By SGT. ZACHARY WILSON
U.S. Air Force Central Combat News
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — Air Force officials activated the 772nd Expeditionary Airlift Squadron on March 15 at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan as the NATO base prepares for the buildup of forces to support Operation Enduring Freedom.
The new airlift squadron, which is commanded by Lt. Col. Dan Tulley of Little Rock Air Force Base, will be flying the C-130J Hercules and serve under the 451st Air Expeditionary Group to assist with the increase of U.S. troops in the region.
The day before the activation ceremony, local missions were being flown by American aircrews when the squadron’s first four aircraft arrived at Kandahar Airfield.
The airfield used by several coalition partners in southern Afghanistan is undergoing a massive expansion and construction in every direction as part of the installation.
The new mission will have the 772nd EAS airmen focused primarily inside Afghanistan, said Tulley, a native of Bell Air, Md.
“The ‘bread and butter’ of any combat airlift unit is tactical airlift,” said Tulley. “Being here in country will allow us to focus on the forward operating bases and getting supplies to the people who need it here on the ground.”
The new unit, which will have about 120 operations and maintenance airmen, comes from the only active-duty Air Force organization flying the C-130J model in combat: the 41st Airlift Squadron from Little Rock AFB.
Before being stood up at Kandahar Airfield, the unit was stationed with the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing at another installation in Southwest Asia responsible for operations for both the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters.
For the aviators performing the daily mission, the change is welcome.
“It’s a definite change of scenery,” said Capt. Shawn Johnson, a C-130 pilot deployed from Little Rock AFB.
“We’re looking forward to becoming Afghanistan-focused as our missions will become more specialized to this particular area, and at the same time, there will be more for us to study, like some of the airdrops we’ll be doing here. It will definitely broaden our knowledge further on how to utilize the aircraft,” Johnson said.
Master Sgt. Patrick Drozd, of Hallettsville, Texas, a loadmaster also deployed from Little Rock AFB, agreed.
“This is going to be fun,” he said. “We are supporting the troops and the (forward operating bases) in-country, and being the only active-duty C-130J unit in theater, we will have the opportunity to lay the foundation for future C-130J operations here.”
With the logistical issues completed, all the incoming 41st AS airmen had to focus on was what they deployed to do: keep their aircraft flying.
“We can fulfill air tasking orders right now,” said Tech. Sgt. Donny Poland, a crew chief from Little Rock AFB and a Philippines native who deployed ahead of the rest of his squadron on the advance team. “Being here really makes it feel like we are accomplishing something important and contributing.”
“Tactical airlift is a high-demand asset here and we are at the leading edge of the Afghanistan surge of forces,” said Col. Ted Osowski, the 451st AEG commander who is deployed from the Air Warfare Center at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.
“The C-130J is a very capable aircraft and we are happy to have them. They’re going to be busy,” Osowski said.
However, for the command staff of the 451st, bedding down a unit of approximately 120 new people into an already cramped area was no easy task. The first issue to be tackled was gaining ramp space for the squadron’s aircraft.
“Before we were able to park these aircraft on ‘Whiskey’ ramp, we had to find a new home for contractor Mi-8 helicopters that were out there previously,” said Chief Master Sgt. Steven Bohannon, 451st AEG superintendent, deployed from McChord Air Force Base, Wash.
“We put out a contract for over 200,000 square feet of aluminum matting made up of four-foot-by-four-foot squares,” Bohannon said.
The contract was awarded to a local company, but its was not trained to lay the matting, according to Bohannon.
Adding to the already challenging task was the assignment of Air Force security escorts — they would not arrive in time for construction to begin and there would be no place for the aircraft to park.
Working with a local Civil Engineer detachment, the 451st identified security escorts from within its ranks. The heavy operational repair squadron engineers then began helping the local workers lay the matting, getting the project completed in time to relocate the Mi-8s and providing crucial ramp space for the soon-to-be-arriving C-130Js.
Once the ramp was completed, the 451st AEG needed to create workspace for the new airmen. Bohannon again reached out to the Red HORSE unit and a team of Air Force civil engineers who travel throughout the area of responsibility. They were able to erect a clamshell tent for maintenance and two small tents for operations.
“This group was the J-2 team from (U.S. Air Forces Central) A-7,” Bohannon said. “They travel the (area of responsibility) working on large projects and were able to complete this job in three days. They were nailing the last stakes the day these guys came in.”
Monday, March 30, 2009
TOP STORY >> Modest boost in water rates to pay for lines
By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
A 1 percent increase from its main water supplier and $48 million in future infrastructure needs has the Jacksonville Water Department looking at increasing rates by about $4 per year for the next three years.
“We are still working on it and tweaking the proposal to make sure we do the right thing,” explained Mike Simpson, general manager for the city’s water department.
At its meeting last week, the Jacksonville City Council set a public hearing at 7:10 p.m. Thursday, April 16 at city hall to discuss the increase.
After that discussion, the council will have a public hearing on vacating and abandoning an alley between lots one, two and three in block four of the Harpole Addition.
The latest draft, according to Simpson, calls for a 13 percent increase each year for the next three and then an 8 percent increase in the fourth year. “This is just a draft and could change between now and the public hearing,” Simpson cautioned. He said the water commission should be meeting next year to vote on the final proposal.
He said the commission is also looking at setting a new minimum that would save many on set income money. “We have about 2,000 customers who use only about 1,000 gallons a month, but our minimum charge is for 2,000 gallons.”
Simpson said the average Jack-sonville home uses about 6,000 gallons and has a bill of about $36.
Central Arkansas Water, which supplies most of the water for Jacksonville, increased its rates to the city in December by about 1 percent. The department is allowed by city ordinance to pass that increase along to its customers, but there was a slight problem with the ordinance. It still listed the city’s water supplier as North Little Rock Water. North Little Rock and Little Rock merged into CAW in 2001.
“The city attorney felt it was best to update the ordinance before we applied the 1-percent increase to water bills,” Simpson said.
“While this was going on we were in the middle of a rate study focusing on the city’s needs through 2050,” Simpson said. “To provide sufficient water through 2050 we need to add and update our infrastructure system.”
The cost is estimated at $48 million, which includes the city’s share for joining the Lonoke White Public Water Authority to get additional water from Greers Ferry.
“We have to start collecting those funds now,” he said.
Water commissioners feel that the increase, along with some bonds, will allow the department to keep the infrastructure at the needed level.
Simpson said the utility has been covering that 1-percent increase from CAW since the January billing without passing it on to the customers, so if the new rates are approved April 16, it will be reflecting on bills being mailed the next day.
In the second hearing, the city will discuss vacating a small unused alley off First Street, north of Vine Street.
Leader staff writer
A 1 percent increase from its main water supplier and $48 million in future infrastructure needs has the Jacksonville Water Department looking at increasing rates by about $4 per year for the next three years.
“We are still working on it and tweaking the proposal to make sure we do the right thing,” explained Mike Simpson, general manager for the city’s water department.
At its meeting last week, the Jacksonville City Council set a public hearing at 7:10 p.m. Thursday, April 16 at city hall to discuss the increase.
After that discussion, the council will have a public hearing on vacating and abandoning an alley between lots one, two and three in block four of the Harpole Addition.
The latest draft, according to Simpson, calls for a 13 percent increase each year for the next three and then an 8 percent increase in the fourth year. “This is just a draft and could change between now and the public hearing,” Simpson cautioned. He said the water commission should be meeting next year to vote on the final proposal.
He said the commission is also looking at setting a new minimum that would save many on set income money. “We have about 2,000 customers who use only about 1,000 gallons a month, but our minimum charge is for 2,000 gallons.”
Simpson said the average Jack-sonville home uses about 6,000 gallons and has a bill of about $36.
Central Arkansas Water, which supplies most of the water for Jacksonville, increased its rates to the city in December by about 1 percent. The department is allowed by city ordinance to pass that increase along to its customers, but there was a slight problem with the ordinance. It still listed the city’s water supplier as North Little Rock Water. North Little Rock and Little Rock merged into CAW in 2001.
“The city attorney felt it was best to update the ordinance before we applied the 1-percent increase to water bills,” Simpson said.
“While this was going on we were in the middle of a rate study focusing on the city’s needs through 2050,” Simpson said. “To provide sufficient water through 2050 we need to add and update our infrastructure system.”
The cost is estimated at $48 million, which includes the city’s share for joining the Lonoke White Public Water Authority to get additional water from Greers Ferry.
“We have to start collecting those funds now,” he said.
Water commissioners feel that the increase, along with some bonds, will allow the department to keep the infrastructure at the needed level.
Simpson said the utility has been covering that 1-percent increase from CAW since the January billing without passing it on to the customers, so if the new rates are approved April 16, it will be reflecting on bills being mailed the next day.
In the second hearing, the city will discuss vacating a small unused alley off First Street, north of Vine Street.
TOP STORY >> Opening delayed for rail overpass
By JOAN McCOY
Leader staff writer
The expected opening date for the new railroad overpass in Cabot has been pushed back again.
City officials were originally hopeful that the overpass would open by the fall of 2008, or at least by the end of that year.
In February, The Leader reported that the Highway Department expected the overpass to open by April 1.
The new projected opening is the end of April, but only if the weather cooperates.
“We’re in the final stages and everything is weather dependent,” state Highway Department spokesman Randy Ort said Friday.
“We’ve built half of the box culvert (on the Hwy. 38 end of the overpass) and covered it. Half is built, but soil conditions are preventing the contractor from backfilling it,” he said.
The rain must stop long enough for the soil to dry before work can continue, Ort said.
“We hope to have it open by the end of April but it could be into May,” he said.
The box culvert is a replacement for another type of culvert that was installed and rejected by the Army Corps of Engineers.
The overpass connects Hwy. 38 to Hwy. 367 and is considered the first phase of a north interchange to help handle some of the 27,000 cars a day that get off Hwy. 67-167 in Cabot.
By itself, the overpass is not expected to reduce traffic congestion much.
But Locust Street has been widened so traffic can flow easier from Hwy. 38 to the business area of Main Street.
Metroplan, the agency that funnels federal highway money to cities, says a north interchange together with the railroad overpass would take 4,000 -5,000 cars out of downtown Cabot.
Mayor Eddie Joe Williams went to Washington earlier this month to ask the senators and congressmen who represent the Cabot area to find money to pay for the $19.5 million north interchange and came back with a promise from Rep. Marion Berry, D-Gillett, that he would include $3 million to $5 million to pay for engineering and right-of-way acquisition for the project in the next five-year highway-spending plan.
Leader staff writer
The expected opening date for the new railroad overpass in Cabot has been pushed back again.
City officials were originally hopeful that the overpass would open by the fall of 2008, or at least by the end of that year.
In February, The Leader reported that the Highway Department expected the overpass to open by April 1.
The new projected opening is the end of April, but only if the weather cooperates.
“We’re in the final stages and everything is weather dependent,” state Highway Department spokesman Randy Ort said Friday.
“We’ve built half of the box culvert (on the Hwy. 38 end of the overpass) and covered it. Half is built, but soil conditions are preventing the contractor from backfilling it,” he said.
The rain must stop long enough for the soil to dry before work can continue, Ort said.
“We hope to have it open by the end of April but it could be into May,” he said.
The box culvert is a replacement for another type of culvert that was installed and rejected by the Army Corps of Engineers.
The overpass connects Hwy. 38 to Hwy. 367 and is considered the first phase of a north interchange to help handle some of the 27,000 cars a day that get off Hwy. 67-167 in Cabot.
By itself, the overpass is not expected to reduce traffic congestion much.
But Locust Street has been widened so traffic can flow easier from Hwy. 38 to the business area of Main Street.
Metroplan, the agency that funnels federal highway money to cities, says a north interchange together with the railroad overpass would take 4,000 -5,000 cars out of downtown Cabot.
Mayor Eddie Joe Williams went to Washington earlier this month to ask the senators and congressmen who represent the Cabot area to find money to pay for the $19.5 million north interchange and came back with a promise from Rep. Marion Berry, D-Gillett, that he would include $3 million to $5 million to pay for engineering and right-of-way acquisition for the project in the next five-year highway-spending plan.
TOP STORY >> Loss of doctors would hurt many seniors
By NANCY DOCKTER
Leader staff writer
If physicians in the Jacksonville Medical Clinic move out of town to save on rent that will be a big problem for seniors who are their patients.
Christy McMillion, director of the Jackson-ville Senior Center, was distraught when she heard the news that the 10 family-practice physicians at the clinic are may move to Sherwood because of a recent rent hike.
“My concern for the seniors is that they will have issues because a lot of them don’t drive or those who do, drive a limited path within the city of limits of Jacksonville,” McMillion said. “It would be detrimental for them (the doctors) to leave. I hope to see it get worked out. I would hate to see them leave the building.”
Leaving the facility next door to North Metro Medical Center, where they have practiced for more than 10 years, is just one option being considered by the doctors after the rent doubled at the first of the year.
They are eyeing clinic space at St. Vincent North in Sherwood and are also seeking a second appraisal on their current building, which is owned by the city of Jacksonville and also owns the hospital building. The new rent rate is based on an appraisal which the physicians had done, in hopes of challenging a rent increase by hospital management last year. Instead, the appraisal only validated the decision by the hospital. By law, hospitals are required to rent space according to their market value.
The center provides transportation for seniors to and from doctors appointments, but if the Jacksonville Medical Clinic closes and the doctors relocate to Sherwood, the senior center could not provide transportation that distance, McMillion said.
“It is not just the money, but the time,” she explained, and would be difficult to work out, because the center’s van drivers get off work at 3 p.m., she said.
McMillion said that the center transports about “a handful – about six” individuals – regularly to the clinic. But she is also concerned about the Jacksonville seniors who use coupons to pay for cab service to get them to where they need to go.
“The coupons are strictly for Jacksonville use, so this would be affecting many seniors,” she explained.
On the other hand, Lois Cavin, the administrator of Greenbriar Retirement Center on Graham Road, did not foresee the possible clinic closure as a big problem for the center’s 16 residents when they need a doctor.
“I or a family member take them, and it’s not that much further from here to Sherwood,” Cavin said.
If the Jacksonville Medical Center closes and the doctors group moves away, that would more than halve the number of family-practice physicians in Jacksonville.
The 10 physicians whose practices comprise the Jacksonville Medical Center are J. Dale Calhoon, Richard Hayes, Aniel House, Alan Johnston, Miriam Moore, Robert Ritchie, Harold Short, Alan Storeygard, Phillip Tracy and Michael Waterhouse.
The physicians at Cabot Medical Center are also deliberating their next move, after a similar chain of events that occurred when North Metro announced the rent would go up, triggering the decision by the group to have the clinic building appraised. They have offered to purchase the building from the city of Jacksonville, but the parties have not reached an agreement on price.
The city says it is worth $4.9 million; the doctors contend it is worth $4.5 million. If they can’t agree, the doctors are considering constructing their own building. The doctors who comprise the Cabot Medical Center are Ruth Ann Blair, Deborah Cerrato, Jason Merrick, Susanne Robertson, Joseph Shotts and Jeffrey Stamp.
Before the rent increase, the Jacksonville doctors had been paying $135,000 in annual rent, but they also paid for maintenance, repairs and cleaning.
The rent increase from $5 to $17 per square foot brings their rent to $459,000 a year, but will include all services to maintain the building. St. Vincent Medical Center/North in Sherwood has offered the Jacksonville doctors $14 a square foot, which would save them about $100,000 a year.
Leader staff writer
If physicians in the Jacksonville Medical Clinic move out of town to save on rent that will be a big problem for seniors who are their patients.
Christy McMillion, director of the Jackson-ville Senior Center, was distraught when she heard the news that the 10 family-practice physicians at the clinic are may move to Sherwood because of a recent rent hike.
“My concern for the seniors is that they will have issues because a lot of them don’t drive or those who do, drive a limited path within the city of limits of Jacksonville,” McMillion said. “It would be detrimental for them (the doctors) to leave. I hope to see it get worked out. I would hate to see them leave the building.”
Leaving the facility next door to North Metro Medical Center, where they have practiced for more than 10 years, is just one option being considered by the doctors after the rent doubled at the first of the year.
They are eyeing clinic space at St. Vincent North in Sherwood and are also seeking a second appraisal on their current building, which is owned by the city of Jacksonville and also owns the hospital building. The new rent rate is based on an appraisal which the physicians had done, in hopes of challenging a rent increase by hospital management last year. Instead, the appraisal only validated the decision by the hospital. By law, hospitals are required to rent space according to their market value.
The center provides transportation for seniors to and from doctors appointments, but if the Jacksonville Medical Clinic closes and the doctors relocate to Sherwood, the senior center could not provide transportation that distance, McMillion said.
“It is not just the money, but the time,” she explained, and would be difficult to work out, because the center’s van drivers get off work at 3 p.m., she said.
McMillion said that the center transports about “a handful – about six” individuals – regularly to the clinic. But she is also concerned about the Jacksonville seniors who use coupons to pay for cab service to get them to where they need to go.
“The coupons are strictly for Jacksonville use, so this would be affecting many seniors,” she explained.
On the other hand, Lois Cavin, the administrator of Greenbriar Retirement Center on Graham Road, did not foresee the possible clinic closure as a big problem for the center’s 16 residents when they need a doctor.
“I or a family member take them, and it’s not that much further from here to Sherwood,” Cavin said.
If the Jacksonville Medical Center closes and the doctors group moves away, that would more than halve the number of family-practice physicians in Jacksonville.
The 10 physicians whose practices comprise the Jacksonville Medical Center are J. Dale Calhoon, Richard Hayes, Aniel House, Alan Johnston, Miriam Moore, Robert Ritchie, Harold Short, Alan Storeygard, Phillip Tracy and Michael Waterhouse.
The physicians at Cabot Medical Center are also deliberating their next move, after a similar chain of events that occurred when North Metro announced the rent would go up, triggering the decision by the group to have the clinic building appraised. They have offered to purchase the building from the city of Jacksonville, but the parties have not reached an agreement on price.
The city says it is worth $4.9 million; the doctors contend it is worth $4.5 million. If they can’t agree, the doctors are considering constructing their own building. The doctors who comprise the Cabot Medical Center are Ruth Ann Blair, Deborah Cerrato, Jason Merrick, Susanne Robertson, Joseph Shotts and Jeffrey Stamp.
Before the rent increase, the Jacksonville doctors had been paying $135,000 in annual rent, but they also paid for maintenance, repairs and cleaning.
The rent increase from $5 to $17 per square foot brings their rent to $459,000 a year, but will include all services to maintain the building. St. Vincent Medical Center/North in Sherwood has offered the Jacksonville doctors $14 a square foot, which would save them about $100,000 a year.
Friday, March 27, 2009
SPORTS >> Bears go 3-1 in Memphis
By KELLY FENTON
Leader sports editor
MEMPHIS — The Sylvan Hills Bears lost a 10-4 lead in the sixth inning, then went on to lose their first game of the season at a tournament in Memphis last weekend.
The defending 6A champion Bears took a big lead into the sixth inning against Bartlett (Tenn.), pulled ace D.J. Baxendale, then gave up 12 runs on their way to a 16-10 loss. The Bears went on to win 3 of 4 games at the tourney to improve to 16-1 on the season.
Bartlett scored its 12 runs on just four hits, while receiving five walks and benefiting from three hit batters and two errors.
The Bears, behind home runs from Nathan Eller and Justin Treece, raced to leads of 6-0 and 10-4. Eller was 3 of 5 in the contest, while Baxendale was 3 of 4 with a double. Treece, Tyler Van Schoyck and Jordan Spears each added two hits.
The Bears opened the tournament with a 12-2 cruise past Arlington (Tenn.) behind six solid innings from winning starter Eller. Eller allowed only three hits and struck out three.
Sylvan Hills needed only seven hits to pile up 12 runs, scoring four in the third and six more in the fifth. Treece led the way, going 3 of 4 with a double, while Eller also had a double.
After falling to Bartlett, Sylvan Hills got back on track by squeezing out a 5-4 win over Blackmon High of Murfreesborough. Mike Maddox led off the seventh inning of a 4-4 tie with a single and eventually came around to score the go-ahead run. Eric McKinney struck out the side in relief in the seventh to close out the win.
Spears pitched six solid innings of four-hit ball to pick up the win.
The Bears jumped to a 1-0 lead in the first on a walk to Eller and Baxendale’s double.
Though they fell behind 2-1, they tied it in the fourth on Blake Baxendale’s single, a wild pitch and Maddox’s RBI single.
Back-to-back home runs by D.J. Baxendale and Spears put Sylvan Hills up again, 4-2 in the sixth. But Blackmon tied it on a two-run home run in the bottom of the inning.
Sylvan Hills picked up six hits — two each by D.J. Baxendale and Maddox.
The Bears closed out tournament play last Saturday with an 8-2 win over Collierville (Tenn.). D.J. Baxendale picked up the win, while Treece went 3 of 3 with two doubles. Sylvan Hills, which scored four in the third and two each in the fourth and fifth, collected 10 hits.
The Bears began play in the Conway tournament last night after Leader deadlines.
Leader sports editor
MEMPHIS — The Sylvan Hills Bears lost a 10-4 lead in the sixth inning, then went on to lose their first game of the season at a tournament in Memphis last weekend.
The defending 6A champion Bears took a big lead into the sixth inning against Bartlett (Tenn.), pulled ace D.J. Baxendale, then gave up 12 runs on their way to a 16-10 loss. The Bears went on to win 3 of 4 games at the tourney to improve to 16-1 on the season.
Bartlett scored its 12 runs on just four hits, while receiving five walks and benefiting from three hit batters and two errors.
The Bears, behind home runs from Nathan Eller and Justin Treece, raced to leads of 6-0 and 10-4. Eller was 3 of 5 in the contest, while Baxendale was 3 of 4 with a double. Treece, Tyler Van Schoyck and Jordan Spears each added two hits.
The Bears opened the tournament with a 12-2 cruise past Arlington (Tenn.) behind six solid innings from winning starter Eller. Eller allowed only three hits and struck out three.
Sylvan Hills needed only seven hits to pile up 12 runs, scoring four in the third and six more in the fifth. Treece led the way, going 3 of 4 with a double, while Eller also had a double.
After falling to Bartlett, Sylvan Hills got back on track by squeezing out a 5-4 win over Blackmon High of Murfreesborough. Mike Maddox led off the seventh inning of a 4-4 tie with a single and eventually came around to score the go-ahead run. Eric McKinney struck out the side in relief in the seventh to close out the win.
Spears pitched six solid innings of four-hit ball to pick up the win.
The Bears jumped to a 1-0 lead in the first on a walk to Eller and Baxendale’s double.
Though they fell behind 2-1, they tied it in the fourth on Blake Baxendale’s single, a wild pitch and Maddox’s RBI single.
Back-to-back home runs by D.J. Baxendale and Spears put Sylvan Hills up again, 4-2 in the sixth. But Blackmon tied it on a two-run home run in the bottom of the inning.
Sylvan Hills picked up six hits — two each by D.J. Baxendale and Maddox.
The Bears closed out tournament play last Saturday with an 8-2 win over Collierville (Tenn.). D.J. Baxendale picked up the win, while Treece went 3 of 3 with two doubles. Sylvan Hills, which scored four in the third and two each in the fourth and fifth, collected 10 hits.
The Bears began play in the Conway tournament last night after Leader deadlines.
SPORTS >> Arkansas’ women are beaten by KU in WNIT
By BILL SMITH
Arkansas sports information
LAWRENCE, Kansas – The Arkansas Razorbacks ran into a Kansas twister as junior forward Danielle McCray scored 35 points in just 28 minutes to lead the Jayhawks to a 75-59 win in the third-round of the Women’s National Invitational Tournament.
Seniors Ayana Brereton and Whitney Jones led the Razorbacks in their final game at Arkansas. Brereton had 15 and Jones 11 as the Razorbacks, who closed the season at 18-14 while the Jayhawks moved to 20-13. Kansas advances to the WNIT fourth round to face the winner of Oregon State and New Mexico.
“Give our seniors a lot of credit, both for battling tonight and for the season,” UA head coach Tom Collen said.
As the game slipped away, Collen went to some of his less experience players to give them an opportunity in the post season, but the seniors approached him with a request.
“They came to me and asked if they could finish their careers on the court,” Collen said. “That’s the least we could do for them.
They have been two of the hardest working players I’ve had in my two seasons at Arkansas, and for what they have done to help build the foundation of what’s about to come at Arkansas, they deserved to go out as they wished.”
In only the second visit to Allen Fieldhouse in the 33-year history of the Razorbacks, Arkansas could not overcome the combination of a poor-shooting first half and the rocket-hot shooting of McCray.
“She’s an All-American and might be the best player in the Big 12,” Collen said. “We’re a young team, and we struggled once we got down in the second half.”
Both teams had slow starts until Sade Morris cranked it up for the Jayhawks. Morris scored seven straight points, helping launch a 14-0 run for Kansas to give the Jayhawks a 19-5 lead with 11:46 in the first half. A three-pointer from Brereton snapped the three-minute scoring drought for Arkansas, but the damage was done.
The Jayhawks extended their lead to as many as 17 as McCray got her game on track. The Razorbacks used the free throw line to close back to a 13-point spread at halftime.
“We couldn’t find the bucket early in the game,” Collen said. “But we battled back early in the second half.”
Poor shooting crippled the Arkansas offense in the first half, hitting only 23 percent while the Jayhawks were well over 60 percent most of the period before cooling to 50 percent.
Foul trouble put McCray and Morris on the bench at the end of the first half, but before exiting they scored at almost a point-a-minute clip.
Razorbacks opened the second half with a 7-2 burst to get within single digits for the first time since the opening minutes, 38-30. McCray and Morris responded for Kansas to put the Jayhawks back up by double digits.
“We came out of the locker room hard-nosed and fighting,” Collen said. “And we kept with them until the second run. We’re a young team, and when they looked up at the clock and saw that score later in the half, it was tough.”
A three from Brereton started a 7-0 run by Arkansas to get back to nine, 51-42, with 12:09. After a poor shooting first, the Razorbacks started the second half hitting almost 70 percent from the field.
Kansas weathered the Raz-orback storm and as the Arkansas shot cooled McCray got hot.
The junior forward scored 18 of 19 Kansas points to lead the Jayhawks to a 60-42 lead with 7:24 to play.
“They (Kansas) is getting ready to make a run in the WNIT,” Collen said. “They could win the whole thing.”
A night of bumps and knocks for Arkansas saw Ceira Ricketts leave in the last two minutes with an injury, and both Shanita Arnold and Whitney Jones spent time on the bench with injuries. The Razorbacks played without junior Ashley McCray, out after a bruised knee in the previous round.
Ricketts finished with 10 for Arkansas, while Morris added 23 for Kansas.
Arkansas sports information
LAWRENCE, Kansas – The Arkansas Razorbacks ran into a Kansas twister as junior forward Danielle McCray scored 35 points in just 28 minutes to lead the Jayhawks to a 75-59 win in the third-round of the Women’s National Invitational Tournament.
Seniors Ayana Brereton and Whitney Jones led the Razorbacks in their final game at Arkansas. Brereton had 15 and Jones 11 as the Razorbacks, who closed the season at 18-14 while the Jayhawks moved to 20-13. Kansas advances to the WNIT fourth round to face the winner of Oregon State and New Mexico.
“Give our seniors a lot of credit, both for battling tonight and for the season,” UA head coach Tom Collen said.
As the game slipped away, Collen went to some of his less experience players to give them an opportunity in the post season, but the seniors approached him with a request.
“They came to me and asked if they could finish their careers on the court,” Collen said. “That’s the least we could do for them.
They have been two of the hardest working players I’ve had in my two seasons at Arkansas, and for what they have done to help build the foundation of what’s about to come at Arkansas, they deserved to go out as they wished.”
In only the second visit to Allen Fieldhouse in the 33-year history of the Razorbacks, Arkansas could not overcome the combination of a poor-shooting first half and the rocket-hot shooting of McCray.
“She’s an All-American and might be the best player in the Big 12,” Collen said. “We’re a young team, and we struggled once we got down in the second half.”
Both teams had slow starts until Sade Morris cranked it up for the Jayhawks. Morris scored seven straight points, helping launch a 14-0 run for Kansas to give the Jayhawks a 19-5 lead with 11:46 in the first half. A three-pointer from Brereton snapped the three-minute scoring drought for Arkansas, but the damage was done.
The Jayhawks extended their lead to as many as 17 as McCray got her game on track. The Razorbacks used the free throw line to close back to a 13-point spread at halftime.
“We couldn’t find the bucket early in the game,” Collen said. “But we battled back early in the second half.”
Poor shooting crippled the Arkansas offense in the first half, hitting only 23 percent while the Jayhawks were well over 60 percent most of the period before cooling to 50 percent.
Foul trouble put McCray and Morris on the bench at the end of the first half, but before exiting they scored at almost a point-a-minute clip.
Razorbacks opened the second half with a 7-2 burst to get within single digits for the first time since the opening minutes, 38-30. McCray and Morris responded for Kansas to put the Jayhawks back up by double digits.
“We came out of the locker room hard-nosed and fighting,” Collen said. “And we kept with them until the second run. We’re a young team, and when they looked up at the clock and saw that score later in the half, it was tough.”
A three from Brereton started a 7-0 run by Arkansas to get back to nine, 51-42, with 12:09. After a poor shooting first, the Razorbacks started the second half hitting almost 70 percent from the field.
Kansas weathered the Raz-orback storm and as the Arkansas shot cooled McCray got hot.
The junior forward scored 18 of 19 Kansas points to lead the Jayhawks to a 60-42 lead with 7:24 to play.
“They (Kansas) is getting ready to make a run in the WNIT,” Collen said. “They could win the whole thing.”
A night of bumps and knocks for Arkansas saw Ceira Ricketts leave in the last two minutes with an injury, and both Shanita Arnold and Whitney Jones spent time on the bench with injuries. The Razorbacks played without junior Ashley McCray, out after a bruised knee in the previous round.
Ricketts finished with 10 for Arkansas, while Morris added 23 for Kansas.
SPORTS >> Character study
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
Success builds character and character often leads to success. No one understands that dynamic better than Jacksonville senior Terrell Brown.
His coaches, as well as Boys and Girls Club supervisor Terry Brown, will attest to his character. The success speaks for itself.
Brown earned both all-conference and all-state honors in football this past season, as well as making all-conference his junior season in baseball. He was named to both the Leader newspaper’s all-defensive and all-offensive teams.
And he just signed to play baseball with Coffeyville Community College in Kansas.
Brown has been just as successful off the field.
The 17-year-old played basketball at the Boys and Girls Club as a kid, and now works at the facility just off Graham Road. His duties include everything from trash detail to basketball officiating, but Terry Brown said his biggest contribution is his positive influence on the kids.
“They seem to look up to him a lot. The younger ones just think he’s so cool,” said Terry Brown. “He’s very patient and playful with them. He has been a really big asset to us. Without saying a lot, he’s a good role model, because kids can see what happens when you stay in school, do your homework and work at your sport.”
Terrell Brown had opportunities to play at the next level in both football and baseball. He chose to go with baseball, a sport he has played since the age of four. He received interest for his baseball from five other area schools before choosing Coffeyville. He also got interest from several football programs, including Harding University, Mississippi Valley State, Arkansas Tech and Arkansas State.
With all the opportunities presented to him, Brown said the decision to become a Red Raven was an easy one.
“It felt like home,” Brown said of Coffeyville. “The coaches called me every day and texted. When I went on my visit, the players on the team made me feel like a brother. So when I go off to college, it will be like going to be with my second family.”
He gives much of the credit for his success to his parents, Harold and Evelyn Brown, and said his grandfather Lawrence, who also played baseball, was a big influence on him in his developmental years.
“My mom and dad always kept a glove and a bat in my room from the time I was really young,” he said. “They have always inspired me. And my grandfather also played baseball. I’ve always looked up to him. He taught me how to play with pride.”
Brown almost exclusively plays shortstop for the Red Devils and for the Gwatney Chevrolet American Legion summer baseball team.
Football was a different story. Brown was an all-purpose player for Jacksonville head coach Mark Whatley, shifting from wideout to secondary to, occasionally, quarterback.
“He played anywhere you put him and always gave the same effort,” said Whatley. “He led by being committed to what he was doing and giving his all no matter where we stuck him on the field.”
Whatley said that, despite Brown’s speed and ability, it was more than raw talent that made Brown such a big asset.
“He’s a very intelligent young man,” Whatley said. “Usually the intelligent kids are the ones who are going to come up with those big plays for you. We’re certainly going to miss him. He did some great things, and always came up with a big play when we needed it.”
Whatley cited the Searcy game, when Brown scored two offensive touchdowns and two defensive touchdowns.
Brown finished with 26 receptions for 405 yards and six touchdowns. On defense, he had 31 tackles and four interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns.
He received player-of-the-week honors from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and Fox 16 sports.
His senior year of baseball is going just as well. Through the first half of the season, Brown is hitting .484, and has an on-base percentage of .660. He has four doubles and two home runs. He also leads the team in walks, hit-by-pitches, stolen bases and runs scored. The only offensive stat that Brown does not top is the RBI category.
“He’s got a lot going for him,” said Jacksonville coach Larry Burrows. “He has good character and a great personality. He’s just a good kid, that’s simply the best way to put it.”
Brown’s competitive nature and enthusiasm were the biggest factors in Burrows’ decision to make him the Red Devils’ leadoff hitter this spring.
“We expect him to get up there and spark us,” said Burrows. “He’s drawn a lot of walks from his leadoff spot. He would probably like to swing the bat a little more, but he does a good job of getting on and letting his teammates drive him in.”
Brown’s desire to stay in the world of athletics — and watching longtime Jacksonville trainer Jason Cates in action over the years — has given him the idea to pursue sports medicine.
“It’s a way for me to keep being around sports,” said Brown. “I may even get to come back to Jacksonville and be a trainer one day. The main thing is that it’s about helping people, and being a better person.”
Leader sportswriter
Success builds character and character often leads to success. No one understands that dynamic better than Jacksonville senior Terrell Brown.
His coaches, as well as Boys and Girls Club supervisor Terry Brown, will attest to his character. The success speaks for itself.
Brown earned both all-conference and all-state honors in football this past season, as well as making all-conference his junior season in baseball. He was named to both the Leader newspaper’s all-defensive and all-offensive teams.
And he just signed to play baseball with Coffeyville Community College in Kansas.
Brown has been just as successful off the field.
The 17-year-old played basketball at the Boys and Girls Club as a kid, and now works at the facility just off Graham Road. His duties include everything from trash detail to basketball officiating, but Terry Brown said his biggest contribution is his positive influence on the kids.
“They seem to look up to him a lot. The younger ones just think he’s so cool,” said Terry Brown. “He’s very patient and playful with them. He has been a really big asset to us. Without saying a lot, he’s a good role model, because kids can see what happens when you stay in school, do your homework and work at your sport.”
Terrell Brown had opportunities to play at the next level in both football and baseball. He chose to go with baseball, a sport he has played since the age of four. He received interest for his baseball from five other area schools before choosing Coffeyville. He also got interest from several football programs, including Harding University, Mississippi Valley State, Arkansas Tech and Arkansas State.
With all the opportunities presented to him, Brown said the decision to become a Red Raven was an easy one.
“It felt like home,” Brown said of Coffeyville. “The coaches called me every day and texted. When I went on my visit, the players on the team made me feel like a brother. So when I go off to college, it will be like going to be with my second family.”
He gives much of the credit for his success to his parents, Harold and Evelyn Brown, and said his grandfather Lawrence, who also played baseball, was a big influence on him in his developmental years.
“My mom and dad always kept a glove and a bat in my room from the time I was really young,” he said. “They have always inspired me. And my grandfather also played baseball. I’ve always looked up to him. He taught me how to play with pride.”
Brown almost exclusively plays shortstop for the Red Devils and for the Gwatney Chevrolet American Legion summer baseball team.
Football was a different story. Brown was an all-purpose player for Jacksonville head coach Mark Whatley, shifting from wideout to secondary to, occasionally, quarterback.
“He played anywhere you put him and always gave the same effort,” said Whatley. “He led by being committed to what he was doing and giving his all no matter where we stuck him on the field.”
Whatley said that, despite Brown’s speed and ability, it was more than raw talent that made Brown such a big asset.
“He’s a very intelligent young man,” Whatley said. “Usually the intelligent kids are the ones who are going to come up with those big plays for you. We’re certainly going to miss him. He did some great things, and always came up with a big play when we needed it.”
Whatley cited the Searcy game, when Brown scored two offensive touchdowns and two defensive touchdowns.
Brown finished with 26 receptions for 405 yards and six touchdowns. On defense, he had 31 tackles and four interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns.
He received player-of-the-week honors from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and Fox 16 sports.
His senior year of baseball is going just as well. Through the first half of the season, Brown is hitting .484, and has an on-base percentage of .660. He has four doubles and two home runs. He also leads the team in walks, hit-by-pitches, stolen bases and runs scored. The only offensive stat that Brown does not top is the RBI category.
“He’s got a lot going for him,” said Jacksonville coach Larry Burrows. “He has good character and a great personality. He’s just a good kid, that’s simply the best way to put it.”
Brown’s competitive nature and enthusiasm were the biggest factors in Burrows’ decision to make him the Red Devils’ leadoff hitter this spring.
“We expect him to get up there and spark us,” said Burrows. “He’s drawn a lot of walks from his leadoff spot. He would probably like to swing the bat a little more, but he does a good job of getting on and letting his teammates drive him in.”
Brown’s desire to stay in the world of athletics — and watching longtime Jacksonville trainer Jason Cates in action over the years — has given him the idea to pursue sports medicine.
“It’s a way for me to keep being around sports,” said Brown. “I may even get to come back to Jacksonville and be a trainer one day. The main thing is that it’s about helping people, and being a better person.”
SPORTS >> Golf hands out rewards, punishments arbitrarily
By KELLY FENTON
Leader sports editor
Two weeks ago, 62-year old Norwegian Unni Haskell recorded a hole-in-one on her very first official shot on a golf course.
Let me start by saying, golf is among the cruelest of sports. It is a game that once had my father hopping the fence and heading to a pub after missing a short putt on the fourth hole. It is a vile, pernicious activity, one which directly or indirectly is responsible for the luxurious lifestyles of many a psychologist.
It is a game (though “game” normally connotes joy and frivolity so I use that word reluctantly here) known for arbitrarily handing out punishment and reward without regard to the innate goodness or evil of its practitioners. Sadaam Hussein might have been blessed with a beautiful game while Mother Theresa probably would have suffered though a lifetime of shanks. North Korea maintains that crazed, evil leader Kim Jong Il once made 18 straight holes-in-one. Propaganda? You’d think so, but I’ve seen enough of this game to believe it could be true.
True story: A golfer many strokes my inferior once made a bet with me that he could get up and down in two from 30 yards off the green. I greedily accepted the bet as it required nothing from me or my hopelessly neurotic game.
The fellow chunked the first shot about 15 yards, then turned to me and asked for double-or-nothing on the same bet. Whereupon he holed his chip, winning BOTH bets.
Another true, equally odious story: I came into the 18th hole tied in three Nassaus with a fellow who proceeded to hit the ball way, way out of bounds … or so it seemed. Turns out his ball hit a condo some 50 yards off the fairway and bounded back into play. Shook beyond all hope of recovery, I ended up missing a two-footer to lose all three bets.
Anyway, it got me thinking about Ms. Haskell and the unlikely and, I hasten to add, wholly undeserved result of that first swing of hers.
Especially when I saw that she used a driver on the 75-yard hole and that the ball sprayed across the ground and “bumped, skittered and rolled” into the cup.
“I didn’t know it was that big of a deal,’’ she blithely told the St. Petersburg Times. “I thought all golfers do this.’’
No, Ms. Haskell, we do not. Oh, yeah, we hit shots like that – they just don’t go in the hole. They go into lakes, yes. Out of bounds, certainly. Into sand traps — if we’re lucky.
Anyway, it all got me thinking just how Mrs. Haskell’s husband must have reacted to his wife’s good fortune that day:
“Honey, it’s only 75 yards. Are you really going to use a driver?”
“Bjorn, please, it’s my first shot.”
“Look at that thing scoot! Why, it’s heading for the green! By God, it hit something and kicked right toward the hole … where did it go?”
“Why, I think it went in the hole, dear. Isn’t that the idea? You go ahead and hit. I think I’ll just walk around the rest of the day. This game seems stupid.”
“But … did … it really … go in the … the hole?”
“What’s the big deal, baby? I thought that was the object of the game.”
“But I’ve been playing 37 years. I was a six-handicap at one time. I NEVER got a hole-in one.”
“Maybe you try too hard, Bjorn. Honestly, it just doesn’t seem that difficult to me. Now go ahead and hit … Ooh, in the trap. Why did you hit it there, dear?”
“Well, of course, I didn’t mean to … Unni, do you realize how improbable what you just did is?”
“Really, you’re making too big of a deal of this … Ooh, you missed another one.”
“Missed another one! Why I just hit a sand shot to within a foot! That was a great shot!”
“It’s a miss, dear. But I think your trying to put a happy front on it is charming.”
“So you think every shot is supposed to go in the hole? That’s it! I can’t wait to see your drive on No. 2.”
“No, really, I’m done with this game. I just don’t see the point … Oh, dear, were you trying to miss that putt? Come on, quit joking around.”
“I’m NOT joking. Those are called yips. And I assure you, if you’ll just stick with this game, they’ll soon have you by the throat.”
(Yawning) “I’m sure you’re right, dear. But, really, I think I’ll try some other sport, one that presents a little challenge or has a little higher learning curve.”
“But I assure you, Unni, golf IS the most difficult game you’ll play. It is a vile, ugly, wholly unrewarding activity … Why, see there? See how I just duck- hooked my drive out of bounds? THAT’S what golf is! Now I insist you select a club and hit.”
“That’s sweet of you dear. But I think I’ll pass. Let’s go try to find your ball. If you’d just hit it in the hole, we’d always know where it was ... Try aiming for the green this time ... no, not at me, dear, the GREEN.
Leader sports editor
Two weeks ago, 62-year old Norwegian Unni Haskell recorded a hole-in-one on her very first official shot on a golf course.
Let me start by saying, golf is among the cruelest of sports. It is a game that once had my father hopping the fence and heading to a pub after missing a short putt on the fourth hole. It is a vile, pernicious activity, one which directly or indirectly is responsible for the luxurious lifestyles of many a psychologist.
It is a game (though “game” normally connotes joy and frivolity so I use that word reluctantly here) known for arbitrarily handing out punishment and reward without regard to the innate goodness or evil of its practitioners. Sadaam Hussein might have been blessed with a beautiful game while Mother Theresa probably would have suffered though a lifetime of shanks. North Korea maintains that crazed, evil leader Kim Jong Il once made 18 straight holes-in-one. Propaganda? You’d think so, but I’ve seen enough of this game to believe it could be true.
True story: A golfer many strokes my inferior once made a bet with me that he could get up and down in two from 30 yards off the green. I greedily accepted the bet as it required nothing from me or my hopelessly neurotic game.
The fellow chunked the first shot about 15 yards, then turned to me and asked for double-or-nothing on the same bet. Whereupon he holed his chip, winning BOTH bets.
Another true, equally odious story: I came into the 18th hole tied in three Nassaus with a fellow who proceeded to hit the ball way, way out of bounds … or so it seemed. Turns out his ball hit a condo some 50 yards off the fairway and bounded back into play. Shook beyond all hope of recovery, I ended up missing a two-footer to lose all three bets.
Anyway, it got me thinking about Ms. Haskell and the unlikely and, I hasten to add, wholly undeserved result of that first swing of hers.
Especially when I saw that she used a driver on the 75-yard hole and that the ball sprayed across the ground and “bumped, skittered and rolled” into the cup.
“I didn’t know it was that big of a deal,’’ she blithely told the St. Petersburg Times. “I thought all golfers do this.’’
No, Ms. Haskell, we do not. Oh, yeah, we hit shots like that – they just don’t go in the hole. They go into lakes, yes. Out of bounds, certainly. Into sand traps — if we’re lucky.
Anyway, it all got me thinking just how Mrs. Haskell’s husband must have reacted to his wife’s good fortune that day:
“Honey, it’s only 75 yards. Are you really going to use a driver?”
“Bjorn, please, it’s my first shot.”
“Look at that thing scoot! Why, it’s heading for the green! By God, it hit something and kicked right toward the hole … where did it go?”
“Why, I think it went in the hole, dear. Isn’t that the idea? You go ahead and hit. I think I’ll just walk around the rest of the day. This game seems stupid.”
“But … did … it really … go in the … the hole?”
“What’s the big deal, baby? I thought that was the object of the game.”
“But I’ve been playing 37 years. I was a six-handicap at one time. I NEVER got a hole-in one.”
“Maybe you try too hard, Bjorn. Honestly, it just doesn’t seem that difficult to me. Now go ahead and hit … Ooh, in the trap. Why did you hit it there, dear?”
“Well, of course, I didn’t mean to … Unni, do you realize how improbable what you just did is?”
“Really, you’re making too big of a deal of this … Ooh, you missed another one.”
“Missed another one! Why I just hit a sand shot to within a foot! That was a great shot!”
“It’s a miss, dear. But I think your trying to put a happy front on it is charming.”
“So you think every shot is supposed to go in the hole? That’s it! I can’t wait to see your drive on No. 2.”
“No, really, I’m done with this game. I just don’t see the point … Oh, dear, were you trying to miss that putt? Come on, quit joking around.”
“I’m NOT joking. Those are called yips. And I assure you, if you’ll just stick with this game, they’ll soon have you by the throat.”
(Yawning) “I’m sure you’re right, dear. But, really, I think I’ll try some other sport, one that presents a little challenge or has a little higher learning curve.”
“But I assure you, Unni, golf IS the most difficult game you’ll play. It is a vile, ugly, wholly unrewarding activity … Why, see there? See how I just duck- hooked my drive out of bounds? THAT’S what golf is! Now I insist you select a club and hit.”
“That’s sweet of you dear. But I think I’ll pass. Let’s go try to find your ball. If you’d just hit it in the hole, we’d always know where it was ... Try aiming for the green this time ... no, not at me, dear, the GREEN.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
TOP STORY >> An old bank gets a new name
By NANCY DOCKTER
Leader staff writer
Community Bank is changing its name this week. The familiar red, white and blue diamond-shaped logo of the bank will stay the same, but the name in the center is now “Centennial.”
“It is simply a name change for convenience for customers and shareholders – no ownership change,” said Tracy French, who has served as chief executive officer and president of Community Bank’s 11 locations, which are in Beebe, Cabot, Jacksonville and Ward.
With the change, French is now regional president over those locations as well as banks owned by the same holding company, located in Heber Springs, Mountain View and Searcy.
Community Bank is part of a banking network owned by HomeBancShares. Its other holdings include the former First State Bank of Conway, Centennial Bank of central and south Arkansas, the Bank of Mountain View, Twin City Bank of North Little Rock, and the Marine Bank of Florida. The conversion, which will put all six banks under one name, started last fall and will be completed in a couple of months.
The change will help customers “know that when they go to any of the 64 locations, they will be treated the same,” French said.
That has always been true, but the different names have created confusion for some, he said. “On vacation to the Florida Keys, they can bank there, just like you’re in Cabot,” he said.
The change will also mean greater efficiency for the Home-BancShares system. With six names, “there were so many things we had to do in sixes,” such as banking audits, French said.
Opening in 1903, Community Bank is one Arkansas’ oldest financial institutions. In December 2003, it was acquired by HomeBancShares, which has over $2.6 billion in assets. Its services include personal and business checking accounts, insurance, home lending, investments and title work.
The bank prides itself on its strong partnerships with the schools and communities where it is located.
Leader staff writer
Community Bank is changing its name this week. The familiar red, white and blue diamond-shaped logo of the bank will stay the same, but the name in the center is now “Centennial.”
“It is simply a name change for convenience for customers and shareholders – no ownership change,” said Tracy French, who has served as chief executive officer and president of Community Bank’s 11 locations, which are in Beebe, Cabot, Jacksonville and Ward.
With the change, French is now regional president over those locations as well as banks owned by the same holding company, located in Heber Springs, Mountain View and Searcy.
Community Bank is part of a banking network owned by HomeBancShares. Its other holdings include the former First State Bank of Conway, Centennial Bank of central and south Arkansas, the Bank of Mountain View, Twin City Bank of North Little Rock, and the Marine Bank of Florida. The conversion, which will put all six banks under one name, started last fall and will be completed in a couple of months.
The change will help customers “know that when they go to any of the 64 locations, they will be treated the same,” French said.
That has always been true, but the different names have created confusion for some, he said. “On vacation to the Florida Keys, they can bank there, just like you’re in Cabot,” he said.
The change will also mean greater efficiency for the Home-BancShares system. With six names, “there were so many things we had to do in sixes,” such as banking audits, French said.
Opening in 1903, Community Bank is one Arkansas’ oldest financial institutions. In December 2003, it was acquired by HomeBancShares, which has over $2.6 billion in assets. Its services include personal and business checking accounts, insurance, home lending, investments and title work.
The bank prides itself on its strong partnerships with the schools and communities where it is located.
TOP STORY >> Governor to speak to Ward chamber
By JOAN McCOY
Leader staff writer
Gov. Mike Beebe will be the guest speaker for the 35th annual Ward Chamber of Commerce banquet set for Thursday, April 2.
Jennie Sue Guess, who has organized the event for many years, said she got the governor to agree to come the same way she always gets top state and national leaders to attend. She asked.
Former Gov. Mike Huckabee al-so has been the guest speaker at a Ward chamber banquet as have former Senators David Pryor and Dale Bumpers.
Guess said the best turnout to date was when Pryor was the speaker.
Last year, the guest speaker was Attorney General Dustin McDaniel. In 2007, Lieutenant Governor Bill Halter spoke.
Guess says she has never been timid about asking prominent people to attend the banquet so she really doesn’t understand how she neglected to ask Bill Clinton.
In addition to being known for the caliber of its speakers, the Ward chamber banquet is also known for the quality of its food.
Guess said she only serves food that she knows to be good. This year, the banquet will be catered by Grandpa’s, a Cabot restaurant. Brisket, potato salad and green salad will be served with lemon cheese cake and Coca Cola cake for dessert.
“The brisket is so tender you don’t need a knife to cut it,” Guess said.
Lonoke County Prosecutor Will Feland will be the master of ceremony for the evening. State Sen. Bobby Glover (D-Carlisle) will introduce the governor. And just to make sure no one is left out, State Rep. David Carter (R-Cabot) will lead the Pledge of Allegiance.
Celina Miranda, a 13-year-old guitar player and vocalist from Cabot, will perform.
The 2009 board members are officers Mayor Art Brooke, president; Sharon Roberts, vice president; Karen Thomas, secretary; Nancy Myers, treasurer; and board members Billie Haymes, Jaunita Horn, Shirley Sanders and Richard Bradshaw.
The evening begins with a social hour from 6 to 7 p.m. Dinner will be served at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $20. Guess said she expects about 200 guests.
For reservations call 843-8348.
Leader staff writer
Gov. Mike Beebe will be the guest speaker for the 35th annual Ward Chamber of Commerce banquet set for Thursday, April 2.
Jennie Sue Guess, who has organized the event for many years, said she got the governor to agree to come the same way she always gets top state and national leaders to attend. She asked.
Former Gov. Mike Huckabee al-so has been the guest speaker at a Ward chamber banquet as have former Senators David Pryor and Dale Bumpers.
Guess said the best turnout to date was when Pryor was the speaker.
Last year, the guest speaker was Attorney General Dustin McDaniel. In 2007, Lieutenant Governor Bill Halter spoke.
Guess says she has never been timid about asking prominent people to attend the banquet so she really doesn’t understand how she neglected to ask Bill Clinton.
In addition to being known for the caliber of its speakers, the Ward chamber banquet is also known for the quality of its food.
Guess said she only serves food that she knows to be good. This year, the banquet will be catered by Grandpa’s, a Cabot restaurant. Brisket, potato salad and green salad will be served with lemon cheese cake and Coca Cola cake for dessert.
“The brisket is so tender you don’t need a knife to cut it,” Guess said.
Lonoke County Prosecutor Will Feland will be the master of ceremony for the evening. State Sen. Bobby Glover (D-Carlisle) will introduce the governor. And just to make sure no one is left out, State Rep. David Carter (R-Cabot) will lead the Pledge of Allegiance.
Celina Miranda, a 13-year-old guitar player and vocalist from Cabot, will perform.
The 2009 board members are officers Mayor Art Brooke, president; Sharon Roberts, vice president; Karen Thomas, secretary; Nancy Myers, treasurer; and board members Billie Haymes, Jaunita Horn, Shirley Sanders and Richard Bradshaw.
The evening begins with a social hour from 6 to 7 p.m. Dinner will be served at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $20. Guess said she expects about 200 guests.
For reservations call 843-8348.
TOP STORY >> Austin native returns to run police department
By JOAN McCOY
Leader staff writer
Austin’s new police chief says he is grateful for his six years at the Jacksonville Police Department, which he calls “one of the top-notch police departments in the state.”
But he’s happy to be back in Austin where he grew up and where he started work as a part-time police officer eight years ago.
John Staley, 29, moved into his new position on March 16, taking over from interim Police Chief Woody McEuen, who replaced former Chief J.J. Martin when he left in January to head the public safety department at ASU-Beebe.
Staley was one of 11 applicants for the job, which Mayor Bernie Chamberlain calls an astounding number considering that the job pays $545 a week plus benefits.
But Staley says the money is less important than the work.
“Law enforcement isn’t about the money; it’s about making a difference in your community,” Staley said. “I think the sign says Austin has a population of 608 but as I drive around looking at the houses, I think it’s between 2,000 and 3,000.
“This is home,” he said.
“And it’s not just about enforcement; it’s about being community-oriented. It’s kind of like being a preacher. It’s a calling. If you don’t like what you’re doing, you’re not going to do it very long.”
Chamberlain said she was impressed with Staley’s work experience and training. In Jacksonville, he was a patrol sergeant working he midnight shift. But he also had worked as a school resource officer and he was trained in crisis negotiation.
“He’s got a good personality and he’s been around,” the mayor said. “I think he’ll do a good job for us.”
His first major undertaking as police chief will be a “round-up” Saturday when police officers will knock on doors and serve outstanding warrants. Again, Staley says it’s not about the money the city could potentially gain in unpaid fines.
Having a warrant hanging over your head is a needless burden, he said. It is far better for speeders and other minor offenders to go to court and make payments on their fines than to worry about it.
Staley says he prefers warning tickets for traffic violations whenever possible.
“We don’t want to punish people. We want to educate them,” he said, adding that good law enforcement officers are a lot like teachers.
“Law enforcement is about communication,” he said.
Although he has run twice for Lonoke County sheriff, Staley said he won’t run next year. His goal now is to get his officers better trained and make the Austin Police Department as good as it can be, he said.
Leader staff writer
Austin’s new police chief says he is grateful for his six years at the Jacksonville Police Department, which he calls “one of the top-notch police departments in the state.”
But he’s happy to be back in Austin where he grew up and where he started work as a part-time police officer eight years ago.
John Staley, 29, moved into his new position on March 16, taking over from interim Police Chief Woody McEuen, who replaced former Chief J.J. Martin when he left in January to head the public safety department at ASU-Beebe.
Staley was one of 11 applicants for the job, which Mayor Bernie Chamberlain calls an astounding number considering that the job pays $545 a week plus benefits.
But Staley says the money is less important than the work.
“Law enforcement isn’t about the money; it’s about making a difference in your community,” Staley said. “I think the sign says Austin has a population of 608 but as I drive around looking at the houses, I think it’s between 2,000 and 3,000.
“This is home,” he said.
“And it’s not just about enforcement; it’s about being community-oriented. It’s kind of like being a preacher. It’s a calling. If you don’t like what you’re doing, you’re not going to do it very long.”
Chamberlain said she was impressed with Staley’s work experience and training. In Jacksonville, he was a patrol sergeant working he midnight shift. But he also had worked as a school resource officer and he was trained in crisis negotiation.
“He’s got a good personality and he’s been around,” the mayor said. “I think he’ll do a good job for us.”
His first major undertaking as police chief will be a “round-up” Saturday when police officers will knock on doors and serve outstanding warrants. Again, Staley says it’s not about the money the city could potentially gain in unpaid fines.
Having a warrant hanging over your head is a needless burden, he said. It is far better for speeders and other minor offenders to go to court and make payments on their fines than to worry about it.
Staley says he prefers warning tickets for traffic violations whenever possible.
“We don’t want to punish people. We want to educate them,” he said, adding that good law enforcement officers are a lot like teachers.
“Law enforcement is about communication,” he said.
Although he has run twice for Lonoke County sheriff, Staley said he won’t run next year. His goal now is to get his officers better trained and make the Austin Police Department as good as it can be, he said.
TOP STORY >> Treasure hunter tells trade secrets
By JEFFREY SMITH
Leader staff writer
Wilf Blum, an underwater treasure hunter and founder of Deep Blue Marine, loves his job because it’s as rewarding and exciting as an adventure movie.
He recovers long-lost ships deep underwater, using modern technology and a sixth sense. He says there’s money to be made going after sunken treasures.
Blum spoke last week at the Jacksonville Museum of Military History about his explorations in the Caribbean. He brought one of his large finds from the French ship Scipion, a 241-year-old cannon used by the French against the British during the American Revolutionary War.
Before starting his treasure-hunting business four years ago, Blum was in public relations. Blum took a risk when he started his business. Plans with another treasure diver did not materialize but Blum had researched salvaging shipwrecks and Deep Blue Marine was formed.
Deep Blue Marine has one more year of work with the Scipion before moving on to another shipwreck. Blum says that while shipwreck work can be lucrative, it’s hard to put an exact figure on historical items.
Blum and his company, based in Salt Lake City, Utah, started work in 2007 recovering artifacts from the Scipion, a sunken 18th century 74-gun ship from France. The Scipion was one of 20 ships France sent to the U.S. to assist in the Revolutionary War. The ship was involved in the Chesapeake Bay blockade between the French and the British from Aug. 28, 1781, until Sept. 9, 1781.
Some historians claim the blockade was the turning point for the U.S. in the fight for independence from England.
According to Blum, the Scipion had a crew of 750. The copper-bottom ship was 171 feet long and 44 feet wide. The deck was five-stories tall. The ship with full masts and sails looked like a 22-story building going by on the sea.
On Oct. 18, 1782, the Scipion dropped anchor off the eastern coast of the Dominican Republic and then crashed on the neighboring coral head and sank.
The ship rests in Samana Bay under 25 feet of sea water at the mouth of a river. The force of the wreck on to the coral bent the brass nails used in the construction of the ship.
“There’s no history of anyone dying in the wreck,” Blum said.
He said if the salvage crew were to find human remains, they would be gathered and returned to the country of origin for burial.
Blum estimated there were 15 other ships to find in the bottom of the Samana Bay.
Deep Blue Marine has an agreement with the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Navy protects the site.
“Fifty percent of the artifacts we find stay in the museums in the Dominican Republic. The Dominican government allows us to bring up eight cannons,” Blum said.
The company’s 93-foot long recovery boat is equipped with outriggers that can lift 80,000 pounds. The boat goes out to the recovery site for 10 days and comes back to port for six.
A team of nine divers are in the water from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. They break for lunch and take a 20-minute rest. They average five to nine dives a day pulling up artifacts. With the shallow water, the divers have no problems with the “bends.”
Visibility ranges from several feet to an inch. They work without dive computers. The worksite is murky with artifacts encrusted with sulfides, algae and mussels. Many relics are buried deep in the protective sands.
Blum said, “Two of the cannons we found still have the fuses. The best finds are found in the sands under the hull.”
The cannon he put on display in Jacksonville was made in 1768. It weighs 4,493 pounds and is nine feet long. It was the 39th gun located on the portside of the Scipion. The gun fired 18-pound shot balls. Inscribed on the cannon are the craftsman’s initials and the foundry’s name.
It took 18 months to restore the cannon, filling in the pits and cleaning the gun with electrolysis.
The gun carriage was constructed from blueprints in reference books.
The Deep Blue Marine crew maps the location and photographs the recovered artifacts. All items are transported in water back to the company’s headquarters. It takes about two years to conserve the artifacts.
Preservation is a necessity, Blum said. If it wasn’t for preservation, the wooden objects would shrink and be destroyed within two weeks.
It takes several steps. For six to eight months, timber is put in fresh-water tanks for the sea salt to seep out. Then the wood is submerged in acetone to replace the water. The wood then goes to a freeze-dryer to remove the acetone as the final step.
When rope is found from the Scipion, it is sun-dried. The brittle rope is then preserved in fiberglass resin.
Deep Blue Marine has recovered barrel hoops, 47 blocks and dead-eyes from the ship. They found bar shots fired by cannons, a pure silver sacrament cup, a brass chandelier base, kitchen utensils, a telescope and the captain’s copper wash basin.
Among other items the divers have recovered are full bottles of wine, coins, buttons, old rope, lines, lots of sulfur and a bilge pump that many museums are interested in owning.
The weather has not always been calm at the recovery site. The crew fought seven hurricanes in 2007.
“We go into port when there are hurricanes,” Blum said.
Blum, a U.S citizen born in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada, lives in Utah. He is married and has three grown children who have assisted with the salvage dives.
Leader staff writer
Wilf Blum, an underwater treasure hunter and founder of Deep Blue Marine, loves his job because it’s as rewarding and exciting as an adventure movie.
He recovers long-lost ships deep underwater, using modern technology and a sixth sense. He says there’s money to be made going after sunken treasures.
Blum spoke last week at the Jacksonville Museum of Military History about his explorations in the Caribbean. He brought one of his large finds from the French ship Scipion, a 241-year-old cannon used by the French against the British during the American Revolutionary War.
Before starting his treasure-hunting business four years ago, Blum was in public relations. Blum took a risk when he started his business. Plans with another treasure diver did not materialize but Blum had researched salvaging shipwrecks and Deep Blue Marine was formed.
Deep Blue Marine has one more year of work with the Scipion before moving on to another shipwreck. Blum says that while shipwreck work can be lucrative, it’s hard to put an exact figure on historical items.
Blum and his company, based in Salt Lake City, Utah, started work in 2007 recovering artifacts from the Scipion, a sunken 18th century 74-gun ship from France. The Scipion was one of 20 ships France sent to the U.S. to assist in the Revolutionary War. The ship was involved in the Chesapeake Bay blockade between the French and the British from Aug. 28, 1781, until Sept. 9, 1781.
Some historians claim the blockade was the turning point for the U.S. in the fight for independence from England.
According to Blum, the Scipion had a crew of 750. The copper-bottom ship was 171 feet long and 44 feet wide. The deck was five-stories tall. The ship with full masts and sails looked like a 22-story building going by on the sea.
On Oct. 18, 1782, the Scipion dropped anchor off the eastern coast of the Dominican Republic and then crashed on the neighboring coral head and sank.
The ship rests in Samana Bay under 25 feet of sea water at the mouth of a river. The force of the wreck on to the coral bent the brass nails used in the construction of the ship.
“There’s no history of anyone dying in the wreck,” Blum said.
He said if the salvage crew were to find human remains, they would be gathered and returned to the country of origin for burial.
Blum estimated there were 15 other ships to find in the bottom of the Samana Bay.
Deep Blue Marine has an agreement with the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Navy protects the site.
“Fifty percent of the artifacts we find stay in the museums in the Dominican Republic. The Dominican government allows us to bring up eight cannons,” Blum said.
The company’s 93-foot long recovery boat is equipped with outriggers that can lift 80,000 pounds. The boat goes out to the recovery site for 10 days and comes back to port for six.
A team of nine divers are in the water from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. They break for lunch and take a 20-minute rest. They average five to nine dives a day pulling up artifacts. With the shallow water, the divers have no problems with the “bends.”
Visibility ranges from several feet to an inch. They work without dive computers. The worksite is murky with artifacts encrusted with sulfides, algae and mussels. Many relics are buried deep in the protective sands.
Blum said, “Two of the cannons we found still have the fuses. The best finds are found in the sands under the hull.”
The cannon he put on display in Jacksonville was made in 1768. It weighs 4,493 pounds and is nine feet long. It was the 39th gun located on the portside of the Scipion. The gun fired 18-pound shot balls. Inscribed on the cannon are the craftsman’s initials and the foundry’s name.
It took 18 months to restore the cannon, filling in the pits and cleaning the gun with electrolysis.
The gun carriage was constructed from blueprints in reference books.
The Deep Blue Marine crew maps the location and photographs the recovered artifacts. All items are transported in water back to the company’s headquarters. It takes about two years to conserve the artifacts.
Preservation is a necessity, Blum said. If it wasn’t for preservation, the wooden objects would shrink and be destroyed within two weeks.
It takes several steps. For six to eight months, timber is put in fresh-water tanks for the sea salt to seep out. Then the wood is submerged in acetone to replace the water. The wood then goes to a freeze-dryer to remove the acetone as the final step.
When rope is found from the Scipion, it is sun-dried. The brittle rope is then preserved in fiberglass resin.
Deep Blue Marine has recovered barrel hoops, 47 blocks and dead-eyes from the ship. They found bar shots fired by cannons, a pure silver sacrament cup, a brass chandelier base, kitchen utensils, a telescope and the captain’s copper wash basin.
Among other items the divers have recovered are full bottles of wine, coins, buttons, old rope, lines, lots of sulfur and a bilge pump that many museums are interested in owning.
The weather has not always been calm at the recovery site. The crew fought seven hurricanes in 2007.
“We go into port when there are hurricanes,” Blum said.
Blum, a U.S citizen born in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada, lives in Utah. He is married and has three grown children who have assisted with the salvage dives.
EDITORIAL >> Lacking compassion
The Know Nothing Party foundered 150 years ago because it could not stir enough Arkansans to fear being overrun by their culture, corrupted by Irish and German Catholics, but its descendants are alive and well. Still another bill to allow some undocumented immigrants to attend college in Arkansas at regular tuition rates died in the state Senate after a few people complained that it would invite a horde of Mexicans into the state.
The Senate Education Committee buried a bill by Sen. Joyce Elliott to allow immigrant kids to attend state universities and technical colleges at the regular tuition rates if they attended Arkansas high schools the previous three years and graduated with the requisite course work and if they signed affidavits saying they intended to seek citizenship.
Sen. Elliott tried to do it in 2005 and had the warm support of Governor Mike Huckabee, who took a beating from nativist Republicans for his stand for Christian compassion. Rush Limbaugh, Mitt Romney and Tom Tancredo gave him a pounding in the presidential campaign, but he sometimes stood his ground. It is the only premise for the case that Arkansas traded down when it elected Mike Beebe to take Huckabee’s place. Beebe says that while he is somewhat sympathetic, he opposes in-state tuition for undocumented youngsters because he believes it conflicts with federal law. His education director naturally adopts the same attitude.
It is a thin argument. Eleven states, including fiercely anti-immigrant Oklahoma and Texas, have adopted the same in-state tuition policy. It is less than clear that the bill would flout the federal mandate, which says that an unlawful alien cannot be eligible for any post-secondary benefit that is not available to citizens from other states if the benefit is based only upon residency in the state.
Of course, it would not be based purely upon Arkansas residency but upon the students having mastered three years of high school in Arkansas and met other requirements.
But the federal law conveniently allows the governor and legislators to please the nativists without answering to their own consciences: I just hate it, but the feds made me do it.
Dr. David Gearhart, the chancellor of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, needed no such alibi. He did not think the bill violated federal laws and he believed its passage “is very important to the future of this state.” But he didn’t prevail. The legislators thought it better to keep the youngsters uneducated and unproductive than to risk letting them enjoy even one small benefit of our benevolent society. —E.D.
The Senate Education Committee buried a bill by Sen. Joyce Elliott to allow immigrant kids to attend state universities and technical colleges at the regular tuition rates if they attended Arkansas high schools the previous three years and graduated with the requisite course work and if they signed affidavits saying they intended to seek citizenship.
Sen. Elliott tried to do it in 2005 and had the warm support of Governor Mike Huckabee, who took a beating from nativist Republicans for his stand for Christian compassion. Rush Limbaugh, Mitt Romney and Tom Tancredo gave him a pounding in the presidential campaign, but he sometimes stood his ground. It is the only premise for the case that Arkansas traded down when it elected Mike Beebe to take Huckabee’s place. Beebe says that while he is somewhat sympathetic, he opposes in-state tuition for undocumented youngsters because he believes it conflicts with federal law. His education director naturally adopts the same attitude.
It is a thin argument. Eleven states, including fiercely anti-immigrant Oklahoma and Texas, have adopted the same in-state tuition policy. It is less than clear that the bill would flout the federal mandate, which says that an unlawful alien cannot be eligible for any post-secondary benefit that is not available to citizens from other states if the benefit is based only upon residency in the state.
Of course, it would not be based purely upon Arkansas residency but upon the students having mastered three years of high school in Arkansas and met other requirements.
But the federal law conveniently allows the governor and legislators to please the nativists without answering to their own consciences: I just hate it, but the feds made me do it.
Dr. David Gearhart, the chancellor of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, needed no such alibi. He did not think the bill violated federal laws and he believed its passage “is very important to the future of this state.” But he didn’t prevail. The legislators thought it better to keep the youngsters uneducated and unproductive than to risk letting them enjoy even one small benefit of our benevolent society. —E.D.
EDITORIAL >> ‘Reform’ hard to stomach
When lawmakers take up something labeled “reform,” particularly if it deals with ethics and public service, it is no time to be complacent. The state Senate confirmed that with its handling of Attorney General Dustin McDaniel’s “ethics reform” package.
From the start, McDaniel’s proposals contained a minimum of ethics, and even that was laden with sweeteners for public officials who are loathe to surrender the disguised perks of office, like meals and gifts from lobbyists and other agents for interests seeking the favor of government.
Easily the best bill in McDaniel’s package imposed a cooling-off period after public office during which legislators and other public servants could not be hired to lobby the legislature or other divisions of the government they had just left. The idea is that lawmakers and executive decision-makers should not be influenced by the prospects of future employment.
Arkansas Business supplied a good case in point last week, although the specifics would not be covered by McDaniel’s bill. Attorneys for three surgical hospitals who are in a dispute with United HealthCare supplied evidence that Julie Benafield Bowman, Gov. Mike Huckabee’s state insurance commissioner, who left last year to take an executive position with the insurance company, was wined and dined by lawyers and lobbyists for the company before and after she ruled in its favor against the hospitals. She is now the company’s director of regulatory affairs for Arkansas and Tennessee. Bowman insisted that the country club dinners did not influence her decision for the company and neither was she angling for a job when she favored the company. Fine, but does her explanation engender trust?
McDaniel’s bill would prevent state officials from becoming a lobbyist for one year after leaving their office, although it would not bar them from taking other jobs like Bowman’s with companies or organizations that have been affected by their official actions. We need not worry about that omission because even the lobbying moratorium was more than the Senate State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee could stomach. Term-limited former legislators populate the hallways at the next legislative session, working for interest groups they had helped during their legislative sojourns. The committee did not want to close that career prospect and killed the bill.
It did breathe some life into another small ethics bill, which would ban so-called “absentee lobbying.” Lobbyists could not pay for drinks and meals for lawmakers if they were not present. Lobbyists sometimes provide a credit card to treat lawmakers when they are not around.
To no one’s surprise, the senators grabbed hold of another McDaniel bill that was meant to be a sweetener for the ethics package. It would double the amount of carry-over funds that elected officials can keep in their campaign coffers and spend on political activities after the election. Officials who face no competition in an election nevertheless build large campaign treasuries, which they are then free to use up to a maximum. Lobbyists kick in to these slush funds, which buys just as much influence as free meals, travel, lodging and entertainment.
Legislators cannot be counted upon to place principle ahead of self-interest. We need an initiated act to strictly protect the public interest. Is there a group with the interest and money to undertake it?
From the start, McDaniel’s proposals contained a minimum of ethics, and even that was laden with sweeteners for public officials who are loathe to surrender the disguised perks of office, like meals and gifts from lobbyists and other agents for interests seeking the favor of government.
Easily the best bill in McDaniel’s package imposed a cooling-off period after public office during which legislators and other public servants could not be hired to lobby the legislature or other divisions of the government they had just left. The idea is that lawmakers and executive decision-makers should not be influenced by the prospects of future employment.
Arkansas Business supplied a good case in point last week, although the specifics would not be covered by McDaniel’s bill. Attorneys for three surgical hospitals who are in a dispute with United HealthCare supplied evidence that Julie Benafield Bowman, Gov. Mike Huckabee’s state insurance commissioner, who left last year to take an executive position with the insurance company, was wined and dined by lawyers and lobbyists for the company before and after she ruled in its favor against the hospitals. She is now the company’s director of regulatory affairs for Arkansas and Tennessee. Bowman insisted that the country club dinners did not influence her decision for the company and neither was she angling for a job when she favored the company. Fine, but does her explanation engender trust?
McDaniel’s bill would prevent state officials from becoming a lobbyist for one year after leaving their office, although it would not bar them from taking other jobs like Bowman’s with companies or organizations that have been affected by their official actions. We need not worry about that omission because even the lobbying moratorium was more than the Senate State Agencies and Governmental Affairs Committee could stomach. Term-limited former legislators populate the hallways at the next legislative session, working for interest groups they had helped during their legislative sojourns. The committee did not want to close that career prospect and killed the bill.
It did breathe some life into another small ethics bill, which would ban so-called “absentee lobbying.” Lobbyists could not pay for drinks and meals for lawmakers if they were not present. Lobbyists sometimes provide a credit card to treat lawmakers when they are not around.
To no one’s surprise, the senators grabbed hold of another McDaniel bill that was meant to be a sweetener for the ethics package. It would double the amount of carry-over funds that elected officials can keep in their campaign coffers and spend on political activities after the election. Officials who face no competition in an election nevertheless build large campaign treasuries, which they are then free to use up to a maximum. Lobbyists kick in to these slush funds, which buys just as much influence as free meals, travel, lodging and entertainment.
Legislators cannot be counted upon to place principle ahead of self-interest. We need an initiated act to strictly protect the public interest. Is there a group with the interest and money to undertake it?
TOP STORY >> Doctors say rent increase too high
By GARRICK FELDMAN
Leader publisher
Two medical practices — one in Jacksonville and the other in Cabot — could move because of a dispute over their rent, which has more than doubled this year.
Eleven doctors who have worked in Jacksonville for decades are considering moving their practice to Sherwood, where they’ve been offered lower rent. The Cabot doctors are younger and are thinking about building their own clinic.
The groups have severed their employee contract with North Metro, which led to the higher rents. Some doctors did not receive any pay in January and early February because of the split and had to wait for insurance reimbursements before they could draw a paycheck.
The two clinics — one next to the Jacksonville hospital on Braden Street, the other on West Main Street in Cabot — were affiliated with North Metro Medical Center but split from the hospital this year. Jacksonville owns the properties and told the doctors their rents would rise to reflect their fair-market value.
The rent jumped from $5 per square foot to $17 per square foot in Jacksonville, or $459,000 a year. The rent increased from $9 a square foot to $18 a square foot in Cabot, or $270,000 a year. But the higher rent includes maintenance and other services provided by the hospital, which the doctors used to pay for until this year because of the lower rent.
St. Vincent Medical Center/North in Sherwood has offered the Jacksonville doctors $14 a square foot, which would save them about $100,000 a year. They’re considering the offer because some of the doctors, after paying malpractice insurance, make just about that much a year.
The doctors in Cabot have offered Jacksonville $4.5 million for the clinic. The city says it’s worth $4.9 million. They’re thinking about building their own clinic if they can’t reach an agreement with Jacksonville.
The Jacksonville doctors have practiced in the area for decades and say they don’t want to abandon their patients, many of whom are on Medicare and may find it difficult to drive to Sherwood.
“We don’t want to, but we may have no choice,” Sharon Stephens, administrator for the medical groups, said about the possible move to Sherwood.
“We’d like to see the lease lowered and stay in Jacksonville,” Stephens said. “All are committed to staying together,” Stephens said.
The doctors are glad to take care of elderly patients, even though Medicare doesn’t cover their costs, Stephens said. They also offer care to military patients at cost, she said.
The doctors were told last March that their rent would be going up, so they sought an appraisal. Both appraisals were by Arkansas Appraisal.
But the doctors say the appraisal is unfair because it considers Jacksonville property as valuable as west Little Rock and Conway, where rents are about $20-$22 per square foot.
The Jacksonville clinic opened in June 1998. The Cabot clinic opened in February 1997.
As of the end of 2008, the group no longer had an employee contract with North Metro.
But they “never received a dime” from the hospital, Stephens said.
The clinics are owned by the hospital and are under the authority of the hospital board.
The board is required by federal rules to charge a rent that aligns with the appraised value of a medical facility, explained Mayor Tommy Swaim, who is also the chairman of the hospital board. He says he is supportive of possible efforts by the doctors to get a second opinion about the value of the building.
“Nobody wants to pay any more rent than they have to, and we don’t want to make them pay any more, but the hospital is obligated to charge a rent that is based on fair-market value,” Swaim said. “The doctors are the backbone of the medical community, and we want to work with them, and that is what we are trying to do.”
The Jacksonville clinic has 60 employees in addition to the 11 doctors. The Cabot clinic has 30 employees in addition to the six doctors.
Nancy Dockter contributed to this report.
Leader publisher
Two medical practices — one in Jacksonville and the other in Cabot — could move because of a dispute over their rent, which has more than doubled this year.
Eleven doctors who have worked in Jacksonville for decades are considering moving their practice to Sherwood, where they’ve been offered lower rent. The Cabot doctors are younger and are thinking about building their own clinic.
The groups have severed their employee contract with North Metro, which led to the higher rents. Some doctors did not receive any pay in January and early February because of the split and had to wait for insurance reimbursements before they could draw a paycheck.
The two clinics — one next to the Jacksonville hospital on Braden Street, the other on West Main Street in Cabot — were affiliated with North Metro Medical Center but split from the hospital this year. Jacksonville owns the properties and told the doctors their rents would rise to reflect their fair-market value.
The rent jumped from $5 per square foot to $17 per square foot in Jacksonville, or $459,000 a year. The rent increased from $9 a square foot to $18 a square foot in Cabot, or $270,000 a year. But the higher rent includes maintenance and other services provided by the hospital, which the doctors used to pay for until this year because of the lower rent.
St. Vincent Medical Center/North in Sherwood has offered the Jacksonville doctors $14 a square foot, which would save them about $100,000 a year. They’re considering the offer because some of the doctors, after paying malpractice insurance, make just about that much a year.
The doctors in Cabot have offered Jacksonville $4.5 million for the clinic. The city says it’s worth $4.9 million. They’re thinking about building their own clinic if they can’t reach an agreement with Jacksonville.
The Jacksonville doctors have practiced in the area for decades and say they don’t want to abandon their patients, many of whom are on Medicare and may find it difficult to drive to Sherwood.
“We don’t want to, but we may have no choice,” Sharon Stephens, administrator for the medical groups, said about the possible move to Sherwood.
“We’d like to see the lease lowered and stay in Jacksonville,” Stephens said. “All are committed to staying together,” Stephens said.
The doctors are glad to take care of elderly patients, even though Medicare doesn’t cover their costs, Stephens said. They also offer care to military patients at cost, she said.
The doctors were told last March that their rent would be going up, so they sought an appraisal. Both appraisals were by Arkansas Appraisal.
But the doctors say the appraisal is unfair because it considers Jacksonville property as valuable as west Little Rock and Conway, where rents are about $20-$22 per square foot.
The Jacksonville clinic opened in June 1998. The Cabot clinic opened in February 1997.
As of the end of 2008, the group no longer had an employee contract with North Metro.
But they “never received a dime” from the hospital, Stephens said.
The clinics are owned by the hospital and are under the authority of the hospital board.
The board is required by federal rules to charge a rent that aligns with the appraised value of a medical facility, explained Mayor Tommy Swaim, who is also the chairman of the hospital board. He says he is supportive of possible efforts by the doctors to get a second opinion about the value of the building.
“Nobody wants to pay any more rent than they have to, and we don’t want to make them pay any more, but the hospital is obligated to charge a rent that is based on fair-market value,” Swaim said. “The doctors are the backbone of the medical community, and we want to work with them, and that is what we are trying to do.”
The Jacksonville clinic has 60 employees in addition to the 11 doctors. The Cabot clinic has 30 employees in addition to the six doctors.
Nancy Dockter contributed to this report.
TOP STORY >> Bids taken for $11.4M water line to Cabot
By JOAN McCOY
Leader staff writer
Bids will be opened April 2 on an $11.4 million water line from Gravel Ridge to Cabot to connect the city’s water system to Central Arkansas Water, which will be the city’s supplier in the future.
The project will be funded by the savings from a rate increase about five years ago.
By order of the state, Cabot must pull out of its well field between Beebe and Lonoke by 2023. At that time CAW is supposed to supply most if not all the water used by Cabot WaterWorks customers. But the commission that runs CWW reaffirmed last week that it is still interested in the Lonoke White Water Project as a backup supply of water from Greers Ferry Lake.
However, the commission said, its still doesn’t have enough information to sign an agreement and it won’t raise customers’ water rates to help build the Lonoke White Water Project.
“This is our main priority,” commission chairman J.M. Park said of laying the water line to connect Cabot to CAW.
The Lonoke White Project has been in the works for about 15 years. The estimated construction cost is $65 million.
The commissioners said that they have already signed a contract to pay for 250,000 gallons a day from the Lonoke White Project even if they don’t need the water. But they aren’t willing to pay for four times that amount as they have been asked to do.
And the fact that Tommy Bond, engineer for that project, said a month ago that the contracts needed to be signed within 45 days and the project needed to be started by June to be eligible for the economic-stimulus money has not persuaded them.
“We’ve got a lot of analysis yet to do,” said commissioner vice chairman Gary Walker.
“We won’t do a knee jerk to secure a one percent loan,” said Bill Cypert, commission secretary and spokesman.
Cypert said he didn’t want any of the commission’s remarks to be interpreted negatively, but the commission needs more information before it can make any decisions.
The Friday commission meeting was called to pass a resolution increasing the engineering fees for the water line from Gravel Ridge by $282,000.
The original agreement with USI Consulting Engineers was signed in December 2003 and since then more features have been added.
The commission agreed to the additional charges, but told Vernon Williams, the project engineer, that they would not approve any more charges.
“After this right here, there won’t be any more,” Walker said.
Tim Joyner, CWW general manager, told the commission that 26 companies picked up bid packets for the Gravel Ridge water line.
Williams told the commission that all the indicators say the cost of the project will be less than estimated. Material prices are down and gas is cheaper, he said.
“You guys picked the perfect time to do this,” Williams said.
Leader staff writer
Bids will be opened April 2 on an $11.4 million water line from Gravel Ridge to Cabot to connect the city’s water system to Central Arkansas Water, which will be the city’s supplier in the future.
The project will be funded by the savings from a rate increase about five years ago.
By order of the state, Cabot must pull out of its well field between Beebe and Lonoke by 2023. At that time CAW is supposed to supply most if not all the water used by Cabot WaterWorks customers. But the commission that runs CWW reaffirmed last week that it is still interested in the Lonoke White Water Project as a backup supply of water from Greers Ferry Lake.
However, the commission said, its still doesn’t have enough information to sign an agreement and it won’t raise customers’ water rates to help build the Lonoke White Water Project.
“This is our main priority,” commission chairman J.M. Park said of laying the water line to connect Cabot to CAW.
The Lonoke White Project has been in the works for about 15 years. The estimated construction cost is $65 million.
The commissioners said that they have already signed a contract to pay for 250,000 gallons a day from the Lonoke White Project even if they don’t need the water. But they aren’t willing to pay for four times that amount as they have been asked to do.
And the fact that Tommy Bond, engineer for that project, said a month ago that the contracts needed to be signed within 45 days and the project needed to be started by June to be eligible for the economic-stimulus money has not persuaded them.
“We’ve got a lot of analysis yet to do,” said commissioner vice chairman Gary Walker.
“We won’t do a knee jerk to secure a one percent loan,” said Bill Cypert, commission secretary and spokesman.
Cypert said he didn’t want any of the commission’s remarks to be interpreted negatively, but the commission needs more information before it can make any decisions.
The Friday commission meeting was called to pass a resolution increasing the engineering fees for the water line from Gravel Ridge by $282,000.
The original agreement with USI Consulting Engineers was signed in December 2003 and since then more features have been added.
The commission agreed to the additional charges, but told Vernon Williams, the project engineer, that they would not approve any more charges.
“After this right here, there won’t be any more,” Walker said.
Tim Joyner, CWW general manager, told the commission that 26 companies picked up bid packets for the Gravel Ridge water line.
Williams told the commission that all the indicators say the cost of the project will be less than estimated. Material prices are down and gas is cheaper, he said.
“You guys picked the perfect time to do this,” Williams said.
TOP STORY >> Police are understaffed
By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
Nationwide law-enforcement agencies are seeing shortages because of tough economic times, which has forced many cities and counties to delay hiring officers. Some layoffs have also occurred.
To help, the federal Justice Department has reauthorized the COPS (Community Oriented Policing Services) program in efforts to put 55,000 new officers on the streets as soon as possible.
There are shortages locally, too. Sherwood is down nine officers, Jacksonville is down three, Cabot is down two, while Lonoke County is even. The local shortages have nothing to do with the economy.
Jacksonville Mayor Tommy Swaim made it very clear at last week’s council meeting that even though there are openings, all of the city’s police positions are fully funded.
Both Jacksonville Police Chief Gary Sipes and Sherwood Police Chief Kel Nicholson said the problem is with background checks.
“Most applicants do well on the civil service exam and the psychological evaluation, but are dropped because of something in their background check,” Sipes said. That something is usually a run-in with the law when the applicant was younger.
Sherwood has nine open spots on the police force, but seven of those are positions that the city council recently approved and budgeted for, bringing the total number of slots for certified officers to 83.
The chief adds that he is losing three more officers soon, and has another three deployed fighting the war on terrorism. “We may have 12 openings to fill by testing time,” Nicholson said. “But our prospects are good.”
The chief said the city has scheduled its police testing for next month and there are already 172 applicants. “We normally only get about 75,” Nicholson said. He thinks the poor economy is actually helping.
“People are looking for something stable and a career with good benefits. Many of these applicants, if the economy was good, wouldn’t be thinking about law enforcement,” he said.
Nicholson said even though his certified police force is down about 15 percent, the city has not cut down on patrols. “We’ve pulled officers from different areas in the department to make sure we have them on the streets,” he said.
Jacksonville has 75 positions funded and three openings. “We had two deployed,” said April Kiser, spokesperson for the department, “but both returned last month.”
Cabot has 36 funded positions for certified police officers and is currently trying to fill the two vacancies it has. The department has one officer deployed and two in the academy, set to graduate in a few weeks.
Even though Lonoke County has all 24 of its positions filled, it’s in a unique situation. “Based on the federal standard for the population of our county we are actually down 30 deputies,” said Chief Dean White of the sheriff’s department. “But we work with what we have.”
The chief said five years ago the county had a call load of about 10,000, and last year that number was up near 20,000.
“But during the same time period we only added one deputy,” White said.
“Last year we asked the quorum court to fund eight positions, but they only gave us two,” he added.
Under the COPS grant program, the federal government will pay salaries and benefits of new officers for the first three years, then the cities or counties would have to take over.
Both Sherwood and Jacksonville are looking into the program.
Jacksonville Alderman Gary Fletcher thinks it’s a great idea. “Let’s say the cost for an officer is $45,000 a year, that means we can budget $15,000 a year for the first three years and have that fourth year covered. That’s a good investment.”
Under the Omnibus Appropriation Act signed by President Barack Obama on March 10, the COPS funding includes $187 million to update law enforcement technology, $39.5 million for increased meth investigations and enforcement, $20 million for Indian nation law-enforcement agencies, $18 million to aid in child-sexual predator elimination, $16 million for the Secure Our Schools program and $4 million for community policing development.
This is in addition to the $1 billion appropriated for the COPS hiring-recovery program under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
Leader staff writer
Nationwide law-enforcement agencies are seeing shortages because of tough economic times, which has forced many cities and counties to delay hiring officers. Some layoffs have also occurred.
To help, the federal Justice Department has reauthorized the COPS (Community Oriented Policing Services) program in efforts to put 55,000 new officers on the streets as soon as possible.
There are shortages locally, too. Sherwood is down nine officers, Jacksonville is down three, Cabot is down two, while Lonoke County is even. The local shortages have nothing to do with the economy.
Jacksonville Mayor Tommy Swaim made it very clear at last week’s council meeting that even though there are openings, all of the city’s police positions are fully funded.
Both Jacksonville Police Chief Gary Sipes and Sherwood Police Chief Kel Nicholson said the problem is with background checks.
“Most applicants do well on the civil service exam and the psychological evaluation, but are dropped because of something in their background check,” Sipes said. That something is usually a run-in with the law when the applicant was younger.
Sherwood has nine open spots on the police force, but seven of those are positions that the city council recently approved and budgeted for, bringing the total number of slots for certified officers to 83.
The chief adds that he is losing three more officers soon, and has another three deployed fighting the war on terrorism. “We may have 12 openings to fill by testing time,” Nicholson said. “But our prospects are good.”
The chief said the city has scheduled its police testing for next month and there are already 172 applicants. “We normally only get about 75,” Nicholson said. He thinks the poor economy is actually helping.
“People are looking for something stable and a career with good benefits. Many of these applicants, if the economy was good, wouldn’t be thinking about law enforcement,” he said.
Nicholson said even though his certified police force is down about 15 percent, the city has not cut down on patrols. “We’ve pulled officers from different areas in the department to make sure we have them on the streets,” he said.
Jacksonville has 75 positions funded and three openings. “We had two deployed,” said April Kiser, spokesperson for the department, “but both returned last month.”
Cabot has 36 funded positions for certified police officers and is currently trying to fill the two vacancies it has. The department has one officer deployed and two in the academy, set to graduate in a few weeks.
Even though Lonoke County has all 24 of its positions filled, it’s in a unique situation. “Based on the federal standard for the population of our county we are actually down 30 deputies,” said Chief Dean White of the sheriff’s department. “But we work with what we have.”
The chief said five years ago the county had a call load of about 10,000, and last year that number was up near 20,000.
“But during the same time period we only added one deputy,” White said.
“Last year we asked the quorum court to fund eight positions, but they only gave us two,” he added.
Under the COPS grant program, the federal government will pay salaries and benefits of new officers for the first three years, then the cities or counties would have to take over.
Both Sherwood and Jacksonville are looking into the program.
Jacksonville Alderman Gary Fletcher thinks it’s a great idea. “Let’s say the cost for an officer is $45,000 a year, that means we can budget $15,000 a year for the first three years and have that fourth year covered. That’s a good investment.”
Under the Omnibus Appropriation Act signed by President Barack Obama on March 10, the COPS funding includes $187 million to update law enforcement technology, $39.5 million for increased meth investigations and enforcement, $20 million for Indian nation law-enforcement agencies, $18 million to aid in child-sexual predator elimination, $16 million for the Secure Our Schools program and $4 million for community policing development.
This is in addition to the $1 billion appropriated for the COPS hiring-recovery program under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
TOP STORY >> Automated-trash pickup set
By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
Sherwood is spending more than $1 million to convert to an automated-refuse collection.
The city council on Monday authorized spending $1.107 million in a lease-purchase agreement for three Freightliner garbage trucks with an automated arm to pick up trash cans and 10,000 green trash carts.
The carts will all have serial numbers and be assigned to specific addresses.
Alderman Sheila Sulcer pointed out that the expense is no greater than what the city is already spending on garbage pickup.
Mayor Virginia Hillman added that the city would save money because each truck would have just one driver-operator rather than the current three-person team.
The automated system, which would require residents to bring the green cart out to the street curb on their designated pickup day, should also reduce workers’ compensation claim.
The trucks and carts will come in during the summer, and the carts delivered to residents sometime in late August. The new pickup system is projected to start Sept. 1.
The council approved a five-year lease agreement for the trucks and carts through Bancorp South with an interest of 3.62 percent and annual payments of $246,610.
In other council business:
– The council passed a resolution prioritizing its major road work, when and if funds become available.
According to the resolution, the city’s first concern is Brockington Road, followed by Oakbrooke Avenue, Maryland Avenue, Woodruff Avenue and Jacksonville Cut-Off.
According to the resolution, “the growth of the city has resulted in need for significant improvement of existing streets.”
The streets listed and their order was decided after a study by the city’s street committee.
– Aldermen passed resolutions condemning the structures at 9607 Hwy. 107 and 4600 Rixie Road, Lot 304 as public nuisances.
The owners have 30 days to bring the structures up to code or tear them down. If neither is done, then the city will go in and remove the structures.
The structure at 9607 Hwy. 107 is owned by Collins Development Co., and the one at 4600 Rixie Road is owned by Darryl Copeland, Chas Wakefield and Ted and Carol Merrill.
Leader staff writer
Sherwood is spending more than $1 million to convert to an automated-refuse collection.
The city council on Monday authorized spending $1.107 million in a lease-purchase agreement for three Freightliner garbage trucks with an automated arm to pick up trash cans and 10,000 green trash carts.
The carts will all have serial numbers and be assigned to specific addresses.
Alderman Sheila Sulcer pointed out that the expense is no greater than what the city is already spending on garbage pickup.
Mayor Virginia Hillman added that the city would save money because each truck would have just one driver-operator rather than the current three-person team.
The automated system, which would require residents to bring the green cart out to the street curb on their designated pickup day, should also reduce workers’ compensation claim.
The trucks and carts will come in during the summer, and the carts delivered to residents sometime in late August. The new pickup system is projected to start Sept. 1.
The council approved a five-year lease agreement for the trucks and carts through Bancorp South with an interest of 3.62 percent and annual payments of $246,610.
In other council business:
– The council passed a resolution prioritizing its major road work, when and if funds become available.
According to the resolution, the city’s first concern is Brockington Road, followed by Oakbrooke Avenue, Maryland Avenue, Woodruff Avenue and Jacksonville Cut-Off.
According to the resolution, “the growth of the city has resulted in need for significant improvement of existing streets.”
The streets listed and their order was decided after a study by the city’s street committee.
– Aldermen passed resolutions condemning the structures at 9607 Hwy. 107 and 4600 Rixie Road, Lot 304 as public nuisances.
The owners have 30 days to bring the structures up to code or tear them down. If neither is done, then the city will go in and remove the structures.
The structure at 9607 Hwy. 107 is owned by Collins Development Co., and the one at 4600 Rixie Road is owned by Darryl Copeland, Chas Wakefield and Ted and Carol Merrill.
TOP STORY >> Alamo ploy is an effort to hide past
By GARRICK FELDMAN
Leader publisher
With all the economic problems around us, you may not have noticed that the imprisoned evangelist Tony Alamo is about to go to trial on child-abuse charges.
Maybe you didn’t even know he was in prison again or that he has fired his lawyer and hired a new one who has made a name for himself defending accused child abusers like Alamo.
The Associated Press had a bombshell of a story last week informing us that Alamo’s new lawyer thinks Tony is too old and decrepit to have sex with underage girls.
The disgraced evangelist, who is 74, is accused of transporting young girls across state lines and taking them to motel rooms out West. He was caught with a couple of them last year, but who are you going to believe: Your lying eyes or an honest country preacher like Alamo?
California lawyer Danny Davis told the AP that poor eyesight and diminishing physical powers would make it difficult for Alamo to molest little girls.
Facing a 10-count federal indictment for transporting young girls across state lines for sex, Alamo remains in prison and is scheduled to go to trial in May.
“If the sexual act is impossible, the intent may be highly doubtful,’’ Davis pointed out to the AP. You have to wonder if Davis will put Alamo in the witness chair and try to convince the jury his client is all talk and no action.
After all, Tony has claimed he’s an honest-to-goodness bigamist, but maybe he didn’t really mean it.
Davis, whose office is in Beverly Hills, years ago defended Alamo in another molestation case, but it wasn’t tried because he went to prison for tax evasion.
Davis was one of the attorneys in the McMartin Pre-School molestation case, where his client was eventually acquitted.
He may be a good lawyer, but I was sorry to see Alamo has dumped John Wesley Hall Jr. as his attorney. Hall was ready to try the case, but maybe Alamo thought he needed a high-profile attorney to save him from prison for life.
Alamo doesn’t want to die behind bars, but if he’s convicted, he’ll get out of prison in a casket.
Davis will almost certainly ask for more time to prepare for the trial.
Leader publisher
With all the economic problems around us, you may not have noticed that the imprisoned evangelist Tony Alamo is about to go to trial on child-abuse charges.
Maybe you didn’t even know he was in prison again or that he has fired his lawyer and hired a new one who has made a name for himself defending accused child abusers like Alamo.
The Associated Press had a bombshell of a story last week informing us that Alamo’s new lawyer thinks Tony is too old and decrepit to have sex with underage girls.
The disgraced evangelist, who is 74, is accused of transporting young girls across state lines and taking them to motel rooms out West. He was caught with a couple of them last year, but who are you going to believe: Your lying eyes or an honest country preacher like Alamo?
California lawyer Danny Davis told the AP that poor eyesight and diminishing physical powers would make it difficult for Alamo to molest little girls.
Facing a 10-count federal indictment for transporting young girls across state lines for sex, Alamo remains in prison and is scheduled to go to trial in May.
“If the sexual act is impossible, the intent may be highly doubtful,’’ Davis pointed out to the AP. You have to wonder if Davis will put Alamo in the witness chair and try to convince the jury his client is all talk and no action.
After all, Tony has claimed he’s an honest-to-goodness bigamist, but maybe he didn’t really mean it.
Davis, whose office is in Beverly Hills, years ago defended Alamo in another molestation case, but it wasn’t tried because he went to prison for tax evasion.
Davis was one of the attorneys in the McMartin Pre-School molestation case, where his client was eventually acquitted.
He may be a good lawyer, but I was sorry to see Alamo has dumped John Wesley Hall Jr. as his attorney. Hall was ready to try the case, but maybe Alamo thought he needed a high-profile attorney to save him from prison for life.
Alamo doesn’t want to die behind bars, but if he’s convicted, he’ll get out of prison in a casket.
Davis will almost certainly ask for more time to prepare for the trial.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
SPORTS >> Devils rout W. Memphis
By KELLY FENTON
Leader sports editor
WEST MEMPHIS — Jacksonville pitching just keeps getting better and better and, with the return of injured hurler Michael Harmon expected next week, prospects look even brighter.
The Red Devils have allowed only two runs over the past three games after routing West Memphis in a doubleheader on Monday, 14-0 and 7-2. Last Friday, Tommy Sanders threw a five-inning shutout in the Red Devils’ 10-0 win over Little Rock Central.
“We’re pitching like I thought we’d be,” said Jacksonville head coach Larry Burrows after watching Seth Tomboli pitch a one-hitter and Michael Lamb pitch five strong innings in the nightcap.
Tomboli came within a strike of a no-hitter on Monday, but still got the win and the shutout while striking out nine. Jacksonville, which improved to 8-5 overall and 4-2 in the 6A-East, took advantage of a lot of walks to parlay eight hits into 14 runs. Sanders led the way with a pair of hits, while Caleb Mitchell drove in three runs.
Jacksonville trailed for the only time in the twin bill when it fell behind 2-1 in the nightcap. But the Devils rallied to take a 4-2 lead into the seventh, then added three insurance runs. Terrell Brown had a single, double and RBI in the game.
Lamb allowed only two hits over five innings while fanning five. Sanders closed out the final two innings. The Red Devils turned double plays to end the fifth and sixth innings.
The Red Devils had little trouble dispatching 7A Little Rock Central on Friday night, turning in a near-flawless performance in a 10-0 win.
Seven of the nine spots in the lineup had hits, with Sanders going 3 of 4 with three RBI. Sanders was masterful on the mound as well, pitching five innings of two-hit ball. He struck out six and walked four.
“Two of his outings have been like that,” Burrows said. “We expect that out of him. The big deal on Friday was he was throwing strikes. In the five games we’ve lost, with the exception of Catholic, we haven’t been around the plate. The games we’ve won, we’ve thrown strikes.”
Jacksonville wasted little time pouncing on the Tigers. Sanders beat out an infield single and scored on the first of Patrick Castleberry’s two doubles.
The Red Devils added three more with two outs in the second. Tomboli led off the inning by lining the first pitch left for a base hit. With two outs, Brown drew an intentional walk and Sanders doubled down the left field line to score Tomboli. Castleberry ripped a double to left to drive in two more for a 4-0 lead.
Sanders pitched out of a couple of early jams after walking two in the first, and loading the bases in the third on a walk, a hit batter and a single.
Jacksonville invoked the mercy rule with a six-run fifth, which included four hits. Nick Rodriguez walked, and Devon McClure was safe on an error when he laid down a sacrifice. After Logan Perry singled, Jacob Abrahamson was safe on a throwing error as McClure scored. Brown followed with an RBI single and Sanders lined a 0-1 pitch to right to bring home two more.
Mitchell then cleared the bases by lining the first pitch down the right-field line for a three-run double.
Jacksonville finished with 11 hits — three by Sanders and two each by Perry and Castleberry.
“It wasn’t necessarily how many hits we got, it was the way we competed at the plate,” Burrows said. “The last (Central pitcher) was tough with a good change up. We were fouling off pitches with two strikes. That’s the best we’ve done from top to bottom down the lineup.
“Even our nine-hole hitter (Abrahamson) got two strikes on him twice, put the ball in play and scored.”
Burrows said having two hard-throwing starters like Sanders and Tomboli that he can mix in with the lower-velocity pitching of Lamb should really help keep conference foes off stride during the doubleheaders.
“Seth and Tommy are up around 85-86 (miles per hour),” Burrows said. “When people see that for a full game, then see someone like Lamb — it will be nice to be able to change speeds a little.”
Burrows was quick to add that Lamb, who is just a sophomore, will eventually be a fast-ball thrower.
“He’s throwing around 80 right now, but he’s just a pup,” he said. “He’s eventually going to be like Harmon.”
Harmon, who hurt his hip several weeks ago, has been cleared to pitch and may see some action at the Xtra Innings Tournament in Jonesboro this weekend.
Jacksonville will play Nettleton on Thursday, Russellville on Friday and Pocahontas on Saturday.
Leader sports editor
WEST MEMPHIS — Jacksonville pitching just keeps getting better and better and, with the return of injured hurler Michael Harmon expected next week, prospects look even brighter.
The Red Devils have allowed only two runs over the past three games after routing West Memphis in a doubleheader on Monday, 14-0 and 7-2. Last Friday, Tommy Sanders threw a five-inning shutout in the Red Devils’ 10-0 win over Little Rock Central.
“We’re pitching like I thought we’d be,” said Jacksonville head coach Larry Burrows after watching Seth Tomboli pitch a one-hitter and Michael Lamb pitch five strong innings in the nightcap.
Tomboli came within a strike of a no-hitter on Monday, but still got the win and the shutout while striking out nine. Jacksonville, which improved to 8-5 overall and 4-2 in the 6A-East, took advantage of a lot of walks to parlay eight hits into 14 runs. Sanders led the way with a pair of hits, while Caleb Mitchell drove in three runs.
Jacksonville trailed for the only time in the twin bill when it fell behind 2-1 in the nightcap. But the Devils rallied to take a 4-2 lead into the seventh, then added three insurance runs. Terrell Brown had a single, double and RBI in the game.
Lamb allowed only two hits over five innings while fanning five. Sanders closed out the final two innings. The Red Devils turned double plays to end the fifth and sixth innings.
The Red Devils had little trouble dispatching 7A Little Rock Central on Friday night, turning in a near-flawless performance in a 10-0 win.
Seven of the nine spots in the lineup had hits, with Sanders going 3 of 4 with three RBI. Sanders was masterful on the mound as well, pitching five innings of two-hit ball. He struck out six and walked four.
“Two of his outings have been like that,” Burrows said. “We expect that out of him. The big deal on Friday was he was throwing strikes. In the five games we’ve lost, with the exception of Catholic, we haven’t been around the plate. The games we’ve won, we’ve thrown strikes.”
Jacksonville wasted little time pouncing on the Tigers. Sanders beat out an infield single and scored on the first of Patrick Castleberry’s two doubles.
The Red Devils added three more with two outs in the second. Tomboli led off the inning by lining the first pitch left for a base hit. With two outs, Brown drew an intentional walk and Sanders doubled down the left field line to score Tomboli. Castleberry ripped a double to left to drive in two more for a 4-0 lead.
Sanders pitched out of a couple of early jams after walking two in the first, and loading the bases in the third on a walk, a hit batter and a single.
Jacksonville invoked the mercy rule with a six-run fifth, which included four hits. Nick Rodriguez walked, and Devon McClure was safe on an error when he laid down a sacrifice. After Logan Perry singled, Jacob Abrahamson was safe on a throwing error as McClure scored. Brown followed with an RBI single and Sanders lined a 0-1 pitch to right to bring home two more.
Mitchell then cleared the bases by lining the first pitch down the right-field line for a three-run double.
Jacksonville finished with 11 hits — three by Sanders and two each by Perry and Castleberry.
“It wasn’t necessarily how many hits we got, it was the way we competed at the plate,” Burrows said. “The last (Central pitcher) was tough with a good change up. We were fouling off pitches with two strikes. That’s the best we’ve done from top to bottom down the lineup.
“Even our nine-hole hitter (Abrahamson) got two strikes on him twice, put the ball in play and scored.”
Burrows said having two hard-throwing starters like Sanders and Tomboli that he can mix in with the lower-velocity pitching of Lamb should really help keep conference foes off stride during the doubleheaders.
“Seth and Tommy are up around 85-86 (miles per hour),” Burrows said. “When people see that for a full game, then see someone like Lamb — it will be nice to be able to change speeds a little.”
Burrows was quick to add that Lamb, who is just a sophomore, will eventually be a fast-ball thrower.
“He’s throwing around 80 right now, but he’s just a pup,” he said. “He’s eventually going to be like Harmon.”
Harmon, who hurt his hip several weeks ago, has been cleared to pitch and may see some action at the Xtra Innings Tournament in Jonesboro this weekend.
Jacksonville will play Nettleton on Thursday, Russellville on Friday and Pocahontas on Saturday.
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