By TODD TRAUB
Leader sports editor
I don’t do anything in the morning without having my coffee first, and that includes running a 5K.
But my daily ritual cost me in the Firecracker 5K in Little Rock on Saturday.
In fact I can safely say, thanks to a pre-race, coffee-induced pit stop, I was the very last man to start the annual, 3.2-mile downhill run.
The race has been held on or near the Fourth of July since 1976, and thanks to the mostly downhill course it is the fastest 5K in Arkansas. Records aren’t official because of the steep layout, but among the past competitors are some noteworthy names:
Bill Rogers, Joan Benoit Samuelson and Frank Shorter.
It has been a bit of a tough year for me, and I wanted to do something in the form of exercise and goal setting to give my esteem, not to mention my heart, a boost. So after a couple months of training, I signed up the Monday before the race.
Steaming coffee mug in hand I drove from Cabot — the unofficial strip-mall capitol of the world — to the Capitol City for the 7:30 a.m. start. The goal I kept in mind on the way was simple —run the entire race, no walking — and finish strong.
I found the registration table just off Kavanaugh Boulevard and affixed my race number 330 to my shirt, idly wondering if I’d finish in 33 minutes. It seemed like a possibility based on nothing I’d done while training.
I never timed myself on the 1 ½-mile up- and downhill course I have been running at Cabot. I just figured if I ran uphill in 90-degree temperatures in the late afternoon, I should be able to go downhill in the relative cool of the early morning.
In line with race etiquette and tradition I took my place near the back of the pack, several blocks behind the start line. The front was for the fast people with the low numbers, you know, the ones for whom it was really going to be a race.
I stretched and did a few warmup jogs, then I began to worry, thanks to my two big cups of Colombia’s finest, that I ought to go before I went. But where?
Short of knocking on some stranger’s door, I was at a loss. Then I saw a home under renovation and the portable facility the construction crew had left at the site.
Salvation.
But while I was in the little fiberglass booth, the race began, and when I burst out I saw the rearest of the rear echelon had passed by and even the trailing police car was rolling.
I had to sprint across lawns and hurdle hedges just to take my place at the last of the column before crossing the start line. I worried someone would think I was trying to sneak into the competition, like those marathon runners who cheat by joining a race after it starts.
Except who, besides me, would join the pack at the very end?
Soon I was hearing the cheers and encouragement from the local residents, some still in their pajamas, who were out on their porches. My split time at the first mile was close to 12:00, but the clock started for the lead runners, not those of us in the back of the pack, or the restroom.
The decline got steeper and the course faster. I attempted to drink a cup of water after the second mile, like a real runner, and poured half of it down my front before giving up.
With War Memorial Stadium in sight I began to see skinny runners trotting back UP the hill holding what looked like sticks of dynamite. Either they were in hot pursuit of the Road Runner, or these were the top 100 finishers who had received firecracker replica trophies and were already running back to their cars, or showing off, as I liked to think of it.
A left off Fair Park leads to the Firecracker’s dirty little secret: It’s not all downhill; there is a steady climb just before the finish, right past the zoo and its assorted odors.
But I had paced myself for this reason and I chugged up the hill through the perfume of the monkey house, took my final left and cruised to the finish in an unofficial time of 34:00, roughly 10:30 per mile.
Men’s winner Josephat Boit, who finished in 13:48.43, was probably home and showered by the time I came in, but if I hadn’t started my race in the outhouse I’m sure I could have given him a real challenge.
Yet I still had something in common with Boit, women’s winner Leah Thorvilson and all those reedy whippets clinging to their sticks of fake dynamite.
I finished, with my heart and self esteem intact.
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
SPORTS>>Pitching propels Cabot to victory
By TODD TRAUB
Leader sports editor
A fifth-inning rally and a strong start by Chase Beasely lifted Cabot Centennial Bank to a 4-2 victory over Searcy Crain Team in the Fourth of July American Legion Classic at Dupree Park on Sunday.
“That was a real baseball game and I was happy that we were able to win a close ballgame,” Cabot coach Jay Darr said.
Cabot scored three runs in the fifth to overcome a 2-1 deficit and Beasley pitched a complete, seven-inning game.
“Our pitching has been pretty strong,” Darr said. “That’s his third time to throw this week.”
Cabot took a 1-0 lead when shortstop Matt Evans walked to lead off the fourth and, after a sacrifice by Tyler Erickson and a balk, Evans scored from third on catcher Andrew Reynolds’ single to left.
“Our team, so far this year, we’ve really been striking out a lot,” Darr said. “And so I think our approach lately has been that we just don’t give away at-bats. We put the ball in play and put the pressure on the defense, and when you do that, good things will happen.”
Searcy did the same thing to Cabot in the bottom of the fourth, putting the ball in play and getting a pair of runs aided by Cabot miscues. Beasley, who gave up two hits in the first two innings, ran into his roughest patch in the fourth.
Beasley hit Nate Leonard tolead off the inning and advanced him with a wild pitch. After Josh Spears’ groundout, Leonard scored from third when right fielder Justin Tyler dropped A.J. Chesser’s fly ball for an error.
Chesser advanced to second on Hayden Mercer’s infield hit and took third on Evans’ throwing error from shortstop on the same play as Mercer moved up to second.
Chesser scored the go-ahead run when Jacob Holland hit into a fielder’s choice.
Cabot, which loaded the bases but couldn’t score in the first, came back with its three-run fifth for the 4-2 lead.
Powell Bryant beat out an infield hit and later scored when Ty Steele hit into a fielder’s choice. Matt Turner singled to advance Steele and Steele scored on Evans’ single, and Turner scored on Erickson’s sacrifice fly.
“We’ve been hitting the ball real well up until today, that we haven’t been doing throughout the season,” Darr said. “We’ve peaked right now.”
Beasley gave up four hits and struck out seven while walking one in seven innings. He faced the minimum over the final three innings, helping himself by throwing out Hunter Mason at home on a steal attempt, and struck out three of his final six hitters.
“He was strong. He struggled early on,” Darr said. “Good pitchers a lot of times will struggle early. But he found his niche later on as we got into the game.”
Searcy starter Ross Harrison worked 4 2/3 innings, giving up Cabot’s big fifth and taking the loss after striking out three and walking two. Right fielder Bryson Scott relieved Harrison in the fifth and pitched 2 ½ hitless innings with four strikeouts and no walks.
Leader sports editor
A fifth-inning rally and a strong start by Chase Beasely lifted Cabot Centennial Bank to a 4-2 victory over Searcy Crain Team in the Fourth of July American Legion Classic at Dupree Park on Sunday.
“That was a real baseball game and I was happy that we were able to win a close ballgame,” Cabot coach Jay Darr said.
Cabot scored three runs in the fifth to overcome a 2-1 deficit and Beasley pitched a complete, seven-inning game.
“Our pitching has been pretty strong,” Darr said. “That’s his third time to throw this week.”
Cabot took a 1-0 lead when shortstop Matt Evans walked to lead off the fourth and, after a sacrifice by Tyler Erickson and a balk, Evans scored from third on catcher Andrew Reynolds’ single to left.
“Our team, so far this year, we’ve really been striking out a lot,” Darr said. “And so I think our approach lately has been that we just don’t give away at-bats. We put the ball in play and put the pressure on the defense, and when you do that, good things will happen.”
Searcy did the same thing to Cabot in the bottom of the fourth, putting the ball in play and getting a pair of runs aided by Cabot miscues. Beasley, who gave up two hits in the first two innings, ran into his roughest patch in the fourth.
Beasley hit Nate Leonard tolead off the inning and advanced him with a wild pitch. After Josh Spears’ groundout, Leonard scored from third when right fielder Justin Tyler dropped A.J. Chesser’s fly ball for an error.
Chesser advanced to second on Hayden Mercer’s infield hit and took third on Evans’ throwing error from shortstop on the same play as Mercer moved up to second.
Chesser scored the go-ahead run when Jacob Holland hit into a fielder’s choice.
Cabot, which loaded the bases but couldn’t score in the first, came back with its three-run fifth for the 4-2 lead.
Powell Bryant beat out an infield hit and later scored when Ty Steele hit into a fielder’s choice. Matt Turner singled to advance Steele and Steele scored on Evans’ single, and Turner scored on Erickson’s sacrifice fly.
“We’ve been hitting the ball real well up until today, that we haven’t been doing throughout the season,” Darr said. “We’ve peaked right now.”
Beasley gave up four hits and struck out seven while walking one in seven innings. He faced the minimum over the final three innings, helping himself by throwing out Hunter Mason at home on a steal attempt, and struck out three of his final six hitters.
“He was strong. He struggled early on,” Darr said. “Good pitchers a lot of times will struggle early. But he found his niche later on as we got into the game.”
Searcy starter Ross Harrison worked 4 2/3 innings, giving up Cabot’s big fifth and taking the loss after striking out three and walking two. Right fielder Bryson Scott relieved Harrison in the fifth and pitched 2 ½ hitless innings with four strikeouts and no walks.
SPORTS>>Bigger purse entices cars out to track in modifieds
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
An increased payout led to an increased car count in the modified division at Beebe Speedway on Friday.
The weekly feature paid $1,000 to the winner, and brought 26 modifieds to the track for the biggest field of cars this season.
But in the end it was points leader Randy Weaver in his F1 Shaw chassis winning in dominant fashion over North Little Rock’s
Mike Bowers and Keith Craft.
Most of the support classes struggled on the dry-slick racing surface, but the mods ran a clean show with only three cautions, one of which caused the race to end under caution when Cabot’s Jason Flory spun in turn four just after Weaver had taken the white flag.
Weaver started the 25-lap feature from the outside pole alongside fast qualifier Donnie Stringfellow. The two former state IMCA champs had a drag race to the green flag, and Weaver took the hole shot on the outside entering turn one.
Bowers and Craft started the feature from the second row, but disposed of Stringfellow by lap 12. Their window to make up ground on Weaver was small, as the leader had already hit backmarkers by the 11th circuit and quickly began to lap cars.
The driver on the move was Robert Baker, who started seventh but quickly began to work on Blake Burns for sixth. He took the spot from Burns just before the first caution on lap eight that came because of a spin by Jim Freeman and local driver Jody Jackson.
Baker took fifth from Robert Davis on the restart and followed Craft past Stringfellow two laps later for fourth, but the front three cars proved to be too stout. Baker settled into the fourth spot and had a front-row seat for Craft’s battle with Bowers for the second spot in the final laps.
The biggest incident of the night came on lap 15, when Jackson and Freeman spun again, this time hitting Flory and Dale Proctor. The crash ended the night for Jackson and Freeman as Flory and Proctor rejoined the race in the rear of the field.
Weaver handled the lapped cars with ease and cruised to his second-straight modified victory and his sixth of the season at Beebe.
Bowers held off Craft for second while Baker finished fourth and Stringfellow fifth. Searcy’s Davis held on for sixth while Little Rock driver Patrick Linn was seventh.
Vilonia’s Curtis Cook was hard charger with an eighth-place finish. Cook did not finish his heat and had to earn a transfer spot in the B-main by winning the consolation race to start the main event in the 17th spot.
Burns’s quiet run resulted in a ninth-place finish and Todd Greer rounded out the top ten in the K1 car.
Benton’s Jeff Porterfield won in the hobby-stock division while Willy Gillam beat Scotty Miesenheimer in the street-stock feature. Paul Shackleford held off a race-long challenge by Cabot driver Mike Millwood to win the mini-stock feature.
The E-mod division had its share of yellow flags and came down to another green-white-checkers finish, and it was Lane Cullum taking the victory in his No. 15 car over Bald Knob’s Kevin Conway and Ryan Redman of Beebe.
Augusta’s Robert Woodard struggled to an 11th-place finish after getting caught up in a pair of early accidents, but was still able to reclaim the points lead with leader Blake Jones and second-place points man Todd Joslin of Cabot both absent from the field on Friday.
Beebe driver Larry Wise took the most dominant victory of the night in the factory-stock feature. Wise, a veteran of the hobby-stock class, held a smooth, consistent line around the low line in his black No. 23 car and left the rest of the field to struggle through the slippery corners.
Glen Melton and Danny Garringer battled for the second spot most of the race, well behind Wise. They were never able to get close enough to the leader to contest, as the hometown favorite cruised to his fourth victory of the year.
Melton hung on for second while Garringer stayed atop the point standings with another consistent third-place run. Johnny Brown finished fourth and Beebe’s Jacob Kurtz was fifth.
The USCS is scheduled to make its second stop at Beebe this year for another modified Speedweek on Friday.
Leader sportswriter
An increased payout led to an increased car count in the modified division at Beebe Speedway on Friday.
The weekly feature paid $1,000 to the winner, and brought 26 modifieds to the track for the biggest field of cars this season.
But in the end it was points leader Randy Weaver in his F1 Shaw chassis winning in dominant fashion over North Little Rock’s
Mike Bowers and Keith Craft.
Most of the support classes struggled on the dry-slick racing surface, but the mods ran a clean show with only three cautions, one of which caused the race to end under caution when Cabot’s Jason Flory spun in turn four just after Weaver had taken the white flag.
Weaver started the 25-lap feature from the outside pole alongside fast qualifier Donnie Stringfellow. The two former state IMCA champs had a drag race to the green flag, and Weaver took the hole shot on the outside entering turn one.
Bowers and Craft started the feature from the second row, but disposed of Stringfellow by lap 12. Their window to make up ground on Weaver was small, as the leader had already hit backmarkers by the 11th circuit and quickly began to lap cars.
The driver on the move was Robert Baker, who started seventh but quickly began to work on Blake Burns for sixth. He took the spot from Burns just before the first caution on lap eight that came because of a spin by Jim Freeman and local driver Jody Jackson.
Baker took fifth from Robert Davis on the restart and followed Craft past Stringfellow two laps later for fourth, but the front three cars proved to be too stout. Baker settled into the fourth spot and had a front-row seat for Craft’s battle with Bowers for the second spot in the final laps.
The biggest incident of the night came on lap 15, when Jackson and Freeman spun again, this time hitting Flory and Dale Proctor. The crash ended the night for Jackson and Freeman as Flory and Proctor rejoined the race in the rear of the field.
Weaver handled the lapped cars with ease and cruised to his second-straight modified victory and his sixth of the season at Beebe.
Bowers held off Craft for second while Baker finished fourth and Stringfellow fifth. Searcy’s Davis held on for sixth while Little Rock driver Patrick Linn was seventh.
Vilonia’s Curtis Cook was hard charger with an eighth-place finish. Cook did not finish his heat and had to earn a transfer spot in the B-main by winning the consolation race to start the main event in the 17th spot.
Burns’s quiet run resulted in a ninth-place finish and Todd Greer rounded out the top ten in the K1 car.
Benton’s Jeff Porterfield won in the hobby-stock division while Willy Gillam beat Scotty Miesenheimer in the street-stock feature. Paul Shackleford held off a race-long challenge by Cabot driver Mike Millwood to win the mini-stock feature.
The E-mod division had its share of yellow flags and came down to another green-white-checkers finish, and it was Lane Cullum taking the victory in his No. 15 car over Bald Knob’s Kevin Conway and Ryan Redman of Beebe.
Augusta’s Robert Woodard struggled to an 11th-place finish after getting caught up in a pair of early accidents, but was still able to reclaim the points lead with leader Blake Jones and second-place points man Todd Joslin of Cabot both absent from the field on Friday.
Beebe driver Larry Wise took the most dominant victory of the night in the factory-stock feature. Wise, a veteran of the hobby-stock class, held a smooth, consistent line around the low line in his black No. 23 car and left the rest of the field to struggle through the slippery corners.
Glen Melton and Danny Garringer battled for the second spot most of the race, well behind Wise. They were never able to get close enough to the leader to contest, as the hometown favorite cruised to his fourth victory of the year.
Melton hung on for second while Garringer stayed atop the point standings with another consistent third-place run. Johnny Brown finished fourth and Beebe’s Jacob Kurtz was fifth.
The USCS is scheduled to make its second stop at Beebe this year for another modified Speedweek on Friday.
SPORTS>>Benton holds off Gwatney
By TODD TRAUB
Leader sports editor
Slow-starting Jacksonville Gwat-ney Chevrolet made it interesting, but Benton was able to hold on for an 11-8 victory in the Fourth of July American Legion Classic at Dupree Park on Sunday.
Gwatney rallied from a 4-0 deficit to tie it, and cut a 9-4 lead to 9-8 with a big fifth inning. But Benton got a pair of insurance runs in the seventh to outlast the host team.
“We made a little change on our approach at the plate,” Benton coach Russell Goodwin said. “We wanted the fly balls done away with, and we hit it hard too.”
“We just ran out of pitching,” said Gwatney coach Bob Hickingbotham, who left starter Jared Toney in for the whole game.
Gwatney tied it with a two-run fourth in which catcher Daniel Thurman hit an RBI single and scored when shortstop Kenny Cummings hit into a fielder’s choice.
Benton responded with a five-run fifth in which Jacksonville committed two errors and Blake Childress hit an RBI double and Chase Southworth hit a two-run home run over the left-field fence.
But Jacksonville wasn’t finished as it batted 10 in the bottom of the fifth. Caleb Mitchell, Jared Toney and Alex Tucker all singled and scored, with Tucker driving in a run and chasing starter Nathan Pirl from the game.
Daniel Thurman walked and scored, and D’Vone McClure drove in a run with an infield hit and Cummings drew a bases-loaded walk from reliever Cory Fitzhugh to drive in another. But Fitzhugh got Patrick Castleberry to fly out and Mitchell to ground out to finally end the inning and leave Benton clinging to its 9-8 lead.
“We hit the ball extremely well,” Hickingbotham said. “I was real proud of that. I would say that it was probably, in the last two weeks, that’s probably the best we’ve played.”
Fitzhugh collected himself to retire Gwatney in order over the final two innings. Neither he nor Pirl had pitched in the tournament.
“We’ve got the pitching, probably as strong as anybody in the state,” Goodwin said. “We’ve just got to be smarter as coaches and get the right ones in at the right time.”
Benton tacked on its final two runs in the seventh. Gene Duncan led off with an infield hit and Steven Brocks followed with a single to drive in Duncan, who advanced to third on an error and a wild pitch by Toney.
Brocks, who got to third on a throwing error by Toney, scored on Toney’s second wild pitch of the inning. Hickingbotham was about to pull Toney after he walked Southworthwith two down in the inning, but Toney signaled for one more hitter and got Austin Pfeiffer to fly out.
“That’s all you can ask them to do. That’s all I could ask them to do,” Hickingbotham said. “And again, we’re just totally out of pitching, that’s what killed us. And the kid did a great job on the mound. He stayed out there.”
Ashton Wilson walked and later took home on a double steal in the Benton first and Gene Duncan reached on a fielder’s choice and scored when Childress doubled to left. Wilson and Ethan Holicer hit RBI singles to make it 4-0 in the second.
Jacksonville, which got two on in the first and couldn’t score, cut it to 4-2 in the third when Castleberry hit an RBI double and scored on a throwing error to first by the catcher Holicer after Pirl threw a wild pitch.
“Jacksonville is swinging the bat real well,” Goodwin said. “They look good at the plate.”
Leader sports editor
Slow-starting Jacksonville Gwat-ney Chevrolet made it interesting, but Benton was able to hold on for an 11-8 victory in the Fourth of July American Legion Classic at Dupree Park on Sunday.
Gwatney rallied from a 4-0 deficit to tie it, and cut a 9-4 lead to 9-8 with a big fifth inning. But Benton got a pair of insurance runs in the seventh to outlast the host team.
“We made a little change on our approach at the plate,” Benton coach Russell Goodwin said. “We wanted the fly balls done away with, and we hit it hard too.”
“We just ran out of pitching,” said Gwatney coach Bob Hickingbotham, who left starter Jared Toney in for the whole game.
Gwatney tied it with a two-run fourth in which catcher Daniel Thurman hit an RBI single and scored when shortstop Kenny Cummings hit into a fielder’s choice.
Benton responded with a five-run fifth in which Jacksonville committed two errors and Blake Childress hit an RBI double and Chase Southworth hit a two-run home run over the left-field fence.
But Jacksonville wasn’t finished as it batted 10 in the bottom of the fifth. Caleb Mitchell, Jared Toney and Alex Tucker all singled and scored, with Tucker driving in a run and chasing starter Nathan Pirl from the game.
Daniel Thurman walked and scored, and D’Vone McClure drove in a run with an infield hit and Cummings drew a bases-loaded walk from reliever Cory Fitzhugh to drive in another. But Fitzhugh got Patrick Castleberry to fly out and Mitchell to ground out to finally end the inning and leave Benton clinging to its 9-8 lead.
“We hit the ball extremely well,” Hickingbotham said. “I was real proud of that. I would say that it was probably, in the last two weeks, that’s probably the best we’ve played.”
Fitzhugh collected himself to retire Gwatney in order over the final two innings. Neither he nor Pirl had pitched in the tournament.
“We’ve got the pitching, probably as strong as anybody in the state,” Goodwin said. “We’ve just got to be smarter as coaches and get the right ones in at the right time.”
Benton tacked on its final two runs in the seventh. Gene Duncan led off with an infield hit and Steven Brocks followed with a single to drive in Duncan, who advanced to third on an error and a wild pitch by Toney.
Brocks, who got to third on a throwing error by Toney, scored on Toney’s second wild pitch of the inning. Hickingbotham was about to pull Toney after he walked Southworthwith two down in the inning, but Toney signaled for one more hitter and got Austin Pfeiffer to fly out.
“That’s all you can ask them to do. That’s all I could ask them to do,” Hickingbotham said. “And again, we’re just totally out of pitching, that’s what killed us. And the kid did a great job on the mound. He stayed out there.”
Ashton Wilson walked and later took home on a double steal in the Benton first and Gene Duncan reached on a fielder’s choice and scored when Childress doubled to left. Wilson and Ethan Holicer hit RBI singles to make it 4-0 in the second.
Jacksonville, which got two on in the first and couldn’t score, cut it to 4-2 in the third when Castleberry hit an RBI double and scored on a throwing error to first by the catcher Holicer after Pirl threw a wild pitch.
“Jacksonville is swinging the bat real well,” Goodwin said. “They look good at the plate.”
EDITORIAL >> Would Huck lie to us?
Mike Huckabee, the Florida TV emcee, former and maybe future presidential wannabe and, yes, former governor of a poor, insular Southern state, was in Charlotte, N. C., Sunday for a July Fourth sermon at the First Baptist Church. The Charlotte Observer, the state’s largest newspaper, collared him before the service and published a long verbatim interview Monday.
He talked about how he would have handled the nation’s problems differently than George W. Bush and Barack Obama if he had been elected president or if they occur in the future when he is president. He would have allowed the banking system and U.S. automakers to crash, made people thrown out of their jobs go back to work by stopping unemployment checks and really done something about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. We can’t possibly know what he would have done about any of those problems, so we wouldn’t quarrel with anything he said.
But we pay attention when Huckabee talks about the actual past and his own part in it. He has always needed a truth squad, not because his was such a terrible record (we like lots of it) but because he has a convenient memory. The Charlotte reporter asked him how he could get the support of the tea-party crowd in the next presidential race when he had raised taxes so much in Arkansas. Huckabee replied that he was the original tea-party guy. When he started running for president in 2007 and 2008, he said, he was criticized for the very things that form the tea-party message— cutting taxes and spending. (We recall no one who ever criticized him for cutting taxes and spending, and certainly none of his Republican opponents did.)
He boasted that he had balanced the state’s budget back in Arkansas and implied that it was something unusual and very hard to do. He continued: “I lowered more taxes than I ever was a part of raising. And I raised taxes only as a part of a court-ordered issue of dealing with an education crisis.”
True and not true. Huckabee balanced the state’s budget because every Arkansas governor has no choice. The state treasurer balances the budget automatically by stopping checks to state workers and suppliers when the state’s money runs out. That is the law. The governor’s role is to plan ahead and avoid the cataclysm by ordering reductions in spending across the board well ahead so that the fiscal year ends smoothly. Or else the governor can ask the legislature to raise taxes to cover the revenue gap.
You will recall the series of sharp budget cuts that Gov. Mike Beebe ordered last year and this year to adjust spending to sharply declining tax revenues. How did Huckabee handle the same situation in 2003? He assembled the legislature in special session for a 3 percent surtax on individual and corporate incomes. That was a gutsy thing to do in hard times, but it is not a tea-party value.
Far more tax cuts than tax increases? Taxes were cut twice under Huckabee. In 1997, Democrats in the legislature proposed a sweeping income-tax cut planned by the former governor, Jim Guy Tucker, before he was forced to resign. It was the Democratic Party’s highest legislative priority in 1997 and every Democrat in the House signed on as a sponsor. The Democrats passed it and Huckabee did not veto it. As time passed and memories faded, Huckabee began to claim the tax cut as his idea, though rarely while he was in Arkansas. He did later support a reduction in taxes on income from stocks, bonds and other investments, the rich man’s tax. That is the extent of his tax-cutting record.
His tax increases are the largest in Arkansas history. For the record, here are the rest of his tax increases: a 1/8th of 1 percent increase in the sales tax for recreational programs in 1998 (he rode a bass boat down the Arkansas River to solicit support for the tax), an increase in the general sales tax by one-half of 1 percent in 1999, an increase in the sales tax of 7/8ths of 1 percent in 2003, a 2 percent tax on tobacco products in 1997, a 7 percent excise tax on tobacco in 2003, a higher tax on cigarette and tobacco permits in 1997, an increase in cigarette and tobacco taxes in 1997, a 25-cent-a-pack tax on cigarettes in 2003, a 3 percent excise tax on retail beer sales in 2001 (continued in 2003 and 2005), a 4 percent tax on mixed drinks and private clubs in 2005, an increase in the gasoline tax of 3 cents a gallon in 1999, an increase of 4 cents a gallon in the tax on diesel in 1999 (No, Arkansas voters never approved the gasoline and diesel taxes as Huckabee repeatedly insisted in 2008) and an increase in drivers’ license fees from $14 to $20 in 2001.
The Supreme Court did not direct the state to raise taxes for the schools, as Huckabee suggested at Charlotte. The court said the state needed to follow its Constitution and provide an equal and suitable education to all its children. Higher taxes and school consolidation were Huckabee’s ways to do that. Texas met the same kind of mandate entirely differently, but we thought Huckabee had it about right. If he doesn’t think he can brag about his fiscal record in a Republican milieu, at least he can be truthful. People like that in a politician.
We sometimes think that it is good that Huckabee renounced his Arkansas home and took up official residency in Florida, even if it is for tax purposes. Otherwise, Arkansas might get a reputation for shading the truth. We don’t need that. Thankfully, that’s Florida’s problem now.
He talked about how he would have handled the nation’s problems differently than George W. Bush and Barack Obama if he had been elected president or if they occur in the future when he is president. He would have allowed the banking system and U.S. automakers to crash, made people thrown out of their jobs go back to work by stopping unemployment checks and really done something about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. We can’t possibly know what he would have done about any of those problems, so we wouldn’t quarrel with anything he said.
But we pay attention when Huckabee talks about the actual past and his own part in it. He has always needed a truth squad, not because his was such a terrible record (we like lots of it) but because he has a convenient memory. The Charlotte reporter asked him how he could get the support of the tea-party crowd in the next presidential race when he had raised taxes so much in Arkansas. Huckabee replied that he was the original tea-party guy. When he started running for president in 2007 and 2008, he said, he was criticized for the very things that form the tea-party message— cutting taxes and spending. (We recall no one who ever criticized him for cutting taxes and spending, and certainly none of his Republican opponents did.)
He boasted that he had balanced the state’s budget back in Arkansas and implied that it was something unusual and very hard to do. He continued: “I lowered more taxes than I ever was a part of raising. And I raised taxes only as a part of a court-ordered issue of dealing with an education crisis.”
True and not true. Huckabee balanced the state’s budget because every Arkansas governor has no choice. The state treasurer balances the budget automatically by stopping checks to state workers and suppliers when the state’s money runs out. That is the law. The governor’s role is to plan ahead and avoid the cataclysm by ordering reductions in spending across the board well ahead so that the fiscal year ends smoothly. Or else the governor can ask the legislature to raise taxes to cover the revenue gap.
You will recall the series of sharp budget cuts that Gov. Mike Beebe ordered last year and this year to adjust spending to sharply declining tax revenues. How did Huckabee handle the same situation in 2003? He assembled the legislature in special session for a 3 percent surtax on individual and corporate incomes. That was a gutsy thing to do in hard times, but it is not a tea-party value.
Far more tax cuts than tax increases? Taxes were cut twice under Huckabee. In 1997, Democrats in the legislature proposed a sweeping income-tax cut planned by the former governor, Jim Guy Tucker, before he was forced to resign. It was the Democratic Party’s highest legislative priority in 1997 and every Democrat in the House signed on as a sponsor. The Democrats passed it and Huckabee did not veto it. As time passed and memories faded, Huckabee began to claim the tax cut as his idea, though rarely while he was in Arkansas. He did later support a reduction in taxes on income from stocks, bonds and other investments, the rich man’s tax. That is the extent of his tax-cutting record.
His tax increases are the largest in Arkansas history. For the record, here are the rest of his tax increases: a 1/8th of 1 percent increase in the sales tax for recreational programs in 1998 (he rode a bass boat down the Arkansas River to solicit support for the tax), an increase in the general sales tax by one-half of 1 percent in 1999, an increase in the sales tax of 7/8ths of 1 percent in 2003, a 2 percent tax on tobacco products in 1997, a 7 percent excise tax on tobacco in 2003, a higher tax on cigarette and tobacco permits in 1997, an increase in cigarette and tobacco taxes in 1997, a 25-cent-a-pack tax on cigarettes in 2003, a 3 percent excise tax on retail beer sales in 2001 (continued in 2003 and 2005), a 4 percent tax on mixed drinks and private clubs in 2005, an increase in the gasoline tax of 3 cents a gallon in 1999, an increase of 4 cents a gallon in the tax on diesel in 1999 (No, Arkansas voters never approved the gasoline and diesel taxes as Huckabee repeatedly insisted in 2008) and an increase in drivers’ license fees from $14 to $20 in 2001.
The Supreme Court did not direct the state to raise taxes for the schools, as Huckabee suggested at Charlotte. The court said the state needed to follow its Constitution and provide an equal and suitable education to all its children. Higher taxes and school consolidation were Huckabee’s ways to do that. Texas met the same kind of mandate entirely differently, but we thought Huckabee had it about right. If he doesn’t think he can brag about his fiscal record in a Republican milieu, at least he can be truthful. People like that in a politician.
We sometimes think that it is good that Huckabee renounced his Arkansas home and took up official residency in Florida, even if it is for tax purposes. Otherwise, Arkansas might get a reputation for shading the truth. We don’t need that. Thankfully, that’s Florida’s problem now.
Friday, July 02, 2010
TOP STORY>>Health board outlaws drug
By JOAN McCOY
Leader staff writer
The Arkansas Board of Health met Friday morning and voted for an immediate ban on the sale and distribution of the synthetic marijuana commonly called K2. The ban became effective when the governor signed it shortly after it was approved by the board.
The ban was approved according to an emergency rule, which means it is only good for 120 days. However, the board also voted to begin a ban under the regular rule-making process, which could take over when the emergency ban ends. For approval under the regular rule-making process, the ban must go through a 30-day public-comment period and review by two legislative committees, the Public Health and Welfare Committee and the Rules and Regulations Committee, legislative sub-committees that represent both the state House and Senate. That process takes about 90 days.
Asked how a board overseeing a state agency can make law, Ed Barham, spokesman for the Arkansas Department of Health, said the Health Department is authorized to protect the public health and the ban on synthetic marijuana is not so different from rules regulating, for example, septic tanks and vaccinations.
“We have pretty broad authority when it comes to protecting the public health,” Barham said.
In The Leader’s coverage area, Austin and Beebe had already banned K2 before the board of heath ban was approved. In Cabot, the city council’s fire and police committee voted this week to send an ordinance banning K2 to the full council.
Manufactured primarily in China and named for the mountain on the border of China and Pakistan that is second in height to Mt. Everest, K2 is one of several brands of synthetic pot that was included in the ban. The drug was developed during the 1990s by a team of researchers working under Dr. John Huffman, a researcher at Clemson University in South Carolina who was studying marijuana as a treatment for the nausea and loss of appetite associated with cancer drugs, Barham said. A synthetic version of the drug was needed because marijuana was illegal. It was tested on mice and never intended for humans, he said.
Barham said the Health Department banned it because its potentially harmful effects, especially to children, are not known. He added that some users have ended up in hospital emergency rooms.
Paul Halverson, doctor of public health, state health officer and director of the Arkansas Department of Health, said in a press release after the Friday morning meeting that the new regulation represents a partnership with the criminal-justice system for purposes of enforcement.
“This new law is not intended to place people into the criminal-justice system,” Halverson said. “This regulation is intended to educate the public about the dangers of this drug and illicit drug use, especially by minors. Enforcement responsibilities will fall primarily to local law enforcement and prosecutors.”
Violation of the new law will be a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $500 or by imprisonment not exceeding one month, or both. Each day of violation shall constitute a separate offense. Every firm, person, or corporation who violates this rule may also be assessed a civil penalty by the board. The penalty shall not exceed $1,000 for each violation. Each day of a continuing violation may be deemed a separate violation for purposes of penalty assessments.
Dr. Joe Bates, deputy state health officer and chief science officer, said that the active ingredient in K2 does not show up on any standard drug screens in use today. “However, we have found a way to test urine samples from individuals who have used the substance that will indicate whether K2 has been used by someone or not,” Bates said. “Until now, we didn’t have a way to prove that.”
Leader staff writer
The Arkansas Board of Health met Friday morning and voted for an immediate ban on the sale and distribution of the synthetic marijuana commonly called K2. The ban became effective when the governor signed it shortly after it was approved by the board.
The ban was approved according to an emergency rule, which means it is only good for 120 days. However, the board also voted to begin a ban under the regular rule-making process, which could take over when the emergency ban ends. For approval under the regular rule-making process, the ban must go through a 30-day public-comment period and review by two legislative committees, the Public Health and Welfare Committee and the Rules and Regulations Committee, legislative sub-committees that represent both the state House and Senate. That process takes about 90 days.
Asked how a board overseeing a state agency can make law, Ed Barham, spokesman for the Arkansas Department of Health, said the Health Department is authorized to protect the public health and the ban on synthetic marijuana is not so different from rules regulating, for example, septic tanks and vaccinations.
“We have pretty broad authority when it comes to protecting the public health,” Barham said.
In The Leader’s coverage area, Austin and Beebe had already banned K2 before the board of heath ban was approved. In Cabot, the city council’s fire and police committee voted this week to send an ordinance banning K2 to the full council.
Manufactured primarily in China and named for the mountain on the border of China and Pakistan that is second in height to Mt. Everest, K2 is one of several brands of synthetic pot that was included in the ban. The drug was developed during the 1990s by a team of researchers working under Dr. John Huffman, a researcher at Clemson University in South Carolina who was studying marijuana as a treatment for the nausea and loss of appetite associated with cancer drugs, Barham said. A synthetic version of the drug was needed because marijuana was illegal. It was tested on mice and never intended for humans, he said.
Barham said the Health Department banned it because its potentially harmful effects, especially to children, are not known. He added that some users have ended up in hospital emergency rooms.
Paul Halverson, doctor of public health, state health officer and director of the Arkansas Department of Health, said in a press release after the Friday morning meeting that the new regulation represents a partnership with the criminal-justice system for purposes of enforcement.
“This new law is not intended to place people into the criminal-justice system,” Halverson said. “This regulation is intended to educate the public about the dangers of this drug and illicit drug use, especially by minors. Enforcement responsibilities will fall primarily to local law enforcement and prosecutors.”
Violation of the new law will be a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $500 or by imprisonment not exceeding one month, or both. Each day of violation shall constitute a separate offense. Every firm, person, or corporation who violates this rule may also be assessed a civil penalty by the board. The penalty shall not exceed $1,000 for each violation. Each day of a continuing violation may be deemed a separate violation for purposes of penalty assessments.
Dr. Joe Bates, deputy state health officer and chief science officer, said that the active ingredient in K2 does not show up on any standard drug screens in use today. “However, we have found a way to test urine samples from individuals who have used the substance that will indicate whether K2 has been used by someone or not,” Bates said. “Until now, we didn’t have a way to prove that.”
TOP STORY>>Airmen make drops at Pope
By JEFFREY SMITH
Leader staff writer
POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. — There was more hard work for the four crews from the 19th Airlift Wing at Little Rock Air Force Base during the recent joint forcible-entry exercise with the Army.
This Leader reporter went along with a crew from LRAFB’s 53rd Airlift Squadron. The crew flying a C-130 E-model was part of an 18-plane formation of C-130s and C-17s carrying 1,000 Army paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C., jumping out of the planes or dropping Humvees from the sky to the designated drop zone during the night all within 13 minutes.
Before each exercise, the flight crews would meet for pre-flight briefings. One briefing was held with the crews flying both C-130s and C-17s and the other was held separately for C-130s. Pilots, co-pilots and navigators learned the latest weather conditions, what position their plane was flying in the line-up and what they were carrying. Then the individual flight crews would head to smaller meeting rooms to discuss and study their flight routes and timing.
After the flights, the C-130 crews returned to Pope and held post-flight briefings. Crews discussed how the flights went and how to improve the next exercise.
The crew from the 53rd Airlift Squadron had 60 paratroopers bail out on both sides of the C-130 in less than 30 seconds.
The C-130 was loaded with two Humvees instead of transporting paratroopers. The planned heavy- equipment drop had a snafu when the stairs to the toilet fell down in the cargo area. A loadmaster noticed the problem and told the crew to cancel the drop for safety and to not risk damaging the plane when the Humvees were pulled out of the cargo ramp.
Work continued late into the night for the crew. After landing back at Pope to unload the Humvees on the ground, the C-130 was flown to Mackall Army Airfield, N.C., where a large heavy truck was loaded onto the plane.
The C-130 crew was worried about fuel usage. They were unable to shut down the engines because a compressor had broke.
They were not sure if they could be restarted.
The control tower finally allowed the plane to take off. The C-130 then flew for 15 minutes to a dirt landing strip near the drop zone. In the black of night, Maj. Lars Johnsen briefly touched the C-130’s wheels down for a second, before forcing the plane back into the air.
The C-130 circled around and made a second landing.
With the C-130’s engines running, the Army truck was unloaded and driven off the plane’s cargo ramp.
With a light fuel load and short runway, Johnsen revved the C-130’s engines high and sped down the dirt strip. The C-130 pushed the passengers hard back into their seats as it rose into the air and flew back to Pope.
THE FINAL DAY
On the last day of the joint exercise, this Leader reporter was going to experience a high-altitude drop of a pallet of materials weighing 1,140 pounds from a C-130 during an improved-container delivery system drop. This was a daytime flight instead of being in 18 plane formation of C-130s and C-17s at night earlier in the week.
The ride was with a new crew in a second C-130 E-model from LRAFB. The flight crew comprised of Capt. Lauren Johnican, aircraft commander with the 50th Airlift Squadron; Capt. Christopher Smith, co-pilot; Capt. Sanam Qadri, navigator; Staff Sgt. Joseph Langer, flight engineer; Senior Airman Robert Wilson, loadmaster, all members of the 61st Airlift Squadron, and Staff
Sgt. Tristan Smith and Airman 1st Class Patrick Thompson, both loadmasters with the 53rd Airlift Squadron.
Unfortunately an equipment malfunction occurred before the C-130’s engines were even started. A computer on the C-130s would not sync up with the dropsondes and make a connection. The dropsonde, resembling a lawn dart, is an instrument attached to a small parachute and is thrown by the loadmaster from the plane. The dropsonde measures wind velocity and wind direction as it travels to the ground.
The instrument relays the information to a computer on the C-130. The measurements tell the aircrew where to drop the cargo from the plane so the cargo reaches the drop zone.
After working on the problem for nearly two hours, the time for the scheduled drop had passed. The planned drop was cancelled. A K-loader cargo-transport vehicle was driven to the rear of the plane. The pallet was then rolled off the C-130 straight onto the vehicle.
If the drop exercise had occurred the C-130 would have made a first pass over the drop zone at 7,000 feet. A loadmaster would have tossed a dropsonde from the plane. When the C-130 made a second pass of the drop zone it would be flying at a lower height of 6,000 feet. The pilot flies at a seven degree angle to make the cargo deck have an incline. The cargo door and the cargo ramp are opened. Gravity pulls on the loaded pallet and it rolls out the back of the C-130.
OPPORTUNITY TO SEE THE WORLD
During the flight back to Jacksonville, Capt. Michael Kis-singer, a pilot with the 53rd Airlift Squadron, talked about why he joined the Air Force. Kissinger, who lives in Ward, is in his fifth year with the service. He is qualified to fly C-130 E-models and C-130 H3s.
He said as a 5-year-old, he knew he wanted to be in the military. In the eighth grade, he wanted to be in the Air Force.
“I wanted to see the world. My first year flying I went to seven different countries,” Kissinger said.
By his second year, he went to 15 countries. He has flown to Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Chad, Romania, Germany, England, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Croatia.
Kissinger, originally from Kansas City, Mo., was home schooled through the eighth grade. He is the oldest of six siblings. He has two sisters and three brothers, but none are in the military. Kissinger’s parents were not in the service either.
Kissinger’s grandfather, Joseph Zollmann, was a pilot during the Vietnam War and flew C-123s. Kissinger’s uncle, Steve Zollmann, was a pilot and instructor at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, and flew C-144s.
He said he reason he joined the service was a combination of his grandfather talking about the Air Force and watching “Star Trek: The Next Generation.”
Kissinger took ROTC at University of Missouri at Colum-bia, Mo., where he earned a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts.
He spoke about why he likes to fly.
Kissinger said, “There is certain sense of freedom being in the air. It’s fun to work with the crew, manipulate the controls and execute a mission.
“Night is a challenge because it is dark and adds another (element) to navigation and coordination. With day flying, you get to see everything. It is preferred,” he said.
He spoke about flying the C-130 E-models, explaining, “These planes are 1963 Vietnam-era. There is not of lot of
automation. It is a very hands-on platform.”
Kissinger and his wife, Amanda, have two children, a daughter, Shyann, 5, who finished pre-K at Ward Central Elementary, and a son, Thomas, 2.
Leader staff writer
POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. — There was more hard work for the four crews from the 19th Airlift Wing at Little Rock Air Force Base during the recent joint forcible-entry exercise with the Army.
This Leader reporter went along with a crew from LRAFB’s 53rd Airlift Squadron. The crew flying a C-130 E-model was part of an 18-plane formation of C-130s and C-17s carrying 1,000 Army paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C., jumping out of the planes or dropping Humvees from the sky to the designated drop zone during the night all within 13 minutes.
Before each exercise, the flight crews would meet for pre-flight briefings. One briefing was held with the crews flying both C-130s and C-17s and the other was held separately for C-130s. Pilots, co-pilots and navigators learned the latest weather conditions, what position their plane was flying in the line-up and what they were carrying. Then the individual flight crews would head to smaller meeting rooms to discuss and study their flight routes and timing.
After the flights, the C-130 crews returned to Pope and held post-flight briefings. Crews discussed how the flights went and how to improve the next exercise.
The crew from the 53rd Airlift Squadron had 60 paratroopers bail out on both sides of the C-130 in less than 30 seconds.
The C-130 was loaded with two Humvees instead of transporting paratroopers. The planned heavy- equipment drop had a snafu when the stairs to the toilet fell down in the cargo area. A loadmaster noticed the problem and told the crew to cancel the drop for safety and to not risk damaging the plane when the Humvees were pulled out of the cargo ramp.
Work continued late into the night for the crew. After landing back at Pope to unload the Humvees on the ground, the C-130 was flown to Mackall Army Airfield, N.C., where a large heavy truck was loaded onto the plane.
The C-130 crew was worried about fuel usage. They were unable to shut down the engines because a compressor had broke.
They were not sure if they could be restarted.
The control tower finally allowed the plane to take off. The C-130 then flew for 15 minutes to a dirt landing strip near the drop zone. In the black of night, Maj. Lars Johnsen briefly touched the C-130’s wheels down for a second, before forcing the plane back into the air.
The C-130 circled around and made a second landing.
With the C-130’s engines running, the Army truck was unloaded and driven off the plane’s cargo ramp.
With a light fuel load and short runway, Johnsen revved the C-130’s engines high and sped down the dirt strip. The C-130 pushed the passengers hard back into their seats as it rose into the air and flew back to Pope.
THE FINAL DAY
On the last day of the joint exercise, this Leader reporter was going to experience a high-altitude drop of a pallet of materials weighing 1,140 pounds from a C-130 during an improved-container delivery system drop. This was a daytime flight instead of being in 18 plane formation of C-130s and C-17s at night earlier in the week.
The ride was with a new crew in a second C-130 E-model from LRAFB. The flight crew comprised of Capt. Lauren Johnican, aircraft commander with the 50th Airlift Squadron; Capt. Christopher Smith, co-pilot; Capt. Sanam Qadri, navigator; Staff Sgt. Joseph Langer, flight engineer; Senior Airman Robert Wilson, loadmaster, all members of the 61st Airlift Squadron, and Staff
Sgt. Tristan Smith and Airman 1st Class Patrick Thompson, both loadmasters with the 53rd Airlift Squadron.
Unfortunately an equipment malfunction occurred before the C-130’s engines were even started. A computer on the C-130s would not sync up with the dropsondes and make a connection. The dropsonde, resembling a lawn dart, is an instrument attached to a small parachute and is thrown by the loadmaster from the plane. The dropsonde measures wind velocity and wind direction as it travels to the ground.
The instrument relays the information to a computer on the C-130. The measurements tell the aircrew where to drop the cargo from the plane so the cargo reaches the drop zone.
After working on the problem for nearly two hours, the time for the scheduled drop had passed. The planned drop was cancelled. A K-loader cargo-transport vehicle was driven to the rear of the plane. The pallet was then rolled off the C-130 straight onto the vehicle.
If the drop exercise had occurred the C-130 would have made a first pass over the drop zone at 7,000 feet. A loadmaster would have tossed a dropsonde from the plane. When the C-130 made a second pass of the drop zone it would be flying at a lower height of 6,000 feet. The pilot flies at a seven degree angle to make the cargo deck have an incline. The cargo door and the cargo ramp are opened. Gravity pulls on the loaded pallet and it rolls out the back of the C-130.
OPPORTUNITY TO SEE THE WORLD
During the flight back to Jacksonville, Capt. Michael Kis-singer, a pilot with the 53rd Airlift Squadron, talked about why he joined the Air Force. Kissinger, who lives in Ward, is in his fifth year with the service. He is qualified to fly C-130 E-models and C-130 H3s.
He said as a 5-year-old, he knew he wanted to be in the military. In the eighth grade, he wanted to be in the Air Force.
“I wanted to see the world. My first year flying I went to seven different countries,” Kissinger said.
By his second year, he went to 15 countries. He has flown to Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Chad, Romania, Germany, England, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Croatia.
Kissinger, originally from Kansas City, Mo., was home schooled through the eighth grade. He is the oldest of six siblings. He has two sisters and three brothers, but none are in the military. Kissinger’s parents were not in the service either.
Kissinger’s grandfather, Joseph Zollmann, was a pilot during the Vietnam War and flew C-123s. Kissinger’s uncle, Steve Zollmann, was a pilot and instructor at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, and flew C-144s.
He said he reason he joined the service was a combination of his grandfather talking about the Air Force and watching “Star Trek: The Next Generation.”
Kissinger took ROTC at University of Missouri at Colum-bia, Mo., where he earned a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts.
He spoke about why he likes to fly.
Kissinger said, “There is certain sense of freedom being in the air. It’s fun to work with the crew, manipulate the controls and execute a mission.
“Night is a challenge because it is dark and adds another (element) to navigation and coordination. With day flying, you get to see everything. It is preferred,” he said.
He spoke about flying the C-130 E-models, explaining, “These planes are 1963 Vietnam-era. There is not of lot of
automation. It is a very hands-on platform.”
Kissinger and his wife, Amanda, have two children, a daughter, Shyann, 5, who finished pre-K at Ward Central Elementary, and a son, Thomas, 2.
TOP STORY>>Mob trial will start in fall
By JOAN MCCOY
Leader staff writer
The Cabot man indicted in Arkansas for illegal gambling and public corruption and later in Massachusetts for drug trafficking and supplying guns to the Mafia’s Columbo family, was scheduled for trial in federal court this week, but the trial date has been changed to Oct. 18.
George Wiley Thompson, 64, is at the center of Arkansas’ first case with ties to one of the big crime families, U. S. Attorney Jane Duke said when Thompson was indicted in Massachusetts late in 2009 for allegedly selling guns to alleged Colombo
Family street boss Ralph Francis Deleo, 64, who was indicted at the same time.
So far federal investigators have built cases against six men with connections to Thompson’s alleged illegal activities. In addition to Deleo, Edmond Kulesza, 56, and Ranklin M. Goldman, 66, were indicted in Massachusetts.
In Arkansas, North Little Rock aldermen Cary Gaines, 63, and Samuel Gaylon Baggett, 58, were indicted.
Gaines is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a kickback scheme involving contracts and projects for the city of North Little Rock. The profit from the scheme was allegedly intended to pay gambling debts owed to Thompson.
Gaines also is charged with making a false statement to FBI agents regarding conversations he had with Thompson concerning the preparation of Thompson’s tax returns.
The charges against Baggett relate to his role as a federally licensed firearms dealer. The indictment alleges that Baggett sold weapons to Thompson even knowing that he was a previously convicted felon, that he didn’t keep accurate records as required and that he made false statements to agents with the FBI and Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms investigating the case.
The latest indictment, in April, is against Thompson’s son, George Allen Thompson, 41, of Jacksonville, on firearms and drug distribution charges.
Specifically, the indictment charges one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana, one count of felon in possession of a firearm and two counts of felon in possession of ammunition.
The younger Thompson was also charged with one count of acting as an accessory after the fact by helping his father avoid apprehension, trial and punishment by sending his father’s prescription medication to an individual who was to carry the medication to his father in Thailand where he went to evade federal authorities after a search warrant was executed at his home resulting in a seizure of more than 140 firearms, and 80,000 rounds of ammunition, which, as a felon, he illegally possessed.
George Wiley Thompson was arrested in Bangkok, Thailand, in November 2009 about a month after he was indicted on a multitude of federal charges including bookmaking, distribution of illegal drugs and conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with an alleged kickback scheme.
Thompson lived in the modest Oak Meadows subdivision in the central part of the city.
In addition to the Oct. 18 trial with Daleo, Thompson is scheduled for trial with Gaines on Aug. 14 and with Baggett on Dec. 7.
Leader staff writer
The Cabot man indicted in Arkansas for illegal gambling and public corruption and later in Massachusetts for drug trafficking and supplying guns to the Mafia’s Columbo family, was scheduled for trial in federal court this week, but the trial date has been changed to Oct. 18.
George Wiley Thompson, 64, is at the center of Arkansas’ first case with ties to one of the big crime families, U. S. Attorney Jane Duke said when Thompson was indicted in Massachusetts late in 2009 for allegedly selling guns to alleged Colombo
Family street boss Ralph Francis Deleo, 64, who was indicted at the same time.
So far federal investigators have built cases against six men with connections to Thompson’s alleged illegal activities. In addition to Deleo, Edmond Kulesza, 56, and Ranklin M. Goldman, 66, were indicted in Massachusetts.
In Arkansas, North Little Rock aldermen Cary Gaines, 63, and Samuel Gaylon Baggett, 58, were indicted.
Gaines is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a kickback scheme involving contracts and projects for the city of North Little Rock. The profit from the scheme was allegedly intended to pay gambling debts owed to Thompson.
Gaines also is charged with making a false statement to FBI agents regarding conversations he had with Thompson concerning the preparation of Thompson’s tax returns.
The charges against Baggett relate to his role as a federally licensed firearms dealer. The indictment alleges that Baggett sold weapons to Thompson even knowing that he was a previously convicted felon, that he didn’t keep accurate records as required and that he made false statements to agents with the FBI and Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms investigating the case.
The latest indictment, in April, is against Thompson’s son, George Allen Thompson, 41, of Jacksonville, on firearms and drug distribution charges.
Specifically, the indictment charges one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana, one count of felon in possession of a firearm and two counts of felon in possession of ammunition.
The younger Thompson was also charged with one count of acting as an accessory after the fact by helping his father avoid apprehension, trial and punishment by sending his father’s prescription medication to an individual who was to carry the medication to his father in Thailand where he went to evade federal authorities after a search warrant was executed at his home resulting in a seizure of more than 140 firearms, and 80,000 rounds of ammunition, which, as a felon, he illegally possessed.
George Wiley Thompson was arrested in Bangkok, Thailand, in November 2009 about a month after he was indicted on a multitude of federal charges including bookmaking, distribution of illegal drugs and conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with an alleged kickback scheme.
Thompson lived in the modest Oak Meadows subdivision in the central part of the city.
In addition to the Oct. 18 trial with Daleo, Thompson is scheduled for trial with Gaines on Aug. 14 and with Baggett on Dec. 7.
TOP STORY>>Mob trial will start in fall
By JOAN MCCOY
Leader staff writer
The Cabot man indicted in Arkansas for illegal gambling and public corruption and later in Massachusetts for drug trafficking and supplying guns to the Mafia’s Columbo family, was scheduled for trial in federal court this week, but the trial date has been changed to Oct. 18.
George Wiley Thompson, 64, is at the center of Arkansas’ first case with ties to one of the big crime families, U. S. Attorney Jane Duke said when Thompson was indicted in Massachusetts late in 2009 for allegedly selling guns to alleged Colombo
Family street boss Ralph Francis Deleo, 64, who was indicted at the same time.
So far federal investigators have built cases against six men with connections to Thompson’s alleged illegal activities. In addition to Deleo, Edmond Kulesza, 56, and Ranklin M. Goldman, 66, were indicted in Massachusetts.
In Arkansas, North Little Rock aldermen Cary Gaines, 63, and Samuel Gaylon Baggett, 58, were indicted.
Gaines is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a kickback scheme involving contracts and projects for the city of North Little Rock. The profit from the scheme was allegedly intended to pay gambling debts owed to Thompson.
Gaines also is charged with making a false statement to FBI agents regarding conversations he had with Thompson concerning the preparation of Thompson’s tax returns.
The charges against Baggett relate to his role as a federally licensed firearms dealer. The indictment alleges that Baggett sold weapons to Thompson even knowing that he was a previously convicted felon, that he didn’t keep accurate records as required and that he made false statements to agents with the FBI and Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms investigating the case.
The latest indictment, in April, is against Thompson’s son, George Allen Thompson, 41, of Jacksonville, on firearms and drug distribution charges.
Specifically, the indictment charges one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana, one count of felon in possession of a firearm and two counts of felon in possession of ammunition.
The younger Thompson was also charged with one count of acting as an accessory after the fact by helping his father avoid apprehension, trial and punishment by sending his father’s prescription medication to an individual who was to carry the medication to his father in Thailand where he went to evade federal authorities after a search warrant was executed at his home resulting in a seizure of more than 140 firearms, and 80,000 rounds of ammunition, which, as a felon, he illegally possessed.
George Wiley Thompson was arrested in Bangkok, Thailand, in November 2009 about a month after he was indicted on a multitude of federal charges including bookmaking, distribution of illegal drugs and conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with an alleged kickback scheme.
Thompson lived in the modest Oak Meadows subdivision in the central part of the city.
In addition to the Oct. 18 trial with Daleo, Thompson is scheduled for trial with Gaines on Aug. 14 and with Baggett on Dec. 7.
Leader staff writer
The Cabot man indicted in Arkansas for illegal gambling and public corruption and later in Massachusetts for drug trafficking and supplying guns to the Mafia’s Columbo family, was scheduled for trial in federal court this week, but the trial date has been changed to Oct. 18.
George Wiley Thompson, 64, is at the center of Arkansas’ first case with ties to one of the big crime families, U. S. Attorney Jane Duke said when Thompson was indicted in Massachusetts late in 2009 for allegedly selling guns to alleged Colombo
Family street boss Ralph Francis Deleo, 64, who was indicted at the same time.
So far federal investigators have built cases against six men with connections to Thompson’s alleged illegal activities. In addition to Deleo, Edmond Kulesza, 56, and Ranklin M. Goldman, 66, were indicted in Massachusetts.
In Arkansas, North Little Rock aldermen Cary Gaines, 63, and Samuel Gaylon Baggett, 58, were indicted.
Gaines is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a kickback scheme involving contracts and projects for the city of North Little Rock. The profit from the scheme was allegedly intended to pay gambling debts owed to Thompson.
Gaines also is charged with making a false statement to FBI agents regarding conversations he had with Thompson concerning the preparation of Thompson’s tax returns.
The charges against Baggett relate to his role as a federally licensed firearms dealer. The indictment alleges that Baggett sold weapons to Thompson even knowing that he was a previously convicted felon, that he didn’t keep accurate records as required and that he made false statements to agents with the FBI and Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms investigating the case.
The latest indictment, in April, is against Thompson’s son, George Allen Thompson, 41, of Jacksonville, on firearms and drug distribution charges.
Specifically, the indictment charges one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana, one count of felon in possession of a firearm and two counts of felon in possession of ammunition.
The younger Thompson was also charged with one count of acting as an accessory after the fact by helping his father avoid apprehension, trial and punishment by sending his father’s prescription medication to an individual who was to carry the medication to his father in Thailand where he went to evade federal authorities after a search warrant was executed at his home resulting in a seizure of more than 140 firearms, and 80,000 rounds of ammunition, which, as a felon, he illegally possessed.
George Wiley Thompson was arrested in Bangkok, Thailand, in November 2009 about a month after he was indicted on a multitude of federal charges including bookmaking, distribution of illegal drugs and conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with an alleged kickback scheme.
Thompson lived in the modest Oak Meadows subdivision in the central part of the city.
In addition to the Oct. 18 trial with Daleo, Thompson is scheduled for trial with Gaines on Aug. 14 and with Baggett on Dec. 7.
TOP STORY>>Candidate abandons campaign for mayor
By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
Rizelle Aaron, a candidate for the Jacksonville mayoral race, is dropping out, leaving Mayor Gary Fletcher unopposed.
A statement on his Aaron 4 Mayor Facebook page shortly before the page was taken down said, “I am Rizelle Aaron. June 24th I had a prostate exam and labs. On June 25th I was diagnosed. After careful deliberation it is with deep regret that I will withdraw from the mayors race due to health concerns. Thank you for your over whelming support. I know we would have won.”
In a separate e-mail sent to The Leader on Thursday, he stated, “Due to medical reasons diagnosed last week, I was advised by my doctor that the stress of this campaign will delay and hinder the recovery process.”
The Pulaski County Clerk’s Office has not received official noticed yet that Aaron has pulled out of the race. Until the office receives a notarized letter from Aaron that he wishes to withdraw, he will continue to be listed as a candidate.
In Thursday’s e-mail to The Leader, he said the article that reported on his police record was “full of lies and has caused me and my family great harm.”
He said there were many “intentional errors” in the article. “In my opinion, this is a clear case of defamation and slander.”
The article reported information obtained from 10 police reports and witness statements dated from April 2005.
Even though race was never mentioned in the article, Aaron, in his e-mail, stated, “As an African American, I can never be surprised at what someone like (reporter) Rick Kron will do, but I must say I am surprised at you (publisher Garrick Feldman) and The Leader for publishing something like this. I understand Kron’s motives, because this has always been a way for people like him to stop the progression of people like me. To make an example of me to keep the rest in check.”
He said that he was exploring his legal options, and on advice of counsel would not be giving any further statements.
But within 24 hours, he sent an e-mail and an audio recording to The Leader to prove his innocence.
In an incident in 2005 on Little Rock Air Force Base, where the police report listed the offenses as third-degree battery and rape, Aaron states, in his e-mail, “When I went in to sit and talk with my ex-wife, I recorded the entire incident. Initially, the conversation was calm. I asked my ex-wife for a divorce and she agreed. I then asked her if we could let the children decide who they wanted to live with in the event of the divorce. I called the children into the room individually and asked them. Both of the children stated they wanted to live with me. When the children left out of the room the situation became hostile and I called the police. The reasons no charges were filed was because of the audio recording. I was injured in the incident and still have the scar.”
However, in written statements by Aaron and his ex-wife at the time of the incident, there is no mention of talking with the children or the divorce.
Aaron wrote in the statement to police that when he got home, “she started to get intimate with me, which is what she does when she wants money.”
After thinking about it, he told her “to get off of me.” Aaron wrote that she got mad and “started to push me and scratch and then she bit me.”
His ex-wife’s statement has a completely different and more graphic view of what happened. In her statement, she said that his words to her were “he had everything planned because he knew that the MP’s were fake police as he called them and said they could only detain me until the Jacksonville police got there and that they weren’t going to do anything to him because they were his friends.”
The military reports from that night have been destroyed. “They only keep records for three years,” said Arlo Taylor, a base spokesman. He also said the security-police office that responded is no longer assigned to the base.
His ex-wife also wrote that he was recording the conversation and said, “He could edit out anything that he wanted.”
In 2007, Aaron was arrested on battery charges and was sentenced to one-year probation.
In an e-mail to The Leader on Friday, he said “In the 2007 incident there are audio recorded interviews with the police and witnesses. Detective (Melissa) Burroughs did in fact lie in her police report that can be confirmed by comparing my interview with Burroughs and her police report. Unfortunately, no one will ever know what was really said in the other interviews, because they are juveniles.”
In the 2008 incident, he was charged with battery and assault and took a plea deal.
In his e-mail, Aaron said the Department of Human Services did an investigation and found that no abuse had occurred.
“In fact, when they interviewed my son when asked by DHS if I punched him, he replied it wasn’t really a punch. He stated I grabbed him by his shirt collar and arm. Punched was the word my son was given to use when interviewed by the police.
According to them, the interviews of my children were not recorded, even though they were interviewed at the police department. There were no marks or bruises. I have a copy of the entire report for your review.”
Aaron went on to write, “I plead guilty, because I had received information that I was going to be found guilty whether I was or not. I wasn’t sentenced to 150 days. I did anger management, paid a fine and a few days of community service.”
According to court records, which were double checked Friday, Aaron was “fined $450 and sentenced to 120 days in jail with 90 days suspended because of proof of anger-management classes” on the battery charge.
Records further show that he was “fined $225 and sentenced to 30 days with 20 days suspended because of proof of anger-management classes” on the assault charge.
In a phone interview, Aaron said he knew he would be found guilty because the police had told the judge about the Dupree Park incident in which Aaron has filed suit against the city and officers. Aaron said in that telephone interview, which he recorded, that he ran into District Judge Robert Batton at Walmart later and asked him why he put him in jail, knowing that he was innocent. Aaron said Batton told him it was because he knew about the Dupree Park incident.
Megan Jones, one of four people Aaron detained for drugs at Dupree Park in 2005, filed two complaints with the police against Aaron—one in 2008 and one in 2009, and also a report with the prosecuting attorney’s office.
“In reference to Megan Jones. I received a recorded copy of her call to the police and a copy of Burroughs’ incident report. I also have another recording that Jones referred to in the call. As I stated in an earlier e-mail, Jones was not worried about me.
She is worried about the police and what they might do to her or her father, who was and may still be on parole.”
Yet Jones still filed complaints with the police stating that Aaron had misled her grandfather and her once by saying he had a job for her, and a second time got her phone number from her grandfather declaring that it was an emergency.
He offered up no explanation as to the mix up with his college degree. He states he has one, yet the college does not list him.
Leader staff writer
Rizelle Aaron, a candidate for the Jacksonville mayoral race, is dropping out, leaving Mayor Gary Fletcher unopposed.
A statement on his Aaron 4 Mayor Facebook page shortly before the page was taken down said, “I am Rizelle Aaron. June 24th I had a prostate exam and labs. On June 25th I was diagnosed. After careful deliberation it is with deep regret that I will withdraw from the mayors race due to health concerns. Thank you for your over whelming support. I know we would have won.”
In a separate e-mail sent to The Leader on Thursday, he stated, “Due to medical reasons diagnosed last week, I was advised by my doctor that the stress of this campaign will delay and hinder the recovery process.”
The Pulaski County Clerk’s Office has not received official noticed yet that Aaron has pulled out of the race. Until the office receives a notarized letter from Aaron that he wishes to withdraw, he will continue to be listed as a candidate.
In Thursday’s e-mail to The Leader, he said the article that reported on his police record was “full of lies and has caused me and my family great harm.”
He said there were many “intentional errors” in the article. “In my opinion, this is a clear case of defamation and slander.”
The article reported information obtained from 10 police reports and witness statements dated from April 2005.
Even though race was never mentioned in the article, Aaron, in his e-mail, stated, “As an African American, I can never be surprised at what someone like (reporter) Rick Kron will do, but I must say I am surprised at you (publisher Garrick Feldman) and The Leader for publishing something like this. I understand Kron’s motives, because this has always been a way for people like him to stop the progression of people like me. To make an example of me to keep the rest in check.”
He said that he was exploring his legal options, and on advice of counsel would not be giving any further statements.
But within 24 hours, he sent an e-mail and an audio recording to The Leader to prove his innocence.
In an incident in 2005 on Little Rock Air Force Base, where the police report listed the offenses as third-degree battery and rape, Aaron states, in his e-mail, “When I went in to sit and talk with my ex-wife, I recorded the entire incident. Initially, the conversation was calm. I asked my ex-wife for a divorce and she agreed. I then asked her if we could let the children decide who they wanted to live with in the event of the divorce. I called the children into the room individually and asked them. Both of the children stated they wanted to live with me. When the children left out of the room the situation became hostile and I called the police. The reasons no charges were filed was because of the audio recording. I was injured in the incident and still have the scar.”
However, in written statements by Aaron and his ex-wife at the time of the incident, there is no mention of talking with the children or the divorce.
Aaron wrote in the statement to police that when he got home, “she started to get intimate with me, which is what she does when she wants money.”
After thinking about it, he told her “to get off of me.” Aaron wrote that she got mad and “started to push me and scratch and then she bit me.”
His ex-wife’s statement has a completely different and more graphic view of what happened. In her statement, she said that his words to her were “he had everything planned because he knew that the MP’s were fake police as he called them and said they could only detain me until the Jacksonville police got there and that they weren’t going to do anything to him because they were his friends.”
The military reports from that night have been destroyed. “They only keep records for three years,” said Arlo Taylor, a base spokesman. He also said the security-police office that responded is no longer assigned to the base.
His ex-wife also wrote that he was recording the conversation and said, “He could edit out anything that he wanted.”
In 2007, Aaron was arrested on battery charges and was sentenced to one-year probation.
In an e-mail to The Leader on Friday, he said “In the 2007 incident there are audio recorded interviews with the police and witnesses. Detective (Melissa) Burroughs did in fact lie in her police report that can be confirmed by comparing my interview with Burroughs and her police report. Unfortunately, no one will ever know what was really said in the other interviews, because they are juveniles.”
In the 2008 incident, he was charged with battery and assault and took a plea deal.
In his e-mail, Aaron said the Department of Human Services did an investigation and found that no abuse had occurred.
“In fact, when they interviewed my son when asked by DHS if I punched him, he replied it wasn’t really a punch. He stated I grabbed him by his shirt collar and arm. Punched was the word my son was given to use when interviewed by the police.
According to them, the interviews of my children were not recorded, even though they were interviewed at the police department. There were no marks or bruises. I have a copy of the entire report for your review.”
Aaron went on to write, “I plead guilty, because I had received information that I was going to be found guilty whether I was or not. I wasn’t sentenced to 150 days. I did anger management, paid a fine and a few days of community service.”
According to court records, which were double checked Friday, Aaron was “fined $450 and sentenced to 120 days in jail with 90 days suspended because of proof of anger-management classes” on the battery charge.
Records further show that he was “fined $225 and sentenced to 30 days with 20 days suspended because of proof of anger-management classes” on the assault charge.
In a phone interview, Aaron said he knew he would be found guilty because the police had told the judge about the Dupree Park incident in which Aaron has filed suit against the city and officers. Aaron said in that telephone interview, which he recorded, that he ran into District Judge Robert Batton at Walmart later and asked him why he put him in jail, knowing that he was innocent. Aaron said Batton told him it was because he knew about the Dupree Park incident.
Megan Jones, one of four people Aaron detained for drugs at Dupree Park in 2005, filed two complaints with the police against Aaron—one in 2008 and one in 2009, and also a report with the prosecuting attorney’s office.
“In reference to Megan Jones. I received a recorded copy of her call to the police and a copy of Burroughs’ incident report. I also have another recording that Jones referred to in the call. As I stated in an earlier e-mail, Jones was not worried about me.
She is worried about the police and what they might do to her or her father, who was and may still be on parole.”
Yet Jones still filed complaints with the police stating that Aaron had misled her grandfather and her once by saying he had a job for her, and a second time got her phone number from her grandfather declaring that it was an emergency.
He offered up no explanation as to the mix up with his college degree. He states he has one, yet the college does not list him.
SPORTS>>Benton makes U.S. Amateur
By TODD TRAUB
Leader sports editor
It’s been a busy summer for Cabot junior golfer Colby Benton, and it’s only going to get busier.
Benton shot a 1 over par 145 in the USGA Junior Amateur Qualifying at Hot Springs on Tuesday to earn a berth in the U.S. Junior
Amateur later this month.
Benton carded a 74-71 at the Hot Springs Country Club’s Arlington Course to win one of two available spots to the Junior Amateur to be played July 19-24 at Egypt Valley Country Club in Ada, Mich.
Benton, as well as his sister Kaylee, has already qualified for the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships on July 27-Aug. 1 at the PGA National Resort and Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
The Junior Amateur will be the first USGA national event for Benton, who finished qualifying five strokes behind winner Reid Holly, of Madison, Miss. Only the top two finishers advance to the Junior Amateur.
Holly shot 69-71—140 to finish 4 under in the rain-plagued event.
Benton shot a 37 on the front nine and 37 on the back to finish the opening round 2 over. He had two bogeys and a birdie while Holly shot an opening-round 67.
That left Benton battling for the final qualifying spot as he had birdies on the second, sixth and eighth holes and a bogey on nine to make the turn even. On the back nine he shot bogies on No. 12 and No. 15 and birdied No. 14.
Leader sports editor
It’s been a busy summer for Cabot junior golfer Colby Benton, and it’s only going to get busier.
Benton shot a 1 over par 145 in the USGA Junior Amateur Qualifying at Hot Springs on Tuesday to earn a berth in the U.S. Junior
Amateur later this month.
Benton carded a 74-71 at the Hot Springs Country Club’s Arlington Course to win one of two available spots to the Junior Amateur to be played July 19-24 at Egypt Valley Country Club in Ada, Mich.
Benton, as well as his sister Kaylee, has already qualified for the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships on July 27-Aug. 1 at the PGA National Resort and Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
The Junior Amateur will be the first USGA national event for Benton, who finished qualifying five strokes behind winner Reid Holly, of Madison, Miss. Only the top two finishers advance to the Junior Amateur.
Holly shot 69-71—140 to finish 4 under in the rain-plagued event.
Benton shot a 37 on the front nine and 37 on the back to finish the opening round 2 over. He had two bogeys and a birdie while Holly shot an opening-round 67.
That left Benton battling for the final qualifying spot as he had birdies on the second, sixth and eighth holes and a bogey on nine to make the turn even. On the back nine he shot bogies on No. 12 and No. 15 and birdied No. 14.
SPORTS>>Benton makes U.S. Amateur
By TODD TRAUB
Leader sports editor
It’s been a busy summer for Cabot junior golfer Colby Benton, and it’s only going to get busier.
Benton shot a 1 over par 145 in the USGA Junior Amateur Qualifying at Hot Springs on Tuesday to earn a berth in the U.S. Junior
Amateur later this month.
Benton carded a 74-71 at the Hot Springs Country Club’s Arlington Course to win one of two available spots to the Junior Amateur to be played July 19-24 at Egypt Valley Country Club in Ada, Mich.
Benton, as well as his sister Kaylee, has already qualified for the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships on July 27-Aug. 1 at the PGA National Resort and Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
The Junior Amateur will be the first USGA national event for Benton, who finished qualifying five strokes behind winner Reid Holly, of Madison, Miss. Only the top two finishers advance to the Junior Amateur.
Holly shot 69-71—140 to finish 4 under in the rain-plagued event.
Benton shot a 37 on the front nine and 37 on the back to finish the opening round 2 over. He had two bogeys and a birdie while Holly shot an opening-round 67.
That left Benton battling for the final qualifying spot as he had birdies on the second, sixth and eighth holes and a bogey on nine to make the turn even. On the back nine he shot bogies on No. 12 and No. 15 and birdied No. 14.
Leader sports editor
It’s been a busy summer for Cabot junior golfer Colby Benton, and it’s only going to get busier.
Benton shot a 1 over par 145 in the USGA Junior Amateur Qualifying at Hot Springs on Tuesday to earn a berth in the U.S. Junior
Amateur later this month.
Benton carded a 74-71 at the Hot Springs Country Club’s Arlington Course to win one of two available spots to the Junior Amateur to be played July 19-24 at Egypt Valley Country Club in Ada, Mich.
Benton, as well as his sister Kaylee, has already qualified for the Optimist International Junior Golf Championships on July 27-Aug. 1 at the PGA National Resort and Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
The Junior Amateur will be the first USGA national event for Benton, who finished qualifying five strokes behind winner Reid Holly, of Madison, Miss. Only the top two finishers advance to the Junior Amateur.
Holly shot 69-71—140 to finish 4 under in the rain-plagued event.
Benton shot a 37 on the front nine and 37 on the back to finish the opening round 2 over. He had two bogeys and a birdie while Holly shot an opening-round 67.
That left Benton battling for the final qualifying spot as he had birdies on the second, sixth and eighth holes and a bogey on nine to make the turn even. On the back nine he shot bogies on No. 12 and No. 15 and birdied No. 14.
SPORTS>>Baseball bruises ego, too
By TODD TRAUB
Leader sports editor
I always thought I had the worst amateur baseball career a guy can have, until I talked to my friend Mike Garrity.
Up until Garrity told me about his efforts with the Columbia Basin Junior College Hawks — more on that in a minute — I was sure no one had smelled up a ball field worse than me.
I wasn’t necessarily the worst player on my Little League team, but I certainly wasn’t the best, and that, unfortunately, was when my career peaked.
I know I played a lot of right field, which is where I was standing the time I bent over and ripped my pants while a girl I knew from school stood on the other side of the fence behind me. She got a good look and later so did the rest of the fans when I charged out of the dugout to take the field and fell on my face with my legs spread wide.
My Little League highlight was when I walked to drive in a winning run once, but that was because I rarely took the bat off my shoulder. I think I finished with one career hit.
In junior high we didn’t have cuts, so I was able to make the third string. Continuing a trend, I drew a walk as an eighth-grader in an inter-squad game, only todrift off moments later and get picked off by the seventh-grade pitcher.
I threw my hat in anger and all the parents in the stands laughed. Tough crowd.
I was definitely the worst player on my high school team but I became a darn good first-base coach. Based on my own bitter experience I made sure no one got picked off.
I was so bad a player that when I showed up sleepy and late for a Saturday morning doubleheader my coach just laughed. I was what we called in the Air Force “nonessential personnel.”
It’s a wonder I even like baseball after all that. But there I was at Dickey-Stephens Park the other night, watching the Arkansas
Travelers and listening to Garrity tell me about his own horrific experiences in the game.
Garrity has been a high school and college mascot, worked in sports information and administration at UALR and Florida International and has served as Travelers scorekeeper. He is currently the team’s data caster for Minor League Baseball.
He also took a stab at playing ball for Columbia Basin, located in Pasco, Wash. And after hearing his stories, I feel a little better about my career.
Garrity was the Hawk mascot during basketball at the two-year school and then attempted to suit up each spring with the baseball team. Well, he did suit up, but Garrity’s job was basically to serve as the media-relations man and keep the scorebook.
On a spring-break road swing in California, Garrity got a token at-bat in a one-sided game and suffered a critical injury.
“I’m left-handed but I bat right-handed,” Garrity said. “And I took a pitch off the elbow and it swelled up and I couldn’t keep score for the rest of the week.”
The next season Garrity sustained another injury, this time to his pride.
The new coach kept Garrity in uniform as the team’s sports-information guy. But Garrity was also useful as a left-handed batting practice pitcher on days Columbia Basin was facing a left-handed starter.
The Hawks were getting clobbered one Friday night and, with a doubleheader the next day, the coaches didn’t want to waste another pitcher, so Garrity offered to go in.
“They said ‘Really? You need to go warm up?’ ” Garrity said. “I said, ‘No, I’m good. I threw BP an hour ago. Just let me put on my spikes.’ Because I didn’t even bother to wear my cleats at the time.”
Garrity came on the middle of an at-bat to complete a walk that loaded the bases. Then he gave up a triple off the top of the fence 400 feet away and walked two more to load the bases again.
The coach made a visit and urged Garrity to calm down and just throw his best pitch.
“You don’t want that,” Garrity said.
“Why not?” The coach said.
“Because right now my best pitch is ball four,” Garrity said.
True to his word, Garrity walked in another run and was pulled for the left fielder, who used knuckleballs to get out of the inning.
“But really that is what led to my career,” Garrity said. “Keeping score, sending stories to the paper, sending stats to the conference.”
Luckily, there is more than one way for benchwarmers like us to get in the game.
Leader sports editor
I always thought I had the worst amateur baseball career a guy can have, until I talked to my friend Mike Garrity.
Up until Garrity told me about his efforts with the Columbia Basin Junior College Hawks — more on that in a minute — I was sure no one had smelled up a ball field worse than me.
I wasn’t necessarily the worst player on my Little League team, but I certainly wasn’t the best, and that, unfortunately, was when my career peaked.
I know I played a lot of right field, which is where I was standing the time I bent over and ripped my pants while a girl I knew from school stood on the other side of the fence behind me. She got a good look and later so did the rest of the fans when I charged out of the dugout to take the field and fell on my face with my legs spread wide.
My Little League highlight was when I walked to drive in a winning run once, but that was because I rarely took the bat off my shoulder. I think I finished with one career hit.
In junior high we didn’t have cuts, so I was able to make the third string. Continuing a trend, I drew a walk as an eighth-grader in an inter-squad game, only todrift off moments later and get picked off by the seventh-grade pitcher.
I threw my hat in anger and all the parents in the stands laughed. Tough crowd.
I was definitely the worst player on my high school team but I became a darn good first-base coach. Based on my own bitter experience I made sure no one got picked off.
I was so bad a player that when I showed up sleepy and late for a Saturday morning doubleheader my coach just laughed. I was what we called in the Air Force “nonessential personnel.”
It’s a wonder I even like baseball after all that. But there I was at Dickey-Stephens Park the other night, watching the Arkansas
Travelers and listening to Garrity tell me about his own horrific experiences in the game.
Garrity has been a high school and college mascot, worked in sports information and administration at UALR and Florida International and has served as Travelers scorekeeper. He is currently the team’s data caster for Minor League Baseball.
He also took a stab at playing ball for Columbia Basin, located in Pasco, Wash. And after hearing his stories, I feel a little better about my career.
Garrity was the Hawk mascot during basketball at the two-year school and then attempted to suit up each spring with the baseball team. Well, he did suit up, but Garrity’s job was basically to serve as the media-relations man and keep the scorebook.
On a spring-break road swing in California, Garrity got a token at-bat in a one-sided game and suffered a critical injury.
“I’m left-handed but I bat right-handed,” Garrity said. “And I took a pitch off the elbow and it swelled up and I couldn’t keep score for the rest of the week.”
The next season Garrity sustained another injury, this time to his pride.
The new coach kept Garrity in uniform as the team’s sports-information guy. But Garrity was also useful as a left-handed batting practice pitcher on days Columbia Basin was facing a left-handed starter.
The Hawks were getting clobbered one Friday night and, with a doubleheader the next day, the coaches didn’t want to waste another pitcher, so Garrity offered to go in.
“They said ‘Really? You need to go warm up?’ ” Garrity said. “I said, ‘No, I’m good. I threw BP an hour ago. Just let me put on my spikes.’ Because I didn’t even bother to wear my cleats at the time.”
Garrity came on the middle of an at-bat to complete a walk that loaded the bases. Then he gave up a triple off the top of the fence 400 feet away and walked two more to load the bases again.
The coach made a visit and urged Garrity to calm down and just throw his best pitch.
“You don’t want that,” Garrity said.
“Why not?” The coach said.
“Because right now my best pitch is ball four,” Garrity said.
True to his word, Garrity walked in another run and was pulled for the left fielder, who used knuckleballs to get out of the inning.
“But really that is what led to my career,” Garrity said. “Keeping score, sending stories to the paper, sending stats to the conference.”
Luckily, there is more than one way for benchwarmers like us to get in the game.
SPORTS>>Band a hit with honkers
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission made a stop in Jacksonville on Tuesday as part of its annual summer Canada goose banding program.
A crew of 16, which included AGFC personnel and local volunteers, rounded up close to 200 Canada geese and banded 120 on First Arkansas Bank president Larry Wilson’s property on Nixon Drive off Highway 161.
The rest of the geese were already banded and were returned to the water. Geese without the small, numbered, metal bands were put in a makeshift pen made of orange plastic fencing to await their turn.
The last week of June and early July is the only time Canada geese can be banded because that is when they shed their flight feathers. AGFCwaterfowl-program coordinator Luke Naylor estimated 1,000-1,500 Canada geese are banded in Arkansas each year.
“There’s a couple of things you can get from banding,” Naylor said. “It’s basically the only population- monitoring tool we have.
“You can get recoveries whenever a band number is reported, mostly from hunter harvests. They call and report the band number and you get that information back.”
The crew had all 120 geese rounded up, banded and released back to the pond in one hour and 15 minutes.
The Wilson property provided an average-size job for the group, said Naylor, who said they can band anywhere from 75 to 300 geese on a given site.
“We just have a short window,” Naylor said. “We spend five, six days total on it every summer. It’s a one-time effort because it’s one of those projects where we have to mobilize a big crew.”
Naylor said the extra attention paid to Canada geese is mostly because they are a hunted species. And though they are far from being endangered, keeping track of them is very important.
“We know it’s not hurting,” Naylor said. “Residential geese are actually expanding, but it still behooves us to do this for the long term. If we go a few years without doing this, we will lose continuity.”
Leader sportswriter
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission made a stop in Jacksonville on Tuesday as part of its annual summer Canada goose banding program.
A crew of 16, which included AGFC personnel and local volunteers, rounded up close to 200 Canada geese and banded 120 on First Arkansas Bank president Larry Wilson’s property on Nixon Drive off Highway 161.
The rest of the geese were already banded and were returned to the water. Geese without the small, numbered, metal bands were put in a makeshift pen made of orange plastic fencing to await their turn.
The last week of June and early July is the only time Canada geese can be banded because that is when they shed their flight feathers. AGFCwaterfowl-program coordinator Luke Naylor estimated 1,000-1,500 Canada geese are banded in Arkansas each year.
“There’s a couple of things you can get from banding,” Naylor said. “It’s basically the only population- monitoring tool we have.
“You can get recoveries whenever a band number is reported, mostly from hunter harvests. They call and report the band number and you get that information back.”
The crew had all 120 geese rounded up, banded and released back to the pond in one hour and 15 minutes.
The Wilson property provided an average-size job for the group, said Naylor, who said they can band anywhere from 75 to 300 geese on a given site.
“We just have a short window,” Naylor said. “We spend five, six days total on it every summer. It’s a one-time effort because it’s one of those projects where we have to mobilize a big crew.”
Naylor said the extra attention paid to Canada geese is mostly because they are a hunted species. And though they are far from being endangered, keeping track of them is very important.
“We know it’s not hurting,” Naylor said. “Residential geese are actually expanding, but it still behooves us to do this for the long term. If we go a few years without doing this, we will lose continuity.”
SPORTS>>EjBand a hit with honkers
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission made a stop in Jacksonville on Tuesday as part of its annual summer Canada goose banding program.
A crew of 16, which included AGFC personnel and local volunteers, rounded up close to 200 Canada geese and banded 120 on First Arkansas Bank president Larry Wilson’s property on Nixon Drive off Highway 161.
The rest of the geese were already banded and were returned to the water. Geese without the small, numbered, metal bands were put in a makeshift pen made of orange plastic fencing to await their turn.
The last week of June and early July is the only time Canada geese can be banded because that is when they shed their flight feathers. AGFCwaterfowl-program coordinator Luke Naylor estimated 1,000-1,500 Canada geese are banded in Arkansas each year.
“There’s a couple of things you can get from banding,” Naylor said. “It’s basically the only population- monitoring tool we have.
“You can get recoveries whenever a band number is reported, mostly from hunter harvests. They call and report the band number and you get that information back.”
The crew had all 120 geese rounded up, banded and released back to the pond in one hour and 15 minutes.
The Wilson property provided an average-size job for the group, said Naylor, who said they can band anywhere from 75 to 300 geese on a given site.
“We just have a short window,” Naylor said. “We spend five, six days total on it every summer. It’s a one-time effort because it’s one of those projects where we have to mobilize a big crew.”
Naylor said the extra attention paid to Canada geese is mostly because they are a hunted species. And though they are far from being endangered, keeping track of them is very important.
“We know it’s not hurting,” Naylor said. “Residential geese are actually expanding, but it still behooves us to do this for the long term. If we go a few years without doing this, we will lose continuity.”
Leader sportswriter
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission made a stop in Jacksonville on Tuesday as part of its annual summer Canada goose banding program.
A crew of 16, which included AGFC personnel and local volunteers, rounded up close to 200 Canada geese and banded 120 on First Arkansas Bank president Larry Wilson’s property on Nixon Drive off Highway 161.
The rest of the geese were already banded and were returned to the water. Geese without the small, numbered, metal bands were put in a makeshift pen made of orange plastic fencing to await their turn.
The last week of June and early July is the only time Canada geese can be banded because that is when they shed their flight feathers. AGFCwaterfowl-program coordinator Luke Naylor estimated 1,000-1,500 Canada geese are banded in Arkansas each year.
“There’s a couple of things you can get from banding,” Naylor said. “It’s basically the only population- monitoring tool we have.
“You can get recoveries whenever a band number is reported, mostly from hunter harvests. They call and report the band number and you get that information back.”
The crew had all 120 geese rounded up, banded and released back to the pond in one hour and 15 minutes.
The Wilson property provided an average-size job for the group, said Naylor, who said they can band anywhere from 75 to 300 geese on a given site.
“We just have a short window,” Naylor said. “We spend five, six days total on it every summer. It’s a one-time effort because it’s one of those projects where we have to mobilize a big crew.”
Naylor said the extra attention paid to Canada geese is mostly because they are a hunted species. And though they are far from being endangered, keeping track of them is very important.
“We know it’s not hurting,” Naylor said. “Residential geese are actually expanding, but it still behooves us to do this for the long term. If we go a few years without doing this, we will lose continuity.”
SPORTS>>Ejections, rally add extra spark to Gwatney win
By TODD TRAUB
Leader sports editor
Jacksonville provided the park and North Little Rock brought the fireworks Thursday.
A sixth-inning rally and two North Little Rock ejections marked host Jacksonville Gwatney Chevrolet’s 7-4 victory over the Colts that opened the Fourth of July American Legion Classic at Dupree Park.
Gwatney struck for three runs in the bottom of the sixth while North Little Rock starting pitcher David Stracner and coach Drew
Rogers were thrown out of the game after a fourth-inning run in with home plate umpire Juju Harshaw.
Jacksonville had just taken a 4-1 lead in the fourth on Patrick Castleberry’s sacrifice fly that scored Nick Rodriguez. Stracner, who was near home to back up a play at the plate, was ejected on his way back to the mound.
Colts coach Rogers came onto the field immediately to argue with Harshaw and was immediately ejected. Stracner and Rogers said Stracner was only speaking to his catcher, Derek Houser, and not to Harshaw.
“You’ve got to protect your player at that point,” Rogers said of his ejection.
Left fielder Zach Ketchum relieved Stracner, and after stranding five men the previous two innings, North Little Rock seemed fired up when it scored three runs in the fifth to tie it 4-4.
Cain Cormier and Tyson Tackett walked and Jon Edwards doubled to score Cormier. With two outs Brooks Howard doubled off the wall in left to drive in Tackett and Edwards and tie the game.
“I don’t know if it’s a case of getting thrown out to fire up your team or not,” Rogers said.
But North Little Rock stranded two more in the top of the sixth, and in the bottom of the inning Jacksonville posted its three-run rally.
D’Vone McClure doubled and scored on Caleb Mitchell’s groundout, Kenny Cummings bunted for a hit and scored on A.J. Allen’s double to left and Allen, who took third on Ketchum’s wild pitch, scored on Jared Toney’s infield hit.
“We got the top of our order back up there and that’s what we wanted,” Jacksonville coach Bob Hickingbotham said. “We just put two or three hits together, two or three good shots together.”
The rally made a winner out of Allen, who relieved Gwatney starter Stephen Swagerty in the sixth. Swagerty worked 5 1/3 innings, and was charged with all of North Little Rock’s runs while striking out four and walking eight.
“We were fortunate we got some pitching out of a fielder that hadn’t pitched much,” Hickingbotham said of Allen. “But Swagerty did an outstanding job. I was proud of him. He’s going longer than he’s been going.”
Hickingbotham was hoping to get five innings out of Swagerty and made a mound visit during the sixth before returning to relieve Swagerty after Edwards reached on a fielder’s choice.
“I wanted five because I think I got a kid or two that can pitch an inning,” Hickingbotham said.
Ketchum was the victim of the Gwatney rally in the sixth and took the loss for the Colts.
Cormier tripled and scored on Swagerty’s wild pitch in the North Little Rock first.
In the Jacksonville third, Cummings reached on a one-out fielder’s choice and Castleberry walked, then Stracner advanced both men into scoring position with a walk. Allen walked an out later to bring up Toney, who cleared the bases with his double into the right-center field gap and made it 3-1.
Rodriguez led off the Jacksonville fourth with a double and he later scored on Castleberry’s sacrifice fly.
“Right now, if we just keep swinging it, we can score some runs,” Hickingbotham said.
Leader sports editor
Jacksonville provided the park and North Little Rock brought the fireworks Thursday.
A sixth-inning rally and two North Little Rock ejections marked host Jacksonville Gwatney Chevrolet’s 7-4 victory over the Colts that opened the Fourth of July American Legion Classic at Dupree Park.
Gwatney struck for three runs in the bottom of the sixth while North Little Rock starting pitcher David Stracner and coach Drew
Rogers were thrown out of the game after a fourth-inning run in with home plate umpire Juju Harshaw.
Jacksonville had just taken a 4-1 lead in the fourth on Patrick Castleberry’s sacrifice fly that scored Nick Rodriguez. Stracner, who was near home to back up a play at the plate, was ejected on his way back to the mound.
Colts coach Rogers came onto the field immediately to argue with Harshaw and was immediately ejected. Stracner and Rogers said Stracner was only speaking to his catcher, Derek Houser, and not to Harshaw.
“You’ve got to protect your player at that point,” Rogers said of his ejection.
Left fielder Zach Ketchum relieved Stracner, and after stranding five men the previous two innings, North Little Rock seemed fired up when it scored three runs in the fifth to tie it 4-4.
Cain Cormier and Tyson Tackett walked and Jon Edwards doubled to score Cormier. With two outs Brooks Howard doubled off the wall in left to drive in Tackett and Edwards and tie the game.
“I don’t know if it’s a case of getting thrown out to fire up your team or not,” Rogers said.
But North Little Rock stranded two more in the top of the sixth, and in the bottom of the inning Jacksonville posted its three-run rally.
D’Vone McClure doubled and scored on Caleb Mitchell’s groundout, Kenny Cummings bunted for a hit and scored on A.J. Allen’s double to left and Allen, who took third on Ketchum’s wild pitch, scored on Jared Toney’s infield hit.
“We got the top of our order back up there and that’s what we wanted,” Jacksonville coach Bob Hickingbotham said. “We just put two or three hits together, two or three good shots together.”
The rally made a winner out of Allen, who relieved Gwatney starter Stephen Swagerty in the sixth. Swagerty worked 5 1/3 innings, and was charged with all of North Little Rock’s runs while striking out four and walking eight.
“We were fortunate we got some pitching out of a fielder that hadn’t pitched much,” Hickingbotham said of Allen. “But Swagerty did an outstanding job. I was proud of him. He’s going longer than he’s been going.”
Hickingbotham was hoping to get five innings out of Swagerty and made a mound visit during the sixth before returning to relieve Swagerty after Edwards reached on a fielder’s choice.
“I wanted five because I think I got a kid or two that can pitch an inning,” Hickingbotham said.
Ketchum was the victim of the Gwatney rally in the sixth and took the loss for the Colts.
Cormier tripled and scored on Swagerty’s wild pitch in the North Little Rock first.
In the Jacksonville third, Cummings reached on a one-out fielder’s choice and Castleberry walked, then Stracner advanced both men into scoring position with a walk. Allen walked an out later to bring up Toney, who cleared the bases with his double into the right-center field gap and made it 3-1.
Rodriguez led off the Jacksonville fourth with a double and he later scored on Castleberry’s sacrifice fly.
“Right now, if we just keep swinging it, we can score some runs,” Hickingbotham said.
SPORTS>>Successful Fusion
By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
Now that Dane Grant has the group of players he has been looking for, the trick is going to be keeping them together.
Grant coaches the Arkansas Lady Fusion, a group of 12 girls who spend their summer on the basketball court as part of a 14-under AAU team that competes in elite tournaments across the state.
It is the second season for the team, which had mixed results as it went 20-18 last year. That led Grant to an overhaul, replacing almost half the players.
The move has paid off this year. The Fusion is 35-3 and has won a number of major tournament victories while just over halfway through its schedule.
“That’s far exceeded my expectations, because they’ve only been together for three months,” Grant said. “We’re playing teams that have been together for five and six years. It makes a huge difference with the bonding process.”
The biggest addition is potential NCAA Division I prospect Kori Bullard, a 6-2 post player from Lake Hamilton, who is joined by school teammate Kylie Frazier at guard.
Cabot South’s Ryan Wilson is also a guard for the Lady Fusion, which has five players from Beebe: guards Mackenzie Bingham, Jessica Lane and Sam Kendrick and forwards Jesse Kloss and Kalela Miller.
Other players with local ties include forward Anna Lowery, from Harding Academy, point guard Kyndal Clower, of Vilonia, and Bald Knob forward Taylor Varnell. Jessica McCauley, a small forward from Central Arkansas Christian, completes the roster.
Grant, who has coached successful AAU teams in the past, said his years of service could be winding down. But with the chemistry and success of his current group, he is hoping to hold them together through various teenage distractions and finish out his career with a dominant group of players.
“I’ve got four years left,” Grant said. “My plan is to stay with these girls until they graduate high school. I see a big change in the ninth- and tenth-graders. Usually as eighth- graders, they’re not mobile.
“But once they get those driver’s licenses and they get into other hobbies, it gets harder to get them into practices because they would rather go to the lake or do things, so my plan is to bring this entire group back.”
David Kloss, Jesse Kloss’ father, assists Grant and also sponsors the team through his Kloss Machine Company business in Beebe. Other sponsors include Healthway Drug of Beebe, Ozark Biomedical, Secon Construction, Flur Lansdell and Statewide Pest Control.
The Lady Fusion also supports itself with car washes and bake sales.
“That also brings the kids and the parents together,” Grant said. “Not only do the kids have to get along, but the mommas and daddies have got to co-exist as well.”
Bullard and Frazier, from the Pearcy area, have to make the longest haul to the Lady Fusion’s two-and-a-half hour practices every Tuesday and Thursday morning. But the pair has quickly adapted to Grant’s stringent program.
“We’ve all meshed together,” Bullard said. “And we’re all really, really close and we know where each other play. I think it’s progressing; I think we’ll get even better.”
Jesse Kloss, who alternates between forward and guard, is one of the Fusion’s original players from Beebe. Kloss said the new teammates and improved record this year have made the intense summer practices even more rewarding.
The most difficult aspect of Lady Fusion practices has been finding facilities to use each week.
Practices began in February in the old gymnasium at McRae, which is now a part of the Beebe School District. That was home base for the Lady Fusion until the end of the school year in June.
In the past month, the team has practiced everywhere from First Baptist Church of Beebe to the old ASU-Beebe court, and there was one trying practice in the outdated gym in nearby Garner.
The members of the Lady Fusion are required to make good grades. Grant said that with a system more complex than that of a typical high-school team, sharp, disciplined minds are a benefit.
“It’s fun to win,” Kloss said. “These practices are harder than school practices, so it’s pretty tough, especially at ten in the morning.”
The Lady Fusion has three more in-state tournaments this month, leading up to the MAYB National tournament in Stillwater, Okla., beginning Aug. 5.
Grant said claiming the big prize at nationals will require winning anywhere from 13 to 15 games in a four-day span.
“It’s going to be a very, very tough tournament,” Grant said. “But the good thing about it is two teams from Arkansas have won it the last two years. So, it’s time. This is year number two, and I’m hoping, and I feel very confident, that we can win it.”
Leader sportswriter
Now that Dane Grant has the group of players he has been looking for, the trick is going to be keeping them together.
Grant coaches the Arkansas Lady Fusion, a group of 12 girls who spend their summer on the basketball court as part of a 14-under AAU team that competes in elite tournaments across the state.
It is the second season for the team, which had mixed results as it went 20-18 last year. That led Grant to an overhaul, replacing almost half the players.
The move has paid off this year. The Fusion is 35-3 and has won a number of major tournament victories while just over halfway through its schedule.
“That’s far exceeded my expectations, because they’ve only been together for three months,” Grant said. “We’re playing teams that have been together for five and six years. It makes a huge difference with the bonding process.”
The biggest addition is potential NCAA Division I prospect Kori Bullard, a 6-2 post player from Lake Hamilton, who is joined by school teammate Kylie Frazier at guard.
Cabot South’s Ryan Wilson is also a guard for the Lady Fusion, which has five players from Beebe: guards Mackenzie Bingham, Jessica Lane and Sam Kendrick and forwards Jesse Kloss and Kalela Miller.
Other players with local ties include forward Anna Lowery, from Harding Academy, point guard Kyndal Clower, of Vilonia, and Bald Knob forward Taylor Varnell. Jessica McCauley, a small forward from Central Arkansas Christian, completes the roster.
Grant, who has coached successful AAU teams in the past, said his years of service could be winding down. But with the chemistry and success of his current group, he is hoping to hold them together through various teenage distractions and finish out his career with a dominant group of players.
“I’ve got four years left,” Grant said. “My plan is to stay with these girls until they graduate high school. I see a big change in the ninth- and tenth-graders. Usually as eighth- graders, they’re not mobile.
“But once they get those driver’s licenses and they get into other hobbies, it gets harder to get them into practices because they would rather go to the lake or do things, so my plan is to bring this entire group back.”
David Kloss, Jesse Kloss’ father, assists Grant and also sponsors the team through his Kloss Machine Company business in Beebe. Other sponsors include Healthway Drug of Beebe, Ozark Biomedical, Secon Construction, Flur Lansdell and Statewide Pest Control.
The Lady Fusion also supports itself with car washes and bake sales.
“That also brings the kids and the parents together,” Grant said. “Not only do the kids have to get along, but the mommas and daddies have got to co-exist as well.”
Bullard and Frazier, from the Pearcy area, have to make the longest haul to the Lady Fusion’s two-and-a-half hour practices every Tuesday and Thursday morning. But the pair has quickly adapted to Grant’s stringent program.
“We’ve all meshed together,” Bullard said. “And we’re all really, really close and we know where each other play. I think it’s progressing; I think we’ll get even better.”
Jesse Kloss, who alternates between forward and guard, is one of the Fusion’s original players from Beebe. Kloss said the new teammates and improved record this year have made the intense summer practices even more rewarding.
The most difficult aspect of Lady Fusion practices has been finding facilities to use each week.
Practices began in February in the old gymnasium at McRae, which is now a part of the Beebe School District. That was home base for the Lady Fusion until the end of the school year in June.
In the past month, the team has practiced everywhere from First Baptist Church of Beebe to the old ASU-Beebe court, and there was one trying practice in the outdated gym in nearby Garner.
The members of the Lady Fusion are required to make good grades. Grant said that with a system more complex than that of a typical high-school team, sharp, disciplined minds are a benefit.
“It’s fun to win,” Kloss said. “These practices are harder than school practices, so it’s pretty tough, especially at ten in the morning.”
The Lady Fusion has three more in-state tournaments this month, leading up to the MAYB National tournament in Stillwater, Okla., beginning Aug. 5.
Grant said claiming the big prize at nationals will require winning anywhere from 13 to 15 games in a four-day span.
“It’s going to be a very, very tough tournament,” Grant said. “But the good thing about it is two teams from Arkansas have won it the last two years. So, it’s time. This is year number two, and I’m hoping, and I feel very confident, that we can win it.”
TOP STORY >> Questions raised about candidate
IN SHORT: Jacksonville mayoral hopeful Aaron has had several scrapes with the law.
BY RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
Jacksonville mayoral candidate Rizelle Aaron has 10 Jacksonville police reports with his name listed as suspect, arrestee or victim.
His opponent, Mayor Gary Fletcher, has two.
The complaints against Aaron run from abuse of family members to harassment to rape. But Aaron says he’s a victim of bad cops.
Aaron has been sentenced to jail for 150 days with 110 of that suspended, had to take anger-management classes, paid fines in excess of $1,000 and spent one year on probation. Fletcher was fined $120 for driving with expired tags.
None of Aaron’s incidents resulted in a felony charge, so he is still able to run for political office.
Aaron, 42, believes the police are systematically after him and used that argument in his lawsuit against the city, which is now on appeal.
However, in his October 2009 ruling, Circuit Judge Brian Miller threw out the racist claim, stating that there was no “pattern or practice” to arrest citizens, “especially black citizens” without probable cause.
The Leader, through the Freedom of Information Act, obtained the last 50 complaints against the Jacksonville Police Department and an 18-month record of citations issued. No discernible pattern of abuse or prejudice was noted in either case.
In reviewing all of Aaron’s police records, also obtained through the Freedom of Information Act — since as a candidate, he is a public figure — the police initiated two of the contacts (once helping Aaron when he was ill and one a traffic stop); calls from other people sent the police to Aaron four times, and he called the police on four occasions.
Aaron said Tuesday that the city didn’t provide all the reports and case files, and that prevents people from knowing the whole story.
Based on the available reports, if the police violated any laws at all, it was in trying to help Aaron after one arrest with the placement of his children. The police gave physical custody of the children to his girlfriend, at Aaron’s request, instead of his ex-wife, who supposedly had joint custody.
n Aaron’s first record of dealing with the Jacksonville Police appears April 20, 2005, and he made the phone call that brought the police out.
Aaron, who was an active-duty National Guardsman at the time, called security police to respond to his on-base home because of a domestic disturbance between him and his wife. He claimed his wife assaulted him. Based on a jurisdictional agreement with the air base, Jacksonville police responded, investigated and considered arresting Aaron and charging him with rape.
However, Air Force security police said they had jurisdiction and instead arrested Aaron for third-degree battery on a family member. Neither law enforcement group charged his wife with a crime. Aaron was released to a member of his unit and apparently nothing further happened in regards to the incident, according to a Guard spokesman.
According to a Guard public affairs spokesman, Capt. Chris Heathscott, the Guard has various types of full-time Guardsmen. Some are under the Uniform Code of Military Justice while others are under civilian law. Aaron’s status placed him under civilian rule, meaning the police department had the right to bring him in.
Even though this was the first documented case of problems between Aaron and the Jacksonville Police Department, it was not the first time Aaron had dealt with the law.
n In 1991, he was arrested by England police and charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and public intoxication.
Lonoke County court records show the disorderly conduct and resisting arrest charges were eventually dropped and Aaron appealed the public intoxication case, but failed to show, forfeiting his fine of $85.
n The next meeting between Aaron and the Jacksonville police was July 3, 2005, and again Aaron called the police. According to the police report, he suspected his ex-wife was guilty of child abuse because she had allegedly whipped one of the children with a leather belt and thrown the child on the floor. The incident was turned over to child abuse investigators.
n In September 2005, Aaron was arrested and charged with four counts of criminal impersonation (impersonating a police officer), four counts of second-degree false imprisonment and one count of first-degree terroristic threatening.
These charges came after Aaron detained four young people with drugs at Dupree Park. The two officers, Bill Shelley and Greg Rozenski, handling the incident decided to release the four young people and arrest Aaron instead. Aaron said it was the harassment from this case that lead him to filing a lawsuit against the city and the two officers in their official capacity and as individuals.
Judge Miller tossed out the portion of the suit against the city and the officers in their official duties because there was no practice or policy of prejudice by the police department or city, but let the portion of the suit against the officers individually remain as a “reasonable jury” might find that the officers acted inappropriately.
Miller’s Oct. 29, 2009, decision has been appealed by the city, which wants all aspects of the suit dropped, to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. The officers and city are being supported by legal assistance from the Municipal League. No court date has been set yet.
Court records show that all the charges related to this incident against Aaron were nolle pros, meaning the charges were dismissed.
“This suit is not about a bad police department, but it is about the one percent that should not be officers,”Aaron said Tuesday.
n In December 2005, Aaron went to the prosecuting attorney’s office requesting charges be filed against Officer Shelley. According to Pulaski County Prosecutor Larry Jegley, his office found no potential crime and refused to prosecute the police officer.
n On Nov. 19, 2007, according to police records, Aaron allegedly attacked a juvenile who had sexually assaulted his daughter. One version has Aaron dragging the juvenile down a flight of apartment stairs, while another version has Aaron defending himself from the juvenile who wanted to start a fight.
Aaron was found guilty of third-degree battery in circuit court and sentenced to one-year probation.
n On Jan. 26, 2008, Aaron was charged with third-degree battery and third-degree assault on a family member. These charges netted Aaron 150 days in jail, however 110 were suspended due to his completion of anger-management courses. Court records also show he was fined $675.
It was this incident that caused Aaron to file suit against the city for the 2005 arrest in Dupree Park.
“These officers thought they were doing right by doing something bad to someone they thought was the enemy,” Aaron explained. He said they thought he had already filed a suit against the city, but he hadn’t.
The police report states Aaron’s daughter called the police, who then responded to Aaron’s Jacksonville home based on the domestic-disturbance report.
The police said he had been drinking, slammed the front door and grabbed one of his children by the shirt, tearing it. Aaron also supposedly hit his son and his ex-wife. Both Aaron’s mother and girlfriend were present at the disturbance.
Child-abuse investigators were called.
Once Aaron was arrested, his ex-wife, the report says, went to the jail with clean clothes for him and paperwork showing she and Aaron had joint custody, but that Aaron had primary custody of the children.
Rather than turn over the children to their mother, Aaron’s mother or state officials, police, at the request of Aaron, let his girlfriend take physical custody of the children for the duration of Aaron’s stay in jail. Apparently, the children suffered no harm while in the care of Aaron’s girlfriend, for if they had, the police and city might have been liable, according to one legal opinion.
The next morning Aaron was still in jail, but got sick and stated that his chest hurt and that he needed medical attention, then he passed out. He was transported to the hospital, treated and was returned to jail. He passed out again later and the paramedics were called and treated him at the jail.
n On Nov. 7, 2008, Megan Jones filed a complaint of a suspicious incident that listed Aaron as the suspect.
Jones was one of the four young people whom Aaron had detained at Dupree Park in 2005. According to Jones, Aaron got her number from her father by allegedly posing as someone who had a job for her. Aaron supposedly told her to meet him at the Workforce building on Main Street.
When she did, Jones recognized Aaron from the Dupree Park incident. He did not have a job for her but told her she needed to testify in court for him in his civil suit against the police, and she was not to tell anyone that he contacted her.
Police made no arrest, but did tell Jones to see the prosecuting attorney. She did that three days later and the prosecuting attorney’s office sent Aaron a warning letter that suggested no further contact be made with Jones.
n Jones filed another report on July 3, 2009, saying that Aaron again harassed her. Jones said she had changed her phone number since the last incident, but that Aaron convinced her grandfather that he really needed her number, called her and again told her that she needed to go to court.
Even though there was a warning letter, it was not a no-contact order and the police made no arrest, but referred Jones back to the prosecuting attorney’s office.
More than a month later, on Aug. 12, Aaron called police and said the report filed by Jones was false. He filed a report that charged Jones with filing a false police report.
In that report, Aaron stated he had obtained the police recordings between Jones and the police officer that wrote the report and on the recordings Jones allegedly said there was a no-contact order and Aaron said that was false. He said there was no order and he had not been harassing her. According to Aaron, she had committed a crime by saying so.
• On Oct. 22, 2009, Aaron once again contacted the police and this time charged that an e-mail he received from Alderman Bob Stroud was harassing communications because “he felt threatened by Mr. Stroud due to his view of African Americans, his wealth and influence in the community.”
Aaron was told to contact the prosecuting attorney’s office and did so. Aaron was told that one e-mail did not constitute harassment and there was nothing the prosecuting attorney could do.
According to court records, in March, Aaron was cited for parking in a handicapped parking spot and fined $250. The judge suspended $100 of that, leaving Aaron to pay $150.
What are the police contacts that Mayor Fletcher has had with the Jacksonville police?
• Fletcher has a ticket for driving with expired tags from June 23, 2005. Fletcher was not mayor at the time, but was an alderman. The ticket states he was wearing his seat belt, making him eligible for a $5 fine reduction. Court records show that Fletcher paid a $120 fine.
• In a police report dated Nov. 11, 2008, Fletcher is listed as the victim in a theft of property report. Fletcher reported that someone took $75 worth of CDs from his unlocked vehicle while it was parked in front of his house.
BY RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
Jacksonville mayoral candidate Rizelle Aaron has 10 Jacksonville police reports with his name listed as suspect, arrestee or victim.
His opponent, Mayor Gary Fletcher, has two.
The complaints against Aaron run from abuse of family members to harassment to rape. But Aaron says he’s a victim of bad cops.
Aaron has been sentenced to jail for 150 days with 110 of that suspended, had to take anger-management classes, paid fines in excess of $1,000 and spent one year on probation. Fletcher was fined $120 for driving with expired tags.
None of Aaron’s incidents resulted in a felony charge, so he is still able to run for political office.
Aaron, 42, believes the police are systematically after him and used that argument in his lawsuit against the city, which is now on appeal.
However, in his October 2009 ruling, Circuit Judge Brian Miller threw out the racist claim, stating that there was no “pattern or practice” to arrest citizens, “especially black citizens” without probable cause.
The Leader, through the Freedom of Information Act, obtained the last 50 complaints against the Jacksonville Police Department and an 18-month record of citations issued. No discernible pattern of abuse or prejudice was noted in either case.
In reviewing all of Aaron’s police records, also obtained through the Freedom of Information Act — since as a candidate, he is a public figure — the police initiated two of the contacts (once helping Aaron when he was ill and one a traffic stop); calls from other people sent the police to Aaron four times, and he called the police on four occasions.
Aaron said Tuesday that the city didn’t provide all the reports and case files, and that prevents people from knowing the whole story.
Based on the available reports, if the police violated any laws at all, it was in trying to help Aaron after one arrest with the placement of his children. The police gave physical custody of the children to his girlfriend, at Aaron’s request, instead of his ex-wife, who supposedly had joint custody.
n Aaron’s first record of dealing with the Jacksonville Police appears April 20, 2005, and he made the phone call that brought the police out.
Aaron, who was an active-duty National Guardsman at the time, called security police to respond to his on-base home because of a domestic disturbance between him and his wife. He claimed his wife assaulted him. Based on a jurisdictional agreement with the air base, Jacksonville police responded, investigated and considered arresting Aaron and charging him with rape.
However, Air Force security police said they had jurisdiction and instead arrested Aaron for third-degree battery on a family member. Neither law enforcement group charged his wife with a crime. Aaron was released to a member of his unit and apparently nothing further happened in regards to the incident, according to a Guard spokesman.
According to a Guard public affairs spokesman, Capt. Chris Heathscott, the Guard has various types of full-time Guardsmen. Some are under the Uniform Code of Military Justice while others are under civilian law. Aaron’s status placed him under civilian rule, meaning the police department had the right to bring him in.
Even though this was the first documented case of problems between Aaron and the Jacksonville Police Department, it was not the first time Aaron had dealt with the law.
n In 1991, he was arrested by England police and charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and public intoxication.
Lonoke County court records show the disorderly conduct and resisting arrest charges were eventually dropped and Aaron appealed the public intoxication case, but failed to show, forfeiting his fine of $85.
n The next meeting between Aaron and the Jacksonville police was July 3, 2005, and again Aaron called the police. According to the police report, he suspected his ex-wife was guilty of child abuse because she had allegedly whipped one of the children with a leather belt and thrown the child on the floor. The incident was turned over to child abuse investigators.
n In September 2005, Aaron was arrested and charged with four counts of criminal impersonation (impersonating a police officer), four counts of second-degree false imprisonment and one count of first-degree terroristic threatening.
These charges came after Aaron detained four young people with drugs at Dupree Park. The two officers, Bill Shelley and Greg Rozenski, handling the incident decided to release the four young people and arrest Aaron instead. Aaron said it was the harassment from this case that lead him to filing a lawsuit against the city and the two officers in their official capacity and as individuals.
Judge Miller tossed out the portion of the suit against the city and the officers in their official duties because there was no practice or policy of prejudice by the police department or city, but let the portion of the suit against the officers individually remain as a “reasonable jury” might find that the officers acted inappropriately.
Miller’s Oct. 29, 2009, decision has been appealed by the city, which wants all aspects of the suit dropped, to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. The officers and city are being supported by legal assistance from the Municipal League. No court date has been set yet.
Court records show that all the charges related to this incident against Aaron were nolle pros, meaning the charges were dismissed.
“This suit is not about a bad police department, but it is about the one percent that should not be officers,”Aaron said Tuesday.
n In December 2005, Aaron went to the prosecuting attorney’s office requesting charges be filed against Officer Shelley. According to Pulaski County Prosecutor Larry Jegley, his office found no potential crime and refused to prosecute the police officer.
n On Nov. 19, 2007, according to police records, Aaron allegedly attacked a juvenile who had sexually assaulted his daughter. One version has Aaron dragging the juvenile down a flight of apartment stairs, while another version has Aaron defending himself from the juvenile who wanted to start a fight.
Aaron was found guilty of third-degree battery in circuit court and sentenced to one-year probation.
n On Jan. 26, 2008, Aaron was charged with third-degree battery and third-degree assault on a family member. These charges netted Aaron 150 days in jail, however 110 were suspended due to his completion of anger-management courses. Court records also show he was fined $675.
It was this incident that caused Aaron to file suit against the city for the 2005 arrest in Dupree Park.
“These officers thought they were doing right by doing something bad to someone they thought was the enemy,” Aaron explained. He said they thought he had already filed a suit against the city, but he hadn’t.
The police report states Aaron’s daughter called the police, who then responded to Aaron’s Jacksonville home based on the domestic-disturbance report.
The police said he had been drinking, slammed the front door and grabbed one of his children by the shirt, tearing it. Aaron also supposedly hit his son and his ex-wife. Both Aaron’s mother and girlfriend were present at the disturbance.
Child-abuse investigators were called.
Once Aaron was arrested, his ex-wife, the report says, went to the jail with clean clothes for him and paperwork showing she and Aaron had joint custody, but that Aaron had primary custody of the children.
Rather than turn over the children to their mother, Aaron’s mother or state officials, police, at the request of Aaron, let his girlfriend take physical custody of the children for the duration of Aaron’s stay in jail. Apparently, the children suffered no harm while in the care of Aaron’s girlfriend, for if they had, the police and city might have been liable, according to one legal opinion.
The next morning Aaron was still in jail, but got sick and stated that his chest hurt and that he needed medical attention, then he passed out. He was transported to the hospital, treated and was returned to jail. He passed out again later and the paramedics were called and treated him at the jail.
n On Nov. 7, 2008, Megan Jones filed a complaint of a suspicious incident that listed Aaron as the suspect.
Jones was one of the four young people whom Aaron had detained at Dupree Park in 2005. According to Jones, Aaron got her number from her father by allegedly posing as someone who had a job for her. Aaron supposedly told her to meet him at the Workforce building on Main Street.
When she did, Jones recognized Aaron from the Dupree Park incident. He did not have a job for her but told her she needed to testify in court for him in his civil suit against the police, and she was not to tell anyone that he contacted her.
Police made no arrest, but did tell Jones to see the prosecuting attorney. She did that three days later and the prosecuting attorney’s office sent Aaron a warning letter that suggested no further contact be made with Jones.
n Jones filed another report on July 3, 2009, saying that Aaron again harassed her. Jones said she had changed her phone number since the last incident, but that Aaron convinced her grandfather that he really needed her number, called her and again told her that she needed to go to court.
Even though there was a warning letter, it was not a no-contact order and the police made no arrest, but referred Jones back to the prosecuting attorney’s office.
More than a month later, on Aug. 12, Aaron called police and said the report filed by Jones was false. He filed a report that charged Jones with filing a false police report.
In that report, Aaron stated he had obtained the police recordings between Jones and the police officer that wrote the report and on the recordings Jones allegedly said there was a no-contact order and Aaron said that was false. He said there was no order and he had not been harassing her. According to Aaron, she had committed a crime by saying so.
• On Oct. 22, 2009, Aaron once again contacted the police and this time charged that an e-mail he received from Alderman Bob Stroud was harassing communications because “he felt threatened by Mr. Stroud due to his view of African Americans, his wealth and influence in the community.”
Aaron was told to contact the prosecuting attorney’s office and did so. Aaron was told that one e-mail did not constitute harassment and there was nothing the prosecuting attorney could do.
According to court records, in March, Aaron was cited for parking in a handicapped parking spot and fined $250. The judge suspended $100 of that, leaving Aaron to pay $150.
What are the police contacts that Mayor Fletcher has had with the Jacksonville police?
• Fletcher has a ticket for driving with expired tags from June 23, 2005. Fletcher was not mayor at the time, but was an alderman. The ticket states he was wearing his seat belt, making him eligible for a $5 fine reduction. Court records show that Fletcher paid a $120 fine.
• In a police report dated Nov. 11, 2008, Fletcher is listed as the victim in a theft of property report. Fletcher reported that someone took $75 worth of CDs from his unlocked vehicle while it was parked in front of his house.
Thursday, July 01, 2010
EDITORIAL >> Huck gets good press
Whether you are a fan or a detractor of Mike Huckabee — we confess to spells of both — you should pick up a copy of last week’s The New Yorker, which carries a remarkable profile of the glib Floridian who could be the next president of the United States.
If Huckabee always rubbed you the wrong way, you will find part of the portrait familiar: the whining about people who have done him wrong by criticizing him, the facile shading of the truth when he has screwed up, the half-baked policy ideas, the racy jokes, the sanctimony. (Whatever he does, it is always God who is guiding his hand, so be careful when you criticize him.)
But there is also the part of Mike Huckabee that makes him appealing to people who find the orthodoxy of the Republican Party, well, appalling. He was a pragmatic executive, always siding in the end with what needed to be done rather than with conservative orthodoxy, and he defends that attitude eloquently. He is proud that the plutocrats of the Republican Party don’t like him. Rush Limbaugh is in that group.
Limbaugh and the rich Republicans’ salon, the Club for Growth, call him a big-taxing liberal and cite his record as governor of Arkansas. Being a Republican and a conservative, Huckabee says, doesn’t mean you can’t have a heart or use the levers of government to relieve the suffering and raise the opportunities of the downtrodden.
Although the article is written by a liberated feminist, “Prodigal Son” is largely sympathetic to our former governor. Ariel Levy makes the case that he could well be the Republican nominee for president in 2012. Polls tend to rank him a little ahead of the other leading Republican lights: Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty and Newt Gingrich. Levy thinks Huckabee’s radical views on Israel and Palestine — he favors uprooting the Palestinians from their homeland and putting them down somewhere in the Middle Eastern deserts — could get him some important Jewish financial support in 2012 if he runs. He has a forum — his Fox TV and radio shows — that the others do not have. Palin is pretty but she’s not in his show-biz class.
A more realistic view is that Huckabee is not going to run for president, although he will keep the speculation going as long as he can. He is making a fortune now and he would have to give that up if he ran for president. The lucre might not be there afterward if he failed. And, by the way, he did not take up residence in Florida to avoid paying Arkansas income taxes on his big earnings. (If not, why did he move his vote there if not to establish his residential intent for tax purposes?)
Huckabee offers a bit of speculation on why he may not run again in 2012. His Republican enemies would try to use his clemency record as governor against him, specifically his commutation of Maurice Clemmons, who went on to murder four police officers in Washington.
“The truth is, it could be the kind of thing that would keep me from ever being able to run,” he said. And, he explained the Clemmons affair like he has in the past, by fudging the truth. Clemmons was just a young fellow who had committed a couple of minor, nonviolent offenses and then got sent to prison for 108 years for it because he was poor and had a lousy lawyer, he said. But Clemmons had a lengthy record of crimes and of terrorizing people even when he was in custody. There were many others, like Wayne Dumond, the rapist who was accused of murdering two women after Huckabee arranged his release. He was always just trying to do his Christian duty to be charitable and humane.
But humanity was never the issue. Judgment was.
We cavil too much over the shortcomings. Huckabee gives a good apologia for his peculiar position in the political stakes. For every political junkie Levy’s profile bears reading.
If Huckabee always rubbed you the wrong way, you will find part of the portrait familiar: the whining about people who have done him wrong by criticizing him, the facile shading of the truth when he has screwed up, the half-baked policy ideas, the racy jokes, the sanctimony. (Whatever he does, it is always God who is guiding his hand, so be careful when you criticize him.)
But there is also the part of Mike Huckabee that makes him appealing to people who find the orthodoxy of the Republican Party, well, appalling. He was a pragmatic executive, always siding in the end with what needed to be done rather than with conservative orthodoxy, and he defends that attitude eloquently. He is proud that the plutocrats of the Republican Party don’t like him. Rush Limbaugh is in that group.
Limbaugh and the rich Republicans’ salon, the Club for Growth, call him a big-taxing liberal and cite his record as governor of Arkansas. Being a Republican and a conservative, Huckabee says, doesn’t mean you can’t have a heart or use the levers of government to relieve the suffering and raise the opportunities of the downtrodden.
Although the article is written by a liberated feminist, “Prodigal Son” is largely sympathetic to our former governor. Ariel Levy makes the case that he could well be the Republican nominee for president in 2012. Polls tend to rank him a little ahead of the other leading Republican lights: Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty and Newt Gingrich. Levy thinks Huckabee’s radical views on Israel and Palestine — he favors uprooting the Palestinians from their homeland and putting them down somewhere in the Middle Eastern deserts — could get him some important Jewish financial support in 2012 if he runs. He has a forum — his Fox TV and radio shows — that the others do not have. Palin is pretty but she’s not in his show-biz class.
A more realistic view is that Huckabee is not going to run for president, although he will keep the speculation going as long as he can. He is making a fortune now and he would have to give that up if he ran for president. The lucre might not be there afterward if he failed. And, by the way, he did not take up residence in Florida to avoid paying Arkansas income taxes on his big earnings. (If not, why did he move his vote there if not to establish his residential intent for tax purposes?)
Huckabee offers a bit of speculation on why he may not run again in 2012. His Republican enemies would try to use his clemency record as governor against him, specifically his commutation of Maurice Clemmons, who went on to murder four police officers in Washington.
“The truth is, it could be the kind of thing that would keep me from ever being able to run,” he said. And, he explained the Clemmons affair like he has in the past, by fudging the truth. Clemmons was just a young fellow who had committed a couple of minor, nonviolent offenses and then got sent to prison for 108 years for it because he was poor and had a lousy lawyer, he said. But Clemmons had a lengthy record of crimes and of terrorizing people even when he was in custody. There were many others, like Wayne Dumond, the rapist who was accused of murdering two women after Huckabee arranged his release. He was always just trying to do his Christian duty to be charitable and humane.
But humanity was never the issue. Judgment was.
We cavil too much over the shortcomings. Huckabee gives a good apologia for his peculiar position in the political stakes. For every political junkie Levy’s profile bears reading.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
EDITORIAL>>PCSSD puts students last
This editorial, originally published June 24, 2009, won first place in the annual Arkansas Press Association News-Editorial contest.
Pulaski County Special School District’s board members narrowly voted last week to appropriate $1 million in federal stimulus funds for a new Jacksonville middle school.
Although the money is just a fraction of the cost of a new school, it is an important step toward building the first school in Jacksonville in 35 years. But it’s not clear if there will be money available to build the new middle school. What stands there now is dilapidated and polluted with asbestos.
It’s a shocking site: No children should have been exposed to such hazardous materials. The school district should have torn down the school decades ago, but then the board has never shown much concern for the needs of Jacksonville-area children.
But apart from the largely symbolic gesture of allocating $1 million, or less than one-tenth needed for the project, the board missed an opportunity at its emergency meeting Friday to declare its support for quality education in Jacksonville. Instead, the board chose to reprimand city residents and The Leader for their efforts to give students better educational opportunities and better facilities.
The board’s lack of purpose was never more evident than at Friday’s meeting. Not once did the board mention the students of Jacksonville. Board members instead complained about being “pushed around” by residents and this newspaper. Board member Charlie Wood was for building a new middle school until he was against it because he didn’t want to be pushed around, he said.
This is the same board that chased off deputy superintendent Beverly Ruthven, an excellent educator and administrator, in favor of mediocrity and grandstanding.
PCSSD has treated Jacksonville like a third-rate city by ignoring the community’s school problems for too long. In a letter of reprimand sent in April to PCSSD board members, the director of the Arkansas School Boards Association questioned the board’s lack of professionalism and competence.
The letter warned the board to straighten up its act and pointed out that it was because of its reckless behavior that a bill was introduced in the last session of the legislature to allow the recall of incompetent school board members who sit on the PCSSD board. This is the same board that let financial shenanigans and outright thievery run unchecked for too long.
Many school district administrators, most notably middle school principals Mike Nellums and Kim Forrest, have criticized the board’s decision to combine the former Jacksonville boys and girls middle schools. Both principals have conveniently been moved out of Jacksonville. Like Iran’s ayatollahs, the district does not tolerate dissent.
The debate over the board’s middle-school consolidation plan has been heated. It is a plan that calls for the use of trailers to alleviate overcrowded classrooms, something the board did not tell the community about until just a couple of weeks ago.
Jacksonville’s board member, Bill Vasquez, who supported combining both schools, does not respond to questions about the
PCSSD’s plans for Jacksonville. He apparently feels he does not have to answer to Jacksonville residents and has all but disappeared.
The students suffer when school board members no longer want to communicate with their communities. Board members should be scrutinized because their decisions are executed with taxpayer money. More importantly, education policy affects communities on many levels.
Cabot has far surpassed Jacksonville in terms of educational quality. Airmen from Little Rock Air Force Base are flocking to Cabot because the schools are better there.
PCSSD could learn some valuable lessons from Cabot schools. School board meetings there operate professionally. Board members are well-spoken and topics often include funding new schools every couple of years. Instead of crowded classrooms, Cabot schools are focused on building state-of-the-art facilities for their students.
Petty issues that constantly plague PCSSD are never a problem at the Cabot board meetings. By comparison, the PCSSD board seems amateurish.
Jacksonville should appreciate that Cabot has helped to meet the educational needs of Air Force families living in Cabot, although children enrolled at Arnold Drive Elementary on the base attend a substandard school, despite promises by the PCSSD board that improvements will be made.
Teachers should take their civics classes to PCSSD board meetings to see for themselves what happens when democracy fails us. Civics students might do a better job running the district than those board members, who didn’t learn much when they were in school.
Pulaski County Special School District’s board members narrowly voted last week to appropriate $1 million in federal stimulus funds for a new Jacksonville middle school.
Although the money is just a fraction of the cost of a new school, it is an important step toward building the first school in Jacksonville in 35 years. But it’s not clear if there will be money available to build the new middle school. What stands there now is dilapidated and polluted with asbestos.
It’s a shocking site: No children should have been exposed to such hazardous materials. The school district should have torn down the school decades ago, but then the board has never shown much concern for the needs of Jacksonville-area children.
But apart from the largely symbolic gesture of allocating $1 million, or less than one-tenth needed for the project, the board missed an opportunity at its emergency meeting Friday to declare its support for quality education in Jacksonville. Instead, the board chose to reprimand city residents and The Leader for their efforts to give students better educational opportunities and better facilities.
The board’s lack of purpose was never more evident than at Friday’s meeting. Not once did the board mention the students of Jacksonville. Board members instead complained about being “pushed around” by residents and this newspaper. Board member Charlie Wood was for building a new middle school until he was against it because he didn’t want to be pushed around, he said.
This is the same board that chased off deputy superintendent Beverly Ruthven, an excellent educator and administrator, in favor of mediocrity and grandstanding.
PCSSD has treated Jacksonville like a third-rate city by ignoring the community’s school problems for too long. In a letter of reprimand sent in April to PCSSD board members, the director of the Arkansas School Boards Association questioned the board’s lack of professionalism and competence.
The letter warned the board to straighten up its act and pointed out that it was because of its reckless behavior that a bill was introduced in the last session of the legislature to allow the recall of incompetent school board members who sit on the PCSSD board. This is the same board that let financial shenanigans and outright thievery run unchecked for too long.
Many school district administrators, most notably middle school principals Mike Nellums and Kim Forrest, have criticized the board’s decision to combine the former Jacksonville boys and girls middle schools. Both principals have conveniently been moved out of Jacksonville. Like Iran’s ayatollahs, the district does not tolerate dissent.
The debate over the board’s middle-school consolidation plan has been heated. It is a plan that calls for the use of trailers to alleviate overcrowded classrooms, something the board did not tell the community about until just a couple of weeks ago.
Jacksonville’s board member, Bill Vasquez, who supported combining both schools, does not respond to questions about the
PCSSD’s plans for Jacksonville. He apparently feels he does not have to answer to Jacksonville residents and has all but disappeared.
The students suffer when school board members no longer want to communicate with their communities. Board members should be scrutinized because their decisions are executed with taxpayer money. More importantly, education policy affects communities on many levels.
Cabot has far surpassed Jacksonville in terms of educational quality. Airmen from Little Rock Air Force Base are flocking to Cabot because the schools are better there.
PCSSD could learn some valuable lessons from Cabot schools. School board meetings there operate professionally. Board members are well-spoken and topics often include funding new schools every couple of years. Instead of crowded classrooms, Cabot schools are focused on building state-of-the-art facilities for their students.
Petty issues that constantly plague PCSSD are never a problem at the Cabot board meetings. By comparison, the PCSSD board seems amateurish.
Jacksonville should appreciate that Cabot has helped to meet the educational needs of Air Force families living in Cabot, although children enrolled at Arnold Drive Elementary on the base attend a substandard school, despite promises by the PCSSD board that improvements will be made.
Teachers should take their civics classes to PCSSD board meetings to see for themselves what happens when democracy fails us. Civics students might do a better job running the district than those board members, who didn’t learn much when they were in school.
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