Friday, June 05, 2015

EDITORIAL >> Chambers closes

Chambers Grill, a long-time Jacksonville fixture in the pharmacy that anchored it, Chambers Drugs, closed yesterday. It was a favorite spot of regulars for years for grilled-cheese sandwiches served with pickles and tasty hamburgers served with their signature French fries.

The place was old-fashioned America that’s getting harder to find these days. Ron Lukas, the longtime pharmacist who retired recently, filled prescriptions six days a week.

We remember picking up sandwiches and pickles from the old-time diner on deadline days.

But, with all that, the diner was a place of great conviviality, with diners from all walks of life hobnobbing often with city officials and local businessmen who wanted to grab a hot lunch or a cold sandwich instead of fast food.

Recently, grill cook Charles Lyons had taken to baking cinnamon rolls and an assortment of holiday breads and daily bread, 60 or 70 loaves at a time.

EDITORIAL >> Teachers face layoffs

The Arkansas Department of Education approved a plan to lay off all the teachers in Jacksonville next year as the city completes its separation from the Pulaski County Special School District and the new Jacksonville district.

Supporters of the plan — the interim school board and superintendents Bobby Lester and Jerry Guess — say it will bring the new district’s spending under control by cutting teachers’ salaries and benefits. Critics — mostly teachers who have worked in Jacksonville schools for years — say it will lead to hiring new teachers who are inexperienced and can’t help their students learn as well. New teachers do leave the profession at higher rates than their more experienced peers.

While firing might be too strong a term to describe what the teachers are facing, they are definitely not guaranteed their positions after the next school year. They can reapply for jobs with the new Jacksonville district, with PCSSD or with other districts in the area, but most will not be rehired and few will have their old salary.

The new Jacksonville district will consolidate schools and not as many teachers will be needed. That means, by the 2016-17 year, students in Jacksonville won’t recognize many of the staff members.

It is a gamble. The new district certainly needs some flexibility in dealing with staff, not only to bolster its finances but also to improve academically. We hope it works.

Residents in the new district will vote on a permanent school board in September. Although they won’t vote then on a property tax increase to help build schools, that is needed.

Voters overwhelmingly rejected a tax increase sought by PCSSD, probably because they don’t trust the money will be used to educate children. But Jacksonville and north Pulaski County residents should support a local tax and know that the money will be spent wisely to build schools and improve the quality of education.

The days of siphoning money from Jacksonville and sending it elsewhere are over.

North Pulaski High School will become a middle school by 2016-17, and it will be merged with Jacksonville High School. The district hopes to build a new high school near the air base on General Samuels Road.

What will become of the old Jacksonville High School, the old Northside-Southside campus, the already-abandoned Jacksonville Elementary School and other schools that will likely be closed?

The city government will have to figure out how to pay for demolition of the old campuses. Jacksonville Elementary has been vacant four years. The city doesn’t have the money to demolish it, and the prospects of opening a business there are dim. It would make a nice park though.

Some hope several big-name businesses will open where the middle school campuses are, once Hwy. 67/167 work is complete.

The new district can build some new schools on the sites of old campuses, but many could be abandoned for years, which will only underscore the city’s urban blight crisis.

It is time that Jacksonville officials and the school board start a conversation about what the city will look like with its own school system and explore ways in which abandoned campuses will be demolished or transformed.

Blaming PCSSD for Jacksonville’s shortcomings won’t help us now. We need smart planning from the school board as well as from city hall.

It’s up to the community to pull together and work twice as hard.

TOP STORY >> Fatal shooting ruled justified

Lonoke County Prosecuting Attorney Chuck Graham decided, as expected, that the fatal shooting by law enforcement of a parolee in Cabot on May 19 was justified.

A Lonoke County sheriff’s deputy failed to find the pistol that Jonathan McIntosh had hidden before he was placed in the back of a sheriff’s squad car.

The 35-year-old was picked up at 905 E. Main St. for violating his parole. He may have been able to maneuver his cuffed hands from behind his back to the front of his body, allowing him to grab the gun and shoot at officers.

Sheriff John Staley and two parole officers from the Arkansas Department of Community Correction returned fire, killing McIntosh.

Graham said no legal action will be taken because it was evident that the sheriff and the parole officers reasonably feared for their safety, as is required by law when deadly force is used.

In a letter to State Police Lt. Stacie Rhoads, Graham wrote, “McIntosh was using deadly physical force upon them and their lives were in danger. McIntosh concealed a weapon under multiple layers of clothing in his groin area so that it could not be found (before) a pat-down search. The officers reacted quickly and decisively and had no other means of non-deadly force to diffuse the situation in which McIntosh was firing indiscriminately and acting with wanton disregard for human life.

Agent Jonathan Stewart, Agent Michael Blake and Sheriff Staley were forced to use deadly force upon McIntosh, and they were justified under Arkansas law to defend themselves.”

TOP STORY >> Jacksonville teachers in limbo

By JOHN HOFHEIMER
Leader senior staff writer

Rumor and uncertainty still drive the conversation about the just implemented dual seniority center in the new Jacksonville-North Pulaski School District, and especially how it will affect the staff in JNP schools come fall 2016.

State Education Commissioner Johnny Key recently chose that dual seniority center, proposed by Pulaski County Special School District Superintendent Jerry Guess, over the Certified Personnel Committee’s proposal, which teachers and other employees generally found more to their liking.

JNP and PCSSD now have separate seniority lists and can’t bump across district boundaries.

For the most part, it freezes staff at their current school for the 2015-16 year, and only for purposes of meeting desegregation agreement requirements will teachers and other certified employees move from JNPSD to PCSSD or vice versa.

For 2016-17, the first year JNP will operate as a standalone district, the roughly 325 licensed and 145 classified employees at those 10 schools will not be rehired by PCSSD, and they are not guaranteed employment in the new district.

Hence the unease.

“We’re going to need most all of those folks,” according to Phyllis Stewart, JNP chief of staff.

“We recognize the hard work teachers and support staff do everyday, and we want to encourage them to go through next year doing the same fine work,” Stewart said. “We encourage them all to apply to us. We value experience. We do want them.”

For the 2016-17 school year, “We hope to have all principals selected by late fall of 2015,” Stewart said. “We’ll put them on a binder.”

Then teachers and other staff could begin submitting applications right after the first of the year, she said.

Some existing principals could say, “I want all of my current people,” she noted.

Each principal will hire for his or her school.

By July 1, 2016, all staff should be on contract, Stewart said. Money will be a factor, however.

Daniel Gray, president of the JNP school board, has said the district, with an enrollment of 4,000 to 4,500 students, can’t match the salary and benefits of PCSSD, which currently has about 17,000 students.

Pam Fitzgiven, head of the certified PPC, said she had heard there were some really upset teachers.

“I assume JNPSD will want to hire the younger, less expensive teachers,” she said. “It’s a mess. It’s going to be interesting to watch it unfold.”

One teacher said, “We’ve got 10 schools full of teachers not knowing if they’ll have a job after next year.

“Experienced teachers are scrambling to go elsewhere, and you’ll lose the best teachers every time you turn around,” said the teacher, who asked not to be identified.

Even the Searcy pay schedule would represent a $6,000 drop in pay.

“All JNP teachers will have to reapply. It’s embarrassing. You’ll have a lot of new, inexperienced teachers who don’t know the kids, and who leave the profession in droves every year.”

Finally, “We already have a relationship with the parents. PCSSD can’t tell Jacksonville to hire the existing teachers, and Jacksonville’s not doing anything to calm the teachers.”

Fitzgiven said PPC has a meeting next week. She doesn’t know if there is anything actionable in the decision.

Neither does Clayton Blackstock, the lawyer who represents the Pulaski Association of Classroom Teachers. Blackstock said he hadn’t reviewed the decision nor talked yet with teachers and their representatives.

Key called his decision “a difficult one as it requires one to consider a number of factors including the serious concerns of the faculty and staff regarding job security, the financial viability of PCSSD as it seeks to exit fiscal distress, and how both PCSSD and JNPSD will be positioned to provide for the academic success of the students.”

In approving Guess’ proposal, Key said, “I agree with (Lindsey) Gustafson’s description of the choices as ‘ugly’.”

Gustafson is a member of the PCSSD citizen’s advisory board, which forwarded both seniority proposals to Key without a recommendation. Key, as education commissioner, serves as a one-man board for both PCSSD and JNP.

“There is no good answer here,” Guess said Thursday. “In both cases, there are negative consequences. We’re trying to protect PCSSD classrooms from the turmoil of mass bumping,” through exercise of seniority. “This is not a joyful day. It’s what PCSSD needed but not without some burden.”

JNP has said they plan to be competitive with other districts their size and Stewart said they expect to have a higher starting salary than PCSSD and maintain that through five to seven years of experience.

Comparing salaries of PCSSD and smaller districts in the area, there is a wide range. PCSSD teachers start at $32,175 but top out at $68,746, while El Dorado starts at $33,500, Vilonia at $38,580, Beebe at $39,000, Searcy at $40,100 and Cabot at $40,575.

Stewart said the administration could have a salary schedule proposal for the board by the July meeting.

SPORTS STORY >> Sox spoil Centennial Senior opener

By GRAHAM POWELL
Leader sportswriter

Tuesday’s senior American Legion season opener was rough for the Cabot Centennial Bank team, as it fell 15-1 in six innings to Bryant at Brian Wade Conrade Memorial Field in Cabot.

Bryant (1-0) was the better team in every aspect Tuesday, outhitting Cabot 14-2. Centennial Bank (0-1) committed five errors in the field, while Bryant had zero errors, and the Black Sox used five different pitchers in the six innings played.

Those five Bryant pitchers combined for 11 strikeouts, and gave up just one walk while allowing just the two hits. The Black Sox wasted no time scoring runs, putting up three in the top of the first inning.

Brandon Warner hit an infield single to third base to start things off for Bryant, and three-hole hitter Blake Patterson followed with a single up the middle. Cleanup hitter Jason Hastings then walked, and Evan Lee drove in the Black Sox’s first run with a one-out single to left field, scoring Warner.

Garrett Misenheimer then hit a two-RBI double to deep centerfield for the final two runs of the inning. Bryant scored two more runs in the top of the second before Cabot added its lone run of the game in the bottom half of the inning.

Centennial Bank cleanup hitter Logan Kirkendoll led off the bottom of the second with a stand-up double to left field. He advanced to third base two batters later on a 4-3 sacrifice by starting pitcher Gavin Tillery, and scored the next at-bat on a two-out infield single up the middle by Logan Gilbertson, which made it a 5-1 game.

Bryant, though, came back with two more runs in the third, and the Black Sox dominated the rest of the game. Bryant scored its two runs in the third with two outs.

Nine-hole hitter Conner Tatum walked to start the two-out rally, and leadoff hitter Drew Tipton followed with a single to the right-field gap. A single by Warner the next at-bat scored Tatum and put Tipton at third. With Patterson at the plate, Tipton scored the Black Sox’s seventh run on a passed ball at home plate.

Bryant put two more runs on its side of the board in the top of the fifth, and both were unearned. Tatum and Tipton both reached on back-to-back Cabot errors in the infield. Tatum later scored on a passed ball and Tipton on a wild pitch. Tipton’s run gave the Black Sox a 9-1 advantage.

The Black Sox scored their final six runs with two outs in the top of the sixth – the highlight of which was a bases-clearing single by Warner. Warner drove in three runs on the play, but only because the ball got past Cabot’s right fielder.

As a result, Warner went all the way to third base on the error, and later scored on a passed ball, which made it a 14-1 game.

Bryant’s final run came on an E5, which was a low throw to first. That ground ball was off the bat of Lee, and Patterson scored on the play.

Dylan Hurt, Hastings, Patterson, Lee and Warner were the five Bryant pitchers Tuesday. Hurt got the start and technically the win. He threw the first two innings and gave up Cabot’s lone run and two hits.

The last four pitchers for the Black Sox threw one inning each and combined for a no-hitter, recording 10 strikeouts while giving up no walks.

At the plate, Warner and Patterson led Bryant as each went 3 for 4. Hastings and Tipton also had multiple hits with two apiece.

Gilbertson and Kirkendoll combined for Cabot’s two hits.

SPORTS STORY >> Cabot blows by Benton at Dupree

By RAY BENTON 
Leader sports editor

The Cabot Centennial Bank junior American Legion team bounced back from its first loss of the season with a 9-1 win over Benton-Sportshop Wednesday in the first round of the Gwatney Chevrolet Invitational Tournament in Jacksonville.

Dylan Billingsley threw a one-hitter over four innings and Will Jerry gave up no hits over the final two innings, though the duo did walk a combined six batters – three each.

Offensively, Benton’s first batter of the game scored, but the Sportshop team scarcely threatened from that point. Cabot took control quickly in the bottom of the first inning, pushing five runs across the plate.

Leadoff hitter Brenden Sheldon got things rolling in the bottom of the first with a 2-2 base hit. Blake McCutchen roped a 1-1 pitch to left field on the next at-bat. Logan Gilbertson walked and a pitch hit Dillon Thomas to drive in the first run of the game.

Two more scored on a base hit by Brett Brockinton that left runners at first and second. Billingsley sacrificed them into scoring position and Nicholas Belden drove them in with a base hit.

In the bottom of the second, Sheldon drew a leadoff walk and McCutchen singled, setting up a two-RBI double by Gilbertson to make the score 7-1. Gilbertson tried to steal third but was thrown out, and the next two batters went down in order to end the inning.

Benton pitcher Wesley Williams struck out the side in order in the third, and made it nine-straight batters retired in the fifth, sitting Cabot down in order again.

But Billingsley was equally as effective in the second through the fourth. He faced just 10 batters over those three innings before yielding to Jerry in the fifth.

After Jerry faced four batters in the top of the fifth, Cabot added the game’s final two runs in the bottom half. Gilbertson led off with a hit on the first pitch of the frame, but was still standing on second with two outs. Jerry then singled to score Gilbertson and Belden drove him in with his second base hit of the game to set the final margin.

The Centennial Bank squad piled up 10 base hits.

McCutchen led the way, going 3 for 3 with two runs scored and an RBI. Gilbertson went 2 for 4 with a double, two runs and an RBI. Belden was 2 for 3 at the plate with a game-high three RBIs. Thomas, Brockinton and Jerry provided the other three base hits for Centennial Bank, whose record now stands at 6-1.

SPORTS STORY >> Ex-Bear among the elite leapers

By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor

Sylvan Hills graduate Jeff Henderson has become a star on the international track and field circuit. He recorded the longest jump in the world last year at the USA Championships in Sacramento, Calif., and ended the year the No. 1 ranked long jumper in the world by the International Association of Athletics Federations.

After winning the USA Championships, he suffered a heel injury in Glasgow, Ireland last July that thwarted his mobility and improvement. After finishing second in the world championships in 2013, Henderson finished 15th in 2014 with a jump far from his best. He managed a fifth-place finish in Birmingham, England before calling it quits for the year.

Since his return, with the strict coaching of 1986 Olympic triple jump champion Al Joyner, Henderson has only gotten better since.

In April, Henderson jumped a personal best 8.5 meters (27-feet, 10-inches) at an elite meet at Mount San Antonio College in Walnut, Calif. That jump was a foot longer than second place.

Two weekends ago, Henderson finished second in the Shanghai-Diamond League competition in China.

His jump of 8.26 meters was just one-tenth of a meter short of Russia’s Aleksandr Menkov, who won the event with the longest jump of the year so far. In finishing second, Henderson beat world class jumpers from China, Great Britain, Jamaica, Russia, the Netherlands and Mexico.

The next IAAF event is the World Championships in Beijing, China scheduled for Aug. 22-30, where Henderson will be one of the favorites to win Gold. After that, his sights will be set on the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Aug. 5-21.

SPORTS STORY >> Gwatney Blue rallies for win

By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor

Jacksonville’s Gwatney Chevrolet–Blue junior American Legion team picked up its first win of the season Thursday, beating the Conway Cougars 8-4 in the first round of the Jacksonville Invitational Tournament at Dupree Park. The game lasted just four and a half innings before the 1:50-minute time limit put a halt to the action.

Ean Collie threw four-and-two-thirds innings, giving up just two hits and one earned run while striking out seven and walking four.

Jacksonville fell behind early, trailing 3-0 after one-and-a-half innings. Conway’s two hits and four walks were supplemented by five Jacksonville errors, but Collie pulled a K out of his bag at opportune times.

Jacksonville scored one run in the bottom of the second, the first of eight unanswered over the next three innings that put the home team in control.

The Chevy Boys (1-3) went down in order in only three pitches in the first inning, but there was reason for optimism. Kameron Whitmore, Tyson Flowers and Caden Sample each drilled the first pitch they saw, but two went right to the left fielder and one to center field without either fielder having to move more than a couple of steps.

Conway scored one run in the top of the first on two errors and a base hit, and got two more in the second on two more errors and two walks.

Collie got Jacksonville’s first rally going when he took a pitch off the shoulder to lead off the home half of the second. His courtesy runner Robert Johnson moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by D.J. Sturgis and to third on a groundout to first by Isaiah Cain. He then scored when catcher Ryan Rosel singled to left field.

Collie got a groundout to second base to start the third inning, then went walk, strikeout, walk, strikeout to end the frame.

Gwatney took the lead in the home half.

Deboious Cobbs got things started when Cougar first baseman David Beck couldn’t handle a throw from shortstop. He moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Whitmore and scored on a base hit to left field by Flowers.

Sample moved Flowers to second with a sacrifice back to the pitcher. Collie hit an infield single to shortstop, leaving runners on first and third. Flowers then scored on a passed ball while Johnson moved to second with the scored tied 3-3. Sturgis then grounded to shortstop, but the throw to first was in the dirt, allowing Johnson to score on the play and giving Jacksonville its first lead of the game.

The Cougars got something going in the top of the fourth when a pair of errors put runners on the corners with no outs. But Rosel threw one runner out trying to steal and Collie called up a pair of strikeouts to get out of the jam.

Rosel then started the bottom of the fourth with a hard grounder right over third base for a base hit. Quentin Stallard was hit by a pitch and Cobbs got an field single to second base to load the bases.

Whitmore walked to drive in Rosel’s courtesy runner Kylan Kendall, and Flowers hit an RBI single to put Gwatney up 6-3. After a strikeout, Collie drew an RBI walk that scored Cobbs, and Whitmore scored on a wild pitch to cap Jacksonville’s scoring.

Conway got a leadoff single to right field in the top of the fifth. The throw-in sailed over the entire infield and left the runner standing on third with no outs. Collie then got Beck to pop up to first base and struck out Aaron Hogue before yielding to A.J. Jackson.

The runner scored on a wild pitch and after a walk, Jackson got Nathan Kealing to groundout to end the game.

Flowers went 2 for 3 with two RBIs while Rose went 2 for 2 with one run batted in.

Tuesday, June 02, 2015

EDITORIAL >> North Metro still struggles

North Metro Medical Center in Jacksonville quietly fired its chief executive officer recently and has not yet announced who will be its next leader.

For now, Joe Farrer, its chief operating officer who is also a Republican state representative from Austin, and chief financial officer Michael Randel have taken over for Cindy Stafford.

The former municipal hospital has struggled for years to compete with better-financed and better-managed competitors in the Little Rock area, where UAMS, St. Vincent’s and Baptist are all regional health-care powerhouses.

About three years ago, the city turned the hospital over to Allegiance Health Management of Shreveport, La., which had some success in starts and fits to rebuild the community’s confidence in the hospital. Stafford frequently explained to The Leader ways in which North Metro was improving thanks in large part to the Affordable Care Act, disparagingly called Obamacare.

On Stafford’s watch, North Metro improved its finances and cut infection rates and patient readmission rates, which were required by the Affordable Care Act. But her bosses in Louisiana have not invested in the hospital as much as the community would have liked. It looks like the only new money the hospital has managed to attract came from the Affordable Care Act, which extended Medicaid to thousands of the state’s working poor.

It’s a program that Rep. Farrer, until this year, has consistently voted against in the legislature and wrongly claimed was too expensive and would only add to the federal debt. He has since done an about face and supports, at least for now, the private option, which is the state’s version of the Medicaid expansion and is funded 100 percent by the federal government.

But government subsidies are keeping North Metro alive. It’s the reason Farrer and dozens of others still have jobs. It’s likely the reason why the hospital was able to pay for a new state-of-the-art wound-treatment facility. (See story, page 8A.)

If Farrer takes over as CEO, he should stop politicizing the Affordable Care Act, like most Republican legislators in the area already have, and explain how North Metro will prosper under it. He might be the only hospital executive in Arkansas, in the country perhaps, who opposes health-care reform.

We have often criticized Farrer’s stance on the Affordable Care Act, noting that his career in physical therapy provides a unique perspective to understand it better than anyone. After all, we’ve never met a Lonoke County rice farmer who is against crop subsidies.

But no matter the differences, Farrer has always kept in touch with us on legislative matters and hospital news. That’s more than can be said for Allegiance’s Louisiana-based chief operating officer Don Cameron, whose secretary offered several excuses to our reporter about why he was unavailable to be interviewed about Stafford’s dismissal. Ten days later, Cameron has still not returned our calls.

There are other problems at the hospital Cameron was perhaps hoping to avoid: Missing health insurance payments for its staff, a doctor who admitted to being drunk while on the job, emergency-room doctors who are owed thousands of dollars in back pay, why the hospital is struggling to pay its water bills and why Cornerstone, an acute-care provider, moved out. Cameron does have his hands full, but the community needs a clear plan that will show Allegiance is capable of rehabilitating North Metro. Maybe it’s time Jacksonville residents accept that the hospital may close someday and that its emergency room, so vital to everyone here, will also be gone

TOP STORY >> Former director honored at dinner

Frank Kayter (left), director of the Shepherd’s Center in Beebe, presents former director Paul Ramsey with a plaque recognizing him for his outstanding work during his 13 years at the senior center.


By JEFFREY SMITH
Leader staff writer

The Shepherd’s Center of Beebe recognized recently retired director Paul Ramsey with a special dinner on Thursday.

The center is located at First United Methodist Church of Beebe, 302 N. Main St. It opened in 2001.

The Shepherd’s Center is an interfaith community-based place for seniors to volunteer to teach and learn about bridge, knitting, quilting, gardening, travel writing and computer skills.

It offers eight-week sessions from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesdays. Over 50 seniors participate in the programs each week.

Ramsey was the center’s director from 2001 to 2014.

He is a graduate of Beebe High School and was the Beebe Chamber of Commerce Person of the Year in 2001.

The center presented Ramsey with a plaque and a quilt.

“The Shepherd’s Center is about the people and the volunteers week after week (who) had a talent they wanted to give to others. That’s why our classes were so well accepted from the community. It’s good for our senior adults to come and enjoy themselves, learn a skill or just be around friends,” Ramsey said.

“This town means so much to me and my family, the love and care for each other. I’m glad to see the Shepherd’s Center growing,” he added.

Dot Hall said Ramsey cares about people. He checks on seniors to see if they are healthy and has driven people to their doctor’s appointments.

Beebe native Jim Green-berg, who was instrumental in building the Shepherd’s Center, also attended the dinner.

Greenberg is a 1963 graduate of Beebe High School. His parents bought a farm north of Beebe when he was 8 years old. Greenberg, with his three brothers and a sister, worked at the farm. He graduated from West Point in 1968 with a bachelor’s in engineering. During his service, he was a military pilot.

Greenberg later earned a master’s degree in international relations from the University of South California-London branch and a master’s in business administration from the Harvard Business School.

He has lived and worked in Europe, Asia and the Middle East with a primary emphasis on the MENA (Middle East North Africa) Region. He led the startup of five operating companies in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Oman.

Greenberg assisted several other companies in their development and financing processes through his primary company, DevCorp International.

Prior to co-founding DevCorp in 1995, he was the lead in developing projects in Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia for General Dynamics.

Greenberg and his oldest son, Eric, visited Beebe in 1999, after the tornado hit the city. Many buildings were damaged, including the Methodist church that had to be rebuilt.

Greenberg visited with people who were friends of his parents during his youth. He noticed they were socially isolated and saw a need for a senior citizens social center where older adults could come together for fun and fellowship

Greenberg spoke with the Methodist church’s pastor about having dedicated space in the new building for seniors. “It is so heartening to come here, and see you all happy,” Greenberg said.

As the baby boomers get older, they are going to have to depend on and turn to each other for help, rather than just a checkbook, he continued.

Greenberg said the sharing, help and independence happening and offered by at the Shepherd’s Center is an example of what our country needs.

Shepherd’s Center of America director Sarah Cheney was also present. She has served with the organization since 2005.

“I am impressed at how wonderful a program you have here in Beebe. You have a fabulous foundation for your Shepherd’s Center,” Cheney said.

There are 58 Shepherd’s Centers in 15 states. They were started in 1971 in Kansas City, Mo.

“What you are doing is not only important to this community. It is important to Shepherd’s Center network and to the country. You are truly setting the example of what can be done and how older adults can continue to live, grow and give back to their communities,” Cheney said.

She said senior adults want choice, independence, dignity, empowerment and community. That is what Shepherd’s Centers are all about, Cheney noted. “What you all have here, is what a lot of people dream about in their communities.”

TOP STORY >> Report cards mostly subpar for Sherwood

By RICK KRON 
Leader staff writer

Editor’s Note: This is the sixth in a series of articles examining the state-issued report cards on area schools.

Three years ago, every school in the Sherwood area of the Pulaski County Special School District was meeting or exceeding standards. In the latest round of state-issued report cards, the schools are mostly below average with five schools receiving a “D” and three a “C.”

Even the recently opened $31.5 million Sylvan Hills Middle School received a “D” from the state.

“It’s a great, great school,” said Laura Bednar, deputy superintendent for PCSSD. “Different metrics produce different results.”

She said the state report card grading system is just too new and creates too many questions to be of much use.

“I hope we get to the point where it will be a good honest view of our schools,” she said, adding that the best key to how a school is doing is for parents and the community to be involved and to see what is happening in their schools and classrooms.

“It all starts in the classroom with our teachers,” she added.

The county district, which Jacksonville is breaking off from and from which Sherwood would also like to detach, spends almost $4,000 more per student than the state average in efforts to educate kids, but that extra money has garnered Sherwood mostly subpar grades.

All state schools were recently graded (A-F) by the state as part of a 2013 law requiring an easy-to-comprehend system that parents and others could understand.

What the state produced were report cards for each school averaging 18 pages each full of information with the actual letter grade buried in the middle of the multi-page report. The report cards included no summary or clear explanation for the letter grade.

Out of 1,052 schools across the state, 162 received A’s, 322 garnered B’s, 365 got C’s, 160 eared D’s and 43 were labeled with an F.

An in-depth look at the state issued report cards shows that PCSSD spends $13,268 per student. The state average is $9,379.

Teacher salaries are about $4,000 above the state average: $51,946 compared to $48,060.

The total budget for the school district in the 2013-14 school year was $210.5 million, according to the state reports. That broke down to $99.5 million for instructional expenses, $13.8 million for administrative costs, $3.5 million for extracurricular activities, $12.7 million for capital expenditures and debt service of $10.3 million.

SYLVAN HILL HIGH

In 2013-14, the high school had 870 students and an average class size of 14 students. Teachers averaged eight years of experience.

The student population is 46 percent black, 44 percent white, 53 percent Hispanic, 1 percent Native American and 1 percent Asian.

On the state report card, the school garnered 229 points, a strong “C,” and was listed as a needs improvement school. For the 2011-12 school year, the state said Sylvan Hills High School was “exceeding standards.”

Students taking the end-of-course algebra I exam were 68.7 percent proficient or advanced, a drop of about 9 points from the previous year and missing the state requirement of 76.81 percent proficient or better.

In geometry, 65.8 percent who took the end-of-course exam scored proficient or better, down five points from the previous year and missing the state requirement by 11 points.

There is no state mandated goal for the end-of-course biology exam, where just 28.65 percent of the students were proficient or advanced. That’s down eight points from the previous year.

The school saw a jump in its grade 11 literacy exam scores in 2013-14 as students were 74.4 percent proficient or better compared to the previous year’s score of 68.31 percent making the cut. The juniors beat the state-mandated goal of 67.98 percent.

Students taking the ACT exam were about two points under the state-average scores in all sections. Students also scored below the state average on the SATs.

The school’s grade inflation rate is 3.1 percent, half of the state’s average. The college remediation rate, at 53.8 percent, is about nine points above the state average.

The school has a dropout rate of 2.42 percent, just slightly higher than the state’s dropout rate of 2.1 percent, but a point below the district average. It has a graduation rate of 67.6 percent, about 20 points below the state average.

In 2013-14, the high school expelled four students, had two staff assaults, two student assaults and one weapons incident.

The school is properly accredited, and 98.7 teachers are properly certified and licensed, while the remaining 1.3 percent operated under emergency or provisional licenses. Close to 70 percent have master’s degrees, almost 30 points above the state average.

SYLVAN HILL MIDDLE

While in the old facility, the middle school was ranked by the state as “exceeding standards,” but now — in the new $31.5 million campus — it scored 193 points for a “D” and is considered a school needing improvement.

The middle school, with 856 students, an average class size of 18 students and teachers with an average of six years experience, has a student population that is 46 percent black, 44 percent white, 4 percent Hispanic, 1 percent Native American and 1 percent Asian.

On the state’s literacy section of the annual Benchmark exam, 67.2 percent of the sixth graders scored proficient or advanced, about even with the previous year and eight points short of the state-mandated goal of 75.93 percent proficient or better.

On the math portion, sixth graders were 63.3 percent proficient or better, up about a point from the previous year, but 10 points off the state-required mark.

Seventh graders were 73 percent proficient or better on the literacy portion of the exam, up three points from the previous year and just three points shy of the state-required goal.

In math, the seventh graders were 66.1 percent proficient or better, one point better than the previous year, but still about seven points off the state mark of 73.52 percent

Eighth graders were 75.3 percent proficient or better in literacy, up four points from the previous year and less than a point short of the state mark.

In math, students fell substantially short with 57.7 percent proficient or advanced, down two points from the previous year and 16 points short of the state mandate of 73.52 percent proficient or advanced.

The school is properly accredited, 97 percent of its teachers are completely certified and 3 percent operated on emergency or provisional licenses.

The school retained 21 students in the 2013-14 school year, about a third of the district total.

Also, there were two expulsions, three weapons incidents, two staff assaults and 28 student assaults.

NORTHWOOD MIDDLE

Northwood, by name, will be no more next year as PCSSD has plans to close it and loan the campus to the new Jacksonville district for its Jacksonville Middle School until North Pulaski High School is revamped to house the middle school students. After that, Northwood reverts back to PCSSD for disposal.

Three years ago, Northwood was listed as a “school exceeding standards,” but in the latest round of report cards, the state gave the school an “F” and listed it as a needs improvement school.

The middle school, with 413 students, an average class size of 13 students and teachers with an average of six years experience, garnered 179 points from the state, meaning it would need just two more points to get a “D.”

The school population is 55 percent white, 36 percent black, 6 percent Hispanic and 1 percent Asian.

On the state’s literacy section of the annual Benchmark exam, 64.52 percent of the sixth graders scored proficient or advanced, down three points from the previous year and 10 points short of the state-mandated goal of 74.81 percent proficient or better.

On the math portion, sixth graders were 70.97 percent proficient or better, down about 15 points from the previous year and almost four points off the state-required mark.

Seventh graders were 75.86 percent proficient or better on the literacy portion of the exam, up 13 points from the previous year and one point better than the state-required 74.81 percent proficient or better.

In math, the seventh graders were 65.52 percent proficient or better, up 15 points, but still nine points under the state-required points.

Eighth graders were 78.29 percent proficient or better in literacy, up eight points from the previous year and beating the state mark by four points.

In math, students were 64.34 percent proficient or advanced, up nine points from the previous year, but 10 points short of the state mandate of 64.94 percent proficient or advanced.

The school is properly accredited and 97.9 percent of its teachers are completely certified. The remaining 1 percent operated on emergency or provisional licenses.

The school retained five students in the 2013-14 school year. Also, there were two expulsions, one weapons incident, nine staff assaults and 41 student assaults.

CATO 

According to the state report card, the school received 235 points and an overall grade of “C,” just four points from a “B.” It’s listed as a needs improvement school. Three years ago, using a different rating system, the state said Cato Elementary was “exceeding standards.”

The school, last year, had 331 students, an average class size of 20 students and teachers had an average of seven years experience. The student population was 63 percent white, 29 percent black, 7 percent Hispanic and 1 percent Native American.

Cato Elementary’s accreditation status was at the highest level. The report said that 100 percent of the teachers were completely certified (better than the state average), yet it also listed that 6.7 percent were working with emergency or provisional credentials. Close to 40 percent had master’s degrees.

In 2013-14, the school reported three student assaults and retained four students.

On the literacy portion of the annual Benchmark, the school’s third graders were 76.5 percent proficient or better, about four points below the previous year and about nine points shy of the state-mandated goal of 85.87 percent.

In math, third graders were 84.3 percent proficient or better, down eight points from the previous year, but still above the 83.7 percent required by the state.

Fourth graders were 81.8 percent proficient or better in literacy, two points higher than the previous year, but missing the state requirement by four points. In math, the students suffered a big drop, going from 81.82 percent in 2013 to 56.8 percent last year, short of the state bar of 83.7 percent.

On the literacy exam, fifth graders were 84 percent proficient or better, up 12 points from the previous year, but missing the state bar of 85.87 percent by two points. In math, 68.2 percent of the fifth graders hit the mark, up four points from the previous year, but still 14 points below the state mandate.

The fifth graders beat the state average on the norm referenced test used to compare students nationally.

CLINTON

The school garnered 209 points on the state report card for an overall grade of “D,” just one point from a “C,” and is listed as a needs improvement school. Three years ago, using a different rating system, the state said the school, named after President Bill Clinton, was a “school of excellence.”

For the 2013-14 school, the elementary school had 596 students, an average class size of 20 students and teachers had an average of eight years experience. The student population was 48 percent black, 37 percent white, 8 percent Hispanic and 2 percent Asian.

The school’s accreditation status was at the highest level. The report said that 100 percent of the teachers were completely certified (better than the state average) and 41 percent had master’s degrees, the same as the state average.

In 2013-14, the school reported one weapons incident, two student assaults and retained four students.

On the literacy portion of the annual Benchmark, the school’s third graders were 78.1 percent proficient or better, about 10 points below the previous year, and about nine points shy of the state-mandated goal of 87.36 percent.

In math, third graders were 70.4 percent proficient or better, down 12 points from the previous year and 14 points under the 84.14 percent required by the state.

Fourth graders were 85.8 percent proficient or better in literacy, two points lower than the previous year and missed the state requirement by two points. In math, the students dropped, going from 78.09 percent in 2013 to 72.6 percent last year, far short of the state bar of 84.14 percent.

On the literacy exam, fifth graders were 80.5 percent proficient or better, about even with the previous year, but missing the state bar by seven points. In math, 56.3 percent of the fifth graders made the grade, down eight points from the previous year and 28 points below the state mandate.

HARRIS

At Harris Elementary, third graders beat the state average in both literacy and math in the 2013-14 school year. Fourth graders beat it just in literacy, but the fifth graders were lower than the state requirements, especially in math. The school received 192 points on the state report card for an overall grade of a solid “D,” and is listed as a needs improvement priority school. Three years ago, it was meeting standards.

For the 2013-14 school year, the elementary school had 232 students, an average class size of 15 students and teachers had an average of two years experience. The student population was 84 percent black, 10 percent white, 4 percent Hispanic and 1 percent Native American.

The school’s accreditation status was at the highest level. The report said that 100 percent of the teachers were completely certified (better than the state average) and 29 percent had master’s degrees.

In 2013-14, the school reported one staff assault and one student assault. The school did not retain any students.

On the literacy portion of the annual Benchmark, the school’s third graders were 61.6 percent proficient or better, about two points above the previous year and about four points better than the state goal of 57.03 percent.

In math, third graders were 65.4 percent proficient or better, down seven points from the previous year, but still five points higher than the 60.39 percent required by the state.

Fourth graders were 59.2 percent proficient or better in literacy, 15 points lower than the previous year, but still two points better than the state requirement. In math, the students dropped, going from 66.67 percent in 2013 to 40.71 percent last year, far short of the state bar of 60.39 percent.

On the literacy exam, fifth graders were 53.3 percent proficient or better, about 10 points better than the previous year, but missing the state bar by four points. In math, just 23.3 percent of the fifth graders made the grade, up two points from the previous year, but almost 40 points below the state mandate.

OAKBROOKE 

The school received 202 points on the state report card for an overall grade of “D,” eights point from a “C,” and is listed as a needs improvement school. Three years ago, the state rated Oakbrooke as a “school of excellence.”

For the 2013-14 year, the elementary school had 561 students, an average class size of 21 students and teachers had an average of nine years experience. The student population was 53 percent white, 36 percent black, 5 percent Hispanic and 1 percent Asian.

The school had no problems with its accreditation status. The report said that 100 percent of the teachers were completely certified, but 2.6 percent were working under provisional or emergency credentials. Forty percent had master’s degrees, just below the state average.

In 2013-14, the school reported two weapons incidents, two student assaults and retained four students.

The state report card lists identical numbers for the third graders on the literacy and math portions of the annual Benchmark. The school’s third graders were 71.7 percent proficient or better on both, about 10 points below the previous year and about 12 points shy of the state-mandated goal of 84.07 percent in literacy and 83.41 percent in math.

Fourth graders were 80.2 percent proficient or better in literacy, 13 points lower than the previous year, and missed the state requirement by four points. In math, the students dropped, going from 93.55 percent in 2013 to 62 percent last year, far short of the state bar of 83.41 percent.

On the literacy exam, fifth graders were 81.9 percent proficient or better, about eight points down from the previous year and missing the state bar by three points. In math, 61.1 percent of the fifth graders made the grade, down 18 points from the previous year and 22 points below the state mandate.

SHERWOOD

According to the state report card, the school received 206 points and an overall grade of “D,” and is listed as a needs improvement school, yet fourth and fifth graders beat the state-required mandates in literacy.

Three years ago, using a different rating system, the state said Sherwood Elementary was a “school of excellence.”

The school, last year, had 361 students, an average class size of 19 students and teachers had an average of six years experience. The student population was 51 percent white, 31 percent black, 15 percent Hispanic, 1 percent Asian and 1 percent Native American.

Sherwood Elementary had no marks against its accreditation status. The report said that 100 percent of the teachers were completely certified (better than the state average). More than 40 percent had master’s degrees.

In 2013-14, the school reported one student assault, one weapons incident and retained one student.

On the literacy portion of the annual Benchmark, the school’s third graders were 70.2 percent proficient or better, about three points below the previous year and about 12 points short of the state-mandated goal of 82 percent.

In math, third graders were 80.9 percent proficient or better, down 10 points from the previous year and missing by seven points the 87.5 percent required by the state.

Fourth graders were 84 percent proficient or better in literacy, nine points higher than the previous year, and beating the state requirement by two points. In math, the students suffered a drop, going from 76.79 percent in 2013 to 64 percent last year, far short of the state bar of 87.5 percent.

On the literacy exam, fifth graders were 82.2 percent proficient or better, down four points from the previous year, but still high enough to surpass the state-required level by two-tenths of a point.

In math, 64.3 percent of the fifth graders hit the mark, down nine points from the previous year and 23 points under the state mandate.

SYLVAN HILLS

This elementary school received 222 points on the state report card for an overall grade of middle “C,” and it’s listed as a needs improvement school. Three years ago, the state called Sylvan Hills a “school of excellence.”

For 2013-14, the elementary school had 429 students, an average class size of 18 students and teachers had an average of seven years experience. The student population last year was 49 percent white, 49 percent black, 5 percent Hispanic and 1 percent Asian.

The school was cited for accreditation problems. The report said that 97.1 percent of the teachers were completely certified, but 2.9 percent were working under provisional or emergency credentials, and 44 percent of the teachers had master’s degrees.

In 2013-14, the school reported one weapons incident and retained eight students.

On the literacy portion of the annual Benchmark, the school’s third graders were 78.7 percent proficient or better, down slightly from the previous year and about 10 points short of the state-mandated goal of 86.46 percent. In math, 78.8 percent of the third graders made the cut, down 14 points from the previous year and missing the state mark by about nine points.

Fourth graders were 84.9 percent proficient or better in literacy, eight points lower than the previous year, and missed the state requirement by two points. In math, the students dropped, going from 84.21 percent in 2013 to 79.3 percent last year, about eight points shy of the state bar of 87.9 percent.

On the literacy exam, fifth graders were 82.8 percent proficient or better, about a half-point down from the previous year and missing the state bar by four points. In math, 65.6 percent of the fifth graders made the grade, down five points from the previous year and 22 points below the state mandate.

TOP STORY >> District wants voters’ backing

By JOHN HOFHEIMER
Leader senior staff writer

Jacksonville-area voters will have a chance to endorse the current school property tax millage, to authorize the selling of about $15 million in construction bonds secured by part of that tax and to choose their first elected school board when they head to the polls for the Sept. 15 school elections.

The construction-bond authority would be embedded in the vote for the 40.7-mill tax, according to Scott Beardsley, senior vice president of First Security’s Beardsley Public Finance. He is the district’s public finance adviser.

“They just vote yes or no on the whole issue,” Beardsley said.

The interim, appointed board voted unanimously Monday night to proceed and also approved publication of a projected $59.9 million budget for 2016-17, the first year JNP will actually educate students.

If the 40.7-mill tax doesn’t pass, the tax will remain 40.7 mills, but without authorization to use the embedded 14.8-mill debt-service tax to issue the construction bonds, Beardsley said.

Otherwise, the board can authorize issuance of second-lien bonds secured by those same 14.8 debt-service mills, he said.

“It’s just cleaner and more transparent” if voters approve it, he explained.

The board also returned from a brief executive session to unanimously approve Superintendent-elect Tony Wood’s recommendation to hire Bobby E. Lester, son of the interim superintendent, as assistant superintendent for human resources and support services, and Jeremy Owoh as assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction.

Lester is currently director of federal programs for the state Education Department, and Owoh has been principal of J.A. Fair Systems Magnet High School since 2011.

Lester, who has worked as a principal at Pinewood Elementary and assistant principal at Jacksonville Middle School, holds an educational specialist degree from Harding University.

That is an advanced terminal degree designed for those who wish to develop advanced knowledge and theory beyond the master’s degree level. His salary is expected to be $113,000.

Owoh, who also holds an educational specialist degree, has worked as principal at Fuller Middle School and was dean of studies at Mills University Studies High School. His salary is expected to be $105,000. Both are certified for the posts.

FAIR MARKET VALUE

By law, the 12 schools and buildings detaching from PCSSD to be part of JNP must be purchased at fair market values, according to JNP Chief of Staff Phyllis Stewart.

Even though the buildings are all old and in various states of disrepair, that’s still expected to be about $10.8 million that the new district will owe PCSSD.

That money is expected to come from about $15.3 million in bonds secured by the 14.8-mill debt service portion of the 40.7-mill property tax. The balance could be used for repairs and minor remodeling.

It is widely expected that the new board will need to ask voters to approve a millage increase to build a new high school, a new elementary school to replace Arnold Drive and Tolleson on Little Rock Air Force Base and to convert North Pulaski High School into the district’s middle school.

The new elementary could be paid for by the Defense Department and built on the base. All elementary schools would be renovated and improved.

BUDGET

The projected $59.9 million 2016-17 budget includes $22.9 million in salaries and benefits; $15 million in building fund expenses; $8.2 million in instructional expenses; $4.1 million in maintenance and operations; $3.9 million in pupil transportation expenses; $1.1 million in bonded debt payments; $350,000 in dedicated maintenance and operation and $407,000 in other operating expenses.

LESTER LEAVES

Interim Superintendent Lester will serve until June 30. Superintendent-elect Wood and his new assistants will begin July 1.

Of the six current JNP board members who were asked Monday night, Ron McDaniel said he expected to run for the board in September.

Board president Daniel Gray, Robert Price, Richard Moss, Norris Cain and LaConda Watson each said they hadn’t decided. Board secretary Carol Miles was absent.

If they all wished to return to the board, some would be in races against each other. The school zones were drawn and approved after they were appointed to the board. That pressure would be partially alleviated because they chose to implement a model with five zones and two at-large board members.

The filing deadline for school board positions this year is Aug. 17.

SPORTS STORY >> LeBron’s fifth-straight final is a remarkable feat

By GRAHAM POWELL
Leader sports editor

The seasons changed, the jerseys changed, the teammates changed, the competition changed. Just about everything in the NBA has changed in the last five years – even the commissioner.

But there’s been one constant through that stretch – LeBron James in the Finals.

James led the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 4-0 sweep of the Atlanta Hawks last week to send the franchise to its second-ever NBA Finals and first since 2007. Tomorrow night’s game against the Golden State Warriors will mark James’ fifth-straight appearance in the Finals.

He and teammate James Jones are the first players since Bill Russell to accomplish that feat, but Jones has essentially ridden James’ coattails to that accomplishment. Still, the two Cavs are the first non-Celtics to ever reach five-straight Finals, which shows just how difficult it is to reach the Finals.

Take a moment to absorb that information. Not even NBA legends like Michael Jordan, Larry Bird or Magic Johnson have accomplished that feat. Not even Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant during the Lakers’ dominant stretch in the early 2000s.

As a member of the Miami Heat, James went 2-2 in the Finals over the last four years, winning two in a row before falling short against a very determined San Antonio Spurs team at the end of last season.

This year, James has the chance to lead the Cavs to their first NBA championship in franchise history and cap his return to Cleveland in triumph. To do so, though, James will have to take on an unprecedented role, even for him.

All five of James’ journeys to the Finals these last five seasons have been different, but they’ve all been similar in the fact that James has been the one constant on the floor while other key starters/teammates have had their share of injuries.

Dwyane Wade, as great of a player as he is – a surefire Hall-of-Famer, has battled various injuries over the last several years. Chris Bosh had to overcome his share of injuries as well throughout James’ stint with the Heat.

This year, Cleveland’s Kevin Love’s season ended in the first round of the playoffs after he suffered a shoulder injury that required surgery. Kyrie Irving has played exceptionally in his first-ever playoffs, but nagging knee and ankle injuries have forced him to sit out multiple games.

James has had his share of injuries as well, but has played through them and carried the Cavs to victories throughout the playoffs. Like in game three of the Eastern Conference Finals, where he overcame a 0 for 10 start to finish with 37 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists.

James has not only been on the floor throughout the playoffs, but at 30 years old, has had a career-high usage rate this season. This postseason, he’s averaging 40.7 minutes per game and 25 shots per game with a 42.8 field goal percentage. Last postseason, he averaged 17 shots per game.

His assists and rebound numbers through these playoffs are also career bests – 8.3 assists per game and 10.4 rebounds per game, which shows how much he’s been forced to stretch his game with Love out and Irving playing on one leg.

This postseason, James leads the Cavs in points (27.6 PPG), rebounds, assists, steals, minutes, free throws made, player efficiency rating, usage rating, defensive win shares and several other categories.

The team has no doubt overcome its share of adversities this postseason, and the Cavs have always been able to rely on the durable James to carry them through those hard times, and that’s what makes this year’s trip to the Finals the most impressive of them all for James, and that’s saying something, considering this will be his sixth overall appearance.

He led the Cavs to their first Finals appearance in 2007. It was James’ first Finals appearance as well, and that team had no business being there. It took incredible and truly legendary performances by James to get past the more talented Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals that year.

The fact that the Cavs got swept in their first trip to the Finals is in no way an indictment against James’ ability. That year, it was essentially him versus an all-time great San Antonio Spurs team that had three future Hall-of-Famers (Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker). Well, four counting head coach Gregg Popovich.

After a few more years of failing to get back to the Finals, because of the lack of talent around him, James famously took his talents to South Beach and joined the Heat.

James’ tenure with Miami was highly successful – four-straight Finals appearances and two NBA championships. He, as any player that’s ever played any sport does, needed better talent around him to win a championship, which is why he left Cleveland for Miami.

He had to go to Miami to learn how to win a championship, but he also had to learn how to become a better player as well, which he’s done and has continued to do each year since.

Now, in his return to Cleveland, James is using the experience he gained in Miami to instill confidence in players like JR Smith, Iman Shumpert and Tristan Thompson, who were used to losing before this season.

James not only elevates the play of his teammates, but he’s made Cleveland coach David Blatt look a lot better than he actually is. He did the same thing with Mike Brown during his first stint with the Cavaliers, and even though Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is a very good basketball coach, James made him look a lot better as well.

If Cleveland can upset Golden State, led by league MVP Stephen Curry, in the Finals, it will be the biggest accomplishment of James’ storied career. The Warriors boasted the best record in the NBA – at 67-15, and they’re by far the most complete team in the league.

Curry is the best shooter in the league, averaging almost 30 points a game this season, but isn’t the only sharpshooter with two-guard Klay Thompson on the perimeter. Thompson averaged almost 20 points per game during the regular season.

Forward Draymond Green averaged a double-double this season with 14 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. Center Andrew Bogut, a former No. 1 overall pick, has the team’s highest field goal percentage at 57.6, and forward Harrison Barnes averaged 11 points and five boards per game throughout the regular season.

The Warriors also have solid players coming off the bench, such as guard Leandro Barbosa, guard/forward Andre Iguodala and center Festus Ezeli.

Golden State is also the healthier of the two teams, though it’s had its share of players getting banged up.

As for Cleveland, it’s going to take more of what got the team to this point if the Cavs expect to be successful in the Finals, and that’s nothing short of greatness from James.

He’ll need big-time contributions from every one of his teammates, and they’ll have to find a way to keep the Splash Brothers (Curry and Thompson) from getting hot, and Green and Bogut from making an impact inside and out. They’ll also have to find a way to keep the Warriors’ role players and bench contained.

The Warriors are no doubt the favorites, and they should be. They’re the best team and they have the league MVP. But the Cavs have the best player.

If the Cavs can somehow find a way to win this series without Love and without a healthy Irving, it’ll be James that finds that way. It won’t be Blatt or anyone else associated with the Cavs organization other than James.

If he can do it, again, it’ll be the biggest accomplishment of his career. If he can’t, it should not hurt his legacy. He’s going to leave it all on the floor, and if he fails, he fails. But he’s going to give everything he has to bring the city of Cleveland its first-ever basketball championship and first pro sports championship since 1964.

That’s his guarantee to his teammates, coaches and the city of Cleveland.

SPORTS STORY >> Devils still drilling basics

By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor

The Jacksonville football team had its next-to-last spring practice on Monday, spreading the two weeks worth of practices over the final three weeks of school. The final full-pad, full-contact practice before preseason officially begins in August will be a scrimmage game at Jan Crow Stadium at 6:30 p.m. Friday.

“It’s going to be a controlled scrimmage for about an hour,” said Jacksonville coach Barry Hickingbotham. “Then we’ll do like overtime, divide into teams and line up at the 10 and have some live scrimmaging. We’re still in teaching mode right now. We want to do something to involve the community but we want to maximize every opportunity to work on things and get better.”

Hickingbotham had said at the beginning of spring that repetition and drills and more repetition would be a key component to spring workouts. That was the case on Monday. After an hour of offensive practice that featured the same reads and routes for backs and receivers, and the same stances, steps and schemes for the linemen, the defense went to work. For the entire last half of practice, defensive backs worked on three passing reads of the spread offense, while the linemen worked on defending the read option.

“That’s what it’s about right now,” Hickingbotham said. “We’ve got some kids that do some great things and then not-so great. We’re just inconsistent. A kid will make a great catch and then drop one right in his hands. Quarterback will make a great read and then throw one into double coverage. So we just have to find some consistency.”

One potential strength for the 2015 Red Devils is depth at lineman. It’s something Jacksonville has not enjoyed in recent years. This year’s team has a good number of big bodies and four returning starters, but very little experience behind the returners.

“We’ve got some guys that look like football players but they’ve never played before,” said Hickingbotham. “I think we have a few more linemen to work with than we did. If we can develop some of these inexperienced guys we have a chance to have some depth there. They’re getting a lot of reps because we’re not practicing two of our returning guys. They have some nagging little injuries and we’re not going to risk making anything worse. So (the younger linemen) have a chance right now to get better and prove something to us.”

Friday’s scrimmage will coincide with Clinton McDonald’s McDonald Association Collective Collaboration-Light Into Darkness charity. In lieu of an entry fee to the game, The MACCLID organization will be at the gate collecting canned foods for the Jacksonville Care Channel, as well as toiletries like toothpaste, tissue paper and paper towels for the Ronald McDonald house. Monetary donations will also be accepted and divided among the charities.

SPORTS STORY >> Centennial Bank junior team wins

By RAY BENTON 
Leader sports editor

Cabot’s Centennial Bank junior American Legion team improved its record to 5-0 this season with a doubleheader sweep at Sheridan last Wednesday. Cabot won the opener 8-4 and held on for a 3-2 win in the nightcap.

Bobby Joe Duncan went 3 for 4 at the plate in game one to lead Cabot’s eight-hit performance. Dillon Thomas went 2 for 4 and the visiting team was helped out by four Sheridan errors.

The Centennial Bank team had to come from behind twice in the opening game. Sheridan got out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning, but Cabot quickly tied it with two of its own in the top of the third.

Sheridan reclaimed the lead with a single run in the third, and Cabot again tied it in the fourth and finally took the lead with a run in the top of the fifth that made it 4-3.

Sheridan tied it in the bottom of the fifth, but Cabot exploded for four runs in the top of the sixth, then held Sheridan scoreless in the sixth for the win as time expired.

Cabot pitchers Ty Cyr and Brett Brockinton combined to allow just three base hits, but Cyr walked four and Cabot committed three errors to help the home team on the scoreboard.

Cabot also showed patience at the plate, drawing eight walks in the game-one victory.

Brockinton threw the last three and two-thirds innings, facing 12 batters, giving up one hit and one walk while striking out four.

Game two was just a four-inning affair, with Brian Tillery going that distance on the mound for the win. He gave up three hits, walked two and struck out four Sheridan batters.

A familiar pattern repeated itself early in the nightcap. Sheridan scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning before Cabot tied it with two in the top of the second. No one scored in the third and Cabot added the game-winner in the top of the fourth. Tillery threw his third-straight scoreless inning in the bottom of the fourth to preserve the win.

Cabot got just four hits, but made the most of them. Sheridan committed no errors in game two, but did issue five more walks.

Duncan again led the way, going 2 for 3 while Thomas and Skylar Weidman added the other two base hits.

On the night, Duncan went 5 for 7 at the plate, with a double and three runs scored.

Cabot played Bryant at home last night after Leader deadlines, and will compete in the Jacksonville Junior Tournament that starts today and runs through the weekend.

Monday, June 01, 2015

TOP STORY >> Couple drowns in a sea of debt

By SARAH CAMPBELL
Leader staff writer

A Sherwood couple in their 20s say they’ll soon be buried under a mountain of debt because their house was built on a lot that plans show should have been held for retention — somewhere rainwater was supposed to drain from their subdivision.

Repairing the damaged foundation would cost as much as a new house, first-time homeowner Monica Bearden of 8250 Nora Lane in the Hidden Lakes Estates subdivision told The Leader.

The Beardens have spent more than $40,000 in house payments, having the problem diagnosed and other costs associated with trying to resolve the problem. Then they’ll be $162,000 in debt when the foreclosure goes through.

She said the family’s only option — after filing a lawsuit against the builder who went bankrupt the week before a jury trial would have been held — is to await foreclosure instead of “throwing money out the window.”

No one will help, and her property was “never meant to be a buildable lot” because “someone from the city wrote” that on the plans, Bearden said.

The issue is water-saturated land that equates to a house with a “marshmallow” base, she elaborated.

Bearden also said meeting with the mayor and others proved fruitless.

But Mayor Virginia Young said the family was told the builder caused the problems. She told The Leader officials have done all that they feel they needed to do for the family.

Bearden added that City Attorney Steve Cobb was “hateful” about the couple’s problem.

Cobb told The Leader, “I empathize with them. I really do, and even went to bankruptcy court with them.” But he emphasized the fault is not with the city and there is nothing the city can do.

At first, the family did blame their builder, Danny McGill. Now, the mother of two young children, explained, “I hate to say that it wasn’t his fault, but I feel like it kind of falls back on the city more than anybody. The city’s the one that you have to get approved (by) and the city’s supposed to be out here inspecting it and everything like that.”

The problems at Bearden’s home — constructed in late 2013 — began with a crack in one of the closets plus a gap between the baseboards and floor. They now include doors that won’t close without being shaved to fit warped frames and more cracks.

Eventually, Bearden said, the house will be “not livable,” as the floor will drop enough to crush its plumbing. Being able to sell it is not likely, as all of the problems must be disclosed, she noted.

McGill came out to look at the issue and said it would be fixed.

Over several months, Bearden said he was still building and the couple agreed to keep quiet about the damage so that McGill could sell more homes.

She claims the builder told them he would use profits from those sales to fix the house.

Bearden eventually contacted American Structure Repair and American Leak Detection. Finally, a foundation company ran tests that revealed the damage had been caused by water sitting under the house.

That same water prevents her children, a 10-month-old and a 4-year-old, from playing in the yard that is filled with knee-high, stagnant water at times and often soaked for months.

The $5,000 solution suggested by the foundation company was to inject foam by drilling “nickel-size” holes in the floor. Bearden said, “Who wants that? We just built this brand new house.”

Another fix, the one that would cost hundreds of thousands, involves installing piers to lift the house up from the ground. All the floors would be ripped up in that case.

Bearden also said, “We’re the only ones that have actual interior problems. We have flooding issues. The whole neighborhood has flooding issues, but we’re the only ones that have structural damage.”

Hers has not been the loudest or most persistent voice to call foul. Luis Garces, president of the property owners association, has spoken about the matter at city council meetings.

He claims Sherwood officials have violated several of the city’s own laws. Alleged wrongdoings include not inspecting the subdivision after it was built, not having the as-built plans, not having a certified letter — Garces says all are listed as requirements in the city’s books — and not responding to a Freedom of Information Act request in a timely manner.

City Engineer Ellen Norvell has said at council meetings that her department doesn’t have the staffing to inspect every construction project.

The city hired Bond Engineering to check out the flooding late last year, but that firm only saw the plans and didn’t physically examine the subdivision, Garces said.

The only plans officials have offered are preliminary, and what was built doesn’t match them, he noted.

Garces also told The Leader that the water flooding his yard would have damaged an air conditioning unit next to the house had the unit not been placed on concrete blocks.

At the council meeting Tuesday, the mayor told Garces he couldn’t speak because he would be repeating the same information.

Young told The Leader in a interview on Thursday that water hadn’t been getting inside people’s homes, and “everything that everybody has said is not accurate.”