Clinton Smith
Clinton “Popeye” Smith, 74, of Cabot, passed away July 29, after a three year battle with prostate cancer.
He was born April 4, 1932, in Lake Village, a son of the late Melvin Henry Smith and Jimmie Velma Brown Smith.
His family moved to Little Rock, where he met and married his wife of 56 years, Virginia Rhea Smith.
He attended elementary school at Pfifer and Kramer Junior High at Eastside in Little Rock and Nashville. In 1948, he at-tended high school in Elaine, while working with his dad to build a cotton gin. He helped the Elaine High School Pan-thers football team of 1949 go undefeated. He loved attending his school re-unions every other year.
The family moved to Altheimer in 1949.
He joined the Air Force in 1950. In December he and Virginia were married and their lives expanded to four continents and several states. He proudly served 24 years of his life in the military, most of it in the Army Security Agency.
He retired as a SFC in 1976. After retiring he attended UALR receiving a bachelor of science degree in education. In 1981 he also received a four year degree in metalurgy while living in Michigan from 1955 to 1959. He also attended school in England for servicing bowling alleys and taught Junior ROTC at White Hall Junior High from 1955-1959 and Senior High School 1981 until retiring in 1994. Clinton loved sports and he traveled all over the world during his military career playing fast pitch softball.
His love for music of all kinds has been a special comfort and joy to him. This love of music was passed on to his children. He loved to play pinochle and taught himself how to play bridge.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his daughter, Patricia Renee Smith, and two brothers, John Henry Smith and William Oscar Smith.
Survivors include his two sons, whom he dearly loved, Clinton Stewart Smith, Jr., and his wife, Margaret, of Oklahoma, Douglas Henry Melvin Smith of Fayette-ville; two daughters, Melissa Ann and husband Dr. John Hampton, III, of Little Rock and Diana Rhea Fitzgerald of Cabot; his sisters, Wilma Lee Brimer of Mabelvale, Annie Bell Gicante of Little Rock, Meveline Schooley of Nashville and Vilma Josephine Allred of Pine Bluff; brothers, Herman Lee Smith of Cabot, John Lee Smith of Sherwood, Jimmie Lauren Smith of White Hall; all of his grandchildren who were very special to him, Virginia “Ginnie” Austin, Le Tricia “Trish’ McNamara, Patrick Smith, Nicholas Fitzgerald, Clinton Clark Smith, Jacquelyn Tracy Smith, Christopher “Chris” Smith, Seon Fitzgerald and Christopher Cody Akers; eight great-grandchildren, many sister- and brother-in-laws and friends all over the world through out his life.
He was loved and admired for his sensse of humor and helping others. He was Baptist and showed his faith through his gentle love of others.
Services were held Aug. 2 at Griffin Leggett Rest Hills Chapel in North Little Rock, with Pastor Harold O’Bryan officiating.
Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society, 901 N. University, Little Rock, Ark. 72203.
The family would like to thank the doctors and nurses who devotedly took care of him at Arkansas Oncology Associates, UAMS, Springhill Baptist Hospital, family members, neighbors and First Baptist Church members who showed the Christian faith through prayers, visits and food.
Fredia Faucett
Fredia Marcella Faucett, 79, of Jacksonville died Aug. 2.
She was born May 14, 1927, in Lonoke County to the late Sam Walls and Vida Brooks Jarry.
She was also preceded in death by daddy, Marion Luther “Kip” Jarry and a brother, Marion Leon Jarry.
She formerly worked in quality control for Regal Club Products. She loved to garden and was a member of Landmark Baptist Church.
Survivors include her husband, Morris Luther “Bud” Faucett of Jacksonville; sister, Elsie Jarry of Plano, Texas; four nieces, two nephews, five great-nieces, four great-nephews, three great-great-nieces and two great-great-nephews.
Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. today at Moore’s Funeral Home Chapel in Jacksonville with the Rev. Tim Carter officiating.
Burial will follow in Chapel Hill Memorial Park.
Michael Oldham
Michael Wayne Oldham, 52, of Jacksonville passed away Thursday at Rebsamen Medical Center in Jacksonville.
He was born Nov. 8, 1953 in De-witt, to Ralph and Yurba Hedden Oldham.
He graduated from John F. Ken-nedy High School in Agana, Guam. He served more than 25 years in the Navy until retiring in 1997.
He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
He is survived by his parents; fiancée, Marie Jones of Jackson-ville; daughter, Sabrina Oldham of Cabot; two sons, Paul and Scott Oldham, both of Pennsylvania; brother, David Oldham of Jack-sonville, several aunts, uncles, nephews and cousins.
Funeral services will be at 5 p.m. today at Moore’s Jacksonville Funeral Chapel. Visitation will be held from 4 to 5 p.m. today before the service.
The family suggests memorials be sent to the Navy Marine Corps Relief Society.
Monday, August 07, 2006
SPORTS >> Badgers lean on seniors
IN SHORT: The young team will have to rely on some of its underclassmen for several starting positions this season.
By JASON KING
Leader sports writer
The Beebe Badgers took to the practice field behind Bro Erwin Stadium for the opening week of summer practice this week. The Badgers have traditionally held their workouts in the late evening, but decided to make the change to early morning practices for this year.
Head coach Cam Prock says that heat was a factor in the decision to move the time of the practices, but also says he has found that the coaching staff has been able to get a little more out of the players on a daily basis with the change to the A.M. workouts.
“It’s been a little warm, being the first of August, but it seems like maybe we’re getting a little more rest by practicing in the mornings,” Prock said. “You have all afternoon and night to recuperate. Plus, when we were practicing at night, sometimes it would still be 98 degrees at six or seven o’clock, so heat did play a factor.”
The team has spent some time in the weight room during the first week of practice, but Prock says the main conditioning focus has been working on the players’ flexibility, trying to thwart off potential injuries that can put a team behind in preparation for a new season.
“We’ve spent some time in the weight room,” Prock said. “But this time of year, they get so sore that we really stretch them out more than anything. We’ve never tried to get them completely in shape the first week, we mainly try to get them more flexible and get them used to it. Fact is, we will probably be doing a lot more conditioning in three weeks than we are right now.”
The Badgers will be a little light in the senior department this year with only seven returning 12th graders, but six of those seven saw plenty of playing time last year as starters. Prock is counting on the small group to be very instrumental in the scheme of things, with many of the seniors filling out the skill positions.
Jared Mathis wowed many unsuspecting people in the opening games of the 2005 season. Mathis started at quarterback for the first three games last year in place of then starting quarterback Wes Lamb, and showed a good ability at scrambling, as well as managing the pass.
Although Beebe will not be packed out with seniors in the offensive backfield as last year, Mathis will have experienced help with running back Robbie Puckett. Among other seniors with starting experience, Drake Widener will return at offensive lineman/linebacker, with John Breshears and Danny Miller returning to the offensive and defensive lines.
A total of 47 players showed up for the opening week, with sophomores making up over half the numbers. Prock says he’s not concerned with having a young team, as long as he can find the right player for each available spot.
“It doesn’t matter,” Prock said. “We’re just going to put our best guys out there, and here we go. All you can do is play what you got, and that’s it. I’m not too concerned with only having seven seniors, it’s a low number for us, but the ones we have left are good kids, and I expect them to be good leaders for us.”
The Badgers will scrimmage against Harding Academy on August 22 at First Security Stadium in Searcy. The 2006 season will get underway for Beebe on September 1 with an away game against Greenbrier.
By JASON KING
Leader sports writer
The Beebe Badgers took to the practice field behind Bro Erwin Stadium for the opening week of summer practice this week. The Badgers have traditionally held their workouts in the late evening, but decided to make the change to early morning practices for this year.
Head coach Cam Prock says that heat was a factor in the decision to move the time of the practices, but also says he has found that the coaching staff has been able to get a little more out of the players on a daily basis with the change to the A.M. workouts.
“It’s been a little warm, being the first of August, but it seems like maybe we’re getting a little more rest by practicing in the mornings,” Prock said. “You have all afternoon and night to recuperate. Plus, when we were practicing at night, sometimes it would still be 98 degrees at six or seven o’clock, so heat did play a factor.”
The team has spent some time in the weight room during the first week of practice, but Prock says the main conditioning focus has been working on the players’ flexibility, trying to thwart off potential injuries that can put a team behind in preparation for a new season.
“We’ve spent some time in the weight room,” Prock said. “But this time of year, they get so sore that we really stretch them out more than anything. We’ve never tried to get them completely in shape the first week, we mainly try to get them more flexible and get them used to it. Fact is, we will probably be doing a lot more conditioning in three weeks than we are right now.”
The Badgers will be a little light in the senior department this year with only seven returning 12th graders, but six of those seven saw plenty of playing time last year as starters. Prock is counting on the small group to be very instrumental in the scheme of things, with many of the seniors filling out the skill positions.
Jared Mathis wowed many unsuspecting people in the opening games of the 2005 season. Mathis started at quarterback for the first three games last year in place of then starting quarterback Wes Lamb, and showed a good ability at scrambling, as well as managing the pass.
Although Beebe will not be packed out with seniors in the offensive backfield as last year, Mathis will have experienced help with running back Robbie Puckett. Among other seniors with starting experience, Drake Widener will return at offensive lineman/linebacker, with John Breshears and Danny Miller returning to the offensive and defensive lines.
A total of 47 players showed up for the opening week, with sophomores making up over half the numbers. Prock says he’s not concerned with having a young team, as long as he can find the right player for each available spot.
“It doesn’t matter,” Prock said. “We’re just going to put our best guys out there, and here we go. All you can do is play what you got, and that’s it. I’m not too concerned with only having seven seniors, it’s a low number for us, but the ones we have left are good kids, and I expect them to be good leaders for us.”
The Badgers will scrimmage against Harding Academy on August 22 at First Security Stadium in Searcy. The 2006 season will get underway for Beebe on September 1 with an away game against Greenbrier.
SPORTS >>Red Devils are committed
IN SHORT: JHS football players have shown great comaraderie in first week of two-a-day practices.
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
Jacksonville came in eager and ready for the first week of football sessions leading into the 2006 season. The Red Devils have high hopes heading into a new conference and classification, and brought excitement into the opening week.
After spending a day doing tests and time drills, Jacksonville began practicing in shorts and helmets, then went to full pads on Friday.
With only one day of practice in pads, it was difficult to get a read on where the team is regarding execution, but head Red Devil Mark Whatley liked what he saw in some of the intangibles.
Players are getting along, staying for extra, voluntary workouts and watching film, and carrying that kind of commitment to the practice field.
“We’ve got a bunch right now that’s doing some things that you really enjoy seeing,” Whatley said. “They’re doing extra conditioning and they’re staying after practice and just hanging out together. They’re bonding together. The other coaches that have been here longer than I have said they haven’t seen a group doing the things this one’s doing in a long time. This is a fun bunch to get to coach, so far, knock on wood.”
Throughout the summer the Jacksonville skill-position players were solid. They have met expectations in the first week of practice and remained solid.
Notably, 6-foot-3, 195-pound receiver Marcus King has caught the ball with much more consistency than a year ago.
His size and speed have always been dangerous, and now he appears to have added consistent pass-catching ability to his other weapons.
“He had a fine summer catching the ball,” Whatley said. “He’s got a ton of potential and the way he played this summer did him a lot of good. It gave him a lot of confidence.”
Jacksonville is obviously solid at quarterback. Daniel Hubbard returns for his third and final year at starting quarterback, and junior Cameron Hood gives the team quality depth under center.
The starters in the backfield are also returning starters in seniors Justin Akins and Justin Sebourn.
The unknown after week one is the same as it has been since last season ended, the line.
Jacksonville has some big players with good athleticism, but not very many.
“With only one day with the pads on we really don’t know a whole lot more about that group than when we started,” Whatley said. “We feel like we’ve got some good ones. We’re just going to need some of them to step up and help us out on both sides of the football.”
There were 56 Red Devils at practice on Friday, and Whatley says a few more will begin coming in next week. Look for more details on the Red Devils’ progress in Wednesday’s edition of The Leader.
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
Jacksonville came in eager and ready for the first week of football sessions leading into the 2006 season. The Red Devils have high hopes heading into a new conference and classification, and brought excitement into the opening week.
After spending a day doing tests and time drills, Jacksonville began practicing in shorts and helmets, then went to full pads on Friday.
With only one day of practice in pads, it was difficult to get a read on where the team is regarding execution, but head Red Devil Mark Whatley liked what he saw in some of the intangibles.
Players are getting along, staying for extra, voluntary workouts and watching film, and carrying that kind of commitment to the practice field.
“We’ve got a bunch right now that’s doing some things that you really enjoy seeing,” Whatley said. “They’re doing extra conditioning and they’re staying after practice and just hanging out together. They’re bonding together. The other coaches that have been here longer than I have said they haven’t seen a group doing the things this one’s doing in a long time. This is a fun bunch to get to coach, so far, knock on wood.”
Throughout the summer the Jacksonville skill-position players were solid. They have met expectations in the first week of practice and remained solid.
Notably, 6-foot-3, 195-pound receiver Marcus King has caught the ball with much more consistency than a year ago.
His size and speed have always been dangerous, and now he appears to have added consistent pass-catching ability to his other weapons.
“He had a fine summer catching the ball,” Whatley said. “He’s got a ton of potential and the way he played this summer did him a lot of good. It gave him a lot of confidence.”
Jacksonville is obviously solid at quarterback. Daniel Hubbard returns for his third and final year at starting quarterback, and junior Cameron Hood gives the team quality depth under center.
The starters in the backfield are also returning starters in seniors Justin Akins and Justin Sebourn.
The unknown after week one is the same as it has been since last season ended, the line.
Jacksonville has some big players with good athleticism, but not very many.
“With only one day with the pads on we really don’t know a whole lot more about that group than when we started,” Whatley said. “We feel like we’ve got some good ones. We’re just going to need some of them to step up and help us out on both sides of the football.”
There were 56 Red Devils at practice on Friday, and Whatley says a few more will begin coming in next week. Look for more details on the Red Devils’ progress in Wednesday’s edition of The Leader.
SPORTS >> New era revs up ’Rabbit football
IN SHORT: Lonoke will start the 2006 football season with a new head coach in Jeff Jones, and a new look on both sides of the football for its first venture into the 4A-2 Conference.
By JASON KING
Leader sports writer
The 2006 Lonoke Jackrabbits hit the first week of summer practice hard this week, with four-hour workouts from the morning into the afternoon to prepare for their first season in the 4A-2 conference.
This will be the first season under new head coach Jeff Jones. The new head ‘Rabbit says that practices went well through the first week.
Thursday began full-pad practice for the ‘Rabbits, and Friday saw a number of offensive and defensive drills being run on top of conditioning and weight training to prepare for the upcoming season.
With the rapid progress that has been made, Jones emphasizes that he doesn’t want the team to get ahead of itself in the early going.
“I think we have made progress every day,” Jones said. “We’re taking the time to adjust to a new system, so we are not near where we need to be. We have a lot of work ahead of us, that’s for sure, but these guys are very coachable.”
One of the biggest things Jones was looking for in the Friday practice was leadership skills from the seniors.
Josh Martin is expected to have a significant impact on both sides of the ball, starting at quarterback and linebacker, with some receiving.
Almost all of last year’s offensive standouts graduated this past May, leaving a void for new leaders to step up and fill. Jones says there are plenty of worthy candidates, but he needs someone who will make thier voice heard to the younger players.
“We have a lot of leaders by example,” Jones said. “I would like to have more vocal leaders from our senior group. That’s one area that we definitely need to improve on.”
Although the Jackrabbits have an ample amount of seniors, only a few have seen significant playing time on Friday nights. Only two starters return defensively, and one lone offensive starter returning to the ’06 team.
Blake Wilson and Duane Lewis will provide senior leadership up front defensively, and the backfield will be filled out with a number of seniors.
Steel Gorbet, Duane Hood, Ryan Hopson, Brock Clement and Jessie Bradford will make up the core of the Rabbits’ defensive linebackers and secondary, giving them a lot of maturity where it will be needed the most.
Most of the team has stayed active throughout the summer, with weightlifting and 7-on-7 practice games. Jones says the work throughout June and July has helped the majority of the players report to the first week of practice in good shape.
“We’re trying to get everything in as far as conditioning goes,” Jones said. “The main thing is fighting through the heat. We have had a few bumps and bruises, and that is to be expected, but nothing unusual yet.
“We had weight room workouts and 7-on7 through the summer, and we feel like that has given us a boost going into our fall camp.”
The first test for the Jackrabbits will come on the 22nd, with a scrimmage game at Little Rock Christian.
Lonoke will continue the morning practices for most of August, moving to the afternoon once classes begin at the end of the month..
By JASON KING
Leader sports writer
The 2006 Lonoke Jackrabbits hit the first week of summer practice hard this week, with four-hour workouts from the morning into the afternoon to prepare for their first season in the 4A-2 conference.
This will be the first season under new head coach Jeff Jones. The new head ‘Rabbit says that practices went well through the first week.
Thursday began full-pad practice for the ‘Rabbits, and Friday saw a number of offensive and defensive drills being run on top of conditioning and weight training to prepare for the upcoming season.
With the rapid progress that has been made, Jones emphasizes that he doesn’t want the team to get ahead of itself in the early going.
“I think we have made progress every day,” Jones said. “We’re taking the time to adjust to a new system, so we are not near where we need to be. We have a lot of work ahead of us, that’s for sure, but these guys are very coachable.”
One of the biggest things Jones was looking for in the Friday practice was leadership skills from the seniors.
Josh Martin is expected to have a significant impact on both sides of the ball, starting at quarterback and linebacker, with some receiving.
Almost all of last year’s offensive standouts graduated this past May, leaving a void for new leaders to step up and fill. Jones says there are plenty of worthy candidates, but he needs someone who will make thier voice heard to the younger players.
“We have a lot of leaders by example,” Jones said. “I would like to have more vocal leaders from our senior group. That’s one area that we definitely need to improve on.”
Although the Jackrabbits have an ample amount of seniors, only a few have seen significant playing time on Friday nights. Only two starters return defensively, and one lone offensive starter returning to the ’06 team.
Blake Wilson and Duane Lewis will provide senior leadership up front defensively, and the backfield will be filled out with a number of seniors.
Steel Gorbet, Duane Hood, Ryan Hopson, Brock Clement and Jessie Bradford will make up the core of the Rabbits’ defensive linebackers and secondary, giving them a lot of maturity where it will be needed the most.
Most of the team has stayed active throughout the summer, with weightlifting and 7-on-7 practice games. Jones says the work throughout June and July has helped the majority of the players report to the first week of practice in good shape.
“We’re trying to get everything in as far as conditioning goes,” Jones said. “The main thing is fighting through the heat. We have had a few bumps and bruises, and that is to be expected, but nothing unusual yet.
“We had weight room workouts and 7-on7 through the summer, and we feel like that has given us a boost going into our fall camp.”
The first test for the Jackrabbits will come on the 22nd, with a scrimmage game at Little Rock Christian.
Lonoke will continue the morning practices for most of August, moving to the afternoon once classes begin at the end of the month..
SPORTS >> Cabot offense solid, defense young
IN SHORT: The Panthers have need for sophomores to help out on defense as season gets started.
By JASON KING
Leader sports writer
The first week of two-a-days for the 2006 Cabot Panthers kicked off this week at the Panther field house. Thursday was the first day of practice in pads for the sophomore-heavy squad.
A total of 71 players took to the 25 yards of turf in the field house as a full 100 yards of turf continued to be prepared at the nearby stadium for the team’s inaugural season in the 7A-Central Conference.
Head coach Mike Malham, now in his 25th season at Cabot, was enthusiastic about the effort from his team during the opening week. Malham says the team is right on pace offensively, but needs some assistance from a few of his total 38 sophomores on the front line defensively in order to have different starting personnel on each side of the football.
“We’ve got a good group of sophomores,” Malham said. “Some of them are going to have to step up and play this year; we are a little thin at the varsity.”
Many of the Panthers’ 15 seniors occupy the skill positions for this season. Returning at quarterback will be Cory Wade, who will be flanked by running backs and fellow seniors Chase King and Colin Fuller. Logan Lucas will return as starting center, and Corey Burns will join him on the line at offensive tackle. If any offensive linemen are faced with playing both sides, Malham says tight end Josh Clem will be a prime candidate to start at defensive corner.
One key senior the Panthers will have to do without in the early stages of the season is last year’s starting halfback Alec Tripp. A broken ankle has kept Tripp off the practice field, and will most likely keep him sidelined until mid-season.
Leadership on the offensive side of the ball should not be a problem for Cabot this season, but it’s the situation at the line that concerns Malham the most.
“We feel like we’re a little futher ahead on our offense,” Malham said. “Defensively, we are a little bit behind. We have a little bit of work to do and a little time to see if some of these sophomores can help us out there. If not, then some of those offensive linemen are going to have to play both ways, and that’s going to be pretty tough in 7A ball.
“Physically, they’re there. Mentally, it’s a totally different ballgame from playing in jr. high.”
Malham’s emphasis on defensive voids up front was to be expected, with several of last year’s starters gone upon graduation. Now entering a conference where virtually every team will have separate linemen and skill players for offense and defense, the Panthers at least have the luxury of pulling from a large pool of underclassmen to potentially complete the defensive front.
“Everything is as good as can be expected at this point. We have four weeks until our first game, so hopefully we can learn some things and everything can start coming together. They’re all working hard, if we can get some sophomores to step up on the defensive side, I think we will be alright.”
By JASON KING
Leader sports writer
The first week of two-a-days for the 2006 Cabot Panthers kicked off this week at the Panther field house. Thursday was the first day of practice in pads for the sophomore-heavy squad.
A total of 71 players took to the 25 yards of turf in the field house as a full 100 yards of turf continued to be prepared at the nearby stadium for the team’s inaugural season in the 7A-Central Conference.
Head coach Mike Malham, now in his 25th season at Cabot, was enthusiastic about the effort from his team during the opening week. Malham says the team is right on pace offensively, but needs some assistance from a few of his total 38 sophomores on the front line defensively in order to have different starting personnel on each side of the football.
“We’ve got a good group of sophomores,” Malham said. “Some of them are going to have to step up and play this year; we are a little thin at the varsity.”
Many of the Panthers’ 15 seniors occupy the skill positions for this season. Returning at quarterback will be Cory Wade, who will be flanked by running backs and fellow seniors Chase King and Colin Fuller. Logan Lucas will return as starting center, and Corey Burns will join him on the line at offensive tackle. If any offensive linemen are faced with playing both sides, Malham says tight end Josh Clem will be a prime candidate to start at defensive corner.
One key senior the Panthers will have to do without in the early stages of the season is last year’s starting halfback Alec Tripp. A broken ankle has kept Tripp off the practice field, and will most likely keep him sidelined until mid-season.
Leadership on the offensive side of the ball should not be a problem for Cabot this season, but it’s the situation at the line that concerns Malham the most.
“We feel like we’re a little futher ahead on our offense,” Malham said. “Defensively, we are a little bit behind. We have a little bit of work to do and a little time to see if some of these sophomores can help us out there. If not, then some of those offensive linemen are going to have to play both ways, and that’s going to be pretty tough in 7A ball.
“Physically, they’re there. Mentally, it’s a totally different ballgame from playing in jr. high.”
Malham’s emphasis on defensive voids up front was to be expected, with several of last year’s starters gone upon graduation. Now entering a conference where virtually every team will have separate linemen and skill players for offense and defense, the Panthers at least have the luxury of pulling from a large pool of underclassmen to potentially complete the defensive front.
“Everything is as good as can be expected at this point. We have four weeks until our first game, so hopefully we can learn some things and everything can start coming together. They’re all working hard, if we can get some sophomores to step up on the defensive side, I think we will be alright.”
FROM THE PUBLISHER >>Big George Brock still packs a punch
By GARRICK FELDMAN
Leader publisher
Big George Brock is a 74-year-old former heavyweight boxer who still packs a double punch as a powerful harmonica player and blues singer. His new CD, Round Two (Cat Head Records), follows last year’s successful Club Caravan, which was nominated for a Handy award.
“Round Two” is more of the kind of deep Delta blues Brock has been playing for half a century, although he didn’t make a record until four years ago, when his Front Door Man was released by Tee Ti Records of St. Louis, which Brock now calls home. Mississippi-born Brock is a terrific bluesman who’s almost a reincarnation of Muddy Waters, another Mississippi bluesman who moved up North — in Muddy’s case, all the way to Chicago, and the rest is blues history.
Big George plays many of Muddy’s songs, having heard them while growing up in Grenada and Clarksdale, Miss. He’s a throwback to an earlier era, one of the last of the post-war Delta musicians still belting out the music that influenced generations of rock-and-rollers.
The great Hubert Sumlin, Howlin Wolf’s longtime guitarist, joins Brock on several numbers, making “Round Two” even more satisfying than Big George’s first Cat Head CD. It would have been even better if Sumlin were on the whole CD: Maybe Hubert will play more on their next CD.
The very able Bill Able also plays guitar and Lightnin’ Malcolm’s on drums on “Round Two,” which was produced by Roger Stolle, a St. Louis transplant who runs a record store in Clarksdale and started his record label for his idol Big George, much like Bruce Iglauer, who started Alligator Records almost 35 years ago for his hero Hound Dog Taylor. Iglauer has made millons, and maybe Stolle and Big George will, too.
If you haven’t seen Brock play live, you can catch him at the Delta Cultural Center in downtown Helena at 12:15 p.m. Friday, when he’ll appear on KFFA’s “King Biscuit Time” blues show with Sunshine Sonny Payne.
Brock will perform the following evening at the Sunflower Blues Festival in Clarksdale, Miss. He’s still the heavyweight champion.
Another musician still in the Delta mold (and also a Grenada native like Brock) is Magic Slim, who has a new CD from Delmark called That Ain’t Right with the Teardrops. Actually it’s an old record that was made in the late 1970s and had a limited release at the time.
Made under the supervision of Ralph Bass, formerly of Chess, “That Ain’t Right” is part of a series of records that Bass produced and which Delmark has reissued over the past couple of years.
The series was made on a shoestring budget, which may explain why many of them aren’t very long. But the Magic Slim CD, which is one of his best, is coupled with Joe Carter, a Southside Chicago singer who’s no longer alive. But he was an impressive performer who was seldom recorded.
The drummer Fred Below does a credible version of “Route 66,” sounding like Nat King Cole testing his vocal chords.
This is historic Chicago blues made just before many of the great bluesmen passed away, including Sunnyland Slim, whose CD Smile on My Face with the great Lacy Gibson is also part of the Ralph Bass series.
Gibson’s Crying for My Baby with Sunnyland Slim is also part of the Bass series. Gibson, born in North Carolina, may be the only one in the series who wasn’t from Mississippi.
Wonderful stuff, and what’s even more wonderful is that many of the artists are still alive and performing. Magic Slim is still going strong (we caught him at King Biscuit a couple of years ago), and so is Eddie Clear-water, whose Boogie My Blues Away is also part of the series. He played in Little Rock about five years ago and put on a great show.
It’s great to hear a young Clearwater in terrific form — he was probably close to 40 when he made “Boogie My Blues Away” — belting out Chuck Berry-influenced blues. (Although Berry will admit that Louis Jordan of Brinkley was his main influence.)
Our favorite in the series is Jimmy Johnson’s Pepper’s Hang-out with the great Eddie Taylor. It’s less than 30 minutes long, but it’s superb blues.
Johnson, who’s now in his late 70s, is a fine guitar player with a gentle voice that’s as haunting as J.B. Lenoir’s high-register singing.
Also check out Johnson’s previous Delmark records, “Johnson’s Wacks” and “North/South,” as well as “Barroom Preacher” from Alligator and “I’m a Jockey” from Dreyfus.
Jimmy Johnson may be the greatest unheralded blues musician alive.
Anyway, there’s enough music here to listen to between blues festivals.
Leader publisher
Big George Brock is a 74-year-old former heavyweight boxer who still packs a double punch as a powerful harmonica player and blues singer. His new CD, Round Two (Cat Head Records), follows last year’s successful Club Caravan, which was nominated for a Handy award.
“Round Two” is more of the kind of deep Delta blues Brock has been playing for half a century, although he didn’t make a record until four years ago, when his Front Door Man was released by Tee Ti Records of St. Louis, which Brock now calls home. Mississippi-born Brock is a terrific bluesman who’s almost a reincarnation of Muddy Waters, another Mississippi bluesman who moved up North — in Muddy’s case, all the way to Chicago, and the rest is blues history.
Big George plays many of Muddy’s songs, having heard them while growing up in Grenada and Clarksdale, Miss. He’s a throwback to an earlier era, one of the last of the post-war Delta musicians still belting out the music that influenced generations of rock-and-rollers.
The great Hubert Sumlin, Howlin Wolf’s longtime guitarist, joins Brock on several numbers, making “Round Two” even more satisfying than Big George’s first Cat Head CD. It would have been even better if Sumlin were on the whole CD: Maybe Hubert will play more on their next CD.
The very able Bill Able also plays guitar and Lightnin’ Malcolm’s on drums on “Round Two,” which was produced by Roger Stolle, a St. Louis transplant who runs a record store in Clarksdale and started his record label for his idol Big George, much like Bruce Iglauer, who started Alligator Records almost 35 years ago for his hero Hound Dog Taylor. Iglauer has made millons, and maybe Stolle and Big George will, too.
If you haven’t seen Brock play live, you can catch him at the Delta Cultural Center in downtown Helena at 12:15 p.m. Friday, when he’ll appear on KFFA’s “King Biscuit Time” blues show with Sunshine Sonny Payne.
Brock will perform the following evening at the Sunflower Blues Festival in Clarksdale, Miss. He’s still the heavyweight champion.
Another musician still in the Delta mold (and also a Grenada native like Brock) is Magic Slim, who has a new CD from Delmark called That Ain’t Right with the Teardrops. Actually it’s an old record that was made in the late 1970s and had a limited release at the time.
Made under the supervision of Ralph Bass, formerly of Chess, “That Ain’t Right” is part of a series of records that Bass produced and which Delmark has reissued over the past couple of years.
The series was made on a shoestring budget, which may explain why many of them aren’t very long. But the Magic Slim CD, which is one of his best, is coupled with Joe Carter, a Southside Chicago singer who’s no longer alive. But he was an impressive performer who was seldom recorded.
The drummer Fred Below does a credible version of “Route 66,” sounding like Nat King Cole testing his vocal chords.
This is historic Chicago blues made just before many of the great bluesmen passed away, including Sunnyland Slim, whose CD Smile on My Face with the great Lacy Gibson is also part of the Ralph Bass series.
Gibson’s Crying for My Baby with Sunnyland Slim is also part of the Bass series. Gibson, born in North Carolina, may be the only one in the series who wasn’t from Mississippi.
Wonderful stuff, and what’s even more wonderful is that many of the artists are still alive and performing. Magic Slim is still going strong (we caught him at King Biscuit a couple of years ago), and so is Eddie Clear-water, whose Boogie My Blues Away is also part of the series. He played in Little Rock about five years ago and put on a great show.
It’s great to hear a young Clearwater in terrific form — he was probably close to 40 when he made “Boogie My Blues Away” — belting out Chuck Berry-influenced blues. (Although Berry will admit that Louis Jordan of Brinkley was his main influence.)
Our favorite in the series is Jimmy Johnson’s Pepper’s Hang-out with the great Eddie Taylor. It’s less than 30 minutes long, but it’s superb blues.
Johnson, who’s now in his late 70s, is a fine guitar player with a gentle voice that’s as haunting as J.B. Lenoir’s high-register singing.
Also check out Johnson’s previous Delmark records, “Johnson’s Wacks” and “North/South,” as well as “Barroom Preacher” from Alligator and “I’m a Jockey” from Dreyfus.
Jimmy Johnson may be the greatest unheralded blues musician alive.
Anyway, there’s enough music here to listen to between blues festivals.
EDITORIALS >> Adios, Paron
Should anyone by now have any doubts, the seven justices of the Arkansas Supreme Court let it be known this week that they are serious about finally requiring the state to follow the state Constitution’s 130-year-old mandate that it provide a good education to every child, equally and efficiently.
How could anyone have doubted it when the justices, abiding the criticism of legislators, the governor and aspiring candidates for the job, the lawyers and interest groups, held onto jurisdiction in the Lake View school case through two regular and two special sessions of the General Assembly until the lawmakers and governor finally got it right? But some still thought that the court could not really be serious about requiring that education be delivered to children in rural areas equally and efficiently.
A few patrons around the little Paron school west of Little Rock sued to block the closing of the secondary school and transportation of the students to the suburban district of Bryant. They said the bus rides each day would be too long and they persuaded a Pulaski circuit judge, Jay Moody, to stop the closing and keep the school open this fall. The court order went to the Bryant school district, which had not even been a party to the lawsuit. Oops.
No one could have had any doubts about what the Supreme Court would do once the justices heard the case. But the justices had just begun their summer recess when Judge Moody told Bryant and the state Board of Education that the school had to remain open for the next school year while he pondered the case. He granted the temporary injunction, he said, because it was likely that he would rule in Paron’s favor once he heard all the testimony. The justices ordinarily do not interrupt their vacations to hear an appeal unless the issue is grave.
Apparently, the justices thought this was such a case, although it involved a school in only one small community.
Judge Moody’s ruling was flatly illegal, all the justices concluded. How can you consider and grant an injunction when one of the two central parties, the school district responsible for running the schools, was not made a defendant so that it could respond to the arguments? Secondary students will start school this month at Bryant, as the school district and the state Board of Education planned.
This might have been an isolated case, only one of literally thousands in the past 75 years as Arkansas fitfully came to grips with the physical and financial problems of educating children in small towns and rural areas. But politicians, principally Asa Hutchinson, the Republican candidate for governor, made it a cause celebre. Hutchinson said tiny high schools anywhere in Arkansas would not be closed if he were elected governor.
The Paron case raised a new constitutional issue. Do children have a fundamental right to both short bus rides and the same school offerings that kids in rich urban districts get? It is an issue that thousands of us who met the bus at dawn out at the end of the road so many years ago never thought to consider. We would only be thankful later for the opportunities that consolidation gave us.
Unspoken in Paron’s argument and Hutchinson’s shameless ploy is that the taxpayers of the state have a special obligation to children and parents in rural communities that want to have a high school down the road from them, preferably one with a quality basketball team.
The argument goes that if kids at Jacksonville, Cabot or Bryant can take instrumental music, French, physics and drafting, then Arkansas taxpayers are obliged to put up the money — whatever it takes — to see that children at Paron have the same opportunities right there and not have to go down the road to Bryant.
How could anyone have doubted it when the justices, abiding the criticism of legislators, the governor and aspiring candidates for the job, the lawyers and interest groups, held onto jurisdiction in the Lake View school case through two regular and two special sessions of the General Assembly until the lawmakers and governor finally got it right? But some still thought that the court could not really be serious about requiring that education be delivered to children in rural areas equally and efficiently.
A few patrons around the little Paron school west of Little Rock sued to block the closing of the secondary school and transportation of the students to the suburban district of Bryant. They said the bus rides each day would be too long and they persuaded a Pulaski circuit judge, Jay Moody, to stop the closing and keep the school open this fall. The court order went to the Bryant school district, which had not even been a party to the lawsuit. Oops.
No one could have had any doubts about what the Supreme Court would do once the justices heard the case. But the justices had just begun their summer recess when Judge Moody told Bryant and the state Board of Education that the school had to remain open for the next school year while he pondered the case. He granted the temporary injunction, he said, because it was likely that he would rule in Paron’s favor once he heard all the testimony. The justices ordinarily do not interrupt their vacations to hear an appeal unless the issue is grave.
Apparently, the justices thought this was such a case, although it involved a school in only one small community.
Judge Moody’s ruling was flatly illegal, all the justices concluded. How can you consider and grant an injunction when one of the two central parties, the school district responsible for running the schools, was not made a defendant so that it could respond to the arguments? Secondary students will start school this month at Bryant, as the school district and the state Board of Education planned.
This might have been an isolated case, only one of literally thousands in the past 75 years as Arkansas fitfully came to grips with the physical and financial problems of educating children in small towns and rural areas. But politicians, principally Asa Hutchinson, the Republican candidate for governor, made it a cause celebre. Hutchinson said tiny high schools anywhere in Arkansas would not be closed if he were elected governor.
The Paron case raised a new constitutional issue. Do children have a fundamental right to both short bus rides and the same school offerings that kids in rich urban districts get? It is an issue that thousands of us who met the bus at dawn out at the end of the road so many years ago never thought to consider. We would only be thankful later for the opportunities that consolidation gave us.
Unspoken in Paron’s argument and Hutchinson’s shameless ploy is that the taxpayers of the state have a special obligation to children and parents in rural communities that want to have a high school down the road from them, preferably one with a quality basketball team.
The argument goes that if kids at Jacksonville, Cabot or Bryant can take instrumental music, French, physics and drafting, then Arkansas taxpayers are obliged to put up the money — whatever it takes — to see that children at Paron have the same opportunities right there and not have to go down the road to Bryant.
TOP STORY >> Impact fees could fetch $2.3M a year
By JOAN MCCOY
Leader staff writer
The implementation of building impact fees has been discussed during meetings of the Cabot City Council, Cabot Homebuilders Asso-ciation and the Stakeholders Committee.
Now, two years after a council resolution said the fees would be imposed, Cabot wants to know what the general public has to say, and a public hearing will be held at 6 p.m. Monday in the council chambers at the city annex.
A representative of Duncan Associates, the firm that compiled the impact-fee study that shows the city could collect as much as $2.3 million a year, will attend the meeting. The 2004 council resolution that said impact fees would be imposed caused a stir in the housing industry, which includes the people who develop the land and finance, build and sell the houses.
They said that if the city intended to collect money from them they should at least be included in the discussions and the Stake-holders Committee made up of several building industry representatives was created.
That committee has recommended setting the impact fees much lower than the amounts suggested by the experts who were paid $63,000 for their work.
Carol Steen, the only member of the stakeholders committee who is not part of the either the building industry or city government, has continued to push for the full amounts.
“You can whittle away at impact fees until they are just meaningless,” Steen says. “Costs are what they are and if impact fees don’t help pay them, then we have to pay them all.”
If the council approves the recommendation of the Stakeholders Committee, the fees will begin 90 days after the ordinance setting them is passed.
The fees will be based on the size of the houses built in the city and will be collected at 100 percent for fire protection and 25 percent for parks, streets and wastewater.
Since the library has now been added to the impact fee list, it also would receive 25 percent of the recommended amount.
One year after the council ordinance setting the fees is passed, another 25 percent would be added for a total of 50 percent of the recommended amounts for parks, streets and wastewater and 100 percent for fire.
The committee also recommends that the council consider annual increases of the impact fees to reach the full 100 percent recommended by the impact fee study.
Assuming the average new home in Cabot is between 1,500 and 1,999-square feet, the full fee recommended by the study performed by Duncan & Associates would be about $3,200.
If the city council accepts the committee’s recommendation, and passes an impact fee ordinance, builders would initially pay the following impact fees: fire protection, $306; streets, $386; wastewater, $151; and parks, $238; for a total of $1,081.
One year after the ordinance passes, the fees would increase to $1,856.
The committee also recommended that the fees be paid at the time the certificate of occupancy is issued, not when the building permit is purchased.
So the time between paying the fees and recouping the money from homebuyers would become shorter.
Members of the Cabot Home-builders Association say they are really opposed to the fees.
But they want them phased in because it will take at least a year before the appraised price of the houses includes the fees.
And until they are, builders will pay them with no hope of getting their money back.
Leader staff writer
The implementation of building impact fees has been discussed during meetings of the Cabot City Council, Cabot Homebuilders Asso-ciation and the Stakeholders Committee.
Now, two years after a council resolution said the fees would be imposed, Cabot wants to know what the general public has to say, and a public hearing will be held at 6 p.m. Monday in the council chambers at the city annex.
A representative of Duncan Associates, the firm that compiled the impact-fee study that shows the city could collect as much as $2.3 million a year, will attend the meeting. The 2004 council resolution that said impact fees would be imposed caused a stir in the housing industry, which includes the people who develop the land and finance, build and sell the houses.
They said that if the city intended to collect money from them they should at least be included in the discussions and the Stake-holders Committee made up of several building industry representatives was created.
That committee has recommended setting the impact fees much lower than the amounts suggested by the experts who were paid $63,000 for their work.
Carol Steen, the only member of the stakeholders committee who is not part of the either the building industry or city government, has continued to push for the full amounts.
“You can whittle away at impact fees until they are just meaningless,” Steen says. “Costs are what they are and if impact fees don’t help pay them, then we have to pay them all.”
If the council approves the recommendation of the Stakeholders Committee, the fees will begin 90 days after the ordinance setting them is passed.
The fees will be based on the size of the houses built in the city and will be collected at 100 percent for fire protection and 25 percent for parks, streets and wastewater.
Since the library has now been added to the impact fee list, it also would receive 25 percent of the recommended amount.
One year after the council ordinance setting the fees is passed, another 25 percent would be added for a total of 50 percent of the recommended amounts for parks, streets and wastewater and 100 percent for fire.
The committee also recommends that the council consider annual increases of the impact fees to reach the full 100 percent recommended by the impact fee study.
Assuming the average new home in Cabot is between 1,500 and 1,999-square feet, the full fee recommended by the study performed by Duncan & Associates would be about $3,200.
If the city council accepts the committee’s recommendation, and passes an impact fee ordinance, builders would initially pay the following impact fees: fire protection, $306; streets, $386; wastewater, $151; and parks, $238; for a total of $1,081.
One year after the ordinance passes, the fees would increase to $1,856.
The committee also recommended that the fees be paid at the time the certificate of occupancy is issued, not when the building permit is purchased.
So the time between paying the fees and recouping the money from homebuyers would become shorter.
Members of the Cabot Home-builders Association say they are really opposed to the fees.
But they want them phased in because it will take at least a year before the appraised price of the houses includes the fees.
And until they are, builders will pay them with no hope of getting their money back.
TOP STORY >> City taking land for library
IN SHORT: Jacksonville City Council approves using eminent domain, but property owner says he’s been offered too little.
By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
“If eminent domain will allow the library project to move along more quickly, then this is what the city should do,” said Robert Dougherty in a letter to the Jacksonville City Council.
It’s his property that the city wants to take under eminent domain procedures for the library, and the council voted unanimously Thursday night to go ahead with the condemnation.
Dougherty owns about 1.1 acres—three lots—and it’s the only land the city has not worked out an agreement to purchase for the library. The city is seeking about a block of land on the south side of West Main from Wal-green’s to Warren Street. The land is currently home to two vacant buildings, a closed gas station and a detail shop.
In the approved resolution, the council gave the mayor the approval to exercise eminent domain. The resolution states “that despite extensive efforts on behalf of the City of Jacksonville to purchase certain properties owned by B&C Rental Properties for construction and development of a new Jacksonville library, lengthy efforts to amicably resolve the parties’ differences have failed.”
They have failed, according to Dougherty, because the city is offering him about half of what it gave the other land owners.
In his letter, Dougherty says the Scheaffer family was paid $300,000 for the Main Street Texaco location, about $10 a square foot.
The Abdin family was paid $80,300 for the land housing the closed tobacco store and Fishnet thrift shop, which worked out to $10.70 a square foot.
The city also just worked out an agreement with Dougherty’s brother, Butch, to buy the three lots in the block that he owns for $231,550, or $7.98 a square foot. Butch Dougherty accepted the offer just last week.
The council also approved a resolution Thursday night, which would let the mayor complete that purchase.
Robert Dougherty says the best offer he’s received from the city has been just $4.54 a square foot, or a total of $225,000.
“My property makes up 42.6 percent of the proposed library site and I am being offered 27 percent of the proposed total purchase price,” Dougherty said in his letter.
City attorney Bobby Bamburg explained that under eminent domain the land owners would still have to be fairly compensated for the land, but eminent domain will allow the city to proceed with its public project—in this case the library—while the sides work out fair compensation. Bamburg said it is possible for the city to reach an agreement with B&C Rental without filing the condemnation papers, but passing the eminent-domain resolution gives the city option for quick access and the ability to start construction without a long delay.
Dougherty did add in his letter that he “fully supports the construction of the library at the Main Street and Warren Street location as quickly as possible. The mayor and city council are to be commended for moving forward on this worthwhile project.
“In the meantime, the difference of opinion as to the value of my property needs to be resolved to the satisfaction of all.”
Mayor Tommy Swaim has said that most of the cost of the land would be paid for by private donations. In July 2004, Jacksonville residents approved a one-mill property-tax increase to pay off $2.5 million in bonds to build the new library building. “I’d like for this to be a centerpiece for the downtown area,” Swaim has said, with amenities including a park-like setting. The new library building will be approximately 13,500 square feet, about 4,000 square feet larger than the current city library built in 1969.
By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
“If eminent domain will allow the library project to move along more quickly, then this is what the city should do,” said Robert Dougherty in a letter to the Jacksonville City Council.
It’s his property that the city wants to take under eminent domain procedures for the library, and the council voted unanimously Thursday night to go ahead with the condemnation.
Dougherty owns about 1.1 acres—three lots—and it’s the only land the city has not worked out an agreement to purchase for the library. The city is seeking about a block of land on the south side of West Main from Wal-green’s to Warren Street. The land is currently home to two vacant buildings, a closed gas station and a detail shop.
In the approved resolution, the council gave the mayor the approval to exercise eminent domain. The resolution states “that despite extensive efforts on behalf of the City of Jacksonville to purchase certain properties owned by B&C Rental Properties for construction and development of a new Jacksonville library, lengthy efforts to amicably resolve the parties’ differences have failed.”
They have failed, according to Dougherty, because the city is offering him about half of what it gave the other land owners.
In his letter, Dougherty says the Scheaffer family was paid $300,000 for the Main Street Texaco location, about $10 a square foot.
The Abdin family was paid $80,300 for the land housing the closed tobacco store and Fishnet thrift shop, which worked out to $10.70 a square foot.
The city also just worked out an agreement with Dougherty’s brother, Butch, to buy the three lots in the block that he owns for $231,550, or $7.98 a square foot. Butch Dougherty accepted the offer just last week.
The council also approved a resolution Thursday night, which would let the mayor complete that purchase.
Robert Dougherty says the best offer he’s received from the city has been just $4.54 a square foot, or a total of $225,000.
“My property makes up 42.6 percent of the proposed library site and I am being offered 27 percent of the proposed total purchase price,” Dougherty said in his letter.
City attorney Bobby Bamburg explained that under eminent domain the land owners would still have to be fairly compensated for the land, but eminent domain will allow the city to proceed with its public project—in this case the library—while the sides work out fair compensation. Bamburg said it is possible for the city to reach an agreement with B&C Rental without filing the condemnation papers, but passing the eminent-domain resolution gives the city option for quick access and the ability to start construction without a long delay.
Dougherty did add in his letter that he “fully supports the construction of the library at the Main Street and Warren Street location as quickly as possible. The mayor and city council are to be commended for moving forward on this worthwhile project.
“In the meantime, the difference of opinion as to the value of my property needs to be resolved to the satisfaction of all.”
Mayor Tommy Swaim has said that most of the cost of the land would be paid for by private donations. In July 2004, Jacksonville residents approved a one-mill property-tax increase to pay off $2.5 million in bonds to build the new library building. “I’d like for this to be a centerpiece for the downtown area,” Swaim has said, with amenities including a park-like setting. The new library building will be approximately 13,500 square feet, about 4,000 square feet larger than the current city library built in 1969.
TOP STORY >> Builder makes plans for Sherwood land
IN SHORT: Jacksonville loses its bid to stop the annexation of 2,000 acres of undeveloped
land to its southern neighbor, as contractor submits plat to develop a commercial strip.
By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
Construction will soon start on land now that Sherwood has been given the green light to annex .
Four landowners who filed a petition two months ago to have their acreage become part of Sherwood have received the blessing of the county judge, and one of the landowners has already filed plans with Sherwood to start work on a light commercial development.
The 2,000 acres of undeveloped land stretches north of Sherwood and west of Jack-sonville, touching the edge of Little Rock Air Force Base.
Greg Heslep, one of the four property owners, has filed a preliminary plat with Sherwood to construct offices or storage buildings on a portion of his land, confident that his county land would end up in Sherwood.
Jacksonville opposed the an-nexation and appealed to County Judge Buddy Villines who had to release the land from the county, so it could become part of Sherwood.
In June, Villines ordered Sherwood and Jacksonville to present written arguments as to why the annexation should or should not be granted. The briefs were due by July 15.
In his order released Friday, Judge Villines said, “The court is not persuaded that extraterritorial planning jurisdiction precludes annex-ation….the petition for annexation is granted.”
Sherwood Mayor Bill Harmon was ecstatic about the judge’s decision and said, “We wouldn’t be surprised if all of Arkansas wanted to come to Sherwood.”
All that is left to do to bring the land officially into Sherwood is for the city to approve an ordinance or resolution accepting the petition. But the city must first wait 30 days to see if anyone appeals the decision.
“It certainly won’t be the landowners,” Harmon said.
Once that time period expires, Harmon said he’d properly call a special meeting to approve the annexation.
Jacksonville Mayor Tommy Swaim was out of town due to a death in the family so it’s not known at this time if Jacksonville will appeal.
Villines went on to say in his order that the only reason that Sherwood could refuse the annexation is if it was “unable to provide services to the annexed area.”
“Don’t worry, “Harmon said. “We’ll provide service.”
Jacksonville had argued that a portion of the land the developers wanted to annex into Sherwood was part of the air base flight-safety zone, officially known as Air Installation Compatible Use Zone, or AICUZ.
The military had asked Jackson-ville, and the city agreed in two ordinances, to restrict the population, as well as height of buildings in that zone for safety of aircrews and the civilian population. Excessive populations and development immediately off military runways is something that is looked at negatively when decisions are made to keep a base open.
In June, the city council unanimously passed a resolution in opposition to the annexation, stating that the proposed annexation was “neither productive nor beneficial.” The city’s planning commission joined in at its June meeting and voted to support the council’s resolution.
In its briefs, the city argued that it didn’t make sense for the land to be part of Sherwood, when Jacksonville would still have planning control of a portion of the land. The city also ex-pressed fear that a development spurt could put the base in jeopardy of closing.
“We would never allow anything that would jeopardize the base, “ said Mike Clayton, Sherwood’s city engineer.
Jacksonville also argued that the annexation would create a disconnected island, as the area to be annexed surrounds a subdivision around Hatcher Road. That subdivision is not part of the annexation and would be county land and in case of emergency, those residents would have to call the county for service. The judge ruled, “The creation of an island is not grounds to void an annexation.”
Clayton added that he hoped the people would eventually petition to be part off Sherwood too.
Jacksonville also argued that the land would be better serviced by Jacksonville.
Thea Hughes, general manager of Jacksonville Wastewater Utility, said the city’s sewer commission also opposed the annexation, citing Jack-sonville’s master plan and a 20-year study, saying the city had the capability to service the disputed area. “The territorial jurisdiction east and north of Bayou Meto is appropriate to the city of Jacksonville,” she said.
Villines, in his order, said the court “does not believe its discretion extends to determining which municipality is better able to adapt the property to municipal use.”
Jacksonville Mayor Tommy Swaim had said earlier in the litigation that he wasn’t totally opposed to the annexation plan supported by Sherwood, but there was a portion that needed to go to Jacksonville. “The area past Bayou Meto should go into Jacksonville,” he said.
According to Clayton, there’s two ways to annex into a city, through voluntary or involuntary means.
These four developers—Heslep, Byron McKimmey, Metropolitan Realty and Lilac LLC—volunteered to come into Sherwood. For the city to accept a voluntary petition, it must be signed by at least 51 percent of the landowners, controlling at least 51 percent of the land.
In this case, the voluntary petition was signed by 100 percent of the landowners, controlling 100 percent of the land.
Both Heslep and McKimmey have had an easier time getting developments approved by Sherwood than Jacksonville. It took Heslep about six months of rework and redesign, including a promise to create a sewer improvement district and run a main sewer line to the city’s line more than a mile away, before Jacksonville ap-proved his plans for the Base Meadows Subdivision, which is now part of Jacksonville.
McKimmey, who owns a 10-acre triangular piece of land south of Dupree Park, has, along with James Reed, worked almost three years with Jacksonville to get approval for a go-cart track on that property.
“The petition met all the state requirements,” Clayton said. The county judge agreed.
land to its southern neighbor, as contractor submits plat to develop a commercial strip.
By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
Construction will soon start on land now that Sherwood has been given the green light to annex .
Four landowners who filed a petition two months ago to have their acreage become part of Sherwood have received the blessing of the county judge, and one of the landowners has already filed plans with Sherwood to start work on a light commercial development.
The 2,000 acres of undeveloped land stretches north of Sherwood and west of Jack-sonville, touching the edge of Little Rock Air Force Base.
Greg Heslep, one of the four property owners, has filed a preliminary plat with Sherwood to construct offices or storage buildings on a portion of his land, confident that his county land would end up in Sherwood.
Jacksonville opposed the an-nexation and appealed to County Judge Buddy Villines who had to release the land from the county, so it could become part of Sherwood.
In June, Villines ordered Sherwood and Jacksonville to present written arguments as to why the annexation should or should not be granted. The briefs were due by July 15.
In his order released Friday, Judge Villines said, “The court is not persuaded that extraterritorial planning jurisdiction precludes annex-ation….the petition for annexation is granted.”
Sherwood Mayor Bill Harmon was ecstatic about the judge’s decision and said, “We wouldn’t be surprised if all of Arkansas wanted to come to Sherwood.”
All that is left to do to bring the land officially into Sherwood is for the city to approve an ordinance or resolution accepting the petition. But the city must first wait 30 days to see if anyone appeals the decision.
“It certainly won’t be the landowners,” Harmon said.
Once that time period expires, Harmon said he’d properly call a special meeting to approve the annexation.
Jacksonville Mayor Tommy Swaim was out of town due to a death in the family so it’s not known at this time if Jacksonville will appeal.
Villines went on to say in his order that the only reason that Sherwood could refuse the annexation is if it was “unable to provide services to the annexed area.”
“Don’t worry, “Harmon said. “We’ll provide service.”
Jacksonville had argued that a portion of the land the developers wanted to annex into Sherwood was part of the air base flight-safety zone, officially known as Air Installation Compatible Use Zone, or AICUZ.
The military had asked Jackson-ville, and the city agreed in two ordinances, to restrict the population, as well as height of buildings in that zone for safety of aircrews and the civilian population. Excessive populations and development immediately off military runways is something that is looked at negatively when decisions are made to keep a base open.
In June, the city council unanimously passed a resolution in opposition to the annexation, stating that the proposed annexation was “neither productive nor beneficial.” The city’s planning commission joined in at its June meeting and voted to support the council’s resolution.
In its briefs, the city argued that it didn’t make sense for the land to be part of Sherwood, when Jacksonville would still have planning control of a portion of the land. The city also ex-pressed fear that a development spurt could put the base in jeopardy of closing.
“We would never allow anything that would jeopardize the base, “ said Mike Clayton, Sherwood’s city engineer.
Jacksonville also argued that the annexation would create a disconnected island, as the area to be annexed surrounds a subdivision around Hatcher Road. That subdivision is not part of the annexation and would be county land and in case of emergency, those residents would have to call the county for service. The judge ruled, “The creation of an island is not grounds to void an annexation.”
Clayton added that he hoped the people would eventually petition to be part off Sherwood too.
Jacksonville also argued that the land would be better serviced by Jacksonville.
Thea Hughes, general manager of Jacksonville Wastewater Utility, said the city’s sewer commission also opposed the annexation, citing Jack-sonville’s master plan and a 20-year study, saying the city had the capability to service the disputed area. “The territorial jurisdiction east and north of Bayou Meto is appropriate to the city of Jacksonville,” she said.
Villines, in his order, said the court “does not believe its discretion extends to determining which municipality is better able to adapt the property to municipal use.”
Jacksonville Mayor Tommy Swaim had said earlier in the litigation that he wasn’t totally opposed to the annexation plan supported by Sherwood, but there was a portion that needed to go to Jacksonville. “The area past Bayou Meto should go into Jacksonville,” he said.
According to Clayton, there’s two ways to annex into a city, through voluntary or involuntary means.
These four developers—Heslep, Byron McKimmey, Metropolitan Realty and Lilac LLC—volunteered to come into Sherwood. For the city to accept a voluntary petition, it must be signed by at least 51 percent of the landowners, controlling at least 51 percent of the land.
In this case, the voluntary petition was signed by 100 percent of the landowners, controlling 100 percent of the land.
Both Heslep and McKimmey have had an easier time getting developments approved by Sherwood than Jacksonville. It took Heslep about six months of rework and redesign, including a promise to create a sewer improvement district and run a main sewer line to the city’s line more than a mile away, before Jacksonville ap-proved his plans for the Base Meadows Subdivision, which is now part of Jacksonville.
McKimmey, who owns a 10-acre triangular piece of land south of Dupree Park, has, along with James Reed, worked almost three years with Jacksonville to get approval for a go-cart track on that property.
“The petition met all the state requirements,” Clayton said. The county judge agreed.
TOP STORY >> Boy, 11, charged in fire at complex
IN SHORT: Blaze causes $400,000 in damage to a Jacksonville apartment building.
By PEG KENYON
Leader staff writer
An 11-year-old-boy faces one felony count of arson following a fire, which resulted in about $400,000 in damages at an apartment complex building off Poplar Street in Jack-sonville Wednesday afternoon.
No one was injured in the apartment building, but the fire left people in the 10 occupied units of the B building at the William Manor Apartments without a place to call home.
“They had to shut down the whole building,” said Capt. Charlie Pope, fire marshal for the Jack-sonville Fire Department.
Jacksonville police officers helped residents evacuate the building.
On Thursday morning, as detectives sifted through charred rubble for possible clues as well as taking snapshots, a woman told The Leader that the fire was definitely not an accident.
According to witnesses, some juveniles with charcoal lighter fluid, a balloons and an unidentified type of fireworks were seen in the Poplar Street area, leading local law-en-forcement officials to suspect arson.
Despite the boy being arrested for arson, Pope was reluctant to call the fire arson since that implies the fire was intentionally set.
“It is believed the fire started because of juvenile fire play,” Pope told The Leader.
Pope said the fire began outside the structure where two stairwells met at ground level. Arson is usually suspected when there is no heat source near where a fire starts.
After the evacuation, firefighters battled the fire for about an hour before getting it under controlled.
Temperatures on Wednesday afternoon were well into the high 90s as they extinguished the fire and later searched out hotspots so the fire could have no chance of rekindling.
“There were some hot and tired firefighters, but no one had heat exhaustion,” Pope said.
Being notified of the fire at 5:04 p.m. Wednesday, firefighters arrived at the apartment building within three minutes.
The last firefighters mopping up after the fire left at about 8:30 p.m.
When asked if there would be other arrests, Lt. Martin Cass, an assistant public information officer for the Jacksonville Police Department, replied, “None that I’m aware of.”
According to a police report, Mike Corker of Sherwood is the property owner.
By PEG KENYON
Leader staff writer
An 11-year-old-boy faces one felony count of arson following a fire, which resulted in about $400,000 in damages at an apartment complex building off Poplar Street in Jack-sonville Wednesday afternoon.
No one was injured in the apartment building, but the fire left people in the 10 occupied units of the B building at the William Manor Apartments without a place to call home.
“They had to shut down the whole building,” said Capt. Charlie Pope, fire marshal for the Jack-sonville Fire Department.
Jacksonville police officers helped residents evacuate the building.
On Thursday morning, as detectives sifted through charred rubble for possible clues as well as taking snapshots, a woman told The Leader that the fire was definitely not an accident.
According to witnesses, some juveniles with charcoal lighter fluid, a balloons and an unidentified type of fireworks were seen in the Poplar Street area, leading local law-en-forcement officials to suspect arson.
Despite the boy being arrested for arson, Pope was reluctant to call the fire arson since that implies the fire was intentionally set.
“It is believed the fire started because of juvenile fire play,” Pope told The Leader.
Pope said the fire began outside the structure where two stairwells met at ground level. Arson is usually suspected when there is no heat source near where a fire starts.
After the evacuation, firefighters battled the fire for about an hour before getting it under controlled.
Temperatures on Wednesday afternoon were well into the high 90s as they extinguished the fire and later searched out hotspots so the fire could have no chance of rekindling.
“There were some hot and tired firefighters, but no one had heat exhaustion,” Pope said.
Being notified of the fire at 5:04 p.m. Wednesday, firefighters arrived at the apartment building within three minutes.
The last firefighters mopping up after the fire left at about 8:30 p.m.
When asked if there would be other arrests, Lt. Martin Cass, an assistant public information officer for the Jacksonville Police Department, replied, “None that I’m aware of.”
According to a police report, Mike Corker of Sherwood is the property owner.
TOP STORY>>Petrus, Glover split on surplus
IN SHORT: House speaker tells Lonoke chamber he’s in no hurry to return $402.7 million in excess funds to taxpayers.
By SARA GREENE
Leader staff writer
House Speaker Rep. Benny Petrus, D-Stuttgart, said Thursday he is in no hurry to refund part of the $402.7 million state surplus to taxpayers, but Sen. Bobby Glover, D-Carlisle, wants to make sure a tax rebate becomes a reality not just rhetoric.
Petrus and Sen. Jack Critcher, D-Batesville, the Senate president, promised more than 60 Lonoke Chamber of Commerce members that the 86th General Assembly would take a slow, studious and sensible approach on what to do with the $402.7 million state surplus.
But Glover told The Leader, “We need to be very cautious on how we spend the people’s money. I’d like to see a little of it go into a rainy day fund for the state and rebates to the taxpayers. Under no circumstances should there be a tax hike in the next two years.”
During his monthly radio call-in show Wednesday, Gov. Huckabee said he still hopes lawmakers will find a way to return a portion of the surplus to taxpayers.
Arkansas ended the previous fiscal year June 30 with a $402.7 million surplus, the largest in the state’s history.
Revenue officials have projected a $234.5 million surplus for the end of this fiscal year. That, plus surplus money left over from 2005 and 2006, would give the state a total projected surplus of roughly $721 million.
So far, the 2007 fiscal year is off to a good start.
July’s revenues totaled $378.5 million, up $74.6 million from a year ago, a 24.5 percent jump. Revenues were $3.9 million, or 1 percent, higher than originally forecast.
Individual income-tax collections totaled $173.9 million, an increase of $22.1 million or 14.5 percent over last year. The collections are $1.8 million higher than forecast, a 1 percent increase.
Gross receipts collections totaled $186.9 million, an increase of $16.6 million or 9.8 percent over last year. Collections were above forecast levels by $300,000.
Corporate income-tax collections to-taled $20.3 million, an increase of $5.4 million or 36.1 percent over last year. Corporate tax collections were $1.2 million or 6.3 percent above forecast.
“State agencies are pretty good at manufacturing needs so we need to separate the genuine needs from the ‘wants’ and be very conservative,” Critcher said.
Critcher said legislators plan to discuss two other bright spots in Arkansas’ economic future, bringing bio-fuel manufacturing plants to the state and exploration of the Fayetteville Shale natural gas deposit.
Bio-fuel is made from animal or vegetable oil like that found in soybeans. Arkansas ranks eighth in the nation in soybean production with an estimated 3 million acres planted each year.
Petrus, an automotive dealer in Stuttgart, said bio-fuel production in Arkansas would have a huge impact on families.
“We have to break our dependency on foreign oil. We wouldn’t be over there (in the Middle East) losing men and women’s lives if it wasn’t for oil and we could bring farming back to where farmers could survive,” Petrus said.
The Fayetteville Shale natural gas deposit is estimated to be at least 3,000 feet below ground in parts of Van Buren, Faulkner, Cleburne, Conway, White, Prairie, Jackson, Independence, Wood-ruff, Monroe, Phillips, Lee, St. Francis and Cross counties.
Earlier this year, University of Arkansas researchers reported that development of the Fayetteville Shale could potentially generate $5.5 billion for Arkansas’ economy through 2008, along with nearly 10,000 jobs and $358 million in state and local tax revenue.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
By SARA GREENE
Leader staff writer
House Speaker Rep. Benny Petrus, D-Stuttgart, said Thursday he is in no hurry to refund part of the $402.7 million state surplus to taxpayers, but Sen. Bobby Glover, D-Carlisle, wants to make sure a tax rebate becomes a reality not just rhetoric.
Petrus and Sen. Jack Critcher, D-Batesville, the Senate president, promised more than 60 Lonoke Chamber of Commerce members that the 86th General Assembly would take a slow, studious and sensible approach on what to do with the $402.7 million state surplus.
But Glover told The Leader, “We need to be very cautious on how we spend the people’s money. I’d like to see a little of it go into a rainy day fund for the state and rebates to the taxpayers. Under no circumstances should there be a tax hike in the next two years.”
During his monthly radio call-in show Wednesday, Gov. Huckabee said he still hopes lawmakers will find a way to return a portion of the surplus to taxpayers.
Arkansas ended the previous fiscal year June 30 with a $402.7 million surplus, the largest in the state’s history.
Revenue officials have projected a $234.5 million surplus for the end of this fiscal year. That, plus surplus money left over from 2005 and 2006, would give the state a total projected surplus of roughly $721 million.
So far, the 2007 fiscal year is off to a good start.
July’s revenues totaled $378.5 million, up $74.6 million from a year ago, a 24.5 percent jump. Revenues were $3.9 million, or 1 percent, higher than originally forecast.
Individual income-tax collections totaled $173.9 million, an increase of $22.1 million or 14.5 percent over last year. The collections are $1.8 million higher than forecast, a 1 percent increase.
Gross receipts collections totaled $186.9 million, an increase of $16.6 million or 9.8 percent over last year. Collections were above forecast levels by $300,000.
Corporate income-tax collections to-taled $20.3 million, an increase of $5.4 million or 36.1 percent over last year. Corporate tax collections were $1.2 million or 6.3 percent above forecast.
“State agencies are pretty good at manufacturing needs so we need to separate the genuine needs from the ‘wants’ and be very conservative,” Critcher said.
Critcher said legislators plan to discuss two other bright spots in Arkansas’ economic future, bringing bio-fuel manufacturing plants to the state and exploration of the Fayetteville Shale natural gas deposit.
Bio-fuel is made from animal or vegetable oil like that found in soybeans. Arkansas ranks eighth in the nation in soybean production with an estimated 3 million acres planted each year.
Petrus, an automotive dealer in Stuttgart, said bio-fuel production in Arkansas would have a huge impact on families.
“We have to break our dependency on foreign oil. We wouldn’t be over there (in the Middle East) losing men and women’s lives if it wasn’t for oil and we could bring farming back to where farmers could survive,” Petrus said.
The Fayetteville Shale natural gas deposit is estimated to be at least 3,000 feet below ground in parts of Van Buren, Faulkner, Cleburne, Conway, White, Prairie, Jackson, Independence, Wood-ruff, Monroe, Phillips, Lee, St. Francis and Cross counties.
Earlier this year, University of Arkansas researchers reported that development of the Fayetteville Shale could potentially generate $5.5 billion for Arkansas’ economy through 2008, along with nearly 10,000 jobs and $358 million in state and local tax revenue.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
SPORTS >> Bruins advance in state
IN SHORT: Wins over Ft. Smith and Van Buren moved the Bruins to mid-week play at UAFS.
By JASON KING
Leader sports writer
FORT SMITH – Sylvan Hills made it through the first weekend of the Class AAA American Legion state tournament at Crowder Field on the campus of the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith.
The Bruins won their opener Saturday against the host team Ft. Smith Kerwins 7-3, but dropped their Sunday game against Searcy Crain Automotive 10-4. The loss put them in the losers bracket, and pitted them against Van Buren in an early Monday game. Van Buren led until the seventh inning, but Sylvan Hills pulled it out in the game’s closing stages for a 6-2 win, knocking the Beau’s Tuxedos Van Buren team out of the tournament.
“We survived that one,” Sylvan Hills coach Mike Bromley said. “There was one play at second that really helped us out. We already had the lead at that point, but that play let us get a cushion.”
Sylvan Hills led Van Buren 3-2 in the bottom of the eighth in-ning with bases loaded and one out. Nathan Van Schoyck then hit into what could have easily been a 6-4-3 double play, but Van Buren shortstop Wesley Strassle missed the throw to second by several feet, and the ball ended up at the fence between first base and right field. Instead of two outs, Van Schoyck’s grounder netted three runs as Ashur Tolliver, Ritchie Irvin and Austin Gwatney easily made it in to clear the bases and set the final margin.
Saturday’s opener against Fort Smith was just as closely contested. The Bruins held a narrow 3-2 lead for much of the contest, but a run from Tolliver in the bottom of the seventh and three more in the eighth helped Sylvan Hills secure the first-round win.
The game was scoreless until the bottom of the second, when Hayden Miller scored off a single to right from David Simpson.
Jerry Lawson then tagged up on a pop-up to center from Gwatney for the second run, putting the Bruins up 2-0.
The Kerwins cut that lead in half in the top of the fourth inning with a run from Ian Gilley.
Tolliver scored on a passed ball in the bottom of the fifth for Sylvan Hills, but the Kerwins made that run up in the top of the sixth to keep the game a one-score affair.
Tolliver scored again in the bottom of the seventh, this time off a RBI single to right from Chase Elder to give the Bruins a 4-2 lead.
Tolliver’s biggest contribution in the game was at the mound for the Bruins. The southpaw UALR signee went all nine innings, allowing nine hits and three walks while striking out five batters.
The Bruins put the game away in the bottom of the eighth. Runs from Shawn Bybee, Gwatney and Tolliver increased Sylvan Hills’ lead to 7-2 heading into the final frame.
Ft. Smith’s only hit in the final inning produced a run from Javier Olazigasti, but it would not be enough. The Bruins headed on to the next round of the winners bracket with a Sunday evening matchup with Searcy.
Three Crain team home runs were the deciding factor in the second-round contest on Sunday. Adam Robertson put the first one over the wall in the bottom of the fourth for a 2-0 Crain lead.
Searcy led 3-0 after five innings, but would put the game away in the sixth inning. Shane Crossen started things off with a homer that breezed by the scoreboard in left field.
The next score came from Heath Wyatt off a single from Wesley Benton. Robbie Hohler followed that with a two-run home run that bounced off the light pole in left field to score himself and Benton for a 7-0 lead. Before the end of the seventh, Searcy had built an insurmountable 9-0 lead.
Sylvan Hills made up two runs in the top of the seventh, and a two-run home run from Ryan Wood in the top of the ninth would cut the lead to a more respectable 10-4.
It would be as close as the Bruins would come, however, as the Crain team racked up ten runs off thirteen hits to take the win. Sylvan Hills had four runs off six hits in the game.
Scott Hudgins took the win at the mound for Searcy, going six and one-third innings for Crain and only giving up one earned run.
“They had a young man on the mound that threw very well, and kept us off balance,” Bromley said. “We got so far behind that it was hard to come back. If we could have kept it closer, we might have had a chance to come back on them.”
Monday’s win against Van Buren put them in a Tuesday afternoon game with the loser of the Pine Bluff and Searcy quarterfinals game after Leader deadlines.
By JASON KING
Leader sports writer
FORT SMITH – Sylvan Hills made it through the first weekend of the Class AAA American Legion state tournament at Crowder Field on the campus of the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith.
The Bruins won their opener Saturday against the host team Ft. Smith Kerwins 7-3, but dropped their Sunday game against Searcy Crain Automotive 10-4. The loss put them in the losers bracket, and pitted them against Van Buren in an early Monday game. Van Buren led until the seventh inning, but Sylvan Hills pulled it out in the game’s closing stages for a 6-2 win, knocking the Beau’s Tuxedos Van Buren team out of the tournament.
“We survived that one,” Sylvan Hills coach Mike Bromley said. “There was one play at second that really helped us out. We already had the lead at that point, but that play let us get a cushion.”
Sylvan Hills led Van Buren 3-2 in the bottom of the eighth in-ning with bases loaded and one out. Nathan Van Schoyck then hit into what could have easily been a 6-4-3 double play, but Van Buren shortstop Wesley Strassle missed the throw to second by several feet, and the ball ended up at the fence between first base and right field. Instead of two outs, Van Schoyck’s grounder netted three runs as Ashur Tolliver, Ritchie Irvin and Austin Gwatney easily made it in to clear the bases and set the final margin.
Saturday’s opener against Fort Smith was just as closely contested. The Bruins held a narrow 3-2 lead for much of the contest, but a run from Tolliver in the bottom of the seventh and three more in the eighth helped Sylvan Hills secure the first-round win.
The game was scoreless until the bottom of the second, when Hayden Miller scored off a single to right from David Simpson.
Jerry Lawson then tagged up on a pop-up to center from Gwatney for the second run, putting the Bruins up 2-0.
The Kerwins cut that lead in half in the top of the fourth inning with a run from Ian Gilley.
Tolliver scored on a passed ball in the bottom of the fifth for Sylvan Hills, but the Kerwins made that run up in the top of the sixth to keep the game a one-score affair.
Tolliver scored again in the bottom of the seventh, this time off a RBI single to right from Chase Elder to give the Bruins a 4-2 lead.
Tolliver’s biggest contribution in the game was at the mound for the Bruins. The southpaw UALR signee went all nine innings, allowing nine hits and three walks while striking out five batters.
The Bruins put the game away in the bottom of the eighth. Runs from Shawn Bybee, Gwatney and Tolliver increased Sylvan Hills’ lead to 7-2 heading into the final frame.
Ft. Smith’s only hit in the final inning produced a run from Javier Olazigasti, but it would not be enough. The Bruins headed on to the next round of the winners bracket with a Sunday evening matchup with Searcy.
Three Crain team home runs were the deciding factor in the second-round contest on Sunday. Adam Robertson put the first one over the wall in the bottom of the fourth for a 2-0 Crain lead.
Searcy led 3-0 after five innings, but would put the game away in the sixth inning. Shane Crossen started things off with a homer that breezed by the scoreboard in left field.
The next score came from Heath Wyatt off a single from Wesley Benton. Robbie Hohler followed that with a two-run home run that bounced off the light pole in left field to score himself and Benton for a 7-0 lead. Before the end of the seventh, Searcy had built an insurmountable 9-0 lead.
Sylvan Hills made up two runs in the top of the seventh, and a two-run home run from Ryan Wood in the top of the ninth would cut the lead to a more respectable 10-4.
It would be as close as the Bruins would come, however, as the Crain team racked up ten runs off thirteen hits to take the win. Sylvan Hills had four runs off six hits in the game.
Scott Hudgins took the win at the mound for Searcy, going six and one-third innings for Crain and only giving up one earned run.
“They had a young man on the mound that threw very well, and kept us off balance,” Bromley said. “We got so far behind that it was hard to come back. If we could have kept it closer, we might have had a chance to come back on them.”
Monday’s win against Van Buren put them in a Tuesday afternoon game with the loser of the Pine Bluff and Searcy quarterfinals game after Leader deadlines.
SPORTS >> Local rider earns high marks at nationals
IN SHORT: Bradley Bohannon, 14, turned in a personal best time and finished in the top 125 of over 1,000 contestants at the National Barrell Racing Youth World Championships in Jackson, Miss.
By JASON KING
Leader sports writer
Bradley Bohannon of Jacksonville competed at the 2006 National Barrel Horse Association Youth World Championships in Jackson, Mississippi, last week. Bohannon was one of 1,023 contestants at the invitational-only barrel-racing event.
The 14-year-old finished 125th out of the over 1,000 competitors in the 13-over teen division, with a personal best time of 15.570 on 10-year-old quarter-horse Jettin’ Valentine. His time was only .08 seconds off the overall winning time, and only .
007 seconds shy of claiming a $1,000 cash and equipment prize.
“It’s always a blast down there,” Bohannon said. “There were kids from all different states there. I got to meet all kinds of new people, and make some new friends.” It was Bohannon’s third trip to Mississippi for the Youth World Championships, and his strongest showing so far in his six-year career.
“I would have to say it was probably one of my better years,” Bohannon said. “I didn’t make it back to the finals, and I probably should have, but all in all it was a good trip.” Bohannon received the invitation to the event by winning the Arkansas 05 District and Reserve Championship. Contestants came from over 45 states, as well as Panama, Canada and Italy.
The event is considered the largest youth barrel race in the world. The Augusta, Georgia, based NBHA has a worldwide membership of over 35,000, and is credited with introducing the divisional concept to barrel racing.
Along with Jettin’ Valentine, Bohannon also qualified six-year-old Hot Cass Chic for the event. He finished first in the 1D division at the Arkansas District and Reserve Championship in Pine Bluff with Jettin’ Valentine, and second in the 2D division with Hot Cass Chic to earn a spot for both horses at the national event.
Bohannon’s local stable is the Central Association at Beebe. He has competed in several events throughout the Midwest this year, placing in the 2D division of the Mid-South Nationals in Tennessee during the first week of July.
As for which of the two horses he prefers, Bohannon says he loves both, but leans slightly towards Jettin’ Valentine because of his experience in competitions. Most of Bohannon’s accolades have also occurred while competing on the 10-year-old quarter horse.
His next major competition will be at the Arkansas State Championship Horse Show on Labor Day weekend at Barton Coliseum in Little Rock. He will attempt to qualify for the barrel races, pole-bending and junior speed race at the event with both horses. He will finish the year out with a pair of shows in Oklahoma in November.
By JASON KING
Leader sports writer
Bradley Bohannon of Jacksonville competed at the 2006 National Barrel Horse Association Youth World Championships in Jackson, Mississippi, last week. Bohannon was one of 1,023 contestants at the invitational-only barrel-racing event.
The 14-year-old finished 125th out of the over 1,000 competitors in the 13-over teen division, with a personal best time of 15.570 on 10-year-old quarter-horse Jettin’ Valentine. His time was only .08 seconds off the overall winning time, and only .
007 seconds shy of claiming a $1,000 cash and equipment prize.
“It’s always a blast down there,” Bohannon said. “There were kids from all different states there. I got to meet all kinds of new people, and make some new friends.” It was Bohannon’s third trip to Mississippi for the Youth World Championships, and his strongest showing so far in his six-year career.
“I would have to say it was probably one of my better years,” Bohannon said. “I didn’t make it back to the finals, and I probably should have, but all in all it was a good trip.” Bohannon received the invitation to the event by winning the Arkansas 05 District and Reserve Championship. Contestants came from over 45 states, as well as Panama, Canada and Italy.
The event is considered the largest youth barrel race in the world. The Augusta, Georgia, based NBHA has a worldwide membership of over 35,000, and is credited with introducing the divisional concept to barrel racing.
Along with Jettin’ Valentine, Bohannon also qualified six-year-old Hot Cass Chic for the event. He finished first in the 1D division at the Arkansas District and Reserve Championship in Pine Bluff with Jettin’ Valentine, and second in the 2D division with Hot Cass Chic to earn a spot for both horses at the national event.
Bohannon’s local stable is the Central Association at Beebe. He has competed in several events throughout the Midwest this year, placing in the 2D division of the Mid-South Nationals in Tennessee during the first week of July.
As for which of the two horses he prefers, Bohannon says he loves both, but leans slightly towards Jettin’ Valentine because of his experience in competitions. Most of Bohannon’s accolades have also occurred while competing on the 10-year-old quarter horse.
His next major competition will be at the Arkansas State Championship Horse Show on Labor Day weekend at Barton Coliseum in Little Rock. He will attempt to qualify for the barrel races, pole-bending and junior speed race at the event with both horses. He will finish the year out with a pair of shows in Oklahoma in November.
SPORTS >> Cabot All-Stars headed to world series
IN SHORT: The Panther 10-under team won the Southwest Regional tournament in Crossett and advances to the Cal Ripken nationals in Lafayette, La, this weekend.
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The Cabot 10-year-old All-Star team is leaving tomorrow morning for Lafayette, La., to take part in the Cal Ripken World Series after winning its seventh tournament of the year last weekend. The Cabot U-10 All Stars are the first Cabot team to advance to the world series.
Last weekend’s event was the Cal Ripken regional qualifier, which the Cabot team won by beating Plainview, Texas, 5-4 and 5-0 in the championship round.
They will take part in a banquet honoring the teams on Friday night, and opening ceremonies will be Saturday morning.
Cabot begins tournament play at 2 p.m. Saturday.
Cabot is one of 10 teams left throughout the entire country taking part in the national championship tournament. They will compete with other regional tournament winners, including teams from Florida, California, Missouri, Kentucky, New Jersey, Washington and two teams from Louisiana.
“They are a tough group of kids,” Cabot coach Lance Vocque said. “They set a goal in May to get to this point, and they’ve battled all summer long. They really fought hard and I’m proud of them, very proud of them.”
After completing the city league season, the All Star teams were formed and the 10-year-olds embarked on a seven-tournament winning streak that began in Benton.
They went on to win a tournament in Sheridan, the Junior Deputy tournament in Little Rock, their own Cabot Panther Classic, the district tournament in Cabot, the state tournament in Magnolia and the seven-state regional held in Crossett.
After the seven tournaments, the team’s record now sits at 30 wins to just five losses.
Cabot lost 2-1 to Plainview in the third round of the regional, but came out of the losers bracket with a 10-6 win over Batesville to earn a rematch with the Texas state champions.
In the earlier game, Cabot pitcher Riley Knudsen took the loss despite an outstanding effort on the mound. He made the most of his second chance by posting the win in the first game and forcing the “if” game.
In that one, Hayden Vincent took the mound and threw a two-hit shutout.
Cabot’s Tyler Wilkie was named the tournament’s most valuable player. His efforts were highlighted by a two-run home run in the sixth inning of the Batesville game that pulled his team out of a 5-4 deficit and into the lead for good.
The Cabot team finished the three qualifying tournaments, the district, state and regional, with a combined record of 15-2. They lost one game in district and swept through the state tournament undefeated.
A charter bus will pick the team up around 9 a.m. Thursday morning at Cabot High School. Interested fans can follow the tourney at brlworldseries.com.
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The Cabot 10-year-old All-Star team is leaving tomorrow morning for Lafayette, La., to take part in the Cal Ripken World Series after winning its seventh tournament of the year last weekend. The Cabot U-10 All Stars are the first Cabot team to advance to the world series.
Last weekend’s event was the Cal Ripken regional qualifier, which the Cabot team won by beating Plainview, Texas, 5-4 and 5-0 in the championship round.
They will take part in a banquet honoring the teams on Friday night, and opening ceremonies will be Saturday morning.
Cabot begins tournament play at 2 p.m. Saturday.
Cabot is one of 10 teams left throughout the entire country taking part in the national championship tournament. They will compete with other regional tournament winners, including teams from Florida, California, Missouri, Kentucky, New Jersey, Washington and two teams from Louisiana.
“They are a tough group of kids,” Cabot coach Lance Vocque said. “They set a goal in May to get to this point, and they’ve battled all summer long. They really fought hard and I’m proud of them, very proud of them.”
After completing the city league season, the All Star teams were formed and the 10-year-olds embarked on a seven-tournament winning streak that began in Benton.
They went on to win a tournament in Sheridan, the Junior Deputy tournament in Little Rock, their own Cabot Panther Classic, the district tournament in Cabot, the state tournament in Magnolia and the seven-state regional held in Crossett.
After the seven tournaments, the team’s record now sits at 30 wins to just five losses.
Cabot lost 2-1 to Plainview in the third round of the regional, but came out of the losers bracket with a 10-6 win over Batesville to earn a rematch with the Texas state champions.
In the earlier game, Cabot pitcher Riley Knudsen took the loss despite an outstanding effort on the mound. He made the most of his second chance by posting the win in the first game and forcing the “if” game.
In that one, Hayden Vincent took the mound and threw a two-hit shutout.
Cabot’s Tyler Wilkie was named the tournament’s most valuable player. His efforts were highlighted by a two-run home run in the sixth inning of the Batesville game that pulled his team out of a 5-4 deficit and into the lead for good.
The Cabot team finished the three qualifying tournaments, the district, state and regional, with a combined record of 15-2. They lost one game in district and swept through the state tournament undefeated.
A charter bus will pick the team up around 9 a.m. Thursday morning at Cabot High School. Interested fans can follow the tourney at brlworldseries.com.
EDITORIALS >> Huckabee in Frisco
Gov. Huckabee pops up nowadays in the most unusual venues, newspaper offices, as he plies his unofficial campaign for president.
Last month, we learned of a favorable impression left by the governor in the editorial offices of the Dallas Morning News.
A visit with editorial boards and staffs of big-city papers is a key for obscure presidential candidates because it will soften up editorial writers for favorable comments later. Or not.
It turns out that the governor got a good visit in last week with the opinion people of the San Francisco Chronicle, which prints in perhaps the most liberal precincts in the country.
You wonder what tack a self-described conservative Southern Republican takes when he schmoozes with opinionators in San Francisco.
Obviously he stays away from gay issues.
We might never know except one of the editors wrote about it. She was impressed by what Huckabee said but turned off by what she learned about him independently.
Huckabee was boasting about his compassionate stance on pardons and commutations.
Liberating criminals who have served a measure of punishment and turned their lives around is the right thing to do but earns him no political credit, the governor said.
Specifically, he was talking about pardoning Keith Richards, the brash Rolling Stones guitarist, for a 31-year-old reckless-driving conviction at Fordyce.
The pardon last month got Huckabee lots of publicity, especially in entertainment capitals, and a charge that he was grandstanding from the mayor of Fordyce.
The governor joked to the San Francisco editors that he would pardon them for their crimes, too, if they played guitar as well as Richards did. (Which is not extremely well.)
Debra J. Saunders, who writes a column for the paper, wrote yesterday that she left the meeting intending to write “a gushing French kiss of a column” about the Arkansas governor for his courage and compassion but added, “when I researched the issue I found that the less you know about his record the better Huckabee sounds.”
On that issue, she happens to be right. But let her tell it.
“Huckabee is a brave and good politician when he commutes sentences for nonviolent offenders and pardons for ex-cons who have turned their lives around.
"It is possible he was a paragon of virtue when he shortened the prison terms of some violent offenders.
“Too bad Huckabee has commuted sentences for violent offenders — without appearing to have done his homework.
"In 2004, Huckabee commuted the sentence of convicted murderer Denver Witham — after Saline County Prosecuting Attorney Robert Herzfeld revealed that Witham had omitted some of his convictions on his clemency application. (Also, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported, the former Saline County sheriff testified that he had been threatened on Witham’s behalf.)
"No governor should pardon a murderer so unrepentant that he lies on his clemency application.
“Herzfeld cited other questionable commutations — the three-time drunk driver who served nine months of a six-year sentence, won a Huckabee commutation, then parole, and then his fourth drunken-driving conviction.
"Huckabee advocated the release of a convicted rapist who was then paroled, and later found guilty of murdering a Missouri woman.” [She refers to Wayne Dumond.]
She concluded:
“There is a place for redemption in the criminal-justice system. Governors and presidents have a duty to find that ground and shorten sentences that far outstrip the crime or an inmate’s guilt.
“A good leader wants to correct the system’s excesses, while recognizing a duty to protect the public. My wish for 2008 is a presidential candidate who shares Huckabee’s ideals, but not his rose-colored glasses.”
The writer had one thing wrong. Excessive optimism has not been the governor’s problem.
More often than not, Huckabee’s repeated blunders were not born of compassion but of politically calculated misjudgments.
Even the basest of criminals have connections, and connections work with Mike Huckabee.
Last month, we learned of a favorable impression left by the governor in the editorial offices of the Dallas Morning News.
A visit with editorial boards and staffs of big-city papers is a key for obscure presidential candidates because it will soften up editorial writers for favorable comments later. Or not.
It turns out that the governor got a good visit in last week with the opinion people of the San Francisco Chronicle, which prints in perhaps the most liberal precincts in the country.
You wonder what tack a self-described conservative Southern Republican takes when he schmoozes with opinionators in San Francisco.
Obviously he stays away from gay issues.
We might never know except one of the editors wrote about it. She was impressed by what Huckabee said but turned off by what she learned about him independently.
Huckabee was boasting about his compassionate stance on pardons and commutations.
Liberating criminals who have served a measure of punishment and turned their lives around is the right thing to do but earns him no political credit, the governor said.
Specifically, he was talking about pardoning Keith Richards, the brash Rolling Stones guitarist, for a 31-year-old reckless-driving conviction at Fordyce.
The pardon last month got Huckabee lots of publicity, especially in entertainment capitals, and a charge that he was grandstanding from the mayor of Fordyce.
The governor joked to the San Francisco editors that he would pardon them for their crimes, too, if they played guitar as well as Richards did. (Which is not extremely well.)
Debra J. Saunders, who writes a column for the paper, wrote yesterday that she left the meeting intending to write “a gushing French kiss of a column” about the Arkansas governor for his courage and compassion but added, “when I researched the issue I found that the less you know about his record the better Huckabee sounds.”
On that issue, she happens to be right. But let her tell it.
“Huckabee is a brave and good politician when he commutes sentences for nonviolent offenders and pardons for ex-cons who have turned their lives around.
"It is possible he was a paragon of virtue when he shortened the prison terms of some violent offenders.
“Too bad Huckabee has commuted sentences for violent offenders — without appearing to have done his homework.
"In 2004, Huckabee commuted the sentence of convicted murderer Denver Witham — after Saline County Prosecuting Attorney Robert Herzfeld revealed that Witham had omitted some of his convictions on his clemency application. (Also, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported, the former Saline County sheriff testified that he had been threatened on Witham’s behalf.)
"No governor should pardon a murderer so unrepentant that he lies on his clemency application.
“Herzfeld cited other questionable commutations — the three-time drunk driver who served nine months of a six-year sentence, won a Huckabee commutation, then parole, and then his fourth drunken-driving conviction.
"Huckabee advocated the release of a convicted rapist who was then paroled, and later found guilty of murdering a Missouri woman.” [She refers to Wayne Dumond.]
She concluded:
“There is a place for redemption in the criminal-justice system. Governors and presidents have a duty to find that ground and shorten sentences that far outstrip the crime or an inmate’s guilt.
“A good leader wants to correct the system’s excesses, while recognizing a duty to protect the public. My wish for 2008 is a presidential candidate who shares Huckabee’s ideals, but not his rose-colored glasses.”
The writer had one thing wrong. Excessive optimism has not been the governor’s problem.
More often than not, Huckabee’s repeated blunders were not born of compassion but of politically calculated misjudgments.
Even the basest of criminals have connections, and connections work with Mike Huckabee.
OBITUARIES >> 08-02-06
Floy Winham
Floy Ann Warren-Winham, 63, of Jacksonville passed away July 26, in Jacksonville.
She was born on Nov. 16, 1942 to Sanford Lee and Floy Loren Kreager Warren in Tulsa, Okla.
She was preceded in death by her father and her daughter-in-law, Erin Winham.
Survivors include her mother, Floy Warren of Cabot; one son, Chet Winham IV; a daughter, Heather Ann Winham-Fulwood and her husband Scott, all of Brentwood, Calif.; a sister, Laura Lee Buehler and her husband, Randy of Ward; as well as seven grandchildren and numerous other friends and family. Private services will be held at a later date. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Moore’s Jackson-ville Funeral Home.
Brandon Pruitt
Brandon Taylor Pruitt, 9, of Fort Dix, N.J., passed away Friday at Children’s Hospital in Philadel-phia, Penn.
He was born May 11, 1997, in Little Rock, the son of Michael B. and Jennifer L. Massey Pruitt.
Brandon formerly lived in Jacksonville and was a member of the Assembly of God Church. He played football (Mighty Mights) on the Fort Dix “Chargers” team.
In addition to his parents, he is survived by brother Derek Pruitt of Fort Dix, N.J.; grandparents, Betty and William Brewer of Jackson-ville, Oma and Garland Massey of Greenbrier and Michael and Tam-my Pruitt of Austin; aunt, Rebecca Massey of Greenbrier and uncle, Cody Massey of Fayetteville.
Funeral services will be held today at 10 a.m. at Moore’s Funeral Home Chapel in Jacksonville with the Rev. Derek Smith officiating.
Burial will follow in Chapel Hill Memorial Park.
Special thanks to the Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia, Bran-don’s Oncology Team, the 63rd Ordnance Battalion, the Pelphrey family and Dr. Peter Phillips for their kind care and support.
Cecil Meyer
Cecil Eugene Meyer, 80, of Jacksonville, passed away Friday in North Little Rock.
He was born on Feb. 7, 1926, in Stephenson County, Ill., to the late Russell R. and Florence M. (Neuschwander) Meyer.
He was also preceded in death by a brother, Virgil Meyer. He served in the Army Air Corps during World War II. He retired in 1986 from Franklin Electric where he worked as an accountant.
He is survived by his wife Zelda May Weber Meyer whom he married on Sept. 28, 1944; four sons, Randall Meyer and wife, Nancy of Lacey, Wash., Colin Meyer and wife Linda of Fort Worth, Texas, Spencer Meyer of Houston, Texas and Kevin Meyer and wife Dawn of Little Rock; grandchildren, Tracy, Tami, Kim-berly, Justin, Chanda, Chad, Joshua, Nathan and 19 great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. today at Moore’s Jack-sonville Funeral Home Chapel. The family will receive friends an hour before the service.
Burial will be in Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C.
Lanny Weeks
Lanny Weeks, 54, of Beebe, died Tuesday.
He was born Feb. 20, 1952, in Little Rock, a son of David and Lucy Mayfield Weeks. He was an employee of ICM at Jacksonville.
He is survived by his wife, Linda; son, Roger Weeks and wife Nikki of Cabot; daughter, Rhonda Howell and husband Randy of Ward; five grandchildren; seven brothers, William, Mike, Bobby, Carl, Bill, Larry and Jerry Weeks, and one sister, Lucille Weeks, all of Ward .
Family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Westbrook Funeral Home in Beebe.
Burial will be held at 10 a.m. Friday in Meadowbrook Memorial Gardens in Beebe.
Floy Ann Warren-Winham, 63, of Jacksonville passed away July 26, in Jacksonville.
She was born on Nov. 16, 1942 to Sanford Lee and Floy Loren Kreager Warren in Tulsa, Okla.
She was preceded in death by her father and her daughter-in-law, Erin Winham.
Survivors include her mother, Floy Warren of Cabot; one son, Chet Winham IV; a daughter, Heather Ann Winham-Fulwood and her husband Scott, all of Brentwood, Calif.; a sister, Laura Lee Buehler and her husband, Randy of Ward; as well as seven grandchildren and numerous other friends and family. Private services will be held at a later date. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Moore’s Jackson-ville Funeral Home.
Brandon Pruitt
Brandon Taylor Pruitt, 9, of Fort Dix, N.J., passed away Friday at Children’s Hospital in Philadel-phia, Penn.
He was born May 11, 1997, in Little Rock, the son of Michael B. and Jennifer L. Massey Pruitt.
Brandon formerly lived in Jacksonville and was a member of the Assembly of God Church. He played football (Mighty Mights) on the Fort Dix “Chargers” team.
In addition to his parents, he is survived by brother Derek Pruitt of Fort Dix, N.J.; grandparents, Betty and William Brewer of Jackson-ville, Oma and Garland Massey of Greenbrier and Michael and Tam-my Pruitt of Austin; aunt, Rebecca Massey of Greenbrier and uncle, Cody Massey of Fayetteville.
Funeral services will be held today at 10 a.m. at Moore’s Funeral Home Chapel in Jacksonville with the Rev. Derek Smith officiating.
Burial will follow in Chapel Hill Memorial Park.
Special thanks to the Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia, Bran-don’s Oncology Team, the 63rd Ordnance Battalion, the Pelphrey family and Dr. Peter Phillips for their kind care and support.
Cecil Meyer
Cecil Eugene Meyer, 80, of Jacksonville, passed away Friday in North Little Rock.
He was born on Feb. 7, 1926, in Stephenson County, Ill., to the late Russell R. and Florence M. (Neuschwander) Meyer.
He was also preceded in death by a brother, Virgil Meyer. He served in the Army Air Corps during World War II. He retired in 1986 from Franklin Electric where he worked as an accountant.
He is survived by his wife Zelda May Weber Meyer whom he married on Sept. 28, 1944; four sons, Randall Meyer and wife, Nancy of Lacey, Wash., Colin Meyer and wife Linda of Fort Worth, Texas, Spencer Meyer of Houston, Texas and Kevin Meyer and wife Dawn of Little Rock; grandchildren, Tracy, Tami, Kim-berly, Justin, Chanda, Chad, Joshua, Nathan and 19 great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. today at Moore’s Jack-sonville Funeral Home Chapel. The family will receive friends an hour before the service.
Burial will be in Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C.
Lanny Weeks
Lanny Weeks, 54, of Beebe, died Tuesday.
He was born Feb. 20, 1952, in Little Rock, a son of David and Lucy Mayfield Weeks. He was an employee of ICM at Jacksonville.
He is survived by his wife, Linda; son, Roger Weeks and wife Nikki of Cabot; daughter, Rhonda Howell and husband Randy of Ward; five grandchildren; seven brothers, William, Mike, Bobby, Carl, Bill, Larry and Jerry Weeks, and one sister, Lucille Weeks, all of Ward .
Family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Westbrook Funeral Home in Beebe.
Burial will be held at 10 a.m. Friday in Meadowbrook Memorial Gardens in Beebe.
FROM THE PUBLISHER>>Lawsuit aims to stop group
By GARRICK FELDMAN
Leader publisher
Members of Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan., were again busy this week picketing funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq, but lawsuits filed by families who have lost their loved ones could stop the church group from taunting grieving relatives.
Church members, who believe God is killing our soldiers in Iraq because America tolerates homosexuals, have traveled to dozens of cities for the funerals of U.S. soldiers — not to mourn with the families but to mock them.
At least one grieving father, Albert Snyder, has filed suit against the church, which he accuses of invading his family’s privacy and “emotionally damaging” the grieving family when the group protested back in March at the funeral of Snyder’s son, Matthew, at St. John's Catholic Church in Westminster, Md.
The Kansas church's Web site said the elder Snyder taught Mat-thew “to defy his Creator, to divorce and to commit adultery” and “raised him for the devil.”
Snyder’s lawsuit claims the West-boro demonstrators violated his privacy, inflicted emotional pain and defamed him. Snyder wants the demonstrations to stop and is seeking general and punitive damages against the church.
But Jonathan Phelps, whose father started Westboro Baptist Church, says he knows nothing about the lawsuit. Anyway, he told us, no court will stop him from exercising his right of free speech and religion.
You remember Phelps: He and his family came down here in June and picketed the funeral of Army Specialist Bobby West of Beebe. Hundreds of motorcyclists calling themselves the Patriot Guard shielded mourners from about a dozen Westboro Church members, who stood across the road from First Baptist Church of Beebe and held up signs that said “God Hates Fags” and “Thank God for IEDs.”
It was an improvised explosive device that killed West, 23, on a road near Baghdad.
We asked Phelps this week to give us his reaction to the lawsuit against Westboro, although he insists his church has not been served papers. If he is sued, he suggested he could file a countersuit, as he did in Kansas, where authorities tried to stop his picketing.
“As a matter of law, Westboro Baptist Church cannot invade the privacy of any person or group while standing out on a public sidewalk and holding signs in the air, singing songs and preaching,” Phelps e-mailed us on Monday.
“If you use the example of the ‘funeral’ you were in attendance at in Beebe, Arkansas, which is typical of the events we see (except normally larger), we didn't invade that ‘funeral’ any more than you did, the patriot fart guard did, and the extras lining the highway did. The only difference is the message that we communicated.”
Phelps is clear about the teachings of his church and why members are picketing at soldiers’ funerals.
“WBC and her members sincerely and fervently hold and publish the Scripturally-based viewpoint that God is punishing America for institutionalizing proud sin (homosexuality, divorce/remarriage, adultery, fornication, idolatry, greed, etc.), including by killing American soldiers on the battle fields in the Middle East.
“We believe God is cursing America (a fact hard to dispute with soldiers’ bodies coming home in little pieces in bags); you pretend to believe God is blessing America; that religious debate is supposed to oc-cur in the heart and on the streets, not in the courts, the jury rooms, chief executive suites of the states and federal government and legislative chambers.”
Phelps, who is a lawyer, then sounded an even more ominous note, suggesting he might sue if reports of a lawsuit against his church is inaccurate:
“If they have a legitimate cause of action against WBC, you better be real careful what you write about it in your column; but you know their claim is cow manure.
“The mask of ‘invasion of privacy’ is un-original and banal. The result of any such lawsuit would be that it would not survive motions to dismiss and/or motions for summary judgment.
“Furthermore, such action would be an abuse of process if filed and served, be malicious prosecution as without probable cause and with malice, and probably be a violation of the Civil Rights Act as a conspiracy to abuse governmental power to violate the civil rights of WBC members; and any such vain attempts will be met with vigorous defenses and affirmative suits wherein all attorneys’ fees and expenses would be recovered with interest and with enhancements.”
Phelp knows the law and is confident he can win in court again.
“The government in Kansas has been down this road with us, trying to use government power to stop our preaching, the result of which they have paid hundreds of thousands of taxpayers’ dollars in awards of our attorneys’ fees. As a memorial, I keep copies of the checks in the $100,000s of thousands hanging on my wall.
“It is not lawful for any lawyer to pretend to sue us in court and thereby abuse government power to try and get the government to side with them and declare that their religious view called ‘American patriotism,’ ‘God bless America’ and ‘God loves everyone’ as the official religion of this country.
“These soldiers' funerals have become public platforms where various groups (veterans, military personnel, media, politicians, community members, etc.) conduct political patriotic pep rallies declaring their religious views on how God is dealing with America.”
He’s studied the law books and says the law is on his side.
“They became public platforms because the family vigorously pursued that avenue to make them public platforms--and thereby make the dead soldier and their family public figures; they literally thrust themselves and their dead relative into that spotlight and cannot complain when they don’t like the spin Gospel preachers put on the events.
“WBC members have an absolute right to unfettered access to that same platform to publish a counter religious view.
“The law is well-established that the First Amendment prohibits government preferring one religion over another, and mandates the government always be neutral on matters of religion,” he continued.
He’ll take his case to the Supreme Court if necessary.
“The United States Supreme Court reiterated the following long-settled legal principles: Government cannot take action which aids one religion, aids all religions, or prefers one religion over another. In the relationship between man and religion, the government is firmly committed to a position of neutrality. The clearest command of the Establishment Clause is that one religious denomination cannot be officially preferred over another. The establishment clause prohibits the favoring or disfavoring of one religion over others.”
In other words, even the kookiest religion is protected under the Constitution, even if its members act in bad taste.
“In any event,” Phelps promises, “the Westboro Baptist Church is not going to stop preaching this message—America is Doomed—in a timely, topical manner, and the ultimate outcome would be that the Westboro Baptist Church would triumph wonderfully.
“In the meantime, the efforts these fools engage in to attempt to stop our preaching has had one primary result, to wit: the message has gained much wider publication than we would have ever imagined. So, in essence they are doing a great service, albeit they receive no credit because they do so unwittingly and they intend it for evil.”
“Have a nice day,” Phelps concluded.
Church members on Monday demonstrated at the funeral of Army Cpl. Adam J. Fargo in Culpepper, Va.
On Tuesday, they picketed at the funeral of Army Staff Sgt. Michael A. Dickenson II in Fayetteville, N.C.
The group also headed for Arlington National Cemetery, where Army Staff Sgt. Robert J. Chiomento was laid to rest yesterday.
Leader publisher
Members of Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan., were again busy this week picketing funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq, but lawsuits filed by families who have lost their loved ones could stop the church group from taunting grieving relatives.
Church members, who believe God is killing our soldiers in Iraq because America tolerates homosexuals, have traveled to dozens of cities for the funerals of U.S. soldiers — not to mourn with the families but to mock them.
At least one grieving father, Albert Snyder, has filed suit against the church, which he accuses of invading his family’s privacy and “emotionally damaging” the grieving family when the group protested back in March at the funeral of Snyder’s son, Matthew, at St. John's Catholic Church in Westminster, Md.
The Kansas church's Web site said the elder Snyder taught Mat-thew “to defy his Creator, to divorce and to commit adultery” and “raised him for the devil.”
Snyder’s lawsuit claims the West-boro demonstrators violated his privacy, inflicted emotional pain and defamed him. Snyder wants the demonstrations to stop and is seeking general and punitive damages against the church.
But Jonathan Phelps, whose father started Westboro Baptist Church, says he knows nothing about the lawsuit. Anyway, he told us, no court will stop him from exercising his right of free speech and religion.
You remember Phelps: He and his family came down here in June and picketed the funeral of Army Specialist Bobby West of Beebe. Hundreds of motorcyclists calling themselves the Patriot Guard shielded mourners from about a dozen Westboro Church members, who stood across the road from First Baptist Church of Beebe and held up signs that said “God Hates Fags” and “Thank God for IEDs.”
It was an improvised explosive device that killed West, 23, on a road near Baghdad.
We asked Phelps this week to give us his reaction to the lawsuit against Westboro, although he insists his church has not been served papers. If he is sued, he suggested he could file a countersuit, as he did in Kansas, where authorities tried to stop his picketing.
“As a matter of law, Westboro Baptist Church cannot invade the privacy of any person or group while standing out on a public sidewalk and holding signs in the air, singing songs and preaching,” Phelps e-mailed us on Monday.
“If you use the example of the ‘funeral’ you were in attendance at in Beebe, Arkansas, which is typical of the events we see (except normally larger), we didn't invade that ‘funeral’ any more than you did, the patriot fart guard did, and the extras lining the highway did. The only difference is the message that we communicated.”
Phelps is clear about the teachings of his church and why members are picketing at soldiers’ funerals.
“WBC and her members sincerely and fervently hold and publish the Scripturally-based viewpoint that God is punishing America for institutionalizing proud sin (homosexuality, divorce/remarriage, adultery, fornication, idolatry, greed, etc.), including by killing American soldiers on the battle fields in the Middle East.
“We believe God is cursing America (a fact hard to dispute with soldiers’ bodies coming home in little pieces in bags); you pretend to believe God is blessing America; that religious debate is supposed to oc-cur in the heart and on the streets, not in the courts, the jury rooms, chief executive suites of the states and federal government and legislative chambers.”
Phelps, who is a lawyer, then sounded an even more ominous note, suggesting he might sue if reports of a lawsuit against his church is inaccurate:
“If they have a legitimate cause of action against WBC, you better be real careful what you write about it in your column; but you know their claim is cow manure.
“The mask of ‘invasion of privacy’ is un-original and banal. The result of any such lawsuit would be that it would not survive motions to dismiss and/or motions for summary judgment.
“Furthermore, such action would be an abuse of process if filed and served, be malicious prosecution as without probable cause and with malice, and probably be a violation of the Civil Rights Act as a conspiracy to abuse governmental power to violate the civil rights of WBC members; and any such vain attempts will be met with vigorous defenses and affirmative suits wherein all attorneys’ fees and expenses would be recovered with interest and with enhancements.”
Phelp knows the law and is confident he can win in court again.
“The government in Kansas has been down this road with us, trying to use government power to stop our preaching, the result of which they have paid hundreds of thousands of taxpayers’ dollars in awards of our attorneys’ fees. As a memorial, I keep copies of the checks in the $100,000s of thousands hanging on my wall.
“It is not lawful for any lawyer to pretend to sue us in court and thereby abuse government power to try and get the government to side with them and declare that their religious view called ‘American patriotism,’ ‘God bless America’ and ‘God loves everyone’ as the official religion of this country.
“These soldiers' funerals have become public platforms where various groups (veterans, military personnel, media, politicians, community members, etc.) conduct political patriotic pep rallies declaring their religious views on how God is dealing with America.”
He’s studied the law books and says the law is on his side.
“They became public platforms because the family vigorously pursued that avenue to make them public platforms--and thereby make the dead soldier and their family public figures; they literally thrust themselves and their dead relative into that spotlight and cannot complain when they don’t like the spin Gospel preachers put on the events.
“WBC members have an absolute right to unfettered access to that same platform to publish a counter religious view.
“The law is well-established that the First Amendment prohibits government preferring one religion over another, and mandates the government always be neutral on matters of religion,” he continued.
He’ll take his case to the Supreme Court if necessary.
“The United States Supreme Court reiterated the following long-settled legal principles: Government cannot take action which aids one religion, aids all religions, or prefers one religion over another. In the relationship between man and religion, the government is firmly committed to a position of neutrality. The clearest command of the Establishment Clause is that one religious denomination cannot be officially preferred over another. The establishment clause prohibits the favoring or disfavoring of one religion over others.”
In other words, even the kookiest religion is protected under the Constitution, even if its members act in bad taste.
“In any event,” Phelps promises, “the Westboro Baptist Church is not going to stop preaching this message—America is Doomed—in a timely, topical manner, and the ultimate outcome would be that the Westboro Baptist Church would triumph wonderfully.
“In the meantime, the efforts these fools engage in to attempt to stop our preaching has had one primary result, to wit: the message has gained much wider publication than we would have ever imagined. So, in essence they are doing a great service, albeit they receive no credit because they do so unwittingly and they intend it for evil.”
“Have a nice day,” Phelps concluded.
Church members on Monday demonstrated at the funeral of Army Cpl. Adam J. Fargo in Culpepper, Va.
On Tuesday, they picketed at the funeral of Army Staff Sgt. Michael A. Dickenson II in Fayetteville, N.C.
The group also headed for Arlington National Cemetery, where Army Staff Sgt. Robert J. Chiomento was laid to rest yesterday.
TOP STORY>>Firefighters taking heat precautions
IN SHORT: July saw six triple-digit days and heat indices in the 100s most days.
By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
Temperatures topped 90 degrees on 24 days in July, meaning the heat index was in or near triple digits, and the heat wave is expected to continue at least through the week.
The actual temperature broke the century mark six times during July, hitting as high as 104 degrees on July 19, 20 and 21 and setting records on the 19th and 21st.
But despite the heat here and nationwide, area fire departments had no heat-related runs.
“Luckily we had no major fires during the month,” Jacksonville Fire Chief John Vanderhoof said.
Assistant fire chief Mark Smart, with the Cabot Fire Department, echoed those sentiments. “It’s been amazing how light our July calls were. Normally were out constantly chasing grass fires,” Smart said.
Vanderhoof said his firefighters are prepared for the hot weather. “We make sure there’s extra ice water on the trucks and we have access to misters. We’ve just got to use common sense in weather like this,” the chief added.
Smart said his department is limiting the amount of outside work for the firefighters. “And when we are on scene, we try to have enough personnel there to rotate in and out.”
Jacksonville did have about 200 ambulance runs during July, and several of them were to respond to individuals suffering from possible heat exhaustion on Little Rock Air Force Base’s flightline where the heat index exceeded 120 degrees. “Overall, we’ve been real lucky,” Vanderhoof said.
Smart said his department has assisted on some heat-related ambulance calls. “Nothing serious, thank goodness,” he said.
Capt. John Sawyer with the Sherwood Fire Department said his department had no heat-related calls in July. Sherwood, like Jacksonville and Cabot, is carrying ice chest and extra water on the trucks. “We are telling firefighters to make sure they hydrate themselves and to keep an eye on each other,” Sawyer said.
The hot, dry weather has put Pulaski and Lonoke counties under a burn ban and the National Weather Service’s long-term forecast calls for drought conditions to continue through October for central and southern Arkansas.
Precipitation in central Arkan-sas is about two inches below normal for the year.
Overall, July’s average high temperature of 94.5 degrees was about two degrees above the long-term average and the rain total was about a half an inch.
July started off with 90-degree plus days, but July Fourth was a comfortable 88 degrees, and temperatures remained in the high 80s through July 7. On July 8, the temperature hit 90 degrees and stayed above 90 degrees through July 22. For most of those 15 days the temperature hover over or near 100 degrees.
On July 29, the temperature soared near 100 degrees again and has been holding steady. Forecasts call for high 90s through the rest of the week. Surprisingly, the wettest day of the month also turned out to be one of the record-setting heat days. On the 21st, when the mercury hit 104 degrees, the local area also had about a half-inch of rain. Area fire chiefs recommend that everyone check on their neighbors, friends and family, especially the elderly and the young during extended periods of hot weather.
Even though there is a fire burn ban on, the fire departments still advise everyone to be careful with cigarettes as a burning or hot cigarette can ignite dry trash and grass along the roadway.
Also check for metal dragging from vehicles as it can cause sparks and start fires.
By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
Temperatures topped 90 degrees on 24 days in July, meaning the heat index was in or near triple digits, and the heat wave is expected to continue at least through the week.
The actual temperature broke the century mark six times during July, hitting as high as 104 degrees on July 19, 20 and 21 and setting records on the 19th and 21st.
But despite the heat here and nationwide, area fire departments had no heat-related runs.
“Luckily we had no major fires during the month,” Jacksonville Fire Chief John Vanderhoof said.
Assistant fire chief Mark Smart, with the Cabot Fire Department, echoed those sentiments. “It’s been amazing how light our July calls were. Normally were out constantly chasing grass fires,” Smart said.
Vanderhoof said his firefighters are prepared for the hot weather. “We make sure there’s extra ice water on the trucks and we have access to misters. We’ve just got to use common sense in weather like this,” the chief added.
Smart said his department is limiting the amount of outside work for the firefighters. “And when we are on scene, we try to have enough personnel there to rotate in and out.”
Jacksonville did have about 200 ambulance runs during July, and several of them were to respond to individuals suffering from possible heat exhaustion on Little Rock Air Force Base’s flightline where the heat index exceeded 120 degrees. “Overall, we’ve been real lucky,” Vanderhoof said.
Smart said his department has assisted on some heat-related ambulance calls. “Nothing serious, thank goodness,” he said.
Capt. John Sawyer with the Sherwood Fire Department said his department had no heat-related calls in July. Sherwood, like Jacksonville and Cabot, is carrying ice chest and extra water on the trucks. “We are telling firefighters to make sure they hydrate themselves and to keep an eye on each other,” Sawyer said.
The hot, dry weather has put Pulaski and Lonoke counties under a burn ban and the National Weather Service’s long-term forecast calls for drought conditions to continue through October for central and southern Arkansas.
Precipitation in central Arkan-sas is about two inches below normal for the year.
Overall, July’s average high temperature of 94.5 degrees was about two degrees above the long-term average and the rain total was about a half an inch.
July started off with 90-degree plus days, but July Fourth was a comfortable 88 degrees, and temperatures remained in the high 80s through July 7. On July 8, the temperature hit 90 degrees and stayed above 90 degrees through July 22. For most of those 15 days the temperature hover over or near 100 degrees.
On July 29, the temperature soared near 100 degrees again and has been holding steady. Forecasts call for high 90s through the rest of the week. Surprisingly, the wettest day of the month also turned out to be one of the record-setting heat days. On the 21st, when the mercury hit 104 degrees, the local area also had about a half-inch of rain. Area fire chiefs recommend that everyone check on their neighbors, friends and family, especially the elderly and the young during extended periods of hot weather.
Even though there is a fire burn ban on, the fire departments still advise everyone to be careful with cigarettes as a burning or hot cigarette can ignite dry trash and grass along the roadway.
Also check for metal dragging from vehicles as it can cause sparks and start fires.
TOP STORY>>Sheriff: Inmate release is valid
IN SHORT: Roberson says he made a deal with judge to allow nonviolent prisoners to go free because of overcrowding.
By JOAN MCCOY
Leader staff writer
Lonoke County Sheriff Jim Roberson has complained about crowding at the jail for years, and he has released some prisoners in the past to make way for more dangerous criminals.
That is why he is perplexed by an order Monday from Circuit Judge Lance Hanshaw to appear in court Tuesday and explain why he is still strapping monitoring devices to pri-soners and turning them free until there is room for them in the prison system rehab programs.
Roberson said he hasn’t released anyone sentenced to the Arkansas Department of Community Corr-ections since Hanshaw issued an order on July 5 to stop.
The release of three women, all nonviolent drug offenders, prompted Hanshaw to order the sheriff to put the prisoners back in jail.
The sheriff insists there was no room for the three women in the county jail when he released them.
“At the time I let these out, I had 18 (with only 11 beds for female prisoners in the jail), so I just put them on ankle bracelets so I would know where they’re at,” he said.
Roberson said he is most confused by Hanshaw’s change of heart about releasing non-violent drug offenders.
Before the July 5 order, he and the judge had a verbal agreement that releasing some prisoners was acceptable. In fact, the sheriff said, the judge released three without ankle bracelets.
“I’ve done nothing wrong. I’ve just done what I’ve always done,” Roberson said.
Hanshaw was not available for comment, but an assistant told The Leader he would not talk anyway. He does all his talking from the bench, she said.
“I’ve always respected the judge even before I was sheriff,” Roberson said. “I always thought he was tough, but I always thought he was fair.”
But recently, the sheriff said Hanshaw’s behavior seemed erratic. “What he wants changes from one day to the next,” he complained.
Roberson said Tuesday he had not seen any paperwork on the order for him to appear in court next week and he believes its release to the media could be political.
“I’d like to see the fax number it came from,” he said.
On Tuesday, the census at the jail was 65 (nine over the maximum allowed) and included the three women Roberson had previously released.
Roberson said he called them after he heard about the judge’s order and they turned themselves in Monday evening. “One of them had a baby who was very seriously ill,” he said. “She needed to be at home and she wasn’t going to be doing anybody any good by staying in jail six months before she went into treatment.”
Roberson said prisoners wearing the ankle bracelets are non-violent offenders. Their activity while wearing the bracelets is limited. They are confined to their homes most of the time. But some start going to church, which Roberson says he believes is a good first step toward getting off drugs.
“You can’t do anything without the grace of God,” he said.
The county has about $300,000 to add onto the jail. The money came from the state and was secured by State Sen. Bobby Glover, D-Carlisle. Rober-son wants to add about 15 or 20 beds, but County Judge Charlie Troutman said the architect is dragging his feet with the plans.
The jail committee chose Taggart Foster Currence Gray Architects Inc., of Little Rock to design the addition, but after six months Troutman said all he’s seen is a rough draft.
The architects are concerned that the county doesn’t have enough money to do the project, Troutman said.
But he is concerned that if they don’t get it started soon and use the money the state has given them, they won’t get any more.
Troutman said he and Roberson want to take the project as far as possible this year and try to complete it in 2007.
By JOAN MCCOY
Leader staff writer
Lonoke County Sheriff Jim Roberson has complained about crowding at the jail for years, and he has released some prisoners in the past to make way for more dangerous criminals.
That is why he is perplexed by an order Monday from Circuit Judge Lance Hanshaw to appear in court Tuesday and explain why he is still strapping monitoring devices to pri-soners and turning them free until there is room for them in the prison system rehab programs.
Roberson said he hasn’t released anyone sentenced to the Arkansas Department of Community Corr-ections since Hanshaw issued an order on July 5 to stop.
The release of three women, all nonviolent drug offenders, prompted Hanshaw to order the sheriff to put the prisoners back in jail.
The sheriff insists there was no room for the three women in the county jail when he released them.
“At the time I let these out, I had 18 (with only 11 beds for female prisoners in the jail), so I just put them on ankle bracelets so I would know where they’re at,” he said.
Roberson said he is most confused by Hanshaw’s change of heart about releasing non-violent drug offenders.
Before the July 5 order, he and the judge had a verbal agreement that releasing some prisoners was acceptable. In fact, the sheriff said, the judge released three without ankle bracelets.
“I’ve done nothing wrong. I’ve just done what I’ve always done,” Roberson said.
Hanshaw was not available for comment, but an assistant told The Leader he would not talk anyway. He does all his talking from the bench, she said.
“I’ve always respected the judge even before I was sheriff,” Roberson said. “I always thought he was tough, but I always thought he was fair.”
But recently, the sheriff said Hanshaw’s behavior seemed erratic. “What he wants changes from one day to the next,” he complained.
Roberson said Tuesday he had not seen any paperwork on the order for him to appear in court next week and he believes its release to the media could be political.
“I’d like to see the fax number it came from,” he said.
On Tuesday, the census at the jail was 65 (nine over the maximum allowed) and included the three women Roberson had previously released.
Roberson said he called them after he heard about the judge’s order and they turned themselves in Monday evening. “One of them had a baby who was very seriously ill,” he said. “She needed to be at home and she wasn’t going to be doing anybody any good by staying in jail six months before she went into treatment.”
Roberson said prisoners wearing the ankle bracelets are non-violent offenders. Their activity while wearing the bracelets is limited. They are confined to their homes most of the time. But some start going to church, which Roberson says he believes is a good first step toward getting off drugs.
“You can’t do anything without the grace of God,” he said.
The county has about $300,000 to add onto the jail. The money came from the state and was secured by State Sen. Bobby Glover, D-Carlisle. Rober-son wants to add about 15 or 20 beds, but County Judge Charlie Troutman said the architect is dragging his feet with the plans.
The jail committee chose Taggart Foster Currence Gray Architects Inc., of Little Rock to design the addition, but after six months Troutman said all he’s seen is a rough draft.
The architects are concerned that the county doesn’t have enough money to do the project, Troutman said.
But he is concerned that if they don’t get it started soon and use the money the state has given them, they won’t get any more.
Troutman said he and Roberson want to take the project as far as possible this year and try to complete it in 2007.
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