendent of Cabot schools.
School board president David Hipp was the lone opposed vote in Tuesday’s decision.
Although he voted against the rest of the board, Hipp said his decision would not affect his ability to work with Thurman in the future.
“I will join the board to support Dr. Thurman and the work he will be tasked to do. We will have a unified effort to keep Cabot schools on the cutting edge of excellence and providing an educational opportunity for our children in the Cabot School District,” Hipp said.
TOP STORY >>Campbell moved to Missouri
IN SHORT: The former Lonoke police chief is removed from Pine Bluff for his own safety under a cooperative agreement with other states, according to Arkansas Correction Department spokesperson Dina Tyler.
By JOHN HOFHEIMER
Leader senior staff writer
The Arkansas Correction De-partment Thursday moved former Lonoke Police Chief Jay Campbell from its Diagnostic Unit at Pine Bluff to an undisclosed prison in Missouri, according to Dina Tyler, the department spokesperson.
The move was one of three options the department had to help ensure his security, Tyler said. The DOC could have placed Campbell in protective custody, placed him in administrative segregation or transferred him to another state under the cooperative agreement known as the interstate compact.
Special Circuit Judge John Cole sentenced Campbell to 40 years in prison for masterminding a continuing criminal enterprise, conspiring to manufacture methamphetamine and for a raft of residential burglary, theft and obtaining controlled substance convictions in Lonoke Circuit Court.
As a career law enforcement official, Campbell is believed to have enemies in Arkansas prisons.
Campbell and his wife Kelly Campbell were tried together. She was sentenced to 10 years in prison for 26 convictions including residential burglary, theft and obtaining a controlled substance by theft.
She is currently housed at the McPhearson Unit in Newport.
At the end of their first week in Arkansas prisons, the Campbells returned to a Cabot courtroom for what they believed was a pretty perfunctory hearing and release on appeals bonds. But Cole vacated his previous order, which would have set bond at $200,000 for him, $100,000 for her.
Unless they successfully appeal Cole’s decision that they are not eligible for bond, the two will remain in prison for the approximately 18 months it will take for the state Supreme Court to receive and hear their appeals.
In related matters, Lonoke County Prosecutor Lona Mc-Castlain says former Lonoke Mayor Thomas Privett and former Lonoke Police Department dispatcher Amy Staley will probably be tried in July, but no date has been set.
Privett is charged with theft of services, a misdemeanor, for having state Act 309 trustees hang his Christmas decorations and fix an air conditioner at his home.
Staley is charged with having sex with an Act 309 inmate.
Also this week, Special Pro-secutor Larry Jegley said he had just begun reviewing the case file on former Campbell codefendants Bobby Junior Cox and Larry Norwood, both bail bondsmen.
Both are charged with conspiring with Jay Campbell to manufacture methamphetamine. A State Police investigation is underway to determine whether there are sufficient grounds for charging them with soliciting capital murder. A witness has said Cox asked him to kill McCastlain and a star prosecution witness.
That’s why Jegley, the Pulaski County prosecutor, will try the two men.
Jegley said no trial or hearing dates have been set.
By JOHN HOFHEIMER
Leader senior staff writer
The Arkansas Correction De-partment Thursday moved former Lonoke Police Chief Jay Campbell from its Diagnostic Unit at Pine Bluff to an undisclosed prison in Missouri, according to Dina Tyler, the department spokesperson.
The move was one of three options the department had to help ensure his security, Tyler said. The DOC could have placed Campbell in protective custody, placed him in administrative segregation or transferred him to another state under the cooperative agreement known as the interstate compact.
Special Circuit Judge John Cole sentenced Campbell to 40 years in prison for masterminding a continuing criminal enterprise, conspiring to manufacture methamphetamine and for a raft of residential burglary, theft and obtaining controlled substance convictions in Lonoke Circuit Court.
As a career law enforcement official, Campbell is believed to have enemies in Arkansas prisons.
Campbell and his wife Kelly Campbell were tried together. She was sentenced to 10 years in prison for 26 convictions including residential burglary, theft and obtaining a controlled substance by theft.
She is currently housed at the McPhearson Unit in Newport.
At the end of their first week in Arkansas prisons, the Campbells returned to a Cabot courtroom for what they believed was a pretty perfunctory hearing and release on appeals bonds. But Cole vacated his previous order, which would have set bond at $200,000 for him, $100,000 for her.
Unless they successfully appeal Cole’s decision that they are not eligible for bond, the two will remain in prison for the approximately 18 months it will take for the state Supreme Court to receive and hear their appeals.
In related matters, Lonoke County Prosecutor Lona Mc-Castlain says former Lonoke Mayor Thomas Privett and former Lonoke Police Department dispatcher Amy Staley will probably be tried in July, but no date has been set.
Privett is charged with theft of services, a misdemeanor, for having state Act 309 trustees hang his Christmas decorations and fix an air conditioner at his home.
Staley is charged with having sex with an Act 309 inmate.
Also this week, Special Pro-secutor Larry Jegley said he had just begun reviewing the case file on former Campbell codefendants Bobby Junior Cox and Larry Norwood, both bail bondsmen.
Both are charged with conspiring with Jay Campbell to manufacture methamphetamine. A State Police investigation is underway to determine whether there are sufficient grounds for charging them with soliciting capital murder. A witness has said Cox asked him to kill McCastlain and a star prosecution witness.
That’s why Jegley, the Pulaski County prosecutor, will try the two men.
Jegley said no trial or hearing dates have been set.
TOP STORY >>Schatz takes command
IN SHORT: It’s a homecoming for the California native, who commanded the award-winning 50th Airlift Squadron here.
By HEATHER HARTSELL
Leader staff writer
It was a beautiful day at Little Rock Air Force Base when Brig. Gen. (Select) Rowayne A. Schatz, Jr., assumed command of the 314th Airlift Wing from Brig. Gen. Kip Self during a change-of -command ceremony Wednesday.
Gov. Mike Beebe, as well as the Jacksonville, Cabot and Ward mayors, attended the base’s ceremony showing their support of Little Rock Air Force Base. (See editorial, page 8A.)
Beebe is the first governor in years to attend a change-of -command ceremony on base.
As Maj. Gen. Irv Halter, commander of the 19th Air Force and officiating officer for Wednesday’s ceremony, said, Col. Schatz is yet another Air Mobility expert taking command of the wing.
“Wayne is no stranger to the C-130 and Little Rock. This provides the wing an unusual advantage…he knows this mission and he knows this community. Minimum spin-up required, he’s ready to roll,” Halter said.
“We have great confidence in you,” Halter told Schatz. “We have given you one of our toughest units at a pivotal time and we could think of no one who is better for this job.”
The new commander said he and his family, wife Kim and children Marissa and Wayne, were excited to be back at Little Rock again after eight years; Schatz was assigned to The Rock from 1997 to 1999 as commander of the 50th Airlift Squadron.
“We are thrilled at the chance to lead such an outstanding wing of America’s finest combat air lifters,” Schatz, a Lodi, Calif., native, said.
“I promise to do my best to support our airmen and their families at Team Little Rock to do the best we can,” Schatz said to Halter on giving him the opportunity to command the 314th.
“Kip and Sue Self, thanks for your superb leadership for the past nearly two years, clearly the 314th Airlift Wing and Team Little Rock are in outstanding shape thanks to your hard work and selfless dedication. We wish you fair skies and tail winds always as you move on,” Schatz said to Self, who relinquished his command after only 20 months at the helm.
“To the men and women of the 314th Airlift Wing, Team Little Rock has a tradition of excellence and I promise to give you 100 percent to help maintain that position. For now, all standing orders remain in effect,” Schatz told his airmen.
“The Hercules community is our roots, so you can bet we’re excited to be back in Little Rock. We’ll be proud to call Little Rock Air Force Base home again, honored to command such a great wing, and excited to be in the C-130 training wing,” Schatz said during the close of ceremonies.
Schatz says mission, people and community are his main areas of concentration and he plans to continue with a lot of the same trends Self started at Little Rock.
“We’ve got some challenges with the base realignment and closing commission. A big part of what we do here is working to plan to bring other C-130s from Pope (Air Force Base, S.C.) and do that smoothly.
“Continuing our deployment responsibility with support of soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines in Iraq and Afghanistan will be key to staying ready to do our mission when called upon. And of course, training for over 1,800 C-130 air lifters from the United States, all the joint services, as well as 31 nations, will keep us busy,” Schatz said in an interview after the change of command ceremony.
Little Rock is losing Self to the Air Force Expeditionary Center, Air Mobility Command at McGuire AFB, N.J., where he will take command next Wednesday.
He was asked to give up his wing command after only 20 months on the job.
“Good commanders take care of their wing, great ones embrace and love them, and there is no doubt about in which category Kip Self falls into,” Halter said.
“He was the perfect choice to command the place where America’s C-130 professionals get their start,” he said of Self’s selection as commander of the 314th AW.
“Kip, thank you for your stewardship to the 314th, its airmen and its mission; Sue, thank you for your great care of our airmen and their families. You two have executed your unofficial but truthful duties to perfection; you will be missed both here and back at Randolph (Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas),” Halter added.
The Legion of Merit award was presented to Self during the ceremony for the work he performed during his tenure at Little Rock Air Force Base, but Self said those things could not have been done without the men and women of the 314th.
“That citation was nicely written by my executive officers, but it’s all about these folks in blue. Sue and I were cheerleaders the last 20 months. We did very little but we were always there,” Self said.
Self said he owed thanks to his “exceptional wing command” for the great things that occurred on base and was lucky to have had them. “It wouldn’t have been without y’all,” Self added.
By HEATHER HARTSELL
Leader staff writer
It was a beautiful day at Little Rock Air Force Base when Brig. Gen. (Select) Rowayne A. Schatz, Jr., assumed command of the 314th Airlift Wing from Brig. Gen. Kip Self during a change-of -command ceremony Wednesday.
Gov. Mike Beebe, as well as the Jacksonville, Cabot and Ward mayors, attended the base’s ceremony showing their support of Little Rock Air Force Base. (See editorial, page 8A.)
Beebe is the first governor in years to attend a change-of -command ceremony on base.
As Maj. Gen. Irv Halter, commander of the 19th Air Force and officiating officer for Wednesday’s ceremony, said, Col. Schatz is yet another Air Mobility expert taking command of the wing.
“Wayne is no stranger to the C-130 and Little Rock. This provides the wing an unusual advantage…he knows this mission and he knows this community. Minimum spin-up required, he’s ready to roll,” Halter said.
“We have great confidence in you,” Halter told Schatz. “We have given you one of our toughest units at a pivotal time and we could think of no one who is better for this job.”
The new commander said he and his family, wife Kim and children Marissa and Wayne, were excited to be back at Little Rock again after eight years; Schatz was assigned to The Rock from 1997 to 1999 as commander of the 50th Airlift Squadron.
“We are thrilled at the chance to lead such an outstanding wing of America’s finest combat air lifters,” Schatz, a Lodi, Calif., native, said.
“I promise to do my best to support our airmen and their families at Team Little Rock to do the best we can,” Schatz said to Halter on giving him the opportunity to command the 314th.
“Kip and Sue Self, thanks for your superb leadership for the past nearly two years, clearly the 314th Airlift Wing and Team Little Rock are in outstanding shape thanks to your hard work and selfless dedication. We wish you fair skies and tail winds always as you move on,” Schatz said to Self, who relinquished his command after only 20 months at the helm.
“To the men and women of the 314th Airlift Wing, Team Little Rock has a tradition of excellence and I promise to give you 100 percent to help maintain that position. For now, all standing orders remain in effect,” Schatz told his airmen.
“The Hercules community is our roots, so you can bet we’re excited to be back in Little Rock. We’ll be proud to call Little Rock Air Force Base home again, honored to command such a great wing, and excited to be in the C-130 training wing,” Schatz said during the close of ceremonies.
Schatz says mission, people and community are his main areas of concentration and he plans to continue with a lot of the same trends Self started at Little Rock.
“We’ve got some challenges with the base realignment and closing commission. A big part of what we do here is working to plan to bring other C-130s from Pope (Air Force Base, S.C.) and do that smoothly.
“Continuing our deployment responsibility with support of soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines in Iraq and Afghanistan will be key to staying ready to do our mission when called upon. And of course, training for over 1,800 C-130 air lifters from the United States, all the joint services, as well as 31 nations, will keep us busy,” Schatz said in an interview after the change of command ceremony.
Little Rock is losing Self to the Air Force Expeditionary Center, Air Mobility Command at McGuire AFB, N.J., where he will take command next Wednesday.
He was asked to give up his wing command after only 20 months on the job.
“Good commanders take care of their wing, great ones embrace and love them, and there is no doubt about in which category Kip Self falls into,” Halter said.
“He was the perfect choice to command the place where America’s C-130 professionals get their start,” he said of Self’s selection as commander of the 314th AW.
“Kip, thank you for your stewardship to the 314th, its airmen and its mission; Sue, thank you for your great care of our airmen and their families. You two have executed your unofficial but truthful duties to perfection; you will be missed both here and back at Randolph (Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas),” Halter added.
The Legion of Merit award was presented to Self during the ceremony for the work he performed during his tenure at Little Rock Air Force Base, but Self said those things could not have been done without the men and women of the 314th.
“That citation was nicely written by my executive officers, but it’s all about these folks in blue. Sue and I were cheerleaders the last 20 months. We did very little but we were always there,” Self said.
Self said he owed thanks to his “exceptional wing command” for the great things that occurred on base and was lucky to have had them. “It wouldn’t have been without y’all,” Self added.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
SPORTS>>Cabot track athletes qualify for 7A state
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
Russellville High School was the site of this year’s 7A-Central Conference track meet last Tuesday. It was a respectable showing for both the boys and girls Cabot teams, with the girls capturing sixth overall with a total score of 61, while the boys ended up fifth overall with a 63.
Pine Bluff took the championship in the girls division, scoring 149 total points. Russellville came in a close second with 147 points, while Bryant took third with 77 points.
Conway was the winner on the boys side with a winning score of 190 points. Pine Bluff was the only school to place in the top three on both sides. The Zebras almost backed up the efforts of the girls team, finishing second with 116 points. North Little Rock took third with 100 points.
A total of 18 athletes qualified for today’s 7A state meet, also at Russellville. There were 11 boys to qualify, along with seven Lady Panthers that earned bids to the event.
Although it only resulted in an eighth-place finish overall, there was one school record broken at the meet. Jeff Hicks scored a 41-00.25 during the event, setting a new Cabot High School record.
Marissa De La Paz and Emily Carpenter turned in the strongest girls performances for Cabot. Carpenter got the only event win for the Lady Panthers, taking first-place in the 3200 meter run with a time of 12:03.94. De La Paz finished fourth in the event, but edged out her teammate in the 1600 meter run. De La Paz finished second behind Russellville’s Brittany Blackman with a time of 5:28.32, a good nine-seconds faster than Carpenter’s third-place time of 5:37.03. De La Paz also finished third in the 800 meter run with a 2:28.66.
In the 4x800 relay, the group of De La Paz, Carpenter, Brittani Bennett and Sarah Brewer took fourth-place with a total time of 10:17.34. Sophomore Tori Hendrix and Kayla Milam had success in the girls high jump event. Hendrix finished fourth with an even 5’ jump, and Milam was sixth with a 4’ 8” leap, enough to qualify for state as well. Bekah Miller finished third in the pole vault with an even nine-foot vault.
The boys side had an equal amount of success. Jacob De La Paz followed his sister’s tracks to a third-place run in the 800 meter run with a time of 2:06.56. Nathan Johnson was second in the 1600 meter run with a time of 4:35.42. Johnson was also a hundredth of a second off of capturing an event win for the Panthers in the 3200 meter run, finishing second to Bryant’s Ethan Blakley. Blakley had a winning time of 9:52.75, compared to a very close 9:52.76 for Johnson. Robert Gault finished seventh in the event for Cabot.
Jared Santiago took sixth-place in the 300 meter hurdles with a 43.80.
In the relays, the team of Michael Reitz, Chris Bayles, Hunter Hess and Trevor Carpenter finished sixth in the 4x100 meter relay with a time of 46.11. Carpenter then teamed with De La Paz, Blake Norman and William Paschal for the 4x400 meter relay, capturing sixth-place with a 3:33.41. The best relay run for the Panthers would turn out to be the 4x800 meter relay, where the team of De La Paz, Gault, Johnson and Norman took second to Bryant with a time of 8:16.44.
In field events, Nick Lawhon finished fifth in the boys high jump, but it was Tyler Spencer that had the greatest success for Cabot in field events. Spencer finished second in the shot put competition with a throw of 44 feet, 8.75 inches. His throw of 126 feet one inch in the discuss throw was good for fourth place.
Leader sportswriter
Russellville High School was the site of this year’s 7A-Central Conference track meet last Tuesday. It was a respectable showing for both the boys and girls Cabot teams, with the girls capturing sixth overall with a total score of 61, while the boys ended up fifth overall with a 63.
Pine Bluff took the championship in the girls division, scoring 149 total points. Russellville came in a close second with 147 points, while Bryant took third with 77 points.
Conway was the winner on the boys side with a winning score of 190 points. Pine Bluff was the only school to place in the top three on both sides. The Zebras almost backed up the efforts of the girls team, finishing second with 116 points. North Little Rock took third with 100 points.
A total of 18 athletes qualified for today’s 7A state meet, also at Russellville. There were 11 boys to qualify, along with seven Lady Panthers that earned bids to the event.
Although it only resulted in an eighth-place finish overall, there was one school record broken at the meet. Jeff Hicks scored a 41-00.25 during the event, setting a new Cabot High School record.
Marissa De La Paz and Emily Carpenter turned in the strongest girls performances for Cabot. Carpenter got the only event win for the Lady Panthers, taking first-place in the 3200 meter run with a time of 12:03.94. De La Paz finished fourth in the event, but edged out her teammate in the 1600 meter run. De La Paz finished second behind Russellville’s Brittany Blackman with a time of 5:28.32, a good nine-seconds faster than Carpenter’s third-place time of 5:37.03. De La Paz also finished third in the 800 meter run with a 2:28.66.
In the 4x800 relay, the group of De La Paz, Carpenter, Brittani Bennett and Sarah Brewer took fourth-place with a total time of 10:17.34. Sophomore Tori Hendrix and Kayla Milam had success in the girls high jump event. Hendrix finished fourth with an even 5’ jump, and Milam was sixth with a 4’ 8” leap, enough to qualify for state as well. Bekah Miller finished third in the pole vault with an even nine-foot vault.
The boys side had an equal amount of success. Jacob De La Paz followed his sister’s tracks to a third-place run in the 800 meter run with a time of 2:06.56. Nathan Johnson was second in the 1600 meter run with a time of 4:35.42. Johnson was also a hundredth of a second off of capturing an event win for the Panthers in the 3200 meter run, finishing second to Bryant’s Ethan Blakley. Blakley had a winning time of 9:52.75, compared to a very close 9:52.76 for Johnson. Robert Gault finished seventh in the event for Cabot.
Jared Santiago took sixth-place in the 300 meter hurdles with a 43.80.
In the relays, the team of Michael Reitz, Chris Bayles, Hunter Hess and Trevor Carpenter finished sixth in the 4x100 meter relay with a time of 46.11. Carpenter then teamed with De La Paz, Blake Norman and William Paschal for the 4x400 meter relay, capturing sixth-place with a 3:33.41. The best relay run for the Panthers would turn out to be the 4x800 meter relay, where the team of De La Paz, Gault, Johnson and Norman took second to Bryant with a time of 8:16.44.
In field events, Nick Lawhon finished fifth in the boys high jump, but it was Tyler Spencer that had the greatest success for Cabot in field events. Spencer finished second in the shot put competition with a throw of 44 feet, 8.75 inches. His throw of 126 feet one inch in the discuss throw was good for fourth place.
SPORTS>>Panthers are eager but young this spring
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The first couple of spring football practices have been a pleasant surprise so far for the Cabot Panthers. There will be a lot of new faces in the skill positions for Cabot in the upcoming season, but many of those new faces have looked good in the spring.
Never before has more than a handful of sophomores-to-be come over for spring practice, but this year a dozen current freshmen have donned the pads for hot-weather ball, and looked good in doing so.
A few of them have a chance to earn starting spots while head Panther Mike Malham says he believes all of them will push for playing time.
“They looked pretty good on the first day,” Malham said. “They were aggressive. Sometimes your freshmen coming over are a little timid and you worry about that, but these kids weren’t. They got after it and they’re a pretty athletic group.”
The Panthers lost all but one of the offensive backs from a year ago, but the Cabot coaching staff feels good about their replacements. Returning is senior Casey Carlisle, who has played halfback the last two years. The positions aren’t yet determined, but freshman Michael James has been effective carrying the ball, as well as junior Jake Davis.
Sophomore Seth Bloomberg and junior Nathan Burns are competing for the quarterback spot.
It will be a youthful front line for the Panthers on both sides of the ball too. Leading the way will be senior LJ Tarrant, who Malham believes is outstanding.
“He’s one of the best blockers we’ve had around here in a long time,” Malham said. “He’s going to be playing somewhere in college that’s almost certain. If he was 6-foot-3 or 6-4, he could name his schools, but he’s a six-footer. Some smaller schools is probably going to snatch him up and have heck of a lineman.”
Tarrant will be the only senior on the offensive line, working with a crop of juniors and maybe even a sophomore or two.
The Bryant twins, sophomores Powell and Joseph, are competing for playing time at safety, while sophomore ?? Nuemann has been impressive at linebacker.
“They’ve all got pretty good speed,” Malham said. “They’re not blazing fast, but they’re all in the 4.6, 4.7 range, which is better than we’ve had in a while.”
Nuemann is also working at running back and doing a good job, but his play at linebacker is what is catching the eyes of the coaching staff in the early going.
Daniel Hillenburg returns as a starting defensive end and has continued to solidify his spot atop the depth chart.
There were only 60 players out for the first day of spring practice. While it will be a small and young group, it’s not totally lacking in experience, and it’s one of the more athletic groups assembled for a spring practice in a while.
“Overall the talent level seems to be up,” Malham said. “The sophomores last year were a good group as a whole and this one is a good group. That’s what you need to get good is a couple of three good groups in a row. I think we’re sitting better right now than we have been the past few years at this time.”
Leader sports editor
The first couple of spring football practices have been a pleasant surprise so far for the Cabot Panthers. There will be a lot of new faces in the skill positions for Cabot in the upcoming season, but many of those new faces have looked good in the spring.
Never before has more than a handful of sophomores-to-be come over for spring practice, but this year a dozen current freshmen have donned the pads for hot-weather ball, and looked good in doing so.
A few of them have a chance to earn starting spots while head Panther Mike Malham says he believes all of them will push for playing time.
“They looked pretty good on the first day,” Malham said. “They were aggressive. Sometimes your freshmen coming over are a little timid and you worry about that, but these kids weren’t. They got after it and they’re a pretty athletic group.”
The Panthers lost all but one of the offensive backs from a year ago, but the Cabot coaching staff feels good about their replacements. Returning is senior Casey Carlisle, who has played halfback the last two years. The positions aren’t yet determined, but freshman Michael James has been effective carrying the ball, as well as junior Jake Davis.
Sophomore Seth Bloomberg and junior Nathan Burns are competing for the quarterback spot.
It will be a youthful front line for the Panthers on both sides of the ball too. Leading the way will be senior LJ Tarrant, who Malham believes is outstanding.
“He’s one of the best blockers we’ve had around here in a long time,” Malham said. “He’s going to be playing somewhere in college that’s almost certain. If he was 6-foot-3 or 6-4, he could name his schools, but he’s a six-footer. Some smaller schools is probably going to snatch him up and have heck of a lineman.”
Tarrant will be the only senior on the offensive line, working with a crop of juniors and maybe even a sophomore or two.
The Bryant twins, sophomores Powell and Joseph, are competing for playing time at safety, while sophomore ?? Nuemann has been impressive at linebacker.
“They’ve all got pretty good speed,” Malham said. “They’re not blazing fast, but they’re all in the 4.6, 4.7 range, which is better than we’ve had in a while.”
Nuemann is also working at running back and doing a good job, but his play at linebacker is what is catching the eyes of the coaching staff in the early going.
Daniel Hillenburg returns as a starting defensive end and has continued to solidify his spot atop the depth chart.
There were only 60 players out for the first day of spring practice. While it will be a small and young group, it’s not totally lacking in experience, and it’s one of the more athletic groups assembled for a spring practice in a while.
“Overall the talent level seems to be up,” Malham said. “The sophomores last year were a good group as a whole and this one is a good group. That’s what you need to get good is a couple of three good groups in a row. I think we’re sitting better right now than we have been the past few years at this time.”
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