By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
On Saturday, the Sylvan Hills baseball team responded well to its worst day of the season that took place Thursday. In their final two games of the Central Arkansas Invitational, the Bears beat Little Rock Central and Maumelle 5-3 in consecutive outings at Lamar Porter Field in Little Rock.
The two wins came after back-to-back losses to El Dorado and Arkadelphia at home on Thursday, the team’s only two losses of the season.
In the early game on Saturday, the Bears (14-2) got out-hit by the Tigers 8-6, but were more efficient and took advantage of three fourth-inning errors in a three-run frame.
Leading 2-1, Sylvan Hills’ Kyle Clayton drew a leadoff walk to start the bottom of the fourth. Spencer Zilkey then hit a hard grounder to the second-base side of shortstop where Aaron Mann made an easy grab. But his lob to second for the first of what should’ve been a double play was dropped on the exchange. Clayton was out, but Zilkey was safe at first.
Leadoff hitter Michael Coven then ripped a deep fly ball over the fence in left field for a two-RBI home run that made it 4-1. After Zach Douglass grounded out to short. River Hunt hit a fly ball to right that was dropped, and stole second base. Central intentionally walked Nick Fakouri. Hunt then tried to steal the third, and the throw from home sailed into left field, allowing Hunt to trot in for a four-run lead.
Central (1-12-1) got a rally going in the top of the seventh when its first two batters reached base on a HBP and a single to right field. A wild pitch moved the runners up, and Mann hit a fly ball to the wall to score Luke Porter from third. Garrett Hatfield then singled to drive in another run, but the next two batters grounded out to end the threat.
Sylvan Hills scored a run in the first inning. Coven hit a leadoff single and stole second base. Two outs later, Fakouri singled to drive in Coven.
In the second inning, Gage Taylor was hit by a pitch and scored on a double to center field by Chaz Poppy. Central’s other run came in the top of the third on a double by Mann and a single by Charles Pyron.
Cameron Flippo threw 6 2/3 innings for the win. He gave up three earned runs on eight hits; with three strikeouts, zero walks and two hit batters.
Flippo pitched through some early trouble and got through the first two innings unscathed despite three of the Tigers’ first five batters reaching base on errors.
In the later game, Sylvan Hills again scored first, but had to come from behind for the win. In the bottom of the third, Douglass reached on a one-out walk before Hunt got on base because of an error in center field that moved Douglass to third. He then scored on a passed ball for a 1-0 lead.
That’s how it stayed until the third inning. Sylvan Hills starting pitcher Braden Withrow cruised through the first two innings and two batters. Withrow retired the first eight batters in a row, but then failed to get any of the next five out. He had two outs and two strikes on Maumelle nine-hole hitter Ethan Cash when Cash poked a single into right field.
Withrow then hit leadoff hitter Mo’Nique Wilkerson. Nicholas Grimsley then singled to drive in Cash before Withrow hit #24. Cleanup hitter #17 then hit a two-RBI single to left field to put the Hornets up 3-1.
Ray Young took the mound for the Bears and struck out Brody Ammons to get out of the jam. He also pitched the fourth and fifth innings, giving up one base hit and no runs.
Sylvan Hills then rallied for four runs in the bottom of the fifth. Caleb McMunn drew a leadoff walk and was replaced on the bases by pinch runner Jacob Galiano. Poppy then singled to center field, and the catcher was replaced by courtesy runner Payton Terry. Clayton’s sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third base, and Zilkey singled to left to drive in Galiano.
Coven then singled to drive in Terry, and Zilkey was able to score when Wilkerson misplayed the bounce and let the ball get by him and roll to the wall. Two batters later, Coven scored on a single to left by Hunt to set the final margin.
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
EDITORIAL >> David Solomon, 1916-2017, RIP
Sad to hear that David Solomon, the longtime Helena lawyer and civic leader, passed away last week at his home at the age of 100. Everyone in the Arkansas Delta thought he was a mensch (a Yiddish word for someone of great character and integrity). Mr. Solomon worked for the Helena school board and the hospital pro bono for many years and was a member of the Arkansas Highway Commission, serving as its chairman in 1984-85.
He was a delegate to the Arkansas State Constitutional Convention in 1969. He was in banking and managed the Solomon Farms.
We saw him in 2006 at Temple Beth El in Helena that is now a Delta Heritage House. Always a sharp dresser, Mr. Solomon wore a beautiful dark blue suit that day.
He told us about going to Harvard Law School before the Second World War. He kept his law office open on Cherry Street until last year. The famous KFFA blues radio station was across the street, where his three sons used to watch blues musicians going up the stairs in the alley.
Helena’s annual blues festival is held down the street. We used to look inside his law office on blues festival weekends, probably the only time he wasn’t working besides the Sabbath and high holidays. He retired in 2015 after practicing law for 75 years, probably a state record. In 2014, the Arkansas Bar Association honored him for his lifetime of service.
Mr. Solomon was much loved and respected in a region that admires Israel for its courage and for winning against all odds.
Services will be held at 11 a.m. today at Temple Beth El Heritage House with burial at Temple Beth El Cemetery.
Eli Evans wrote in “The Provincials,” his portrait of Southern Jews, “Being Jewish in the South is like being Gentile in New York.”
Mr. Solomon made us feel we weren’t outsiders. May his memory be a blessing.
He was a delegate to the Arkansas State Constitutional Convention in 1969. He was in banking and managed the Solomon Farms.
We saw him in 2006 at Temple Beth El in Helena that is now a Delta Heritage House. Always a sharp dresser, Mr. Solomon wore a beautiful dark blue suit that day.
He told us about going to Harvard Law School before the Second World War. He kept his law office open on Cherry Street until last year. The famous KFFA blues radio station was across the street, where his three sons used to watch blues musicians going up the stairs in the alley.
Helena’s annual blues festival is held down the street. We used to look inside his law office on blues festival weekends, probably the only time he wasn’t working besides the Sabbath and high holidays. He retired in 2015 after practicing law for 75 years, probably a state record. In 2014, the Arkansas Bar Association honored him for his lifetime of service.
Mr. Solomon was much loved and respected in a region that admires Israel for its courage and for winning against all odds.
Services will be held at 11 a.m. today at Temple Beth El Heritage House with burial at Temple Beth El Cemetery.
Eli Evans wrote in “The Provincials,” his portrait of Southern Jews, “Being Jewish in the South is like being Gentile in New York.”
Mr. Solomon made us feel we weren’t outsiders. May his memory be a blessing.
EDITORIAL >> Welcome, new chief
A search committee last week chose Geoffrey Herweg, 53, the deputy chief of the Lovington, N.M., police department, as Jacksonville’s next police chief. He will succeed Kenny Boyd, who has been with the department for 29 years, the last three as chief. Boyd announced his retirement earlier this year after serving with distinction in various capacities.
Boyd’s low-key but effective approach to law enforcement is worth emulating not just in Jacksonville but in all of our communities. Thank you, Kenny Boyd, for your long service to the community.
Herweg, who starts in a couple of weeks, has more than 30 years of law-enforcement and military experience and has been the deputy chief in Lovington since January 2015. He joined the Lovington force in 2012. He has a master’s degree in public administration and may pursue a doctorate.
Herweg served eight years in the Texas Army National Guard, starting out enlisted and ending up a second lieutenant. He was a rapid-response commander at Victory Base Complex, Baghdad, Iraq, as a civilian contractor, helping provide security for about 68,000 military and civilian personnel. He also served as shift supervisor for the U.S. Embassy Emergency Response Team in Afghanistan.
Mayor Gary Fletcher introduced Herweg, who goes by Jeff, to about 50 members of the police and fire department, city officials and others at a Friday afternoon gathering at the public safety building.
“I’ve had the pleasure of working with two great police chiefs,” said the mayor, “Gary Sipes and Kenny Boyd, and now I feel that Jeff will take us to that next level.”
Herweg was partly chosen for his military experience. Jacksonville, home to Little Rock Air Force Base, he noted, is “a military town and I come from a military family. It is a small town (although nearly double the size of Lovington), and it’s a very welcoming community. That means more to me than anything.”
Chief Herweg, welcome to Jacksonville, one of the great military communities in the nation. It’s a job that requires reaching out to residents from all walks of life, but also coordination with the air base. Herweg’s decades of experience qualifies him for his new job. We look forward to a long partnership.
Boyd’s low-key but effective approach to law enforcement is worth emulating not just in Jacksonville but in all of our communities. Thank you, Kenny Boyd, for your long service to the community.
Herweg, who starts in a couple of weeks, has more than 30 years of law-enforcement and military experience and has been the deputy chief in Lovington since January 2015. He joined the Lovington force in 2012. He has a master’s degree in public administration and may pursue a doctorate.
Herweg served eight years in the Texas Army National Guard, starting out enlisted and ending up a second lieutenant. He was a rapid-response commander at Victory Base Complex, Baghdad, Iraq, as a civilian contractor, helping provide security for about 68,000 military and civilian personnel. He also served as shift supervisor for the U.S. Embassy Emergency Response Team in Afghanistan.
Mayor Gary Fletcher introduced Herweg, who goes by Jeff, to about 50 members of the police and fire department, city officials and others at a Friday afternoon gathering at the public safety building.
“I’ve had the pleasure of working with two great police chiefs,” said the mayor, “Gary Sipes and Kenny Boyd, and now I feel that Jeff will take us to that next level.”
Herweg was partly chosen for his military experience. Jacksonville, home to Little Rock Air Force Base, he noted, is “a military town and I come from a military family. It is a small town (although nearly double the size of Lovington), and it’s a very welcoming community. That means more to me than anything.”
Chief Herweg, welcome to Jacksonville, one of the great military communities in the nation. It’s a job that requires reaching out to residents from all walks of life, but also coordination with the air base. Herweg’s decades of experience qualifies him for his new job. We look forward to a long partnership.
TOP STORY >> Ward eyes Disney $20K parks grant
Ward Parks and Recreation Director Karen Dawson invites the public to nominate the city to win a $20,000 grant for its parks from the Walt Disney Co.
The nomination period starts Saturday and continues through the end of the month. Nominations can be made online at NRPA.org/BeInspired.
The city with the most nominations will win the grant. Everyone who nominates a city will be entered into a drawing for a tablet computer outfitted for the outdoors.
The contest is called “Meet Me at the Park” and is a collaboration between the National Recreation and Park Association and Walt Disney and aims to revitalize and restore parks across the country.
“Local parks make Ward a better place to live and shape so many of our lives. Parks are essential to our city’s health and wellbeing. They provide safe places to be active and enjoy nature—and they help preserve the environment and bring people together,” Dawson said in the announcement.
“That’s why from April 1 to April 30, Ward residents will have the opportunity to nominate our city to receive $20,000 in grant funding to make improvements at a local park,” Dawson continued.
“Ward’s park and recreation programs continue to grow. This year alone, we have seen a 14 percent increase in the number of participants who have signed up for spring sports. $20,000 would go a long way in supporting our park and recreation program,” she said.
“This Earth Month, Ward can show what parks mean to our community by nominating our great city. Encourage your friends to nominate our city by taking a selfie in your favorite park and using the hashtags #MeetMeAtThePark, #Parkies and #BeInspired,” the announcement said.
For more information, visit www.wardparksandrec.com or call Dawson at 501-843-7686 or email dawsonwardparksandrec@cityofward.com.
The nomination period starts Saturday and continues through the end of the month. Nominations can be made online at NRPA.org/BeInspired.
The city with the most nominations will win the grant. Everyone who nominates a city will be entered into a drawing for a tablet computer outfitted for the outdoors.
The contest is called “Meet Me at the Park” and is a collaboration between the National Recreation and Park Association and Walt Disney and aims to revitalize and restore parks across the country.
“Local parks make Ward a better place to live and shape so many of our lives. Parks are essential to our city’s health and wellbeing. They provide safe places to be active and enjoy nature—and they help preserve the environment and bring people together,” Dawson said in the announcement.
“That’s why from April 1 to April 30, Ward residents will have the opportunity to nominate our city to receive $20,000 in grant funding to make improvements at a local park,” Dawson continued.
“Ward’s park and recreation programs continue to grow. This year alone, we have seen a 14 percent increase in the number of participants who have signed up for spring sports. $20,000 would go a long way in supporting our park and recreation program,” she said.
“This Earth Month, Ward can show what parks mean to our community by nominating our great city. Encourage your friends to nominate our city by taking a selfie in your favorite park and using the hashtags #MeetMeAtThePark, #Parkies and #BeInspired,” the announcement said.
For more information, visit www.wardparksandrec.com or call Dawson at 501-843-7686 or email dawsonwardparksandrec@cityofward.com.
TOP STORY >> Five cities plan spring cleanups
Sherwood’s spring cleanup will be held Saturday, April 8. The annual event, sponsored by Keep Sherwood Beautiful, will begin at 9 a.m. at Jack Evans Senior Center, 2301 Thornhill Drive.
Volunteers are needed and will have a choice to pick-up litter or participate in beautification assignments. Participants will receive a free lunch, Keep Arkansas Beautiful T-shirts and have a chance to win door prizes.
The cleanup is held in conjunction with Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup.
The community beautification reports can be sent by e-mail to ksbarkansas@gmail.com, at www.keepsherwoodbeautiful.net or at the group’s Facebook page.
Keep Sherwood Beautiful will also hold its annual shred-a-thon from 9 a.m. till 1 p.m. Saturday, April 22 at the Walmart Neighborhood Market parking lot, 8801 Hwy. 107. Participants will be limited to five boxes. There is no charge, but donations will be accepted.
Cabot’s spring cleanup and hazardous waste roundup will be held from 9 a.m. until noon Saturday, April 22, which is Earth Day.
The annual event includes a city-wide litter pick-up effort and a drive-through dropoff point for unwanted electronics and household hazardous waste at the Cabot BMX Complex at the end of Willie Ray Drive.
It is sponsored by the city of Cabot and Cabot City Beautiful and will be held in conjunction with the national Great American Cleanup campaign and Keep Arkansas Beautiful Month.
Litter pickup volunteers should meet at Briarwood Baptist Church at 1872 Willie Ray Drive no earlier than 9 a.m. April 22 and check in at the registration canopies.
Volunteers will be assigned routes if they have not already designated their own areas to pick up during the annual event.
The drop-off service will allow for the disposal of various electronic waste and household hazardous waste materials like latex paints, oil-base paints and paint thinners, motor oil, antifreeze, fluorescent bulbs, pesticides and herbicides, household cleaners, household batteries (nicad, alkaline and lithium), automotive batteries and tires (must be off the rim), computer components, TVs and VCRs.
Austin’s spring cleanup will be held next month. City workers will pick up unwanted items and garbage from residences west of the railroad tracks from April 17 through April 21.
The same service will be provided to residences east of the railroad tracks from April 24 through April 28. Batteries, tires and hazardous chemicals will not be collected. Paint cans must be empty.
Lonoke’s annual spring cleanup will be held Saturday, April 22 through Saturday, April 29.
Dumpsters will be placed at the Lonoke City Shop at 1219 Barnes St., but the city will not be accepting liquids, paints, batteries, lumber, building or other hazardous materials.
A tire container will be available.
For more information, call the Lonoke Public Works Department at 501-676-4370 or 501-676-2422.
The city’s annual spring cleanup will be held Saturday, April 22 through Saturday, April 29.
Dumpsters will be placed at the Lonoke City Shop at 1219 Barnes St., but the city will not be accepting liquids, paints, batteries, lumber, building or other hazardous materials.
A tire container will be available.
For more information, call the Lonoke Public Works Department at 501-676-4370 or 501-676-2422.
Ward will hold its spring cleanup from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 29 at the former Co-Op building on Hwy. 367. It will close earlier if the dumpsters are full.
Volunteers are needed and will have a choice to pick-up litter or participate in beautification assignments. Participants will receive a free lunch, Keep Arkansas Beautiful T-shirts and have a chance to win door prizes.
The cleanup is held in conjunction with Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup.
The community beautification reports can be sent by e-mail to ksbarkansas@gmail.com, at www.keepsherwoodbeautiful.net or at the group’s Facebook page.
Keep Sherwood Beautiful will also hold its annual shred-a-thon from 9 a.m. till 1 p.m. Saturday, April 22 at the Walmart Neighborhood Market parking lot, 8801 Hwy. 107. Participants will be limited to five boxes. There is no charge, but donations will be accepted.
Cabot’s spring cleanup and hazardous waste roundup will be held from 9 a.m. until noon Saturday, April 22, which is Earth Day.
The annual event includes a city-wide litter pick-up effort and a drive-through dropoff point for unwanted electronics and household hazardous waste at the Cabot BMX Complex at the end of Willie Ray Drive.
It is sponsored by the city of Cabot and Cabot City Beautiful and will be held in conjunction with the national Great American Cleanup campaign and Keep Arkansas Beautiful Month.
Litter pickup volunteers should meet at Briarwood Baptist Church at 1872 Willie Ray Drive no earlier than 9 a.m. April 22 and check in at the registration canopies.
Volunteers will be assigned routes if they have not already designated their own areas to pick up during the annual event.
The drop-off service will allow for the disposal of various electronic waste and household hazardous waste materials like latex paints, oil-base paints and paint thinners, motor oil, antifreeze, fluorescent bulbs, pesticides and herbicides, household cleaners, household batteries (nicad, alkaline and lithium), automotive batteries and tires (must be off the rim), computer components, TVs and VCRs.
Austin’s spring cleanup will be held next month. City workers will pick up unwanted items and garbage from residences west of the railroad tracks from April 17 through April 21.
The same service will be provided to residences east of the railroad tracks from April 24 through April 28. Batteries, tires and hazardous chemicals will not be collected. Paint cans must be empty.
Lonoke’s annual spring cleanup will be held Saturday, April 22 through Saturday, April 29.
Dumpsters will be placed at the Lonoke City Shop at 1219 Barnes St., but the city will not be accepting liquids, paints, batteries, lumber, building or other hazardous materials.
A tire container will be available.
For more information, call the Lonoke Public Works Department at 501-676-4370 or 501-676-2422.
The city’s annual spring cleanup will be held Saturday, April 22 through Saturday, April 29.
Dumpsters will be placed at the Lonoke City Shop at 1219 Barnes St., but the city will not be accepting liquids, paints, batteries, lumber, building or other hazardous materials.
A tire container will be available.
For more information, call the Lonoke Public Works Department at 501-676-4370 or 501-676-2422.
Ward will hold its spring cleanup from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 29 at the former Co-Op building on Hwy. 367. It will close earlier if the dumpsters are full.
TOP STORY >> Aftermath of spring storm
By JEFFREY SMITH Leader staff writer
A tornado and high winds on Friday night left many area residents picking up debris over the weekend.
An EF-2 tornado hit a trailer park in north Pulaski County at Lowridge and Slipspur Roads. The National Weather Service in Little Rock reported the tornado touched down at 11:20 p.m. near the Pulaski-Faulkner County line south of Frenchman Mountain Road.
The twister lasted seven minutes. It traveled 4.1 miles and was 100 yards wide. Winds were between 111-135 mph. Six people were injured and four mobile homes were destroyed.
Landowner Sheila Shearer said two of the mobile homes were vacant. The trailer park has 11 residents. She said power and water service is back on.
“The last two days have been a blur,” Shearer said.
Angie and Marvin Fisher with Sylvan Hills Church of Christ delivered donated water, food and snacks for residents of the trailer park on Sunday. Members of That Church in Sherwood helped with clean-up efforts on Saturday.
Fire and Ice Heating and Air owners Ricky and Rhonda Davis volunteered repairing sheet metal on the mobile homes. Jesse Dickerson brought his tractor.
“We were sitting at home watching TV, and they said there was a severe thunderstorm warning. When the storm hit I heard glass breaking, and I hid behind the couch,” Ethan Hawkins said.
“The power went out five seconds before it hit. The house was shaking. It really does sound like a freight train and then five seconds later it was gone,” said his sister, Heather Hawkins.
“We looked out the window and the neighbor’s house was gone. A pregnant woman was trapped under her house. My mom helped her and she is OK.
“Another neighbor, an older man in his 70s, was trapped under a support beam,” Ethan Hawkins said.
BEEBE WIND DAMAGE
A patchwork of blue and white tarps now cover the roofs of many homes and businesses in Beebe.
The National Weather Service in Little Rock surveyed the damage and determined straight-line winds of 80 mph caused damage from West Dewitt Henry Drive at ASU Boulevard over the freeway continuing along Hwy. 64 West.
Shingles were peeled off, tree branches were broken. Signs were bent over or blown out.
The strong winds toppled two stone monuments at the Veterans Memorial. The city council is seeking bids to replace it.
The old boat factory building caved in.
Regions Bank at 1500 W. Dewitt Henry Drive had insulation draped from the ceiling on the second floor. A window was broken on the ground floor. Next door, a strip mall had glass doors and windows shattered.
Sy Brazeal of 50 Hwy. 64 West was picking up debris in his yard on Sunday.
“They say it was just winds, but I’ve never seen winds pull brick off a house before,” Brazeal said.
More severe weather is being forecasted this week.
TORNADO SIRENS IN CABOT, WARD
The North Little Rock City Council approved donating used tornado sirens to Cabot and Ward during Monday’s meeting.
Cabot will get three and Ward will get four. North Little Rock replaced the sirens with newer models.
Cabot Fire Chief Phil Robinson said the city has seven sirens. One is not working and another does not rotate to broadcast the sound.
Cabot will use the donated sirens for parts or replacement.
Ward has three tornado sirens. In November, the city council turned down a $12,000 request to repair its three sirens. The sirens wail but do not rotate to broadcast the sound to all areas of the Ward.
Ward will use the donated sirens for parts or replacement and may install one on a pole for warning. A new pole will be around $1,000 a piece, plus cost of wiring.
Ward city officials suggested residents purchase weather radios or sign up for CodeRed, mass notification system sent to phones, text or e-mail messages.
Residents voiced their concerns during the following council meetings for Ward to repair or replace its sirens.
A tornado and high winds on Friday night left many area residents picking up debris over the weekend.
An EF-2 tornado hit a trailer park in north Pulaski County at Lowridge and Slipspur Roads. The National Weather Service in Little Rock reported the tornado touched down at 11:20 p.m. near the Pulaski-Faulkner County line south of Frenchman Mountain Road.
The twister lasted seven minutes. It traveled 4.1 miles and was 100 yards wide. Winds were between 111-135 mph. Six people were injured and four mobile homes were destroyed.
Landowner Sheila Shearer said two of the mobile homes were vacant. The trailer park has 11 residents. She said power and water service is back on.
“The last two days have been a blur,” Shearer said.
Angie and Marvin Fisher with Sylvan Hills Church of Christ delivered donated water, food and snacks for residents of the trailer park on Sunday. Members of That Church in Sherwood helped with clean-up efforts on Saturday.
Fire and Ice Heating and Air owners Ricky and Rhonda Davis volunteered repairing sheet metal on the mobile homes. Jesse Dickerson brought his tractor.
“We were sitting at home watching TV, and they said there was a severe thunderstorm warning. When the storm hit I heard glass breaking, and I hid behind the couch,” Ethan Hawkins said.
“The power went out five seconds before it hit. The house was shaking. It really does sound like a freight train and then five seconds later it was gone,” said his sister, Heather Hawkins.
“We looked out the window and the neighbor’s house was gone. A pregnant woman was trapped under her house. My mom helped her and she is OK.
“Another neighbor, an older man in his 70s, was trapped under a support beam,” Ethan Hawkins said.
BEEBE WIND DAMAGE
A patchwork of blue and white tarps now cover the roofs of many homes and businesses in Beebe.
The National Weather Service in Little Rock surveyed the damage and determined straight-line winds of 80 mph caused damage from West Dewitt Henry Drive at ASU Boulevard over the freeway continuing along Hwy. 64 West.
Shingles were peeled off, tree branches were broken. Signs were bent over or blown out.
The strong winds toppled two stone monuments at the Veterans Memorial. The city council is seeking bids to replace it.
The old boat factory building caved in.
Regions Bank at 1500 W. Dewitt Henry Drive had insulation draped from the ceiling on the second floor. A window was broken on the ground floor. Next door, a strip mall had glass doors and windows shattered.
Sy Brazeal of 50 Hwy. 64 West was picking up debris in his yard on Sunday.
“They say it was just winds, but I’ve never seen winds pull brick off a house before,” Brazeal said.
More severe weather is being forecasted this week.
TORNADO SIRENS IN CABOT, WARD
The North Little Rock City Council approved donating used tornado sirens to Cabot and Ward during Monday’s meeting.
Cabot will get three and Ward will get four. North Little Rock replaced the sirens with newer models.
Cabot Fire Chief Phil Robinson said the city has seven sirens. One is not working and another does not rotate to broadcast the sound.
Cabot will use the donated sirens for parts or replacement.
Ward has three tornado sirens. In November, the city council turned down a $12,000 request to repair its three sirens. The sirens wail but do not rotate to broadcast the sound to all areas of the Ward.
Ward will use the donated sirens for parts or replacement and may install one on a pole for warning. A new pole will be around $1,000 a piece, plus cost of wiring.
Ward city officials suggested residents purchase weather radios or sign up for CodeRed, mass notification system sent to phones, text or e-mail messages.
Residents voiced their concerns during the following council meetings for Ward to repair or replace its sirens.
Friday, March 24, 2017
EDITORIAL >> No repeal, replace yet
“We are going to be living with Obamacare for the foreseeable future.” — House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.)
An inexperienced president and a House speaker who could not count ensured defeat of a signature healthcare bill that Donald Trump promised on the campaign trail would cover everyone for a lot less money and with better features than Obamacare.
Republican members of Congress who bothered to read the much-touted American Health Care Act realized it would cost more and cover fewer people and offer fewer benefits. Most GOP representatives jumped ship, leaving only those who were still in lockstep with a panicked leadership to support the confused measure.
Ryan postponed a vote Thursday until Friday in hopes of getting the unpopular bill passed — calls from constituents were 35-1 against — but more Republicans mutinied and support for the measure quickly collapsed.
The stunning defeat for the much-touted American Health Care Act to replace the Affordable Care Act was a foregone conclusion even before the House was supposed to start voting Friday afternoon as most conservative and many moderate members refused to support the legislation that would continue to add to the deficit while cutting back benefits at a much higher cost.
By mid-afternoon Friday, Trump told Speaker Ryan to pull the bill, which would have lost by a lopsided margin as more Republicans recoiled from the weird contraption that would have dropped 24 million people from insurance coverage while costing the federal government billions of dollars more in the next decade.
In any case, the administration was already two months behind schedule — Republicans had promised to repeal Obamacare “on day one” — and here we were in late March with no replacement in sight. And now repeal and replacement is just a campaign slogan and nothing more.
President Trump tried to twist arms during a visit to Congress this week, but most members were no longer intimidated, and that may have been the moment the tide turned against the bill. At week’s end, the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee said he would vote no as did other key legislators, putting an end to efforts to repeal Obamacare until at least the next election and perhaps forever. No “Art of the Deal” this time.
The many sweeteners added to the bill to make Obamacare Lite easier for conservatives to swallow didn’t sway the holdouts and in fact offended many deficit hawks. But those reported changes, which would have eliminated important features available under Obamacare, would have made it more difficult to pass in the Senate.
Rep. Rick Crawford, the Republican congressman from the largely rural First District, said he could not support a bill that added to the national debt. “When we’re $20 trillion in debt, and we’re facing interest rate increases, I don’t want to engage in another (entitlement) program that exacerbates that problem,” he told the Arkansas Democrat Gazette. “Big government under Republicans vs. big government under Democrats is still big government.”
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) also opposed the health care bill on the same philosophical grounds, although the rest of the state’s congressional delegation, all Republicans, stood behind the President and Speaker Ryan, whatever the cost, especially to Arkansas, which could have lost tens of millions of dollars in Medicare and Medicaid funds if the bill had passed.
The American Health Care Act had too many serious flaws: It would have raised premiums for working seniors who are a decade away from retirement and would have dropped tens of thousands of working poor Arkansans who have signed up for Medicaid expansion. Children from less affluent homes who have benefited from ARKids (which Gov. Mike Huckabee launched 20 years ago) could also have lost coverage.
Hospitals throughout Arkansas, especially UAMS and the many regional medical centers in small towns and rural areas, would also have been harmed. They would have been expected to treat more patients in emergency rooms, forcing hospitals to write off millions of dollars worth of charity care. Hospitals in our area have probably written off $100 million or more in uncollected debt.
Putting additional burdens on doctors and hospitals is not the answer to our health care crisis. It’s time for bipartisan legislation that ensures all Americans can get proper health care.
Political grandstanding must stop, along with sloganeering and empty promises. An epidemic of opiate addiction is spreading across the country — many of the addicts are Trump voters — and life expectancy among white working-class people is dropping alarmingly. Fixing our health- care crisis does not need political labels. Call it Obamacare or Trumpcare or Ryancare if you want, but the American people deserve health care that’s above partisan politics. They’re tired of the political drama that played out in Washington this week.
An inexperienced president and a House speaker who could not count ensured defeat of a signature healthcare bill that Donald Trump promised on the campaign trail would cover everyone for a lot less money and with better features than Obamacare.
Republican members of Congress who bothered to read the much-touted American Health Care Act realized it would cost more and cover fewer people and offer fewer benefits. Most GOP representatives jumped ship, leaving only those who were still in lockstep with a panicked leadership to support the confused measure.
Ryan postponed a vote Thursday until Friday in hopes of getting the unpopular bill passed — calls from constituents were 35-1 against — but more Republicans mutinied and support for the measure quickly collapsed.
The stunning defeat for the much-touted American Health Care Act to replace the Affordable Care Act was a foregone conclusion even before the House was supposed to start voting Friday afternoon as most conservative and many moderate members refused to support the legislation that would continue to add to the deficit while cutting back benefits at a much higher cost.
By mid-afternoon Friday, Trump told Speaker Ryan to pull the bill, which would have lost by a lopsided margin as more Republicans recoiled from the weird contraption that would have dropped 24 million people from insurance coverage while costing the federal government billions of dollars more in the next decade.
In any case, the administration was already two months behind schedule — Republicans had promised to repeal Obamacare “on day one” — and here we were in late March with no replacement in sight. And now repeal and replacement is just a campaign slogan and nothing more.
President Trump tried to twist arms during a visit to Congress this week, but most members were no longer intimidated, and that may have been the moment the tide turned against the bill. At week’s end, the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee said he would vote no as did other key legislators, putting an end to efforts to repeal Obamacare until at least the next election and perhaps forever. No “Art of the Deal” this time.
The many sweeteners added to the bill to make Obamacare Lite easier for conservatives to swallow didn’t sway the holdouts and in fact offended many deficit hawks. But those reported changes, which would have eliminated important features available under Obamacare, would have made it more difficult to pass in the Senate.
Rep. Rick Crawford, the Republican congressman from the largely rural First District, said he could not support a bill that added to the national debt. “When we’re $20 trillion in debt, and we’re facing interest rate increases, I don’t want to engage in another (entitlement) program that exacerbates that problem,” he told the Arkansas Democrat Gazette. “Big government under Republicans vs. big government under Democrats is still big government.”
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) also opposed the health care bill on the same philosophical grounds, although the rest of the state’s congressional delegation, all Republicans, stood behind the President and Speaker Ryan, whatever the cost, especially to Arkansas, which could have lost tens of millions of dollars in Medicare and Medicaid funds if the bill had passed.
The American Health Care Act had too many serious flaws: It would have raised premiums for working seniors who are a decade away from retirement and would have dropped tens of thousands of working poor Arkansans who have signed up for Medicaid expansion. Children from less affluent homes who have benefited from ARKids (which Gov. Mike Huckabee launched 20 years ago) could also have lost coverage.
Hospitals throughout Arkansas, especially UAMS and the many regional medical centers in small towns and rural areas, would also have been harmed. They would have been expected to treat more patients in emergency rooms, forcing hospitals to write off millions of dollars worth of charity care. Hospitals in our area have probably written off $100 million or more in uncollected debt.
Putting additional burdens on doctors and hospitals is not the answer to our health care crisis. It’s time for bipartisan legislation that ensures all Americans can get proper health care.
Political grandstanding must stop, along with sloganeering and empty promises. An epidemic of opiate addiction is spreading across the country — many of the addicts are Trump voters — and life expectancy among white working-class people is dropping alarmingly. Fixing our health- care crisis does not need political labels. Call it Obamacare or Trumpcare or Ryancare if you want, but the American people deserve health care that’s above partisan politics. They’re tired of the political drama that played out in Washington this week.
TOP STORY >> RAIN OR SHINE
By Airman 1st Class Kevin Sommer Giron
19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
Dark clouds hover over the 19th Airlift Wing Base Operations building as if signaling the imminent arrival of bad weather.
A storm system highlighted with bright green, red and yellow light up a radar monitor conveying an ominous message for the 19th Operations Support Squadron Weather Flight.
Airmen work around the clock to collect and analyze the information as they piece together a picture of what’s to come.
Spring is tornado season and the weather flight Airmen are on the lookout for a potential threat.
Nearly six years ago, a twister ripped through Little Rock Air Force Base. Located in “tornado alley,” the base has a history of being impacted by severe weather conditions.
As meteorologists, Airmen monitor weather patterns 24/7 and alert aircrews and base populace of severe weather conditions imminent in the local area.
“We play a vital role in the mission,” said Air Force Capt. Ian Bergstrom, 19th OSS Weather Flight commander. “From pre-planning to execution, we brief aircrews on weather conditions and alert them if anything pops up during flight.”
Just as the U.S. Navy uses radars and NASA uses satellites, the 19th OSS Weather Flight employs both systems to observe weather patterns hourly.
The team measures and monitors rainfall, cloud height, thunderstorms, temperatures, tornados, hail and much more to ensure the safety of the C-130 and its aircrew.
The data collected is then used to produce five to 3-day forecasts for the 19th Airlift Wing, 314th Airlift Wing and 189th Airlift Wing.
The forecasts are distributed using the flight’s three main functions: staff services, mission services and airfield services.
Staff services provides base leadership with timely and accurate weather projections. Mission services briefs aircrews on local weather patterns. Airfield services provides weather watches, warnings and advisories to the base populace.
All base resources are protected from severe weather events through the weather flights three services.
“Resource protection is our goal,” said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Robert Cantu, 19th OSS Weather Flight technician. “Our resources are the base personnel, aircraft and property; that’s why we issue our weather warnings.”
Human input is the key element that sets the weather flight apart from ubiquitous weather applications.
They maintain a 93 percent accuracy rating compared to an 84 percent rating by leading weather applications, according to the Consumer News and Business Channel.
“The models used to collect weather data aren’t always spot on,” Cantu explained. “Human input is key to identifying issues that the models don’t pick up — we update and analyze the data consistently for better accuracy.”
Little Rock AFB maintains a 24/7 mission readiness stance. As meteorologists, the 19th OSS Weather Flight provides trusted and accurate weather forecasts around the clock to support the global Combat Airlift mission on base.
19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
Dark clouds hover over the 19th Airlift Wing Base Operations building as if signaling the imminent arrival of bad weather.
A storm system highlighted with bright green, red and yellow light up a radar monitor conveying an ominous message for the 19th Operations Support Squadron Weather Flight.
Airmen work around the clock to collect and analyze the information as they piece together a picture of what’s to come.
Spring is tornado season and the weather flight Airmen are on the lookout for a potential threat.
Nearly six years ago, a twister ripped through Little Rock Air Force Base. Located in “tornado alley,” the base has a history of being impacted by severe weather conditions.
As meteorologists, Airmen monitor weather patterns 24/7 and alert aircrews and base populace of severe weather conditions imminent in the local area.
“We play a vital role in the mission,” said Air Force Capt. Ian Bergstrom, 19th OSS Weather Flight commander. “From pre-planning to execution, we brief aircrews on weather conditions and alert them if anything pops up during flight.”
Just as the U.S. Navy uses radars and NASA uses satellites, the 19th OSS Weather Flight employs both systems to observe weather patterns hourly.
The team measures and monitors rainfall, cloud height, thunderstorms, temperatures, tornados, hail and much more to ensure the safety of the C-130 and its aircrew.
The data collected is then used to produce five to 3-day forecasts for the 19th Airlift Wing, 314th Airlift Wing and 189th Airlift Wing.
The forecasts are distributed using the flight’s three main functions: staff services, mission services and airfield services.
Staff services provides base leadership with timely and accurate weather projections. Mission services briefs aircrews on local weather patterns. Airfield services provides weather watches, warnings and advisories to the base populace.
All base resources are protected from severe weather events through the weather flights three services.
“Resource protection is our goal,” said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Robert Cantu, 19th OSS Weather Flight technician. “Our resources are the base personnel, aircraft and property; that’s why we issue our weather warnings.”
Human input is the key element that sets the weather flight apart from ubiquitous weather applications.
They maintain a 93 percent accuracy rating compared to an 84 percent rating by leading weather applications, according to the Consumer News and Business Channel.
“The models used to collect weather data aren’t always spot on,” Cantu explained. “Human input is key to identifying issues that the models don’t pick up — we update and analyze the data consistently for better accuracy.”
Little Rock AFB maintains a 24/7 mission readiness stance. As meteorologists, the 19th OSS Weather Flight provides trusted and accurate weather forecasts around the clock to support the global Combat Airlift mission on base.
TOP STORY >> Pastor to lobby for Head Start
By DEBORAH HORN
Leader staff writer
In Matthew 25:40, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
But Washington legislators and President Donald J. Trump may have missed that Bible lesson, so said Jason Ferguson, pastor of First Christian Church of Sherwood.
He and five others were asked to travel to Washington and lobby the Arkansas congressional delegation on behalf of Save the Children Head Start. Their Advocacy Summit begins Sunday and ends Tuesday.
“We will lobby our congressional delegation (including Reps. French Hill, Steve Womack, Bruce Westerman and Rick Crawford, all Republicans) on maintaining and expanding quality early- childhood education programs that help the most vulnerable,” he says.
The attitude in Washington is “disingenuous and disheartening. Education and childhood services are often used as wedge issues to push an agenda,” and he’s afraid that’s the rule of the day.
Actually, he said about the unpopularity of funding social programs under this administration and the current Congress, “We need more civility and less ego in public service. When a country is led by ego and not humanity, then it’s in trouble.”
Trump’s educational and social services slash-and-the-poor-do-without budget tactics has the pastor distressed, especially in light of the larger First Christian Church’s mission priority to work with and for children, youth and young adults.
Their end-result isn’t converts, but to heal, teach and transform lives, he said.
So instead of doing nothing, he, along with five others, are heading to Washington to remind Arkansas legislators of the continued need for the Child Care and Development Block Grants that fund early- education programs around the nation, including in Arkansas.
There are 30 different Head Start program grants in Arkansas serving about 9,000 3- and 4-year-olds. This number doesn’t include the state’s early-childhood educational programs that it serves, Ferguson said.
“The United States lags behind other industrialized nations on access to early education, ranking 28 out of 38 developed countries on early education enrollment among 4-year-olds,” he said.
His message to the Arkansas congressmen, in part, will be: “Head Start and Early Head Start are critical to providing comprehensive early care and education to our poorest children. (Currently) Head Start serves less than half of all eligible preschool-age children, while Early Head Start serves less than five percent of eligible infants and toddlers.”
He plans to ask the legislators to consider spending money on global prenatal healthcare.
Save the Children has programs in areas of the state struggling with high poverty rates and social and educational disadvantages.
The Sherwood pastor has seen up close the difference Head Start can make in the community of Patterson (Woodruff County). These children often come from single-parent, most often single moms, low-income homes and are desperate for role models and guidance.
“What blew me away was how all the boys were drawn to me like a magnet. They were so hungry to interact with me,” Ferguson said. “The teacher said, ‘You may be one of the only males they have contact with in a month.’”
“As a former Head Start volunteer I have seen first hand the difference these types of programs can make in helping make sure kids start public school with the knowledge and skills they need to flourish and survive, not fester and die,” he said.
Head Start is so important to Ward Mayor Art Brooke that he offered the program space at city hall when he found out that it was in danger of closing because Ward Central Elementary, part of the Cabot School District, could no longer house the program due to space limitations.
At last July’s city council meeting, aldermen gave their blessing to Brooke’s proposal, and the Community Action Program for Central Arkansas’ Head Start program moved in before the start of the school year.
The Ward program has about 30 students.
Ferguson said, “A lot of the time these children come from families with severely limited means and are behind socially and educationally by the time they enter kindergarten. By the time they reach the fourth grade, they’re so far behind in reading and math that it’s impossible for them to make up lost ground.”
Without a quality early education, a disadvantaged child’s chances of success are grim, Save the Children Action Network said. While in school, statistics say, 50 percent are more likely to be placed in special education classes; 40 percent are teen parents, and about 25 percent will drop out of school.
After school, 60 percent are more likely to not attend any college. Instead, these same kids, about 70 percent are more likely to be arrested for a violent crime.
Ferguson said “we either pay for education on the front end or incarceration on the back end.”
According to a 2016 report by Nobel Prize-winning economist James Heckman, “The rate of return on investments in early-childhood development for many children can be 13 percent per child per year due to improved outcomes in education, health, sociability, economic productivity and reduced crime.”
In other words, early intervention can produce successful, productive, tax-paying citizens, Ferguson added.
And all of society benefits, he said.
Ferguson, who has been a journalist, worked in governmental policy and procedure, became a pastor about 15 years ago. He said, “We also will be advocating for legislation and action that benefits maternal, newborn and childhood survival. The emphasis would be on mom and child health and nutrition not just at home, but abroad.”
Around the world every year, about 1 million babies die on the day of their birth, another 2 million die within the next seven days.
About 16,000 children die each day from preventable and treatable illnesses such as pneumonia, diarrhea and malaria, and malnutrition is the cause of death in about 45 percent of kids under 5.
“The numbers are hard,” Ferguson said.
Successful adults start long before the first days of preschool, and, he said, in order to be an engaged first grader, a child needs access to healthcare.
Furthermore, he said, “I am excited that the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has made its leading priority to work with and for children, youth and young adults by creating communities of healing, learning and transformation,” he said.
“This is a tangible way we can embody and share the good news of Christ who came in the name of love.”
Leader staff writer
In Matthew 25:40, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
But Washington legislators and President Donald J. Trump may have missed that Bible lesson, so said Jason Ferguson, pastor of First Christian Church of Sherwood.
He and five others were asked to travel to Washington and lobby the Arkansas congressional delegation on behalf of Save the Children Head Start. Their Advocacy Summit begins Sunday and ends Tuesday.
“We will lobby our congressional delegation (including Reps. French Hill, Steve Womack, Bruce Westerman and Rick Crawford, all Republicans) on maintaining and expanding quality early- childhood education programs that help the most vulnerable,” he says.
The attitude in Washington is “disingenuous and disheartening. Education and childhood services are often used as wedge issues to push an agenda,” and he’s afraid that’s the rule of the day.
Actually, he said about the unpopularity of funding social programs under this administration and the current Congress, “We need more civility and less ego in public service. When a country is led by ego and not humanity, then it’s in trouble.”
Trump’s educational and social services slash-and-the-poor-do-without budget tactics has the pastor distressed, especially in light of the larger First Christian Church’s mission priority to work with and for children, youth and young adults.
Their end-result isn’t converts, but to heal, teach and transform lives, he said.
So instead of doing nothing, he, along with five others, are heading to Washington to remind Arkansas legislators of the continued need for the Child Care and Development Block Grants that fund early- education programs around the nation, including in Arkansas.
There are 30 different Head Start program grants in Arkansas serving about 9,000 3- and 4-year-olds. This number doesn’t include the state’s early-childhood educational programs that it serves, Ferguson said.
“The United States lags behind other industrialized nations on access to early education, ranking 28 out of 38 developed countries on early education enrollment among 4-year-olds,” he said.
His message to the Arkansas congressmen, in part, will be: “Head Start and Early Head Start are critical to providing comprehensive early care and education to our poorest children. (Currently) Head Start serves less than half of all eligible preschool-age children, while Early Head Start serves less than five percent of eligible infants and toddlers.”
He plans to ask the legislators to consider spending money on global prenatal healthcare.
Save the Children has programs in areas of the state struggling with high poverty rates and social and educational disadvantages.
The Sherwood pastor has seen up close the difference Head Start can make in the community of Patterson (Woodruff County). These children often come from single-parent, most often single moms, low-income homes and are desperate for role models and guidance.
“What blew me away was how all the boys were drawn to me like a magnet. They were so hungry to interact with me,” Ferguson said. “The teacher said, ‘You may be one of the only males they have contact with in a month.’”
“As a former Head Start volunteer I have seen first hand the difference these types of programs can make in helping make sure kids start public school with the knowledge and skills they need to flourish and survive, not fester and die,” he said.
Head Start is so important to Ward Mayor Art Brooke that he offered the program space at city hall when he found out that it was in danger of closing because Ward Central Elementary, part of the Cabot School District, could no longer house the program due to space limitations.
At last July’s city council meeting, aldermen gave their blessing to Brooke’s proposal, and the Community Action Program for Central Arkansas’ Head Start program moved in before the start of the school year.
The Ward program has about 30 students.
Ferguson said, “A lot of the time these children come from families with severely limited means and are behind socially and educationally by the time they enter kindergarten. By the time they reach the fourth grade, they’re so far behind in reading and math that it’s impossible for them to make up lost ground.”
Without a quality early education, a disadvantaged child’s chances of success are grim, Save the Children Action Network said. While in school, statistics say, 50 percent are more likely to be placed in special education classes; 40 percent are teen parents, and about 25 percent will drop out of school.
After school, 60 percent are more likely to not attend any college. Instead, these same kids, about 70 percent are more likely to be arrested for a violent crime.
Ferguson said “we either pay for education on the front end or incarceration on the back end.”
According to a 2016 report by Nobel Prize-winning economist James Heckman, “The rate of return on investments in early-childhood development for many children can be 13 percent per child per year due to improved outcomes in education, health, sociability, economic productivity and reduced crime.”
In other words, early intervention can produce successful, productive, tax-paying citizens, Ferguson added.
And all of society benefits, he said.
Ferguson, who has been a journalist, worked in governmental policy and procedure, became a pastor about 15 years ago. He said, “We also will be advocating for legislation and action that benefits maternal, newborn and childhood survival. The emphasis would be on mom and child health and nutrition not just at home, but abroad.”
Around the world every year, about 1 million babies die on the day of their birth, another 2 million die within the next seven days.
About 16,000 children die each day from preventable and treatable illnesses such as pneumonia, diarrhea and malaria, and malnutrition is the cause of death in about 45 percent of kids under 5.
“The numbers are hard,” Ferguson said.
Successful adults start long before the first days of preschool, and, he said, in order to be an engaged first grader, a child needs access to healthcare.
Furthermore, he said, “I am excited that the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has made its leading priority to work with and for children, youth and young adults by creating communities of healing, learning and transformation,” he said.
“This is a tangible way we can embody and share the good news of Christ who came in the name of love.”
TOP STORY >> Jacksonville police: Hail to the chief!
By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
“After the first round of interviews, I knew this was our guy,” said Mayor Gary Fletcher, adding, “Do we have to interview anyone else?”
The answer to that was yes as the selection committee narrowed down the original 31 applicants to 11, then four, two and then one.
That one was the guy the mayor had keyed in on at the beginning, Geoffrey Herweg, 53, the deputy chief of the Lovington, N.M., police department.
Fletcher introduced Herweg, who goes by Jeff, to about 50 members of the police and fire department, city officials and others at a 3:30 p.m. Friday gathering at the public safety building.
“I’ve had the pleasure of working with two great police chiefs,” said the mayor, “Gary Sipes and Kenny Boyd, and now I feel that Jeff (Herweg) will take us to that next level.”
Herweg will replace Boyd in about three weeks. Boyd, who has been with the department for 29 years and the last three as chief, announced his retirement earlier this year.
When Herweg was asked why he put his hat in the ring for the Jacksonville job, he said it just felt right, and after spending the past four days in town, he said it was the right place for him.
“It’s a military town and I come from a military family. It is a small town (although nearly double the size of Lovington) and it’s a very welcoming community. That means more to me than anything,” he said.
He added that Jacksonville “just feels comfortable to him.”
Recently Herweg made the finalist lists for chief positions in Columbus, Miss., and Shreveport, La.
He has more than 30 years of law-enforcement and military experience and has been the deputy chief of Lovington since January 2015. He joined the Lovington force in 2012.
He has led high-profile private-security operations, domestically and internationally. Herweg served as a rapid-response commander at Victory Base Complex, Bagdad, Iraq, helping provide private security for about 68,000 military and civilian personnel.
He also served as shift supervisor for the U.S. Embassy emergency response team in Afghanistan.
He has worked as an adjunct instructor at the New Mexico Police Academy, served as a public information office and use-of-force instructor and has had a helicopter pilot’s license since 2007.
“No, we are not going to buy the police department a helicopter,” quipped the mayor at Friday’s conference.
In police command school recently Herweg had to write a paper on his leadership philosophy. “At one time there were just three kinds, now there’s 13.” He calls his leadership style “proactive positivism.”
At the conference he told the police in attendance to “breathe that no immediate big changes were coming. I’ve got to get to know everyone’s name first,” he quipped. “And just because something working in Lovington or the other places I’ve been doesn’t mean it’ll be instituted here. If it’s already working here there’s no reason to change it.”
Herweg said he was also going to be much more than just the police chief. “I’m involved with three commissions and boards in Lovington and plan to do the same here,” but he quickly added, “However, I’m not going to run for school board.”
The chief-to-be said he had an open-door policy and to feel free to come by and discuss things with him. “But I can’t fit all 80 of you in the room at one time,” Herwig said.
In an interview at The Leader before his introduction as the new chief, Herweg said even though he was born in Chicago and is a die-hard Cubs fan, he considers Oklahoma home.
“My dad was in the Army at Fort Sill and met my mom there. I served eight years in the Texas Army National Guard, starting out enlisted and ending up a second lieutenant.”
Herweg decided on law enforcement after tackling a shoplifter and blowing out his knee in the process.
“I was working at a grocery store in Lawton, Oklahoma, when I saw someone shoplift a number of items and run out of the store and I took off after him and just as he dived to tackle him the store detective yelled, ‘Police, freeze’ and the guy went down immediately.”
Herweg went sailing over him and his knee immediately swelled up. “After surgery, I went on a ride-along and was hooked,” he said.
Herweg started his career with the Apache and Durant, Okla., police departments, before moving to Denison, Texas, Eunice, N.M., and Taylor, Texas.
He has also worked as a marina officer at Lake Pleasant, Ariz., and a nuclear security officer in Tonopah, Ariz.
He has a master’s degree in public administration and said that he may pursue a doctorate.
Herweg and his wife, Jeannette, have six children between them.
“They are all out of the home either working or in college,” the chief said.
Leader staff writer
“After the first round of interviews, I knew this was our guy,” said Mayor Gary Fletcher, adding, “Do we have to interview anyone else?”
The answer to that was yes as the selection committee narrowed down the original 31 applicants to 11, then four, two and then one.
That one was the guy the mayor had keyed in on at the beginning, Geoffrey Herweg, 53, the deputy chief of the Lovington, N.M., police department.
Fletcher introduced Herweg, who goes by Jeff, to about 50 members of the police and fire department, city officials and others at a 3:30 p.m. Friday gathering at the public safety building.
“I’ve had the pleasure of working with two great police chiefs,” said the mayor, “Gary Sipes and Kenny Boyd, and now I feel that Jeff (Herweg) will take us to that next level.”
Herweg will replace Boyd in about three weeks. Boyd, who has been with the department for 29 years and the last three as chief, announced his retirement earlier this year.
When Herweg was asked why he put his hat in the ring for the Jacksonville job, he said it just felt right, and after spending the past four days in town, he said it was the right place for him.
“It’s a military town and I come from a military family. It is a small town (although nearly double the size of Lovington) and it’s a very welcoming community. That means more to me than anything,” he said.
He added that Jacksonville “just feels comfortable to him.”
Recently Herweg made the finalist lists for chief positions in Columbus, Miss., and Shreveport, La.
He has more than 30 years of law-enforcement and military experience and has been the deputy chief of Lovington since January 2015. He joined the Lovington force in 2012.
He has led high-profile private-security operations, domestically and internationally. Herweg served as a rapid-response commander at Victory Base Complex, Bagdad, Iraq, helping provide private security for about 68,000 military and civilian personnel.
He also served as shift supervisor for the U.S. Embassy emergency response team in Afghanistan.
He has worked as an adjunct instructor at the New Mexico Police Academy, served as a public information office and use-of-force instructor and has had a helicopter pilot’s license since 2007.
“No, we are not going to buy the police department a helicopter,” quipped the mayor at Friday’s conference.
In police command school recently Herweg had to write a paper on his leadership philosophy. “At one time there were just three kinds, now there’s 13.” He calls his leadership style “proactive positivism.”
At the conference he told the police in attendance to “breathe that no immediate big changes were coming. I’ve got to get to know everyone’s name first,” he quipped. “And just because something working in Lovington or the other places I’ve been doesn’t mean it’ll be instituted here. If it’s already working here there’s no reason to change it.”
Herweg said he was also going to be much more than just the police chief. “I’m involved with three commissions and boards in Lovington and plan to do the same here,” but he quickly added, “However, I’m not going to run for school board.”
The chief-to-be said he had an open-door policy and to feel free to come by and discuss things with him. “But I can’t fit all 80 of you in the room at one time,” Herwig said.
In an interview at The Leader before his introduction as the new chief, Herweg said even though he was born in Chicago and is a die-hard Cubs fan, he considers Oklahoma home.
“My dad was in the Army at Fort Sill and met my mom there. I served eight years in the Texas Army National Guard, starting out enlisted and ending up a second lieutenant.”
Herweg decided on law enforcement after tackling a shoplifter and blowing out his knee in the process.
“I was working at a grocery store in Lawton, Oklahoma, when I saw someone shoplift a number of items and run out of the store and I took off after him and just as he dived to tackle him the store detective yelled, ‘Police, freeze’ and the guy went down immediately.”
Herweg went sailing over him and his knee immediately swelled up. “After surgery, I went on a ride-along and was hooked,” he said.
Herweg started his career with the Apache and Durant, Okla., police departments, before moving to Denison, Texas, Eunice, N.M., and Taylor, Texas.
He has also worked as a marina officer at Lake Pleasant, Ariz., and a nuclear security officer in Tonopah, Ariz.
He has a master’s degree in public administration and said that he may pursue a doctorate.
Herweg and his wife, Jeannette, have six children between them.
“They are all out of the home either working or in college,” the chief said.
TOP STORY >> Panthers get one win at Best of West
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The Cabot Panthers started strong in the Best of the West Tournament in Memphis, beating Memphis University School 8-1 in the opening round. Later that same day, the Panthers lost 5-4 to Collierville, Tenn., and then fell 10-5 to Van Buren on Wednesday to exit the tournament.
Michael Shepherd went the distance on the mound in the win. He gave up just five hits and one earned run in his seven innings of work, striking out five and walking no one.
Cabot (8-5) jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the third inning, starting with a leadoff walk by Blake McCutchen. With one out, McCutchen on second because of a passed ball, catcher Denver Mullins hit an RBI single to center field. Mullins’ courtesy runner, Ty Cyr, also advanced to second on a passed ball, and scored on a double to the fence in center field by Dillon Thomas.
Houston King’s groundout advanced Thomas to third, and the catching woes cost MUS another run, as Thomas scored on a passed ball for a 3-0 Cabot lead.
The Owls started well also. Leadoff hitter Maurice Hampton tripled on a 1-1 pitch, and scored two batters later on a sacrifice grounder by John Bolton.
Cabot went back up by three in the top of the fourth. Brett Brockinton reached on an error at third base, and scored with two outs on a base hit by Kyler Franks. But the rally didn’t stop there.
McCutchen then tripled down the right-field line to score Franks. MUS then flubbed a grounder by Clayton Gray, allowing McCutchen to score and give Cabot a 6-1 lead.
One more run crossed the plate in the fifth. King drew a leadoff, four-pitch walk. Brockinton then struck out on a full-count pitch, but the third strike was dropped, forcing a throw to first. King was stealing on the strikeout pitch, and advanced all the way to third on the throw to first that got Brockinton.
Caleb Harpole then hit a sacrifice fly to deep left field that scored King for a 7-1 Cabot lead.
Back catching remained a problem throughout for MUS. McCutchen drew a leadoff walk in the sixth inning and moved to third on a pair of groundouts. From there, he scored on another passed ball to set the final margin.
Cabot got six base hits, with Thomas leading the way, going 2 for 3 with a double, a walk, an RBI and a run scored.
Against Collierville, all the damage was done in the first two innings. Cabot fell behind 5-0 before a rally fell short in the seventh. The Panthers out-hit the Dragons 7-4, but two errors allowed two unearned runs that turned out to be the difference in the game.
Thomas again led the way offensively. He went 3 for 4 at the plate, with a double and two RBIs.
Against the undefeated Pointers, the score was tied 2-2 going into the fifth inning. That’s when Van Buren (10-0) put up six, two-out runs to take command. After a fly out to start the inning, a walk and an error left runners at the corners. Dylan Billingsley then struck out Chase Moore, but Ethan Holmes hit a two-out double to put his team up 4-2.
Billingsley then issued a walk before Ethan Rauser singled to score Holmes’ courtesy runner Spencer. Another error, this one on McCutchen, allowed another run, and another walk loaded the bases. That set up a two-RBI double by Evan Jones that made the score 8-2.
Cabot got two back in the bottom of the sixth. Davis Wofford hit a solo home run with one out before a single, an error and a walk loaded the bases. McCutchen then hit a sacrifice fly to score Harpole, but the rally ended with King’s grounder to shortstop.
Van Buren capped its scoring in the sixth inning when, with one out, a walk-single, walk-single sequence made it 10-4. Cabot loaded the bases with one out in the top of the seventh, but could only get one run to set the final margin.
Leader sports editor
The Cabot Panthers started strong in the Best of the West Tournament in Memphis, beating Memphis University School 8-1 in the opening round. Later that same day, the Panthers lost 5-4 to Collierville, Tenn., and then fell 10-5 to Van Buren on Wednesday to exit the tournament.
Michael Shepherd went the distance on the mound in the win. He gave up just five hits and one earned run in his seven innings of work, striking out five and walking no one.
Cabot (8-5) jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the third inning, starting with a leadoff walk by Blake McCutchen. With one out, McCutchen on second because of a passed ball, catcher Denver Mullins hit an RBI single to center field. Mullins’ courtesy runner, Ty Cyr, also advanced to second on a passed ball, and scored on a double to the fence in center field by Dillon Thomas.
Houston King’s groundout advanced Thomas to third, and the catching woes cost MUS another run, as Thomas scored on a passed ball for a 3-0 Cabot lead.
The Owls started well also. Leadoff hitter Maurice Hampton tripled on a 1-1 pitch, and scored two batters later on a sacrifice grounder by John Bolton.
Cabot went back up by three in the top of the fourth. Brett Brockinton reached on an error at third base, and scored with two outs on a base hit by Kyler Franks. But the rally didn’t stop there.
McCutchen then tripled down the right-field line to score Franks. MUS then flubbed a grounder by Clayton Gray, allowing McCutchen to score and give Cabot a 6-1 lead.
One more run crossed the plate in the fifth. King drew a leadoff, four-pitch walk. Brockinton then struck out on a full-count pitch, but the third strike was dropped, forcing a throw to first. King was stealing on the strikeout pitch, and advanced all the way to third on the throw to first that got Brockinton.
Caleb Harpole then hit a sacrifice fly to deep left field that scored King for a 7-1 Cabot lead.
Back catching remained a problem throughout for MUS. McCutchen drew a leadoff walk in the sixth inning and moved to third on a pair of groundouts. From there, he scored on another passed ball to set the final margin.
Cabot got six base hits, with Thomas leading the way, going 2 for 3 with a double, a walk, an RBI and a run scored.
Against Collierville, all the damage was done in the first two innings. Cabot fell behind 5-0 before a rally fell short in the seventh. The Panthers out-hit the Dragons 7-4, but two errors allowed two unearned runs that turned out to be the difference in the game.
Thomas again led the way offensively. He went 3 for 4 at the plate, with a double and two RBIs.
Against the undefeated Pointers, the score was tied 2-2 going into the fifth inning. That’s when Van Buren (10-0) put up six, two-out runs to take command. After a fly out to start the inning, a walk and an error left runners at the corners. Dylan Billingsley then struck out Chase Moore, but Ethan Holmes hit a two-out double to put his team up 4-2.
Billingsley then issued a walk before Ethan Rauser singled to score Holmes’ courtesy runner Spencer. Another error, this one on McCutchen, allowed another run, and another walk loaded the bases. That set up a two-RBI double by Evan Jones that made the score 8-2.
Cabot got two back in the bottom of the sixth. Davis Wofford hit a solo home run with one out before a single, an error and a walk loaded the bases. McCutchen then hit a sacrifice fly to score Harpole, but the rally ended with King’s grounder to shortstop.
Van Buren capped its scoring in the sixth inning when, with one out, a walk-single, walk-single sequence made it 10-4. Cabot loaded the bases with one out in the top of the seventh, but could only get one run to set the final margin.
SPORTS STORY >> JHS gets mixed results at Central
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The Jacksonville Titans went 1-1 on the first day of the Central Arkansas Invitational, a massive 16-team, three-game guarantee, four-site tournament held during spring break every year. Jacksonville opened the tournament against site host Little Rock Central, and handled the Tigers 7-2. In the second round of the winners’ bracket, the Titans were mercy ruled 13-2 by Lonoke.
Jacksonville coach Larry Burrows wasn’t overly excited about either game.
“We finally started playing in the first game, but Central really didn’t put any pressure on us,” said Burrows. “Wick (Jordan Wickersham) pitched well, so I’ll give him credit. But Lonoke didn’t wait on us. They jumped on us and we didn’t respond. We didn’t swing the bats. They’re athletic. They can get around the bases, and you can’t give away outs and not pay for it against a team like that. We gave away a bunch of them.”
In game one, Central held a 1-0 lead through five innings. The Tigers got a leadoff walk, and then a double by Aaron Mann. That’s how it stayed until the top of the sixth when the Jacksonville bats finally came alive.
Kameron Whitmore started the rally with a one-out grounded single to center field. Cade Sample then hit a line drive to center. The Tiger outfielder was caught between trying to dive for the ball and playing it on the hop, and ended up letting it bounce right past him.
The error allowed Whitmore to score from first base, while Sample stopped at second. Quentin Stallard made the second out with a grounder to short, but advanced Sample to third. Jayden Loving was hit by a pitch to put runners on the corners. Joe Cummings fell into a 0-2 hole, but then he was hit to load the bases.
Another inning-ending play was flubbed when no one got a glove on Payton Williams’ pop up between shortstop and third base. That allowed Sample to score, and set up a two RBI double to the center field wall by Deboious Cobbs that gave Jacksonville a 5-1 lead.
Central (1-10) got one back when Mann reached on an error at third base, moved into scoring position on a wild pitch, and then scored on a single by Mason Gresham.
Jacksonville (8-4) set the final margin in the top of the seventh. Trent Toney, Whitmore and Sample hit consecutive singles to start the inning, with Sample’s hit scoring Toney. Stallard then doubled down the line in left field to score Whitmore.
Wickersham went the distance on the mound. In seven innings of work, he gave up just four hits and one earned run while striking out 10 and walking three. He struck out the side in the third.
Against Lonoke (6-5), Jacksonville gave up 7 earned runs and five unearned. Making matters worse, the Titans lost catcher Kameron Whitmore on the second out of the third inning.
A pop up behind the plate was caught by Whitmore before Stallard barreled into his legs from first base. Burrows wasn’t certain about the extent of Whitmore’s injury, but was disappointed in his team.
“We know we’re not deep in pitching, so we’re going to have to swing the bats and we can’t waste outs,” Burrows said. “That kid (Lonoke pitcher Haven Hunter) is pretty good, but we’ve got to hit that guy if we’re going to beat anybody decent.
“Same thing with the kid from Central. He’s basically just out there throwing a fastball, and we didn’t do anything with it for five innings.”
Leader sports editor
The Jacksonville Titans went 1-1 on the first day of the Central Arkansas Invitational, a massive 16-team, three-game guarantee, four-site tournament held during spring break every year. Jacksonville opened the tournament against site host Little Rock Central, and handled the Tigers 7-2. In the second round of the winners’ bracket, the Titans were mercy ruled 13-2 by Lonoke.
Jacksonville coach Larry Burrows wasn’t overly excited about either game.
“We finally started playing in the first game, but Central really didn’t put any pressure on us,” said Burrows. “Wick (Jordan Wickersham) pitched well, so I’ll give him credit. But Lonoke didn’t wait on us. They jumped on us and we didn’t respond. We didn’t swing the bats. They’re athletic. They can get around the bases, and you can’t give away outs and not pay for it against a team like that. We gave away a bunch of them.”
In game one, Central held a 1-0 lead through five innings. The Tigers got a leadoff walk, and then a double by Aaron Mann. That’s how it stayed until the top of the sixth when the Jacksonville bats finally came alive.
Kameron Whitmore started the rally with a one-out grounded single to center field. Cade Sample then hit a line drive to center. The Tiger outfielder was caught between trying to dive for the ball and playing it on the hop, and ended up letting it bounce right past him.
The error allowed Whitmore to score from first base, while Sample stopped at second. Quentin Stallard made the second out with a grounder to short, but advanced Sample to third. Jayden Loving was hit by a pitch to put runners on the corners. Joe Cummings fell into a 0-2 hole, but then he was hit to load the bases.
Another inning-ending play was flubbed when no one got a glove on Payton Williams’ pop up between shortstop and third base. That allowed Sample to score, and set up a two RBI double to the center field wall by Deboious Cobbs that gave Jacksonville a 5-1 lead.
Central (1-10) got one back when Mann reached on an error at third base, moved into scoring position on a wild pitch, and then scored on a single by Mason Gresham.
Jacksonville (8-4) set the final margin in the top of the seventh. Trent Toney, Whitmore and Sample hit consecutive singles to start the inning, with Sample’s hit scoring Toney. Stallard then doubled down the line in left field to score Whitmore.
Wickersham went the distance on the mound. In seven innings of work, he gave up just four hits and one earned run while striking out 10 and walking three. He struck out the side in the third.
Against Lonoke (6-5), Jacksonville gave up 7 earned runs and five unearned. Making matters worse, the Titans lost catcher Kameron Whitmore on the second out of the third inning.
A pop up behind the plate was caught by Whitmore before Stallard barreled into his legs from first base. Burrows wasn’t certain about the extent of Whitmore’s injury, but was disappointed in his team.
“We know we’re not deep in pitching, so we’re going to have to swing the bats and we can’t waste outs,” Burrows said. “That kid (Lonoke pitcher Haven Hunter) is pretty good, but we’ve got to hit that guy if we’re going to beat anybody decent.
“Same thing with the kid from Central. He’s basically just out there throwing a fastball, and we didn’t do anything with it for five innings.”
SPORTS STORY >> ’Rabbits to semis of CAI
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
When Chris Foor took over as head coach of the Lonoke baseball program, his stated goal was to turn Lonoke, not just into a perennial 4A contender, but also into a program that could compete with anyone in the state. Just 11 games into his first season, early indications are the team is headed in that direction.
The evidence of that came on Thursday, the first day of the annual spring break classic, the Central Arkansas Invitational. The Jackrabbits beat top programs from two larger classifications at Central High, opening the day with a 9-5 victory over 5A Alma, then hammering 6A Jacksonville 13-2.
“This is what we’ve been looking for,” said Foor after the nightcap win over the Titans. “We’ve had some good wins. We’ve beaten some good teams, but we haven’t been consistent. We really put it all together in these two games. We pitched pretty well. We swung the bats really well. We still made a few more mistakes in the field than I’d like to see in the first game, but we got those down tonight. I’m really excited about the direction we’re headed.”
Cade Stewart threw four innings of no-hit ball against Alma. Airedale second baseman Zach Henson finally busted the no-hitter in the fifth with a leadoff double. He later scored after back-to-back two-out errors, but Lonoke already held a 5-0 lead by that point.
The scoring started when leadoff hitter Casey Martin ripped a single to opposite field in right. He stole second base, moved to third on a wild pitch and then scored on a grounder to shortstop by Dalton Smith.
Lonoke (6-5) wasted its next two opportunities to score with base running blunders. Tallon Swint hit a leadoff double in the second inning and moved to third on a wild pitch. After Caleb Horton struck out, Keith Lingo bunted down the first base line, but Swint was very late on the jump and was thrown out at home.
Kameron Cole then led off the third inning by drawing a walk. He moved to third on a double to right by Martin. Smith then grounded to shortstop again and reached safely when Cole tried to score on the play, and was also thrown out easily.
That left runners on the corners with one, and Lonoke started its first big rally from there. Haven Hunter hit a sacrifice grounder to second to score Martin. Stewart doubled to the wall in center field to score Smith, and then scored on a base hit to right field by Swint for a 4-0 Jackrabbit lead.
After a scoreless fourth, Martin, a University of Arkansas signee, sent the first pitch of the fifth over the wall in straightaway center field to make it 5-0.
After Alma’s run in the bottom of the fifth, Lonoke posted three more in the sixth. Horton drew a leadoff walk, stole second and took third on a wild pitch.
With one out, Christian Cooper walked to put runners on the corners, and Lonoke executed a double steal to get the first run across the plate. The throw went to second base, but Alma’s middle infielders seemed unsure if it was supposed to be cut off to keep Horton at third, or let through to get Cooper at second. The result was no one catching the ball at all, which allowed Horton to trot in for the run.
Martin then reached on an error at third base, and Smith doubled to center field to make the score 8-1.
Stewart did not return to the mound in the sixth, and Alma scored three runs. But Stewart did leadoff the seventh with his second shot to the center field wall, and later scored on a single by Cole.
Alma scored the final run of the game off Martin in the seventh, but did it without a hit. After a leadoff walk, a passed ball and an error set the final margin.
That set up a second-round game against Jacksonville, who had beaten Little Rock Central 7-2 earlier in the day. Lonoke’s last game before the CAI was a 7-6 loss to Central on March 16.
That was not evident in this match. Jacksonville scored first in the top of the first inning, and Lonoke answered in the bottom half. Hunter did not give up a hit the rest of his time on the mound, while he and his teammates posted back-to-back six spots in the second and third innings to win in dominant fashion.
The tournament was played with a “10 after four” mercy rule instead of the typical “10 after five” rule in order to stay on schedule, so the game only lasted through the middle of the fourth inning. Despite just three at-bats, Lonoke piled up 12 base hits.
Martin had two doubles and was intentionally walked once. He finished the day going 6 for 7 with three doubles, a home run and scored seven runs.
Stewart went 4 for 6 with two doubles, four RBIs and scored three times.
The tournament wraps up today at Lamar Porter Field in Little Rock.
Leader sports editor
When Chris Foor took over as head coach of the Lonoke baseball program, his stated goal was to turn Lonoke, not just into a perennial 4A contender, but also into a program that could compete with anyone in the state. Just 11 games into his first season, early indications are the team is headed in that direction.
The evidence of that came on Thursday, the first day of the annual spring break classic, the Central Arkansas Invitational. The Jackrabbits beat top programs from two larger classifications at Central High, opening the day with a 9-5 victory over 5A Alma, then hammering 6A Jacksonville 13-2.
“This is what we’ve been looking for,” said Foor after the nightcap win over the Titans. “We’ve had some good wins. We’ve beaten some good teams, but we haven’t been consistent. We really put it all together in these two games. We pitched pretty well. We swung the bats really well. We still made a few more mistakes in the field than I’d like to see in the first game, but we got those down tonight. I’m really excited about the direction we’re headed.”
Cade Stewart threw four innings of no-hit ball against Alma. Airedale second baseman Zach Henson finally busted the no-hitter in the fifth with a leadoff double. He later scored after back-to-back two-out errors, but Lonoke already held a 5-0 lead by that point.
The scoring started when leadoff hitter Casey Martin ripped a single to opposite field in right. He stole second base, moved to third on a wild pitch and then scored on a grounder to shortstop by Dalton Smith.
Lonoke (6-5) wasted its next two opportunities to score with base running blunders. Tallon Swint hit a leadoff double in the second inning and moved to third on a wild pitch. After Caleb Horton struck out, Keith Lingo bunted down the first base line, but Swint was very late on the jump and was thrown out at home.
Kameron Cole then led off the third inning by drawing a walk. He moved to third on a double to right by Martin. Smith then grounded to shortstop again and reached safely when Cole tried to score on the play, and was also thrown out easily.
That left runners on the corners with one, and Lonoke started its first big rally from there. Haven Hunter hit a sacrifice grounder to second to score Martin. Stewart doubled to the wall in center field to score Smith, and then scored on a base hit to right field by Swint for a 4-0 Jackrabbit lead.
After a scoreless fourth, Martin, a University of Arkansas signee, sent the first pitch of the fifth over the wall in straightaway center field to make it 5-0.
After Alma’s run in the bottom of the fifth, Lonoke posted three more in the sixth. Horton drew a leadoff walk, stole second and took third on a wild pitch.
With one out, Christian Cooper walked to put runners on the corners, and Lonoke executed a double steal to get the first run across the plate. The throw went to second base, but Alma’s middle infielders seemed unsure if it was supposed to be cut off to keep Horton at third, or let through to get Cooper at second. The result was no one catching the ball at all, which allowed Horton to trot in for the run.
Martin then reached on an error at third base, and Smith doubled to center field to make the score 8-1.
Stewart did not return to the mound in the sixth, and Alma scored three runs. But Stewart did leadoff the seventh with his second shot to the center field wall, and later scored on a single by Cole.
Alma scored the final run of the game off Martin in the seventh, but did it without a hit. After a leadoff walk, a passed ball and an error set the final margin.
That set up a second-round game against Jacksonville, who had beaten Little Rock Central 7-2 earlier in the day. Lonoke’s last game before the CAI was a 7-6 loss to Central on March 16.
That was not evident in this match. Jacksonville scored first in the top of the first inning, and Lonoke answered in the bottom half. Hunter did not give up a hit the rest of his time on the mound, while he and his teammates posted back-to-back six spots in the second and third innings to win in dominant fashion.
The tournament was played with a “10 after four” mercy rule instead of the typical “10 after five” rule in order to stay on schedule, so the game only lasted through the middle of the fourth inning. Despite just three at-bats, Lonoke piled up 12 base hits.
Martin had two doubles and was intentionally walked once. He finished the day going 6 for 7 with three doubles, a home run and scored seven runs.
Stewart went 4 for 6 with two doubles, four RBIs and scored three times.
The tournament wraps up today at Lamar Porter Field in Little Rock.
SPORTS STORY >> Badgers, Wildcats surprise SH Bears
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The Sylvan Hills Bears unbeaten streak came to an abrupt and shocking end Thursday in the first round of the Central Arkansas Invitational. The previously 12-0 Bears took on the 2-5 El Dorado Wildcats in the first round and lost 8-4 at Mike Bromley Field in Sherwood.
Later that afternoon in the losers’ bracket, the Bears faced 2-10 Arkadelphia, a team they had beaten 12-0 earlier in the season, and lost 2-1. The last inning of that game becoming a microcosm of the day the Bears had.
Arkadelphia leadoff hitter Eric Groom hit a one-out grounder to shortstop, where Michael Coven flubbed it. Then, upon rounding up the loose ball, sailed his toss back to the pitcher into the Bears’ dugout, allowing Groom to reach second base. A failed pickoff allowed him to advance to third, and a balk walked in the game-winning run.
“I just don’t think we deserved to win either game,” said Sylvan Hills coach Denny Tipton. “El Dorado just out-played us. They committed fewer errors, walked fewer, got more hits. Sometimes, you play good enough to deserve to win, and don’t win for whatever reason. But most of the time, the team that deserves to win does win, and that’s all that happened there. Then just now, I just thought Arkadelphia wanted to be here more than we did. We just didn’t deserve to win. It’s pretty simple.”
Against El Dorado, the Bears took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Coven drew a leadoff walk and Caleb McMunn singled.
Hunt hit a sac fly to move Coven to third. Three-straight walks drove in two runs, and Chaz Poppy’s sac fly scored Ryan Lumpkin for a 3-0 SH lead.
Three quick runs has been a recipe for success all season long for the Bears, but it didn’t hold on Thursday. El Dorado got one back in the third. Micah Haney singled and Connor Cates doubled to make it 3-1. Neither team scored in the fourth, and the Wildcats took the lead in the top of the fifth. Nine-hole hitter Daniel Johnson hit a leadoff double, and scored on an error at shortstop.
Brennan Smith walked and Jacob B0shears singled to drive in another run. Derek Jobe then doubled to right-center field to give the Wildcats a 5-3 lead.
Sylvan Hills got one back with a single by Nick Fakouri and an RBI double by Zach Douglass in the bottom of the sixth. El Dorado then set the final margin with three runs on three singles and an error, all with two outs, in the seventh inning.
Sylvan Hills finishes the 16-team, four-site tournament today. The Bears will travel to rival Jacksonville in a return to conference play on Tuesday. That doubleheader is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.
Leader sports editor
The Sylvan Hills Bears unbeaten streak came to an abrupt and shocking end Thursday in the first round of the Central Arkansas Invitational. The previously 12-0 Bears took on the 2-5 El Dorado Wildcats in the first round and lost 8-4 at Mike Bromley Field in Sherwood.
Later that afternoon in the losers’ bracket, the Bears faced 2-10 Arkadelphia, a team they had beaten 12-0 earlier in the season, and lost 2-1. The last inning of that game becoming a microcosm of the day the Bears had.
Arkadelphia leadoff hitter Eric Groom hit a one-out grounder to shortstop, where Michael Coven flubbed it. Then, upon rounding up the loose ball, sailed his toss back to the pitcher into the Bears’ dugout, allowing Groom to reach second base. A failed pickoff allowed him to advance to third, and a balk walked in the game-winning run.
“I just don’t think we deserved to win either game,” said Sylvan Hills coach Denny Tipton. “El Dorado just out-played us. They committed fewer errors, walked fewer, got more hits. Sometimes, you play good enough to deserve to win, and don’t win for whatever reason. But most of the time, the team that deserves to win does win, and that’s all that happened there. Then just now, I just thought Arkadelphia wanted to be here more than we did. We just didn’t deserve to win. It’s pretty simple.”
Against El Dorado, the Bears took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Coven drew a leadoff walk and Caleb McMunn singled.
Hunt hit a sac fly to move Coven to third. Three-straight walks drove in two runs, and Chaz Poppy’s sac fly scored Ryan Lumpkin for a 3-0 SH lead.
Three quick runs has been a recipe for success all season long for the Bears, but it didn’t hold on Thursday. El Dorado got one back in the third. Micah Haney singled and Connor Cates doubled to make it 3-1. Neither team scored in the fourth, and the Wildcats took the lead in the top of the fifth. Nine-hole hitter Daniel Johnson hit a leadoff double, and scored on an error at shortstop.
Brennan Smith walked and Jacob B0shears singled to drive in another run. Derek Jobe then doubled to right-center field to give the Wildcats a 5-3 lead.
Sylvan Hills got one back with a single by Nick Fakouri and an RBI double by Zach Douglass in the bottom of the sixth. El Dorado then set the final margin with three runs on three singles and an error, all with two outs, in the seventh inning.
Sylvan Hills finishes the 16-team, four-site tournament today. The Bears will travel to rival Jacksonville in a return to conference play on Tuesday. That doubleheader is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.
Tuesday, March 21, 2017
SPORTS STORY >> JHS shooter earns All-American nod
Ryan Bowen of Jacksonville has been selected to the 2017 Sub-Junior (under the age of 15) All-American trapshooting second team, according to the Amateur Trapshooting Association.
More than 100 years old, trapshooting is a competitive sport of shooting at 4 1/4-inch clay targets with a shotgun.
Since being featured in The Leader last July for his winning efforts in the Arkansas Youth Shooting Sports Program, as well as other events, Bowen has added several more accolades to an already long list, garnering the ATA All-American honor.
The ATA hosts both the Grand American (the 11-day world tournament which in August drew 3,400 contestants to the World Shooting and Recreational Complex in Sparta, Ill.) and a series of “satellite” Grands (smaller, regional tournaments providing Grand American-style trophies and competition).
The association also sponsors five zone shoots.
To be considered for the All-American team, Bowen had to meet a minimum target requirement, and he had to have competed in at least three states.
Selection was made based on All-American points accumulated while winning trophies and posting high scores at tournaments throughout the country during the 2016 ATA target year.
The JHS sophomore’s excellent performance at the Grand American garnered him an abundance of trophies.
Significant among his victories, Bowen became the top Sub-Junior athlete in the Winchester Super 500 Doubles race, missing only three of the 500 targets. He also triumphed in his category with two perfect scores of 100x100 from 16-yards in the Sterling Cut Glass and the Champion of Champions events.
Additionally, Bowen hit all of his two hundred targets in the prestigious ATA World Clay Target Championship, and won the runner-up position in his category after a tiebreaker.
At the Southwest Zone, Bowen dominated his category, earning five trophies in becoming the Sub-Junior champion in the doubles championship with an impressive 100x100.
Bowen’s trapshooting talent was clearly evident at the Arkansas State shoot, where he won nine trophies and became the Sub-Junior champion in the Singles Championship, as well as the 1,000 target High-Over-All race.
Bowen also became the first ATA Sub-Junior athlete to become the state’s All Around champion, winning over the entire field of competitors in this 400-target contest.
Competing in the Missouri State shoot, Bowen brought home seven more trophies as a non-resident Sub-Junior, which included his victory over the challengers in his category in the 1,200-target High-Over-All race.
More than 100 years old, trapshooting is a competitive sport of shooting at 4 1/4-inch clay targets with a shotgun.
Since being featured in The Leader last July for his winning efforts in the Arkansas Youth Shooting Sports Program, as well as other events, Bowen has added several more accolades to an already long list, garnering the ATA All-American honor.
The ATA hosts both the Grand American (the 11-day world tournament which in August drew 3,400 contestants to the World Shooting and Recreational Complex in Sparta, Ill.) and a series of “satellite” Grands (smaller, regional tournaments providing Grand American-style trophies and competition).
The association also sponsors five zone shoots.
To be considered for the All-American team, Bowen had to meet a minimum target requirement, and he had to have competed in at least three states.
Selection was made based on All-American points accumulated while winning trophies and posting high scores at tournaments throughout the country during the 2016 ATA target year.
The JHS sophomore’s excellent performance at the Grand American garnered him an abundance of trophies.
Significant among his victories, Bowen became the top Sub-Junior athlete in the Winchester Super 500 Doubles race, missing only three of the 500 targets. He also triumphed in his category with two perfect scores of 100x100 from 16-yards in the Sterling Cut Glass and the Champion of Champions events.
Additionally, Bowen hit all of his two hundred targets in the prestigious ATA World Clay Target Championship, and won the runner-up position in his category after a tiebreaker.
At the Southwest Zone, Bowen dominated his category, earning five trophies in becoming the Sub-Junior champion in the doubles championship with an impressive 100x100.
Bowen’s trapshooting talent was clearly evident at the Arkansas State shoot, where he won nine trophies and became the Sub-Junior champion in the Singles Championship, as well as the 1,000 target High-Over-All race.
Bowen also became the first ATA Sub-Junior athlete to become the state’s All Around champion, winning over the entire field of competitors in this 400-target contest.
Competing in the Missouri State shoot, Bowen brought home seven more trophies as a non-resident Sub-Junior, which included his victory over the challengers in his category in the 1,200-target High-Over-All race.
SPORTS STORY >> Panthers play well, top Mavs
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The Cabot baseball team won its second 7A-Central game in as many tries on Friday when it traveled to Fort Smith to defeat Southside 8-1. The Panthers led 7-0 before Southside finally scored in the sixth inning. Cabot added a run in the top of the seventh to set the final margin, and Michael Shepherd threw one shut out inning in the seventh to get the save.
Brett Brockinton pitched a solid six innings for the win, giving up just five base hits and no earned runs while striking out nine and walking no one.
Cabot went down in order in the first inning, but after a groundout to start the top of the second, the bats came alive at the bottom of the order. Five-hole hitter Houston King took a strike before becoming Cabot’s first base runner with a single to left. Brockinton then singled to put two runners on base.
Caleb Harpole hit a hard grounder to shortstop that was mishandled by Brock Thibodeaux, allowing King to score and leaving Brockinton safe at third. Brockinton scored during the next at-bat when a ball got by the Southside catcher.
Brockinton gave up a single in the bottom of the second, but came back to strike out the side.
Denver Mullins then got a two-out rally started with a line-drive single to left field. Ty Cyr took the Panther catcher’s place on the base paths, and Dillon Thomas singled to put runners on first and second.
King then doubled to score Cyr from second, and Brockinton walked to load the bases for Harpole. He came through with an RBI single to left, but Southside stopped the bleeding with a bases-loaded strikeout of Conner Linton to end the inning.
After another 1-2-3 inning by Brockinton, Cabot got four-straight base hits to start the top of the fourth inning. Kyler Franks got things rolling with a leadoff double to the wall in center field. McCutchen then sent a 2-1 pitch to center field to score Franks and give Cabot a 5-0 lead. Gray and Mullins followed that with back-to-back singles to load the bases.
Southside (3-6, 0-2) got McCutchen out at home on Thomas’ grounder to third, but King came through again with another RBI base hit to center field. With one out, Brockinton record another RBI with a fly-out to right field that allowed Cyr to score from third base.
Southside got two runners on with one out on a pair of singles. Kinner Basher hit into a 6-4 fielder’s choice. With runners at first and third, Brockinton fanned Mason Love to get out of the jam.
Cabot (7-3, 2-0) only got a pair of walks over the next two innings and Southside finally got an unearned run in the bottom of the sixth.
Brockinton struck out Thibodeaux to start the inning, but Mullins dropped the third strike and Thibodeaux reached base safely. He advanced to third on a single by Mac Moody and scored on a sac fly by Jake Melton.
In the top of the seventh, Cabot set the final margin when Brodey Schluter drew a one-out walk, and scored with two outs on a double by McCutchen.
Cabot is taking part in the Best of the West Tournament in Memphis this week. Look for details of that tournament in Saturday’s edition of The Leader.
Leader sports editor
The Cabot baseball team won its second 7A-Central game in as many tries on Friday when it traveled to Fort Smith to defeat Southside 8-1. The Panthers led 7-0 before Southside finally scored in the sixth inning. Cabot added a run in the top of the seventh to set the final margin, and Michael Shepherd threw one shut out inning in the seventh to get the save.
Brett Brockinton pitched a solid six innings for the win, giving up just five base hits and no earned runs while striking out nine and walking no one.
Cabot went down in order in the first inning, but after a groundout to start the top of the second, the bats came alive at the bottom of the order. Five-hole hitter Houston King took a strike before becoming Cabot’s first base runner with a single to left. Brockinton then singled to put two runners on base.
Caleb Harpole hit a hard grounder to shortstop that was mishandled by Brock Thibodeaux, allowing King to score and leaving Brockinton safe at third. Brockinton scored during the next at-bat when a ball got by the Southside catcher.
Brockinton gave up a single in the bottom of the second, but came back to strike out the side.
Denver Mullins then got a two-out rally started with a line-drive single to left field. Ty Cyr took the Panther catcher’s place on the base paths, and Dillon Thomas singled to put runners on first and second.
King then doubled to score Cyr from second, and Brockinton walked to load the bases for Harpole. He came through with an RBI single to left, but Southside stopped the bleeding with a bases-loaded strikeout of Conner Linton to end the inning.
After another 1-2-3 inning by Brockinton, Cabot got four-straight base hits to start the top of the fourth inning. Kyler Franks got things rolling with a leadoff double to the wall in center field. McCutchen then sent a 2-1 pitch to center field to score Franks and give Cabot a 5-0 lead. Gray and Mullins followed that with back-to-back singles to load the bases.
Southside (3-6, 0-2) got McCutchen out at home on Thomas’ grounder to third, but King came through again with another RBI base hit to center field. With one out, Brockinton record another RBI with a fly-out to right field that allowed Cyr to score from third base.
Southside got two runners on with one out on a pair of singles. Kinner Basher hit into a 6-4 fielder’s choice. With runners at first and third, Brockinton fanned Mason Love to get out of the jam.
Cabot (7-3, 2-0) only got a pair of walks over the next two innings and Southside finally got an unearned run in the bottom of the sixth.
Brockinton struck out Thibodeaux to start the inning, but Mullins dropped the third strike and Thibodeaux reached base safely. He advanced to third on a single by Mac Moody and scored on a sac fly by Jake Melton.
In the top of the seventh, Cabot set the final margin when Brodey Schluter drew a one-out walk, and scored with two outs on a double by McCutchen.
Cabot is taking part in the Best of the West Tournament in Memphis this week. Look for details of that tournament in Saturday’s edition of The Leader.
SPORTS STORY >> Cabot girls take title at Fayetteville Farmington
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
Outstanding pitching and timely hitting led to the Lady Panther softball team winning the highly competitive Fayetteville/Farmington Softball Challenge over the weekend, going 5-0 in two days, including three shutouts, to bring home the first-place trophy.
Cabot never trailed in the tournament, and that was important in 70-minute time-limit games.
“If you can get runs right off the bat, that’s pretty key, especially with that time limit,” said Cabot coach Chris Cope. “It was a good overall effort. We beat some good teams. Our bats have come alive a little bit. We’re hitting the ball and putting it in play – making other teams play a little defense.”
Lauren McCluskey threw a one-hit shutout in a 4-0 win over Mena (1-7) in the opening game on Friday. Hannah Montgomery went 2 for 2 with two RBIs to lead Cabot offensively. Bethany Knowles and Rylie Hamilton got the only other base hits for Cabot, with Knowles recording an RBI and scoring two runs in the two-hole.
Next up was Bentonville West, and McCluskey pitched another shutout over five innings. The Lady Wolverines (7-3) managed two base hits. Cabot got nine hits in the game-two win, but was not as efficient with runners in scoring position. The Lady Panthers scored one run in each of the last four innings to set the final margin. Aubrey Lee went 3 for 3 with a run and an RBI. Grace Neal went 2 for 3 also with one run and one RBI.
On Saturday, McCluskey had to pitch her way out of trouble a few times in a 7-2 victory over Farmington. The Lady Cardinals piled up nine base hits, including a home run by Carley Antwine, but good defense kept most of those base runners stranded. That home run came in the bottom of the fifth after Cabot already built a 7-0 lead.
“Defensively we’re doing a lot better than when the season first started,” Cope said. “We’ve cut our errors about in half since the beginning of the year.”
Farmington threatened in the bottom of the first inning, but got too aggressive on the base paths. With runners on the corners and one out, Farmington tried a double steal, but Brandy Wallace was thrown out at home plate, and Alyssa Reed then grounded out to shortstop to end the inning.
The Lady Panthers’ first big inning came in the top of the second. Cleanup hitter Hannah Montgomery drew a leadoff walk before Lee put two in scoring position with a double to center field. McCluskey then singled to score to drive in one run, and a single by Rylie Hamilton drove in Lee and McCluskey’s courtesy runner, T. Peeples, for a 3-0 Cabot lead.
Farmington (6-4) put two on with one out again in the second inning, but Madison Parrish was picked off at second, and Camryn Journagan was thrown out trying to steal second by catcher Tracy Hanson.
Three-straight singles by Knowles, Neal and Montgomery started a four-run third inning by Cabot. Lee popped up for the first out, but McCluskey singled to center field to score Knowles while Neal was thrown out at third after tagging at second base.
That left two on for Hamilton, who tripled to the fence in right field for two RBIs, and then scored on a single by Anna Beth Duncan for a 7-0 lead.
In the championship doubleheader against Gravette, Cabot won by scores of 11-5 and 5-0. Montgomery got the win on the mound with four innings of work, and Cabot provided plenty of offense to support her, especially Montgomery herself.
She went 2 for 3 at the plate with a double, a home run and four RBIs. Lee went 1 for 3 with three runs batted in while Grace Neal and McCluskey got two hits apiece.
Cabot scored two in the top of the first and Gravette (6-6, 2-1) tied it at the bottom of the frame. The Lady Panthers then posted five in the second to take a commanding lead, then added four more in the third to go up 11-2. The Lady Lions scored three in the third but could get no closer.
McCluskey went back to the mound for the second game with Gravette, and pitched another two-hit shutout with two Ks and no walks. She also hit a two-RBI double in the bottom of the first inning, and added another RBI in the third to lead things offensively.
“We’re hitting it right now up and down the lineup,” Cope said. “One girl will have a good game one game, and then somebody else the next. And we’ve got girls that can swing it sitting on the bench, too. They just haven’t had the opportunity yet, just waiting their turn. We have a little more depth this year than we’ve had in the past. We’re starting four freshmen, and those are four of our top hitters.
Cabot (11-1, 2-0) will get back to 7A-Central Conference play on Tuesday with a home game against Conway (5-5-1, 1-1).
Leader sports editor
Outstanding pitching and timely hitting led to the Lady Panther softball team winning the highly competitive Fayetteville/Farmington Softball Challenge over the weekend, going 5-0 in two days, including three shutouts, to bring home the first-place trophy.
Cabot never trailed in the tournament, and that was important in 70-minute time-limit games.
“If you can get runs right off the bat, that’s pretty key, especially with that time limit,” said Cabot coach Chris Cope. “It was a good overall effort. We beat some good teams. Our bats have come alive a little bit. We’re hitting the ball and putting it in play – making other teams play a little defense.”
Lauren McCluskey threw a one-hit shutout in a 4-0 win over Mena (1-7) in the opening game on Friday. Hannah Montgomery went 2 for 2 with two RBIs to lead Cabot offensively. Bethany Knowles and Rylie Hamilton got the only other base hits for Cabot, with Knowles recording an RBI and scoring two runs in the two-hole.
Next up was Bentonville West, and McCluskey pitched another shutout over five innings. The Lady Wolverines (7-3) managed two base hits. Cabot got nine hits in the game-two win, but was not as efficient with runners in scoring position. The Lady Panthers scored one run in each of the last four innings to set the final margin. Aubrey Lee went 3 for 3 with a run and an RBI. Grace Neal went 2 for 3 also with one run and one RBI.
On Saturday, McCluskey had to pitch her way out of trouble a few times in a 7-2 victory over Farmington. The Lady Cardinals piled up nine base hits, including a home run by Carley Antwine, but good defense kept most of those base runners stranded. That home run came in the bottom of the fifth after Cabot already built a 7-0 lead.
“Defensively we’re doing a lot better than when the season first started,” Cope said. “We’ve cut our errors about in half since the beginning of the year.”
Farmington threatened in the bottom of the first inning, but got too aggressive on the base paths. With runners on the corners and one out, Farmington tried a double steal, but Brandy Wallace was thrown out at home plate, and Alyssa Reed then grounded out to shortstop to end the inning.
The Lady Panthers’ first big inning came in the top of the second. Cleanup hitter Hannah Montgomery drew a leadoff walk before Lee put two in scoring position with a double to center field. McCluskey then singled to score to drive in one run, and a single by Rylie Hamilton drove in Lee and McCluskey’s courtesy runner, T. Peeples, for a 3-0 Cabot lead.
Farmington (6-4) put two on with one out again in the second inning, but Madison Parrish was picked off at second, and Camryn Journagan was thrown out trying to steal second by catcher Tracy Hanson.
Three-straight singles by Knowles, Neal and Montgomery started a four-run third inning by Cabot. Lee popped up for the first out, but McCluskey singled to center field to score Knowles while Neal was thrown out at third after tagging at second base.
That left two on for Hamilton, who tripled to the fence in right field for two RBIs, and then scored on a single by Anna Beth Duncan for a 7-0 lead.
In the championship doubleheader against Gravette, Cabot won by scores of 11-5 and 5-0. Montgomery got the win on the mound with four innings of work, and Cabot provided plenty of offense to support her, especially Montgomery herself.
She went 2 for 3 at the plate with a double, a home run and four RBIs. Lee went 1 for 3 with three runs batted in while Grace Neal and McCluskey got two hits apiece.
Cabot scored two in the top of the first and Gravette (6-6, 2-1) tied it at the bottom of the frame. The Lady Panthers then posted five in the second to take a commanding lead, then added four more in the third to go up 11-2. The Lady Lions scored three in the third but could get no closer.
McCluskey went back to the mound for the second game with Gravette, and pitched another two-hit shutout with two Ks and no walks. She also hit a two-RBI double in the bottom of the first inning, and added another RBI in the third to lead things offensively.
“We’re hitting it right now up and down the lineup,” Cope said. “One girl will have a good game one game, and then somebody else the next. And we’ve got girls that can swing it sitting on the bench, too. They just haven’t had the opportunity yet, just waiting their turn. We have a little more depth this year than we’ve had in the past. We’re starting four freshmen, and those are four of our top hitters.
Cabot (11-1, 2-0) will get back to 7A-Central Conference play on Tuesday with a home game against Conway (5-5-1, 1-1).
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