By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
A pair of second-half goals by junior forward Trevor Reed made the difference for Cabot as the Panthers defeated Little Rock Central 3-1 at Panther Stadium on Thursday.
Reed broke a 1-1 tie in the fourth minute of the second half with a straight-ahead dribbler that gave the Panthers (2-4-1, 1-1) a 2-1 lead, and finished off the Tigers with an identical strike with less than eight minutes remaining in what was essentially a nonconference matchup between two 7A/6A East Conference teams.
“Two great individual efforts from Trevor Reed was the difference,” Panthers coach Steve Porter said. “But I think we squandered a bunch of other chances, especially towards the end once we kind of established the lead. I thought it was not one of our better games overall. Previous games, we’ve played much better and lost. It’s good to get the win and prepare to play Mountain Home on Tuesday.
“We’ve played well, and now we’re starting to win. Hopefully, we can continue to play well and win in the future.”
The Panthers took an early 1-0 lead when Blakelyn Devore cross-assisted Evan Wilson, who got past the Central goalkeeper in the second minute. The Tigers answered during the 35th minute to tie the score 1-1 at the half.
“Soccer can be so much about inches and luck,” Porter said. “In other games, we controlled possession better than the opponents, created just as many chances and just not scored. You take your victories when you can, and we’re happy to win, but we need to play better in the future.”
Reed created his own opportunities on each of his second-half goals, dribbling in from the side and charging the goal to catch Central’s goalkeeper out of position each time.
“I think he’s one of the best juniors in the state,” Porter said. “He has the potential to go on and play at the college level and do really well. He works hard, is a really great kid. He’s everything a coach would want, but, as a coach, I don’t want us to be overly reliant on one player. We have some other good players on the team who can contribute and do well, and they need to.”
The Lady Panthers have become experts at avoiding losses, but for the fourth time this season, could not find a way to get the advantage on the scoreboard as they tied Little Rock Central in a scoreless 0-0 defensive struggle. Although Cabot (5-2-4) and Central are both expected to be contenders in the 7A/6A East Conference this season, Thursday’s matchup was not the one that counted towards conference as the new policy is for all league teams to meet only once instead of two times as in previous seasons. That meant no penalty-kick shootout when the clock expired and no score for either club.
“This is the one that was not on the original schedule set by the A.D.s” Lady Panthers coach Kerry Castillo said. “We just decided to play each other to get a harder competition game. We really didn’t do some of the things I would have liked to see us do. Our style of play was a little different. We just wanted to test the waters a little to see what they brought.”
Castillo did not show his entire hand during the contest, holding breakout scorer Jessica Souza to primarily a defensive role at the center midfield, while the Tigers seemed to do the same with some of their personnel.
“Didn’t want to show all of our cards just yet,” Castillo said. “It was a very athletic up-and-down game. I thought we played pretty well as far as defensively and our organization, we just boomed the ball up and down too much, that’s just not our style of play. Our back line had a really good game, Devin Patterson, Codee Park, Melody Sampson, Kristen Oitker, all four played really well, and smart.”
NORTH LITTLE ROCK ROUTS DEVILS
The North Little Rock Lady Wildcats got on the winning side of things in 7A/6A East Conference play on Tuesday with a 7-0 shutout victory over West Memphis to improve to 2-5 overall and 1-1 in league play. Senior standout Katie Van Pelt led the way with four goals, while fellow senior Jordan Toler scored one goal and had two assists.
“It was definitely good to get that first conference win,” Lady Wildcats coach Justin Musick said. “We had been on a losing skid, but it feels like maybe we’re starting to turn things around and head back in the right direction. Hopefully, it will continue into more of our conference games.
The Wildcats boys team had an equally easy time with the Blue Devils in an 8-0 shutout. Jack Fleming led the way for North Little Rock with three goals while Cole Purtle scored two goals. Hobbs Knowlton, Sammy Covarrubios and Morgan Jackson all scored a goal each for the Wildcats. The win improved North Little Rock’s record to 5-0-2 overall and 2-0 in the 7A/6A East Conference.
“Overall Jack Fleming has been a good goal scorer and creator,” Wildcats coach Marc Gill said. “Cole Purtle and Ashton Miller are constantly running the sidelines and causing problems. Peyton Land has been playing really well as a stopper and has stepped up as a sophomore.”
Friday, March 29, 2013
SPORTS STORY >> Panther baseball on a roll
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
Recent games suggested a tough night for Cabot baseball on Tuesday, but the Panthers put forth their best effort of the season in easily dispatching Marion for an important doubleheader sweep at CHS. Cabot swept the early 7A/6A East Conference matchup by scores of 7-1 and 12-2, and they did it without one of their top two pitchers.
“We beat Jacksonville twice and we barely got by them both times,” Cabot coach Jay Fitch said. “Then Marion smoked them pretty good up at the Jonesboro tournament. So we were a little worried about their hitting coming in here, especially with one of our starting pitchers. We figured out pretty early they struggled a little bit with the breaking stuff, and that’s right down Ryan Logan’s alley.”
Logan started game one on the mound for Cabot and dominated the Patriots’ lineup. He gave up just three hits and one unearned run. He only struck out three and walked two, but Cabot got out of every jam by turning four double plays.
“I don’t know if we’ve turned four double plays all season,” Fitch said. “We had one error the whole night and turned I think five double plays total. So our defensive execution was as good as it’s been all year.”
Zach Patterson took the mound in game two and got stronger as the game wore on. He also gave up three hits and got into a little trouble in the third inning, but otherwise dominated the Patriots. He finished with 10 strikeouts and just three walks.
“I was a little worried about Zach against this team because they hit the fastball so well,” Fitch said. “Zach is our hardest thrower, but this team likes that. Tonight he had his curveball working pretty good too and when he does that, he can be phenomenal. We need to see more consistency from him, but tonight was a great start. If he can start giving us that on a more consistent basis, he can be outstanding.”
Neither team scored in the first two innings of game two, but Cabot jumped on Marion for five in the top of the third. Catcher Brent Dean started the inning by getting plunked by a pitch, but his courtesy runner was thrown out on a force play at third base.
Cole Thomas, who singled, and leadoff hitter Conner Vocque, who reached on the fielder’s choice that put out Dean, both scored on a two-RBI single by Logan. Casey Vaughan followed that with a double in the gap to left-centerfield that scored Logan. Riley Knudsen walked and Coleman McAtee drove in Vaughan with a single to left. Knudsen scored the fifth run of the frame when Kason Kimbrell’s pop up to shallow right field was dropped.
Marion put together a two-out, two-run rally in the bottom of the third. Leadoff hitter Zach Morris and Caleb Marconi drew back-to-back walks. Drake Knowton then singled to score Morris and moved to second when the throw from the outfield went to home plate.
Cleanup hitter Bailey Burford also singled to centerfield to score Marconi. Knowton also tried to score on the play, but Vaughan’s throw to home plate got him for the third out.
Thomas got another five-run rally going for Cabot in the top of the fourth by singling to right field. Vocque and Logan followed with singles and Vaughan walked to score Thomas. Knudsen flew out to right field, but his shot was deep enough to score Vocque from third. McAtee walked to load the bases. Kimbrell then hit a comebacker to the pitcher that got Logan thrown out on a force play at home for the second out. Grason Cole then singled down the right field line to drive in two runs, and Dean doubled to score Kimbrell and make the score 10-2.
Patterson’s last two innings were identical, a groundout followed by two strikeouts. Meanwhile Cabot added the two runs needed to end the game early, one in the fifth and one in the sixth. Logan doubled down the left-field line with one out and moved to third on a grounder to first by Vaughan. He then scored on a wild pitch.
The last run came when Vocque singled to drive in Cole, who beat out a grounder to shortstop for a single.
On Thursday, Cabot knocked off Pulaski Academy 4-3. Sophomore Gavin Tillery started the game and threw well for three innings. He left with the score tied and got a no decision. Knudsen pitched the final three innings and picked up the win.
The three wins this week runs Cabot’s winning streak to four games, and leaves them 8-5 overall and 2-2 in league play. The Panthers travel to Mountain Home for another conference doubleheader on Tuesday.
Leader sports editor
Recent games suggested a tough night for Cabot baseball on Tuesday, but the Panthers put forth their best effort of the season in easily dispatching Marion for an important doubleheader sweep at CHS. Cabot swept the early 7A/6A East Conference matchup by scores of 7-1 and 12-2, and they did it without one of their top two pitchers.
“We beat Jacksonville twice and we barely got by them both times,” Cabot coach Jay Fitch said. “Then Marion smoked them pretty good up at the Jonesboro tournament. So we were a little worried about their hitting coming in here, especially with one of our starting pitchers. We figured out pretty early they struggled a little bit with the breaking stuff, and that’s right down Ryan Logan’s alley.”
Logan started game one on the mound for Cabot and dominated the Patriots’ lineup. He gave up just three hits and one unearned run. He only struck out three and walked two, but Cabot got out of every jam by turning four double plays.
“I don’t know if we’ve turned four double plays all season,” Fitch said. “We had one error the whole night and turned I think five double plays total. So our defensive execution was as good as it’s been all year.”
Zach Patterson took the mound in game two and got stronger as the game wore on. He also gave up three hits and got into a little trouble in the third inning, but otherwise dominated the Patriots. He finished with 10 strikeouts and just three walks.
“I was a little worried about Zach against this team because they hit the fastball so well,” Fitch said. “Zach is our hardest thrower, but this team likes that. Tonight he had his curveball working pretty good too and when he does that, he can be phenomenal. We need to see more consistency from him, but tonight was a great start. If he can start giving us that on a more consistent basis, he can be outstanding.”
Neither team scored in the first two innings of game two, but Cabot jumped on Marion for five in the top of the third. Catcher Brent Dean started the inning by getting plunked by a pitch, but his courtesy runner was thrown out on a force play at third base.
Cole Thomas, who singled, and leadoff hitter Conner Vocque, who reached on the fielder’s choice that put out Dean, both scored on a two-RBI single by Logan. Casey Vaughan followed that with a double in the gap to left-centerfield that scored Logan. Riley Knudsen walked and Coleman McAtee drove in Vaughan with a single to left. Knudsen scored the fifth run of the frame when Kason Kimbrell’s pop up to shallow right field was dropped.
Marion put together a two-out, two-run rally in the bottom of the third. Leadoff hitter Zach Morris and Caleb Marconi drew back-to-back walks. Drake Knowton then singled to score Morris and moved to second when the throw from the outfield went to home plate.
Cleanup hitter Bailey Burford also singled to centerfield to score Marconi. Knowton also tried to score on the play, but Vaughan’s throw to home plate got him for the third out.
Thomas got another five-run rally going for Cabot in the top of the fourth by singling to right field. Vocque and Logan followed with singles and Vaughan walked to score Thomas. Knudsen flew out to right field, but his shot was deep enough to score Vocque from third. McAtee walked to load the bases. Kimbrell then hit a comebacker to the pitcher that got Logan thrown out on a force play at home for the second out. Grason Cole then singled down the right field line to drive in two runs, and Dean doubled to score Kimbrell and make the score 10-2.
Patterson’s last two innings were identical, a groundout followed by two strikeouts. Meanwhile Cabot added the two runs needed to end the game early, one in the fifth and one in the sixth. Logan doubled down the left-field line with one out and moved to third on a grounder to first by Vaughan. He then scored on a wild pitch.
The last run came when Vocque singled to drive in Cole, who beat out a grounder to shortstop for a single.
On Thursday, Cabot knocked off Pulaski Academy 4-3. Sophomore Gavin Tillery started the game and threw well for three innings. He left with the score tied and got a no decision. Knudsen pitched the final three innings and picked up the win.
The three wins this week runs Cabot’s winning streak to four games, and leaves them 8-5 overall and 2-2 in league play. The Panthers travel to Mountain Home for another conference doubleheader on Tuesday.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
GUEST OPINION >> Senate helping payday lenders
By HANK KLEIN
Special to The Leader
Arkansas voters in approving Amendment 89 to our state’s Constitution in 2010 voted to voluntarily raise the interest rate charged on consumer loans. Senate Bill 900 would override the will of the voters and, based on recent history, ultimately pave the way for out-of-state lenders to set up shop in Arkansas and roll back hard-won consumer protections.
SB900 provides that interest rates on consumer loans, currently capped at 17 percent annual percentage rate under Amendment 89, would be instead be set “as defined” by the Arkansas General Assembly. A famous quote from Spanish philosopher George Santayana crystallizes the danger posed to consumers by SB900: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
In the case of SB900, remembering the recent past is critically important. From 1999-2009, hundreds of payday lenders operated in Arkansas, flouting our state’s Constitution by charging triple-digit interest rates on loans and ensnaring consumers in long-term debt traps. Payday lenders set up shop in Arkansas thanks to a 1999 state law in which payday loan costs were defined as “fees” instead of interest.
The last payday lender closed its doors in Arkansas in August 2009, following a 2008 Arkansas Supreme Court ruling that threw out the 1999 law, a pro-consumer crackdown by the Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel and consumer education efforts by the Arkansans Against Abusive Payday Lending coalition, of which AARP Arkansas is a founding member.
Out-of-state lenders during the 2011 legislative session attempted to secure passage of legislation similar to SB900 that would have overridden the interest-rate protections in Amendment 89 and enabled these lenders to set up shop in Arkansas, offering high-interest loans with terms very similar to payday loans. The 2011 legislation allowed add-on fees that increased the effective interest rate paid by consumers. AAAPL, AARP and the Arkansas Attorney General strongly opposed the 2011 legislation and the sponsors withdrew it from consideration.
Amendment 89 increased the maximum lawful rate of interest on consumer loans from a sliding scale to a flat 17 percent interest rate. This increase opened many additional lending opportunities while still protecting the citizens of Arkansas from high-cost predatory loans.
Section 12 of Amendment 89 authorizes the Arkansas General Assembly “by a three-fourths vote of each house” to “amend the provisions of this amendment so long as the amendments are germane to this amendment and consistent with its policy and purposes.”
SB900, backed by some of the same proponents of the 2011 legislation, would be the first step toward giving high-cost lenders a foot in the door, by authorizing the Legislature to “define” interest rates for consumer loans. SB900 as currently drafted states that the loan APR “would not exceed” 17 percent annually.
However, the effective interest rate paid by consumers would all depend on how the Legislature decided to “define” interest. No legislation is necessary to charge up to 17 percent interest on consumer loans, so the only logical reason behind SB900 is to ultimately authorize a higher effective rate, likely through add-on fees. This frankly doesn’t seem very “germane” to the intent of voters who already agreed to raise loan interest rates less than three years ago.
A second bill, which would require only a simple majority to pass, could then authorize the higher effective rate, opening the door for a repeat of Arkansas’ long payday lending nightmare. SB900 includes an “emergency clause” in which it would take effect immediately if adopted, meaning the higher effective rate could be passed during this very same legislative session.
The bottom line for Arkansas consumers is frighteningly simple: SB900 will unlock the door nailed shut for less than four years and once again expose Arkansas to the abuses of predatory lending. It took nearly 10 years for payday lenders to be driven out of our state. Arkansas does not need to repeat this unfortunate period in our state’s history.
Arkansans already increased the state’s interest rate cap in 2010. If another increase is sought, lenders and others supporting higher-interest loans should be upfront, transparent and seek a specific constitutional amendment to achieve this. The voters and consumers of Arkansas deserve no less.
H.C. “Hank” Klein of North Little Rock is the former president and chief executive officer of the Arkansas Federal Credit Union, an AARP Arkansas Leadership volunteer for financial issues and founder of Arkansans Against Abusive Payday Lending.
Special to The Leader
Arkansas voters in approving Amendment 89 to our state’s Constitution in 2010 voted to voluntarily raise the interest rate charged on consumer loans. Senate Bill 900 would override the will of the voters and, based on recent history, ultimately pave the way for out-of-state lenders to set up shop in Arkansas and roll back hard-won consumer protections.
SB900 provides that interest rates on consumer loans, currently capped at 17 percent annual percentage rate under Amendment 89, would be instead be set “as defined” by the Arkansas General Assembly. A famous quote from Spanish philosopher George Santayana crystallizes the danger posed to consumers by SB900: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
In the case of SB900, remembering the recent past is critically important. From 1999-2009, hundreds of payday lenders operated in Arkansas, flouting our state’s Constitution by charging triple-digit interest rates on loans and ensnaring consumers in long-term debt traps. Payday lenders set up shop in Arkansas thanks to a 1999 state law in which payday loan costs were defined as “fees” instead of interest.
The last payday lender closed its doors in Arkansas in August 2009, following a 2008 Arkansas Supreme Court ruling that threw out the 1999 law, a pro-consumer crackdown by the Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel and consumer education efforts by the Arkansans Against Abusive Payday Lending coalition, of which AARP Arkansas is a founding member.
Out-of-state lenders during the 2011 legislative session attempted to secure passage of legislation similar to SB900 that would have overridden the interest-rate protections in Amendment 89 and enabled these lenders to set up shop in Arkansas, offering high-interest loans with terms very similar to payday loans. The 2011 legislation allowed add-on fees that increased the effective interest rate paid by consumers. AAAPL, AARP and the Arkansas Attorney General strongly opposed the 2011 legislation and the sponsors withdrew it from consideration.
Amendment 89 increased the maximum lawful rate of interest on consumer loans from a sliding scale to a flat 17 percent interest rate. This increase opened many additional lending opportunities while still protecting the citizens of Arkansas from high-cost predatory loans.
Section 12 of Amendment 89 authorizes the Arkansas General Assembly “by a three-fourths vote of each house” to “amend the provisions of this amendment so long as the amendments are germane to this amendment and consistent with its policy and purposes.”
SB900, backed by some of the same proponents of the 2011 legislation, would be the first step toward giving high-cost lenders a foot in the door, by authorizing the Legislature to “define” interest rates for consumer loans. SB900 as currently drafted states that the loan APR “would not exceed” 17 percent annually.
However, the effective interest rate paid by consumers would all depend on how the Legislature decided to “define” interest. No legislation is necessary to charge up to 17 percent interest on consumer loans, so the only logical reason behind SB900 is to ultimately authorize a higher effective rate, likely through add-on fees. This frankly doesn’t seem very “germane” to the intent of voters who already agreed to raise loan interest rates less than three years ago.
A second bill, which would require only a simple majority to pass, could then authorize the higher effective rate, opening the door for a repeat of Arkansas’ long payday lending nightmare. SB900 includes an “emergency clause” in which it would take effect immediately if adopted, meaning the higher effective rate could be passed during this very same legislative session.
The bottom line for Arkansas consumers is frighteningly simple: SB900 will unlock the door nailed shut for less than four years and once again expose Arkansas to the abuses of predatory lending. It took nearly 10 years for payday lenders to be driven out of our state. Arkansas does not need to repeat this unfortunate period in our state’s history.
Arkansans already increased the state’s interest rate cap in 2010. If another increase is sought, lenders and others supporting higher-interest loans should be upfront, transparent and seek a specific constitutional amendment to achieve this. The voters and consumers of Arkansas deserve no less.
H.C. “Hank” Klein of North Little Rock is the former president and chief executive officer of the Arkansas Federal Credit Union, an AARP Arkansas Leadership volunteer for financial issues and founder of Arkansans Against Abusive Payday Lending.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
SPORTS STORY >> Panthers hold off Kickapoo charge
By GRAHAM POWELL
Leader sportswriter
Two costly errors made Cabot’s second round game of the 2013 Central Arkansas Invitational interesting, but Conner Vocque’s run in the seventh allowed the Panthers to escape with a 3-2 victory over Kickapoo, Mo., on Friday at Lamar Porter Field in Little Rock.
Cabot (5-5, 0-2) never trailed in the game, but never led by more than one run. The Panthers led 2-1 in the bottom of the sixth inning and were one out away from taking that lead into the seventh and final inning. But that was when Cabot committed its only two errors of the game.
Kickapoo’s Ryan Stevens hit a hard, one-hop grounder to shortstop. Cole Thomas fielded it cleanly, but the throw to first was just out of the reach of first baseman Tristan Bulice, and Stevens made it to first base safely.
The inning appeared to be over the next at bat as Hunter Kniepfel hit a high fly ball near first base. AsBulice positioned himself to make the catch, there was confusion between Bulice and second baseman Riley Knudsen as to who called for the ball.
The ball landed between Bulice and Knudsen, and as both players looked at each other in confusion, Stevens scored from second base to tie the game at 2-2. Stevens advanced to second on a stolen base while Kniepfel was at the plate.
“We had a sophomore (Bulice) over there at first base,” said Cabot coach Jay Fitch. “He called it initially is what happened. Our second baseman comes in and says ‘bull, bull’. His (Bulice) nickname is bull. Our lingo for that is, and this is what we work on, when you want the ball, you call ‘ball, ball.’
“If not, it’s ‘take it, take it, take it.’ So that way it sounds nothing like it. But ball and bull, the sophomore thinks he’s being called off the ball. So we let it drop, but our defense was a lot better today. It was pretty crisp up until there at the end.”
Fortunately for the Panthers, they got a run when they needed it the most. Vocque, Cabot’s junior centerfielder, led off the top of the seventh with a line-drive single to left centerfield.
Vocque then got in scoring position by stealing second base with leadoff hitter Ryan Logan at the plate with no outs.
Logan advanced Vocque over to third with a sacrifice fly to deep centerfield. Bulice then came to the plate and hit a bloop single to right field to drive in Vocque and set the final score. The Chiefs (1-3) went three up, three down in the bottom of the seventh to end the game.
Junior Kason Kimbrell got the win on the mound for Cabot. He pitched two full innings with two strikeouts, no walks and no hits. Cabot’s two errors in the sixth negated Chipper Morris’s chance to get the win as he threw a one-hitter in five innings of work. He struck out eight batters, walked three and gave up just one run.
“I was really proud of our pitching effort,” Fitch said. “Chipper, he’s a senior pitcher. Again, we don’t have anyone that’s going to blow anybody away. But he knows how to pitch. His curveball, and he was dropping down a little bit today, so he was giving them different looks that kept them off balance.”
Cabot totaled seven hits in the game. Vocque and Casey Vaughan each had two hits, while Coleman McAtee, Knudsen and Bulice had a hit apiece. Chase Marable doubled to left centerfield in the third inning for Kickapoo’s only hit.
The Panthers return to 7A/6A East Conference play today as they host Marion in a doubleheader at the Cabot Baseball Complex. The first part of the twin bill starts at 4 p.m.
Leader sportswriter
Two costly errors made Cabot’s second round game of the 2013 Central Arkansas Invitational interesting, but Conner Vocque’s run in the seventh allowed the Panthers to escape with a 3-2 victory over Kickapoo, Mo., on Friday at Lamar Porter Field in Little Rock.
Cabot (5-5, 0-2) never trailed in the game, but never led by more than one run. The Panthers led 2-1 in the bottom of the sixth inning and were one out away from taking that lead into the seventh and final inning. But that was when Cabot committed its only two errors of the game.
Kickapoo’s Ryan Stevens hit a hard, one-hop grounder to shortstop. Cole Thomas fielded it cleanly, but the throw to first was just out of the reach of first baseman Tristan Bulice, and Stevens made it to first base safely.
The inning appeared to be over the next at bat as Hunter Kniepfel hit a high fly ball near first base. AsBulice positioned himself to make the catch, there was confusion between Bulice and second baseman Riley Knudsen as to who called for the ball.
The ball landed between Bulice and Knudsen, and as both players looked at each other in confusion, Stevens scored from second base to tie the game at 2-2. Stevens advanced to second on a stolen base while Kniepfel was at the plate.
“We had a sophomore (Bulice) over there at first base,” said Cabot coach Jay Fitch. “He called it initially is what happened. Our second baseman comes in and says ‘bull, bull’. His (Bulice) nickname is bull. Our lingo for that is, and this is what we work on, when you want the ball, you call ‘ball, ball.’
“If not, it’s ‘take it, take it, take it.’ So that way it sounds nothing like it. But ball and bull, the sophomore thinks he’s being called off the ball. So we let it drop, but our defense was a lot better today. It was pretty crisp up until there at the end.”
Fortunately for the Panthers, they got a run when they needed it the most. Vocque, Cabot’s junior centerfielder, led off the top of the seventh with a line-drive single to left centerfield.
Vocque then got in scoring position by stealing second base with leadoff hitter Ryan Logan at the plate with no outs.
Logan advanced Vocque over to third with a sacrifice fly to deep centerfield. Bulice then came to the plate and hit a bloop single to right field to drive in Vocque and set the final score. The Chiefs (1-3) went three up, three down in the bottom of the seventh to end the game.
Junior Kason Kimbrell got the win on the mound for Cabot. He pitched two full innings with two strikeouts, no walks and no hits. Cabot’s two errors in the sixth negated Chipper Morris’s chance to get the win as he threw a one-hitter in five innings of work. He struck out eight batters, walked three and gave up just one run.
“I was really proud of our pitching effort,” Fitch said. “Chipper, he’s a senior pitcher. Again, we don’t have anyone that’s going to blow anybody away. But he knows how to pitch. His curveball, and he was dropping down a little bit today, so he was giving them different looks that kept them off balance.”
Cabot totaled seven hits in the game. Vocque and Casey Vaughan each had two hits, while Coleman McAtee, Knudsen and Bulice had a hit apiece. Chase Marable doubled to left centerfield in the third inning for Kickapoo’s only hit.
The Panthers return to 7A/6A East Conference play today as they host Marion in a doubleheader at the Cabot Baseball Complex. The first part of the twin bill starts at 4 p.m.
SPORTS STORY >> March perfect for Bison boys
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
It’s still early, but the Carlisle Bison have started the 2013 baseball season with the same momentum and vigor that took them to the class 2A state title game last spring with a 5-0 run through the month of March.
Spring break and unpredictable weather have combined to give the Bison a two-week break before they finally picked back up on their schedule with a non-conference game at Bigelow last night.
With six seniors graduated from last year’s state runner-up team, this year had all the indications of a rebuilding season with only one senior on the roster, but an impressive 7-3 victory over 4A contender Heber Springs served notice that the Bison are still for real. Carlisle won its first two 2A-6 Conference games with a doubleheader sweep of Palestine-Wheatley just before spring break.
The team is also adjusting to a change at the helm, as last year’s coach B.J. Greene took over at Heber Springs for 2013, while last year’s assistant and basketball head coach William Rountree took over the Bison program.
“We’ve been pleased with the start,” Rountree said. “We’ve got some younger guys who have played some, and some others with a little bit of experience, and they’ve come together and played well. We’re not into the meat of our schedule, but so far, we’ve been pleased. We’ve got to get better like everyone else, but they’ve done well so far.”
Chris Hart is the only senior on this year’s team. The two-time all-state player starts at shortstop and pitcher, and so far has a 2-0 record on the mound and is batting close to .500. Junior Josh Mathis is the Bison’s ace pitcher and leadoff batter. The all-conference player starts at first base when not on the mound, and so far is 3-0 in games he has started as pitcher.
Another junior, Austin Reed, starts at second base and shortstop, batting third in the lineup in front of classmate Deron Ricks, who leads the team in RBIs from his cleanup position.
Junior third baseman Dylan Brazeale is 8 of 9 from the plate through the first five games, while sophomore Nick Schafer solidified his spot in the lineup with a big RBI in the nightcap victory over Palestine-Wheatley.
Also in the lineup are junior Tyler Young and sophomore Thomas McCauley, with selected starts at the catcher position for sophomore Jacob Garden, who Rountree said has been solid early on.
The Bison started the season with a pair of blowout wins with a 12-1 rout over England and a 15-1 victory against Bigelow. The win over Heber Springs proceeded 8-4 and 6-4 victories over a solid Palestine-Wheatley team to give Carlisle a 2-0 league record heading into spring break.
“Palestine Wheatley is a good team,” Rountree said. “They played us tough. They’re really improved. Hazen is pretty good this year, they have a bunch of guys back. I don’t know a lot about Des Arc’s personnel this year, but through the years, they have been good.
“The way we do it in conference, it’s always doubleheaders, so you can’t afford to have a bad day. You could end up losing two if you have a bad one.”
The Bison will play a 2A-6 Conference doubleheader at Des Arc on Thursday.
Leader sports editor
It’s still early, but the Carlisle Bison have started the 2013 baseball season with the same momentum and vigor that took them to the class 2A state title game last spring with a 5-0 run through the month of March.
Spring break and unpredictable weather have combined to give the Bison a two-week break before they finally picked back up on their schedule with a non-conference game at Bigelow last night.
With six seniors graduated from last year’s state runner-up team, this year had all the indications of a rebuilding season with only one senior on the roster, but an impressive 7-3 victory over 4A contender Heber Springs served notice that the Bison are still for real. Carlisle won its first two 2A-6 Conference games with a doubleheader sweep of Palestine-Wheatley just before spring break.
The team is also adjusting to a change at the helm, as last year’s coach B.J. Greene took over at Heber Springs for 2013, while last year’s assistant and basketball head coach William Rountree took over the Bison program.
“We’ve been pleased with the start,” Rountree said. “We’ve got some younger guys who have played some, and some others with a little bit of experience, and they’ve come together and played well. We’re not into the meat of our schedule, but so far, we’ve been pleased. We’ve got to get better like everyone else, but they’ve done well so far.”
Chris Hart is the only senior on this year’s team. The two-time all-state player starts at shortstop and pitcher, and so far has a 2-0 record on the mound and is batting close to .500. Junior Josh Mathis is the Bison’s ace pitcher and leadoff batter. The all-conference player starts at first base when not on the mound, and so far is 3-0 in games he has started as pitcher.
Another junior, Austin Reed, starts at second base and shortstop, batting third in the lineup in front of classmate Deron Ricks, who leads the team in RBIs from his cleanup position.
Junior third baseman Dylan Brazeale is 8 of 9 from the plate through the first five games, while sophomore Nick Schafer solidified his spot in the lineup with a big RBI in the nightcap victory over Palestine-Wheatley.
Also in the lineup are junior Tyler Young and sophomore Thomas McCauley, with selected starts at the catcher position for sophomore Jacob Garden, who Rountree said has been solid early on.
The Bison started the season with a pair of blowout wins with a 12-1 rout over England and a 15-1 victory against Bigelow. The win over Heber Springs proceeded 8-4 and 6-4 victories over a solid Palestine-Wheatley team to give Carlisle a 2-0 league record heading into spring break.
“Palestine Wheatley is a good team,” Rountree said. “They played us tough. They’re really improved. Hazen is pretty good this year, they have a bunch of guys back. I don’t know a lot about Des Arc’s personnel this year, but through the years, they have been good.
“The way we do it in conference, it’s always doubleheaders, so you can’t afford to have a bad day. You could end up losing two if you have a bad one.”
The Bison will play a 2A-6 Conference doubleheader at Des Arc on Thursday.
SPORTS STORY >> NP softball hosts event at Dupree
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
North Pulaski’s Jae Lynn Russell Memorial softball tournament begins Friday at Dupree Park with one of the largest fields in tournament history. Nine teams mostly from central Arkansas take part in the eighth-annual event. A total of 18 games are scheduled over Friday and Saturday if weather holds out.
The hosting Lady Falcons start things off at 1 p.m. Friday against Mayflower. The Lady Eagles won a tournament at Sherwood Sports Complex before spring break. North Pulaski lost its last game before spring break to Lonoke while shorthanded. Before that, the Lady Falcons swept their conference opener against Pulaski Academy 24-2 and 20-0. They also beat Little Rock Christian on Tuesday to remain undefeated in the 5A Central Conference.
The winner of that game will play again at 11 a.m. Saturday. The loser plays again at 4 p.m. Friday against the loser of the other 1 p.m. game, Jacksonville vs. Maumelle.
The Lady Red Devils lost their last two before spring break and Friday will be their first game since returning to school this week. Those two losses were both close contests against Bauxite and Wynne. Against Wynne, the defending class 5A East champions, Jacksonville had a 7-3 lead in the sixth inning before things fell apart in the 10-7 loss.
Lonoke takes on Joe T. Robinson High School at 2:30 p.m. on field six, and Little Rock Hall plays the Jacksonville-Maumelle winner at the same time on field seven. The final first-round game is at 10 a.m. Saturday between Forrest City and Tuckerman.
The championship game is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Saturday on field six.
Leader sports editor
North Pulaski’s Jae Lynn Russell Memorial softball tournament begins Friday at Dupree Park with one of the largest fields in tournament history. Nine teams mostly from central Arkansas take part in the eighth-annual event. A total of 18 games are scheduled over Friday and Saturday if weather holds out.
The hosting Lady Falcons start things off at 1 p.m. Friday against Mayflower. The Lady Eagles won a tournament at Sherwood Sports Complex before spring break. North Pulaski lost its last game before spring break to Lonoke while shorthanded. Before that, the Lady Falcons swept their conference opener against Pulaski Academy 24-2 and 20-0. They also beat Little Rock Christian on Tuesday to remain undefeated in the 5A Central Conference.
The winner of that game will play again at 11 a.m. Saturday. The loser plays again at 4 p.m. Friday against the loser of the other 1 p.m. game, Jacksonville vs. Maumelle.
The Lady Red Devils lost their last two before spring break and Friday will be their first game since returning to school this week. Those two losses were both close contests against Bauxite and Wynne. Against Wynne, the defending class 5A East champions, Jacksonville had a 7-3 lead in the sixth inning before things fell apart in the 10-7 loss.
Lonoke takes on Joe T. Robinson High School at 2:30 p.m. on field six, and Little Rock Hall plays the Jacksonville-Maumelle winner at the same time on field seven. The final first-round game is at 10 a.m. Saturday between Forrest City and Tuckerman.
The championship game is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Saturday on field six.
SPORTS STORY >> Cabot ladies crush Marion
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
The Cabot Lady Panthers did not let the interruption of spring break interfere with their strong start to the 2013 soccer season with a blistering 10-0 rout against Marion on Monday. The road win lifted the Lady Panthers to 2-0 in 7A/6A East Conference play and 3-1-1 overall.
There was no shortage of scorers as eight different Cabot players put up points against the Lady Patriots, including two goals each for junior Jessica Souza and Maddie Rice. Braxton Reed, Hana Christensen, Heather Payne, Keeara Carter, McKenna Smart and Devin Patterson also sent the ball past Marion’s goalkeeper for scores in the lopsided affair.
“We possessed very well and weren’t sluggish at all after the break,” Lady Panthers coach Kerry Castillo said. “Some of our younger players showed some signs of brilliance like Hana Christensen. She’s so athletic and can control the ball on the first touch whether it’s in the air or on the ground.”
While a dominating offensive attack lit up the scoreboard for Cabot, Castillo was also pleased with his team’s defensive performance.
“Tabby Owens controlled our pace in the midfield,” Castillo said. “And our backline of Melody Sampson, Kristen Oitker, Devin Patterson and Codee Park stifled any attacks and were also very active in our possession.”
Defense has been the Lady Panthers’ calling card in the early season, as the win over Marion marked the third shutout for Cabot through five games. It all started with a 5-0 shutout over West Plains, Mo. before a 0-0 tie in regulation against Siloam Springs resulted in a 5-4 loss in the penalty-kick period. The Lady Panthers then tied Sheridan 1-1 in their final nonconference matchup, and headed into spring break with a 1-0 7A/6A East victory over North Little Rock.
Owens and Sydney Farqu-harson each scored two goals in the win over West Plains with another goal by Reed. Park was the only scorer for Cabot in the tie against Sheridan and victory over North Little Rock.
“I can’t say enough about our defenders and keeper,” Castillo said. “We played four games the last week before spring break and only allowed one goal, in which we were playing without one of our fullbacks. We’ll face a much tougher opponent in Little Rock Central later on this week.”
Cabot will host the Lady Tigers at Panther Stadium on Thursday as part of a girls’ and boys’ varsity doubleheader starting at 5 p.m.
Leader sportswriter
The Cabot Lady Panthers did not let the interruption of spring break interfere with their strong start to the 2013 soccer season with a blistering 10-0 rout against Marion on Monday. The road win lifted the Lady Panthers to 2-0 in 7A/6A East Conference play and 3-1-1 overall.
There was no shortage of scorers as eight different Cabot players put up points against the Lady Patriots, including two goals each for junior Jessica Souza and Maddie Rice. Braxton Reed, Hana Christensen, Heather Payne, Keeara Carter, McKenna Smart and Devin Patterson also sent the ball past Marion’s goalkeeper for scores in the lopsided affair.
“We possessed very well and weren’t sluggish at all after the break,” Lady Panthers coach Kerry Castillo said. “Some of our younger players showed some signs of brilliance like Hana Christensen. She’s so athletic and can control the ball on the first touch whether it’s in the air or on the ground.”
While a dominating offensive attack lit up the scoreboard for Cabot, Castillo was also pleased with his team’s defensive performance.
“Tabby Owens controlled our pace in the midfield,” Castillo said. “And our backline of Melody Sampson, Kristen Oitker, Devin Patterson and Codee Park stifled any attacks and were also very active in our possession.”
Defense has been the Lady Panthers’ calling card in the early season, as the win over Marion marked the third shutout for Cabot through five games. It all started with a 5-0 shutout over West Plains, Mo. before a 0-0 tie in regulation against Siloam Springs resulted in a 5-4 loss in the penalty-kick period. The Lady Panthers then tied Sheridan 1-1 in their final nonconference matchup, and headed into spring break with a 1-0 7A/6A East victory over North Little Rock.
Owens and Sydney Farqu-harson each scored two goals in the win over West Plains with another goal by Reed. Park was the only scorer for Cabot in the tie against Sheridan and victory over North Little Rock.
“I can’t say enough about our defenders and keeper,” Castillo said. “We played four games the last week before spring break and only allowed one goal, in which we were playing without one of our fullbacks. We’ll face a much tougher opponent in Little Rock Central later on this week.”
Cabot will host the Lady Tigers at Panther Stadium on Thursday as part of a girls’ and boys’ varsity doubleheader starting at 5 p.m.
SPORTS STORY >> Lonoke hammers the Hounds
By GRAHAM POWELL
Leader sportswriter
After five innings of play, it looked as if Lonoke would easily end its 4A-2 Conference meeting against Newport with a blowout victory. However, the Greyhounds made it interesting with a sixth inning rally, but the Jackrabbits responded in the bottom part of the inning to win 14-7 Monday at the Lonoke baseball field.
“It was an ugly, windy game for both teams,” said Lonoke coach Darrick Lowery. “We both made some mistakes to help each other out. We hit the ball well. We scored every inning. That was one of our goals, just to try and keep tacking on at least one every inning. So I was pleased with that.
“Pitching, I thought we did a good job. You know, with the wind and them poking it out there every once in a while, that’s going to happen. All in all, a pretty good day.”
Led by shortstop Blake Gooden’s four RBIs, the Jackrabbits led 8-2 after three innings of play. The highlight of Gooden’s day was a three-run home run over the left field wall in the second inning that gave Lonoke (8-5, 2-0) a five-run lead.
Newport (4-4, 1-1) managed to get a run on the board in the top of the fourth, but in the bottom part of the inning, Jackrabbits’ catcher Madison James hit a two-run home run that towered over the wall in straight centerfield that put the home team up 10-3.
Lonoke grabbed its biggest lead in the fifth with a bloop single to left field by cleanup hitter Guy Halbert that drove in Gooden, making the score 11-3. Newport didn’t lie down and quit, and finally got some key hits off starting pitcher Zack Risner in the sixth.
Risner was solid through the first five innings, but the Greyhounds started connecting consecutively in the sixth, scoring four runs to cut the Jackrabbit lead to 11-7. Garrett Spears came in to relieve Risner, and put an end to the Greyhounds’ rally.
Lonoke responded by scoring three runs in the bottom of the sixth to get back to a comfortable seven-run lead. The Jackrabbits scored all three runs in the inning with two outs. Nick Graves started the two-out rally with a line-drive single to right centerfield.
Graves moved to second base on a passed ball, and leadoff hitter Shane Pepper drove in Graves the next at bat with a line-drive single of his own, this one to straight centerfield. It was Pepper’s fourth hit of the day.
A stolen base allowed Pepper to score from second as two-hole hitter Christian James hit an RBI-single to right field. James also stole second, and set the final score after crossing home plate on a fly ball to centerfield by Gooden, which was dropped by the Newport centerfielder.
The Greyhounds actually outhit the Jackrabbits, last year’s class 4A state runner-up, 15-12. But Lonoke had timely hits, and committed just one error to Newport’s four. Risner earned the win as he struck out seven and had no walks.
Even though Lonoke got the win, the head Jackrabbit sees a lot of areas where his team will need to improve if it wants to put itself in position to make another postseason run comparable to last year’s.
“There are always things we can work on,” Lowery said. “Pitching wise, we threw a few too many pitches today. That’s one thing we’ve always been keen on is trying to keep our pitch count down. And then we just need to eliminate some mental mistakes. We still had some mental mistakes today.”
Newport had seven different players with multiple hits, but Lonoke had a solid day at the plate as well. Pepper’s 4 for 4 outing led all batters. Halbert and Madison James had two hits each. Christian James, Gooden, Risner and Graves had a hit apiece.
Lonoke took a break from conference play yesterday with a game against Des Arc at home, and will resume 4A-2 play tomorrow at Southside Batesville. That game starts at 4 p.m.
Leader sportswriter
After five innings of play, it looked as if Lonoke would easily end its 4A-2 Conference meeting against Newport with a blowout victory. However, the Greyhounds made it interesting with a sixth inning rally, but the Jackrabbits responded in the bottom part of the inning to win 14-7 Monday at the Lonoke baseball field.
“It was an ugly, windy game for both teams,” said Lonoke coach Darrick Lowery. “We both made some mistakes to help each other out. We hit the ball well. We scored every inning. That was one of our goals, just to try and keep tacking on at least one every inning. So I was pleased with that.
“Pitching, I thought we did a good job. You know, with the wind and them poking it out there every once in a while, that’s going to happen. All in all, a pretty good day.”
Led by shortstop Blake Gooden’s four RBIs, the Jackrabbits led 8-2 after three innings of play. The highlight of Gooden’s day was a three-run home run over the left field wall in the second inning that gave Lonoke (8-5, 2-0) a five-run lead.
Newport (4-4, 1-1) managed to get a run on the board in the top of the fourth, but in the bottom part of the inning, Jackrabbits’ catcher Madison James hit a two-run home run that towered over the wall in straight centerfield that put the home team up 10-3.
Lonoke grabbed its biggest lead in the fifth with a bloop single to left field by cleanup hitter Guy Halbert that drove in Gooden, making the score 11-3. Newport didn’t lie down and quit, and finally got some key hits off starting pitcher Zack Risner in the sixth.
Risner was solid through the first five innings, but the Greyhounds started connecting consecutively in the sixth, scoring four runs to cut the Jackrabbit lead to 11-7. Garrett Spears came in to relieve Risner, and put an end to the Greyhounds’ rally.
Lonoke responded by scoring three runs in the bottom of the sixth to get back to a comfortable seven-run lead. The Jackrabbits scored all three runs in the inning with two outs. Nick Graves started the two-out rally with a line-drive single to right centerfield.
Graves moved to second base on a passed ball, and leadoff hitter Shane Pepper drove in Graves the next at bat with a line-drive single of his own, this one to straight centerfield. It was Pepper’s fourth hit of the day.
A stolen base allowed Pepper to score from second as two-hole hitter Christian James hit an RBI-single to right field. James also stole second, and set the final score after crossing home plate on a fly ball to centerfield by Gooden, which was dropped by the Newport centerfielder.
The Greyhounds actually outhit the Jackrabbits, last year’s class 4A state runner-up, 15-12. But Lonoke had timely hits, and committed just one error to Newport’s four. Risner earned the win as he struck out seven and had no walks.
Even though Lonoke got the win, the head Jackrabbit sees a lot of areas where his team will need to improve if it wants to put itself in position to make another postseason run comparable to last year’s.
“There are always things we can work on,” Lowery said. “Pitching wise, we threw a few too many pitches today. That’s one thing we’ve always been keen on is trying to keep our pitch count down. And then we just need to eliminate some mental mistakes. We still had some mental mistakes today.”
Newport had seven different players with multiple hits, but Lonoke had a solid day at the plate as well. Pepper’s 4 for 4 outing led all batters. Halbert and Madison James had two hits each. Christian James, Gooden, Risner and Graves had a hit apiece.
Lonoke took a break from conference play yesterday with a game against Des Arc at home, and will resume 4A-2 play tomorrow at Southside Batesville. That game starts at 4 p.m.
TOP STORY >> Puppy-mill owner guilty
By JOAN McCOY
Leader staff writer
An Austin-area woman arrested last summer on multiple charges of cruelty to animals has been found guilty of some of those charges and will go before Circuit Judge Sandy Huckabee Friday for sentencing.
Jurors heard testimony for three days before deliberating four hours on March 15 and finding Sandra Nance, 57, guilty of five counts of cruelty to animals and her husband Marcus, 62, not guilty.
Both were acquitted of aggravated animal cruelty, a felony charge that implies animal torture.
The jury was not able to reach agreement on a sentencing recommendation after two hours of deliberation so Huckabee will decide that on Friday.
The judge also will decide what will become of the 137 dogs that were seized on June 28, 2012, by the Lonoke County Sheriff’s Office and the Humane Society of Pulaski County where they are still held.
Until the judge says otherwise, they still belong to the Nances, said Lonoke County deputy prosecutor Ben Hooper, who handled the case with deputy prosecutor Paula Jones.
Jones also works part time for North Little Rock prosecuting animal cases.
The Nances were represented by Jerry Sallings and Seth Jewell, both of Little Rock.
Essentially, Sandra Nance was convicted for keeping her dogs in poor conditions and not providing them with veterinary care, but not of running a puppy mill but.
She raised her puppies in kennels about 100 feet from her home and sold them at a store in Searcy.
She raised several breeds including Airedale terriers, schnauzers, Chihuahuas as well as English bulldogs which she said could sell for as much as $3,500 each.
The prosecution brought in veterinarians who testified to the poor conditions in which the dogs were kept and to their deteriorated health from lack of proper medical care.
Sandra Nance’s defense was that she was able to provide proper care herself.
Cruelty to animals is a misdemeanor. Nance could be fined from $150 to $1,000 for each conviction and be sentenced to one day to one year of community service or one day to one year in jail.
A spokesman for the Humane Society said the dogs will be adopted if the judge gives his approval.
Leader staff writer
An Austin-area woman arrested last summer on multiple charges of cruelty to animals has been found guilty of some of those charges and will go before Circuit Judge Sandy Huckabee Friday for sentencing.
Jurors heard testimony for three days before deliberating four hours on March 15 and finding Sandra Nance, 57, guilty of five counts of cruelty to animals and her husband Marcus, 62, not guilty.
Both were acquitted of aggravated animal cruelty, a felony charge that implies animal torture.
The jury was not able to reach agreement on a sentencing recommendation after two hours of deliberation so Huckabee will decide that on Friday.
The judge also will decide what will become of the 137 dogs that were seized on June 28, 2012, by the Lonoke County Sheriff’s Office and the Humane Society of Pulaski County where they are still held.
Until the judge says otherwise, they still belong to the Nances, said Lonoke County deputy prosecutor Ben Hooper, who handled the case with deputy prosecutor Paula Jones.
Jones also works part time for North Little Rock prosecuting animal cases.
The Nances were represented by Jerry Sallings and Seth Jewell, both of Little Rock.
Essentially, Sandra Nance was convicted for keeping her dogs in poor conditions and not providing them with veterinary care, but not of running a puppy mill but.
She raised her puppies in kennels about 100 feet from her home and sold them at a store in Searcy.
She raised several breeds including Airedale terriers, schnauzers, Chihuahuas as well as English bulldogs which she said could sell for as much as $3,500 each.
The prosecution brought in veterinarians who testified to the poor conditions in which the dogs were kept and to their deteriorated health from lack of proper medical care.
Sandra Nance’s defense was that she was able to provide proper care herself.
Cruelty to animals is a misdemeanor. Nance could be fined from $150 to $1,000 for each conviction and be sentenced to one day to one year of community service or one day to one year in jail.
A spokesman for the Humane Society said the dogs will be adopted if the judge gives his approval.
TOP STORY >> Beebe approves bonds for water
By JEFFREY SMITH
Leader staff writer
A $3 million bond issue for improving Beebe’s water service was approved by aldermen during Monday’s city council meeting.
The 20-year bond will fund two projects. Engineer Don Beavers with B and F Engineering of Hot Springs told the council one project will connect the city to the Lonoke-White Public Water Authority’s water main from Greers Ferry Lake by the end of the year.
“Beebe will get 10 percent of its water supply, about 600,000 to 700,000 gallons a day, from Greers Ferry,” Beavers said.
The water will be mixed at the city’s water treatment plant with water from Beebe’s six wells.
The second project will replace the city’s galvanized and cast-iron water main lines. All but three water mains are planned for replacement.
Water rates will not be raised to fund the two projects.
J. Shepherd Russell III, managing partner with the law firm of Friday, Eldredge and Clark of Little Rock, said the Arkansas Development Finance Authority will purchase the bond at an interest rate of 2.25 percent.
Mayor Mike Robertson informed the council that earlier in the month the Beebe VFW Post 7769 presented a $1,000 donation to the city’s animal shelter. The money is designated to pay for the sterilization costs of dogs adopted from the shelter by residents who cannot afford to pay to spay and neuter their pet.
Beebe will hold a spring cleanup during April. Residents can use the dumpsters at 209 W. Idaho St. for free all month. Hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Dumping shingles, tires or car batteries is not allowed.
Leader staff writer
A $3 million bond issue for improving Beebe’s water service was approved by aldermen during Monday’s city council meeting.
The 20-year bond will fund two projects. Engineer Don Beavers with B and F Engineering of Hot Springs told the council one project will connect the city to the Lonoke-White Public Water Authority’s water main from Greers Ferry Lake by the end of the year.
“Beebe will get 10 percent of its water supply, about 600,000 to 700,000 gallons a day, from Greers Ferry,” Beavers said.
The water will be mixed at the city’s water treatment plant with water from Beebe’s six wells.
The second project will replace the city’s galvanized and cast-iron water main lines. All but three water mains are planned for replacement.
Water rates will not be raised to fund the two projects.
J. Shepherd Russell III, managing partner with the law firm of Friday, Eldredge and Clark of Little Rock, said the Arkansas Development Finance Authority will purchase the bond at an interest rate of 2.25 percent.
Mayor Mike Robertson informed the council that earlier in the month the Beebe VFW Post 7769 presented a $1,000 donation to the city’s animal shelter. The money is designated to pay for the sterilization costs of dogs adopted from the shelter by residents who cannot afford to pay to spay and neuter their pet.
Beebe will hold a spring cleanup during April. Residents can use the dumpsters at 209 W. Idaho St. for free all month. Hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Dumping shingles, tires or car batteries is not allowed.
TOP STORY >> Beebe’s veto goes before lawmakers
By JOHN HOFHEIMER
Leader senior staff writer
The Arkansas Senate could vote today to overturn Gov. Mike Beebe’s veto of a voter ID bill that passed mostly along party lines last week, according to Sen. Jonathan Dismang (R-Searcy).
There is a chance the veto can be sustained in the House, according to Rep. Jim Nickels (D-Sherwood).
“(Rep.) Walls McCrary (D-Lonoke) thought he voted against it,” Nickels said, but his vote counted as an “aye” for voter ID.
Nickels said with McCrary voting to sustain the override, there could be 50 votes against override — enough to block it unless House Speaker Davy Carter (R-Cabot), votes for it.
He said Speaker Carter usually doesn’t vote, but if he does, that would probably be sufficient to override the veto.
The bill, which originated in the House, passed the Senate on March 19 and some legislators Tuesday said they were confident of an override. Arkansas has a relatively weak governor, with only a simple majority in each house needed to override his veto.
“Senate Bill 2…is an expensive solution in search of a problem,” Beebe said Monday, upon vetoing the bill. “The Bureau of Legislative Research estimates (it) will cost approximately $300,000 in tax dollars to implement,” he said, not including future costs.
“I cannot approve such an unnecessary measure that would negatively impact one of our most precious rights as citizens,” he said.
Opponents of the voter ID law — that’s the Democrats — say it will disproportionately make voting more difficult for the poor, elderly and minorities, and that is why Republicans pushed the bill.
Republicans, including Stuart Soffer, a state election commissioner from Jefferson County, say it’s just intended to make elections fair and cost effective and should streamline voting.
But Beebe said, “At a time when some argue for the reduction of unnecessary bureaucracy and for reduced government spending, I find it ironic to be presented with a bill that increases government bureaucracy and increases government expenditures, all to address a need that has not been demonstrated.”
A recent study found only about a dozen prosecutions for voter identification fraud at the polls across the United States in the past decade.
Dismang said Tuesday that legislators are dealing with three elephants in the room — a proposed $100 million tax cut, the proposed Big River Steel plant in Mississippi County, and private option-health insurance to cover an additional 250,000 working poor in the state.
“We hope to have a bill dropped on the private option this week,” he said.
House Bill 1770, which amends and expands the state Education Departments toolkit for fixing schools or school districts designated as being in academic, fiscal or facilities distress, is on the Senate Education Committee agenda for today as well, but that doesn’t guarantee that committee will consider or vote on it today. It has 36 bills on the agenda.
“It’s hopefully presented tomorrow in the Senate Education Committee,” Rep. Mark Perry (D-Jacksonville) said Tuesday. That and a vote on the Senate floor would be the last step before sending it to Beebe.
The bill, sponsored by Perry, passed the House by an 89 to 1 margin on March 14. Twenty-five of the 30 state senators are listed as co-sponsors of the bill, so Perry said it will pass unless something goes haywire. The governor has said he would sign the bill.
The most significant changes include increasing from two to five the number of years the state can run a distressed school or district, authority to run a single school or schools within a district and authority to make any changes that don’t conflict with the Teacher Fair Dismissal Act and the Public School Employee Fair Hearing Act.
This would seem to give the department authority to abrogate the union contracts. It did that with less cover under the existing law when in addition to replacing the superintendent and dissolving the school board of the Pulaski County Special School District, state Education Commissioner Tom Kimbrell allowed acting superintendent Jerry Guess to void contract language not only affecting direct cost to the district, but also indirect costs, and to decertify the Pulaski Association of Classroom Teachers and Pulaski Association of Support Staff as employee bargaining agents.
Sen. Linda Chesterfield (D-North Little Rock), who has acted in the past to support those unions, has offered a Senate bill of her own that would “require legislative review of the administrative reorganization of school districts’ assumption of administrative authority of a school district, or closure of a school by the state Board of Education.”
Chesterfield’s husband, Emry, is president of PASS. PASS and PACT are currently suing the district in Pulaski Circuit Court over administrative actions that abrogated those employee contracts.
Chesterfield’s Senate Bill 794 was introduced in the Senate Education Committee March 5, and could be considered there today.
Perry also sponsored a bill that would define how a new district, such as the one Jacksonville has been trying to carve out of PCSSD for the past 20 years, would be funded. “It’s not been done before,” he said.
On the Arkansas State Legislature website, Perry’s HB1632 is a shell bill — one with a title and subtitle but as of yet no content.
Tuesday, Senate Bill 374, cosponsored by Sen. Jane English, R-North Little Rock and Sen. Eddie Joe Williams, R-Cabot, was amended to specify the conditions under which defunct dry voting districts may vote on whether or not to allow alcohol sales.
Gray Township, which includes much of the Jacksonville area, is the area that may be most immediately affected.
The question arose when a convenience store chain, not realizing it had built a store in a dry area of a wet county, sought the ability to sell beer at its stores.
As amended, the question could be voted upon if 38 percent of registered voters in the dry area signed a petition to request such a vote.
The proposed bill would allow by-the-drink liquor sales at restaurants and beer and wine sales at groceries and convenience stores.
Perry has said such a law would be good for economic development.
Williams has sponsored a proposed constitutional amendment that would give the state Legislature the authority to set procedures and practices regarding tort reform. Currently that power lies with the state Supreme Court, he said Tuesday.
Leader senior staff writer
The Arkansas Senate could vote today to overturn Gov. Mike Beebe’s veto of a voter ID bill that passed mostly along party lines last week, according to Sen. Jonathan Dismang (R-Searcy).
There is a chance the veto can be sustained in the House, according to Rep. Jim Nickels (D-Sherwood).
“(Rep.) Walls McCrary (D-Lonoke) thought he voted against it,” Nickels said, but his vote counted as an “aye” for voter ID.
Nickels said with McCrary voting to sustain the override, there could be 50 votes against override — enough to block it unless House Speaker Davy Carter (R-Cabot), votes for it.
He said Speaker Carter usually doesn’t vote, but if he does, that would probably be sufficient to override the veto.
The bill, which originated in the House, passed the Senate on March 19 and some legislators Tuesday said they were confident of an override. Arkansas has a relatively weak governor, with only a simple majority in each house needed to override his veto.
“Senate Bill 2…is an expensive solution in search of a problem,” Beebe said Monday, upon vetoing the bill. “The Bureau of Legislative Research estimates (it) will cost approximately $300,000 in tax dollars to implement,” he said, not including future costs.
“I cannot approve such an unnecessary measure that would negatively impact one of our most precious rights as citizens,” he said.
Opponents of the voter ID law — that’s the Democrats — say it will disproportionately make voting more difficult for the poor, elderly and minorities, and that is why Republicans pushed the bill.
Republicans, including Stuart Soffer, a state election commissioner from Jefferson County, say it’s just intended to make elections fair and cost effective and should streamline voting.
But Beebe said, “At a time when some argue for the reduction of unnecessary bureaucracy and for reduced government spending, I find it ironic to be presented with a bill that increases government bureaucracy and increases government expenditures, all to address a need that has not been demonstrated.”
A recent study found only about a dozen prosecutions for voter identification fraud at the polls across the United States in the past decade.
Dismang said Tuesday that legislators are dealing with three elephants in the room — a proposed $100 million tax cut, the proposed Big River Steel plant in Mississippi County, and private option-health insurance to cover an additional 250,000 working poor in the state.
“We hope to have a bill dropped on the private option this week,” he said.
House Bill 1770, which amends and expands the state Education Departments toolkit for fixing schools or school districts designated as being in academic, fiscal or facilities distress, is on the Senate Education Committee agenda for today as well, but that doesn’t guarantee that committee will consider or vote on it today. It has 36 bills on the agenda.
“It’s hopefully presented tomorrow in the Senate Education Committee,” Rep. Mark Perry (D-Jacksonville) said Tuesday. That and a vote on the Senate floor would be the last step before sending it to Beebe.
The bill, sponsored by Perry, passed the House by an 89 to 1 margin on March 14. Twenty-five of the 30 state senators are listed as co-sponsors of the bill, so Perry said it will pass unless something goes haywire. The governor has said he would sign the bill.
The most significant changes include increasing from two to five the number of years the state can run a distressed school or district, authority to run a single school or schools within a district and authority to make any changes that don’t conflict with the Teacher Fair Dismissal Act and the Public School Employee Fair Hearing Act.
This would seem to give the department authority to abrogate the union contracts. It did that with less cover under the existing law when in addition to replacing the superintendent and dissolving the school board of the Pulaski County Special School District, state Education Commissioner Tom Kimbrell allowed acting superintendent Jerry Guess to void contract language not only affecting direct cost to the district, but also indirect costs, and to decertify the Pulaski Association of Classroom Teachers and Pulaski Association of Support Staff as employee bargaining agents.
Sen. Linda Chesterfield (D-North Little Rock), who has acted in the past to support those unions, has offered a Senate bill of her own that would “require legislative review of the administrative reorganization of school districts’ assumption of administrative authority of a school district, or closure of a school by the state Board of Education.”
Chesterfield’s husband, Emry, is president of PASS. PASS and PACT are currently suing the district in Pulaski Circuit Court over administrative actions that abrogated those employee contracts.
Chesterfield’s Senate Bill 794 was introduced in the Senate Education Committee March 5, and could be considered there today.
Perry also sponsored a bill that would define how a new district, such as the one Jacksonville has been trying to carve out of PCSSD for the past 20 years, would be funded. “It’s not been done before,” he said.
On the Arkansas State Legislature website, Perry’s HB1632 is a shell bill — one with a title and subtitle but as of yet no content.
Tuesday, Senate Bill 374, cosponsored by Sen. Jane English, R-North Little Rock and Sen. Eddie Joe Williams, R-Cabot, was amended to specify the conditions under which defunct dry voting districts may vote on whether or not to allow alcohol sales.
Gray Township, which includes much of the Jacksonville area, is the area that may be most immediately affected.
The question arose when a convenience store chain, not realizing it had built a store in a dry area of a wet county, sought the ability to sell beer at its stores.
As amended, the question could be voted upon if 38 percent of registered voters in the dry area signed a petition to request such a vote.
The proposed bill would allow by-the-drink liquor sales at restaurants and beer and wine sales at groceries and convenience stores.
Perry has said such a law would be good for economic development.
Williams has sponsored a proposed constitutional amendment that would give the state Legislature the authority to set procedures and practices regarding tort reform. Currently that power lies with the state Supreme Court, he said Tuesday.
Friday, March 22, 2013
EDITORIAL >> Still doubtful on steel mill
Gov. Beebe, the legislature, the state Economic Development Commission and anyone else who entertained the idea that the state could not pass up the chance to help investors build a steel mill in Mississippi County should now take a deep breath and a step back. The taxpayers may get a good return on the $125 million they are about to put up for the steel mill, but that is looking unlikely. It certainly is not assured, and virtual assurance ought to be the standard for committing so much of the state treasury.
IHS Global Insight, the big business forecasting firm hired by the legislature to analyze the deal, was skeptical enough that any prudent investor would withdraw. But, of course, the state government is not a private investor. It is playing only with tax dollars, and it is easy to think that there is always more where that came from.
Big River Steel, a combine of investors put together by the promoter John Correnti, offered to build a steel mill on the Mississippi River near Blytheville if the state will float $125 million in bonds to lower the start-up costs for the billionaire Koch brothers and several other investors. Correnti said it would hire 525 people at fairly high salaries. Gov. Beebe thought it was the biggest economic deal the state had ever faced. A 10-year-old constitutional amendment allows the state to commit the state’s cash and credit to really big projects like this, if enough workers will be hired and the legislature will approve.
IHS Global Insight said the state could realize modest economic benefits from the investment in the mill if everything turned out just right, but the consultants were skeptical. Too many things would have to work out just right, among them a big increase in demand for steel. The steel industry is working well below capacity already. Koch’s petrochemical companies probably will buy steel from the plant in which the Kochs will be owners, but how much demand is Big River Steel likely to get beyond them?
As for all the taxes that will flow into the state treasury as a result of the big mill’s commerce and hundreds of employees, the IHS consultants figured there wouldn’t be that much. The plant can claim $216 million in credits against its future corporate income-tax liability. Nearly all of Big River’s sales will be out of state, minimizing Arkansas’ tax receipts. The state likely would collect little if any corporate income taxes for some years.
We have had a deeper concern about these industrial incentives. Should the taxpayers subsidize private investors like this? Conservatives, including leaders of the General Assembly, love to talk about the magic of the free market, which should mean free of government money as well as government restraints. Gov. Beebe and the others will say, yes, but if we don’t do it, another state — Mississippi, Ohio, Alabama? — will put up the money and get the plant and the jobs. Beggars can’t be choosers.
Sure, we need jobs. But even in this climate, the state needs to be coldly rational. What would Warren Buffett do if it were his $125 million? We think we know the answer.
IHS Global Insight, the big business forecasting firm hired by the legislature to analyze the deal, was skeptical enough that any prudent investor would withdraw. But, of course, the state government is not a private investor. It is playing only with tax dollars, and it is easy to think that there is always more where that came from.
Big River Steel, a combine of investors put together by the promoter John Correnti, offered to build a steel mill on the Mississippi River near Blytheville if the state will float $125 million in bonds to lower the start-up costs for the billionaire Koch brothers and several other investors. Correnti said it would hire 525 people at fairly high salaries. Gov. Beebe thought it was the biggest economic deal the state had ever faced. A 10-year-old constitutional amendment allows the state to commit the state’s cash and credit to really big projects like this, if enough workers will be hired and the legislature will approve.
IHS Global Insight said the state could realize modest economic benefits from the investment in the mill if everything turned out just right, but the consultants were skeptical. Too many things would have to work out just right, among them a big increase in demand for steel. The steel industry is working well below capacity already. Koch’s petrochemical companies probably will buy steel from the plant in which the Kochs will be owners, but how much demand is Big River Steel likely to get beyond them?
As for all the taxes that will flow into the state treasury as a result of the big mill’s commerce and hundreds of employees, the IHS consultants figured there wouldn’t be that much. The plant can claim $216 million in credits against its future corporate income-tax liability. Nearly all of Big River’s sales will be out of state, minimizing Arkansas’ tax receipts. The state likely would collect little if any corporate income taxes for some years.
We have had a deeper concern about these industrial incentives. Should the taxpayers subsidize private investors like this? Conservatives, including leaders of the General Assembly, love to talk about the magic of the free market, which should mean free of government money as well as government restraints. Gov. Beebe and the others will say, yes, but if we don’t do it, another state — Mississippi, Ohio, Alabama? — will put up the money and get the plant and the jobs. Beggars can’t be choosers.
Sure, we need jobs. But even in this climate, the state needs to be coldly rational. What would Warren Buffett do if it were his $125 million? We think we know the answer.
TOP STORY >> Cabot mayor delivers meals to seniors
By JEFFREY SMITH
Cabot Mayor Bill Cypert surprised several seniors at their homes on Wednesday by helping to deliver hot lunches during the Meals on Wheel’s Mayors for Meals national campaign to raise awareness about senior hunger.
The Cabot Senior Center delivers meals to 33 seniors with 22 delivered a hot meal Monday through Friday and 11 receiving one two-week supply of frozen meals.
The program, which is facing cutbacks, provides seniors with one-third of their daily nutritional requirements.
Cypert delivered about a dozen meals and stopped to chat with seniors, who were happy to see him.
The meals are cooked at the Lonoke County Council on Aging in Lonoke and transported to senior centers in Cabot, Lonoke, England and Carlisle. The meals are then delivered to residents.
The Cabot Meals on Wheels program is for residents 60-years-old or older who are physically homebound or taking care of their spouse who is homebound, incapacitated or battling an illness such as Alzheimer’s disease.
The Cabot program is donation based. “If they want to pay, they can,” site director Cherry Godwin said.
She said it is not a welfare program. It is supported by the Lonoke County Council on Aging.
The Meals on Wheels programs helps older adults stay at home a little longer and keeps them living independently as long as possible. The senior center holds fundraisers to help support the program.
For people who can get out, but do not have transportation, the senior center has a bus to pick up seniors at their home and bring them to the center for a meal and to socialize.
The Cabot meals route is 17 miles and takes a little over an hour. The meals are kept hot in warmers during transport.
Driver Joe Burton is a welcome sight for many of the seniors. They will call the senior center if he is running late.
“It is nice. Joe’s been really nice. The food is fine. Some days I wouldn’t have fixed anything if it weren’t for them,” Maudie Evans said about the program.
“It is a very good program. It helps out a lot,” Joseph Mato said.
He is able to heat up his wife’s meal when she is ready to eat.
“We enjoy our meal. It saves me a lot of time and energy and they are good,” Jean Pharr said.
Federal sequestration has not affected the program yet, but there will mostly likely be cuts to the program, according to council director Sharon Anderson.
She said no specific program has been cut, but the council is looking at a 5 percent cut of federal funding across the board, in addition to state cuts.
Anderson wants the council to be able to maintain the current level of residents on the meals program and not drop anyone from the service.
She said it is a wait-and-see situation.
The council is reimbursed $4.75 per meal, per day by the federal government. The money is used for food, labor, and fuel expenses.
The Cabot Senior Center needs volunteers, but not for deliveries.
Godwin said it would be helpful if volunteers could help out at least one day a week picking the meals up from Lonoke.
For more information about the program in Cabot, call the senior center at 501-843-2196.
Leader staff writer
Cabot Mayor Bill Cypert surprised several seniors at their homes on Wednesday by helping to deliver hot lunches during the Meals on Wheel’s Mayors for Meals national campaign to raise awareness about senior hunger.
The Cabot Senior Center delivers meals to 33 seniors with 22 delivered a hot meal Monday through Friday and 11 receiving one two-week supply of frozen meals.
The program, which is facing cutbacks, provides seniors with one-third of their daily nutritional requirements.
Cypert delivered about a dozen meals and stopped to chat with seniors, who were happy to see him.
The meals are cooked at the Lonoke County Council on Aging in Lonoke and transported to senior centers in Cabot, Lonoke, England and Carlisle. The meals are then delivered to residents.
The Cabot Meals on Wheels program is for residents 60-years-old or older who are physically homebound or taking care of their spouse who is homebound, incapacitated or battling an illness such as Alzheimer’s disease.
The Cabot program is donation based. “If they want to pay, they can,” site director Cherry Godwin said.
She said it is not a welfare program. It is supported by the Lonoke County Council on Aging.
The Meals on Wheels programs helps older adults stay at home a little longer and keeps them living independently as long as possible. The senior center holds fundraisers to help support the program.
For people who can get out, but do not have transportation, the senior center has a bus to pick up seniors at their home and bring them to the center for a meal and to socialize.
The Cabot meals route is 17 miles and takes a little over an hour. The meals are kept hot in warmers during transport.
Driver Joe Burton is a welcome sight for many of the seniors. They will call the senior center if he is running late.
“It is nice. Joe’s been really nice. The food is fine. Some days I wouldn’t have fixed anything if it weren’t for them,” Maudie Evans said about the program.
“It is a very good program. It helps out a lot,” Joseph Mato said.
He is able to heat up his wife’s meal when she is ready to eat.
“We enjoy our meal. It saves me a lot of time and energy and they are good,” Jean Pharr said.
Federal sequestration has not affected the program yet, but there will mostly likely be cuts to the program, according to council director Sharon Anderson.
She said no specific program has been cut, but the council is looking at a 5 percent cut of federal funding across the board, in addition to state cuts.
Anderson wants the council to be able to maintain the current level of residents on the meals program and not drop anyone from the service.
She said it is a wait-and-see situation.
The council is reimbursed $4.75 per meal, per day by the federal government. The money is used for food, labor, and fuel expenses.
The Cabot Senior Center needs volunteers, but not for deliveries.
Godwin said it would be helpful if volunteers could help out at least one day a week picking the meals up from Lonoke.
For more information about the program in Cabot, call the senior center at 501-843-2196.
TOP STORY >> Sales-tax collections show a dip
By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
This was not a good Christmas season for Cabot as city figures showed its sale tax collections drop by almost $100,000.
But the Christmas shopping season turned out well for Jacksonville and Sherwood as both saw upticks in collections, but not enough to offset drops in the county tax collections.
Cabot Mayor Bill Cypert says the drop is not a real concern because some stores were closed because of the Christmas storm and collections for up for the year.
“If it was anything but the weather, it would be a cause for concern,” Cypert said, adding that annual sales tax revenue for Cabot has increased an average of 1.93 percent every year since 2006.
About two-thirds of most cities’ revenue comes from sales taxes and as the economy has dropped so has the intake at both the city and county levels.
All sales tax money is collected by the state then sent to the counties and cities. The counties share their portion with the cities based on population. All tax money is delivered about two months after it has been collected. The money the cities and counties received in February reflects December sales.
Cabot City Clerk Tammy Yocum said the weather definitely hurt the city’s December sales. Cabot’s one-cent sales tax collections were $363,683, a $98,000 drop from December 2011’s totals of $461,686.
However, collections for all of 2012 were up 2.93 percent from the previous year.
Cabot’s share of the one-cent Lonoke County sales tax also fell in December from $246,335 in 2011 to $211,417 in 2012.
Jim Durham, Jacksonville’s director of administration, thinks the city has turned things around. “Our December 2012 sales were about $250,000 higher than December 2011,” he said.
Durham added that what makes that really good is nearly all of central Arkansas was without power for up to seven days in late December, causing many businesses to lose out of the after Christmas shopping.
Sherwood has a one-cent sales tax and Jacksonville a two-cent sales tax, but half of that is dedicated to police and fire pension funds.
Jacksonville’s sales-tax take for December 2012 was $681,801 compared to December 2011’s amount of $676,002, up about $5,000. Durham was quick to point out that it may not seem much at the tax level but it equates to an additional quarter million dollars in sales. “That says something, especially with the weather,” he added.
In Sherwood, the city also saw a slight bump in December sales. Tax collections for December 2012 were $470,520, up about $9,000 from December 2011’s totals of $461,760.
Pulaski County’s share to Jacksonville fell, partly because the new census numbers kicked in between the two Decembers, and with a smaller population the city gets a smaller share of the county pie. In December 2012 it got $556,913, a drop of about $24,000 from December 2011’s amount of $580,515.
Sherwood also saw a drop in its share of the county take, and it can’t be traced to a smaller population since the census showed Sherwood with increased numbers. Sherwood’s share of the county take in December 2012 was $579,669 and in December 2011 it was $604,235, a difference of about $24,000.
So while Jacksonville and Sherwood saw an up tick in December sales it was not enough to counter the drop in county collections. Durham says that although he is excited about the December numbers, it’s too early to see if the trend will continue.
Leader staff writer
This was not a good Christmas season for Cabot as city figures showed its sale tax collections drop by almost $100,000.
But the Christmas shopping season turned out well for Jacksonville and Sherwood as both saw upticks in collections, but not enough to offset drops in the county tax collections.
Cabot Mayor Bill Cypert says the drop is not a real concern because some stores were closed because of the Christmas storm and collections for up for the year.
“If it was anything but the weather, it would be a cause for concern,” Cypert said, adding that annual sales tax revenue for Cabot has increased an average of 1.93 percent every year since 2006.
About two-thirds of most cities’ revenue comes from sales taxes and as the economy has dropped so has the intake at both the city and county levels.
All sales tax money is collected by the state then sent to the counties and cities. The counties share their portion with the cities based on population. All tax money is delivered about two months after it has been collected. The money the cities and counties received in February reflects December sales.
Cabot City Clerk Tammy Yocum said the weather definitely hurt the city’s December sales. Cabot’s one-cent sales tax collections were $363,683, a $98,000 drop from December 2011’s totals of $461,686.
However, collections for all of 2012 were up 2.93 percent from the previous year.
Cabot’s share of the one-cent Lonoke County sales tax also fell in December from $246,335 in 2011 to $211,417 in 2012.
Jim Durham, Jacksonville’s director of administration, thinks the city has turned things around. “Our December 2012 sales were about $250,000 higher than December 2011,” he said.
Durham added that what makes that really good is nearly all of central Arkansas was without power for up to seven days in late December, causing many businesses to lose out of the after Christmas shopping.
Sherwood has a one-cent sales tax and Jacksonville a two-cent sales tax, but half of that is dedicated to police and fire pension funds.
Jacksonville’s sales-tax take for December 2012 was $681,801 compared to December 2011’s amount of $676,002, up about $5,000. Durham was quick to point out that it may not seem much at the tax level but it equates to an additional quarter million dollars in sales. “That says something, especially with the weather,” he added.
In Sherwood, the city also saw a slight bump in December sales. Tax collections for December 2012 were $470,520, up about $9,000 from December 2011’s totals of $461,760.
Pulaski County’s share to Jacksonville fell, partly because the new census numbers kicked in between the two Decembers, and with a smaller population the city gets a smaller share of the county pie. In December 2012 it got $556,913, a drop of about $24,000 from December 2011’s amount of $580,515.
Sherwood also saw a drop in its share of the county take, and it can’t be traced to a smaller population since the census showed Sherwood with increased numbers. Sherwood’s share of the county take in December 2012 was $579,669 and in December 2011 it was $604,235, a difference of about $24,000.
So while Jacksonville and Sherwood saw an up tick in December sales it was not enough to counter the drop in county collections. Durham says that although he is excited about the December numbers, it’s too early to see if the trend will continue.
TOP STORY >> PCSSD needs law to survive
By JOHN HOFHEIMER
Leader senior staff writer
The state Education Department would have to consolidate, annex or reconstitute the Pulaski County Special School District after June 30 unless the existing law is amended to allow state control of districts in distress for longer than the two years currently permitted.
The Education Department has proposed changes — chief among them extending to five years the length of time it can take over and run a district found to be in fiscal, educational or facilities distress. PCSSD and Helena-West Helena districts would be the most immediate beneficiaries of such a change.
That law is subtitled: “To amend provisions of law concerning academic, fiscal and facilities distress of public schools and school districts; and to declare an emergency.”
Sponsored by state Rep. Mark Perry, D-Jacksonville, HB 1770 lengthens to five years the time the state can run a school or school district designated as being in fiscal, academic or facility distress.
Perry’s bill passed the House on March 14 by a vote of 89-1 and is currently in the Senate Education Committee, where it is slated to be for discussion Monday.
Education Commissioner Tom Kimbrell has said he would not turn the district back over to local control in its current condition, which would be the only other choice.
Twenty-five of the state’s 30 senators are listed as co-sponsoring the bill being shepherded by Sen. Johnny Key, R-Mountain Home, so barring unforeseen circumstances, the bill seems headed for passage and the state will have three more years to bring PCSSD out of fiscal distress.
Perry’s bill is just one of a myriad of proposals the Legislature is pondering that could affect Arkansans and, in this case, it hits pretty close to home.
Legislators are negotiating some of the finer points of expanding by 250,000 working class Arkansans the rolls of health-care insurance largely paid for by the Medicaid expansion provision of President Obama’s Affordable Care Act.
A local drink option would allow residents of dry areas like Jacksonville’s Gray Township to vote the areas wet. Going wet would mean restaurants could serve alcoholic beverages without a private club license and convenience and grocery stores could sell beer and wine. The option would not allow liquor stores in the areas.
The health-care expansion “should be rolled out in about a week,” according to state Sen. Jonathan Dismang, R-Searcy. “We still have a lot to do, especially on the (health insurance) exchange side,” he said, but “I think we have a good dialogue (with) the governor.
“I don’t think there’s a lot left to work out, but there’s a lot of work to do,” he said. “It’s monumental, it doesn’t happen overnight.”
Dismang, who has worked closely with House Speaker Davy Carter, R-Cabot, says he’s not sure the health insurance expansion is linked directly to tax cuts, but a tax bill is waiting to come through committee. Among proposed tax cuts are those to capital gains, energy credits to businesses, cuts to farmers and income-tax rate reductions.
State Sen. Eddie Joe Williams, R-Cabot, has sponsored a bill to move school elections from September to November, when general elections are held. That would save money on elections, but opponents say it would make it more difficult to pass local school millage increases.
It appears that although there are no documented cases of individual election fraud, lawmakers — particularly Republicans — have successfully passed a voter ID law that opponents think will make it more difficult for old folks and poor people to vote.
Under the current law, the state has only two years to straighten out problems with schools or districts in distress, and this problem is simply too big to fix in such a short period of time, according to PCSSD Superintendent Jerry Guess.
Kimbrell appointed Guess after the state took over the fiscally distressed district and fired the superintendent and disbanded the school board.
The new law would grant the education commissioner broad powers. He would only have to follow the Teacher Fair Dismissal Act and the Public School Employee Fair Hearing Act.
Right now, PCSSD is being sued by its teachers’ and support staff’s unions for abrogating their contracts.
The new law would allow the commissioner to turn control of a school or district back over to a superintendent and school board if all the deficiencies are corrected. If they are mostly corrected after two years, the commissioner may appoint a committee of district residents to help guide the district until it’s ready to be self sufficient.
PCSSD has been in fiscal distress three times in five years, and Helena-West Helena twice. Guess said they were returned too quickly to the boards. He explained that problems still need to be resolved and the culture of the district needs to change.
“You have to build capacity (to govern well),” according to Phyllis Stewart, Kimbrell’s chief of staff.
The intent is not to turn operation back to the same board members who caused or allowed the problems in the first place.
NEW PRACTICES
The state needs control long enough “to institute new accepted practices so a new elected board won’t overturn changes and kick (the district) back into fiscal distress,” Guess said.
At the end of five years, if the district or school has not corrected all aspects of its distress, the state may remain in control only if the process “was impeded by external forces beyond the control of the school or district.”
Otherwise, it’s back to annex, consolidate or reconstitute.
A student in a school designated as being in academic distress may transfer to another district that is not in academic distress.
Guess’ one-year contract expires June 30, but he said if he’s offered a new one for the 2013-14 school year he’d be inclined to sign on.
“There’s a lot of exciting things going on in the district,” he said. “We’re working hard on unitary status and need to come up with some sort of phase down for desegregation money when the district is judged unitary.
“That would allow us to operate like any other district in Arkansas. I’m chasing it hard.”
Leader senior staff writer
The state Education Department would have to consolidate, annex or reconstitute the Pulaski County Special School District after June 30 unless the existing law is amended to allow state control of districts in distress for longer than the two years currently permitted.
The Education Department has proposed changes — chief among them extending to five years the length of time it can take over and run a district found to be in fiscal, educational or facilities distress. PCSSD and Helena-West Helena districts would be the most immediate beneficiaries of such a change.
That law is subtitled: “To amend provisions of law concerning academic, fiscal and facilities distress of public schools and school districts; and to declare an emergency.”
Sponsored by state Rep. Mark Perry, D-Jacksonville, HB 1770 lengthens to five years the time the state can run a school or school district designated as being in fiscal, academic or facility distress.
Perry’s bill passed the House on March 14 by a vote of 89-1 and is currently in the Senate Education Committee, where it is slated to be for discussion Monday.
Education Commissioner Tom Kimbrell has said he would not turn the district back over to local control in its current condition, which would be the only other choice.
Twenty-five of the state’s 30 senators are listed as co-sponsoring the bill being shepherded by Sen. Johnny Key, R-Mountain Home, so barring unforeseen circumstances, the bill seems headed for passage and the state will have three more years to bring PCSSD out of fiscal distress.
Perry’s bill is just one of a myriad of proposals the Legislature is pondering that could affect Arkansans and, in this case, it hits pretty close to home.
Legislators are negotiating some of the finer points of expanding by 250,000 working class Arkansans the rolls of health-care insurance largely paid for by the Medicaid expansion provision of President Obama’s Affordable Care Act.
A local drink option would allow residents of dry areas like Jacksonville’s Gray Township to vote the areas wet. Going wet would mean restaurants could serve alcoholic beverages without a private club license and convenience and grocery stores could sell beer and wine. The option would not allow liquor stores in the areas.
The health-care expansion “should be rolled out in about a week,” according to state Sen. Jonathan Dismang, R-Searcy. “We still have a lot to do, especially on the (health insurance) exchange side,” he said, but “I think we have a good dialogue (with) the governor.
“I don’t think there’s a lot left to work out, but there’s a lot of work to do,” he said. “It’s monumental, it doesn’t happen overnight.”
Dismang, who has worked closely with House Speaker Davy Carter, R-Cabot, says he’s not sure the health insurance expansion is linked directly to tax cuts, but a tax bill is waiting to come through committee. Among proposed tax cuts are those to capital gains, energy credits to businesses, cuts to farmers and income-tax rate reductions.
State Sen. Eddie Joe Williams, R-Cabot, has sponsored a bill to move school elections from September to November, when general elections are held. That would save money on elections, but opponents say it would make it more difficult to pass local school millage increases.
It appears that although there are no documented cases of individual election fraud, lawmakers — particularly Republicans — have successfully passed a voter ID law that opponents think will make it more difficult for old folks and poor people to vote.
Under the current law, the state has only two years to straighten out problems with schools or districts in distress, and this problem is simply too big to fix in such a short period of time, according to PCSSD Superintendent Jerry Guess.
Kimbrell appointed Guess after the state took over the fiscally distressed district and fired the superintendent and disbanded the school board.
The new law would grant the education commissioner broad powers. He would only have to follow the Teacher Fair Dismissal Act and the Public School Employee Fair Hearing Act.
Right now, PCSSD is being sued by its teachers’ and support staff’s unions for abrogating their contracts.
The new law would allow the commissioner to turn control of a school or district back over to a superintendent and school board if all the deficiencies are corrected. If they are mostly corrected after two years, the commissioner may appoint a committee of district residents to help guide the district until it’s ready to be self sufficient.
PCSSD has been in fiscal distress three times in five years, and Helena-West Helena twice. Guess said they were returned too quickly to the boards. He explained that problems still need to be resolved and the culture of the district needs to change.
“You have to build capacity (to govern well),” according to Phyllis Stewart, Kimbrell’s chief of staff.
The intent is not to turn operation back to the same board members who caused or allowed the problems in the first place.
NEW PRACTICES
The state needs control long enough “to institute new accepted practices so a new elected board won’t overturn changes and kick (the district) back into fiscal distress,” Guess said.
At the end of five years, if the district or school has not corrected all aspects of its distress, the state may remain in control only if the process “was impeded by external forces beyond the control of the school or district.”
Otherwise, it’s back to annex, consolidate or reconstitute.
A student in a school designated as being in academic distress may transfer to another district that is not in academic distress.
Guess’ one-year contract expires June 30, but he said if he’s offered a new one for the 2013-14 school year he’d be inclined to sign on.
“There’s a lot of exciting things going on in the district,” he said. “We’re working hard on unitary status and need to come up with some sort of phase down for desegregation money when the district is judged unitary.
“That would allow us to operate like any other district in Arkansas. I’m chasing it hard.”
SPORTS STORY >> Rockets power past Cabot
By GRAHAM POWELL
Leader sportswriter
Cabot got off to a tremendous start in the opening round of the 2013 Central Arkansas Invitational baseball tournament, but late mistakes and Little Rock Catholic’s superb hitting was too much for the Panthers to handle down the stretch as the Rockets won 12-5 Thursday at Lamar Porter Field in Little Rock.
“They hit it well,” said Cabot coach Jay Fitch about Little Rock Catholic, the No. 7 ranked team in the state. “We saw where they had beaten Conway like 14-4, so we knew they had some sticks. They’ve beat some pretty good teams. So we knew they were good and that we’d have to play well.
“We came out hitting it like we want to. The deal is great teams do the right things consistently. We looked good early and then what we’ve been having a bad problem with is just taking good pitches that we should be hitting. The ones that we swung at we just either missed or just didn’t hit with authority, and they (Catholic) came back and smashed the baseball.”
The Panthers’ first four hitters reached base safely to start the game, and at the end of the first inning they led 3-1. Junior second baseman and cleanup hitter Riley Knudsen drove in Cabot’s first run with a RBI-single to centerfield.
Pinch runner Lee Sullivan scored on the play as he subbed in for leadoff hitter Ryan Logan, who started things off with a standup double down the first base line. Three-hole hitter Casey Vaughan scored Cabot’s second run as designated hitter Tristan Bulice was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
Grayson Cole drove in the third Panther run two-batters later with a RBI-single to right centerfield. Unfortunately for Cabot (4-5, 0-2), the lead didn’t last long. Catholic (6-2, 2-1) scored seven unanswered runs to lead 7-3 by the end of the fourth inning.
The Rockets grabbed theirfirst lead in the bottom of the third with a two-out single by second baseman Jonathan Lanehart that put the home team up 4-3. Matt Himstedt and Josh Cissell scored on the play.
Cissell scored again in the fourth as he hit a towering two-run home run over the wall in left centerfield to give Catholic the 7-3 lead. Vaughan cut the Rockets’ lead to two in the top of the fifth with a two-run homer of his own that also landed behind the left centerfield wall. Logan scored on the play as he walked to start the inning.
Catholic pushed its lead to 8-5 in the bottom part of the inning on a grounder to first base by leadoff hitter Justin Weigle. Zach Sokora scored from third on the groundout, and the Rockets put the game out of reach in the sixth with a four-run inning that was the result of timely hits and two costly errors by the Panther infield.
Sokora scored the final run on a passed ball at home plate with two outs in the sixth. Catholic outhit Cabot 13-7. Both teams committed four errors in the game. The majority of Cabot’s errors came late as the Rockets began piling on runs.
“Hats off to them,” Fitch said of Catholic. “They swung it well. We did a good job defensively at times, but then we had times where we just kind of fell apart. We just have to be consistent with the sticks and play defense.”
Andrew Mashburn earned the win on the mound for Catholic. He pitched five full innings and was on the hill for all five of Cabot’s runs. The Panthers didn’t get a single hit after Mashburn left the game.
The Rockets had four different players with multiple hits. Cole Boardman led the way with a 3 for 4 performance at the plate. Vaughan was the only Panther with multiple hits. He had two. Logan, Knudsen, Bulice, Cole and Chipper Morris each had a hit for Cabot.
Cabot was set to play Kickapoo, Mo. at 5 p.m. Thursday in the loser’s bracket of the tournament, but the game was called because of inclement weather. The Panthers will wrap up the tournament on Saturday before resuming 7A/6A East Conference play Wednesday at home against Marion in a doubleheader. The first part of the twin bill starts at 4 p.m.
Leader sportswriter
Cabot got off to a tremendous start in the opening round of the 2013 Central Arkansas Invitational baseball tournament, but late mistakes and Little Rock Catholic’s superb hitting was too much for the Panthers to handle down the stretch as the Rockets won 12-5 Thursday at Lamar Porter Field in Little Rock.
“They hit it well,” said Cabot coach Jay Fitch about Little Rock Catholic, the No. 7 ranked team in the state. “We saw where they had beaten Conway like 14-4, so we knew they had some sticks. They’ve beat some pretty good teams. So we knew they were good and that we’d have to play well.
“We came out hitting it like we want to. The deal is great teams do the right things consistently. We looked good early and then what we’ve been having a bad problem with is just taking good pitches that we should be hitting. The ones that we swung at we just either missed or just didn’t hit with authority, and they (Catholic) came back and smashed the baseball.”
The Panthers’ first four hitters reached base safely to start the game, and at the end of the first inning they led 3-1. Junior second baseman and cleanup hitter Riley Knudsen drove in Cabot’s first run with a RBI-single to centerfield.
Pinch runner Lee Sullivan scored on the play as he subbed in for leadoff hitter Ryan Logan, who started things off with a standup double down the first base line. Three-hole hitter Casey Vaughan scored Cabot’s second run as designated hitter Tristan Bulice was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
Grayson Cole drove in the third Panther run two-batters later with a RBI-single to right centerfield. Unfortunately for Cabot (4-5, 0-2), the lead didn’t last long. Catholic (6-2, 2-1) scored seven unanswered runs to lead 7-3 by the end of the fourth inning.
The Rockets grabbed theirfirst lead in the bottom of the third with a two-out single by second baseman Jonathan Lanehart that put the home team up 4-3. Matt Himstedt and Josh Cissell scored on the play.
Cissell scored again in the fourth as he hit a towering two-run home run over the wall in left centerfield to give Catholic the 7-3 lead. Vaughan cut the Rockets’ lead to two in the top of the fifth with a two-run homer of his own that also landed behind the left centerfield wall. Logan scored on the play as he walked to start the inning.
Catholic pushed its lead to 8-5 in the bottom part of the inning on a grounder to first base by leadoff hitter Justin Weigle. Zach Sokora scored from third on the groundout, and the Rockets put the game out of reach in the sixth with a four-run inning that was the result of timely hits and two costly errors by the Panther infield.
Sokora scored the final run on a passed ball at home plate with two outs in the sixth. Catholic outhit Cabot 13-7. Both teams committed four errors in the game. The majority of Cabot’s errors came late as the Rockets began piling on runs.
“Hats off to them,” Fitch said of Catholic. “They swung it well. We did a good job defensively at times, but then we had times where we just kind of fell apart. We just have to be consistent with the sticks and play defense.”
Andrew Mashburn earned the win on the mound for Catholic. He pitched five full innings and was on the hill for all five of Cabot’s runs. The Panthers didn’t get a single hit after Mashburn left the game.
The Rockets had four different players with multiple hits. Cole Boardman led the way with a 3 for 4 performance at the plate. Vaughan was the only Panther with multiple hits. He had two. Logan, Knudsen, Bulice, Cole and Chipper Morris each had a hit for Cabot.
Cabot was set to play Kickapoo, Mo. at 5 p.m. Thursday in the loser’s bracket of the tournament, but the game was called because of inclement weather. The Panthers will wrap up the tournament on Saturday before resuming 7A/6A East Conference play Wednesday at home against Marion in a doubleheader. The first part of the twin bill starts at 4 p.m.
SPORTS STORY >> Red Devils lose to ’Jackets, Pats
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The Jacksonville Red Devils picked up two losses on the first day of the Xtra Innings Classic in Jonesboro, losing 6-0 to Wynne and 11-4 to Marion on Thursday.
Jacksonville got just two hits in the shut-out loss to Wynne. Kaleb Reeves and Courtland McDonald picking up those base hits. James Tucker and Reeves combined for a decent showing on the mound, giving up just one earned run, but errors gave the Yellowjackets five more.
“We just didn’t play very good baseball,” Jacksonville coach Larry Burrows said. “We made two pretty ugly errors that led to most of their runs. Maybe getting up at 5:30 in the morning and playing in those conditions had something to do with it, but we could have still played better than we did.”
Though the margin was even wider, Burrows was much more pleased with how his team played against Marion later in the day than it did against Wynne.
“Marion’s just a good team,” Burrows said. “They hit the ball hard the whole game. That’s probably the best team we’ve seen this year, as far as hitting goes.”
Jacksonville led 3-0 after three innings with Blake Perry on the mound. He also drove home the two runs on an 11-pitch at bat. After battling through 10 pitches, Perry’s shot to the gap drove in Ryan Mallison and LaDerrious Perry for a 3-0 Red Devil lead. Earlier in the inning, Mallison drove in Derek St. Clair for the first run of the game.
The Patriots finally began to find the gaps in the fourth inning after three innings of excellent Jacksonville defense.
“We made quite a few good plays defensively to keep them from scoring,” Burrows said. “Blake started to get tired in the fourth and they started hitting him pretty hard. It kind of seemed like we all got tired there all of a sudden.”
Blake Perry actually got a one-out strikeout with a breaking ball in the dirt, but catcher Greg Jones’ throw to first base sailed into right field. Two line-drive doubles followed that sparked a six-run inning. Another fielding error later in the inning kept things alive for the Patriots.
“We can’t give people four outs,” Burrows said. “We actually gave them five, but you’re going to make occasional errors on ground balls. You hate to strike people out and then throw it away.”
Trailing 6-3, Jacksonville started a rally in the top of the fifth by getting the first three batters on base. Greg Jones’ base hit scored Blake Perry, but back-to-back strikeouts brought a sudden halt to the rally with Marion still leading 6-4. The Patriots added five more runs off Jacksonville relief pitching in the sixth inning, all earned.
“They just hit it hard all the way down the lineup,” Burrows said. “I was impressed with that team. We swung it a little better than we had been, we just weren’t able to make the most of it.”
Blake Perry led Jackson-ville offensively, going 3 for 4 with two RBIs.
Jacksonville (3-6) is still waiting to hear about injured first baseman David Williams, who separated his shoulder on a collision two weeks ago. That will help settle some of musical positions Burrows has been playing, especially in the infield.
“Not having David is hurting pretty bad,” Burrows said. “He’s really good at first and on top of that, he’s our four-hole hitter. He’s really the only guy we’ve got that can hit for power. We need to know something about him one way or the other so we can get things settled. Blake is our best hitter right now and him and Reeves play the same position. All our pitchers are infielders so every time we make a change we have to start moving people around, and I just don’t like doing that. I’m not big on moving people around anyway. There are too many little things about this game. And when you’re young, you hate to do it even more. Hopefully we’ll get David back to at least swing the bat. There’s a chance they won’t let him throw at all.”
Leader sports editor
The Jacksonville Red Devils picked up two losses on the first day of the Xtra Innings Classic in Jonesboro, losing 6-0 to Wynne and 11-4 to Marion on Thursday.
Jacksonville got just two hits in the shut-out loss to Wynne. Kaleb Reeves and Courtland McDonald picking up those base hits. James Tucker and Reeves combined for a decent showing on the mound, giving up just one earned run, but errors gave the Yellowjackets five more.
“We just didn’t play very good baseball,” Jacksonville coach Larry Burrows said. “We made two pretty ugly errors that led to most of their runs. Maybe getting up at 5:30 in the morning and playing in those conditions had something to do with it, but we could have still played better than we did.”
Though the margin was even wider, Burrows was much more pleased with how his team played against Marion later in the day than it did against Wynne.
“Marion’s just a good team,” Burrows said. “They hit the ball hard the whole game. That’s probably the best team we’ve seen this year, as far as hitting goes.”
Jacksonville led 3-0 after three innings with Blake Perry on the mound. He also drove home the two runs on an 11-pitch at bat. After battling through 10 pitches, Perry’s shot to the gap drove in Ryan Mallison and LaDerrious Perry for a 3-0 Red Devil lead. Earlier in the inning, Mallison drove in Derek St. Clair for the first run of the game.
The Patriots finally began to find the gaps in the fourth inning after three innings of excellent Jacksonville defense.
“We made quite a few good plays defensively to keep them from scoring,” Burrows said. “Blake started to get tired in the fourth and they started hitting him pretty hard. It kind of seemed like we all got tired there all of a sudden.”
Blake Perry actually got a one-out strikeout with a breaking ball in the dirt, but catcher Greg Jones’ throw to first base sailed into right field. Two line-drive doubles followed that sparked a six-run inning. Another fielding error later in the inning kept things alive for the Patriots.
“We can’t give people four outs,” Burrows said. “We actually gave them five, but you’re going to make occasional errors on ground balls. You hate to strike people out and then throw it away.”
Trailing 6-3, Jacksonville started a rally in the top of the fifth by getting the first three batters on base. Greg Jones’ base hit scored Blake Perry, but back-to-back strikeouts brought a sudden halt to the rally with Marion still leading 6-4. The Patriots added five more runs off Jacksonville relief pitching in the sixth inning, all earned.
“They just hit it hard all the way down the lineup,” Burrows said. “I was impressed with that team. We swung it a little better than we had been, we just weren’t able to make the most of it.”
Blake Perry led Jackson-ville offensively, going 3 for 4 with two RBIs.
Jacksonville (3-6) is still waiting to hear about injured first baseman David Williams, who separated his shoulder on a collision two weeks ago. That will help settle some of musical positions Burrows has been playing, especially in the infield.
“Not having David is hurting pretty bad,” Burrows said. “He’s really good at first and on top of that, he’s our four-hole hitter. He’s really the only guy we’ve got that can hit for power. We need to know something about him one way or the other so we can get things settled. Blake is our best hitter right now and him and Reeves play the same position. All our pitchers are infielders so every time we make a change we have to start moving people around, and I just don’t like doing that. I’m not big on moving people around anyway. There are too many little things about this game. And when you’re young, you hate to do it even more. Hopefully we’ll get David back to at least swing the bat. There’s a chance they won’t let him throw at all.”
SPORTS STORY >> Wildcats figure out soft-toss southpaw
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
For a class 4A team that’s starting four freshmen, Arkadelphia held its own with No. 1 ranked class 7A North Little Rock, at least for four innings. The Charging Wildcats eventually figured out the Badgers’ soft-tossing lefty and pulled away for an 8-1 win in the opening round of the Central Arkansas Invitational at Burns Park.
“That’s a solid little team and they’re going to be really good the next few years,” North Little Rock coach Randy Sandefur said. “They’re good now. They’re solid. They don’t make a lot of mistakes.”
Each team committed just one error, but those errors led to the first two runs of the game. North Little Rock got on the board first in the bottom of the second inning. Cleanup hitter Dylan Howell led off with a single to centerfield. Two batters later with one out, Jarrod Smiatek singled to right field. Howell scored from second base when the throw home went past Arkadelphia catcher Austin White.
Arkadelphia got its leadoff hitter on base in three of the first four innings, but could only manage one run off staff ace Preston Oberling. Badger centerfielder Jakahari Howell ripped the first pitch of the game to right field for a line-drive single, but Oberling struck out the side two through four, all three batters going down swinging. Oberling walked the first batter of the second inning but got Danny Spradlin to hit into a 4-6-3 double play, then fanned Jahlon Mitchell to set them down one, two, three.
Arkadeplphia’s only run came in the third, the first inning in the first four that it didn’t put its leadoff runner on base. With one out, nine-hole hitter Cutter Jester walked. Howell bunted him over to second base. John Franklin Matros singled to left field. The shot was hard and shallow and not enough to score Jester from second, but left fielder Danny Mitchell missed it on the hop, allowing Jester to score on the error and tie the game.
Arkadelphia pitcher Jacob Knight sat the Wildcats down in order in the bottom of the third, fanning Oberling for the second time to end the inning and preserve the tie heading into the fourth.
Arkadelphia got a walk and a base hit to put two runners on with one out in the top of the fourth, but Oberling buckled down and got out of the jam. First he picked off lead runner Austin White, then struck out Jahlon Mitchell for the second time to end the inning.
The Wildcats broke the tie in the bottom of the fourth with a single run. Catcher Alex Gosser was hit by a pitch to lead things off. Howell then doubled to the gap in left-centerfield to put runners on second and third. Zach Rathbun scored Gosser’s courtesy runner Heath Land with a sacrifice grounder to second base.
North Little Rock tried to manufacture another run with a squeeze bunt, but didn’t execute it. Smiatek’s bunt bounced high just a couple of feet down the third baseline, where Austin White was able to catch it and easily tag Howell as he was charging home. White even had time to turn the double play, but his throw to first base was off the mark. Knight got out of the inning on the next at bat when he got Jake Sandefur to pop up to second base.
After another three-up, three-down inning by Oberling in the top of the fifth, North Little Rock began to touch Knight. Though the Badger southpaw got out of the inning only allowing two more runs, he was finally chased from the mound early in the fifth. Knight put the leadoff hitter, River Warnock, on by plunking him in the ribs. Warnock stole second base and moved to third on a bunt single by Mitchell. That was it for Knight, who yielded to Griffin Rucker.
“He was a sneaky pitcher with a sneaky fastball,” Sandefur said of Knight. “And let me tell you something, I don’t care what anybody says, nobody likes to face a soft lefty. When they put the other guy on the mound it helped us a lot. Everybody likes to hit fastballs.”
Leadoff hitter Evan Peters drove in Warnock with a ground ball. Oberling then singled to right field to score Mitchell and give the Wildcats a 4-1 lead.
Gosser then singled to put runners at first and second with one out, but Howell hit into a fielder’s choice at third base, and Rathbun struck out for the second time.
North Little Rock (9-1) sealed it with four runs in the bottom of the sixth. Smiatek led off with a double to centerfield and Sandefur singled to put runners on the corners. Smiatek scored on a passed ball.
Rucker then hit Warnock and walked Mitchell to load the bases. Peters then singled to drive in two runs and Oberling walked, prompting Arkadelphia coach Brant Matros to take Rucker off the mound. He gave way to Ty Kosters, who got immediate results by picking off Oberling’s courtesy runner Zane Venetta. After walking Gosser, Kosters got Howell to pop up to third base and struck out Rathbun to end the Wildcat rally.
“We’re playing good fundamental baseball right now,” Sandefur said of his squad. “We’re making all the routine plays you have to make and we’re keeping mistakes to a minimum. We’re getting better at the plate and we’re going to become a good-hitting team. Our approach right now is much better than it was at the start of the season and hopefully it will continue to get better.”
North Little Rock finished with seven earned runs off nine hits. Knight threw four and two-thirds innings for Arkadelphia, giving up four hits and three earned runs while striking out three and walking none.
Oberling threw all seven innings for North Little Rock. He gave up five hits, no earned runs while striking out nine and walking four.
Everyone in the tournament was supposed to play two games on Thursday, but the late games were canceled due to the winter storm that moved in late in the afternoon.
Leader sports editor
For a class 4A team that’s starting four freshmen, Arkadelphia held its own with No. 1 ranked class 7A North Little Rock, at least for four innings. The Charging Wildcats eventually figured out the Badgers’ soft-tossing lefty and pulled away for an 8-1 win in the opening round of the Central Arkansas Invitational at Burns Park.
“That’s a solid little team and they’re going to be really good the next few years,” North Little Rock coach Randy Sandefur said. “They’re good now. They’re solid. They don’t make a lot of mistakes.”
Each team committed just one error, but those errors led to the first two runs of the game. North Little Rock got on the board first in the bottom of the second inning. Cleanup hitter Dylan Howell led off with a single to centerfield. Two batters later with one out, Jarrod Smiatek singled to right field. Howell scored from second base when the throw home went past Arkadelphia catcher Austin White.
Arkadelphia got its leadoff hitter on base in three of the first four innings, but could only manage one run off staff ace Preston Oberling. Badger centerfielder Jakahari Howell ripped the first pitch of the game to right field for a line-drive single, but Oberling struck out the side two through four, all three batters going down swinging. Oberling walked the first batter of the second inning but got Danny Spradlin to hit into a 4-6-3 double play, then fanned Jahlon Mitchell to set them down one, two, three.
Arkadeplphia’s only run came in the third, the first inning in the first four that it didn’t put its leadoff runner on base. With one out, nine-hole hitter Cutter Jester walked. Howell bunted him over to second base. John Franklin Matros singled to left field. The shot was hard and shallow and not enough to score Jester from second, but left fielder Danny Mitchell missed it on the hop, allowing Jester to score on the error and tie the game.
Arkadelphia pitcher Jacob Knight sat the Wildcats down in order in the bottom of the third, fanning Oberling for the second time to end the inning and preserve the tie heading into the fourth.
Arkadelphia got a walk and a base hit to put two runners on with one out in the top of the fourth, but Oberling buckled down and got out of the jam. First he picked off lead runner Austin White, then struck out Jahlon Mitchell for the second time to end the inning.
The Wildcats broke the tie in the bottom of the fourth with a single run. Catcher Alex Gosser was hit by a pitch to lead things off. Howell then doubled to the gap in left-centerfield to put runners on second and third. Zach Rathbun scored Gosser’s courtesy runner Heath Land with a sacrifice grounder to second base.
North Little Rock tried to manufacture another run with a squeeze bunt, but didn’t execute it. Smiatek’s bunt bounced high just a couple of feet down the third baseline, where Austin White was able to catch it and easily tag Howell as he was charging home. White even had time to turn the double play, but his throw to first base was off the mark. Knight got out of the inning on the next at bat when he got Jake Sandefur to pop up to second base.
After another three-up, three-down inning by Oberling in the top of the fifth, North Little Rock began to touch Knight. Though the Badger southpaw got out of the inning only allowing two more runs, he was finally chased from the mound early in the fifth. Knight put the leadoff hitter, River Warnock, on by plunking him in the ribs. Warnock stole second base and moved to third on a bunt single by Mitchell. That was it for Knight, who yielded to Griffin Rucker.
“He was a sneaky pitcher with a sneaky fastball,” Sandefur said of Knight. “And let me tell you something, I don’t care what anybody says, nobody likes to face a soft lefty. When they put the other guy on the mound it helped us a lot. Everybody likes to hit fastballs.”
Leadoff hitter Evan Peters drove in Warnock with a ground ball. Oberling then singled to right field to score Mitchell and give the Wildcats a 4-1 lead.
Gosser then singled to put runners at first and second with one out, but Howell hit into a fielder’s choice at third base, and Rathbun struck out for the second time.
North Little Rock (9-1) sealed it with four runs in the bottom of the sixth. Smiatek led off with a double to centerfield and Sandefur singled to put runners on the corners. Smiatek scored on a passed ball.
Rucker then hit Warnock and walked Mitchell to load the bases. Peters then singled to drive in two runs and Oberling walked, prompting Arkadelphia coach Brant Matros to take Rucker off the mound. He gave way to Ty Kosters, who got immediate results by picking off Oberling’s courtesy runner Zane Venetta. After walking Gosser, Kosters got Howell to pop up to third base and struck out Rathbun to end the Wildcat rally.
“We’re playing good fundamental baseball right now,” Sandefur said of his squad. “We’re making all the routine plays you have to make and we’re keeping mistakes to a minimum. We’re getting better at the plate and we’re going to become a good-hitting team. Our approach right now is much better than it was at the start of the season and hopefully it will continue to get better.”
North Little Rock finished with seven earned runs off nine hits. Knight threw four and two-thirds innings for Arkadelphia, giving up four hits and three earned runs while striking out three and walking none.
Oberling threw all seven innings for North Little Rock. He gave up five hits, no earned runs while striking out nine and walking four.
Everyone in the tournament was supposed to play two games on Thursday, but the late games were canceled due to the winter storm that moved in late in the afternoon.
SPORTS STORY >> Great pitching effort for naught
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
Sylvan Hills pitcher J.D. Miller turned in one of the best performances of the year, by any pitcher, in his outing at Burns Park on Thursday in the first round of the Central Arkansas Invitational, and he picked up the loss.
Miller completely shut down class 7A’s No. 2 ranked Springale Har-Ber Wildcats, giving up one hit and never letting a ball, any ball, not even an out, leave the infield through seven innings in a 1-0 loss.
“He threw a heck of a game,” Sylvan Hills coach Denny Tipton said. “It’s kind of sad. His last two outings have been a two-hitter and a one-hitter and we haven’t produced a single run for him.”
The Bears (4-5) only got two hits off three Har-Ber pitchers, but drew nine walks. The Wildcats got out of several jams with double plays and numerous base-running blunders by Sylvan Hills’ runners.
Har-Ber (9-1) never sent more than four batters to the plate in any inning. The Wildcats drew walks in the first, fourth and seventh innings, and got an infield single in the sixth, which eventually produced the only run of the game. Miller struck out 10 Har-Ber batters in the dominant performance, showing excellent command of his pitches and a solid, calm demeanor on the mound.
“He’s done that this year,” Tipton said. “His first outing at Vilonia he struggled in the first inning and they got five runs off of him. Since then he hasn’t given up an earned run in his last 19 innings.”
The game’s only run came with two outs in the top of the sixth inning when Har-Ber two-hole hitter Gus Vitt broke up the no-hitter with a grounder to the gap between shortstop and third base. Bears’ shortstop Brandon Baoni made the stop, but his throw back to first, with his momentum carrying him the opposite direction, didn’t get there in time to get the speedy Vitt.
The Wildcat left fielder easily stole second base on the next pitch. He broke for third base two pitches later. Catcher Reid Fawcett mishandled the outside pitch. Seeing the passed ball, Vitt broke for home and stumbled just after crossing third base. He kept going for home though and it appeared he would easily be thrown out. But Fawcett had trouble grasping the ball against the backstop and never made a throw to Miller, who was covering home plate.
Sylvan Hills blew prime scoring opportunities in the second, third, sixth and seventh innings. In each of those innings, the Bears had at least two runners on with no more than one out.
They had two on with one out in the second before Jacob White popped up to second base for the second out. Baoni then walked to load the bases, but was picked off by Har-Ber pitcher John Jaro for the third out.
Nine-hole hitter Blake Maddox walked to lead off the third inning and leadoff hitter T.J. Burrows singled to put two runners on with no outs. Charlie Roberts then struck out by missing a bunt, and catcher Justin Rasmussen picked off Maddox for a strikeout/2-6 double play. Chase Imoff then grounded out to third base to end the inning.
Sylvan Hills got its first three batters on base with two walks and a hit batter in the sixth. Roberts led it off, but was picked off on the first pitch to the next batter. Imoff then walked and Miller was hit to put two runners on. But two pop ups followed to end the threat.
The Bears got two on with one out in the bottom of the seventh and the top of the lineup coming up. Burrows ripped a hard ground ball down the first base line, but Har-Ber first baseman Zac DeShazo was squeezing the line and easily made the play. Roberts then struck out to end the game.
“We’ve just shot ourselves in the foot,” Tipton said. “I thought we outplayed them. Neither team had many hits, but we had a lot more opportunities to score than they did. That’s the positive. We can play with anybody when we play up to our capabilities. We battle at the plate. We don’t get blown away, we’re not striking out much. We just have to start turning those battles into hits, and I think we will. I’d rather hit in May than now anyway if I had the choice.”
Bad weather caused the postponement of the night games on Thursday and threw the tournament schedule into disarray. The Bears will be back on the field today, but time and place were not determined at The Leader’s deadlines. They will get back to conference play on Tuesday with a doubleheader at Mills.
Leader sports editor
Sylvan Hills pitcher J.D. Miller turned in one of the best performances of the year, by any pitcher, in his outing at Burns Park on Thursday in the first round of the Central Arkansas Invitational, and he picked up the loss.
Miller completely shut down class 7A’s No. 2 ranked Springale Har-Ber Wildcats, giving up one hit and never letting a ball, any ball, not even an out, leave the infield through seven innings in a 1-0 loss.
“He threw a heck of a game,” Sylvan Hills coach Denny Tipton said. “It’s kind of sad. His last two outings have been a two-hitter and a one-hitter and we haven’t produced a single run for him.”
The Bears (4-5) only got two hits off three Har-Ber pitchers, but drew nine walks. The Wildcats got out of several jams with double plays and numerous base-running blunders by Sylvan Hills’ runners.
Har-Ber (9-1) never sent more than four batters to the plate in any inning. The Wildcats drew walks in the first, fourth and seventh innings, and got an infield single in the sixth, which eventually produced the only run of the game. Miller struck out 10 Har-Ber batters in the dominant performance, showing excellent command of his pitches and a solid, calm demeanor on the mound.
“He’s done that this year,” Tipton said. “His first outing at Vilonia he struggled in the first inning and they got five runs off of him. Since then he hasn’t given up an earned run in his last 19 innings.”
The game’s only run came with two outs in the top of the sixth inning when Har-Ber two-hole hitter Gus Vitt broke up the no-hitter with a grounder to the gap between shortstop and third base. Bears’ shortstop Brandon Baoni made the stop, but his throw back to first, with his momentum carrying him the opposite direction, didn’t get there in time to get the speedy Vitt.
The Wildcat left fielder easily stole second base on the next pitch. He broke for third base two pitches later. Catcher Reid Fawcett mishandled the outside pitch. Seeing the passed ball, Vitt broke for home and stumbled just after crossing third base. He kept going for home though and it appeared he would easily be thrown out. But Fawcett had trouble grasping the ball against the backstop and never made a throw to Miller, who was covering home plate.
Sylvan Hills blew prime scoring opportunities in the second, third, sixth and seventh innings. In each of those innings, the Bears had at least two runners on with no more than one out.
They had two on with one out in the second before Jacob White popped up to second base for the second out. Baoni then walked to load the bases, but was picked off by Har-Ber pitcher John Jaro for the third out.
Nine-hole hitter Blake Maddox walked to lead off the third inning and leadoff hitter T.J. Burrows singled to put two runners on with no outs. Charlie Roberts then struck out by missing a bunt, and catcher Justin Rasmussen picked off Maddox for a strikeout/2-6 double play. Chase Imoff then grounded out to third base to end the inning.
Sylvan Hills got its first three batters on base with two walks and a hit batter in the sixth. Roberts led it off, but was picked off on the first pitch to the next batter. Imoff then walked and Miller was hit to put two runners on. But two pop ups followed to end the threat.
The Bears got two on with one out in the bottom of the seventh and the top of the lineup coming up. Burrows ripped a hard ground ball down the first base line, but Har-Ber first baseman Zac DeShazo was squeezing the line and easily made the play. Roberts then struck out to end the game.
“We’ve just shot ourselves in the foot,” Tipton said. “I thought we outplayed them. Neither team had many hits, but we had a lot more opportunities to score than they did. That’s the positive. We can play with anybody when we play up to our capabilities. We battle at the plate. We don’t get blown away, we’re not striking out much. We just have to start turning those battles into hits, and I think we will. I’d rather hit in May than now anyway if I had the choice.”
Bad weather caused the postponement of the night games on Thursday and threw the tournament schedule into disarray. The Bears will be back on the field today, but time and place were not determined at The Leader’s deadlines. They will get back to conference play on Tuesday with a doubleheader at Mills.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
SPORTS STORY >> Panther softball team earns first league win
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
The Cabot Lady Panthers picked up their first 7A/6A East Conference softball victory in easy fashion with a 21-0 shutout over Little Rock Central on Friday.
The Lady Panthers did not need many hits during the run-ruled affair, as they loaded the bases repeatedly on walks against a Central team struggling to find consistent pitching.
The first few weeks of the season has not been so easy for Cabot, however, as a youth-dominated roster and new coach have worked to find their identity in what appears to be a closely-stacked East league. Cabot currently stands 3-4 overall, and is 1-1 in conference play after losing its league opener at North Little Rock on Tuesday.
Former Searcy coach Chris Cope took over the helm for longtime coach Becky Steward upon her retirement last summer, and is looking to build a program similar to that of his state-championship winning Lady Lions team in 2011.
Senior catcher Taylor Anderson leads the Lady Panthers at the plate with a stellar .573 average, followed by freshman Kayla Henard, who has a .400 average through the first seven games. While Anderson and Henard have enjoyed batting success early, Cope would like to see the overall team average improve.
“Right now, we’re not swinging the bats like we need to, or scoringruns,” Cope said. “After spring break, we’ve got to come back and look at scoring some runs and cut down on our errors to be successful.”
The numbers add up to a potentially deep Cabot team in the future with the varsity and junior-varsity rosters combining for 10 freshmen, four sophomores and five juniors with only three seniors.
The Lady Panthers also have a youthful look inside the pitcher’s circle with sophomore Kaitlyn Thompson handling most of the duties so far this season.
Freshman Kaitlyn Felder entered the season as the No. 2 pitcher, but is currently out injured, leaving another freshman, Payton Steadman, as Thompson’s backup if needed.
“Kaitlyn Thompson has done well for not really being a pitcher,” Cope said. “We’ve just kind of needed her right now for her leadership as a player. She’s done well, we just have to learn to make some plays behind her.”
The inexperience of the Lady Panthers on defense caused a significant amount of errors at the start of the season, but with the beginning of conference play, Cope said he has seen solid improvement on that end, but still has his concerns when it comes to batting.
“We’re getting better,” Cope said. “We started our first game with eight errors, and in our conference game against North Little Rock, we had just three, so we’re cutting them down. We just haven’t woke our bats up like we need to, and that’s something we have to get back to practicing to make a run. There’s only a month and a half left, and then you’re done.”
As far as the 7A/6A East Conference itself, Cabot is not the only rebuilding team this year with several youth-dominant lineups throughout the league.
The new conference alignment has also landed the Lady Panthers in the same league as perennial 6A powerhouses Searcy and Mountain Home, though the Lady Lions are one of those rebuilding teams.
“From top to bottom, our conference looks pretty even,” Cope said. “North Little Rock right now would get the heads up, they’re 2-0. We’re 1-1, and there’s a bunch of 1-1s. In our conference, we have four 6A and four 7A, and I think on any given night, everybody can beat everybody, so it’s pretty even for the most part.”
Leader sportswriter
The Cabot Lady Panthers picked up their first 7A/6A East Conference softball victory in easy fashion with a 21-0 shutout over Little Rock Central on Friday.
The Lady Panthers did not need many hits during the run-ruled affair, as they loaded the bases repeatedly on walks against a Central team struggling to find consistent pitching.
The first few weeks of the season has not been so easy for Cabot, however, as a youth-dominated roster and new coach have worked to find their identity in what appears to be a closely-stacked East league. Cabot currently stands 3-4 overall, and is 1-1 in conference play after losing its league opener at North Little Rock on Tuesday.
Former Searcy coach Chris Cope took over the helm for longtime coach Becky Steward upon her retirement last summer, and is looking to build a program similar to that of his state-championship winning Lady Lions team in 2011.
Senior catcher Taylor Anderson leads the Lady Panthers at the plate with a stellar .573 average, followed by freshman Kayla Henard, who has a .400 average through the first seven games. While Anderson and Henard have enjoyed batting success early, Cope would like to see the overall team average improve.
“Right now, we’re not swinging the bats like we need to, or scoringruns,” Cope said. “After spring break, we’ve got to come back and look at scoring some runs and cut down on our errors to be successful.”
The numbers add up to a potentially deep Cabot team in the future with the varsity and junior-varsity rosters combining for 10 freshmen, four sophomores and five juniors with only three seniors.
The Lady Panthers also have a youthful look inside the pitcher’s circle with sophomore Kaitlyn Thompson handling most of the duties so far this season.
Freshman Kaitlyn Felder entered the season as the No. 2 pitcher, but is currently out injured, leaving another freshman, Payton Steadman, as Thompson’s backup if needed.
“Kaitlyn Thompson has done well for not really being a pitcher,” Cope said. “We’ve just kind of needed her right now for her leadership as a player. She’s done well, we just have to learn to make some plays behind her.”
The inexperience of the Lady Panthers on defense caused a significant amount of errors at the start of the season, but with the beginning of conference play, Cope said he has seen solid improvement on that end, but still has his concerns when it comes to batting.
“We’re getting better,” Cope said. “We started our first game with eight errors, and in our conference game against North Little Rock, we had just three, so we’re cutting them down. We just haven’t woke our bats up like we need to, and that’s something we have to get back to practicing to make a run. There’s only a month and a half left, and then you’re done.”
As far as the 7A/6A East Conference itself, Cabot is not the only rebuilding team this year with several youth-dominant lineups throughout the league.
The new conference alignment has also landed the Lady Panthers in the same league as perennial 6A powerhouses Searcy and Mountain Home, though the Lady Lions are one of those rebuilding teams.
“From top to bottom, our conference looks pretty even,” Cope said. “North Little Rock right now would get the heads up, they’re 2-0. We’re 1-1, and there’s a bunch of 1-1s. In our conference, we have four 6A and four 7A, and I think on any given night, everybody can beat everybody, so it’s pretty even for the most part.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)