By JOHN HOFHEIMER
Leader senior staff writer
The decision this week to recombine the Jacksonville Boys and Girls Middle schools had nothing to do with the welfare of the students and everything to do with appeasing the teachers’ union and with getting rid of him, said boys school principal Mike Nellums.
By recombining the two schools, the Pulaski Association of Classroom Teachers believes it can gain control by asserting the authority of the site-based, decis-ion-making council at the girls’ school, which it controls, Nellums said.
Bill Vasquez, who represents most of Jacksonville on the Pulaski County Special School District Board, led the way Tuesday on a 4-3 vote to recombine the boys and girls schools next year, saying neither school had made adequate yearly progress.
That was despite data that the boys school had shown large increases in the percentage of students testing adequate or proficient in algebra and several other benchmark exam categories.
Vasquez’s argument was false and misleading, Nellums insisted.
He said that few, if any, PCSSD secondary schools were making the federally mandated adequate yearly progress,
Vasquez sacrificed the welfare of Jacksonville students in his zeal to do the bidding of the PACT, including efforts to get rid of him, Nellums said.
Bill Barnes, director of secondary education for the district, confirmed Thursday that of the 13 secondary schools in PCSSD, 12 failed to make adequate yearly progress. Only Robinson Middle School met that goal.
Nellums said some groups at the school made adequate yearly progress, but not those in special education and not black males. He said, “Those students still made more progress than most (corresponding) groups in the district.”
“It was a concerted effort by a handful of board members to meet the request of one board member. Several of them had not visited our school at all.”
“Vasquez came in as union- supported and for 18 months he’s tried to move this one administrator,” Nellums said. “They want to control the school and the community from the site-based decision making council,” he said, which is dominated by union members.
Others who voted to recombine the two schools, with the possible side effect of getting rid of Nellums, are board president Tim Clark and board members Gwen Williams and Charlie Wood.
PACT PAID
Clark was unopposed in Sep-tember in his effort to take the open seat when Pam Roberts stepped down and Williams was re-elected.
Both took contributions from the teachers union or activist members, according to campaign- finance reports on file with the Pulaski County clerk’s office.
Williams took at least $600. Williams has voted steadfastly in the union’s interest for years and Clark has voted consistent with union interests since taking office.
Charlie Wood has joined Clark, Williams and Vasquez.
Superintendent James Sharpe had recommended that Vasquez’s motion to combine the schools be tabled and that the decision be left for Jacksonville residents to make once it gets its own school district.
The Jacksonville World Class Education Organization had sent Sharpe and all board members letters asking for just such a delay.
Using official PCSSD data, proponents of leaving the schools separate showed that discipline referrals at the boys school were cut nearly in half between the first year of gender-specific schools and last year, and were on course for an additional 35 percent decline this year.
Again using school data, they showed that benchmark scores climbed steadily over the three years of data, with 75 percent of Algebra 1 students testing proficient or advanced in 2008.
Eighth-grade benchmarks climbed from 16 percent proficient or advanced in 2006 to 42 percent proficient or advanced in 2008, and this in a school with the highest percentage of free and reduced lunches and highest percentage of children with disabilities, said one teacher.
REORGANIZATION
Barnes said work would begin immediately to reorganize the single-gender schools into a coeducation school for the 2009-2010 school year.
He said core curriculuum might still be gender specific. He postulated that the two school would be combined in what is currently the Boys School, in part because of the audio-visual lab that Nellums and his teachers had established.
He said administrators would have to deal with seniority of teacher wanting to transfer in or out of the new school, with a master schedule and with who the principal would be.
The school would need a new LEA number from the state, which identifies the school for many purposes, including tracking testing and scores.
“There’s a lot of things still up in the air,” he said.
LOSING OUT
Of even greater concern to those promoting a standalone Jacksonville district was a 4-3 decision by the board—Clark, Williams, Vasquez and Wood—to float $81 million worth of second-lien bonds to build a new high school at Maumelle.
In addition to committing the district to $5.6 million a year in payments to retire that bond, it puts the new Sylvan Hills Middle School on a back burner and leaves the promised replacement for the Arnold Drive School at Little Rock Air Force Base in question. It also seems to postpone indefinitely construction of a new Jacksonville Middle School.
Chief financial officer Larry O’Briant said inflation in the cost of building materials had suddenly escalated the cost of the new Maumelle high school, originally slated for construction in Oak Grove, from about $45 million to about $80 million.
Wood, who represents Sher-wood and Sylvan Hills, voted for that measure even after O’Briant told him his district’s new school would probably have to wait now for voters to approve some future millage issue.
Maumelle will have all new schools, so residents there might be less likely to vote for a millage increase.
Jacksonville school district advocates say that when they finally split off from PCSSD, they don’t want to be saddled with 15 percent of the payments on $81 million for a new school in Maumelle.
One suggested that additional financial burden could doom efforts to have a standalone district.
Monday, February 16, 2009
TOP STORY >> Brooks is latest to run for mayor
Beckie Brooks, a local realtor and longtime Jack-sonville activist, is running for mayor to succeed Tommy Swaim, who is resigning. A special election will be held May 12.
“I want them to feel the city is theirs again,” she said, referring to residents. “It’s not that way anymore.”
Although she said she appreciates the work of the present mayor, Brooks believes “there are a number of issues that could renew and reenergize the citizens of Jacksonville.”
She wants the city to be “more user friendly.”
A strong supporter of the Main Street overpass, Brooks now believes that “the opening of the Graham Road railroad crossing is crucial to revitalizing the southeastern section of Jacksonville, including Sunnyside Hills Addition.”
“This has hurt too many people,” she said, referring to the closing. “Having support in city hall would help the effort” to reopen the crossing.
Brooks wants to eliminate the city’s privilege license, saying that “one should not have to pay a tax to do business in the city.”
“Citizens need to be more appreciative of government,” Brooks said, “and government, at the same time, should never forget that it works for and serves the public.”
Brooks supports an independent Jacksonville school district, as well as charter schools in the city. She wants more programs for the elderly, including citywide transportation to every neighborhood and assist them in other ways so they live at home as long as possible.
She said she wants to maintain a strong relationship with Little Rock Air Force Base.
She was instrumental in the cleanup of the old Vertac chemical plant.
The owner of Beckie Brooks Real Estate Co., she has been in business in Jacksonville since 1975, first operating a business with her husband, Harold, and then as a local realtor.
A former teacher at Homer Adkins and Warren Dupree Elementary schools, Brooks graduated from Arkansas State Teachers College (now UCA) with a degree in home economics.
Local builder and Alderman Gary Fletcher, developer Tommy Dupree and Alderman Kenny Elliot have filed their required petition of signatures with the Pulaski County clerk as candidates for mayor.
The clerk’s office has certified all three candidates.
The filing period started Tuesday and runs until noon March 2.
Jacksonville residents interested in running for mayor in the special election need to turn in a petition with at least 30 signatures of Jacksonville residents who are registered voters.
Two other residents—motorcycle minister Randy (Doc) Rhodd and former police Lieutenant Bill Shelly – have also announced their intentions to run for the spot being vacated by Swaim.
Swaim announced in January that he would retire from his $95,000 job come July 1.
“I want them to feel the city is theirs again,” she said, referring to residents. “It’s not that way anymore.”
Although she said she appreciates the work of the present mayor, Brooks believes “there are a number of issues that could renew and reenergize the citizens of Jacksonville.”
She wants the city to be “more user friendly.”
A strong supporter of the Main Street overpass, Brooks now believes that “the opening of the Graham Road railroad crossing is crucial to revitalizing the southeastern section of Jacksonville, including Sunnyside Hills Addition.”
“This has hurt too many people,” she said, referring to the closing. “Having support in city hall would help the effort” to reopen the crossing.
Brooks wants to eliminate the city’s privilege license, saying that “one should not have to pay a tax to do business in the city.”
“Citizens need to be more appreciative of government,” Brooks said, “and government, at the same time, should never forget that it works for and serves the public.”
Brooks supports an independent Jacksonville school district, as well as charter schools in the city. She wants more programs for the elderly, including citywide transportation to every neighborhood and assist them in other ways so they live at home as long as possible.
She said she wants to maintain a strong relationship with Little Rock Air Force Base.
She was instrumental in the cleanup of the old Vertac chemical plant.
The owner of Beckie Brooks Real Estate Co., she has been in business in Jacksonville since 1975, first operating a business with her husband, Harold, and then as a local realtor.
A former teacher at Homer Adkins and Warren Dupree Elementary schools, Brooks graduated from Arkansas State Teachers College (now UCA) with a degree in home economics.
Local builder and Alderman Gary Fletcher, developer Tommy Dupree and Alderman Kenny Elliot have filed their required petition of signatures with the Pulaski County clerk as candidates for mayor.
The clerk’s office has certified all three candidates.
The filing period started Tuesday and runs until noon March 2.
Jacksonville residents interested in running for mayor in the special election need to turn in a petition with at least 30 signatures of Jacksonville residents who are registered voters.
Two other residents—motorcycle minister Randy (Doc) Rhodd and former police Lieutenant Bill Shelly – have also announced their intentions to run for the spot being vacated by Swaim.
Swaim announced in January that he would retire from his $95,000 job come July 1.
TOP STORY >> Alcohol tax on the table in Cabot
By JOAN McCOY
Leader staff writer
Will an extra tax be added to the alcoholic drinks served in Cabot restaurants? Area residents could help answer that question.
Aldermen Eddie Cook, Rick Prentice and Jon Moore, serving as the city council’s budget and personnel committee, met this week at the city hall annex to discuss a proposed ordinance adding a 5 percent tax to beer and wine, and a 10 percent tax to mixed drinks, the same ordinance adopted by Little Rock, Fayetteville, Jonesboro and Ward.
Sitting on the right-hand side of the council chambers were several members of the Lonoke County Republican Committee who were adamant that no additional tax should be charged.
On the left-hand side were Mayor Eddie Joe Williams, City Attorney Jim Taylor, Alderman Ed Long and Alderman Ann Gilliam. They were, for the most part, non-committal, but the consensus of those present was that more people need to get involved.
“This is too small a group for any big decision,” Gilliam said. So the public is asked to attend the next meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 9, to let the council members know what they think.
Irene Webb, who opposes a tax, asked the committee if the purpose of the proposed tax was to deter restaurants from serving alcohol.
She pointed out that the private clubs at the golf courses in the city never have been taxed and she asked, “So why now?”
Cabot is in a dry county and has not had any restaurants open to the public that serve alcohol until recent months, when Fat Daddy’s and Kopan were issued private-club liquor licenses by the Arkansas Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission.
Mayor Eddie Joe Williams has fought those licenses, telling the commission that the city already has enough trouble with drunk drivers. Webb also talked about drunk drivers.
With no place in Lonoke County to get alcohol, Cabot-area residents go to Pulaski County. Cabot lost the revenue and gained impaired drivers.
“We have all these people driving up and down the highway spending money in Pulaski County,” she said.
Former Alderman Becky Le-master told the committee that the ordinance they were considering came close to “socialism.”
She especially resented the section that would require owners of restaurants that served alcohol to give a list of all their employees to the city.
“I don’t answer to the mayor with my employees,” Lemaster said, adding, “We have no business adding any tax in a downturn economy. People who are going to drink are going to drink. If you are going to tax them, they are going to Outback (in Pulaski County).”
Asked what the tax revenue would be used for, Prentice said it should be used for the police department. The mayor said the city will likely need money to help pay for a north interchange.
But since the revenue would not likely be high, Alderman Patrick Hutton, who sat with members of the Republican Committee, said administration costs might be more than the tax revenue.
Long said he had mixed feeling about taxing alcohol, but he agreed that the revenue would not be significant.
“It probably wouldn’t bring in enough now to pay for (City Clerk Marva Verkler’s) bookkeeping,” Long said.
He disagreed with opponents’ implication that a tax would keep other restaurants intending to serve alcohol from opening in Cabot. Some had said restaurants wouldn’t come to Cabot because of the city’s 1.5 percent hamburger tax, Long said, and they have come anyway.
Leader staff writer
Will an extra tax be added to the alcoholic drinks served in Cabot restaurants? Area residents could help answer that question.
Aldermen Eddie Cook, Rick Prentice and Jon Moore, serving as the city council’s budget and personnel committee, met this week at the city hall annex to discuss a proposed ordinance adding a 5 percent tax to beer and wine, and a 10 percent tax to mixed drinks, the same ordinance adopted by Little Rock, Fayetteville, Jonesboro and Ward.
Sitting on the right-hand side of the council chambers were several members of the Lonoke County Republican Committee who were adamant that no additional tax should be charged.
On the left-hand side were Mayor Eddie Joe Williams, City Attorney Jim Taylor, Alderman Ed Long and Alderman Ann Gilliam. They were, for the most part, non-committal, but the consensus of those present was that more people need to get involved.
“This is too small a group for any big decision,” Gilliam said. So the public is asked to attend the next meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 9, to let the council members know what they think.
Irene Webb, who opposes a tax, asked the committee if the purpose of the proposed tax was to deter restaurants from serving alcohol.
She pointed out that the private clubs at the golf courses in the city never have been taxed and she asked, “So why now?”
Cabot is in a dry county and has not had any restaurants open to the public that serve alcohol until recent months, when Fat Daddy’s and Kopan were issued private-club liquor licenses by the Arkansas Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission.
Mayor Eddie Joe Williams has fought those licenses, telling the commission that the city already has enough trouble with drunk drivers. Webb also talked about drunk drivers.
With no place in Lonoke County to get alcohol, Cabot-area residents go to Pulaski County. Cabot lost the revenue and gained impaired drivers.
“We have all these people driving up and down the highway spending money in Pulaski County,” she said.
Former Alderman Becky Le-master told the committee that the ordinance they were considering came close to “socialism.”
She especially resented the section that would require owners of restaurants that served alcohol to give a list of all their employees to the city.
“I don’t answer to the mayor with my employees,” Lemaster said, adding, “We have no business adding any tax in a downturn economy. People who are going to drink are going to drink. If you are going to tax them, they are going to Outback (in Pulaski County).”
Asked what the tax revenue would be used for, Prentice said it should be used for the police department. The mayor said the city will likely need money to help pay for a north interchange.
But since the revenue would not likely be high, Alderman Patrick Hutton, who sat with members of the Republican Committee, said administration costs might be more than the tax revenue.
Long said he had mixed feeling about taxing alcohol, but he agreed that the revenue would not be significant.
“It probably wouldn’t bring in enough now to pay for (City Clerk Marva Verkler’s) bookkeeping,” Long said.
He disagreed with opponents’ implication that a tax would keep other restaurants intending to serve alcohol from opening in Cabot. Some had said restaurants wouldn’t come to Cabot because of the city’s 1.5 percent hamburger tax, Long said, and they have come anyway.
Friday, February 13, 2009
SPORTS >> Devils complete gauntlet 3-0
By KELLY FENTON
Leader sports writer
After completing the arduous trek through the murderer’s row of West Memphis, Little Rock Hall and Parkview over an eight-day span, Jacksonville head coach Vic Joyner admitted he probably would have been happy with two wins.
Jacksonville, however, didn’t settle for 2-1 against the best of the 6A-East. Instead, the Red Devils completed the three-game sweep with a 54-47 win over Parkview on Tuesday night at Charles Ripley Arena.
“That’s a helluva three-game schedule,” said Joyner, whose club beat West Memphis last Tuesday before going on the road to knock off defending champion Little Rock Hall on Friday. “We came out and won ugly, but an ugly win is better than an ugly loss.”
It was a sloppy affair in which neither team could get anything going offensively early, and the game remained scoreless through the first four minutes. The Red Devils seized control of the contest late in the third period with a 12-2 run that had the cold-shooting Patriots reeling with a 41-26 deficit.
But the Red Devils began to get impatient and force the action rather than protect the lead. Three consecutive turnovers led to a 7-0 Parkview run that narrowed the deficit to 44-39 with 2:25 left in the game and shifted the momentum dangerously into the Patriot column.
A couple of time outs later and Joyner had his team steadied again. The Red Devils made 10 of 12 free throws over the final 1:53. Deshone McClure connected on all six of his attempts during the stretch and Jacksonville won its sixth in a row to improve to 14-3 overall, 7-1 in the conference. The Red Devils remain a half-game behind Hall, but currently own the tie-break.
“We came down and showed poise the last two or three minutes,” Joyner said. “Other than that, we didn’t show much poise. I thought we got a little anxious. We’ve got to be a little more patient. That’s the first time since preseason that we were (that impatient).”
The Red Devils got 16 points and a pair of assists from McClure and 13 points and eight rebounds from Laquinton Miles. Cortrell Eskridge scored only two points but came up big on the defensive end with a pair of blocks and 10 rebounds.
“We had four kids been in the sick bed for two days,” Joyner said. “Cortrell came out with the flu bug and stepped up like a man. He’s a totally unselfish kid.”
Eskridge’s lone basket was a huge one. After the Patriots had pulled within two points early in the third period, Eskridge hit an off-balance 10-foot fade-away moving across the lane to spark a 14-2 run that opened the lead to 38-24.
While Jacksonville didn’t shoot the ball particularly well on Tuesday, making just 13 of 35 shots, Parkview was positively woeful. Before hitting five of their final 12 shots in the game, the Patriots had connected on only 10 of 36 and finished under 33 percent. They missed all eight of their three-point attempts.
“We couldn’t make shots,” said Parkview coach Al Flannigan, whose team fell to 13-7, 5-4 in league play. “We were just not patient. We didn’t make them work on defense. And then we allowed them to rebound our missed shots.
“They’re a good club and (Joyner’s) doing a good job with those guys.”
The game was played at a fast pace early and Parkview used three fast breaks to take a 13-7 lead. But twice in a row, the Red Devils broke the Parkview press for jams — one by Antwan Lockhart, the other by McClure as the buzzer sounded to end the first period.
Jacksonville still trailed 16-11 when Miles hit a pair of free throws and a three and Raheem Appleby came off the bench to hit a three for the Devils to take the lead for good at 19-16 midway through the second quarter. Miles’ end-to-end drive and basket in the final seconds of the first half allowed the Red Devils to take a 23-18 lead into the locker room.
Jacksonville won the rebounding battle 36-31. Demetrius Harris had nine boards to go along with seven points and a block. Lockhart had seven points and Stanley Appleby added four points. The Red Devils knocked down 24 of 35 free throws, while Parkview made 17 of 24.
“We came out a little sluggish but you’d expect that,” Joyner said. “We had a long week. And they made us look a little sloppy because they ran a matchup zone and we couldn’t hit our stride. But we banged it down the stretch and made our free throws.”
First-place Hall plays four of its final five games on the road, beginning with a trip to Parkview last night. The Warriors must also travel to West Memphis, Mountain Home and Jonesboro.
Jacksonville’s road appears to be less treacherous, with a home game against Searcy last night, two games with Mountain Home, West Memphis on the road and Marion and Jonesboro at home.
Leader sports writer
After completing the arduous trek through the murderer’s row of West Memphis, Little Rock Hall and Parkview over an eight-day span, Jacksonville head coach Vic Joyner admitted he probably would have been happy with two wins.
Jacksonville, however, didn’t settle for 2-1 against the best of the 6A-East. Instead, the Red Devils completed the three-game sweep with a 54-47 win over Parkview on Tuesday night at Charles Ripley Arena.
“That’s a helluva three-game schedule,” said Joyner, whose club beat West Memphis last Tuesday before going on the road to knock off defending champion Little Rock Hall on Friday. “We came out and won ugly, but an ugly win is better than an ugly loss.”
It was a sloppy affair in which neither team could get anything going offensively early, and the game remained scoreless through the first four minutes. The Red Devils seized control of the contest late in the third period with a 12-2 run that had the cold-shooting Patriots reeling with a 41-26 deficit.
But the Red Devils began to get impatient and force the action rather than protect the lead. Three consecutive turnovers led to a 7-0 Parkview run that narrowed the deficit to 44-39 with 2:25 left in the game and shifted the momentum dangerously into the Patriot column.
A couple of time outs later and Joyner had his team steadied again. The Red Devils made 10 of 12 free throws over the final 1:53. Deshone McClure connected on all six of his attempts during the stretch and Jacksonville won its sixth in a row to improve to 14-3 overall, 7-1 in the conference. The Red Devils remain a half-game behind Hall, but currently own the tie-break.
“We came down and showed poise the last two or three minutes,” Joyner said. “Other than that, we didn’t show much poise. I thought we got a little anxious. We’ve got to be a little more patient. That’s the first time since preseason that we were (that impatient).”
The Red Devils got 16 points and a pair of assists from McClure and 13 points and eight rebounds from Laquinton Miles. Cortrell Eskridge scored only two points but came up big on the defensive end with a pair of blocks and 10 rebounds.
“We had four kids been in the sick bed for two days,” Joyner said. “Cortrell came out with the flu bug and stepped up like a man. He’s a totally unselfish kid.”
Eskridge’s lone basket was a huge one. After the Patriots had pulled within two points early in the third period, Eskridge hit an off-balance 10-foot fade-away moving across the lane to spark a 14-2 run that opened the lead to 38-24.
While Jacksonville didn’t shoot the ball particularly well on Tuesday, making just 13 of 35 shots, Parkview was positively woeful. Before hitting five of their final 12 shots in the game, the Patriots had connected on only 10 of 36 and finished under 33 percent. They missed all eight of their three-point attempts.
“We couldn’t make shots,” said Parkview coach Al Flannigan, whose team fell to 13-7, 5-4 in league play. “We were just not patient. We didn’t make them work on defense. And then we allowed them to rebound our missed shots.
“They’re a good club and (Joyner’s) doing a good job with those guys.”
The game was played at a fast pace early and Parkview used three fast breaks to take a 13-7 lead. But twice in a row, the Red Devils broke the Parkview press for jams — one by Antwan Lockhart, the other by McClure as the buzzer sounded to end the first period.
Jacksonville still trailed 16-11 when Miles hit a pair of free throws and a three and Raheem Appleby came off the bench to hit a three for the Devils to take the lead for good at 19-16 midway through the second quarter. Miles’ end-to-end drive and basket in the final seconds of the first half allowed the Red Devils to take a 23-18 lead into the locker room.
Jacksonville won the rebounding battle 36-31. Demetrius Harris had nine boards to go along with seven points and a block. Lockhart had seven points and Stanley Appleby added four points. The Red Devils knocked down 24 of 35 free throws, while Parkview made 17 of 24.
“We came out a little sluggish but you’d expect that,” Joyner said. “We had a long week. And they made us look a little sloppy because they ran a matchup zone and we couldn’t hit our stride. But we banged it down the stretch and made our free throws.”
First-place Hall plays four of its final five games on the road, beginning with a trip to Parkview last night. The Warriors must also travel to West Memphis, Mountain Home and Jonesboro.
Jacksonville’s road appears to be less treacherous, with a home game against Searcy last night, two games with Mountain Home, West Memphis on the road and Marion and Jonesboro at home.
SPORTS >> Late ASU shot sinks Trojans
By JERRY SCOTT
ASU sports information
JONESBORO – Jazmine Taylor hit a leaning jumper just inside the free-throw line as time expired to lift Arkansas State to a 56-55 victory over Arkansas-Little Rock in a Sun Belt Conference women’s basketball game Wednesday night at the Convocation Center.
ASU snapped UALR’s five-game winning streak and handed the Sun Belt Conference West Division leading Trojans just their second loss in league play.
The Red Wolves picked up their seventh home victory of the season, improving to 11-13 overall and 5-7 in Sun Belt play. The Trojans now stand 19-5 overall and 11-2 in conference action.
UALR’s Marian Kursh hit a lay-up with 1:03 left in the game to break a 53-53 tie, but that was the Trojans’ last possession of the game as the Red Wolves attempted two free throws and collected four offensive rebounds before Taylor’s final shot.
Following Kursh’s lay-up, Taylor was fouled with 33 seconds remaining and hit the first of her two attempts at the charity stripe. ASU retained possession after the second attempt bounced out of bounds off a UALR player, setting the Red Wolves up for the game-winning shot.
Following the inbounds pass, Arkansas State took the first of four final shots with 13 seconds to go. Shania Hurst and Shay Scott collected the first two offensive rebounds and the last one went to Ebonie Jefferson, who passed the ball to Taylor for a drive that led to her last shot.
“When Ebonie got me the ball, I looked at the clock and saw there was seven seconds to go,” said Taylor. “I just kept working for a shot. She (Rolfe) played good defense, but I had my eyes on the rim and it felt good when it left my hand. I thought it was going in.”
“We called an out-of-bounds play, but at that point, she was just creating,” added ASU Head Coach Brian Boyer. “We liked our chances of being able to create rather than take a timeout and Jaz just picked the right opportunity and got in there and hit the shot. We are very fortunate to get out of here with a win. I don’t think we should expect anything less from an Arkansas State-UALR game.”
UALR built a 25-12 lead 15 minutes into the game before Arkansas State closed the first half with a 16-0 run to take a 28-25 halftime advantage.
“Midway through the first half, Little Rock was obviously very good, and we were in a lot of jeopardy,” said Boyer. “They had gotten the lead up to 12, and against Little Rock, that is a big, big number.
“In the second half, (UALR’s) Chasity Reed was awesome. We made some mistakes but there were a lot of instances where we couldn’t have defended her any better and she still hit them. Our players just kept battling and we gave ourselves a chance to win it in the end.”
Jefferson scored a team-best 20 points, while Scott scored 19 and grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds to lead Arkansas State.
While UALR shot 43 percent from the field in comparison to ASU’s .385 mark, the Red Wolves outrebounded the Trojans 39-30 and made 15 of 20 free throw attempts for a solid night at the line. ASU also scored 14 more points in the paint than UALR and recorded 14 second-chance points off 16 offensive rebounds.
Chasity Reed led UALR with a game-high 28 points, including 22 in the second half. Anshel Cooper added 11 points as the only other UALR player scoring in double digits.
UALR returns to action today when they travel to ULM. Tip-off is set for 4:30 p.m.
ASU sports information
JONESBORO – Jazmine Taylor hit a leaning jumper just inside the free-throw line as time expired to lift Arkansas State to a 56-55 victory over Arkansas-Little Rock in a Sun Belt Conference women’s basketball game Wednesday night at the Convocation Center.
ASU snapped UALR’s five-game winning streak and handed the Sun Belt Conference West Division leading Trojans just their second loss in league play.
The Red Wolves picked up their seventh home victory of the season, improving to 11-13 overall and 5-7 in Sun Belt play. The Trojans now stand 19-5 overall and 11-2 in conference action.
UALR’s Marian Kursh hit a lay-up with 1:03 left in the game to break a 53-53 tie, but that was the Trojans’ last possession of the game as the Red Wolves attempted two free throws and collected four offensive rebounds before Taylor’s final shot.
Following Kursh’s lay-up, Taylor was fouled with 33 seconds remaining and hit the first of her two attempts at the charity stripe. ASU retained possession after the second attempt bounced out of bounds off a UALR player, setting the Red Wolves up for the game-winning shot.
Following the inbounds pass, Arkansas State took the first of four final shots with 13 seconds to go. Shania Hurst and Shay Scott collected the first two offensive rebounds and the last one went to Ebonie Jefferson, who passed the ball to Taylor for a drive that led to her last shot.
“When Ebonie got me the ball, I looked at the clock and saw there was seven seconds to go,” said Taylor. “I just kept working for a shot. She (Rolfe) played good defense, but I had my eyes on the rim and it felt good when it left my hand. I thought it was going in.”
“We called an out-of-bounds play, but at that point, she was just creating,” added ASU Head Coach Brian Boyer. “We liked our chances of being able to create rather than take a timeout and Jaz just picked the right opportunity and got in there and hit the shot. We are very fortunate to get out of here with a win. I don’t think we should expect anything less from an Arkansas State-UALR game.”
UALR built a 25-12 lead 15 minutes into the game before Arkansas State closed the first half with a 16-0 run to take a 28-25 halftime advantage.
“Midway through the first half, Little Rock was obviously very good, and we were in a lot of jeopardy,” said Boyer. “They had gotten the lead up to 12, and against Little Rock, that is a big, big number.
“In the second half, (UALR’s) Chasity Reed was awesome. We made some mistakes but there were a lot of instances where we couldn’t have defended her any better and she still hit them. Our players just kept battling and we gave ourselves a chance to win it in the end.”
Jefferson scored a team-best 20 points, while Scott scored 19 and grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds to lead Arkansas State.
While UALR shot 43 percent from the field in comparison to ASU’s .385 mark, the Red Wolves outrebounded the Trojans 39-30 and made 15 of 20 free throw attempts for a solid night at the line. ASU also scored 14 more points in the paint than UALR and recorded 14 second-chance points off 16 offensive rebounds.
Chasity Reed led UALR with a game-high 28 points, including 22 in the second half. Anshel Cooper added 11 points as the only other UALR player scoring in double digits.
UALR returns to action today when they travel to ULM. Tip-off is set for 4:30 p.m.
SPORTS >> Falcons improve to 9-0 with win
By CHAD MATCHETT
Special to The Leader
Sylvan Hills gave North Pulaski some problems Tuesday night, but Aaron Cooper had all the answers in a 68-57 road win for the Falcons. The win kept the Falcons unbeaten in 5A-Southeast Conference play and tied with McClellan for first place in the league standings.
The Bears took the lead twice in the first quarter and once in the second quarter. Each time they grabbed the lead, Cooper responded with either a three-point play or a three-pointer.
In the third quarter, Sylvan Hills pulled to within five points after falling behind 43-30. Cooper broke that run with back-to-back threes as well.
“Our half-court game was non-existent,” said Falcons coach Raymond Cooper. “Guys weren’t hustling and weren’t in the places they needed to be. I think Aaron just took it on himself to take over at times because that was all we had.”
Sylvan Hills came out and gave North Pulaski all they wanted for most of the game. The Falcons had just beaten rival Mills by 30 points, but had a hard time putting the Bears down for the count.
“Let me first give credit to Sylvan Hills,” Cooper said. “They had a great game plan on defense spreading us out and really attacked us on offense.”
North Pulaski took a 10-point lead just before halftime when Kyron Ware was fouled attempting a three-pointer with just over one second left on the clock. Ware drained all three freebies to give the Falcons a 33-23 lead.
The Falcons improved that lead to 13 points before Harold Ward caught fire for the Bears. Ward scored 17 points in the third quarter, including an 8-0 run that pulled the Bears to within five points.
“This was a game that was fun to watch for the fans,” Sylvan Hills coach Kevin Davis said. “Harold had one of the best overall games since I’ve been here. He scored a lot of points, but he was really unselfish with the ball. Cooper just had an answer for everything we did tonight.”
Ward finished the game with 23 points and 13 rebounds for Sylvan Hills. Cooper led all scorers with 26 points for the Falcons. Kyron Ware scored 19 points for North Pulaski, while DaQuan Bryant scored four points and had 10 rebounds, four steals and four assists. Alonte Mitchell came off the bench to score 10 points for the Bears.
The win improved the Falcons to 18-5 overall and a perfect 9-0 in the 5A-Southeast. The Bears fell to 9-12 overall and 4-5 in conference.
S. HILLS GIRLS 56,
NORTH PULASKI 25
The Sylvan Hills Lady Bears had an early end to their night thanks to a 56-25 mercy-rule win over North Pulaski Tuesday night in Sherwood.
A free throw by Dede Lewis early in the fourth quarter gave the Lady Bears the 30-point lead they needed to get the running clock started.
“We’ve just been getting better and are playing pretty well right now,” Sylvan Hills coach Bee Rodden said. “We took care of the ball tonight and stayed away from the turnovers.”
The win improves the Lady Bears to 15-4 overall and 9-0 in the 5A-Southeast. North Pulaski fell to 2-7 in conference play.
“The girls know that they’re going to have a target on their backs every game,” said Rodden. “We’ve got to come out be ready for everybody’s best every night.”
Sylvan Hills led 16-6 after the first quarter, then extended that lead to 38-13 by halftime.
North Pulaski played almost even with Sylvan Hills in the third quarter, but couldn’t quite keep the mercy rule from going into effect.
Latrina Brandon led the Lady Bears with 20 points and eight steals. Ashley Johnson scored 19 points while leading the Bears with five rebounds. Lewis led Sylvan Hills with seven assists.
Laura Dortch led North Pulaski with 13 points, while Bianca Harper added 11 points.
Special to The Leader
Sylvan Hills gave North Pulaski some problems Tuesday night, but Aaron Cooper had all the answers in a 68-57 road win for the Falcons. The win kept the Falcons unbeaten in 5A-Southeast Conference play and tied with McClellan for first place in the league standings.
The Bears took the lead twice in the first quarter and once in the second quarter. Each time they grabbed the lead, Cooper responded with either a three-point play or a three-pointer.
In the third quarter, Sylvan Hills pulled to within five points after falling behind 43-30. Cooper broke that run with back-to-back threes as well.
“Our half-court game was non-existent,” said Falcons coach Raymond Cooper. “Guys weren’t hustling and weren’t in the places they needed to be. I think Aaron just took it on himself to take over at times because that was all we had.”
Sylvan Hills came out and gave North Pulaski all they wanted for most of the game. The Falcons had just beaten rival Mills by 30 points, but had a hard time putting the Bears down for the count.
“Let me first give credit to Sylvan Hills,” Cooper said. “They had a great game plan on defense spreading us out and really attacked us on offense.”
North Pulaski took a 10-point lead just before halftime when Kyron Ware was fouled attempting a three-pointer with just over one second left on the clock. Ware drained all three freebies to give the Falcons a 33-23 lead.
The Falcons improved that lead to 13 points before Harold Ward caught fire for the Bears. Ward scored 17 points in the third quarter, including an 8-0 run that pulled the Bears to within five points.
“This was a game that was fun to watch for the fans,” Sylvan Hills coach Kevin Davis said. “Harold had one of the best overall games since I’ve been here. He scored a lot of points, but he was really unselfish with the ball. Cooper just had an answer for everything we did tonight.”
Ward finished the game with 23 points and 13 rebounds for Sylvan Hills. Cooper led all scorers with 26 points for the Falcons. Kyron Ware scored 19 points for North Pulaski, while DaQuan Bryant scored four points and had 10 rebounds, four steals and four assists. Alonte Mitchell came off the bench to score 10 points for the Bears.
The win improved the Falcons to 18-5 overall and a perfect 9-0 in the 5A-Southeast. The Bears fell to 9-12 overall and 4-5 in conference.
S. HILLS GIRLS 56,
NORTH PULASKI 25
The Sylvan Hills Lady Bears had an early end to their night thanks to a 56-25 mercy-rule win over North Pulaski Tuesday night in Sherwood.
A free throw by Dede Lewis early in the fourth quarter gave the Lady Bears the 30-point lead they needed to get the running clock started.
“We’ve just been getting better and are playing pretty well right now,” Sylvan Hills coach Bee Rodden said. “We took care of the ball tonight and stayed away from the turnovers.”
The win improves the Lady Bears to 15-4 overall and 9-0 in the 5A-Southeast. North Pulaski fell to 2-7 in conference play.
“The girls know that they’re going to have a target on their backs every game,” said Rodden. “We’ve got to come out be ready for everybody’s best every night.”
Sylvan Hills led 16-6 after the first quarter, then extended that lead to 38-13 by halftime.
North Pulaski played almost even with Sylvan Hills in the third quarter, but couldn’t quite keep the mercy rule from going into effect.
Latrina Brandon led the Lady Bears with 20 points and eight steals. Ashley Johnson scored 19 points while leading the Bears with five rebounds. Lewis led Sylvan Hills with seven assists.
Laura Dortch led North Pulaski with 13 points, while Bianca Harper added 11 points.
SPORTS >> UALR men win sixth in row on road
By JOE ANGOLIA
UALR sports information
JONESBORO— Senior Shane Edwards hit a jumper in the lane with 2.3 seconds remaining to lead the UALR men’s basketball team (18-6, 11-2) to a 58-57 win over Arkansas State (13-11, 5-8) at the Convocation Center on Thursday night.
The win over ASU marked the Trojans’ ninth victory in the team’s last 10 outings, and extended their road winning streak to a school-record six games.
After trailing for the entire game, ASU took its first lead of the night, 57-54, off a three-point play by JeJuan Brown with 31.4 seconds remaining.
Junior Mike Smith pulled UALR within one, 57-56, by sinking a pair of crucial foul shots with 20 seconds to go.
Leading 57-56, the Red Wolves committed a turnover on the ensuing inbounds play when Daniel Bryant lost control of the ball in front of UALR’s goal with 15.3 seconds left.
Down by one, the Trojans got the ball to Edwards and the native of Gilbert, Ariz., backed his defender into the paint and delivered his second game winner of the year — the first of which came at South Alabama.
Edwards led all scorers with 16 points off 6-of-13 shooting, and tied senior Brandon Patterson for team-high honors with six rebounds. Sophomore Matt Mouzy chipped in 13 points, 11 of which came in the second half, by going 5-of-9 from the field and 3-of-6 from three-point range.
The victory was the 100th of head coach Steve Shields’ career, making him just the third coach to win 100 games as head coach of the Trojans. Bryant led the Red Wolves with 10 points off the bench, while Eric McKinney grabbed a game-high nine rebounds to help ASU outrebound the Trojans 42-to-40.
The Trojans shot just 37.9 percent for the game, but held the Red Wolves to a .333 field goal percentage.
UALR got two clutch free throws from Smith and the game winner from Edwards to pick up its 11th conference victory.
North Pulaski alum Steven Moore did not play due to illness.
UALR returns to action today when it faces the ULM Warhawks in Monroe, La.
UALR sports information
JONESBORO— Senior Shane Edwards hit a jumper in the lane with 2.3 seconds remaining to lead the UALR men’s basketball team (18-6, 11-2) to a 58-57 win over Arkansas State (13-11, 5-8) at the Convocation Center on Thursday night.
The win over ASU marked the Trojans’ ninth victory in the team’s last 10 outings, and extended their road winning streak to a school-record six games.
After trailing for the entire game, ASU took its first lead of the night, 57-54, off a three-point play by JeJuan Brown with 31.4 seconds remaining.
Junior Mike Smith pulled UALR within one, 57-56, by sinking a pair of crucial foul shots with 20 seconds to go.
Leading 57-56, the Red Wolves committed a turnover on the ensuing inbounds play when Daniel Bryant lost control of the ball in front of UALR’s goal with 15.3 seconds left.
Down by one, the Trojans got the ball to Edwards and the native of Gilbert, Ariz., backed his defender into the paint and delivered his second game winner of the year — the first of which came at South Alabama.
Edwards led all scorers with 16 points off 6-of-13 shooting, and tied senior Brandon Patterson for team-high honors with six rebounds. Sophomore Matt Mouzy chipped in 13 points, 11 of which came in the second half, by going 5-of-9 from the field and 3-of-6 from three-point range.
The victory was the 100th of head coach Steve Shields’ career, making him just the third coach to win 100 games as head coach of the Trojans. Bryant led the Red Wolves with 10 points off the bench, while Eric McKinney grabbed a game-high nine rebounds to help ASU outrebound the Trojans 42-to-40.
The Trojans shot just 37.9 percent for the game, but held the Red Wolves to a .333 field goal percentage.
UALR got two clutch free throws from Smith and the game winner from Edwards to pick up its 11th conference victory.
North Pulaski alum Steven Moore did not play due to illness.
UALR returns to action today when it faces the ULM Warhawks in Monroe, La.
SPORTS >> Panthers make it five straight
By JASON KING
Leader sports writer
It wasn’t like his teammates were just standing around watching.
Austin Johnson finished the game with 13 points, Jack Bridges had eight assists, and Gary Clark had a couple of key steals, along with five rebounds. And Miles Monroe had a strong second half on the boards to lead with seven rebounds.
But it all paled compared to Adam Sterrenberg’s 35-point outburst that sealed Cabot’s 66-54 win over North Little Rock on Tuesday night at Wildcat Arena.
The win left Cabot (17-5, 7-2) tied for first in the 7A-Central standings with Conway, and left NLR (12-9, 7-3) a half-game back in third.
Sterrenberg hit from all points on the floor, from a pair of dunks to a buzzer beating three-pointer from long distance to end the first quarter. He went 8 of 11 at the line.
“When Adam’s stuff is falling, he can score in so many different ways,” said Panthers coach Jerry Bridges. “He can be hard to defend. Most importantly, this win puts us back in the state tournament. That was our first goal for the year to qualify for state. This win most likely clinches us. The rest now is just jockeying for position.”
Charging Wildcats guard Omar Nichols did his best to pace Sterrenberg in the second half, and started out on the right track. Nichols finished with a team high 21 points for North Little Rock, eight of which came in the final two minutes of the third quarter.
The third quarter was least productive for Sterrenberg, with only five points, but nine more for Johnson, including 5 of 6 at the line, helped keep momentum on Cabot’s side. Post man Monroe recovered after adapting to the extremely physical play under the goal in the first half by Wildcats post Terry Tidwell. Monroe scored his four points on a pair of critical putbacks in the third quarter that gave the Panthers a 31-25 lead.
“I thought Miles did a good job on Tidwell,” Bridges said. “Austin played a tough game as well. Adam was incredible; he did a heck of a job, and the team did a good job of finding him and feeding him the ball.”
No one gave better feeds on the night than senior Jack Bridges, who finished with eight assists. The best of those came at the 3:46 mark of the second quarter when Bridges, who was at the left wing, delivered a cross-court pass to Sterrenberg, who drilled his fourth three of the night to put the Panthers up 24-18. The ASU signee finished with five three-point baskets.
Sterrenberg’s hot hand led to a 21 of 41 night from the field for Cabot, including 6 of 13 from three-point land. The Charging Wildcats struggled from the floor, hitting 19 of 51, including seven straight misses to start the second half.
Cabot edged North Little Rock in the rebounding battle 26-21. Both teams had eight turnovers for the game.
The Wildcat rally was not to be in the final period. Sterrenberg and Johnson combined to go 6 of 9 at the foul line, with eight more from Sterrenberg from the field. Nichols continued to drive the lane for the Wildcats, and went 5 of 5 at the stripe. Nichols scored 18 of his points in the second half.
Cabot hosted Little Rock Central last night, and will be at Bryant on Tuesday.
Leader sports writer
It wasn’t like his teammates were just standing around watching.
Austin Johnson finished the game with 13 points, Jack Bridges had eight assists, and Gary Clark had a couple of key steals, along with five rebounds. And Miles Monroe had a strong second half on the boards to lead with seven rebounds.
But it all paled compared to Adam Sterrenberg’s 35-point outburst that sealed Cabot’s 66-54 win over North Little Rock on Tuesday night at Wildcat Arena.
The win left Cabot (17-5, 7-2) tied for first in the 7A-Central standings with Conway, and left NLR (12-9, 7-3) a half-game back in third.
Sterrenberg hit from all points on the floor, from a pair of dunks to a buzzer beating three-pointer from long distance to end the first quarter. He went 8 of 11 at the line.
“When Adam’s stuff is falling, he can score in so many different ways,” said Panthers coach Jerry Bridges. “He can be hard to defend. Most importantly, this win puts us back in the state tournament. That was our first goal for the year to qualify for state. This win most likely clinches us. The rest now is just jockeying for position.”
Charging Wildcats guard Omar Nichols did his best to pace Sterrenberg in the second half, and started out on the right track. Nichols finished with a team high 21 points for North Little Rock, eight of which came in the final two minutes of the third quarter.
The third quarter was least productive for Sterrenberg, with only five points, but nine more for Johnson, including 5 of 6 at the line, helped keep momentum on Cabot’s side. Post man Monroe recovered after adapting to the extremely physical play under the goal in the first half by Wildcats post Terry Tidwell. Monroe scored his four points on a pair of critical putbacks in the third quarter that gave the Panthers a 31-25 lead.
“I thought Miles did a good job on Tidwell,” Bridges said. “Austin played a tough game as well. Adam was incredible; he did a heck of a job, and the team did a good job of finding him and feeding him the ball.”
No one gave better feeds on the night than senior Jack Bridges, who finished with eight assists. The best of those came at the 3:46 mark of the second quarter when Bridges, who was at the left wing, delivered a cross-court pass to Sterrenberg, who drilled his fourth three of the night to put the Panthers up 24-18. The ASU signee finished with five three-point baskets.
Sterrenberg’s hot hand led to a 21 of 41 night from the field for Cabot, including 6 of 13 from three-point land. The Charging Wildcats struggled from the floor, hitting 19 of 51, including seven straight misses to start the second half.
Cabot edged North Little Rock in the rebounding battle 26-21. Both teams had eight turnovers for the game.
The Wildcat rally was not to be in the final period. Sterrenberg and Johnson combined to go 6 of 9 at the foul line, with eight more from Sterrenberg from the field. Nichols continued to drive the lane for the Wildcats, and went 5 of 5 at the stripe. Nichols scored 18 of his points in the second half.
Cabot hosted Little Rock Central last night, and will be at Bryant on Tuesday.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
EDITORIAL >> Electoral College updated
Arkansas did not create the muddled Electoral College way of choosing a president of the United States — it was only a remote territory in 1804 — but it has a chance to be part of the remedy. If the legislature joins the National Popular Vote Compact, it will move the country smartly toward the popular election of the president.
Had the 2008 presidential election turned out differently, there might be a hue and cry now to change the Electoral College as there is each time it produces a perverse result. The last time was 2000, when Al Gore received 600,000 more votes than George W. Bush, but Bush was elected president. It almost happened in 2004, when Bush won by a whopping 3.5 million votes but was within 60,000 votes in Ohio of losing the presidency to John Kerry. Three other times, in 1824, 1876 and 1888, the loser in the presidential balloting be-came president. It may be only coincidence, but history judged the four second-place presidents to be among the country’s worst.
The electoral system undermines majority rule in two ways. Every state gets two extra electors in addition to the distribution of electors based upon each state’s population, which gives voters in states like Alaska, Wyoming, Vermont and Delaware an outsized vote in the college. And all the states except Maine and Nebraska award all their electoral votes to the candidate with a plurality in the state, no matter if the margin in the state is a single vote. Thus, John Kerry, although he was a big-time loser, came within a hair of the presidency.
Amending the Constitu-tion to reform the system is virtually impossible. Each party tends to ponder how a change might affect it immediately, which shifts with every election. The stars were aligned in 1968, when both parties, President Nixon, a big majority in Congress and most of the states wanted to go to direct election, but it was blocked by a filibuster by a few Southern senators who worried that Dixie’s power might somehow be impaired by popular election.
If the legislature enacts the compact (it is HB 1339 by three Democrats and a Republican), Arkansas’ six electoral votes would be pledged to vote for whichever candidate receives the largest popular vote in each election. That would happen only after states totaling 270 electoral votes —a majority — adopted the compact. So far, four states with 50 electoral votes have adopted it. Many states are considering it this year. Two years ago, Governor Beebe supported and the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved it. The session adjourned before the Senate could vote.
Under the present system, the entire presidential campaign is conducted in the dozen states where the parties are competitive. Arkansas and the entire South except three Atlantic states are flyover country, inconsequential in the election and in the policy formulations of the candidates. Democracy is a much better way. —Ernie Dumas
Had the 2008 presidential election turned out differently, there might be a hue and cry now to change the Electoral College as there is each time it produces a perverse result. The last time was 2000, when Al Gore received 600,000 more votes than George W. Bush, but Bush was elected president. It almost happened in 2004, when Bush won by a whopping 3.5 million votes but was within 60,000 votes in Ohio of losing the presidency to John Kerry. Three other times, in 1824, 1876 and 1888, the loser in the presidential balloting be-came president. It may be only coincidence, but history judged the four second-place presidents to be among the country’s worst.
The electoral system undermines majority rule in two ways. Every state gets two extra electors in addition to the distribution of electors based upon each state’s population, which gives voters in states like Alaska, Wyoming, Vermont and Delaware an outsized vote in the college. And all the states except Maine and Nebraska award all their electoral votes to the candidate with a plurality in the state, no matter if the margin in the state is a single vote. Thus, John Kerry, although he was a big-time loser, came within a hair of the presidency.
Amending the Constitu-tion to reform the system is virtually impossible. Each party tends to ponder how a change might affect it immediately, which shifts with every election. The stars were aligned in 1968, when both parties, President Nixon, a big majority in Congress and most of the states wanted to go to direct election, but it was blocked by a filibuster by a few Southern senators who worried that Dixie’s power might somehow be impaired by popular election.
If the legislature enacts the compact (it is HB 1339 by three Democrats and a Republican), Arkansas’ six electoral votes would be pledged to vote for whichever candidate receives the largest popular vote in each election. That would happen only after states totaling 270 electoral votes —a majority — adopted the compact. So far, four states with 50 electoral votes have adopted it. Many states are considering it this year. Two years ago, Governor Beebe supported and the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved it. The session adjourned before the Senate could vote.
Under the present system, the entire presidential campaign is conducted in the dozen states where the parties are competitive. Arkansas and the entire South except three Atlantic states are flyover country, inconsequential in the election and in the policy formulations of the candidates. Democracy is a much better way. —Ernie Dumas
EDITORIAL >> What would Reagan do?
The cigarette-tax bill wending its way through the legislature is already providing a considerable stimulus to the moribund Arkansas economy. Witness the full-page advertisements in the big newspapers by Phillip Morris’ parent and the tobacco-front group directed by former U. S. House majority leader Dick Armey and the contract lobbyists who are paid to bend the ears of the handful of state senators who are undecided on the tax.
But some of the influence peddling is not bringing any cash to the state. Grover Norquist, the professional right winger who runs the potent Washington lobbying outfit called Americans for Tax Reform, stayed in his office yesterday to make a pitch with the Arkansas media against the tax. Norquist was often accorded the title of the most influential man in Washington during the George W. Bush years. His influence has seriously ebbed when he is trying to stop a tobacco tax in Arkansas.
Norquist prefaced his tobacco defense the other day with an attack on Governor Beebe for refusing to designate a Ronald Reagan Day in Arkansas to memorialize the achievements of the 40th president. His group has tried to get all the states to establish a Reagan day. Beebe says he will only recognize the presidential days established by federal law. If a Reagan day, how could you say no to a Clinton Day, a Jefferson Day, a Madison Day, or even a Franklin Pierce Day?
The juxtaposition of honoring Ronald Reagan for his low-taxes mantra and opposing higher cigarette taxes because the country is in a recession is particularly ironic. In the depth of the deepest and longest recession since the Great Depression, President Reagan doubled the federal excise tax on cigarettes from 8 to 16 cents. Not only that, he raised the gasoline tax a nickel a gallon, raised income taxes and signed a big increase in Social Security payroll taxes. In one year while the nation was recovering from an economic slide that took unemployment to double digits, Reagan raised more taxes on more people than any peacetime president. He had cut taxes sharply before that, of course, but hagiographers of the nation’s most pleasant president ignore the second act.
Oh, and when Reagan became governor of California in 1967, he immediately raised taxes by a billion dollars, a whopping sum back then. Mike Huckabee pointed that out last year when Norquist was attacking the former Arkansas governor as one of the biggest taxers and spenders in the country. Governor Huckabee, incidentally, raised tobacco taxes in 1997 and again in 2003.
The hypocrisy of it aside, what Ronald Reagan and Mike Huckabee might have done about tobacco or any other taxable commodity is beside the point. The need for the medical services that the cigarette tax would support isn’t. Where Mr. Armey and Mr. Norquist live, cigarettes are already taxed locally at a dollar a pack, and if tragedy befalls them or their families, a world-class trauma system, medical network and comprehensive insurance are at their disposal. Who are they to reproach Arkansas for wanting the same?
But some of the influence peddling is not bringing any cash to the state. Grover Norquist, the professional right winger who runs the potent Washington lobbying outfit called Americans for Tax Reform, stayed in his office yesterday to make a pitch with the Arkansas media against the tax. Norquist was often accorded the title of the most influential man in Washington during the George W. Bush years. His influence has seriously ebbed when he is trying to stop a tobacco tax in Arkansas.
Norquist prefaced his tobacco defense the other day with an attack on Governor Beebe for refusing to designate a Ronald Reagan Day in Arkansas to memorialize the achievements of the 40th president. His group has tried to get all the states to establish a Reagan day. Beebe says he will only recognize the presidential days established by federal law. If a Reagan day, how could you say no to a Clinton Day, a Jefferson Day, a Madison Day, or even a Franklin Pierce Day?
The juxtaposition of honoring Ronald Reagan for his low-taxes mantra and opposing higher cigarette taxes because the country is in a recession is particularly ironic. In the depth of the deepest and longest recession since the Great Depression, President Reagan doubled the federal excise tax on cigarettes from 8 to 16 cents. Not only that, he raised the gasoline tax a nickel a gallon, raised income taxes and signed a big increase in Social Security payroll taxes. In one year while the nation was recovering from an economic slide that took unemployment to double digits, Reagan raised more taxes on more people than any peacetime president. He had cut taxes sharply before that, of course, but hagiographers of the nation’s most pleasant president ignore the second act.
Oh, and when Reagan became governor of California in 1967, he immediately raised taxes by a billion dollars, a whopping sum back then. Mike Huckabee pointed that out last year when Norquist was attacking the former Arkansas governor as one of the biggest taxers and spenders in the country. Governor Huckabee, incidentally, raised tobacco taxes in 1997 and again in 2003.
The hypocrisy of it aside, what Ronald Reagan and Mike Huckabee might have done about tobacco or any other taxable commodity is beside the point. The need for the medical services that the cigarette tax would support isn’t. Where Mr. Armey and Mr. Norquist live, cigarettes are already taxed locally at a dollar a pack, and if tragedy befalls them or their families, a world-class trauma system, medical network and comprehensive insurance are at their disposal. Who are they to reproach Arkansas for wanting the same?
TOP STORY >> Temple of knowledge on Main St.
By ALIYA FELDMAN
Leader editor
The day has finally arrived for the grand opening of the new $4 million Jacksonville library, housed down the street from the building that was its former location, built in 1969. That building, the oldest in the Central Arkansas Library System, closed Jan. 14 in preparation for the new location’s opening.
Festivities begin with an open house at 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Friday, and celebrations are planned throughout Saturday at the Esther D. Nixon Library, 703 W. Main St.
“I’m so excited for the people of Jacksonville,” Kathy Seymour, the branch’s manager, said. “They’ve been waiting for so long for this and I’m just so happy for them.” Construction began in January 2008. Seymour and other library staff are already working at the new location.
“We had the move on Jan. 20 and 21,” she said. “We moved all the materials over here. We had about 30 people in the CALS system help with the move,” she added.
Seymour was busy Monday preparing the library for its grand opening. “Right now, I’m just looking out at the land and hope the sodding gets completed,” she said.
“There have been a lot of different tasks,” she added. The branch houses 58,000 books. “We have had additional materials added over the past several months,” Seymour said.
“It feels wonderful. It’s quite a change from the old location,” Seymour, who has managed the library since June 2007, said about the move.
Programs on Saturday include a live performance by Brian and Terri Kinder and singers of their original children’s songs.
There will be a magic show by Michael Wilkinson at 11:30 a.m., and a puppet show by Jan Wolfe at 1 p.m. The fun, and showcase for some of the library’s additions, continues with Wii game time from 3 to 4 p.m. That program is targeted toward children ages 10 and older.
The facility will also house additional computers and audiovisual equipment for children and adults.
At 13,500 square feet, the new library has more space.
“There are new services for the public,” Seymour said.
“There are three study rooms, where there were zero at the old location,” she said.
There is one more computer in the children’s area.
“The meeting room is outstanding, with a state-of-the-art projector, and new furniture and a little kitchenette,” she said.
Seymour said she has already gotten calls from people who want to make reservations for the new meeting room.
There is also a pavilion outside of the library for use by the public.
In addition to the new books and performances on Saturday, Jacksonville residents will want to come to the grand opening for the door prizes. “We’ll have door prizes every half-hour,” Seymour said. “There is a variety of prizes, including gift certificates,” she said.
There will also be gift bags.
New library hours will be 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, and 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday. The library’s new phone number is 457-5038.
Jacksonville voters approved a temporary millage in 2005 to build the library. The 1-mill property tax, private donations, $300,000 from the Central Arkansas Library System and $400,000 in city sales tax revenue made the library possible.
Witsell, Evans and Rasco Architects designed the building, Julie Grisham designed the interior and Wilkins Construction served as contractor.
The library was named for Esther Dewitt Nixon, the first librarian at the Jacksonville Library. She was librarian for 27 years, until she retired in 1986.
Leader editor
The day has finally arrived for the grand opening of the new $4 million Jacksonville library, housed down the street from the building that was its former location, built in 1969. That building, the oldest in the Central Arkansas Library System, closed Jan. 14 in preparation for the new location’s opening.
Festivities begin with an open house at 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Friday, and celebrations are planned throughout Saturday at the Esther D. Nixon Library, 703 W. Main St.
“I’m so excited for the people of Jacksonville,” Kathy Seymour, the branch’s manager, said. “They’ve been waiting for so long for this and I’m just so happy for them.” Construction began in January 2008. Seymour and other library staff are already working at the new location.
“We had the move on Jan. 20 and 21,” she said. “We moved all the materials over here. We had about 30 people in the CALS system help with the move,” she added.
Seymour was busy Monday preparing the library for its grand opening. “Right now, I’m just looking out at the land and hope the sodding gets completed,” she said.
“There have been a lot of different tasks,” she added. The branch houses 58,000 books. “We have had additional materials added over the past several months,” Seymour said.
“It feels wonderful. It’s quite a change from the old location,” Seymour, who has managed the library since June 2007, said about the move.
Programs on Saturday include a live performance by Brian and Terri Kinder and singers of their original children’s songs.
There will be a magic show by Michael Wilkinson at 11:30 a.m., and a puppet show by Jan Wolfe at 1 p.m. The fun, and showcase for some of the library’s additions, continues with Wii game time from 3 to 4 p.m. That program is targeted toward children ages 10 and older.
The facility will also house additional computers and audiovisual equipment for children and adults.
At 13,500 square feet, the new library has more space.
“There are new services for the public,” Seymour said.
“There are three study rooms, where there were zero at the old location,” she said.
There is one more computer in the children’s area.
“The meeting room is outstanding, with a state-of-the-art projector, and new furniture and a little kitchenette,” she said.
Seymour said she has already gotten calls from people who want to make reservations for the new meeting room.
There is also a pavilion outside of the library for use by the public.
In addition to the new books and performances on Saturday, Jacksonville residents will want to come to the grand opening for the door prizes. “We’ll have door prizes every half-hour,” Seymour said. “There is a variety of prizes, including gift certificates,” she said.
There will also be gift bags.
New library hours will be 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, and 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday. The library’s new phone number is 457-5038.
Jacksonville voters approved a temporary millage in 2005 to build the library. The 1-mill property tax, private donations, $300,000 from the Central Arkansas Library System and $400,000 in city sales tax revenue made the library possible.
Witsell, Evans and Rasco Architects designed the building, Julie Grisham designed the interior and Wilkins Construction served as contractor.
The library was named for Esther Dewitt Nixon, the first librarian at the Jacksonville Library. She was librarian for 27 years, until she retired in 1986.
TOP STORY >> Cabot likes boom-town designation
By JOAN McCOY
Leader staff writer
Cabot has had its share of growing pains over the years, but city officials are pleased they’re getting new state and national recognition for their ever-expanding town.
City leaders, who have worked for decades to meet the needs of a fast-growing community, have received a pat on the back: BusinessWeek.com and a Little Rock marketing firm, in their search for the fastest-growing communities in the nation, have discovered that Cabot is a “boom town.”
Earlier this year, the Gadberry Group named Cabot the third fastest-growing city in the state behind Lowell in the Rogers-Springdale area and Maumelle. The boom-town designation is the result of a survey BusinessWeek.com conducted in association with the Gadberry Group, which considered such factors as continual population growth over the past 10 years and the whopping 83 percent increase in household income, which is now estimated at $98,555.
Eddie Joe Williams — now in his third year as mayor of the city with an official population of 22,092 from a special census in 2006 but an estimated population of 22,500 — is pleased with the recognition and confident that even though the national economy is in a slump, Cabot will continue to flourish.
Williams says Cabot needs a hospital, possibly built halfway between Cabot and Jacksonville where it could serve both cities.
“We’d love to have a hospital in Cabot, or at least a shared hospital out on the interstate,” he said.
Sometimes called “Little Rock Air Force Base North,” the Cabot area is home to about 40 percent of base personnel. And like all the former Little Rock-area civilians who have moved to Cabot, they come for the schools. Enrollment in Cabot schools is more than 9,000. There are already eight elementary schools and another will be built soon.
The economic development committee of the Cabot Chamber of Commerce, in a meeting to talk about the state of the city considering the economic downturn before the boomtown designation was announced, concluded that Cabot is in good shape.
Cabot’s strength is its schools, and that’s not likely to change, Mark Eisold, pastor of Our Savior Lutheran Church and one of 12 members of the chamber’s board of directors, said then. So even in a recession, Cabot should continue to prosper.
“Cabot is strong and we’re stable,” Eisold said. “We’re solidly based in education and we’ve got decades backing that up,” he said.
One truism city leaders count on when they are planning costly infrastructure improvements is that “commercial development follows rooftops.” When the population is large enough to support business, business will come.
“We had 43 ribbon cuttings last year,” Williams told the city council’s budget and personnel committee Monday night during a brief discussion of the boomtown designation. Those businesses give Cabot residents a place to shop and the tax revenue to pay for the facilities and services that the city must provide for those residents. Case in point: the $30 million bond issue, supported by a one-cent sales tax, for a new sewer treatment plant and to help pay for street improvements, an animal shelter, community center and the railroad overpass that is supposed to open in the spring.
The bonds were originally scheduled to pay off in December 2031, but with the increased population and more businesses producing more tax revenue, the bonds are now projected to pay off in June 2016.
If the schools are the biggest draw to Cabot, traffic has been the biggest drawback.
“Forget taxes,” Williams said Monday during a discussion about a city tax on the alcohol that is now being served in some restaurants in the city. “Traffic was keeping people from coming to Cabot.”
The $2 million for streets that was included in the 2005 $30 million bond issue was used to add lanes and repair streets all over the city to make traffic flow smoother. Williams maintains that the $7 million, mostly federally-funded overpass that is opening soon will help with that problem, but a north interchange in conjunction with the overpass would help more. That project would cost more than $19 million with Cabot paying about $4 million if the cost is split with the federal government 80/20.
Building homes for all the new city residents has been the biggest industry in Cabot. But in the past two years, home construction has declined. However, Bill O’Brien, a realtor who keeps city officials abreast of the housing market, pointed earlier to the steady sale of existing houses in the Cabot School District as evidence that Cabot’s growth is not slowing down.
Cabot Public Works records show that 183 building permits for single-family homes were issued in 2007 compared to 113 in 2008. But at the same time, the number of houses for sale in the Cabot School District fell from 590 to 460.
O’Brien says that means the inventory of homes is dropping and will need to be replenished soon. But the homes they will build in Cabot will be larger than in past years, he said.
“I don’t know if we’re going to see as many of the beginner houses because the price of land is too high in Cabot. Those houses are being built in Ward and Austin (also in the Cabot School District).”
Leader staff writer
Cabot has had its share of growing pains over the years, but city officials are pleased they’re getting new state and national recognition for their ever-expanding town.
City leaders, who have worked for decades to meet the needs of a fast-growing community, have received a pat on the back: BusinessWeek.com and a Little Rock marketing firm, in their search for the fastest-growing communities in the nation, have discovered that Cabot is a “boom town.”
Earlier this year, the Gadberry Group named Cabot the third fastest-growing city in the state behind Lowell in the Rogers-Springdale area and Maumelle. The boom-town designation is the result of a survey BusinessWeek.com conducted in association with the Gadberry Group, which considered such factors as continual population growth over the past 10 years and the whopping 83 percent increase in household income, which is now estimated at $98,555.
Eddie Joe Williams — now in his third year as mayor of the city with an official population of 22,092 from a special census in 2006 but an estimated population of 22,500 — is pleased with the recognition and confident that even though the national economy is in a slump, Cabot will continue to flourish.
Williams says Cabot needs a hospital, possibly built halfway between Cabot and Jacksonville where it could serve both cities.
“We’d love to have a hospital in Cabot, or at least a shared hospital out on the interstate,” he said.
Sometimes called “Little Rock Air Force Base North,” the Cabot area is home to about 40 percent of base personnel. And like all the former Little Rock-area civilians who have moved to Cabot, they come for the schools. Enrollment in Cabot schools is more than 9,000. There are already eight elementary schools and another will be built soon.
The economic development committee of the Cabot Chamber of Commerce, in a meeting to talk about the state of the city considering the economic downturn before the boomtown designation was announced, concluded that Cabot is in good shape.
Cabot’s strength is its schools, and that’s not likely to change, Mark Eisold, pastor of Our Savior Lutheran Church and one of 12 members of the chamber’s board of directors, said then. So even in a recession, Cabot should continue to prosper.
“Cabot is strong and we’re stable,” Eisold said. “We’re solidly based in education and we’ve got decades backing that up,” he said.
One truism city leaders count on when they are planning costly infrastructure improvements is that “commercial development follows rooftops.” When the population is large enough to support business, business will come.
“We had 43 ribbon cuttings last year,” Williams told the city council’s budget and personnel committee Monday night during a brief discussion of the boomtown designation. Those businesses give Cabot residents a place to shop and the tax revenue to pay for the facilities and services that the city must provide for those residents. Case in point: the $30 million bond issue, supported by a one-cent sales tax, for a new sewer treatment plant and to help pay for street improvements, an animal shelter, community center and the railroad overpass that is supposed to open in the spring.
The bonds were originally scheduled to pay off in December 2031, but with the increased population and more businesses producing more tax revenue, the bonds are now projected to pay off in June 2016.
If the schools are the biggest draw to Cabot, traffic has been the biggest drawback.
“Forget taxes,” Williams said Monday during a discussion about a city tax on the alcohol that is now being served in some restaurants in the city. “Traffic was keeping people from coming to Cabot.”
The $2 million for streets that was included in the 2005 $30 million bond issue was used to add lanes and repair streets all over the city to make traffic flow smoother. Williams maintains that the $7 million, mostly federally-funded overpass that is opening soon will help with that problem, but a north interchange in conjunction with the overpass would help more. That project would cost more than $19 million with Cabot paying about $4 million if the cost is split with the federal government 80/20.
Building homes for all the new city residents has been the biggest industry in Cabot. But in the past two years, home construction has declined. However, Bill O’Brien, a realtor who keeps city officials abreast of the housing market, pointed earlier to the steady sale of existing houses in the Cabot School District as evidence that Cabot’s growth is not slowing down.
Cabot Public Works records show that 183 building permits for single-family homes were issued in 2007 compared to 113 in 2008. But at the same time, the number of houses for sale in the Cabot School District fell from 590 to 460.
O’Brien says that means the inventory of homes is dropping and will need to be replenished soon. But the homes they will build in Cabot will be larger than in past years, he said.
“I don’t know if we’re going to see as many of the beginner houses because the price of land is too high in Cabot. Those houses are being built in Ward and Austin (also in the Cabot School District).”
TOP STORY >> Board argues over future of two schools
By JOHN HOFHEIMER
Leader senior staff writer
The board of the Pulaski County Special School District voted 4-3 Tuesday night to combine Jacksonville Middle School for Boys with the Jacksonville Middle School for Girls.
Board member Bill Vasquez of Jacksonville and Superintendent James Sharpe accused each other of being the force behind considering the measure.
Some board members had expressed an interest in tabling the issue.
Several Boys Middle School teachers and counselors spoke in favor of leaving the middle schoolers separated by gender.
Using official district data, they showed that discipline referrals at the Boys School were cut nearly in half between the first year of gender-specific schools and last year, and were on course for an additional 35 percent decline this year.
They showed that benchmark scores climbed steadily over the three years, with 75 percent of Algebra 1 students testing proficient or advanced in 2008.
Eighth grade benchmarks climbed from 16 percent proficient or advanced in 2006 to 42 percent proficient or advanced in 2008, and this in a school with the highest percentage of free and reduced lunches and highest percentage of children with disabilities, said one teacher.
Sharpe said he thought the measure to combine the schools should be tabled—that it should be a matter for Jacksonville to decide when it gets its own district.
State Rep. Mark Perry, D-Jacksonville spoke against combining the schools.
He and school board president Tim Clark had a testy exchange.
Vasquez said he was surprised to find the matter on the agenda, saying it was Sharpe’s doing.
Sharpe responded that Vasquez had a short memory and had only last summer failed in an effort to combine the two schools and to reduce the number of principals and had asked him to look into it.
“I find it offensive that you come here and call me a liar,” Vasquez told Sharpe.
In other action, the board passed by one vote to suspend the rules and endorse selling second lien bonds to raise $81 million to build a new Maumelle High School in his district, putting off construction of the Sherwood Middle School into the indefinite future.
Chief Financial Officer Larry O’Briant said the Sherwood school could be built in a couple years when the environment is different and the district gets a millage increase passed.
Maumelle will have all new schools by then, and may not see any reason to vote for a millage increase, one person said in the lobby.
Parents also came to complain about a small colony of bats, perhaps 200 of them, living in the attic of Sherwood Elementary School and sometimes finding their way into halls and classrooms.
Asst. Superintendent James Warren promised the problem was being taken care of and that, meanwhile, district personnel would inspect every classroom and hall every morning to ensure there were not bats.
Leader senior staff writer
The board of the Pulaski County Special School District voted 4-3 Tuesday night to combine Jacksonville Middle School for Boys with the Jacksonville Middle School for Girls.
Board member Bill Vasquez of Jacksonville and Superintendent James Sharpe accused each other of being the force behind considering the measure.
Some board members had expressed an interest in tabling the issue.
Several Boys Middle School teachers and counselors spoke in favor of leaving the middle schoolers separated by gender.
Using official district data, they showed that discipline referrals at the Boys School were cut nearly in half between the first year of gender-specific schools and last year, and were on course for an additional 35 percent decline this year.
They showed that benchmark scores climbed steadily over the three years, with 75 percent of Algebra 1 students testing proficient or advanced in 2008.
Eighth grade benchmarks climbed from 16 percent proficient or advanced in 2006 to 42 percent proficient or advanced in 2008, and this in a school with the highest percentage of free and reduced lunches and highest percentage of children with disabilities, said one teacher.
Sharpe said he thought the measure to combine the schools should be tabled—that it should be a matter for Jacksonville to decide when it gets its own district.
State Rep. Mark Perry, D-Jacksonville spoke against combining the schools.
He and school board president Tim Clark had a testy exchange.
Vasquez said he was surprised to find the matter on the agenda, saying it was Sharpe’s doing.
Sharpe responded that Vasquez had a short memory and had only last summer failed in an effort to combine the two schools and to reduce the number of principals and had asked him to look into it.
“I find it offensive that you come here and call me a liar,” Vasquez told Sharpe.
In other action, the board passed by one vote to suspend the rules and endorse selling second lien bonds to raise $81 million to build a new Maumelle High School in his district, putting off construction of the Sherwood Middle School into the indefinite future.
Chief Financial Officer Larry O’Briant said the Sherwood school could be built in a couple years when the environment is different and the district gets a millage increase passed.
Maumelle will have all new schools by then, and may not see any reason to vote for a millage increase, one person said in the lobby.
Parents also came to complain about a small colony of bats, perhaps 200 of them, living in the attic of Sherwood Elementary School and sometimes finding their way into halls and classrooms.
Asst. Superintendent James Warren promised the problem was being taken care of and that, meanwhile, district personnel would inspect every classroom and hall every morning to ensure there were not bats.
TOP STORY >> Mayoral candidates filing
By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
Local developer Tommy Dupree and Alderman Kenny Elliot have filed their required petition of signatures with the Pulaski County clerk as candidates for mayor of Jacksonville.
The filing period started Tuesday and runs until noon March 2.
Jacksonville residents interested in running for mayor in the May 12 special election need to turn in a petition with at least 30 signatures of Jacksonville residents who are registered voters.
The Pulaski County clerk’s staff is in the process of verifying the signatures on Dupree’s and Elliot’s petitions. Once verified, those two will be certified as candidates.
Three other residents — Alderman Gary Fletcher, motorcycle minister Randy (Doc) Rhodd and former police Lieutenant Bill Shelly – have also announced their intentions to run for the spot being vacated by the retirement of Mayor Tommy Swaim.
Swaim announced in January that he would retire from his $95,000 a year job come July 1.
Swaim said he decided to retire to spend more time with his family. His term expires Dec. 31, 2010.
Elliott, who has been on the city council for 12 years, says he wants to bring his experience and knowledge of city government as he seeks to move behind the mayor’s desk in a special election.
Elliott, a Jacksonville native, said he wants to make improvements in the Sunnyside Addition, a low-income neighborhood with decaying housing and high crime.
Elliott, 55, works for the Pulaski County Special School District, where he is coordinator of energy management.
Dupree, 71, whose family helped settle Jacksonville, said his platform includes widening Hwy. 67/167 with interchange improvements; establishing a public safety commission with police, fire and emergency medical department under it; encouraging expansion of the city along Hwy. 67/167, Hwy. 161 and Hwy. 294 through annexation; supporting creation of a north Pulaski County school district; working toward expansion and improvement of the Jacksonville park system, and continuing Keep Jacksonville Beautiful improvement projects.
Fletcher, who has been on the city council for 30 years, says he’s ready to become mayor. “I want to bring passion to the job,” said Fletcher, who is 54. “We’ve lost that passion when it comes to running the city.”
“I want to bring back the human factor to government,” Fletcher said in an interview. “We need to make some changes. We need someone with fresh ideas. We need someone with passion, energy and vision and try to inspire others.”
Fletcher said he believes in the three R’s to move forward — “re-identify ourselves, reinvest in ourselves and rejuvenate the community.”
Leader staff writer
Local developer Tommy Dupree and Alderman Kenny Elliot have filed their required petition of signatures with the Pulaski County clerk as candidates for mayor of Jacksonville.
The filing period started Tuesday and runs until noon March 2.
Jacksonville residents interested in running for mayor in the May 12 special election need to turn in a petition with at least 30 signatures of Jacksonville residents who are registered voters.
The Pulaski County clerk’s staff is in the process of verifying the signatures on Dupree’s and Elliot’s petitions. Once verified, those two will be certified as candidates.
Three other residents — Alderman Gary Fletcher, motorcycle minister Randy (Doc) Rhodd and former police Lieutenant Bill Shelly – have also announced their intentions to run for the spot being vacated by the retirement of Mayor Tommy Swaim.
Swaim announced in January that he would retire from his $95,000 a year job come July 1.
Swaim said he decided to retire to spend more time with his family. His term expires Dec. 31, 2010.
Elliott, who has been on the city council for 12 years, says he wants to bring his experience and knowledge of city government as he seeks to move behind the mayor’s desk in a special election.
Elliott, a Jacksonville native, said he wants to make improvements in the Sunnyside Addition, a low-income neighborhood with decaying housing and high crime.
Elliott, 55, works for the Pulaski County Special School District, where he is coordinator of energy management.
Dupree, 71, whose family helped settle Jacksonville, said his platform includes widening Hwy. 67/167 with interchange improvements; establishing a public safety commission with police, fire and emergency medical department under it; encouraging expansion of the city along Hwy. 67/167, Hwy. 161 and Hwy. 294 through annexation; supporting creation of a north Pulaski County school district; working toward expansion and improvement of the Jacksonville park system, and continuing Keep Jacksonville Beautiful improvement projects.
Fletcher, who has been on the city council for 30 years, says he’s ready to become mayor. “I want to bring passion to the job,” said Fletcher, who is 54. “We’ve lost that passion when it comes to running the city.”
“I want to bring back the human factor to government,” Fletcher said in an interview. “We need to make some changes. We need someone with fresh ideas. We need someone with passion, energy and vision and try to inspire others.”
Fletcher said he believes in the three R’s to move forward — “re-identify ourselves, reinvest in ourselves and rejuvenate the community.”
TOP STORY >> Cabot school building continues at fast pace
By NANCY DOCKTER
Leader staff writer
In order to keep pace with the rapid growth in Cabot and surrounding areas, the public schools are in a constant expansion mode.
Annual increases to the student population in recent years have averaged about 300 to 400 students, or about 3 to 4 percent, explained Jim Dalton, assistant superintendent of Cabot Public Schools, in a recent interview.
One year, enrollment leapt 9 percent; another year it was a mere 1 percent. As required by state law, the district every two years updates a 10-year plan that lays out proposed construction and improvement projects, but, “it is very difficult to project out that far,” Dalton explained.
Enrollment in Cabot public schools is 9,400 students.
Current projects include construction of a new elementary school, a new junior high school to replace one destroyed by fire in 2006, and renovations to the high school.
Last week, the district acquired the land on which to build a new elementary school on Mountain Springs Road, off state Hwy. 5. The new school, projected to open in the fall of 2010, “will bring relief to Magness Elementary School, which is growing by leaps and bounds,” Dalton said. Last week, the district let for bid site work for the project.
The district has also let for bid work on the final phase of rebuilding Junior High North, which was razed in an electrical fire in August 2006. The building is now in the dry, and work on the interior is under way. The plan, Dalton said, is to move the teachers and their materials into the new building over the summer and open this fall.
“It will be good to finally get students out of portables and back into a brick and mortar building,” Dalton said.
A number of improvements, in part driven by the jump in enrollment, are planned for the high school over the next five years. The existing gymnasium is no longer adequate for the school’s offerings in physical education, health and recreation.
Planned is a larger building that will accommodate all those programs as well as a cafeteria with the capacity to seat half the student population at once. That is in response to a state law that mandates schools feed students in two shifts to reduce the wait for lunch. The existing cafeteria can seat only 350; the school’s current enrollment is more than 1,700 students.
The new building will have two lobby entrances, each with a dual purpose. One will be an entrance for both the health building and fine arts auditorium; the other will serve as an entrance to the health building as well as to the cafeteria. That area will also work as overflow seating for the cafeteria. Construction on this project will commence in the fall; completion is anticipated in 2011.
After that, renovations to the auditorium, which includes new seating, will begin. When the new cafeteria opens, the old one will become the home of the school’s agriculture and shop programs.
This spring the high school’s old media center will be renovated to house the Junior Air Force ROTC program.
Cabot public schools serve the cities of Cabot, Ward, Austin, and several small townships and unincorporated areas that comprise 184 square miles in northern Lonoke County.
The district has eight elementary schools (K-fourth grade), two middle schools (fifth and sixth grades) two junior high schools (seventh to ninth grades), one high school (10th-12th grades), one charter school and one alternative school.
Leader staff writer
In order to keep pace with the rapid growth in Cabot and surrounding areas, the public schools are in a constant expansion mode.
Annual increases to the student population in recent years have averaged about 300 to 400 students, or about 3 to 4 percent, explained Jim Dalton, assistant superintendent of Cabot Public Schools, in a recent interview.
One year, enrollment leapt 9 percent; another year it was a mere 1 percent. As required by state law, the district every two years updates a 10-year plan that lays out proposed construction and improvement projects, but, “it is very difficult to project out that far,” Dalton explained.
Enrollment in Cabot public schools is 9,400 students.
Current projects include construction of a new elementary school, a new junior high school to replace one destroyed by fire in 2006, and renovations to the high school.
Last week, the district acquired the land on which to build a new elementary school on Mountain Springs Road, off state Hwy. 5. The new school, projected to open in the fall of 2010, “will bring relief to Magness Elementary School, which is growing by leaps and bounds,” Dalton said. Last week, the district let for bid site work for the project.
The district has also let for bid work on the final phase of rebuilding Junior High North, which was razed in an electrical fire in August 2006. The building is now in the dry, and work on the interior is under way. The plan, Dalton said, is to move the teachers and their materials into the new building over the summer and open this fall.
“It will be good to finally get students out of portables and back into a brick and mortar building,” Dalton said.
A number of improvements, in part driven by the jump in enrollment, are planned for the high school over the next five years. The existing gymnasium is no longer adequate for the school’s offerings in physical education, health and recreation.
Planned is a larger building that will accommodate all those programs as well as a cafeteria with the capacity to seat half the student population at once. That is in response to a state law that mandates schools feed students in two shifts to reduce the wait for lunch. The existing cafeteria can seat only 350; the school’s current enrollment is more than 1,700 students.
The new building will have two lobby entrances, each with a dual purpose. One will be an entrance for both the health building and fine arts auditorium; the other will serve as an entrance to the health building as well as to the cafeteria. That area will also work as overflow seating for the cafeteria. Construction on this project will commence in the fall; completion is anticipated in 2011.
After that, renovations to the auditorium, which includes new seating, will begin. When the new cafeteria opens, the old one will become the home of the school’s agriculture and shop programs.
This spring the high school’s old media center will be renovated to house the Junior Air Force ROTC program.
Cabot public schools serve the cities of Cabot, Ward, Austin, and several small townships and unincorporated areas that comprise 184 square miles in northern Lonoke County.
The district has eight elementary schools (K-fourth grade), two middle schools (fifth and sixth grades) two junior high schools (seventh to ninth grades), one high school (10th-12th grades), one charter school and one alternative school.
SPORTS >> Red Devils unseat Beast of the East
By KELLY FENTON
Leader sports editor
You can give the officials credit for taking away one Little Rock Hall basket on Friday night. But you can chalk up the rest of the Warriors’ offensive futility to a fired-up Jacksonville defense.
The Red Devils snapped the defending 6A champion Warriors’ 28-game conference winning streak with a decisive 58-44 road win at Little Rock Hall.
“You don’t come into Hall and do that to them unless you have a lot of heart,” said Jacksonville head coach Victor Joyner. “The kids showed a lot of heart.”
The Red Devils, whose only league loss came to these same Warriors by three points back on Jan. 9, secured this one by limiting Baylor-bound point guard A.J. Walton to seven points and dead-eye perimeter shooter Marland Smith to just six. They shut down the inside by blocking eight shots.
“Never in a million years,” said Joyner when asked if he thought his team could limit the dynamic Warrior duo to 13 points. “Those are two helluva players. I thought we did a great job of stopping their penetration and that’s what we wanted to do. We wanted to make them jump shooters.
“I thought the kids did a great job of following the game plan and keeping them out of the paint.”
It was the second huge win for the Red Devils (14-3, 6-1) in three days. On Tuesday night, they handled West Memphis at home.
“I don’t know about Jacksonville, but for Victor Joyner, there hasn’t been a better week of basketball,” said Joyner. “But you got to turn around and get ready for Al Flannigan and Parkview (last night).”
Hall (20-2, 7-1) made only 17 of 53 shots and connected on 5 of 21 threes. The Devils blocked eight shots — three each by Demetrius Harris and Cortrell Eskridge. On the other end, Jacksonville showed much better patience than the Warriors and made 21 of 40 shots.
It was Walton’s second-half penetration and repeated trips to the free-throw line that put Hall over the top at Jacksonville last month. On Friday night, Joyner, who was shorthanded without back-up point guard Stan Appleby, opted to play zone most of the way. In Jacksonville, Walton wore down the Red Devils’ man defense with his crossover dribbles and penetration.
“We were really fearful of Marland hitting threes and we got tired last time,” Joyner said. “With Stan sick, we had to flex our rotation. We had to play zone to rest our kids.”
In the absence of Appleby, little-used Cailin Davis stepped up to the spotlight and delivered. Davis scored four points, dished out two assists and had three steals in limited action.
“Cailin is the one that stepped up,” Joyner said. “I thought he made the difference down the stretch. He was able to give our guys some rest. He made a couple of key baskets and some nice passes.”
Laquinton Miles and Deshone McClure took it to the Warriors in the first half, totaling 18 Jacksonville points to give the Red Devils a 29-26 lead at intermission. The game got off to a bizarre beginning when Smith made a basket on a breakaway and Eskridge was called for an intentional foul. None of the three officials, however, saw Smith’s basket go in and did not award the Warriors with the points.
The Warriors fired up hurried three-pointers throughout the first half, making only 4 of 13. It would get worse in the second half when they made only 1 of 8.
Jacksonville, which relies on its depth and balance to wear down teams in the second half, began to assert itself late in the third quarter. After the Warriors had narrowed the lead to two on a rebound basket with 3:07 left in the period, Antwan Lockhart scored on a reverse, and three consecutive McClure assists – one for a rousing Antonio Roy fast break jam – allowed the Red Devils to carry a 44-37 lead into the final period.
McClure delivered inside to Harris for a bucket, then added a pull-up 14-footer as Jacksonville’s lead grew to 48-37 two minutes into the final quarter. McClure had 13 points, six rebounds and six assists.
Two consecutive baskets by Davis, the second off a steal, opened the lead to 13 at the 4:48 mark. The Warriors’ final push came on a 5-0 run that whittled the lead to five, but McClure scored on a runner with 2:50 left and the Warriors never scored again.
It was another remarkably balanced attack by the Red Devils, who had seven players score four or more points, led by Miles’ 15 points, seven boards and three steals. In addition to McClure’s 13, Harris added eight points and eight boards and Lockhart added eight as well. Roy scored six points, while Eskridge added four points and six rebounds.
Jacksonville dominated the glass, especially in the second half, to finish with a 38-28 advantage. And, while free-throw shooting cost them in the two teams’ first meeting, the Red Devils knocked down 14 of 19 on Friday.
It was Hall’s first conference loss since Jan. 26, 2007 at El Dorado.
“We knew this was coming,” said Hall head coach George Cierks. “I think (Jacksonville) played harder and wanted it more than we did. They got on the glass and took it away from us. They’re a good basketball team. They’ll be hard for anybody to beat if they keep up that intensity.”
Leader sports editor
You can give the officials credit for taking away one Little Rock Hall basket on Friday night. But you can chalk up the rest of the Warriors’ offensive futility to a fired-up Jacksonville defense.
The Red Devils snapped the defending 6A champion Warriors’ 28-game conference winning streak with a decisive 58-44 road win at Little Rock Hall.
“You don’t come into Hall and do that to them unless you have a lot of heart,” said Jacksonville head coach Victor Joyner. “The kids showed a lot of heart.”
The Red Devils, whose only league loss came to these same Warriors by three points back on Jan. 9, secured this one by limiting Baylor-bound point guard A.J. Walton to seven points and dead-eye perimeter shooter Marland Smith to just six. They shut down the inside by blocking eight shots.
“Never in a million years,” said Joyner when asked if he thought his team could limit the dynamic Warrior duo to 13 points. “Those are two helluva players. I thought we did a great job of stopping their penetration and that’s what we wanted to do. We wanted to make them jump shooters.
“I thought the kids did a great job of following the game plan and keeping them out of the paint.”
It was the second huge win for the Red Devils (14-3, 6-1) in three days. On Tuesday night, they handled West Memphis at home.
“I don’t know about Jacksonville, but for Victor Joyner, there hasn’t been a better week of basketball,” said Joyner. “But you got to turn around and get ready for Al Flannigan and Parkview (last night).”
Hall (20-2, 7-1) made only 17 of 53 shots and connected on 5 of 21 threes. The Devils blocked eight shots — three each by Demetrius Harris and Cortrell Eskridge. On the other end, Jacksonville showed much better patience than the Warriors and made 21 of 40 shots.
It was Walton’s second-half penetration and repeated trips to the free-throw line that put Hall over the top at Jacksonville last month. On Friday night, Joyner, who was shorthanded without back-up point guard Stan Appleby, opted to play zone most of the way. In Jacksonville, Walton wore down the Red Devils’ man defense with his crossover dribbles and penetration.
“We were really fearful of Marland hitting threes and we got tired last time,” Joyner said. “With Stan sick, we had to flex our rotation. We had to play zone to rest our kids.”
In the absence of Appleby, little-used Cailin Davis stepped up to the spotlight and delivered. Davis scored four points, dished out two assists and had three steals in limited action.
“Cailin is the one that stepped up,” Joyner said. “I thought he made the difference down the stretch. He was able to give our guys some rest. He made a couple of key baskets and some nice passes.”
Laquinton Miles and Deshone McClure took it to the Warriors in the first half, totaling 18 Jacksonville points to give the Red Devils a 29-26 lead at intermission. The game got off to a bizarre beginning when Smith made a basket on a breakaway and Eskridge was called for an intentional foul. None of the three officials, however, saw Smith’s basket go in and did not award the Warriors with the points.
The Warriors fired up hurried three-pointers throughout the first half, making only 4 of 13. It would get worse in the second half when they made only 1 of 8.
Jacksonville, which relies on its depth and balance to wear down teams in the second half, began to assert itself late in the third quarter. After the Warriors had narrowed the lead to two on a rebound basket with 3:07 left in the period, Antwan Lockhart scored on a reverse, and three consecutive McClure assists – one for a rousing Antonio Roy fast break jam – allowed the Red Devils to carry a 44-37 lead into the final period.
McClure delivered inside to Harris for a bucket, then added a pull-up 14-footer as Jacksonville’s lead grew to 48-37 two minutes into the final quarter. McClure had 13 points, six rebounds and six assists.
Two consecutive baskets by Davis, the second off a steal, opened the lead to 13 at the 4:48 mark. The Warriors’ final push came on a 5-0 run that whittled the lead to five, but McClure scored on a runner with 2:50 left and the Warriors never scored again.
It was another remarkably balanced attack by the Red Devils, who had seven players score four or more points, led by Miles’ 15 points, seven boards and three steals. In addition to McClure’s 13, Harris added eight points and eight boards and Lockhart added eight as well. Roy scored six points, while Eskridge added four points and six rebounds.
Jacksonville dominated the glass, especially in the second half, to finish with a 38-28 advantage. And, while free-throw shooting cost them in the two teams’ first meeting, the Red Devils knocked down 14 of 19 on Friday.
It was Hall’s first conference loss since Jan. 26, 2007 at El Dorado.
“We knew this was coming,” said Hall head coach George Cierks. “I think (Jacksonville) played harder and wanted it more than we did. They got on the glass and took it away from us. They’re a good basketball team. They’ll be hard for anybody to beat if they keep up that intensity.”
SPORTS >> Talented Jacksonville comes of age against Hall
By KELLY FENTON
Leader sports editor
Thirteen months ago, the Jacksonville Red Devils were reeling.
Having lost three times already to cross-county rival North Pulaski, the Red Devils, comprised of one senior leader and a whole lot of underclassmen, entered the New Year and the 6A-East Conference race with a 3-9 record.
The youthful Devils posted home wins over Marion and Forrest City to begin a turnaround that eventually landed them a No. 3 seed in the state tournament last March.
Though Jacksonville did reach the state quarterfinals last year after posting a 10-4 league record, the Red Devils never fully cohered as a team and were often given to individual flourishes and look-at-me showmanship.
Keep in mind this is a team that has all the ingredients, the one exception perhaps being a true point guard to run the show. But depth, balance, size, athleticism, hops, scoring, shot blocking, rebounding … yeah, the Red Devils have all that in abundance. From the interior play of Demetrius Harris, Antwan Lockhart, Antonio Roy and Cortrell Eskridge to the outside shooting and penetration of Laquinton Miles and Deshone McClure to heady role players such as Darius Morant, Stan Appleby and Cailen Davis, this club is loaded.
But early this season, Joyner’s frustrations with his immensely talented club boiled over at times, never more so than when the Red Devils let one get away at home against 6A defending champion Little Rock Hall on Jan. 9.
“We’ve got to make better decisions down the stretch,” Joyner said shortly after that 58-55 loss to the Warriors. “That’s what Hall does is put pressure on your guards. Our post men were stepping up early and we were hitting the post. Then we started overdribbling. You got guys driving down the lane and doing crossovers and trying to get the ‘and-one’ instead off passing the ball off.
“Monday, that’s going to stop. We’re that close, but we just didn’t play smart.”
Apparently, Joyner made his point. The Red Devils haven’t lost since. Their fifth-straight victory was their most impressive yet — a 58-44 road win at Hall last Friday in a game in which they trailed only once and dominated over the final 12 minutes. They improved to 13-3 overall, 6-1 in the league.
Joyner maintains that those struggling 3-9 Red Devils of a season ago never felt the pressure to win. Instead, he said, the coaches chose to stress something else.
“We were trying to change their mindset about the classroom,” he said. “If they could handle that part, handle their grades, the basketball would take care of itself. We wanted them to try to make something out of themselves, to be productive, to try to get to college.
“Now, almost all these kids are doing what they need to do.”
Their grades are all up and so is their on-court production and maturity. Deshone McClure, perhaps, provides the best example. An immensely talented sophomore last year, McClure could wow his coaches on one possession and have them tearing at their hair on the next.
McClure, like just about everybody else on this balanced club, has come to realize that there is plenty of scoring to go around. He has taken a back seat offensively on several nights throughout the early conference season. Against Hall, McClure scored 13 points, but also dished out six assists.
“The best thing about this is we won it as a team,” he said afterward.
While the unselfishness has continued to develop, so too has the maturity level. Part of that might harken back to those early 2007-08 struggles, which helped forge a toughness. Much of it has to do with being battle-tested in the rugged 6A-East.
“When you play the caliber teams we’re playing, in the electric atmospheres like at Hall, the game slows down for those kids,” Joyner said. “They’ve been in those situations so many times, they’re able to keep their calm.”
While Hall was fighting to get back in the game on Friday, Jacksonville was not sitting on its lead, but continuing to push the action. That’s the sign of a confident team. It’s the sign of something else, too, Joyner said.
“These kids are trying to get to college,” he said. “They want to win championships, but these kids knew there were a lot of college coaches in the stands and they’re trying to make their own legacy. Hall and (Baylor-bound point guard) A.J. Walton already got it. But Jacksonville, people don’t expect them to do what they’re doing.
“They’re just looking for a little respect.”
They found it in Hall head coach George Cierks, whose team suffered its first conference loss in more than two years on Friday night.
“They’re a good basketball team,” he said. “They’ll be hard for anybody to beat if they keep that intensity.”
And keep taking care of all their other business.
The Red Devils have already beaten Parkview, West Memphis and Hall, but the road ahead remains treacherous, beginning with last night’s rematch with the Patriots. Bring it on, seems to be the attitude of the Red Devils.
“We ain’t done yet,” McClure said. “We’re just getting started. We got to go for them rings.”
Leader sports editor
Thirteen months ago, the Jacksonville Red Devils were reeling.
Having lost three times already to cross-county rival North Pulaski, the Red Devils, comprised of one senior leader and a whole lot of underclassmen, entered the New Year and the 6A-East Conference race with a 3-9 record.
The youthful Devils posted home wins over Marion and Forrest City to begin a turnaround that eventually landed them a No. 3 seed in the state tournament last March.
Though Jacksonville did reach the state quarterfinals last year after posting a 10-4 league record, the Red Devils never fully cohered as a team and were often given to individual flourishes and look-at-me showmanship.
Keep in mind this is a team that has all the ingredients, the one exception perhaps being a true point guard to run the show. But depth, balance, size, athleticism, hops, scoring, shot blocking, rebounding … yeah, the Red Devils have all that in abundance. From the interior play of Demetrius Harris, Antwan Lockhart, Antonio Roy and Cortrell Eskridge to the outside shooting and penetration of Laquinton Miles and Deshone McClure to heady role players such as Darius Morant, Stan Appleby and Cailen Davis, this club is loaded.
But early this season, Joyner’s frustrations with his immensely talented club boiled over at times, never more so than when the Red Devils let one get away at home against 6A defending champion Little Rock Hall on Jan. 9.
“We’ve got to make better decisions down the stretch,” Joyner said shortly after that 58-55 loss to the Warriors. “That’s what Hall does is put pressure on your guards. Our post men were stepping up early and we were hitting the post. Then we started overdribbling. You got guys driving down the lane and doing crossovers and trying to get the ‘and-one’ instead off passing the ball off.
“Monday, that’s going to stop. We’re that close, but we just didn’t play smart.”
Apparently, Joyner made his point. The Red Devils haven’t lost since. Their fifth-straight victory was their most impressive yet — a 58-44 road win at Hall last Friday in a game in which they trailed only once and dominated over the final 12 minutes. They improved to 13-3 overall, 6-1 in the league.
Joyner maintains that those struggling 3-9 Red Devils of a season ago never felt the pressure to win. Instead, he said, the coaches chose to stress something else.
“We were trying to change their mindset about the classroom,” he said. “If they could handle that part, handle their grades, the basketball would take care of itself. We wanted them to try to make something out of themselves, to be productive, to try to get to college.
“Now, almost all these kids are doing what they need to do.”
Their grades are all up and so is their on-court production and maturity. Deshone McClure, perhaps, provides the best example. An immensely talented sophomore last year, McClure could wow his coaches on one possession and have them tearing at their hair on the next.
McClure, like just about everybody else on this balanced club, has come to realize that there is plenty of scoring to go around. He has taken a back seat offensively on several nights throughout the early conference season. Against Hall, McClure scored 13 points, but also dished out six assists.
“The best thing about this is we won it as a team,” he said afterward.
While the unselfishness has continued to develop, so too has the maturity level. Part of that might harken back to those early 2007-08 struggles, which helped forge a toughness. Much of it has to do with being battle-tested in the rugged 6A-East.
“When you play the caliber teams we’re playing, in the electric atmospheres like at Hall, the game slows down for those kids,” Joyner said. “They’ve been in those situations so many times, they’re able to keep their calm.”
While Hall was fighting to get back in the game on Friday, Jacksonville was not sitting on its lead, but continuing to push the action. That’s the sign of a confident team. It’s the sign of something else, too, Joyner said.
“These kids are trying to get to college,” he said. “They want to win championships, but these kids knew there were a lot of college coaches in the stands and they’re trying to make their own legacy. Hall and (Baylor-bound point guard) A.J. Walton already got it. But Jacksonville, people don’t expect them to do what they’re doing.
“They’re just looking for a little respect.”
They found it in Hall head coach George Cierks, whose team suffered its first conference loss in more than two years on Friday night.
“They’re a good basketball team,” he said. “They’ll be hard for anybody to beat if they keep that intensity.”
And keep taking care of all their other business.
The Red Devils have already beaten Parkview, West Memphis and Hall, but the road ahead remains treacherous, beginning with last night’s rematch with the Patriots. Bring it on, seems to be the attitude of the Red Devils.
“We ain’t done yet,” McClure said. “We’re just getting started. We got to go for them rings.”
SPORTS >> Late steal dooms Lonoke girls
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
Lonoke had all the Lady Bulldogs right where it wanted them in the final three seconds — except for one Bald Knob sophomore.
Guard McKenzie Cox provided a dramatic ending to Bald Knob’s 40-38 win over the Lady Jackrabbits on Friday night at the LHS gymnasium with a steal and game-winning lay-up at the buzzer.
Lonoke (18-6, 9-3 in the 2-4A) had 3.3 seconds to set up a winning shot after a defensive rebound by Asiah Scribner gave the Lady ’Rabbits possession in the 38-38 game.
Lonoke coach Nathan Morris called time-out once the ball reached mid-court to talk things over, but that plan went awry when Cox intercepted the inbounds pass to Michaela Brown at mid court and scored at the other end to complete the regular-season sweep of the Lady ’Rabbits.
“The coach shouldn’t have called time-out there with five seconds left; he should have just let it play out,” said Morris on his time-out call. “That’s the bottom line. (I) should have just let it play out. If I had it to do all over again 100 times, I wouldn’t call it.”
The Lady Bulldogs (23-3 overall) finished the season with an unbeaten 12-0 mark in the 2-4A Conference, and claimed the league title outright for the second straight year.
“That’s two good ball clubs right there,” said Bald Knob coach Tim Fulks. “Year after year, it’s us and Lonoke. Nathan does a heck of a job, and I hope I do a heck of a job. We match wits every year. I mean, it’s either us or it’s them. We played our best ballgame tonight. We had to.”
The game was filled with physical play, plenty of lead changes and few surprises. The surprise factor changed, however, when Cox, who was held to only three points during the first meeting between the two teams in January, began to find her way to the basket in the second half.
Her three-point basket from 28 feet out at the 2:36 mark of the third quarter gave the Lady ’Dogs their biggest lead of the game at 26-20. Her winning shot was two of her eight fourth-quarter points, as she went on to lead Bald Knob with 15 points and six rebounds.
Lonoke gave most of its extra defensive attention to senior all-state player Phagen Altom, who was held to 10 points.
Scribner won the battle down low against Bald Knob post Brittany Fulks. Scribner finished with a game-high 17 points and nine rebounds, along with two steals and two blocked shots. Fulks managed six points and six rebounds.
“Scribner’s going to get hers,” said Tim Fulks. “She’s so dad-gum strong, she goes to the boards hard. Realistically, I don’t know of too many times that she caught the ball and actually scored. Maybe six or eight points; the rest of them were off putback baskets and stuff like that. That’s her game – she’s strong, she’s a good ballplayer.”
There were four lead changes in the first half. The Lady Jackrabbits finished the second quarter with a Scribner basket at the 1:35 mark and an inside jumper by Cara Neighbors with eight seconds left for an 18-17 lead at the half.
Scribner fought back once Bald Knob went up by six with a pair of free throws, followed by an inside basket assisted by Neighbors.
She also drew a foul on the play and hit the free throw to pull Lonoke within 26-25 with 1:15 left in the third.
Altom gave the Lady Bulldogs a 33-29 lead with 6:53 left to play with a driving basket and free throw, but a pair of free throws by Lonoke’s Lauren Harper cut the lead in half.
Scribner tied it at 33 with a pair of foul shots that followed a steal by Ashleigh Himstedt.
“I’m proud of the kids. We played well enough to win,” said Morris. “There’s certainly things we can take from it that can make us better for the next time. In the fourth quarter, the kids stepped up.
“We did an outstanding job on Altom and held her to 10 points. We just let the sophomore loose. They ran their offense, and she made the right cuts, and they made the right passes.”
Neighbors added 11 points for the Lady Jackrabbits. Lonoke had 10 turnovers to Bald Knob’s 11, and both teams finished with 21 rebounds.
LONOKE BOYS 70,
BALD KNOB 39
The Jackrabbits pulled away in the second half after securing a 37-23 lead at intermission. Senior post Juicy Lambert put up six of his 10 points for the game in the first quarter, including a jump shot in the paint at the 3:41 mark to put Lonoke up 11-6.
Trenton Spencer gave the ’Rabbits their first double-digit lead of the game in the last minute of the period with a lay-in to put Lonoke up 19-9.
Sophomore post Chad Dixon extended the lead at the 3:44 mark of the second quarter with a lay-up and free throw that gave the Jackrabbits a 27-16 lead.
Lance Jackson led Lonoke with 11 points, while Darius Scott Michael Howard and Lambert all finished with 10 points.
The Jackrabbits are 16-5 overall, and finished the 2-4A Conference season with a 9-3 record, which will give them a No. 2 seed at next week’s district tourney at Batesville Southside.
Leader sportswriter
Lonoke had all the Lady Bulldogs right where it wanted them in the final three seconds — except for one Bald Knob sophomore.
Guard McKenzie Cox provided a dramatic ending to Bald Knob’s 40-38 win over the Lady Jackrabbits on Friday night at the LHS gymnasium with a steal and game-winning lay-up at the buzzer.
Lonoke (18-6, 9-3 in the 2-4A) had 3.3 seconds to set up a winning shot after a defensive rebound by Asiah Scribner gave the Lady ’Rabbits possession in the 38-38 game.
Lonoke coach Nathan Morris called time-out once the ball reached mid-court to talk things over, but that plan went awry when Cox intercepted the inbounds pass to Michaela Brown at mid court and scored at the other end to complete the regular-season sweep of the Lady ’Rabbits.
“The coach shouldn’t have called time-out there with five seconds left; he should have just let it play out,” said Morris on his time-out call. “That’s the bottom line. (I) should have just let it play out. If I had it to do all over again 100 times, I wouldn’t call it.”
The Lady Bulldogs (23-3 overall) finished the season with an unbeaten 12-0 mark in the 2-4A Conference, and claimed the league title outright for the second straight year.
“That’s two good ball clubs right there,” said Bald Knob coach Tim Fulks. “Year after year, it’s us and Lonoke. Nathan does a heck of a job, and I hope I do a heck of a job. We match wits every year. I mean, it’s either us or it’s them. We played our best ballgame tonight. We had to.”
The game was filled with physical play, plenty of lead changes and few surprises. The surprise factor changed, however, when Cox, who was held to only three points during the first meeting between the two teams in January, began to find her way to the basket in the second half.
Her three-point basket from 28 feet out at the 2:36 mark of the third quarter gave the Lady ’Dogs their biggest lead of the game at 26-20. Her winning shot was two of her eight fourth-quarter points, as she went on to lead Bald Knob with 15 points and six rebounds.
Lonoke gave most of its extra defensive attention to senior all-state player Phagen Altom, who was held to 10 points.
Scribner won the battle down low against Bald Knob post Brittany Fulks. Scribner finished with a game-high 17 points and nine rebounds, along with two steals and two blocked shots. Fulks managed six points and six rebounds.
“Scribner’s going to get hers,” said Tim Fulks. “She’s so dad-gum strong, she goes to the boards hard. Realistically, I don’t know of too many times that she caught the ball and actually scored. Maybe six or eight points; the rest of them were off putback baskets and stuff like that. That’s her game – she’s strong, she’s a good ballplayer.”
There were four lead changes in the first half. The Lady Jackrabbits finished the second quarter with a Scribner basket at the 1:35 mark and an inside jumper by Cara Neighbors with eight seconds left for an 18-17 lead at the half.
Scribner fought back once Bald Knob went up by six with a pair of free throws, followed by an inside basket assisted by Neighbors.
She also drew a foul on the play and hit the free throw to pull Lonoke within 26-25 with 1:15 left in the third.
Altom gave the Lady Bulldogs a 33-29 lead with 6:53 left to play with a driving basket and free throw, but a pair of free throws by Lonoke’s Lauren Harper cut the lead in half.
Scribner tied it at 33 with a pair of foul shots that followed a steal by Ashleigh Himstedt.
“I’m proud of the kids. We played well enough to win,” said Morris. “There’s certainly things we can take from it that can make us better for the next time. In the fourth quarter, the kids stepped up.
“We did an outstanding job on Altom and held her to 10 points. We just let the sophomore loose. They ran their offense, and she made the right cuts, and they made the right passes.”
Neighbors added 11 points for the Lady Jackrabbits. Lonoke had 10 turnovers to Bald Knob’s 11, and both teams finished with 21 rebounds.
LONOKE BOYS 70,
BALD KNOB 39
The Jackrabbits pulled away in the second half after securing a 37-23 lead at intermission. Senior post Juicy Lambert put up six of his 10 points for the game in the first quarter, including a jump shot in the paint at the 3:41 mark to put Lonoke up 11-6.
Trenton Spencer gave the ’Rabbits their first double-digit lead of the game in the last minute of the period with a lay-in to put Lonoke up 19-9.
Sophomore post Chad Dixon extended the lead at the 3:44 mark of the second quarter with a lay-up and free throw that gave the Jackrabbits a 27-16 lead.
Lance Jackson led Lonoke with 11 points, while Darius Scott Michael Howard and Lambert all finished with 10 points.
The Jackrabbits are 16-5 overall, and finished the 2-4A Conference season with a 9-3 record, which will give them a No. 2 seed at next week’s district tourney at Batesville Southside.
SPORTS >> Cabot boys pick up ground after 4th straight win
By KELLY FENTON
Leader sports editor
The Cabot Panthers made it four straight and picked up ground on first-place North Little Rock with a 54-47 win at Catholic on Friday night.
Adam Sterrenberg followed up back-to-back 29-point performances with 23 more against the Rockets as the Panthers improved to 16-5 overall, 6-2 in the 7A-Central.
“It was a good win to get on the road,” said Cabot head coach Jerry Bridges. “It gets us a step closer (to a state tournament seed).”
The Panthers were coming off come-from-behind home wins against Russellville and Conway after trailing by nine points in the second half of both games.
“I’m proud of the way they kept competing when they had every reason to give up,” Bridges said of his team’s two dramatic victories. “You have to take care of the home court. We’ve got four left on the road so we did our job as far as holding serve.”
The win, coupled with Conway’s victory over North Little Rock, drew the Panthers and the Wampus Cats to within a half-game of the Charging Wildcats. Cabot, which beat North Little Rock by 20 points in January, played the Wildcats last night in a game after Leader deadlines.
Cabot was never threatened by Catholic and led by 15 at the half and at the end of three. Though Sterrenberg accounted for nearly 40 percent of the Panthers’ points on Friday, Cabot got good effort up and down the lineup. Austin Johnson scored 10 points and Miles Monroe added 11.
Jack Bridges dished out six assists and claimed six rebounds, while Gary Clark helped to shut down Catholic big man Michael Drake in the first half.
“Everybody is doing their jobs,” Bridges said. “I thought we played well, start to finish. Overall, I was pleased with our defense.”
CABOT GIRLS 63,
MOUNT ST. MARY 46
Stephanie Glover was nearly perfect in Cabot’s third consecutive win. The senior post player went inside to make 12 of 13 shots on her way to 25 points.
“They played a 1-3-1 zone on us and that gave us an opportunity to run the double post with Sarah Moore inside,” said Cabot assistant coach Charles Ruple. “And we got exceptional outside shooting.”
Amber Rock hit three three-pointers and scored 13 points, while Jenna Bailey added 11.
While UALR signee Shelby Ashcraft was held to one point, her presence opened up things for Moore and Glover.
“(Mount St. Mary) put a lot of emphasis on her and that opened it up for Rachel,” Ruple said. “Shelby did a good job of rebounding and assists.”
Ruple also said Amalie Benjamin and Lindsay Hoggatt played exceptionally well off the bench.
The Lady Panthers (16-5 overall) improved to 6-2 in the 7A-Central, two-and-half games behind 9-0 North Little Rock. Cabot took on the Lady Wildcats last night in a game played after Leader deadlines. It is one-and-a-half games in back of Bryant (8-1).
Leader sports editor
The Cabot Panthers made it four straight and picked up ground on first-place North Little Rock with a 54-47 win at Catholic on Friday night.
Adam Sterrenberg followed up back-to-back 29-point performances with 23 more against the Rockets as the Panthers improved to 16-5 overall, 6-2 in the 7A-Central.
“It was a good win to get on the road,” said Cabot head coach Jerry Bridges. “It gets us a step closer (to a state tournament seed).”
The Panthers were coming off come-from-behind home wins against Russellville and Conway after trailing by nine points in the second half of both games.
“I’m proud of the way they kept competing when they had every reason to give up,” Bridges said of his team’s two dramatic victories. “You have to take care of the home court. We’ve got four left on the road so we did our job as far as holding serve.”
The win, coupled with Conway’s victory over North Little Rock, drew the Panthers and the Wampus Cats to within a half-game of the Charging Wildcats. Cabot, which beat North Little Rock by 20 points in January, played the Wildcats last night in a game after Leader deadlines.
Cabot was never threatened by Catholic and led by 15 at the half and at the end of three. Though Sterrenberg accounted for nearly 40 percent of the Panthers’ points on Friday, Cabot got good effort up and down the lineup. Austin Johnson scored 10 points and Miles Monroe added 11.
Jack Bridges dished out six assists and claimed six rebounds, while Gary Clark helped to shut down Catholic big man Michael Drake in the first half.
“Everybody is doing their jobs,” Bridges said. “I thought we played well, start to finish. Overall, I was pleased with our defense.”
CABOT GIRLS 63,
MOUNT ST. MARY 46
Stephanie Glover was nearly perfect in Cabot’s third consecutive win. The senior post player went inside to make 12 of 13 shots on her way to 25 points.
“They played a 1-3-1 zone on us and that gave us an opportunity to run the double post with Sarah Moore inside,” said Cabot assistant coach Charles Ruple. “And we got exceptional outside shooting.”
Amber Rock hit three three-pointers and scored 13 points, while Jenna Bailey added 11.
While UALR signee Shelby Ashcraft was held to one point, her presence opened up things for Moore and Glover.
“(Mount St. Mary) put a lot of emphasis on her and that opened it up for Rachel,” Ruple said. “Shelby did a good job of rebounding and assists.”
Ruple also said Amalie Benjamin and Lindsay Hoggatt played exceptionally well off the bench.
The Lady Panthers (16-5 overall) improved to 6-2 in the 7A-Central, two-and-half games behind 9-0 North Little Rock. Cabot took on the Lady Wildcats last night in a game played after Leader deadlines. It is one-and-a-half games in back of Bryant (8-1).
SPORTS>>No. Pulaski boys and girls prevail
By CHAD MATCHETT
Special to The Leader
Fans can usually expect sparks to fly when the North Pulaski Falcons and Mills Comets meet on the basketball court.
Sparks were definitely flying for the Falcons Friday night, but the Comets fizzled as North Pulaski took a 70-40 win at The Galaxy.
North Pulaski played the entire fourth quarter with the 30-point mercy rule in effect.
The win improved the Falcons to 17-5 overall and keeps them perfect at 8-0 in the conference.
The Comets were missing their best player in Nick Hansberry, but providing a 30-point swing would be a lot to ask of any player.
“I certainly didn’t expect this kind of game coming into this gym,” North Pulaski coach Raymond Cooper said. “The first time basically came down to the buzzer, but they had Nick in that one.”
This time the game came down to North Pulaski’s pressure defense taking control.
The Falcons forced the Comets into 23 turnovers by the end of the third quarter when they held a 30-point lead.
“I thought we played much better, much more aggressive on defense,” said Cooper. “We got a little ragged once we got ahead, but we played better overall.”
The Comets tried to make a game of it early in the second quarter. North Pulaski led 21-8 after the first, but Mills opened the second quarter with six straight points.
That was just about the end of any good times for the Comets.
Back-to-back three-pointers by Aaron Cooper sparked a 16-1 run by the Falcons. Cooper dished out three assists during the run, while DaQuan Bryant had three steals, two rebounds and an assist in the quarter. Mills committed nine turnovers in the second quarter.
Bryant led all scorers with 17 points to go along with nine rebounds, five steals and five assists — all in three quarters of work.
“We passed the ball pretty well tonight and that’s something I’ve been looking for,” Cooper said. “We did a good job on the perimeter and getting the ball in the paint. It was just a good win for us.”
Jerald Blair scored 16 points for North Pulaski, while Cooper scored 14. Kyron Ware added 11 points in the win. Cooper also dished out six assists for the Falcons.
North Pulaski put the game away in the third quarter after coming out of halftime with a 43-22 lead. A 10-0 run late in the third gave the Falcons a 30-pint lead heading into the fourth.
NO. PULASKI GIRLS 34,
MILLS 33
Maybe the North Pulaski Lady Falcons should try to play the Mills Lady Comets more often.
Two games against the Comets have provided two exciting one-point victories.
The latest came Friday night at The Galaxy.
“It was another good nail-biter against Mills,” North Pulaski coach Todd Romaine said. “We were pretty lucky to come out of this one with a win.”
North Pulaski was outscored in each of the first three quarters and trailed by eight points heading into the fourth.
The Lady Falcons came back with one of their best quarters of the season in the fourth, outscoring the Lady Comets 14-5.
“The girls played hard,” said Romaine. “We’re still making too many mistakes, but that’s going to happen with any team this young. We started causing Mills to make some mistakes in the fourth quarter.”
The Lady Falcons completed the comeback when Laura Dortch drained a shot with just under seven seconds left to play.
That basket didn’t end the game’s excitement however. There was still enough time for the Comets to get down the court and get off a shot and a putback attempt. Both shots rimmed out.
“It’s easy to get excited and not get back on defense after a go-ahead shot like that,” Romaine said. “I’m proud of the way the girls never gave up and battled back at the end.”
Dortch led the Lady Falcons with nine points, while Keke Springs was right behind her with eight points. Breyana Trent scored four, while Jackie Moragne added two more in the win.
Special to The Leader
Fans can usually expect sparks to fly when the North Pulaski Falcons and Mills Comets meet on the basketball court.
Sparks were definitely flying for the Falcons Friday night, but the Comets fizzled as North Pulaski took a 70-40 win at The Galaxy.
North Pulaski played the entire fourth quarter with the 30-point mercy rule in effect.
The win improved the Falcons to 17-5 overall and keeps them perfect at 8-0 in the conference.
The Comets were missing their best player in Nick Hansberry, but providing a 30-point swing would be a lot to ask of any player.
“I certainly didn’t expect this kind of game coming into this gym,” North Pulaski coach Raymond Cooper said. “The first time basically came down to the buzzer, but they had Nick in that one.”
This time the game came down to North Pulaski’s pressure defense taking control.
The Falcons forced the Comets into 23 turnovers by the end of the third quarter when they held a 30-point lead.
“I thought we played much better, much more aggressive on defense,” said Cooper. “We got a little ragged once we got ahead, but we played better overall.”
The Comets tried to make a game of it early in the second quarter. North Pulaski led 21-8 after the first, but Mills opened the second quarter with six straight points.
That was just about the end of any good times for the Comets.
Back-to-back three-pointers by Aaron Cooper sparked a 16-1 run by the Falcons. Cooper dished out three assists during the run, while DaQuan Bryant had three steals, two rebounds and an assist in the quarter. Mills committed nine turnovers in the second quarter.
Bryant led all scorers with 17 points to go along with nine rebounds, five steals and five assists — all in three quarters of work.
“We passed the ball pretty well tonight and that’s something I’ve been looking for,” Cooper said. “We did a good job on the perimeter and getting the ball in the paint. It was just a good win for us.”
Jerald Blair scored 16 points for North Pulaski, while Cooper scored 14. Kyron Ware added 11 points in the win. Cooper also dished out six assists for the Falcons.
North Pulaski put the game away in the third quarter after coming out of halftime with a 43-22 lead. A 10-0 run late in the third gave the Falcons a 30-pint lead heading into the fourth.
NO. PULASKI GIRLS 34,
MILLS 33
Maybe the North Pulaski Lady Falcons should try to play the Mills Lady Comets more often.
Two games against the Comets have provided two exciting one-point victories.
The latest came Friday night at The Galaxy.
“It was another good nail-biter against Mills,” North Pulaski coach Todd Romaine said. “We were pretty lucky to come out of this one with a win.”
North Pulaski was outscored in each of the first three quarters and trailed by eight points heading into the fourth.
The Lady Falcons came back with one of their best quarters of the season in the fourth, outscoring the Lady Comets 14-5.
“The girls played hard,” said Romaine. “We’re still making too many mistakes, but that’s going to happen with any team this young. We started causing Mills to make some mistakes in the fourth quarter.”
The Lady Falcons completed the comeback when Laura Dortch drained a shot with just under seven seconds left to play.
That basket didn’t end the game’s excitement however. There was still enough time for the Comets to get down the court and get off a shot and a putback attempt. Both shots rimmed out.
“It’s easy to get excited and not get back on defense after a go-ahead shot like that,” Romaine said. “I’m proud of the way the girls never gave up and battled back at the end.”
Dortch led the Lady Falcons with nine points, while Keke Springs was right behind her with eight points. Breyana Trent scored four, while Jackie Moragne added two more in the win.
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