By JOHN HOFHEIMER
Leader staff writer
A draft environmental-impact statement for the North Belt Freeway could be completed “shortly after the first of the year,” according to Randy Ort, spokesman for the state Highway and Transportation Department, clearing the way for a public hearing on the proposed route through Sherwood.
Once a route is finalized and approved by the Metroplan board of directors, the actual engineering can begin, followed by purchase of the right-of-way, Ort said. After that, the job can be put out for bids—assuming that there is money available. Actual construction would take two or three years, Ort said. Depending upon the route, the segment will be between 12.5 miles and 15 miles long, with estimated costs ranging between $250 million and $350 million.
That missing link between Hwy. 440 near Jacksonville and I-430 near Crystal Hill, would complete a Little Rock bypass by connecting to I-30, then to I-440 south of the city and back to Jacksonville. It would allow an easy Little Rock bypass for trucks and traffic on I-40. Competition for highway money, always stiff, will increase in the face of the Highway Department’s recently introduced plan for a 15-lane, Dallas-like I-630/I-430 interchange, which could cost in excess of $100 million with only $15 million of that available in annual increments between now and 2009.
At Metroplan’s November board meeting, outgoing Sherwood Mayor Bill Harmon brought this problem to the board’s attention when he asked if the interchange proposal could make it more difficult to pay and finish the North Belt Freeway.
But that west Little Rock interchange seems to be a high priority for Little Rock and northern North Little Rock officials and those who commute to Little Rock from Conway and from Saline County, according to Jim McKenzie, executive director of Metroplan. Currently no money is earmarked for completion of the North Belt Loop. Ort said that there is no plan to make it a toll road, although a study has been completed that identified the loop as one of two new state Highways feasible for funding and expedited by making it a toll road. The other is the Bella Vista bypass, which is moving forward as a toll road, Ort said. Funding most likely would come from a combination of state and federal highway monies.
“Tolling has been an option,” Ort said, “but it’s not being pursued right now.” The advantage of making it a toll road is that it would allow debt financing and quicker construction. Carl Rosenbaum, central Arkansas’ representative on the state Highway Commission, has said he favors making it a toll road.
The concept of the North Belt Freeway was put on the Pulaski County master street and road plan in 1941. Currently it’s all done except the Sherwood stretch, which ground to a halt about two years ago when residents objected to running it through several new subdivisions.
Problems facing Metroplan board of directors regarding the highway department’s proposal to build the state’s most ambitious, largest interchange, with as many as 15 lanes headed south on I-630 toward University Avenue are twofold. One is the competition for money for already-approved projects and the other that the interchange would conflict with existing Metroplan policy, according to McKenzie.
He said highway funding was a zero-sum game, meaning if someone’s share of the financial pie increases, someone else’s share decreases. “There is a finite amount of money in the national pot and the state pot,” said McKenzie, “and the demand far, far exceeds the resources.” Currently, the widening of I-630 between I-430 and University is listed as an unfunded $40 million project, he said.
Also, current board policy limits freeway widening to six through lanes until the entire interstate system is built out. That would include widening to six lanes Hwy. 67/167 all the way to Cabot, I-40 to Conway and the ends I-430 before widening anything beyond six lanes. Then it calls for making more robust the regional arterial network—roads like state Hwy. 161, the Jacksonville cutoff and Hwy. 5 at Cabot.
After those are improved, the policy calls for preparing for mass transit before revisiting further freeway widening. “If you widen it, there’s no money left for the arterial system,” said McKenzie. You can’t get anywhere on it and you get into a death spiral. McKenzie and the Highway Department have introduced the proposal early, so that these conflicts can be resolved in a timely fashion rather than with the sudden disruptions that brought the North Belt Freeway to a crawl.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
FROM THE PUBLISHER >>General who served here runs mobile war center
A group of airmen inside a metal building near the flightline at Little Rock Air Force Base were talking shop while they stood near several covered pallets of cargo last week, when Gen. Scott Gray, commander of Air Mobility Warfare Center at Fort Dix, N.J., walked in.
As soon as the airmen saw the general enter, they saluted smartly, and he told them, “At ease.” They were taking part in an exercise to test the most advanced cargo delivery system in the world, using global-positioning to guide parachutes and their cargo within a few feet of their target, but from a much higher altitude, which makes it safer for crews delivering their payload since they’re farther away from potential hostile fire.
Like smart bombs, the GPS-guided pallets almost always hit their targets. “It will save American lives,” Gray said.
Ten active-duty, as well as National Guard and Reserve units, had come from across the country to learn about the joint precision-aerial delivery systems (or JPADS) and improved container-delivery systems (ICDS) under the command of Gen. Gray’s Air Mobility Warfare Center.
A joint effort by the Air Force and the Army, the systems are a giant leap from 50-year-old technology to the satellite-driven delivery system. The military appears ready to switch to the new system for delivery of weapons and supplies to troops on the ground, relying less on trucks traveling in convoys in war zones, including Afghanistan and Iraq. Gen. Gray, former commander of the 463rd Airlift Group at LRAFB, told us the system was successfully tested in Afghanistan, and the Pentagon is accelerating the program, pushing it up five years ahead of schedule.
“We took it to Afghanistan last summer and dropped ammunition in combat,” Gray said in an interview at the 34th Combat Training Squadron, which hosted the exercise under the command of Lt. Col. Jeff Szczepanik.
The pallets landed while there was a firefight on the ground. The plane was out of harm’s way because it wasn’t anywhere near where hostilities were taking place. The state-of-the-art system works from altitudes as high as 25,000-35,000 feet, in all kinds of weather and under the most adverse conditions, the general said.
“It’s totally irrelevant if you can see the ground,” said Gray, whose direct manner reminds one of Gen. Curtis LeMay, the longtime head of Strategic Air Command. “This is still a test program,” Gray added, but he is certain the system will be implemented soon. The smallest system is listed at $65,000 for each plane, although those that can guide bigger loads will probably cost much more than that.
The exercise at Little Rock Air Force Base included flights to rural areas in C-130 and C-17 Globe-master cargo planes. For the first time, crews here used the global-positioning systems and steerable parachutes, with the planes dropping their cargo thousands of feet from their targets.
“This is fitting that this training is being done at the home of the Hercules and C-130 Center of Excellence,” Gray said. “This is another historic first for Little Rock Air Force Base.”
Gray’s Air Mobility Center is the incubator for the new military technology. The center also teaches thousands of airmen about landing in hostile areas, setting up bases almost overnight and making sure they’re well supplied.
“We’re like a university,” the general explained. “We teach 13,000 students a year. We offer a full-spectrum of courses, including a master’s degree.” Students learn about air mobility, logistics and supply and about how to establish an air base from scratch. The war center teaches students “how to deploy and employ forces.”
“We help a wing commander run his base anywhere in the world,” Gray said.
From 1997-98, when he was still a colonel, he was commander at the 463rd Airlift Group at Little Rock Air Force Base, which will become a full-fledged wing at the base, with additional personnel and C-130Js.
Gray held several important posts before he took command of the Air Mobility Warfare Center. From 2003-2005, he was the commander at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, which is home to Air Force One.
It was there that he greeted President Bush and his wife Laura as they traveled around the world. (C.J. Wax, another former commander at LRAFB, was in charge of Andrews during the Clinton presidency.) Gray recalled the arrangements for Ronald Reagan’s funeral in 2004. The former president’s casket was flown to Andrews Air Force Base. Scores of dignitaries also landed at the base and were driven to Washington. Reagan’s casket lay in state at the Capitol Rotunda, while thousands of mourners passed by. “The sun was shining when he arrived,” the general recalled. “Skies were gray when he left, and it started to mist. My wife (Jackie) and I were the only ones on the flightline, I got to represent every American military member.”
Looking out the window toward the flightline at Little Rock Air Force Base, where cargo planes landed every few minutes, Gray said Ronald Reagan did more to defeat communism than anyone else in the world. “Ronald Reagan and (former British Prime Minister) Margaret Thatcher were created to bring down communism. We didn’t think it would happen.” It was raining here, too, just as it was on the day Ronald Reagan’s casket flew back home to California.
As soon as the airmen saw the general enter, they saluted smartly, and he told them, “At ease.” They were taking part in an exercise to test the most advanced cargo delivery system in the world, using global-positioning to guide parachutes and their cargo within a few feet of their target, but from a much higher altitude, which makes it safer for crews delivering their payload since they’re farther away from potential hostile fire.
Like smart bombs, the GPS-guided pallets almost always hit their targets. “It will save American lives,” Gray said.
Ten active-duty, as well as National Guard and Reserve units, had come from across the country to learn about the joint precision-aerial delivery systems (or JPADS) and improved container-delivery systems (ICDS) under the command of Gen. Gray’s Air Mobility Warfare Center.
A joint effort by the Air Force and the Army, the systems are a giant leap from 50-year-old technology to the satellite-driven delivery system. The military appears ready to switch to the new system for delivery of weapons and supplies to troops on the ground, relying less on trucks traveling in convoys in war zones, including Afghanistan and Iraq. Gen. Gray, former commander of the 463rd Airlift Group at LRAFB, told us the system was successfully tested in Afghanistan, and the Pentagon is accelerating the program, pushing it up five years ahead of schedule.
“We took it to Afghanistan last summer and dropped ammunition in combat,” Gray said in an interview at the 34th Combat Training Squadron, which hosted the exercise under the command of Lt. Col. Jeff Szczepanik.
The pallets landed while there was a firefight on the ground. The plane was out of harm’s way because it wasn’t anywhere near where hostilities were taking place. The state-of-the-art system works from altitudes as high as 25,000-35,000 feet, in all kinds of weather and under the most adverse conditions, the general said.
“It’s totally irrelevant if you can see the ground,” said Gray, whose direct manner reminds one of Gen. Curtis LeMay, the longtime head of Strategic Air Command. “This is still a test program,” Gray added, but he is certain the system will be implemented soon. The smallest system is listed at $65,000 for each plane, although those that can guide bigger loads will probably cost much more than that.
The exercise at Little Rock Air Force Base included flights to rural areas in C-130 and C-17 Globe-master cargo planes. For the first time, crews here used the global-positioning systems and steerable parachutes, with the planes dropping their cargo thousands of feet from their targets.
“This is fitting that this training is being done at the home of the Hercules and C-130 Center of Excellence,” Gray said. “This is another historic first for Little Rock Air Force Base.”
Gray’s Air Mobility Center is the incubator for the new military technology. The center also teaches thousands of airmen about landing in hostile areas, setting up bases almost overnight and making sure they’re well supplied.
“We’re like a university,” the general explained. “We teach 13,000 students a year. We offer a full-spectrum of courses, including a master’s degree.” Students learn about air mobility, logistics and supply and about how to establish an air base from scratch. The war center teaches students “how to deploy and employ forces.”
“We help a wing commander run his base anywhere in the world,” Gray said.
From 1997-98, when he was still a colonel, he was commander at the 463rd Airlift Group at Little Rock Air Force Base, which will become a full-fledged wing at the base, with additional personnel and C-130Js.
Gray held several important posts before he took command of the Air Mobility Warfare Center. From 2003-2005, he was the commander at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, which is home to Air Force One.
It was there that he greeted President Bush and his wife Laura as they traveled around the world. (C.J. Wax, another former commander at LRAFB, was in charge of Andrews during the Clinton presidency.) Gray recalled the arrangements for Ronald Reagan’s funeral in 2004. The former president’s casket was flown to Andrews Air Force Base. Scores of dignitaries also landed at the base and were driven to Washington. Reagan’s casket lay in state at the Capitol Rotunda, while thousands of mourners passed by. “The sun was shining when he arrived,” the general recalled. “Skies were gray when he left, and it started to mist. My wife (Jackie) and I were the only ones on the flightline, I got to represent every American military member.”
Looking out the window toward the flightline at Little Rock Air Force Base, where cargo planes landed every few minutes, Gray said Ronald Reagan did more to defeat communism than anyone else in the world. “Ronald Reagan and (former British Prime Minister) Margaret Thatcher were created to bring down communism. We didn’t think it would happen.” It was raining here, too, just as it was on the day Ronald Reagan’s casket flew back home to California.
TOP STORY >>Push on for more C-130Js
By SARA GREENE
Leader staff writer
Sen. Mark Pryor and Reps. Vic Snyder and Marion Berry are among the more than 30 legislators wanting to know the Pentagon’s plan for the C-130J cargo aircraft from Lockheed Martin, including those bound for Little Rock Air Force Base.
“We are very much in favor of extending the C-130J program,” said Michael Teague, spokesman for Sen. Pryor. “I signed the letter to the Secretary of Defense,” Snyder said, “asking how the department plans to meet our airlift requirements. The C-130J is proving itself, and I would expect that the new Congress will take a good look at the program and our airlift requirements.”
Little Rock Air Force Base is projected to get 14 C-130Js as the 463rd Airlift Group becomes the 463rd Airlift Wing, under the direction of Air Mobility Command. The base currently has seven C-130Js in the 48th Airlift Squadron as part of the Air Education Training Command’s (AETC) training program for pilots and crews.
“Little Rock Air Force Base is home to the largest C-130 fleet in the world. While the Marine Corps and Air Force have future plans for a strong C-130 presence, I remain committed to working with my colleagues to make Little Rock Air Force Base and its operations even stronger. For that reason, I signed the letter to the Department of Defense to ensure that our tactical airlift and tanker fleets remain viable for the future,” Berry said.
The letter sent by the Senate seeks information on how the Pentagon plans to meet the Marine Corps’ and Air Force’s C-130 requirements beyond those in the current contract. The Air Force contract to buy 39 of the $65 million C-130Js from Lockheed Martin will expire in 2008. Recently, it was changed from a commercial contract to a traditional military contract. The change was necessary to comply with the fiscal year 2006 National Defense Authorization Act and is estimated to save the Air Force $168 million, roughly about $4.3 million per plane.
The Senate’s letter to the Pentagon calls the C-130J “the crown jewel in today’s tactical air mobility fleet” and voices concerns about the age of the older versions of the plane.
“More than half of the combat delivery C-30s are 30 years old or older with some of the fleet now being hampered by significant operational restrictions. Although their longevity is clearly a testament to the value of these aircraft, we are very concerned that the existing fleet continues to age at an alarming rate without an apparent long-term solution,” the letter reads.
Last year, the Air Force grounded nearly a fourth of its 450-plane C-130 fleet after cracks were found where the wings meet the fuselage in the 40-year old C-130 E and 20-year old H models.
There are 15 C-130Es grounded at LRAFB. Of the planes at LRAFB AETC’s 53rd and 62cnd Airlift Squadrons have 45 C-130E cargo aircraft. AMC’s 61st Airlift Squadron has 30 of the C-130Es. The Arkansas Air National Guard’s 189th Airlift Group has 10 C-130H models at the base.
In 2004, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld tried to get the C-130J contract cancelled because of costs. It is not yet known Robert Gates, the nominee to replace Rumsfeld, will support extending the C-130J contract.
Leader staff writer
Sen. Mark Pryor and Reps. Vic Snyder and Marion Berry are among the more than 30 legislators wanting to know the Pentagon’s plan for the C-130J cargo aircraft from Lockheed Martin, including those bound for Little Rock Air Force Base.
“We are very much in favor of extending the C-130J program,” said Michael Teague, spokesman for Sen. Pryor. “I signed the letter to the Secretary of Defense,” Snyder said, “asking how the department plans to meet our airlift requirements. The C-130J is proving itself, and I would expect that the new Congress will take a good look at the program and our airlift requirements.”
Little Rock Air Force Base is projected to get 14 C-130Js as the 463rd Airlift Group becomes the 463rd Airlift Wing, under the direction of Air Mobility Command. The base currently has seven C-130Js in the 48th Airlift Squadron as part of the Air Education Training Command’s (AETC) training program for pilots and crews.
“Little Rock Air Force Base is home to the largest C-130 fleet in the world. While the Marine Corps and Air Force have future plans for a strong C-130 presence, I remain committed to working with my colleagues to make Little Rock Air Force Base and its operations even stronger. For that reason, I signed the letter to the Department of Defense to ensure that our tactical airlift and tanker fleets remain viable for the future,” Berry said.
The letter sent by the Senate seeks information on how the Pentagon plans to meet the Marine Corps’ and Air Force’s C-130 requirements beyond those in the current contract. The Air Force contract to buy 39 of the $65 million C-130Js from Lockheed Martin will expire in 2008. Recently, it was changed from a commercial contract to a traditional military contract. The change was necessary to comply with the fiscal year 2006 National Defense Authorization Act and is estimated to save the Air Force $168 million, roughly about $4.3 million per plane.
The Senate’s letter to the Pentagon calls the C-130J “the crown jewel in today’s tactical air mobility fleet” and voices concerns about the age of the older versions of the plane.
“More than half of the combat delivery C-30s are 30 years old or older with some of the fleet now being hampered by significant operational restrictions. Although their longevity is clearly a testament to the value of these aircraft, we are very concerned that the existing fleet continues to age at an alarming rate without an apparent long-term solution,” the letter reads.
Last year, the Air Force grounded nearly a fourth of its 450-plane C-130 fleet after cracks were found where the wings meet the fuselage in the 40-year old C-130 E and 20-year old H models.
There are 15 C-130Es grounded at LRAFB. Of the planes at LRAFB AETC’s 53rd and 62cnd Airlift Squadrons have 45 C-130E cargo aircraft. AMC’s 61st Airlift Squadron has 30 of the C-130Es. The Arkansas Air National Guard’s 189th Airlift Group has 10 C-130H models at the base.
In 2004, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld tried to get the C-130J contract cancelled because of costs. It is not yet known Robert Gates, the nominee to replace Rumsfeld, will support extending the C-130J contract.
Monday, November 20, 2006
SPORTS >>Cabot stumbles in first game against Vilonia
IN SHORT: The Panthers shot just 26 percent from the field in their season opener to fall 55-47 to Vilonia.
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The Cabot boys got off to a slow start Tuesday night in their season opener against Vilonia. The Eagles went away from Cabot High with a 55-47 victory over their hosts. Long scoring droughts were supposed to be a thing of the past for the Cabot boys, but the Panthers went nearly the entire third quarter without a bucket from the field. It’s something that Cabot coach Jerry Bridges told his team may happen over the course of the season, but it wasn’t the poor shooting that bothered the head Panther the most.
“We didn’t play defense,” Bridges said. “We gave up way too many easy shots. We stress defense all the time. We’ve been stressing keeping the ball out of the lane, and we just didn’t do that.”
The shooting woes did contribute, but Bridges wasn’t using it as an excuse.
“I told them that I don’t care how well you shoot, there’s going to be four or five games this year where none of you are going to be able to hit anything. I didn’t know it was going to be the first game, but we took 65 shots and only made 17.
That’s more shots than we’ve had in two games at times last year. But still, 47 points would have been enough to win a game like that last year too because we played defense last year.”
Despite a major height disadvantage, Vilonia out-rebounded Cabot 40-24. Bridges chalks that up to defense as well.
“I consider rebounding defense because you play until someone has it,” Bridges said. “They just worked harder than we did and whipped us. That’s all that is. You can’t always shoot well, but one thing you can control is your defense. You can bring it every single night out there, and we didn’t. That’s what we’re telling them, but right now they weren’t buying into it. Either they will or there’s going to be a lot of tough nights.”
The bucket came with 1:07 left in the quarter, and cut Vilonia’s lead down from 12 to 10. It was only one point, 23-22, at halftime, but Cabot’s poor shooting and good hustle by the smaller Eagles extended the lead.
With three minutes left in the game, Cabot cut the margin to four at 47-43 and embarked upon a tremendous defensive tear. Junior post Sam Bates got a steal and layup, but that was all the points Cabot would get out of the flurry of steals.
Senior guard Jacob Trammell forced back-to-back Vilonia turnovers with his on-ball defense, but fellow senior guard Justin Haas missed three-pointers after each stop.
Sophomore guard Adam Sterrenberg then got two more steals on consecutive Vilonia possessions, but he missed two three pointers as well, leaving Cabot with only two points after forcing turnovers on five straight Vilonia possessions.
After weathering the storm, the Eagles got back on track and the press offense began to pay dividends. Vilonia scored twice on layups after breaking Cabot’s press, and the Panthers were forced to begin fouling. Vilonia hit six of eight free throws down the stretch to secure the victory.
Despite the lackluster effort, Bridges said Friday that he’s been pleased with his team’s response to the loss.
“After they watched the film they were embarrassed by it,” Bridges said. “It’s not January and we’ve got good kids. I want people to know that. They’ve worked hard all week and we’re going to get better. We’re going to play better next Tuesday than we did in this one. I can’t guarantee you we’re going to win, but we’re going to play better. Lonoke is going to be tough.
They’re a lot more athletic than Vilonia, but we’re going to play better than we did.”
Cabot’s Alex Sharp and Sterrenberg, and Vilonia post Brad Norris each scored 12 points to tie for top-scoring honors.
Trammell pitched in nine for the Panthers, as did Josh Smith and Taylor Martin for Vilonia.
Cabot made four of 16 three-point attempts. Vilonia hit two of five.
The girls game was fast paced from start to finish, and the Lady Panthers prevailed 84-73. The 11-point margin was the biggest of the game, but one Cabot held a few times over the course of the action.
The lead reached 11 for the first time midway through the second quarter while the Lady Panthers were pressuring the ball in man defense.
They briefly switched to a zone, but the Lady Eagles busted it by hitting four three pointers to trim the margin to 34-30 with 2:05 left in the half.
Cabot came out of the break on fire offensively. Junior guard Leah Watts hit her fourth three pointer of the half and Cabot scored 10 points in the final 1:50, but Vilonia kept it close and trailed 44-37 at the break.
Vilonia adjusted its defense at the break to contain the perimeter of Cabot. The Lady Panthers hit seven three pointers in the first half, but only made one the entire second half. It made little difference in Cabot’s ability to score. Sophomore post Shelby Ashcraft handled the scoring load in the third quarter while junior post Rachel Glover took over in the fourth.
Cabot also did a good job from the line when the Lady Eagles were forced to begin fouling. The Lady Panthers hit 13 of 19 free throws in the second half, including 11 of 13 in the fourth quarter. They hit 18 of 26 foul shots for the game.
All five Cabot starters finished in double figures. Watts led all scorers with 20 points, including 16 in the first half.
Glover totaled 15 points and had six rebounds and two steals. Ashcraft and senior point guard Maddie Helms totaled 14 points while Sterrenberg finished with 13. Junior Lauren Walker came off the bench to chip in the other eight points for Cabot.
Vilonia forward Constance Alcon led all scorers with 31 points. Tiffany Bonds added 15 while Elizabeth Clites scored 10 for the Lady Eagles.
Cabot held a whopping 28-15 rebounding advantage, and im-proved to 3-1 on the season.
The Cabot boys and girls will host Lonoke next Tuesday.
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The Cabot boys got off to a slow start Tuesday night in their season opener against Vilonia. The Eagles went away from Cabot High with a 55-47 victory over their hosts. Long scoring droughts were supposed to be a thing of the past for the Cabot boys, but the Panthers went nearly the entire third quarter without a bucket from the field. It’s something that Cabot coach Jerry Bridges told his team may happen over the course of the season, but it wasn’t the poor shooting that bothered the head Panther the most.
“We didn’t play defense,” Bridges said. “We gave up way too many easy shots. We stress defense all the time. We’ve been stressing keeping the ball out of the lane, and we just didn’t do that.”
The shooting woes did contribute, but Bridges wasn’t using it as an excuse.
“I told them that I don’t care how well you shoot, there’s going to be four or five games this year where none of you are going to be able to hit anything. I didn’t know it was going to be the first game, but we took 65 shots and only made 17.
That’s more shots than we’ve had in two games at times last year. But still, 47 points would have been enough to win a game like that last year too because we played defense last year.”
Despite a major height disadvantage, Vilonia out-rebounded Cabot 40-24. Bridges chalks that up to defense as well.
“I consider rebounding defense because you play until someone has it,” Bridges said. “They just worked harder than we did and whipped us. That’s all that is. You can’t always shoot well, but one thing you can control is your defense. You can bring it every single night out there, and we didn’t. That’s what we’re telling them, but right now they weren’t buying into it. Either they will or there’s going to be a lot of tough nights.”
The bucket came with 1:07 left in the quarter, and cut Vilonia’s lead down from 12 to 10. It was only one point, 23-22, at halftime, but Cabot’s poor shooting and good hustle by the smaller Eagles extended the lead.
With three minutes left in the game, Cabot cut the margin to four at 47-43 and embarked upon a tremendous defensive tear. Junior post Sam Bates got a steal and layup, but that was all the points Cabot would get out of the flurry of steals.
Senior guard Jacob Trammell forced back-to-back Vilonia turnovers with his on-ball defense, but fellow senior guard Justin Haas missed three-pointers after each stop.
Sophomore guard Adam Sterrenberg then got two more steals on consecutive Vilonia possessions, but he missed two three pointers as well, leaving Cabot with only two points after forcing turnovers on five straight Vilonia possessions.
After weathering the storm, the Eagles got back on track and the press offense began to pay dividends. Vilonia scored twice on layups after breaking Cabot’s press, and the Panthers were forced to begin fouling. Vilonia hit six of eight free throws down the stretch to secure the victory.
Despite the lackluster effort, Bridges said Friday that he’s been pleased with his team’s response to the loss.
“After they watched the film they were embarrassed by it,” Bridges said. “It’s not January and we’ve got good kids. I want people to know that. They’ve worked hard all week and we’re going to get better. We’re going to play better next Tuesday than we did in this one. I can’t guarantee you we’re going to win, but we’re going to play better. Lonoke is going to be tough.
They’re a lot more athletic than Vilonia, but we’re going to play better than we did.”
Cabot’s Alex Sharp and Sterrenberg, and Vilonia post Brad Norris each scored 12 points to tie for top-scoring honors.
Trammell pitched in nine for the Panthers, as did Josh Smith and Taylor Martin for Vilonia.
Cabot made four of 16 three-point attempts. Vilonia hit two of five.
The girls game was fast paced from start to finish, and the Lady Panthers prevailed 84-73. The 11-point margin was the biggest of the game, but one Cabot held a few times over the course of the action.
The lead reached 11 for the first time midway through the second quarter while the Lady Panthers were pressuring the ball in man defense.
They briefly switched to a zone, but the Lady Eagles busted it by hitting four three pointers to trim the margin to 34-30 with 2:05 left in the half.
Cabot came out of the break on fire offensively. Junior guard Leah Watts hit her fourth three pointer of the half and Cabot scored 10 points in the final 1:50, but Vilonia kept it close and trailed 44-37 at the break.
Vilonia adjusted its defense at the break to contain the perimeter of Cabot. The Lady Panthers hit seven three pointers in the first half, but only made one the entire second half. It made little difference in Cabot’s ability to score. Sophomore post Shelby Ashcraft handled the scoring load in the third quarter while junior post Rachel Glover took over in the fourth.
Cabot also did a good job from the line when the Lady Eagles were forced to begin fouling. The Lady Panthers hit 13 of 19 free throws in the second half, including 11 of 13 in the fourth quarter. They hit 18 of 26 foul shots for the game.
All five Cabot starters finished in double figures. Watts led all scorers with 20 points, including 16 in the first half.
Glover totaled 15 points and had six rebounds and two steals. Ashcraft and senior point guard Maddie Helms totaled 14 points while Sterrenberg finished with 13. Junior Lauren Walker came off the bench to chip in the other eight points for Cabot.
Vilonia forward Constance Alcon led all scorers with 31 points. Tiffany Bonds added 15 while Elizabeth Clites scored 10 for the Lady Eagles.
Cabot held a whopping 28-15 rebounding advantage, and im-proved to 3-1 on the season.
The Cabot boys and girls will host Lonoke next Tuesday.
SPORTS >>Devils sweep up Lions
IN SHORT: Jacksonville’s boys and girls basketball teams swept Little Rock McClellan in Friday night’s season opener.
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
Opening night was a good one for Jacksonville basketball. The Red Devils and Lady Devils swept Little Rock McClellan at the Devils’ Den in Jacksonville.
The 46-39 win for the Lady Devils was the first season-opening win in four years. The boys dominated throughout, and pulled away for a 58-25 victory.
The Jacksonville boys held the Lions scoreless throughout the third quarter. They ran up a 12-0 lead over the first four minutes, but scored just one more basket the rest of the period. After trading some baskets in the early portion of the second quarter, the Red Devils went on another tear and took a 33-11 lead into intermission.
The onslaught picked right up again in the third, and by the 1:40 mark, then led 48-17, invoking the mercy rule.
The continuous clock in the fourth quarter made for a quick ending, and Jacksonville outscored McClellan just 3-2 in the final frame to set the final margin.
Despite the huge margin of victory, Jacksonville coach Vic Joyner was not pleased with his team.
“We didn’t execute our offense,” Joyner said. “We had dribble-itis and we didn’t move the ball when we needed to. We didn’t get it inside, we didn’t even look inside most of the time. We don’t have anybody out there with any experience, and we have got to learn to follow a game plan.”
The Red Devils forced 22 turnovers, but committed 21. Joyner said that was a result of not running the offense. They dominated the boards, however, out-rebounding the Lions a whopping 40-13. That was one area where the head Red Devil was willing to give some credit.
“We did a good job of boxing out and crashing the board,” Joyner said. “It was just decision making with the ball. The only difference in this game is that early on we knocked down a few open jumpers and they didn’t. If they had hit some of those, this would have been a completely different game.”
Sophomore LeQuentin Miles was the 12th man off the bench for Jacksonville, but he made the most of his time on the floor, leading the Red Devils in scoring with 14 points.
Senior Kajuan Watson was the only other Devil in double figures with 13.
The Lady Devils turned a 15-11 advantage after one quarter into a 17-point margin at 32-15 by halftime. They did it with an aggressive defense that forced seven Lady Lion turnovers in the second quarter. They also got a huge lift off the bench by junior post Rochelle Livings. After entering the game in the second quarter, she scored six points and grabbed six rebounds to lead the charge.
The 17-point margin almost wasn’t enough. McClellan switched to a man defense in the second half, and slowly chipped away at Jacksonville’s lead.
The margin was cut to 10 by the end of the third quarter at 40-30. With 1:30 to play, it was 43-37. McClellan got an open look at a three that rimmed out, and the two teams traded turnovers for the next minute of play.
The Lady Lions pulled to within four with a pair of free throws with 17 seconds left and had a chance to cut deeper into the lead after a quick Jacksonville turnover. McClellan, though, turned it back over and Jacksonville’s Tarneshia Scott got a layup and free throw with seven seconds left to set the final margin and seal the win.
Jacksonville coach Katrina Mimms took most of the blame for the McClellan comeback.
“We didn’t work much on man for two reasons,” Mimms said. “We really needed to work on what we did wrong in our jamboree, and, we watched McClellan in theirs and they didn’t run it all. So it kind of caught us off guard. You always need to be ready for it, but we had to spend a lot of time working on other things. We’ll be working on it a lot in the near future. That’s for sure.”
Scott led all scorers with 13 points for Jacksonville. Chamky Billingslea and Maria Livings added nine each for the Lady Devils. Rochelle Livings totaled eight points and nine rebounds in the win.
Jacksonville will get back to action next Tuesday with a road trip to Little Rock Central.
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
Opening night was a good one for Jacksonville basketball. The Red Devils and Lady Devils swept Little Rock McClellan at the Devils’ Den in Jacksonville.
The 46-39 win for the Lady Devils was the first season-opening win in four years. The boys dominated throughout, and pulled away for a 58-25 victory.
The Jacksonville boys held the Lions scoreless throughout the third quarter. They ran up a 12-0 lead over the first four minutes, but scored just one more basket the rest of the period. After trading some baskets in the early portion of the second quarter, the Red Devils went on another tear and took a 33-11 lead into intermission.
The onslaught picked right up again in the third, and by the 1:40 mark, then led 48-17, invoking the mercy rule.
The continuous clock in the fourth quarter made for a quick ending, and Jacksonville outscored McClellan just 3-2 in the final frame to set the final margin.
Despite the huge margin of victory, Jacksonville coach Vic Joyner was not pleased with his team.
“We didn’t execute our offense,” Joyner said. “We had dribble-itis and we didn’t move the ball when we needed to. We didn’t get it inside, we didn’t even look inside most of the time. We don’t have anybody out there with any experience, and we have got to learn to follow a game plan.”
The Red Devils forced 22 turnovers, but committed 21. Joyner said that was a result of not running the offense. They dominated the boards, however, out-rebounding the Lions a whopping 40-13. That was one area where the head Red Devil was willing to give some credit.
“We did a good job of boxing out and crashing the board,” Joyner said. “It was just decision making with the ball. The only difference in this game is that early on we knocked down a few open jumpers and they didn’t. If they had hit some of those, this would have been a completely different game.”
Sophomore LeQuentin Miles was the 12th man off the bench for Jacksonville, but he made the most of his time on the floor, leading the Red Devils in scoring with 14 points.
Senior Kajuan Watson was the only other Devil in double figures with 13.
The Lady Devils turned a 15-11 advantage after one quarter into a 17-point margin at 32-15 by halftime. They did it with an aggressive defense that forced seven Lady Lion turnovers in the second quarter. They also got a huge lift off the bench by junior post Rochelle Livings. After entering the game in the second quarter, she scored six points and grabbed six rebounds to lead the charge.
The 17-point margin almost wasn’t enough. McClellan switched to a man defense in the second half, and slowly chipped away at Jacksonville’s lead.
The margin was cut to 10 by the end of the third quarter at 40-30. With 1:30 to play, it was 43-37. McClellan got an open look at a three that rimmed out, and the two teams traded turnovers for the next minute of play.
The Lady Lions pulled to within four with a pair of free throws with 17 seconds left and had a chance to cut deeper into the lead after a quick Jacksonville turnover. McClellan, though, turned it back over and Jacksonville’s Tarneshia Scott got a layup and free throw with seven seconds left to set the final margin and seal the win.
Jacksonville coach Katrina Mimms took most of the blame for the McClellan comeback.
“We didn’t work much on man for two reasons,” Mimms said. “We really needed to work on what we did wrong in our jamboree, and, we watched McClellan in theirs and they didn’t run it all. So it kind of caught us off guard. You always need to be ready for it, but we had to spend a lot of time working on other things. We’ll be working on it a lot in the near future. That’s for sure.”
Scott led all scorers with 13 points for Jacksonville. Chamky Billingslea and Maria Livings added nine each for the Lady Devils. Rochelle Livings totaled eight points and nine rebounds in the win.
Jacksonville will get back to action next Tuesday with a road trip to Little Rock Central.
SPORTS >>'Cats act as Hector's Achilles in double OT
IN SHORT: Harding Academy needed two overtimes, but finally overcame a comeback by Hector in the second round of the playoffs.
By JASON KING
Leader sports writer
Harding Academy came within two inches of having its season end at the hands of the Hector Wildcats on Friday night at First Security Stadium in Searcy, but held on at the end of regulation to force overtime. The HA Wildcats would finally prevail after two overtimes, taking a nail-biting 35-29 win over the other Wildcats to advance to the quarterfinals next week.
The game had the look of a potential blowout in the first half. Four turnovers from Hector senior quarterback Ryan White gave the Harding Academy offense plenty of opportunities. HA would cash in on those opportunities with three TD’s in the first half to lead 22-6 at the half.
The adjustments Hector made on both sides of the football at halftime worked. Hector shut down HA quarterback Luke Tribble after the senior had a near-perfect game in the first two quarters.
White’s ability to hold on to the football in the second half was the biggest offensive variable for Hector, but a call to go for it on fourth down and inches right at the Harding Academy goal line with only one second left in regulation would prove to be the deciding factor in the game.
Hector initially lined up for an easy 18-yard field goal attempt for kicker Greg Condley, but came back out in an offensive formation after a Harding Academy time out, forcing HA to burn up another time out to adjust.
Harding Academy senior nose guard James Kee had made little noise all night, but stepped up when his team needed him the most. Kee met White at the goal line as he attempted to cross it, knocking him backwards to end regulation in a 22-22 tie.
Both teams came away with easy scores in the first overtime, but it was Kee making a critical defensive play once again in the second overtime to help seal the game for HA. With Hector facing a long fourth and 28, Kee sacked White at the 35-yard line to end Hector’s possession.
Tribble only needed one play to clinch the game from there, running it up the gut on an option keep for the score and advancing the team to quarterfinal action.
“Hector did a great job coming back in the second half,” Harding Academy coach Tommy Shoe-maker said. “They made some really good plays; those kids played really hard. I’m proud of our kids, they just didn’t quit. They had us there at the end.”
Shoemaker was relieved to come away with the close win, but says lack of execution early in the second half put them in the tight spot they faced.
“You know, you’re two inches away from losing the ball game, to make a stop like that and then execute two drives says a lot about our kids’ character,” Shoemaker said. “We had some opportunities in the second half. They fought to the end, that’s for sure.”
Hector struck first in the game on its opening offensive play. Senior fullback Thomas Robertson ran it up the middle untouched for a 63-yard touchdown at the 10:21. The extra-point attempt from Condley was no good, leaving Hector’s early lead at 6-0.
HA got its offense rolling courtesy of momentum-shifting turn-overs from White. The Hector defense held HA on downs on the next drive, but White coughed up the ball at the Hector 17-yard line, giving the Wildcats great field position. Tribble rolled right on first down, and found senior receiver Chris Pack in the middle of the field for a 17-yard touchdown pass with 6:20 left in the first quarter. Tribble faked the extra-point kick, running it in on the left side to push HA ahead 8-6.
Tribble found Chase Ransom in the corner of the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown pass that brought the first quarter to a close. Ransom bobbled the ball in the air twice before finally pulling it down.
Tribble scored once more be-fore halftime on a 34-yard run with 2:23 left, giving the Wildcats the momentum at the half.
That momentum would not last long in the second half.
Hector scored right away in the third, going 67 yards in five plays and scoring with 10:32 left in the quarter. Lucas Watson ran in the two-point attempt to pull Hector to within eight, 22-14.
White ran in the next Hector score from two yards out with two minutes left in the third. He was stopped on the two-point run, but fumbled as he went down and the ball rolled right into the hands of teammate Keaton Domerese in the end zone to tie the score at 22 all.
Tribble was 18 for 28 passing for 205 yards and two touchdowns. He also carried 12 times for 80 yards and three scores.
Harding Academy will play Lafayette County at home next week in the quarterfinals. The Cougars, the No. 3 seed from the 3A-7 Conference, advanced with a 27-12 win over Lake Village.
By JASON KING
Leader sports writer
Harding Academy came within two inches of having its season end at the hands of the Hector Wildcats on Friday night at First Security Stadium in Searcy, but held on at the end of regulation to force overtime. The HA Wildcats would finally prevail after two overtimes, taking a nail-biting 35-29 win over the other Wildcats to advance to the quarterfinals next week.
The game had the look of a potential blowout in the first half. Four turnovers from Hector senior quarterback Ryan White gave the Harding Academy offense plenty of opportunities. HA would cash in on those opportunities with three TD’s in the first half to lead 22-6 at the half.
The adjustments Hector made on both sides of the football at halftime worked. Hector shut down HA quarterback Luke Tribble after the senior had a near-perfect game in the first two quarters.
White’s ability to hold on to the football in the second half was the biggest offensive variable for Hector, but a call to go for it on fourth down and inches right at the Harding Academy goal line with only one second left in regulation would prove to be the deciding factor in the game.
Hector initially lined up for an easy 18-yard field goal attempt for kicker Greg Condley, but came back out in an offensive formation after a Harding Academy time out, forcing HA to burn up another time out to adjust.
Harding Academy senior nose guard James Kee had made little noise all night, but stepped up when his team needed him the most. Kee met White at the goal line as he attempted to cross it, knocking him backwards to end regulation in a 22-22 tie.
Both teams came away with easy scores in the first overtime, but it was Kee making a critical defensive play once again in the second overtime to help seal the game for HA. With Hector facing a long fourth and 28, Kee sacked White at the 35-yard line to end Hector’s possession.
Tribble only needed one play to clinch the game from there, running it up the gut on an option keep for the score and advancing the team to quarterfinal action.
“Hector did a great job coming back in the second half,” Harding Academy coach Tommy Shoe-maker said. “They made some really good plays; those kids played really hard. I’m proud of our kids, they just didn’t quit. They had us there at the end.”
Shoemaker was relieved to come away with the close win, but says lack of execution early in the second half put them in the tight spot they faced.
“You know, you’re two inches away from losing the ball game, to make a stop like that and then execute two drives says a lot about our kids’ character,” Shoemaker said. “We had some opportunities in the second half. They fought to the end, that’s for sure.”
Hector struck first in the game on its opening offensive play. Senior fullback Thomas Robertson ran it up the middle untouched for a 63-yard touchdown at the 10:21. The extra-point attempt from Condley was no good, leaving Hector’s early lead at 6-0.
HA got its offense rolling courtesy of momentum-shifting turn-overs from White. The Hector defense held HA on downs on the next drive, but White coughed up the ball at the Hector 17-yard line, giving the Wildcats great field position. Tribble rolled right on first down, and found senior receiver Chris Pack in the middle of the field for a 17-yard touchdown pass with 6:20 left in the first quarter. Tribble faked the extra-point kick, running it in on the left side to push HA ahead 8-6.
Tribble found Chase Ransom in the corner of the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown pass that brought the first quarter to a close. Ransom bobbled the ball in the air twice before finally pulling it down.
Tribble scored once more be-fore halftime on a 34-yard run with 2:23 left, giving the Wildcats the momentum at the half.
That momentum would not last long in the second half.
Hector scored right away in the third, going 67 yards in five plays and scoring with 10:32 left in the quarter. Lucas Watson ran in the two-point attempt to pull Hector to within eight, 22-14.
White ran in the next Hector score from two yards out with two minutes left in the third. He was stopped on the two-point run, but fumbled as he went down and the ball rolled right into the hands of teammate Keaton Domerese in the end zone to tie the score at 22 all.
Tribble was 18 for 28 passing for 205 yards and two touchdowns. He also carried 12 times for 80 yards and three scores.
Harding Academy will play Lafayette County at home next week in the quarterfinals. The Cougars, the No. 3 seed from the 3A-7 Conference, advanced with a 27-12 win over Lake Village.
SPORTS >>Heber spoils boys opener, Beebe ladies get first win
IN SHORT: The Lady Badgers won their season opener 48-41 Tuesday night against Heber Springs while the boys fell 60-35 to the highly-ranked Panthers.
By JASON KING
Leader sports writer
Opening night for the Beebe Badgers and Lady Badgers resulted in a split with Heber Springs Tuesday night at the Badger Sports Arena. The Lady Badgers held off the Lady Panthers’ attempt at a late comeback to win 48-41, giving Heber its first loss of the season. The boys contest was not nearly as close, with the Panthers dominating from the opening minutes on to take a 60-35 win.
The girls game was a defensive struggle in the first half. Although the two teams looked fairly well matched, the Lady Badgers looked to have a slight advantage defensively with the quick hands of sophomores Ty O’Neil and Neshia Upchurch causing a lot of disruption with the press in the back court during Heber’s attempts to get the ball across.
After building up a slight lead before the half, the Lady Badgers continued to press in the final two quarters. They were not able to extend their lead any in the last 16 minutes, but did prevent a comeback by not allowing Lady Panthers’ three-point ace Christina Whitworth to get good looks at the basket going away. Lady Badgers coach Lara Jackson was happy to get the season underway with a big win.
“It’s a great way to start out the season,” Jackson said. “I thought the whole group played hard. They were keyed up a little bit in the first quarter and missed some shots and little opportunities around the basket, but defensively, we were aggressive, and had a lot of quickness.”
Even with the solid performance, Jackson picked up on a number of things she wants to improve on her squad while the season is still early.
“We need to work on our position defense,” Jackson said. “We were chasing screens quite a bit. Offensively, we just need to make better decisions. The first half, we were not penetrating like we should have; we just need to take the ball to the hole better.”
The scoreboard was stuck on 9-8 in favor of the Lady Badgers for most of the second quarter before Beebe finally got rolling offensively. A breakaway layup for O’Neil and inside jumpers from junior Ashley Watkins helped Beebe build up a small lead, with two free throws from Sara Flenor just before the half giving the Lady Badgers a 20-13 lead at the intermission.
The interval stayed the same through most of the third quarter, until two straight scores from Heber made it a four-point game at 28-24 with 1:50 left in the third. A Beebe timeout helped cool the Lady Panthers’ momentum, and allowed the Lady Badgers to regain their composure. Flenor added another free throw, and Chelsea Sanders scored a basket in the final moments of the frame for a 31-24 lead heading into the final period.
Whitworth kept the Lady Panthers in the game through most of the contest with critical three-point baskets in each of the first three quarters. Another three from Whitworth in the early stages of the fourth quarter erased an 11- point lead for Beebe down to eight, and another tre from teammate Amber Turrey moments later closed the advantage to 41-34. It would be as close as they would come, however, as the Lady Badgers managed the clock wisely in the final minutes, securing the win to give them a 1-0 record.
O’Neil led Beebe with 12 points, with Flenor adding 10. For Heber, Whitworth had 17 points.
The first four minutes of the boys game was close, but after that, it was all Heber, as the Panthers rolled on to a dominating 60-35 win. Beebe tried a number of different squads throughout the game, looking for a combination that could slow down the speedy Panthers.
The mercy-ruled fourth quarter saw solid action from the JV players, as the subs were able to erase some of the Badgers’ massive deficit in the final minutes. Charlie Spakes led the Badgers with six points; Alex Ward had 15 points for Heber.
By JASON KING
Leader sports writer
Opening night for the Beebe Badgers and Lady Badgers resulted in a split with Heber Springs Tuesday night at the Badger Sports Arena. The Lady Badgers held off the Lady Panthers’ attempt at a late comeback to win 48-41, giving Heber its first loss of the season. The boys contest was not nearly as close, with the Panthers dominating from the opening minutes on to take a 60-35 win.
The girls game was a defensive struggle in the first half. Although the two teams looked fairly well matched, the Lady Badgers looked to have a slight advantage defensively with the quick hands of sophomores Ty O’Neil and Neshia Upchurch causing a lot of disruption with the press in the back court during Heber’s attempts to get the ball across.
After building up a slight lead before the half, the Lady Badgers continued to press in the final two quarters. They were not able to extend their lead any in the last 16 minutes, but did prevent a comeback by not allowing Lady Panthers’ three-point ace Christina Whitworth to get good looks at the basket going away. Lady Badgers coach Lara Jackson was happy to get the season underway with a big win.
“It’s a great way to start out the season,” Jackson said. “I thought the whole group played hard. They were keyed up a little bit in the first quarter and missed some shots and little opportunities around the basket, but defensively, we were aggressive, and had a lot of quickness.”
Even with the solid performance, Jackson picked up on a number of things she wants to improve on her squad while the season is still early.
“We need to work on our position defense,” Jackson said. “We were chasing screens quite a bit. Offensively, we just need to make better decisions. The first half, we were not penetrating like we should have; we just need to take the ball to the hole better.”
The scoreboard was stuck on 9-8 in favor of the Lady Badgers for most of the second quarter before Beebe finally got rolling offensively. A breakaway layup for O’Neil and inside jumpers from junior Ashley Watkins helped Beebe build up a small lead, with two free throws from Sara Flenor just before the half giving the Lady Badgers a 20-13 lead at the intermission.
The interval stayed the same through most of the third quarter, until two straight scores from Heber made it a four-point game at 28-24 with 1:50 left in the third. A Beebe timeout helped cool the Lady Panthers’ momentum, and allowed the Lady Badgers to regain their composure. Flenor added another free throw, and Chelsea Sanders scored a basket in the final moments of the frame for a 31-24 lead heading into the final period.
Whitworth kept the Lady Panthers in the game through most of the contest with critical three-point baskets in each of the first three quarters. Another three from Whitworth in the early stages of the fourth quarter erased an 11- point lead for Beebe down to eight, and another tre from teammate Amber Turrey moments later closed the advantage to 41-34. It would be as close as they would come, however, as the Lady Badgers managed the clock wisely in the final minutes, securing the win to give them a 1-0 record.
O’Neil led Beebe with 12 points, with Flenor adding 10. For Heber, Whitworth had 17 points.
The first four minutes of the boys game was close, but after that, it was all Heber, as the Panthers rolled on to a dominating 60-35 win. Beebe tried a number of different squads throughout the game, looking for a combination that could slow down the speedy Panthers.
The mercy-ruled fourth quarter saw solid action from the JV players, as the subs were able to erase some of the Badgers’ massive deficit in the final minutes. Charlie Spakes led the Badgers with six points; Alex Ward had 15 points for Heber.
SPORTS >>Signing up with Wofford
IN SHORT: Cabot senior Madison Helms will continue her basketball career at Wofford University in South Carolina.
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
Lady Panther senior point guard Maddie Helms has officially committed to becoming a Terrier for the next four years. Helms signed an NCAA letter of intent to play college ball for Wofford University in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
Helms has averaged over 12 points per game, well as four assists and three rebounds since joining the varsity team as a sophomore.
Wofford coach Edgar Farmer spotted Helms in an AAU tournament in Atlanta, and expressed interest in Helms to her AAU coach Scott Loucks.
Loucks encouraged Helms to explore WU. The 5-foot-6 Helms initiated the contact, and was eventually offered a scholarship.
Helms explained the unusual event of the athlete initiating the recruiting process.
“He talked to coach Loucks, but I don’t think he got my number,” Helms said. “So I just called him and he offered me.”
Helms visited Spartanburg over the summer and verbally committed while on campus.
Wofford is the only Division I school to extend an early offer to Helms, but she was receiving interest from Arkansas, Arkansas State and others. Once offered though, she decided that Wofford was the place for her.
“It was small and very homey,” Helms said. “I really liked it and I liked the coaching staff. I prayed about it and asked for peace about attending there. It felt right. It wasn’t a difficult decision.”
Helms has started for the Lady Panthers since her sophomore year. She has guided the team to two conference championships. Cabot lost in the second round of the state tournament her sophomore year, and advanced to the semifinal round last season.
Cabot coach Carla Crowder believes Helms was a great pickup for the rebuilding Lady Terriers.
“She has a great head, she’s a hard worker and we’re really excited for her,” Crowder said. “She’s an excellent leader. She has a great family and great support behind her. She’s just a good kid and I’m really very proud of her.”
Wofford is coming off a 7-21 season, but the record is deceiving. The program is on the rise under second-year coach Farmer.
He inherited a team that had gone 4-24 and 0-28 in back-to-back seasons, and has installed a new system and brought a new energy to the program.
The Lady Terriers are currently 3-0 this season. It’s the best start for the team in five years.
By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
Lady Panther senior point guard Maddie Helms has officially committed to becoming a Terrier for the next four years. Helms signed an NCAA letter of intent to play college ball for Wofford University in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
Helms has averaged over 12 points per game, well as four assists and three rebounds since joining the varsity team as a sophomore.
Wofford coach Edgar Farmer spotted Helms in an AAU tournament in Atlanta, and expressed interest in Helms to her AAU coach Scott Loucks.
Loucks encouraged Helms to explore WU. The 5-foot-6 Helms initiated the contact, and was eventually offered a scholarship.
Helms explained the unusual event of the athlete initiating the recruiting process.
“He talked to coach Loucks, but I don’t think he got my number,” Helms said. “So I just called him and he offered me.”
Helms visited Spartanburg over the summer and verbally committed while on campus.
Wofford is the only Division I school to extend an early offer to Helms, but she was receiving interest from Arkansas, Arkansas State and others. Once offered though, she decided that Wofford was the place for her.
“It was small and very homey,” Helms said. “I really liked it and I liked the coaching staff. I prayed about it and asked for peace about attending there. It felt right. It wasn’t a difficult decision.”
Helms has started for the Lady Panthers since her sophomore year. She has guided the team to two conference championships. Cabot lost in the second round of the state tournament her sophomore year, and advanced to the semifinal round last season.
Cabot coach Carla Crowder believes Helms was a great pickup for the rebuilding Lady Terriers.
“She has a great head, she’s a hard worker and we’re really excited for her,” Crowder said. “She’s an excellent leader. She has a great family and great support behind her. She’s just a good kid and I’m really very proud of her.”
Wofford is coming off a 7-21 season, but the record is deceiving. The program is on the rise under second-year coach Farmer.
He inherited a team that had gone 4-24 and 0-28 in back-to-back seasons, and has installed a new system and brought a new energy to the program.
The Lady Terriers are currently 3-0 this season. It’s the best start for the team in five years.
OBITUARIES >> 11-18-06
Lucy Keaton
Lucy Baker Keaton, 84, of Jacksonville passed away Nov.14, in Jacksonville.
She was born on June 17, 1922, in Norfork, to the late Joe E. and Lydia Long Baker.
She was a member of First United Methodist Church in Jacksonville for many years and in her later years of life a member of First Baptist Church in Jacksonville.
She dearly loved the women of Winsome Sunday School class, the name signifying “win some for Jesus.”
She was a loving, devoted wife to her husband, the late Walter W. Keaton. Her enormous love for life was obvious. She enjoyed cooking and entertaining for friends and family. She was an avid Razorback and Dallas Cowboy football fan, a talented artist with oil and acrylic painting, and a romance novel addict, always looking for or ready to share a good laugh, and the life of every party.
Mrs. Keaton was employed as a bookkeeper for Munsey Products, Inc., The Jacksonville Daily News, and her husband’s company, Keaton Construction. She was instrumental in assisting her husband with the development of Indian Head Subdivision in Sherwood. After retirement she worked for Heritage Publishing and was a subscription specialist at Leader Publishing.
She was an active member of La Sertoma and a leader in charity drives such as “The Mothers March,” a member of the Jack-sonville Garden Club and the McArthur Drive Bridge Club. She and Walter both enjoyed membership in a ballroom dance club for many of their 32 years of marriage.
She is preceded in death by her parents; her husband Walter, and four brothers and sisters.
Survivors include her sons, Jim Johnson, M.D., of Tulsa, Okla.; Bob Johnson, C.P.A., of Jacksonville; and Michael M. Keaton of Houston, Texas; stepchildren, Bill and Phillip Keaton and Nina Brocchus; sister, Oma Widmer of Fayetteville; eight grandsons and eight granddaughters and many special friends and loved ones.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 18, at Moore’s Jacksonville Funeral Home with the Rev. Cliff Hutchins officiating.
Burial will follow at Pinecrest Cemetery in Alexander. Family will receive friends at 10 a.m. Saturday for viewing.
Joyce Shepherd
Joyce Ann Coleman Shepherd, 51, died Nov. 14.
She was born June 20, 1955, to the late Lee Andrew, Sr., and Viola Coleman in England.
She leaves to cherish her memory two sons, Nicholas Gilliam and Joe Shepherd, Jr.; two daughters, Angela Shepherd and Jacqueline Austin; eight sisters; four brothers; six grandchildren; a host of nephews, nieces, relatives and friends and a very special friend, Ezzard Gilliam.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 18, at St. John the Baptist Church. Burial will follow in Lonoke Cemetery. Funeral arrangements are by Boyd Funeral Home at Lonoke.
Virginia Huffman
Virginia Lee Huffman, 73, went to be with the Lord Nov. 13.
She was preceded in death by her father, Ester Lee Cummings; and brother, Billy Franklin Cummings.
She is survived by her husband, Clint Huffman; stepson, David Huffman; brother-in-law, Millard Huffman of Vallijo, Calif.; sister, JoAnn Hicks; brother, Curtis L. Cummings, and mother, Maybell Cummings, all of Jacksonville.
Funeral services were held Nov. 17, at Moore’s Jacksonville Funeral Home. Burial was in Chapel Hill Memorial Park at Jacksonville.
The family would like to thank all the hospice workers who diligently spent hours every day taking care of Virginia and her husband, Clint.
Lucy Baker Keaton, 84, of Jacksonville passed away Nov.14, in Jacksonville.
She was born on June 17, 1922, in Norfork, to the late Joe E. and Lydia Long Baker.
She was a member of First United Methodist Church in Jacksonville for many years and in her later years of life a member of First Baptist Church in Jacksonville.
She dearly loved the women of Winsome Sunday School class, the name signifying “win some for Jesus.”
She was a loving, devoted wife to her husband, the late Walter W. Keaton. Her enormous love for life was obvious. She enjoyed cooking and entertaining for friends and family. She was an avid Razorback and Dallas Cowboy football fan, a talented artist with oil and acrylic painting, and a romance novel addict, always looking for or ready to share a good laugh, and the life of every party.
Mrs. Keaton was employed as a bookkeeper for Munsey Products, Inc., The Jacksonville Daily News, and her husband’s company, Keaton Construction. She was instrumental in assisting her husband with the development of Indian Head Subdivision in Sherwood. After retirement she worked for Heritage Publishing and was a subscription specialist at Leader Publishing.
She was an active member of La Sertoma and a leader in charity drives such as “The Mothers March,” a member of the Jack-sonville Garden Club and the McArthur Drive Bridge Club. She and Walter both enjoyed membership in a ballroom dance club for many of their 32 years of marriage.
She is preceded in death by her parents; her husband Walter, and four brothers and sisters.
Survivors include her sons, Jim Johnson, M.D., of Tulsa, Okla.; Bob Johnson, C.P.A., of Jacksonville; and Michael M. Keaton of Houston, Texas; stepchildren, Bill and Phillip Keaton and Nina Brocchus; sister, Oma Widmer of Fayetteville; eight grandsons and eight granddaughters and many special friends and loved ones.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 18, at Moore’s Jacksonville Funeral Home with the Rev. Cliff Hutchins officiating.
Burial will follow at Pinecrest Cemetery in Alexander. Family will receive friends at 10 a.m. Saturday for viewing.
Joyce Shepherd
Joyce Ann Coleman Shepherd, 51, died Nov. 14.
She was born June 20, 1955, to the late Lee Andrew, Sr., and Viola Coleman in England.
She leaves to cherish her memory two sons, Nicholas Gilliam and Joe Shepherd, Jr.; two daughters, Angela Shepherd and Jacqueline Austin; eight sisters; four brothers; six grandchildren; a host of nephews, nieces, relatives and friends and a very special friend, Ezzard Gilliam.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 18, at St. John the Baptist Church. Burial will follow in Lonoke Cemetery. Funeral arrangements are by Boyd Funeral Home at Lonoke.
Virginia Huffman
Virginia Lee Huffman, 73, went to be with the Lord Nov. 13.
She was preceded in death by her father, Ester Lee Cummings; and brother, Billy Franklin Cummings.
She is survived by her husband, Clint Huffman; stepson, David Huffman; brother-in-law, Millard Huffman of Vallijo, Calif.; sister, JoAnn Hicks; brother, Curtis L. Cummings, and mother, Maybell Cummings, all of Jacksonville.
Funeral services were held Nov. 17, at Moore’s Jacksonville Funeral Home. Burial was in Chapel Hill Memorial Park at Jacksonville.
The family would like to thank all the hospice workers who diligently spent hours every day taking care of Virginia and her husband, Clint.
EDITORIALS>>More news of the weird
Former Cong. Tommy Robinson, mired in bankruptcy proceedings, is headed for the Republic of Congo as a lobbyist for the newly installed regime, while Gov. Mike Huckabee and the First Lady are planning a wedding shower for themselves as they prepare to move into their new $500,000 home in North Little Rock.
Robinson isn’t really a lobbyist for the Congo, although he claims he’ll be making $12,000 a month, and the Huckabees aren’t really getting married again, they’re just trying to get around the state’s strict ethics guidelines, which forbid most gifts to public officials, although wedding gifts are one of those exceptions.
The Huckabees were hoping no one in the media would notice what they were up to. In fact, it was a couple of bloggers that reported the Huckabees’ registry at Target and Dillard’s, and then the newspapers picked up the scent and went with the story. The Associated Press then carried the story, and now the Huckabees are the punchline to every late-night comedian’s jokes about politicians’ loose ethics.
Wasn’t that one of the reasons the Republicans lost the last election? And Mike Huckabee wants to be president? What is he running on? On the Clean Government slate, or more likely, wornout sneakers that he hopes to replace at Target or Dillard’s? (Although the Target registry was removed at mid-week.)
His record of easy living — they don’t call him Mike the Mooch for nothing — will hardly endear him with the Republican base. His record of taking handouts and handing out pardons probably hurt the entire GOP ticket in Arkansas. Asa Hutchinson never had a chance running for governor, considering Huckabee’s lackluster record and loose ethics.
But you haven’t seen nothing yet: Prosecutors around the state are fearful the Huckster will pardon hundreds of felons before he leaves office in January. That will be Mike’s revenge against all those media and law-and-order types (not to mention victims’ families) who questioned his ethical lapses and casual way he pardoned killers and rapists and drunks.
Which reminds us: Do you remember how Sheriff Robinson used to chain prisoners when there was no room in the Pulaski County Jail? Instead of consulting for the president of Congo, which is still a dangerous place, he might instead offer his services to incoming Sheriff Doc Holladay and help him solve crowding problems at the jail.
Robinson is an expert on jails, having run them in the 1970s and 1980s and even served time on a recent assault charge, giving him a unique perspective on jail crowding.
Robinson isn’t really a lobbyist for the Congo, although he claims he’ll be making $12,000 a month, and the Huckabees aren’t really getting married again, they’re just trying to get around the state’s strict ethics guidelines, which forbid most gifts to public officials, although wedding gifts are one of those exceptions.
The Huckabees were hoping no one in the media would notice what they were up to. In fact, it was a couple of bloggers that reported the Huckabees’ registry at Target and Dillard’s, and then the newspapers picked up the scent and went with the story. The Associated Press then carried the story, and now the Huckabees are the punchline to every late-night comedian’s jokes about politicians’ loose ethics.
Wasn’t that one of the reasons the Republicans lost the last election? And Mike Huckabee wants to be president? What is he running on? On the Clean Government slate, or more likely, wornout sneakers that he hopes to replace at Target or Dillard’s? (Although the Target registry was removed at mid-week.)
His record of easy living — they don’t call him Mike the Mooch for nothing — will hardly endear him with the Republican base. His record of taking handouts and handing out pardons probably hurt the entire GOP ticket in Arkansas. Asa Hutchinson never had a chance running for governor, considering Huckabee’s lackluster record and loose ethics.
But you haven’t seen nothing yet: Prosecutors around the state are fearful the Huckster will pardon hundreds of felons before he leaves office in January. That will be Mike’s revenge against all those media and law-and-order types (not to mention victims’ families) who questioned his ethical lapses and casual way he pardoned killers and rapists and drunks.
Which reminds us: Do you remember how Sheriff Robinson used to chain prisoners when there was no room in the Pulaski County Jail? Instead of consulting for the president of Congo, which is still a dangerous place, he might instead offer his services to incoming Sheriff Doc Holladay and help him solve crowding problems at the jail.
Robinson is an expert on jails, having run them in the 1970s and 1980s and even served time on a recent assault charge, giving him a unique perspective on jail crowding.
EVENTS>>Fall 2006
The Jacksonville Fire Department will begin testing the city’s fire hydrants beginning Monday and ending Friday, Jan. 12. The testing is necessary to maintain and improve current Insurance Service Organization ratings, which determines insurance rates for business and homeowners. Hydrant testing also allows the Jacksonville Fire Department to plan for better fire suppression. This testing could cause the unsettling of sediment that does collect in the water mains. This sediment will cause discoloration of the water and can stain clothing in the wash. The water is safe to drink. The Jacksonville Fire Department and the Jacksonville Water Works urge citizens to check for discolored water before doing laundry to avoid staining clothing during the testing period. The testing schedule is as follows: Nov. 20, north of Main Street and west of Hwy. 67/167; Dec. 4., north of Main Street and Graham Road and east of Hwy. 67/167; Dec. 18., south of Main Street and Graham Road and east of Hwy. 67/167 and Jan 3., south of Main Streeta and Graham Road and west of Hwy. 67/167.
Central Arkansas Development Council will host an individual development account meeting at 5 p.m. Monday at 117 Southeast St. in Lonoke. The CADC IDA program matches savings accounts that encourage low-income working people to save money and acquire assets. Participants commit to saving at least $10 a month and when they reach their savings goal, CADC will match every dollar saved with $3, up to $2,000 per individual or $4,000 per household. Most applicants will be enrolled in the program for six months to two years. For more information, please contact Angel Clingmon at 501-676-0019.
First Assembly of God Church at 221 N. Elm in Jacksonville will celebrate its 64th anniversary Sunday, Nov. 19. The guest singers will be “Second Nature,” who are J.P. and Kristina Hodges and his sister, Lauralise Hodges. The public in invited to attend.
There will be a free Thanksgiving Day dinner on from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 23 at Beebe First United Methodist Church, 302 N. Main St. Reservations are requested but not necessary. Takeout and delivery in the Beebe area is available. Transportation within the Beebe area is also available. For more information call the church office at 882-6427 or Bill Palmisano at 882-7221.
The Junior Auxiliary of Jacksonville’s Christmas Tour of Homes will be from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday Dec. 10. Homeowners on the tour this year include Larry Wilson, Lucian Shockey, Chuck Thomas and Rick Barnum. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased from any active junior auxiliary member. For information contact Mandy Watson at 982-1241. Proceeds from the Christmas Tour of Homes help to provide for the underprivileged children in Jacksonville.
The Fathers Council of the Jacksonville Middle School for boys meets at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 20, in the schools library. Prizes will be awarded to any student who brings their father, uncle, grandfather or other man who is significant in their life including gifts from Blockbuster video, memberships at the Jacksonville Fitness Center and one family will win a turkey fryer. For more information or questions call the school at 982-1587 or Chuck Baclawski at 985-4174.
Tuesday, Nov. 21 is the deadline to order dinner rolls from Simply Delicious Restaurant, part of North Pulaski High School. The rolls are $4 a dozen. Proceeds help pay for extra curricular activities. To order call 241-2260.
The Cabot Rotary Club is collecting items for Open Arms Shelter. The shelter provides temporary housing to abuse and neglected children between the ages of birth and 18 years of age. Items needed include juice, canned goods, paper towels and winter clothes. Items can be dropped off at the Arkansas Federal Credit Union, 100 S. Rockwood in Cabot. For more information call 533-2310.
Central Arkansas Development Council will host an individual development account meeting at 5 p.m. Monday at 117 Southeast St. in Lonoke. The CADC IDA program matches savings accounts that encourage low-income working people to save money and acquire assets. Participants commit to saving at least $10 a month and when they reach their savings goal, CADC will match every dollar saved with $3, up to $2,000 per individual or $4,000 per household. Most applicants will be enrolled in the program for six months to two years. For more information, please contact Angel Clingmon at 501-676-0019.
First Assembly of God Church at 221 N. Elm in Jacksonville will celebrate its 64th anniversary Sunday, Nov. 19. The guest singers will be “Second Nature,” who are J.P. and Kristina Hodges and his sister, Lauralise Hodges. The public in invited to attend.
There will be a free Thanksgiving Day dinner on from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 23 at Beebe First United Methodist Church, 302 N. Main St. Reservations are requested but not necessary. Takeout and delivery in the Beebe area is available. Transportation within the Beebe area is also available. For more information call the church office at 882-6427 or Bill Palmisano at 882-7221.
The Junior Auxiliary of Jacksonville’s Christmas Tour of Homes will be from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday Dec. 10. Homeowners on the tour this year include Larry Wilson, Lucian Shockey, Chuck Thomas and Rick Barnum. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased from any active junior auxiliary member. For information contact Mandy Watson at 982-1241. Proceeds from the Christmas Tour of Homes help to provide for the underprivileged children in Jacksonville.
The Fathers Council of the Jacksonville Middle School for boys meets at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 20, in the schools library. Prizes will be awarded to any student who brings their father, uncle, grandfather or other man who is significant in their life including gifts from Blockbuster video, memberships at the Jacksonville Fitness Center and one family will win a turkey fryer. For more information or questions call the school at 982-1587 or Chuck Baclawski at 985-4174.
Tuesday, Nov. 21 is the deadline to order dinner rolls from Simply Delicious Restaurant, part of North Pulaski High School. The rolls are $4 a dozen. Proceeds help pay for extra curricular activities. To order call 241-2260.
The Cabot Rotary Club is collecting items for Open Arms Shelter. The shelter provides temporary housing to abuse and neglected children between the ages of birth and 18 years of age. Items needed include juice, canned goods, paper towels and winter clothes. Items can be dropped off at the Arkansas Federal Credit Union, 100 S. Rockwood in Cabot. For more information call 533-2310.
EVENTS>>Fall 2006
The Jacksonville Fire Department will begin testing the city’s fire hydrants beginning Monday and ending Friday, Jan. 12. The testing is necessary to maintain and improve current Insurance Service Organization ratings, which determines insurance rates for business and homeowners. Hydrant testing also allows the Jacksonville Fire Department to plan for better fire suppression. This testing could cause the unsettling of sediment that does collect in the water mains. This sediment will cause discoloration of the water and can stain clothing in the wash. The water is safe to drink. The Jacksonville Fire Department and the Jacksonville Water Works urge citizens to check for discolored water before doing laundry to avoid staining clothing during the testing period. The testing schedule is as follows: Nov. 20, north of Main Street and west of Hwy. 67/167; Dec. 4., north of Main Street and Graham Road and east of Hwy. 67/167; Dec. 18., south of Main Street and Graham Road and east of Hwy. 67/167 and Jan 3., south of Main Streeta and Graham Road and west of Hwy. 67/167.
Central Arkansas Development Council will host an individual development account meeting at 5 p.m. Monday at 117 Southeast St. in Lonoke. The CADC IDA program matches savings accounts that encourage low-income working people to save money and acquire assets. Participants commit to saving at least $10 a month and when they reach their savings goal, CADC will match every dollar saved with $3, up to $2,000 per individual or $4,000 per household. Most applicants will be enrolled in the program for six months to two years. For more information, please contact Angel Clingmon at 501-676-0019.
First Assembly of God Church at 221 N. Elm in Jacksonville will celebrate its 64th anniversary Sunday, Nov. 19. The guest singers will be “Second Nature,” who are J.P. and Kristina Hodges and his sister, Lauralise Hodges. The public in invited to attend.
There will be a free Thanksgiving Day dinner on from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 23 at Beebe First United Methodist Church, 302 N. Main St. Reservations are requested but not necessary. Takeout and delivery in the Beebe area is available. Transportation within the Beebe area is also available. For more information call the church office at 882-6427 or Bill Palmisano at 882-7221.
The Junior Auxiliary of Jacksonville’s Christmas Tour of Homes will be from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday Dec. 10. Homeowners on the tour this year include Larry Wilson, Lucian Shockey, Chuck Thomas and Rick Barnum. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased from any active junior auxiliary member. For information contact Mandy Watson at 982-1241. Proceeds from the Christmas Tour of Homes help to provide for the underprivileged children in Jacksonville.
The Fathers Council of the Jacksonville Middle School for boys meets at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 20, in the schools library. Prizes will be awarded to any student who brings their father, uncle, grandfather or other man who is significant in their life including gifts from Blockbuster video, memberships at the Jacksonville Fitness Center and one family will win a turkey fryer. For more information or questions call the school at 982-1587 or Chuck Baclawski at 985-4174.
Tuesday, Nov. 21 is the deadline to order dinner rolls from Simply Delicious Restaurant, part of North Pulaski High School. The rolls are $4 a dozen. Proceeds help pay for extra curricular activities. To order call 241-2260.
The Cabot Rotary Club is collecting items for Open Arms Shelter. The shelter provides temporary housing to abuse and neglected children between the ages of birth and 18 years of age. Items needed include juice, canned goods, paper towels and winter clothes. Items can be dropped off at the Arkansas Federal Credit Union, 100 S. Rockwood in Cabot. For more information call 533-2310.
Central Arkansas Development Council will host an individual development account meeting at 5 p.m. Monday at 117 Southeast St. in Lonoke. The CADC IDA program matches savings accounts that encourage low-income working people to save money and acquire assets. Participants commit to saving at least $10 a month and when they reach their savings goal, CADC will match every dollar saved with $3, up to $2,000 per individual or $4,000 per household. Most applicants will be enrolled in the program for six months to two years. For more information, please contact Angel Clingmon at 501-676-0019.
First Assembly of God Church at 221 N. Elm in Jacksonville will celebrate its 64th anniversary Sunday, Nov. 19. The guest singers will be “Second Nature,” who are J.P. and Kristina Hodges and his sister, Lauralise Hodges. The public in invited to attend.
There will be a free Thanksgiving Day dinner on from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 23 at Beebe First United Methodist Church, 302 N. Main St. Reservations are requested but not necessary. Takeout and delivery in the Beebe area is available. Transportation within the Beebe area is also available. For more information call the church office at 882-6427 or Bill Palmisano at 882-7221.
The Junior Auxiliary of Jacksonville’s Christmas Tour of Homes will be from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday Dec. 10. Homeowners on the tour this year include Larry Wilson, Lucian Shockey, Chuck Thomas and Rick Barnum. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased from any active junior auxiliary member. For information contact Mandy Watson at 982-1241. Proceeds from the Christmas Tour of Homes help to provide for the underprivileged children in Jacksonville.
The Fathers Council of the Jacksonville Middle School for boys meets at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 20, in the schools library. Prizes will be awarded to any student who brings their father, uncle, grandfather or other man who is significant in their life including gifts from Blockbuster video, memberships at the Jacksonville Fitness Center and one family will win a turkey fryer. For more information or questions call the school at 982-1587 or Chuck Baclawski at 985-4174.
Tuesday, Nov. 21 is the deadline to order dinner rolls from Simply Delicious Restaurant, part of North Pulaski High School. The rolls are $4 a dozen. Proceeds help pay for extra curricular activities. To order call 241-2260.
The Cabot Rotary Club is collecting items for Open Arms Shelter. The shelter provides temporary housing to abuse and neglected children between the ages of birth and 18 years of age. Items needed include juice, canned goods, paper towels and winter clothes. Items can be dropped off at the Arkansas Federal Credit Union, 100 S. Rockwood in Cabot. For more information call 533-2310.
TOP STORY >>Jacksonville budget grows
IN SHORT: Mayor’s proposed draft of city’s 2007 general fund has expenditures at $15.5 million, up $1 million from 2006.
By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
The first public draft of Jack-sonville’s 2007 budget has the city spending about $500,000 than it’ll take in.
Mayor Tommy Swaim and Finance Director Paul Mushrush presented the budget to the city council Thursday night. Both Swaim and Mushrush called the draft a “very rough draft.”
The budget projects 2007 revenues for the city’s general fund to be just over $15 million, up about 5 percent from 2006. Expendi-tures total $15,555,680, for a deficit of $466,253. Expenditures are up about $1 million over 2006.
Part of the increase, the mayor explained, has to do with health insurance for city employees, which is jumping up more than $200,000. “Our insurance is going up because it seems insurance always goes up, but also because our claims are greater than the premiums being collected,” Mush-rush explained.
Based on latest figures, city employees have filed for 26 percent more in claims than what they have paid in premiums.
“It makes it hard for us to get competitive rates when that happens,” Mushrush said.
The council discussed splitting the health insurance increase next year with its employees rather than picking up the entire increase. “It’s got to be some kind of split,” Aldermen Kenny Elliot said.
The other big expense, Mushrush said, is the cost of oil and gasoline, which has already taken a 10-cent turn upwards in the past two weeks.
“We get together and brainstorm and try to make sure we have enough in the budget so we don’t have to cut services late in the year,” Mushrush explained.
Nearly $190,000 is budgeted for vehicle gas and oil, and another $20,920 for tires and tire repair, up from the $160,402 and $14,536 from the 2006 budget.
Budgets for both the fire and police department are going up. The fire department is going from a 2006 budget of $3.08 million to a proposed 2007 budget of $3.23 million.
The police budget is going from $5.1 million to $5.4 million.
“There’s no surprises in there,” Mushrush said. “Most of the increase is either additional personnel or insurance increases.”
The proposed 2007 street fund expenditures are estimated at $2.13 million, while revenues are slated at $1.78 million.
The sanitation fund expenses for 2007 are estimated to be $1.49 million, while revenues are being placed at $1.25 million.
Proposed expenses for the 2007 emergency medical services fund are nearly twice as much as the estimated revenue.
Expenditures are slated at $813,806, while revenues are estimated at $499,100.
In other council business:
- Alderman gave the mayor permission to pursue efforts to buy a lot of land adjacent the Splash Zone. The council said the mayor could spend up to $20,000 of city money for the land. The land is needed for a possible parking lot. The water park has become so popular since opening up two years ago that patrons are having to park in a nearby church parking lot.
- Fire Chief John Vanderhoof, in his monthly report, told the council that his department responded to 92 rescue calls, 50 still alarms, 21 general alarms and had 184 ambulance runs during October.
Fire loss for the month was estimated at $63,100, while fire savings was placed at $179,400.
By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
The first public draft of Jack-sonville’s 2007 budget has the city spending about $500,000 than it’ll take in.
Mayor Tommy Swaim and Finance Director Paul Mushrush presented the budget to the city council Thursday night. Both Swaim and Mushrush called the draft a “very rough draft.”
The budget projects 2007 revenues for the city’s general fund to be just over $15 million, up about 5 percent from 2006. Expendi-tures total $15,555,680, for a deficit of $466,253. Expenditures are up about $1 million over 2006.
Part of the increase, the mayor explained, has to do with health insurance for city employees, which is jumping up more than $200,000. “Our insurance is going up because it seems insurance always goes up, but also because our claims are greater than the premiums being collected,” Mush-rush explained.
Based on latest figures, city employees have filed for 26 percent more in claims than what they have paid in premiums.
“It makes it hard for us to get competitive rates when that happens,” Mushrush said.
The council discussed splitting the health insurance increase next year with its employees rather than picking up the entire increase. “It’s got to be some kind of split,” Aldermen Kenny Elliot said.
The other big expense, Mushrush said, is the cost of oil and gasoline, which has already taken a 10-cent turn upwards in the past two weeks.
“We get together and brainstorm and try to make sure we have enough in the budget so we don’t have to cut services late in the year,” Mushrush explained.
Nearly $190,000 is budgeted for vehicle gas and oil, and another $20,920 for tires and tire repair, up from the $160,402 and $14,536 from the 2006 budget.
Budgets for both the fire and police department are going up. The fire department is going from a 2006 budget of $3.08 million to a proposed 2007 budget of $3.23 million.
The police budget is going from $5.1 million to $5.4 million.
“There’s no surprises in there,” Mushrush said. “Most of the increase is either additional personnel or insurance increases.”
The proposed 2007 street fund expenditures are estimated at $2.13 million, while revenues are slated at $1.78 million.
The sanitation fund expenses for 2007 are estimated to be $1.49 million, while revenues are being placed at $1.25 million.
Proposed expenses for the 2007 emergency medical services fund are nearly twice as much as the estimated revenue.
Expenditures are slated at $813,806, while revenues are estimated at $499,100.
In other council business:
- Alderman gave the mayor permission to pursue efforts to buy a lot of land adjacent the Splash Zone. The council said the mayor could spend up to $20,000 of city money for the land. The land is needed for a possible parking lot. The water park has become so popular since opening up two years ago that patrons are having to park in a nearby church parking lot.
- Fire Chief John Vanderhoof, in his monthly report, told the council that his department responded to 92 rescue calls, 50 still alarms, 21 general alarms and had 184 ambulance runs during October.
Fire loss for the month was estimated at $63,100, while fire savings was placed at $179,400.
TOP STORY >>Military asks banks to help
IN SHORT: Pentagon official urges local financial institutions to assist service members.
By SARA GREENE
Leader staff writer
Banks need to offer Little Rock Air Force Base airmen and their dependents financial services to help them avoid the pitfalls of payday lending, says Kevin Bruch, an Air Force quality-of-life liaison for the Department of Defense.
Bruch told members of the LRAFB Community Council Tuesday airmen do get warned about the short term, high-interest loans throughout their careers, but sometimes hardships make the loans seem attractive.
Recently, a federal law was passed capping payday-loan interest for military members at 36 percent, about four times what banks charge for loans.
Bruch gave the example of a young military member who took out a payday loan for $300.
She paid $45 per month for 30 moths and still had not paid off the original $300 she borrowed.
“Chances are if a young airman doesn’t have $300 today, they aren’t going to have $300 two weeks from now,” Bruch said.
Many airmen choose not to transfer their bank accounts to local banks when they move from one base to another.
This, along with a lack of collateral, can make getting a loan from a local bank nearly impossible.
Chris Roberts, senior vice president of Metropolitan National Bank in Cabot, said he’d advise airmen to visit with their local banks to see what’s available.
“I’d tell them go see someone at a bank and see what they have to offer. You may have options (besides a payday loan) that you aren’t aware of,” Roberts said.
“Most area banks have special low-fee accounts that cater to military members,” Roberts added.
In his role as quality-of-life liaison, Bruch strives to educate communities in ways they can help miliary families including those with the National Guard and Reserves. “If we don’t take care of the family members, the military speaks and they speak with their feet by getting out,” Bruch said.
He advises communities to build up support for disabled veterans since medical training and technology is helping save more lives in the war zone.
“More military are returning home severely injured because in the past, they would of died on the battlefield,” Bruch said.
During his time at LRAFB, Bruch visited with Brig. Gen. Kip Self, commander of Little Rock Air Force Base, about Arnold Drive Elementary, a Pulaski County school located on the base. On average, a military family moves seven to eight times during the student’s educational career, from kindergarten to senior year.
That moving can be detrimental to working spouses too.
“The top-three jobs for military spouses are teachers, nurses and real estate agents and each state’s certification requirement differs,” Bruch said.
For example, some school districts don’t give credit to teachers who have out-of-state teaching experience. Getting re-certified for careers like nursing and real estate can be costly and timeconsuming for spouses.
By SARA GREENE
Leader staff writer
Banks need to offer Little Rock Air Force Base airmen and their dependents financial services to help them avoid the pitfalls of payday lending, says Kevin Bruch, an Air Force quality-of-life liaison for the Department of Defense.
Bruch told members of the LRAFB Community Council Tuesday airmen do get warned about the short term, high-interest loans throughout their careers, but sometimes hardships make the loans seem attractive.
Recently, a federal law was passed capping payday-loan interest for military members at 36 percent, about four times what banks charge for loans.
Bruch gave the example of a young military member who took out a payday loan for $300.
She paid $45 per month for 30 moths and still had not paid off the original $300 she borrowed.
“Chances are if a young airman doesn’t have $300 today, they aren’t going to have $300 two weeks from now,” Bruch said.
Many airmen choose not to transfer their bank accounts to local banks when they move from one base to another.
This, along with a lack of collateral, can make getting a loan from a local bank nearly impossible.
Chris Roberts, senior vice president of Metropolitan National Bank in Cabot, said he’d advise airmen to visit with their local banks to see what’s available.
“I’d tell them go see someone at a bank and see what they have to offer. You may have options (besides a payday loan) that you aren’t aware of,” Roberts said.
“Most area banks have special low-fee accounts that cater to military members,” Roberts added.
In his role as quality-of-life liaison, Bruch strives to educate communities in ways they can help miliary families including those with the National Guard and Reserves. “If we don’t take care of the family members, the military speaks and they speak with their feet by getting out,” Bruch said.
He advises communities to build up support for disabled veterans since medical training and technology is helping save more lives in the war zone.
“More military are returning home severely injured because in the past, they would of died on the battlefield,” Bruch said.
During his time at LRAFB, Bruch visited with Brig. Gen. Kip Self, commander of Little Rock Air Force Base, about Arnold Drive Elementary, a Pulaski County school located on the base. On average, a military family moves seven to eight times during the student’s educational career, from kindergarten to senior year.
That moving can be detrimental to working spouses too.
“The top-three jobs for military spouses are teachers, nurses and real estate agents and each state’s certification requirement differs,” Bruch said.
For example, some school districts don’t give credit to teachers who have out-of-state teaching experience. Getting re-certified for careers like nursing and real estate can be costly and timeconsuming for spouses.
TOP STORY >>Hunters find dead woman
IN SHORT: Body located Thursday has been sent to state Crime Lab and may be that of a Cabot resident who vanished on Oct. 24.
By SARA GREENE
Leader staff writer
Hunters found a woman’s body Thursday afternoon in the woods near West Mountain Springs Road and Longbotham Road in Cabot. The body is at the state Crime Lab in Little Rock to see if it is that of Debra Lynn Roach, 47, who has been missing since Oct. 24.
After Roach disappeared, Lonoke County Sheriff’s Department investigators searched the area with all-terrain-vehicles and bloodhounds.
Lt. Jim Kulesa with the Lonoke County Sheriff’s Office said investigators found no sign of foul play but they haven’t ruled out that possibility.
If Roach walked away from her home that cold and rainy day, she was barefoot and had no coat. Family members say Roach left once before but only for a day.
Investigators say if Roach left on her own accord this time, it would be unusual for someone not to have seen her.
Roach’s 10-year-old daughter was apparently the last person to see her Oct. 24.
The girl was leaving to catch the school bus about 7 a.m. and saw her mother in the living room.
Roach’s disabled husband was asleep in the bedroom.
He reported his wife missing that afternoon.
By SARA GREENE
Leader staff writer
Hunters found a woman’s body Thursday afternoon in the woods near West Mountain Springs Road and Longbotham Road in Cabot. The body is at the state Crime Lab in Little Rock to see if it is that of Debra Lynn Roach, 47, who has been missing since Oct. 24.
After Roach disappeared, Lonoke County Sheriff’s Department investigators searched the area with all-terrain-vehicles and bloodhounds.
Lt. Jim Kulesa with the Lonoke County Sheriff’s Office said investigators found no sign of foul play but they haven’t ruled out that possibility.
If Roach walked away from her home that cold and rainy day, she was barefoot and had no coat. Family members say Roach left once before but only for a day.
Investigators say if Roach left on her own accord this time, it would be unusual for someone not to have seen her.
Roach’s 10-year-old daughter was apparently the last person to see her Oct. 24.
The girl was leaving to catch the school bus about 7 a.m. and saw her mother in the living room.
Roach’s disabled husband was asleep in the bedroom.
He reported his wife missing that afternoon.
TOP STORY >>Cabot sets hearing on sidewalks
By JOAN MCCOY
Leader staff writer
A public hearing for a proposed plan for sidewalk construction in Cabot is set for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 30 in the courtroom of the City Annex, 208 N. First St.
With input from the city’s public works department, planners with Metroplan, which distributes federal transportation money, drafted the proposal based on information they gathered from Cabot residents who attended a workshop May 15.
“We have developed a draft plan based on what they told us and on the 30th we’re going back to them and ask if we got it right,” said Susan Dollar, a transportation planner with Metroplan.
Dollar said the draft plan does not include the walkway over U.S. Highway 67-167 that some residents said they wanted because such a project would be too costly.
“I guess anything could be engineered, but we could build a lot of sidewalks on both sides of 67/167 for what it would cost us to connect both sides of the city,” she said.
Neither does it emphasize the bike trail that some wanted. Dollar said the city might want to look at that project in about five years.
But she said, “There’s a lot of emphasis on connecting the sidewalks that Cabot already has.”
Dollar says the proposal groups projects according to need, and suggests that the most needed parts be completed first.
Developing the plan is the first step in the process, but Dollar said the city would have to apply for construction grants to do the work. The 80 / 20 federal grants are not automatic.
Dollar said city residents were consulted about the plan because they are the experts. They are the ones who try to get across parts of the city on foot so they know the changes that are needed.
Leader staff writer
A public hearing for a proposed plan for sidewalk construction in Cabot is set for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 30 in the courtroom of the City Annex, 208 N. First St.
With input from the city’s public works department, planners with Metroplan, which distributes federal transportation money, drafted the proposal based on information they gathered from Cabot residents who attended a workshop May 15.
“We have developed a draft plan based on what they told us and on the 30th we’re going back to them and ask if we got it right,” said Susan Dollar, a transportation planner with Metroplan.
Dollar said the draft plan does not include the walkway over U.S. Highway 67-167 that some residents said they wanted because such a project would be too costly.
“I guess anything could be engineered, but we could build a lot of sidewalks on both sides of 67/167 for what it would cost us to connect both sides of the city,” she said.
Neither does it emphasize the bike trail that some wanted. Dollar said the city might want to look at that project in about five years.
But she said, “There’s a lot of emphasis on connecting the sidewalks that Cabot already has.”
Dollar says the proposal groups projects according to need, and suggests that the most needed parts be completed first.
Developing the plan is the first step in the process, but Dollar said the city would have to apply for construction grants to do the work. The 80 / 20 federal grants are not automatic.
Dollar said city residents were consulted about the plan because they are the experts. They are the ones who try to get across parts of the city on foot so they know the changes that are needed.
TOP STORY >> Library seen as changing Main St.
IN SHORT: Media center will be dramatically different from other Jacksonville buildings.
By SARA GREENE
Leader staff writer
Described by the designer as being a monumental civic building in a park setting, early sketches of what the new Esther DeWitt Nixon Public Library will look like enticed more than 50 Jacksonville residents out to a public meeting for the $2.5 million structure Wednesday night.
The 13,884-square-foot library will be built along Main Street, across from the Jacksonville Shopping Center and adjacent to Walgreen’s Pharmacy. The 20 foot tall building will be about 40 percent larger than the current library.
There was some disagreement between whether the exterior should be red or beige brick but it will not have a flat roof like many of the other older buildings in downtown Jack-sonville says designer David Sargent of the Witsell, Evans, Rasco architecture firm. “We want people to look at it and know it is a library, so they don’t have to ask what the building is,” Sargent said.
The north side of the building will have a nearby gazebo, benches and a 150-foot covered walkway with pillars. The length of the walkway concerned some residents.
“I have a lot of friends who can’t walk and 150 feet is a long way for them to travel,” said Marilyn Canon of Jacksonville. Canon said she uses the Nixon library two to three times a week.
Sargent said the south entrance would be wheelchair accessible and much closer to handicapped parking spots for patrons who find it difficult to walk.
Inside, library will have a vestibule that separates the general circulation area from a 1,000 square foot multi-purpose room complete with kitchenette and restrooms. The layout allows people to use the multipurpose part of the building then the library itself isn’t open.
With large glass windows on the north side of the building and glass block walls inside, the library will have abundant sunlight without being overheated in the summer.
The building will be lit at night, lights will be left on inside and the outside will be lit with floodlights and other lighting.
There will be 3,204 square foot of general circulation area, 3,500 square foot of bookshelves, 1,200 square foot computer lab and a 1,200 square foot children’s reading area.
One highlight of the building is plans for a walled garden area, accessible from the children’s reading area where youngsters can take their books outside to read.
Cherry furniture, wooden ceiling tiles and cork flooring will make the interior of the build inviting. The entire building will be equipped with high-speed wireless Internet for laptop computer users too.
Bobby Roberts, director of the Central Arkansas Library System (CALS), said he’d like to landscape the property to make it look more like a park with evergreens on the west side and oaks or similar trees on the north side along Main Street.
“I think it’s important the landscaping is done correctly. Hopefully the building style and landscaping could set a trend and spread throughout the city,” Roberts said.
CALS would maintain the landscaping he added.
“This will be second largest library in CALS,” Roberts said.
The current building the Nixon library calls home was constructed in 1969. It is one of the oldest buildings in the Central Arkansas Library System.
Along with being old, the Nixon library is small with 9,265 square feet. The new library will be approximately 13,500 square feet. Excluding the Nixon Library, the average Central CALS building is five-years-old and has about 14,000 square feet.
In 2004, the Nixon library was closed for a month while a leak in the roof was repaired. About 200 books were damaged from the leaking roof. Several computers got wet as water leaked heavily through the roof to the building’s interior, about 40 ceiling tiles were damaged to the point of breaking and falling to the library floor. Workers cleaned the tiles and used a shop vacuum for about six hours to remove flooding water from the floor.
The drainage system failed when one of the roof drains got plugged, and instead of backing up onto the roof, the rainwater soaked into the ceiling until water leaked through.
During the closure, workers removed asbestos insulation from a 950-square-foot area above the circulation desk. The Nixon library still has asbestos materials in 488-square-feet of floor tile in the back room where the librarians work, in 30 segments of pipe insulation and in 200 foot of caulking between the building’s exterior and window units.
The next public meeting for the library will be in early spring Sargent said.
By SARA GREENE
Leader staff writer
Described by the designer as being a monumental civic building in a park setting, early sketches of what the new Esther DeWitt Nixon Public Library will look like enticed more than 50 Jacksonville residents out to a public meeting for the $2.5 million structure Wednesday night.
The 13,884-square-foot library will be built along Main Street, across from the Jacksonville Shopping Center and adjacent to Walgreen’s Pharmacy. The 20 foot tall building will be about 40 percent larger than the current library.
There was some disagreement between whether the exterior should be red or beige brick but it will not have a flat roof like many of the other older buildings in downtown Jack-sonville says designer David Sargent of the Witsell, Evans, Rasco architecture firm. “We want people to look at it and know it is a library, so they don’t have to ask what the building is,” Sargent said.
The north side of the building will have a nearby gazebo, benches and a 150-foot covered walkway with pillars. The length of the walkway concerned some residents.
“I have a lot of friends who can’t walk and 150 feet is a long way for them to travel,” said Marilyn Canon of Jacksonville. Canon said she uses the Nixon library two to three times a week.
Sargent said the south entrance would be wheelchair accessible and much closer to handicapped parking spots for patrons who find it difficult to walk.
Inside, library will have a vestibule that separates the general circulation area from a 1,000 square foot multi-purpose room complete with kitchenette and restrooms. The layout allows people to use the multipurpose part of the building then the library itself isn’t open.
With large glass windows on the north side of the building and glass block walls inside, the library will have abundant sunlight without being overheated in the summer.
The building will be lit at night, lights will be left on inside and the outside will be lit with floodlights and other lighting.
There will be 3,204 square foot of general circulation area, 3,500 square foot of bookshelves, 1,200 square foot computer lab and a 1,200 square foot children’s reading area.
One highlight of the building is plans for a walled garden area, accessible from the children’s reading area where youngsters can take their books outside to read.
Cherry furniture, wooden ceiling tiles and cork flooring will make the interior of the build inviting. The entire building will be equipped with high-speed wireless Internet for laptop computer users too.
Bobby Roberts, director of the Central Arkansas Library System (CALS), said he’d like to landscape the property to make it look more like a park with evergreens on the west side and oaks or similar trees on the north side along Main Street.
“I think it’s important the landscaping is done correctly. Hopefully the building style and landscaping could set a trend and spread throughout the city,” Roberts said.
CALS would maintain the landscaping he added.
“This will be second largest library in CALS,” Roberts said.
The current building the Nixon library calls home was constructed in 1969. It is one of the oldest buildings in the Central Arkansas Library System.
Along with being old, the Nixon library is small with 9,265 square feet. The new library will be approximately 13,500 square feet. Excluding the Nixon Library, the average Central CALS building is five-years-old and has about 14,000 square feet.
In 2004, the Nixon library was closed for a month while a leak in the roof was repaired. About 200 books were damaged from the leaking roof. Several computers got wet as water leaked heavily through the roof to the building’s interior, about 40 ceiling tiles were damaged to the point of breaking and falling to the library floor. Workers cleaned the tiles and used a shop vacuum for about six hours to remove flooding water from the floor.
The drainage system failed when one of the roof drains got plugged, and instead of backing up onto the roof, the rainwater soaked into the ceiling until water leaked through.
During the closure, workers removed asbestos insulation from a 950-square-foot area above the circulation desk. The Nixon library still has asbestos materials in 488-square-feet of floor tile in the back room where the librarians work, in 30 segments of pipe insulation and in 200 foot of caulking between the building’s exterior and window units.
The next public meeting for the library will be in early spring Sargent said.
TOP STORY >> Law favors high-interest lenders over servicemen
IN SHORT: Rep. Wood, a soldier-legislator, is upset that a law he sponsored requires payday lenders to make usurious loans to the military.
By JOHN HOFHEIMER AND HEATHER HARTSELL
Leader staff writer
A spokesman for the nation’s largest payday lender said Thursday that despite its promise to stop making payday loans to military families, it must continue or violate an Arkansas law passed just last year.
Advance America, amidst fanfare and with a full-page ad in USAToday last September, said it would stop making payday loans to the military in October, but earlier this week, an employee of the Jacksonville Advance America branch assured one Little Rock Air Force Base airman’s wife that she could borrow as much as $350 for two weeks at an annual interest rate percentage of 336 percent.
By way of contrast, 8 percent would be a high home mortgage rate, but only payday lenders are exempted from the state’s 17 percent usury cap.
The sponsor of that act, state Rep. Jeff Wood, D-Sherwood, who is an Arkansas National Guardsman and a lawyer, called it ironic that his law, designed protect the civil rights of military members, was being used by payday lenders to continue to prey upon them.
Wood called Advance America’s interpretation of his legislation “a crafty argument.”
“That’s not the intent of the legislation,” Wood said Thursday. “The intent is to protect servicemen.”
In many instances, car dealerships have discriminated against them in making credit available, Wood said. He said he would draft a bill to correct the problem when the General Assembly reconvenes in January.
“Making loans to military at triple-digit interest is not doing them a favor,” said Hank Klein, founder of Arkansans Against Abusive Payday Lending.
“It does not protect them. I think it’s pretty sad that they would make that statement and then back off and say the law prevents them from quitting such loans.”
In October, Congress passed a law capping interest rates on loans to military personnel at 36 percent.
When asked Thursday why Advance America continued to make such loans in Arkansas, spokesman Jamie Fulmer said it was required by Arkansas law.
In a related matter, Thursday the state Supreme Court sent back to Circuit Judge Barry Sims’ court for the second time the issue of the constitutionality of payday lenders charging interest about 30 times higher than the state cap of 17 percent, according to Hank Klein, founder of Arkansans Against Abusive Payday Lending.
Advance American announced Sept. 25 that it would “respectfully and voluntarily refrain from making any payday advances to active, full-time members of the military effective Oct. 15, 2006, except where strictly prohibited from doing so by applicable law.”
It was the “except where strictly prohibited from doing so by applicable law” portion that requires Advance America to continue making those loans in Arkansas under Act 12-62-1205, according to Fulmer, director of investor relations.
Act 12-62-805, concerning rights of members of members of the military in Arkansas, reads in part: “The right of an otherwise qualified person to be free from discrimination because of military service is recognized as and declared to be a civil right. This right shall include, but not be limited to (D) the right to engage in credit and other contractual transactions without discrimination.”
Financial pitfalls represented by payday lenders and check cashers impact the readiness of Marines which “directly impacts unit readiness and consequently the corps’ ability to accomplish its mission,” according to Gen. M.W. Hagee, commandant.
Noting that about 7 percent of all military personnel rely on such high-interest, easy-to-obtain loans, Hagee said, “We must act to ensure our marines avoid financial pitfalls and make wise decisions.”
Officials at Little Rock Air Force Base have said they discourage the use of such store-front lenders, where customers need only a current paycheck stub and a driver’s license to obtain two-week loans of several hundred dollars, but Klein says it’s no accident that there are at three such businesses within one-half mile of the Vandenberg—Hwy. 67/167intersection.
That’s the commercial area closest to the base. Fulmer said Advance America restricted its payday loans to service members because there had been a lot of discussion by the Department of Defense and Congress. Fulmer said he disagreed with the characterization by critics that payday lenders prey on the military or anyone.
“We believe that our product is viable and useful to all in need of short-term credit,” said Fulmer, and compares favorably with other options such as late fees, bounced check fees and overdraft protection that can result from not having access to short-term, high-interest loans.
He also disagreed that payday lenders prey on financially unsophisticated.
“Our consumers are middle income Americans with jobs and bank accounts. They have options.”
He said he hoped critics would step up to plate and help offer something to help solve short-term credit needs of the military and others.
Of the 36 states where Advance America operates, Arkansas is one of a handful that have laws requiring the company to continuing making loans to servicemen and their families, Fulmer said.
Advance America has 2,700 outlets, according to Fulmer.
The entire payday lending and check cashing industry has been under fire both locally and in the halls of Congress, particularly for exploiting members of the military.
Fulmer said that less than 1 percent of Advance America’s customers are members of the military and that only 42 of 2,728 of their stores are within one mile of a military base.
By JOHN HOFHEIMER AND HEATHER HARTSELL
Leader staff writer
A spokesman for the nation’s largest payday lender said Thursday that despite its promise to stop making payday loans to military families, it must continue or violate an Arkansas law passed just last year.
Advance America, amidst fanfare and with a full-page ad in USAToday last September, said it would stop making payday loans to the military in October, but earlier this week, an employee of the Jacksonville Advance America branch assured one Little Rock Air Force Base airman’s wife that she could borrow as much as $350 for two weeks at an annual interest rate percentage of 336 percent.
By way of contrast, 8 percent would be a high home mortgage rate, but only payday lenders are exempted from the state’s 17 percent usury cap.
The sponsor of that act, state Rep. Jeff Wood, D-Sherwood, who is an Arkansas National Guardsman and a lawyer, called it ironic that his law, designed protect the civil rights of military members, was being used by payday lenders to continue to prey upon them.
Wood called Advance America’s interpretation of his legislation “a crafty argument.”
“That’s not the intent of the legislation,” Wood said Thursday. “The intent is to protect servicemen.”
In many instances, car dealerships have discriminated against them in making credit available, Wood said. He said he would draft a bill to correct the problem when the General Assembly reconvenes in January.
“Making loans to military at triple-digit interest is not doing them a favor,” said Hank Klein, founder of Arkansans Against Abusive Payday Lending.
“It does not protect them. I think it’s pretty sad that they would make that statement and then back off and say the law prevents them from quitting such loans.”
In October, Congress passed a law capping interest rates on loans to military personnel at 36 percent.
When asked Thursday why Advance America continued to make such loans in Arkansas, spokesman Jamie Fulmer said it was required by Arkansas law.
In a related matter, Thursday the state Supreme Court sent back to Circuit Judge Barry Sims’ court for the second time the issue of the constitutionality of payday lenders charging interest about 30 times higher than the state cap of 17 percent, according to Hank Klein, founder of Arkansans Against Abusive Payday Lending.
Advance American announced Sept. 25 that it would “respectfully and voluntarily refrain from making any payday advances to active, full-time members of the military effective Oct. 15, 2006, except where strictly prohibited from doing so by applicable law.”
It was the “except where strictly prohibited from doing so by applicable law” portion that requires Advance America to continue making those loans in Arkansas under Act 12-62-1205, according to Fulmer, director of investor relations.
Act 12-62-805, concerning rights of members of members of the military in Arkansas, reads in part: “The right of an otherwise qualified person to be free from discrimination because of military service is recognized as and declared to be a civil right. This right shall include, but not be limited to (D) the right to engage in credit and other contractual transactions without discrimination.”
Financial pitfalls represented by payday lenders and check cashers impact the readiness of Marines which “directly impacts unit readiness and consequently the corps’ ability to accomplish its mission,” according to Gen. M.W. Hagee, commandant.
Noting that about 7 percent of all military personnel rely on such high-interest, easy-to-obtain loans, Hagee said, “We must act to ensure our marines avoid financial pitfalls and make wise decisions.”
Officials at Little Rock Air Force Base have said they discourage the use of such store-front lenders, where customers need only a current paycheck stub and a driver’s license to obtain two-week loans of several hundred dollars, but Klein says it’s no accident that there are at three such businesses within one-half mile of the Vandenberg—Hwy. 67/167intersection.
That’s the commercial area closest to the base. Fulmer said Advance America restricted its payday loans to service members because there had been a lot of discussion by the Department of Defense and Congress. Fulmer said he disagreed with the characterization by critics that payday lenders prey on the military or anyone.
“We believe that our product is viable and useful to all in need of short-term credit,” said Fulmer, and compares favorably with other options such as late fees, bounced check fees and overdraft protection that can result from not having access to short-term, high-interest loans.
He also disagreed that payday lenders prey on financially unsophisticated.
“Our consumers are middle income Americans with jobs and bank accounts. They have options.”
He said he hoped critics would step up to plate and help offer something to help solve short-term credit needs of the military and others.
Of the 36 states where Advance America operates, Arkansas is one of a handful that have laws requiring the company to continuing making loans to servicemen and their families, Fulmer said.
Advance America has 2,700 outlets, according to Fulmer.
The entire payday lending and check cashing industry has been under fire both locally and in the halls of Congress, particularly for exploiting members of the military.
Fulmer said that less than 1 percent of Advance America’s customers are members of the military and that only 42 of 2,728 of their stores are within one mile of a military base.
TOP STORY >> Law favors high-interest lenders over servicemen
IN SHORT: Rep. Wood, a soldier-legislator, is upset that a law he sponsored requires payday lenders to make usurious loans to the military.
By JOHN HOFHEIMER AND HEATHER HARTSELL
Leader staff writer
A spokesman for the nation’s largest payday lender said Thursday that despite its promise to stop making payday loans to military families, it must continue or violate an Arkansas law passed just last year.
Advance America, amidst fanfare and with a full-page ad in USAToday last September, said it would stop making payday loans to the military in October, but earlier this week, an employee of the Jacksonville Advance America branch assured one Little Rock Air Force Base airman’s wife that she could borrow as much as $350 for two weeks at an annual interest rate percentage of 336 percent.
By way of contrast, 8 percent would be a high home mortgage rate, but only payday lenders are exempted from the state’s 17 percent usury cap.
The sponsor of that act, state Rep. Jeff Wood, D-Sherwood, who is an Arkansas National Guardsman and a lawyer, called it ironic that his law, designed protect the civil rights of military members, was being used by payday lenders to continue to prey upon them.
Wood called Advance America’s interpretation of his legislation “a crafty argument.”
“That’s not the intent of the legislation,” Wood said Thursday. “The intent is to protect servicemen.”
In many instances, car dealerships have discriminated against them in making credit available, Wood said. He said he would draft a bill to correct the problem when the General Assembly reconvenes in January.
“Making loans to military at triple-digit interest is not doing them a favor,” said Hank Klein, founder of Arkansans Against Abusive Payday Lending.
“It does not protect them. I think it’s pretty sad that they would make that statement and then back off and say the law prevents them from quitting such loans.”
In October, Congress passed a law capping interest rates on loans to military personnel at 36 percent.
When asked Thursday why Advance America continued to make such loans in Arkansas, spokesman Jamie Fulmer said it was required by Arkansas law.
In a related matter, Thursday the state Supreme Court sent back to Circuit Judge Barry Sims’ court for the second time the issue of the constitutionality of payday lenders charging interest about 30 times higher than the state cap of 17 percent, according to Hank Klein, founder of Arkansans Against Abusive Payday Lending.
Advance American announced Sept. 25 that it would “respectfully and voluntarily refrain from making any payday advances to active, full-time members of the military effective Oct. 15, 2006, except where strictly prohibited from doing so by applicable law.”
It was the “except where strictly prohibited from doing so by applicable law” portion that requires Advance America to continue making those loans in Arkansas under Act 12-62-1205, according to Fulmer, director of investor relations.
Act 12-62-805, concerning rights of members of members of the military in Arkansas, reads in part: “The right of an otherwise qualified person to be free from discrimination because of military service is recognized as and declared to be a civil right. This right shall include, but not be limited to (D) the right to engage in credit and other contractual transactions without discrimination.”
Financial pitfalls represented by payday lenders and check cashers impact the readiness of Marines which “directly impacts unit readiness and consequently the corps’ ability to accomplish its mission,” according to Gen. M.W. Hagee, commandant.
Noting that about 7 percent of all military personnel rely on such high-interest, easy-to-obtain loans, Hagee said, “We must act to ensure our marines avoid financial pitfalls and make wise decisions.”
Officials at Little Rock Air Force Base have said they discourage the use of such store-front lenders, where customers need only a current paycheck stub and a driver’s license to obtain two-week loans of several hundred dollars, but Klein says it’s no accident that there are at three such businesses within one-half mile of the Vandenberg—Hwy. 67/167intersection.
That’s the commercial area closest to the base. Fulmer said Advance America restricted its payday loans to service members because there had been a lot of discussion by the Department of Defense and Congress. Fulmer said he disagreed with the characterization by critics that payday lenders prey on the military or anyone.
“We believe that our product is viable and useful to all in need of short-term credit,” said Fulmer, and compares favorably with other options such as late fees, bounced check fees and overdraft protection that can result from not having access to short-term, high-interest loans.
He also disagreed that payday lenders prey on financially unsophisticated.
“Our consumers are middle income Americans with jobs and bank accounts. They have options.”
He said he hoped critics would step up to plate and help offer something to help solve short-term credit needs of the military and others.
Of the 36 states where Advance America operates, Arkansas is one of a handful that have laws requiring the company to continuing making loans to servicemen and their families, Fulmer said.
Advance America has 2,700 outlets, according to Fulmer.
The entire payday lending and check cashing industry has been under fire both locally and in the halls of Congress, particularly for exploiting members of the military.
Fulmer said that less than 1 percent of Advance America’s customers are members of the military and that only 42 of 2,728 of their stores are within one mile of a military base.
By JOHN HOFHEIMER AND HEATHER HARTSELL
Leader staff writer
A spokesman for the nation’s largest payday lender said Thursday that despite its promise to stop making payday loans to military families, it must continue or violate an Arkansas law passed just last year.
Advance America, amidst fanfare and with a full-page ad in USAToday last September, said it would stop making payday loans to the military in October, but earlier this week, an employee of the Jacksonville Advance America branch assured one Little Rock Air Force Base airman’s wife that she could borrow as much as $350 for two weeks at an annual interest rate percentage of 336 percent.
By way of contrast, 8 percent would be a high home mortgage rate, but only payday lenders are exempted from the state’s 17 percent usury cap.
The sponsor of that act, state Rep. Jeff Wood, D-Sherwood, who is an Arkansas National Guardsman and a lawyer, called it ironic that his law, designed protect the civil rights of military members, was being used by payday lenders to continue to prey upon them.
Wood called Advance America’s interpretation of his legislation “a crafty argument.”
“That’s not the intent of the legislation,” Wood said Thursday. “The intent is to protect servicemen.”
In many instances, car dealerships have discriminated against them in making credit available, Wood said. He said he would draft a bill to correct the problem when the General Assembly reconvenes in January.
“Making loans to military at triple-digit interest is not doing them a favor,” said Hank Klein, founder of Arkansans Against Abusive Payday Lending.
“It does not protect them. I think it’s pretty sad that they would make that statement and then back off and say the law prevents them from quitting such loans.”
In October, Congress passed a law capping interest rates on loans to military personnel at 36 percent.
When asked Thursday why Advance America continued to make such loans in Arkansas, spokesman Jamie Fulmer said it was required by Arkansas law.
In a related matter, Thursday the state Supreme Court sent back to Circuit Judge Barry Sims’ court for the second time the issue of the constitutionality of payday lenders charging interest about 30 times higher than the state cap of 17 percent, according to Hank Klein, founder of Arkansans Against Abusive Payday Lending.
Advance American announced Sept. 25 that it would “respectfully and voluntarily refrain from making any payday advances to active, full-time members of the military effective Oct. 15, 2006, except where strictly prohibited from doing so by applicable law.”
It was the “except where strictly prohibited from doing so by applicable law” portion that requires Advance America to continue making those loans in Arkansas under Act 12-62-1205, according to Fulmer, director of investor relations.
Act 12-62-805, concerning rights of members of members of the military in Arkansas, reads in part: “The right of an otherwise qualified person to be free from discrimination because of military service is recognized as and declared to be a civil right. This right shall include, but not be limited to (D) the right to engage in credit and other contractual transactions without discrimination.”
Financial pitfalls represented by payday lenders and check cashers impact the readiness of Marines which “directly impacts unit readiness and consequently the corps’ ability to accomplish its mission,” according to Gen. M.W. Hagee, commandant.
Noting that about 7 percent of all military personnel rely on such high-interest, easy-to-obtain loans, Hagee said, “We must act to ensure our marines avoid financial pitfalls and make wise decisions.”
Officials at Little Rock Air Force Base have said they discourage the use of such store-front lenders, where customers need only a current paycheck stub and a driver’s license to obtain two-week loans of several hundred dollars, but Klein says it’s no accident that there are at three such businesses within one-half mile of the Vandenberg—Hwy. 67/167intersection.
That’s the commercial area closest to the base. Fulmer said Advance America restricted its payday loans to service members because there had been a lot of discussion by the Department of Defense and Congress. Fulmer said he disagreed with the characterization by critics that payday lenders prey on the military or anyone.
“We believe that our product is viable and useful to all in need of short-term credit,” said Fulmer, and compares favorably with other options such as late fees, bounced check fees and overdraft protection that can result from not having access to short-term, high-interest loans.
He also disagreed that payday lenders prey on financially unsophisticated.
“Our consumers are middle income Americans with jobs and bank accounts. They have options.”
He said he hoped critics would step up to plate and help offer something to help solve short-term credit needs of the military and others.
Of the 36 states where Advance America operates, Arkansas is one of a handful that have laws requiring the company to continuing making loans to servicemen and their families, Fulmer said.
Advance America has 2,700 outlets, according to Fulmer.
The entire payday lending and check cashing industry has been under fire both locally and in the halls of Congress, particularly for exploiting members of the military.
Fulmer said that less than 1 percent of Advance America’s customers are members of the military and that only 42 of 2,728 of their stores are within one mile of a military base.
TOP STORY >> Do Harding students tilt elections?
IN SHORT: Critics say those from out-of-state who attend the private university in Searcy vote in blocs to affect the outcome of local elections, but Democrats and Republicans both says that’s democracy at work.
By JOAN MCCOY
Leader staff report
A plea from a White County man for Harding University students, particularly the Republicans, to stay out of local elections is almost certain to go unheeded because both Republicans and Demo-crats are organized on campus as they are on other college campuses and are working to help their parties.
The plea in a newspaper ad paid for by Dennis Gillam, the independent candidate for White County judge, came from El Paso resident Arvil Tucker, a Democrat, who says in the signed ad that it isn’t right for students from Montana or Michigan to elect the White County judge.
“Please don’t do that to us, Searcy,” he says, connecting the conservative Church of Christ school to the city, which voted overwhelmingly for the Republican candidate.
But the fact is that both Democrats and Republicans are organized on the campus. They help local candidates and they vote and there’s no law to keep them from doing that. Tanya Burleson, White County clerk, said both groups register new voters, and all she can do is caution them to make sure the new voters understand that the ballots they receive will be for local elections and not for elections in their hometowns.
According to officials with the Arkansas secretary of state, there is no real residency requirement for voting. All eligible voters at least 18 years of age are allowed to vote where they live as long as they register 30 days before the election and swear that they won’t vote anywhere else. A description of the College Democrats of Harding on the university Web site says the purpose of that organization is to “promote a greater political awareness a-mongst the students of this university, to support the highest values and policies of the Democratic Party and those public officials who exemplify these values, and to help the community benefit from these values and policies.”
The College Republicans’ goal is “to develop all Republicans on the campus into an intelligent, aggressive, cooperative, and informative Republ-ican group; to provide through its organization a means to encourage participation in the activities of the Re-publican Party; to promote in every honorable and appropriate way the platform and candidates of the Republican Party; to provide the student body the means for getting practical political education.
Helping students learn about politics is one of the school’s jobs, said Jack Shock, staff sponsor of the College Democrats. “It’s a university. That’s what we do,” he said.
But what if the real goal of the ad was not to shame the handful of out-of-state students who might cast ballots in White County, but rather to rile Democrats and independents enough to make them vote in the Nov. 28 runoff election between Gillam and Michael Lincoln, the Republican who carried every precinct in Searcy?
The Nov. 7 election ended with Gillam coming in second to Lincoln, and Waylon Heathscott, the Democratic candidate, coming in third. But the vote was close with Lincoln taking 36.9 percent, Gillam 31.9 percent and Heath-scott 31.1 percent.
With the help of the Democrats who voted for Heathscott, Gillam could win easily in the runoff and show the Searcy Republicans that they can’t decide who will look after the rural part of the county.
Getting the Democrats and independents out a second time is especially critical for Gillam be-cause the Searcy mayor’s race also is on the runoff ballot, so many of the same residents who voted for Lincoln the first time will likely go to the polls again for the mayor’s race.
Contacted Friday afternoon, Lincoln said he feels good about the runoff because he believes some of Gillam’s negative ads against him have backfired. He denies Gillam’s claim, also in the ad, that he wants to tell country people what they can do with their property and how it must be maintained. Like Gillam, he also has support among Democrats, he said, and he believes he can win this race.
By JOAN MCCOY
Leader staff report
A plea from a White County man for Harding University students, particularly the Republicans, to stay out of local elections is almost certain to go unheeded because both Republicans and Demo-crats are organized on campus as they are on other college campuses and are working to help their parties.
The plea in a newspaper ad paid for by Dennis Gillam, the independent candidate for White County judge, came from El Paso resident Arvil Tucker, a Democrat, who says in the signed ad that it isn’t right for students from Montana or Michigan to elect the White County judge.
“Please don’t do that to us, Searcy,” he says, connecting the conservative Church of Christ school to the city, which voted overwhelmingly for the Republican candidate.
But the fact is that both Democrats and Republicans are organized on the campus. They help local candidates and they vote and there’s no law to keep them from doing that. Tanya Burleson, White County clerk, said both groups register new voters, and all she can do is caution them to make sure the new voters understand that the ballots they receive will be for local elections and not for elections in their hometowns.
According to officials with the Arkansas secretary of state, there is no real residency requirement for voting. All eligible voters at least 18 years of age are allowed to vote where they live as long as they register 30 days before the election and swear that they won’t vote anywhere else. A description of the College Democrats of Harding on the university Web site says the purpose of that organization is to “promote a greater political awareness a-mongst the students of this university, to support the highest values and policies of the Democratic Party and those public officials who exemplify these values, and to help the community benefit from these values and policies.”
The College Republicans’ goal is “to develop all Republicans on the campus into an intelligent, aggressive, cooperative, and informative Republ-ican group; to provide through its organization a means to encourage participation in the activities of the Re-publican Party; to promote in every honorable and appropriate way the platform and candidates of the Republican Party; to provide the student body the means for getting practical political education.
Helping students learn about politics is one of the school’s jobs, said Jack Shock, staff sponsor of the College Democrats. “It’s a university. That’s what we do,” he said.
But what if the real goal of the ad was not to shame the handful of out-of-state students who might cast ballots in White County, but rather to rile Democrats and independents enough to make them vote in the Nov. 28 runoff election between Gillam and Michael Lincoln, the Republican who carried every precinct in Searcy?
The Nov. 7 election ended with Gillam coming in second to Lincoln, and Waylon Heathscott, the Democratic candidate, coming in third. But the vote was close with Lincoln taking 36.9 percent, Gillam 31.9 percent and Heath-scott 31.1 percent.
With the help of the Democrats who voted for Heathscott, Gillam could win easily in the runoff and show the Searcy Republicans that they can’t decide who will look after the rural part of the county.
Getting the Democrats and independents out a second time is especially critical for Gillam be-cause the Searcy mayor’s race also is on the runoff ballot, so many of the same residents who voted for Lincoln the first time will likely go to the polls again for the mayor’s race.
Contacted Friday afternoon, Lincoln said he feels good about the runoff because he believes some of Gillam’s negative ads against him have backfired. He denies Gillam’s claim, also in the ad, that he wants to tell country people what they can do with their property and how it must be maintained. Like Gillam, he also has support among Democrats, he said, and he believes he can win this race.
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